PR Disasters thread 20

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More to chat about

What a beautiful post. To be surrounded by such love and warmth, and to be able to sustain that and move it on to the next generation is a wonderful thing.

Charles and Diana were absent parents, typical of the aristocracy.

That's so lovely! Made me tear up a bit.

And yet Meghan tried to sell herself as the warm one, the hugger, while intimating Catherine was cold and formal. There is so much evidence to the contrary. C is very much a hugger, warm and most importantly authentic. You can’t fake that.

Harry talked about breaking generational pain, whatever he was on about. But William must have had a difficult childhood in many ways and instead of complaining he has determined to do things differently for his own children, finding peace and stability for himself along the way. He’s a great father, husband, son and son in law. He seems to be the one forging a new way and a break with the past. (With Catherine’s help of course).

Well, let's be honest, Catherine is warm and friendly to people she likes and trusts.
Do the math, Meghan.

You're right and H is acting like an over the top entitled aristo from days gone by.

Catherine is an English rose with a core of steel. William really could not have done better. The middle class family from Berkshire are indeed the saviours of the House of Windsor.

I mean, I'm considered warm and friendly by people who know me but I would duck behind the nearest pillar if I saw Meghan approaching me with arms outstretched and that rictus grin, ready for a photo-op.

With her ripped jeans and manky feet on full display!

This, exactly. His trauma is often overlooked. He has been determined to move on, he's engaged with therapy and committed himself to family life, being a good husband and dad. The way the children are around him speaks volumes and he's got a great relationship with the Middletons. He shows modesty and humour. He had chosen issues which he can devote proper time and effort to, not just superficial charity visits.
I hope that they have been able to rise above the absolutely vile behaviour of the Sussexes.

Funny you should mention generational pain, because I was thinking earlier about generational estrangement. My dad became estranged from his parents in his 20s, and my sister has done exactly the same to him and my mum. Both MM and PH are estranged from theirs, so it's very possible, because it's learned behaviour, that either Archie or Lilli might follow suit when they're older and break away from the Sussexes.

I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he cancels at the last minute but it won’t be his fault. Oh no, no, no. It will be the fault of evrybody else as per.

@IcedPurple I am only speaking for myself here, but all my favorite photos of DC are from the moments which capture the time and memories. I bought the bloody school photos, but it just does not look like them and they are in a drawer. I am v old so school photos were very much a thing because my parents did not take photos of me constantly (and pay to get them developed) so these were presents for the grandparents.

The photos HAM release just do not capture any joy or fun moments from that stage of family life when you have children of a young age and things seem magical. Have teen DC now, so photos look different!

More-than usual helecopter activity where I live today (20 miles from Heathrow).

The photos of the Wales' family are so much more wholesome and genuine than the confected offerings from the Sussexes.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/3c7b15c7548735c7

Overlooked? It's completely ignored! Harry refuses to acknowledge that his brother might have been equally devastated by their mother's death. William might not have served in combat, but he was frontline with the air ambulance and must've seen some traumatic sights. Can't have been easy being called out to car crashes, for example.

But no, only Harry is allowed to be upset.

I love that bit in James Middleton's Instagram post about how they talked about climbing mountains when she was very ill in hospital. ❤

Yes, and the only time William referred to it was when the Air Ambulance was called to a child casualty, which hit him hard.
No self pity though.

@ShamedBySiri, it is reported (although how much I true) that Diana leant in William a lot whilst he was a child and used him to talk about how unhappy she was. I know that following Diana's death things were rewritten, but it is hard to imagine that her emotional health and frailty did not impact on her parenting in some way.

Yes, that was certainly implied in Her Own Story, and also more explicitly by Paul Burrell.

That made me laugh. So true!

And here, Hertfordshire, but that is most likely to be Silverstone I think. It was the same last year.

Catherine and James are very close.
Can you remember when James opened up about his terrible clinical depression? He was in a terrible hole, couldn’t communicate with his family, had suicidal thoughts etc.
He credited his family for getting him through it, saying that they all went to therapy sessions with him. Pippa and Catherine were together at one when the therapist told them he was/had been suicidal as he couldn’t articulate the words himself.
His whole family supported him through it -but the one who got the most credit was his dog Ella. ❤️ Catherine and William have a dog from Ella’s line -which I think is lovely.
From a personal perspective my Labrador got me through a having stillborn son. I thought I would die but she listened to me and let me cry into her fur so I utterly understand what James means.

James seems a lovely man and it’s joyous to see what a happy family they all are and how very very relaxed William is with them. I think they have helped shape him into the wonderful man he is today. I also agree that Catherine is the best thing to happen to the house of Windsor - not just this century but in a century. She will be like Queen Mary - she will move them seamlessly into a new era with dignity - and never make it about her.
And, someone earlier said how the Wales children seem close to the Tindalls. I think it would come as a pleasant surprise to us to learn how much time they spend together. Watch Charlotte and Mia gravitate to each other on the Sandringham Christmas Day walk and how Louis LOVES Mike. They are so relaxed and you know that only comes with familiarity.
Mike is a great addition to the family too - a down to earth, slightly potty mouthed big Yorkshire man who will say it as it is -no airs or graces. Very very down to earth. How great that the future King(s) are spending so much time with normal people than the rarefied atmosphere Charles grew up in.

Yeah, was going to say that I checked out flight radar yesterday and today as silverstone is on and there are constant helicopters overhead morning and evening.