PR disasters thread 22

[bluegreygreen]

The ongoing saga of Sussex PR

Well - Who knows - Certainly can't see what H& M are going to do without the Royal adjacency
How she squares this with "I am done with that family" - we'll see how it plays out , but they really are just doubling down on being unreliable narrators , I think. & that's the nicest way I could think of putting it 😊

Meghan to Come to UK in Least Surprising Travel Plans Since Wellington Packed His Bags for Waterloo
Meghan and the children are coming to Britain but the Duchess has scrubbed every public appearance from her diary and won’t be seen anywhere near her humiliated husband. Funny, that.
TOM SYKES
JUL 9

∙

PREVIEW

The Duchess of Sussex and her two children are coming to Britain this week after all.
I know, try to contain your astonishment.
They were always coming. The tearful briefings about the trip being “pulled out from under their feet,” the statements about protective security, the will-they-won’t-they melodrama stretched across three separate news cycles [Friday: they’re coming! Saturday: it’s all off! Monday: actually, hang on!] — none of it changed the arithmetic, which is that Meghan cannot afford, in the most literal sense of that word, not to come.
Yes, it appears the threat of a sniper hiding in the bushes on Diana’s island or even those terror attacks they were so keen to tell us about have melted away in the face of what we all know Meghan really needs: royal adjacency. ...

My friend transferred me £50 last weekend but if Megsy does honour us with her presence , I will have to return it !
Whoever wins is taking the other out for a boozy lunch .

So she's done with the RF but now coming??

It's very interesting to also watch H&M's supporters, the Sussex Squad etc tie themselves into knots:

• H&M don't need the UK, Charles. They are living their best life in Montecito. But then why this circus over this visit esp if it's going to be a 'private event'? They could just continue to live their best life.
• Charlotte Griffith is a liar who exaggerated her links to Harry. BUT also when CG was saying things that were against William, she was absolutely right.
• Charlotte Griffith is an opportunistic bitch who should remember she has three kids. But CG is only mentioned because Harry dragged her into this case and dragged her name through the mud. But if Harry gets his say in the press, he's a great man who is only defending his reputation. If a female journalist does this, shame on her.
• William will be a terrible king and is unfit. The monarchy is outdated. But Harry should be King. Of this seemingly outdated monarchy.
• The Commonwealth is an anachronism. But hey look how much good Harry could do if he was sent to the Commonwealth representing this apparently outdated monarchy.
• Charles is desperate to meet Harry. But also he's a terrible grandfather who has betrayed his son by not meeting him.
• The British judicial system is corrupt and anti Harry, and this is a stitch up. But when the previous two judgements went in his favour this was a vindication of the judiciary's role.
• Kate Middleton didn't have cancer and is making it up. But also Kate Middleton should tell us what kind of cancer she had for her cancer to have 'value'.

The most amusing bit was their misunderstanding of why she was wearing a microphone at Wimbledon. First it was all, this is some nefarious plot. Then when 'overheard at Wimbledon' was released some thought she was eavesdropping on Henman. Then some said: oh Henman is being forced to make conversation. YES! They both are- it's part of a publicity attempt, a behind the scenes at Wimbledon. It's how publicity works?

I’m sticking on ‘I’ll believe it when I see it’, with a lot of side-eye at H’s special friend Chris Ship who’s responsible for lots of the weathervane reporting of the Sussex PR machine’s nonsense.

Meanwhile Charles and Camilla had larks today at London Zoo, and a smiley William went to Hastings. Charles Spencer is playing it very cool on X, where he seems mostly bothered with his literary reputation and the good management of the estate. His conservation manager at Althorp puts a lot of wonderful photographs on social media, and the place and its wildlife look glorious. I doubt they want a Sussex press circus, or to be judged poorly for allowing the commercialised cheapening of the island burial site. Unless it isn’t the actual burial site of course …

Maybe they will never confirm or deny if Meghan and the child were in the UK.
Surely a permanent veil of secrecy is much more newsworthy than a grandfather who doesn’t want to meet them.

It's not worth it for HAM if a meeting with KC and / or photo is not confirmed. Simple.

@AnAutumnCrow H is not my son , so I don't have the same emotional attachment , but if I had the choice between spending a while with a lot of lovely penguins or H , I know which I'd choose.

Apropos of absolutely nothing I think I once read Penguins can have the cognition of a human 2 year old. I may very well be wrong here , but just sayin'. 😂

Let’s not mention penguins and Harry in the same sentence shall we? , there is still some posters who think he has a few brain cells!

Ha ha @jeffgoldblum . Anyway C&C looked very happy and relaxed with the penguins. Before I leave penguins altogether - just to say if anyone hasn't read The Penguin Diaries or seen the film , both worthwhile IMHO in different ways . Enough 🐧

One thing I do remember , whilst there is all this "will H meet his father" etc , one of the more amusing and low key comments I read about H's last tea with KC from one of the MIGS was "people are talking about 50 minutes over tea and cake as if it were the Treaty of Versailles " 😂

How H could have conducted himself any worse in the lead up and the first couple of days of this visit , if he wanted to reconcile with his father, I find hard to imagine.

Can’t believe she has now hopped on the ‘will she / won’t she’ bandwagon, they are such losers.

Maybe Charles has summoned them both for a bollocking so he can tell them to their faces that he’s removing the titles 😱
Harry will probably sue in response 😂

Maybe they keep announcing it in the hope of a legitimate threat appearing then they "can get security"

No, he'll be on the carpet, sobbing his heart out, then on the phone to Chris Ship.

There’s more ins and outs to this than the bloody Hokey Cokey!

All good entertainment though 🤭🤣

I struggle to believe that M will be able to visit and not do something that’s photographed. I just don’t know if she’s capable of it.

Great to see pics of William at the crazy golf in Hastings yesterday - clearly a man who knows how to have fun!

If Meghan does come, she will make sure that we all know about it.
She’s like the tree falling in the woods, if no one saw it, it didn’t happen.

It will be William’s fault because Catherine is jealous of Meghan .

At this point I'm not sure anyone really cares what they do. The 'will they won't they' has been over played this time and is now getting tedious, even the more positive articles have an air of boredom. What it shows is that they don't have much to interest the press.

Harry is doing visits, blah, the ones done by the Royal family are far more impactful than flybys. Harry needs security, blah, the Princess of Wales was filmed, and recorded sitting on an outside court at Wimbledon. Harry visited a hospital, blah, Catherine climbed 3 mountains to raise funds. Harry is publicising Invictus, blah, Edward manages to promote the paraolumpics without taking focus for himself. Harry and Meghan have children, blah, so do quite a few minor royals.

They have boxed themselves into quite the corner and need some really good PR advice, that they actually listen to, at this point.

It’s highly likely that Catherine will be at Wimbledon today so H and M need to do something to stay in the news .

I think it's time that Liam McGuire reconsidered his position. Hard to say if it's H&M responsible for the current PR shambles or he himself orchestrated it.
Either way, it's been an absolute shit-show all round.
And, speaking as one whose close relative used to work with him, it couldn't happen to a nicer guy. 😜

I’ve followed these threads from the start but don’t generally comment. I’ve enjoyed the discussions and point of view.

I am posting for the first time as I’m amused that the bayeux tapestry arrived during the night with more security and press interest then HaM will receive. Celebrity will never trump history and that’s a painful lesson on multiple lessons for them to learn.

Excellent point!
Also.... doesn't William vanquish Harold?

Isn’t just me but is it not strange that William was in Hastings yesterday which is in Sussex! And Hastings? Famous for the defeat of Harold?

I know it must be a coincidence as these visits are arranged months and months in advance but wouldn’t it be delicious if William arranged his visits as secret messages like his Grandma and her wearing of brooches! :)

Having read some stuff about the author of The Penguin Lessons my DD was so disgusted she tore it up. Shame, because the film was lovely - but is now irrevocably tainted.