PR disasters thread 24

[BigWillyLittleTodger]

What more summer shenanigans await us from the Montecito duo?

These awards appearances aren’t about the accolade. They’re really about social media clips, professional photography, clothes, and basically visibility in a flattering environment where access is controlled and words are rehearsed or not spoken. And where everything is paid for by someone else.

Given they don’t have anything to sell, don’t have reason to appear in public (no shows, nothing to be interviewed about, no books written, irrelevant in current affairs etc) how else can they get onto Instagram and TikTok and facebook than by turning up to places where publicity is free and they don’t have to put in any work to organize interviewers/ videographers/ photographers?

That’s also what these faux royal tours are about. Visibility and a SM presence that someone else is paying for.

Meghan’s Instagram only has 4m followers (I think - and assume a quarter at least are bots). Her Insta and As Ever’s are just her and a ring light. Every now and then she’ll do a mates rates photo shoot with that friend Jake Whatever, and she’ll release those photos over a year or two. It’s all done on a shoestring to a small audience.

The disconnect between their media presence and their productivity is MASSIVE. The media presence is 90% print media, and of that 90% 60% will be not paid-for-by-them which we all know they hate.

It’s all a circus of attention seeking but the right attention only. Awards ceremonies are perfect - someone else is paying to have you seen in a favourable and flattering right.

@canklesmctacotits I think you have a point there. I think H thought M would open Gringott's Bank for them in Hollywood. . And to begin with it did. The trouble is thus far what has earned them the real money is telling , not always credible, tales about the RF. Their other NF ( non Docuseries ) productions went down the water spout like Itsy Bitsy spider. If they have something else to climb up on like The Afghanistan military novel turned movie or Cookie girls or the Polo drama or anything , then if it's any good I'm sure we will see it. Some of the awards they have been given I do think are a wee bit ludicrous - Living legends of aviation , anyone? Alongside Chelsey Sullenberger , Buzz Aldrin. But then Tom Cruise got one so I suppose a few slip in under the net. 😂

I remember an anecdote which I probably won't remember correctly. Tom Cruise wanted to fly a fighter jet in Top Gun II. Apparently he was told , this is $30m of taxpayers money . No. 😊Not sure why TC is up there with legends of aviation either.

The he is in great health comment lol anyone can say from any of the pictures or videos we have seen of him lately. Hardly a leak saying someone is in great health 😆

No you can't. Saying someone you've just met "is in great health" suggests more than superficial knowledge. Harry is implying that he knows about KC's health.

I agree - although if recordings come out we’ll know for sure

To be fair, I'm pretty sure TC is a licensed pilot who owns and files his own planes.

He clearly isn’t in great health .

I dread to think what M will say about her father when he dies .

I don't think Netflix entered WLM - a show they cancelled. Netflix have also been totally silent about the nomination - no social media congratulations. I think Netflix want to forget WLM ever happened and are just ignoring this to hope it goes away.

I think Meghan is hoping that a Daytime Emmy will reignite interest in As Ever or perhaps a new show.

I don't know how many submissions there were for WLM but she didn't get a nomination in any of the culinary categories or as a presenter - just the vague "Daytime Lifestyle" of daytime reality shows about renovations, parenting and and dog shows.

Oh I am too - not saying against that but is he a "Legend of Aviation" ? Clearly for others to decide.

Maybe more in the “promoting/publicising aviation through cinema” angle? Top Gun 2 brought in £1.5 billion at the box office. That’s a lot of eyeballs. There’s not going to be a hero pilot every year to nominate.

His family are prepared for a slew of horrible allegations

I really don't think Harry really understood how some of these "Pay to Play" awards work in the US. The Living Legends of Aviation didn't give Harry an award because they thought he was a living legend! They are a small charity that promote aviation careers to children.

They give awards to some celebrity "Legends" each year for their fundraising potential - so Prince Harry - who hasn't flown since his army days was chosen. At minimum the celebrity is supposed to put down $25,000 to $30,000 to buy a table and brings some friends as a donation to the charity (and they hope there will be ongoing donations/appearances at events).

But Harry didn't understand this, didn't buy a table but turned up (without even Meghan) expecting to be treated as the guest of honour and mingle with celebs. So he ended up at the back on a (half empty) table of those who had bought single tickets - and looking really out of place (like Meghan at the cinema in a ball gown). He had a brief moment onstage and then ended up wandering around taking selfies with the fake Prince Mario-Max! 😂

He seems to have dumped the charity now - he wasn't at the 2026 gala.

Was that the one where he complained in his speech that he was having to shell out thousands for a table?

That's the one. He's an idiot

As TM was prepared to sell set up pap shots in order to make money off the back of his daughter’s wedding and was prepared in a televised documentary to tell the world that “it is my turn now” (he meant this in terms of finances so God knows what he was actually saying to her in private) then I think whatever MM says to him is no one else’s business.

He may be in poor health and he may he frail and elderly, but I don’t buy this poor old abandoned Thomas Markle narrative, as promoted by Piers Morgan in various televised frothing rants!

Nor do I buy the argument “he put her through private Catholic school” because it’s the responsibility of every parent to facilitate their child’s education.

@Lunde - re the H of Av awards - my mistake . He really should have bought a table. I think I vaguely remember that now , or some other award when he did and let everyone know he'd spent $10k and pointed it out. Anyway , no matter. 👏 I see more what LoA is now.

I doubt many Republicans would summarise this RF board as balanced tbh!

like father like daughter. The entire markle family are despicable

There's quite a range of views on the monarchy on the RF board - and indeed on this thread, among regular posters.

Just because people criticise poor public behaviour of the Sussexes does not mean they are monarchists.

I agree about spurious awards but it’s rather unbalanced to mention this without mentioning all of the spurious awards that the RF give one another!

Not to mention the honorary medals some of them receive having served not a single day!

QE2, for example, used awards, knighthoods, and military promotions to "protect" and publicly validate Prince Andrew, when he faced intense public scrutiny for his scandals eg the late Queen knighted Prince Andrew as a Knight Grand Cross on his 51st birthday which was the very day after the Jeffrey Epstein scandal broke. Lownie asserts that this was a deliberate strategy on behalf of the palace after the press started asking tough questions.

Lownie also writes about the late Queen making Prince Andrew a vice admiral shortly after new revelations were made public about his relationship with Epstein.

Almost laughable behaviour if it wasn’t so despicable.

At least an Emmy is a legitimate award for work done, whether you like the work or not. And btw it is usual practice for every agent worth their salt to submit the work of their client writer, artist, producer and director for appropriate industry awards. It’s standard practice, so I don’t know why posters are trying to invalidate it for that reason!

I’m not a royalist not a republican tbh. Sort of in betweener, who thinks in 20/30 years, there will no longer be a monarchy and as long as it’s properly thought out, unlike the shitshow that was Brexit, I’m ok with that.

The Apple didn’t fall far from the tree, where the younger generation is concerned. The lot are not particularly pleasant to put it mildly.

I think that the Sussex supporters are the hardline monarchists.
The rest of us take a more balanced approach to the whole situation.

Meghan Markle wrote an amazing tribute to her Dad on Father's Day - not sure if it was 2015 or 2016... She painted him as an incredibly thoughtful Dad who always made time for her. So whatever she might say or imply after he dies would have to line up with her thoughts on him just before (or maybe just after?) she had met Harry.

I've always thought it was very odd that Harry had not met his future Father in Law before the wedding. Surely that would be a huge priority.