PR disasters thread 31

[BigWillyLittleTodger]

Have the eagles landed yet? Another thread to discuss yet more Sussex shenanigans!

Soz! I’m bored on a very wet Thursday morning but interestingly there has been no Colonel-in-Chief of the Army Cadet Force since Philip died.

Camellia is Air Commodore-in-Chief of RAF cadets and Anne is Admiral of the Sea Cadet Corps, but nobody for Army cadets.

I’m doing a Mystic Meg , folks, and see Harry in the role in a few years time!

Absolutely and utterly agree Betty but sadly he got away with it even when he was in uniform. There are stories about him leaving a base when the CDT team came. He had to go help William with arrangements for his marriage to Kate or some such shit. Obviously that’s just gossip but I can see a grain of truth in it.

Personally I would prefer someone with a squeaky clean image to head an organization for young people

Someone who hasn't got a history of drug use, dressing in Nazi uniform for a party, and can conduct their private life in a way that the general public respect

I am sure that there are many people in the UK with army associations who would come to this role with an impeccable reputation ~ PH isn't one of them

I doubt it though.

Harry is no longer important, he's not the spare, he's just the weird old uncle of the current heir and spares now.

No need to rehabilitate him and with the way he has behaved, he should absolutely not have any official or representative role whatsoever. The public don't trust him.

That’s because MM was never staying even in 2016 - PH was always a stepping stone for her to break into Hollywood A list elite circles (note the wedding guests) - she arrived in the UK with her US agents, accountants, lawyers and PR - and they were all retained. They were all tasked with milking this opportunity and getting her to her lifelong goal. They also were on the gravy train with likely a once in a lifetime career / deals opportunity and to be fair they did well securing spectacularly impressive contracts with NF, OW, Spotify, PRH. They would have been whispering in her ear throughout of the potential - otherwise how on earth would numb skull never managed a bank account in his life PH be boasting about being ‘financially independent’ before they left? MM was years ahead of him - and she is now too - again she isn’t staying - she’s just off loading her dreary, debt ridden, volatile, addict, millstone STBXH back to his friends and family to care for whilst she sets up how to exploit the royal glitter from him and her DCs and when’s the best time to divorce him. Someone posted a timeline of when Diana and Charles started living separate lives to when they finally divorced - it was 10 years - could be a similar timeline but with SM, internet etc nowadays it would be impossible to hide - hence her disingenuous proactive fig-leaf statement saying she would ‘be leading their businesses from their international bases’ - shes lucky timewise that she can hide behind her amateur, collapsing online UPF and tat business for now…..wonder if it will last the tax year?

So IMHO in 2016 she was never staying and same in 2026 - her eyes are still on the prize (which isnt PH or RF) but her own US RF / A list - PH is just a means to an end.

The main reason you can't turn the clock back to cheeky Harry is that he never really existed. He was a creation of outstanding palace PR. But we have seen who Harry really is so that won't wash anymore.

I don't see how he can be given a military role, that would be half in and the palace is making it clear that nothing has changed, regardless of where they live.

Maybe Harry will finally grow up, accept responsibility and apologise to his family. I may be hopelessly optimistic but reconciliation and a useful future that is focused on others is the best ending for this sad tale.

Right! Last post before I go to work but the Sun published an article on 6 January 2023 about an incident in 2011 where Harry was whisked away from RAF Wattisham, where he was doing Apache training. As is normal when the CDT (compulsory drug test) Team arrives, the base was put in lockdown with NOBODY allowed to leave. Except Harry did leave the base in his Audi A3 (very specific!!) and wasn’t tested on his return.

His squadron Sgt Major Mark “Oz” Wilson reportedly said that he couldn’t believe Harry was allowed to leave!

There is no archived version of this article on the internet. Has it been scrubbed? Who knows.

Oh my days... I go away for a fortnight and miss about 3 full threads! I've got a bit of catching up to do...

As @AustenitesUnitesays - and this is the absolute core of the problem - many of H’s actions over the years have not been what you would expect from a representative of the Head of State.

He may be likeable on a good day but he’s a liability for any organization, charity, business who might want to work with him. And for anyone who might be thinking of associating with him privately. And that’s before you add M into the equation.

One of the main reasons Harry can’t be given his military patronages back is his repeated ham fisted comments on politics and insults to other leaders he’s a loose cannon
That and the fact he threw those roles back when he left and insulted the whole country with his whining and freedom flight

I guess he didn’t understand it’s all on camera so it won’t be forgotten- duh !

@MrsLeonFarrell

I agree - hence my quotation marks. It was all a well-curated image, but even then there were some pretty unpleasant stories even then about him getting completely wasted and throwing women into a swimming pool at a wild party, or punching the drummer of the Foo Fighters. These were not seen as jokes by the victims. They were a warning that H's entitlement was out of control.

The story is still online. Also reported by the DM who had a link in their article to the Sun story.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/20966953/prince-harry-leave-raf-base-random-drug-testers/?title=the%20Sun

I would guess that the sort of friends H used to knock about with (old Etonians, army officers) would be more interested in keeping in with the RF and William (future king) than in getting wasted with has-been Harry.

They may also have matured from wild party boys into family men with responsibilities. He's so naive if he thinks he'll just slot back in and pick things up where he left off.

And, if they do split, and H badmouths Meghan as an excuse, that's not a good look either. he needs to man up and take responsibility for his part in the whole ugly episod.

What's stopping her from doing any of that now? Why would she succeed when 'free of Harry' when she's failed so far?

And do Americans really care about the fact that she's a 'Duchess'? Again, they haven't thus far. I don't see her booking any serious acting jobs either. She's not a good actress and creates a load of off screen drama. Why would anyone want to cast her?

You're right, I can't see the benefit to someone employing a divorced Duchess as opposed to a married one?
Ferguson was different, she was the first ex royal to live in the USA and had more links to royalty. Meghan was there for a couple of years before she quit. Six years ago

A little discretion and decorum in public would go a long way.

There's the rub!

His only hope of rehabilitating himself back to being a working royal would be to separate from M, be seen to quietly clean up his image - rehab if needed, therapy etc, no press leaks ever, eat humble pie with every relative burnt by his actions over the last few years and just keep his head down.

Then begin working privately with mental health and addiction charities (proper low level work not being the patron) and slowly increase the profile of this work. It would all take years for the public and his family to be convinced and I am not sure he has the gumption to stick at it. Plus he is still with M so it’s not an option at the moment anyway.

Yes, and I don't think Americans are as interested in British royalty as they used to be. Meghan had her chance, but that was getting on 7 years ago. And she blew it.

@IcedPurple I can see her booking “serious” acting jobs. Regardless of whether she’s with or without H.

I disagree that she’s not a good actress; she was good in Suits. Is she a great actress? No. But a lot of working actors are good rather than great.

I don’t think there’s a lot of evidence of her creating “a load of off screen drama”.

But the main reason she could book roles: it’s utterly naive to discount how much name recognition plays in casting these days. I could see Meghan getting a limited run West End role and the producers making bank.

I fear that M will set up her and the kids as a rival RF in the USA, especially as she is now and always will be, a mother to a Prince and Princess. I think this is why she has agreed to have them educated here, they need to get a bit of Aristo shine and a good British accent to go with it. A Cali twang and vocal fry was never going to cut it.

In the future she might be mother to plain old Archie and Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor if the titles of non working royals get streamlined. Nothing is guaranteed, not even M’s own title.

MrsLeonFarrell
The main reason you can't turn the clock back to cheeky Harry is that he never really existed. He was a creation of outstanding palace PR. But we have seen who Harry really is so that won't wash anymore.
I don't see how he can be given a military role, that would be half in and the palace is making it clear that nothing has changed, regardless of where they live.
Maybe Harry will finally grow up, accept responsibility and apologise to his family. I may be hopelessly optimistic but reconciliation and a useful future that is focused on others is the best ending for this sad tale

If this is the case then it’s logical that PR spin is probably doing the same for all of them.

There were many stories at the time that William had just as many, if not more. wild times as Harry, and fell out of even more nightclubs, but because he was the heir, he was more protected by the press and the palace.

William hasn’t exactly stunned everyone with his work ethic to date even though he is forty-four now. I wonder what he is waiting for?

And I am sure it’s equally likely that there are things on both sides to apologise for.

Good point. If she's cast in a show, it'll sell tickets. Regardless of why people go, the money will come in just the same. I can see this happening. Is anyone looking to do a new production of An Ideal Husband? 😁

What about Lady Louise? She may go by the lesser title but most people know she could be a HRH Princess Louise if she chose to be ….

Wild supposition is not fact.
You make claims that William was as bad - nay! Worse than Harry?!
How come there is no evidence? How come, out of all the nasty, unpleasant, vile accusations Harry has made about his own brother....this isn't one of them?.🤔
How come no-one else claims that other than Sussex fans on here?
You're not going to make Harry look better by trying to make William look bad.
It's really not convincing! 😂