Ham pr disasters thread 47! …it’s all so quiet…it’s all so still ….

[jeffgoldblum]

Still interested! , still not bored ( well slightly!) 😁

They are still a couple I believe. Yes, I always liked Portia. Ellen always gave me the creeps. I wasn't a bit shocked by the allegations. She's in good company with Meg

Sounds about right.

Yeah me too! What a great line

There was a very interesting post about 18 months ago by the much discussed poster GiveMeSpanakopita on one of the threads on Meghan's female founder podcast.

It discussed the difference between fans and stans - and asserted while the squaddies are a strong standom - it doesn't translate into purchases and viewing figures.

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GiveMeSpanakopita · 16/05/2025 10:50
Well, yes, but I think you might be misunderstanding the nature of Meghan's fanbase.
They're not old school fans like, eg, younger me was with, say, The Smiths - reliably buying all their albums and singles, going to gigs, buying the merch, subscribing to the fanzine (the Smiths fanzine was a laugh a minute as I'm sure you can imagine). That is to say, I had a positive attitude towards The Smiths whereby I parted with my money to consume their content and turned up as a warm body at the gigs. This is positive, 'normal' fandom.
What Meghan has is stans. Stans are very different from fans, as the poetic genius and astute social commentator (come on, he IS) Eminem realised back in 2001. Their love is based not so much on a positive attitude towards the star, but on a parasitic relationship which easily spills into resentment. It also increasingly spills into rabid online hatred of people whom they perceive as hostile to their object of adoration.
In current year 2025, Meghan's standom (IMHO, from what I see online) is a Very Online (and therefore probably much, much smaller in actual real human terms than it appears) group of people who express their support of Meghan principally by harassing, downvoting, spreading malicious gossip about, and threatening those people whom they perceive as Meghan's enemies. This long list includes but is not limited to William, Kate, Charles, Camilla, British journalists, British YouTubers, and Royal fans.
Their time is spent therefore not on purchasing Meghan's merch and streaming her content, but on harassing the above mentioned people on the internet, and posting content about how great Meghan is by comparison. This keeps them very busy, but notably does not translate into great audience figures for Meghan, and does not, I suspect, put much coin in her pocket. It keeps her prominent online, but it's not a viable real world revenue stream. Nothing like it.
There's not yet been many proper rigorous academic studies of fandom vs standom but the bits and bobs I've seen on parasocial relationships backs up what I've said above. Stans are rabid, but there's not as many of them as there appears, and they tend not to spend actual money supporting their idol, because for a number of social/psychological reasons, they don't have much money to part with.

It's actually affecting her sales. This was on Page 6. The comments are horrified:

https://pagesix.com/2026/10/06/royal-family/meghan-markle-fans-terrorize-british-priests-for-critcizing-her-advent-calendar/

Meaningful Chocolate has just set up an option for USA residents to donate chocolate to UK food banks, probably because people in the US expressed a wish to do so.

Most definitely. There were rumblings on Celebitchy against Harry (unprecedented) when the move back to the UK occurred. The tone was “H had better not be walking Meghan into a trap”. This has calmed down a bit now but the SS’s loyalty is definitely to Meghan and Harry only as her “White Prince” (ugh).

Face palm.

Surely this is a self-made trap, if indeed it were one (it's not, SS!). I was post-op at the time of The Wedding and scrolling in convalescence and the vast, vast majority of the sentiment in the media and national mood was positive.

We all know H+W lost their mum in childhood and the nation on the whole just wanted them to find happiness. At least one of them has.

Meghan just doesn't strike me as the maternal type. I don't think her mother was either.

Hello everyone! I’ve skipped the past 6 threads in order to join a current one. As a private citizen I will not be announcing my selfless acts of service. As a cynic though, I have a question for the wise PR thread readers. Is there any chance that the Sussex royals have a deal that pays them for every published article? The number of articles being generated about utter nonsense daily…. It makes me wonder if somehow they’ve decided that they might as well cash in on their notoriety, and managed to shamelessly obtain pay-per-click commission for every good or bad bit of publicity. It would be mutually beneficial even for the daily mail.

You could be right! Cashing in on their notoriety might be their only card.

I don’t know if any pps have heard of the case of the vicar of Stiffkey in Norfolk? It was a sensational story between the wars where a vicar became so embroiled in scandal that as a last resort he made a public exhibition of himself sitting in a wooden barrel. I hope it doesn’t quite come to that for HAM! 😲

I'll mark you down as late, but that's ok.

so this is your homework -in your absence we've learned: don't annoy a Christian, they'll get back at you by buying chocolate for charity*; we aren't allowed to say the word "adjacent", that the SS are possibly all MM sock-puppeting, and none of it has the season of goodwill about it.

If you didn't put all your selfless deeds on socials, you lose ten points, but you are able to redeem yourself if you supply a November Circular.

So far PHs circular is MIA and might only have Movember on it, and a publicly private note to remember to markle Remembrance day privately. And tumbleweed.

*I am a Christian, the tone here is light hearted. Tldr, I bought 3 of the calendars.

I really can't be bothered with the school run this morning. I'm tired, I have no coffee and there's roadworks which are a pita.

Can I just move the kids' schools?

Every time the Sussex Squad attack someone they damage Harry and Meghan's reputation. I'm betting the priest thought he was making a light hearted tweet promoting his charity. The response shows yet another corner of the Internet,and those who read the tabloids, what supporters of the Sussexes can be like and reflects badly on the Sussexes, which technically isn't fair but it is how it works. This is why Harry and Meghan should distance themselves, because this type of thing actively harms them commercially. We might realise that there is little they can do to reign in their stans but the general public don't. (I doubt they have actually tried but the point remains).

I hasn't seen much about the calendar, why is it in soft focus and Meghan in the foreground? I buy an advent calendar for the picture mostly and if I can't see what I'm getting, assuming I'd be willing to pay so much for so little which I wouldn't, then it's an automatic no.

Mind you I think I'm splashing out when I buy the Lego Advent calendar!

Ask the UK government to provide you with security and they can do it for you.

I’m wondering if the advent calendars aren’t really the product but the % of sales from buying the linked wardrobe where he real money comes from.

Could this be a cultural turning point ?
All the trans hoo-haa has caused a reduction in corporate funding of Pride (in the UK and possibly US, not sure), even though in some cases it's just a reduction in the announcement of funding of Pride, but the actual funding has continued. I do not want to get into a pride discussion here.
Overpriced, wasteful advent calendars are being constantly advertised, but will this CofE vicar debacle start a change? I'm not saying everyone will embrace Baby Jesus for Advent, but if people think a bit more of others, spread peace and are more generous instead of me me me, well, i think it's time.

I’m really late to the game and have missed loads, but shocked to read about the abuse the vicar has received from Meghan’s ‘squad’, the ones she name checked in her As Ever post. They must be even more emboldened than ever now and preening themselves with delight at how proud Meghan is of them.

Great article, by the way.

I can't tell you how proud i am that my "adjacent" rant was included in your module summary 😊

It's very difficult & hypocritical for Meghan to attempt to do the wholesome homemaker brand when she herself isn't talking to any of her family expect her mother & is also estranged from her in-laws.
Her reality completely contradicts the wholesome image she is very badly attempting to portray. It's embarrassing watching her!

It's the key take away!

I think the only thing that would work for HAM now is a Kardashian type reality show (don't think they would ever actually do this), or another tell all book. The book would have to be even juicier than Spare, and I don't think they have any dirt left to sell so it would be difficult.

I could see Meghan writing a book post divorce, ripping Harry apart for his behaviour and drug use and it would sell, but I think in the event of a divorce she would have to sign a NDA in exchange for lots and lots of cash.

Basically, they have no 'legitimate' ways of making money left as their reputations are very poor and they have used up all their chances.

This is true. It rings as very empty when she talks about embracing family and having them around the table when she doesn't actually see any of them (or invite them to her wedding!)

I hate to use the word authentic because of how overused it is, but authenticity is necessary when you are selling a 'lifestyle'.

And the wholesome image she is trying to create with Whatever isn't working as it doesn't fit with the reality which is she is estranged from her own family & her in laws...

Their time is spent therefore not on purchasing Meghan's merch and streaming her content, but on harassing the above mentioned people on the internet, and posting content about how great Meghan is by comparison.

Yes but why?? what is need for them to be so rabid in their support of what is a very ordinary woman whose only major accomplishment is marrying a prince? there must be a need this fills for them.

What IS it about MM that inspires this devotion, does Catherine have the same sort of fans?

Exactly! Smoke & mirrors... her reality is anything but wholesome the way she treated her own family & in laws.. it's actually laughable!