H&M PR disasters 52: Roundabouts and walkabouts

[bluegreygreen]

The continuing story of the Sussexes and their PR issues.

My thoughts went to the Duke of Windsor - if social media had been in existence then there would have been the same furore. This piece could have written about Harry.

How about this as a theory for the planted Netflix story?

Netflix is having a shake-up. Bela Bejaria, HAM's main contact, has gone. (These two things are true.) The next points are my speculation. Netflix cancels the first look deal, thereby severing all links with HaM. Meghan needs a lever for creating the line that they have wronged her and she broke off contact with Netflix. Mighty Meg v. Nasty Netflix. Meg triumphant, as ever.

My lordth, ladieth and gentlemen. The Duke of Thuthex hath entered the building.

Maybe that's one advantage of hiring private security?
I can't imagine proper professionals being willing to be used in this way, whereas some grunt from an agency might be more amenable (and clearly was)

Come to that, I can't imagine properly trained security staff being too worried about being challenged by Meghan if she doesn't get her own way either ...

The bit about an aide or bodyguard having to go into local business and ask people to come out and wait for Harry and Meghan is humiliating for both them and the people snatcher.

Wonder where they will go next. And it was me asking about her engagement ring. Perhaps it has gone for its 5th redesign.

Very interesting - HaM obviously desperate that day in Nottingham!

Doesn’t sit comfortably alongside “we are under threat - the UK is too dangerous for us” either.

I know - let’s get our security to make this (presumably) carefully planned and recce’d event much riskier by recruiting some last minute randoms.

I can imagine eyebrows being raised around the RAVEC boardroom table.

Thanks for the new thread @bluegreygreen❤️

It's possibly being resized as she does appear to have lost weight.

Doesn’t sit comfortably alongside “we are under threat - the UK is too dangerous for us” either.

I said on the previous thread when we were talking about the car being halted by the crowd that if they were genuinely under threat, no professional security would have let PH get out and give that little wave to the crowd. The instructions surely would have been 'if there's a problem of any kind sit tight and let us get you out of it.'

Nottingham IMO pretty much demolished any case they had with RAVEC for good and all.

Nottingham IMO pretty much demolished any case they had with RAVEC for good and all.

Yes. We know that RAVEC will assess on the actual risk, but this is further proof that Harry has no concept of security matters:

Date announced well in advance
Venues announced well in advance
Daily timetable with specific times given out by Sussexes (always embargoed on real Royal away days for security reasons)
Industrial estate offices visited to invite people to attend
Car stopped in crowd and Harry steps out to wave

Any others?

I can't keep off this thread! Every time I leave it to read the papers, I see another story.

Here we go. This one's from Royal Knicker in TheTimes. Summary: HaM hate the term 'working royals'. They, HaM, are royals who work, M at her business seven days a week. They will be one or two other joint appearances before Christmas.

What are they saying here? We have the same status as C&C, and W&C. We are going to behave accordingly and do just what we please.

The palace didn't want to comment. I bet they didn't. 'Just f* off' is unbecoming of courtiers.

I feel the temperature going up. HaM are on a roll, becoming hysterical in their desire to provoke a reaction.

The palace didn't want to comment. I bet they didn't. 'Just f off' is unbecoming of courtiers.*

I'd love to be a fly on the wall at the palace. 'OK,let's log on and see what those two jokers have been up to THIS week. OMG you won't believe it. They aren't working royals, they are royals who work. Whose turn is it to update HM?'

All the right words, just in a different order and meaning the same thing.

And is it just me but is there a certain jab intended in 'royals who work' at other members of the family?

Thank you @bluegreygreen for the new thread.

If I may picking up a couple of points from the last thread. Financially I do not think they are quite as broke as many think they are. I know the loss of the court cases will cost Harry a lot, but he did have a number of trust funds and inheritance from the late QM and his mother. I would expect, before he was at the age to access the money, there will have been many years of shrewd investments. Yes they are burning through money pretty quickly, but, especially Harry, is known to be very tight, so from their times at WRF and since leaving I would expect they will have ensured others pay where possible. I think it was either Chelsy or Cressida who said they were made to pay their own airfare to either go on holiday with Harry or visit him when he was already overseas.

Secondly, the uptake in the mentions of contracts - this is very much showing Meghan's input into the relationship which Harry is happy to go along with. So the querying of HIHO and the Queen not having a contract. Oral contracts an be enforced. The other side of this is HAM 3 page contract for those joining Whatsapp groups. Their motto seems to be "written, signed contracts for everything, otherwise we take no notice"

I feel the temperature going up. HaM are on a roll, becoming hysterical in their desire to provoke a reaction

If so then I'd suggest this is even more reason not to give them one, @IdaGlossop

The only people they're damaging now is themselves (and maybe any charities foolish enough to involve them?) Even if they do more "exposes" nobody with sense will trust a word they say, so frankly they're best lreft to get on with it while providing a bit of entertainment for the rest of us

They came up with a funny phrase to complain about that nobody uses - was it “royals who also work” or something? When everyone actually says working royals. And then said this phrase that nobody uses is lazy and they don’t like it because they are royal and they work? So weird. Can you imagine any of the others kicking off about this, Mike T, Harriet P etc 🤦‍♀️

Mind you I can’t imagine Mike T recruiting a crowd so that he can do a walkabout for hugs and gifts either. The others do tend to just get on with their charity work without a big song and dance.

Would be hilarious if BP, helpfully, to avoid confusion, adopted new labels to distinguish between royals who represent the king and us, and the rest. Maybe Elite Force Royals on the one hand and The Royal Nobodies or something on the other.

Of course, one easy way to make the distinction would be to remove all titles from the Nobodies and reserve them for the Elite Force Royals. Much neater all round.

She will never be happy until she can have Catherine’s ring .

I agree with the first part of your sentence. I don't think you need the second part

Of course, one easy way to make the distinction would be to remove all titles from the Nobodies and reserve them for the Elite Force Royals. Much neater all round.

Removing the titles at this point would be a misstep, because it gives them something concrete to complain about 'when we're being royals who work and everything!'

Much MUCH better to ignore them totally, let them get bored and do something stupid. Don't tell me MM is going to happily traipse around the less salubrious parts of the UK* in a British winter. Then leave it to William to be hardarse and to carry out the nuclear option. He's probably got a plan in different coloured pens that he updates regularly.

*Apologies to Nottingham, nothing personal.

I know that the official attitude to HaM is to grey rock them and I fully understand that but I do wonder at what point KC will be strongly advised to step in ? It strikes me that HaM are going to push and push for HIHO or some sort of official role .

I'm still trying to work out why they came back. Especially as it was clearly a moonlit flit.

1. They genuinely miss family in which case why are they still dropping leaks and being antagonistic to the RF
2. They think that if they come back and do it well they'll be begged back in the fold again and be on the balcony etc I suppose they might think that, maybe. I don't think again they're acting like they want to be back in the RF's good books.
3. They think if they're over here the public will uprise and insist they're back have they seen any opinion poles lately?
4. They think that the RF won't be able to resist the allure of knowing the dc I'd expect more "they're so excited to be able to visit their grandfather" or "longing to know their cousins" "made them a card..." sort of leaks
5. Want a British education possible - but why not wait until they're off to secondary and look at boarding rather than bring the whole family? Why now, in a hurry.
6. They have financial issues and KC said he'd only pay if they were in the same country no. Can't see that happening, nor school fees. I know some people on here are certain KC is still funding them, I'm not sure he is. He may send them a waffle maker or a toaster for a birthday present, but I don't think he's going to be paying them anything like enough.
7. They have financial issues and are running from them they're not exactly trying to stay incognito are they? Get me wrong, but I think the most incompetent debt collector could find them
8. They have financial issues and are downsizing to cope with their outgoings in which case why isn't the other house on the market etc
9. Visa issues it would explain a lot, but I don't think that is enough of an issue. They like being victims, so surely they would wait until told they had to go and play that up for all it's worth
10. They thought if they returned full time they'd get security possibly. But surely someone must have tried to explain to them that they would only get security when they needed it. So even if they got given it now, they could lose it in 6 months time.
11. Scandal coming out in which case I'd have expected to hear it. You don't move that quickly if there's something coming out in 6 months' time
12. They're hoping Netflix will take them back with an "arrival home", followed by "Princess Di", followed by "Freedom Flight 2" documentaries. Possibly. I can see them thinking that. However, other than the fact they couldn't promise #3, I can't see Netflix going further than sticking with the first refusal, if nothing else because they were a pain to work with
13. They've fallen out with everyone in US that they thought might help them Again a possibility. But I don't think here's any better...
14. Want to be in the country for Invictus Why move the whole family over for a single event?
15. Harry's mental health in all honesty I can see M using that as an excuse, to hide the real reason, but I can't see her moving the whole family over for that. But if that was the reason, he's surely going to be feeling far worse now.

So I'm thinking there must be something more. I do think neither of them is good at planning, but I also don't think they're very good at getting on with things quickly unless pushed.
I don't think this was on the cards for even a couple of months or we'd have been having tons of leaks about Harry missing his friends, the children wanting to meet the family and Megan being begged to come to be Director General of the BBC etc. Yes, there were a few in the last year, but not the intensity I'd have expected if they were planning it - plus they were interspersed with "living their best life" type leaks.

So I think there is something, which may or may not come out, that necessitated the quick move - and it certainly wasn't the perfect school place coming available or they'd have made it work rather than pulling out two days later.

I agree, it wouldn’t be sensible to do it yet. Give them the chance to show how inept and unpopular they are first, and no chance to say that they’re not being allowed to make amends because they’re such a threat. (Or whatever deluded nonsense.) William’s accession is the perfect time - announce George as PoW, make changes to the Regency powers if needed, overhaul the titles, continue with new look RF.

Not just you. She did say, memorably, 'I work so hard.'

Also, 'What Meghan wants, Meghan gets.' They are creating the deal they wanted from the Sandringham Summit, a few years on. It also feels as though they have ruminated on the Lord Chamberlain's letter and this is a response to that too.

This aggressive approach gives the lie to them wanting to reconcile with pa.

The nail polish looks nice but the rings were very oddly placed.