The Royal Wedding looms ahead

[VelociRapture]

http://people.com/royals/meghan-markle-father-undergoes-heart-surgery-hospitalized-days-ahead-of-royal-wedding/

Thomas had heart surgery as well as stents placed in some blood vessels today. He appears to be doing ok. Here’s hoping he enjoys a full and easy recovery.

Samantha Grant and her boyfriend were apparently in a car accident. They claim a photographer drove in front of their car and the boyfriend hit a barrier or something because of it. Samantha apparently broke an ankle. I’m sorry she got injured and they were being harassed, but I have to admit my sympathy is kind of limited at this point. It absolutely never should have happened and the photographer should be held responsible if the story is true - I don’t believe much of anything coming from Samantha or anyone connected with her at this point.

[WiseGirl]

5 minutes ago, Briefly said:

I do feel sorry for her, all the drama that she is having to deal with and most of it seems to be created by her family. So I can see Prince Charles being the one to escort her down the aisle. I am not impressed at all with most of Meghan's family, they strike me as grifters and takers, they seem to be very interested in what's in it for them and not caring at all about her.

Their grab for 15 minutes of fame and $ or £ or € needs to end now.  The paparazzi needs to ignore them.  What a bunch of grifters and idiots.

[GreyhoundFan]

1 hour ago, Palimpsest said:

Well, bless them.  The royals are finally getting with the program.  Speaking of which, there is apparently going to be some American music at the wedding.  For the entrance, it could be very interesting. 

Mendelssohn's Wedding March - please god no! AMEN!

Brit stuff:

• Pachelbel's Canon - done. I disagree, it's OVERDONE!

If American music, most bets are in favor of Appalachian Spring but I think Meghan could canter nicely down the aisle to Aaron Copeland's Hoedown instead. Now I can't stop picturing her galloping down the aisle!

Not American, obviously, but I love Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring

If they wanted to be very non-traditional, she could walk to "All You Need Is Love" by the Beatles!

 

6 hours ago, freethemall said:

So - has anyone watched the Lifetime special Harry & Meaghan: A Royal Romance? I watched last night but fell asleep in the last 30 minutes. It was gloriously awful, I highly recommend it!

One of the TV reviewers called it "cheesetastic". Yeah, that pretty much described it.

[Palimpsest]

19 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Now I can't stop picturing her galloping down the aisle! 

I said canter not gallop, but a dignified trot might be best. 

 

[GreyhoundFan]

7 minutes ago, Palimpsest said:

I said canter not gallop, but a dignified trot might be best. 

 

LOL, I stand corrected. Instead of flowers, she could have a prop:

 

[AliceInFundyland]

I have always loved the Canon in D. Like, since I was a little bitty thing. It was SEVERELY disappointing to find out that it was an overused piece of wedding music. 

Copeland would be delightful.

[Sky with diamonds]

Hey ladies. Which broadcast do you all plan to watch the wedding from? I'm yorn between BBC , CBC and Global. 

I really feel sorry for Meaghan right now. She doesn't deserve the crap from some in her family.

[catlady]

2 minutes ago, AliceInFundyland said:

I have always loved the Canon in D. Like, since I was a little bitty thing. It was SEVERELY disappointing to find out that it was an overused piece of wedding music. 

i used it for my wedding; i've always loved it too, and i always found the wedding march a little cheesy (jmho, i don't mean to insult anybody).

[singsingsing]

16 minutes ago, Sky with diamonds said:

Hey ladies. Which broadcast do you all plan to watch the wedding from? I'm yorn between BBC , CBC and Global. 

I really feel sorry for Meaghan right now. She doesn't deserve the crap from some in her family.

I'll be watching it on CBC. There are so many to choose from that I eventually just defaulted to CBC. I watched Will & Kate's wedding on CBC so I figured I'd stick with tradition.

[Kangaroo]

I've realised I'm going to be at a concert during the wedding. I was going to make a sponge cake and scones and stuff my face but I guess not!

Oh well, i guess I can just watch the highlights the next day! (And still eat the delicious baked goods)

[ShesCrafty]

The forum I usually read for royal news has become a cesspool of bullshit regarding this wedding, so I’m glad there’s a thread about it here on FJ I can turn to. I find the idea of monarchy bizarre in this day and age but I love seeing the clothes, jewelry, and tiaras.  

[VelociRapture]

9 hours ago, Sky with diamonds said:

Hey ladies. Which broadcast do you all plan to watch the wedding from? I'm yorn between BBC , CBC and Global. 

I really feel sorry for Meaghan right now. She doesn't deserve the crap from some in her family.

I’m debating whether to watch or not. I think I’ll record it and watch parts while the baby naps (and ignore my husband teasing me.) I wish we still had HBO because Will Ferrell and Molly Shannon are going to be absolutely hysterical. I’ll probably settle for The Today Show on NBC.

ETA: And Meghan released a statement confirming her father won’t be at the wedding, asking that he be given the space he needs to start the recovery process, and that she’s grateful for the messages if support they’ve received -

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.cnn.com/cnn/2018/05/17/europe/meghan-markle-father-royal-wedding-intl/index.html

[Kangaroo]

4 hours ago, ShesCrafty said:

The forum I usually read for royal news has become a cesspool of bullshit regarding this wedding, so I’m glad there’s a thread about it here on FJ I can turn to. I find the idea of monarchy bizarre in this day and age but I love seeing the clothes, jewelry, and tiaras.  

To be fair this wedding has some striking similarities to our favourite fundie affairs:

Comparatively short relationship and engagement period

Big old weddings with a bunch of people they don't really know invited

Controversial extended family

Had to get approval to marry from the head of the family

Of course Harry and Meg haves way more positive, non fundie traits that name them infinity more interesting than any of our mega offspring, but what can I say...

...A weddings a wedding and I've got nothing better to do than to dissect it from my couch!

[freethemall]

2 hours ago, Kangaroo said:

To be fair this wedding has some striking similarities to our favourite fundie affairs:

Comparatively short relationship and engagement period

Big old weddings with a bunch of people they don't really know invited

Controversial extended family

Had to get approval to marry from the head of the family

Of course Harry and Meg haves way more positive, non fundie traits that name them infinity more interesting than any of our mega offspring, but what can I say...

...A weddings a wedding and I've got nothing better to do than to dissect it from my couch!

You forgot - a bunch of attention-seeking grifter family members

[VelociRapture]

5 minutes ago, freethemall said:

You forgot - a bunch of attention-seeking grifter family members

Can the Markle extended family be considered the Royals’ version of Jill Rodrigues and her family? Pretty please? 

[DaisyD]

Reading all of this I just keep thinking "Way to keep it classy, America". I know we aren't all responsible for the shitshow. I just have so much secondhand embarrassment. 

[Hashtag Blessed]

11 minutes ago, DaisyD said:

Reading all of this I just keep thinking "Way to keep it classy, America". I know we aren't all responsible for the shitshow. I just have so much secondhand embarrassment. 

I know, right? We’re not all this trashy, I swear! 

I’m putting money down on her mom walking her down the aisle. It would be sweet and heartwarming, just a slight sidestep of tradition, and a show of support from her (seemingly only) sane and normal family member. It checks everything on my list. 

But I really want to know, are her half-family memebers commentating or not? If not, why the hell are they in England with enough luggage to stay for weeks?

As to broadcast choice, I think i’m going to reactivate my HBO go account. There’s no way I’ll be up early enough to catch it live. But if I am up, I’ll check out BBC America’s live stream. Unless PBS has one. Maybe I’ll check there first.

[nokidsmom]

29 minutes ago, VelociRapture said:

Can the Markle extended family be considered the Royals’ version of Jill Rodrigues and her family? Pretty please? 

Love it!   And I will add that, like Jill, they are going to be the desperate hangers-on, weighing in with commentary on Meghan's (and Harry's) life like Jill does with her sister Amy.   The relatives have already angled publicly for invitations, like Jill does for fundie weddings.  The only difference with snagging wedding invites is Jill seems to often succeed (with pictures to prove it) the extended Markle family has not  (they also have pictures and interviews to prove it).

So many similiarities......

[VelociRapture]

48 minutes ago, Hashtag Blessed said:

I know, right? We’re not all this trashy, I swear! 

I’m putting money down on her mom walking her down the aisle. It would be sweet and heartwarming, just a slight sidestep of tradition, and a show of support from her (seemingly only) sane and normal family member. It checks everything on my list. 

But I really want to know, are her half-family memebers commentating or not? If not, why the hell are they in England with enough luggage to stay for weeks?

As to broadcast choice, I think i’m going to reactivate my HBO go account. There’s no way I’ll be up early enough to catch it live. But if I am up, I’ll check out BBC America’s live stream. Unless PBS has one. Maybe I’ll check there first.

To be fair, there are Brits connected to the royal family - and royals themselves - who haven’t always been entirely classy either. I’m thinking Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, trying to sell media access to her ex-husband (Prince Andrew), the stories about Andrew that had something to do with sex recently, Charles and Diana during their latter years of their marriage and divorce, and I think there are members of the Middleton family who proved a bit problematic as well - I think one of Catherine’s Uncles maybe? The Markles aren’t doing us any favors and fully deserve the criticisms (except Thomas Sr. - I do get the feeling that he’s genuinely ill and very uncomfortable with the attention), but you almost expect for there to be some level of drama when it concerns a royal marriage. That type of attention and fame seems to draw out the worst in some people.

[singsingsing]

I have to say, as a non-American, the fact that Meghan's trashy family members are Americans didn't even register for me. Trust me, every country on earth has losers like this, and most of us know that there are plenty of awesome Americans out there. Even with all the craziness surrounding he-who-must-not-be-named, other countries have been dealing with major upticks in their own special brands of right-wing nationalism and general insanity lately, so this nonsense is not unique to America. My own province is about to elect Trump Lite as our premier. The sane and good people of the world need to stick together. Goodness transcends national boundaries!

[ViolaSebastian]

 

[TatiFish9]

I'm confused. I think I missed almost everything. What is trashy about the family? Is it the "will he, won't he" about the father? Or is it that her half-siblings don't like her?

I think trying to glue a family together that already has issues within only creates heightened drama during life events such as a wedding.

I think both Markel and Prince Harry have handled it with grace. I was reminded in the very beginning he issued a press release about the media attacking her and digging up dirt. 

We can not help the families we come from no matter how hard we try. People will look down and family will act out. But in the end ya gotta keep on moving. Megan seems mostly unbothered. It feels like the rest of us are the ones who feel sorry for her because honestly there is nothing else wrong with the woman. I believe the media is purposely blowing up the family drama to smear the fairly low-key image of the next royal bride. 

So glad she hardly cares. This wedding is happening. Yay!

 

[Kangaroo]

1 hour ago, TatiFish9 said:

I'm confused. I think I missed almost everything. What is trashy about the family? 

It's mostly about her half siblings behaviour. They seem to go from selling stories about how terrible Meghan is and how she abandoned their side of the family, then the next they say how great she is and how they want to be invited and how much they love her. The half sister claims to be writing a book titled "The Diary of Princess Pushy" for example.

Another example is her brother wrote a letter to Prince Harry telling him to call off the wedding because she isn't who she says she is about 2 weeks ago, and then the next day was begging for an invitation openly to the media. 

Her father later stated his behaviour really stressed him out (possibly triggering his heart issues), along with the fallout from the staged paparazzi photos of him arranged by the half sister.

It appears most of her family on her father's side in particular hasn't had a meaningful relationship with her in about 20 years, but it hasn't stopped everyone coming out of the woodwork to try and cash in on this with the media.

[VelociRapture]

1 hour ago, TatiFish9 said:

I'm confused. I think I missed almost everything. What is trashy about the family? Is it the "will he, won't he" about the father? Or is it that her half-siblings don't like her?

I think trying to glue a family together that already has issues within only creates heightened drama during life events such as a wedding.

I think both Markel and Prince Harry have handled it with grace. I was reminded in the very beginning he issued a press release about the media attacking her and digging up dirt. 

We can not help the families we come from no matter how hard we try. People will look down and family will act out. But in the end ya gotta keep on moving. Megan seems mostly unbothered. It feels like the rest of us are the ones who feel sorry for her because honestly there is nothing else wrong with the woman. I believe the media is purposely blowing up the family drama to smear the fairly low-key image of the next royal bride. 

So glad she hardly cares. This wedding is happening. Yay!

 

What @Kangaroosaid.

I personally have no blame for her father at this point. By all accounts he’s a relatively private person who suddenly found himself involved in one of the biggest media spectacles of the past few years. That, along with his ill health, makes me feel a good deal of sympathy for him. One of the only things I agree with Samantha on is that Buckingham Palace should have offered some sort of guidance to Thomas Sr. with regards to handling the media attention... that said, who knows whether they did and he turned them down or something. 

Her half-siblings are another matter entirely. They’re constantly flip flopping about who Meghan is in the media. One moment they’re criticizing her and urging Harry to call the wedding off, the next they’re insisting she’s actually a wonderful person and they just love her so much. The fact they’re doing this in the lead up to such a big day in her life is incredibly trashy to me because it reeks of, “Look at me! Pay attention to me!” I have a very low tolerance for people acting like entitled jerks and the Markles have pretty much tapped out my patience entirely with their flip flopping attention seeking antics.

I get that families are complicated. I was born into one complicated family and married into another. But you don’t go around doing your best to publicly humiliate someone you claim to love right before their wedding the way they have. 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.insideedition.com/royal-wedding-thomas-markle-jr-who-penned-letter-asking-prince-harry-cancel-arrives-london-43396%3famp#scso=uid_Uhr-WryQL8eSjwSxnr_AAg_0:1640

In other news, Thomas Jr. - the one who wrote a public letter bashing Meghan and urging Harry to leave her - arrived in London. God only knows why he’s there. Probably to pretend he has some kind of meaningful relationship with Meghan on some show covering the wedding.

As for Samantha’s quote in the article I linked, I hope that was taken out of context and she was referring to being pissed off about media harassment or something because it just reeks of more entitlement as it was written here. 

[Briefly]

25 minutes ago, VelociRapture said:

What @Kangaroosaid.

I personally have no blame for her father at this point. By all accounts he’s a relatively private person who suddenly found himself involved in one of the biggest media spectacles of the past few years. That, along with his ill health, makes me feel a good deal of sympathy for him. One of the only things I agree with Samantha on is that Buckingham Palace should have offered some sort of guidance to Thomas Sr. with regards to handling the media attention... that said, who knows whether they did and he turned them down or something. 

Her half-siblings are another matter entirely. They’re constantly flip flopping about who Meghan is in the media. One moment they’re criticizing her and urging Harry to call the wedding off, the next they’re insisting she’s actually a wonderful person and they just love her so much. The fact they’re doing this in the lead up to such a big day in her life is incredibly trashy to me because it reeks of, “Look at me! Pay attention to me!” I have a very low tolerance for people acting like entitled jerks and the Markles have pretty much tapped out my patience entirely with their flip flopping attention seeking antics.

I get that families are complicated. I was born into one complicated family and married into another. But you don’t go around doing your best to publicly humiliate someone you claim to love right before their wedding the way they have. 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.insideedition.com/royal-wedding-thomas-markle-jr-who-penned-letter-asking-prince-harry-cancel-arrives-london-43396%3famp#scso=uid_Uhr-WryQL8eSjwSxnr_AAg_0:1640

In other news, Thomas Jr. - the one who wrote a public letter bashing Meghan and urging Harry to leave her - arrived in London. God only knows why he’s there. Probably to pretend he has some kind of meaningful relationship with Meghan on some show covering the wedding.

As for Samantha’s quote in the article I linked, I hope that was taken out of context and she was referring to being pissed off about media harassment or something because it just reeks of more entitlement as it was written here. 

I read an article earlier, on my phone and I can't find it now to link to it, but apparently there was some help given to her father by the royal family. I really feel like he's maybe a little naive about some things or maybe he really didn't realize just how looney the step-sister is and what she was attempting to do.  I may be wrong, but that's just my opinion.

I also read that there was a car accident, I think it involved the step-sister, and that she had been badly hurt so probably would not be at the wedding - I don't think she was actually invited but was probably going to be in the crowd or somewhere so that the press would have access to her.