Meghan and Harry 5: Oprah, Racism, and Gossip! Oh My!

[just_ordinary]

Is there an ignore option? Otherwise, can I be so bold and recommend the old „don’t engage with the trolls“ line?

@Xanariel I love reading your posts. They are well phrased (you often put my thoughts into more structure than I can) and more balanced than most.

Otherwise- „well-bred“ is a pretty well known description for someone’s behaviour! It’s not exclusive to someone’s background but it’s undeniable that a certain background is implied most of the time. It’s old fashioned but still in use and in the past the background was definitely more implied than today. It sounds demeaning but I will say, personally I have not much of a problem with it. It is used for men and women and is meant as a compliment (even though it might be ill received). I would still prefer to spend the day with someone that thinks I am well-bred instead of someone asking me where I go to church - that would definitely catch me on the wrong foot. Personal preference I suppose.

 

[tabitha2]

Yes. It’s manners and graciousness and comportment and propriety and Historically that’s been a feature of the education upper class people. Whether it took most of the time is debatable:) some  of you all think too much, read too much into things  or have negative mindsets ready to castigate people and that’s a pretty shitty way to live. 

[Pleiades_06]

The problems with “manners”, “correct behavior “ and “politeness” is that they are subjective and dependent on cultural standards. In Europe and the US are they dictated by white cultural majorities.  If people don’t conform to these “well bred” standards they are denied jobs, etc, by those (usually white) people in power and, at worst, denied their humanity.

Edited April 10, 2021 by Pleiades_06

[kiwi]

2. I think the family member who discussed Archie’s potential skin tone was someone the public already sees as ridiculous - like Princess Michael of Kent or Prince Andrew - because if it was someone else they would have named them by now. By not naming them they have actually kept that flame burning much brighter than it would have otherwise.

I believe it was Charles. He’s the one who has the most to loose should it be made public. Also they stated that Harrys relationship with was tense and almost non-existent for a while. JMO

[hoipolloi]

On 4/9/2021 at 1:41 AM, Lollipopgirl said:

Just wondering if either or both of them will attend Prince Philips funeral. I’m pretty sure Harry will but not sure about Meghan.

Re: attendance at Philip's funeral. I'd have been very surprised if Meghan was planning or even allowed to go. She must be well into her 2nd trimester by now, if not into her 3rd. I can't imagine any OB saying it would be a good idea to take 2-4 long haul flights over a short period of time if she didn't absolutely have to do so. 

[Destiny]

4 hours ago, just_ordinary said:

Is there an ignore option? Otherwise, can I be so bold and recommend the old „don’t engage with the trolls“ line?

There is indeed. I can’t link to the FAQ right now, but the how to is there under site related questions. 

1 hour ago, hoipolloi said:

Re: attendance at Philip's funeral. I'd have been very surprised if Meghan was planning or even allowed to go. She must be well into her 2nd trimester by now, if not into her 3rd. I can't imagine any OB saying it would be a good idea to take 2-4 long haul flights over a short period of time if she didn't absolutely have to do so. 

It’s already been made public that she’s not going because the doctor told her not to, which IMHO is probably smart. 

[Coconut Flan]

7 hours ago, just_ordinary said:

Is there an ignore option? Otherwise, can I be so bold and recommend the old „don’t engage with the trolls“ line?

Let me see if I remember the steps.  Go to your name on the top right of the page, click the caret for the drop down menu.  Go to user settings or settings.  On the right is another drop down with ignore users.  

[just_ordinary]

8 hours ago, hoipolloi said:

Re: attendance at Philip's funeral. I'd have been very surprised if Meghan was planning or even allowed to go. She must be well into her 2nd trimester by now, if not into her 3rd. I can't imagine any OB saying it would be a good idea to take 2-4 long haul flights over a short period of time if she didn't absolutely have to do so. 

It might be different in the USA but here you are welcome to fly till your 36th week. Most recommend to check with your doctor from 28 weeks onward, the airline might demand a note- I don’t know. Flying in a private jet and no pressure to fly home straight away should make those sides of the trip pretty bearable. 

So for a child due in summer that should work, but we don’t know how the pregnancy is going. With a miscarriage, being a geriatric mother and what would most definitely an extremely stressful situation I think she is well advised to stay home. I am not even sure the doctors advice has really been seeked out- I wouldn’t blame her to make it up to justify her decision.

Harry will face his family alone (once again). I am sorry for him. Hopefully he has time to see his father and brother alone for a bit and clear some air. Grief is hard enough and an ongoing family feud definitely doesn’t help. Those Mountbatten-Windsors have a reputation to be pretty chilly at good times - I don’t want to imagine how they are when you are given the cold shoulder. Add- the public eyes and lots of shoulders  It might be Commonwealth service all over again.

I am conflicted about their message on their charities website. They are mixing business with private issues. The message was very factual- suiting for a business relationship (similar to his charities or magazine front pages) but the charity has no connection to the DoE. Archwell has no connection to him, nor does its causes or ventures.

Harry and Meghan do, but for acknowledging your grandfather it’s pretty distanced and formal. And I don’t think it’s a good idea to use your company’s website for your personal  messages or statements. 

Does anyone know what Archwell is actually? Is it a charity or a company? I don’t really get it. And are they paid by it as CEO’s or do they work for free for it and maybe even back it with their own money? Is the money from those deals bound to go into producing or is part of it free for financing the administration part of Archwell (and their salaries) as well?

 

Added: can I just say I find it kind of funny (another strike on my list for going to hell I guess) that it is an US media outlet that makes them responsible for/ contributing to his death and not the British? Wonder when they sue them....

Edited April 11, 2021 by just_ordinary

[Anna Bolinas]

12 hours ago, tabitha2 said:

That’s why Queen Victorian never married any of her children into that line.

Just married a grandchild into that line. Her granddaughter Victoria Eugenie, youngest daughter of Princess Beatrice, married the Spanish king Alfonso XIII. The Spanish may bear the name Bourbon, but they still have Hapsburg blood in their veins (Alfonso's mother, for instance, was a Hapsburg). Incidentally, Victoria Eugenie's English blood brought hemophilia into the Spanish royal family, just as Princess Alix of Hesse's English blood brought hemophilia into the Russian imperial family. As others have pointed out, the lack of marriages between the English royal family and the Spanish/Austrian royal family was primarily because of religion. It would've been rather hypocritical for Victoria to turn up her nose at the inbred Hapsburgs considering she and Albert were literally 1st cousins--his dad and her mom were siblings.

Victoria also allowed first cousin marriages between her grandchildren. Prince Henry (son of Victoria, the Princess Royal and Empress of Germany) married Princess Irene (daughter of Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse). Princess Victoria Melita (daughter of Prince Alfred) first married Grand Duke Ernest Louis of Hesse (son of Princess Alice); and after they divorced, she married a different first cousin from her mother's side, Grand Duke Kyril of Russia. Princess Maud (daughter of Edward VII) married her first cousin on her mother's side as well, Prince Carl of Denmark (son of her mother's older brother, Prince Frederick). So let's not pretend like the English were so above marriages between 1st cousins.

[tabitha2]

Of course they married close kin. Never said they didn’t and Phillip and Elizabeth were kissing cousins as you know. But they never married Uncle to niece or Aunt to son continually and that’s what causes the Problems. Marrying a first or second cousin Does not instantly cause mutations like Hapsburg Jaw.  
 

All the current Spouses including Kate are related more or less distantly to their husbands and each other. It’s very interesting!
 

 

[KnittingOwl]

On 4/10/2021 at 1:58 PM, hoipolloi said:

Re: attendance at Philip's funeral. I'd have been very surprised if Meghan was planning or even allowed to go. She must be well into her 2nd trimester by now, if not into her 3rd. I can't imagine any OB saying it would be a good idea to take 2-4 long haul flights over a short period of time if she didn't absolutely have to do so. 

Like for your oversees baby shower?

I’m not saying she should have gone, but let’s not pretend Meghan couldn’t have gone if she wanted to. It’s possible her doctors did say not to travel, but it’s also possible that’s an excuse to save face. 

Edited April 12, 2021 by KnittingOwl
Hit submit too soon

[viii]

Yeah, Meghan flew to NYC in her third trimester I think for her baby shower. Of course she could have different medical concerns this go around that we aren’t aware of but it’s probably best she didn’t go. Nobody needs family drama when they are grieving. 

Harry arrived in London today, I’m surprised he went so early, he will be there for a full week. Hopefully he will be able to have more “productive” talks with his family without telling the world about it. 

[hoipolloi]

Had forgotten about the transatlantic baby shower.

Regardless of the real reasons for her staying in CA, it's probably best for all concerned that she's not at the funeral.

Hopefully, Harry's time in the UK will allow for family healing of some sort. 

[adidas]

4 hours ago, KnittingOwl said:

Like for your oversees baby shower?

I’m not saying she should have gone, but let’s not pretend Meghan couldn’t have gone if she wanted to. It’s possible her doctors did say not to travel, but it’s also possible that’s an excuse to save face. 

I agree.

This is complete speculation, but I assumed her doctor’s advice not to attend the funeral was based on what is best for her mental wellbeing (and I believe it is a valid reason - there is great value in saying ‘no, that’s not a good or healthy thing for me to do’). It could be way too stressful for her, considering that her pregnancy with Archie was traumatic emotionally.

[KnittingOwl]

3 hours ago, viii said:

 

Harry arrived in London today, I’m surprised he went so early, he will be there for a full week. Hopefully he will be able to have more “productive” talks with his family without telling the world about it. 

Isn’t he supposed to quarantine for 5 or 10 days after arriving in the UK? I do really hope that he takes some time to talk to his family and keep it between them. No one needs to know the details. 

59 minutes ago, adidas said:

I assumed her doctor’s advice not to attend the funeral was based on what is best for her mental wellbeing (and I believe it is a valid reason - there is great value in saying ‘no, that’s not a good or healthy thing for me to do’).

Absolutely!! Mental well-being is just as important. I’m sorry if I wasn’t acknowledging that. 

[adidas]

Oh gosh @KnittingOwl please don’t think I was saying that of your post! Not at all, and no apology needed.

[kachuu]

9 hours ago, KnittingOwl said:

Like for your oversees baby shower?

I’m not saying she should have gone, but let’s not pretend Meghan couldn’t have gone if she wanted to. It’s possible her doctors did say not to travel, but it’s also possible that’s an excuse to save face. 

If my math is correct (also, not a math person but I had a baby & this is the "baby math" - right? lol)

Her baby shower was Early-mid Feb 2019 and she gave birth May 6, 2019. So that may put her at the end of her 2nd trimester if she popped a couple weeks early. Play devil's advocate, she may be in her third trimester (they haven't said concrete due dates for this one) and it may be truly a medical safety precaution. Part of me is relieved she's not going because I think their drama & the press would over shadow Philip & that would be a true disservice to his life of service. and Super disrespectful of the Queen & her loss.

 

That being said, I'll reiterate my comment from before, she's going to get criticism no matter what.

Its sad that they - I meant most likely Harry- can't truly mourn his grandfather without drama & spectacle interfering. It sucks when you lose someone. I just can't imagine the added stress of being under a microscope to it.

I also hope, both Harry & William in the very least become civil with one another. And I can't help but imagine Will's first snarky response will be "try not to tell your little friend Oprah, eh?" ?

[viii]

I also feel for Harry. He is overseas in tense situations, while grieving, and he doesn’t have his support person. 

[tabitha2]

He has his York cousins whom he has always been tight with. 

[SoSoNosy]

If he is isolating in Frogmore Cottage, where are Eugenie and her husband and baby living?

[DalmatianCat]

3 hours ago, kachuu said:

 

I also hope, both Harry & William in the very least become civil with one another. And I can't help but imagine Will's first snarky response will be "try not to tell your little friend Oprah, eh?" ?

I can’t imagine his first greeting with anyone in the family including anything else. I mean...Harry and Meghan had a right to share their side of the story, but everyone else has a right to feel very hesitant talking to them. Harry shot himself in the foot  when it came to mending fences when he blabbed right away after the very first discussion. I don’t know what he’ll do to earn back their trust that he won’t blab private conversations, but I don’t think anyone is planning on going deep this visit.

Also...I wonder if there’s any favorite foods Harry is looking forward to getting or places to see. No matter how happy he is in California, he lived most of his life in England and I don’t think it’s all bad memories for him. He might like being back in the country where he understands the culture and finally be more aware of how different it is than the US. Maybe he’ll realize that some of the culture differences were harder for his wife to adjust to than he realized now that he’s had a turn adopting a new country.

[kachuu]

I was totally fine with them sharing their side of things, until the next day or so when Gayle King gave an update that talks were "unproductive" after the fact. That crossed a line. I don't know who shared it but that rubbed me the wrong way.

 

As a third party spectator with absolutely no personal stake in the matter ?

[viii]

Agreed - I had zero issue with the interview with Oprah, but Gayle shouldn't have been giving updates the next day. It's only going to make the situation even worse, and I can't believe that Harry is dumb enough to not realize that. Unless perhaps he thought Oprah/Gayle were asking as friends, and didn't realize they were going to be talking so publicly about it. Who knows. 

Harry has a very nice statement about Philip here: https://people.com/royals/prince-harry-speaks-out-prince-philip-death/

[adidas]

5 hours ago, SoSoNosy said:

If he is isolating in Frogmore Cottage, where are Eugenie and her husband and baby living?

They only lived there for a very short time before moving out.

https://www.tatler.com/article/princess-eugenie-and-jack-brooksbank-get-the-keys-to-frogmore-cottage-from-harry-and-meghan

[viii]

Interesting. I wonder if Harry and Meghan lost access to it once they stepped down and it reverted back to the crown? Who knows, everyone in that family is so secretive.