Harry & Meghan 10: Even Less Relevant to the BRF

[EmCatlyn]

3 hours ago, treehugger said:

Speaking of living off the taxpayers dime, I'm still salty that as a Canadian, we payed for H&M's security for a whole bloody year while they lived on a Russian owned estate in BC.  I don't think their admirers can cast too many stones when it comes to living off the public's hard-earned money.    

A whole bloody year?  I thought they went to Canada in November and that Canada paid for security only through the end of March.  That’s 1/2 year.

I didn’t know the estate was owned by a Russian.  Interesting.

Otherwise, I agree that they were perfectly happy to live off “the public’s hard-earned money” while they were “working royals.”  They did not stop being “working royals” to save the public money but because they wanted more control over their lives (which is fine).  

[Jackie3]

On 7/27/2022 at 4:38 AM, treehugger said:

Frankly, based on personal observation only, if the numbers thrown around are all they are worth, then they really are living way above their means and it’s no wonder they are a bit desperate and salty about money.  It’s very hard to keep up appearances without the financial backing. 

My goodness, they've got millions coming in just from the book deal. The book's finished and expected out this year. That tells me they'll finish their other projects, too.

Meghan has shown herself to be great at making money. She was a millionaire long before she was 40, money she earned from her own efforts (not sucked from the British taxpayer).  How many of us earned millions before they were 40? Harry has his inheritance. They can make a ton in speaking fees whenever they want to. 

I think FJ worries a lot more about money than they do! It's great there is so much concern about that family. I think they'll be fine, though.

14 minutes ago, EmCatlyn said:

 They did not stop being “working royals” to save the public money but because they wanted more control over their lives (which is fine).  

I'm glad you approve. 

Who doesn't want control over their own lives. They didn't want to be puppets for the Monarchy. Seems like a good thing to me.

[viii]

4 hours ago, Jackie3 said:

Kate is caring for an elderly relative? That's wonderful. That can be harder than a 9-5 job, it's true. What relative?

That also explains why she doesn't care for her children full-time.

1. Kate is not caring for an elderly relative to the best of my knowledge. Kate had absolutely zero to do with my statement; I’m not sure why you brought her up? 

2. Majority of women, including Meghan, don’t care for their children full-time and guess what? That’s perfectly okay! In fact, it’s healthier that way. 

[treehugger]

6 hours ago, EmCatlyn said:

A whole bloody year?  I thought they went to Canada in November and that Canada paid for security only through the end of March.  That’s 1/2 year.

I didn’t know the estate was owned by a Russian.  Interesting.

You are right, it was half a year, not a full year.  I don’t know why I remembered that wrong, but I apologize for spreading misinformation. Thank you for catching that. 
Yes, it was owned by a Russian.  https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6419328
 

Nothing blatantly nefarious, just interesting, as you say. 

Edited July 30, 2022 by treehugger

[Manda]

On 7/28/2022 at 7:33 PM, Jackie3 said:

. She out-earned most actors and or actresses. The median salary for actors is $40,000, with the top 25% making $60,000. In contrast, Meghan made about $450,000 per year. About 10X the median!

Prove it.  

On 7/28/2022 at 8:01 PM, Jackie3 said:

This revised contract  seems to indicate she'll do quite well. Who knew she also got pension, health and retirement contributions! 

Probably everyone who knew about SAG-AFTRA except you.  It's fairly common knowledge that's one of the biggest reasons the guilds were formed.  

[EmCatlyn]

12 hours ago, treehugger said:

You are right, it was half a year, not a full year.  I don’t know why I remembered that wrong, but I apologize for spreading misinformation. Thank you for catching that. 
Yes, it was owned by a Russian.  https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6419328

Nothing blatantly nefarious, just interesting, as you say. 

I will always wonder if they planned to settle in Canada until they realized that they would not get free security in Canada once they were no longer “working royals.”

Initially there was talk that they would have some kind of part time official work in Canada.  I thought that would be a good thing — get Meghan close to what she regarded as home, give them options to travel and live more privately. Apparently this wasn’t what they wanted.

[louisa05]

On 7/25/2022 at 8:57 AM, viii said:

1.  Kate cared about what the little bridesmaids wore at the wedding because her daughter was one of them. The real issue wasn’t the tights. Kate believed that Charlotte’s dress was too short and she was trying to protect her daughter’s modesty on national TV. The tights would have helped that concern. 

2. Kate didn’t wear white. She wore yellow, a perfectly acceptable colour to wear to a spring wedding. 

If there was any issue about tights, it was likely because the shoes Meghan chose for them were stiff patent leather type and would rub without socks or tights--not something comfortable for a three year old (or anyone). The shoes in the photo from Zara's wedding are flexible ballet flats that would be more comfortable without anything. 

[AmazonGrace]

Mind you, George is nine, Charlotte is seven.  Most kids that age are at school so it's likely that none of their moms care for them full time.

it might also be why William doesn't care for them full time.

[viii]

28 minutes ago, AmazonGrace said:

it might also be why William doesn't care for them full time.

DING DING DING. 

[DalmatianCat]

22 hours ago, EmCatlyn said:

I will always wonder if they planned to settle in Canada until they realized that they would not get free security in Canada once they were no longer “working royals.”

Initially there was talk that they would have some kind of part time official work in Canada.  I thought that would be a good thing — get Meghan close to what she regarded as home, give them options to travel and live more privately. Apparently this wasn’t what they wanted.

Canada does seem like it would have made sense. It wasn’t “home” to either of them, but they each had ties to it for different reasons to give them some sense of familiarity, while also letting them explore a new hometown/country together so neither of them had to settle into a new country while the other felt perfectly at home.

I feel like there was talk at some point of them settling in South Africa, and I can see that also working out for the above reasons.

[SoSoNosy]

I think they might have stayed in Canada for a while longer, but Canada firmly shut down all their borders for Covid.  Harry and Meghan barely made it out of the country before they wouldn't have been able to for an unknown period of time.

[EmCatlyn]

9 hours ago, DalmatianCat said:

Canada does seem like it would have made sense. It wasn’t “home” to either of them, but they each had ties to it for different reasons to give them some sense of familiarity, while also letting them explore a new hometown/country together so neither of them had to settle into a new country while the other felt perfectly at home.

I feel like there was talk at some point of them settling in South Africa, and I can see that also working out for the above reasons.

There were talks of finding them a “base” elsewhere for sure. I believe Harry asked about the possibility of moving to Australia during their tour there.

We will never know exactly what went on, but it appears that either the RF wasn’t offering something they found attractive or the RF wasn’t moving fast enough for them (or a bit of both) and they decided to push forward with their own announcement.  Most observers agree that their impatience may have cost them some good will.

I am not one of those who thinks Harry must be secretly unhappy nor do I “blame” Meghan for leading them to the life where she felt most comfortable, but I do think that he must miss a lot from the UK and his old identity. It is unfortunate the break was so harsh.

[EmCatlyn]

I have been reading a sample of the Bower book (Revenge) which covers Meghan’s childhood. 

The sample includes both positives and negatives about young Meghan, in contrast to the excerpts that have been published which focus on the negative.

The biggest positive seems to be Meghan’s “empathy” — her ability, even as a child, to be caring and sympathetic toward others.  There is also mention of her self-confidence and her determination.

The biggest negative is her need to be in center stage. This is mentioned even by people who are praising her in general.  Her father admits that she was “spoiled.”  His claim is that when he had his older children he didn’t have the money to give them “everything” but that with Meghan he could make her his little princess.

The narrative is rather full of Thomas Markle’s insistence that he paid for everything Meghan needed including the university.  He also says he never won the lottery, that the story was made up by his son.  Even after he had to declare bankruptcy, he says, he paid for Meghan’s education.  He also says that she didn’t work when she was in school. (Presumably he means her yoghurt store job was a summer job.) You have to take Thomas Markle’s story with a grain of salt, but it is an interesting counter-argument to Meghan’s “rags to riches” claims that her sister is challenging.

One  detail (a fact that can be verified) that I found interesting is that the private school Meghan attended was only 30% white and had a history of encouraging diversity.  I can well-believe the author’s claim that Meghan was not identified as black or even biracial because in a diverse, multiracial environment she wouldn’t be.

Anyway, I am not rushing to buy the book, but I thought these tidbits were worth reading the sample. 😉

[GuineaPigCourtship]

But @EmCatlyn it's 55% off! Buy now and save the difference for H & M's book.

[EmCatlyn]

1 hour ago, GuineaPigCourtship said:

But @EmCatlyn it's 55% off! Buy now and save the difference for H & M's book.

It’s not really on sale (at least, not on Amazon)  The e-version is around $13, which, though less than the hard copy price, is still more than I spend for this kind of book (glorified gossip rag).

Since it is listed as a “Sunday Times best seller,” I assume the price is not going down soon.  

 

[viii]

I bought it on my kindle. It’s trash and clearly negative against Harry and Meghan. A lot of the sources seem bitter. Thomas Markle can’t be trusted. He claims she didn’t work at the yogurt shop but when she got married, the yogurt shop tweeted congratulations to their former employee. Pretty sure it’s obvious who is lying in that scenario. 

I mean, the more I read, the more it seems like EVERYONE involved is an asshole. Thomas, Doris, Meghan, Harry, Charles, William… they all seem like they’d be absolutely insufferable to live with, tbh. 

Surprisingly, the only person it’s actually made me warm up to was Kate. 

[prayawaythefundie]

1 hour ago, viii said:

I bought it on my kindle. It’s trash and clearly negative against Harry and Meghan. A lot of the sources seem bitter. Thomas Markle can’t be trusted. He claims she didn’t work at the yogurt shop but when she got married, the yogurt shop tweeted congratulations to their former employee. Pretty sure it’s obvious who is lying in that scenario. 

Thank you. It‘s hard for me to want to read any book when I already know there are falsehoods or half-truths in it. Why would I believe anything else when the author clearly didn‘t bother to fact check a simple matter like if she did or didn‘t work at that yogurt shop? If I wanted fiction, I‘d buy other books. 

[EmCatlyn]

4 hours ago, viii said:

I bought it on my kindle. It’s trash and clearly negative against Harry and Meghan. A lot of the sources seem bitter. Thomas Markle can’t be trusted. He claims she didn’t work at the yogurt shop but when she got married, the yogurt shop tweeted congratulations to their former employee. Pretty sure it’s obvious who is lying in that scenario. 

I mean, the more I read, the more it seems like EVERYONE involved is an asshole. Thomas, Doris, Meghan, Harry, Charles, William… they all seem like they’d be absolutely insufferable to live with, tbh. 

Surprisingly, the only person it’s actually made me warm up to was Kate. 

I agree that just about everyone comes off badly (just based on the 100 pages I read and the excerpts that had been published). Thomas Markle definitely has a huge axe to grind and I don’t trust him either.

However, in the section I read, he doesn’t actually say she didn’t work at the yoghurt shop.  He says she didn’t work while she was in school.  This pretty much leaves it open that she worked during summer breaks and/or an occasional weekend. Bowers doesn’t address this possibility, but I know a lot of kids who did that.

I think a problem with Bowers book was always going to be that he was looking for dirt and that a lot of the people who spoke to him were doing so because they were bitter.

3 hours ago, prayawaythefundie said:

Thank you. It‘s hard for me to want to read any book when I already know there are falsehoods or half-truths in it. Why would I believe anything else when the author clearly didn‘t bother to fact check a simple matter like if she did or didn‘t work at that yogurt shop? If I wanted fiction, I‘d buy other books. 

I am not buying the book, but I enjoy figuring out what is a fact from the different half-truths.  For instance, I think she worked at the yoghurt shop but not regularly during the school year.  I also think that the story about the Heart family (Markle bought two sets so he could give her a mixed-race family) is told by both even if they remember differently when it was given, so it is probably true. (And doesn’t make anyone look bad—on the contrary.) Some things are also clearly facts— for example the percentage of white kids in the school Meghan attended.

It is a bit like solving a detective mystery.

[louisa05]

6 hours ago, EmCatlyn said:

I agree that just about everyone comes off badly (just based on the 100 pages I read and the excerpts that had been published). Thomas Markle definitely has a huge axe to grind and I don’t trust him either.

However, in the section I read, he doesn’t actually say she didn’t work at the yoghurt shop.  He says she didn’t work while she was in school.  This pretty much leaves it open that she worked during summer breaks and/or an occasional weekend. Bowers doesn’t address this possibility, but I know a lot of kids who did that.

I think a problem with Bowers book was always going to be that he was looking for dirt and that a lot of the people who spoke to him were doing so because they were bitter.

I am not buying the book, but I enjoy figuring out what is a fact from the different half-truths.  For instance, I think she worked at the yoghurt shop but not regularly during the school year.  I also think that the story about the Heart family (Markle bought two sets so he could give her a mixed-race family) is told by both even if they remember differently when it was given, so it is probably true. (And doesn’t make anyone look bad—on the contrary.) Some things are also clearly facts— for example the percentage of white kids in the school Meghan attended.

It is a bit like solving a detective mystery.

It is also possible that the exact same people didn’t work at the yogurt shop in 2018 as did 24 years prior and the tweet was just taking her story at face value. The story is suspect anyway as 13 year olds could not legally work 
 

I suspect the book is 95% accurate as no lawsuit has been filed. This couple is incredibly quick to sue over the slightest inaccuracy. It’s been out for a few weeks with not a word from Montecito. 

[DalmatianCat]

16 hours ago, EmCatlyn said:

One  detail (a fact that can be verified) that I found interesting is that the private school Meghan attended was only 30% white and had a history of encouraging diversity.  I can well-believe the author’s claim that Meghan was not identified as black or even biracial because in a diverse, multiracial environment she wouldn’t be.

Anyway, I am not rushing to buy the book, but I thought these tidbits were worth reading the sample. 😉

Harry seemed so taken aback by the conversation about Archie’s skin color, that I wondered at the time if he hadn’t realized that his children would be biracial. Harry could have been proud of being an “I don’t see color” guy, and most of Meghan’s closest friends that she hung out with while they were dating were white (I think it was Jessica Mulorney’s house they used to hide from the paparazzi in the early days of their relationship), so it’s possible he and Meghan never had any heavy discussions about being in a mixed race relationship early on. Once the negativity in the tabloids started she may have had to give him a crash course on how to deal with it.

[WiseGirl]

Tyler Perry wished "Princess Meghan " happy birthday. Anyone know if he knew who she was before marrying Harry?

https://people.com/royals/tyler-perry-sends-birthday-wishes-princess-meghan-markle/

[viii]

2 hours ago, WiseGirl said:

Anyone know if he knew who she was before marrying Harry?

I think like the rest of the world, he had no idea. 

[prayawaythefundie]

2 hours ago, WiseGirl said:

Tyler Perry wished "Princess Meghan " happy birthday. Anyone know if he knew who she was before marrying Harry?

https://people.com/royals/tyler-perry-sends-birthday-wishes-princess-meghan-markle/

🤷🏻‍♀️ Can‘t tell but I find it intriguing how people who seem to support the breaking away from the stiff & evil royal family to find freedom narrative often tend to be especially keen on calling her princess or duchess. (This is more of a general observation. I don‘t know Tyler Perry‘s exact take on the events.)

[Jackie3]

There's a Prince who is a pedoaphile, raping teenagers.

Another Prince is taking money from terrorists.

Another Prince is cheating on his wife.

And a Queen who is defending all these behaviors.

But, sure, the problem is Meghan and her avocado toast. The problem is Harry, who loves his wife and does not cheat.

Sometimes the racism is so in your face, it's hard not to call it out.

[nausicaa]

11 hours ago, louisa05 said:

It is also possible that the exact same people didn’t work at the yogurt shop in 2018 as did 24 years prior and the tweet was just taking her story at face value. The story is suspect anyway as 13 year olds could not legally work 

Yeah, of course the yogurt shop is going to seize on the story whether it's true or not. It's amazing publicity. That doesn't make it true. 

Also, while we're talking business, does anyone want to explain gross versus net earnings to our resident troll? Earning $5 million is not the same thing as having $5 million. She's such a bad bitch feminist, she really should know this. 

Likewise, *many* people will earn a million dollars before 40. Most people who make more than 60k per year and have worked consistently will have done so. It really behooves us bad bitch feminists to read Your Money or Your Life.