“Meghan Finally A Princess” is not the banner I would have gone with, but clearly, Us Weekly knows best. Shockingly, People Magazine did not devote their cover this week to Meghan and Harry, but I’m guessing they’ll devote a special edition and next week’s issue to the wedding. For now, Us Weekly is just going back to the “regularly scheduled programming” of Making Meghan Great Again. I’m fine with that. Some highlights from the cover story:
Meghan was horrified by her dad’s staged pap pics: “Meghan is upset and disturbed by the entire ordeal and just wants to move past it. Her relationship with her father has always been strained, mostly because of his ill-thought-out decisions and lack of responsibility. This goes to prove that. She doesn’t want anything to ruin her day and is trying to keep her focus on the weekend.”
Royal expert Omid Scobie speaks: From the start of her relationship with Harry, 33, it was clear “she was and is different,” royal expert Omid Scobie says. “She is this woman who is an accomplished actress and philanthropist who wasn’t afraid to use the F-word — feminism. She was already shunning traditional dating protocols.”
Meghan is already a grown-ass woman: “Kate was growing up and becoming her own woman within the palace walls,” Scobie adds. “Meghan has already been through that process. Meghan has come in with her vision and the changes that she can make in the world. The aides at Kensington have had to sit back and let her get on with it, let her choose her own issues. Harry’s staff, versus William’s, is much younger and used to Harry having his own way. He wants Meghan to have that same freedom.”
As we’ve discussed a lot this week, the youth and inexperience – not to mention the sycophancy – of William and Harry’s communications team is going to be a big issue in the coming months. Kensington Palace f–ked up, BIGLY. And I do believe heads will roll (so to speak). Now, does it follow that from here on out, Meghan, Harry and the Cambridges will be micromanaged by “old guard” PR people? No, probably not. But William and Harry will have to fire some of their staffers because that’s one of the only ways to get past this week’s debacle.
Speaking of which… Page Six had an interesting story about how Thomas Markle only staged those paparazzi photos because the photo agency blackmailed him – they had been staking out his Mexican abode for months and they had lots of unflattering photos of him, so they went to him with a deal to stage some photos so they wouldn’t sell the other ones. Do you believe that? I do not. I don’t believe it because I think any photo agency that spent the money to send a paparazzo to Mexico to photograph him for months would have sold the photos immediately. This wasn’t some kind of long-term sting operation, in my opinion.
Photos courtesy of PCN, WENN, Backgrid, cover courtesy of Us Weekly.
My guess is no one wanted the photos of him looking like a slob so they had to stage some better ones.
I am more interested in Julia Roberts’s marriage. That is not coming out of the blue as this woman is known for keeping her stuff tight.
Meghan will be fine and yes the KP PR team are toast, the Palace courtiers from BP and CH may not be popular/welcome with the bratty Princes but they know how to shut sh!t down, maybe this will make Harry at least see that he and his team were out of their depth.
I loved the jab about Kate ‘growing up’ within the Palace walls, harsh but true.
“Just like Diana”…make is stop already…
lol my sentiment too. Staahhhpp.
How is she her own woman? She gave up her career, her church AND her country to be with this guy. Just sayin’. She might be into feminist causes, but her own life is kind of the opposite of that.
I know there are different definitions of feminism, but isn’t dropping your entire life to marry a prince one of the oldest non-feminist scenarios out there?
I agree with you here.
You are right. As a career choice it is extremely limited. For her though in terms of pay and platform its an upgrade. She was on a mildly succesful show and is a biracial woman in her thirties in Hollywood, its not like her career would have taken off any moment. Still you wont find a job thats less feminist than being a baby machine thats defined by her husbands job and title while being limited in how to behave and what to say.
Not if it was HER CHOICE to do so. She wasn’t forced in to doing any of it. She WANTED to do it as a grown woman who is able to make her own choices.
“Choice feminism” is not feminism.
But that’s what feminism is all about: choice. That’s kind of the point of it really- that a woman has a right to make her own decisions in every sphere of her life, and not be harassed and discriminated against for them. Take that away and it just becomes about controlling people.
To be fair, there was no indication that she was particularly religious beforehand. So, changing religions wasn’t a big deal. Though much ado has been made between the two for centuries, Catholic and Anglican are practically the same thing. Moreover, she’d already left the U.S. to live in Canada. Besides, must everyone stay in the country of their birth forever? Especially when said country isn’t exactly a welcoming haven for women of color? Not that GB is either, but six of one, half dozen of the other, ya know. Who cares that she chose to leave the U.S.
As for giving up her career? She was on Suits. Hardly in a position to affect real aid and exposure for important issues. Now she gets to be one of the most influential people in the world in terms of issue exposure. Seems to me like she’s climbing that job ladder.
No doubt she gave up a lot. I hope it will be worth it for her.
Harry and Meghan should separate their PR office from William and Kate’s PR office PR office, combined offices will not work. Conflict of interest, I am just saying.
After the ‘Markle Debacle” that will probably not happen. Harry has shown he has no idea what he is doing when it really matters. Charles will either fire the current KP PR/communications staff and replace them with new, competent ones of his choosing – keeping the current setup of Harry/ Meghan sharing with William/Kate. Or he is going to put his foot down an insist William and Harry’s “court” merge with his own.
Harry is as inept at PR than William is, and loves to whine about press invasion as much as his big bro. He has also been busy trying to limit press freedom in the UK in the last few weeks. Nah, the brothers will keep the same PR team because they ar very similar.
Coming late to this but I think her family is just toxic and classless. Why couldn’t her Dad just talk to her about the surgery? Instead he jerked her chain in the media for a few days. The end result is the same: he’s not coming. I thought her statement was gracious.
Who would be an advisor to the royal family? Seriously? I bet they’re often over ruled, even when their advice is practicable and PR-friendly. Then their heads are on the block when Harry/William/Charles decides to be obstinate or head-strong and it all goes t*ts up.
I wouldn’t presume the Thomas Markle debacle can be laid entirely at the feet of courtiers. We don’t know what help or advice was refused or ignored by Meghan’s father or Harry (or perhaps even Meghan herself.)
And can we please stop comparing women who marry into the royal family to Diana?
This is all becoming very funny. Its the royal family. No newcomer chooses their own issues. They have to be approved by the royals. This is going to be a stiffling life. I honestly see William and Kates marriage lasting but I do not see Harry and Meghans lasting past 5 years. She will find it too regimented just like Diana did.
But how can you say that…MM is going to save the world!!!!! I agree the responses on some of these threads are just bonkers…
People are crazy when it comes to this couple.
Being a royal is so different than being an actor where you have to make a splash to make a name for yourself and being an activist is almost a requirement these days. You can’t be an activist as a member of the royal family and she can’t upstage Kate or Will or any of their kids. She will find this life really old and limiting fast. I don’t see it lasting either. it is just a different world than what she is used to and I don’t think she has had the time to prepare for it.
it wouldn’t take much effort on her part to do more than kate
Harry has been just as lazy, why is anything going to change? Let’s all meet back here a year from now and see, shall we?
You can’t be your own woman in the royal firm. This is such bunk. You are controlled and your life is lived under strict protocol. That is the trade off.
The constant comparaison with Diana is bafling to me. She will be like Diana? You mean, unhappy in her marriage, unhappy with the courtiers, constantly feeling limited? Because, if that’s what you mean US weekly, I don’t see this marriage lasting.
Reply isn’t working so I’m answering like this.
To everyone that said Meghan is a hypocrite for talking about feminism but still giving up sp much to marry and that choice feminism isn’t feminism at all…
Just what is feminism to you if not about choice? The choice to have or not have children, to be a stay at home mum or a career woman and any shade in between. Because I will march for your right to life your life as you wish no matter what society currently has to say about it. Yes feminism is about equality but it is more than that. If on the way to equality we replace the pressure to be the perfect 1950’s housewife with the pressure to be this super independent women who look down on all other life choices we’re really not significantly better of than before (except perhaps with a little more money in our pockets). Yes often economic pressure shapes those choices but Meghan obviously didn’t make a choice between starving and marriage. She decided to marry a prince and that meant certain sacrifices, in this case for her. The same it meant for every spouse marrying a royal (see Prince Philip, Prince Daniel of Sweden).
Great response, you said it better 🙂
Exactly, M! She said in their interview that she had accomplished what she wanted in her acting career and was moving in to a new arena. People just want to bash her as if making a choice to choose a husband and marriage is in a feminist choice as well. She is not being forced into anything. She’s choosing to end a career and become a humanitarian on a larger scale.
I don’t know if that quote about her father is direct from Meghan or what but it sounds a lot like her siblings and father…. in terms of publicly bashing a supposed loved family member in the press. I’m disappointed to read that… especially in light of their work with Heads Together. Hmmm …