Vanity Fair has a new long-read royal story called “Inside the Markle Family Breakdown.” It was not written by their in-house royal reporter, Katie Nicholl. It was written by Vanessa Grigoriadis, who gives the Markle family the full “Vanity Fair treatment.” This is the kind of article that VF used to be known for – full of bitchy tabloid details and extensive interviews with shady people. Grigoriadis doesn’t make a judgment on Samantha Markle, who is quoted extensively throughout the piece, like the tackiest, thirstiest Greek chorus of Meghan’s royal story. The point of this VF piece is that the White Markles aren’t going away and it’s all Meghan’s fault – at no point does Grigoriadis even entertain the thought that Samantha and Thomas Markle are toxic, abusive people who deserve to be cut out of Meghan’s life. Instead, the piece reads like “yeah, Samantha and Thomas are showing their asses, but what did Meghan expect, it’s her own fault!” Grigoriadis doesn’t just speak to Samantha extensively – there are unnamed courtiers, royal sources and random, anonymous friends who all provide a backing diss track. Some non-Samantha-related highlights:
Meghan isn’t the most important princess: “Even if she’s not the monarchy’s most important princess—this honor goes to the assiduously pleasant Kate Middleton, one day to be queen consort—Meghan is the princess of the moment, as transformational in her way as Princess Di.”
Meghan’s Hollywood past: “She comes from a family of acolytes of motivational speakers and reality shows (Tony Robbins and the Kardashians are touchstones), people who believe that the future doesn’t at all have to be governed by the past. According to a Hollywood source, when her star was rising she threw herself a party at her home unofficially billed as a “Sayonara Zara” party and gave away the lower- priced clothes in her closet to her guests.”
Who Meghan is below the surface: Beneath the performance, Meghan, reporting indicates, is a solitary, emotionally guarded perfectionist likely carrying scar tissue from her tumultuous background…The image Meghan created for herself was free-spirited and earthy—but not entirely consistent with who she really was, according to those who know her. “Meghan’s goal was always becoming a household name,” says an acquaintance in the television world. “She’s insanely smart and poised, but very, very guarded. She’s not a person you can actually be friends with. She’s the type of person who is best friends with her stylist.”
What happened when Thomas Markle’s melodrama exploded ahead of the wedding: The Queen knew that Harry worshipped Meghan, and also that the House of Windsor didn’t need another busted-up fairy tale. “She was very concerned that it [the Markle situation] was spiraling out of control, which it was,” says one observer. “Buckingham Palace wanted to be able to do something and be proactive and make the situation go away. It was a direction from the Queen, so her courtiers were under strict instructions to sort it out. But Kensington Palace was not singing from the same hymn sheet, and that was because the message was coming from Meghan. She didn’t want to engage and thought that she could handle it on her own.” Both palaces’ aides whispered and planned, to no avail. “There was a lot of tension between courtiers within the two royal households, and I think it just got to a point where it was stalemate and, you know, neither could move.”
Meghan does read her press, and she was trying to manage her family situation her own way: Meghan herself was handling this fracas, or not handling it. “This is her family, and no one at the palace would make a move without her,” explains Patrick Jephson, Princess Diana’s former private secretary and author of The Meghan Factor, a book weighing Meghan’s impact on the monarchy. He pauses, then adds, “In talking about Meghan, I wouldn’t say that her advisers are doing a good job or a bad job. It is one of the perks of royalty never to be held responsible for their actions.” Regardless, the observer says, “Meghan and Harry made efforts to make sure Tom was properly kitted out for the day, so that level of care was there, but it wasn’t enough care. He needed an equerry to go out there and take him back to England, put him in Sandringham or Balmoral in a small cottage where no one knew where he was, and where he would have been very happy. That’s what should have happened.”
The smear campaign against Meghan: Understanding what’s going on behind castle walls is always a game of reading tea leaves, but the posh Brits I spoke with said they’d heard that some stories were correct: Meghan’s staff is annoyed by her waking up at a Californian five A.M. and texting about various initiatives she wants them to pursue, and Meghan is callous toward staff in general. One thought it was “peculiar” that her mother was the only family member at her wedding; another even said she’d heard Meghan was dubbed “Monster Markle” at Kensington Palace. I can’t vouch for any of that, but when papers began reporting that Kate and Meghan had feuded before the wedding, and then Kensington Palace issued a statement denying a feud, I thought about Tina Brown’s comment in The Diana Chronicles, her outstanding biography of the princess: “The palace only bothers to deny something that’s true.”
I remember the back-and-forth dramas ahead of the wedding and after, all related to Toxic Thomas, and I remember the articles about the “high level” palace meetings about what they could do or should do about Thomas. I understand the petty hindsight bitchery of “Meghan and Harry should have sorted out Thomas months before the wedding,” but I also think that… at the end of the day, it was always going to play out this way, or a very similar way. If Meghan and Harry had brought Thomas to England and set him up in a private apartment or whatever, he still would have been in contact with Samantha, and he still would have found a way to sell out Meghan and embarrass her. Plus, I’ve always believed that Meghan and Harry did offer Toxic Thomas the whole thing – they asked him to come to England earlier, they offered him all kinds of help, and he turned them down. He kept turning them down and then when he sold them out and they cut him off, suddenly he gets to play the victim.
Basically, I understand why a longer-read on the Markles was newsworthy, but I absolutely think the author took the wrong angle. It’s easy enough to look at Samantha and Thomas’s shameful behavior and say “well, this could have gone better” but why not look at them and say “wow, they were ALWAYS going to behave this way, and good for Meghan for cutting them out of her life”?
Photos courtesy of WENN, Backgrid and Avalon Red.
I kinda wonder what Harry’s pov is on all of this. I haven’t read much about how Harry sees it and how it affects him or his view of her. I’m very curious actually.
We have heard bits and pieces. And even Toxic Tom did say that Harry offered help, sent an aide to bring TT to England, but TT refused all help. And didn’t TT hang up on Harry as well? So HOW can they cry “abandonment! no one helped me/us!” when BY HIS OWN ADMISSION, THEY DID!
I keep thinking there has to be *some* legal way to shut them down, but… I can’t come up with one. Royals will not sue for harassment, and the Toxic Markles, being US citizens aren’t held to British law. Even if they sued in an American court, there’s the first amendment. Sigh… this is just so damned UNFAIR for Meghan.
If I understand correctly (thanks, XKCD!), the first amendment says that the government can’t punish you for what you say, but does not make you immune to civil consequences, that is, you can be sued for defamation. However, a lawsuit would only give them what the toxic relatives want: attention.
Honestly, if it was my estranged family, I’d just tell my partner to stay out. Total blackout. I’d appreciate them trying to help, but my job as a spouse would be to protect him/her form toxic people, too. I’d cut them out and we’d give them nary a glance back after.
This is OVERKILL. The good news is that the pettiness and knives coming at her is numbing and I doubt will have any effect. Whoever started this campaign is a newbie. It should have been a very slow drip.. death by a thousand cuts..this was a few stab wounds. Thomas M has nothing new to bargain and I’m still baide eyeing the Charlotte dress story. for lack of specifics. Author’s point of view on toxic relationships is nutty. Did it ever occur to her that Megan is guarded because she’s health with her ta ky family all her life and we are new to them?
It is my understanding Meghan wasn’t even at Charlotte’s fitting, so what the pluck??? Kate was in tears with a dress-maker???? And it’s Meg’s fault???? Good grief….Further, who else is writing to Vanity Fair cancelling their subscription unless they now come out with an article with an opposing point of view (ie: one that supports Meg’s decision to cut toxicity out of her life)? HOW DO WE HOLD THEM ACCOUNTABLE? That’s what I want to know…
Wow, who knew that even VF would have a problem with a self-made black woman who now is a princess?
THIS! A few minor missteps and suddenly Meghan is the worst person in the world. Maybe after her cover they expected more access.
And don’t forget, she’s the OLDEST person ever to be pregnant in the history of the world. Like, ancient you guys. So ridiculous.
read Lainey’s take on this article – she has a different perspective on the message. More to do with the fact that Megan has her own experience and knowledge walking into this family because they are a well-run machine that isn’t too different than the production she is familiar with in TV.
I’m really confused about the missteps? What horrendous thing has Meghan done? Has she worm a racially offensive piece of jewelry to a family function? Has she conducted a full blown affair while married and a senior member of the royal family? Has she consorted with underage people under duress? Has she exposed her private parts to the public? I think anything Meghan has supposedly done is small potatoes to what the Royals themselves have done over the years. Nothing, absolutely nothing Meghan has done is comparable to the shenanigans the royal has pulled.
While we can blame everyone for what has happened as in they should have done this or that, i think part of the problem is that Meaghan came along and feels entitled to change the way the monarchy does things and that just won’t fly. Other women wanted to be with Harry but were not willing to tackle the palace staff and the old smothering ways, but it is what it is. It might have given her what she always wanted – to be a household name – but these things come at a cost and I think she made a very big error in judgment just thinking she could change them all to her way of thinking. Her family is horrible, to be sure, but I think that Meaghan’s thirst for fame might have driven her to make a very big mistake in judgment.
@Jules… that’s a lot of supposition. There is so much slant to this whole hit piece I’m surprised it doesn’t slide off the page!
Acting doesn’t necessarily mean “being a household name” is someone’s biggest goal (or goal at all).
She was involved in humanitarian work (addressing the UN etc) long before she met Harry. So, they fell in love, and *my* supposition is that he was all, “you’re amazing, marry me and we can do awesome humanitarian work together!” It sounded good to her. They both likely figured that she’s had experience being in the public eye (she’s genuinely adept at interacting with the public). Once Kate and Wills get over themselves, I’m sure it will all be fine.
They’re probably not even all that surprised by the awful White Markles, or the shameful behavior of the gossip press (VF falls well within that category).
This hatchet job stuff is beginning to backfire. People are tiring of it, and giving the side-eye to the “sources” and outright made up nonsense. Scamantha and Thomas need to take all of the seats. Scamantha was never going to be nice and Meghan surely already knew that. With Thomas, they tried. Oh, well. This whole thing is bonkers. I hope they give up soon.
Wishing I could upvote Yami’s comment.
LOL at the Sayonara Zara party! I hightly doubt that ever happened… oh please
Right? I mean honestly. Because if it is true … just wow
If it was true we would have heard of it long before now.
It’s one of those things that is so crazy it seems true because who on earth would think this up as a lie to feed to press? Maybe it was a girl’s night with two friends and she just gave them her old stuff? But omg i laughed at the title.
Eh… I’ve been to “parties” with friends where we all bring clothes/shoes/purses (in good condition) that we no longer want, and we “exchange”. It’s like a giant Loehman’s dressing room event…but with wine and margaritas!! A good time is had by all, and we all go home with “goody bags” lol
Why do people think the Sayonara Zara party/line is bad? I am curious… It makes sense. Meghan couldn’t afford designer clothes, bags and accessories in her 20’s/early 30’s until she started earning real money on Suits. She gave the cheap clothes away – and? What’s the problem? Well made, quality pieces always cost more, and they are good investments. I hate cheap fabrics with a passion.
@Desolee: Because it was a party with friends. For all we know, it was when she was moving to Toronto for Suits and needed to get rid of tons of stuff.
Like someone else mentioned, my friends have given these kinds of parties. They are fun.
Honestly it sounds fun and it’s fine in your 20s on the way up. I have never understood Meghan’s finances, though. She couldn’t have been earning that much as a supporting actor those first couple season of Suits, with no long term guarantee of employment. And if she were quickly upgrading her lifestyle, there’d be little left for savings. Seems like she was gambling on greater successes/paychecks in the future.
@bettyrose wtf? Suits was (and still is?) a very successful cable show and I’m sure her finances were fine. She wasn’t living in a mansion in Malibu, she just had a regular sized house in Toronto.
@Karina I think it sounds like a lot of fun, actually! And what better to celebrate a rise to fame – leaving behind the days of endless rejections, rattling around in a jalopy trying over and over to land a role – than getting rid of the clothes that might have been good enough *then*? I’ve certainly had swapsies parties with friends, going through wardrobes and exchanging things I’ll never wear, didn’t like that much, were an impulse buy – and gave the remainder to charity shops. Yet more mountains being built on the most minute of molehills.
@sonia ???? Betty rose is right, and that’s not meant as an insult to Meghan. First of all, have you ever been to Toronto? It’s insanely expensive. And yes, that show was successful, but in the first couple seasons, she was not going to be making an insane amount. Sure, enough to live alright in Toronto, but not if she was living flashy.
Sonia,
Yes eventually she did well financially on that show, but in the first season or two? As a young woman in a secondary role on an upcoming cable show (with no guarantee of future seasons) probably didn’t clear more than low six figures initially (if that) so hardly a couture lifestyle after all other expenses are paid.
Even young actresses in massive summer blockbusters are famously underpaid.
Yes, it seems normal to me so I didn’t understand the reaction of “omg, what?”
Private members clubs like SohoHouse cost around £3000/£4000 for a yearly membership, sometimes less, sometimes more. But these members clubs are worth it – they give you a good chance to network and socialise with many different high flying professionals. It seems like Meghan started upgrading her life after Suits in every area, and it worked out for her very nicely.
I don’t find it particularly problematic because it probably was a bit of a self-celebratory, somewhat egotistical thing – but like…that’s not really overly terrible to me in the grand scheme of things. Slightly tacky maybe, but it’s not like she had a yard sale getting rid of of all of it. It was between friends who were entirely within their venue to refuse to go from the sound of it. (When I went through a major weight change, I let my friends “shop my closet” for the pricier pieces I knew wouldn’t get worn.)
I mean…all of these tears over her social climbing, and it’s kind of like, “Well no shit??” Do we really think anybody gets to the position she’s in without ambition? The same could be said for Katherine Cambridge or Piers Morgan. Nobody gets that kind of social power without pursuing it. The racism and sexism is in only giving HER tons of shit for it. She’s allowed to be human, Christ.
Right?!? She probably had to tons of stuff from the suits production costume department too. You don’t move over sees with every item of clothing esp knowing that you are now going to face an intense level of scrutiny. I wouldn’t bring my 20 year old jeans that I hang onto for house painting. It makes sense and sounds so fun.
I dont think the commentators on Celebitchy have a good grasp on what actors make. As a former SAG actress myself, I can tell you that she 100% made 6 figures in her first year on Suits. As a guest star and reoccuring role, I made $90K in one year and $130K in another. My star was obviously a lot less than hers. Just thought I would give you all some firsthand numbers. (Im an entertainment attorney now)
@Sonia
You obviously have not been or lived in Toronto. A house in Toronto’s any decent area, we’re talking about millions of dollars price. A house in the Annex where she lived, one of our old and fine neighbourhoods, even higher price, high taxes, etc. However, she didn’t own the house in the Annex. It was on lease which on its own would had cost close to a six digit number per year.
Mercury,
I said low six figures, you’re saying low six figures…we’re in agreement but do you really know anyone in L.A. or other entertainment hubs living large on that?
If she was making low six figures and not responsible to pay for housing in Toronto then she was doing quite well. Maybe not A list money but certainly a very comfortable lifestyle.,
And renting the house she was in, even if the production company didn’t pay for it would have been at absolute most $5k per month. She wasn’t in the fanciest part of the Annex but well north of Bloor.
My friends and I regularly have parties like this. Called clothing swaps. If someone loses weigh, gains weight, gets pregnant, gets a new job, or it’s just time to go through our old clothes and shoes and accessories – we go through. Shop each other’s cast offs. And then donate the rest to a domestic violence women’s shelter near us. We started this as poor ass graduate students. But we do it. A bottle of wine or 7, trying on people’s long hoarded prom dresses etc – it’s really fun. And people always give away their less professional clothes to the newer or poorer members so that everyone can have a shot at looking their best / most expensive.
Yeah, that’s what tipped me off it was fake. Especially since Zara isn’t nearly as big in the US as it is in Europe. I don’t know many people who’ve shopped at Zara in the US. I don’t think they have that many locations there. I mean, LA probably has some. But I don’t think it’s that big and I just don’t see that story being true. She might have given some friends some hand me downs, my friends and I go be each other clothes. But mob day would go to a party like that
Zara is big in Canada.
While I really hope the “Sayonara Zara” thing isn’t true – because yikes! – I’m really tired of people using Meghan’s ambition against her. Why is ambition still a dirty word for women, in particular?
I think she’s probably very ambitious, steely, and wildly charming, all of which would have proven to be very helpful to her in her career. People do not succeed in acting – even if just to the level of a show like Suits – without being driven or possessing any of the above qualities.
I don’t think she’s perfect. She’s a human and and I’m sure she has the capacity to be ‘calculating’ – find me one actor who has had any modicum of success who does not, to be honest. But why is that a bad thing? Doesn’t it show an intelligence, a sharpness of wit? An ability to set goals and reach them?
She’s well suited to this role, she’s a hard worker, she’s a great public speaker, and she seems to really love Harry. More importantly than anything else, she’s bloody pregnant and this must all be SO stressful and I wish they’d let her alone until the baby is born, at least
Yeah all those traits are great…if you are a man 🙄
Ambition is only acceptable if you’re Gordon Gecko or the Wolf of Wall Street. Re Meghan’s ambition – have we returned to the days of Mad Men…?? Why should she settle for a life that was, as the music journalist Lester Bangs described it, a “long drive to the middle”?
Ambition is a dirty word for women because we are supposed to stay in our place & be happy with what is given to us, not actually go for anything better. Thanks patriarchy!
And I think that’s the thing here. She’s a human. I think it’s possible that she’s a lot more ‘inward’ of a person in her private life. I think she’s someone who turns on the charm when she needs to – but I don’t see a single thing wrong with that. I always thought one of my aunts was someone who had no issue being a joiner, being the sweet, warm, welcoming life of the party (in a good way) kind of person. I always would rely on her in social situations with family I didn’t know well because she always REALLY excelled at it. I’ve only figured out recently that it’s actually something she has to pump herself up to do. She’s pretty serene in her downtime, and is content at reading or painting and just doing her own quiet thing most of the time. But nobody who didn’t know her well would have EVER guessed that was the case because she’s so capable of being a perfectly charming, warm friendly person. A lot of it is that she’ll go into teacher mode – but it’s absolutely something she has to turn off and on. And I could see that being the case with Meghan. Perfectly capable of being charming, friendly, energizing, but much more quiet and almost reserved in a way in her private life. And it’s not a bad thing – because she’s stepping up to her job with the perfect attitude. But I could also see how some people might find it ‘fake’ or ‘off putting’ in a way.
Beyond that – of course she wants to be a household name. She spent a lot of years working her way up to a role like Suits. You don’t go into acting hoping that nobody knows you. There IS a certain amount of attention seeking that comes into play with actors – but again, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. And from what I can tell, she’s now using the interest to bring focus to causes, and that’s great.
I get tired of SOME of the defense of Meghan, just like I get tired of some of the digs at Kate. There seems to be some weird idea that these women aren’t humans, and are just caricatures. One is regarded like a Saint in some ways, the other like a hilarious villain. And I understand some of the over the top defense is to combat all the absolutely vile things said. But I think there’s a difference between gossip and assuming you fully know everyone’s intentions good or bad. I also do think there’s a certain amount of defense for her coming from American’s because they feel like some of the insults are insults lobbed at them. There’s a certain amount of “how dare you not love this amazing American” and I kind of get that, but I think it’s a bit silly, too. There’s going to be at least SOME cultural differences, and differences in communication as a whole. Meghan’s in a tough spot with that – because I do believe she wants to really make a difference – but I think she needs to balance that with really getting her bearings and immersing herself in the culture she’s surrounded by. I think it’ll help to really get a handle on what things NEED help most, and it’ll also placate the courtiers a bit. At the end of the day though, she’s really not doing a bad job – but she has a lot going on all at once, and it’s not easy. There was SOOOO much focus on “Meghan doesn’t need help” and “Meghan will be better at her job on day one than x y or z was” prior to the wedding, and I think that put a lot of pressure on her. In a very short span of time she got engaged, moved to another continent, planned a wedding, dealt with crazy family members, and got pregnant. That’s a lot for a ‘normal’ person, let alone someone in the public eye like she is. I also think some of the smear campaign is blow back from that – and perhaps an attempt to knock the brash American down a few pegs – but I think it’s more of the fault of the American media for holding her up to an impossible level out of the gate. And I think it was a point of pride, and not intentionally done to set her up in that way, but I think a lot of people took that poorly.
Well said, Erinn.
I have always wondered where the “she’s so ready for this/she’s perfect for the role/she’s going to shake things up” stories before the wedding came from. The RF? Meghan’s or team? Pure invention from the media to build her up to later tear her down? I could see it coming from Meghan’s pr or KP’s as a kind of roll out/introduction only to tick off the courtiers at the other palaces who didn’t like the implications they were doing things wrong.
agree, very well stated.
Yes @Erinn. I completely agree on everything you’ve said.
Erinn, I see your point. I also remeber watching some Harry and Meghan wedding coverage. They interviewed a British woman who lived in a neighborhood filled with people of color, Black people like her. The White journalist asked her if she thought things would be different with the new princess, and she said, “No. they live in a different world and nothing here will change.”
You say that there is this silliness to some Americans fawning over her. I get that, but do you get that saying that trivializes the lived experience of people of color? She grew up adjacent to the neighborhood I grew up in. She was in Crenshaw and I was in Compton near Watts. These are difficult communities to grow up in even as you straddle the middle class like she did. While I understand that she is newly acclimating to a different culture, some of the criticism is setting off alarms for people of color, and NOT just in the United States, BECAUSE WE GET IT IN PERSON IN OUR DAILY LIVES, just like the Englishwoman who has no hope that anybody in the Royal household or Parliament gives a damn about her and her lived experience. Respect that. You are mistaking hope for change with fawning idolatry.
Christina – my intention is certainly not to trivialize the experiences of people of color. I don’t think it’s silly for people to identify with her, and to root for her knowing what kind of unfair disadvantage she is at based on her genetics. I don’t want to come off that way at all. I think I didn’t explain that portion well, and kind of added it on at the end before posting. What I mean by silly is the way that there’s a very American-centric view in general and that it’s likely unintentional, but some of the fawning/offense taking seems to be a case of “how dare they not immediately love an American, this is THE greatest country in the world!” kind of thing. Whether intentional or not, there’s a superiority complex with a good chunk of American’s (on varying levels) where no matter what they are the most desirable country to ever country. And I think there was a certain expectation for her to be automatically loved by the country that she is joining on the merit that she’s an American and American’s are great.
Now, I do think she is an admirable person. I think she intends to work hard. I think she does care about others. I think she brings a new point of view to the BRF, and that’s a great thing. I also can see why people would maybe get ahead of themselves in stating that Meghan is going to be the perfect duchess right out of the gate because it IS exciting for a lot of people to see someone who grew up similarly to how they did gaining a global stage. And I think that’s a wonderful thing.
And I do agree – there are a lot of things that should set off alarm bells when it comes to the way she’s been treated. Some of the criticism is just simply very thinly veiled racism and sexism all rolled up into an underhanded attack. And that’s absolutely disgusting and should be called out again and again. BUT there are also days where someone might say “her pants are dragging” because maybe her pants are literally dragging. And from an innocuous comment like that comes a bunch of responses piling on the person who pointed it out. There’s an all or nothing kind of attitude at times, and I think that’s not helping Meghan either. I understand the need to feel protective over her, but I think that at times there’s offense taken when there GENUINELY is no offense meant, and sometimes disliking an outfit is just simply that.
Again, I’m sorry that I came off as trivializing. I really don’t mean to be, and I can’t even begin to understand the life experience people of color have in my position as a white woman. But I do try to listen, and make an effort to improve on things that I might not be great at. Hopefully that makes more sense? I definitely didn’t mean to come off as disrespectful, or dismissive, so I’m sorry for that.
@Erinn, thank you for the thoughtful reply. Trust that many of us in the States are just as appalled by the Manifest Destiny and the American Exceptionalism stuff as you are. Many of the people who aren’t in the power structure are as dunbfounded as people in other countries are. I love being an American, but I know that this place is far from perfect, especially now that our President is diligently dismantling our institutions.
I’ve always taken the word “calculating” as a compliment. I strive to be calculating- to identify what I want and carefully lay a plan for getting it without factoring in unecessary emotions.
I’ve noticed the word calculating is also used to throw sly digs at the Middleton family and I don’t understand it. Of course you have to be calculating on some level to marry into Royalty! It isn’t all fairytales and magic haha.
And I desperately wish I was more calculating (big picture thinker) than I am. But I love Erinn’s description of her aunt. I seem to fit that descriptive myself. … and didn’t even really realize it till reading about her aunt.
Louis Anne, I agree completely, but I would add that there was no other way for this to go down. Her father’s side is toxic, and she was going to be picked apart because people are fascinated with Harry and he married a
woman who is half Black. No one really talks about Queen Charlotte’s African bloodlines, so it’s happened before, but we are in a period of time when a lot of conservatives all over the world are working hard to push out “the other”. I’m just sad for her and for her husband, but he chose her because he wanted to be happy, and he knew she of all people could endure the scrutiny that killed his mother. It will just take time for the public to see that she is just living her life and that she, like ALL WOMEN, has every right to be ambitious and cautious, especially given all of the hostility that she clearly learned to navigate as a child. Kids who come from abuse go to drugs and pain numbing or they become over achievers, from what I have seen. Over achieving is a way of numbing the pain.
I agree that she’s not perfect, and as much as we all stan her here, I think we should also admit that she got her start as a celebrity. Having worked around some of them, I can say that everything the public sees is nothing more than an image. Meghan did an excellent job of crafting her image (a la Oprah, Angie’s rebrand, etc), and we can love her for that. But it’s entirely (and probably) possible that she also sucks behind the scenes. This is likely true of most celebs and royals, and honestly isn’t the public’s problem. All that matters is that, publicly, she does her job and is presentable, both of which she does impeccably.
My point is that it’s fine to stan and obsess over a celeb’s IMAGE, but don’t pretend any of us will ever know the actual PERSON, because we won’t. And shouldn’t.
Exactly, FC. We really don’t know anybody, actually, lol. It just that celebs are exposed to more people, and, if they act ugly, people share it. The trolls come with it, and everyone has an opinion. It’s fun to gossip, but I want to talk about her outfits and cultural significance. Dysfunctional family stuff sells papers because people want to see themselves in the lives of the wealthy. There was this great quote about Elizabeth’s taylor from the late 1970s when she was not looking her best: a housewife said, “we all wanted to look like Elizabeth Taylor, and now, Lord!, we all do!”
Yep, Christina. All I wanna do is look at pretty people in their pretty outfits and speculate about their lives. I don’t want to actually KNOW them, ya know? (Except Lin Manuel Miranda. I believe with all my heart he is an awesome person and wants to be my BFF.)
I love Lin Manuel Miranda, too. I want him to be my cousin or brother.
When women have the persona of a low emotion, logical before feelings, combined intelligence, with the intent to be successful….it scares the hell out of those with the intent of challenging her on that power. A combination of sexism, social elitism and power. It isn’t just men by the way, we women are very guilty of trying to punish other women that display more what we have deemed “masculine” qualities.
This public and journalistic thirst for the drama of Megs’ family is upsetting on so many levels. Just leave her and them be. What more can be said??? It is obvious that they are cut off and they should be. Hell, average people would have cut them off and Megs, who now has money and fame should not????
I find it itonic that haters post she now has a meal ticket with the baby yet in the same breath trash her for how she ghosted her family. They want the free ride and people are so blinded by their hate and spite that they can’t see it or don’t want to see it.
This is now on a level of harrassment. Let is go and move on. Isn’t there better things to report than Meg’s family dynamics or Kate’s tears???
I have a question. I remember near the beginning of their engagement Harry defended Meghan against the press and basically told them to back off, but I feel like the press is coming at her a thousand times harder now. Why doesn’t he say anything now? Is it because he was told off or because it backfired? I just feel like it is ridiculous at this point. The woman is getting dragged and they are not doing anything about it.
Because the call is coming from inside the house. He can’t really blame it all on the press when a lot of the quotes and information are clearly coming from couriers and staff.
That didn’t work, as we see. Those a_holes will continue with their crap because that’s what they do.
Thank God Meghan is strong because this mess is ridiculous. Like Harry said in their engagement interview, he and Meghan are a team and will face whatever comes at them together.
They’d be just fueling the fire, then. The press would turn around and call Harry a traitor to the family for siding with his celebrity wife and play off the idea of inter-family tension even more. Literally, ignoring them and refusing to give it any credence is all the two of them can do.
it’s (partly) revenge by the British press BECAUSE Harry told them to back off during the engagement. IMO he totally underestimated the whole situation from the beginning (and in his wake Meghan did as well). The press will never back down – these stories sell, just take a look at how many RF articles are published on the Daily Mail every day.
Thomas got the same assistance offer Doria got, his own words, but he refused and she didn’t. I’m sick of these articles basically excusing the Markles terrible behaviorm
This woman is pregnant! Let her go through that. This is awful. Imagine hearing abiut, if not reading those stories. Yuck
The press treats her like she isn’t a real human being. It is very cruel. The only other person I’ve seen get this kind of dehumanizing treatment is Hillary Clinton. Thankfully, both women seem have great support systems and be very strong in their own right.
@Kaiser, I was reading this at 3am here in NYC and was so disgusted with VF. considering Duchess Meghan gave VF her 1 interview while dating Prince Harry (soon before the engagement was announced). So unfair that NO ONE is taking these toxic, white family members to task over the assault they are doing. Imagine if Meghan’s Father was Black with a Black father, and an older fugly half-sister and Half-brother. Do you think the media would give them a platform or the time of day? The white privilege this family is being served is so sinister, even the idea that these white family members have some sort if a claim to her, particularly this Farher “demanding she speak to him and respond” when she has severed ties is so reminiscent to slave-ownership days, when we Black people had no rights, were considered 3/5ths. Where are the critical thought pieces in this angle? I want Ta’nehisi Coates to chime in here with a piece in the Atlantic about this onslaught, I want Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie to write on all the white tears over the drops of Black blood Ducheas Meghan has given n the royal pool. And I want Black twitter to take down the DailyFail!!!!! WTF!! *rant over, looking for emails for Coates and Chimamanda*
@Oce such excellent points. If her African American family were behaving like this, little would be done save a shoulder shrug – the WP of the Toxic Markles is astounding. It’s not just a case of their narcissism – passed from father to daughter – it’s the natural assumption that they possess her, like something out of the antebellum days, that MUST be picked up on by stellar writers of colour. She is not their property; they are in no position to demand anything, and the gleeful cries that she’s being “heartless” towards a “broken old man” is so hideously affirmative of the WP trope. HE gets a free pass; she’s supposed to justify her actions and obey the diktats of strangers – WTAF??
You know, I agree. Imagine if her AA side of the family were doing this…. They wouldn’t be invited to speak on British talk shows and I doubt people would be telling Meghan to reconnect with her family either. I shudder to think of the headlines, we all know what her African American family would be portrayed as.
THANK YOU, OCE!!!!
It is an act of self-protection to be guarded when one is the adult daughter or son of a parent with a personality disorder.
When a parent(s) utilizes manipulative tactics to control the adult daughter or son—the guilt trip, “after everything I have done for you, you owe me,” sibling rivalry, etc—
One learns to censor oneself and disengage in order to survive the backbiting and the victim-playing.
Perfectionism is often described as a coping tool for growing up in a dysfunctional family.
While hardly self-destructive like turning to alcohol to self-Medicare, one can clearly see why Meghan tries hard (and why is that so evil?)
It’s just jealousy plus projection.
Those educated on personality disorders and abusive family systems get it.
Others won’t.
Great post Gurl – ITA, unfortunately, with first hand knowledge of these issues too. I get what Meghan has to do and no contact is advised when dealing with toxic family members.
GURL, yup, yup, and YUP!
These a$$holes prove time and time again that they are insanely jealous and resentful of her. Her vile father and sister don’t give a sh@t about her and certainly don’t care about having a relationship. All they want is access so they can sell her out. Bottom feeders are what they are.
Who knew that a black woman marrying into the RF would be this triggering.
I’m not entirely surprised the press is being so cruel to her. People on here love to denigrate Kate, and Kate certainly has some big flaws-but the press was extremely classist towards her until the marriage. And I highly suspect the royal family and royal circle is just as bad. Consider the grief they gave Kate because her mother was a flight attendant-I suspect it’s far worse about Thomas.
I don’t doubt that Meghan has it 100 times worse because of the racism added in. The fact the royal family has covered over and over again for Andrew’s issues and has tried to squash talk about Phillip’s racism, but the press is still running wild on Meghan makes me think they (courtiers and some members of the royal family) are really are out to get her because it’s clear that the palace can make some deals to at least lessen the press coverage.
No, that doesn’t mean I think Meghan is perfect-but much of the coverage, fake or partially true, is so clearly racial in nature with a fair amount of digs at her being American and middle-class sprinkled in.
Kate gets drug for being lazy, which she is and for her weird flashing issue she had for years. Meghan is getting drug for not being white and for baseless rumors. There’s is a difference. You want to drag Meghan or Kate for her public behavior that’s fine but Meghan is being attacked based on unsourced rumors and her skin color. That’s what people are justifiably angry about
Even if she does have qualities people don’t like (but who knows what she’s like, because the writer doesn’t know her), why is she expected to be “perfect” instead of just a human being?
None of us are.
I believe there is a smear campaign. I don’t know by who but I believe there is. Why? I remember that interview involving the four of them. And only Meghan sounded confident, focused and articulate to me. Knowing the toxicity she had to overcome within her family and trying to make it within cutthroat Hollywood (filled with users and abusers), I have no problem believing she had to hit the ground running. She had to work and protect herself. She had to be as perfect as she could be and appear strong. I know because I am a minority. She can’t be mediocre. She can’t be angry, or else, she’s the angry black woman. She can’t be unprofessional, or else, she’s that black person from the ghetto. She has to be perfect, to be considered fit as a royal, to be considered regal. She cannot be mediocre. Look at the accomplished and confident Michelle Obama. She was not considered an elegant First Lady, imagine that! And because she has been working hard and trying to be perfect, she is seen as doing too much by the staff and she is seen as showing up WK. So that’s why she is getting this smear campaign.
Through all of this I have yet to actually read anything truly bad that Meghan has done. She gave her clothes to her friends? Oh no! She has a strong work ethic and can be a bit demanding about work?! The nerve!
Exactly.
Right? It’s ridiculous. And you know if she were sleeping in and expressing little interest in royal work, the press would be all over her as the new Duchess Doolittle. BTW, this is a quibble but why do so many articles call Meghan and Kate princesses? Neither of them is actually titled princess are they? I thought that was reserved for the blood members of the royal family or at least is formally bestowed by the queen?
They are princesses by marriage but since they aren’t born royals they’re not princesses in their own right. One of their many titles are Princess William and Princess Henry.
Yes, they are styled by their husbands’ rank: The Princess William of Wales, and The Princess Henry of Wales. But as they were all made Dukes/Duchess of… by the Queen on the day of their weddings, they use the style of “Duchess” as that is a higher rank.
Seriously. WTF? basically British people just come out of this sounding stupid and petty.
This to a go-billion. What is wrong with expecting people who work for you, that you’ve most likely have been told are always available to you, to actually work? What is wrong with cutting off toxic and narcissistic people that you have known your whole life for being toxic and narcissistic? And people need to let it rest about family at the wedding. She had the people she loved and who loved her at her wedding. I would take that over filling seats with random half-cousins, twice removed, from the first marriage that may not have been legit, etc.
That VF piece is disgusting. It’s clear that newspapers sell and have click with Meghan. Hence the endless articles that always recycle the same stuff by changing here and there
“assiduously pleasant Kate Middleton”
Man that line must have cost Carole a pretty penny.
Wow-I don’t read that as a positive AT all.
friends and teachers of Kate have described her as a “cold, serious, dull girl” that seems a bit at odds with the ridiculously fawning press descriptions of her doesn’t it? lol
Remember when Wills & Kate were both described as “po faced” at engagements just prior to Meghan coming on the scene too? Ha I guess “pleasant” is a step up?
I feel really sorry for Meghan. I hope she knew what she was getting into and is able to let this roll off her back, because at this point it’s just ridiculous.
As for her family, cutting them out was the only option. They were always going to do this. So, let them do it now and get it over with, rather than lording it over her for years (“Meghan, do this for me or I’m going to the press with EVERYTHING!”). As stories on here have said repeatedly, if they are truly cut off they will eventually run out of material and be discarded the way they always should have been.
An article with Samantha as a source is automatically garbage
The Markles are awful human beings, but yes, it must be Meghan’s fault they are that way. Congratulations VF! You are enabling abusers and blaming the victim. Wonderful pile-on. Really. They can kiss any access to Meghan and Harry goodbye.
No, I think they will still receive scoops and write insider articles on the Sussex’s. Right now, they have several nice articles running on Meghan.
I thought this was an interesting read, specifically for how the writer framed the mega yikes of a family dynamic and the way Meghan reinvented herself and why. The use of Samantha Markle in the piece felt like a bigger comment on our society but giving her a voice does validate her in a way, and I don’t think it was necessary. The Markles remain garbage.
I think these stories ultimately add up to what I’ve suspected all along: that Meghan is someone who took on this role with big plans that the courtiers balked at, and she had a big vision of how she and her work would be received that hasn’t manifested the way she hoped. Meghan is super smart, charming, and strategic, and it’s not a bad thing, except when she comes up against the old castle walls.
There’s a quote from People’s cover story that sums it up: “The most difficult job in the royal family is to work with Meghan’s ambitions and make them realizable.” It’s great to have big goals, but those same big goals that might involve doing things her way, or at least a different way, can feel off-putting when the person pushing for them has been around for such a short time. I can also see aides running into the same walls and not being able to fulfill a lot of her requests, which would cause tension and frustration. I know when I use to get 5 AM texts or emails from my boss, it added a lot of pressure to whatever task she was asking for.
The only part of this I’m not sure I believe is that she’s been callous to the staff. I have to admit that I did laugh at the Sayonara to Zara thing, though.
That part about sayonara Zara is weird to me because it’s just not a big store around southern or Northern California. I’ve lived here all my life and I barely heard of Zara even when I lived in LA. It’s just not a well known enough brand here for that name to have been used in that way. It sounds off to me like someone who isn’t from here made it up.
I disagree. I live in LA and have shopped at Zara for over a decade. There are stores on Hollywood Blvd, in the Century City mall, at the Grove off the top of my head. And that’s not considering their online store that’s been super popular for many years.
So I could just sit down at my computer and start typing that Meghan stole Kate’s Iphone and went through her text messages and found out that Kate is having an affair with one of the nannies and then send that to a Daily Mail reporter and I’d be a palace source. Because that’s what all this is, utter BS.
Back in the day, sources were quoted in VF talking about Kate and Wills relationship. Everyone believed them. This is very similar.
Wow, she sure is getting the Princess Diana treatment in the press. Have they learned nothing from that tragedy?
Diana recounted an altercation she’d had with a journalist who absolutely HATED her – as I recall she asked him whether he actually wished her dead, and he replied that he’d “be photographing every last moment”. The Press is an utterly toxic entity. No wonder they’re jumping on the bandwagon with such unbridled glee.
I remember one photographer telling Diana her pictures “put his kid through college”. They don’t care…
I’m feeling fatigued and weary of all these negative Meghan stories. It makes be sad for her, and I truly hope that the racist, classist, misogynistic nastiness will eventually fade away when time passes. It’s gotta be disheartening for her. And the pain of being betrayed by her own father must be miserable even if she’s able to be rational about cutting him off. Ugh.
To me, this article just confirms all this is coming from BP courtiers. Their boss told them to do something, they tried to do it, and they were stymied. I bet TQ was annoyed at them, and now they’re taking it out on Meghan by leaking constantly to the press. The call is coming from downstairs in the house, as it were.
Can I get a list of Californians who are up working at 5am? Currently 7am and I’m in bed doing this.
in bed working in cali since 530 am. by working i mean checking work email on one laptop and checking celebitchy on my personal laptop
I hope you are earning hundreds of thousands of pounds a year for you to be working that early! Sometimes, the American work ethic is far too much work and not much reward.
I live in Cali but work east coast hours
Lol, most factory workers (my mom had to be at work by 7am for day shift) and many others such as teachers (many schools start at 7:30am), service workers (coffee shops, grocery stores and restaurants are open super early) etc have to get up early as a matter of course and they aren’t earning hundreds of thousands of dollars. America is an early rising country for most workers other than later shift workers and office workers (and even then many office workers choose early start times).
👋🏻 LA area here. I’m having problems sleeping, and I’ve been waking between 4 and 5 for the past few months. But I just get on my computer and come here to read lol
Before I took early retirement, when I was teaching, I had to wake around @5/5:30 to get ready for work. I always tried to get to work by 7 to get things done before things got busy and the kids started coming in (papers run off before the one xerox machine broke down for the day/grading papers /parent coming in. etc).
Susan,
I thought about that after I posted, and I wasn’t trying to be elitist in my comment. There’s nothing uniquely Californian or American about rising early for work, but I don’t understand why they keep associating 5am alpha behavior with California (as opposed to say Chicago and Toronto, her other homes?)
As I think was mentioned previously, LA is notorious for early risers because many in finance/entertainment/law/etc. work east coast hours…
But it’s been mentioned that she gets up st 5am London time for ease of communicating with family/friends on Pacific Time (since it would be, what, 8 or 9pm still in LA if it’s 5am in London?
I’m in southern California and I’ve been up working since about 4:30 am.
Today was a earlier day but usually I’m going by 5:30-6
This is pretty common.
Just to get our kids up and to school on time we need to get them up by 5:30-6 depending on what grade they are in.
My youngest had a 7:15 start time all through grade school.
Now thank God it’s not til 8:20
I don’t know how anyone could take even a cursory look at the vitriol that Samantha posts on her twitter account and conclude that she or her father have anything of value to say. It’s filled with genuinely obsessive and vile stuff, it’s actually scary. Anyone who thinks there’s anything that could be done to engage with the Markles in any useful way is being willfully obtuse, and just looking for clicks. All of this coverage is so transparently agenda driven it’s ridiculous that anyone thinks there a newsworthy story behind it.
I’m old enough to remember people’s reaction to the rumor of Doria giving an interview she got called all types of names one of the being untrustworthy but this sorry sack of garbage does multiple interviews and gets defended?
This is a in house hit job coming from someone who wants her to know her place. This smear campaign is coming from her brother in law. Fortunately she has experience dealing with toxic relatives.
This is from someone above William. I do think the Cambridge’s have leaked pieces, but the rest of these articles over the last month or so – starting after the tour – have come from somewhere else. They (journalists, reporters) keep on quoting courtiers and staff from Buckingham Palace in these articles. They have been given permission to leak these remarks. Angella Kelly has been mentioned a few times too.
There is no way that Charles or the Queen gave permission for this. The only Royal who outranks Harry with something to gain from these smears are the Cambridges. These smears hurt the monarchy and the Queen would never ok that. Also the Queen and Charles love and support the Sussexes.
@Bluthfan Charles and the Queen may like Meghan as a person, but I could also see them (almost passive aggressively so as not to be the “bad guys”) using their courtiers and stories like this to try to control her behavior/asks and bring her in line with their expectations for the family. Meghan pushing back against the BP courtiers who were under orders from the Queen to resolve the Markle situation (per the VF article) definitely makes me think there’s at least a bit of tension there, even if they do like each other. That said, I think the Cambridges have definitely added to the source mix to try to prevent themselves as being portrayed as the villains and to bump up Kate’s profile before her initiative launches next year.
I remember over the summer when Meghan and Kate went to the tennis match together and seemed to really like eachother. The papers said at the time how great they get along and how Meghan calls Kate when she feels overwhelmed with things, especially her family. Now it’s reported they’ve never liked eachother and Meghan made Kate cry at a fitting.
I can’t imagine what it would be like to be an American who married into the RF. You’re whole way of life changes, everything and everyone you know is different. You live in a new country. The world is watching constantly only to tear you down. You’re pregnant and your blood family is cashing in on your life and smearing you in the process. I really feel for Meghan. You never know what goes on behind closed doors but I just can’t see her feuding with Will or Kate. Maybe she is, I don’t know, but I really feel for her. Hopefully her mom can visit regularly to support her daughter through all this. It’s really sad.
Yes, look at their body language. There was no hostility or awkwardness between the two. They genuinely seemed on good terms. Meghan did look a little scared, while Kate did a good job taking the lead.
This article highlights why there is such a prevalence of domestic abuse against women in our society. It is ALWAYS the woman’s fault. It is the woman’s responsibility to smooth things over and make other adults behave properly otherwise she is deemed a failure.
Women are literally shamed for not making relationships with toxic people work so it’s easy for me now to understand why so many abused women stay in bad relationships.
+1.
Yes, Weaver. You are damned if you do and damned if you don’t. And when you choose your sanity and safety over your abuser, that is when all hell breaks lose and you women are demonized. People can’t believe it was that bad because you were so composed before. You are told, “you know how he is”. Yeah, I sure do. That’s why I left him!!!
I hate how right you are, Weaver. Women don’t have the power, just ALL of the responsibility for others use and abuse of it.
Also, if the RF want Meghan to act a certain way why can’t they just all have a meeting about it instead of using the vile British tabloid press to send their passive aggressive messages? It’s bad enough her trash family is doing it. I hope the royals don’t think they’re any better than the Markles if these attacks are coming from them!
@Sophia’s Side Eye. I totally agree, we don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes, but if there is a problem why not discuss it with her rather than running to the tabloids and especially while she’s pregnant? It’s just downright cruel.
This whole article is one big “how dare a grown woman decide who she wants in her own life.”
The only reason this is not a hardball interview on Sam because Sammy doesn’t do interviews that challenge her..and she was most likely paid.
Here are a couple of things I noticed: Dad married Sam’s mom at 19. He didn’t turn 20 until July 1964. 1964 is the year they married according to Wikipedia. Sam was born November 1964. Sounds like Sam was a shot gun wedding baby which may have started the dysfunction. What guy wants to be a dad at 20?. Also Meghan was is the first to go to college. Not once does it say Sam has a college education to be a mental health counselor. Finally the queen wanted to step in and deal with Markle showing HM has no respect for him. Meghan wanted to handle it probably knowing what the Firm can do to him.
She’s a mental health counselor?!
VF is full of crap
And the fact they say her mother was the only family of hers there proves it
There are plenty of pictures of other family members there of Meghan’s
I thought only Doria was invited? If Doria’s family were in the chapel, that would be reported, no?
It has been reported, people just conveniently ignore it.
There are plenty of photographs of various family members that were there
It has been reported multiple times. People just choose to ignore it.
I didn’t know this. Do you know where to find the pictures.
Serpentinefire – I believe they were sitting behind the choirs very near the arch in the church. If you look at the RW Youtube video, you only see them for a split second.
These other family members who were there wanted to keep under the radar, for obvious reasons, and they did so very well, and they know how to keep their mouths shut.
“a solitary, emotionally guarded perfectionist”.
My my how dare she be hard working emotionally stable woman!!! We are much better understood & accepted by society when we are emotional dimwits and placing our emotions before our brains.
When a woman operates off of her intelligence versus her emotions & societal stereotypes it scares the hell out of power structures doesn’t it? It upsets their own public image, power structures & family structures.
We all have adopted mechanisms to survive and thrive in life. There are very few people that make it out of childhood without some kind of pain or hurt because that is life. No one escapes the pain of living and we have to be resilient to rise above. I’m not really sure what VF is trying to say. Would they prefer her to be an emotionally unstable mess, would that make her more authentic? It would make her less effective and easier to bully probably, but that’s not what they’re gonna get.
I posted up thread about when I get up, I’m in southern California.
But I think what I said should be repeated, to show just how normal her 5am is for California.
My kid in grade school had a start time of 7:15!
We had to leave to get him there on time by 6:50AM
I had my kid up and eating breakfast by 5:30.
This was from the age of 5-12
I can’t get my head around such an early start time!! It’s like a story from an alternate universe. It seems that the only way this could work would be if the parents were also going to work super early and stopping work early. Are all activities in your area skewed early? And what’s the rationale for such an early start time for small kids?
If the Markles were Black there is no way they wouldn’t be called out by the media as grifters. The Markles are being given every possible benefit of the doubt by white reporters.
There is inherent racism in demanding that a woman of color pander to toxic White relatives who have insulted her and her husband at every turn and sold her out to the media.
Piers Morgan and Thomas Markle are really showing their white male privilege. Meghan has had the audacity as a woman of color to not give either of them the time of day. It’s almost as if they feel ownership of her. Not doing what a white man wants is a cardinal sin for POC. The retribution is swift and harsh.
Oh, yes, the retribution absolutely is. How DARE she be so uppity when then want access. Women, especially women of color, are like cattle to men like this.
This is an over-the-tip smear piece. I’m glad Lainey pointed out that many are now questioning the prejudices of the royal reporters.
VF also gets one thing wrong: the most important princess right now is actually Camilla, not Kate. Camilla will be queen. Who knows if the monarchy will be around after Charles passes (I doubt it).
Buzzfeed has an interesting article calling out the royal reporters. The reporters are shocked that anyone would accuse them of racism.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/markdistefano/british-royal-reporters-accused-racism-meghan-markle
I saw that! The royal reporters can dish it out, but they can’t take it.
What I have learned in life, it is very difficult to control others. So I am surprised by people agreeing with reporters motivated by other reasons who recommend that Meghan should have in the past or should in the future control her father. She can only control herself. It appears that is what she is trying to do.
Her father is trying to control her with exposure, threats and guilt. But IMO even if she reconciled with him he was always going to try and control her. I imagine when she names her baby, he wants to spend holidays with the queen, who knows what else he wants.
I love how twitter is calling out the Royal reporter for some of their reports on meghan its amazing to see some these Royal experts loss their cool. One reporter admit that the paper they work for is racially bias towards meghan but they never wrote anything remotely racist about meghan.
Oh god, I can see this VF story being repeated in DM this weekend under another nasty headline. I do feel so sorry for this pregnant lady, she just does not deserve this. The only consolation is that Meghan has a very strong fan base, growing by the day.
Some journalists are exchanging tweets and getting their feathers ruffled on Twitter, led by the odious Richard Palmer, who has been complaining that fans have accused him and other journalists of being racist, and made death threats against him and others. Palmer then goes on to say that the Duke of Sussex and his team are to blame because of the 2017 statement, and that they will be held responsible should any journalist come to any harm. I did not realise that Richard Palmer was so stupid. He is a very creepy looking character, and compared to reality his very plain mugshot on Twitter is highly flattering.
Meghan’s got a beehive vocal to come to her defense. The RR’s are seeing their power structure threatened ; they are used to have the royals dance to their tune and come to them when they get bad press. They don’t like them standing up to them. The threats of violence an
d death are too far. Make the criticism known and hold the royal reporters accountable.
To be fair some in the British press, TV talkers and royal reporters have defended Meghan and came for her toxic family too. Here’s a cartoon of Thomas Markle that sums it up
https://mobile.twitter.com/Mama2bigmen/status/1075332120149553153/photo/1
I think Daddy-o and step-sister expected some Meghan money to flow their way and got mad when it didn’t.
I don’t think Meghan needs a defense beehive lool. Ok, so I looked at the Palmer mans twitter. He has basically said, Meghan’s staff have told royal reporters to just ignore the crazies on Twitter – meaning the hardcore Meghan fans spouting abuse, wishing death and acid attacks on journalists. That is too far. Meghan and Harry’s staff know what is going on with Meghan’s fanbase on social media, which means Harry and Meghan know.. and I don’t think Meghan would be pleased tbh. Meghan needs protecting from her crazy fanbase too. Thank God most of them are from the US!
They put her on the cover during the dating period to help sell the love story obviously with the hope (or the promise that VF would be their US mouthpiece) it would get them exclusive access and insider scoop once engaged and then married. As that access hasn’t been forthcoming, they are choosing to attack / demean as well.
Also, can we stop with the “this media abuse is terrible thing to do to a pregnant woman” bs? Being pregnant is irrelevant, the behaviour by the media and her family is appalling full stop. Being pregnant does not make her more valuable as a person or worthy of being treated with respect and dignity than someone who is not pregnant. She is more than her reproductive ability. If she wasn’t pregnant, would it be ok for her to be attacked like this?
No one deserves the level of vitriol aimed at Meghan. Not everyone might suffer a devastating stress-induced miscarriage or other complications due to such vitriol. Being extra protective of her at this time has everything to do with her health and that of her baby, not because society overvalues pregnant women. 🙄
California’s 5AM is 1PM London time, so I’m not sure about the logic here. Sounds like they’re calling her tendency to get up at 5AM a “Californian” thing which again doesn’t make a whole lot of sense given how variant American schedules are on the West Coast. Getting up at 5AM is an admirable type-A “go-getter” thing and a quality I wish I could tap into naturally. The stuffy old staffers over there need to take a step back and realize they’re protecting “tradition” for the sake of nothing else but itself, as in, all of this criticism is happening due to rich, privileged white male insecurity, as usual.
Okay, kind of off-topic of this thread, but from the SAME VF article, wtf is this? It feels like this section was written by The Onion:
“During Christmas, the royals will play charades, particularly those that involve impersonations of world leaders, but the Queen likes to win, so everyone will need to make sure their impersonations aren’t very good. They may play soccer against their maids and butlers. They will eat dinner in black-tie, and they will not go to bed before the Queen decides to go to bed. They are possibly weighed before and after the meal, a royal tradition that was once meant to demonstrate how well they’d been fed, though Meghan, who is fond of light cooking and organic food and also pregnant, probably would rather she didn’t have to do that.“
“She’s the type of person who is best friends with her stylist.”
Lol, what does that even mean?