I still don’t 100% believe that the Duchess of Sussex is due in “late April,” but I guess I just have to accept it. Maybe my perception of royal pregnancies has been warped by the Duchess of Cambridge and her tendency to do even less during her pregnancies. Every woman is different, and every woman has a different reaction to being pregnant. Kate clearly gets sick as a dog, especially in the early months, and she clearly just wants to rest and take it easy in her final trimester too. Meghan isn’t like that – I imagine she’ll still be making steady appearances throughout the next month. Meghan and Harry just wrapped a three-day tour of Morocco which seemed to go really well – no gaffes, no international incidents, and the King of Morocco seemed genuinely pleased to welcome the Sussexes. Apparently, the trip went so well that the QUEEN might even send them a letter telling them that they did a good job.
It has been a whirlwind trip by any standard, but given that the Duchess of Sussex is seven-and-a-half months along in her pregnancy, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s royal tour of Morocco has been even more impressive. While the couple completed their official itinerary earlier [Tuesday], they are staying in the country for an extra night in order to enjoy a relaxing evening alone. It will be a much-needed chance for Meghan to recharge her batteries after three action-packed days… The trip, which came at the request of the British Foreign Office, has served as a chance for the couple to get to know some of the people of Morocco. The itinerary focused on organizations that support young women and girls, in particular, has been deemed a great success by aides and courtiers.
According to a Palace aide, the Queen has been “impressed” with how the couple are representing her overseas. “The Queen is amazed by the duchess’s energy and stamina given that she is so heavily pregnant,” reveals a royal source. “For the Queen and her generation, you generally hid your bump and put your feet up in this stage of pregnancy, but Meghan hasn’t stopped.”
Impressing the monarch takes some doing as Prince William and Harry have proven in the past. The Queen rarely lavishes praise upon her family for carrying out what she sees as their regal duty, however, she occasionally writes letters of thanks.
“There may well be a letter waiting for the duke and duchess when they return,” adds the source. “She respects hard work and loyalty above everything.” And it’s not just the Queen who Meghan has wowed. Courtiers on the trip have said that Duchess Meghan has “some serious stamina” and that “her work ethic is pretty impressive, she really doesn’t stop.”
Part of me thinks that Meghan’s whirlwind schedule is mostly about Meghan feeling great during her pregnancy. There were some moments where she looked a bit barfy, months ago, but she’s glowing and blissed out from pregnancy hormones right now. I also think it helps that she genuinely enjoys working and feeling useful too – maybe she’s a Meryl Streep-level actress, but it really does look like Meghan truly gets a kick out of tours and events. She’s a people person. She loves talking to people and it shows. She’s engaged and engaging. The Queen should be impressed – Harry chose a bride who is really good at royal work. And I hope the Queen does send Meghan a letter praising her.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I’m disappointed that the palace hasn’t done more to shut down the press attacks on Megan, so this seems like the least she could do.
The palace is in a bad position.
If the stories are coming out from William then how do you contradict the future king?
But on the other hand the queen is still around so I did see a change in the narrative after she called Kate in to meet.
The future king better play nice. never know the commonwealth might decide they don’t want him to represent them.
@Kittycat, William is still a long way away from the throne and for now, what the Queen says goes. She could have shut down a lot of the crap directed at MM but didn’t. It was extremely disappointing.
My biggest disappointment is with William. He’s supposedly leading a drive against cyber bullying yet his new sister-in-law is the victim of one of the biggest cyber bullying attacks on an individual and he does/says nothing. I wouldn’t be surprised if his lack of support is one of the reasons why they Sussex’s are anxious to separate from him.
I agree with you abt the inherent, blatant and painfully obvious contradiction, vis-a-vis his platform against cyber-bullying vs his silence on the obvious attacks against his SIL.
While I stop short of saying he’s part of the instigation behind the cyber-bulluying, I nevertheless believe he’s a wuss. Have always thought so.
Jesus what can William do? He is just an heir, the Queen is alive and so is Chuck. You really have something against Wills based on what? They do not comment. There are videos on YouTube saying that Liz is a lizard. That Liz killed Diana. That Liz eats kids. No one ever commented.
Take a look at Kate during first 4 years. She looked ill, depressed, spaced out most of the time. But you grow thicker skin and move on.
The press will stop, but the worst thing to do is actually comment. It may be seen as an attack of freedom of speech and freedom on media. You shut up and focus on what you have. Which is a lot. Meg has her prince, baby, health, all the money in the world. She is fine.
YES!!! Kinda like the first lady’s be best campaign.
This is WONDERFUL, their work has impressed the Queen.
That is really good to hear how much they have impressed the Queen.
The couple have been doing a stellar job ,mthe Queen can see that , it’s great.
No amount of some haters or the hateful racist press, trying to change the subject to the negative will ever change the fact that The Queen and a lot of the public sees how hard they are working and is impressed, and none of the hate thrown by some or smear gas lighting by some, will diminish Meghans or Harry’s good works and hard work.
Keep up the great work Meghan and Harry. Well done.
I paid no attention to the Royal Family until Meghan came along. Still don’t fuss about them but the Sussexes seem to be firmly rooted in the 21rst century whereas Kate and William seem to be more in tune with an earlier, more traditional, problematic time.
Also Meghan rocks.
Ps: regarding pregnancies. No one should “promote” energetic pregnant women because we are all different and it’s a REAL BUMMER not to be yourself during a pregnancy. Some women have no stamina for a variety of reasons. It happens and it sucks. Kate’s inoperative personality has nothing to do with her pregnancies though.
Yes! People become so vocal about pregnancy being a certain way just because that’s their experience but I’ve now had easy pregnancies without issues and this time on restrictions and so much daily pain– I definitely didn’t have that perspective until I experienced it firsthand.
Kate’s ‘inoperative personality’ OMG I’m cackling at that, taking no prisoners today I see!
Love your energetic pregnancy comment. Meg has absolutely crushed it, but i don’t expect it to last. She looked really tired on this trip, and i wouldn’t be surprised if she tries to wind down a bit before the baby comes. I hope she does.
I was completely useless while pregnant. Horribly sick throughout, lost almost 40 pounds, complications, early induction, etc… Some women handle pregnancy really well, some of us do not. If she needs to take time off, she shouldn’t be criticized for it. Nor Kate.
I hear you! I was hospitalised three times during my first pregnancy and spend three months in hospital with my second. I could not eat or drink throughout without throwing up. I was told that the it was unlikely I would be so sick with the second baby so went ahead with another pregnancy. I threw up so badly with the second I actually caused physical damage, I considered abortion because of it. It was horrendous! I was advised and agreed that never ever would I get pregnant again. All power to Meghan but I felt so sorry for Kate.
I don’t think Kate has an inoperative personality. She’s been quite warm and down to earth meeting people.
Kate seems so robotic.
Recently, Kate has become more engaged, animated and less in a hurry to end her engagement. She wasn’t before.
I’m so with what you said about pregnancy. If Kate was so sick she was hospitalized early on in her pregnancy, my bet is she never felt good pregnant. To compare how one pregnant woman acts to another is just not fair. I really wish we would stop comparing the women in general. In no way does it help women as a whole, and we need to stop propagating women always competing with each other. It’s just bad. Seriously, I know when one side says something the other side has to retaliate, and I just wish we would be like our former great first lady Michelle Obama. “When they go low, we go high.” I know it seems like we lost last time with that philosophy, but I still get the feeling we might lose a few battles, but we are going to win the war with her philosophy. This constant pitting against each other is just counterproductive for the whole.
Aw, I hope she does get some kind of praise from TQ. Shes done an amazing job.
Absolutely! 🙂
Personally, I’d rather the queen give Meghan family orders so the entire world knows how pleased she is with Meghan as a royal so far. Perhaps that will shut up some of the KP leakers and courtiers who won’t stop trashing Meghan.
I’m also super sad that it appears no new LP is coming to make the Sussex baby a prince/princess from birth. I think the queen would definitely have issued it by now so I’m bummed about that. I know any Sussex babies will automatically become HRHs when Charles becomes king but I was hoping the queen would make it so from birth.
I was thinking about this yesterday and I have two conclusions. One, HM is playing it close to the vest and will issue the LP much closer to the actual birth to avoid playing into the Markle circus. Two, Harry and Meghan want to follow Anne’s path and not have the HRH.
Orrrrr I could be making both of those up. I hope it’s not pressure from Andrew keeping her from doing it.
I doubt that Harry and Meghan want their children in the same limbo that Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie are in. It’s made their lives very awkward since they are HRH level royal, but not working royals. Anne, Edward, and Margaret’s children have all benefited from not having an HRH.
Princess Margaret’s children also didn’t have the HRH. While Harry and Meghan will be working royals for at least the next 3 decades/until the Cambridge children grow up, their children likely never will be. It’s in the best interest for all involved for the Sussex child/ren to not have the Prince/Princess title.
Harry and Meghan’s kids will legally be HRH Prince/ Princess X of Sussex as soon as Charles hits the throne, so there’s not much they can do about that. The issue with Beatrice and Eugenie is that their father imagined that he would eventually get his way and that they would be working royals, so they were raised as such. H&M just have to raise their kids with the knowledge that they will eventually need to build their own lives.
If Harry and Meghan raise their child with the knowledge that he or she will never be a working royal from the start, the HRH title should not make a difference. I assume Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie were raised believing they would be working royals until the decision made by Charles a few years ago determined otherwise. That is what caused the limbo, not their title.
It’ll be interesting to see what title Harry and Meghan ultimately choose for their child and future children.
The Sussex children will never be able to lead normal lives so they might as well have HRH. Anne’s children do NOT lead ordinary lives, everything they do uses royal connections and they work hard to make sure that they are in the public eye at all the royal events…Ascot, Trooping , Xmas service.
The Sussex children will never be able to do normal jobs even if they wanted to.
Apparently Baby Sussex is attracting more betting than all three Cambridge babies combined, and will require a bodyguard for the rest of its life. Make them HRH!
I think the thing about Beatrice and Eugenie is that they seem to be lovely girls but they are forever tainted by their parents and the scandals that go along with them. They might have been peripheral working royals had they had an overall better perception by the public but I think they are guilty by association. Sarah with her many various scandals and Andrew too. I think Sarah does some really valuable charity work, and Andrew has some very worthwhile work too but the public has a long memory about the past, selling access and toe sucking etc etc. Andrew fraternizing with criminals etc. It is a shame that Beatrice and Eugenie aren’t able to find their way. Clearly the latest direction is to marry well, get themselves setup at Kensington Palace while the Queen is still with us and live out their lives as “wife of very wealthy…”
Fergie is trying very hard to rehabilitate herself, she has never really left the royal family except not being allowed to be seen in public with them. But things are slowly changing and I can see her re marrying Andrew……they live together don’t they?
Harry and Meghan get to choose how their children are styled.
@RoyalWatcher, OMFG I would LOVE if MM got a royal order soon. It would force so many of her detractors to STFU, and she deserves one, IMO.
I’ve been disappointed in her response and I get that Meghan’s just the wife of the sixth-in-line but the vitriol has really been ramping up these past few months, it’s unconscionable. I mean, if the Queen can give her son honors to shut up the media about his connection to Epstein, I don’t see how she can’t do something like that for Meghan. Is that whole family so coddled, insulated, cloaked in white privilege that they can’t even be stirred to sympathy for what she’s been going through? Or are they enjoying the fact that she’s become a shield for all of them to escape scrutiny and get the highest praise for doing the bare minimum?
Anyway, my bet is that H&M won’t want to style Baby Sussex as Prince/Princess. I have the feeling they’ll want their kid to avoid the scrutiny and live a life as private as possible and the freedom to pursue a career. I think H especially would want them to be able to live like Zara and the other cousins.
“Anyway, my bet is that H&M won’t want to style Baby Sussex as Prince/Princess. I have the feeling they’ll want their kid to avoid the scrutiny and live a life as private as possible and the freedom to pursue a career. I think H especially would want them to be able to live like Zara and the other cousins.”
There is no avoiding the scrutiny as long as Harry and Meghan are working senior royals. The British press are unrelenting towards Meghan and I believe it will continue after the birth of baby Sussex. Baby Sussex has already been labeled a rebel. The only reason I would like to see baby Sussex and future children to be styled HRH because I could see the press using the lesser title to diminish and humiliate the Sussex children for years to come no matter what Harry and Meghan try to do to protect their children from the scrutiny.
@Bren But don’t you think that the HRH title will hinder them from pursuing careers and lives of their own? I don’t see how the title will protect them at all–it hasn’t protected the York Princesses from cruelty or ridicule. If anything, they’ve experienced much more scrutiny and there’s a sense of “we have a right to report on public citizens” with the York Princesses than for example Princess Anne’s children. The York Princesses aren’t household names but some even fewer people know about the children of Princess Anne and the Wessexes. Of course, Baby Sussex will be the most famous BRF baby to date, but as the Cambridges start to grow up I can (hopefully) see H&M getting the opportunity to have the spotlight on them/their baby and the unrelenting scrutiny start to fade in a decade or so.
No matter what, the media will diminish and “other” Baby Sussex and use it to prop up the Cambridge kids. I don’t see a title changing any of that.
The haters would grab on to “no title” as a reason to say the Queen hates Meghan. Whether or not it is logical, that is one reason to want the HRH for the Sussex kids. And to want Meghan to get a royal order sooner rather than later.
There’s also the added cachet of being born an HRH rather than as a lord or lady and then getting the higher title bestowed later on when Charles becomes king. Haters will jump on that and say the child isn’t born with a royal title and is therefore soooo inferior. The child will inevitably become an HRH when Charles ascends the throne so it makes sense for the Queen to issue an LP now. That might shut them up in that regard.
And l hope Meghan gets her royal order pronto.
The parents can choose how the child is styled. Edward and Sophie chose not to style Louise and James as HRH, notwithstanding the letters patent of 1917. Harry and Meghan can (and should, IMO) make the same decision.
50/50 chance Louise and James will become HRH when Charles bestows the Edinburgh title on Edward. Zara and her brother monetize their royal connection even without royal titles. And they live in Anne’s property at St James and Gatcomb, both a way of living off taxpayers. Not a great look. I’d rather Harry and Meghan’s children receive the HRH now, if nothing else as a show of support.
Can you please answer two questions from a clueless American?
1) What is an LP and how would it change things for Meghan?
2) Why do any Sussex children become HRH when Charles takes the throne?
Thank you very much!
LP are letters patent, issued by the sovereign. The letters patent of 1917, issued by George V, specify that HRH is given to the grandchildren of the sovereign in the male line. This does not apply to Harry at the moment, but will apply to him when Charles takes the throne.
However, it is not automatic that the Sussex children will become HRH at that time. Harry and Meghan can, and in my opinion, should decline to style their children that way. Edward and Sophie, for example, are entitled to style their children as HRH under the 1917 LP but have chosen not to do so.
Every pregnancy is different. I didn’t appreciate that until I had more than one lol
I’m definitely glad for all the women who can maintain that energy until delivery!
Every pregnancy is different, but she is also a yoga-practicing, kale-eating woman whose appearance was critical to her getting jobs. She knows her body. Women who are in excellent shape and are devoted to eating well do better in pregnancy. Most of us don’t need to do that to get work. When you’ve done it for a long time, it’s part of you. I’m not that person, but the women I know who are (kambucha, kale, yoga, etc.) age well and have easier pregnancies than the rest of us for the most part, I think. That culture is HUGE in California and in Hollywood. Money allows her to maintain access to those things in England. Most people struggle because the culture they live in doesn’t support the lifestyle. In America and England we get angry if anyone says that our potato’s and wheat are killing us. We are very arrogant about maintaining our ways.
Thank you Christina! THIS! So much this. It is all the explanation needed.
Your potatoes and wheat aren’t killing you, the relative inaccessibility to proper healthcare and a culture that prioritizes looking after its citizens is.
When people aren’t forced to return to work days after giving birth, when they don’t have to stay on their feet during pregnancy and work three jobs to maintain their health benefits and keep a roof over their head is when we’ll start to improvements in pregnancies.
A culture that failed to give the proper regard to maternal healthcare or even healthcare in general can’t be solved by demonizing random food groups, so let’s not do that and pin the problem where it is.
While I’m sure there’s a component of that, there’s also the reality that some women don’t tolerate pregnancy well. I don’t think we can say someone does better “because they know their body.” I know my body also but it’s “failures” at the present time aren’t because I’m obese or a glutton or not into yoga 😂😉 (though still have half a brain)
@A I agree. We definitely don’t prioritize maternal health or health in general it seems. The push for women to run through pregnancy like everyone handles it the same and then return to work in a few weeks– otherwise somehow you’re not an empowered woman. I’ve found women are more harsh about it than men.
I went to a birthing class in New York, where a woman stood up and said, “I practice yoga and pilates, and eat a really healthy plant-based diet. Can I assume that pregnancy and birth will be easier for me because I’m already in such good shape?” The midwives and doulas running the class smiled very gently and said, something along the lines of, “Bless your heart, absolutely not. Every woman experiences pregnancy and birth in their own way and you can’t diet and exercise your way out of it.”
@Christina, I agree with what you are saying about healthy eating/healthy living making everything better (pregnancies, aging, etc.). But I have to laugh whenever it is attributed to Hollywood, or whenever another actress/celebrity touts their diet and exercise plan and goes on about how “healthy” they are. These people obsess over whether their kale is organic and whether they are getting enough interval training, while they shovel coke up their noses and pump their bodies full of plastics. There are way better health role models out there for us to emulate
@Christina – yeah, no. Taking care of oneself goes a long way to feeling good in pregnancy, but it’s zero guarantee. Bless your heart that you think so, though.
Anytime I hear about letters sent by the Queen I think of the Windsors show and the ridiculous letters Prince Philip send his family in the series!
That show is so funny. I wish they were making more.
Those were hysterical! I do hope they film more episodes, maybe a special here and there.
I hope she does, they deserve a boost given the sh!t that has been thrown at them, her in particular in the past several months. This is TQs way of defending them and IIRC TQ worked a lot while pregnant and when her children were young. I wonder if she will give Meghan a family order sooner rather than later.
I wonder how the DoLittles will react to this – its kinda believable as it came from VF and they have sources.
I too hope HM sends an official letter too, because Meghan is truly an asset! She is not only smart, but has charisma and seems to really enjoy doing her work.
The images from this tour -not fashion wise*- have proved this time and time again. She is engaged, speaks several languages and is espontáneos and appropiate when required.
*She is 7-8 months pregnant and feeling great (I did too with my daughter) and fashion is so very tricky…. She looks amazing, but at this stage is really hard to get clothes ‘right’… Rhis tour was a bit of a rollercoaster in clothes, but very crear forma what it *really* was intended.
A woman working. Uh la la. So super special. Imagine working 5 days out of 7, every week! And only having 36 days off during the year. LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE
Who do you think make up the World’s work force? Women, be it in the house or outside.
Getting 36 days off is better than getting no paid time off.
The point I was trying to make is, that I dont get the high praise for her working. In 2019 a woman working should not be special, but normal.
@Mint, of course you’re correct that no one in the BRF “works” like the rest of us peasants. But in this context, within the BRF, Meghan has really been doing a great job. Especially considering she’s only been a member of the family for a few months and she’s working continuously while pregnant.
I agree with Lorelei above, and I think it’s incredibly difficult to be critiqued and photographed 24/7, relentlessly. Wealthy and aristocratic British have it much easier than the younger generation of royals, IMO…
@ Mint, you’d think so but as we’ve seen, that is not always the case with the BRF…
I just dislike the narrative of hard work and work ethic, when there are people out there who have to work more than one job to make ends meet. People working night shifts etc etc. And royal work often contains of short engagments maybe one or two a week. She may work more than other royals but I have a problem to qualify this as hard work. I think its embarrissing that people in their 30s ( Cambridges and Sussexes) are outworked by their 70 year old father and 90+ grandmother.
Mint, last year, between the wedding and the end of the year, when you take out the tour numbers, Meghan worked 29 days in 7 months. Exhausting!!
And this year, she had worked 6 days before this 3 day tour in almost 2 months. Why are people always lying and saying how hard she works?? It’s crazy. She is as lazy as Harry.
Why do you think tour engagements shouldn’t count?
@ BellicoseBelle Odd that your’e calling the only royal who’s ever had to work to support themselves “lazy.” She do more pre-royal engagements than any married-in, ever. She took over 100 meetings with various charities last year, launched a cookbook, and met with her patronages several times before debuting them. Unless you want to count pre-enagement Diana, pre-engagement Sophie, William, Kate lazy as well? If which case, that seems fair. What’s not fair is singling Meghan out.
@BellicoseBelle, after reading your OTT praise of Kate’s newfound “confidence, presence, warmth” and comments calling people liars, it’s obvious to me that the DoS triggers some negative emotions in you that aren’t founded on anything logical or rational. You’d probably be a lot happier if you just skipped over the Meghan threads.
I praise anybody, man or woman, who could choose not to work hard but chooses to work hard like Meghan, Sophie and Anne. Most people work to live – no choice.
Meghan had done 6 days of work before this 3 days of work so that is 9 days of work in 60 days. Go see how many days Ann and Sophie have worked and stop making up nonsense about Meghan being hard working. She is lazy as the other young royals.
36 days off a year, like everyone else? I WISH. I get TEN days off, 7 paid holidays. Welcome to the USA!
Well, then better move to europe, because 36 is not that much for our standards.
the company I worked for went from 10 to 5 vacation days/no sick days and paid holidays ….for now. Now I’m looking for a union job.
I don’t think she knows how to slow down. She’s an overachiever type. Post baby, things may be different. I can relate, I had a similar experience with my first pregnancy. It wasn’t until the baby kept me up nursing that I became exhausted. My feet never swoll or i was pretty active up until the very end. I remember leaving work two weeks before my due date and climbing the walls with boredom. Sometimes it’s also after the baby is here where you realize how much your life and schedule will change. 1st Time pregnancy in your late 30s after being very independent business woman and career focused is a huge life adjustment to married mom. I know it was for me. As for the Queen, it seemed like an unconfirmed statement but who knows. It won’t stop UK press bashing but it seems Meghan’s been able to create her own narrative, good on her.
Agreed, Piper. It’s a mindset, but she takes such good care of her body, and maybe you did too or have great genes, that she can do it. I had my kid in my early 30s and felt like that mentally, but I was physically exhausted because of the weight I put on and stopped working a month before giving birth. I couldn’t walk very far. I had to go back to work, but I was between jobs so I got to take 4 months off. Very, very fortunate that I was able to swing that in the U.S. Many don’t have that luxury.
The Queen would never allow a leak to Vanity Fair
The leak is also super random. Like she’s so pleased she *might* write a letter? Why not have them over for tea? Or tell her in person?
Eliza: The Queen has never let known what she is thinking. She never comments on anyone & never leaks anything, even if it is random. Only Meghan works with Vanity Fair, an american magazine. This sounds very much like a Meghan Markle PR article
What is this fiction lol? The Queen leaks information or “thoughts” as well. ALL of them do. Not just royals. ALL public figures leak information strategically. The Queen is not above this at all.
And the Queen (and Charles) have both posed several times for VF. The Queen did a shoot with Annie Leibowitz (or however you spell that) during a couple of years ago for VF. VF has been a royal family go-to for awhile. William and Kate also use VF to leak things.
wisdomheaven: I’m sorry but no, the Queen does not leak anything. No one knows what she thinks, that’s why she is loved by the British people. Even during Lady DIana’s breakup she never said anything. At one point she took action and asked Charles & Diana to get a divorce.
This reminds me of the leaked info of Meghan’s mother being invited by The Queen to Christmas. She was never invited, The Queen has never invited the extended familiy to Sandinghram.
Agreed, sometimes the other members of the Royal family talk & leak to the media and Meghan also does it.
Doing a shoot for a magazine is totally different.
Amandine, sorry but you are just wrong lol. I don’t know how else to say it. And how is doing a shoot different? She gave VF total access. Charles did a big spread and interview with them too. Your original post said ONLY Meghan does stuff with VF but that was clearly inaccurate.
The Queen summoned the press to BP in the early 80s to ask them to lay off a young Diana. She has used her clout to shut down press coverage of Andrew and his “special” friends. She directs her team to quietly put out info as well (seriously, Roya is especially known for her BP exclusives). Any long time royal watcher can tell you this. The Queen absolutely gives tidbits and thoughts to the media through her courtiers.
We have ZERO idea if Doria was invited to Sandringham or if it was just tabloid fiction. But you are yet again wrong about extended family not being invited. Sophie’s father is a regular fixture at Sandringham Christmas. The Middletons have attended church on Christmas at Sandringham as well.
I agree that this sounds like a Markle PR leak. I don’t blame Meghan for asserting herself in the press, but I just don’t believe that this is from TQ or anyone close to her.
I also think that even if TQ is delighted with the Morocco tour, there had to be some concern about the PR-fest that was the baby shower.
I hope there was concern over the PR-fest that was the shower, too. Maybe it will open their eyes in the palace and help them to realize that if they aren’t going to do anything for their newest family member, there are others more than happy to step in. If BP wants to control the narrative, they better speak up soon.
If this is a PR leak from Meghan’s camp, then why was it written by Katie Nicholl? I thought she was team Cambridge.
The Queen appreciates Meghan and Harry’s hard work. Well done.
Ignore the hater aid.
Keep working ,fulfilling duties and the Sussexes will always win out.
Well done Meghan and Harry. It is wonderful the Queen can see how hard they work.
@Amandine, please. Her courtiers leak to the press all the time. Always have.
And VF has covered the royals for decades. Tom Sykes has been writing about the BRF and William and Kate in particular for years. It is a respected publication (unlike the Fail) so it’s definitely one her courtiers would use. This has nothing whatsoever to do with “Meghan Markle PR.”
Just admit you’re wrong and move on.
I just dont understand this weird fairy dust people put on the Queen. As if she isn’t some wily, “political”, operator in her own right. I guess her PR is effective since people seriously believe the dribble about how “above” it she is lol.
Tom Sykes is at the Daily Beast, but yes the VF has had a royal beat for years.
They have added to their team since Meghan came on board, but then again so have a lot of British and American outlets. The entrance of Meghan has really led to an explosion in the royal press corps and media. Lots of papers and magazines who hardly or never covered the royals do regularly now and lots of new media forms being used too (podcasts, etc)
@WisdomHeaven thank you! Haven’t had coffee yet today. But yes, VF has always covered the royals.
If she don’t leak stories, wonder how the story got out, when she asked what Kate does all day, and said she has nothing to say for herself.
@Amandine, I don’t believe this article solely because it’s Kate Nicholl, who has no sources outside of Camp Cambridge/Middleton. When it comes to the Sussexes, she just makes stuff up and tries to make educated guesses about what might happen but she has never been right about any of her out-there predictions and otherwise says basic stuff that anyone can easily dream up. I mean, she’s just essentially saying here “the Queen will be pleased”–which isn’t hard to believe at all and isn’t controversial/outrageous? I mean the tour was a success and got tons of international publicity. This is classic Nicholl, she takes the most basic guess (another example: Meghan is upset by her father’s actions) and dresses it up to sound more special/clickbaity (in this instance, the letter).
That said, it seems that your issue is more that the article is positive toward Meghan. I guess nothing positive can ever just be true, it’s all just her PR.
Meghan and Harry are people persons, you can’t fake that. Charles and Camilla are reserved and very hard workers like the Queen, but warmer. William and Kate are also reserved but their youth makes them not too intimidating. All IMHO of course. Overall, Meghan is quite a surprising asset but as a non-white person I do feel there’s an inkling of always trying to work harder simply because she has to go against stereotypes.
This. No matter how much she does and works, someone will always find a negative. Watch, the press will accuse her next of trying to upstage Kate Middleton with her work ethic to make Kate’s laziness a good thing. We can’t have the spares biracial wife overshadow the English Rose.
Waiting for the “Kate is a devoted mum and Meghan hates her kids” narrative when one works and one doesn’t.
As a black in any job, they always have to work harder.
I don’t think Camilla is reserved, reporters love her, said she was the friendliest in the Royal family.
IDK, I think Camilla and Charles are actually people people too. Charles especially seems to delight in meeting people. I would argue Harry get’s his people skills as much from his dad as his mom. I just think it took Charles awhile to get comfortable in public.
I also think Kate is really good at walkabouts and engaged with people. William is really the only one who is stilted and less of a people person. Not a character fault IMO. Not everyone is a natural in that way. William does really well in certain settings though.
I would like to believe this story, but it came from Vanity Fair by Katie Nicholl, who is a proven liar.
The videos on YouTube of this trip are fun to watch.
Agreed. Nicholl has no sources in the Sussex camp and just makes entire stories out of obvious guesses (“Meghan is upset about her father’s actions”–wow breaking news there) or outright lies (Harry had a crush on Meghan for 2 years, Meghan’s dress will be made of lace, Kate is Meghan’s mentor, Harry’s mentor, the matriarch of the BRF).
We can all infer that as a result of this successful tour the Queen will be at worst ambivalent about a royal fulfilling their duties so it’s a pretty easy stretch to make that she’ll be pleased and that, if pleased, she’ll communicate her pleasure in some way. Can’t believe Nicholl has a job. Her “journalism” involves throwing things at the wall to see what sticks. She does have a knack for clickbaity angles though, I’ll give her that.
If true, I have mixed feelings about it because that will lead to even more criticism especially after she has the baby. Meghan is held to a higher standard in the press than Kate and we all know the reason why. It’s the old saying that if your a person of color, you have to work twice as hard to prove yourself and if she takes a lot of time off, you’ll have morons like GMB, Loose Women,
Piers and Tabloids attacking her for not being a working mom or if she does work, she’ll be a bad mom for working. I’ve learned that columns like this are just beginning of a new narrative and attack.
@Brittanie said: “…I have mixed feelings about it because that will lead to even more criticism….”
Sorry brit. But no one with an ounce of self-esteem and sense of purpose, allows critics to determine how they live and have their being in the world. And Meghan has shown us and her critics, that they WILL NOT determine how she behaves in her new life.
I strongly believe that Meghan has read all there needs to be read and has consulted all she needs to consult, including her husband and TQ, abt what is allowed and not allowed and what is expected off her as a Duchess, so theres NOTHING her critics have on her where her new role and life are concerned.
Srsly, does Meghan not strike you as a woman who is PREPARED? Consider her former life as an actress, for example (her critics love to throw it out there that she was/is an actress, like its such a dirty thing) but that experience, in which it was PART OF HER JOB to research her role and PREPARE, is second nature to her (not to mention her academic studies were also prelude). And the ROLE of Duchess is and will be the biggest role in her life. Believe me, she is prepared.
BTW, rmbr her first big tour? What was the item she was spotted with that went around the world (and sent sales of the item skyrocketing, btw) why, her royal-purple folder full of notes, of course. lol
And we’ve seen her on her behind-the-scenes visits to her charities…..taking notes.
So yeah, all the cries of “not protocol!” just rolls off the back of the Duchess of Sussex.
I agree. Meghan is well-prepared. She’s not some naive, young girl that decided to marry a prince. The British press is notorious for being toxic, abusive, and untrustworthy. There is no pleasing people like Piers Morgan and his minions. I hate to see the bullying of Meghan by the media and especially her family, but I trust that she knows what she’s doing and has a strong plan.
One of my favorite quotes:
“To avoid criticism say nothing, do nothing, and be nothing.”
Meghan is glowing and she and Harry deserve a thank you note from The Queen. Poor Royal reporters, if this is true they will be pressed like a panini LOL
Oh there are already some melting down as usual. Lol
Every pregnancy is different. With both of my pregnancies I worked up to the day before I delivered without issue. I was a bundle of energy and Meghan reminds me so much of myself.
I am happy Her Maj is stepping up to the plate and doing something to counter what I presume is the Clarence House and KP revolt. Those two parties have been dubiously silent and therefore are my chief suspects in operation ‘take down the Sussexes’.
I’m pretty sure that the Queen writes a letter of thanks to every one in her family who represents her abroad.
Heard first hand they were both lovely. Wink.
Nice!
I’d like the Queen to send a letter saying she is granting their baby the title Prince/Princess from birth. Now, maybe Harry and Meghan don’t want that, but **I** want it! (It’s all about me, clearly)
Yep. Only letter I wanna see is the LP saying prince or princess from birth. Otherwise I side eye the BRF real bad……!!!!
I’m curious about this too — does anyone know, Nota maybe, how this works? Would the Queen consult with Harry and Meghan and take their wishes w/r/t their children’s status into consideration? Because I can totally see H&M wanting to go the Zara route and not have the type of pressure on their children the way the York girls have. Or does the Queen just make a decision about it, full stop?
Harry very well may want to take Anne’s lead here because if the rumors of tension between him and William are true, he would be smart to avoid putting his children in the awkward limbo that Beatrice and Eugenie are in.
The Queen would never issue LP without discussing it with Harry and Meghan. If no LP are forthcoming (and I suspect they won’t be), it’s either because HM has decided the HRH is inappropriate on her own (which I think is unlikely) or because she has discussed it with them and they have decided to decline it. I know everyone wants the optics of the HRH, but it would honestly be the best decision to decline it.
There’s nothing to decline. H&M’s kids will automatically become HRH as soon as Charles ascends. It’s just a matter of if the Queen thinks it’s a good idea to speed up the process.
The parents can choose how the children are styled. The letters patent of 1917 apply to Edward and Sophie’s children as children of the monarch’s sons, but they have chosen for Louise and James not to be styled as HRH. Harry and Meghan are free to choose the same.
@tina, yes, but the queen issued a letter/order/something about Edward’s children. I wonder if the same will be done for H&M’s either by the queen or by Charles when he becomes king.
I hope this is true. It would be great if we could get more information about what the Queen and Charles think about Meghan’s first year as a royal.
Meghan was born to do this. People often forget Meghan wanted to be a diplomat. She study for her new role way before her and Harry’s stars aligned. The royal family are very lucky to have a woman as capable as she is. Meghan brings so many varied admirers to the firm. She will be one of there greatest assets.
Meghan has always been physically fit and active. She’s still doing yoga every morning! So yes I do think her energy levels play a huge role in it. And I also think she simply has a strong work ethic. She worked on an hour long series – which generally starts early and you work 14-16 hour days every week. So she’s used to hard work and I’m betting that she doesn’t actually find what she does as a royal all that hard compared to her old job.
I’m a black woman who never got caught up in the “you have to work twice as hard” propaganda that harms so many black people. I refuse to slave my life away at a job just to please people who will never appreciate me. I believe Meghan works hard simply because it’s part of her character. Meghan is in a similar position as the Obamas which means that she will always have detractors no matter what she does. The best things Meghan can do is stay out of trouble, ignore the haters, and continue to produce good work.
Also, I’m skeptical of anything written by Katie Nichols. She’s been wrong a lot in the past.
Wish there was a gif, I’d be giving you a standing ovation for your comment. Meghan should do what the hell she wants. Like Obama she’s damned if she do and damned if she don’t. F a letter, the Queen should have her private secretary to speak out against how the racist royal media is attacking this woman. Better yet, call all the media heads to the palace and have a talk with them about the treatment. It was done for Diana it can be done for Meghan. As a black woman I’m tired of seeing the bias and it’s so obvious.
Nah, the Queen and Charles got what they want from Meghan. They got the “cred” for being oh so progressive and “accepting” of Harry’s black, American, divorcee, actress wife!
Its truly gross tbh but so goes the BRF. They are just more subtle with their abusive user issues than the Markles.
@Misss +1 I’m the same.
I disagree. Black people do have to work twice as hard for the same things. Very unfair but if you want to be successful and ensure that your kids have a good life that is what you must do as things are right now.
I’m with you MissS.
Further, I just don’t get why we completely dismiss yesterday’s story about Kate taking the kids to a spa, but we believe this one? They’re both BS.
Good. The acknowledgment would be nice. The trip went very well.
Wasn’t Nicholl on Cambridges’ and Middletons’ speed dial? LOL This reeks of PR plant to do damage control and prove that the queen is not bothered by the baby shower gate. And isn’t this her second Sussexes-friendly piece in a row? If I’m not wrong,the other was about their close collaborators that were fine with them.. after all. It’s hardly a coincidence,imo.
It’s interesting to see how the PR tactics from their camp have been particularly aggressive since the new PR guy was hired. First the make up artist posting about “how normal is Meghan”,then the whole thing with People,that other piece about her relationshiop with God which was,let’s be honest, cringe worthy. And,finally,how she handled the PR aspect of her NY trip. Since those pics with him felt staged,in the sense that she knew they would have been photographed,I wonder if she was sending a subliminal message to someone.. lol.
Props to her for this mini tour even for the simple fact that it must be tiresome dressing up,and be out in the public at that stage of her pregnancy.
Every pregnacy is different,but to be fair Kate was also heavily pregnant during their Norway/Sweden tour,last year. And if I’m right she did various engagements in her 8th month too,I suppose to get her numbers up before the maternity leave.
Putting aside this,I still don’t understand how showing up every 10 days is “hard work”. Above all,when these appearances are awards and galas. I bet she also thinks she worked “harder” as an actress. Again,props to her for this last trip,but she’s not doing anything out of the ordinary that needs exceptional praise.
+1
What made her relationship with God interview cringe worthy?
It was so over the top even Kaiser called it out.
To be fair, the relationship with God bit was part of the people article IIRC
LMAO Vio……been looking too long in the mirror and having fantasies?
While I don’t necessarily believe KN from Vanity Fair, I do think that BP and CH haven’t done enough to publicly support Meghan and Harry from the get go. There is an insane cyber-bullying campaign going on across many blogs and publishers against Meghan by what seem to be Trumpy-flavored Russian trolls and all they’ve done is clam up and disable comments. BRF should be way out in front of this defending and supporting H&M. Letters patent for Polo Baby and public support and encouragement from TQ and PC, if not from the Cambridges, is what is called for, if they truly want to put their political capital where it ought to be.
As for the Cambridges, I totally side-eye their rigid, traditional, conservative “perfect family” thing and actually their relationship with the other royals. They hate the spotlight and work but hate not being “the stars” of the royal show? Can’t have it both ways!
Clearly I’ve been thinking about this all wayyyy too much 😀
@Vanessa ITA. While it would be nice if the Queen gave them a letter, IMO it’s too little too late. The British media has been trashing Meghan for almost six months now and the palace has done NOTHING. And we know that HM can and has in the past affected what the press will and won’t publish, she clearly just chose to stay silent on this. It’s really lowered my opinion of her.
+1 Lorelei
Am I the only one who was like how Queen of England, she’ll send them a letter. I side eye it for that reason alone. It’s typical of the outsiders to think this is what she would do. She’s the Queen. Personally, considering all the trying press now, I think she’d talk to them in person. She’s still Harry’s grandmother too.
Since I poo poo’d the Blue table cloth mumu the other day, Meghan really rocks in the black and white clothes she wears quite often. Plus it’s super in fashion.
It would be lovely to have some public acknowledgement that HRH is pleased with the Sussexes. Hopefully that would help to mitigate the inevitable blowback from DoS’s detractors? With the trip having gone so well, I’m sure she is bracing for another sustained and nasty wave of attacks.
I’m glad they’re appreciated and admired by those who actually matter.
Exactly.
Love Harry’s facial expression in the pic with the food. Like ‘WTH is in this again?’👀
Look, I’ll just comment about Meghan. For this particular pregnancy, she seems to be able to work hard, carry out her duties, travel far and wide, and keep a smile on her face – all while looking great AND WEARING HEELS haha. I think she is just doing what she is supposed to be doing and not fussing about being pregnant, which probably means she feels good. She is “busting her butt” in her new role and trying very hard I’d guess. Good on her.
I wonder who is advicing Meghan. The one thing she should do which would stop alot of the animosity the people of the UK feel about her is if she would stop wearing outfits from foreign designers that cost hundreds of thousands of pounds. Its really that simple.
We are still living in Austerity in the UK and frankly nobody wants to see the Royals that much anyway but definitely not one wearing clothes thats supposed to be from a person who cares about the disadvantaged