A week ago, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made a surprise appearance in Jamaica, walking the red carpet for the premiere of Bob Marley: One Love. Their appearance was met with rage, angst and one of the funniest meltdowns I’ve ever seen from the British media. The Sussexes were labeled “insensitive” and one columnist said that they should be stripped of their titles. Even Buckingham Palace got into it, crying to the Sunday Times that their Jamaican trip was “misguided.”
So much of the crying and wailing was specifically about Harry and Meghan posing with Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness on the carpet. The Sussexes greeted PM Holness warmly and politely, drawing a dramatic contrast to the last time Holness interacted with British royalty, when he marched Prince William and Kate into his office in 2022 and fired them live on camera in the middle of their offensive colonialist tour. It wasn’t that Harry and Meghan were actually “insensitive,” it’s that they made the left-behind Windsors look foolish, out-of-touch, racist and incompetent. Well, on Wednesday, Andrew Holness spoke about how his name was drawn into the British media’s hissy fit, saying: “I was pleased, and I was also very happy to see royals coming to participate in this major event. Unsuspecting…little did I know that I’d be drawn into some internal issues in the United Kingdom, but so it is, more publicity for Jamaica.”
The Jamaican Prime Minister is glad that Prince Harry and Meghan's visit to Jamaica gave his country more publicity. #BobMarleyOneLoveMovie #BobMarleyMovie #Jamaica 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/VuLduqQ1Ya
— Resilient (@KaindeB) February 1, 2024
LMAO. That chuckle. He’s so over the British nonsense. As the Guardian noted, it’s not Jamaica’s fault that William and Kate are diplomatic kryptonite while Meghan is “soft power dynamite.” Also, Entertainment Tonight asked the stars of One Love about the Sussexes’ surprise appearance and they were really nice about it:
Talking with ET’s Kevin Frazier at the film’s premiere on Jan. 23, Kingsley Ben-Adir — the actor who takes on the role of the iconic reggae singer — said that he was honored to meet the couple in Bob Marley’s home country. “They wanted to see the film and, you know, I met them afterward and they’re really nice people,” Kingsley said. “I think [they’re] big Bob Marley fans.”
Rohan Marley, son of the famed Jamaican singer, told ET he couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw the royals at the premiere in Kingston. “That was crazy,” said Rohan. “A lot of things happening in England so it’s nice that they get to see that.”
British actor James Norton, who plays Chris Blackwell in the biopic, said he had a similar reaction to seeing the pair but that he took it as a sign of the film’s importance. “Harry and Meghan in Jamaica was mad, it was bizarre,” said James. “I mean, really lovely. Like, you know, just shows the love for Bob Marley and his music is just so global and you can be an ex Prince, you can be Harry and Megan, you can be, you know, a guy from Trench town and Bob’s music speaks to you.”
Jamaican actress Naomi Cowan, however, said she saw the couple but didn’t feel the need to make a big fuss over their appearance. “I heard a little rumor before, but then, what was so lovely was when they came into the theater, at least for me, it felt very normal, ’cause Jamaicans — one thing I’ll tell you about Jamaicans — each Jamaican considers themself to be a star, so we appreciate celebrities but we don’t make the biggest deal because we see ourselves as our own celebrity,” Naomi joked. “So what was cool is that they walked in, it was actually quite quiet, very calm and they looked very comfortable and I was happy to see that.”
Nice. It sounds like everyone had a lovely time at the Jamaican premiere, which makes it even funnier that the British media threw a week-long tantrum about it.
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Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images, Instar.
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- North America Rights Only – Kingston, Jamaica -20220322- Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge meet locals during a visit Trench Town, the birthplace of reggae in Kingston, Jamaica, on day four of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee. -PICTURED: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: Chris Jackson/PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
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- North America Rights Only – Kingston, Jamaica -20220324-Royal Visit to the Caribbean – Day 6 Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge attend the inaugural Commissioning Parade for service personnel from across the Caribbean who have recently completed the Caribbean Military Academy’s Officer Training Program, in Kingston, Jamaica, on day six of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee. -PICTURED: Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: Jane Barlow/PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
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- KINGSTON, JAMAICA – Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle made a surprise appearance at the world premiere of Bob Marley: One Love in Jamaica as King Charles prepares for a prostate operation and Kate Middleton is a week into her hospital stay. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle BACKGRID USA 23 JANUARY 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- KINGSTON, JAMAICA – Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle made a surprise appearance at the world premiere of Bob Marley: One Love in Jamaica as King Charles prepares for a prostate operation and Kate Middleton is a week into her hospital stay. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Andrew Holness, Juliet Holness BACKGRID USA 23 JANUARY 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- KINGSTON, JAMAICA – Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle made a surprise appearance at the world premiere of Bob Marley: One Love in Jamaica as King Charles prepares for a prostate operation and Kate Middleton is a week into her hospital stay. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Andrew Holness, Juliet Holness BACKGRID USA 23 JANUARY 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- KINGSTON, JAMAICA – Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle made a surprise appearance at the world premiere of Bob Marley: One Love in Jamaica as King Charles prepares for a prostate operation and Kate Middleton is a week into her hospital stay. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Andrew Holness, Juliet Holness BACKGRID USA 23 JANUARY 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- KINGSTON, JAMAICA – Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle made a surprise appearance at the world premiere of Bob Marley: One Love in Jamaica as King Charles prepares for a prostate operation and Kate Middleton is a week into her hospital stay. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Andrew Holness, Juliet Holness BACKGRID USA 23 JANUARY 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- KINGSTON, JAMAICA – Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle made a surprise appearance at the world premiere of Bob Marley: One Love in Jamaica as King Charles prepares for a prostate operation and Kate Middleton is a week into her hospital stay. Pictured: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Andrew Holness, Juliet Holness BACKGRID USA 23 JANUARY 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- North America Rights Only – Kingston, Jamaica -20220322- Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge meet locals during a visit Trench Town, the birthplace of reggae in Kingston, Jamaica, on day four of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee. -PICTURED: Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: Chris Jackson/PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing Featuring: Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge Where: Kingston, Jamaica, Jamaica When: 22 Mar 2022 Credit: Chris Jackson/PA Images/INSTARim **North America Rights Only**
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- North America Rights Only – Kingston, Jamaica -20220323-Royal Visit to the Caribbean – Day 5 The Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness and his wife Juliet with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge during a meeting at his office in Kingston, Jamaica, on day five of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee -PICTURED: Prince William and Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness -PHOTO by: Jane Barlow/PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing Featuring: Prince William and Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness Where: Kingston, Jamaica, Jamaica When: 23 Mar 2022 Credit: Jane Barlow/PA Images/INSTARimages.com **North America Rights Only**
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- North America Rights Only – Kingston, Jamaica -20220323- Prince William and Catherine Duchess of Cambridge with the Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness and his wife Juliet, during a meeting at his office in Kingston, Jamaica, on day five of their tour of the Caribbean on behalf of the Queen to mark her Platinum Jubilee. -PICTURED: Prince William, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge, Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness, wife Juliet -PHOTO by: Jane Barlow/PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
The Sussexes mere existence outside of the control of the gutter UK media, continues to show how very out of touch that whole enterprise is with reality. Most folks assessment of people is by their words and deeds. But the gutter UK press assessment is by how they can exploit you for clicks.
The Sussexes mere existence outside of the control of the gutter UK media, continues to show how very out of touch that whole enterprise is with reality. Most folks assessment of people is by their words and deeds. But the gutter UK press judge by their ability to exploit you.
Yep “but so it is”. I love that comment from the Prime Minister he is for sure over the nonsense. Everyone was happy to see them there and a good time for all. So BM take that.
Not active on social medial But so it is should become a hashtag #butsoitis
Andrew Holness said the thing. (for a 2nd time)
And stories like this is why the everyone hates the Sussexes and they’re going to go broke stories aren’t hitting. Because away from the landscape formed by the British media, when people actually meet them whether it’s actors, musicians, CEOs, teenagers, regular people going about their 9:00 to 5:00 everyone says the same thing. They’re so nice. They don’t make a big deal of themselves. They’re laid back and care about the topic of the event that they are at. The British media may have had people in 2020, but the more time they are away and interacting with people who can meet them one on one, the more what they are actually like spreads.
I think a big part of it is that the Sussexes are actually respectful and genuinely interested in everyone else. They come across as warm and genuine because they are authentically so.
Will and Kate expect others to respect them, and that’s it. Everything is a photo op, everything is about them. I think the Jamaican PM firing them hit so hard because they don’t expect anyone to do anything real with them.
I just love the BM reaction to anything M&H – it really is like the ex who dumped you and now hates that you are all successful and happy.
I didn’t know that there was a Bob Marley movie so Harry and Meghan being at the premiere brought a lot of attention not only to Jamaica but the movie. The British press hasn’t realised yet that every time they have a meltdown about what Harry and Meghan are doing that they are helping them not hurting them.
BM looks unhinged to pretty much the rest of the world. They’ve become a world wide joke at this point while the Sussexes just look like nice and chill people who don’t deserve the overwrought hysteria and hate.
I love Andrew Holiness schooling the stupid British media: any publicity is good publicity. 😉
Hollness. He’s not the pope. 🤔
I know this was a typo on your part but I admit every time I see his name I see His Holiness instead of Holness!
I think that typo was my subconscious taking over. 😂 I see now there’s only one “l” in Holness.
Cue the indignant and overwrought offense the RR and some Brits will be fuming because a Black Prime Minister from the Commonwealth has the audacity to imply that nonsense in the UK has no bearing (other than publicity) on his nation. I mean, how dare he not care about their opinions!
That chuckle was everything
Naomi Cowan is right, every Jamaican is a star 🤣 ⭐️. We likkle but wi tallawah
@Eowyn.. LOL. Yes we are!
Yes ma’am!
Come through! 🇯🇲
Yup yup yup 🙂
I love the PM’s response….”well it was nice to see them, I know the british press is freaking out but its okay bc they keep mentioning the movie and Jamaica soooo……”
The british press bring attention to everything H&M do – just bc they’re ranting about everything clearly doesn’t mean the rest of the world sees it that way.
I love how much free publicity the Sussexes get from the BM and RR. Like “Harry and Meghan” didn’t get the wall to wall promotion you would expect if I remember right, but EVERYONE knew about it because of the BM’s whining. I love it.
Holness is an interesting fellow with his words – he was happy to see royals coming to participate. What does that mean? That he considers H&M still part of the RF? That it’s about time any royal showed up to celebrate something Jamaican rather than themselves?
And the bit about “little did I know that I’d be drawn into some internal issues” – so clever to be laying all the furor back at the UK’s doorstep. Like the RF and BM can thrash around all they like in the UK, but the rest of the world knows what’s really going on.
Eurydice, that’s what I found interesting, too. H&M are still part of the brf–that’s just a fact. Holness said that (I believe) quite deliberately and then went on to said it was nice they were there. Quite a contrast to what happened with WanK.
Not only that, but laughing about being the subject of the UK’s “internal issues” makes them sound incredibly small, silly, and most of all disconnected from the larger world.
Because you know that there are still some parts of the government that act as though they are still in the age of empire, where the internal politics of the colonizers mattered a great deal to their colonies. Now they have basically made themselves a laughingstock.
Holness response with calling H&M “royals” and dismissing the “internal issues” was such a perfect diss of the whole Windsor clan, their colonist thinking, and British media ridiculousness. It was amazing.
What is particularly funny about all this, one of the chief Derangers, “Lady” Colin Campbell, insisted that her family helped elect Prime Minister Holness, and that she knew he hated the Sussexes, even after he shared them on his Insta and Xwitter. 🤭
And now this. 😁
Are these people so far gone that they don’t see how everyone outside their circle of derangement is laughing at them and their being completely lost to anything that happens in the real world?
Fingers crossed for the movie to be very successful at the box office after that huge push they got from the Sussexes being there.
I would listen to a word that vile creature Lady C says. Personally I think she is totally deranged and lives in a little bubble of her own.
I don’t know how she is allowed to use the name of a man who divorced her decades ago after a brief marriage for financial purposes like she does.
We know H and M both love Jamaica but of all the movie premiere invitations they’ve undoubtedly received and politely declined, why accept thís one? They aren’t producers or involved in any way (like heart of Invictus for example)…
I secretly hope Harry’s petty Virgo side couldn’t resist sticking it to W and K. We’re almost at the one year anniversary mark of that truly spectacular colonial cosplay shit show… What better time to glide on by, showing how effortlessly it could have been done by H and M?
Like you the “You Coulda Had a Bad Bitch” farewell tour … Just a taste of what the UK lost 😆
There was a lot of reporting that Harry knows Marley family thanks to his previous tours when Kate & Will were working part time, doing nothing while sending Harry everywhere. They are also friends with Paramount’s CEO, who invited them. I don’t think, H&M accepted it to stick to the royals and BM. It was an invitation from friends and for a good cause. Why would they say no? It wasn’t some Tom Cruise movie.
Ziggy Marley and his family live in LA so it’s possible they also have recently socialized in California.
The CEO of paramount knows they have a large heat score and their presence provided so much free publicity for a film that probably would have been overlooked at this time of year.
Plus Harry had met some of the Marley family prior to this.
Isn’t it about time that the left behind Royals and the BM realised that THEY don’t control the rest of the world and how they behave and they DEFINITELY don’t control Harry and Megan, so they better suck it up and get over themselves!!
Mary Pester, it’s interesting that they keep doing the same thing over and over. The world media are on to them now, so it’s just Murdoch and his ilk who own media in the US who might pick this up and run with it. The media they own are not the ones the majority read or watch, so that doesn’t go far. I love that Netflix put them in their place.
I think the bigger issue is that the bm is doing poorly but haven’t changed their business model to try and get more readers. Now, that’s delusional.
His cadence and his chuckle reminded me of Obama!
PM Holness and his team are way ahead of the entire royal family and their various uncoordinated teams when it comes to PR.
The BM and rota are officially jokes now. Jamaica and other countries see them for journalism clowns that they are.
I think it was in the Guardian last week, but, incredibly, I saw a body language analysis of Harry and Meghan at the One Love premiere that was NOT thinly-veiled pandering to their haters!
I never would have thunk it POSSIBLE prior to this……maybe there IS hope for the Birdshit Media
Anonymous, that’s got to be a first!
This is a nitpick but why do people call them ex-royals? Isn’t that the whole point of royalty, that it’s hereditary? Stepping back from being working royals doesn’t make them not royals. And listen, I think the concept of the monarchy is absurd, anachronistic and downright shouldn’t exist but it does, so since it does, it shouldn’t be the one married to the black woman and the black woman herself who are called differently. All the “rights” and “titles” should belong to all who qualify. Harry was and is a prince, Meghan is his wife ergo they’re royals. Lol I’ll get off my soap box but it’s one of those ways in which they bend the rules only for these two.
That’s what struck me about this article, that Harry is referred to as an “ex Prince” by a Brit. Does he not know how a Monarchy works? Has the British tabloid press convinced most Brits that Harry is no longer a Prince or royal family member?
Lilpeppa40, I think PM Holness made that very clear. He was definitely making a point.
Was there even one paper in the UK which detailed Bob Marley’s music and life? That’s what this movie is about. That’s what they should write about. I guess saying something positive about black or brown people are off the table.
I’m so glad that the PM is taking a philosophical view about the BM’s artificial outrage. It shows that the PM 1) knows the BM by this point and 2) he has better things to do than to entertain their nonsense.
Damn. That statue looks more alive than either of the two fools posing with it.
The statue has way more charm and charisma too.