Over the Labor Day weekend, I finished With Love, Meghan. I really enjoyed this season and I hope we get many more seasons of WLM. It’s so funny, in retrospect, that the British media made such a big deal about the lack of “star power” with WLM’s guests, because Meghan’s guests were amazing. I love that Meghan isn’t looking for the most famous people she can get on her show, and instead, she features interesting food writers and home cooks and local California food-industry people. It’s incredibly cool, and I hope to see more of Samin Nosrat and Clare Smyth especially. I also loved the Shettys!! If there’s a WLM season 3, I want Roy Choi to come back (from Season 1).
Meanwhile, the usual suspects are still banging their heads against the wall about WLM and about Meghan’s ONE promotional interview for season 2. Meghan spoke to Bloomberg’s The Circuit in an interview which dropped on the same day as WLM S2. Meghan spoke about so much, but obviously, these people are still super-mad about Meghan saying that the royals micromanaged her to the point where they demanded that she wear pantyhose. The Mail’s YouTube talk show covered that, plus Becky English revealed what her palace sources said/texted about Meghan.
On the latest episode of Palace Confidential, the Daily Mail’s royal editor, Rebecca English, and presenter Jo Elvin discussed part two of With Love, Meghan, which dropped on Netflix on Tuesday. To promote the series, Meghan appeared on The Circuit with Bloomberg’s Emily Chang where she spoke about the ‘inherent tension’ between ‘trying to be relatable’ while also being a Duchess.
Speaking on the hit YouTube show, Rebecca, who has been covering the royal beat since 2004, said: ‘It was a soft interview but there were a few interesting questions asked. Her answers were well thought out and there were definitely a few digs at the Royal Family.’
Jo Elvin, who hosts the hit YouTube show as well as making regular appearances on ITV’s Lorraine, said: ‘Some people are interpreting Meghan’s comments about wearing tights as a slight against the Royal Family.’ Rebecca said: ‘Meghan said that having to wear these “pantyhose” [tights] was inauthentic for her as a person. It was all tied up with the time in her life – she didn’t mention the Royal Family by name but it’s quite clear what she was referring to – where she wasn’t able to be as vocal as she wanted to be and was not able to use her voice properly.
‘Understandably, this has sparked quite a lot of debate about whether women in the Royal Family are expected to wear tights. Like anything, I think it was quite a deliberate statement on her behalf. It’s another dig I just don’t think she needs to make.’
Rebecca pointed out another inconsistency in Meghan’s narrative. In her lifestyle series, the Duchess said she always wears monochrome because it’s the ‘easiest way to dress’. Rebecca said: ‘Yet she made a huge deal about one of the constricting things about the Royal Family being that she wasn’t able to wear the colour that she normally favoured. So again there’s so much inconsistency there that doesn’t quite make sense and is a very revisionist version of what she experienced. Again, on this, it seems that recollections may vary.’
Rebecca wrote about Harry being the ‘proverbial ghost’ of Meghan’s new Netflix series in this week’s Palace Confidential newsletter. In the free newsletter, which is delivered to subscribers’ inboxes every Thursday, Rebecca wrote: ‘The Duchess of Sussex waves around “my husband’s” birthday baseball cap – bearing the slogan ‘PH40’, in case anyone forgets his royal status – during a lesson on how to pack a suitcase (yes, really). She modestly reveals that it was he who gushed “I love you” first, then announces with newsreader-level intensity that he doesn’t like lobster. The fifth in line to the throne is shoehorned into the narrative at every flower-sprinkled opportunity, along with the couple’s children, Archie and Lilibet.’
Also in the newsletter, Rebecca wrote that the only message she has had from anyone in royal circles, amusingly, in response to this week’s launch was a ‘yawning’ emoji. In the episode, Rebecca said: ‘I think a lot of people would love to think, even with the digs about the tights and inauthenticity and not being able to use her voice, that there would be outrage about it. There is not. In fact, I would say it’s the opposite. It’s almost indifferent. It’s so inoffensive compared to some of the really designed to wound barbs that her and Harry have made about the Royal Family in recent years that now, no one is really saying anything. I think the yawning emoji reaction is probably all you need to know.’
The yawning emoji from “royal circles” huh? If there really was indifference to Meghan and WLM, surely the royalist press wouldn’t throw a week-long meltdown over Meghan’s pantyhose comment. The longer the Pantyhosegate issue goes on, the angrier I get on Meghan’s behalf. Are they all in denial about what they did to Meghan from 2017-2020? The palaces authorized the 24-7 hissy fits about every single little “broken protocol” from Meghan, everything from pantyhose to hats to her hairstyle to the cost of her jewelry to her trousers and on and on. Meghan’s pantyhose comment was a larger statement about how she gets to dress how she likes and she doesn’t have a national press jumping down her throat about it every day.
Going back to the yawn emoji… I get why English reports on it and I’m sure the Mail’s readership loves this, but at some point, the palace courtiers have to simply stop feeding this particular beast. They just *have* to stop commenting on Meghan in particular. You can argue that there’s still a connection to Harry, and therefore, the palace can comment about Harry’s activities in general. But the courtiers’ unwillingness to apply their “indifference” about Meghan’s activities is killing the palace’s image. They look hung up on Meghan, they look like they’re watching everything she does, they look like they’re still crazy-obsessed with her.
Photos and screengrabs courtesy of Netflix and Bloomberg’s The Circuit.
Right. They care so little about Meghan they’re telling people who didn’t ask how little they care. That’s pathetic
Exactly. If they didn’t care about Meghan they wouldn’t be sending emojis or commenting on her.
If they really were bored with her this story wouldn’t have happened.
The royal family ARE hung up on Meghan though.That’s why they watch, respond to and replicate what she does. I’m expecting Kate not to wear pantyhose at her next event so the press can have a dig about royals aren’t forced to wear pantyhose in their headlines.
Yep, I can see this happening and turned into a whole story.
This is so blindingly obvious! If they didn’t care they wouldn’t comment. Instead, the courtiers can’t shut up about Meghan.
Why talk about Princess Meghan, if you don’t like her and aren’t obsessed with everything she does? Because, perhaps, you are, Kate? How many Princess Meghan inspired mood boards have fussed, obsessed, cried over, torn apart and screamed over…because, you know, you just can’t quite compete. But I’m sure you’ve got some talent hiding somewhere.. 🥱
Sigh. If the sentiment was really yawn emojis, they wouldn’t send yawn emojis. When you don’t care about what someone’s doing, you actually don’t care. You don’t mention them, even to mock them.
Honestly that should be the sentiment they have, even though we know it’s not true. She was there as a official future member, and then official member for 2 years? She’s been gone five and a half. She shouldn’t be part of any conversation for the palace. She isn’t coming back to work, and if she comes back to visit in a ” family” capacity that has nothing to do with the business side of the ” firm”.
If the palaces are so “indifferent” to Meghan the courtiers/snitches wouldn’t be informing the media about the yawn emojis. Keep making the BRF look like jealous panini pressed morons.
Yes she is so boring and not in their heads 24/7 that they can’t stop writing hate articles about how she is so not on their minds lol. How many more articles will there be about this person who means nothing to them but can’t stop writing about her show.
If they didn’t care, we wouldn’t even know about the yawn emoji. But clearly they really really want us to know about it. And just because Meghan said she wasn’t sure what to wear so that she wouldn’t clash and said idk neutrals…doesn’t mean she didn’t like neutrals in the first place. It’s pretty clear she does. So she was unsure and fell back on a style that was natural to her. It’s not that deep. The way they twist like pretzels to discredit something that seems pretty obvious and clear.
‘Monochrome’ is not synonymous with ‘neutrals’. Although Rebecca English, like so many royal reporters and commentators, is not particularly bright, you’d think she’d know this.
True. Meghan recently wore that bright yellow monochrome in the interview. I think it’s bc she usually wears more neutral-colored monochromes that Becky went there. But there’s just a lot of pretzel twisting.
Yah, her English isn’t very good.
Pity it is not understood by DM readers.
I love cooking shows, so when i finished WLM i went in search of amin’s show Sal,fat Heat i’ve for gotten the 4th aspect and it was lovely to watch now i’m on to Chef’s table i’ve just finished the first episode of noodles He was the Chef who made her birthday party’s lunch this year, now i want to go to italy to learn how to make pasta lol. I like adventure cooking i hope in season 3 Meghan gets out learn about a particular segment in another chef’s kitchen.
🥱 … I actually like the yawn emoji for the Windsors, it suits them perfectly, a boring and unattractive bunch 🥱
No love for Jose’s episode? That was my favourite!
I absolutely loved that they threw a posh party for the crew, and Jose even took one of the cameras so that the cameraman could partake in the feast. I remember one of the complaints the Cambridges had was that Meghan rented an ice cream truck for a party for her staff and wouldn’t let the Cambridge staff have any treats. This tells me the Cambridges don’t let them have treats either, if they are so hurt that they don’t get to gatecrash someone else’s work event.
This is categorically untrue. Harry (in Spare) and others – even royal rota stenographers – have said that Meghan actually rented an ice cream truck for the staff. ALL of the KP staff. This was well before they split offices. No-one was excluded. She threw tea parties for them, shared her freebies with them, ordered heat lamps for their damp offices (paid for with her PERSONAL credit card – remember the royals weren’t paying for her expenses), checked in on them when they were sick, sent them flowers, and the ingrates STILL slandered her to their media friends, tried to sabotage her projects and claimed that they felt bullied. They NEVER had things that good when it was just William and Kate.
I love, love that episode, so many laughs 😁
They don’t look, they are obsessed with her no matter how many times they tell us they are not
I have only watched the first 3 episodes, so i still have some to watch!
So excited to do that when i get home tonight!
I’m not done the series either, hopefully today. Kaiser was right though, when she called the show a commercial for the tourism board of California. There is some beautiful scenery shots in her show. Can you imagine watching that sunset, night after night?
So the royal inner circle are watching. These are the same people who go home and secretly trying all of Meghan’s recipes, especially her one skillet spaghetti.
If that was the case they wouldn’t care what she did or said. They’d just ignore her. I mean if you’re bored by someone you wouldn’t even bother to send out a yawn emoji at all.
The courtiers really must hate King Charles and Prince William to keep doing this crap.
The BM I’ve bitching n complaining about the Sussex. They have tried to
Sabotage n criticize everything the Sussex do.. It’s documented how PPOW are lazy, boring and incompetent. WK were horrible DDOC and now PPOW. They don’t give. 2💩about the monarchy. They only want the lifestyles. When you compare WK vs HM work ethic; PPO have have a blank resume. I wish Willian are forced to show largest donors are. The Hubb Cookbook has done so well. To this day the cookbook continues to generate$ for the RF. Yet the BM ignores this. When the say MEGHAN DID’NT UNDERSTAND THE ASSIGNMENT is a lie. Megan understood the assignment better than RF. RF could have supported Meghan and the victims. They could have had a concert to rebuild Grenfall. A telethon to restore this building or build a new on would have been a huge success. These people are so out of touch it’s pathetic.
Almost all their so-called service is done to make it look like they’re worth keeping. Meghan really thought they cared about making a difference, but why would they? The status quo suits them just fine.
“To this day the cookbook continues to generate$ for the RF”
Not for the RF. The RF collects the money, but Meghan made a stipulation before she left that each penny has to be forwarded to the Felix Project. Which the RF does, about GBP 87,000 last year.
To quote Billy Carlton’s mother (TGA) what a ghastly gathering! Those nasty royals have truly shown their asses – pretty much non-stop, when it comes to Harry’s tiny nuclear family.
Thank God H&M have platforms available to work and speak out on . Both H&M are quite upbeat, gregarious and extreme likeable.
WLM is not only a pleasant quirky lifestyle show, it’s also fabulous PR for California! The views are magnificent! I learn so much about LA too. I’d love to visit Korea-Town! No matter how many “yawn” emojis the left behind Windsors make, they probably grind their teeth in chagrin, seeing how easily productive the Sussexes are.
Prior to the Sussex wedding, I habitually watched and avidly read a lot of royal books and documentaries. Not any more – that family has blatantly disrespected Meghan over and over again. Watching her interactions with cast and crew, is delightful!
It’s easy to see why Duchess Doolittle is/was threatened. SMH.
I’m about halfway through the series so far, and I think Meghan is really getting into a groove with this series. One thing that has made me laugh is that it’s clear how perfectly suited she would have been in a public role: Someone who is enthusiastic and excited to talk to everyone she meets? Someone who appreciates good food and the effort it takes to make something special? A freaking rose enthusiast?? Come on! I could just envision a world in which she did tons of events a year, cutting ribbons and unveiling plaques and chatting away at every hospital and women’s auxiliary group all across the country. But alas (for the Windsors. And I guess England) that was never going to happen.
Also, for those who can’t get enough of Samin, she did a podcast called “Home Cooking” during the pandemic that is one of my favourites – I have kept every episode. Highly recommend! ( And there are new episodes coming up!)
England definitely lost out — but the Windsors could not handle her level of excellence, they wanted her to do the work but only at a mediocre, charisma-free level so that she couldn’t outshine them (a very low bar). They wanted her to be “50% less” and the BM tried mightily to make her appear less-than, all in service to making the Windsors look better. But it couldn’t be done, because Meghan clearly is not less, and the Windsors clearly are not more. We should be grateful the Windsors rejected her and that she rejected them right back, because otherwise we might never have gotten to see Meghan shining at her very brightest.
Yes, Meghan would have been excellent at all of the activities the royals claim are theirs, and she would have continued doing it better than the born royals and remained a natural at it. Unfortunately, Meghan realised that the “life of service” that the royals and their courtiers and royal reporters blather on about actually means “service to themselves” (self-service), whereas she thought that it meant genuine philantrophy, service to others (e.g. the British taxpayers). As Harry said, she was shocked when she looked behind the curtain and saw how things were done.
She and Harry were doing work with IMPACT (William’s new buzz word) and which produced tangible results (a lovely Sussexsquad buzz phrase), but the royals didn’t want that – it showed them up, revealed their grift.
Rebecca does not complain about the embarrassing Shampoo commercial of the Keens, with her grabbing Will and his looking uncomfortable. If the who fell in love first was asked of the Rebecca would be swooning over how much in love the keens are. And the derangers don’t believe Harry said it first. And Rebecca brings up the Tights again. Keen did not wear tights. So what is the issue for Rebecca
It was a sweet comment about the Sussex relationship and derangers cannot stand it.
Just imagine that if Meghan did not mention her husband at all, then they would write stories about how she’d forgotten him, how odd it was that there was never a mention of someone she presumably makes meals for.
“They look hung up on Meghan, they look like they’re watching everything she does, they look like they’re still crazy-obsessed with her.” This statement could certainly apply to me too! Seriously though, it really makes them and the readers who eat this up rather unhinged, hateful and petty.
Crazy obsessed, for sure. Reminds me of the time my then fiance ended our engagement (many moons ago. ) For 2 years, even while seeing someone new, I drove by his house to see what I could see. Crazy obsessed, yes, but the normal person eventually moves on. The DM is not moving on.
this is why all the nasty coverage of Meghan in the UK always struck me as misogynist before it occurred to me that it was racist. And it struck me also as anti-American, but mostly, sexist. First and foremost. Because I can just imagine how French or Italian or Dutch or Austrian or Swiss or Spanish or Danish people would react to Meghan, and it would be with giddy and gregarious enthusiasm and indulgence. She’s not trying to cure cancer, she’s not talking about world peace, she’s genuinely apolitical in that her efforts to be engaged and socially aware tend toward a feel-good humanitarian ethos. She seeks out things that bring her joy and shares them. Anyone who has a problem with that, is just being spiteful. There’s a real kind of douche-bro vibe in the UK that is distinct from but highly compatible with the douche-bro false masculinity in the US and it bugs me. It’s a phony brand of machismo, that’s cheap and shoddy. It’s when people call each other, “mate.” Like…. You don’t find so much mis-labelled male bonding on the Continent. It’s more sophisticated.
Sometimes I just go to the Daily Fail, Sun and Mirror just to count how many H&M articles there are compared to the royal family. It’s normally about 14/1 and belies their hand – they are basically stalkers at this point and it’s scary. The body language folks were analyzing H&M in New York where they were chased by (???) and terrified.
As I recall, Kate wanted Meghan’s little bridesmaids to wear tights, in hot weather. Because, protocol. Now, Meghan can’t say a word about the family without it being dubbed an “inconsistency.” It’s typical troll behavior. As usual, she cannot win.
I believe Zara at her wedding had her attendants wearing socks instead of tights. No fuss over it.
Kate and the tights, again. I’ve always thought that the pantihose protocol was something made up by Kate, probably to make herself seem above the general population of English women her age. When I lived in London many of the women I worked with didn’t wear pantihose, in fact they barely brushed their hair! So Kate wearing them to seem above others fits? Shame she couldn’t wear underpants too?
As for the yawn emoji sender 🥱 ? Hello Jason 👋
I guess those gutter rats had to publish something, because we can all see they are obsessed with Meghan. The obsession is present in everything they do and say. They have never gotten over their ability to not completely break her and how gracious she was doing the height of their onslaught. She is gone, thriving and living her best life surrounded by people she love and who love her back, while they spend countless hours obsessing over her and what she does or does not do.
Regarding Meghan’s comments about wearing color and neutrals, it is simply making lemonade out of lemons. You begin wearing neutrals to not draw attention. You then begin to enjoy these neutrals. Even appreciating the chose of neutrals. No inconsistency, just making the best of a situation.
Good grief, someone get these people a dictionary. What does monochromatic clothing have to do with anything? Pantyhose and monochromatic clothing seem to upset a lot of the bm. Desperation is thy name.
It’s not even just the massive quantity of BM articles containing quotes from courtiers and royal “friends” and anonymous briefs from BRF members that shows their obsession with Meghan. It’s the way the BM meticulously combs through every single show episode, podcast, and interview she does to imagine something malevolent or upsetting about literally every word she says; the microscopic detail with which they pinpoint flaws in her every gesture, facial expression, sigh, burp, or fart; the second-guessing of every business decision she makes; the to-the-penny pocket-watching; the counting of every bathroom in her home; the wholesale invention of facts that they have no way to verify; the wildly speculative imaginings of thoughts and feelings in her head that they have no way of knowing. I mean, I’m a Meghan fan, I’m paying attention to her more than most, and the things the BM and BRF are picking on are things that certainly would have escaped my attention until they brought it up. So no, I’m not buying the yawn emoji. These people are obsessed on the level of the most deranged stalkers, and it makes them and the entire royal institution look terrible, stupid, and insane.
This! 100%!!
If the Palace was really indifferent to Meghan they wouldn’t be responding to everything she says and they would not be upset when she does something on the same day as a working royal.
The snottiness is next level. I mean, Harry ‘gushed’ ‘I love you’ first? Is saying ‘I love you’ to your partner not a thing in the UK, or at least amongst the royals? MUST it be portrayed as ‘gushing’? These people are not normal. Not even close.
I also finished watching WLM2 during this past 3 day weekend and enjoyed the episodes. I watched Ms interview with Emily Chang on YT as well(I love watching Emily’s interviews previously esp when it comes to VCs and entrepreneurs). The BRF/BM soley focused on the pantyhose reference, but the interview provided some good insight on her growing up, decision making skills and outlook of what’s next. They’re yawning- well not surprising with their narrow mind-set. They can’t fathom about entrepreneurship, they never had to work to earn money as teenagers, they don’t understand that people can improve their lives and move up in their careers or business, and supporting small/local businesses are actually more important than having an A-list/star power lineup on WLM eps. M is recognized everywhere and what she’s bringing to her shows, her brands etc are actually bringing awareness to these small businesses as well.
So why does it Not surprise me that in this day and age of the 21st century the BRF, the palace or whatever you want to call them are not relatable to most of the world and are becoming irrelevant. They just proved those points.