A Royal Mess: An American’s Thoughts on Meghan, Harry, Oprah, and the Queen, Part 4

~ Laura

This is Part 4 (and final one) of a series of posts on Harry and Meghan. Here’s Part 1 and Part 2 and Part 3 and Part 5 and Part 6

I tweeted through Oprah interview of Meghan and Harry last night. I’ll jot down some random thoughts here, too. Let’s talk about the security bill first, since that seems to have been a big issue for Meghan and Harry.

In these horrid times, security is a necessary companion of the celebrity world. I have no doubt that all high profile people are the target of both random weirdos and international terrorists. No doubt. That’s why all celebrities from Tom Cruise to Brittney Spears have to pay some big burly dudes to escort them to restaurants and to the yoga studio. I’m sure that Harry and Meghan need that sort of protection, too. But who should pay for it?

When they were working members of the royal family — in other words, employees of the state — the British taxpayers paid for it. But what happens when they moved to Canada and stopped working? For a long time, the British people continued to pay for it. So, did the Canadian people. But taxpayers didn’t want to keep paying that bill for people who no longer had a government position. Understandable.

According to the gossip blogs, the price for the security guards was extremely steep, because the UK would send over guys for two weeks, and then fly them back home to be with their families for another week. After the taxpayers balked at the bill, then Prince Charles gave them millions to help with the costs. But I suppose that money stopped after a while, because Charles’s money comes from the British taxpayers and from his buckets of historic ill-gotten gains that aren’t quite considered his own private monies.

But Meghan and Harry are rich people, who live in a $14 million dollar home. They should be able to afford their own big burly guys and not have to deal with the extra expense of flying the guys back and forth across a continent and an ocean. Yet, they seemed to feel that they shouldn’t have to pay that bill, because their celebrity status was based on her short tenure as a working royal.

Should the public pay the security bill not just for the highest ranking government officials, but for their offspring? When Trump was president, we paid for his security detail, as well as Ivanka’s and Don’s. But now that the Trump family is gone, we’re just paying for Trump’s security. If he had been impeached, then we wouldn’t have had to pay that either, which is why some people wanted to impeach him even though he’s out-of-office. If we pay for offspring, where we do draw the line? Offspring’s offspring? Meghan wanted British taxpayers to pay for offspring’s offspring’s offspring. Three levels down. You can imagine why a cab driver in London wasn’t too interested to spending money for a burly guard for a toddler on a beach outside a million dollar mansion in California.

Outside of that issue, Meghan and Harry were unhappy with how Meghan were portrayed by the press, by an asshole comment probably from a 99-year old dude with dementia, by the fact that the Queen wouldn’t let them be halfway royals, and by the fact that Meghan was supposed to play a supporting role to the crown. She said that she didn’t know how the royal family worked, because she never googled Harry when she was dating him. (Hahahaha) She said that she was seriously depressed and needed mental health support, but wasn’t allowed to get it. She’s happy to be in California, where they can live “authentically.”

Last night, one gossip blog responded saying that the royal family bent over backwards to be nice to Meghan, because they wanted to avoid this exact situation. They were nice to Harry, because they wanted him to be able to come back if there was a divorce.

If Meghan and Harry were super unhappy and are happy now, I’m not sure what the problem is. What are they complaining about? I wish Oprah had asked some follow up questions, but since it wasn’t a real interview – just a smart business decision from Oprah – I shouldn’t be surprised. She should have nailed Meghan down on the title issue — Meghan said that she doesn’t care about titles, but then she said she was upset that Archie didn’t have a title. (Even though he will, when older folks die off.) Meh. The whole title thing is so unseemly for an American to care about.

So, what’s going to be the outcome from all this? Brand supremacy for Meghan and Harry? Awkward Christmas dinners? Collapse of century old institution, which is, in truth, rather silly?

UPDATE: Some links. Security cost around $5 million. Charles paid for it. The Canadians paid for it, too, but then stopped. Costs were probably much cheaper in England, because they could group up all those royals in one castle with shared security. Fredo. Earrings.

UPDATE: 3/10 From the Sun, “An insider with close ties to Meghan told DailyMail.com: “Meghan said she has absolutely no regrets about what was said during the interview and that speaking with Oprah was both cathartic and transformative – the best decision she ever made, other than marrying Harry. Meghan said the Royal institution should be relieved that she didn’t name names or go into even more details of what went on behind closed doors. Meghan said waiting to share her story with the entire world seemed like an eternity and that she couldn’t happier with the end result. She said she’s moved on, but is open to communicating with anyone from the Royal family who wants to engage in a constructive conversation.” The insider also said that the chat with Oprah was especially nerve-wracking for Harry, and that Meghan is “incredibly proud” of her “prince” regardless of his title.

UPDATE: 3/11 Although the Queen’s public statement indicates that she wants to mend the rift and lower the temperature in the room, the British press are slowly taking apart many of Meghan’s claims, along with help from workers for the Royal Family. Meghan said that she was denied security, the press gives a break down of Which royals get full and part security. Meghan said that nobody helped with royal protocol, the workers said that she had a huge staff to help out with those matters, but Meghan wasn’t interested in learning those traditions. She traveled, during that period when she said that she was in lockdown. William sounds pissed. A friend says that if the royal family exposes her as a bully, she’ll retaliate with email and texts.

UPDATE: 3/16 Cindy Adams hints that there is a s@x video of Meghan out there. Gossip blogs have made the same hints (see Fredo). Charles paid for the house, so their claims about being “cut off” aren’t true. Even though they weren’t technically paid for the interview, Meghan and Oprah have business partnerships.

Page Six of the NY Post said that Meghan Markle is networking with Democratic operatives, as she considers a run for the presidency in 2024. (Most people don’t think Biden will run for a second term.) The gossip blogshave been saying that she was thinking about this possibility, when her ambitions to become a Marvel superhero didn’t pan out. They don’t say she’ll win though, just that plans are in the works. Can you imagine what Kamala Harris would do to her in a debate? As I wrote last week, I blame Trump for this. It’s a good thing that she’s not thinking about political office in the UK.

UPDATE: 3/24 More signs and gossip about Meghan Markle running for political office; maybe she’ll try to replace Feinstein. I guess Harry got a gig at a Silicon Valley start up, where he’ll be monetizing mental illness. One of gossip blogs made a snarky comment about the only reason that he got a job there was because there’s way too much money out there right now. I think that’s true. Investors have been sitting on their cash for a year and are itching to spend it. This is going to be a great time to graduate with a computer science major. Or any major. The economy is going to boom in September.

Published by Laura

24 thoughts on “A Royal Mess: An American’s Thoughts on Meghan, Harry, Oprah, and the Queen, Part 4”

  1. Meh, I don’t buy the whole ‘demon temptress’ crap. Harry was hardly a naif when they met. If he’s breaking with his family, it’s because he wants to. I think she supports him, maybe even eggs him on, but the idea that she just totally twisted him and it’s all her is tired, misogynistic bs.

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    1. ” I don’t buy the whole ‘demon temptress’ crap.” Yes, I know nothing about this except for what I read here, but it’s very hard to take the whole “Stockholm syndrome” thing seriously. He served in the military for ten years! He’s rich and handsome and 36! Give me a break.

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      2. He’s also the guy who dressed up as a Nazi for Halloween, so probably not smart, but also a dick. I suspect he was disgruntled anyway (hence the antics) and the two of them together amplify their sense of being mistreated. But she’s not the cause.

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      3. Oh, I agree that H wanted ‘out’. But he wanted out on his terms (freedom from the ‘demon media’, and able to live where/how he wants – i.e. wherever Meghan wants) – but retaining all of the ‘goodies’ (his roles as ceremonial heads of the organizations he values, continued public funding of his lifestyle (and security), status as a member of the royal family, etc., etc.

        I don’t think he’d have gone as far as he has without M. And I do think that she’s the driver in all of this – but he’s a willing passenger (until she turfs him off the gravy train…)

        He wanted to have his cake and eat it too – hence the tantrum when he was told, politely, where to get off.

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  2. Laura said, “Outside of that issue, Meghan and Harry were unhappy with how Meghan were portrayed by the press, by an asshole comment probably from a 99-year old dude with dementia.”

    To be fair, he would have said the same (or much worse) in his prime.

    “She said that she didn’t know how the royal family worked, because she never googled Harry when she was dating him. (Hahahaha).”

    Or at least when she got engaged?

    Heck, anybody who has watched some goofy princess movie knows that life in a royal family is going to involve a lot of learning protocol and minding your p’s and q’s.

    “If Meghan and Harry were super unhappy and are happy now, I’m not sure what the problem is. What are they complaining about?”

    Riiiiight.

    “So, what’s going to be the outcome from all this? Brand supremacy for Meghan and Harry? Awkward Christmas dinners? Collapse of century old institution, which is, in truth, rather silly?”

    –I didn’t watch it, but based on your summaries, Meghan didn’t even have good dirt on her in-laws.
    –Not a Brit, but I can imagine how a natural British response would be, “What a horrible American!” with the interview being a plus, rather than a minus for the royal family.
    –I don’t think there are even going to be any Christmas dinners the way things are now.
    –How are H & M’s commercial ventures going? I personally can’t imagine wanting to own anything that they were pushing, but I guess I’m not their target demographic. But who is their target demographic?
    –I wonder how their burn rate matches their income.

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  3. Prince Phillip (Harry’s grandfather) has been having serious medical issues and is 99 years old. He could easily die soon after this interview.

    Harry has already backpedaled, saying that it wasn’t his grandmother or his grandfather who made the skin color remark.

    Being H & M’s PR person has to be one of the worst jobs in the PR world. At least Philip Morris knows how to shut up…

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  4. If you search for “Meghan Markle PR hires,” you’ll see that she has hired many PR people in the recent past. It’s not the behavior of someone who wants a quiet life.

    It all reminds me of a fairy tale. Not Cinderella, but The Fisherman and his Wife.

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  5. So, how is this different from Brad and Angelina? Kanye and Kim? Britney and her Dad? Does the background of a dying monarchy make it all that unique?

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    1. Why do you think the monarchy is dying? I know it’s something people assert, but I never see any proof presented.

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      1. Cranberry said, “Why do you think the monarchy is dying? I know it’s something people assert, but I never see any proof presented.”

        It is true that in democratic, developed countries, we don’t have a lot of examples of constitutional monarchies blipping out of existence.

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      2. I should have said “decomposing,” or “attenuating,” or something like that. It’s true that monarchies hold on for ceremonial and cultural reasons, but I do believe that the British one has been due for a trimming for a long time.

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      3. EB said, “I should have said “decomposing,” or “attenuating,” or something like that. It’s true that monarchies hold on for ceremonial and cultural reasons, but I do believe that the British one has been due for a trimming for a long time.”

        How big is the current, salaried cast of characters?

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      4. AmyP said: “How big is the current, salaried cast of characters?”

        They’ve been trimming for the last decade or so (hence the real reason that Archie didn’t automatically get the ‘Prince’ title at birth.

        The working royals (or the senior royals are):
        Queen, [not Prince Philip, who’s retired], Prince Charles & Duchess Camilla, Prince William & Duchess Kate, Princess Anne, Prince Edward, and Countess Sophie. [Prince Andrew is no longer working]

        I believe that the funding now comes from a tax allowance against the state properties (like the Duchy of Cornwall – where Charles’ funding comes from)

        https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/1229403/working-royals-list-prince-andrew-meghan-markle-prince-harry

        A lot of this funding goes to support maintenance of properties (like Buck House & Windsor) – which are very arguably major tourist attractions.
        Funding for police and security protection comes from elsewhere (government funding)
        And direct costs for carrying out public duties for all royals (e.g. if Princess Beatrice is asked by the Queen to deputize for her in opening a supermarket in Wales)

        Junior royals: Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie (they actually have few official duties and are being eased out).

        Almost retired royals: Duke & Duchess of Gloucester, Duke & Duchess of Kent, Princess Alexandra of Kent.

        Lots of royals have no duties, and are given no ongoing funding (e.g. Princess Anne’s children, Princess Margaret’s children and grandchildren)

        And, plenty of royals have no prince/princess title: Princess Margaret’s children didn’t, nor did Princess Anne’s or Prince Edward’s.
        Andrew’s daughters were a bit of an anomaly: both Princesses [and, anecdotally, something that got Meghan’s nose in a sling, is that they are ranked higher than she is/was]

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  6. I don’t know what to make of them really. 🤔 I can see, though, why they felt the need to speak out. If you have a strong character and cannot tolerate people spreading rumours about you, I can see why they’d want to set the record straight. They have a duty to their children too, when they grow up they’ll see all the stories and wonder if what is being said about their mother is true. 🧐

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  8. I don’t think this ‘interview’ has changed anyone’s opinion.
    Those that don’t like M+H have had their opinion that they’re a couple of whining scroungers reinforced.
    Those who like M+H have had their opinion that they have escaped a racist, toxic environment reinforced.

    TBH I think they are going to sink like a lead balloon. Once this last paroxym is over, they will have nothing worth reporting left to say. And I can’t see the British Royal Family ever speaking to them again, so there will be no ‘new’ news.

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  9. Also, none, *not one* of her complaints is able to be substantiated (i.e. time and place and subject and person). Which makes me highly dubious about the lot of them.

    Vague accusations aren’t exactly convincing (although apparently instantly believably by her fan base)

    She *may* have had mental health issues. We don’t have enough information to know, one way or the other. However, *if* so, not only is she an excellent actress, so is H – because there was no sign whatsoever of any strain in the candid photos taken at the place she indicated.

    She and her husband are both adults in their 30s. In addition, H has self-reportedly had counselling himself, presumably both in the UK and with the knowledge of ‘the establishment’.
    Are you telling me that 2 intelligent (arguably) adults were unable to make an appointment with a psychiatrist/counsellor themselves?

    Especially while pregnant (depression is a known issue antenatal as well as postnatal) – no-one in ‘the establishment’ would have blinked an eye at any counselling issues. And, given that H released this info himself, clearly the establishment were fiercely protective of his privacy in this area.

    Of course, some of the older, crustier, probably male courtiers might have been supercilious – ‘in ‘their day’ women just got on with the job without all of this fuss’ – but that’s true in all sectors of society (I’m sure that all of us have older relatives whose opinions are somewhat … dubious…), and you choose to give their opinion whatever weight you wish (i.e. none).

    I really don’t believe any of this tissue of fabrication.

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    1. Ann said, “Especially while pregnant (depression is a known issue antenatal as well as postnatal) – no-one in ‘the establishment’ would have blinked an eye at any counselling issues.”

      Right. When you’re pregnant or have a new baby, you see the doctor ALL THE TIME.

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      1. It occurs to me that if you do this through your OB, you also have the fig leaf of being able to say, “My doctor says that I need to see somebody for at least several months.”

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      2. Especially when having a first pregnancy in the late 30s [‘elderly primagravida’ or ‘advanced maternal age’ as my obstetrician charmingly told me 😉 ]
        Your health and wellbeing are intensively monitored, even when you are not bearing a member of the royal family….

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