The Royal Family

[Enda]

Several posters asking questions that were well covered in the interview.

Not saying everything Harry and Megan said was the 100% unvarnished truth, but I am convinced that their main point — that the truth is quite different from public perception — is spot on. Megan having her passport removed from her was jarring.

Similarly, the “stepping back from senior royals” thing. Sounds like they quit, doesn’t it? They clarified they wanted “non-senior royal” status, which is apparently standard, and much less dramatic.

And the last thing, which I didn’t think was very clear, was the accusations were undercurrents of racism rather than blatant stuff. Racism isn’t just shouting the n-word, it can be never giving a black person the benefit of the doubt. Sounds like there were quite a few instances that  were 50-50 but always fell one way.

[WhatAboutTheFinish]

1 hour ago, Stevo985 said:

She specifically said she wasn't bothered about titles. What bothered her was why it was different for her child, and why things were being changed to MAKE IT different for her child.

So she said she wasn't bothered but then went on to explain about that it did bother her?

1 hour ago, Stevo985 said:

As for the security, again that was more of a "why is it different for him" situation.

Different for him from who? Who is the other royal who has "stepped back" from royal duties, decided to move abroad and still receive security?

1 hour ago, Stevo985 said:

Did she say she hated publicity? I don't remember that. She's an actress, funny line of work if you don't like publicity.

From Harry "there's an unwritten contract between the press and the royal family that if you wine and dine them you get more favourable coverage". Obviously entirely different from "how about we give you a show you can charge CBS 7mil for and we get 2 hours of self promotion" right?

1 hour ago, Stevo985 said:

It's funny how people deliberately misquote stuff to suit their own opinion/agenda.

We can agree on that! However I think you are taking this whole spectacle a little more seriously than me. Personally, I particularly enjoyed the moment that Harry almost goes full Kevin the teenager when it was explained to him his status had been downgraded...

"I NEVER ASKED TO BE BORN!"

 

[bickster]

5 minutes ago, Enda said:

Not saying everything Harry and Megan said was the 100% unvarnished truth, but I am convinced that their main point — that the truth is quite different from public perception — is spot on. Megan having her passport removed from her was jarring.

Would that not be entirely normal? I don't imagine the RF go through passport control like us mere mortals but someone will be responsible for carrying those documents for them to be presented whenever they go abroad. Also it would present a clear danger if it was lost or misplaced

[Enda]

Just now, bickster said:

Would that not be entirely normal? I don't imagine the RF go through passport control like us mere mortals but someone will be responsible for carrying those documents for them to be presented whenever they go abroad. Also it would present a clear danger if it was lost or misplaced

Yes, she made it clear that surrendering your passport and driver licence is absolutely expected. And you need to ask permission to meet your friend for lunch, and that might not be approved.

All of which makes sense, but is quite different from the idea of this Hollywood prima donna swanning in and losing the run of herself.

[WhatAboutTheFinish]

3 minutes ago, Enda said:

Yes, she made it clear that surrendering your passport and driver licence is absolutely expected. And you need to ask permission to meet your friend for lunch, and that might not be approved.

All of which makes sense, but is quite different from the idea of this Hollywood prima donna swanning in and losing the run of herself.

Fortunately we can all empathise now with what it's like to be a royal princess...a bit like being in lockdown.

[Stevo985]

14 minutes ago, WhatAboutTheFinish said:

So she said she wasn't bothered but then went on to explain about that it did bother her?

No. Again you're deliberately twisting what was actually said. 

 

15 minutes ago, WhatAboutTheFinish said:

 

Different for him from who? Who is the other royal who has "stepped back" from royal duties, decided to move abroad and still receive security?

I don't know. but that was her point. I'm not saying she was right or wrong, just what she was saying. Her point wasn't "I need 24hr security paid for by the taxpayer". Her point was "we need security and we're happy to provide that ourselves, but it was something that was promised to us and then taken away"

17 minutes ago, WhatAboutTheFinish said:

From Harry "there's an unwritten contract between the press and the royal family that if you wine and dine them you get more favourable coverage". Obviously entirely different from "how about we give you a show you can charge CBS 7mil for and we get 2 hours of self promotion" right?

 

I honestly don't know what this means

[HanoiVillan]

20 minutes ago, WhatAboutTheFinish said:

So she said she wasn't bothered but then went on to explain about that it did bother her?

If I was not particularly bothered about getting a Thing, but then the person in charge of the Thing said to me 'just as well, because I'd never give the Thing to someone like you anyway', then that would bother me.

[WhatAboutTheFinish]

3 minutes ago, HanoiVillan said:

If I was not particularly bothered about getting a Thing, but then the person in charge of the Thing said to me 'just as well, because I'd never give the Thing to someone like you anyway', then that would bother me.

So you are bothered.

[Stevo985]

3 minutes ago, HanoiVillan said:

If I was not particularly bothered about getting a Thing, but then the person in charge of the Thing said to me 'just as well, because I'd never give the Thing to someone like you anyway', then that would bother me.

Exactly. It's like if limpid said he was giving everyone on VillaTalk an official VillaTalk mousemat. 

I don't use a mouse mat. I wouldn't want one, and if I got one I wouldn't use it (sorry hypothetical limpid)

But if limpid then said everyone was getting one... except for Stevo985, I'd be pretty pissed off about that.

 

If I suspected it was because of my race, I'd be very very pissed off.

 

 

(*limpid is not racist. Probably)

[sidcow]

1 hour ago, villa4europe said:

That's the problem, they are 2 different things 

Doing an interview on Oprah, or Netflix, or having a podcast is one thing 

Having photographers chase you everywhere you go, having headlines laced with racism about eating avocado's and what clothes she wears is something completely different

Our media are words removed who are blatantly trying to destroy them and by them I mean her 

Well it's a good thing they just went away and didn't cause any controversy then so they don't have that British Press sat on their doorstep, analysing them constantly and probably constantly photographing them with long distance telephoto lenses and sending over drones. 

Yes it's despicable and no it shouldn't be allowed but they've poked a badger with a very pointy stick now for no real reason and the press will be relentless with them now for years. 

I just don't understand what they've achieved here other than maybe feel they've got a measure of revenge.  Their opportunity to go quietly and set up a massively lucrative career over there as celebrity couple relatively unscathed has been lost. I just don't get why. 

The stories will never end now. 

[Stevo985]

1 minute ago, WhatAboutTheFinish said:

So you are bothered.

You're being deliberately obtuse

[HanoiVillan]

3 minutes ago, WhatAboutTheFinish said:

So you are bothered.

 

2 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

You're being deliberately obtuse

 

I started to type out a reply but honestly Stevo is right, you're just being deliberately obtuse. She's 'bothered' about a different thing. Which is what he said in the first place.

[sidcow]

5 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

You're being deliberately obtuse

 

Edited March 9, 2021 by sidcow

[Genie]

4 minutes ago, sidcow said:

they've poked a badger with a very pointy stick now for no real reason

We’ll, tbh, they’ve had the leave the country, lost their jobs, security and have seen an awful lot of made up stories about them painting them in a very negative light. I think they’ve plenty of reason for wanting to set the record straight. 

[WhatAboutTheFinish]

3 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

You're being deliberately obtuse

You may think that I'm being obtuse and you probably think that I've got a wooden head. But I was at home a few weeks ago and this movie came on, it was called Pinocchio. Now I wouldn't usually watch something like that but I was on my own so I thought, hey why not? And in the movie there was a boy who had a wooden head...and in the end....he turned into a real human!

[tom_avfc]

When I look at the responses to this interview elsewhere I see a lot of "She knew what she was getting into" type comments and scathing comments on how "it can't be that difficult with the money they have" etc . I don't think it reflects particularly well on people that this is what a large proportion of the country have taken from an interview where a young woman opens up on suicidal thoughts.

I also find interesting that a lot of people who are defending the Royal Family are the same people on Twitter with Union Jack flags and Brexit celebratory messages. Given the content of the interview I'd imagine these people have a lot more in common with the Royal Family than they think in some regards.

The mistake that Harry and Meghan made was to think that the Royal Family (and indeed certain sections of the British press) as an institution could ever be the slightest bit progressive. Meghan was never going to be welcomed by these people and it shouldn't come as a surprise that it's ended up as it is.

The implication by a lot of people that they should just "shut up and move on with their lives" rather than attempt to raise the issue is pretty worrying to me but doesn't surprise me given the prevailing attitudes that seem to exist to a fairly large degree in our society as a whole now.

[Seat68]

[Paddywhack]

12 minutes ago, WhatAboutTheFinish said:

You may think that I'm being obtuse and you probably think that I've got a wooden head. But I was at home a few weeks ago and this movie came on, it was called Pinocchio. Now I wouldn't usually watch something like that but I was on my own so I thought, hey why not? And in the movie there was a boy who had a wooden head...and in the end....he turned into a real human!

[bickster]

45 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

If I suspected it was because of my race, I'd be very very pissed off

What if though, you suspected it was about your race but it turns out it was because of your predilection for not wearing socks?

[PaulC]

I'm not questioning the truth of what Meghan has said in the Oprah interview but I find it all rather distasteful. The fact that they didnt name the person that said that about the colour but ruled out the grandparents have made the whole world think thats it either Charles or William.  William has done a lot to raise awareness for mental health and he will no doubt be the next king of england.