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Meghan’s ‘brand’ focus, Harry’s ‘cabin fever’
Yet another royal book is published, filled with juicy takes on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s dramatic exit from royal life, and the consequences for them and the royal family.
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According to the New York Post, a source told the authors of Royals At War: The Inside Story of Harry and Meghan's Shocking Split With the House of Windsor that when Harry spoke to Prince Charles about the latter’s coronavirus diagnosis, “it hit home for him that Charles and the Queen aren’t going to be around forever… Harry’s biggest fear is not being there if his grandmother were to die.”
Meghan has been networking with the powerful in Los Angeles while husband Harry has “cabin fever,” and is “overwhelmed with guilt” about not being in Britain during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Meghan has always been fascinated with the creation of a ‘brand,’” a former friend told the authors Andy Tillett and Dylan Howard. “I do not believe she married Harry with that solely in mind, but it was a determining factor.”
“She’s assuring [Harry] that once things go back to normal, he’ll love their new life in LA,” an insider said. “Meghan wants to take him hiking and talks about the local polo club and how much he’ll love surfing.”
The book, the Post says, confirms the story that William and Kate are deeply pissed off about Harry and Meghan’s transatlantic flit. They “feel screwed over,” says the book, because they will likely have double the workload now that Harry and Meghan won’t be attending many official engagements.
“They think it’s unfair that Harry and Meghan still get to reap the rewards of being part of the royal family without having to put in any effort,” said one source.
Kate in particular was allegedly “panicking” over how she would “juggle the extra responsibilities with family life” during the pandemic.
Another source said Kate and William “sense that Meghan is a master manipulator of her husband—who is known in inner circles as not being the smartest of men who frequently acts first and thinks later.”
“They think it’s pathetic how Meghan works Harry like her own personal puppet,” a source said. “They’ve resigned themselves to losing the Harry they once knew for the foreseeable future.”
At home in LA, a source says, “Like any household, right now, there are up and downs. To Harry’s credit, he has tried to shield Meghan from his stress. So he’ll confide to friends in London over the phone… On top of it all, he’s got cabin fever. It was far from an ideal situation. Harry’s gone from feeling excited about the move to feeling secretly tortured.”
But Hollywood being Hollywood, “they are in touch with a number of LA power players and are looking forward to hosting dinner parties with the likes of George and Amal Clooney and big-time movie producer Jeffrey Katzenberg,” an insider told the authors.
To that end, Meghan is focused on her image. “We’ll see him on camera, mostly as a spokesperson,” a source told the authors of Harry. “He’s not trying to be the next Brad Pitt or anything. He understands it’s a risky venture. Harry knows Hollywood is fickle. He wants to get everything right from the beginning and if it all goes well, he’ll use the exposure to shine a light on worthy causes.
“With Harry and Meghan, it’s not just about making a fast buck—there has to be purpose behind their work.”
Meghan and Harry’s “solidarity” with anti-hate campaign
The NAACP has confirmed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are supporting the #StopHateForProfit campaign, which wants major companies to pull their advertising campaigns from Facebook until the social media giant cracks down on hate speech. So far, 90 companies have joined the boycott.
In a tweet, the NAACP said: “We are grateful for the leadership of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in recognizing the importance of solidarity in this moment. Your commitment to truth, justice, and equality are appreciated.”
The civil rights organization’s tweet followed an Axios report saying Harry and Meghan had been “privately advocating” for the campaign, having “encouraged CEOs around the world to stand in solidarity with a coalition of civil rights groups, like the NAACP, Color of Change, and the Anti-Defamation League.”
A source told Town and Country, “As we’ve been developing Archewell, one of the areas the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been keen to address is online hate speech, and we’ve been working with civil rights and racial justice groups on it.
“Over the past few weeks, in particular, this issue has become even more vital and they have been working to encourage global CEOs to stand in solidarity with a coalition of civil and racial justice groups like the NAACP, Color of Change, and the Anti-Defamation League, which are calling for structural changes to our online world.”
The source added that “for a long time, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been working on how to move the tech industry in a more humane direction.” They “believe there is an urgent and pressing need to remodel the framework of our online public spaces.”
The couple have been “working behind the scenes to urge global CEOs to stand in solidarity with civil rights and racial justice leaders. They’ve spoken with CEOs across the product spectrum: tech and media, consumer goods, food and beverage, apparel, and others.”
Charles saw “problems ahead” with Meghan
Prince Charles apparently liked Meghan Markle, but felt there would be “problems ahead” when she joined the royal family, because there’s “room for only one queen.”
The claim was made in an interview with the Sun’s Fabulous magazine by Nigel Cawthorne, author of Prince Andrew, Epstein, and the Palace who earlier this week said Charles and Prince William had orchestrated a “silent coup” against Prince Harry and Meghan tied to the developing scandal of Prince Andrew's friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, which ended his royal career.
Charles was apparently concerned about Harry and Meghan’s popularity, and—as has been previously reported—wanted to slim down the monarchy.
“I think he [Prince Charles] likes strong women, but in The Firm there is only room for one Queen,” Cawthorne said. “I think he foresaw considerable problems ahead for The Firm. Harry and Meghan amplified the popularity of the royal family in the way that Prince Andrew and Fergie did at the time. However, for the sake of The Firm he will feel this outcome is better that the monarchy is small in size rather than a constellation of stars in separate orbits.”
Charles, said Cawthorne, “genuinely made an attempt to support what Harry and Meghan were looking for as long as it wouldn’t upset other HRH’s. In truth, however, there wasn’t a lot he could do apart from offering moral support. He no doubt personally regrets the fact that he won’t see his son and family as much as he otherwise would have. He likes tradition and order.”
Family bonds
Back in 2015, Prince Harry joined his brother Prince William and Kate Middleton at the London premiere for what was then the latest Bond film, Spectre.
Their presence was just one of the factors that helped drive the movie to global success. Now producers of the new James Bond film want to repeat the trick, by having Meghan and Harry attend the Los Angeles premiere (scheduled, at least as of now) just a week after Will and Kate attend the London launch of No Time To Die in November.
But the potential clash could put the Cambridges off from attending at all, it is reported.
A source told the Sun: “The team have recently adjusted the release date in the US to put it within a week of the UK’s so they can have massive premieres in LA and London.
“For the Hollywood premiere they have signaled they want Harry and Meghan as guests of honor.
“It poses an interesting question over whether William and Kate will attend the London premiere.”
Name games
A New York healthcare executive who applied to trademark the name Archecares for a charity has dropped his opposition to Meghan and Harry calling their charity Archewell.
The Mail on Sunday quotes a source saying: “The name is a huge deal for Harry and Meghan. It would have been humiliating if they had to go back to the drawing board and come up with something different after announcing the name to the world.”
This week in royal fashion
As scandalous claims and counterclaims swirled, Kate Middleton did an old-school, controversy-free photo op, wearing a floral dress at a children’s hospice, helping to pot plants and herbs. Kate, Reuters reported, visited The Nook, a facility near Norwich in eastern England, as part of a broader initiative by the Together for Short Lives charity to raise funds for Britain’s 54 children’s hospices.
“I’d like to thank the amazing staff for all the work that you do in children’s hospices around the UK,” Kate said in a statement.
This week in royal history
Had she been alive, Princess Diana would have celebrated her 59th birthday on Wednesday. She was born on July 1, 1961 at Park House, in Sandringham, Norfolk. Diana died in a Paris car crash, aged 36, on August 31, 1997.
Unanswered questions
What is the current state of Prince William and Prince Harry’s relationship? Are William and Kate really as resentful as suggested? How publicly vocal will Meghan and Harry get in the fight for social justice following George Floyd’s death?
