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Queen to give Meghan PR advice
Some birthday presents are for pleasure, and some are purely practical—and when Meghan Markle turns 38, on August 4, the Queen may give her a purely practical gift: free PR advice from the master while at Balmoral, the royals’ longtime Scottish summer holiday destination.
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The Sun reports that the Queen wants Meghan to “avoid any further PR blunders,” which have been many and various, from her security stepping in to stop people taking her picture at Wimbledon to seeking to maintain secrecy when it comes to baby Archie’s christening and who his godparents are. Not to mention all the fuss about the feud between Meghan and Harry and William and Kate, which we are told is at an end.
And so, it has been suggested, the Queen will take Meghan aside at Balmoral, and give her her own royal family brand PR advice, which would be the gold standard, because the Queen rarely gets it wrong, and when she does—as when Diana died in 1997, and the royal family had to be led to do the right thing by newly installed PM Tony Blair—she learns pretty quickly, and has always bounced back. Meghan should listen closely to any advice offered.
Royal expert Phil Dampier told The Sun: “This might be a good opportunity to have, not an assessment of her, but a quiet chat away from the madding crowds as to how she thinks it is going.
“I think in quiet moments and quiet walks up by the river the Queen might have a few words of advice for her.“I’m sure there must be things where she perhaps thinks things could be done better, so I’m sure she would give her some advice, especially if she asks for it.”
Choose your words
Neighbors of Meghan and Harry living in Windsor have been warned not to talk to them if they see them, or stroke their dogs.
“Royal flunkies,” according to The Sun, attended a recent residents' meeting to hand out the instructions to the locals. If the story is true, it will again open Meghan and Harry up to more criticism about being too grand, and obsessed with their own privacy.
The instructions are, The Sun reported: Don't approach or instigate conversation if you see the royal couple; Do say ‘Good Morning’ or some other pleasantry if they speak to you; Don't pet or stroke their dogs, even if they come over to you; Don't offer to walk their dogs; Don't ask to see baby Archie or offer to babysit; Don't post anything through the letterbox of Frogmore Cottage.
Buckingham Palace told The Sun that the instructions had come from an “overly protective palace official”—without Harry and Meghan’s knowledge. But the fact the orders were handed out at all indicate exactly what Harry and Meghan expect from their neighbors, and how they should be treated. The story will not endear the couple to the public.
All friends
First came the polo match with their kids, and photographers stationed just-so to capture the happy scene.
Then came the ladies' singles final at Wimbledon, along with Pippa Middleton, and again the photographers were there to capture it all.
And now a source tells Hello! that Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle are great friends. Forget the rumors of a feud, this has now become a friendship.
“Kate was a great source of support to Meghan in the days leading up to Archie's birth and, despite reports of a rift, they are family and have a really lovely friendship,” a source told the publication. The shared experience of parenthood has bought the women closer together, it is reported.
“Their relationship has certainly evolved over time and they have become closer since Meghan's wedding. “They talk and text regularly, they have more in common, and Kate has wanted to make sure Meghan has felt welcome into the family.”
Now, forgive us if we scratch our chins a little at this sudden turnaround, given that the couples are no longer operating as a quartet, and have set up rival courts to conduct their royal business. Could it be that the Palace press office has swung into operation, determined that unity—or at least the impression of it—is the best way forward.
One can’t imagine that the Queen was too keen on the feud as public narrative. The younger royals, one senses, have been told to grow up and play nice. How ironic, with that instruction ringing in their ears, if they actually really started to get along again.
Doria ‘big help’ to Meghan
Who can the source be here, if not someone extremely close to Meghan and Harry? Apparently, Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland has been “a big help with the baby and the life adjustment,” a source told this week’s Us Weekly.
Prince Harry, the source raves, “has been amazing and is a real hands-on coparent.” This source also wants to make clear that his besotted gaze for his wife is the real thing. “None of it is an act.”
Meghan “really likes living in Windsor,” the ever-so-chatty source told Us. “It’s much less complicated to have friends visit, and feels less claustrophobic than Kensington Palace.”
Maybe Meghan will also be revealing some PR secrets to the Queen when they chat too!
Indiscreet
Protests and shock have followed the elevation of Boris Johnson to British Prime Minister. But some things are set in stone, and so off he went to Buckingham Palace where she formally requested he form a new administration.
Johnson, a proven liar determined to lead the U.K. out of the European Union deal or no deal by October 31, then broke with tradition—and politesse—by revealing what the Queen had said to him. “I don’t know why anyone would want the job,” Elizabeth reportedly told Johnson—who then repeated the words to reporters. His staff then told him off for being indiscreet.
Eagle-eyed royal watchers noted that in the background of their meeting were pictures of Harry and Meghan and William and Kate. The Queen: a master of diplomacy, unlike her new prime minister.
This week in royal fashion
To mark Prince George’s sixth birthday, Prince William and Kate released a new set of pictures of him. No more of the little-lord outfits he wore when younger, but now an up-to-date youngster dressed in a forest green H&M polo, costing $7.99.
This week in royal history
On July 29, 1981, Charles and Diana married at St. Paul’s Cathedral, London. At that time, the world did not know—as Diana later said she did—about her husband’s relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles (who was there at St. Paul’s).
The royal romance captivated millions, until all the ugly truths about it rocked and roiled the royal family via the tabloids. But still, on this day 38 years ago, with Diana subsumed by that exploding meringue of a dress, the world believed the fairy tale the royal family was selling.
Unanswered questions
Is the feud really over between Kate and William and Harry and Kate? What will the Queen tell Meghan when they meet at Balmoral—such as how to respond appropriately should a neighbor say, “Good morning”?
