House Sussex: defended on Harry’s birthday weekend

Meghan Markle’s Smart Set Collection launch, in support of Smart Works, went very smoothly last week, perhaps to the disappointment of the UK tabloids and the reporters who’ve been generating critical stories about her over the last couple of months. Never doubt British ingenuity though. They will always find a way. Check out what The Sun published this weekend: 

“Meghan owes success of Smart Works charity fashion launch to Kate Middleton”?

Because we should always credit a white woman for a black woman’s achievement, non? 

Royal Meghan is biracial, yes. But in the eyes of certain people, all they see is that she’s not white. So why not attribute Meghan’s successes to the one who is, in their minds, “purely” white? 

In other Sussex news, Richard Palmer wrote in the Express this weekend of the “three major issues now terrifying the Queen”, once again giving Harry and Meghan’s behaviour the same weight as Prince Andrew’s relationship with A DEAD RAPIST PEDOPHILE and Brexit, the biggest crisis England has faced in decades…seriously? Seriously. The way the article reads, all three are the equivalent.

Finally a major British outlet has called it out. If you haven’t already, watch this clip from The Mash Report on BBC Two: 

Many American outlets have mentioned this Mash Report segment but, curiously, I’ve not seen any coverage of it in the UK tabloids. They devoted several articles to that inflammatory 60 Minutes Australia takedown piece of Meghan last week but nothing about the segment that was broadcast in its own country. That seems fair. 

All this as we get closer to the Sussexes’ imminent tour. The Smart Set Collection marked Meghan’s return to work from maternity leave and a solid comeback from a summer of negative press. As I keep saying, Meghan’s PR game was built on Hollywood DNA. So expect that she’s always got a move loaded up in the cartridge. And this weekend, she flexed – for Harry’s birthday:

Bottom right hand corner, that’s a new shot of Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor from his christening.

Babies trump everything. Royal babies especially. Meghan is building an archive, not unlike Beyoncé. That archive is an asset. And any time she opens it and makes a drop, it’s news. 

Can I just make a comment though about how stupidly confusing it is, the way they run these royal social media accounts? It’s not just House Sussex either. House Cambridge does it too. For whatever reason, they can’t be seen as authoring the posts themselves. Which is why Harry’s birthday post is written in a generic a voice before it’s made clear that Meghan’s message will follow.  

Right. But it’s THEIR account. So who’s speaking off the top? Sussex Royal is speaking. But THEY ARE SUSSEX ROYAL?!? This interchanging between first person and third person, in these times, and on this platform, which is intended for a personal connection, is incongruent. I wonder if, going forward, as they refine their strategy, they’ll do away with it altogether. Or will they get dragged for “breaking protocol” on that too?  

Attached - Prince Harry visiting The Rugby Football Union All Schools Programme on Thurdsay in Luton, England.