On Wednesday, The Princess of Wales was scheduled to attend Ascot, but about an hour after Ascot published the carriage list—which included Kate—Kensington Palace issued a statement that the Princess would not make the event.
I find it incredibly odd that this is the first we are hearing about this grandfather. I truly hope someone in her family fact checks this, either to confirm or deny.
I am genuinely counting on the internet to figure this one out for the rest of us! (Here's hoping the Daily Mail will come through with some ridiculous headlines on the topic.)
Let’s not forgot, originally she said she spent her afternoons after school on the set of Married with Children with her father. So this is interaction number 3. It’s incomprehensible.
This was the original after-school activity story for many years until "latch-key kid" showed up. I do recall reading one line about a grandfather who had an antique shop (on the mother's side) but this after-school activity is new. 😂
I think Meghan’s issue is she speaks in absolutes when she should be more precise. It comes off as dishonest. For example, when I was a child, my parents worked. For a few years I went to a school program after school. For a few years after that, when I was slightly older, a friend and I got to come home alone together. For a few years after that, when I was in middle school, I was a latchkey kid who came home alone. Occasionally I would do some after school sports, but not every day. On other occasions, my dad would be home due to flexibility in his work. It makes sense that Meghan had different after school experiences throughout her childhood. Any working parent in the U.S. knows after school care is a confounding process. The issue is Meghan likes to craft specific narratives by fitting facts around the narrative, and it comes off as duplicitous or ingenuous. That, in turn, causes her audience to lose trust in her. I believe it all stems from a deep seated insecurity around her childhood. If she could get comfortable with who she is, she would have a lot more success.
Absolutely agree—well summed up. For someone who has spent much of her life in front of the media, Meghan seems to have had very little media training. And if she has had it, she certainly hasn’t listened to the advice. You should leave room to clarify or adjust your story, so you don’t come across as insincere or as if you're fabricating your past.
And before she was with Harry she told stories of how her mother taught her the importance of farm to table. And that daddy took her to Musso and Frank’s (not cheap) after every tap in ballet lesson. And both her mother and father would join her on sushi Fridays at their favorite sushi restaurant.
After becoming Royal, suddenly she had to get a job at a yogurt shop to contribute to the family finances…. They can only afford the all you could eat salad bar at.(gasp!) The Sizzler… she sat home alone, eating TV dinners… she worked so many odd jobs in college including two Irish catholic families who gave her marital advice. Now she has a grandfather.
Also, regarding Kate, they are having a terrible heat wave. I'm sure their area has AC and everything, but getting all dressed, the hair, etc has to be a hassle. I don't think Ascot is her favorite event anyway, so after a busy week I don't blame her for taking the day off. (I did think that William looked a tiny bit annoyed.)
What I find interesting is that it feels as if she was trying to compare As Ever with the wildly successful brands Emma has had a hand in or started like Skims or Good American. Somehow, I doubt As Ever will ever reach those heights. Meghan seems like an odd guest for Emma because their portfolios are so vastly different.
I think Meghan doing Emma’s podcast was definitely a PR exercise. What I mean by that is that Meghan is afraid of going on a podcast that would require hard hitting objective questions instead of just gushing hosts fawning over her.
I’ve only heard bits and pieces of the more dramatic parts of the broadcast. No push back on the grandfather claim which leaves it open to skepticism. It could be true or it could be an exaggeration.
The closest that Meghan has come to an objective interview was with Jane Pauley and you could see her momentary rage at Jane’s pushback on their endeavor of the moment.
Thank you as always for the post Jane :) This heat dome across the US is yuck, hope you are okay! And I thought that was probably why Kate bowed out—the heat and then Ascot requires a lot of standing and walking about, and in those heels. Much as I drool over the shoes she wears, my feet tell me “no way!”
I saw and heard snippets of Meghan’s interview and I wondered whether Emma herself was buying into Meghan’s “earth mother/entrepreneur” stuff. When she said a bit incredulously “lunchboxes? With sprinkles no doubt.” And Meghan laughed a bit self consciously but then double downed “and volunteering to serve hot lunches….” Lunch boxes and hot lunches, made it sound like the kids were in an LA public school which I doubt they are.
The part I heard though that really made my head spin was the part about teaching Archie and Lili about earning money by having them go out and sell produce at a farmer’s market. Was there any context to that? Does Meghan have a stall? Were they helping her? The clip made it sound like they were operating some kind of version of a lemonade stand on their own, taking money, realizing they’d have to work for their mansion. At 6 and 4?
And I thought Meghan had so much work to jump right into after the "school run" between 6:30 am and 9:00 am, that how could she possibly make another 2 1/2 hour drive to help with "hot lunches" in the middle of the workday? *major eye roll*
I realize there are various ways she could schedule occasional days, but still, with Meghan's history of exaggeration and lies, it makes more sense to NOT believe something than for me to wonder if any activity is actually practical or possible. :)
The farmer's market stand is not very believable--nor the children being interested at barely 6 and 4 years old! Not until older are children usually into making money. The children are most often pictured in their pajamas, contrastingly to hosting a market booth...
So much about these stories about the kids is beyond unbelievable it almost feels like satire. Remember when she said Archie’s first word was crocodile? 😬
And when he was almost 2 he told every guest (at their home) to “hydrate”! She said that in the Oprah interview.
Along with getting married by themselves with the bishop (or whatever his title) so the bishop had to go on record as saying that wasn’t true. Who does she thinks believes this stuff??
I was interested in the comment where she wished that people would “tell the truth“ where she’s concerned. How is that even possible when she peddles so many different versions of it herself?
It’s really fascinating to watch in real time and in such a public way. We ALL know someone who lies or exaggerates or stretches the truth at some time or another. But to watch her do this repeatedly on a worldwide stage really points to there being something wrong with her. Poor kids!
I didn’t listen to this podcast(will never give anything she’s associated with views or numbers) but a couple of reposts say she and the kids sell at a local farmers market. We are supposed to believe that? In the year 2025 where almost everything is captured on a phone there are no pics or sightings of this published??? She is almost fascinating (and has been for a while) with the amount of exaggerations and lies she gets caught in TIME AND TIME AGAIN. It’s actually incredible 🤣. I don’t feel sorry for Harry at all. I wonder if he looks at her and wonders about the choice he made. But the fact there are two kids who have been brought into her bizarre world is actually very sad.
Technically she said “sometimes we do a little farmer’s market stall”, which people have assumed mean selling their produce at a farmers market, but she could also just be referring to playing “farmers market” at home. When we were that age we would often play “shop” but it didn’t necessarily involve selling to other people.
That’s an interesting point. A good one, yeah, I can see that. But she also said “to teach the kids about privilege and the value of money…” When I played shop, or my daughter or grandchildren, it wasn’t about teaching the kids about being privileged or the value of money. It was just fun.
It can always be a little of a learning experience though. You don’t have to be like a Soup Nazi but a little of “let’s count our money to make sure we have enough” enables kids to start thinking about the fact that “money” has “value” and that can translate to real world experiences where they need to see if they have the right amount of money. Fun doesn’t mean no learning.
Not exactly defending her ever changing stories, but I wonder if her childhood was more troubled/traumatic than we think or know? I say this because I had a rather tumultuous upbringing with both parents being addicts/alcoholics, yet depending on the context of the conversation, I can talk about my childhood memories with loving nostalgia OR with the heavy realization that comes only with adult wisdom, that there was neglect and abuse happening at the same time. I don't think anyone ever knew because it didn't look that way from the outside (nice house, parents kept a good job, etc). Just a thought to ponder... She obviously has some personal issues, and, I think, trouble self-reflecting and knowing who she really is, but all of these negative traits have deeper roots! Though she is her own worst enemy, it really makes me sad for her because always changing the narrative to fit in and 'relate' comes from a place of insecurity, uncertainty, and overall a feeling that you don't belong.
I think it was 100% more chaotic and troubled than we know and I do wonder if that is what attracts these two to each other. There is a lot of speculation that Doria was absent (whereabouts unknown) for a period of her childhood. And we have all seen the cluster that is the Markle family just all on their own. If they are this way now, they could not have been a stable and strong family while she was young.
In my opinion, Harry wasn't broken by his mother's death. He was broken long before due to the absolute chaos and public humiliation that was the War of the Wales. I cannot imagine what it would have been like to be a child in the midst of that.
So the result is that two deeply wounded people found each other. It's not uncommon at all.
The codependency is tragic for everyone, but especially for the two children at the center. When this divorce inevitably happens, I have no faith old cycles will be broken.
Even if they don't divorce, I still think those old cycles continue. I mean, we are seeing that in real time. Everything they are doing and saying is out in the public sphere for their children to stumble upon. NOt quite as bad as the War of the Wales, but still pretty toxic for kids.
I really don’t know that either will be able to admit defeat and actually accept it’s best to divorce. If that time comes. I keep hoping they will both realize what is at stake and put their egos on the back burner. I do think they both absolutely love and adore their children but that isn’t all children need to grow up healthily.
Amy, this is a very compassionate take. And I do agree that it does seem to come from some very deep insecurities. My only hesitation with believing something like this is that Meghan has been a perpetual victim since joining the royal family and being thrust into the global spotlight, so to me it seems unlikely she would skip sharing about something traumatic in her past (or even hint about it, as she does often with the royals).
I think she struggles with knowing what she actually wants, and rather than reflect in private, we see the cartwheeling free-fall of her trying to figure it out with a very large audience.
Heather, I do agree with your take too! She seems to want sympathy as a victim, but also to be admired as a champion, just because of who she is, despite not really knowing. I imagine she has lots of conflicting internal ideas and images of herself. I don't understand why she chooses to figure it all out on the world stage, other than she fears the vulnerability of saying I/we need to step back and reflect. and feeling like a failure because of it, despite the fact that most successful entrepreneurs DO fail at some point, but learn, pivot, and persevere anyway!
I think figuring it out on the world stage is very much in vogue--memoirs have become ever more popular. Even among my Boomer generation, there's the urge among writers and celebs to get personal family stories out in the public sphere and, judging by sales, there's a market for it.
I absolutely believe Meghan is writing a memoir. I think that it would actually be better for her if she did her remembering on paper because, well speaking personally, if you get it down in writing and look at it, you can see how our personal stories branch out. How we ourselves sometimes perpetuate unhealthy traits from our families, how we can overcome them and so on. Everyone has had trauma to a different extent, some horrific, some simply feeling "different".
I just think that the way that Meghan has presented herself in the public sphere has damaged other people, led people to question her sincerity, her capacity to be the person she presents herself--at times--to be.
For me, she's almost a case study in what celebrity does to someone, the give and take of what she already was before she bumped up against Prince Harry and the RF, how that shaped her and so on. What I find frustrating is that we really only get a two dimensional view of how SHE has been the perfect one, the one who either was a champion for women's rights (or whatever cause she was espousing that week) or was a martyr to the cause. It's a very "flat", as I said two dimensional, front and back view but interestingly, both views paint Meghan in a very favorable way. No warts. We all have warts.
Carole looks great! Eye roll for Meghan. I didn’t watch but everyone is talking so much about the, “I would ask people to tell the truth,” part that nobody mentioned this previously unmentioned grandfather with the antique store.
If I were the podcast host, the comment "I would ask people to tell the truth", begs the question..."and what is the truth?" Obviously, it wouldn't evoke a truthful response because eight years and countless interviews later, more questions than answers arise. I don't think even Meghan knows what her truth is anymore and if the goal of this PR strategy is to paint a picture of Meghan as she wants people to see her, it is fast becoming a very watered down, blurry picture. In that regard she reminds me of a chalk drawing on a sidewalk, pretty for the moment, but fleeting, something that has to constantly be redrawn, and certainly not everlasting, or 'as ever'. It makes me think that Meghan would be an exhausting person to be around.
I saw the host made a follow up comment video where she praised Meghan to the nth degree. How focused, how she's made her brand so personal, etc., etc....
Also it was essentially a non-answer, making sure to avoid any responsibility for how things have played out. The question was about what SHE would do differently, and she basically said that other people needed to do things differently.
Just checked on As Ever. The only new product is Apricot Spread (all else the same), and teasing the launch of a (apricot?) rosé “just in time for summer entertaining”…but is not actually available yet.
Pretty underwhelming. Interesting she’s getting into wine? I’m assuming it’s a partnership with her fruit being part of it because they don’t have a vineyard, to my knowledge.
Raspberry spread wasn’t even in this drop, it is just “coming soon” and it’s been 40 min and things are selling out again. For what? It’s the same old, but with one different product. It seems rushed.
All those 14 year old girls buying.... I wonder if the products that are "sold out" haven't been restocked? Like the honey. And the tea. I noticed that the new Apricot Spread in the Keepsake Box is sold out but you can still get the regular Apricot Spread. My yoga teacher has been bringing in apricots from her trees the past couple of weeks, so delicious!
I first looked within about 10 min of the launch. Everything except the “keepsake” apricot spread was available (that was already sold out), besides the raspberry spread, which was clearly not restocked and marked as “coming soon”. So yes, they were restocked, but no one will ever know how much was restocked.
Just looked again and everything is all sold out. I have a hard time believing these are not small restocks. How in-demand can these super-basic, overpriced products be??
I wonder what the average run on a small producer is? Where does she manufacture? I asked Google AI about "small scale jam manufacturing" but of course there was no real number because we don't know what Meghan's target revenue is. If she has a target revenue. And who does she need to pay? Does she go through one distributor who factors costs of bottles, tops, cooking, etc., etc...., into it all? Does she actually provide the fruit and flowers? She'd have to source flour for her pancake mix and, the wine business is something else too. Or does she use more than one distributor for the food side? I would actually be very interested to know the nuts and bolts of her operations because I was in and out of retail production and selling many years ago. It's a really fascinating journey, starting up that kind of business and THAT would make an interesting Netflix series.
Just had a look and only the apricot is sold out from what I can see. I can’t imagine it’ll be easy to keep shifting flower sprinkles after the initial enthusiasm of the first launch from her followers, even they surely don’t want/need any more.
I was not so much surprised that Kate pull out of Ascot at the last minute, as that the KP comms team have not yet learned how to handle announcements about her health better. And that means making the call earlier rather than later. All I can think is that Kate really wanted to attend especially with so many of her people there, and thought she could soldier through. We have all done that.
Honestly the fact that so many were there is why I’m starting to be a bit more concerned. But I’m also an extrovert and would attend a party on my deathbed if possible. But I know I’m also looking at this through the lens of a relative nobody. As Jane pointed out in another letter, I think Kate does know when she is going to be torn apart by the interwebs and it troubles her (as it would and does anyone) and she just wasn’t prepared to be PEAK KATE and look and act perfect today. It’s a bummer for us watchers but I get it at the same time.
It sounds like between the heat and multiple other public events she’s playing to safe. Like Jane said before the fact that Carole is there on point and not skipping a beat reassures us that Kate “is fine” and just taking it easy with the children. At least that’s what I tell myself for reassurance that all is well
I find it incredibly odd that this is the first we are hearing about this grandfather. I truly hope someone in her family fact checks this, either to confirm or deny.
I am genuinely counting on the internet to figure this one out for the rest of us! (Here's hoping the Daily Mail will come through with some ridiculous headlines on the topic.)
I look forward to their headlines!
Let’s not forgot, originally she said she spent her afternoons after school on the set of Married with Children with her father. So this is interaction number 3. It’s incomprehensible.
That’s what I thought about too!
This was the original after-school activity story for many years until "latch-key kid" showed up. I do recall reading one line about a grandfather who had an antique shop (on the mother's side) but this after-school activity is new. 😂
By "this", I mean the Married With Children set story.
I think Meghan’s issue is she speaks in absolutes when she should be more precise. It comes off as dishonest. For example, when I was a child, my parents worked. For a few years I went to a school program after school. For a few years after that, when I was slightly older, a friend and I got to come home alone together. For a few years after that, when I was in middle school, I was a latchkey kid who came home alone. Occasionally I would do some after school sports, but not every day. On other occasions, my dad would be home due to flexibility in his work. It makes sense that Meghan had different after school experiences throughout her childhood. Any working parent in the U.S. knows after school care is a confounding process. The issue is Meghan likes to craft specific narratives by fitting facts around the narrative, and it comes off as duplicitous or ingenuous. That, in turn, causes her audience to lose trust in her. I believe it all stems from a deep seated insecurity around her childhood. If she could get comfortable with who she is, she would have a lot more success.
Very insightful and I think completely spot on.
Absolutely agree—well summed up. For someone who has spent much of her life in front of the media, Meghan seems to have had very little media training. And if she has had it, she certainly hasn’t listened to the advice. You should leave room to clarify or adjust your story, so you don’t come across as insincere or as if you're fabricating your past.
And before she was with Harry she told stories of how her mother taught her the importance of farm to table. And that daddy took her to Musso and Frank’s (not cheap) after every tap in ballet lesson. And both her mother and father would join her on sushi Fridays at their favorite sushi restaurant.
After becoming Royal, suddenly she had to get a job at a yogurt shop to contribute to the family finances…. They can only afford the all you could eat salad bar at.(gasp!) The Sizzler… she sat home alone, eating TV dinners… she worked so many odd jobs in college including two Irish catholic families who gave her marital advice. Now she has a grandfather.
You don’t want to restock a product that sold out because it will just sell out again?? Make it make sense 😵💫😅🫣
She also mentions disappointing some 14 year old girl who has saved up to buy a jar of jam? Really, 14 year old girls save up for a jar of jam?
Good luck and thank you for taking one for the team! I cannot stand the sound of her voice - and the lies!!
Also, regarding Kate, they are having a terrible heat wave. I'm sure their area has AC and everything, but getting all dressed, the hair, etc has to be a hassle. I don't think Ascot is her favorite event anyway, so after a busy week I don't blame her for taking the day off. (I did think that William looked a tiny bit annoyed.)
What I find interesting is that it feels as if she was trying to compare As Ever with the wildly successful brands Emma has had a hand in or started like Skims or Good American. Somehow, I doubt As Ever will ever reach those heights. Meghan seems like an odd guest for Emma because their portfolios are so vastly different.
Is Emma still in partnership with Kim Kardashian? That might be why she was encouraged to have her on.
I think Meghan doing Emma’s podcast was definitely a PR exercise. What I mean by that is that Meghan is afraid of going on a podcast that would require hard hitting objective questions instead of just gushing hosts fawning over her.
I’ve only heard bits and pieces of the more dramatic parts of the broadcast. No push back on the grandfather claim which leaves it open to skepticism. It could be true or it could be an exaggeration.
The closest that Meghan has come to an objective interview was with Jane Pauley and you could see her momentary rage at Jane’s pushback on their endeavor of the moment.
Thank you as always for the post Jane :) This heat dome across the US is yuck, hope you are okay! And I thought that was probably why Kate bowed out—the heat and then Ascot requires a lot of standing and walking about, and in those heels. Much as I drool over the shoes she wears, my feet tell me “no way!”
I saw and heard snippets of Meghan’s interview and I wondered whether Emma herself was buying into Meghan’s “earth mother/entrepreneur” stuff. When she said a bit incredulously “lunchboxes? With sprinkles no doubt.” And Meghan laughed a bit self consciously but then double downed “and volunteering to serve hot lunches….” Lunch boxes and hot lunches, made it sound like the kids were in an LA public school which I doubt they are.
The part I heard though that really made my head spin was the part about teaching Archie and Lili about earning money by having them go out and sell produce at a farmer’s market. Was there any context to that? Does Meghan have a stall? Were they helping her? The clip made it sound like they were operating some kind of version of a lemonade stand on their own, taking money, realizing they’d have to work for their mansion. At 6 and 4?
And I thought Meghan had so much work to jump right into after the "school run" between 6:30 am and 9:00 am, that how could she possibly make another 2 1/2 hour drive to help with "hot lunches" in the middle of the workday? *major eye roll*
I realize there are various ways she could schedule occasional days, but still, with Meghan's history of exaggeration and lies, it makes more sense to NOT believe something than for me to wonder if any activity is actually practical or possible. :)
The farmer's market stand is not very believable--nor the children being interested at barely 6 and 4 years old! Not until older are children usually into making money. The children are most often pictured in their pajamas, contrastingly to hosting a market booth...
So much about these stories about the kids is beyond unbelievable it almost feels like satire. Remember when she said Archie’s first word was crocodile? 😬
And when he was almost 2 he told every guest (at their home) to “hydrate”! She said that in the Oprah interview.
Along with getting married by themselves with the bishop (or whatever his title) so the bishop had to go on record as saying that wasn’t true. Who does she thinks believes this stuff??
I noticed that as well..:they always seem to be in their pajamas.
Not to mention that pics of them selling stuff would have been plastered everywhere! I don’t know how she thinks people will believe this stuff.
I was interested in the comment where she wished that people would “tell the truth“ where she’s concerned. How is that even possible when she peddles so many different versions of it herself?
It’s really fascinating to watch in real time and in such a public way. We ALL know someone who lies or exaggerates or stretches the truth at some time or another. But to watch her do this repeatedly on a worldwide stage really points to there being something wrong with her. Poor kids!
100% agree. It’s very disturbing.
I didn’t listen to this podcast(will never give anything she’s associated with views or numbers) but a couple of reposts say she and the kids sell at a local farmers market. We are supposed to believe that? In the year 2025 where almost everything is captured on a phone there are no pics or sightings of this published??? She is almost fascinating (and has been for a while) with the amount of exaggerations and lies she gets caught in TIME AND TIME AGAIN. It’s actually incredible 🤣. I don’t feel sorry for Harry at all. I wonder if he looks at her and wonders about the choice he made. But the fact there are two kids who have been brought into her bizarre world is actually very sad.
Technically she said “sometimes we do a little farmer’s market stall”, which people have assumed mean selling their produce at a farmers market, but she could also just be referring to playing “farmers market” at home. When we were that age we would often play “shop” but it didn’t necessarily involve selling to other people.
That’s an interesting point. A good one, yeah, I can see that. But she also said “to teach the kids about privilege and the value of money…” When I played shop, or my daughter or grandchildren, it wasn’t about teaching the kids about being privileged or the value of money. It was just fun.
It can always be a little of a learning experience though. You don’t have to be like a Soup Nazi but a little of “let’s count our money to make sure we have enough” enables kids to start thinking about the fact that “money” has “value” and that can translate to real world experiences where they need to see if they have the right amount of money. Fun doesn’t mean no learning.
Not exactly defending her ever changing stories, but I wonder if her childhood was more troubled/traumatic than we think or know? I say this because I had a rather tumultuous upbringing with both parents being addicts/alcoholics, yet depending on the context of the conversation, I can talk about my childhood memories with loving nostalgia OR with the heavy realization that comes only with adult wisdom, that there was neglect and abuse happening at the same time. I don't think anyone ever knew because it didn't look that way from the outside (nice house, parents kept a good job, etc). Just a thought to ponder... She obviously has some personal issues, and, I think, trouble self-reflecting and knowing who she really is, but all of these negative traits have deeper roots! Though she is her own worst enemy, it really makes me sad for her because always changing the narrative to fit in and 'relate' comes from a place of insecurity, uncertainty, and overall a feeling that you don't belong.
I think it was 100% more chaotic and troubled than we know and I do wonder if that is what attracts these two to each other. There is a lot of speculation that Doria was absent (whereabouts unknown) for a period of her childhood. And we have all seen the cluster that is the Markle family just all on their own. If they are this way now, they could not have been a stable and strong family while she was young.
In my opinion, Harry wasn't broken by his mother's death. He was broken long before due to the absolute chaos and public humiliation that was the War of the Wales. I cannot imagine what it would have been like to be a child in the midst of that.
So the result is that two deeply wounded people found each other. It's not uncommon at all.
The codependency is tragic for everyone, but especially for the two children at the center. When this divorce inevitably happens, I have no faith old cycles will be broken.
Even if they don't divorce, I still think those old cycles continue. I mean, we are seeing that in real time. Everything they are doing and saying is out in the public sphere for their children to stumble upon. NOt quite as bad as the War of the Wales, but still pretty toxic for kids.
I really don’t know that either will be able to admit defeat and actually accept it’s best to divorce. If that time comes. I keep hoping they will both realize what is at stake and put their egos on the back burner. I do think they both absolutely love and adore their children but that isn’t all children need to grow up healthily.
Amy, this is a very compassionate take. And I do agree that it does seem to come from some very deep insecurities. My only hesitation with believing something like this is that Meghan has been a perpetual victim since joining the royal family and being thrust into the global spotlight, so to me it seems unlikely she would skip sharing about something traumatic in her past (or even hint about it, as she does often with the royals).
I think she struggles with knowing what she actually wants, and rather than reflect in private, we see the cartwheeling free-fall of her trying to figure it out with a very large audience.
Heather, I do agree with your take too! She seems to want sympathy as a victim, but also to be admired as a champion, just because of who she is, despite not really knowing. I imagine she has lots of conflicting internal ideas and images of herself. I don't understand why she chooses to figure it all out on the world stage, other than she fears the vulnerability of saying I/we need to step back and reflect. and feeling like a failure because of it, despite the fact that most successful entrepreneurs DO fail at some point, but learn, pivot, and persevere anyway!
I think figuring it out on the world stage is very much in vogue--memoirs have become ever more popular. Even among my Boomer generation, there's the urge among writers and celebs to get personal family stories out in the public sphere and, judging by sales, there's a market for it.
I absolutely believe Meghan is writing a memoir. I think that it would actually be better for her if she did her remembering on paper because, well speaking personally, if you get it down in writing and look at it, you can see how our personal stories branch out. How we ourselves sometimes perpetuate unhealthy traits from our families, how we can overcome them and so on. Everyone has had trauma to a different extent, some horrific, some simply feeling "different".
I just think that the way that Meghan has presented herself in the public sphere has damaged other people, led people to question her sincerity, her capacity to be the person she presents herself--at times--to be.
For me, she's almost a case study in what celebrity does to someone, the give and take of what she already was before she bumped up against Prince Harry and the RF, how that shaped her and so on. What I find frustrating is that we really only get a two dimensional view of how SHE has been the perfect one, the one who either was a champion for women's rights (or whatever cause she was espousing that week) or was a martyr to the cause. It's a very "flat", as I said two dimensional, front and back view but interestingly, both views paint Meghan in a very favorable way. No warts. We all have warts.
Carole looks great! Eye roll for Meghan. I didn’t watch but everyone is talking so much about the, “I would ask people to tell the truth,” part that nobody mentioned this previously unmentioned grandfather with the antique store.
If I were the podcast host, the comment "I would ask people to tell the truth", begs the question..."and what is the truth?" Obviously, it wouldn't evoke a truthful response because eight years and countless interviews later, more questions than answers arise. I don't think even Meghan knows what her truth is anymore and if the goal of this PR strategy is to paint a picture of Meghan as she wants people to see her, it is fast becoming a very watered down, blurry picture. In that regard she reminds me of a chalk drawing on a sidewalk, pretty for the moment, but fleeting, something that has to constantly be redrawn, and certainly not everlasting, or 'as ever'. It makes me think that Meghan would be an exhausting person to be around.
I saw the host made a follow up comment video where she praised Meghan to the nth degree. How focused, how she's made her brand so personal, etc., etc....
Also it was essentially a non-answer, making sure to avoid any responsibility for how things have played out. The question was about what SHE would do differently, and she basically said that other people needed to do things differently.
I think Meghan should stop doing any kind of interviews until she gets her story straight. She shoots herself in the foot every single time.
Just checked on As Ever. The only new product is Apricot Spread (all else the same), and teasing the launch of a (apricot?) rosé “just in time for summer entertaining”…but is not actually available yet.
Pretty underwhelming. Interesting she’s getting into wine? I’m assuming it’s a partnership with her fruit being part of it because they don’t have a vineyard, to my knowledge.
Raspberry spread wasn’t even in this drop, it is just “coming soon” and it’s been 40 min and things are selling out again. For what? It’s the same old, but with one different product. It seems rushed.
All those 14 year old girls buying.... I wonder if the products that are "sold out" haven't been restocked? Like the honey. And the tea. I noticed that the new Apricot Spread in the Keepsake Box is sold out but you can still get the regular Apricot Spread. My yoga teacher has been bringing in apricots from her trees the past couple of weeks, so delicious!
I first looked within about 10 min of the launch. Everything except the “keepsake” apricot spread was available (that was already sold out), besides the raspberry spread, which was clearly not restocked and marked as “coming soon”. So yes, they were restocked, but no one will ever know how much was restocked.
Just looked again and everything is all sold out. I have a hard time believing these are not small restocks. How in-demand can these super-basic, overpriced products be??
I wonder what the average run on a small producer is? Where does she manufacture? I asked Google AI about "small scale jam manufacturing" but of course there was no real number because we don't know what Meghan's target revenue is. If she has a target revenue. And who does she need to pay? Does she go through one distributor who factors costs of bottles, tops, cooking, etc., etc...., into it all? Does she actually provide the fruit and flowers? She'd have to source flour for her pancake mix and, the wine business is something else too. Or does she use more than one distributor for the food side? I would actually be very interested to know the nuts and bolts of her operations because I was in and out of retail production and selling many years ago. It's a really fascinating journey, starting up that kind of business and THAT would make an interesting Netflix series.
Just had a look and only the apricot is sold out from what I can see. I can’t imagine it’ll be easy to keep shifting flower sprinkles after the initial enthusiasm of the first launch from her followers, even they surely don’t want/need any more.
I just finished the podcast. I can't wait to hear your take on it.
I was not so much surprised that Kate pull out of Ascot at the last minute, as that the KP comms team have not yet learned how to handle announcements about her health better. And that means making the call earlier rather than later. All I can think is that Kate really wanted to attend especially with so many of her people there, and thought she could soldier through. We have all done that.
Honestly the fact that so many were there is why I’m starting to be a bit more concerned. But I’m also an extrovert and would attend a party on my deathbed if possible. But I know I’m also looking at this through the lens of a relative nobody. As Jane pointed out in another letter, I think Kate does know when she is going to be torn apart by the interwebs and it troubles her (as it would and does anyone) and she just wasn’t prepared to be PEAK KATE and look and act perfect today. It’s a bummer for us watchers but I get it at the same time.
It sounds like between the heat and multiple other public events she’s playing to safe. Like Jane said before the fact that Carole is there on point and not skipping a beat reassures us that Kate “is fine” and just taking it easy with the children. At least that’s what I tell myself for reassurance that all is well