General News about the Sussex Family, Part One: May 2019 - March 2020

[carlota]

so now we know one of archie's godparents! mark dyer, along with tiggy legge bourke. apparently charlie van straubenzee is also a godparent and that was published some months ago, according to this article: https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/19/arch...led-prince-harrys-childhood-nannies-12083889/

Harry and William’s former nanny, Tiggy Pettifer, and Mark Dyer, the boys’ minder, were reportedly asked to be godmother and godfather to the newborn ahead of his christening last July. Their identities, revealed in The Sunday Times, had been kept tightly under wraps. Harry’s friend Charlie van Straubenzee was the only known godparent to Archie, who has stayed in Canada with his parents since November.


Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/19/arch...arrys-childhood-nannies-12083889/?ito=cbshare

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MetroUK | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MetroUK/

 

[Countessmeout]

As I said above, I agree to disagree with how many times she's been seen.

I also don't know of any private visits where the charity has released pictures of the visiting royal afterwards, and it not count as an engagement. Perhaps with Eugenie and Beatrice, but photographs were normally released by their own personal social media accounts. Neither of the visits Meghan has done were on behalf of the royal family, so to me it's not what happens with royals everyday.

There have been photos of Meghan at private visits when she was still in the UK which got released by someone there. Same goes for Kate and the husbands. That is how we usually learn about these so called private visits, someone at the location gives information. And at times photos.

so now we know one of archie's godparents! mark dyer, along with tiggy legge bourke. apparently charlie van straubenzee is also a godparent and that was published some months ago, according to this article: https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/19/arch...led-prince-harrys-childhood-nannies-12083889/

No confirmation, just more speculation. Charlie was never confirmed. Just rumors been around for months.

He had dinner with mark. Nothing shocking there. Doesn't mean he us godfather. May very well be but not confirmation.

 

[Zonk]

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[Lumutqueen]

The Duchess of Sussex has been photographed out in Canada with her son Archie.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1219388713555386368

 

[HereditaryPrincess]

It looks like the paparazzi photoshoots will increase given the massive coverage of the Canadian move. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[Countessmeout]

I hate the headline...not avoiding cameras

What does one expect her to do, hide away in the house she never leave heaven forbid she take her son and dog for a walk.

 

[Pranter]

I hate the headline...not avoiding cameras

What does one expect her to do, hide away in the house she never leave heaven forbid she take her son and dog for a walk.

I'm already rolling my eyes at the 'she calls the paps' nonsense. They know they are going to get pics taken, that was never the issue, they never said anything about expecting the media to never look at them or talk about them or take pics of them.

We know even in the middle of nowhere (poor Kate) those long lenses can get pics of you.

It is interesting that The Sun posted it...one of the tabloids being sued right? I wonder if it was a pap or a private person (cell phone pic) that took the pic.



LaRae

 

[soapstar]

It looks like the paparazzi photoshoots will increase given the massive coverage of the Canadian move. I hope I'm wrong.

I’m with you. Unfortunately I don’t think they’ll be left alone and we’ll be seeing more pap photos in the years come. Especially if Meghan and Harry spend time in Los Angeles where the paps are all over the place.

 

[Betsypaige]

I can’t speak for Canada, but paparazzi in America are brutal, notorious...Real newspapers won’t cover them as in the UK, but tabloids will, and they’re shameless. Didn’t the U.K. media essentially agree not to cover William and Harry? That would never happen here in America. I remember Chelsea Clinton being mocked for being awkwardly preteen -

 

[Denville]

I can’t speak for Canada, but paparazzi in America are brutal, notorious...Real newspapers won’t cover them as in the UK, but tabloids will, and they’re shameless. Didn’t the U.K. media essentially agree not to cover William and Harry? That would never happen here in America. I remember Chelsea Clinton being mocked for being awkwardly preteen -

THey only did so in the wake of Diana's death, when they were shamed into it.. they agreed to leave Wil and Harry alone while they were at school/college.. and by and large did so.

 

[soapstar]

There is still an agreement in place. Although it’s only for certain things. Like they didn’t publish the photos of Kate from Closer and the photos of Harry in Vegas (although I believe one publication did break that agreement). There is also an agreement not to photograph William and Kate when they’re dropping off/picking up their kids from school.


Victoria Arbiter on the new photos of Meghan:

@Victoria Arbiter
Amazing, Hugh. Pre-January 8th, photos like this never would have been allowed in the UK.

So I guess since they are no longer working royals, the UK papers are allowed to publish these type of pap photos now.

 

[Eskimo]

I can’t speak for Canada, but paparazzi in America are brutal, notorious...Real newspapers won’t cover them as in the UK, but tabloids will, and they’re shameless. Didn’t the U.K. media essentially agree not to cover William and Harry? That would never happen here in America. I remember Chelsea Clinton being mocked for being awkwardly preteen -

Given the smile, it is clear that someone does not have a problem with people taking pictures of her going about her business as a private citizen. Hypocrisy much?

This keeps getting worse. People are claiming that the pictures were taken by Splash News, an agency that celebrities call when they want to be papped for positive PR

 

[Jacknch]

I hate the headline...not avoiding cameras

What does one expect her to do, hide away in the house she never leave heaven forbid she take her son and dog for a walk.

I totally agree - it's one thing to be photographed when out in a public space (and that element I hope is more often than not unobtrusive), the problem lies with how the photograph is portrayed as can be seen in the article.

It is good to see Meghan looking well and relaxed.

 

[HighGoalHighDreams]

Yes, this will be a major change and adjustment, particularly for Harry, who has enjoyed protection from this for the greater part of his life.

Carefully brokered deals with the Palace have protected William and Harry from paparazzi intrusion for most of their lives, with small breaks. They were protected by a formal agreement from all but major stories until they were finished with their education. Then there was a brief frenzy before each entered the workforce (Harry in the army and William as a rescue pilot), where they would get mobbed and pictures would be published when they were out, mostly at night... but since they have become full-time working Royals, they have once again been allowed to go about their day-to-day lives, by and large, without being bothered. The Palace makes deals that control this very, very well.

Now all bets are off, and Harry will be in a position he has not been in for greater than a decade: the subject of uncontrolled tabloid frenzy. This makes me sad for him, and I wish him the best.

 

[SOS]

If Harry thought leaving the royal family would protect his family, he is mistaken. Famous celebrities like Taylor Swift or Beyoncé have no normal life. It's a whole other level than other celebrities, and I think Harry and Meghan are almost as famous as they are. Very famous celebrities rarely leave their houses. When they travel they use motorcades and private jets. Paparazzi track their private jets and follow them from the airport. If Harry and Meghan want any privacy, they should not go to Los Angeles or New York.

 

[DuchessMia]

She looks good. Archie is a big boy. Wish I could see the pups, but I’m not giving the Sun clicks.

 

[rominet09]

So happy to see these pix, I shouldn't as they were taken by paparazzi but….

 

[O-H Anglophile]

May be total coincidence (and I hope it is), but interesting timing on the paparazzi photo.

 

[LadyGlendower]

May be total coincidence (and I hope it is), but interesting timing on the paparazzi photo.

Oh...I think this was intentional. That smile does not look in the least like she was caught off guard. More like "Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my closeup"

 

[texankitcat]

May be total coincidence (and I hope it is), but interesting timing on the paparazzi photo.

She looks awfully happy to be photographed with her son. I thought They left the U.K. so they could have privacy and protect their son. These two really are their own worst PR.

 

[camelot23ca]

Yes, this will be a major change and adjustment, particularly for Harry, who has enjoyed protection from this for the greater part of his life.

Carefully brokered deals with the Palace have protected William and Harry from paparazzi intrusion for most of their lives, with small breaks. They were protected by a formal agreement from all but major stories until they were finished with their education. Then there was a brief frenzy before each entered the workforce (Harry in the army and William as a rescue pilot), where they would get mobbed and pictures would be published when they were out, mostly at night... but since they have become full-time working Royals, they have once again been allowed to go about their day-to-day lives, by and large, without being bothered. The Palace makes deals that control this very, very well.

Now all bets are off, and Harry will be in a position he has not been in for greater than a decade: the subject of uncontrolled tabloid frenzy. This makes me sad for him, and I wish him the best.

I think there may be an uncontrolled frenzy for awhile but all stories get old eventually, if the people involved let them. No one is so inherently fascinating that they can’t be left in peace the majority of the time. Even the furor surrounding Diana was the result of the never ending dramas in her life combined with her deliberately courting the press when she thought it would be helpful.

There are mid-level celebrities covered by the US press all the time. And there are celebrities whose fame dwarfs that of Harry and Meghan who you rarely see unless they’ve got a movie to promote.

I think whether Harry and Meghan are eventually left alone will depend on what kind of work they plan to pursue and what PR strategy they use to help them attain their goal of a more private life. There are teams in NY and LA whose area of expertise is helping people attain the right kind of attention when they’ve got a project to promote, while minimizing attention at all other times. I imagine the first rule of this strategy would be to make sure both your words AND your actions match up with your stated goal.

 

[Betsypaige]

She looks awfully happy to be photographed with her son. I thought They left the U.K. so they could have privacy and protect their son. These two really are their own worst PR.

She's an actress.....she loves the media attention to her as a personality and as to her career; what she doesn't like is the media attention to her life, which - in her position - she's going to have to deal with.

Archie doesn't look very comfortable.......

 

[texankitcat]

She's an actress.....she loves the media attention to her as a personality and as to her career; what she doesn't like is the media attention to her life, which - in her position - she's going to have to deal with.

Archie doesn't look very comfortable.......

In other words she wants attention on her terms, which in her position isn’t going to be possible.

 

[Jacknch]

Let's move on please - this thread is not a platform to re-hash what seems to have been said endlessly on the "Stepping Back" thread.

Further, let's not create speculation as to what Meghan's thoughts were or intentions could be in terms of courting attention whilst outdoors.

 

[dorop]

Given the smile, it is clear that someone does not have a problem with people taking pictures of her going about her business as a private citizen. Hypocrisy much?

This keeps getting worse. People are claiming that the pictures were taken by Splash News, an agency that celebrities call when they want to be papped for positive PR

This was my immediate thought. If she didn't call them, she certainly doesn't seem to mind being photographed. Every pic we've seen in Canada has a broad smile.

 

[katie.c]

The video is...awkward - so much more awkward than the photos.

I wish one of her security could've helped her with the carrier's shoulder strap that has completely fallen off her.

 

[TLLK]

It looks like the paparazzi photoshoots will increase given the massive coverage of the Canadian move. I hope I'm wrong.

Yes I believe that you are correct. I believe that there will be an increase in paparazzi style photos of the Sussexes now that they're out of the UK.


While I am pleased that Meghan is not hiding away, I was under the impression that this was exactly the type of situation that they were trying to escape from in Great Britain.

 

[Zaira]

I think Meghan was more smiling because she was talking to Archie..in the video she is clearly looking down and talking to him. Very sweet mama moment. Archie is VERY big now! He has grown so much. Also our first sighting of their second dog and our first sighting of Little Guy in well over 2 years.

And in general, just like how Kate would often smile when being photographed or other royal ladies, I think time, place, and manner matter a lot. Pictures on occasion and taken respectfully probably wouldn't bother Meghan at least. Pictures taken constantly, with rude words shouted, at close range or in dangerous situations, or in private places are one thing.

But Meghan being snapped on a public trail, well there isn't much she can do so might as well go on with it. She would have to call the paps like some want to accuse since they have been camping out all over Vancouver and near their rental from what some friends have said. One of my besties said their usually isn't this much media in Vancouver!

 

[Somebody]

I think Meghan was more smiling because she was talking to Archie..in the video she is clearly looking down and talking to him. Very sweet mama moment. Archie is VERY big now! He has grown so much. Also our first sighting of their second dog and our first sighting of Little Guy in well over 2 years.

And in general, just like how Kate would often smile when being photographed or other royal ladies, I think time, place, and manner matter a lot. Pictures on occasion and taken respectfully probably wouldn't bother Meghan at least. Pictures taken constantly, with rude words shouted, at close range or in dangerous situations, or in private places are one thing.

But Meghan being snapped on a public trail, well there isn't much she can do so might as well go on with it. She would have to call the paps like some want to accuse since they have been camping out all over Vancouver and near their rental from what some friends have said. One of my besties said their usually isn't this much media in Vancouver!

When did that happen? As someone pointed out in one of the topics. On their engagements they have encountered lots of enthusiasm everywhere they went. It might have happened a few times but their reception by the public (and the photographers on those engagements) has been overwhelmingly positive. So, I assume that wasn't the reason for their recent actions.

 

[Zaira]

When did that happen? As someone pointed out in one of the topics. On their engagements they have encountered lots of enthusiasm everywhere they went. It might have happened a few times but their reception by the public (and the photographers on those engagements) has been overwhelmingly positive. So, I assume that wasn't the reason for their recent actions.

I was speaking in the abstract, not about a particular instance.

And I don't think they have ever had an issue with photographers or at least not since the engagement. But what some refuse to see (and what is off topic for this thread) is that media can still be intrusive, bullying and abusive even if you are not physically being chased by photographers.

Edited to add: of course the tabloids (Sun I believe) did hire a drone to take photographs of their Cotswold home including photos through windows that showed details. That was one instance of intrusive photographer behavior.