The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Family, News and Events 10: August 2024 -

[fabaunty]

A few years ago, a prominent British politician was asked about how he felt about his negative press. He said that it came with the job. He stated that he chose to go into a public role and freedom of the press is a big part of that.

If this Sussex couple is going to keep themselves in the public eye, lecturing the world about their myriad fashionable topics, they would do well to develop a thicker skin.

Totally agree , I would also add , to protect your mental health , do not read online sites about yourself etc . Sorry that is a very dark slope to go down . I seem to recall the duchess saying she did not do so for that reason . Well I have my doubts about that , certainly the duke seems to read them .

 

[Alison H]

Curryong, most of your posts are lovely. I just struggle to understand your attacks on the British press just because they aren't constantly praising Meghan and Harry. Hope to see you back here soon.

And I agree that people in the public eye need to ignore some of what's written about them. Someone posted on a friend's Facebook page recently that they wished Joan Collins would die. What harm has Joan Collins ever done anyone?! And some of the things written about politicians are horrendous. As much as Liz Truss made a mess of being Prime Minister, I admire her for carrying on in public life even after being completely ridiculed for lasting a shorter time than a lettuce!

 

[fabaunty]

What , what in heavens name has Dame Joan Collins done to deserve such a wish !!!! . and this is why, this is the only "social media" platform I am on . Yes we do not all agree , but we are civil , we in general concede that our fellow posters are entitled to have a different point of view , if they grant us the same consideration . This is why our Moderators are so important . People in the Public eye generally have staff to run interference for them , yes if something is reported that is a lie they should act , but no one needs to read the troll's , great to get positive feedback , but life is too short to focus only on the negative online . The duke and duchess should instead focus on the positives in their lives .

 

[Fem]

Thank you for linking the Telegraph article! I've linked an archived version.

Where's Meghan? Why Harry is going it alone

archived 2 Oct 2024 12:55:26 UTC

archive.ph

IMO he's on a drive to try and make himself popular again, and he's realised he's better off - professionally at least - going it alone. Trouble is, he's offended and upset a huge number of people, especially here in the UK, and they won't forget what he has done in the past - and neither should they. It's a major trust issue. Some people are all too keen to sweep everything under the carpet and say it happened "years ago", but that's missing the point in my view.

It's not a bad idea to create a distance there - Sussexes can have Harry for all the charity work and fundraising and Meghan for the business side of things (that is, if any of her ventures will ever succeed). This way they both will be continuing to work in the fields they feel the most comfortable in.

One of the quotes from the Telegraph article very much caught my attention:
“He might have finally appreciated he is far more powerful on his own without the distraction of Meghan as Diana was without Charles.”
For all the comparisons Harry made about his wife and his late mother being alike, it seems that indeed things are going much better for him without her... Even the response to his Africa quasi-tour/visit has been generally a positive one, as opposed to some that they made together.

 

[Curryong]

Meghan Markle Partners with Oprah Winfrey and Melinda French Gates to Back Digital Wellness Initiative for Young Girls

On Oct. 11, which marks International Day of the Girl, Meghan Markle announced her support of a new partnership with Oprah Winfrey and Melinda French Gates to provide digital wellness programming for young girls in underserved communities across America.

people.com

 

[moby]

Meghan Markle Partners with Oprah Winfrey and Melinda French Gates to Back Digital Wellness Initiative for Young Girls

On Oct. 11, which marks International Day of the Girl, Meghan Markle announced her support of a new partnership with Oprah Winfrey and Melinda French Gates to provide digital wellness programming for young girls in underserved communities across America.

people.com

I checked the source of the PR and it seems People put a spin on this news, and made it all about Meghan partnering with Oprah and Melinda Gates to support an initiative. This is grossly misleading.

Here's the link to the original PR from #HalfTheStory: Girls Inc. and #HalfTheStory Announce National Education Partnership to Support Girls' Healthy Relationships with Technology

From the said PR, all emphasis mine:
Funding for this program was supported by Pivotal, a Melinda French Gates organization, and follows Melinda French Gates' $1 billion commitment to women and girls. The partnership also received backing from The Archewell Foundation, co-founded by Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, which named #HalfTheStory to its Responsible Technology Youth Power Fund in 2023. This follows The Duchess' visit to Girls Inc. of Greater Santa Barbara, where she engaged with young women on the importance of empowerment and responsible technology.

Additionally, after #HalfTheStory was included in an Oprah Daily "Life You Want" episode focused on the teen mental health crisis this past May, the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation made a contribution to support this new initiative.

Not only is it not a collaboration among the three organisations, it seems only Archewell didn't make a monetary contribution, while Pivotal donated 1 billion and Oprah "made a contribution" for an undisclosed amount.

What I find even more odd is Archewell mentioning the other two organizations in its own PR, which reads:
In celebration of International Day of the Girl, The Archewell Foundation, Pivotal Ventures, and the Oprah Winfrey Charitable Foundation announced their contributions to support a partnership between Girls Inc. and #HalfTheStory, aimed at providing digital wellness programming for young girls in underserved communities across America. This new educational initiative will equip girls with the essential tools to thrive in the digital age while fostering healthier, more balanced relationships with technology.

Archewell is not the press office of the other two organizations, why include them in their PR? That goes against practice as ordinarily you make your organization the central focus. Unless the intention was to make it seem like there was indeed a collaboration, to attach itself specifically to Oprah and Melinda Gates' organisations for legitimacy. Enter... the People article and most likely other, similar articles which would now put in its title, Meghan first, Oprah second, and poor Melinda Gates who donated a billion is placed last...

A more truthful article would read,"MM, Oprah, Melinda Gates, announce support for so and so" and then in the body, specifically mention that the organizations made their respective contributions in support of the partnership between Girls, Inc. and #HalfTheStory. An even better article would have led with "Girls, Inc. and #HalfTheStory Secure $1 Billion Donation from Melinda Gates, with further Support from Markle and Oprah." LOL