Prince Harry (UK) III

[ourdaisy]

Aug 13, 2024 12:15:29 GMT -4 mandasant said:

Josh Kettler, H&M's chief of staff, has resigned after 3 months.

Spinal Tap drummers have more job security

[royalwave]

At some point they are going to have a hard time attracting quality candidates, if it hasn't started to happen already. I imagine everyone they employ has to sign a pretty strict nondisclosure agreement, but still...word gets around. Working for Archewell and/or the Sussexes is where your dreams, and quite possibly your soul, go to die.

At what point does the house of cards completely crumble to the ground? I mean...how long can they go on like this with project ideas that don't come to fruition, horrendous staff attrition, and a general sense of malaise hanging in the air and visible on Harry's countenance at every appearance? If the cooking show doesn't end up airing, is that effectively the end? Or when will various countries with questionable leadership stop inviting them to come on tours? Have the awards dried up yet? It is CRAZY how long they have managed to keep the charade of their lives as world-changers and influential philanthropists chugging along. It has to be hanging by its final thread now, right? Pretty please?

[gremlin45]

We are no longer debating facts, says Harry in Colombia.

Well, Harry should know allllll about that!

[Ladybug]

This follow-up article from the BBC gives you a little more insight into how tightly Harry and Meghan are controlling the narrative of this "tour."

At another event at a percussion school on the beach, though, most of the people enjoying the sunshine seemed unfazed - despite the heavy armed military presence and gaggle of journalists.

That may be, in part, because much of this tour - including the events - were very private and controlled. These strict controls are often very typical of all royal tours too.

The couple and government only allowed their own videographers and photographers into most of the events which they say was to make sure events were represented “accurately”.

Footage was released daily, with no sound.

They took with them only one “pool” reporter from Harper’s Bazaar who released daily updates to the media about what they were doing, copying in their spokespeople and publicity team.

The BBC chose not to rely on this material alone, as we could not be present to verify what was said and described, but we were able to attend the summit and watch some events from the sidelines.

If only William and Catherine had had this idea for their "disastrous" Caribbean tour, they wouldn't have had articles in mainstream British newspapers questioning the purpose of their tour, criticizing the optics of their events, and calling them 'out of touch royals'! D'oh! What a missed opportunity to become an authoritarian, William. It's almost like a free press is there to hold powerful people and public figures accountable. Imagine that.

Daily Mail reports that security for this trip costs £1.5m, which is paid for by Colombia. The vice president who invited them (she is reportedly a fan of their Netflix soap opera) has already had two assassination attempts made on her. She's being criticized for using her office to invite two of her favorite celebrities to hang out with her for the weekend.

[Auroranorth]

I was wondering what level of hot mess we'd get on this faux-royal tour.

[canuckcutie]

I think it’s hilarious that they tried to recreate a press pool by anointing one reporter from Harper’s Bazaar….. Their behaviour just emphasizes that the issue they had all along with the media was that they couldn’t control the press and only force them to write positive things about them. Now they can do just that!

In Nigeria they took along a People magazine reporter which did pay off in terms of several fluff articles. I wonder if that reporter didn’t get invited back or just didn’t want to do another tour?

Curious if Colombia will see a return on the money spent to host the Sussexes. Archewell & Invictus aren’t exactly flush with cash so I don’t think either organization will be sending much money Colombia’s way. It’ll be a brief blip in terms the press and then what? Given their own handpicked press following them around can we look forward to another Netflix Sussex docu-series on their charitable endeavours?

[tiggertoo]

Was there ever any stated purpose for this trip? Seems like just another grift.

They’ve really come full circle in their approach to the press. They didn’t like the royal rota, who were controlled by the royal family or vice versa. Or they were all in bed together. I never quite figured out who was the problem there. They wanted to highlight grassroots journalists, of which People and Harpers Bazaar are shining examples. They didn’t mind criticism from the media, as long as it was fair. And now it’s a total stranglehold on what is reported and who is permitted to report. Do they even see what they’re becoming? It’s very authoritarian to try to control the media. Oh and let’s not forget,they would no longer speak to the press on background, ‘sources close to the couple say”, etc. That seemed to last for a good twenty minutes or so.

[featherhat]

The purpose of this trip seems to be to pretend that they are working royals with the HIHO they always wanted (again) and for self promotion. The Vice President of Columbia seems to be using it for meeting them and (a bit of) promotion of Columbia as a place to visit.

I doubt Archewell or Invictus will be sending much, maybe they "partnered" with firms to send a box of diapers again or something. More likely they'd be looking for others to put money into their ventures than the other way around.

There doesn't seem to have been much coverage in the UK, there's too much else going on, even though it's summer. The usual puff pieces on fashion etc but even Hannah Furness who has been a fan of them preferred to cover William's beard as a top story and then a piece on locals claiming the government is using the visit to try and hide Columbia's many problems to the world.

It doesn't seem to have gained much interest in Columbia either according to that BBC article. I think also the Spanish Royal Family tends to be more well known and followed in South America. Has anyone noticed much interest in the US?

[chitowngirl]

I only knew they were in Colombia because of the crack reporting team here!

[Auroranorth]

Tom and Lorenzo are covering it with their usual sycophantic gush about how great the Sussexes are. But I had to go look at their site (bailed on it years ago) so outside of them and a few other stans, I'm not seeing much coverage other than people pointing out that they are basically whitewashing Colombia's many problems.