NYT: The ‘majority’ of British people are ‘fed up’ with Duchess Meghan
NYT: The ‘majority’ of British people are ‘fed up’ with Duchess Meghan
Over the weekend, the New York Times published a story about the Duchess of Sussex and the Mail on Sunday’s appeal hearing. The original headline was “Meghan’s Image, Battered in Britain’s Tabloids, Thrives in US.” They changed it to: “For Meghan, an Image Rendered in a U.K.-U.S. Split Screen.” I wonder why! Could it be that even the NYT pulls their punches about just who “hates” Meghan and batters her? They also pulled their punches with the sub-head: “She has re-emerged in America as a formidable A-list celebrity and social activist. In Britain, however, Meghan remains a polarizing figure.” Ah, yes. A polarizing figure. A quaint term for “the victim of one of the most vile character assassinations of the past twenty years.” Some highlights from this NYT story:
Polarizing: In Britain, however, Meghan remains a polarizing figure. She is admired by some, particularly the young, for having brought a breath of fresh air into the musty House of Windsor, but reviled by many others, not least the tabloids, which cite her misstatement as evidence of a broader pattern of duplicity and manipulative behavior.
Penny Junor speaks: “The majority of people are fed up, to the back of the teeth, with them,” said Penny Junor, a royal historian. “They said they wanted privacy, but then they never stopped looking for attention. And now, all these months later, we’ve had this discovery that she’s been lying to the court, or failing to remember.” None of this particularly matters in the United States, Ms. Junor was quick to acknowledge. If anything, the split-screen images of the past week have vindicated the couple’s decision to leave the realm behind.
Injecting herself into politics! Harry and Meghan have been able to control their image much more effectively in the United States than in the tabloid-dominated British media. She has injected herself into the American political debate in a way that would have been inconceivable in Britain, where members of the royal family scrupulously avoid politics.
On successful women: “We tolerate success in this country, but we don’t celebrate it,” Ms. Junor said. “In America, they glorify success.”
Imagine “tolerating” successful people. Imagine your national characteristic being described as “tolerant of success.” Anyway, in case anyone needed reminding, what happened in the UK last week was absolutely bonkers. The Mail on Sunday couldn’t just take the L and walk away, and neither could Prince William, Duchess Kate or Jason Knauf. The future-future king authorized one of his closest aides to turn over curated “evidence” to help a right-wing British tabloid smear and attack his sister-in-law. It was especially crazy to see all of those dusty, angry, success-tolerating people obsess over a woman who left that country in March 2020.
Photos courtesy of Getty.