Here's my annual photo of Olga with the daffodils at Fortune Green. I think they look a little sparse this year. The leaf-tips are singed brown, too. Maybe the cold got to them a few weeks back? You'd think daffodils would be hardier than that.
I haven't yet waded into the whole Harry and Meghan thing, because I don't care that much and I didn't watch the interview, so I didn't see any of their comments first-hand -- only read about them. But I will say that I'm suspicious of them and their motives. At the risk of sounding like Piers Morgan (who, for the record, is a jerk), it seems odd to flee the painful life of a royal and all the attendant publicity and then go on Oprah for a huge blockbuster interview to drop a bunch of public bombs on the royal family -- especially with Prince Philip in the hospital and the Queen in her 94th year.
On the other hand, some of what they said is quite shocking. I don't doubt that they're being truthful or that there are racist tendencies within certain quarters of Buckingham Palace. Obviously no one should be subjected to racism of any kind. But I wonder about context and whether we're getting the full story. My reporter's sense tells me that we're not.
Frankly, they both seem a little spoiled. Obviously Harry knows how all this works better than I do, but my take on it is that being a royal is hard work. You don't entirely own yourself or your time -- the country does. That's why you've been set up in grand palaces and given security and, yes, that's why you're subjected to scrutiny and criticism. It's part of the job. Meghan seemed poised to resist this life almost from the very beginning, and I'm not sure why she was so miserable. Didn't she see it coming? Why did she marry Harry if she wasn't prepared for the task? Why didn't Harry better prepare her?
I don't know. I'm sure if I were within the palace walls I might have a different understanding. (And, as I said, I didn't watch the interview, so maybe I'd feel differently if I did.) But it seems very telling to me that Harry and Meghan have alienated almost everyone in both of their families. They seem to want to become a highly fortified island with a population of four. Archie and his sister seem destined to lead relatively lonely lives.
The other day, after I mentioned the foxes tearing up my daffodil stakes, I set up the garden cam in an effort to catch them in the act. I moved it around to different locations but I wasn't successful. I've found that the camera doesn't work well in open areas -- its infrared capabilities don't penetrate far enough into the darkness. I did catch some foxes meandering around our still-leafless fig tree, though, and one came right up to the camera to give it a swat before running off and leaping over the fence. (You won't see it but you'll hear it.) There's some other garden wildlife too -- squirrels and a pair of amorous (I think?) pigeons. Enjoy!
The daylight segment had the look of a Disney film. I kept expecting to see Cinderella come dancing across the screen.
ReplyDeleteStarring Olga as Snow White! (She would eat the birds, though.)
DeleteIf Harry was going to marry an American, he should have picked you rather than Meghan Steve! With your intimate knowledge of English ways you would have fitted into The Royal Family with consummate ease. However, I suspect that Prince Philip would have objected to your stubborn use of the term "sidewalk".
ReplyDeleteYP, isn't it great that Steve, on his blog and the measured handling of his commentators, has such a calming influence. He reminds me of an amazing teacher of mine (Latin) who had a quiet authority over his students; he commanded respect without resorting to draconian measures. On the few occasions he showed a vague disapproval we were mortified.
DeleteWhat brought on the above? Well, considering how you have trashed the Sussexes everywhere else, including your own blog (those knitted dolls truly tasteful), here, on Steve's blog, you are a model of constraint. Hope you are not bursting at the seams.
U
Well, I think Harry SHOULD have married me, but there's no accounting for taste. (Also, Dave might have objected.)
DeleteYou ask some poignant questions. One of mine is: What are they trying to achieve? For reasons not clear to me various factions of the public took a dislike to Markel almost from the word go. It's a myth that the media don't like her. They love her. She, her very existence, feeds them that which feeds them. Ratings! Ratings fed by animosity, shit mongering, gossip. And, oh dear, don't some of like to be scandalized. Kerching!
ReplyDeleteIf Markel's aim is to improve the public's approval rating, worm her way into the British heart, that boat has sailed. If she were my sister I'd say: When in a hole stop digging. Not, of course, that her deranged father helps by releasing private correspondence to the press and now says he'll continue to do so till she speaks to him again. Well, Papa Markel (coercion at its finest), if you were my father you could keep doing so till your dying day. In the end, our actions reflect on us, no one else. On a personal note: I am not in the public eye, neither is my family. But boy oh boy oh boy, the damage that can be done by just a bit of spreading half informed shit here, sprinkled with jealousy there, misinterpreted by others, sides being taken or, as the Queen said, "recollections may vary". Indeed. Not "may". They do. Mayhem ensues. In no time at all a family will fall apart. People not talking to each other. If my wider family, family of origin, were under scrutiny of the public eye, splashed all over the pages, I'd move to the Faroe Islands under a false name wearing a wig and affecting a limp or a hunchback or something to make me unrecognizable. What I am trying to say, we are dealing with people. Forget the titles, forget the pomp and glory, in the end we are all human. With all the joy and pain that entails. Which, neatly, brings me back to my original question: What are the Sussexes hoping to achieve?
U
Exactly -- what's the point of all this, except to create embarrassment for the royal family? Meghan says she wants to defend her reputation, but she seems awfully thin-skinned. Who cares what the tabloids write? And doesn't this just stir the controversy and create even more?
DeleteMoving to the Faroes with a wig sounds kind of fantastic, actually.
I think the two of them rushed into the marriage, and if MM was as naive about her future husband and in-laws as she claims to have been (which I don't believe for a minute) then even more reason to wait. She strikes me as spoiled, entitled, and demanding, and I don't think she gave her new life in the UK even half a chance. Also, some of her claims sound like hogwash to me, for instance her claims that they took her passport, took her license, and made her feel trapped and unable to get help. Well, if all that's true, what about the posh baby shower she flew to New York for while she was pregnant with Archie? I think Harry truly loves her, and I think she's emotionally manipulating him with reminding him of his mother's death at every turn. In three short years he's given up EVERYTHING for her, and she's given up nothing. It's also telling that no one aside from her mother has any kind of long term relationship with her.....not her father, siblings, no aunts, uncles, cousins....all of her friends seem to be celebrities, not long term friends who are regular people. Oprah, for instance, hadn't even met Meghan when she attended the wedding! All of this seems telling to me. I wish them luck. And if they want the private life they keep whining about, why don't they disappear and get on with it? Why continue to court publicity? Just my two cents.
ReplyDeleteYou've made me feel much better because I was afraid I was being overly harsh! LOL! But I agree 100 percent. I don't think Meghan wanted to be a royal and she has basically demanded a full retreat, except when she can get on Oprah and make her case. And I agree about her family -- which is the point I was trying to make too. Anyone who has burned so many bridges, well, there's a reason. I hope they're happy but I'm afraid Harry (at least) may come to regret this situation.
DeleteSeconding the opinions of both of you.
DeleteOne thing we can be sure of- none of us will ever truly know.
ReplyDeleteThat is for sure. I fully accept that my opinions are those of a moderately informed outsider and may be completely incorrect.
DeleteI think with all the racist press Meghan was given, and the silence on the part of The Firm, Harry and Meghan chose to leave for their family, and to that I say Good on them.
ReplyDeleteI think the interview was just a way to get their story out since the press had speculated so wildly.
I think it's always worthwhile to examine the media (and any institutions) for evidence of structural racism. But some of what Harry and Meghan have alleged as racist coverage doesn't seem that racist, honestly. There was one article specifically ABOUT racist tweets aimed at Meghan by a right-wing political figure, but it didn't support that person. A more legitimate argument could be made about an article about Meghan and her "baby bump" that definitely carried a more negative tone than similar coverage of Kate's pregnancy. But overall I saw very little evidence of negative or racist feeling on the part of the press or the British public when Harry became engaged to Meghan and when he married her. People seemed to like her.
DeleteI saw an article comparing Meghan coverage to Kate coverage and Oprah showed some of the headlines about Meghan. They were shockingly cruel. Kate and Meghan had the same flowers in their wedding bouquets. A headline said Meghan endangered Charlotte' life with her flowers and showed a photo of the child sneezing! That's nuts.
DeleteThat DOES sound nuts. I read about the flower controversy. They would only be dangerous if the kid ate them, which seems unlikely in such a scrutinized setting!
DeleteI didn't watch the interview. I really know nothing about any of this other than seeing the crazy headlines.
ReplyDeleteNice to see Olga among the daffodils.
At least she wasn't trampling them, for a change!
DeleteThere is certainly a lot of activity in your garden. It makes me wonder what I missed when I had that big back garden. There might have been all kinds of activity going on that I didn't know about.
ReplyDeleteYour comments on the royal crisis are pretty close to my thoughts. I have a feeling that Harry was pretty damaged by his mother's problems. After all, he was still pretty young when things started going very badly in his parents marriage. I'm sure he was exposed to many things that would turn him against the royal lifestyle. The one thing I found unbelievable was when Meghan said she wasn't prepared for how royal life worked. How can that be? She was dating the son of one of the most famous women in the world. Surely she knew at least part of that story.
I'm sure you can't know it entirely until you're in it -- but yes, I agree. She had to have some understanding of what she was getting into. And if she didn't, well, that's on her (and Harry). I'm SURE that Harry was damaged by his parents' marriage and Diana's death -- how could he not be? But before Meghan, he seemed to be coping just fine with royal life and forging his own path with the Invictus Games and all that.
DeleteI have not been following the gossip of the Royal Family. I say leave the kids alone to make their own way. We can do without any of the racist comments. People are just people and children are just children. Olga looks super overseeing the daffodils. We don't have any flowers yet. Maybe next month. Enjoy your day, hugs, Edna B.
ReplyDeleteI agree with letting Harry and Meghan make their own way, however they want. If they want to be private citizens, fine. But I question their decision to make all this public, and to what end?
DeleteI watched the interview and did get the feeling that Meghan was younger than her years, intellectually. But I could be wrong. And the British tabloid culture is despicable. While I am an angolphile and a fan of the Royalty I think Bonnie Prince Charlie has both good and bad sides to him. But, then, don't we all.
ReplyDeleteSorry, that should be "anglophile". Where's SpellCheck when you need it?
ReplyDeleteYes, I think you're right about the tabloids. The British press in general is a whole 'nother ball game from what we have in the states. (One of the reasons I did not try to pursue journalism when I moved to this country.) I'm not a huge fan of Charles, though I do have some sympathy for him, growing up with a difficult father and denied the woman he really loved. (Just as I have sympathy for Princess Margaret on similar grounds, as well as Diana for being roped into a loveless marriage.) "The Firm" is certainly not without fault.
DeleteI agree with you completely. I think Meghan is an excellent actor and intended this move from the get go. She is either extremely manipulative, or chose to remain ignorant about what life is like as a royal. Now that they've told their side of the story, they can remain out of the drama, live their lives as commoners and eschew any other publicity. We'll see if that happens.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, it will be interesting to see what the future holds. Meghan obviously disdained her royal life from the get-go (again, WHY DID SHE MARRY HIM?!) and I suspect she wants to go back to acting -- hence the move to LA. I don't entirely blame her -- it's her career. But again, I question the manner in which they've gone about this.
DeleteI read the comments above with interest. Such vehement dislike of Meghan (and I'm honestly surprised by the comments of some bloggers I always read; I would never have thought they held such views). From what I understand, the interview was arranged long ago, obviously way before Phillip's latest trip to the hospital. And of course they could have rescheduled. But why? Why do they not get to tell their side of things? They waited the 1 year of silence they had to agree to after they left the family. I was a fan of Diana's and remember vividly how she was treated. So I don't really think their stories are that outrageous; who wouldn't believe them? I also remember when H&M first left, an pictorial was posted showing headlines of British press stories, Meghan content vs Kate content. The difference in the coverage was mind-boggling, the bias for Kate, against Meghan. Again, I wish them well and am glad to hear they are using their fame for good (which, from reports I've read, they really are, not just lining their own pockets). Just my two pennies...
ReplyDeleteI don't bear ill will toward either of them, and I don't necessarily dislike Meghan, though I am annoyed at both her and Harry. I was excited when Harry married her, as I think many people were -- I saw it as positive evidence of an evolving world. And as I said, I don't disbelieve the stories they've told about life in the palace (at least what I've read of them) -- though I suspect we're not getting the full picture. I just don't see why Meghan was so unprepared and ground down by it all. I would like to have seen that pictorial of contrasting headlines. I'll look for it.
DeleteOlga Girl Barking In A Field Of Daffodils, Best Day Ever
ReplyDeleteCheers
She loves those daffodils! (And barking!)
DeleteMy only suggestion would be for you to watch the interview and assess their truthfulness for yourself. Everything you read about it will be filtered through someone's opinion, all of it rather loaded.
ReplyDeleteYes, you're right, I should. I should have done so before I wrote this. Maybe there will be a Part 2.
DeleteThose fox eyes aren't creepy at all.
ReplyDeleteI didn't watch the interview either but I do think Harry was deeply affected by his mother's death and how she was hounded by the media prior to her death. I imagine that factors into his decision. He's also not the first royal to walk away from the life. Hopefully things get better for them.
Undoubtedly his mother's experiences are a HUGE part of this.
DeleteWhat could be better than Olga and daffodils? I thought H/M were stupid and silly to give a big interview to Oprah if they wanted privacy. Then I was curious and watched it. I would never describe myself as a Meghan fan, but I ended up sympathizing with her. Although she was an actress (on a show I never saw) and some sort of blogger (know nothing about her blog), I don't think the attention from her past could have prepared her to be part of that family. Their every move is scrutinized and subjected to criticism--especially those of Meghan compared to Kate. My cynical side says H/M want continued attention because they have a deal with Netflix, yet I understand they need money. They can't move into a ranch house in Kansas and give up security guards. The world will never leave them alone.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
She has a blog?! That's news to me! I understand their need for security, but doesn't it seem like they want to have their cake and eat it too? I mean, how can you "step back" from royal duties and live in another country, but still expect Buckingham Palace (and the British people) to pick up the tab?
DeleteI don't think she has a blog now. I agree with you--they want to live in a different country and do their own thing and still expect the family to pay for it. It's not happening so they need attention and loads of their own money. What amazes me now is that the interview aired here on Sunday and here it is Friday and it's still all over the news. I sympathized, but I'm done with them now.
DeleteI doubt she is a stupid person, certainly not stupid enough to not find out what royal life would be like before she committed.
ReplyDeleteI struggle with that as well. As I said above, I'm sure you've got to be in it to know what it's really like, but still -- she must have thought about it before she agreed to marry him, and there had to have been some preparation. If there wasn't, there should have been.
DeleteOh to have someone look at you the way she looked at him, so long as it's not just acting.
ReplyDeleteI have no reason to believe she doesn't love him. But she obviously didn't have a full understanding of what she was getting into, and I find that perplexing.
Deletepersonally I do not get American fascination with the British royals. I wouldn't want to be one because as you pointed out, your life is not yours to live. and I'm not surprised at their treatment, they didn't treat Diana well either.
ReplyDeleteI don't get it either, honestly. I've spent all day on this post and this is already WAY more time than I wanted to spend thinking about Harry and Meghan! As the Queen could tell us, the royal system is not about individual fulfillment and happiness.
Delete