By Camilla Tominey, Associate Editor |
‘People do tend to prefer their Royals with a side order of self-deprecation’ I was filming a royal documentary at home on Monday when the subject of ‘Fergie and Friends’, the Duchess of York’s eponymous online storytelling sideline, came up. The producer of the show I was making was marvelling at the fact that the Queen’s former daughter-in-law appeared so willing to throw herself into her YouTube videos, putting on funny faces and voices to keep the so-called ‘coronakids’ entertained. The films have become cult viewing thanks to Fergie’s laid back, make-up free – and often rather wacky – delivery. A recent reading of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, in which the Duchess – wearing a blonde plaited wig – finds herself being chased around the Royal Lodge garden by a figure resembling Bungle from Rainbow, has already clocked up nearly 4,000 views. (I just re-played the video on my laptop and it quickly attracted the attention of my six-year-old daughter who watched it, giggling away). While I appreciate Fergie isn’t everyone’s cup of tea (least of all Prince Philip’s, who still hasn’t forgiven her for Toe-gate and other lurid headlines), there has always been something endearing about Royals who aren't afraid to poke fun at themselves. As a comedy fan who adored The Goon Show, Prince Charles has always been willing to joke around, when appropriate, as has his wife Camilla. Diana, the late Princess of Wales, would enjoy nothing more than a good giggle on official engagements, while even introverted William and Kate have been known to take the mickey out of each other. I remember covering a visit to the Sydney Royal Easter Show during their 2014 tour of Australia when the Duchess prompted hilarity by picking up some alpaca wool and holding it up over her husband’s bald patch. "You need it more than me," she said, pointing to his head. Only recently, the Duke ridiculed himself in a Blackadder sketch with Stephen Fry for a BBC coronavirus fundraiser. And anyone who has ever seen photographs of the Braemar Gathering knows the Queen enjoys a good laugh too. As well as being an excellent mimic, HM is happy to show her sunnier side when the occasion permits, famously agreeing to jump out of that helicopter with James Bond for the opening ceremony of the London Olympics in 2012. She also willingly took part in Prince Harry’s ‘boom’ mic drop video with the Obamas to launch the Invictus Games in 2016. For years Harry was top of the Royal clowning charts, but what has struck me about the Duke and Duchess of Sussexes’ recent behaviour, compared to the likes of Fergie’s, is how humourless it has been. And I think that goes some way to explaining why they have fallen so spectacularly out of favour with the British public. As the publication of the biography Finding Freedom has now confirmed – if we didn’t know it already – this is a couple who take themselves far more seriously than most. That is hugely problematic when it comes to their UK (and possibly even their US) audience, because people do tend to prefer their Royals with a side order of self-deprecation. There is undoubtedly something fundamentally so ridiculous about Royalty that it doesn’t really deserve to be taken in sincerity all of the time. When did Harry forget this? At what point did he and Meghan start to believe that they were somehow less absurd than any celebrity who preaches about climate change while flying around in private jets or describes their multimillion pound wealth as being “relatively nominal”? The real reason Harry and Meghan have become a bit of a laughing stock is that they forgot the golden rule of being a Royal: take the work seriously, but not yourself |
Its actually very dangerous funding someone elses litigation. Its called "maintenance" and its fundamentally unlawful the punishment being liability for the other parties costs. If the Mail really wanted to stir up some shit they could demand proof of whose paying for this. Especially if she Discontinues and they can argue it was all a sham!Hopefully Charles will use this as an opportunity to educate Harry. They simply can't carry on like this, all the melodrama is a ludicrous way to carry on. Who will hire them for anything, when you see how petty and entitled they are. I hope he actually talks to Harry, explains the facts of life.
I love the part when there was the attempt to kidnap her. They told her to get out of the car and she said ‘not bloody likely’.Sometimes I wonder what Royal life would've been like if Anne was born first... There's no way she'd let anyone marry someone like Megan, her BS radar is stronger than the Windsor male pattern baldness.
It works like this:Thanks @Despicableme
im going to post the whole blind; because it’s just too delicious the way this court case is going to play out. Even if Meghan tries to settle the MOS can refuse, I remember Aunty Legal saying way back. N’est ce pas @antinoos ?
This TV actress is learning this the hard way.
Her attempt to secretly promote herself has completely backfired and has devolved into a legal morass from which there is almost no escape.
We have a couple of interesting things to share with you about the case.
The first is that the defendants are not behaving the way she thought they would!
No, it certainly did not. In fact, the second media source is enjoying the attention this case brings and is reaping the rewards of publishing multiple articles about her every day.
There is little to no incentive for them to back down.
Another shock to her is the impact this is having on several of her friends!
Will all of her friends act in unison to protect her?
Will she protect her friends?
What will the friends do?
What’s the big deal if they tell the truth?
That ship may have already sailed.
What is your overall opinion about how Actress has handled this?
What will happen?
How will she spin it?
ie because theres no counterclaim she can unilaterally drop the claim. the rarest outcome in litigation because its admitting your claim was worthless whatever you might say; and its murderously expensive.It works like this:
MM I want to settle lets "drop hands" and put out a lovenkisses statement.
DM Fuck off
MM I will pay a contribution of a portion of your costs to charity
DM Fuck off
MM I will pay your costs
DM Either give us £1m and put out a Statement saying sorry or file a "Notice of Dicontinuance" which entitles us automatically to all our costs (assessed) and is Unconditional Surrender and we will then publish all the shit we have been gathering on you and the Princeling and you can crawl back under a rock
MM Harry!
If I was advising the Nanny I would argue that Scobies statement about what specifically Didnt Happen is a breach of the bi-lateral secrecy covenants in the NDA and thus none of them applied. He is clearly her spokesthing and the courts will not allow circumvention of obligations of confidentiality by a "process of denial limitation" ie "OK did this happen then?" "No" "What about this?" If one party flouts the confiedntiality covenant then arguably neither party is bound by them. He should have said "I am unable to comment"......bit of a long shot but nevertheless a runner, for whats called in the trade "buggeration".Forgot to charge the batteries?
I've never doubted there is a child and you have to feel sorry for the poor kid getting caught up in this. Who or what has turned up in the staged photos is a whole different question.
If Omid Scobie knows the confidential reason why a staff member, who would only have been hired with a triple-plated NDA, was let go, given that episode would surely have been handled under another triple-plated compromise agreement, who was his source?
And that Nanny is probably having a quiet chat with her lawyers right now before giving her side to Wootton as an exclusive.
No hes not a party to the proceedings.Really appreciating Aunty's expert input here!
What's the law's view regarding this on individual vs marital joint assets - does Harry's wealth count as theirs and therefore hers?
OK, meant to comment on that weeks ago but got distracted. Sorry this is a bit long. Feel free to scroll past.Very interesting insight into whats happening to the FFF who have been thrown to the wolves and will be terrified and haemorrhaging money. One of them will break eventually then its game over in many senses. Imagine, if its as we think shes almost certainly lied to Harry as well. There must be a last straw even for that thick as mince dickhead, and its almost certainly pride.
Oooo....Princess Anne throwing some shade I think (subtly)...she said that "people talk about being trained for the life in the Royal family, and I'm sorry to say there's no such thing. You just learn through experience"