Wall Flower

Chintz was very fashionable in the 80's although a lot of designers went for Chintz on Chintz on Chintz, so Morse's flat is very minimalist for the period. Chintz fabric was considered classic traditional British style, probably a lot of it in Royal residences and Country houses, so it wasn't out of place for a guy who liked classic British cars. John Thaw went grey early and .always looked older than his age. I was amazed when I found out that he was only 60 when he died. I inherited my Mum's chintz sofa. I do feel like the only person in Australia that doesn't have a grey sofa but I kind of like it.

I think you've misread the article. According to the Daily Mail's version from my newsfeed, Harry and Meghan did reimburse the cost of the renovations with a lump sum of 2.4 million pounds but then ceased paying rent as part of an undisclosed deal with their landlord. Supposedly, the increased value of the property as a result of the renovations, which the Sussex's effectively paid for, was applied as rent in lieu. The property was previously a series of separate cottages so the Royal Estate (and maybe Andrew) has had a win at Harry and Meghan's expense. Of course, this all depends on the reliability of the Daily Mail (parent company being sued by Harry) and Palace sources.

Plenty of backstabbing at Buck Palace, apparently. Montecito is probably safer from the paparazzi and the vultures of the British press, though.

I think it's increasingly difficult for Governments to be courageous on these kind of reforms when even small changes generate hysterical screeching about class warfare from the usual suspects. The media's propensity for demanding things be ruled in or out in perpetuity is also not helpful to long term reform. On a brighter note (for this leftie), Nigel Farage has apparently announced that Australia is now the wokest place on Earth. I guess New Zealand lost the crown following the resignation of Jacinda Ardern or the Queen of Woke as the Australian Merdochracy papers prefer to call her.

Pretty sure Ned was Robert's true love.

It is fun to imagine Piers and Jeremy finding out that Prince Harry's new girlfriend has a fire breathing dragon and knows how to use it.

You know it's not actually true that Meghan got universally wonderful press prior to and during the wedding, as a slightest amount of googling can confirm. It is, however, a convenient narrative framing for the press and online haters, as it puts the blame for their actions and behaviour onto Meghan herself. Harry issued an official statement as early as Nov 16, well before the wedding which stated (in part): 'But the past week has seen a line crossed. His girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment. Some of this has been very public - the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments. Some of it has been hidden from the public - the nightly legal battles to keep defamatory stories out of the papers; her mother having to struggle past photographers in order to get to her front door; the attempts of reporters and photographers to gain illegal entry to her home and the calls to police that followed; the substantial bribes offered by papers to her ex-boyfriend; the bombardment of nearly every friend, co-worker and loved one in her life.' That doesn't even include the hiring of private investigators (involving dubious legality); the platforming of the half-sister who alternated between trashing Meghan and angling for an invite to the wedding; the relentless pursuit of the father who, while somewhat complicit, was no match for the feral press; culminating in the publication of private correspondence and leading to Meghan's lawsuit against the Mail owners.

Probably explains why I can't help being sympathetic to Harry and Meghan as I'm on the opposite side politically and personally to the people that hate them. I also absolutely despise the tabloids and RW press that target them. As an Aussie, it's the Murdoch press that has my particular ire and Harry's visceral hatred of Murdoch warms my lefty heart.

The episode seems to have been a big hit with Right Wing nut jobs on my twitter feed. Is that the South Park audience these days or are Harry and Meghan just favourite targets for the anti-woke brigade?

Really interesting but I feel like the presenter wimped out a bit in the end. Illegality matters whether or not the media landscape is in the process of moving on from the legacy press. Some discussion of Harry needing to raise public opinion against the tabloid press to succeed in his aims but none about whether the relentless press attacks on Harry and Meghan serve the interests of media companies that are being sued by the prince. Also, should we only be critical of the media where actual illegality can proved? What about unethical behaviour, targeting of individuals or groups for character assassination, intrusive, relentless invasion of privacy, framing a narrative in a dishonest or misleading way, etc?

For an Aussie republican I know way too much about this stuff but I remember that Sophie had to close her PR agency when she was the subject of a nasty sting by a tabloid reporter who posed as an Arab sheikh and recorded indiscreet comments by her and her business partner. Later I guess Ed and Soph got old and the vultures of the press found fresh meat to feast on.

Life's too short to keep track of all the supposed crimes Meghan's accused of but I believe the couple clarified that they exchanged personal vows before saying the traditional vows in their official wedding ceremony.

I think the Royals are expected to allow photos of them in their uniforms starting school in order for the press to back off the rest of the year. Same as the photo of the new baby on the front steps of the hospital (which Harry and Meghan didn't do) in return for limited access during babyhood. Apparently, Harry had to do press interviews while in the army in return for the press not printing the details of his deployment. An Aussie paper broke the embargo and he had to be removed from that deployment for security reasons (his own and the troops). I get the feeling that what some Royals and the press see as quid pro quo, Harry sees as blackmail. There was quite an interesting British documentary about the history of the Royals and the press shown here in Australia but it doesn't seem to be on Britbox.

'Of course, the fact that he and his wife are suing or have sued us has absolutely nothing to do with our 5000 articles whinging about Harry whinging. Also, the fact that we dragged Princess Charlotte into negative articles about Meghan making people cry and trying to poison the kid with her wedding flowers is completely beside the point'.

Diana confirmed the affair in her now infamous interview with Martin Bashir. I think this is were Harry has the strongest claim to sympathy and the strongest reasons for his hatred of sections of the British media. It's hard enough for kids to go through a parental divorce without details of the parental love life and actual intercepted conversations with lovers being splashed over the front pages. That even before you get to the ghastly public spectacle that was Diana's death and funeral. To give the Queen her due, I think she did try to keep the kids at Balmoral as long as possible but public mass hysteria ended with the William and Harry being paraded like human sacrifices before people madly grieving for someone they'd never even met. I remember being pretty horrified and disgusted at the time.

He's directly taking on the British media, including Rupert Murdoch, which many politicians and his own family are too scared (or perhaps too complicit) to do.

That probably accounts for some support for Harry and Meghan here in Australia. Personally, I think it's past time for us to cut the Royal ties. The fact that Harry is so excoriating of Rupert Murdoch and his evil minions is another point in his favour.

Having read the actual quote from the book, I don't think that he was boasting or gloating about the Taliban 'kills'. Unsurprisingly, the press chose to sensationalise and somewhat misrepresent the passage from the book, not to mention actually platforming the views of the Taliban in the process. Speaking of the Taliban, my favourite quote from the Guardian's review of the book is where Harry says that "I didn't care for Rupert Murdoch's politics which were just to the right of the Taliban's."

I think it's the hypocrisy of the RF and the British media that really annoys me. All this 'the King is maintaining a dignified silence' when I'm old enough to remember Charles and Di's duelling interviews, books and furious media briefings against each other, with everyone predicting the end of the monarchy. As for the media, well we only know so much about Charles and Camilla's sex life because of an interception of their private phone conversation that the media were happy to splash all over their front pages. They squawk traitor at Harry but if spilling Royal secrets was treason, the gaols would be full of British journalists.

I'm not sure why you see the need to depict Meghan's early struggles as an actress as some kind of character flaw, rather than a reality of the profession, or to diminish her as a 'soap actress'. I can't say I ever saw the show she was in but she seems to have been a well paid lead in a long running legal drama. She had a career, supported herself and worked successfully with the same group of people for 7 years. You don't have to like Meghan but working for a living seems a strange thing to base that dislike on, albeit it is unusual for a Royal bride. I don't know about Meghan but I do know that the British tabloid press is utter scum and if they decide to vilify someone, I view that with a huge pinch of salt. The Royal family also have form in chewing up and spitting out any woman joining them who can't squeeze her personality into the required docile helpmeet mould.

Someone posted what are apparently the actual paragraphs about his deployment online and, not surprisingly, they are far more measured and thoughtful than the press headlines would suggest. Might be best to wait for the book, if you choose to read it, before casting judgement - at least on this issue.

Actually, Mako was forced out of the Royal family due to sexist rules that require princesses (but not princes) to renounce their title if they marry a commoner. She was diagnosed with a form of PTSD as result of the media and family pressure placed on her over the marriage. I guess she and her husband are just making the best of it Then there is the current Empress, a well-educated, professional woman before her marriage, who still suffers mental health issues as result of the pressures on her over the failure to produce a male heir and the difficulty of adjusting to the rigid, hierarchical nature of imperial life. She is lucky in having a supportive husband willing to speak up for her. Maybe some of these royal institutions just aren't friendly places for women, unless they're at the top like the late Queen.

There does seem to be a certain irony in Piers Morgan and Jeremy Clarkson criticising anyone else for being a self-promoting narcissist (even if I bought that view of Meghan). I absolutely agree that other women joining the Royal family have been brutally targeted by the press. I just don't get why that's an argument for perpetuating the cycle or how this time it must be all Meghan's fault.

I enjoy Candice Renoir too (love picking up the occasional French word as a bonus). I'm Australian so My Life is Murder and Miss Fisher are old favourites. I haven't caught up with The Brokenwood Mysteries yet but it's next on my list once I finish the umpteen series of Murdoch Mysteries. Covid lockdown was a great time to catch up with some mystery series. Foyle's War is a classic. Looking forward to checking out the Three Pines series. I have the first Louise Penny book on my Kindle and have been debating whether to read it before seeing the series.

Sure, Piers Morgan directed an endless stream of bile at a woman he had drinks with once and denied that her mental health might have been affected by constant vilification while storming off the set of his own show after one incident of mild criticism. Let's face it though, has he ever worn too much impractical white clothing. eaten climate-destroying avocados, held hands with his partner in Westminster Abbey or tried to kill Princess Charlotte with his wedding flowers? I think not. Of course, I'm a mere colonial who can't fathom why so many Brits still seem to be lapping up sulphurous bile from the Murdoch and tabloid press whose main interest is in serving the agenda of their wealthy owners, who promoted Brexit, told you that Boris Johnson was a fit person to run the country and generally helped to put your country into its current apparently parlous state. If I seem a little smug, it's probably because the one thing that Australians did right in 2022 was show the middle finger to the Merdochracy and its associates. Anyway, apologies for the rant but we are still under Royal patronage too, so I do have some interest in the topic.