Tina Brown: The Windsors ‘find ways to survive – even if it means eating their young’

Tina Brown recently gave an interview to The Cut to promote The Palace Papers. Not to be a broken record, but Brown’s interviews have a much different vibe than the book. The book is bad enough, but at least you can read between the lines and actually see where Brown is being a bit shady about all of the royals. In Brown’s interviews, she’s just saying the quiet parts out loud, like calling Meghan “angry” and suggesting that the Queen gave Commonwealth interests to Meghan so she could deal with “the question of minorities.” I mean, Racist Karen is a Racist Karen. Curious then that Brown’s tone is getting a bit softer in her later interviews. You can read the full piece here at The Cut. Some highlights:

She started working on the book two years ago: “When Prince Philip was still alive, Prince Andrew was still a tolerated oaf doing the rounds at dinner parties, and Meghan and Harry were still beloved members of the royal family…By the time I got two thirds of the way through, the House of Windsor had turned into a dumpster fire, and I was racing to keep ahead of the next explosion…. they do find ways to survive — even if it means eating their young.”

She’s worried about Harry’s book too: “Harry spent so many years inveighing about the press, and now he seems to not be able to stop talking: giving interviews that are pretty explosive and invasive to the rest of his family. He remembers, surely, how much it hurt for him when his privacy was invaded, but he’s about to write a book of his own memoirs which clearly will invade the privacy of other members of his family. So he has a very complex — I would say, confused — attitude about it all.

Everyone felt like Harry would eventually leave: “The queen felt that too. She was not surprised that Harry was going to choose to get out. What surprised them was the combative and angry way it all went down. That’s what really stunned them. And I think that to this day, Charles, apparently, is particularly baffled as to how it got so bad so fast.

Brown thinks there the Sussexit went down the wrong way: “[When] they wanted to bolt for the exit, the really thorny issue being the ability to make money while still retaining their royal patronages and positions. It’s a whole complex, conflict-of-interest mess, because whatever they might say about keeping these interests separate, in their commercial activities, they would be leveraging the crown. That’s why commercial opportunities would come their way, and did come their way; it was about the fact that they were royal. And the monarchy’s about service that is unremunerated. I think that they felt there was a lot of money to be made, and there was, but not as part of the royal system. Having said all that, I think Meghan and Harry are a great loss to the royal family. They were great assets.

William wouldn’t know if his family is racist: “It’s a thousand-year-old institution, it’s a white protestant fortress. Meghan didn’t see anyone who looked like herself any of the time that she was there. So for a woman of color to come into that must’ve been extraordinarily difficult.

On the tension between Kate & Meghan: “It was a very tricky situation, because here’s Harry and his new wife, who actually are more interesting and glamorous and charismatic than the number-one couple: That’s going to lead to tension. Kate is a strong character, very well-educated, very smart. She was the first royal woman, now that I think about it, who had any proper education. She’s impressive, but she’s human, and who needs to be described continually as the Duchess of Dull, compared to the charismatic Meghan?

Meghan & the British press’s racist coverage: “The press started to do a really awful, and typical, chauvinistic and racist tack. The undertone was definitely the lily-white, flawless Kate versus the confounding Meghan. When they were both pregnant, and Kate would be holding her belly — as a pregnant woman tends to do — and it’s, How lovely, Mother Earth Kate. But when Meghan did that, it’s like, What’s the matter with Meghan, why is she always flaunting her pregnancy? It was so blatantly discriminatory… I do think that they should have been more aggressive in their defense of Meghan, and they should’ve done it faster. You can’t tell the press to be positive, but you can give a thundering rebuke. A statement from the queen, Buckingham Palace, would’ve helped, but it didn’t come.

[From The Cut]

“He’s about to write a book of his own memoirs which clearly will invade the privacy of other members of his family…” Literally no one knows what’s in his book. They’ve all just assumed that he’s written a burn book and their guilty consciences have made them all tell on themselves. “Charles, apparently, is particularly baffled as to how it got so bad so fast.” Charles knows exactly how and why it got so bad. Charles was part of the smear campaign too, although to a lesser degree compared to William and Kate. And yes, I actually appreciate the fact that even a racist Karen like Tina Brown has consistently pointed out that Kate and William were simply mad and jealous because Harry and Meghan were so glamorous and popular from the word go. Buckingham Palace and Clarence House absolutely should have stood up for Meghan. They never did.

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132 Responses to “Tina Brown: The Windsors ‘find ways to survive – even if it means eating their young’”

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  1. ThatsNotOkay says:

    Looks like Tina saw the drop in book sales, knows she needs the American market to make a true bestseller, and toned down her own racist rhetoric to call the Royal Family (and their press lackeys) black. I mean, not Black, because they would never. But she’s the pot calling the kettle black.

    • Lizzie says:

      I haven’t seen the sales but not surprised if they are low. The whole book seems to be recycled DM lies.
      I notice she calls our the tabloid racism in this interview but I don’t think she does so in the book.

      • MeganC says:

        It’s #4 on the NYT best sellers list which surprises me. I didn’t think there would be that much interest in the US.

      • Blithe says:

        MeganC: It’s #4 on the list of Non-fiction books, and I’m pretty sure that means hardcover non-fiction. Check out the other books on the list immediately above and below the TB book. It’s likely that the sales aren’t that impressive compared to the books on the Fiction list. I haven’t checked the actual sales numbers or trends though.

      • Blithe says:

        No, I don’t think that she calls out racism in the book, or even identifies it as a critical issue / factor in the stressors that Meghan was faced with. It would be hard though, in the US, to be interviewed and not have the issue raised. I think TB realized that she couldn’t do interviews as part of her book tour and not address the issues— at least tepidly— particularly if she wanted to reach the kind of audiences that tend to purchase hardcover (I.e. relatively expensive) non- fiction books.

      • windyriver says:

        Note the current NYT list only represents sales through last Saturday, 5/7. Could look different after tomorrow.

        On Amazon, appears to have gotten a bit of a bounce since yesterday – now 28, yesterday 51 in hardcover. Six children’s books, including the Very Hungry Catepillar, are still ahead of it.

        Kindle still poor. Currently 92, yesterday 115. At least back in the top 100.

    • Moxylady says:

      I read this Twitter comment that the only person who really came out ahead from the racist bullying and attacks was Kate. That the direct comparison was one she would never look good under unless Meghan was smeared for everything. That William looked bad in comparison for having a do nothing wife. Even if he’s a do nothing himself. But also he looked very bad in his relationship compared to Harry which again boiled down to Kate- in their minds.
      It was a black woman’s analysis and I think it’s very very spot on. That while
      William is awful the one who had benefited the most has clearly been Kate. And that made me rethink a lot of things.

      • Kalana says:

        William has also lost so much. He lost the asset he had in Harry and he gave up so much capital to attack and bully Meghan. His image had been damaged by this and he’s now known as an angry cheater who works with the tabloids against his own family. How many tes.has he negatively trended on Twitter?

        Kate could have come out of this with no damage at all if she hadn’t kept copying Meghan.and removed the crying story from Tatler. William gave up way too much for something that mostly benefits Kate

      • Tessa says:

        Kate also gave herself away when a child mentioned Harry and Meghan, Kate rolled her eyes and said Next.

      • Nic919 says:

        Kate is behind the story that set up the angry black woman narrative that continues to this day. The bridesmaid story came from her or Carole. And her own family directly criticized Meghan in a way no one else in the royal family did. They would hide behind courses, but Carole and Gary directly said critical things of Meghan.

        Princess Karen and her family knew what they were doing.

      • kirk says:

        Moxylady – Your comment about rethinking things after reading how Kate came out most ahead from all the racist bullying of Meghan got me thinking too.

        Recall after the Oprah interview when everybody was trying to figure out which royal racist remarked on the baby’s skin color? Since H-M wouldn’t reveal after repeated questioning, oddsmakers went to work and put Andy in at #1, then Katy at #2, with a #3 tie between Chuck and Billy. https://www.mediaite.com/news/who-is-the-royal-racist/

        What do the bookies know about Katy?

        Although Andy has been caught saying racist things before, I’m not too sure he deserves #1 spot because of what H-M said when pressed on it. Meghan said “I think that would be very damaging for them.” Harry said, “That conversation I’m never going to share. At the time, it was awkward. I was a bit shocked.” Since Andy has been on record with outlandish stuff, it’s hard to believe Harry would be shocked by anything that came out of Andy’s mouth. As for Meghan saying that it “would be very damaging for them,” recall that Oprah interview occurred in March 2021, more than a year after Andy damaged himself badly in Nov 2019 BBC interview with Emily Maitlis. Also recall that right after that damaging interview, Andy stepped back as a working royal, asking TQ for permission to withdraw for the “foreseeable future” which looked pretty darn cloudy after that trainwreck interview. Hard to believe Andy being revealed as royal racist at that point could be “very damaging for [him]” since he’d sunk himself with patrons begging off. Also he’s behind Harry in line, not future monarchy makings.

        So, #2 Katy.
        Very damaging? You betcha.
        Awkward? Shocking? From poshy Katy? You betcha.
        Then think of all the pix where Katy’s recoiling from black people, (except for right after Oprah interview). Think about where “bullying” Meghan story arose.
        As for Meghan saying she’s a good person, consider that only in context with Katy’s ‘crying’ apology, stop.
        Consider if Billy looking angry, annoyed, upset, etc. with Katy is because she’s the royal racist who managed to run off his workhorse brother & SIL.
        Consider that Tabloid Tina thinks Katy is STRONG!

        Anywho, y’all are much better at ferreting this out; never interested in BRF before Meghan married in.

      • aftershocks says:

        ^^ @kirk, the ‘royal racist’ who wondered about the ‘skin color’ of M&H’s offspring is NOT Katie Keen. Obviously, Kate harbors a snotty, jealous attitude toward Meghan. It’s realistic that Will & Kate might have privately discussed M&H’s relationship in a snarky way. But honestly, Kate is NOT the person who said anything to Harry about the possible skin color of children he might have with Meghan!

        Neither would Camilla be the person who said anything directly to Harry, although she may have had conversations with Charles, perhaps initiated by him. Uncle Andy has a lot of issues, and he was the wedding diva during the lead-up to Eugenie’s televised nuptials, but he surely DID NOT say anything to Harry in regard to possible complexions of future M&H offspring! Forget about Anne, Sophie, and Edward too. None of the ‘married-ins’ and none of the lesser-in-stature, adjacent royals have any power or leverage over Harry whatsoever.

      • aftershocks says:

        Additionally @kirk, this is the most likely scenario:

        Harry is a blood royal prince. Only Charles and William (in the future) would have any say regarding Harry’s offspring receiving security protection, or not. The Queen and Prince Philip were not involved. Harry took their names off the table immediately after the Oprah interview aired.

        The ‘skin color’ conversation was first mentioned to Harry when M&H were dating, probably in order to sway Harry to rethink his obvious all-in, passionate relationship with Meghan. Harry likely pushed back hard, and the discussion was dropped. Will persisted in suggesting that Harry needed to ‘slow-down’ with Meghan, even enlisting Diana’s brother to speak to Harry. That effort was swiftly rebuked by Harry, and led to an increase in tensions between W&H.

        When Meghan became pregnant very quickly after the royal wedding, perhaps it was William who pressured Charles to bring up the ‘skin color’ conversation again with Harry, this time in reference to titles and security. With Meg’s pregnancy a reality, Charles & William apparently shifted to floating the possibility that Harry’s children would not automatically become HRH Prince/Princess when Charles became King, which would require changing the George V Letters Patent. Such changes would affect the titles and security protection of Sussex offspring. The excuse was, ‘What would it look like, if the child’s skin is dark?’

        BTW, no one ever spoke directly to Meghan. Harry told her about it, probably sometime during her pregnancy with Archie.

      • kirk says:

        @aftershocks – I used to think Billy was the royal racist who shocked his brother (who relayed it to Meghan). And I’m still inclined to think that. But I’ve started to rethink Katy. What if she’s a way bigger actor behind the scenes smearing Meghan with the help of a racist tabloid press.

      • Not a Subject says:

        We can’t just talk about Kate as “Kate” singular. It’s Kate and Carole. Her mother is the manipulating force behind every.single.thing she does. She is strong willed enough to carry her mother’s plans out, but she is ultimately the puppet. I think W was the only one having a conversation with Harry about slowing down with Meghan and I’d wager all my money and maybe even my first born child that Willie is the one who said the racist comment.

  2. Merricat says:

    Lol for always at the “Kate is smart!” tack that is the recent attempt to fluff up her Waitiness. If Kate has ever had a single original thought in her head, it died of loneliness.

    • Over it says:

      I will be forever of the opinion that Will and Kate degrees were bought and paid for by a hefty donation to the university. I say this because I have never seen one ounce of intelligence or smarts be it book or streets from either one of them.

      • Concern Fae says:

        What is required to succeed at university is a certain base level of intelligence. All of the skills necessary can be taught, assuming that. Curiosity and a love of learning aren’t necessary.

        One of the problems today is that going to a fancy school is necessary for reaching a certain social class, so expensive private schools have developed a pipeline polishing dull and unambitious children of the wealthy into possible students who can get into institutions which would better serve society by teaching the most intellectually gifted. There used to be a whole circuit of colleges that catered to not so bright rich kids who needed a degree so their parents wouldn’t be embarrassed. (Note, this is US, not UK. Track down the 80s classic The Preppy Handbook if curious.)

        Having worked in higher Ed, there is a whole cohort of students who are just there to obediently do the minimum amount of work to get a diploma. They’ll never read another book once they leave.

      • Wiglet Watcher says:

        University for the sake of a degree without further education is… basic. It means nothing. Now what people do with their degrees or knowledge learned means everything! Some people work tirelessly for a degree and they do something with themselves! Kate? William? It was a prop they didn’t even earn.

      • February Pisces says:

        Kate’s place at uni was absolutely bought. Didn’t they even pay off the uni so she was in the same accommodation as him? She was just on the fringes on his inner circle enough to find out where he was going and where he would be living before it became public knowledge. Also once news got out, applications rose considerably, which means that Keens place would have been even more competitive as she would have been competing with students who were way more accomplished than her. There’s no way she would have gotten a place on her own merits.

    • Queen Meghan’s Hand says:

      Oof. What a perfect summary of Kate’s life.

    • HeatherC says:

      IMO Kate is not smart . But she, with the careful guidance of her mother, is very cunning. Two different things. Kate doesn’t have the intelligence her box of wiglets have but she (again with the help of her mother) is able to position herself in ways that help her out.

      Why are her wiglets smarter than her? Her wiglets know she should have made an ally of Meghan, once the new shiny had worn off Meghan may have settled into “royal life” and been an asset to Kate as a woman and a royal. But she couldn’t get out of her own way.

      • aftershocks says:

        ^^ @HeatherC, by this point of our understanding of what went down behind-the-scenes, I think your scenario of ‘new shiny’ wearing off Meghan, and Khate willingly accepting Meghan as an ally, as not being realistic at all.

        Why? Because William and Kate would have to undergo complete and total personality transformations. Plus, the men in grey and palace personnel would have to be stripped from top to bottom of old-school, antiquated, snobby, racist ‘Karens and Teds.’

        M&H did their best, and they hoped for the best under some very difficult circumstances. They were never even met half-way. It was a toxic cesspool of jealousy and racism from the get-go. So no, nothing was ever going to work. We might as well forget about, ‘What if’ scenarios benefiting the fakakta firm and Keen Katie.

        M&H being accepted together within the institution of monarchy wasn’t meant to work either. Where Meghan and Harry are at now, thriving in Montecito, is Diana’s sweet revenge! 🥰 Harry is leading the life Diana deserved and dreamed of creating for herself.

    • Lionel says:

      @Merricat: Imagine, if only they’d asked that original thought around for a cup of tea or a walk…

    • Ginger says:

      Agreed. Kate isn’t smart. She isn’t book smart or street smart. She has zero common sense.

      • The Hench says:

        But, but, wait! Didn’t she just complete a whole crossword clue on her own? Five, four across, C I V I L – – S T. What COULD it be???

      • Eurydice says:

        @The Hench – ummm, Civil Cost?

      • ellyn says:

        Not much evidence of intellectual curiosity or ability to recall things expected of someone with her academic degree and less evidence of true empathy and emotional intelligence now that Kate’s abusive mean girling has been revealed. In comparing Kate to Meghan, I guess it’s down to the family photographer competition, but even there Meghan has good friends (and a hubby) who seem to have taken cute photos and videos of Archie and even managed to deploy the book reading video to support a good cause, rather than posting on social media to keep the Royal Rota at bay. Meghan for the win!

      • Joey 🦘Josephine says:

        I love this podcast bc so many intelligent comments. My degree is in Cosmetology. I worked.3x harder than the rest of my class bc I have learning disabilities. I can ALWAYS tell who a person really is by their vocabulary.
        HRH Prince Harry..;) is constantly changing his vocabulary as he levels up. I can see his Military vocabulary coming back. That’s why I know He’s thinking strategically…He snuck in to see qe2..now I’m excited to see how he BITCHy Slaps the courtiers pc pw maybe even Spencers. The uk, et al, hasn’t changed their vocabulary for anything anyone any reason. 7days the world stood still! Remember? Diana’s death showed everyone everywhere who they were. I think when pw (pussy whipped) lo lo I just realized the symbol , if FFK RR or any Aristo hurts Meg Archie Lili. They’re gone. Many “Military n Connected love him. The tide HAS turned and next year everyone’s vocabulary should be different. Uk has low brow intellect and too much inbreeding, both physical n mental, makes them unable to keep up on the world stage so they Force feed with Pomp n Circumference. I love history happening before my eyes knowing how impactful it is. My apologies to all educators. Grammar is still so difficult but I need a place at the table too. Blessings

    • Nic919 says:

      Getting a basic undergrad degree as a millennial is like getting a high school diploma was for boomers. It is expected and bare minimum. Certainly no sign of intelligence. And Kate’s actions since then have shown she’s actually quite dim.

  3. Eurydice says:

    I have to laugh about the monarchy being about “unremunerated service.” How is the Sovereign Grant not remuneration? And what about the wealth they’ve been amassing for 1,000 years, wealth that allowed them to buy properties that provide them even more income today? If anything, they’re working off a giant debt. If they didn’t already have money in their pockets and if every daily need and whim weren’t already paid for, you can bet they’d ask for “remuneration” in exchange for “service.”

    • Merricat says:

      +1 And is not requiring all bills paid by the Commonwealth nations the royals visit considered a kind of remuneration?

    • Amy Bee says:

      Yeah, the Royal Family doesn’t work for free. Tina is being dishonest

    • Soapboxpudding says:

      Also Prince Michael and his shady consulting company in Russia. And Andrew’s Pitch@Palace. Those were absolutely trading off their royal connections.

    • SarahCS says:

      Before we even get to all their actual commercial dealings (Sandringham gin wasn’t it?), they literally live in palaces FOR FREE.

    • The Hench says:

      So much this. I was not laughing at that part, I was shouting at my screen. This nonsense that their ‘service’ is ‘unremunerated’ is a shameful lie that allows the RF not to be held to account – literally and metaphorically. They are paid hundreds of millions to fanny around ribbon cutting and unveiling plaques. If there were a competition for a job which paid obscene amounts of money for barely part time hours and could be done by a bunch of inbred halfwits, being a British Royal would win every year.

    • Leesa says:

      lol – that was the funniest line in the interview!

    • Truthiness says:

      I am astounded Tina Brown could call Kate impressive with a straight face. What an infuriating load of sh-t.

    • Elizabeth Phillips says:

      I came on here to say that very thing. Unremunerated, my auntie! Castles, clothes, horses, fabulous jewels, helicopters, servants to take care of everything, all for shaking a few hours “work” a week? I should be so unremunerated.

    • SenseOfTheAbsurd says:

      They’re literally selling absurdly overpriced bottles of dishwashing liquid and tomato sauce with their crest all over it. Then there’s the sovereign grant, all the ticket sales for tours of the palaces, about 50 years of untaxed investments, ability to abuse power to leverage legislative exemptions in their favour, and a licence to cheat on inheritance tax. Unremunerated MY ARSE.

      Can’t tell me there aren’t massive kickbacks for letting firms put the royal warrant on products like mustard and hairbrushes, either.

    • Carrie says:

      I had steam coming out of my ears at that comment. Unremunerated my arse . Never has there been an entity that has amassed so much wealth while still pulling the wool over peoples eyes. Absolute British serf mentality. Food banks and the elderly riding around on buses all day to keep warm while one family is kept in obscene wealth. The Brits are truly quite thick.
      Australia Republic Now.

    • Athena says:

      If I remember correctly the whole service thing was a marketing ploy by Queen Victoria to make it appear that the royal family was adding value. There was some grumbling about the monarchy so this made it seem as if they were earning they keep. I can’t believe in 2022 the British people are still tolerating this. I could understanding accepting this if the royal family had genius level IQ, or were flawlessly beautifully but they’re less intelligent than the average person and have less than average looks. Who in Britain still believe that these people are their betters.

  4. chill says:

    “And the monarchy’s about service that is unremunerated.” LOL, LOL, LOL! Has she ever been to Windsor, BP, Sandringham, Balmoral? Has she seen the vast collection of art? How about the jewelry? How about personal fortunes? How about the $$$ given to each royal every year? UNRENUMERATED? REALLY?

    • Over it says:

      Clearly she hasn’t seen that crown that Chucky and Willy followed into parliament this week either.

    • Debbie says:

      I know a golden piano and some jewels which would like a word with Tina Brown after that blatant lie.

  5. Snuffles says:

    Apparently, self reflection is a foreign concept to these people.

  6. Amy Bee says:

    Tina says some good things here but overall she still comes down on the side of the Royal Family. We have to remember she’s talking to the Cut so she has to acknowledge that there was racism in the press and the Palace. Without Harry and Meghan’s side of the story which she didn’t get her book sounds incomplete and one-sided. But at least she admits that the Queen and the family were not blindsided by Harry’s actions. It doesn’t seem like she talks about Harry’s plan being leaked to the press thus forcing him to make the announcement in the way he did.

    • Jais says:

      Its telling that she doesn’t mention this part. Pretty sure it is in the public domain at this point that those plans were leaked. For TB to not investigate that part? Aside from her “cable ghetto” comments, this is why I can’t take TB or her book very seriously. It’s a choice not to mention this and it’s one that serves to continue the smear rather than acknowledge it.

      • The Hench says:

        TB says enough in places that you know that she knows the real truth. As such, her decision to continue supporting the RF nonsense for most of her book speaks volumes.

  7. Jan90067 says:

    “He remembers, surely, how much it hurt for him when his privacy was invaded, but he’s about to write a book of his own memoirs which clearly will invade the privacy of other members of his family.”

    Uhm… I don’t think Harry’s tapped their phones or gone through their trash to “get something” on them. I don’t think he’s chased after them on the streets, nor has he ambushed them or their children to get a “money shot”.

    “And the monarchy’s about service that is unremunerated”. Uhm…. tell that to Charles’ Duchy Originals. Or TQ’s gin and horses. Or Anne’s horses and renting out her grounds for shows. Or Zara and Peter getting the endorsements. Or Bea *ENTERING* her job w/out one iota of experience as a “consultant”, or Freeloader and her books (written as “Sarah, DUCHESS OF YORK) and all the other crap she’s shilled over the years. What about Princess Pushy selling books with HER TITLE on the cover?? AND WHAT ABOUT PEDO, AND TQ’S OWN COUSIN TRADING STATE SECRETS FOR MONEY???? (and this isn’t even a complete list!)

    WHAT a pile of steaming horseshit that statement is!!!

    • Amy Bee says:

      His own family and staff were leaking stories on him. I hope he writes about that in the book.

      • Jan90067 says:

        I think Harry’s book is going to be about his journey of growth in his life. Will he talk about them in a “passing” way? Sure. What they did (like making him walk behind the casket, William goading him into wearing *that* costume uniform-which ultimately, he *should’ve known* was wrong, but did it anyway), he’ll talk about how his mom influenced his life, tried to make his growing up “equal” with his brother (even though The Establishment always made him the scapegoat)…

        He’ll talk about how the army was a growth experience for him, how he was able to become his own man in his own right there. He’ll talk about his therapy path, and how that made him emotionally well, enough to find real love. He’ll talk about meeting Meg, having the family he’s always wanted.

        I doubt that Toxic Troupe will be in there much at all. But I’m glad their guilty consciences are making them lose sleep over it!

      • Blithe says:

        Jan90067, based on the little that he’s said about it, that’s how I’ve been imagining Harry’s book as well. If that does, indeed, turn out to be the case, I’m also imagining multiple people in Harry’s family being in a snit because Harry did not center them in any way as a part of his own story.

        I quite agree with you! They —especially William — know what stories that Harry COULD tell if he wanted to. They deserve every nervous, guilty second of whatever it is that they’re imagining.

        I’m also wondering what might happen in a few years when the Cambridge kids —particularly the younger two — get internet access, and have the critical thinking skills to access multiple views of their family’s history along with their own experiences.

      • Jan90067 says:

        Blithe, if for ANY reason they don’t, you can rest assured their friends and friends parents will be *sure* to bring up their Black American Aunt and their Uncle who “fled” to America. But I’m sure once they get to use the computer alone, or get their ow phones (pre-teen/tween years?), they will do their own Googling about their family. I’m sure they’ll come back with a lot of questions for Can’t and Won’t.

      • BothSidesNow says:

        @ Jan90067, I have been expressing this same theme as well. Harry intends to write about his life, how it has shaped and what outside influences have created the man that he is today. Harry will talk solely about HIS life and his life only!! There will not be any bit of attacks against his relatives, but that isn’t how Harry operates.

        Harry will write nothing about how his family betrayed him, but especially Meghan. The fact that Bulliam and Charles are worried is the PROOF that they willingly and actively participated the war and smear campaign against Harry and Meghan.

        TB’s tune now is solely to try and drum up sales and try to deflect her own bias and racism towards Meghan. She is a lying snake.

      • Beverley says:

        Hoping against hope that Harry publishes Kate’s apology note to Meghan. This is not dragging or slinging mud. This is a receipt and will finally set the record straight.

        It’s likely that KP would label it a fake, but I think a photo of that note will clarify how horrible Kate and her team are and how they set up Meghan to take the blame. It’s way past time to address this. The racism and vitriol continue to pile on to Meghan and it’s not justice to force a Black woman to take the blame for a white royal’s bullying.

    • Grumpierthanthou says:

      The complete lack of self awareness of someone who has actively encouraged people to gossip to her about the Royals FOR TWO YEARS so she can put it in her book complaining about Harry invading the privacy of the same Royals by writing the truth of his own life is really something.

      • Justwastingtime says:

        Bingo. But she subscribes to the don’t bite the hand that feeds you path, which means don’t speak the truth about the royal press or royal family.

      • Just Me says:

        Exactly!

    • windyriver says:

      “I think Harry’s book is going to be about his journey of growth in his life”. @Jan90067 – agree, ’cause he said so. Harry’s been very circumspect in the little he’s said about his family, and a portion of that had to do with the institution itself rather than the specific individuals. He’s been much kinder than they deserve. I don’t expect that to change in his memoir. At least not right now – though if the family continues to FA, one day they are likely to FO.

      You can’t blame the RF/couriers/BM for getting their knickers in a twist though – they have no experience with this approach! Something not based on gossip, spilling secrets, or telling lies, no one writes like that (/s)! The only other RF member I can think of who’s possibly done enough in his life to talk about a journey is Charles – and in his case, there’s big questions around the “growth” part.

      And I think Harry’s going to sell a lot of books.

      ETA – this actually belongs under Amy Bee’s comment above.

  8. Cinders says:

    Yep, unfortunately for Tina the tide has turned somewhat in between her writing this thing and its publication. I think that’s why she seems to be rolling some of it back.
    But the bit about the monarchy’s “service” being “unremunerated”?? Come on, now. Just look at the massive wealth and benefits that come even to non-entities like the Wessexes. All those huge houses. Multiple homes. The armies of staff waiting on you hand and foot. The jewels, the clothes, the private helicopters, the luxury holidays on private islands that they never have to pay for. The enormous Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall, gifted by the nation to the BRF. Etc. etc. etc.

    • Charm says:

      One has to wonder:…..did tinabrownisaliar write her book before betty’s gin and dog biscuits and ketchup and brown sauce and tickets to buckhouse go on sale?

      If she had done any research other than wallow in the muck of britshidtrag cr@pola, she would find literally hundreds of articles on how both betty and the rest of the royals engage in commercial activity to make money off their privileged royal position.

      I just did ONE little google search with the following term: “all the products that queen elizabeth sells” and these were the items that came up in list form.”

      • Wine
      • Dog Perfume
      • Gin
      • Honey
      • Scotch
      • Beer
      • Ketchup
      • Brown Sauce
      • Dish Soap

      Heres the intriguing start to one of the articles I clicked on at: bitDOTly/3Mf0XR2
      “Thanks to the advent of democracy, padding your pockets as a British monarch isn’t quite as easy as it used to be, but the Royal Family continues to find ways….”

      • Cheryl Deering says:

        Dog perfume!!?!? Had a collie when I was a kid, and I don’t recall him smelling. We bathed him often, so there’s that….🙃🙃

      • Debbie says:

        Gee, it’s a good thing that none of these lofty items doesn’t lower the dignity of the crown, because I know the BM was very concerned about that when H & M started to enter into business in America. Sweet jumping Jesus, dog perfume, ketchup and “brown sauce?” whatever that is.

    • windyriver says:

      They’re cleaning up on the Jubilee – sorry, Jubbly – stuff too. A Jubbly scarf that sells for just under 200 pounds is out of stock. There’s some Queen’s Green Canopy stuff that’s actually kind of nice, and popular, also out of stock…

      But seriously, the real advantages for the monarchy are in the tax breaks. A big one – no estate tax on monarch to monarch transfer (or monarch’s spouse to monarch either, i.e., Queen Mother to Liz. Her estate was 75 million.). Here’s some details:

      https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/money-and-power/a34242784/queen-elizabeth-royal-family-tax-breaks/

      • TEALIEF says:

        Exactly, it’s a real estate racket that operates in the murky waters of public corporation or a private entity depending on what suits. The Queen’s consent on legislation allows for trapdoors from which they are either exempt or not liable. Charles is very much involved in the  operations, e.g. landed gentry collecting the rents, but upkeep and infrastructure well that’s the murky bit. An example of this can be seen partly with what happened with the Sussexes cottage. It was a gift, until it wasn’t. They then had to repay renovations for the uninhabitable and now are lessees. This is the modern medieval system of Lords, villeins and serfs. The jams, tea sets, towels, cosies, ribbon cutting etc are warm, cuddly and fuzzy distractions.

      • Bisynaptic says:

        What a great grift.

      • aftershocks says:

        ^^ Yep, exactly everyone. TB is still shilling bs no matter which way we look at it. She states some obvious truths, but she has a tendency to shade everything in a negative fashion when speaking of Meghan & Harry. It’s dishonest. TB def needs to stop parroting the ‘diva celebrity, commercialization’ narrative. M&H are ambitious, hardworking, and caring individuals who are earning their keep, unlike other members of the Windsor dynasty.

        Even TB’s piling on toward Pedo Andy is suspect. Where was TB’s outrage about Andy’s nefarious connections and the claims against him before with sweaty stupidity, he fell on his own sword in the BBC Interview?? Who can believe the over-embiggening of W&K? TB could gain no access to the Sussexes, and that burns her up. Her book doesn’t tell us anything we don’t already know, except for confirming her utter clout-chasing has-been desperation.

        For TB’s information: Meghan & Harry are the real deal. Harry is a blood royal prince. Meghan was the epitome of royal class before she ever met Harry. As Harry’s wife, Meghan is now a bonafide princess! But M&H don’t need royal titles, and they aren’t trading on any royal connections. They bring smarts and substance to the table in everything they do. That’s what it takes to achieve the lasting success and enduring legacy they are in the process of creating. Make no mistake, it’s not about being perfect or royal. It’s about being genuine, caring, and hard-working.

  9. Over it says:

    Every royal reporter in the uk who has ever wrote a book about Harry and Meghan:: No Harry you can’t write a book and tell the truth about your own life,
    Harry:: why not?
    Royal reporting book writing liars:: because we want to tell lies about you and Meghan and make money off you. If you speak the truth then how will we be able to afford a winter house in the south of France?

    • MsIam says:

      Exactly. Harry is stealing THEIR money.

    • Kalana says:

      “You’re supposed to give us access so we can make money and you can keep pretending that you Never Complain, Never Explain.”

    • aftershocks says:

      ^^ Exactly @Over It! That’s it in a nutshell. Thanks for expressing this reality so well. The grifting, thirsting, and clout-chasing after Meghan & Harry needs to be exposed for exactly what it is, by tabloids, general media outlets, paps, rota carnival clowns, hacks like Tom Bowers, et al., and even former big shot so-called ‘journalists’ like Tina Brown.

  10. Hah says:

    “And the monarchy [is] about service that is unremunerated.”

    LOL, Tina. LOL.

  11. girl_ninja says:

    Looking forward to Tina Brown slipping into obscurity. Trash woman.

  12. Jan90067 says:

    “He remembers, surely, how much it hurt for him when his privacy was invaded, but he’s about to write a book of his own memoirs which clearly will invade the privacy of other members of his family.”

    Uhm… I don’t think Harry’s tapped their phones or gone through their trash to “get something” on them. I don’t think he’s chased after them on the streets, nor has he ambushed them or their children to get a “money shot”.

    “And the monarchy’s about service that is unremunerated”.

    Uhm…. tell that to Charles’ Duchy Originals. Or TQ’s gin and horses. Or Anne’s horses and renting out her grounds for shows. Or Zara and Peter getting the endorsements. Or Bea *ENTERING* her job w/out one iota of experience as a “consultant”, or Freeloader and her books (written as “Sarah, DUCHESS OF YORK) and all the other crap she’s shilled over the years. What about Princess Pushy selling books with HER TITLE on the cover?? AND WHAT ABOUT PEDO, AND TQ’S OWN COUSIN TRADING STATE SECRETS FOR MONEY???? (and this isn’t even a complete list!)

    WHAT a pile of steaming horseshit that statement is!!!

    • equality says:

      Funny how she can make that remark about PH invading someone’s privacy when she is literally invading all their privacy.

  13. Becks1 says:

    I think the sales are dropping and her publishers/agents have told her that her racist rants against Meghan are not winning her any points in the American market.

    At least more and more RRs or people like her are finally admitting that Kate was threatened by Meghan because Meghan was just so much better than Kate, lol. Like the bit about Kate being so well educated…..yeah so is Meghan, so that’s a wash. I don’t think Meghan was intimidated by Kate’s education. And meghan is definitely not just more glamorous and charismatic but like Tina says, she and Harry are more INTERESTING. Kate has never really been interesting, and that’s been seen as a plus for the royals, but now its a negative.

    • C-Shell says:

      If anything (and I mean that as a total disclaimer), Meghan would have looked at another degreed woman as someone she could work with, that there was common ground, possibly shared ideas or values. Meghan’s a team player. We’ve heard that 100s of times. The reality and betrayal had to be brutal.

    • MrsCope says:

      Book sales have definitely dropped off. She’s in the top 10 in terms of number of books sold. But it is holding steady at less than 22,000 books sold. Viola Davis’ memoir, for a point of comparison, has sold 3x that. In general, she’s getting knocked about on the Bestseller’s List and is at the bottom.

  14. MF says:

    “It was a very tricky situation, because here’s Harry and his new wife, who actually are more interesting and glamorous and charismatic than the number-one couple: That’s going to lead to tension.”

    The only way it leads to tension is if the number one couple is massively insecure. Tina is framing this like it’s a two-sided problem when only one side of the equation (W&K) had a problem.

    • tolly says:

      By what standard were the Cambridges the number-one couple when Philip was still alive and Charles and Camilla were next in line? Tell us whose aides were crying on your shoulder without telling us, Tina.

  15. Kalana says:

    Someone photoshop Charles’ face onto the Goya painting of Saturn Devouring His Son. Maybe put a little 👑 on him too and a few corgis by his feet.

  16. Sue E Generis says:

    Her tone is a bit softer? She’s literally done an about face. It’s interesting, because it shows that is fully aware of reality, and what Meghan went through, and that she wasn’t a monster, yet she still deliberately chose to cast her in a negative light and lean into racist tropes in her book.

    How do these people look themselves in the mirror every day, I wonder?

    • ShazBot says:

      THIS.
      She knew it all along.

      I wish someone had challenged her when she said they should have defended Meghan *sooner*. They literally never ever defended her.

      • Christine says:

        Not one working royal has said one word in kindness about Harry and Meghan since they left, never mind defending them. Tina Brown is delusional.

    • Polo says:

      Because it’s all about greed and selling books. The hate fest towards Meghan must not be working and she needs to switch depending on the audience to sell her book.
      I always say selling hate especially towards Meghan is not sustainable. She doesn’t do anything that’s controversial and the times she’s seen are for charitable endeavors. So the RR and BMs narrative doesn’t work with a majority of the public because it’s not reality and Meghan isn’t feeding into the narratives they write about her.
      She’s just living her life and doing good.
      She’s not a kardashian running for attention though that’s what they want her to be.
      She just continues plugging along working with legitimate, professional people, organizations, and winning.

    • Blithe says:

      I think she’s imagining her next two BRF books — and hoping that her slant / clear bias in this one will give her better access once the Queen’s standards and general respect for the Queen are no longer issues. Imagine what could really be written about Charles and, especially William —if the writer knew for sure that it might be their final book on the topic.

  17. HeatherC says:

    I truly believe that Charles was and still is baffled. He lives in a royal bubble and lacks the awareness and self examination to realize what part he played, even if the part he mostly played was passive. Not an excuse, he’s still a sh!t father and person

    • Dee Kay says:

      For sure. Charles is an idiot about family matters. He has a view that everyone in his life should exist to make things easy for him. The only person who does that is Camilla so he loves her the most. When his own sons had challenges or problems he couldn’t fathom it. Couldn’t empathize or help them in any way. Just told his biographer they were difficult. He’s very very limited.

      • Elizabeth says:

        Perfectly said

      • Tessa says:

        I think Charles was enabled while he was growing up by his grandmother (who made him feel the center of the universe) and Mountbatten. The Queen Mother treated him more “special” than the others which sent a bad message to Charles and he treated William more “special” to the detriment of his family.

      • Not a Subject says:

        I think Charles had a really terrible, cold childhood and Camilla is the one who builds him up and makes him laugh. He is focused on his own rep and his own comfort and so is she. Thus Camilla gets away with a lot. I truly believe she is the one puppeteering things from Clarence House and with the press. She’s busy busy busy. Writing cards to Piers Morgan, kissing up to the DM. Charles lets her get away with it all because he views it as she is doing it for their “team” …… Sadly, they are deinitely willing to eat their young if needed.

    • salmonpuff says:

      Narcissism doesn’t allow for self-reflection. You can tell a narcissist exactly why you are reacting the way you are — which Harry has done repeatedly — and they still won’t get it because they can’t.

  18. Seaflower says:

    Kates “impressive” hahahahahaaaaa.

    You want impressive – view this video on Priness Mary turning 50 and what shes achieved – even if its only moving half way around the world and learning a very foreign language. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XCDm9BzSJU&t=17s

    • tamsin says:

      It’s touching how Mary speaks so lovingly of her dad, and her family’s support. Makes me really sad for Meghan, and Harry too. It’s tragic to have families that sell out or eat their young.

  19. TangerineTree says:

    “I do think that they (BRF) should have been more aggressive in their defense of Meghan, and they should’ve done it faster.”

    They never did, Tina. TB says whatever she thinks the audience wants to hear to sell her bs book. Now she’s pretending to be sympathetic to M having to put up with abuse? TB is still just a lightweight hack.

  20. Ameerah says:

    She’s so obvious: whenever she is talking to a US press outlet she has a completely different tone in how she talks about Meghan and how she was treated. But she still has to make sure she gets a few digs in so she doesn’t alienate her base. Sorry Tina babe – no dice. You’re still a racist dog-whistling Karen who I won’t be giving a dime to for your stupid book.

    • Blithe says:

      Yep. It’s funny that she doesn’t seem to realize that a significant chunk of the potential market for hardcover nonfiction books has probably also read / heard TB’s other offerings, critically assessed what she’s been spewing, and want no part of her book that works very hard to actively ignore racism on multiple levels.

  21. Haylie says:

    Anyone want to ask Tina who her sources were for her book? I bet it was Harry’s family. Apparently, they can invade his privacy but he can’t return their fire, if that is even the intention of his book.

    • Tessa says:

      She also used that so called “friend” of Meghan who blamed her for the breakup with Trevor. Trevor and Meghan never commented publicly about their marriage.

      • kirk says:

        The story from Meghan’s former friend, Ninaki Priddy, who thought she should have worked harder on Trevor marriage has already been written about in multiple publications, including Scobie and Durand book, Finding Freedom. Basically Tabloid Tina is just trolling old publications. Didn’t she already admit to one interviewer that she did not interview anyone close to H-M, unless you call Tom Markle still close.

      • Jaded says:

        There are rumours out there about Ninaki and Trevor having an affair. I don’t know if it’s true but she’s been called a “snake friend” by people who know her, and that she started selling Meghan out immediately after she left Trevor. Neither Trevor nor Meghan have spoken publicly about why the marriage ended so suddenly but nothing kills a relationship quicker than infidelity, especially when it involves a trusted friend. It happened to me and I ended my relationship and ghosted my so-called “friend” immediately.

  22. Vanessa says:

    Tina is doing a about face now and talking out of Both sides because her books aren’t selling . Her saying well course Meghan did experience racist treatment Tina saying that now doesn’t mean a thing she spends weeks being nothing but a racist white woman who use racist coded language to bash Meghan . She victims blaming Meghan over and over again while praising kate and William for being white . When the royal reporter realized that their racist attacks and lies don’t work outside of the U.K. and they need to make money all suddenly a light bulb goes on and sudden they remember oh yes of course oh I remember Meghan did experience racism.

  23. Izzy says:

    She’s not so much softening her tone as she is regurgitating points that more sensible, objective people have made, all in an effort to salvage book sales and her reputation stateside. She can eff right off a cliff.

  24. equality says:

    They don’t know “how it got so bad so fast”? So fast? They have been scapegoating PH his entire life and then intensified the pressure after Meghan married in. How is that “so fast”? And, Kate may have been the most educated “working” royal prior to Meghan but Bea and Eugenie’s degrees are more impressive than hers.

    • Eurydice says:

      Well, she said that Kate was the first royal woman with a proper education – by which, she must mean a university degree. And that’s true. Even with the men, Charles was the first to get a university degree and, after that, Edward. But, as we’ve seen here and elsewhere, just because you have a degree doesn’t mean you can use your brain.

      • Tessa says:

        Kate got the degree in MRS. She chose art history supposedly because that was William’s choice of major. She got out of her enrollment at the University of her choice and rushed over to St. Andrew’s. Royals or many of them got good educations and had private tutors teach them.

  25. Catherine says:

    Tina let her deranger hatred of Meghan show in the early interviews. Her publishers have clearly told her to walk that back. But it’s too late. The media push that she received should have made this book a #1 best seller for weeks but it’s already dropping down the list. The other things that she screwed up is her portrayal of Harry. She tried to reinforce all the tabloids narratives. Harry’s recent transparency and honesty has undermined all those stereotypes that the tabloids have tried to sell over the years. I think people are less willing to embrace these “experts”.

    • Tessa says:

      THe trouble too is she portrays William as this “wise” person which is laughable. And Kate the “Mona Lisa” who can do no wrong. It’s like Tina read over social media and DM comments used that for her narrative.

  26. Jaded says:

    If Harry’s book is going to go scorched earth on anyone or anything, it will be the rota that made his and Meghan’s life a living hell. I think he’ll go light on how his father, brother and SIL leaked and lied and gaslit, neither Harry nor Meghan are the type to open up the Pandora’s Box of his ghastly family.

    As for Khate…”Kate is a strong character, very well-educated, very smart”…sure Tina. I guess you’ve conveniently overlooked the idiotic hash she made of the round table on education with Dr. Jill Biden. I guess you’ve forgotten the “Can you test the smell by smelling it?” comment. She’s not well-educated or smart, but she is sly, manipulative, jealous and mean. I guess in your world those are looked upon as positive attributes.

    • kelleybelle says:

      I have to laugh at the attempts to uplift the empty-headed bone-rack every time. “Smart” is never something that comes to mind, nor is “well-educated.”

    • Tessa says:

      Except Tina does not mention that Kate never really used the Art History degree and got the degree in MRS.

    • Mrs.Krabapple says:

      I get that not everybody with an art history degree know everything about individual pieces of art, and I don’t expect them to. But Kate KNEW she was going to tour parts of the royal collection with the queen, and COULD have used her education to do some preliminary research. But no, either she’s too lazy or just too dumb (it could be either or both, I’m not sure which) and the best she could come up with was asking the queen whether Russia still made imperial Faberge eggs. That tells you a lot about how Kate doesn’t want to, or isn’t capable of, doing any research on her events.

  27. HamsterJam says:

    Many of their problems stem from the fact that they are so miserly and tightfisted.

    Example: They are so stingy that they refuse to use their own pile of money to fund their family members. The Queen has tons of cash in non-taxable offshore accounts, but she prefers not to spread that wealth with family members. She insists on “economizing” by forcing family members to live only on what the taxpayers will provide. Because of this many family members have embarrassing sidelines in grift, others cosy up to middle eastern human rights abusers to supplement their income.

    Example: They are so greedy that they refuse to pay competitive salaries to the people that work for them, including their advisors. Because of this they get bullies like Angela Kelly and advisors who give them really bad advice.

    The monarchy is shooting itself in the foot with their Smaug-like obsession to not let go of any of their personal wealth.

  28. Alice says:

    One of the things that makes me see red is when the RF itself and the RR acts like part-time Royals, or Royals being allowed to make money, are some brand new idea. No. Just in the last couple of generations:

    *Princess Alexandra and her husband lived in a grace and favor residence and, until the Civil List ended, she received CL money. I’m sure she now gets money from the SG. Her husband, Ogilivy, was a businessman in the City.

    *I believe the Duke of Gloucester continued working as an architect after he inherited the dukedom, gained a palatial residence at KP, went on the Civil List, and began undertaking duties on behalf of the Queen.

    *Tony Snowdon made money directly from his association with the royal family while he and Princess Margaret lived in KP and she drew Civil List money.

    *Prince Michael never received CL money but lived for years in a grace and favor KP apartment for a peppercorn rent, then for another decade or so the Queen paid fair market rent so they could keep it. Stephan Barry referred to Princess Michael as the “rent a princess” because she’d show up anywhere if they paid her.

    *Princess Anne has monetized her home by holding horse trials and the like for extra cash. Back in the 1980s, she gave an interview to an Austrialian TV programme in exchange for a trip to Australia, because she wanted to watch her then-husband participate in a competition.

    *Fergie wrote kids books while married to Andrew because she needed money.

    *This ended badly, but Edward and Sophie were living at Buck Palace, had been given Bagshot Park, and were drawing some Civil List money while she worked in PR and he had his TV production company.

    *Leaving aside what goes on under the cover of the Duchys of Lancaster and Cornwall, Prince Philip by all accounts worked hard to make Sandringham a profit-making concern. Apples, puppies, etc.

    The rules specifically changed for Harry and Meghan.

    • Christine says:

      Your list also makes one thing glaringly obvious. The only ones who aren’t actively hustling for cash are the two that are fatally lazy, but sure, Tina, keep going with the lies a simple Wiki search can disprove.

  29. aquarius64 says:

    I think social media is a big reason for the book tanking, true things that have been reported are on Twitter but not in TB’s book. For example, Bad Dad rolling up to Oprah’s home with a camera crew, handing over a letter to want an interview. Even bigger, Tina doesn’t bring receipts, not credible ones.

  30. myopinion says:

    Kate Middleton impressive and intelligent lol, My God, Tina darling, me thinks you have proven with this nugget that Carol Middleton is your main source. Waity has had a world stage and an army of staff and still after a decade she has not uttered one intelligent thing. The sussex squad can run receipts for days on the dumb idiotic things that kate has said and done. They make her trend with a top ceo hashtag and its hilarious.

  31. Magick Wanda says:

    “,,,And the monarchy’s about service that is unremunerated. ”

    Hilarious. Absolutely hilarious.

  32. Athena says:

    I’m waiting for Meghan’s book. I want to hear from her what she went through. I want it to be available for sale without any prior notice. We wake up one morning and all the news is about Meghan’s memoir being available for sale and Meghan doing a 48 hour media blitz.

    • Jaded says:

      I can totally see this happening. We know they keep their sh*t locked down tight and I imagine Meghan would want to wait until after TQ passes, but I bet my cat it’s in the works.

    • Beverley says:

      Yes, I’d buy that book in a heartbeat. Wouldn’t that be amazing! Betcha Meghan’s still got all the receipts.

  33. pennypop says:

    “…here’s Harry and his new wife, who actually are more interesting and glamorous and charismatic than the number-one couple”

    LMAO, the honesty. Broken clocks ARE right twice a day.