Too bad, poor Princess (sic) Meghan. Just days after the launch of her new Netflix series, half of California goes up in flames.
Quite difficult to watch Marie-Antoinetting – putting frilled lids on jam jars and making petits fours for ladybirds in a beautiful country house with lush foliage in the background – while people in real life pick the molten debris of their lives.
Of course it’s not her fault. They are just events, dear boy, events. She could not have foreseen such a catastrophe. But it’s certainly impossible to broadcast the show while the neighboring hills are still smouldering, and when the level of simplistic smugness and general smug superiority (if the trailer is to be believed) is so acute.
The Duchess of Sussex isn’t known for her self-consciousness, but even she has to realize that it just wouldn’t look good under the current circumstances.
But in a funny way, this could be a PR boon for the estranged royals. Because if I were advising Harry and Meghan on how to rehabilitate their somewhat tarnished image, the last thing I would have advocated would be a sycophantic smug party that, essentially, rubs everyone’s nose in their lavish lifestyle.
After all their beautiful words about wanting to do good and using their platform to help those less fortunate than themselves, the sub-Nigella-style domestic goddess house seems a bit… well, trite.
In contrast, their response to the LA fires was anything but.
The Sussexes have distributed food parcels at an evacuation centre, met with rescue teams and visited burnt-out homes, and are doing their best to comfort those who have lost their homes.
I may not be the bunch’s biggest fan, but even I can’t deny that they’ve stepped up to the plate faster and more effectively than other A-listers, many of whom seem primarily concerned with protecting their own niches and ensuring the luxury they have come to. stays used to.
Stories of stars holed up in £1,000-a-night hotels, sipping cocktails as Hollywood burns and summoning Pilates instructors and injectables – from Botox to Ozempic – to their suites contrast with the plight of ordinary Angelinos, leaving the elite of Tinseltown is shown in a very unflattering light.
The Sussexes could easily have joined them and stayed safely on their property in Montecito, 90 miles away. Instead, they distributed food parcels at an evacuation center, met with rescue teams and visited burned-out homes, doing their best to comfort those who lost their homes.
In the past, the couple’s actions have seemed at odds with their stated intentions, but in this case, you can’t blame them. Here they are, to provide moral support to those suffering in dire circumstances.
They have also urged others to help, with staff from their Archewell charity foundation coordinating funds and volunteers.
Meghan, we’re told, was even seen “bending down and taking the lid off a plastic container.” (OK, there may be an element of mild sarcasm in that last one.)
But credit where credit is due: staged or not, this is exactly what they should be doing. Making a difference and showing that people in privileged positions can do something to properly justify their existence.
It’s what Princess Diana did when she hugged AIDS victims or when the late Queen Mum walked through the bombed streets of London during the Blitz. It’s something King Charles always does, together with the Prince and Princess of Wales and Princess Anne.
It’s not rocket science – it’s not even particularly taxing. Just stop by, smile, say a few kind words, brighten someone’s day. In many ways, that’s what royalties are for, and that’s what keeps them relevant.
Of course, not everyone sees the point, and that’s fair enough, but it’s not nothing, and for many people it means a lot.
You might think I’ve become weak in the head and cynics will no doubt dismiss Harry and Meghan’s efforts as selfish. But I believe they demonstrate a genuine desire to connect with those in need, a real sense of concern, and an honest effort to help in any way they can. In short, everything they said they wanted to do, but so far haven’t actually delivered.
It’s certainly more heartfelt – and let’s face it, much more useful – than arranging flowers or making sponge cake for a Netflix series.
I applaud Claudia
Claudia Winkleman is a particularly smart kind of cookie
I’ve always admired Claudia Winkleman’s determination to be herself in an industry that loves turning women into cookie-cutter lookalikes.
Then again, she’s a particularly smart kind of cookie. Speaking about her style inspiration for Strictly, she quotes singer Demis Roussos (right) and EastEnders star Anita Dobson. For The Traitors it’s ‘Princess Anne meets Sarah Brightman’, although she says she will dress as Gerald from Clarkson’s Farm next season. What a change from Amanda Holden who was endlessly obsessed with her side boobs.
- When even someone as young and healthy as Carrie Johnson can end up in the hospital with the flu, we should all be careful. I got a chest infection before Christmas and have been hacking ever since. I blamed my immune system, but now realize I’m one of the lucky ones.
Are children staying at home that terrible?
According to an authoritative report, the number of 25 to 34-year-olds living full-time with their parents has increased by more than a third in just under two decades. The finding is greeted with much despair, but is the reality so terrible? It’s not just based on convenience and frugality – it’s also very life-affirming. I would much rather share my home with my children than sit alone listening to a ticking clock and rearranging my cutlery drawer. I’ve never understood this English compulsion to get rid of your children as quickly as possible, and in some cases send them to boarding school at the age of eight. What’s the point of having them if you’re paying someone to take them off your hands? Moreover, we are constantly told about the problem of loneliness for people of all ages. Perhaps intergenerational living can be part of the solution.
● Sir Keir Starmer rejected calls for a new public inquiry into rape gangs, saying they are just part of a ‘far-right’ caravan. Real? A poll for the Women’s Policy Center found that 76 percent of people want one. And 65 percent of those who voted Labor in July agree. Are they also ‘extreme right’? Or just ‘good’?
● As the thermometer hovers below zero, I fear for all those pensioners who are too scared to turn on the heating now that Labor has abolished their fuel surcharge. As well as the policy being cruel, it is also a false economy: these people will end up putting extra pressure on the NHS. Yet another example of the stubborn short-sightedness of this government.
● More than £2 million of taxpayers’ money has been spent on legal bills for members of a Rochdale rape gang fighting deportation to Pakistan – with £285,000 going to the leader alone. When will their victims receive similar compensation?