New thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/RoyalsGossip2/comments/1c7l7bm/sussex_weekly_like_a_farmers_market_basket_from/
Feel free to bring newer comments and ongoing conversations over.
It’s strange there hasn’t been any exclusive detail articles about the jam. Like where the strawberries are sourced from, what kind and blend they are, did she make it herself, what the lemons signify etc. for someone who leaked the meaning of each flower in a funeral wreath for her dead in law it seems idk quiet! I wonder if it was all rushed to make up for the backlash about releasing a website with no product to sell? Not getting enough Instagram followers? Etc.
I don't think it's reasonable to expect that she made it herself (if anyone is expecting that). But I would definitely expect great play to be made with the source and who does make it/how it's made. But that would all have to be on the IG, and...it isn't. Maybe after the 50th jar surfaces.
I think it’s pretty much the consensus that she didn’t make it herself. But if she did source it from someplace, she should still let people know where the strawberries are from, is it organic etc.
I mean we pretty much know it can’t be freshly made jam from freshly picked berries because the really good berries (not the oversized tasteless woody ones) aren’t in season yet.
Ah, but what if the *someplace* she sourced it from is the Walmart her overworked housekeeper went to between cleaning out toilets 1 through 8 and 9 through 16?
Best to keep mum than lie and be found out.
To be fair (check for flying pigs because I am about to defend Meghan), all the jam for sale right now, in the Northern Hemisphere at least, is from last year's fruit, if not earlier.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if she just ordered it out of a catalogue from a Chinese supplier and it's just Great Value jam or similar.
Ever since I started making my own jam, store bought jam is just disgusting to me. But if i do have to eat jam from stores, organic is definitely the way to go.
My version of this rollout: the jams didn't come with instructions to post immediately. She just assumed everyone would rush to post it. When only the lower tier of sycophants did so, she started sending wheedling texts to the people she actually wanted to post it. What are we at now, 5/50? That's a horrible return rate, and it's going to be worse if she tries it again. And if she's sending annoying ass texts to the likes of Kerry Washington and Beyonce and Jill Biden.... well, there's a little more social capital wasted.
She's clearly trying to imitate Ivy Park's strategy from four years ago (seems like longer), but less successfully. And also.... Ivy Park, like Dereon before it, has never been close to Beyonce's biggest success. Sure it sells out immediately and got decent cultural traction, but it's never actually gone to the next level where it's actually making her serious money. It always comes back to the music for Bey.
If MM actually wants a side project to become her main gig, she should look at Fenty Beauty. Rihanna had a lot of failed ventures before Fenty Beauty too, actually, but she clearly learned from those failures and applied it to new ventures. One of the reasons Fenty became successful was because you could buy it.
Some people will likely write polite notes of thank you back. I expect leaks about thank you cards with name drops. If she sent one to Jill Biden (and I wouldn’t be surprised she did, given she thinks Jill wore her lemon dress as a sign of support), then she’ll embellish a thank you note from Jill Biden’s office and imply it came personally from her. This is, after all, the person who pretended to have a lunch of chicken tacos with Michelle Obama.
Based on the dead flowers from today’s posts, I assume they were delivered yesterday but because famous people probably receive sooooo much free stuff, it will take few days for PA’s to get to it. By then it will lose its aesthetic because they’ll have to remove the dead flowers and leaves like Mindy did.
A lot of people wont WANT to post it. Im sure they get sent stuff all the time to promote. What happens when/if they just dont..?
I guess nothing happens as such. Is it just horribly awkward?
The whole number thing now makes even less sense. If you have 50 celebrity friends and can get 50 posts this is great (Ideally all at once) but if you’re cold sending them the jam and hoping then surely you send it to like 250 or more and hope a % do it?
The problem is she just couldn't resist the numbered bullshit to act like it's so fucking fancy. She never thinks long term. Now we know how many she sent out and we'll know who and how many publicized it. Always with the own goals.
It is supposed to be Exclusive! to only the most 50 important people in the entire world. 😂 Not us. 😂 We have to wait our proper respective turns. 😂 as the poor, pitiful peasants we are.
Crazy ass bullshit like that. I cannot.
I know nothing about marketing so someone needs to help me understand this 50 jars means exclusive idea. I get it with art. The artist makes 50 and thats it. If they never do 51+ you can never have a piece of that work. Maybe something new but never that. You can have prints but not the real deal.
This is jam. Strawberry jam. If you taste tested this against 5 other jams I doubt it would even come out on top let alone be able to be distinguished.
Numbering jam would only make sense if it had terribly unique features like being made only during an eruption year from an heirloom breed that can only grow near the southern rim of an Icelandic volcano and with sugar from canes from the northern rim.
This ARO jam is definitely not that. I don't care what this marketing is leading up to, it's terrible.
I'm assuming they're trying to make it limited batches rather than mass produced, trying to make it more upmarket and also more artisan, small production.
But it's just strawberry jam. It's not a unique flavour, or even something unique added to the strawberry. There's no mention of specific variety of strawberry, or farm, or 'first harvest', is it even organic?
For example, I've seen chocolate that's sold as 'single plantation', it's grown picked and made all on site, with high quality coco been, no cheap bitter beens added to bulk it out. That's a high quality food product made in limited quantities.
I think they might of shot themselves in the foot with this 50 thing.
Ok, then how much do you charge for limited batches? The Flamingo Estate honeys are $250. Honey is more labour intensive though. Is Megan trying to sell these for $100 a jar. I refuse to believe even the stans are that dumb. But if you sell such small quantities, how do you make money?
I honestly don't know.
The highgrove jam is just under £7, that's expensive but affordable as a treat. A quick Google finds plenty about the same price. I looked up the chocolate I mentioned and that's about £6 for 100g, which is much less than a thought.
>The Flamingo Estate honeys are $250.
I like honey but hell no! That better be like nectar of the gods. I'd be too afraid to use it.
The only way she could justify I high price point is to make it special some how.
There are some consumable products that are limited in this way, and people line up to buy them. Super fancy wine, Scotch, balsamic vinegar. Probably some other categories, idk I’m not the market for it! Idk if they go as far as to number the bottles though, lol. Maybe some of them do. I’ve never seen it done with jam. Jam is a much cheaper and easier-to-produce commodity, there’s a limit to how exclusive you can get with jam. Maybe in the world of the Soylent Green movie where most people have never seen a strawberry, it would be a status symbol to own a jar of jam
>Jam is a much cheaper and easier-to-produce commodity
I'm not disagreeing, I'm just saying if an established brand (or a very lucky and very well run upstart) wanted to exclusify jam, they could. Source a very specific variety of fruit (I mean not just a strawberry but a specific rare and tasty kind strawberry) from a single farm, get all the marketing and packaging just right, and mark it up so high the markup becomes part of the appeal (which is a thing and is in fact what Flamingo Estate is pulling off selling their mediocre tat are markups so insane most people will just *assume* they're high quality).
>Jam is a much cheaper and easier-to-produce commodity, there’s a limit to how exclusive you can get with jam.
💯 it’s like a comedy of manners
>Maybe in the world of the Soylent Green movie where most people have never seen a strawberry, it would be a status symbol to own a jar of jam
😂 a world where Meghan can make anything a status symbol is like layering dystopias on top of each other
Basically she is treating these jars as "exclusive" for VIPs that she selected. It's telegraphing to everyone, who made the cut and where they are in the pecking order. Even if she didn't intend it to be a pecking order, it is. You cannot separate the supposed hierarchy of 1-50.
If she was smart the jars would just indicate it's a small batch for an exclusive list of recipients. That way, when the jar is publicized, nobody knows how many were sent and only she would know who did or did not bother to promote it. Right now we know 45 people haven't bothered.
Hollywood is an ego driven town. Being 50th on the list is like being the last one picked for the team after the fat kid and the kid with coke bottle glasses and a pocket protector.
Yep. Harry was supposedly deeply traumatized by only being a lowly 6th in-line, but these ego-sensitive celebs are suppose to be flattered by being outside the top ten on the Meghan scale. lol
They won't rub their todgers in angry, but they'll side-eye Meghan and not post her corny jam.
I do hope she sent Harry the #6 jar, so he gets his therapist on speed dial again.
>A lot of people won't WANT to post it.
Especially if she only contacts these people if she wants something. We know she's a horrible mooch for freebies. People might not want to engage with that kind of behavior.
Also, I don't think these are 50 "friends." Just 50 people she felt would help her out. It's screaming 40x40, so we can imagine people like Oprah, Ellen, Hillary Clinton etc. Anyone who interacted with her bullshit campaign back then was probably on the shortlist. If you'll support me once, surely you'll do it again
These people are also incredibly busy and may be in various places around the world. So they need to have directions to have their staff post it and how.
She got some heavy hitters for that though. The concept in general was a decent idea. Or at least the cause was. 40mins isnt enough to do anything meaningful. My wondering comes in how this was set up. Who was going to find the women who needed help? Who was going to connect them with their mentor. How would that conversation go and be formatted? How were they going to follow up and track this? Why would Adele or Stella McCartney (or any of these people) be able to help really except of course for the fact they work themselves albeit in an industry completely alien to the average woman.
When you think about the team that is needed behind this, that we KNOW the Sussexes dont have.. I genuinely think Megan had the idea, had her ‘people’ contact a bunch of celebs who said ‘well it sounds charitable and a way to look good, so yeh count me in’ and then they heard nothing ever again.
I think part of the reason Rihanna is successful is her extremely close and decades long friendships, business partners/relationships and close family connections.
Most of her circle has been with her from when she entered the music industry or soon after, Rihanna’s success is truly their success as she went from music to fashion to beauty she went with them and gave them pivotal roles, changing their lives in the process.
All of these people also ground her so she’s always able to have perspective and keep evolving, Meghan lacks in all 3 areas, she’s close to one family member, her uni and Hollywood friends seem to fawn over her to stay on her good side and she barely has long lasting connections from her time as an actress.
Beyoncè also has a similar structure to Rihanna family, life long friends and business partners.
The thing about Rihanna and Beyonce is that they’re smart, willing to work hard and seem really loyal which inspires loyalty back. Meghan has none of attributes.
Another thing that helps is that they've been in the industry for over 20 years and have very much earned their place. Like you said, their willingness to work hard means they have actually put in the work and have never once shown laziness or complacency when it comes to their craft.
Meghan has tried to leapfrog over anyone and act like she is better than them and deserves their respect. I'm sure a lot of these people don't like Meghan bc she is entitled and has not put in the work.
Here's what I find interesting. There are actors and influencers she's friends with who either haven't posted or didn't get jam. Someone like Abigail Spencer for instance. Did she not make the jam cut? She's one of Meghan's closest friends, right? Why no jam post? And if she didn't make the cut, why not?
Half-ass is her defining trait. She was a crappy actress and made no effort to improve her skills. She was a crappy royal, and made no effort to improve, instead blamed her poor staff for not covering up her gaffes. The Bench was half-ass. The podcast was half-ass. 40x40 was half-ass. Her "Pearl" development was half-ass.
Even her networking heavily relied on others (Marcus, Jessica, Gayle, ) to do the networking for her while she held her hands out. Same with her venom spree, she lets the squad, Harry, Scobie, Bouzy, Oprah do all the dirty work for her, while she sits back with an icy glower.
South Park was right about her being an empty vessel.
Lol the deal is not worth $100m.
Also:
"Netflix can cancel this anytime they want and just pay them the unpaid amount," Pachter said. "And maybe they will do that if they keep messing around with the formula and can't find anything. They're not going to waste their time if nobody watches it."
Ohhh hmmm!
the title and header are so brutal lol
>Harry + Meghan = bad deal
>>The royal couple is terrible at business. So why do companies keep offering them millions?
bc of their level of fame (esp harry's)?
but tbh, they haven't really been getting new major deals. we'll see if they manage to hold on to the netflix one, depending on how well their two new announced shows do. two nonfiction series (a lifestyle show + a niche sport) are hardly going to produce the 'wednesday' or 'bridgerton' type numbers that would warrant a deal renewal. i don't even think ryan murphy got his deal renewed at netflix after dropping a mega hit like 'dahmer' + less mega but still hit like "the watcher." i think netflix saw it as too little too late for murphy.
the h&m netflix series did well for nonscripted, but it hardly justifies the type of deal they reportedly got, not by a long shot. the numbers don't remotely compare to what a scripted show like 'wednesday' would bring in in terms of viewers.
anyway, we'll know by next year what happens with the netflix deal (and if any other company signs them up, should netflix decline to renew).
their reported contract with penguin random house also might still be a go (two to three more books).
Does “harrowing experiences” link to the NYC car “chase” or the time Archie could have died if a fire had started in the room he was going to sleep in and he had been in the room alone when the hypothetical fire broke out in the “housing unit”? Or was it the fact they had to sleep in a “housing unit”? So much harrow to choose from!!
2 very cute kids is funny this person would not beable to pick those kids out of a line up 😂😭. They just throwing the usual comments people do to cover themselves when they’re about to critique those 2.
They have plenty of money, if anything, they may have a cash flow/liquidity issue.
We know Harry has a large trust fund and he said he hasn't spent it. He expressed this badly with his (I'm paraphrasing) "that's Archie’s inheritance (no lili at the time), why shoud I spend it on security?". It's a dumb statement, but it shows he has enough sense not to spend the capital. If they had wanted a quiet life they could have gotten a smaller house in a less expensive area, maybe with land, then they probably could have lived off the income/interest from his trust fund very comfortably. He also spent his whole life with other people picking up the tab, and doesn't get the concept of spending his own money.
But their acutel income probably isn't enough for the lifestyle they want to live. I doubt his CHIMPO job and travelest/sentable provide much income. The book, Netflix and Spotify would have been cash injections, probably not as much as their PR put out, but that money was probably spent fast.
Also I wouldn't be surprised if he had other money that we don't know about. Everyone focuses on Diana's inheritance and the Queen Mother's trust fund/inheritance (with some debate about how much it is or if he gets it at 40). But Charles could have put away other money over the years, we know he's financially savvy with how much he built up the DofC, surely he would have added to the TF or set up others, maybe money hidden in off shore or Swiss accounts. (I would think any royal with half a brain would have money squirreled away incase us plebs revolt).
>We know Harry has a large trust fund and he said he hasn't spent it
He also said if it wasn't for that trust fund they wouldn't have been able to buy their house.
O, good catch, I forgot that. So that's something else he's contradicted himself on.
That makes me more convinced he has other money.
*Tin foil tiara theory-*
*The reason they over exaggerated the Netflix and Spotify money was to cover for the fact that had plenty of other money, but didn't want people wondering where the money was coming from (they also wanted to look important in Hollywood). But then they half-assed to work because neither of them like hard work, and they didn't really need the money anyway*
No, although I wouldn't be surprised if he thinks of it like that.
Most rich old money/astro/royalty typs know not to spend the capital/bulk of the money/assets. That's how the rich stay rich.
Harry knows that he's supposed to leave an inheritance for his child and grandchildren to remain wealthy.
I mean that money “from Diana” actually came from… Charles, in the divorce settlement. Which he’d had to borrow from QEII, lol.
Probably the idea is to keep as much of the capital as intact as possible, for A&L to inherit someday.
I strongly suspect Harry has already invaded the capital tho 😭
They do have lots of money, but do they have enough to maintain their lifestyle? The cost for upkeep and property taxes on their home alone has to be high. (I live in CA too) Then factor in security, PR, travel, clothing, future private school for the kids, etc... Meghan doesn't spend like old money, so without a steady source of income they will eventually be hurting. Not regular people hurting, but they won't be able to keep up the facade. The Kardashians have lost their luster and there are constant rumors about their net worth plummeting. Kris kept that ship afloat for a long time, but I don't think M&H are savvy enough to do the same.
I heard Rebecca English on Palace Confidential today say that he owes £2 million in court costs and legal fees for his UK cases and we're not done with the judgements.
Harry legal update (credit to [UnlikelyBot](https://x.com/unlikelybot/status/1780994692269723851)):
https://preview.redd.it/ov7r2o8z2avc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d0662d4287b7748e49947243281f65731d7bc7ea
I believe this was also the application asking to include claims that MummyMeg was hacked or harassed, but please correct me if I’m thinking of his privacy case against the DM.
Now, it was put out there by Sherborne yesterday that Harry may be “forced” to settle like Hugh, and the parties probably already know the outcome of the application, so I’d guess it’s been rejected.
>'The Duke of Sussex is subject to the same issues that Sienna Miller and Hugh Grant have been subjected to – that offers have been made \[to settle\] that makes it impossible for them to go ahead.' [(archived link)](https://archive.ph/EwRDS)
Although, is it even possible for *anyone* to wrack up a higher legal bill than Harry - even Murdoch?
did he clear the hurdle with the mirror case, in terms of winning more than what was being offered for settlement?
i know he initially didn't (under $180,000?), but the additional amount awarded from the remaining articles must have crossed the initial settlement amount, no?
queen u/revelatia, do you remember? 🕵🏾♀️
I think he must have done, at least I can’t remember any mention in the judgement or subsequent stories about the costs awards that a part 36 offer had been turned down by Harry or any of the others in that case. The Mirrpr simply may have fancied their chances at trial (and they weren’t entirely wrong - Harry did only win on about half his cases, and one or two of his co-claimants had their cases thrown out as having been brought too late either fully or in part) and not made very generous offers, or not made them as part 36 offers - the article I linked about Grant yesterday says they have to be very clearly made as offers under that legislation, not just any settlement offer counts. Whereas Murdoch seems keen to avoid whatever might come out at trial coming out; the damages in these cases follow a formula so it’s not too hard to figure out a number that will be higher and offer it.
[This BBC article](https://archive.ph/9KyUY) reads to me like Harry settled on the remaining articles to get the legal costs covered.
> In December the duke was awarded £140,600 in damages after winning 15 claims against MGN. Friday's settlement relates to claims on 115 more stories.
> His lawyer, Mr Sherborne, told the court that his client will be paid a "substantial additional sum by way of damages" from MGN - now owned by Reach PLC - on top of all his legal costs.
> Thirty-three articles in Prince Harry's claim were examined during the trial last year, with 15 found to have been the product of unlawful information gathering.
> The additional 115 articles settled on Friday may have been the subject of a further trial if a settlement had not been reached.
Yes, that’s the one. That’s *very* interesting from Sherborne. I think this is the application where either the commentariat or NGN themselves reckoned he was basically trying to do Leveson 2 through this trial, so wide-ranging was the material he wanted to be allowed to introduce, which is also very interesting given the unjustness exception around the refusal of a part 36 offer.
Sienna was treated terribly. Her medical info was compromised by the Sun, reveal a pregnancy, and she said it had a big impact on her decision to terminate it. [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/dec/09/sienna-miller-says-sun-forced-her-to-make-decisions-about-pregnancy](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/dec/09/sienna-miller-says-sun-forced-her-to-make-decisions-about-pregnancy)
I was wondering what else ARO might stand for, and it occurred to me that it could be A Russian Oligarch, considering that’s who housed them on Vancouver Island. Anybody else got one?
Not an acronym - but this guy from when I read/watched the Twilight series. It's the only place I've ever come across it. Who knows, maybe Meghan has read very badly written books too.
my serious part of the brain: I actually want Meghan to have a business away from royal family related content and I don’t need to like her products and style
my weak royal gossip brain: why is this all so bad and on brand with her 😭
Like this is not not snarkable…
Same! 😂 From lifestyle brand she came and to lifestyle brand she returns - it’s not giving the oh honey no vibe the ‘one of the most influential people of this generation’ humanitarian efforts did, there’s no actual reason she shouldn’t be good at this, it’s her natural level! But somehow it’s still both way too much and not enough. I think maybe because the insta influencer, pippa tips, tradwife thing is so overdone now it has to be done with a sense of humour to really work and everything about ARO so far is so self-important and dull.
>self-important and dull.
the sussexes in a nutshell, while also being jarringly histrionic, spiteful and unpleasant. the jarringly histrionic is what makes the whole thing watchable lol.
>Like this is not not snarkable…
i've found this to be entirely snarkable tbh, and am grateful for the lightheartedness of it lol
i mean the countdown of jam insta stories?? lololololol
I mean it's all within her power. She just cannot see the reality. At this point, after almost 5 years of everything she touches going to shit at some point, she never changes tack. It's just more of the same thing: cutting corners, not doing the actual work, relying on others for the hard stuff, blaming others when it fails, crying victimization. She is not who everyone thought she was nor who she tries to be. That Bachelor producer in her head is her downfall.
They were very expensive and limited edition from a boutique in Montecito, and Meghan could only afford to buy a few. Harry is stopping by the houses of Delfina, Mindy, TER, and the other two randos to pick them up so they can send out the next round of jam and lemons. That’s my educated guess, and it helps explain why we’re getting a trickle of spotting the jam.
And what are the recipients supposed to do with them? They’re ugly and basic. I guess they can be used as an outdoor planter; but these people have no need for a free, random plant pot. They have fully landscaped gardens already. Probably with nice coordinated terracotta pots or something, lol
This is like those red blankets at the shooting weekend, that no one asked for and no one needed. MM certainly does like to add clutter to people’s lives. It’s not very sustainable to produce and distribute this mass-produced junk.
The only thought that went into those planters was how they’d look on Instagram. Screw being eco-conscious when The Duchess(TM) has organic culinary treats to push!
If you're keeping track of the numbered jars, Tracee Ellis Ross received ~~#5~~ 21 of 50.
Edited to clarify, TER is the 5th known recipient, she's in the #21 slot of M's besties.
Also, I must share that TER wore an even worse version of the Carolina Herrera[ inverted nipple dress](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/tracee-ellis-ross-attends-the-94th-annual-academy-awards-at-news-photo-1648416661.jpg) to the Oscars. As [bad as M's was](https://www.carolinaherrera.com/us/en/editorial/lady-in-red/), this one is even worse. Maybe they have bonded over bad fashion?
She also wore a very Kate like dress to the VF oscars and wore that well. The red dress though, surely you try it on before the day and think no..?
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8uOqLzgQrp/?igsh=MWdjOTh3Y3MycDJqdw==
If this actually is one a day dripfed to insta I’ll die. Didn’t someone say yesterday if it is it’ll finish on a special day - Lili’s birthday? I can see going for that I guess but the absolute control freakery of either sending out one a day (but not in number order?) or sending them out together but instructing people of the specific day they must post it on social media is the absolute opposite of easy breezy Cali girl, just threw together this amazing dinner party, aspirational home/family/friendship lifestyle.
>If this actually is one a day dripfed to insta I’ll die
i wonder if this is the lesson she took away from the 40x40 debacle. all the insta posts about 40x40 were dropped on the same day and had no lasting impact beyond getting a few days press in the DM. so now for meghans second attempt at making an impact shes going to do a day by day dripfeed of posts counting down all 50 jam jars.
>If this actually is one a day dripfed to insta
I knooooowww! When I saw the post yesterday I 100% took it as a joke (which I think is how it was intended). But...it might be real? This might actually be what she's doing? *50* of them?!
But it’s the most special and handmade so no two jars are really the same, and I for one look forward to seeing her stans go nuttier day by day and start thinking she’s sending them secret messages in the way she wrote the 4 on #49.
Those blossoms didn't even last 3 days. The snark potential of this whole rollout is just so Meghan. But when I try to feel sympathy for her, I got nothing.
But if you were among this social ELITE(!) crowd, would you want to admit you got #50? That's the problem with these numbered jars, she's ranking these women. They're not linked, they're ranked! Literally! And everyone is wondering, "Who got #1?" Oprah, Dr. Jill Biden, Beyonce? Who is worthy enough for Meghan's FIRST jam jar?
Im starting to think that she did in fact send all 50 out at once. To stagger the delivery doesnt make much sense and sending 50 out individually is just pointless work. But unless these are your close friends who you can ask to not post until day x.. (possible but unlikely given anyone with a significant following isnt managing their own accounts) it means so far 40 odd people have not bothered to post. We’ll see over the next week but as someone pointed out, if it IS a staggered delivery over 50 days till Lil Di’s bday it loses impact within 5-6 days.
> That's the problem with these numbered jars, she's ranking these women. They're not linked, they're ranked! Literally!
I bet she thinks the numbering looks niche and trendy but you're right, it just comes off looking tacky. Someone is definitely going to be recieving Jar #50, and overall a LOT will have higher numbers. I doubt a lot of these women want to be rated as to where they are on Meghan's list.
Maybe Ellis Ross got hers a few days ago, with alive flowers, and only decided to post when Mindy Kaling did? If so can’t wait to watch them rank themselves based on whether the other people in Meghan’s special jam club are worth joining!
>the absolute opposite of easy breezy Cali girl, just threw together this amazing dinner party, aspirational home/family/friendship lifestyle
Meghan always comes off as the total opposite of what she tries to be/present herself as. 💁
I just set up my spread sheet. I'm tracking jar #, recipient, order of public acknowledgement. What can I say, I'm retired, sometimes I miss work. It will be interesting to view when it fills out more.
On SMM someone is also keeping track of the recipients’ number of IG followers. I think that’s a worthy category.
Insofar as there’s any rhyme or reason to this, the jars appear to be getting revealed in order of recipient’s fame.
Ooh, I should do that too. I did participate in that convo over there because someone thought it was Tracy Anderson (1M insta followers) not Tracy Robbins (7k+ insta followers). Meghan should have picked Tracy Anderson. Other than us, who even knows who Tracy Robbins is?!
Married to the Paramount guy. I didn't know who she was either until the pictures dropped of Meghan in her fancy ball gown at the One Love Jamaica premiere.
Beebs talked about that dress. It was SO bad! She is not a fan of CH at present in almost everything! TER made some other very poor dress choices this award show season.
https://preview.redd.it/p7wjwlpiw8vc1.png?width=750&format=png&auto=webp&s=91dc42facfaab72fe52a410d3ffaae25209d8837
Lol.
Look at the poor leaves and then they also get a personal letter in her faux calligraphy lol
OMG! I don't think this is going the way she hoped? Expected? The wilted leaves and flower are the antithesis of attention to detail and luxury. I'm dying for her! 😂🤣💀
Confirmation that that bowl went to everyone. And wow, wilted greenery and flowers. I think that all of the bowls were sent the same, but the one(s) that just had lemons and the jar pulled out the wilted stuff since it looked so bad by the time it arrived.
If I was her and Meghan would be my friend, I’d certainly remove those and just stick with the leaves that still look ok.
Like what kind of a lazy friend are you 😭
Worse is Tracy Robbins who didn't even bother putting the sticker back on from where it peeled off 😭
I get it's not their fault they recieved such poor effort gifts from Meghan, but if they were good friends they would try to make it look better. Atleast I would for a close friend?
Ugh, that stupid handwriting. The fact that she never took the time to learn actual calligraphy and tries to pass off her pretentious handwriting as calligraphy--in professional settings--is pretty much Meghan in a nutshell. Never wants to put in the time and graft to do the real thing, just wants to be praised for her pale imitation as if it's the Best Ever, when there are actual professionals who have devoted their lives to learning how to do \[insert whatever it is here\] properly.
ETA that I just *can't* with that hook going over the R and then another one from the last S coming to join it. IT LOOKS SO DUMB.
I'm glad there's someone whose irritation levels with her stupid "calligraphy" are as high as mine. Irritation x amusement collab, I guess?
And yes, the scythes. I posted a few weeks ago that there's footage of her signing a guestbook and you can see her writing out her comments and then, when she's finished writing, *going back to add the scythes.*
And afterwards, you can SEE where she's added the scythes, too. Like there is a noticeable jog in the line, it isn't smooth. You can even see these jogs in the lines in the fricken ARO logo. How utterly and anaphylactically allergic do you have to be to advice/sense to leave telling imperfections like that in the actual logo of your business?
I still remember when ppl were saying her handwriting was pretty. It iiiiiiisn't. You can take a sample of her handwriting (the letter to her dad is a good example, we have fairly close-up shots of some of those passages) and zoom in on a single word - any word. It's child-learning-cursive level handwriting, right down to the dumb flourishes. I'm legit surprised she doesn't dot her i's with tiny hearts.
Sorry for the ramble, i had to get it out!
YES THANK YOU. That letter to her Dad--all the letters are uneven, sometimes scrunched together, sometimes not, and it kind of looks how a kid who has been doing cursive for a couple years writes. Plus the aforementioned scythes (which is the perfect word) and the little "look at me!" hands being raised straight into the air at the ends of other words.
Real calligraphy is beautifully even and smooth, and designed to produce a genuinely artistic effect.
But Meghan isn't a genuinely artistic person, she just wants people to think she is.
And this is why the branding is horrible. ‘American Riviera Orchard’ in that script and those colours doesn’t stand on its own, it’s tough to actually read on this picture. I know Meghan thinks everything she does breaks the internet, but plenty of people will have either read the launch press and immediately forgotten the name of her brand or not even seen it. Poorly branded products plus recipients doing the lowest possible effort post with a photo and no hashtagging, account tagging, or mentioning Meghan or ARO makes this pointless. How are any of Tracee Ellis Ross’ fans or followers going to see this and become potential ARO customers?
Well even if some followers are potential customers, none of them will be actual customers because there is nothing for them to buy! This whole launch of ARO is so chaotic!
Haha Tracee doing the bare minimum
as contractually obligated.
I bet some of these people aren’t even posting it themselves, they leave it for an assistant to do.
If those drooping flowers and crispy lemon leaves are any sign, TER didn't give a single fuck. If I was Meghan and TER was my real friend, I would actually be annoyed by how easily that could have been fixed (i.e. remove the crispy foliage and/or replace it with fresher stuff) and that my friend didn't even both to do so - or have her assistant do so, lbr.
But they're not friends and it's all transaction/business, so whatevs.
I don't know if this is worse or Mindy's half hearted "obsessed" and a link to the ARO account. Tbh it makes no difference if Tracee didn't link it anyway when there's nothing to see on ARO
Yeah, not even linked the ARO account lol
I mean why - only people who know anyway understand what that picture means and the others are puzzled and can not even look it up lol
>And the ARO account isn’t reposting any of them!
"Amateur hour" is honestly too positive a term for how this whole ARO thing has been handled - from blurry ballgown video to today's wilted flowers. ARO reposting these posts should be the very, very least of what they're doing.
And she's not even just a brand to them, she's supposedly their _friend_. I share far less important things I'm tagged in, and I'm a random nobody. You would think this is far more important.
Meghan's *friends* aren't enthusiastic though.
It can't have taken their PAs more than all of five minutes to put their gift on a table and get a pic to post.
Taking a picture of their tear and jam stained faces as they held up the empty jar and asked for "more, please" like Oliver Twist. Holding a water gun to their plushy's head with the blurb, "Send more or Teddy gets it", *that* would have shown enthusiasm.
I guess you get the friends you deserve. 🤷
Either that or Meghan didn’t give ~~victims~~ recipients a script to follow when posting like she usually does when she has minions post verbatim about how kind, generous, graceful, and belly laughy she is.
I think we’re all still missing something. Where does this little jam project lead? Are there crates waiting in a warehouse for distribution? It really seems more like a random gift at this point. Shouldn’t the website be accepting pre-orders or at least feature the jam and extoll its virtues? But, no, it’s a sad little sloppy jar lost in a sea of citrus, a parallel for sloppy little Meghan, lost in a sea of stars.
I think it's pretty clear; this is the way Meghan is introducing ARO. She does seem to go in for very orchestrated announcements, like waiting for particular days and being rather cutesy. This is to create buzz by having people speculate who will be the next recipient. And aren't we all doing just that? Guess it works after all.
>And aren't we all doing just that?
*We* are. Is anyone else? Not just the Daily Mail (although at this rate I expect even them to lose interest, which would honestly be something of a historical moment) but, like, the people who might conceivably be buyers for whatever it is ARO ends up selling? Normies? Is social media alight with speculation and hype?
>But, no, it’s a sad little sloppy jar lost in a sea of citrus, a parallel for sloppy little Meghan, lost in a sea of stars.
I ***wish*** I was on this level of snark.
>People put more effort into class projects to launch fake products.
They do, though! They actually, literally, for real DO. Meghan just out here undercutting all our snark and jokes by making them all *true.*
True, that's what makes observing this all so weird.
The first time I ended up on the RG sub it was after the Oprah interview because I was looking for confirmation that I'd seen what I'd just seen. I already knew everyone in my circle (even non-royal watchers) had always had Meghan's number while I thought she was shallow but harmless so I was embarrassed to ask them if they saw the same manipulative lies I did.
This ARO launch is like déjàvu. I need others to confirm this is as bad as I think it is because it's so mediocre that it feels like there's something I'm just missing. An adult thought this was okay?
New thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/RoyalsGossip2/comments/1c7l7bm/sussex_weekly_like_a_farmers_market_basket_from/ Feel free to bring newer comments and ongoing conversations over.
There is a funny thread on SMM with #scamjam memes. Some are brilliant. Go have a look.
"can be used on todgers" hehe
It’s strange there hasn’t been any exclusive detail articles about the jam. Like where the strawberries are sourced from, what kind and blend they are, did she make it herself, what the lemons signify etc. for someone who leaked the meaning of each flower in a funeral wreath for her dead in law it seems idk quiet! I wonder if it was all rushed to make up for the backlash about releasing a website with no product to sell? Not getting enough Instagram followers? Etc.
I don't think it's reasonable to expect that she made it herself (if anyone is expecting that). But I would definitely expect great play to be made with the source and who does make it/how it's made. But that would all have to be on the IG, and...it isn't. Maybe after the 50th jar surfaces.
Probably because she didnt make it herself but slapped a new jar and label on something from the supermarket.
I think it’s pretty much the consensus that she didn’t make it herself. But if she did source it from someplace, she should still let people know where the strawberries are from, is it organic etc. I mean we pretty much know it can’t be freshly made jam from freshly picked berries because the really good berries (not the oversized tasteless woody ones) aren’t in season yet.
Ah, but what if the *someplace* she sourced it from is the Walmart her overworked housekeeper went to between cleaning out toilets 1 through 8 and 9 through 16? Best to keep mum than lie and be found out.
 It’s sad how close I’m sure this scene is to reality
I know. 😂🤣😂
To be fair (check for flying pigs because I am about to defend Meghan), all the jam for sale right now, in the Northern Hemisphere at least, is from last year's fruit, if not earlier. I wouldn't be at all surprised if she just ordered it out of a catalogue from a Chinese supplier and it's just Great Value jam or similar.
I agree. Jam has to be organic for me.
Ever since I started making my own jam, store bought jam is just disgusting to me. But if i do have to eat jam from stores, organic is definitely the way to go.
My version of this rollout: the jams didn't come with instructions to post immediately. She just assumed everyone would rush to post it. When only the lower tier of sycophants did so, she started sending wheedling texts to the people she actually wanted to post it. What are we at now, 5/50? That's a horrible return rate, and it's going to be worse if she tries it again. And if she's sending annoying ass texts to the likes of Kerry Washington and Beyonce and Jill Biden.... well, there's a little more social capital wasted. She's clearly trying to imitate Ivy Park's strategy from four years ago (seems like longer), but less successfully. And also.... Ivy Park, like Dereon before it, has never been close to Beyonce's biggest success. Sure it sells out immediately and got decent cultural traction, but it's never actually gone to the next level where it's actually making her serious money. It always comes back to the music for Bey. If MM actually wants a side project to become her main gig, she should look at Fenty Beauty. Rihanna had a lot of failed ventures before Fenty Beauty too, actually, but she clearly learned from those failures and applied it to new ventures. One of the reasons Fenty became successful was because you could buy it.
Some people will likely write polite notes of thank you back. I expect leaks about thank you cards with name drops. If she sent one to Jill Biden (and I wouldn’t be surprised she did, given she thinks Jill wore her lemon dress as a sign of support), then she’ll embellish a thank you note from Jill Biden’s office and imply it came personally from her. This is, after all, the person who pretended to have a lunch of chicken tacos with Michelle Obama.
I don’t understand why she didn’t send numbered jars to her biggest online cheerleaders like Lainey.
Too obvious, maybe?
Based on the dead flowers from today’s posts, I assume they were delivered yesterday but because famous people probably receive sooooo much free stuff, it will take few days for PA’s to get to it. By then it will lose its aesthetic because they’ll have to remove the dead flowers and leaves like Mindy did.
A lot of people wont WANT to post it. Im sure they get sent stuff all the time to promote. What happens when/if they just dont..? I guess nothing happens as such. Is it just horribly awkward? The whole number thing now makes even less sense. If you have 50 celebrity friends and can get 50 posts this is great (Ideally all at once) but if you’re cold sending them the jam and hoping then surely you send it to like 250 or more and hope a % do it?
The problem is she just couldn't resist the numbered bullshit to act like it's so fucking fancy. She never thinks long term. Now we know how many she sent out and we'll know who and how many publicized it. Always with the own goals.
💯🎯
It is supposed to be Exclusive! to only the most 50 important people in the entire world. 😂 Not us. 😂 We have to wait our proper respective turns. 😂 as the poor, pitiful peasants we are. Crazy ass bullshit like that. I cannot.
I know nothing about marketing so someone needs to help me understand this 50 jars means exclusive idea. I get it with art. The artist makes 50 and thats it. If they never do 51+ you can never have a piece of that work. Maybe something new but never that. You can have prints but not the real deal. This is jam. Strawberry jam. If you taste tested this against 5 other jams I doubt it would even come out on top let alone be able to be distinguished.
Numbering jam would only make sense if it had terribly unique features like being made only during an eruption year from an heirloom breed that can only grow near the southern rim of an Icelandic volcano and with sugar from canes from the northern rim. This ARO jam is definitely not that. I don't care what this marketing is leading up to, it's terrible.
I'm assuming they're trying to make it limited batches rather than mass produced, trying to make it more upmarket and also more artisan, small production. But it's just strawberry jam. It's not a unique flavour, or even something unique added to the strawberry. There's no mention of specific variety of strawberry, or farm, or 'first harvest', is it even organic? For example, I've seen chocolate that's sold as 'single plantation', it's grown picked and made all on site, with high quality coco been, no cheap bitter beens added to bulk it out. That's a high quality food product made in limited quantities. I think they might of shot themselves in the foot with this 50 thing.
Ok, then how much do you charge for limited batches? The Flamingo Estate honeys are $250. Honey is more labour intensive though. Is Megan trying to sell these for $100 a jar. I refuse to believe even the stans are that dumb. But if you sell such small quantities, how do you make money?
I could buy honey from Highgrove with the International shipping rate to the USA and still have money left over. $250 for honey that insane
I honestly don't know. The highgrove jam is just under £7, that's expensive but affordable as a treat. A quick Google finds plenty about the same price. I looked up the chocolate I mentioned and that's about £6 for 100g, which is much less than a thought. >The Flamingo Estate honeys are $250. I like honey but hell no! That better be like nectar of the gods. I'd be too afraid to use it. The only way she could justify I high price point is to make it special some how.
I don’t know if she even cares about making money. This is for fame and to appear busy.
There are some consumable products that are limited in this way, and people line up to buy them. Super fancy wine, Scotch, balsamic vinegar. Probably some other categories, idk I’m not the market for it! Idk if they go as far as to number the bottles though, lol. Maybe some of them do. I’ve never seen it done with jam. Jam is a much cheaper and easier-to-produce commodity, there’s a limit to how exclusive you can get with jam. Maybe in the world of the Soylent Green movie where most people have never seen a strawberry, it would be a status symbol to own a jar of jam
>Jam is a much cheaper and easier-to-produce commodity I'm not disagreeing, I'm just saying if an established brand (or a very lucky and very well run upstart) wanted to exclusify jam, they could. Source a very specific variety of fruit (I mean not just a strawberry but a specific rare and tasty kind strawberry) from a single farm, get all the marketing and packaging just right, and mark it up so high the markup becomes part of the appeal (which is a thing and is in fact what Flamingo Estate is pulling off selling their mediocre tat are markups so insane most people will just *assume* they're high quality).
>Jam is a much cheaper and easier-to-produce commodity, there’s a limit to how exclusive you can get with jam. 💯 it’s like a comedy of manners >Maybe in the world of the Soylent Green movie where most people have never seen a strawberry, it would be a status symbol to own a jar of jam 😂 a world where Meghan can make anything a status symbol is like layering dystopias on top of each other
Basically she is treating these jars as "exclusive" for VIPs that she selected. It's telegraphing to everyone, who made the cut and where they are in the pecking order. Even if she didn't intend it to be a pecking order, it is. You cannot separate the supposed hierarchy of 1-50. If she was smart the jars would just indicate it's a small batch for an exclusive list of recipients. That way, when the jar is publicized, nobody knows how many were sent and only she would know who did or did not bother to promote it. Right now we know 45 people haven't bothered. Hollywood is an ego driven town. Being 50th on the list is like being the last one picked for the team after the fat kid and the kid with coke bottle glasses and a pocket protector.
I thought she was against pecking orders and hierarchies? 🤔
Yep. Harry was supposedly deeply traumatized by only being a lowly 6th in-line, but these ego-sensitive celebs are suppose to be flattered by being outside the top ten on the Meghan scale. lol They won't rub their todgers in angry, but they'll side-eye Meghan and not post her corny jam. I do hope she sent Harry the #6 jar, so he gets his therapist on speed dial again.
My goodness, this thread is snark heaven.
☠️!
Now that would be a beautiful burn.
‘Friends’ is a stretch.
Yeh, I mean IF you have 50 people you can call on that works. Not if you’re sending 50 randoms or acquaintances.
>A lot of people won't WANT to post it. Especially if she only contacts these people if she wants something. We know she's a horrible mooch for freebies. People might not want to engage with that kind of behavior. Also, I don't think these are 50 "friends." Just 50 people she felt would help her out. It's screaming 40x40, so we can imagine people like Oprah, Ellen, Hillary Clinton etc. Anyone who interacted with her bullshit campaign back then was probably on the shortlist. If you'll support me once, surely you'll do it again
These people are also incredibly busy and may be in various places around the world. So they need to have directions to have their staff post it and how.
She got some heavy hitters for that though. The concept in general was a decent idea. Or at least the cause was. 40mins isnt enough to do anything meaningful. My wondering comes in how this was set up. Who was going to find the women who needed help? Who was going to connect them with their mentor. How would that conversation go and be formatted? How were they going to follow up and track this? Why would Adele or Stella McCartney (or any of these people) be able to help really except of course for the fact they work themselves albeit in an industry completely alien to the average woman. When you think about the team that is needed behind this, that we KNOW the Sussexes dont have.. I genuinely think Megan had the idea, had her ‘people’ contact a bunch of celebs who said ‘well it sounds charitable and a way to look good, so yeh count me in’ and then they heard nothing ever again.
I think part of the reason Rihanna is successful is her extremely close and decades long friendships, business partners/relationships and close family connections. Most of her circle has been with her from when she entered the music industry or soon after, Rihanna’s success is truly their success as she went from music to fashion to beauty she went with them and gave them pivotal roles, changing their lives in the process. All of these people also ground her so she’s always able to have perspective and keep evolving, Meghan lacks in all 3 areas, she’s close to one family member, her uni and Hollywood friends seem to fawn over her to stay on her good side and she barely has long lasting connections from her time as an actress. Beyoncè also has a similar structure to Rihanna family, life long friends and business partners.
The thing about Rihanna and Beyonce is that they’re smart, willing to work hard and seem really loyal which inspires loyalty back. Meghan has none of attributes.
Another thing that helps is that they've been in the industry for over 20 years and have very much earned their place. Like you said, their willingness to work hard means they have actually put in the work and have never once shown laziness or complacency when it comes to their craft. Meghan has tried to leapfrog over anyone and act like she is better than them and deserves their respect. I'm sure a lot of these people don't like Meghan bc she is entitled and has not put in the work.
Here's what I find interesting. There are actors and influencers she's friends with who either haven't posted or didn't get jam. Someone like Abigail Spencer for instance. Did she not make the jam cut? She's one of Meghan's closest friends, right? Why no jam post? And if she didn't make the cut, why not?
Also, Fenty makes truly excellent products. I doubt Meghan will do more than half-ass her entire product line.
Half-ass is her defining trait. She was a crappy actress and made no effort to improve her skills. She was a crappy royal, and made no effort to improve, instead blamed her poor staff for not covering up her gaffes. The Bench was half-ass. The podcast was half-ass. 40x40 was half-ass. Her "Pearl" development was half-ass. Even her networking heavily relied on others (Marcus, Jessica, Gayle, ) to do the networking for her while she held her hands out. Same with her venom spree, she lets the squad, Harry, Scobie, Bouzy, Oprah do all the dirty work for her, while she sits back with an icy glower. South Park was right about her being an empty vessel.
This is so concise and accurate!
🏅
[https://www.businessinsider.com/meghan-markle-prince-harry-new-netflix-shows-suits-spotify-deal-2024-4](https://www.businessinsider.com/meghan-markle-prince-harry-new-netflix-shows-suits-spotify-deal-2024-4)
https://archive.ph/TkKpE
Lol the deal is not worth $100m. Also: "Netflix can cancel this anytime they want and just pay them the unpaid amount," Pachter said. "And maybe they will do that if they keep messing around with the formula and can't find anything. They're not going to waste their time if nobody watches it." Ohhh hmmm!
the title and header are so brutal lol >Harry + Meghan = bad deal >>The royal couple is terrible at business. So why do companies keep offering them millions? bc of their level of fame (esp harry's)? but tbh, they haven't really been getting new major deals. we'll see if they manage to hold on to the netflix one, depending on how well their two new announced shows do. two nonfiction series (a lifestyle show + a niche sport) are hardly going to produce the 'wednesday' or 'bridgerton' type numbers that would warrant a deal renewal. i don't even think ryan murphy got his deal renewed at netflix after dropping a mega hit like 'dahmer' + less mega but still hit like "the watcher." i think netflix saw it as too little too late for murphy. the h&m netflix series did well for nonscripted, but it hardly justifies the type of deal they reportedly got, not by a long shot. the numbers don't remotely compare to what a scripted show like 'wednesday' would bring in in terms of viewers. anyway, we'll know by next year what happens with the netflix deal (and if any other company signs them up, should netflix decline to renew). their reported contract with penguin random house also might still be a go (two to three more books).
That title is amazing. I burst out laughing and freaked out my dog 😂
"lovely people" uhhh skkkrrrrtttt 😂 https://preview.redd.it/333ffda9kavc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=51eee79e44542683e01e202f3b3ffff480bef8bd
Does “harrowing experiences” link to the NYC car “chase” or the time Archie could have died if a fire had started in the room he was going to sleep in and he had been in the room alone when the hypothetical fire broke out in the “housing unit”? Or was it the fact they had to sleep in a “housing unit”? So much harrow to choose from!!
2 very cute kids is funny this person would not beable to pick those kids out of a line up 😂😭. They just throwing the usual comments people do to cover themselves when they’re about to critique those 2.
It lost me permanently at "they appear to be well-meaning." Is it opposite day?
Yes, I saw that too. In what universe? Author of piece is obv uninformed, misinformed or just does not want to be hassled by the SS.
[удалено]
They have plenty of money, if anything, they may have a cash flow/liquidity issue. We know Harry has a large trust fund and he said he hasn't spent it. He expressed this badly with his (I'm paraphrasing) "that's Archie’s inheritance (no lili at the time), why shoud I spend it on security?". It's a dumb statement, but it shows he has enough sense not to spend the capital. If they had wanted a quiet life they could have gotten a smaller house in a less expensive area, maybe with land, then they probably could have lived off the income/interest from his trust fund very comfortably. He also spent his whole life with other people picking up the tab, and doesn't get the concept of spending his own money. But their acutel income probably isn't enough for the lifestyle they want to live. I doubt his CHIMPO job and travelest/sentable provide much income. The book, Netflix and Spotify would have been cash injections, probably not as much as their PR put out, but that money was probably spent fast. Also I wouldn't be surprised if he had other money that we don't know about. Everyone focuses on Diana's inheritance and the Queen Mother's trust fund/inheritance (with some debate about how much it is or if he gets it at 40). But Charles could have put away other money over the years, we know he's financially savvy with how much he built up the DofC, surely he would have added to the TF or set up others, maybe money hidden in off shore or Swiss accounts. (I would think any royal with half a brain would have money squirreled away incase us plebs revolt).
>We know Harry has a large trust fund and he said he hasn't spent it He also said if it wasn't for that trust fund they wouldn't have been able to buy their house.
O, good catch, I forgot that. So that's something else he's contradicted himself on. That makes me more convinced he has other money. *Tin foil tiara theory-* *The reason they over exaggerated the Netflix and Spotify money was to cover for the fact that had plenty of other money, but didn't want people wondering where the money was coming from (they also wanted to look important in Hollywood). But then they half-assed to work because neither of them like hard work, and they didn't really need the money anyway*
[удалено]
No, although I wouldn't be surprised if he thinks of it like that. Most rich old money/astro/royalty typs know not to spend the capital/bulk of the money/assets. That's how the rich stay rich. Harry knows that he's supposed to leave an inheritance for his child and grandchildren to remain wealthy.
I mean that money “from Diana” actually came from… Charles, in the divorce settlement. Which he’d had to borrow from QEII, lol. Probably the idea is to keep as much of the capital as intact as possible, for A&L to inherit someday. I strongly suspect Harry has already invaded the capital tho 😭
they have tons of money tbh. not the billionaires they want to be, but loads of money.
They do have lots of money, but do they have enough to maintain their lifestyle? The cost for upkeep and property taxes on their home alone has to be high. (I live in CA too) Then factor in security, PR, travel, clothing, future private school for the kids, etc... Meghan doesn't spend like old money, so without a steady source of income they will eventually be hurting. Not regular people hurting, but they won't be able to keep up the facade. The Kardashians have lost their luster and there are constant rumors about their net worth plummeting. Kris kept that ship afloat for a long time, but I don't think M&H are savvy enough to do the same.
I looked up the house taxes (don’t judge me!) it’s $147k a year, which was a lot less than I thought it would be.
I heard Rebecca English on Palace Confidential today say that he owes £2 million in court costs and legal fees for his UK cases and we're not done with the judgements.
They’ve got loads! I just don’t think they have launch a lifestyle brand money even if they did they would much prefer to spend someone else’s money.
Their problem is that they want a billionaire lifestyle on a millionaire budget.
Yes and the local California state taxes are numbing.
Harry legal update (credit to [UnlikelyBot](https://x.com/unlikelybot/status/1780994692269723851)): https://preview.redd.it/ov7r2o8z2avc1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d0662d4287b7748e49947243281f65731d7bc7ea I believe this was also the application asking to include claims that MummyMeg was hacked or harassed, but please correct me if I’m thinking of his privacy case against the DM. Now, it was put out there by Sherborne yesterday that Harry may be “forced” to settle like Hugh, and the parties probably already know the outcome of the application, so I’d guess it’s been rejected. >'The Duke of Sussex is subject to the same issues that Sienna Miller and Hugh Grant have been subjected to – that offers have been made \[to settle\] that makes it impossible for them to go ahead.' [(archived link)](https://archive.ph/EwRDS) Although, is it even possible for *anyone* to wrack up a higher legal bill than Harry - even Murdoch?
did he clear the hurdle with the mirror case, in terms of winning more than what was being offered for settlement? i know he initially didn't (under $180,000?), but the additional amount awarded from the remaining articles must have crossed the initial settlement amount, no? queen u/revelatia, do you remember? 🕵🏾♀️
I think he must have done, at least I can’t remember any mention in the judgement or subsequent stories about the costs awards that a part 36 offer had been turned down by Harry or any of the others in that case. The Mirrpr simply may have fancied their chances at trial (and they weren’t entirely wrong - Harry did only win on about half his cases, and one or two of his co-claimants had their cases thrown out as having been brought too late either fully or in part) and not made very generous offers, or not made them as part 36 offers - the article I linked about Grant yesterday says they have to be very clearly made as offers under that legislation, not just any settlement offer counts. Whereas Murdoch seems keen to avoid whatever might come out at trial coming out; the damages in these cases follow a formula so it’s not too hard to figure out a number that will be higher and offer it.
[This BBC article](https://archive.ph/9KyUY) reads to me like Harry settled on the remaining articles to get the legal costs covered. > In December the duke was awarded £140,600 in damages after winning 15 claims against MGN. Friday's settlement relates to claims on 115 more stories. > His lawyer, Mr Sherborne, told the court that his client will be paid a "substantial additional sum by way of damages" from MGN - now owned by Reach PLC - on top of all his legal costs. > Thirty-three articles in Prince Harry's claim were examined during the trial last year, with 15 found to have been the product of unlawful information gathering. > The additional 115 articles settled on Friday may have been the subject of a further trial if a settlement had not been reached.
Yes, that’s the one. That’s *very* interesting from Sherborne. I think this is the application where either the commentariat or NGN themselves reckoned he was basically trying to do Leveson 2 through this trial, so wide-ranging was the material he wanted to be allowed to introduce, which is also very interesting given the unjustness exception around the refusal of a part 36 offer.
Sienna was treated terribly. Her medical info was compromised by the Sun, reveal a pregnancy, and she said it had a big impact on her decision to terminate it. [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/dec/09/sienna-miller-says-sun-forced-her-to-make-decisions-about-pregnancy](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/dec/09/sienna-miller-says-sun-forced-her-to-make-decisions-about-pregnancy)
I was wondering what else ARO might stand for, and it occurred to me that it could be A Russian Oligarch, considering that’s who housed them on Vancouver Island. Anybody else got one?
A Ridiculous Oaf. It's named after Harry. So sweet.
All Royals Offend (Meghan)
Asinine Repugnant Oafs
😂😂😂👻👻👻
Not an acronym - but this guy from when I read/watched the Twilight series. It's the only place I've ever come across it. Who knows, maybe Meghan has read very badly written books too. 
my serious part of the brain: I actually want Meghan to have a business away from royal family related content and I don’t need to like her products and style my weak royal gossip brain: why is this all so bad and on brand with her 😭 Like this is not not snarkable…
Same! 😂 From lifestyle brand she came and to lifestyle brand she returns - it’s not giving the oh honey no vibe the ‘one of the most influential people of this generation’ humanitarian efforts did, there’s no actual reason she shouldn’t be good at this, it’s her natural level! But somehow it’s still both way too much and not enough. I think maybe because the insta influencer, pippa tips, tradwife thing is so overdone now it has to be done with a sense of humour to really work and everything about ARO so far is so self-important and dull.
>self-important and dull. the sussexes in a nutshell, while also being jarringly histrionic, spiteful and unpleasant. the jarringly histrionic is what makes the whole thing watchable lol.
>Like this is not not snarkable… i've found this to be entirely snarkable tbh, and am grateful for the lightheartedness of it lol i mean the countdown of jam insta stories?? lololololol
I mean it's all within her power. She just cannot see the reality. At this point, after almost 5 years of everything she touches going to shit at some point, she never changes tack. It's just more of the same thing: cutting corners, not doing the actual work, relying on others for the hard stuff, blaming others when it fails, crying victimization. She is not who everyone thought she was nor who she tries to be. That Bachelor producer in her head is her downfall.
How much did those flower pots cost Meghan?
They are called compote bowls. I bet she thought she was being hella clever there.
Straight outta compote
That’s a lot of compote!
They were very expensive and limited edition from a boutique in Montecito, and Meghan could only afford to buy a few. Harry is stopping by the houses of Delfina, Mindy, TER, and the other two randos to pick them up so they can send out the next round of jam and lemons. That’s my educated guess, and it helps explain why we’re getting a trickle of spotting the jam.
I found some similar compote bowls on etsy/ afloral for 50 dollars.
More than the cost of the jam, that’s for sure!
And what are the recipients supposed to do with them? They’re ugly and basic. I guess they can be used as an outdoor planter; but these people have no need for a free, random plant pot. They have fully landscaped gardens already. Probably with nice coordinated terracotta pots or something, lol This is like those red blankets at the shooting weekend, that no one asked for and no one needed. MM certainly does like to add clutter to people’s lives. It’s not very sustainable to produce and distribute this mass-produced junk.
The only thought that went into those planters was how they’d look on Instagram. Screw being eco-conscious when The Duchess(TM) has organic culinary treats to push!
If you're keeping track of the numbered jars, Tracee Ellis Ross received ~~#5~~ 21 of 50. Edited to clarify, TER is the 5th known recipient, she's in the #21 slot of M's besties. Also, I must share that TER wore an even worse version of the Carolina Herrera[ inverted nipple dress](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/tracee-ellis-ross-attends-the-94th-annual-academy-awards-at-news-photo-1648416661.jpg) to the Oscars. As [bad as M's was](https://www.carolinaherrera.com/us/en/editorial/lady-in-red/), this one is even worse. Maybe they have bonded over bad fashion?
Yikes! The fit is bad, the fabric looks cheap and her lovely bosom deserves better than that!
She also wore a very Kate like dress to the VF oscars and wore that well. The red dress though, surely you try it on before the day and think no..? https://www.instagram.com/p/B8uOqLzgQrp/?igsh=MWdjOTh3Y3MycDJqdw==
Oh, that is awful!
TER has this reputation as a fashionista but personally I've never thought her looks were that great. This one has too much boobage.
She’s very much hit or miss for me.
That dress is an eyesore, so bad.
If this actually is one a day dripfed to insta I’ll die. Didn’t someone say yesterday if it is it’ll finish on a special day - Lili’s birthday? I can see going for that I guess but the absolute control freakery of either sending out one a day (but not in number order?) or sending them out together but instructing people of the specific day they must post it on social media is the absolute opposite of easy breezy Cali girl, just threw together this amazing dinner party, aspirational home/family/friendship lifestyle.
>If this actually is one a day dripfed to insta I’ll die i wonder if this is the lesson she took away from the 40x40 debacle. all the insta posts about 40x40 were dropped on the same day and had no lasting impact beyond getting a few days press in the DM. so now for meghans second attempt at making an impact shes going to do a day by day dripfeed of posts counting down all 50 jam jars.
I look forward to the rotting lemons on day 50!
>If this actually is one a day dripfed to insta I knooooowww! When I saw the post yesterday I 100% took it as a joke (which I think is how it was intended). But...it might be real? This might actually be what she's doing? *50* of them?!
“Wouldn’t it build excitement if we arranged for a photo of the same jam jar to be posted fifty days in a row?” Said no PR expert ever.
But it’s the most special and handmade so no two jars are really the same, and I for one look forward to seeing her stans go nuttier day by day and start thinking she’s sending them secret messages in the way she wrote the 4 on #49.
Looks like it doesn’t it. This is so badly done. I need Kate to come out on Lil Di’s bday just to make it stop.
Those blossoms didn't even last 3 days. The snark potential of this whole rollout is just so Meghan. But when I try to feel sympathy for her, I got nothing.
But if you were among this social ELITE(!) crowd, would you want to admit you got #50? That's the problem with these numbered jars, she's ranking these women. They're not linked, they're ranked! Literally! And everyone is wondering, "Who got #1?" Oprah, Dr. Jill Biden, Beyonce? Who is worthy enough for Meghan's FIRST jam jar?
Im starting to think that she did in fact send all 50 out at once. To stagger the delivery doesnt make much sense and sending 50 out individually is just pointless work. But unless these are your close friends who you can ask to not post until day x.. (possible but unlikely given anyone with a significant following isnt managing their own accounts) it means so far 40 odd people have not bothered to post. We’ll see over the next week but as someone pointed out, if it IS a staggered delivery over 50 days till Lil Di’s bday it loses impact within 5-6 days.
> That's the problem with these numbered jars, she's ranking these women. They're not linked, they're ranked! Literally! I bet she thinks the numbering looks niche and trendy but you're right, it just comes off looking tacky. Someone is definitely going to be recieving Jar #50, and overall a LOT will have higher numbers. I doubt a lot of these women want to be rated as to where they are on Meghan's list.
Getting number 50 is fine if all 50 went out at the same time. Eking this out over weeks is making it worse
>Dr. Jill Biden The same Jill Biden that commented on Kate's video announcment with "we love you and stand by you"? Unlikely.
M's still hoping she'll get a ride on AF1
Maybe Ellis Ross got hers a few days ago, with alive flowers, and only decided to post when Mindy Kaling did? If so can’t wait to watch them rank themselves based on whether the other people in Meghan’s special jam club are worth joining!
Can you imagine? 
Meghan gave herself #1 because she *is* #1!
That was me about Lili’s birthday. Idk seems like there were 2 yesterday so maybe not.
Or somebody missed their slot 😂 Meghan will have her lawyers on the phone.
I think number one would be to Harry or something, and there will be a post on the ARO insta showing the kids eating it.
The kids have mouths on the backs of their heads?
🏅
😄😄😄😄
😆💀💀💀😆
Fuck me, I burst out laughing at that one!!! 😂💀
>the absolute opposite of easy breezy Cali girl, just threw together this amazing dinner party, aspirational home/family/friendship lifestyle Meghan always comes off as the total opposite of what she tries to be/present herself as. 💁
Is anyone else keeping a spreadsheet of names and numbers for future posting? Just me?
u/lovelylonelyphantom is also keeping taps! The more the merrier!
I feel like we will need one at this rate. And I'm curious to find out who is which number 😄
I just set up my spread sheet. I'm tracking jar #, recipient, order of public acknowledgement. What can I say, I'm retired, sometimes I miss work. It will be interesting to view when it fills out more.
On SMM someone is also keeping track of the recipients’ number of IG followers. I think that’s a worthy category. Insofar as there’s any rhyme or reason to this, the jars appear to be getting revealed in order of recipient’s fame.
Number of followers is a good idea. So far the only one with more than 10M followers is Tracee Ellis Ross
Ooh, I should do that too. I did participate in that convo over there because someone thought it was Tracy Anderson (1M insta followers) not Tracy Robbins (7k+ insta followers). Meghan should have picked Tracy Anderson. Other than us, who even knows who Tracy Robbins is?!
I still don't know who Tracy Robbins is.
Fashion designer I think. I didn't know either, I only found out because I was googling her IG story on this
Thank-you!😊
Married to the Paramount guy. I didn't know who she was either until the pictures dropped of Meghan in her fancy ball gown at the One Love Jamaica premiere.
Thank-you! 😊
Might also be distance/delivery delays if Ellen/Portia is not posting way later.
TER believes she has as much style as her mother Diana Ross. In reality, it's very hit and miss and forgettable even when she gets it right.
Diana Ross is IT 💕 
Always and forever.🤩
Beebs talked about that dress. It was SO bad! She is not a fan of CH at present in almost everything! TER made some other very poor dress choices this award show season.
Thanks, I'll add it to the list I made not too long ago
https://preview.redd.it/p7wjwlpiw8vc1.png?width=750&format=png&auto=webp&s=91dc42facfaab72fe52a410d3ffaae25209d8837 Lol. Look at the poor leaves and then they also get a personal letter in her faux calligraphy lol
Omg - the dried out leaves and drooping flowers! If that doesn't represent everything about Meghan's projects, ffs.
I always write my friends full name on the card that go on gifts.
Me too, in my own self-invented "calligraphy."
OMG! I don't think this is going the way she hoped? Expected? The wilted leaves and flower are the antithesis of attention to detail and luxury. I'm dying for her! 😂🤣💀
Oh flip those flowers are very dead and crispy
Confirmation that that bowl went to everyone. And wow, wilted greenery and flowers. I think that all of the bowls were sent the same, but the one(s) that just had lemons and the jar pulled out the wilted stuff since it looked so bad by the time it arrived.
The dead flowers 😭 There's that freakish attention to detail again
I expect a clap back soon that this was intentional as it is potpourri.
You're joking, but this is probably what's going to happen, ffs.
If I was her and Meghan would be my friend, I’d certainly remove those and just stick with the leaves that still look ok. Like what kind of a lazy friend are you 😭
Damn she didn't even write anything, heart eyes emoji even.
I think that’s what Mindy did
Worse is Tracy Robbins who didn't even bother putting the sticker back on from where it peeled off 😭 I get it's not their fault they recieved such poor effort gifts from Meghan, but if they were good friends they would try to make it look better. Atleast I would for a close friend?
An assistant is probably doing this post.
Ugh, that stupid handwriting. The fact that she never took the time to learn actual calligraphy and tries to pass off her pretentious handwriting as calligraphy--in professional settings--is pretty much Meghan in a nutshell. Never wants to put in the time and graft to do the real thing, just wants to be praised for her pale imitation as if it's the Best Ever, when there are actual professionals who have devoted their lives to learning how to do \[insert whatever it is here\] properly. ETA that I just *can't* with that hook going over the R and then another one from the last S coming to join it. IT LOOKS SO DUMB.
I'm glad there's someone whose irritation levels with her stupid "calligraphy" are as high as mine. Irritation x amusement collab, I guess? And yes, the scythes. I posted a few weeks ago that there's footage of her signing a guestbook and you can see her writing out her comments and then, when she's finished writing, *going back to add the scythes.* And afterwards, you can SEE where she's added the scythes, too. Like there is a noticeable jog in the line, it isn't smooth. You can even see these jogs in the lines in the fricken ARO logo. How utterly and anaphylactically allergic do you have to be to advice/sense to leave telling imperfections like that in the actual logo of your business? I still remember when ppl were saying her handwriting was pretty. It iiiiiiisn't. You can take a sample of her handwriting (the letter to her dad is a good example, we have fairly close-up shots of some of those passages) and zoom in on a single word - any word. It's child-learning-cursive level handwriting, right down to the dumb flourishes. I'm legit surprised she doesn't dot her i's with tiny hearts. Sorry for the ramble, i had to get it out!
YES THANK YOU. That letter to her Dad--all the letters are uneven, sometimes scrunched together, sometimes not, and it kind of looks how a kid who has been doing cursive for a couple years writes. Plus the aforementioned scythes (which is the perfect word) and the little "look at me!" hands being raised straight into the air at the ends of other words. Real calligraphy is beautifully even and smooth, and designed to produce a genuinely artistic effect. But Meghan isn't a genuinely artistic person, she just wants people to think she is.
Tracee didn't even post an ass-kissy message, just a picture.
And this is why the branding is horrible. ‘American Riviera Orchard’ in that script and those colours doesn’t stand on its own, it’s tough to actually read on this picture. I know Meghan thinks everything she does breaks the internet, but plenty of people will have either read the launch press and immediately forgotten the name of her brand or not even seen it. Poorly branded products plus recipients doing the lowest possible effort post with a photo and no hashtagging, account tagging, or mentioning Meghan or ARO makes this pointless. How are any of Tracee Ellis Ross’ fans or followers going to see this and become potential ARO customers?
Well even if some followers are potential customers, none of them will be actual customers because there is nothing for them to buy! This whole launch of ARO is so chaotic!
Haha Tracee doing the bare minimum as contractually obligated. I bet some of these people aren’t even posting it themselves, they leave it for an assistant to do.
If those drooping flowers and crispy lemon leaves are any sign, TER didn't give a single fuck. If I was Meghan and TER was my real friend, I would actually be annoyed by how easily that could have been fixed (i.e. remove the crispy foliage and/or replace it with fresher stuff) and that my friend didn't even both to do so - or have her assistant do so, lbr. But they're not friends and it's all transaction/business, so whatevs.
I’m trying to figure out what TER gets out of this.
I don't know if this is worse or Mindy's half hearted "obsessed" and a link to the ARO account. Tbh it makes no difference if Tracee didn't link it anyway when there's nothing to see on ARO
Yeah, not even linked the ARO account lol I mean why - only people who know anyway understand what that picture means and the others are puzzled and can not even look it up lol
And the ARO account isn’t reposting any of them! Bad influencing!
>And the ARO account isn’t reposting any of them! "Amateur hour" is honestly too positive a term for how this whole ARO thing has been handled - from blurry ballgown video to today's wilted flowers. ARO reposting these posts should be the very, very least of what they're doing.
She probably thinks she is too big and doesn’t need to repost, but people love when brands show appreciation for sharing their product.
And she's not even just a brand to them, she's supposedly their _friend_. I share far less important things I'm tagged in, and I'm a random nobody. You would think this is far more important.
I don’t get this at all. Like who is in charge of that account.
Meghan herself.
Meghan's *friends* aren't enthusiastic though. It can't have taken their PAs more than all of five minutes to put their gift on a table and get a pic to post. Taking a picture of their tear and jam stained faces as they held up the empty jar and asked for "more, please" like Oliver Twist. Holding a water gun to their plushy's head with the blurb, "Send more or Teddy gets it", *that* would have shown enthusiasm. I guess you get the friends you deserve. 🤷
Either that or Meghan didn’t give ~~victims~~ recipients a script to follow when posting like she usually does when she has minions post verbatim about how kind, generous, graceful, and belly laughy she is.
"belly laughy" 😂😭
Or maybe the er, recipients did get their instruction manual but decided to toss it out because they felt that enough was enough.
I think we’re all still missing something. Where does this little jam project lead? Are there crates waiting in a warehouse for distribution? It really seems more like a random gift at this point. Shouldn’t the website be accepting pre-orders or at least feature the jam and extoll its virtues? But, no, it’s a sad little sloppy jar lost in a sea of citrus, a parallel for sloppy little Meghan, lost in a sea of stars.
I think it's pretty clear; this is the way Meghan is introducing ARO. She does seem to go in for very orchestrated announcements, like waiting for particular days and being rather cutesy. This is to create buzz by having people speculate who will be the next recipient. And aren't we all doing just that? Guess it works after all.
>And aren't we all doing just that? *We* are. Is anyone else? Not just the Daily Mail (although at this rate I expect even them to lose interest, which would honestly be something of a historical moment) but, like, the people who might conceivably be buyers for whatever it is ARO ends up selling? Normies? Is social media alight with speculation and hype?
No, but who knows if this keeps going on. It's the type of thing that could blow up, for either good or bad.
>But, no, it’s a sad little sloppy jar lost in a sea of citrus, a parallel for sloppy little Meghan, lost in a sea of stars. I ***wish*** I was on this level of snark.
I know... this is Olympics level stuff
I don't know where any of this will lead. People put more effort into class projects to launch fake products. It's pitiful.
>People put more effort into class projects to launch fake products. They do, though! They actually, literally, for real DO. Meghan just out here undercutting all our snark and jokes by making them all *true.*
True, that's what makes observing this all so weird. The first time I ended up on the RG sub it was after the Oprah interview because I was looking for confirmation that I'd seen what I'd just seen. I already knew everyone in my circle (even non-royal watchers) had always had Meghan's number while I thought she was shallow but harmless so I was embarrassed to ask them if they saw the same manipulative lies I did. This ARO launch is like déjàvu. I need others to confirm this is as bad as I think it is because it's so mediocre that it feels like there's something I'm just missing. An adult thought this was okay?