Addicted to "Announcements"
A healthy dose of skepticism's warranted when Harry and Meghan publicize more content's "coming"
Hello Dear Readers!
Happy Saturday! Last month, I received a handful of inquiries asking why I hadn’t covered the news of Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex’s new “venture” Americano Rivera Orchard. My answer at the time was simple: I’m making an effort to prioritize covering them when what they do is aligned with the Royal Family, like them attending a Jubilee. I don’t want my newsletters to be a weekly Sussex bashing exercise. They were no longer royals nearly 4.5 years ago and they’re unlikely to make a name for themselves (without throwing his family under the bus) if we, the public, make fun of every little thing they do.
But I also had another reason for why I didn’t write about Americano Riviera Orchard: There was nothing to cover. The “brand” was launched with a beige Instagram page and a story in People Magazine relied on the trademark application to get details on exactly what was going on:
The brand plans to sell tableware, drinkware including decanters, kitchen linens and edible treats such as jellies, jams, marmalade and spreads. The trademark application is also seeking approval for cookbooks.
A royal news pet peeve of mine? News outlets stating that Meghan plans to sell every type of product she has registered her trademark for. Her selling birdseed and dog food definitely makes a funny headline, but common sense, like her legal team is doing this to proactively protect the brand, seems to be in short supply. I waited for more information. None came until this past Thursday via an exclusive at Deadline:
“Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, & Prince Harry Launching Two Non-Fiction Series At Netflix”
This anonymously sourced exclusive stated Harry and Meghan had two untitled, unscripted shows in early development (emphasis mine) at Netflix. The first, Meghan, “celebrating the joys of cooking, gardening, entertaining, and friendship” which she is “curating”. The second, a series from Harry on the sport of Kings, Polo. People later clarified on Friday that Prince Harry wouldn’t be starring in the series. It’d follow Polo players and “showcase their grit” on the polo field and Harry and Meghan’d executively produce the series. They may also “make cameo appearances but are not slated to be the stars of the show”. So, does this mean that after nearly five years of being ex-royals, the Sussexes are getting ready to hit their stride? It’s complicated.
Whenever Harry and Meghan announce something new, I’ve learned to temper my expectations. From my time reading and writing about them, they seem perpetually addicted to announcing things to great fanfaronade and bravado. From the outside looking in, they seem to under the impression that talking about all the work you’re going to do is almost more important/strategic than the work you actually show. Though, when it comes time for the rubber to meet the road? For the work to be shown? Things never quite pan out the way we’re led to believe. Let’s take a look at why I believe this is the case by, how else? Doing an investigation into their past “announcements” and where they ended up. As I mentioned in my intro, I’m very cognizant to not turn this into a negative bashing session. This is purely an inquiry into whether the announcements from Sussexes have yielded fruit and what we can learn about how they go about things.
Announcements, Announcements and more Announcements
40x40
Dear Readers, do remember the 40x40 project that was meant to create a ripple of change and service, armed with more celebrities than you could fit in a clown car? I do. In August 2021, the duchess asked A-listers including Adele, Kerry Washington and Stella McCartney, as well as members of the public, to donate 40 minutes of their time to “help women re-entering the workforce” for her 40x40 project. She announced the initiative in a glitzy comedy video recorded at her home, her laptop propped up on stacks of her book released earlier that year, The Bench. But less than 10 months later
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