8.1.25 Newsletter

Introducing the newest member of my family, Kate & Wills' holiday follow-up, Princess Diana, Gilded Age, and more

Happy Friday!

In last week’s newsletter, I covered the absence of reporting on Prince William and Kate’s 6th vacation of the year. I also recorded a video expanding on my thoughts.

The day after I posted my video, The Daily Mail ran with this front-page story.

What struck me about the story is

• It’s not by a royal editor

• We haven’t seen this 40£ million alternative superyacht anywhere else

• No one else is covering this story

It’s reminiscent of the British media coverage (or lack thereof) during Kate’s absence last year. When the first pap shot of Kate and her mother, Carole Middleton, appeared in international tabloids, the British media ignored it.

ITV reporter Chris Ship tweeted why at the time:

Notably, this was out the window a week or so later when Kate and William were spotted at a local market. That story simultaneously broke in The Sun and TMZ.

Were those ‘pap shots’ Palace-approved?

(If you want more on Kensington Palace Comms. and the British media’s coverage of Kate’s absence last year, start with this piece)

Kensington Palace has not commented on this latest vacation. I doubt they’re upset at The Daily Mail entering a new, less expensive (comparatively speaking) superyacht without questionable ownership into the chat. At the time of publishing, I haven’t seen any other outlet touch the story or confirmation of the DM’s alternative yacht theory.

(Sidenote: Alternative Yacht Theory would be a great Indie band name)

Why are royal reporters in Britain ignoring stories about the British Royal Family? And, when they do report on them, are they trying to bring clarity, or are they muddying the waters to help the people they’re reporting on move a story in a different direction?

That isn’t journalism, that’s PR.

There’s no new Royal Appointment today because this week the newsletter chose to answer some softball questions sent in from readers. No acknowledgement of the superyacht. Nothing about the Highgrove report. Silly season indeed.

ICYMI

I kicked off a few weeks of Princess Diana content with a post earlier this week exploring how her legacy might inform Prince Harry’s. I compared Prince Harry and Diana’s Angola landmine walks, particularly the abhorrent things written about Harr…Diana’s trip.

New characters, same script.

The Gilded Age is…Good?

Ask any Gilded Age watcher who’s been there from the jump; we weren’t watching because it was high stakes or particularly good. We were watching for Cynthia Nixon, Carrie Coon, Christine Baranski, and the costumes.

Morgan Spector and the ladies. Our favorite hot robber baron.

Initially, the Gilded Age was an odd comfort watch. It never raised your heartbeat over a resting state. I mean, season 2’s main plot point was Bertha Russell’s (Carrie Coon) frustration over a lack of a prominent box at the Academy of Music. 2/3rds of the way through Season 3, and there have been so many twists and turns, scandals, cliffhangers, that I am pushing up the leg-of-mutton sleeves on my dusty rose afternoon gown with lace trim and full on fanning myself.

As much as I love the deeper character exploration and more time spent on Peggy and her family—showcasing the Black American experience—I do find myself yearning for the escapist, fantasy, low-stakes drama of yore. The French chef who’s actually from the United States and fakes his accent to keep his job? Encore, s'il vous plaît!

I’m Not KiTTing

Last weekend, I went with my boyfriend to the pet store with strict orders to keep him from adopting a cat.

We never said anything about me.

Meet Stevie. She’s 4 months old, less than 4lbs, and loves to claw her way through my hair. I relish being out of the baby phase of life…and then I go and adopt a kitten. Not sure what that says about me. At least I’m not up all hours of the night!

She sure is cute.

Have a great weekend,

Meredith