Kind thoughts for Meghan Markle

What a week in terms of Royal Family news. A pregnancy announcement;  a wedding anniversary;  a Royal Tour; TV interviews,  and then the scandal of the week showing that almost 24 years after her death, Princess Diana still has the capacity to generate world-wide news headlines.

The big story of the week was undoubtedly the revelation that the BBC journalist Martin Bashir had, back in 1995, used dodgy tactics to secure the exclusive tell all interview with Princess Diana. 

The 1995 interview was watched by 20 million viewers back in 1995 and it was huge news, not least of which because of all the jaw-dropping revelations that Diana made about her marriage and about her life in the Royal Family. The interview came 3 years after Diana and Charles had separated. Immediately after its airing,   the Queen wrote to both Diana and Charles and recommended that they immediately divorce. When we think of how huge Meghan and Harry’s interview with Oprah was, Diana’s was bigger still.

So, what is the current scandal all about? In a nutshell, Martin Bashir, a relatively new journalist back in 1995, faked some bank statements. The bank statements falsely showed that Rupert Murdoch’s News International was paying a few of Diana’s aides for gossip about her. Bashir also alleged that Diana was being spied upon by Palace staff and people working for Prince Charles. The false statements were not shown to Diana but to her Brother Earl Spencer. Earl Spencer was duped by Bashir and believed what he was told. Earl Spencer in turn made the introduction of Bashir to Diana, and encouraged her to be interviewed by Bashir.

Role forward to 2020 and Earl Spencer and journalists from the UK Times and Daily Mail newspapers revisited the story which eventually led to the BBC appointing retired Judge Lord Dyson to properly investigate. Lord Dyson’s findings were the ones released in the news this week, and which concluded that the journalist, Bashir, deceived Earl Spencer with fake bank statements to gain access to the Princess Diana and then lied about it before finally telling the truth. Lord Dyson panned the executives at the BBC for doing a poor investigation back in 1996 and basically covering up what had happened.

The more complicated question is what part did this interview play, in anything, in Diana’s ultimate death. A very tricky question to answer.

None of what Diana said in the interview back in 1995 has been discredited as being untrue. Take a look at comments on social media and you will see many many of her supporters are saying that no matter how the interview was procured, Diana spoke her truth, including about her depression and self harming, and nothing about the current scandal should undermine that.

I printed off the transcript of the Bashir / Diana interview and there are a few statements that Diana made about press coverage of her then, that are just as relevant today, 24 years later.

The crux of the issue in terms of press coverage of the Royals, is that the Royals want the press to cover them as they go about their work and bring attention to all of their good causes, but don’t want the press covering their private lives. The press really really want to cover the private lives of the Royals and the dirt as this sells more,  and the press suck up having to cover the work that the Royals are doing.

Keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry and Archie. And check out other stories or reach out to me through my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformegha

Show written and produced by Jeanette Songolo.

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili and in the meantime watch out for other posts on all things Sussex on my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/

Harry took centre stage this week in what was Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK. Earlier in the week it was announced that Harry's and Oprah’s 12  TV series “The Me You Can’t See” would start airing towards the end of May.  Later in the week Harry was a guest on the Dax Shephard and Monica Padman’s Podcast, Armchair Expert.  

There has been a lot of press about Harry’s conversation with Dax and Monica - something that Harry anticipated would happen, saying the press damn him if he does speak, and damn him if he does not speak, so what does he has to lose?

As always some of what was written about the podcast was truthful, some half truthful,  and some a complete spin. I listened to all of the Armchair Expert podcast, the whole 1 1/2 hours of the show,  and made some notes. I take some of the news headlines about what Harry allegedly said,  and tell you what I heard him actually say or give you the context to the comments.

Link to Prince Harry Armchair Export podcast
https://armchairexpertpod.com/pods/prince-harry

A lot more was covered in the conversation than has been reported in depth in the newspapers. So, what didn’t you read about in the newspaper’s headlines?  I will talk about some of this. 

Please keep listening in for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry and Archie. And check out other stories or reach out to me through my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/

LET ME KNOW IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE A GUEST ON THE PODCAST - WE CAN CHAT ABOUT MEGHAN, HARRY AND ARCHIE FROM WHEREVER YOU ARE IN THE WORLD

Show written and produced by Jeanette Songolo.

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili and in the meantime watch out for other posts on all things Sussex on my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/

A very busy week for Meghan and Harry and it seems not a day goes by at the moment that we don't hear about a new project.  One of the things I like about following Meghan and Harry,  is getting to know about all of the non-profits that they support. Many are new to me. 

This week Meghan, Harry and Archie, donated to the two charities - Harvest Home in LA and I Got Your Back Pack New Zealand. I'll tell you more about the great work that these organizations are doing, and about the donations made by Meghan, Harry and Archie. 

https://www.harvesthomela.org/the-need

https://www.igotyourbackpack.org.nz/

Please listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry and Archie. And check out other stories or reach out to me through my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/

Show written and produced by Jeanette Songolo.

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili and in the meantime watch out for other posts on all things Sussex on my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/

Carlos the Assassin has been seen prowling the area close to where Meghan and Harry live. Not convicted murderer Carlos the Jackal but Carlos the Californian black bear and alleged killer of chickens. 

Meghan and Harry participated in the Global Citizen VAX Live Concert to Reunite the World this past weekend. I watched the Live Stream on You Tube along with 10s of thousands of others.  

The music was almost secondary to the video clips and appearances by various heads of states and faith leaders,  urging either the equitable sharing of vaccines around the world, or alternatively asking everyone to get vaccinated.

I hadn’t expected the Pope to make an appearance but there was Pope Francis giving a message pre-recorded at the Vatican. The Pope’s speech was edited down at the live concert, but you can read the whole text on the Vatican website. https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2021-05/pope-francis-vax-live-concert-coronavirus-healing-videomessage.html

The Pope speech was almost non-religious, more an appeal to our morals and ethics. The Pope said he was adding his voice to what is a growing chorus of voices seeking wider and more equitable distribution of Covid-19 vaccines. Amid the “darkness and uncertainty” brought about by the ongoing pandemic, he said  “we need light and hope." The Pope encouraged everyone not to forget the most vulnerable, saying that  individualism and nationalism  makes us indifferent to sufferings of others. He reminded us that we are all interconnected.

Meghan and Harry fulfilled their roles as campaign chairs of the concert, with both of them giving speeches, Harry’s in person and Meghan by video from a bench (maybe The Bench) in the garden of their Montecito home.

Their respective speeches showed a lot about their personalities.

• Harry’s two speeches had an almost a military tone to them as befitting his past career,
• Meghan’s speech drew on her continuing work for gender equity and speaking as mothers do when concerned for the world that their children will face.  

The morning after the concert Global Citizen were reporting the following. 

·       $302 million pledged by Canada and Croatia, and $2.5 million from the private sector in support of the ACT-Accelerator to ensure the equitable delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, tests, and treatments.

·       13.25 million COVID-19 vaccine doses pledged from Norway, Spain, New Zealand, Croatia, and the UAE to share doses regionally, and to vulnerable countries around the world.

·       $39.6 million in commitments pledged by corporate and charitable partners in support of COVAX, the worldwide initiative aimed at equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. These pledges have been matched in funding to the value of $23.6 million, totaling $63.3 million. This funding alone will help t purchase almost 12.66 million COVID-19 vaccines.

·       Harry and Meghan’s initiative for donations in honour of Archie’s 2nd Birthday to donate to COVAX,  had reached $535,000, which will help purchase 107,000 COVID-19 doses.

Please listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry and Archie & check out other stories on my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/

Show written and produced by Jeanette Songolo.

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili and in the meantime watch out for other posts on all things Sussex on my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/

Happy Birthday to you Happy Birthday to you! The adorable Archie turns 2 years old. I hope he gets a BIG cake and some fun gifts like drums and trumpets – you know – all those noisy gifts you give to other people’s kids.

One present he won’t quite understand until he is much older is the book that mom Meghan has written to honour Archie’s and Harry’s loving bond. Meghan describes the book in her own words this way:

“The Bench started as a poem I wrote for my husband on Father’s Day, the month after Archie was born,” … “That poem became this story. Christian Robinson layered in beautiful and ethereal watercolor illustrations that capture the warmth, joy, and comfort of the relationship between fathers and sons from all walks of life; this representation was particularly important to me, and Christian and I worked closely to depict this special bond through an inclusive lens. My hope is that The Bench resonates with every family, no matter the makeup, as much as it does with mine.”

Meghan’s book is available for pre-order and within 24 hours of the announcement of its publication, the book was already making the best seller’s list.  The book is also available as an audio with Meghan narrating.

News of the book's release quickly spread around the world. The UK tabloids were at first reporting the fact of the publication in pretty neutral tones, until Piers Morgan delivered a venomous attack on Meghan’s book and on Meghan,  calling it hypocrisy for a lady who does not have a relationship with her own father to write a book about parent child relationships.  

Morgan thinks that because your relationship with you one of your parents  has broken down that this means you have nothing to say on parent and child relationships. And of course neglecting to mention that Meghan may be out of sorts with her father,  but she has a very strong relationship with her mom. 

Morgan also forgets to remind himself that one of the reasons her relationship broke down with her father Thomas,  was because he sold family stories to the likes of Piers Morgan and other tabloids. His comments also assume that our relationships with our kids mirror the relationships we have with our parents.

But here’s how nasty the UK press are. The UK Daily Mail also went so far as to accuse Meghan of ripping off British writer Corrinne Averiss' story called the Boy and the Bench. The UK newspaper printed this huge story all over their online edition,  and then do what they always do – rather than be brave enough to admit it is the newspaper coming up with this trash, the newspaper hid behind social media trolls, blaming the trolls for making the accusation. 

The British author issued a statement denying Meghan copied her story saying:  'Reading the description and published excerpt of the Duchess’s new book, this is not the same story or the same theme as The Boy on the Bench. I don’t see any similarities apart from the use of a bench - which exist in as many stories as they do parks and gardens.'

UK Royal correspondent Omid Scobie pointed out that the more the tabloids whinge and throw obsessive tantrums over the book the more it sells.

Feel free to reach out to me through my twitter account https://twitter.com/JeanetteSongolo
and by email at [email protected]

Show written and produced by Jeanette Songolo.

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili and in the meantime watch out for other posts on all things Sussex on my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/

Just released is news that Meghan had convened a roundtable, sitting down with a group of 13- to 18-year-old young women, primarily girls of colour, who are part of the North American Girls. Inc. organization. Also present were representatives from the National Women’s Law Centre. 

The sit down took place on April 8th, 2021, one day prior to the death of Prince Phillip. Meghan likely delayed releasing details of this event out of respect to the Queen and due to the two-week period of mourning for members of the Royal Family.

So, who can guess when Girls Inc. (Girls Club of America) was first established?  Amazingly in 1864, a non-profit organization was set up to encourage all girls to be "Strong, Smart, and Bold" through direct service and advocacy. 

According to Wikipedia and their website,  https://girlsinc.org/ the movement started in Waterbury, Connecticut after the Civil War, primarily aiming to help young women who had migrated from rural communities in search of job opportunities. 

In 1945, fourteen charter Girls Clubs joined together to form a national organization.  In 1990 the Girls Club of America changed their name to Girls Inc. As of 2021 the network of local Girls Inc. has grown to 1,500 sites in 350 cities across the United States and Canada. 

Girls Inc. say that the girls involved in their organization live healthy and active lifestyles and are less likely to engage in risky behavior; they are eager to learn, successful in school, and more likely to graduate from post-secondary education; and they display diligence, perseverance and resilience.

Also, at the round table were representatives from Washington based National Women’s Law Center. The MWLC fights for gender justice through advocacy and litigation, working across the issues that are central to the lives of women and girls. 

The organization started in 1972 when secretaries and law students at the Centre For Law and Social Policy made 4-demands of their bosses:

1.    Better pay for women

2.    More women staff lawyers

3.    Work of women’s rights

4.    And Women not having to serve coffee.

According to the news story published on the Archewell website during the sit down Meghan asked the girls about their ambitions, what do they aim to be when they leave school. She also asked them which female figures past or present inspire them. 

The National Women’s Law Centre posted on their Facebook account that they were honored to have joined The Duchess of Sussex, Girls Inc., and a group of amazing teens in a discussion to address real, systemic change for girls. 

Please keep listening  out for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry and Archie. Please feel free to reach out to me through my twitter account, and by email at [email protected] 

Show written and produced by Jeanette Songolo.

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili and in the meantime watch out for other posts on all things Sussex on my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/

Big news on the Meghan and Harry front with the announcement that they are the Campaign Chairs of Global Citizen’s VAX LIVE: The Concert to Reunite the World.  Meghan and Harry are helping a worldwide effort to ensure the equitable distribution of Covid-19 vaccines and treatments to everyone, everywhere.

During the May 8th concert,  Harry and Meghan will be  among many who will be delivering messages for vaccine equity.  Other people slated to give a similar message are US President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden, US Vice President Kamala Harris, President Macron of France and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada.  A host of actors and comedians will also make guest appearances.  Selena Gomez with hosting the music side  of the event.

According to a BBC news article, more than one billion doses of coronavirus vaccines have now been administered worldwide. But there are vast differences in the pace of progress in different parts of the world, with some countries having delivered doses to a large proportion of their population and others still waiting for their first shipments to arrive.

Meghan and Harry write on their website:

“Over the past year, our world has experienced pain, loss, and struggle—together. Now we need to recover and heal—together. We can’t leave anybody behind,” 

They add:

“We will all benefit, we will all be safer, when everyone, everywhere has equal access to the vaccine. We must pursue equitable vaccine distribution, and in that, restore faith in our common humanity. This mission couldn’t be more critical or important.”

The VAX LIVE concert is a fund-raising effort, seeking to raise what they call “dollars for doses” to help vaccinate more than 27 million frontline health workers, and to try and get governments, corporations and NGO foundations to pledge a total of $19 billion to get 1.8 billion COVID-19 vaccine doses plus tests and treatments to the world’s poorest countries by the end of 2021.

Please keep looking out for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry and Archie. And feel free to reach out to me through email at [email protected]

Show written and produced by Jeanette Songolo.

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili and in the meantime watch out for other posts on all things Sussex on my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/

This is an updated trailer for my podcast Kind Thoughts for Meghan Markle. In this trailer we take a look back in time,  to set the framework and the context for the July 2020 launch of the podcast.

Please check out my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/
And feel free to reach out to me through email at [email protected]

Show written and produced by Jeanette Songolo.

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili and in the meantime watch out for other posts on all things Sussex on my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/

A month and a half after Oprah’s interview with Meghan and Harry, Oprah provided us with a mini debrief on her thoughts about the interview. The context for Oprah’s comments were as part of an interview with US TV host Nancy O’Dell.  Nancy asked Oprah, tongue in cheek, about the one little interview Oprah did with Harry and Meghan.

Oprah admitted that she had no idea the interview would cause such a reverberating impact, something which is still continuing.

Oprah admitted to doing her prep for the interview and also to asking her crew not to discuss the interview prior to it airing,  saying it was important that what was said in the interview was no misconstrued ahead of it airing.  Oprah also admitted to carefully selecting the clips that were released to CBS as trailers for the interview, again saying she wanted to be careful to ensure that the information in these clips could not be exploited.

Nancy and Oprah discussed the work that went into the interview behind the scenes with Oprah confirming that she spent a lot of time and energy on the interview. Oprah repeated something she had told Gayle King the day after the interview aired, that when she preps for any interview she reaches out to the interviewee to chat about what their intentions are, what message do they want to convey in their interview?  In Meghan and Harry’s case their intention was the truth, to tell their story and to be as truthful as possible.

Nancy asked Oprah if she was surprised at how open Harry and Meghan were with her. Oprah said she was surprised at the revelations and soon got the sense that Harry and Meghan would not be holding back, and would, as Oprah described it “be going all the way there”.  Contrary to newspaper reports, Oprah did not elaborate any further than this comment, she did not mention the word racism nor any other specific comments made by Harry and Meghan during their interview. 

That was pretty much what Oprah said before interview went onto talk about Oprah’s and Dr. Perry’s book. The book that Oprah was promoting is about childhood trauma and how it affects our behaviours as adults – basically why we are who we are. It is called "What Happened to You?"

Link to the Oprah / O'Dell Interview https://talkshop.live/stream/4506?utm_source=home&utm_medium=tsl&utm_campaign=thenancyodellchannel

Confessions of the Daily Mail. The UK Daily Mail newspaper has basically admitted that what annoyed them about Meghan and Harry was that they chose not to involve the UK press in the details surrounding Archie’s birth, and because Meghan and Harry did not release photos of Archie to the newspaper. 

In an article by Amanda Platell called "What Meghan Markle could learn from Kate Middleton’s family snaps",  the journalist admits that the press were upset that Meghan and Harry did not parade Archie on the steps of the hospital after Archie was born. Something Harry and Meghan said they were not asked to do.

Ms. Platell also admitted to what she called the unwritten contract between the Royal Family and the UK press that the press won’t hound you and your kids as much if you offer up some family photos every now and then.

Basically, confirming what we all suspected that if Harry and Meghan had played by the rules of the UK press their lives would have been much easier in the UK.  Strongly inferring that because Harry and Meghan didn’t offer up said photos the UK press made their lives h

Show written and produced by Jeanette Songolo.

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili and in the meantime watch out for other posts on all things Sussex on my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/

I am so happy!  I know we shouldn’t be encouraging the tabloids to hunt down Meghan, Harry and Archie so they can take photos of them, but it was great to see the photos of Archie that the New York Post published this week.  I know that Harry and Meghan are trying to protect Archie’s privacy, but it’s only natural to be nosy and want to see more of the lad. 

There’s quite a lot that we can read into this one photo. 

Please keep looking out for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry and Archie. And feel free to reach out to me through email at [email protected]

Show written and produced by Jeanette Songolo.

Please keep listening for future podcasts on all things Meghan, Harry, Archie and Lili and in the meantime watch out for other posts on all things Sussex on my blog at https://www.kindthoughtsformeghanmarkle.com/