Tina Brown: Duchess Meghan needs something else besides a grievance brand
Over the weekend, Tina Brown spoke at the Henley Literary Festival and she made a lot of news by talking sh-t about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. She called them D-listers (Michael K is so proud!) who are poor compared to other celebrities and their $14 million mansion in the wealthy Montecito enclave is nothing but a humble shack. Brown suggested that Meghan is looking to trade up to… Elon Musk. It was all pretty disgusting, but it’s worth noting that Brown is a British woman Britsplaining America to a British audience. It’s become abundantly clear over the past five years that no one in the UK understands the American audience, American celebrity or American business/brand culture. Speaking of, Brown was at it again, this time at the Cheltenham Literature Festival. Because she knows the best way to get attention is to mention those “D-listers” Meghan and Harry, Brown once again had some sh-t to say:
Meghan Markle needs to build her own brand that isn’t just based on her grievances if she wants to be a global business success, a royal expert has said. Asked how long-lasting the Sussex brand can be across the world now the couple are semi-outside the royal fold, ex-Vanity fair editor Tina Brown said Prince Harry, 38, would ‘always be royal’ as the son of King Charles and Princess Diana. She told the Cheltenham Literature Festival yesterday: ‘He will always have the iconic status that that has. He does have an identity, his Invictus [Games] has an authenticity and people relate to that.’
But she insisted that Harry’s wife, Meghan, 41, needed to find and focus on a cause of her own. She said: ‘I think Meghan does really need to find the thing she cares about the most and develop her own sort of brand that isn’t just a grievance brand, that is actually something we recognise as hers. It’s hard to find that and I think she hasn’t yet found that but I think she could if she rows back from the focusing always on what didn’t work.’
Brown, who was speaking to promote her latest book, The Palace Papers, said on stepping back as senior royals, the Sussexes hadn’t anticipated the challenges of life outside the palace operation.
‘The Sussexes didn’t realise how hard it was to create a rival platform. You’re essentially at the mercy of PRs who [specialise in making people look good]. The people who achieved it, the George Clooneys and the Oprahs, they are very good at it. It’s very difficult when you want to be above it. It’s much harder than it looks.’
Brown told the Cheltenham audience that ‘the jury is out’ in the USA over Harry and Meghan’s popularity.
‘Given that they’ve now staked their livelihoods on product, on entertainment, it’s going to be about what they do. Meghan’s first Spotify podcast about Serena Williams was very successful – she knocked America’s number one podcaster, Joe Rogan, off the top spot. She’s got a good podcasting voice. They have to prove themselves now in the gladiator arena of entertainment.’
Brown added that Harry’s book was ‘a huge mistake’ but that he was now under a lot of pressure to publish. ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if he feels [that it’s a mistake] but the truck has rolled along. It’s not just the advance. The publisher has a lot staked on it. I think it’s a huge problem for them. I feel really bad for him at the moment. If he doesn’t do the book I think it’s a real mess, business-wise and if he does do the book it will really alienate him from his family. No matter how bad things are, no one wants to be alienated from their family.’
Meghan’s Archetypes is literally the top podcast on Spotify, and every Tuesday, hashtags about Archetypes are trending for hours, giving the pod millions in free publicity. Meghan’s using her pod to platform women’s voices exclusively and deconstruct gendered and racial stereotypes and dismantle patriarchy. It’s not a “grievance brand,” it’s a brand about women’s empowerment and women literally using their voices in society. Which is the same “brand” she had in the UK, only these f–king people robbed her of her voice and told her she couldn’t use her platform because it would make Kate cry lazy white tears.
As for Harry and Meghan “proving themselves” in the entertainment arena… insert Usher’s “watch this” GIF. Harry’s memoir is going to be a bestseller, and their Netflix docu-series will probably be the most-watched Netflix program… after The Crown Season 5. LMAO.
(Okay, so I just looked it up – currently Archetypes is #3 on this week’s Spotify charts, behind Kim Kardashian’s new pod and the Joe Rogan Experience. To be fair, this week’s episode was extremely heavy.)
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
The Duke of Sussex and Duchess of Sussex meeting members of the public at Windsor Castle in Berkshire following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday. Picture date: Saturday September 10, 2022.,Image: 721657031, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon 
WINDSOR, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 10: Meghan Duchess of Sussex as she meets well-wishers at Windsor Castle on September 10, 2022 in Windsor, England. Crowds have gathered and tributes left at the gates of Windsor Castle to Queen Elizabeth II, who died at Balmoral Castle on 8 September, 2022.,Image: 721657726, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon 
WINDSOR, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 10: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex look at floral tributes laid by members of the public on the Long walk at Windsor Castle on September 10, 2022 in Windsor, England. Crowds have gathered and tributes left at the gates of Windsor Castle to Queen Elizabeth II, who died at Balmoral Castle on 8 September, 2022.,Image: 721658525, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
WINDSOR, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 10: Meghan Duchess of Sussex speaks with well-wishers at Windsor Castle on September 10, 2022 in Windsor, England. Crowds have gathered and tributes left at the gates of Windsor Castle to Queen Elizabeth II, who died at Balmoral Castle on 8 September, 2022.,Image: 721658533, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon 
WINDSOR, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 10: Meghan Duchess of Sussex speaks with well-wishers at Windsor Castle on September 10, 2022 in Windsor, England. Crowds have gathered and tributes left at the gates of Windsor Castle to Queen Elizabeth II, who died at Balmoral Castle on 8 September, 2022.,Image: 721659516, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon 
19/09/2022. London, United Kingdom. Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, watches the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II leaving Westminster Abbey in London at the end of the State Funeral Service.,Image: 724203970, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Licenced to i-Images Picture Agency. All Rights Reserved. UK copyright law applies to all print & online publications. i-Images space rates apply to all images. Magazines contact agency for fees before use. Images Single use only then repro fees apply. Info@i-images.co Tel: 07860204379, Model Release: no, Credit line: Stephen Lock / i-Images / Avalon
Duchess of Sussex Meghan at the State Funeral of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,Image: 724230837, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Camera Press Rota, Model Release: no, Credit line: Mark Stewart / Avalon 
King Charles, Camilla, Queen Consort, Prince William, Catherine Princess of Wales, Prince Harry and Meghan Duchess of Sussex on a walkabout to meet members of the public at Windsor Castle in Berkshire following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday. Featuring: Prince Harry, Meghan Duchess of Sussex Where: Windsor, England, United Kingdom When: 10 Sep 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only** 
Ceremonial Procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall The coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard with the Imperial State Crown placed on top, is carried on a horse-drawn gun carriage of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, during the ceremonial procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday Featuring: Meghan Duchess of Sussex Where: London, Britain, United Kingdom When: 14 Sep 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmcHBoZn1xe9OipZqXkqe8uLq%2BnaycoJWowKC5xKCfmqaPo7KmsNKYqqillam1qrrGmJylq5WUr6a%2FyJ2crJeRlLSztcSvmKeblZSvs63NnWY%3D