UJ Media Snakes and Ladders Journey Around the 7 Stages of Grief Model Since 2020

UK Media Snakes & Ladders Journey Around the 7 Stages of Grief Model Since 2020

SGUK Ep 61

Introduction

Following on from previous comments relating to where I considered the Royal Reporters to be on the Kubler Ross 7 Stages of Grief Model in 2020, it thought it worthwhile doing an update, due to all the craziness that has gone on under the guise of professional soundbites, but when in reality nothing could be described as professional behaviour in the UK media world.

I have drawn upon a number of reference sources for the opinions I state and as my way of podcasting, I back up my opinions based on research of such behaviours or outcomes previously in similar settings. I also will draw upon a small publication of my own published in 2019, and extrapolate out from the evidence and thoughts on the direction of travel that was being indicated at the time, and whether or not, any of those predictions became reality. In my 2^nd book [i] I looked at the Regulatory Frameworks in place, and how useful they were in terms of the content in the media, particularly the printed media. This podcast will briefly look at the effectiveness of an industry which is self regulating, and the reactions of UK media towards anything that The Sussexes have been involved in since stepping back from Senior Royal duties (as well as the vitriolic tabloid content before The Sussexes stepped back) despite vowing that the Sussexes would be irrelevant once they stepped back from their Royal duties. I will track their movement to and from various stages of the Stages of Grief model, linked to how they have reacted daily in terms of the coverage and the methodologies used to try and secure information about Sussex activity, as well as write click bait headlines, in a way that garner emotive responses from sufficient members of the public, and possibly even (in their dreams – they wish) The Sussexes.

The Regulatory Framework

IPSO – Independent Press Standards Organisation:-

IPSO is the independent regulator of the newspaper and magazine industry in the UK. The description of this organisation being ‘independent’ is laughable. I had spent over a year researching various activities re UK media, with the intention of submitting it to IPSO, but it became quite clear throughout that research journey, that it would be a waste of time. The hurdles and tribulations I encountered in that research journey, prompted me to publish a book using a selection of information from the research. A book, if you can call it that, was turned around and ready for sale within 3 months. It is not my usual standard, but at the time, I needed something out in the public domain, as there were indications that I was going to be stopped. I won’t say any more on that aspect, but let’s just say, we didn’t have the receipts databases that we have now, and I wanted something to be out in the public domain, and certain institutions, in case of any reprisals, as there was clear evidence of such actions.

My findings then, and remain today that the professional body meant to scrutinise and standards and ethical codes etc., was not as independent as one would think, and to add salt to injury, the percentage of successful outcomes for complainants at the time was in single figures. I have not looked at what the figures are like since, as I have no faith in the organisation anyway, and knowing the content of what is published now in UK media and in televised form, it is worse than when I began my research activities, under many guises over that period for my own safety. The situation appears to me to be like a private club with entitled members, who all come together and protect each others existence.

In summary, the main areas of responsibilities are as follows:-

To hold newspapers and magazine to account for their actions
Protect individual rights
Uphold high standards of journalism
Help to maintain freedom of expression of the press.

In summary, the IPSO main activities are as follows:-

Make sure that newspapers and magazines follow the Editor Code
Make newspapers publish corrections or adjudication if breach found
Monitor press standards and Regulations of newspapers and magazines, who in turn have to submit an annual Statement of how they followed the Code.
Investigate serious standard failings. Can Fine publishers up to £1m if serious and systemic.
Operates a 24 hour anti-harassment advice line
Provide training and guidance for journalists – so that they can uphold highest possible standards
Provide Whistle Blowing hotline for journalists who feel pressure to act in such a way that is not in line with the Editor’s Code.
Work with charities, NGO (non profit organisations) and other organisations to support and improve press standards.

How is IPSO Funded?

IPSO funded by the Regulatory Funding Company, which is funded by member publication. IPSO carries out its work separately and completely independently from its members.

My views on the funding mechanism. It should come as no surprise that very few complaints result in success. When the people who fund IPSO are the very same printed media and publications who people are complaining about. It is like asking Turkeys to vote for Christmas. Independent – yea right. It is about as useful a deterrent as The Editor’s Code.

Office of Communications – OFCOM

Ofcom is the regulator for the communications services that we use and rely on each day.
Help to make sure that people across the UK are satisfied with what they see and hear on TV and radio, and that programmes reflect the audiences they serve. Consider every complaint received from viewers and listeners. Investigate further and sometimes find broadcaster in breach of the rules.
Independent and funded by fees paid by the companies they regulate.

What Level/Standard of Education is Required to be a Member of the Royal Rota?

[ii]Journalism Degree Entry Requirements – UK

The minimum UCAS tariff points to study Journalism ranges from 80 points (CDD at A Level) to 128 (ABB at A Level) with the average being 112 points (BBC at A Level)

For applicants with A Levels, universities don’t tend to require you to have studied any specific subjects in preparation for this degree. Typically subjects such as General Studies and Critical Thinking are excluded and are excluded and cannot be counted as part of the points total.

BTECS are accepted by most universities for a journalism degree. Some universities require a BTEC National or Extended Diploma in a related subject but this varies heavily from university to university. Applicants would need a DDD for the top universities but it is still possible to secure a place at some universities with as little as a PP.

My personal verdict on these entry requirements is that “top” universities require much higher entry levels than any of those stated above, and they do not offer a designated Journalism degree, from what I could find. A degree from a top university, on any topic from a top UK university, would be most welcome I am sure in any news media, not least because the skills that a top university would expect throughout the lifetime of any of their degrees would surpass most of what is on display in the tabloid field, and even less I suspect within the Royal Rota. I have no proof of that, and life is too short to dig deeper on that topic. If most of them are qualified to that level, it definitely is not asked for day to day in their working environment. I did come across one Royal Reporter who attended one of the top Universities, and as much as the bigoted views are on display most of the time, at least I am certain that that individual would easily find work elsewhere when the Royal Rota is reduced in size. It is only a matter of time. It is when not if. The business model for the number and declared specialisms within that group is not based on need or necessity.

Royal Reporters – Are They Necessary or Even Relevant?

Before I go on to question the need for Royal Reporters (both in numbers or the need for a specialist group) let me quote a few facts about the proliferation of articles written by these so called specialists over a few stated periods; articles which all contained The Duchess of Sussex name, or rather mainly her maiden name, but none of the UK media have ever shown any respect to the marriage that took place in 2018 and have continued to use her maiden name, or derivatives of it, most of the time. That is not done with any other Senior Royals, or for that matter, any other female member of the Royal family.

According to the records of one tabloid publication, they published over 7000 articles including the name of “Meghan Markle” between 2016 to May 2019.
For only the month of May 2019 that same paper published 451 articles containing the name of the Duchess of Sussex.
One could describe that as being obsessive, or fixated or even stalker like. None of those descriptions could be described as healthy or of an acceptable standard for any publication, particularly one that can be viewed online by a global audience.
The head of the UK Royal Family or the rest of the Senior Royals come anywhere close to that total in any similar timescale.
None of the articles were positive, and it could be argued that much of this content is in breach of several Codes and none of them were ever challenged by the industry bodies, who should be protecting victims of such activity, not just those who are employed in the newspaper and magazine industry.

It is worthy of note that the Duchess of Sussex had been on Maternity Leave since the end of March, and yet every single day her name appeared in media headlines and none of it positive. Not even on Maternity Leave was this member of that family, in particular senior Royals, had that type of scrutiny and certainly not such hateful stories. Frequent interviews with toxic people and Royal Reporters pontificating with each other in newly produced tv programmes, discussing their disdain with the Sussexes and making assumptions that it must be The Duchess of Sussex behind it all.

No other senior Royals had their health and safety put at risk by the actions of the newspaper industry since Princess Diana, and none have had to move house because their privacy and safety was compromised by the actions of the Royal Reporters. Earlier that year there was a court ruling which confirmed that fact, yet not one Royal Reporter made any mention in their respective tabloids that day or since. In previous weeks and months those same reporters wrote report after report about the location of the property, including publishing the post code of the said property and displaying photos they purchased from the helicopter company who to this day no one is admitting to chartering or being involved in some way. The Sussexes took court action and as stated they were successful. The images included images of inside the property, including a bedroom, and also various details which compromised the security of the building. A similar course of action took place in Canada and then again in USA when the tabloids found out details of the location from the Royal Family and then printed the location in their publications, where once again paparazzi appeared in the vicinity for weeks.

Findings – re Royal Rota Reporters

Double standards
Newspapers printing information as fact with no checking
TV presenters to continue to bully/harass the Duchess of Sussex and give platforms to those who do the same.
Duchess of Sussex has been blamed for practically everything that is not going well in the world
RRs post things on social media platforms and hide behind the excuse that they are their personal views, yet include the name of their newspaper title in their bio/SM Handle
One QC publicly stated concerns about the racist tones of the articles relating to the Duchess of Sussex. The immediate response from one RR was to state that the articles did/do contain an element of racist tones but that racist tones are not against the law. Receipts exist for these two tweets.
Royal Reporters are now publicly posting things on social media expressing frustration at their falling income, and that they are in real need of a pay rise. Strange when they were actively being cruel towards the Sussexes, particularly the Duchess of Sussex, the money was obviously flowing in so there were no public outcrys about pay increases. Since the Sussexes now live on another continent, the RRs have continued to pursue this non UK funded couple and still produce articles without zero facts, and still make some money. Clearly more than they make from the rest of the BRF combined, otherwise they would spend their days writing about the people they are paid to write about. The more hate filled or negative or outrageous articles on the Sussexes written each day, the more engagement they attract and earn more than the coppers earned from anything produced about the golden revered UK Royal Family.
Now Royal Reporters have fallen to scurrying around looking for a possible scandal or interesting tale to spin in UK tabloids about the The Sussex family. As a result we now have had articles on the brown lawns at the Sussex home due to reduced rainfall, and the latest batch of whole articles about wild animals roaming around their grounds at night. This is what the RRs are reduced to writing about now, and they fail to see how embarrassing they look to the rest of the world, and in particular Reporters out there. The RRs and their editors also fail to see, that every time an article is published about the Sussexes (all the tabloids writing about the same things) it further devalues the need for a UK Monarchy and definitely the need to have a dedicated group of individuals who either write fiction, or lies, or normal Californian movement of animals in the county, and all to a team who receive a salary for such nonsense.
- To add salt to these wounded egos, the RRs have recently publicly stated that they are concerned about the lack of a pay rise, as they are suffering financially to do their job. As I have already stated as the majority of their time is not spent on the family they are meant to write about, there is clearly no need for the RR team. Definitely do not warrant any type of pay increase, for the fact free tales they spin every day. That is not journalism.

Conclusions

RR system is unnecessary and the content and methods used to pursue a couple who live on another continent, and who receive no UK funds is damaging to the UK Monarchy and the relationship with the Commonwealth and the wider international community. The content of all articles is unnecessary toxic and bitter in tone. RRs went out of their way in the first 3 months of 2020 to state at every opportunity that the Sussexes were irrelevant and that no one would write about them April 2020 onwards, and went as far as stating that the rest of the BRF disowned them from that month onwards.
- That promise never materialised, and here we are in 2022, reading toxic fairy tales and lies in what is described as newspapers, and what is also described as journalism
If a team has been put together to write about the tax funded Royals and for the last 2 years the majority of their topics pertain to another couple outside of that description, then the said team is obsolete.
Will the UK Monarchy need to change its style and relevance to the people, if it is to have a chance of longevity?
No longer sufficient to be a figurehead for projects and initiatives. BRF need to be actively involved in the lifetime of projects, with tangible outcomes along the way. Not acceptable to launch something and then disappear during the lifetime of the project.
Self regulation of the media industry is not working.
No newspapers or magazines has to be a member of the Regulatory body, though most are members. It gives the impress that members join so that it looks as if they are willing to be regulated, but the reality is that very few cases where action has been taken against any of them. It is abundantly clear that that neither the regulatory bodies or their members have a problem with the treatment of the Duchess of Sussex – including continued activity when the Sussexes live on another continent, and are not funded by UK taxpayers. Actions against a USA citizen on UK soil for 3 years was beyond wrong, and continued activity against a USA family on USA soil is unwise.
The rules of the Regulators are just Codes of Practice, that do not pose a threat to anyone.
The Regulator seems more focused on protecting its members than actually being impartial as it pretends to be.

Recommendations

News teams, including journalists should reflect the community.
Is there a need for a specialist Royal Rota of reporters for what is a continuing smaller number of people in the BRF. In many professions, professionals are moved around on a regular basis, so that there is no potential for unhealthy relationships to develop or any co-dependency arrangements to emerge. It also ensure that no one can be accused of developing unhealthy or preferential arrangements with anyone. It protects both sides.

Where Royal Reporters Are At Re 7 Stages of Grief In: 2020, 2021 & As at Aug 2022

Snakes & Ladder Journey on the 7 Stages of Grief Model From Nov 2019 to Aug 2022
	2020	2021	As at August 2022
Denial/Desperate for Answers	Royal Family claimed to be blindsided by the Sussexes’ announcement about Stepping Back. False. Discussions had been going on for months. Prolonging the process unnecessarily for H&M it seems. H&M forced by a story being leaked by a tabloid newspaper, the Duke of Sussex issued a Statement on 8^th January 2020 re Stepping Back from Senior Royal duties and to become financially independent of the Royal Family, commencing in the new financial year.	No longer in denial now. Strategy clearly moved on to ‘operation destroy the Sussexes’ by any means possible. Ie Try to destroy their credibility as business partners. Destroy their characters.	Desperate for answers, but nothing seems to have eased the obvious stress between the heirs, and equally between the Royal Rota group. The Royal Family answer is to emulate the Sussexes both in terms of attire, and type of topic that the Sussexes are involved in publicly at that time. The issue for the BRF is that they appear to have no new ideas of their own, or any ongoing outcomes from projects that have been running for some years without an update. The image it portrays is that the 2^nd in Line cannot be seen to be outshone by his younger brother. No one appears to have admitted publicly to this heir that by copying and doing something similar after a Sussex project has been announced, does not make the heir stronger or more proficient. It just makes the statement that nothing original is coming from tax payer funded Royals, and where money is being spent, it is on vanity projects as the heir plays catch up and is publicised copying his brother. Does not bode well for the future of the UK Monarchy. There are no questions being asked by the BRF and the nation is meant to be impressed by copying and pasting of the non working Royals work rosta and to make matters worse, everyone watching from behind their hidden embarrassment for what the BRF has become, as the copying and pasting is not even done well. It lacks heart but shouts “look at me look at me” vibes. Powerful people request to work with The Sussexes, but the BRF request to be in the spaces of powerful people. The former produces project plans with measurable aims and objectives and timescales. The BRF activity just has many photos taken with apparent important people, and then everyone returns to the day jobs. NB The Royal Rota have the chance to take photos and write articles that will make everything sound like the 2nd coming of the Holy Spirit. The reality is that there are people in both groups that are surplus to requirements.
Anger/Denial	Lots of posturing by the media and apparently courtiers. Definite signs of anger about the announcement and the planned departure. The Plan by the BRF and RRs backfired it would seem. None of them thought that the whole Sussex family would leave. How could they do this? RR + Media = we have been fair to them. What will happen to Sussex Royal Foundation? The anger with the Sussexes leaving at the Commonwealth Service in March 2020 was plain to see. The global audience witnessed this unprofessional, disgusting behaviour.	New life. Put barriers in the way. Continue to try to exert control and try to give the impression that the BRF need input into their business contracts. Once again the BRF are reminded that they have no control of business networks the size and power of the organisations that Meghan and Harry are now signing deals with. UK has now moved to attempting to destroy the character of Harry and Meghan with the aim of trying to deter businesses from working with them due to these attempts at character assassination.	The anger goes deep, and the official line of argument for the continuance of the Hunter and Prey activity is that Harry and Meghan are still Royal. The other tale told most days in the tabloids was that the UK Monarchy was not put at risk because Harry and Meghan left, particularly Harry. Apparently one person leaving with his family was enough to end the Monarchy. Speaks volumes about the quality of the people left behind doesn’t it? There are numerous receipts in existence of the Royal Rota declaring the Sussexes would be out on the street without the safety net of the Royal life within palace walls. So confident were they and the BRF that the Sussex would beg to return to the fold. When that did not happen, once again a myriad of receipts exist of RRs stating that from March 2020 they would not write about anything the Sussexes did, and that the BRF “have washed their hands of them”. Once a dose or two of reality set in, and it was clear that The Sussexes were more than surviving, but the BRF was very clearly floundering. Another reason to question the public assistance for an institution that its own media who are paid to write about them in a positive way, write more articles per day about the couple who no longer reside in the UK and are not funded by the UK taxpayer. A couple they spent months writing that no one in the BRF or the RR wanted anything to do with them after they step back. Reality has not set in, that if the RRs wish to be able to pay their Bills, writing about the BRF every day, would come nowhere near the income they receive for articles about one of the Sussex engagements, and that is after receiving 2^nd or 3^rd hand news via USA networks.
Sadness & Bargaining	Over the previous six months it has been clear that the Monarchy, no matter how much the media try to spin it differently, does not have the resources and the calibre of personnel to function as well as they could, without Harry and Meghan present. The latest round of blackmail tactics, disguised as bargaining attempted to offer the part-time model the Sussexes offered in January 2020 and was refused. Now all of a sudden it is back on the table, but with emphasis on Harry returning to help out Prince Charles and the Cambridges. No mention of Meghan in this request to return.	BRF continue to employ emotional blackmail, because they realise that they do need Harry, but still refuse to acknowledge Meghan. Sadness that FK & FQC and FFK & FFQC are not popular enough for people to care about the Monarchy. Realise that Harry is needed until Cambridge children are adults.	Bargaining was never taken seriously. At the Sandringham summit everything that The Sussexes put forward as a way of being involved in some way with the Royal duties if needed. All offers were refused, including half in half out arrangement. Now there are major problems with the remaining publicly funded Royals who were mainly non working or near enough to non working Royals, lack the competence of the charisma needed to garner sufficient interest for people to actually care about their scheduled engagement. The Sussexes were punished, and continue to be for daring to step back, and more so for daring to be credible and successful in their endeavours. Now the stage for bargaining is over, not least because when an attempt was made by one of the photographers who has been with them since the start of time, pleaded for Harry to come back, (to help out Prince William and Prince Charles) he did not request Meghan and the children return too. He made many telling faux pas one of which was that if they (RRs) had got to know Meghan better, she would have been seen as “human” Not sure what species they/he believed she was, but it was not the best way to encourage someone who they bullied and harassed out of the country, to return.
Jealousy & Competitiveness	Jealousy has been at the heart of this issue since the Oceanic Tour. The foundation of the media coverage in 2016/18 was grounded in racism and the resentment of the powerhouse that was clearly the new couple on the block. By the time the Oceanic Tour came around, when international interest rose with speed, it was clear that before the plane landed back in the UK, fragile egos within the Monarchy had started to work on a strategy to stop this ‘movement’ before it gained any further traction. This was demonstrated in the tone of the media coverage once they were back on UK turf. International coverage had been positive, so it was hard for the UK media to be out of sync with global coverage by others. This jealousy and competition still lives today in stories about whose house is bigger, who really calls the shots in the Sussex commercial ventures etc.	Literally any event or news of any activity concerning Harry and Meghan, which always garners global interest, the two Future Kings come out like clockwork, to perform for the nation, just so that their propaganda team in the Royal Rota write and show lots of photos from these dead behind the eyes people, trying to play a game that they have no understanding or, or the competency to deliver, and zero charismatic appeal, so ultimately each time they do this, it is like poor quality comedians performing in some low grade venue somewhere. The phrase of “you cannot compete where you do not compare” comes to mind each time they bring this low grade pantomime to media eyes.	The jealousy and competitiveness consumes the 2^nd in line to embarrassing proportions now, and the Duchess is equally the same. Wearing the exact same clothes, from the exact same designers, down to even the matching shoes and hats, is cringeworthy. The Duke copying types of engagement for photo opportunities only , no intention of actually doing any work on any of them, but the need to be seen to be loved and adored, because he is 2^nd in Line to the throne. Fragile egos and arrogance and entitlement are off the scale.
Apathy & Anger	The apathy officially expressed by Uk media, in particular the Royal Rota group i.e, the Sussexes are irrelevant and not marketable, was always false. It was stated so many times in articles that the stance itself became comedic and highlighted that they in fact felt the complete opposite. Clear that the plan was to try and ensure that the Sussexes were seen to fail, and/or be considered too hot to handle by groups and organisations in respect of future projects. It was obvious that they were convinced that the Sussexes would return to the abusive environment of the UK rather than struggle outside of the bubble that they knew – particularly Harry.	The hit pieces on Meghan continued. Daily Mail lost court case against Meghan in March 2020. The DM have appealed and lost that too. Media coverage on Harry and Meghan, continues to be way above the time spent on the others in the RF combined. Even though it is all second hand news from the USA because the RRs no longer have direct access to the Sussexes. Every time they write articles about H&M, they devalue the FK and FFK – leading to the very thing they were meant to be avoiding i.e., obsolescence	The anger is very evident still. The RRs generally move between jealousy and anger. The BRF is still angry, but continue to try and pluck another Royal or two out of the fold, and present them as the next best thing, and each combination has failed, because it is all too obvious that desperation is the reasoning behind all these chronicly bad for business clutching at straws activity. The UK Monarchy has never had to actually do anything to prove their value to the public purse. It has always been a given that they would be adored. They are used to the wave and smile Royaly and the odd cutting of a ribbon. The Cambridges never worked (or rather attended engagements for a few minutes a week) until Harry and Meghan increased on the things that Harry used to do on his own, and together they have hit the global scene by storm and helped so many organisations and groups in dire need of assistance. The Sussxes work with organisations, and each of those patronages have continued to thrive, and through training programmes, they have each gone on to widen their sphere of activity. All with project plans in place, competent staff around them, and quantifiable outcomes and not a penny of public funding. UK Monarchy has never needed to adapt or be measurable before, other than by RRs writing favourable things in the papers. Now they are in a real quandary, and self inflicted wounds, by chasing out the globally recognised couple through their work projects, and not their titles, which they do not use. RRs were confident that Royalty was what was needed to bring notoriety, but the Sussexes have proved that tangible results bring success not tabloid partners writing fluff pieces.
Acceptance	Abusers never enjoy outcomes that they have had no control over. Abusers enjoy their perceived power and control. The latest stance by the FR is to accept that the Sussexes are moving on to new territory but the family is still trying to give the impression to the public that they are very much still in control. The family are now trying to scatter their presence into Sussex business affairs like confetti. Pretending that they can access all documentation and dispute and remove any part of it. Deluded. The Legal Agreements are done. The BRF have no jurisdiction in such matters outside of the UK. The roles have reversed. The Sussexes have moved from being described as ‘irrelevant’ by the media to the media now moving to justify why they will continue to report on them and their activities because of public interest as Harry is a son of the future King. What a sad excuse. Wonder why we don’t see them report ad nauseum about the current Monarch’s children.	According to all the Royal Rota, there is no problem relating to Royal popularity, and the BRF do not need the Sussexes to be globally adored, as they announced in the Spring of 2020, the new Fab 4 Version 1:- William and Kate & Edward and Sophie. Version 2 = William and Kate & Charles and Camilla. Despite the statement repeated for the last 10 years, that Kate has now found her voice, none of these versions of the Fab 4 have worked. I think we are on Fab Version 1000.3 now. Not sure that the BRF are willing to admit that the next two people destined to be King, are simply not popular and at least one of them possesses no leadership skills, and both have alienated many people of the Commonwealth, and most of the younger generation.	Quietly BRF have accepted that they dropped the ball, and having refused every offer that the Sussxes suggested in March 2020, they have gone on to be hugely successful philanthropists, and are in demand on a global basis to work with recognised organisations and officials. The Sussex ship has sailed. Let us not forget the treatment towards the Sussex children and Meghan. The most disgusting vile things written about the family and KKKlan type endings for the children. Truly vile. Not once has the BRF ever stepped forward demanding that the media cease. They didn’t because they were behind it. Fragile egos being the main reason. There appears to have been no workforce plan every in place, or strategic plans, considering more than half of the workforce are beyond retirement age, one of whom is the next in line for the throne. 2^nd in Line has no completed projects to his name over the 20 year period he has been working on them. Does not bode well, as he wants to be adored and popular like his younger brother, without doing any real measurable activity. There is then an approximate 10 year gap for the Cambridge children to be considered adults to take on duties. Remains to be seen whether or not they will want to stay in such an institution in the next decade or so.
Hope	They are not there yet. It will be interesting to see the juxtaposition of how the monarchy manages their self inflicted wound going forward, as the Sussexes clearly move on with their lives. The amount of time and effort already being taken to control how the Sussexes operate outside of the family, even though they have absolutely no financial ties to the public purse or funding from Prince Charles, is the clearest indicator yet, that the Firm is not ready to move on.	I see no evidence of hope, only desperation of a PR team out of ideas, and still using a playbook decades out of date. There is an exercise currently underway of returning to old online articles and amending them to contain less criticism of Meghan. These people seem to forget that nothing is erased from the internet, and receipts exist in abundance around the world of the old and the new articles. Sure they will come in handy when the establishment decide to bring these into the public domain again, because there is no doubt that there is some kind of anticipated action coming up where the UK media want to try and rewrite history. They will not succeed. Receipts exist.

Final Thoughts

A new day is dawning. A new King is on the horizon and there has to be radical changes, for the UK Monarchy to survive a little bit longer than it is probably going to. I read a recent article yesterday by a journalist published in the National Union of Journalists website yesterday. I was not surprised about the content, but I was surprised that it came from a Body that surely must be far from happy with the Clown College recruits that make up the Royal media circus. I tell you, I feel changes ahead, and never mind the Rota intent on asking for more money; think yourselves lucky that you are all paid at all. Any demise of the structure of The Firm has been helped along by your activity in respect of a family who you have no business objective to cover, and in doing so, you erode away at the foundation of a UK Monarchy. The erosion of both the Royal Institution and its partners in crime namely the Royal Rota, is all self inflicted damage. No amount of reporting or posts on social media platforms trying to change the narrative, will change that ultimate fact. To use the analogy of a recent podcast of ours, you are all Slow Dancing in a Burning Room.

Ivy Barrow

21 August 2022

Reference Source Extract

UK climbs press freedom rankings but global picture shows anger at media has ‘degenerated into violence’ (pressgazette.co.uk)

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You Thought Britain’s Media Was Rightwing? By 2024 It Will Be Much, Much Worse | Novara Media

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Royal Family and Royal Reporters position in the 7 Stages of Grief Model 2019 to Dec 2020

Stages	BRF Grief About Harry Leaving the UK Nov 2019 to Dec 2020
Denials/Desperate for Answers	This was a nonsense period. RF – lots of activity re Xmas photos. Usually one Xmas photo. The RF were waiting to see if the Sussexes would publish a photo. No one knew what they were planning re Xmas 2019 because they were out of the country, taking a much needed break from the vitriol. (We found out soon afterwards, it was to take time to finalise their exit from the UK). The Cambridges released a few photos over the lead up to Xmas, and also there was footage of the Queen, Charles and William and George apparently baking something. The Queen was helping George whilst still holding her handbag. Nothing was heard from the Sussexes, despite all this frenetic activity by the rest of the RF obviously looking out each day for something from the Sussexes. Not exactly ignoring Harry and Meghan. Sussexes released a photo on New Years Day of Harry and Archie and photo went globally viral. It ended up making the RF look foolish/desperate with multiple photos throughout Nov/Dec to no avail. It was never clear which one was meant to be THE Xmas photo of the Cambridges. Royal Family claimed to be blindsided by the Sussexes’ announcement about Stepping Back. False. Discussions had been going on for months. Prolonging the process unnecessarily for H&M it seems. H&M forced by a story being leaked by a tabloid newspaper, the Duke of Sussex issued a Statement on 8^th January 2020 re Stepping Back from Senior Royal duties and to become financially independent of the Royal Family, commencing in the new financial year.
Anger/Denial	Lots of posturing by the media and apparently courtiers. Definite signs of anger about the announcement and the planned departure. The Plan by the BRF and RRs backfired it would seem. None of them thought that the whole Sussex family would leave. How could they do this? RR + Media = we have been fair to them. What will happen to Sussex Royal Foundation? The anger with the Sussexes leaving at the Commonwealth Service in March 2020 was plain to see. The global audience witnessed this unprofessional, disgusting behaviour.
Sadness/Bargaining	Over the previous six months it has been clear that the Monarchy, no matter how much the media try to spin it differently, does not have the resources and the calibre of personnel to function as well as they could, without Harry and Meghan present. The latest round of blackmail tactics, disguised as bargaining attempted to offer the part-time model the Sussexes offered in January 2020 and was refused. Now all of a sudden it is back on the table, but with emphasis on Harry returning to help out Prince Charles and the Cambridges. No mention of Meghan in this request to return.
Jealousy & Competitiveness	Jealousy has been at the heart of this issue since the Oceanic Tour. The foundation of the media coverage in 2016/18 was grounded in racism and the resentment of the powerhouse that was clearly the new couple on the block. By the time the Oceanic Tour came around, when international interest rose with speed, it was clear that before the plane landed back in the UK, fragile egos within the Monarchy had started to work on a strategy to stop this ‘movement’ before it gained any further traction. This was demonstrated in the tone of the media coverage once they were back on UK turf. International coverage had been positive, so it was hard for the UK media to be out of sync with global coverage by others. This jealousy and competition still lives today in stories about whose house is bigger, who really calls the shots in the Sussex commercial ventures etc.
Apathy	The apathy officially expressed by Uk media, in particular the Royal Rota group i.e, the Sussexes are irrelevant and not marketable, was always false. It was stated so many times in articles that the stance itself became comedic and highlighted that they in fact felt the complete opposite. Clear that the plan was to try and ensure that the Sussexes were seen to fail, and/or be considered too hot to handle by groups and organisations in respect of future projects. It was obvious that they were convinced that the Sussexes would return to the abusive environment of the UK rather than struggle outside of the bubble that they knew – particularly Harry.
Acceptance	Abusers never enjoy outcomes that they have had no control over. Abusers enjoy their perceived power and control. The latest stance by the FR is to accept that the Sussexes are moving on to new territory but the family is still trying to give the impression to the public that they are very much still in control. The family are now trying to scatter their presence into Sussex business affairs like confetti. Pretending that they can access all documentation and dispute and remove any part of it. Deluded. The Legal Agreements are done. The BRF have no jurisdiction in such matters outside of the UK. The roles have reversed. The Sussexes have moved from being described as ‘irrelevant’ by the media to the media now moving to justify why they will continue to report on them and their activities because of public interest as Harry is a son of the future King. What a sad excuse. Wonder why we don’t see them report ad nauseum about the current Monarch’s children.
Hope – Moving On	They are not there yet. It will be interesting to see the juxtaposition of how the monarchy manages their self inflicted wound going forward, as the Sussexes clearly move on with their lives. The amount of time and effort already being taken to control how the Sussexes operate outside of the family, even though they have absolutely no financial ties to the public purse or funding from Prince Charles, is the clearest indicator yet, that the Firm is not ready to move on.

Royal Family and Royal Reporters position in the 7 Stages of Grief Model in 2021

Stages	JAN 2021-SEPT 2021 (Will be updated in JANUARY 2022) Update: took place in Aug 2022
DENIAL/Desperate for Answers	No longer in denial now. Strategy clearly moved on to ‘operation destroy the Sussexes’ by any means possible. Ie Try to destroy their credibility as business partners. Destroy their characters.
Anger	New life. Put barriers in the way. Continue to try to exert control and try to give the impression that the BRF need input into their business contracts. Once again the BRF are reminded that they have no control of business networks the size and power of the organisations that Meghan and Harry are now signing deals with. UK has now moved to attempting to destroy the character of Harry and Meghan with the aim of trying to deter businesses from working with them due to these attempts at character assassination.
Sadness & Bargaining	BRF continue to employ emotional blackmail, because they realise that they do need Harry, but still refuse to acknowledge Meghan. Sadness that FK & FQC and FFK & FFQC are not popular enough for people to care about the Monarchy. Realise that Harry is needed until Cambridge children are adults.
Jealousy & Competitiveness	Literally any event or news of any activity concerning Harry and Meghan, which always garners global interest, the two Future Kings come out like clockwork, to perform for the nation, just so that their propaganda team in the Royal Rota write and show lots of photos from these dead behind the eyes people, trying to play a game that they have no understanding or, or the competency to deliver, and zero charismatic appeal, so ultimately each time they do this, it is like poor quality comedians performing in some low grade venue somewhere. The phrase of “you cannot compete where you do not compare” comes to mind each time they bring this low grade pantomime to media eyes.
Apathy/Anger	The hit pieces on Meghan continued. Daily Mail lost court case against Meghan in March 2020. The DM have appealed and it is due to be heard in court in Oct/November. Media coverage on Harry and Meghan, continues to be way above the time spent on the others in the RF combined. Even though it is all second hand news from the USA because the RRs no longer have direct access to the Sussexes. Every time they write articles about H&M, they devalue the FK and FFK – leading to the very thing they were meant to be avoiding i.e., obsolescence
Acceptance	According to all the Royal Rota, there is no problem relating to Royal popularity, and the BRF do not need the Sussexes to be globally adored, as they announced in the Spring of 2020, the new Fab 4 Version 1:- William and Kate & Edward and Sophie. Version 2 = William and Kate & Charles and Camilla. Despite the statement repeated for the last 10 years, that Kate has now found her voice, none of these versions of the Fab 4 have worked. I think we are on Fab Version 1000.3 now. Not sure that the BRF are willing to admit that the next two people destined to be King, are simply not popular and at least one of them possesses no leadership skills, and both have alienated many people of the Commonwealth, and most of the younger generation. Kate has taken to copying Meghan in terms of colours and styles of outfits. Having spent many years copying her late mother in laws clothing styles, it seems someone has advised that the way to attract the younger members of the population, is to dress like Meghan. Lots of receipts exist of Kate doing this, and when photos are placed side by side, it makes it even more pitiful. Following in the footsteps of emulating the background of their Zoom calls to match those of Harry and Meghan, including footage taken from the outside of their home in LA – the Cambridges even including a bench – albeit an obvious brand new bench which made it even more pitiful.
Hope	I see no evidence of hope, only desperation of a PR team out of ideas, and still using a playbook decades out of date. There is an exercise currently underway of returning to old online articles and amending them to contain less criticism of Meghan. These people seem to forget that nothing is erased from the internet, and receipts exist in abundance around the world of the old and the new articles. Sure they will come in handy when the establishment decide to bring these into the public domain again, because there is no doubt that there is some kind of anticipated action coming up where the UK media want to try and rewrite history. They will not succeed. Receipts exist.

[i] The Duchess of Sussex: First Year As A Bi Racial Princess by Ivy Barrow. E version only. Better to wait until next book out in 18-24 months time. 🙂

[ii] www.whatuni.com