From what I understand, it gets better when a third person appears and then they separate. I’m not sure what that means–infidelity, someone counseling them to separate?
Yes, this makes more sense to me. MM not marrying royalty for her next marriage.
*Errata* : Oh did I just fuddle things and write “6-of-Cupped them”? Meant PENTACLES. 6-of-Pentacled them. Charity. Sorry fo the confusion.
Thanks!
Everyone sees that this is a disaster, except for Meghan and Harry. It’s really amazing.
The most amazing thing to me is that Meghan’s cards are saying that she will do to Harry exactly what she did to Cory and Trevor. It’s the exact same thing! And, yet, Harry can’t see it.
I actually hadn’t replied to your anon yet because I was still thinking about it.
I don’t think she had any preconceived notions about Charles and Camilla, at least regarding the infidelity. I know it’s going to sound strange, so bear with me.
I’m actually re-reading the Google Books excerpts on Morton’s Diana book to try to remember what that book felt like. I know the public outcry over it was what it revealed about Charles’ infidelity, but the book itself is, imo, not about that.
It’s mostly a huge martyr trip for Di and Charles is not even the starring player. It starts with her dad and mom and the divorce and how different that made her feel. There’s a lot of stuff about her siblings and school. I suspect that would be the part that would draw in someone like Meghan. That and the fame and adulation parts.
So I don’t think Meghan would have much of an opinion on Charles other than “oh, cold fish and cold parent and OMG Harry my parents mistreated me too!!!!!!!!” I don’t think she would resent Charles and Camilla for the adultery. That part of the story likely didn’t make much difference to her. The whole “poor mistreated Di became an icon through fashion and charity work” would be the part that appealed to her.
“Frozen is the British Royal Family. Lost parent(s) tragically. Older blonde is serious. Younger redhead is immature at times and gets engaged to a stranger they barely know. Meghan appears to just be using Jarry for fame and fortune the way Hans used Anna for a royal future.” – Submitted by Anonymous
This is eerily like the “Emperor’s New Clothes” fable. Everyone stands around pretending that the clothes look fantastic until a lone, brave soul stands up and shouts the truth. Then everyone goes, “oh, yes, he was naked all the time.”
The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance.
It’s been very amusing to watch the headlines and commentary shift. In Nottingham it was “stunned” and “elegant” and “iconic.” By Edinburgh it was downgraded to “charmed” and “look it’s a tartan coat.” In Bath it was down to “attends,” “watches,” and “high fashion game shows signs of wavering.”
Thanks! I think he was talking about the acting rounds, but, yikes, that’s a headline.
The most intriguing part of that interview, however, was this:
LOL, all that fake hugging was for naught. I think Morton’s being very insightful here. This is what’s going to sink Meghan. She’s an activist, not a carer, and people can tell. The BF doesn’t have any space for an activist.
Not That Bad, an anthology of writing on rape culture, featuring 29 contributors and edited by me. Out 5/1/18. Pre-order now at your preferred book retailer.
2: came out of the blue and her siblings changing opinions with every breath of wind so nobody really cares about them anymore. If Meghan made Harry believe Windsors are the family she never had I have no doubts she told him something about Ninaki, probably some tale about Ninaki being her Jessica (that was the name of Kate’s „friend”, wasn’t it?). Now when press isn’t sugary anymore, with Morton’s book, old friends spilling the tea and journalists getting tired of their e-mails with leaks
3: I think Harry will soon notice (if it’s not happening already) that his bride isn’t all roses as she seemed to be. The question is will it happen before or after the melodrama called wedding. Their body language in Bath seemed really off so they either decided to limit PDA because of the press not slobbering over or there’s really some stir.
I don’t know exactly what has happened, but something definitely happened. Actually, I think two things happened, one in December and one now. They were giddy and happy before the dress and Monaco trip news broke and were very subdued afterwards. I suspect they had some kind of setback there. It may have been the dress, it may have been the trip, it may have been the Obama interview, but something happened. This something was both internal (affecting the relationship with the family) and external (affecting the press coverage).
And then something else happened this month. I think it was the combination of Meghan’s unremarkable public presence and general awkwardness at events and all the epic dirt her friends and family spilled to Morton. A big part of the Markle juggernaut was the pr-fed expectation that she would, indeed, be a huge star. That she would be historic (because of her race) and fascinating (because of the mad Hollywood skillz) and would take the world by storm.
It think the December debacles shook this illusion of invulnerability, but didn’t shatter it. It was steady enough that the press gave her tons of sugary coverage during her “regional tour” and the BRF was willing to hand out Commonwealth goodies and such. What happened in March, however, death a much stronger blow. How strong is still the question.
I think the wedding is crucial for her now. She really has to kill it.
If the baker had started to soak it by mid-March it would have been fine. But I imagine it would have had to be ordered by January or February to get everything prepared in time.
I suspect that’s one of the main problems these two are having planning their wedding. According to the leaks, they didn’t even seriously start the planning until January and then they mostly focused on the dress. You can’t expect to call around in March and get supplies for a 600 person wedding in two months. That’s a very tall order for anyone.
The article was amazing. The level of detail was incredible. I knew Kate’s cake was huge, but I didn’t realize that they also sent out 4000 boxes of fruitcake as souvenirs. That’s a lovely detail that I’m sure tons of people appreciated. I think the Express claimed that Meghan and Harry would have a separate fruitcake “to send to staff” or something and I imagine that’s what they were referring to. KP stepped in quickly to clarify that there would be no fruitcake whatsoever.
I’m starting to appreciate Kate’s wedding more. I wasn’t into the dress or the trees, so it was all kind of meh for me. However, I have to admit that she really achieved her goal of focusing on British craftsmanship and tradition (the cake, the lace, the flowers) and making those relevant to younger generations.
If we’re right, then that means that upstaging the Queen at a family event (Sandringham) is totes fine, but upstaging the Queen at an event where she is appearing as Head of State is an absolute no-no. This makes sense to me.
Has Kate ever done something like this? I’m trying to remember, but nothing comes up.
Someone told me that the night is dark and full of terrors. What do you see in those flames? Dragons. Dragons old and young, true and false, bright and dark. And you. A small man with a big shadow, snarling in the midst of all.
Yep, you know, at the time I assumed that that was forced on her and that if you were a royal bride you HAD to use the Royal School of Needlework, Victorian flower language, lilies, traditional cake-making craftsmanship and all that stuff. I thought she just showed up and said “I like white,” and everything else they just kind of forced on her because “protocol” and “tradition.”
But, like, her vaunted discretion, it now appears to have been her own personality and her own appreciating for fine craftsmanship and tradition. Meghan has shown us that there is very little required protocol and tradition in any of this.
I’m starting to wonder if this is the correct take.
I saw a lot of people interpreting Meghan’s Commonwealth Service outfit as following the agreed-upon navy dress code. I actually interpreted it the exact opposite. I think her cream ensemble was designed to make her stand out. Yes, I know Anne also wore cream, but no one looks at Anne.
I suspect they were told to dress in navy so they wouldn’t upstage the Queen’s cranberry dress, and Meghan hogged the spotlight with her white coat and hat. Yes, it technically fit the dress code, but I doubt anyone was amused with her cleverness. Mocking Liam’s performance didn’t help her cause any, imo. The fact that a ton of people interpreted the dress code as the BRF supporting Meghan and not as everyone stepping into line and supporting the Queen was also not good.
There isn’t really an exact reason other than the fact they’re different families with different systems. The UK is quite unique in the strict title system it has and the existence of peerages. Peerages separate “commoners” from the aristocracy and so they hold a lot of weight. In Sweden and others they don’t have peerages as such so they just aren’t as important culturally. It’s also much easier as when you’re talking about a woman in the BRF who marries in she would either be the Duchess title or Princess Husband’s Name whereas other countries make women a princess in their own right. Sweden is generally just a bit more relaxed, they kind of make it up as they go along.
Look at what Western discourse says about what Palestinians are permitted to do… When Palestinians kill military soldiers occupying their land, they’re called terrorists. When Palestinians advocate a nonviolent boycott of Israel in order to pressure them to end the occupation, the way people did in the ‘80s successfully against the South African apartheid regime, that’s called anti-Semitism. When Palestinians nonviolently protest at the border, they’re accused of being agents of Hamas who deserve to be slaughtered. The discourse of the West is that Palestinians have no right to resist or protest this decades-long occupation. They don’t have a right to do so violently, and they have no right to do so nonviolently. The only thing Western discourse tells Palestinians they’re permitted to do is to meekly acquiesce and submit to and obey the dictates of the Israeli government. And I think the world is finally starting to wake up to the fact that this discourse is incredibly immoral and that Palestinians have just the same rights as everybody else to protest and resist.
I mean I’m torn because I respect the institution of the monarchy and I don’t enjoy it that they look like fools right now. There is that.
But, on the other hand, it is a joy to wake up every morning knowing that there will be some epic Harkle stupidity on my Google Alert. Back in November, I used to get nervous because there was always the chance that she would get it right. That niggling little fear is now completely gone. Pretty much every day is a train wreck of stupid–from the fug coats to the merched jewelry to the family/friend/colleague revelations to her pet correspondents crowing over their access to the desperate hugging to the sugar sites going “ah, yes, the coat doesn’t fit and the hair is hanging loose but this is the most elegant professional unhemmed-pants-and-messy-bun combo EVER, SLAY KWEEN!” It’s all hilarious.
It’s only been five months and we’ve already got “Official Di Collection Diamonds,” “I didn’t know much about him,” poo emoji hat, mismatched virtue signaling earrings (heck, virtue signaling EVERYTHING), wearing PoW, Scottish and Irish colors on tour, Marks & Spencer sweater, Manolo Blahniks to play sports, unhemmed pants, dirty shoes, cross-stiching and felt lining, endless hugging and tentacle hands and boyfriend burping…. The list goes on and on.
Two months after Joss Whedon left the Batgirl movie project, the studio is moving ahead on developing a new movie project based on the DC Entertainment heroine.
Christina Hodson, who wrote the upcoming Transformers spinoff Bumblebee, has been tapped to pen a new script featuring Barbara Gordon, the daughter of Gotham City police commissioner James Gordon.
Hodson wrote the 2017 Warners thriller Unforgettable, which starred Rosario Dawson and Katherine Heigl, and has been a player in a couple of writers rooms, Transformers (which led to her nabbing the Bumblebee gig) and Ology, the franchise Paramount is developing based on the YA fictional encyclopedias from Templar Publishing.
I find the “it’s from a catalogue” critiques so funny. When Di and Charles got engaged that was considered a good thing. There were tons of romantic stories about how he took her to Garrard’s and they took out all of these trays with rings on them, so she could make her choice and she picked the one she liked the best. After that, every cheesy eighties rom com had a scene with the boyfriend taking the girlfriend to a store to pick rings from trays.
It was a big part of the Di legend because it showed how she was a regular, unpretentious girl and how this was a new modern couple.
Hah, thanks for the delightful Madam Mim gif! Oh I was equally intrigued by that reading, mainly because it was off in that there was a stubborn disconnect with the cards in relation to each other in the spread, and what was actually said.
Your analyses are equally valid imo. Because someone else did the spread, it is slightly open – within the scope of the meaning of the cards. And you’re absolutely right about the different lines; past, present, future.
Now, in regard to the “there’s money all over this,” – I’d say it’s a bit of an exaggeration. A lot of people just starting out or not really proficient tend to understand ALL of the pentacle cards as “MONEY” (coming in or out). She had four Pentacle cards in the spread in total, so she just saw, “wow, dosh!” But they represent our material/physical world and needs, which extent far beyond coins alone, and how we balance these against our other needs (heart, creativity & intellect).
So it’s not a money-centred spread as such. I’d say it’s an illusion-centred spread (Moon rev, a major arcana, bang in the middle of it all – pulling the strings of all the other cards). Harry’s illusions, Meghan’s illusions. This is why 3-card rows are so much clearer btw, they show these connections straight away. I’d personally hazard a guess that they’re around the energy of the Moon/9 of Swords right now, possibly even juuust stepping onto the 3rd line.
Emperor:could be William. This card is usually a pater familias sort of energy, or representing an institution/government, so it’s normally a more mature and experienced sort of person in a position of some sort of power or authority. But sometimes we can be in that energy slightly regardless of age, and Will has seemingly really stepped up to the plate since this broke and behaved like the grown-up. So I wouldn’t rule him out. But I don’t know… Will & Kate I’d peg as the charitable ones in the 6 of Pentacles below.
3 of Pentacles: was probably more like around the time before the engagement announcement. At least at its strongest effect up to that point, when she was just H’s gf and their wants clashed with those of the BRF/KP. The “love shield”, the press leaks, the dubious nature of some of H comments KP’s had to cover for, H&M pushing for green light on marriage after a handful of months which the BRF could hardly have been okay with etc. All of that was a mess of contradictions, stupid communications and most probably in the energy of Knight of Wands rev + 3 of Pentacles.
6 of Pentacles: could be monetary aid as in covering the cost of the ostentatious wedding, as you say. It is however the card coming right after 5 of Pentacles, where the individuals were ostracised/feeling shut out or destitute. In this card, they are getting a break. Seeing as, as you say, neither M/H have any substantial wealth of their own, this could very well be a combo of monetary relief/charity and symbolic charity. One being the opening of Charles’ wallet to fund the official new addition to the RF. As he funds H, he must fund H’s fiancée’s “needs”. The other being Will and Kate taking one for the team and being the only members seen interacting with them in public – this to prove that H&M are welcomed into the fold as far as the optics are concerned. Letting them into their home, walking to church with them. If they hadn’t done that, H&M would still be out in the energy of the 5 of Pentacles; out in the cold.
7 of Pentacles: isn’t the wedding. Wedding would probably be indicated by any combination of 3 of Cups, 10 of Pentacles or 10 of Cups, 4 of Wands, 2 of Cups and possibly some major arcana to seal it. It’s more like the initial “we gone done it Cleetus! We’ve arrived!” The whole being invited to “family functions”, being recognised (M as a royal fiancé, future wife, duchess and member of the BRF…), getting engagements, access to money, staff, help, people… whatever. That initial excitement! It’s just an INITIAL carrot for that hard work. Some also call it “the seeds of intentions” card – which really indicates that it’s not the prize itself. It can be deceiving as what the fruits you’re picking might turn out to be something altogether different from what you thought you had planted. This is underlined by the reversed Moon card coming right after.
4 of Pentacles: Well… what does Meghan have, in her own mind, if she doesn’t get Harry at this point? Nothing. Money/material possessions = security in her book. If her heart is not entirely in the whole IRL package that comes with Harry and she’d rather just not be there & do that, the security of the greedy 4 of Pentacles is what’s keeping her there. Someone in the relationship (and it’s not hard to figure out who) is too hung up on material security. Why too hung up? Clarifying cards would answer that with more clarity, but a good hint are the cards before and after this 4 of Pentacles. Good & happy cards? Nope.
5 rev & 8 of Cups: the order may seem strange, and again clarifiers would resolve the issue, the 5 of Cups can be read as that moment of epiphany where you turn around and see that you still have two unspilled cups of hope. That moment of clarity and realisation that nudges you into the 8 of Cups where you soberly look your life over and make a decision to walk away from the disappointments. Both these cards help each other out and confirm the outcome.
Oh, wow, thanks. I can tell I’m going to be mulling over this for a while
The “material aspects” part really rings a bell for me. You’re right, that makes a lot more sense that pure lucre.
And that 7 of Pentacles analysis sounds dead on. They really did seem overjoyed about having pulled it off until right around December. They’ve been a lot more subdued since then.
Holy moly. No wonder the pics were so crappy. This really was a last minute thing. They had NO PHOTOGRAPHER lined up when they announced the engagement. They ended up with Alexi because he happened to be in London with some free time.
Didn’t they say that they “very familiar with his work that they admired very much” or something like that? I can’t find it right now, but I remember them saying something like that. LOL, they’d literally just met him.
And they wanted to appear “accessible, relatable.” LOLOLOLOL. Relatable and accessible in a $75k gown!!!!!!!! She wore a thousand-dollar jumper to her “relatable” photoshoot. I am dying.
OMG, I can’t believe these two are in charge of spend millions of dollars on this event. They found the photographer through Instagram, and the cake baker is a Pinterest maven Meghan found through her blog. They left out the gold ink and KVCO. The flowers are whatever they can scrounge up from the Queen’s garden.
I cannot stop laughing. This wedding is a thoroughly last minute, haphazard event.
Posting this, just because it gives me an opportunity to post this awesome article from back in December, which I somehow missed. It’s about the royal souvenir business in China.
it turns out everyone wanted Diana’s ring. No one wanted Meghan’s.
Chadwick Boseman, who portrays T’Challa in Black Panther, hosted Saturday Night Live over the weekend, appearing in character on Black Jeopardy. Let’s just say T’Challa finds it challenging to understand the cultural references and idioms of contemporary American Black English but eventually gets the hang of it. I laughed solidly, and at times uncomfortably, through the entire thing.
One excellent way to stay calm but well-informed, I’ve found, is to consume the news a day or three later than everyone else. Print is one way to do this. But it works online, too: more and more, I find myself promiscuously cruising the web, saving umpteen articles in a “read later” app (in my case Evernote, though you could use your browser’s bookmarks). By the time I read them, the time filter has worked its magic: a small proportion of them stand out as truly compelling.
A new car loses about 10% of its value as soon as you drive it off the lot; most news depreciates a lot faster than that. Humans are curious, hard-wired to seek out new information on a continuous basis. But not everything we haven’t seen before is worth our attention. As Burkeman says, a great way to determine if something is intrinsically interesting or worthwhile apart from its novelty is to set it aside for awhile.
My process for gathering links and information for kottke.org is pretty much what Burkeman outlines in the article: when I see something that looks interesting, I file it away and revisit it later. I don’t even leave it that long sometimes…even a few hours works wonders. Most of the links I throw out, some because they weren’t as interesting as I’d hoped from reading a headline or pull quote but more often because they won’t be interesting after a day or two passes. I’m proud that you can go back weeks, months, years, and (more rarely) decades into the kottke.org archives and still find things worth your time.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been making the rounds across the US in a press tour, so he would be the most likely candidate, especially since CDAN is based in the US.
The Queen and Sir David Attenborough team to protect forests in new documentary film.
ITV1 will air a one-off special documentary following ‘Her Majesty
the Queen and an ambitious legacy project to create a global network of
protected forests’ on Monday 16 April. Focusing on the Queen’s
Commonwealth Canopy and highlighting her little-known love of trees, the
film, titled The Queen’s Green Planet, will have at its heart a
conversation between the Queen and beloved nature broadcaster Sir David
Attenborough in the gardens of Buckingham Palace.
House of Brat 