In recent months, the Mail’s coverage of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has gone full-throttle into the alternative-reality Deranger fan-fic. At this point, the Mail doesn’t even care what Prince Harry and Meghan are *actually* doing and saying, they’re just nurturing these alt-reality caricatures until Mail columnists are carted off to the looney bin and/or they get sued, I guess. Well, Alison Boshoff has written another piece about how everyone hates Harry and Meghan, mostly Meghan, and how all of the Sussexes’ A-list friends want nothing to do with them. This is another one of those “The Mail Remembers” pieces, because Boshoff is mostly talking about the guests at Harry and Meghan’s wedding, ahead of the Sussexes’ anniversary on the 19th. I’ll spare you most of the histrionics, but I wanted to highlight some of the most egregious claims.
The Sussexes have fallen out with everyone: Not that Harry and Meghan believe that this could possibly be their fault. ‘They don’t get it. They never think it is them,’ one associate of theirs tells me. My source tells me: ‘They love famous people – they are very name-droppy. The association gives them a kick. But if someone stops calling they don’t ask why.’
They’ve fallen out with Oprah: Today, though, things are rather chillier. While Meghan has ‘definitely been to Oprah’s house’, I am told by a source ‘they are not as close as they once were’. Indeed, the relationship appears to be existing on a hair’s breadth for one reason, as well-connected broadcaster and former Page Six columnist Paula Froelich, of NewsNation, tells me. ‘The truth is Oprah has been long-arming the Sussexes for some time,’ she says. ‘She can’t let them drift too far away because if something happens – one of the three big Ds, divorce, death or drama – she will want the interview. But she is not actually friends with them.’
No one wants to get caught up in Meghan selling clothes: Froelich also believes long-term alignment with Brand Sussex carries a reputational risk, hence former celebrity friends distancing themselves. ‘No one wants to hang out with Meghan. ‘Lots of reasons, but she might sell clothes while using their name,’ she says, referring to Meghan’s latest business wheeze where she promotes her outfits through a fashion app that gives her a 10 per cent cut of the sales generated. Can you imagine? “What to wear to visit Oprah,”’ Froelich adds, with a shudder. As Froelich says: ‘Oprah was tarnished by her association with them. The interview she did in 2021 was so soft and she didn’t push back on anything said, so she was seen as a sycophant rather than a great interviewer.’
The Clooneys: The other most high-profile guests at the Sussex wedding were George and Amal Clooney. Amal commanded attention in a spectacular yellow dress and the actor and his human rights lawyer wife had prime seats…How did they know the couple? Some say that – just like Oprah – they didn’t and the invitation was a simple ‘reach out’ from Meghan and Harry to those more successful and connected than themselves. The burgeoning friendship with the Clooneys ended, however, with Megxit. The source says: ‘The Clooneys now want nothing to do with them.’ Certainly Harry and Meghan have never been invited to the Clooneys’ annual fundraiser, The Albies, which honour humanitarian work. Nor have the Sussexes, who regard themselves as prominent humanitarians, ever won an honour, which appears to be quite a snub. Paula Froelich says: ‘George and Amal Clooney were never friends with her… they have literally nothing in common and side with the actual royals.’
Meghan is cheap!! An associate says this kind of gifting from friends is very much the done thing for the Sussexes, whose money troubles have only grown since the end of their lucrative Spotify and Netflix deals. ‘They ask for a lot of resources to be spent as they believe it is a privilege to be in their circle,’ says a source, adding: ‘They think they are entitled to all the private planes.’ The source also observes that Meghan is ‘cheap’ or stingy in British parlance. ‘She is the cheapest!’ the insider exclaims.
Idris Elba: The Sussexes’ association with Idris Elba, who DJ’d at their wedding, seems to have ended in the same way for the same reasons – Elba has long been a prominent supporter of the King’s Trust. Indeed the star, who was also at the event on Monday night, started his acting career with the help of a £1,500 grant from the then Prince’s Trust which allowed him to train at the National Youth Music Theatre. Elba has even made a documentary with the King about the charity, which will be out on Netflix in the autumn. And so, while the actor once called Harry a ‘good friend’ and revealed bride Meghan had sent him a playlist of tunes for the wedding, including Dr Dre, there has been no sign of them as much as meeting in six years.
The Beckhams: The falling out with David and Victoria Beckham is no less notable. The pair had declared themselves thrilled to be at the wedding in 2018, some eight years after Harry and David first got to know each other when backing the FA’s bid to host the World Cup….David remains close to Harry’s ‘nemesis’ William, and is closer yet to King Charles. The friendship with Harry has, you could say, been allowed to tail off.
Elton John: A handful of close friendships remain. Elton John is still very tight with Prince Harry, although it is observed ‘that is a Harry relationship,’ rather than a Meghan one. It’s also interesting he no longer sends his private plane to bring Harry and his family for holidays at his Saint-Tropez home.
Something I’ve always found interesting is that the Windsors have made a point of targeting Sussex-associates over the years. Prince William and King Charles BOTH targeted David Beckham to bring him onto “their” side, and David clearly did anything and everything to get his knighthood . Charles targeted the Clooneys, not that it was difficult, as it was clear that George is perfectly happy to buy Amal’s access into the upper echelons of society. Charles also targeted Idris, although I don’t believe that Idris fell out with Harry at all (Idris just doesn’t have that personality). This is yet another piece where the British press is implicitly admitting that the left-behinds throw tantrums until various celebrities are forced to “choose” which side to support.
But yeah, mostly this is just bullsh-t though. Oprah is fine with the Sussexes, and their relationship is simply discreet, which is how truly wealthy and elite people move. The truth is, Meghan and Harry are astonishingly good networkers and the Mail has no idea about the Sussexes’ actual friendships, associations and relationships. And that, more than anything, is why the Mail has to create these alternative-reality stories.
Photos courtesy of Meghan’s Instagram and Avalon Red.
