Dr. Tessa Dunlop is a British historian who offers commentary and analysis on the royals and the state of the monarchy from a historical perspective. While I often disagree with some of her commentary, I appreciate the fact that she’s not parroting palace talking points or spinning bonkers royalist fan-fic. Dunlop was on a tear last year, writing several “brutal” pieces about how the wheels had come off the Good Ship Windsor. Dunlop said outright that Prince William and Kate were reluctant and lazy, that Britons should admit that they truly miss charismatic Prince Harry and wish that he would come back; and that William, Kate, Charles and Camilla are four of the least glamorous people in the world. As I said, Dunlop was dropping truth bombs all year. Let’s see if she still has some ammo left – Dunlop addressed the UK’s reaction to With Love, Meghan and uncovered the uncomfortable truth that Britain desperately wants Meghan to fail but that Meghan is winning.
Meghan Markle is sending a painful message with her latest move off the back of her panned Netflix series, an expert has claimed. This month she has seen lifestyle show With Love, Meghan, hit the streamer’s top 10 chart – despite the fact it has been savaged by the critics. Not only that, it has been announced that the show will also be returning for a second series later this year. Then came the news that the Duchess of Sussex is also launching her new podcast, Confessions of a Female Founder, which will see her have “candid conversations” with “amazing women” about the success and struggles of their businesses.
According to royal expert and historian Dr Tessa Dunlop, despite the brutal criticism Meghan has faced, she has had the last laugh. She told the Mirror: “How the world has loved to hate on Meghan for her serialised version of perfection – With Love Meghan. It has even inspired a new verb – to hate-watch. The Duchess of Sussex has become the catch-all for our own feelings of inadequacy and jealousy.”
“How. Dare. She, sighs millions of viewers, before settling down to another episode of yet more hate-watching. There is something deliciously ironic about the fact that Meghan has devised a creative strategy (including an Instagram account with 2.5million followers) that weaponises all those haters and turns their clicks into profits. Well done her. Cue a giant algorithm that has brought the Duchess international success and abundant wealth. Despite (or perhaps because of) the dismal reviews and universal loathing, With Love Meghan sits proudly in Netflix’s global top ten. Not bad for a one-time bit-part actress in a B-list series called Suits. A second With Love, Meghan series has already been commissioned and filmed. More perfection is in the pipeline. And the beginning of April will see the launch of another podcast series – Confessions of a Female Founder with Meghan.”
And Tessa adds that with all these projects in the pipeline, Meghan is sending a very telling message – especially to the royals. She added: “Lest the haters are in any doubt as to the company they keep – it was US President Donald Trump who announced he will leave Harry alone during his beleaguered American visa application because ‘he’s got enough problems with his wife. She’s terrible’.
“As for viewers back in Britain, Meghan’s media triumph will be a bitter pill for some to swallow. Secretly too many of us wanted Meghan to fail: she stole our prince and dissed our first family and ran away with titles and tittle-tattle to the States where she has made a go of it. Proof that there really is life after the Royal Family.”
This is Dunlop doing the “spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down.” She throws some red meat at the haters – “a one-time bit-part actress in a B-list series called Suits” – all to acknowledge that those haters, consumed by feelings of inadequacy, jealousy, envy and bitterness have been rooting for Meghan to fail, for no other reason than Harry chose her over them. “Secretly too many of us wanted Meghan to fail” – it wasn’t a secret, Dr. Dunlop. And Meghan was a working, highly-paid actress on a popular cable show. It’s not just that they “secretly” want Meghan to fail, they want to rewrite her entire biography so that her accomplishments, education and career are forgotten. This is what terrifies the Windsors too: “Proof that there really is life after the Royal Family.”
Photos courtesy of Netflix.
