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The Duchess has instructed the law firm Schillings to represent her in this suit.
From Schillings & Partners website:
We are the only business in the world to deploy – under one roof – intelligence experts, investigators, cyber specialists, risk consultants, lawyers and top people from the military, banking and government.
By operating as one team, we shorten the time it takes to solve a reputation problem or a privacy threat. When there’s a crisis, we run point for you, by deploying our combined experience in intelligence, investigations, risk, cyber and law to zero in on the source of your problem and fix it.
We help you gain control when faced by the most common threats in this fast moving, unpredictable world.
- Litigation proceedings
- Media intrusion
- Privacy threats
- Cyber attacks
- Data theft
- Fake news
- Smear and hostile campaigns
- Bad leavers
- Insider threat
- Inaccurate reporting
- Compliance flags
- Regulatory enquiries
- Blackmail and extortion
I begin with this quote:
“Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth.” This quote is a law of propaganda often attributed to Joseph Goebbels, Minister of Propaganda of Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler. Among psychologists something like this is known as the “illusion of truth” effect.
Illusory Truth Effect
It’s a trick that politicians have long exploited: repeat a false statement often enough, and people will start believing that it’s true. Psychologists have named this phenomenon the “illusory truth effect”, and it seems to come from the fact that we find it easier to process information that we’ve encountered many times before. This creates a sense of fluency which we then (mis)interpret as a signal that the content is true. Research Digest
On the penultimate day of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex successful tour in Southern Africa, Prince Harry issued this statement, which “shocked” the world press. However, we the admirers of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, breathed a sigh of relieve, raised our hands up to heaven (well I did any way) and said, “THANK YOU LORD, THERE IS A GOD IN HEAVEN… and about time too.”
The media’s response to the statement was varied such as, “Why now when the tour has been so successful?”, “The Duke lashes out.” “Why would he release the statement now?” “Focus has shifted from the good they did on the tour to the statement.”
Over the past three years, the Duchess of Sussex has suffered from well documented, blatant bullying which was relentless before pregnancy, during her pregnancy and after the birth of their son. This, for me, was the worst kind of bullying I have ever witnessed. Even while the Duchess was on maternity leave and not seen in public, the bullying continued.
Negative articles were being written about her daily and old news regurgitated. In my opinion, the negative and hateful reportage sparked an onslaught of new trolls and haters who set up media accounts joining seasoned trolls and haters to spread hate and fake news about the Duchess in particular. Suddenly, these people seemed to know everything the Duchess was doing even though she was on maternity leave and not visible in public. Then the old narrative of “the taxpayers are entitled to have access to their private lives” returned as they demanded to know all that Duke and Duchess do in private.
One statement that sticks out in my mind, aside from the emotion one feels and hears in Prince Harry’s voice is, “Put simply, it is bullying, which scares and silences people.” The media’s tactic was to scare them into permanent silence whilst they continued to harass him and his family.
I have heard commentary questioning why Prince Harry issued yet another “emotional” and “unstable” statement when after all his previous statements didn’t make them stop. Does that mean he should not speak up? I beg to differ. We are living in different times where the public and media have lost respect for the privacy due to celebrities, public figures and the British Royal Family.
They have this notion that the Royal Family are their personal possession (not even human) and thus they can say whatever they want and perhaps this is because the Royal Family has adopted the mantra, “Never complain never explain”. This stance worked in the past, before social media and social commentators, but we are living in different times now.
I totally support this law suit, and whilst we cannot predict its outcome, that should not matter. Prince Harry and his wife have been held to ransom for too long and it has to stop. I hope this will be a turning point on how the Royals are reported on and hopefully the future Monarch will be more vocal on how the public and media report on individuals within the Royal Family. Whether you like the Duke and Duchess or not, is not the point. Reportage should be on the work they do; it should be fair and accurate, because that is what journalism is all about.
It is surprising to me that none of the Duke’s family members have come out to support them but that does not matter, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have many supporters and trust me there are some of us who are even prepared to crowd fund to pay for their lawsuit, if ever it was needed.
In my opinion, the reason the statement was released now is because following their successful Oceania tour, which was reported favourably, as soon as their feet touched ground in the United Kingdom, the negative onslaught began. The Duchess, in the first trimester of her pregnancy, was reported on negatively daily; so much so that the Australian media who were gushing over their tour, suddenly changed their stance and began regurgitating the nonsense in the British tabloid media.
I believe Prince Harry wanted to send a clear message: We have given you access during this tour because we were working for and on behalf of the Royal Family and when we get back home, we will not tolerate your putting a negative spin on all our good work and start changing the narrative on the positive reportage.
The Guardian headline
The number of positive and supportive comments coming from well-known people from around the world tells me that the world has been watching. I am sure they are wondering when something would be done to STOP the barrage and onslaught of ballistic missiles of words and hatred towards a woman who was simply being herself and working; a woman who has always dedicated her life to community service. If the Duchess were being treated this way in her workplace, I am sure these same reporters would have been happy to report on the unfair treatment by her employers.
This is what Workplace bullying and harassment has to say:
Bullying and harassment is behaviour that makes someone feel intimidated or offended. Harassment is unlawful under the Equality Act 2010. Examples of bullying or harassing behaviour include:
- spreading malicious rumours
- unfair treatment
- picking on or regularly undermining someone
- denying someone’s training or promotion opportunities
Bullying and harassment can happen:
- face-to-face
- by letter
- by email
- by phone
- by letter
The law
Bullying itself is not against the law, but harassment is. This is when the unwanted behaviour is related to one of the following:
- age
- sex
- disability
- gender reassignment
- marriage and civil partnership
- pregnancy and maternity
- race
- religion or belief
- sexual orientation
I repeat, the Duchess has faced bullying and harassment over the past three years and it MUST STOP. I hope those who have enabled and/or empowered the media in their efforts to ruin and harm this couple will all be flashed out, regardless of who they are. Unfortunately, some family members may have played their part in enabling the reporters and if so, I hope they too will be exposed.
Like her or not, Duchess Meghan has made the British Royal Family relevant once again and has shown how one can use their privilege and platform to do good. It’s not just talking about it, waving, smiling, shaking hands, cutting ribbons and unveiling plaques, or being shown around a factory and that being deemed as “working”. She and her husband have rolled up their sleeves and have been impactful. We all know her patronages, and that cannot be said about other members of the Royal Family, we all know and see how impactful she and the Duke have been in highlighting little known charities and helping increase donations.
But bigots, haters and trolls have allowed the tone of her skin to downplay the good that she has done.
But for her skin tone, her life and that of her family is constantly under threat and danger.
But for her skin tone, her newborn son was likened to that of an animal.
But for her skin tone, she has been called unsavoury words.
But for her skin tone, her pregnancy was deemed to be fake.
But for her skin tone, her newborn baby was deemed to be rubber.
But for her skin tone, she was told to go back to where she came from.
But for her skin tone she was postpartum fat-shamed.
But for her skin tone, etc etc etc etc.
All this was done ON A DAILY BASIS.
Prince Harry, we support you, we like it that you love our dear sister so much to want to protect her and your beautiful son. We are sorry your own family have not publicly supported you and that your wife’s family have played a huge part in all of this. You have us as family. You are in our village and we will support and protect you.
