Time to stop publicising this bi . . . woman

[jeremyp]

I think the point she was making was that many people struggle financially to get to university, but that it is worth it - that is a perfectly legitimate thing to say. However to imply that she was just like that is fine if true - but if the reality is that actually her substantial fees for a very prestigious university were in fact paid for by her father who had recently won $740k in the lottery and had already bankrolled her through a prestigious and expensive high school, well that completely undermines her message. Indeed it turns it on its head entirely.

So why bring it up? Why undermine the message? I don't think SM blabbing to the press has made anything better for anybody except maybe giving her 15 minutes of fame and a pay check.

Frankly if it is true that her father paid her fees Meghan, and her advisors and speechwriters, are pretty darned stupid to have claimed otherwise as they should have know better that someone (whether family or not) would contradict her. But it wouldn't be the first time that the Royals have got their PR badly wrong with regard to Meghan's extended family.

So is it more likely that MM has stupid speechwriters or SM who has a history of this kind of sordid stuff is putting the boot in?

[ProfessorDavey]

So why bring it up? Why undermine the message? I don't think SM blabbing to the press has made anything better for anybody except maybe giving her 15 minutes of fame and a pay check.

But as we've already established SM has form so she is almost certainly going to bring it up - why does she care. For her she has just been handed golden ammunition to continue her feud. But that doesn't alter the fact that the claim that she lied in her speech is in the public interest and it is perfectly legitimate for it someone to challenge her if they considered that she lied.

So is it more likely that MM has stupid speechwriters or SM who has a history of this kind of sordid stuff is putting the boot in?

Perhaps so, but a lie is a lie (if that is the case) and that it may have been stupid speechwriters makes no difference.

[jeremyp]

Perhaps so, but a lie is a lie (if that is the case) and that it may have been stupid speechwriters makes no difference.

But the point is who is telling the lie. You seem to be assuming it is definitely MM despite acknowledging that for her to be lying means she has to have stupid speechwriters whereas, for SM to be lying she just has to be vindictive.

Is it not possible that MM is telling the truth or is she automatically in the wrong because she is in the Royal Family?

[ProfessorDavey]

But the point is who is telling the lie. You seem to be assuming it is definitely MM despite acknowledging that for her to be lying means she has to have stupid speechwriters whereas, for SM to be lying she just has to be vindictive.

Is it not possible that MM is telling the truth or is she automatically in the wrong because she is in the Royal Family?

I'm not making a judgement either way - although there seems to be a credible counter claim to her claim, and no doubt this could be proven.

What is beyond doubt is that at the time she was going through her education MM's father was exceptionally rich and that he had certainly bankrolled her through high school.

And that is actually the crux of the issue for me, it sits ill for a woman who's father had won about £1.2M (in todays prices) just a few years earlier, plus had a well paid job while she going through university to be claiming kinship with those genuinely struggling and from households with virtually no money. Perhaps this sits most ill with me as I know that nearly one quarter of the students at my institution come from backgrounds where their household annual income is less than £10k. Regardless of whether her father paid all or some (or even none) of her fees, MM isn't like those people. Not by a million miles.

[Robbie]

I 'get' what the Prof is saying - Meghan Markle was financially better off than some of her contemporaries but, prompted by this thread, I delved into news threads dating back to before she was even engaged to Prince Harry and it seems she did win a scholarship and had to work to make up the shortfall.  So, dad paid her school fees but probably didn't pay everything at university, we don't know the details but I think it likely he gave her cash sometimes. 

The fact that sister Samantha took down her tweet quickly shows that she probably didn't know the full facts.  Got her wires crossed or knickers in a twist if you like.  Boy, how jealous is she!

Meghan would surely not be so daft as to out and out lie in her first official overseas speech.

[ProfessorDavey]

I 'get' what the Prof is saying - Meghan Markle was financially better off than some of her contemporaries but, prompted by this thread, I delved into news threads dating back to before she was even engaged to Prince Harry and it seems she did win a scholarship and had to work to make up the shortfall.

Links please.

Certainly it appears that her half brother (who is no fan of Samantha by the widest margin) also confirmed that her father paid for her university education in an interview prior to the wedding which was anything but a hatchet job on MM:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-5096335/Meghan-Markle-s-brother-lottery-win-set-stardom.html

'The money helped send Meghan to the $16,000-a-year Immaculate Heart Catholic School, one of LA's finest, followed by Northwestern University where she studied drama: 'Meg won scholarships to other universities but she wanted to go to Northwestern so she did,' her brother adds. 'The money helped.'

Whether he paid for everything or some of it is beside the point - but given that Northwestern University indicates that the cost of attending is currently about $75k per year then she was hardly going to be able to cover that cost via a few part time jobs.

So, dad paid her school fees but probably didn't pay everything at university, we don't know the details but I think it likely he gave her cash sometimes.

But the implication of her speech was that she covered her university costs entirely via scholarships and her work, she conveniently failed to mention anything about contributions from her millionaire father, who according to his son was earning about £350k per year (in 2018 terms) during her upbringing in addition to the £1.2M lottery windfall (again 2018 terms).

The fact that sister Samantha took down her tweet quickly shows that she probably didn't know the full facts.  Got her wires crossed or knickers in a twist if you like.  Boy, how jealous is she!

But her half brother isn't and cannot stand SM - yet he confirmed SM's claim way before the controversy.

Meghan would surely not be so daft as to out and out lie in her first official overseas speech.

Poor advisors and speech writers. Does it really seem credible that a father with a huge windfall and substantial annual income, who was paying perhaps tens of thousands of $ for her to attend high school would suddenly stop making major contributions once she'd earned a place at Northwestern.

[Owlswing]

Owl, what is a 'bi...woman'? Is it some new politically correct type of feminist gender term? Or is she half woman, half basilisk  ?

No - it is me trying not to be as unpleasant as her and call her a bitch!

[ProfessorDavey]

No - it is me trying not to be as unpleasant as her and call her a bitch!

Lets focus on the claim rather than the person.

Just because you don't like her, does that make her claim necessarily false. Noting that her brother (who like you cannot stand SM) made the same claim before MM was married.

[Rhiannon]

So, Prof D, can we have your evidence for it being 'unlikely that Meghan was cut financially loose' and also for the 'stupid speech writers'?

[jeremyp]

Lets focus on the claim rather than the person.

Just because you don't like her, does that make her claim necessarily false.

Right back at you.

[Owlswing]

Right back at you.

Ain't this the truth!

[ProfessorDavey]

Right back at you.

So not actually prepared to answer the question I see.

I'll ask again - just because you don't like the SM does that mean her claim is necessarily false?

Maybe we should frame it in another way - way back in early 2017 Thomas Markle jn also said that his father paid for MM's Northwestern University education, at least in part. Are you claiming he is lying.

[Robbie]

We don't know she lied.
The truth is probably that she got a scholarship and had to work but her dad gave her a bung occasionally. So she wasn't as hard up as some people but not as well off as others. Like many!

[jeremyp]

So not actually prepared to answer the question I see.

I'll ask again - just because you don't like the SM does that mean her claim is necessarily false?

Who says I don't like her? I don't know her.