What’s on my mind?
“From what I understand, she (was) on a little TV show here in the US, and she’s saying she sacrificed this tiny celebrity show status to go be a princess and that’s a tremendous sacrifice.”
- Behavioral analyst Chase Hughes
What’s on my mind? Polls are for dogs. Ain’t it the truth? Among Americans, Meghan Markle’s positive polling stands at 45%, well above the 36% positive rating for the Queen’s corgis. In the UK, only 31% of respondents like her; I can only surmise how many fancy the corgis.
https://morningconsult.com/2021/03/04/royal-family-favorability-harry-meghan-oprah/
Polls can mislead, depending which polls ask which questions to which subjects. In other words, GIGO: Garbage In, Garbage Out. Polls rise and fall on the fickle whims of the day, so Markle needn’t dab away tears that not everyone’s a fan.
Foremost among those who’ve suggested Markle’s pants are on fire is Good Morning Britain host Piers Morgan who, after watching the March 6/7 Oprah Winfrey interview, said: “I don’t believe a word she says … I wouldn’t believe it if she read me a weather report.” Morgan became the program’s former host after more than 41,000 complaints flooded into the ITV network. Included among those was a formal complaint from Markle and another sent sent the country’s broadcast regulator.
Words offer a smorgasbord of choices from formal to relaxed. As a former interviewer, I’m interested in why people pick one word over another, particularly when the choice of word seems jarring. It’s a small thing, but shortly after the Oprah interview started, I felt uneasy when Markle stated that “in and of itself,” it was a “miracle” to have slept through the night before her wedding day.
I hope I’m not being unfair to the Duchess, but “in and of itself” is a phrase one doesn’t normally hear in everyday conversation. One might hear it in a boardroom, or a lawyer’s office, but it’s an odd turn of phrase with reference to one’s wedding day.
“This woman wants to impress upon people that she’s ‘smart’,” I thought.
Which Markle most certainly is. She’s also articulate, attractive, genuinely concerned about social issues, superficially charming, and a beaming mother to son Archie, now 22 months old.
The reason I raise this picky point about language is that I heard a markedly sharp contrast between Markle’s use of this formal phrase and the vague, stream-of-conscious sentence fragments she spun when it suited her in the Oprah interview. I found Markle adept at blurring her words with what I’ve concluded to be intentional ambiguity, as she did while claiming the palace failed to “protect” her.
As an experienced interviewer, I found few (if any) substantiations for Markle’s veiled, shadowy insinuations.
Markle holds a position of considerable power. Any serious public allegations she makes should be substantiated with a clearly stated “who, what, where, and when.” When Markle’s mostly unverifiable allegations met blow-back, Markle - or her representative - went to Oprah’s best friend, TV host Gayle King, to say Markle had “proof” of everything she’d said.
This woman needs to develop a thicker skin and get on with it, rather than issuing lawsuits, threats, and complaints while trying to curry favor from key corners of the media. Markle’s whining about “unfair treatment” is frankly becoming tedious. I say that not to be nasty, but in kindness, as a retired columnist and reporter. If Markle wants the media to stop commenting about her, she should lower her profile, assume an aura of demure elegance, and zip her lip.
The queen’s response to Markle’s complaints was pointed and direct: “Some recollections may vary.” Markle’s issues will be addressed within the royal family. The queen is astute, experienced, and wise. She would never trade insult-for-insult.
At the interview’s conclusion, actress Markle was clearly eager to leave viewers with a few well-rehearsed words worthy of her alter-ego, TV paralegal Rachel Zane: “Life is about storytelling - about the stories we tell ourselves, the stories we are told, and the stories we buy into.”
Reread and consider those words. Coming from a woman whose “truths” to Oprah didn’t always ring true, I find those words curious. In my view, they were the truest words to fall from Markle’s mouth during the entire interview.
* * *
Why do some people feel Meghan Markle’s saccharine sweetness isn’t the real deal?
Among those questioning Markle’s sincerity are internationally recognized body language and behavior analysts Chase Hughes, Greg Hartley, Scott Rouse, and Mark Bowden. In a two-hour panel discussion, the experts gave their opinions of Markle’s (and Harry’s) demeanor and language.
Panelist Rouse’s introduction of what was to come was more than interesting: “All we’re doing is telling you the body language we see … (not) whether anybody’s innocent, guilty, or anything like that … We’re Switzerland. We don’t care. We’re just telling you what we see …”
Hartley: “She starts with kind of a curt, smirked lip, and then when she says ‘I did not …’ (Google Harry or the royal family) Look, none of us believe(s) that. None of us. If you were going to date a prince tomorrow, you’d look him up.”
One panelist referred to the patterns of Markle’s shoulder shrugs (“.. a classic sign of deception”), eye flutters, blinking, requests for approval, and more. “It’s a subtle pattern, but it’s there. It’s a thread that runs through this.”
Said another: “I think it’s really notable that she’s using the word “Meg” in the third person. The only time she does it is when there’s something negative: ‘That’s ‘somebody else.’ So she’s dissociating herself from the negative activities that are happening …” For the full discussion, see:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYyEx20DiKU
Interesting people tend to have many interests: Markle writes in calligraphy, a precise, fancy script that requires more time and attention than users would normally apply to cursive writing in Romance languages.
Forensic handwriting examiner Sheila Lowe addressed Markle’s writing style in the May, 2019 online issue of SheKnows magazine:
https://www.sheknows.com/entertainment/articles/2044773/meghan-markles-handwriting-analysis/
“Calligraphy is by its nature stylized and is all about
appearances. Someone who chooses a calligraphy form of writing ... cares about how they come across … Meghan’s beautiful writing has many flourishes that on one hand draw attention to her, but on the other, there is a formality that also keeps a distance. What this tells us is, Meghan wants to project an image of beauty, perfection and uniqueness which serve to hide some insecurity … The degree of control seen in this handwriting reveals a woman of strong emotion who works to hold back the tide and only show what she wants others to see.”
Next: The Duke and Duchess’ “brand.” Does money buy happiness?
Stay tuned!
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