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https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/commentisfree/2026/apr/16/meghan-has-been-cast-as-the-inverse-to-diana-a-photonegative-of-adoration-why-do-we-need-scapegoats>
"Whatever unhinged parasocial relationship the adoring public had with Diana,
Princess of Wales, their relationship with the Duchess of Sussex is its shadowy
reflection.
For decades, Diana was the subject of public adoration that was locked in a
permanent hysterical register. Clive James, for example, captured the hyperbole
when he described himself as a “besotted walk-on mesmerized by the trajectory
of a burning angel” and Diana as like “the sun coming up; coming up giggling”.
Yet in terms of public opinion, Meghan is stuck in its opposite register – a
perceived darkness to Diana’s light.
In a single year in 2019 – still in the honeymoon stage – Meghan appeared in
negative news stories 21,100 times across 29,000 tabloid and broadsheet
publications, according to data analysis firm Brandwatch.
The data revealed that in 2019, Meghan received roughly five times more
negative newspaper stories than Catherine, Princess of Wales, with the analysis
showing 4.3k negative stories for Kate.
I can understand the hatred and disgust at a figure such as the former prince
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor – given his associations with Jeffrey Epstein.
But I cannot imagine why anyone at a remove would have anything other than a
mild or neutral view of Harry and Meghan.
What choices they make have so little to do with any of us. If we don’t approve
of the products they are peddling, we can simply not buy them.
Yet eight years after their wedding, on a private visit to Australia, the
negative press continues.
In order to finance their independence from the royal family, the couple are
engaged in a series of projects and commercial deals that seem to enrage the
public in a way that is entirely disproportionate to their banality (a memoir,
a Netflix series and in Australia, a wellness seminar).
The lather that the pair inspire makes me wonder if the hate directed at them
has some deeper meaning that sits below the level of consciousness – just as
the inconsolable public reaction to Diana’s death also revealed hidden aspects
of British character.
Said Christopher Hitchens of Diana’s death: “The orgy of sentimentality from
the British people was shocking to behold. She became a Christ-like figure.”
It marked the transition of Britain’s psyche from the imperial to the
emotional.
Meghan has also been cast in a sacrificial role – once again an inverse to
Diana, a sort of photonegative of adoration, consigned to the role of
scapegoat."
Via Susan ****
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
