Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the closing ceremony of the 6th Invictus Games (Photo: Christopher Neundorf/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)
In last week’s mailbag I wrote about why I don’t post that often about Harry and Meghan on the site anymore but today we have a good example of when I’m interested – because they killed it at the Invictus Games in Germany and the timing was perfect. Because they really do have to start redirecting the conversation from controversy to something more productive. THIS is the kind of Sussex content that I would rather analyse, instead of the endless barrage of bullshit that’s coming from the tabloids.
Today’s post on LG is here. So let’s discuss: how would you rate their performance at Invictus? What stood out to you about their appearances? How can they build on this to their upcoming advantage?”
I consider this the first chapter in their next volume, if you will. This showed their value as philanthropists, bringing a lot of attention, and hopefully money, to a good cause. I would like to see them continue building momentum for Invictus and their other charitable causes, and truly cement themselves as philanthropists first, (former) royals second.
The royals are so bound by rules, what Harry & Meghan can do without those rules is more directly advocate for causes, even controversial ones. I'd like to see more of them flexing that "soft" power.
I have absolutely zero notes about their appearances. I think you and others have noted that there can be a sense of "over-producing" around them (especially Meghan), but at least from the coverage that I saw, this was pitch perfect.
I think it's worth noting that they have genuine support within military communities. My retired Army boyfriend has mentioned his (American) colleagues' experiences with Harry--not all of which have been publicized--and all were positive. That kind of word spreads, and you can see it coming through here.
All of which is to say that I think they are clearly served by being mission- and action-focused rather than content-focused (I view the Invictus documentary as more of the former). I know they saw content creation as their path forward from their royal days, and it's obviously the most lucrative route, but I hope they're reconsidering where their strengths are best deployed. The extremely positive reception to this event and their involvement should guide those decisions!
My response to you was very respectful and honest. You honestly need to unpack you clear bias that you have towards this women. For you mention that she’s in the media all the time and in your opinion her being there was negative and not push further as to WHY the media narrative around her is negative in the first place but instead put the blame on her. She’s to blame why Kerry doesn’t like her bc kerry doesn’t realized that she’s been influenced by a 6 year well documented smear campaign against this women. Listen you don’t have to love Meghan but to oblivious to what’s really going on when it comes to her is a privilege not everyone is afforded. As a black women I see exactly what Meghan is going through and it makes me sick. She’s not afforded the same grace to make mistakes we all make, no decision she makes is ever right because with her even coming 2 days later was met with fury and complaints. So respectfully Kerry, please check your clear bias you have for this women and unpack what it is that you’re actually mad about.
I thought it was definitely a win and it made you realize what an asset they would have been to the RF and why the RF would be nervous. Good job overall. Meghan’s style was great.....simple. From everything I’ve seen this should be a positive reset for them. Of course when that’s the case, here come her father.
Definitely a big win! And i also appreciated how their open and tactile affection for each other came across as authentic and endearing, vs. corny and cloying (e.g. Alison Roman profile, parts of Netflix documentary). Their charisma as a couple is really incredible.
It was amazing for Meghan to stop into a cafe that helps unhoused women and women who need help and spotlight that. She doesn't put that out herself she allows the people she interacts with to do so. It is part of Harry and Meghan's style to help wherever they are. Or mission, rather than style.
I didn’t really pay attention but the very fact that the only impressions I got were positive from passing media coverage is a win. I’m generally a fan of Harry and Meghan. Do I think they have been clueless, out of touch and self centred and worse at times? Also yes. But I do think they were genuinely committed to using their position within the Royal Family help people and be a positive influence. I’m not surprised they haven’t found their footing yet. There is no playbook for being cut off from the British royal family. Harry in particular has a LOT to work through and learn about how to operate outside the confines of Royal life. They are in a unique position and I hope they are able to leverage it and use their powers for good.
Agree with everyone that this was an absolute win, and showed what the Royal Family lost when they left. William is currently in NYC for...some reason, and the NYT write up is very revealing for what he doesn’t do (he showed up for an hour at this event, didn’t speak to reporters at all, didn’t interact with a fan who showed up beyond saying “Hello”) which is a major contrast to Harry and Meghan here. I will say that I actually liked Archetypes and would’ve liked to see her go deeper with it, but she is obviously very gunshy about cutting loose in that context.
It was a great week. This was the first time I actually watched the competitions and opening/closing ceremonies. It was a fantastic event. Harry and Meghan get a level of critique and scrutiny that I can’t think of another couple or celebrity gets. It’s only been four years since they left the working royal life and it was so great to see them thriving and being opening loved and appreciated. They have the British media (and globally the right wing media) primed against them. Most people don’t pay attention to the constant social media noise about them and I think events like this show how much the social media noise is irrelevant to regular people. I think the world is their oyster frankly. I can Meghan back on Instagram and doing producing and brand partnership in addition to charity work etc and Harry focusing on stuff like Invictus and his other initiatives.
Meghan is a bonafide TRY HARD, and I'm always amazed at the feedback of what's too much and who's turned off. Taylor Swift is a vindictive try hard, and works harder at that than her good things.There's levels. LOL to her not feeling the pedigree pets. Meghan is polite. She was raised well. However , she's a California native and decided to join the nonsense of Hollywood. She has studied and been raised peripheral to the game of fame and decided to be in it to win. I think Beyonce is similar in the public persona of having good manners, and drive while not really being invested in all aspects that don't serve her purpose. I don't know everything, but my California cousins are politely distant and very direct if you give them some room. Meghan used to be direct and ambitious. She's now been abused and had her life threatened for YEARS. She is a mother of two small children with rancid inlaws. Meghan is living an extreme version of a black woman. She used to "pass" at the very least as not black, and at the most whatever is acceptable to white people. I think that's why black women give her cover and space. Mariah pushed her, but then let up. Allison got real about her, but not in the "out of the lane" way that many non-black women plod their way through. I finally watched the Netflix series and I was delighted to hear her valid tone of annoyance when she said "your brothER". Her tone was not with the clownery. Ultimately, these two were unprepared . Meghan had a good 30+ years of avoiding the black trauma, and now she's getting it in an overdose. Her troubles trigger many black women because we hear her experience and connect it to our own (sans death threats. DEATH THREATS!!?!). When Kathleen tweets about riding at dawn for whomever. It's similar to what black people feel about Meghan because it's triggering. My dad couldn't even finish listening to her talking about her experience with Oprah because it was too much for him to see her sad. He thought about his own daughter. It's exactly why I'm not amazed by the microagressions in the "stay home" feedback. Did someone really type a few nice things and then say she should have stayed home and that she's the most thirsty of the two? Looking at her is all you're doing (and probably what you do to your coworkers if we're keeping it a buck) and I think if Black women didn't have to manage this antiblackness in real life then it wouldn't be so grating. Meghan might have just realized she was black to most of society recently, but the rest of us expected this and smelled that crap before the Porto potty called British media threw open the door. I'm sorry, but Harry wanted to call Beyonce on camera. They might be well matched good natured thirst buckets that care about others. If some hack of a househusband tv writer was making money off of racist satire using my picture that a bunch of raggedy second rate celebrities were online laughing at....I'd be sensitive like Chris Evans. But, he just cares too much and Meghan should stay at home because she bagged a man who thinks she's everything and wanted to protect her life. Maybe that's..too much?? Or maybe some should look inward. That's probably too much to ask as well. Nuance people!! But lemme tell you little backhanded commenters what we're not doing. We're not doing is the say something nasty and then pretend it was civil and gaslight black women that confront your words. I've grown up with that basura and you had better keep your nonsense to your group chat. If the rest of non black women understand that cultural lane then you wouldn't have to gaslight to protect your nonsense. Stay out of the Meghan lane when you don't understand respectful criticism like the piece from Allison. She hit the notes (she was given a gift basket as a sign to leave and I will never forget that) and it was read the way The Culture would understand it because we do know she's a lot...we know, but that's not your business that's OUR business (re:The Culture: this phrase belongs to Black people, others can add more words like "culture at large, our culture, pop culture. Bling bling and woke has already been ruined. Please leave this one to us. Everything is not for society as a whole just because you enjoy saying it , and it's also why Shamira Ibrahim made a point to use "the culture at large" in her recent Aoki Lee profile.). You definitely don't have to like Meghan, but I want to be very clear that when you freely type these dog whistle comments, many black women hear it differently because you pull this same nonsense in real life with us. No matter how confused you pretend to be about just having a conversation...we both know it's racism. I know you know. Yaba Blay explains it so well and you can look her up if you feel like being read like a book online. Don't go in her comments because she's not Meghan. You will get your feelings' feelings hurt.
At this point, it would take a miracle to convert her most rabid haters. They need to continue to do the things they want to do and do them well, like they did with these Games. History will tell.
Love them! Was even influenced to buy Meghan's J.Crew cardigan (though in khaki rather than white). I wish she did more of The Tig or other influencer stuff because I personally would really enjoy that.
I'm not entirely sure where they want to go next. I know they have the next Invictus in Canada in 2025 but there's got to be stuff in between.
I loved Princess Diana, I love Harry, I love Meghan and I loved Spare. I think they were thrown in an “impossible” situation in 2020 - leaving a family that was financially and emotionally blackmailing them while running an incredibly negative PR campaign against them.
I don’t love how slow the content release has been with both Spotify and Netflix - but I can’t imagine navigating being “cut off”/exiled, a toddler, a miscarriage, a newborn, the pandemic while trying to generate funds to cover millions in security.
I understand why they had to lead with Spare and their show on Netflix. That was what secured their contracts.
I do wish that they had better people guiding them when it came to producing consistent content and they had better PR to talk about the projects that are not personal (archetypes, and the show that wasn’t invictus. Can’t remember the name).
I hope for more consistency in this next stage, more focus on their individual projects and interests, better brand management.
I'm afraid I'm in the naysayers group and I thought that this was a classic example of their "look at me, look at me" approach to charity work. Meg has a long history of stealing the spotlight from whatever charity she works with (The UN is an example) and I have talked personally to individuals who have worked with her on this front and witnessed this behaviour. She makes it all about her and I'll say this once and I'll say it many times -- you are not the hero of your own brand story and if you want to be respected and build a legacy brand in the not for profit/charity space, then you need to learn how to be gracious and take a back seat to the real heroes (the athletes and volunteers) and not suck up all the oxygen in the room. You will never see Melinda Gates front and centre, nor would you ever see any other truly selfless philanthropist behaving in this manner. They have a lot to learn on this front if they want their personal brands to actually stand for something meaningful. This was about them and them alone, especially Meghan who seems to think that she is some sort of rock star incarnate. They were overplaying and trying waaaay too hard.
I think it’s great they’re doing so well and I’m really pleased they don’t need to bring out their kids to drum up interest (though I’d love to see them).
I'm so happy to see this as a win for them- I am rooting for their success. I would like to see Meghan have a passion project that she develops with Harry's support.. beyond the Archetypes podcast, which doesn't seem to be moving the needle (much).
Harry’s closing speech at the Games was gut-wrenching and powerful. I was completely in awe of the athletes and the sheer courage and tenacity it takes to push your body mentally and physically again as a veteran who has suffered tremendous loss. The emotional connection he forged with the Canadian bagpiper had me in tears. For the first time I was able to separate Harry & Meghan from their story, and instead focus on their passion & values. It felt completely sincere to me. When I heard Invictus Games was going to be in Whistler/Vancouver in 2025, I immediately shared with my network that we have to go get tickets to be a part of this incredible sporting event. Considering their performance has now motivated me, my friends and my family to openly seek out support of the Invictus Games, I would say they were victorious. Harry proved to be a very compassionate speaker, and we know Megan is very skilled in public speaking , there has to be money to be made there along with their philanthropic endeavours? I hope!
Seemed like a win to me. Haters going to hate, there is nothing you can say or do to change their minds. Anything Meghan does is picked apart, she can't seem to do anything right in certain peoples minds and that will never change. I hope H&M continue to kill it, I wish them the best.
I think they did incredibly well and I’m happy to see it. I am rooting for them. As an American divorcée married to a Brit, with a mother-in-law who still isn’t over me being American, I admit I feel a little defensive of Meghan. At times they have been a little cringe, but ultimately, so what?
I’d like to see them continue doing things like this, and reentering lifestyle work for Meghan seems like it would go over well. As much as I devoured the Oprah interview and Spare, I’d like to see them continue to move forward.
Except...this was a highly successful event way before Meghan was in the picture. So continuing a successful event that Harry started does not seem like a new beginning. The fact that it went well says more to their approach to newer projects since leaving the BRF.
I'm really happy with it! I've cooled off of them after the Netflix documentary, it was... silly, in part, and didn't go far enough in what it was trying to say. And Harry's memoir backfired a bit in my opinion. Hopefully we'll only see them do professional things for a while, that's where they shine and can 'seduce' the people still on the fence
A 10! Harry led. Megan low key supported. No drama. High/low fashion, a huge hit. I am cheering for them. I love the Royals and love having two of them in the US. I ideally would like them all to do well and be happy. Forgiveness and reconciliation are decades away.
How would you rate Meghan and Harry's performance at Invictus?
I consider this the first chapter in their next volume, if you will. This showed their value as philanthropists, bringing a lot of attention, and hopefully money, to a good cause. I would like to see them continue building momentum for Invictus and their other charitable causes, and truly cement themselves as philanthropists first, (former) royals second.
The royals are so bound by rules, what Harry & Meghan can do without those rules is more directly advocate for causes, even controversial ones. I'd like to see more of them flexing that "soft" power.
I have absolutely zero notes about their appearances. I think you and others have noted that there can be a sense of "over-producing" around them (especially Meghan), but at least from the coverage that I saw, this was pitch perfect.
I think it's worth noting that they have genuine support within military communities. My retired Army boyfriend has mentioned his (American) colleagues' experiences with Harry--not all of which have been publicized--and all were positive. That kind of word spreads, and you can see it coming through here.
All of which is to say that I think they are clearly served by being mission- and action-focused rather than content-focused (I view the Invictus documentary as more of the former). I know they saw content creation as their path forward from their royal days, and it's obviously the most lucrative route, but I hope they're reconsidering where their strengths are best deployed. The extremely positive reception to this event and their involvement should guide those decisions!
My response to you was very respectful and honest. You honestly need to unpack you clear bias that you have towards this women. For you mention that she’s in the media all the time and in your opinion her being there was negative and not push further as to WHY the media narrative around her is negative in the first place but instead put the blame on her. She’s to blame why Kerry doesn’t like her bc kerry doesn’t realized that she’s been influenced by a 6 year well documented smear campaign against this women. Listen you don’t have to love Meghan but to oblivious to what’s really going on when it comes to her is a privilege not everyone is afforded. As a black women I see exactly what Meghan is going through and it makes me sick. She’s not afforded the same grace to make mistakes we all make, no decision she makes is ever right because with her even coming 2 days later was met with fury and complaints. So respectfully Kerry, please check your clear bias you have for this women and unpack what it is that you’re actually mad about.
I thought it was definitely a win and it made you realize what an asset they would have been to the RF and why the RF would be nervous. Good job overall. Meghan’s style was great.....simple. From everything I’ve seen this should be a positive reset for them. Of course when that’s the case, here come her father.
Definitely a big win! And i also appreciated how their open and tactile affection for each other came across as authentic and endearing, vs. corny and cloying (e.g. Alison Roman profile, parts of Netflix documentary). Their charisma as a couple is really incredible.
It was amazing for Meghan to stop into a cafe that helps unhoused women and women who need help and spotlight that. She doesn't put that out herself she allows the people she interacts with to do so. It is part of Harry and Meghan's style to help wherever they are. Or mission, rather than style.
I didn’t really pay attention but the very fact that the only impressions I got were positive from passing media coverage is a win. I’m generally a fan of Harry and Meghan. Do I think they have been clueless, out of touch and self centred and worse at times? Also yes. But I do think they were genuinely committed to using their position within the Royal Family help people and be a positive influence. I’m not surprised they haven’t found their footing yet. There is no playbook for being cut off from the British royal family. Harry in particular has a LOT to work through and learn about how to operate outside the confines of Royal life. They are in a unique position and I hope they are able to leverage it and use their powers for good.
Agree with everyone that this was an absolute win, and showed what the Royal Family lost when they left. William is currently in NYC for...some reason, and the NYT write up is very revealing for what he doesn’t do (he showed up for an hour at this event, didn’t speak to reporters at all, didn’t interact with a fan who showed up beyond saying “Hello”) which is a major contrast to Harry and Meghan here. I will say that I actually liked Archetypes and would’ve liked to see her go deeper with it, but she is obviously very gunshy about cutting loose in that context.
It was a great week. This was the first time I actually watched the competitions and opening/closing ceremonies. It was a fantastic event. Harry and Meghan get a level of critique and scrutiny that I can’t think of another couple or celebrity gets. It’s only been four years since they left the working royal life and it was so great to see them thriving and being opening loved and appreciated. They have the British media (and globally the right wing media) primed against them. Most people don’t pay attention to the constant social media noise about them and I think events like this show how much the social media noise is irrelevant to regular people. I think the world is their oyster frankly. I can Meghan back on Instagram and doing producing and brand partnership in addition to charity work etc and Harry focusing on stuff like Invictus and his other initiatives.
Meghan is a bonafide TRY HARD, and I'm always amazed at the feedback of what's too much and who's turned off. Taylor Swift is a vindictive try hard, and works harder at that than her good things.There's levels. LOL to her not feeling the pedigree pets. Meghan is polite. She was raised well. However , she's a California native and decided to join the nonsense of Hollywood. She has studied and been raised peripheral to the game of fame and decided to be in it to win. I think Beyonce is similar in the public persona of having good manners, and drive while not really being invested in all aspects that don't serve her purpose. I don't know everything, but my California cousins are politely distant and very direct if you give them some room. Meghan used to be direct and ambitious. She's now been abused and had her life threatened for YEARS. She is a mother of two small children with rancid inlaws. Meghan is living an extreme version of a black woman. She used to "pass" at the very least as not black, and at the most whatever is acceptable to white people. I think that's why black women give her cover and space. Mariah pushed her, but then let up. Allison got real about her, but not in the "out of the lane" way that many non-black women plod their way through. I finally watched the Netflix series and I was delighted to hear her valid tone of annoyance when she said "your brothER". Her tone was not with the clownery. Ultimately, these two were unprepared . Meghan had a good 30+ years of avoiding the black trauma, and now she's getting it in an overdose. Her troubles trigger many black women because we hear her experience and connect it to our own (sans death threats. DEATH THREATS!!?!). When Kathleen tweets about riding at dawn for whomever. It's similar to what black people feel about Meghan because it's triggering. My dad couldn't even finish listening to her talking about her experience with Oprah because it was too much for him to see her sad. He thought about his own daughter. It's exactly why I'm not amazed by the microagressions in the "stay home" feedback. Did someone really type a few nice things and then say she should have stayed home and that she's the most thirsty of the two? Looking at her is all you're doing (and probably what you do to your coworkers if we're keeping it a buck) and I think if Black women didn't have to manage this antiblackness in real life then it wouldn't be so grating. Meghan might have just realized she was black to most of society recently, but the rest of us expected this and smelled that crap before the Porto potty called British media threw open the door. I'm sorry, but Harry wanted to call Beyonce on camera. They might be well matched good natured thirst buckets that care about others. If some hack of a househusband tv writer was making money off of racist satire using my picture that a bunch of raggedy second rate celebrities were online laughing at....I'd be sensitive like Chris Evans. But, he just cares too much and Meghan should stay at home because she bagged a man who thinks she's everything and wanted to protect her life. Maybe that's..too much?? Or maybe some should look inward. That's probably too much to ask as well. Nuance people!! But lemme tell you little backhanded commenters what we're not doing. We're not doing is the say something nasty and then pretend it was civil and gaslight black women that confront your words. I've grown up with that basura and you had better keep your nonsense to your group chat. If the rest of non black women understand that cultural lane then you wouldn't have to gaslight to protect your nonsense. Stay out of the Meghan lane when you don't understand respectful criticism like the piece from Allison. She hit the notes (she was given a gift basket as a sign to leave and I will never forget that) and it was read the way The Culture would understand it because we do know she's a lot...we know, but that's not your business that's OUR business (re:The Culture: this phrase belongs to Black people, others can add more words like "culture at large, our culture, pop culture. Bling bling and woke has already been ruined. Please leave this one to us. Everything is not for society as a whole just because you enjoy saying it , and it's also why Shamira Ibrahim made a point to use "the culture at large" in her recent Aoki Lee profile.). You definitely don't have to like Meghan, but I want to be very clear that when you freely type these dog whistle comments, many black women hear it differently because you pull this same nonsense in real life with us. No matter how confused you pretend to be about just having a conversation...we both know it's racism. I know you know. Yaba Blay explains it so well and you can look her up if you feel like being read like a book online. Don't go in her comments because she's not Meghan. You will get your feelings' feelings hurt.
At this point, it would take a miracle to convert her most rabid haters. They need to continue to do the things they want to do and do them well, like they did with these Games. History will tell.
Love them! Was even influenced to buy Meghan's J.Crew cardigan (though in khaki rather than white). I wish she did more of The Tig or other influencer stuff because I personally would really enjoy that.
I'm not entirely sure where they want to go next. I know they have the next Invictus in Canada in 2025 but there's got to be stuff in between.
I loved Princess Diana, I love Harry, I love Meghan and I loved Spare. I think they were thrown in an “impossible” situation in 2020 - leaving a family that was financially and emotionally blackmailing them while running an incredibly negative PR campaign against them.
I don’t love how slow the content release has been with both Spotify and Netflix - but I can’t imagine navigating being “cut off”/exiled, a toddler, a miscarriage, a newborn, the pandemic while trying to generate funds to cover millions in security.
I understand why they had to lead with Spare and their show on Netflix. That was what secured their contracts.
I do wish that they had better people guiding them when it came to producing consistent content and they had better PR to talk about the projects that are not personal (archetypes, and the show that wasn’t invictus. Can’t remember the name).
I hope for more consistency in this next stage, more focus on their individual projects and interests, better brand management.
Wishing them the best 🤷♀️
I'm afraid I'm in the naysayers group and I thought that this was a classic example of their "look at me, look at me" approach to charity work. Meg has a long history of stealing the spotlight from whatever charity she works with (The UN is an example) and I have talked personally to individuals who have worked with her on this front and witnessed this behaviour. She makes it all about her and I'll say this once and I'll say it many times -- you are not the hero of your own brand story and if you want to be respected and build a legacy brand in the not for profit/charity space, then you need to learn how to be gracious and take a back seat to the real heroes (the athletes and volunteers) and not suck up all the oxygen in the room. You will never see Melinda Gates front and centre, nor would you ever see any other truly selfless philanthropist behaving in this manner. They have a lot to learn on this front if they want their personal brands to actually stand for something meaningful. This was about them and them alone, especially Meghan who seems to think that she is some sort of rock star incarnate. They were overplaying and trying waaaay too hard.
I think it’s great they’re doing so well and I’m really pleased they don’t need to bring out their kids to drum up interest (though I’d love to see them).
I'm so happy to see this as a win for them- I am rooting for their success. I would like to see Meghan have a passion project that she develops with Harry's support.. beyond the Archetypes podcast, which doesn't seem to be moving the needle (much).
It was definitely a win. I'm looking forward to seeing what they do next with this positive momentum.
Harry’s closing speech at the Games was gut-wrenching and powerful. I was completely in awe of the athletes and the sheer courage and tenacity it takes to push your body mentally and physically again as a veteran who has suffered tremendous loss. The emotional connection he forged with the Canadian bagpiper had me in tears. For the first time I was able to separate Harry & Meghan from their story, and instead focus on their passion & values. It felt completely sincere to me. When I heard Invictus Games was going to be in Whistler/Vancouver in 2025, I immediately shared with my network that we have to go get tickets to be a part of this incredible sporting event. Considering their performance has now motivated me, my friends and my family to openly seek out support of the Invictus Games, I would say they were victorious. Harry proved to be a very compassionate speaker, and we know Megan is very skilled in public speaking , there has to be money to be made there along with their philanthropic endeavours? I hope!
Seemed like a win to me. Haters going to hate, there is nothing you can say or do to change their minds. Anything Meghan does is picked apart, she can't seem to do anything right in certain peoples minds and that will never change. I hope H&M continue to kill it, I wish them the best.
She does look great on blue! Flashbacks to the blue dress in the rain pic. Does she style herself 🤔
I think they did incredibly well and I’m happy to see it. I am rooting for them. As an American divorcée married to a Brit, with a mother-in-law who still isn’t over me being American, I admit I feel a little defensive of Meghan. At times they have been a little cringe, but ultimately, so what?
I’d like to see them continue doing things like this, and reentering lifestyle work for Meghan seems like it would go over well. As much as I devoured the Oprah interview and Spare, I’d like to see them continue to move forward.
Except...this was a highly successful event way before Meghan was in the picture. So continuing a successful event that Harry started does not seem like a new beginning. The fact that it went well says more to their approach to newer projects since leaving the BRF.
I'm really happy with it! I've cooled off of them after the Netflix documentary, it was... silly, in part, and didn't go far enough in what it was trying to say. And Harry's memoir backfired a bit in my opinion. Hopefully we'll only see them do professional things for a while, that's where they shine and can 'seduce' the people still on the fence
A 10! Harry led. Megan low key supported. No drama. High/low fashion, a huge hit. I am cheering for them. I love the Royals and love having two of them in the US. I ideally would like them all to do well and be happy. Forgiveness and reconciliation are decades away.