39 thoughts on “The Sun: Meghan skipped Serena Williams’ baby shower to smooch Harry”

1. Yes – baby showers are overdone IMO – back in the day it was just a simple afternoon tea and something for the nursery – now it is a full blown affair . . . . even after the first baby . . .

2. If the polo event was the carefully orchestrated event to introduce MM to the public, as claimed, then blowing off Serena, if indeed MM did, was not a last minute thing. Are Serena and MM “best mates”? Or are they acquaintances in the professional networking sense? Sounds like the Sun (and all media) is trying to squeeze something from nothing, as usual. And does it matter anyway?

   1. Yeah, I don’t think they are “best mates”. Casual friends, sure, but not besties. And yeah, the polo outing was not last minute, so if Meghan did skip the shower, Serena would have known well in advance. That’s why I can’t get too worked up about this non-story.

      But I’m also wondering if we would give Kate or Sofia the same benefit of the doubt here.

      1. I will certainly give her the benefit of the doubt over this christening. Now if she stars blowing off everyone she ever knew at every event because she tells everyone that she will taking the spotlight of whomever, well then I will be a little upset…

         1. It’s not even a christening. It’s just a baby shower. It’s just Serena and her friends hanging out and gifting her stuff. She hasn’t had the baby yet.

      2. If the same circumstances applied – when they were royal girlfriends and we didn’t know too much about them except what had been spun to the public – most probably, yes. Wasn’t Kate considered a breath of fresh air when first linked to William? So much was expected of her pre-wedding and early days, and then…years of excuses.

         If we looked at them now, we’d think (a) does Kate even have female friends except Pips and Carole, and (b) Kate will pull out the ‘not wanting to upstage the mother-to-be’ and not attend. Not sure about Sofia; her past is not pretty, but she owns her choices. Both women (and you’d need to include Mary of Denmark here too) were super ambitious in their quests to marry into royalty.

         Overall takeaway: don’t believe what some journo is spinning, trust your own observations.

         1. Totally missed that so even more so!

      3. “Sounds like the Sun (and all media) is trying to squeeze something from nothing, as usual.”

         Oh I so agree, when the other way to write this story would be to say that Meghan missed her friend’s party because she was already committed to attending the polo with Harry. Now that’s a different story iisn’t it? Prince Harry’s girl friend doesn’t ditch previous engagements just so she can go to a party.

      4. Kate has a history of this type of behaviour during the dating years. She often ditched friends, events, work etc simply because William called. You saw an example of this with the boat race, but i think the most ergregious example was when she ditched the wedding of her one long-term, non-William friend, at the last minute because William called. As it turned out, he sent her away after a few hours and she returned home, so it wasn’t worth it at all and it’s a good thing her friend liked her because they were not seen together for a year after that snaffu.

         As silly as baby showers are, i hope MM doesn’t start ditching her friends because Harry called. I hate it when my girlfriends do it, and i would hate for MM to be one of those girls.

         1. Not a fan of any woman who neglects her female friends in order to hang around/guard the boyfriend, er, I mean, ‘work on their relationship’. There is no evidence that MM is such a person. More than likely this is invented fluff from a journalist who has to write to a deadline.

         2. This sounds like the beginning of a new narrative- awful, unfeminist Meghan chasing a prince while ditching her friends, something that Kate actually did do. I presume the Midds don’t have a cosy relationship with the Sun, huh? LOL

            1. Maven: i really hate the narrative/image Kate has tarred women with. Not all women, but the way to go about their life to achieve certain things.

               Kate chose to pursue William in the way she did. And knowing what a difficult, tricky person William is, perhaps that was what was required.

               Yet i’ve read for years comments in which the public appears to think that Kate’s strategy is the only way to get a prince or indeed to get a wealthy man.

               It’s insulting to women in general and to men as well.

            2. Reeling in William was a Middleton family strategy. They ignored (and have since enabled) his horrid nature because they wanted what he represents. He wanted what they represented to him, a ‘normal’ close family that he could be part of (and grovelled to). Kate’s constant availability on demand reeks of no self-respect but further entrenches a long-held narrative that women will sell themselves to the highest bidder, royal or not, to secure a comfortable life, rather than earn it themselves. Look at Pippa, a much clearer example of exactly that mentality. Though in her case there is certain blatant honesty about her transactional mindset; no man would be in any doubt of what she’s after. Paupers need not apply. Sofia also pursued her prince none too honestly, as did Mary. So there’s four prominent contemporary women who have performed a fan dance to secure their futures and who unfortunately influence many a young girl as the way forward. Men are no less culpable; some simply want an attractive young handmaiden, a signal of ‘value’ to other men that this is what they can attract. Hence, they are ‘better’ (= bigger genitalia). It’s all about transactions, spoken or not. No-one is innocent.

3. Yeah, I don’t see the big deal. This is just The Sun being passive-aggressive and trying to paint her as a horrible friend for missing the baby shower. Unless they are superclose BFFs or Meghan is godmother to the child, I doubt Serena cared she didn’t go.

   1. Ok, I was actually thinking that the invitation to the Polo came first and then the baby shower invite. So Meghan accepted the first one and didn’t bail to go to the second one. I was brought up not to cancel on an accepted invitation if a better invite comes along. Maybe Meghan was brought up the same?

      But then, did she even get an invitation? Is The Sun assuming she got one?

4. Okay first things first, it’s filed under annoying articles (all caps but do not want to disrespect KMR) which is totally my favorite thing this year.
   I love how poised and confident MM is and I’m sure that had quite a lot to do with her line of work but she seems to have been born with the kind of ‘it’ thing that would attract Harry. We can’t discount that she went to Northwestern, was a Kappa Kappa Gama (my old sorority so I’m biased), and a dual degree in theater and international relations. In my opinion she is unbelievably smart almost to the point of being shrewd and I don’t say this in away that is negative at all. There’s nothing wrong with setting your eyes on something and go after the goal.
   I’m liking her more and more each day, and for the worst reason ever: I want her to school Kate on how a real princess should behave. I totally see her with baby on her hip talking to whomever at whatever charity she chose for her second visit during that day. Now I’m sure she won’t be doing that but is vigilant over details and to me that’s comforting. To know that when the Queen passes the monarchy will not just implode, but that MM will help to show the people what a truly modern princess is.
   The only that bothers me is that she has a jet-setters life and I have a difficult time believing that anytime before she met Harry, that she was making good money. I had never heard of her show until she started dating him and it appears that her charities in Africa began either before she met Harry or shortly thereafter, making her look like she has the same concerns as Harry has. So I have to wonder how she does all this flying and vacationing? That is a big concern to me.

   1. @Springmom when you look at Meghan’s bio, her charity work goes as far back as 2014, that’s 2 years before she met Harry. There’s also an interview she did with Hello Canada in 2015, she was asked to pick William or Harry and she seemed genuinely disinterested in any of them, her interviewer suggested Harry and Meghan was like “Harry? Sure” so IMO this gal had her stuff together before she met the Harry. I also read that she is very well paid so she probably has a bit of money. In terms of her jet setting, many airlines (I know of British Airways, Ethiopian airlines) have special fares for volunteers to third world countries. I once went to Uganda with a group of people to volunteer at an orphanage and we al paid a third of the fare and were also given extra baggage on this “humanitarian work” ticket. Since Meghan is associated with either UN Women or World Vision, I’m sure she travels on the Humanitarian ticket which is very discounted.

   2. Judging by her instagram, MM travels a lot for work and for pleasure. But she had a long time TV gig before she met Harry! She’s been on a cable television show for the last 6-7 years. She’s definitely not making millions but I think an income in the low 6 figures is more than enough cash to fund leisure travel…

      She traveled to Africa with World Vision before meeting Harry – and I imagine they paid for her travel. Also before Harry: She traveled to Afghanistan in 2014 to meet with troops for a USO “goodwill” tour (https://www.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/603805/uso-performers-thank-thousands-of-troops-during-tour/). Such a fun coincidence, given Harry’s military service in Afghanistan! Anyway, I’m pretty sure she bunked a ride with the military for that trip.

      1. Yes, I did some googling, now that my anesthesia has worn off, and discovered she has amassed a nice little nest egg for herself at around $5 million. The USO tours are something near to my heart & for those you fly military transport. I wish more knew about this because it is extremely difficult to get someone to participate so I appreciate her help. Otherwise it appears her charity work really started around 2016.
         What I should have said is that she seems to move in fast circles and I’m not knocking her for it all as I said above. I don’t blame her for wanting to make a name for herself and she actually did something with her education. 🙂

         1. WRT to her record of charity, I guess the start date depends on how one defines charity. I use it as a generic term for anything resembling advocacy or fundraising. For me, travelling to Afghanistan to visit the troops in Christmas 2014 fits the bill, as does her partnerships with One World and the UN Women- all of which started back in 2014.

            Early 2016 was the “learning trip” to Rwanda, followed up by her first solo fundraising events for World Vision in spring. Aside from appearances at various celeb charity events over the years, the only other real fundraising activity that I could find a record of was for the 2013 NYC Annual Charity Day – it’s similar to that ICAP charity day in London where celebs make calls on the trading floor for charity .

            I would take any online assessments of her worth with an enormous grain of salt, though. She’s picked up a brand partnership here and there over the years and has been a regular cast member on a successful cable TV show for the better part of a decade. She’s not a heiress, but it’s safe to say that well before meeting Prince Harry, Meghan could certainly afford to travel the globe with friends.

            As for her fast circles? Well, she’s an actress in Hollywood..so yeah 🙂 But, if I’m understanding the gist here, I agree: She’s a smart, ambitious, enterprising woman who excels at networking–all admirable qualities that have served her well.

            PS: I wish you well as you recover from surgery! Take care!

            1. MM was/is represented by Kruger Cowne PR; it has some seriously well-known people on its books. I read a while back that it established/funds/supports One World as a vehicle for its clients. No shade thrown, but let’s be honest here; the charity interests (and The Tig) are most likely one part altruism and two parts career-building. The former is limited because her focus is in building the latter. As discussed by others these past few days, there are inconsistencies in the UN speech story. However, the recent article championing menstruation products was spot on. I would not go so far to label her a humanitarian; there is not evidence of a deep, sustained commitment, away from the PR imperative. Such glowing terms are thrown around too often, indiscriminately and undeservedly, in my opinion.

               MM is intelligent, a great networker and clearly very charming. In terms of wealth, she’s earning more than decent money to be able to enjoy the good things in life. If you run in the circles of the truly wealthy, you have to spend money to make money and have influence. She is better-placed than most to be successful in a BRF role, which is all about PR.

   3. Someone posted on a thread a few months ago that she only went to Northwestern briefly? I don’t know if that means anything though because a lot of actors were in school, got a big break, and left to pursue acting full time. Or maybe she just decided she wanted to be an actress and was following her passion. The latter is also ok in my book.

      1. Yes, Meghan’s critics (not saying that you are one of them!) are oddly fixated on painting her as a college drop out. I admit that I find it annoying because for all the questioning and criticisms of her background and humanitarian record and acting career, her education is the one thing that no one can take away from her. She went to Northwestern University, one of the most prestigious and academically rigorous colleges in the US. And she did in fact graduate in 2003 – several alumni and student publications from Northwestern attest to that fact.

5. I agree that baby showers are over rated.

6. Some blogs on tumblr were told more than a week ago by someone who worked at the polo event that Meghan would be there. This was definitely a planned appearance for her. The Sun article even says it was in her diary.

7. Since when are Serena and Meghan BFFs? I call bull on this article. Could MM have possibly received a baby shower invite? Sure. Are they super tight gal pals and Meghan is the most evil, mean-spirited, coldest woman on the planet for possibly not attending a baby shower? Nah.

   Also, isn’t Serena due later (like in July)? If so, wouldn’t her shower(s) be next month?

   Silly Sun “writers” 😉

   1. That’s exactly what my first thought was – isn’t too early for a baby shower? Is there any actual evidence of her shower (she posted pics somewhere or tweeted about it)? If not, then this whole thing is bogus. Plus, even if it was this weekend, Serena and Megs could have spoken and Serena could be completely fine with her not being there. They definitely do seem to be friendly, but I don’t know about BFFs. I think all of the photos of them together are at charity events or tennis games. I don’t think there were any (on The Tig, anyway) of them together travelling or eating out, etc.

      Abs #6 – that’s really interesting that some blogs got early notice! Curious. Oh, wait, I see someone from the polo tourney spilled, not KP.

      1. I follow Serena on snapchat and had no idea there was a baby shower… she certainly didn’t snap about it and she will usually post about what she is doing.

   2. Hi Kimothy, yeah I think this was a last minute type of get-together with a bunch of girlfriends and since Serena’s pregnant the press decided it’s a baby shower.

8. I agree with this posting under ANNOYING ARTICLES because it is. It’s journalism at it’s worst because there is no evidence that Meghan and Serena are ‘besties’. I admire both women but come on, they do not appear to be best pals. I’m also pretty sure that Meghan wouldn’t fly half-way around the world for her public debut if this wasn’t planned in her calendar. Baby shower please!

9. My guess is the Sun is just trying to make a story out of a non story. Meghan and Serena are friendly but I don’t think they’re besties. Serene might have invited Meghan but been informed of prior plans to go to UK etc. I wouldn’t be surprised if Serena came out and clarified that Meghan was not actually expected to attend etc…

10. 1) wow, the press is already starting with the snarky stories and her and Harry aren’t even engaged yet.

    2) I think this “baby shower” sounds like a “put together at the last moment” party for a bunch of girlfriends, not a party that’s been weeks/months in the planning.

    3) isn’t Serena’s bestie a fellow tennis player, Caroline Somebody or another? I read a magazine article about Serena a year or so ago and she talked about this woman and how even though they are competitors they are great friends and very close. Now of course Meghan and Serena might actually be close friends, close enough that Meghan missing a last minute get together won’t upset the mommy-to-be.

    4) I agree MMR, the choice between some lovin with a broad shouldered hottie or playing silly baby shower games, is pretty clear it’s Mr. Broad Shoulders for the win!

11. And let’s not forget they are in a long distance relationship… I am in one as well and we steal time to be with each other whenever we can, so at times my friends understand if I can go somewhere because my boyfriend is in town and vice versa. We don’t know how many things that Harry has skipped because he would be with Meghan… Easter come to mind. If this was a pattern then I would be critical of her choice…. but this was her coming out party, as already mentioned this was planned and has palace strategy behind it… so I seriously doubt this was last minute.

12. I think calling Serena and Meg “besties” is a bit of a reach. Judging by their social media activity, they’re friends, at least.

    Anyway, I’m confused because the article leads with this:
    “Meghan…missed the chance to lavish gifts on her pal because her first public appearance with her prince was already in the diary.”

    BUT THEN goes on to say this:
    “Meghan had been planning to go to Miami this weekend for Serena’s shower…But at the last minute Meg bailed and went to see Harry in the UK instead.”

    So…which is it? Did she decline the shower invitation because she’d already saved the date for her debut with Harry? Or did she accept the shower invite and then blow the whole thing off? The former would be perfectly acceptable–the latter would be egregious.

    1. LOL, it’s hysterical how they can’t keep their story straight from sentence to sentence!!

13. There are a couple photos of her and Serena on her Facebook back in 2016 and on one caption she referred to Serena as her “number 1” and it seems like a reference to being a close friend or best friend. There could be more but I couldn’t look any further back last night, I literally fell asleep.

14. I absolutely love baby showers. I love buying a baby shower gift because there is nothing cuter than baby onesies and socks and bibs. But I am a big time baby person. 🙂

    It all depends on how close Meghan really is to Serena. If it were my sister or best friend or I knew I would be the baby’s godmother I would never want to miss it. But we really don’t know how close they truly are.

15. Does anyone know if MM is still in London

16. MM posted a pictures with Serena last year calling her “my number 1” but I think it’s because she is her number 1 tennis player. Also they are seeing together on a volleyball charity and another charity event. I don’t think that they are close friends. Also Serena was hidding her pregnancy for a while and I bet that this “baby shower” was a last minute thing.
    MM apperency was certainly planned to be her “first” official appearance with Harry so it doesn’t outshine (even more)Pippa’s wedding, imagine if Harry and MM decide to get “oficial” on Pippas wedding? That would be rude. I think Pippa is already very courageous to invite Meghan (if she really did invite her) because no girl want to have the most google and comment girl of the moment to outshine you at your big day. Cause let’s be honest, there’s more fuzz about Meghan and Harry attending this wedding than the wedding it self.
    Ps: English is not my first language so I apologize for any grammar mistakes or nonsense.

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