Month: December 2022

The year is slowly but surely coming to an end. As usual, you are thenbombarded by lists of end-of-year overviews and that year is no different.With us you already got to read the best albums from Belgium and theNetherlands, but now the most filled list follows: that of all internationalalbums from the past year. We picked the fifty best for you, with a number onethat proved very convincing to us after we counted the votes of the editors.The top 50 has become a diverse list with some surprises, some albums thatalmost had to be included and of course some hidden gems. We only added onealbum per artist, so if an artist released several full-lengths this year,only the record with the most votes made it to this list. You will no longerfind all these albums and artists in other lists, because we want to put asmany artists in the spotlight as possible.

50. Chat Pile – God’s Country

From the American Midwest, best known for its fragile and eventful emo andindie rock, this Chat Pile rises from the ashes of those flattened clichés.This rock-hard record is bubbling with grinding instrumentation, existentiallyrics and crumbly, tight production. The fact that the post-hardcore andsludge metal quartet from Oklahoma can pull this off on a debut album, aremoments like that that convince that rock, and metal by extension, is far fromdead. A genre that contains this kind of passionate music cannot possibly die.The album is also very simple in intention. A noisy, industrial, with a neverunnecessarily overwhelming sound and crunchy riffs create a franklyterrifying, stuffy atmosphere. It therefore sounds as if the music itself isin pain and begs for help. This one God ‘s Country is a successfulrevitalization of a genre that has long been yearning for a new standardbearer.

49. Alex G – God Save The Animals

Alex G is a bungler. By that we don’t mean that he doesn’t bake anything, butthat he likes to play a lot with small and bigger ideas in his process ofwriting songs. In the past this sometimes led to inconsistent albums where thehigh peaks were alternated with less interesting tinkering. on God Save theAnimals (sandy) Alexander Giannascoli found the perfect balance between thislove of experimentation and writing really good songs. The whole is anaddictive, smooth listen where nothing disappoints. “Mission”, with itsmelancholy guitar lines a highlight on the album, shows that he has far fromlost his talent for writing strong folk songs. On “Cross the Sea”, forexample, with his heavily processed voice, the experiment is paramount. Yetthe puzzle pieces fit together perfectly and the listen feels very balanced.In our humble opinion Mister G at his best!

48. Rammstein–Zeit

The total spectacle that Rammstein brings up again and again duringperformances, makes the mouths of those who have never seen it fall open andthe eyes sparkle with the fans who are not ready for their first firespectacle. Their reputation has stood firm since the mid-1990s, and thatdoesn’t just apply to the stage; the music should not lose quality either. Thefact that the Germans are already releasing eight albums about the same, is aconsequence that we like to add. Time is the record that was not reallygoing to be released, but sounds more melancholy than what we were presentedwith before. The cold sadness that predominates on songs like “Armee derTristen” and title track “Zeit” in combination with the ever-known heavyriffs, highlights another side of this explosive band. We could see that suchsongs also come into their own live during the shows they brought to Ostendthis summer. However, Rammstein has not forgotten to add a funny and oftenmocking touch to the hard songs, as witnessed by “Zick Zack” and “DickeTitten”, both songs that scored well in many charts. Due to the strongpresence of melancholy Time a ‘special’ within the Rammstein discography,but it certainly does not have to be inferior. Time will tell whether the bandactually wants to say “Adieu” with the last song. It would be a pity anyway.

47. Working Men’s Club – Fear Fear

Ravers and punks have probably shared a love with Working Men’s Club for a fewyears now. The band combines a lot of elements from the underground post-punkscene with heavy synths and drum computers. Many were already impressed by thenameless debut, but Fear Fear is even better in every way. The lyrics speakof even more melancholy, but the band mainly excels musically. Songs like“Widow” and “Cut” turned out to be extremely catchy and danceable, while “19”and “Money Is Mine” ripped many a subwoofer to shreds. Very strong work fromthe band around Sydney Minsky-Sargeant, who are increasingly showingthemselves as one of the talents in the British alternative scene.

46. ​​Silvana Estrada – Marchita

Marchita by the Mexican singer-songwriter Silvana Estrada excelled at thebeginning of this year in all its simplicity and purity. This record focuseson the unmistakable talent of Estrada, a talent that is rooted in melancholicMexican folk music, but also has jazz as its cornerstone. On this sensitiverecord, her beautiful vocals are supported by rich, colorful arrangements thatare seemingly simple, but always give her songs an extra dimension. Togetherwith her talented fellow musicians, Silvana Estrada has released a record thatbrings calm, but is also filled with emotion.

45. Beach House – Once Twice Melody

Few bands were as ubiquitous in 2022 as Beach House. The group brought us intoheavenly ecstasy both in De Roma and at Best Kept Secret and a new album wasalso released with no less than eighteen songs on the track list. Once TwiceMelody was released to the fans in four parts, as a result of which theanticipation had been reaching boiling point for some time. Fortunately therewere highlights: “Runaway” unleashes cool synths over the familiar group soundand “Superstar” is the better layering of a band rotten with experience. Asthe parts progressed, some saturation might set in, but that was only becausethe first parts had already set the bar very high. Once Twice Melody isnevertheless the glorious return of a band that takes its listeners into abig, pink dream for almost an hour and a half.

44. Wilco–Cruel Country

Wilco has never succeeded in producing an unlistenable album in the past 25years, something that is still no different with this twelfth. _Cruel Country_is the first record in eleven years on which all six band members contributeand is also the best since then. This time the double album is fully committedto alt country, which we could only notice hidden on their most famous work.Despite the tasteless cover full of Christmas themes, the songs always keep itunpretentious and pleasant. Jeff Tweedy stays away from the overarchingconcepts and lets the delicate guitars speak more than his voice. This ensuresthat the twenty-one writings continue to pass light-footed. As the titlesuggests, he often muses on the divided social situation of his country: therural United States. The overall message here is one of forgiveness andreconciliation. Isn’t that ideal for the holidays?

43. Now Genea – Bar Meditarraneo

2022 was also a top year for Nu Genea. The duo, consisting of Massimo Di Lenaand Lucio Aquilina, was still in our year-end list with the 101 best singlesof 2021 with “Marechià” at the end of last year. The future already lookedrosy and so it happened with Mediterranean bar. With that long player, theNeapolitan duo brought the summer in a catchy and danceable jacket. Sittingstill is difficult, that much is clear with the title track “BarMediterraneo”, the rhythmic “Vesuvio” and of course our favorite “Tienaté”.Apparently not only we were fans of the latter, because the single ended up inthird place in our summer hit list. Even the songs that make us move a littleless are still just as catchy; “Gelbi” for example and the closing number ofthe album “La Crisi”. The Italo-Disco of this long player also caught on withmany festival goers, as their visit to Pukkelpop proved last summer.Meanwhile, we are in December and the temperatures sometimes go belowfreezing, but then it’s great to have this one Mediterranean bar again, sothat we can think back to that warm and especially danceable summer of NuGenea.

42. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever – Endless Rooms

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever fits into the ‘bands that should be much morefamous’ category. The sympathetic jangle rockers produced a third full-lengthin 2022 with apparent ease, which is not inferior in quality to their firsttwo albums. There are serious style breaks, something that usually drivesserious reviewers wild Endless Rooms not to be heard. “Caught Low” showsthat the group doesn’t always have to keep going to achieve its goal, but wejust as much enjoy the familiar chaos that a song like “My Echo” produces.Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever will always keep releasing good albums. So itis not yet too late for a conversion.

41. THUMPER – Delusions of Grandeur

The Irish band THUMPER has been on the live circuit for a while, but in 2022they finally released their long-awaited debut album to the world. And whetherthat left an impression! The ten songs on Delusions of Grandeur blazing withvitality and energy, and THUMPER thoughtfully takes the time to build songstructures and work towards high points. Quite a few songs clock in at overfive minutes, but boredom never sets in. At a few moments the six-piece groupproves that they can be witty in short songs, but it is mainly longcompositions such as “25” or the epic “Down In Heaven” with which they grabyou by the scruff of the neck. ‘Rock ‘n’ roll is here to stay’, the band singson “Topher Grace”. Of Delusions of Grandeur she herself already provides thebest piece of evidence for this statement.

Benzema llegó a Qatar arrastrando las molestias musculares que le impidieronun comienzo de temporada limpio con el Real Madrid. And las dos primerassesiones de entrenamiento con Francia, el delantero trabajó al margen, pero eltercer día el cuerpo técnico decidió sumarlo al grupo. Y a los pocos minutos,cuando terminó la parte abierta a los medios, tuvo que retirarse con unpinchazo en el muslo izquierdo. Poco antes de medianoche, la federación emitióel comunicado que le sentenciaba: “Tocado en el cuádriceps del musloizquierdo, Karim Benzema se ve obligado a renunciar a participar en la Copadel Mundo”. Él no estaba de acuerdo, pero cuando recibió la visita deDeschamps en su habitación comprendió que preferían seguir sin él. No teveo,

“I never had a career plan. It always turns out differently than you think.’With a role in the classic Verdi opera Ernani actor Johan Leysen (72) writesa new chapter on his long resume. ‘I am a Sunday child. I’m still getting workdone.’

Ewoud CeulemansDecember 15, 20225:30 pm

Can Johan Leysen also sing now? It’s a legitimate question, if you see thename of the 72-year-old acting icon between the credits of Ernani seestanding. Ernani is after all a rarely performed opera by Giuseppe Verdi.Still, you don’t have to expect a Leysen aria. “Don’t panic, fortunately wedon’t do that,” says the actor with a laugh. Instead, he is allowed to do whathe does so well: perform texts by Peter Verhelst with the necessary gravitas,in between Verdi’s arias.

“For me it is incomprehensible that those singers, who can go on such anincredible rampage, think it’s fantastic what I do as an actor. Then I think:I just say that text, there is nothing to it – compared to what singers ordancers do.”

Leysen enjoys being in their company. He has previously collaborated withcomposers such as Heiner Goebbels and opera directors such as Pierre Audi, andin Jonathan Harvey’s opera Wagner Dream he even took on the role of RichardWagner. “I’ve worked with music before and I really, really like it. In anactor’s training it would be welcome, that you were confronted with acting tomusic. That you have to count and that your text has to be there at the righttime. That you can’t hide behind ‘I don’t feel it for a while’. _(laughs)_There is no room for that in music. And that gives an actor great freedom, Ithink.”

However, it is not easy to put a finger on Leysen’s role in Ernani an operafor which Verdi was inspired by a play by Victor Hugo and which deals withErnani, who wants revenge on the Spanish king Don Carlos and loses his heartto Elvira, the betrothed of Carlos’s confidant.

Leysen in ‘Ernani’.Sculpture Annemie Augustijns

“It is a strange opera anyway,” Leysen summarizes, “in which horny gentlemenare ready to attack each other with daggers, but postpone it all the time.There’s also a girl who doesn’t quite know what she wants – it’s a wonderfulaffair all in all.

“It’s not really a role I play, my character has no name. I rather believethat I am a kind of storyteller. An alter ego of Ernani perhaps, or some kindof mentor. It also shifts throughout the performance. I didn’t ask Peter whyhe wrote this text, I decided to just let it happen. The special thing aboutBarbora Horáková, the director, is that she is inspired by the passion ofVerdi’s music. Her dramaturgy is very intuitive. And I think: I don’t have toask questions, I watch how she works and just try to find my place.”

Confusion

He once directed a play himself: the now eight-year-old Trauer Zeit. “I didthat once because I felt I had to do it. But then I had it too. I am aperformer. As a director, you have to be smart enough to listen to otherpeople’s input and ultimately do your own thing. I’m too accommodating forthat. Ignoring idiotic advice is not difficult, but listening to thesuggestions of smart people and then saying: ‘Good idea, but we’re not goingto do that’? I think that’s very punishment. I admire directors who can dothat, who dare to do that. But that’s not how I feel.”

And so he has been sticking to acting for fifty years, but to acting in allshapes and sizes. His public resume counts 170 film credits (“But if you fartin the background in a 1982 film, it will be included”), including TerrenceMalicks A Hidden Life Jean Luc Godards Je vous salue, Marie the Oscarnominee Daens and the Dutch Felice… Felice… , for which he was awarded theGolden Calf for Best Actor. As a theater actor he worked in Belgium with GuyCassiers ( Wolfskers, tell the children we are no good ) and Milo Rau (Lareprise, Orestes in Mosul ), and also played all over Europe in French,English and German.

“I like that variety”, says Leysen, “of constantly discovering new things andnew people. Sometimes that’s not too bad, sometimes it’s not – that’s part ofit. I find it exciting. I never had a career plan. Maybe there are people whocan, but I don’t believe in that. I couldn’t do it anyway. It always turns outdifferently than you think. Life depends on chance encounters, on contacts youmake, and on what may or may not result from that. I’m an old fart now, but Ihaven’t built anything. That’s an illusion. I think experience is the worstthing there is on stage, because it is of no use to you. You have to try againand again. I like that. If I didn’t feel that anymore, I would stop.”

Leysen: ‘In my opinion, experience is the worst thing there is on stage.’ImageMayli Sterkendries

Leysen has never been short of work. After his training at the Studio HermanTeirlinck, he moved to Amsterdam, where he started working at Baal. Shortlybefore that, Aktie Tomaat, in which young artists denounced the old-fashioned,dusty theater of the major institutions with tomatoes, brought about arevolution in Dutch theatre. Fifty years later, a lot has changed again, henotes.

“There is a lot of confusion and I don’t always know what to think about it,”he admits. “That must be the age, I think. In Paris, a performance about atrans woman was canceled because she was played by a cis woman, and peoplethought that was not possible. Then I think to myself: what do you think ofthat, Leysen? I find that odd. Because the essence of theater is that youpretend, that you try to say something about things that you are not and tryto do it the best you can. That also takes courage. While I understand thatthe theme is something very intimate, I wonder if it might not be empatheticto someone who is not a trans person?”

What has also changed, he notes, is employment for young actors. While Leysensoon found work with Dutch companies, it is often difficult for the newestgeneration to start their career.

“That cannot be compared. We came out of drama school with five or six peopleand unless you killed your father, you quickly found work as an actor. Theratio between actors looking for work and the number of places where theycould go was good. It was simpler, I have the impression, than now. Now it’s afight. I think there is more work, but there are also many more actorsgraduating. The youngsters are having a hard time now.”

It does not get any easier when a decision is made from above to put thehatchet in project subsidies, as the Antwerp city council and culture aldermanNabilla Ait Daoud (N-VA) have done. “What is happening here in Antwerp isshameless. Shame-too-less. The Flemish administrators, especially the peoplewho are so eager to attract culture and education without knowing the sector…They really don’t give a damn. They just want to be in charge. And that isoutrageous. But I don’t know if there’s anything you can do about that. Mylate twin sister, Frie (former director of, among others, De Singel andKunstenfestivaldesarts, EWC ), then said: ‘At a certain point they don’t giveany more money, and then you have to do your things without money.’ You can’tsit in the victim’s corner and do nothing. But I still find it a disgrace.”

A small miracle

In that career spanning nearly half a century, Johan Leysen only once thoughtit might be over, in the late 1980s. “There was one period when I was in a bitof a slump, when I considered quitting,” the actor recalls. “Then Frie said:go with ( the Dutch director, EWC ) Jan Ritsema talking. There is_Wittgenstein Incorporated_ came out of it and that performance has reconciledme with my work. Jan was not an easy director, he terrorized me quite a bit,but he forced me to be truthful. And that has been a good lesson, which hasgiven me a lot.

Leysen: ‘If you don’t watch out, as an actor you are constantly looking forapproval. That is addictive.’Image Mayli Sterkendries

“If you’re not careful, as an actor you’re constantly looking for approval.And that is addictive. While you can also work for the pleasure of working, ofpracticing your profession well, of taking care of your game. That doesn’thave to be accompanied by big praise or pats on the back. Of course that’snice, but it shouldn’t be your bike. It is just a profession that youpractice, and that has dawned on me through Jan.”

In recent years, both Jan Ritsema and Frie Leysen have left him, we note. Isthat a confrontation with the finiteness of life? “I still miss Frie everyday,” he replies. “It is confrontational, but you can also see it the otherway around: it is a small miracle that I am still working. There are also manyactors my age who no longer work, who no longer feel like it or who are nolonger in demand. Again: I’m lucky, I still get to work. And of course Ibelong to a generation that is written off, that is forgotten. That is part ofthe scene, that you are forgotten. I do not mind.”

**Ernani from 16 to 31 December at Opera Antwerp, from 11 to 22 January at

Todo and Francia resulta apabullante. Por lo que tiene en Qatar —Mbappé,Griezmann, Dembele, Rabiot— y por lo que no tiene —Benzema, NKunku, Kanté,Pogba, Lucas—. El equipo del gallo es hoy aquella Alemania que jugara quienjugara siempre ganaba en el imaginario popular. No es casual que Franciadispute este domingo la cuarta final en los siete últimos Mundiales. Y no esextraño que sea la quinta selección que repite finales seguidas. Antes, Italia(34-38), Brasil (58-62), Argentina (86-90) and Brasil (94-98).

Cinco de los titulares en la cumbre moscovita de 2018 se mantienen hoy fijosen las paragraphciones de Deschamps: Lloris, Varane, Griezmann, Mbappé yGiroud. Est la factoría que algunos como Fekir, con hilo en el Mundial deRusia y cartel del pujante Betis, han perdido su plaza.

El caladero es inagotable desde que Francia se programara para su Mundial de1998, con la activación de la Academia de Clairefontaine. Desde entonces,sigue en vuelo. Resulta chocante que en paralelo no haya despegado la Ligue 1,tan llagada que tan solo el Olympique de Marsella ha logrado la Copa deEuropa, y de aquel polémico título han pasado 29 años. Francia solo calza otrohonor europeo de clubes, la Recopa del PSG en 1996. Hoy solo se vislumbra unposible gran trono para el muy próspero PSG catary.

Cuatro años después de alzar su segundo trofeo Mundial hay algo que no se hacorregido un milímetro. A Francia le importa un bledo la posesión. And eseapartado tuvo menos porcentaje que Dinamarca en la phase de grupos, queInglaterra en cuartos y que Marruecos en semifinals. Curiosamente, contra laselección africana se dieron los mismos registros que frente a Croacia en laconquista del torneo precedent, un 39% frente a un 61% del vencedor.

A francia le va la marcha. Se procura horizons. La pelota, mejor que seaasunto del adversario, que avance con ella y se destape a sus espaldas. Losmuchachos de Deschamps, al pill : quitar ya toda mecha. Del quite seencargan el graduado Tchouameni (diez recuperaciones frente a Marruecos) y elrenacido Rabiot (de baja en la semifinal). Y no digamos Griezmann, la estrellamás jornalera del fútbol (nueve birles contra la selección del Atlas).

No se trata de la selection más cosmética del universo. Le sobran jugadorespara articularse como un equipo más armónico, pero, por encima de todo,Francia es un conjunto robusto y eficaz. Lo mismo le dio fresh enchironado porMarruecos en una phase del segundo tiempo. Varane y Konaté, los centrals,hicieron de escudo. No les falto el auxilio de Griezmann. Sí, del mismoGriezmann que también articula el juego y del mismo Griezmann que no se sienteforastero en el área rival. Al ver a Francia es difícil saber cuántosGriezmann hay. Y eso que en la semifinal, Deschamps le fijó como volante, loque le hizo ser menos expansivo. Lo resolvió Mbappé, inspirador del 2-0 deMuani. A dos días de los 24 años, Mbappé se quedaría el domingo a un título delos tres de Pelé.

Carlos Mac Allister (Santa Rosa, La Pampa, 1968) no es uno más entre los40,000 peregrinos de Argentina and Doha. Este nieto de irlandeses es, comotantos pioneros de América, hombre de múltiples vidas. Fue defensa de BocaJuniors, fue internacional con Argentina, fue ojeador de Osasuna, fue diputadonacional, fue Secretario de Estado para el Deporte con Mauricio Macri, y fuepromoter de la candidatura del Mundial de 2030 en Argentina, Uruguay yParaguay. Ahora también es el padre de Francis, mediocentro de RosarioCentral; the Kevin, lateral the Argentinos Juniors; y de Alexis, elcentrocampista del Brighton que cambió la suerte de Argentina en la Copa delMundo.

Pregunta. ¿Hay alguna familia en el mundo cuyo padre jugó con Maradona ysu hijo con Messi?

Respuesta. Si, hay una más. Simeone. Simeone jugo con Diego y Gio[Giovanni] jugo con Leo. Gio no tuvo la suerte de venir al Mundial y yotampoco tuve la suerte de ir al Mundial. No solamente eso. Nosotros fundamosel Club Deportivo Mac Allister hace 24 años y tener una institución sana enArgentina durante ese periodo es una odisea. Mi hermano fue jugador de fútbolen México, en Japón, en Argentinos Juniors y Estudiantes de la Plata; tengo unsobrino en Malasia en Primera División… Llevamos el fútbol incorporado.

P. Dijo Alexis que él y usted discuten sobre si Messi es mejor queMaradona.

R . No, no discutimos. Sin duda, Messi es el mas grande de toda lahistoria. Soy racional. Creo en lo que veo. Los numeros de Messi soncontundentes. Luego hay que ver el contexto: Maradona tuvo muchos problemaspersonales, dio muchas ventajas, ya pesar de eso fue campeón del mundo. No fuecomo Messi, que hoy, con 35 años, tiene mejor cuerpo que a los 24.

P. ¿Como conocio a Maradona?

R . Jugué con su hermano, el Turco, and Argentinos. Salimos del mismolugar. Yo fui uno de los jugadores que el mimaba. Un día en Boca nos llamó alKily González, a Verón, a Giunta ya mí, y nos regaló un Rolex de oro a cadauno.

Maradona con Carlos MacAllister y sus hijos. Alexis, en el medio.

P. ¿Qué pasó con el Rolex?

R . Me lo robaron una noche, a la salida de la cancha de Racing. Estabaaparcado, rompieron el cristal y me sacaron un revólver. Se lo di. Pensé queyo valía más de 5,000 dólares. Me quede con el gesto. Maradona siempre fuemalo para él, nunca para los demás.

P. Maradona no fue más goleador porque dedicó mucha energía a organizar eljuego. ¿Cree que ahora Messi ha renunciado al gol para pensar de esa manera?

R . no. Los líderes tienen que asumir sus responsabilidades. Tienen quesaber que siempre tendrán que agarrar la pelota, porque los compañeros se ladarán. Si somos seis personas al servicio de una empresa y nos reunimos y segenera un conflicto, todos inmediatamente miran al mismo. Miran al jefe. Anduna plantilla pasa lo mismo. Cuando el equipo no puede ganar, el jugador ledará la pelota al que pueda salvarlo. Ese fue Maradona y ahora es Messi. Noeres Messi free. Tienes que poner a disposición del mundo un montón de cosas.Ellos naturalmente se van a mostrar porque saben cuál es su responsabilidad ylo que está pensando el compañero. Messi no resigna su responsabilidad dehacer goles. Eso me impacta. Él contra Australia le da la pelota a Alexis y nose queda mirando: enfoca el camino al arco; Alexis se la da a Otamendi,Otamendi la rebota y Messi la empuja. Cuando Messi va en la jugada, el siemprebusca la profundidad. Alexis empezó de 10 en la cantera de Argentinos, quetiene una gran tradición en de 10 [Maradona, Borghi, Cambiasso, Riquelme…].Pero muchos de ellos se quedaron por el camino porque entregaban la pelota yse quedaban mirando como el otro terminaba la jugada. Y yo desde afuera de lacancha, algunas veces le gritaba: “¡Alexis, al área!”. Un dia se enojo. Peroes lo que le pasa hoy. El tira la pelota y va al area. Messi tiene esacostumbre es divina.

P. Es raro que un padre profesional del fútbol tenga hijos que seanfutbolistas profesionales. ¿Como los crió para que no se acomodaran?

R . No los cry solo. Eramos dos. Su madre y yo. Hay que poner en valor eltrabajo de las madres en el mundo.

AlexisMac Allister durante el partido de semifinales de Argentina, el pasadomartes.AFP7 via Europa Press (AFP7 via Europa Press)

P. ¿Los jugadores de hoy son mejores que los de antes?

R . Eso lo decimos cuando nos estamos haciendo viejos. La ciencia haterminado con muchas mentiras. Solo hay que saber analizar los datos. No es lomismo el pase de un central, que tiene tiempo, que el pase de un interior, queno lo tiene. Cuando me divorcié yo comencé a pasar informes para Ángel MartínGonzález, director deportivo de Osasuna. Como me tocaba estar con mis hijos elfin de semana, y tenía que hacer informes, los sentaba delante de la tele yles decía: vos vas a seguir al 2 y al 4, vos al 8 y el 5, vos al 10 y el 11.Yo el resto. Era basico. Contábamos cuatro o cinco variables: pases biendados, pelotas perdidas, duelos ganados de cabeza… Tenían seis, ocho y nueveaños y ya aprendían a interpretar los datos. Ahora si me preguntan de fútboleuropeo, sé el 10% de lo que saben ellos.

El balance en los Mundiales de Nicolás Otamendi (Buenos Aires, 34 años) erabastante mejorable antes de aterrizar and Qatar. And 2010, Maradona lo colocóde lateral derecho en los cuartos de final y Alemania empezó el destrozo (0-4)por su banda. No duró ni 10 minutos en pie. El central admitió tiempo despuésque estaba muy tierno todavía. And 2014, ni siquiera fue convocado. Y en 2018,participó del desastre colectivo. De momento, en Doha, a la espera de su citacon Francia y la gacela Mbappé, su desquite personal ha evolucionado bien.

On the TV show B &B full of love we saw how Harmjan (54) finally wins theheart of Astrid (49). And yes, they are now even engaged. “It felt good fromday one.”

Chanan FoppenBrenda van LeeuwenDecember 14, 20229:00 am

‘ My name is Astrid, 48 years old. I have been happily living in Austria forfive and a half years now, together with my two children aged eight and ten.Are you that Dutch man with an open appearance, beautiful eyes and a wonderfulsmile? And are you looking for a sweet, caring, but also direct and sometimesimpatient woman? Then register now.’

For example, the whole of the Netherlands became acquainted with Astrid, ownerof a bed and breakfast in Sankt Michael im Lungau, Austria. The call wasappreciated by Harmjan from Groningen. He responded, recorded a video for herand was chosen to come and stay in Austria. That sleepover kept the whole ofthe Netherlands busy for weeks.

Did you have any idea what you were getting into?

Astrid: “Not at all. I seriously underestimated it. I went in naively.What can happen to me, I thought. And then quite a lot happens. For threeweeks a camera team and the men around you, the shots that take you out ofyour daily rhythm. But I found the reactions on social media particularlyintense.” Harmjan: “With my face on television, I didn’t have to at all, but I wastriggered by Astrid. If I didn’t sign up, she might end up in someone else’sarms. I made a proposal video, and not much later I received a phone call:Astrid would like to invite you to Austria.” A: “Harmjan immediately jumped out. His enthusiasm, his smile, what hesaid. When I saw him, I didn’t hesitate for a second. I knew: I want to meethim.”

How do you get to know each other well under the watchful eye of the cameras?

A: “It went wrong for me as soon as the first man came in. The men, thecameras… I blocked, became stiffer, wasn’t myself. Sometimes a scene had to berepeated six times. Then you don’t really get to know each other. Thathappened off camera. We were constantly looking for each other at thosemoments. Harmjan was really my support in those weeks that were a bigrollercoaster.” H: “When Astrid came in wearing lederhosen, I was completely blown away.She looked fantastic. I was very impressed with her. I wanted to walk next toa woman like that, she did something to me. I also saw that she was in asplit. The camera team wanted a lot from her, but what did she want?” A: “I also wanted to be there for the children as much as possible, andhad made agreements about that. Every day we could eat together in peace and Iwould have time to put them to bed. So I always took that time. At thosemoments you see me missing in the episodes.” H: “She didn’t know that someone asked for her opinion.” A: “That gave me a very safe and familiar feeling.” H: “We talked for hours that night. About ourselves, what we’ve beenthrough, but also about the things we like. There was an immediate click.” A: “It was so nice, so relaxed. At that moment I already felt much morethan just an emotional click.”

In the episodes we mainly saw a tense Astrid and a lot of bickering betweenyou. How did you view those images?

A: “I am very shocked by what was eventually broadcast, and especially thereactions to it. I didn’t expect people to be so tough. They called me an icerabbit, stiff and cold. I get that too, because that’s how I felt in thebeginning. I found it very difficult to see myself again and read thecomments. Harmjan was in the Netherlands at that time. I was in Austria, withmy children and a house full of guests. I was under a lot of stress, didn’tsleep anymore, cried a lot. I no longer functioned. It was just really, reallyhard. At that moment Harmjan told me to stop reading those messages. That gaveme peace, but with every episode I saw, I talked myself into everything.” H: “You can’t relax anymore, because you know what else has beenrecorded. There’s been a continuous spoiler from episode one of an argumentbetween us, which didn’t show until six weeks later. You brace yourself forthat moment.” A: “Everything was negative from the first moment. After that fight, theyput us in a nicer and nicer place.”

In the very last minutes of the last episode it was only announced that youhad found love. For many viewers an unexpectedly emotional moment. So therewas already much more going on than could be seen on television?

A: “We both knew there was a click, that was clear. What I felt exactlywas not entirely clear to me or I did not dare to admit it yet.” H: “Astrid was afraid it would go wrong again. The period after herdivorce has not been a pleasant period, not even for the children. You don’twant to do that to them again. At the same time, you also want to protectyourself: do I only go for the happiness of my children or do I also choose myown happiness, was the question that constantly occupied her mind. In themeantime, of course, we had already started something. The kids already spenta lot of time with me, so actually she had already let me in. Only actuallygrabbing it was a matter of patience. I gave her that space. I saw mydeparture from Austria as an open end. Astrid was soon on the phone to ask ifI had arrived home safely.” Laughing: “Then I thought: okay, that is alreadygreat progress.”

A: “After the recordings I got questions from friends how it was. Wasthere anyone I was curious about. Then you have time to think about itcarefully.” H: “I went back to work. In that week I was back at the place where I hadrecorded my proposal video. I made a video for Astrid there, with the messagethat I really only wanted one thing: an invitation to come to Austria again.Then everything accelerated and I knew that I would be at her door again thatweekend.” A: “When he stood in front of me again after the shooting, it was clearto both of us. There was just everything between us.” H: “Then it hit.” A: “We stood in the hall for an hour and a half and held each other.”

It turned out not to be quite a relationship for you.

H: “The first three weeks I drove to Austria every weekend. That wasphysically unsustainable. That was every other weekend and during theholidays. We missed each other a lot during the week. We called early in themorning, during recess, when I drove back home, and again in the evening, whenthe kids were in bed.” A: “Bunch of teenagers.” H: “We really only wanted one thing: to be together.” A: “When Harmjan was with me on the weekends, the children were initiallywith their father. After a few times they were disappointed when they heardthat he had been and they had not seen him again. They also didn’t understandwhy he went back home and couldn’t just stay. Then we discussed how long wewould continue this, for whom and why? Harmjan has given me so much confidencethat I dared to go for it.”

Harmjan quit his job and left permanently for Austria. Was that a difficultdecision?

H: “Being in Austria is just good for me, so emigrating was an easychoice. Of course things are going to land now. I have a 28 year old son. Nowthat I live so far away from him, we can’t see each other or grab a bite toeat. I now feel that my son is a bit more on the sidelines, which I finddifficult.”

How do the children feel about having a man in the house again?

A: “The relationship between Harmjan and the children is very good. Theywent straight to him.” H: “If they get into mischief, they come to me.” A: “The children knew for what purpose the men were there, we did talkabout that. They then wondered what they should call a possible new partner.You don’t have to do anything at all, I made it clear to them. You have adaddy who will always be your daddy and will always be in your life. What weare going to call a new man, we can all discuss together.”

And how do you like Austrian life together?

H: “I now also work fully in the B&B. Astrid no longer has to quarterherself. We divide the tasks and when the children are free we can all go outtogether. I’m also going to register with the volunteer fire brigade here,just like in the Netherlands. I want to fully integrate in Austria. We growold together here.”

Yes, you are engaged! Harmjan secretly planned a proposal together with thechildren. How was that moment?

A: “I didn’t see it coming at all. We went out for dinner, so I was stillbusy changing clothes and guests arriving in the meantime. Then Harmjan gotdown on his knees.” H: “The kids and I thought that the proposal should just take place athome in the living room. Noah would secretly film it and Olivier would keepthe ring, but he thought that was too exciting, so I got it back.” A: “Olivier was standing with Harmjan, he immediately put his arms aroundus after Harmjan asked me. That was very sweet. I was silent and could onlylook at Harmjan. And of course I said yes.”

When did you know you wanted to ask Astrid?

H: “That was already discussed on our second real date after therecordings. Between two courses, Astrid suddenly asked me how I felt aboutgetting married. If I would like and dare to do that again. The moment Astridthrew it on the table like that, I knew I really wanted to marry her from myheart. I had to say that to her, but then I felt I would already say yes toher at that moment. That took some time to land. So I was very quiet, whichcaused panic on the other side of the table.” A: “I wanted to crawl under the table when I saw your reaction. It wasn’tmeant that way. I didn’t expect him to react like that.” H: “You did it, I asked you.”

Are there any plans for the wedding yet?

H: “In September we had a woman who turned out to be a well-known tarotcard reader. She predicted that we would be married within a year. That couldjust be, but we don’t have a date yet.” A: “We now live together in Austria, so we also get married in Austria.We don’t know what the day will look like yet. We’ll see where the boat goes.”

After a year of romantic highlights, you are now celebrating Christmastogether, in a wintry Austria. That must be magical.

A: “We have our house full of guests, but I always try to plan ChristmasEve for myself. That doesn’t have to be a big party for me. Whether we go fora fancy dinner or go sledding in our ski suit, as long as the four of us aretogether. Very cuddly, but that’s it for me.” H: “Hopefully there will be a huge amount of snow and we can go into themountains for a beautiful walk with lots of lights and a horse-drawn sleigh.Romance at its best.” A: “And they lived happily ever after.”

B &B full of love will be shown again on television next summer. The new B&Bowners will introduce themselves on RTL4 on December 29 at 8:30 p.m. B &Bfull of love: the kick-off.

Love is … with Astrid & Harmjan

Who puts the spike on the tree? And who sings the loudest along with Christmascarols on the radio? In the Libelle TV program Love is … Astrid and Harmjananswer these (and more) questions about each other.

Hair, make-up and styling: Ronald Huisinga | mmv: LaDress (dress)_H&M (pumps) Only (checkered dress) Comma (poncho) Graceland (bag,boots) Products (turtleneck) Hugo Boss (pair of trousers) VanHaren(boots) Replay (jeans) Double RL (jacket) Puma (boots)_. Thanks toEuroparcs Ruinen

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry think the stress of her lawsuit againstAssociated Newspapers, which owns the Mail and the Email Online led to hermiscarriage.

In the second part of Netflix’s Harry & Megan documentary, which dropped onThursday, the couple talks about her 2020 miscarriage. At the time, the pairhad recently left England, stepping down as senior royals, and relocated tothe suits actress’ home state of California with their son, Archie. Inaddition to the non-stop negative coverage of “Megxit,” Markle — with Harry’sblessing — was suing the Mail on Sunday about its publication of excerpts ofa private letter she sent her dad, Thomas Markle, after he was a no-show attheir 2018 royal wedding.

The couple’s lawyer Jenny Afia said Markle would be texting her at 3 am aboutthe case. “She’d be awake, unable to sleep, thinking about this case and thewider issues and the toll it was taking,” she said. “I knew the stress [it]was having on Meghan.”

(Photo: Courtesy of Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex)

At the time, they had just moved into their new Santa Barbara home for a newbeginning (after staying at Tyler Perry’s home temporarily). her suits co-star Abigail Spencer recalled visiting the house on that first day and Markletelling her she was having “a lot of pain” as she held Archie in her arms.Then, Markle “just fell to the ground.”

“I was pregnant, I really wasn’t sleeping,” Markle said. “And the firstmorning that we woke up in our new home is when I miscarried.”

Harry said, “I believe my wife suffered a miscarriage because of what the_Mail_ did. I watched the whole thing. Now do we absolutely know that themiscarriage was caused by that? Of course, we don’t. But bearing in mind thestress that caused the lack of sleep and the timing of the pregnancy, how manyweeks in she was, I can say from what I saw, that miscarriage was created bywhat they were trying to do to her.”

Story continues

Markle’s mom, Doria Ragland, said, “I thought she was brave and courageous”during the ordeal, “but that doesn’t surprise me because she is brave andcourageous.”

The duchess shared her miscarriage publicly four months later in a New YorkTimes op-ed. The couple welcomed rainbow baby Lilibet “Lili” DianaMountbatten-Windsor in June 2021.

Markle ended up winning her privacy lawsuit against the British tabloid inFebruary 2021. In December of that year, she received a public apology fromthe Mail on Sunday.

Markle also said that the lawsuit changed everything with the royal family.When she initially said she wanted to sue, the royal institution did not honorher request. That led to her taking legal action against the tabloid own herown.

“Everything changed after that,” Meghan said. “That litigation was thecatalyst probably for all of the unraveling.”

(Photo: Courtesy of Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex)

Among the other interesting parts of the documentary was Harry claiming thathis brother, Prince William, screamed and shouted at him during theSandringham summit in January 2020.

Leading up to that, Markle had experienced suicidal thoughts amid the negativepress (some allegedly planted by the palace and a lot of it, in general,racist in nature) and said she wasn’t able to get mental health help becausethe institution was concerned about how that would look. Harry admitted thathe knew his wife was struggling and “felt angry and ashamed” because he didn’t”deal with it particularly well. I dealt with it as institutional Harry asopposed to husband Harry.” After that, they knew they need to make changes —and announced in early January that they were stepping back as senior workingmembers of the royal family.

“I sent an email to the three most senior private secretaries saying, ‘Let’shave a meeting, let’s get together and have a meeting and talk about this,’ “Harry said. “Because what was happening, what was playing out in public wascrazy. And that meeting was rejected.”

Markle took Archie and went to Canada, where she resided before her move tothe UK At that point, it was arranged that there would be a meeting atSandringham with Harry and the late Queen Elizabeth, now-King Charles andPrince Williams.

Prince William and Prince Harry on Sept. 19, 2022. (Photo: Mark Cuthbert/UKPress via Getty Images)

Harry said it was “clear” to him that they planned it so Markle wasn’t in theroom. She said: “Imagine a conversation, a roundtable discussion about thefuture of your life. When the stakes are this high. And you as the mom and thewife and the target, in many regards, aren’t invited to have a seat at thetable.”

The meeting played out over 90 minutes at the monarch’s country estate inNorfolk.

“I went in with the same proposal that we’d already made publicly,” Harrysaid. “But once I got there, I was given five options. One being ‘all in, nochange,’ five being ‘all out.’ I chose option three in the meeting. ‘Half in,half out.’ Have our own jobs but also work in support of the Queen.”

He said William became enraged by his decision.

“It became very clear very quickly that that goal was not up for discussion ordebate,” Harry said. “It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout atme, and my father say things that simply weren’t true and my grandmotherquietly sit there and sort of take it all in.”

He said the meeting “finished without any solidified action plan… I think fromtheir perspective, they had to believe that it was more about us and maybe theissues that we had, as opposed to their partner, the media, and themselves.That relationship that was causing so much pain for us. They saw what theywanted to see.”

Harry called the “saddest part of it” all “this wedge created between myselfand my brother, so that he’s now on the institution’s side. Part of that Iget, I understand, right, that’s his inheritance. So to some extent, it’salready ingrained in him that part of his responsibility is the survivabilityand continuation of this institution.”

The day of the summit, a joint statement was released from William and Harrydenying the rift between the brothers was caused by William’s “bullying.”However, Harry said the statement was released without his permission.

“Within four hours, they’re happy to lie to protect my brother and yet, forthree years, they were never willing to tell the truth to protect us,” Harrysaid of the statement.

That moment changed everything for them. Markle said something “clicked in myhead” that “‘it’s never going to stop.” Every rumor, every negative thing,every lie, everything that I knew wasn’t true and that the palace knew wasn’ttrue and internally they knew wasn’t true, that was just being allowed tofester.”

Harry said he realized, “There was no other option at this point. I said, ‘Weneed to get out of here.'”

He added of the narrative that Markle was behind them stepping down, “It wasmy decision. She never asked to leave. I was the one that had to see it for

You would think that you could not experience music more compelling or moreintensely than directly live from the comfortable seats of the Concertgebouw.Yet it is precisely there this weekend that an attempt is made to surpass thatexperience. Innovative software adds a dimension to the sound in the smallhall. Instead of the plush, there are 41 ‘omnidirectional’ speakers that movethe sound through the room.

Composer and cellist Maarten Vos was commissioned to compose for Aural Spaces,the three-day program of the Concertvrienden association, Fiber festival andthe Amsterdam studio 4DSound. In his composition, Vos wants to ‘spatialize’his music, to make it spatial. “As a classically trained cellist, I find thetechnique involved very interesting,” he says from his studio in Berlin. “Andworking with space makes my brain work in a completely different way than whenI study Bach suites.”

That ‘spatial sound’ sounds abstract. You have previously worked with thetechnology of 4DSound, what exactly does it entail?

“It is actually software to make sound go around in space. The speakers form agrid, a matrix. Inside you can, for example, make it sound like it’s rainingon the roof and let the drops go down the wall. What I want to do is letmusical sounds, for example a synthesizer sound and percussion, move throughspace. Then you can add spatial effects, such as an echo or a Doppler effect,which you may know from the distortion of an ambulance with siren passing by.Or you can make sound sound far away or close by. In this spatial compositionyou can apply countless of these kinds of effects so that the sound isinterpreted very naturally, as if you were in the middle of it.”

Can music sound even more ‘natural’ than just live music in a hall?

“Well, where you usually use melody, harmony and acoustics, as a composer youcan now also bend the space to your liking. You could also see all thosespeakers as separate musicians. So if I want to play a violin on the backleft, I can. And you can then make it move.”

What kind of composition did you make?

“I have wanted to do something with Indian influences for a long time. I wastrained as a cellist, but nowadays I do a lot with modular synthesizers. Withthat I make minimalistic, modern electronic music. Those arpeggios that justkeep rolling. I then started to delve more into music from North India thatrevolves around trance and improvisation. In it they use microtonal notes.Where in Western music you have twelve notes in an octave, for example youhave seven that are tuned slightly differently, with natural frequencies.

You are really in the sound. It’s very immersive and all-encompassing.> Everyone can walk around freely and find their ideal spot

“For this spatial work I made all kinds of motifs with those scales, smallfigures of four, five or seven notes, and put echoes on them that resonate fora long time. So the motif keeps repeating itself. I let those echoes gothrough space and so they always meet each other in different places and formpolyrhythms and polyphony. I’m going to play that Indian repetitivesynthesizer music live, together with percussionist Bodek Janke on tabla drumsand other non-Western percussion. Through the software, my synthesizers followhis tempo, making it an organic interplay of man and machine. And then I can,for example, make all the sound come at you at once, or make it spiralupwards, or split a sound into a spherical pattern. The possibilities areenormous. It makes you think very differently about composition.”

What does it do to the listener?

“That is interesting. The first time I worked with 4DSound we had a lightsource that moved with the sound, then you saw that visitors really went afterthe music like fireflies. People also always tend to look in the direction ofwhere the sound is coming from. The listener is therefore addressed more tohis instinct. Bodek and I are in the middle of the Concertgebouw’s line-up.You are really in the sound, rather than your focus being on musicians onstage. It’s very immersive and all-encompassing. Everyone can walk aroundfreely and find their ideal spot.”

You play four concerts, all in the morning. Does that make any difference tothe experience?

“Yes, yes. The Hindustani music from North India on which I have inspired mycomposition, among other things, has another purpose than entertainment, itcan be meditative. The intention is to get the listener on a musical trip. Ihave also created my own microtonal scales and motifs for this piece, which Icombine with existing ragas [muzikale schema’s waarbinnen geïmproviseerdwordt, red.]. One of those ragas is only played in India in the morning.”

Aural Spaces will take place from 16 to 18 December in Het Concertgebouwin Amsterdam. Inl: www.concertgebouw.nl Music by Maarten Vos can be listenedto on Spotify.

RoyaltyThe first part of the Netflix documentary ‘Harry & Meghan’ remainedsomewhat flat, but in the second part – which can now be viewed – Harry (38)and Meghan Markle (41) do show the back of their tongues. In the three newepisodes, for example, they talk about Meghan’s suicidal thoughts and anexplosive argument with Harry’s brother William. “We will never get a realapology.” You can follow everything closely in our live blog.

LOOK. Our royalty expert Wim Dehandschieter analyzes the second part of theNetflix documentary: “This has become an open attack on Prince William”

“The world was watching, but at that altar it was just the two of us.” Thesecond part of ‘Harry & Meghan’, the Netflix documentary about Prince Harryand Meghan Markle, started like a fairy tale, with their wedding in 2018. Theyenjoyed the party and their energetic wedding dance (‘Land of 1000 Dances’).Meghan had fun with Queen Elizabeth on her first official engagement. “Itreated her like my husband’s grandmother,” she said. “It feels like family.”

Jealousy

But after their tour to Australia, something changed for Meghan, pregnant withbaby Archie at the time. Jealousy came into play. “The problem is that she gotmarried in what should be a supporting role, and then she attracts attentionor does the job better than the one who was born for this,” Harry analyzed.“And that is not going well, the balance is shifting.” Then the stories thatappeared in the press about Meghan began to change. Suddenly she was called a’diva’. According to Harry, his family had a lot to do with that, because theroyals’ communication teams gave stories about the other ‘teams’ to the press,to put their own bosses out of the wind.

Quote >>> I approached it as royal Harry rather than husband Harry. My feelings were> controlled by my royal role. I was trained to worry more about, ‘What will> people think if we don’t? We are late.’ And when I look back on it now, I> hate myself for it.>> Harry

Those stories weighed heavily on Meghan. “The lies, that’s one thing”, Harrysighed. “You get used to that, in this family. But what they did to her andthe effect it had on her… It had been enough, enough pain, enough suffering,”he says. “No one sees what goes on behind closed doors.” There, Meghan endedup in a severe depression, and she even seriously thought about taking her ownlife. “I thought: it will end when I’m gone.’ And that was the scariest thingabout it. They were such clear thoughts.”

Angry and ashamed

Harry said he felt angry and embarrassed when he was told his wife wasthinking about suicide, but he didn’t react well to it. “I approached it asroyal Harry rather than husband Harry. My feelings were controlled by my royalrole. I was trained to worry more about, ‘What will people think if we don’t?We are late.’ And when I look back on it now, I hate myself for it. What sheneeded from me was more than I could give”, he continued, with obvious regretin his eyes.

Quote >>> They didn’t throw me to the wolves. They just fed me to the wolves>> Megan

But Meghan could not expect support from the rest of the royal family either.“They knew how bad it was,” said Harry. “They thought: why can’t she take it?Everyone could handle it, why not them? But this was different.” The coupletherefore decided not to let Archie grow up in the “madness in which theylived.” So, at the request of the Queen, they moved to the more remoteFrogmore Cottage. The couple also explained why they didn’t show baby Archieto the world right away, as was customary. “I was really worried about mydelivery because I’m older, maybe it was a C-section…” Meghan said. And so shechose her trusted doctor, who worked in a different hospital than usual. Inreturn, she offered to give the press more time when they introduced him tothe castle. “The reactions were like: ‘Yeah, great!’ No one said, ‘Absolutelynot.’” But again, the press response was scathing.

Change

“There is a limit to what you can tolerate,” said Meghan. “So in the end yousay, ‘Something has to change.’” The Duchess of Sussex insists she dideverything she could to keep the royal family happy. “I really wanted to fitin.” But the media attacks kept coming, with Harry’s relatives not doinganything to stop them. “They didn’t throw me to the wolves. They just fed meto the wolves.”

Quote >>> That last meeting didn’t just look cold. It also felt cold. I felt so far> removed from my family>> Harry

That’s why Harry and Meghan toyed with the idea of ​​moving abroad. NewZealand was suggested, or South Africa. But each time those ideas leaked intothe press and were shot down. In the end it was decided that it would beCanada. Harry was presented with five options by his family – Queen Elizabeth,Prince William and (then) Prince Charles. He opted for the golden mean:continue to dedicate himself to the British royal family, but also distancehimself from the press and protect his family. “It soon became clear that thisoption was not negotiable at all,” said Harry. “It was terrifying that mybrother was screaming and yelling at me and my dad saying things that weren’ttrue. My grandma sat there quietly and just took it all in.”

Cold

“The saddest thing about all of this was this rift that developed between meand my brother, who is now on the side of the institute. I partly understandthat. It’s his legacy,” he said. According to the prince, however, the mediawas only too happy to blame his wife. “But Meghan never asked to leave.” Thelast time Prince Harry and Meghan Markle saw the rest of the British royalswas at a public event at Westminster Abbey. “I was nervous to see my family,”said the Duke of Sussex. “It didn’t just look cold. It also felt cold. I feltso far removed from my family. It felt like a soap opera.”

Quote >>> The first morning we woke up in our new house, I had a miscarriage>> Megan

But in Canada, their troubles weren’t over. Paparazzi were everywhere, andrumors circulated that they would lose their royal patronage. “I assuredMeghan, ‘They’ll never do that,'” Prince Harry said. “But they did it anyway.”Eventually, Harry and Meghan moved to the United States permanently. However,disaster struck there too. “I was pregnant, and I wasn’t really sleeping,”Meghan said. “The first morning we woke up in our new house, I had amiscarriage.” Harry blames the British media for this. “I believe my wifemiscarried because of what The Daily Mail did. That whole court case wasdebilitating for my wife,” said Harry. Meghan filed the lawsuit because thenewspaper published a private letter she wrote to her father.

Still no clarity about ‘racist’ relative

Another much-discussed moment was Harry and Meghan’s infamous interview withOprah Winfrey. In the broadcast, Markle says that someone from the royalfamily had made a racist statement about Archie’s skin color. We also do notfind out who it was in the Netflix documentary, but Meghan does say that shedid not expect that part of the conversation to get all the attention. Thereactions in the press the next day were therefore mixed. Harry receives amessage about the broadcast from his brother William, but the content is notmentioned.

Harry also talks about the death of his grandfather, Prince Philip, a man ofwhom he has only good memories. “He died peacefully, peacefully and happily,”he smiles. The prince admits that he was not thrilled to attend hisgrandfather’s funeral in London. “I especially didn’t feel like spending timewith my brother and dad, who were just very focused on the samemisinterpretation of the whole situation,” he says. “Actually, none of usreally wanted to talk about it, but we did anyway. And I had to settle for thefact that we will never get a real accountability or apology. My wife and I,we move on with our lives. We focus on what comes next.”

Happy in the US

After that, the tide seems to be turning more or less. Daughter Lilibet isborn, Harry and Meghan win the lawsuit against Associated Newspapers and manydomestic family scenes follow that show that the couple feels at home inCalifornia. “Are there things you miss from your life at the Institute?” theinterviewer asks Harry at the end. “Yes, I miss the rare family gatheringswhen we were all together under one roof for certain times of the year. I missthe UK, I miss my friends, and I’ve lost a few friends in this process. Thereare times when I was angry. But actually I can’t be angry, because we areexactly where we need to be. We made it across.”

• In episode 4 Harry and Meghan tell that everything changed after their tour in Australia. They say they were so popular that it aroused jealousy among the other royals. And so the media also began to write more negatively about her.

• Meghan says that it made her so bad that she wanted to commit suicide. Harry reacted very badly to that, he admits. And Harry’s family didn’t know how to deal with mental health problems either.

• Harry also accuses his brother – or his brother’s team – of leaking stories about them to the press.

• In the fifth episode focuses on Meghan Markle’s relationship with the British media. The Duchess of Sussex was the scapegoat for everything and everyone. In addition, the institute was only too happy to leave the former actress to her fate. And also online, Prince Harry’s wife had a hard time.

• Little by little, the departure of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is also coming into the picture. Although that does not go without a hit or a hit. The couple gets a lot of headwind. Once again the British press is giving them a hard time. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex should not expect support from the British palace either.

• Harry and Meghan’s decision to step back also caused problems within the royal family. For example, Harry’s relationship with his grandmother Elizabeth is discussed. In addition, the relationship with his brother Prince William, with whom he used to be very close, is also discussed.

• In the last episode emotionally tells Meghan about the miscarriage she had at the end of 2020. The couple blames the British tabloids for this, which are conducting a smear campaign following a lawsuit Meghan has brought against Associated Newspapers.

• The couple also looks back on the infamous interview with Oprah Winfrey and Prince Philip’s funeral. “I’ve resigned myself to the fact that we’ll get an apology from the royal family one day,” said Harry.

• The documentary ends on a positive note, with cozy family scenes. Meghan and Harry are clearly having a great time in California. The couple emphasizes several times that they can lead a much freer life than in England. “We made it across,” Harry concludes optimistically.