Relationships between Members of the British Royal Family

[wonderland31]

I've brought these comments over here as it seems most appropriate, I'm not aware of a Henry and William relationship thread with their father.

I've done a quick google search on the topic, and can't come up with any information on the "throwing under the bus" Charles asked Bolland to do, particular in relation to his sons.

The two-part BBC documentary "Reinventing the Royals" touches on this. I admit that I was pretty surprised by what was presented. It includes interviews with PC's former press secretary Sandy Henney and author Penny Junor.

 

[Betsypaige]

Found this 'interesting' old report in our 'beloved' DailyMail from 2007
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-466584/Harry-fears-Wills-rush-wed-reunion-Kate.html


Isn't it funny that 10 years later the same tabloids rehash the same headline only to swap the said brothers' names? I wonder whether those tabloids basically have some sort of 'templates of royal drama' and then just change the names overtime to make 'new report'.?

I mean, I wouldn’t go nearly that far, but this is making me laugh, lol

 

[Iluvbertie]

Found this 'interesting' old report in our 'beloved' DailyMail from 2007
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-466584/Harry-fears-Wills-rush-wed-reunion-Kate.html


Isn't it funny that 10 years later the same tabloids rehash the same headline only to swap the said brothers' names? I wonder whether those tabloids basically have some sort of 'templates of royal drama' and then just change the names overtime to make 'new report'.?

The big difference is that even after this breakup - in 2007 - they still took another three years before getting engaged.

From the time Harry made his comments to William's engagement was still a lot longer than from when Harry and Meghan met.

 

[Curryong]

As has been said before, not every couple, Royal or not, can afford the luxury of an eight year run up to marriage. In fact I'd say the vast majority of couples, unless they meet when they are very young, take much less time to wed. In some cases the time between meeting and marriage is incredibly short, but it still works out. Harry and Meghan met in May/June 2016 and married in May 2018, which I would regard as a reasonable amount of time to get to know each other, especially as they were living together from November 2017 to their wedding day on May 19th 2018.

 

[Hallo girl]

As has been said before, not every couple, Royal or not, can afford the luxury of an eight year run up to marriage. In fact I'd say the vast majority of couples, unless they meet when they are very young, take much less time to wed. In some cases the time between meeting and marriage is incredibly short, but it still works out. Harry and Meghan met in May/June 2016 and married in May 2018, which I would regard as a reasonable amount of time to get to know each other, especially as they were living together from November 2017 to their wedding day on May 19th 2018.

I am unclear why an 8 year run up is a luxury, some couples use that time to save up , depending on what age they met , to finish education, get their first home, job etc. Sometimes they just want to have fun before any serious stuff creeps in.

At the end of the day it doesn't matter what path or how long that path is that people take if it is right for them, we are all different, make different choices.
With regards royal relationships , people can speculate all they like about a situation but once an engagement is announced everything changes, the press the public etc etc.

We can never be sure what the reasons for long or shorter courtships it is up to the couple themselves.

 

[Denville]

I am unclear why an 8 year run up is a luxury, some couples use that time to save up , depending on what age they met , to finish education, get their first home, job etc. Sometimes they just want to have fun before any serious stuff creeps in.

At the end of the day it doesn't matter what path or how long that path is that people take if it is right for them, we are all different, make different choices.
With regards royal relationships , people can speculate all they like about a situation but once an engagement is announced everything changes, the press the public etc etc.

We can never be sure what the reasons for long or shorter courtships it is up to the couple themselves.

True that Meg and Harry were not in the easiest position.. in that She was well into her 30s and if they wanted a family, they couldn't wait for years and years and years. All the same that was not anyones fault.. it was just the way it happened. The RF and the Press aren't to blame that they could ntot have an 8 year premarital relationship.
and while I don't believe that long courtships and living together before marriage necessarily make things better, all the same they are a bit of a help in giving a couple time to get to know each other and in M's case if she and H could have spent a year in the UK together, as a couple (whether they lived together or just spent more time together) they would have given her a chance to get to know the Uk. So she would have known more about day to day life and what the press was like and so on.

 

[Betsypaige]

I love these articles about Charles and William's bond. This one in particular delves into the complications resulting from the War of the Wales'. The entire piece is worth reading, though.

Revealing a father and son relaxed in their affection for one another, the photograph was released by Clarence House to mark Father’s Day on Sunday.

Yet for both would-be kings, the sweet image marks an even more significant milestone in what hasn’t always been an easy relationship. The warmth which so obviously zings between father and son seems to signify a laying to rest of the ghosts of William’s childhood and any soreness he has felt towards his father after witnessing the traumatic fallout out of his parents’ separation as a 10-year-old boy.

Now a father of three in his late thirties, with Charles willingly playing the role of doting grandfather, there is a sense that William has not only forgiven him for the mistakes of the past, but also woken up to the fact his father has been as much of a positive influence as Diana, the late Princess of Wales.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2020/06/23/prince-charles-william-became-closer-ever/


Again, there's lots of good stuff, but I posted this section because I'm really happy that Charles has allowed himself to relax and made time to spend with his son's family. That's a benefit to him, to William, Kate and of course George, Charlotte and Louis.

Given that there have been rumors in the past that Charles was unhappy he didn’t get to see enough of the Cambridges, Charles has made a point of factoring more family time into his diary and it has paid off. “It has meant that their relationship has become much closer,” said a source close to Charles.

William has publicly spoken about wanting his father to slow down, and in an interview two years ago to mark Charles 70th birthday admitted, “I would like him to have more time with the children… to, you know, play around with the grandchildren. When he's there, he's brilliant, but we need him there as much as possible.”

It seems Charles has taken his son’s words to heart. Friends say he sees the Cambridges more than ever, though it is not known whether he got to see the family over the weekend, as he hoped. The closeness is a relief for Charles, who has at points over the decades, had a challenging relationship with his oldest son.

https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2020/06/prince-charles-prince-william-relationship

 

[muriel]

I love these articles about Charles and William's bond. This one in particular delves into the complications resulting from the War of the Wales'. The entire piece is worth reading, though.




https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2020/06/23/prince-charles-william-became-closer-ever/


Again, there's lots of good stuff, but I posted this section because I'm really happy that Charles has allowed himself to relax and made time to spend with his son's family. That's a benefit to him, to William, Kate and of course George, Charlotte and Louis. In Catherine's 9 years as a working royal, the two ladies have never done a joint engagement.



https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2020/06/prince-charles-prince-william-relationship

I for one hope that it is indeed true that Charles and William are closer than ever before, as evidenced in the recently released picture.

However, the cynic in me cannot help that that, true as it may be, there is an element of spin involved in this, and CH / KP are keen to show that C&C and W&C work together as a seamless and happy family and working team. We have also seen the recording released of the joint Zoom call that Camilla and Catherine have done.

 

[SLV]

Of course these pictures are PR, but that doesn't mean they are not genuine.

 

[muriel]

Of course these pictures are PR, but that doesn't mean they are not genuine.

Quite right, I am not suggesting otherwise.

 

[Heavs]

Releasing these particular photos is very good PR as it gets articles like the ones above written and for people to see (particularly) Charles and his relationship with William in a different light to normal and they were chosen for that reason I imagine.



However the feelings certainly seem genuine and the photo itself was taken in a family moment long before being chosen for Father's Day release.

 

[Denville]

I for one hope that it is indeed true that Charles and William are closer than ever before, as evidenced in the recently released picture.

However, the cynic in me cannot help that that, true as it may be, there is an element of spin involved in this, and CH / KP are keen to show that C&C and W&C work together as a seamless and happy family and working team. We have also seen the recording released of the joint Zoom call that Camilla and Catherine have done.

I think there's certainly an element of spin. The RF has taken a beating in the past 6 months, with 1 member being forced to retire due to a horrible scandal and 2 others leaving.. the Pandemic has given them an opportunity to show that they can still do good work albeit at a distance.. and to show their role as uniters of te country, rather than feuding politicans.. so it makes sense that they will be trying to promote the idea that the remaining RF are close and affectionate. FWIW I think that Will and Charles are closer these days, Charles still works very hard but I thnk he's trying to make more time for the grandchildren, and IM sure he has worries about Harry that are easier to share with William.. but I think that all the same soem fo hte release of these photos are PR...

 

[tommy100]

They could have done what they usual do and used either an official photo or one from a joint engagement. But this was a private photo taken by Kate herself - I doubt when it was taken 6 months ago they would have known then they were going to release it for Fathers Day and likewise I doubt one of their PR people said - "you know that private photo of William and Charles you have in your private rooms, let's release that and here is a copy we just happen to have". That is what I find so interesting here,while normally I can well believe they leave the pics chosen and the posting to their PR guys, here Catherine at least must have had a hand in allowing her photo to be released, and I would imagine William would have had a say to. So to me its interesting that the family themselves want this to be released and the message to be conveyed.

Without going too off topic I can well imagine that after the events of the past few months they probably are much closer.

 

[Denville]

They could have done what they usual do and used either an official photo or one from a joint engagement. But this was a private photo taken by Kate herself - I doubt when it was taken 6 months ago they would have known then they were going to release it for Fathers Day and likewise I doubt one of their PR people said - "you know that private photo of William and Charles you have in your private rooms, let's release that and here is a copy we just happen to have". That is what I find so interesting here,while normally I can well believe they leave the pics chosen and the posting to their PR guys, here Catherine at least must have had a hand in allowing her photo to be released, and I would imagine William would have had a say to. So to me its interesting that the family themselves want this to be released and the message to be conveyed.

Without going too off topic I can well imagine that after the events of the past few months they probably are much closer.

I think that as Wil has grown older, yes he has become closer to his father. He is a mature man now and has his own family and he's also taken on a working role, so he and Ch have more in common now than they did years ago.. so I think their relationship has stabilised. But of course the RF are conscious that their image has taken a bashing in the last months and they are probalby very keen to show the "human face of the monarchy" and to show that the 2 future Kings are close to each other...I doubt if they leave the PR all to their PR people..

 

[Betsypaige]

They could have done what they usual do and used either an official photo or one from a joint engagement. But this was a private photo taken by Kate herself - I doubt when it was taken 6 months ago they would have known then they were going to release it for Fathers Day and likewise I doubt one of their PR people said - "you know that private photo of William and Charles you have in your private rooms, let's release that and here is a copy we just happen to have". That is what I find so interesting here,while normally I can well believe they leave the pics chosen and the posting to their PR guys, here Catherine at least must have had a hand in allowing her photo to be released, and I would imagine William would have had a say to. So to me its interesting that the family themselves want this to be released and the message to be conveyed.

Without going too off topic I can well imagine that after the events of the past few months they probably are much closer.

I’ll be honest, I’m going to try and avoid reading any future comments about spin or PR because I just can not be that cynical. I agree with you. I don’t see the photo as PR...I just don’t. It happens that the photo IS good for the BRF, but that’s because people like to see affection between father and son, and this is such a normal photo that most people can identify with. Kate no doubt thought it would be a lovely photo to post, William agreed...and so did Charles.

I’m frankly surprised that there is such skepticism about these articles, about Charles and William’s relationship. It feels like people more easily believe in tensions between members of the BRF than they do in good relations. There have been articles going back months about how the bond between them was growing.

 

[ACO]

Of course it is PR. The pictures are still nice though.

 

[Betsypaige]

Deleted post

 

[yukari]

I love these articles about Charles and William's bond. This one in particular delves into the complications resulting from the War of the Wales'. The entire piece is worth reading, though.




https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2020/06/23/prince-charles-william-became-closer-ever/

The final straw for Harry came with the New Year release of a photograph showing the Queen and her three heirs - Charles, William and George, which only served to compound the Sussexes’ sense of sequestration.

I wonder when they will stop putting that Christmas photo as "the final straw". I mean, it was not even the first photo! It's the third (released) photo! Harry was there during the first and he was not included in the (released) 4 gens photo, the second one even was commissioned for stamps. And it only ticks his nerve now? Seriously, who will believe that?

Edit:
Betsypaige, I don't mean to pick on you, please don't take it the wrong way, just commenting about the article considering Katie Nicholl managed to write readable article without the need to drag the Sussexes into it. Seems like Telegraph is transitioning to become a tabloid now ...

 

[Osipi]

I believe it could be something as simple as the family realizing Catherine's talent for photography and deciding for "inside" family photos, the ones that Catherine takes are the ones they're going to use. Many photos that she's taken have been released for different times. The Chelsea Flower Show from last year comes to mind.

Another DIY example of keeping it in the family is the video released of Meghan reading to Archie. It was Dad in the background recording the whole thing. The photos and video seem more "intimate" perhaps because a professional photographer wasn't brought in.

 

[Eskimo]

I believe it could be something as simple as the family realizing Catherine's talent for photography and deciding for "inside" family photos, the ones that Catherine takes are the ones they're going to use. Many photos that she's taken have been released for different times. The Chelsea Flower Show from last year comes to mind.

Another DIY example of keeping it in the family is the video released of Meghan reading to Archie. It was Dad in the background recording the whole thing. The photos and video seem more "intimate" perhaps because a professional photographer wasn't brought in.

Which works really well in COVID-19. No outside photographers/camera crews limits risk for the virus as well

 

[Betsypaige]

I wonder when they will stop putting that Christmas photo as "the final straw". I mean, it was not even the first photo! It's the third (released) photo! Harry was there during the first and he was not included in the (released) 4 gens photo, the second one even was commissioned for stamps. And it only ticks his nerve now? Seriously, who will believe that?

Edit:
Betsypaige, I don't mean to pick on you, please don't take it the wrong way, just commenting about the article considering Katie Nicholl managed to write readable article without the need to drag the Sussexes into it. Seems like Telegraph is transitioning to become a tabloid now ...

Oh don’t worry, I didn’t take it badly at all.

Reports about Harry being envious/insecure have been out there for awhile, and so has the Christmas photo story. I don’t have a problem with the Telegraph mentioning it because it’s part of the story of Charles’ relationship with his sons and the brothers’ relationship with each other.

I don’t personally want to focus on that, however, as I posted the articles because of their focus on Charles and William. If others want to, that’s up to them.

 

[bmbutler2]

As has been said before, not every couple, Royal or not, can afford the luxury of an eight year run up to marriage. In fact I'd say the vast majority of couples, unless they meet when they are very young, take much less time to wed. In some cases the time between meeting and marriage is incredibly short, but it still works out. Harry and Meghan met in May/June 2016 and married in May 2018, which I would regard as a reasonable amount of time to get to know each other, especially as they were living together from November 2017 to their wedding day on May 19th 2018.

One difference is that Meghan openly campaigned for the job. This nobody actress suddenly starts landing magazine covers and interviews. I kept hoping it was just a joke or a fling for Harry. The biography Harry cooperated with tells alot about him and the struggles he has had in almost every aspect of his life since his mother died. Interestingly, the author who praised Meghan the book as giving him the mothering he needed (not a wife's job) gave an interview to the DM about her thoughts now.

 

[bmbutler2]

I’ll be honest, I’m going to try and avoid reading any future comments about spin or PR because I just can not be that cynical. I agree with you. I don’t see the photo as PR...I just don’t. It happens that the photo IS good for the BRF, but that’s because people like to see affection between father and son, and this is such a normal photo that most people can identify with. Kate no doubt thought it would be a lovely photo to post, William agreed...and so did Charles.

I’m frankly surprised that there is such skepticism about these articles, about Charles and William’s relationship. It feels like people more easily believe in tensions between members of the BRF than they do in good relations. There have been articles going back months about how the bond between them was growing.

I agree with you. I think skepticism helps to feed the gossip. Just enjoying some very sweet and loving pictures doesn't.

 

[Betsypaige]

I agree with you. I think skepticism helps to feed the gossip. Just enjoying some very sweet and loving pictures doesn't.

This. I’m not saying that people aren’t entitled to their opinions, by the way. I just prefer in this case to be positive

 

[Hallo girl]

Why has everything got to be for PR . I am sure there are other members of the family who take private photographs either of their children or family members, the queen was /is known to take film footage. I am sure at their special events there are personal family photographs taken over and above the official ones, just like any other family. It just so happens that the DOC is quite good and is happy to release her photographs rather than formal poses.
Also with regards the queen and heirs photograph, I cannot believe Harry was hurt by this. The four of them in a row was taken for the purpose of releasing royal mail stamps but they thought the photograph was so cute they decided to issue it uncut.
If that had been planned as a photograph it would not have been set up like that.
Harry is a member of the royal family he did not marry into it he knows how these things work. Was Anne offended when her brothers came along and pushed her down the order, no she thought ahead as to how it would affect her family and took steps accordingly.
Why has everything got to have a hidden meaning , let things be what they are.

 

[Betsypaige]

Why has everything got to be for PR . I am sure there are other members of the family who take private photographs either of their children or family members, the queen was /is known to take film footage. I am sure at their special events there are personal family photographs taken over and above the official ones, just like any other family. It just so happens that the DOC is quite good and is happy to release her photographs rather than formal poses.
Also with regards the queen and heirs photograph, I cannot believe Harry was hurt by this. The four of them in a row was taken for the purpose of releasing royal mail stamps but they thought the photograph was so cute they decided to issue it uncut.
If that had been planned as a photograph it would not have been set up like that.
Harry is a member of the royal family he did not marry into it he knows how these things work. Was Anne offended when her brothers came along and pushed her down the order, no she thought ahead as to how it would affect her family and took steps accordingly.
Why has everything got to have a hidden meaning , let things be what they are.

I completely agree with your first point.

As to Harry, just because Anne wasn’t upset doesn’t mean he wasn’t; they are different people. Where there’s smoke, there fire as far as I’m concerned. I can’t say for certain it’s true, but like I said above, there have been multiple reports that Harry was upset. Frankly, given his behavior over the past months, I can buy that he was upset ..and that he was upset that William and Kate were going to process during the Commonwealth services.

 

[Hallo girl]

I must agree with you in regards the Commonwealth Service, there was something going on there.
Plans were changed at the last minute.Kate was not a happy bunny , neither was Harry, and Meghans smile never left her face.
All pretence had gone that day.

 

[Betsypaige]

I must agree with you in regards the Commonwealth Service, there was something going on there.
Plans were changed at the last minute.Kate was not a happy bunny , neither was Harry, and Meghans smile never left her face.
All pretence had gone that day.

Yep. Reports since then have it that William and Harry have been speaking, so hopefully they will mend their relationship, but they sure couldn’t fake it that day.

 

[Denville]

Yep. Reports since then have it that William and Harry have been speaking, so hopefully they will mend their relationship, but they sure couldn’t fake it that day.

I doubt if things have changed all that much. I think there was clearly tension in March, I suspect that the wives are not at all friendly and nothing has changed since then... THey are still in the US, Will and Kate are here in teh UK and doing their job..and there is probalby still tension between the 2 couples because of the way that things ended...

 

[yvr girl]

There is nothing wrong with PR. It is Public Relations. It isn't just spin. The Royal Family serves at the will of the people. The family gets to live an extremely privileged life, but in exchange for that they owe the public some things in return. They do charitable work. They recognize people who contribute to the community. They lead in public mourning and celebration. They are part of the extended family. That's why people want to watch their weddings and see pics of the children.

The British Royal Family has always been a bit more remote than other royal families. I think the good thing to come out of the current situation is that they have become a bit more relatable. I love the less formal pictures we are seeing.

The BRF is a bit older than the other royal families. The Queen is 10-15 years older than the recently abdicated monarchs. She became a young adult in the shadow of WWII. The others were the late 50s or the 60s. She also became queen at a younger age. Times had changed so much. I think this has caused the BRF to be a bit more formal.