The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Family, News and Events 1: September-December 2020

[Heavs]

I think there is always bound to be an increase in interest when a new (female) senior royal marries in, there was for Kate as well, even though she'd "been around for years". And you can see it on the other families threads. With Meghan it came with the many added angles of interest of course. And some of those departed with her.

I think The Crown has created a lot of interest but it does annoy me that some people seem to be taking it as gospel for what happened and not as a loose dramatization. Quite a few people have commented that the BRF seem to be on the news Zooming with a different group everyday in lockdown which I think has done a lot for visibility, though the ones who are most interested are probably those that were already.

For this Sussex board specifically I think many posters on either side and most in the middle run for their lives before commenting here and that has slowed things down as well.

 

[bertie5252003]

TLLK........ I am not a citizen of the UK

 

[TLLK]

TLLK........ I am not a citizen of the UK

n
My apologies.

 

[Curryong]

That same profession that praised Harry to the skies and caused thousands to seek mental health counselling when he spoke of his own struggles years ago? It was on a podcast where he talked about how he had sought counselling for anxiety issues. He spoke on behalf of Heads Together.

 

[Bensgal]

The podcast is good, I just listened to it. But I don't have any issues with Meghan and Harry.

[...]

 

[Claire]

okay - I haven't listened to the podcast and really am going to give it a skip. And maybe I should, you guys are welcome to tell me if this impression is completely wrong. However my problem with Meghan and Harry remains the same as it always has been - they say they are the victim, and how they are bullied and how their mental health is been affected and then two days later - they are bigger then that they are not making it go down the drain or mediating it away. And it does appears to be aimed at the people they are talking to and sounds contrived.
I do not like people using an issue like mental health as a soap box. I am not saying they cant talk about their own struggles but was this really the setting to once again complain about social media.

 

[evolvingdoors]

okay - I haven't listened to the podcast and really am going to give it a skip. And maybe I should, you guys are welcome to tell me if this impression is completely wrong. However my problem with Meghan and Harry remains the same as it always has been - they say they are the victim, and how they are bullied and how their mental health is been affected and then two days later - they are bigger then that they are not making it go down the drain or mediating it away. And it does appears to be aimed at the people they are talking to and sounds contrived.
I do not like people using an issue like mental health as a soap box. I am not saying they cant talk about their own struggles but was this really the setting to once again complain about social media.

Yep. That about sums it up!
There's some good points, but it gets lost because of all you said and more.
[...]

 

[camelot23ca]

I think and this only me ... that greater respectability has rejoined the British RF since their departure. I have always loved being a country with the Queen as head of state BUT I actually lost interest during that whole horror that was that Sussex period... I really just wish if they want privacy and independence the latter financially the reportedly have that they just move forward and really be quiet.

It seems like a significant amount of the extra attention Harry and Meghan brought to the royal family was due to the various controversies, (real or fabricated), that they created, or that surrounded them, almost from the start. The couple attracted vehement fans and vehement detractors and I don’t see evidence that many of these new people have any interest in the BRF itself.

I don’t think the idea that there’s no such thing as bad publicity is true for the Royal Family. The Kardashians have a ton of fans and followers. A car crash on the side of the road attracts a lot of interest. There’s a certain kind of attention the BRF has no need of and that its members shouldn’t chase.

 

[Sandy345]

I did notice the negativity in the media (comments sections) about Meghan while she was pregnant. I remember the media created a "controversy" over a change in her engagement ring and negative comments came in about "disrespecting Harry" by changing the ring. After all the negativity it was revealed that Harry gave her more gems to put on that ring to commemorate the upcoming birth of their first child. I think a good amount of "what she did wrong" was fabricated and came from blogs of people who did not like her. Very unfortunate. I do notice though that other royals did complain about the media and "their lots." Prince Charles even has done so in interviews. This is more of a pattern with some of the royals now who have indeed gone to the media with their "concerns."

 

[Osipi]

I do notice though that other royals did complain about the media and "their lots." Prince Charles even has done so in interviews. This is more of a pattern with some of the royals now who have indeed gone to the media with their "concerns."

My all time favorite swipe at the media comes from Philip. "You have mosquitoes, we have the press." Perfect comparison.

 

[Betsypaige]

It seems like a significant amount of the extra attention Harry and Meghan brought to the royal family was due to the various controversies, (real or fabricated), that they created, or that surrounded them, almost from the start. The couple attracted vehement fans and vehement detractors and I don’t see evidence that many of these new people have any interest in the BRF itself.

I don’t think the idea that there’s no such thing as bad publicity is true for the Royal Family. The Kardashians have a ton of fans and followers. A car crash on the side of the road attracts a lot of interest. There’s a certain kind of attention the BRF has no need of and that its members shouldn’t chase.

I’ve never believed in the “there’s no such thing as bad publicity”.....

Just my opinion, but I don’t think H and M brought more attention to the BRF in and of itself, but rather to how BRF interacted with H and M. In other words, any new Royal fans were most likely Meghan fans who only cared about the Royals as they relate to she and Harry. What the Sussexes DID do is, by their ridiculous behavior, was shine a brighter light on the BRF and the good work they do. The Pandemic contributed to this because while H and M were primarily concerned with their own stuff, the BRF were and have been brilliant during this crisis.

 

[Duchess_Watcher]

Now she wears an RBG face mask. More politics!

 

[TLLK]

The Sun is reporting that Frogmore Cottage is being readied for a visit by Prince Harry -

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/12893055/prince-harry-queen-telling-off-come-home/

Another article reporting that Prince Harry is to return to the UK in the coming weeks.


https://www.marieclaire.com/celebri...return-to-uk-for-a-tough-talk-with-the-queen/

"Staff at Windsor have been told to prepare for the possibility Harry could come back. They are told that it could be within weeks but Meghan's name was not mentioned," a source told the publication. "There are all sorts of issues to speak about—not only his political statements but also his visa situation in the U.S. Even though he would have to isolate for two weeks, the estate is large enough for talks in a socially distanced way."

 

[acdc1]

What do you all think the chances of Meghan and Archie coming back to the UK with him are? At first I didn’t think that they would, seeing as taking a baby on a plane during a pandemic does NOT seem like a fun time. But Harry would have to be away for at least two weeks with the quarantine period, then another two weeks when he gets back to the states (although I’m sure their house is large enough for him to quarantine mostly apart from Meghan and Archie and still see them and spend time with them, same for Windsor). So is there a chance that they could be coming back with him and maybe staying for a more extended time?

 

[US Royal Watcher]

I understand that some of the things written about them have been hurtful but to call these comments "almost unsurvivable" seems whiny to me and almost as tone deaf as the Africa interview.

I know that she was trying to make a point about people being kinder, especially online, but I think her message about online bullying came across as self-pity rather than empathetic. I'm sorry she is unhappy about the comments but Meghan and Harry are adults. It's too bad they have been attacked online but I am more worried about vulnerable teenagers bullied online than Meghan and Harry.

There are so many other things that she could focus on. Many charities are struggling right now which means that the poorest people in the world are bearing the brunt of the uncertain economy. The frustrating thing is that I know that Meghan deeply cares about those less fortunate. Instead of complaining about how hard her life is, she would be better served if she limited her venting to close friends and refrain from publicly talking about what is essentially, a first world problem.

 

[TLLK]

I believe that most likely Harry will make the journey a solo one even though it would require him to be away from his family for some weeks.

 

[AC21091968]

What do you all think the chances of Meghan and Archie coming back to the UK with him are? At first I didn’t think that they would, seeing as taking a baby on a plane during a pandemic does NOT seem like a fun time. But Harry would have to be away for at least two weeks with the quarantine period, then another two weeks when he gets back to the states (although I’m sure their house is large enough for him to quarantine mostly apart from Meghan and Archie and still see them and spend time with them, same for Windsor). So is there a chance that they could be coming back with him and maybe staying for a more extended time?

I think there is some or even little possibility for Meghan and Archie to come back to the UK for photographs in the future, when COVID-19 is under control with little restrictions. I'm probably talking about pictures with

• Lots of members of the Royal Family including all siblings in 3 or 4 generations (There is a chance that Meghan is not included, if the palace insist not to include members who could stir up controversies. This could also include Andrew and Sarah)
• The Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and their great-grandchildren (though probably not happening next year on the Duke's 100th birthday ). It could be weird if Archie is excluded from the photograph, either by Palace of Meghan's decision herself

Like I mentioned in these two examples, either the Palace/Royal Family could deliberately exclude Meghan and Archie from photographs or Meghan (and consequently) could decide not to be part of the photograph.

I'm not sure about public events though.

 

[Curryong]

If a photo of multi royals of the third and fourth generations are taken and the Palace then sought to exclude Harry's wife and child from that photograph then Harry, quite rightly, would protest and refuse to take part. That exclusion would also give the media plenty to talk about and would not be good PR for the Palace.

Family members stirring up controversies? In that case the Queen and other members of the family would have not had photos taken with Sophie after the Fake Sheikh debacle, Anne after the case of her stolen adulterous love letters, Andrew after his friendship with Epstein was first unmasked, the Phillips after selling their wedding to Hello and first and foremost either of the Wales's during 'the War of the Wales'.

 

[amaryllus]

@Curryong the difference is those are her children and her soul mate. No way the Queen would ever exclude them. Sophia made a mistake, learned from it had been exemplary ever since. Meghan is hardly at that level is she? Besides She never showed much interest In playing happy family with the Windsor’s IMO. If The Queen has Archie in photographs that’s enough IMO.

 

[Curryong]

And Harry would just beam happily and he and his son would pose for family photos while his wife and mother of his child is insulted. Yes, I can just see that happening!

The Phillips are not HM's children, and Autumn is a granddaughter in law just like Meghan. Diana was not her child (neither was Sophie who was quite a new Windsor when that scandal happened) and yet Diana was photographed with the rest of the family during the War of the Wales.

The point is that various members of the BRF have been mired in controversy and scandal for generations, and so the Palace has no business barring anyone (who isn't divorced from a royal relative) from family photos. Nor do I think that the Palace would do so.

 

[AC21091968]

If there are any photographs in the future, I just hope there would no more "awkwardness" between Royal Family Members, which was quite evident in Prince William's face in Archie's christening photo.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/48891915

In terms of photograph of The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh with their great-grandchildren, I just hope the photographers would not place Archie in a different position or making him the "odd one out". I am sure Archie's cousins will be welcoming to him.

 

[Heavs]

Any photographs that feature the great grandchildren I'm sure Archie would be there, assuming he was in the UK at the time (I don't see them flying back specially for it even in a year or so). I don't think he'd be treated differently by photographers, why would he? He has two little cousins close in age to be grouped with and wouldn't be the youngest by the time it happened, most likely. They're not likely to have the group together an then Archie off to the side symbolising his parents split with the family or anything.

As for full family photographs, well that doesn't happen very often anyway and is less likely in the near future with HM isolating and several other older members who need to be careful, and who knows what will have happened by the time there's the opportunity for one? I assume the most likely time would be at Trooping or the big family Christmas party at BP and it entirely depends on if Meghan and/or Harry actually go to these type of things ever again. If she's there and other spouses are in the picture, she'd probably be in it since they are still married, unlike someone like Fergie for example.

 

[Alison H]

I can't imagine for one second that the Queen and Prince Philip would agree to Archie being treated like a second-class citizen. He's a toddler. None of this is his fault.


Sadly, none of us are likely to be having big family gatherings any time soon :-( .

 

[Denville]

I can't imagine for one second that the Queen and Prince Philip would agree to Archie being treated like a second-class citizen. He's a toddler. None of this is his fault.


Sadly, none of us are likely to be having big family gatherings any time soon :-( .

No, so with them settled in California, I think there wont be many chances for photos.

 

[QueenMathilde]

The headline right now on the Mail Online is that lockdown might continue till christmas and it includes families. So he might not be able to get back.

 

[AC21091968]

Prince Harry has become a supporter of the TackleHIV campaign. Tackle HIV released a video of the podcast, where Prince Harry is mentioned

Tackle HIV @TackleHIV
Honoured to have the Duke of Sussex, Prince Harry as a supporter of the #TackleHIV campaign [Handshake]
Join us in our battle and listen to episode 1 of the Talking Stigma podcast now [Headphone]
@ViiVHC
8:19 PM · Oct 12, 2020·Falcon Social Media Management​

https://twitter.com/x/status/1315582769502859264

 

[AC21091968]

Some snippets of the interview with Malala Yousafzai.

"The Duke and Duchess joined Malala Yousafzai for a chat about the impact of the pandemic on girls' access to education."

https://news.sky.com/story/lockdown...t-steps-harry-and-meghan-tell-malala-12102049

 

[TLLK]

I think there is some or even little possibility for Meghan and Archie to come back to the UK for photographs in the future, when COVID-19 is under control with little restrictions. I'm probably talking about pictures with

• Lots of members of the Royal Family including all siblings in 3 or 4 generations (There is a chance that Meghan is not included, if the palace insist not to include members who could stir up controversies. This could also include Andrew and Sarah)
• The Queen, Duke of Edinburgh and their great-grandchildren (though probably not happening next year on the Duke's 100th birthday ). It could be weird if Archie is excluded from the photograph, either by Palace of Meghan's decision herself

Like I mentioned in these two examples, either the Palace/Royal Family could deliberately exclude Meghan and Archie from photographs or Meghan (and consequently) could decide not to be part of the photograph.

I'm not sure about public events though.

I don't believe that the Queen/DoE would deliberately exclude anyone from the Sussex family when it comes to photos. However I do concede that as parents, they might not want any of the photos to be released to the public. The only person who will most likely not be in any publicly shared photos is Prince Andrew.

 

[Claire]

Really felt sorry for Malala in the interview. I really wonder when people are going to stop been H&M PR's partners. Also terrible ashamed that they are especially using children for this.

 

[Curryong]

Meghan has been a supporter of female education and empowerment in the Third World for years and all three of the participants seemed relaxed and comfortable during their talk.

Malala herself when signing off sent love and kisses to Archie, so there's no sign that she objected to the few minutes of chat about Harry and Meghan's child at all. Plus, it may well have brought some new publicity to the cause and to Malala's Fund, confounded by herself.