The Duke & Duchess of Sussex and Family, News and Events 3: March - April 2021


If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Status
Not open for further replies.
I can't see them being at the christening if there is one. Its too soon, its clear that they can't be trusted and it would probably be stressful to chat and try to focus on the baby when only a few months ago, the Sussexes behaved so bizarrely. Conversation would probably be very stilted and whoever went from the RF would really be wary of what they said...

I agree. And, I think this is something we’re going to see for a very long time even after the pandemic has passed and travel is again unrestricted so no longer an excuse to fall back on. I truly don’t think we’ll see Harry and/or Meghan at anything with members of the RF for a very long time to come, if ever, simply for the reason that now no one can speak in their presence without having to wonder which morning show the conversation verbatim might pop up on the next day or even whether they might be being recorded. Remember, there was already speculation in some corners that Meghan might have been wearing some sort of recording device under that green dress on their last event in the Abbey.
 
On my way into work, the radio DJ mentioned Harry has a job. Lol This “news” is everywhere, whether you’re looking for it or not.


But that shows how they consider "working Royals" IMHO. That the service they bring to society is just a fancy plaything for Royals to fill their empty life and nothing special to laude them. hence the negative media even though they try to change the country to the better. They are more than just tiaras and white ties.
 
But that shows how they consider "working Royals" IMHO. That the service they bring to society is just a fancy plaything for Royals to fill their empty life and nothing special to laude them. hence the negative media even though they try to change the country to the better. They are more than just tiaras and white ties.

Im not sure what you mean but Harry is no longer a working royal... He's a royal prince who has now left his old life in the UK and is taking on a job... and since he's not over popular in the UK, its likely that reactions to his " I've got a job now" are likely to be less than favourable and he'll be seen as taking on some vague role in order to be seen and get paid....
 
But that wasn't what Meghan said. She said she called him with the explicit demand of marrying them right away and he came running. She told him by the phone that she wanted a wedding, it wasn't the spending time with them he might have expected. I find it hard to believe that he'd have so much free time on his hands for them - first for emergencies and then to go over the place to explain in person, as if she were stupid, that it couldn't be done.
Perhaps she made use of a time slot loosely reserved for them. They might have been told that they should feel free to contact Justin Welby for questions... which, on the TV, was turned into "He was in for the ride with our spontaneous idea!"

He is a busy person. He's the leader of the CoE and Head of the Anglican Communion of roughly 85 million people, sits in the House of Lords etc.

But I'm also sure that if three days before their wedding which he was presiding over, which was going to be watched by a billion people, they called him and asked him to come over and sounded upset or stressed, he would make time. Maybe not rush for the door, but would come over. There are certain perks to being members of the BRF and that's one of them. Along with things like Meghan saying Harry never voted but leaving out the fact that the PM will take your calls if you're HRH. He was also supposed to have got on very well with both of them and grown close when he prepared her for Baptism and Confirmation.

We also don't actually know how they asked. Lambeth Palace at once point suggested it was just a "rehearsal", so maybe he came over to go over things in private with them and offer them support and they sprung a "can we get married NOW?" thing on him.

To which he said "sorry no, but I can give you a blessing over some personalised promises to each other if you want".

Of course now he might be regretting being involved at all since he really didn't need this extra headache at the moment. Because *they* didn't really need him there for a simple exchange of non religious vows.
 
Last edited:
I agree. And, I think this is something we’re going to see for a very long time even after the pandemic has passed and travel is again unrestricted so no longer an excuse to fall back on. I truly don’t think we’ll see Harry and/or Meghan at anything with members of the RF for a very long time to come, if ever, simply for the reason that now no one can speak in their presence without having to wonder which morning show the conversation verbatim might pop up on the next day or even whether they might be being recorded. Remember, there was already speculation in some corners that Meghan might have been wearing some sort of recording device under that green dress on their last event in the Abbey.
Oh come, I think that's a bit silly. And God knows I don't like her. But I think that the atmosphere was so frosty back then that Im sure all shed pick up would have been talk about trivialities since it was clear that she and Harry were at odds with Will and Kate, and W and K were politely ignoring htem...
I'd say that Will has been wary of them for some time and probably keeps up a very distant polite contact, and now I think that all the RF will be wary and feel afraid that something they say will be twisted and show up on Oprah or some other TV program.
 
Travel may be bad this summer with new strains of COVID. I think if necessarily there could be a lovely Christening at a US Church for their child. Perhaps a reception later if they return after COVID goes away.
 
He is a busy person. He's the leader of the CoE and Head of the Anglican Communion of roughly 85 million people, sits in the House of Lords etc.

But I'm also sure that if three days before their wedding which he was presiding over, which was going to be watched by a billion people, they called him and asked him to come over and sounded upset or stressed, he would make time. Maybe not rush for the door, but would come over. There are certain perks to being members of the BRF and that's one of them. Along with things like Meghan saying Harry never voted but leaving out the fact that the PM will take your calls if you're HRH. He was also supposed to have got on very well with both of them and grown close when he prepared her for Baptism and Confirmation.

We also don't actually know how they asked. Lambeth Palace at once point suggested it was just a "rehearsal", so maybe he came over to go over things in private with them and offer them support and they sprung a "can we get married NOW?" thing on him.

To which he said "sorry no, but I can give you a blessing over some personalised promises to each other if you want".

If she did ring up and ask straight out for a wedding, I can see him being very exasperated but they WERE a royal couple getting married.. and he would take their call and be polite. but he must be wondering if she was listening during those religion classes...
 
Oh come, I think that's a bit silly. And God knows I don't like her. But I think that the atmosphere was so frosty back then that Im sure all shed pick up would have been talk about trivialities since it was clear that she and Harry were at odds with Will and Kate, and W and K were politely ignoring htem...
I'd say that Will has been wary of them for some time and probably keeps up a very distant polite contact, and now I think that all the RF will be wary and feel afraid that something they say will be twisted and show up on Oprah or some other TV program.

I didn’t say it was reasonable, I said it’s already been floated from several corners within the past year. And, after the Gayle King thing and the train wreck with Oprah, I can’t say I’d blame any of them for refusing to say more than “good morning” or “nice weather we’re having” in the presence of Harry and Meghan. But, it’s hard to do that in the context of family events like Trooping the Colour, Christmas, the pre-Christmas lunch, summer gatherings at Balmoral, etc. so I suspect that, for everyone’s comfort, well no longer see them at those events or, on the off chance that we do, it’ll have that icy and uncomfortable look we saw at the Abbey rather than the comfortable atmosphere we usually see on such occasions and that would really be a shame both for the family and those of us watching.
 
I think the RF are quite good at putting on a face in public.. perhaps not Will so much.. as I think he was unable to hide his annoyance last year. But the rest of them can probably force a smile at public events with people even if they are wary of them. I think that they WILL be reduced to "Lovely weather" etc talk with Meg and H...but they'l meet up occasionallly....
 
I agree. And I’m still a bit mind blown at the “it’s not their right to take it away” comment. Actually, it is their right. It is 100% the right of the monarch to issue new LPs whenever he or she believes it is necessary. I still go back to the idea that for someone with such obvious disdain for this entire family and way of life, she sure does seem to desperately cling to those titles. That much became clear in their statement about Harry and Archie always being royal and at this point it’s almost become a joke.


Charles will never do that. For one, Archie is his grandson! And how could he issue new LP when one thing he doesn't want to do is issue LP about Camilla not being his queen but just his "princesss consort" (and then Catherine after her?). Charles is not Oliver Cromwell who had Charles I., the brother of Charles' ancestress Elizabeth Stuart of Bohemia, executed during the Glorious Revolution. He would never do something to downplay the Royal rank of his family. He will leave things like that to parliament and I doubt parliament will take the time to deprive Camilla and Archie of their long-established rights to their titles.

We are not talking here about punishing Harry and Meghan, we are talking about changing the inheritance laws of the British Royal family and IMHO Charles will never do something to lower the status of his close family. You don't know if such a diminishment will lead to an erosion and where this will end?

As for "never going to be invited" - do you have an idea what Roxals actually did to each other within the family and got away with that? They might not longer trust Harry and Meghan but in public they will be granted their historically earned places at state ceremonies. And believe me, Harry will swear allegiance as the king's son when Charles is crowned. Struggle for money etc. is all forgotten once it comes to the most sacred part of monarchy! I am so sure we will see Meghan, HRH the Duchess of Sussex on Charles' coronation in church in London.
 
I'm not sure that the family dynamics would have to be "friendly" for the christening. I can't imagine the Queen refusing to handle the new baby's christening any differently than the other great-grandchildren. The family would not take out their differences with Harry and Meghan on the children.

While I quite agree with The Queen's ability to treat this as any other baptism, and hope any family disputes would be set aside should the couple wish to baptize their daughter as a family celebration in the UK, it was very much remarked on at Archie's baptism that the family could not even manage a picture where William's extreme discomfort was not etched on his face, and Catherine looked ready to launch herself out the door.

While those who commented on this at the time were criticized for "reading too much into it," of course it was later confirmed that tensions were indeed running very high, and I can only imagine that is nothing to how they are running now.
 
Harry’s role at BetterUp.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/43...chief-impact-officer-at-mental-health-company


Harry is also working with Oprah on the Apple documentary series on mental health. Glad to see that Harry (and Meghan) are moving on, exploring other fields that interest them.

i find it interesting that harry in the interview said he didn't know how to support his wife through suicidal thoughts (despite his many high level connections) but he's now got no problems accepting a role as chief impact officer of a mental health non profit.

these 2 make no sense.
 
IA- this is a serious issue.

Not sure I’m thrilled that Harry is involved in American disinformation. Really? He’s been here maybe a year....

Also....he just gave an interview full of misinformation....Pretty irresponsible of him. Especially if he’s joining a study on disinformation and misinformation. He and his wife contributed to the problem.

A "Commission on Information Disorder". Sounds positively Orwellian. I can see how that would appeal to a certain political demographic.

Do Americans really want a foreigner looking at their society? Especially one whose CV is embarrassingly sparse compared to eminent figures like a former director of US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.

It wouldn't happen here thank goodness. Far too controversial.

The spectacle of Mr & Mrs Windsor disseminating their own misinformation is of course ironic.
 
Last edited:
BTW, my knowledge of the way CoE functions is rather deficient, but would the Archbishop of Canterbury really be sitting around waiting for a call, in case a royal bride took a fancy to a sudden backyard wedding? Isn't he a busy man with a schedule? I mean, unless there is an emergency, you can't just summon the Queen because you really want to. Is it possible to do with the AoC?

I find that a bit weird too. He's not a pizza delivery service - you can't just ring up and ask him to come round! But maybe you can if you're the Queen's grandson - he might have had the impression that they were worried about arrangements for the real wedding ceremony or something?
 
But that wasn't what Meghan said. She said she called him with the explicit demand of marrying them right away and he came running. She told him by the phone that she wanted a wedding, it wasn't the spending time with them he might have expected. I find it hard to believe that he'd have so much free time on his hands for them - first for emergencies and then to go over the place to explain in person, as if she were stupid, that it couldn't be done.
Perhaps she made use of a time slot loosely reserved for them. They might have been told that they should feel free to contact Justin Welby for questions... which, on the TV, was turned into "He was in for the ride with our spontaneous idea!"
I am sure that this was an planned event after the planned rehearsal for the wedding ceremony. Something this huge would have to be rehearsed in the actual space. My bet is they had some sort of typical social event following and that she embroidered the space “back yard” ( to put it mildly). The Archbishop is not going to discuss or comment on a private and confidential conversation with parishioners. She threw our Bishop Curry (Episcopal bishop who preached at their wedding) under the bus as well. The CofE service and the Episcopal (US) service is almost identical but I certainly don’t see them going to some church in California for a baptism!
 
Charles will never do that. For one, Archie is his grandson! And how could he issue new LP when one thing he doesn't want to do is issue LP about Camilla not being his queen but just his "princesss consort" (and then Catherine after her?). Charles is not Oliver Cromwell who had Charles I., the brother of Charles' ancestress Elizabeth Stuart of Bohemia, executed during the Glorious Revolution. He would never do something to downplay the Royal rank of his family. He will leave things like that to parliament and I doubt parliament will take the time to deprive Camilla and Archie of their long-established rights to their titles.

We are not talking here about punishing Harry and Meghan, we are talking about changing the inheritance laws of the British Royal family and IMHO Charles will never do something to lower the status of his close family. You don't know if such a diminishment will lead to an erosion and where this will end?

As for "never going to be invited" - do you have an idea what Roxals actually did to each other within the family and got away with that? They might not longer trust Harry and Meghan but in public they will be granted their historically earned places at state ceremonies. And believe me, Harry will swear allegiance as the king's son when Charles is crowned. Struggle for money etc. is all forgotten once it comes to the most sacred part of monarchy! I am so sure we will see Meghan, HRH the Duchess of Sussex on Charles' coronation in church in London.

Whether you believe he will or not does not negate the fact that it certainly is his right to do so by issuing new LPs and that was my point. Meghan stated clearly “it’s not their right to take it away” but actually, it is. Whether he does or not is an entirely different matter but it’s certainly his right to do so if he chooses.

We can differ in belief about whether or not we’ll see them with the family again, that’s fine. I simply don’t believe we will both for the comfort of the entire family and because I don’t really think they’ll set foot in the UK again other than maybe for visa related issues on Harry’s part.
 
Of course she desperately clings to the titles - this is their brand now, this is how they're not the same as your run-of-the-mill celebrity in LA, they are royal. This is how they earn money, this is how they get plush jobs which won't require them doing anything, this is the foundation on which they're building their brand.

It's very interesting & surprising how a title seems to be so useful in the US. I'd always presumed the US was immune from that sort of thing when it came to serious issues like work.

I find that a bit weird too. He's not a pizza delivery service - you can't just ring up and ask him to come round! But maybe you can if you're the Queen's grandson - he might have had the impression that they were worried about arrangements for the real wedding ceremony or something?

Anything either say is best taken with a (large) pinch of salt.

Unless His Grace actually confirms this happened I think it stretches credulity to imagine that the AofC just popped round to perform some sort of ceremony.

The whole tale just comes across as entitled. As though the Primate of All England is some sort of plaything to be summoned like a minion.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
i find it interesting that harry in the interview said he didn't know how to support his wife through suicidal thoughts (despite his many high level connections) but he's now got no problems accepting a role as chief impact officer of a mental health non profit.

these 2 make no sense.

Actually BetterUp is a for profit business, although it seems to be working hard to disguise this fact in all the recent publicity.

BetterUp develops high-performing cultures that fuel business growth by improving leadership behaviors and increasing employee performance.

Basically getting corporations to pay for an app to improve employee performance with some sort of mini CBT techniques.

I also find it interesting that Harry's titles are used A LOT on his employee page:

https://www.betterup.com/en-us/resources/blog/prince-harry-chief-impact-officer

Whereas Princess Beatrice is simply referred to as "Beatrice York" on Afiniti's website:

https://afiniti.com/team/beatrice-york
 
Last edited:
I think what people took issue with was the idea that Charles (or whoever) would want to change the LP for the grandchild(ren) of mixed racial background. They have every right to do whatever they want but you have to admit if that had occurred many would have questioned why...

I guess if could still happen and they can still explain why they don't want Archie and his sister to be a prince and princess once Charles becomes King.
 
I think what people took issue with was the idea that Charles (or whoever) would want to change the LP for the grandchild(ren) of mixed racial background. They have every right to do whatever they want but you have to admit if that had occurred many would have questioned why...


Not in Britain they wouldn't. It's seems an obvious next step in the modernisation of the monarchy really, to cut down the number of HRH's etc.

What was not acceptable was to try & link this question to the issue of race. It was not fair for M&H to do this & it was not ethical of Oprah Winfrey to let them do it.

All of that could have been explained very clearly in the interview. Instead the issue of race was weaponised. It has done real damage to the reputation of the BRF.
 
Last edited:
I think what people took issue with was the idea that Charles (or whoever) would want to change the LP for the grandchild(ren) of mixed racial background. They have every right to do whatever they want but you have to admit if that had occurred many would have questioned why...

I guess if could still happen and they can still explain why they don't want Archie and his sister to be a prince and princess once Charles becomes King.

I don’t disagree at all. I’m sure that is what some people take issue with. And honestly, I think it’s a no win situation. On the one hand, changing the LPs may simply have been a part of the plan all along no matter who Harry married, what her race was, or how many children they had. On the other, I can certainly see why the race card would be the first thing many people jump to if it were to happen that the LPs were changed. Archie and his sister are just as special as any other child but they’re no more special just simply because they happen to be biracial and arguing that the LPs absolutely shouldn’t be changed for any reason, even if it’s in line with plans for a slimmed down monarchy or in accordance with what almost all European monarchies are doing currently, only and totally because they happen to be biracial isn’t right, either. These two children should never be discriminated against because they’re biracial but by the same token special measures shouldn’t be taken for them that wouldn’t ordinarily be simply because they’re biracial. If the LPs were always going to be changed then they still should be. If they weren’t, then they shouldn’t. But I do think either way is a no win situation, particularly with Meghan fueling the fire.
 
Not in Britain they wouldn't. It's seems an obvious next step in the modernisation of the monarchy really, to cut down the number HRH'S etc.

What was not acceptable was to try & link this question to the issue of race. It was not fair for M&H to do this & it was not ethical of Oprah Winfrey to let them do it.

All of that could have been explained very clearly in the interview. Instead the issue of race was weaponised. It has done real damage to the reputation of the BRF.

You sure? I think many would question why it would start with Archie. There is a reason why many reacted the way they did. Right or wrong, it is a valid question.

Not saying I even agree but I can definitely see the other side.

Anyways it will be interesting how they proceed with Archie and his sister in the future. I feel something needs to be cleared up one way or another.
 
The palace should have pushed back hard here & made it abundantly clear that any changes to future LP'S would be made by the sovereign in the best interests of the monarchy.

This issue is just going to fester.

You sure? I think many would question why it would start with Archie. There is a reason why many reacted the way they did. Right or wrong, it is a valid question.

Not saying I even agree but I can definitely see the other side.

Anyways it will be interesting how they proceed with Archie and his sister in the future. I feel something needs to be cleared up one way or another.

It is a valid question I agree & it needs to be met head on. With a statement forcefully refuting any suggestion of racism.

If people then continue to believe the poison that came from H&M then that's up to them. But I believe the palace has made a serious miscalculation by not responding directly to this accusation.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
We are not talking here about punishing Harry and Meghan, we are talking about changing the inheritance laws of the British Royal family and IMHO Charles will never do something to lower the status of his close family. You don't know if such a diminishment will lead to an erosion and where this will end?


By "inheritance laws", do you mean the rules on the use of royal titles and styles? If so, several monarchs in Europe have been doing it for quite some time:



  1. King Harald V decided that Sverre Magnus would not be an HRH (only a plain Prince) and that Princess Märtha-Louise's children would be untitled.
  2. Queen Beatrix decided that Prince Constantijn's and Prince Friso's children would only be counts/countesses and not, for example, HH Prince/Princess [xxx] of Orange-Nassau (as, I believe, was still possible under the Law on Membership of the Royal Family).
  3. King Juan Carlos decreed that children of Infantes/Infantas would have the consideration only of Grandees of Spain with the style of Excellency and that only the children of the Prince of Asturias would be HRH Infante/Infanta (previously, children of Infantes were Infantes too).
  4. King Carl Gustaf stripped CP's and Madeleine's children of the HRH (previously all persons in the line of succession to the Swedish throne were HRHs).
So they have all "downgraded" the status of members of their families compared to previous practice. How would Charles be different if he did the same? Not all members of a monarch's family have to be royal. The cut has to be made somewhere and, nowadays, a grandson in collateral line is normally pretty far from the throne and not expected to become a state-funded working royal.

I don't know if Charles will make any changes and, as I said, I doubt he would discuss any change plans with the Family while the Queen is still alive (since royal titles still fall under her prerogative exclusively). Nevertheless, if he made any changes as King, e.g. to his grandchildren's titles, I doubt it would be seen as something scandalous or interpreted as any form of "downgrading" of the family's status.


It's very interesting & surprising how a title seems to be so useful in the US. I'd always presumed the US was immune from that sort of thing when it came to serious issues like work.



Yes, old school textbooks, when discussing inbound immigration in the 19th and early 20th century, used to brag about how America was a land of opportunity where family name did not matter for upward social mobility (based instead on hard work and merit). That supposedly contrasted with the rigid social class in Europe with its landed aristocracy and titles.



Of course, those claims were always questionable, especially that "family name" or "family fortune" (I am not talking about "titles") didn't matter in America, but it is still part of the idea of the American dream, even for recent immigrants today.
 
Last edited:
Interesting how Harry is joining two initiatives that are both areas in which he might be interested but has A LOT to learn about: Mental Health (an issue for both of them that they admitted they unfortunately feel ashamed of and have no clue how to deal with) and Disinformation (which he happily had his wife spread about his own family).

Harry joining a commission on US disinformation despite only being there for a year........Hmm.

They have been victims of it but have now admitted to throwing completely unfact checked disinformation out there for sensationalist reasons and had a *tabloid* of all things proved that. Among the many other things many media outlets fact checked from their interview. I think we were up to about 12 things factually proven false.

I hope being a "Silicon Valley Contact Officer" for an app is a positive step forward but I'm not sure it's going to be an eye opener in terms of work for him.

Mr. Robichaux declined to comment on how Prince Harry would be compensated and didn’t share details of his employment agreement, saying that he would be joining the company’s leadership team as an “officer of the corporation.” Prince Harry won’t manage employees or have direct reports, but he is likely to spend some time in the company’s San Francisco headquarters once it is safe to do so, and to participate in all-hands meetings, Mr. Robichaux said. He is also expected to appear at special company events.

But we'll see.
Not having direct reports seems a clear sign that this 'job' isn't a real position but more an interesting alliance for both parties.
 
Last edited:
Actually BetterUp is a for profit business, although it seems to be working hard to disguise this fact in all the recent publicity.



Basically getting corporations to pay for an app to improve employee performance with some sort of mini CBT techniques.

I also find it interesting that Harry's titles are used A LOT on his employee page:

https://www.betterup.com/en-us/resources/blog/prince-harry-chief-impact-officer

Whereas Princess Beatrice is simply referred to as "Beatrice York" on Afiniti's website:

https://afiniti.com/team/beatrice-york

Yes, only the HRH is left out.
I can't stop laughing when reading what Harry wrote. Resilience and mental power, how much he improved LOL
and of course he mentions the british military once in a while, let's see how long they will remain happy with it. there have been rumours already against him.
the media blew up the whole afghanistan thing, just like they did with Andrew and Falklands, both came in handy for the RF, but the truth behind Harry's deployment was a whole team was there to protect him- so he was able to feel important and play a little war, while others risked their lifes for him.

Curious about what Harry will write about his second job. How much he has been into disinformation

The US is really good for any surprise, to ask somebody of his poor education, not even being american (will he soon be?) to work with high profiled employees on serious matters like society ? In Europe this would never work.

By the way, does nobody check his status. He must have a work permit now? Or is it done by vitamin B to Obamas?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm not sure that the family dynamics would have to be "friendly" for the christening. I can't imagine the Queen refusing to handle the new baby's christening any differently than the other great-grandchildren. The family would not take out their differences with Harry and Meghan on the children.

There isn't one way in which the queen handles her great-grandchildren's christenings. She attended some of them but not all (and it was not dependent on whether the baby was a royal highness or had royal parents - but on health and availability it seems). Pictures with the queen were only released for the christenings of the Prince of Wales's grandchildren - as far as the queen was present; and not for the christening of her other great-grandchildren even if she attended.
 
Actually BetterUp is a for profit business, although it seems to be working hard to disguise this fact in all the recent publicity.



Basically getting corporations to pay for an app to improve employee performance with some sort of mini CBT techniques.

I also find it interesting that Harry's titles are used A LOT on his employee page:

https://www.betterup.com/en-us/resources/blog/prince-harry-chief-impact-officer

Whereas Princess Beatrice is simply referred to as "Beatrice York" on Afiniti's website:

https://afiniti.com/team/beatrice-york



lol of course the titles are included. Not surprised.
 
There isn't one way in which the queen handles her great-grandchildren's christenings. She attended some of them but not all (and it was not dependent on whether the baby was a royal highness or had royal parents - but on health and availability it seems). Pictures with the queen were only released for the christenings of the Prince of Wales's grandchildren - as far as the queen was present; and not for the christening of her other great-grandchildren even if she attended.

I don't think she attended Archie's christening, did she?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom