The Duke & Duchess of Sussex and Family, News and Events 4: April-June 2021

[Osipi]

Just imagined the Duke of Edinburgh dropping in on this conversation and saying "loose lips sink ships". Sounds like something a navy man would say eh?

 

[_Heather_]

One thing I can bet my last Oreo cookie on is that there'll be a beeline to Meghan after Harry returns hoping to pick up a scoop or three on the "inside story" of Harry's time back in the UK with his family.

I hope Harry does stay closed mouth and keeps things to himself. If so, as time passes, there'll be no scoops to be had from the Sussexes and perhaps fences can be mended. If Meghan or Harry give a "scoop" that is made public, it'll just widen the divide that already exists and further alienate the Sussexes from the British royal family.

The less said at this time, the better.

This is all very well put. I totally agree with you that it would probably make your head spin how fast “friends” like Gayle and Scobie will be knocking on the door and burning up the phone lines as soon as Harry returns.

Harry might be in a pretty difficult spot here. I suppose he might have been the one who called up Gayle King, but it doesn't seem likely. He might have just told his wife about his conversation with his brother, like most people would do, and that was all it took for it to end up on Good Morning America. If he wants to regain the trust of his family, he may need to be more judicious about what he tells Meghan. If he loves her as much as he seems to, he may not think it's worth it.

This is actually a really good point. Maybe it was Harry who spoke directly to Gayle but maybe it wasn’t. If not then I’d love to know if Harry has considered that he might need to be more selective with what he shares with his wife if he ever wants to have any hope at all of beginning to repair relationships with his family.

 

[camelot23ca]

Maybe Harry doesn't want to engage in lengthy conversations. I suspect he wants to see his grandmother and smooth things over with his father, but I wouldn't be surprised if he does not care to engage with his brother. A lot of people seem to take the view that the brothers need to make peace with each other, but I have the feeling that the relationship between Harry and William might never be close again and maybe Harry just doesn't care. There are obviously some deep-seated issues between them and perhaps the differences are irreconcilable.

I don’t get the overall focus in the press and elsewhere on a reconciliation between William and Harry. I’ve seen plenty of comments suggesting the week of the funeral will provide an opportunity for the family to clear the air and come together.

First of all, I think the immediate aftermath of the death of a loved one is a horrible time to try to hash things out with family members. People are tired, grieving, emotionally raw - not the best state of mind to try to move forward in a productive way.

Second of all, it’s been, what, a month since Harry and his wife sat down with Oprah Winfrey and deliberately set out to cause as much damage to the BRF as they possibly could. And that just capped off a year filled with atrocious behaviour. I love my brother dearly, but under those circumstances, it would take quite a bit longer than a month or two before I’d want to deal with him, and any reconciliation would be a slow, gradual process, with the recognition that I’d never completely trust him again.

I hope that the brothers can eventually find a different way to relating to each other now that they both have their own families, and that, at some point, they can put the past behind them and enjoy an overall positive relationship. But that’s going to take time.

 

[Betsypaige]

Agreed. And I fully agree that there’s going to be a test, probably several actually, and I wouldn’t be surprised at all of Harry failed the first one by running to Gayle King.

If they’re going to ever heal, they’re going to have to be honest with each other...and one thing I hope Charles says to Harry is that they can’t heal if he allows their conversations to be made public. After that, it’s up to him.

I don’t get the overall focus in the press and elsewhere on a reconciliation between William and Harry. I’ve seen plenty of comments suggesting the week of the funeral will provide an opportunity for the family to clear the air and come together.

First of all, I think the immediate aftermath of the death of a loved one is a horrible time to try to hash things out with family members. People are tired, grieving, emotionally raw - not the best state of mind to try to move forward in a productive way.

Second of all, it’s been, what, a month since Harry and his wife sat down with Oprah Winfrey and deliberately set out to cause as much damage to the BRF as they possibly could. And that just capped off a year filled with atrocious behaviour. I love my brother dearly, but under those circumstances, it would take quite a bit longer than a month or two before I’d want to deal with him, and any reconciliation would be a slow, gradual process, with the recognition that I’d never completely trust him again.

I hope that the brothers can eventually find a different way to relating to each other now that they both have their own families, and that, at some point, they can put the past behind them and enjoy an overall positive relationship. But that’s going to take time.

I believe I said this before, but what I would hope would happen during this time would be for Charles, Harry and William to try and begin to heal. That doesn’t mean rehashing their grievances, but it does mean acknowledging that there has been miscommunication on all ends, and very likely honest misunderstandings. Now would be a good time for them to admit that, despite their hurt and anger, they love each other deeply. That’s a start.

I would also point out that Charles could use his relationship with his father as a perfect example that relationships can heal...and, even greatly improve. They don’t have to be perfect now, but simply believing that they can and will get better is all I think they can ask.

It will be easier for Charles and Harry to reconcile than for William and Harry, as I described above. But, again, baby steps...

 

[Queen Ester]

Harry might be in a pretty difficult spot here. I suppose he might have been the one who called up Gayle King, but it doesn't seem likely. He might have just told his wife about his conversation with his brother, like most people would do, and that was all it took for it to end up on Good Morning America. If he wants to regain the trust of his family, he may need to be more judicious about what he tells Meghan. If he loves her as much as he seems to, he may not think it's worth it.

That's what bothers me a lot. People keep blaming Meghan, but it's Harry who leaks the stories to her. He did not have to tell her the story, if true, that a royal was wondering about the skin color of their baby. That was completely unnecessary for her to know and get upset about.

 

[BritishRoyalist]

That's what bothers me a lot. People keep blaming Meghan, but it's Harry who leaks the stories to her.

You would think Harry and Meghan would have learned that by now? Maybe they need to find new people to hang out with who will not use them especially to give their private conversations to people in the media and they need to stop giving away private conversations of the Royal family to people like Gayle King (or really anyone) who has no good Intentions and is only looking to simply stir the pot and create gossips

 

[Lee-Z]

My feeling is the BRF is very much capable of showing Compassion...
I hope H&M are open to recognise it and not thinking that they should have the Compassion-monopoly.

But at the funeral imo we will see a very much 'together' (can't think of a better word, early morning, english translation unit still starting up) family..

 

[Alisa]

That's what bothers me a lot. People keep blaming Meghan, but it's Harry who leaks the stories to her. He did not have to tell her the story, if true, that a royal was wondering about the skin color of their baby. That was completely unnecessary for her to know and get upset about.

Actually if you watch the Gayle King segment she said she spoke to both Harry and Meghan and she repeatedly references "the couple". However for some reason people seem determined that Meghan was the one who told Gayle that the talks were unproductive. It could have very well been Harry. We simply just don't know.

They should also start with their own sources blabbing to the likes of Camilla Tominey and Roya Nikkah. I’m just saying.

Amen. It is interested that Roya Nikkah reported that the brothers spoke over the weekend before Gayle King did.It goes both ways!

 

[UglyAmerican]

Actually if you watch the Gayle King segment she said she spoke to both Harry and Meghan and she repeatedly references "the couple". However for some reason people seem determined that Meghan was the one who told Gayle that the talks were unproductive. It could have very well been Harry. We simply just don't know.

I just re-watched it, and she doesn't say which of them she spoke with. Saying "the couple" wants such-and-such could mean "each of them told me this separately," or it could mean "one of them told me that they both want this." I agree that we don't know, but I just find it easier to believe that Meghan decided to pour her heart out to a reporter than Harry did. He said plenty he shouldn't have said to Oprah, but he was didn't seem anywhere near as enthusiastic about the whole thing as Meghan did.

I agree about the leaks from the family's side, if in fact there are any. Those articles are usually written in such a way that it's impossible to be sure - and of course, that's not an accident. But I don't think a direct comparison makes enough allowances for their differing circumstances. The positions of the working royals mean they basically have to be surrounded by staff 24/7, or very nearly. William's staff will know that he spoke with Harry on the phone, and even if they don't hear what was said, they're going to see whether he seemed happy or upset afterward. The royals can fire staff if they catch them leaking that sort of thing, but they can't completely solve the problem, because the fired person would have to be replaced by someone else with the same level of access.

Harry and Meghan, on the other hand, have no such requirements. If they have live-in staff, it's by their own choice. If their jobs or lifestyles require live-in staff, that too is their own choice. If there are unauthorized media leaks that they don't like, they have for more options for plugging them. If even half the stuff coming from their side from anonymous sources was unauthorized, I think they'd have done so by now. That's why my default is to assume that anything purportedly leaked from their side was authorized.

I cut them a lot more slack here before it came out that Meghan had cooperated with Finding Freedom while publicly denying involvement, and that she'd asked several of her friends to speak to reporters about the contents of her letter to her father. Because they were only publicly quoted as anonymous sources, she was able to publicly disclaim involvement. As far as I'm aware, none of the other working royals have ever been proven to have done anything like that - at least, not recently. So between those two things, I'm much more willing to give the other royals the benefit of the doubt as to whether leaks were authorized or not.

 

[Alison H]

The Queen hardly appeared in public when she was visibly pregnant, never mind flew from the US Pacific Coast to London. I'm sure she didn't expect Meghan to come, and certainly wouldn't want her to put her health and the baby's at any risk.


I doubt Harry will stay long, because he'll want to get back to Meghan because of her condition. And no-one's officially supposed to be going into other people's homes at the moment, although I suppose he and Charles and William could talk in the garden. This weekend's about Prince Philip and the Queen, although it would be nice if there could be some sort of rapprochement. The Queen herself knows all about family feuds - I'd think she was probably quite sad when Uncle David suddenly disappeared from her life, even though she'll have understood the reasons why - and I'm sure she won't want that sort of ongoing bad feeling happening again in this generation.

 

[Denville]

Even if the queen's still hurt and angry, she'll put it aside for now.. and Harry wotn be staying long. but Im sure she wont want an open rift.. but how much they are going to reconcile, Im not sure.

 

[Marengo]

Well the Dutch royal family dealt with a somewhat similar case of publicly "airing laundry" in the early 2000's with Princess Margarita and her first husband Edwin De Roy van Zuydewijn. The couple made some rather surprising allegations against the Royal House and Queen Beatrix. Likewise I don't believe that it did the couple any good in the end.

In the beginning they could count on some sympathy with the public. During this period and according to the princess, her aunt, Queen Beatrix, had told her 'Margarita it seems that a little devil has creeped into you' in one of six conversations that they had prior to the escalation as the princess and her husband thought the RF was working against the couple and tried to ruin Edwin's carreer.

The press and the public loved to read the rather juicy stories and there was sympathy for the couple. But in the course of several months public opinion turned, mostly due to television interviews which showed a rather curious interaction between the pair. The Princess was soon considered the naive and unworldly puppet of the increasingly incoherrent and paranoid Edwin de Roy van Z. In today's language one would consider Edwin the abuser perhaps.

The accusations were far more serious: abuse of power by the royal family, unlawful use of the secret service, hidden listening devices ... the prime minister was forced to step in. It resulted in a slap stick moment where the national press gathered in the office where the listening device was supposed to be hidden... only to discover that it was a nail in the wall.

In public the RF only commented once. During a state visit to Chile in 2003 the Queen said that the family did not recognise itself in the descriptions, while expressing deep concern for her niece and asking for privacy. The prime minister Prof. Dr. Balkenende did however have to answer a barrage of questions in parlament, there was even a debate dedicated to the subject in March 2003. Neither the princess nor her husband were invited to the wedding of WA and Máxima -which was the first time people understood something may be wrong. She was invited to the funeral of both her grandparents but her then-husband was not. I don't think she attended the funeral of Prince Claus, or the weddings of Friso, Pieter-Christiaan and Floris.

Fortunately the princess came to her senses and divorced Edwin. She is now re-married and has two daughters. She was welcomed back into the family. Trust slowly seems to have been restored but that took several years. Her ex-husband has turned into a paranoid wreck, financially ruined, unemployed and claiming to hide from the long arm of the Dutch state in the countryside in Portugal while trying to sue his ex-wife for alimony.

The only other person who comes close may be prince Laurent of Belgium who from time to time offers some insights in his frustrations regarding his family. His half-aunt Princess Marie-Christine has talked to the press some decades ago and her comments were not positive at all - mostly about her mother and an alleged rape by a royal relative. In the UK there was of course the duke of Windsor, who was rather acid about his family in his memoires, claiming that the women of his family 'have ice water in their veins'. And there was the late Pss of Wales of course.

The claims of the duke and duchess of Sussex are rather tame in comparison but due to the dominance of the English language and Anglo-Saxon popular culture this issue has turned into a media-spectacle of an enormous scale.

 

[_Heather_]

That's what bothers me a lot. People keep blaming Meghan, but it's Harry who leaks the stories to her. He did not have to tell her the story, if true, that a royal was wondering about the skin color of their baby. That was completely unnecessary for her to know and get upset about.

This is true but I think it’s a bit of six of one, half dozen of the other. He doesn’t have to tell her everything but she should have the good sense not to share what he tells her with reporters, friends, and the world.

And that’s if, indeed, it was she who has told it all rather than him or a combination of the two. But I do think that clearly Harry and Meghan know which of the two of them have shared these things and it’ll be very, very interesting to see how much is shared with us from the mouths of Gayle and Scobie after Harry returns from the funeral.

 

[Betsypaige]

This is true but I think it’s a bit of six of one, half dozen of the other. He doesn’t have to tell her everything but she should have the good sense not to share what he tells her with reporters, friends, and the world.

And that’s if, indeed, it was she who has told it all rather than him or a combination of the two. But I do think that clearly Harry and Meghan know which of the two of them have shared these things and it’ll be very, very interesting to see how much is shared with us from the mouths of Gayle and Scobie after Harry returns from the funeral.

IMO, if Harry genuinely wants to mend fences with his family, he will be a black hole of information. More practically, if he wants to keep whatever positive reputation he has, he’d better be a black hole of information (except to Meghan, but in that case he’d need to make clear that she has to be one as well). The interview and subsequent blathering by King were bad enough; revealing even more personal conversations would almost sound the death knell for certain relationships.

 

[Fijiro]

The Queen hardly appeared in public when she was visibly pregnant, never mind flew from the US Pacific Coast to London. I'm sure she didn't expect Meghan to come, and certainly wouldn't want her to put her health and the baby's at any risk.
.

I bet The Queen understands why Meghan cannot make the trip from California to UK being that she is probably in her third trimester.
The Queen was prevented from travelling to the USA when the US President JF Kennedy died because the Queen was five months pregnant, and so Prince Philip travelled and represented the Royal Family at that funeral.

 

[Archduchess Zelia]

(...) What exactly happened between the Sussexes and TRF, we don’t know. Only one side is talking and the other won’t. The Sussexes knew that. They whined about people they knew couldn’t respond

(...)

Also- there is the fact that Harry and Meghan allowed an interview to air that accused the family of racism- telling a story they can’t even relate in the same way- which threw the whole family under a cloud of suspicion.....including his elderly grandparents. Harry didn’t bother to correct the latter for hours. His grandfather was in the hospital. That is reprehensible in my mind. The racism accusation literally impacts everyone- the royal family, their kids, etc. Plenty of injured parties right there (...)

Surely, accusations of racism are no worse than the racism that may have transpired? And that's the crux of my argument (which also isn't that the BRF is not the injured party, as you seem to suggest). While the BRF (and the firm) is afforded the benefit of doubt (because we don't know what's happened), H&M are crucified for relaying the story (although we still don't know what happened). And I find that's a consistant theme throughout discussions about the Sussexes and I just think that's puzzling.

Also regardless of what anyone may think of the interview (I definitely think it should've been done different), considering the gravity of some of the issues discussed, I think it's extremely inappropriate to insinuate that they were just "whining" or trying to gain sympathy. If one's recognising that for now, for us, there's no way of knowing what's right and what's wrong, surely there's not need to downplay H&M's experiences like that.

 

[TLLK]

In the beginning they could count on some sympathy with the public. During this period and according to the princess, her aunt, Queen Beatrix, had told her 'Margarita it seems that a little devil has creeped into you' in one of six conversations that they had prior to the escalation as the princess and her husband thought the RF was working against the couple and tried to ruin Edwin's carreer.

The press and the public loved to read the rather juicy stories and there was sympathy for the couple. But in the course of several months public opinion turned, mostly due to television interviews which showed a rather curious interaction between the pair. The Princess was soon considered the naive and unworldly puppet of the increasingly incoherrent and paranoid Edwin de Roy van Z. In today's language one would consider Edwin the abuser perhaps.

The accusations were far more serious: abuse of power by the royal family, unlawful use of the secret service, hidden listening devices ... the prime minister was forced to step in. It resulted in a slap stick moment where the national press gathered in the office where the listening device was supposed to be hidden... only to discover that it was a nail in the wall.

In public the RF only commented once. During a state visit to Chile in 2003 the Queen said that the family did not recognise itself in the descriptions, while expressing deep concern for her niece and asking for privacy. The prime minister Prof. Dr. Balkenende did however have to answer a barrage of questions in parlament, there was even a debate dedicated to the subject in March 2003. Neither the princess nor her husband were invited to the wedding of WA and Máxima -which was the first time people understood something may be wrong. She was invited to the funeral of both her grandparents but her then-husband was not. I don't think she attended the funeral of Prince Claus, or the weddings of Friso, Pieter-Christiaan and Floris.

Fortunately the princess came to her senses and divorced Edwin. She is now re-married and has two daughters. She was welcomed back into the family. Trust slowly seems to have been restored but that took several years. Her ex-husband has turned into a paranoid wreck, financially ruined, unemployed and claiming to hide from the long arm of the Dutch state in the countryside in Portugal while trying to sue his ex-wife for alimony.

The only other person who comes close may be prince Laurent of Belgium who from time to time offers some insights in his frustrations regarding his family. His half-aunt Princess Marie-Christine has talked to the press some decades ago and her comments were not positive at all - mostly about her mother and an alleged rape by a royal relative. In the UK there was of course the duke of Windsor, who was rather acid about his family in his memoires, claiming that the women of his family 'have ice water in their veins'. And there was the late Pss of Wales of course.

The claims of the duke and duchess of Sussex are rather tame in comparison but due to the dominance of the English language and Anglo-Saxon popular culture this issue has turned into a media-spectacle of an enormous scale.

Thank you Marengo. I recalled the beginning of their claims against the Royal House. Then I later learned that they'd divorced and she'd remarried. However there was plenty of information in between that I was unaware of. Yes the claims they made against the Royal House were far more serious than those made by the Sussexes.

 

[Erin9]

The Duke & Duchess of Sussex & Family - General News April 2021 -

Surely, accusations of racism are no worse than the racism that may have transpired? And that's the crux of my argument (which also isn't that the BRF is not the injured party, as you seem to suggest). While the BRF (and the firm) is afforded the benefit of doubt (because we don't know what's happened), H&M are crucified for relaying the story (although we still don't know what happened). And I find that's a consistant theme throughout discussions about the Sussexes and I just think that's puzzling.



Also regardless of what anyone may think of the interview (I definitely think it should've been done different), considering the gravity of some of the issues discussed, I think it's extremely inappropriate to insinuate that they were just "whining" or trying to gain sympathy. If one's recognising that for now, for us, there's no way of knowing what's right and what's wrong, surely there's not need to downplay H&M's experiences like that.

My biggest issue with the Sussexes relaying their alleged experiences is that they did so at all. My feelings on that won’t change. I think it was both inappropriate and unnecessary.

What they did is about akin to the rest of us getting on Facebook and talking about a family feud. Not something I care for either. And I’ve seen it happen in my own family. Nothing good comes of that IMO. The Sussexes just had a much bigger stage than the rest of us.

As best I can tell one purpose of the interview was a sympathy grab. (I could say revenge was a possible motive too.)That’s what comes across to me. It certainly seemed like the intent was to drag TRF through the mud in any way they could think of. Why else did they do it? What was the point? There was no need to know. There is no evidence, thus far, of anything. What were they hoping to gain by broadcasting this to the world?

To me, whiny is an appropriate word when a multi millionaire complains about daddy cutting him off after he chose to leave the family business. That is one example. I could come up with more.

Yes- they made serious accusations. But I really have nothing else to say on the racism issue than I already have.

 

[_Heather_]

Well this is...interesting. I have to say, if it’s true, it sounds very much like the child who is sorry they got caught but not sorry they did something wrong. They have regrets about the timing but still feel it was something they had to do? They needed to have their say and couldn’t see any other way to do it? Really?

Anyway, interesting if true.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/14644...rry-regrets-oprah-interview-philip-death/amp/

 

[Heavs]

Well this is...interesting. I have to say, if it’s true, it sounds very much like the child who is sorry they got caught but not sorry they did something wrong. They have regrets about the timing but still feel it was something they had to do? They needed to have their say and couldn’t see any other way to do it? Really?

Anyway, interesting if true.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/14644...rry-regrets-oprah-interview-philip-death/amp/

I've read that. It is The Sun so who knows, but if it does come from their camp then they don't seem very sorry.

"They needed to have their say, and they couldn't see any other way to do it."

Really? You can't think of any other way to solve your family difficulties without airing your dirty laundry out in front of 50 million people? And at least 12 things you claimed have been proven to be lies or exaggerated? Or giving a morning show host the details of attempts to talk afterwards and how it isn't exactly what you wanted?

Needed people to be on their side to launch their new projects IMHO.

"Harry and Meghan's love and respect for Prince Philip and the Queen was never in doubt."

I know when I love and respect them I trash the thing they've dedicated their lives to and publicly trash talk their other beloved relatives. And go on the attack when I know a 99 year old is critically ill in hospital.

This seems like it might be part of the PR offensive in the face of world wide mourning and sympathy for the Queen and the rest of the family (which includes Harry).

I completely rolled my eyes at a story that popped up on my news feed this morning assuring me that HM completely understood why Meghan really wanted to be there but couldn't come. I think she's got a lot more on her mind than that.

I hope that they can all get through the next few days together as a family but after that I have no idea what will happen.

 

[Queen Ester]

This is true but I think it’s a bit of six of one, half dozen of the other. He doesn’t have to tell her everything but she should have the good sense not to share what he tells her with reporters, friends, and the world.

And that’s if, indeed, it was she who has told it all rather than him or a combination of the two. But I do think that clearly Harry and Meghan know which of the two of them have shared these things and it’ll be very, very interesting to see how much is shared with us from the mouths of Gayle and Scobie after Harry returns from the funeral.

But I understood that Harry told her about this conversation before they were married or shortly after, certainly Meghan would then be extra sensitive to any racial hints, he ruined any chance of Meghan being happy in the RF, if she knew that someone was a racist. There was no need to convey that conversation to her.

 

[Erin9]

Well this is...interesting. I have to say, if it’s true, it sounds very much like the child who is sorry they got caught but not sorry they did something wrong. They have regrets about the timing but still feel it was something they had to do? They needed to have their say and couldn’t see any other way to do it? Really?



Anyway, interesting if true.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/14644...rry-regrets-oprah-interview-philip-death/amp/

It is interesting- if true.

I’m not surprised we’re reading regrets about the timing and them wanting to forgive, etc now. Given that Philip has just died, it seems like a good PR move. (And maybe how they really feel anyway.) Their timing really couldn’t have been much worse. One more reason why you keep private matters private. Things happen. Loved one die. No one should have been dealing with this in the last weeks of Philip’s life IMO. And I sincerely hope Philip was largely unaware of what was said. He sure didn’t need to hear it.

It is truly beyond my comprehension why, if true, that interview was something they “needed” to do. Why exactly did any of that need to be broadcast worldwide? It’s a private family feud that they opted to make public. It baffles me. It’s not like Charles, William, and Catherine have run around giving interviews about them. Nor will they. I don’t get it. But....I never have understood it when other people- famous or not- opt to do the same.

 

[Betsypaige]

Well this is...interesting. I have to say, if it’s true, it sounds very much like the child who is sorry they got caught but not sorry they did something wrong. They have regrets about the timing but still feel it was something they had to do? They needed to have their say and couldn’t see any other way to do it? Really?

Anyway, interesting if true.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/14644...rry-regrets-oprah-interview-philip-death/amp/

It doesn’t really move me...the timing was awful, but there wasn’t ever going to be a right time for that. I wish their friends would keep quiet - the damage has been done, nothing about that interview can make H and M look good. Just leave it be, let Harry and his family mourn.

 

[Denville]

Given how Philip seems to have been very ill when in hosptial and only had a few weeks at home when he died, it seems hard to imagine that H and Meghan didn't know he wasn't expected to go on for long.. at the time they did the interview.

 

[Erin9]

I've read that. It is The Sun so who knows, but if it does come from their camp then they don't seem very sorry.


I know when I love and respect them I trash the thing they've dedicated their lives to and publicly trash talk their other beloved relatives. And go on the attack when I know a 99 year old is critically ill in hospital.
.



I hope that they can all get through the next few days together as a family but after that I have no idea what will happen.

They don’t really seem sorry, if true. Just recognizing that...whoops....their timing was epically bad. Which it was.


Yeah. I thought the interview was disrespectful to his grandparents too. (But I thought their website and numerous passive aggressive shots over the last year were, as well.) It was nasty towards people his grandparents love, their life’s work got trashed, and caused unnecessary stress and pain.

If I were to guess- I’d think the primary focus is on getting through Philip’s funeral. It may not be the right time to try and have productive conversations when people are upset about a death in the family. It could make things worse.

 

[UglyAmerican]

I’m not surprised we’re reading regrets about the timing and them wanting to forgive, etc now. ...

I agree with all of this. They had control of the timing. If whatever they signed didn't allow them to control the timing of airing, they could have negotiated so it did. Oprah and CBS knew it was going to be a ratings bonanza, and supposedly H&M were doing it for free. CBS and Oprah wouldn't have said "We won't do it unless you give us sole control." And even if they did say that, H&M could have easily found another network or platform that would have given them more control. It wasn't a choice between "Either we talk to Oprah right now and CBS airs it when they want to air it, or we have to stay silent forever." They had plenty of options for when and how to air their grievances, and they chose to do it while Philip was hospitalized for what they had to know was his final illness. I said all along that their priority was getting it out there before he died.

Everything they complained about had happened at least a year in the past. The flower girl dress incident was in early 2018. The supposedly racist conversation would have been around the same time. Archie was born in May 2019, so whatever happened during Meghan's pregnancy was two years ago. Charles refusing to take Harry's calls and cutting him off financially probably happened when they posted their half-in half-out plan on their website more than a year ago. Waiting a few more months to tell the world about it wouldn't have been so terrible.

 

[Alison H]

There's no suggestion that Prince Philip was mentally incapacitated by his recent health problems. Even if the family didn't want him to know what was going on, they couldn't have kept it from him, unless he had no access to a TV, a radio, newspapers or the internet. So he went to his grave knowing that there was a rift in the family, which is very sad. But what's done is done, and maybe something can be done to heal the rift now.


Without wishing to be morbid, the Queen's 95, and Thomas Markle, although much younger, is not in good health.


But I don't know that this weekend'll be the time for it - the focus will be on the funeral and supporting the Queen.

 

[US Royal Watcher]

Surely, accusations of racism are no worse than the racism that may have transpired? And that's the crux of my argument (which also isn't that the BRF is not the injured party, as you seem to suggest). While the BRF (and the firm) is afforded the benefit of doubt (because we don't know what's happened), H&M are crucified for relaying the story (although we still don't know what happened). And I find that's a consistant theme throughout discussions about the Sussexes and I just think that's puzzling.

Also regardless of what anyone may think of the interview (I definitely think it should've been done different), considering the gravity of some of the issues discussed, I think it's extremely inappropriate to insinuate that they were just "whining" or trying to gain sympathy. If one's recognising that for now, for us, there's no way of knowing what's right and what's wrong, surely there's not need to downplay H&M's experiences like that.

I understand that you feel Meghan and Harry deserve the benefit of the doubt. It also seems you believe that being a victim of racism is worse than being a victim of almost anything else. I respect those opinions but don’t share them.

You also seem to argue that no one can have a valid opinion on Harry and Meghan's allegations because we don't know for sure what happened. If that were the standard, we would rarely be able to have an opinion about anything - including events that don't involve the royal family - unless we are a direct witness. In contrast, I think I can reasonably form opinions about the whole interview based on whether it can be proven that Harry and Meghan deliberately lied during the interview.

Let’s examine their allegation that Archie was not eligible for security because he is not an HRH. I think we can agree that Harry and Meghan know that Harry, Meghan, Eugenie, and Beatrice are HRHs and do not currently have taxpayer funded security. Therefore, in my opinion, the only way to conclude that this allegation was not a deliberate lie is to believe that they are blithering idiots who can’t put two and two together. However, I think the reality is that they were deliberately dishonest about this and other allegations because they knew that their real experience with the royal family was not that bad so they had to lie and exaggerate to get sympathy. Frankly, I think my interpretation is more flattering.

Another thing even Harry and Meghan fans should be able to understand is why, given the suffering around the world, I think it was unseemly to complain that his family cut them off financially since they are a middle-aged couple who: (1) have millions of dollars, (2) live in a mansion, and (3) have ways to use his family’s prestige to get more money. Furthermore, Harry did not express one word of gratitude to Charles for giving him millions of dollars over the years.

What’s worse, Harry made it clear that he believes others, including taxpayers (most of whom don’t have multimillion dollar mansions), should foot the cost of his security after he voluntarily relinquished his royal duties and fled the country. I’ve concluded that the only reason for him to not to want to spend his own considerable wealth for security is because he would rather use his money to fund a lavish lifestyle. Who wouldn’t - but most of us don’t have a choice. In my opinion, the fact that they even raised the financial disagreement at all revealed that they are greedy, whiny, spoiled, entitled, ungrateful, and selfish.

Even if some don’t agree, I find it hard to believe that they don’t understand why I came to that conclusion. On the other hand, I can accept that Harry and Meghan fans may concede that their behavior in this instance was wrong but doesn’t outweigh their good qualities

I would be interested in reading an intelligent defense that addresses Harry and Meghan’s actual behavior. However, if the only response is to only deflect with allegations that Meghan and Harry are held to a different standard or repeat unproven claims that the family is racist or drag the allegations against Andrew into this, it is probably better to simply not respond. Those types of responses really don't fool anyone.

 

[Betsypaige]

There's no suggestion that Prince Philip was mentally incapacitated by his recent health problems. Even if the family didn't want him to know what was going on, they couldn't have kept it from him, unless he had no access to a TV, a radio, newspapers or the internet. So he went to his grave knowing that there was a rift in the family, which is very sad. But what's done is done, and maybe something can be done to heal the rift now.


Without wishing to be morbid, the Queen's 95, and Thomas Markle, although much younger, is not in good health.


But I don't know that this weekend'll be the time for it - the focus will be on the funeral and supporting the Queen.

Philip knew about the interview...it seems his reaction essentially was that he thought it was a big mistake, but that it was Harry’s life to live. It feels like he just didn’t want to (and I’ve read this, actually) involve himself in this stuff - going back as far as last year’s summit.

What Charles, William and Harry need to do is plant the seeds for the beginning of a reconciliation. There’s no rush to “oh my god, we need to fix things ASAP” - that would be impossible.

I hope Harry stays behind the funeral - I get that he misses his wife and child, but his family in the UK needs him, too, and they need some time together in order to try and lay the foundations of a new start.

 

[US Royal Watcher]

Given how Philip seems to have been very ill when in hosptial and only had a few weeks at home when he died, it seems hard to imagine that H and Meghan didn't know he wasn't expected to go on for long.. at the time they did the interview.

I think they have said that he wasn't in the hospital when they first recorded the interview. It doesn't matter to me though. The interview was a bad idea whether Philip was in the hospital or not.