Duke and Duchess of Sussex: Future Duties, Roles and Responsibilities

[ACO]

William has no power to banish anyone but he can make noise and suggest something in his interest. That seemed to be what the original article was implying and where all this took off from.

Clearly in the hours since the story has changed 3546863564 times.

Regardless of your stance you have to admit it doesn't exactly show the family in the best of light when I can flip to mass media and see headlines like "Prince William wants to send his brother away!" which was the scrolling across my news tracker an hour ago.

 

[Fijiro]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fijiro
Harry did not propose in Africa. He proposed at their Nott.Cottage.
William did propose to Kate in Africa at Jecca's family ranch in Kenya.
You're confusing the two brothers.

Thank you for telling me what I am doing

Wherever he proposed it is clear Africa is special to Harry, I could easily see how this would have snowballed from H&M wanting to go to the papers and "royal insiders" spinning it into they are being forced to. I certainly think the more strained relations between W&H will have played a role to the extent it will perhaps have made it easier to envisage leaving the UK for a prolonged period of time.

Sorry tommy - I did not mean to tell you what you're doing. I was just trying to clarify, and it must've come out wrong because of the last sentence in my reply, and for that I apologize.

.

 

[tommy100]

No worries Fijiro I didn't mean it to sound abrupt, my mind if fuddled with all this April sunshine and some of the mad conspiracy theories going on here.

I mean William may be all powerful but HM and Charles are more powerful with more influence and I can't see either taking sides in this. If Harry didn't want to go away either HM or PoW would step in. I mean Andrew's causes is fair share of problems and hasn't been sent away, Diana did and wasn't sent away.

I can believe William and his advisors may be relieved at the thought of H&M going away for the idea it will stop these constant stories but any advisor with half a brain would know leaking the story in this way with this spin on it would simply make William look bad.

Like so many royal stories I think there is a small grain of truth in it but a lot of speculative made up stuff.

 

[Blog Real]

I think if anything happened, it was between the two brothers. Harry and William always got along, but that was when they were single. After the wedding of W & K the two agreed to have a good relationship, but it is normal now that Harry is married there has been a withdrawal. But it was strange yesterday that Harry preferred to go with his cousins to the Easter Mass instead of going with his brother. I think William may not have agreed to some of Harry's decisions and this may have triggered some anger between the brothers.

 

[Fijiro]

No worries Fijiro I didn't mean it to sound abrupt, my mind if fuddled with all this April sunshine and some of the mad conspiracy theories going on here.

I mean William may be all powerful but HM and Charles are more powerful with more influence and I can't see either taking sides in this. If Harry didn't want to go away either HM or PoW would step in. I mean Andrew's causes is fair share of problems and hasn't been sent away, Diana did and wasn't sent away.

I can believe William and his advisors may be relieved at the thought of H&M going away for the idea it will stop these constant stories but any advisor with half a brain would know leaking the story in this way with this spin on it would simply make William look bad.

Like so many royal stories I think there is a small grain of truth in it but a lot of speculative made up stuff.

You're right, there's a lot here to digest.

 

[ladongas]

Doesn’t make sense

William has always been frank about his wish that the press give him and his family some dignified privacy, some benign neglect. Now that the press has H&M to focus on, surely that has been beneficial for the Cambridges.

I would imagine that he sympathizes with Harry and Meghan over what they’ve been going through. I don’t for a minute believe he is jealous of that. If Harry and Meghan were elsewhere, all the attention would fall on William and Catherine.

How would this help William? Right now, he is going about his business of preparing for his future, and looking very much like a future king.

As for Windsor Easter services, the Cambridges probably drove out from London, and Harry lives in the neighborhood. No reason why they should arrive together.

 

[Lilyflo]

As for Windsor Easter services, the Cambridges probably drove out from London, and Harry lives in the neighborhood. No reason why they should arrive together.

The whole family walked down from the castle at the same time & gathered at the entrance to the chapel. Ample opportunity to walk together, stand together & talk to each other. Given the recurring stories in the press about bad feeling between the brothers, they had the opportunity to make the stories sound ridiculous & kill the narrative.

 

[ladongas]

The whole family walked down from the castle at the same time & gathered at the entrance to the chapel. Ample opportunity to walk together, stand together & talk to each other. Given the recurring stories in the press about bad feeling between the brothers, they had the opportunity to make the stories sound ridiculous & kill the narrative.

They have no obligation to refute every ridiculous story drummed up by the tabloids. They are entitled to act as they wish (no fistfights or hair pulling, though) in public. Perhaps they chatted while having drinks with the Dean.

 

[Dalriada]

It seems the “MALTA moment” whereby the Sussex couple sail off like the duke & duchess of Edinburgh for a spell of naval military service albeit in the service of commonwealth youth, would prove far too expensive for British taxpayers who would foot the £1m security bill for an annual African retreat for four months:
...”However, one security consultant told The Sun the cost of protecting Harry, Meghan and their baby while abroad, would probably be in the region of £750,000.In addition, travelling, medical and insurance costs for protection officers working in rota patterns would add at least another £250,000 to the bill — along with a “carbon footprint the size of Coventry.”....
https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/8910481/meghan-markle-harry-baby-africa-move/

 

[Lilyflo]

They have no obligation to refute every ridiculous story drummed up by the tabloids. They are entitled to act as they wish (no fistfights or hair pulling, though) in public. Perhaps they chatted while having drinks with the Dean.

What they do in private is irrelevant when there's a persistent story they could just kill by behaving normally (ie like they used to).

 

[Empress Merel]

They have no obligation to refute every ridiculous story drummed up by the tabloids. They are entitled to act as they wish (no fistfights or hair pulling, though) in public. Perhaps they chatted while having drinks with the Dean.

And thus continue having these stories run rampant when it could be lessened by merely walking beside eachother and appearing like you like eachother again. It's logical, not unreasonable and if they cannot even begin to understand that, much less act on it, they are fools.

 

[Dman]

...I mean to be honest we don't know these people. We know the image they portray but as we know that isn't always the reality. The royals more than anyone put on a show because they must.

I am not saying any of this is true. I just think we all should be reminded of that sometimes. People were so shocked with Charles and Diana's nasty issues because they built up a fantasy in their head. We want to think all is great with the "Fab Four" but we have no idea how any of them are behind closed doors. That is the point.

Harry and his brother is extremely close, ACO. Over the years, I never got the impression from either of them that they would seriously hurt each other...

 

[Betsypaige]

Oh boy, where to start...

The idea that William would seek to send his brother out of the country because he’s jealous is ludicrous to me. Aside from the fact that he and Harry have always been close, he’s the older brother and has undoubtedly been something of a protector to him, especially when they were younger. Now we’re to believe that William has done a 180 degree turn knowing he could destroy his relationship with Harry ? I don’t buy it at all.

I honestly don’t understand the angst over William and Harry not chatting as much as some would like at some event. Maybe they spoke earlier and didn’t feel the need to make small talk ? I also don’t think they need to try and put rumors to rest - they already have years of experience of media nastiness and they know very well that the press will spin things they way like in order to create headlines. I like to think that William and Harry trust the people not to believe everything they read.

As to why the Queen and Charles haven’t stepped in...to me that indicates there’s nothing for them to do. We’ve seen that the Queen has intervened when she thinks necessary - IMO, if she thought that William, a future king, was so insecure as to try and send his brother away, she’d put a stop to that notion right away; that behavior is not statesmanlike at all. For Charles, no father ever wants to see his children suffer a serious personal rift - and especially in his case, when he knows how the brothers’ closeness has been of extreme importance to them through the years. I think if he felt that something serious was brewing between them, he’d take them away somewhere where they could sort it out.

 

[Fijiro]

And thus continue having these stories run rampant when it could be lessened by merely walking beside eachother and appearing like you like eachother again. It's logical, not unreasonable and if they cannot even begin to understand that, much less act on it, they are fools.

Peter was not walking next to Zara, or Andrew next to Edward, and it is okay as it should be. William and Harry do not always have to walk next to each other, and it's okay too.

 

[ACO]

Harry and his brother is extremely close, ACO. Over the years, I never got the impression from either of them that they would seriously hurt each other.

They were close as kids. I have zero knowledge if that’s true now. I would like to think it but I don’t have absolute fact it is though. None of us do. People can (and sadly do) grow apart for a variety of reasons. Again we know what they show us. That goes for all of them.

 

[Missjersey]

2 more cents.....optics for me say trouble in paradise. Whatever’s going on, hope it gets better....

 

[O-H Anglophile]

They were close as kids. I have zero knowledge if that’s true now. I would like to think it but I don’t have absolute fact it is though. None of us do. People can (and sadly do) grow apart for a variety of reasons. Again we know what they show us. That goes for all of them.

They still seemed to be close until Harry got married, from chitchat here and there.

But once everyone is married and has established their own family units--focus shifts and relationships change.

I do think Harry probably feels the nastiness towards Meghan much more than his brother. William may be annoyed about it but he and Catherine have dealt with some of their own nastiness over the years. Most of it they ignored. That could create some tension, Harry may feel his brother isn't being supportive enough.

 

[sshepard7]

I'm listening to Fox News while I work and just heard the news anchor say that 'Meaghan and Harry are being kicked out of the UK.' He went on to say that its because William and Harry don't get along and that Kate doesn't want Meghan around.

The palace needs to get on this right away before more damage is done to the reputation of the Royal Family.

Dreadful publicity. I am truly downhearted about all of this, as I'm sure are many other forum members.

 

[tommy100]

Peter was not walking next to Zara, or Andrew next to Edward, and it is okay as it should be. William and Harry do not always have to walk next to each other, and it's okay too.

I watched the walk to Easter and have to say my first thought was indeed - oh god William and Harry seem to be keeping their distances. But, after thinking about it, I'm not sure anything would have helped and this was always going to be a lose-lose:

if Harry had walked with William and/or Kate / William & Kate it would have just played to those who say its the wives who don't get on. I honestly don't think there was anyway the media wouldn't have made it an issue.

 

[Osipi]

They were close as kids. I have zero knowledge if that’s true now. I would like to think it but I don’t have absolute fact it is though. None of us do. People can (and sadly do) grow apart for a variety of reasons. Again we know what they show us. That goes for all of them.

I'm reminded by this of a certain statement that Andrew gave to Robert Hardman in the book "Our Queen". He stated that family events like the Easter service were times that they could interact with other members of the family where their ordinary days didn't allow them that pleasure.

We know William and Kate and family have recently been snapped with the Tindalls at the horse trials but Harry didn't. Perhaps Harry and William have had close enough contact with each other privately that it was a chance for Harry to catch up with his other cousins and relatives. Perhaps he didn't *need* to interact with William much like if I was at a family reunion, I wouldn't spend the majority of the time talking and interacting with my husband but rather those I've not seen in long while. The House of Windsor and the "Firm", although a team effort, rarely work together and don't have the opportunity to just "pop in" for tea and a chat.

For the longest time its been WilliamandHarry as two peas in a pod. Diana's boys. They ventured into establishing their own Foundation. Each man had his own private life and occupation away from royal duties. William marries and starts a family. How many times have we remarked on Harry being the "third wheel"? Quite a few. Then comes the biggie. William and Kate step up to being full time working royals for the "Firm" and Harry marries and he and his wife jump into the full time working royal game. It was never going to be WilliamandKateandHarryandMeghan (or the fab four) as it would be detrimental to the "Firm" as in "too many cooks spoil the broth" kind of thing.

They branch out and forge their own paths and areas of interest. William and Kate as a future King and Queen of the UK and Harry and Meghan are going to direct their focus on the Commonwealth. They've all become full fledged individuals that work for the monarchy.

Perhaps there are ideas floating around within the different offices on Africa, global projects and more individualization between the Cambridges and the Sussexes. I've always said that as the monarchy heads into a new reign, the trend of taking their projects globally will be the way to go. In our global society today, its next to impossible to actually "exile" someone to the far corners of the Earth where they'll be out of the limelight.

Perhaps it is all part of a plan for the soft transition between monarchs that is happening right now. Hardman stated in his Fail article that its prudent to move the Sussex office to BP now rather than wait until the next reign for financial reasons. Once Charles is King, Harry and Meghan's work for the monarchy will be under the auspices of the King rather than under The Prince of Wales. Its preparing for the inevitable.

I don't believe for a minute that there's a "feud" going on between *any* members of the British royal family. They're not always going to agree with things or see eye to eye on how things should be but that is all part and parcel of being adults in an adult world working at the same corporation and being a part of a team rather than just "employees", they're encouraged to have their own thoughts and opinions and ideas on how to do things. Some will float and some will sink like a lead balloon. The main thing though that is forgotten in reporting and is the ability to differentiate between a working relationship within the "Firm" and the separate private interactions between family. That line gets totally blurred way too often IMO.

Easter service was a family time to be together. Neither William or Harry have ever "played to the press" or used family occasions for a wee bit of PR or oneupmanship or ego stroking. Its my belief that they prefer to just forget that any member of the press or public are there and enjoy each other as any normal family would.

 

[MaiaMia_53]

Reliable royal reporter, Omid Scobie, has written a well-sourced article in Harper's Bazaar, putting to rest all the recent rumors regarding the Sussexes future plans for their role in aiding the British monarchy:

I think Omid's account is a lot more convincing as it appears to come more directly from the Sussexes themselves, in addition to citing a KP source's denial of Prince William's involvement:

https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/a27231716/meghan-markle-prince-harry-work-in-africa/

"... a source close to the Sussexes tells BAZAAR.com that while projects across several of the Commonwealth states—'will absolutely' play a large role in the couple’s work over the next few years, leaving the U.K. for more than a year is not the plan. 'These discussions, which the couple are driving, are very much embryonic,' says the source, who is familiar with a number of their future endeavors. 'Both the duke and duchess are keen to balance projects in Britain and overseas, particularly countries in Africa. There are many exciting possibilities … but moving away for years? That’s not an idea they are throwing around. We’re talking a few months away or a series of trips...'

In other words, there's really nothing extraordinarily new or even fully formed that has yet been decided. The article also addresses the ridiculous claims about Prince William being involved:

“'Not the case,' says a Kensington Palace source. 'Prince William has nothing to do with these plans. The Duke supports whatever the couple choose to do.' Adds the Sussex friend, 'Let’s be clear about one thing: Any decision the [Sussexes] make about their future will be made by themselves for themselves. Aside from the Queen and Prince Charles, they’re not looking to other family members ... for guidance. Harry and Meghan have always wanted to reach people on a global level and that is the only thing that’s motivating them.'

...'[The Sussexes] have just moved into a beautiful new home and are focused on family life,' says a close confidante of Meghan, who notes that the duchess' mother, Doria Ragland, has been a guest at Frogmore Cottage since Tuesday, April 16. 'They’re not thinking about anything else right now—especially not what the press are saying.'"

 

[soapstar]

The discussion about the whether the Sussexes plan to spend time in Africa, has been massively cleaned up. We’ve deleted:

• The back and forth discussion about who wrote the Times articles
• Rumors about the Cambridge marriage
• Posts pushing the idea that William or Charles are behind the leaks against Meghan
• Posts that claim William or Charles are jealous of the Sussexes and their popularity and want to get rid of them.

Let’s keep the discussion fact based and stay away from fanciful speculation and rumors. Thanks.

 

[Ista]

Thanks for posting that, Maia Mia. That was very interesting, and, although I take everything that any RR says with a grain of salt, this version of the current state of affairs seems likely to be much closer to the truth than any of the wild and insulting speculation we saw from The Times and other papers.

The one comment that did stand out a bit to me was this: "Aside from the Queen and Prince Charles, they’re not looking to other family members, or their teams, for guidance.” If that is true, it makes them sound a little--looking for the right word here--headstrong? arrogant? The not taking input from family members sounds reasonable, although I'm sure they are both aware that at some point, hopefully far in the future, William will indeed have the final say in anything they propose to do. The not taking input from their teams makes me wonder why not? If they aren't open to advice or feedback, that seems an inherently risky position to take. I hope the friend who made that comment didn't mean it the way it sounded.

 

[jacqui24]

Thanks for posting that, Maia Mia. That was very interesting, and, although I take everything that any RR says with a grain of salt, this version of the current state of affairs seems likely to be much closer to the truth than any of the wild and insulting speculation we saw from The Times and other papers.

The one comment that did stand out a bit to me was this: "Aside from the Queen and Prince Charles, they’re not looking to other family members, or their teams, for guidance.” If that is true, it makes them sound a little--looking for the right word here--headstrong? arrogant? The not taking input from family members sounds reasonable, although I'm sure they are both aware that at some point, hopefully far in the future, William will indeed have the final say in anything they propose to do. The not taking input from their teams makes me wonder why not? If they aren't open to advice or feedback, that seems an inherently risky position to take. I hope the friend who made that comment didn't mean it the way it sounded.

I wouldn’t know if that’s headstrong. KP hasn’t always had the best advisors frankly. And too many cooks ruin the soup. Even in this instance, I find the comments from source close to Cambridges to be far less adequate than the comments from source close to Sussexes. The comments seemed very concise and clear with laser focus. It addresses what needs to be addressed and not try to over reach into what another household is thinking.

And frankly, as long as they are taking guidance from HM and Prince Charles, I have no doubt they’ll be successful. While William will be in charge one day, he’s got a lot more to learn himself. And if we want to go the practical route, he’s not footing the bill yet. I’m sure he’ll get a say when he starts to foot the bill.

 

[soapstar]

I don't see what's so inadequate about the comments from the alleged Cambridge source. They said William isn't involved in the discussions, but supports their decision. That's pretty concise and to the point. I'm not sure what else needs to be said.

 

[Ista]

Who said anything about KP? Meghan and Harry are no longer under the KP umbrella, so the reference to "their team" clearly doesn't include Kensington Palace. I also neither said nor implied that William should have a say in what they are doing right now, but inevitably he will have a say--in fact, the final say. I agree that he doesn't need to be involved now, just pointing out that he will be at some point.

My point was that they do have a team. Why have one, if they neither respect nor trust anyone on that team to give them advice? We've been talking a lot about competence, and clearly there is a deficit in some areas of KP, CH, and BP. In their position, I'd be looking to find people whose opinions I do trust and whose input could be relied on to be honest and well informed.

 

[jacqui24]

Who said anything about KP? Meghan and Harry are no longer under the KP umbrella, so the reference to "their team" clearly doesn't include Kensington Palace. I also neither said nor implied that William should have a say in what they are doing right now, but inevitably he will have a say--in fact, the final say. I agree that he doesn't need to be involved now, just pointing out that he will be at some point.

My point was that they do have a team. Why have one, if they neither respect nor trust anyone on that team to give them advice? We've been talking a lot about competence, and clearly there is a deficit in some areas of KP, CH, and BP. In their position, I'd be looking to find people whose opinions I do trust and whose input could be relied on to be honest and well informed.

I don’t see it as they are not listening to their team. In fact, they are the head of that team even if the technical reporting structure isn’t to them but to other courtiers. I took it as referring outside of their household. The comment specifically refers to other family members and their team.

 

[Ista]

I don’t see it as they are not listening to their team. In fact, they are the head of that team even if the technical reporting structure isn’t to them but to other courtiers. I took it as referring outside of their household. The comment specifically refers to other family members and their team.

You may be right, but the "their team" is ambiguous. My first reading was that the reference was to their own team. Your reading certainly makes more sense.

 

[jacqui24]

You may be right, but the "their team" is ambiguous. My first reading was that the reference was to their own team. Your reading certainly makes more sense.

I just read it again. It said “...other family members, or their teams...”. The plural and order are what led me to read as other family members’ teams.

 

[MARG]

I feel that this story is a total non-event. The Sussexes cannot go off working in any Commonwealth country as the whim takes them. Just like everyone else, they go where they are sent and they are sent where countries have invited them via the Foreign Office or HM. Nothing has changed.