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

[Denville]

If there had been no way to view the actual marriage certificate and had Lambeth continued to maintain silence...I wonder if the Sussexes would have continued to insist that they were already married before May 19th?

Harry didn't insiste he was married. Meghan clearly made her silly statement to sound "cute", "OH look at us, we h ad a lovely private ceremony where we recited speeches from our fave romantic movie and made our own vows and the Archbishop was there and we were married..>"
but then she problaby forgot about it, till she found that it was SO easily proved a false statement that she had to back down on it.

 

[Princess_Eleanor]

Part of Meghan's preparation for baptism, Confirmation and acceptance into the CoE would have involved very specific instruction on marriage, the solemnity and importance of it, and what constitutes valid Anglican marriage. This would have been even more important as she was preparing to marry a senior member of the BRF.

The Church of England, just like the Orthodox and Catholic, doesn't do trendy backyard ceremonies. You don't get to write your own vows. No bishop or cardinal is going to indulge your request for a secret, private wedding
followed by a public one days later.

It simply isn't done, and unless the AoC left out that information during her instruction(unlikely) Meghan knows this.

Even if it did slip her mind, the husband whose grandmother is Head of the English Church knew?

I like to give people the benefit of the doubt, but I can't find anyway around the idea that Meghan either lied or deliberately misled in order to deliver shock and awe to Oprah and her(mostly) clueless American fanbase. The fact that Harry went along with it is not at all a good look for him, tbh.

Of course he knew and that's why he looked so uncomfortable when she told Oprah that "3 days before the wedding, we got married!!" (dramatic facial expressions & hand gestures, otherwise known as overacting, included)
That's why he refused to comment or even look at her & Oprah, but kept staring at the chicken instead. But he obviously did not dare contradict her.

In the UK, the US & pretty much everywhere, you have to sign a document in order to be legally married. Everyone knows this - Meghan, Oprah, everyone. But Oprah also did not care to look into any of their claims, not even a little bit, that's very obvious.

In my personal opinion this was a form of revenge on the BRF & the UK taxpayers who had paid for the huge wedding. By telling them: this was not even our real wedding haha. You had no idea, we fooled you and the huge public affair you paid for and showed such enthusiasm over? Well, it was nothing to us.

 

[Kataryn]

Chief impact officer? Is this a joke? If he had not done the interview, it could have flied but he made it obvious that he's holding onto his resentments and isn't in a good mental place right now. He's a walking sample of unresolved mental issues.



This isn't the way to establish yourself. This far, all I've seen from them is announcing this, making a buzz for a few days, then months of almost silence interrupted by big flouncy words with little meaning behind them before they jump onto announcing another thing, rinse and repeat. No consistency. This isn't the way to build something endurable. Being a fugurehead isn't a bad thing for one's finances but it cheapens their supposed own projects right now, making it clear that they'd jump onto anything for money. Never a good look for business.


Apart from all of this, good use they're going to have of someone who was too ashamed to find help for his suicidal pregnant wife. And a (supposed) leading role isn't the best place to fake it till you make it.

I think you are seeing this in a too negative way. Sure, we have to wait for some years till we can really see what's going to happen with them, but doing such work, (even if payed well) is the way back into his father's and brother's good graces. I guess the queen still loves him very much. She was after all the grandmother who was there for him when his mother died! Who stayed with him and his brother even though the papers tried to force her back to London. I#m not sure the Duke of Edinburgh will have been informed in such close details, probably the queen wants to spare him the trouble.



As for needing security: surely in California there are so many rich people who don't have a whole secret service after a kidnapper if they were chosen, so I doubt any serious criminal would settle on Harry and Meghan or their kid!

 

[Fijiro]

Does his visa status allow him to work in the US?

We do not know for sure what his visa type/status is.
There are so many visa types in the USA.

 

[Osipi]

[...]

The first thing someone with a mental health issue needs to do is admit that there is a problem to begin with. Having a "big name" come out and state that they've had problems and realized it was too big for them to handle does give encouragement to others to do the same. The concept of having a pro NFL linebacker do a commercial for a feminine hygiene product just wouldn't float at all.

Thing is, this app that Harry is supposedly going to be an impact guy for isn't something that is new, unique and innovative at all. Doing a quick search, there are numerous ones already out there and operational so perhaps Harry will give this one a slight edge. It's a competitive market these days. It may succeed but then again, it very well could go bust after a short term success.

I wish Harry luck with it. That's all we can do.

 

[Denville]

I think you are seeing this in a too negative way. Sure, we have to wait for some years till we can really see what's going to happen with them, but doing such work, (even if payed well) is the way back into his father's and brother's good graces. I guess the queen still loves him very much. She was after all the grandmother who was there for him when his mother died! Who stayed with him and his brother even though the papers tried to force her back to London. I#m not sure the Duke of Edinburgh will have been informed in such close details, probably the queen wants to spare him the trouble.



As for needing security: surely in California there are so many rich people who don't have a whole secret service after a kidnapper if they were chosen, so I doubt any serious criminal would settle on Harry and Meghan or their kid!

I htink it will take A LOOOONG time before he's back in the good graces of anyone in his family, be it William, or Charles or the queen. Taking a job dealing wiht mental health, when he clearly couldn't get any help fro his own wife, doesn't have a good look..and Im sure the RF are thoroughly fed up iwht him and just hope he'll keep quiet for a while...
As for security, if California is so safe how come Harry was so agitated about security issues and annoyed that noone was paying his security?

 

[Moonmaiden23]

I have lived in Southern California for the majority of my life. Yes...there are LOTS of rich and famous people. But there are also lots of dangerous people. There are homeless mentally ill even in "good areas".

And as a member of the British Royal family, Harry has the biggest target of all on his back. He is definitely justified in being concerned for the security of his family and himself.

 

[Osipi]

As far as how Americans view Meghan and Harry, I think it is difficult to say. The country seems to be split pretty much down the middle between Republicans and Democrats, with Republican media generally critical of Harry and Meghan and Democrats generally on their side, or that is how I interpret it. I think it is probably half and half.

I wouldn't go as far as to put the Sussexes in the American frame of mind as being the same as political leanings. I would describe it more as people in the US seeing Harry and Meghan pop up in entertainment news. Celebrities jump on bandwagons and that makes news. The Oprah interview was geared to an American audience as entertainment. I don't think Americans are going to be people that actually take the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as someone "serious" to listen to but rather as celebrity culture they see on red carpets and in the National Enquirer and tabloids walking their dog or riding their bike or raising a rescued chicken.

It's going to be a totally different slant on them than being part of the monarchy of a country where titles and styles actually mean something and generates deference. Now the Duke of Sussex is equally on par with Queen Latifah when it comes to being in the limelight and that's a whole different kettle of fish. Harry will be a famous name doing a mental health app promotion akin to the US swimming hero, Michael Phelps (who, btw, hasn't really been in the forefront of the limelight for a while now).

BTW: Phelps also has a foundation. It's a common thing, I guess, for celebrities/sports heroes to make a difference. https://michaelphelpsfoundation.org

 

[REAL COUNTESS]

Well all sort of news today. First finally telling that they did not marry 3 days prior, why lie? These two have a big problem thy can't be honest. And Harry has a new job really what are his qualifications? let me guess, being a member of the RF. If it would be a women one could call it a Trophy wife. Only window dressing sad but true, it seems this group's first incentive is making money on such a serious problem like Mental health, very shallow and self serving.

 

[UglyAmerican]

The next time these two complain about white privilege, I hope everyone remembers Harry who barely finished high school being handed a job for which he's ludicrously unqualified.

 

[Heavs]

The next time these two complain about white privilege, I hope everyone remembers Harry who barely finished high school being handed a job for which he's ludicrously unqualified.

Or they could spearhead it themselves by employing people of colour, which for the most part they don't. They just hired a white man to oversee their Netflix and Spotify content. If it was a big concern for them you'd think they'd want to work with a diverse group of employees excited to change the world.

I think Harry technically still has Travalyst but its the worst time humanly possible to try and launch a sustainable tourism website with no actual stated way of achieving their aims. And Heather Wong was left go/left it in February.

 

[Moran]

I think you are seeing this in a too negative way. Sure, we have to wait for some years till we can really see what's going to happen with them, but doing such work, (even if payed well) is the way back into his father's and brother's good graces. I guess the queen still loves him very much. She was after all the grandmother who was there for him when his mother died! Who stayed with him and his brother even though the papers tried to force her back to London. I#m not sure the Duke of Edinburgh will have been informed in such close details, probably the queen wants to spare him the trouble.

I am definitely seeing this in a negative way because first, even as a figurehead in this particular field Harry looks ridiculous to me *after the interview*. Besides, I don't believe we're going to see years of staying in one chosen field for him. That's his right, of course, but I do notice the pattern of making big proclamations and then failing to announce anything about the actual work involved and done, save for a donation or two which people do all the time according to their income and without establishing a foundation to do it. Instead, they make the next big proclamation in the next field.
I just don't believe he's going to stay for long there. And if he was on board, that would be fine, but he's appointed to something that at least *sounds* like work. Too soon after the interview, IMO. As I said, IMO
ETA: I also don't believe that getting into his father's and brother's good graces is a priority right now. If anything, authorizing Gayle to talk about the "unproductive" conversations hints at willing to milk every ounce of the rift to stay relevant. Again, just IMO. And yes, I know it's negative but since these two made their February 2020 announcement, my opinion on them has been getting increasingly negative and they've done precious little to change it. And no, this isn't a mistake, it wasn't the January 2020 that was the tipping point for me

 

[Osipi]

Or they could spearhead it themselves by employing people of colour, which for the most part they don't. They just hired a white man to oversee their Netflix and Spotify content. If it was a big concern for them you'd think they'd want to work with a diverse group of employees excited to change the world.

I think Harry technically still has Travalyst but its the worst time humanly possible to try and launch a sustainable tourism website with no actual stated way of achieving their aims. And Heather Wong was left go/left it in February.

Actually, the way they hired someone to work for them was based on the person's qualifications and their past track record when it comes to producing Netflix and Spotify content. This is actually how it should be. Hiring someone that is best qualified to do a job regardless of sex, race, creed or any other discriminating factors. Hiring a crew because they're "diverse" may actually work against them if the people aren't qualified and savvy about doing the actual job. ?

 

[Harald]

The next time these two complain about white privilege, I hope everyone remembers Harry who barely finished high school being handed a job for which he's ludicrously unqualified.

Meghan and Harry will not view this as White Privilege but just as part of plain old Elitist Privilege: the ability of members of the elite to get themselves cushy, overpaid positions where they are woefully unqualified for as well as to keep on failing upwards.

 

[Heavs]

Actually, the way they hired someone to work for them was based on the person's qualifications and their past track record when it comes to producing Netflix and Spotify content. This is actually how it should be. Hiring someone that is best qualified to do a job regardless of sex, race, creed or any other discriminating factors. Hiring a crew because they're "diverse" may actually work against them if the people aren't qualified and savvy about doing the actual job. ?

They are 100% entitled to hire whoever they want to hire and I've seen some of the films that Ben Browning has been involved in, looking at his IMDb profile and I've liked them. He was well qualified and I'm sure has good ideas for their projects and I wish him well.

However there has been a lot of talk in the last few years about how talented women and people of colour find it much harder to get a job in Hollywood compared to white men who are still the default for any job (Hollywood being surprisingly conservative BTS).

I was just commenting that for people who seemed to enjoy lecturing and accusing others of racial bias and lack of diversity, not to mention have a fanbase who screams racism at any criticism of them and thinks they're champions of diversity, and they don't seem to be working with any POC except one of the most powerful women in the US.

Not to mention the fact that they can't seem to keep any female employees for very long.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/0/harry-meghans-staff-turnover-aides-whove-left-now/

Again they're well within their rights to employ whoever they want and I wouldn't comment except that *they've* left themselves open to this observation by their own words and actions, kind of a "why don't they practice what they preach" comment, but no big deal.

 

[lirienn]

Good for Harry after he was complicit in lying about a wedding. We'll see what the couple does but honestly, he's losing the aura of being a prince. It's striking to see royals in their venues acting regal and Harry fighting on a bike. He lost all he knew possibly forever. Meghan will be ok, she's in California.
We'll see how Harry feels from now on.

 

[Osipi]

They're learning as they go along. Its a very, very competitive world they're entering. Neither one of them really has the experience and the know how to really state that they know what they are doing. I think they realize that they have to form a team to do the work for them that actually know what they're doing and then they can tackle the "wrongs" they've perceived to be previously.

Perhaps they'll even learn that jumping on a bandwagon protesting this and that isn't as easily rectified as they thought it should be. Experience in the business world should be a huge eye opener for the both of them. Sometimes too, they're probably going to have to face setbacks and recriminations and very fierce competition in what they attempt to do. It's such a totally different world than stepping out on a global platform where fame, accolades and praise and immense coverage by the media and the interest of the people are guaranteed

Like I've said before, its a dog eat dog world and they're wearing Milk Bone underwear now.

 

[poppy7]

The next time these two complain about white privilege, I hope everyone remembers Harry who barely finished high school being handed a job for which he's ludicrously unqualified.

This did make me laugh. I can't see he will actually do much rather then show up. Gotta do something.

 

[Erin9]

Actually, the way they hired someone to work for them was based on the person's qualifications and their past track record when it comes to producing Netflix and Spotify content. This is actually how it should be. Hiring someone that is best qualified to do a job regardless of sex, race, creed or any other discriminating factors. Hiring a crew because they're "diverse" may actually work against them if the people aren't qualified and savvy about doing the actual job. ?

Agreed. This is how it should be done. You want the best person for the job.

 

[caethi]

Actually, the way they hired someone to work for them was based on the person's qualifications and their past track record when it comes to producing Netflix and Spotify content. This is actually how it should be. Hiring someone that is best qualified to do a job regardless of sex, race, creed or any other discriminating factors. Hiring a crew because they're "diverse" may actually work against them if the people aren't qualified and savvy about doing the actual job. ?

It is generally true that the best person for the job is the most qualified. Given the under-representation of certain groups in executive positions in many countries,however, it is appropriate that the applicant pool be diverse, and in my view every effort should be made to recruit, interview and hire people who are under-represented in a given sector. Given Meghan and Harry's emphasis on socially just action, they should hire in a manner that promotes social justice and equity. That being said, we have no idea how the choice was made, and we don't know if the applicant pool was representative or not.

 

[Mbruno]

I wouldn't go as far as to put the Sussexes in the American frame of mind as being the same as political leanings. I would describe it more as people in the US seeing Harry and Meghan pop up in entertainment news. Celebrities jump on bandwagons and that makes news. The Oprah interview was geared to an American audience as entertainment. I don't think Americans are going to be people that actually take the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as someone "serious" to listen to but rather as celebrity culture they see on red carpets and in the National Enquirer and tabloids walking their dog or riding their bike or raising a rescued chicken.

I would normally agree that Americans see H&M as celebrities and do not necessarily take them seriously. However, compared for example to Diana's drama in the past, Meghan introduced a new variable to the equation, namely race, which is a topic that triggers a very strong response in the US. And the fact that she is biracial gives her credibility when talking about race discrimination, even though many of her claims were either inaccurate or at least unproven.

Furthermore, as I wrote before, her narrative was a good match for preconceived notions in America that the British monarchy (or monarchy in general) is "undemocratic", elitist, and snobbish.

I guess the mental health issue also resonated with a lot of people. It is actually easy for informed viewers to refute her story about the secret wedding, or Archie not getting a title or security because of his potential skin color, but the story that she was struggling and potentially suicidal, and her request to go away temporarily somewhere was turned down by the Palace, was not denied and is probably true, I think. The fact that Harry did not reach out to his own mental health network to help his wife, or that they never went to anyone else in the Family for assistance (rather than going to HR), is equally puzzling, but it doesn't excuse the uncooperative attitude of the Palace towards her.

 

[Denville]

I would normally agree that Americans see H&M as celebrities and do not necessarily take them seriously. However, compared for example to Diana's drama in the past, Meghan introduced a new variable to the equation, namely race, which is a topic that triggers a very strong response in the US. And the fact that she is biracial gives her credibility when talking about race discrimination, even though many of her claims were either inaccurate or at least unproven.

Furthermore, as I wrote before, her narrative was a good match for preconceived notions in America that the British monarchy (or monarchy in general) is "undemocratic", elitist, and snobbish.

I guess the mental health issue also resonated with a lot of people. It is actually easy for informed viewers to refute her story about the secret wedding, or Archie not getting a title or security because of his potential skin color, but the story that she was struggling and potentially suicidal, and her request to go away temporarily somewhere was turned down by the Palace, was not denied and is probably true, I think. The fact that Harry did not reach out to his own mental health network to help his wife, or that they never went to anyone else in the Family for assistance (rather than going to HR), is equally puzzling, but it doesn't excuse the uncooperative attitude of the Palace towards her.

what was "the Palace" supposed to do? If Meghan was seriously depressed, then her doctors were the people who would advise and suggest waht treatment would be best...

 

[Osipi]

what was "the Palace" supposed to do? If Meghan was seriously depressed, then her doctors were the people who would advise and suggest waht treatment would be best...

She also stated that she went to HR "at the palace". HR is specifically for the paid employees that work at the palace of which Meghan is not part of. Just stating "the Palace" could mean to somebody in Kalamazoo, Michigan "the Queen".

I might be a senior citizen with a certain insurance Medicare supplement but that doesn't mean I can walk into *any* insurance Medicare supplement provider and ask for assistance. Anyone that is getting medical treatment at all knows that, for the most part, if you want a procedure, a treatment, a prescription or be admitted to an inpatient facility, you do need a doctor's referral. This is why Meghan's statement of not getting help from the Palace doesn't sit right with me at all. From the sounds of it, she walked into HR and requested they set her up for an inpatient visit somewhere (probably of her choice) and she was told that was something they just cannot do. Bottom line is that if that was what she really needed and had doctors backing her up, the "optics" would have been dealt with quite easily. She may not have ended up going where she wanted to go but she would have received the help she needed at the time.

Just another aspect of that whole interview that was so convoluted and without a whole lot of context or any hint of what the solution finally was.

 

[QueenMathilde]

You know I was thinking - they were throwing a fit because Archie wasn't an HRH prince- did Princess Eugenie's son get an HRH prince title?

 

[Harald]

You know I was thinking - they were throwing a fit because Archie wasn't an HRH prince- did Princess Eugenie's son get an HRH prince title?

Nope. He, August Brooksbank, has no title of royalty at all.

 

[Osipi]

You know I was thinking - they were throwing a fit because Archie wasn't an HRH prince- did Princess Eugenie's son get an HRH prince title?

No. Right now he's a great grandchild of the monarch as Archie is. The difference though is that Eugenie's son will never be a grandchild of the monarch which is what the LPs in force now will elevate Archie when Charles becomes king. ?

 

[Denville]

You know I was thinking - they were throwing a fit because Archie wasn't an HRH prince- did Princess Eugenie's son get an HRH prince title?

No of course he didn't. Children do not get titles from their mother's side....

 

[Ladyelena]

Not this Black Canadian Woman.

 

[Mbruno]

No. Right now he's a great grandchild of the monarch as Archie is. The difference though is that Eugenie's son will never be a grandchild of the monarch which is what the LPs in force now will elevate Archie when Charles becomes king. ?

To be fair, it was Oprah who expressed indignation at a "great-grandson of the Queen" not having a title. Even Meghan understands what she called "the George V rule" or something like that. What Meghan was actually trying to imply is that she was made aware of discussions about Archie not becoming a prince either when Charles is King, i.e. that the current rules could be changed and that such changes were being considered perhaps because Archie would be biracial.

 

[Denville]

To be fair, it was Oprah who expressed indignation at a "great-grandson of the Queen" not having a title. Even Meghan understands what she called "the George V rule" or something like that. What Meghan was actually trying to imply is that she was made aware of discussions about Archie not becoming a prince either when Charles is King, i.e. that the current rules could be changed and that such changes were being considered perhaps because Archie would be biracial.

is Oprah aware that there are grandchildren of the Queen who dont have titles, never mind great grandsons?