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


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Last I heard in America we have 'freedom of speech' and for someone that lives here, owns property, abides by our laws then they should be able to encourage people to vote. The part that seems almost humorous to me is how it brought out the haters. This is my own ignorance though as I have not seen all the horrible things that Meghan has said and done in the past to cause so many negative comments. Incredibly shallow opinions with no facts or proof of any wrong doing. I just don't get it.
 
To me it's not about Freedom of Speech or haters, which the UK and most of Europe also has, it's about being mindful of your position, privilege and also title before jumping in to the politics of a different country, especially when using false equivalencies. There are many things members of the royal family (or anyone) *could* do, whether they *should* do them is a different matter.
 
Last I heard in America we have 'freedom of speech' and for someone that lives here, owns property, abides by our laws then they should be able to encourage people to vote. The part that seems almost humorous to me is how it brought out the haters. This is my own ignorance though as I have not seen all the horrible things that Meghan has said and done in the past to cause so many negative comments. Incredibly shallow opinions with no facts or proof of any wrong doing. I just don't get it.


Harry and Meghan can say whatever they like, the problem is, they are trying to meddle in a country's political affairs while still holding royal titles that isn't recognised by the same country that they currently live in. Yes, I'm fully aware that Meghan is American, but the truth of the matter is, she got all this attention and platform simply because of her marriage to her foreign husband. And just like another poster said, if Harry and Meghan were affiliated with politics that isn't popular with Hollywood and isn't woke, they would be accused of colonialism by now.
 
Harry and Meghan can say whatever they like, the problem is, they are trying to meddle in a country's political affairs while still holding royal titles that isn't recognised by the same country that they currently live in. Yes, I'm fully aware that Meghan is American, but the truth of the matter is, she got all this attention and platform simply because of her marriage to her foreign husband. And just like another poster said, if Harry and Meghan were affiliated with politics that isn't popular with Hollywood and isn't woke, they would be accused of colonialism by now.

They aren’t interfering. In fact, their message is exactly the opposite: ignore the misinformation put out there and be nice to each other. I don’t see the problem.
 
They aren’t interfering. In fact, their message is exactly the opposite: ignore the misinformation put out there and be nice to each other. I don’t see the problem.

We have that Steinem interview where if you are expressing excitement over Kamala Harris nomination and talk about conversations with Stacey Abrams . I am going to make a very educated guess about who you support . Especially talking about change in a year with incumbent running fo r re-election. Any denial is an insult to me at this point. Hell an interview with Gloria itself would be a big clue
 
I am commenting again as I just read the BBC article where Harry's spokesman commented that "His message is not in reference to any specific political party or candidate, but is instead a call for decency in how we engage with each other, interact, and consume information - especially online."

I am shocked by how rude this comment is (not the statement from the spokesman, but Harry's), even more so than I found Harry's statement without the clarification. Of course, if Harry was calling for these things in general, that would be one thing, but he is calling for them specifically in the context of another country's election.

I cannot imagine sitting in a pub in the UK with an election upcoming and saying to a local resident, "You know, with the vote around the corner, you all really should be a bit kinder to each other and watch what you say and not spread what I as an outsider think is false information." It would be the height of rudeness and I can imagine being asked to leave.

Not to mention that with what many American citizens feel they have at stake in the current political climate, someone who is not a citizen here and therefore does not have those things at stake coming in and telling people who feel victimized and unheard to "be kind" and "not spread negativity"... it's not on.

You just don't go to other people's countries and comment on how they are conducting themselves in their elections and sensitive political processes, no matter who you are. It's culturally insensitive.

Yes to everything, as someone who lived in a foreign country myself I have rarely felt confident providing my personal political view point of that country political candidates and system (even though more than once I was obviously far more educated on it than the local people I met and befriended), and rarely did I criticize the people for how they commented on the political race (only when someone said something awful, like one guy once commenting the most obvious covert racist thing about the Obamas- I shut that person down asap)


100% about your second to last paragraph. It is hard! and impossible, for someone who has spend their entire life being told to just smile and node, or just let it go- when they are being treated as second class citizen, not only by other people but by their own president, to be "kind" and "not spread negativity"
as a woman whose grandparents were persecuted for their religion, who grew up on stories of their grandparents fearing to even walk down the street for fear of being attacked if recognized as jews (something they could hide, something black people can not do!)



That being said, the pictures I saw of the video scared me a bit for Harry's well being, his body language looked withdrawn, scared, a bit defensive and that this was the last place he wants to be. him all the way to the side, Meghan in the center of the bench. a strong power imbalance imo.
I also think deep down he knows this is wrong, him talking politics is wrong for him as a member of the royal family.



And kudos to the BP for their statement!
Making a strong distinction between working royals and non working royals.


So Harry has no agency; people are back on the scheming American Jezebel again? That was not a hostage video. Do people really think Harry longs to go back to a world where maligning his wife and child is a bloodsport? He and his wife bought a home in the States and entered a deal with Netflix. The fact they rather contend with California wildfires doesn't say much for what was left behind.

I wonder if people would be singing the same tune if Harry was a woman and Meghan a man?
Because for those of us with experience in the matter the signs are painfully obvious.
 
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it is certainly important to vote if you live in a democracy, or at least engage and spoil your ballot etc and this is an incredibly important election.

Harry and Meghan bringing up the fact that he has never voted is frustrating to me because:

1) He's not a US citizen and cannot vote in the election anyway.

2) The reason he's never voted is because of his very privileged position (which also includes access to politicians and movers and shakers to support your personal initiatives). Equating that with disenfranchisement, attempted suppression of the vote or those who have never been interested in voting before is incredibly disingenuous.

And as a personal note some supporters are now criticising other senior members of the BRF for not speaking out more on political topics (or anti Trump/government platforms) which is completely against what they are supposed to stand for and is incredibly frustrating.

And as an aside I think if in the unlikely scenario Harry came out as a US Republican (even if not enthused with Trump) then all this "he's allowed to/should speak his mind now" would disappear in an instant for obvious reasons, even though it's the same principle.

I agree with this...and your use of the word disenfranchisement reminds me of the discussion we had a couple of months or so ago. Harry doesn’t understand what it’s like to NOT have the right to vote, doesn’t understand what it’s like to be beaten up for even trying to vote....His equating his experiences with those of people who have suffered badly in simply trying to avail themselves of their right to vote is deeply grating.
 
They aren’t interfering. In fact, their message is exactly the opposite: ignore the misinformation put out there and be nice to each other. I don’t see the problem.


Like I said, they can say whatever they want, as long as they presents themselves as simply "Mr. and Mrs. Mountbatten-Windsor" instead of "Duke This and Duchess That". And considering the fact that Meghan already made her opinion about Trump known before she married Harry and that interview with Gloria Steinem, it doesn't take a genius to guess which side of the political spectrum she is in.
 
I am commenting again as I just read the BBC article where Harry's spokesman commented that "His message is not in reference to any specific political party or candidate, but is instead a call for decency in how we engage with each other, interact, and consume information - especially online."

I am shocked by how rude this comment is (not the statement from the spokesman, but Harry's), even more so than I found Harry's statement without the clarification. Of course, if Harry was calling for these things in general, that would be one thing, but he is calling for them specifically in the context of another country's election.

I cannot imagine sitting in a pub in the UK with an election upcoming and saying to a local resident, "You know, with the vote around the corner, you all really should be a bit kinder to each other and watch what you say and not spread what I as an outsider think is false information." It would be the height of rudeness and I can imagine being asked to leave.

Not to mention that with what many American citizens feel they have at stake in the current political climate, someone who is not a citizen here and therefore does not have those things at stake coming in and telling people who feel victimized and unheard to "be kind" and "not spread negativity"... it's not on.

You just don't go to other people's countries and comment on how they are conducting themselves in their elections and sensitive political processes, no matter who you are. It's culturally insensitive.

Brilliantly said. I’m so tired of Harry wanting everyone to play nice, and sticking his nose in my country’s election. He has nothing at stake here, nothing. For my fellow countrymen and women, Democracy itself and common human decency are at stake. [.......] Not Harry.
 
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They aren’t interfering. In fact, their message is exactly the opposite: ignore the misinformation put out there and be nice to each other. I don’t see the problem.

Curbside, I see that you, like me, are an American.

Imagine it is Ireland during the time of The Troubles. An important election is coming up, or an important decision about to be handed down. People are dying. For the people of Ireland, everything is, or feels, at stake.

You and I are traveling there and stop by the local pub. Around us, all the talk is about the political situation. You turn around and comment to the Irishman next to you, "You know, you all really should drown out the negativity around you, seek the truth about what is really going on here, and just be kinder to one another. Make sure your voice is heard!"

Do you not see what is terribly offensive and insensitive about this and how it makes light in an offensive way about the stakes that real people are facing? To tell people whose fight you are not part of to be remember to be nice out there and do what you think they need to do to contribute to the solution? Certainly, you are entitled to the opinion that this is not culturally insensitive, rude, and unwelcome, but it is going to be a minority opinion.

Harry's comments were headline news across the nation yesterday, and BBC introduced his comments by putting the word "nonpartisan" in air quotes.
 
This would seem to me to be the perfect opportunity for their titles to be removed, or for them to renounce them.
This couple is clearly a liability to the neutrality of the Monarchy as their comments have shown with BPO and the FCO scrambling into damage limitation mode. if they really want to speak out on issues that they feel strongly about without this backlash they need to be confident enough to be known simply as Mr and Mrs Mountbatten-Windsor (or maybe Meghan would frown on taking her husbands last name and they would be Mr and Mrs Markle).
If they truly wanted to effect change I can think of innumerable ways they could do it. Meghan could become a school teacher and teach underprivileged girls. Harry could help to build schools in the developing world. But that doesn't seem to be what they want. What they want is an ego-satisfying role as Hollywood Global crusaders on a pay to view basis.
Harry is clearly Meghan's hostage here and looks completely trapped in this stronger and more intelligent woman's agenda.
 
Brilliantly said. I’m so tired of Harry wanting everyone to play nice, and sticking his nose in my country’s election. He has nothing at stake here, nothing. For my fellow countrymen and women, Democracy itself and common human decency are at stake. [....] Not Harry.

[......] You live in a democracy where your vote counts as a powerful expression, as Prince Harry reminds us. I appreciate the irony of a British prince speaking out during an American election campaign; [....]
 
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Everyone who lives here has a stake in this election. The rights guaranteed in the Constitution are mostly directed to US persons, not just citizens.
 
Let's stay on topic here, and avoid name-calling.
 
I think the USA should file a formal complaint, if Trump wanted to he technically could.
 
it is certainly important to vote if you live in a democracy, or at least engage and spoil your ballot etc and this is an incredibly important election.

Harry and Meghan bringing up the fact that he has never voted is frustrating to me because:

1) He's not a US citizen and cannot vote in the election anyway.

2) The reason he's never voted is because of his very privileged position (which also includes access to politicians and movers and shakers to support your personal initiatives). Equating that with disenfranchisement, attempted suppression of the vote or those who have never been interested in voting before is incredibly disingenuous.

And as a personal note some supporters are now criticising other senior members of the BRF for not speaking out more on political topics (or anti Trump/government platforms) which is completely against what they are supposed to stand for and is incredibly frustrating.

And as an aside I think if in the unlikely scenario Harry came out as a US Republican (even if not enthused with Trump) then all this "he's allowed to/should speak his mind now" would disappear in an instant for obvious reasons, even though it's the same principle.

Oh for sure, their fans would go at him like never before.

You hit the nail on the head. They would be ostracized by Hollywood, the Obamas, Oprah and all the politically Liberal minded influential people they have aligned themselves with. Their minions would drop like flies. Of course there is no secret who and what they support and I could care less either way. My issue is being lectured by ANY puffed up celebrity (which is what they have become) on who or what to vote for. The fact they are using their position as members of a foreign Royal family to do this is really outrageous and dangerous IMO.

I don't know about the Obama's, they are friendly with multiple Republicans. but to be fair, they have already done plenty to distance themselves from the couple, Michelle office have said the two woman only met and spoke a handful of times. a friendship I do not think this is.

A breakdown of the Sussex taste - as displayed in a small corner of their Riven Rock mansion -

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/...Markles-14-million-Santa-Barbara-mansion.html

"taste" that decor is 1) baffling for anyone with has a toddler (mom always said: white is for people who don't have kids), 2) very boring and very 2010's. it's all about modern design but in color and cool prints in the 2020's :)
 
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This would seem to me to be the perfect opportunity for their titles to be removed, or for them to renounce them.
This couple is clearly a liability to the neutrality of the Monarchy as their comments have shown with BPO and the FCO scrambling into damage limitation mode. if they really want to speak out on issues that they feel strongly about without this backlash they need to be confident enough to be known simply as Mr and Mrs Mountbatten-Windsor (or maybe Meghan would frown on taking her husbands last name and they would be Mr and Mrs Markle).
If they truly wanted to effect change I can think of innumerable ways they could do it. Meghan could become a school teacher and teach underprivileged girls. Harry could help to build schools in the developing world. But that doesn't seem to be what they want. What they want is an ego-satisfying role as Hollywood Global crusaders on a pay to view basis.
Harry is clearly Meghan's hostage here and looks completely trapped in this stronger and more intelligent woman's agenda.

LOL He look so uncomfortable in the video. The Queen should just take them and Trump should file a complain against them. They need to just remove the Dukedom. Harry is entitled to his Prince Harry title and he should keep it, but she should not be a Duchess of anything in the Royal family.

I can only imagine how annoyed the BRF is with them.
 
I wonder how certain posters on here would feel if Princess Madeline of Sweden, another foreign royal living in the USA and married to an American, came out and said how she, HRH The Princess Madeline of Sweden, admired the republican governor of Florida.
 
I wonder how certain posters on here would feel if Princess Madeline of Sweden, another foreign royal living in the USA and married to an American, came out and said how she, HRH The Princess Madeline of Sweden, admired the republican governor of Florida.

She should be criticized too. Royals should not comment on US elections, it's like using your status to interfere.
 
If the Queen didn't remove the titles of Nazi sympathizers, I see no reason why she would do so for urging people to vote. The Sussexes aren't telling people to take up arms and storm the White House, for heaven's sake.

What Nazi sympathisers?
 
Curbside, I see that you, like me, are an American.

Imagine it is Ireland during the time of The Troubles. An important election is coming up, or an important decision about to be handed down. People are dying. For the people of Ireland, everything is, or feels, at stake.

You and I are traveling there and stop by the local pub. Around us, all the talk is about the political situation. You turn around and comment to the Irishman next to you, "You know, you all really should drown out the negativity around you, seek the truth about what is really going on here, and just be kinder to one another. Make sure your voice is heard!"

Do you not see what is terribly offensive and insensitive about this and how it makes light in an offensive way about the stakes that real people are facing? To tell people whose fight you are not part of to be remember to be nice out there and do what you think they need to do to contribute to the solution? Certainly, you are entitled to the opinion that this is not culturally insensitive, rude, and unwelcome, but it is going to be a minority opinion.

Harry's comments were headline news across the nation yesterday, and BBC introduced his comments by putting the word "nonpartisan" in air quotes.

With respect, I'm not sure present day-USA and Ireland during 'The Troubles' is a good comparison.
 
Everyone who lives here has a stake in this election. The rights guaranteed in the Constitution are mostly directed to US persons, not just citizens.

That’s true, but Harry has literally been here for a few months..I just don’t think he’s got the same stake as either citizens or those who have lived here for years. He can return to the UK at anytime, and he’s extremely wealthy ..not like the vast majority of Americans ...
 
I agree with Rebecca that BP’s non-statement is a statement.

This is what Harry wanted - total freedom to do as he wished.

I don’t understand why he gets to keep his title (same with Meghan) when he has complete divested himself of anything to do with the Royals - in terms of The Firm, not family- or the UK

At the same time he knows that his status amplifies his voice. How convenient for him. Freedom but with all the benefits. Cakeism as it's known in the UK.

His princely status is in the gift of the monarch. Let's hope HM is getting good advice. The peerage is a matter for parliament.
 
What Nazi sympathisers?

I assume the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. If that was going to be done, it would have been done in 1937, when the Windsors made that cringeworthy visit to Hitler. Seeing as the Queen was an 11-year-old princess at the time, it was hardly her call to make - but, point taken, that was also an example of non-working royals getting inappropriately involved in another country's politics.

Harry's comments weren't openly partisan, but they were still inappropriate, and have been widely criticised in both the British and American media. And I don't imagine for one second that Princess Madeleine would comment on US politics, because she's got more sense ... but, again, point taken that elements of the liberal elite seem to think it's OK to be partisan as long as it's on the side that they favour. Actress Jodie Comer has been abused on social media just because her boyfriend openly backs the Republicans. To be fair, though, I think people from across the political spectrum have expressed concern at Harry making comments about US politics.


Now Donald Trump is making gibes about Meghan, which is hardly a very dignified way to behave. This whole thing is embarrassing!
 
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I assume the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. If that was going to be done, it would have been done in 1937, when the Windsors made that cringeworthy visit to Hitler. Seeing as the Queen was an 11-year-old princess at the time, it was hardly her call to make - but, point taken, that was also an example of non-working royals getting inappropriately involved in another country's politics.

I have no doubt a similar situation today would see the Windsors stripped of everything. And rightly so. We are far less deferential.
 
I assume the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. If that was going to be done, it would have been done in 1937, when the Windsors made that cringeworthy visit to Hitler. Seeing as the Queen was an 11-year-old princess at the time, it was hardly her call to make - but, point taken, that was also an example of non-working royals getting inappropriately involved in another country's politics.

Harry's comments weren't openly partisan, but they were still inappropriate, and have been widely criticised in both the British and American media. And I don't imagine for one second that Princess Madeleine would comment on US politics, because she's got more sense ... but, again, point taken that elements of the liberal elite seem to think it's OK to be partisan as long as it's on the side that they favour. Actress Jodie Comer has been abused on social media just because her boyfriend openly backs the Republicans. To be fair, though, I think people from across the political spectrum have expressed concern at Harry making comments about US politics.


Now Donald Trump is making gibes about Meghan, which is hardly a very dignified way to behave. This whole thing is embarrassing!


"elite" period.
He is being criticized for equating his inherent unearned white privilege station to people who truly are unable to vote.
His privilege and obvious lack of knowledge on the topic (and him only being in the country for 6 months as a foreigner!) is why he should keep quiet.


Look I get it, Trump is major trouble (I am being too kind here), and I do agree at this point Americans need all hands on deck to be able to get rid of him. But it is one thing to comment on Trump obvious racism and fascist behaviors and another to tell americans about their freedom to vote, when many of them currently struggle with being able to vote because of institutionalized racism.
 
At the same time he knows that his status amplifies his voice. How convenient for him. Freedom but with all the benefits. Cakeism as it's known in the UK.

His princely status is in the gift of the monarch. Let's hope HM is getting good advice. The peerage is a matter for parliament.

I’m sure he does, yet I don’t think he understands that very few Americans care about his opinions. His fans will, but everyone else has far bigger issues.
 
We have that Steinem interview where if you are expressing excitement over Kamala Harris nomination and talk about conversations with Stacey Abrams . I am going to make a very educated guess about who you support . Especially talking about change in a year with incumbent running fo r re-election. Any denial is an insult to me at this point. Hell an interview with Gloria itself would be a big clue


I've just watched the video of Gloria Steinem talking about her and the Duchess of Sussex cold-calling voters together LadyRaven.

I don't want to post a link to the video - anyone interested can find it for themselves via "Newsweek" or "Access Hollywood"

And while Gloria says Meg "is such an inspiration to me", she calls the President "the virus in the White House".

Is that what they're saying on the phone to people!

I hope they’re being more mature and professional than that.
 
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