The Duke & Duchess of Sussex and Family, News and Events 2: December 2020-March 2021

[QueenMathilde]

I saw this mentioned on Sky News earlier. The same bulletin mentioned that the Queen, 94 years old and no doubt worried sick about Prince Philip, had spoken out about the importance of the vaccination programme, that Prince Charles and Camilla had been visiting medical staff, and that Sophie Wessex had trained as a volunteer at a vaccination centre. Meanwhile, Harry gives an interview about himself.

I've been treated for mental health problems myself in the past and am not unsympathetic, but "any husband and father" wouldn't just pack in a stressful job and a stressful life and run off to Hollywood, because most husbands and fathers are not in a financial position to do that.

I'm really finding Harry's behaviour quite frustrating.

I think this was filmed before Prince Phillip went into the hospital and before Harry lost his patronages.


If he's going to pick a fight with the royal family he's fighting a losing battle.

 

[Denville]

Denville, I think I know much more about my country than you do. I stand by everything I said. If you read what I wrote, I said MOST Americans don’t care about H and M or the Royals. Some people do...maybe that’s enough to make H and M money, because we have a population of over 320 million. That doesn’t mean Americans in general care.

Obviously enough people to make money for H and Meghan. And a heck of a lot more than support them now in the UK...

 

[HighGoalHighDreams]

It was cringeworthy to hear the plugs for various products throughout this interview. It was almost like a satire, as if he was making fun of people who plug products during interviews to see how many times he could get it in.

This is, unfortunately, not compatible with a "life of service" as the couple have stated they wanted. This doesn't mean they can't serve others or do good, but I am reminded of the Biblical quote that one cannot serve two masters. Once you are beholden to an outside organization that you owe your lifeblood to, you are simply not free to dedicate your life to service the way that is necessary. A true life of service in the way it is meant, for example, when The Queen uses it, means that they cannot be held back by their obligation to promote other services. I am surprised Harry, with his upbringing, did not understand this.

 

[QueenMathilde]

It was cringeworthy to hear the plugs for various products throughout this interview. It was almost like a satire, as if he was making fun of people who plug products during interviews to see how many times he could get it in.

This is, unfortunately, not compatible with a "life of service" as the couple have stated they wanted. This doesn't mean they can't serve others or do good, but I am reminded of the Biblical quote that one cannot serve two masters. Once you are beholden to an outside organization that you owe your lifeblood to, you are simply not free to dedicate your life to service the way that is necessary. A true life of service in the way it is meant, for example, when The Queen uses it, means that they cannot be held back by their obligation to promote other services. I am surprised Harry, with his upbringing, did not understand this.

I didn't hear any plugs for products. What products did they plug? He didn't criticize The Crown but he's being paid by Netflix so that didn't surprise me. I've never seen it - the pictures of Diana that look nothing like Diana were enough to put me off.

 

[rmay286]

It was a fun enough interview, light, and sure it made Harry seem likable but he’s nearly always been that. But it’s so so so common. Like who wants this life, over the amazing heritage he was born with and the endless possibilities if only they were smart enough to know what to do with what they had and how to navigate those adversities.

Yes, that's a good way of describing the interview to me. It felt 'common.'

Sure, the royals do talk about their personal lives from time to time when visiting their patronages or performing duties. I can remember the Queen being at some engagement and mentioning her grandson (James) really liked cars...or William saying George is obsessed with dinosaurs. But these are always throwaway anecdotes while doing something else, a visit to an organization or promoting a cause. This was just Harry promoting...himself and Meghan. Sitting on an open-top bus chatting away about his life, the Queen, Prince Philip and Archie and the waffle-maker for no other reason than to promote his own personal "brand."

I didn't like that. But then, I follow royals and rarely follow celebrities. They're two totally different ways of existence (public service and duty for the Crown vs. promoting oneself in order to conduct "philanthropy" while living a life of luxury on the side).

 

[HighGoalHighDreams]

I didn't hear any plugs for products. What products did they plug? He didn't criticize The Crown but he's being paid by Netflix so that didn't surprise me. I've never seen it - the pictures of Diana that look nothing like Diana were enough to put me off.

Sorry, not sure if "products" was the right word, as I meant things like Netflix which is more of a service. I cannot agree that the discussion of The Crown was not an arranged promotion. The idea isn't whether he criticizes it or praises it, the idea is akin to a "product placement" on an episode of a TV show.

 

[QueenMathilde]

Yes, that's a good way of describing the interview to me. It felt 'common.'

Sure, the royals do talk about their personal lives from time to time when visiting their patronages or performing duties. I can remember the Queen being at some engagement and mentioning her grandson (James) really liked cars...or William saying George is obsessed with dinosaurs. But these are always throwaway anecdotes while doing something else, a visit to an organization or promoting a cause. This was just Harry promoting...himself and Meghan. Sitting on an open-top bus chatting away about his life, the Queen, Prince Philip and Archie and the waffle-maker for no other reason than to promote his own personal "brand."

I didn't like that. But then, I follow royals and rarely follow celebrities. They're two totally different ways of existence (public service and duty for the Crown vs. promoting oneself in order to conduct "philanthropy" while living a life of luxury on the side).

I would say Harry and Meghan are now officially celebrities and no longer royalty.

 

[Osipi]

After reading through the comments here, I sat down with my morning coffee and watched the video. I loved it. I thought it was casual and entertaining. I saw absolutely nothing to complain about. The context in which Harry talks about his family is one that anybody would talk about their family in. Granny ordering Archie a waffle iron. Grandpa ending a zoom session by just closing the laptop. Average nights at home reading the kid a book before bedtime (installs a love of books and reading. I had to beam at that) and then settling down with programming that a bazillion other families do.

They did focus a bit on Harry being royal. The tea service on the open top bus was kind of, what I saw as, British humor. A taste of home. Then the comparison of "flipped upside down" with the show "Fresh Prince of Bel Air". All with a sense of humor.

Harry hasn't lost it yet. Slim and fit tackling that military style obstacle course. Having fun while doing it. He's keeping physically fit and the fact that he mentioned his mental health, to me, emphasized that it's just as important to maintain mental health as well as physical health. I can't name one person that could go through the onslaught of the British press against them and *not* be affected mentally.

Many have mentioned the comparison Harry made between the "The Crown" and what the Sussexes had gone through aimed at them. With "The Crown" being fiction, it was far easier to swallow what was presented in that series than it was to endure what they had to go through that was taken by many as factual. From their perspective. They weren't throwing anyone under the bus and they weren't plugging anything in that interview at all. Maybe that the house from "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" is up for sale. Maybe?

It was fun. It was lighthearted and I don't think it was meant to be taken seriously as expression of opinion on anything or anybody. I think perhaps people are reading things between the lines that really aren't there. But that's just my opinion based on my perspective of the whole thing. ?

 

[Mbruno]

I would say Harry and Meghan are now officially celebrities and no longer royalty.

Well, Harry did say (in bad English grammar): "you know that us royals don't carry cash".

 

[QueenMathilde]

I don't know. I don't have a problem with them promoting products as long as they are now celebrities and not royals. I just have a problem with them saying nasty things about the royal family.


I think this interview was before Harry lost his patronages. We'll see what he says in the Oprah interview.


For now I thought the interview was fine.

 

[Osipi]

I don't know. I don't have a problem with them promoting products as long as they are now celebrities and not royals. I just have a problem with them saying nasty things about the royal family.


I think this interview was before Harry lost his patronages. We'll see what he says in the Oprah interview.


For now I thought the interview was fine.

The fact remains that Harry and Meghan *are* royal and will remain royal. That isn't going to go away any time soon. Their restrictions are that they cannot allude to or use "royal" or their "HRH" in business transactions and deals.

As this was a fun interview and not really "plugging" anything the Sussexes are in, it was correct to refer to "Prince" Harry being "royal".

 

[RandyDrx]

Privacy and never ending flattery are two separate things.
Like all royals they want to control the narrative and give the press what they want to for ex. not listing Archie's godparents.
As for the never-ending flattery. I doubt the couple wanted that after a while it becomes sugary and like saccharine. Useless. However what the couple got was unfair and mentally damaging treatment by the press. The far opposite of never-ending flattery. No one deserves that!

I disagree, it seems Harry has no problem with the "Hero Harry" stories from the early days of Invictus back in 2014, and let's not forget about their hardcore fans who praises them over the most trivial things.

 

[Pranter]

So, Harry said this, apparently.

How nice of him that he’s comfortable about the lies that portray his father as a villainous b*****d. I give up on him.

Why dont you read the entire comment. This edits out the rest of what he said and you lose the context. He did not say that statement and stop.

 

[Fem]

So, Harry said this, apparently.

How nice of him that he’s comfortable about the lies that portray his father as a villainous b*****d. I give up on him.

Prince Harry said “I’m way more comfortable with The Crown than I am seeing the stories written about my family or wife or myself”

I know, right?

No mention that the show opened old wounds, that it started - once again - a wave of internet hate and trolls (plenty of them Sussexes' fans too) aimed at Duchess of Cornwall, who had to endure more harsh criticism than Meghan ever did. I'm quite interested about who he thinks when he says "family", because for certain it's not his father nor stepmother (or brother and sister-in-law...).

It's all just disappointing, terribly disappointing. And the worst thing is that I would like the segment a lot if it was promoting Invictus or any other charitable organization and not "Harry and Meghan, humanitarians and royals (please remember NETFLIX pays us big bucks)".

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

If this is his new world, good luck. There is no way to combine those two worlds, therefore I am glad they are out.
It's clear that this is a promo videol, I was waiting for him to suggest that Meghan plays herself in The Crown.

 

[gerry]

Thank you Osipi for your positive comments about the Cordon interview. I too enjoyed this light hearted escapade into the wilds of LA and appreciated the many common touches (can I use your bathroom: even Royals need to pee!) that were highlighted by Cordon. Yes, there was clever product placement: Netflix and Jeopardy (Alex Trebek was famously Canadian) but Harry is a professional: his performance in the obstacle course, clearly marking his speed to help Cordon out, was exemplary. At the end of the interview, however, I was also sad because the Royal Family has clearly lost a star performer in the Prince; I am sure the 'grey men' at Buckingham Palace are kicking themselves with 'what could have been'. What I will be watching for is the British press reaction to this clear attack on their 'toxic' reaction to his 'stepping back', some of which I read in the various posters on this forum, to my dismay. Shame, really; but there are many Daily Fail readers on this forum, I think. A little bit of kindness never hurt anybody.....

 

[Mbruno]

Thank you Osipi for your positive comments about the Cordon interview. I too enjoyed this light hearted escapade into the wilds of LA and appreciated the many common touches (can I use your bathroom: even Royals need to pee!) that were highlighted by Cordon. Yes, there was clever product placement: Netflix and Jeopardy (Alex Trebek was famously Canadian) but Harry is a professional: his performance in the obstacle course, clearly marking his speed to help Cordon out, was exemplary. At the end of the interview, however, I was also sad because the Royal Family has clearly lost a star performer in the Prince; I am sure the 'grey men' at Buckingham Palace are kicking themselves with 'what could have been'. What I will be watching for is the British press reaction to this clear attack on their 'toxic' reaction to his 'stepping back', some of which I read in the various posters on this forum, to my dismay. Shame, really; but there are many Daily Fail readers on this forum, I think. A little bit of kindness never hurt anybody.....

I am pretty the "grey men" (many of whom are actually women) couldn't care less and given Harry's and especially Meghan's plummeting poll numbers in the UK, they are probably relieved that the RF got rid of that liability.

 

[Nico]

I am pretty the "grey men" (many of whom are actually women) couldn't care less and given Harry's and especially Meghan's plummeting poll numbers in the UK, they are probably relieved that the RF got rid of that liability.

Yep, can't agree more ...

 

[Empress Merel]

I'm enjoying the interview. It's light hearted, they have good banter and as a viewer, I had a good time.

 

[Alison H]

I am pretty the "grey men" (many of whom are actually women) couldn't care less and given Harry's and especially Meghan's plummeting poll numbers in the UK, they are probably relieved that the RF got rid of that liability.

As I said earlier, we've been hearing about how the Queen, despite being in her mid-90s and her husband being in hospital, has been doing video calls praising the vaccination programme, Sophie Wessex has trained as a volunteer at a vaccination centre, and Charles and Camilla have been visiting medical staff ... whilst Harry has been talking about a) himself and b) a Netflix series. That's a lot more important than asking to use James Corden's toilet. I agree that Harry, and indeed Meghan, could have done a lot of good, but they chose to walk away. I doubt that the "grey men" are shedding too many tears about it.

 

[polyesco]

And from the interview we learn that Archie's first word was crocodile. Impressive!

 

[Durham]

As I said earlier, we've been hearing about how the Queen, despite being in her mid-90s and her husband being in hospital, has been doing video calls praising the vaccination programme, Sophie Wessex has trained as a volunteer at a vaccination centre, and Charles and Camilla have been visiting medical staff ... whilst Harry has been talking about a) himself and b) a Netflix series. That's a lot more important than asking to use James Corden's toilet. I agree that Harry, and indeed Meghan, could have done a lot of good, but they chose to walk away. I doubt that the "grey men" are shedding too many tears about it.

Well said Alison & others.

It’s a clever piece of propaganda. He's exploiting his likeablity to excuse abandoning his duty.

 

[Osipi]

As I said earlier, we've been hearing about how the Queen, despite being in her mid-90s and her husband being in hospital, has been doing video calls praising the vaccination programme, Sophie Wessex has trained as a volunteer at a vaccination centre, and Charles and Camilla have been visiting medical staff ... whilst Harry has been talking about a) himself and b) a Netflix series. That's a lot more important than asking to use James Corden's toilet. I agree that Harry, and indeed Meghan, could have done a lot of good, but they chose to walk away. I doubt that the "grey men" are shedding too many tears about it.

Actually, Harry asked to use the bathroom at the home where "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air" was filmed. It was a comedic spiel into getting Harry to have that home as his LA base. I thought it was funny. In these times, we *do* need a respite from everything being dire and gloomy. I don't know about anyone else but I mention watching Netflix a lot and Hulu and preferring to stream things rather than watch live TV. In fact, throughout the entire interview, I can't say that I saw either Harry or James "plugging" anything at all.

And from the interview we learn that Archie's first word was crocodile. Impressive!

Three syllables. A most difficult word for a lad his size. I can just imagine the routing. "See you later, alligator" with Archie chiming in "After while, crocodile" and busting into a fit of laughter.

OH! Another part I found interesting is Harry being asked who would ever "play" him and he names Damian Lewis. I'm in the middle of streaming all the episodes of "Homeland" where Lewis plays Nick Brody. I remember clearly thinking that he's a ginger like Harry was when Lewis was on screen.

 

[RandyDrx]

Thank you Osipi for your positive comments about the Cordon interview. I too enjoyed this light hearted escapade into the wilds of LA and appreciated the many common touches (can I use your bathroom: even Royals need to pee!) that were highlighted by Cordon. Yes, there was clever product placement: Netflix and Jeopardy (Alex Trebek was famously Canadian) but Harry is a professional: his performance in the obstacle course, clearly marking his speed to help Cordon out, was exemplary. At the end of the interview, however, I was also sad because the Royal Family has clearly lost a star performer in the Prince; I am sure the 'grey men' at Buckingham Palace are kicking themselves with 'what could have been'. What I will be watching for is the British press reaction to this clear attack on their 'toxic' reaction to his 'stepping back', some of which I read in the various posters on this forum, to my dismay. Shame, really; but there are many Daily Fail readers on this forum, I think. A little bit of kindness never hurt anybody.....

I seriously doubt that the "Grey Men" are kicking themselves, while it's true that Harry does have star power, he doesn't make a good royal, considering he and his wife almost exclusively champions issues that are considered left-wing and surrounds themselves with people from a certain political party in the US when the RF should be politically neutral.

 

[carlota]

i can't deny that i find these 2 rather hypocritical. they wax lyrical about their privacy, then engage in a celebrity-style interview with a late night show and in an interview with oprah, the queen of talk shows. they speak about their kid's first word, his christmas presents, their evening routine... all whilst claiming when they were still royals that they would not reveal the kid's godparents because it would be a breach of their privacy.

i honestly don't know what lies deep inside them, what they really want, what their plan is... because they make little sense. not just in this issue, but many others (like when they preach about climate change, then fly to a conference to talk about climate change by private jet, and then go on 2 holidays also by private jet).

this interview is not what i expected them to engage in. this is the sort of thing that i see a B rated celeb doing, not someone who claims they want to do good in the world. harry doesn't need to go this low (he has the money, has the fame, why engage in this circus?!) - but for some unknown reason has. it is almost as if they are fighting hard to stay relevant, whatever the cost.

maybe they realise their popularity ratings are hitting rock bottom and they thought getting harry in an interview on TV talking about life would make them more relatable...

 

[Pranter]

Actually, Harry asked to use the bathroom at the home where "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air" was filmed. It was a comedic spiel into getting Harry to have that home as his LA base. I thought it was funny. In these times, we *do* need a respite from everything being dire and gloomy. I don't know about anyone else but I mention watching Netflix a lot and Hulu and preferring to stream things rather than watch live TV. In fact, throughout the entire interview, I can't say that I saw either Harry or James "plugging" anything at all.



Three syllables. A most difficult word for a lad his size. I can just imagine the routing. "See you later, alligator" with Archie chiming in "After while, crocodile" and busting into a fit of laughter.

OH! Another part I found interesting is Harry being asked who would ever "play" him and he names Damian Lewis. I'm in the middle of streaming all the episodes of "Homeland" where Lewis plays Nick Brody. I remember clearly thinking that he's a ginger like Harry was when Lewis was on screen.

I have got to go google this actor!


Ok I know this guy ....LOVE him as as actor!!


LaRae

 

[Alisa]

I disagree, it seems Harry has no problem with the "Hero Harry" stories from the early days of Invictus back in 2014, and let's not forget about their hardcore fans who praises them over the most trivial things.

Hardly. What the press writes and what their "hardcore fans" think are not the same or of equal value.

Of course royals are going to like positive press when it's valid. The "Hero Harry" stories were valid. He did 2 tours of duty serving his country.

 

[Mbruno]

Three syllables. A most difficult word for a lad his size. I can just imagine the routing. "See you later, alligator" with Archie chiming in "After while, crocodile" and busting into a fit of laughter.

On a lighter note, "See you later, alligator" would sound quite different in British and American English due to the flapping (?) of the intervocalic 't' in the American pronunciation and the mute final 'r' in 'alligator' in the British pronunciation (the final 'r' in 'later' wouldn't normally be pronounced either in British RP, but in this particular sentence, I believe it is, because it is followed by a vowel).


I wonder how Archie would pronounce that sentence having an American mother and a British father.


On Harry's casting suggestion, isn't Damian Lewis too old to play him? Wikipedia says he's 50.

 

[Empress Merel]

I seriously doubt that the "Grey Men" are kicking themselves, while it's true that Harry does have star power, he doesn't make a good royal, considering he and his wife almost exclusively champions issues that are considered left-wing and surrounds themselves with people from a certain political party in the US when the RF should be politically neutral.

Considering the dude ranked #1 as most popular royal for years and did a lot of service for the BRF, this is not at all fair.

 

[Fijiro]

I enjoyed the video of the interview. It was fun and light.

This is not IMO an endorsement of the Crown. If you quote the whole sentences without editing it, this is what he said “I’m way more comfortable with the Crown than I am seeing the stories written about my family or my wife or myself, because the Crown is obviously fiction, take it how you will. But this(press) is being reported on as fact because you’re supposedly news. I have a real issue with that" .

But editing the sentence .... changing the narrative.....?