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

[Heavs]

Who gave these details to the press about this wreath I wonder. Did this happen with the other wreaths as well?

No. This is from The Telegraph:

The Sussexes' tribute was among nine family wreaths laid in the Quire of St George's Chapel, propped against the stalls on each side of the Duke's coffin. Buckingham Palace aides declined to provide details of the other wreaths, saying they were private.

But a source close to the Sussexes confirmed that theirs had been designed and handmade by Willow Crossley, a Cotswold florist known for her natural, rustic arrangements.

The variety of locally sourced flowers, some of which were picked from the designer's garden, were chosen due to their particular significance.

Prince Harry and Meghan asked for it to include Acanthus mollis, or bear's breeches, the national flower of Greece, to represent the Duke's heritage; Eryngium, or sea holly, to represent the Royal Marines; Campanula, to represent "gratitude and everlasting love"; rosemary to signify remembrance; lavender for devotion, and roses in honour of the Duke's birth month of June.

Ms Crossley impressed the couple with decorations for the evening event at Frogmore House following their wedding in May 2018 and was later chosen to do the flower arrangements at the christening of their son, Archie, and the launch event for the Hubb Community cookbook at Kensington Palace.

At the time of the christening in July 2019, the Sussexes did not announce who had arranged the flowers.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-f...-had-part-prince-philips-funeral-handwritten/

There's also a bit about Meghan handwriting the note and "how she is known for her calligraphy".

I'm definitely not criticising the wreath or the thoughtfulness put into it, but announcing it when they did. with so many details, when no one else did to me smacked as a way to get attention when it maybe would have been better to wait a few hours at least.

The timing of it made a lot of people on SM assume that Meghan had created the wreath and note on the Duke's coffin, when it was of course HM's last tribute. Not necessarily their fault but timing was terrible when Jack Royston of Newsweek tweeted it in the middle of the procession without the other wreaths and the chapel mentioned for context.

 

[Somebody]

Why announce it at all? That final sentence is also rather interesting; they did everything to keep the christening of Archie 'private'. So, it would have been extremely weird to announce who did the 'flower arrangement' at this private event; if they weren't releasing relevant information such as his godparents. But it is even weirder to use the funeral of your grandfather to share information about the flower arrangements of your wedding party and son's christening a few years ago.

 

[_Heather_]

No. This is from The Telegraph:



https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-f...-had-part-prince-philips-funeral-handwritten/

I'm definitely not criticising the wreath or the thoughtfulness put into it but announcing it when they did when no one else did to me smacked as a way to get attention when it maybe would have been better to wait a few hours at least.

Agreed. The wreath itself was lovely as were the thought and sentiment put into it. But there was no need to publicize the details, especially when the palace didn’t publicize any details of any of the other wreaths. The timing was atrocious and frankly, making the details public at any time was unnecessary. It’s okay to make quiet and private gestures. We don’t need the details. If someone asked and they responded with “Harry and Meghan sent a wreath to be laid at the funeral” it would have been perfectly acceptable. Anymore than that was simply not needed and definitely projects the self-serving image and need to be front and center in the spotlight that they’ve become known for.

 

[Erin9]

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

No. This is from The Telegraph:







https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-f...-had-part-prince-philips-funeral-handwritten/



I'm definitely not criticising the wreath or the thoughtfulness put into it but announcing it when they did when no one else did to me smacked as a way to get attention when it maybe would have been better to wait a few hours at least.

If no one else in the family is giving details into the symbolism of the flowers chosen, I don’t think the Sussexes should have either. It was a thoughtful arrangement....but it rather looks like publicity seeking to me to announce to the public the details of just how thoughtful you were IMO, if you’re the only one making it a point of doing so.

And I suppose having this information released about the same time the service begins is a way of getting maximum coverage. *sigh* I really dislike saying this- much less having thought about this at all- about a thoughtful funeral flower arrangement.

I’m sure all of the wreaths by the family had some personal significance and were thoughtfully chosen.

 

[Hallo girl]

No. This is from The Telegraph:



https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-f...-had-part-prince-philips-funeral-handwritten/

There's also a bit about Meghan handwriting the note and "how she is known for her calligraphy".

I'm definitely not criticising the wreath or the thoughtfulness put into it, but announcing it when they did. with so many details, when no one else did to me smacked as a way to get attention when it maybe would have been better to wait a few hours at least.

Could it be the florist who has released all this.
Not saying it is, just a thought with the extra detail not previously issued.

 

[Erin9]

Could it be the florist who has released all this.

Not saying it is, just a thought with the extra detail not previously issued.

I can’t see a florist releasing personal details on arrangements of their own accord. Certainly not for Prince Philip’s funeral.

 

[Hallo girl]

I can’t see a florist releasing personal details on arrangements of their own accord. Certainly not for Prince Philip’s funeral.

I probably agree with you but I am so hopeful that Meghan is not responsible for issuing a press release.
If she has I am afraid it confirms that she doesn't understand the difference between celebrity and royalty. This has been the problem since day 1.

 

[Fijiro]

When one works for Walmart, they're expected to wear the Walmart logo shirts. Same with a lot of places of employment. McDonalds is another. If you hire in and get your paycheck from them, you follow the rules they put in place and that includes wearing what they ask you wear "on the job".

If I'm not mistaken, Meghan's "working wardrobe" was provided for her through her father-in-law, Charles. Stands to reason when Meghan was "on the job", she'd follow the protocol as deemed by the "Firm". I'm not exactly sure if her own wedding would qualify in being "on the job" but how hard is it to get past something as trivial as the little bridesmaids wearing tights or not? The fact that the relatively mundane incident grew out of proportion and escalated into something that probably will still be talked about here 20 years from now is what boggles my mind.

If only our world had such little things things to worry about. ?

Her wardrobe was not covered by Prince Charles, she was not a paid working royal.

 

[Denville]

Her wardrobe was not covered by Prince Charles, she was not a "paid working royal".

news to me. I understood that Harry got about £2M a year for expenses for his work from Charles.. and that would help to pay for his wife's working wardrobe...

 

[Heavs]

Could it be the florist who has released all this.
Not saying it is, just a thought with the extra detail not previously issued.

If it was the florist it was with Sussex permission since the articles say "Sussex source" and they aren't likely to want to upset longstanding, illustrious clients by suddenly talking about previously private arrangements like Archie's Christening.

And they style seems familiar to some of their other releases/leaks to me - lots of details about Meghan's handwritten note, how very locally they were sourced, just how symbolic everything was. A very thoughtful arrangement but so was everyone else's I'm sure.

I can understand wanting to feel included in the day because you can't be there and wanting people to know she cared but she wasn't the only spouse or family member who might have been there who was missing due to circumstances beyond anyone's control.

Then you have Scobie on CBS saying the DoE was Meghan's strongest bond in the family and how she lost a family member too....

ETA Source for Omid Scobie quotes/video: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...-Gayle-King-Omid-Scobie-lead-TV-coverage.html

 

[Erin9]

I probably agreeing with you but I am so hopeful that Meghan is not responsible for issuing a press release.

If she has I am afraid it confirms that she doesn't understand the difference between celebrity and royalty. This has been the problem since day 1.

Well- I think it pretty much has to be her- or a joint decision by her and Harry. I just can’t see any other way. They are the ones who know why that arrangement was chosen. No one else’s floral arrangement details have been- or will be- publicized as I understand it right now.

To me- it’s not so much the difference in celebrity and royalty...it’s that this was the funeral of a beloved family member. I don’t think it’s appropriate to draw attention to yourself and your thoughtfulness and time it so that the maximum number of people hear it. It’s not about you. It was about him and his life.

As I said- if the entire family made a decision that they wanted to talk about the symbolism behind the flowers, that is one thing. Singling yourself out is something entirely different.

And I truly hate typing this. Or thinking this.

 

[Betsypaige]

What am I missing about some press release about wreaths ?

 

[Fem]

Could it be the florist who has released all this.
Not saying it is, just a thought with the extra detail not previously issued.

No way a florist would be releasing any kind of info - a sure way to lose important customers in long run.

What am I missing about some press release about wreaths ?

There were wreaths from each family in the chapel, including one from Harry and Meghan. It seems that the press was informed by someone close to the Sussexes about the origin of the wreath, how carefully they picked flowers with Prince Philip in mind and that Meghan wrote a handwritten note

(BP did not comment on other wreaths, as they were a private matter, of course)

 

[Betsypaige]

No way a florist would be releasing any kind of info - a sure way to lose important customers in long run.

There were wreaths from each family in the chapel, including one from Harry and Meghan. It seems that the press was informed by someone close to the Sussexes about the origin of the wreath, how carefully they picked flowers with Prince Philip in mind and that Meghan wrote a handwritten note

(BP did not comment on other wreaths, as they were a private matter, of course)

Thanks !

Oh for Pete’s sake, even today? None of that is remotely important ...??

 

[Hallo girl]

Thanks !

Oh for Pete’s sake, even today? None of that is remotely important ...??

You are right.
We need to move on,

 

[Fem]

Thanks !

Oh for Pete’s sake, even today? None of that is remotely important ...??

Unfortunately it seems that it was important for someone to get it out there today. Which is crazy, but hey, we're in this mess for quite a while now, and TBH I'm not even surprised.

 

[Royalist.in.NC]

Don't really want to be side tracked, but the UK media speculating or suggesting what may or may not be going on is very different, in my opinion, to Gayle repeating on national television a conversation she had with Meghan or Harry.

I absolutely agree with you - very different!

 

[Betsypaige]

You are right.
We need to move on,

No, I wasn't talking to the board, I was talking about Meghan or whomever did this press release. I was talking about how the details of the flower arrangement, etc.. were just not important............

 

[UglyAmerican]

I really don't understand the continuing use of anonymous sources. Someone else pointed out previously that though the Sussexes (or maybe just Meghan) had relied on them heavily when they weren't officially allowed to be talking to the press, they were no longer constrained by royal rules and protocol, and had no further need to rely on them. That's true. But I can't believe some random person made up all those personal details about the flowers and the note, and somehow convinced every major media outlet to run it, so I have to conclude this was a real source - either a "friend" or Meghan herself. Whatever Harry's involvement may have been, he can't have been the one who hit "send," because that would have been noticed.

If they really see nothing wrong with releasing the information, why not own it? And if they do see a problem with it, why do it? The only explanation I can think of is plausible deniability in case Harry's family (or maybe Harry himself) later takes issue with it. But it's not really all that plausible here...

 

[Betsypaige]

Unfortunately it seems that it was important for someone to get it out there today. Which is crazy, but hey, we're in this mess for quite a while now, and TBH I'm not even surprised.

I mean, it's the same thing: it was important to let everyone know that Harry called his grandmother for her birthday (against her wishes), etc... If whoever did this is looking for attention, I'm afraid they failed; today was about Prince Philip, HM and their family

 

[Osipi]

As I've stated before, the only mention of the wreath I heard was before the procession on the BBC coverage. I thought "that's nice" and forgot about it. I would imagine most people did the same. I wouldn't have heard anything about what flowers were in the wreath or mention of Meghan's calligraphy unless it was posted here. It really is no big deal and was probably used by talking heads as fillers (although from what I hear, at an inappropriate time).

Just makes me realize more why I don't like talking heads.

 

[_Heather_]

As I've stated before, the only mention of the wreath I heard was before the procession on the BBC coverage. I thought "that's nice" and forgot about it. I would imagine most people did the same. I wouldn't have heard anything about what flowers were in the wreath or mention of Meghan's calligraphy unless it was posted here. It really is no big deal and was probably used by talking heads as fillers (although from what I hear, at an inappropriate time).

Just makes me realize more why I don't like talking heads.

But just because you’ve chosen not to read online articles, even those from reputable publications, doesn’t mean that is the case for most people. These details are now literally everywhere. Here, yes, but also on major news broadcasts of the funeral and the surrounding details, tabloid articles from the DM and the Express and the like, and even more reputable sources like Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, etc. If it had been as simple as “Harry and Meghan, along with other family members, have sent wreaths to be laid in the Chapel” then I agree that a “that’s nice” would have been my reaction. But that really wasn’t what this was.

 

[Curryong]

I had the same reaction as Osipi though, and I would suspect most observers of the funeral on TV and those who read articles about the funeral felt the same. For me it was ‘Oh, Meghan sent a funeral wreath with some flowers that symbolised Prince Philip’s past. That’s nice.’

Whether Meghan sent a wreath is not important in the context of the day IMO, and here in Australia on Sunday morning no-one I know is talking about it though many other parts of the funeral have been. In my view these sort of details tend to be discussed on forums such as this but not by the general public at large.

 

[_Heather_]

I had the same reaction as Osipi though, and I would suspect most observers of the funeral on TV and those who read articles about the funeral felt the same. For me it was ‘Oh, Meghan sent a funeral wreath with some flowers that symbolised Prince Philip’s past. That’s nice.’

Whether Meghan sent a wreath is not important in the context of the day IMO, and here in Australia on Sunday morning no-one I know is talking about it though many other parts of the funeral have been. In my view these sort of details tend to be discussed on forums such as this but not by the general public at large.

I do see what you’re saying and in the grand scheme of things the fact that she sent a wreath with specifically chosen flowers and a handwritten note isn’t of any real importance whatsoever. But the fact that all the details had to be made public, and at such an inappropriate moment, is just such a ridiculously selfish thing. Of great importance? No, not at all. But so cringey and in poor taste? Absolutely.

 

[Curryong]

I think the fact that Harry and William, united in grief for their grandfather both behaved in a solemn and dignified way at the funeral and were seen talking together afterwards, together with Kate, was more worthy of comment by the media and observers than a wreath.

Much less frosty in all ways than at the Commonwealth service last year. And their interaction has received quite a lot of cautiously optimistic comment from many sources.

 

[Fem]

As I've stated before, the only mention of the wreath I heard was before the procession on the BBC coverage. I thought "that's nice" and forgot about it. I would imagine most people did the same. I wouldn't have heard anything about what flowers were in the wreath or mention of Meghan's calligraphy unless it was posted here. It really is no big deal and was probably used by talking heads as fillers (although from what I hear, at an inappropriate time).

Just makes me realize more why I don't like talking heads.

I would have the exact same reaction if the Sussexes followed the rest of the royal family (BP spokesperson declined commenting on the wreaths) - just a simple, nice gesture that is done by so many.

What was in a poor taste is going (or I should say asking somebody to go) to the press, explaining the meaning of used flowers, planting name of the florist and informing how the note had been written by Meghan, who is a master of caligraphy after all. Completely unnecessary, given the day. I wonder what kind of a person thinks it's appropriate.

 

[_Heather_]

I think the fact that Harry and William, united in grief for their grandfather both behaved in a solemn and dignified way at the funeral and were seen talking together afterwards, together with Kate, was more worthy of comment by the media and observers than a wreath.

Much less frosty in all ways than at the Commonwealth service last year. And their interaction has received quite a lot of cautiously optimistic comment from many sources.

Agreed, in fact I commented on it myself in the funeral thread. Fingers crossed that the optimism is justified. I understand the need for Harry to get back home but I do hope he’ll consider staying a few extra days. Maybe through the Queen’s birthday this week? It might give them all a chance for some much needed conversation now that the emotion and closure of the funeral itself is done.

 

[Fem]

I think the fact that Harry and William, united in grief for their grandfather both behaved in a solemn and dignified way at the funeral and were seen talking together afterwards, together with Kate, was more worthy of comment by the media and observers than a wreath.

Much less frosty in all ways than at the Commonwealth service last year. And their interaction has received quite a lot of cautiously optimistic comment from many sources.

I think especially because of the Commonwealth Service experience last year they knew they have to look at least cordial with each other, just to avoid the same media storm. They knew the world was looking at them, so they gave them a show, as to not be a distraction from the main focus, Prince Philip and HMQ.

 

[_Heather_]

I think especially because of the Commonwealth Service experience last year they knew they have to look at least cordial with each other, just to avoid the same media storm. They knew the world was looking at them, so they gave them a show, as to not be a distraction from the main focus, Prince Philip and HMQ.

I do hope that it was genuine, at least in part. Maybe there was an element of a show about it but hopefully that was only a part of it. I will say, though, that generally even the closest of families find funerals and the days leading up to them to be monumentally exhausting and I don’t imagine the RF is any different. If indeed they were putting on a show, which is tiring in itself, then they must all be unbelievably tired this evening. So, I hope it was, at least in part, genuine and not all just for PR purposes.

 

[UglyAmerican]

I don't know why Kate would have gotten involved if it was for show. Appearances might have been something she considered when doing it, but if it was an agreed-upon plan that they should be seen talking, I think one of them would have just walked up to the other and started talking - no need for Kate.