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

[ACO]

I literally just read two articles that were posted like 10 minutes apart -- one said "Harry and Meghan missed a grand opportunity to wish Cambridges a public congrats on their anniversary." and the other said "Harry and Meghan blasted for sending contrived message on anniversary."

I mean you can't make this mess up. Which one is it?

Anyways...

Oprah was on the Drew Barrymore Show this afternoon and she announced her mental heath docuseries with Harry is debuting next month.

 

[Curryong]

[...]There were literally hundreds of occasions during Harry’s engagements (captured on videos) where he was clearly interacting with people, especially the young, and having great fun. Also there were many many times in his private life (some seen on photos) and reported on Twitter where he was out with friends and girlfriends and having a ball.

 

[TLLK]

[...] There were literally hundreds of occasions during Harry’s engagements (captured on videos) where he was clearly interacting with people, especially the young, and having great fun. Also there were many many times in his private life (some seen on photos) and reported on Twitter where he was out with friends and girlfriends and having a ball.

I agree. This is exactly the man who I believed him to be. Of course he had his serious moments, but sadly the man that I see now seems to be very different from the one that he was just a few years ago circa 2018.

 

[Osipi]

To look at Harry then and then to look at Harry now, you can almost visibly see the weight of the world on his shoulders. It's as if he's led a charmed life up until after he left the military and married and started a family. Some would call it a reality check. Things he's never had to think about or worry about are things he needs to focus on. His finances, keeping his family safe, finding a purpose in life. All those things that we face as we enter adulthood standing on our own two feet. Those things would weigh anybody down.

I saw an interesting saying the other day and, in a way, I think it applies to the Harry of today. "The years of a person's life up until 18 are the "free trial period" and after that comes the "pay as you go" period". Harry just hadn't hit the "pay as you go" period until he reached 35 years old. Like all of us, he's finding his footing and there are and will be mistakes made but sometimes these mistakes are what we learn from the best in life.

 

[Sandy345]

[...]There were literally hundreds of occasions during Harry’s engagements (captured on videos) where he was clearly interacting with people, especially the young, and having great fun. Also there were many many times in his private life (some seen on photos) and reported on Twitter where he was out with friends and girlfriends and having a ball.

He interacted so well with people on appearances. He engaged them in conversations and was empathetic. I remember how he was so enthusiastic about the Diana Concert he and William had planned back in 2007.

 

[Betsypaige]

Well, all I know is that this Harry, the one who betrayed his family on air, the one who seems to see his father primarily as a bank, who resents his father for a multitude of reasons, is not the Harry I used to love. I don't know if this side of him was always there or if he's truly completely changed, but whatever it is..... it's disappointing.

 

[Roslyn]

To look at Harry then and then to look at Harry now, you can almost visibly see the weight of the world on his shoulders. It's as if he's led a charmed life up until after he left the military and married and started a family. Some would call it a reality check. Things he's never had to think about or worry about are things he needs to focus on. His finances, keeping his family safe, finding a purpose in life. All those things that we face as we enter adulthood standing on our own two feet. Those things would weigh anybody down.

I saw an interesting saying the other day and, in a way, I think it applies to the Harry of today. "The years of a person's life up until 18 are the "free trial period" and after that comes the "pay as you go" period". Harry just hadn't hit the "pay as you go" period until he reached 35 years old. Like all of us, he's finding his footing and there are and will be mistakes made but sometimes these mistakes are what we learn from the best in life.

Nicely put. He's finally finding his footing.

Life and relationships change. Harry's life changed dramatically in a short space of time. For a time he was tacked onto what his brother and sister-in-law did and I think that was a shame because he should have been carving out his own path. I suppose it is possible that the family knew that left to his own devices he would have headed towards independence and that's why he was included with William & Kate's Foundation and activities to hopefully curb those tendencies and keep him within the fold.

His choices led to him separating from the family business, and, as is not unusual in that situation, whatever the sort of business it is, the rest of the family who embrace the status quo was not pleased with his decision because they expected him to stay and help them and the feel he has let them down. I am not surprised he decided to leave, and part of me actually applauds him for it, but unfortunately he was not prepared for the consequences of it at all and didn't handle it very gracefully. I can understand him thinking that Charles and William are trapped in the BRF, because I agree with him, but it was not wise of him to say it to the world.

I doubt that his relationship with his father and brother will ever be the same, but that is not unusual when people grow and leave the safety of the nest and establish their own lives and family groups. People don't have to remain one big happy family and have the same relationship with parents and siblings as they had when they were young. Not all extended families are close, either.

I hope that in a few years he sorts things out and we see the happy, enthusiastic Harry we are used to, involved with Invictus and other worthy causes in a prominent and useful way, but also engaged in successful money-making enterprises to finance his family's lifestyle.

 

[Curryong]

I don’t know about ‘being included in William and Kate’s Foundation’. The Foundation that morphed eventually into the present Royal Foundation was begun by William and Harry when they were both single and very young men.

Harry was therefore already part of the Foundation when William married Kate and she joined it. And it was the Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex until it was split by Meghan and Harry’s wish.

And I suspect that much of the trio’s shared engagements when Harry was single was adopted by advisers due to his great popularity which would add extra publicity to their causes. These included Heads Together, which Harry was enthusiastic about and did a lot for. The ‘Third Wheel’ analogy was made up by the Press.

 

[Roslyn]

I don’t know about ‘being included in William and Kate’s Foundation’. The Foundation that morphed eventually into the present Royal Foundation was begun by William and Harry when they were both single and very young men.

Harry was therefore already part of the Foundation when William married Kate and she joined it. And it was the Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex until it was split by Meghan and Harry’s wish.

And I suspect that much of the trio’s shared engagements when Harry was single was adopted by advisers due to his great popularity which would add extra publicity to the causes adopted. These included Heads Together, which Harry was enthusiastic about and did a lot for. The ‘Third Wheel’ analogy was made up by the Press.

You're right about the timing, and the fact the press has a lot to account for.
But I think it was short-sighted on the part of the advisers to keep lumping Harry with William and Kate in later years, even if Harry was enthusiastic. I suppose no-one foresaw that he might want out. Perhaps he should have told them. I wonder if anyone asked him what he wanted to do, and, if they did, what he said in reply.

 

[Somebody]

They did a few engagements together and had a joint foundation (which provided support for each of their individual and shared activities); next to that Harry also had his own activities. So, maybe Iluvbertie can share with us based on research of previous years whether this image of 'being lumped together' truly was what happened. I wouldn't be surprised if that most of his engagements were without his brother and sister-in-law.

 

[Osipi]

From what I've observed over the years, although the foundation included William, Harry and Catherine, most of the engagements that they carried out were done on an individual basis for their own incentives. Things like Heads Together was one of the rare ones that they all worked together on.

It made sense at the time to have all their foundation and offices and staff based at KP. I also believe that the major factor in splitting Harry and Meghan away from the Royal Foundation was part and parcel of what we're seeing as a soft transition between monarchs. Once Charles becomes king, it will be up to William as Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge to finance the Royal Foundation much like Charles is now and for Harry and Meghan to have had their offices and staff under the Buckingham Palace umbrella as Charles would continue to finance their activities like the Queen does now for Anne, Andrew (until he was put to pasture) and Edward and Sophie and anyone else representing the Queen officially.

This is where the request for Harry and Meghan to have their own court came into play and was refused. It all had to do with how things are financed for the "Firm" and not that William was more "special" and deserved his own court where everyone else didn't get one. William also will have to foot the bill for any of his family's activities and engagements and costs incurred like Charles does now for his family with perhaps that 5% of the Sovereign Grant that the Sussexes were wiling to do without in order to be "financially independent".

 

[Betsypaige]

Nicely put. He's finally finding his footing.

Life and relationships change. Harry's life changed dramatically in a short space of time. For a time he was tacked onto what his brother and sister-in-law did and I think that was a shame because he should have been carving out his own path. I suppose it is possible that the family knew that left to his own devices he would have headed towards independence and that's why he was included with William & Kate's Foundation and activities to hopefully curb those tendencies and keep him within the fold.

His choices led to him separating from the family business, and, as is not unusual in that situation, whatever the sort of business it is, the rest of the family who embrace the status quo was not pleased with his decision because they expected him to stay and help them and the feel he has let them down. I am not surprised he decided to leave, and part of me actually applauds him for it, but unfortunately he was not prepared for the consequences of it at all and didn't handle it very gracefully. I can understand him thinking that Charles and William are trapped in the BRF, because I agree with him, but it was not wise of him to say it to the world.

I doubt that his relationship with his father and brother will ever be the same, but that is not unusual when people grow and leave the safety of the nest and establish their own lives and family groups. People don't have to remain one big happy family and have the same relationship with parents and siblings as they had when they were young. Not all extended families are close, either.

I hope that in a few years he sorts things out and we see the happy, enthusiastic Harry we are used to, involved with Invictus and other worthy causes in a prominent and useful way, but also engaged in successful money-making enterprises to finance his family's lifestyle.

I’m sorry to so strongly disagree with you. This feud has nothing to with Harry spreading his wings and flying the coop, IMO. By all accounts, Charles raises both his sons with a great deal of freedom to allow them to become who they wanted and needed to be. This rift comes down to, as I see it, Harry’s unfortunate behavior - and that’s putting it mildly. Sure his father hoped he’d stay around and support HM, he and eventually William, but he was fine with H leaving...just not the way he did it. Then he goes and devastates his family, especially Charles, on very public tv. You get my drift.

I don’t agree that C and W are trapped, but that’s another issue.

 

[Osipi]

[...]

I think it would be a severe blow to anyone's ego to go from being highly in demand, highly praised and having the media clamor to be able to cover his activities as a senior working royal to finding himself being an add-on pretty much to another person's interview and only coverage that seems to come about is from "sources close to the couple" denoting things that are about as important as "Andrew was spotted out driving/riding" or "Lady Kitty spotted at a fashion show".

This is what makes me wonder if perhaps the Sussexes miscalculated just how much of their popularity and influence would follow them once they were divorced from the institution that gave them the popularity and the influence in the first place. To me it's kind of equivalent to the cheese being taken away from that creamy macaroni and cheese we all love to eat. Then you're stuck with just the plain macaroni.

 

[Queen Ester]

I think it would be a severe blow to anyone's ego to go from being highly in demand, highly praised and having the media clamor to be able to cover his activities as a senior working royal to finding himself being an add-on pretty much to another person's interview and only coverage that seems to come about is from "sources close to the couple" denoting things that are about as important as "Andrew was spotted out driving/riding" or "Lady Kitty spotted at a fashion show".

This is what makes me wonder if perhaps the Sussexes miscalculated just how much of their popularity and influence would follow them once they were divorced from the institution that gave them the popularity and the influence in the first place. To me it's kind of equivalent to the cheese being taken away from that creamy macaroni and cheese we all love to eat. Then you're stuck with just the plain macaroni.

Do you feel sorry for Harry?

 

[Osipi]

Do you feel sorry for Harry?

I can't say I feel sorry for Harry because it's every person's inherent right to live their lives they way they choose to and to follow the path that beckons them rather than live up to someone else's expectations of them. This belief is reflected in my signature at the bottom of every post I make and I sincerely believe it. I think I recognize in Harry the uncertainty I've experienced in my own life when it came to making life choices and deciding which fork in the road to take and all the pot holes and mistakes I've encountered. I'm hoping that these challenges for him end up being the blessings mine turned out to be in the long run but that is totally up to him and no one else. I guess its hoping that he realizes that sometimes in order to see a rainbow, you gotta stand a little rain.

I do wish all the best for both Harry and Meghan in their new lives but I'm also seeing the pitfalls and the obvious mistakes being made. I'm hoping that in finding freedom, they also find solid ground for themselves.

 

[valeas]

I think it would be a severe blow to anyone's ego to go from being highly in demand, highly praised and having the media clamor to be able to cover his activities as a senior working royal to finding himself being an add-on pretty much to another person's interview and only coverage that seems to come about is from "sources close to the couple" denoting things that are about as important as "Andrew was spotted out driving/riding" or "Lady Kitty spotted at a fashion show".

This is what makes me wonder if perhaps the Sussexes miscalculated just how much of their popularity and influence would follow them once they were divorced from the institution that gave them the popularity and the influence in the first place. To me it's kind of equivalent to the cheese being taken away from that creamy macaroni and cheese we all love to eat. Then you're stuck with just the plain macaroni.

Very well said. By the way I prefer Macaroni without the cheese LOL

 

[Betsypaige]

Hmmm....too little, too late; the damage has been done

Royal commentator Scobie, who is reported to be on friendly terms with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, made the comments during Discovery+'s new documentary Harry and Meghan: Recollections May Vary.

Omid Scobie is the author of Harry and Meghan biography Finding Freedom
Omid Scobie is the author of Harry and Meghan biography Finding Freedom (Image: ITV)
"If we are only going by what Meghan said to Oprah and what the palace have said so far about the situation with Archie, perhaps one can assume that Meghan was wrong in her interpretation of it," he said.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/meghan-markle-may-been-wrong-24016953

 

[Osipi]

Ut oh! Scobie has really gone out on a limb to make that statement that Meghan just might be wrong. I hope there is a safety net underneath that limb to catch him should Meghan decide to shake the tree.

The man is brave. Very, very brave.

 

[Alison H]

If Harry had just gone off and done his own thing like Princess Madeleine of Sweden did, rather than making a load of nasty remarks about his family, the press and pretty much everyone else, I think people would have understood, and wished him well. It's not as if he was the king or the direct heir, which would have been different.


Random comparison - think of a footballer who's gone to play for a rival team but left on good terms. He'll still be warmly applauded (when crowds are allowed in!) when he returns to the stadium of his old team, because people appreciate his efforts in the past but understand that it was time for him to move on. But if someone's been slagging off the manager, the other players and the fans of his old club, he'll be booed.

 

[valeas]

Ut oh! Scobie has really gone out on a limb to make that statement that Meghan just might be wrong. I hope there is a safety net underneath that limb to catch him should Meghan decide to shake the tree.

The man is brave. Very, very brave.

I think he is (possibly) still very much part of Meghan's team.
Instead of acting with dignity and style which would be an excuse and explanation why she got things wrong, "sources close to her" now try to explain and minimize the damage she caused. Might be a little difficult as if there are reportedly up to 17 lies in the interview, but nice try from scobie, after Oprah started the strategy last week.
[...]

The more I read here and elsewhere the more I feel watching a cheap movie.
Though obviously I believe the pandemic has its part. As major royal events are being cancelled since 2020 and royals appear in public very rarely the Sussex scandal is No1 thing to jump on both for media and us here to.

I'd be very surprised if scobie was cut off, being on the media is all important to the couple, longing for privacy and safety was yesterday LOL

 

[SLV]

He shared the aniversary pictures of W&C on his twitter too. During a very brief browsing through the conments, I don't think his followers appreciated the action.

If Harry had just gone off and done his own thing like Princess Madeleine of Sweden did, rather than making a load of nasty remarks about his family, the press and pretty much everyone else, I think people would have understood, and wished him well. It's not as if he was the king or the direct heir, which would have been different.


Random comparison - think of a footballer who's gone to play for a rival team but left on good terms. He'll still be warmly applauded (when crowds are allowed in!) when he returns to the stadium of his old team, because people appreciate his efforts in the past but understand that it was time for him to move on. But if someone's been slagging off the manager, the other players and the fans of his old club, he'll be booed.

 

[Denville]

[...]

Was Harry always angry at his secondary status? Or was it something that's only cropped up in the last few years? Im surprised because while He irritated me, I thought he was fundamentally a nice enough guy. But someone who can wait a year to pour out all that venom on the RF, clearly has issues, and seems to me he was an angry petulant young man but he hid it in public...
He said himself that he was angry and had angry impulses for a loing time, but it was only after many years that William got him to seek therapy.. but now the angry feelings still seem to be there. Is he angry at Charles for the Diana issues? Or because Charles has said no to him, after years of bieng indulgent?

 

[Osipi]

Was Harry always angry at his secondary status? Or was it something that's only cropped up in the last few years? Im surprised because while He irritated me, I thought he was fundamentally a nice enough guy. But someone who can wait a year to pour out all that venom on the RF, clearly has issues, and seems to me he was an angry petulant young man but he hid it in public...
He said himself that he was angry and had angry impulses for a loing time, but it was only after many years that William got him to seek therapy.. but now the angry feelings still seem to be there. Is he angry at Charles for the Diana issues? Or because Charles has said no to him, after years of bieng indulgent?

Sometimes the anger is not being angry *at* anything but a deep rooted dissatisfaction that life isn't perfect and the anger is expressed at a multitude of various things that just happen to be in life's path at the moment. It could be issues from the past, incidents that happen in the here and now and also fear of what's to come in the future. This is what I meant when I said I see uncertainty in Harry these days. I don't know what to think about Meghan. Is she playing into these uncertainties like a poked mama bear or is she unsure of what's to come too.

The bottom line is that if he really wanted out and away from royal life and he got what he wanted (which he did when they moved to California), there wouldn't be any need for him to be angry about things. He'd be breathing a huge sigh of relief and be the happy go lucky master of the mansion sitting poolside with his iced tea with the lemon slice and the cute little umbrella. The fact that there are resentments that have come out all over the place tells me that things aren't that they appear to be in LaLaLand with the solutions being as clear as a mud puddle.

The fact that this couple keeps making sure that the public is informed of each and every little detail that happens in their lives, to me, means they're screaming for attention and validation from outside sources. People secure in their own skins don't feel this kind of a need and just get on with life.

 

[wartenberg7]

If Harry had just gone off and done his own thing like Princess Madeleine of Sweden did, rather than making a load of nasty remarks about his family, the press and pretty much everyone else, I think people would have understood, and wished him well. It's not as if he was the king or the direct heir, which would have been different.
Random comparison - think of a footballer who's gone to play for a rival team but left on good terms. He'll still be warmly applauded (when crowds are allowed in!) when he returns to the stadium of his old team, because people appreciate his efforts in the past but understand that it was time for him to move on. But if someone's been slagging off the manager, the other players and the fans of his old club, he'll be booed.

Well, Chris and Madeleine are a very different ballgame compared to Harry and Meghan, as we know.
Chris O`Neil is the average businessman, earning his money to protect and secure wife and children. Prcss Madeleine pretty much lives the traditional life of a minor royal female, looking after the children and doing some charity, "The childhood foundation", on the side. It occurs to me pretty much like the traditional life style of the upper classes from the 1950s and 60s.
Chris and Madeleine are not out trying to "save the world".

Harry and Meghan are up in arms against who knows exactly what. They are the perfect example of the "victim culture", Harry´s mother established so successfully 30 years ago. They need their publicity, just like Diana did, like the air to breathe! How otherwise could they crave for comfort against all these people being so mean to them?!

It´s absolutely right, what you say - and every sane human being would agree with you! But this is not how people like these work.

 

[Osipi]

We can postulate till the cows come home of what's really going on with Harry but we're never going to actually know unless he goes public and tells us. Maybe in the docuseries on mental health he's doing with Oprah? Like every other human being on this planet, mental issues are part of life's experiences and Harry's no exception. Makes me so grateful that the ones I've gone through over the years didn't have to be played out in the public domain. ?

 

[RandyDrx]

I think it's one of the RR who said it, but I remember reading about how a young Harry went naked in front of Charles' guests once. So maybe his rebellious streak was always there but carefully hidden by PR.

 

[AC21091968]

Apparently, there was a recent update on the Elevating a Generation of Girl Leaders page of Archewell website.
https://archewell.com/news/elevating-a-generation-of-girl-leaders/

Emily Nash has tweeted out this new update:

Emily Nash @emynash
The Duchess of Sussex convened a roundtable with Girls Inc. and National Women's Law Center early this month to hear directly from adolescent girls about their experiences and stories, and "honor and reflect on a long history of women changemakers":
1:13 AM · May 1, 2021·Twitter Web App​

https://archewell.com/news/elevating-a-generation-of-girl-leaders/

Other news media/publications have also picked this up:

Meghan Markle Speaks at a Roundtable for Female Leadership
The Duchess of Sussex joined a virtual forum for organizations Girls Inc. and National Women’s Law Center.
https://www.townandcountrymag.com/s...6/meghan-markle-girl-leaders-roundtable-2021/

Meghan Markle tells teenage girls to 'challenge injustice' as she speaks to 'young activists with ambitions of being senators, doctors and presidents' in virtual chat
Meghan Markle held roundtable with 13 to 18-year-olds, primarily girls of colour
She said these included mental health, racism and 'identity loss and isolation'
Duchess urged 'young activists' to share challenges their generation faced
Archewell website says roundtable gave the girls platform to 'help define a path forward and continue making an impact'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...g-girls-challenge-injustice-virtual-chat.html

 

[stunking]

Glad the Duchess is addressing there issues with young girls
Vanity Fair has an article this month that is scathing to the Royal Family and sympathetic to the Sussexs.

 

[Sandy345]

I think it's one of the RR who said it, but I remember reading about how a young Harry went naked in front of Charles' guests once. So maybe his rebellious streak was always there but carefully hidden by PR.

To be fair, William also had some not so flattering pictures and stories as well.

 

[TLLK]

I think it's one of the RR who said it, but I remember reading about how a young Harry went naked in front of Charles' guests once. So maybe his rebellious streak was always there but carefully hidden by PR.

I wonder how young Harry was when he ended naked in front of his father's guests. Was he three, thirteen or twenty three? Perhaps he'd run away from one of the nannies and ended up downstairs in the KP dining room?