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

[ACO]

Well I guess he could find other things to criticize about America that he doesn’t understand.

The First Amendment being “bonkers” worked out great. (I suspect most Americans have no idea he said that. But, those who did, well- he didn’t come off good IMO. I sure haven’t read praise for the comment. Maybe it’s out there, but I haven’t seen it.)

[...]It’s really not been much of a controversy whatsoever because most understood the context.

Speaking of Harry.... he and Oprah will be interviewed tomorrow on Good Morning American about their new show “The Me You Can’t See”.

 

[Erin9]

I think this is very true but I also think it's worth pointing out that while the vast majority of Americans are totally indifferent or uninterested in The Harry and Meghan Show, the whining, the poor us routine, the "big, bad, meanies in the RF" narrative, etc., a great many of those indifferent and uninterested Americans were aghast and more than a little irritated at the uneducated trashing of the First Amendment. American's take those Amendments and the Constitution very seriously and that bit raised a lot of eyebrows and did these two absolutely no favors. So while having a large majority of the population be uninterested in you or indifferent to you may not have really been what they wanted, I suspect it might have been preferable to now having a whole lot of Americans throwing some serious side-eye your way after you ran your mouth publicly about something as "sacred" as the First Amendment.

This was foolish on Harry’s part. There isn’t a lot Americans agree on. But we take the foundation of our country seriously.

 

[Erin9]

It’s really not been much of a controversy whatsoever because most understood the context.



Speaking of Harry.... he and Oprah will be interviewed tomorrow on Good Morning American about their new show “The Me You Can’t See”.

[...]His commentary in between him admitting he doesn’t get the 1st amendment was....poorly articulated. To be nice.

And- some of the silence just shows how little people here care when the subject matter isn’t his family. That’s what gets attention. It’s not his opinion on....anything.

I’m sure the iconic image of Harry behind his mother’s casket that’s being used for promotion is propelling interest in this new show. Which I would think was done with Harry’s consent.

 

[Moran]

Actually, I think no one who takes mental health seriously should use words like "bonkers" when discussing anything mental health related. But I suppose Harry thought it made him cool and funny, one of the lads, engaged. I suppose it might have even worked on me when I was 17 and going through a big rebel phase. (I was a rabid Diana admirer and Charles hater at the time.) So I can see who it might have been aimed at. He just chose an unfortunate topic to connect it with.

 

[Denville]

His commentary in between him admitting he doesn’t get the 1st amendment was....poorly articulated. To be nice.

And- some of the silence just shows how little people here care when the subject matter isn’t his family. That’s what gets attention. It’s not his opinion on....anything.

I’m sure the iconic image of Harry behind his mother’s casket that’s being used for promotion is propelling interest in this new show. Which I would think was done with Harry’s consent.

well someone saying "the first Amendment is bonkers, but I dont really understand it" isn't going to win any awards for clarity or common sense. it doesn't appeal to either side of the spectrum. if you dont understand something, just say nothing at all about it until you have read up on it....

 

[Osipi]

Well I guess he could find other things to criticize about America that he doesn’t understand.

The First Amendment being “bonkers” worked out great. (I suspect most Americans have no idea he said that. But, those who did, well- he didn’t come off good IMO. I sure haven’t read praise for the comment. Maybe it’s out there, but I haven’t seen it.)

I've got to think that, perhaps, Harry has set himself up with the perfect situation to retract everything he's said negatively about his "mental health". Picture it. 2024. New documentary to be released. "The Me I Didn't See". The sequel where Harry sits down and admits to where his thinking had been so terribly wrong and after deep reflection and therapy, decides to tell the world how he's taking responsibility for his part in everything that has plagued him since birth. He'll not only be "woke" but also "smellin' the coffee".

It's possible but really not very probable.

 

[Sandy345]

,The American newspapers do cover Harry and Meghan. And on TV news. It's not just the negativity it chronicles their appearances and so on and so forth. I live in America and I disagree that it is 99.9 percent don't care. Some love them, some like them, some don't like them and some don't care. Only a census could retrieve exact numbers. Also some just don't like reading about royals. period. Some of the special issues about the royals have not exactly flown off the shelves. I hope Harry is reported to read up on American politics and history.

 

[Denville]

,s. I hope Harry is reported to read up on American politics and history.

What does that mean? That he is reading up on American history and you hope he'll be reported to do so?

 

[ACO]

ACO, The American newspapers do cover Harry and Meghan. And on TV news. It's not just the negativity it chronicles their appearances and so on and so forth. I live in America and I disagree that it is 99.9 percent don't care. Some love them, some like them, some don't like them and some don't care. Only a census could retrieve exact numbers. Also some just don't like reading about royals. period. Some of the special issues about the royals have not exactly flown off the shelves. I hope Harry is reported to read up on American politics and history.

Not really sure what you are referring to but I never claimed media don’t cover the royal family. I will say that most don’t really care one way or another about them outside major events and current event that grab headlines. But I think that’s pretty general across the world.

Most media will cover positive and negative news when warranted. They just don’t dedicate front pages to accuse folks of creating world hunger due to liking avocados.

 

[Sandy345]

What does that mean? That he is reading up on American history and you hope he'll be reported to do so?

I meant that he should read up on things and realize how wrong he is. And it does not hurt to learn new things. I believe in people reading up on new things and learning.

 

[Denville]

I meant that he should read up on things and realize how wrong he is. And it does not hurt to learn new things. I believe in people reading up on new things and learning.

I think its pretty obvious hes not reading up on these issues.

 

[Queen Ester]

yes but what is a bit worrying is that Harry's story/Meg's story does seem to have been beleived by a lot of Americans... who will probalby go around for life thinking that the RF are a bunch of heartless racists.... However his latest outburst against the First Amendment may make Americans think a bit differently and be more cautious in beleving him. However I have to say that a year or so ago, when they first left, there was a lot of criticism of him on Twitter/newspaper outlets.. but about half the nasty comments came from UK people and half from Americans.

We are not paying attention to them at all, only a few royal followers who read Daily Mail, I am the only one among my circle of friends, they don't care, some don't even know who Prince Harry is.

 

[Erin9]

I don’t see many caring enough to discuss it because, again, there wasn’t much to talk about. He didn’t attack it. Other than some clear faux outrage from the likes of Morgan, Tucker, Farage and Owens, The ones who have discussed it (again mostly via the U.K. media) hasn’t been negative toward Harry. More Pointing out but the actual facts of the 1st Amendment and what it protects and doesn’t and how it does get exploited and can be confusing. IMHO, I felt a certain section of the media tried their hardest to attempt to make it some controversy and it fell flat.

He called it “bonkers”. He attacked it to me.

We’ll have to agree to disagree.

 

[Sandy345]

I think its pretty obvious hes not reading up on these issues.

He should. I believe in continuing education after school years are over. Getting a list of books to read in literature that have not yet been read during "school years," history books, biographies, sciences, etc.

 

[Denville]

He should. I believe in continuing education after school years are over. Getting a list of books to read in literature that have not yet been read during "school years," history books, biographies, sciences, etc.

I really dont think he's going to do that.

 

[Sandy345]

We are not paying attention to them at all, only a few royal followers who read Daily Mail, I am the only one among my circle of friends, they don't care, some don't even know who Prince Harry is.

I think fans of the late Princess Diana (those who watched the Wales wedding) have been following William and Harry. And those might be some in the audience of those who know about them. I know people who buy all the royal magazines on American newsstands and some that ignore them. Royal history is also followed by those who have watched films about Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth I, etc.

 

[Alison H]

It's just such a weird thing to do. I studied American history to degree level, so I would feel OK talking about the First Amendment. However, I know absolutely nothing about the rules of American football, so I would not go on TV, make a comment about it being "bonkers", and then say that I didn't really understand what I was talking about. Why would you comment publicly on anything when you admit yourself that you don't know anything about it? I don't know anything about the life cycle of ring-tailed lemurs: I wouldn't talk about them and then say that I didn't really understand them.

 

[TLLK]

I meant that he should read up on things and realize how wrong he is. And it does not hurt to learn new things. I believe in people reading up on new things and learning.

I agree that Prince Harry really needs to do some serious reading on the history of his wife's nation and its constitution before he makes another comment on the document and its amendments.

 

[Sandy345]

I don't know what his plans are but those who apply for citizenship in the US need to study up and learn about American history, politics, etc. It would be a necessity if Harry goes in that direction.

 

[TLLK]

I don't know what his plans are but those who apply for citizenship in the US need to study up and learn about American history, politics, etc. It would be a necessity if Harry goes in that direction.

Yes he'd need to do that to apply for American citizenship, however I highly doubt that will be in his plans for the future as it would require him to renounce his title(s). Those titles definitely impact his and his wife's visibility. From the National Law Review:

U.S. Citizenship in Question

If Prince Harry decides to become a U.S. citizen, he will be forced to expressly renounce any title or order of nobility he holds before he acquires U.S. citizenship, according to the Immigration and Nationalization Act. But although the Queen has stripped Prince Harry and Meghan of many honorary military appointments and royal patronages, they remain the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, at the least. In addition, acquiring U.S. citizenship could potentially lead to Prince Harry having to pay worldwide taxes.

https://www.natlawreview.com/articl...seek-us-permanent-residency-or-us-citizenship

 

[Osipi]

I agree that Prince Harry really needs to do some serious reading on the history of his wife's nation and its constitution before he makes another comment on the document and its amendments.

One thing is certain though. The First Amendment of the US Constitution is here to stay and is cemented in the rights of the American people. Harry is a flash in the pan that is going to reach his sell by date quickly if he keeps opening his mouth and inserting his foot. Americans may be divided politically but to have an "outsider" who clearly doesn't understand the concept of our freedom of speech amendment attack it, its bound to draw all Americans together against that "outsider" that thinks he knows what's best for us and calls it "bonkers".

Basically, what we have is that Meghan wanted to "modernize" the monarchy and that didn't work. Now Harry wants to take on the US Constitution (which he probably hasn't even glanced at let alone read the Bill of Rights) and show us how we've got it all wrong and "modernize" the US. Maybe these two should find their own little area on the globe and start their own little "principality" where things are exactly how they want them to be and the rest of the world can continue without them.

This may sound harsh but no one on this planet is in a good position to take on the problems of the world and solve them when they cannot and will not solve their own problems they have with those that are supposedly close to them as family.

Charity and compassion and kindness begins at home and the Sussexes have enough house cleaning to do before telling the rest of us how to have good "mental health".

 

[Betsypaige]

I think this is very true but I also think it's worth pointing out that while the vast majority of Americans are totally indifferent or uninterested in The Harry and Meghan Show, the whining, the poor us routine, the "big, bad, meanies in the RF" narrative, etc., a great many of those indifferent and uninterested Americans were aghast and more than a little irritated at the uneducated trashing of the First Amendment. Americans take those Amendments and the Constitution very seriously and that bit raised a lot of eyebrows and did these two absolutely no favors. So while having a large majority of the population be uninterested in you or indifferent to you may not have really been what they wanted, I suspect it might have been preferable to now having a whole lot of Americans throwing some serious side-eye your way after you ran your mouth publicly about something as "sacred" as the First Amendment.

Yes, I agree - that part probably got more publicity in general newspapers or tv news. I still don’t think most Americans even know he said anything, but I also suspect that many of those who did and were very temporarily outraged on his behalf post-Oprah are now also extremely annoyed. The funny thing is that these people post -Oprah ripped into the BRF and the idea of a Monarchy, but when they ripped Harry for calling our First Amendment “bonkers”, they were upset that a Prince would have the nerve to criticize a foundation of our Democracy, a Prince from a country we separated from in order to establish things like the First Amendment. There was a funny cartoon of Harry with a crown on his head, making an ironic comment, but I didn’t think I should post it here.

Harry is going to monetize his title, and he thinks that’s a good thing, but being titled can also bring with it baggage, especially in this country, where our history with the UK works against him

 

[Betsypaige]

To dispute ACO, I have seen much anger about Harry’s comment on Twitter, but the fact that there hasn’t been some overwhelming reaction as post - Oprah just tells me that most people have moved on from him completely. Only his and M’s stans continue to support him.

 

[ACO]

I won't comment on who does or does not support him (or anyone) because I have zero idea. No one does. People love making statements like this without any concrete evidence to back it up.

History has shown us plenty that we should never assume anything.

 

[Osipi]

To dispute ACO, I have seen much anger about Harry’s comment on Twitter, but the fact that there hasn’t been some overwhelming reaction as post - Oprah just tells me that most people have moved on from him completely. Only his and M’s stans continue to support him.

Just in my little corner of the world it's hit home just how widely known Harry and Meghan area. My son and his wife (in their 40s) and my grandson (21) were here for a few days. My son saw "The Royal Forums" on my monitor screen and inquired what it was all about. I mentioned the names Harry and Meghan and I could visibly see his eyes glaze over and his mind wander far, far away as if saying "who?" They're just not in these people's wheelhouse and of interest to them at all. It's the same with my husband. He knows I'm interested but he couldn't care less.

Being the royal watchers that we are, we're going to be drawn to the ins and outs and the positives and the negatives that surround these people we're watching. Just as the stans will frequent SM purposely for the same reason. The majority of humanity though on this planet have other interests and other problems facing our globe that their eyes would also glaze over and their minds wander far, far away when Harry and Meghan are mentioned. Those of us Americans that actually are interested could be compared to a few drops of water in the Atlantic Ocean. They're part and parcel of the ocean but no where near the totality of that ocean.

To really make a difference in his new life in the US, Harry definitely has his work cut out for him. His relevance here has a long way to go before he'll become a household name and people take him seriously. Right now he's cashing in by what we call "name dropping". He needs his title and his family and where he comes from to define who he is. Y'know.... the things he's actively running away from. Right now I'd describe Harry actually as a man without a country. He's alienating the people on both sides of the pond.

 

[Royalist.in.NC]

You only know the loud ones on Twitter, not the ones who aren’t on-line or on Twitter. 330 million people is a LOT of people, and the number of those who believe H and M is a micro-fraction of that number. The people on Twitter who don’t ordinarily pay attention to Royals, good or bad, and who believed H and M in the Oprah interview were very loud, but even their number have gone back to doing their own thing. They didn’t react at all to the podcast - they probably don’t even know Harry did one; they only paid any attention to the interview because it was Oprah and they tuned in out of curiosity, not real interest. The only reaction on Twitter came from Royal watchers ..

I agree; there was a lot o publicity for the Oprah interview. If it hadn’t been for you folks on the Forum, I would have never known about the podcast with Dax Shepherd. I’ve never heard of the actress who was his cohosting.

 

[SplendaLover]

Hi. I'm new here. [...]I have listened to the podcast (only after the faux controversy erupted) and Harry did not attack the First Amendment at all.

[...]I know we are all entitled to our opinions, so I'll share mine. How is it that the Sussexes are to blame for everything that happened during their time as working royals? [...]Harry never believed that Charles protected his mother, so he's determined to protect Meghan. He could be misguided but that's probably how he feels. He's angry about how the woman he loves has been treated by the family, the institution, and the media. He has probably held these very same resentments about his mother's fate and it has been exacerbated by Meghan's experience.

 

[Osipi]

First off, welcome to our corner of the world, SplendaLover. Good to see you jumping in and participating and be assured that *all* opinions here are considered valid and a contribution to an intelligent discussion.

[...]I hope you enjoy reading through the archives here. There is everything here that a lot of us have followed and discussed in relation to Harry and Meghan from the very first glimmer that these two were a couple. Grab a snack and a good cup of tea and welcome to our world of royal watching everything from A(cts of Parliament) to Z(ara Tindall). ?

 

[TLLK]

Hi. I'm new here. [...]I have listened to the podcast (only after the faux controversy erupted) and Harry did not attack the First Amendment at all.

[...]I know we are all entitled to our opinions, so I'll share mine. How is it that the Sussexes are to blame for everything that happened during their time as working royals? [...]Harry never believed that Charles protected his mother, so he's determined to protect Meghan. He could be misguided but that's probably how he feels. He's angry about how the woman he loves has been treated by the family, the institution, and the media. He has probably held these very same resentments about his mother's fate and it has been exacerbated by Meghan's experience.

Hi SplendaLover and welcome to Royal Forums.



Regarding the comments that you're reading today that are critical of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, I'll share a little background information with you. Many of those who are currently disapointed in the couple are those who were initially very enthusiastic and very supportive of them. However over time these same posters (including myself) have come to alter our opinions based upon the Sussexes' words and actions. IMO the couple's interview during their trip to South Africa appears to have been a point when opinions began to shift.


Anyhow I hope that you will continue to engage in the discussion(s.)

 

[Claire]

I have a few questions - at which point do we move Harry out of the royal forum and into the celebrity forum. Are we going to create his own sub- forum?