The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Family, News and Events 6: Aug. 2021- Oct. 2022

[Osipi]

I would have thought so, too. But this past week was definitely not wool-overcoat weather in the northeastern US, and wearing those in summer weather is an odd choice for a fashion statement if that was all it was. Between that and the wires barely peeking out from under Harry's shirt, I have to wonder.

I live in northeastern US and get the same weather basically that NYC does. This weekend I didn't go outdoors anywhere without very warm outdoor wear on. Maybe, just maybe, Meghan's like me.

 

[Curryong]

I don’t see why it is incumbent on the Sussexes alone to appeal to people to keep their vaccine appointments. The concert was really pro Vax as well as asking for vaccine equity, and Harry and Meghan have been assiduous in pushing people being vaccinated. And the crowd they were speaking to was also responsive to their message when they appeared in the pro vax event with President Biden months ago.

I don’t know about the US but evidence has appeared in Australia lately of convinced anti-vaxxers booking appointments at hubs and then deliberately not turning up. Appeals wouldn’t move those people.

 

[Frelinghighness]

What was the point of them coming to New York. I still don’t know . To show kids in a poor iisdrict where 95% qualified for free lunch and she wears a $7500 outfit? What! Even supremely tone deaf celebs have avoided this. They are not going to last much longer

 

[Leopoldine]

I don’t see why it is incumbent on the Sussexes alone to appeal to people to keep their vaccine appointments. The concert was really pro Vax as well as asking for vaccine equity, and Harry and Meghan have been assiduous in pushing people being vaccinated. And the crowd they were speaking to was also responsive to their message when they appeared in the pro vax event with President Biden months ago.

I don’t know about the US but evidence has appeared in Australia lately of convinced anti-vaxxers booking appointments at hubs and then deliberately not turning up. Appeals wouldn’t move those people.

I didn't mean it was their responsibility, just that this domestic vax appointment issue was of importance. As H and M were on stage here in NY talking about vaccines, I just wondered if they knew about one of many domestic hurdles towards getting everyone immunized.

What was the point of them coming to New York. I still don’t know . To show kids in a poor iisdrict where 95% qualified for free lunch and she wears a $7500 outfit? What! Even supremely tone deaf celebs have avoided this. They are not going to last much longer

From what I have taken in, they might be filming something to fulfill their commitments regarding media company contracts. She might be filming more in the colder months or in studio for the same project, where she will wear the same ensembles.

 

[Osipi]

What was the point of them coming to New York. I still don’t know . To show kids in a poor iisdrict where 95% qualified for free lunch and she wears a $7500 outfit? What! Even supremely tone deaf celebs have avoided this. They are not going to last much longer

I believe the main reason for the NYC trip was to participate in the Global Citizen festival that took place in several cities around the world and many, many people that were high profile took a part in it. It, in essence, kind of reminded me of the Live Aid concert in the summer of 1985 in London only that was at a singular location. H&M actually were kind of a very small part in a very large event. They most certainly weren't billed as "the main event" even. They participated. Nothing wrong with that at all.

It's not surprising to me that H&M found a few sides trips to make while they were there. I don't pay attention to the optics of clothing so I can't comment on that at all. Well.. maybe the winter type coat as she's like me in that regard.

 

[UglyAmerican]

Wasn't there a concurrent Global Citizen event in LA, though? With so many of the appearances being either recorded or broadcast remotely, they didn't need to fly there just to take part.

 

[Curryong]

It may be that Harry and Meghan were invited to meet some dignitaries and officials in New York and so things were arranged.

It’s not as if the couple are constantly crossing the continent from coast to coast or taking overseas trips every week. The last trip overseas for Harry was to participate in his grandfather’s funeral and maybe record some memories of him for the recent documentary.

 

[Osipi]

Wasn't there a concurrent Global Citizen event in LA, though? With so many of the appearances being either recorded or broadcast remotely, they didn't need to fly there just to take part.

Yes. Part of the event was located in Los Angeles and one of the highlighted performers was Stevie Wonder.

Now that takes me back many, many moons ago reading about the LA venue. In high school, we had sock hops on Friday nights and we actually had a live local performer at one of them. Of course, he was known as Little Stevie Wonder at the time.

I'm with Curryong on why they appeared in NYC instead of LA. When the planning for all this started up, they may have other things able to be lined up at the same time and people to meet and greet as Curryong has pointed out.

 

[Heavs]

All of this amplifies what I've been thinking for a bit here. Right now, Harry and Meghan don't completely fit into any kind of concrete "mold" of who they are and so many different questions arise. Are they quasi-royals? Are they philanthropists in their own right? Are they in this for themselves and their Netflix projects? This brings their motives and their goals to a state where it's almost something totally opaque and there's a lack of transparency.

We have to remember too that this kind of situation where very popular and "in the news" working royals decide to leave the "fold" and strike out on their own. It was a nuclear bombshell for us in the royal watching world. It's new and shiny and as much as *they* are finding their way forward, *we* also have to remember that after a staid conviction that "this is how things are supposed to stay", we're dealing with something totally never done before in our lifetimes (most of us were born after David and Wallis) and our thinking has to have time to adjust and adapt to the new way of things.

This is where objectivity rather than subjectivity works for me. Trying to see everything in the perspectives of how things really are right now for the Sussexes rather than the old parameters that I've held for so long basing everything on their prior life before the bomb fell. As their life has changed drastically and completely, so does my thinking need to change to adapt to that reality.

Just a few thoughts here. I need more coffee.

In official terms it's quite simple. Whilst they remain royals personally, they aren't supposed to use their titles commercially (although they certainly stretch that) and only represent themselves. There are reasons that royal families have had to draw those lines in the first place in the last 100 years.

So they are celebrities in terms of their activities. They don't represent anyone or anything greater than themselves and IMHO we don't have to adjust our royal watching antennae for that part. It's just interesting to see them try to juggle all the moving parts.

What muddies the waters is whilst they had to be "fully out of royal life" they do want to make use of their titles and do "cosplay" of royal engagements with all the trimmings. And because they still are royals some politicians still treat them as such. Celebrities have occasionally done "royal tour style" things and for the most part aren't taken seriously.

As others have noted they're also trying to be global humanitarian philanthropists without having that kind of fortune themselves and relying on donations and partnerships as well as their commercial ventures to fund it.

They're filming a for-profit venture for Netflix whilst visiting schools to make donations. This is exactly why they weren't allowed to use their HRH in commercial activities or work part time for the Firm.

There are questions that they want to be seen as having an unofficial US court (which most royals in the US don't do) which whilst completely unofficial could still cause problems.

Harry and Meghan are free to do whatever they want within reason. There was nothing outright wrong with their NYC Trip (apart from erroneously laying all the blame on the pharmaceutical companies and not acknowledging the complexities of distribution for places that have no reliable electricity for example) but seeing them try to be freelance royal celebrities for profit does make me roll my eyes.

 

[A-Bik]

Hopefully, the work they are doing will speak for itself as they build their foundation.

And of course to host the Global CL.


I must say for me it's zero surprise the Daily Mail and British press turned it into an attack, by focusing on Meghan's clothes.

 

[Marengo]

In the opening post of this thread it is stated:

As such, the following aspects are considered off-topic going forward:
• Debates over titles or stripping of titles

Some members have ignored that request and yet again induldged in a repetative and tedious discussion that has little to do with reality and seems to be solely based on personal sentiments/ resentment.

This forum uses the concept of royalty as we can find in the Almanach de Gotha section I. That means that all members of sovereign and former-sovereign houses of Europe and Brazil are considered royal as long rights -de facto or de jure- were not taken away from an individual royal / their descendants by an act of parlament and/or by the head of their dynasty. We use a simular definition - in line with most dictionairies- for royalty in Asia and Africa.

The duke and duchess are royal and will most likely be so until the day they die -unless they will be officially stripped of all their titles. As no steps to that effect have been made any speculation on the duke and duchess not being royalty is detached from reality. In this forum we prefer not to engage in such far-fetched phantasies.

Please move on...

 

[Tatiana Maria]

It seems British RF forum members have been using "royal" as imprecise shorthand for "official working members of the royal family 'Firm' who formally represent the Queen and the United Kingdom".

"Working members of the Royal Family" was the term that was used in the family agreement announced between HM The Queen and HRH The Duke and Duchess of Sussex in January 2020.

The Sussexes will not use their HRH titles as they are no longer working members of the Royal Family.

https://www.royal.uk/statement-her-majesty-queen-0

It is clear that they retain their titles and, like all of the other HRHs (in addition to some non-HRH family members), remain members of the British Royal Family.

https://www.royal.uk/sites/default/files/media/annex_d_-_royal_family_11.pdf

 

[Kaye1850]

It’s not as if the couple are constantly crossing the continent from coast to coast or taking overseas trips every week. The last trip overseas for Harry was to participate in his grandfather’s funeral and maybe record some memories of him for the recent documentary.

For the sake of accuracy, the last trip overseas for Harry was to unveil his mother’s statue in July. Prince Philip’s funeral was in April.

 

[lirienn]

Royal cosplay. They try to do what they said they would when they announced their exit.
Meghan with Lady Dior bag and Diana's watch. Just asking for the comparisons.
Two issues here. First one. It's all for Netflix. Several visits, meeting, different outfits. These 4 days can act as several events and months. Rewriting history. Harry apparently filming in the UK. They both would love to stress the connection to the UK more and to the history and monarchy.
Second issue. They're as clueless as we are about what to do. Hating on RF didn't get them results they wanted. Giving speeches and covid. Awful timing. Now there's a risk that their peak is gone because they don't get as many headlines as they did before. It's a semi-circus but even online people don't give them as much attention and it's even more evident in real life.
What a change from Harry. From hating the press to doing just that. Can people can change that much?

 

[Queen Ester]

Royal cosplay. They try to do what they said they would when they announced their exit.
Meghan with Lady Dior bag and Diana's watch. Just asking for the comparisons.
Two issues here. First one. It's all for Netflix. Several visits, meeting, different outfits. These 4 days can act as several events and months. Rewriting history. Harry apparently filming in the UK. They both would love to stress the connection to the UK more and to the history and monarchy.
Second issue. They're as clueless as we are about what to do. Hating on RF didn't get them results they wanted. Giving speeches and covid. Awful timing. Now there's a risk that their peak is gone because they don't get as many headlines as they did before. It's a semi-circus but even online people don't give them as much attention and it's even more evident in real life.
What a change from Harry. From hating the press to doing just that. Can people can change that much?

I seriously doubt that this will be Netflix goal, Netflix will want some inside gossip on the Royal Family, I think it's it's immoral for Harry to go around with microphone, unless he had got the permission from the school.

 

[Queen Ester]

Hopefully, the work they are doing will speak for itself as they build their foundation.

And of course to host the Global CL.


I must say for me it's zero surprise the Daily Mail and British press turned it into an attack, by focusing on Meghan's clothes.

What work? Have they donated a huge sum of money to the fair distribution of the vaccine?

 

[lirienn]

I seriously doubt that this will be Netflix goal, Netflix will want some inside gossip on the Royal Family, I think it's it's immoral for Harry to go around with microphone, unless he had got the permission from the school.

But now Harry creates this good humanitarian image. And then attack your family again. You can't have it both ways.

 

[BriarRose]

Not that it's the most pressing question, but wired mics are vastly superior still to wireless mics. Better sound quality, and even more important, better battery life.

I can't say for certain that they were mic'ed, but since there was a camera, and no visible boom operators, I would guess that they were. Honestly, to me, it makes the entire 4-day cramming of events make more sense, if it was to create an episode for a series.

(There is no doubt that if they filmed at the school, with minors present, there were media releases by the parents. Or they didn't actually film there. My kids have to get media releases every year for school for the remote possibility they could be filmed just during a sports competition. Parents sign as a matter course.)

 

[A-Bik]

What work? Have they donated a huge sum of money to the fair distribution of the vaccine?

Public service does not only entail giving money.
Giving money is in fact the last aspect.

There's fundraising, engagement, outreach, education and information to name only a few.

 

[yukari]

Scientists take a jab at Sussexes’ attack on pharmaceuticals not sharing vaccine recipes

Archive: https://archive.ph/fNaWf

(...)

Speaking in New York at the weekend, the Duke said: “[Experts] said many countries are ready to produce vaccines back home, yet they aren’t allowed to because ultra-wealthy pharmaceutical companies are not sharing the recipes to make them.

“These countries have the means, the abilities and the workers to start manufacturing. All they are waiting for is the vaccine intellectual property [IP] to be waived and the vaccine technology to be transferred over.”

However, while scientists agree that jabs should be*distributed worldwide*as a priority, the majority also believe relinquishing IP is not a panacea.

“We agree with the Sussexes that action is needed now to ensure Covid-19 vaccines are quickly and*equitably shared around the world,” Thomas Cueni, the director general of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations, told The Telegraph.

(...)

Mr Cueni added that the real challenges are*trade barriers,*supply chain bottlenecks, a lack of raw materials, and a*reluctance among rich countries*to share doses.

The solution to the*vaccine apartheid*is political leadership, he says, as there are 1.2 billion spare doses between the UK, US, EU and Canada.

“These numbers are proof that the vaccine manufacturing scale-up is such that the issue is not scarcity of supply, the issue is redistribution,” Mr Cueni said.

(...)

 

[RandyDrx]

Have any other royals who have lived in the US such as Beatrice, Madeleine and Amedeo ever give these pseudo royal tours before?

 

[Archduchess Zelia]

Whether you like the Sussexes or not, I think it goes without saying that neither Beatrice, Madeleine nor Amedeo can match H&M's notoriety, so frankly these forced comparisons are just redundant.

 

[AC21091968]

Scientists take a jab at Sussexes’ attack on pharmaceuticals not sharing vaccine recipes

Archive: https://archive.ph/fNaWf

Thank you yukari for sharing the article and archive link.

The article raised some important points about the multiple factors affecting vaccine distribution around the world. Most if not all the expert stated that IP waiving is not the solution to vaccine inequity. I must admit, I do not like the phrase "vaccine recipes", because it sounds like cooking, rather than developing therapeutic goods/drugs.

 

[muriel]

Scientists take a jab at Sussexes’ attack on pharmaceuticals not sharing vaccine recipes

Archive: https://archive.ph/fNaWf

"Sharing the recipe" to vaccines is far too simplistic an answer to a very complex issue. Licensing and third party manufacturing deals are being put in place as soon as practicable. An example of this is the manufacture of the A-Z vaccine at Serum Institute of India, the world's largest manufacturer of vaccines.

H&M would be well advised to seek advice from the experts on some of these matters before offering their simplistic, almost Trumpian solutions to complex problems.

 

[Claire]

H&M would be well advised to seek advice from the experts on some of these matters before offering their simplistic, almost Trumpian solutions to complex problems.

This is one of the things that I find troubling. They say via their statements that they are holding discussions with Key decision makers and experts, which gives credence to what they are saying.

[...]A number of special interest group who have been around for years do not get the same treatment despite them having put in their time. […]you can imagine if you are a Woman's Right Lobby group in New York who has never been allowed to see the Major and Governor been told that a new Charity has jumped the line due to their celebrity and photogenic presidents.

 

[Alison H]

Thank you yukari for sharing the article and archive link.

The article raised some important points about the multiple factors affecting vaccine distribution around the world. Most if not all the expert stated that IP waiving is not the solution to vaccine inequity. I must admit, I do not like the phrase "vaccine recipes", because it sounds like cooking, rather than developing therapeutic goods/drugs.

I quite agree - it sounds as if you put a few ounces of this and half a pint of that in a bowl, mix them together, and, hey presto, you're ready to start vaccinating people . We're not talking about a bakery refusing to share grandma's recipe for a popular cake. As I understand it, and I'm certainly no expert, the materials have to be grown, and there also shortages of things like test tubes. It's a matter for the experts.

 

[JessRulz]

The following article comes courtesy of Ghost.

Prince Harry has written an op-ed in The Washington Post regarding oil and gas drilling in Africa:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opin...ry-africa-okavango-basin-drilling-moratorium/

Another article from The Evening Standard on the piece:

Prince Harry makes impassioned plea to save ‘beating heart’ of southern Africa
The Duke of Sussex has said an area known as a “natural beating heart” of southern Africa must be protected with a moratorium on oil and gas drilling.

Starting with rivers in Angola the Okavango flows through Namibia’s Kavango region to a delta in Botswana with Harry describing it in 2019 as “this magnificent last Eden”.

In an opinion piece co-authored with Namibian environment activist Reinhold Mangundu for the Washington Post on Thursday, the duke wrote: “The Okavango watershed is a natural beating heart that has nourished humans and wildlife in southern Africa for generations — and it’s at risk.”

https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/prince-harry-duke-of-sussex-africa-oil-moratorium-b960625.html

 

[Curryong]

‘[FONT=&quot]Harry and Mr Magundu added: “The Okavango River Basin is under siege by ReconAfrica, a Canadian oil and gas company that has been granted licenses for exploratory drilling in an area of Namibia and Botswana larger than some European countries.”[/FONT]
[FONT=Standard Text, serif]
[/FONT]
[FONT=Standard Text, serif]This is an unspoiled part of the world that Harry is plainly passionate about. IMO it would be a tragedy should it fall prey to ReconAfrica or any other drilling company.
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT]

 

[Claire]

It is odd - in that I have been been in meetings about this for over a year already. When I spoke to a colleague in JHB during the week. They told me to expect to see a rehash of the below article in the international news over the weekend.

https://mg.co.za/environment/2021-02-12-okavango-delta-threat-oil-gas-exploration/

This topic has been in the South African, Namibian and Botswanan news for a while. It has also been in National Geographic. As one environmentalist has put it - this is more about a corrupt government selling off resources to the highest bidder - if it was not ReconAfrica it would have been a Chinese fracking company.

Here is a good one.

https://e360.yale.edu/features/a-big-oil-project-in-africa-threatens-the-fragile-okavango-region

 

[Somebody]

Looks like they succeeded in getting international attention by approaching Harry and making him co-author.