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

[iceflower]

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex in Düsseldorf, Germany, today, September 6:


** gettyimages gallery ** rex gallery ** dailymail article **

[Curryong]

Harry and Meghan?s red carpet treatment in Germany.

Harry and Meghan get the red carpet treatment in Germany | Daily Mail Online

The couple were all smiles as they arrived in the city's main square where hundreds of royal fans stood for over two hours in the stifling heat to see them promote the games exactly a year before it is due to start next September.

And the event had many of the hallmarks of a royal visit despite the couple being classed as private citizens rather than royals by German police.

Harry wore a grey suit with an open neck shirt and put a comforting hand around his wife?s back as they walked towards an Invictus banner outside the town hall entrance.

Meghan beamed as a woman in the crowd shouted out ?you?re beautiful? and scores of people cheered.

Others shouted out the Prince?s name and he seemed to find the adulation amusing.

Harry looked relaxed as he waved and smiled at the crowd.

Their arrival had been delayed by 10 minutes due to the volume of traffic coming into the city centre.

[camelot23ca]

Originally Posted by Alison H

Harry and Meghan still draw attention wherever they go. The Manchester Evening News has printed pretty much the full text of Meghan's speech, compared to part of Andy Burnham (the Mayor of Greater Manchester)'s and none of Bob Geldof's. So they've got quite a platform. But Meghan just used it to talk about herself. Other speakers talked about how Manchester's coped with the 2017 bombing at the Ariana Grande concert, but Meghan didn't even manage to mention that. It was just I this, I that and I the other.

How long would they continue to have a big platform if they didn’t make things about their own story? If they’d discreetly left the Royal Family without publicizing any conflict and without ongoing complaints, and then kept their personal narrative out of their public remarks and speeches?

Their big platform isn’t built on anything substantive. Bob Geldof doesn’t need to get his remarks reprinted in the paper in order to command attention when he wants it - he has the luxury of going to Manchester and speaking about issues related to Manchester. Meghan and Harry no longer have the formal association with the working BRF, and they haven’t replaced that with any significant professional accomplishments. Whatever plans they do have seem to be based entirely on their ability to remain in the public eye, and that won’t happen if they only talk about issues and causes.

[TLLK]

Originally Posted by Alison H

Harry and Meghan still draw attention wherever they go. The Manchester Evening News has printed pretty much the full text of Meghan's speech, compared to part of Andy Burnham (the Mayor of Greater Manchester)'s and none of Bob Geldof's. So they've got quite a platform. But Meghan just used it to talk about herself. Other speakers talked about how Manchester's coped with the 2017 bombing at the Ariana Grande concert, but Meghan didn't even manage to mention that. It was just I this, I that and I the other.

I am more than a little surprised that she did not mention anything about the host city's response to one of the UK's worst acts of terrorism in recent years. Especially since the BRF have involved in either addressing the situation or visiting the city ever since the attack. (Harry addressed this in 2017 when he met with former POTUS Obama. https://www.etonline.com/news/218492...hester_victims)



Unfortunately this was a missed opportunity to counter some of the criticism that she's received in the past two weeks. She looked wonderful and can deliver a prepared speech very well, however it was again too focused upon herself.

[Hallo girl]

Originally Posted by Curryong

Harry and Meghan?s red carpet treatment in Germany.

Harry and Meghan get the red carpet treatment in Germany | Daily Mail Online

The couple were all smiles as they arrived in the city's main square where hundreds of royal fans stood for over two hours in the stifling heat to see them promote the games exactly a year before it is due to start next September.

And the event had many of the hallmarks of a royal visit despite the couple being classed as private citizens rather than royals by German police.

Harry wore a grey suit with an open neck shirt and put a comforting hand around his wife?s back as they walked towards an Invictus banner outside the town hall entrance.

Meghan beamed as a woman in the crowd shouted out ?you?re beautiful? and scores of people cheered.

Others shouted out the Prince?s name and he seemed to find the adulation amusing.

Harry looked relaxed as he waved and smiled at the crowd.

Their arrival had been delayed by 10 minutes due to the volume of traffic coming into the city centre.

They went in a side door in Manchester

[Curryong]

Well, probably a lot of the speakers and counsellors went in at the side door, for convenience. The audience were receptive. There were cheers and applause.

[Archduchess Zelia]

Originally Posted by HighGoalHighDreams

When I graduated from college, a famous alumna of my institution gave the address. She told an amusing anecdote about her own graduation weekend. It was funny, relatable, and took 30 seconds of a 20 minute address.

This is an example of the commonly used adding a personal example to connect with the audience to great effect. Meghan's speech did not have a personal angle added in; it was simply a speech about herself

I mean, she's drawing on her own experience because she has been in the same place as the participants. The only time she slightly veers away is when she briefly mentions Harry. And with all due respect, the opening speech of a summit is not really comparable to a commencement speech

[…]All I'm saying is that I don't think any other royal in a similar position as Meghan (with a long-standing involvement with the organisation) would have given a much different speech. As someone who has attended a fair amount of the same types of summits and conferences, it's a pretty standard opening speech by an "alumni" of the organisation.

[Hallo girl]

Originally Posted by Archduchess Zelia

I mean, she's drawing on her own experience because she has been in the same place as the participants. The only time she slightly veers away is when she briefly mentions Harry. And with all due respect, the opening speech of a summit is not really comparable to a commencement speech

[…]All I'm saying is that I don't think any other royal in a similar position as Meghan (with a long-standing involvement with the organisation) would have given a much different speech. As someone who has attended a fair amount of the same types of summits and conferences, it's a pretty standard opening speech by an "alumni" of the organisation.

I am not sure where the same experience comes in , she attended private schools. Paid for by her father.

[Archduchess Zelia]

If you're not sure about that, it tells me you probably haven't listened to the speech as it revolves around around her own experience with One Young World (one that she shares with the participants)

[Durham]

The organisers of OYW should be embarrassed that they gave pride of place to MM’s speech when they had an individual of Mary Robinson’s gravitas & stature present. And had H&M sat as the principal guests. Not to mention Bob Geldof. It just makes them look foolish.

[FigTree]

Originally Posted by Durham

The organisers of OYW should be embarrassed that they gave pride of place to MM’s speech when they had an individual of Mary Robinson’s gravitas & stature present. And had H&M sat as the principal guests. Not to mention Bob Geldof. It just makes them look foolish.

I don’t think they were given anymore prominence then anyone else but just the media interest in it I suppose. And yes quite ridiculous but such is the power of fame.

[Sun Lion]

Wow, the sunny Düsseldorf walkabout photos and videos shows what they have lost.

The enjoyment on their faces.

They had the chance to do this all over the Commonwealth … with no personal expense … for the rest of their lives, and they lost it through their own actions.

That must be a hard realisation for them at times.

[FigTree]

Originally Posted by Sun Lion

Wow, the sunny Düsseldorf walkabout photos and videos shows what they have lost.

The enjoyment on their faces.

They had the chance to do this all over the Commonwealth … with no personal expense … for the rest of their lives, and they lost it through their own actions.

That must be a hard realisation for them at times.

I never really know about these things and people coming out on the street. When they went to Dublin, a friend who lives and works there told me that all the people in the offices were ‘encouraged’ to go down and wave at them and see them. I am not talking about them either, they probably encourage it for all of them.

[US Royal Watcher]

Originally Posted by Archduchess Zelia

I mean, she's drawing on her own experience because she has been in the same place as the participants. The only time she slightly veers away is when she briefly mentions Harry. And with all due respect, the opening speech of a summit is not really comparable to a commencement speech

[…]All I'm saying is that I don't think any other royal in a similar position as Meghan (with a long-standing involvement with the organisation) would have given a much different speech. As someone who has attended a fair amount of the same types of summits and conferences, it's a pretty standard opening speech by an "alumni" of the organisation.

I've attended a lot of these types of conferences too and some speeches are better than others but I can't remember any speech that didn't try to connect to the goals of the conference. I can't think of a speech by another royal like this one.

An example of a member of the royal family giving a good speech is Meghan's 2019 speech in South Africa. When you read this speech, It should be pretty obvious that Meghan could have done a lot better.
https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebr...l-tour-africa/

[HRHHermione]

Originally Posted by US Royal Watcher

I've attended a lot of these types of conferences too and some speeches are better than others but I can't remember any speech that didn't try to connect to the goals of the conference. I can't think of a speech by another royal like this one.



An example of a member of the royal family giving a good speech is Meghan's 2019 speech in South Africa. When you read this speech, It should be pretty obvious that Meghan could have done a lot better.

https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebr...l-tour-africa/

Ahhh the infamous tree stump speech. It was a good speech, you’re right. I imagine there was speechwriting support for her at the time and that she is no longer working with a professional speechwriter (which is a mistake I think)

[Sun Lion]

Originally Posted by FigTree

I never really know about these things and people coming out on the street. When they went to Dublin, a friend who lives and works there told me that all the people in the offices were ‘encouraged’ to go down and wave at them and see them. I am not talking about them either, they probably encourage it for all of them.

Oh yes FigTree, look at all the schoolchildren lining the roads as they drove past in Fiji, or maybe it was Tonga. Arranged by the government.

Same in The Queen’s heyday, schoolchildren bussed to ovals in Australia to see her drive by.

There was a spontaneous crowd around Mary and Frederick here in Sydney once, but that was outside a major train station down near the Harbour, on a sunny day and there were lots of people there anyway.

Even then I was just standing there … before they arrived … and someone official thrust a Danish flag in my hand for me to wave at them.

(We we’re a very small group of people at the start. By the end, people just wanted to see what was happening, most didn’t know what was going on/who was there.)

When I said “Wow”, it was more that the videos and photos from Düsseldorf were like a Royal walkabout … that they could have done all over the Commonwealth, as Royals of the Commonwealth.

Harry and Meghan were beaming in Düsseldorf, really enjoying the attention.

It must hit home sometimes that the freedom to speak your mind … and who’s listening and changing the world to what you think anyway … and to have to make your own money to keep it all going …

… that must be hard when the penny drops about where you were and where you are now.

[US Royal Watcher]

Another example of a much better speech made by a royal is today's speech by Harry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-jQSqafGG4

I would think that if Harry uses a professional speech writer, so would Meghan. Perhaps not.

[Sun Lion]

An Australian media identity has made up un-expected audio appearance on the third of the Duchess’ podcasts.

Allison, and co-host Karl, are always cracking up on breakfast tv here about anything Meghan … and it seems that has not gone un-noticed.

Take that Australian tv people!

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbi...s-podcast.html

[Granada]

Sun Lion, I completely agree. I watched the video clip of the Sussex's arriving in Germany and the crowd seemed enthusiastic and kept chanting, Harry, Harry, Harry. He seemed to revel in this. He seemed joyous, like of old. No scowling in public, as we see too much of since they made the decision to step away. Meghan got a "Meghan you are beautiful" shout out, too. But the crowd seemed focused on Harry. And he seemingly loved (needed?) that.

Sooooo, I guess I'm off two minds on this.
Will Harry perhaps think.....maybe I, or we should NOT burn all bridges ? Start with the book and eliminate allegations and criticism. Damage control.

IS there a *way* forward ? Perhaps, just thru the Commonwealth Countries ? Not the UK. Ever.
One Tour a year, with an ironclad contact to have ZERO comments or innuendo about the Royal Family or British Politics.

Thats what Tina Brown hoped in her book. Something to reel them back in. To the fold, but with distance AND conditions.

OR will Meghan see this reception in Germany as an business opportunity and persuade Harry that this alternate "Royal Family" experience, signing up for European and American Events, charity and otherwise, is something to look into. Money AND exposure. Faux Royal Red Carpets.
Remember Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and the "Rent a Royal" controversy. Unfortunately, that wouldn't stop The Sussex from going forward in Europe and the States.

It will be interesting to see how this pans out. Will the vitriol, allegations and innuendo stop ? By both ? One ? Or will Harry's book weaponize his bitterness and feelings of being sidelined and forever blow up any chance for reconciliation ?
All I know is seeing the pictures today of an increasingly frail Queen Elizabeth, with that GIANT bruise on her hand, made me really think that She could go at ANY time......soon.
Hope Harry realizes that.

[Lori138]

I agree with other posters about the German leg of the trip. Harry looked like he was enjoying himself and having a good time, when in Britain he looks hounded and bitter and scowling. Does he really dislike his old life that much?