The Duke and Duchess of Sussex to Step Back as Senior Royals: January 2020

[Tsarinya]

Originally Posted by Lumutqueen

They’ll be no zero hour contracts in that household. The article then goes on to say that “other sources” say no one is being made redundant from their skeleton staff. So the article contradicts itself with its sources...

Thank you, wasn’t sure what they meant by ad hoc and if they meant that these people were employed on zero hour contracts. How do you know there would be no zero hour contracts? Or is it a type of contract the BRF doesn’t offer?

[texankitcat]

Originally Posted by _Heather_

Exactly. No one anywhere said that all DM articles should be accepted as fact. But often where there’s smoke there’s fire and this does sound very Meghan-esque so could be all or partially true. Or not. But if it is then these “friends” are doing her no favors by blabbing to the tabloids that she claims to hate.

It certainly rings true based on recent events. If she did say these things to her friends, she also had to have told them to share it with the media since clearly she would know who she told what to. We already know she has had friends speak on her behalf before. Remember the letter to her father? Yeah, that certainly backfired.

I think she will become the biggest nightmare the BRF has experienced yet, and unfortunately for Harry, he will take the brunt of it and tear him apart.

[Betsypaige]

Originally Posted by texankitcat

It certainly rings true based on recent events. If she did say these things to her friends, she also had to have told them to share it with the media since clearly she would know who she told what to. We already know she has had friends speak on her behalf before. Remember the letter to her father? Yeah, that certainly backfired.

I think she will become the biggest nightmare the BRF has experienced yet, and unfortunately for Harry, he will take the brunt of it and tear him apart.

Actually, almost all of the sympathy has been with the BRF, from the Queen to Charles. Today we had that article about how Harry and William don’t respect their father and tomorrow Rebecca English will publish an article about Harry, good and bad. Meghan has been a “Royal” pain in the butt, but so has Harry, and the public seems to be tired of them.

[Hallo girl]

The quicker they go the better, I don't think they could be trusted to keep to any agreement. The British people have had enough.

[wyevale]

The British people have had enough.

When I think of the Years of Credit he built up, for his service in the Army, his work with Invictus, with Sentebale, all gone - expended in little more than a week, it seems unreal..

It cannot be laid at the feet of just the Press.. they are powerful, but not that powerful, and many, [especially on TV] have come forward to defend him..instinctively people feel he is a changed Man, and they don't like what he's become.. so the sooner they go [for good] the better.

[texankitcat]

Originally Posted by Sionevar

According to gov.uk, anyone applying for citizenship 'should not have spent more than 90 days outside the UK in the last 12 months'. If she has not yet submitted her formal application (she cannot apply until she has been in the UK for 3 years), and stays away for more than 90 days, her accumulated UK residency time will lapse, and she will have to start all over again.

She isn’t going to become a British citizen.

[akina21]

Originally Posted by _Heather_

Goodness gracious, Meghan really needs to stop her "friends" from talking. There's now an article making the rounds purporting to have comments from her friends about her finally being able to breathe, how leaving the RF was a matter of life or death because her soul was dying, etc. And the wording of the article is very clear about the fact that she's done. She left, she now has free reign, and she didn't want Archie around that toxic life. It even clearly states "she will continue making surprise visits and and wants to feel embraced by her community."

If this is even remotely true then she needs to get a grip on her friends immediately because I suspect this type of thing would very seriously and negatively impact her negotiations with the RF and this is really not great publicity because it smacks of the me, me, me entitlement that Meghan's already getting so much flack for.

Who needs enemies if you have friends like that. Because this "she will continue making surprise visits and and wants to feel embraced by her community" just makes her sound really really shallow . Like vulnerable people are there to lift her up and to make her feel good .

[Somebody]

Originally Posted by CyrilVladisla

If Prince Harry and Meghan originally planned to move to the United States, why did they not put this in writing in the first place?

Harry and Meghan's statement read 'North America'; it was the queen's statement that narrowed it down to 'Canada'.

Originally Posted by _Heather_

Precisely. Why not just go ahead and admit that she wants out instead of this whole cat and mouse game about part time work, collaborating with the Queen *insert eye roll here*, geographic balance, and appreciation of the royal tradition into which their son was born? I realize that it's all trying to keep up the appearance of wanting to be half in and half out so that the perks don't all dry up and disappear but for heaven's sake, tell your friends to zip it until you've signed on the dotted line.

Or the alternative: half wants out and the other half wants to remain in?

Originally Posted by Denville

sorry where does she intend to make the surprise visits to? The UK? Canada? California?

Canada I suppose (at least for now); as that's what she did this week. Calling on Monday for a visit on Tuesday.

Originally Posted by Tsarinya

If the rumours and talk turn out to be true and she doesn’t ever return to the U.K. for any meaningful length of time I don’t think I could support her and Harry keeping their titles. Whilst this is definitely a controversial thing to say, my thoughts are why have British titles and the privileges that come with them if you don’t actually spend any proper time in Britain? What does this mean for her British citizenship? Will she even become one now?
I also makes me feel even more uneasy that Frogmore cottage will be empty for the vast part of the year after all the renovation work on it.

If she isn't in the UK roughly at least 9 months of the year over several years, she won't qualify for British citizenship. Currently, it looks unlikely she will meet those criteria.

[Betsypaige]

Originally Posted by wyevale

When I think of the Years of Credit he built up, for his service in the Army, his work with Invictus, with Sentebale, all gone - expended in little more than a week, it seems unreal..

It cannot be laid at the feet of just the Press.. they are powerful, but not that powerful, and many, [especially on TV] have come forward to defend him..instinctively people feel he is a changed Man, and they don't like what he's become.. so the sooner they go [for good] the better.

And....I don’t think the media - since the announcement- has generally been bad. Are they climbing over each other to get scoops? Of course, that’s how media is all over. However, there’s been a humanity that I often don’t see; there’s sympathy for the BRF, and some for Harry and Meghan. Primarily for the latter, there has been bitter disappointment - but that’s understandable.

Harry and Meghan made their bed, and they’ll need to sleep in it - which they seem to be fine with

[Mbruno]

Originally Posted by akina21

Who needs enemies if you have friends like that. Because this "she will continue making surprise visits and and wants to feel embraced by her community" just makes her sound really really shallow .

Indeed, I couldn’t believe it when I read that quote.

[Hallo girl]

I doubt if she ever intended being around long enough to become one.

Do they really think the press will suddenly lose interest.

[Curbside]

Originally Posted by Hallo girl

I doubt if she ever intended being around long enough to become one.

I think she did, and was driven out. I think Harry was right to choose his marriage and family over other considerations.

[texankitcat]

Originally Posted by Curbside

I think she did, and was driven out. I think Harry was right to choose his marriage and family over other considerations.

She wasn’t driven out. She only gave it 19 months and chose to leave of her own accord.

[Curbside]

Originally Posted by texankitcat

She wasn’t driven out. She only gave it 19 months and chose to leave of her own accord.

19 months of being constantly criticized for everything from her hair, to holding her own belly, to not allowing every invasion or privacy the press tried to shove down her throat. Why should Harry allow his wife to be disrespected like this for the next few decades?

[Pranter]

Originally Posted by Hallo girl

Do they really think the press will suddenly lose interest.

Of course they don't....they know the press will always be interested. Harry especially knows this. The issue wasn't the press being interested in what they do.


LaRae

Originally Posted by Curbside

19 months of being constantly criticized for everything from her hair, to holding her own belly, to not allowing every invasion or privacy the press tried to shove down her throat. Why should Harry allow his wife to be disrespected like this for the next few decades?

The list is longer than that too! It was a lot of negative.


LaRae

[wyevale]

And a great deal of Positive

[Curbside]

If I were to go about my job with hundreds of people watching and trying to find ways to tear me down, I think I might reasonably come to the conclusion that this was not the job for me.

Some people will not see the classicism, sexism and racism directed at Meghan, but oh well. It's not her job to make people understand where she's coming from. She thought the coverage would be fair, but it really wasn't. A critique is one thing, tearing someone down to sell your content is a different thing altogether.

Originally Posted by wyevale

And a great deal of Positive.

There was SOME positive coverage. Just because the press were sometimes nice, didn't mean they weren't also on the whole, abusive.

[Erin9]

Originally Posted by Curbside

19 months of being constantly criticized for everything from her hair, to holding her own belly, to not allowing every invasion or privacy the press tried to shove down her throat. Why should Harry allow his wife to be disrespected like this for the next few decades?

How is the criticism going to magically go away? They’re not even talking about living private lives. They still want public lives. That will come with criticism. It won’t go anywhere. I don’t get how this stepping back fixes that. I really don’t.

And she needed to learn how to do what other famous people do- including members of the BRF- not read it all, develop thicker skin, not take it all personally, etc. Not ALLOW it to ruin her life. She chose how to handle this- or not handle it. It is a choice. You can’t control the media as a general thing.

[Pranter]

Originally Posted by wyevale

And a great deal of Positive

The focus the past week has be heavily negative. Same with the tabloids and Twitter accounts (most Royal Reporters and those working for said tabloids). Afterall if it bleeds it leads.



LaRae

[Curbside]

Originally Posted by Erin9

How is the criticism going to magically go away? They’re not even talking about living private lives. They still want public lives. That will come with criticism. It won’t go anywhere. I don’t get how this stepping back fixes that. I really don’t.

And she needed to learn how to do what other famous people do- including members of the BRF- not read it all, develop thicker skin, not take it all personally, etc. Not ALLOW it to ruin her life. She chose how to handle this- or not handle it. It is a choice. You can’t control the media as a general thing.

It's not clear what their future roles will be. It's hard not to take things personally when others are very personal in their criticism.

Again, there was/is a vocal faction of the public who will always think the worst of someone in Meghan's position. Not even Andrew has been subjected to anything like this, and what he's done is far, far worse.

Originally Posted by Pranter

The focus the past week has be heavily negative here. Same with the tabloids and Twitter accounts (most Royal Reporters and those working for said tabloids). Afterall if it bleeds it leads.



LaRae

Also, how will they fill all those column inches/generate all those clicks if Meghan and Harry refuse to play along?