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

[evolvingdoors]

I’m sorry for this, but I have to be a bit petty after this clusterf***: I told you so.
Two years ago when I first joined I said it was gonna be a big mistake for them to not have Meghan live in the UK for a year or so on some sort of an artist visa before becoming engaged due to their long distance relationship and the uniqueness of the situation.

When they became engaged I said how odd he never met her dad, and that I thought it was wrong she was not taking time to properly adjust.
At the wedding lead up and everything that happened I said I don’t think this is gonna be a smooth sailing. I said how odd that only her mom was at the wedding. And I won’t go into the shower and the letter written for everyone to see.

Two years later: Meghan is estranged from her family (except rumored only her mom) Harry is now estranged from his family (if that doesn’t make the bells in your head ring to the point of a migraine, with his problematic this is!)

I have to say though, I don’t think I thought they’ll implode this fast publicly.
I almost feel sorry for Meghan, but for what she is causing Harry on a mental, emotional and psychological levels I am not. She’s toxic imo (i’m being nice). And if they ever divorce (which I stand firmly thinking they will) after this stunt, the family is gonna shred her to pieces.

This stunt coupled with what he said in the docu is actually making me crazy worried for Harry and Harrison well being.

Originally Posted by suztav

I just had the time to look at their website -- https://sussexroyal.com/ --

this isn't something that you create overnight. They clearly used the six-weeks in Canada to not only come to this decision, but to create this website.

Sorry … it's all so premeditated. JMHO

Oh yea!
I have a theory (and it’s just a theory but it’s the most logical one) that Dan source is someone inside the Sussex camp.
I can’t see BP nor CH or KP outing this info unless something was finalized first- it’s not how things are done!.
The website being all ready to be uploaded when talks about this with the palaces only started a week ago?... suspicious!
Everything about this is suspicious.


Of course everything above is my personal opinion;
I liked Meghan at first, but definitely raised my eyebrows at a few things about her that felt off... gut instinct if you will.

[wyevale]

Souffles take extreme caution and care to ensure they turn out right.

I suspect this particular Souffle [so puffed up with the hot air of is own self-importance] will collapse, and be as flat as a Pancake on contact with the cold Air of Windsor REALITY..

[Dalriada]

The Evening Standard claims they have the authoritative behind the scenes story. M&H’s escape plan “arrived in the inbox last week and has, we have been told by palace sources, “completely incoherent”. The money didn’t stack up. Taxpayers would still be forking out millions of pounds for round-the-clock security, and the tax perks that go with a grace-and-favour home. The Duchy of Cornwall would still be providing the bulk of the income, hardly most people’s definition of financial independence.

There were basic questions about things like their immigration status in Canada that needed answers.

The family wanted to know too if the couple had already signed commercial deals, with companies like Disney, because they suspected they had.”


https://www.standard.co.uk/comment/c...-a4330366.html

[Nico]

Originally Posted by Parrothead

Is Harry not a counselor of state (or whatever the exact title is)? If that’s the case and he’s stepping back then governmental/legal steps may need to be taken to remove him as a counselor (same probably goes for Prince Andrew).

The most present issue is that two partially taxpayers funded members of the BRF unilaterally claimed they will leave the country soon but will occasionally come back to sherry pick some taxpayers funded overseas tours.

The response at No 10 must have been : "Mmmmm yeah sure"

[BelleRoyale]

I've been a long-time reader of this Forum, but have never posted before. Harry has always been my favorite in the BRF, and today I'm very concerned about him.

I find these actions of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex very poorly thought out. They appear to be out of touch with the ways of the BRF and how much they depend on the approval their British Subjects, and how wise they are to "never complain, never explain" when it comes to the Tabloids. The way to make negative stories go away, is to not feed them.

Did Meghan really not understand the power and restrictions of the Family she married into? Is Harry so sick of his Royal Fishbowl life that he is truly ready to chuck it all--not so much for "Love" as for Peace of Mind? I think both of these things are true.

They've found themselves in a similar situation as Diana and Charles. I don't think Meghan is being respected or embraced by some members of the BRF, or their Courtiers, or their Staff, and certainly not by the British media and the rabid public who support them. What has just happened, will only garner more ill-will toward her. Harry is clearly annoyed, and likely humiliated by the ill-treatment of his wife. He has not been treated well by the media throughout his life either. But unlike Charles with Diana, Harry sympathizes with Meghan, and is fully supporting his new bride. She matters at least to him, and vice-versa.

But they would have been better off to remain silent and work things out privately behind the scenes, rather than stir up the hornets. Their PR is knee-jerk reaction and poorly considered.

History has shown that the BRF will only make decisions that ensure it's survival, whatever or whoever it costs. Harry and Meghan have placed themselves in a precarious position by their premature and poorly thought-out actions. And maybe that's what they both want anyway, is to be free from it all. But they will soon discover, it's all or nothing. I sincerely hope they're ready for that.

[Mbruno]

Originally Posted by Parrothead

Is Harry not a counselor of state (or whatever the exact title is)? If that’s the case and he’s stepping back then governmental/legal steps may need to be taken to remove him as a counselor (same probably goes for Prince Andrew).

The counselors of state are determined by law ; the monarch’s consort and the first four people in line to the throne provided that they are over 21 ( 18 in the case of the heir presumptive ) , a British subject and reside in the UK. If Harry moves to Canada, I suppose he is immediately disqualified. Otherwise, he can only lose his position by an act of Parliament or if he failed one of the legal tests for the succession like becoming a Roman Catholic or marrying without consent.

I think the talks with No. 10 have more to do with defining what kind of official role ( if any) the couple will play on behalf of the UK government in the future and how to sort out their desire to live part time in Canada. The latter, as I said, is not a simple issue if Harry plans to live in Canada in some official capacity and not just as a private citizen.

Currently , I believe neither Harry nor Meghan hold Canadian citizenship and the Canadian constitution assigns no public role to him as a biological grandson of the Queen of Canada. If he is to get public protection overseas on a permanent basis and do public engagements in Canada , his legal status there has to be clarified, including who will pay for it ( the Brits or the Canadians). I suppose Ottawa will have to be consulted too on the arrangements.

[Kataryn]

Originally Posted by Muhler

Fortunately I'm not.

Basically there can only be one thing to do: Talk about it. Discuss options and alternatives and approaches. If need be tell them what to do and not to do.
And make sure no one acts on their own initiative.

What else would there be to do?

We are seemingly looking at what happens when you don't.

I agree with you, Muhler! But I feel that their IG posting was the question to have more talks and to be taken more seriously. They dedicated their website to the service for HM the queen. And they spoke of their "intent" to step down as senior Royals - not that they do it. Just like it was "intended" for Camilla to become the Princess Consort when we all knew that Charles would never do anything to make it happen.

IMHO the ball is now in Charles' court and he loves and understands Harry and Meghan. Well see what will happen. IMHO Piers Morgan actually prove what H&M claim: that the media is biased and that there need to be another way for these two to go onbew. But which one? That remains to be seen.

[Mademoiselle Lilo]

Not surprised by their decision but totally shocked by their way of handeling the whole thing..just doing it their way impulsively and whithout telling the family (if its true)...it's disrespectful and immature

Now what is done is done let's see how things will go from now on for the Sussex,i am intersted to see how they will work their way as "part time working royals"? What now for their patronages in UK? And most important how they will acheive that "financial independence" they are talking about...i just hope they don't do it by cashing in on their royal titles and status that will be bad idea Imo

[Alison H]

There's nothing stopping Harry from going back into the Army, but I doubt he'll do that, especially with a young baby. Something like the job Prince William did as an air ambulance pilot, whilst doing royal duties part-time, might have worked for him, if he'd stopped to think about it. Nobody minded William being a part-time royal for a while, and I think everyone would be quite happy for Harry to do something like that long-term.

[Empress Merel]

Their decision is a bit of both sides. For me, if they want out, just be out completely and don't half ass it. On the other hand, they're owning their own plans for their live within a monarchy that will change in the coming decade regardless of them hanging in there or not. QEII will most likely not live another decade and as grim as it sounds, they probably want to be ahead of the curve.

But one can wonder at the timing of all of this and which hand forced them to drop this on the day before Kate's birthday. Not the first time loyalties are all over the place within the BRF. Once again they are amateurs.

[Mbruno]

Originally Posted by Alison H

There's nothing stopping Harry from going back into the Army, but I doubt he'll do that, especially with a young baby. Something like the job Prince William did as an air ambulance pilot, whilst doing royal duties part-time, might have worked for him, if he'd stopped to think about it. Nobody minded William being a part-time royal for a while, and I think everyone would be quite happy for Harry to do something like that long-term.

The issue here is not being a part-time royal. If H&M had simply announced that they wanted to become part-time royals and have a career in the private sector like some royals in other countries, I suppose many people would have been disappointed, but would have accepted their decision,.

The thing is that they didn’t do just that. Instead they started talking about carving out a new progressive role for themselves “ within the institution” , but with no supervision and outside the normal chain of command. Then they started dictating terms ( living part time in Canada , keeping Frogmore Cottage and security, taking the PoW’s Duchy of Cornwall money , etc.) and basically implied that everyone else ( the Queen, the PoW, the DoC, the British government, the Canadian government, etc. ) had to do as they were told and make it happen. Even worse, they behave as if every item on their wish list had already been agreed to. That kind of petulant “ have the cake and eat it” attitude is what angered people in the public and in the press .

[Duke of Marmalade]

Originally Posted by Alison H

There's nothing stopping Harry from going back into the Army, but I doubt he'll do that, especially with a young baby. Something like the job Prince William did as an air ambulance pilot, whilst doing royal duties part-time, might have worked for him, if he'd stopped to think about it. Nobody minded William being a part-time royal for a while, and I think everyone would be quite happy for Harry to do something like that long-term.

He's not interested in the army etc or some other proper job like a pilot, they want to lead the Bono or Angelina Jolie life, do-gooders on a global stage, Bono's base for fame is being a musician, Jolie being an actress and they are royal and they need to stay royal to stay interesting. But there is a difference that they don't understand because there is public money involved. I guess that was Meghan's plan all along, she needed Harry to come from small time actress to get to the global stage to grace the world with her virtues, but she never understood that the royal idea is different, it's enormous privilege against duty and public service. You cannot have one without the other, therefore it will all end in tears. It will work with a celebrity A Lister, but not with a British Prince.
I just can't believe how full they are of themselves.

[muriel]

Originally Posted by Duke of Marmalade

He's not interested in the army etc or some other proper job like a pilot, they want to lead the Bono or Angelina Jolie life, do-gooders on a global stage, Bono's base for fame is being a musician, Jolie being an actress and they are royal and they need to stay royal to stay interesting. But there is a difference that they don't understand because there is public money involved. I guess that was Meghan's plan all along, she needed Harry to come from small time actress to get to the global stage to grace the world with her virtues, but she never understood that the royal idea is different, it's enormous privilege against duty and public service. You cannot have one without the other, therefore it will all end in tears. It will work with a celebrity A Lister, but not with a British Prince.
I just can't believe how full they are of themselves.

Very well said.

[Kataryn]

Originally Posted by eya

Madame Tussauds London moved its figures of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex from its Royal Family set to elsewhere in the attraction

https://media.gettyimages.com/photos...94?s=2048x2048


https://media.gettyimages.com/photos...78?s=2048x2048

Obviously along with Charles and Camilla. LOL!

[Denville]

He quit the army to be a full time royal. I can't see him going back. I think that this while not really expected, is the result of many things that were obvious to some people a couple of years ago. Meghan knew nothing of the UK and did not have a chance to learn.. and when she came ot live here she did not like it. She and Harry rushed into marriage on the basis of a long distance love affair.. She is an American and did not really understand the UK ROyal family.. and she also is an actress.. and I think simply does not like giving up acting to play one restrictive role all the time..
Her embarrassing famly aren't her fault but they have added to her stress levels..

[Moonmaiden23]

Originally Posted by TRCRoyal

In all of this mess, I can't help but have so much respect for Princess Beatrice and Eugenie. They wanted to be a part of the firm, they were shut down by Prince Charles, so they got jobs in both the UK and the US while supporting their charities, their family and the queen. If anyone deserves to have a bigger role after their H&M debacle, it's them. These two have really pulled their weight.

I agree.

Beatrice and Eugenie had messy, self absorbed parents, like William and Harry.

However unlike William and Harry, they were able to mature into adulthood without emotional trauma and with a firm sense of themselves and what was expected of them. Unlike the Yorks, William and Harry were the battlegrounds upon which the War of the Wales was waged, especially by Diana.

After Diana's traumatic death all bets were off. I think both boys were indulged to the hilt, Charles from guilt and HMQ from terror at upsetting them seeing as how they were now the darlings of the BRF in place of their mother.

Both are willful and can be petulant, but William has been able to temper his worst instincts through marriage and family life that levels him.(at least as far as we know and I am the first to admit that I could be totally wrong here)

If Harry and Meghan go the distance, I am really hoping it will be the same for him.

[O-H Anglophile]

Originally Posted by Mbruno

The issue here is not being a part-time royal. If H&M had simply announced that they wanted to become part-time royals and have a career in the private sector like some royals in other countries, I suppose many people would have been disappointed, but would have accepted their decision,.

The thing is that they didn’t do just that. Instead they started talking about carving out a new progressive role for themselves “ within the institution” , but with no supervision and outside the normal chain of command. Then they started dictating terms ( living part time in Canada , keeping Frogmore Cottage and security, taking the PoW’s Duchy of Cornwall money , etc.) and basically implied that everyone else ( the Queen, the PoW, the DoC, the British government, the Canadian government, etc. ) had to do as they were told and make it happen. Even worse, they behave as if every item on their wish list had already been agreed to. That kind of petulant “ have the cake and eat it” attitude is what angered people in the public and in the press .

I think this is a good summation of the situation. That is how their website points read to me. They don't seem to want to step back and just do ordinary jobs. with an occasional royal appearance.

[suztav]

Originally Posted by Moonmaiden23

I agree.



Beatrice and Eugenie had messy, self absorbed parents, like William and Harry.



However unlike William and Harry, they were able to mature into adulthood without emotional trauma and with a firm sense of themselves and what was expected of them. Unlike the Yorks, William and Harry were the battlegrounds upon which the War of the Wales was waged, especially by Diana.



After Diana's traumatic death all bets were off. I think both boys were indulged to the hilt, Charles from guilt and HMQ from terror at upsetting them seeing as how they were now the darlings of the BRF in place of their mother.



Both are willful and can be petulant, but William has been able to temper his worse instincts through marriage and family life that levels him.(at least as far as we know and I am the first to admit that I could be totally wrong here)



If Harry and Meghan go the distance, I am really hoping it will be the same for him.

At the risk of going off topic on this H&M thread. For all intents and purposes Beatrice and Eugenie’s parents have always been together despite the piece of paper which says they are divorced.

Also, I strongly believe that the stability of the Middleton family has helped center Williams enormously.

[Katymcwaity]

Originally Posted by Pranter

Have you actually seen how many times the ppl here use tabloid articles to back their point? You can dismiss it as silly but that is the reality of what we see ppl using as 'evidence'. Press coverage as a whole has been atrocious. Social Media has been a absolute zoo.


LaRae

True, was discussing at work and the cost to taxpayers re Frogmore cottage was brought up. General consensus being that a wet Wednesday in Rotherham, cutting a ribbon, is not glamorous and probably gets dull. However cake and eating it got a mention again

[Turby]

Sad to hear this. I believe it is a poor decision but as they say “anything to keep the wife happy”. I do wish them well.