The Duke of Sussex's Charities and Patronages


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Great to see them at the Carol concert. And wonderful Meghan was asked to do a reading :flowers:

We have no idea how much time they spend with friends. Just because they aren't caught out at clubs. We have been told they have been in the Cotswolds many weekends and they both have friends in that set/area. Thus couple has made an art of having a life without being seen.
 
The family asked Meghan to do the reading. Charlie escorted Doria at the wedding. Clearly there is a relationship there.
 
I do wonder why Meghan gave a reading as I don't think she attended last year but if Harry is the patron, they probably asked him if she was comfortable doing the reading and he said yes.
 
The family asked Meghan to do the reading. Charlie escorted Doria at the wedding. Clearly there is a relationship there.

Charlie is one of Harry's closest friends, sometimes described as best. Not odd he would be chosen as one of the ushers at the wedding. Harry was his best man when he married this summer. His brother Thomas of course is close to the Cambridges, he is Charlottes godfather.
 
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One thing about Meghan being asked to do a reading is that it tells the world that Harry's wife has been not only accepted by Harry's close friends but also appreciated. ?
 
You are right. We inadvertently allow the dross of the media to colour our perceptions and are so busy shaking our heads at the 'fab four are breaking up and why' nastiness that we forget they actually have a life and friends and we rarely see that since the days of clubbing are history.
 
One thing about Meghan being asked to do a reading is that it tells the world that Harry's wife has been not only accepted by Harry's close friends but also appreciated. ?

Yes I agree. Being asked by the family to read at a service in memory of their beloved son & brother speaks volumes about how Meghan is accepted by them.
 
Per the program she did a reading.

... As it was a memorial carol service, I imagine the reading was a gospel or epistle reading like are commonly read at religious services.

It's being reported that Meghan read a poem at the HVS carol service. It's been identified as Marianne Williamson's Our Greatest Fear, which is not strictly a poem, but simply words of wisdom. I'm familiar with these words. I heard the passage recited for the first time in the movie, Akeelah and the Bee (2006).

https://www.hellomagazine.com/royal...rry-henry-van-straubenzee-carol-service-2018/
 
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You are right. We inadvertently allow the dross of the media to colour our perceptions and are so busy shaking our heads at the 'fab four are breaking up and why' nastiness that we forget they actually have a life and friends and we rarely see that since the days of clubbing are history.


Anyone remember how Will's friends took care of Catherine when they broke off for a short time before finally get engaged? Or how Earl Percy always took publicily Pippa out when there were bad headlines about her? That's the way it works in these friendship circles, so now that Meghan needs there support, the whole Van Straubenzees and Catherine's family helped. One should not forget that the elder Van Straubenzee's are close friends of Charles. This is their way to say: look, everything is as it should be. The fact that Kensington Palace felt the need to publish a statement about Meghan and Catherine's relationship is in a way a compliment to Catherine: no matter what she did in public, she is considered so good at her representing job that people would call it a "show". And the weather is not good enough to arrange a public outing with the kids where Catherine and Meghan could be seen as "private" sisters-in-law. So a statement it became. Interesting that the Palace thought the claim that Meghan mistreated Catherine's staff was the most important of them all...
 
According to reports, "before Meghan made her reading at the carol service, she said she and Harry believed it was the perfect reading because 'it sums up he spirit of what the Henry van Straubenzee Fund does to empower young children.'"
 
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Court Circular 11th December:
The Duke of Sussex, President, The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, and The Duchess of Sussex this afternoon attended a Board Meeting at Thomas House, 84 Eccleston Square, London SW1.
 

The Duke of Sussex, Captain General @RoyalMarines, will visit Exercise Clockwork to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the operation in Bardufoss, Norway on Thursday 14th February.


The Duke of Sussex will meet military personnel living and training on the base, view some of the specialist outdoor severe weather equipment and training that is conducted at Clockwork and talk with expert aircrews and engineers.

I'm not quite sure if this goes here or the current events thread.
 
The Duke of Sussex, Captain General Royal Marines, is to visit Norway to mark 50 years of Commando Helicopter Force (CHF) and Joint Helicopter Command deploying to Bardufoss.

Prince Harry will visit Exercise Clockwork on February 14 to mark the milestone of personnel conducting cold weather training at the Royal Norwegian Air Force Station in the region.
https://www.forces.net/news/prince-harry-visit-royal-marines-and-navy-norway
 
I bet Harry would much rather be spending Valentines Day with Meghan beside a cosy fire, but he seems to be enjoying these exercises a lot. Even if he is freezing he is meeting troops and that is something he misses, I think.
 
He didn’t miss much of Valentine’s Day. He’s already on his way home according to the reporter who traveled with him
 
Harry was in top form today.

And if I can say so myself, looked very very handsome indeed today!
 
Harry was in top form today.

And if I can say so myself, looked very very handsome indeed today!

Indeed. I always find Harry in his element with military personnel. It's obvious to see the impact his service had on the man he became.
 
Indeed. I always find Harry in his element with military personnel. It's obvious to see the impact his service had on the man he became.

Harry had almost a lifetime building up to his military career too. Its something that appealed to him even as a little boy. It was his actual time serving though that did shape Harry into to man he wanted to be and its served him well and gives a lot of depth to his character.

Its these things like we see today in Norway that shows the connections. The sense of camaraderie between those that made the "shrine" and Harry. The connection is there that Harry isn't only their Captain General, he's also one of them and they treat him as such. That, I think, is the ultimate level of respect.
 
The 3 hours in Norway didn’t come cheap. It’s estimated £26,000 for the return flight.
 
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The question to ask about the cost of that return flight would be "How much above the normal costs of that flight is due because Harry was flying?"

Many reports I've read put the costs of flying the US's Air Force One at $200,000 *an hour*. :D
 
Wasn't Harry going to a secured military area? I can't imagine that he could have taken a commercial flight to the area. Since Harry usually travels commercial...it wouldn't have been up to him to make the decision about using a private aircraft. I imavine the royal household does that.
 
Seems a rather expensive photo op IMO. 'm sure the troops were glad he visited but possibly pretty jealous they couldn't get a flight back to their loved ones for valentines day evening.
 
I wouldn't be surprised if Harry really wanted to fly them all home for Valentine's evening himself. Mostly, I think it would have meant so very much to those involved in the exercise that Harry actually cared enough to be there with them.

One can celebrate Valentine's Day every day of the year if they choose to. To actively be with Marines that he's Captain General of in those frozen conditions and to be welcomed so warmly had to be a great morale booster all around for not only the men but also for Harry.

I don't think it was simply a photo op. Throughout my years of watching Harry, I know he's the kind of guy that goes that extra mile when he can and I think this was one of those times.
 
14 February 2019
Kensington Palace CC
"The Duke of Sussex, Captain General, Royal Marines, today attended the Fiftieth Anniversary of Exercise Clockwork, the Commando Helicopter Force annual deployment to Norway, at Bardufoss Royal Norwegian Air Station and was received by Her Majesty's Ambassador to the Kingdom of Norway (His Excellency Mr. Richard Wood).
His Royal Highness this afternoon arrived at Royal Air Force Northolt from Norway.
Mrs. Laura King was in attendance."
 
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I bet Harry would much rather be spending Valentines Day with Meghan beside a cosy fire, but he seems to be enjoying these exercises a lot. Even if he is freezing he is meeting troops and that is something he misses, I think.

Even though Harry, as has been pointed out, didn't miss Valentine's Day and still had time left to celebrate with Meghan, I think this shows his dedication to the charities and causes he supports. I can imagine the army also helped his determination in this respect since soldiers and military personnel train in all weathers - there was a documentary here on British tv last month about the Paras special unit, and even a blizzard didn't seem to phase the young soldiers who were taking part in training!
 
When I first saw the words "shrine" that alluded to something made by the Marines in that frozen climate, my first thought was they made Harry an ice castle loo. I remember Harry making one of those during his trek to the South Pole with Walking With The Wounded a while back ago. Harry is no stranger to frozen exercises and went more than the "extra mile".

Found this article from back then. The Marines he visited in Norway were probably very aware of the antics of the their Captain General and recognized him as being "one of them".

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uk...told-filthy-jokes-during-South-Pole-trek.html
 
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