Royals At War, The Untold Story of Harry and Meghan's Split with the House of Windsor

[Curryong]

Who said the relationship soured? The journalists that produced this book. And the Royals at War and Lady Colin Campbell's book have clearly gone the route of attacking the Sussexes especially Meghan at every opportunity as well as putting their own spin on it. Most of what these books have contained have been copied from tabloid articles of the last two years. They contain inaccuracies which have been pointed out here on this forum.

The Queen stated clearly in January that she would have preferred Harry and Meghan to have remained as senior royals rather than go. She reiterated that Harry, Meghan and Archie remained much loved members of her family. Those aren't the words IMO of a woman who dislikes her grandson's wife or didn't want her around.

[Iluvbertie]

The Queen would never say anything else - publicly. She will always leave the door open but ... what she may think privately we do not know. She may think this but equally she may be appalled that her grandson has worked away from assisting his family do their work.

[Claire]

I am hoping that we might get the actually email or letter that Harry and Meghan send the Queen and Prince of Wales in the Omid's book. That would be the crux of the whole situation - as the Sussex team are 100 % sure that it was not disrespectful or asking too much in anyway. So they might publish the whole thing and say what their intentions actually were.

[Iluvbertie]

That would be interesting ... given the legal case the Sussex's have about a letter Meghan sent to her father claiming that she owns the copyright. To turn around and then give a letter or email to an author would suggest that the Sussex's don't believe the writer owns the copyright at all ...

[Denville]

Originally Posted by Iluvbertie

The Queen would never say anything else - publicly. She will always leave the door open but ... what she may think privately we do not know. She may think this but equally she may be appalled that her grandson has worked away from assisting his family do their work.

I should say she is very shaken and not happy.. Even if its only on the level that the RF have now lost 2 of the people who were of the younger generation adn who were expected to do royal duties for the next 40 years.. at a stroke the 2 of them were out, and the RF is left trying to plug the gap. If harry is truly unhappy and stressed Im sure she does not want that for her grandson and she had no opitin but to let him go and wish him well but she can't be happy with it...

[Mbruno]

Originally Posted by Denville

I should say she is very shaken and not happy.. Even if its only on the level that the RF have now lost 2 of the people who were of the younger generation adn who were expected to do royal duties for the next 40 years.. at a stroke the 2 of them were out, and the RF is left trying to plug the gap. If harry is truly unhappy and stressed Im sure she does not want that for her grandson and she had no opitin but to let him go and wish him well but she can't be happy with it...

I would imagine she is disappointed as Harry and Meghan's attitude is at odds with the concepts of duty and loyalty to the Crown with which she has grown up. However, right now, I don't think there is a "gap" given the very high number of working royals. Furthermore, any possible future gap will proably be filled in 30 years or so by George, Charlotte and Louis with respective spouses and with Beatrice and Eugenie still in their 60s and available as a backup. It is just a matter of concentrating on essential patronages and "umbrella initiatives" and foundations more so than what happens today.


In the worst case scenario, even James and Louise could be drafted, but, in that case, it would be appropriate to recognize their status as HRHs when prince Edward becomes Duke of Edinburgh for example. Of course, that is unlikely to happen, but I am just saying it could be done in a situation of extreme need.

[muriel]

Originally Posted by Iluvbertie

The Queen would never say anything else - publicly. She will always leave the door open but ... what she may think privately we do not know. She may think this but equally she may be appalled that her grandson has worked away from assisting his family do their work.

Well said!

[Denville]

Originally Posted by Mbruno

I would imagine she is disappointed as Harry and Meghan's attitude is at odds with the concepts of duty and loyalty to the Crown with which she has grown up. However, right now, I don't think there is a "gap" given the very high number of working royals. Furthermore, any possible future gap will proably be filled in 30 years or so by George, Charlotte and Louis with respective spouses and with Beatrice and Eugenie still in their 60s and available as a backup. It is just a matter of concentrating on essential patronages and "umbrella initiatives" and foundations more so than what happens today.


I.

I think that there is a gap. They have lost 3 people in the past few months. Andrew was a busy person, and Meg and H were meant to be busy as well.. Many of the working royals ARE getting older and may have health issues or want/have to give up. M and H were meant to shoulder a lot of the burden as time goes on... and they have walked out. I'm sure the queen feels that, and cant really understand why they would undertake these duties, this role and then leave it. She may be sympathetic and feel that they can't help it and she wants to support them.. OR she may feel annoyed and distressed and feel that they chose "wanting to make money" over royal duty...or she may feel a bit of both.

[Hallo girl]

Originally Posted by Curryong

Who said the relationship soured? The journalists that produced this book. And the Royals at War and Lady Colin Campbell's book have clearly gone the route of attacking the Sussexes especially Meghan at every opportunity as well as putting their own spin on it. Most of what these books have contained have been copied from tabloid articles of the last two years. They contain inaccuracies which have been pointed out here on this forum.

The Queen stated clearly in January that she would have preferred Harry and Meghan to have remained as senior royals rather than go. She reiterated that Harry, Meghan and Archie remained much loved members of her family. Those aren't the words IMO of a woman who dislikes her grandson's wife or didn't want her around.

Do you really think the queen was going to issue a statement that she was really annoyed with them and and wanted them out of her hair.
I do believe she did want them to remain, and I also believe she would have given them time as a family to settle with very little in the way of public duties. As she did with K & W.
She puts duty first and will not stand by and watch the crown damaged.

[Denville]

Originally Posted by Hallo girl

Do you really think the queen was going to issue a statement that she was really annoyed with them and and wanted them out of her hair.
I do believe she did want them to remain, and I also believe she would have given them time as a family to settle with very little in the way of public duties. As she did with K & W.
She puts duty first and will not stand by and watch the crown damaged.

True. She was not going to badmouth them, but it is possible that she was very taken aback by their decision and cannot understand it. And within a short time in January, it was made clear to them that they had to be fully in or out and they were firmly told that they could not use HRH etc... She did not hesitated to say that if they left, they had to obey certain stipulations and that if they stayed it had to be full time. If they had approached her 2 years ago, and said they weren't sure about royal duties, I think she might have been ok with them working their way into their duties.. But Meghan was "eager to hit the ground running".. and the queen may have reasoned that she was confident and experienced at public speaking and so on and would not need a longer adjustment...

[Pranter]

She probably wouldn't of needed much of an adjustment for the work part of things. However I'm sure moving into the Firm network was a big adjustment. Being American, in this day and age, the idea of hierarchy within a family business so to speak would be quite an adjustment. Toss in a lot of media pressure and then pregnancy ...it's a lot to cope with.

I said awhile back if she could of not even worked the first year things might of gone better later although she would of been branded as lazy and worse.

LaRae

[Alison H]

I would be extremely hurt if a member of my family was quoted all over the world's press as saying that they felt that my family had let them down and not supported them. And I'm two generations younger than the Queen and Prince Philip - people of their age were brought up to believe that you do not, under any circumstances, wash your dirty linen in public.


Add to that the fact that this is a very difficult and stressful time for everyone at the moment. It's unlikely that the Queen will be able to leave Windsor Castle any time soon, and she hasn't seen her family and friends since March. I'm sure she's very upset.

[Pranter]

Did the court documents say the family or the Institution? There is a difference.

References to issues with the ppl who run The Firm (Sarah called them the grey men) have gone back decades with multiple Royals/spouses of Royals.


LaRae

[Durham]

Originally Posted by Pranter

She probably wouldn't of needed much of an adjustment for the work part of things. However I'm sure moving into the Firm network was a big adjustment. Being American, in this day and age, the idea of hierarchy within a family business so to speak would be quite an adjustment. Toss in a lot of media pressure and then pregnancy ...it's a lot to cope with.

I said awhile back if she could of not even worked the first year things might of gone better later although she would of been branded as lazy and worse.

LaRae

One thing the duchess can't be criticised for is her work ethic & enthusiasm but yes what you say makes sense. A pause might have been beneficial.

It's all very sad really. Such a waste of so much promise.

[Pranter]

I agree there...they could of been fantastic P.R. etc for the BRF for decades to come.


LaRae

[Eskimo]

Originally Posted by Pranter

She probably wouldn't of needed much of an adjustment for the work part of things. However I'm sure moving into the Firm network was a big adjustment. Being American, in this day and age, the idea of hierarchy within a family business so to speak would be quite an adjustment. Toss in a lot of media pressure and then pregnancy ...it's a lot to cope with.

I said awhile back if she could of not even worked the first year things might of gone better later although she would of been branded as lazy and worse.

LaRae

Kate was branded as lazy for the first few years of her marriage and seems to be A-Ok now. Kate had set the example and there was no need for Meghan to "hit the ground running"-- that was her own choosing.

[Curryong]

Harry was a full time working Royal at the time of his marriage. William was not and therefore Kate had leeway for several years.

Meghan came into the BRF as a woman who was used to long hours at regular work in a TV series. She obviously did not want to stay at home twiddling her thumbs but instead wanted to get into a life of Royal work from the beginning.

I feel that it was the incessant attacks on her by the tabloid press from Oct 2019 throughout her pregnancy and after her first baby that was the main spur to the couple leaving the fold.

[Hallo girl]

You said it Curryong, royal work, different to what she had done before. Nobody has ever denied her work ethic.
She didnt need to stay at home twiddling her thumbs, but maybe a wee bit time to see how the 'firm' worked would not have done any harm.
The RF would have given her the same leeway to find her feet.
Remember the tortoise and the hare.

[Alison H]

I know it's not the same as being a Royal, but I'm sure a lot of us have started a new job full of enthusiasm and determined to make a great impression, and then found out that it wasn't what we were expecting. So I do sympathise with that. But I don't understand why they had to cut and run, rather than trying to work things out. But it's done now.

[Pranter]

Originally Posted by Eskimo

Kate was branded as lazy for the first few years of her marriage and seems to be A-Ok now. Kate had set the example and there was no need for Meghan to "hit the ground running"-- that was her own choosing.

Cannot compare the two situations. Kate came in, with not much of a work record, after years of dating William and social media had not exploded as it has now. Plus as already mentioned William was barely a working Royal. He was military the first few years and then private job.


LaRae