The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Family 12: Jan 2026 -


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Ghost said:
He can’t help playing royal. Sorry to be snappy.
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Indeed, he still considers himself important because of his status as the king's son. But that will no longer be enough.
For 35 years, Prince Harry lived in a world of privilege and occupied an exceptional social position.

He never had to worry about his bills, his staff's salaries, or his security. Even the renovations to Frogmore Cottage were financed with public funds (although the Sussexes had to reimburse the entire two million euros spent).

Today, six years later, he has to provide for his family, pay for everyone's security, and has lost many of those privileges, as well as his influence with the British public. This will always be the case, because even if he believes himself to be important, he no longer is. This realization will be difficult for him, if he hasn't already.

Furthermore, a new generation of direct heirs to the throne is emerging. The royal family's walk at Sandringham last Christmas gave us a glimpse of what's to come. Prince George and Princess Charlotte took selfies with the public and seemed increasingly at ease and smiling with everyone.
In contrast, Harry is getting older, becoming bitter and resentful. It doesn't reflect well on him.
He will have to make way for the younger generation.
 
pieve said:
Indeed, he still considers himself important because of his status as the king's son. But that will no longer be enough.
For 35 years, Prince Harry lived in a world of privilege and occupied an exceptional social position.

He never had to worry about his bills, his staff's salaries, or his security. Even the renovations to Frogmore Cottage were financed with public funds (although the Sussexes had to reimburse the entire two million euros spent).

Today, six years later, he has to provide for his family, pay for everyone's security, and has lost many of those privileges, as well as his influence with the British public. This will always be the case, because even if he believes himself to be important, he no longer is. This realization will be difficult for him, if he hasn't already.

Furthermore, a new generation of direct heirs to the throne is emerging. The royal family's walk at Sandringham last Christmas gave us a glimpse of what's to come. Prince George and Princess Charlotte took selfies with the public and seemed increasingly at ease and smiling with everyone.
In contrast, Harry is getting older, becoming bitter and resentful. It doesn't reflect well on him.
He will have to make way for the younger generation.
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This in one sense really is a tragedy in royal terms. It has elements of what happened to Princess Margaret and AM-W. Both were the children of monarchs and at the start hugely popular. They had everything - including position and wealth. They then made extraordinarily bad life choices and ended up 'royal pariahs'. Harry seems to have made equally bad life choices and I fear the eventual outcome ...

A bit of a non sequitur, but reading the accounts of Harry's legal action shows how far he is living in the past - Harry's allegations relate to his previous life and girlfriends - - Chelsea Davy etc -. For 10 years he has been with Megan, blissfully happily apparently. People cannot win at everything every time and I just don't see why Harry cannot just move on...... It seems that Harry's ex-girlfriends whose phones were allegedly hacked - the victims in other words - are not parties to the legal action have all moved on .....
 
Diarist said:
This in one sense really is a tragedy in royal terms. It has elements of what happened to Princess Margaret and AM-W. Both were the children of monarchs and at the start hugely popular. They had everything - including position and wealth. They then made extraordinarily bad life choices and ended up 'royal pariahs'. Harry seems to have made equally bad life choices and I fear the eventual outcome ...

A bit of a non sequitur, but reading the accounts of Harry's legal action shows how far he is living in the past - Harry's allegations relate to his previous life and girlfriends - - Chelsea Davy etc -. For 10 years he has been with Megan, blissfully happily apparently. People cannot win at everything every time and I just don't see why Harry cannot just move on...... It seems that Harry's ex-girlfriends whose phones were allegedly hacked - the victims in other words - are not parties to the legal action have all moved on .....
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Sadly I agree that this is a tragedy and unfortunately I believe Harry's choosing to follow the same path that the late Princess Margaret and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor took of making very poor choices that will have a long lasting impact upon his life.
Other royal families have similar tales ie: Spain-Infanta Sofia
It really is a shame because the Princess Royal and Duke of Edinburgh have shown that there is a different path that can be taken. Each seems very content with the choices that they've made for themselves and their families.
 
pieve said:
Even the renovations to Frogmore Cottage were financed with public funds (although the Sussexes had to reimburse the entire two million euros spent).

Today, six years later, he has to provide for his family, pay for everyone's security, and has lost many of those privileges,
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Hmm, for me is Frogmore Cottage something, that shows, he lost some of his privileges before he went into exile. Frogmore Cottage is ugly! It was a downgrading! It is not all his fault.
 
victor1319 said:
Hmm, for me is Frogmore Cottage something, that shows, he lost some of his privileges before he went into exile. Frogmore Cottage is ugly! It was a downgrading! It is not all his fault.
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However, let's remember that the Sussexes chose to not live at one of the available Kensington Palace apartments ie: KP's Apartment 1. Also let's remember that the late QEII turned down their request to live in Windsor Castle. Frogmore Cottage was at the time one of the available Windsor Castle Estate properties that could be remodled and brought up to date. The final appearance for Frogmore Cottage was selected, remodeled, designed and decorated with the couple's approval. Ultimately they were the ones who decided that they wanted to live there.
 
Diarist said:
Interesting video showing that Harry is being accorded the privilege of using a back [private] entrance and that his car is allowed to drop him right by the private entrance. Nobody else is entitled to this. Harry just cannot see how privileged he is - no wonder he has developed the way he has ....
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good point. I think it summarises why their popularity weaned: they are so out of touch and oblivious to the privileges they have, as most of the UK struggles with high the cost of living crisis, a poorly funded NHS, Regional inequalities, etc.
 
Harry's legal action has finished for the day. Harry's counsel will be continuing to outline the Claimants' case tomorrow. Harry is expected to give evidence on Thursday and then fly back to the US on Friday.

As I understand it, Harry's case is that the matters he complained about could only have come from his phone being hacked. It seems that Associated Newspapers are claiming that the information came to them not via phone hacking but by Harry's 'leaky' [the exact word used in court ] social circle. I am trying to give the facts rather than my own opinion but I have to say that I can't help thinking that there is some truth in the 'leaky social circle'. Leaking royal activities to the press has been going on since the 1950's, worsening as the 'age of deference' was replaced by the age of democracy.

Look how the better biographies about Princess Margaret record how her (so-called) friends used to encourage her to behave badly and then afterwards rushed to the press to tell [I actually mean 'sell' in most cases] their stories of her bad behaviour. Look how Meghan Markle's own circle rushed to give Meghan's point of view to People Magazine. I am sorry, but as I said above, I don't like phone hacking one little bit, but IMVHO I think that Harry's concept of privacy is somewhat elastic .....

I feel this is not going to end well for anyone apart from the lawyers in which case Meghan [who wisely remains in California and is not in London supporting Harry] had better produce a lot of Spread-and-Sprinkles.

By the way, which member(s) of Harry's circle has been leaking to the Press that Harry has now won the security he wanted? As far as I am aware, no decision has been published.....
 
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Diarist said:
Harry's legal action has finished for the day. Harry's counsel will be continuing to outline the Claimants' case tomorrow. Harry is expected to give evidence on Thursday and then fly back to the US on Friday.

As I understand it, Harry's case is that the matters he complained about could only come from his phone being hacked. It seems that Associated Newspapers are claiming that the information came to them not via phone hacking but by Harry's 'leaky' [the exact word used in court ] social circle. I am trying to give the facts rather than my own opinion but I have to say that I can't help thinking that there is some truth in the 'leaky social circle'. Leaking royal activities to the press has been going on since the 1950's, worsening as the 'age of deference' was replaced by the age of democracy.

Look how the better biographies about Princess Margaret record how her (so-called' friends used to encourage her to behave badly and then afterwards rushed to the press to tell [I actually mean 'sell' in most cases] their stories of her bad behaviour. Look how Meghan Markle's own circle rushed to give Meghan's point of view to People Magazine. I am sorry, but as I said above, I don't like phone hacking one little bit, but IMVHO I think that Harry's concept of privacy is somewhat elastic .....

I feel this is not going to end well for anyone apart from the lawyers in which case Meghan [who wisely remains in California and is not in London supporting Harry] had better produce a lot of Spread-and-Sprinkles.

By the way, which member(s) of Harry's circle has been leaking to the Press that Harry has now won the security he wanted? As far as I am aware, no decision has been published.....









wh
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I have to agree. The only real winners are the lawyers who are happily billing their clients.
 
Well its obvious Harry's circle leaks - they still do. So is it okay when its something Harry and Meghan want to be leaked but not okay when its something they don't?

The judge has repeatedly warned both sides that the costs are far too high for this litigations and it would be better to settle and neither side will really be able to afford loosing and picking up their own and the other sides bill.
 
victor1319 said:
Hmm, for me is Frogmore Cottage something, that shows, he lost some of his privileges before he went into exile. Frogmore Cottage is ugly! It was a downgrading! It is not all his fault.
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Actually, I know Frogmore Cottage very well and I would disagree that it is 'ugly' - it is 'historic' rather than 'ugly' although I do accept that 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder'.

Part of the problem is that Frogmore Cottage was initially photographed 'end on'. If you see the 'front facing elevation' it looks grander.

Frogmore cottage was remodelled for Meghan and Harry into a 5 bedroom 4 bathroom property with a nursery. It has a fair-sized garden. It may not have been as grand as Meghan had hoped but IMVHO it was more than adequate - look where William and Kate were living with their 3 children - Adelaide Cottage. That was not particularly grand, and it had one fewer bedroom but was felt to be adequate by William and Kate - and I never heard of them complaining. It makes me wonder why Meghan married - for love or for material advantages?

To me, this all shows how Harry has no experience of what 'ordinary' people have to put up with. Times are not easy financially for most people at the moment - even 'Sloane Rangers' the traditional young 'upper class gels and boys' [which would include Old Etonians], are often having to live in what are now classed as 'pokey' small flats and cottages...
 
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Diarist said:
Actually, I know Frogmore Cottage very well and I would disagree that it is 'ugly' - it is 'historic' rather than 'ugly' although I do accept that 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder'.

Part of the problem is that Frogmore Cottage was initially photographed 'end on'. If you see the 'front facing elevation' it looks grander.

Frogmore cottage was remodelled for Meghan and Harry into a 5 bedroom 4 bathroom property with a nursery. It has a fair-sized garden. It may not have been as grand as Meghan had hoped but IMVHO it was more than adequate - look where William and Kate were living with their 3 children - Adelaide Cottage. That was not particularly grand, and it had one fewer bedroom but was felt to be adequate by William and Kate - and I never heard of them complaining. It makes me wonder why Meghan married - for love or for material advantages?

To me, this all shows how Harry has no experience of what 'ordinary' people have to put up with. Times are not easy financially for most people at the moment - even 'Sloane Rangers' the traditional young 'upper class gels and boys' [which would include Old Etonians], are often having to live in what are now classed as 'pokey' small flats and cottages...
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Diarist-Thank you for sharing your impressions of Frogmore Cottage. Unfortunately there's few photos of it available online and many seem to be from before the renovations took place. I had also forgotten that FC was larger than Adelaide Cottage, so thank you for that information.
 
yukari said:
www.bbc.com

Harry made 'paranoid' by Daily Mail publisher's unlawful actions, court hears

The prince is one of seven high-profile claimants that allege the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday committed "grave breaches of privacy".
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com

I don't understand why he keeps bringing up Chelsey in to his trials It's like, does he still can't move on from her or what?
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I do love the points made by Harry set out in the BBC article above. Talk about the 'pot calling the kettle black' as Harry whinges on about the feeling of being monitored by the Mail 'to make money out of it' and that the 'intrusion' was 'terrifying for his loved ones'.

Harry, I suggest you re-read your book 'Spare' and think about the 'intrusion' into the lives of your loved ones and the money you made out of it....

I have to say that one consequence of Harry's latest legal action is that it shows that not only is he hypocritical but that he is clearly not the brightest spark .....

I am not triumphant about this, I am just exceedingly saddened since I was once a huge Harry fan ....
 
TLLK said:
Diarist-Thank you for sharing your impressions of Frogmore Cottage. Unfortunately there's few photos of it available online and many seem to be from before the renovations took place. I had also forgotten that FC was larger than Adelaide Cottage, so thank you for that information.
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And thank you, TLLK. I see Frogmore Cottage quite often when I am 'out and about' - I live near Windsor.

I think in retrospect that calling it 'Cottage' is not helpful - if it had a more upscale type of name, I think that it would have soothed the Waleses more. It couldn't be 'Frogmore House' because there already is one - perhaps 'Lodge' would have been better? Princess Alexandra lives at 'Thatched House Lodge' for example ...
 
Was Frogmore Cottage intended to be Harry and Meghan's 'forever home'? William and Kate have now gone through several homes of varying sizes, so I wonder if there was a plan to upgrade the Sussexes to something bigger and better once Charles was King?
 
GondorHasNoPants said:
Was Frogmore Cottage intended to be Harry and Meghan's 'forever home'? William and Kate have now gone through several homes of varying sizes, so I wonder if there was a plan to upgrade the Sussexes to something bigger and better once Charles was King?
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Honestly, I wish that the term "forever home" would not be used by the media. The senior royals (KCIII, QC, and his sons etc..) truly have not had a single "forever home." There may be homes that they've lived in for extended periods of time. However, when I consider that KCIII has had throughout his adulthood the following official residences: BP, KP, SJP, CH, and WC. Also let's not forget that BP is a possibility once the renovation work is done, that there's no point in labeling one residence as a "forever home."
The Wales will very likely move into a different residence once William's reign begins.

It's very likely that we'll see all of the senior royals moving out of their current homes at some point in the future, much like the Gloucesters have done in order to downsize.

As for the Sussexes, had they remained in the UK then I believe that they may have chosen to move elsewhere when their children started school.
 
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victor1319 said:
Hmm, for me is Frogmore Cottage something, that shows, he lost some of his privileges before he went into exile. Frogmore Cottage is ugly! It was a downgrading! It is not all his fault.
Click to expand...
With great respect for your opinion, Harry did mention in his book "Spare" that they were offered a Crown property that they felt was "too grand". "Spare" might not be considered a Big Book of True Royal Facts by many, but I do remember that they might have been slated to move into the KP residence previously occupied by the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester.

Then there were reports that they wanted to live in Windsor Castle and have their whole staff apparatus based there as well, all being financed by the PoW or HLM as a separate court.
 
yukari said:
www.bbc.com

Harry made 'paranoid' by Daily Mail publisher's unlawful actions, court hears

The prince is one of seven high-profile claimants that allege the publisher of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday committed "grave breaches of privacy".
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com

I don't understand why he keeps bringing up Chelsey in to his trials It's like, does he still can't move on from her or what?
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When it comes to phone hacking by the tabloids Chelsy Davy was Harry’s girlfriend at that time. The tabloids were trying to get information about Harry and Chelsy and that has been the point of many of his complaints about the tabloids in the early 2000s.

It is the same with Elton John, David Furnish, Elizabeth Hurley and all the other complainants. Their cases don’t rest on what is happening now but what was then happening to their privacy. And no, Harry is not ‘fixated on Chelsy’. They remain cordial but he never mentions her outside these court cases, and hasn’t for years.
 
A number of posts have been deleted as they were off topic for the thread.
 
This really worries me. bearing in mind the Judge's previous comments, (set out above) I can only repeat what I said earlier - I fear this will not end well for Harry.... Associated News [the Mail] are going to call Paul Dacre, their respected editor, when it comes to giving evidence.

I abhor the concept of phone hacking, but seeing all these celebrities (apart from Doreen Lawrence) lining up makes me fearful for Harry. Elton John, Liz Hurley et al spend their lives trying to get publicity - they are not private persons. Let's be honest, many celebrities try to 'control' the Press when they have been 'caught out' doing something they should not have been doing - e.g. Elton John. Hugh Grant is another one - he was grateful for press publicity when he was launching his career and less keen when he was caught doing what he ought not to have been doing with the comically named 'Divine Brown'.

Many forum members dislike the Daily Mail intensely - it is not my favourite paper, (I am a Times and Telegraph reader) although I do see it most days because Nanny [who took care of me and then my children and then other members of my wider family] came back when she retired to live in my 'granny flat' [nanny flat!] is a Daily Mail reader. The condensed version that appears on the mail website is different from the 'better quality' print edition. The Mail has some good and highly respected writers - e.g. the historian and author [Oxbridge educated] Robert Hardman. Other people who write for it include Queen Camilla and even Earl Spencer (yes, really!). Also the Daily Mail was (along with the Daily Telegraph and the Racing Post) one of the three papers she read each day. What the Daily Mail definitely is is right wing and that does not sit well with the so-called wokerati' and so the paper is disliked intensely.

Harry should have heeded Mark Twain's advice: 'don't pick a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel'
 
Ghost said:
An account of today’s hearing in court from The Telegraph:

archive.ph

Prince Harry and phone-hacking claimants ‘clutching at straws’, court…

archived 20 Jan 2026 18:46:46 UTC
archive.ph archive.ph
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The barrister said there was “compelling” evidence that the relevant stories were “legitimately sourced” and that journalists were lining up to address the allegations made against them.
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In that case, this evidence and these journalists would very likely be presented in court and give testimony, which could expose matters that Harry (and the other claimants) would rather keep out of the public eye.
 
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