The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Family, News and Events 10: August 2024 -


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Imo you guys are a bit picky about the 'holidays' vs 'christmas'...there are more types of holidays being celebrated then just christmas (and as a not-christmas-loving-person i appreciate that they don't do a stereo typical tree-holly-and-tinsel card).

They are going for the 'celeb' lifestyle now, not the 'royal' one, maybe we should just get over it and move on (and hope they move on too without ever being dramatic about fheir families or media-obsession again)

happy holidays 🌺
 
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What are your views on the holiday card issued by the Sussex family. To be honest I wasn't sure if it was a business card or a family card. I love that Harry has removed his beard, well it looks like he has. I do not like beards, I think they are ageing.
 
Just on the oddities of the family photo, I suspect it was taken at a distance by a phone camera, which explains the blur, the odd lighting on Harry's face and the pixelation. Also, the slight differences in the heights of the children is almost certainly caused by forced perspective. Their son looks slightly smaller because he's closer to his parents (Meghan is almost touching him), while their daughter looks taller because she's a little further away from them and a little more closer to whoever is taking the photo. Its not a photo I would use on a Christmas card due to the low image quality, but it is a cute scene which is probably why they decided to use it.

ETA: Photographer here!:wave:
 
I saw in Dailymail the article claiming that the photocard was a business one whereas for family, close friends and H+M intimate circle there will be another...
[.....]
 
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I saw in Dailymail the article claiming that the photocard was a business one whereas for family, close friends and H+M intimate circle there will be another...
[.....]
Apparently the Sussexes have done this for some time. I read the same sort of thing about their cards two or so years ago. And really, it makes sense. Businesses often send out special cards to associates and clients while more private cards from the CEOs and other principals are sent to family and friends.
 
The family photo is photoshopped. Look length of MM's arm and feet. There are alot of other things that aren't. [.....]
 
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I'm sorry but I disagree that the Sussex photo has been photoshopped, it's just a poor quality image. Meghan is leaning forward, her arm is extended and her hand is blocked by Archie's head. Her feet appear to be facing forward however she most likely has twisted to her left at the waist in order to greet her son. There does not appear to be any disturbance to the background (apart from terrible pixellation). Again, the perspective in the photo makes everything appear totally skewed. [.....] Personally I think a little tweaking is fine if it cleans up an image, although I think this one would have been very hard to work with due to the quality.
 
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I think it was mostly expected to be a flop. Ever since it was announced, people thought it seemed to niche and unrelatable to most audiences. And I don't think a show has to be relatable to be popular. I'm sure most people don't relate to the wealth and drama of the Real Housewives franchise here in the States, but those shows are nonetheless very popular. But if a subject matter is unrelatable to most viewers, I think it has to compensate for that by being fun or interesting. Based on the reviews I've read, Polo was neither.
 
Apparently the Netflix bosses wanted a lot more of Harry in every episode and they were disappointed they didn’t get it. He appeared very very briefly in the first episode. I don’t know why five episodes were made. If it had been an hour and a half show, short and snappy, instead of a series, it would probably have been better.

Nor did the Sussexes promote it. Apparently their Netflix contracts specify they don’t have to promote any shows they make.

And this show wasn’t actually made by them anyway. They were executive producers which means, I guess, that they just signed off on it. I don’t think either had much interest in the show, quite frankly, although a couple of their friends appeared in the series. It is what it is, and the Sussexes get money per content produced, so they’ll be paid well anyway.
 
The whole family picture is an oddity. Harry looks like he has no beard, size wise Lili looks like she is several years older than her brother while Archie looks smaller than expected for a child of his age, and even the dogs don't look at all engaged in what is happening around them. To cap it off, it's the worst quality photo in the bunch, so photoshopped that it's sharpness and clarity are blurred.
 
And this show wasn’t actually made by them anyway. They were executive producers which means, I guess, that they just signed off on it. I don’t think either had much interest in the show, quite frankly, although a couple of their friends appeared in the series.
Not according to the director, who insists "they were extremely hands-on" and gave him all sorts of suggestions.

But if it is true that they had little input and little interest in promoting it, that's all the more reason for both parties to simply run out the clock on their contract until it expires in 2025.
 
Not according to the director, who insists "they were extremely hands-on" and gave him all sorts of suggestions.

But if it is true that they had little input and little interest in promoting it, that's all the more reason for both parties to simply run out the clock on their contract until it expires in 2025.

I don't trust anything said in People magazine about the Sussex because in the past the magazine has only served to cover them a favorite fluff article filler in their issues. People magazine is as credible as Oprah.

Apparently, the Netflix bosses wanted a lot more of Harry in every episode and they were disappointed they didn’t get it. He appeared very very briefly in the first episode. I don’t know why five episodes were made. If it had been an hour and a half show, short and snappy, instead of a series, it would probably have been better.

Nor did the Sussexes promote it. Apparently, their Netflix contracts specify they don’t have to promote any shows they make.

And this show wasn’t actually made by them anyway. They were executive producers which means, I guess, that they just signed off on it. I don’t think either had much interest in the show, quite frankly, although a couple of their friends appeared in the series. It is what it is, and the Sussexes get money per content produced, so they’ll be paid well anyway.

I believe that. Netflix got them as executive producers to market the show under them and attract viewers to watch everything hoping for the couple to show up every other moment. It's a basic lie to get ratings and in the end, it just gets viewers mad in disappointment. But as 'exec producers' if the show gets nominations or awards it will be Harry and Meghan marketed front and center on the red carpet, the table and to pick up an award they had little to do for, except phoning in their participation.

Problem is in the USA the couple's aura has faded away and no one cares much to see them anymore. Basically, the novelty wore off on this side of the Atlantic. And Meghan specifically is associated, for better or worse, with people that are no longer viewed as role models but as opportunistic and/or just mean like Ellen Degeneres and Oprah. The ones who gave them a platform are disliked for their participation and manipulation in the world of USA politics and unfortunately this rubs off on Meghan.

When the Hollywood Elite and elitists that once helped her get into shows and events is viewed by the majority of the USA as toxic, Meghan has been left behind with no platform left except People magazine.
 

EXCLUSIVE 'Suspicious' Prince Harry accuses NYPD of cover-up in unseen emails demanding arrests
By DANIEL BATES FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
Published: 09:24 EST, 20 December 2024
[...]
Emails obtained by DailyMail.com through a Freedom of Information request show that Harry's team repeatedly pressed the NYPD about the incident.

The first letter from the NYPD was dated September 18, 2023, and was addressed to Richard Smith, the Chief Superintendent Commander for Royalty and Specialty Protection at the Metropolitan Police in London.

The letter says that a thorough review of the incident had taken place and they concluded 'that the behavior in question was reckless', but they didn't have enough evidence to make an arrest.

In a statement at the time, the NYPD said there were 'numerous photographers that made their (the Sussexes) transport challenging'.
[...]
Then, on December 6, Hart sent the second letter to police in London, copying it to TouchStone under the subject line 'as discussed'.

The letter was the same as the first, with one key difference - there was now 'sufficient evidence to arrest two individuals for reckless endangerment'.

The second letter appeared to provide a sense of vindication for the Sussexes and arrived at a crucial time for the Duke.

December 6 was the second day of a three-day hearing at the High Court in London where he was trying to compel the British government to give him full royal security protection while on visits to the UK.
[...]
The judge wrote that he considered the letter as part of an 'important point' about the potential danger posed to Harry and his family by paparazzi. But ultimately the judge rejected Harry's demands and ruled the British government did not have to give him the same level of security he enjoyed when he was a working royal.
 
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EXCLUSIVE 'Suspicious' Prince Harry accuses NYPD of cover-up in unseen emails demanding arrests
By DANIEL BATES FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
Published: 09:24 EST, 20 December 2024
[...]
Emails obtained by DailyMail.com through a Freedom of Information request show that Harry's team repeatedly pressed the NYPD about the incident.

The first letter from the NYPD was dated September 18, 2023, and was addressed to Richard Smith, the Chief Superintendent Commander for Royalty and Specialty Protection at the Metropolitan Police in London.

The letter says that a thorough review of the incident had taken place and they concluded 'that the behavior in question was reckless', but they didn't have enough evidence to make an arrest.

In a statement at the time, the NYPD said there were 'numerous photographers that made their (the Sussexes) transport challenging'.
[...]
Then, on December 6, Hart sent the second letter to police in London, copying it to TouchStone under the subject line 'as discussed'.

The letter was the same as the first, with one key difference - there was now 'sufficient evidence to arrest two individuals for reckless endangerment'.

The second letter appeared to provide a sense of vindication for the Sussexes and arrived at a crucial time for the Duke.

December 6 was the second day of a three-day hearing at the High Court in London where he was trying to compel the British government to give him full royal security protection while on visits to the UK.
[...]
The judge wrote that he considered the letter as part of an 'important point' about the potential danger posed to Harry and his family by paparazzi. But ultimately the judge rejected Harry's demands and ruled the British government did not have to give him the same level of security he enjoyed when he was a working royal.


That explains the “incident” in New York: he needed something like that for his demand of RPO in UK and possibly to have the IPP status (back).
 

EXCLUSIVE 'Suspicious' Prince Harry accuses NYPD of cover-up in unseen emails demanding arrests
By DANIEL BATES FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
Published: 09:24 EST, 20 December 2024
[...]
Emails obtained by DailyMail.com through a Freedom of Information request show that Harry's team repeatedly pressed the NYPD about the incident.

The first letter from the NYPD was dated September 18, 2023, and was addressed to Richard Smith, the Chief Superintendent Commander for Royalty and Specialty Protection at the Metropolitan Police in London.

The letter says that a thorough review of the incident had taken place and they concluded 'that the behavior in question was reckless', but they didn't have enough evidence to make an arrest.

In a statement at the time, the NYPD said there were 'numerous photographers that made their (the Sussexes) transport challenging'.
[...]
Then, on December 6, Hart sent the second letter to police in London, copying it to TouchStone under the subject line 'as discussed'.

The letter was the same as the first, with one key difference - there was now 'sufficient evidence to arrest two individuals for reckless endangerment'.

The second letter appeared to provide a sense of vindication for the Sussexes and arrived at a crucial time for the Duke.

December 6 was the second day of a three-day hearing at the High Court in London where he was trying to compel the British government to give him full royal security protection while on visits to the UK.
[...]
The judge wrote that he considered the letter as part of an 'important point' about the potential danger posed to Harry and his family by paparazzi. But ultimately the judge rejected Harry's demands and ruled the British government did not have to give him the same level of security he enjoyed when he was a working royal.
Why did the NYPD think they had to send explanation letters to the Royal and Specialty Protection branch at the London Metropolitan Police when Harry is no longer protected by the latter? Did Harry misrepresent his status to the NYPD leading them to believe he is an internationally protected person or similar?
 
Why did the NYPD think they had to send explanation letters to the Royal and Specialty Protection branch at the London Metropolitan Police when Harry is no longer protected by the latter? Did Harry misrepresent his status to the NYPD leading them to believe he is an internationally protected person or similar?
More like just making a point to them. I feel really sorry for him. He's a person who is miles from all he knew. Alot of his friends dropped him. He doesn't get on with his family. And he is convinced people have something against him. All his own choice. All that therapy was a waste.
 
The whole family picture is an oddity. Harry looks like he has no beard, size wise Lili looks like she is several years older than her brother while Archie looks smaller than expected for a child of his age, and even the dogs don't look at all engaged in what is happening around them. To cap it off, it's the worst quality photo in the bunch, so photoshopped that it's sharpness and clarity are blurred.
Quite right, its all very odd. I have no doubt a better family photo could have been found.
 
Why did the NYPD think they had to send explanation letters to the Royal and Specialty Protection branch at the London Metropolitan Police when Harry is no longer protected by the latter? Did Harry misrepresent his status to the NYPD leading them to believe he is an internationally protected person or similar?
I wonder if he did try to misrepresent his status to the NYPD? IMHO they've been wanting that status from the moment they departed the UK in 2020.
 
It is not a good look if as suggested he pressured the police department.was there ever any footage of the car chase. with all the modern technology, between smart phones and cctv there would have been a chance that something would be recorded some where.
 

EXCLUSIVE 'Suspicious' Prince Harry accuses NYPD of cover-up in unseen emails demanding arrests
By DANIEL BATES FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
Published: 09:24 EST, 20 December 2024
[...]
Emails obtained by DailyMail.com through a Freedom of Information request show that Harry's team repeatedly pressed the NYPD about the incident.

The first letter from the NYPD was dated September 18, 2023, and was addressed to Richard Smith, the Chief Superintendent Commander for Royalty and Specialty Protection at the Metropolitan Police in London.

The letter says that a thorough review of the incident had taken place and they concluded 'that the behavior in question was reckless', but they didn't have enough evidence to make an arrest.

In a statement at the time, the NYPD said there were 'numerous photographers that made their (the Sussexes) transport challenging'.
[...]
Then, on December 6, Hart sent the second letter to police in London, copying it to TouchStone under the subject line 'as discussed'.

The letter was the same as the first, with one key difference - there was now 'sufficient evidence to arrest two individuals for reckless endangerment'.

The second letter appeared to provide a sense of vindication for the Sussexes and arrived at a crucial time for the Duke.

December 6 was the second day of a three-day hearing at the High Court in London where he was trying to compel the British government to give him full royal security protection while on visits to the UK.
[...]
The judge wrote that he considered the letter as part of an 'important point' about the potential danger posed to Harry and his family by paparazzi. But ultimately the judge rejected Harry's demands and ruled the British government did not have to give him the same level of security he enjoyed when he was a working royal.

This is going to backfire on them so bad! You don't mess with the NYC police that is making the best they can to help you move from point A to point B while they are also in charge of a physically tiny 300.46 square miles (778.2 km2) city with over 8,258,035 (Eight Million +) people. The NYC Mayor and the NYC police dept are not going to be quiet about this.

And to make it worst, the NYC mayor is currently embroiled in his own drama and seeking the president elect to help him out of it. As in the president elect that is no fan of Harry and Meghan.
These accusations from Harry, who seems to be in a perennial state of persecution, are bound to escalate and not in a good way for him.
👮‍♀️🚨
Here are how the news is picking it up during the past few hrs.:

Prince Harry Suspects NYPD covered up MM paparazzi car incident
From the beginning, the NYPD downplayed the Sussexes’ claims of being relentlessly pursued by aggressive paparazzi for over two hours, during which multiple near collisions allegedly occurred.​
The department clarified at the time that there were no reported collisions, injuries, or arrests.

🚓👮‍♀️
Prince Harry pressured NYPD to make arrests over ‘high-speed car chase’
Prince Harry demanded that New York police arrest the paparazzi he accused of chasing his car through Manhattan, new documents appear to reveal.​
The Duke of Sussex accused the New York Police Department of a “cover-up” and threatened to file an official complaint...
If you've been to NYC and walked the streets you will realize quickly why people walk from place to place or call a cab, take the subway or a horse carriage, etc. There is no space left, you can't drive a car without taking your feet off the brake because nothing in front of you moves fast. Maybe in the 1910's when Al Capone lived in NY you could do a car chase on a Model T. Today there's no space above ground to have a car do a chase.
 
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If you've been to NYC and walked the streets you will realize quickly why people walk from place to place or call a cab, take the subway or a horse carriage, etc. There is no space left, you can't drive a car without taking your feet off the brake because nothing in front of you moves fast. Maybe in the 1910's when Al Capone lived in NY you could do a car chase on a Model T. Today there's no space above ground to have a car do a chase.
Exactly! NYC gridlock is notorious; it takes an hour to drive around the block.
Even the mayor said a reference to a car chase is hard to believe.
Wasn't one reporter simply riding a bicycle?
 
The whole family picture is an oddity. Harry looks like he has no beard, size wise Lili looks like she is several years older than her brother while Archie looks smaller than expected for a child of his age, and even the dogs don't look at all engaged in what is happening around them. To cap it off, it's the worst quality photo in the bunch, so photoshopped that it's sharpness and clarity are blurred.
I've worked in Photoshop for 20 years plus. This is my take on the family photo. It's been taken from a very long way off giving the image a foreshortened effect which is why the little girl looks bigger than the wee boy. Because it was taken from such a long distance then the excess scenery around the family group will have been cropped. It's very low resolution, whether or not that's deliberate or resampled I don't know. There's not much digital information with such a poor quality image and what's there might well be fuzzy, which is why I suspect 'unsharp mask' has been overly used in order to sharpen up the image to make it print better. This is probably what has given a halo effect around the individuals. I have no idea what has been done to improve the image but the only thing I can say with certainty that three dogs in such a situation (where the people are all actively engaged and the kids running around) would never stand still. They'd all be leaping about with excitement. That does not exist in this photo. That is what is suspect to me and I therefore don't believe it is a completely unaltered image. The whole card is self-serving and self-promoting. This is just my personal opinion. I liked the one a couple of years back when the little girl was a baby. That was lovely. They could have done the same thing with the children in profile, or partial profile, if they don't want to show the world what the children look like full on. This is H&M's right; it's their card, they can do what they want. But they won't escape criticism supplying a card like this 2024 one. And I think they could have covered all bases by writing on it 'Merry Christmas' as well as 'Happy Holidays' and I think there is a Jewish one at this time of year too, and there may be others. Everybody might have been happy with that. Or not. We all have such wildly different, and valid, ideas and points of view, no one more important than the next.

I do hope H&M and children, dogs and chickens, have a lovely time over what I refer to as the Christmas & New Year break.
 
Characterizing what happened as a "near catastrophic" event was exaggeration and manipulation on Harry's part, and I think this is more Harry than Meghan. I am also recalling that there was no reporting of what happened that evening until until Team Sussex *cough**Harry**cough* issued the statement with the memorable phrasing. And from there it looks like Harry strong-armed the NYPD into making statements about what happened and how the NYPD will act differently going forward. It looks like Harry was not satisfied with what the NYPD came up with the first round and stayed on them to make stronger statements.'

Here's my thing, the NYPD is stating that there was reckless behavior and that they will make adjustments for future visits. In some of sentences, the term "parties" is used, so the NYPD may think that all sides involved played a role in the "incident" To me NYPD stating that they will make adjustments for future visits does not translate to the "smoking gun" that means the powers that be in the UK need to do anything differently than what they were already doing,

Yes it is a sad fact that there are people out there who have threatened one or both Sussexes and they need protection. If you want to deem what happened in New York as a failure, it was a failure to do paparazzi control and maybe crowd control. Now do you want me to believe of all the police departments out there that the NYPD does not know how to manage crowds and paparazzi?!? To me I see the claim that they will make adjustments is like stating that they miscalculated and provided the Sussexes bronze level security when they should have provided silver or gold.

Harry is based in California and travels. What the situation is now with the UK is inform the UK authorities of his plans and they will evaluate and protect Harry and his family accordingly. If the Sussexes have to go to NYC, I suspect the same thing, alert the NYC folks and they will plan accordingly. What does that mean, it means that Harry's well paid private security may have spend even more time coordinating with the NYPD to make sure things go smoother. If that does result in better peace of mind for Harry and less hectic experiences, then good. I wonder if along with this adjustments will there be added "costs" in terms of constraints and perhaps the NYPD recommending that Harry increase his private security.

One of the things that has always nagged at me is that, while it is true that there have been threats made against the Sussexes, the type of threat that there seems the most intensity around is the threat posed by the paparazzi, specifically the paparazzi who will engage in reckless behavior to get their shot or provoke a reaction. To me this represents a fairly low threat level that can be handled by the principal's private security in coordination with local law enforcement. So I continue to be perplexed by Harry's being so adamant that he and his family must have guaranteed protection by the Metropolitan Police whilst in the UK, but that his private security is sufficient to protect him / coordinate his protection in other locations, some of which carry travel advisories. I better get the comments that Harry wants IPP status, not just for ego or even genuine concern for his and his family's safety*, but also that he wants the designation in hopes that the UK government will start funding what he has been personally funding.

* To be clear the security threats are real and Harry and Meghan are rightfully concerned, but the disconnect is that, in the global information / boundary-less information age we live in, that there is grave concern about threats whilst on UK soil that court cases are filed, but that threats in other locations are manageable.
 
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