The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Family, News and Events 8: April - August 2023

[Alison H]

How famous someone is is relative, and this is coming from someone who didn't know who HRH The Duchess of Sussex was before she started dating HRH The Duke of Sussex. For example, I just found out about Anita Dobson today, but she's probably well-known and beloved in her native U.K. I would never be so presumptuous to assume that she was a nobody because I specifically didn't know her.

Anita Dobson is very well known in the UK, from her role in some of the biggest ever storylines in TV soap EastEnders and because she'd married to Brian May from Queen. I'd never heard of Meghan Markle before she started dating Harry, but I'd never watched or heard of Suits.

I was out somewhere with my young nephew, and he got very excited because we saw someone who is apparently a You Tuber influencer with millions of followers. I didn't have a clue who the guy was, but he made my nephew very happy by posing for a selfie with him! Today's kids have never heard of my favourite groups from the '80s. It's all relative!

 

[Ista]

A number of posts have been deleted or edited as they either violated forum or thread rules, or were responses to those posts. It is entirely possible to have a discussion and make valid points without insulting other forum members, or other royals, and let's all keep that in mind before posting.

 

[Queen Claude]

I don't think that an opinion poll of Americans feelings about UK royals is relevant to the monarchy's standing in the UK. However, I do think that it is relevant to show that Harry's popularity has rebounded somewhat from the hit that it took earlier this year which may be relevant to future business deals he is trying to secure or him maintaining current business deals.

To be sure the Sussexes have strong supporters and detractors, as does the BRF as a collective and individual members. Everytime someone takes an "L" as the young'uns like to say, the detractors are all, "stick a fork in them, they are done!" I have seen this go for many active and inactive royals. It's been stated about the Sussexes in terms of losing the Spotify deals, being called grifters by the Spotify executive and even the South Park parody, but it has also been stated about the royals, going back to The War of the Wales and Diana's death**, the Oprah interview, death of QEII, etc.

[.....]
My takeaway is that I think that the British monarchy will extend into the next generation or two***, and if it does go away, it will likely be due to societal changes. [.....] Regarding the Sussexes, neither they nor their children will be in breadlines. Now will they become the global humanitarians that they aspire to be, along with making enough income to sustain the kind of lifestyle that includes estate homes, private plane travel and polo ponies(?), I don't know, but I have seen enough in my lifetime to know that setbacks like not having a high dollar contract renewed and being parodied on a cartoon show are not an automatic death knells.

* L = loss, meaning the person experienced some form of loss or adverse event.
** Of course it goes further back than that, I am going by things I remember.
*** To be clear, I am not basing this on polling of Americans, rather on other indicators.

 

[Ista]

Let's stick to discussing the Sussexes and not drag up and rehash old topics, which is explicitly against the thread rules, otherwise posts will be edited or deleted.

If in doubt, check the general forum rules, and the front page of this thread.

 

[Curryong]

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/prince-harrys-visa-application-not-30431334

In response to the Judge’s request to US DHS during court proceedings in June to make a decision about revealing Prince Harry’s visa application, DHS has, for the second time, refused to make Harry’s records available. The Heritage Foundation is annoyed and disappointed. DHS cited that there was not sufficient public interest to do so.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/22985082/prince-harry-visa-application-us-government/

‘DHS said that it would only release the material if there was strong evidence of ‘government impropriety’ rather than a ‘bare suspicion of misconduct’ as was alleged.

DHS said: ‘Information that may have subjected a traveler to additional scrutiny at one time has the possibility of being considered untimely and irrelevant at a later date.

‘Given these facts, one person’s CBP entry and exit records, even a famous person’s, is insufficient evidence to undermine public confidence in CBP and its application of equal justice under the law’.’ End Quote.

 

[HRHHermione]

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/prince-harrys-visa-application-not-30431334

In response to the Judge’s request to US DHS during court proceedings in June to make a decision about revealing Prince Harry’s visa application, DHS has, for the second time, refused to make Harry’s records available. The Heritage Foundation is annoyed and disappointed. DHS cited that there was not sufficient public interest to do so.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/22985082/prince-harry-visa-application-us-government/

‘DHS said that it would only release the material if there was strong evidence of ‘government impropriety’ rather than a ‘bare suspicion of misconduct’ as was alleged.

DHS said: ‘Information that may have subjected a traveler to additional scrutiny at one time has the possibility of being considered untimely and irrelevant at a later date.

‘Given these facts, one person’s CBP entry and exit records, even a famous person’s, is insufficient evidence to undermine public confidence in CBP and its application of equal justice under the law’.’ End Quote.

This was the right decision by the judge and I never expected anything different in this case. It was a stunt by a political group and I’m glad it wasn’t rewarded.

 

[Denville]

Anita Dobson is very well known in the UK, from her role in some of the biggest ever storylines in TV soap EastEnders and because she'd married to Brian May from Queen. I'd never heard of Meghan Markle before she started dating Harry, but I'd never watched or heard of Suits.

I was out somewhere with my young nephew, and he got very excited because we saw someone who is apparently a You Tuber influencer with millions of followers. I didn't have a clue who the guy was, but he made my nephew very happy by posing for a selfie with him! Today's kids have never heard of my favourite groups from the '80s. It's all relative!

Anita was famous in the 1980s when she was in Eastenders, but she is pretty much past her prime now and only pops up occasionally. Fame does not last all that long for most people... only a few actors etc are really mega famous for life.

 

[hereditarytitles]

Anita was famous in the 1980s when she was in Eastenders, but she is pretty much past her prime now and only pops up occasionally. Fame does not last all that long for most people... only a few actors etc are really mega famous for life.

I know this is drifting away from the topic, but still. As a German I never heard of Anita Dobson, but I very well know her husband, Brian May. I didn't know that they are married.
I never really was a big fan of "Queen" but their music belonged to my youth and Brian with his voluminous hair, which he is still having today, grey instead of black, staid in my memory.

We once staid at a very remote Cottage in south Devon and the landlady had several pictures on the wall with her together with Brian May. Because he is also very engaged in nature and preservation of the environment. And that cottage we staid at had several prices for keeping it very ecological.

On a sidenote: The only thing that was really terrible that we had to put our food waste into a separate little bucket in the kitchen. As it was getting warmer, we had an invasion of fruitflies, literally thousands of them invading the kitchen. To get them all out took us two full days.

 

[FigTree]

Anita was famous in the 1980s when she was in Eastenders, but she is pretty much past her prime now and only pops up occasionally. Fame does not last all that long for most people... only a few actors etc are really mega famous for life.

I think those that are mega famous for life tend to have very restricted lives to be honest. There are many amazing actors, taking the UK as an example, who do theatre, well known on UK TV and also in some films, who manage to have a sustained career and and are well known maybe for life but they are largely left alone and live a normal life.

Some disappear.

Alot of fame is also choice. If you don't play the game you never really become interesting in that way.

 

[Silverpot]

I think those that are mega famous for life tend to have very restricted lives to be honest. There are many amazing actors, taking the UK as an example, who do theatre, well known on UK TV and also in some films, who manage to have a sustained career and and are well known maybe for life but they are largely left alone and live a normal life.

Some disappear.

Alot of fame is also choice. If you don't play the game you never really become interesting in that way.

Or, you can be a Brian May Or a David Gilmour, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and some other real greats who actually have managed to live their lives without paps tracking them down all the time.

 

[FigTree]

Or, you can be a Brian May Or a David Gilmour, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and some other real greats who actually have managed to live their lives without paps tracking them down all the time.

I think to be Eric Clapton and Brian May is actually to be pretty mega famous to be honest. They aren’t exactly going to live that normal a life. Paparazzi aren’t the only gage. Every would look around when they walked into a restaurant. But again where they live everyone would know them and probably pay little attention. All relative.

 

[Silverpot]

I think to be Eric Clapton and Brian May is actually to be pretty mega famous to be honest. They aren’t exactly going to live that normal a life. Paparazzi aren’t the only gage. Every would look around when they walked into a restaurant. But again where they live everyone would know them and probably pay little attention. All relative.

Yes, that's what I meant, these people are mega famous but rarely appear in the gossip press, being photographed every step they take. They manage to fly under the radar. It is possible to live away from the celebrity lime light, if you want to.

 

[Toledo]

Yes, that's what I meant, these people are mega famous but rarely appear in the gossip press, being photographed every step they take. They manage to fly under the radar. It is possible to live away from the celebrity lime light, if you want to.

The interest in the Sussex couple is all based on the nasty press traditions of what is news is what it sells the paper. And in our generation, 'selling papers' has been adapted to social media that is monetized. A YouTube channel generates income at the expense of the Sussex vs Wales saga if it's exploited correctly. Like the new trend of AI memes with Harry and Meghan, Charles and Camilla, etc. as fishing bait thumbnails.

I recall ages ago reading a comment about Princess Margaret and Queen Elizabeth in their youth and Princess Diana and the Duchess of York, that mentioned the UK press has a need to create a good vs bad storyline between royals to sell papers. And when the characters are female the stories go downhill to absolute viciousness.

In Meghan and Harry's case, their antics don't help them at all. The errors they seem to do to be self-sufficient, without putting the work on it, backfire again and again. This is the gift of gold to the negative press that hunts them. And her inability to come to terms with reality, like making amends with her very own father, the in-laws and even to even mention positives on her mother's extended side of the family, to include them in their lives as much as the goal to associate themselves with mega rich African Americans (Beyoncé, Oprah, Tyler Perry, etc.) makes her an unlikable character. Again, giving gold to these tabloids is basically becoming your own worst enemy.

Harry doesn't help her either but his story with the bad press goes beyond dressing up as a Nazi alongside his reckless friends' offensive costumes.

So, they are both mega famous, or Meghafamous, but what set them apart from the likes of Clapton, Gates, Serena Williams, etc. is their ability to not get it right. To not show awareness on how they are viewed nor make an public effort to turn it all around and silence the tabloids, not in UK Courts but in the court of public opinion.
All it takes is an effort to self-evaluate why they have fallen from people's grace as the most popular royals in the world and how to change this now and for the future.

Can they do it? It all depends on Meghan, she is the one that is driving this ship to become self-sufficient, with Harry, kids and their pet chickens as passengers.

 

[victor1319]

The interest in the Sussex couple is all based on...

Well said! But if Meghan steers the ship of the Sussexes, then here is a problem!

I hope not to sound misogynistic or belittleing here, but Prince Harry is the main story! He should be the bread-winner, since his title and his social standing, his choices have been the interesting story.

If Meghan would emancipate from this situation or even take "officially" and openly command, she would somewhat distance the Sussexes and especially herself from the storyline, which has been dominating up till now.

This would be a situation many couples have - and in our modern times the most master it. But it would be a totally new situation for the Prince and his wife - and us, the audiance!

 

[Ghost]

I don’t remember if it has been mentioned. There have been three sightings of the Sussexes mentioned in the media recently.
On the 3rd of July they’ve been photographed leaving an office building in Santa Barbara.
On the 4th of July the whole family have been photographed and filmed at the parade in Montecito. The clip appeared on the instagram account of a local hotel.
Lastly, towards the end of last week, photographs of Meghan with one of their dogs at the local farmer’s market were published. I haven’t seen the info in the MSM but the SM says that the market is open only on Tuesdays.

 

[TLLK]

I don’t remember if it has been mentioned. There have been three sightings of the Sussexes mentioned in the media recently.
On the 3rd of July they’ve been photographed leaving an office building in Santa Barbara.
On the 4th of July the whole family have been photographed and filmed at the parade in Montecito. The clip appeared on the instagram account of a local hotel.
Lastly, towards the end of last week, photographs of Meghan with one of their dogs at the local farmer’s market were published. I haven’t seen the info in the MSM but the SM says that the market is open only on Tuesdays.

Here's the website for the Santa Barbara County Farmer's Markets. The market in Montecito is open on Fridays. I believe that is the day when the photos were taken.


https://www.sbfarmersmarket.org/markets-1

 

[Ghost]

Here's the website for the Santa Barbara County Farmer's Markets. The market in Montecito is open on Fridays. I believe that is the day when the photos were taken.


https://www.sbfarmersmarket.org/markets-1

Thank you, good to know not to take everything from SM as being true.

 

[TLLK]

Thank you, good to know not to take everything from SM as being true.

You're welcome!. SB County farmer's markets are excellent. My daughter was a student at UCSB and we'd visit the one in Goleta. ?

 

[Ista]

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[tommy100]

https://archive.li/CtVeY

Harry and Meghan ‘asked to ride home on Air Force One’ after Elizabeth II’s funeral

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex asked if they could fly back from Elizabeth II’s funeral with Joe Biden on Air Force One, it has been alleged.
Sources close to the couple have not denied the claim.

The couple are said to have asked White House staff if they could join the US President and his wife on the journey home, but were swiftly rebuffed.

The alleged proposition raises the extraordinary prospect that the Duke and Duchess wanted to be photographed climbing the steps of the famous Boeing 747 to wave alongside the President and First Lady of the United States.

Someone is going to have to sit me down with large flashcards and explain how the First Lady wearing a similar design as its the go to pattern of that season for one of America's most famous high end fashion houses is showing support for anyone.

A further attempt to ingratiate themselves with the Bidens saw the Duchess send a basket of lemons to the First Lady after interpreting a sartorial choice as a show of support.

The day after the Sussexes’ controversial Oprah Winfrey interview aired in March 2021, Jill Biden wore an Oscar de la Renta dress with a lemon pattern to the State Department’s International Women of Courage Awards.

It bore a striking resemblance to a dress that Meghan had worn for a Spotify event the previous month and was seen in some quarters as a message of solidarity with the Duchess after she had described her tortuous relationship with the Royal family.

 

[Alison H]

I can't imagine that Jill Biden had any idea what Meghan wore to a Spotify event! And apparently she already had the dress and had been seen wearing it before.

 

[Curryong]

Harry and Meghan ?asked to ride home on Air Force One? after Elizabeth II?s funeral.

https://archive.li/CtVeY

The story from the Telegraph puts it in more perspective. It?s full of ?alleged? and ?it is said? references. And Air Force One was going back to the US before the private Memorial part of the Queen?s funeral at Windsor. The Sussexes were sitting with the rest of the BRF at St George?s as the Biden plane left the UK.

Why would the couple have wanted to fly to Washington on the East Coast anyway, when their home and waiting children were on the US West Coast? And the couple can?t comment on every bit of rubbish the DM decides to publish. That includes any White House gossip, made up or otherwise. Gossip is gossip, something that is a speciality of tabloids.

 

[HenRach Dominion]

It's funny how the tabloids always have a story about TRH The Sussexes around big milestones for the BRF, even said story is nearly a year old and has more holes in it than Swiss cheese.

 

[Anna1519]

Harry and Meghan ?asked to ride home on Air Force One? after Elizabeth II?s funeral.

https://archive.li/CtVeY

The story from the Telegraph puts it in more perspective. It?s full of ?alleged? and ?it is said? references. And Air Force One was going back to the US before the private Memorial part of the Queen?s funeral at Windsor. The Sussexes were sitting with the rest of the BRF at St George?s as the Biden plane left the UK.

Why would the couple have wanted to fly to Washington on the East Coast anyway, when their home and waiting children were on the US West Coast? And the couple can?t comment on every bit of rubbish the DM decides to publish. That includes any White House gossip, made up or otherwise. Gossip is gossip, something that is a speciality of tabloids.

I agree - I thought they were at the private burial ceremony 1-2 hours after the Bidens left London. The timeline doesn't make sense to me.

I find it more embarrassing that Dr. Biden allegedly declined the invitation to the 2022 Invictus Games because of pressure from the palace, despite wanting to attend. I work closely with veterans and am a huge admirer of the IG. Quite a bad look from her IMO to kowtow to the Palace - surely their contempt for Harry could have been briefly set aside given the worthiness of the cause. Not everything needs to be dragged into a transatlantic family feud.

 

[VictoriaB]

I’m no lover of the Sussexes but this is just the Telegraph printing almost verbatim the “Exclusive” that the Daily Mail ran - so semi reliable at best by the mods criteria. I agree with others, it has more holes than Swiss cheese.

 

[Leopoldine]

What happens when they land at Joint Base Andrews then? I don't think they thought this through.

 

[Hallo girl]

I have no idea if any of this article is accurate, but I find it interesting that the part regarding the couple requesting a ' lift ' home is debunked but the British government / palace involvement regarding The First Lady attending the IG appears to be regarded as correct. I am wondering why one section is claimed to be nonsense but the other part could be true. From what I see it is all the one article. I can see no evidence that one is accurate and the other is not. One could argue that if they had obtained the lift in Airforce 1 then they would have not attended the internment.

I am pretty sure Dr, Biden is more than capable of making her own decisions and does not require input from the British government / palace

Lets be honest none of us have an idea.

 

[tihkon2]

I agree - I thought they were at the private burial ceremony 1-2 hours after the Bidens left London. The timeline doesn't make sense to me.

I find it more embarrassing that Dr. Biden allegedly declined the invitation to the 2022 Invictus Games because of pressure from the palace, despite wanting to attend. I work closely with veterans and am a huge admirer of the IG. Quite a bad look from her IMO to kowtow to the Palace - surely their contempt for Harry could have been briefly set aside given the worthiness of the cause. Not everything needs to be dragged into a transatlantic family feud.

Allegedly is the key word.

 

[Granada]

Personally, I don't know what to believe.

I can definitely see The Sussex's wanting the PR Gold and glamour of being seen on Air Force One with The President and First Lady. Would they have left the Family and Funeral Services early for that rarified opportunity ? Yep, in a minute !

The reason that I *think* there might be something to this is very simple. ZERO denial from The Sussex's, A spokesperson, or even Omid Scobie. Nothing.

Harry IS in the midst of multiple lawsuits against The British Media regarding "gossip". Claiming he was hacked and defamed and the subject of allegations and made up stories. They push back every time they feel they are the victims of " disinformation ".

Prince Harry said in mid 2021 that " on line misinformation Is a global humanitarian issue". He also spoke to this this as a Co Chair of The Aspen Institute around the same time.

So the story has been floating around for days now. It didn't do the Sussex reputations any favor, if true. That they ASKED to accompany The Biden's back on Air Force One following The Queens Funeral and were told NO.

I mean its pretty straightforward. The request happened or it didn't. A perfect case in point for Harry to use, to critique "online misinformation" and the harm it does to People's reputation.
But absolutely no rebuttal from Harry and Meghan either laughing it off as ridiculous, or an out and lie.

And as Couple, they absolutely thrive on getting the record straight, from their perspective anyway. In Books, High profile Interviews, Podcasts, Docu-series, They NEVER pass up an opportunity to challenge " misinformation ". I find it curious then regarding this Story.

But maybe they simply cant. Because the Story is true. And as it involves The President of The United States, they won't-can't touch it. Let it fade away.

 

[Tatiana Maria]

The story from the Telegraph puts it in more perspective. It?s full of ?alleged? and ?it is said? references.

Allegedly is the key word.

The Telegraph article is not the source and does not include any original reporting (other than confirming that Jill Biden was invited to the 2022 Invictus Games but declined) - it is merely referencing the original article by Daily Mail political reporter Emily Goodin.

The actual report does not use terms such as "allegedly" or "it is said", and it presents the story as fact without using any disclaimers.

It does rely on unnamed sources, described as "many current and former officials in the Biden administration and in the British government" and "a person familiar with the event [2022 Invictus Games]".

The article states that the White House, Buckingham Palace, and a spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess all declined to comment.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...mpts-political-players-America-faltering.html

[...]

Meghan publicly advocated for paid family leave to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, and worked behind the scenes to connect with the Bidens, DailyMail.com discovered from speaking to many current and former officials in the Biden administration and in the British government.

[...]

Harry and Meghan were visiting the United Kingdom for charity engagements when the Queen passed on September 8, 2022, and stayed in the country through her funeral on September 19.

[...]

Amid all of this, their staff reached out to the White House to ask if the couple could get a ride back to the United States on Air Force One.

It would have been a grand photo-op: Harry and Meghan climbing the steps of the famous blue-and-white 747 to wave alongside the President and First Lady of the United States.

But it was an immediate no from the Americans. Sources with knowledge of the decision said there was barely any discussion on the issue, just a general agreement that the request was a 'non-starter.'

'It would have caused such a commotion. It would have strained relations with the Palace and the new King,' another source told DailyMail.com.

The White House and Buckingham Palace both declined to comment for this story. A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess did not respond to a request for comment.

[...]

Both Bidens attended the [Invictus] games when they were held in Canada in 2017. And Jill Biden attended the 2016 games in Florida.

The First Lady wanted to attend the 2022 games, per a source close to her. She was the mother of a veteran and, through her Joining Forces Initiative, was a huge supporter of the military and their families. And she shared her love of the armed forces with Harry, a veteran of Afghanistan.

However, British officials, in a working level conversation, conveyed to National Security Council staff that they thought the idea would land badly, a source said.

'She wanted to go,' a person familiar with the event told DailyMail.com of the First Lady, but noted the East Wing was concerned the Palace could be hurt if she attended.

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and his husband Chasten led the US delegation instead.

At that point, the Duke and Duchess were seen as individuals and not holding any official state standing, given their exit from the Royal Family.

[...]

They also hired staff with political connections: their spokesperson Miranda Barbot worked on President Obama's re-election campaign and Katie McCormick Lelyveld, who was brought on a consultant to the Archewell charity, was a former spokesperson for former First Lady Michelle Obama.

And, after the Sussexes' now-infamous Oprah interview, their fans seemed to agree that the Bidens were sympathetic to Meghan and Harry.

The day after the interview aired, Jill Biden wore an Oscar de la Renta dress with a lemon pattern to the State Department's International Women of Courage Awards. It was similar to an Oscar de la Renta dress Meghan had worn a month before.

Twitter saw Jill's outfit as a subtle nod of support to Team Sussex.

Meghan even sent the First Lady a basket of lemons in thanks.

Harry did manage to connect with Jill Biden for one solo event. He and the first lady hosted a Zoom event with wounded warrior athletes in September 2021, when the in-person Warrior Games had to be canceled due to the pandemic.

The two had been scheduled to attend the games together but, because of the pandemic, made it an online gathering instead.

During the talk, Harry and Jill praised each other.

[...]

If the "basket of lemons" anecdote is true, then the most interesting part of the article in my view is that the Duchess of Sussex apparently reads fan accounts.

It's funny how the tabloids always have a story about TRH The Sussexes around big milestones for the BRF, even said story is nearly a year old and has more holes in it than Swiss cheese.

I’m no lover of the Sussexes but this is just the Telegraph printing almost verbatim the “Exclusive” that the Daily Mail ran - so semi reliable at best by the mods criteria. I agree with others, it has more holes than Swiss cheese.

Could you explain what those holes are?