Several weeks ago, we discussed the confirmation from The Sun that the Sussexes and Cambridges were pulling the plug on their jointly operated Royal Foundation. It wasn’t surprising at all and had in fact been largely expected for months. Prince William and Prince Harry have had a significant falling out and it doesn’t even appear that they’ve substantively buried the hatchet. Harry and Meghan want to do their own thing as well, and according to the Sun’s sources, William and Kate were basically like “you need to make your minds up right now about the future of the foundation” and the Sussexes were like “give us some time, we’re still figuring it out” and the Cambridges pulled the plug. Well, a new Sunday Times piece basically regurgitates the story with very few new pieces of information. I did find these quotes interesting though:
Now Harry and Meghan’s office is being moved to Buckingham Palace so the Queen can have more oversight over what they are up to, it is claimed. An insider who used to work for the Prince of Wales told the Sunday Times: “William’s quite controlling, and he was in control when it was just the three of them, but now he’s not. I personally wouldn’t overegg Meghan’s role in this because it’s unfair, but equally she knows what she’s doing as an actress from Hollywood.”
That came from a Charles-insider huh?? I don’t think William is “controlling” in the sense that he wants everything done a certain way and he has to micromanage everything. I think he’s too lazy for that. What he does want is to control Harry and Meghan though and that’s pretty awful. I also have no idea what this is about: “I personally wouldn’t overegg Meghan’s role in this because it’s unfair, but equally she knows what she’s doing as an actress from Hollywood.” Hollywood actresses being notorious for… like, royal Cain and Abel bullsh-t, I guess. Speaking of weird shade for Meghan’s “actress” career, the Sunday Times also included this:
Prince Philip warned Harry against tying the knot with Meghan Markle by telling him: ‘One steps out with actresses, one doesn’t marry them’, it is claimed. The Duke of Edinburgh, 98, is believed to have made the outspoken remark to his grandson when it became clear the couple’s whirlwind romance got serious. But Harry, 34, ignored the advice and proposed and tied the knot with the former Suits actress, 37, in May last year.
It is also claimed that Prince William gave his own piece of relationship advice, asking his brother ‘Are you sure?’ shortly before the Duke of Sussex proposed in 2017.
If I’m being honest, this is the whole reason why I initially didn’t believe that Harry and Meghan were really serious about one another, when we first learned about their relationship. The royals have many “rules” about which girlfriends are appropriate and which girlfriends are not, and the Windsors have always been prejudiced against actresses. I thought that even if Harry cared for Meghan, it wouldn’t last because his family would put an end to it, or they would put pressure on Harry OR Meghan (or both) to break up. But yeah, Philip has known a lot of actresses in his day. He reportedly had a fondness for the blonde ones.
Photos courtesy of WENN and Avalon Red.
I’ve always though William was quite controlling just not in the “micromanaging” sense, more of his image sense. I always got this from how blatantly unhappy Kate looks when they are at events together. She looks happy with everyone else, Harry, TQ, Meghan, everyone except William. Then she puts on that fake hyena smile.
I never thought that the tensions between the cambridges and suxxes was because of Kate or Meg, it’s always boiled down to the brothers.
Ha! I’m not the only one who observed Kate’s need to oversmile and over laugh. No one is that funny at public events.
William looks after William. The palace looks after William. Remember how the only humiliating photos published from France were of Kate?
Probably because she knows that he would throw her under the bus (and even the children) to save himself. He’s very much his father’s son. William’s been raised to believe as the future monarch, he is all that matters. He’s just forgotten that it’s 2019 and the UK is not an absolute monarchy.
I think this is being blown out of proportion. I do think Kate ‘over-smiles’ but I suspect thats her form of acting and is more about trying to look interested and enthusiastic than out of fear of anything William might do.
I do think the whole Royal Family probably had an issue with Harry marrying Meghan because she’s an actress and she’s American. Both have always been no-go area’s for the Royals.
I’m a Brit & I rejected everything Royal as a kid, just as most kids rebel against their parents and grandparents interests but ‘celebrity’ & ‘American’ were still ingrained into my psyche as no-go areas for Royals. They just don’t mix & for reasons that my adult self knows is stupid, were seen as lower class. I often wonder whether this is true of the majority of Brits and whether this attitude is where so much of the resistance towards Meghan comes from. I’d be interested to hear what other Brits think?
@BlueOrange, I generally agree with this. I don’t think that the people (who, let’s be clear, are a minority) who resist Meghan could necessarily articulate why they don’t like her. But there is a sort of unspoken attitude as you mention.
Yep, I think William is controlling as heck, and it takes it toll on Kate. But, she knew that and married him anyway, so at least SHE think’s it worth having a husband like that in return for a title and life of leisure. But now Harry has something worth standing up to William for, and I’m sure William doesn’t like it, but too bad – Meghan has been a breath of fresh air.
Philip has a long history of racism, so I’m not surprised.
I bet William is controlling in the sense that his emotions are what matter in any particular instance. He has to be catered to emotionally and kept happy and “managed” by the people around him, and if he’s not, then he makes sure you know it. Folks who have to hang around people like this are constantly on edge, constantly looking at the other person for hints of displeasure, constantly trying to put things right–it takes the fun out of everything, because they punish other people for their own unhappiness, in a way.
Are you mad William? Stay mad and pressed.
Honestly, this Cambridge vs. Sussex coverage is infuriating. William is so obviously the problem, and an heir-humpy and racist press keeps trying to tell me it’s the Black woman’s fault. Don’t piss on my leg and tell me it’s raining.
Is it obvious, though? The brothers are both stubborn and entitled. It’s the perfect scenario for endless arguments.
They didn’t have endless arguments before this. Harry gave way on everything.
@Vi, stubbornness and entitlement alone don’t always equate to “controlling.” You could easily use those terms to describe the act of asserting your own boundaries. Harry has been stubborn and entitled insofar as he’s defended his own decisions regarding his own life, whether that’s marrying Meghan or ensuring that she’s looked after and treated well by what used to be their staff. But that’s quite a far cry from being, “My way or the high way, even if my way is the wrong way” which is what William’s behaviour has been described as.
I don’t get the actress from Hollywood bit either. Did he maybe just mean that she understands appearances and knows how to control her image? I do think she played a role in the breaking up of the foundation, and not necessarily in a bad way. I think she prob was like, yeah we can do better than this.
Thats what I took from that comment, that she understands PR in a way the DoLittles do not – she views things from a ‘brand’ perspective, something W&K don’t seem to get.
Its not new that William is controlling, he is also very manipulative and a user. I’ve said on here before that the issue is that he no longer has control over Harry and can chuck Harry under the bus whenever he wants. William is jealous of his brother and jealousy is a nasty emotion, esp between siblings.
You know I kinda wonder if Harry is the one behind why the Rose story will just not go away – its him that is keeping it going as a way of pushing back on his brother. We know the Cambridges were behind the smear campaign against Meghan when she was pregnant – this could be Harry protecting his family by not allowing William to use them to hide his affair.
As for Phillip, well a comment like this is to be expected from him. For me the question would be who benefits the most from it being leaked? Maybe someone who’s wife is not an actress.
I believe neither Harry nor Meghan are talking to tabloid reporters about William. I don’t know why some people are trying to make that conspiracy happen. Harry and Meghan seem like two people who are bold enough to confront people who they have problems with.
re Phillip’s comment, this comment was made over 2 years ago. Why is it being bandied about here and now? This comment is ancient history, yet someone saved it to use later. Interesting.
I think she understands PR in a way that an actress, but not necessarily the way a royal does. I don’t think that’s a good or bad thing — I just don’t necessarily think her skills are better or worse than the royals — I just think her skills work in a different context. Royals are kind of supposed to be a little boring — when they’re too interesting it’s not usually been for the right reasons.
@DigitalUnicorn1, I can’t see Harry concerning himself with his brother’s personal life tbh. I think that the Rose Hanbury story staying in the papers is a natural result of William’s heavy handed blustering with the press. He should have simply issued a swift refutation in the usual way, without throwing anyone else under the bus, and kept quiet. The fact that he threatened them with legal action just brought a lot more eyeballs if you ask me.
I think they meant that she gets how to play the PR game. That’s not a bad thing.
I do think that Philip made that remark, and hopefully he sees that he was wrong since Meghan’s proved that she’s a smart and well-educated woman with a lot of class. As for Harry, good for him for resisting his control freak brother.
I have relatives who are around the same age as Philip who tell me with a straight face that the appropriate age for a girl to be married is 23. I’m well past that point.
Old people are gonna old. They say reprehensible and egregious things, but anyone with eyes in this day and age can see that being an actress isn’t anywhere near the sort of disreputable profession that people used to think it was.
I took the statement to be classist. Actresses are toys to be played with and not marriage material for royals. I don’t think PR savvy has anything to do with it.
The royals, because of the system they’re born into, are classist though. They ARE the class system and benefit from it. They’re at the top and everybody else is at the bottom. Until recently, I think a lot of people sort of thought that way. Why JFK Jr. couldn’t marry Darryl Hannah has always baffled me, but if the Kennedys were classist that way I think that thinking does happen to be part of a certain segment of society.
@ Trufflefries, I feel this was exactly how it was meant; an actress is someone you have on the side, not someone you actually marry. Classism is nauseating.
After seeing how William handled the Rose Turnip Toff(alleged Affair) Rumours, I hope No One takes his advice on Public Relations/PR.
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I think William is unhappy with himself for some reason, I don’t think it’s about Kate, Harry or Meghan. I really think William’s problems are his own doing and he takes them out on others around him.
No philips comment I get. I meant the comment from the guy who doesn’t want to “overegg Meghan’s role….but she’s an actress.”
I think it is interesting that members of the RF are patrons of so many artistic endeavors but rate some of the people (actors) involved in those endeavors as less than. In addition, it seems them are always calling on entertainers to headline events in support of their charities. How many actors and actresses have they bestowed all kind of honors on? If Phillip felt that way about Meghan, then he must have felt the same way about Cressida.
Digital Unicorn: Maybe Will was controlling and manipulative in a certain degree. But he took it for the next level lately. His facial expression changed significantly the last one, one year and a half; even the way he talks changed; the look in his eyes changed. There are no news to justify such change. Something to do with the Way Ahead Group? I never bought the story splashed all over DM and others about sweet, kind and delicate William: first born, groomed to be king, without a mother… surrounded by courtiers…. Sounds recipe for trouble. And I think you are absolutely right: from all I’ve read and seen from Harry, he really loves her and he’s very active to shield her from harm. Maybe if the Four were together, his brother would use them to show how wonderful he is at the cost of denigrating the Sussex.
With every article the RF look more and more like garbage
I agree. Philip’s a horrible snob! When Charles hesitated with marrying Diana, didn’t Philip tell him to marry Di and cheat with Cam on the side? We all know that ended disastrously, so I don’t think I’d take Phil’s advice on the right woman to marry!
Philip told him to make up his mind. Stop toying with Diana’s reputation and either cut her off or marry her. Charles did a similar thing with William back in the late 2000s, marry her or cut her off, but stop messing with her reputation and making the BRF look bad by stringing along this party girl.
William dumped Kate, she publicly blamed “his daddy” for their breakup. William also panicked over Charles having the Duchy purchase and fix Harewood Park as a martial home for them. That idea was abandoned when he broke up with her another time.
Philip is the LAST person to judge people coming into that family. He was accepted (albeit grudgungly) with Nazi sisters and brothers-in-law.
Philip was a WWII hero for the Royal Navy and his mother hid Jewish people in Athens and is recognised as one of Yad Vashem’s Righteous Among the Nations. Many aristocratic families had people on both sides.
You make my point. Nobody should be judging….yet Philip does. And he has some of the most horrifying skeletons (and some of the most honorable relations) of all.
I’m not defending Philip’s views on relationships. But I don’t think his sisters’ choice of husbands are at all relevant to them.
Who would take advice from Philip, a notorious philanderer who made his wife very unhappy, and allegedly had an affair with her first cousin that lasted more than a decade….l bet they didn’t include that in the Crown….😉
Susannah: I don’t think you should take Phillip advices on any subject. I mean, if you don’t want to be a horrible person or if you have your own happiness at heart.
They are egotistical and petulant.
Well, you tell a group of people — for generations — that all they have to do is show up at the right places and smile at the right people in order to “earn” more money that another dozen families would see in their cumulative lifetimes…
See, this is why the queen isn’t going to willingly retire. I wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t know how NOT to be Queen, but my other conspiracy theory is that she can see it’s only going to get worse for the monarchy once she’s gone and she wants to give her children and grandchildren as much time as possible. She has her faults, but it’s hard to say she doesn’t do the work (what constitutes as work for a royal), and that garners her a lot of goodwill. Her dad gave his life for the job and that clearly meant something to her. But the royals are no longer spared intense public scrutiny, and the current heirs are as typically privileged and spoiled as, say, Elizabeth’s uncle and most of her predecessors. The world has changed and they haven’t. Something’s got to give.
I think you are right.
I thought her father died of lung cancer due to chain smoking.
He did, but he was never meant to be King and was forced into it after the abdication of his brother. So I’m sure Elizabeth sees it in a different context.
@Jules That was the medical reason, but it’s well-documented that both the war but especially keeping the monarchy afloat after Edward’s mess (Edward was VERY popular at the time because his Nazi sympathies were kept under wraps and the British press didn’t report on his worst behavior) exacerbated those habits and added immense stress on his health. I forget if it was Elizabeth or her mother who made an explicit statement along these lines, but the family made it clear they believed he would have lived much longer if he’d never had to become king.
And for second, I think the biggest concern for Meg and Harry’s marriage wont be because shes a controlling actress that narrative is just false, I think it’s because she will be genuinely unhappy. She is now more constricted than ever and so under the microscope so I couldn’t fault her for skipping out. I hope that doesnt happen, however because they seriously seem to love each other and could do amazing things for the causes they care about.
She is stuck now. Any chance for her to leave went out the window when she got pregnant now that Archie is here it’s out of the question. She can never leave the U.K. they would never allow her to take Archie to America to live if a divorce were to happen. I hope things work out between them.
She’s not “stuck”. She’s a smart, perceptive and strong woman who fell in love and can use the opportunity it brought her to do good work. There is nothing to “work out” with Harry, they are a great team, deeply in love with each other and their new baby. Why on earth are you talking divorce, leaving the UK and other such nonsense?
When, not if, Sassy.
I don’t think she is. Harry’s made pretty clear that he puts Meghan and her needs first, and as sixth in line he has more freedom to make his own choices, eg move away from the UK. Obviously the Cambridges can’t ever move away from the UK, but if Harry requested if they could easily find him some honorary position in some commonwealth country in Africa or elsewhere, and I doubt anyone would want to stop him. That’s if they wanted to, of course. They may not. But I think they’re exercising a lot of freedom and that both of them put their needs as a family first.
If they do happen to divorce in the future, I see no reason why Meghan wouldn’t be allowed custody of Archie because he’s really not ‘important’ as a royal. I guess if something terrible happens and things become really acrimonious that might change. But even Diana was allowed joint custody after she’d very actively worked to destroy the Royal Family and publicly defame Charles, and her son was future king.
In all the royal divorce (reigning royals) it’s always the members belonging to the royal family that they get custody of the childrens.
In the case of Charles and Diana, it was Charles who had the main guard of Harry and William , even though Diana was the one who spent more time with them,but it that was possible because she lives in London in Kensington Palace. If she had moved to a foreign country, she would not have seen her sons as much as she wanted, because children are considered Crown property regardless of their place in the line of sucsession to the throne.
@line, this is a silly myth that persists despite it being rubbish. We don’t have the concept of custody in English law, both parents have parental responsibility for the children at birth under the Children Act 1989. (And yes, there’s some ancient statute saying otherwise, but more recent statutes trump older ones unless there’s a specific carve-out, which the Children Act 1989 does not contain for the royals). Foreign parents are generally not allowed to take any British-born children out of the UK without the consent of the other parent, it has nothing to do with the royals or custody.
Serious q — could Harry abdicate as is possible in other monarchies? I’m aware of all the familial issues it would cause, but he is entitled to walk away right? Consequences and all?
I think the word “abdication” technically only applies to monarchs, but yes, there is nothing legally preventing Harry from giving up his role as a counsellor of state, relinquishing his claim in the line of succession and no longer being a working royal. (I suspect he would never do that, if for no other reason than that Andrew would be Regent if something happened to Charles and William, but he’s within his rights to do so).
Andrew would love nothing more than to be elected regent under those circumstances, so I think for that reason Harry wouldn’t relinquish his claim. Or at least not until George has reached his majority, I think.
Meghan is not stuck. Both she and Harry love each other, and with their new baby will be fine. There are some people willing the couple to fail. Clearly, they don’t understand that just because you wish ill for someone it will happen. These are two people who respect each other, and from all appearances love to be around each other. The likeness the show for each other is not something that is simply a floor show. There are honest photographers who see them with the camera on and off and have said, they appear to be taken with each other. As for William and Kate, their behavior to each other in public screams something else. Exactly what, I can’t say. Future King or not, even Charles is affectionate to Camilla at times. Why can’t two young people be? William needs to be nicer to his wife. On her wedding day, he didn’t even help her into the carriage. All he did was hold her bouquet, and took a seat, while she struggled to get in. Contrast that with Harry who not only helped Meghan up, but never sat down until she did. Before you call me a liar, go look at the end of both weddings. William looks to be selfish. He needs to leave the Sussexes be, let them live their lives.
I think the marriage is just fine. But Meghan isnt in their exact cookie-cutter mold. She’s not British. She’s not from old money. She’s not from high birth. She’s not young and on a first marriage. She’s not a low-key commoner from a sturdy family. She’s not a blonde blue-eyed nordic beauty. So she goes against ALOT of the norms those folks are used to. So all the crap rolls on her. The hate against her in the DM comments are epic. Its institutional…
” I don’t think William is “controlling” in the sense that he wants everything done a certain way and he has to micromanage everything. I think he’s too lazy for that.”
LOL. But most of us know someone who DOES try to micromanage like that. They want it done the way that they want it done – but then they’ll pull the “do what you think is best” before stepping back in and telling them how it should have been done. Laziness doesn’t mean it isn’t happening.
I’m still not super annoyed by the “are you sure?” comment. I mean, it’s possible it was meant in a snotty way. But at the same time – look at the way Meghan has been treated. Now imagine if he WASN’T sure and that their relationship/marriage was on the rocks. Just imagine the field day that the press would have had when they’re already having one. They’d both be drug through the mud even more than they already are.
Honestly, I hope to god someone on Meghan’s side asked HER “Are you sure?” beforehand. While I think she knew basically what she was signing up for, I doubt she expected the constant backlash and just how over the top it’s gotten.
I think it depends on context. I think saying “are you sure, do you want to date a bit longer first” is one thing. I think having a sit down and telling him he’s moving too fast and he should wait years before proposing etc is something else. And I think we have heard both versions.
Regardless, I don’t believe that is the reason for the falling out. Around the time of the wedding they looked happy and relaxed together. I’m thinking of that walkabout they did before the ceremony, greeting the people in Windsor. They seemed fine. They seemed fine after that. It really wasn’t until the tour that something seemed to fall apart between the brothers.
Yeah that’s the key. I mean, I don’t think he was probably being SUPER nefarious about it. But I think William lacks a certain kind of filter/common sense thing about how he comes off. He’s oblivious. While I think he probably thought he was coming off as a concerned older sibling, he probably messed it up in the delivery.
But I agree – the timeline of the falling out isn’t as simple as that. There was something else at play. Maybe it’s jealousy. Maybe it’s something we haven’t actually seen/heard about yet. But they seemed fine at multiple occasions when they could have been tense had it been as simple as a fallout surrounding the engagement/wedding.
I also think Harry and William were fine at the wedding and for a while after, and things fell apart around the time of the tour, or shortly before. Three things happened close together that were likely problematic: the tour; Meghan became pregnant; and – her cookbook. The tour showed how popular H&M are. Meghan’s pregnancy meant a new baby would pull attention from the Cambridge kids. And the cookbook – remember the KP announcement a few days before the cookbook reveal, how Kate’s big initiative was almost ready to launch? That timing wasn’t kind, definitely an indication someone felt threatened, and that was before the tour. Most likely that wasn’t the only way William showed he was unhappy, publicly, and privately. All the comments about Meghan allowed to stay on the KP social media…
I think William assumed he would always set the tone for how much his generation worked (or not). Sure, Harry had his little projects (e.g., Sentebale), but he was under the umbrella of KP, so how much play would that get? Unlikely Harry alone would challenge William. Along comes Meghan; Harry now has a partner to share/support his ideas. They start moving along their own path, coverage follows, and William and Kate are left more or less scrambling to catch up.
I hope for the sake of their relationship and their families William and Harry carve out roles where each of them can shine, without it needing to be a competition. But right now I think William has the bigger journey.
KP didn’t announce Kate’s BB thing that weekend. It was leaked to the DM, conveniently three days before the Together cookbook landed.
Appreciate the specifics @nota. I knew the news about BB suspiciously came out a few days before the cookbook launch, but didn’t remember the details.
I totally believe their arguments are due to stuff related to their “offices” and the leverage William had and has because of his position.
Last fall they had to split offices and M&H still had temporary staff members. Initially it was reported that Charles didn’t want to give more money,so I can see Harry making request that he felt entitled to make and William putting his feet down. Until then they were both just “Charles’ sons” ,they operated in the same conditions with the same staff.
When Harry had to go on his separate way ,he realized the conctete effects of the hierarchy in place.
I mean, are we forgetting that they wanted an independent household like KP with offices at Windsor? William isn’t the only problem here.
I also agree that Harry and William seemed fine together at Harry’s wedding. I thought it was very moving to see William stand up for his brother, especially because his brother was so very happy. And William’s children were in the bridal party.
I think the beef came later. I don’t think William and Kate thought Meghan would be so popular. When Harry and Meghan first got married, there was so much ugly shit around, all coming from her family (father’s side). William and Kate probably laughed about that every night. But Meghan handled that like a champ and by the time she and Harry took their tour, the toxic Markles were in the rear-view mirror and Harry and Meghan were on their way to being second only to the Queen in popularity.
I can imagine William was PISSED and Kate wants what William wants, so she was pissed too.
The turning point was the huge success of the Oceanic tour. The Cambridge’s can never get that kind of success, even if they brought out all three children for a walkabout. Also the Buckingham Palace said that the interest in the birth of Baby Archie was more than the interest in the births of all three Cambridge children combined.
So Operation Stop the Sussexes swung into action backed by the Daily Mail and certain royal reporters….Camilla, Robert, Richard, Katie etc and the awful PM have signed up to this, and some have blatantly come out to say that the ‘rock star’ popularity of the Sussexes is too high for their pecking order within the royal family and they are reducing the Cambridge’s to inconsequential nobodies.
Horrible. Maybe you didn’t see some on the day her kid was born. I got terrified and clicked out.
Look at how much flack Kate got in the early years of her marriage.
Which is not remotely the same to the flack Meghan gets. There wasn’t this intense need to bully her into quitting. There wasn’t the racism. It’s a completely different situation.
I never thought the agenda was to drive Kate out of the RF, which is so blatantly obvious in Meghan’s case.
I thought they were trying to drive her into a miscarriage.
Yes, Lady D, I think that was an ulterior motive too and then the crocodile tears would have been shed. Nothing is too low for those of their ilk.
@Erinn, tbf, I don’t think the “are you sure” was meant in a kind, well-meaning way. We all know that one person who asks, “Are you sure?” but what they really mean is, “According to my opinion, I think you’re doing something colossally dumb, and I also think you’re too stupid to make your own decisions on this matter, so I’m gonna condescend to you.”
Maybe that description is an overreach for William, who I’m sure isn’t quite that bad, but I put it in the same, passive-aggressive category as, “Bless your heart,” in that it’s not meant to be kind, it’s meant to be more of a genteel put down than anything else. (Think Diana’s grandmother telling her that the royals are just, “Very different people from you dear, I don’t think you’ll be happy with them.”) It’s sometimes coming from a place of certainty where you’re 80% sure you’re right, but don’t want to be blunt about it.
The thumb with teeth seems like a prepatulant baby so I could see this. As for phillip he has his own demons that are a lot worse then actress…..cough…nazis….cough so he really has no room. But at least he seems to like Meghan now or at least he’s too old to give a crap.
Good for harry for sticking to his guns and sticking up for the women he loves. He might not be king (he’ll always be king in my heart ❤) but he’s the better brother hands down.
hahahaha thumb with teeth YES
I am not surprised of the royal attitude of women in the entertainment industry as sidepiece and hook up material. I think William resents Harry’s marriage because Harry put a ring on Meghan the actress in under two years and William strung along Kate the more acceptable English rose for ten years. And it makes William look bad.
When I read this argument,I think people conveniently forget that W&K started to date when they were 20 years old.
But Kate did nothing with her life except wait around for William to call her. Ten years is a long time to put a woman through that. Sure, Kate was a willing participant, but William always had the position of power in the relationship, and he took advantage of Kate’s lack of purpose/self-worth. Whereas Meghan continued to work while dating Harry, so the dating wasn’t disruptive to her life — she continued to live her own life during the courtship; Kate did not.
Meghan dated Harry (in the public eye) for barely one year before their engagement.
She also had a contract with the TV series. It’s not comparable at all.
And I don’t see Kate not having a fulltime job as lack of self purpose or “worth”.
Yes,William,and the concrete expectations of joining that family,played a central role in her life plans after the St Andrews years,and I don’t necessarily think it was good for her. Their relationship was “serious” and she had expectations to marry him.
But undoubtedly dating publicly William also shaped her personal life,in the way she was resenting the crazy attention and the limitations.
As I’ve already said,if their 2007 split had been definitive,I don’t see her just waiting around doing nothing with her life. She has a good education and she would have (finally) been able to make longterm plans for herself,without worrying about being accused of using her royal connections to find a job,quitting it because of scrutiny,or simply because she was joining that family.
If Kate wanted to work prior to getting engaged at age 29 she would have done so. She could have worked in her parents business or do something with her art degree but she preferred vacationing with William and during the breakups working at making him jealous. She didn’t even do any charity work so what the hell was she doing with her life? She was a spoiled rich girl who didn’t care about anything but the good life and it’s pathetic to be making excuses for her laziness at this point. She didn’t turn it around once she did land William and now almost a decade later we are still getting excuses for the poor work ethic.
@nic919 But she helped her parents? I don’t understand how people pretend to know what she was doing with her life,every single day of the week. And she actually tried to have a more “normal” job with Jigsaw.
And no,I’m not denying the fact that Kate was spoiled by her parents and never put in the position to support herself in five years.
But I’m not making “pathetic excuses”. I’m stating the obvious,that her life and her possibilities were heavily influenced by her relationship with him and the crazy attention and the limitations that came with it. Having said that,I also thought that as soon as she finished to study,she should habe focused on herself,without building her life around him.
@Vi, contextually, most women from aristocratic or aristo-adjacent families who are in a similar position to Kate, don’t work. Or rather, they don’t do “work” in the way you or I think of it. They go to the Rose Hanbury/Kitty Spencer/James Middleton/Princess Eugenie/Mary Charteris school of work, which is use their aristocratic connections to fiddle around for most of their twenties, dipping their toes into something or the other, using their trust fund money to create a startup of some kind, usually a company that sells essential oils or face creams or a high end boutique that quietly closes around five years later. Or they “work” for their families on their estate or their business. Or they “work” in fashion, in some capacity or another. But it’s usually nothing that’s meant to be substantive or permanent, and certainly nothing that amounts to a proper full-fledged career (which would be awfully middle class). They have the money to not have to do that.
So I agree that Kate’s lack of work is a sort of ridiculous thing to pick on–none of these women work properly, nowhere near what Meghan did for decades by that point. Not working properly and then marrying relatively young-ish is a symptom of their class more than any reflection of their self-worth.
I knew Harry would marry Meghan when he called out the tabloids for their racist treatment of her.
Prince Philip probably thought Harry would marry a nice English Rose.
Philip is such an awful old todger, I believe he said all that and then some!
I doubt Philip cared. Old people don’t give a sh*t anymore. Why he would think Harry should prefer someone English (over the rest of the United Kingdom – why?) when he isn’t even British himself by birth. I expect he finds Meghan charming. She’s an attractive lady, he likes attractive ladies.
William controlling????? This is the reason why I have always felt very uneasy criticizing Cathy Cambridge for her “laziness”. I think Cathy has always held back as to not upset Wandering Willy by attracting more positive public attention than he does. There is no doubt that Cathy does not work as hard as Meghan(and probably never would) but I think left to her devices (which she will never be) Cathy would do much more work and be a much greater influence.
I agree with this sentiment wholeheartedly.
My impression was that Kate was approved by the family because she was someone who wouldn’t “pull a Diana” and become more popular than her royal husband. Her willingness to be dull and take a back seat to William was seen as a real plus by the Royal Family and the courtiers.
I sort of agree, sort of disagree. I think William is happy with Kate’s laziness. I think if he wanted her to work more, she would. But I think if she was left to her own devices, she would carry on much as she does now – shopping, exercising, hanging out with her kids. I don’t think she has a burning desire to do more. I think that’s something William likes about her.
I disagree that Kate is naturally lazy. By all accounts she wasn’t lazy until she met William. She was also fairly busy during their 2007 break up. Yes it was a campaign to get him back, but it still showed that she had plenty of hustle. She also seemed to like being a working Royal in the beginning and did so happily while William was in the Falkands. That was when Kate was doing stuff with the Queen and Camilla and such. It was all down hill after he got back. I’m not saying she has an amazing work ethic, but I don’t think she’s as lazy as people think she is. They considered themselves part time up until 2017. If you compare her numbers to Diana’s, she was doing over half. William was only doing 1/4 of what is expected of him in comparison.
Kate spent a decade doing nothing but waiting for the phone to ring. She didn’t do the photography for PP, she worked part time at Jigsaw for 9 months only after the Queen publicly complained about her laziness. Kate is lazy, always has been.
No such thing as a part-time royal, the Malta thing was a tabloid and stan lie. Sophie did twice as many engagement in one year as Kate has ever done – when Sophie wasn’t a working royal of any kind, never expected to be, was pregnant, and nearly died giving birth. No excuse for Kate to sit home on her hands, with her four full-time staff in Wales, while William was off pretending to work.
When you reach the age of 29 and you haven’t held a full time job ever you are a lazy person. She didn’t even have the excuse of raising kids at that point. Even Pippa worked more in the Middleton business than Kate ever did.
I agree! It’s a bad look that she seems okay with being lazy, and she did absolutely nothing with her life during the waity years, but she also has to take care not to arouse her husband’s jealousy. She’s living the “fairy tale” bs that western women are raised on, and people wanted to see her and get to know her. I wonder if she’ll wake up one day and think, “I’ve never done ANYTHING for myself my whole life. I’ve lived to please my mother and then my husband. “I have a feeling she’ll raise Charlotte differently. Luckily for her, Charlotte will “belong” in a way she never can, as Charlotte is a blood princess. I hope for her sake, now that she’s a mother of the heir and spares, that she can assert herself and tell off William when necessary.
I disagree as she never showed any interest in working during the great wait years. She never turned up for the fake job her parents got her, she was only there for the pap shot opportunities after TQ is said to have commented on ‘what does she do?’.
We have already seen what she will do when left to her own devices and that was to shop, workout, party and vacation.
While I’m sure wanting to be available to William with his schedule played a huge role in this, I still think the primary reason Kate didn’t have a full time job anywhere is because the press and the paps made it aggravating, and she probably worried coworkers would start selling stories about her.
Lexa, you give her too much credit. She’s the typical rich upper middle class woman. Pippa’s life is the kind of life that Kate was trained for (by her mother) to fit into the class strictures that they wanted to travel in. I know so many of these kinds of women.
She didn’t work because nobody expected her to work, her parents were wealthy enough that she didn’t have to, and she didn’t have a burning desire to work. I mean she even worked for her parents company where she didn’t have to worry much and yet she could barely do anything except take a few pictures for their website. Which is pretty much all I have ever heard her doing.
Kate is not like us unless we have rich parents who support us so we don’t have to work.
Kate was offered jobs from galleries where they promised to let her use back entrances, etc. All those years of “working” for her parents or the 9 months at jigsaw, she was rarely photographed. She was only papped on big days, like her birthday or right after they broke up again.
Kate wasn’t taking photos for PP. The photos in the catalog and on the website were credited to the professional photographer, Millie something. She was hired to do the private family photos of the W&K wedding too.
@notasugarhere How do you know what Kate did at her parents’ company? You don’t know,in fact. It looks to me that some people like to regurgitate speculation read and re-read on forums,blogs,similar to the ones that are now very busy with spreading rumors about Meghan as facts,and this speculation is suddenly evidence.
I agree with Lexa that the attention Kate was getting with paps parked outside her home (detail that we forget when we talk about her harassement) played a huge role in what she felt free to do. Was William central in her life and her plans? Yes. She definitely had expectations about marrying him and joining that life,and it played a great role in how she was planning her life after St Andrews. But if their 2007 split had been definitive,I don’t see her just waiting around doing nothing with her life. She has a good education and she would have (finally) made longterm plans for herself,without worrying about being accused of using her royal connections to find a job,quitting it because of scrutiny,or simply because she was joining that family.
Hell,she was so inherently lazy,she would haven’t even bothered to do something with her gap year. I do agree that she could have done more before and between her pregnancies,whether she was told what she was doing was fine or not.
Kate make long term plans to support herself? LOL.
Kate’s gap year was spent trying to pursue William *after* his gap year plans were announced. Kate ran to sign up for it, except he opted out of that gap year program so she ended up on a lost cause.
The photos on the website and catalog are credited to Millie, not to Kate. In all the years of Kate “working” for PP, she was only photographed there twice – right after breaking up with William. When asked pointblank on camera what her sister did for PP, Pippa couldn’t answer.
LOL indeed.. Do you know her personally,are you a psychic? I mean,based on some overblown reactions ,someone would think there’s something personal.. Otherwise,none of us know what she would have done without William in her life.
“Kate’s gap year was spent trying to pursue William *after* his gap year plans were announced. Kate ran to sign up for it, except he opted out of that gap year program so she ended up on a lost cause.”
Try to pursue William.. Did William plan a trip in Italy to study at the British Insitute in Florence? I don’t think.
Telegraph:
“A YEAR EARLIER, he too had gone with Raleigh International to Chile, where he built an adventure playground in the coastal village of Tortel, and kayaked in the driving rain along the Pacific coast. She finished off her gap year in traditional hearty Sloane style, crewing a Round the World Challenge boat in the Solent, the spiritual home of English sailing.”
Kate applied even before him.
And I don’t remember William crewing (underpaid) a boat in the Solent.
“The photos on the website and catalog are credited to Millie, not to Kate. In all the years of Kate “working” for PP, she was only photographed there twice – right after breaking up with William. When asked pointblank on camera what her sister did for PP, Pippa couldn’t answer.”
The fact that “she was photographed twice” doesn’t tell us anything about the times she was there,or how she helped her parents.
She wasn’t stalked 24/7,and she wasn’t stalked for 10 years.
I believe you when you say that you see this Millie being credited,but I also doubt you saw every catalogue or pic ever taken for PP..
Whether she helped with the pics or giving her input to the catalogue ideas,it was also a very informal job,and her way to contribute to her parents’ business.
Nah, Kate is content to not work. I don’t think for a minute that William is holding her back. She’s just not that interested in doing anything. My guess is she would be boring as hell to try to have a conversation with.
I think the root of the problem is that the Cambridges are jealous of how popular Harry and Megan are. That the two of them are charismatic, do truly enjoy interacting with the public, and they enjoy doing something to make the world a better place. William and Kate will never get there.
An this bias the royals have against actresses? They are missing the boat here, they should be tapping into the talents people in the entertainment field have.
“William and Kate will never get there” Meghan baked banana bread for her hosts at the bar-b-que they were invited to in Australia. I doubt that idea would ever occur to Kate. It would be an absolutely foreign concept to her. They just do not know how to connect to people. Not a great look for a future ruler and his consort.
Kate is used to being catered to. Her parents did it when she was a child and now she has servants. Maybe if she had done volunteer work she might have some empathy for those who have less, but she never bothered. Even the patronages that she shows a bit of interest in relate to what she likes, like tennis and sailing. Her pathetic involvement with EACH over the years shows what she does when she’s not interested in something.
They should have been smart and sucked up some of Harry and Meghan’s popularity, instead of growing jealous. I think they really lost their minds during the tour when Harry and Meghan appeared on that balcony and the sea of people were out there in that drizzle screaming for them. Still, they could have played cool, and gotten some of that shine. But the green eye monster over took them. That is unfortunate.
Kate doesn’t put in any “work” even when she’s been approved to do something — for example, that disastrous tea shop visit where she asked if one can test the smell of the tea by smelling it? Or touring the British collection with the Queen, when she (the art history major) asked whether they still make those elaborate Faberge eggs. It’s clear Kate did ZERO preparation for even those events she was scheduled to attend. So she would never lift a finger unless forced to, and I will agree that William is content to have her behave that way.
He might be content to have her as lazy as he is, but when she humiliates him through her on-the-job performance he isn’t content. His frustration at her lack of professionalism shows.
@MrsK I agree, W&K always seem woefully ill prepared for their events asking vacuous questions with no substance and look completely uninterested in the initiative and the people. However I suspect Meghan has a notebook that she prepares with and takes with her on the journey, doing research beforehand about the initiative and considering interesting and open questions she could ask to elicit informative answers that can form a conversation. H&M always look as if they have an interest, want to learn and could stay longer that their schedule permits. Kate can’t hold a conversation that lasts longer than her closed question and a yes/no answer… Someone on another thread suggested Kate is an empty vessel – I agree with that.
Every time I see Prince Phillip I think Yo mama is definitely the Crypt Keeper. You look just like her. LOL
This was from Sophia Money Coutts, she’s very well connected before people try to claim she’s lying lol. It’s not surprising, though. The actress bit seems to imply Meghan had a role in the kerfuffle; good or bad, I don’t know. But she knows how to control and project a certain image of herself to the public because she comes from a celeb background. So I can see heads butting if one set wanted to do something one way and the other set didn’t like it.
William thinks he’s a PR genius – he is not. Meghan knows how the play the PR game and she is good at it. Someone doesn’t like that.
If Meghan is so good at the PR then she would have been well known in her own right instead of as the actress that snagged a prince.
Gilly, I’m sure you’ve been told this before so you’re just being an obstinate cow looking to pick a fight, but Meghan already was a well known actress.
@Gilly girl, bye. I knew who Meghan Markle was long before she started dating Harry. She was on a show that runs in over 30 countries. Have a thousand seats.
Gilly, she may not have had the name recognition of, say, Angelina Jolie or Meryl Streep but she was well known and her name was out there between social media, her blog, her TV show and various appearances including charity appearances. She is also known now as the American actress who snagged a British prince, which isn’t a take down of anything she had accomplished before hand, just an addition to her biography.
@ Sass
Some people decide to be stubborn and persistent in their stupidity…..they think if they are personally not aware of something, then it doesn’t exist or isn’t true eg they didn’t know Meghan b4 Harry ergo, she didn’t exist.
It’s usually quite hard to teach/educate that particular kind of stubborn, small minded ignorance, but let’s all keep trying regardless. 🙂
@Gilly: Not only was Meghan a well-known actress, before she met Harry she was involved in community service work and charity projects. She also did an internship at the American embassy in Buenos Aires and studied for a semester in Madrid. She has a degree from Northwestern’s School of Communication with a double major in theater and international studies. Yes people DO know about her and her PR game is spot on. She can run circles around Waity and William work-wise and PR-wise which is why William has his undies in a knot and has given his brother the cold-shoulder as a result. Plain, simple jealousy.
I think it’s all subjective. I only had heard of her before Harry because she had a line at Reitmans. I didn’t know who she was, but thought she was a pretty lady, and that’s about all I ever thought about it until seeing her pop up on here eventually. I wouldn’t say she was a household name pre-Harry. Suits was definitely her best job – most roles were pretty small parts.
I don’t think it’s completely outrageous to think that she wasn’t a big name and that she wasn’t WELL known. She had an average amount of recognition for the kind of show she was on. I don’t see how stating that is somehow an attack? I just don’t think it’s rational to think that most people knew who she was. There was a solid fan base when it comes to Suits.
@Gilly, Meghan had an education, a career, friends, a following, did charity work, was politically active, and had money before she met Harry.
She didn’t “snag” anyone, and her accomplishments stand on their own.
I think William’s primary problem is that Meghan (& Harry, by extension) are starting to disagree with his ideas, and he can’t deal with that. And tbf, I think Meghan is a nice person in that she’d do her best to be nice even when she’s in disagreement with someone else. So you know that William’s issues aren’t anything to do with her attitude, and everything to do with the fact that she’s not falling in line with what he thinks is correct.
Sass – Not sure how my comment constitutes picking a fight but it still does not negate the fact that Meghan was not a well known actress. What else has she been in besides Suits? I’ll wait.
Valiantly Varnished – Lol, thank you for proving my point. At this point Suits is a punchline. Even Meghan realized she couldn’t make it in LA hence her focus on a smaller pond ie Toronto.
False equivalency. It is an American show that filmed in Toronto. Along with other shows like The Handmaid’s Tale, American Gods, Queer as Folk. Then there are the American TV shows filmed in Vancouver Canada like Arrow, Fear the Walking Dead, Lucifer, Once Upon a Time, Supergirl, Supernatural, Riverdale, Pretty Little Liars. I’m sure you’ve heard of a few of those shows.
American TV shows are often filmed in Canada because it’s cheaper.
That doesn’t even make sense—“she focused on a smaller pond.” If she lands the the show, and it shoots in Toronto, then she is moving to Toronto for as long as she chooses to be on the show. She isn’t focusing on a smaller pond. Is that coffee or hater-ade you’re sipping on this morning?
Lol. Thanks for proving that you have literally no idea what you’re talking about. She didn’t move to Canada because she couldn’t make it in Hollywood. Suits is an AMERICAN show that shoots in Canada. Like a bunch of other American shows. Because it’s cheaper to film there. Here is a little sample of all the show that currently shoot in Canada: The Handmaid’s Tale, American Gods, Designated Survivor, Schitt’s Creek…to name a few.
Now again – have a thousand seats. You’re embarrassing yourself.
VV all it took was a quick Google search to prove her point was false. And by quick I mean however long it takes to type “American TV shows filmed in Canada.” But I suppose some people just like to throw all sorts of insulting spaghetti against the wall and see what sticks. Research and verification not needed, smh.
@Girl Monday it’s not coffee or hater-ade she’s sipping on. It’s a cup of salt.
Gosh, I wish I had the stamina to defend a total stranger (who is doing just fine without your chorus by the way) but all I did was respond without insults I might add. The reactions were amusing then I made another comment. I was talking about her networking abilities in my Toronto line which I admit are excellent. The truth is her fans like the lot of you will be her downfall. Have fun!
@Gilly lol. Well you certainly have the stamina to bash a total stranger now don’t you? And now that you’ve completely lost your argument, it’s about Meghan’s “networking”. Sure, Jan.
Gilly, lighten up. You ARE reacting (not responding) insultingly and taking cheap shots at all of us who actually knew of Meghan before she met Harry. I’m from Toronto, watched the show, and liked the fact that a number of big American shows film in Toronto – it and numerous other places in Canada have become very popular places to film. She had a rising film and TV career before she even worked on Suits. She DID make it in LA and came to Toronto to film a successful show as a result of her previous experience and success.
Now go take a valium and lie down.
Lots of movies are shot in Montreal to resemble New York because the permits to film in NYC are astronomical. Same with commercials.
The quote from Philip was just hearsay, gossip, innuendo….and was probably attributed to something Philip said many years ago, and is now being regurgitated to shame Meghan. Remember Andrew also had a fling with Koo Stark and was told to get rid of her. Times have changed. I believe Philip said no such thing to Harry.
Makes more sense than someone hanging on to the quote to use years later.
I don’t think William and Harry’s beef is over Meghan, otherwise Harry would be pissed at His grandfather also.
Harry may have years of built of frustration with William, and reach his breaking point.
The tv presenter who said she was Harry’s (confident) drinking buddy and didn’t get an invitation to the wedding, is saying that he cut off most of his old friends.
When will people learn, that if you tell a man something about his girlfriend, most likely they will tell the girlfriend, what you said.
So the chances are likely you’re not going to be invited to dinner.
I’m not white and even I was thrown aback by Harry not choosing the English rose route. So I’m not surprised both William and Prince Phillip asked if Harry was sure. I would also ask the same thing because it was a short romance and looked what happened to Charles. Marrying an actress IS a different ball game. A non-aristocrat but not quite a commoner. Both Meghan and the BRF would have to adapt. So I don’t think asking means they are prejudiced towards Meghan but it makes a difference if they still don’t accept Meghan AFTER the engagement. If they still don’t accept Meghan, then that’s just straight up prejudiced against her former profession and likely race.
As for William being petulant and controlling, yea sorry it’s not hard to disbelieve.
The interesting thing is that an actor joining the BRF is perfect in the current conditions. That would be someone who is used to the paps, who knows you have to present a facade in public, who is used to styling themselves in public, who knows how to play a role, and may already be heavily involved in charity work. Just the press involvement in your lives would be enough to scare off normal people, which is what happened to Harry’s previous relationships.
IMPO, Meghan is perfect for Harry.
Does anyone know: Was it Chelsey or Cressy that Kate was purported to heavily dislike?
Kate disliked Cresida. I wonder if it was because she is a proper Aristocrat unlike Kate…. ?
I think it was Cressy, because she came from a big aristo family and her sister had dated William at some point?
As for the article, I don’t like that spin that the Sussexes moved their operation to Buckingham Palace so that QE can keep an eye on them. IIRC most of the other royals (other than Charles, and William) have offices and staff at BP. It’s just the logical place to do it.
And as for Kate, there is a lid for every pot. She barely worked in the 10 or so years she waited for William. She wasn’t about to start when they got married. Give young Lady Diana credit, she was working as a kindergarten aide/nanny. It wasn’t ditch-digging and everyone knew she wouldn’t need to make a career of it, but she got her butt out of bed every day and showed up. More than Waity.
Will has s nice English Rose. Or so they say….
Ha ha – well played !
Not surprising if Phillip made those comments to Harry about Meghan. But obviously, the only person whose opinion mattered most gave her permission for the marriage to take place. The Queen approved the marriage. It’s sad to see so much energy and hate directed at a young couple with the sole purpose of breaking up their marriage.
There have been stories for years about William being very controlling with household staff, so I can believe that he doesn’t want to micromanage but he still wants final say in everything.
That reminds me of the story that one Christmas, he was to host the Windsor staff to a special screening of a new James Bond movie. He didn’t want to see that particular movie, so had them change it. A lot of people were disappointed.
Made them watch a Twilight movie, and didn’t even stick around to thank the staff for their hard work that year.
Can you give some receipts for this? I remember one of their housekeepers quit because they started spending more time at KP and she thought it was too demanding to go between Amner and KP, but the Cambridges seem to have a pretty good track record for keeping staff?
You’re confusing housekeepers. The Italian housekeeper is at KP and only at KP. W&K hired another housekeeper and groundsman for Anmer (wife and husband duo). That couple ran back to the Queen’s employ five months after starting at Anmer.
Tells me that right from the beginning,they were prepared not to like and accept her,thats why she getting treated this way.
Not cause shes done something wrong (let be real,the royal family are not ones to talk about anything) but because they are a bunch of snobs(the courtiers especially) that cant stand the idea of someone like her in the family.
Meghan was never going to be fully accepted into the aristocratic society. They are supreme snobs who barely like each other, so you know how they feel about a divorced, biracial, American actress marrying into their world. The best things Harry and Meghan can do for their marriage is to perform their duties well, develop their own strong support system, and to stay away from the miserable snobs.
Exactly!
Are these supreme snobs the descendants of those royals who were so chummy with Jenny Churchill?
Yes they are. Jenny Churchill only did the things she got to do (and she did a lot) because Edward VII loved her and may have been “in-love” with her for a time.
Edward VII actually went to the Duke of Marlborough (Randolph’s father) and personally promoted and approved the marriage.
William is controlling in that he wants things his way. Which I see would be an issue for Harry who finally grew a pair in the past few years.
All this is began after the huge successful Australian tour. I think William and Kate didn’t expect a such huge success and love for the Sussex.
It’s clear to many non-brits that the royalist saw (see) Harry’s marriage to Meghan as practically illegal. They did everything they could to break them up, using her family, and the media, employing every racist and sexist trope that exists to demean her. It’s a textbook display of institutional racism: white womens tears, diva accusations, othering, dog whistle language, even overt racism at times (straight outta Compton). They didn’t count on her charisma, intelligence, and ability. They didn’t expect her to be able to curry powerful allies. In fact, all the bullying she has received has increased her popularity globally. So here she is, HRH Duchess of Sussex. The British royal family can either use her to build support for the continuation of the royal family, or they can push the Sussexes out, which would be a disaster. Push comes to shove, I say Harry picks his wife and child over the royal family. The Sussexes unchained are global rock stars, and it would be hard to justify a commonwealth that’s mostly nonwhite if they kick out the nonwhite member of the family. Someone needs to have a Come To Jesus talk with William and explain reality to him. Brother vs brother is always a bad deal because people take sides.
Preach!!!! I wish William would’ve genuinely support Harry and Meghan. Even if he didn’t support the marriage, if William was smart, he would’ve seen how his supporting Meghan, would’ve curbed some of the racists and would’ve bolstered him in a lot of people’s eyes. He proved that he is exactly how he comes off. I can’t wait to see the time when people are asking for the Monarchy to skip him and move on to George.
I mean, Charles understands that. Yes, I think he genuinely likes Meghan, but I think he gets that his support of Meghan makes him look better. Walking her down the aisle did a LOT for his image.
ETA meaning that if Charles gets it, you would think William would as well, but nope.
I definitely think you are right about Harry and Meghan becoming global rock stars. The thing is, I think they are already there. Look how huge the Australian tour was; look at the global baby shower for Baby Sussex. Anna Wintour has said that if she could have any celebrity she wanted at the Met Gala, she would want Meghan and Kate. I don’t recall her talking about wanting just Kate before that. I think all that has really torqued both the Cambridges. After all, He’s the heir, not Harry. I just hope that TQ or Charles acts to protect Harry and his interests. When William becomes the king he could really mess with Harry’s life if he is still bitter. I hope that Will finally accepts Harry’s popularity and uses it to benefit the RF.
Wintour wanted Kate on the cover since 2011,so yes she was interested in Kate.
Both couples attract huge crowds. W&K’s tours in Australia and Canada drew a lot of people too. Also,I think some people underestimate the fact that the novelty factor wears away after a few years.
People get used to see them and their kids.It’s true for both couples. Someone was commenting about the father’s day pic of Archie that Meghan was also playing a clever PR game teasing in order to keep the attention high. It’s right. For example,since she has not showed Archie’s full face in a traditional portrait,the next pic (his Christening?) will obviously gain more attention than what it would get if everyone had seen their son a few weeks before.
@Lanne
10/10 for this comment. You’ve hit so many of the issues right on the head.
I’d add that the UK Press need to be shoe-horned into that talk with (literal) dickhead William.
The RF need to be careful because as you state the House of Sussex unchained = global rock stars and this was their biggest fear with Diana. She WAS bigger than them and was usurping them on a global scale, Harry and Meghan together would be on another level, especially if they appeared to shun the Royal life and increase their philanthropic endeavors. The RF would be history in less than a decade thereafter, This is why William wants to tether them. In his head, his dominance and ascension to the throne is wholly dependent on them ‘knowing their place’.
Oh how I wish the Rose story would blow this summer…. let Billy boy recover from that…
This makes me root for H&M even more.
I feel like we have heard some form of this for years. I agree with other commenters that controlling means he wants things his way.
Would it be possible that this bad press with Rose is backlash for treating people poorly his whole life?
So, I can kind of see your last point. If William has not built up any goodwill with the press etc, it’s possible that they are pushing back as much as possible with this rose story. Or maybe William isn’t that well liked with the Toffs and they are sharing just enough details to make him look bad (private dinners, private walks, etc) while still trying to protect rose. IDK. But I can see the press getting tired of William trying to control the narrative while giving them little in return.
@Basi,
“Would it be possible that this bad press with Rose is backlash for treating people poorly his whole life?”
Basi, this is exactly what I thought from the beginning since the tabloids began re-running the same story over and over again about Bill Cambridge trimming the Rose Bush. Bill Cambridge does not seem to be very well liked by anyone in general whereas the Cholmondeleys seemed to very well liked by many people of all classes across many different sets.
This is typically what the media do when they are poised to take someone down but cannot do so due to a gagging order of some sort.
They start chipping away at the edges in the hope that an outlier feels like it is OK to talk or volunteer a tidbit here and there in support of the new narrative.
The press then get to sniff out who has beef with Billy boy and they start looking into the affairs of said person. And bingo soon after they find that persons Achilles heal and use that as an entry point to get the talker to talk a little more on subjects which interest them.
These recent stories have a purpose….and this is why Billy did not want Kate or any of her people ‘phased out’.
Friends close and enemies closer…
Harry’s response whenever William is around seems way too personal and angry over a little “are you sure?” Even a “are you sure you want to marry an actress?” I honestly believe William intimated something regarding Meghan’s race. Not in a “you can’t marry this black woman” way, but maybe in a, “do you understand the implications in marrying a mix-raced woman? What people will say about your children?” With how Harry reacted with the racism lobbed at Meghan, I think he would very much be upset if he was getting it from William.
This feud started after the tour last year.
The night before the wedding, they greeted the crowds outside the castle and went to the pub together.
The first year Meghan went to service with the Royal family, William was helping her out.
The wedding day Harry was a nervous wreck and William was trying to keep him calm.
If William said anything racial about Meghan she would not stand next to him protocol or no protocol.
They need a really good family therapist
I’m not sure *any* therapist would want to work with THIS family! 😉
Grace Kelly was an actress and she became one of the most beautiful,loved and hallowed Princess in the world. She was even more regal than real princesses. Enough with all this snobbery.
Truly she was a beloved princess, but she had affairs with her married Hollywood costars and directors. Thank goodness there was no social media during her time.
And she was the only actress willing to take on Prince Rainier. She wasn’t his first choice, just the one who took the offer.
His advisors told him his first choice, Marilyn Monroe, wasn’t going to provide the cleaned up image for Monaco they wanted. The posh girl from Philadelphia society, Academy Award winner, from an Irish Catholic family fit the bill.
Plus she was the only one whose family was willing to pay a ‘dowry’ of about £1mill at the time. Rainer apparently asked for it – people should remember that at the time he and Monaco were broke. He wanted a HW starlet wife to help create the tax haven/playground of the rich and famous that Monaco became.
Rainier was NOT a nice person, its alleged he was a bully who cheated on her throughout the marriage.
Yeah, but only an HSH not an HRH. Somehow there’s a difference & the latter rate higher.
Thing is, Monaco is hardly the equivalent of Britain. And whatever said and done, even if Grace was famous and beautiful and regal and well-liked, none of the “proper” royals, even in Britain or the rest of Europe, think that the Grimaldis are actually on their level in terms of status.
God… This place is like a Meghan fansite these days. You’d believe anything negative against William and Kate in order to big up Meghan.
And actually, he will be king. So ultimately he will get yo control them somewhat, or else give up their royal privileges.
Latoya, Posters on this blog are well aware of Meghan’s faults and are well aware of Cathy’s strengths and good points. Everything is discussed.
@BayTampaBay Really? Must’ve missed this – what do people here say are Meghan’s faults?
@ Lady Bade Baden
You must not visit this site very often as BayTampa Amy’s comment is 100% accurate. Quick example, only a few days ago, Meghan was almost universally shredded on this site for her appearance (sartorial choices to be specific).
I believe most of the comments (though harsh), were a fair assessment of her choices that day. Just as I believe posters here are also generally fair when they defend her against the ugly and unnecessary criticism she faces 99% of the time. (usually driven by racism, classism and just straight forward, plain old jealousy).
Her clothes? That’s it?
(Don’t jump on me! I’m not attacking her! I’m not at all fan of the royal family and my only criticism of MM is that she married into that mess. The woman married DOWN)
Her clothes and her spending gets criticized on here. Honestly she’s only been married a year. We don’t have much else to go on lol.
Kate gets criticized primarily for not working and for the PR narrative that she is so keen. Those two go hand in hand. We are always told how keen she is to work and then she….doesn’t. At this point it’s a joke.
Many of us have said repeatedly that if Kate worked more, much of the criticism would go away.
Thanks Becks1. Can I ask another? Why does it matter how much Kate or any of them work? Don’t get me wrong – as a British tax payer I absolutely resent having to contribute towards the luxury lifestyles of any of these lazy poshos – but I don’t resent one more than the other just because s/he might avoid a few more fake smiles and promotional photocalls.
@Lady Baden-Baden, Meghan has been constantly taken to task for her spending, the optics of her spending, the optics of the NYC baby shower, the optics of writing on bananas, wearing high end bespoke designer clothes that are not tailored properly, her make-up application and talking to People Magazine through her friends on this site.
@ Lady Bade Baden
BayTampa Bay’s comment is 100% accurate. Quick example, only a few days ago, Meghan was almost universally shredded on this site for her appearance (sartorial choices to be specific).
I believe most of the comments (though harsh), were a fair assessment of her choices that day. Just as I believe posters here are also generally fair when they defend her against the ugly and unnecessary criticism she faces 99% of the time. (usually driven by racism, classism and just straight forward, plain old jealousy).
We might not agree with you that she’s a vicious bitch for daring to breathe, but it doesn’t mean we can’t see the flaws she has (such as they are)
Too late! You jumped on me! As I said above – I admire MM. Can’t I ask questions?
I think it’s the amount of time. There is a decade of actions or non actions by Duchess Catherine to judge and comment on. We only have a year of Duchess Meghan in her royal role to comment on. Faults aren’t as glaring or repeated yet, only due to time.
Yeah – fair enough. Thanks HMC!
Americans have an interesting idea of just what the King/Queen controls. Queen Elizabeth doesn’t control her family, body and soul. And by the time William’s King (if that ever happens), he probably won’t have control of much more than his immediate. And who gets to wear what tiara, when.
The whole point of the royal family is to represent her though, isn’t it? Their actions reflect on her and the institution, and she can’t even fire them. Even though she is rumored to be very averse to confrontation, you better believe she intervenes (through courtiers) when she feels the need.
Kaiser has been critical of William and Kate for years, long before Meghan came along. She calls out the microaggressions, game-playing, and racism of the tabloids etc. when it comes to Meghan. If this isn’t your cup of tea, I’m sure tumblr will take you back.
@Latoya: We are a bit more educated than to put all our fan eggs in one basket. We read, not just the sleazy tabloids but other, more intelligent articles on the royal family. Nobody is perfect in this situation, but the Cambridges have consistently come off as lazy, unfocused and only doing lip service to their supposed “causes”. At least Meghan and Harry WORK and get things done, which has shone a harsh light on the lackadaisical attitude of the Cambridges.
Do they WORK,though? None of them WORK, really.. Having said that,if we exclude Meghan’s late stage of her pregnancy,
both couples’ schedules have been almost identical (same two, three public appearances in a row with a 10 days /weeklong break) with Harry’s numbers (including a two-week tour) being even lower than his brother’s numbers. The brother who is the lazy one,for some people.
The cookbook was a good idea with a conctete goal. Fine. But this narrative that sees them as the family’s “workhorses” (who are “working” so much!) is honestly ridiculous.
Thing is, royals weren’t necessarily expected to be workhorses before the Queen decided that was the best image to project as PR, and it worked for her because it suited her temperament. Even then, before Diana came along and became the most photographed woman in the world, everything they did for charity and patronages could charitably be described as “unfocused and only doing lip service to their supposed ’causes’ ”. I think William is very aware of his and his family’s position as a symbol of the UK’s continuity or whatever, and doesn’t necessarily think he has to become the most visionary philanthropist ever to fulfill his duty. I happen to agree with him because I find Charles and his PR absolutely insufferable.
The Queen’s grandmother, Queen Mary, famously said, “We are never tired, and we love hospitals.” The royals have been expected to work since Edwardian times. I didn’t think I cared until I saw how lazy William is.
Actually, the first Royal to pioneer Royal charity work was Queen Mary’s mother, the Duchess of Teck known and loved by the public as “Fat Mary”. Queen Victoria’s daughter Princess Helena jumped on the bandwagon by setting up and promoting a nursing school and hospital which I believe still bears her name.
Personal Opinion: Never was a a big Charles fan but after seeing the documentary “Charles at 70”, I am now one of his biggest fans due to his work on global warming and his work with Dumfries House. Charles actually does work as an Executive with The Princes Trust just like any other CEO or COO of a large charity.
Harry is no longer going along to get along and that has upset his family and friends. They want drunk partying do-nothing Harry back. It’s kind of sad they just will not be happy for him.
Good god. In their haste to destroy Meghan the RF and their sycophants show their disdain for the regular things about normal people. Working all your life to be a success, making your own money, wanting to help people, being an actress etc. Its all something presented as all beneath this family who gave done fuck all in life with a few exceptions ( Charles with Princes Trust, Duchy Originals, Harry with Sentabke and Invictus). I would also add Sophie and Meghan but they married in.
When the time comes and it will come bc people are increasingly asking what the RF, I will be voting yes for an abolishment. A lot of them repulse me right now and then they the audacity to act superior.
The Clarence House staff loves this narrative that William is controlling, and I still think a big part of it is that he was the one to push for a separate office outside of CH and some independence from the staff that had no issue throwing both him and Harry under the bus or sharing stories about them to up Charles’ image when they were younger. Just based on articles over the last few years, there’s still some obvious annoyance with them that William and Kate continue to get more coverage than C&C and continue to be more popular. I’ve always felt this is their way of dinging Will without it being too bad.
As for Will being controlling, I’d believe he got used to calling the shots as the older brother, especially as Harry seemed even less invested in royal work than W&K until a few years ago, post-Army. I’ve always thought that Harry is the type with a lot of potential, but who might need a guiding hand and a lot of direction to really shine—I think Will gave him that, or at least some protection (thinking of that story about Will cutting Harry’s interview short after he got back from deployment when he noticed his brother wasn’t doing well emotionally, etc) for a while when they were younger, but you can see it with his rebrand as a soldier hero with ELF and now with Meghan crafting more of a brand.
Too late to try to cast William as the protective older brother now with this fan fiction. He has been manipulating, using, and underestimating his little brother most of their lives.
I read Meghan was told something in confidence that wasn’t true about someone to see if she could be trusted and she put it out there. Meghan was no longer trusted. This made Harry very angry and defensive that his wife had been tricked. That is why the brothers no longer get along. This is what I read.
I’m sure you read that on either tumblr or the Fail. Got any receipts? Whether or not you like Meghan, and it’s fine not to like her, her fans always come with receipts.
Oh please. Any receipts for the Harry fell out with William because William cheated theory? Anything for the widely repeated belief that William got all the tabloids to write negative stories about Meghan? Which fan fiction around royals you believe depends on your biases.
Read where? What site? Would love to know. Please post a link. I can’t take comments like these seriously when they don’t come with receipts to back them up.
I had read for years William played this game with people to see if they could be trusted. Do you think “receipts” are mandatory when it comes to gossip? I have wondered if this factored into the Rose story. It’s actually something a controlling person would do, tell someone a story and see if they can can keep it secret or not. In my experience, I’ve told people stories and things that happened to me, and months later the same person would repeat the same story back but as though it happened to them. People are weird. Megan needs support and just like Diana won’t get any from that family except Harry seems to deeply love her. Megan is a really strong person I give her credit for that.
@Cat I can believe William does that but I don’t think he would have done it with the Rose story. That’s too damaging all around.
FYI everyone LindaS is Linda Senne – a twitter troll. She hates Meghan and used to tweet under the twitter alias “aufwiedersehen”.
@Eyefalia knows her well….
Öhm, nope! I helped outing her. She should still be there but since another person and I outed her she locked her account. I think it’s @deplorableme87.
I doubt you will believe me but I am not that Linda senne. I read this awhile ago and I dont remember where I read it. I didnt say I believe it I was just putting it out there as a possibility to what happened. Sheesh people get a grip. Where can you see that I said I hated Meghan? I am a farmer who is having a day off because it is raining here. Wow.
@LindaS: For the love of God(dess) where do you get this stuff? Please provide proof before you post such nonsense.
Who’s Philip to give any advice. What was he before he married Elizabeth and if the rumors were true he wasn’t wanted either.
As for William, he seems controlling about his image other than that he is too lazy to put the work in.
He was not wanted at all for many reasons including his Nazi sisters.
The stuff about Philip being hardly welcome in the royal family aren’t just rumours, they’re very much true. The Queen Mother couldn’t abide by him.
The Sun has another hit piece on Meghan which basically rehashed all the former claims about how awful she is. The Cambridges must be desperate to deflect from the affair story 🙄
Well I’m not surprised. I thought that might happen after the weekend post of Archie and Harry got 2m likes in under a day and over 100000 ppl joined the Sussex instagram. It quite eclipsed anything Kensington Palace put out which apparently we cant have.
So anytime there is something good for the Sussex and the global world is enthralled with them it really triggers some ppl and out come the hit pieces. The tactic is quite obvious now.
Agree; a bad article was inevitable. The press doesn’t need palace sources or even an anonymous royal tip to make up a story about Meghan and/or Harry. For the tabloids, it’s all about revenue and the RRs get to exact a little revenge for the Sussexes not giving them access to their personal lives and their son’s.
Sure,it must be the Cambridges.. Someone above was talking about how William hasn’t built goodwill with the press,when in reality both brothers have always had an antagonistic attitude with the press (not that they have not their reasons). But since his engagement,Harry’s relationship with them is even worse. Again,he had his good reasons. But considering how certain press has complained before and after the birth,why are some people acting like tabloids would never cover negatively them if the Cambridges are not telling them what to do.. Please. First- it’s click bait. Second, they get the pleasure to retaliate.
I think as an older sibling having a younger sibling at your disposal, with nothing major really going on for them means that they can be there for you and revolve their life around you in a way they can’t and won’t when they get married. It upsets the balance or the way things used to be and I think that’s Williams problem. His little brother has a life of his own and for the first time it’s better than his.
Yes, this! I was the younger sister, and there was resistance when I established control over my life.
Lol, I’m in my mid 50’s and my older siblings still think I’m 6. I’ve gotten to the point now that I just ignore their suggestions and advice.
Every day we see Harry chose, William settled. William sees it too so he takes it out on Harry and Meghan.
I can see that, and it might have triggered the whole Rose situation. But we don’t have receipts.
You never know who has the better life, but this makes a lot of sense to me. It’s a typical power struggle between the older and the younger brother, but it’s complicated by the fact that William will effectively be Harry’s boss one day.
You need watch the Charles at 70 documentary where the too brothers are discussing their fathers contributions. In the old days Harry would have been in with acquiescence with every word William said but on more than one occasion Harry openly disagreed with and contradicted his big brother…..this was Harry growing in self confidence, l believe that he and Meghan were already an item when this was filmed. William must be really put out by the new confident Harry.
Prince Phillip was speaking from his own experience. HE stepped out with Hollywood actresses. And stewardesses. And Lottie, Dottie and Everybody. And he didn’t marry them. Because he was already married to the Queen of England.
It must have hurt Harry to hear that about the woman he loved from this Grandfather who he loves and respects. But marrying Meghan gave Harry the chance to see his family for who they REALLY ARE. And that’s a good thing.
Ugh, they are all terrible. I don’t know why Meghan would want to marry into this crew, but to each her own.
They still aren’t as bad as the Markle side of her family. She is no stranger to family dysfunction.
Lol. It’s funny how this time last year, the royal family had a ton of good will and nice publicity. That’s long gone, thanks to the pettiness and bitterness from courtiers and jealous family members. They certainly know how to shoot themselves in the foot. Imagine if they’d actually supported Meghan…how different things might be now.
Why are the courtiers so bitter? How do they benefit from stirring up so much trouble in the press?
Status quo. She’s American, an actress and mixed race. None of those qualities belong in the hallowed halls of this particular royalty. They will do whatever they can to maintain the ‘correct’ form of royalty to prove they are better and to put her in her place, which is cowed and under their thumbs.
I kind of wonder if the falling out happened in part because Harry found out about Rose Hanbury and confronted his brother about it. Can’t imagine Wills would take that very well, and Harry and Kate seem to have always gotten along. I could see Harry being verrrrry upset at his brother about something like that, given the family history. I mean, it is probably a combination of things, but I just wonder if it was a factor.
Except it not the first or even the tenth time he has screwed around on her. It’s been a pattern since they first got together.
It’s a shame that neither William or Kate have the intelligence or the foresight to see that teaming up with Harry and Meghan would be a win all-around. William is too lazy and Kate is lazy and probably afraid to question William. She knows that it’s not a lock for her to become Queen Consort.
I believe the beef originates with William. I think he’s jealous of Harry, the slacker who ended up with an intelligent, sophisticated woman who adores him and makes him a better man. William doesn’t have that. I’m sure that Kate feels a bit threatened by Meghan’s popularity but it’s caused her to up her game so everybody wins.
The real shame is that William doesn’t realize he’s playing into the hands of the people who made his mother’s life so unhappy. These faceless courtiers are loving the rift between the brothers and will drag it out as long as they can. As a combined force, William and Harry would be VERY formidable. They could bring the monarchy into the 21st century and ensure their children’s future, both Future King (maybe) George and Private Archie. Charles wants to modernize the monarchy so he would be on board too. They would be a force to be reckoned with and both would be immensely popular.
But William isn’t just spoiled and lazy, he’s traumatized over what happened to his mother. It’s a shame that he doesn’t have someone who loves him enough to encourage him to seek out some real help. But Kate needs William to be the way he is, no matter how much he humiliates her. If he got help, he might start believing that he needed to make changes to be a better, HAPPIER man and one of those changes might be his marital situation.
@ KERWOOD-what an amazing, perceptive and insightful post! You hit so many nails on the head that I didn’t even know existed.
Such a shame that W or K can’t/haven’t (couldn’t??/won’t??) be bothered to question and (self) reflect a tiny fraction of what you have. So very sad.
@kerwood – fabulous post.
It was reported that the times.co.uk has to pay substantial damages and issued an apology to Prince Harry. It is important to consider the source of described items. The Sunday Times reported about a year ago that Meghan made Catherine cried, that caused what seem like an ongoing backlash against the Duchess.
When she tried to self-define as any person who is capable of critical thinking, it was reported as good PR -the concept of branding and consumption as a religious everything.
Now the new revelations from the same includes the narrative of a “controlling” William. Controlling as insecure? If so, Why? Should his brother under-perform to make him feel good about himself?
Prince Harry has found love and self-confidence making it possible to execute his royal duties in a pleasing manner.
Hence the high regard from the youths of the Commonwealth. Meghan majored in International Relations and is a good fit to accompany her husband in his endeavours.
The concept of going to Africa as banishment is bizarre because constitutional monarchies have vice regents that support the laws in places like Canada and Australia where the are royal representatives like Governor General.etc appointed by the democratically elected governments.
If the source of th leaks are in support of an insecure and jealous future King, it is not suprising that the is a rift.
Until there is a level of maturity the senior members of the monarchy will have to intercede.
Prince Harry has earned and deserves his happiness.
I pray that he cherishes the joy of being a part of a happy family and continue meeting his royal obligations effectively with charm and goodwill towards the younger members of the Commonwealth the varying patrons and charities.
William will be king. I hope that will be enough.
Off the topic I loved Kate’s outfit (no buttons 🤯) in the bottom picture as well as her makeup.
Honestly, it’s getting interesting. Everyone is getting bad press now. It seems definitely like it.
There is a pecking order with the royal family. They don’t mind using it or showing it. Harry was be used as a whipping boy who has mental problems so they have to tolerate his issues. Everybody smiling and joking with Harry in fact they laughing behind his back because he is the spare and you can treat the spare anyway you want to. Harry is looking at the long game and he will be successful. The people cut off their noses to spite their faces. There is a reason Harry and Meghan were given the leadership roles on the commonwealth. Do people realize how many people live in these commonwealth countries. Stuck on stupid.
William is the one who will be King but Harry is the one who reigns… William’s controlling nature is his biggest issue, self importance. I feel for Kate sometimes. She used to be so happy when Harry was unattached and could be her shield.
Harry who reigns? People here are so OTT!
I agree that William is definitely controlling, but not in the overly micromanaging way. More in the way of, “Everyone should do what I want them to do at all times, and if they deviate from my wishes, there will be hell to pay.” I know quite a few people like that, and it’s exhausting for two reasons. First, they’re never fully open about what their wishes are, so you have to do a lot of detective work on your own to figure it out. And two, god forbid you step out of line, because they will become a petulant a–hole about it and make you suffer in a peculiarly passive aggressive way that is immature, eyeroll-worthy and infuriating.
I expect that Harry kind of went along with it because he didn’t find any of William’s expectations overly ridiculous you know? He probably thought it was just William being William, and you kind of have to put up with it because that’s just how he is. And William for his part didn’t think anything of Harry’s own endeavours at the time, and maybe didn’t view them as any particular threat to him or his popularity or anything.
But I imagine that everything changed once Harry got married, and his priorities shifted to what HE wanted out of the future and the particular role he wants to carve out for himself and his family. And like–that’s expected. That’s normal. People who get married, who have children, they will change and it’s ridiculous not to realize that. It’s even more ridiculous to pin this stuff on their partner, especially if it’s the wife, because people do this sh-t ALL THE TIME. “Oh, he became a different person because he got married to that wife of his and SHE’s the one responsible for this change!!” It’s a tale as old as time, and it’s been ridiculous for about as fcking long, and I don’t doubt that William is ALL up in this excuse. Which, ugh.