Well, it’s official. Queen Elizabeth of House Petty has demanded that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex return their royal patronages. This was the punishment literally everyone knew was coming. The British media hyped the f–k out of it this week following the twin reveals of the second Sussex pregnancy and the Sussexes’ upcoming Oprah interview. From the Windsors’ communications office:
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have confirmed to Her Majesty The Queen that they will not be returning as working members of The Royal Family.
Following conversations with The Duke, The Queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of The Royal Family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service. The honorary military appointments and Royal patronages held by The Duke and Duchess will therefore be returned to Her Majesty, before being redistributed among working members of The Royal Family.
While all are saddened by their decision, The Duke and Duchess remain much loved members of the family.
Notes to editors: Following The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s decision to step away last year as working members of The Royal Family, a 12-month review was agreed. A decision has now been made after conversations between The Duke of Sussex and Members of The Royal Family.
The military, Commonwealth and Charitable associations which will revert to The Queen are:
The Royal Marines, RAF Honington, Royal Navy Small Ships and Diving.
The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, The Rugby Football Union, The Rugby Football League, The Royal National Theatre and The Association of Commonwealth Universities.
So there you go. It was up in the air as to whether the Queen would take away the Commonwealth patronages, and she did. That must have been one hell of a phone conversation between the Queen and Harry too. I hope he told her exactly what he thinks about everything, and I hope he said it with his whole chest. He must have, to get this reaction. As for Buckingham Palace putting the onus on the Sussexes – “they will not be returning as working members of The Royal Family” – the Sussexes were literally bullied, abused, slandered and then they were supposed to sit silently as William worked to exile them. There was no “returning to working royals,” William would have made sure of that. What was supposed to happen? Harry and Meghan would return to the UK and resign themselves to being pawns in the Windsor psychodrama? No. They got out and they outplayed the palace. Now the Windsors’ sadism, racism, colonialism and vindictiveness is plain for all to see.
The Sussexes have issued a statement as well. A spokesman for the couple said Friday: “As evidenced by their work over the past year, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain committed to their duty and service to the UK and around the world and have offered their continued support to the organisations they have represented regardless of official role. We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.” Take your nasty royal gatekeeping and shove it.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid.
So they had a statement ready and still leak to the press before the official release?
yet no one is fired? my goodness, the amount of incompetence!
Anyway, my Meg is free of the BS and that place!
I love that the punishment here is “well, now you have to volunteer with whatever organizations you choose!” How terrible!
It’s not like there aren’t a million organizations here in the States or in the UK that wouldn’t happily work with them, including lots of vets orgs. I hope if they really take away Harry’s special dress uniforms that he just starts attending events in whatever his dress uniform would be if he were just a regular vet (I don’t know how that works in the UK). They can take away his honorary titles but they can’t take away his active duty service.
HA! I thought the same thing. Now they get to volunteer with whatever and whomever they want. With no out of touch royal or royal adjacent telling them they can’t.
I wish to God I was a major charity boss. I’d immediately issue a statement inviting Harry to be our patron. Seriously, what better way to get your charity a higher profile.
Personally, I think this has turned out well for the Sussexes and here’s why. First, they’re now free from the Windsors. After all this dust settles down, there won’t be any more stories to write about them by the British tabloids. Nothing is being held above them any longer. No one will be accusing them for neglecting this or that organization. And no organization that has been taken away is gonna have any royal patron related expectations on them. Its over, its done, now everyone can move on.
Secondly this has freed up more time for the Sussexes to focus on other things. With IG, Sentebale, Endeavor Funds, Mayhew, Smartworks, Archwell, a toddler and new babies on the way (I’m still prayingfortwin girls) to raise, they have their hands full already. And they have their work cut out for them. In fact Archwell alone would be big enough to keep them busy for the rest of their lives. Now they will put laser focus on these projects and they will be fine; they are the bosses here and everything is done on their terms. No, woman no cry, turururu no woman no cry…everything is gonna be alright now.😁😁😁
Lastly, now all the organizations that are still willing to work with the Sussexes can be moved under Archwell and it will be like there no difference in whether they are royal patrons, they’ll still be patrons except without royal added to it. Problem solved, case closed. 💃 🕺 💃 🕺 💃
LOL that is so true! Like this isn’t bad, this is great! Meghan and Harry can help whomever!
Meg and Harry’s statement was *chefs kiss*. My hope is now they tackle child hunger or something huge in the UK and really make a splash in home waters. Lol. The royal family would never recover!!
And many of the organizations they work with have already issued statements saying that they’re proud to work with the Sussexes and will continue to do so. Check the Twitter feeds of Mayhew, Invictus Foundation, and SmartWorks.
And they make a point of saying that they can continue to support all of the same organizations if they want to regardless of whether they are patronages or not.
Hardly a punishment at all!
I agree it’s a win but I doubt Harry sees it that way right now. Guys, imagine how emotionally traumatic all this must be to him. His family threw him to the wolves for years. They triggered memory of his mother’s tortured life and death. They refused to privately hear his grievances (seriously. Read Omids book. Harry couldn’t even get on his own fathers schedule for 3 months to discuss the stress – pro- Charles commenters need that reality check). They refused to be reasonable about his proposal. They refused to support his lawsuits when they’ve also had privacy lawsuits. They dragged out this humiliation for a year. They had their staff publicly arguing with his pregnant wife. And now this, where they try to take away the causes he has devoted his life to while paroting the garbage about loving him. AND THATS HIS FAMILY?! Remember that his childhood friends are vested in the class system. He lost them too. His wife is pregnant and he has a child under 2. He will forever be a security risk because of his birth but his family won’t foot his security bill so he must ensure he makes enough to be in the 1% for the rest of his life and leave enough to protect his line for a generation.
Bruh. I hope he has a good therapist. It’s a lot.
Excellent analysis BABSORIG. I totally agree, and I really think Harry “knew the end from the beginning” to quote the Tao de Ching. The Sussexes have just had to wait this final severing out while the Firm dragged it as an issue for 12 months. Now —- deep breath —- they can let their own little light shine the way they want.
I loved their statement, especially that last sentence: “We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.”
And you’re absolutely correct, JULIE. Just because the Sussexes knew all this would happen, doesn’t make family betrayal any easier to handle.
It doesn’t make the queen/the corporation look very good, on a gut check. It just looks like they are picking on the Sussexes. Fail. They will be FINE.
@Babsorig….there will always be stories to write about the Sussexes because the rest of the royals are so boring nobody wants to hear about them or see them. The RF have messed up big time, the focus will be on the Sussexes even more.
Julie, I could not agree with you more if I tried. My heart hurts for Harry, this has to be ripping him apart. The fact that none of his family members will even acknowledge that Meghan has been treated reprehensibly, both by the press and bigots alike, AND his own family, must be like a vise grip around his heart. I hope he knows that his Mom must be so proud of him right now. She did it, Diana actually did what she meant to do. She raised one glorious son who has committed his life to love and service of all kinds.
I’m a mom to a son, I can think of no better tribute.
Yet they will still find them at fault for some reason and at some point.
Harper’s Bazaar clearly cites the Queen as pretty much making them resign because of their agreements with Netflix and Spotify.
This officially makes the Royal Family as toxic and petty. Good luck with the new patrons. Pedo prince maybe?
Well this was fast: https://twitter.com/WellChild/status/1362818095635714048
Those patronages aren’t going to let H&M go that easily, it seems, and who can blame them?
I think the message here is that you don’t need to be royal to be a patron. The illusion around the monarchy and it’s value-add to society is going to crumble in a hot minute.
And here’s another one: https://twitter.com/WeAreInvictus/status/1362777661446230022/photo/1
What does it say about the monarchy if every patronage chooses to stick with H&M in their individual capacity?
The Queen cannot take InvictusGames, as it was started as an independent charity by Harry outside of royals duties.
Further on the feed Andrew starts getting DRAGGED for still keeping his honorary titles and patronages… good.
Better make sure none of his patronage’s request his presences put out the queen’s protection…
A short video has come out via Forces News about how much Harry has meant and continues to mean to the veteran community.
So, Mayhew, SmartWorks, WellChild have said Harry/Meghan will remain as patrons. Invictus confirmed Harry’s role.
Meanwhile, the QCT has said both will “remain as supporters”. The National Theater and the rugby patronages have put out statements thanking them for their work. The ACU is the only organization I haven’t noticed anything from.
How nice for Harry and Meghan to have these organizations immediately come out with statements of appreciation for their contributions, while the RF is busy demonstrating yet again how their pettiness and hypocrisy knows no limits.
Oh, and happy birthday, Colonel Andy!
The “firm” of BRF is run by very stupid people. They gave Harry and Meghan “The POWER”. The BRF demolished itself…Bravo…this is a helluva GOLD standard PR machine.
#ForTheLoveOfMeghanMarkleandPrinceHarry, today I donated money to all charitable organization supported by Harry and Meghan. #ForTheLoveOfMeghanMarkle, I watched a commentary 20 times.
https://www.lbc.co.uk/radio/presenters/james-obrien/james-obrien-reveals-insightful-commentary-harry-meghan/
This statement leaps out to me as cruel and petty. It could have no other point.
“The Queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of The Royal Family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service.”
I love that last bit from the Sussex statement. How many Windsors would lift a finger without the royal perks, because some of them barely do so with them.
Yes, it’s a proper sting in the tail. We don’t need to be bribed with shiny things and people fawning over us to support others. Boom.
Yeah! “offered their continued support to the organisations they have represented regardless of official role. We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.”
This line is fantastic.
And the Fail has a huge headline calling it “Meghan’s Parting Shot.” No reference to Harry, who also issued the statement. Reprehensible.
That is such a great quote!
Yes, ‘…We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.’ is definitely my favourite part (also a nice rebuttal).
Even though I don’t know what Harry + Meghan are truly like, it is clear they have genuine passion for causes they believe in and understand true ‘service’. By simply being themselves they effortlessly outshine Waity and Willie. Palace can’t have that of course.
I loved that last part. It was the closest they could come to an actual “FU” to the Queen, and she deserved to be taken down a peg publicly like that in their statement.
Their passion shows and I’m sure the patronages are not happy to get caught in the middle of this game the Queen is playing. In the end, they are the ones being punished by losing Meghan and Harry.
At any rate, the Queen and the rest of the RF have never been known for their altruism and their life of service to the community without expecting anything in return.
That was definitely a shot at the RF. Harry and Meghan want to serve and the RF only does work because they live off the tax payers.
I’m glad they are finally free from that disgusting family. Andrew still has all of the perks and military honors and will no doubt be back to working for the family.
It’s a shame for the patronage’s that wanted to keep Harry and Meghan on.
Great post by Omid a few minutes ago, for anyone who hasn’t picked up on the sheer hypocrisy of what just happened with Harry particularly: “Meanwhile, HRH Prince Andrew – honorary Colonel of the Grenadier Guards, Royal Colonel of the Royal Highland Fusiliers, Colonel-in-Chief of the Yorkshire Regiment, the Royal Irish Regiment and Small Arms School Corps – gets a birthday shout-out from the Palace Twitter account.” Ouch!
@windyriver Ouch indeed! It’s funny, the RF likely dropped this news today to distract from Andrew, but by doing so on Andrew’s birthday, it makes the hypocrisy all the more glaring. They really are dim!!
@Windyriver We should all start referring to him by his true de facto title- “HRH Prince Andrew – honorary Colonel of Kiddie Diddlers.”
That was brilliant and had to be said. “A life of service.” As if the Windsors’ “work” is somehow selfless and noble, ugh. Most of it isn’t even useful. I hate the whole “noblesse oblige” thing at least as practiced by them and to some degree the whole aristocracy. It’s just a transparent excuse to keep their bums in the butter.
Okay, “keep their bums in the butter” made me LOL. Thanks for that 🙂
Is it really “noblesse oblige” if they’re getting paid for it? I love the distinction that H&M made- any one can serve – you’re service isn’t extra special because you’re considered royalty.
The royals aren’t a getting paid to be patrons or do charity work. They might have costs covered by a charity, but are not profiting directly.
They only do this work for optics. To appear useful to society. And they’ve been attacking 2 royals for selflessly continuing to serve those causes on their own dime. Meanwhile that royal that isn’t a working royal anymore sits in protection from the law coming for his child raping a$$. Because the BRF make their priorities and values clear.
“The royals aren’t a getting paid to be patrons or do charity work. They might have costs covered by a charity, but are not profiting directly”
But they are sort of – working royals are funded by the taxpayer and part of their job is charity work.
While H&M have been treated appallingly I can’t see how this is a punishment. They aren’t working royals and they aren’t taking any money from the royal family so why should they be required to work as a royal patron with all the restrictions that entails? Especially as they can be a patron anyway.
The queen’s statement can be interpreted as you don’t have to do this, you have no obligation so be free.
Guest
The BRF prints from image good will. It’s all for the appearance of being useful and caring about the taxpayers. Nothing more. That is a type of profiting I guess.
The BRF would remain in power without these patronages. The monarchy holds power and with it gone would create a vacuum that someone else would fill. And that’s a big unknown. They’re useless placeholders and only parliament during the best of times can fix that. We’re far from the best of times.
Wiglet watcher
I completely agree they are useless placeholders and these are far from the best of times but…
The queen’s mother pushed the narrative that George VI’s life was shortened by being king, Margaret’s life was arguably ruined by being royal, Philip’s naval ambitions were ruined, Edward and Sophie tried and failed to step back etc etc. But Meghan and Harry won’t fail. They are making a total success of independence.
So maybe (and let’s face it I might be overly generous) cutting the ties to The Firm cuts a lot of future criticism off at the knees.
Guest
I 100% believe loads of criticism will he cut, but the main criticisms are still there. Petty bickering about their titles.
Which imo they should never give up and the BRF has no power to remove. Having the titles and being a bought and paid member of the BRF are not the same.
I’ve said before it’s empowering to keep their titles. To remove them voluntarily would be 1 more thing done by their abusers trying to co trip their lives.
“The Queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of The Royal Family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service.” When I read that I was like “B*tch, being a working royal isn’t the only way to live a life of service!” And then I saw this: D and D of S “…remain committed to their duty and service to the UK and around the world…regardless of official role. We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.” And I was so glad to see that particular clap back.
They are getting bolder in their responses, seemingly starting with the birth certificate fiasco, but then the statement after she won her court case, too. And apparently Harry’s statement after he won his settlement was so fierce it had to be edited in order to be read in court. I think they’re full on angry (as opposed to worried about the future/anxious about consequences of speaking/leaving like I bet they felt quite a bit while they were still working royals) with the family and the leaks and the courtiers and the timing of this “we have to wrap up and strip you of everything RIGHT NOW because you’re pregnant and giving an interview,” when H and M said they wanted to wrap it all up a year ago and the family is the one who were dragging their feet insisting on a year long review. And now they want to cut that review short and pretend it wasn’t a thing just so they can time their punishments to be most petty? The Sussexes sound bolder and like they’re taking back their voices and are not going to go meekly into the night, careful not to make waves, and never challenge anything again. I hope this is a little bit of the energy we’ll see with Oprah. Pointed jabs that refute the most offensive quotes, stories, and comments by the RF and their rota, that can be considered technically calm and polite yet still very assertive. Comments that will likely go over the heads of most of the audience, but that will be heard and understood to the people that need to hear them. And us. We will also know what they’re referring to and be able to catch the jabs.
@Amy Too ITA that they’re letting their anger show a bit more and I’m loving it. (I don’t know how they had the willpower to hold it in so long, tbh.) It started with the “carnival” comment, but each statement since has been much bolder than those in the past and the Palace must be starting to get nervous. And you’re right that any normal person would read these statements and see nothing but boilerplate-type PR memos, but those of us who’ve been following this saga can definitely spot the veiled insults.
The Sussexes must *finally* feel such a feeling of relief that so much of this is no longer hanging over their heads. And if the Palace keeps baiting them like this (a staggeringly asinine strategy, imo, considering they know how much dirt both Harry and Meghan have on them), I hope their responses only get snarkier.
I sincerely hope that this is the beginning of the end of this mess for the Sussexes and that 2021 will treat them much better. Sure, the tabloid trash will never stop printing negative garbage about them, but it will have to lessen since there just won’t be anything Sussex-related to bitch about anymore. Once all of the dust settles after this last gasp of petty BS from the BRF, the reporters will, again, be left with only the Cambridges to give them headlines, and, well, thoughts and prayers to the ROTA.
@AmyToo – agree – their statements are definitely more pointed and direct, they seem less concerned about making waves – they’re angry and I wonder who is the target of that anger – the press, the courtiers, certain family members, or some combination thereof?
@Becks this is only my speculation but I think it’s a combination of all of them, having built up for years. Especially since we know without a doubt that the family and their courtiers were working together with the publications.
I hope so hard that eventually, we all finally learn what really happened BtS over the past few years.
I think Harry kept it low ball hoping the Queen would take time to rethink stripping his honorary military appointments and allow him to continue to provide service as her representative. I’ll bet he found out a month or so ago — or maybe the wreath laying fiasco and the Queen letting it be known that she personally said no to that and didn’t have ANY hesitation in that decision —- was the final knowledge he needed to know it wasn’t going to go his way. Thus, the Sussexes started coming out with stronger statements and quicker official responses because Harry knew he would not be allowed to retain what he held most dear in service to the Queen so his life’s work would now be totally separate from support of the Crown. I so agree, it started with the comment about the “carnival of so-called royal experts” firing a shot to let the Firm and the 👑🐀Rota🤡s that the gloves were off.
I loved the clapback. If Queenie wants to be nasty and try to put them “in their place” by diminishing their service, then she’d better expect that same energy when they defend themselves. Idk who the hell she thinks she is, but you don’t just get to talk to people like garbage in front if the whole world and then expect them go protect your reputation and honor your position by just staying quiet and taking the humiliation. The days of deference are truly over for Harry and Meghan. We love to see it.
Smart Works just issued a statement that Meg is still going to be a patron.
Oh, my! What a messy family. Such a shame to pull all these worthwhile organizations into their crap.
SmartWorks, Mayhew, Hubb – none of those were ‘patronages’ gifted by the Queen. They are charity work Meghan chose herself. If those charities want to continue with Meghan as their patron, it has nothing to do with the Queen.
They’re free! They said a year ago that they were leaving and the palace finally got the message!
It’s a pity for the patronages, but at least the Sussexes are keeping the charities they picked themselves.
They can not only keep the charities they picked for themselves, but now they can take on more without having to care about ‘upsetting the Firm’ or whatever the BRF call themselves. Heck, if I were in Harry’s shoes I’d look at taking back some of those patronages – I don’t see why the Rugby Football Union would be off limits, for example – on a private basis, if that can be done.
They are free indeed!
I’d love it if some of them make a statement stating they would like to keep Harry if he will have them.
@Julie, me too. I hope so, so much that that happens. That family needs to learn that they simply do NOT have the clout that they once did, and that they never will ever again. They’re done.
Lady MTL —- Because William wants the Rugby patronage so he can make sure BLACK LIVES MATTER as long as those black lives stick to their lane and just play sports for his and his mates entertainment.
I’m sure the Rugby Football Union got an early heads up that Harry would be made to stand down (Harry alluded to this in an Zoom chat months ago) and behind the scenes were told William will step up. Thus, the quick and fast thanks to Harry today so they can now welcome William. William is thirsty for this one. It so fits his SERVICE work ethic of doing nothing unless there is personal pleasure in it for him. He gets to hang out with his mates at games and drink and act like a dork.
I am sure that in the coming months they will be announcing some big charitable ventures. The RF is so stupid they really needed Harry and Meghan, l think the star power of the Sussexes is going to concern the RF even more than the influence Diana had.
They can’t pull the accident in a tunnel stunt again so they are well and truly done.
Queen Petty Betty and the whole rest of that toxic vortex of a family can sod off. The whining, racist press and members of the public can, too. (I literally ust saw this news posted on the BBC News IG page, and the comments were 90% purile, racist crap. Ugh.)
Hopefully now Harry and Meghan can really live a happy life far, far away from the drama vortex that is the BRF. Good for them!
The BBC News page is full of those Daily Fail trolls these days. Not sure when that happened but even their reporting has become quite one-sided.
Ugh. That sucks. AuntieBeeb joins the evil empire…
This is not necessarily a bad thing. The backlash against the system will be that much worse for it. The pendulum always, always, always swings back and the worse the pile on was, the harder it will be for the BRF and the media to recover. The backlash will be of such magnitude that I bet there will be a Parliamentary committee on the future role of the monarchy. It may take a 15 years like it did for Britney or it may come faster because the young people are more woke, but the BRF and media just called onto themselves the biggest wave of backlash they’ll ever see.
The most important task for Harry and Meghan is to prevent a rewriting of history. Set your story out now and get a crisis team to keep amplifying it. The payoff will not come today but it is coming.
@Julie once again ITA with everything you said. The Britney comparison is really quite apt. It’s truly as if the world wokeTF up one day and realized how wrong they’d been about her and how demented and wrong her treatment was. Selfishly, I hope it doesn’t take as long, because I am so ready for that conversation and the drama that will surround it!
And as for your last paragraph, I think the Sussexes are ready. So far, they’ve been beyond prepared for every single thing that’s been thrown at them, and they’re definitely both long-term thinkers.
It’s beyond me how the BRF and their courtiers think that any of this makes them look good or will put them on the winning end of any perceived competition with the Sussexes. They might be satisfying a small group of die-hard royalists/Sussex detractors every time they lash out with some petty new “punishment” or threat of one each week, but those people are few and far between, and tbh they’re dying off anyway. The actions of the monarchy toward Harry and Meghan — and Andrew — look worse and worse to (literally) the rest of the world with each passing day and either they don’t know or they don’t care.
Julie, you are so right. The pendulum WILL swing the other way, and karma is a b***h. There was a British reporter who months ago said that Harry and Meghan could have bought the monarchy another 100 years if TQ had played it right. She didn’t, and now the monarchy’s life is shortened. Wait until Scotland decides to bail in May or June.
ITA JULIE and LORELEI — karma will come for them. As one of our fellow celebitchies said months ago ….” I hope Karma is a bitch with puppies.”
🐾🐾. 🐾🐾. 🐾🐾
@ Spanky – wouldn’t it be delicious if Scotland decides to become independent before the Sussex baby is born, and it’s a boy that they name Scottie lol!
@Spanky…great point the monarchy could have been extended much further with the Sussexes as part of it. You will also see in the coming years a huge backlash, Charles has always been skating on thin ice. I bet that in future Williams kids will be working royals and engage in paid activities too. Harry and Meghan are just too much ahead of the time. William will be a dreadful King and the monarchy is going to sink lower and lower.
I liked the Sussexes response. That statement is true and had a nice little bite to it, especially after that statement from BP.
The old bat is only hurting those organizations.
I loved it too. The statement from the Palace is an insult to anyone who is not a member of the RF, which is practically almost everyone, and who has lived a life of service, more than the royals would ever know. Much like they like to own words, like they own lands and swans, the word service does not belong to them. Nor is it a fitting description of them – ask any royal charity.
The first headline from the Daily Mail announced they had been ‘stripped of their titles’. Just 5 minutes later that was removed. Another short time later the new revision reads ‘stripped of their royal roles’. So it looks like there was some swift reaction from the Palace to the mob-baiting initial headline. The Queen’s statement makes it clear that they are the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and ‘much loved members of the Royal Family. They are also legally HRH and in practice Harry will continue to be called Prince Harry.
The fact that they have offered their continued support to these organisations means they may still have a role to play and whoever takes over the official roles will need to be able to work with that.
It looks like William is making a bid for the military roles with his newest zoom.
I think we are being naïve if we believe that all of this was just decided in the last few days. I think the “palace” and the Sussexes knew this would be the outcome from the very beginning. The ‘palace” is just letting this play out drip-by-drip for the consumption of the public via the Royal Rota tabloids.
‘much loved members of the Royal Family’… says passive aggressive petty Betty, deplorable comment! If that’s love, I’d hate to see them despise someone.
@AnotherLily the fact that the headline was changed so swiftly also shows, imo, just how close a working relationship their staff has with the Fail. They are unwittingly digging their own grave deeper and deeper with each day.
@Bay agree that this was all decided a long time ago, but leaking it out slowly like this benefits only the media, and we know the family is 100% beholden to the tabloids now. It must have been so frustrating for Harry and Meghan to have known this could have all been over with a year ago but instead had to live with it hanging over their heads for so long. Luckily, they have enough good news this week and last that they’re probably immune to any crap the Windsors try to hurl at them now. It’s clear that they won.
Looking forward to seeing what “hardworking Sophie” does with their charities, lol.
Wait– the WORDING?
SHE strips THEM of their titles and “they” are somehow guilty of quitting??? Ok, wow- I’m glad they left.
Not tittles, patronages.
The headline was swiftly changed from ‘titles’ to ‘roles’
Why doesn’t this petty old hag spend more time worrying about her pedo rapist son?
Or her hospitalised hubby!
His mistress is there for him, I’m sure.
Penelope Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma
Did she marry in, Bay? Please tell me they are not related.
Exactly. I feel like there is so much more that went on with him.
I apologize if this sounds crass, but I hope he doesn’t die this week because the media (in their warped view) currently has too much “ammunition” to try and claim that the Sussexes and their actions ruined his final years, and sent him, heartbroken, into an early grave. Of course every single one of us here knows this is complete bullsh!t since he’s a frail 99–year-old man, but it could still be hurtful for Harry to have that insinuation out there, even if the logical part of his brain knows that it is absolutely untrue.
I understand that no matter what, when both Philip and the Queen pass away, they’re going to find ways to spin it into somehow making it Harry & Meghan’s fault because that’s just how they operate now. I mean, these people blamed Meghan for drought FTLOG. But this week in particular, they’d be braying nonstop about all of the stress caused to Philip by the court case, being “blindsided” (🙄) by the pregnancy announcement, the “concerns” about the Oprah interview, and the realization, once and for all, that Harry is not coming back. (Which the rest of the world — with the exception of his own family, apparently — already knew, but I digress.)
When it does finally happen, I hope it’s at least during a quiet-ish period for the Sussexes so that the media won’t have quite as many immediate reasons to grab at to heap blame on them. They’ll find an angle no matter what (for sure, with both Phil and Betty, they’ll go with “The Sussexes ruined their final years with the upset and sadness they caused” and “They died heartbroken at not being able to spend more time with Archie and his sibling”)* but it would just come across as even more nonsensical and meritless than it would if he were to die today or tomorrow.
In any case, it will be insufferable when it happens, but I hope it doesn’t during what is such a well-deserved happy time for Meghan and Harry right now.
*I already know how annoyed I’m going to get when they pull this one out, because how often did either one of them actually see Archie when he lived right there? Bitch didn’t even bother to go to his christening! The christening of the first child of her “much loved” grandson. Anyway, I’ve gone off on a whole tangent here, lol, but the bottom line is I hope Philip hangs on just a little longer. 🤞
“have offered their continued support to the organisations they have represented regardless of official role. We can all live a life of service. Service is universal”
…we don’t need any royal titles to be decent human beings who want to help others!
Congratulations to Harry and Meghan for being officially free from that cesspool family. America continues to be so happy that you’re here with us. The Queen can go suck an egg. She is the lowest.
That statement from camp Sussex has power. Points were made. This is a couple dedicated to the idea of service while most of that family only cares about themselves.
This whole debacle by the royals shows how short-sighted, stupid, petty, and racist they are. Not sure how it is playing in the UK(need to text my British fam) but it is not a good look globally and as most of my family come from black countries in the Commonwealth, we all are like, “Yup, racists going to racist. The monarchy is trash.”
I’m always fascinated by what Brits really think of these situations, so I do hope you will update us here with your family’s thoughts.
And yes, the Windsors are complete trash.
Seems like the average Brit has more important issues to be concerned about rather than this manufactured tabloid drama:
https://twitter.com/scobie/status/1362575894318047241?s=20
I think one needs to be interested in the BRF to start with… my husband and his family are republicanists (I am too), and we would be incredibly happy to see the end of the monarchy after petty Betty passes away. Not sure what royalists think as I know nobody who loves them…
WaPo has an article about this and I read the comments on FB under it – and I was surprised, every single comment was either very complimentary towards the Sussexes (as in, good for them, they got out, etc) or just very neutral or even negative towards the royal family – “do any of them work?” “working royals lol what a joke” “like they know what public service is” – so while that’s just comments on WaPo obviously, it tells me that the sentiment here in the US is pretty positive towards them and they are being well received. People get why they left.
Agree SUNNY. That line about service being universal reminds me of the line in Earl Spencer’s memorial at Diana’s funeral….” she needed no royal title to continue to generate her particular brand of magic.” True of Diana and true of her son, Harry, and his wife.
Reminder, Diana gave up her HRH willingly for more money from Charles. Her lawyer admitted it. When she found out Fergie had kept her HRH in her divorce months earlier? Diana pitched a fit, went crying to the press with her lies about the royals taking her HRH. Queen subsequently issued new Letters Patent that anyone who divorces out of the family loses their HRH, so Fergie retroactively lost hers.
Nota, I absolutely love you but I feel like you must keep a copy of this comment in your Notes app for quick deployment since you never miss a chance to bring it up! Lol.
AmyToo
Necessary?
I’ve read this info twice from nota.
I like you both as commenters.
I haven’t done that Amy Too, but I should. I’ve typed it out so many times now, it just flies off my fingers. It just irks me when people keep posting this as gospel when it isn’t the facts.
hugs to you, Wiglet Watcher.
There’s always 3 sides to any story. He said, she said and the truth. Diana’s lawyer admitted to something AFTER Diana passed so she couldn’t defend herself against those allegations. So that means no one can present their side as the truth, the whole truth and nothing else so God help me. The truth could be what either of them said or maybe NEITHER of them told the truth, or maybe the truth is a bit of both, we don’t know.
If she gave up the HRH for “more money”, were the royals lowballing her? Was Charles hiding his finances? I know she didn’t come into that family with much money, but exactly how much was she owed for birthing the future if the monarchy? For all the positive press she generated for the family?
And who put the HRH on the table? Since we know that the family/courtiers put Harry’s military patronages as a carrot to attempt to bring him to heel, how do we know that HRH wasn’t the same for Diana?
It’s quite obvious that family thinks they “make” people who marry in, so how do we know that they didn’t think that HRH was the ONLY reason people were interested in Diana, and thought not having it would make people lose interest?
And also…did that lawyer make that claim before or after her brother’s eulogy?
Diana took every penny Charles had plus he had to borrow a few million from mummy. The didn’t lowball her, she took all he had and then some. The HRH wasn’t on the table for Diana, as it wasn’t on the table for Fergie months prior.
Diana demanded everything Charles had, gave up the HRH in exchange. Until that point, the HRH would have stayed with her as it did with Fergie. Plus Diana got to live in the massive Apts 8 and 9 at KP free along with an annual stipend and all staff/security expenses paid.
She made her choice, regretted it when she found out she’d have to curtsey to Fergie, and cried to the press with her lies.
I believe nothing Spencer has to say, given how he chose to sell Diana out pre-and-post her death. He refused to give her a home at Althorp, then spent twenty years making money off her personal belongings. His display at her funeral was just that – a performance to make himself look good after he failed to support Diana while she was alive.
Wigletwatcher, I wasn’t trying to be mean, I was trying to be cheeky/silly because I feel like I almost know everyone that posts often on here and feel like I can joke with them like I do with my in life friends. I apologize to Nota if the friendly kidding wasn’t clear. Seems like she read it in the spirit it was intended—at least I hope she did since she’s a favorite commenter.
Amytoo
Oh geez, things get lost in text!
Thanks for clarifying 😊
The Sun plastered Meghan and Harry STRIPPED of Royal Titles but the BP statement still refers to them as Duke and Duchess,they know their dim followers dont even read their articles so this will be another ‘privacy ‘ argument ‘why do they do interviews and media when they said they want privacy’, they Never said that. Now since The Sun has said they have been stripped of royal titles,their dim followers will have a hissy fit whenever they are refered to as Duke and Duchess.
The headline in the Mail was altered,replacing ‘titles’ with ‘roles’.
I wouldn’t believe anything the Sun says. But, you can be a Duke and not be “royal.” Some Dukes are royal (“HRH” designation) and some Dukes are not. Just like Edward is an Earl and also royal, but most Earls are not royal. Peerages are not connected to royalty, the “HRH” is an entirely separate issue.
I still think the monarchy is done after TQ goes.
I hope so.
Same.
(Aussie here – waiting for Republic and to get the Queen off our $5 note).
Me too SARAHCS. Id love to see it end!
Same here they are the figurehead of greed, privilege and stolen wealth. They do not represent modern Britain they need to go.
Cait, I said the same thing about the Leewards and Windward islands removing petty Betty’s image form the East Caribbean currency.
It would be so much fun William not ever becoming a king. Imagine that. I still think Charles will have his moment.
LOL can you imagine Carol Middleton? After putting all the money she didn’t have into pretending a lifestyle for Kate and for all of it to go away? It would be worth it for that alone.
Oh yeah; a full on meltdown I suspect. Cause that kind of ending, with William would most probably set the course for divorce.
Carol Middleton would have a stroke, if that happened.
From your lips to God’s ears
I think it will be gone after Chuck – William doesn’t want it and would rather burn it to the ground than let it pass to his brother.
It wouldn’t pass to his brother, it would pass to his children. Also Harry doesn’t want to be king.
I think the monarchy will survive past the Queen to Charles but William has squandered so much goodwill from the public by his pettiness, his laziness, and his awful demeanor that it will be hard for him to be king.
Not immediately. At the very least Charles will at least get to be King for a bit. But the anti-monarchy sentiment will grow and it’ll be interesting to see what happens and whether William makes it to the throne.
Hope so too! We have many amazing Canadians more deserving to be on our money than that old cow.
Yes yes yes!!! And also I would love to see an end to the fiasco that is the governor general, as well as footing any bills when they decide to swan on over to Canada. Let’s end this ridiculousness.
I think she is going soon. She will probably not abdicate and there may not even be a formal process for Regency but I believe she will effectively step down and officially hand over all her major duties to Charles, probably around the time of her official birthday in June. He already does most of her work but there has been no formal recognition of this.
There is a crisis of confidence now due largely to the Queen’s failures. In practice it is the failures of her advisors but she bears the responsibility. It isn’t just the Sussexes leaving, it is also the pandemic and the questions raised about what is genuinely needed from those who represent the Queen. The Cambridge Covidiot train tour was a monumental PR disaster and the Cambridges themselves are uninspiring. None of the working royals has any credibility in representing a multi cultural country. Charles needs to take over and find a way of using the continued support offered by the Sussexes.
The British monarchy folding is extremely unlikely. Historically, monarchies have only fallen as a result of or in the wake of huge socio-historical upheavals that were bloody and chaotic. Furthermore, a monarchy as ancient as the British one has an inbuilt inertia that should not be underestimated. The Danish monarchy is the only one that is older than the British – and it took the king firing the government AND a strong social-democratic movement to almost topple a 1000 year-old institution, and Britain doesn’t really have the latter, it has always been much much more right-wing that Denmark. If the Queen protecting a sexual predator isn’t enough to spark a widespread AND organized resistance against the monarchy in Britain, it would take a LOT more to actually get the public galvanized to the degree that they’d organize a strong republican movement.
It is also protected by a ruling class that has no interest in undermining the class system that they themselves benefit from. Add to that the fact that since Britain doesn’t have a written constitution, it would be a huge and drawn-out hassle to abolish the monarchy democratically. It would take time and money that most politicians (and likely a lot of the populace) would think could be better spent elsewhere. Finally, while a lot of the general public aren’t that interested in the royals, neither are they particularly invested in getting rid of them. The general apathy towards the royals protect them.
The British monarchy is protected by the political establishment, the public’s apathy and the inbuilt inertia of a 1000-year old existence as well as a right-wing media machine that is very effective. There really isn’t any viable foundation for an effective republican movement at present. That may change – but I don’t think that even the severe repercussions of Brexit is enough (because the political establishment + the media machine are very strong defenders). Their nasty treatment of Harry and Meghan certainly isn’t enough. It may diminish their brand on the international stage but it won’t affect their standing in the UK because the media campaign against them has been somewhat successful and, let’s face it, because Britain is still racist, the institutional mistreatment of a WoC won’t been seen as cause to abolish the institution of the monarchy.
I think we’d all like to see the British monarchy suffer a defeat because they acted horribly – but the reality is that the status quo most likely won’t change. They haven’t been diminished in public opinion in the UK because said public opinion is very much shaped and influenced by the very media that slanders Meghan and Harry. And the institution is actively protected by the political establishment. Their international reputation may have taken a hit in certain quarters – but let’s not kid ourselves that there’s a deep international reverence for them. The attract attention because they are messy as hell and have been publicly messy for decades. The British royal family get more international interest than other royal family BECAUSE they are akin to a messy reality show in a way that other European RFs aren’t (except the Spanish RF).
What Arthistorian said. I’m sorry but I don’t see the BRF disappearing. This Stockholm Syndrome situation (with Britain) is likely to remain for another 100 years at least. They’ll continue propping up teen royals till the next teen royal.
I do see the Queen going fast after Phillip dies.
I truly think your analysis is spot on ARTHISTORIAN. However, I do think the Commonwealth might diminish over time as some countries have withdrawn and others are seriously rethinking it. I also think sometime in the next 50 years or so Scotland and then Ireland may pull away. The Sun used to never set on the British Empire and yet in the last 100 years it has shrunk and continues to shrink.
Even if the monarchy manages to keep sputtering along, the brand has been damaged, in much the same way January 6th wiped out Trump’s reputation. The presidency has not folded but Trump’s reputation is in a dumpster fire. So it is with Petty Betty – especially in parts of the world with non-white majority populations. Observing the bull crap spewed out in defense of the Queen’s Andrew blind spot has painted a startlingly ugly picture of the “values” of the queen. Also Twitter feeds for the Mayhew, and other charities sponsored by the DDoS have been extremely nasty, calling Harry a dog, implying that he is a b@stard. Global eyes are on these posts and probably being screen shot and shared all over the internet. H&M’s stock continues to rise. The Windsor’s not so much.
This. All of this.
At best, what people can hope for is Scotland, Wales and NI leaving along with the Commonwealth and the number of working royals being diminished (so it’ll be monarch, consort, heir, heir’s spouse and the heir’s heir along with their spouse if they’re old enough). And even then, all of that will take time. It could take years before certain countries start to talk about leaving the Commonwealth.
I think it is possible that in the future the monarchy in England will be much diminished, especially if Scotland becomes independent. I also think that a lot of Commonwealth countries will break away but that has been under way for a very long time. At best we’ll see a much diminished monarchy that received a lot less in public funding.
I think the monarchy will continue as is, but will be a more staid and reactionary institution. I think this shows the hubris of them courting the press and thinking they could control it. The monarchy is not going anywhere. We don’t have to like it but they have no other alternative. If the House of Windsor went, which they won’t, they’re always be someone else to take their place. Remember there were Plantagenets, Tudor’s, Stuart’s, and Hanoverians before hand. The current monarch is there because her uncle gave up the throne. It’s a shame it came to this because this was crises was manufactured. I’m not sure this was the result they intended when they decided Harry’s wife had to go, but this is where it’s at.
I agree it will be diminished, ArtHistorian. More countries will dump the UK monarch as their Head of State, Scotland will leave the UK.
There is also the strong possibility of the monarchy being held accountable. Drastically reducing the amount spent on them, ripping open the books and counting every penny. Having a monarchy doesn’t have to cost 600 million a year, especially if the royals would be required to pay all security and staff costs at private residences themselves (Balmoral, Sandringham).
@ArtHistorian I agree with your take in Britain but a poll showed that 55% of Canadians don’t feel like they care about the monarchy. I can see many countries removing the Monarchy as Heads of State. So I don’t think internationally they are as deeply revered as you mentioned. They will probably in the future become a one-country monarchy like their European counterparts.
Same in Canada. Get off our currency when you are protecting and hiding a lying, sweating, sausage fingered pedophile, you awful woman. That should have been the focus for so long. The way this family has handled Harry and Meghan should start to implode the commonwealth.
I hope so. There’s no reason for it. I think that’s why Petty Betty’s holding on. She knows her “family” doesn’t have the cajones to keep it strong.
The RF is so dumb. Man, jealousy and racism are a helluva drug to think this is the path. Good for M&H, they are so much better off.
Right?! Remember when Will wanted to exile the spare-heir and his black wife to Africa?! I mean-how much more transparent can they be with their jealousy and racism??
No but the RF is seriously dim.
“responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service” – that was a really low blow, so I’m glad the Sussexes hit back at that one. The narrative that the royals are living these great lives of sacrifice and duty needs to end. They live lives of immense privilege and benefits, and yes, while it means that someone like Charles didnt get to just do whatever he wanted in his life, its still one of the most privileged lives on the planet.
If anything, Harry walking away like this sends a message to all future royals – “if you have something else you want to do, go and do it, you can be successful.” Of course the royal family will not spin it like that.
Also notice how most of the references are about “the Duke” and the Queen – I wonder if Harry insisted on that wording, to make sure that it was clear that this was between him and his grandmother.
Yeah I thought that part was cold – even thought the statement repeated that they are still much loved members of the family, some sh!t clearly went down BtS. And if you love them why treat them like this.
The reputational and image damage this has done to the RF should not be underestimated – Chuck has a hell of a pile of sh!t to clean up when he takes the throne.
TBH it was inevitable if they were never going to return, esp as the RF looks like they are going to implode on themselves.
Agreed.
I had never heard of him before this time last year* but I find Peter Hunt** to be a very interesting person on twitter for royal insights. This morning he tweeted something about how the bit about “are still much loved members of the family” indicates that palace realizes how damaging this has been for the Windsors. I’m not entirely sure about that point, but I do think this statement has some very strong undercurrents that I dont think the statements from last winter had. It makes me think things got ugly behind the scenes – like maybe they really did think H&M were going to come back and they were surprised that they arent.
*last year he stood out to me because he tweeted something like “what is unacceptable to a 93 year old monarch may be more acceptable to a 95 year old monarch with her son running the show” which seemed like a comment to me about Charles being okay with the half in/half out arrangement, which I think we’ve heard from multiple sources at this point.
**Please tell me if he’s a problematic person and I should not be following him lol.
This damage to the royal family is why I don’t agree that the Sussexes should voluntarily give up their titles. If the firm wants it so bad let them own it and take the fallout
@one of the Marys – Agree with you 100%. Let the Firm take the Dukedom title and own it.
@becks1 I had a quick look at Peter Hunt’s Twitter and his tweets are very dry and pointed. His comebacks to haters are very witty. I decided to follow him and see what else he has to say. His bio says he’s ex bbc diplomatic and royal correspondent.
He has a really good article in the Spectator today with some good analysis of this whole situation.
Meanwhile, Kate and Will, the champions of public service, are MIA this entire week. Their combined public service for the month of February totals up to 4, possibly five Zoom calls between the two of them.
I’ve noticed that. They are dead silent right now.
They are busy – trying for baby #4
LOL Gina!
I actually think they should lay low until all this is settled, or it looks like vultures picking the carcass. This has to look like it’s all coming from the top.
I’m so tired of her “much loved grandson” bit. Actions speak louder than words, and if she loved him, he wouldn’t have been treated this way by her. It’s all such superficial PR nonsense, but it’s so transparent it doesn’t even work.
Actions speak louder than words, and if she loved him so much, this whole situation, from the first time a racist headline was published about Meghan, would have been handled very differently.
Their version of love is laughable. Point me to a single public act of love toward H&M from that crew in the past few years. Is much loved defined by siding with a tabloid against Meghan in her lawsuit? Is much loved defined by tossing Harry’s Remembrance Day wreath in the trash?
Exactly much loved grandson my foot. She never said a mumbling word when her great grandchild was depicted as a chimpanzee leaving the hospital. Her silence, the silence of William and Kate, the silence of the Prince of Wales, the silence of the House of York, even the silence of Harry’s Spencer relatives was deplorable. I am sure Harry had some things to say that he held back on for years.
So I guess Queenie finally returned Harry’s phone call after hearing about baby #2 and the Oprah interview.
I’m imagining the little gray men were blocking Harry from talking to her for months. I’m sure Harry was ready to tell her they weren’t coming back after buying the house.
Were they still over in England trying to convince themselves that Harry still might come back? Were they deep in denial? Did the baby new make them realize Harry ain’t even coming back this summer for all of those events?
I’d like to imagine Harry cussed granny out but I’m sure he was respectful, even if she doesn’t deserve it.
Of course Harry was respectful of his grandmother. He knows better than any of us do just what kind of gatekeeping the palace workers engage in. He knows what a jealous jag his brother is and that he has probably been steering a lot of this.
When do they strip Andy of everything?
That will never happen – because that would imply that they think he did something wrong and I think it is clear that they think he did nothing wrong. However, they do think that Harry and Meghan did wrong by stepping back, that is a “betrayal” in their eyes.
When Charles goes from regent to king.
He’s between a rock and a hard place. He may remove Andrew from all royal duties, but he won’t rubber stamp an effort to remove Andrew’s titles.
Even the National Theatre said they wanted to stay. SMH.
It’s not about helping charities. It’s about control. It doesn’t matter how in lockstep the BRF and British media is about staying on message. Meghan won her courtcase and so she needed to be punished somehow.
The public is fed up at this point though as we can see on Twitter. The Palace has used up all the capital they had on this issue. And I bet they’re still as angry as ever.
What is royal service anyway? A covid train tour? Airmiles Andy who still receives taxpayer funded protection? Affecting laws to line your pockets? (This is a nice distraction from that)
Will Earthshot, the traveling award show be enough to paper this over?
Can’t wait for M&H to show up at a show and get a massive standing ovation!
Big oof, Liz. I would not be surprised if more charities decide against asking for a royal patron and seek out only celebrities who actually work for their good causes and constituents.
Also, this is not how you treat much loved members of your family. Full stop.
With friends like these, who needs enemies?
The statement by the QCT essentially says, nothing has really changed. The Sussexes have done great things for us, and “We’re glad that they remain in our circle of supporters.”
Wouldn’t be surprised if you were correct, charities will decide against asking for royal patrons. Am curious to see if Kate will get the National Theater; then the one disgruntled staff member who has negatively commented on Meghan’s level of involvement will really have something to talk about.
Petty Betty strikes again – such nonsense, I am a private citizen with a full-time job, live in a nice house, and I still manage to lead a life of “service” (ie: volunteer work with not-for-profits, and charities on a weekly basis). Their understanding of service and helping others is so warped….
Can someone please clarify, I am so confused: Is this all in response to the Oprah interview?!?!?! Is the one-year review just a cover? Or was this really determined ahead of time and only being leaked now? I know these people are petty af but if this really all bc of the Oprah interview I mean wwhuuuuuuuutttttt tf
I believe they have still been living in denial, but the recent triple whammy of Meghan winning her case, the baby, and the interview put them all over the edge into reality that they really were not returning. But in typical Liz fashion, it can’t be respectable, it has to be petty and vindictive and punishing.
Very Thomas Markle of Betty and her people that she had to retaliate and reply in some way.
I think it was the interview, despite all of palace sources saying otherwise. For an entire year they were hyping up March 31st as the day to watch. Now all of sudden they release this statement a month earlier. The palace will look so foolish when H&M’s interview is tame and classy.
Edit: @l84tea I also think it was the baby as well now that you mention it. But what were they expecting? All of H&M’s moves for the past year made it clear that they were done and moving forward. It was the family and press trying to drag them back.
I definitely think it’s the interview, which is INSANE because if the royal family truly believed this interview would be soooo devastating to the royal institution, why in the f*ck would they intentionally piss off the Sussexes prior to it???? Make it make sense, please! The logic is just so insane.
I think it was the baby. I think they thought Harry would come back. To me, that’s what they wanted. They wanted Harry to leave her and come back to the UK. The baby proved that wasn’t happening. The RF and BM lost their minds when she was pregnant the first time. They never wanted Harry to marry her.
THIS. Don’t underestimate how upset the palace was when they learned of the baby news. Christopher Wilson, an RR, just tweeted that the family all but hoped that Harry would return to them during the 1 year review. They were desperately hoping for him to abandon his wife and son and go back to being their lackey. The announcement of baby #2 doused their hopes in cold water.
I agree, and I think it was this baby the same way the first pregnancy announcement (for Archie) triggered them – I think they really thought Meghan was a temporary wife (the “degree wife” if you will) and the pregnancy meant she was in the royal family for good, even if there was a divorce. I think this second announcement threw cold water on their hopes of Harry returning, like BeachDreams said. coupled with the oprah interview – it has really thrown the palace for a loop – but I think the actual pregnancy is why we are seeing this reaction from the palace and the RRs.
its sort of funny to me to realize that they really did think Harry was coming back. I mean I dont think he was hiding his intentions lol – bought a house in California, signed with Netflix, signed with Spotify, partnering with Jose Andres among others -its not like they were hiding anything – but apparently they all really were blindsided.
I find it absolutely bonkers that an interview with Oprah Winfrey really sent the royal fami,y into a tailspin. What are they so worried about. Guess they figured they’d stir up the hatred now before the interview airs. They really were using the patronages as leverage.
I love H&M’s response – service IS universal and they’ve already proven they’re dedicated to this work for the rest of their lives.
First saw this announcement on BBC’s Facebook and the comments are unreal. The hatred people have for them making their family and happiness a priority blow my mind.
Oh stop. We all knew this would happen, people just need to chill. It makes literally no difference to them because they can still support the exact same charities in a private capacity should they wish to do so. There’s no point being half in half out so this makes sense. Not everything has to be a petty battle.
Agreed.
I believe that that summit last year was really a huge blowout, and there was no coming back from that. The one year review was really just to save face – the family knew that M&H were never coming back.
@Pink
Agree. If they are going to indeed reside in California permanently it makes sense to cut this tie. Ongoing obligations such as this would have served as a repeated irritant.
But it is petty because of when the RF released the news and because it’s not how they treat extended family with titles and HRH
Yep. I think it’s fine and there’s nothing going on here.
Exactly…this played out exactly as we knew it would. I’m sure both sides reviewed the others statement and it was a coordinated plan to relay the info. Shrug.
The fact that prince andrew gets to keep everything meghan and harry have lost. The fact that the patronages have come out and said: “we want to keep the sussexes” and the queen simply doesn’t listen.
Don’t get me wrong im happy meghan and harry are finally free but i can’t help but feel a bit angry at the never ending double standars the palace seems to be working with
Andrew had to give up all his patronages when he was no longer a working royal.
I am one of the few who does not like the Sussex statement. It is clear that the Queen talks about public service in a formal way, in the sense of a Head of State Or government or public official. These patronages are given to members of the royal family as part of their duties as a body of representation of Britian (headed by the Quen as head of State). In my country the President for example is always Patron of the Red Cross or the National Opera, it has nothing to do with the president (head of State in our case, chancellor is head of government) as a person but with his function. Once he retires, the next President Will be the Patron. The Queen‘s statement is not malicious. She is just saying that given that their decision to not fill the function of a working member of the royal family anymore, they also give up the positions that they had because of that function. This is how my British boyfriend also reads it, he normally sides with M&H in most questions, but in this case he finds their answer petty as they deliberately misconstrue what was meant. Nobody said they would no longer serve causes and charities. Just not in a role of public servants. Oh well.
Nah. Harry knew exactly what his grandmother and her staff meant by that statement. People need to stop acting like Harry just “doesnt understand” what it means to be a working royal or that he “doesnt get” how the family operates or that he is “misconstruing” an official statement from the palace.
He’s spent his whole life in that royal bubble. He understands, he gets it, he knows – and he responds accordingly.
I respectfully disagree. Andrew didn’t give up anything so that was just a lie you were spewing. And the sussex statement was more in regard to the media who have repeatedly said that m&h “abandoned their duty”. This was them reminding the public and the media that you don’t have to be a royal to do charity work.
Yeah I will say that’s not my perspective and honestly they could have let them continue to do the work. Being part time working Royals has always been a thing and they just didn’t want them to be tied to it in any way which is on the RF.
I respectfully disagree, and read it with completely opposite intentions; the Queen (or whichever courtier who wrote the statement) was attempting a dig at the Sussexes by implying they’ve left a life a service for less noble work–a common and deliberately obtuse criticism of their decision to leave. If the RF really cared about service they would have considered the work the Sussexes have done on behalf of these orgs, and also what these organisations wanted for their future projects, and given them the opportunity to keep Harry and Meghan on in an non- Royal capacity before “stripping” them. At least one of them, the National Theatre, stated they would like to keep Meghan on, but that was ignored.
The Sussexes on the other hand, gave a pitch- perfect response. The Royals do not have ownership over the concept of a life of service. In their response I read acknowledgment there are millions who devote their lives to service in a multitude of forms, and without the mountains of ££ and heaps of disproportionate praise the Royal family receive.
I know you didn’t mean to speak for all Brits, but I’m also British and so is my husband, and both of us think BP was being small and deserved the clarification from the Sussexes.
Then why wasn’t all of this announced by the Queen last Jan? Why pretend they had the power to hold them to a year review? Why make this announcement now? Timing is everything here. And don’t tell me that was not major shade she threw with that statement about who was ENTITLED to perform public service. I know she thinks she is anointed by God, but give us a break. We peasants are quite capable of practicing kindness and service without sucking off the public tit like she and her family does.
Andrew didnt have to give up his patronages. The patronages no longer wanted to be associated with him.
She could have announced this last year then. Instead she specifically said they would continue with their patronages. I think the timing was suspect and done in a way to try and hurt the Sussexes. And I think the Sussexes point is that they are serving because of their interest and devotion to the projects and not because if some handed down obligation.
Yeah, no. That statement about “pubic service” was designed to play into the smear that Harry and Meghan disn’t want to work, that they have abandoned their posts, their “duty”, to go live the glitz and glam life in Hollywood. She knew exactly what she was doing and how the crazies over there would react to it. HM saw right through it and they gave her the clapback she deserved.
I’m sorry but I’m happy with this. The only ties left are ones that would be much more difficult to remove. I’m sure they’re already shopping other charities to support and partner with. This isn’t a loss for the Sussexes imo. The work continues.
Harry and Meghan are working with Chef Andres World Central Kitchen, who set up kitchens in disaster areas to feed people, right now they’re in Texas.
Meghan and Harry are building 4 kitchen in four countries, that can be used for other services, the one in the Dominica, West Indies is already finished.
I said it in the other post that ultimately it’s the charities that will suffer. No other royal brings media attention and publicity the way the Sussexes do other than the Cambridges. And they barely work in the first place.
Wow, that part about it not being compatible with a life of duty and responsibility in public service was so shady. The queen could have just said that it was no longer feasible for them to keep their patronages and left it at that. There’s a real sense of superiority there that Harry and Megan are selfish dilettants while the Royal family is slogging it out like frontline workers 😂
I agree, and it could have been timed with the Covid vaccines. Something along the lines of, “With life hopefully returning to normal, living in California does not work in the long term for royal patronages in England, and the queen would like to give these patronages to members of her family who can be there, in person. She hopes they choose to remain with these charities they have been involved with, but she needs boots on the ground.” Or something equally benign. Her statement was pissy, and they responded in kind.
That would be terribly petty of her considering many of her own patronages haven’t seen her in years.
The Queen was trying to get Harry and Meghan to give up their patronages, with all the leaks, but they forced her hand and let her announce it.
Everyone knew from last year, when she said, they can’t be half in and half out, and the Sussexes said they do not want the 12 month review, that it was over, they were not going back.
This is good news for Meghan and Harry, not so much for the Charities.
Yup, and naturally the press is going to focus on titles even more. Harry and Meghan should adopt the same passive stance and let Liz take it if she/her courtiers are so insistent. I know it’s far more complicated than that but the media and the detractors seem to think she can do it with the snap of her fingers. See what kind of optics that brings (she already messed up here by announcing this on Andrew’s birthday).
I’ve said it before, but the treatment of Meghan and Harry has completely removed ANY affection or curiosity I’ve had about the BRF. I’m an American, and always thought the royal family was interesting. My eyes have been opened, and I want nothing to do with any of it. But I do still love Meghan and Harry.
Best of luck on your free life M&H. I hope they are happy and thrive with their little family. I wish them the greatest of successes and will be avidly following their endeavors. BYE BRF.
Oh whatever who cares
It’s just a superficial thing anyway, they are right, anyone can take part in acts of service not just celebrities and we really should be moving away from making people the “face” of things. We should move away from celebrity worship in general, especially after a year like this and we certainly should eliminate things like the monarchy.
I think what most modern privileged people do now which is; give their platform over, donate money or provide resources for those who need it to have a platform is much better than all that ridiculous pomp and circumstance.
Now it’s just a matter of time of waiting for Elizabeth to answer that phone call from downstairs so we can be done with this depraved institution.
This reminds me of the sotry about how Kate ‘exists to please’ William which actually made my heart so heavy and sad to read. It falls right in line though with a part of the crown where they talk about how the queen (or monarch in general) is the nucleus of the family; the family exists to support the monarch and everyone elses role is at least secondary. It isn’t just Kate that exists to please Will, it is everyone around him. First the Queen, then Charles, and then Will will act as the nucleus that everyone else is expected to support and protect. What a sad existence for everyone. I am glad Harry found a way out that worked for him, no one should have to exist in this work simply to reflect someone elses shine and never shine on their own.
Kate doesn’t exist to please William. She exists to live a lazy, one percent life with a title. She, Mummy, and all of Clan Middleton worked for years to get this business arrangement marriage. One where they live separately most of the time and William cheats freely. She knew what she was getting and she clung until he finally married her. Kate is no victim.
the BR picked making british media and thousands commenting negatively on UK social media over public opinion of the rest of the world- from Canada- at least to me- we see news of Jeffrey Epstein still every week, the show of support of Andrew by the Queen was noticed- and this opposite attitude for the S appears vindictive. In 2021 in North America, ‘kids’ are allowed to freely chose for their life without the fear of being ‘disowned’ in a way- or another. We don’t follow it as closely here, so to me, the summary above is what we really hear about.
When the narcissist abuser finally decides to exit, after doing everything they can think of to wear you down, you can get on with the business of living like never before. The monarchy has shown their dysfunction to an extent never seen before. Hope they end soon.
The last 2 sentences in the Sussex statement: chef’s kiss. I understand commenters who say it does not matter to them, but that does not diminish the passive? aggressiveness of the palace in their handling of it.
“…The Queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of The Royal Family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service.” Wow! what a narrow, elitist perspective to take on public service. The Sussex response was PERFECT – and I hope it hit Queenie like a shank in the heart. Petty Bit*h! Harry and Meghan would have gladly paid any price to be free of the BRF’s abuse and the constant RatRota slander and racist mistreatment. The true jewels in the Crown are gone and are NEVER EVER coming back. Sad for you but better for them. You and your disgusting family can continue to steep in the sick psychosis you have created while the Sussexes carry on living a life of dreams while continuing their public service and effortlessly putting The Crown and all its members to shame.
p.s. I cannot wait for Oprah’s interview – I hope the Sussexes see fit to Roast every one of the palaces to Hell.
#AbolishTheMonarchyAlready
This will be brought up in the Oprah interview. The US straight press will not demand to see the children . They can engage with the media on their terms. They can have major players like Oprah and Nexflix to help them get their messages out. They don’t have to rely on the budget British press to get name recognition.
A clean break from anything royal adjacent is best for Harry and Meghan because it absolutely cuts off any control that Prince Incandescent has over them. Today’s announcement is petty and dramatic, but the real fun will come post-pandemic when these patronages are back to throwing galas and their honored guests turn out to be the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Imagine thinking that public service is represented by the BRF, whose FFQ hasn’t seen her patronages in years, and whose queen’s favorite is being hunted by the FBI.
Yes, the hypocrisy is unbelievable!
Well, as the saying goes, the trash took itself out. The RF removed itself from any further discussions, and good riddance. These people are truly trash with money – low levels of education, low levels of EQ, huge sense of entitlement due to being born in the lucky sperm club, little compassion and almost no care for the common people other than as sideshows for their monthly “ public service” song and dance.
I wonder if the Commonwealth and if aware people in the UK will realize and speak out about what this action reveals about the racism and classism inherent in everything the RF has done and continues to do?
“That must have been one hell of a phone conversation between the Queen and Harry too. I hope he told her exactly what he thinks about everything, and I hope he said it with his whole chest. He must have, to get this reaction.”
I can actually see Harry picking up the phone and telling the Palace to put out a statement that they won’t be coming back. Harry never wanted the one year review so I can see him saying to the Palace let’s put an end to the speculation and briefing to the press as nothing going to change between now and the end of March.
Yeah…on the lines of “you do it or we will.”
FREEDOM finally! This entire thing was stupid: BP said last year that Harry would be stripped of his military titles if he wanted to be financially independent so these 50 million stories about whether he’d keep them were ridiculous after wreath gate. Did they really expect Harry to come back after they denied him the opportunity to lay wreath and cenotaph and then leaked it to the press to humiliate him? Sometimee i feel like they really underestimate who they are dealing with when it comes to him.
It also does feel like the thing with the royal patronages was an attempted power move designed to humiliate them but i feel like H&M always knew that was a possibility as well. Harry in particular made a comment on a zoom with the Rugby Union last year about how he’d support them in an official capacity as long as he could. He knew the Firm might pull some crap like this but he didnt blink.
I do wonder though how the QCT will deal with losing them considering Harry was a part of it’s design since inception and Meghan brought in orgs that she’s worked with before like One Young World to partner with them but if the Firm wanted to be petty and remove them from their position then it’s their problem to deal with now.
It sounds like the QCT isn’t really losing them. Their statement notes how much Harry and Meghan have done for them, and that “We are glad that they remain in our circle of supporters”.
SmartWorks has also come out with a statement that Meghan will remain a patron. Involvement with SmartWorks was her choice, it wasn’t a royal patronage, but it’s nice to see them highlighting her contribution and emphasizing she’s still working with them, that the BP statement makes no difference to them.
I love how the even the royal patronages they’re losing are coming out with statements highlighting how much Harry & Meghan’s involvement has meant for their organization.
Harry did not design or create the QCT. The Queen and her private secretary, Lord Geidt, created it in early spring 2016. Several months later they asked Harry to be president. I’m sure that made William incandescent with rage as it was an unexpected move. It was far more likely QEII would hand that charity assignment to the future future king. William has been fuming about the QCT since 2016; I’m sure he’s going to try to grab it now.
Taking these patronages away hurts no one except the patronages. Harry & Meghan will find other organizations to work with and those will be blessed with H&M’s work ethic and support. As H&M stated so pointedly in their response, they don’t need their titles to do good for others. Congratulations, Queenie, you’ve played yourself. Live long and prosper, Sussexes!
The Sussex statement was pitch perfect and will be backed up by their continued efforts and actions through Archewell, while the queen’s just further emphasizes how petty and disgusting she is. Good. Let the world see what we’ve known for a long time.
Above everything else, imagine dolling out this punishment to your grandson and his pregnant wife after she previously suffered a miscarriage.
I hope the commonwealth countries follow Barbados’ lead and remove the queen as head of state (or ditch the commonwealth altogether and maybe form their own).
I don’t understand why people are blaming this on William, I don’t think William or even Prince Charles have that much power, It’s all Queen Elizabeth. She wanted prince Andrew to protected and he has been protected, she wanted Diana Harry and Meghan to be thrown under the bus and they have been thrown under the bus. That’s it. Again if I were harry, I would cut all the ties with her and his father and toxic family and focus on his own family.
I very much seen William’s petulant hand in a lot of this. He’s fuming angry that Harry and Meghan managed to escape. He was planning on decades of using Harry and Meghan’s work, claiming it as his own, while continuing to sell them down the river to the tabloids. William has been incandescent with rage over Harry most of his life.
When it comes to appeasing William and ulimately keeping the monarchy line in tact, both QEII and Charles will cave to abusive William.
The RF are being dragged on UK twitter – most of the tweets I’ve seen are calling out why Andrew gets to keep his.
Bad bad move, that palace statement was just bitchy.
It’s not a life of service for the RF, anyway. They spend their whole lives keeping a relic of an institution relevant. And they get paid for it. Betty wants it to sound like devotion to “her people” a phrase that makes me gag, BTW, because no one belongs to someone else. Harry and Meghan need to voluntarily give up all association with the RF. Including titles. It would demonstrate sincerity for the new life they have chosen and would take away any power Betty has over them.
That’s a constant theme from Meghan haters. ‘If she was a real feminist she would never marry’ ‘If she was a real feminist she’d refuse a title’. I’d rather they keep their titles and *chose* not to use them, because that angers the courtiers and the racist Meghan haters.
p.s. Betty cannot take the titles away, only Parliament can.
I love she keeps her titles. I’ll argue it’s a truly empowered move to not be submissive to those who are abusive to you. To not do as they command when they say.
The BRF has a bad association because they’re just awful, but Harry and Meghan aren’t awful. Titles can still be classy and make you think of fairytales.
When the narcissist abuser finally decides to exit, after doing everything they can think of to wear you down, you can get on with the business of living like never before. The monarchy has shown their dysfunction to an extent never seen before. Hope they end soon. May this free up H & M to talk about issues that are less mainstream, and solutions that are more progressive.
The Sussexes refused the Cambridges ultimatum. The Sussexes refused to be their lapdog. As the old saying goes every rope has an end.
How many of the patronage and military positions will go to them?
Lol. Does it matter? They won’t actually do anything with them.
Brave is standing up to the thing you fear and with that I think both Meghan and especially Harry are very brave because he lost his family. She has been rejected!!! As a society, a reminder that elitism, racism and all the other isms exist today…some of us can never be good enough.
Meghan and Harry are people who have shown time and time again, they wanted to be included and were consistently rejected which makes me believe they are HURT and do care because they are people who were pushed to the breaking point. It is no easy feat!!!
Today I feel for them again because it is clear it is not what they wanted!! I have the unpopular opinion, that they are not going to shrug this off like “we are free” thank you!!! While they have gained freedom, these people have lost – they have lost family. And it provides more evidence for me at least that the ROYAL family should be abolished. Period!!!
But Harry knew that he had lost his family when they threw his wife to the tabloid wolves while she was pregnant with Archie. No statement of support for her, no calling the media to task and asking them to lay off Meghan. And what about when William and Kate hired that Flybe commercial jet to stick it to H&M when they were being roasted for taking private planes? What about all the leaks that came from KP? That was when the tears were flowing for H&M and they were hurt beyond repair. Today’s news is the hurt coming from Buckingham Palace, who held off almost a whole year before admitting to the public today that it was really over. H&M broke up with the family last year and BP couldn’t admit it until now.
I don’t understand the hysteria about taking the patronages away. I don’t think QE is being petty since these were for working Royals. If Meghan and Harry were banned from working with them as private citizens then that’s petty. It seems they and the patronages still want to work together.
I think people see it as petty because Andrew despite stepping down from royal duties still has HRH,his militarty titles, and patronages despite some of the military branches he is head of complaining about being associated with him to the press and some organizations voting to remove him from posts.
To me what is the most petty and inexcusable is that this newest wrinkle about removing them from their (non military) royal patronages was just leaked to the press seemingly without talking to the patronages. At the end of the day the Queen definitely has the right to remove them but it is shitty to let that be known in the press before letting the patronages know especially in the middle of an economic downturn due to a pandemic. The patronages should have not been left twisting in the wind confused by multiple press reports like they were earlier this week. Glad it’s all settled so they can move forward.
I think the Andrew situation is just such a contrast that it emphasizes the pettiness.
I also think that for many (including me) there is some confusion about a “royal patron” – I get that the Queen “gave” Meghan the National Theatre patronage, for example, but why cant Meghan continue just as “the patron” and the NT goes on without a royal patron? Why do these organizations HAVE to have a “royal patron”?
Finally considering that the National Theatre and one of the rugby organizations came out with comments this week about wanting to keep the Sussexes – it definitely seems like shitty behavior towards the organizations they are supposedly helping.
The National Theatre removed Royal from its name to seem less elitist so keeping Meghan as patron and not royal patron would fit in quite well.
That’s family just doesn’t get it. Having a royal patron means nothing if the Royal assigned is lazy. I am sure EACH would take Meghan in a heartbeat. She would do something more than once every eight years.
As long as Andrew still has his patronages and his ceremonial military titles even though he is no longer a working royal, this looks petty.
@sid …and you gotta ask yourself how many of those patronages actually WANT him? How many would gladly trade for Team Sussex? Answer: Probably all of them.
There have been reports that several of his patronages want to drop him – and that they have received pushback from the Palace. In the end, the Palace couldn’t force at least one org to keep him on but it was clearly conveyed to the org that the Palace wanted Andrew to continue as patron. So it isn’t just that Andrew keeps his patronages, it is that the Palace is actively trying to prevent his patronages to drop him. That is bad enough in itself – but compared to the Palace taking patronages away from Harry and Meghan despite those orgs publicly saying that they really want to keep them as patrons, that is what makes this whole situation so petty and hypocritical. It makes it crystal clear that Harry and Meghan are being punished while the accused rapist (who cannot convince anyone that he isn’t guilty as hell) is being actively protected by the same institution that punishes H and M for stepping back as working royals. Andrew has also stepped back as a working royal but he experiences almost no consequences for this.
As always ARTHISTORIAN, I find your comments spot on and thought provoking.
It is petty to remove their positions at Queens Commonwealth Trust. That is an independent charity, not a ‘patronage’ from the Queen. A working royal can set up an independent charity and let anyone they want be associated with it. Charles has taken his independent charities, put them under one umbrella, and his cousin David is running them. QEII could have done the same with QCT but chose not to.
HRH Andrew says hi.
To the Commonwealth Country members: IT IS TIME TO REMOVE THE QUEEN/CHARLES AS HEAD OR LEADER.
Freedom and peace of mind is priceless. Congrats H&M! #abolishthemonarchy
The next goal for people who hate them is to get them stripped of their duke and duchess titles and somehow push Harry’s children out of the line of succession. I see so many conspiracy theories floating around twitter. They really bring out the crazies.
@Talie – 90% of the commentariat is calling for just that BUT, as been said many times before, the Line of Succession is decided by the UK Parliament and the Commonwealth countries who have QEII as their head of state (Australia and Canada and others) so only the UK Parliament in conjunction with he Commonwealth can change the Line of Succession.
The Dukedom of Sussex can only be taken away from Harry via a bill from the UK Parliament. I am sure Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer have much more important things to worry about at this time than a BRF family spat.
The Sussex Dukedom will not be removed from Harry & Meghan and here is why: If QEII did go to Prime Minister Johnson and advise that she wished for Harry’s Dukedom to be attained then Boris & Starmer (Starmer would be needed to assure passage of the bill) could look her in the eye with a straight face and suggest that the York Dukedom be attained too in one simple UK Parliamentary Bill. If Parliament gets rid of Sussex & York Dukedoms then it is a very short hop, skip & a jump to get rid of Wessex, Kent and Gloucester Dukedoms. Harry and Meghan may lose the “use” of HRH but they WILL NOT lose the Dukedom of Sussex.
TQ has sealed her legacy and the fate of the BRF. Good luck keeping the other Commonwealth countries in the fold; I predict a number of them will start living in the next few years.
Meghan began living a life of service long before her friend tried to set her up with Harry and H&M have proved in the past year that they do not need titles or shiny baubles to live a life of public service. I wish them continued happiness.
Someone on twitter said it perfectly : The Oprah interview is them reintroducing themselves to the public. It will be their real selves and not the tabloid version. I’m glad this news came out before the interview.
I think this will NOT be enough for the Brits. They want to see the Sussex broke and begging. This isn’t the end for the petty Brits (not all). side note: The Royal Reporter are afraid that Meghan will out their racism on Oprah. I hope she does!
I mean, it will be pretty easy for their racism to be outed. All Harry and Meghan have to do is tell the truth, and the receipts will speak for themselves.
Louise77’
From where I live, a patron is a patron, there are no special royal roles for ‘their royal highness’ (this expression sounds so 300 years older than it should- it screams anachronism).
Also, big picture of this past 1.5 year in BRF life for most worldwide: the Queen protected Andrew in his attempt to avoid responsibility for despicable behaviors that may be criminal: the Queen did not support the S and further punished them for making their life as they wish it (after being abused by media without support from the family).
No matter the technicalities of whether they can be patron as ‘civilian/paysan’, the big picture looks petty and frankly very bad.
OMG the burn!!
Up until now I felt the royal family particularly the Cambridges were in a one sided fight. Today feels like open warfare
Smart Works has already Tweeted that the Duchess of Sussex will remain a patron and they look forward to continuing their work together.
I am living for the brand of petty that pushed that statement out so fast on the heels of this BS. I LOL’d, not gonna lie.
Nice!!
I would guess that Harry really does love his grandmother and understands her limitations as a person; good therapy helps you learn those things and let them go.
This is all just unnecessary and frankly quite cruel in its intention. I don’t know if TQ has lost the plot a bit; she wouldn’t be the first 94 year to experience cognitive changes, but this is just rude. Your son is credibly accused of rape of a minor, lady! yet he gets to keep pretty much everything?
Whether this is William driving this, Elizabeth, or petty palace workers, it looks bad.
My guess is William and petty palace workers driving it.
I agree. I don’t doubt that the TQ is petty, and undoubtedly has blinders as to what kind of malicious coverage Meghan got (and Harry, by extension) based in racism. I can even see her tut-tutting about doing one’s duty as the not heir, but… I don’t think she’d be this petty. I really don’t. This is obviously, openly mean petty and for what? They said they’d be happy to keep doing half of what the Royal family wanted.
William *is* that petty. He *is* that incandescent with rage. He *does* have stories about his extracurricular activities being held over his head. And he seems to have enjoyed his heir status more than any other. I don’t recall hearing stories written about Elizabeth holding her status over Margaret’s head, or Charles lording it over his brothers.
The national theater made a statement about it on Instagram, and turned comments off. Probably a good idea honestly
It’s surely bittersweet to him. Harry’s whole meaning of life was built around that.
I am glad that he could ultimately choose, but sad because he was really committed the his/their charities, which Meghan embraced, but the price they had to pay was terribly high.
I wish them the absolutely best. The Crown’s lost, they could have easily follow the Kents model, or one of the many cousins with a foot in and another out.
the tabloids tried. to killed the goose that laid the golden eggs, but it thrived.
It angers me that tabloids are still making money out of them, well, at least the Sussexes don’t have to cater to them in any form. Peace of mind is important.
Harry has built his life around service. He built Sentebale. He built Invictus Games. He built Endeavour Fund. He maintains all of those as his independent charities. They continue in a life of service together, with their Archewell charity, the four charity kitchens they’re helping build, etc.
What has been removed here is their handful of patronages where they were representing the Queen. If you’re not a working royal, you aren’t representing the Queen. I’m not surprised by this at all. I am surprised by the Queens Commonwealth Trust one, because they could have kept that one.
Nota
When invictus was being formed the court circular did not count his meeting and events regarding that. The reasons given were because it was his personal organization. His private work.
Is Andrew a working royal?
Lizzie
No. He is keeping a low profile, unable to leave the U.K. without being apprehended and frankly no one wants to be associated with a sex-trafficked child rapist. Patronages have already been quietly dropping him. Yet, he holds all his unearned honorary titles and receives funds.
Once the queen passes I suspect (or wish) Charles removes his protection and he will he brought in for questioning.
I’m sure the Sussexes were already aware of the likelihood of this happening since leaving last March. It’s only now that the RF is finally catching on and realizing that Harry meant what he said. Timing is everything and this is the RF lashing out at them not just for the interview, but for the pregnancy announcement. I’d even say that the interview is more of an excuse and that the pregnancy is the *real* issue for the RF. They truly believed and hoped that Harry would come back alone. An RR on Twitter (Wilson) literally admitted that. It’s good that there’s finally some honesty about the sham of a review.
Which Wilson?
Christopher Wilson, a royal writer and commentator.
The truth is finally coming out. The Royal Family were hoping or believed that Harry would leave Meghan and Archie. The announcement of another pregnancy and the Oprah interview finally convinced the Royal Family that Harry won’t be coming back.
I went to twitter and “tried” to read the Christopher Wilson twitter thread on this topic and could not figure out what was being refereed to with “Harry would come back, perhaps, alone”.
Is Christopher Wilson referring to:
A.) Harry back alone to the UK for the so called “One Year Review”
B.) Harry coming back alone for Official Family events in June 2021
C.) Harry coming back alone to permanently to reside in the UK
I can be pretty dense at time and I am not on twitter so please chime in if you have info as to what Christopher Wilson was specifically referring to in his latest tweet.
Bay, I was looking at that earlier after it was mentioned here and I think based on the context that the hope was definitely that Harry would divorce Meghan and return to the UK to be the merry third wheel to Will and Kate that they could throw under the bus whenever they wanted or needed. I am surprised that it definitely seems that people (RRs? BRF? Courtiers?) fully expected Harry to come back to the UK. They really thought this one year review would end with Harry saying “I made a mistake, let me come back.”
“I made a mistake, let me come back.”
@Becks1 -Ii can see the courtiers thinking this in the beginning but after buying a house, signing deals for paid work, paying a reimbursement for renovations to Frogmore Cottage and then the miscarriage of the second pregnancy, how could any person with an IQ above “10” think that Harry had ant intention of coming back to the UK permanently without Meghan?
Also, I find it hard to fathom that the BP courtiers or whomever is in charge under-estimated Meghan to so a large degree.
As I see it, this move only hurts the organizations that they were serving. They are stripping them of support from arguably the most popular royal couple. What will they get now? A visit from Kate every five years?
Eight years.
If she doesn’t have to do the school run.
Lol, Kalana
This should have happened a year ago. For the sake of all the charities and patronages, it shouldn’t have been drawn out for a year. Everyone should have made a clean break last year. Too much drama
Except, tho, H&M werent sitting doing nothing for their patronages and charities for a whole year. They had no obligation to anyone to make any announcements about being of service to these said patronages and charities….they just carried on doing what they pledged to do: be of service. In fact, H told the RU on a zoom call a few months ago that he would support them “for as long as I am able to offer you my support.”
Many of us saw that as a hint that any “stripping” of H&M’s “royal” patronages wd not be done by them “dropping” said patronages. Just as how many of us also believe that any “return of titles” wd not be done by H&M…..if pettybetty wishes to humiliate herself and shit on her legacy at this, the 11th hour of her reign, by ‘stripping” H&M of their titles, then thats on her.
Working Royals. Wtf. Those words are a bad bad joke. #AbolishTheMonarchy Turn over all their ill gotten properties and possessions to the people after setting some aside to fight racism. The grift is astounding.
Mayhew, Smart Works, and the Invictus Foundation have already issued statements saying that Meghan and Harry will remain their patrons. HA HA!
Perfect. The lot of them are far wiser than the “gold standard” royals.
To paraphrase Relly B., those organizations are going where the money reside. Meghan and Harry have shown they are committed, and being associated with them is frankly more valuable because of their profiles and their connections.
Harry owns Invictus, he founded it. Queen cannot remove it.
Meghan chose Mayhew and SmartWorks as her own charity work. They were never patronages bestowed by the Queen, so the Queen doesn’t have the power to remove Harry and Meghan as patrons of those charities.
“the Duke and Duchess of Sussex remain committed to their duty and service to the UK and around the world and have offered their continued support to the organisations they have represented regardless of official role. We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.”
The Polite Shade. 🥰
Lol! I don’t know if the British people actually give a f*** about these patronages but this is so petty. M and H statement is perfect! And a working royal is an oxymoron in my opinion. The royals don’t even know what actual
work is!
I hope they celebrated with a big cake.
Good luck Commonwealth. Your new president and vice president of the trust will probably be Willnot and Kannot. Prepare for as many obligatory photo sessions staged to seem “candid” and “genuine” with as many POC as possible for three minutes. Then they must leave so Kate can shop.
is it a coincidence that they announced it on the day of peado Andrew’s birthday?
Of course not! They can wish him a happy birthday officially and nobody notices because everyone is spewing on H&M.
There is that bus again… Same old shit
Let lazy ass Kate and Willy do the work…
@Amy Bee – Thanks! I was thinking A.N. Wilson.
Their loss.
How is that Brexit going?
I’m currently watching Biden, Merkel and Macron at the Munich Security Conference. Nope, don’t see the UK represented.
I’m astounded at the hatred the British public has for Megan and Harry. The comments sections are full of it, yet no mention of the Royal who is literally wanted on two continents for questions regarding his involvement in a pedophile ring. Good for Harry for protecting his wife from the same monsters that drove his mother to the grave. As for William, many of us will never forget how he wanted to exile them to Africa. It’s so shameful in 2021 this sort of abject racism still exists.
TBH the comments section does not represent the british public.
Most people probably doesnt care either way. It would be like saying Fox commenters represent the USA
But unfortunately, Fox commenters fo represent a nice measure able chunk of the USA. At least 75,000,000 people.
Still, I’m betting there are lots of regular ol’ US racists who comment on Daily Fail articles. That, and bots.
The people of the UK do not hate Harry and Meghan. Eighty percent of the anti-Meghan social media posts have been found to be from outside the UK.
If the UK care for Harry and Meghan why are none speaking up for them? I have not heard of one protest or demonstration from the public. They are not coming on talks shows or writing articles in support. The women politicians wrote letter of support and then nothing else . They went silent.
I can see plenty of support on twitter and people calling out P. Morgan and his ilk regularly. Sane people like me don’t read or comment on the Daily Heil and the Scum.
There were a number of supporting articles just this week in the Guardian as well for example. James O’Brien on LBC regularly calls out the bullshit peddled by the right wing media about them.
So yes there is quite a bit of public support.
By what measure is Kate a full time working royal? Is 30 minutes per week the standard for full time? Strip her of her titles and patronages. (similar to earlier post).
I absolutely love Sussex statement- its kick in the lazy Cambridges teeth literally
As evidenced….the wording is beautiful ( hey Kate &Will we dont have to pretend we work?)
There is real evidence of that for whole world to see !!!
Brilliant.
Well then that’s that. Harry never wanted the review and he never wavered from it. Why do I suspect that they were told they had to get rid of their private ventures and cancel the interview to retain these patronages? I think it was obvious they weren’t coming back, but it was being strung along over there to appease certain factions like the press. Now the Rota have no reason to write about the Sussexes and can stay out of their business. Who’d have thought Oprah Winfrey could send the monarchy into an absolute meltdown. Do U think the royals and their crowd will be satisfied now? Absolutely not. I will say that blaming one individual for the failures of an institution will not fix it. I think the goal was to drive away Harry’s wife, chip, chip, chip away at her. But they created a huge fissures of their own making.
I can’t help but wonder where Charles is in all of this. Is he behind the scenes on the calls supporting Mum? I find that hard to believe, given his past and his signals of where he wanted “his” monarchy to go (with William and Harry leading the way). Or is he calling Harry on the side, assuring him that there will be a place for him, if he wants it in about five years?
If it’s the second, then I still believe that H&M have set themselves up perfectly. They get to be private citizens as they raise a young family, they get to make their own money/ brand that will support them should the monarchy as a whole crash and burn but they still have an open window if things change/ Harry gets sentimental.
As much as I would love to believe that Charles has been some kind of quiet support and ally for the Sussexes behind the scenes to merit Harry helping him out later, the sad fact is there’s absolutely no evidence of that. At any point during the smear campaign, the throes of Sussexit, or the waves of Sussex accomplishments over the last year, Charles could have expressed sympathy, support or pride in his son. Instead he implied he was financially supporting them long after he wasn’t, disavowed Meghan’s privacy lawsuit (which mirrored one of his own), and worst of all unleashed a prolonged campaign of self-righteous fury about a TV SHOW because it hurt his p.r. Something he evidently cared about far more than his child and grandchild.
So yeah… I sincerely hope Harry leaves him twisting in the Tory wind when he’s finally King. Also, petty, vindictive William will have considerably more power by then as PoW, and if Charles can’t manage him now, it’s going to be hopeless when he’s in his real dotage, King or not. I wouldn’t wish Harry anywhere near.
Someone above commented that they hope Harry has a good therapist and I agree 💯 This family has punished him for existing since he was born. He has been punished for being the spare to the point where his family tried to cause his wife to miscarry his child. That is a lot. It probably hurt like hell, but having those patronages removed is the best thing that could have happened. He is free to speak his mind and to get angry about his family’s awful treatment of Meghan, Archie and himself. Hell the family is acting like having a second child is evil so they are punishing this baby for daring to exist the same way they trashed Archie. He has protected his children from this mess and created what he never had….a safe living home where his children’s needs will be placed first. His mother would be proud.
I have to wonder what the citizens of the Commonwealth, who are predominately people of color are thinking right now. What are they thinking when they see the treatment of the Sussex’s versus the treatment of Andrew?
I’m thinking that if K&W ever show up here in their role as Commonwealth ambassadors, I will be one of the people lining the street so I can throw bread at them.
@harla
Nigerian here and a part of the commonwealth and quite frankly this drama is not on our radar. We have an inept president, a security crisis worsened by Boko haram insurgency as well as an economic crunch to deal with.
Thanks for letting me know Linda. I’m sorry to hear about all that you are having to deal with.
I live in a commonwealth country. It’s not big news. Basically billionaires arguing….who cares. The news is dominated by COVID, vaccines, layoffs and local crime. In fact Kanye and Kim’s divorce is bigger news.
I don’t blame them one bit for getting out. When Queen E passes, so will the monarchy. Also, why does The Crown expect Prince William & Prince Harry be trotted out and held up to a higher standard than the rest of The Crown’s offspring. None of the others do anything but act foolish. I wish nothing but peace and happiness for Harry, Megs & the babies.
Answer to why is to keep Andrew out of the news.
Ugh. You’re right & that makes it even worse!!
Not sure what all the fuss is about .As a working Royal , there are duties to perform , charities etc, to be the patron of and an entitlement to receive “pay “from the Queen.If H and M are no longer working Royals , they knew as part of the exit deal what would happen.I see this as no different than an employer saying either you are working for the company or you are not .They are not working for the company so their ” jobs” are going to be assigned to others and presumably there is an inside agreement as to how they pay for their expenses . They can continue on with other charity work and of course be free to earn income anyway they wish (latter which is not possible for working Royals
I think what irks so many is the way this was drawn out and dangled like a carrot. The Royal family did not want to communicate and thought freezing them out would have some impact in making Harry and only Harry, come back. I think the Sussexes had decided they weren’t coming back as working royals but the family weren’t decisive. Harry never wanted the review, Tom Bradby stated last year that they were prepared for everything to be taken, including the title. They kept pandering to the press, who wanted punishments to the couple. The press keep framing this as the Sussexes wanted to stay in as working royals when it was obvious they were forging ahead with their new lives and pursuits. It was the royal family who couldn’t adjust, as seen by this reaction.
Dutchy Brand groceries says Hi!
Apparently, you can be a working royal and earn money on the side. Who knew?
(Charles knew. So did QEII, the lesser Elisabeth)
There is no “inside agreement” with ANY of the palaces abt ANY financial matters concerning H&M.
I wonder what part of that do folks not get?
I totally disagree. In the initial statement last year when they steeped back , it specifically said they would be keeping the patronages. If it was so cut and dried that they could not represent the queen as non working royals they could have said so then without all of this drama. The family and courtiers are doing this to be punitive period. And using the Netflix and Spotify deals as excuses is really disingenuous because the Sussexes said right from the start they were going to be supporting themselves so its not like they went behind anybody’s back to do those things. At any rate I wish during the Oprah program they announce they are dropping the titles and just using Mountbattan-Windsor as their last name. Then we won’t hear from Piss Pot Morgan and his brethren about “strip the titles!”
And yet Prince Michael of Kent can be a royal patron and maintain a consultancy business.
You know I really thought they weren’t this stupid.
This makes the RF look like petty, punitive jerks who do not give a shit about their patronage’s.
I honestly have no interest in anything the Royal family do at this point. Was already over them but this was too much. They went scorched earth on Harry’s wife and when that didn’t succeed, decide to take him out too. Why? Because she was black and had too much attention and overshadowed the heirs. That’s what this came down to from the very beginning Racism and jealousy. F*ck them all.
I’m getting a delightful kick out of the private ones announcing that yes, Harry and Meghan are still their patrons (together or separate)
See Smart Works, Well Child and Invictus
Meghan is keeping 2 of her 4 patronages and Harry 2 of his many.
Maria Shriver just applauded the Sussexes statement as well
The backlash in the US is going to be bad
And I am here for it. I hope there is equal backlash in the Commonwealth countries. Especially the POC majority ones.
The Queen cannot remove any of those charities from Harry and Meghan’s portfolio. SmartWorks and WellChild were never patronages ‘bestowed’ by the Queen, and Harry owns Invictus. Invictus, Sentebale, Endeavour Fund are all private charities Harry founded/controls himself.
Does that mean we’ll get to see some new instagram accounts in the near future?!?! I would LOVE to follow them and love every post <3
William is MIA on this; odd considering he wanted the world to know he was front and center for the Sandringham Summit and Andrew’s “exile”. I bet he was behind the royal patronages getting yanked. Best karma – on the Cambridges’ 10th wedding anniversary Will’s Rose gardening comes in full bloom.
So while I am slightly interested in the goings on with H&M and the rest of the royals, I have no idea what losing the royal patronages even means. Is this some benefit they are losing out on. A paycheck? Or, well, what? Because this is not common info in the US. I don’t know what you guys are really discussing. Someone please outline the meaning. I have tried googling, but I may not be more confused.
Patronages are charities. Some charities have a « royal patron » such as the National Theater and the ACU for Meghan and honorary military positions and rugby patronages for Harry. The queen basically said that they cannot represent her as « royal patron » for these charities. They can only work further with their « private » (as in non-royal) charities. So no they haven’t lost any money
I‘m not major UK royals fan but it‘s really sad to think: that’s not company firing some unpleasant employees. It‘s a family cutting of a member of their own because he simply didn’t play by their stereotype and snobbish lifestyle, values and expectations. While I think she can live with this outcome, it must be hard for him – because he kind of lost his family because he chose his own way.
Newer expected a lovely family dynamic in the royal family but it kind of… surprises me how easy it is for them to publicly shame a generally liked member.
Sometimes I think the Crown is even doing more right by them than they deserve.
I can imagine that the Queen’s conditions involved them coming back to live under the same conditions that drove them out and since they have had a year to sort our their lives, they said NOPE. I think they’ll be fine.
Brilliant quote from an article on Pajiba:
« The royals needed them way more than they need the royals. Good luck getting people to stay interested in Prince Edward now. Maybe you can drag out Princess Michael of Kent and her racist jewelry collection. It won’t stop the crumbling of your very institution into dust. »
It wasn’t going to work with Meghan, the royals don’t like Americans, in fact their supporters truly feel superior to anyone that is not them. The Commonwealth countries should really consider abandoning them the royals don’t feel any different towards them either.
Man, imagine being as old as the queen, that close to the end of your life, and wanting to risk closing it out on such a bitter note on somebody who was once very dear to you. Just crazy to me. Some people just don’t know how good they’ve got it.
I’ve said this before, but I think Harry is the one who feels relieved the most. Just imagine: a person you love decides to leave her hard-won career and her country to marry you, and in return, she is bashed, slandered, abused, and scorned at evry turn by your own family, the media, and even some of the public. None of this would be happening to Meghan had she not met him–she would still be a working actress and a lifestyle blogger living a great life. His guilt over what has happened to her must be immense. His anger at the fact that his wife is being treated just as poorly as his mother was treated must be galling. He has a family of his own, with a wife who respects him. In the UK, he was an also-ran who was supposed to live his life in the shadow of his brother. He could become a dissolute alcoholic, and no one would have cared. He could spend his life dating a barrage of women and no one would have cared. He has learned that his family has no respect for him, no real love for him, no understanding of him as a human being. This isn’t the story of a woman who divided the monarchy. I don’t think Meghan could have done that if she had tried, even if she had been twice as evil as they wanted her to be. I think this is ultimately the story of Harry’s escape from the gilded cage. Being a spare, as we have seen, is a terrible position. The only successful spare of the past 3 generations is Anne, and that’s because her interests and her intellect and her appearance were exactly what was expected of her and not one whit more. Harry’s crime was being too charismatic, too empathetic, and too successful for his brother. They likely encouraged his dumb partying when he was younger–the better to take the heat off of William. It’s all about the heir after all. No one else matters. How sad this all is for Charlotte and Louis. How long before they will be thrown under the bus to protect George? The royal family never learns from past mistakes, so we will see this all play out in about 15 years with the Cambridge kids, if not sooner. Unfortunately, these kids live in a social media world, so everything they do will be broadcast and examined. God help them.
Once, and only once, has William admitted he partied 10 times more than Harry AND he admitted the press covered it up. Harry never partied as much as the press made out, and it was far far less than William.
Will was always the lazy, ignorant, drunk, and irresponsible playboy prince that the media claimed Harry was. They transferred Baldy’s issues into Harry in order to shield Baldy. And the whole family was in on it. Honestly, I really do hope that Harry goes no contact with these people.
I hope one thing out of this is that we never hear from Thomas Markle again, and the Rota can now shut up. They won’t but now they can pretend they have the Royal family they wanted without “ that woman “ overshadowing them.
This is a ridiculous statement: “in stepping away from the work of The Royal Family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service.” As if only royals embody a life of public service.
Snort. The RF uses public service as a justification for their existence, as if their life of luxury is an equal exchange to the “service” they perform. Please, these blood-sucking leeches.
The fact that the Queen and her staff couldn’t see how horribly that “public service” line would read to the general public just underscores that family’s ridiculous level of self-importance and myopic view of the world. They don’t seem to get that outside of the UK, the rest of the world just isn’t THAT dazzled by the BRF and doesn’t see them as anything really important. People tuning in to your royal weddings, coronations, and birth announcements doesn’t necessarily mean they hold you in high esteem. Folks just like to look at bright, shiny things sometimes.
I read some articles about the service is universal statement and I agree with it. I don’t get why being supported in luxury makes service more meaningful/ better than doing it on your own volition. I work a regular job and do volunteer work, is it less because I’m not royal?
And yesterday was HRH Prince Andrew’s, a non working royal who uses his HRH and has royal patronizes, birthday. certainly wasn’t a headline was it. Timing is everything.
You know who actually lives/have lived a life of service? Veterans. Who in the royal family actually served? Hmmmm.
Phil did serve in WWII, so did Petty Betty I guess. And don’t forget that PedoPrince Andy blew out his sweat glands in the Falklands. 😅
Pedos don’t count, lol
Am still grinning over that #ServiceIsUniversal bitchslap heard around the world.
Same energy when they informed the RF (same time last year) that they dont hv a monopoly on the word “royal.”
Boom.
The RF & those old grey courtiers who are really pettybetty’s puppeteers, better gird their loins. The H&M era is just getting started.
This is how the spare is treated unless they accept their life of service as a punching bag for the whole family. To always be attacked and have their work and ideas stolen by others. Have all credit used to prop up the lazy, spoiled heir because they were born 1st.
I cannot understand why Kate/ wife of the heir could have more than 1 child knowing what their life will be.
At the end, Harry, who is now living a private life does work for others because he wants to.
He easily could dedicate himself to work and enjoy his new life, and we wouldn’t ha e the right to say anything. Meghan and him were raised/are used to be of service, and like to continue.
Is it Service if you get to live in a castle and have multiple homes? Is it service when you get government money every year? That family is clearly out of touch so much they have no clue was service without perks is actually about.
Maria Shriver supporting Harry and Meghan with her service is universal tweet also shows that high positioned Americans are going to be there for them. After all her mother founded the special Olympics and is the embodiment of true service.