Of course royal commentators are giving a lot of energy towards Prince William and Prince Harry’s dueling statements on the Duke of Edinburgh. William released his statement first, then Harry followed up about 30 minutes later. My take is that the brothers did not coordinate on their statements in any way other than timing – William was allowed to go first, and Harry was fine with going second. William’s statement was bitter, cold and shady. Harry’s was warm and effusive. If William had read Harry’s before it was released, I’m sure William would have tried to copy his brother’s energy. As it was, the differences were laid bare, which is why people like Richard Kay have been working overtime to make Baldemort’s statement sound regal while Harry’s was apparently very “Californian” (eyeroll). Meanwhile, Robert Lacey pointed out that your eyes did not deceive you, the Other Brother was being a bitch:
Royal expert Robert Lacey analysed Prince William and Prince Harry’s statements after Prince Philip’s death. While speaking on the Australian show Sunrise, Mr Lacey claimed Prince William had snuck in a jab at his brother in his statement. He highlighted it reiterates the difficulties between the two brothers. Mr Lacey said: “If we are being honest about this, when I saw the statements the two brothers issued in commemoration of their grandfather, the fact that Prince William finished with the words ‘I know he would want us to get on with the job’ was a sting in the tail. Now it is only Prince William who is doing the job, rather William and Kate. Harry has stepped away from the job and that is one of the big issues between these two brothers.”
Lacey also told the Times of London: “I feel quite sure that William’s final words carried a message for his brother — I am only surprised that the message should have been so strong and obvious. It is very much the sting in the tail – and it suggests to me that the differences between the brothers will not be easily resolved by a single encounter at the wake.”
[From The Express & The Times]
I appreciate that at least someone acknowledges that William is the problem, that William has the grudge, that William is engorged with rage towards Harry, and that Harry was simply memorializing his grandfather. Tom Sykes at the Daily Beast also pointed out “that the brothers were unable or unwilling to co-ordinate a joint statement does not bode well for hopes of fraternal reconciliation in the coming days.” Yeah, that’s a good point – in the old days, Harry and William probably would have issued a joint statement. Meanwhile, Omid Scobie says it’s all much ado about nothing:
Prince William’s tribute to his grandfather Prince Philip was not ‘a dig’ at his younger brother and the siblings are ‘unified’ despite what it might look like to the outside world, Harry and Meghan’s friend Omid Scobie claimed today. Mr Scobie, a journalist and friend of the Sussexes who wrote their biography Finding Freedom, told Good Morning Britain that he believes William was not attacking his younger brother, and their statements were just an expression of their ‘different personalities’.
He said: ‘I think for us on the outside it might look like that but I think we have to remember that that is William’s role, he is the future head of state and so he is really thinking about getting back to work. I don’t think it was anything aimed at his brother. In fact I think across the board in the royal family right now everyone is really looking at putting differences aside to focus on what matters and that’s focusing on Prince Philip’s life and legacy but also rallying around the Queen during her time of need.
He added: ‘I think if there’s anything that’s sort of beautiful about this week and in the days leading up to the funeral it’s about seeing a family unified in a way that we haven’t seen in so many years’.
I wonder if Scobie is trying to tell people to dial down the drama between the brothers? It could work both ways – William and Harry are not fighting right now, but… they’re not reconciling either. I have no idea. I do believe William was being purposefully shady and nasty to Harry though.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Avalon Red and Backgrid.
I think it’s both. I think William will always have a different approach than Harry, but he was also being a shady little bitch on top of that.
Yes I agree. Sadly every time William tries to throw shade it blows up in his face. He must be incandescent that Harry’s tribute was better thought of round the world. The petulant prince strikes again.
He was definitely being shady and he should be the one to dial it down a notch. He is not yet king and this is still the queen’s reign. His only “job” right now is to support the queen. William needs to know his place.
The media making a song and dance out of the “separate” statements is odd but predictable. Harry and William are not joined at the hip (thankfully), they are both grown adults leading their own lives. They don’t have to do everything together. Even though Harry is a 36-year-old married man with children of his own and his own career path, they still expect him to walk to the beat of Other Brother’s drum. Harry is not the one that is unhealthily dependant on his brother.
William and Harry have always had different styles, but it is obvious to anyone with a brain that William used his tribute to throw jabs at Harry, Meghan and even their children. If anything, it further proves who is the instigator and driving force behind this “rift”, because it’s not Harry who felt the need to supplement his grandfather’s commemoration with thinly veiled insults to his brother on the world’s stage. William couldn’t even keep it dignified for the sake of a family bereavement, even though we hear so much about him being the regal, king-like, dutiful brother who’s all about service.
@Snuffles ITA. Part of it is about different styles, but William’s formality doesn’t explain away how snide and nasty his statement was. And I’m glad Lacey said something, but imo it was way more than one “jab,” the entire statement was littered with them.
I sort of don’t know what Omid is going for, here…how are we seeing the family “unified” in a way we haven’t in years? Am I missing something?
They’ve all made their own statements about Philip, some in writing and some on camera, but everything else seems to be status quo?
For Harry’s sake, I hope it’s the truth behind closed doors, but going by William’s statement alone, it certainly doesn’t seem as if William is “putting differences aside.” He simply used this as just one more way to try to hurt and one-up his brother. Which is so, so sad considering the circumstances. He was unable to focus on Philip in his own statement ABOUT Philip even in the days after his death; his anger toward his brother is always there, underlying everything he does.
ETA: “Californian?” Give me a break. What does that even mean in this context
“Californian” means “human” apparently.
Imagine the lack of love involved in taking the opportunity to memorialize your grandfather and instead of thinking of him, using that opportunity to hurt someone else.
It is unseemly. It is petty.
William’s statement was all about himself, not Philip. You are quite right that he was unseemly and petty. But William will never recognize that.
I actually think Bullyam is well aware of how he comes across, but he doesn’t care because knows he can rely on the media to protect his image by refusing to give coverage on his missteps, or spinning his behaviour into a positive, while turning everything Harry does into a negative. That is the beauty of his contract with the press that he sold himself and his children out for. They will turn his sh** into gold, so long as he keeps up to his end of their devils deal, giving him free reign to act out as he pleases.
I knew he was self centred but I didn’t realise he was that bad. The sad thing is that he probably thinks of himself as a great strategist which means no one can be honest with him.
Unseemly is a very good word for it. What William did was just crass and shows that he’s probably spent the last year raging about Harry, otherwise why would it leak in out in a statement memorializing his grandfather?
It’s such a shame that even in the throes of grief, Other Brother uses his platform to hit out instead of a shoulder on which to lean. William is not kingly.
Yes, Willie is beyond selfish. His grandfather dies at nearly 100 and his one and only statement to pay tribute to his life is all about how great he is and how he’s so much ‘better than his brother’.
I bet he was fuming after reading harrys statement. Harry wrote his as his grandson, Willie wrote his like he’s already king and the most important person in the whole damn world.
I like Omid, but I’m tired of people excusing The Dumber Brother’s f*ckery just because he’s the future king. This fool has about 15-25 years to become king anyway. His statement was trash and he made Philip an afterthought in a statement about him, just to trash his brother. How can he be some global statesman if can’t even be diplomatic to his sibling during a time of mourning? Charles, the immediate future king, was very warm in his words discussing Philip. His statement was kind, heartfelt, and centered the actual deceased, knowing that they had their differences. That’s a true king.
Exactly! What does the roll he is about to fill have to do with that petty statement. On the contrary, because william is future king you should be able to count on the fact that he won’t use the death of a family member to take cheapshots at his younger brother. If you can’t even trust him to do that, than what can you trust him to do?
Is there no one close to him that he listens to? It’s been gaffe after gaffe and surely despite what the sycophantic BM likes everyone to think William is not looking good on the world stage.
The people who surround him are the same ones that have friends within their circle working for the daily mail and grew up privileged themselves. Thats why williams circle has no idea how the real world works and even if they did, i doubt he would listen.
This is why William is the way he is. Everyone makes excuses for him. It’s so tiring. Let him own up to his mistakes for once.
I know everyone is annoyed at Omid but from a PR standpoint, well, I like it. Harry and Meghan absolutely will not squabble with KP. They took one clear shot with the Oprah interview and backed off. When the smoke cleared, public opinion had been forever altered in their favor. Meanwhile Bullyiam keeps giving himself black eyes.
We all know what Bullyiam was saying. Omid almost certainly does too and so do the Sussexes. But “don’t wrestle with a pig” is very sound PR advice. The Sussexes really really do not need to be seen taking notice of KP’s petty shenanigans. It would only lower them and legitimize KP. They are Beyoncé and Bullyiam is Kerry Hilson.
@Gruey that’s a great point — a good way of thinking about it. The Sussexes are, objectively, the better people here, so it isn’t as if they’re just playing the part for a week. Harry is acting dignified which makes William’s flailing all the more pathetic.
I wasn’t even annoyed with Omid, but more puzzled, because what he was saying doesn’t seem to be in line with what we’re seeing from the family. But I think you’re right, the Sussexes are determined to stay above the fray. (Which will only make William angrier that he’s being ignored, but that’s his problem, not Harry’s.)
@Gruey I get what you are saying, but so much of the energy around TOB is: he’s like this because he’s the future king. Maybe he’s just an asshole. Who says that being a future king means you can’t give a warm speech about your grandfather? Or being king means you can’t be funny or charming. So many people say the William’s status is why he’s dull and boring, like they are excusing his lack of personality on the fact that he’s the heir. Oh Harry is likeable because he’s the spare, he’s allowed to be interesting. TOB is not even the heir yet, Charles is, and Charles manages to be interesting, charming, and affable at times. William is a d*ck because he just is and his trash condolence to Prince Philip is a testament to that.
@JT ITA. I think William is just an assho!e, and this has nothing to do with his role. The fact that he’s FFK doesn’t mean he can’t write a warm, personal statement for his own grandfather in the days after his death. He just is who he is.
I definitely think part of what formed his personality was the fact that as the heir, he was treated differently from a young age, but he’s a grown-ass adult with his own children now and he controls how he behaves. And he’s shown himself to be an incredibly terrible person over the past five years.
Re: his role, it’s so bizarre to me how so many outlets act as if he’s the heir and he and Kate are up next, completely ignoring the existence of Charles and Camilla.
Can you imagine the praise William would have got if his statement was like Harry’s? They would go on and on about how heartfelt and personal it was, etc etc. but since it wasn’t they excuse it because he is the “heir” It’s so pathetic.
Harry’s statement was personal and heartfelt because he genuinely cares and dearly loved his grandpa. It’s not because he is the spare. He is just a good, kind man.
Also, the RRs are so obsessed with the idea of Omid being a personal friend of the Sussexes that if he did say it was snappy and shady, that would have been taken as the reaction of Harry and Meghan. He had to gloss over it.
(I do think its funny that the RRs think Omid is their BFF or something, when the reality is that he’s a professional who didn’t play the dirty games the rota was playing and as a result still has access to their spokesperson/press office. I do think he likes H&M as people but I don’t think they’re exchanging texts on the regular or anything, even if he does get a scoop once in a while, like the email Meghan sent about correcting the crying story.)
Harry is Beyonce & William is Becky with the no hair.
He was definitely being shady towards Harry – and if he wasn’t, then he needs a better editor or proofreader etc. The fact that this is being discussed – whether his statement was aimed at Harry or not – is inappropriate, there shouldn’t even be a question about it, you know? There should be no doubt that William’s statement was about his grandfather and his relationship with him. But William could not hold himself back even for this so here we are.
Also Harry’s statement was just better and you know that’s driving William up the wall, lol.
We are going to blame William for the inappropriateness of dissecting family statements regarding their own family member’s death?
Yup, I am. Anne’s statement was touching. What Charles said was touching. No one is dissecting those statements. What William said was shady and he knew it and he should be ashamed.
I was being purely rhetorical – there was ALWAYS going to be a discussion. Perhaps my sense of humor needs more coffee.
Well, there would always be a discussion about the statement, but they wouldn’t have people on morning shows debating whether or not William’s statement had barbs aimed at Harry. People aren’t debating that about Harry’s statement (or if they are I’m missing it, which is possible.) that’s my point – the discussion about what William said shouldn’t be about whether he was being shady towards his brother, but that clearly is at least open to interpretation, when there should be no doubt. It shouldn’t be a question. If he didnt mean to be shady, then he should have worded some things differently IMO.
Good point @becks1. The fact that there is even a debate about whether it was shady pretty much tells you that it was shady.
I’m with Becks. I wonder what the people who read it beforehand REALLY thought. At the very least, Kate and Jason, I guess, must have seen it ahead of time?
They *must* have known how petty it appeared, but either they agreed with William that this was a good approach to take, or they were too scared to disagree with him. (Or they know that it won’t make a difference and he’ll do what he wants anyway?)
To me it read as shade, but it also looks so petty and immature. Imagine doing something so stupid in a memorial statement about your grandparent? He’s like that relative who shows up drunk at the funeral and grabs the mic during the eulogy to “say a few words” and proceeds to rant about how awful the rest of the family is.
Izzy, I strongly suspect that Harry will be warmly welcomed by the majority of the family. And the family will be side eyeing the Cambridges on Saturday. I think William knows this and it’s why he wants the Middleton’s there to soothe his ego.
Carole: Oh, you poor pudding, you feel all alone? Would it help if I were there? I could sit next to you instead of Kate; funerals aren’t really her thing.
Carole: As soon as this funeral is over we’ll go back to Bucklebury and I’ll make cheese toast and you can put your head in my lap…OK darling?
Dear CarolE, is that new coat and hat you bought for the funeral burning a hole in your closet? Well, here is my advice: naff off. Now, I’m going to have a nice G&T at lunch. Toodles.
Not omid and his fantasies ugh! Im surprised that at least 1 person had the balls to (sort of) call william out. And anything that has a grain of compassion and warmth is un-british now? So richard is saying that brits are cold hearted people? And im happy reporters are coming to the realization that there won’t be reconciliation.
Exactly. It was a loaded statement& even rota sycophants were saying it. I don’t blame Omid for denying that and trying to make focus on Philip & family unity rather than a rift though. If he acknowledged it was snappy the Keens fans would go mental & so would the likes of Dan Wootton. The Fail already was trolling him in this article calling him the Sussexes friend even though he said on GMB he’s not their friends, doesn’t have a direct line& just has a good professional relationship with their office.
In this case, I think omid is wrong and the letter was shady AF. But overall, always appreciate his support of the sussexes and refusal to adopt the nasty tone so many of the royal experts use on tv.
I think you’re 100% right. If Omid would’ve said that he thought the comment was shady the tabloids wouldve run with it as the Sussexes saying it was shady and trird to sell papers on a feud. I think Omid in the past has given the royals too much credit and made excuses for them but that seems to have changed post the Oprah interview so i feel like he got this line he’s saying here when reaching out to their team about the story and imo it’s smart. We all knew that the Rota would try to drum up as much controversy as possinle this week to milk Harry being in the UK for all it’s worth. It’s very smart of his team to not engage on any of this and send out the message that he is just focusing on honoring his grandfather. It’ll make this week or so go by much easier.
I think he was also throwing shade with his comments about how much time Kate and the kids had spent with Phillip.
There was a point made about how Kate got to know Prince Philip for many years and was the recipient of much of his kindness. One gets the impression that there is a silent reference to another duchess who hasn’t been around so many years and who wouldn’t inspire the same kindness.
i personally think the Prince Phillip would have more admiration for Meghan because she was a hard worker and more independent. Men like him tend to have respect for people who are independent thinkers even if they don’t voice it.
QwietStorm, I question just how much time PP gave to Katiedidn’t. She’s dull and with the picture I have in my mind of him I just don’t see him thinking very highly of her. At his age, I can’t see him spending a lot of time with small children either. Really? Kate took those kids to see him at Wood Farm and then to Windsor? I think the entire statement is all of Willileaks embiggening himself and Katiedidn’t. If there was shade thrown to Prince Harry, so much the better. I really think that PW and his sycophants are completely clueless.
The picture with George was years old. I doubt W&K spent much time with Philip, as he wasn’t known for suffering fools.
Actually I think Omid’s response might be from KP. Omid tries to be fair no? This sounds like a KP response to the discussion.
William’s statement was a tribute to HRH Prince Philip who happened to be his grandad whereas Harry’s was a tribute to his grandad who happened to be HRH Prince Philip
I think it was worse than that – Prince William’s statement was a tribute to Prince William’s grandfather who happened to also know Prince William’s wife and like Prince William’s children and was very much in favour of Prince William getting on with the job.
@Sofia, yes, to a point — but that doesn’t explain away all of the veiled shots he took at Harry.
I’m not the type of person who is always reading between the lines looking for some hidden message, but in this case it was so blatant. William didn’t even try to be subtle.
And what kind of person decides that HIS grievances are more important than the dead man he’s paying tribute to?
Um, where is Wills, exactly? Several other family members have spoken publicly, but FFK still hasn’t made an appearance, which would have been a perfect opportunity to dunk on his quarantining brother. Did he get caught out vacationing when Philip passed?
Let’s hope Charles and the Queen told him to sit his ass down and let the grown ups handle this. If William couldn’t help being petty in a written statement, he would be an absolute loose cannon live and in person. Plus, the press would bait him into talking about Harry and Meghan without a doubt.
I do actually think the queen and also charles had a very strong word with him. There’s a reason why there aren’t any articles talking about “palace sources” maybe that will come after the funeral idk. But for now william is staying put.
It’s sad that he’s considered less responsible than Lady Louisa, who is an actual child.
I think he was told to stand down and is salty AF about it. I can’t believe he wouldn’t have wanted to be seen in public to get on camera.
@Becks ita, it does seem like he was given a talking to, but I wonder why he actually did what he was told this time. Or is it possible that this is the first time that Charles & the Queen were actually pushed far enough that they’d had it with his crap, snapped, and put him in his place?
Between the Wooten letter and his bereavement, maybe Charles snapped. And, if he is talking to Harry more, Harry might have told him some stuff he didn’t already know.
Richard Kay couldn’t even muster a serious criticism of Harry’s statement–apart from a crack about his grammar and the term authentic being American–despite William’s obvious order to Kay to trash Harry’s trending tribute. Will has vindictiveness in his blood and he can’t even stop seeking retribution for one week of mourning.
It is clear as day that Baldingham was being shady on purpose. If he had read Harry’s statement he would have definitely had his people rewrite his, but at last, he is the future heir, he had to first. It really stings being just another fish in the pond that is the UK doesn’t it?
Sometimes I find omit ass kissing to the keeenbrideges to be over the top. Omid it was a definite dig at HARRY AND MEGS. Especially the part about Kathryn knowing Philip longer. Oh give my ass a break, the only thing she knows is wiglets, buttons and botox
Sorry omid not omit
Yep, Scobie, they have different personalities and William’s is just ugly.
Plus the future head of state is Charles and he didn’t throw shade at anybody to make himself look good. In their statements nobody talked about themselves, they spoked simply about Philip.
Even if William’s statement wasn’t pointed at Harry he still spoke mostly about himself.
The press is trying to push this reconciliation between Harry and William and I think the issuing of two separate statements was a blow to the press’ narrative. They were expecting a joint statement by Harry and William yesterday and for them to play along with that narrative. Since they didn’t get the joint statement now the press’ pivot is to describe William’s statement as regal and stateman like and Harry as “Californian”.
It is dumb since almost everyone on twitter described harry tribute as lovely and the only one so far that made philip sound human.
But why do they want to continue to push Harry and Will as some sort of joint person? They were on different paths as far as royalty even before Harry moved. Charles and his siblings each issued their own statements as individuals.
Because william needs harry and they know it too. Plus “the sons of diana” working together as a unit is a prettier dream to sell than them being separate individuals each doing their own thing.
I don’t need Scobie or Kay to tell me what my own eyes saw. William used his statement to make pointed barbs about Harry and Meghan. He used his statement to remind everyone he & his family are the future monarchy, not Harry and Meghan, who couldn’t hack it and left. He was being a petty, little bitch and everyone saw it. There was no mistaking the bitterness in it, which is concerning. Everyone hoped William would call a halt to the hostilities for Phillip, and William couldn’t even do that. Harry’s statement was shared on military sites as a homage to his grandfather, a military vet. William’s wasn’t even referenced. Which one of them has the temperament for the throne? I think we all know.
@TheOriginalMia: 🏆
I saw the clips from Omid on Twitter. It was interesting that he was clear in making the point he is not a friend of the couple but just one of the journalists that has a good working relationship with the Sussex media team. It’s funny how the other media like to discount him as “friend.” But I agree. William’s message was a reflection of the “importance” of his role as the figurehead future king (as well as a bit shady and overly self-regarding). Harry is sixth in line – he can say what he wants how he wants.
But a future king shouldn’t use this particular opportunity to be shady. The fact that he did doesn’t bode well for his reign.
Oh, I agree. He is definitely the smaller other brother.
That is the larger issue. William is showing himself to be petulant and that’s not a good sign especially as he is shading his own brother.
The fact that it’s even in discussion is…..not good.
For someone who is heir, he sure is insecure about the spare.
This. All of this. Dude, you are going to be king (if the monarchy lasts that long). Grow up.
I think if baldimort was king a couple of hundred years back he would have probably been “off with their heads” about pretty much all his family members.
PWT is a nasty, nasty little man. And people think that he is better than Harry? Has made better choices? Has the right to take the moral high road? How many more examples of his vile behaviour does the ‘great’ British public need to see to realise that the Duke and Douchess of Vitriol are a thoroughly busted and disgusting flush?
“that the brothers were unable or unwilling to co-ordinate a joint statement does not bode well for hopes of fraternal reconciliation in the coming days.”
They’re not twinkies! Even if they were on good terms, why does anything they do need to be a joint effort? Harry has his own family unit and William has his.
Plus Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward all did their separate statements. Does that mean they all hate each other? I mean it could but my point is that separate statements aren’t proof of anything other than they gave separate statements.
I wonder if William wanted there to be a joint statement and Harry (rightfully) refused, and that’s why it’s being spun as a big deal – not because of the separate statements in themselves, but because Harry stood up to William.
Becks, i definitely agree. William wanted to do a “joint” statement and Harry said no. Remember his “joint” statement that said William wasn’t a bully. Harry had no idea about it.
Harry made it clear, after that ‘joint’ statement about bullying, that no one at KP (including William) speaks for him. Made it clear that William wasn’t speaking for him, only pretending to.
William can’t seem to do anything on his own and so much of his resentment stems from his belief that Harry is leaving him to do the “work” alone. Which makes no sense since there can be only one monarch. Charles doesn’t act like he needs his siblings to be king and the Queen did her job regardless of what Margaret was doing.
William wants the glory as well as to shift the work to his brother. The only person there to help the monarch is the consort. Philip certainly was there for the Queen work wise and despite the fractious first marriage, both Diana and Camilla were / are doing work on their own.
Maybe another part of the issue is just how useless Kate remains? If she was a hard working consort then perhaps William wouldn’t feel as much of a need to rely on his brother? After a decade of marriage I still don’t understand why William is looking to his brother and not his spouse for support.
(I know he would never have wanted a strong woman as spouse, but the issue remains that Kate being useless is a large part of this as well. A happy solid marriage doesn’t turn you into such a bitter person. )
These too, are valid points. Kate’s shortcomings only highlight how valuable Harry is to William and his reign. Too bad you effed that up.
The lack of a joint statement is frustrating to the press (i.e. KP) because William’s was so obviously lacking. If Harry had injected his warmth and affection into a joint statement then William could have taken credit for it. As it stands, the statements are so disparate in tone, with Harry’s coming out as superior, that they can’t hide William’s pettiness and poor character.
William’s statement was passive aggressive towards Harry, that’s for sure!
The shady in the media should be dialed down. There’s no real drama that they’re covering. There’s loads of time wasting to distract from the good work Harry does and the bs William thinks he’s getting away with
You can pretty much start any conversation about the ffk with ‘ William thinks because he is ffk he is entitled to..’ Fill in the blank. Backstab his brother and sil. Invite his inlaws to a funeral durning a pandemic. Use his grandfathers death to, again, be passive agressive.
I think tons of people saw that as a slight. He is what we thought he was. He’s a bully, and short-tempered, protected and walled off by an Army of RF Aides. I really think that cemented the decision for Harry to leave. No Brother wants to be under the thumb of a Brother.
I don’t think any Royals want William and Charles controlling their purse strings, would you?
King William is a frightening prospect now
It was William being his usual staid, stuffy self, but also absolutely some bitchy shade thrown in. That is clear. I think Omid is being too optimistic here. At any rate, the brothers are NOT going to be reconciling this week, of that we can be sure.
These people don’t really know Harry, they’re just now getting to know him. Because the thank you for your service phrase that they think he picked up by living in America, he already explained why he likes it during his press tour of the IG in Orlando. And it was before Meghan.
Why would Harry and William coordinate a joint statement when no one else in the family did? They all issued individual statements. The brothers issued statements that very much reflect their personalities and the direction they are taking in life. I am not going to criticize or take sides on this issue because, clearly, they are a family in mourning and should not be the subject of all this gossip at least until the funeral is over. Then, of course, it’s knives out again, on both sides.
Plus H is no longer a working royal. Why would he coordinate a statement through the royal rota cartel? These folks are really stupid and very telling!
1. The rota wishes PWT issued a joint statement with Harry so their job building him up would be easier. His statement was so obviously awful in comparison to Harry that they were shook.
2. Omid is, I think, trying to rightly keep focus on Philip at this time rather than a feud. Which is admirable, but a losing battle.
3. There’s no reconciliation happening cause Will ruins any chance every time he opens his mouth.
Exactly this. By issuing the separate statements, it laid bare the vast differences between the brothers — and how one is so clearly “of and for the people” than the other.
You know it’s bad when even the usually sycophantic U.K. Media & RR point out the shade in William’s petty tribute. The family won’t admit it aloud, but despite him being the heir, I have no doubt they all think William is the black sheep of the family, not Harry. I also think the majority of them prefer Harry to Will. I think he knows it too. He been dragged globally on every social media platform for the past month. He’s fuming about it all because despite his best efforts, Harry is beating him effortlessly at everything.
I think most in the Royal Family *do* prefer Harry and *that’s* why they were so furious that Harry left. It’s a weird backhanded compliment: “You CAN’T go and live your own life and be happy even though your brother makes your life intolerable — b/c if you leave, it will become evident to everyone how intolerable your brother is, and he could bring down the entire monarchy!!!!”
The way that family treated Harry, it’s clear it’s a business first, middle, and last. It’s not a functional family. People think there’s a family behind the Firm, but there isn’t, the Firm is all there is.
Baldemort… I died laughing
Same here. I snort-cackled. BALDEMORT
Since Charles, Ann, Andrew and Edward didn’t release a joint statement. Why would anyone expect William and Harry to release a joint statement. They are both full grown men with thier own families now.
On a different note, imagine being pressured into staying working for the family business, when you know that:
You’ll never be eligible for one of the top jobs, regardless of your accomplishment or skill.
One day your brother who likes to Lord it over you, treating you almost as his personal slave who’s duty bound to abide by all his orders, will one day be your boss.
And your offer to work part time, so you could have some time to fulfill your own dreams, was rejected out of hand.
What would you do? I know I’d run.
Charles needs to read Will Duce the riot act STAT. All along Charles has been dragging his heels, sticking his head in the sand and hoping things will die down but they’re not, they’re getting worse. The Cambs have turned the situation into a three-ring circus — it’s past time the Keens should be brought to heel.
William behaved as a complete spoiled brat with his statement. He has practically validated the Oprah interview and he outed himself as the one who made the comment about Archie’s skin color. For the rota rats to come out like this , they realized they just cemented their images as embarrassments to the profession of journalism. William can’t keep it together for a time of national mourning. This is your future head of state UK.
Harry statement was warm and dedicated to the man he is I England to honor. He mentioned BBQ, funny comments and signed off with a military salute. William’s statement was Me Me Me; myself me and I, my wife and my children but did I mention ME!
And what work? What work are you getting on with William? Zooming yourself into oblivion?
idk, I think it’s a difference between eulogizing someone for their body of work and eulogizing them as a person, not necessarily a dig at Harry if a statement emphasizes Philip’s literal lifetime of service in a professional role. And I’m not one to give The Firm the benefit of the doubt, but I don’t think anything shady is being meant when they talk about Philip’s sense of duty. It did come off a bit cold, however. This is a member of your family, not the Chairman of the Board.
I absolutely think the mentions about how William was so grateful that Kate and their kids got to know him over the course of many years was kind of shady, especially including Kate in the line. If he just talked about how grateful he was that his kids had a few years of being able to know their great grandfather, I wouldn’t have thought it was shady.
I can’t believe that Charles and Diana produced and raised (alas, Diana for far too short a time) the truly awful person that William has become. For all their many flaws — and I definitely think Charles was/is a millionfold more flawed than Diana — they were both incredibly gifted people. They both had truly amazing work ethics and the ability to see projects through from beginning to end. Charles is learned and while in some ways a very orthodox and conservative thinker, has also shown he could be way outside the box sometimes and even be a legit thought leader (his work on climate, preserving traditional foodways, the school for handicrafts, the Prince’s Trust). He certainly can do every part of the job he was raised and trained to do, and at a very high level of competence. Diana’s gifts were clear to the entire world: her beauty, charm, empathy, compassion, ability to connect, and just sheer knack for sensing where and when and how to shed light on important issues just by turning up and showing some love.
I mean, do those two people seem like people who could have created the incapable, ridiculous, untalented, mean, spiteful, bitter ragemonster that is William??? It boggles the mind.
Harry got the best of both parents. William got the worst of one and nothing from the other. And he has turned out to be even more terrible than the terrible parts of Charles!!!
The Official account for the US Dept of Defense #WarriorCare (@WarriorCare) published the following tweet 1 hour ago:
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Oh, the places you’ll go #CelebrateTheMighty
The Invictus Games, established by Prince Harry in 2014, brings together recovering #Veterans from 17 nations for 12 adaptive sporting events.
Round pushpin 2017 #InvictusGames
Camera with flash Roger W
#MOTMC #TuesdayMotivation #MASP
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I swear, this is giving me flashbacks to The Karate Kid Pt2 when Mr. Miami’s Dad was on his death bed and wanted Sato and Mr. Miagi to make peace before he died. They allowed him to put their hands together as if to promise the Dad they would make amends but as soon as the Dad died, Sato jerked his hand away and announced he would chill out on his threats to Mr. Miagi for five days in order to allow Mr. Miagi to mourn his Dad’s passing but after that he still wants to fight Mr. Miagi. That will be William and Harry.
I feel that William and Harry will be on their best behavior but right after, William will go back to doing what he seems to do best (rage and plot) and Harry will kick rocks right back to America and join his lovely family, unbothered.
Why would anyone think they should coordinate a joint statement, especially after reading both statements. The only reason that was floated at all was to benefit William and William only. Harry’s statement, regardless of how he’s perceived in the UK, resonated with a lot of people and got a lot more attention. At this point, my attitude is whatever. Just get this over with and let everyone get on with their lives. There’s not much else to add to this, no one is joining hands and reconciling.
I think the BRF/BM wanted a joint statement so the could push the everything is fine when Meghan’s not involved narrative. Harry rightly, smartly refused to agree to a joint statement. Even if they were all getting along a joint statement wouldn’t make sense. They are grown men. They should have individual statements memorializing their grandfather. A joint statement would have been used to prop up William specifically and the family generally. There is no doubt that shade was intended with William. It’s how KP seems to operate. They don’t know how to prop William up without stepping on Harry. And William who IMO is pathological doesn’t seem capable of genuine emotion and has always used Harry as his prop or his scapegoat.