I know everyone was waiting for Katie Nicholl at Vanity Fair to step in and give us the Cambridge-approved version of the “Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan are going to Africa” story. No, I jest. I think Nicholl is full of it sometimes, and other times I think she gets some good scoops. It really just depends on her sourcing and what those sources’ agendas are. Clearly, the agenda at this point is rolling back the disastrous message that Work-Shy Wandering Willy wants to exile his popular brother. The new and improved message is that Harry and Meghan do legitimately want to spend some time in the continent of Africa, but they’re not planning on moving there. Nicholl also has some interesting scoops about a possible Canadian and American tour for the Sussexes. You can read the full piece here. Some highlights:
Meghan & Harry still want to travel to North America, but those plans are on hold: A source who works closely with the couple said they are “unlikely” to be traveling overseas this year. Sources in Canada who were involved with coordinating the trip have also been told that the visit has been shelved for the time being. “As it stands, the Duchess of Sussex won’t be going away on an official overseas tour this year,” said the source. “That’s the word out of the Palace, although things might change. Right now we have been told that there won’t be any overseas travel before the end of the year because Baby Sussex will be too young.” They remain “really keen” to do the North America tour, the source said, “but understandably anxious about doing it with such a young baby. They’re anxious about committing to such a big tour at this stage.”
An African sabbatical, not a move: According to Palace sources, the couple have indeed set their sights on spending time in Africa, where they want to focus on environmental and conservation issues. However, the trip will be a sabbatical instead of a long-term move, and their principal home will continue to be in the U.K. “The plans are still in the early stages, but broadly it will be a series of short trips away rather than spending years away from home,” said one source. “It’s worth pointing out that the Sussexes want to do this, this is being driven by them.”
Harry & Meghan are figuring out their roles: “They are thinking about the future,” said one source. “Harry was always referred to as the spare, but he’s not the spare any more. This is about him and Meghan finding meaningful roles for the future. It’s about Harry redefining his role and him and Meghan finding a new role in the Royal Family and creating their own place in the institution.” According to another source who knows the Sussexes, the couple’s always wanted to have an international profile. “Before they were engaged, they talked about being roving royals—the ones who were going to travel around the world, be international, affect change,” said one of their close friends.
William isn’t exiling Harry: “The idea that William wants to send his brother away is ridiculous,” says a source who knows the brothers well. “They see themselves as part of the same institution. They are brothers, they are still very close which is probably why they do sometimes row, because they care about each other.”
William plans to order Harry & Meghan around: “There’s a lot to be done domestically and internationally, the Cambridges can’t do it all. They are going to need the Sussexes to share the work load,” the source said.
“Sabbatical” is not the right word for what’s being described. “Sabbatical” implies a vacation from one’s duties and workload for an extended period of time. What Harry and Meghan seem to want to do is undertake a series of trips to Lesotho and Botswana to build better diplomatic relations and bring attention to charities and government projects in the region. That’s not a sabbatical. As for no international tours in 2019… I think that makes sense. Baby Sussex will be too little, although I could see them doing a smaller international trip in late fall or something – like a week in Canada, with Baby Sussex.
The William parts stick out too – “The idea that William wants to send his brother away is ridiculous.” Is it though? The idea seems utterly on-brand for William. “There’s a lot to be done domestically and internationally, the Cambridges can’t do it all. They are going to need the Sussexes to share the work load.” Ah, yes, William and Kate are already planning to send Meghan and Harry off to do more work while they (the Cambridges) loaf around, “preparing to be king and queen.” And sniping at the Sussexes from the shadows for “daring” to “overshadow” them too, I bet.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
Yeah, “sabbatical” is the wrong word here, but I get what they are saying, and I think it makes sense. I wonder what the cost difference is for 3 major international tours a year, vs staying in one place for a month or two, and then maybe doing just one other tour. In addition, if they want to do this – stay in one place for a longer period (I guess a month, 3 months? not sure what specific timeline they have in mind) the time to do it is over the next 4-5 years, before Baby Sussex starts school full time. (George started at St. Thomas’s in 2017, so he was 4, is that the right age in the UK? Here we start K at 5.)
Anyway, I did have a laugh at the whole “William and kate cant do it all,” considering we’ve seen two articles over the past week referencing how Kate is becoming “increasingly selective” about her engagements.
To me ‘increasingly selective’ means she wants to pick events that ensure maximum press exposure – she still thinks that if she hides away enough that the press will go crazy over her whenever she deigns to grace us with her presence. That tactic hasn’t worked over the past several years – ain’t gonna work now.
No, I don’t think its worked either.
Something that is sad – as a royal follower for several years now, and an ardent Kate follower for years – I can see her in an outfit, and I can tell you almost immediately if she has worn the outfit before, and I can pretty much tell you when she wore it (sometimes I have to think for a minute.) I should not be able to do that.
“There’s a lot to be done domestically and internationally, the Cambridges can’t do it all. They are going to need the Sussexes to share the work load,” translates to they want the Sussex’s to do all the work and they get the good press and credit for it. All the while chucking them under the bus to hide Wandering Big Willy (average on a warm day more like – I’ve seen those pap shots).
I have a feeling that the Cambridges will find a way to shoe horn themselves into Harry’s mental health Oprah serial, considering that feathers may have been ruffled (see the Daily Foibles article) over a certain Duchess being left out and she considers it her ‘idea’ and wants credit.
The Cambridges were the ones who began the mental health campaign, specifically Catherine did. If anyone is doing any shoehorning here, it is not the Cambridges.
Amne, you must not be familiar with Harry’s work with veterans, at home and internationally, and his own personal efforts to actively and openly address mental health issues and the stigma surrounding them. It has been talked about on numerous occasions in the press and CB royal threads.
that is funny – cambridges sat around for 8 years doing nothing and suddenly their nose is out of joint because harry has high profile gigs. harry has been doing this work about mental health for a while
Harry started the mental health work with veterans years ago. William and Kate latched on later, and tried to take credit for Harry’s years of work by putting it under a new name.
The last part is what gets me. “The Cambridges can’t do it all.”
Now before I get bitchy, I’d like to say that I genuinely believe Kate’s transition and adjustment into the royal family hasn’t been an easy one and I think her mom has made it harder for her. I think she got a bit in over her head when she married William. I think her mother puts a lot of pressure on her and is more obsessed with Kate being an aristocrat than Kate is. I think Kate just wants to raise her kids and is where she finds solace and uses them as a coping mechanism. If any of you know the Japanese royal family, I see her similarly to Empress-on-5/1 Masako but she’s able to keep herself together better than Masako.
But come on now!!! The Cambridges don’t work. How can they do it all when they don’t want to do anything? William could be out there far more but he’d rather play these games with The Sussexes than actually work.
The Sussexes will do what the Sussexes want to do. I genuinely believe the royal family needs The Sussexes more than The Sussexes need the royal family and they’d be fine existing outside of the royal family. The entire family has gotten more popular and more positive press in the last year BECAUSE of Harry and Meghan. The Queen and Charles know it but I think it scares William because it means more eyes on him. I’m convinced he’s got a lot of skeletons in his closet he’s afraid will come out if too many eyes are on him.
That’s a kind way to look at Kate, and I personally know several moms like that – who once they had their kids, just could not leave them. We have a friend whose daughter is 6, and she just last month left her alone for an overnight (with her mother). She has had opportunities before, she just couldn’t stand to leave her kids for a night. I admit that I’m personally not that way (I love my kids, but damn if my husband and I didn’t go away for four days last month…kid-free….to Disney…..LOL.) But, every parent is different, and while I cant understand not being away from your kid for 6 years, she probably cant understand how I CAN be away from mine.
Now though, that said, we do know that Kate has been away from her kids, and for extended periods. so it does start to seem like she can be away from them when she wants, she just doesn’t want to leave them for work.
ETA but I can see your point about her becoming more attached to the kids as a coping mechanism.
@Becks1
This is pure speculation on my part but I think if Kate had her way, she’d be around her kids 24/7. I chalk up her being away from the kids to William. I actually don’t think William has the skills or the patience to be a father. I also think it’s part of the reason he’s getting called out for being miserable to be around because I think he’s forced to be a more of a father than he would prefer. Think about it! He was raised by nannies. Neither Diana or Charles were as active in their lives as we’re all led to believe and I know it isn’t a popular opinion but I really think what little Diana was around, she spent her energy as a mother weaponizing William against Charles.
I don’t think he gets that Kate wants to be a parent. I think he’d rather she just dump the kids off on a nanny and they go on vacation. I think William is more the lazy one and Kate just wants to be a mother.
@Lucia – I’m not sure I’m completely on board with your theory, but I can see what you are saying. the kids do seem fairly comfortable with William, so there must be some involvement behind the scenes, but I can also see him more willing to be like “lets go here for a weekend, leave the kids with the nannies” and Kate not being down with that, because that wasn’t how she was really raised. William is probably going to be more comfortable with using nannies in a certain way, and Kate is probably less comfortable with that? Maybe?
In fairness, there are plenty of pictures of me growing up looking comfortable around my biological parents when they were abusive. Let me be clear, in no way am I saying William is abusive, I highly doubt he is. I’m just saying seeing is not always the truth.
But I see your point and you’re likely more grounded in reality than I am. I’m sure the parts where I call Diana out are going to get me some hate. I just think if Kate had her way she’d be with her kids 24/7. I think if William had his way, the nannies would be far more involved.
he had 10 years to decide if this was the life for her and she never stopped pursuing William. She basically didn’t work before marriage. She has barely worked after and that was before the children arrived. The two of them had no problem leaving their 8 month old for a 10-day holiday. They had no problem being away from their kids for 3 days for separate skiing holidays. She has no problem being away from them for hours to work out, shop, groom.
They both have no problem being away from their kids for fun. But they have a big problem being away from their kids for a handful of hours to work? Right.
@Lucia My family photographs are the same. I’m sorry that you also have childhood trauma from abusive parents. I hope you’ve found a way to heal as you’ve gotten older.
@Becks1 & Lucia, What is the point of having nannies and domestic help if you are going to use them to do the job they were hired to do.
I believe Kate is a very hands-on mother but I also believe this “not leaving the kids” is just an excuse to spend as little time with William as possible.
@Bay oooh good twist. Not about work, but about William. Hm.
so, to clarify,I do think she can and does leave the kids. I would not be surprised though, if her marriage is getting worse/collapsing, and she is clinging to the kids and home more as a defense mechanism.
I do think in general if Kate wanted to work more, she would. But she doesn’t, for whatever reason.
@nota
I think this is a case of “be careful what you wish for.” That’s why I bring up Masako. But Masako worked for years in the international sector.
I don’t know but in the past year, the strain has shown on Late’s face. So something is definitely up.
Masako didn’t wish for it. It was Naruhito who wouldn’t take no for an answer, while promising to protect her. See how well that turned out.
If the argument was Kate doesn’t want to do as many tours that take her out of town or out of the country for days, then I might understand, but going out for a few hours a few days a week does not affect her bonding with her kids. She gets her hair done and goes shopping and that has to take a few hours away from them. Plus the elder two are in school now and she could schedule things during then. She just doesn’t want to. And then there is William and no one seems to say he should be strapped to his kids 24/7.
Kate does do a bit of that. Not as much as she should. So I can’t argue that.
I don’t know. I just feel she isn’t very happy.
The Cambridges were ill prepared for Harry to marry a woman who has actually worked and wants to continue to do so. They were ill prepared for him to marry someone with mass international appeal. This whole situation STILL has them shook.
In William and Kate’s defense, no one was prepared for Meghan and her impact.
Partly because the Queen and Charles allowed them to live the ‘middle class’ dream for too long.
Harry really made a great choice with Meghan.
Yes, excellent choice.
Harry will inherit quite a bit when the Queen passes and when Charles passes, so hopefully H&M will be in a position to tell Will to go jump if they have to.
This is why I wonder if Harry will stick around once the queen is gone. He stands to inherit quite a bit.
In my fantasy of Queen and Harry’s relationship, I imagine the Queen pulling Harry aside and telling him “Once I’m gone, get out. What comes next isn’t going to be pretty for anyone.” But that fits in to my theory of commonwealth countries dropping off like flies and the UK becoming a republic.
@Lucia, the Queen would never do that. There is no way in a thousand years that she would ever advise anyone in the RF, let alone her grandson, to bail on an institution she’s spent her whole life upholding. For her, being a part of the RF is a duty, it’s something you cannot turn away from, no matter how ugly it gets.
Whether the CW countries stay or leave has no bearing on the UK becoming a republic. The CW is a group of nations that are bound together by a shared history. Not every CW country has the Queen as the head of state. It’s just as likely that the UK could become a republic, and still maintain the CW as an entity. The Queen has an outsize investment in it, because the transition from the empire to the CW started with her father’s reign, with her overseeing the bulk of it.
Who writes, no scratch that, who thinks up these stories?
They are seriously wasting their talent on these rags.
They need to write for Netflix. A real juicy royal family drama. Wait…..
Katie Nicholl usually look at pictures and make up stories to match.
With her gender fluid nonsense and a host of many other lies, Harry saw Meghan on Suits and fell in love.
Harry, “Meghan Markle, alright give me more, never heard of her or watch suits.”
As each of these increasingly horrifying stories comes out (e.g., Racist bulls–t targeting Meghan, Wills cheating), all I can think of is how I can’t wait for this to be represented in The Crown. How long do you think it will be until the Meghan Schools Everyone season comes out?!?😉😁
Harry and Meghan have been talking about their excitement to work since their engagement. It was always going to be a problem, because William and Kate don’t work enough. The minute a member of their generation started doing the job as it’s done by the older generation, the gig would be up.
It was in that engagement interview that H&M spoke about the Commonwealth and their excitement to do good things around the world. I wondered then if Meghan reconciled leaving her job by planning an extremely active life of international philanthropy. Whatever else in this messy story is true, the fact that the Sussexes do define themselves as international royals seems solid.
If it’s not from Omid or the Sussexes themselves, I’m taking any article from Katie as bs and cover for William/Kate. She doesn’t know what the Sussexes have planned for their year. I bet you they do go on an international tour with Baby Sussex in tow. Just like Diana/Charles did with William. It may be a short one, but like Kaiser, I believe there will be one.
That said, Omid got a lot of blowback on Twitter for saying the Cambridges stopped by unexpectedly Frogmore after church on Sunday. I’m not surprised they did or that it was told to him. This is the Firm and regardless of Harry’s feelings for his brother, they have to put on a show for the public. So yes, they visited. That’s over with and can be scratched off the to-do list by the media.
I agree. Omid gets information directly from the Sussexes. Anyone else is speculating. There’s no way Katie Nicholl has been told anything from them.
I’ve wondered whether Lainey also has an inside track – what with the Canada connection and all…
@ads you mean due to her – Lainey’s – connection to the Mulroneys? As discreet as they are she works pretty closely with Ben so it’s got to come up at some point…
There’s a picture of Lainey having dinner with a group that included Meghan, pre-Harry. That said, I don’t think that they’re friends. My gossip sixth sense often wonders if Lainey even “likes” Meghan. I always feel like there is something…subtly snarky about the way she writes about Meghan. I don’t like it. And on her podcast about the wedding, she called her “smug.” Just left a really bad taste in my mouth.
Apparently they went over for tea, for just 30 minutes I read, probably straight from Church wearing the same outfits ..lol! Very formal.
I am sure that Doria must have given William a big hug and said: “Thank you so much for being so kind and warm to my daughter, especially in these last few months of her pregnancy”…..😒
That’s just an incredibly British thing to do. So not surprising at all.
I laughed out loud when I read the last part of the article – W&K can’t do it all. I think that should read Charles, Camilla and the Queen can’t do it all.
William comes across as lazy and petulant. He seems to want all the perks of being royal but none of the responsibility. He has been afforded more time away from the spotlight than either his father or grandmother but this can’t last for ever. He is the heir to the 70 year old heir of a 93 old monarch and needs to step up. The Kate fans can make all the excuses in the world about looking after her children etc but this is the life she signed up for. She wanted William and/or the title and she is expected to earn it.
Harry has been as lazy as his brother when it comes to carrying out royal duties. The only one who has ever displayed a work ethic is Meghan. Whether that continues in her royal life remains to be seen but I can’t see her hiding away at Frogmore for the rest of her life and the prospect of a hard-working sister-in-law has got the Cambridges running scared.
Completely agree. Will and Harry (and to some degree Kate) like to “play” middle class and normalacy. They’re like Marie Antoinette with her little house.
Nah, I disagree strongly. Firstly I don’t thinks Wills has necessarily been as lazy as people are now making out. His role on the Air Ambulance service was genuinely gruelling. And he saw some serious shit whilst doing that job – there are members of the public that have attested to this. And Harry was in the army. Not pretend army service whilst serving in the UK – he saw action in Afghanistan, etc. Plus Sentebale and Invictus. How can they legitimately be said to have been sitting with their thumbs up their arses for years? I just really don’t buy that.
William was barely at EAAA, just as he nearly lost his wings at SAR because he was never there. His co-workers gave an exclusive about how he worked less than 20 hours a month and took a couple of months off straight. All while claiming he couldn’t work more royal duties because he was at EAAA. Right after that big leak, a William insider was put in charge at EAAA. No more leaks.
It’s actually smarter for the Cambridges to keep Harry and Meghan in the UK. The last thing they would want is for the Sussexes to have a series of widly successful overseas trips. It diminishes their impact/profile if they only get to open new food banks in Manchester.
Would Andrew and Fergie still be major players as a married couple? The spare usually quickly became irrelevant but the Royal Family won’t be able to hide Harry and Meghan now with social media.
I don’t think anyone wants Andrew to become a major player at this point, given the fact that he’s been associated with a known predator and accused of some major crimes.
The spares usually stop being the focus of press attention as the years ago by. That is just normal and what happens. It happened to Margaret. It happened to Andrew. With Margaret, there was no real precedent for her in the RF, given that before her, women who married out of the royal family didn’t always remain involved as public figures. So there was a real struggle to define her position. Almost every royal aside from the Queen, the Queen Mother, and Charles have struggled with this, because the concept of royalty being public figures in the way they are today has just never been done in the past.
The only thing Harry and Meghan can do is work hard, do their thing, and continue to support the Queen, then Charles, then William, and the chips will fall where they fall.
Does anyone who advises the BRF not think it would be a good idea if Will, Kate and the children (maybe not the baby) are introduced to the British public? We’ve never seen them together anywhere except when they went to Canada – they didn’t even take the kids to the RAF Xmas party. If they intend remaining as the “King and Queen in waiting” would it not be wise to slowly introduce their children to their role…or are they ok with their kids mixing only with the turnip toffs and their royal cousins? The European royals with children seem to manage to introduce their children to the traditions and people of their respective countries instead of using them as an excuse not to work.
Katie doesn’t know Shi* about the Sussex’s. She should just stick with defending William. She’ll have a job for a lifetime protecting that A-hole!!!
Correction they WONT do it all (their jobs what a joke these lazy bums think they’re going to lead the Church if England before Charles?! Mmm ok
That Shipman article really shook everyone to their core. The frantic spinning in the immediate aftermath, the continuous need to insist NO REALLY, WILLIAM LIKES MEGHAN, NO FEUD TO SEE HERE. It’s all extremely telling.
@MA, William will be the one who will need to go on a sabbatical to get over this mess, lol! He needs to run for cover quickly.
In my world, a sabbatical is an extended research or education leave, not a vacation by any means.
I know a sabbatical isn’t a vacation, but it does usually involve a break from one’s usual duties to devote to research, book writing if you’re a professor etc. I don’t think of a sabbatical as “we are going to continue to do similar work in another country.”
‘THEY REMAIN REALLY ‘KEEN'” Oh Jason…
That’s because the Queen has grounded her.
Some of the MM haters get their information from, are you ready? Blind Gossip and CDAN! So it must be true! What a bunch of maroons.
Agree, but what always strikes me as bizarre are the seemingly intelligent people who quote the tabloid RRs and media jerks like Piers Morgan as if they are speaking truth and gospel. It’s like hate overrides common sense and decency. I don’t believe Meghan ever imagined so many random, unknown people would be so hateful towards her for no rational reason(s) at all.
“The Cambridge’s can’t do it all” This is absolutely true. It’s why I think Harry and Meghan will definitely not be bailing out on the family after the Queen, or even Charles, is no longer with us. That’s just not done in the RF. There is no such thing as taking the money and running off to live a free life. William and Harry might feel frustrated about a life that constrains them in ways they don’t like, but in this regard, I think the Queen has really firmly set the tone for the coming generations from the moment she knew she would be ascending the throne, and that is that being a royal is about fulfilling a duty. There is no running away. You may not like every part of it, but you cannot shirk it. I think that Charles, Harry and even William, know this and are loyal to the institution because of it.
Of course they won’t be going abroad! Meghan is going to have a baby any minute! It’s hard work caring for a newborn, and she’s spent months nesting in her new home. Why would she leave? William has no power to order her otherwise.
No he doesn’t but Charles and the queen do
I don’t think the queen or Charles would do that it’s doesn’t make any sense especially since Meghan has all this new charity program based in the U.K. . I think that some of the courties were talking among themselves bout the possibility of Meghan and Harry doing work outside the U.K. Word go back to William . I think the Sussex being exiled to another place is just wishful thinking by the Meghan haters .
All I have to say is that That brown checked outfit up the top of this story is truly awful