The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced their Sussexit plans almost one full year ago. In the immediate wake of the Sussexit announcement, the Countess of Wessex was pushed as a “replacement” for the Sussexes. It was bizarre to see the concerted effort to make Sophie into a bigger deal – she’s been around for two decades, and while the Queen likes her a lot, Sophie is pretty boring. To see her pushed as a replacement for the dynamic Sussexes… well, it was odd. But it kept happening over the course of 2020. As it turned out, the biggest headline Sophie got over the course of the year was when she went maskless to a crowded Christmas event with the Cambridges. Very strange. But here’s one more attempt to make her a bigger deal:
The Countess of Wessex wanted ‘a bigger role in the Royal Family’ but was ‘overshadowed by senior royals’, according to a royal expert. Sophie, 55, enjoys a particularly close relationship with her mother-in-law the Queen, 94, and represents the Crown both at home and overseas. This year has seen the mother-of-two step into the forefront of The Firm’s response to the Covid-19 crisis, with the Countess volunteering at food banks and charity shops to help the needy.
Now royal expert Phil Dampier has said ‘rising star’ Sophie’s ‘time has come’, telling the Express: ‘I think Sophie was always willing to take a bigger role, but she was overshadowed by more senior royals.’
He said the Countess now has a higher profile than her husband Prince Edward, with whom she lives at Bagshot Park alongside their two children Lady Louise, 17, and VIscount James, 12.
Phil added that Lady Louise gets ‘a lot of inspiration’ from her mother, and could be the next rising royal star. Calling the teenager ‘highly intelligent’, he explained: ‘Their daughter Lady Louise could turn out to be a star in her own right and will get a lot of inspiration from her mum.’
Sophie – who is married to the Queen’s youngest son Prince Edward – has been at the forefront of the Royal Family’s response to the global crisis. Speaking of her volunteering efforts, Joe Little, managing editor of Majesty, who branded her a ‘royal key worker,’ commented: ‘She is making a difference in a very understated, very “Sophie” way.’
Meanwhile Peregrine Armstrong-Jones, of Bentley’s Entertainment, told PEOPLE magazine: ‘There’s no fanfare. These are private visits done in her own private time. When she leaves our kitchens, she generally then goes on to do more projects in different hospitals.’
A friend added: ‘She was brought up by her parents and there was going to be no free ride in her family. She wasn’t born to be the eldest daughter of a duke and duchess and find a marvelous marriage and polish her tiaras.’
This is just the fundamental issue within the Windsor clan: the absolute desperation at “not being showy” or “not taking attention away from the Queen/Charles/William,” and the end result is that the most acceptable royals are the most boring and charisma-free, so boring that they’re easily overshadowed by other dull royals. That’s the Windsor Trap: by elevating the laziest and dullest, they’re increasingly becoming too boring to function. But yeah, I get that the Queen has a plan to make Sophie and Edward into the staid, charisma-free replacements for Harry and Meghan. That’s been abundantly clear over the past year. Also: the press needs to STOP trying to make Lady Louise into something. She’s a child!
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, WENN.
Completely off-topic – I know – but “Peregrine Armstrong-Jones”? What a name indeed!
Ooops, there’s Sophie being overshadowed again. My bad.
He’s the brother to Antony Armstrong-Jones (Princess Margaret’s ex husband)
She was not overshadowed. More like there was a total eclipse of her own making. Some of us remember #fakesheikhgate #debtgate #thequeenisacowgate and #myhusbandisindeedgaygate amongst her many blunders and that was quite early on in her marriage. After the queen paid all her debts and she was made to give a contrite interview with the tabloids, she was made to pay penance by keeping an even lower profile. Sofiesta simply does not have it.
I get the first two things you mentioned about the sheik and the debt, but what is #thequeenisacowgate?
And is #myhusbandisindeedgaygate just a reference to the rumors Edward is gay, or did something more specific happen?
@rapunzel she allegedly confirmed to undercover reporters that her husband was indeed gay and available for hire and she allegedly called the queen a cow too. A lot of the stuff has been scrubbed from the internet but here’s a link to a little bit about the Sophie tapes https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2001/apr/08/uk.news
Hot damn! This whole strand is new to me. Just what I need to investigate to scratch my celebitchy itch ( cele-itchy bitch?) today.
@Agnes: I came here to say the same thing. Peregrine Armstrong-Jones is an amazing name. S/he goes by Falcon Muscles Jones in the WWE ring.
ETA: I googled him and found out that his mother’s last name is Unite. They really missed an opportunity when they did not double hyphenate that last name.
@agnes … “Completely off-topic – I know – but “Peregrine Armstrong-Jones”? What a name indeed!”
Yep, somebody’s parents were clearly Tolkien fans. 🙂 That name captured my attention as well.
Sophie is room temperature, and therefore unthreatening to the equally boring Cambridges.
So this is what it’s come to for the media? Hoping that a 13 year old and a 17 year old become “big stars”?
And Sophie does a lot of engagements, yes but she’s been there for 20 years now – if the media thought she was so brilliant and amazing, she would have been popular by now.
It’s a weird angle to be sure, but do they really want people taking a closer look at just how much more work Sophie does compared to Kate? It’s at least double.
Hmm. You might have something here, especially coming off the back of #imexhaustedgate. Maybe Sofiesta is using her old PR tricks to get some shine off the back of the lazy one?
W+K have been married have been married for almost 10 years. If Sophie was going to upstage Kate it would have happened by now.
And how is lady Louise going to suddenly be the big royal family star if she is NEVER going to be a working royal? If Charles wants to get rid of his own siblings in his streamlining plan, why would he suddenly include his niece from his youngest brother? He doesn’t even want Beatrice and Eugenie. If Sophie herself isn’t allowed to be a star or outshine anyone, why on earth would her daughter be allowed to be a star and start shining? Is Lady Louise going to be a “quiet star”? A “background star”? A non-working royal star? Isn’t being a non-working royal but still being a charity star (like Meghan and Harry) absolutely horrible and an attempt to destroy the monarchy?
Not to mention Louise is not technically “royal.” She is a “lady” because of her father’s peerage (Earl), but she is not an HRH. The Queen announced that in writing when Edward and Sophie got married. Now, the queen could always issue subsequent papers that overrule her earlier decision, and make Louise and her brother royal in the future. But right now they are not.
It’s a little trickier than that. they “chose” to have their children styled as the children of an earl, but they are still grandchildren in the male line of the monarch, so they ARE still entitled to HRH. Edward and Sophie just chose to forego that for them (and they are technically princess/prince as well). Sophie gave an interview – maybe in the spring? – talking about how she didnt know if Louise would choose to use the HRH when she turned 18, at which point it would be her choice. My guess is she will not and that she knows she will never be a working royal and does not intend to be one.
I believe this is the model that Harry and Meghan looked at for Archie and just expanded on it – Archie is entitled to be a “lord” at this point (I think Earl Dumbarton? Not sure) and once Charles becomes king he’s entitled to be HRH Prince Archie. I think by starting off “Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor” it was clear that he would never be HRH Prince Archie, even if he will be entitled to it.
@Becks, Edward and Sophie didn’t so much “choose” to have their kids styled as offspring of an Earl and not royalty, but they “acquiesced” to the Queen’s decision that they be styled as such. The Queen denied their future kids royal titles (which Edward and Sophie agreed to, not that their agreement was needed). The Queen can always change her mind in the future (not likely, and even less likely Charles will give them HRH status), but right now they are NOT entitled to be called royals. “HRH” status is awarded at the whim of the monarch, and for whatever reason, Elizabeth denied them the titles.
I did enjoy watching the Queen snub Keen Kate while eagerly chatting with Sophie at their Disaster Covid Choo Choo finale.
This was hilarious, I noticed in old pictures that this seems to happen to Kate a lot in regards to when she greets the queen. Like at that Easter service when Megs was pregnant and Harry went alone, Kate was curtsy and the queen seemed to look right past her to get into the church . Lol
Instead of dragging Louise into this why don’t they discuss why Sophie’s trips to the food bank were not counted in the Court Circular because it would makes the Cambridges look even lazier since they were only willing to do two or three zooms a week. That’s the real issue here. Well before Meghan showed up, people here were pointing out how Sophie was raising young kids and still managed to do around 300 or 400 engagements per year and no one was worried that she was abandoning her kids by doing that amount. But they never wanted Sophie to get media attention because even if she was on the boring side, she was still doing work and can give speeches without embarrassing anyone. Do the Cambridges really want Sophie to get more media attention? Because it’s going to be hard to ignore that Sophie has been a steady worker and not a flake.
Of course I am using work in the Royal context and I don’t excuse the snotty commonwealth service behaviour. But in comparison to Kate, which is what I guess the media wants to do, Sophie also makes Kate look shallow and incompetent and lazy.
“because it would makes the Cambridges look even lazier since they were only willing to do two or three zooms a week”
The Cambridges do absolutely no where near two to three zooms each a week!
I used “two to three zooms a week” as a total number of what they both do not what they each do. Even that might be generous some weeks.
Make that a month, not a week.
No, the Cambridges don’t. A clear sign the Cambridges arn’t behind this article. Maybe it’s a reaction to the “skip one generation” campaign? “Someone” warning the Cams, keep this campaign up, we’ll show the whole world how extremely lazy you are. Keep it going, we’ll talk about rose pruning next.
I wish someone is warning the Cambs. We keep saying it here but I think Tatler was the clearest example of it. And the occasional article that lets us know about stunts and Rose.
OMG! This is what I have been saying. No matter what one thinks about Sophie’s entre into the world, home girl has been consistent and “working” and she was often used as an example as why Can’t and Won’t were out of pocket.
My big toe could overshadow sophie. To say it in mean girl terms: stop trying to make fetch happen
The only thing her royal blandness had going was being seen as hard working and even all that was overshadowed by her Commonwealth service behaviour when she tag teamed with the equally season free and lazier duchess.
I … don’t see fetch happening with this Lady Louise either. Oh dear.
As they used to say, “I’m sure she has a *lovely* personality!”
She may just be a late bloomer, though with those Windsor genes… I don’t know. Either way, I hope she gets her mother’s work ethic. Even then, with Charles’ “slimmed down Monarchy”, I don’t think he’s going to want his nieces or nephew filling the slots; ends up being just as full as his mother’s family (though in all fairness, most of them do the “bread and butter” events the young ones (ahem, Won’t and Can’t) won’t go near.
Can you all not make passive-aggressively nasty and bitchy comments about the physical appearance of a 17 year old girl? Thanks so much. You all remind me of those creepy middle-aged male Republicans and late night hosts who couldn’t stop mocking the looks of 12 year old Chelsea Clinton and spent her entire adolescence doing so. Really creepy and gross from middle-aged people who can and DO know better.
Louise didn’t choose any of this and is a child. Sophie is fair game for your nastiness if you feel you must mock a woman’s looks.
I have to agree with @Nini here. There’s no need to mock a 17 year old’s looks here, especially when said 17 year old chooses to live in privacy and is not a public figure.
Nini,
My mind went to Chelsea Clinton as well. Our ongoing double standards continue to make adolescence more challenging for girls. Can we not make it worse?
THANK YOU @Nini
Some of these comments are fucking gross. She’s seventeen, by all accounts she works hard at school and is involved in hobbies. And I’m sorry, maybe it’s just me, but being a teenage girl in public with strabismus must be very difficult. Snarky comments like “I’m sure she has a lovely personality” are gross and those who made them should be ashamed.
Sophie being declared a rising star after 20 years of marriage is just sad and desperate. I believe Sophie did want a more prominent role but was held back by the Palace. She was looked upon by the press as a Diana replacement but the Palace made sure that didn’t happen. Working quietly behind the scenes doesn’t help the charities she supports but it means she wont overshadow the senior royals. Harry and Meghan were seen as a problem because they overshadowed the family.
Sophie may be the next Princess Anne, but she’ll never be the next Diana. She’ll eventually do a million events a year that no one outside the organization cares about. It’s a royal role to be filled, but if they think she’s going to be front page news every time she show up to a hospital to walk around, they’re mistaken.
Meghan was only around a couple of years, and she brought a lot of attention and energy to the Royals, and especially with the new baby. But take her out of it. The real damage is Harry. People have followed Prince William and Prince Harry since they were born. They are Diana’s children. Diana was beloved, and those boys were beloved. The two of them together even as adults always held my interest in events, watching them together. The two brothers were so close most of the years, Diana’s sons. It’s a bore now. They’ve lost the personality of Prince Harry, which is massive, and it is obvious there’s a big hole missing now as far as the place he filled in the Royal Family, even if he had never met Meghan. He and Meghan as a couple in the RF were a joy to watch. But what they are reeling from most is the forever loss of Prince Harry as a senior royal and all he brought to the British Royal Family. They can’t fill that with Sophie. Put her in events. Fine. But to do this PR trying to make her “happen” is hysterical. Seriously. There is no one to fill Prince Harry’s spot. It feels off. But they need to move on and accept that and stop trying to pretend otherwise. As William’s children get older, if they all have as much personality as Charlotte, I guess that’s where the focus will be.
really well said. hadn’t thought of it from that angle – that it’s the loss of Harry that leaves a huge gap. really, if you were an advisor to the Firm, what would you advise in terms of replacing Harry’s shine? it looks like it will be a fallow field for some time.
No wonder they push Kate to the forefront, and right now the kids. it’s the best they got. when those kids turn unwilling participants (ie teenagers), they’ve got some pretty lowkey years in front of them, starting in say 2025.
If I were an advisor to the Firm, I would have advised them to keep Harry at nearly any cost, and not let William be…William.
I agree, with or without Meghan, Harry definitely left a charisma vacuum in his wake upon his departure.
He really did. He was the best working member of that family. He has “it” and no other blood member does. The press are desperate for him to come back.
I think if we take out charisma, James may be the next single male royal that the tabloids will feature as the next William. Then, they will turn to the Cambridge kids.
No one seems to hate royal events and attention more than wee James. (He looks like a normal, happy kid in his regular life, but he always looks justifiably miserable standing around in a suit with boring adults doing royal stuff.)
Hopefully his parents don’t try to push him on the tabloids or encourage the attention.
I wonder if Edward could be pushed further forward a bit? Just based on how kind and personable he was at the CW service, chatting with Meghan and Harry when everyone else was snubbing them, made me think he’s probably a nice guy and doesn’t have the stupid Windsor jealousy going on. He knows he’ll never be King and was never close to it, he knows he’ll never be in charge of the family or making the big decisions, so he’s just there to do the work and be nice to everyone. Whenever I see him, he seems to be generally kind to the people he’s with, seems like he might have a sense of humor and some personality, and seems like he’s able to connect with people and converse. But he’s rarely covered and I really have no idea what he does. Rather than just trying to attach E and S to Will and Kate and call them “the new Fab Four” with E and S in the subservient role to W and K, can Edward just do some stuff on his own that we actually get to hear about?
He quietly did 300 engagements in 2019. That’s what they’re all supposed to be doing, quietly doing these day-to-day engagements and NOT making the front pages.
He has numerous patronages and hands out DofE awards. I don’t know why he doesn’t get much coverage. Does he not make appearances for his patronages or just isn’t glamorous enough to cover for the RR? You would think that the royal family SM would cover him more though.
I find that Edward/Sophie at least look more genuine in their ‘happy normal family’ routine. They look friendly and relaxed. Sophie is aging very gracefully too.
I’m probably biased from gossiping here, but Will and Kate always look like they’re just barely tolerating whatever event they’re supposed to be participating in.
For bread and butter engagements, they aren’t supposed to be noticed. In that way, E&S are doing what they should.
Then maybe the royal family should ask for more coverage for his bread and butter engagements or maybe have him start to do some cool bigger projects. He just looks kind and like he’s optimistic and a good natured person in that unique, somewhat dorky aristo way that people seem to like. He’s quite obviously not “just like everyone else: so middle class, very normal,” and doesn’t pretend to be like Will and Kate. He seems to come off like a Sir Anthony Straland (spelling?) on Downton Abbey type—with the somewhat awkward/eccentric personality and the noblesse-oblige, lord of the manor spirit that marks him as an aristo who knows he has privilege, but he’s also genuinely nice and kind to everyone and is interested in things that would help solve the issues of the regular people and help them lead better, more fulfilling lives. Edward seems like he’s sort of made to be a background character, but right now he’s so background that we really hardly ever see him. I think he could be one of those loveable characters that people like to see but who will never be sexy or charismatic enough to overshadow anyone else. Like he could be everyone’s favorite “royal sidekick” character. Pair him up with Charles or Will or even Kate sometimes. Or let him do a little project on his own—I don’t even know what his interests are.
Edward and Sophie do have one big thing, the Duke of Edinburgh Awards. That’s all they need. Otherwise, like the other lower-down royals? They’re supposed to show up, put in the work at the local level, and honestly not be noticed nationally. Most royal work is supposed to go under the radar. There’s supposed to show up to local engagements, hundreds of times a year, and the big ceremonial things.
That’s part of what keeps them and the other stringers on the royal dole – the fact they do their work regularly but quietly. Every time a royal shows up for work it isn’t supposed to be front page news at the national or international level. It is just supposed to be another government worker showing up for work, nothing to see here.
Great points re: Harry. He had the chrisma and it really showed when he was with William and/or Kate. Harry met and married Meghan, someone whose chrisma and work ethic matched his own, so H&M really shine together, without having to “act interested” or force smiles. Without H&M, it quickly became evident how boring W&K really were. I have always had a bit of a soft spot for Sophie, as she came into the Royal world as Edward’s siblings had all divorced and Diana had passed away, which must have been difficult. But, she is not a shining ball of chrisma, she is a good Royal workhorse who has been married for 20 years, produced two children and gets along with the Queen. Countess Sophie saves the BRF is not and should not be a narrative; let her and Edward do their “work” behind the scenes and just accept H&M are gone and that W&K are what the BRF are stuck with after Charles.
“Countess Sophie saves the RF…” They seem to do this with everyone. I thought Kate was the one who was saving the RF and pulling all the weight during the pandemic to keep the RF relatable and visible? And then it was Will and Kate together followed by just will who was basically the acting monarch, taking over all kinds of behind the scenes work from his grandmother. Then it was the Cambridges together again. Before that it was Sophie. There was also something about how the Queen was doing THE MOST at comforting the nation and showing great leadership during the pandemic, guiding the RF response and holding it all together with her queenly queeness. Now it seems to be Sophie again. They can’t all be the most important. The power behind the scenes. The one keeping the family going. The biggest RF support. It’s like these RRs just assume we all have the very shortest attention spans and no long or even short term memory.
@Amy Too
Good points, and why doesn’t the royal family examine ~why~ they need to be saved by outsiders? Specifically outside women.
It does turn the fairy tale narrative on its head a bit. Crumbling royal institution constantly needs saving by non-royal women.
You’re right! The real damage is the loss of Harry when it comes to attention from the people/press. The sad thing is, he’s doing the same as many siblings of heirs in other monarchies have done. They’ve made a life for themselves and earn their own money. Many of them still take part in some royal events and represent the crown on special occations. Some hold a few royal patronages. Excactely like H&M wanted to do. The Firm really f$%^ up!
I thought the royals weren’t supposed to be “stars” so why is that necessary? Anne manages to do more than the majority without being made into a star. Even Charles doesn’t get much attention for a lot of the royal engagements he does. They need to leave Louise alone and let her have a normal life. Why would she want to become a working royal when Charles plan is to downsize once he is king? Her smartest move would be to continue to be mostly off the radar and get a degree and a job (using royal connections, of course). The other day there was even a story about James being the favorite grandson so they are even trying to use that poor kid for press stories also.
So it sounds like the RRs and tabloids are having to make up stories about other royals since they chased the true money makers (H& M) out of the country.
Charles’s plan was always to sideline his siblings, and never have nieces or nephews as working royals. Before Meghan was even on the scene, Charles was trying to sideline Edward and Sophie vs. his own line. Then the Queen’s (now former) private secretary Lord Geidt publicly pushed keeping E&S on as working royals (May 2017). In retribution, Charles got the Queen to fire him. Charles never wanted E&S to be working royals in his reign.
What is Charles’s problem with his siblings being working royals? If they are doing things for their patronages and public appearances at events, what is the harm in letting them do it? It’s better than under serving the public.
@Bess, because each member of the royal family costs the public a LOT of money. The “work” they do doesn’t even come close to covering their expenses. Charles is right – the monarch is the head of state, but all other members of the royal family are unnecessary, and basically welfare recipients. VERY, very, very expensive welfare recipients.
The only reason the working royal family is so large now is because the Queen’s cousins are living as long as she is. When she first started out, age 25, she needed the support of her cousins to do the bread and butter engagement. Decades later, now they have pensioners who are still out working every day PLUS the Queen’s children and Charles’s line.
The trick is, some of those elder royals have no where else to go. If Charles removes them from doing royal engagements, people like the Duke of Kent would lose their homes. He has no money to pay for his retirement, because he spent his whole life working for his cousin Liz.
Edward was never supposed to be working royal, neither of Anne’s husbands have been working royals. That’s why Charles’s slimdown plan (from `5 years ago) was always Charles, Camilla, William and spouse, Harry and spouse as the working royals during Charles’s reign. By then, the elders would likely have passed (Duke of Kent, Princess Alexandra). We’re seeing some of them willingly going to pasture, like the Gloucesters moving to much smaller space at KP in a bid for ‘retirement’.
I don’t think Sophie will happen at this point – I mean if she was going to happen it would have been years ago – but I also think at this point the Cambridge’s don’t want her to happen. Sophie makes Kate look lazy (she doesn’t need any help for that but even so lol) and that is not allowed, as we saw with Meghan. If anyone actually starts paying a lot of attention to Sophie it won’t bode well for Kate so they will push back.
Sophie is boring but she works and she does a lot of international travel, and whenever I pay attention to her she strikes me as someone who is intelligent and competent. Regardless of her lack of star power or charisma, she is an example of how having a professional background makes you a better royal.
But that’s shade towards Kate from the “friend” right? About how Sophie wasn’t raised to find a marvelous marriage and polish tiaras?
I don’t think it’s towards Kate in particular, as the comment mentions being the daughter of a duke and duchess. But it’s great shade regardless. And the “She was brought up by her parents” bit, like that’s so exceptional in those circles… How sad.
I thought that was odd too. As if saying her parents raised her immediately signaled “she’s not a peer.”
Becks- re: your last paragraph, that was a weird statement.
” She wasn’t born to be the eldest daughter of a duke and duchess” doesn’t make sense with regard to Sophie position or Kate’s. I wondered if it was a reference to Beatrice? She’s the only eldest daughter of a Duke that would apply here. Maybe Sophie is mad Beatrice and Eugenie might get to be working royals while Sophie and Edward are phased out?
And the rest of that line “and find a marvelous marriage and polish her tiaras.” is interesting. Is this implying Sophie’s marriage isn’t marvelous? Maybe cause Edward is gay? And given Sophie’s wedding tiara… is the tiara part a bit of jealousy?
@Becks & @Rapunzel, I had to read that part a couple of times as well, but I think it’s referencing Lady Louise. The end of the previous paragraph is about her under-the-radar charity work, and taking the statement to be about Louise is the only reading that makes sense to me.
Is this an old quote, or is this the second time that phrase is being used? I remember we have discussed it here before, and couldn’t decide who it’s supposed to be shading. Seems to me like it would be Beatrice, but she isn’t “polishing her tiaras”- she doesn’t have any and Charles will never put her on the payroll. As to Louise- Edward is supposed to inherit his father’s Duke of Edinburgh title when Philip passes, but he & Sophie aren’t Duke & Duchess yet, so maybe that means something? I think Ed & Sophie have the closest to what passes for a “marvelous marriage” in what’s left of this family (without H&M), so that part could be shading everybody! (I’m trying to remember if the last time we heard this quote was before or after the Sussexes got married.)
I think the quote was made in another “make Sophie a star” article after H&M left.
Sophie has done overseas tours on her own and while the media doesn’t cover her as much, she does cover substantive issues when she is there. She isn’t just flying in and out in two days and looking at paintings. So if the media really does start covering Sophie in more detail it will start to remind people of how Kate hasn’t done much of substance and her own kids are basically all school age now.
(I hate that the media tends to make the child raising issue primarily an issue for the women, but that’s another story for another day)
It also shows why she’d be one of the ones working to push Meghan out. If Sophie wanted to all the Commonwealth and women’s issues to be ‘hers’, she’d resent the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust and Commonwealth focus going to Harry and Meghan.
Sophie knows Charles was working to remove the Wessexes as working royals. Without ongoing Sovereign Grant funding plus whatever private funds QEII throws their way? There’s no way she and Eddie could stay at Bagshot in a Charles reign.
But Edward has a long lease on Bagshot, 75 years I believe, so I think they’ll stay there. And I’m sure Edward will inherit money when his parents die.
They have a lease but it isn’t the same deal Andrew got. It is likely Edward was given the majority of his inheritance in installments already. Used to pay the big chunks of money for the lease both times around, plus the annual payments. Clever way to get around the taxman and avoid paying death taxes on inheritance from his mum.
They have prepaid the lease for decades, but they don’t have the funds to pay the staff, bills (electric, heating), or upkeep for those decades. Much of that comes from the Sovereign Grant as long as they are working royals. If Charles cuts them off, they’d have to sell the lease on Bagshot and find a much smaller place to live.
As nota noted, maintaining that estate is expensive. I believe they actually rent out part of the estate in order to bring in money too.
I think this shades 3 of them , Kate marrying for the Crown Jewels, the York girls for just expecting things because of their titles. Plus let’s face it, Kate might be mean but sophie is no angel .we all saw how she joined Kate in mean girling megs at the commonwealth service.
I understand them building up Lady Louise, she’s turning 18 his year. Isn’t the 18-30 age range the most interesting for any celebrity, including royalty? When people date, find their path, maybe make a few mistakes that will sell papers… Plus she’s a girl, people will be able to chat about her fashion as well. Of course she’s the next big draw!
To what end? Most people don’t know who her parents are let alone who Louise is other than royal watchers who are a niche. And it doesn’t seem like Louise really wants to grace the covers of the tabloids because she’s 17 already and if she wanted to, she would be making some moves. Instead she stays relatively quiet.
She’s going to live the life of her cousins Zara, Beatrice and Eugenie in terms of press interest. I mean how many of you can name Zara’s exes? How many of you had an interest in Beatrice and Eugenie’s dating life other than weddings and engagements?
I should make clear that “them” in my comment was the media, not the BRF. It’s a “royal watcher” giving these comments.
To what end? Well, to sell papers, to get clicks. Everyone in William and Harry’s generation is a “boring married” now, and the Cambridge kids draw some interest, sure, but less, and of a different kind. Until they grow up, the “young adult learning how to navigate life” narrative can only be fulfilled by the Wessex kids, so they might draw more attention than Zara and co got; even if they aren’t working royals, and even if they don’t particularly *want* the attention. Nature abhors a vacuum!
Beatrice and Eugenie courted media attention with the help of their parents far more than Zara and Peter did. But I do agree that Louise is way more likely to stay out of the press.
To sell papers, you need to be somebody that people want to read about. Louise is not going to be interesting even if the media tries. I’m sure she’s a lovely girl but again, I doubt she’s going to interest the masses like William and Harry did (or even half interest the masses) because they had something Louise doesn’t have and that’s being Diana’s sons. That’s why they sold papers, that’s why people got interested in them.
I never followed Beatrice or Eugenie, or any other royal besides Harry to some degree, but I will say that they seem to have personality. They seem fun. They smile. Edward smiles too, and looks like a relatively happy person. He isn’t good-looking but he has a twinkle in his eye and a sort of endearingly dorky look to him. Queen Elizabeth has looked plain sour for years now. She smiles once in a while but it seems forced.
I never had much of an opinion on Edward, but I have a little soft spot for him now, ever since the CW service. He was the only person in that entire room with any manners, kindness, or decency.
@Belig
I don’t think so.
I hate to say it, but physical appearance plays a large part in how our press over the royals.
You said it, no matter how sad, it’s very true. And unfortunately she looks just like her father *already* so the media will not be kind to her.
I just appreciate that she looks like a normal 17 year old!
Seeing all the teenagers on tik-tok/instagram with perfectly contoured faces of $100 make up gives me a headache.
I know right? I find all that crazy eyebrows, makeup, filters, selfies etc disturbing on teens
Yea I thought that Louise and James won’t be working royals so why are they pitching them as future ‘stars’? And Sophie has been in there for 20 years plus and is a ‘rising star’? The desperation is real. It’s a shame because if the work really mattered to the press, Sophie would have got her shine a long time ago but that would threaten the sensitive egos who want to work less but have all the spotlight. Personality aside I respect Sophie’s approach to royal duties & think she’s been a great example during the pandemic
This family is confused. Get attention but not too much. Be seen but only a little. Look busy but not too busy.
They have lost the plot IMO and they don’t know how to brand or market themselves in the 21st century. Maybe it worked to be seen to be believed but that’s not enough now. Maybe it worked not to support ‘political’ causes (I use quotes because come on this is just a convenient excuse) but that’s not enough now. Maybe royal patronages used to work but now people are questioning what do they tangibly produce? The world is moving fast and becoming more diverse but they are definitely stuck, relying on royal weddings and pregnancies schtick. The BRF definitely needs to slim down and be more focused but Petty Betty is stubborn af. Even Anne said there’s no need to reinvent the wheel.
Oh and better yet #AbolishTheMonarchy
The idea that nobody should outshine those who are in direct line for the throne is the real problem, especially when Charles is rather bland and William is lazy and out of touch. Only the worst of the family is embraced by those who matter. Perhaps William and Kate should have been encouraged to work harder so they could match Harry and Meghan instead? Would have worked out better for everyone. Charles can’t help that he’s bland but people would also like him more if he was a better husband to Diana.
I mean no offense when saying this, but the reason Sophie will never be a star is because she doesn’t have the look. Perhaps she did when she was younger, but society tends to devalue older women, and it doesn’t help that she dresses dowdy too. I’d say 95% of Kate’s appeal to most people is that she’s thin, conventionally attractive, and wears pretty, expensive clothes. That’s all that’s ever been required of popular royal women, “work” be dammed. And it’s exactly why Kate seems to invest way more in her looks than her “work.” Sophie’s gotten more shine in the last year than ever. These people are just never satisfied.
Kate banked on being the youngest adult royal for about a decade, but obviously when Meghan entered into the picture, her hold on media attention faded away. And it’s gone at this point. For non royal watchers, no one really pays attention to her except for obvious gaffes like the covid tour and possibly the “exhausted” comment. She tries by bringing out the kids but Kate is basically where Sophie was in 2011.
And knowing now how Meghan deliberately wore neutral pieces and make-up to dim her light, it’s even more amazing she seized the spotlight easily. If Meghan did not dim her light, she would be even more breathtaking and a joy to photograph and feature.
Yes, she killed it during the farewell tour in bright shades. That stated, I think neutrals and chocolate, grey, black outfits suit Meghan and her classic style. She shines rather than the clothes distracting from her. My least fav outfits were when she wore patterns and florals.
To be fair though, ANYONE Harry married would be the shinning star for the first couple of years; they’d be newlyweds, and everyone would be on baby-bump watch, and waiting to see what they’d do next. But w/out “IT”, all of the BM would be on her like crows on a carcass, picking her apart w/in a short amount of time (see Fergie).
HOWEVER…. Meghan had ALL the bonus points for having “IT”, that undefinable connection of charisma, poise, empathy, the ability to “connect”, as well as having experience in front of a camera, being a working woman who knows how to get things DONE, and being able to string a few sentences together sounding like she’s actually speaking from the heart( ie: not having a voice that halts over every other word that sounds dead and empty). For the Lamebridges, this had to be shot down; only enough room in the columns for ONE “royal” couple. And for the BM, the ONLY thing Meghan “lacked”, was the “right” skin color/nationality.
And for those reasons, (and favor to Won’t and Can’t), they conspired to shoot them both down.
I don’t think anyone he married would have been a star. If he’d married someone like Cressida, she would have been torn apart by the press while kowtowing to W&K and being deliberately bland. Meghan’s innate charisma is what the tabloids and BRF weren’t prepared for, just as they have to attack Harry to downplay his innate charisma.
The press was always going to treat Harry’s wife as poorly as they treated Fergie. What they did to Meghan went far beyond that, but the press was never going to let whomever Harry married outshine W&K. They make money off the heir vs. spare, heir’s wife vs. spare’s wife. That’s the way it was always going to be.
I don’t think Harry wanted to marry Cressida. If anyone prior to Meghan it would have been Chelsy. Chelsy was treated badly by the press and on social media even while she was dating Harry!
I think kate is pretty enough to ‘get the guy’ but not so pretty to make women hate her. Shes like the female lead of any rom com, where the main woman is attractive in a very plain basic way but never ever ‘hot’ or ‘sexy’ or ‘charismatic’, cos female audiences don’t want to see the ‘hot’ girl get the guy. Think Bella in twilight of 50 shade of grey. Kate appeals to certain women because they don’t view her as a sexual threat, no matter how many times she’s flashed her ass. They love posting pics of harry and Kate saying “I miss these two”, because they are desperate for harry to desire Kate, cos if he likes her, they he might like them too. Meghan has sex appeal and charisma and is the sort of women who turns heads when she walks into a room, hence why do many women are threatened by her.
If she was gonna be popular it would’ve been at her arrival if this is the best replacement they can come up with I wouldn’t be surprised if the Cambridge kids start working earlier than expected.
She didn’t really have an ‘arrival’. She and Edward dated for at least five years before marrying, everyone was used to Edward being a background player and no one cared about his girlfriend. After the wedding, they weren’t working royals for several more years.
I would be surprised if W&K’s kids ever work, given the complete lack of work ethic in their parents. As things are trending? Only their eldest will be a working royal. The two younger ones should be raised to earn their own livings. Harry’s departure has paved the way for that.
I thought Ed and Sophie declined HRH titles for their children because their kids were decidedly NOT going to be working members of the BRF and they wanted them to have “normal” lives. Now they want Louise to be the next royal “star?” If she is even capable of that, William would never allow it.
The benefits outweighs the drawbacks for Sophie. I guess she decided it’s better for her kids to be part of the top of British society than the bottom. This is the only thing that makes sense as to why she’d agree to fade into the ether and be a part of this clown show.
I agree. I think she’s working on protecting her family’s position with respect to Charles and William.
Sophie agrees to be part of the royal circus because she gets a one percenters life and Bagshot in return. Very few people pay attention when she and Edward fly off on private jets to go skiing in Switzerland. Few question the amount of money she’s been spending on bespoke designer clothing since Kate married in.
Charles was working to eliminate E&S as working royals, which would mean eliminating their Sovereign Grant funding. Without those funds to pay for all the staff at Bagshot? No way the Wessex family could stay there. Hence why we saw her kissing up to William over his offensive jokes at Wimbledon, buddying up to Kate, and refusing to speak to Harry and Meghan at the Commonwealth service.
The RRs want a “star” and/or a convenient whipping post. But no one can be a star because the heirs can’t handle it. And their whipping post left for America.
Sophie will always be overshadowed by the Wales’ branch. Three future kings plus HM. Come on! She was never going to fill the void left by Harry & Meghan. It was amusing to see her embiggening fail in the media. Their desperation to push her into the spotlight, even though she basically continued the things she’s always did. She’s never going to have any star power. But as we saw at the Commonwealth service, she isn’t above being a nasty piece of work when she needs to be one.
As for Louise, William would never allow her to have a bigger place in the media than his own children. She’ll be torn down. So it’s best to keep her out of the spotlight.
She will be torn down and apart. So will her brother. I wonder if that is a bit of the point, though it will fail. Put lots of focus on Edward’s kids, make sure you document all their faults and foibles, judge their appearance and clothes and schooling….so when the Cambridge kids start reaching adolescence there’s a set comparison of “well look at the Wessex kids! The Cambridge kids are SOOO much better….(behaved, educated, mannered, dressers, rapport with public, prettier/handsome)” Or god forbid a 22 year old Louise doesn’t curtsy to a 12 year old George quick enough or with enough reverence.
When Sophie joined the family (1999) we were in a post Diana era. There was a massive void to fill with no young attractive female royals. It should have been Sophie’s time, yet I don’t remember a damn thing about her back then. I remember everything about 90s Diana and the week of her death even though I was very young, but don’t even remember Sophie and Edwards wedding. She had literally no competition. She used to look like a photocopied version of Diana, and yet no one gave AF about her. You either have it or you don’t, and I’m afraid the likes of Sophie and Kate never had it. Diana and meghans star quality was bursting at the seams, it just couldn’t be stopped or slowed down. The second both women came of the scene people were just obsessed.
If Sophie and Kate were ‘going to happen’ they would have happened already. Every year they say it’s ‘going to be Kate’s year’, or she has ‘a new found confidence’ or ‘dazzle’. Now Sophie is a ‘rising star’ after 22 years of marriage?
I definitely remember her and Edward’s engagement and wedding–a big enough deal that even though she’s never been reported on much since, I have vivid recollections of her face, the wedding day, a few of her outfits, and how they very much tried to frame her as a Diana, hair and all (if you ask me they’re about equal in looks and appeal, but D has always bored the snores out of me). There were also lots of pieces about how she would keep working at her job–as if she herself were resisting the Diana mould (given how that ended up so well for D herself). Lots of fanfare about this couple for about a year…then nada.
I have vague recollections that she was accused of trying to emulate Diana’s look, but beyond knowing she married Edward, I didn’t really pay attention to what happened. It was only much later on that I heard about sheik gate.
I was visiting my mom when she and Edward married. While we didn’t watch the ceremony, we caught snippets on the evening news. My mom just rolled her eyes and said, “They’re trying to find a new Diana. Well, good luck with that.”
I remember their wedding. However, Sophie’s dress was rather dowdy and the big hoopla was that Edward waited so long to marry and everyone hoped that this late marriage meant he wouldn’t divorce like his siblings. Now that I know more about the royals (as an adult), Sophie didn’t garner a bunch of attention because she’d been dating Edward for years–including when Diana was alive (and it’s said that Diana mocked her for being a wannabe doppelganger)–and she was the original “Waity Katy” in the tabloids.
The media is just desperate because what they have now is utterly boring. Lady Louise looks like she’ll continue to hold onto her privacy. Sophie cozying up to Kate and Elizabeth suggest that she’s focusing on being financially secure. I don’t think Sophie cares for the spotlight as long as her future is secure.
I don’t really get the talk about Eugenie/Beatrice being working royals, as Andrew made it clear in the past that he wanted them to not be working royals when people were speculating about it (before Sussexes).
Too bad, BM. Now go write about Kate’s totally normal and average life.
LOL. Andrew has always pushed for his daughters to be working royals, no matter what he says publicly. They were raised to be working royals and not earn a living. It wasn’t until their late teens that news came down Charles was cutting them off. Andrew has been fighting that decision ever since.
Andrew might want them to be but do they? They have it pretty good right now with the perks and connections to get a cushy, well-paid job without all the intense scrutiny of the press or the hassle of doing public service. They get to choose their own lives and charities. I think they would have to be nuts to want to be “working royals”. The display and hype after the “covid train tour” also pretty much cut them out as senior royals.
Supported in palaces for decades while working a few hundred hours a year? Of course they wanted it. For years they did, at least Beatrice did. Eugenie has been the one to avoid the limelight far more than Beatrice, and she’s adjusted much better to the non-working royal situation than Bea.
Yes, Andrew has always pushed his daughters to maintain a close connection to the crown. Notice how he gave his daughters Princess titles, something Edward and Sophie did not force on their children. Andrew is terribly jealous of Charles because of their birth order and he desperately clings to his royal status.
I believe Andrew is in for a rude awakening when Charles officially begins his reign. I don’t think Charles will shun his nieces, but I do think he will cut Andrew off completely.
I believe Andrew’s statements were more importantly a reflection of Eugenie and Beatrice’s wishes. While Beatrice (or Eugenie) may seem lazy, they’re certainly not the women I’d imagine greedy for fame and attention. They want that sweet spot, and being young blood Princesses without the royal work and scrutiny fits that bill, as most children in the aristocracy/rf do. They’re not going to worry about money, imo. They’re close with William/Harry/Elizabeth and god knows what Fergie and Andy is doing for money.
I quote a great orator, Regina George “Stop trying to make fetch happen it’s not going to happen” Sophie has been around for two decades she has never interested anyone, whether it is the press or British citizens. No member of Windsor’s family can be replace the Sussex
because Meghan and Harry appeal to a younger and more multicultural audience. Unless George or Charlotte marries someone of the same type as Meghan or Diana (personality, charisma, hardworking, compassion, good sense of style etc …) it will never happen.
We forgot Westminster gate when Sophie snubbed Meghan. The BRF damaged themselves in what they did to the Sussexes. Final karma is coming in the lawsuit.
Did she? I thought both Sophie and her husband greeted the Sussexes
You’re kidding right?
I’ve noticed that the RRs write horribly. They use words that don’t quite mean what they think they do, they’re repetitive in order to stretch one sentence into a whole article. Even their grammar and syntax is often nonsensical.
“… with the Countess volunteering at food banks and charity shops to help the needy.” Are we still calling people “the needy”? Hasn’t in generally been replaced by “those in need” because it sounds less offensive and less like you’re blaming people for having needs?
“… with whom she lives at Bagshot Park alongside their two children…” She doesn’t live “with them,” which suggests interaction and relationship, she lives “alongside them,” which suggests more of a two people doing things independently but near each other—like you always hear that girls will play “with” each other while boys play “alongside” each other each doing their own thing but next to each other.
And then we have “Countess now has a higher profile than her husband Prince Edward,” followed shortly by “Sophie – who is married to the Queen’s youngest son Prince Edward.”
“A friend added: ‘She was brought up by her parents….” Obviously. The friend means she was influenced by her family or her parents brought her up in a certain way, but again, the way it’s written/quoted, sounds so stupid.
I’m pretty sure most of the RRs haven’t bothered to take any continuing education courses to brush up on their skills since, approximately, the day Charles and Di announced their engagement.
It is odd how so many of them have been churning out the same dreck since the early 1980s. You’d think in 40 years there’d be more new recruits in such a cutthroat business.
A rising star whose time has come? Snort. Ok, Phil Dampier. Whatever you say, but you royal reporters might start reading the room. I don’t think the commoners who are toiling away in the midst of a pandemic, home-schooling their kids, isolated from their elderly parents, and losing their jobs and loved ones have an appetite right now to start fawning over a rising royal star. They’re even starting to turn on their beloved Kate for being out of touch because of her “exhausted” comments. The only way to use Sophie is to plaster pics that show her real, hard-core volunteering efforts, but then that will reflect badly on Kate, who does not want to be forced to leave the comfort of her Zoom room to compete with Sophie, of all people. When the angry mob starts coming for the royals, at least Sophie has a lot of work to her credit for her privilege.
Her public kissing up to W&K for years, along with her blatant meangirling of Meghan at the Commonwealth service? Neither would endear Sophie to an anti-monarchy crowd.
I’m talking about the imaginary tribunal where the Royals have to account for their work vs. payout. The one that Kate and Will will fail at. At least Sophie will have some engagements to her name. Sophie is dead to me after the Commonwealth Service snub of Meghan. She had plenty of time to converse with Harry & Meghan before Will & Kate showed up and she didn’t.
Sophie and the press have to kiss up to William because he will be king one day and can strip people of titles and allow access, or not, on his whims. That’s how a monarchy works.
Or she could choose to have some dignity and not kowtow to abusive William. But Sophie wants the luxury life and her titles.
Sophie was so snubbish to Meghan at the Commonwealth event. It was so nasty of her to coordinate with Kate to mean girl Meg. I’m happy that Meg no longer has to deal with the mean girls in her family . I’ve always been ambivalent towards Sophie (honestly didn’t know she existed until a few years ago), but that event showed me she’s all too happy to be a mean girl. I mean what did Meg do to her?!
I don’t understand why Charles wants to streamline the monarchy. None of them are “stars” aside from Harry and Meghan. They would benefit from an ensemble cast.
Money. Having a big “firm” entails paying them for events, security, housing, assistants, etc.
The problem seems to be, IMHO, that they want to cover smaller bread and butter events, and flashy events and witj a small set of people, add to that older and with covid around, it is difficult to maintain popularity.
Having H and M was apparently perfect on paper looking to the future with Charles up front, and eventually disregarding the older set.
I do think that the laziness, lack of imagination and charisma of the FFK and his consort did not help them against a couple who loved to create successful projects and really were hands on.
Edward and his wife are perfect instead. Keep them.
Let H and M live their lives. I am not bitter that they left, they will be successful wherever you put them. At the end, I am happy things went this way.
Meghan and Harry were supposed to be a big part of his streamlined monarchy, though. It was going to be him and his kids and their spouses. Now that Meghan and Harry have left, though, I’m also kind of wondering if he plans to stick with his slim down plan since it would essentially just be him and Camilla (who are already quite old and Camilla doesn’t seem to be able to travel that well anymore) and will and Kate who are lazy, lazy, lazy, out of touch, offensive and yet boring, and all of their “tours” are like 48 hours max. Not sure what his plan is going to be, now. Will he keep Anne and Edward and Sophie until the Cambridge kids are ready to work? It seems like he’s very against the York girls mostly because of their father. So maybe there is some behind the scenes chat about Louise and her brother. Maybe he’s thinking he can get Harry and Meghan back part time?
Wouldnt it be funny if everything that’s happened with pushing Harry and Meghan out was Carole Middleton’s plan to get Pippa and James in as working royals? Not funny, because what happened to Harry and Meghan was awful, but interesting/strange/idiotic?
Pippa and James could never be working royals as they are not royals.
Carole did try to get Pippa shoved in as Kate’s lady-in-waiting, complete with taxpayer-funded clothing budget. Queen/Charles said no, which was why we got a year or two of ‘Kate is so modern, she refuses to have a lady-in-waiting’. Carole also tried to get herself attached as granny-in-residence at KP and granny-nanny paid/compensated for accompanying W&K on tours. All shot down by Queen/Charles.
Bbbbut… the RF had Star power in their midst and banished it to the hinterlands (albeit warm, luxurious hinterlands). I thought they didn’t want flashiness?
Exactly, Sophie was spreading rumors about no one likening Meghan a year before the public snub. She fits very well into this hot mess of a family. But she has the charisma of a wet duck. She is not a star.
That’s not fair, wet ducks are usually one of the biggest crowd pleasers at most manmade public parks I visit. Everybody wants to feed the ducks.
If the gay rumors are true, I feel Edward was just looking to recreate the Diana magic with his very own short-haired blonde. It may have worked, but Edward is too far down the throne and, let’s face it, not attractive. Eccentricity or talent in something would have pushed him forward, but this is looked down upon by the Windsors.
Now, their moment has clearly passed. And unfortunately, let’s all be honest, Louise isn’t going to be tabloid news unless she is an absolute trainwreck, and I do not wish that for her. She doesn’t have the look to be a fashion staple either. Their son is far too young to be counting on him for anything. Both children are so far away from the throne that we should just let them lead their own lives.
They’re bland. Maybe more bland than the rest of the family and that’s saying something.
The royal family is supposed to be getting smaller, not trying to make 12 year old girls the next big thing.
Harry and Meghan were their best chance to have star power again, they’re genuinely warm and charismatic people. The rest of them are stuck in the past.
Louise is 17.
My bad, mixed up her age with her brother’s age. Point still stands though.
What I’m really getting from these articles about trying to find the next “star,” whether it be Sophie or Louise or Kate or whomever, is that the Press REALLY want and need a star, someone who is radiant and interesting and charismatic. But the family absolutely do not want a star and will do everything in their power to stamp out someone’s light and sparkle. So these articles aren’t so much coming from the family, I don’t think. I think they’re just royal reporters wishful reporting. And for a family that relies so desperately on the press to uplift them and hide their secrets, it seems very stupid and self-injuring to not give the press what they have been repeatedly asking for. Even if they’re not going to suddenly let Sophie or Louise shine and come on the scene with a big splash, try to shine up the people they’ve got? Do something with Kate. Hire her a real stylist, a speech coach, a new staff that makes her work. Give her a minimum amount of engagements she has to meet. Let/make the Cambridges do more personal and intimate stuff on social media so that not everything is just Kate or Will zooming with people saying “well done.” Get her on there reading to her kids or baking a cake or showing parents how to pitch a blanket tent.
My concern is it might be a tabloid threat against Sophie and Edward. Give us insider info on Harry and Meghan, or when Louise turns 18, she’s fair game for tabloid attacks.
This to me looks like the Wessexes flexing a bit after the Cambs told them not to overshadow them. Maybe the Cambs told them to drop their engagement #s, and they responded this way to basically say “eff off, future future whatevers , we have Bettys favor still and she still is TQ”
I believe that all spares in a royal family will have a tough time no matter how much charm they have or popularity they have-The main thing is to never ever overshadow the heirs to the throne or there will hell to pay in more ways than one. Peace
Well She is already 55, no shade at all to her but if she has been in that family for so long and she still hasn’t already peeked, she never will. Maybe the palace should have spent a bit more time getting her hyped up and highlighted instead of the duke and duchess of can’t doshitbridge
*laughs in Duchess of Sussex*
I was struck by the body language in the top photo, with how the kids tilt their heads towards Sophie and away from Edward. Maybe Edward — to quote Kaiser’s other article Kate’s exhausted and challenging Zoom — “… isn’t there, physically or emotionally…” either?
Liz Petty’s kids: inbred, entitled, mediocre, racist, socially inept, and emotionally stunted,
Like all racists, they are all entirely dependent upon strict social/economic hierarchies to survive. Would any of them last a day on a level playing field?
Sophie and Edward came to the university I worked at a few years ago. They arrived via helicopter on the lawn, there were schoolchildren there to greet them. It was the weirdest experience. The helicopter was the highlight for the kids. Everyone just stared blankly at Sophie and Edward. They seemed nice enough but awkward. Visit was over within ten minutes and the helicopter was off.
The only thing I can think about, after looking at the last pic, is Edward and Wills look like siblings, not uncle and nephew.