Something really weird is happening with the Daily Mail’s Ephraim Hardcastle column. For more than a year now, the guy (?) behind the column has been fact-checking the Windsors and their sycophants on a regular basis. I’m not ready to call this Hardcastle guy part of the Sussex Squad yet, but the column has broken some interesting news here and there. The columnist spilled the tea about Prince William fighting his father over the Prince of Wales investiture. The columnist recently pointed out that despite Buckingham Palace’s briefing spree over the Royal.uk updates removing the Sussexes’ HRHs, the Sussexes still very much have their HRHs. The columnist also recently broke the news about Mohammed Bin Salman’s upcoming visit to the palace. What I’m saying is that this guy (?) loves to fact check and spill some matter-of-fact tea. Recently, Andrew Morton suggested that the Duchess of Sussex wouldn’t return to the UK because she didn’t want to curtsey to Kate. Well, Hardcastle had something to say about that:
Princess Diana biographer Andrew Morton commits a faux pas, telling Sky News that Meghan may not be keen on visiting her estranged in-laws as she would have to curtsy to Kate, now Princess of Wales.
The old rules of who should bow/curtsy to whom are old hat.
The late Queen abandoned much of the protocol in homage to both changing times and the arrival of a greater number of commoners into the family (among them Kate, Sophie, Tim Laurence, Mike Tindall, Jack Brooksbank and Camilla herself).
The only requirement now is for the King himself to be acknowledged and Meghan might feel herself even exempt from that.
It was noticeable that amid the sea of dips and bows as the King left his coronation, Harry didn’t join in. Perhaps his view was obscured by Aunt Anne’s plume hat.
In Spare, Harry recounted his directions to Meghan about who she needed to curtsey to – basically, only QEII and Harry’s father (but notably not Camilla). In the Netflix series, Meghan talked about and around the “formality” which exists within the royal family behind the scenes, and many were left with the impression that William and Kate were probably mega-salty that Meghan treated them like her peers and equals rather than bowing and scraping as soon as she was in the presence of the “future king and future queen.” Basically, this whole story is just another huge projection by the Windsors and their people: they do care about the bowing and scraping and they’re incandescent with royal protocol that Meghan can’t be forced back to the UK and made to curtsey to Princess Karen. As I said in the opening, it’s interesting that there’s one Daily Mail columnist who comes along and gently shreds the royalist talking points.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrive for a service of thanksgiving for the reign of Queen Elizabeth II at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, Friday, June 3, 2022 on the second of four days of celebrations to mark the Platinum Jubilee. The events over a long holiday weekend in the U.K. are meant to celebrate the monarch’s 70 years of service.,Image: 696613844, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: -, Model Release: no, Credit line: Matt Dunham / Avalon
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- The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrive for the National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral, London, on day two of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II. The National Service marks The Queen’s 70 years of service to the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and the Commonwealth. Public service is at the heart of the event and over 400 recipients of Honours in the New Year or Birthday Honours lists have been invited in recognition of their contribution to public life. Drawn from all four nations of the United Kingdom, they include NHS and key workers, teaching staff, public servants, and representatives from the Armed Forces, charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups.,Image: 696614021, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: -, Model Release: no, Credit line: Kirsty O’Connor / Avalon
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- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrive for a service of thanksgiving for the reign of Queen Elizabeth II at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, Friday, June 3, 2022 on the second of four days of celebrations to mark the Platinum Jubilee. The events over a long holiday weekend in the U.K. are meant to celebrate the monarch’s 70 years of service.,Image: 696614407, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: -, Model Release: no, Credit line: Matt Dunham / Avalon
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- Peter Phillips, the Duchess of Sussex, the Duke of Sussex and Zara Tindall leave the National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral, London, on day two of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II. The National Service marks The Queen’s 70 years of service to the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and the Commonwealth. Public service is at the heart of the event and over 400 recipients of Honours in the New Year or Birthday Honours lists have been invited in recognition of their contribution to public life. Drawn from all four nations of the United Kingdom, they include NHS and key workers, teaching staff, public servants, and representatives from the Armed Forces, charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups.,Image: 696653719, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: -, Model Release: no, Credit line: Kirsty O’Connor / Avalon
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- Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton. Coronation of King Charles III, May 6th 2023. King Charles III and Camilla the Queen Consort, members of the Royal family and VVIP’s arrive at Westminster Abbey for the Coronation service.,Image: 774185241, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: -, Model Release: no, Credit line: Unknown / Avalon
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- William – The Prince of Wales and Catherine – The Princess of Wales arrive for the Coroation at Westminster Abbey, London, England, UK on Saturday 6 May, 2023.,Image: 774187119, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Please credit photographer and agency when publishing as Justin Ng/UPPA/Avalon., Model Release: no, Credit line: Justin Ng / Avalon
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- The Princess of Wales at The Coronation of King Charles III at London”s Westminster Abbey 06 May 2023,Image: 774252025, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: -, Model Release: no, Credit line: Mark Stewart / Avalon
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- The Princess of Wales at The Coronation of King Charles III at London”s Westminster Abbey 06 May 2023,Image: 774252171, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: -, Model Release: no, Credit line: Mark Stewart / Avalon
How kate looks for cameras wearing her robes and tinfoil tiara.
Everytime I see the tinfoil tiara I laugh at her desperation. Wonder whether Camilla was annoyed at her fake tiara or if she found it pathetic.
Looks like a clearance item in Claire’s
@stellainnh @becks1 I call it the Hobby Craft party tiara
Michael’s craft store glue and sequin tiara.
I truly cannot understand how someone wears that to not just a formal event but THE formal event and be serious. I’d be in a row of Celebitches in our homemade tiaras but we’d all be in on the joke.
All I can think: This must be Kate’s “F You” to Camilla’s “no tiaras” edict, similar to Bea and Eugenie wearing the ugliest hats to Kate’s wedding.
Bea and Eugenie had some ninja-level trolling. Wearing those hats and stealing focus and making us laugh.
This tiara just looks mad/desperate.
Looks like a final sales item from Party (Poopers) Pieces.
I think it’s her daughter’s grade school art project.
It’s truly wild. There’s something so poetic about her wearing a tinfoil crown. I’d wonder if it was done as a comment on the current king and queens reign. As in Kate thought she was making fun. But I don’t think it’s that deep. Either way, it’s still hilarious.
That crown really hasn’t aged well. It may have looked striking on the day, but with that sorry-ass robe, that fake crown looks cheap, cheap, cheap. I’ve seen better Halloween costumes.
I can’t get enough of this picture. The way her head doesn’t look attached to her body makes it seem like a horror film still. It’s a good metaphor for how her thirst to be photographed makes her more and more inhuman.
Don’t get distracted, Hardcasltle is not a better hate mongol than his Royal watching/reporting peers. The only thing is, he manages to keep his distance to the leftover royals, somehow, and doesn’t making it a personal vendetta against the unfavourable royals (more so H&M), like the other vitriolic RRs and ‘experts’ have turned their dislike and hatred of H&M into.
And then there is this thing:
the competition amongst the RRs is real, especially since the revenues have slashed after H&M left. There is jealousy, some can’t stand each other, they keep eachother in check with hawks eyes, and they are nasty towards the ones who have made the big bugs (like Morton, Scobie) and still manage to make good money off the royal reporting & commentary, editorship and book writing. So, whoever finds a change and is in a position to critic a peer will do so, gentle or loud/bold.
@Shawna, same. She looks like a literal Disney villain in that photo. It’s uncanny
*big buck…
@Lorelei….I get ‘The Excorcist’ vibes. Head spins….awaiting vile, green vomit!
*snort* I’m surprised Reynolds’ Wrap didn’t sue her for defamation…
That is interesting. Is it a shot across the bow that if the in bed with tabloid royal cult doesn’t deliver some better content about the Sussexes then they will start spilling more and more tea about the cult? Will be interesting to see what happens because the direct line to the Sussexes has been cut . I’m in for more tea and may I will learn to make scones to go with the tea.
I actually think they will sell more if they start covering the Windsors scandals and alleged stuff. There’s plenty of em and believeable. Most of the stuff they write about HM are sounding too nonsensical it’s laughable.
Do not get distracted, Hardcasltle isn’t a better hate mongol than his Royal watching/reporting peers. The only thing is, he manages to keep his distance to the leftover royals, somehow, and doesn’t make it a personal vendetta against the unfavourable royals (more so H&M), like the other vitriolic RRs and ‘experts’ have turned their dislike and hatred of H&M into.
And then there is this thing:
the competition amongst the RRs is real, especially since the revenues have slashed after H&M left. There is jealousy, some can’t stand each other, they keep eachother in check with hawks eyes, and they are nasty towards the ones who have made the big bucks (like Morton, Scobie) and still manage to make good money off the royal reporting & commentary, editorship and book writing business. So, whoever finds a way and is in a position to critic or fact check a peer, will do so, gently or loudly/boldly.
It is an interesting thought. Clearly the tabloids have recognized they made a huge error and only the Sussexes sell, otherwise they wouldn’t insert their names into every single article about any other Leftover Royal (and continue to write a million stories about the Sussexes sans the others).
But I’m sort of on the fence about whether it means they’ll start spilling the tea about the Wailses’ marriage or other good gossip. Because…why wait? What’s the access they’d still be holding out for? W&K barely work so nothing much to report on there, and even when they or king Chuckles does work, no one even cares. These days no one even cares when they trot out the children.
So it seems like if they want to start getting clicks again they’d want to just spill whatever gossip they have about the leftovers (or just wait until the Sussexes are seen for work or socially). I’m so curious to see what happens with all of this.
The tabloids aren’t in the business to sell newspapers, exactly: they’re in the business to sell a worldview that is sympathetic to their owners’ financial interests. A patriarchal hierarchy is part of that—and monarchy is the ultimate hierarchy.
People have been saying this for almost a year yet NOTHING has changed. Instead of exposing the Wales they just start making up stories about Harry and Meghan. Almost anything written about the Sussexes becomes a top story on their page. They aren’t going to give up the clicks that easy.
“Princess Karen” 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 🤣🤣🤣 – she wears that title.
When some talking head was repeating this myth on TalkTV he was corrected by his fellow panelist as well. I don’t know what’s the reason behind this but it doesn’t matter now, Meghan’s never going back the UK.
It’s like they’re begging her to return though lol. “Look, Meghan, you don’t even have to curtsey to Princess Karen, please come back (we need you)!!”
And if M does go back to the UK, it certainly won’t be to visit Kate
Ephraim Hardcastle also commented on Wednesday this week in his column about the upcoming appearances by K & W at the Rugby World Cup in France and the criticism of TOB re Sydney but made the point that Princess Karen (love that @Kaiser) was ‘hardly blameless’ as she ‘failed’ to attend the final of the womens rugby world cup in Auckland about 9 months ago to support England despite being the patron 🤔
These summer months really must have been hitting the daily mail hard if they are starting to mildly criticize the borings again.
Charles and parts of the media are tired of William and Kate. I’ve been noticing that the British press have been switching up tactics. What I mean is, they’re being a little nicer albeit snark towards the Sussexes. William and Kate are being gently criticized and Charles is trying to play the loving dad. I don’t know what’s going on but with William and Kate driving Andrew, the mess with the Women’s World Cup and being called out for their laziness and vacations. No to mention William is still briefing he’s angry and Charles is proud of Harry and that the media is going overboard in regards to the Invictus documentary, it seems Charles vs William is reaching a breaking point. No to mention, the reality check of the Sussexes moving on, UK visits rarely a thing and being stuck with bores, I think the press is over it at this point.
Pegs default setting is angry anyway, what’s new to report (make up)? He’s a so called patron of Earthshot he should change from incandescent to LED.
🤣🤣🤣
You win the interwebs today. Shut it down, it’s done for the day.
Whew. Is Ephraim salty with the RF about not having more gossip, or is he realizing that being a counter to the royal rats is the way to make more money? Perhaps a little of a and a little of b? I’ll just go get the popcorn ready; can someone else get the drinks?
There is definitely an opening in the British media for someone to fact check and counter the royals. The pressure to stay the course with the royals must be powerful. Some of the pressure, no doubt, emanates from the Tory government.
If Kate expects curtsey from Meghan and others it makes her look bad.to say the least.
It’s getting interesting over on Salt Island. Charles in Charge is obviously briefing/beefing with William and Karen. I’m waiting for what’s next, because it’s “gentle” now, but the drip drip of leaks is coming steadily and eventually they’re going to completely open the tap.
Shame on Andrew Morten. He knows that Meghan is not required to curtsey to Kate but he still said for click baits and to arouse the royalists
Of course he knows. He’s trying to make Meghan look petty and insecure when we know who really is petty and insecure : the rest of them.
Maybe Morton wants derangers to buy his books
Not sure he does know that actually. He’s not actually a Royal insider – that’s why Diana used him.
It’s perfectly possible that he is just wildly out of date.
It’s fairly common knowledge and he’s still writing books.. He’d know. He wants to paint M in this light.
I will ALWAYS 😆 🤣 😂 😹 😆 🤣 at that header picture of Kate serving “Disney Wicked Queen” face in that tinfoil tiara!!!!
Every time I see a comment referring to her as “the evil queen” I always immediately react with indignation because I now forever associate The Evil Queen with Lana Parilla in Once Upon A time so I’ll always think “Regina would never!” 😂
Probably Kate’s whole dream of marrying William was 20% about William, 20% about an unlimited button budget, and 60% about people having to curtsy to her.
Poor lamb’s dreams must taste like ashes.
Someone reporting a bit more objectively might be more palatable to viewers once the news organizations sort their sh*t out, so maybe Hardcastle is setting himself up for a major gig now. Playing the long game.
‘Hardcastle’ is the name of the column not an actual person. I don’t think it’s known who writes it – it could be several people using the name at the same time.
The Mail own the name so it would be difficult to leverage working on the column into a career as a royal reporter.
That you so much for clarifying that for me!
Peter McKay was the person behind the Ephraim Hardcastle column for a long time. McKay left in 2019. John McEntee is the supposed replacement. There may be others?
This article isn’t about the tides turning. It’s about making Andrew Morton appear like a dumba$$. (which he successfully did on his own with the curtsying comment-it’s on the fricking royal website about the curtsying “protocol”. Derangers/royalists/”royal experts” look completely stupid when they bring this shite up.
Discrediting Morton isn’t coincidental. I believe he has NO knowledge of H’s or H & M’s thoughts, beliefs and everything else.
I have no doubt that C&C’s new PR/Comms person, former Daily Mail employee, wants to discredit Morton any way possible. It’s a win for the DM & C&C. A vey carefully placed item. I’m lolling about how it makes the “royal experts” look extra stupid. That shite ain’t hard.
I think the BM understands that we are entering a new H/M era now. This past weekend signalled that they are going to be living life much more out loud than the past 4 years. The media got free content when they lived in the UK and they have largely had free content over the past 4 years because they just a) made up stuff and b) H/M’s actual content through the book and docuseries connected them to the RF. Thats over now. The old stories and tactics aren’t going to work.
I’m curious as to what happens if you don’t curtsey. Do they just stand there staring at you until you do? Does someone come and knock you down or drag you outside? They probably just talk smack about you for the rest of your life
They throw you in the Tower of London! 😆
Absolute nothing happens.
You will be considered rude by people who notice.
It doesn’t even mean you will be excluded from future events, since so often the Royals have no idea who the people at those events are.
It’s a ‘courtesy’ (where the word ‘curtsy’ Comes from!) – a polite way of behaving. Not a law.
They send you to go work for Andrew. He’s always looking for a new lacky to arrange his teddy bears just right.
“It was noticeable that amid the sea of dips and bows as the King left his coronation, Harry didn’t join in. Perhaps his view was obscured by Aunt Anne’s plume hat.”
Ah I see. That was the sole purpose of plopping Anne in front of Harry. Heehee
Yes, every time I see that picture of keen in her tin foil tiara, I keep seeing her spinning around shouting” abracadabra, now I am Queen “and a hand comes up behind her, knocks the tin foil of her head saying” NOT for a long time yet BCH “as camzilla walks away smiling with a fag hanging out of her mouth
I am being reminded of the fact that cults and high control groups have a lot of protocols, so your too busy thinking about what you’re supposed to do that you don’t think about why you’re doing it.
Also, most sins in a cult can be forgiven accept leaving a cult.
Just saying…
Slush–that explains a lot about the right-wing in general, as well. As well, if you keep people scared of messing up protocols, that keeps them wonderfully distracted from what’s really going on. Thanks!
I actually wouldn’t mind using Kate’s “tiara” as part of wedding shower table decorations — maybe set around a stout white candle.
But as a headpiece? LOL.
Americans don’t have to curtsey to any monarch. On the one hand, the British tabloids never stop reminding people how Meghan is American, and yet they conveniently leave that part out when it suits them.