Sometimes I wonder if the British media has intentionally created a closed-loop system of reporting for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. By that I mean, one outlet will get a palace briefing full of lies about Harry and Meghan, and that outlet will dutifully parrot the palace talking points. Then every other outlet will report the same thing, with some subtle variations, then the story will bounce back and forth and they’ll blame Harry and Meghan for all of it and pretend that they were the ones trying to make news. The story about “Harry is plotting his return from exile” wasn’t plucked randomly out of a hat. The blaring Mail headline was briefed specifically for a reason, and it was not briefed from Montecito. That Mail story – which received some pushback from Harry’s people – was a sad affair, yet more projection and longing from an unsettled national press desperate for access.
Anyway, I bring this up because the Spectator published this piece by Alexander Larman: “Prince Harry isn’t coming back any time soon.” Larman says outright that Harry and his friends are responsible for the rash of deranged Sussex-focused stories in the past week. Larman also says that Harry won’t be coming back to the UK… because Charles and William don’t want him and don’t trust him.
Harry’s Etonian friends: I refer, of course, to those redoubtable souls who continue to maintain friendships with Prince Harry, after everything that has happened over the past few years. Quasi-abdication, Oprah, Netflix, Spare – none of it matters in their eyes. The Duke of Sussex is, to them, a cracking example of a Top Bloke, and long may he be defended. This is, in my view, the only plausible explanation for the apparent willingness of these ‘friends’ of Prince Harry to come forward to various media outlets, including the Daily Telegraph, and conveniently rubbish stories and suggestions in other, less appropriate newspapers.
Harry is the third wheel in Montecito? The current subject for discussion is whether Harry, tiring of life in Montecito as a third wheel to his wife and her jam-making business, is putting out discreet feelers to see whether he could resume a limited number of royal duties in Britain, with an eventual view to a reconciliation with his family. This has been floated before, especially in the wake of his father’s illness. But since his fleeting, low-key return to the country for his uncle Lord Fellowes’ funeral – where, true to form, he and his brother ignored one another – there have been further whispers that Harry would like a life where he can be around more and see his family, as well as pursuing good works.
Larman thinks bringing Harry back would make the monarchy a laughingstock? Unless matters change very considerably, it is unlikely that either the King or Prince William will countenance any kind of formal return for Harry into the royal family. It would be too humiliating after what has happened, and would risk making the institution a laughing stock. Likewise, his high-profile battle against the British government over his personal security issues, and his bold statement that the country is no longer safe for his wife to visit, do not suggest that he would be returning here holding out an olive branch. Harry’s friends, a loyal and helpfully media-savvy bunch though they doubtlessly are, might be amusing themselves by making contradictory and attention-grabbing claims. But for all the media excitement that these pronouncements engender, it is tempting to take them with a large helping of (no doubt America Riviera Orchard-sourced) salt. Unless hell freezes over, Harry is not coming back to Britain full-time. And many may breathe a deep sigh of relief at that.
[From The Spectator]
He also went on and on about how Harry’s friends in both countries are awful and they’re the ones who couldn’t shut up about Harry. Which is bullsh-t, in case you need it spelled out. The whole thing about “Harry’s friends are begging for help to ease Harry’s return” was always a story given to the Mail by people other than the Sussex camp and people other than Harry’s actual friends. The way Prince William and his rage was centered in every single story shows intelligent gossip consumers who the source really was. The question is not “why would Harry’s friends say these things,” the question is “why did William hand that story to the Mail?” Was it just another version of their fantasy that Harry will someday come crawling back to them? Or was there something else behind it from the institution?
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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Empfang der Stadt Duesseldorf im Vorfeld der Invictus Games im Rathaus Prinz Harry, Duke of Sussex im Portrait bei der Ankunft im Fraktionsinnenhof des Rathauses in Duesseldorf und Fans im Hintergrund zum Empfang der Gastgeberstadt Duesseldorf zu Beginn der Invictus Games 2023, Duesseldorf, 09.09.2023 Duesseldorf Nordrhein-Westfalen Deutschland *** Reception of the city of Duesseldorf in the run-up to the Invictus Games at the city hall Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex in portrait upon arrival in the caucus courtyard of the city hall in Duesseldorf and fans in the background for the reception of the host city Duesseldorf at the beginning of the Invictus Games 2023, Duesseldorf, 09 09 2023 Duesseldorf North Rhine Westphalia Germany,Image: 804083047, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO / Avalon
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Invictus Games 2023 in Duesseldorf Prinz Harry, Duke of Sussex gemeinsam mit Ehefrau Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex gut gelaunt im Buggy auf dem Weg zur Schwimmhalle fuer die Schwimmwettkaempfe bei den Invictus Games 2023 in Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, 13.09.2023 Duesseldorf Nordrhein-Westfalen Deutschland *** Invictus Games 2023 in Duesseldorf Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex together with wife Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex in a good mood in the buggy on the way to the swimming hall for the swimming competitions at the Invictus Games 2023 in Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, 13 09 2023 Duesseldorf North Rhine Westphalia Germany,Image: 805068101, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO / Avalon
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Invictus Games Prinz Harry und Meghan beim Rollstuhl Basketball Finale Prinz Harry, Herzog von Sussex gemeinsam mit Ehefrau Meghan Markle, Herzogin von Sussex beim Rollstuhl-Basketball Finale zwischen Frankreich und der USA im Rahmen der Invictus Games 2023, Duesseldorf, 13.09.2023 Duesseldorf Nordrhein-Westfalen Deutschland *** Invictus Games Prince Harry and Meghan at the Wheelchair Basketball Final Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex together with wife Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex at the Wheelchair Basketball Final between France and the USA during the Invictus Games 2023, Duesseldorf, 13 09 2023 Duesseldorf Nordrhein Westfalen Germany,Image: 805086137, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO / Avalon
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DUESSELDORF, GERMANY – 13th Sep 2023. SEPTEMBER 13: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the Mixed Team Gold Medal Wheelchair Basketball match between Team United States and Team France during day four of the Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023 on September 13, 2023 in Duesseldorf, Germany. *** DUESSELDORF, GERMANY 13th Sep 2023 SEPTEMBER 13 Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the Mixed Team Gold Medal Wheelchair Basketball match between Team United States and Team France during day four of the Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023 on September 13, 2023 in Duesseldorf, Germany,Image: 805097817, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO/Moritz Mueller / Avalon
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DUESSELDORF, GERMANY – 13th Sep 2023. SEPTEMBER 13: Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the Mixed Team Gold Medal Wheelchair Basketball match between Team United States and Team France during day four of the Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023 on September 13, 2023 in Duesseldorf, Germany. *** DUESSELDORF, GERMANY 13th Sep 2023 SEPTEMBER 13 Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the Mixed Team Gold Medal Wheelchair Basketball match between Team United States and Team France during day four of the Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023 on September 13, 2023 in Duesseldorf, Germany,Image: 805098241, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO/Moritz Mueller / Avalon
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Prinz Harry, Herzog von Sussex bei seiner Rede, Closing Ceremony, am 16.09.2023 Invictus Games Duesseldorf, vom 09.09. – 16.09.2023 in Duesseldorf/ Deutschland. Â *** Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex during his speech, Closing Ceremony, on 16 09 2023 Invictus Games Duesseldorf, from 09 09 16 09 2023 in Duesseldorf Germany Â,Image: 805975484, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: imago is entitled to issue a simple usage license at the time of provision. Personality and trademark rights as well as copyright laws regarding art-works shown must be observed. Commercial use at your own risk., Model Release: no, Credit line: IMAGO/Anke Waelischmiller/SVEN SIMON / Avalon
The British media and the royal family are collectively acting like a bitter, angry and jealous ex. It’s truly pathetic.
Oh, I don’t think the RF need any help from Harry to become a laughing stock.
So the Prince that is booked and busy with world leaders and initiatives that are being discussed globally is feeding laughable stories to the tabloid he currently has a lawsuit against? What a joke the entire rota and Monarchy has become. Prince Harry is in the major leagues while Peggy is playing t-ball and it is showing.
@Eurydice
THIS! Exactly! THIS!
Deflection, thy name is Wales! The question now is, what is William Wales trying to keep out of the press, what did he do that he’s yet again throwing his brother under the bus for? Enquiring minds must know.
Some of the weird pushback may be from Camilla et al–i.e. pitting the brothers against each other–in order to keep the king’s big annual raise out of the headlines. Some of the weird pushback is clearly from Huevo himself–i.e. Harry needs to go under the bus–in order to distract from some odd stories floating once again about Willy’s sexual orientation and some of the more usual stories about the state of the WanK marriage. The only common theme between BP and KP distractions is that Harry must suffer.
The abuse is on another level from this family, not because the kind of refusal to let go, gaslighting, and attempts to poison opinion against the abused is unusual (sadly, it’s not in many toxic families and relationships all over the world) but because the platform these people command is so, so much bigger.
At the end of the day history will judge it for what it is, but the research and deep dives into the INSANE case study this is in public communication, propaganda, misinformation, and more — all for such personal and petty reasons — under the very specific conditions of Britain’s closed media system and history (especially when seen through the lens of the Brexit mess) will be fascinating. There will likely be PhD dissertations and award-winning art/performances to come out of this when enough time goes by.
Media manipulation and mass delusion, cults of personalities (and organized backlash against perceived enemies of the cult figure/movement) is such a characteristic of this time in Western Europe and North America, but we tend to see the politics side of it more. But this is absolutely an example…the “Firm” is the OG cult figure/movement and boy are they having a moment (at least within the boundaries of Salt Island).
Yeah I cannot wait for this case study, it’s LAYERED. Excellent points re: “public communication, propaganda, misinformation, and more — all for such personal and petty reasons — under the very specific conditions of Britain’s closed media system and history (especially when seen through the lens of the Brexit mess) will be fascinating. There will likely be PhD dissertations and award-winning art/performances to come out of this when enough time goes by.” I can’t wait for all this.
Fk worst fear would be the return of Harry to the royal fold so maybe this frantic briefing is him being panicky and paranoid? Just a tantrum or a deflection because really the focus should be on HIM getting his act together and demonstrating his mettle as FK! And how is his wife these days?
See, yeah, agree, this feels like this is some sort of strategy. William and his KP goons leak a story about Harry in one tabloid. Different tabloids go back and forth about it and then finally everyone blames Harry for leaking these stories. When it all started from William and then he pretends his hands are clean. Bc the original sin of why Harry and Meghan left has always been about William and Kate planting and leaking negative stories about the Sussexes. Willaim is trying to put that on Harry. As if Harry would plant stories in the very tabloids he is suing and yet that’s what they’re claiming. It’s silly but yeah, why now?
It’s like watching Wile E. Coyote trying to constantly catch the Road Runner only to get caught in its own trap.
I don’t know what’s going on but Something is going on.
I personally think Peggy was blindsided by Prince Harry’s attendance at the funeral and these unhinged narratives were his response.. he fed the invisible contract with a plethora of lies deflected from the wife situation (whatever that may be) and tried to look important like he still has sway over Prince Harry’s life.
@Hypocrisy: I think so too.
I think its a 1-2-3- punch of Colombia (look how respected and welcomed H&M are in other countries!), the NYC Visit (look how booked and busy is Harry is compared to his brother) and the funeral (look how Harry’s maternal family supports him and will keep quiet about his movements in the UK and how William knows nothing.)
And now I think William is flailing about in the press with these stories. I also just think something else is going on with William like we’ve discussed, and its not just Kate and his father having cancer.
William is punishing his brother for turning up at their uncle’s funeral because he most likely got zero warning from the Spencers Harry would be attending or staying at Althorp. He can’t be in his brother’s vicinity without grimacing or sneering or looking like he sucked a lemon. The same for Kate whenever she’s near Meghan. Those two cannot function when the Sussexes are nearby.
This is his petty payback, leaking another round of stories that Harry wants to move back to the UK part time and be a part time royal. It’s like clockwork, every time Harry comes to the UK for something, William gives the British tabs some stupid fake story. Only this time Harry’s team hit back and said “Nope.” Which probably enraged him even more. 2025 will make it 5 years since the Sussexes left and half a decade of him trying to go after the Sussexes. Pretty sad and pathetic on William’s part.
Meanwhile, all this smearing of Harry is highlighting how Willnot is doing very little of his own work and Kate has completely disappeared from the conversation. His obsession with secrecy and the lack of any work product, while raking in millions as the heir, will not go down well in the long run. Obsessively smearing Harry seems to be his only activity right now!
The first batch of stories could have been Willy rage briefing because the success of the Columbia trip was followed by Harry popping in out of the country and reminding the Windsors its Harry choice to stay away. But the fact that they continue to chew on a non story no one believes that was been debunked in under 24hrs screams DISTRACTION.
My guess is they want to divert attention from the pay raises Charles and William received while the government cut stipends that would help seniors pay their heating bills. A 45Million pay raise for Charles and a 24Million pay raise for Willy while food banks are expanding and government services are being cut is truly awful and speaks to the Windsor’s endless greed. They worked so little this year and there is so much need in their country at the moment. They could have reallocated the money or declined the raise so the government could continue to offer certain service but they did neither. This coupled with KP’s finance report which showed how little they actually donate from the money they raise really shows these people are leeches who drain taxpayers dry and only serve themselves.
@B – this.
This Alexander Larman fellow sounds like he’s repeating bedroom talk from William. This whole article is just weird. I got the creeps from reading it. 🌚
A tragedy here is that William has some serious mental health issues. This is beyond abusive family patterns ~ way beyond.
I feel so so bad for the kids. SO so so much therapy / all kinds of help needed to overcome having a parent like this (never mind whatever impact watching their mom has had on them)…
I’m going with someting else, somebody wants Harry back but on their terms, and since Harry is not leaving his wife and kids they have to pull back, i’m sure they will come back with a carrot. there are a lot of smoke and mirrors going on right now
This guy just sounds like he’s pissed that Harry didn’t allow the British press to push this false story further.
I can no longer read all these dirty, grubby, untrue and stupid, invented, distorted articles and I don’t touch any of the newspapers they are in and I don’t believe anything else that is written there. I am not alone in this. There are more and more of us who are boycotting this disgusting media. We all have a right to truthful reports, and these media are losing all trust in journalists. This year-long hate campaign that has swept the world from the UK is anti-democratic, inhumane, right-wing extremist and disregards fundamental rights and human rights. Harry and Meghan serve as test objects for what such people want to achieve with their ludicrous manipulations.
Can the “William wishes he could live in California and have beard and a new wife” stories start already? I sick of this tired plot line
I think the problem is that they always assumed that Harry’s story would play out like that of Duke of Windsor. But that narrative ignores the fact that, unlike Edward, Harry is a decent human being that wants to do meaningful work and is actually liked by people. Oh, and we now have financial advisors and wise investments, so money is not going to “run out” like it did for Edward.
Harry is just plain BETTER than the Duke of Windsor. Smarter, better work ethic, and more emotionally intelligent. And Meghan is miles away better than Wallis Simpson. There’s just no comparison — and I’m sick and tired of the toxic BM trying to push the comparison. When I read that Meghan was taken to her wedding chapel in the same car used by Wallis, I was *furious.*
I really don’t get why all these delulu “journalists” are so bored with real British politics — like the Grenfell report, the Tories bankrupting the UK, and Labour being only marginally better so far — that they all need to chime in about something that doesn’t concern them.
Will they get an extra bonus from KP personally for writing the most deranged, tedious, ludicrous screed?
Do they seriously think it makes them — and the monarchy they report on — look good in any way?
They are all so bad at this, and all they achieve is making look Bulliam like the sociopath that he is, obsessed with his brother’s success and standing with those people whose admiration William would like to receive if he only were capable of being compassionate, charming on a diplomatic level, intelligent and engaging.
“Quasi-abdicated” they can F right off with this nonsense. The 5th in line isn’t abdicating squat. If these horrid people truly cared about quasi-abdicating roles then they should look no further than the lazy duo WanK themselves as those two truly have unofficially abdicated. We won’t work but we still want all the money and benefits.
We know the Sussexes do not engage with the British tabs. Period. They announced that when they left. It was clear as day when they did the Columbia tour. The british press is desperately triying to lure them into engagement. The Sussexes are too smart to fall for it.
Definitely a closed loop.
We know that Harry doesn’t leak.
The reality of what Harry is actually doing is real life exposes the lies in these articles. Also how can he be a third wheel to his wife’s business? Like what does that even mean? They can’t stand it when Meghan is doing her own things independently or gets the spotlight like in Colombia. So incredibly sexist. I guess Harry will have to ponder his life’s choices while meeting with President Clinton and dignitaries in New York and highlighting his many charitable endeavors. To give up ribbon cutting for this?! This is why the Sussexes mostly ignore and ice out these ridiculous people in the UK media.
Something that I haven’t seen mentioned is this— Even if, purely for the sake of argument, Harry and Meghan divorce, Harry is not the kind of father who is just going to skip town and not be involved in the lives of his children on a regular basis. Its never going to happen so for that reason alone these stories are so obviously false.