Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Current Events 2: April-September 2020

[Osipi]

I agree that the monarchy should be able to endure. They endured many scandals in the past. However, it seems we agree that it will reflect badly on the monarchy; and Harry cannot pretend to live in some kind of vacuum in which he is completely free of the monarchy. And in such a case he would not be upholding the values of the queen...

The question to ask really is "How many people, in the general public globally, actually read the Queen's statement proclaiming that Harry and Meghan no longer represent her? For the masses, Harry and Meghan = British/American royal couple. How many people actually read the words "While they can no longer formally represent The Queen, the Sussexes have made clear that everything they do will continue to uphold the values of Her Majesty:"? Its pretty clear that all of us here have but then again, that's what we do. In the scheme of things, I don't think a poll of the "man in the street" would be able to relate all that has happened and why since January 8th.

In the light of the above, I would hazard to guess that the majority of the people still connect Harry and Meghan with the "Firm" and the British Royal Family & *the monarchy*. They may do things that will irritate to no end the "Firm" and #10 Downing St. but that won't affect the monarchy that way overly much. However, in the court of public opinion, if Harry deems to advocate for (as an example) his opinion on Brexit (if it hadn't happened already), the jump to associate Harry's opinion with that of the monarchy is a very small step.

Harry cannot change who he is or the family he was born into. No amount of disclaimers and repudiation anyone can state loudly or big bold letters being skywritten across the lands is going to take that connection away. Harry and Meghan both have an obligation to realize that what they do and what they say and what they advocate for *will* reflect on the monarchy by association. They need to be responsible adults, pick and choose wisely their road forward and most of all, stay away from politics and controversy. Actions beget reactions and as we've already seen, they've not been overly wise so far.

 

[Eskimo]

I dont know. For All Harry's faults, I think he's a more decent man than Andrew. I do think he wants to make money and he's naive and may not recognize dodgy people.. (A lot of the royals have this problem as they do all to some extent have a sheltered life)..But I dont think he would be cuaght up in the lifestyle that Andrew was in, mixing with people who could provide him and Fergie with money making opportunities on the side and for Andy women.
All the same, I feel that he will need to grab at money making opportunities now wherever tehy come up and he may well find himself caught up in things that he didn't mean to get into.

We dont know what he's going to do, from now on but it does seem that speech making is part of the plan. But I dont think there will be that many opportunities in the near future, adn they wotn pay as well as they mgiht have done a year ago.

Calling him naive is an extremely generous way of describing him

 

[poppy7]

I think he is quite a bit like his uncle. Except the hanging around with unsavouring characters. But then Andrew really didn't either when he was 35. It was once he left the navy that it all went wrong.

As for bring naive. Yes that is generous.

 

[Alison H]

We've seen this in Spain, where the actions of Inaki Urdangarin reflected badly on the monarchy. I'm not comparing the two cases because that was crime, but, yes, if someone associated with the Royal Family acts inappropriately, it's an issue - but the monarchy certainly won't be brought down by anything Harry and Meghan do.

 

[poppy7]

We've seen this in Spain, where the actions of Inaki Urdangarin reflected badly on the monarchy. I'm not comparing the two cases because that was crime, but, yes, if someone associated with the Royal Family acts inappropriately, it's an issue - but the monarchy certainly won't be brought down by anything Harry and Meghan do.

And we saw how that was dealt with. The Crown wins. It has to.

I do wonder what Meghan sees in Harry. Everyone says how clever she is, and on public visits she was amazingly prepared and briefed. Well Harry isn't known for many of those traits. But you know his position in life.

 

[Osipi]

Harry, for the most part, has spent his life going with the flow of what was expected of him. As a prince and as an officer in the armed forces. Making his own decisions and deciding on his own path in life is something relatively new to him. Its not due to lack of intelligence or lack of conviction but is a result of a lack of experience. He's a rowboat set adrift from its mooring and the solid land of the security that's always been in the life he's known since birth.

Its easy to look at Harry's life and how he's been admired and loved and how brilliant some of the ideas that he had were implemented and became a huge success. However, with sailing off into the sunset, there's no guarantee that how he was perceived then is how he'll be perceived in the future. Its a time of trial and error. With experience comes knowledge and with gaining knowledge comes wisdom. Sometimes that involves taking two steps backwards in order to move one step forward. ?

 

[Denville]

Harry, for the most part, has spent his life going with the flow of what was expected of him. As a prince and as an officer in the armed forces. Making his own decisions and deciding on his own path in life is something relatively new to him. Its not due to lack of intelligence or lack of conviction but is a result of a lack of experience. He's a rowboat set adrift from its mooring and the solid land of the security that's always been in the life he's known since birth.

Its easy to look at Harry's life and how he's been admired and loved and how brilliant some of the ideas that he had were implemented and became a huge success. However, with sailing off into the sunset, there's no guarantee that how he was perceived then is how he'll be perceived in the future. Its a time of trial and error. With experience comes knowledge and with gaining knowledge comes wisdom. Sometimes that involves taking two steps backwards in order to move one step forward. ?

But according ot himself, Harry was not happy in the royal role and was depressed and dealing with anger and suppressed feelings. So I m not sure if he really went with the flow.. or if he did the royal job with difficulty, out of a sense of duty, or being pressured into it.

 

[Denville]

And we saw how that was dealt with. The Crown wins. It has to.

I do wonder what Meghan sees in Harry. Everyone says how clever she is, and on public visits she was amazingly prepared and briefed. Well Harry isn't known for many of those traits. But you know his position in life.

I dont know that Harry wasn't "prepared and briefed" and he usually seems to have done the engagements pretty well and been liked by his public.

 

[muriel]

I do wonder what Meghan sees in Harry. Everyone says how clever she is, and on public visits she was amazingly prepared and briefed. Well Harry isn't known for many of those traits. But you know his position in life.

Apart from anything else, Harry was the single reason she went from being a supporting actress on a cable TV show to one of the most recognised women around the world.

 

[Osipi]

But according ot himself, Harry was not happy in the royal role and was depressed and dealing with anger and suppressed feelings. So I m not sure if he really went with the flow.. or if he did the royal job with difficulty, out of a sense of duty, or being pressured into it.

In a way, to me, it would be like me not being overly happy for most of my life because I'm 5'0 and weigh under 100 pounds and after all these years seem to be turning into a wrinkled garden gnome. No matter how long I stand out in the rain, I'm just not gonna grow. I could choose to be depressed knowing that to me, its a valid personal issue but sometimes in life, you just gotta deal with the hand you're dealt. So I've gone with the flow of being a short person all my life.

Now if I were to go out and buy a pair of stilts that permanently attached to my legs, it would be an entirely new ball of wax with a whole new world of experiences. I think I'm wise enough to realize that's an insane and stupid thing to do. ?

 

[poppy7]

I dont know that Harry wasn't "prepared and briefed" and he usually seems to have done the engagements pretty well and been liked by his public.

That wasn't the traits I was getting at.

 

[Hallo girl]

Harry, for the most part, has spent his life going with the flow of what was expected of him. As a prince and as an officer in the armed forces. Making his own decisions and deciding on his own path in life is something relatively new to him. Its not due to lack of intelligence or lack of conviction but is a result of a lack of experience. He's a rowboat set adrift from its mooring and the solid land of the security that's always been in the life he's known since birth.

Its easy to look at Harry's life and how he's been admired and loved and how brilliant some of the ideas that he had were implemented and became a huge success. However, with sailing off into the sunset, there's no guarantee that how he was perceived then is how he'll be perceived in the future. Its a time of trial and error. With experience comes knowledge and with gaining knowledge comes wisdom. Sometimes that involves taking two steps backwards in order to move one step forward. ?

Invictus and Sentabale have been amazing success stories, with Harry at the forefront, but he had the benefit of his name, position and the support of ' an army' of experience at his back to assist.

I am not in any way trying to discount his success with these organisations but he didn't do it alone. Time will tell if that success with new ventures will continue,

 

[Denville]

That wasn't the traits I was getting at.

Not sure what you mean. He has usually done a good job, I believe. Just that for me, when I've seen him (not in person) i've had a feeling that he was trying too hard, trying to be "noticed" a bit too much....

 

[poppy7]

Not sure what you mean. He has usually done a good job, I believe. Just that for me, when I've seen him (not in person) i've had a feeling that he was trying too hard, trying to be "noticed" a bit too much....

I don't think it's very fair to say but Meghan is supposed to be very intelligent and Harryv isnt the sharpest. And apart from how popular he has been, his behaviour is very like that of Andrew and even Edward on occasion (a royal knockout)

 

[Denville]

I don't think it's very fair to say but Meghan is supposed to be very intelligent and Harryv isnt the sharpest. And apart from how popular he has been, his behaviour is very like that of Andrew and even Edward on occasion (a royal knockout)

I can't see any resemblance to Andrew's behaviour.. Andrew has always been arrogant, and I dont think that Harry is that.
And I wouldn't say he was petulant in the way that Edward used to be at times.
But I found his general demeanour a bit grating, a year or 2 back.. but I think that springs from his need to be liked, and he goes a bit over the top trying to be liked on tours.

I don't think that Meghan is especially intelligent but she has had a college education and is able to "talk about issues" in a way that was probably foreign to Harry. But now he seems to be talking about political and other issues in a way that I suspect hes learned from her and she's imbued him with her way of thinking.

 

[poppy7]

I can't see any resemblance to Andrew's behaviour.. Andrew has always been arrogant, and I dont think that Harry is that.
And I wouldn't say he was petulant in the way that Edward used to be at times.
But I found his general demeanour a bit grating, a year or 2 back.. but I think that springs from his need to be liked, and he goes a bit over the top trying to be liked on tours.

I don't think that Meghan is especially intelligent but she has had a college education and is able to "talk about issues" in a way that was probably foreign to Harry. But now he seems to be talking about political and other issues in a way that I suspect hes learned from her and she's imbued him with her way of thinking.

With the media he certainly is. Storms off, tells them they aren't wanted. He behaves petulantly with them repeatedly but the media like him so never said.

Maybe she isn't tha intelligent but certainly that is what is said. But then she has the confidence and you can convince anyone of anything with that. And if she was actually that intelligent but would certainly be a mismatch so perhaps in actuality she isn't.

 

[Denville]

With the media he certainly is. Storms off, tells them they aren't wanted. He behaves petulantly with them repeatedly but the media like him so never said.

Maybe she isn't tha intelligent but certainly that is what is said. But then she has the confidence and you can convince anyone of anything with that. And if she was actually that intelligent but would certainly be a mismatch so perhaps in actuality she isn't.

So where are all these instances of his "storming off petulantly" from the media? My impression was that he got on pretty well with the media until his marriage, and now his relations wiht them are more tense...As I recall Arthur Edwards a long term royal reporter said that Harry had become more distant since he married megahn and that before that he was good fun and friendly...

 

[poppy7]

So where are all these instances of his "storming off petulantly" from the media? My impression was that he got on pretty well with the media until his marriage, and now his relations wiht them are more tense...As I recall Arthur Edwards a long term royal reporter said that Harry had become more distant since he married megahn and that before that he was good fun and friendly...

Well I thought so too but then there they have shown clips of him being petulant with them at events. He was their favourite though so until this happened they portrayed him as their golden boy. But I guess he always had his difficult, petulant moments with them and now they have just sky rocketed.

Harry was never what the media portrayed. If anything parts of him have just been magnified now and not necessarily the healthiest parts.

 

[Denville]

Well I thought so too but then there they have shown clips of him being petulant with them at events. He was their favourite though so until this happened they portrayed him as their golden boy. But I guess he always had his difficult, petulant moments with them and now they have just sky rocketed.

Harry was never what the media portrayed. If anything parts of him have just been magnified now and not necessarily the healthiest parts.

It seems a bit contradictory to say taht he was good fun and firendly... and then to suddenly "show clips of him" (which I haven't seen by the way) behaving petulantly.

 

[poppy7]

It seems a bit contradictory to say taht he was good fun and firendly... and then to suddenly "show clips of him" (which I haven't seen by the way) behaving petulantly.

Couldn't he be both? We are all complex mix of many things. And he has proven to be mercurial.

I am sure he could behave both ways because we all could. Once they magnified the former and now it is he latter is what we see. The 'truth,' is likely to be in the middle. The fact that he can be charming is evidenced by the fact that he has been in many many public occasions. The fact that he can be petulant is evidenced similarly...he has been and more often than not since he got married. Because the behaviour is encouraged.

 

[Denville]

Couldn't he be both? We are all complex mix of many things. And he has proven to be mercurial.

I am sure he could behave both ways because we all could. Once they magnified the former and now it is he latter is what we see. The 'truth,' is likely to be in the middle. The fact that he can be charming is evidenced by the fact that he has been in many many public occasions. The fact that he can be petulant is evidenced similarly...he has been and more often than not since he got married. Because the behaviour is encouraged.

I understand that in his younger days Harry was fond of a drink and sometimes got into arguments with photographers, (William too was fond of a few drinks and behaved foolshly) but i had never heard of Harry doing "petulant storming off" with the press. And now I can understand that he sees the press more as an enemy, because he believes that they have been unfriendly to Meghan and racist to her... and I think that that has driven him to be more and more unfriendly towards them.. and willing to try to shut them out of his life more..

 

[poppy7]

I understand that in his younger days Harry was fond of a drink and sometimes got into arguments with photographers, (William too was fond of a few drinks and behaved foolshly) but i had never heard of Harry doing "petulant storming off" with the press. And now I can understand that he sees the press more as an enemy, because he believes that they have been unfriendly to Meghan and racist to her... and I think that that has driven him to be more and more unfriendly towards them.. and willing to try to shut them out of his life more..

There have been clips shown in past few months of things like: things would, be better if you weren't here. I don't have to talk to you. Now immaturity, passive aggressive. Whatever you want to call, it. It's petulant. He never liked them and would often talk aboit nkt wanting to go into rooms to meet them etc. I think it wss Penny J who said that. He has just let it take over now.

 

[Curryong]

And no other Royal has ever acted petulantly towards the Press or been heard to be critical of them? I can think of several examples, actually.

And there is no evidence whatsoever, that Meghan has encouraged any 'petulance' in Harry when on public engagements, or he in her for that matter. They were both always charming and smiling when interacting with the public. It was the constant battering of Meghan in the tabloids that IMO has driven Harry's reaction to Royal reporters since his meeting her.

 

[poppy7]

And no other Royal has ever acted petulantly towards the Press or been heard to be critical of them? I can think of several examples, actually.

And there is no evidence whatsoever, that Meghan has encouraged any 'petulance' in Harry when on public engagements, or he in her for that matter. They were both always charming and smiling when interacting with the public. It was the constant battering of Meghan in the tabloids that IMO has driven Harry's reaction to Royal reporters since his meeting her.

I think my point was in fact that he was acting like other members of his family. Particularly his uncles. I never once said she encouraged it. In fact I am sure she doesn't because she herself has never been petulant. However the situation has encouraged the behaviour in him.

 

[Denville]

I think my point was in fact that he was acting like other members of his family. Particularly his uncles. I never once said she encouraged it. In fact I am sure she doesn't because she herself has never been petulant. However the situation has encouraged the behaviour in him.

not seeing these clips (and I don't have sound on my PC so I cant) I'm at a disadvantage. But my impression was that he did by and large got on well with the Press over the years. As a young chap there were I believe incidents of his getting in the odd fight with photographers, but I could excuse this. And then it seems that as he's matured, he's been pleasant and friendly with the press. Now, it seems from what you're saying that there are incidents in latter years, prior to his marriage where he "stormed off petulantly".. and that now he's unpopular the Press are releassing them? Is that what it is?

 

[Denville]

There have been clips shown in past few months of things like: things would, be better if you weren't here. I don't have to talk to you. Now immaturity, passive aggressive. Whatever you want to call, it. It's petulant. He never liked them and would often talk aboit nkt wanting to go into rooms to meet them etc. I think it wss Penny J who said that. He has just let it take over now.

Sorry I didn't' see this post at first. Are these clips from his post marriage life? Or earlier? or very early on? I agree that Royals generally don't like or trust the press.. but from what I've read, he was at least outwardly pleasant and friendly to them

 

[poppy7]

I think it was always. I am sorry but there have been so many documentaries about the royals over lockdown, I am exhausted by them. Particularly on channel 5 and there were a few were there were clips ofnhim being petulant and angry with them. And it seems to be well known he never liked mixing with them. I think Arthur is a bit of s sentimental old fool about the good old days. We all get there. Certainly disnt sound like he was ever comfortable with them

 

[ACO]

Harry and Meghan hold discussion panel with the QTC earlier this week.

 

[Curryong]

Harry and Meghan hold discussion panel with the QTC earlier this week.

Interesting indeed. I'm so glad that Harry and Meghan are continuing their patronages with this terrific organisation and interacting with possible future young leaders in the Commonwealth.

 

[Jacknch]

The QTC news above seems to be the perfect opportunity for us to get back to discussing Current Events. Discussions prior to the QTC news which ignored a Mod note a few days ago MUST continue in the General News thread from now on. Accordingly, further posts in this thread that do not relate to Current Events will have to be deleted. Many thanks!