The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Family, News and Events 6: Aug. 2021- Oct. 2022


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Durham said:
The organisers of OYW should be embarrassed that they gave pride of place to MM’s speech when they had an individual of Mary Robinson’s gravitas & stature present. And had H&M sat as the principal guests. Not to mention Bob Geldof. It just makes them look foolish.
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I don’t think they were given anymore prominence then anyone else but just the media interest in it I suppose. And yes quite ridiculous but such is the power of fame.
 
Wow, the sunny Düsseldorf walkabout photos and videos shows what they have lost.

The enjoyment on their faces.

They had the chance to do this all over the Commonwealth … with no personal expense … for the rest of their lives, and they lost it through their own actions.

That must be a hard realisation for them at times.
 
Sun Lion said:
Wow, the sunny Düsseldorf walkabout photos and videos shows what they have lost.

The enjoyment on their faces.

They had the chance to do this all over the Commonwealth … with no personal expense … for the rest of their lives, and they lost it through their own actions.

That must be a hard realisation for them at times.
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I never really know about these things and people coming out on the street. When they went to Dublin, a friend who lives and works there told me that all the people in the offices were ‘encouraged’ to go down and wave at them and see them. I am not talking about them either, they probably encourage it for all of them.
 
Archduchess Zelia said:
I mean, she's drawing on her own experience because she has been in the same place as the participants. The only time she slightly veers away is when she briefly mentions Harry. And with all due respect, the opening speech of a summit is not really comparable to a commencement speech ;)

[…]All I'm saying is that I don't think any other royal in a similar position as Meghan (with a long-standing involvement with the organisation) would have given a much different speech. As someone who has attended a fair amount of the same types of summits and conferences, it's a pretty standard opening speech by an "alumni" of the organisation.
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I've attended a lot of these types of conferences too and some speeches are better than others but I can't remember any speech that didn't try to connect to the goals of the conference. I can't think of a speech by another royal like this one.

An example of a member of the royal family giving a good speech is Meghan's 2019 speech in South Africa. When you read this speech, It should be pretty obvious that Meghan could have done a lot better.
https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celeb...n-markle-speech-transcript-royal-tour-africa/
 
US Royal Watcher said:
I've attended a lot of these types of conferences too and some speeches are better than others but I can't remember any speech that didn't try to connect to the goals of the conference. I can't think of a speech by another royal like this one.



An example of a member of the royal family giving a good speech is Meghan's 2019 speech in South Africa. When you read this speech, It should be pretty obvious that Meghan could have done a lot better.

https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celeb...n-markle-speech-transcript-royal-tour-africa/
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Ahhh the infamous tree stump speech. It was a good speech, you’re right. I imagine there was speechwriting support for her at the time and that she is no longer working with a professional speechwriter (which is a mistake I think)
 
FigTree said:
I never really know about these things and people coming out on the street. When they went to Dublin, a friend who lives and works there told me that all the people in the offices were ‘encouraged’ to go down and wave at them and see them. I am not talking about them either, they probably encourage it for all of them.
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Oh yes FigTree, look at all the schoolchildren lining the roads as they drove past in Fiji, or maybe it was Tonga. Arranged by the government.

Same in The Queen’s heyday, schoolchildren bussed to ovals in Australia to see her drive by.

There was a spontaneous crowd around Mary and Frederick here in Sydney once, but that was outside a major train station down near the Harbour, on a sunny day and there were lots of people there anyway.

Even then I was just standing there … before they arrived … and someone official thrust a Danish flag in my hand for me to wave at them.

(We we’re a very small group of people at the start. By the end, people just wanted to see what was happening, most didn’t know what was going on/who was there.)

When I said “Wow”, it was more that the videos and photos from Düsseldorf were like a Royal walkabout … that they could have done all over the Commonwealth, as Royals of the Commonwealth.

Harry and Meghan were beaming in Düsseldorf, really enjoying the attention.

It must hit home sometimes that the freedom to speak your mind … and who’s listening and changing the world to what you think anyway … and to have to make your own money to keep it all going …

… that must be hard when the penny drops about where you were and where you are now.
 
Another example of a much better speech made by a royal is today's speech by Harry.

I would think that if Harry uses a professional speech writer, so would Meghan. Perhaps not.
 
Sun Lion, I completely agree. I watched the video clip of the Sussex's arriving in Germany and the crowd seemed enthusiastic and kept chanting, Harry, Harry, Harry. He seemed to revel in this. He seemed joyous, like of old. No scowling in public, as we see too much of since they made the decision to step away. Meghan got a "Meghan you are beautiful" shout out, too. But the crowd seemed focused on Harry. And he seemingly loved (needed?) that.

Sooooo, I guess I'm off two minds on this.
Will Harry perhaps think.....maybe I, or we should NOT burn all bridges ? Start with the book and eliminate allegations and criticism. Damage control.

IS there a *way* forward ? Perhaps, just thru the Commonwealth Countries ? Not the UK. Ever.
One Tour a year, with an ironclad contact to have ZERO comments or innuendo about the Royal Family or British Politics.

Thats what Tina Brown hoped in her book. Something to reel them back in. To the fold, but with distance AND conditions.

OR will Meghan see this reception in Germany as an business opportunity and persuade Harry that this alternate "Royal Family" experience, signing up for European and American Events, charity and otherwise, is something to look into. Money AND exposure. Faux Royal Red Carpets.
Remember Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and the "Rent a Royal" controversy. Unfortunately, that wouldn't stop The Sussex from going forward in Europe and the States.

It will be interesting to see how this pans out. Will the vitriol, allegations and innuendo stop ? By both ? One ? Or will Harry's book weaponize his bitterness and feelings of being sidelined and forever blow up any chance for reconciliation ?
All I know is seeing the pictures today of an increasingly frail Queen Elizabeth, with that GIANT bruise on her hand, made me really think that She could go at ANY time......soon.
Hope Harry realizes that.
 
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I agree with other posters about the German leg of the trip. Harry looked like he was enjoying himself and having a good time, when in Britain he looks hounded and bitter and scowling. Does he really dislike his old life that much?
 
I wonder with both these high profile trips - how much attention has it brought the organisations / good causes themselves? I've seen plenty about how well Harry (inparticular) and Meghan were received in Germany but was there a lot of talk about Invictus? I ask genuinely as the British press has been pretty busy with matters of state the last day or two.

Likewise with Meghan's appearance and speech - did it promote the cause. I'm not so sure. I also wonder how Spotify will feel about all this attention that doesn't really mention the latest podcast episode - overshadowing herself in a way.
Obviously the same is true for all members of the RF (do their appearance promote them more than the cause?) but given Harry and Meghan are no longer official royals and therefore all their appearances speeches etc are purely by choice of the organisation without the benefit of an "official" royal patron I wonder if they'll feel it is worth it.
 
Lori138 said:
I agree with other posters about the German leg of the trip. Harry looked like he was enjoying himself and having a good time, when in Britain he looks hounded and bitter and scowling. Does he really dislike his old life that much?
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You cannot get past the fact that his leaving was a result of a bitter and acrimonious disagreement, the facts of which are unknown in spite of the many so-called royal reporters and speculation published based on "well-known sources close to the BRF".

He isn't stupid and I am sure he was perfectly well aware of the vitriol posing as news pontificating as to whether he should even be allowed back let alone actually see the 'working' royals when it was known they would be passing through the UK. Of course, then there were those claiming he was invited to Scotland and refused, not invited and said he was going anyway . . .

When Harry said that his father had totally cut him off, everyone raced to judge him for living off his father. But IMHO I believe he was talking about his father shutting down all communication in effect leading to an almost total shunning by his family. Without friends outside his schooling and the army, he was left pretty alone.

The fabulous smile and instant rapport with the public at the Invictus engagement saw him back in his element and sadly underlined what he'd lost and, to be honest, highlighted what the BRF has lost. Not surprising he wasn't smiling when he arrived back in the UK, a place where it has been made clear that he is there on sufferance.
 
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MARG said:
You cannot get past the fact that his leaving was a result of a bitter and acrimonious disagreement, the facts of which are unknown in spite of the many so-called royal reporters and speculation published based on "well-known sources close to the BRF".

He isn't stupid and I am sure he was perfectly well aware of the vitriol posing as news pontificating as to whether he should even be allowed back let alone actually see the 'working' royals when it was known they would be passing through the UK. Of course, then there were those claiming he was invited to Scotland and refused, not invited and said he was going anyway . . .

When Harry said that his father had totally cut him off, everyone raced to judge him for living off his father. But IMHO I believe he was talking about his father shutting down all communication in effect leading to an almost total shunning by his family. Without friends outside his schooling and the army, he was left pretty alone.

The fabulous smile and instant rapport with the public at the Invictus engagement saw him back in his element and sadly underlined what he'd lost and, to be honest, highlighted what the BRF has lost. Not surprising he wasn't smiling when he arrived back in the UK, a place where it has been made clear that he is there on sufferance.
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Look family dynamics are infinitely complex but we have to ask why have most of the family seemingly dropped him? And why the friends? Are they all cruel. Word went round at the time that Charles stopped taking his phone calls because he would.roar down the phone.

To be addicted to the adulation is not good...at all. In My mind it speaks to void filling and really all that was what they noth wanted. Not the boring stuff like opening a youth centre.

And this trip is an essentially royally organised one because its by his Invictus board.
 
Relations between Harry and his father and Harry and the Cambridges is apparently difficult. However, we don’t know that the rest of the family have dropped Harry. The couple saw the Queen on a recent visit. Eugenie and Jack have visited the Sussexes, Sarah York has said various favourable things, Sophie Wessex made a point of saying she and Harry had a long talk after Prince Philip’s funeral.

We, the general public, don’t know enough about the family dynamics to say for certain what the relationship is between Harry and the rest of the Royal Family and other relatives such as the Spencers. Much of it is seen through negative media reports.


And the same with Harry’s friends. Not every friend of his spoke to Bower for his recent book. Several have remained loyal and silent.
 
Granada said:
Sun Lion, I completely agree. I watched the video clip of the Sussex's arriving in Germany and the crowd seemed enthusiastic and kept chanting, Harry, Harry, Harry. He seemed to revel in this. He seemed joyous, like of old. No scowling in public, as we see too much of since they made the decision to step away. Meghan got a "Meghan you are beautiful" shout out, too. But the crowd seemed focused on Harry. And he seemingly loved (needed?) that.

Sooooo, I guess I'm off two minds on this.
Will Harry perhaps think.....maybe I, or we should NOT burn all bridges ? Start with the book and eliminate allegations and criticism. Damage control.

IS there a *way* forward ? Perhaps, just thru the Commonwealth Countries ? Not the UK. Ever.
One Tour a year, with an ironclad contact to have ZERO comments or innuendo about the Royal Family or British Politics.

Thats what Tina Brown hoped in her book. Something to reel them back in. To the fold, but with distance AND conditions.

OR will Meghan see this reception in Germany as an business opportunity and persuade Harry that this alternate "Royal Family" experience, signing up for European and American Events, charity and otherwise, is something to look into. Money AND exposure. Faux Royal Red Carpets.
Remember Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and the "Rent a Royal" controversy. Unfortunately, that wouldn't stop The Sussex from going forward in Europe and the States.

It will be interesting to see how this pans out. Will the vitriol, allegations and innuendo stop ? By both ? One ? Or will Harry's book weaponize his bitterness and feelings of being sidelined and forever blow up any chance for reconciliation ?
All I know is seeing the pictures today of an increasingly frail Queen Elizabeth, with that GIANT bruise on her hand, made me really think that She could go at ANY time......soon.
Hope Harry realizes that.
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I can see Harry and Meghan thinking they don’t need to return to Royal duty when the German government send a plane to the UK to pick them up and fly them to Düsseldorf and then back again Granada.

They are being treated as the Royals they supposedly no longer are.

Details are in the article below.

(Hope the German taxpayers are okay about the carbon footprint and costs involved. Too late now if not. :ohmy:)

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...ly-Harry-Meghan-Dusseldorf-Luftwaffe-jet.html
 
The Luftwaffe, part of Germany’s armed forces, are partners in sponsoring the Invictus Games. Presumably the authorities in charge (part of the German Govt) looked at costs and the carbon footprint of transporting the Sussexes and felt it was well worth it. Neither Harry nor Meghan are responsible for those decisions.
 
In all fairness, the plane was sent for the founder of Invictus and not for a member of the RF. Now, I don’t know if all the military-related charities that are doing their thing in Germany are treated the same way.

It is a wonderful cause, it is organized at governmental level, so it has a standing grander than other charities H&M still keep in UK.
 
tommy100 said:
I wonder with both these high profile trips - how much attention has it brought the organisations / good causes themselves? I've seen plenty about how well Harry (inparticular) and Meghan were received in Germany but was there a lot of talk about Invictus? I ask genuinely as the British press has been pretty busy with matters of state the last day or two.
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There hasn't been much talk about the Invictus Games, which is a shame because it's such a good cause, but, as you say, the press have been busy with the appointment of the new Prime Minister and the rest of the Cabinet.
 
Curryong said:
Relations between Harry and his father and Harry and the Cambridges is apparently difficult. However, we don’t know that the rest of the family have dropped Harry. The couple saw the Queen on a recent visit. Eugenie and Jack have visited the Sussexes, Sarah York has said various favourable things, Sophie Wessex made a point of saying she and Harry had a long talk after Prince Philip’s funeral.

We, the general public, don’t know enough about the family dynamics to say for certain what the relationship is between Harry and the rest of the Royal Family and other relatives such as the Spencers. Much of it is seen through negative media reports.


And the same with Harry’s friends. Not every friend of his spoke to Bower for his recent book. Several have remained loyal and silent.
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On the subject of friends being “loyal and silent”- it’s too bad Harry and Meghan can’t do the same with their own family. Just stop talking, complaining, and pointedly saying things like you could say more- but aren’t (yet). It’s all one-sided and doesn’t make them look good imo anyway.

We don’t know what the exact family dynamics are, but there’s no doubt in my mind if these 2 would just stop talking to the press- that would at least help.

I sincerely hope Harry has thought long and hard about what he put in that memoir.
 
Sun Lion said:
Wow, the sunny Düsseldorf walkabout photos and videos shows what they have lost.

The enjoyment on their faces.

They had the chance to do this all over the Commonwealth … with no personal expense … for the rest of their lives, and they lost it through their own actions.

That must be a hard realisation for them at times.
Click to expand...

This trip is very different compared to an actual royal tour. They’ve both done the real thing and haven’t had much good to say about their experience. Representing something other than themselves, with all the limitations and compromises that brings, obviously wasn’t for them. IMO the way they chose to leave was disgraceful, but at least they realized early on that their goals were incompatible with those of the BRF. Better for the Sussexes and (especially) better for the BRF that they got out early, instead of wreaking havoc for years and then still likely deciding to leave in the end.
 
Lori138 said:
I agree with other posters about the German leg of the trip. Harry looked like he was enjoying himself and having a good time, when in Britain he looks hounded and bitter and scowling. Does he really dislike his old life that much?
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As other posters said, I think Harry requires constant adulation as a symptom of his own personal insecurity (mature, professional royals see their "job" as a public service and do not require cheers and clappings, or people chanting their names).

In the UK, Harry presumably has a larger number of detractors. His poll numbers in Britain are not exactly stellar and his wife's are abysmally low; at the Jubilee Service, the couple was actually booed by a section of the crowd. It is understandable that Harry might feel more "miserable" in the UK then as he is not getting the attention and the treatment he believes he deserves.

Also, I don't think we should take the crowd in Düsseldorf as representative of the average German's opinion about Harry and Meghan. That was a crowd in an event that is strongly associated with Harry, so their reaction is obviously biased.
 
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Mbruno said:
Also, I don't think we should take the crowd in Düsseldorf as representative of the average German's opinion about Harry and Meghan. That was a crowd in an event that is strongly associated with Harry, so their reaction is obviously biased.
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Yes, it's a bit like saying that a football team are very popular because they're cheered at their own stadium, or that a pop group are very popular because they're cheered at a concert by people who like them enough to pay for tickets.

Harry was very popular in the UK for many years - people liked his Cheeky Chappie image, and felt sorry for him because he'd lost his mother so young. The fact that he isn't any more is his own choice: he and his wife have disrespected the Queen, hurt Prince Charles and told a lot of lies.

But there's still potentially a place for him, especially at the Invictus Games, if he chooses to focus on good causes and not on "truth bombs". But that doesn't seem to be what he wants.
 
I do think it's amusing how when the Sussexes aren't booed, the crowd isn't representative of the general opinion. But if one or two boos are heard at a function they're at, those people suddenly do reflect the general sentiment of the Sussexes :D

Erin9 said:
On the subject of friends being “loyal and silent”- it’s too bad Harry and Meghan can’t do the same with their own family. Just stop talking, complaining, and pointedly saying things like you could say more- but aren’t (yet). It’s all one-sided and doesn’t make them look good imo anyway.

We don’t know what the exact family dynamics are, but there’s no doubt in my mind if these 2 would just stop talking to the press- that would at least help.

I sincerely hope Harry has thought long and hard about what he put in that memoir.
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It isn't though. [Many] know the firm communicates through "sources" and "courtiers" to get their side through. I know that's something people don't necessarily like talking about but it's frankly just naive to refute. And those "sources" and "courtiers" haven't exactly been conciliatory themselves. Say what you like about the Sussexes being open-mouthed but at least they don't hide behind others :cool:
 
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It isn't though. [Many] know the firm communicates through "sources" and "courtiers" to get their side through. I know that's something people don't necessarily like talking about but it's frankly just naive to refute. And those "sources" and "courtiers" haven't exactly been conciliatory themselves. Say what you like about the Sussexes being open-mouthed but at least they don't hide behind others :cool:
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Like Omid saying that she was talking about her losing her father, not about Harry? Like that lady (last year after Oprah) saying they have receipts? Like Gayle King saying that they’ve talked with the family after the interview but it wasn’t conclusive? Like Omid today saying that they are waiting for an apology from William?
 
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Mbruno said:
Also, I don't think we should take the crowd in Düsseldorf as representative of the average German's opinion about Harry and Meghan. That was a crowd in an event that is strongly associated with Harry, so their reaction is obviously biased.
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Absolutely.
1. - Germans are very keen on royalty since 'our' Silvia became Queen of Sweden. Germany has about a dozen tabloids that more or less focus on royalty and local celebrities (pink press based on invented stories) but they usually do not focus on Harry or Meghan at all. The genuine interest is on the Swedish royals (Silvia, Victoria) and QEII, William, Kate.

2. - Of course lots of people went to see them. Harry is Diana's son after all and there is very, very little star power in Germany, we simply don't have world famous people here. I am not a fan but if I was living around Dusseldorf, I would have gone to see them, simply out of curiosity. Doesn't mean people like or even know what they stand for.

IMO their business model gets very boring and it already shows. They won't last in the spheres they find appropriate for themselves (world famous philanthropists) more than another couple of years by receiving some obscure awards/holding narcissistic speeches or badmouthing the BRF. There has never been any substance apart from being the second in line to the british throne.
 
Lovely pictures. That shade of red in particular looks gorgeous on Meghan. I could never pull it off that well.
 
Meghan’s beauty is always enhanced by vivid colours, like reds and bright blues. That’s the case with the coloured photo here. She looks wonderful.
 
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