The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Family, News and Events 9: August 2023 - July 2024

[shady lady]

The mother of PH's childhood best friend is to receive an MBE.

Prince of Wales to confer MBE on mother of Harry's childhood best fri…

archived 7 May 2024 05:36:10 UTC

archive.ph

"In 2007, the family set up the Henry van Straubenzee Memorial Fund to support children in Uganda, initially at the school where Henry had been due to teach.

Two years later, William and Harry became joint patrons of the charity, which went on to complete more than 1,800 projects across East Uganda.

...

The Van Straubenzees have often been described as being like a second family to the Prince and the Duke."

 

[Katariina]

Even if Charles didn’t wish to see Harry’s children (which I doubt), if Harry did come with them and asked to see Charles then I very much doubt the king would turn him down. For PR purposes alone if nothing else, how would it look for Charles to decline to see his grandchildren?

Regarding visits for Harry alone, he might be more likely to be cautious regarding if Harry is using the visit for his own PR purposes or gather information regarding the family, expecially regarding the health issues. It’s sad, but it’s still quite recent when he shared information on private discussions.

It depends on how Harry interacts with them on the phone and what they talk about how I would evaluate why he wishes to see in person. Hopefully relationships improve eventually in any case. And I would love if he would take the children and they would have just fun play dates and talk about something like weather and food with adults for a while and try to avoid serious discussions while trying to improve relationships. But this doesn’t seem to be happening right now.

 

[Leopoldine]

I think that the King is being very cautious for health reasons. Close exposure to someone who just got off a plane from another country could seriously jeopardize the King's health.

 

[muriel]

I think that the King is being very cautious for health reasons. Close exposure to someone who just got off a plane from another country could seriously jeopardize the King's health.

That is certainly a possibility. Or the King could have taken the view that he just did not want to receive Harry. We just don't know how relations are between Harry and his father.

 

[Queen Claude]

Statement issued yesterday:

A spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex, 39, says, "In response to the many inquiries and continued speculation on whether or not The Duke will meet with his father while in the U.K. this week, it unfortunately will not be possible due to His Majesty’s full program. The Duke of course is understanding of his father’s diary of commitments and various other priorities and hopes to see him soon."​

Prince Harry Will Not See Dad King Charles During U.K. Visit Due to Monarch's 'Full' Schedule

Prince Harry will not reunite with his father King Charles during his trip to the U.K. for the 10th anniversary celebrations of the Invictus Games.

people.com

 

[Mirabel]

So, if the BRF wanted Harry, Meghan, and their children to come to the UK to spend time with them, what other people in the UK might feel about that shouldn't matter. What you're basically advocating is permanent estrangement.

"Sorry, Harry, the UK hates you, so I can't see you or your wife or your children. Toodles!"

If the Sussexes wanted to repair the familial relationship, the other members of the BRF also wanted to repair the relationship, then they should, irrespective of what anyone not in the BRF might have to say about it.

Perhaps that's true for private citizens, but for the Monarch?
Charles must take public feeling into account, just as the late Queen was forced to when Diana died.

 

[muriel]

Perhaps that's true for private citizens, but for the Monarch?
Charles must take public feeling into account, just as the late Queen was forced to when Diana died.

I am not sure if I agree. IMO, Charles is perfectly entitled to see Harry privately, it is not a matter for the public. If Harry were to be present at an occassion of state or an official engagement, that would be an entirely different matter.

 

[Toledo]

Perhaps that's true for private citizens, but for the Monarch?
Charles must take public feeling into account, just as the late Queen was forced to when Diana died.

In most families, a parent's love for their children is never affected by personal difficulties when they grow up and see that their parents were not that perfect. Or that their expectations on what you wanted during childhood were not fulfilled. And then you grow out of it and as the saying goes, you become your parents and understand them with a bit more compassion.

With the KCharles family seems everyone expects the parent to be the one to apologize and be forgiven. In the Montecito clan, there are two fathers/grandfathers and one has done the apology tour so often is almost sad to watch. Another parent just waits for PH to come to his senses and stop with this stand-off attitude he has or is being manipulated into by whatever forces are in place this month: need for independence, greed for money, payback for an unfinished childhood situation, etc.

Imagine if you had a daughter-in-law that doesn't seem to be part of the family nor wants the grandchildren to be near you while her spouse (your son), has the spinal cord of a jellyfish in this household? How would you tackle it?

When you are a grown man, and that happened to me back in the 80s and 90s with my own parents (I was raised by grandparents), you see that you need to learn to forgive and move on with your life. Your parents won't apologize for their mistakes because for them that was just part of their life situation they had as young people.

KCharles doesn't need to be forced and to take the public feeling into account, because from the perspective I see in our fellow RF UK members, that would be removing all titles with one signature on a decree.

He did not send them away. And he is not the head of a normal family living at the end of the street but a head of state and head of the Church of England. This four-years going into five family game of chess is being played solo by H&M because KC is busy leading the kingdom and fighting for his life to be free of cancer.

And my opinion is that, at some point, a grown-up child and his entrepreneurial wife need to just let things go and stop living in a reality show that is only happening only in their heads. I really wish they, and us, could just move on but seems every time a visit to the UK is in the plans for PH is like revisiting the need to force his father to bow to whatever needs they have while running a parallel royal business in the USA. And if Charles bends the knee (a Game of Thrones reference) to the Sussex duo, then what would be their demands be after that? Financial support to get more egg-laying chickens at Montecito?

You have to move on, act your age first and then move on and stop with the blaming of the parents. Life is just too short.

 

[HenRach Dominion]

Do TRH The Sussexes need to forgive any of their relatives? Do HM The King, HM The Queen, TRH Wales, or the rest of the BRF need to forgive TRH The Sussexes? IMHO, I say no to both.

Sometimes, family is just toxic. There's hurt and anger and distrust whenever you try to interact with them. I know several people who maintained emotional abusive relationships with family members because of the "blood is thicker than water" mantra. Now, I'm not saying that any of these relationships are emotionally abusive, but I do advocate separating yourself from people who you feel are harmful to your wellbeing, even if they're blood relatives.

Naturally, of course, severe illness makes this all the more sadder, and if the worse happens I'm sure HRH The Duke of Sussex will have to grapple with things he should've said, should've done differently. But that's between him and his family and not us.

The BRF moved on in 2020. TRH The Sussexes moved on in 2023. Now it's time for everyone else to move on.

 

[muriel]

The BRF moved on in 2020. TRH The Sussexes moved on in 2023.

What event from 2023 did you think was a sign that the Sussexes had move on?

 

[HenRach Dominion]

What event from 2023 did you think was a sign that the Sussexes had move on?

HRH The Duke of Sussex hasn't said anything negative about his family members since Spare, which was released in January 2023. HRH The Duchess of Sussex hasn't said anything at all about anybody in the British Royal Family since late 2022. For the past year/year and a half they've have been focused on building her commercial brand American Riviera Orchard and focusing on their philanthropic endeavors like the upcoming Invictus events. People may mock those endeavors, but the fact remains that they are building lives independent from the British Royal Family, the exact thing that people asked them to do in the first place.

 

[shady lady]

Bravo, Toledo! Well said. Another crown for you sir!

With respect Henrach, the BRF and UK had no choice but to move on in 2020, and we have done so, and are getting on with life, in spite of H&M's attacks - and the fallout of them - continuing pretty much ever since.

Don’t forget, Endgame was published less than six months ago, and H&M never bothered to deny those nasty allegations (no evidence as per) in the Dutch version; so much for "silence is betrayal"!!!!!!!

Here in the UK we have coped and are coping with matters far more serious and important than those two will ever be; the aftermath of COVID that killed millions of people (my Dad included), the death of HLM The Queen, problems with the economy, transport strikes etc. etc. not to mention the tragedy and impact of the ongoing wars elsewhere. Compared with those rocks, H&M are, at the end of the day, very fine sand, at best.

Maybe one day H&M could learn to start behaving like adults, but the world has better things to do than holding its breath waiting for them; I suspect I'll win the lottery first! Frankly, I doubt very much these two will ever have either the courage or the capability to take responsibility for their actions; much like no one expects a child to apologise after having a noisy and angry tantrum. So, for most of us, we all expect the same thing from H&M - nothing.

Moving on matters, but should not be confused with forgetting bad behaviour and letting it pass. Challenging bad behaviour and making the consequences clear are very important; history has shown us that, many times.

Just my own opinion, as always, now I’m off to buy Lottery tickets, just in case!!!

Have a good evening everyone!

 

[Anna1519]

Do TRH The Sussexes need to forgive any of their relatives? Do HM The King, HM The Queen, TRH Wales, or the rest of the BRF need to forgive TRH The Sussexes? IMHO, I say no to both.

Sometimes, family is just toxic. There's hurt and anger and distrust whenever you try to interact with them. I know several people who maintained emotional abusive relationships with family members because of the "blood is thicker than water" mantra. Now, I'm not saying that any of these relationships are emotionally abusive, but I do advocate separating yourself from people who you feel are harmful to your wellbeing, even if they're blood relatives.

Naturally, of course, severe illness makes this all the more sadder, and if the worse happens I'm sure HRH The Duke of Sussex will have to grapple with things he should've said, should've done differently. But that's between him and his family and not us.

The BRF moved on in 2020. TRH The Sussexes moved on in 2023. Now it's time for everyone else to move on.

Well said. It is an extremely sad situation - I always figured they would reconcile at least privately somewhere down the line. If cancer, of all things, can't induce a bit of a thaw in relations, then I'm not sure what can. But reconciliation is not always possible and, as you say, maybe not always the healthiest choice (for anyone involved). Hopefully Harry can make peace with this, assuming he hasn't already - he has a beautiful family of his own and a lot to be grateful for. The King obviously has his own family and responsibilities to focus on as well.

In happier news, Harry was supported by some of his Spencer family as well as old UK friends at today's Invictus Games service. I was glad to see that. He also looked very happy to be back in the UK so I hope he can spend more time there regardless of what's going on with the security lawsuit or the BRF.

 

[HenRach Dominion]

In happier news, Harry was supported by some of his Spencer family as well as old UK friends at today's Invictus Games service. I was glad to see that. He also looked very happy to be back in the UK so I hope he can spend more time there regardless of what's going on with the security lawsuit or the BRF.

It's always cool to see how close HRH The Duke of Sussex is to his Spencer relatives. I was surprised that Britain's Minister of State for Veterans' Affairs and the Prime Minister's wife were there as well...it shows how much of an impact Invictus has had on wounded British veterans. It looks like a decent crowd outside, too. It's good to see all the support for HRH The Duke of Sussex.

 

[shady lady]

It's always cool to see how close HRH The Duke of Sussex is to his Spencer relatives. I was surprised that Britain's Minister of State for Veterans' Affairs and the Prime Minister's wife were there as well...it shows how much of an impact Invictus has had on wounded British veterans. It looks like a decent crowd outside, too. It's good to see all the support for HRH The Duke of Sussex.

In fairness, having watched a number of video clips of when PH went up the steps, not just the MSM ones but others made by people who were actually there as part of the crowd, it should be noted as well as the cheers there were plenty of boos too, rather like the Jubilee. To be expected, of course.

The crowd didn't look that big to me in all honesty but it wasn't too shabby. We are in the middle of a three day train strike; perhaps some well-organised people got a few coaches together.

I was expecting to see Johnny Mercer (MoS for Veterans' Affairs) there; he's a former army officer and a veteran himself. He was at Dusseldorf and watched the games with PH there. He has a lot of nice things to say about the games in this video:

Johnny Mercer praises the Invictus Games as a festival of recovery

The Veterans Minister applauded the way the games has helped those who are "vulnerable" and "have found life difficult, particularly after serving".

www.forces.net

He is also backing the Invictus bid for Birmingham in 2027:

UK bids to host 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham

The government is launching a £26m bid to host the tournament, which was created by Prince Harry in 2014.

www.bbc.co.uk

My first thought is that Akshata Murthy (PM's wife) is there to represent the PM and also it is of course VE Day today.

Earl Spencer's attendance was always expected.

 

[tommy100]

I don't get the fuss about no royals attending nor them meeting up when the date for the service was on the same date of the first garden party of the year (which for last few years have always been around this date and a Wed for the last four years they have occured)

Put simply, it was a diary clash.

Decent crowd but then again its a nice sunny day in London and there will always be plenty of people drawn to a crowd barrier when they see something is going on.

The Minister of Veteran affairs being there isn't a surprise - it is very much in his remit (he is btw the one who Harry leaked info about his security court case to).

 

[Rael]

The British High Commissioner to Nigeria was apparently deployed to clarify to the Nigerian Press that the Sussexes' trip is in a private capacity and not linked in anyway to His Majesty's Government.

I don't think it's entirely a coincindence he went to a pay a courtesy visit to the News Agency just at this time. This was covered by most of the Nigerian press. Very smart to get that out of the way so lines are not blurred.

Prince Harry, Meghan accept invitation to visit Nigeria

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, have agreed to visit Nigeria at the invitation of the country’s Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa.

punchng.com

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, have agreed to visit Nigeria at the invitation of the country’s Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Christopher Musa.

British High Commissioner in Nigeria, Dr Richard Montgomerry, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in the course of his courtesy visit to the Managing Director of the agency, Malam Ali M. Ali, in Abuja.

He said, “It’s great that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are visiting Nigeria, which I understand is at the invitation of Defence Headquarters.

“But they are visiting in a private capacity, not an official one.

“So, the British High Commission is not involved in arranging or facilitating their programme.

“They are not representing the work of His Majesty’s Government on this visit.”

 

[HenRach Dominion]

Extraordinary that such a statement had to be made at all rather than being universally understood.

 

[Curryong]

t was good to see Harry back in the UK. Ignoring that his own father did nothing to show any sort of caring on his return, it was good to see relatives at the Invictus service at St Paul's, namely his Spencer uncle and aunt. His mother's brother and sister offering their love and support. It was also great to see Harry interacting with crowds gathered around St Paul's. And he dined with a friend the evening before. So, that at least has been something.

Team Diana back Harry at Invictus anniversary

The late Princess of Wales ' brother Earl Spencer and elder sister Lady Jane Fellowes walked in side-by-side to St Paul's before chatting to their now US-based nephew.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[muriel]

HRH The Duke of Sussex hasn't said anything negative about his family members since Spare, which was released in January 2023.

Jolly good of Harry to not have said anything negative about his family for 14-15 months now. Is that because he has seen the error of his ways, or merely that he has seen "his truth" not sitting well with the public and the Sussex brand being eroded as a result?

 

[shady lady]

t was good to see Harry back in the UK. Ignoring that his own father did nothing to show any sort of caring on his return, it was good to see relatives at the Invictus service at St Paul's, namely his Spencer uncle and aunt. His mother's brother and sister offering their love and support. It was also great to see Harry interacting with crowds gathered around St Paul's. And he dined with a friend the evening before. So, that at least has been something.

Team Diana back Harry at Invictus anniversary

The late Princess of Wales ' brother Earl Spencer and elder sister Lady Jane Fellowes walked in side-by-side to St Paul's before chatting to their now US-based nephew.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Charles is very busy. He’s the King! And he’s fighting cancer!

With respect Curryong, I understand that you adore PH and despise King Charles, but to accuse him of showing “nothing to show any sort of caring on his return” is IMO (and to put it as nicely as possible) extremely questionable.

Should Charles have binned his garden party and all his other state business because his disloyal son popped over for a couple of days most probably to get more footage for the Netflix documentary?

Yes I’m afraid, sadly, it really is that simple. I was watching more footage last night posted by various people who were present. In one clip of the security obsessed PH greeting supposed strangers, there he was - a man with a massive film camera, moving in close and busy recording everything. As PH loathes the press, I think we can safely say it was a Netflix camera and there with PH’s consent.

I get those strangers may have been just that and genuine fans and/or possibly just a bit starstruck; or perhaps they were some of the people I mentioned in my last post, who may have been there courtesy of the “organised people” who arranged transport for them in the midst of a national train strike.

No prizes for guessing who those “organised people” were likely to have been; I will not pollute this thread with their name but we know a lot about their high-profile and frequently aggressive tactics.

It’s very disappointing because IMO that footage in an instant questions PH’s main motivation for being there. Let’s hope he really does care about Invictus and the veterans, and it wasn’t all about making himself look good on camera for Netflix.

 

[moby]

Extraordinary that such a statement had to be made at all rather than being universally understood.

I'd imagine it's still important that it's clear Harry's not being endorsed by the RF or going back into the fold anytime soon. Despite having a few fans here and there, he's still deeply unpopular for obvious reasons and nobody wants their King to be seen as forgiving anyone who's been disrespectful to the institution and even the country and the culture.

 

[Hallo girl]

t was good to see Harry back in the UK. Ignoring that his own father did nothing to show any sort of caring on his return, it was good to see relatives at the Invictus service at St Paul's, namely his Spencer uncle and aunt. His mother's brother and sister offering their love and support. It was also great to see Harry interacting with crowds gathered around St Paul's. And he dined with a friend the evening before. So, that at least has been something.

Team Diana back Harry at Invictus anniversary

The late Princess of Wales ' brother Earl Spencer and elder sister Lady Jane Fellowes walked in side-by-side to St Paul's before chatting to their now US-based nephew.

www.dailymail.co.uk

As we do not know all of the circumstances or private conversations possibly doing nothing was the best solution . There are times in life when doing nothing is better than the awkwardness, stress , or hurt of doing something for the sake of being seen to do the 'right thing' for the sake of other people. Charles is not the only one in the whole saga who has declined invitations or failed to offer invites.
Nobody in this whole saga is all sweetness and light, maybe the best way forward is to stop feeding the ' beast' ( publicity)

I'd imagine it's still important that it's clear Harry's not being endorsed by the RF or going back into the fold anytime soon. Despite having a few fans here and there, he's still deeply unpopular for obvious reasons and nobody wants their King to be seen as forgiving anyone who's been disrespectful to the institution and even the country and the culture.

I think there is always a risk that Harry or Meghan might inadvertently say something that does not tie with British government policy, he does not have the royal advisors checking his speeches now, so it needs to be made clear he does not represent the RF or the government.
On another note I hope the press resist from turning this into the Windsors v the Spencers, we had enough of that in the 90's .

 

[muriel]

I also think that it was important that it be made clear for all concerned that Harry will not be representing either the Crown or the British government in Nigeria. The British Ambassador to Nigeria actually clarified that in a statement yesterday.

 

[shady lady]

I'd imagine it's still important that it's clear Harry's not being endorsed by the RF or going back into the fold anytime soon. Despite having a few fans here and there, he's still deeply unpopular for obvious reasons and nobody wants their King to be seen as forgiving anyone who's been disrespectful to the institution and even the country and the culture.

Well said! Private conversations and visits are one thing, but this sort of visit is another situation entirely.

I'm just breathing a huge sigh of relief that no one else from the BRF was there. Can you imagine if they had been on the next Netflix documentary? It doesn't bear thinking about.

It's so disrespectful to put your family in such a difficult position, not to mention those bound to criticise the non-attendance of the BRF to support the veterans, but they had no choice.

As we do not know all of the circumstances or private conversations possibly doing nothing was the best solution . There are times in life when doing nothing is better than the awkwardness, stress , or hurt of doing something for the sake of being seen to do the 'right thing' for the sake of other people. Charles is not the only one in the whole saga who has declined invitations or failed to offer invites.
Nobody in this whole saga is all sweetness and light, maybe the best way forward is to stop feeding the ' beast' ( publicity)

That's why the King is very wise to keep any interaction with PH on a strictly private basis and keep that beast hungry. The King is getting on with the day job (despite his serious illness) and not being distracted by PH, the media or anyone who's desperate to see them reunite in public.

My belief is that the King has made many invitations to PH on a private basis, and HLMTQ also. Probably the only condition is to keep it private. That's unacceptable to the publicity-hungry MM of course!

 

[shady lady]

I also think that it was important that it be made clear for all concerned that Harry will not be representing either the Crown or the British government in Nigeria. The British Ambassador to Nigeria actually clarified that in a statement yesterday.

It was essential IMO.

 

[Hallo girl]

I'd imagine it's still important that it's clear Harry's not being endorsed by the RF or going back into the fold anytime soon. Despite having a few fans here and there, he's still deeply unpopular for obvious reasons and nobody wants their King to be seen as forgiving anyone who's been disrespectful to the institution and even the country and the culture.

And the people

 

[shady lady]

And the people

Yep. PH couldn't care less about us either, unless we are useful to him, like the "fans" he met last night. He's been moulded into a "celebrity" and thus conditioned to forget any understanding of duty, loyalty and hard work. Now it's all about optics.

 

[Marengo]

I find this tabloid-fed story about who will be visiting Invictus rather bizarre. As the family most likely sees it, the prince has broken relations with most of his family and he has betrayed their trust several times over during an extended period. He did so by selling out their private details to the highest bidder for financial gain. Grave accusations were made as well. As far as we know no steps have been taken to work on some kind of reconciliation. If there were to be any steps made in that direction it will most effectively be done in private. Not at an event with I don't know how many photo cameras there.

The absence of a private meeting between the King and his son indicates however that the time is not ripe yet for such a reconsiliation, and who knows if it ever can be. I agree with posters that had the King trusted his son enough to meet him, a private meeting would probably have taken place.

In addition I fail to see why other relatives needed to be at this event at all, even if the relationship had been well. Members of the RF have lots of unique events each year, nearly none of those events will be attended by other family members. And if family support is so vital, would his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, not be the first and foremost candidate we could have expected to attend? She has stayed in California.

And finally, just imagine the King of the PoW going there, while the whole world & gathered press knows that the relationship between them and the Duke is frosty. It would have turned the event into a circus, which is the last thing anybody needs. It would have overshadowed the whole event. The tabloids would have been happy for sure, but the whole purpose of the gathering would be forgotten.

 

[Nico]

t was good to see Harry back in the UK. Ignoring that his own father did nothing to show any sort of caring on his return, it was good to see relatives at the Invictus service at St Paul's, namely his Spencer uncle and aunt. His mother's brother and sister offering their love and support. It was also great to see Harry interacting with crowds gathered around St Paul's. And he dined with a friend the evening before. So, that at least has been something.

Team Diana back Harry at Invictus anniversary

The late Princess of Wales ' brother Earl Spencer and elder sister Lady Jane Fellowes walked in side-by-side to St Paul's before chatting to their now US-based nephew.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Oh i laugh because, let's face it, for Harry and die hard fans like yourself, it's a win win situation.

It would be far more difficult to stomach some kind of olive branch from the BRF as diabolising them is part of the Sussexes brand DNA from the very start. I't s really far more easier and cosy to depict yourself as the lonesome victim of the system (sounds familiar hey).

So yes i think Harry (and you by extension) are enjoying this situation very very much because it's just feeding the Sussexes narrative.

The BRF perfectly knows that and doesn't want to be used on any sort in this obvious stunt calibrated for whatever future Netflix project.

Considering the King's health, i leave to your appreciation (and your notorious disliking of Charles and Camilla) who, from the father or the son, has to be caring at this point.