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

[Durham]

I posted here ages ago the interview by a London Met Police Chief, who dealt with threats to Harry and Meghan while they were living in England. He emphasised and reiterated that those threats (and there were many that were investigated) were real and dangerous. It’s been discussed on this thread several times.

https://www.businessinsider.com/threats-against-meghan-markle-disgusting-and-very-real-uk-officer-2022-11#:~:text=The%20outgoing%20Metropolitan%20Police%20assistant,family's%20safety%20in%20the%20UK.

‘Disgusting’ plots against Meghan Markle investigated by police

‘If you’d seen the stuff that was written ... you would feel under threat all the time,’ says Neil Basu

www.independent.co.uk

Also, Anybody who has been on the Internet since 2016 can write about threats made about Meghan by British people and others who quite frankly are rabid haters of the woman.

We know that two Polish-Britons belonging to an international far right organisation were convicted in 2018. We also know that powder was sent from somewhere in the UK (presumably?) in the same year but no one as far as I understand has been prosecuted for that. So that makes possibly three UK nationals?

I'm not sure who these other British people are who have made threats about MM?

Points to consider:

1 Most if not all social media is US owned.

2 How do we know what nationalities made these threats about MM?

3 And the far right organisation that those two men belonged to is headquartered in - drum roll.............
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

So maybe a bit less of the Brit (resident) bashing might be in order I think.

 

[Durham]

I'm mostly active on Quora and you have no idea how many people I encounter there who think she should be killed. Most say in a kind of roundabout way, but not all. So yes, there are some extremely crazy haters out there and I can understand she doesn't think it's worth the risk.

Quora is also a US company!

Who's to know where all the crazies are? They could all be in California!

Apologies to all the non crazy Californians!!

 

[Royalist.in.NC]

I read this earlier today - a quote from Harry:

“All it takes is for one lone actor who reads this stuff to act on what they’ve read. And whether it's a knife or acid, these are things that are genuine concerns for me. It’s one of the reasons why I won’t bring my wife back to this country.” I believe that this quote is from his recent interview. Please correct me if I’m wrong !

https://elink.thedailybeast.com/view/631bea0805b15865850ebdadlk7cf.w2u/e0462fca

Really, Harry? Why would someone need to read tabloids to get ideas when you are giving horrific ideas yourself? A knife or acid????? Unbelievable . To quote someone upthread (sorry, can’t find it) - what an idiot!

 

[Hallo girl]

I read this earlier today - a quote from Harry:

“All it takes is for one lone actor who reads this stuff to act on what they’ve read. And whether it's a knife or acid, these are things that are genuine concerns for me. It’s one of the reasons why I won’t bring my wife back to this country.” I believe that this quote is from his recent interview. Please correct me if I’m wrong !

https://elink.thedailybeast.com/view/631bea0805b15865850ebdadlk7cf.w2u/e0462fca

Really, Harry? Why would someone need to read tabloids to get ideas when you are giving horrific ideas yourself? A knife or acid????? Unbelievable . To quote someone upthread (sorry, can’t find it) - what an idiot!

He said this when he was being interviewed in the documentary on tabloids.

 

[Royalist.in.NC]

He said this when he was being interviewed in the documentary on tabloids.

Thank you!

 

[Durham]

I read this earlier today - a quote from Harry:

“All it takes is for one lone actor who reads this stuff to act on what they’ve read. And whether it's a knife or acid, these are things that are genuine concerns for me. It’s one of the reasons why I won’t bring my wife back to this country.” I believe that this quote is from his recent interview. Please correct me if I’m wrong !

https://elink.thedailybeast.com/view/631bea0805b15865850ebdadlk7cf.w2u/e0462fca

Really, Harry? Why would someone need to read tabloids to get ideas when you are giving horrific ideas yourself? A knife or acid????? Unbelievable . To quote someone upthread (sorry, can’t find it) - what an idiot!

Corect me if I'm wrong but didn't he smear the rf with charges of racism? And isn't that a dangerous accusation to level at a family that mixes regularly with the general public?

Did it never enter his head that some crazy might be triggered by that & decide to have a pop at the rf? Just as he fears will happen to his wife.

What on earth was he thinking of?

 

[Hallo girl]

Corect me if I'm wrong but didn't he smear the rf with charges of racism? And isn't that a dangerous accusation to level at a family that mixes regularly with the general public?

Did it never enter his head that some crazy might be triggered by that & decide to have a pop at the rf? Just as he fears will happen to his wife.

What on earth was he thinking of?

I sometimes wonder if he does think. During that interview he did not provide examples of the newspaper articles that he claims incites threats to his wife.

 

[US Royal Watcher]

I don't accept that some threats on the internet are proof of a serious threat to Harry and his family. People all over the world post on bulletin boards and some people have multiple screen names to give the appearance that many people agree with them.

That said, Harry sincerely believes that his family is in more danger in the UK than the US. I doubt it is a rational fear - many of the people posting threats on these websites live in the US - but his fear is real. I think he has talked himself into it. It's hard to believe that bringing the children to Balmoral would pose a serious risk. The property is well guarded. The children are young and it is not like they will be touring the UK.

Obviously, it is sad for Charles, but they have other UK relatives. It's easier for the Spencers to travel to the US but Diana's sisters and brother are getting older, too. The only extended family they have is Doria, which is nice but they are missing a lot.

 

[Leopoldine]

@Leopoldine Hi, neighbor, I'm on the hills of Montgomery County and ours gets picked up on Mondays only and recycling plastics, glass bottles, cans and cardboards every other week. If Invictus Birmingham has a pick-up problem with trash being collected twice a month, like our recycling schedule here in Upstate NY, then that's one major budgeting problem to address before, during and after the games arrive to town. People will take pics and every corner will be on display on social media across the planet.

And another budgetary problem that needs to be addressed now and not later is these are war and army veterans. Many have physical disabilities that require special accommodations, transportation and housing for themselves and the families they will bring to support them or to assist them. From traffic and transportation to easy access to ramps, all these needs to be worked out in advance. The world, and the Royal Forums Community, will be watching.

Montgomery? I have family just a hopscotch away from you. Ulster, Schenectady, Columbia County, that's beautiful country.

I know a little about Brum as I had a good friend who lived there. I don't know if any British members here would remember, but the late American actor Telly Savalas fell in love with Brum. There's videos out there of civic leaders leading Telly around, showing him new parking garages and sewer drains, all the while Telly's chewing on a toothpick saying, "Yeah, my kind of town."

But I digress. I hope the Invictus games make money for Birmingham.

 

[Leopoldine]

Birmingham has a large military hospital that a number of the British veterans will have attended. This is an Invictus event that is being held in Birmingham.
I would have thought Invictus would be responsible for transportation.
The citizens of Birmingham and the UK are aware that people with disabilities require additional support, it is not a new concept for them to get their head round.
Are you monitoring the facilities in Canada , did you in the Netherlands.
The selection of Birmingham seems to be causing a stir on here. Not sure why.

Birmingham has the most broke destitute financial situation of any council in England.

 

[Leopoldine]

I must be honest, I can go down that road as well. I try hard not to.

Me too. I get a bit hot under the collar.

 

[Asteria12]

I read this earlier today - a quote from Harry:

“All it takes is for one lone actor who reads this stuff to act on what they’ve read. And whether it's a knife or acid, these are things that are genuine concerns for me. It’s one of the reasons why I won’t bring my wife back to this country.” I believe that this quote is from his recent interview. Please correct me if I’m wrong !

https://elink.thedailybeast.com/view/631bea0805b15865850ebdadlk7cf.w2u/e0462fca

Really, Harry? Why would someone need to read tabloids to get ideas when you are giving horrific ideas yourself? A knife or acid????? Unbelievable . To quote someone upthread (sorry, can’t find it) - what an idiot!

I think in this interview Harry has deliberately stated the weaponry (knives and acid) to counter the "but USA has a gun problem" argument and say that he's not worried about gun violence against his wife in the UK but the other forms of violence that can and has happened in the past. It puts him back in the seat of being able to deny he said something if called out on it (like denying that they called the RF racists, "that was the press"). I don't blame him for being worried, personal security is paramount to everyone, but I also think he totally believes that his wife has the biggest target and nobody else comes close when it comes to the threats that she receives. I can believe that there have been threats made against her, but as someone else stated, these are the times that we live in and many people with high profiles, especially his own brother, sister-in-law and father are the subject to those nasty threats unfortunately. I think the UK authorities are more than able to protect the Sussex's if/when they visit the country, but I also think the Sussex's just don't want to deal with the embarrassment/humiliation of being booed.

 

[fabaunty]

I think in this interview Harry has deliberately stated the weaponry (knives and acid) to counter the "but USA has a gun problem" argument and say that he's not worried about gun violence against his wife in the UK but the other forms of violence that can and has happened in the past. It puts him back in the seat of being able to deny he said something if called out on it (like denying that they called the RF racists, "that was the press"). I don't blame him for being worried, personal security is paramount to everyone, but I also think he totally believes that his wife has the biggest target and nobody else comes close when it comes to the threats that she receives. I can believe that there have been threats made against her, but as someone else stated, these are the times that we live in and many people with high profiles, especially his own brother, sister-in-law and father are the subject to those nasty threats unfortunately. I think the UK authorities are more than able to protect the Sussex's if/when they visit the country, but I also think the Sussex's just don't want to deal with the embarrassment/humiliation of being booed.

As far as I understand the situation ,RAVEC will provide protection for the Dukes family on a case by case basis , after a full threat assessment is carried out . This of course dependant on full disclosure on the purpose of visit etc . I believe that what the Duke actually wants is his , and therefore his wife's , IPP status restored . This would then enable them to claim protection provided by the government of which ever country they happen to be in .

 

[Hallo girl]

As far as I understand the situation ,RAVEC will provide protection for the Dukes family on a case by case basis , after a full threat assessment is carried out . This of course dependant on full disclosure on the purpose of visit etc . I believe that what the Duke actually wants is his , and therefore his wife's , IPP status restored . This would then enable them to claim protection provided by the government of which ever country they happen to be in .

You have hit the nail on the head, he is going on about security in the UK but he is really going on about his full status being restored. I do not believe for one minute that Harry and his family would not receive protection when they were in this country.
That is not what he wants and a previous poster is correct about now bringing up the ' lone actor' and knife and acid.

 

[tommy100]

And lets not forget if they just wanted to visit his family there is no reason no to and security doesn’t have to be an issue. They could be collected from the airport (likely straight off the plane) by a royal car, heck even a helicopter, and taken to whichever residence Charles is in which would be highly secured anyway because the King is there. There would actually not be a huge need to tell anyone until its over (though this seems to be a difficulty for Harry who always announces his plans ahead of time) and they could probably do it unnoticed. It would not be a huge security threat to visit quietly for a few days.
Harry talks as if the moment they touch down they’ll be thrust straight into a royal walkabout with hundreds of people cheering and jeering. His argument doesn’t actually hold water for a private visit to Charles for a few days. It may well be the reason they don’t want to carry out public duties but it’s not a reason to never visit.
Even Princess Anne who was held at gunpoint and saw her bodyguard shot at once said she didn’t worry about Zara and Peter needing protection officers pointing out they din’t do public duties and what happened to her happened after a public event.

 

[muriel]

And lets not forget if they just wanted to visit his family there is no reason no to and security doesn’t have to be an issue. They could be collected from the airport (likely straight off the plane) by a royal car, heck even a helicopter, and taken to whichever residence Charles is in which would be highly secured anyway because the King is there. There would actually not be a huge need to tell anyone until its over (though this seems to be a difficulty for Harry who always announces his plans ahead of time) and they could probably do it unnoticed. It would not be a huge security threat to visit quietly for a few days.
Harry talks as if the moment they touch down they’ll be thrust straight into a royal walkabout with hundreds of people cheering and jeering. His argument doesn’t actually hold water for a private visit to Charles for a few days. It may well be the reason they don’t want to carry out public duties but it’s not a reason to never visit.
Even Princess Anne who was held at gunpoint and saw her bodyguard shot at once said she didn’t worry about Zara and Peter needing protection officers pointing out they din’t do public duties and what happened to her happened after a public event.

In my opinion, security is not an issue at all if Harry wanted to bring Meghan and the children to the UK to meet his family. As you quite rightly point out, he can be received at the airport, and can spend time in the privacy of pretty much any royal estate in a secure compound. I do not believe the security required for Meghan will exceed that required for the Head of State or the Queen.

Their interaction with the public (where all these potential attackers may lie) can be limited to whatever interaction they want. Its not like they will ever be required to carry out public engagements. I just think concerns around Meghan's security are being used as a pawn in H&M's broader battle against the RF.

 

[shady lady]

Corect me if I'm wrong but didn't he smear the rf with charges of racism? And isn't that a dangerous accusation to level at a family that mixes regularly with the general public?

Did it never enter his head that some crazy might be triggered by that & decide to have a pop at the rf? Just as he fears will happen to his wife.

What on earth was he thinking of?

I am really glad you posted this, it is something that has concerned me for a long time, and needs to be said. Thank you

It feels like stating the obvious, but I have felt for a long time that H&M by their words and actions have put William, Catherine and their children in genuine danger.

Does PH ever stop to consider the consequences of his own actions and words? Clearly not. Do we expect any different? Sadly, no. He is utterly encased in his own selfish little bubble IMO.

It may already have been said here (I am time limited this morning) but I feel that specifically mentioning knives and acid was particularly unnecessary and provocative, and also not only a feeble attempt to justify him living in a place with so many guns where he is in much more genuine danger, but also a blatant attempt to play on people's sympathy to try and get what he really wants - dressed up as "security" - IPP status.

 

[akina21]

Nowadays I would say the children are better protected from the press than in previous years.
There is the agreement of the first day of school then that is it, the press stay away. I do not know about foreign photographers etc but the British press appear to respect that. Obviously days out at say Wimbledon or the polo then they are on show so fair game.
That is why Meghans comment that she would not be able to do the school run in the uk was slightly off .

And then she took the journalist doing the Cut interview on said school run herself.

 

[HenRach Dominion]

A couple of questions:

1. Why would the Duchess of Sussex need an excuse not to go to Great Britain? If she doesn't want to go, she doesn't want to go.
2. Has the Duchess of Sussex been legally (as in listed as a co-plaintiff) to any of the Duke of Sussex's security suits?
3. Has the Duchess of Sussex ever discussed being afraid of an attack while in Great Britain? I remember her discussing mental anguish due to her position and harassment by the press, but never fears of actually harm coming to her, although I may be wrong.

It seems to me, especially giving Great Britain is his home and their vastly different relationships with the press and the deadly consequences of their extreme attention to them before they even met, it's the Duke that's pushing the security issue, not the Duchess.

The Duchess is probably done with the whole thing and is okay with never stepping foot in Great Britain again. The Duke is the one who both has the deep desire for his family to visit his home country and the deep fear that something might happen to them if they do.

 

[Durham]

The more I think about what Harry said the more appalled I am that ITN even broadcast this part of the interview. Diana was lunged at by a man in Cramlington in 1989. In 2021 President Macron was slapped in the face by a man in a crowd near Valence.

I get that Harry has these fears but to talk publicly about knives & acid can’t be a good idea. There are just too many weirdos out there. Don’t give them ideas for goodness sake.

As a major broadcaster ITN should act responsibly. I wouldn’t be surprised if the security services are tearing their hair out over these comments. We've already had two MP's stabbed to death in this country.

Edit - a solidier was also stabbed just recently in London. In a serious condition in hospital.

 

[shady lady]

...

The Duchess is probably done with the whole thing and is okay with never stepping foot in Great Britain again. The Duke is the one who both has the deep desire for his family to visit his home country and the deep fear that something might happen to them if they do.

So the conflict is between H&M themselves.

She "probably" doesn't want to come here (even privately) and he has the "deep desire" for his family to visit. So who's going to prevail? (Silly question).

So why does PH keep going on about it not being safe for MM to come here and won't bring her back to the UK, if she doesn't want to come back anyway? I'd have an iota of respect for the bloke if he just told the truth and said she doesn't want to, instead of going on about knives and acid and potentially putting ideas in to someone's head.

Bottom line IMO is he wants to bring the children here by himself but he's using MM as an excuse not to - and she probably won't let him, so he is being even more unfair and duplicitous.

 

[Kenya]

I get that Harry has these fears but to talk publicly about knives & acid can’t be a good idea.

And if he's really that worried about acid, he should be more adamant with his wife about keeping the car windows rolled up at all times. Opportunistic acid attackers could be lurking on any corner, to hear him tell it.

 

[HenRach Dominion]

So the conflict is between H&M themselves.

She "probably" doesn't want to come here (even privately) and he has the "deep desire" for his family to visit. So who's going to prevail? (Silly question).

So why does PH keep going on about it not being safe for MM to come here and won't bring her back to the UK, if she doesn't want to come back anyway? I'd have an iota of respect for the bloke if he just told the truth and said she doesn't want to, instead of going on about knives and acid and potentially putting ideas in to someone's head.

Bottom line IMO is he wants to bring the children here by himself but he's using MM as an excuse not to - and she probably won't let him, so he is being even more unfair and duplicitous.

Why wouldn't the Duchess of Sussex want her children to go to Great Britain? And even if she didn't, what stops the Duke from doing so anyway if he desperately desires to do so? If the Duke wanted, there's nothing stopping him from taking the kids and leaving the Duchess in the United States forever. He has a lot more social power then she does...what would be the consequences to him specifically if he just took the kids?

 

[caethi]

Harry said that Diana "wasn't paranoid". In Harry's mind, the press was at least partially to blame for Diana's death. My theory: In Harry's mind, Meghan seems to be a representation of Diana. Meghan knows this. We have glimpses of how Meghan uses this in their relationship, but we don't really know. What we do know is that Harry's security fears border on the irrational. We don't know if Meghan feeds this or not ( I think it is likely that she does, but it's only my opinion), but one thing is for sure: the security issue keeps Harry and Meghan and (God rest her soul) Diana in the news. It is Harry's bid to maintain relevance and in my opinion, work through some anger against his father related to his parents' breakup and his mother's death. There are healthier ways of doing the latter.

The sad thing is that any public figure is a potential target these days, and not just in the UK. If he was solely motivated by the need to keep his family safe, Harry would have chosen a different path and faded into obscurity. Unfortunately, obscurity is not what Harry and Meghan seem to want.

 

[caethi]

Why wouldn't the Duchess of Sussex want her children to go to Great Britain? And even if she didn't, what stops the Duke from doing so anyway if he desperately desires to do so? If the Duke wanted, there's nothing stopping him from taking the kids and leaving the Duchess in the United States forever. He has a lot more social power then she does...what would be the consequences to him specifically if he just took the kids?

Hmm...I'm not sure Harry wields a lot of social power in the US; more importantly, it is a matter of law if he can or cannot remove the children from their place of residence without the consent of their mother.

 

[TLLK]

Hmm...I'm not sure Harry wields a lot of social power in the US; more importantly, it is a matter of law if he can or cannot remove the children from their place of residence without the consent of their mother.

That is true. Even though both Archie and Lilibet are UK citizens, I believe that Harry should he travel solo with both children, must have Meghan's written approval to travel with their minor children from the U.S.A. to the UK (or any other nation.)

https://uk.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/resources-for-u-s-citizens/visiting-the-uk-and-europe/

 

[shady lady]

Why wouldn't the Duchess of Sussex want her children to go to Great Britain? ...

Because to allow them to do so would be to surrender control or power over the situation, perhaps? That's my first thought.

Moreover, if she was seen to allow them to go, it would be pretty much admitting security is not the real reason she isn't coming back here.

 

[shady lady]

That is true. Even though both Archie and Lilibet are UK citizens, I believe that Harry should he travel solo with both children, must have Meghan's written approval to travel with their minor children from the U.S.A. to the UK (or any other nation.)

https://uk.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/resources-for-u-s-citizens/visiting-the-uk-and-europe/

Thanks for the link TLLK, that's very helpful! I've snipped a bit from it:

"If a child under the age of 18 will not be traveling with both parents, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recommends that the accompanying adult or the child (if unaccompanied) carries a notarized written consent letter from both parents if possible."

So hypothetically speaking, if she's their mother, and an American to boot (and they are all US residents) then it's not as simple as him just bringing them here willy nilly so to speak.

 

[HenRach Dominion]

There are unfortunately ways around that that could be exploited if the Duke of Sussex was adamant about taking his children to the UK. There was just a recent case also involving an American-British couple where the Brit gave permission for her American husband to take their children to the United States while she was working only for him to renege on actually bringing them back. They was even an older case where a U.S. judge ordered that an American woman had to split physical custody with her French ex-husband, but since France didn't have the same custody law as the United States, he got to keep their children without sending them back.

I'm not saying that the Duke will do anything like that, but laws are unfortunately circumvented all the time.

 

[TLLK]

There are unfortunately ways around that that could be exploited if the Duke of Sussex was adamant about taking his children to the UK. There was just a recent case also involving an American-British couple where the Brit gave permission for her American husband to take their children to the United States while she was working only for him to renege on actually bringing them back. They was even an older case where a U.S. judge ordered that an American woman had to split physical custody with her French ex-husband, but since France didn't have the same custody law as the United States, he got to keep their children without sending them back.

I'm not saying that the Duke will do anything like that, but laws are unfortunately circumvented all the time.

Yes it is true that people especially those involved in contentious custody battles will try to circumvent the foreign travel regulations, I don't see Harry attempting to bring Archie and Lillibet to the UK without their mother.