The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Commonwealth


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O-H Anglophile said:
That statement is a fallacy. Some Americans come from cultures where they hug and kiss a lot--others come from backgrounds that are very reserved, not at all "touchy feely."

I imagine Lord Geidt and Meghan have developed a warm working relationship, hence the greeting.
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Agree and thank you for the clarification.
 
I think they probably have a very professional relationship which, in my opinion, lends to a warm handshake. Personally, I believe he is staked his superior position.

Sir Christopher, as he was then, resigned from his post as HM PS, a very powerful position, when he came into conflict with both Prince Charles and Prince Andrew in relation to his behaviour. Both princes believed he had greatly overstepped his position doing an end run around both of them and calling a staff meeting of all staff from all royal residences.

He resigned when both princes vented their frustration in the chain of royal command. Neither saw Sir Christopher as being the means through which they accessed their own mother. She agreed. He resigned. She made him a Lord and a golden handshake I am sure.

Being over-demonstrative with Meghan on her first day as Vice President set the standard where he expects it to be. I wonder if Harry will agree. Either way, Meghan certainly didn't look like she was expecting it but as is her public persona, went with the flow.
 
Countessmeout said:
:previous: Kissing on the cheek with someone who is barely known to you is not an American thing. In reality 'American' Meghan may need to adjust to that. Its one thing when you know the person well, Sir Geidt she doesn't.

Yes he worked with the queen for many years. And he may have a very close familiarity with her and other members. But he left the royal service before Meghan entered the picture. And this position with the trust is new to Meghan. It certainly is a level of familiarity that has not yet been made between Meghan and Sir Geidt.
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How would anyone know how well Meghan knows him?
 
Yeah, Sir Christopher Geidt may indeed have been a bit over-familiar in his greeting. Maybe he was excited to see the Duchess of Sussex. I wonder how his greeting would have been had the Duke of Sussex also been present? ;)

In general, he appears to be looking at Meghan with a great degree of admiration and respect. He was perhaps a bit over-effusive, but Meghan handled it with her usual grace and generosity, spending some moments conversing with Geidt and greeting the other gentleman with a handshake before they all entered the building. I was mostly moved to laughter hearing the audible groans and moans of the photogs, as they whined about the vehicle carrying the Duchess not coming close enough to where they could get a good shot of Meghan.

IMO, Daily Mail is as usual, trafficking in clickbait and playing on viewers' emotions by highlighting the greeting with a large video screen emblazoned on the page, and the 'kissing cheeks' moment is set on revolving instant replay. Of course, that invites the gaze of viewers to lean toward questioning the seeming familiarity that's smacking us in our faces. DF never fails to lead with salacious innuendo.

I don't know much about Geidt's relationship with the Queen aside from the fact that he served as her Private Secretary for 10 years (and he worked in the Royal Household for five years previous to that position, first as Assistant Private Secretary to HM and then as Deputy Private Secretary to HM). Even after Geidt was ousted from his ten-year position (due to a transitional power struggle), the Queen demonstrated her highest regard for Geidt by awarding him with a couple of knighthoods since leaving her employ (which appears to bring him to a total of 4 knighthoods, although another source only mentions 3).

IMO, in Geidt's current position as Chairman of the Queen's Commonwealth Trust, he has surely met and probably worked/ consulted with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on more than one occasion. That kind of greeting to me suggests they have met before, on more than one occasion. It would definitely be surprising to me if the Sussexes haven't met and worked together with Geidt previously on matters pertaining to their roles with the Commonwealth.
 
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ACO said:
How would anyone know how well Meghan knows him?
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He isn't a family friend, or even a family employee. He left the firm before Meghan entered the picture. She may have had some limited contact with him with the foundation, but it is pretty hard to assume they have formed a close bond through it. Kissing on the cheeks, especially kissing a royal on the cheek, speaks to a level of familiarity higher then simply meeting a handful of times at foundation meetings.

No one of course knows for sure. But we are here to discus, and speculate, that is what we all are doing.:ermm:
 
Osipi said:
Very definitely overly familiar at a public event. The two of them may know each other very well in their private lives but it was a bit much at a public function and put the optics into public view for a whole lot of speculation.
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For me this was a stricing demonstration that Lord Geidt not only approves of the Duchess but actually is willing to put his whole influence in the establishment behind her. As a member of the House of Lords, triple knight and obviously a favorite of the queen (despite the struggle back then with Charles and Andrew) he surely has a lot of weight to offer when it comes to the opinion of the upper echelons in British society, those who are not influenced by the tabloids. Seeing one of society's leaders being fo really, really close and friendly with the "new Royal" in public sounds a bit as if HM had decided that it is time to show utmost support for Meghan. Vice-President of HM's Commonwealth Trust and greeted that way by the Trust's manager? Sounds like a public show to me to make clear how securely established the new Duchess is within Palace and Society circles. It was a very important signal in my reading and one that had the queen behind it. IMHO both HM and the PoW want the couple Harry/Meghan to succeed!
 
Kataryn said:
IMHO both HM and the PoW want the couple Harry/Meghan to succeed!
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Was there ever any real doubt in that? ?


Kataryn said:
For me this was a stricing demonstration that Lord Geidt not only approves of the Duchess but actually is willing to put his whole influence in the establishment behind her.
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Not sure how you managed to get to that contention. My sense is that Geidt is part of a group of courtiers (current and past) that are perhaps helping Meghan get to grips with the new role, and what it is that she can do to succeed in the role. Nothing more than that, IMO.
 
Geidt spent years as the Queen's most trusted and senior aides which also made him the most senior aide to the rest of the RF. He will have been at private events as well as public events and office time, thats how the RF work. I don't think his greeting was inappropriate, after so long with the RF he knows what is and isn't appropriate.
I wonder if, after the furore of his leaving he maybe has been helping H&M behind the scenes, he was recently appointed to some honorary royal position by HM if I recall correctly. Andrew and Charles may have forced him out but HM hasn't got this far in her reign not knowing who she can trust and depend on.
 
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Yeah, once again, perhaps some people viewing the clip initially were not that familiar with Geidt and his highly distinguished background and service to crown and country. What I saw in the clip was an effusive greeting, but moreso a look of deep regard and admiration on Geidt's face as he spoke briefly with Meghan.

I would tend to agree with @Kataryn's post that Geidt certainly has prestige and influence within the corridors of British political power and the upperclass British establishment. For Geidt to be charmed by Meghan and to publicly demonstrate his regard is not a small thing. Kataryn takes that view a step further than I imagined, but I don't think Kataryn's speculation is without merit.

Also, the Duke of Sussex would know Geidt well, having had contact with him often over Geidt's 10 years serving as the Queen's Private Secretary.

And for all we know, H&M have had contact with Geidt in intimate social settings as well, such as dinner parties and the like. We are just not that much in-the-know about what goes on behind palace walls, let's face it!
 
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Over the years reading quite a few books on the monarchy and the royal family, the name Geldt is one I've encountered over and over again. There's no question as to this man's service to crown and country.

I also had the thought that if the "kissing cheeks" incident was purely spontaneous and spur of the moment between Geldt and Meghan, it puts in mind to me that perhaps the man is a bit like Harry and isn't afraid to show his emotions, react spontaneously and show what he's feeling. If he can greet Meghan so warmly, I have a feeling that this man's wife and children get a boatload of love and affection also.

I also agree that Harry probably knows the man quite well and Meghan and Harry both have probably met with him in relation to working with the Queen's Commonwealth Trust.
 
Countessmeout said:
He isn't a family friend, or even a family employee. He left the firm before Meghan entered the picture. She may have had some limited contact with him with the foundation, but it is pretty hard to assume they have formed a close bond through it. Kissing on the cheeks, especially kissing a royal on the cheek, speaks to a level of familiarity higher then simply meeting a handful of times at foundation meetings.

No one of course knows for sure. But we are here to discus, and speculate, that is what we all are doing.:ermm:
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Of course but you stated it as fact. We don't really know her relationship with him. He doesn't have to be a family friend to be familiar. They both very involved with the QCT and if this has been months in the making then that is a professional relationship that could have blossomed. We really have zero idea.

There was a woman at Charles's 50th celebration who kissed him, William, Kate, and Meghan on the cheek. No idea who she was bit clearly there are relationships outside what we know. If they are not uncomfortable then I suspect things are just fine.
 
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tommy100 said:
I wonder if, after the furore of his leaving he maybe has been helping H&M behind the scenes, he was recently appointed to some honorary royal position by HM if I recall correctly.
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Court Circular 4th March:
Appendix to Court Circular
The Queen has been pleased to appoint the Lord Geidt to be a Permanent Lord in Waiting to Her Majesty with effect from 4th March, 2019.
 
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Perfect couple for that visit. Meghan calls Canada her second home :flowers:

Love the photos. They seemed to have fun making the taffy with the kids ?

I love the gift for the baby. I spot some Hudson Bay in the gift (the stripes are a give away). Now that is a true Canadian baby gift :cool:
 
How cute is that! Harry obviously enjoyed the engagement. Maybe he sings to Meghan at home?
 
Haha! Looks like Harry has seen "The Sound of Music" . So long.... :)
 
Here's a video of the visit by TRH The Duke and Duchess of Sussex to Canada House today.



 
Below is a more extensive video that follows Meghan and Harry throughout their visit to Canada House, and we get to hear their conversations with everyone. At one point, someone is talking to the Sussexes about research being conducted on malaria in Africa, and Meghan interjects with a very intelligent question (indicating that she'd read an article on the topic). So she definitely seeks out informative reading material about what's going on in the world beyond trivial tabloids, and entertainment, pop culture, celebrity weeklies. There's also a close-up shot of Meghan's finger and she's only wearing her wedding band, not the engagement ring, as someone mentioned she's likely experiencing swelling at this stage of her pregnancy:
 
The discussion about whether the Spencers celebrate Thanksgiving has been deleted. Let’s stick to the topic, please.
 
Court Circular 11th March:
The Duke of Sussex, Commonwealth Youth Ambassador, and The Duchess of Sussex this morning attended a Reception at Canada House, Trafalgar Square, London SW1, and were received by the High Commissioner for Canada in London (Her Excellency Mrs. Janice Charette)
 
Court Circular 15th May:
Kensington Palace

The Duke of Sussex this morning attended a Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy Meeting.
 
Please note that off topic posts have been deleted.
 
Court Circular 14th June:
Kensington Palace

The Duke of Sussex, Commonwealth Youth Ambassador, this afternoon attended a Garden Party at Marlborough House, St James’s, London SW1, to celebrate the Seventieth Anniversary of the Commonwealth.
 
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