The Duke and Duchess of Sussex to Step Back as Senior Royals: January 2020

[Lilyflo]

Actually, for the speech Harry made the other night, I think it was very appropriate to mention his mother. After all, it was at a Sentebale dinner that he gave that speech.

Sentebale was founded as a memorial for both Prince Harry's and Prince Seeiso's mothers. Sentebale means "forget me not".

I agree. Even the flowers at the dinner included Diana's favourite flower, the Forget-Me-Not. Diana's memory is rooted in that charity.

Also, Johnny Hornby (chairman of Sentebale) has been on BBC rolling news all day talking about it, which has given the charity huge publicity so they'll reap the rewards of that.

 

[Eskimo]

I am counting on my country, Canada to give Harry and Meghan the deserved respect and freedom to live a tranquil and peaceful life...finally!

As you fellow Canadian I agree with Canada giving them freedom to live an tranquil and peaceful life.... I just do not want them to get taxpayer funds to do so (security) and I will not stand for them being given any preferential treatment (immigration).

 

[BlueEgg]

Wow Harry's speech. Saying he had no choice was ridiculous. I wish he would just own up to wanting a different life, and that the restrictions on their lives as royals was just not cutting it for them anymore because these two did have a choice and that was to ignore the media, use their platforms to constructively discuss their problems with the press and the perceived racism, and keep at it, doing the nitty gritty of royal work and supporting the monarchy. The decision they made meant that the values of duty and supporting the Queen were NOT inviolable to them, despite what they're saying then and now and in the future. They couldn't take the heat, think the grass is greener elsewhere...fine. But he needs to own up to it, stop playing to the public's sympathy, stop playing the games with the media his mother did, because although it has immediate gains, it eventually does nothing but cheapens his status. Unless he wants to go down as one of the whiniest princes in history.

Could you or I or any one of us live in an environment of constant harassment, bullying and public humiliation? Could you go to work each day and face undeserved hostility and discrimination and endure it day in and day out...and not be able to face those who taunt you mercilessly. A person can only take so much.
And Meghan came into the role hopeful that people would love her as they did Harry's mother. You can see how hard she tried to be the gracious guest at many events. How hurt she must be to have been slapped in the face...over and over. And I wouldn't doubt that Meghan has received threats and lives in fear. And this is because she committed the sin of marrying Prince Harry.
It is his duty is to protect his wife and mother of his child.

 

[TRCRoyal]

Do we know if there's room for Harry and Meghan to revisit this whole issue and become fulltime working royals (and use HRH again) in the future? I think Harry will be needed when Charles becomes king.

 

[Mbruno]

Finally, someone's done some homework and realised the title for at the very least Meghan is wrong.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1219317988731641857

The should be cited simply as The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, without the HRH (or TRH). And they should not use Prince or Princess Harry anymore either. That is my understanding of the "deal" that was agreed with the Palace.

 

[BlueEgg]

I'm sure Harry is fine with that.

 

[Denville]

Do we know if there's room for Harry and Meghan to revisit this whole issue and become fulltime working royals (and use HRH again) in the future? I think Harry will be needed when Charles becomes king.

they've chosen to go. Are they going to change their minds now in a few years? Charles and the queen have agreed to their going.. and imagine that Charles will manage without them.

 

[BlueEgg]

I think it's a strange cultural issue. The vulgar and distasteful British tabloids want to sell more papers and that means they have to create NEWS and the more outrageous, vicious and even untruthful the better. We don't have such tabloids here in Canada that tear people to pieces. I think Harry and Meghan will be better off here. If they walked down the street here, I would give them the respect and privacy that they need and deserve.

 

[Denville]

I think it's a strange cultural issue. The vulgar and distasteful British tabloids want to sell more papers and that means they have to create NEWS and the more outrageous, vicious and even untruthful the better. We don't have such tabloids here in Canada that tear people to pieces. I think Harry and Meghan will be better off here. If they walked down the street here, I would give them the respect and privacy that they need and deserve.

Of course they want to sell papers... that's what newspapers are for, to be sold and make money. If Harry and Meghan want to wlak down a street in Canada.. that's fine.

 

[Lumutqueen]

Do we know if there's room for Harry and Meghan to revisit this whole issue and become fulltime working royals (and use HRH again) in the future? I think Harry will be needed when Charles becomes king.

We simply don't know. There is an element of review next year, whether this is just in terms of money or the whole arrangement nobody knows.

The should be cited simply as The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, without the HRH (or TRH). And they should not use Prince or Princess Harry anymore either. That is my understanding of the "deal" that was agreed with the Palace.

I totally agree, however that is not what Buckingham Palace confirmed to RRs after the announcement. It was confirmed on call that they would be Henry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Which I said from the get go, was an incorrect way of address.

 

[UglyAmerican]

Could you or I or any one of us live in an environment of constant harassment, bullying and public humiliation? Could you go to work each day and face undeserved hostility and discrimination and endure it day in and day out...and not be able to face those who taunt you mercilessly. A person can only take so much.
And Meghan came into the role hopeful that people would love her as they did Harry's mother. You can see how hard she tried to be the gracious guest at many events. How hurt she must be to have been slapped in the face...over and over. And I wouldn't doubt that Meghan has received threats and lives in fear. And this is because she committed the sin of marrying Prince Harry.
It is his duty is to protect his wife and mother of his child.

Unflattering headlines aren't "harassment." Yes, there's a lot of undeserved hostility, but that's true of all of them, not just Meghan. Could I do it? Possibly, but I don't care to try, and wouldn't have taken it on for that reason. Kate, Camilla, Sophie, and plenty of others faced press coverage that was as bad or worse, and seem to have done fine in spite of it, so it's not as if it's impossible.

No one's criticizing Meghan for not wanting to live in that fishbowl - neither did Harry's previous girlfriends, and no one thought less of them for it. People are criticizing her for insisting she could do it when she either didn't do her homework on what it involved, wasn't self-aware enough to recognize her own limits, or was simply lying. The fact that the press is often unpleasant to new royal brides isn't a closely-guarded secret, and her apparent belief that the world would realign itself to suit her desires is deserving of criticism for the trouble it's caused to others - probably including Harry.

 

[Betsypaige]

Do we know if there's room for Harry and Meghan to revisit this whole issue and become fulltime working royals (and use HRH again) in the future? I think Harry will be needed when Charles becomes king.

I'm sure there will always be room......Charles would welcome his son home with open arms. Unless Harry is desperately unhappy, however, I don't see this happening. He's needed now, and he's moving on...

 

[TLLK]

I think it's a strange cultural issue. The vulgar and distasteful British tabloids want to sell more papers and that means they have to create NEWS and the more outrageous, vicious and even untruthful the better. We don't have such tabloids here in Canada that tear people to pieces. I think Harry and Meghan will be better off here. If they walked down the street here, I would give them the respect and privacy that they need and deserve.

Unfortunately the tabloids do go for the sensational in order to sell more papers/earn more clicks.



Camilla, Catherine, Sophie, Sarah Ferguson, the late Diana, Princess of Wales and others in the family have faced similar "outrageous, vicious, and even untruthful" coverage in the tabloids.

 

[Gawin]

Of course they want to sell papers... that's what newspapers are for, to be sold and make money. If Harry and Meghan want to wlak down a street in Canada.. that's fine.

No, you missed the point. Reporting accurate news should be the main goal of every newspaper, and for the majority it is. Of course they want to make money but only in pursuit of the main goal. Just as a hospital provides medical services as its main goal, a bank provides financial services, etc.

But the tabloids (in the OP's words) "create NEWS and the more outrageous, vicious and even untruthful the better" in order to maximize their sales. Greed trumps accuracy.

That's very irresponsible.

 

[BlueEgg]

I have never heard of any newspapers anywhere in the world that attack their royal family members or those who marry into the family like the British tabloids. There should be some common decency here. Leave these people alone!
Texankitkat: there is a bit of an uproar among Canadians about using taxpayers' money for security for Harry and Meghan. Others feel that since they are part of the royal family and Harry is 6th in line to the throne...we have an allegiance and duty to protect them.
Also owing them is respect, and giving them privacy and a wide berth...[...]

 

[Fem]

Then I'd like to see that documented. Nothing I've seen said by BP, The Queen or The Sussexes are saying what is claimed to have been said.



LaRae

Just because people can see patterns or predict where the situation will go on the grounds of general information doesn't mean that they're wrong. It's the same thing that was with their website - some people treated it like a done deal, like this is how things will look like, while now we know H&M won't even get half of the things from their long wishlist.

 

[BlueEgg]

Charles is giving them an income apparently.

 

[Denville]

Charles is giving them an income apparently.

Yes he has been supplementing their income since they were married.. and he's been assisting both sons with supplemental income, to help with their engagements.

 

[wyevale]

But the tabloids (in the OP's words) "create NEWS and the more outrageous, vicious and even untruthful the better" in order to maximize their sales. Greed trumps accuracy.

That's very irresponsible.

Be that as it may.. it IS 'the way of the World', and an actress as aware as Ms Markle must have known it, or [at any rate] researched it, when considering her future - she CANNOT have been ignorant either of the Tabloids power, or their interest in the BRF [and anyone who married into it]..

That suggests to me either she thought she 'could handle it', or that it suited a long term plan - to 'raise her profile' to the point where her ambition to 'change/improve' the World were possible, as it simply wasn't as an obscure actress in a Canadian Soap..

 

[UglyAmerican]

I have never heard of any newspapers anywhere in the world that attack their royal family members or those who marry into the family like the British tabloids. There should be some common decency here. Leave these people alone!

The British royals are a bit of a historical anomaly. Most countries that still have officially recognized royal families aren't in Europe, and those royal families aren't ceremonial or symbolic - they actually run the country. Most true monarchies don't have the same concept of free press as most democracies, so of course you're not going to see the press criticizing the rulers that control the press. That's not a good thing.

Also owing them is respect, and giving them privacy and a wide berth...which poor Diana would like to have had during her life cut short escaping from the paparazzi who dogged her relentlessly for photos and any scandal they could find.

I don't see how anyone can seriously believe that these two want privacy, anonymity, etc. at this point. Literally every decision they've made for the past several weeks had no possible basis other than to increase their media coverage.

 

[Kataryn]

Unfortunately the tabloids do go for the sensational in order to sell more papers/earn more clicks.



Camilla, Catherine, Sophie, Sarah Ferguson, the late Diana, Princess of Wales and others in the family have faced similar "outrageous, vicious, and even untruthful" coverage in the tabloids.

It still doesn't make it alright.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

I am not a fan of his but he has certainly nailed it these two. The speech was disingenuous considering the reality of their actions. They have no one to blame but themselves and their unrealistic expectations. Obviously, they still don't get it.

I expected nothing less:
- Playing the victim, check
- Mentioning Diana, check

There was another option, Harry chose to quit after his delusional demands, published on his website before consulting with the BRF protagonists, were not met. Who in a sane mind, let alone Harry, who grew up in royal life, can expect to pick and chose, do the sexy events only and leave the bread and butter to others, while residing abroad and the taxpayers picking up the bill? Only the thought is very worrying with regard to entitlement.
I am glad that the royal blackmailers were sent packing, good luck with a new peaceful life outside and without the protection of the royal system, its all that Harry has ever known. Another cage is waiting, only different restrictions and rules.

 

[tihkon2]

[...]

Was she treated disgustingly by some elements of the press? Yes. Was she cruelly attacked even to the point of racism by some people on social media? Yes. Yes she was. But she was ALWAYS greeted with nothing but adulation and goodwill by people in public, to her face. So IMHO people need to stop saying the public treated her awfully because it's demonstrably not true at all.

 

[Kataryn]

The British royals are a bit of a historical anomaly. Most countries that still have officially recognized royal families aren't in Europe, and those royal families aren't ceremonial or symbolic - they actually run the country.

I guess you don't know much about Europe when you state it this way.
We do have the following monarchies and they are all democracies, even Liechtenstein!


UK

Denmark
Sweden
Norway
Belgium
The Netherlands
Luxembourg
Spain
Andorra (that is a real anomaly...)
Liechtenstein
Monaco

Vatican (with the Pope being the Prince regnant)


And IMHO the British press is the one who needed to be reigned it!

 

[UglyAmerican]

I guess you don't know much about Europe when you state it this way.
We do have the following monarchies and they are all democracies, even Liechtenstein!


UK

Denmark
Sweden
Norway
Belgium
The Netherlands
Luxembourg
Spain
Andorra (that is a real anomaly...)
Liechtenstein
Monaco

Vatican (with the Pope being the Prince regnant)


And IMHO the British press is the one who needed to be reigned it!

I think you misunderstood my post. I said most monarchies weren't in Europe, not all. There are far more non-European, non-democratic monarchies than that, and reining in the press because it's hurting the feelings of a member of the royal family is a terrible road to go down.

 

[Denville]

Yes but there are numerous constitutional monarchies in Europe..

 

[Fem]

It still doesn't make it alright.

No, you're right, it doesn't. It's awful. It should not happen. The press is awful and it behaves like there's no rules, like there's no line they shouldn't cross and it's disgusting.

That said, when I see someone from BRF staring at a journalist, with tears in their eyes, telling them they expected the press coverage to be fair, I want to call bull... Because either that's the biggest lie they told in their life - and it is being told with some kind of agenda - or they were completely, utterly not prepared during the relationship or the engagement period.

The press is unfair to everyone. They live off showing their weird version of half truth-half lie in a way that will be the most sensational, the most hurtful. Expecting them to "be fair" is ridiculous and since I think Meghan is very intelligent, she knew the press will be unfair. She might've not known to what extent and how awful will it be, but I bet she didn't think the press will be fair.

 

[Gawin]

Be that as it may.. it IS 'the way of the World', and an actress as aware as Ms Markle must have known it, or [at any rate] researched it, when considering her future - she CANNOT have been ignorant either of the Tabloids power, or their interest in the BRF [and anyone who married into it..

That suggests to me either she thought she 'could handle it', or that it suited a long term plan - to 'raise her profile' to the point where her ambition to 'change/improve' the World were possible, as it simply wasn't as an obscure actress in a Canadian Soap..

No, it's not the way of the world, it's the way of the BRITISH tabloids. We don't have a tabloid culture in the United States and I don't believe Canada does.

Yes, we have tabloids but they aren't our highest circulating newspapers as they are in the UK. Both the United States and Canada dwarf the UK in geographic size and because of that we have many more newspapers to choose from, therefore we do not all read the same newspapers, and one, two, or three newspapers do not dominate our media, as they do in the UK.

Believe it or not, contrary to what you seem to think, not everyone outside the UK pays very much attention to it, or even knows much about it, including the tabloids, the RF, or the tabloid's interest in the RF. They're simply of no interest to many of us.

Harry did discuss the intense media scrutiny with Meghan before the engagement and she has stated her friends warned her about the tabloids. But we don't know how seriously she took it, smitten and in love as she was.

But I do think the two of them should have found a way to deal with the scrutiny, asked others including the Cambridges, whatever it took. Some posters have speculated they isolated themselves & nursed their wounds, without turning to others for help. Unfortunately, I suspect that is what happened.

 

[soapstar]

It was confirmed that they would be spending most of their time in North America.

A royal spokesperson confirmed to NBC News that "from Spring onwards the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be spending the majority of their time in North America." The spokesperson did not provide more detail on potential locations.

Source

 

[Jacknch]

Please note that a number of posts relating to the education of members of the Royal Family have been deleted since no valid connection to the topic of the thread appears apparent. Let's stay on topic and avoid going down arbitrary pathways in the discussion.