The Duke and Duchess of Sussex: Transition & Future

[Denville]

He will problaby vist frequently to see familybut I don't think he's going to do that much work in the UK. His future is in America/Canada. I think they are stuck with Frogmore as it is not a place that can be easily retned to someone else.. for security reasons. So if H and Meg come back at times it can be opened up forthem.

 

[Alison H]

They've been told that they've got to pay commercial rent on Frogmore, now that they're no longer working royals. That's going to be a lot of money for somewhere they're only using for a few weeks a year, but I don't know what the alternative is - they can hardly put an ad in the local paper offering it for rent, much as I'm sure loads of people would love the idea! What a waste of a multi-million pound refurbishment.

It's not really practical to spend half the year in one country and half in another, as was originally being suggested. I know some people do, but that's usually retired people trying to avoid bad weather. You can't be running backwards and forwards with a toddler. Once Archie's old enough for school, their travel options are going to be very limited.

 

[Denville]

They've been told that they've got to pay commercial rent on Frogmore, now that they're no longer working royals. That's going to be a lot of money for somewhere they're only using for a few weeks a year, but I don't know what the alternative is - they can hardly put an ad in the local paper offering it for rent, much as I'm sure loads of people would love the idea! What a waste of a multi-million pound refurbishment.

It's not really practical to spend half the year in one country and half in another, as was originally being suggested. I know some people do, but that's usually retired people trying to avoid bad weather. You can't be running backwards and forwards with a toddler. Once Archie's old enough for school, their travel options are going to be very limited.

yes that's the problem. with some royal houses/apartmetns they can be rented out to suitable people who can pay a high rent.. (and some are given as low rentals to former staff). but I think because of where Frogmore Is situatied its not easy to put the house to another use with someone renting it. I agree its not practical to sepnd half the year in the UK nad the rest away, as they seem to have orginally believed they would do. If they were leading a quiet retired life.. maybe but even if they were doing that, they have a small child and it would be difficult to keep ferrying him back and forth.
and if they are trying to earn money, they will be busy, they wil probably be traveling a lot within the American landmass and that will be enough for them with Archie to consider, without taking a long trip to the UK and spending a period of time there. SO I think the UK charities will become a back number and perhaps have to be dropped. I would say that apart from the problems of their commercial work, that was another reason why they queen said they could not be half and halfers.. She problaby foresaw that it would be too difficult to come to the UK for a couple fo months, do royal work here and then be back in the USA for engagemetns or speaking tours there.. thtat maybe it wuodl end by one of them having to drop of the royal stuff (most problably Meghan) and stay in Canada with Archie and it just wouldn't work..
And even with a small number of charities, I think its going to be diffuclt and in a few yaers, if they stay there the charities will have to be dropped.

 

[Hallo girl]

I am now beginning to wonder about the whole time frame scenario. One of the staff only joined last August, why would they employ somebody only to sack him in January. The former ambassador was only given the job a few weeks ago.
It does appear discussions to leave had been ongoing for some time so it would suggest they were employing people at the same time as they were discussing leaving. Why employ these people only to sack them.
Does this suggest the original plan was to to retain the staff here

 

[Denville]

they orginally intended to be half and half, so perhaps they were going to keep them on full time and they'd liaise with them when they were in the UK...

 

[Hallo girl]

they orginally intended to be half and half, so perhaps they were going to keep them on full time and they'd liaise with them when they were in the UK...

IMO it demonstrates they had made decisions without really considering the impact, could this be why the talks had been going on in the background for some time, what they wanted was not going to work for the palace.

Also how can you pay somebody a salary for them only to be really employed for half a year. I wonder if anybody was given the opportunity to go with them.

 

[Betsypaige]

It just strikes me as odd that they’d originally planned to stay half the time in the UK when they thought they could be part-time Royals, but once it was decided that that couldn’t work, that plan went out the window. Why? There was no reason to leave the UK just because they weren’t going to be working Royals. It kind of looks like they were upset that they didn’t get what they wanted, so they split

 

[wyevale]

That's going to be a lot of money for somewhere they're only using for a few weeks a year, but I don't know what the alternative is

An Hotel ? There are many in London, more than used to accommodating guests requiring high levels of Security/privacy/comfort.
That would play FAR better with a British Public that feels deeply 'used' and 'led up the garden path', by this couple, altho' I doubt they factor that into their decision making now..

 

[muriel]

They've been told that they've got to pay commercial rent on Frogmore, now that they're no longer working royals. That's going to be a lot of money for somewhere they're only using for a few weeks a year, but I don't know what the alternative is - they can hardly put an ad in the local paper offering it for rent, much as I'm sure loads of people would love the idea! What a waste of a multi-million pound refurbishment.

It's not really practical to spend half the year in one country and half in another, as was originally being suggested. I know some people do, but that's usually retired people trying to avoid bad weather. You can't be running backwards and forwards with a toddler. Once Archie's old enough for school, their travel options are going to be very limited.

I have no doubt that any costs associated with FC will be funded by Charles, as is the lifestyle of H&M.

 

[Pranter]

They may not buy a house in Canada for awhile...they can rent indefinately. Might take a bit to find something that will work for their situation.


I'm thinking we may see them for the CW Services and Beatrice's wedding (along with a couple more things).

Charles funds the households of both his children..and really that is his business. Many parents around the world (regardless of income) help support their children/grandchildren.


LaRae

 

[Denville]

It just strikes me as odd that they’d originally planned to stay half the time in the UK when they thought they could be part-time Royals, but once it was decided that that couldn’t work, that plan went out the window. Why? There was no reason to leave the UK just because they weren’t going to be working Royals. It kind of looks like they were upset that they didn’t get what they wanted, so they split

They wanted to live abroad part of the time.. that was part of the original plan.. so If they were told they could not continue with the Royal part of the job, then naturally they were going ot settle full time abroad. why woud they live part time in the UK if there was no pressing need to be there for royal duties, and they do have a need to earn a living which they were going to do abroad.

They may not buy a house in Canada for awhile...they can rent indefinately. Might take a bit to find something that will work for their situation.


I'm thinking we may see them for the CW Services and Beatrice's wedding (along with a couple more things).

Charles funds the households of both his children..and really that is his business. Many parents around the world (regardless of income) help support their children/grandchildren.


LaRae

Its not clear if he funds them from his private wealth or from the Duchy funds. And while there is no law about it, the Duchy funds have usually under Charles been used for his charities and for helping out relatives who are working for the Family. However it might be preferable to see the funds going to Harry, even if he's not doing any royal work, than to see Harry - well chasing money shall we say? Of course he is going to have to work now and undertake something like speaking engagements or commercial endorsments.. but Charles may be hoping that by continuing to help him financially he can minimise the amount of commercial work

 

[Hallo girl]

They may not buy a house in Canada for awhile...they can rent indefinately. Might take a bit to find something that will work for their situation.


I'm thinking we may see them for the CW Services and Beatrice's wedding (along with a couple more things).

Charles funds the households of both his children..and really that is his business. Many parents around the world (regardless of income) help support their children/grandchildren.


LaRae

That last line is very true.

It just strikes me as odd that they’d originally planned to stay half the time in the UK when they thought they could be part-time Royals, but once it was decided that that couldn’t work, that plan went out the window. Why? There was no reason to leave the UK just because they weren’t going to be working Royals. It kind of looks like they were upset that they didn’t get what they wanted, so they split

That is a very fair point, they could have withdrawn from public life. i.e. royal life. but still stayed at Frogmore living the quiet life they claimed they wanted.

 

[Denville]

That is a very fair point, they could have withdrawn from public life. i.e. royal life. but still stayed at Frogmore living the quiet life they claimed they wanted.

I think they particularly Meghan felt they could not stay full time in the UK. they would get a lot of critical press and that upsets tehm.. and I think that Meg just didn't like the UK when she got to know it...

 

[Alison H]

I'm sure the Queen or Prince Charles could put them up in one of their spare bedrooms for a few days .

 

[Hallo girl]

I'm sure the Queen or Prince Charles could put them up in one of their spare bedrooms for a few days .

They could use Nottingham Cottage, for all the time they will need it.

 

[acdc1]

It just strikes me as odd that they’d originally planned to stay half the time in the UK when they thought they could be part-time Royals, but once it was decided that that couldn’t work, that plan went out the window. Why? There was no reason to leave the UK just because they weren’t going to be working Royals. It kind of looks like they were upset that they didn’t get what they wanted, so they split

IMO, I don’t think Meghan enjoyed living in the UK or had made many close friends there. Her close friends and support system are in North America, and I’m wondering if the UK just wasn’t a good fit for her. Now that they have no more royal duties there’s really not much tying them to the UK work-wise, and perhaps they decided that they would be happier living in North America closer to her loved ones rather than in the UK.

I doubt we’ll see them spending any sort of substantial time in the UK again as a family, beyond visiting for family events or for a couple of weeks at a time during the holidays. I think for them, especially Meghan, Archie, and any future children, the future is in Canada and/or the US, wherever the family settles. They’ll be raised there, go to school there, and will probably settle there when they have their own families. I could see Harry getting homesick and spending more time in the UK on his own time.

 

[Mirabel]

Charles funds the households of both his children..and really that is his business. Many parents around the world (regardless of income) help support their children/grandchildren.


LaRae

But other parents don't fund one child from what is essentially a trust fund for another child.
Duchy funds are earmarked for William, not Harry.

As for a future home, I'm convinced they will end up with a mansion in the Hollywood Hills.

 

[ACO]

They could use Nottingham Cottage, for all the time they will need it.

Or they use the home they have. It is theirs whether they use it full-time or not.

 

[Denville]

But other parents don't fund one child from what is essentially a trust fund for another child.
Duchy funds are earmarked for William, not Harry.

As for a future home, I'm convinced they will end up with a mansion in the Hollywood Hills.

The money is used by Charles as he thinks fit, to support his sons and his charities and possibly I think other relatives who are on the royal duty roster.. and the queen alsos supports some of the cousins. I do think that if Harry is NOT any more a working royal or a retired working royal, Charles may have misgivings about continuing to support him from Duchy funds as he had been shelling out a large sum for botht sons to help with their work and lifestyle expenses. but he can help him out from his own private wealth.

Or they use the home they have. It is theirs whether they use it full-time or not.

Its not Theirs, it belongs to the Crown as far as I know. and they rent it.. and it doesn't seem a great idea for it to be sitting empty for long periods each year and having to be opened up.

 

[ACO]

Its not Theirs, it belongs to the Crown as far as I know. and they rent it.. and it doesn't seem a great idea for it to be sitting empty for long periods each year and having to be opened up.

Theirs in the fact they are the current ones leased to it. As long as they are paying for it (and by all reports they will do so) then it is in fact their home.

It was already sitting empty for the most part per the documents. That is why it was in need renovation even before Harry and Meghan decided to move in.

Nothing really has changed. If they decide to end their lease then by all means rent it to someone else. I suspect it won't be that easy unless someone like Bea or Eugenie wants it.

 

[Denville]

Theirs in the fact they are the current ones leased to it. As long as they are paying for it (and by all reports they will do so) then it is in fact their home.

It was already sitting empty for the most part per the documents. That is why it was in need renovation even before Harry and Meghan decided to move in.

Nothing really has changed. If they decide to end their lease then by all means rent it to someone else. I suspect it won't be that easy unless someone like Bea or Eugenie wants it.

it was sitting empty but it was tehn allocated to them as working royals and renovated. Possibly it was earmarked as a likely country home for H when he got married.. and then when he married and they wanted to live there, they got it and a lot of money was spent on making it into one residence. And it isn't easy to let to someone else, so it is an awkward situation for it now to be left unused for long periods.. It seems they are still only paying a limited rent, which is usual for working royals.. but they're not working royals now.

 

[muriel]

Theirs in the fact they are the current ones leased to it. As long as they are paying for it (and by all reports they will do so) then it is in fact their home.

It was already sitting empty for the most part per the documents. That is why it was in need renovation even before Harry and Meghan decided to move in.

Nothing really has changed. If they decide to end their lease then by all means rent it to someone else. I suspect it won't be that easy unless someone like Bea or Eugenie wants it.

It will be a convenient solution if Bea could find a use for FC.

 

[ACO]

it was sitting empty but it was tehn allocated to them as working royals and renovated. Possibly it was earmarked as a likely country home for H when he got married.. and then when he married and they wanted to live there, they got it and a lot of money was spent on making it into one residence. And it isn't easy to let to someone else, so it is an awkward situation for it now to be left unused for long periods.. It seems they are still only paying a limited rent, which is usual for working royals.. but they're not working royals now.

False. It was going to be renovated long before Harry and Meghan decided to move in. I think it was the Daily Mail that had posted all the official work documents. It was basically an abandoned 5 home unit and they had begun work on remodeling it into, I believe, a 3 home one to allow for more space for modern families. Then new docs were issued a few months later to turn it into a one family unit. It was said Harry and Meghan were initially going to move next door to the Cambridges (and they basically confirmed it on their website) but then decided against it and went to Windsor instead.

Anyways, the Today show who broke the Stanford University news had a report this morning on their show. I guess Harry and Meghan had meeting across San Francisco while in town. It was all education focused in connection to their foundation.

 

[XeniaCasaraghi]

I feel sorry for the people who actually left other jobs out with the royal family to join them.

I remember hearing years ago with Diana that staff would be moved to another royal rather than just being left without a job at all..

No it won’t, it really really won’t. Meghan, and Harry by connection, are now considered toxic of the highest degree, not to mention the general hostility towards them over their treatment of the queen, Charles and William.
No sane employer would want to get near any one who choose to work for them, they essentially failed their job in making sure they don’t screw up (which they did) they couldn’t even stop Harry and Meghan from publishing that proclamation and that idiotic demand list.

I think you are working to hard to spread the deserves annoyance towards M&H to others who worked for them. Harry and Meghan are the ones who messed up not the people who worked for them. The people who are advising them and working on their PR would be hard to.employ because they really gave some bad advice.

 

[Alison H]

I really wouldn't have thought that anyone would blame Harry and Meghan's staff for their behaviour. The staff are presumably going to include secretaries, people responsible for their clothes, and general household staff doing the cooking and cleaning. I don't see how anyone can blame them for anything.

 

[_Heather_]

I feel sorry for the people who actually left other jobs out with the royal family to join them.

I agree 100%. None of this mess is their fault and since most of them are not in the very privileged financial position of Harry and Meghan, they're the ones who will suffer the most through no fault of their own.

While I too hope that some will be able to find work within the "Firm," some of them left positions with the Royal Foundation and I have to wonder if they might have already been replaced.

I suspect that those who came from the Royal Foundation have been replaced already and even if they haven't, I doubt the door is open for a return. It's hard to return when you decided the grass would be greener on the other side and then got burned. Not exactly the ideal employees for the Royal Foundation when they essentially chose sides and were just unlucky enough for it to play out the way that it did.

I’m pessimistic about Harry ever doing anything much beyond these last couple of events....I’m kind of doubtful now that he’ll show up for even family events, like Trouping the Colour. I know that’s official, but still, it’s the Queen’s birthday event - it’s not like he’d be working. I hope I’m wrong.

I agree. I've said for awhile now that I don't really see him returning even for family events. At first I thought he might come back alone for those things but at this point I'd be surprised if even he comes back for anything. I certainly would be surprised, to say the least, to see them all back for any of those events.

 

[LadyGlendower]

I don't think PH will return for a while and when he does, he will be alone.

Yes, I'm old and cynical and I don't see their relationship going the distance. Happy wife doesn't always mean happy life and I think Harry will miss the UK and the Continent.

 

[Alison H]

I hope they do come back at some time this year, whether it's for Beatrice's wedding, Commonwealth Day, Trooping the Colour or anything else. Without wanting to sound like a harbinger of doom, the Queen and Prince Philip are not going to be here for ever. The Queen visited the Duke of Windsor in Paris during a state visit to Paris in 1972, and he died a couple of weeks later, and I'm sure she was so glad that she'd had that chance to see him. If you don't see people whilst you can, you may not have another chance. Sorry to be a gloom merchant, but Prince Philip's looking pretty frail now.

 

[Denville]

I don't se why he wont come back at times for some evetns. He has left his job, but he hasn't done antying wrong per se... why should he not occasionally attned family royal Events?

I remember hearing years ago with Diana that staff would be moved to another royal rather than just being left without a job at all..



I think you are working to hard to spread the deserves annoyance towards M&H to others who worked for them. Harry and Meghan are the ones who messed up not the people who worked for them. The people who are advising them and working on their PR would be hard to.employ because they really gave some bad advice.

Mabye they didn't.. maybe their PR people gave them good advice and it wasn't taken.. or they did the best they could but things didn't work out.

 

[Betsypaige]

They may not buy a house in Canada for awhile...they can rent indefinately. Might take a bit to find something that will work for their situation.


I'm thinking we may see them for the CW Services and Beatrice's wedding (along with a couple more things).

Charles funds the households of both his children..and really that is his business. Many parents around the world (regardless of income) help support their children/grandchildren.


LaRae

As to your last point, that’s absolutely true - and I’m sure the British public would be fine with that if it were confirmed that Charles was doing that through his personal, not Royal, monies.

That is a very fair point, they could have withdrawn from public life. i.e. royal life. but still stayed at Frogmore living the quiet life they claimed they wanted.

In fact, staying at Frogmore would have pretty much ensured that they wouldn’t have to deal with an intrusive media.

They wanted to live abroad part of the time.. that was part of the original plan.. so If they were told they could not continue with the Royal part of the job, then naturally they were going ot settle full time abroad. why woud they live part time in the UK if there was no pressing need to be there for royal duties, and they do have a need to earn a living which they were going to do abroad.

Denville, but the point is that Harry and Meghan were fine with living half the year in the UK. You’re saying that they really didn’t want to live in the UK at all if they didn’t have to....but then, if that’s true, why did they even propose a half and half situation unless it was to appease the Queen and Charles?