The Duke & Duchess of Sussex and Family, News and Events 5: June-July 2021

[Sandy345]

Three separate things. Harry said "someone" told him he or she "wondered" about the color of Archie.

Second Issue: Charles stopped paying for their security.

Third issue: Sussexes surprised that Archie got no title.

"hate" never was used by anybody involved in the process (Charles, Harry, et al).

 

[Osipi]

So much about her confuses me. She says they are the family she never had. Charles walks her down the aisle. The British people liked her (at least at first), but now she hates them and thinks they are horrible racists?

A word describing a character trait just jumped out at me from behind my chair and bit me on the nose. It's also a word that has been used quite often to describe Harry's mother. Mercurial. We do know that Meghan is not overly close with anyone in her family outside of her mother but it wouldn't surprise me to learn that, at times, when a relationship didn't go well, she dropped them like a hot potato and they were "out of favor". Diana also had this character trait and it was not unusual for her to be on the "outs" with someone that she'd been close with. Mind you, I'm not professing that this is Meghan's character trait as I really don't know her personally but from what I've seen, it's possible that this word could be used to define her personality.

Mercurial people are not easy to live with at all.

 

[ladyjolene]

A word describing a character trait just jumped out at me from behind my chair and bit me on the nose. It's also a word that has been used quite often to describe Harry's mother. Mercurial. We do know that Meghan is not overly close with anyone in her family outside of her mother but it wouldn't surprise me to learn that, at times, when a relationship didn't go well, she dropped them like a hot potato and they were "out of favor". Diana also had this character trait and it was not unusual for her to be on the "outs" with someone that she'd been close with. Mind you, I'm not professing that this is Meghan's character trait as I really don't know her personally but from what I've seen, it's possible that this word could be used to define her personality.

Mercurial people are not easy to live with at all.

That's a very good observation.

 

[Denville]

A word describing a character trait just jumped out at me from behind my chair and bit me on the nose. It's also a word that has been used quite often to describe Harry's mother. Mercurial. We do know that Meghan is not overly close with anyone in her family outside of her mother but it wouldn't surprise me to learn that, at times, when a relationship didn't go well, she dropped them like a hot potato and they were "out of favor". Diana also had this character trait and it was not unusual for her to be on the "outs" with someone that she'd been close with. Mind you, I'm not professing that this is Meghan's character trait as I really don't know her personally but from what I've seen, it's possible that this word could be used to define her personality.

Mercurial people are not easy to live with at all.

Possibly but with Diana, while there were some poeple she never made up quarels with, I think it was a quality of falling out but then making up. Im not saying it made her easy to live with.. but except for a few people I dont think she dropped relationships on a permanent basis. Whereas Meghan does seem to turn very strongly agaisnt people and never revisits the relationship.....

 

[Sandy345]

To be fair, I think Harry and Meghan DID try with Thomas Markle, but he went to the media and even revealed later they gave him $30,000 and he kept going back. It is a shame that he chose $$$ going to the media about Meghan than his communicating with them directly. Diana was NOTHING like Meghan, she was blessed with a loving father who would never ever sell her out. John Spencer was a very genial fellow. Diana had loyal friends who did not sell her out. Charles friends pretended to be Diana's friends then she found out they were helping Charles and Camilla's affair by giving them safe houses. Diana had a very difficult situation with Prince Charles who I think was a whole lot more "mercurial." That said, Meghan seems to have not been blessed with "loving" relatives. Meghan's much older half sister rushed to the media to put down her sister despite never spending much time with her. To me it's apples and oranges when Meghan and Diana are compared. It is hard for me to imagine how a father can sell out his daughter to the media for $$$. Very unnatural.

 

[Denville]

Three separate things. Harry said "someone" told him he or she "wondered" about the color of Archie.

Second Issue: Charles stopped paying for their security.

Third issue: Sussexes surprised that Archie got no title.

"hate" never was used by anybody involved in the process (Charles, Harry, et al).

??? Why were they surprised he "got no title?|" He had a title of Earl of Dumbarton and they wouldn't use that. And he was not going to be a HRH Prince until Charles is king. According to what I understand, Meghan believed that he would not be a Prince because of his racial origin and that his security was tied to his being a Prince - which is not the case.
AFAIK Charles dind't pay for their security. They had it free in Canada.. and when the Canadians cut that off, that's when they moved to LA.

 

[Sandy345]

I cannot answer questions about motivations or surprises of parties involved. That may never really be discovered definitively.

 

[Denville]

I cannot answer questions about motivations or surprises of parties involved. That may never really be discovered definitively.

But it is Royalslife 101 that their children would not get HRH as they were not the grandchildren of the monarch. They would only be HRH when Charles became King....Harry must understand that, even if Meghan didn't.

And security is decided by the Police.. in the UK... As royal guests in Canada, the Can govt paid for their security for a time but they were not likely to do it indefinitely and the couple were not working royals.

 

[Royalist.in.NC]

I actually do believe that she thinks this. She spent almost no time with the family before marrying in, so may not have had any real opinion of them at that time. Most Americans (and probably most non-upper-class Brits) would have a first impression of the family as being cool and standoffish, just due to cultural differences. Her views on issues like race were formed well before she met Harry, so it doesn't surprise me that she'd perceive that as racially motivated. She became pregnant shortly after getting married, and by her own account she had serious mental health issues during the pregnancy. Also by her own account, it seems like things only got worse after Archie's birth. I can believe that she perceived and processed information in way that was not securely rooted in reality, and therefore sincerely believes quite a few things that aren't actually true.

Harry, on the other hand... this is his family, his father and grandmother, that he believes would deny his son a title for being the wrong color. I find that much more troubling. None of the excuses one can make for Meghan applies to Harry here. I know he's not the one who made the claims about the title, but he doesn't appear to have tried all that hard to correct Meghan's obvious misunderstandings on the subject, either.

These are all excellent points - thanks for these new insights!

 

[Ista]

Several speculative or otherwise off topic posts have been removed. There's plenty to discuss about the Sussexes without filling in the blanks with speculation.

 

[TLLK]

??? Why were they surprised he "got no title?|" He had a title of Earl of Dumbarton and they wouldn't use that. And he was not going to be a HRH Prince until Charles is king. According to what I understand, Meghan believed that he would not be a Prince because of his racial origin and that his security was tied to his being a Prince - which is not the case.
AFAIK Charles dind't pay for their security. They had it free in Canada.. and when the Canadians cut that off, that's when they moved to LA.

I was truly stunned by the Sussexes' thinking regarding who would be responsible for paying for their security once they chose to step back from senior royal duties. The British and Canadian taxpayers were generous enough to fund their costs while the couple resided in Vancouver but should not have been responsible after it was determined that they no longer wished to be official representatives of the monarchy and British government. As to thinking that Prince/Princess=full time security, they just had to look to Anne, Andrew, Edward, Beatrice, Eugenie, Richard, Edward Kent and Alexandra who all were born with the styles and titles of a prince/princess but who now no longer receive full time protection. I'm truly baffled as to why they thought that Charles should pick up those expenses.


Well as of now the couple have to consider covering the security expenses for little Lili too when they're planning their budgets.

 

[iceflower]

The Duke of Sussex has released a statement regarding the killings of HALO staff in Afghanistan:


** Excerpt ** halotrust: A MESSAGE FROM PRINCE HARRY **

 

[_Heather_]

We didn't need this information. And for a privacy obsessed couple, when it suits them anyway, to authorize one of their friends to share this level of detail including the names of the doctors? Really? And for those who want to scream about "we don't know who the source is and what if they didn't authorize it?" I'd say give it 24 hours. If there's no threat of a lawsuit then it's entirely authorized up to and including the names of the physicians involved.
https://people.com/royals/inside-meghan-markle-ultra-private-birth-plan/

 

[Heavs]

We didn't need this information. And for a privacy obsessed couple, when it suits them anyway, to authorize one of their friends to share this level of detail including the names of the doctors? Really? And for those who want to scream about "we don't know who the source is and what if they didn't authorize it?" I'd say give it 24 hours. If there's no threat of a lawsuit then it's entirely authorized up to and including the names of the physicians involved.
https://people.com/royals/inside-meghan-markle-ultra-private-birth-plan/

Ultra Private? Yet the details are released to People Magazine which only prints what PR people want them to print.

They are of course allowed to release whatever details of their daughter's birth they want to but let's not pretend there's anything private about this.

So now they release the Drs names when we were told that was ultra confidential, potentially life saving information with Archie in case pranksters got to them like the tragic nurse at the Lindo wing or targeted them because of conspiracy theories. And now we actually have confirmation of one of the doctors who over saw her when she was pregnant/giving birth to Archie.

So when Archie was born and it was standard royal protocol to announce when and where the birth had taken place and for the doctors to sign the letter for the official easel - nope can't do that, our baby, our privacy, circus etc. Again if that's what they wanted to do so be it. We found out Archie had been born at the Portland from his birth certificate.

Now when they aren't official public figures anymore they give her a "royal linked" name, release details of the hospital, doctors, birthing suites and their thoughts and feelings on everything as told by a "friend".

Explain this to me? I really don't get it. Do they just like being contrary? Or is this to cover over the name issue?

Again, they are free to make these choices but it's just a little confusing.

 

[Denville]

Ultra Private? Yet the details are released to People Magazine which only prints what PR people want them to print.

They are of course allowed to release whatever details of their daughter's birth they want to but let's not pretend there's anything private about this.

So now they release the Drs names when we were told that was ultra confidential, potentially life saving information with Archie in case pranksters got to them like the tragic nurse at the Lindo wing or targeted them because of conspiracy theories. And now we actually have confirmation of one of the doctors who over saw her when she was pregnant/giving birth to Archie.

So when Archie was born and it was standard royal protocol to announce when and where the birth had taken place and for the doctors to sign the letter for the official easel - nope can't do that, our baby, our privacy, circus etc. Again if that's what they wanted to do so be it. We found out Archie had been born at the Portland from his birth certificate.

Now when they aren't official public figures anymore they give her a "royal linked" name, release details of the hospital, doctors, birthing suites and their thoughts and feelings on everything as told by a "friend".

Explain this to me? I really don't get it. Do they just like being contrary? Or is this to cover over the name issue?

Again, they are free to make these choices but it's just a little confusing.

has this been released by the Sussexes?

 

[Prinsara]

Explain this to me? I really don't get it. Do they just like being contrary? Or is this to cover over the name issue?

Again, they are free to make these choices but it's just a little confusing.

They like being in control. Of their actions and their narrative. Can't do that playing in someone else's show.

 

[Heavs]

has this been released by the Sussexes?

By "friends" via People Magazine which only prints what it is officially told to be publicists. And as _Heather_ says if we don't hear threats to sue over this "ultra private" event in a few hours.....

 

[Erin9]

The Duke & Duchess of Sussex and Family, News and Events 5: June 2021-

By "friends" via People Magazine which only prints what it is officially told to be publicists. And as _Heather_ says if we don't hear threats to sue over this "ultra private" event in a few hours.....

Indeed. People does have reliable sources.

Yep. One of the problems with threatening to sue over fairly IMO petty things- ie the BBC story about Lili’s name- is it really stands out when you don’t over other stories.

I read the People story and basically thought: who cares? This is- to me- not interesting information at all. EXCEPT- in how it so obviously contradicts their behavior when Archie was born. Everything was private then. Oh- and their need to emphasize how this is soooo much better than Archie’s birth. Of course.

I did lol at the emphasis on the female aspect of this birth plan. No surprise there.

Also- the 20 month total time off got another mention. I’m still amused that they want it to be publicly known that they’re taking lots of time off. From my POV they haven’t done much work wise. Nothing overly public anyway. So- who needs to know this? The time off sure isn’t silencing them either….

 

[Erin9]

They like being in control. Of their actions and their narrative. Can't do that playing in someone else's show.

You hit the nail on the head. They like to be in control.

And- I think they feel they need the publicity now. They didn’t need it when Archie was born. Now- they need it to stay relevant. So- we’re given lots of information.

 

[Somebody]

They've used friends contacting People Magazine before to let the world know that Meghan wrote a letter to her father...

I'm a bit surprised that the felt the need to have a doctor from the UK available from a distance. Are there truly no capable doctors in California that they entrusted themselves to for the birth of their daughter?

 

[CrownPrincessJava]

They've used friends contacting People Magazine before to let the world know that Meghan wrote a letter to her father...

I'm a bit surprised that the felt the need to have a doctor from the UK available from a distance. Are there truly no capable doctors in California that they entrusted themselves to for the birth of their daughter?

I'm not. Her UK OBGYN would have all the medical details regarding Meghan's first pregnancy. We have no idea if Meghan suffered from gestational diabetes, really high blood pressure etc that is far more prevalent with women who have children after 35. I see it as due diligence from her US medical team, even if Meghan had a "textbook" first pregnancy.

 

[Somebody]

I'm not. Her UK OBGYN would have all the medical details regarding Meghan's first pregnancy. We have no idea if Meghan suffered from gestational diabetes, really high blood pressure etc that is far more prevalent with women who have children after 35. I see it as due diligence from her US medical team, even if Meghan had a "textbook" first pregnancy.

It wouldn't be too hard to share her medical history instead of having her earlier Obgyn 'present' at the birth. Two of my family members had complicated pregnancies and deliveries but because they moved to a different part of the country between the first and second birth, they had different doctors attending to them; the first one was in no way involved with the second and third. If there had been questions in advance that weren't answered in the paperwork, I am sure they would have contacted them in advance - but in no way were they 'providing remote support'.

I guess, if you are important enough you can easily get this preferential treatment (they also wrote about a big security team - I am surprised that went unnoticed if it was that big). Preferential treatment is of course uncommon for members of the royal family but very different than for most women who give birth.

 

[HenRach Dominion]

My first post! Yay!

It's so awesome that HRH The Duke of Sussex spoke out against the killings of the HALO trust workers, especially since their cause was so important to Diana, Princess of Wales. His mother would be so proud of him.

I hope he, HRH The Duchess of Sussex, Master Archie, and Miss Lilibet are enjoying their leave peacefully in Santa Barbara. Love the name and nickname, btw. HM The Queen must be ecstatic that her nickname will be preserved in her great-granddaughter, especially since many of the people who called her it have passed. And it's cool that, through names or nicknames, HRH The Prince of Wales's grandchildren can all rhyme (Georgie, Lotte, Louis, Archie, Lili)!

 

[Somebody]

My first post! Yay!

It's so awesome that HRH The Duke of Sussex spoke out against the killings of the HALO trust workers, especially since their cause was so important to Diana, Princess of Wales. His mother would be so proud of him.

I hope he, HRH The Duchess of Sussex, Master Archie, and Miss Lilibet are enjoying their leave peacefully in Santa Barbara. Love the name and nickname, btw. HM The Queen must be ecstatic that her nickname will be preserved in her great-granddaughter, especially since many of the people who called her it have passed. And it's cool that, through names or nicknames, HRH The Prince of Wales's grandchildren can all rhyme (Georgie, Lotte, Louis, Archie, Lili)!

Welcome! I hope you enjoy the royal forums and will learn a lot about the many royals all over the world!

Original thought. Yes, if you butcher Charlotte's name it is indeed possible - but in practice, I've never heard or seen her called that; so, in real life they don't...

(and Georgie sounds more like a girl's than boy's name imho)

 

[Curryong]

The Duke of Sussex has released a statement regarding the killings of HALO staff in Afghanistan:


** Excerpt ** halotrust: A MESSAGE FROM PRINCE HARRY **

Harry’s message about this terrible massacre is heartfelt. He took over this charity from his mother Diana, and reflects his feelings, shared by all who read about this. People just doing their jobs, very important work in the field, trying to make things better for others after war and conflict, just mowed down. Truly barbaric!

Welcome! I hope you enjoy the royal forums and will learn a lot about the many royals all over the world!

Original thought. Yes, if you butcher Charlotte's name it is indeed possible - but in practice, I've never heard or seen her called that; so, in real life they don't...

(and Georgie sounds more like a girl's than boy's name imho)

I do think that Lili goes well with Archie. Both have a Victorian quality about them. A woman in Belfast on one of William and Kate’s walkabouts there got into conversation with Kate about her small son. Kate then said ‘Oh he’s the same age as Lottie!’.


https://www.townandcountrymag.com/s...ess-charlotte-kate-middleton-lottie-nickname/


I think that royals call their children by all sorts of nicknames or indulge them in their fantasies like names they call themselves (George’s ‘Archie’ for instance) just like other parents, especially if the child has been given a long name. They just shorten it.

 

[Frelinghighness]

So sad the saga. I actually went to one of the invictus games and bought a t shsirt. I saw Harry from afar, he seemed very nervous . I have recycled my t shirt. Actions speak louder than words. His actions and words towards his elderly grandmother who has devoted her life to the crown have been unacceptable. I do not believe any words he may easily transcribe over the internet can possibly make a difference

 

[Curryong]

Harry has never attacked his grandmother in words or deeds. I’ve also seen Harry in real life several times and he was affable, cheerful, caring towards those he met. Halo was taken over from his mother Diana who also devoted many years of her short adult life to charity work and did it with warmth and love.

I believe Harry is truly shocked and horrified by what has happened to the Halo workers. And I also believe that he is sincere about his work with veterans over many years, including the Invictus Games he founded.

 

[Leopoldine]

Harry’s message about this terrible massacre is heartfelt. He took over this charity from his mother Diana, and reflects his feelings, shared by all who read about this. People just doing their jobs, very important work in the field, trying to make things better for others after war and conflict, just mowed down. Truly barbaric!

Given the timing of the killings, don't you think that the Diana connection was known by the killers and that they are counting on Harry to go bonkers, which draws attention to their cause?

 

[Curryong]

What is ‘the cause’? Murdering people who are trying to save others? And this raid would have been planned in my view and was probably strictly local. They wouldn’t be worried about royal patronages connected to Halo.

Why would Harry ‘go bonkers’ over such acts? They are to be condemned by everybody, surely? And what did they expect him to do, take a posse and hunt them down personally? Harry’s statement was cool, professional, condemnatory and exactly the right thing to do.

 

[US Royal Watcher]

Given the timing of the killings, don't you think that the Diana connection was known by the killers and that they are counting on Harry to go bonkers, which draws attention to their cause?

That is very unlikely. Tragically, aides workers have been targeted by terrorist groups in Afghanistan for years. Moreover, the workers were from an ethnic group, the Hazaras, who are have also been targeted by terrorists. It was another horrific killing in a country that has been suffering from these attacks for more than 40 years. I am glad Harry acknowledged the heroism of these aide workers. My heart and prayers go out to them and their families.