The Instagram account @SussexRoyal, generally assumed to be run by Meghan Markle, posted a new photo of Baby Archie today to commemorate Father's Day.
Although the photo is sepia-toned - a nod to Markle's beloved black-and-white - at least the baby's back isn't to the camera, as Meghan is so fond of posing in photos of her and her husbands.
Strangely, the baby's face is half-obscured, covered by Harry's hand, which is
shot from an angle that makes it appear larger than the baby's head.
The
real centerpiece of the photo is Harry's wedding ring, which is right in the middle of the frame.
A cold and loveless photo
Baby
pictures with a parent are a classic that dates back to the Renaissance
painters and before. Sometimes the mother and child (or, less often, father
and child) both gaze out at the viewer; in other images, they look lovingly at each
other.
But unfailingly, they interact. Part of the visual story is the interaction between the parent and child.
But unfailingly, they interact. Part of the visual story is the interaction between the parent and child.
Not
in the Baby Sussex photo. Harry's face isn't shown; we see only the hands of a
man, presumably Harry, who could be said to be flaunting his wedding ring at the
camera.
(Had it been a female hand, it would have looked like an advertisement for jewellery).
Is the message here "my marriage, and my spouse, is more important than this child"?
Is the message here "my marriage, and my spouse, is more important than this child"?
The baby appears trapped
Archie
appears trapped behind the man's hand, almost as if he is trying to climb
out of a hole. His mouth is covered, as if he has no voice.
The baby's eyes reach out to the viewer, but they don't radiate peace or joy; in fact, he seems unhappy and afraid.
What's more, he's not interacting with the man who is holding him.
Is he interacting with the person taking the photo? If so, there appears to be very little affection between them.
What's going on in this photo? And what does it say about the person who took it and chose to post it?
What's more, he's not interacting with the man who is holding him.
Is he interacting with the person taking the photo? If so, there appears to be very little affection between them.
Odd little hand hairs
Oddly, the hairs on the man's hand cover part of the baby's nose in the photo. This would have been a good opportunity for Photoshop; it seems unlikely that his random body hair is really more important than seeing a new baby's face.What's going on in this photo? And what does it say about the person who took it and chose to post it?
Comments
And there is something odd about that baby's hand. Not quite right.
Hard to tell about the color of the ring with the sepia tone. The ladies over at Lipstick Alley think the sepia was chosen either a) to hide the fact that the baby has melanin or to b) hide the fact that the baby has very little melanin or c) hide the baby's hair and eye color so 'haters' cannot analyze them.
In my opinion, it's more likely just Meg trying to be arty.
Did anyone see William's Father's Day photo today? It's him with Louis on a swing, interacting, as loving parents and their children generally do.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-7146901/William-shares-cute-snap-Prince-Louis-pays-tribute-father-Charles-Fathers-Day.html
It's not an attractive photo. Then again, neither are the ones she posts of herself and Harry together. They never seem to be interacting - one of them is always looking off into the distance or into the camera.
While I only post about once a week, they come up with insightful comments all the time!
Harry was also a strange-looking baby.
What I find strange is that he appears to be the same size or smaller than he was a month ago when he was first presented. Isn't one of the reasons you share baby pictures is to show how much baby has grown?
That said, in the UK the "middle finger salute" is given in a V-shape, with the palm out. But I'm sure Meg knows the US version.
Kind of odd that the baby wouldn't grip the finger closest to him. Perhaps his hand was placed on this particular finger.
Yes, the baby looks voiceless, or like someone is trying to control or cover up his voice.
The baby does look very different from the first photo. There was some talk of a surrogate who refused to give up the baby, or was convinced to keep the baby by the Royal Family. This would be much more plausible if the baby does not have Harry's DNA, or if Harry does not have Royal DNA.
Neither one of the Sussexes seems to be in a good place for parenting a baby right now.
Harry has struggled with drug and alcohol problems in the past and is looking tattered and sloppy at the moment, with wrinkled clothes, holes in his shoes, and poorly-groomed hair. This suggests he may again be having problems with addiction.
Meghan's swollen appearance suggests that something is up with her as well, whether it is a medical condition or the results of drinking and heavy crying.
What's more, they seem unable to keep staff, so even having a trusted nanny take on the responsibility of raising a baby seems unlikely.
If there indeed a surrogate, perhaps the baby would be better off with her, or with an adoptive family.
Whomever posted this strange, disconnected image appears to be suffering from psychological problems and is not the appropriate caretaker for an infant.
As to Markle's reasons for not showing the usual sort of baby pictures, either there is something wrong with the baby or she is trying to drum up more intrigue, as they did with the birth announcement.
I also noticed that the caption said "And wishing a very special first Father's Day to the Duke of Sussex". In the past, when posting Instagram greetings , she has purposely avoided using titles, eg, not referring to Charlotte as Princess Charlotte on her birthday. Then why refer to your child's father and your husband as the Duke of Sussex rather than Harry?
Just to say, we do use the middle finger here in the UK. It means the same as it does in the US.
We do also use two fingers in a V sign. This has two meanings here.
Palm facing out is the traditional 'peace'/hippie sign.
Palm facing towards the signaller is seen as a slightly less rude version of the middle finger. It looks bizarre to us to see many Americans doing this in photographs. I understand it means 'peace' to them.
I think this was a clear cut message from Media Meg. The focus was the middle finger and the wedding ring. She was telling the UK "FU, we're married and we do so have a baby." because she wasn't welcomed back with open arms at TTC and the absolute roasting her marriage received from the 'turn around' footage.
This is becoming tiresome for a lot of people and many are calling her Megantionette. This middle finger picture just symbolises her distain for the country she chose to come live in, it's traditions, the family she chose to join and the people who fund her lifestyle. All while taking our money. She honestly thinks she is clever doing things like this, but then wants us all to love her! She's deranged.
Whew! Sorry, meant to start that as a quick explaination and rather went off on one! I just cannot believe it has gone on this long!
Why does Harry only get two sentences on his post and Meghan's mother's day post was a long blabberfest including a poem?
She really is disinterested in anything not focused on her!
And it might just be me, but it seems like Nutmeg is trying to get the same accolades for her photography as Kate gets for hers.
One other thing - When megs, harry and baby made their appearance, it was *Harry* holding the child, with Megs being really awkward with her hand positions. In this photo again it is harry taking pole position (or what is meant to be his hand). There is no Megs in this photo.
Are they even living at Frogmore? I keep reading that no one sees any movement at their cottage, and it seems Sparkles is being hidden away. There is definitely something afoot.
I agree with your observation. Noticed how prominent Harry's ring and his middle finger is on the photo. Archie's eyes look scared.
You do get the occasional flagrant racist that says totally inappropriate things about Markle, but those people seem to make up only a small percentage of those following the story.
Most of her superfans wouldn't be so interested if she were a white blonde girl from Texas named Debbie who had carried a suitcase on Deal or No Deal.
The Queen did not attend Louis' christening. I think it's her age. That, and she probably doesn't feel the need to attend the christening of a child who will never ascend the throne (that includes Louis, in reality).
The RF has already punished her every way they know how - by giving her a crummy house and second-rate jewelry, by not giving her child a title or a 21-gun salute like other Royal babies, by cold-shouldering her in public.
And still she persists.
I don't think they have any other kind of enforcement mechanism in place because they've never needed it before.
Queen Victoria wasn't the the most obvious person in line for the throne, and neither was Queen Elizabeth herself at the time she was born.
As the religious justification behind the monarchy fades, we may get to a point where the child who wants the throne most will take it over, just like the children in an ordinary family might take over the family business.
Charlotte appears much more confident and outgoing than George - she might be more up for the job than he is. But who knows. They're only children now.
You make an interesting point, since Meg seems to like to compare and compete with the Cambridges. Yet Kate has the common touch with her photos - they are well-composed but also accessible and friendly.
Meg tries to go arty, and it doesn't really work. It closes people out. In general, Meg seems to have trouble connecting with other humans, and it shows in the photographs she chooses.
That would account for some of the sour faces among the Royals at her wedding, along with her assurances that she had "everything under control" when it came to her family, when she clearly did not.
I can't believe that anyone on staff would be clueless enough to post such an awful photo. I think this post is all Meg.
I still think they are trying to sell the rights to Archies full image to a glossy mag and that's why they are holding out on showing a normal pic of him. It reeks of desperation.
Forty years ago Chuck married a much younger woman because he needed to marry a virgin - complete with medical virginity check. Fifty years ago marrying a divorced person was a no-go. Now we've got Markle in the family. Things change.
I do think that in an increasingly nationalist Europe, post-Brexit, a longstanding Royal Family has a role to play.
I wish you Godspeed if you'd like to start that type of blog - Google Blogger is free and very easy to use - but that's not what we're here to do.
That said, Enty has said repeatedly that the big bucks for baby pictures era peaked with Shiloh Jolie-Pitt 13 years ago.
Print magazines just don't make enough money off of exclusive photos any more to justify a big payout, Enty says.
I believe both Beyoncé and the Kardashians debuted their children on Instagram. What about Serena Williams, does anybody know?
The maternal line is supposed to indicate for baldness, I thought . . but even the seriously ill Earl Spencer had more hair on Diana's wedding day than William does now. Heck, Charles, who had the glaring bald patch on his wedding day at 32 years of age has still got more hair than William. Andrew alone seems to have escaped the balding gene. The late King George VI was not bald by 56.
Charles, Earl Spencer is not bald, either.
Kate's father Michael Middleton looks to have a great head of hair . . perhaps there is hope for George and Louis.
My sincerest apologies as I was not intending to derail the threat with my "allegedly* comment (of the now-deleted post); but upon reflection I can see that maybe you thought that might have been my intention.
I hope it's okay to re-post here the rest of my initial comment in that I think the adorable picture William chose to post of himself and Louis was merely a moment in a time - a very adorable one - not meant to deliberately exclude George and Charlotte; rather to celebrate something special. William might not have a picture of himself and the three children together anyway. But, sadly, some people are reading too much into the solo picture of himself and Louis, even going so far as to say that he's playing favourites with Louis because Louis is the public's favourite.
Again, I hope it's okay to post this here; I was originally responding to your comment about William posting the photo for Father's Day.
x
Just adding this here as a point for discussion, nothing else ... hope this is okay.
Lots of people have been drawing parallels with the types of photos Meghan posting mirroring those that Kylie Jenner does ... is Meghan fan-girling Kylie now?
MM is a stealth manipulator. She may be a sub-B level actress on the screen, but she’s Oscar worthy in real life. She didn’t need to fake a pregnancy in order to get PH to marry her, he was a willing victim. Let’s face it, Harry is not suave or sophisticated, or particularly bright for that matter. His “Girls Gone Wild,” hookers in Vegas antics is who he is. He has the emotional maturity of a sixteen year old boy.
I think a possible scenario is that despite warnings from his brother, PW and his father, PC, to slow things down with MM, Harry was determined to have his own way and marry her (sixteen year old, lacking impulse control). All the while, thinking it was his idea, when it was actually hers. I wouldn’t be surprised if Harry threw a tantrum in front of his father, making threats and shouting hollow ultimatums like: “If you don’t let me marry her, I will leave the family...”
The Firm probably had to relent in order to avoid a nasty PR situation. Harry thought he was victorious and got what he wanted. Eugenie had her wedding date hijacked and all the while, who is the Wizard behind the curtain? Meghan.
It seems to be a tactic of the Meghan team to derail any discussion of her many missteps with rumors about Prince William's sex life, and since your user name is "Guest" and I hadn't seen you before, I assumed that was what you were up to.
We're good now!
This is what I referred to as well by 'emotional blackmail'. I'll go one step further and proffer that he probably threatened self-harm (he admitted he needed professional help over the death of his mother). I also believe the evidence shows he is riven with jealousy over his brother's birthright to be King and lovely, settled family. Harry had everything in his favour to blackmail: the Queen knew what her younger sister endured being born "the spare".
PH- “The fact that I fell in love with Meghan so incredibly quickly was confirmation to me that all the stars were aligned,” he said. “This beautiful woman just tripped and fell into my life, I fell into her life. I know that she will be unbelievably good at the job part of it as well.”
“Just tripped and fell into my life” Hardly. Every step by MM was calculated.
What a gullible, dolt he is.
He's no doubt used to women throwing themselves at him; his perfect match would be someone who refused a date with him and made him work for her attention ... someone who is established on her own and is confident in herself. That might make him grow up a little.
As a person, however, Harry is warm and genuine. I think he's very much a gem; he just needs that special someone to make him feel complete. When he finds her - and I think he will, but a bit later in life - everything else will fall into place for him.
And no, he doesn't have as much money as people might think. The Royals in general don't seem to have a lot of cash in hand; most of their money is tied up in artworks and property.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/41251980
https://www.forhims.com/blog/baldness-gene
So, backstory, first: I love Will & Kate, but I was a Harry fan, too. When PH got engaged to an American actress, I had to read about her. Here are my thoughts, and I apologize for the long first post. I will try (and probably fail miserably) to be better next time.
Okay. I'm an American. I binge my share of Amazon and Netflix, and my first response to the news that PH was marrying MM was "Meghan who?". And I had suffered thru an episode or so of SUITS, and she was so unremarkable that she was not able to rise to the heap of that mediocre pile.
But, okay, maybe I missed something, right?
Yeah, no.
My professional work has involved researching frauds, and I spotted her at the engagement interview, and kept on going. There is literally nothing about her that I read that is true enough to be even superficially convincing/compelling, and most of it is outright fabrication. She is what happens when grandiose delusions and trashy taste get drunk and breed in the alley behind a bowling alley.
And Harry fell for it.
But I get it, we've all been played.
So that brings us to the current baby/TOTC surreality. The envelope please: The winners are Pillow. And drugs. (Drugs causing the puffiness, maybe so she can breastfeed. Maybe because she's just merde of the bat crazy. Maybe both. Maybe neither. But drugs, definitely.)
I agree with those who believe the end is near for her with the BRF. And here's why: they've given up the pretense. There are no longer pleasantries. I think when PH was besotted (or slowly poisoned, who knows w/the Megster), the BRF had to go along b/c racism and pauvre bébé PH. I think that is why HMTQ had to be seen with her and be fond of her early on so that when the public finally recognized the fraud of it all and that PH was Meg's mark(le), all of the BRF could say "well, it's not like we didn't try...". They could not afford another Diana, so they embraced Markle early and often... until it was no longer necessary, and I believe we're there... (I'm going to run out of room, and again, I apologize, but my earlier attempts to post failed, so I have all of this stored up :) So, to the rest of it...
The rest we've all seen. The scrum around HMTQ. Autumn and Peter standing feet away from MM & not speaking a word. Harry's contempt. And all of that and the silence about the baby.
I think that Lord G has found the awful on the markle, and finally, Harry has been humiliated with the truth, and it's so bad that he can no longer deny it. He's been played, he's put the BRF at risk, and he can't hide and pretend. I believe HMTQ thru Lord G will dictate the terms of mm's inevitable departure, and I do not think they will be generous. If there is a baby, and I believe there must be because I cannot imagine HMTQ fawning over a reborn doll, not even for a minute), then PH will get the baby he always wanted.
IMO, if mm were any threat to the BRF or if there were any hope for this marriage, the family would be chin-up-and-smile at the fraud and Harry might be angry, but not contemptuous. And what I saw in his face on the balcony was utter contempt, and there's no coming back from that. Now it's just time and the exit stage right.
Markle couldn't even fade into obscurity, she was already there, pre-PH, and PH came thru right on time. He got played. And I think he knows it finally. He might, as one said above, be "thick as nails", but he's got pride and an ego, and knowing that she'd tried to pass the markle around like she was prix fixe on a two-star menu to anyone who could pay up in cold hard, that's gotta sting. And if the DM is printing those stories without the BRF stopping it, I'd imagine that's the least of what's out there and Lord G holds the coupe de grace, and he'll play it, if needed. Pauvre bébé PH, indeed.
I'm nobody in the scheme of things; I could be completely wrong. But if that is the case, why did the Queen need to go, cap in hand, to the UK Government for more money to fix her leaky palaces? All these staff must cost an absolute fortune to house and board (those who do board have their wages adjusted accordingly, but still ...). And then there is chatter of Charles selling a lot of land that he owns ... I don't know the ins and outs of that, but I do wonder why.
As I say, I could be wrong and am happy to be corrected by someone who really does know what they're talking about.
But it does seem very odd in this day and age for these people to be propped up by struggling citizens, especially when there is jewellery and property worth more than we could ever imagine, just sitting there doing nothing (most of the time).
I also think it’s relevant that The Times UK published a piece this week saying Prince Philip had told Harry not to marry Markle.
Why was this information being published precisely now, when the advice must have been given more than a year ago?
I won't bore you all with the way the royals are funded, however, Nutty is right - Harry doesn't have much money. Yes, he does have trust funds from both his mother and the Queen Mother (who was able to trespass succession law by the use of strategic trusts, but I digress) ... the corpus of the trusts may be worth $100M pounds (remember that the Queen Mother had many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, she was consistently in debt too). I'm not sure when the trusts vested, if they have, and what income Harry derives - but by royal and aristocratic standards, Harry, in his own right, is poor. William is the one who will be very wealthy and independent, but Charles, at this time, comes first as Monarch.
The Monarch may only pass on assets (whatever form) to the next Monarch to avoid inheritance tax. Harry is not the next monarch and never will be, barring some catastrophe.
The reason why the Queen doesn't pay for BP repairs and refurbishment herself is that she does not own it. it is owned by the public as are most of the palaces and castles. It is a contentious issue, but whatever ... there is an percentage increase in the Sovereign Grant to cover the cost of that.
The upshot is: William will inherit the Duchy of Cornwall when he becomes Prince of Wales (soon after the Queen's passing) when Charles ascends. The Monarch may draw upon the Duchy of Lancaster, plus the Sovereign Grant (public money) pays for the office of Head of State (including any heirs and successors at the Monarch's choosing, according to LAW). This is how the offices of Andrew, Anne, et al are funded because they have no independent income for public office.
Harry will be reliant on his brother and father for life - unless he wants to seriously curtail his lavish lifestyle. But there is NO way he can live that lifestyle on his own private funds. With Meg, it would likely only last 1 year.
@Guest above: as you can see by my post, it's a scandal and why the monarchy will eventually be abolished. I should add that the Duchies don't belong to the royals. They are publicly owned, so one might submit (and many don't understand) that every single detail of their luxurious lives (holidays, private schools, best of everything) is funded by the public.
As a person with an upper tertiary education, and wanting to help people from all walks of life, I don't like to say that Harry is dumb, however true it might be. I certainly have called him far worse, so not pointing fingers. He's certainly not what one could call intelligent, but I also think he has massive insecurities, jealousy of his brother and serious mental issues that were never addressed. Also, being indulged from birth has only added to this calamity.
Even Diana, an aristocrat, one of "them" found the ruthlessness of "the firm" extreme and frightening ... and she gave birth to the future King.
Markle is nothing to the BRF, disposable at best. For all William and Harry's talk about being "in control" and modernising things, the core values of the monarchy can never change for it to survive. William gets it. He got to marry a commoner, but that is as far as it goes. He knew that when he was ordered back to KP to work full-time and not luxuriate in the country, like some jet-setting playboy using private funds.
That is, an archaic, ancient, traditional, hierarchical institution that does not adhere to modern values or even laws. The lines got blurred with Diana and that is what has caused all this mayhem.
Markle has been firmly put back in her place and when she returns from maternity leave, her profile will be diminished. This all started with Harry & Meg having to leave KP. Aus Unknown.
Two avenues here:
When this happens, it has to look like it is Harry's idea so he can have some pride and show some strength of character, but he'll do so with the BRF's full support. If word comes from PC or (even better) Camilla, then even better on this front.
BUT
If/when something horrid does come out and PH doesn't de-meg himself, then at least the rest of the BRF are done and dusted and will have distanced themselves from her... and PH.
It's inevitable PH will have to make a choice. Hopefully, he will pass on seconds of mm's two-star-menu-prix-fixe derriere and go instead with humble pie and back to his family who will, inevitably, forgive him.
That said, I do believe that strange things are afoot at the Palace K and BP, too. It would be one thing to try and control the Megster, but it's another entirely to be freezing her out so completely and with such obviousness so soon. They cannot allow the same blowback and sympathy re: Diana to happen again. Given that, I believe they feel safe to proceed in glaring fashion at this point.
I could be completely wrong, of course.
They need large portions of the British populace - not just the people who closely follow the royals - to see how inappropriately she behaves.
I'm sure they follow the popularity polls very closely to see how the general public perceives her. She won't be pushed out until she is very, very unpopular.
In the meantime, the number of UK magazine covers with Markle's face on it can be seen as a rough indication of how many UK fans she has.
Magazine editors have a product to sell, and they will quickly adapt if issues featuring Meghan don't do well.
In relation to your point, I always predicted that the Queen would make life so uncomfortable for her that she'd leave of her own volition. Of course, the Queen would do it all so delicately and with decorum that not many would understand the nuance of it.
I think Harry has been told that there will be no divorce so soon after marriage and baby - there would be a public outcry over the cost of the wedding. I'd say that adds to his anger. To be honest, with her controlling nature and unstable mind, I'd bet that their whole relationship has been characterised by huge fights, followed by co-dependent unity. Aus Unknown.
Part of the problem is probably Diana's determination to treat both sons the same and not make William feel special because he was the heir.
That helped create Harry's resentment as he grew up and realized that William really WAS special and that the two of them were in no way equal.
William also reportedly took an extremely long time accepting his destiny as heir, hanging around in the countryside enjoying his role with the Air Ambulance, which is all well and good but doesn't pay anywhere near enough to support his lifestyle.
I see that William is not making the same mistake with George.
While William was just called "Wills" at school, George is called "PG" - Prince George. ("Tips" as a nickname, after the PG Tips brand of teabags.) The rationale seems to be that George should know that "Prince" will be part of his name for all of his life, at least until it is replaced with "King."
Not all second sons have to be troubled. For example, Prince Akishino in Japan actually seems more well-adjusted than his older brother, and his family life is certainly more successful.
But I think that the British Royal Family will be around, as will the Scandinavian and Dutch Royal Families, which have done a good job of adapting to modern circumstances. Not sure about the Spaniards.
As I've said elsewhere, the Danes have already messed around with the line of succession - technically, Queen Margrethe should not be on the throne, since the line of succession pointed to a mentally-handicapped male cousin. The always practical Danes made the necessary adjustments.
In general, what's fading is the belief that God himself puts monarchs on the throne and gives them the power to lead. What's not fading is the love for a steady, reliable figure not subject to the whims of politics and fashion.
Harry's growth was disrupted by Diana's early death, making that situation hard to assess. It was Diana who demanded that the boys be treated equally and that has caused many problems (as Queen Mother wisely predicted). But I think if Diana had lived until at least Harry's adulthood, she would have been there to assure him that he was valued and to guide him toward forging his own, unique path without undoing it all by getting tangled up with cheap opportunists. I think the boys would have been closer, because IMO, William wouldn't have been attached to the Middletons.
It's just my opinion anyway, but I do think their is unusual gushing over Lois. Everyone can see different things. Aus Unknown.
Veena: harsh as it sounds, I have to agree. Harry was desperate and there is a sadness to this.
The Monarchy does not control the Commonwealth of Nations, so one nation can remove the monarchy, but remain in the Commonwealth of Nations.
I can't speak for other monarchies in Scandinavia or elsewhere, but I can speak as a citizen of the Commonwealth and it is not consistent that all realms want the monarchy to remain. That is kind of a relic of older generations that younger ones don't relate to. It may hold true whilst the Queen lives, but when she dies, that notion will not be as potent.
I can see you're a monarchist and I won't change your view, so I respect that. It's your blog and thank you for allowing free opinions. I didn't know about the Danes - interesting. From what I can ascertain, it is the BRF that will be on very shaky ground once the Queen dies, with a very organised republican movement. Charles is not popular. I've read that Spain and Sweden want republics, but not sure.
Aus Unknown.
re George, William also said (or reportedly said) that George would NOT know his birthright until much older as he had known since childhood. William apparently would have preferred not knowing. That probably explains why William was a brat as a young child - and he was ... I'd guess that the "PG" nickname is just convenience or sycophancy from the school. I doubt William wants his kids to go around with a supremacy attitude, he seems the polar opposite of that - at least in public.
The public backlash was rightly palpable when he said he wanted a second "gap year". This is an indulged man who has staff to meet his every need and want. He's not working 40+ hours per week on minimum wage and having to help his wife with the chores. So, he was rightly called out on it. Soon after, they were directed back to London and KP as their permanent base. To their credit, both have stepped up their duties. So even William cannot get everything he demands.
Most people in the UK and Australia, at least, and I'd guess other Commonwealth nations don't pay much attention to the British monarchy. That is how it survives. A common mistake amongst those outside the Commonwealth is the prevalence of the monarchy in the lives of everyday people. So, following, the BRF really only have to worry about monarchists. Of course, they don't want to upset others, as Nutty has mentioned, but most people view them as entitled toffs and not worthy of sentiment.
Diana was the one royal who turned around the ambivalence on the monarchy in Australia. But they still pushed her out without turning a hair. Markle will not be given the same reverence, which ultimately wasn't much.
See, not trying to be rude at all, but support in the US is not relevant to the British monarchy and that is her core supporter base from what I've gauged online. I think this is why she is being reined in too - they know they must focus on the British people and the rest of the Commonwealth who support the monarchy.
Swishy: you are right, IMO to state that she will make this 'messy'. That's just her nature, but IMO, not indicative of her stock value. She just lacks the cognitive awareness of her power.
Aus Unknown.
There is a far bigger issue if the Queen has committed fraud than worrying as to whether or not the kid would have a royal title. The Queen never provided for Harry's kids to be titled when she secured William's. Obviously, it was never in the cards or she would have done so, IMO.
The strange thing is, Archie will be HRH when Charles ascends ...
Legal and has happened.
I'm reading The Courtiers and a couple other books by Lucy Worsley.
William and Kate are enjoying their third-born, but I don't interpret that as favoritism, or an unusual level of gushing. We are just now getting to see photos of Louis and the development of his personality; apart from the three Kate released several weeks ago, and the family shots in the Back to Nature garden, we have not seen any pictures of Louis since his christening, and the one birthday shot for Charles last year. Let us recall just how many photos of George and Charlotte, both separately and together, that we've seen as they have been growing up. William and Kate gushed over all of their children in turn . . . and now, it's Louis's turn, that's all.
They could mitigate any charges of 'favoritism' or undue gushing if they'd include more family shots on the Instagram. I know it's preferable to be selective about what's posted to not dilute the impact of each, but I do think they could be a tad more generous with the postings. There's little point in having a social media account in order to reach out to people, and then post only once a week . .in a busy week.
Which might be why the only family photo we have of Archie is with the Queen and Prince Philip.
I wouldn't call myself a monarchist, but I do think that monarchs can be useful, particularly in a rapidly changing world.
Finally, polite disagreement is welcome on this blog. That's the only way I'll ever learn anything!
The Cambridge kids are a very potent symbol and cute images are a very good distraction when things go wrong. I'm sure the RF doesn't want to dull that weapon by overusing it.
I think the weapon would still be potent if they deployed it a wee bit more often . . maybe a few more posts per month. They could try featuring one child one month and alternating amongst them to diffuse any rumors of favoritism. I think Louis is actually in the sweet spot when it comes to birth order. Yes, he's a second son, but with Charlotte in the middle, *she* now takes the position that Harry had as a child, as the spare. Charlotte may struggle as she grows up with feelings of jealousy that plagued her uncle, and her great-great aunt Margaret, who was a royal adrift and in search of a role all her life. Fortunately for Charlotte, she is growing up in a time when a female has a lot more ways to contribute or find fulfillment than just make a good marriage and have kids. Charlotte will follow in the footsteps of her tireless great-aunt Anne, the Princess Royal, and could be a great help to her brother when it comes time for him to reign. Louis will occupy a place more like great-uncle Edward, who, along with his wife, doesn't grab headlines for himself but has carved out a niche and made himself indispensable to the monarch. I hope Edward will take Louis under his wing particularly because he knows what it is to be even further down the birth order chain.
--"Meghan and Harry aren’t going to be controlled by William. They are going to do it their way. (Duncan Larcombe)"
--"They added that Meghan "knows all the tricks" and is helping Harry to maxing their "standable brand" and "William's going to have to get used to it.” "
--"He said that the two dukes bring different coverage for organisations, adding: “William is the man if you want someone to come and open an estate." "
William may be the man to go to for opening an estate, but he is also the man PH will have to go to for handouts. That is, before William is King and PH is asking PG for money (smirk). If William is the person who will be controlling the BRF flow of funds to PH, the statements above will only cause more friction, and my-oh-my, "William is going to have to get used to it." I don't see that statement going over well at all. Hard to imagine that PW is the one who will need to adjust on grand scale.
Sometimes I wonder if it's not William's own team releasing these pieces to further inflame the public. If it's really PR from H&M side, they clearly need to read Aus Unknown's overview re the BRF cash flow and re-evaluate the options.
Being the monarch has its privileges but is accompanied by great burdens, and it's a job he/she can never give up. I think William has aged a great deal since his marriage . .more in the way of acquiring a preternatural gravitas for his age. This is fitting for a king. His grandmother was called upon to assume that mantle of gravitas even sooner. He's got to have his moments of wishing that he could be more carefree like his younger brother, even with the reduction in wealth. A level of autonomy and personal freedom is priceless. Harry does not have full autonomy, whatever his wife may think, or wish to force into being . . and he never will, unless he's prepared to renounce all his titles and get a regular job and support himself totally. Even then he'd be a slave to his job, as all of us regular working stiffs are. But compared to the rigorous expectations for deportment which William has been expected to uphold since he was small, Harry has an enviable amount of leeway in how he lives his life.
I don't think Diana did wrong in trying to equalize the treatment of her boys at home; William always had the Queen and his father for instruction in the art of being king, and they did instruct him, from school age on. I think resentment on Harry's part would have been 10 times worse if it had been rubbed in his face continually at home that William got to go first or get more of everything because he would one day be king. My favorite pictures of the boys are the numerous ones where the two of them are together and Harry is looking up adoringly at his big brother. I don't know when that would have changed, but perhaps with adolescence, long before MM was on the scene. She may have just been able to exploit a tendency that was already inside him.
I read somewhere (here, maybe, even!) an anecdote of a car trip with Diana, the two boys, and her security detail . .they were going somewhere and Harry was acting up in the back seat. When his mother chastised him and told him to shape up, he retorted, "I'm not going to be King, so I get to do whatever I want!'
The adults looked at each other, like "Where did that come from?" I doubt Diana had ever explained the difference in her sons' futures thusly, but that's what Harry took away from it . . and he's basically been behaving like that ever since. Losing his mother did not contribute toward a better-balanced personality, but it seems like Harry had some issues and insecurities and behavior problems before his mother died.
The original picture (and the one above):
https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cpsprodpb/3B55/production/_107398151_41318501-4e3e-42b0-a63b-daf4afd69978.jpg
At the first announcement: https://hips.hearstapps.com/vidthumb/images/archiebodylanguage-thumb-1557410651.jpg
And for 20 years, per:
https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2018062649729/prince-harry-special-bracelet-princess-diana/
based on these images (from that page)
https://www.hellomagazine.com/imagenes/royalty/2018062649729/prince-harry-special-bracelet-princess-diana/0-244-730/prince-harry-bracelet-t.jpg
https://www.hellomagazine.com/imagenes/royalty/2018062649729/prince-harry-special-bracelet-princess-diana/0-244-731/prince-harry-wearing-bracelet-z.jpg
The original picture (and the one above):
https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cpsprodpb/3B55/production/_107398151_41318501-4e3e-42b0-a63b-daf4afd69978.jpg
At the first announcement: https://hips.hearstapps.com/vidthumb/images/archiebodylanguage-thumb-1557410651.jpg
And for 20 years, per:
https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2018062649729/prince-harry-special-bracelet-princess-diana/
based on these images (from that page)
https://www.hellomagazine.com/imagenes/royalty/2018062649729/prince-harry-special-bracelet-princess-diana/0-244-730/prince-harry-bracelet-t.jpg
https://www.hellomagazine.com/imagenes/royalty/2018062649729/prince-harry-special-bracelet-princess-diana/0-244-731/prince-harry-wearing-bracelet-z.jpg
At least in my opinion, this pic is Harry's ring and bracelet.
The Father's Day picture (and the one above):
https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cpsprodpb/3B55/production/_107398151_41318501-4e3e-42b0-a63b-daf4afd69978.jpg
At the first announcement: https://hips.hearstapps.com/vidthumb/images/archiebodylanguage-thumb-1557410651.jpg
And for 20 years, per:
https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2018062649729/prince-harry-special-bracelet-princess-diana/
based on these images (from that page)
https://www.hellomagazine.com/imagenes/royalty/2018062649729/prince-harry-special-bracelet-princess-diana/0-244-730/prince-harry-bracelet-t.jpg
https://www.hellomagazine.com/imagenes/royalty/2018062649729/prince-harry-special-bracelet-princess-diana/0-244-731/prince-harry-wearing-bracelet-z.jpg
https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2018091562358/close-look-prince-harry-wedding-ring-different-other-royal-men/
And the pic of it, from that page:
https://www.hellomagazine.com/imagenes/royalty/2018091562358/close-look-prince-harry-wedding-ring-different-other-royal-men/0-295-408/prince-harry-wedding-ring-z.jpg
And a blurry one (I bet there are better ones out there), from the announcement:
https://i1.wp.com/metro.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/SEC_66383703.jpg
I'm trying to figure out - is Harry truly regretting his marriage or is he just "caught in the middle ". When the 2 of them are alone, is he "still in love" and supportive of MM? Or are they even living together ?
He has events he is required to attend & in some circumstances she is allowed to attend with him. When at these events, it is extremely awkward and his family seems to be intentionally pushing her aside. He seems angry/disillusioned during these public events. But is he upset with family or her? Afterwards is he apologizing to her for his family's treatment or? ??
Will certainly keep watching this train wreck.
PS- new post on Harry Markle blog
When Kate came on the scene, I thought, poor girl, she'll always be compared to Diana, but she doesn't have that quality, however she is a very lovely. (Her legs are amazing!) She was called all sorts of names, and judged on fashion (I always form opinions on fashion, she has hits and misses), Still I never heard anyone defend her or say anything bad about her personally, just something all royal women go through, (Camilla, Diana, Fergie...etc). She had her missteps, but has really come in to her own, especially since becoming a mother, which I feel is her most import job. (Still hate the Erdem dresses)
Then comes MM. I had never heard of her or her show. I read she was divorced and thought, oh no, American and divorced, she is in for it! Surely they must have known all the Wallis Simpson comparisons would be made. Then (as a CDAN reader) the yachting stories and other not so nice things started coming out about her past, I thought, well Harry probably knows and doesn't care, maybe they really love each other. Then the quick engagement, the engagement interview (cringe!! and FAKE!!), the interview with all four of them (could barely watch...painful), I was still trying to keep an open mind.
But for me the breaking point was the breaking and/or disregard of protocol. It is what make them the BRF. We don't want them to break traditions or be like everyone else....if the are then what's the point? And I kept asking myself, why are they making exceptions for her? Coming to Christmas and doing royal engagements while she was still just his fiance? What is going on?
I won't go into the fashion thing too much (I could), just to say she gets it wrong almost every single time. If she does find something appropriate that fits, her hair and styling are all wrong. I even love Bea and Eugenie for their fashion disasters, I look forward to them! But hers make nice things look cheap. I think the fit issue that bother me most.
Okay, now to wrap it up with the most bizarre pregnancy, birth, and baby I have ever seen. Been pregnant four times and I never gained weight in my butt, hips, legs, or ankles. So at first I thought she was pregnant. But then the bump started changing sizes and still by month 5-6, she had no visible weight gain. I did gain weight in my face, boobs and upper arms, especially in the last 4 months. Then the coat flicking, under-bump holding, and lest we forget the wobbly belly. The last straw was when she bent down, knees together, in heels and popped back up!! Fake, fake FAKE!!
So of course they would show a fake baby, or surrogate baby, or whatever. The biggest signs, to me at least, were the announcements on the BP easel (different than any other royal birth, and no signatures) and the birth certificate. (I don't think he signs his name Harry, does he?)
I cannot understand any of it. Why the BRF are allowing all this is the biggest mystery to me!!
In the one linked to Diana, there is a silver diamond pattern over dark bottom, silver running on top and repeating.
In the picture, which does not state affirmatively that it is PH, you can see what appears to be the points of the diamond, dark between but then becomes solid silver/no dark bottom.
If you watch the video of "New Mom Meghan...", you'll see that when she asks him a question, he completely ignores her and turns to Jack. He's done with her.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-7141409/Did-Prince-Harry-tell-Meghan-turn-Trooping-Colour.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490
At .16 on this one, you can see the lip sneer of disgust/contempt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSCIArQwIQ0
As you probably know, it's very difficult to turn the relationship around once it has hit that stage. I think that PH has seen evidence that they didn't just trip into each others lives fortuitously -- and I mean some really damning stuff -- and I think he's probably seen the worst of her on film or in some other manner (life first hand knowledge of her activities from someone he actually respects). I believe it took something substantial to move him from romance to revulsion in such short time.
Add to that the way that the family has frozen her out so quickly and completely - if she were sticking around, they could not do that so obviously. It's one thing for them to dislike her, but this seems much more than that. Again, just speculation.
And yes, on all of that re pregnancy. I've never been pregnant, but my friends sure have, and not a one of them was bouncing up and down in the last trimester. Also, I do not remember any jelly-like bellies.
As for pregnancies, I've had 2. I lost weight until mid way through the 2nd trimester. Every woman is different and she being a health nut, would likely stick to a strict diet, even during pregnancy. It is a great mystery though... engaged and married in less than a year. The royals don't do that. Something else was up.
Lurking...I agree that women are different when pregnant, that is why when people point to her skinny ankles, it would make me laugh as my legs are thin like MM. But at some point you gain weight somewhere else besides the belly, and you absolutely cannot squat with legs together. LOL. I was actually amazed how she looked more pregnant after the birth and TTC. What if they used surrogate then she got pregnant the old fashion way, (the Lord works in mysterious ways). How would they explain two babies six months apart....LOL.....just a thought....
So, let's assume they cottoned on later rather than sooner, why not step in and handle the 'birth' better instead of the shambles that only made the situation worse?
Meghan CLEARLY was not carrying a child. The last straw for me was also the closed leg squat. I have had children and while I didn't gain a lot of weight, there is no way in hell I would have been able to squat down, lean forward to interact without wobbling. Definitely wouldn't have been able to pop back up without help or having to balance myself and rise slowly.
Also odd that Harry didn't reach out instinctively to help the woman he loves so very much, and who is carrying his child.
And as for that birth certificate 'signature'. Oy vey. No. Just, no. Harry is not his legal name. And, why couldn't he sign it like William did?
I want to be wrong. I do. Because, I love the RF. I AM English (live in US now) and remember the excitement of seeing the Queen when I was little.
This circus is sad and putting more blights on the establishment.
Harry has to make this decision based on awful stuff (which I believe they have) and then the public has to be done and dusted re her. I think this is well on its way, and I do question whether some of the more offensive stories (Harry & Meghan want to be global influencers, for ex) aren't the work of KP because they truly do work everyone into a froth. But now that they've allowed her into the fam, extricating her is not so simple although I don't think they'd be icing her if she weren't close to the done cycle. Still, her blog should've been called The Tick, not The Tig, and she will dig in hard as possible, until she can't IMO only.
Even assuming that the Queen/Charles leave Harry money/assets through some trust to avoid inheritance tax, it won't be anywhere near what William will one day inherit. The assets I mentioned don't even include the private wealth of the royals. That aside, for William, it's literally millions on tap year after year, including the Sovereign Grant to run his office in the way he sees fit.
Harry has spoken about the “stars being aligned” when he met and fell in love with MM. (fool)
More importantly, for the continuation of the British Monarchy, the stars were aligned when William was born first.
BTW, unknown, you may want to consider getting a blogger name. It’s so confusing with multiple “unknowns” and you have very insightful points that I would like to follow.
Were she actually pregnant, it could be the old-fashioned way, and or it could be an AI or IVF baby. Harry could have given a "sample" many months ago when the relationship was good, and it could have been used more recently.
Then again, Harry was supposedly infertile in the first place. What an odd story this is.
I love all the BRF, not a "fan" of one member, or household. They are all special in that this life is not celebrity or an office they decided to run for, they (mostly) were born into it. I always thought that those who marry in have to be ready for what is coming, and thus why they tend to have long engagements (or in the past marry others in similar positions). And I also think something is going on behind the scene, as you said, this isn't some little old lady that can be taken advantage of, she is the Queen! And yes, I would LOVE to hear PP's, PA and Camilla's true thoughts on all this.
The big things I look for to get some answers are how is this situation handled differently from all other royal births. So odd about wording on the easel, and no signatures. Big tell there. And no Lido Wing, because HM said No. Maybe that's their way out.....they know, and that is why this is being treated differently. I think you've pointed out, they will try to protect Harry in all this.
What could have happened *this* time that was so unforgivable/potentially atomic that has led to this Farkle Fiasco? My searching mind has come up with . . .H. was involved in an accidental death by misadventure during autoerotic activities with a playmate, known to MM, who may have been a witness to it? But such a scenario . .or really any scenario involving sex, drugs and other illegalities that she may be privy to would blow back on her just as hard. She can't claim to have such damaging dirt on Harry without having been side by side with him swinging the shovel.
It is no secret that she was a good-time girl who skirted the boundaries of being a professional prostitute, if she didn't actually fall in headfirst (in a manner of speaking.) Also that she liked to party and has always been very elastic/inventive with the truth. Why would her word EVER be taken as gospel if she's claiming damaging knowledge about PH? This, I do not understand.
I care about this fiasco more than I should lol!
One of the possible blackmail scenarios that I find most credible is this:
Because of his position, Harry is probably not searched when crossing borders. Who more suited to take a large amount of contraband, like a couple of kilos of cocaine, into the UK?
Being constantly short of money and probably a user himself, this might be something Harry would be willing to do, and possibly do repeatedly.
The Soho House team - Markus Anderson, Markle, etc. - could have easily set him up, dim bulb that he is. They might have text messages, voicemail messages, in-person recordings or even videos in which Harry confirms that he is willing to use his royal position to break UK law.
I have precisely zero evidence of this - it is made up out of whole cloth. But it is the sort of thing that might force the Royal family into some kind of compliance.
You don't want Her Majesty's grandson to go to Her Majesty's prison.
And, Oh my goodness!!! I hope that's not the case (your scenario) but, after reading CDAN for so long, I've come to terms that anything is possible.
Well, that's a kick in the head to a young man whose whole manner of life is predicated on the members' ability to breed healthy offspring. Though during his 'party prince' period (still ongoing, I guess, as recently as their departure from KP based on testimony from the French ambassador, who said M&H threw raucous parties late into the night, often, including fireworks. Do we believe this?) H. had reason to be glad that his vigorous recreational activities with the opposite sex wouldn't result in an 'oopsie!' Otherwise, Hazza might have been very prolific, indeed.
If he in fact, hasn't . . .this infertility is only a possibility, right? Especially since he still has one healthy testicle.
Re. Hazza's possible career as a drug runner . . . admittedly, such a scheme might have appealed to a reckless, pissed off and jonesing young prince with a huge chip on his shoulder and not the best in judgement . . and I'm sure he could have pulled it off, even numerous times. But the person(s) who would have gotten this (snow)ball rolling would indict themselves with their own evidence against Harry. His guilt would not render them innocent, when 1. they hatched the plan, and cajoled/pressured him into participating. Even if he was superficially willing, they still would have exploited his Royal position. 2. Their dossier of any 'evidence' against him blows right back on them. They broke U.K. law by recruiting him and retaining evidence of ongoing illegal activity without reporting it to authorities. When you get a guy to shoot your wife, you're as guilty of murder as he is; if Harry carried drugs for them, he is only one piece of a criminal enterprise . . .to make good on any blackmail threat to expose him, they would expose themselves. They'd be far, far more likely to be incarcerated in Her Majesty's prison than Harry. He's a Royal; they would have devised some loophole for him to avoid a prison sentence . . transportation to Australia, maybe (haha).
First rule of dealing with blackmailers is: NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER give into them. No negotiation, no payoffs. Tell them to do their worst and deal with the consequences . . because if you give into them once, on any point, they will just keep coming back to the trough, and they will continue to up their demands and hound and harass you and basically become like a succubating virus draining your life away.
Sounds like marriage to Farkle to me! Hazza may think that a (mostly) suspended sentence & a slap on the wrist for sneaking some coke into England in his luggage would sound like a vacation now that he's had a year's worth of his 'get out of jail (not so) free' card. It's not like he'd have to worry about finding future employment with a blot on his record. His family are obligated to love and provide for him no matter what, short of murder, perhaps . .but I bet even then, they'd cover for him. Witness how they've been handling his mess so far . . .circling the wagons.
If that's what's going on here . . .
I have many things I wish to comment but let's begin with the baby in this picture. 1) Visual "contact" is something babies acquire, at 7 - 10 weeks' old approximately. Not before. They do not even see colours well
2) Even if they may fix their eyes on something or somebody, they are looking at light, shadows, shapes, forms... And the look on their eyes is pure, clean, innocent, devoid of hardness. This baby looks scared and has fixed glare! Is he an older baby? or has he had such a rude first month that he already knows what "fear" is? Weird 3) His nails are way too long for a months' old baby.
As for pregnancy, older mums tend to have shorter gestation periods - between 28 - 32 weeks; not longer. Here we are made to believe the baby was overdue. Very odd. I've never seen this pointed out anywhere.
As for squatting in high heels, this is not possible! I was a very "thin" mum, only gained 8 kilos bearing twins, and I could not even get in or out of my car (and my car was low down, so you had to "rise" to get out and lower yourself to get in).
Charles seems to me like a highly insecure man desperate to improve his popularity. He knows he's not well-liked. Being the man who "stepped up" and was willing to walk the (biracial, non-British) princess down the aisle must have appealed to him as a chance to show his modern bona fides.
It made him look open and accepting, and like a good father to the son who lost his mother at a very early age.
On that note, just read that twitter account, which is a shrine to Meg and you'll understand my point. No Names out of respect for this blog. Aus Unknown.
@ Elle: Charles will only act if his public image is eroded in some way. That man is selfish to the core, proven. With the news that Harry & Meg are getting their own foundation, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for Lord G to show any magical powers, either, regrettably. We'll see, but Meg seems to be coming back with a vengeance. Harry hasn't had enough yet, but he will. Or maybe he just has to wait an acceptable amount of time before divorce (scandalous cost of the wedding).
Aus Unknown.
Add that Harry must really, really miss his relationship with his brother and Kate in spite of Meg's undermining, blackmail and ultimatums to isolate him from his family.
The so very strange behavior from everybody concerned does seem like some sort of blackmail/coercion was used. I'm just spinning my wheels to think of what could possibly be bad enough to force a global wedding to a woman he'd already dumped once. Even if he was attracted to her once . . and we know that Farkle is aces at the short game . . it's the long con that she sucks at, or none of her true self would have come out so soon . . . seems like he'd already ended things with her. Was there ever a more miserable face than the face he showed in Jamaica at the Inskip wedding? I knew nothing about her on the wedding day and figured that this love story was all legit. He looked very nervous and solemn in places, but I chalked it up to the solemnity of the occasion and being broadcast on TV to millions of people. All bridegrooms are entitled to be nervous; doesn't mean anything sinister . . never did I dream that he didn't want to be standing where he was, especially since they were so handsy with each other all the time. The wheels came off the bus for me in October, with the whole 'baby' announcement and the behavior on the Australia tour and it just got worse from there. But for about 5 months, I was willing to dismiss all the negative rumblings about her as simply growing pains, and perhaps some miscommunication owing to her American directness clashing with British reserve. The realization that she's a monomanical narcissist came later, but now that's not going away!
And yeah, squatting in high heels in one's 8th month, leaning forward, and popping right back up again, with no assistance eiher offered or required... doesn't seem within the realm of possible realities. (I was being helped off the couch from the 6th month onward, at latest).
The one thing that gives me hope (and I must have hope!) is the way that the BRF are ignoring her completely for all the world to see. As for coming back with a vengeance, I do see that she is bombarding us with her PR, but I'm not convinced it is helping her. More of the megster is never a good thing.
I do think/hope PH is either on the verge of had enough or already there. There is no coming back from contempt. But what was it? A $43 million dollar wedding and then all the fashion? He might have to wait a bit before the D-I-V-O-R-C-E. My only hope for Lord G is that I'd read he is 707 badaxs -- is that not the case? I hoped he'd gotten the videos from the yacht or worse (it just has to be out there, right? The megster sandwich? Or is it salad? Or maybe it's sandwich with a half salad on the side lol, I'm not sure.)
I think Harry often looks miserable because of his singed ego, honestly - until lately - that is real. Harry thought Meg was Grace Kelly (not looks, but star power, actress becoming a princess). He's that dumb and desperate. Harry cannot handle the fact that she's disliked and that he was wrong. And, his popularity has plummeted and again William is the victor. How ironic given that Harry married Meg to spite his brother and family for treating him like "the spare".