The Sussexes see themselves as forces for great social good, and Harry's Invictus games originally seemed to be a great way to inspire wounded veterans.
Travalyst, his poorly-defined follow-up, has so far been less successful, and there have been questions its structure (it is a limited company, not a registered charity) and why it is getting influxes of cash from the Royal Foundation.
But Meg's charity efforts seem to have even been less successful, in part because she flutters from one to the next without much research or much committment.
Smartworks seems to be a well-defined, well-run charity to help women in need achieve a professional working wardrobe, but how much have they benefitted from Meghan's input?
(And now many women need a smart working wardrobe these days, given how many are now working from home?)
She did sponsor a dog kennel in Archie's name at Mayhew, a UK animal charity.
She's also released several charity videos with supportive messages, all so flatteringly blurry that they look like they were shot through the frosted door of her shower stall.
Has Meg actually helped any charities achieve their goals?
Travalyst, his poorly-defined follow-up, has so far been less successful, and there have been questions its structure (it is a limited company, not a registered charity) and why it is getting influxes of cash from the Royal Foundation.
But Meg's charity efforts seem to have even been less successful, in part because she flutters from one to the next without much research or much committment.
Hubb Kitchen the most famous
Hubb Kitchen is one of her most prominent patronages, and it produced a cookbook that sold well - but would they have produced a cookbook with or without Meghan?Smartworks seems to be a well-defined, well-run charity to help women in need achieve a professional working wardrobe, but how much have they benefitted from Meghan's input?
(And now many women need a smart working wardrobe these days, given how many are now working from home?)
She did sponsor a dog kennel in Archie's name at Mayhew, a UK animal charity.
Lots of encouraging videos
Since coming to the US, Meg has done at least one food delivery to homebound persons - not at all for the publicity value.She's also released several charity videos with supportive messages, all so flatteringly blurry that they look like they were shot through the frosted door of her shower stall.
Has Meg actually helped any charities achieve their goals?
Comments
For all his faults, Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, came to quickly regard Harry and Meghan as a much-needed asset.
They were also a tool to keep the rambunctious house of William and Kate in line.
What in God’s name does that last line mean?
I had a difference of opinion with somebody at a magazine over their cover pic of Snowdon & Plas y Brenin from Capel Curig: this view with different framing
https://www.flickr.com/photos/38986305@N06/24504985725
I recognised it instantly but it felt wrong - then saw it had been reversed. The person could nor see anything wrong in this, even though it was of a real place, which was named!
UK terminology:
A single block for students is usually called a `hall of residence' or just `hall'. At Cambridge/Oxford, the ancient colleges are arranged around Courts/Quads with doors leading to individual staircases, from which the students' rooms are accessed.
This site explains it all far better than I can:
http://www.patrickcomerford.com/2015/09/making-use-of-gyp-room-on-staircase-m.html
Unlike the custom in the US, we don't fasten our gowns across the front - although some gowns still have the strings that were once used for this purpose.
My suspicion is the H presented grandma with a fait accomplit, accompanied by threats of raising the roof about racism
Liking the biracial aspect, and seeing the good it could do, may have been a re-framing to male the best of it - or it could have been seen as a jolly good thing, as it doubtless would have been had he been marrying a different biracial woman.
We don't know if the full horror of what she got up to was conveyed to HM or if she was given a a sanitised version. Even if she knew about M's shady background, she may believe in redemption and that she was a reformed character.
In any case, how could anyone believe her to be as nasty as she really is, without knowing her? One is supposed to see the good in people...
I believe the article said that the pictures of Charles in the Mac were for an original piece he wrote in which he was playing a weatherman. The fine old tradition of British vaudeville comedy. It says that her majesty and queen Margaret were in the audience but not Philip.
I like Philip for many reasons, But he could be a right crusty bastard as a father to a sensitive son. Let’s hope he had a good excuse, like being out of the country. If the queen could make time, I dare say Charles’ dad could put in an appearance.
I was really touched by those photos The air to the British crown standing on a chair in flippers, or waist deep in a trashcan, because it showed how much he wanted to be a part of normal student things. I love the photo where he’s laughing with fellow cast members, and sitting on the floor with his trousers written up to show his socks. In so far as he could be, just being part of the group and having a laugh, and maybe being able to forget for the space of an afternoon that burdensome destiny of being the King of England. I feel Charles gets ragged on mercilessly and not recognized for his strengths. Despite being a shy child, and having this awkward public reputation, people that actually meet or know Charles say that he is quite warm and engaging, and he has grown a lot more comfortable with the speech making. His choice to join the drama society points to a hambone side that was there from pretty early on. Probably not BAFTA caliber, But a willingness to get up there and perform and look Buffoonish even though the future sovereign Seems like he was a good sport, and grown out of his shyness. He’s also quite the renaissance man, at least for a modern royal. He’s got a masters degree as well, There’s a cello, the painting, the interest in horticulture, ditto architecture, and a secret song and dance man side. I’m glad he got to have at least some mild fun at Cambridge. It would be a buzz kill to be trailed constantly by an RPO. Charles also regretted having to leave Cambridge and the drama society For a term because he was obliged to go to Wales and learn Welsh, ahead of his investiture.
American universities use the official name “residence halls” For the places where students stay as well, but that is only the name in the college literature . Colloquially they are most often called dorms.
IMO, a truly strong and authentic person, if they really felt their feathers ruffled by that redirection, would say "OK JCMH, I can't play by these rules, best of luck but I'm orf to find someone else/will love you from afar/etc etc."
The wolf she seems to be feeding (if you know the saying) is the one who poses for photos, takes private jets, cuts off friends and family, and sues the papers. The one who leaves her infant at home to watch a tennis match after being advised not to go. Not the delicate earth mother. Can't have it both ways.
My suspicion is the H presented grandma with a fait accomplit, accompanied by threats of raising the roof about racism.
Liking the biracial aspect, and seeing the good it could do, may have been a re-framing to male the best of it - or it could have been seen as a jolly good thing, as it doubtless would have been had he been marrying a different biracial woman.
We don't know if the full horror of what she got up to was conveyed to HM or if she was given a sanitised version. Even if she knew about M's shady background, she may believe in redemption and that she was a reformed character.
In any case, how could anyone believe her to be as nasty as she really is, without knowing her? One is supposed to see the good in people...
.....................
I agree about Her Maj's view of MM prior to the wedding. Although she may have seen some shady reports on Markle before agreeing to the marriage, nothing could have prepared her for the reality of Megalo after the wedding!
Regarding the part I bolded above: According to Lady C they did threaten to cry racism, but do you think there may have been more to the story? Perhaps a marriage had already taken place, a pregnancy was staged or some type of blackmail? I don't know what to think about that angle but many are discussing these rumors again now that more information is coming out.
I wonder what else will be revealed tomorrow.
...............
Is there something specific coming out or happening tomorrow? tia
They were also a tool to keep the rambunctious house of William and Kate in line.
____________________
I read somewhere long prior to MM entering the picture, for years PW and PC did not get along. PW and PC would have screaming fights and PW (cambridges) would play the game of Kensington making announcements in the middle of PC major events. alot of purposeful not coordinating calenders. and the cambridges were very close to the middletons and PC hardly saw the grankids. PH was the mediator between PC and PW, because he had a better relationship with PC. he encouraged PW to give PC more time with the grankids.
Then MM came on the scene, and like 2020, turned evrything upside down. PW and PC now have the better relationship. PC sees those Cambridge grankids, no more issues there. and PC is the mediator between PH and PW who now have a very troubled relationship. PC may never see that grankid again! and kensington house coordinates calenders now. kensington has had personal changes from their early days of hiring friends. now they have more professional people and that may have something to do with it too.
@WildBoar
I was more of a Blue Nun girl 😉
Fascinating re the Depp trial did not realize he was her lawyer. I am sure they will hire/have sugars show up, if Megah & Whinge show up in person flanked by their massive security team, no doubt. But, perhaps it will all be via Zoom. I thought quarantine would restrict folks flying in from the US?
Depp and Heard's team had flown into UK earlier for the quarantine. The witnesses from the States, Australia and Bahamas were cross examined through Zoom.
Sherborne has gained quite a lot of fans since the Depp's trial. He also looks rather cute, like a teddy bear. His nickname is Sherpy. Let's hope he doesn't have more fans turning up supporting him than Meghan's. A narc wouldn't be able to take it.
I meant the witnesses were examined via video, not necessarily zoom.
@JHanoi
Witnesses who fly in will normally have their expenses paid for by the claimant and defender. So, Amber Heard, who was the witness for NGN, her expenses was paid for by the NGN. I believe her entire team including her US lawyer, sister and girlfriend were picked up by NGN. Word is they also hired a PR company for her for the trial. It was all about optics and never the truth.
Another familiar name in the trial was Dan Wooten. He was the one who wrote the inflammatory article for THE SUN. He wasn't even mentioned nor used as a witness. It is evident that the NGN group main intention for not settling was to have the circus of getting both Johnny Depp and Amber Heard together in court. Purpose served. It won't surprise me if they offer a settlement soon.
I was gobsmacked that Johnny Depp, despite all the horrible things Amber did to him including the blackmail demands, TRO, still confessed to loving her. The audio recording that happened after she had claimed abuse after the court appearance, I cried when he said "I love you" many, many times. I was thinking "is this how Harry feels despite everything that Meghan has done to him - losing his family, his royal role, his popularity, everything" - is he as blind as Depp was? I couldn't and cannot understand it but there it was.
Depp only saw sense when Amber told him that she has years of recordings, texts to corroborate those "abuse" etc. There was a silence and then he said "You never existed." It was the moment that he realised that the woman that he loved was not real - a figment of his imagination" and that this conniving blackmailer was the real Amber Heard. It was really chilling.
And yet, when she and her parents begged for him to meet her and it finally happened in a hotel room in San Fran despite claiming in court that she feared for her life, she wanted to hug him and even asked him to join her for a cuddle in bed. He said no to both and while she slept, he cried in the living room. My heart broke thinking that Harry could be in a similar situation, he couldn't help and explain why he was so attached to this poison.
I don't know what the RF can do. Harry needs someone to remove him from Meghan. He may resist and fight but hopefully, the day will come when he realises that she will be the death of him.
There is a lot to learn from Depp's story. His name will never be cleared even if he wins this case. It will be like Mia Farrow and Woody Allen. Allen has always denied child abuse. The courts have cleared all charges and yet, Farrow, continues to hurl new abuses at him. And people believe her despite her own children claiming that she had abused them. 4 of her children have suicided (the 4th was claimed to be from a heart failure but was actually a pill overdose). My only hope is that Depp will not suffer a fate as terrible as Allen. Harry too.
When prince Carl Philip of Sweden got married, his wife with the dodgy past wore emeralds. I assume that’s why MM wanted to. She’s not original
Meghan's wedding gown already looks incredibly like that of Princess Angela of Lichtenstein, who was the first black woman to marry into a European royal family. If she was also trying to copy Princess Sofia, then it's interesting to see which royals inspired her "branding."
It's also telling that neither of them are British! The House of Liechtenstein and the Swedish Royal Family would have their own venerable traditions, but these wouldn't be relevant to someone marrying into the British Royal Family. Unless, of course, this newcomer's idea of royalty only came from the society pages of the last twenty years.
Speaking of court cases, according to trappedpatriot on twitter has alerted folks that the heavily redacted documents released today re the G Maxwell court case can be read in full online, if one simply pastes them into notepad. So, whether this was done intentionally or not, they are on the interwebs now.
I enjoyed reading Lady C’s book. She puts their behavior in the context of their goals and I think she succeeds for the most part. Her opinions are not what you usually read about H&M. She has a lot of experience with aristocratic and, to a lesser degree, with royalty. Her mom was a narcissist. I enjoyed her discussions of the difference perspectives of British and American citizens. I also started our rooting for Megan. What changed my opinion was 1) the engagement interview was over the top , and 2) her disgusting behavior at Wimbledon when she wore jeans, a hat, and 40 people did not get to sit in the seats they paid for. Just gross.
Depp only saw sense when Amber told him that she has years of recordings, texts to corroborate those "abuse" etc. There was a silence and then he said "You never existed." It was the moment that he realised that the woman that he loved was not real - a figment of his imagination" and that this conniving blackmailer was the real Amber Heard. It was really chilling.
I felt a chill reading it!
This is a common theme in the stories of those who survive relationships with narcissists. They have to accept that the person they fell in love with never existed. And it's incredibly difficult to do.
H.G. Tudor of Narcsite.com said that the power of this imaginary beloved is so great that even people who have done the hard work of breaking away and building healthy new lives would, if the narc came back claiming to have changed and to still love them, desperately want to give the dream a second chance.
Gosh, I wonder what it would take for Harry to be able to look at Meghan and say: "You never existed."
Reading what you wrote about the power of this imaginary beloved - it must be terrifying for the victim and their families - that there is this pull that never ends.
Honestly, before I listened to the Depp Heard audio recordings, I always felt Harry was as much to blame as Meghan. I could never understand how anyone could not see through her esp after everything she has done but I think I understand now. Harry needs help more than punishment.
Here is where the recently released Ghislaine court pdfs are located:
https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/4355835/giuffre-v-maxwell/?filed_after=&filed_before=&entry_gte=&entry_lte=&order_by=desc
More info:
https://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/i0z41z/documents_related_to_ghislaine_maxwells_dealings/
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zq4Z-2IFTIQAya1wSBcUaHsxwmS9ZLZD/view
Open redacted PDF via the Brave browser then copy onto notepad
Think of Hollywood as an industry town. for every movie star, there are agents, lawyers, cosmetic dentists & plastic surgeons that live alongside the famous faces, but the quest for beauty, attention and money infiltrates so much of the city. Even though Meghan wasn't in a celebrity household, she schooled with the children of film executives, actors, agents, etc. Her father's position as a lighting director made him "crew" thus, the unglamorous. Like NYC, London, Paris, there's a very high a level of ambition and status consciousness that trickles down to the school kids.
I'll say this, that Doria sent her to the Little Red Schoolhouse says she, Doria, was ambitious and looking to make well-placed connections. Great school, hard to get into, very hip and lots of rich famous parents send their kids there. Less abiut academics, more about kids getting to truly express themselves .... So she started young proclaiming her truth.
I felt a chill reading it!
This is a common theme in the stories of those who survive relationships with narcissists. They have to accept that the person they fell in love with never existed. And it's incredibly difficult to do.
H.G. Tudor of Narcsite.com said that the power of this imaginary beloved is so great that even people who have done the hard work of breaking away and building healthy new lives would, if the narc came back claiming to have changed and to still love them, desperately want to give the dream a second chance.
Gosh, I wonder what it would take for Harry to be able to look at Meghan and say: "You never existed."
I can imagine the absolute horror of finding and understanding the truth that J Deep did. A powerful read and an excellent comment which is truly enlightening. I don’t know what it will take for Harry to see the real Megsy. Maybe if the 5 friends have to testify in court and so many of Megsy’s lies come spilling out might trigger a reaction. He’s so obviously a weak and needy man IMHO it’s anyone’s guess what it will take.
Another case of being divided by a common language!
We speak of `dormitory towns', where commuters sleep/live but don't work, but otherwise I think UK sense of the word is influenced by tales of boarding-school life and `jolly japes after lights-out', midnight feasts and suchlike!
Likewise with `lavatory' - this and `dormitory' both derive from monastic life and many Brits can't understand why a the `Monks' lavatory' was just where they washed!
"They were also a tool to keep the rambunctious house of William and Kate in line. What in God’s name does that last line mean?"
My guesses: When KP was being prepped for W&K it involved taxpayer expense. There was the same press attention to cost as for Frog Cott. The palace insisted KP was to be W&K's permanent home. But then they moved to Norfolk. (It's unclear if TQ foresaw AH becoming the main home when gifting it.) And Will started work as an ambulance pilot.
After Will was at EAAA, there were repeated inquiries about why he wasn't doing royal work. (His job was part-time so he could do royal work.) But some colleagues at EAAA said he took more time off to do royal work. KP claimed he wasn't allowed by "air regulations" to do anything but "rest" when he was off. That wasn't true and that quickly came out. It was a mess. W&K were called "work shy" as their annual work totals were always the lowest. One Dec. Will worked his last EAAA shift the 1st or 2nd wk and returned to EAAA in Feb. Eventually a friend of Will's took over as the EAAA boss. Disgruntled complaints stopped. But they were frequent for awhile.
There was also a big deal made about Kate not attending the St. Pat's Irish Guards event in 2016. It had been traditional for a century for a female royal to hand out the shamrocks. KP said Kate was "prioritizing time with her children" because W&K had a tour coming up. But India trip didn't start for 3 weeks. Then KP said Kate didn't want people to expect her to go every year. (May have been true, but what were staff thinking to say it?!)
And then there was the "dad-dancing" weekend in 2017 while Kate was at another ski resort for Pippa's "hen party." While everyone is entitled to vacation, this wasn't a good look. For one thing we'd been repeatedly told W&K couldn't do more work because they had children. But here they were out of the country on separate long weekend ski trips. Reportedly we don't see senior royal absences at the Commonwealth Day service these days because TQ was bothered that distraction happened that weekend. W&K's defenders said they hadn't been scheduled to go to the service. That may be true but Prince Andrew had been in Verbier but flew back in time for the CW service. Messy.
In an interview Will addressed "work shy" complaints & said if TQ wanted him to work more, she'd tell him he had to. That may be true, but I was never too sure Charles was happy with Will's detour to EAAA and Anmer Hall. He had wanted him to work with the Prince's Trust--Will said no. Then Will took a special agriculture/ management course of study at Cambridge in 2014 after leaving the RAF to prepare him for Duchy work. But then he went to Norfolk and the EAAA.
While people often say these days W&K have never put a foot wrong, that's not true. They've had their share of bad press and have had some goofs.Things have changed since Will left the EAAA. But that wasn't long ago. In fact, Will worked his last EAAA shift in July 2017.
As @JHanoi said, there were also reports Charles was unhappy he didn't see his grandchildren. We've seen photos of Charles with them recently but for several yrs, we only saw Charles with George and Charlotte at their christenings and TOC. George was frequently seen with Carole M and when Charles was photographed with kids, it was with Camilla's grandchildren. When asked why, Will said Charles worked too much. To me, that had a ring of unresolved childhood issues.
I have no reason to think the change in W&K's work or relationship with Charles had anything to do with Meghan but like @JJHanoi, I have heard Harry helped William and Charles to mend fences. But I have seen reports suggesting the presence of another "young royal couple" may have kept W&K on their toes. So Dan's not the first to say it.
That's exactly what I was thinking, I tried to describe it in my last post but decided to delete that part before posting yesterday and went with "look different" as I wasn't sure I was just imagining it due to the multiple impressions I was getting. To me, at some points they looked crooked and others they looked like two false teeth were stuck onto his front teeth (poorly fitted veneers? They looked whiter and seemed to jut out past the other teeth noticeably), and on a couple of occasions they looked like "peg teeth" with the bottom of the left one (our right) looking uneven. I know there've been past discussions about his teeth on here, but this was the first time they've really stood out to me as being off.
If hes had work done on his teeth, or has some sort of recent issue with them, could that be a cause for him to speak more carefully? (I don't remember who brought this up, sorry) I'm not discounting that he might well have been out of his tree on whatever at the time, just wondering whether an issue with his front teeth might have contributed to it.
@Maneki Neko said...
I wonder what else will be revealed tomorrow.
...............
Is there something specific coming out or happening tomorrow? tia
____________________
No, sorry! It's just that everyday there's a story or three from Scobie's book about H&M, so I'm expecting more illuminating and edifying revelations.
@Natalier
While MM's barrister is David Sherborne, her QC is Justin Rushbrooke.
The book reads: "His messages were often short and full of emojis, in particular the ghost emoji, which he often used instead of a smiley face.
"For what reason? Nobody knows. But Meghan found his texting etiquette funny and adorable, just like the prince."
Ghost emoji? Of course she liked it with all her ghosting. 'Funny and adorable'? What is he, a (lap)dog?
Magatha, if you're feeling creative today do please write a couple of your witty and irreverent poems in order to restore some sanity!
Imagine if Amber (who lacks intelligence herself) was having money problems while married to Johnny! I believe the subject was broached just before the big split. Go figure!
So I imagine, for Harry to see the light, it will be after the split when he realizes Meghan just wanted money and they run out.
There is no chance Meghan will stay with Harry If his reputation is ruined (it is) and he runs out of cash (he will be). Then she will have all her victim evidence like Amber.
Imagine that custody case? It’s going to be a problem for Harry and the RF because it will play out in the USA.
I imagine it will start with a domestic violence call from Meghan to the police in which her rage gets out of control and Harry reacts abnormally. He’s not a strong person as it is, and she is an Olympian Gaslighter.
Then it will go from there. She has her diary. She will hire that woman lawyer, Aldred. She will sue both Harry and his family and claim systemic abuse.
It’s going to get really bad before she wisks away to her new life.
She wants money. And his grandmother, who she worked for, is a billionaire. She loves lawsuits. She loves lying. She loves playing victim. She loves attention.
How else do you think this would end?
https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/mobile/folders/1oBbdzOzjsV51j3UnLsr9vK6oPItas7sH?usp=sharing
Prince Andrew..
Thanks for the reminder about the Cambridges' bad press in the mid-2010's. When some people remark that the Sussexes were a godsend to Cambridge PR, they weren't kidding! While I agree that a lot of what happened while Prince William was with EAAA was "not a good look," it's forgivable next to the shambolic mess of his brother's marriage.
I agree that there must have been many unresolved family issues in play during these years, with William asserting some independence from his father while cleaving to the Middletons. A man I knew at the time said that he wasn't surprised that someone who grew up with the dysfunctional Windsors and Spencers would embrace the normalcy the Middletons must have offered. Which now reminds me of the notorious line "the family she never had" . . . Hmmmm. If the EAAA years were William's angry rebellion, he certainly handled it better than his younger brother is doing now!
Interesting but I've just tried it on a real court document in pdf, I did copy & paste but it did not copy the redacted words - unless I missed something!
https://amp.reddit.com/r/Epstein/comments/i0ylwa/giuffre_v_maxwell_unsealed_documents_megathread/
It's just a nice community here, that's all. Thanks, everybody.
Absolutely whatever was going on with Will appears mild when compared to the fiasco that is Harry. But at the time, there were some concerns expressed about Will's commitment to a royal life. And he didn't really become a "full-time" working royal until he was 35 (with the meaning of full-time being a bit fuzzy.)
Last year (2019), H&M did fewer events than W&K but, of course, Archie was born in 2019 and they took off for Canada in November. Still, last year according to data reported from the Court Circular, TQ, Charles, Anne, Edward, and even Andrew (who wasn't working for the full year) did more events than William (108). And Camilla, Sophie, and even Harry did more events than Kate (56).
What W&K do appears well-done these days (like their tour to Pakistan and their outreach activities during lockdown.) But if the H&M sideshow ends, the spotlight may shift back to W&K in a more "searching" way. Event numbers likely won't be as meaningful for 2020 because of the lockdown but some questions may still be asked if W&K don't appear "active."
I think everyone understands Will (& Kate) won't ever have a normal "retirement." And everyone knows they do have young children. But press reports suggesting Sophie should take up the slack that may exist because of H&M's exit (because she's young compared to many of the other working royals) isn't a great look either if that leads W&K to retain the same activity level as last year. I like Sophie alot. And think she does an excellent job. But she's 55! And married to the 11th in line for the throne!
Having said that, I'm sympathetic to Catherine's position as a mother of very young children. Yes, I know there's a nanny and she has A LOT of other help. I also understand that she's a public servant for life and has obligations that ordinary mothers don't have. But my personal bias is for her to be "at home" for her children as much as possible while they're young. Especially when one of them is going to be an even more important public servant in the future. We've already seen the effects of two generations of distant (or caring but still absent) parents in the British Royal Family. It would be nice for this cycle to be broken for George, Charlotte and Louis.
I also believe Catherine's focus on children's mental health is a strategic way for her to stay "on brand" while being more available to her children. People calling her "The Children's Princess" is a little cringey, but it carries the subtle reminder that her own children would come first.
@kegeiger
·
"6100 comments so far and all of them are negative"
It's this article "Prince Harry makes first appearance since bombshell biography claims to urge the travel industry to 'build back better' in a speech for a virtual summit for his sustainable tourism project Travalyst"
I clicked on it even though I can't stand looking at him--I did want to see those teeth that everyone is talking about. Couldn't see 'em
I understand what you are saying. But I don't think there's any chance W&K will become "distant" parents even if they do work more outside the home.
In the old days, things were different and attitudes about rearing royal children were different. It seems to me that mold has been broken. Leaving the COVID issue aside (since we don't know what will happen with that), to be fair, in the old days traveling to far flung areas was more difficult and time consuming than it is today. So I suspect that's one reason tours were longer. It often wasn't realistic to take young children along or necessarily considered safe to do that.
Even doing one "away from the house" event per week arranged around "school runs" for 10 full months (to allow for summers off) would equal ~43 events. Throw in one 4-day tour with multiple events each day and the event count would likely beat Kate's 2019 event count of 56. Or throw in some official meetings or receptions hosted at KP here and there to definitely beat 56. So I don't think we'd be talking about Kate having to leave the kids with a nanny most days of the week for work. And Louis will be starting nursery school before too long.
Even for Will, if he did 2 events a week for 10 months, to exceed last year's count of 108 he'd only need 23 more events over the entire year. With a tour with Kate, KP meetings, a few very brief solo trips abroad that should be fairly easy to accomplish.
I just think they can't keep letting older relatives carry so much of the weight without there being negative attention paid to them once the Sussex circus calms down and as W&K approach 40. But maybe I'm wrong.
@Maneki 😘
Harry’s latest Travelyst
was filmed whilst he looked drugged or p...ed
Megsies love for Harry’s ghost
has seen them move from coast to coast
All we know are Megsies versions
of what went down on these excursions
Make no mistake she’ll claw for more
whilst booting Harry out the door
These latest ploys are mere diversions
she’s now intent to cast Casper’sions
Those are reasonable numbers. I get what you're saying. And with Prince Harry out of the picture, there really is more work to go around. (I wish Prince Charles would reconsider making the York Princesses working royals, but I'm betting he never will.)
For me, the mystery is why the Cambridges haven't been stepping up. If it's as easy to fill one's calendar as you say, then there have to be other reasons they've been holding back. You brought up unresolved family issues for the low-key EAAA years. And though Catherine's staying home "for the children" seems perfectly on brand to me, now that I see your numbers, it's also looking like an excuse rather than the real reason.
My friend who thought the Cambridges have been doing too much PR lately has a theory about why Catherine doesn't do more engagements. She thinks Prince Charles wants it that way. He didn't like it the first time an attractive, photogenic young woman stole his limelight, and she was his own wife. He didn't want a repeat of that with his son's wife -- at least not until he himself becomes king.
That's an interesting interpretation! Would it be okay if you reposted it in the new thread? I think discussion is finally slowing down here and moving over there -- and I think a lot of others would like to read it, too.
Well, the Charles won't allow others to shine is what the Sussexes said too (except they also said it about W&K.) Maybe it's true. But Charles can't do it all himself. And his supposed jealousy of Diana was well over 25 years ago. So I don't know. I'd like to see the York princesses do royal work too but I don't think that will happen.
@Lr Uhuru
Think of Hollywood as an industry town. for every movie star, there are agents, lawyers, cosmetic dentists & plastic surgeons that live alongside the famous faces, but the quest for beauty, attention and money infiltrates so much of the city. Even though Meghan wasn't in a celebrity household, she schooled with the children of film executives, actors, agents, etc. Her father's position as a lighting director made him "crew" thus, the unglamorous. Like NYC, London, Paris, there's a very high a level of ambition and status consciousness that trickles down to the school kids.
I'll say this, that Doria sent her to the Little Red Schoolhouse says she, Doria, was ambitious and looking to make well-placed connections. Great school, hard to get into, very hip and lots of rich famous parents send their kids there. Less abiut academics, more about kids getting to truly express themselves .... So she started young proclaiming her truth.
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Thanks, Miz M. I do think it's important to examine MM's childhood as well as her adulthood in order to get better perspective. You have helped give me some important pieces of the puzzle.
So status is a key component of the facade. The lure of reaching the *highest* levels is what feeds the all-consuming ambition. I wouldn't be surprised if both Thomas and Doria fed MM endless drips and drops of "You are a star, go for it" from the time she was a small tot. Their idea of *love*, I guess. MM fixated on that and never looked back.
As for *expressing themselves*, sounds like more of the "everyone gets a trophy" dross that took hold in the '90s. "All your thoughts R good," regardless. Makes sense!
Thanks again :)
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There is probably some truth to that.
I had read someplace a while ago that Charles was jealous of the attention his good-looking son William was getting, so William and Kate were trying to stay under the radar a little more than they normally would so as not to antagonize Charles.
Could make sense.
I could see Charles using H/M as a tool to keep W/C down, not realizing what he was unleashing.
I also think that at first Charles was taken in with mm's excessive flirting with him. (If she couldn't have Will she'd take Charles. Flirting with Charles was in case she needed Plan B.)
We saw a few times in the beginning where she was making goo-goo eyes at Charles, the way she made goo-goo eyes at William.
"@Jessica The Queen is NOT a billionaire. Yes, the RF are rich, but there are many people far richer than they are in this world."
The Queen is a billionaire, while Monarch.
She is the largest landowner in the world.
Her art collection is the largest and most expensive in the world.
The Queen owns the Crown Jewels 'in the right of the Crown', so the ownership passes from one monarch to the next. The 140 pieces are worth an estimated $4 billion.
That's just the tip of the iceberg. She also makes money on the side, by racing horses and other activities. Her personal net worth, minus the Crown (land, jewels, art) is around $800,000,000.
The fact Harry and Meghan snubbed their noses to being executives of such a successful institution is nothing less than stupid. That kind of job opportunity... you just can't get better than that, even in every comparative case/thought they have presented.
"The fact Harry and Meghan snubbed their noses to being executives of such a successful institution is nothing less than stupid."
"...nothing less than stupid" Boy if that isn't the biggest understatement I have ever read! Wow. oh wow, is the Queen ever wealthy. My goodness you concisely summed up her riches and that is only the obvious. I am sure her money is earning money etc...
To think Harry seems to have thrown it all away for what,.. a cheap trick and her bag of tricks. There isn't a word in the English language to describe how utterly stupid and deranged they are.
I've also read the suggestion that the Queen herself wanted the Cambridges to enjoy as normal a life as possible before throwing themselves into royal work full time. She and Prince Philip were married for only six years before she became Queen; perhaps she wanted her grandson to have a bit more time. (Well, if this is the case, he seems to have taken his time and then some!)
I also just thought of another possibility. What if William was negotiating, in a way? Telling his father (and his grandmother?) that he wouldn't simply toe the line unless he had more of a say in how things went? Stonewalling them until it got embarrassing enough that they'd have to make some concessions? A risky strategy, definitely! And one of your posts upthread details how it has hurt his image quite badly. But if this is the case, then it seems to be paying off at last. Going by Meghan's revenge patterns, William has a lot more control these days.
You make some excellent points. I've heard the idea the Queen wanted W&K to have some time...it was sometimes referred to as the "Malta agreement" by posters on now-defunct blogs I used to read (because supposedly TQ was happy there as a navy wife.) Certainly W&K had a fairly normal life (or could have) when they lived in Wales while Will was in the RAF (both before and after marriage.) But as you say, I'm not sure TQ had in mind the break from royal duties would have lasted quite so long. I remember on one of his birthdays (maybe his 92nd or 93rd) Philip said something to a reporter about thinking about retiring but not being able to get anyone else to do the work. Could have been a joke but....
I think there could have been a control issue, too. There was one Christmas there appeared to be tension and W&K spent that one with the Middletons. Which I think was fine. But reports were Philip wanted them to come to his Boxing Day hunt at Sandringham which apparently was a tradition (pheasant, I think.) Instead, the Middletons organized a hunt for Will. That did have a bit of rival court feel.
It was also unusual for Will and Harry to have a fully-staffed separate office at KP. I know Will is an heir, but he wasn't a full-time working royal and neither was Harry (as he was in the military until 2015.)
And there was a BP "summit" called once (for lack of a better word) and I remember online chatter was that PP might have died. Turns out it was a request for Clarence House and KP do a better job communicating with BP so they wouldn't step all over each other's stories. Not sure things improved much.
I remember too in an interview about his EAAA job Will said he thought he like to keep doing it when he was king. That he thought it was important to have "meaningful" work. (That wasn't a terribly diplomatic thing to say IMO.) And while Will has forgotten more than I'll ever know about what royals do, it didn't seem realistic to me to think he could still be flying around in a helicopter between meetings with the PM and reading his red boxes! (I also kind of rolled my eyes since he reportedly wasn't always showing up for that job as it was.) And I know it was reported he wanted to go back to flying to help with COVID. I'm sure he was sincere but that seemed unrealistic to me. Good grief, helicopters do crash...And there's no "social distancing inside." Maybe not the best for the second in line! Especially given that I believe by law, Harry would be George's regent if one is needed.
But now we learn from ‘Finding Freedom’ that the tiara issue wasn’t over emeralds, it was over access. This looks so much worse for the Sussexes. It is common knowledge that royals do almost everything by appointment. Especially when it comes to something as monetarily and historically valuable as jewels. Harry should have known that.
I’m not sure which story is true. Perhaps they are both true. It’s interesting how something as simple as a borrowed tiara has such muddy waters. Regardless, it seems likely that Meghan did wear the actual Queen Mary Diamond Bandeau tiara on her wedding day. It makes no sense to assume a copy was made, as some have suggested. Copies would take time to make and are still expensive, even if you used crystals or paste stones instead of diamonds. It seems more likely that a member of staff was on hand to take the tiara back to the Buckingham Palace jewel vault the moment Meghan removed it.