scilly

There actually appears to be a pattern to the release of information from either them or their PR people ............ timed to be dropped just before or just after some announcement or event by William & Kate, Charles or, now, the Queen's 94th birthday.

Today's big blooper from them was a press release talking about a Zoom chat they had with the Queen, when it seems that everyone else had agreed to keep that private ..... by the Queen's request.

If you want to lead a private life, just don't issue press releases or somehow let the press know what you're doing now ............ they had no need to publicise the charity work they were doing in LA. Unless they wanted everyone to know.

caretaker

If you want to lead a private life just move into a secure compound with armed security and make a public statement that while press releases will be forthcoming, anything the tabloids print that isn't true will be met immediately with huge punitive lawsuits. As for charity work, there's no point trying to raise money if you don't publicise it, obviously. So far they're checking all the boxes. Meghan may be new to it but Harry has experience. As long as there are ghouls out there clamouring for scandal the tabloid press will try to sell them what they want, but if Harry can sue even one into bankruptcy and re-direct that money into Invictus or alleviating world hunger maybe the rest will take the hint.

Paul_Shepherd

Maybe he does, maybe he is blissfully happy. However it does seem that hes the one thats given everything up and moved away from his family and close friends....she is plainly calling he shots. She knew what she was marrying into, Ok she got some bad press coverage, so did Kate at first, but she stuck it out, and is through it. Both Kate and Meghan are commoners which is good for the future of the royal family, but Kate and Meghan are worlds apart as people.

Kate knew what she was getting into and kept her held held high, with her nose down and got on with it, she knew there was a duty to be done. She is not a diva. Meghan is, she had no intention of settling into a senior royal role, so shes dragged Harry into the celeb city....to help her increase her status of mildly famous actress.

Jingsamichty

I'm genuinely shocked at your sycophancy. Who are you to say that Meghan "knew what she was marrying into", implying that she ought to have changed, while Harry somehow didn't know what he was marrying into, and shouldn't change? For all we know, they both agreed that they didn't want a royal role.

Former Lancastrian

Does anybody really care what happens to these 2?
The Firm have been around for hundreds of years and has certain protocols that need to be followed. We can argue if they are still even relevant but for the time being it is what it is. Wanna be a future King/Queen or Senior Royal then these are the current rules. If you don't agree then feel free to do whatever you want but don't expect to remain part of The Firm and what comes with it.
I certainly don't care what happens to them.

Partially discharged

Totally agree with what you had to say. I find both of them (Megan and Harry) tiresome and I hope they can find happiness in LA but in my mind they are on their own dime and should be paying back their recent refurbishment costs for the place they lived in at Windsor Castle.

Not a big fan of the monarchy having a role in Canada...I usually specifically ask for stamps at the Post Office w/o the Queen on them. Once QE2 is no longer it wouldn't bother me if Charles was not on our currency.

Jerseygirl

agreed. I wish they would just go away and lead the private life they say they crave for.

Paul_Shepherd

Not a sycophant at all, just supportive of a long standing British institution that is woven into the very fabric of Britain whether you like it or not.

Your are republican so I wouldn’t expect you to understand, which is fair enough, were all entitled to our opinions. Prince Harry was a working senior royal, and being a SENIOR royal this role was expected of him from the day of his birth, not to the same extent of his brother William, but none the less that’s what it was. Anyone who wished to marry him has to expect to live that life too, and adhere to protocol, it doesn’t to work the other way around, where would you draw the line?

Yes I could humour you and say yes they could have both agreed they didn’t want the royal role, but Harry seemed happy with his royal duties until she came into his life….thats what I and many others are seeing. If its what he wants then so be it...even the Queen gave him her blessing and said ok carry on but don't expect to cash in on your royal title....(ex royal title) the words cake and eat spring to mind.

Siouxie

dbd33

Maybe he was gagging to go and live in the sun and to bask in the reflection of her celebrity. We have just no way of knowing. It was nice that they livened up the royal family for a time, the rest of them do seem a dreary bunch of simpletons, so I'm glad they were a thing even though it's last year's thing.

morpeth

Of course she ought to have changed and quite clear the norms and customs of the royal family, that overall work. As far as Harry certainly he should have been more aware of the challenges. If I recall it was reported one member of the royal family said " you have fun with actresses , you don't marry them." Harry had duties like it or not to his family, the Queen and country. If Meghan were not such a publicity hound, and if they truly wanted a more "normal life", Add the hypocrisy of flying private jets while espousing fashionable climate change, and refurbishing their property (though ultimately in income from Crown properties) it doesn't exactly paint a picture to admire.

morpeth

Great post ! Actually I don't think the monarchy needs 'livening up', The British Royal family if you compare to most other royal families of Europe has done better for themselves, and the country - so the idea they should not expect conformity to their traditions and customs that overall have worked I find curious. Republicans don't suffer from the institution, royalists are comforted by its presence and stability, and as part of the tourist attraction of Britain benefits the economy. As far as what Meghan thinks I wouldn't take her views seriously on much of anything except her knowledge of her craft, and she appears to me a childish and shallow person with little fortitude. I wish them well, and best they go for their "normal life" absent the hypocrisy. If her vision of a 'normal life' is the life of the Hollywood elite, crass materialism, hypocrisy and chasing favorable publicity, not exactly what most of us would consider normal.

dbd33

Well, I don't know about you but I loves me a touch of the crass materialism now and then and I can't run a personal services business without publicity. Those considerations are different only by degree.

I don't live a life of crass materialism every day, I don't have people to wait on me all the time, I don't exist solely to promote myself and my family. Neither, of course, does all of the Hollywood Elite (see George Clooney's remarks on Trump). The Trump family lives like that and so does the royal family. One can reasonably argue that moving from a life of sybaritic splendour to one of being a working actress is a huge leap toward normality. Not being in Harry's head, or knob, I can't say what motivates him to cut down on the freeloading but I can well see that, if you weren't born to royalty or generations of dolescum, it would be hard to adapt to joining them.

Jingsamichty

This is 2020. Nobody in the UK is "born into" any position, nor has any expectations placed upon them from their moment of birth. Everybody is free to make their own decisions as to how they want to live their life.

Less than 100 years ago the King abdicated because he wasn't allowed to marry a divorcee. Times have since changed and it's likely our next king will himself be a divorce and be married to a divorcee. If nothing else, that proves the monarchy can adapt to changes in society, albeit glacially. So if Harry wants to drop out after marrying an LA bimbo, who are you to say he "had a duty" to do something more conformative to your ideas of what he ought to do.

People have been saying for decades that, if the monarchy is to survive, it must move with the times. And yet any time one of them does, reactionaries like you complain that they are disrespecting tradition. It's you who wants to have your cake and eat it.

BristolUK

Good point. Anonymous donations are fine in one respect but they don't encourage others.

Food banks and women's refuges have suffered from reduced donations. The special payment the government recently sent me wasn't really needed as my income hasn't fallen so I sent it to the food bank.
I have posted about that. On the one hand I don't want to feel self righteous for doing it. On the other hand there will be others receiving similar sums that perhaps they don't really need and by mentioning it I hope that such organisations can recoup some of the lost donations this way. My MIL joined me because I mentioned it.

And here I am doing it again. It's not quite Bob Geldof but...