Meghan and Harry 2: Now with Archie

[acheronbeach]

12 minutes ago, nausicaa said:

So my question is: why not talk to the BRF  before releasing this statement? Then they could gave ironed out details, made this less dramatic, and kept a cohesive front. What did they have to lose? Is it just impulsiveness? Or something else?

 

And to the Fundie family comparisons: I think a more apt comparison would be if John David renounced his role as a Duggar and no longer wanted to do publicity work for the family (a more than fair and understandable desire), but expected Jim Bob to keep bankrolling his house, supplying his job, and sharing proceeds from the show and appearances. That ain't how it works kiddies...

I know a lot of people are blaming Meghan and I expect she is fully on board... however, I think Harry is a big driver in this.  He seems to hold a lot of resentment (about Diana and his military work, IMO) and had been taking about quitting since at least 2015 and well before Meghan. 

Add to that what appears to be a rift and aa lot of bitterness toward his brother and i can see why Harry would blindside his brother as a F you.   The family is probably collateral damage.  

[QuiverFullofBooks]

9 hours ago, adidas said:

I am not being facetious here - genuine question. 
Let’s say they relinquish their royal titles (or HRH strips them, however they decide to spin it haha), they will no longer be the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Which means all of the copyrighting and branding they’ve done on their website, social media etc ... and no doubt legally ... will be defunct. Right? Will they become Mr and Mrs Markle since Harry doesn’t have an official surname (though he has used Wales in the past)? Or will they pick up Mountbatten-Windor so that their surname matches Archie’s?

Somehow ‘Mountbatten Windsor Commoner’ or ‘Wales Civilian’ doesn’t have the same ring as Sussex Royal.

Im sorry, but I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt. I defended her against the media’s claims when they first started saying she was hell on wheels behind the scenes, making Kate cry and turning over new staff like crazy ... but it seems she leaves a trail of destruction and broken relationships wherever she goes. Her relationships with her Dad, her siblings, her friends... Now Harry has admitted there is conflict with his brother and he didn’t even tell his father or Grandmother about these plans before announcing them. They must be so hurt  

I seriously doubt that they would ever lose Sussex. At most they would lose their HRH. The duchesses of Windsor and York kept their titles in much worse situations. But to answer your question, their surname is Mountbatten-Windsor.

I agree about Meghan’s trail of destruction. Don’t forget her first husband. She seems like she can be very nice when she wants or needs to be, but she’s always out for herself. 

Harry’s talking about work and financial independence, but he means, “Mummy left me fuck-you money.” The millions that the Queen loaned Charles to pay off Diana ended up unlocking Harry’s golden handcuffs.

Andrew must be happy about this. 

[LittleOwl]

From the cartoonist of Private Eye:

 

[PlentyOfJesusFishInTheSea]

2 hours ago, acheronbeach said:

I'm not surprised RE Twitter when it comes to MM and PH.  Camilla Tominey with the Telegram wrote last year about the evidence that a lot of MM related Twitter activity was by over 1000 "obsessively" supportive bot accounts from Russia. 

Interesting! I hadn't heard anything about this so I looked it up:

https://www.macleans.ca/royalty/meghan-markles-twitter-bot-network-the-whole-thing-is-a-bit-insane/

My understanding is that the Russian government pays people to sit in an office somewhere and tweet out on both sides of some divide with the ultimate goal of destabilizing the west. (The first and best reporting I've seen on this is from Samantha Bee: 

It's interesting to think about whether bots actually change anyone's minds, or just fuel the fire. In this case, I think there are many people who genuinely tweet about Meghan, one way or the other. (If you look up "Twitter reaction Meghan Harry" you'll see actual reporters, authors, and other people of note chiming in. Seems like many of the Americans are pro-Meghan.))

 

[FluffySnowball]

15 hours ago, tabitha2 said:

Harry clearly is pure Spencer both in looks and attitude. Capricious, dramatic, headstrong can be astonishingly selfish and cocksure. 

Charles, is that you? ? 

[viii]

I don't know how I feel about this. On one hand, I feel like for their mental well-being and health, they need to do what's best for them. However, something this big and un-precedent should have been cleared with all other officials before being announced. The queen/Charles/William/Harry should have all presented a united front as they announced it. 

Also, it sounds like this big grand modern gesture, but when you really look at it, they're not doing anything that significant besides giving up work and still getting paid. Plus, now they'll be able to make appearances at the events that suit them and capitalize off it. 

I want to like Meghan, but a pattern does seem to be emerging, and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. However, I don't think Meghan was the big mastermind behind this. This has Harry written all over it. He's been wanting out of the royal family for years, and now that he's married and has a child, it's only increased his paranoia and fear. 

I also think she's pregnant again, and they're not willing to undergo everything they had to last time (ie announcing when she's in labor, expected to release the birth certificate and where she gave birth, etc). 

[LittleOwl]

I also wonder if she is wanting to get back into acting, and it's not something that the Palace would have been behind? 

[CrazyMumma]

8 minutes ago, viii said:

 

I also think she's pregnant again, and they're not willing to undergo everything they had to last time (ie announcing when she's in labor, expected to release the birth certificate and where she gave birth, etc). 

But they didn't announce when she was in labour.. She had already given birth when the palace announced labour,  they didn't release the birth certificate or hospital info...

[viii]

6 minutes ago, LittleOwl said:

I also wonder if she is wanting to get back into acting, and it's not something that the Palace would have been behind? 

I don't think she'll get into acting again. She wasn't a very good actress, and I don't think she will open herself up to that kind of criticism. However, I do think she wants to do more humanitarian work, majority of which she had to drop when she married Harry. I think she wants to work more with the UN and whatnot. 

4 minutes ago, CrazyMumma said:

But they didn't announce when she was in labour.. She had already given birth when the palace announced labour,  they didn't release the birth certificate or hospital info...

No, but all of that was expected of them to release, and I personally don't think they enjoyed the scrutiny. 

[BlondeIdol]

I am firmly in the ‘dislike’ H&M camp now. 

All of this makes me roll my eyes backwards into my skull. If they really wanted people to leave them alone they wouldn’t be making appearances with Beyoncé, or making statements like this, or have had that Africa tv documentary, or have had that recent appearance in Canada, the list goes on. I get that I am a more traditional person than most in a lot of ways. Wife takes husband last name, family comes first, things like that. I get that they want their son to have privacy and that’s okay. I respect that. However, outside of that, all I see is “waaaaah I was born into a super rich and ancient family waaah cry for me tabloids are meanies waaaah I don’t want this cushy job that was handed to me” like oh please I have no sympathy for these people 

Either go live in the boonies and show up for trooping the colour or stay, but I dare say that royal life and the rules just aren’t good enough for Harry/Meghan. I used to like her now I just wish these attention whores would go away.

 

Edited January 9, 2020 by BlondeIdol

[formergothardite]

13 hours ago, WiseGirl said:

Piers Morgan may have been right about her. “People say I'm too critical of Meghan Markle - but she ditched her family, ditched her Dad, ditched most of her old friends, split Harry from William & has now split him from the Royal Family,” Morgan tweeted. “I rest my case.”

I hate this idea of blaming their choices while married all on her. Harry is a grown ass man and he is making these choices too, but it seems like she gets more of the blame. Piers is ridiculous to claim she is the one who split him from the Royal family. There is a level of sexism to making it seem like this shrew ripped poor, victim Harry away from his family. 

 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

1 minute ago, formergothardite said:

I hate this idea of blaming their choices while married all on her. Harry is a grown ass man and he is making these choices too, but it seems like she gets more of the blame. Piers is ridiculous to claim she is the one who split him from the Royal family. There is a level of sexism to making it seem like this shrew ripped poor, victim Harry away from his family. 

 

This.  They are both adults responsible for their own choices.  He's not some entrapped teenage fundy wife, he has agency.

[viii]

Yeah, I hate that she's getting majority of the push back when in reality, I think it was more likely to be Harry to have wanted this. 

[Coconut Flan]

5 hours ago, nausicaa said:

made this less dramatic, and kept a cohesive front.

Because drama has become the way these two roll.  For some reason they think they haven't been getting enough attention from the BRF (maybe they haven't) and dang it they will get the public attention then the way they want it without any restraining hand of the family.   They seem to think that if out from under the establishment then they can control their own press.  Good luck with that.  Tabloids do what tabloids do.

[mswhatsit]

I think this is on both of them. Harry obviously wants out and Meghan wants to be a different type of celebrity than being part of the BRF will allow her to be. That being said they are going about this in a way that strikes me as tacky and based on a lot of assumptions. Neither of them are that interesting outside of the context of the monarchy. I just hope they find peace somehow. 

[viii]

I feel like Meghan wants a brand that's similar to Goop. I don't see her returning to acting, but I do see her following Gwyneth Paltrow footsteps and becoming more of a celebrity than an actress. 

[JenniferJuniper]

1 hour ago, formergothardite said:

I hate this idea of blaming their choices while married all on her. Harry is a grown ass man and he is making these choices too, but it seems like she gets more of the blame. Piers is ridiculous to claim she is the one who split him from the Royal family. There is a level of sexism to making it seem like this shrew ripped poor, victim Harry away from his family. 

 

Yep.  "She's such a Yoko!"   Silly. He's a big boy.  And I wonder if he harbors some deep, untapped resentment over how his mother was treated in life by the Royals.  It would be understandable.

Although this must all feel a bit Uncle Davidish to the queen. 

[just_ordinary]

7 hours ago, nausicaa said:

So my question is: why not talk to the BRF  before releasing this statement? Then they could gave ironed out details, made this less dramatic, and kept a cohesive front. What did they have to lose? Is it just impulsiveness? Or something else?

[...]

I think it is a massiv gamble on their side. They presented “facts” they have no control over hoping that BP will just run with it. 
I am still confused at their statement. What exactly do they mean when they say “stepping back from being senior royals”? That is not a real job description and more made up by media and public to describe a profil in the BRFs work set up. They never said they are stepping back from being royal. Which leaves all the perks but no duty.  But they will support the Queen and would go on tours- maybe they will not be asked to (which I desperatere hope).
They said they will not take the money from the Sovereign Grant. At least they don’t hide that this makes only 5% of their income. Now, where do the other 95% come from? Because right now, they get funded by Charles, aka the Dutchy of Cornwall, aka the British public. Charles can decide to cut them off financially. And soon enough it will be Williams and then George’s decision. I think they should use their own millions (Harry’s inheritance after his mother’s death and Meghan’s income). Anything else is shady in my opinion.

They want to keep Frogmore Cottage as a uk base. While it was a „gift“ by the Queen, they are not the owners. 
 

Additionally, I do believe they need the drama. Their timing has been off so many times now it must be intentional.

And who the fuck thought it a good idea to write „to collaborate with...“. That confirms that they want to be their own entity outside the BRF. So be it. But then cut all professional ties (aka titles and finances). 

What bothers me most is that they want to be more accessible to everyone. How does that fit in with their cry for privacy? I fear they will go down the desperate influencer road. Being your own brand and selling out your and your children’s life. 
I think we see a modern day Wallie Simpson/Edward VII. drama with glimpses of the shady Fergie/Andrew business tactics.

[VGL]

7 hours ago, QuiverFullofBooks said:

I seriously doubt that they would ever lose Sussex. At most they would lose their HRH. The duchesses of Windsor and York kept their titles in much worse situations. But to answer your question, their surname is Mountbatten-Windsor.

I agree about Meghan’s trail of destruction. Don’t forget her first husband. She seems like she can be very nice when she wants or needs to be, but she’s always out for herself. 

Harry’s talking about work and financial independence, but he means, “Mummy left me fuck-you money.” The millions that the Queen loaned Charles to pay off Diana ended up unlocking Harry’s golden handcuffs.

Andrew must be happy about this. 

Duke of Windsor was the title given to Edward VIII after he abdicated.  When he married Wallis she became the Duchess of Windsor.  As Meghan is not a British citizen, she may not be able to keep the title. Or the HRH.  The Duchess of Windsor was never an HRH.

 

[Giraffe]

Can the people of Cornwall vote that Charles not be permitted to “share” with Harry? I’m  guessing no, that it’s his money to spend how he likes. If it’s true financial independence they want, they need to give up those funds, too. They live on far too much money to even remotely feel a 5% decrease!

[hoipolloi]

57 minutes ago, VGL said:

The Duchess of Windsor was never an HRH.

No, and, apparently, that really rankled her and the Duke. 

21 minutes ago, Giraffe said:

Can the people of Cornwall vote that Charles not be permitted to “share” with Harry? I’m  guessing no, that it’s his money to spend how he likes.

It is his in that I doubt there's a way for the public, apart from maybe Parliament, to control his expenditures from it. He probably does have to account for how he spends it but not to the public. IIRC, unlike the Sovereign Grant/Royal List, the duchy's income & expenditures are fairly opaque. IOW, we may never know how much Charles foots the bill for his younger son's household. If I were a UK taxpayer, I'd be pissed.

Re: the "announcement" and Meghxit. Shaking my head over this one. I do believe that she's really been a target of vicious & unrelentingly racist attacks in the press since day one, with the Murdoch empire taking the lead. With this move, though, there is way too much entitlement going on. IMO, they are asking for the perks & the money with no obligation to perform the duties.

As for their intentions to become "financially independent," that sounds bogus as hell. Selling BRF cachet & maybe access is certainly a possibility. Or, does this translate to "find a plausible but fake career so I can take Daddy's duchy money, and make it look like I'm earning something"?

Or, maybe they'll become Plexus ambassadors or Young Living Distributors -- just think of the downlines they'll have!

[HerNameIsBuffy]

10 minutes ago, hoipolloi said:

Or, maybe they'll become Plexus ambassadors or Young Living Distributors -- just think of the downlines they'll have!

Imagine if she were downline from Jill?!  There would be a new Rod thread every few hours!

[ViolaSebastian]

I just can't help but think their idea of the amount it takes to be financially independent and mine are very different. I understand needing personal security and protection, but beyond that, they can cut back on some of their lifestyle choices and become independent much more quickly, if that's what they really want. 

[viii]

Apparently they have left Archie in Canada, and only flew back to London for discussions. I wonder why they didn't bring him... they must not intend to stay in the UK for long, and perhaps thought that if they brought him, they wouldn't be allowed to leave? It appears that the immediate royal family have met at Buckingham Palace for emergency discussions. Sucks for Kate to have to deal with this on her birthday. The whole thing seems really shady. 

Edited January 9, 2020 by viii

[ViolaSebastian]

4 minutes ago, viii said:

Sucks for Kate to have to deal with this on her birthday. The whole thing seems really shady. 

This really bothers me too, if I'm being honest. They only had to wait a couple more days.