Meghan and Harry 3: Working Towards Financial Independence

[adidas]

5 hours ago, meep said:

LOL! OMAHGOSH I hope this happens! This gave me a big laugh, thank you! ?

The guy who played Prince Charles had to learn to do his walk - I remember reading an interview about it a while ago ... I think I called it the penguin walk or something similar. 

Anyway, on to more interesting things - it looks like Sophie is stepping up. Interesting article:

https://honey.nine.com.au/royals/sophie-countess-wessex-replace-megahn-markle-royal-family/67dcd291-e57c-44de-9cb1-ed5dfc4116c2

[WiseGirl]

13 hours ago, Palimpsest said:

wanting Andrew extradited and strung up by his balls.

Do you think they could do this at the Tower of London?  Kind of a take on Throwback Thursday.

FWIW I think Meghan & Harry could live quietly/disappear if they want to.  Time will tell.

I'm pretty much using every thread as a distraction over the 45 impeachment.  Maddening.

[Palimpsest]

10 hours ago, adidas said:

Anyway, on to more interesting things - it looks like Sophie is stepping up. Interesting article:

https://honey.nine.com.au/royals/sophie-countess-wessex-replace-megahn-markle-royal-family/67dcd291-e57c-44de-9cb1-ed5dfc4116c2

Good for Sophie.  And that article dissed poor Anne.  

Quote

Kate would be feeling Meghan's loss keenly, as it makes her one of the only royal women - bar the Queen herself - with a major, public working royal within the monarchy.

Yeah, yeah.  This is the year when Charles finally managed to overtake Anne.  Charles 526 and Anne 521 engagements each.  

I don't think the Sussex shaped hole is that big.  Harry and Meghan between them managed 284 engagements (Harry, 201 and Meghan, 83).  Although we'll give Meghan a giant pass because she was on maternity leave.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2019/12/30/prince-charles-emerges-hardest-working-royal-2019/

Edited February 2, 2020 by Palimpsest

[Pleiades_06]

1 hour ago, Palimpsest said:

Good for Sophie.  And that article dissed poor Anne.  

Yeah, yeah.  This is the year when Charles finally managed to overtake Anne.  Charles 526 and Anne 521 engagements each.  

I don't think the Sussex shaped hole is that big.  Harry and Meghan between them managed 284 engagements (Harry, 201 and Meghan, 83).  Although we'll give Meghan a giant pass because she was on maternity leave.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2019/12/30/prince-charles-emerges-hardest-working-royal-2019/

Is Camilla a working royal?

[Palimpsest]

Yes, she is. And after double checking I have to correct the stats I gave above for Charles and Anne.  Charles did 521 engagements total and Anne did 506.

In other Royal Horse Race Stakes results: 

In 2019 the Queen had 294 engagements in total.  Fewer than in previous years but she is 94.

Camilla managed 264 total engagements, beating out Harry at 201.   

Sophie already works hard: 236, 79 of them overseas.

Poor Princess Alexandra, possibly my favourite British royal, limped in dead last at 60.  But she is 83 and has been quite ill.

 

 

[just_ordinary]

On 2/1/2020 at 2:51 PM, Palimpsest said:

They seemed to take the loss of their children's titles quite philosophically.   If not with a tone of relief.  But I suppose Madeleine is a part-time and not very committed royal, who chose to live outside Sweden, and accepts a royal handout she doesn't fully earn.  

But you missed my point.  It was that, if a royal wants, and tries not deliberately to attract press attention, it is possible to live their lives quite privately in the USA.  I don't see headlines about Madeleine out with her children in Miami, walking the dog, or threatening to sue the press, when I log on to the internet every day.

Thing is- they lived in London a couple of years- no headlines either. Same for the next in line in Lichtenstein.
Most royals are quite capable to live their private lives outside the public spotlight. Even after engagements, weddings and pregnancies when the public interest is high.

[Seahorse Wrangler]

On 2/1/2020 at 5:26 PM, Palimpsest said:

Nah.  Not really.  He did inherit from Grandpa Phillip those rather unfortunate close set eyes.  But tone down that red hair, shave off the beard,  expand the bald spot (and that will happen with age), gain a few pounds, and Harry could pass for a pretty average nerd.  I actually think the most distinctive thing, and least changeable thing, about him is his horseman's walk.  Known as "cowboy walk" in the US.

Anyway, he doesn't have to disappear for ever.  He just needs to be mostly boring, keep his nose clean, and only use his Ex-Royal status to attract attention for good causes to be able to live a low key life overall.  His choice.

Reminds me of one of the letters in "Letters from a Faint-Hearted Feminist" in which the eponymous letter writer says that if Princess Diana wanted to be truly incognito then all she needed to do was put on her spit-up covered clothes, not brush her hair or wear make-up and jewellery and push one of her children in a push-chair. That way every-one would ignore her like they do every other mother out in public.

[louisa05]

Sophie isn’t “stepping up”. As someone noted above, she had 200+ engagements last year. She has her own patronages and interests.  The American press apparently just noticed she exists. ?

I agree that there’s not much of a “hole” left by the Sussexes. Some places simply won’t get royal visits.  

[tabitha2]

The American Press is making the Sussexes way way more important than they are.

[HerNameIsBuffy]

6 minutes ago, tabitha2 said:

The American Press is making the Sussexes way way more important than they are.

Like with the Kardashians or anyone else, they are exactly as important to the press as the money the media can make off them.

When the public loses interest they'll move on.

[just_ordinary]

On 2/7/2020 at 12:03 AM, louisa05 said:

Sophie isn’t “stepping up”. As someone noted above, she had 200+ engagements last year. She has her own patronages and interests.  The American press apparently just noticed she exists. ?

I agree that there’s not much of a “hole” left by the Sussexes. Some places simply won’t get royal visits.  

False statements like this really make it difficult for people that are new to the Royals. Sadly, not just foreign media uses those narratives. The British tabloids spill them to make up/dramatise stories. 
What I do think is problematic for people outside of Europe/monarchies is the distinction between royals and celebrities. It’s hard to explain. Sometimes due to language barriers, sometimes due to the different socialisation and sometimes because it’s just really hard to explain. 
 

I don’t think people will come round about any Hollywood  connection. Because it oversteps this blurry line. Kate and Wiliam got a lot of backlash when they visited LA and attended a BAFTA event in LA in 2011. Wiliam had been President for one year but his/their first related attendance was in the US. Neither attended the BAFTA itself in 2010 or 2011. They got called out in wanting to be celebrities rather than royals. It was also right in the period of “cooling down after the wedding hype”. They couldn’t do anything right anymore for years to come.
Many people are very vary about this because royals becoming celebrities will make it even more obvious that they might be obsolete. By towing the royal line they at least set themselves apart from both- the hated political establishment and the gossiped about celebrities.

[Pleiades_06]

1 hour ago, just_ordinary said:

False statements like this really make it difficult for people that are new to the Royals.

Which part is false?

 

1 hour ago, just_ordinary said:

What I do think is problematic for people outside of Europe/monarchies is the distinction between royals and celebrities.

This is a good point-I would argue that people outside Europe/monarchies don’t have a cultural connection because the royals aren’t royal to them. I’m not British/from a Commonwealth country and Harry isn’t my prince. I’m not impressed by his pedigree, although I respect that that is a part of British culture. 

[just_ordinary]

2 hours ago, Pleiades_06 said:

Which part is false?

 

This is a good point-I would argue that people outside Europe/monarchies don’t have a cultural connection because the royals aren’t royal to them. I’m not British/from a Commonwealth country and Harry isn’t my prince. I’m not impressed by his pedigree, although I respect that that is a part of British culture. 

That Sophie is now „stepping up“ and brought out of the shadows. She and Edward are already pulling high numbers, have been on several engagements with other family members and have been THE couple to attend royal weddings in Europe representing Elizabeth II.

[SoSoNosy]

Sophie and Edward were the ones who attended all the young royal weddings over the years that William and Harry were not quite old enough.  They were/are close friends with several couples who got together  every so often, and maybe still do.

[just_ordinary]

5 hours ago, SoSoNosy said:

Sophie and Edward were the ones who attended all the young royal weddings over the years that William and Harry were not quite old enough.  They were/are close friends with several couples who got together  every so often, and maybe still do.

I don’t think William and Harry were ever an option as they are about 10-20 years younger than the young royals. It made sense to send someone from the Queen’s children as that mirrors not only age but position. The BRF doesn’t seem to have close ties to the other monarchies. At least not publicly. Maybe because the age structure is always 10-20 years or more different especially compared to the line of succession. 
But it has always been Sophie and Edward. (I think the wedding of Felipe and Letizia was the only one Charles showed up as well.) Charles, Andrew or Anne could have gone too. It was a good choice to send them even though I think the weddings of the heirs of the throne should have been attended by Charles as well. 
I did wonder if this job would fall to Harry and Meghan in the future. Well, that’s not an option anymore. 

[AridityOfHeaven]

It's been quiet on the Sussex front. No idea where they are or what they are doing. No pictures, that I know of. I hope this is the privacy they sought and they are doing well.

I don't know why this just occurred to me, but it seems a bit sad to me that Harry said Meghan married into a family, saying or implying Meghan was gaining something she didn't have before. In such a short time, it wasn't that Meghan gained a family but that Harry ended up leaving his. I suspect Meghan doesn't do well with a family structure different from her own and being apart from Harry's family is probably a lot more comfortable. 

[formergothardite]

7 minutes ago, AridityOfHeaven said:

In such a short time, it wasn't that Meghan gained a family but that Harry ended up leaving his.

I really hate this idea that he "left" his family. Lots of people move away from family and leave the family business and I doubt people claim they abandon their families. I also hate implying that this is all Meghan because she wasn't comfortable with his family. 

If the royal family can't stay family if someone decides to break out of the mold then they weren't much of a family to begin with. 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

12 minutes ago, AridityOfHeaven said:

It's been quiet on the Sussex front. No idea where they are or what they are doing. No pictures, that I know of. I hope this is the privacy they sought and they are doing well.

I don't know why this just occurred to me, but it seems a bit sad to me that Harry said Meghan married into a family, saying or implying Meghan was gaining something she didn't have before. In such a short time, it wasn't that Meghan gained a family but that Harry ended up leaving his. I suspect Meghan doesn't do well with a family structure different from her own and being apart from Harry's family is probably a lot more comfortable. 

He is still a member of his family.  He just left the family business.

Crosssposted with FG - sorry.

Edited February 18, 2020 by HerNameIsBuffy

[SoSoNosy]

They were in South Beach and Miami, and had dinner with JLO and Alex.  Some site showed a huge mansion that they are renting.  I would quote a source, but I honestly don't remember where I saw it; Harry made a speech at some function.

[Coconut Flan]

Then they went to Stanford.

[SweetJuly]

21 hours ago, formergothardite said:

I really hate this idea that he "left" his family. Lots of people move away from family and leave the family business and I doubt people claim they abandon their families. I also hate implying that this is all Meghan because she wasn't comfortable with his family. 

While I agree with you in principle, the BRF is a very enmeshed "business". What part is work/official duty, what is just "spending time with family"?

Clearly "spending time with family" in the BRF are summer in Balmoral and Christmas at Sandringham. It's customary for close family members to join in for at least a bit. It's not official business, but private time with the Queen and the extended family. Harry and Meghan were notably absent both at Balmoral and Sandringham last year, apparently despite a personal invitation from the Queen to the latter. I do think that this is a very telling detail and a sign of them having "left" (or at least distanced themselves considerably from) the family.

 

I don't think it's purely Meghan's "fault" (if you believe the distance to be bad) or "achievement" (if you believe the distance to be good). I do think, however, that she wasn't particularly comfortable in her new role/situation, and that this contributed to whatever underlying problems Harry had with the RF. To give a private example, my husband was never particularly close to his paternal family, but he still stuck around at all family events and tried to keep in regular contact even with the people he disliked. Then he met me, I felt uncomfortable with his paternal family as well, and now we spend only the absolute minimum of time with that side of his relatives. Couples do influence one another, and it is absolutely reasonable to assume that the changes that happened in Harry's life are, among other things, ALSO due to Meghan's sentiments.

The reason why the public tend to identify Meghan as the only or determining factor is that Harry seemed very close to his family, his British friends, and his country in general before. He may have hated or suffered under the official/public part of his role, but he definitely seemed to be privately very attached to his home.

It's only after Meghan appeared that the "distancing" took place, at least publicly. The break with Kensington and setting up their own household, the alleged rifts with old friends, the moving to another country - these are all actions of which Harry has no previous history.

[HerNameIsBuffy]

36 minutes ago, SweetJuly said:

Harry and Meghan were notably absent both at Balmoral and Sandringham last year, apparently despite a personal invitation from the Queen to the latter. I do think that this is a very telling detail and a sign of them having "left" (or at least distanced themselves considerably from) the family.

Would you hold anyone else to that standard?  If they skip a holiday with one side of the family to be with the other, or spend it alone with their new baby, that they've distanced themselves from their family of origin?

Lots of people get personal invitations from their Grandma's to visit for Christmas - not making it every year doesn't mean you want to be estranged.

 

[tabitha2]

His Grandmother and Grandfather esp the latter have very few years left and have these few times a year to be off the clock so to speak and get the extended and very busy family together. That’s reason enough to take up the invitations. 

[HerNameIsBuffy]

15 minutes ago, tabitha2 said:

His Grandmother and Grandfather esp the latter have very few years left and have these few times a year to be off the clock so to speak and get the extended and very busy family together. That’s reason enough to take up the invitations. 

To you.

I am always utterly astounded that in this thread there are posts like this, so adamant about putting the wants of the family of origin over the choices adults make for their own families, here on FJ.

They are old, and could have been said to have "few years left" for a long time.  If people want to maintain a relationship with their relatives they will do so, but that doesn't mean they have to obey every summons to a family event.  

 

[viii]

19 minutes ago, tabitha2 said:

His Grandmother and Grandfather esp the latter have very few years left and have these few times a year to be off the clock so to speak and get the extended and very busy family together. That’s reason enough to take up the invitations. 

No. You do not have to spend time with toxic people because they’re old. 
 

Also, when William and Kate bailed on MULTIPLE royal family get togethers to spend time with the Middletons, did you say anything then? Hmm that’s what I thought.