Harry & Meghan 8: Time's Most Insufferable

[QuiverFullofBooks]

Eugenie and her husband and son are living in Frogmore Cottage now that the Sussexes have vacated it. If the Sussexes did visit the UK, they would probably stay there, as sort-of-guests in sort-of their own house. (The Queen ultimately owns it anyway.)

Did y’all hear that the Cambridges are considering moving into Fort Belvedere, the former love nest of King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson? It’s also on the Windsor estate.

[tabitha2]

On that note, I wonder where Lady Louise is going to be housed?  Will Gran arrange a suitable place or Edward get her a home? 

[viii]

56 minutes ago, QuiverFullofBooks said:

Eugenie and her husband and son are living in Frogmore Cottage now that the Sussexes have vacated it. If the Sussexes did visit the UK, they would probably stay there, as sort-of-guests in sort-of their own house. (The Queen ultimately owns it anyway.)

Did y’all hear that the Cambridges are considering moving into Fort Belvedere, the former love nest of King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson? It’s also on the Windsor estate.

I'm pretty sure Harry did stay with them when he came for Philip's funeral. 

[MomJeans]

I'm guessing Lady Louise will be expected to find her own housing once she leaves her parents' house for good.  At most, she may be allowed to rent a small bungalow on royal property, like her cousins, until she is more established.  (Eugenie now lives in Frog Cott, but she wasn't given that by the Queen, she rents from Harry.  Beatrice now has her own place with Edo and the kids, I'm pretty sure.)

It's being reported so much that I think the rumors are true- the Cambridges are moving to Windsor.  I'm shocked by this.  They already have two luxury royal properties, and are not currently next in line.   I'm guessing George may become a day student at a new school that is more commutable from Windsor.  I was pretty sure the commute they currently have would get old quickly too.

With everything going on right now, it feels like really poor timing to be trotting off to a 3rd luxury home, but maybe I'm alone in my criticism on this.  

[AmazonGrace]

I think there is not that much doctors can do to make sure someone is fertile beyond ruling out some of the usual suspects that typically cause infertility. Asking about your cycle and your history of STDs or obgyn complaints, checking the basic equipment with an ultrasound, maybe some blood tests for hormonal issues. Many women with access to decent healthcare may have had all that done for regular medical reasons as part of their routine gyn care without any expectation of producing a royal heir.

[Coconut Flan]

Even with a full infertility battery, there is no guarantee some unknown factor won't show up.  There's a fairly high percentage of infertile couples for which no reason can be found.  Then there are the weird things like an allergy to the spouse's sperm that can happen.  I think the infertility testing is another myth.  

[viii]

4 hours ago, MomJeans said:

I'm guessing Lady Louise will be expected to find her own housing once she leaves her parents' house for good.  At most, she may be allowed to rent a small bungalow on royal property, like her cousins, until she is more established.  (Eugenie now lives in Frog Cott, but she wasn't given that by the Queen, she rents from Harry.  Beatrice now has her own place with Edo and the kids, I'm pretty sure.)

It's being reported so much that I think the rumors are true- the Cambridges are moving to Windsor.  I'm shocked by this.  They already have two luxury royal properties, and are not currently next in line.   I'm guessing George may become a day student at a new school that is more commutable from Windsor.  I was pretty sure the commute they currently have would get old quickly too.

With everything going on right now, it feels like really poor timing to be trotting off to a 3rd luxury home, but maybe I'm alone in my criticism on this.  

I agree; but I’d rather them have a stupid third home that’s closer to London than taking private helicopters out to Amner Hall every weekend. 

[MomJeans]

oh... I don't think they will be giving up Amner Hall.

Which is why relocating to Windsor seems excessive. Especially right now.  

There was talk a year ago about giving them a property in Wales or Scotland, to establish a visible base and connection in either region.  And I thought that would be smart.  But a 3rd place in Windsor????? London is not lacking in excellent schools. Kensington is hardly a pit.

(I've been absent on the H&M discussion lately, but I am very curious to see if they start producing on their Spotify contract in the next 60 days.  Producing podcasts are not complicated.  I think they are not under serious pressure to produce or void their contract.)

Edited February 15, 2022 by MomJeans
bad typo

[viii]

I don’t expect them to give up Amner but I do expect them to travel there less. The whole thing is ridiculous. Kensington has everything they need. 

[just_ordinary]

I heard Frogmore House (not Cottage) might be in the cards for them. A third or even fourth property doesn’t bother me much to be honest (apart from the millions they will put in to renovate- yes yes I know public pays needed structural updates and the rest is privately funded but it always leaves a bit of a bitter taste when they think they have to move the tennis court a few inches). The RF has a massive portfolio in terms of private properties (and properties they rent out). I rather see them use it than thinking about the upkeep to not let it crumble away without any use. [Or let it actually crumble away or sell it off. Similar to the bling. My heart breaks for all the jewels they sell off only to see them disappear in a private safe never to be seen by us again.]

My question- if you do Windsor, why not go all the way and take HMTQ living quarters in Windsor Castle? I love the fact it’s the oldest royal castle that has always been lived in the world. Maybe they are considering to open it up up the public completely? Or it will be the new Balmoral with lots of space and housing on the grounds to get the whole family together? I get that London is always only a business base for them. At least they only have the apartment and are probably not taking over one of the bigger London houses. I mean, they might for entertaining and setting up office purposes once he is first in line. But I don’t see that atm.
Anyway- it will all be William’s at one point, so why not start using it now. I have yet to stumble upon an easy to read full list. The difference between being part of the Crown Estate and privately owned makes it even more complicated. There are 23 properties actually used by the family now. Privately or leased from the crown. But I think almost as much if not more are around and vacant such as Frogmore House or rented out such as Fort Belvedere is afaik.

Edited February 15, 2022 by just_ordinary

[rosamundi]

3 hours ago, just_ordinary said:

(apart from the millions they will put in to renovate- yes yes I know public pays needed structural updates and the rest is privately funded but it always leaves a bit of a bitter taste when they think they have to move the tennis court a few inches).

Fort Belvedere is currently occupied so may not need that much in terms of renovations.

My thought was if they're sending Prince George to Eton then living in Windsor may make more sense, but he's a few years off being admitted (they take pupils from 13-18), so perhaps they're thinking of moving them all to St George's?

[Four is Enough]

On 1/18/2022 at 5:01 PM, HerNameIsBuffy said:

Pure hypothetical as we all know this will never happen, but what if H & M did believe that quitting was a mistake and they admitted that to the family and asked to be reinstated, on the family's terms.

Would they take them back?  

And I'm not wishing ill will on their marriage, but if he were to find himself no longer married to Meghan down the road would they take him back?  

Just curious as to what your thoughts are.  I find the family dynamic far more interesting than the rules.

I don't think the RF would take them "as is".. there would have to be some rehabilitation of the couple. I think they'd be given specific scripts to follow. Patronages would be doled out. And the apron strings would be short.

Having said that, I think the RF knows that Harry is the one they can control, far more than Meghan, and he's the main one they'd want back.. so he alone would have a better chance of reuniting with the RF than them together. And I'm not saying that the RF would go to the extent of having Meghan eliminated.

[HerNameIsBuffy]

31 minutes ago, Four is Enough said:

Having said that, I think the RF knows that Harry is the one they can control, far more than Meghan, and he's the main one they'd want back.. so he alone would have a better chance of reuniting with the RF than them together.

Out of curiosity, has anything like this ever been done?  Or is it in the protocol for one to be a working royal and their spouse not?  

I know in this case it wouldn't be workable as the things they are upset about - the paps and security, etc - would still affect them both.  I'm just curious if it would be possible for someone like Harry to have married some accountant who had no interest in the royal thing or fame and just wanted to do her own thing quietly if that would be allowed?  

[Melbelle]

3 minutes ago, HerNameIsBuffy said:

Out of curiosity, has anything like this ever been done?  Or is it in the protocol for one to be a working royal and their spouse not?  

I know in this case it wouldn't be workable as the things they are upset about - the paps and security, etc - would still affect them both.  I'm just curious if it would be possible for someone like Harry to have married some accountant who had no interest in the royal thing or fame and just wanted to do her own thing quietly if that would be allowed?  

Princess Anne is a working royal, while her husband is not.  

[tabitha2]

Anne and Tim Lawrence make it work.

Edited February 15, 2022 by tabitha2

[MomJeans]

If the non-royal spouse is in a career field that is political, then it wouldn't work, because the royals are to appear neutral at all times. 

The military, as in Anne and Tim's case, has a long history of being royal adjacent.

There is a rumor that the royal family encouraged Harry to let Megan keep working as an actress, rather than take on full-time royal work right away.  I have no idea how true this is (there are so many rumors).  I imagine that she would have still been expected to not publicly discuss political issues.  

I think the answer is: certain careers are acceptable for a royal spouse, but not all.  

[In Sweden, Prince Carl's wife is a full-time royal, and Princess Madeline's husband does no royal work (in fact, he turned down a title for business reasons, and they live in the U.S.A.). 

In Norway, Princess Martha Louise's late husband was never a working royal. 

In Spain, the Infantas' husbands were never working royals.

In Denmark, Prince Joachim's wives were/are working royals.)

On the other hand, in the Netherlands, siblings of the future monarch are expected to be private citizens.  I don't know much about the King's siblings in the Belgium monarchy, or Luxembourg and Lichenstein.]

Edited February 15, 2022 by MomJeans

[QuiverFullofBooks]

15 hours ago, just_ordinary said:

I heard Frogmore House (not Cottage) might be in the cards for them. A third or even fourth property doesn’t bother me much to be honest (apart from the millions they will put in to renovate- yes yes I know public pays needed structural updates and the rest is privately funded but it always leaves a bit of a bitter taste when they think they have to move the tennis court a few inches). The RF has a massive portfolio in terms of private properties (and properties they rent out). I rather see them use it than thinking about the upkeep to not let it crumble away without any use. [Or let it actually crumble away or sell it off. Similar to the bling. My heart breaks for all the jewels they sell off only to see them disappear in a private safe never to be seen by us again.]

My question- if you do Windsor, why not go all the way and take HMTQ living quarters in Windsor Castle? I love the fact it’s the oldest royal castle that has always been lived in the world. Maybe they are considering to open it up up the public completely? Or it will be the new Balmoral with lots of space and housing on the grounds to get the whole family together? I get that London is always only a business base for them. At least they only have the apartment and are probably not taking over one of the bigger London houses. I mean, they might for entertaining and setting up office purposes once he is first in line. But I don’t see that atm.
Anyway- it will all be William’s at one point, so why not start using it now. I have yet to stumble upon an easy to read full list. The difference between being part of the Crown Estate and privately owned makes it even more complicated. There are 23 properties actually used by the family now. Privately or leased from the crown. But I think almost as much if not more are around and vacant such as Frogmore House or rented out such as Fort Belvedere is afaik.

No way will they get Frogmore House. No one has lived there since Queen Victoria’s mother. It might not even have full plumbing and electricity. They do have parties there, including Harry and Meghan’s wedding reception, so the reception rooms and the service areas should be somewhat modernized, but the private areas for both the royals and their staff would need a massive amount of renovations. Far better to use Fort Belvedere, where Galen Weston has already spent a massive amount of money. (But Frogmore is being used and is in no danger of crumbling.) 

They’re not taking the Queen’s apartments in Windsor Castle because she’s still using them and Charles will be using them next. 

[MomJeans]

Re; Frogmore House - also the gardens are public part of the year.  No way anyone wants that invasion of privacy. People were surprised that Harry & Meghan chose FrogCott because their yard abuts the public tour area.

The advantage to Ft. Belvedere is that is surrounded by land that is not subject to public tours.

And though it may seem silly to us common folk (says with a wink), the Queen does not share her residences.  She apparently views them as only to be lived in by the reigning monarch.  

[anjulibai]

15 hours ago, rosamundi said:

Fort Belvedere is currently occupied so may not need that much in terms of renovations.

My thought was if they're sending Prince George to Eton then living in Windsor may make more sense, but he's a few years off being admitted (they take pupils from 13-18), so perhaps they're thinking of moving them all to St George's?

Anmer had been occupied and recently remodeled when the Cambridges moved in, but that didn't stop the Cambridges from tearing all that up and remodeling again. 

I have no doubt whereever they move to will be totally revamped. 

BTW, I had heard the Cambridges really wanted Royal Lodge, which is where Andrew lives. But I doubt the Queen will allow that. Charles might kick Andrew out after he becomes King, but I'm not sure he'd turn around and then give it to the Cambridges. 

Edited February 16, 2022 by anjulibai

[QuiverFullofBooks]

21 hours ago, MomJeans said:

And though it may seem silly to us common folk (says with a wink), the Queen does not share her residences.  She apparently views them as only to be lived in by the reigning monarch.  

I’m not sure that’s entirely true. Charles has a home in London, but his younger siblings don’t, and there are occasional reports of them using Buckingham Palace as a London base. For example, Andrew’s interview was there. Windsor Castle does seem to “belong” exclusively to the Queen, more than the other royal properties. 

[MomJeans]

Yes, I wasn’t referring to all royal properties, but to the Monarch’s traditional residencies: Balmoral, Windsor Castle, Sandringham (main house) and Buckingham.  Those are the traditional homes of the monarch, and to my knowledge, the Queen has never given any adult a permanent home inside them, even though they are huge. BP does house many offices. There are properties on those grounds that are used by others though. 
 

Allegedly H & M asked to live in a wing at Windsor castle and the Queen rejected that because it’s the monarch’s home.

 

I didn’t mean to imply that she never had guests! In fact, BP hosts official guests, such as other monarchs, at times.

[just_ordinary]

On 2/16/2022 at 1:07 AM, anjulibai said:

Anmer had been occupied and recently remodeled when the Cambridges moved in, but that didn't stop the Cambridges from tearing all that up and remodeling again. 

I have no doubt whereever they move to will be totally revamped. 

BTW, I had heard the Cambridges really wanted Royal Lodge, which is where Andrew lives. But I doubt the Queen will allow that. Charles might kick Andrew out after he becomes King, but I'm not sure he'd turn around and then give it to the Cambridges. 

Exactly. They have the means and money and can remodel anything if they set out to. They put a ton of money into properties that are perfectly fine, they wouldn’t bat an eye to make needed structural renovations. Just because parts of the gardens are public doesn’t mean you cannot change that and they already live with this in many places- especially the official monarch residences. 
While the Queen is not into sharing those properties- Charles might feel completely different about it. 
So at this point it’s anybody’s guess what happens with their property set up after Charles ascension.

[HerNameIsBuffy]

On 2/15/2022 at 6:07 PM, anjulibai said:

TW, I had heard the Cambridges really wanted Royal Lodge, which is where Andrew lives. But I doubt the Queen will allow that. Charles might kick Andrew out after he becomes King, but I'm not sure he'd turn around and then give it to the Cambridges. 

I read something the other day that because he paid several million to refurbish it he got a 75 year lease on that sometime in the 2000s.  If that's the case not sure Charles could kick him out.

[QuiverFullofBooks]

On 2/17/2022 at 9:04 AM, HerNameIsBuffy said:

I read something the other day that because he paid several million to refurbish it he got a 75 year lease on that sometime in the 2000s.  If that's the case not sure Charles could kick him out.

The Queen Mother essentially left it to Andrew, even though she didn’t really own it herself. Andrew no doubt has a will saying who will get the remaining time on the lease after his death. I find the idea of Fergie living there as an elderly widow just like the Queen Mother did very amusing, remembering their reputations 30 years ago. If the lease is 75 years from 2002, there’s 55 years left. Andrew and/or Sarah could be there for 15-40 more years. I wonder whether Eugenie or Beatrice would want to (or be allowed to) take it over at that point.

[EmCatlyn]

All this discussion of royal real estate makes me antsy because husband and I are about to enter a second year of unsuccessful house hunting. 😉 (We began looking last March.)   In particular, Harry and Meghan’s 9-bedroom, 12 bath home with a pool and a tennis court reminds me that with enough money you can find a home even in the pandemic.  (To be fair, my son, who is about Harry’s age, is buying a 2 bedrooms one bath fixer-upper next week.  So it’s possible to find a house in the pandemic even if you have not inherited any wealth.)

Anyway, regarding the super-affluence of the royals, I wouldn’t  be in their shoes for all the money in the world.  But at times I envy that they do have so much money and so many housing choices.  It is the same with the super-rich who are not royalty.  What must it be like to command millions of dollars for housing, to have more than one residence, to afford servants to clean and maintain properties?

When I think of Meghan and the way she has zoomed from ordinary middle-to-upper-middle class life to “super wealthy,” I wonder if she really feels “entitled,” or if she secretly wonders how she got so far in relatively little time.  As I said above, I wouldn’t want to be a royal for all the money in the world, but Meghan obviously did.   

They may never return to live in the UK, but they lead a princely life in California. 

Edited February 20, 2022 by EmCatlyn
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