British Royal Family Gossip: Part 80

Does anyone know why there hasn't been a random sighting of Baby Archie? There have been amateur photos of kate's kids. Would the paps be restricted from publishing such a photo and would it have to be authorized by the BRF?

Since the paid OCED troll and MM stan thinks I have a low IQ and am gullible, I'll declare Baby Archie must be malformed and residing in secrecy with QE II. Maybe he really has a lizard head? LOL.

R1. If one reveals too much of the mystery, the magic is gone.

R1 & R2 - Please use thread Part 79 until it reaches 600 posts. I made a mistake and thought it was nearing 600 posts not 500 posts. Thanks.

R1 he’s still just a little baby, you can’t bring them outside much in the first few weeks

Does any eldergay on here remember a penis pic of a pre-teen Prince William?

I seem to remember that he was somewhere with Diana wearing white shorts and no underwear and you could directly look up his leg.

Am I hallucinating this?

[quote]a penis pic of a pre-teen

Pedo alert at R5

[quote] Does any eldergay on here remember a penis pic of a pre-teen Prince William?

Michael! I see you've been resurrected just in time for the tenth anniversary of your death!

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[quote] Royal family slashes its travel bill but the annual cost still amounts to £4.6million - with Charles and Camilla spending more than £416,000 on Cuba trip

Yeah, yeah, enough about the septuagenarians. How much did the public spend on Air Miles Andy? How much did Sussex tours cost? How pricey are those chopper trips that Will and Kate love so much?

Anne is worth her weight in gold. Whatever she cost it was value for money.

M and H are heading to Africa in October.

I posted this at the end of the last thread, but will post here as well:

It was clear in their engagement interview that Meghan wasn't thrilled with the ring Harry designed for her. A real prince gave her a diamond sourced especially for her from Botswana, a place supposedly special to them, surrounded by diamonds from Diana's collection , set in a yellow gold band because Harry knew she favors yellow gold. But not good enough for Meghan. Even after adding the "of the moment" thin band of pave diamonds, she probably still dislikes the ring. She should have told him what she wanted beforehand.

That Kay article states that Harry was offered Apt 1A next to the Cambridges but declined. I would bet serious money that never happened, so why is it being claimed? Is it Harry and Meghan saying this to make it appear that they actually want to live at FrogCott? Or is the BRF saying this so as to appear gracious?

Excepting her mom and her ridiculous Panama hat, Meghan has ghosted everything in her life. Why wouldn't she ghost her engagement band?

She had to know that altering her ring would stir up controversy.

R11, so worth posting twice.

I certainly don't hate MM as I've never even met her. However I honestly dislike women whose priorities are the supposed value of possessions rather than their husbands, and feel very sad for these deluded men.

BRF is worth between $88 Billion and 1 trillon British pounds.

I believe the Markles were banished to FrogCott. As a result, the BRF will have to eat the cost of the renovation despite it being exorbitantly expensive.

R18 I don't know, I'm sure they could do it for less. The place isn't that big, why is it costing so much. They should renovate but not to snuff of what Harry and Meghan want, just enough to make it a nice place to live, not extravagant. If it's costing this much, they are either doing too much or their contractors are fleecing them. You can buy houses the same size for less. Not in Windsor obviously but they aren't paying for the property or even the main construction of the house, they are just paying for the renovations, which shouldn't cost more than anywhere else.

I will venture that R18 was never known for even simple logic.

[quote]Zimbabwe is around 96.5 million acres. Chelsy's father owns 800,000 acres, so he really only holds about 0.008% of the country. And Chelsy will have to split that with her brother.

Want to correct some bad math and misinformation from the prior thread: the 800k acres owned by the Davy family in Zimbabwe is actually nearly a full 1% of that country. Not .008% as figured. It's actually a huge amount of land and a substantial % for a private landowner.

r12, Harry was always supposed to live in 1A once he married, and they were reported as headed to 1a for the whole time they were in Nott Cottage. AND they were going to be given a country house, and there were several grand places owned by the Queen that they looked at. Then, in mid October, something changed dramatically. Suddenly, even though 1a had started being refurbished starting the very month they moved to Nott Cottage, and even though the Gloucesters living in it had been asked to move, suddenly it was then announced the Gloucesters would stay put a bit longer and then Will and Kate would take it over- giving them a total of forty-odd rooms at KP.

I really think the change happened around the time of Yuge's wedding. Look up the articles from before mid-October and after - an entirely different story and tone.

No way did they "refuse" 1A. They were slapped down in the harshest way possible and told to get out and then given the shittiest property the Queen had in her portfolio.

Couldn't have happened to a nicer grifter.

What an awful hat on Diana. Looks like a meringue, or a nipple.

R22 does Yuge = Princess Eugenie?

R22 - Yes.

r24 Yes. I really think the wedding stunt (and/or some Australia trip stunt) was the turning point as far as BP was concerned and that was the point at which their housing plans were suddenly changed from Very Grand to As-Not-Grand-As-Possible

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The previous July, it was announced that they were given Adelaide Cottage at Windsor as their country house, having also been offered York Cottage but having preferred Adelaide.

Look how much grander this proposed weekend house is to what they ended up with after whatever rupture happened Oct/Nov of 2018

This article says the Palace said Adelaide was a "late wedding gift from the Queen" and also shows a picture of York Cottage, which, until Oct/Nov, was the other contender for their country house.

What R18 means is: The Markles were told that they had to move to FrogCott (they didn't have a choice). Therefore, the public, Charles, the queen, whomever can bitch all they want about the renovation cost of FrogCott. But since the BRF forced the Markles to move there, the BRF (and in turn, the public) will have to pay for it, like it or not.

And one more article, from August, stating as fact that Adelaide had been gifted to them by the Queen for use as a country house (along with KP Apt 1A.)

Something BIG changed in Oct/November 2018.

November 20 2018 VF on the change of plans, claiming it's all voluntary but noting that KP 1A had been refurbished for the Harkles and that the Gloucesters had already been asked to move. You can tell that something has gone very wrong when reading this, although VF pretends it's all Meghan's idea, etc etc

if they have adelaide cottage, on the same windsor grounds as frogmore, why are they moving to frogmore?

Because Adelaide was taken away from them sometime around mid Oct to November 2018, just like Apt 1A was, very suddenly, r33, and was replaced with the single servants' residence of Frogmore Cottage.

The reason I'm posting all these is to show why I think there was a massive rupture between the Harkles and somebody above them (The Queen? K and W? Who knows) specifically around Mid October- Mid November 2018

I still don't think it's necessary for it cost this much. Charles or the Queen need to put their foot down say 'this is all that's being done, you're going to live there and like it"

If they did get kicked out of KP, it was likely due to friction between William and Harry, not anything MM’s done. More likely, the brothers had a nasty argument and Harry made a sudden, emotional decision to get as far away from big brother as possible.

KP is much nicer, but it’s an absolute hornet’s nest of gossip. Not only the inhabitants, but the staff. A maid for one family becomes friends with maid from another, they meet for coffee, trade gossip about their “families” and suddenly everyone knows each other’s business. Like Melrose Place for HRH’s. This is probably why W&K spend so much time at Anmer it’s still within the royal system, but their staff is more contained and there is a bit more privacy.

In November 2018 all the housing plans went from two grand houses to one stubby servant's house, and then in December 2018 the stories of a major rift between Meghan and Kate start surfacing in the media, which had up to October been calling the two couple "The Fab Four". Fits the timeline that a rupture happened around mid October- November.

"A Rundown of Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton's 'rift' as we take a closer look at the most intriguing Royal rumours in decades"

There no reason to pick on Harry and Meghan. The whole lot are living lavishly. What did Edward ever do to deserve his huge pile? And even Andrew needed an indoor pool?

I can believe the expense, especially when you factor in the security.

They aren't spending all that money on "security". The place isn't that big.

Andrew and Edward are the Queen's sons, r38. And neither of their wives ever spent even half as much on clothes in a single year as Meghan did this past year.

r36, You don't think the staff from Windsor don't talk to the staff from KP and BP? They all talk to each other, all the time. So long as the Harkles live at one of the Queen's properties, they are observed and gossiped about. Their not being at KP will in no way prevent them from being gossiped about by the servants of all the houses, from Balmoral to Sandringham to Windsor to KP and BP. To think otherwise is hopelessly naive.

Do you have a reading comprehension issue? I said when you factor in the security. Even for a relatively small place, you can easily spend $500k.

R41. The distance between FrogCott and KP will lessen the gossip between staffs, and the Markles will likely make sure the two staffs don't even know each other which will decrease the gossip considerably.

Security is not factored into the accounting for Frogmore Cottage renovations, r42. Or Meghan's wardrobe. What are you talking about?

As I said, r43, you are naive.

R45. And how do you know all this?

None of your business, r46. I'm just telling you, you're wrong if you think the staff at each of the houses aren't in communication - constant communication - with the staff of the other houses.

Agree something big happened in October and it was quite obvious even at the time. I remember it as announced during the first week of the Australia tour so probably something led up to that in Sep/Oct.

'I really think the change happened around the time of Yuge's wedding.'

Of fucking course you do. After her nefarious crime of wearing a coat with a cape attached. You are the Fugenie's Wedding Troll, after all.

3m is a huge amount to sign off on renovations, plus all the Windsor House servants living there now need to be housed elsewhere. Meghan and Harry don't want to live in central London near the Cambridges. They never cared about 1A.

If the Sussexes are hiring all new staff who haven't been part of royal service before, why would the new staff be gossiping with KP staff?

The Paxman documentary touched on the culture of KP. After he had lunch with her, Diana told him to glance at the curtains as he was leaving to see how many people were furtively checking up on who was visiting her. She described it as an upmarket Coronation Street.

Being out at Frogmore certainly looks like a step down in the world for the Sussexes, but it will give them some insulation from prying eyes...as they plot

R47 is all-knowing...he is the tampon in which Charles wanted to live inside Camilla.

Interestingly, the Gloucesters are still living at Apt 1A and are not moving out until next year. Last summer they were widely reported to be moving out November 2018 so the Harkles could be moved in by January and settled in by the time of the birth. Interesting how fast everything changed.

[quote]Meghan and Harry don't want to live in central London near the Cambridges. They never cared about 1A.

Harry was fine knowing he was going to live at 1A KP. He's known for a long time that would be his home when he got married. It was the Wicked Witch of the West Markle who wanted out so she could live at a country estate in Windsor. She just had no idea they were going to relegate her to the dumpiest place in town.

'I'm just telling you, you're wrong if you think the staff at each of the houses aren't in communication - constant communication - with the staff of the other houses.'

They all sign NDAs, so you are wrong. You are such a hopeless CT that you probably think they're all on a Whats App or Facebook group.

R54 thinks she's Amal Clooney and will be named godmother of the Christ child Archie.

R51 wow how old are you? that is the response I'd expect from a child or maybe you are a developmentally delayed adult

NDAs are for the press, not the people you work with.

The staffs need to communicate and you can't control what they say to each other.

It's nothing to do with NDA's, they are all the Queen's staff nomatter which household they are assigned to, and they all have to talk to each other to organise details. To organise travel, to ensure the larders are full of what any particular member might want or need, to transfer of any furnishings (Charles travels with a bed, the Queen travels with her bedding), to lockdown precise timings to ensure everything is perfect at all times, and on and on. They all talk to each other all. the. time.

I think that it was also that disastrous tour in which Meghan behaved appallingly in addition to the wedding coat stunt that got them the boot. That tour made it glaringly obvious how unsuitable she was for her position.

R55, I'm flattered to be compared to Amal Clooney. Glad you recognise the validity of my argument, and compare it to that of a top lawyer.4

'I think that it was also that disastrous tour in which Meghan behaved appallingly in addition to the wedding coat stunt that got them the boot. That tour made it glaringly obvious how unsuitable she was for her position.'

You really think the BRF are as petty as you are? Kate flashing her ass at the military and other assembled dignataries is a thousand times as scandalous as anything Meghan has done. She even wore a thong, and everyone saw. Meghan's dangling price tag and tendrils won't even have been noticed.

Frogmore and its 3m renovation (plus the cost of rehousing the WH servants) was a boon, NOT a punishment. The popular, golden boy Harry wanted FC, so he got it. He didn't want to be close to Wills and both he and Meghan wanted a place they could renovate and decorate and furnish together. They also wanted an excuse to run their own IG instead of being lumped in with KP.

'It's nothing to do with NDA's, they are all the Queen's staff nomatter which household they are assigned to, and they all have to talk to each other to organise details. To organise travel, to ensure the larders are...'

'Organise details', what a weak argument. At the most the Queen's PAs liaise with the housekeepers. You act like all the maids and butlers and chauffeurs in the different households are constantly texting and gossiping.

Btw, your reference to 'larders' dates you. You're that dunderhead who can't use a smartphone, aren't you?

Umm, no, r61. Harry and Meghan wanted, and temporarily got, both KP1 and Adelaide Cottage. (AND York Cottage up at Sandringham, according to some reports).

And then somebody fucked up badly and all were taken away from them, to be replaced with the single worst piece of property the Queen had in her portfolio, Frogmore Cottage.

You've never so much as stepped foot in Britain, have you, r62?

R61 You're delusional.

No one, I mean it, no one wants to live so close to a fucking airport. Frogmore cottage is fugly and just under an air corridor. In summer you can't even open your windows. Do you really think they chosed such a place to live?

H&M also wanted their own household, as a result they have the Sussex Instagram. It's not a win, it's the crumbs the BRF give them so they don't lose face.

Let's just see what gonna happen with their foundation.

The BRF shows appreciation with jewelry and estate, the Sussex are on the losing end for both.

They put a spin on the narrative each time but it's obvious the BRF doesn't appreciate them for whatever reason.

R64, I've lived in England all my life. Check the EastEnders thread and my posts are all over it. How would I watch up to date episodes of that (or want to) from the US?

You can't argue against my point, so you say I'm not English. Water off a duck's back, silly little frau. Carry on with your Downton Abbey fantasies. You couldn't even find an article to support your ludicrous theories.

R55, Since you brought it up, how could Amal Clooney possibly be named to a godmother if she's Druze? By the same token could Serena be a godmother if she's a Jehovah's Witness? Meaning must the godparent be a member of the Church of England?

'The BRF shows appreciation with jewelry and estate, the Sussex are on the losing end for both.'

You think a 3m renovation is 'losing'? And most of the jewellery is ugly, why would Meghan want that?

Your spelling shows you are American, probably in a retirement home obsessing over nasty looking tiaras 24/7.

'You've never so much as stepped foot in Britain, have you...'

Nobody who lives here calls it 'Britain', imbecile.

Windsor Castle is in the same air corridor, genius.

R68 Haha, my spelling is american? I didn't know.

And Meghan loves the bling, specially the diams. She can't wait to put her greedy hands on the Queen collection.

I was born there and I say 'Britain'. I only say 'England' when I mean England, just as I will only say 'Scotland' when I mean Scotland, etc, etc. When referring to the whole, I say 'Britain'.

And if you think 'larders' are out of date then perhaps you're just NOCD. No matter to me.

So Prince Charles 100% of the time always travels with his own bed? Exactly how would that be achieved?

QE II travelling with her own bed linen would at least be understandable, to some degree.

R60. I take it back. You're not Amal Clooney. Your're Jessica Mulroney.

Anyway, the various staffs very well may communicate with each other on occasion; however, the different staffs at KP are much more likely to gossip among each other versus the staffs at KP and FrogCott simply because they don't have day-to-day contact about every little detail and there is some distance between the two households, so they're not always seeing or communicating with each other. The whole idea of gossip is proximity, immediacy and knowing daily details so if there's a bit of distance, there just may be less gossip. It's not going to be eliminated, but there will be less.

I can see them gossiping with each other but the idea of the Balmoral staff gossiping with the KP staff or Sandringham staff is a fallacy. And they do all sign NDAs.

The Queen also agreed for H and M to have their own media and communications team, instead of sharing with Wills and Kate. All very expensive. Not a punishment.

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R75 Sarah Latham just joined us.

They didn't want a communication team inside BP, they wanted their own household. They don't even have a Twitter account.

Face it, they don't get what they want.

R76, who cares. They have their own media team. They are now a separate entity and have rooms at Buckingham Palace too. Had they stayed at KP, they would always have been in Wills' shadow.

What the hell did the "less-than-Sparkles" twosome possibly do that has largely remained a secret that they they got three houses taken away from them in one fell swoop? Three houses!!! KP1A, Adelaide at Windsor and York at Sandringham!!! That's a lot of real estate to be denied. One month you have it all, and the next month you're persona non grata living in the Frog Barn. What the hell did they do wrong to be denied three roofs over their heads with a kid on the way at the time?

And since we don't really know what they did wrong...that kind of shoots down the theory about all this supposed staff gossip that apparently was never leaked to anyone.

R22 I bet it was that “falling out” with Kate when Kate reportedly told her something like “they are my people, they report to me.” Perhaps, in addition to Tiaragate, Charlottegate, Meghan somehow revealed her ambitions of building a brand that will eclipse the Cambridges, started bossing around the Kensington Palace staff, Kate told Will, and he got them exiled to Frogmore.

Christian Louboutin is creating a shoe inspired by our lovely duchess of Sussex. It will be a suede pump with a 6 inch heel coated in mud. The sizing will run big so you too can have that "two sizes too big" look made (in)famous by the duchess. The option to upgrade will be available if you want a hole punched into the soles as a special tribute to the duke of Sussex. It is anticipated that this model will fly off the ASDA shelves. Get your pre-order in now for the "So Markle."

I distinctly recall reading that Harry was trying to hasten renovations at apt 1, as he was anxious to move in. To me it's obvious there was a blow-out between the Sussexes and Cambs which resulted in the quick move to Frogmore. I can't believe anyone would want to live there. The noise and air pollution from the planes would be impossible. What I don't know is if MM's recent invisibility is her own choice, a reaction to the relentless negative press, and public condemnation or whether it is damage control from the BRF and the courtiers.

'KPP1A, Adelaide at Windsor and York at Sandringham!!!'

This was all supposition. They exchanged KP for Buckingham Palace to get away from the toxic Cambs, and exchanged the Sandingham one for a property in Italy or similar, somewhere sunnier they can escape too.

R78. The Harkles are always going to living in Will's shadow. Me-Again thinks she's Marie Antoinette setting up a separate but equal court. It ain't happening. It's never gonna happen. There's one court, and it's at Buckingham Palace. All the other royals can have their schedule within reason and do their charities of choice. However, it isn't "separate but equal." The monarchy isn't based on anything being equal to the main event.

Me-again has a self-centered attitude, and she thought she might be treated somewhat deferentially. However, she's learning the hard way, this is a monarchy not a democracy.

Can you imagine this vain woman having an article of clothing named after her? Her head would inflate like an airbag in a car crash.

R82 Rachel disappeared because she looks puffy as hell and don't want to be seen like that.

I think that's also why they refused to do the Lindo Wing. She didn't want to be compared to post-partum Kate.

R83. The Sparkles didn't trade KP for Buck Palace. They were removed from KP and told they were going to live at Frog Cott. The Buck Palace deal is not to live there; it's just to have an office inside the palace so that they don't go off have half-cocked thinking they can issue statements and deeds all on their own. It all must be coordinated via Buck Palace not via Frog Cott.

They declined Adelaide at Windsor which needed renovation but is a much nicer place than FrogCott, which also needed renovation--so what's the diff? It seems that even Adelaide might have taken from them while being told they have to live at FrogCott...and put a goddamn smile on your face while you're at it.

Poundland is creating a dress inspired by our lovely Duchess of Cambridge. It will have a yellow skirt which won't have be weighted. The dress will be short so you too can have that "check out my bare ass' look made (in)famous by the duchess.

The option to upgrade will be available if you want a yellow thong to match, as a special tribute to the military you will be flashing. It is anticipated that this model will fly off the Poundland shelves. Get your pre-order in now for the "So Replikate".

R87, Adelaide is a third of the size of Frogmore, check the aerial. The queen gave them a villa on Lake Garda and a house in Barbados instead of York Cottage.

"The Queen gave them a villa on Lake Garda and a house in Barbados instead of York Cottage"

Citation, r89?

R89, what nonsense.

'They were removed from KP and told they had to live at Frogmore...'

In your dreams, hater. Nobody in the BRF wants to upset heroic Harry. The public adore him because he actually worked for ten years in a profession they all respect, unlike Kate. If ordered to leave KP against his will, H could have refused to be a working royal and lived off his inheritance as a private individual. Nobody wants that, they want him involved in public life.

Meghan chose Frogmore. She doesn't want to share gardens and grounds with Kate or the others at KP. Frogmore is the biggest cottage on the estate and the 3m renovation has made it beautiful.

Adelaide is GORGEOUS. Frogmore Cottage is not even in the same stratosphere as Adelaide Cottage.

Hmmm, r92, Adelaide certainly looks far, far larger than Frogmore

And here is an aerial photo of Adelaide. My, it does look LARGE when compared to Frogmore's servants' quarters....

I don't believe one second they said no to Adelaide and yes to Frogmore.

But MeGain seems more suited for Frogmore's grounds

Adelaide has been very beautiful for a very long time

Gawjuss

Here’s a rarity, Diana on horseback. Must have been during the courtship.

Funny, you never saw her with a dog.

Harry has really fucked Himself. When the rest of his hair falls out, his popularity will permanently go down the toilet, the wife will be gone in a few years taking the kid to America and what will Harry have left?

R101, MM cannot legally take the kid to America per British rules of succession.

She can, r102. She's still an American citizen. She'll just take the kid on a 'visit to Grandma' and then hold the kid in LA as a kind of hostage until Charles coughs up a level of maintenance that satisfies her.

R103. Exactly who is MM to fxck with the BRF? (Excuse my gad language but I can't think of a more appropriate expression.) Furthermore didn't MM read the rumors of how Princess Diana supposedly died?

I don't believe they were ever offered Adelaide or York. There was a period of time after it was clear they weren't going to get 1A that the press made claims about where they would be living. I think they printed it because their source was Meghan. Meghan was using the press to beg for these properties. Remember, she did thos same thing with the Doria/Christmas episode.

Speaking of which, do you notice how much her PR has quieted down? She used to blanket the press with articles, many nonsense. Now, just a trickle. I don't think it is maternity leave. I think she ran through her funds.

Funny how all the announcements of change of plans concerning Hairy and Megs are announced when they are out of the country.

I'm not convinced they were offered Adelaide or York, though. I think this was a case of MM's PR trying to force the Queen's hand, when she was newly married (and newly engaged, by all accounts, that was an absolute race to the aisle) . Before she realised that Liz ain't no pushover.

Same as Doria's invite to Christmas at Sandringham.

Same as the tour of the US.

Etc Etc.

Great minds R105

Not seen this before, a little clipette of Kate's graduation at St Andrews, 2005.

The Duchy of Cornwall Annual Report, from what I see there are no transparent individual details of the costs of the Cambridges and the Sussexes at all, BUT, £5.1 million is a HUGE rise on the previous yearr's £3.5 million, in the same bracket, the second sum being pre-Markle.

I think anyone who doesn't believe there was *some* kind of serious fallout between Harry/Meg and Senior Member(s) of the BRF is ignoring Occam's Razor, even if we decide to class ALL media coverage as 100% lies. From what we know of Meghan, KP would be exactly the place she'd want to be. In the middle of the action and one of the greatest cities in the world, opulent, large, absolutely befitting the status she believed herself, in her new marriage, to be possessed of. It was also, for years, the place everyone assumed Harry would live, post marriage. Something happened. I would truly love to know what it was. We've probably got some idea of the truth from the media, but not all of it.

If anything, I bet it's actually juicier than we know. Meghan is married to Harry now, which means she cannot and will not be thrown under the bus for as long as the marriage lasts. The BRF isn't stupid and they don't go after their 'own' - not in public, anyway. We have only the circumstances that they cannot keep hidden from us, and that includes where they live. I have yet to see a stan make a convincing case for why ANYONE - let alone Meghan Markle - would choose FrogCott over basically everywhere else they were ever speculated to be moving to. As others have pointed out, it literally just looks like a large house you'd see on Rightmove. And those reno costs are absolutely fucking ridiculous, as others have pointed out. They're going for the highest of the high end in every detail for that much $. Someone has still not learned their lessons.

My theory is that the main fall-out was between William and Harry and perhaps to a lesser extent their wives, and that the fall-out was centered on Meghan. This is my current theory because it basically fits what we know of the personalities involved. Harry would be the one getting angry and defensive (we saw this before they were even engaged with that impulsive and ill thought out letter to the media warning them off MM). Their relationship shows absolutely every sign of "what Meghan wants, Meghan gets" being his mantra, even if he never shouted those words out loud pre-wedding. And William is definitely the cooler, more calculating head, of fucking course he probably questioned the haste with which Haz was moving. Anyone sibling would. Harry isn't the type to take even a mild questioning well and he lost his rag.

And the family is always going to side with William over Harry. Always. It has nothing to do with who anyone personally likes better than anyone else and everything to do with the fact that William and his son are the heirs. Harry won't ever win an in-family battle with his older brother. But he's also dim and hot-headed, as well as almost certainly advised along the lines of "we don't even need them! we can make our own way and show them all what wonderful humanitarians we are! and be more popular than your stick in the mud brother!" etc. by his wife.

So Harry had to go (away from KP), and I wouldn't be surprised if, at first anyway, he was totally on board with it.

I still don't think the rift between the brothers is healed. And I hope that one day we get a much fuller account of what actually went down. Something tells me it's more dramatic and entertaining than even the DM has made it sound.

What tickles me is that she still uses KP headed paper to send personal correspondence out, lol.

Sounds about right, R110. I've always thought William was triggered by Meghan's behaviour because he's very image conscious too, but monitors his image in a much more level headed, classy way. Meghan in some ways feels like what William could've been if he'd grown up on the wrong side of the tracks and hadn't recovered from his hard knocks.

What happened in Oct is anyone’s guess, but I would think it’s a lot to do with the charity/foundation thing and control of expenses/use of social media around it. MM came in wanting to do tonnes of ‘humanitarian’ things and running Instagram accounts and I can see William not being too comfortable about those ideas. That would be my bet on the conflict.

R113, Why would William have so much say and not Charles as the latter's the next in line to the throne?

I suspect what happened in October really was the nonsense Meghan created out of nothing by Meghan at Yuge's wedding. Andrew must have been apoplectic, and we've seen how he's now the Queen's bulldog.

Also there is no doubt that William suspects her, but that Kate probably tried to make friends with her at first and then drew back at the MeanGirl tactics.

Prince Philip at 98. Still hot, somehow.

I'm still chortling at the descriptor of Amal "Exxon" Clooney as a "top lawyer." Spinning PR. This is the well reasoned individual who wore a sparkly strapless jumpsuit in the middle of a January day to he papped going into Meg Markle's "baby shower."

Sorry, this one should show the pic of a hot 98 year old Prince Philip

I wonder if the Clooney's (or for that matter Serena) understand just how much they are debasing their own brands by defending Markle to a public who loathe her?

"Sometimes it's unkind."

Looking forward t Piers' article to drop.

to, not t

Kind, unkind, does Markle write scripts for them all?

R122 Sara Latham certainly give them the talking points.

I think the gloves are off not because the baby is safely arrived (at least not completely), but because they have Harry's approval. Based on his behavior at the TTC he is not up to playing her knight in shining armor or her dupe. Harry was always going to save himself, even though he got himself and his family into this mess. They are building a case in the public that Meghan is the root cause of all of the dysfunction over the past year (of which she is responsible for much). After these spendthrift articles, they will begin the "Harry the Victim" articles.

I’m shocked everyone is having to debate what the fallout was in oct/nov. it was clearly when she and Harry told the family of their plans to fake a pregnancy and use a surrogate and fool the world!

Clooney is not wrong about the vicious worldwide attacks on MM, but he is entirely wrong in that she is not 'just living her life,' and therefore they are unjust. She is representing the UK and the monarchy and is paid by the UK taxpayers to do so. Perhaps some heads of family businesses could give the BRF some guidance on how to fire or restrain a married-in employee of their family firm.

"Meghan Markle and Harry's lavish Frogmore demands were too excessive for public funding"

Is the Sovereign Grant taypayers' dollars? It depends on your views about the tax status of the BRF.

The Sovereign Grant is not money from other British taxpayers that is paid to the royals. It is 15% of the tax that the crown estates pay to the British government. It's basically the BRF doing their taxes and getting a percentage of their own tax money refunded to them.

How much should the .000001% pay in taxes?

Should they not get any tax returns at all? Or less?

Should the people have a say in how the BRF spends its own tax returns?

I was unaware for the drastic changes in the plans for living arrangements. Seems extreme, and unlikely to have been motivated by any public missteps, or even the most widely circulated rumors about MM. Kate HAS flashed her ass, her uncle is sketchy, neither sibling can hold down a job, Kaye herself didn’t do much pre-marriage, Pippa’s ’s fortune-hunting was overly transparent. MM isn’t THAT much worse than Kate seemed early on.

Some guesses: H&M had agreed to delay becoming parents for x years in exchange for the quickie wedding. The kid isn’t Harry’s. Charles was diagnosed with a condition that is anticipated to result in William succeeding the queen, meaning H will never be the son of a monarch. Megan failed to disclose a medical condition that makes pregnancy impossible. Harry is known to be sterile.

I think the first guess is plausible. She had promised not to get pg, and the BRF was anticipating pushing her out in a few years. So why not be nice in the meantime. But her age makes this unlikely.

R129 ????????

Go take your pills.

Here's what I think happened: Meghan wanted Eugenie's emerald wedding tiara and was denied. She retaliated by wearing the maternity coat to Eugenie's wedding. Along with her other bad behavior prior to the wedding (the leaks to the press, making Kate cry, etc.) and her bad behavior on the Australian tour, the BRF had had it. They showed her what punishment in the BRF really looks like. No Apt. 1A at KP, no Adelaide Cottage or York Cottage, no more good jewelry from the royal collections, and no HRH for her baby. No combined offices with the Cambridges, no mutual foundation. And wouldn't an extended tour of Africa be just the thing for the Sussexes? Oh, and BTW, the Queen is unfortunately engaged on the day of Archie's christening--whenever that day may be!

I mean, DAMN. Even if Tiaragate/Maternity Coat is not the explanation, SOMETHING of major proportions happened. When you look at the BRF's actions towards Meghan in the past 8 months, it's clear they cannot stand her.

When I imagine the early interactions of Kate and Megan, I picture Kate being perfectly polite but extremely reserved. She was not about to let some untested Hollywood newcomer blow up everything she carefully built over the years. “No, bitch,I’m not going to give you a ride to the shop and let you get papped with me.”

Piers Morgan's version of the story is that the Sussexes rejected the large apartment at KP and demanded Frogmore Cottage instead because they didn't want to live next to William and Kate.

I wonder why Markle has never shown an interest in driving over here? She's been her XXX years/months, now, she practically moved herself into Nott Cottage at her first chance ( giving up Suits). Plenty of time. With her controlling nature, you'd think she would want to , but maybe the grandeur of chauffeurs is an image she wants to keep? We've seen plenty of pap pics of many of the royals driving. Autumn Phillips, or instance.

R119, Both Prince Harry & Clooney clearly love dominant women so I bet George is used to MM machinations.

R134, MM would have to take and pass the British driving test to get her license over here. While doable, the test is harder than in the US and would take time and lessons to prepare to take. Since Autumn is Canadian she simply could've traded in her Canadian license for a UK one, no test needed.

Boy. Meghan was in a pickle about Piers Morgan. If she didn’t text him back, she’d earn his undying wrath. If she did, that indiscretion might have blown her pursuit of Harry. She couldn’t win. They're like Eve Harrington and Addison DeWitt.

What I find weird is that Meghan is never seen in town by herself.

We have pics of Kate shopping at waitrose, at the zoo with baby Georges, at the park with the kids or even at the local pub because Lottie needed to pee.

Meghan? She's never spotted anywhere.

I would add, Harry must want to throttle Piers.

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R129, Would MM failing to reveal her inability to get pregnant and to carry a child be grounds for an annulment? Do you think there actually is a Baby Archie? If Harry is sterile than who are the biological parents?

Knowing how Harry is a party boy I would have thought there would be quite a few illegitimate offspring somewhere. If what you say is true then we know why there isn't any suing for paternity checks.

Even little Louis was spotted with the Nanny at an automobile museum, over the half term.

So I went looking for stories about Kate and William moving to KP and found that their first set of rooms were less than ideal.

At the end of the article about William and Kate's move, I found this tiny morsel.

[quote] Or perhaps it’s simply the case that anything – even living on a building site with distant, ancient family – is preferable to their previous arrangement sharing accommodation in Clarence House with Prince Harry. On one occasion the Duchess apparently opened the door to her brother-in-law’s bedroom and found Astrid Harbord, a “close friend”, passed out on his bed after a rumbustious evening on the tiles.

Why on earth was Kate opening the door to Harry's bedroom?

R137 That’s not actually what happened, is it?

When the relationship & then engagement were announced, Piers Morgan was very supportive of Meghan. He went through the whole “breath of fresh air” stuff and said she’d be wonderful for the BRF. He also explicitly said (more than once) that he didn’t blame her in the slightest for not being in contact with him since meeting Harry as he was a journalist after all and she probably would be advised against it.

It was when she ghosted her father and a considerably large number of other people that he turned against her.

She could have won. She could have treated him with some basic manners and sent a short, personal, non-committal note explaining why she couldn’t be in contact much (at all) in the future but “thanks for the kind words and support you’ve shown”.

But she didn’t. Piers Morgan was her friend when he was useful to her....because she’s a cunt who uses people.

their first set of rooms WAS^^^^

Didn't the staff exodus start around in that October/November timeframe as well?

I remember there some some sort of incident on their tour where Meghan was supposed to visit a market and meet with the women there but it was ended after like 10 minutes and "security" was cited as the reason. Didn't her personal protection officer quit shortly after they returned? That was followed by stories that Meghan wouldn't listen to her security team, she just did whatever she wanted and it made their jobs difficult.

Maybe there isn't one huge incident but just a series of incidents where Meghan demonstrated she had no intentions of fitting in so they did what they could to try to contain her. It's crazy to think that they had only been married a few months when the shit started hitting the fan.

A post such as r110 keeps me around on the BRF threads.

Otherwise, it's too much of a chore to wade through the unhinged DoS hater, conspiracy, "Baby Born With Wooden Leg" nonsense. And spare me the bullshit "all gossip, from whatever source, is equal" stuff.

No, it isn't. And the Team Kate v. Team Meghan Frau-rumble (Fraumble?) is a crashing bore.

I find Kate to be dull as dishwater and that's a good thing. That's part of the job description of being the wife of the future King of England. But the notion by Meghan fans that Meghan is on some kind of equal footing as Kate is pure nonsense. Kate can ignore Meghan. After all, does the moon acknowledge a barking dog? And no Meg-stans, I don't see Meghan as a dog.

I see her as struggling to absorb realities she must adjust to if she wants to retain her marriage and position.

And the Duchess of Sussex, seemingly, has not absorbed that reality. Too bad, She could have, instead used it to her advantage to carve out a particular position not in competition with Kate (impossible) but in CONTRAST to her. As I've written before, however, I'm beginning to conclude that the Duchess of Sussex lacks the wit, sophistication and depth to pull that off.

I'll say, in the Dos defense though, she can't win for losing with her haters. She SHOULD be out of sight right now. She should be laying low until she presentable. And for all that is holy on Satan's Green Earth, hopefully, she's admitted she needs a complete wardrobe make-over and is meeting with a stylist who has the wit and savvy to help her get her garments right. I

I've consistently argued that the DoS needs to affect a modified Yohji Yamamoto look ,and stick to it. It doesn't have to be that severe, but, if gauged properly, it can be done with flair.

Anyway, agree 100% with r110. Something went amiss, to understate it. And I too would LOVE to know what it was. I bet it's so rich, it just HAS to be fattening.

[quote] It was when she ghosted her father and a considerably large number of other people that he turned against her.

R144 You think Piers Morgan, the man you sanctioned the hacking of a murdered school girl's phone among his many yellow journalism tricks, cares about Meghan's treatment of her father? Oh dear.

Piers is bitter that he didn't get an invitation to the wedding. He wanted the Omid Scobie or the Gayle King type insider access to the Sussexes.

R141, R129 here. I’m not claiming any of the guesses are true. They are just my guesses about what could be bad enough to cause such an about face. Although you bring up an interesting point about accidental pregnancies. Is Harry obedient enough to have ALWAYS supplied and used his own condoms? Maybe Harry and William got vasectomies early and have frozen sperm. That’s another guess, not a claim.

R148 No, he didn’t. That was a different newspaper.

Do get your facts straight, please.

I have no personal opinion on Piers Morgan. I either agree with what he says or I do not. He clearly dislikes her, and his reasoning is sound. You are engaging in childish ad hominems rather than addressing what he’s saying. Feeble.

R149 No evidence that I know of, but there was a strong rumour a few years ago that Harry knocked up Cressida and had a shit fit about it, blaming her. Which is nice, right?

Yeah I also find it odd that he hasn’t knocked up a girl not even once . It would be all over the tabloids If he did . So its possible he is sterile . Not so farfetched I think .

Fergie was on a morning show talking about Natasha's Foundation.

R150 For your reading pleasure

[quote] Piers Morgan questioned for a second time over phone-hacking allegations

My response wasn't a statement about Pier's view of the renovations. That is fair game. The post at R148 it was a response to R144's assertion that Piers turned against Meghan because of her treatment of her father. Pier Morgan's history doesn't suggest he has an empathetic bone in his body.

The news about the cost of Frogmore's renovations is not going down well on British social media. The anger isn't specifically aimed at Meghan & Harry, just the royals in general. People are rightly asking why the hell the taxpayer is funding these people to live in luxury while there are so many in poverty.

R152 et al, Considering Prince Harry's party boy rep and admitted use of drugs I'd be concerned his sperm might be damaged. Modern Hollywood couples use European's latest medical advances in IVF to ensure their babies have the least possible chance of abnormalities. We're talking testing the embryo once fertilized regardless of the age of either parent.

So the idea of freezing sperm when relatively young and super healthy sounds like an excellent idea. Wouldn't that be how Princess Diana supposedly had an American look-alike daughter IF one believes the CT?

"Elsewhere Camilla (Haydn Gwynne) goes the full Princess Margaret - gin/fags/Mustique/Rolling Stones - leaving Charles (Harry Enfield) with time to indulge a dalliance with the beautiful new manageress of the Highgrove gift shop. They fall in love when she asks if £80 is too much to ask for a jar of honey. "

To those who were asking, the third series of The Windsors will air later this year, one source has stated Autumn.

And, yes! Edo is going to be portrayed as "Bea's glamorous new boyfriend".

Why are so many fraus so desperate to believe the baby wasn’t conceived and delivered normally by Meghan and Harry? That’s the least interesting bit of all the BRF drama, and yet it makes up most of the lunatic conspiracy theories. If you’re spending time thinking through how Harry might be sterile or Archie isn’t a real baby, I suggest therapy.

R152 lives in a time before birth control and legal abortions.

R156 It's doubtful that Harry can top Mick Jagger's drug use. If Jagger can have 8 children during and after drugs, there's hope for Harry's little swimmers.

R159, Did Jagger use IVF as a way to test the embryos for "defects?" Would the baby of an excessive party boy have a diminished mental capacity?

R75 - You're in denial. The Sussexes wanted their own court, their own official staff, and their own "brand". The Queen and Charles told them no fucking way, and the Sussex PR team is housed in BP where their PR chief has to answer to the Queen's PR chief. Charles and the Queen split the cost for Sara Latham's huge salary, the Sovereign Grant pays for the rest of the Sussex staff. This is why Harry and Meghan were booted out of London and just given that seriously third-rate home in a suburb, instead of getting the grand Apt 1 in Kensington Palace AND a lovely country home the way William and Kate did.

Lord, the DM and the tabs are going after the Sussexes over the renovations with a glee so ferorcious you can see it rising like smoke off the pages.

This is really Charles's fault. He knows perfectly well that Meghan has done damage to the family already and isn't going down that well with the public; he's worth $400 million ffs. He should have just bitten the bullet and bought them a nice house and had done with it.

The expense is also going to come back and bite the BRF in the arse if the Sussexes take off for America and put two fingers up to the country that paid to renovate their home. The deal with William and Kate at KP was that after $5 million in renovations, it would remain their home base until William becomes King.

This has all been so badly handled it beggars description.

R155 And that is precisely why Harry and Meghan are a problem.

Omid Scobie (aka Scooby-Doo) has spoken!

Does anyone else believe that Charles will never by king and Camilla will not be at his side? We all know that he doesn't look very healthy.

R22, R115 It seems as though infuriating Andrew on his daughter’s wedding day might turn out to be Meghan’s fatal error. Some people can reaally hold a grudge.

For anyone who thinks that Prince Andrew doesn’t hold an icy cold hatred in his heart towards Meghan Markle, here is his official Instagram post for Christmas Day. See the feathers? That’s Meghan.

I thought Piers was sore because Meghan suddenly stopped returning his texts once she had Harry in her sights.

Seems after that Piers spitefully started giving Dad a sympathetic forum.

Clarence House is receiving a lot more mail.

R165 I remember that! Bitchiest thing ever. Ha ha.

Diana wearing earrings while swimming.

I didn't know who Sara Latham was, so I searched online. Holy cow! There's a Meghanpedia!

Kate has been given a new patronage by The Queen: the Royal Photographic Society. I think it's a good match as Kate is a keen photographer.

Margaret in her bridesmaid dress for her sister Elizabeth's wedding in 1947.

I wonder if the new series of The Windsors will make veiled references to Rose Hanbury.

The Queen is slowing down as is expected. She used to be one of busiest members of the Royal Family. Now, she had only 140 official engagements.

Today is Lord Louis Mountbatten's birthday. Here are some photos of him.

Janet Street-Porter C.B.E. rips into Princess Eugenie and Beatrice: ‘They shouldn’t be royals’

Janet Street-Porter has a face for radio.

Kate has an engagement this afternoon.

I don't feel her dress.

Speaking of Patronage, I'm surprised Meghan didn't do more with her National Theatre patronage.

Girl, doesn't care much about acting even if it was supposed to be her job and passion for a decade.

R159 doesn’t know who Boris Becker is.

The NT turned down my offer of acting lessons for all. For all!

So I'm going to dump them, like I did the Fleabags of Mayhew.

Full view of Kate's outfit, today.

There was apparently significant backlash to Meghan's appointment to the National Theater, so wouldn't be surprised if they were like 'do stay away'

R88, your continual prudish and/or bitter harping on the "Kate-flashing-thong" theme serves to make Kate seem a tiny bit interesting.

What’s interesting to me is not that Piers Morgan has weighed in, but the subtle but definite change in tone from arse-licker-in-chief Richard Kay.

His piece is quite withering - even points out that the business of the Harkle’s “paying for fixtures and fittings” basically means that Charles is putting his hand in his pocket.

I doubt Harry & Meghan actually pay for anything themselves.

R182 - Kate's dress wasn't a "WOW" but it was summery and appropriate for the occasion. These types of dresses are all the rage at the moment. It's like Laura Ashley has come back to life! I also see that her wedge shoes are back. I'm not a fan of wedges.

Kate's in a good mood.

R102 Unfortunately for the BRF, the US Department of Justice does not follow the British "rules" about line of succession.

As a US citizen, Meghan can most certainly petition a US family court for primary custody of Archie. Such a court does not give a hoot about any BRF "rules".

Most likely, a shared custody agreement would be reached, with Meghan as primary custodial parent and Harry getting Archie on holidays and summers.

Can't we just have a system where the royals remain royal in a symbolic sense, but they pay for their own shit? They could just do what other reality TV stars (and yes, the royals ARE essentially reality TV stars) do and sell their photo shoots to Hello magazine to fund their lifestyle, instead of letting the taxpayer fund them. They could keep their titles. They could still televise their weddings and such, they'd just pay for the security themselves. They'd have to downgrade their lifestyles a bit, but they would still be well off. If Meghan and Kate started their own jewellery or fashion lines, they'd make a mint.

Meghan is gonna pull a Doria and she won’t be around for Archie after the divorce. She doesn’t have a maternal bone in her body. Of course she’ll put out as much PR as she can about what a great mother she is but poor Archie is going to be like both of his parents and he won’t have his mother’s presence in his life during his formative years.

Meghan is going to fight for primary custody and sit back and get a fat check every month. You don't pass up on that golden egg.

A US family court decision is cute but completely useless if the child remains in the UK. What are they going to do, deploy men to reclaim their american prince?

'I suspect what happened in October really was the nonsense Meghan created out of nothing by Meghan at Yuge's wedding.'

They are not petty 65 year old fraus, for God's sake. Look elsewhere for the cause of the rift, because this ain't it.

R192 The usual route is to take the child to the jurisdiction in which you want to file the custody case before you start proceedings.

Meghan could return to the US and then inform Harry through her lawyers that she was separating from him and seeking custody of the child(ren).

If child(ren) had no ties to the US (eg had not spent time there etc) then she would face an uphill battle. If she established strong ties for herself and the child(ren) (eg she had employment, can show that the child had strong bonds there through visits and relationships, show that she had an inordinate amount of the parental responsibility within the marriage) then her case would be stronger.

Archie is so far down the line of succession that it's unlikely even a British court could use that as a primary reason to keep him in the UK.

Whatever the custody arrangement is, Meghan will not be involved with raising Archie. She’ll be too busy hunting for her next husband. Archie will be in the care of nannies and will be sent off to boarding school as soon as she can be rid of him. I can at least see Harry bonding with Archie in Africa as soon as he’s old enough. But Meghan will ghost him as much as she can get away with.

For those with short term memories, an article on second son Andrew's homes including the £7.5 million refurb.

What do you mean "do more" with the National Theatre patronage R179? It is embarrassing to have such a poor actor associated with the country's theatre. Some people suspended their subscriptions when they saw the pregnant coat flicker do a pap stroll through there.

Andrew paid for those renovations, not the taxpayer:

"Following extensive renovations, Royal Lodge became the home of Prince Andrew, The Duke of York in 2004, who leased the property from the Crown Estate on a 75-year lease. In lieu of annual rent, it was agreed that he would make a one-time payment of £1million, as well as paying for the renovation in full (a project with exceeded £7.5million)."

Royal Lodge is one ugly building. It looks like a hospital.

The BRF isn't going to get into a huge dust-up over custody of Archie Harrison. He's seventh in line and isn't even using a title. He is dynastically unimportant. If Meghan wants to take him to LA, they'll let her. The farther away from the UK the boy is raised, the less he'll be associated with the BRF, and the family will see that as a good thing.

R188 - Unfortunately for the US sustice system, if Meghan is a UK citizen when the custody battle ensues, only UK courts will rule and the US courts won't have one damned thing to say about it. And, you have no idea what Meghan signed before marrying. If she signed the usual agreement about the disposition of children in the event of a divorce that royals customarily insist that married-ins sign, she'll also have little recourse.

That said, the BRF may also not give two fucks who has custody of Archie - they'd probably just as soon see the Sussexes done and dusted in the UK and let Harry take the consequences of his bad judgement. And lastly, they have a few bargaining chips on their side: Meghan's settlement and her title. If she is still a US citizen, she'll lose the title immediately upon a divorce. If she's a UK citizen, that HRH is hers by right UNLESS they deprive her of it the way they did Diana and Fergie and they can also make it part of the deal that she drops the "Duchess" bit. Without it, she goes back to begin Meghan Markle, only now the discarded ex of the sixth in line.

She'll be Fergie without "Duchess" in front of her name - mid-forties and Harry's sloppy seconds with no title.

Don't think for a moment she won't play ball on custody when those chips land on the table.

The point is, Andrew got the money from someplace to live in a mini-palace on 20 acres, and no rent for the duration of the 75 year lease. He can also leave it to his widow or Bea and Yuge.

Quite a deal for the money spent.

Just how fat are all you cunts??

R200, R201, Curious why the BRF won't care that much about Archie. Would it be they don't want to deal with a joint custody arrangement with MM and all that entails as she's not likely to be ultra-cooperative, that the child is of mixed race, or that he's 7th in line?

Will Harry have any say in all of this mess? He might initially like to spend some time in CA. Wonder how he'll be treated after the 1st few months.

I think MM will settle in nicely to a Real Housewives-type life in LA with Archie, because his presence will ensure a fat cheque every month. I seriously doubt she will stick around the UK for 4 more long years to gain citizenship. Archie will zoom back and forth for visits with his dad. Eventually both MM and Harry will remarry.

R202 In addition to that sweet deal for Andrew, if he decided to leave within the first 25 years of the lease, the crown will have to repay him some of the money spent on the renovation.

Being the favourite child of the monarch is a sweet deal.

Why does the road racing retiree get £360K for an office?

[quote] The Duke of Edinburgh has received annuity payments from the government since 1992, according to the Times. The 98-year-old officially retired from his royal duties in August 2017. A palace source said the occasional duties he still carries out is covered by the annuity, amid the palace accounts being released yesterday.

OT but I think it’s funny that the “Megastans” and the “Skippy” loons accuse each other of being fraus. It’s the one thing about which they’re factually correct. There are probably no gay men in these threads

The Real Housewives thing could become a reality, she was after a role when they were first casting ROBH , pre Suits. Using Trevor as her leverage to try and get on it. I honestly think she would jump at a chance after any split. Imagine the dosh they could pay her now that Lisa VP is out.

I like the idea on a long ago thread of a royal version, lol. Exiled royals, divorced royals, disgraced royals. Haha.

To spend on sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll R208 ?

I wondered why, too.

R204 In UK law clean breaks are generally advised, if you can afford it.

"Charles and Camilla’s royal tour of the Carribean and Cuba in February amounted to a staggering £417,000."

Why does Andrew need an estate on 20 acres, with its own chapel and 6 servant cottages? The maintenance on that place must be astronomical. And the ski chalet- The Queen must have just handed over her checkbook.

Neither Diana nor Fergie got monthly maintenance from the family did they? I thought they just got one lump sum payout. I imagine Meghan would get something similar to what Fergie got, which really wasn't that much. Of course the Harry/the family will pay for all of Archie's expenses but I don't think Meghan is going to get the hefty payout she might be looking for.

As I said, R204, the BRF won't cause a stink because the child is dynastically unimportant. It has nothing to do with his skin color or his mother's skin color. Regardless of race, his mother is a pain in the ass and likely to raise her child to be a pain in the ass. If she takes him to LA it will further disassociate him from the BRF, causing fewer problems for William and his family down the line.

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Harry would have to get a clean break anyway, to protect any assets left to him in the future from Markles claws.

R217 - yes, we already know. Please see R171. Do try to keep up. At least, pretend you read the posts on this thread.

Harry doesn't have any real assets other than the Diana trust, and everything else that could potentially be left to him will be absolutely locked down such that nobody can break it. This isn't the 90s, the rich have quickly learned how to structure estates and assets to avoid them going to non-family.

A divorced Harry will be an even less enticing marital prospect to other women in his social group than he is now, as his son with Meghan Markle has all the rights to the title and succession. Whether or not Archie Harrison ever uses them, he still has them. Titles mean a lot to that crowd.

What I mean is, Archie has the rights to the succession of the Dukedom. I know any of Harry's other kids will also be in the line of succession to the throne, though they'll be way down the list.

Regarding custody of Archie:

[quote]According to reports, the royal family operates with a strange custody agreement when its couples have their own children, which states that, actually, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has full legal custody over the young royals. Royal expert Marlene Koenig explained to news outlets: “The sovereign has legal custody of the minor grandchildren.”

[quote]Confused? It’s a seriously backdated regulation, as Koenig continued: “This goes back to King George I [who ruled in the early 1700s], and the law’s never been changed. He did it because he had a very poor relationship with his son, the future King George II, so they had this law passed that meant the King was the guardian of his grandchildren.”

[quote]The royal family custody law may now be over 300 years old but, officially, it’s still standing. That means that on paper, the Queen does have custody over Prince William and Kate Middleton’s three children, Prince George, Prince Charlotte and Prince Louis. She's not like a regular Queen, she's a cool Queen, and is unlikely to take any authority in how her great-grandchildren are raised but, as Koenig claimed, the Queen does officially have the final call on big decisions, like allowing the royal family kids to travel by plane, for example.

R189 - I'm trying to determine whether you're just clueless or a troll. Do you have any idea what you're talking about? The Royal Family are not Kardashians or any other reality TV show even though at times some of them act just as badly (not mentioning any names). The members of the House of Windsor who work do so as representatives of the Queen, Britain and the Commonwealth. How the hell do you equate their roles with the roles on TV? And no, Kate and Meghan cannot have a jewellery or fashion lines because that would be seen as cashing in on their royal connections. If you read the post @R163, the taxpayer doesn't pay very much when things are broken down. In future, please ensure that when you post that something makes a little sense.

R204 - I don't think it's so much that the BRF "don't care about Archie", I think it's that he is, after all, the son of the sixth in line, he will become less and less relevant to them as time goes on, and Harry has played his cards badly - they can't go on carrying the ball for him. They didn't help Charles, either, frankly. He had to liquidate a lot of his personal portfolio to pay Diana's settlement, they didn't pay it for him. The custody issue was also settled the way it usually is between the parents, and Diana had to make sure she wasn't seen to be depriving Charles of his rights as a father and the father of a future Heir - and she was, of course, a UK citizen. So a great deal of effort was made to be sure things were done on a familiar basis that wasn't so different from what any other rich couple would have done. Diana had a very good, and very expensive lawyer.

Fergie got a modest settlement, in that case the BRF did pay the bill, and reportedly she agreed to be paid $20,000 a year from the royal family and given $660,000 to buy a new house, and about $1.8 million to start trust funds for Beatrice and Eugenie as well as another $462,000 in cash and an agreement that Prince Andrew would pay for their daughters’ education. That isn't much by royal standards and that's the kind of settlement that Meghan would be looking at, and I doubt she'd find it enough.

Harry and Meghan would probably come to a similar arrangement but the clinker is that if Meghan is still ONLY a US citizen and chooses to try to blackmail the BRF with custody of Archie, I don't think they will come to Harry's rescue.

R223 Archie is a not a grandchild of the monarch. He, like the Cambridge children are great-grandchildren of the monarch. Unlike them, he is not in the direct line.

There is a question as to whether the queen has rights over George, much less Archie.

That Prince Charles liquidating his portfolio stuff was PR bullshit, like he was hurting. As I posted previously, he bought a $275k garden sculpture the year of his divorce- that I know firsthand. I was there.

“Their most important role, the role Harry was groomed for, the role even his late mother understood, the role Meghan inherited when she uttered those words “I do,” was to support William and Catherine, in whatever way necessary. If that means joining the Buckingham Palace fold and sacrificing a separate charitable entity, then so be it. It may seem unfair, it may come across as favouritism, but it’s royalty, and on that basis, there was never a chance for the “fab four.”

My grammar is horrible today.

Correction at R226: He, like the Cambridge children, IS a great-grandchild of the monarch.

Changing the sentence structure would have been better.

Interesting how that huge settlement of Diana's stayed out of the hands of the BRF for about 1 year, and then it went right back into trusts for Harry and William. What a convenient death she had!

On my Internet travels today, I found this cute photo of Andrew when he truly lived up to his nickname of "Randy Andy". He was definitely the best looking of the Queen's four children.

R215 - see R225. Fergie got some cash in a lump sum, enough cash to buy a house, $20,00p.a. from the family, and a little under $2 million to start trust funds for the two kids, and Andrew agreed to pay for the girls' education AND she had to surrender her HRH.

Harry could probably dip into the Trust fund for an arrangement like that with the BRF picking up one cash payment - but if Meghan decides to see what more she can wring out of them using Archie as a weapon in the US courts, then I think the BRF will either tell Harry, Tough luck, son, you should have chosen better, or start playing hardball with her - using the settlement amount and her title as weapons. Harry may be a dimwitted essentially toothless bellend, but the BRF's lawyers aren't. What will she have to pay expensive lawyers with? She's not Diana.

She'll pay for them using her $5million pre-harry money obviously, she's a modern day woman with her own money!

This thread is talking about a Sussex divorce and custody like they've announced a separation.

Well, there nothing else to bag on Meg about at the moment- so speculation of what might happen down the road will have to do.

Meanwhile, Beatrice was at Karlie Kloss and Jared Kushner’s wedding in Wyoming last weekend. Not sure if Edo was there or not!

(sorry to drag the thread away from the clinically insane fantasizing about non-existent Meghan custody issues)

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The Queen in jewels. As it should be.

R236, Didn't Karlie Kloss get married ages ago?

R236 - Given the divorce record in Harry's family (Charles, the bloody next Sovereign, Andrew, and Anne, and his Aunt Margaret), and on Meghan's side not only her parents, but Meghan herself - I wouldn't say it's as nonexistent as a topic of discussion as all that.

Jared Kushner is married to Ivanka Trump. I'd be really surprised to hear he was marrying Taylor Swift's closet squeeze (and now bitter enemy) in Wyoming last week.

I think you meant Joshua Kushner.

R235. This is the BRF thread, not the Meghan Markle thread. There are many new(ish) royals stories to discuss but nothing but MM gets much traction here.

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R239 They had a religious ceremony earlier this year, and then a weekend bash last weekend for friends (including Bea).

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What's that about royals staying out of politics?

[quote] PRINCE ANDREW said he could see "no reason" Brexit should have an impact on British business as he insisted entrepreneurs would succeed whether the country stayed or left the European Union

Air Miles Andy advocating for Brexit. What a shock. It would be a great deal-making opportunity for him.

R245 He wasn't advocating for Brexit, he was advocating for Britain & British business which is his job.

R245 - he's not advocating for Brexit. A small majority of people in Britain already voted to leave the EU. It's a done deal so now the bloody politicians have to get their asses in gear and get a final deal before the deadline. Andrew is trying to calm fears of doing business when Brexit does happen.

Boo-hoo for poor Meghan. She's blamed for everything. It's all racism.

Camilla wears a Burberry coat but not the best footwear for the occasion.

Given that Brexit remains a contentious issue. It would be best for Andrew not to say anything.

R244 - I don't think Meghan turned down anything. I don't think she was invited and I think the BRF wanted her there and I suspect they were probably grateful that she's on maternity leave so they assumed she wouldn't go. As for Harry's boorishness at the luncheon and subsequent guided tour of the Queen's art collection - it wouldn't be the first time, he seemed boorish for most of the TTC. There's nothing new here.

What the two have done is far worse than anything surrounding the Trump visit; in insisting that they have some God-given right to a "brand" of their own, and the at this point nearly incessant subliminal reinforcement of the perception that they're in the BRF but not "of" it, that they're working for themselves and not the institution to whom they owe everything, and that they can't wait to get out of the country of whose fabric that institution is deeply woven . . . they've pretty much cooked their own goose.

If and when the divorce rears its head, and Meghan tries to play hardball as if she really mattered to the UK (she doesn't), the BRF will use the occasion to pay her back for all the damage she's wrought and her treatment of Harry and the Cambridges. Diana was the mother of a future King. Meghan Markle is the mother of Mr Archie Mountbatten-Windsor (and Earl Dumbarton, a title he isn't going to use, and that comes without estates, revenue or anything but symbolic meaning, just like his father's).

Then she'll first find out how little she means and how little power she really has within that framework. Nobody gives a damn, underneath it all, about either of them.

^*and I don't think they wanted her there

R251

Harry apparently really wanted a kid, so may also want to play hardball to make sure his kid stays in his circle. There's an expected upbringing that children in that set get, and without it you will never fully be accepted. Nobody respects the people modern california puts out.

Prince Andrew looking out for taxpayers and British business in LA in 2007.

It cost $100K to fly Andy to LA for a grocery store opening. Tesco had lost 1.2B on the deal by the time it pulled out in 2013.

Maybe Andy should stay away from British business.

Yes, in a state of 40 million people, nobody respects not even 1 out of the 40 million.

"The Royal Family cost each of us £1.24 last year."

Fergie was with Andrew for a relatively short time (five or six years?) and humiliated him with the public exposure of her adultery so I think she got a good deal.

The problem lies with Fergie herself. She was given money to buy a house and yet she still lives with Andrew. She probably had so many debts she had to use the house money to help pay them off. How many times has she been in trouble and Andrew keeps bailing her out? I've lost count myself. Instead of insisting that she makes her own way in life and takes responsibility for her actions (let's face it, her children are now grown), he keeps rewarding her for her extravagance. She makes a mistake, he fixes it and repeat. He just keeps making the same mistake over again and never learns his lesson.

The Queen gets a gift in 1979. Like she really needs more jewels. LOL.

First, why didnt Andy remarry? I dont believe he is.in love w his rapidly aging exwife. Does she keep his secrets?

If anyone is wondering what Camilla is wearing underneath her Burberry trench, it's a kilt, blouse and vest.

R259 - who the fuck would want to marry a man who still lives with his first wife? I don't care how friendly their divorce was, it's just all kinds of creepy.

R259 - I don't think Andrew needs to remarry. He and his ex are very close emotionally so that fulfills his need for intimacy and connection, and he can get sex whenever he wants, and that need is likely subsiding with age, too. He seems close to his children, too. Why remarry and risk another fiasco?

I doubt Andrew wants to marry again, even with Fergie.

TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2019

Blind Items Revealed #5

June 14, 2019

Apparently the alliterate former actress turned A+ list celebrity was drunk or at least heavily buzzed during a recent very public appearance. Her alcohol intake was severely restricted for nearly a year so she has been indulging. Looks like she over indulged.

Meghan Markle

POSTED BY ENT LAWYER AT 10:30 AM

Yes, including with underage girls and probably boys too. He's a pedo that should be in jail.

R264 - I discount everything CDAN posts. It stopped caring long ago who sent it in what receipts it had or any other semblance of anything but putting up whatever will get it clicks. That said, neither of the Sussexes looks particularly impressive at the TTC, but if by some chance Meghan really was pissed, it would have finished her off with the BRF for good. I thought it strange neither she nor Harry appeared at Ascot. She would have been well able to attend by last week and they've got a nanny. I think they're just keeping their distance from the family and vice versa.

I've also had suspicions that the BRF knows something dreadful about Charles's health. Maybe that's one more thing that spurred Harry into a quickie marriage. Possibly the reason we are seeing this rush to separate and define the brothers' roles. Could it explain Camilla's strangely distracted and shook behavior at times? Charles's noticeable doting? But wouldn't their father's poor health bring the brothers closer together? What about that could explain the rift?

Is a Royal considered an A list celebrity? I hope not.

Even Harry was described as an A list celebrity in the media today, I can't remember which article offhand.

That's all Markle's doing.

The rest of the BRF wouldn't be referred to as such.

R267 - Hard to say. Charles has always had that flush on his cheeks, people just don't remember, and he's always had sausage fingers, too. He doesn't seem ill to me. But he is old by any reckoning, and his reign is likely to be short, and his mother is 93. At these ages, anything can happen at any time.

So, I think the rush to separate the brothers' roles is a rush to make clear which brother and which one's family are ever closer to the top jobs and therefore more important at home. I think it was also to distance the Cambridges from the train wreck that the Sussexes show some signs of becoming if they don't stop behaving like spoilt children who didn't get a second helping of pudding. Getting the Sussexes onto turf as far from the home turf as possible also greases their possible exit from the family after the second kid arrives. By then, they'll have been "abroad" for so long, few people in the UK will miss them if they exit permanently.

And at bottom, the Cambridges and the rest of the BRF can't stand Meghan and Harry knows it. Best to separate them now with nice window dressing about roles than to have an outright donnybrook one day on the balcony.

Kate might be A-list. Meghan has been A-list (ish) in the last year but not before. I can't see any of the other royals being A-list.

Betty is on her own list.

All this negative news is just making meghan happier. Any attention is good attention. As long as she's being talked about. It will make her and harry happier to be seen as put upon and victims. She'll rally her Hollywood buddies to defend her and compare her to Diana again. She's in the papers everyday, not kate! She's loving it.

R272 - well, then SHE has a big problem, doesn't SHE?

R311 Phillip when his Sovereign Grant money comes in.

I don't think any of them should be scaled on a celebrity list. It's only since MM has appeared that these references to celebrity are being attached to the RF.

To me it's wrong. And I know it's the work of the media, but it's really giving credibility to the shouts of the republicans in the UK.

R178, I love that dress (at least as much as one can see from the vid). Glad to see her being a bit more fashiony when she's not on super formal royal business.

Charles was a huge sun lover- he had a tanning bed that he used, just like Diana and loves to work in his garden shirtless, or did.

Markle redesigned her engagement ring with a diamond pave band (from the original yellow gold band...ungrateful bitch) to match her new diamond pave eternity ring, which presumably Harry gave to her. So he must still love her if he just gave her an eternity ring.

"Kate Middleton REMOVED diamonds from Princess Diana’s iconic earrings while Meghan Markle blinged up her royal ring."

Latham PR at the ready in that article ^^^^

Why can they never take a good photo of FrogCott? It's always shown from that unattractive side angle, which looks like a hodge-podge mess. Is there no front door...no driveway...no walkway or entrance way...no slightly long view or aerial view that might show this place to be something other than nondescript...no garden or halfway decent landscaping they could show other than what looks to be a side view of a boring rambling brick house painted white?

Frogmore is just a plain unattractive building. No angles will save it.

I'm no fan of Markle, but if she's so grand, how come she didn't get a princely title for Archie? Wouldn't that be something she would want for her kid? I would guess that Harry, as second son of the heir to the throne, would get to give his kid a title just as Andrew was able to give his daughters the princess title.

R65 = Kate

R279, many royal jewels are adaptable. There are tiaras that can be taken apart to worn as brooches and necklaces, necklaces that can be worn as tiaras, earrings that can be clipped into coats as clips, etc. It’s for maximum versatility and the craftsmanship of these is reflected in their price.

Convertible jewelry is a time honored tradition, even Queen Mary had fun with her various settings.

St Kate hasn’t done anything wholesome and modest by shortening the earrings, they’re likely designed to be worn both ways.

[quote] It's only since MM has appeared that these references to celebrity are being attached to the RF.

Sure, Jan.

R283 - She would have leapt at that title for her kid, but she'd already burned her bridges with the Queen and Charles and William. The Queen was one of the few people who thought Diana a bad match for Charles, which many people forget, and she probably figured out Meghan pretty quickly, too. The Queen has dealt with, what, half a dozen PMs in her career and is probably a pretty good judge of people. But that doesn't mean she's willing to interfere.

Andrew didn't "give" his daughters titles: they were born royal. They are grandchildren of the Sovereign in the male line so it was automatic. Andrew didn't have to lift a finger. The automatic HRH stops with the grandchildren of the Sovereign in the male line. The Queen issued Letters Patent for William's children to make them HRHs, as they are only great-grandchildren of the Sovereign in the male line, so it wasn't automatic. She could have done the same for Harry's kid, but chose not to.

If Charles dies before the Queen and never becomes King, which would technically jump Archie up to an HRH, and William steps up, the Sussexes' last chance for HRHs for their kids is gone. And even if Charles does become King he can announce that Archie will continue to use the style and title of Earl Dumbarton. Edward's kids should technically be HRHs now but don't use it. But if William ascends before Charles can, you can bet your last penny not only will he never upgrade the Sussex kids' titles, he'll make sure they are totally closed out of the royal circle and cut off the handouts from the Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster.

William doesn't look like the forgiving type.

R284 is Sara Latham.

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R287 "But if William ascends before Charles can, you can bet your last penny not only will he never upgrade the Sussex kids' titles, he'll make sure they are totally closed out of the royal circle and cut off the handouts from the Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster."

Do you think William is already serving as king in all but name only? Both QE and PC are quite advanced in age, perhaps they are letting him develop his monarchy behind closed doors, while the serve as more symbolic figureheads? I can't imagine wanting to be promoted at 70, and receiving even more work when I should be retiring. So is it possible PW deals with the messiness of the family royals that don't involve government?

I hope that made sense. I'm American. Deepest apologies. ;)

R234, Of course a separation hasn't been announced. However some believe one of the purposes of MM holding her baby shower in NYC was so she could secretly consult a divorce lawyer and look for a new house. There's even talk she asked Serena to buy her one and to rent it out until MM needed it.

R233, Please remember MM flew to her baby shower on Amal Clooney's private plane (or her husband's.) Amal is a barrister and associated with a top British law firm. So MM could have easily had a consult re her financial position in a divorce. Furthermore Amal seems to like publicity so even if she was just the conduit to a divorce specialist I'm sure something could be arranged. After all Amal is currently hosting ex-Pres. Obama and his entire family in Lake Como. Small world, isn't it?

R289. My name is on the female list as are the names of my cousins.

I've heard a podcast recorded at Frogmore, before the Markles were ever on scene, and as the host and guest toured the cottage grounds they were consistently interrupted by engine noises overhead. They had a few good chuckles over it, in fact, as it was a little ridiculous. I can't imagine it's very peaceful there.

R293. If the airplane noise at Frog Cott gets too much for Markle, she'll demand to move. Problem solved.

[quote] some believe one of the purposes of MM holding her baby shower in NYC was so she could secretly consult a divorce lawyer and look for a new house. There's even talk she asked Serena to buy her one and to rent it out until MM needed it.

Speculate all you want, butI'm not going to pretend that divorce talk is anything but fanfic at this stage. Why would bitch be consulting a divorce lawyer before she had even safely delivered the anchor baby?

That sounds like the unverified musings of people who are not close enough to have insider info. I'ma pass on that.

The Queen and the Duchess of Gloucester attended a Faith Event at Buckingham Palace.

R294 - no, another problem would arise. Meghan would be moving from a home that taxpayers renovated and paid for. Very bad optics (again). She would look VERY ungrateful and spoiled. Do you think the Royal Family and/or the taxpayers would be up with that shit?

Thanks to whomever made my day by posting (on the previous thread?) that The Windsors will be returning. I need the ever-fascinator-wearing Eugenie and Bea and all those weird posh accent back in my life. I hope the writers have reconsidered their take on Meghan and portray her less as an annoying nasal-voiced American and more like the cocktail-swilling, brand-obsessed basic instagram queen we know her as.

Her ditching the millions spent on her floating yoga floor or w/e, all while crying about how oppressed she was in the BRF, would be beautiful optics. Especially in a UK where the purse strings are being pulled tighter.

Fergie won an Star Women Award for "Inspiration of The Year" for her work in the Street Child charity.

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R300. Fergie is a good ol' broad. I like her a lot. She's always out there doing things, working for her charities, etc. The one thing about Sarah and Diana was that they were no slouches. They viewed their royal roles as their job and took on quite a lot of work. Markle could learn quite a bit by studying all they did. Family issues aside, Sarah and Diana worked in their roles.

Have any of you toured the area? There is flight noise all around- unless you think Heathrow has deliberately targeted H&M.

One of the problems with spending all that money renovating Frogmore is that the location of the building and its proximity to the Heathrow flight path means that as long as the airport and planes are a constant there, then Frogmore will be negatively impacted by the noise.

As long as that is so, none of the RF will want to live there.

Why spend extravagant sums on such a place.

I can understand that some of the money did go to actually need repairs to the building to prevent its deterioration. But the high end stuff sounds like it is due to the vanity of the Sussex pair.

It was particularly wrong to use public money to make all these changes. If the Queen wanted Sparkle and Dim to live at Frogmore, she should have covered the costs.

R297. Yes, I considered the problem you mentioned before posting my response, but Markle would figure out a way to move. After a couple of years of putting up with the noise, Markle might think that Apt 1A at KP isn't so bad. She could decide she needs to be where the action is, I mean, her work is.

R303. I've only been to London, so not having been to Windsor, are you saying that the entire Windsor Castle community is under the flight path? Does that mean not only Frog Cott is under the path, but Frogmore House, Windsor Castle and Royal Lodge at Windsor where Andrew and Sarah live is all under the flight path?

If Markle knew about the airplane noise, I can't imagine her wanting to move there unless she was kicked to the KP curb and was forced to the Cottage.

Given the French Ambassador's comments about all the partying, noise and fireworks going on when Harry & his wife lived at KP, they would hardly be the ideal neighbors for the Cambridge Family.

Given all the other RF members who live at KP, I can't help thinking that comments about such noisy, disruptive behavior would make their way to the Queen. Is that the image that they want to convey about the residents of KP?

Perhaps that was added to the list of reasons for the move out of KP and off to Frogmore.

Tumblr comes with receipts that MM changed her engagement ring to look more like the one given to her by her first husband (or second if you believe the conspiracy theory). After wearing the diamond bracelet he gave her...

Thank you to the above posters for all of the info re the ins and outs of the BRF. Very interesting series of posts.

Recall both Princess Diana's and Sarah's divorces but never understood before today the details of the financial arrangements et al. Fascinating.

To the previous poster who explained that if Archie started spending time in the US he'd be out of the loop, can you explain what exactly what you mean? Didn't think anyone in their set goes to nursery school. Do they all go to the same institution prior to attendance at Eton? Also if certain members of the BRF aren't that smart then why don't they have private tutors starting as soon as possible?

For example Tiger Moms start their very young kids out with piano or violin lessons, some by the age of 3, as along with "Baby Einstein" videos it's claimed to increase their capacity to learn and their intellectual levels.

R303 I'm not sure if you're disagreeing with me. Are you saying the noise IS quite bad around Windsor, as I said? Please explain.

How is it at Anmer Hall. Or KP even?

Millions of people live under Heathrow flight paths and all of Windor Great Park will be affected equally so if the Queen can cope ………

There is a Heathrow tracker at the link where you can work it all out

[quote] I've only been to London, so not having been to Windsor, are you saying that the entire Windsor Castle community is under the flight path? Does that mean not only Frog Cott is under the path, but Frogmore House, Windsor Castle and Royal Lodge at Windsor where Andrew and Sarah live is all under the flight path?

Yes. They are all under a flight path.

R310 Anmer Hall is in the boonies. It's very quiet.

KP is not under a flight path, but is affected by London noise levels and its proximity to arterial roads. The level of noise pollution a person would experience depends on their location within KP or their location within Windsor.

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R290 - No, I don't think William is acting as King in all but name. But his public profile as the future Prince of Wales has been stepped up and because of that, his opinion has increasing weight behind closed doors. Meghan was a fool to antagonise him, Kate, and the Duke of York five minutes after getting in.

I don't believe any of the nonsense about the NY baby shower being an excuse for Meghan to discuss divorce plans. The Sussexes are already announced for a tour of Angola and Africa in October, there is no separation. The baby shower was typical "Look at Me/I'm a Celebriteee!" shallow conspicuous consumption on the part of Meghan.

Norfolk may not be the Cotswolds but Anmer Hall is on the Queen's Sandringham estate. Calling it the "boonies" is naive. It's beautiful in a different way from the Cotswolds. Diana was born at Park House on the Sandringham estate before her father succeeded to the Earldom and the family moved to Althorp. Take a look at Park House and environs then talk to me about the boonies.

Country retreats are supposed to be quiet and "away". That's why Frogmore Cottage was such a letdown for the Sussexes. It's an boring little place just a half hour from London in a nice enough suburb with a large homeless population and lots of air traffic noise.

Give me the 10-bedroom Anmer Hall in Norfolk any day.

About ten years ago, a British friend of mine commented that Charles seemed to be being phased in as a defacto king. Ten years later, with his advancing age, it would not surprise me if William is now being handed more responsibility. Even if Charles ascends, It’s clear they William will be king for a much longer time.

I asked on the previous thread but no one answered: didn’t Kate announce she was planning some kind of initiative regarding child poverty in England or did I imagine it?

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R293 Soundproof windows are pricey but they do an incredible job of blocking out noise. When my partner and I were house shopping, one house we looked at had soundproof windows because it was facing a very busy street. (The soundproof windows were only on the street facing side because they were so expensive.) The realtor opened one of the windows at one point and we were hit with a blast of sound. It was remarkable.

R315 - It's more accurate to say Charles' reign will be a "bridge" one than a "de facto" one. He could be 75 or older before he's King, if his mother's health holds up, and it is true that people will be looking past him toward William and Kate, but he'll still have all the powers and influence of a bona fide British monarch. William's reign will be much longer. And as discussed above, on the unforeseen chance that Charles predeceases the Queen, William will be looking at a very long reign. One slip on a banana peel and the Sussexes might as well set sail for America after the funeral.

Meghan and Harry are incredibly stupid to piss off the future King of England. Even if you don't like someone, their family, their traditions, their ideas etc..., you should be cordial to their face to save your own ass. Duh.

R319 but they ARE stupid.

Can someone tell me how Meghan messed up the Australia tour?

Re the consistent level of noise from Heathrow at FrogCot, MM has arranged for complete sound proofing. This and more costs are discussed in a video which I was told not to link.

See R319, that is why they want their own brand so as not to e beholden to William. The only thing of value Harry has is his title of Prince, which he could trade off quite well to make a living but he is prohibited from doing so. I totally feel his pain. I cannot image having to kiss one of my siblings ass for a living.

r321 She didn't. It's just the usual shrieking from the deranged hags.

The tour was a success.

R302, I disagree there really. After the initial few years there was a lot of resentment toward Di and Fergie. They were seen to be forever tossing it off skiiing all winter or sunbathing all summer. At least, that is my recollection from the time.

R323 he can leave that "job" whenever he wants but he won't because he's a hypocritical coward.

r321 - She spent the entire thing belly cupping and acting like they were on holiday. She made the tour all about her instead of drawing attention to the places and organisations they visited. She was rude to the Tongan royal family and rushed out of Fijian market after 5 minutes, when (prescreened) people had waited for hours to meet her. She was supposed to be there to raise awareness for the UN of how markets can help people out of poverty.

Rumours from behind the scenes claim she was a complete bitch, rude to everyone. Given how her staff have left in droves, I think there is probably some truth in the idea she is a nightmare to work for or with.

What exactly could Harry do, R323? As pointed out recently, no one would ever consider making him Trade Ambassador. He's not an equestrian or other kind of athlete. He can't be an interior designer or furniture designer. I guess he could do product endorsements, for, oh, beer maybe.

The clothes were also an issue on her australia tour. She kept on wearing the most inappropriately casual stuff + the see through dress.

Australia tour is also where she supposedly threw tea at one of her staff, who quit immediately upon their london return. This staff got a public statement on how amazing they were, which never happens for a random staffer.

Uh. He could be a real humanitarian and build schools and hospitals. Libraries. Homeless Shelters. And so on.

R328, well maybe he could have gone to agricultural college and become an estate manager or something. He had opportunities and choices. I do blame Diana and later Charles for failing to see that a second son in the 21st century would not be expected to live the life of the idle rich. And balls to this "philanthropist" guise. Philanthropists do good on their own money, not the taxpayers. Joseph Rowntree he is not.

The Australia tour was such a disaster Andrew had to fly out, just weeks later, and apologise on behalf of HM.

For those wondering what Windsor high street sounds like, here's a link to a tourist video from the area. It does not have the sound of low flying jumbo jets overhead.

If you live in a small town or in a rural area, it will sound loud. If you live in a medium to large city it won't sound loud at all.

Don't come for me with "this isn't representative of the total sound at all times of day." I agree. It's just a small sample of "found footage" for those posters who have never been to Windsor. If you have more accurate videos please post them.

For comparison, here's a tourist video from Kensington Garden. She's plane spotting so she has more noise than might be normal. There are aeroplane and street noises, but again, nothing overwhelming. The Kensington bit is 2:35 to 3:26.

[quote] Andrew had to fly out, just weeks later, and apologise on behalf of HM.

Is this true?

R331, you get it. All his life until George was born his role was to be the spare in case something happened to William. Now he does not have that distinction and now he has to realize that he is just another "royal" holding out his hands for whatever someone deems to give them just like all his cousins, his uncles and his aunt. To top that off it seems William is acting more like a future king than a brother and he is trying to decide his place for next 30 to 40 years.

Yes R335. There was no other reason to be there, although two quick very low key engagements were set up. It wasn't publicized until pictures of him with the PM of Aus were put in the press. Beatrice also joined him for a few days.

There's no reason Harry couldn't have been raised like the other extra sons of other families, where the aim is to get them something of their own so the heir can get on with it.

[quote]Australia tour is also where she supposedly threw tea at one of her staff, who quit immediately upon their london return.

Did this really happen? Markle threw tea a staff member? Who does she think she is, Joan Crawford? Yeah, tea cools down pretty quickly, but on the other hand, tea is often hot. Did Markle really throw tea at someone? I never heard of this incident. Was it in the news?

Harry could still carve a path if he wants to do so. Supposedly, he started the Invictus Games, sort of the Olympic Games for wounded or handicapped veterans. Well, the Invictus Games is an annual event, which probably does take considerable planning. But more than being a superficial figurehead, Harry could involve himself more in the planning of the Games and sponsorship with major companies.

But here's my idea in addition to Invictus if he's not already doing the following: He could become a major player regarding veterans' issues, e.g., after-service employment, job opportunities, drug abuse, homelessness, mental health issues...yes, all the issues that often overwhelm veterans once they leave military service. Harry could be the champion of veterans, which could be his "brand." As a result, he would be a true hero that would garner quite a lot of public support and admiration. If he needs a "purpose in life," he could work for the veterans and not simply go off to Africa to have pictures taken of himself playing soccer with a bunch of kids or holding little black babies and then subsequently not doing anything for the little black babies. once the photo opp is over. Work for the veterans in a meaningful way.

There were complaints that Harry and Meghan didn't put in much of an appearance at the Invictus Games while in Australia. Does anyone know if Harry is involved in the behind the scenes preparations for the games, or is his role mainly to bring attention to the games?

At last the BRF seems to be finally standing up to H and MM, sounds like they wanted a cosy weekend at Lake Como but were told "not allowed". MM would be seething at missing out on this photo opportunity.

R340, R341 here. I didn't see your post before I posted. Much is made of Harry's involvement with Invictus, but I haven't read anything to indicate that his involvement runs any deeper than the standard royal fare of shining a spotlight on the event and showing up for it.

For those who have never been to Windsor or landed at Heathrow, here is time-lapse of planes approaching over Windsor. I don't think you can appreciate how loud it is, how busy Heathrow actually is or how low the planes fly over unless you have been there or on a plane there. It is one of the busiest airports in the world, you cue up in planes to take off and cue up to land every time. I guess you would maybe get used to the noise if you lived there but it would really impact on your enjoyment of the place.

Part 80?

Why don't you people start your own royals gossip website? You post hundreds and hundreds of times a day.

Is it just a handful or royal obsessives who are doing this or are there dozens of you?

From the hilarious gossip at R342

[quote] They will arrange a meetup when the timing is a bit better. They are not going to allow the family to dictate their friendship with public figures.

Question: What if the public figures don't want to meet them? Could very well have happened this time. Didn't Sparkle crash the backstage private visit of Michelle Obama when she was in London? Michelle probably got her number right away.

Sad caption but what a charming photo of Charles and Diana. They look like a real king and queen. Diana’s outfit is particularly fetching.

This is a BRF gossip site, R345. No need to start another. You sound irritated so maybe it's time for you to take a step back.

As for Meghan's ring makeover, it's her ring and if Harry doesn't mind then who are we to say she should have stayed with the one he designed for her? Her choice of a micro-pave band isn't surprising given her penchant for chasing current trends. I don't think the stacking of her engagement ring, wedding band and new eternity band is a flattering look, but she's the one who wears it every day.

This is a great patronage for HM to give Kate. It's difficult to figure out so much of what goes on behind the scenes in the BRF, but the Queen obviously gave this to Kate to honor her interest in and eye for photography.

R342, As I stated earlier ex-President Obama is currently there with his entire family to help publicize the Clooney's charity. Considering MM snubbed Trump's visit the BRF would surely see it as a political move. Word on the street is that Harry & MM want to be a force for Liberal politics in the US and to motivate younger generations to vote.

The reason I posted about the noise in the area is because some posters acted like the Sussex were banished to a shithole under a runway. It's the entire area, including Frogmore House and Windsor Castle. In fact, during the wedding they had a 15 minute delay of flights- I'm not sure which part.

It is a lovely area though, which is why the Queen prefers it to BP.

R346, Seriously? MM crashed an event with the former First Lady? How was she allowed to do so? Had MM met former Pres Obama before meeting Harry? What was the situation?

Kate needs to stop braying like a donkey at public events. Perhaps the palace can hire a behavioural modification therapist. As she ages, it becomes more unsettling and unseemly.

They spent 600k soundproofing FC, so they won't be bothered by noise in the actual house itself.

Well, to be fair, if I could get an in to meet President Obama, I’d do anything!

Arthur Edwards, an old school British royal reporter, on the downslide of Harry and Meghan. Housing, foundation splits, ring makeovers, floating floors aside, the biggest risk these two knuckleheads are running is that eventually without establishing a relationship with the British press, they’ll quickly become (more) irrelevant.

For most of his life, William was “tied” with Harry and there was worldwide interest into Diana’s boys. I don’t think it’s dawned on Harry yet that it wasn’t ever 50/50 interest. More like 75% William (future king) and 25% Harry (backup). Harry hasn’t ever been the main draw, and now that he’s no longer connected to William, interest will fade fast. Even worse, he’s primary connection is to Meghan, not William, and she certainly isn’t a draw.

William and Kate are the headline act. They can afford to piss off the press. Harry and Meghan can’t.

I don’t think Harry understands this yet and Meghan is having so much fun enjoying her “no photographs...oh, the agony of the press intrusion (sqee!!!)” moments that she is oblivious.

Whatever Meghan Markle wants she gets…but she and Prince Harry must remember they need our support to s https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9373800/whatever-meghan-markle-prince-harry-wants/

[quote] he could work for the veterans and not simply go off to Africa to have pictures taken of himself playing soccer with a bunch of kids or holding little black babies and then subsequently not doing anything for the little black babies. once the photo opp is over. Work for the veterans in a meaningful way.

R340 It's important for charity work to be meaningful and sustained I agree with you there. I like the idea of the Invictus Games and I think Harry could do more work with veterans.

However, Harry's involvement in African charities has been more than photo ops. Sentebale is 13 years old and the idea for it is 15 years old. He is partnered with local people in the work that the charity does in the 3 countries in which it operates. There was a time when the AIDS crisis was in the news and it was trendy. With antiretroviral drugs and PrEP, people in North America and Europe don't fear HIV in the same way anymore. In some parts of the world the effects of HIV are still a problem. There are 14 million AIDS orphans in sub-saharan Africa. Sentebale is working with a community who could easily be forgotten. He has maintained contact with children who he met in his gap year. They aren't cute babies anymore, but they still need help. And because the crisis continues in Africa, sadly there are still new babies and children in the photos from his trips. Sentebale spends 72 cents of every dollar on program delivery and it continues to increase revenue. That's good within the charity sector.

I can understand criticism of the polo as a main fundraiser and all that. I just think it's important to balance the criticism.

[quote]Word on the street is that Harry & MM want to be a force for Liberal politics in the US and to motivate younger generations to vote.

R350. This is a noble cause; however, the Harkles are entirely the wrong spokespeople. First of all, they represent Britain, not the U.S. even if she's an American. They represent a monarchy, not a republic. Also, the BRF would never allow it because it would be looked upon as too political. If this is truly "the word on the street." then Harry should know better as a non-American and senior member of the BRF. And Markle should know better too. She's not that new to the family to know that this endeavor is a total non-starter for a member of the BRF.

Voting? The BRF does not vote. They remain neutral.

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I heard that H and M were already discussing the terms of their impending separation during the carriage ride from the chapel after their wedding.

There is no impending separation. You'll most likely get another pregnancy announcement and then the Welp Troll, Narc Troll, Catherine Troll, Skippy and Danja can go on pillow watch again.

A separation would be fabulous for the gossip mill, but keep in mind, Harry gave Markle an eternity ring before she emerged from the pregnancy seclusion. That wasn't that long ago. An eternity ring means he kind of likes her, doesn't it?

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Arthur Edwards ' article at R356 is bloody fantastic. I've linked it properly for you, as it really is worth the read .

[quote] From November 24, 2018, when suddenly all plans changed: "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's 21-room apartment at Kensington Palace which was renovated for 1.4 million pounds will 'stand empty from next year' after it was revealed they will be moving to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor." "Harry and Meghan currently live in Nottingham Cottage in the grounds of Kensington Palace, and it was previously thought that they would take the spacious main apartment inside the Palace in preparation for the arrival of the baby, due in the Spring."

Pay attention to the sentence, "IT WAS PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT"

That means it was a rumor. Kensington Palace 21 room apt, the Adelaide Cottage, The other place near Sandringham = ALL RUMORS

Why do you people believe everything you read in the British tabloids. They're one step up from the News of the Week, where they report someone had an alien baby

R344, that may be, but it's a fact that Windsor is the richest or one of the richest places in England. It has the most billionaires and millionaires living there. And they can chose to live anywhere in the entire world. And they chose Windsor

I still don't believe they were offered anything but Frogmore. People forget why MM arrived at the party with nothing in her hands. All her money was spent on PR, apparently up to 4 large companies, and of course that PR was manipulating the media.

What we were reading at the time was what MM wanted. And probably PH, too.

Don't forget, this was the woman who told him that they were "going to change the world together".

It's a sorry sight walking through Windsor town. I'm from the North West, we have a sea of homeless on the streets. You don't expect it to be so bad in Windsor, but it is.

R365 No, that doesn’t mean it was a rumour. If they were originally planning on moving into that apartment, then everyone would be justified in THINKING that’s what they were going to do.

But tell me...do you have actual, first-hand experience of these people? Do you know them or anyone who works closely with them? No. You’re not even on the same continent, are you?! So all of YOUR information comes from the media too...you just choose to slavishly believe the good stuff while sneeringly pretending that you are somehow intellectually superior to everyone else.

Unless you can spot your own bias, then you have no business trying to point it out in others.

[quote] But here's my idea in addition to Invictus if he's not already doing the following: He could become a major player regarding veterans' issues, e.g., after-service employment, job opportunities, drug abuse, homelessness, mental health issues.

That's not your idea. That's your imagination. He can not get heavily involved in this. The military is political. The Royal Family doesn't do political. They don't get involved in government funding or how it should be spent. They attend openings and have meet and greets. That's the extent of what they do. Anymore would cause trouble

None of you people have any fucking idea of what you are talking about and are imagining all kinds of nonsense and coming up with all this bullshit. Do you have any idea how fucking stupid you sound?, "But here's MY idea"

You silly moron. You're idea is so stupid you should write it down on a piece of paper and then wipe your ass with it

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R371. Why exactly would a Princess be on a Russian billionaire's mega-yacht? Are you trying to imply that Bea could be a "yacht girl?"

Bea is at Karlie Kloss and Josh Hushner's second "themed" wedding.

These statements that they chose Frogmore over a 21 room apartment at KP are nonsense, just as it's nonsense that they prefer to raise their child normally and therefore do not want royal titles. It is only to save face

Hey, fuck off R365.

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No floodgates have been opened...calm down, Welpy. The tabloids have been running shock horror stories about how much the royals spend on houses, vacations and clothes for the last 50 years. Charles and Hoemilla just spent 417k on a trip to Cuba and the Caribbean.

Meghan and H spent 600k getting Frogwhore sound proofed so they can't hear those planes, y'all.

R373, Karlie Kloss and Josh Kushner aren't known for being ultra morally Conservative.

Lmao, I'm not Welpy, R378.

Yes, triple glazing. I'm surprised anyone can breathe in those hermetically-sealed rooms.

The Harkles are starting to resemble that bizarre commemorative plate from Brazil., now.

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Western Daily Press, Bristol, August 20, 1925

"Several writers on social affairs are confusing Frogmore Cottage with Frogmore House."

Some things never change, hey?

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Lady Kitty Spencer and Harry's ex-gf Cressida Bonas showed up at the same event last night. Oh it's a small world.

Princess Anne in France. I think she's letting her hair go natural.

Photos of Prince Edward attending an event for the Duke of Edinburgh Awards.

Haha, the Kaiser Bitch trying to create a diversion.

Yes, asshole, the Cambs were dragged for KP renovations, just like the SUssex. So move on, nothing unfair or racist here.

Does Princess Charlotte have a doppelganger?

R391 Lol, yes she looks like Charlotte but how is it even news?

Yes, r390, and she also has an article about how the Tindalls are closer to the Queen than the Cambridges. That woman's hatred of the Cambridges is pathological.

R387 The Serpentine Summer Party is the biggest event of the season.

Cressida's dress is a bit twee.

Chelsy Davy usually attends the Serpentine Summer Party, and although there were reports of her being seen landing in the UK, I've not seen any pictures of her.

The article at R394 is the best for having a nose at the outfits, as it has a huge slideshow of pictures.

I would be so ashamed to be like Kaiser.

Yes I talk shit about Royals on datalounge, but at least I do this for free.

Prince William says he will support George, Charlotte or Louis if they are gay.

Metro story above will be updated shortly.

I thought Markle was the saviour of the gays, lol.

That monthly Royal Sussex Insta post is doing absolutely nothing. What a waste of time and resources.

It's nice of William, I think someone like him could have influence on conservative people whereas Meghan's stans are already pro-LGBT anyway.

R393 - I agree, Kaiser's resentment of the Cambridges and her worship of Harry and Meghan are somewhat pathological. She ignores any evidence or discussion that might suggest Meghan isn't perfect and that Kate is actually doing a pretty good job and has lately shown marked favour toward Kate. A new patronage directly from the Queen, the family orders, the DGCRVO - meanwhile, the Queen doesn't think Meghan's kid is worth a title and isn't even showing up at Harry's first kid's christening. But hey - she's cosier with the Tindalls! That must mean something bad about the Cambridges!

At least 3 different YouTube channels have posted clips and of the new British series spoofing MM et al. Realize many might want to watch it who don't get the original channel.

Please let me know if I should link them here as I've been repeatedly dissed in the past from certain posters overly determined to block any info that might possibly disparage MM. Obviously not everything the 3 different YouTube hosts say is valid, and they claim their channels are solely for entertainment purposes. So view with discretion.

R401 That article is so dumb because if the Tindalls are the Queen's fav, she also prefer them over the Sussex.

So dumb....

R387 - Both Cressida and Kitty look lovely, for once in non-bizarre clothing. Cressida looks more royal than Meghan ever has or ever will. Harry should have treated her better and married her after he and Chelsy split. Kitty Spencer is what I think Amerians call incredibly "zaftig" - I applaud her for working it rather than dieting it away as much as she can. The Spencers run big. Diana was quite rangy but not voluptuous as Kitty is. Kitty takes after her large father, you can't see anything of her frail stick of a Mum in her.

I hope Harry sees the photo of Cressida and realises what a fool he made of himself over that trashy climber from L.A.

More close up pictures of MM's previous wedding ring & eternity bands and her updated engagement ring and new eternity band. Guess she never liked Harry's ring after all. If she can ghost the ring like that...

R402 We still know it's you and your "light entertainment" Danja Zone videos.

R405, There's also Joseph Mangi, former corporate accountant, doing an analysis with clips of the TV show and others as well. Several news shows and US TV talk shows are also offering segments on it.

Has it specifically been cited in the press that Harry bought Meghan the eternity ring and updated her engagement ring band, or is it just assumed? Considering how shoddy the work looks maybe she bought them herself? Kate got an eternity ring so you know Meghan was eventually going to show up with one since everything is a competition. You would think a "global humanitarian" would have more on her mind than bling.

The Queen seemed blissfully unaware that a sinister pirate loomed behind her.

[quote] Joseph Mangi, former corporate accountant, doing an analysis

Is "analysis" how we're describing tarot card readings now?

The tarot reader is a "former corporate accountant" and Danja Zone is "a former neonatal nurse." Sure, Jan.

The Queen Mother in some GLORIOUS hats!

I liked it when William, Kate, and Harry made appearances together pre-Meagan. They looked like they really enjoyed each other's company. It wasn't just some residual "Diana's boys" feeling. It was a pointed contrast to the Queen's own children, who never seemed to be photographed together except on the really big occasions. Can you imagine Anne and Edward appearing together to promote [whatever]??

That's why this split is unfortunate. "William will be king and Harry needs to learn his place" bullshit. They are brothers first. They were close once. Who else can they truly rely on, aside from their wives?

William has obviously already caught George dialling with a pencil. He knows.

^Meghan I mean.

It would be nice if Georges was the first officially gay King, not that I mean he's gay.

Just an hypothesis.

As much as I enjoy snarking on William, and not to hand out cookies for basic tolerance—good on him for saying he’d accept his kids as they are. That’s a big statement for a future King of England to make, even in 2019 (sadly).

R402 yes, please continue NOT linking to your trashy, insane conspiracy videos. People here have half a brain.

R394 Fashion fun! My "best outfit" awards go to Ella Hart, Emily Beecham, Arizona Muse and Oswald Boateng, whoever they all are.

Funny seeing most of them affecting that ridiculous dead-eyed, po-faced Zoolander stare. Will that EVER go out of style?

That's one thing I like about Cressida, she always smiles prettily. Very pretty girl.

I meant to add Lady Kitty to my "best dressed" list. Lovely gown. She's very pretty, I'd say the one thing that keeps her from being drop-dead gorgeous is her tiny nose. It's out of proportion to the rest of her. That long aristocratic English nose elevated Diana's look.

Love the hats R4111. The shower cap with a VEIL is the living end.

R417

And the worst outfit goes to Martha Ward with her hideous bad bridesmaid dress

R417 I like the drama of Isabel Getty's dress. I think Lena Dunham should have stayed home.

Camilla seems to have a lot of fans here but no one went into meltdown mode over the goofy Sun covers that portrayed her as a scheming alcoholic perpetually on the verge of divorce and perpetually at death's door. Everyone just enjoyed a good laugh at the absurdity.

A lot of people here like Kate but no one here goes on rants when The Windsors portrays her family as gypsies, no one goes apoplectic over her being called "Waity Katie", being called lazy or when her mother is accused of being a scheming social climber. They don't have meltdowns over the cheating rumors either.

A lot of people here like Fergie but they all have no problem pointing out where her outfits are terrible or that she's screwed up a bunch of times over the years.

Maybe Meghan fans are new to royal watching and that's why they don't know that there are all kinds of wacky theories about the whole family out there. Rumors about Philip/the Queen/Charles murdering Diana, that Philip isn't Andrew's father, that Harry isn't Charles' son, that Philip fathered his mistresses children, that Harry cheated in school...all kinds of shit over the years (lunatics claiming that the royals are reptilian is not new) and royal fans/watchers just roll with it, understanding that it comes with the territory. Maybe Meg fans missed all of the hate directed at Charles, Camilla, Andy and Fergie, and how critical people have been of Eugenie and Bea for being lazy and horrible dressers. They all take shit over their spending.

So why should Meghan be different? She wanted to be a royal and this is what being a royal is. They all take a lot of shit. She's getting a lot of attention because she's the new girl on the block, because her behavior warrants it and she gives her critics a lot to work with. If you were outraged by the depiction of Meghan pulling a knife on Kate, go back and find old clips from Spitting Image and tell me that Meghan is being treated any worse than any other royal. Then chill the fuck out because as long as Meghan is a royal she's going to be treated the way all of the other royals are.

'The Serpentine Summer Party is the biggest event of the season.'

Really? Why the hell was 1d nobody Liam Payne there, then?

R410, So you're saying that they all use tarot to get clips of the British TV program to show to American et al viewers who cannot otherwise see the episodes? Who cares about their current or past professions anyway.

R410, Please tell me why you have such a vested interest in dissing some of my pots. Don't you have anything better to do with your extremely valuable time? Why don't you just block me? I've already gotten several likes on my request for feedback re posting the links.

Princess Elisabeth of Belgium is with her mother Queen Mathilde on a UNICEF mission in Kenya.

Bravo R422

^ Sorry wrong thread.

Hats off to Prince William!

Agreed r422. And not only do most fans roll with it, the BRF mostly roll with it, too. For instance, when The Windsors came out it was reported that Williams loved the show particularly their portrayal of Kate as a gypsy. He probably had a good time asking her if she was going scrapping for the day.

The brothers split makes the cover of Point De Vue.

R422 - yes, all the new members (notably the females as far as the House of Windsor is concerned) are put through the ringer by the British press. They love building people up so they can knock them off their pedestals. It's like a rite of passage. Sad but true.

I love the originality of Jackie St. Clair and Donna Air's dresses. Also Ms. Weymouth looks lovey & elegant, very Royal. However I wounder if her husband is 100% straight?

There has been speculation that Wallis was a hermaphrodite ffs. Even the Queen Mum gets called an alcoholic gambler and everyone jokes about it. No one is off limits, so why do Meghan fans think she deserves some special treatment? They take it all so seriously like it's a personal insult to them and that poor Meghan is being treated so much worse than anyone else.

R429, to be fair, it would be easy for William to love the show as he and Kate got off the easiest (though there were some good jabs at their lux lifestyle and laziness). I wonder what Harry thought of it.

Harry is dumb but likeable in the show, same for the Yorkies.

The worst is poor Edward.

R424 Your post was deceptive. There are people who like tarot and are happy to seek out those videos and people who think that is all bogus. You labeled the "analysis" as coming from a former accountant. His tarot reading has nothing to do with accounting. You label Danja Zone as a nurse when her posts have nothing to do with nursing.

Deceptive information thrives when it goes unchallenged. We are all free to post news, gossip, speculation and pointless bitchery, but don't expect that nobody will call you on your shit.

Other posters here have challenged my posts so this isn't unique to you.

True, r434, true. I bet Philip would love it best (if he even watches such things). His letters are hilarious.

How is Edward shown?

According to this article, Meghan is more involved in PR than anyone else in the BRF.

[quote] There is no detail of her carefully crafted public image that is too small, including deciding whether the pictures she posts on her Instagram are in colour or black and white. That’s how involved she is.

Is she aware of what her carefully crafted public image looks like to others?

Very true, R422. I remember a celeb being interviewed on the Graham Norton Show (I wish I could remember who it was!) and saying that he met Diana at a charity event, and she wanted to get home in time to watch Spitting Image. He was surprised, because Spitting Image were merciless in their portrayal of Diana as an immature bimbo, but she said she never missed an episode. If you're being funded by the taxpayer, you just have to take their mockery in stride.

You have to be pretty confident in who you are to enjoy satire and mocking, and we all know Markle lacks that foundation.

R438, Edward's portrayed as a failure who's perpetually turning up doing odd jobs to earn a few quid, and there are lots of jokes about his artistic pretentions. Overall her comes off as likable, though.

I think Charles would be the most likely to be upset.

Thanks R442.

I actually was never a huge Diana fan but hearing that she could laugh at herself makes me appreciate her a bit more. Thanks R440.

Even when Bea was mercilessly mocked for that ridiculous hat she wore to Will & Kate's wedding, she managed to turn it into something positive and auctioned it off for charity and said she had a laugh about it. I like Bea well enough but I have no problem pointing out when her outfits look horrible (and they do more often than not...) and if the spotlight really turns on Edo I don't expect him to get a pass for his slimy behavior either.

Message from Edo to all at DL.

Good for William for his comments at the LGBTQ homelessness charity. The message will seem obvious to all of us here, but it's a good one to be sending.

Fergie's uncle died from an allergic reaction to a crab sandwich. She recently became a patron of the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation.

Considering that the majority of the BRF staff is gay, William obviously grew up around gay men- good for him.

I love Princess Anne's character on the Windsors. Very Nanny McPhee.

It’s not just Meghan R441 but her fans as well. They continually lose their shit over this stuff.

MM is too dumb to realize she can get away with being a big bitch as long as she has a sense of humor.

It’s the humorlessness that’s really fatal.

The stupid ones are always so humorless.

It's interesting to read the comments in the Celebitchy article posted at R390. Most of the posters object to all excessive royal renovation spending. But when specifically discussing Harry and Meghan's Frogmore costs, they defend them as being in line with the KP renovation costs, as though the two couples are on equal footing. It seems unreasonable to take the position that William, the future POW and second in line to the throne, isn't entitled to grander living quarters than 6th in line Harry.

If I were Meghan ( and who knows how many of these stories are true), I would graciously accept anything offered by the BRF- choice of tiara, other gifts of jewelry, home and keep my mouth shut. Better to go for the long grift if that's her aim. She's doing it all wrong.

Same with the clothes- mix in lots of inexpensive pieces like Michelle Obama did as First Lady. Act humble and grateful, even if you are not. THAT is acting.

If she is indeed a narcissist, Meghan is incapable of laughing at her own faults. Criticism, even in the form of satire, would make her angry.

BRA-fucking-VO R422 - well said.

Yes, R451 - you're right. I find humourlessness a common trait of the not so bright. Humourlessness about oneself in particular is such a tedious trait.

Lol at Kaiser and the Celebitchies (new band name) asking if people were this mad about Kate an William's reno. YES BITCH! YOU! I used to read your crappy, utterly devoid of humour (see above) blog back then, and your jimmies were well and truly rustled for mooooonths over that shit. To add to that, I distinctly remember the DM and the other tabs making gleeful hay of the costs, detailing the tennis court etc. etc.

And lastly to R402 - I confess I never click on the Danjazone links or tarot card links etc. (they just don't interest me) but there's someone here who is regularly exceptionally rude to you, calling you a cunt, making fun of your vision problems etc. and I just want to say that this is a damned internet gossip board and girl, you can post whatever you like. I have yet to see you lash out and I hope you can find some humour in the dimwit lecturing us on being cruel to poor, poor Meghan whilst literally making fun of your vision disability out of the other side of their mouth. And to that terribly brought up poster: why not block this person, who seems to irk you so?

'I've already gotten several likes on my request for feedback re posting the links'

Every single time you say this, you sound utterly ridiculous, like a 13 year old who's just opened her first Instagram account.

The queen mum was my favourite on Spitting Image, the Brummie accent was genius.

She's only stating facts , though R456

'MM is too dumb to realize she can get away with being a big bitch as long as she has a sense of humor.'

And how the hell do you know that she's 'humorless'?

She never showed humour at all in her blog. Not once. Whether that is being far too image conscious or humourless, well, I believe she's both.

Yes, R452 and Will won't be moving to Clarence House when he becomes POW. So he will be using that space at KP for his official role until he becomes king. And whether Meg fans like it or not, Will's role IS more important than Harry's. Will needs more space for his staff, receptions, meetings etc. that simply do not apply to Harry because he's really not that important.

Meghan is a SJW. SJWs are not exactly known for their sense of humor.

R402, you should link what you want and ignore the bully. People who don't want to look at something are free to skip it.

R452 - The Celebitchies do not accept that being the next but one Sovereign and Queen Consort of Great Britain and Northern Ireland really outranks being the sixth in line with an empty suit title and commoner children (anyone below HRH status is technically considered a commoner, even if they have aristocratic titles - Diana was technically a commoner), and that sixth in line and his wife should never have expected to be on an equal footing in anything. One of the most deluded sugars on the site suggests that Harry and Meghan are soon to be "one-third" of the royal family's senior working royals and will be important for (I kid you not) "the next 30 years".

They are out of touch with and/or reject the view of many that Meghan and Harry haven't had a stellar first year, that the two seem increasingly anxious to leave Britain behind and cut off from the BRF, that the Queen refusing their kid a title and not deigning to attend Harry's first child's christening after attending the christening of the Tindall's daughter, is a silent announcement of how little she likes them (which is to say, very likely, Meghan), and that the Great Unwashed might have been a little less angry if Meghan had taken a leaf out of Kate's book and worn mostly British made clothes at slightly lower prices, and if she and Harry hadn't made the ghastly mistake of antagonising first the British press before they were even engaged, and then antagonising the Cambridges and the Yorks within months of getting the ring on her finger. The abuse toward staff on their first tour together wasn't appreciated much, either - the royals know that that kind of behaviour makes all of them look bad.

The Kaiser Krowd utterly reject all this, make excuses for Meghan no matter what she does (throwing tea at a staffer is just the sign of a "strong WOC and the public and the press and the BRF hate her for being one"), and the BRF's refusing to defend Meghan from the charges and instead issuing a press release praising the work of said staffer, doesn't seem to have clued them in that the story was true and their darling is an imperious, bad-tempered bitch.

Pissed up Princess Marg. and Randy Andy with his penis obsession.

The British humour involving self deprecation and irony is lost on most people in the US, not sure how a raging narcissist could cope with it.

R466, Narc Troll.

Last one, the Randy Andy song.

Who should I believe, the trolls or MH and Marie Claire magazine?

One wonders how that Spitting Image song about Andy might sound if they had to add a line about him not saying no to dictators and convicted sex offenders. It might not be as catchy.

R464-According to the majority of Celebitchies, every time something negative comes out about Harry or Meghan, it's because William has "thrown them under the bus." That's a weirdly favorite phrase they use. William has fleets and fleets of busses he's thrown Harry and Meghan under.

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Why do you keep talking about them, and no, don't "post whatever you want." I never understand how clueless people can plop themselves down on a thread, and the best they can show is other gossip sites! Get better material, or at least give it a try.

Talking about who?

Oh I guess CB.

R476 I don't understand the posters who keep raging about Lainey or Kaiser or even Meghan's followers/stans/fans. Those people aren't part of the BRF so they don't make the cut for me. I make an exception for that Scobie guy because he seems to function as an unofficial spokesman at the moment.

To each his/her own.

Most Meg fans are celebrity watchers, not royal watchers so the hierarchy and history is lost on them. Many of them are also really young. They don't have a clue and have no interest in understanding how monarchy works. The SJW faction of her fandom is really put off by the fact that Will and Harry are not equals.

In addition, before Meghan things had been pretty boring overall with the RF for over a decade (Will and Kate ARE boring, which is a good thing for the RF) and the British rags haven't had this much material to work with since the 90s so of course they are going to milk every bit of it for all it's worth. None of this is new, Meg fans just don't understand that.

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Initial reports of the autumn tour touted it as something of a scouting expedition for future, longer secondments.

Thanks for pointing that out R480. Marklefans are idiots. Beyond not being particularly interested in the BRF, they have next to no knowledge about it as evidenced by the low level stupidity of their comments and their reliance upon other inferior websites paid to publicize their hero and riddled with factual errors, omissions and lies.

Geez, what a thought -- learn something for a change instead of gnawing on the same smelly rag.

R422 I'm going to say it and probably get flamed but because she's half-black people construe the criticism against her as being racist. It becomes an automatic defense in this day and age. Yes, there are some idiots out there who don't like the idea that Harry married someone who isn't white and they should go and do the world a favour and off themselves. The reality is that most of the criticism wielded against her comes from the fact that she appears to be a high maintenance, pretentious bitch, whom the whole family seem to hate.

People who said that Harry was only popular because of his connection to William and Kate are wrong. Harry was individually popular with his personal popularity often higher than any royal except the Queen. Now he's losing everything because of his wife. Meghan supporters can argue that's not true but lets remember nothing changed with Harry until after Meghan entered the picture. His relationship with his family has soured to the point that he is no longer seen publicly with William or Kate and he seems to even be distant from his father now.

Increasingly it's becoming apparent that his marriage to Meghan is a mistake. To me this whiffs of Diana/Charles 2.0 and I only hope the shit really doesn't hit the fan until after the Queen is gone as she doesn't deserve to have her final years overshadowed by this kind of drama. It's no secret Harry was desperate to marry as he openly stated he felt increasingly left behind. I think he was head over heels in love with Meghan, or at least he thought he was, and she was perhaps more in love with the opportunity he represented. If the growing gossip is true, most of his family warned him against rushing into marriage with her and he didn't want to hear it. The only two people who could really have stopped him - the Queen - is notoriously anti-confrontational about family matters but I feel is she had said, no Harry wait a few more years it might have solved everything.

R472 - God, Countess Weymouth looks gorgeous in that dress.

The Queen is boycotting the Sussex christening??

R481 one of the prettiest pics I’ve seen of Meghan. She looks great in blue, with her hair pulled back neatly.

R485 you can practically see her hoo-hoo tho

If the royal family can accept a colored girl, they can accept a gay child. Come on, George. I'm rooting for you.

I believe I previously read that the queen has a previous engagement already scheduled on the day of Archie's christening...no matter which day it is. Change the date if you want. She's busy.

And Markle should know that there is no way in hell that the queen would attend a christening on the 4th of July. Goddamn inappropriate date for the Harkles to select.

[quote]Increasingly it's becoming apparent that his marriage to Meghan is a mistake.

Sadly he's so dim it'll take years for him to figure it out.

"Your Royal Highness, I'm really bummed by how much William and Kate have changed."

"Harry, I'm on the phone with Markus. You need to wait quietly. In the other room."

I wonder how meghan feels that Kate will have the princess of Wales title and soon.

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I'll say it again...I'm no fan of Markle, but Harry did just recently give her an infinity ring during her pregnancy or just after the kid dropped. That wasn't all that long ago. While we may think the marriage is a mistake, he may love her and we've got it all wrong. Just because Harry and Wills fell out with each other, doesn't mean Harry doesn't like his social-climbing, disruptive and calculating wife.

I agree, R494. He fell in love with her and took on the role of her protector and defender. They just had a baby together and I think they'll have another.

The news of various historic residences given to The Harkles by The Queen was reported in magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar, Town and Country, Marie Claire, Good Housekeeping. How did that happen?

Harper’s Bazaar isn’t a tabloid daily. Neither is Town and Country. They’re all lifestyle publications with a female demographic target (some more upscale than others). They regurgitate whatever celebrity gossip they’re fed - they don’t make it up.

And, actually, if you don’t care to google, here’s the order of the bequests, in chronological order: Apt 1 (June 2018), then York Cottage (also June), then Adelaide Cottage (July), and finally Frogmore Cottage (November 2018).

I can only imagine what went on behind closed doors...

Greed will be their downfall.

Harry’s going to do what every henpecked and pussy-whipped loser does. He’s going to double down and take it until she finds someone who’s more useful.

Now, she DOES have the inconvenience of marrying into a family headed by a well-loved matriarch who won’t be pushed around. But that matriarch won’t live forever.

And Meghan’s prospects are dwindling with each birthday.

But I have faith in our intrepid and tungsten heroine. If she wants something more (and she always does!), she’ll get it.

Someone I know who worked as a bottom rung member of the support crew in OZ who liased with the British staff members said that Megan and Harry at least have a massive sexual attraction to each other. He said it was cute. That's all I have. Nothing more interesting sorry

R496. Markle kept saying no until the queen issued word to the gray men at Buck Palace to tell the ugly American it's FrogCott or a one-bedroom flat next to the Picadilly tube stop.

Markle didn't want KP 1A since it's next door to the evil Wills and Kate. Markle probably didn't want York Cottage because its in Norfolk, England which is where Will and Kate's country house, Anmer Hall, is located. Adelaide Cottage is in Windsor but near the Royal Lodge where the Duke and Duchess of York live, and Andrew's got Markle's number and he ain't playing. Word from the queen: It's Frog Cott or get the hell out.

Yeah sure r499. Look I know someone who knows someone that works in the Buckingham palace and they told me Charles couldn't take his hands off diana. Nothing more interesting since that is all I have got.

If Charles lives to become king, that puts Camilla as his Queen Consort. And Camilla got Sparkle's number right away.

Look at the carriage ride video from Trooping - Camilla was ignoring Harry's wife.

So, thinking that Sparkle might have a better deal with Charles as King - doubtful to me. Camilla and other family members will be urging him to stand firm against the dim duo. Princess Anne for one.

Princess Anne? Why whatever could you mean?

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[quote]And, actually, if you don’t care to google, here’s the order of the bequests, in chronological order: Apt 1 (June 2018), then York Cottage (also June), then Adelaide Cottage (July), and finally Frogmore Cottage (November 2018).

R496. All of those houses are nicer and grander than FrogCott, but it seems Markle wants a comfortable distance away from the Windsor family just like she wants away from her own family..

R499, I don’t doubt that. However, sexual chemistry does not make a successful marriage.

It’s fun, though, and can keep you hooked on a shitty person for too long.

R503. Damn, that move by Princess Anne was smooth, brilliant and cold as fuck. Markle didn't know what hit her.

"Archie" (almost-anagram of "Rachel") is destined to be regarded as a lightweight, even a clown. There's a reason one became "Cary."

It really does seem like it fell apart around the wedding stunt and australia tour. Especially when you consider people having to actually go and apologize for her disaster.

R507, looking at Sparkle's face in that video of "The Anne Maneuver" at R503 , her expression doesn't change one bit. Not surprised at the move at all. Not shocked. No reaction at all.

R499, It wouldn't be the first time that childbirth/ a child changed a marital relationship.

R505, that post was in response to those who say that the tabloids were printing rumors. I’m saying that the same stories were being broadcast at the same time by non-tabloid publications.

I’m tickled to think that every time Meghan rejected a gift from the Queen, she thought she’d be offered something grander. Instead, the offers became less prestigious and they dared not reject another. Hahaha. Keep going, young lady, and you’ll wind up in a chicken coop in Cumbria.

R507, that’s a fun one to watch. It’s as if Anne were on rollerblades.

R510 your face reading skills are bad.

R510, Meghan’s expression was a condensed version of Lea Michelle snubbed by Jessica Lange.

I thought the naming of the residences was sort of Meg’s wishful thinking!

Perhaps when future King William asked his brother if perhaps he, Harry, was rushing into marriage, thus incurring the Wrath of Haz, he was speaking as HM's de facto messenger. After all, her unwavering displeased countenance at Harry's wedding is a recorded fact.

R510. I think the reason Markle didn't have much of a reaction on the balcony is because she didn't realize "the Anne manuever" was intentional. The inexperienced Markle just thought Anne was sort of quickly directing traffic and trying to get everyone in their place. Markle didn't realize that Anne was swiftly icing her out.

Grew up in a broken home and didn’t even have the luxurious education that Markle did. Why can’t she just get along?

Back when the queen had her birthday concert at Royal Albert Hall in April 2018 there were some who were claiming that there was footage of Anne changing the seating arrangements to put Harry and Meg out in Siberia. I doubted it at the time but maybe it's true. That was the first time that I can think of where Harry wasn't front and center with his father and brother. (Kate was absent as Louis was born 2 days later.)

I believe after this event it was KP or BP official IG that posted the pic where Meg was cropped out.

Markle probably grew up in a house not much different than the "Married With Children" television set where her lighting tech father worked. Fast forward a few years and Markle is turning down the queen when being offered friggin royal mansions: York Cottage, Adelaide Cottage and KP 1A. Bitch got balls. But they won't last if missy pulls too much other shit. And she still ended up with the least house of the bunch.

R520. You may have a point. Peter and Autumn Phillips, Bea and Eug and even Lady Louise had great places for that photo. Anne knew what she was doing. Anne may like Harry, but once again, she iced out Markle.

MM under the watchful gaze of Princess Anne at Albert Hall.

Larger image where Dimwit averts his gaze away from Princess Anne.

Every time the Queen deploys them to a new home, they get a hefty rehab budget. I am pretty sure this is all about having their properties renovated on the British taxpayers, and not about banishment.

I don't believe that Sparkle and Harry refused Apt 1A at KP.

I think William (and possibly others) didn't want them living next door. Supposedly with connecting doors between William's apartment and apt 1A.

Sparkle is obviously someone who loves attention and more and more attention. Pretty obvious, even from her first appearance at KP with the "Kate wouldn't give me a ride" story (foiling Sparkle's plan of being photographed with Kate) and the ridiculous photos of Sparkle with the Whole Foods bag wearing heavy "outdoor" boots that looked preposterous to anyone who opened their eyes and looked at how Londoners dress. I seem to remember a story at the time that she walked back and forth in front of the newspaper offices that day, supposedly hoping to get photographed.

So totally at odds with how the Royals act. And it didn't take long for all but the most sugary of Sugars to acknowledge that it wasn't that she wasn't being helped to understand expected behavior, it was that she had no intention of following along. Remember those days? When so many thought she was just "new" and getting it "wrong" because she was getting no help?

So, no, I don't think the Apt 1A was something they refused.

It was something they were told they were absolutely not going to get after their behavior and her obvious scorn for the job she signed up for.

I have the teeniest smidgen of sympathy for Meghan, because, for a while, my husband’s family didn’t think I was good enough for them. That stings But you go in there and build trust and goodwill with the WOMEN of the family. You brush off the little slights and prove yourself. Ehh, maybe I feel more sympathy for Kate.

Anyone else going to miss the ever present dangling tendrils at Wimbledon 2019?

r494 We don't know that Harry gave her an infinity ring. All we know is that Meghan is wearing another ring. She could have given it to herself, the stork could have brought it or Harry could have given it to her. But as it stands now we don't know anything.

As for York cottage, adelaide cottage etc. I think they were options but I don't think either they or Apartment 1A were offered to the Harkles. They were offered Frogmore and that's it. All the rumours we heard in the press, I suspect was MM's PR talking about what she wanted. Trying to bounce the BRF into giving it to her. That strategy had worked before she got married. Unfortunately for her, it seemed to stop working the minute they got married.

The Guardian thinks differently. It would have been so much cheaper for the Sussexes to stay at KP, but they insisted on Frogmore and the massive 2.4m renovation. From today:

Some suggest that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex want to deck out their new place with luxuries such as sprung floors and sophisticated eco-heating systems. But one reason why the costs are much greater for today’s royals is security. Frogmore Cottage has had to be fitted out with the latest electronic surveillance equipment as well as premises for their personal protection officers. It would have been simpler and cheaper if the Sussexes had remained in Kensington Palace where dozens of royals (including William and Kate) are protected within a single compound.

'All the rumours we heard in the press, I suspect was MM's PR talking about what she wanted'

Such naivety is quite alarming. The British tabloid press is a law unto itself. They make up stories without paying any attention at all to PR.

Dl is obsessed with PR. You seem to think they are more powerful than journalists working for papers like the Express. Not the case.

R529. You have a point. I really don't see the queen or the gray men at the Palace offering this nobody three royal mansions and her turning them all down until she finally said yes to FrogCott. The queen doesn't have time for that kind of ungrateful, lengthy negotiation again, from a nobody American.

I think there may have been a chance that the Harkles voiced some discontent about 1A KP once the Fab Four erupted. So word came down: Okay fine, Frog Cott is available and your only other option. Take it or leave it. It's a bit difficult to see the queen offering those other houses (York and Adelaide) which are very, very grand to the second son and sixth down the line of succession.

R499 I am quite positive the sex between them was and maybe still is amazing, and basically accounts for her triumph. Imagine how she must have “courted” him. Gave him every physical trick she knew, plus motherly tenderness. Done.

R318, Wills might not be a Spring chicken when he ascends the throne. Charles is 70, and might live another 20 years, which would make Wm 57.

R530. That same security issue was discussed on Good Morning Britain earlier this week. Now the taxpayer must pay for a separate security system with personnel for FrogCott when the security was already in place for the slew of royals who already live at KP.

William will have about as much control over Harry when Charles dies as Charles does now over Andrew...ie very little.

R535, exactly. Frogmore Cottage was always the much more expensive option, not some second rate prison they've been banished to. The pictures on here are usually of the outbuildings, failing to show the very posh front view of the mansion.

There is nothing posh about having former staff residences, with a public access road going up close to the property

R536 That is a ridiculous and moronic statement. William will be King when Charles has passed and he will absolutely have full power over Harry. Charles has no power over Andrew because the Queen is still alive and he is NOT King.

I posted about the security costs (prior to the announcement) and some idiot replied that it couldn't be much for a small place. A fucking safe/panic room starts at $50k.

R538, it's been a home for 150 years and was only converted 20 years ago.

The outbuildings are where they are going, r537. The front of Cottage is no more grand than the rear. I'm sure you're confusing the House with the Cottage. The Cottage has housed a few minor royals over the its history but for decades now it's been used strictly as servants' quarters.

Okay, there's something wrong with that girl. And that's saying something coming from me.

FrogCott has not been servants quarters for "decades". Maybe since 2000. And it was good enough for a Tsarina.

I don't think that it was Meg and Harry who didn't want 1A, I don't think it was ever really offered to them. Maybe that was the general plan before Harry met Meghan, that Harry would move there after he married, but I think that pretty early on Will knew he didn't want them next door so the plan was rearranged.

Moving them from KP worked for all involved. If you believe the stories about their noisy entertaining, having them gone is a good thing. And I'm sure both brothers appreciated some space and Meg is probably more comfortable not having the family that snubs her so publicly on top of her all of the time. If Meg is leaking stuff like those BIs having them at a distance so she's out of the loop also works out better.

Just because FC was more expensive to upgrade doesn't mean it was the best option of all of the properties that the queen could have given them. It just means that it was such a shambles that it needed a lot of work and that the extra cost for renovations and security was worth it to be rid of them.

When Meghan moved to the UK do you think she thought she'd be living in some old servants quarters in Windsor? No. She moved with the idea that she'd be living at a palace in London.

Where does Anne live? Where do Zara and her rugby husband Tindall live? Where do Autumn and Peter Phillips live? Where do Edward and Sophie live?

[quote]When Meghan moved to the UK do you think she thought she'd be living in some old servants quarters in Windsor? No. She moved with the idea that she'd be living at a palace in London.

R544. Ain't that the truth. Although with calculating Markle, don't you think she and Harry discussed where they would live? While the BRF has a lot of house options, when you come right down to it, you're either in Kensington Palace, St. James Palace or you're out in the suburbs/country. Buckingham Palace is out because the queen lives there, and it's not appropriate for a young couple. Clarence House is out because Charles and Camilla live there. Markle had to have a rough idea as to what was available even if she didn't think it would be refurbished servants quarters. And Harry had to know that the opulence of York Cottage/mansion at Sandringham was not a realistic option for he and Markle.

R545– Anne lives at Gatcombe Park

R503 Brilliant clip of Anne's Imma let you finish moment

I've been away from these threads, recently, and I'm just catching up. Such vigorous responses! Such fun! R503, for you.

I bet when Meghan found out they were to be given FH, she quickly went online to search for the glamorous and/ or historical significance, only to learn that it's mainly been used as servants' quarters. To be a fly on the wall when that occurred......

A slightly different photo of FrogCott. I can't tell if it's the front or back of the Cottage, but at least you can see the door in this pic:

[quote]Where does Anne live?

Gatcombe Park... given to her by the Queen upon her marriage.

[quote]Where do Zara and her rugby husband Tindall live? Where do Autumn and Peter Phillips live?

I have read they both have houses on the Gatcombe Park estate.

A broader view of a familiar shot, but again, is it the front of back of the house? I hope the inside looks nice than the outside.

Princess Anne rented at least one regular flat in Dolphin Square shortly after her second wedding. I think she also lived in a very modern flat along the Thames at one point.

[quote]Where do Edward and Sophie live?

Bagshot Park, near Windsor Castle. Edward has a 150 year lease.

R543 No Tsarina has ever lived at Frogmore cottage, it's always been staff quarters until Grand Duchess Xenia lived there in exile from Russia as a grace and favour home given to her by King George and Mary. She was kicked out when Edward VIII became king and had to live elsewhere.

R555. Good gawd, these people have a lot of houses. Jesus Christ, Edward's house is big. Most of it must be closed off. Who the hell could use all of it?

Charles, Andrew, Anne and Edward are children of the monarch. They have grand homes in accordance with their standing and also in accordance with the more extravaent residences of the time. The political climate has changed since then and such excess is frowned upon. Charles wants to streamline the monarchy. William and George will get the the grand residences and country piles. Harry and Meghan will likely have to make do with less, unless they decide to support Charles and Willam instead of causing chaos and building their separate brand at the expense of the rest of the BRF.

Frogmore Cottage isn't historically worthy of this 3 million pound monumental renovation . Without Harry and Meghan, it would eventually have received minimal renovations to keep it habitable for palace staff.

People need to stop bullshitting, Harry is STILL very popular.

Sure he's a bit less popular, maybe 3 or 4% less popular and William is now the Top Dog of the BRF, but stop acting like he's now the least popular Royal because he married Meghan.

No, they're not hated. No, they're not booed. Jeez.... 95% of the Brits don't give a fuck about Rachel and Haz.

Harry is NOT “very popular”.

As you say, 95% of Brits (of which I am one, unlike you) don’t give a shit about him, so how can he be “very popular”?

Of the few people who do give a shit and vote in such polls (a self-selecting group) his popularity is falling - and that is significant given that he’s gotten married and had a baby in the last year, events that usually see high levels of approval for royals.

He’s on a downward trajectory and I doubt he’ll turn it around.

And they did get booed at the Royal Albert Hall.

R560 You have no idea how polls are made, don't you?

Most people don't care enough to follow the Royals closely, so Harry is generally well liked because he's Diana's boy or the funny one the family.

Royals avid followers are a minority and some of them don't like him because of his wedding.

His popularity is not falling, only in your head because you hate Meghan so everybody else must hate her and Harry.

Oh. “Generally well liked” now? It was VERY POPULAR an hour ago.

Even the polls that impress you so much show his popularity is falling, dear.

And, yes, I do know how polls work. The majority show no particular opinion (“don’t care”) with those who do care (not many) falling into the like/dislike ends of the scale.

His is showing as the 4th most popular after HM, William & Kate. That’s quite a dip. His wife is only marginally more liked than Charles, who is not well liked.

Stop with the dumb “you hate Meghan so think everyone else does” shit. You sound like a moron.

Markle is not popular in the UK and her husband is increasingly being seen as a petulant little prat. The “Diana’s boy” stuff hasn’t been that relevant in the UK for quite some time, despite what you clueless foreigners keep insisting.

R555 Sleepover at Ed's house!!

Bagshot Hall is indeed magnificent, but the Wessexes occupy only a few rooms due to prohibitive heating costs.

R545 What a shame that there isn’t a place on the net where you could type in questions such as those that you posed above, and, with some luck, get specific answers? And to do so and to get answers faster than posting same questions here. You could call it a search engine!

There is, it’s called Google. Do you always expect to be spoon fed information?

What IS the story with Anne and her husband? Everyone says they live separate lives, but why? And how separate?

Nothing is sadder than Randy Andy's looks. He was quite the babe, but he's gone completely off the cliff. OOF. Imagine the pics we could've had if tech was a few generations faster.

"Royal news: Why Queen’s cousin Prince Richard is moving from Kensington Palace Apartment 1 THE QUEEN’S cousin Prince Richard and his wife Birgitte announced they would vacate Kensington Palace Apartment 1 in favour of a smaller residence. Why are they moving out?"

To make way for Megs and Harry's return?

I think KP need some renovation, so maybe it's just for some work.

KP KP

"DI'S JEWELS Kate Middleton REMOVED diamonds from Princess Diana’s iconic earrings while Meghan Markle blinged up her royal ring"

by our girl on the spot, Lydia Hawken

They look better like that.

I agree that all of the house shuffling was just a way to get repairs budget and meant nothing whatsoever otherwise.

Now, now... if we all just Googled to ourselves there wouldn't be much of a discussion here, would there? Honest questions, honest answers, my dear old mother used to say. And come to that, she often said there's no i in team, but there's a lot of u in cunt, R565.

Maybe Kate's planning to get another pair of earrings done out of the removed gemstones - perhaps as a later gift for Charlotte.

So much privilege!

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

Lol, r498, a gem of a post. You've expertly captured why the DoS sustains my attention as well why I still bother to check on these threads even though I've learned to skim through the pile of nonsense here.

And what, r480 and r484 said, too.

Still, what's of even more to my bafflement and surprise is that Markle herself didn't grasp that, the second she, at the wedding, curtsied to QEII, the nature of her "fame" such as it was, changed forever. It could no longer be on her terms. Why that astounds me that she thought she could do so must be attributed to my reluctance to accept that Markle simply is blinded by her own false delusions of her position.

In fairness to Markle, it's far too easy to read into a cherry-picked snippet of video and draw the worst , most humiliating conclusion about her, especially by her haters.

Nevertheless, I think the snippet of video that truly does reveal a rift between the House of Sussex and the House of Cambridge is the "William's Scarf" one. It's where they're all emerging from a church service. All know the cameras are on them. Markle turns her attention to William in hopes of the camera capturing him giving her a moment, no matter how minuscule of attentiveness, and He. Refuses. It's subtle, but unmistakable.

I think that's the moment for me where it becomes clear that Markle is in over her head; that I'm a bit sympathetic to her over that, and most significantly, that William is one cold, mean, son-of-a-gun. Not mean in an overt way, but in a much more powerfully impactful way- a silent iciness and condescension that only someone at his position can emit to devastating effect.

I've concluded that I agree with those who say the real breach is between the brothers. And if William's behavior as shown in that video is only one instance of his behavior towards Markle when the cameras aren't around, one can almost understand Harry being at odds with William.

Bottom line- William, no matter how unpleasant he is, nevertheless was right if he cautioned Harry against rushing into marriage. I'm even willing to give William the benefit of the doubt that when he did so, it wasn't in dislike of Markle; that developed. It's because they didn't know each other long enough.

I predict the Sussex marriage is of short duration.

What was she thinking, r577? Does she think we're all so ignorant that we would buy this story? I have no sympathy for her, at all.

I'm dying to know the cost of the presumably lavish interior furniture and fittings at Frogmire. Has spending been excessive and unrestrained? Are many luxury foreign designer labels represented? Is Charles paying for it all? Does it look like a Soho House property?

MM's pr is on shaky ground if they cite MM's love of dogs. She dumped one and the other one disappeared.

R577, I think the idea that Meghan gets on well with the Queen isn't far-fetched. She obviously knows how to get on with people (as social climbers must do), and engaging her with dog talk and American affability was easy for our Megs.

That's so dumb because Kate loves dogs too.

Ingrid Sewart is a hack but she doesn't do PR for the Harkles or the Cambs.

Has anyone other than Charles' sanctioned mouthpieces ever commented on William being unpleasant? He may be no-nonsense or businesslike, but I get the feeling this "unpleasant" descriptor is more a result of family infighting than actual fact. William doesn't stick his head in the sand like his grandmother and isn't a weak pushover like his father, so he probably seems like the "bad guy" to those in the BRF who want to profit from it or otherwise don't understand its purpose.

The Queen would not have permanently loaned that gorgeous Art Deco diamond bracelet to Kate if she didn't value her. The bracelet was a wedding present from Philip to Elizabeth, and she wore it constantly for years. There's no more subtle and appropriate way for HM to reward the faithful consort of her grandson.

She and Kate may not meet for tea regularly (or maybe they do, who knows?). But it's clear that she values and respects her.

Yes, and Donald Trump thought he got on well with the Queen, too. Because the Queen is polite to everyone.

The Queen doesn't gift the eye popping diamond custom designed bracelet she received as a wedding present from her husband to be polite, dumbass.

MM's pr attempts are so pathetically transparent. The latest appeared after a multitude of articles decrying the inordinate expense of renovating HazBean's abode.

R587, I was noting that Meghan probably thinks the Queen loves her when the Queen is merely being polite. I agree that the Queen's gift to Kate of that bracelet shows how much love an respect she has for Kate.

"FAMILY TIES The Queen ‘doesn’t have an intimate relationship with Kate Middleton’ but Meghan Markle ‘knows how to make her laugh’, royal editor claims"

"Royal snub: How Kate Middleton's family 'opposed' Meghan Markle's Prince Harry link-up"

R520’s photocopy the seating at that event is pretty accurate in terms of some of The Queen’s personal family relationships. Charles is near only because he’s the heir, but Lady Louise, her mother Sophie, the Phillips kids, and the two Yorkies (and of course Andrew) are said to be her favorites.

How many grandchildren has the Queen got? Great-grandchildren, many?

Meghan was papped shopping at Whole Foods???

UGH. That’s so....Hollywood celebrity-ish. What’s next? Pumping her own gas into her SUV like Khloe Kardashian? Papped coming out of the yoga studio holding her mat and a green drink like Reese Witherspoon? Going for yogurt like Jennifer Garner?

Fail

[quote] Papped coming out of the yoga studio

Lady Di used to get papped at the gym and coming out of the gym, alas.

I have to say that with ME! causing so much mayhem, good-spirited and fun Fergie is looking better and better each day.

R565. Where do you live, bitch? Couldn't find it in Google.

Princess Elizabeth wasn’t bad looking in her younger years. The longer hair was flattering.

I love how she keeps saying “Empire” Lol. In just a few years after this speech that term would be terribly unfashionable.

I think she says, "Empah".

I don’t think she even speaks like that anymore. That hoity-toity accent was replaced with something a little more earthy