British royal family part 99

I'm so glad this thread is back! I haven't had a reason to use my FFs for a few days. Thanks, creepy BRF obsessive!

How Harry could be key to Beatrice and Eugenie’s acceptance in Royal Family

R2, Harry “dated” Ellie Goulding?

Anyway, I don’t think he has any clout to help his cousins, at the moment. It is interesting to ponder how much influence Camilla has. I’m guessing it’s considerable. The women in a family are nearly always the ones with the power. If the York sisters have been smart, they’ve done whatever the Queen has asked, and have kept on the good side of Camilla and Aunt Anne.

Could someone explain why Harry is called the Duke of York but Sarah is called the Duchess of York?

Here to keep you company. I wondered how long it would take before someone pushed us toward the real 100-thread mark!

Andrew and the Harkles have provided sport beyond the reaches of imagination.

Who would have thought two years ago watching the glum BRF throw that second-rate faux royal wedding for a nearly middle-aged divorcee actress and that dim ginge, that their worst nightmares still lay ahead of them?! (I didn't notice Meghan whingeing about the British "stiff upper lip" then.)

Looking back, it's a safe bet that the family have been aware all along that Harry had far more problems than the public were aware of, that he was a loose cannon who shared some of his mother's worst emotional aspects, and that rather than anchoring him to reality, the woman he chose instead fed his most extravagant wishes for greater importance, entitlement, and his anger toward his family.

Everyone, especially Charles, has been aware all along of Andrew's feckless stupidity and low moral fibre, and now profess themselves shocked, SHOCKED to find out that there is gambling going on in this establishment.

I always thought it really odd that the Harkles haven't shown up at Balmoral three summers in a row: the one right after their marriage, the one during which she was pregnant, and the one when Archie was a few months old.

Given that Harry has gone up there virtually every summer of his life, no one seemed to pick up on how striking it was that the moment he was married, he ceased to do so. It isn't as if with access to private helicopters and private planes he and Meghan couldn't have done so easily.

You would have thought, especially during that first summer as a new member of the family, that Meghan would have been eager to show that she wanted to become part of and honour Harry's traditions. In my view, those absences were the first ominous sign that Meghan had already gotten what she came for and didn't think she needed to make such gestures. She was already starting to split Harry off from his family, and set the Harkles slowly but inexorably on the path toward the exit.

I wonder how many members of the BRF interpreted it that way, or were they still the blindered idiots they've always been, living in the 19th century and lacking even a modern vocabulary of psychological terms to describe what they were seeing.

Having failed to pull Andrew up short years ago and warn him that they wouldn't heistate to throw him to the wolves if he got into real trouble (his friendship with Epstein goes back many years), having discouraged Charles from marrying the woman he really loved, and having failed to tell Harry if he wanted to marry Meghan, he would have to put his money where his mouth was and do so on his own . . .

Why are now stunned to find themselves in up to their knees - again?

Why do they always wait till the axes falls to try to staunch the bleeding?

^*axe falls

It also occurs that if Harry really is being dragged to the exit by his wife, he will likely never be invited to Balmoral again, at least whilst the Queen lives. And even with his father the new Laird of the Manor up there, the problem remains Meghan, with whom, I don't doubt, no one else in the family wants to be in the same room.

If the family's removal of the Harkle's and Harry's photos from mantlepieces of rooms photographed for public consumption is anything to go by, the die is already cast.

So, taking wagers here: are the Harkles headed for the exit? If so, what is the timeframe, especially if Meghan is pregnant, which she's likely to be very soon? And if not, how will the BRF work it given the rest of the family's anger at Meghan?

What I think will raise a furore is if they Harkles are given leave to take off for America whilst retaining their places as working for the BRF and remaining on the public payroll, whilst transparently having their cake and eating it, too.

Predictions?

Already pushing 40, Meghan has a limited time to make the huge splash she wants to make outside of the BRF and take advantage of any lucrative offers that might come her way before she's considered too old and past it. If they're going to jump, they'll need to do it within the next 18 months.

R7 - I agree. If Meghan isn't too carried away with the status she achieved recently, she would be experienced enough to realise that striking whilst the iron is hot is imperative.

Unless she's pregnant. I think if she turns up pregnant they'll be keen to stay on so the baby can be a bona fide member of the royal family. And, the second child raises financial expectations re settlements, too.

Re Andrew - it will take years for him to inch back into public view. I wonder how the press will treat poor Bea's wedding. I wonder if Andrew feels the slightest guilt at what he' done to his daughters, particularly his older one on the eve of something she has been dreaming about for a decade?

If Meghan and/or Kate turn up pregnant again, headlines will move in another direction. Kate turning up in the club at the same time as Meghan would probably persuade Meghan that waiting to jump ship was pointless.

I wonder if the six-week hiatus was really intended as time to work out the exit plan.

So, on Wednesday we have a huge "do", and this time I think it is gowns; Thursday and Friday will be taken up with the GE and its outcome; then we have HM's Christmas message and the Sandringham pap walk.

And after that, it's back to dullsville again absent any shocking announcements re exits, pregnancies, etc.

The big reception on 11 December this week, by the way, is for the Diplomatic Corps. It is a BP and according to news media, this one is guaranteed to involve gowns and tiaras.

Who cares about any of these twats

Well whatever happens Andrew will blame it on Giuffre. The man himself is blameless.

[R8] so glad you took up the challenge to wonder what the future holds “these twats” as some sour commenter put it (and why even go to the trouble of typing 4 or 5 words if that’s all you have to contribute) — where was I. Yes, the future of this most interesting and entertaining family after the defenestration of Andrew and the beginning of Charles’s regency. Why indeed have the Harkles never shown their faces at Balmoral in three summers? It’s hard to believe neither the Queen nor Charles invited them for even so much as a weekend; but even harder to believe Harry would have snubbed his grandmother who is also his Queen. What’s the point of QEll at this late stage of her magnificent reign if she can’t even compel her own grandson to show his grizzled face before her. It seems so disrespectful, even mean-spirited to behave that way. Where are his basic manners? Or has the (faux) Hollywood Rasputin really worked him over? If that.s the case, of what use will he be to Charles in his “slimmed-down BRF? Anyone? I think I started this thread with this question. Come on everyone— if the ladies of Lipstick Alley can keep it going and keep it juicy and readable for a thousand pages we ought to be able to reach a hundred. I’m new here. I only paid for a year’s subscription to attract the regulars back— your band of sometimes brilliant and erudite writers (let’s try flattery, shall we?).

Obviously you, R10, as you opened the thread, read it then posted your idiotic comment.

These threads make me suspect that the depth of someone’s mental illness is in direct correlation to the length of their post.

Good, I can't wait to see Catherine in full regalia on Dec.11.

Meghan clearly wants to get back to Hollywood. My prediction is that she'll start by doing voice-overs on politically correct documentaries....then, maybe, a guided tour (oldsters will remember Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn and Liz and Sophia Loren doing glamorous guided tours on tv)--though Meghan's will be of some troubled hot spot....What a pity that Dynasty isn't still on--it would have been the perfect way for Meghan to re-enter the "acting" world. But she'll find a way, never fear.

Personally, I love to speculate about the royal family. What's with these drips who think it's a waste of time (on DL, of all places!). What are we supposed to think about? Rihanna and her shitty clothes? I think not.

What's the point of discussing undeserving assholes if you can't speculate about them, make fun of them and ascribe all kinds of evil, self serving intentions to them? It's the whole point of royalty. That's why entertainments about them can be compelling and fun if done well.

.How quick people are these days to throw around "mental illness." It's just fun, for God's sake. Lighten up. I too can't wait to see Royals in full-dress regalia on December 10 for the Ambassadors' reception. A reprieve from the dull and enraging politics of the real world and on both sides of the pond. Would LOVE to see Meghan there and be able to comment on her attire (yes, rip it apart, don't care if that's mean -- she deserves it).

Well, MM isn’t dressing well. However, it must be difficult to be a fat woman whose unflattering photos are splashed across the world.

Harkles is horrible. It conjers notions of hackles. Nutmeg and Ginger were clever, though I never thought I would be saying this in hindsight. Some people obviously need to get out more, and develop their own lives.

To me, ‘conjers’ conjures congers.

TYPO R21 Go find that life of yours I was referencing in R20!

Or go have something to eat R21... You may be hungry for eel.

[quote]r15 it would have been the perfect way for Meghan to re-enter the "acting" world. But she'll find a way, never fear.

If that's what she wanted, there's plenty of acting roles in the UK for her. They'd cast her in a heartbeat.

Could she work for the BBC or anyone over there before she's a citizen?

Oh, I have a life R20, R22 and R23. And a sense of humour.

Don't respond to the troll - it's just what they want.

R26, which one’s the troll? Doesn’t this thread attract a whole list of specific trolls?

The.Harkles are lying so low they must actually be in an underground bunker— but where? L..A., Windsor, Uncle Elton’s estate in Nice? Andrew’s “situation” must have really scared them straight. I wonder whether Frau Harkle has lost the blubber during their staycation.

Any of them, R27. Just ignore all of them and life is much better.

I only see about 10% of these threads now.

Good to know, R29, thanks. This is a daunting site for a newbie. People are so bilious-sounding sometimes. But seriously, it must be God awful to find oneself a fat woman overnight. Like living in a horror movie.

[quote]r28 The.Harkles are lying so low they must actually be in an underground bunker—

They can't say anything supportive of Andrew with a straight face ... unlike Big Liz, who goes out riding with him. So they're keeping a low profile.

Maybe they're asking themselves if it's worth it to stay bound to that sick family.

R30, haven’t you paid the gatekeeper? I suspect that’s how it works. But I’m new here so what do I know?

R32, good observation, not that the Harkles’ family in the U.S. is notable for its stability and good health. And the sick side in the UK will for over lots of perks and taxpayer support. Quite an incentive, don’t you think?

Fork over, sorry

[quote]haven’t you paid the gatekeeper? I suspect that’s how it works. But I’m new here so what do I know?

I've been a subscriber for 20 years - I know from experience that it's not worth your time arguing with them. I only see about 10% because I have put so many people from these threads on 'ignore'. Pretty much the only time I use it is in the BRF threads.

[quote]haven’t you paid the gatekeeper? I suspect that’s how it works. But I’m new here so what do I know?

I've been a subscriber for 20 years - I know from experience that it's not worth your time arguing with them. I only see about 10% because I have put so many people from these threads on 'ignore'. Pretty much the only time I use it is in the BRF threads.

ugh - fucking double post glitch ^^^^ wish they'd fix it

[quote]r34 the sick side [of the family] in the UK will fork over lots of perks and taxpayer support. Quite an incentive, don’t you think?

It depends. They already have much more money than the ordinary person, and will come into even more. They can settle down quite nicely if that's what they want. And it depends if they think leading high profile lives will benefit their children, in the long run.

It would be healthiest, perhaps, if they showed up for public family events, and left most of the monarchy shit behind.

Poor Archie. He might have won the financial lottery but genetically he will be a national mental health disaster.

Not just that, R40, but his mother appears to be alienated from all family but her mother (with an occasional visit) and his father seems to now be alienated from his family as well.

Isolating for a kid.

Not really. It's healthy to separate from sick relatives. Why would you want to expose your kid to them?

He's exposed to his mother.

You mean, the parent who actually worked for a living and made something of themselves?

R37 Thanks for the insider info to help the newbie navigate this site. Very kind of you—

R33

R39 The plan you lay out for this little family is indeed a healthy one— perhaps the healthiest. But I can’t imagine, under any circumstances, that this particular couple would choose the quiet life out of the public eye and just show up for family events. If they wanted that life they should have leapt at the estate in Herefordshire near the Welsh border that Daddy Charles had earmarked for his second son; in order for that son to have his own proper country life and acreage. I can just picture the little wife mucking out the barn and stables. She loves to wear brown and green so should find a large selection of mackintoshes and wellies in her favorite hews. If she opted for that she might truly then become an interesting figure.

And as for the troll who comments on the longest comments, I say: bugger off. Thanks.

Hues, that is

Meghan Markle didh't marry Harry to do the English Country Squire act. She married him for global fame, A-list celebrity status, the high-profile life, etc. She thought she'd be Kate Middleton, living grandly, with a large apartment in London, a grand country estate, children with HRHs in front of their name, and the rest of the A-list grovelling at her feet as she pontificated at will and turned herself into a combination of Diana and Oprah. Instead, she got no apartment in London, a relatively unremarkable home base under the Queen's eye in what is essentially a pretty suburb of London, faced ongoing restrictions about what she could do and say (which she was probably told about but airily dismissed mentally with her apologise later rather than ask permission first philosophy), and found herself unfavourably compared to the white English girl who understood the landscape far, far better.

That estate on the Welsh border was probably Meghan's idea of a bad dream come true.

She's strictly an urban media face on magazine covers creature. She isn't cut out for the Norfolk life in Sandringham that suits Kate so well, let alone the Welsh border life. Kate and William were very happy living a relatively normal life in Anglesey whilst he was doing his helicopter rescue stint. Meghan would have slit her wrists eventually there.

So, what she should have done re that estate is a moot point. She didn't take it because it's antithetical to who she is, what she wants, and what she married Harry for.

I would add that I suspect Meghan was on her way out the door much earlier than people suspect, and the turning points were when she realised her children weren't going to get royal titles, only minor ones (Earl and Lady whether boy or girl, which meant they would always be "less than" Kate's children), and when she and Harry were fobbed off with Frogmore Cottage and no home base in London except a couple of rooms in BP like the other minor royals.

I really think she thought she'd blow Kate out of the water with her star power, and just couldn't accept the reality when she was knee deep into it: she'll always be behind Kate, her children will always be behind Kate's children, her lifestyle will never be Kate's lifestyle, and the UK public will never like her the way they like Kate.

The UK public don't have a use for another "superstar" who is going to be increasingly irrelevant to the monarchy as time passes and the Cambridge kids grow up. If Meghan wants real stardom, the only way she has a shot at it is to leave with the celebrity her marriage brought her and leverage it outside.

The choice really is either accepting a royal life more like Sophie Wessex's or leaving. I doubt the former option is particularly appealing to her.

The DM had has a small sidebar piece up on BP alllegedly telling a jewellery designer based in CA whose stuff Meghan Markle often wears. The designer so far still has photos of Meghan up with arrows pointing to the designer's items on Meghan, including one of her wearing a necklace by the designer when she "introduced" Archie to the world.

As there has been quite a bit of discussion around accusations that Meghan "merches" for designers willing to give her price breaks on their wares for her showing up in them, I thought this quite interesting.

The jewellery designer is Jennifer Meyer

"The California-based jewellery designer has attracted customers by saying Meghan 'can't get enough' of her pieces, which include necklaces and rings.

However Ms Meyer, 42, is said to have breached a non-disclosure agreement by posting Instagram pictures of Prince Harry's wife wearing her jewellery.

Several high profile celebrities — from Kate Hudson and Reese Witherspoon to Jennifer Aniston — are known to call designs by Ms Meyer some of their favorites.

Ms Meyer married Spider-Man actor Tobey Maguire in 2007 and they had two children - Ruby, 13, and Otis, ten - but separated in 2016 and divorced one year later.

Her father Ronald Meyer, 75, was the president and chief executive of Universal Studios from 1995 to 2013 and is now the vice chairman of NBCUniversal."

So this designer has strong Hollywood cachet and connections. I doubt NDAs are signed between customers and vendors re pieces worn in public, so curious as to the source of this.

^* allegedly telling a jewellery desigher . . . to take down from her web site photos of Meghan wearing the designer's jewellery.

Telegraph has a large article up stating that Meghan has used her six-week "hiatus" to set up connections in America to launch the US arm of "her" charity foundation:

"he Duchess of Sussex is using her six-week sabbatical from her duties to plot the US launch of the Sussex Royal Foundation alongside her former Hollywood PR, it has emerged.

She is said to be in “work mode” and determined that the foundation, which will be launched in the New Year, will be one of the biggest and most successful philanthropic organisations in the world.

The Duchess is hoping to capitalise on Los Angeles connections forged during her former showbusiness career to harness a massive fundraising drive.

Sources confirmed that she had met with Keleigh Thomas Morgan, her former publicist and a partner at celebrity PR firm Sunshine Sachs, in recent weeks whilst in the US with Prince Harry, their son Archie and her mother, Doria Ragland."

Isn't it interesting that Harry isn't even mentioned?

I wonder if this means she really is going to try to spend most of her time in America but remain part of the BRF and on the public dole in the UK?

R48 and R49 — Really interesting, succinct and I think accurate analyses of the situation Meghan finds herself in. What a disaster she created foe herself . And how fascinating it will be watching Meggy Sharp finagle herself into a better situation. Is it too late for the estate on the Welsh border? I think her husband would quite enjoy the country squire role. Anyway, I enjoyed reading both comments. Thank you.

R53 Thanks. As for what Harry might or might not enjoy - as he said himself, "What Meghan wants, Meghan gets."

For how long?

For as long as she can get away with it and he will put up with it. If she’s truly a malignant narcissist, as some suspect, she will have quite the stranglehold over him and his fragile-seeming mental state. He’s been isolated from his family and friends for a long while now and he hasn’t flown the coop yet. Let’s see what a partial move to LA brings. Removing Harry from his artificial fantasy life at the top of the British social class system and thrown into the shark-infested waters of Southern California could be a real treat for gossips on the outside of this melodrama— us — and could provide an ongoing source of entertainment for years. How we miss them at this point. Meghan must be brewing quite a plan for her splash back into her own world; or rather the world she failed to break into before whatshisname.

Oh, and how Meghan must be enjoying the sight of her SIL in the Cambridge Lovers Knot tiara and the Queen’s Hyderabad diamond necklace. I wonder what she and Harry are up to tonight?

She is never going to live at Frogmore. I told you bitches.

Eventually it’s going to be another strain on their marriage, that Harry can’t provide the lifestyle she thinks she deserves. And when she sets about getting it for herself (which I can’t fault her for doing), that’ll be the final nail. His ego can’t handle a woman like Meghan.

R56 - Great post and spot on. I agree. The only question about the partial life in L.A. is - are UK taxpayers still going to be on the hook for supporting them as they sun themselves in Malibu and go to Hollywood premieres using the Sussex Foundation as an excuse to continue calling themselves "senior working royals"? And who is going to audit the foundation's workings? All nonprofits need to submit annual reports to tax authorities. Will the Sussex Foundation be audited by the Internal Revenue Service (US) or Inland Revenue (UK) or both, and will the foundation be "paying" its founders/directors (i.e., Meghan and Harry) a salary to run the thing, or will they simply be figureheads?

The partial life in L.A. whilst remaining on the Sovereign Grant - especially after the fracas about what it cost to renovate Frogmore Cottage, with the public being given the excuse that FC would be their permanent and only home base forever - I don't think will go down well in the UK and will, inevitably, guarantee a surge in the "have their cake and eat it, too" meme which the tabloids, and journos like Palmer, Moir, Seward, et al, gleefully lining up for a free for all.

If the BRF permit it, they deserve to see Cromwell resurrected and their heads on pikes on that wrought-iron gate in front of BP.

No way will they be allowed to spend most of the year--or even half--in LA working on their own international foundation whilst remaining on the public dole. Not in this day and age. The only way they'll get to spend that much time in America is if they give up the working royals gig entirely. I don't know why HM and Charles don't reach into their very deep pockets and offer the Sussexes a sweet exit package, a lump sum plus more on a yearly basis if they make nice with the BRF and don't do anything too embarrassing in California. Harry and Meghan aren't really needed: Between Charles and Camilla, William and Kate, Edward and Sophie, Anne, and other minor royals, they have enough folks to cover the important work until the Cambridge children are grown up. Hell, half those patronages are make-work anyway.

R60 - I would agree except for the caveat that if the leaked story is true, the very name "Sussex Foundation" points to the couple intending to remain part of the BRF, but shift their emphasis abroad and outside the UK. Sussex is Harry's ducal title, gifted to him by the Queen (who would have been unlikely to bestow it on a member planning to leave), and thence by courtesy to his wife, as part of royal tradition.

Either the Queen is planning to allow them to use the nameu Sussex, including for "their" foundation, even after leaving the BRF, which is bad form - she should insist on them reverting to Prince and Princess Henry; or, they are planning to remain and use the name to up their game whilst spending as little time in the UK as possible.

Or, the story is another false trail.

I do not see how they can leave the BRF whilst using the name the Queen gave them on their wedding day; to me this is perverse.

So if the story is true, and they're raising funds for something called "The Sussex Foundation", they are planning to try to game the system for all its worth, and they've succeeded in doing an end run around the Queen and the BRF, and setting up their own brand, work, household, etc., but still taking the perks of royalty with gusto.

R61 - is there no "Royal" in the "Sussex Foundation"?

Does it really matter if Harry keeps the title? There's no estate attached to Duke of Sussex, nor is there any grand heritage, as there is for, say, the Duke of York. They pulled the Sussex title out of mothballs, where it had been quietly moldering since 1843 (it was originally created for George III's SIXTH son, which gives you an idea of its relative unimportance). If its current possessor trots off to America, no great loss. Rather like Duke of Windsor.

Which really makes you wonder what sorts of discussions were going on even before the wedding about Harry's future with the BRF.

I believe both the Cambridge and Sussex foundations have "royal" in their names. It's a good question. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge head up "The Royal Foundation" that Harry and Meghan split off from, and theirs I think is called the Sussex Royal Foundation.

If so, it must be questioned, if they do leave the BRF, their right to call it that.

Thought-provoking posts R58 through R64. In light of the ongoing severity of Prince Andrew’s scandal, it seems to me that the pitchforks and torches will be readied by the overburdened British taxpayers should the Sussexes decide to foist on them some LA and Sussex Foundation hijinx. Perhaps Charles and the Queen have seen the writing on the wall and brought back Lord Geidt to propose a firm choice to the Sussex duo: You can leave your titles, or not, and go to Los Angeles; you have plenty of your own money and oh, here’s a little purse as a parting gift, but the Sussex Foundation must not be affiliated in any way with the BRF. Godspeed and all that but if there.s even a hint of funny business with that foundation, don’t bother to show up for family events or on the balcony at TTC. If, on the other hand, you choose to stay, you will keep your place in line for the throne, you will do exactly as you are told, you will dress and behave with decorum (if you don’t know how, get lessons), you will acknowledge the order of seniority, and you will give no further interviews to the press— no docudramas either. Let us know your answer within 6 weeks. Oh, and we hope you don’t mind that little fuss we made over your jewelry merchandising scheme with your friend Jennifer Meyers. We are certain that she and her father—what is his job, chief of NBC/Universal or some such?—will continue to value your unadvertised custom. We hope that wherever you were for your holiday of American Thanksgiving, you enjoyed feeding the homeless and washing the feet of the downtrodden. We know how you crave your privacy to carry out your saintly work. Well done!

Did anyone else here clock the amount of and SIZE of the bling on Kate last night at the Ambassasors ball? Omg, she was almost toe to toe with Her Mag! And what a sly one Her Mag is: The Vladimir Tiara, her neck dripping with emeralds and diamond rocks. But, but, but, that was supposed to be Meghan.s wedding tiara! And what Meghan wants Meghan gets, goddammit. What was that excuse about the dodgy provenance of the Vladimir the Palace put out at the time.

The message of Kate's outfit was more important than any more or less positive aspects of it as fashion.

That dress spelled R - E - G - A - L in big letters, as did the Queen's loan of the necklace and earrings, the DGCVO sash across her front, and the family order pinned on her shoulder.

This is Kate emerging as Senior Royal and nailing her maturity and rank within the family to the mast.

Meghan Markle, take note. This is who you aren't and never will be.

Sadly, Meghan COULD have been that, if she'd only worked harder to fulfill the role the family wanted her to fulfill. The family could certainly have used another pretty youngish female royal for these occasions. It would have taken time and hard work, but she could have had tiaras and family orders and a London apartment and a country estate, too. But Meghan made it clear from the beginning that she only cared about Meghan's future, not the future of BRF.

R68 - Yes, she could have been, after 7 years or so, also shown up occasionally, as Sophie Wessex now occasionally does, in a tiara, family orders, at state banquets, representing the family at foreign royal weddings, etc., But that takes, as you point out, at least five year of service to the monarchy on ITS terms, not YOURS. Meghan doesn't have the patience to wait to turn into a Lesser Kate, and I suspect that she also doesn't have the desire. She doesn't want to be Sophie Wessex to Kate's Princess of Wales.

Stephanie Powers is right: Meghan wants to be the star. Only she's married to the sixth in line, not a future King.

Her dilemma is how to leverage the rank she got from the BRF into something bigger outside it.

Meghan’s dilemma is that her goals are irreconcilable with the reality of her position within the royal family hierarchy. She should have understood the realities of her life as a royal before her engagement to Harry, but alas, it doesn't seem to be within the scope of her mental capacity to appraise reality normally. Meghan is extremely shallow— but driven. I really do feel sorry for Harry who seems to have a case of Stockholm syndrome along with his other “issues.”

R70 - Agreed. I would have supposed that Harry would have been at pains to explain it all to her, but given he's more troubled than anyone realised, now I'm not so sure. Instead of explaining to Meghan that she wouldn't be at liberty to use her position as she liked, that she and he would not only always be behind the Cambridges, but would have a duty to support them as the future of the monarchy, what happened instead is that Meghan fed Harry her own vision that together they could forge their own starry course through the monarchy into global importance and leave the stuffy Cambridges behind.

Neither of them reckoned on the reality: you cannot be yourself on your own terms in this game. Meghan might be forgiven for getting this wrong as she is American and obsessively self-focussed, but there is no excuse for Harry not knowing better.

He not only drank the Kool-Aid, he endorsed it. He gets more share of the blame, in my opinion. Meghan just enabled his petulant resentment because it helped her snag him.

If Harry and Meghan were smarter and more aware of their true position, they could have worked within the present boundaries and presented themselves as a hipper, flashier, but still proper alternative to the Cambridges, who will always have to be more formal and rule-bound. Much like the Snowdons did in the 60s. All they really had to do was dress a little better (not duller, just BETTER), not cause problems within the family, and not whine publicly and spend every waking hour on Instagram promoting themselves.

Most importantly, they should have made a real effort to support and befriend the Cambridges so they could all work together harmoniously. That's what the Firm wanted: Remember the Fab Four? That whole idea was torpedoed by the Sussexes and their antics. If they'd focused on shining within the place that they were meant to occupy, they would right now be more popular and more secure than they'll ever be outside the BRF, and they would already have received part of their fair share of goodies in the form of a KP apartment and a country estate, both of which were on the table (and discussed in the press at length) before the Sussex shitshow kicked into high gear. The good jewels and family honors would have shown up in due course.

The entire last 2 years have been an illustrated lesson by the Sussexes in how to snatch Defeat from the jaws of Victory.

Yes Meghan really has turned the two of them into Their Royal Dimwits. While Meghan has a number of gifts smarts is not one of them. She could have parlayed her position and twat into all the popularity and material goods she wanted. Now they are just two whiney grifters exploiting the Royal dole. Harry is now just another dumb pussy whipped male led by his dick and depression.

Bravo R72, R72 and R73. I think you explained and solved the Sussex dilemma, in varying degrees of bluntness. Certainly they are now full partners in crime and on their way to being the shambling, tattered branch of the Firm, surplus to requirements. They can only have a supporting role in the BRF; there is no place for them in the constitutionally relevant branch. Agreed, they might have been the Margo and Snowden (minus Snowden's artistic talent and social skills, however). Now they appear to be on their way to their earned moniker Hazbean. I don’t think Harry is equipped to live in “Hollywood “ or anywhere without the backing of his family (the family poor little Bean never had) or the income from the sovereign grant. Their best bet, to my mind aat any rate, is to lie low for awhile and then come crawling back, vanquished, and sue for terms. Silliness, greed and resentment drove them to disaster. On a lighter note, does anyone think Meg got her hot bod.back yet, or think she’s up the duff again? It will be very interesting to see them again when Harry gets out of rehab.

R71, that should be above

Harry Markle Blog at Wordpress came out 13 December with a withering criticism of Sussex PR recently playing the race card again. Most British people, the article suggests, are finding political correctness very tiresome and annoying. And such PR attacks during the couple’s six week break from royal duties, when it was expected that they would spend the rime in quiet reflection, make it seem likely that we won’t see in two weeks time a contrite and sober duo, prepared to this time take their royal duties seriously. They still could have it all.

I'd like to suggest a new title for this thread going forward: Repetitive and obvious observations about the British Royal Family.

Meghan never had a hot bod. She's very oddly and awkwardly proportioned. She's always been delusional about her level of looks and talent, both of which are very low. I'm glad to see this thread again. I've missed them. Came here to cancel my membership but thought, let me give one last look before I go.

I used to think Meghan would have another baby right away, but I'm not sure if she'll have any more at this point. The first one did a number on her figure, and, like Archie, the new baby won't be an HRH Prince or Princess, either. Perhaps if she could guarantee a girl this time around . . .

R77, There hasn't been much new happening. Thus the reflections on the situation, which you find repetitive but others find interesting. I have a suggestion too: Go away.

Other blogs are also holding in place, waiting for the Christmas celebrations and appearances, like the Sandringham church walk on Christmas Day. It's also been suggested elsewhere that Boris Johnson's lengthy meeting with the Queen might be due to a pending announcement of her retirement, to be revealed during her annual speech to the nation. Apparently Prince Philip is quite poorly, and at his age any ailment would be serious. It's natural that she would want to be with him (and not in London) for the rest of his days.

The Queen announcing her retirement in her annual Christmas speech would be a genius move, as it would take the focus off the other members of the family and their shenanigans and put it squarely on her and Charles. But poor woman, to start out with Winston Churchill and end with Boris Johnson!

Hahaha, R82. Thanks for the good laugh. Indeed!

And yes, R82, it would be an inspired move.

TIMES today has a piece up announcing that Cressida Bonas is to star in an adaptation of the murder of the Bamber family in Essex.

"Cressida Bonas, the model, socialite and former girlfriend of Prince Harry, is to appear in a TV adaptation of one of Britain’s most notorious mass murders.

The killing of five members of the Bamber family in an Essex farmhouse in 1985 is to be told in a six-part ITV drama, also starring Freddie Fox. In Bonas’s first major TV role she will play Sheila Caffell, the adoptive sister murdered by Jeremy Bamber. The father of Caffell’s twin boys, who were shot dead by Bamber, has acted as consultant for the first television adaptation.

The White House Farm murders appalled the nation and exposed the incompetence of local police. Detectives were initially convinced that Caffell, 28, who had schizophrenia, shot her parents . . . "

Sounds a juicy role, and how grateful must Bonas be that she dodged the Windsor bullet - wouldn't it be ironic if the woman Harry ditched turns out to be the genuinely successful actress, as opposed to the one he chose, who only had one acting job in her entire life, and that on a third-rate cable show?

Continue reading

R82 - I doubt it will happen, although it would be from a distance, a very good move. As for Churchill v. Johnson, Churchill was no saint, although he was the right man for the right job at the right time - I suspect the same will turn out to be true of Johnson.

I don't think she'll announce a retirement during the Christmas message. For one thing, Parliament has to be consulted on any such shift at the top of monarchy, and as Parliament has been rather busy for the last few months, it's likely that any such shift would have been on hold till after the election, and announced jointly in something more serious than the Christmas message.

I don't see how she can not refer to the difficulties the family have had over the last year, but at best what I would expect is the announcement that the Sussexes have informed HM that they believe they can do their best work for "the world" outside the contraints of the BRF to which Her Majesty has gladly given her consent.

But, really, such expectations are inappropriate for this particular message. She may make reference to the stresses and strains that so many families experience, but what matters is how these are dealt with and resolved, hopefully with a maximum of kindness and understanding, as well as accountability.

The above is my bet for the framework of the mmessage. Any other wagers?

Meghan didn't realize her future was to be Will & Kate's Sophie. Don't want to , send Harry and Meghan. Considering what we have seen of Meghan aspirations, that is a boring, miserable role. My guess is the Meghan is trying to figure out a secure place for herself and immediate family b/c the BRF is going to continue cutting her. In ways great and small.

Let's face it, without real BRF cachet - children with HRH titles, luxury apt in Kensington, country estate, own press office and access to jewels, Meghan starts looking shabby. The people she hopes to attract to her circle won't be interested.

I thought Stephanie Powers' outspoken criticism telling. Essentially, it reminded Meghan of her true role, the limited expectations of her, as well as stating that Andrew's depraved behavior is not casting her in a better light.

Her best move right now is to stay out of sight until she has viable working plan. For example, I don't imagine that she would have been invited to the Diplomatic reception and, if she had, she would have worn very little jewelry. The Sandringham walk? Her place would be far in the back of the pack. Very different than walking next to Will & Kate.

BRF lives on protocol, a useful instrument for destroying people - just ask Louis XIV, who would announce that some one was out favor by declaring "I don't know them," "I never see them" which he did to persons standing right next to him.

Yes, the Firm are past masters at The Cut Direct. I would feel sorry for Meghan if she hadn't brought this on herself by bad behavior which started long before the ring was even on her finger.

R87 - Harry and Meghan would not have been expected at the Diplomatic Corps reception, I don't believe Harry has ever in his life as an adult member of the BRF attended - the Harkles are too far down the line. But in the event that say both the Cambridges take sick with the 'flu and the Harkles were asked, you may be sure Meghan would finally be wearing a tiara and an impressive necklace, because that's what the invitiation demands. It's full orders, gowns and tiaras for women, and evening dress for men.

R86, regarding the Queen’s Christmas speech you have persuaded me that she will not enumerate specific remedies to family problems, that it’s not how it would be done. We shall see, though I believe you are correct.

R87, perish the thought that the Cambs would both take ill shortly before a future diplomatic ball and the Harkles be called upon to fill in for them! I believe the Queen has given orders that Ms Harkle cannot be trusted to return loans of her jewels and therefore cannot not get her claws on them ever. Some already suspect that Meg’s wedding tiara was made of paste, cubic zirconia and papier-mâché.

Meghan's tiara is available on Etsy for $341.

R90 - You can put those thinking Meghan's tiara was paste and papier mache into the same room with those insisting Archie is actually a doll.

Ain't nuthin' like the real thing, baby, as the old song has it.

And speaking of "the real thing", Kate's and William's appearance with Mary Berry went over to huge enthusiasm, with many comments pointing out the contrast between the warm, sunny, cheerful Cambridges and the whingeing, complaining Sussexes.

The Sussexes continue their pattern of landing momentary glancing blows that end up rebounding on themselves, whilst the Cambridges "plod" on to public approval, appreciation, and pleasure, well aware of what it is the public really want from them.

Hahaha, R91. Etsy -- perfect!

R90, interesting to hear about the public's response to the Cambs Christmas special with Mary Berry. The crockery must have been flying at Toad Manor. Furthermore, I read that Prince George and Princess Charlotte will be making up the foursome this year for the church walk at Sandringham on Christmas morning, replacing Harry and Meghan. And to think Meghan only managed two appearances there as a member of the Fab Four, with the Family She Never Had. Sad...

Where are Preach and Leach anyway? Have there been any sightings on either side of the pond during their six-week time-out so far?

Whether or not the Camb kids are doing the walk won't be known till the day of. No one knows where the Harkles are, either (although of course the CB fraus are sure they're hanging with Oprah in her mansion).

Bea is allegedly announcing her wedding plans right after the New Year, so it looks like Edo is staying the course.

It's also obvious that Kate isn't in the early stages of pregnancy, so whoever the poster was whose friend is Zamorah Queen of the Gypsies who called everything up to now right, got this wrong.

What the BRF need now is for Pss. Eugenie to announce a pregnancy at Christmas, Kate to look fabulously regal and terribly British on the pap walk, it made very clear that no one gives a damn that the Harkles aren't there, and for the Harkles to announce their exit from the BRF on the same day so they seize the spotlight from the BRF Christmas celebrations and Eugenie's pregnancy, making it clear once and for all that they don't give a damn about the BRF and (they think) leave laughing.

R94, The comments on the DM about the Cambridges' visit with Mary Berry were extremely supportive. But TV did catch this unguarded moment when Kate shrugged William's hand off her shoulder.

Uh oh, R96! Trouble in paradise? Or let’s.not be the Harkles and touch in public?

R95, Love your entire scenario for the holidays with all the baroque flourishes. Wish you could drop a line to KP with stage directions. And the finale?? NOT the Celebitchy version which would be trite and probably feature Oprah — star of yesteryear— again. I love the vision of tall, regal Kate in 6-Inch heels with hair and hat smartly piled sky high, leaving the image of the Pygmy SIL binned and buried. Truly hilarious and delusional Bean ever thought she could transform the freakin BRF!!!

Oh R95, I forgot to ask: Do the Harkles leave laughing; or do they leave laughing and loaded?

Christmas cards should be released soon. What will HRH Meg come up with this year? Perhaps a throwback to the historic Arch meets Archie in South Africa? A closeup of the Madonna with Child, child trying not to fall, and Harry cropped from the picture; alternatively with Harry in the frame gazing adoringly at Mother Meghan. In sepia tones. Or whatever is currently considered “classy” in Bel Air (or the San Fernando “valley”). Their Royal Highnesses’ pr is making it understood that they haven’t quite decided yet (probs waiting to see what the Cambs put out and surpass it). Can’t this couple do one simple thing that isn’t massaged to within an inch of its life? But who knows? Perhaps they’ve used their time in exile to reform themselves into the dutiful sixth-in-line and his consort?

I doubt they are coming back from their "break" reformed. If they are holed up with Oprah as rumored then they will comeback even more emboldened and demanding. Oprah will just validate their "we've been done wrong" stance. Hollywood folk aren't known for giving each other reality checks, they just feed each other's narcissistic delusions.

R98 - Depends on your point of view. "Loaded" certainly by my standards LOL. "Loaded" by theirs? Remains to be seen. Harry is Charles' son. I'm sure in the event of such a departure, a complex package deal involving Charles using his personal wealth will ensure that his son's family wants for nothing in the way of material comfort. But as we know, in those circles, wanting for nothing in the way of material comfort can be a low bar when one is used to private planes, homes renovated to personal taste without laying out much oneself, items from one of the world's best personal art collections on the wall, and a constantly refurbished million-dollar wardrobe . . .

Of course, Harry's wife, wth her show biz contacts, will be well able to support him in the style to which he has become accustomed as soon as she gets her own talk show.

If Meghan gets her own talk show and sets up her own little thing, Harry's days as her husband are numbered. The marriage will end as soon as Meghan determines he's outlived his usefulness. She'll dump him for a major Hollywood player or tech billionaire who can continue to help her build her personal brand.

I agree with you, R102. If Meghan sets herself up with a talk show or gets a Real Housewives gig, Harry will be surplus to requirements. So basically if he’s still smitten with Svengali Markle when Hollywood falls at her feet, he will have to run back to the welcoming arms of the family she never had back in Old Blighty. What then becomes of Archie? And will the tech billionaires be interested in her if she hasn’t lost the weight and spread from baby Archie and perhaps the little embryo they’ve been cooking up at some fertility clinic in California or Toronto these last weeks? Oh the suspense, right? So when does the British taxpayer finally get a thank you from the duo in the form of a Christmas card with a full frontal picture of Archie on it somewhere among the gewgaws? The Cambs are out with theirs and the kids are charming and wholesome-looking.

The DM has a piece up today on just this theme: quoting Andrew Morton as stating in an innterview with Vanity Fair that Meghan was "clever" to invite the Clooneys and Oprah to her wedding, even though she hardly knew them, as these Hollywood heavy hitters later became her vocal defenders.

The article and Morton's interview is clearly meant to paint Meghan as using her wedding to "move up" in her personal celebrity status, remind the public that these people didn't give her the time of day before she married Harry, and implies that her real aim was never to become part of the boring BRF, but the world of jet-set celebrity.

It's classic DM shade, which they can't be sued for, as they are quoting Andrew Morton and his book.

"The Duchess of Sussex has been 'smart' to befriend high-powered celebrities because they have become her outspoken supporters, a royal expert has claimed.

Speaking to Vanity Fair, royal biographer Andrew Morton noted that Meghan, 38, invited stars like Oprah and George and Amal Clooney to her wedding to Prince Harry, 35, in May last year, despite not knowing them well.

Mr Morton said: 'Meghan is smart and she showed her purpose at her wedding by the people she invited.

'She invited people she didn't know well – Oprah, George and Amal Clooney the big Hollywood hitters.

'It was a clever move, because they are the ones who have stood up for her when she has been attacked.'"

ooohhh major shade.

If dear Meghan thought her lawsuit was going to change anything for her and force them to be nicer to her, she was sadly mistaken.

Oh, and the DM article also states that the Clooneys and Sussexes live 30 minutes apart and "are said to" exchange many visits and play dates amongst their children (despite the fact that the Clooney twins are two years old and Archie is only seven months old).

HAHA, R104 and R105, how interesting! The DM reminding the public that all Meghan's relationships are transactional, including invitations to HER wedding. Who could have guessed that at the time? No wonder Her Majesty wore a face of thunder on that occasion. Sunshine Sach's absurd efforts to link the Harkles with George and Amal (who, apparently is "obsessed" with Meghan, at least according to Radar Online, and sees her every time she CAN) and those silly play date reports and deals in the making with the heavy hitters of Hollywood do not seem to be fooling the DM or its readers, I suppose. Seems it was pretty stupid of the Harkles to wage war on the British media. And as for all the hounding of poor Meghan by the paps and the horrifying (to Harry) clicks of the cameras, no one ever seems to catch a glimpse of them. They are now virtually invisible, unless one follows their twitter feed, which I don't and don't know anyone who does. It will be SO interesting to see what they present to the world as their opening act after their six-week banishment ends.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Kate has landed the cover of People magazine.. I thought People was a wholly owned extension of Sunshine Sachs. Wasn't it People that published the article about Meghan's father and her "five friends," which launched her lawsuit against the Mail on Sunday? How did that happen? Woe, woe...

People using the Cambridges suggests that the Cambridges have a high Q rating and sell magazines. That's all the press cares about. It's why Diana was on so many covers. I remember reading once that any magazine which used her could expect a 20% jump in sales.

Prince Philip is in the hospital as a "precautionary measure" Buckingham Palace has announced.

We're going to lose Philip in 2020, I think.

I hope not, R110. Once Philip passes on, I fear the Queen will not be far behind. And that will finally be the end of a long era of Her Majesty's stable reign. Love them or not, one has to be awfully old to remember a time when they were not present in our lives. The change of the guard will be very interesting. We shall finally see whether Prince Philip's lack of confidence in his eldest son was warranted or not.

Philip was rushed to London after the Queen had set out for Sandringham by train.

If Philip doesn't make it through the holiday, the Sussex's arses will be grass for having skipped Balmoral during great-grandad's last summer and disappeared to pursue their own agenda in America in his last months.

Of course, the Christmas pap walk would be cancelled and Andrew would be off the hook.

Interesting, R112. Perhaps the Harkles are hotfooting it back to London to be at Grand-dad's bedside, just in case...

R113 - Although it would be a smart gesture theoretcially, the Sussexes probably would be advised not to do so in order to avoid arousing assumptions that Philip was at last circling the drain - unless called in by the doctors because it is that serious, rushing to Phil's bedisde would actually be irresponsible.

Which doesn't mean they're incapable of seizing an opportunity to grandstand.

And they should wait to see if HM has rushed back to London from Norfolk. Not to mention running into the rest of the family in the corridor . . . Edward and Sophie, Anne and Timothy, Andrew (good God, ANDREW!), the York princesses . . .

Can you imagine the scene in the hallway outside the DoE's hospital suite, with the Cambridges and the Sussexes on different benches, avoiding each other's eyes?

OMG, R114, what a vivid picture you paint! Yes, I CAN see it now. Something's got to give concerning the Harkles -- and soon. What did you think of Harry's Santa video performance yesterday? His eyes, poor guy, look rather dead. Are they doing fertility treatments in Toronto. or is Harry in rehab there? Or both? They don't seem to have been holed up with Oprah in LA nor at Doria's house -- with or without Dear Daddy.

I can't wait for the divorce. It will be nastier than Brangelina. These situations never end well.

First, before the divorce, will we get an official Christmas card? The Sussex sugars are clamoring and even begging! They've got nothing. Nothing to show for this Christmas season except for the scary Harry Santa video weirdness and a throwback to the fatback of the Meghan visit to the home for aged actors last year, with her comparison of herself to The Queen Mother!! Yikes, talk about seriously delusional people...and are they even together? And where's Archie? Yes, the divorce will be epic, R116. Can't happen soon enough.

R116, I hope the divorce is resolved quicker than Brangelina's was. When Meg's cut loose, for the sake of the nation I hope the lawyers can make quick work of her and the family can get Harry the help he obviously needs. Like them or not, the royals are a symbol of stability in a rapidly changing world, and nature will carry out changes to the family soon enough, sadly, I think.

If the BRF lawyers are smart (and I'm sure they are), they'll construct the divorce payout in installments contingent upon her signing an ironclad non-disclosure agreement and sticking to it. They may even let her keep the Meghan, Duchess of Sussex title if she plays nice. I mean, they let Fergie go by Sarah, Duchess of York. No way she'll keep the HRH, though.

Yes,, R119, the HRH; what a joke. What lengths the BRF went for Harry, and to avoid being labeled "racist." Meghan was oblivious to all the gifts and special privileges she could have taken advantage of to build a fabulous life within the BRF. Wasted on her.

Another blind

Early images of the Queen giving her recorded Christmas Day message have been released, along with a fews points she will make in the address - bumpy road for the nation and the BRF being the main referecnes.

But the really interesting point about the images, is that on the desk next to her are photos of her husband, her father, Charles and Camilla, and the Cambridges' Christmas card.

But no images of Meghan and Harry.

I find this extremely interesting - HM can have her pick of tens of thousands of photos of the Sussexes, which include her eigth great-grandchild.

They aren't there.

So the Sussexes didn’t make a Christmas card this year?

Here you go.

Thank, r123. Very on-brand for them.

Bless his little heart. I hope that blind is accurate, and they’re giving him a sibling. He’s gonna need one.

R123 = The Sussex Christmas card is out, actually. As expected, it's black and white, and shows Archie crawling toward the camera lens, with H&M in the background in front of a Christmas tree. Archie's eyes have darkened considerably and he looks noticeably more African than he did a couple of months ago.

When it comes to supporting the family or fulfilling their roles, the Sussexes aren't EVER there. I don't blame the Queen for not displaying a picture of them prominently.

If Meghan is working on getting pregnant, she's probably working with doctors to make sure the baby is a girl. No way she's putting her body through that again unless she can come out with a little Diana. Another boy would be no use at all, and this will almost certainly be her last pregnancy. It has to count.

The Queen also has 3 other kids and several other grand children. I doubt they're all pouting because their photos aren't on the desk.

They're very much emphasizing the whole "Monarchy continues on" theme by showcasing their solidity with having a ruling monarch and the next three monarchs in succession.

The Sussex Christmas card is hilarious. Harry all out of focus in the background - how life parallels art!

The card is really atrocious. They keep going for these black and white arty looks that are supposed to look natural but artistic when instead they loyok dreary and amateurish. The Sussexes always try too hard or not hard enough.

And there is something unintentionally hilarious about how Harry is the farthest back and least clearly seen,, while Archie and then Meghan take the stage.

Art imitating life.

Twitter link to this year’s Christmas message

R129 That's how you take a picture of a puppy.

R44 thé parent who worked, did so for what - seven years? Aside from bitsy jobs, it’s not a great track record. No wonder she never purchased property. I mean - by 36, she should have had it made, instead of having to tramp around London trying to accidentally meet up with Harry.

R133 - She apparently tramped around quite a few places trying accidentally to run into men who could bump her up the ladder on which she was having trouble getting past the bottom third rungs.

She was on the hunt for a high-profile British man before she met Harry. Once the Windsor card fell out of the deck, her real hunting skills were brought into play.

There was an interesting essay on Harrymarkle wordpress after H&M were booed at the Albert Hall last March (they were apparently booed at the Trooping the Colour, the visit to Ireland, and their visit to Sussex, all of which the media covered up) on the potential consequences of the monarchy, that is to say, the core senior BRF, reacting rather than acting in situations like the H&M one, and of taking a "wait and see approach". Excerpt below:

As public servants who live off the public purse surely the people have a right to say when they think the RF have crossed a line . . .

I do not seek or support a republic because:

The line of succession is very long It would not work in the UK It simply is not necessary

When I write about the fall of the monarchy, it’s to tell the RF advisors that they need to act and not react, and that the wait and see approach is not applicable in the fast, real time day of social media. The monarchy can lose popularity, and that is their fall from grace because they could have and can still prevent it, yet they persist on waiting. What they fail to realize is that people want action now, and quiet discord is what led to Brexit. People had been quietly tolerating things, but the government failed to act or react, and that is why the people voted for Brexit when they had a chance. The RF does not have the luxury of waiting because the Queen is old, and her reign may end with the monarchy at a low level of popularity. That is how history wil remember her as they look at the key moments, and the beginning and the end.

The RF, their advisors, and their PR need to face the fact that people have not bought the PR spin and fake news trying to paint a positive image of the Sussex Duo. People can see with their own eyes, and they can decide for themselves; deleting comments will not stop those views and trying to censor people leads to one conclusion and that is they are afraid and are trying to hide something."

R4 Harry is the Duke of Sussex. Andrew is Duke of York, which is why Sarah retains part of her title.

Did Andrew go to Christmas mass with the family? I saw Bea and Eugenie and Edo but not him.

Charles and Andrew attended an early service.

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I wonder what Charles and Andrew's relationship is like behind the scenes right now. They've never been close, from what I've read. Must be an odd dynamic at the moment, with one brother a figure of hate and ridicule and the other poised to become king in the next few years. Twenty years ago, Charles was strongly disliked and Andrew was largely under the radar.

Kate on the Hello cover.

I see what Kate was trying to do with that outfit, and she’s still gorgeously thin. But I do hate that texture+color of coat. Blegh.

Swipe for a forgotten royal relative - Lady Iris Mountbatten.

R140 - Charles and Andrew were never close, and in their salad days, Charles resented Andrew sex appeal and also disliked Andrew's wife, whom he thought a bad influence on Diana. Later on, Andrew resented Charles' children's increasing status as his own daughters receded in status, inevitably. Anne and Edward seem to have done far better in steering clear of the sibling mess, whatever their personal issues outside that may have been.

But as a now King Sooner Rather Than Later, and increasingly, Head of the Family as the Queen appears to be unable to enforce behaviour in members, Charles' likely awareness of family loyalty for the Greater Good trumps all else. He may despise Andrew's feckless behaviour, and think him a jackass, but letting his brother walk alone to Christmas services is too much.

In the same way, my guess is that however fond he is of his son, for the same reasons Charles will not be prepared to forget the stabs in the back of Harry and his wife with their terrible handling of the Africa tour, the Woe is Us documentary (which must have brought up shades of his late wife washing the family dirty linen in public to Charles), Meghan opening a press war, tacitly insulting the Queen and the rest of the family by suggesting the BRF are a bunch of cold-hearted bastards, and Meghan's camp of PR, particularly, continuing to leak negative stories about Kate and William during a time of family crisis.

I think Harry and Meghan will find, in the opposite direction from Andrew in his hour of need, that disloyalty to the institution and the family that gave H&M their privileges will trump parental feeling on Charles' part.

If Charles could walk Andrew, the brother he dislikes so much, to Christmas services after the Epstein debacle in the name of loyalty to the family and the institution, Charles can withdraw favour from the Sussexes for the same reason.

And that goes double for Williiam as he ascends inexorably in status and influence.

R141 - LOL, oh, Meghan won't like that cover OR the title "Royal Leading Ladies" that doesn't include her at ALL!!!

Expect the new photo of Archie on next week's cover with a story about the Return to Duty of Meghan and Harry.

R143 - Very interesting - thanks for posting. She looks like Ida Lupino.

After radio silence for weeks, I see the PR team for the Sussexes is slowly rolling out the 2020 initiative.

I read an article about the trademarks she’s applied to various products; “Royal Sussex”. She’s aiming to be the new Oprah.

Batten down the hatches, girls. The Sussexes are coming back with a vengeance.

If they ever need an actress to play Lady Iris, Jodie Comer would be perfect.

R143 - Lady Iris had a short, disastrous marriage. Swipe for details.

Well, they made a stunning couple. So much for appearances.

Well I wonder if Charles is thinking 'Thank God for Andrew. He makes even me look good.'

It's Tiara Time. Swipe for photos.

Kate turns 38 years old today and Kensington Palace released this new photo.

Kate driving to Kensington Palace for her birthday party. Prince Louis is in the background sucking his thumb.

Swipe for the life of Queen Anne.

The Prince of Wales has been announced as the first UK Patron of the International Rescue Committee, a charity that helps countries restore health, safety, education and economic well-being following conflict and disaster.

Zara and Mike Tindall continue to make appearances in Australia.

The actress has learned the lines you want to hear …

The Queen and Charles have sent condolences to Canada about the loss of life from the Ukrainian plane crash.

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R159, I thought you were going to say that they sent their condolences to Canada for Meghan and Harry, lol

The Queen's earring collection - Part Two.

William sends condolences to the Omani people on the death of the Sultan.

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The Queen is supposedly wearing a hearing aid.

R160, Mike's outfit is pretty iffy as well.

Martin Short on his night out drinking with Princess Margaret ...

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How does Harry and Meghan’s decision affect the monarchy? - BBC Newsnight

A measured ¡NON-HYSTERICAL! discussion.

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