Many of you are cancelling Robert Lacey and his book, Battle of Brothers: William and Harry – The Inside Story of a Family in Tumult. I think the book started out as something more interesting, like it was a more in-depth look at how Prince William and Prince Harry got to the place where they can barely stand the sight of each other. But Lacey’s promotion for the book has been so haphazard and he’s been talking out of both sides of his mouth, so I don’t know what to believe. I think he’s probably just a fussy old dude who recognizes that Meghan could have been great for the institution, but he mostly sees why the other fussy old dudes HATED her. Anyway, Us Weekly has a few stories from the book and Lacey’s promotional interview, so here are some highlights:
William hated the way Meghan & Harry announced Archie’s birth: “On the morning of 6 May [2019], Meghan was duly delivered of her delayed but healthy son, weighing in at 7lbs 3oz. Baby Archie had arrived with the dawn at 5.26 a.m., allowing grandmother Doria [Ragland] and the happy couple to return to Windsor with their precious cargo undetected.” It was not until eight hours later, however, that the royal family released a statement saying the Duchess of Sussex, now 39, “went into labor” with the Duke of Sussex, now 36, by her side. “Their stratagem was bolstered by Buckingham Palace’s putting out a strangely misleading statement at 2 p.m. that day saying that the Duchess of Sussex was just going into labour — when she had, in fact, been delivered of her new son eight hours earlier.” The confusion apparently struck a nerve with Harry’s big brother, Prince William, who “did not think too highly of Harry and Meghan’s ‘prima donna’ manoeuvres to conceal the birth of their son,” Lacey claims.
Harry hates the term “Megxit”: “Harry, of course, is on the record several times saying he does not like the term Megxit. He insists it was his decision, but it’s the advent of this dynamic, controversial woman who brings fresh dimensions to his life and a fresh look,” Lacey said. “Why should he play the second role to William all the time? That’s close to the roots of what went wrong in the split.”
Charles in Charge: “In the light of the rift, [William] and his father are much closer together. There are no more of these arguments. As for Harry, I would hope that the relationship between Harry and his father, which remains quite close and warm — as indeed is his relationship directly with the queen — that might be some way ahead for reconciliation,” he told Us. “I mean the obvious person to create or encourage your reconciliation is Charles. He hasn’t come into the picture so far as we know so far. It’s very interesting.”
William was openly disdainful of Charles: According to Lacey, William’s relationship with his father was strained during Charles and Diana’s tumultuous relationship. The author claims Charles’ eldest son felt “open disdain and aggression towards his father that has lasted to the present day.” William often sided with his mother prior to her 1997 death, per the book. “I hate you, Papa. I hate you so much,” he allegedly once screamed at his dad. “Why do you make Mummy cry all the time?”
Of course Harry hates the term “Megxit” – it was created by racists and trolls who attempted to bully Meghan out of the country long before the Sussexit announcement. Meghan got the blame for everything, and when Harry and Meghan announced that they were leaving, people still f–king blamed her. In retrospect, it’s even clearer that Harry was the one willing to walk away from absolutely everything. THAT is the root of all of this current drama. The media, the Windsors, the establishment, none of them can believe the fact that Harry left, that Harry chose his wife over his privilege.
As for William being mad about how Archie’s birth was announced and the fact that the palace lied in an official statement… sigh. Like, I remember that day and my perspective is that the Sussexes and their communications team absolutely could have handled that better, and handled it in such a way that no one would have to lie in an official statement. That’s a media/communications beef and that’s a conversation to have among press secretaries and offices. What I find startling is that William used that moment to be incandescent with rage at his brother and sister-in-law on the day they welcomed their first child. That is HIS problem, not a Sussex problem.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red.
William is a jackass. End of.
This 👆
The announcement about going into labour was designed to buy themselves one on one time with their newborn. It was smart. Archie will never be in the royal work house, Charles has made that clear, so why should they have to share his first moments?
Also, if the Sussexes weren’t leaning outwards, you better believe William would be grumbling about them just as his father grumbles about his siblings.
I agree. It not only bought them some time alone but it protected them and the hospital from being swarmed by media. The press and William didn’t like it but I think it worked for them and was probably an early indication that Harry and Meghan were thinking about leaving for quite awhile. William was pissed because he couldn’t get the money shot and the exclusive for the press.
That hospital step money shot would have been wielded as a weapon against them for all eternity. I rather like the cloak and dagger stuff surrounding the birth. That family has shown themselves to be like a nest of vipers.
With William, I think it’s a combination of a) wanting information to sell/trade to the press, and b) believing as the FFK he has the right to know (and have an opinion on?) everything.
@Windyriver – I do think its both A and B but I’m really starting to think that B plays a bigger part than maybe we realized. Like we’ve always said William wanted the power of being king without the work of it, but I really think that’s trickled through his whole life where he just feels like he’s already king in some ways. he and Harry are close enough in age that he can directly lord it over him – Charles and Anne were reportedly close growing up, and Anne probably never gave two craps about being the heir or not, and then Andrew was born when Charles was what, 10? So there’s enough of an age gap there that they didn’t run in the same circles and Andrew was close enough with his mother, the actual monarch, that he didn’t need to go to Charles for anything. Well Harry doesn’t need to go to William for anything but William has apparently convinced the whole family that he calls the shots.
There was no need to lie about Archie’s birth. They could have issued an announcement when they were ready. This was an unforced error.
The Queen was also sleeping wasnt she? I read that they needed to inform her first.
This is how misinformation works. Again nobody lied- the announcement didn’t say she was going into labour. It said& as was widely reported at the time “The duchess went into labour in the early hours of the morning. The Duke of Sussex was by her side.“ A follow up comms then announced the birth.
I agree there was no need for two announcements& the first one should have just said it all. But there was no lie.
And as for William allegedly being upset etc about how the birth was announced I think as per that Times Shipman article he is taking it seriously that he is going to be king& I wonder if he wasn’t told about the birth the same time as the Queen.
I agree with some below that he’s given a preview of how he would manage when he’s top boss& yikes does he seem a micro manager. But given the Queen ordered Charles/Diana, Andrew/Fergie to divorce despite some involved parties allegedly not wanting that- micro managing part of your family’s personal affairs must seem part of the nature of the job. A messed up institution.
@Becks1 thanks for clarification re Lacey’s book.
She had someone roll up to her baby shower to rip off the “fake bump”. Why on earth would they want to broadcast where they were whilst in labor and delivery???
Exactly.
There were even people saying they wanted to go there and stab a knife into her “fake bump” just to prove it wasn’t real. How does anyone not see why they took such drastic measures??
Whoa. Seriously? So somebody actually came to her baby shower to rip off her “fate bump”? This is the british media’s fault for inciting this type of violence.
If the statement came from BP, wouldn’t it have to be approved by the queen? So it sounds more like Will questioning her decisions than H&M’s, which is pretty nervy of him.
He already snubbed the Queen’s invitation to lunch because he was so incandescent with rage at Harry.
This is another one of those tabloid-trash absurdities–if Meghan had presented her child, they would have slammed her for being attention-hungry, but oh how much angrier when they were circumvented. Lol. Fools.
My thought too. They would have said ‘Who does she think she is, Catherine is the FFQC not Meghan’.
I actually disagree. If they had arrived at home, and then made the announcement of going into labor that was disingenuous and an outright lie. The should have just issued a statement that Archie was born at X time and the family was resting comfortably at home.
I don’t see the need for the media to know when anyone went into labor. And it begs the question of what to do if the birth becomes a problem for child or mother. Simply state when the kid was born 8-10 hours later and let the family rest in privacy.
To be clear, I also disagree with showing off the baby as you exit the hospital for heir or spare. The whole thing is trashy 1950’s, let me show you my womb works and I fulfilled my destiny as a broodmare.
Agree with this ^^ They shouldn’t have lied – it erodes trust (and at the time they were public/leadership figures). I think they should’ve gone home, enjoyed some peace and baby time, then put out a statement much later that the child was born, etc. While I consider it a rare misstep, it certainly doesn’t merit a hissy fit or anyone being “incandescent with rage”. That’s just childish.
It goes back much further than the 50’s. Royal births were always attended by everyone and their dog to prevent any question that the heirs may not be the heirs. Giving birth in the hospital and then displaying the baby on the steps is just a modernization of this custom.
The announcement didn’t buy them time. They were already back at Frogmore before the announcement came out. So, they were already safe. There was no need for a statement and I’m not sure what BP was thinking.
@Ainsley I agree with you and @Mac above that this was kind of an unforced error – I think someone was trying to be too literal maybe? like “we said we would announce when she was in labor but we couldn’t bc it was the MOTN and the queen was sleeping but we can announce it now even though she has had the baby!” it was kind of a stupid move but it was BP’s move, since the announcement came out on BP letterhead. Maybe the Sussexes just wanted to announce it and BP said to hold off for the labor announcement?
EXACTLY.
@ainsley and @mac I think they made the right choice that was best for them. I would have done what they did
What I don’t understand is the misplaced anger. It was Buckingham palace that issued the false statement not Harry and Meghan. We know they issue their personal statements via Instagram. Isn’t it far more likely the palace staff either didn’t know what was happening or sat on the going into labour statement too long that it because out of date? We are supposed to buy that this was the one time palace staff did as asked and released the exact statement Harry and Meghan wanted at the exact time they wanted? That seems u likely.
Was William ever not angry? Every time he’s incandescent with rage. Clearly he didn’t support or help Harry and Meghan at all. He even used the birth of his nephew as a reason to rage. And since when has William ever cared about being courteous to the press?
Can you imagine giving birth and having to deal with your tantruming BiL who thinks it’s all about him?
Look at that picture of the Queen, Charles, Camilla, and the Cambridges. They look like they were brought down from an attic to be put on display.
“…brought down from an attic to be put on display.” Beautiful! So perfectly describes the look of them there. I want to run and get a feather duster to dust the five of them off!
William has to be one of the most miserable human being in the history of mankind. Imagine with all his privilege spending that much energy to hate someone of your own family, who hasn’t done anything to you. I don’t even how it’s of his business how Meghan and Harry choose to announce the birth of his child.
I just watched a 2016 film on PBS called “Royal Wives at War,” a dramatization of the war between the Queen Mum and Wallis Simpson. It starred Emma Davies as the QM, and the glorious Gina McKee as Wallis. My God, it was like reading the garbage from the RRs today – Wallis was the upstart American divorcee who held King Edward “in thrall,” who had “bewitched” him, who was not “the kind of woman” who should be royal. It portrayed Edward as the weakling he was, but it also portrayed the QM as a steely snob beneath the fluff, who talked constantly of duty and propriety. It also showed how she was the one who demanded that Wallis be denied the HRH, and even went so far as to write to officials in the Bahamas, demanding that no one curtsey to Wallis when Edward became the Governor General there in 1940. One of the biggest themes was that Edward “abandoned” his people and the throne, and let down the entire establishment when he abdicated. By saying that they looked like they came down from the attic, it shows perfectly that nothing has changed in that family. They still hearken back to the 1930s in their opinions, and nothing has changed. They disdain Meghan and Harry the same way they did Edward and Wallis, and that Commonwealth church service laid them bare before the entire world. This is nothing new for them, and nothing will ever change, no matter how many young royals they try to push onto the public.
The thing is the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were Nazis and sent off to the Bahamas to keep them out of trouble. The QM was a jealous and petty woman but she did have a point on this occasion.
@Kalana (response to my comment since there’s no reply option under yours). You are absolutely right about the D&D of Windsor being Nazi sympathizers and being exiled to the Bahamas. They were reprehensible for thinking the Nazis were on the right side of the war. I probably didn’t explain it well. In that situation, rendering them honors like curtsies would have been beyond the pale. I honestly think, though, that the QM would have done whatever she could to make their lives miserable, war or no war. In a way, I can see her influence on William to this day – his rage at H&M leaving, his retribution by briefing against them, his determination to control them – that has the QM’s fingerprints all over it. Duty, duty, duty above all else…she would have pounded that into his head from a young age. He certainly seems to have inherited the Windsor trait of pettiness.
@Babz. Oh absolutely, she would have hated them no matter what. She was a very unpleasant woman.
Her favoring the heir over the spare has also left lasting damage. She did the the same thing with Charles who adored her so maybe he finds it hard to step in with William and Harry because that would be an indirect criticism of his own granny. Similar to his horrific support of a pedophile seeing as Louis Mountbatten was also one.
That’s really interesting, and maybe gives us some insight into what would have happened to Meghan and Harry if they had decided on the “half in, half out” option – which is why I never thought it would work.
It also presents a useful contrast, I think – Edward did abdicate his duty, but then didn’t seem to want to deal with the fallout of that. He wanted the privileges and trappings without the work, which is why I think he’s a more useful comparison with William!
I don’t get the impression Harry longs for his old life, so even the petty indignities perpetuated by the palace (stripping titles etc) don’t have the intended effect. It’s like they tried to apply the same playbook they used for the Duke of Windsor but are still baffled that it’s not working.
Okay so I’m just over 200 pages into the book, and its…..interesting. I feel like Lacey had more sources in William’s camp than Harry’s, because the childhood discussion focuses mostly on William and the quotes and stories are clearly designed to paint William in a good light. But there’s still something off in the book about William. Like, the whole thing about how “being future king gave him strength” that we talked about the other day – the next line says that’s because William was looking forward to having the authority that his grandmother and father had. Not because it gave him purpose, or because he wanted to be a good leader, no – he wanted the authority and the power, at least within the family. There is also a very interesting anti-Diana slant while Charles gets a pretty big pass.
But I feel like there is a lot of snark and there is a lot left unsaid. The part about why William was so ticked off about the birth plan and the announcement of Archie’s birth? Lacey dates it back to the Glorious Revolution and the last Stuart king and warming pans and the birth needing to be witnessed and so on. There aren’t government officials at royal births anymore so presenting the baby (never mind that Diana was the first one to do it) is the next best thing. This was a tradition that William took seriously but maybe Harry was just unaware of its importance.
Reader, I laughed. I feel like he was just poking fun at William with that whole chapter. so on its face theres a lot that is supposed to make William look good, but I really think a lot is purposely left unsaid. the whole chapter about Party Pieces is just snarky.
An interesting take, Becks1! Makes me want to read the book!
Interesting. I know some of us (including myself) theorised that CH courtiers/Charles himself or something might be behind this book. If the book has an anti-Diana slant, gives Charles a free pass and is snarky towards the Midds (Charles isn’t a big fan of them apparently), we may be onto something. I also suspect that a lot of things were taken out by legal and Lacey’s next best thing was to compliment William on the surface but still want to keep the “true” picture going which could explain why you feel it’s not too complimentary towards William when you go beyond the surface.
Yeah, the Charles stuff is interesting (again, I’m about 200 pages in, I haven’t gotten to Sussexit yet, I’ve heard its very anti-Sussex at that point but I’m not there yet.) He definitely includes the sordid details (including the transcript of tampon-gate), but then kind of pivots to “but WAIT, look what DIANA did!! See how DIANA’S actions affected William!!!!”
There are definitely a lot of well-aimed barbs re: Kate’s appearance at the fashion show, her choice of St. Andrews, her lack of a career, and the Middleton’s social climbing.
@Sofia, I dunno. Charles-friendly literature tends to have a very…noticeable style to it, if that makes sense? You can read it and tell Charles had a hand in shaping the narrative at play. He seems like someone who takes posterity very seriously, and anything that’s friendly to him always comes off as so earnest in explaining why he is the way he is and how he always has the best of intentions.
I haven’t read the book myself, so I obviously don’t know how it’s written in there. But there’s a difference, to me anyway, between an author giving Charles a pass, and an author advocating for Charles’ side of the issue. I think a lot of the establishment didn’t like Diana, and Robert Lacey is just about as establishment as it can get.
Anyway, the warming pan stuff is funny. I’m sure William knows all about the excuse, but I doubt he really gives a fuck.
@Becks: I also do agree with the idea that this book could have been like the Tatler article but in book form. BP/KP/CH are told Robert Lacey is writing a book and no-one is super concerned because he’s a white, british 70 something year old male in comparison to a non-white, american, young male like Omid so sources are given the okay to talk just like they were in the Tatler article. Except, just like the article, it goes sideways a bit with some people, specifically CH people and aristos, speaking against William (aristos getting involved also explains the heavy anti-Sussex slant that occurs). Explains why it might read like the Catherine the Great article to some people.
@A: It makes sense, don’t worry. While I don’t think Charles got his friends or something to specifically talk to Lacey, I can see him going “If Robert Lacey comes around and he asks you some questions, I would not hate it if you talked to him about Diana and her issues”. Like Charles isn’t/didn’t actively seek Lacey out but gave “permission” if people did say a few things.
@A and @Becks: other thing that came to me was that it could be that Charles heard things weren’t looking too good for him in the book so had people try and “correct” some thing. So Charles was never outright involved but did try to steer the book away from him. Hence the whole “Yes Charles is bad but Diana is worse!” – his way of doing corrections.
Well, in my opinion, everyone is looking bad in this book. Maybe the Queen and Prince Philip, and Will got a pass to some extent. I think I’ve already described my impression from the book:
Diana was neurotic, not good mother and the was embarrassment for Royal Family and for her children. Charles was adulterer and bad father and was the embarrassment for Royal Family and for his children. The part about Camilla I’ll skip. Kate was the stalker but now she is improving in her role. The part about Middltons was snarky, IMO: simple family wanted to succeed: money, social climbers. Meghan is pushy American and too difficult for Royal Family, and wanted wrong Tiara and made Kate cry (Yes he wrote about this too). Harry is weak and was casted like scapegoat by the press from youth in spite of him being just naughty and not so bad.
Actually, Wills is portrayed like the only real Royal there. Yes, he is incandescent with rage from time to time but it’s because he cares for his future Kingdom. His rage towards Meghan is justified because she edited Vogue the wrong way, and didn’t show Archie right after birth and decided to have birth in posh American Hospital, and didn’t reveal Archie godparents, etc. Oh, and Edward Young – old-fashioned courtier with the personality of clerk who couldn’t stand Meghan and who is to blame for the “disastrous” results of negotiations.
And now everything depends on Will, only he can “save the Kingdom” and get the “prodigal son” Harry home.
(I was snarky here)
The business about the warming pans and the Glorious Revolution comes up in the Lady Colin Campbell book as well, and she goes a step further and explores the constitutional impact of Harry and Meghan’s approach… which is fine, but Harry’s not the heir: William is. I know people are cancelling Lacey and Campbell but really, read their books if you want a clear picture of the Establishment/aristocracy/Toff point of view.
I would have agreed once upon a time but real toffs don’t care one jot for rules. They only care for rules if they can use them against outsiders or those they consider the lower classes to keep them in their place.
Campbell is also someone who said the girls Epstein isn’t a paedophile because “soliciting prostitution from minors is not the same as paedophilia”. Not to mention her book mentions that dumb fake bump rumour and is just generally clocked filled with Megxit conspiracies.
She’s nothing more than someone who’s clinging onto a title gained from a 14 month marriage 45 years ago and calls herself an “expert” because she wrote 1 accurate book almost 30 years ago. If you like/believe what she’s writing fine and put money into the pocket of a woman like her you do you.
@Prairiegirl – You said exactly what I been saying about Lady Colin Campbell’s book from the beginning. Her books give a great view on how the the British Aristocracy views itself, views the British Monarchy and all outsiders not aristocratic or royal.
@BTB, yes I remember you making this point. I find the reaction to my comment above (and to your comments sometimes) to be quite bizarre. People don’t need to like or support messengers like Lacey or Campbell, but folk should recognize that the truth is never black and white but somewhere in between, a shade of grey. If one won’t read all the sources, pro or con, how can one even begin to get to the truth? The aristocracy doesn’t care what people on this website, or any other, have to say about H&M…or anything else!
@Prairiegirl, is it the aristocracy/toff point of view though? I always feel like the reason they provide such excuses is because they know, deep down, just how many of these traditions are truly absurd. But they adhere to them, because they want to stick to the trappings of their position in an effort to protect the position itself. In order to do that, you have to come up with reasons for why you deserve to be there in the first place.
Why do you deserve to have such a fuss made about the birth of your child? Well, you see, it all goes back to the Glorious Revolution, and it’s got to do with the constitution…that sounds a lot better than saying, “Well, I was born into this position, I believe wholeheartedly that I am, in fact, better than you, by virtue of where I was born in this life, a fact that had nothing to do with my own merits. I’m going to cite historical precedent for this, because citing such things as history and tradition tends to make people feel better, feel like they belong to a storied tradition somehow.” Because admitting otherwise would essentially mean that well, they really don’t need any of this attention at all–because they’re really just not this important, and nothing about their birth warrants this sort of attention in the slightest. It literally is just another baby, like any other who are born all around the world. And then what would that thought process lead to?
I don’t think it’s the aristocratic point of view, as much as it is the aristocratic attempt to create a narrative around these circumstances to continue to justify their privilege. Showing off their babies gets them good publicity–it certainly got William good publicity, and it still does, everyone likes kids. And the royal family has to get that publicity, don’t they? But again, that level of honesty is probably not fun for anyone to think about.
There’s a difference between not liking someone and not liking someone because they don’t think Epstein is a pedophile.
Just say you want to give your money to someone like that and go. No need to act like people are “bizarrely” attacking you.
@A – every country maintains its own mythology. We in North America can question the role of the UK monarchy and its weird machinations but our view isn’t going to move the needle over there any more than their views about the US electoral college make a difference to Americans. I guess my point is, it’s useful to keep an eye on the Establishment point of view as a barometer of how this whole saga plays out and whether or not there’s appetite for government reform as a result.
@Sofia – eyeroll – your opinion is duly noted. Have a nice day.
The “ Establishment/aristocracy/Toff point of view” is total bullshit though!
The glorious revolution, so called, was in 1688! I personally don’t want to go backward or live in the past. And I don’t need to read some rich old white woman, “Lady Colin” who clings with all her might to a very minor title from a marriage that ended decades ago, to know the British establishment is racist and imperialist.
Seems like BS by Lacey&Lady CC . By the time the Queen had Prince Charles at BP it was agreed to just have a medical team present (ending the custom of a govt official etc being present as a witness) & I believe a picture of Charles wasn’t released until a month later. Doubt they think the Queen’s approach was wrong so…
The hospital photocall is a recent tradition& only really serves the press& for easy feel good PR for the Firm which seems only ‘reasonable’ explanation for why people in the Firm might have being upset about Sussexes decision not to do it. And let’s not pretend toffs are total stickler for rules- they evade them all the time when suits them- Mary Springfield & Barnard Castle springs to mind.
I looked back at BP’s announcement- nobody lied – it said “ The duchess went into labour in the early hours of the morning. The Duke of Sussex was by her side.“ Royal reporters even said given the past tense of the announcement they expected an imminent announcement about the birth which did follow shortly after.
BP shouldn’t have bothered with two announcements& better still would have been better if only comms was Harry’s interview. But given Sara Latham reported to the Queen’s head of comms & no suggestion Sara disobeyed instructions, issues with comms is a BP thing which Lacey (and William) should know.
@ABritGuest – to be clear, the Lacey book is very clear that the whole “government official witnessing the birth” was done by the time
charles was born, which sort of renders the whole pages about the warming pan…..useless. To me it read as someone from camp Cambridge said “of course William had a vested interest in the public seeing the baby ASAP!! So it couldn’t be switched!!!! Constitution!!! Tradition!!!!” But Lacey is like……sooo…..that’s not really a thing. Like I said though, he doesn’t come out and say that, I just feel like it’s written between the lines.
‘… the truth is never black and white but somewhere in between, a shade of grey.’ More to the point in this case- if you have the truth on one side and a lie on the other, and try to meet in the middle, you still end up with a lie.
Elizabeth Regina- Exactly. The true sign of social power is being able to ignore the rules.
Oh purlease. The book makes William look like a total control freak. His childhood nickname was supposedly Billy the Basher and it looks like he is continuing to bash his was through life without much success. He can only operate through his positional power. But what he craves for is the kind of influence on people’s affections that money or position cannot buy.
I definitely think it makes him look like a control freak, but in a very weird way. Like it talks about him being Billy the Basher but then says how he grew up and matured and his personality changed etc – and then mentions how his personality was still the same as when he was a child (so which is it, Lacey?) That’s why I said I think it’s interesting and partly reminds me of the Tatler article. There’s a lot that goes unsaid that I think people will miss if they only take it at face value.
@Becks1, it feels to me, and I’m just going off what you’re saying here, that there is something of a careful attempt being made here to make William look good. “Oh, he has anger issues, BUT he grew up and matured and his personality changed. But his personality is still what it was when he was a child!”
I mean, fwiw, I don’t think those two things are irreconcilable. Your personality can stay the same, you just get better at managing those things as you grow older. But the core of it doesn’t go away. Again, I haven’t read the book, so I don’t know what’s really being said here to make an assessment.
I bet you money William has no fucking clue about that bed pan story. Besides Harry’s child is not in the direct line of the succession since William has three kids of his own so if he did get upset about how Harry handled the birth announcement of his own child he can fuck off forever. That’s being a control freak to a dangerous degree.
Also, a big reason for the delay in announcing is that the Queen needed to be told before they could go public and she wasn’t up at 5:30 am. She’s an old lady and likely wasn’t even up until 8:30am. And the rest was them looking for more time on their own since it was such a damn circus already.
He brought up the warming pan incident? Lol! Do any of these people know that we have DNA tests nowadays to confirm these kinds of things?
Heh heh. He had to show his bona fides as a ‘historian,’ don’t y’know.
That whole warming pan and witness thing is ridiculous, especially with hospital records and DNA tests. A whole medical team is there to witness the birth. Based on the crazy headlines up until the birth, they really wanted a hospital photocall and are pissed they didn’t get it. Also, Sara Latham issued a written response regarding the birth announcement and timing, but that isn’t mentioned in this excerpt. I wonder if some of the secrecy was for security, whether they got all kinds of crazy threats.
Another detail that is wrong from Lacey which he could have done simple fact check for: the birth announcement said Meghan WENT into labour in the early am. Which was not a lie.
Sussexes had said details of birth would be private and they should have kept it that way with no announcements to the media at all except Harry’s when he did that little press conference. I imagine the media pressured BP for more comms which is probably how the birth announcement thing became a big conflict anyway. I bet that was an area where courtiers clashed with the Sussexes over their advice.
Why is William & not the Queen& Charles always being reported as being so upset over details like birth announcements, godparents? I hear William is an atheist so I doubt he cares that much about Christian sponsors of Archie (and certainly not getting a sense he has a real duty of care towards Archie at all) & (understandably) he& Kate delayed birth announcement of George to give them time to settle a bit and ensure family were informed first.
I’m beginning to wonder if KP were under pressure from media for details about the Sussexes. Like with Vogue- some press claimed it would be a Frogmore shoot with Meghan. Did they get that info from inside the Firm & then start the furore partly because they were fed bad info? Think some press have an obsession with seeing inside Frogmore which is why they had drones over it & some commentators wanted it given to a York sister.
Oh, I absolutely agree that they’re obsessed with seeing Frogmore. They planned on getting reams of articles out of mocking her taste, however good it might be, and inflating the price of everything.
Had the Rose rumors already started at this point? But I guess that affair, or another one, could have been going on long before we heard of it.
Apparently it was agreed that the Palace would announce when Meghan went into labour. This was probably due to pressure from the press. But, I suspect that Harry was never on board with that so when the time came he just didn’t tell anybody.
Wasn’t Archie born at 5AM or something? If they had announced the moment Meghan went into labour, which was most likely late at night, we would have heard lots of press grumblings about how “diva Meghan” couldn’t wait until the morning and how their precious sleep has been impacted.
I think the key point is that the announcements were handled by Buckingham Palace. Family members are traditionally required to notify the Queen first, and then she decides when to release information to the press. This was likely another example of her aides being mulish and uncooperative with the Sussexes. They decided (correctly, IMO) not to wake the queen with the news, and then buried the official announcements in her afternoon paperwork (I think the news about the labor and birth were nearly simultaneous).
That’s my recollection, too. There was no lie but it was also not clear that the baby had already been delivered.
Knowing what we do about the courtiers having issues with Meghan for existing, maybe the weird press release was a game on their part? BP released the statement and could have provided confirmation of the birth once the Queen was told. But they didn’t, so really that’s on them.
In any case, this is all so meaningless and just shows how pointless that entire family is. If William did get upset over how a nephew he has never mentioned by name in public had his birth announced, then he clearly does not have enough actual work to do. Only media people got upset.
The Sussexes didn’t lie though. The official statement said Meghan went into labor early morning and that was it. It was brilliantly worded IMO. The labor was handled perfectly from the perspective of first-time parents who wanted privacy and safety during a emotional event.
The press is just angry they didn’t get pap shots of Meghan en route, entering and exiting the hospital.
Exactly, Aurora. Considering the amount of scary people who wished them I’ll, they couldn’t have done anything differently. Plus, you know William would have been just as crusty had they had Meghan appear before the press perfectly coiffed and presented their son to the press, as he would fret about them being more glamorous or more popular. There’s literally nothing they could do where William wouldn’t be a jackass, because…he’s a jackass.
One of her biggest haters, one who traveled across the pond to scream at her outside her hotel for the baby shower? She showed up the day Archie was born, wandering around Windsor, taking pictures of Frogmore, and showing how dangerously close she could get.
I have my doubts about Harry and Charles’ relationship. If he didn’t actively participate in the smear campaign, he was complicit and Clarence House was definitely briefing against Harry and Meghan after they left.
Maybe Lacey’s source is Charles. Why the weird lie about Charles and Camilla visiting within hours of Archie’s birth? Charles does love using books to get his version of things out.
I think William and Charles were sources for this book.
Omid said during his promotion for FF that Harry/Meghan/Archie were doing Zoom calls with Charles and Camilla.
I don’t think Charles was against Harry marrying Meghan, and likes her personally. And, he helped Harry and Meghan split from KP and the original Fab Four foundation when that became seriously problematic.
If briefings against them did also come from CH, maybe Harry recognizes that Will really is the main instigator behind everything – and/or, that it’s still important for Archie to have a relationship with at least one of his grandfathers.
I think Harry expected the few leaks that came from Clarence House and might have considered them par for the course in the backstabbing world of the Firm. So while he probably didn’t love them, he understands how the game is played. But the leaks from KP crossed the line and changed the rules of the game.
Clarence House was telling the press that he was helping pay for Harry and Meghan’s security after they left and for their new house. These were found to be untrue. Charles is not innocent in this whole saga.
@windyriver I agree.
I think H&M (and more so their advisors) would have been well aware of their star power and what that likely meant. Like any corporation there is a certain amount of ‘office politics’ you learn to deal with. Granted that within the BRF that would be on a more Game of Thrones level, but I do think M&H were ready for the everyday garden variety jealousy stuff.
Rather, what Meghan took issue with was the unfairness of how she was treated in comparison to other Royal wives. A point she made very clear during the Africa tour interview. I think it’s a travesty how Frogmore was turned into some national tragedy when you consider that in the same period The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester spent over £1 million renovating a property just moments away from their existing one. And then the UK essentially bullied the black princess into paying for her home to differentiate her from every other bride.
Every black employee can empathise with Meghan. That moment when you know you’re not equal. Earlier this year when people were asked to work from home a friend of mine was asked by her manager to buy a laptop as she didn’t want to use her own device due to software that she would be required to install. He made it seem as if that were policy. She obliged thinking she would continue to use it for home working. Two weeks later he then ordered new laptops on the company tab for two other colleagues. She had to then go to the head of her team before she was allowed to get a full refund for the laptop and he was actively obstructive during the whole process.
This process then repeated itself when she needed to buy screens, an office chair etc etc. At some point she realised that she was being black taxed. I think people don’t realise that the courtiers in the palace are more steeped in the old days than any other institution. Meg was up against it from day 1 and we have now all seen the outcome of being an outsider.
So to bring it all full circle, I think this is what this book is partially about i.e. rebutting the presumption of racism or any other prejudices that drove the Sussexes out. Notice how the book gives to Meghan with one hand i.e admits the courtiers, Bill and even Betty fumbled the bag and then with the next hand takes away i.e. Meg was full of herself and needed too much attention.
Racism is vehemently denied and that is key from a diplomatic standpoint.
@Mignionette – Interesting, and depressing, analysis.
Re: the Frogmore reference – the July Tatler issue about Kate had other curious snark besides what CB’s mentioned. A table, “Kate by Numbers”, has two notable entries: 1) “4 – private flights taken on honeymoon to the Seychelles in 2011”; and 2) “4.5 million pounds – The cost for the refurbishment of Apartment 1A of Kensington Palace, begun in 2011 (2.1 million pounds more than Frogmore Cottage for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2019).”
Note – with inflation, it would be 5.3 million for KP vs. 2.1 million for Frogmore, in 2019 money. Including the private flights entry would seem odd if you didn’t know about the Cambridge’s FlyBe stunt. Tatler doesn’t even like Meghan, but was aware of the inequality in how the couples were portrayed. So, people saw it, just didn’t bother to say anything.
As Diana suffered because of Charles’ insecurities, Meghan (and Harry) would always suffer from Will’s and Kate’s. Those two never would’ve accepted anyone who 1) worked harder than them; 2) was more popular (pretty, fashionable) than them; and 3) diminished Will’s influence/control over Harry. That racism was a factor in how Meghan was treated/portrayed, and one weapon used to try to separate her from Harry, is clear. If Meghan were white, would she have had more support within the institution, instead of people who “didn’t like/trust her, I don’t know why”? Ultimately though, someone with her qualities would never have thrived in that institution, and Harry, if he stayed, married or not, would always have been unhappy – because William’s a controlling SOB who insists on the spotlight.
A question I have is, by letting their racist (and other hate-filled) flag fly (and I include involving the Markles), have the RF once again inadvertently shot themselves in the foot? Did they ensure Harry and Meghan have the global support they might not have had otherwise, which gave them the confidence to walk away, and now enables them to be successful on their own? I begin to think so. And how ironic.
Harry getting married, and to an attractive, dynamic, biracial woman, reignited dormant interest in the royals. The RF and BM made sure everyone was watching; Charles walked her down the aisle, TQ did her train trip. And people continued to watch. Those with toxic, dysfunctional families understood Meghan’s situation with Tom/Sam. POC saw their experiences reflected in what Meghan was subject to. And people stood up for her and for them, coming to their defense on social media, supporting charities they highlight, contributing to birthday initiatives, etc.
The ones that don’t seem to get this – RF, BM – are the ones responsible for it all. That’s why Will thinks doing an intro to some cookbook, and Kate thinks wearing delicate jewelry and a black suit, will result in the same interest and popularity. I’d almost feel sorry for all of them, except I know they’re all too safely ensconced in their ‘ivory towers’ of status and privilege (see previous Lacey post) to care.
William and Kate refused to reveal the due date for any of their pregnancies, creating a 2 week spectacle of the media baking outside the lindo wing steps in a July heatwave for the birth of George. William and Kate have also never announced she was in labor. William and Kate waited hours before announcing George’s birth but did the waiting part from the hospital room. Is he kidding? So what is this about then? Letting the media take photos of your swollen post partum wife and your newborn. The decision by them to not end the lindo wing steps extravaganza (the queen disappeared months before she gave birth in all her pregnancies and re-emerged months after giving birth) is the most backwards and retrograde of all of their decisions. It was the moment that signified William had dropped the brothers’ commitment to reforming the media relationship and would just go along.
The birth announcement, like the Crown Jewels and Archie’s godparents has NOTHING to do with William. There was no reason to concern himself with that. It’s becoming obvious that he would’ve micromanaged H&M’s lives if they had stayed and I’m all the more glad they got out.
As for the birth announcement, it was fine. No one was lied to despite what the media likes to say. The statement said she was in labor that morning which she was. They’re just mad they missed out on a check. If they had announced right then that she was in labor it would’ve been a huge security fiasco adding stress to Meghan and Harry.
William’s apparent need to micro-manage his adult brother’s life borders on the pathological.
If the media is accurate about William being this controlling then it’s good Harry has left now so he can set up his own life prior to the control freak being monarch. William already throws his power around with the media by imposing blackouts over affairs and other things they only whisper about. Just how bad will he be as monarch?
It does not portend well if he really is this angry all the time.
I think it was more of a case that he couldn’t leak anything about the birth plans in order to keep the press beast happy to stop them reporting on his Rose bush trimming.
At this points it obvious that ALL the leaks about the Sussex’s were coming from the Cambridges.
I think Bill’s controlling behaviour was about setting the tone for the furture and brining Meghan to ‘heel’ so to speak.
H&M recieved the message lound and clear and saw a vision of their future. The decision to leave was the best one. I can’t imagine how humiliating it would be for Meghan to have to justify as a middle aged woman of the future line by line every item of spending.
The BRF really need to overhaul their system. They are funded by the taxpayers as powerless figureheads so that needs to be reflected in how they are run and managed.
They either continue to openly admit the ordained by God bull crap or finally admit that they’re just an upmarket version of benefits street, because the jig is up.
I agree. William’s rage when Harry doesn’t act as he wishes is a hugh problem.
There are cracks though as we really only heard about this rage starting when Harry and Meghan announced public ally they wanted to step back. Now we are leaning a lot more like this item and that Camilla was horrified by his temper. People are turning on William and leaking the stories.
I agree that Will went rage monster because he was planning on feeding exclusives to the press (payment was due), maybe even a photographer was poised to get a photo of the new happy family returning to Windsor. Will is selfish and his anger rears when he feels he is personally being disrespected or outsmarted. And he’s not angry about H&M breaking protocol, because his press goons will just write another article screaming about breaking protocol. No, anger over the announcement was really anger over Will missing an opportunity for his quid pro quo with his press blackmailer/s.
It’s good they got out when they did and that they protected Archie in the process. I shudder to think the kind of life he would have had under King William. William seems like an overly controlling person, a terrible trait in a monarch.
But Archie is not William’s son nor is he the heir or son of the heir so quite frankly, it’s none of his business. If William wanted/liked the whole Lindo thing and it’s expected or whatever for him to do it that’s fine. But Archie is the son of the second born so surely that warrants less of a media spectacle in the first place? Besides, even if they went for Lindo then they would have been accused of media hungry and overinflating their importance and “Who do they think they are? They’re not the heir and his wife” – Damned if they do, damned if they don’t.
PS: Portland Hospital is also the place of birth of William’s own royal cousins: Beatrice and Eugenie. His second cousins aka Margaret’s grandchildren were also all born at Portland. William’s own cousin-in-law Edo too was born there.
Completely agree about damned if they do, damned if they don’t. If they had presented Archie on the hospital steps shortly after the birth, they would have been accused of being fame whores and “who do you think you are, you aren’t that important.” and when they didn’t, it was THEY’RE HIDING SOMETHING!! WE DESERVE TO SEE THE BABY!!
Frankly, I doubt H&M ever would have done the Lindo wing type of thing (whether at Lindo or Portland etc), but its clear they were definitely not going to do it after the way the press treated Meghan during her pregnancy. No, you don’t get your money shot after that.
Does William do anything besides meddle in Harry’s life? I’ve never heard of someone being that concerned with their adult brother’s relationship and family decisions. Since Williams is not king yet he can’t even use being Harry’s boss as an excuse.
Given what we now know, we can definitely imagine what life would have been like for H&M if King William were their boss. The horror.
If William had anything meaningful or constructive going on in his life he wouldn’t have time to meddle in Harry’s. Because he has a bunch of “make-work“ projects that he’s not invested in or passionate about, he’s mad that his brother is making a life of his own. You would think that someone who is behind the “biggest environmental prize ever, ever, ever!” would be to busy to give a thought to what someone else an ocean away is doing. And even when the Sussexes were living in the U.K. it’s not like they were close with the Cambridge’s. So William, who is bored and frustrated is just a misery to everyone around him.
There were two factors at play in the lead-up to Archie’s birth: (1) at this point Harry and Meghan knew that someone (or multiple people) inside the royal family (and/or their staff) were intentionally leaking stories about them to the press, and (2) the Sussexes had received credible threats on multiple occasions, some that put Archie in direct danger. If they had used the usual channels within the palace, they knew that it would immediately leak and therefore put mother and child in extreme danger when they were at their most vulnerable. Of COURSE they decided to fly under the radar as much as possible. (And as others have pointed out above, they never outright lied, they said Meghan had gone into labor in the early hours, which was true.)
I think one of the big issues here is that William fundamentally does not understand the threats the Sussexes face on a daily basis. He would scoff it off – ‘why are YOU in more danger than the rest of us? I’m the future future king, after all!’ Hence the whining about primadonna behavior. While the royals are all aware of and protected from crazies as part of the territory, the Sussexes get the added bonus of being a target of racist extremists. Harry and the palace confirmed one particular threat, and undoubtedly there were many more where that came from that were not disclosed. That’s the problem that William and the royals are incapable of grasping – that yes, any woman that Harry married would’ve been subjected to a certain level of bullying in the press like Kate was, but when you add racism to the mix it devolves into real hatred and violence. It’s not ‘being a self-important diva’ to give birth in secret, it’s taking necessary steps to protect the life of your family, and they were absolutely right to do it.
Excellent points.
Yet another reason for me not to buy this crap book. These excerpts have pretty much confirmed the obvious that William is a raging a-hole. Harry is probably sorry that there is only an ocean and a continent between them.
Whatever, Normal Bill. Let’s see you make an appearance outside the hospital immediately following your passing a kidney stone some day. The idea that any woman should pose at the hospital door with her newborn needs to end.
I agree–especially appearing in full makeup and hair. Diana said that she was in so much pain she could barely keep from crying when she did her lion king show off of her babies. Why on earth is that an acceptable thing to put a woman through, knowing what we know now?
The Sussexes were smart not to compormise their security, nor the safety of anyone else at the hospital. You know that reporters would have disquised themselves as doctors to try to get in, and taken pictures of babies in the nursery. The royals were completely ill-equipped to have a POC enter their family. They were not ready or willing to protect Meghan’s safety. Or Archies.
Harry has always been treated as the spare. Always second then it should explain why the Megxit would bother him. 1. It blames his wife & 2. He is second yet again.
This has to be the strangest take to Thisbe situation. It probably has to do more without how much vitriol Meghan has faced then him being second
I don’t think he cares about being “second” in this case. I think the problem with Mexit is two-fold: 1) it added legitimacy to the term that was already used by racists who wanted Meghan out of the royal family and 2) it put the blame on Meghan for a decision he had made. Everyone in the media was blaming Meghan for them leaving, with some claiming it was her “diabolical plan” all along. That had to be so hard on Harry–to know that his love of his wife has caused her so much vitriol. Meghan was living a great life on her own terms. She had a successful career, money, friends, personal interests. She had a small but loyal fan base. She marries a prince and suddenly, there’s an entire industry hell-bent on ruining her life and destroying her character. Why? because a blood prince loved her and a whole bunch of people who don’t know him thought he shouldn’t. I don’t think there’s any coming back from that for Harry. If I were Meghan, I wouldn’t want to set foot in the UK ever again. How terrible for Harry that every decision he makes for his family, his wife will be blamed for. And if it all were truly “Meghan’s fault,” that means his family and the media think he is completely weak, and maybe even mentally ill. Knowing your brother was the chief instigator against you has to hurt. Sure, he loves his brother and has find memories of his brother. I doubt he will ever like or trust his brother again.
What a typical Meghan-hater stance to take. That somehow Harry is angry that Meghan gets attention, when that is clearly not true. His face always shows how incredibly proud he is with her and her work, coupled with amazement that she chose him.
Still not buying this book, still donating the hard-cover cost to Camfed.
I don’t like the subtext of this. What, it’s ok if it’s Harry’s decision because then he’s a manly man and he controls his destiny and isn’t “bossed around” by his wife? It’s one thing to say he wanted to go and they discussed it. It’s another to present it like it was all Harry’s decision because he wears the pants. That just plays into more sexism and doesn’t help anything. And what does it say about the part of society that goes along with this and says “oh, I can accept this now knowing that HE called the shots.” Of course we have to take all of this with a grain of salt – but still…
I don’t think it’s sexist to say that Harry made the call on this one. Besides the fact that he went there for the meeting, while Meghan attended via phone, the decision was about leaving behind his life (in his words, it was everything he had ever known) including his military title (military that saved his life). It’s not surprising to think that Meghan looked at all of the terms and told Harry, “It’s your call, I’ll stand by you no matter what you choose”.
The half in/half out was definitely the both of them. But Sussexit was Harry imo. I think Harry “wore the pants” when it’s about royal family matters and it shows. It’s more balanced and egalitarian when the toxic family isn’t there.
I just don’t get it. William’s obsession with the way his brother structures his life is astonishing to me, kind of like how the GOP’s ability to find new depths of terrible to plumb is equally horrifying.
Dude. He’s the spare. You’re almost in your 40s. Just behave yourself and stop relying on your little brother to take the heat off you.
But isn’t this also how Betty interfered with Margerite’s life – dictating she couldn’t announce her marriage whilst she was pregnant etc etc etc
Bill has learned this shit from somewhere and realised that if even he couldn’t appose the marriage, he could at least make their lives as difficult as possible.
Your last sentence is interesting because its so true. The whole “the spare needs to be around to take the heat off the heir” thing – take the heat off them for what? If William just behaves, there’s nothing to “take the heat off.” be as boring in your actual life as you come off in royal engagements William, and then you have no need for Harry to be the whipping boy because there’s nothing to hold over your head. I’m not saying he has to be perfect obviously, but don’t cheat on your wife, don’t be shady with money, don’t misuse military helicopters, show up for your work, etc.
Beside the point, but I can’t stand the phrase “was delivered of”. It completely takes the mother out of the equation. How very 1950s – the doctor knocked her out and “delivered her” of a baby. BS. She did all the work. She delivered her baby.
@melissa – agree.
Interesting- I never really gave that expression much thought. I wonder if it dates from the time of high mortality in childbirth- the mother ‘being delivered’ from death (which would only be alluded to).
Buckingham Palace has no one to blame but themselves for the poor communication surrounding Archie’s birth. They could have told the media and the tabloids to back off. Since Meghan and Harry’s son is not the heir, the birth would not be public and details would be issued when the couple was ready to release them. That failure is on them. Harry is not constitutionally obligated to (excuse the language) to give them “jack shit.” In fact, I would argue that as the spare, his constitutional rights have been violated by the British media (I know that is a weak argument but one that I feel should be made).
Can you all imagine the scrum of paparazzi/”journalists” if they knew the Sussexes were at the hospital? They would have absolutely chased them home – uncaring of any physical damage they may do – to get their photographs…which is absolutely Harry’s biggest fear. The UK press was DESPERATE to get photos of Archie. It gives me chills to think about it even now – it must have made Harry sick with anxiety. I absolutely don’t blame them for waiting to be safe at home before they let the world know Archie had arrived. Did they lie to the press? I think lie is a stretch – but if they did? Good for them! They owe them absolutely nothing.
Imagine if the photographers had hurt another person trying to get to Meghan and Harry. Harry and Meghan would likely have been blamed for it, not the photographer. The UK is not a safe place for them to be. I don’t mean because of the people–the media is hell bent on destroying them. Theyb should go back for obligations and funerals only, and stay at a friends house or a hotel. Frogmore’s probably been bugged up the wazoo. The millions they paid for Frogmore should be considered a “get out of the UK scot free” tax. It’s not a tax they deserved to pay, but at least now they have cut all formal ties.
“ Frogmore’s probably been bugged up the wazoo.”
Thank you! That’s all I could think of when they were talking about prepping Frogmore for their return. I just can’t imagine them wanting to stay on royal property EVER again. And didn’t they stay in a hotel when they came back for their final tour during March this year? I remember thinking it was a bit weird they didn’t stay at Frogmore.
I think Harry paid off Frogmore to get people off their backs about tax payer money but to also send a message that they are not obligated to stay there when they visit. If I were them I would just stay with friends or buy a condo in London.
Imagine a chase playing out similar to the last moments of his mother’s life…but with a newborn involved. As I said, chilling.
If they ever do stay at Frogmore, I would hope that their security would sweep for listening devices. I agree they should stay elsewhere when in the UK.
I imagine the first thing H/M will do after they return to Frogmore after it’s been cleaned and ready for living in again, is sweep the place for bugs. I can’t imagine them not doing that and since they have their own private security I’m sure that’s part of the plan. I know sometimes Govt. has the latest and best gadgets and the BRF is tied to the Govt., but somewhere I heard that H/M are using one of those companies that specializes in covering high target people, so no doubt they will be able to discover the latest bugs that may be hidden at Frogmore. Still, while there H/M should be very careful what they say/do and assume they are being monitored at all times.
William absolutely thinks he’s already the King and in charge. Whenever I do a Tarot spread he comes up as seeing himself as the “King of Cups” which is like the King of Hearts, in charge of emotional stuff, in charge of families, in charge of everything just by virtue of being a King, but also specifically relating to the royal family: Diana was the queen of hearts. William sees himself as her rightful heir who should be getting all that same popularity and adulation. The king of cups astrologically is Scorpio (Charles is actually a Scorpio, funnily enough). And they are concerned with love, sex, deep emotions, religion, mysticism, and the continuation of sacred traditions and birth/death rites. So a King of Cups would make sense for a monarch as their lives and position are ruled by those things. But William isnt a monarch yet. And he’s not a Scorpio so he shouldn’t be coming up as and seeing himself as the king of cups.
What’s weird is that Charles often sees himself as waiting/younger than he is. He’ll be the 2 of wands or even a Page. Waiting/child-like/full of potential that hasn’t yet matured enough to become realized. Because he’s still waiting for his chance at king. He knows he’s not top dog yet. He knows he’s in a waiting pattern, still the “child of the monarch.” Charles is also extremely aware of his legacy and sees the bigger picture. He knows he’s going to be the Emperor, the king of the land, but also the Pope/heirophant, the leader of the Church of England and someone with a lot of power to shape policy and ideas. The World card comes up for Charles a lot. And Judgement. He sees the bigger, world-wide, historical, hereditary influence of his position. He knows his birthright is a sacred privilege with long reaching historical consequences. Whereas Will is very stuck on this life, the present, his specific family, his life, his right now needs and wants.
Justice comes up constantly in the hopes and fears section for Kate, William, Charles, and the royal family as a whole. They all want justice: as in they want to get the top prize for all the shit they’ve had to put up with and stuff they’ve had exposed and sacrifices they’ve had to make. And yet they fear it. Because Justice extends beyond themselves and what they think they deserve, obviously. Justice could mean people realize the BRF is a joke and needs to go, that it destroys children and siblings and parent-child relationships. That the BRF has thrown members of its own family out into the cold for no real reason. What if those people get justice?
Justice will take place. We are in a period of “reaping & sowing” or “karma”. Things are being exposed & those who have been treated unjustly, will now receive justice. These next few years will be a process of taking the “wrongs” & making things “right”. The “last” will be “first” & the “first” will be “last”. I think william has been protected by his grandmother. Once Charles gets on the throne, he might change things. This is about legacy for these people & if Charles wants the monarchy to continue, he is going to have to change how they choose who is going to be next in line. I said this in a comment section, but william sounds like a tyrant/dictator in making & he will overstep his boundaries concerning the British Parliament. Be careful UK.
“The confusion apparently struck a nerve with Harry’s big brother, Prince William, who “did not think too highly of Harry and Meghan’s ‘prima donna’ manoeuvres to conceal the birth of their son,” Lacey claims.”
Hmmm. I think William is controlling, but not in the way people are saying. I don’t think he cares about the details of Archie’s birth, let alone informing the press of those details. I think he’s angry about the fact that Harry got to keep it a secret in the first place. Because William couldn’t keep the details of the birth of his children a secret, and I’m willing to bet that he really really wanted to.
William sees his role as a prison. We’ve heard for years how he feels resentful about his position, which William thinks prevents him from doing what he wants, even if it isn’t necessarily true. From his point of view, he’s spent his whole life having to comply with everyone else’s desires but his own, because he is the FFK. That’s how he defines duty–as not being able to do what he wants 100% of the time.
But the problem is, William has had so much more freedom in his position than he will admit to himself. So many of the expectations he felt imprisoned by were just self-inflicted. This is why I say that he isn’t particularly creative–you can be in his position, with all the rules and requirements that come with it, and still find ways to express yourself, you just have to think outside the box a little bit. Which is exactly what Harry did, and continues to do.
And I think William really resents Harry. He thinks Harry has more freedom to do what he wants, bc of his position, even though that’s not really the case. His position meant Harry was expected to do whatever he was told to do, be what he was told to be, not complain about it, and take what he gets, even if it makes him unhappy. He just had the self-assurance and the courage to not limit himself or what he envisioned for his life, and he spent his time pursuing exactly that, without compromise. William could have done the same, but he didn’t. And therein lies the difference in outcomes.
William resents that Harry fought for what he wanted, and actually stuck the landing until he got them. This birth announcement shit was a prime example of that. Harry and Meghan, and their staffers, and BP, had it all on lock. No one knew anything, and they weren’t informed until Harry felt good and ready to tell them. For someone like William, who we know used to be incredibly controlling in how he dealt with the press (oh how times change), this must have been infuriating. He’s the FFK, ffs!!! HE didn’t get to keep this stuff quiet, like HE wanted to, so how is it fair that his younger, far less important brother gets all these special privileges? It’s not fair!!! Hence why William thought this was “prima donna” behaviour, even though all Harry did was set reasonable and effective boundaries and expectations for the press.
That’s essentially what I think this boils down to. People scoffed when Robert Lacey kept bringing up William as being this paragon of duty, but I think William is the one who sees things that way, which is what’s being reflected in the book. William thinks HE’s always placed his duty ahead of his desires, because there have been a handful of times in his life when he’d been told no, and had to settle for less than what he wanted, all bc he didn’t feel like asserting himself. And now he’s angry and pissed off that Harry, his unimportant, lower ranking younger brother, gets his way all the time, while William didn’t. What is the point of being FFK if you can’t even do what you want, all of the time?
I absolutely believe this is what it boils down to as well. William hates his life. He hates his position. He hates belonging to anyone other than himself. The King, or his heir, belongs to the people, to the country. They get great privilege and massive amounts of benefits, but every aspect of their life is owned by the family, the country, and the press. And he wants someone to be as miserable, or more miserable than he is. It’s like William wants Harry to have the worst parts of being the heir and the worst parts of being a spare (be the scapegoat and constant help mate of the heir), while not getting the best parts of being an heir and also giving up the best parts of being a spare (more freedom and privacy). And all just so that William will know that there’s someone out there who is even more miserable with his royal life/position than he is. And he’s super pissed off that Harry didn’t unreservedly, no questions asked, just agree to do that. Why would he? Why would anyone?
I also wonder if this is why William seems to be systematically breaking down Kate and making her life and position as miserable as possible. Just so that there is someone else out there that he can share his “misery” with, someone who might even be more unhappy than he is.
He’s so unsuited to being a monarch or a working royal. He only sees the bad parts of the job and he doesn’t give a F about the good stuff. He takes all of the financial and white privilege perks for granted so he doesn’t “see” them anymore, and he has zero interest in the intangible, mental/emotional type perks: like being a patron, a role model, a change maker, or philanthropist who can use their position to help and uplift those in need and change the world for the better. To create a lasting legacy of love and hope. Same thing with Kate. She married in for the financial and power perks, and now those are boring and taken for granted. And because she had no emotional connection, was not inspired by the charity work, and had no philanthropic aspirations for herself, she doesn’t value that part of her position and actually resents having to do it.
And I think both of them really resent the fact that Harry and Meghan actually do seem to like the charitable aspect. They are happy to work and spiritually, mentally, and emotionally fulfilled by the position they found themselves in. And will and Kate think that’s not fair.
Very interesting comment. I’m on my phone so hard to respond, but I think a lot of the things you say here are pretty dead on.
Unpopular opinion but Harry will need to carve out his own place separate from Meghan and he needs to start doing it now. This is a man who has given up his home and family. If his actions all hinge on Meghan there is a potential he could come to resent her. Sorry, but this is classic family dynamics.
And yes I support M&H. Hopefully, once the pandemic is on its way out, Harry can be back with his own standalone projects (in addition to the shared ones).
He does have his own thing going – Travalyst, Invictus and Sentebale. He’s also keeping in touch with some of his patronages like the London Marathon and Rugby. Even in the latest TIME talk, he had his own solo bit where he was the only one speaking for almost 30 minutes. He does have his own stuff, they’re just not covered because Meghan is more click and talk worthy of the 2 these days.
What are you talking about? Utter nonsense. You think he hasn’t carved out his place in the world? Really? The guy who founded Sentabale at 19? The combat veteran? The guy who founded Invictus Games? The guy who’s spent many years networking and building relationships with powerful people around the world? That guy? Just stop it already. We’re in a pandemic and everything is at a complete standstill. He and Meghan are building an organization together like power couples do. Girl, please.
What are you talking about? Prince Harry, pre-Meghan, created Sentebale and Invictus. Travelyst is HIS initiative. The Walking with the Wounded, the Diana Award and Memorial Fund and countless other charities that he is involved in that are just him.
Meghan has done her own things too like the community cookbook, SmartWorks, Forces For Change and will probably have a lot more.
And they now have their joint foundation in Archwell and have been doing appearances connected to the initiatives they plan on tackling.
I’m failing to see how Harry doesn’t have his own identity or his own projects just because he teams up with his wife on some things.
We know that he’s still working on his own stand alone projects – it’s unfortunate that COVID put paid to the Invictus Games this year, but that doesn’t mean the work has stopped. The stuff he does with Meghan is what drives the media coverage, but there have been more than a handful of big initiatives he’s done on his own over the past several months. They each have their own projects, but what is hitting the news is election coverage (because this is a make or break for our republic), BLM/civil rights (because there is a lot happening), and their social media conference.
I get that he’s given up his home and his family – but his home and his family made him really unhappy. At least a decade of him saying he didn’t want to “sit around Windsor.” This move has opened up avenues to him that would have been denied him had he stayed on wretched island – and he is taking advantage of it. If anything, I would think he is absolutely mortified over what happened to his wife (who moved away from her home and family first) at the hands of his family and countrymen and will be endlessly relieved he got her out of the country physically unscathed.
There are things they will work on together as heads of their foundation, and there are things they will work on separately. I think he’s grateful.
He has been doing stand alone things without Meghan though. His Travelist thing, his head of soccer thing, his Invictus planning meeting thing. He’s had as many things as Meghan in my view and he also seems to be driving a great deal of what they are doing since I suspect that Meghan would have toughed it out longer. Like any couple these days, these two might not make it, but I doubt it will be because of who has more going on for them. Harry drove this bus and even though Meghan was the one terrorized, he wanted the heck out of there long before he even met her, so I don’t think he will ever be able to put that on her. Now if you think she was the one driving the exit and she’s the only one calling the shots, then yeah those dynamics you mentioned would come into play, but I don’t think that’s the case. This is Harry’s show with Meghan supporting him all the way, I firmly believe that.
@BLUEMOONHORSE “This is a man who has given up his home and family” who? 🤔 all I know is that Harry is home with his family now, so I don’t know what you’re talking about
Isn’t that what Meghan gave up for Harry?
Yes he left a family – and if you don’t understand the connection a person has to their parents and siblings I guess you don’t 🤷♀️ yes he has another family but that doesn’t always stop the pain of making hard but right decisions.
In the media announcements across Celebitchy for 2020 it has been M&H having an united front. That is great but again if you don’t understand the male ego needing his own stuff I can’t help you 🤷♀️
And again read what I posted – sure he has his standalone projects (but they’ve gone nowhere this year due to the pandemic) and in 2020 they have all halted. As I stated above hopefully he can return to them soon.
For those who think I’m attacking either, you are really jumping the gun. I am talking about the psychology of the male mind that needs its own work – and the FACT that most of 2020 he hasn’t been able to go forward w Travalyst, Invictus etc is going to impact Harry whether you admit it or not.
Leaving aside the fact that he literally said he preferred being in a war zone to being in the UK, his work has not stopped. He (and Meghan) are the types to reveal their finished projects. Doesn’t mean they aren’t working on them while we think they are laying low. His work has not stopped.
@BLUEMOONHORSE His family!! do you mean the firm/ institution that treated him as a scapegoat and a clown for the most of his life? and do you mean by his home, the UK, which they attacked him, mocked him , his son has been compared to a chimpanzee and he used to receive death threats every single day all that because he married to a biracial American woman? if he is going to blame Meghan for leaving that toxic family and country that is his problem. Meghan has given up her quiet, peaceful, success life and everything she ever had been known before and I didn’t see you saying that she would could to resent him
@Bluemoonhorse; “That is great but again if you don’t understand the male ego needing his own stuff I can’t help you…”
We’re not asking you for your help. We understand the male ego. We’re not as stupid as you seem to think we are. Harry has always had his own stuff and I doubt very much you know what’s going on behind the scenes in Harry’s world so for you to say his stuff has ground to a halt is simply nonsense. Just because Covid has shut things down doesn’t mean there isn’t a ton of pre-planning going on for post-Covid events.
Furthermore, by the time he and Meghan made the decision to leave the UK and royal duties they’d been betrayed, abused and shat upon by not only the BM and The Firm, but his own effing family. He was more than ready to cut ties with no looking back.
@Bluemoonhorse- Travalyst launched last year& he had a conference on zoom around the summer where they talked about adapting to help with tourism post Covid so he’s probably still working on that despite the pandemic. Solo Harry was also in the Netflix documentary, Rising Phoenix which seems to have had great reviews & he did a few interviews for that with other people in the documentary.
He’s done solo zooms for his rugby & other patronages. He did a podcast with his army friends in April. He also is patron for walking with the wounded in Oman which is due to happen early next year. So I do think he’s got lots of his own stuff going on too. I imagine he might be the lead on this nature docu series for Netflix.
I think Meghan has just as much if more reason to resent him given that she left US & things like the UN role only to be focus of press attacks and to enter what seems like a hostile environment with his cold family that allegedly leaked stuff to the press about her. Plus the Firm didn’t defend or allow her to defend herself which has helped bring about that highly costly Mail court case. Who knows what her relationship with her father was before but it’s almost certainly over now whereas at least Harry would likely have certain family relationships restored if he left her. Her friends& anybody attached to her (even charities) are attacked in a way his aren’t. It’s a lot.
@bluemoonhorse Yeah, yours is an unpopular opinion alright but I’m with you. This saga ends in tears as BRF marriages so often do.
Uh okay.
1. His has his own separate projects that he started before Meghan was even a thought. He’s still highly involved with them both. They haven’t ceased to exist because of COVID. Trayvlyst is obviously taking a back seat right now but that’s only temporary.
2. His family is HIGHLY abusive to him. His “family” ran a nationwide smear campaign against him and his wife and literally ran them out of the country. And that’s AFTER Meghan came along. Why you think there’s a possibility of Harry resenting Meghan for getting out of there when HE made the decision is something I’d like an elaboration on cause I’m truly confused.
3. Are you not concerned that it’d be the other way around? Why not? Meghan had the ideal life before meeting Harry. Great friends, well traveled, well educated, great job and great income. She was living the life. She gives up job, her home, and old life to be with him and is abused day in and day out by his family and his country. If there’s anyone who should be the slightest bit resentful, it should be her. I’m sure she doesn’t blame Harry though. While I’m sure he painted a rosey picture of what life would be like, but not even he could’ve predicted what happened. It’s not his fault. Just like it’s not her fault that they had to leave.
Another Meghan-hater type comment, eh?
Harry has already built his own legacy, as pointed out above. Sentebale, WWTW, Invictus Games, Endeavour Fund, WellChild.
Harry has not left his family; Harry left the UK with his family – Meghan and Archie.
Sorry, not unpopular just wrong facts. Meghan gave up her life to marry Harry. Harry has alway had his own projects. He decided to walk away and Meghan supported him.
He’s a rage filled control freak. Who the hell does he think he is to disapprove of Megan’s birth plans?!! So he wants to control her body too?! What an asshole. He has a real problem and needs professional help.
“None of them can believe the fact that Harry left, that Harry chose his wife over his privilege.”
That’s a really beautiful and inspiring line, Kaiser.
The staff and patients at Portland Hospital would have been in danger due to the influx of media. Maintaining safety and privacy of the other patients may have prompted Portland to ask the palace for breathing room. Thus the pause in announcing, imo.
I have no idea why the media in the UK don’t realize that. Those people are so corrputed they would probably love a terrible accident to happen. More story for them. The RF is showing us who they are . The British media, in bed with the tories and the tabloids, are showing us who they are. The world ought to believe them.
I was going to bring this up and it slipped my mind, but yes! This exactly! Let’s not forget that when W&K were in the hospital for the birth of George, some scumbags from a “joke” radio show managed to get the number to the front desk of the place Kate was staying in at the hospital, and got a poor nurse into trouble. This wasn’t the British press, but still.
This explains how Will spends his time. Between trying to run his brothers entire life, rose gardening, and rage who has time to devote to other projects?
Mark my words, william is a tyrant/dictator (like trump) in the making. William will overstep his boundaries with the British Parliament because he apparently believes he is supposed to run everything. Beware UK.
Williams only brother becomes a father for the first time and his first emotion is ‘rage’. Ok William I think you have a problem.
Yathink?! Lacey is sounding more and more like hatie nicole who likes to write fantasy stories for VF. Of course Harry hates Megxit! Their focus on social media problems & trolls makes me certain that they are aware of the conspiracy group that was using this term prior to RRs & UK press picking it up. The biggest thing is how it puts all the blame or hints that Meghan is the only one leaving meaning she is not welcomed! All this despite us having him on record on one of his final event for sentebale saying that he decided this for his family.
The RF will come to regret this in years to come. H&M aren’t coming back. They’ll continue to build their global legacy and further highlight how insignificant the RF is
I bet Harry wakes up every day with a smile.