Arthur Edwards is an old-school royal photographer turned unhinged royal commentator. He’s 86 years old, he was literally born during World War II. And that generational deference to the Windsors has remained in his half-baked royal commentary. He thinks everyone with a royal title is sent by god to pose for him personally. He thinks anyone who says a bad word about the tacky, racist Windsor clan is lying. Well, Edwards has a new memoir and he gave an interview to promote his book. Enjoy.
Photographer Arthur Edwards has seen the royal family through multiple generations. Edwards started photographing the royals for The Sun in the 1970s and initially had contentious relationships with Princess Diana and then-Prince Charles. A notable 1980 argument found Edwards yelling “At least I’ve got a job!” as the royal heir rode away from him on horseback. The photographer chronicles that anecdote and many others in his upcoming memoir, Cup of Tea, Arthur? My Extraordinary 50 Years Photographing the Royal Family. He writes about how he’s formed a bond with the now-King, as well as his children and grandchildren.
Having followed the royals for five decades, Edwards has photographed Prince William and Prince Harry since they were born. He noted that the Prince of Wales, now 44, “hated the media” from a young age and was fond of saying, “I hate those ’tographers.” Harry, now 42, meanwhile, “used to love it — he’d poke his tongue out at you.”
Although Edwards couldn’t finish reading Prince Harry’s 2023 memoir as he was irritated by what he found to be inaccurate claims, he corroborated the Duke of Sussex’s claims that he was often looked over in favor of his older brother, recalling an incident on a Norfolk beach when the princes were just 4 and 2. While the nanny was “making a big fuss of William,” a protection officer went to build a sandcastle with Harry, noting aloud that it was “the only bleeding castle you’re ever likely to get.”
While he didn’t approve of the “vitriol” Prince Harry “poured on his family” in Spare, Edwards said he’s happy to have the Duke of Sussex back in the U.K. Harry and wife Meghan Markle, 45, moved their children back to his home country in August.
“I’m glad he’s back, and I hope he gets involved,” Edwards said. “He was a great star. He might not be the knight in shining armour at the moment, but knowing him, he’ll bounce back. People have got short memories.” Despite the continued distance between Harry and his family, Edwards hopes to eventually see the prince back in the royal fold. “I think, hopefully, if he just stops writing books and Meghan stops making horrible jam, and they start working a bit for the family, I think things could change.”
Edwards also offered his thoughts on Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, whom he described as “a prince and princess of the House of Windsor.”
“What were they doing in Montecito going to an American school, when they should be here playing with their cousins?” he said. “They should be getting to run around Balmoral and Windsor.”
“They should get royal protection,” he added, “because if they were kidnapped, there would be uproar.”
Edwards praised Prince William for blossoming into “a great ambassador for the country” and finds it heartwarming that the Prince of Wales instructs his own children — Prince George, 13, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, 8 — to “look at Arthur” as a friendly face among the crowd of press when they are in public.
“I think, hopefully, if he just stops writing books and Meghan stops making horrible jam, and they start working a bit for the family…” These people and their whining about JAM. I guarantee that Edwards has never even tasted As Ever jam. He just knows that he hates Meghan and he figures he’ll hate everything she makes. “What were they doing in Montecito going to an American school, when they should be here playing with their cousins? They should be getting to run around Balmoral and Windsor.” Chat, Archie and Lili have never run around Balmoral. They probably ran around Frogmore Cottage… before King Charles evicted them and refused to invite them to any event for years. But sure. Edwards begrudgingly agrees that the children should have security. Because if something happened to those ginger kids, it would reflect badly on the Windsors. That’s HIS reasoning.
Photos courtesy of Meghan’s Instagram.
“If we can control them and everything they do and mine them for their talents and their aura THEN they should get protection.”
Man, f*ck off.
“he corroborated the Duke of Sussex’s claims that he was often looked over in favor of his older brother, recalling an incident on a Norfolk beach when the princes were just 4 and 2. While the nanny was “making a big fuss of William,” a protection officer went to build a sandcastle with Harry, noting aloud that it was “the only bleeding castle you’re ever likely to get.”
So he witnessed the verbal abuse of a toddler and did nothing??? There’s a special place in h3ll for him and that nanny.
“He just knows that he hates Meghan and he figures he’ll hate everything she makes”, interesting because this is exactly how I feel about the Duchy Originals, and how I would feel about Kate’s chutney.
Security for Archie and Lili he’s good with. But for their mom who makes horrible jam? I sincerely doubt this man cares about her security.
Ya think?
I’m actually very surprised that Harry hasn’t made an issue of it—not just that *he* needs a risk assessment , but that his kids do, too.
All I know is when Harry and Meghan go back to the US to live on a permanent basis people like Arthur Edwards are going to have a major meltdown.