I saw this story over the weekend and I honestly thought that the Mail on Sunday had just reorganized Prince Harry’s quotes from the Newsweek cover interview and claimed that they (the Mail) had an exclusive. The quotes in the two pieces sound very similar, but that’s because the Mail on Sunday apparently got some unprinted quotes from the same Newsweek journalist. So, these quotes are actually from the Newsweek interview sessions, they just didn’t make it into the Newsweek story? I guess. In this part of the interview, Harry admits that he spent years “not wanting to grow up” and he apparently indicated that at one point, he “wanted out” of the royal family, but he ended up staying because he could “work out a role for myself.”
Prince Harry has admitted that he once ‘wanted out’ of the Royal Family and considered turning his back on the privilege he was born into to live an ‘ordinary life’. In an extraordinarily candid interview, the 32-year-old Prince opens up about his troubled 20s and says how, after leaving the Army, he ‘didn’t want to grow up’ and struggled to find a meaningful role for himself. Speaking to journalist Angela Levin – who revealed last week that Harry believes ‘no one in the Royal Family wants to be King or Queen’ – the Prince gave an astonishing insight into how he once felt directionless, and sought an escape from the pomp and pageantry surrounding him.
‘I spent many years kicking my heels and I didn’t want to grow up,’ he admitted. Several years of partying, drinking and heavy smoking followed – which he has previously described as ‘total chaos’ – and Harry admitted coming ‘very close’ to a breakdown several times. And when he finally decided to be more constructive, he even questioned whether remaining a junior Royal would allow him to use his talents effectively – and considered life as a commoner instead.
‘I felt I wanted out but then decided to stay in and work out a role for myself,’ he said, making it clear he was primarily motivated by his loyalty to the Queen. It was obvious his life in the ‘goldfish bowl’ had left its mark. He added: ‘We don’t want to be just a bunch of celebrities but instead use our role for good.’
With professional help, recommended by his brother William, Harry found a way to reinvent himself and carve out a role which has won public respect and affection: promoting the cause of injured servicemen and women, and tackling mental health issues, among other things. He said that he and William were ‘incredibly passionate with our charities and they have been chosen because they are on the path shown to me by our mother’. But when asked whether his girlfriend Meghan Markle had in any way advised him on mental health issues, he replied: ‘Absolutely she did not.’
In a sure sign of his maturity, Harry showed he had given serious thought to the future of ‘The Firm’ in the 21st Century.
‘We want to make sure the Monarchy lasts and are passionate about what it stands for,’ he said. ‘But it can’t go on as it has done under the Queen. There will be changes and pressure to get them right.’
“But it can’t go on as it has done under the Queen…” Well, that sounds ominous. Granted, everyone knows that all bets are off – and the royal sh-t will hit the fan – once the Queen passes away. Charles will make some modernization to the monarchy, but he will never be as popular as his mother, nor will he even be king for very long. And when it comes time for King William… my God, it will be terrible. As for Harry “wanting out” but deciding to “stay” and try to carve out a role… sure. If he had abdicated/withdrawn from his position in the line of succession in his 20s, that would have only increased the pressure on William, honestly, which is the point in time when it should have been William abdicating (just my opinion). It’s no secret that both Harry and William were rather rudderless in their 20s, but they need to stop behaving like their gilded cage is the worst thing ever, in the history of tortures.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Shut up.
Amen
I think he knows he is more privileged than a commonor but doesn’t really get the extent of how much more so. He knows more than William though that’s for sure. So I can see how not being able to be him and live as he sees fit could feel like a prison he could break away from. He doesn’t really get the realities of common living so it seems worth it to him. And even if he did, he’d never be able to leave all his royal privilege behind.
Next he’ll be telling us all to eat cake.
Your comment is witty and delicious hahaha 🙂
@ Birdix and @ MM :
Important follow up question : Will he tell us to eat chocolate cake? Because if he said chocolate cake (with chocolate icing), I would do it for sure! And it will be a big cake, so the two of you can join me.
I’m beginning to think that he and princess sparkle are done.
I’m getting that sense, too.
SAME.
I think so too..
Me too. Am I reading too much into the past tense usage of SHE DID NOT. ? I’d be more inclined to speak of a present tense relationship as she HAS NOT. prob just my nerdy semantics analysis.
I don’t know maybe he wants to keep anything about his relationship with Meghan under wraps but, I agree with you that, that line seems. Definite. Which is a shame. She might have been good for him
@ cirien of course it was definitive…she didn’t advice him on mental health issues or advise him getting help all of 4 yrs before he met her. Lol so yeah it was definitive…I never got the suggestion or spin that people had of Meghan being the one that influenced him when “head’s together” was done in what 2015? He have been talking about his feelings about his mother’s death ever since. Lol
And maybe it’s because I read the articles connected to it including DM, they framed it as if he was protective of Meghan. So he refused to speak on her. Here is what they said
“Has his relationship with Meghan Markle helped him? It is a subject he does not wish to discuss, feeling she already has too much unfair scrutiny.”
Now they could have broken up & oh well. Can’t see how they could make it work with the long distance & the fact that she have a full time job. She can’t always drop everything to be with him. She did that last month with her week or so off. That’s a push back in production & deadlines…because it has to be finished in time for the air dates which is soon.
And if the press knows they broken up they refusing to say it or hint at it. Some have made a point in saying their schedules are so busy these next few months so they won’t be seeing each other much. Because the new rumor is PH is commissioning Jeweler Harry Collins to making an engagement ring from Diana’s emerald bracelet. I think it’s a crock but yeah….lol
Megan is in London 🙂 Sorry to disappoint 🙂
I took it as why would he ask Meghan of mental health issues? It sounds as if the interviewer is implying Meghan has issues and that is why Prince Harry would ask her advice. He strongly said she is NOT advising him and why would she anyways?
I’m getting that sense, too. It’s probably for the best for her, but I am kind of bummed. Now we’ll see him back with another boring blonde aristo.
me too. I’m kind of bummed about it but I was just wondering where she has been!
Why do you say that? What evidence is there? I have read that she’s filming her show in Toronto right now.
Well the girl is filming now and the time of which this interview took place was the past year while he was with Meghan and said in the same “later this year maybe something”. And the quote of “she did not” was framed as if he was mega protective of her. Also keep in mind when news 1st broke of their relationship, filming for suits was winding down. The show have yet to premiere yet and they film a lot & long days. I think Sarah said once in an interview they film until like 4 am.
So yeah they may be done for all we know until he says so but everyone that reported this including the woman that followed him & wrote this piece act like they are still together. So….
There is no evidence, but I think that is the reason they’re speculating. Megan’s PR has cooled it with the “toast of the town” articles. But that might be because those PR updates were a bit cheesy, not that she broke up with Harry?
I’m on the fence. It could be that considering the awful and chaotic months the U.K. had he was advised to slow down the roll out. OTOH he looked miserable at that event last week.
I wonder if this interview and his apparent sense of entitlement had anything to do with this “cooling” off? I know it would for me.
I think the “cooling off” is just the fact that she is back to work filming full on for season 7 of Suits.
Y’all really like that reach
Princess Sparkle has supposedly landed in London and is comfortably settling down in KP….where she belongs with Harry.
I think you all are reading way too much into that one line to make any calls on this relationship. He just brought her to Pippa’s wedding a month ago. If anything, I’d interpret this sudden slew of soul-baring, Oh look upon me with compassion! interviews as a possible prelude to an announcement of an engagement that Harry knows perfectly well many people will view with dismay, and as unsuitable.
I admit it’s kind of an backwards analysis, but I dunno – I think it could be the case.
Stop talking.
I hope he keeps talking and digging his own grave.
Oh yeah me too.
Dont read it!
It is like Trump tweeting. He just keeps showing us who he is. That is a good thing.
@ Sarah
I hope that Harry’s statements don’t go completely down the road of Trump-ness. I still think Harry is hot even if not very clever. I don’t want that ruined for me. 🙁
P.S. I changed my name from Sarah to still_sarah to avoid the rollover. Plus I kept looking at your comments and thinking for a second that they were my own. So confusing!
It says everything about the incompetence of KP and or their prevailing thought the original article was OK so that they felt the need to sanction this second interview to explain the intent of the first article.
It just genuinly boggles the mind doesn’t it? If William is now essentially in charge of the PR for his ‘camp’/court with @poorjason just trying to mop up mess of William’s making then on their own heads be it, BUT if Jason is leading the PR tactics we will be thanking him in future for hastening in the Republic. this is just so, so bad. I honestly don’t know whether to send him flowers as a Republican or kick his arse on general principles for his total incompetence.
Be joyful. The masks of these ‘poor boys’ has finally slipped.
You don’t need to be PR a genius to know that thoughts of abdication are best kept to oneself.
The Queen apparently told the princes and Kate to stop being so open in interviews, stop talking about their “feelings”, etc. And I admit that the Royal Family of the past looked a lot better when their public image was a lot more curated and crafted from behind the palace walls. Once you let the public in for the pretty stuff, the ugly stuff tends to leak out too.
Poor Jason.
Everything I said yesterday and more.
Correct KP response to letting the first article see the light of day at this time? Send the two idiots to do a shift alongside the other volunteers sorting the donations for Grenfell Tower residents (like they went out and did a shift sandbagging during the floods a couple of years back).
Most incorrect KP response possible? Put out a second article doubling down on the idiocy of the first one.
And today is Bribe-the-DUP day. You really could not make it up.
THE DUP, Yeah Gods (take a deep breath). I’m getting to the point that if Quasimodo turned up with a good plan to get us out of the crap we are up to our necks in, I’d vote for him/her – hump and all – and bugger party politics.
I’m all for NI, as a deprived region, getting more money. Just not like this and not when every other deprived area is told there is no magic money tree.
It was like when both KP and MOD approved the interview contents, the one right after he returned from the field. The one people keep taking out of context vis a vis the video gaming issue. The people who are supposed to be the professionals making sure the “right” message gets out aren’t helping here.
1st rule: never complain
2nd rule: never explain
Theres a reason there are these rules for royal protocol when dealing with the press and the people. Theyre just digging that hole deeper keeping the story alive.
The monarchy is an outdated institution that is quickly waning due to its members. As a start, let’s audit them. Could the grey men be retasked as government employees to put the firm on a short leash?
Man, you people have turned on him. It’s hilarious to me. Just a while ago it was all positive, all the time. Now, he’s a lazy baby. All because of an article. Hilarious.
Not everyone was convinced, not at all.
I mean… but… that’s life? Someone says words, those words change your perspective on a person. Happens all the time. My grandma recently said the words “I also voted for our current (American) president” and that certainly changed my perspective on her.
@ Shambles. So true. I work overseas and hang out with other ex-pat teachers. I was with a friend in her sixties and while we were chatting, she mentioned she had voted for Trump. And I knew at that moment that the friendship was going to end badly. It did a few weeks later. Yesterday I was talking to a co-worker who had told me last month how good the website Britain First was (Britain First = I hate immigrants). Yesterday he was going on about how Muslims should not be allowed to immigrate to Canada (my country) because of the chance they would be terrorists. And I thought “Dude. We are done”. I am a left of centre Canadian and there are things I will not tolerate. Cross the line and it’s over between us. Too bad about your grandmother though.
#notallyoupeople
*preens self*
(But I still want my flying Elvi.)
Even with these poor comments, he still ends up doing more with Invictus and Sentebale. That at least remains good. But structure is needed here, external structure imposed by his father (which won’t happen) or someone who is hired to make him get it back together like he had it together in the Army (ELF?).
I think he has a “talent” for the job – in the form of social skills and an amount of personal charisma – that Normal Bill simply doesn’t have. And this in turn leads to the work he does having more impact. In royal terms, this is a good thing. In my terms – teehee! – this doesn’t mean he isn’t an equally entitled prick.
There were Harry skeptics (waves hand wildly in air) but you would have to comb the comments for them, and I totally get that not everyone would find that rewarding.
Nope I’ve always acknowledged he had more charisma than William but that’s it, I’ve never seen the ‘Hot Ginge’ at all and I LOVE red hair, I think it’s really beautiful.
While I haven’t turned on him, I must confess my love has dimmed a bit. I may think periodically it might be nice to quit my job, but I’m not going to tell my boss that. I always thought Harry was probably as whiny as his brother under his personal charisma and this showed it. I still think he’s the best of the lot, but I am disappointed.
You expressed my exact feelings.
Bring back the York girls! Yeah, they are not good dressers but they do seem willing to work. And they would be great to send to all of those lower level events that Will and Kate deem too boring.
I think only Beatrice is interested in the royal job. Eugenie appears happier out of the circus.
I don’t understand what is controversial about this. He essentially admits he does not believe in monarchy like most here don’t and felt directionless and like he had no meaningfull job. He wanted out but felt in the end family was important but now is trying to find meaningfull life working for the “Firm”. That is what I probably would feel and do in his shoes (but I would not be into partying) and with them having privileged friends who either can work or don’t and don’t face criticism for their actions it makes them desire that life more.
If he had actually said that he didn’t believe in the monarchy all hell would have broken loose, and in actual places where it mattered, not just in Twitter and internet comments.
He said it was a “force for good.”
Let’s be real, he wanted out when he thought he might get forced into actually working like a full-time royal, and stuck around when he realised Grandma would let him coast through life doing a very carefully hand-picked fraction of what his elders do in an off year.
Yes, with the anticipation of doing even less when she’s no longer around.
“Modernizing” the royal family appears to be code for barely working.
Oh for the love of god, shut it.
How tough and terrible to not have to contend with things like insurance costs and wages not matching the cost of living and student loans–if they want to trade to get a taste of what it is like to have been almost drowned in the economic clustercuss of 2008 and never recover, waves hand.
@ Kaye. I totally agree. My sister and I didn’t grow up with much money but her kids have reached adulthood with no worries on that front. University paid for by parents. A second home on the lake. Private schools with rich friends. And they are oblivious to their privilege. But money doesn’t take away all of the things that can go wrong. Mental health issues, a cold-ish absentee father who was away building the business empire. I used to think my life would be perfect if I had “enough” money. And yes, it would have been better but it doesn’t fix everything. But I agree that this kind of whining when you are a 1%-er is a bit off-putting.
I love it. I hope they all go down and take the monarchy with them. Cant stand that guy. With all his problematic stunts in the past, good riddance.
These interviews do put that Nazi uniform wearing in a new light. He wasnt a kid, but people gave him credit for growing up since them. I am all for redemption, but you now see a guy who is really, totally out of touch.
It’s not just Harry that’s out of touch, it’s the whole famn dambly.
FWIW, I thought it was William who put Harry up to the uniform? The uniform was bad, but so was the party: “natives and colonials” theme.
Weird how people praise his work with Sentebale after that. It’s just more white savior neo-colonial bs, just like his work with the elephants.
If he wants to be royal, he needs to start serving the people in the UK. Like he did during the floods. Get out there and volunteer with the relief effort for Grenfell instead of hiding in Africa. It would be a start.
I dont know why everybody is getting so worked up about this interview. I mean I can see why people deeply vested in the royal economy, financially (media) or entertainmentwise (royal stans) would be irritated but get over it. He is a human being, he is entitled to state his disaffection for bs he was born into and which his grandmother guilts everyone into retaining. If anyone should have abdicated it would Charles. To be 30-something and pressured into a marriage is to lack all bollocks. And who needs a symbolic monarch with no spine? I dont care about Will, he can take it as long as he stays out of my face. Same with Harry. At least they have the guts to live by their own rules. Spineless badgers can stay away. Either way we are coming for the palaces.
“he is entitled” You are absolutely right.
also no one wants to hear a white man complain about his life.
So ordinary, white men never have problems?
Get real.
White men never get cancer. White men never loose their Jobs and their children never die.
I’m not sure what “his grandmother guilts everyone into retaining” means. And “they have the guts to live by their own rules?”
That family is at all costs to stay on that lavish gravy train. They can’t earn their own livings, love bitching about the attention yet demand due deference be shown. Harry and William have guts? No, just whiny, petulant, spoiled boys.
“His grandmother guilts everyone” refers to the commonly stated fact that the Queen considers abdication failure rather than guiltless self preservation. Just look at her clinging to that crown with her last breath over that silly outdated “principle”. Even Harry alludes to that pressure in his Newsweek interview….staying for his nans sake coz God knows it would kill her if one of them rejected her “principle”.
“Guts to live by their own rules” refers to the constant middle finger they throw at Royal Family purists and beneficiaries of the RF economy. You all have been moaning about their refusal to cut ribbons for years and years, does it look like they care? I have no use for a monarchy but if I have a choice, I take this guy over the middle aged man who entered a loveless marriage with a 19 year old because “daddy made me, boohoo”.
Craven, if I saw them as regular guys on the street I wouldn’t look twice at either of them, frankly. Their looks are underwhelming–although they can’t really help that–but far worse, their personalities don’t make up for it.
He wouldn’t be human if he didn’t consider wanting out of that job at some point. Most heirs to European monarchies balked at some point, so why not a spare? How he worded things could have been so much better, if he was going to voice any of this out loud.
If he’d been reveling in the 1 percenters existence without regret that would have gone over worse. The idea of questioning it and his role in it isn’t bad per say, but not getting the extent of his privilege he’s missing the point. This is where Victoria of Sweden falls down, because that is one big blind spot she has. She doesn’t understand why there are Republicans.
Well said. The fact that he considered leaving is no big deal, especially since he stayed.
So their own rules mean they get all the benefits and do none of the work?
Nice rules, if you can get them..
He and his brother are fools. This latest article is just palace PR damage control. Both brothers are hard-wired to be feted and fawned over. They do not understand their very limited abilities. They are deluded if they think they work hard and have convinced us that they are ‘passionate’ about their charities. They are deluded if they think people will pay through the nose to support them for their selective ‘work’ aka turning up for 2-4 hours per month, putting on a face, then disappearing for weeks only to rinse and repeat, but with newly-acquired tans. They don’t understand that being given the benefit of the doubt and playing the mummy card is o.v.e.r. Granny might feel guilty but no-one else does.
What this incident does is to confirm that Harry is just as entitled as his ghastly brother and sister-in-law, and that the three amigos are totally up themselves and further, intend on doing nothing in the future. They don’t understand that they are unnecessary.
“Hard wired to be feted and fawned over” is a good way to put it.
I honestly am wondering is Harry trying to compete with the Cambridge’s on who can complain the most about their horrible job of having to meet people and speak at a few engagements in exchange for a extremely privileged life.I think after the Queen many people will start to question what do the royals actually bring to table and whether they are worth keeping.
There was a brief discussion about this yesterday on the Harry thread and at risk of repeating myself I think the claims of abdication are a really good threat to lay on Charles/HM to allow them to go their own way i.e. avoid Royal Duty/Service to the country at all Costs. I really do think William is capable of being precisely that emotionally manipulative and that Harry will follow/support him. Giving him the benefit of the doubt for a second (literally) maybe both he and William understand just how anachronistic and dated the Monarchy are, and that it’s time we all grew up and became a Republic? As I’ve said before I think William will wait for the Queen to pass before he actually does anything then I can see him abdicating, he’ll have the money to live the life he wants – rich country based Toff – with none of the responsibility/duty he seems to abhor. If Harry goes with him – it seems more likely now – then the monarchy can die a graceful/bloodless death, we certainly don’t need them.
An ex-royal chef once said that Willusm uses the Diana card to get everything from Charles and HM, but i think abdication and good old fashioned bait and switch is more likely. Looks like Harry is following the same path if he wasn’t already on it.
….but you know, they should their bluff, remove them, and sell the entire thing to the public as inability to do their duty and lead a normal life, like they sold the last abdication. Lots of heartfelt tears on a sofa ( Lorraine perhaps?) On a morning show. It worked a charm for duke of Windsor.
YES! I would love for the Queen and PC to summon them to palace, PC apologize to them for horribly letting them down as a father and parent, and leading them to become such disappointing, rudderless, entitled, lazy adults, and then presenting them with abdication papers to sign, no payout because the country can’t afford it, but don’t worry, their personal wealth will afford them enough to lead the normal life they desire – obviously out of Britain, as Andrew, Beatrice and Eugenie wouldn’t want the Wales boys hanging about. Put THAT on the table and let’s see what they do. Time for some hardball for these witless fools.
ITA. I’m sick of the lot of them (meaning the young KP Crew). Even Bea and Eugenie do their bit without it getting counted, but get skewered for their vacations. I just feel like it’s all so insulting to HM and the DoE. Like saying I know Granddad is retiring, but don’t expect anyone to take on his charities/patronages, except for the DoE Awards which will go to Prince Edward.
Don’t complain, don’t explain.
It could be me, but do the Euro royals go on and on like this? Maybe they do and it just doesn’t get press over here?
I think we’ll see a Chuck reign. I’m half and half on a William reign. But by the time we get to George there will be so much recalcitrant princeling-ing that the population will be relieved to see the back of monarchy, if only to stop the incessant whining.
I think there will be a King Charles, but of a much smaller set of countries. He may ultimately end up as the last King of England (not the UK and not of anywhere else).
Mmmn interesting point LAK, I don’t think either of them realise they can actually be ‘removed’ if the powers to be decide they are damaging the institution. The idea is probably so far beyond their comprehension (a life time of arse licking courtiers will do that to you) they haven’t even considered they might not have to go voluntarily, they can be pushed…
Sixer – that’s it, it’s the effing whining all the bloody time from all of them, now Harry’s joined in, what joy! This is what makes me so angry, these little tit’s need to shadow me for a week, I’ll show them something they could really whine about, except little old ladies and gentlemen with nowhere to live and nobody to give a s*it about them never do moan of course, they’re too busy being grateful for whatever help/attention anyone can offer them. It makes the heart break.
It’s for the best! Even though I’m a republican, I’d hate to see the BRF removed via a divisive referendum a la Brexit. I’d rather they whinged and whinged and ducked out of responsibilities and ducked out of responsibilities until the public is so bored by it all their overwhelming feeling at the prospect of it coming to an end is blessed relief.
And this is how I have always predicted it will happen – don’t have a generation count for it but I do believe this is the way they will, eventually, go.
My preferred timetable would be immediately after flying Elvi this summer. But I’m prepared to wait!
So the monarchy ends, not with a bang but a whinger.
Oh, you win! I’m stealing that for future use!
Harry needs you to give him a serious reality check frisbee. I’ll be one of those little old ladies one day. No family, but hopefully somewhere to live though!
@ hmmmm. Is “whinger” a typo or are you being cheeky by making a play on the word “whimper”?
I love the TS Elliot reference on a celebrity gossip website. I feel very educated now! Real cultured-like.
I don’t think William could remove himself and his line from the succession (he cannot “abdicate” unless he is king) and stay in the UK. If he was out of the line, he would have no power to keep demanding illegal privacy in public places from the press. W&K and kids would have to leave the UK and live in a country where no one can legally photograph them. No repeat of the D&D of Windsor taxpayer-funded ex-royal life in the Bahamas or France for them.
It’s so aggravating considering it could have been simply done by William making sure to marry a catholic and or persuading Kate to covert to catholicism before the wedding, et voila….out of line. No more ghastly nightmare of having to play nice to the peasants.
There would have been an uproar that the law still existed, but he could have sold it like the abdication ie love being a higher priority than royalty.
Then Harry has a vegas wedding with another catholic in similar timeframe and is similarly out. For marrying without permission AND or marrying a catholic if law hadn’t been rectified.
And the good news is that they could divorce afterwards without danger of being put back in line.
“He said that he and William were ‘incredibly passionate with our charities”
Okay Prince Hot Ginge, please keep the lying down to a minimum. All William ever gets passionate about is his ex -Love Jenna or whatever her name is
I think Harry is passionate about Sentebale and Invictus Games, that much is clear. Following Charles’s pattern of big, impactful projects (Prince’s Trust) isn’t a bad model, but it needs to include the regular local engagements. The “modernizing” appears to be code for “don’t want to do local engagements” which is daily work that keeps this firm in business.
Alright, I’m just going to admit it. Even with all this entitlement and brattiness about Prince Harry, there has always been a small part of me that feels incredibly bad for Harry for one reason–he’s been referred to as “the spare” since the day he was born. I always thought that was a terrible thing to be labeled as. It was so demeaning. There I said it. I’m soft.
Or as the form of a “back-up” as Diana referred to him in Panorama interview.
I never heard that…yikes. How awful.
She was sardonically referencing the common attitude both within and outside the palace. She adored that child and he her. I think she also mentioned that the coldness you saw in footage of Charles with newborn Harry wasnt imagined. He wanted a girl and Di had failed in his mind. Which takes me to another tangent, the Di tapes. The asks her whether she ever had sex with Charles. She says it stopped after Harry but it was always “very odd”. She says odd several times. Then she says it was once every three weeks like clockwork and she seems unimpressed. Then she says he didnt sleep with his other girlfriends either including her sister which her sis always considered strange. Then she says tht even “his lady” he was disappearing every three weeks. I have no point. I just thought I would share that salacious bit of info.
Someone explain genetics to Prince Charles. If anyone has “failed” to produce a female baby, wouldn’t it be the fault of the Y chromosome donor?… 😛
I agree L84Tea, it was is/was very demeaning but at what age should one try to put the hurts of the past behind them and start taking responsibility for one’s own actions? Personally, I was around 30 when I decided that using my childhood as an excuse for my poor behavior just wasn’t cutting it anymore and that I needed to put on my big girl panties and start taking some personal responsibility.
Oh no, I absolutely do not believe in using one’s childhood as an excuse to be careless or irresponsible in any way either. I lost my mother at age 16 very unexpectedly too, so I know what it feels like to have your young life turned upside down at a very vulnerable age. I don’t use that as any sort of excuse either. I just have always felt a little bad for him despite everything else.
Having members of the public think he isn’t his father son for most of his life also hasn’t helped.
Yeah, it does appear that once The Queen bites it…there will be total chaos. Charles isn’t admired the way his mother is and the kids are way too apathetic. Plus, the whole idea of royalty does seem more archaic as time marches on.
I don’t even know what to say about those fools anymore.
Harry’s at his best when he’s trying to understand others and at his self-pitying worst when he’s trying to make the public understand him. Unlike William, he does at least have conversations where he’s trying to understand others.
Being Royal is a job. They’ve been allowed to blur the lines in the interest of modernizing things but while it’s one thing to have Casual Fridays, it’s another thing entirely to tell your boss you can’t come in to work because you’re hungover. At the end of the day, the public and the royals are not chums.
Exactly. Either do it or don’t do it. I don’t care. Just do it fully if you are really “all in.”
Natalie, I love that way of looking at it. Thank you!
His ‘poor Wills and me’ bit is to set up their future golden parachute. Claims of their max sacrifice and emotional suffering will increase what Brit plebs will pay out in Rexit.
There will be no golden parachute for them. There would be a revolution if they tried it on or any government was so weak to suggest it.
Typical Millenials. Wahhhhh I don’t wannnna. Life is hard.
Really dude?
the ridic over sharing is Millenial, the obsession with ‘feel’s’ rather than just getting the hell on with it is too – and it counter to what the Royals are supposed to be about – frankly I don’t want them whining at some mental health thing about how hard it was for them growing up, the focus should be on the Charity.
Yes, let’s all jump on the bandwagon on sh–ting on millennials. Nevermind that I do 3x the work of the 40+ crowd in my company. Never mind that I’m more educated than most, or that I’m doing all of this while managing chronic pain and fatigue. Millennials are all lazy, whiny brats that don’t want to grow up and who don’t pull their own weight.
Also lets forget that teen pregnancy rates have dropped substantially, drug use in youth has dropped substantially. Education among youth is higher than previous generations. Or you know, that Baby Boomers are creating a hell of a lot of debt for Millennials to inherit. 84% of Millennials donate at least annually to a charity, while 70% volunteer. They’re also more loyal to their employers than previous generations.
Their behavior is spoiled behavior – plain and simple. There are idiots in every generation – but millennials get shit on so much more than others despite the positives, it’s ridiculous. When I look at my social media feed – I see a lot more complaining/whining/stupidity from the older generations than I do from my own. Of course there are idiots of my own – there are idiots everywhere. But the amount of pity parties that I see being thrown over trivial matters is not at all limited to millennial behavior.
Erinn: it’s the privilege of the older generation to blame the younger generations.
You can produce stats that show the horrors older generations inflict on the younger and the older will still be convinced of their put upon sainthood.
I’m gen x, or more perjoratively described, prozac generation. So much crap was thrown our way too. And i’m sure earlier generations were blamed in their time. I graduated in time for a recession so deep that i’m surprised jobs materialised later on. Voted Labour because Tony Blair told us things vould only get better. Not sure they did, but hey, i was young and shell shocked that my university degree meant nothing in the jobs market.
You adapt.
It’s aggravating to be blamed for current ills, but in another 20yrs, ypu get to blame the younger generations as you wonder how the hell you made it through these lean yea4s and made a success of your life and why can’t they? Whilst ignoring their real difficulties!!!
Amen, Millenial!!!! I am 55, and i will take a group of open minded millenials any day over the racist, conservative a-holes who make up my age and older.
I’m with the Millenial!! ^
I love Millenials.
No snark. Truth.
Generational put downs are cheap.
Yep…the amount of articles I see daily of millenials getting blamed for a new issue.
“Millenials don’t buy diamonds”….”millenials bankrupted j.crew”….”millenials don’t like air….why pollution exist”….
Oh just eat a smooth dick you baby boomers *sideeye*
Hey NN don’t generalise, this baby boomer never says any of these things.
And this baby boomer gets fed up with being blamed for all the ills of the world when all she did was work hard and pay her taxes!
I work with people much younger than I am. I like them!
That being said, if I hear “old school” one more time I’m going to bash someone with my car phone.
Let’s see…..more breaking glass. I am still liking it a lot and it shows that The Queen is not the hardass that she has been made out to be in the past. Through the centuries, there was always somebody willing to take the top job via any number of methods. This will be no different and if the Wales boys want out, it should be no problem. The line of succession will be pulled out and the one who says yes will draw the winning ticket. Anybody up for Randy Andy?
I would like to see Queen Anne II.
Anne is one of the most entitled members of the family, right up there with Andrew. It was because of her demands that the Queen re-wrote the Order of Precedence so Diana and Sarah had to kowtow to Anne when their husbands weren’t around.
Anne does her engagements and goes home to the private residence, which Charles does roughly the same number of engagements plus things like Prince’s Trust and Dumfries House. Her private residence was re-done with millions (in today’s money) in taxpayer funding. It is secured with taxpayer funding. She runs a personal business with the estate, and has her kids living with her rent-free on that estate or in her London residence.
She sounds perfect.
We know they are all entitled. May as well be hard working and entitled.
She isn’t anywhere near as hard working as Charles, while hiding how much taxpayer benefit she’s handing sideways to her kids. She does the engagements, then goes home and pours her personal time into her personal property. He does the same number of engagements plus pouring loads of time into massive projects like The Prince’s Trust.
Agree with Suze. At least Anne does lots of engagements. And then keeps a low profile playing with her Estate. She doesn’t whine in public, just gets on with it.
Her engagement numbers are generally neck-in-neck with Charles. Then he does massive projects like The Prince’s Trust, Dumfries House, Windsor land management, etc. on top of that. Ultimately, she works less for the country than he does. Her attitude at engagements has been rough and offensive in past years, including telling people they were idiots for bringing flowers for the Queen and promoting GM food. I’ll take Charles and his whinging over her attitude/s any day.
Am now becoming more convinced that after Chuck, the throne will pass to one of his siblings. Neither of his sons want it and judging by these interviews have already indicated to the BRF that they want out. Chucks dream of a streamlined BRF around his line is going up in smoke.
It will be interesting to see what happens after TQ passes. IF Harry does end up King it will be very reluctantly after his brother chucks him under the bus.
It doesn’t work like that; not in the least. If William resigns from public life George and Charlotte move up the line. Their place in the succession is their birthright.
I see a lot of people on this site aren’t actually familiar with royal protocol.
Historical precedent tells us that anything can happen as far as the kids are concerned. We’ve had a few occasions where they’ve been removed, few occasions where they were kept in, and a few occasions where future descendants unborn were banned altogether and afew occasions were descendants already norn were banned.
The overriding factors were that they were mostly underage when that happened, and it suited parliament to remove them.
Well, ok. Goodbye and good luck. Here’s one of the palace clocks as a goodbye gift.
Harry is off to Africa for 10 days, so he will probably not even know the full extent of the fallout from this article. He is clearly so sheltered he has no idea how privileged his life really is. He is not really all that much different from his very disappointing brother. It’s hard to see how this continues after Charles. Why would the British public pay for a monarch who doesn’t believe in the monarchy?
If William abdicates, doesn’t that mean the crown goes to George? If he hates it that much, why would he inflict it on his child? I think if William ascends he will start the process of dismantling the monarchy through parliament. Work out a deal where they get to keep most of the wealth but no more living off taxpayer money. I think Harry should go ahead and throw in the towel when the Queen dies. Take his Diana inheritance and move to Africa.
I think if William abdicates before George turns 18 then it takes George and Charlotte (and any other Cambridge children) out of the line of succession.
Actually, it doesn’t. It’s their birthright. As I understand it, William cannot sign away the kids’ rights, as they are already born (perhaps if he had done so, prior to George’s birth, then it would hold). Now, if William abdicates (once he becomes King), and the kids are underage, a Regent is appointed for them until they reach majority. Then and only then may they make the decision for themselves to either continue, or abdicate.
For example, if George decides when he’s 18 that he does not want anything to do with it, it goes to Charlotte, and she is appointed a Regent until she is old enough to make her own decision. If she decides, f*ck this, I’m outta here!, then the next in line of succession is Harry. If Harry passes, and abdicates, and has no children to succeed himself, THEN it will go to Andrew, and so forth. It’s a very strict, fine line that is followed.
The term isn’t technically “abdicate”; he cannot abdicate unless he is king. He could remove himself and his line from the succession.
I’m not so sure William can take George and Charlotte out of the line of succession even if he removes himself. It’s their birthright. William can definitely remove himself and then after George turns 18 he can decide if he wants to stay in the line of succession.
Jessica, if G and C are underage, they can be removed. We’ve seen underage children removed and or kept in depending on the agenda of parliament.
It’s not a cast iron certainty either way, but being underage puts them at risk of being removed with William.
And once removed, that’s it. You can’t challenge the ruling. The children can’t grow up and decide they want back in. Every instrument of removal has been final and explicit on that point.
Where the removed descendants wanted back in, and challenged the ruling, it threw the country into civil war. We are past that age, but parliament remembers and creates a subsequent documents that made it clear that option wasn’t available at all.
Look I get he is human and all & I technically don’t feel a way about it. Though I wonder what was the point of this…recent issues aside or not. So based on Angela the woman that followed him for a year, all he said for a year was “I wish I was normal, I wish I wasn’t PH” like a chant everyday? So reading this whole I wanted to leave but stayed because my grandma. Sigh….
I feel like being Beyoncé to his Farrah Franklin and said “you want to go? I mean we can send you your luggage…it’s not?”.
I’m saying deadass…these quotes aren’t helping him at all. Like dude get a job then & move on with your life. But he was talking past tense…most of his thoughts are framed as past tense. Then again he can’t verbalize his thoughts well on a good day. So whatever lol
It’s tediously repetitive isn’t it? For someone who spent months with access, this reporter didn’t really get any in depth analysis.
Maybe that’s all there is to him. “I didn’t want to do it but then I decided I might as well.”
It was and it’s like “that’s literally all one got….’I want to be something other then prince harry'”? Got it…
Here is where she explains what he said the whole time she followed him:
https://youtu.be/cC_MzqEcqL8
I say he live life on a $2000 a month budget for a few months and see how he can be “something other then prince Harry”. I get being told from birth you have no purpose but to be a spare at the onset that your grandmother, father, & brother dies. It has to fuck with you emotionally but he sucks as expressing it. He got a British accent but once you get past it…he sounds like a dumbass. Even when he isn’t annoying or bratty…
Can he be anything other than Prince Harry? It’s not like he really has the same gifts as a commoner who becomes a doctor or lawyer or accountant or anything else…
Yikes. She wasn’t given a lot to work with.
I am not without sympathy for Harry. I just think he should keep such thoughts for his girlfriend/close friends/therapist.
Nope…nothing at all lol….maybe he read the article before it was released and that’s why he looked sad. He knew the shit storm was coming so he ran off to Africa to play with elephants & regroup. Lol
He’s spent time working with elephant conservation and Sentebale for many summers. This year is no different. I do expect him to miss the global AIDS conference at the end of July. He has attended this in the past, but this year it is in Paris a month before the anniversary of his mother’s death. I’m not expecting him to put in an appearance there, but we’ll see.
Diana wanted William to be King. So if he and Harry were to take themselves out of succession, they would (ironically) probably have upset her if she had lived. I don’t think Diana wanted them to shirk off their duties, no matter how much she may have felt cloistered by the public nature of her own life.
Im curious. How would it benefit anyone on here if the monarchy were abolished? Would there be more jobs, more money in your pocket. Would that money that goes towards the RF go to charity,education healthcare? What about all those that work for the RF? Unemployment?
One of the reasons I was holding out on the engagement rumor was because I have a hard time believing in the quick burn. I think they did start out hot and heavy and probably have a strong connection. But like any relationship, it has to be chewed up and spit out the other side to see if it will really work. Growing pains.
Exactly I didn’t believe it and just saw it as the press pressuring it. I’ve always felt if they get engaged at all it won’t be this year at all. Maybe next year, based on the interviewer they hardly get time together. And with her filming now and him being…yeah…people were pushing it. I think even when she went to London last year part of that was her working (promo, interviews, etc). The show started filming like late April. That’s two months to get a show ready for back to back weekly episodes by premiere time & before that tv bumpers of the 1st few episodes that should be out now. She took time off for like a week to be a guest at a reception of a royal-adjacent. I think…my opinion they are trying to stop all the engagement talk. And using their busy schedules to dampen it? Already got insiders of the same article outright saying “slow it the fuck down with the marriage talk…they good but it’s still new”. I mean they went above and beyond to keep her profile low at the reception. That’s if they are still together…either way it will appear “cooled” simply because Meghan has a job that keeps her busy.
And another thing why is that not considered at all. That should be the 1st thought “oh she is working” but it’s not. Sigh….
Maybe they will get engaged on the anniversary of Diana’s death, Aug. 31. And maybe he will give her a ring made of a piece of her jewelry. Would that be a faux pas, middle class, gauche?
I wouldn’t expect an engagement before the Balmoral Test, if they get engaged this year. William skipped it, but I’m leaning towards Harry following that tradition.
His comments are just as insufferable as when an actor is asked what they would do if they weren’t famous and they say something idiotic like “architect” or “astronomer,” without realizing you do not just become that because you want to. You don’t just become common and then all your problems melt away because they couldn’t possibly be bigger than royal problems.
We all get to bitch but know your audience. You want to bitch about royal problems, fine but go bitch to the other royals who can commiserate.
I think the timing is so bad on what he’s saying. People aren’t really clamouring to hear the privileged complain right now. If he had said this during a time when the world was doing better, maybe the backlash wouldn’t be as bad.
I don’t think what he said was bad timing, but the release of the comments. Have to remember this is done in the course of almost a year of following him. I feel like the interview itself was done in around March/April or something. Just based off of certain details like what charity events he did specifically around that time, topics discussed. So this is before the terrorist attacks, the fires, & heightened political unrest that’s marred the U.K. lately. Because before all that happened, these statements wouldn’t seem so daft.
He might have gotten the advanced copy of the article right before it was released & realized “oh shit this won’t be good. I can’t stop it because I did say it but this is horrible timing”. I feel he have enough sense to know how it looks now…after the fact. And why his ass is playing with elephants now and not performing royal duties publicly. Lol
Meh, I don’t get the fuss anymore.
Yes, I thought the timing wasn’t particularly good, but people are still jumping on this with a fevered relish.
The actual quotes don’t sound brattish in this interview; he sounds honest.
This second article is damage control released after the backlash that greeted the first one. This second one isn’t a proper interview. It’s notes taken by the author which she has released to expkain the intent of the first article.
It says everything that the second interview, the do-over so to speak, is much better than the first interview that was approved by everyone.
It begs the question why the this article wasn’t the one sent out in the first place.
The analogy being that he received a F for his first piece of homework, and re-submitted a second effort that has been marked a C / B depending on POV. So why submit subpar homework to begin with?
Ironically in modern times the monarchy was at its best when Diana joined the royal family until her death.
I don’t think the royals see their role as we do. All we see is their ribbon cutting, but the queen/royal family held the U.K. together through tumultuous times- russian spies, communist threats, terrorism. What do we know of their work behind the scenes in keeping the country together and as a democracy. A communist britain was a real possibility. It’s a job in which you can’t fail and are responsible for it for decades, not like a prime minister for 10 years at most.
So why not assume that they know more about their real responsbilities and duties and that’s why their conflict. Assume the best of peole, it’s normally true.
I think the Queen (and even Charles and Anne, however entitled they may be) knows their roles well. I have my doubts as to whether William, Kate, Harry, etc. do.
I think one danger is that they see themselves solely as celebrities. That’s one of the reasons I think there is such hostility (in some corners) to Markle, as there was to Kate & the Middleton family. She is seen as someone who has openly pursued celebrity & I suspect there is a fear that the younger generation of royals will not rise above that.
The history of royalty is fascinating and I certainly hope Britain preserves all the royal abodes for tourism, especially for Americans, we love that shizz, but as the Kardashians, Brandi Glanville, and whoever else have proven, we love rich people drama. Doesn’t need to involve 1000 years of royal lineage.
“But it can’t go on as it has done under the Queen.”
What an incredibly stupid and inelegant and disrespectful thing to say about the Queen – really Harry needs a slap for this! The Queen is still carrying out lots of engagements and is still LIVING and Harry is making grand statements! And why can’t it go on? Mainly because her heirs, the younger Royals are too lazy and unmotivated to keep up the pace! Charles will have his own style and is a hard worker but his children seem like they just want to evade any public responsibilities.
This reminds me of when W&H used to nickname Princess Beatrice as Queen Bea or something on the account of PH would of liked to been off fighting in wars and PW would have liked to have his normal life or something like that, but for the life of me can’t find the quote anymore. I think all royals go through this stage when they are young though
With all that said PH & PW can’t simply take themselves out of succession they have to become king in order to abdicate and be removed
I remember that talk as well. They *can* remove themselves from the succession, they aren’t prisoners. As LAK has written, the easiest way would be to convert to Catholicism. They are now legally allowed to marry Catholic and stay in the line, but only if they and their kids do not become Catholic. So convert to Catholic and they’re out without a fuss.