Town & Country: The monarchy now has ‘no way of controlling the Sussexes’

Fiftieth anniversary of the Investiture of the Prince of Wales

There’s a column by Victoria Murphy in Town & Country which is getting some hype among British royal commentators. It’s a simple piece which is mostly an explainer about why the Duke and Duchess of Sussex did what they did: they wanted financial independence so they could remove themselves from the racist bullies in the British media and establish their own independence on many different levels. Most of Murphy’s column is what we already know, but she just spells it out and says it flatly: the fact that the Sussexes paid back the Frogmore Cottage costs and have financial independence means that the royal family (and the British media) can’t control the Sussexes anymore.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s announcement that they have paid back all the public money for the renovations to Frogmore Cottage marks a significant milestone as they shape their new lives. Following confirmation that they are no longer taking funds from Prince Charles, they have now, it seems, achieved complete financial independence from “The Firm” and, crucially, from the British public purse. Immediately, of course, this announcement shuts down criticism the couple received over paying back the funds in full since they announced their apparently very financially lucrative production deal with Netflix. But the move also has symbolic significance in releasing their ties to a system they have come to so despise.

To understand the Sussexes’ thinking in this regard you only have to look at the, now dormant but still online, Sussex Royal website they launched when they decided to step back as working royals in January. Lengthy sections entitled “Media” and “Funding” outline their frustration with the fact, as publicly-funded royals, they had no control over their own media relations policy. Central to their desire for the future was to “live a more independent life as a family, by removing the supposed ‘public interest’ justification for media intrusion into their lives.” Seething at what they saw as unfair criticism and intrusion, their view was clear; shut down public funding and remove the right to control or criticize.

…The Sussexes’ initial hopes for a half-in, half-out arrangement with the monarchy when they decided to step back led to accusations of them wanting have their cake and eat it. But with every move they have taken since, it is clear that independence is their overriding goal.

There are those who have suggested that Harry and Meghan have struggled since leaving behind royal life or that Harry has questioned their decision to break free. But nothing about the production deal they have just signed or their decision to pay back this lump sum suggests they are looking back.

Instead, you could say it is the monarchy who is left looking over its shoulder. Family members will be hoping that Harry and Meghan stick to the pledge that they made to “continue to uphold the values of Her Majesty” in “everything they do.” Because, while they have no way of controlling the Sussexes, the actions of this couple will inevitably still reflect on the institution. Harry and Meghan may no longer have to engage with or answer to their critics. But the monarchy does not have the same freedom.

[From Town & Country]

Again, nothing here is new, it’s just the kind of clear-eyed analysis which has been so lacking in the coverage in the British media. The British media see themselves as gatekeepers on many different levels, and so much of what Harry and Meghan have done this year has been aimed at removing themselves from that gatekeeping and the British media’s narrative. For the Windsors as a “firm,” all of this was always about control, not money. Prince William, Prince Charles and the Queen all wanted to strike a balance where they could still control and dictate and “manage” the Sussexes. But the Firm went too far and the Sussexes called their bluff and walked away. It’s been a huge tantrum from the Windsors and the media all year.

Royal Ascot, Portrait of TRH Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex and TRH Meghan the Duchess of Sussex in front of HRH Queen Elizabeth the Second

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red.

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113 Responses to “Town & Country: The monarchy now has ‘no way of controlling the Sussexes’”

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  1. Bettyrose says:

    I’m curious about the source of concern that their actions never reflect negatively on the RF. H & M have been pretty clear they plan to live a quiet family life while producing family friendly content. I have no doubt some of their content will have social justice and global human rights themes, buy what specifically has the RF nervous?

    • Sofia says:

      Quite a few things:

      1) I think they fear a Diana 2.0 situation in which the non-heir becomes more popular than the heir. Diana’s death and the public reaction (caused by her popularity) almost crippled the monarchy – to the point that Charles can’t quite “shake” Diana off in certain people’s eyes no matter how hard he tries.
      2) They don’t want the Sussexes to prove that a life outside the monarchy is not only possible but ideal for the non-heirs. They don’t want Charlotte and Louis to have a precedent to step back. They don’t want the public to go “if Harry managed to do well by getting off the public dole, why can’t Charlotte and Louis do the same thing? Why can’t the monarch and the direct heirs (along with their spouses) be the only working royals? Why does the monarch’s siblings or the heir’s younger siblings need to be involved?”
      3) They also fear they might write a “Harry and Meghan: In their own words”. I think that’s why they were so freaked by FF and why they kept writing articles about how it’s false and not true before the book even came out.

      • bluemoonhorse says:

        They closed the stable door after the horse escaped. ROFLMAO. Idiots.

      • Tealie says:

        That was the biggest giveaway lmao! Them trying to get ahead by releasing some of the truths and stories that they thought it might contain before Finding Freedom came out lmaoo!

      • Becks1 says:

        And let’s remember what was said when FF did come out – there was a “sense of relief because it could have been worse.” like, what the hell did they do to Harry and Meghan??

        @Sofia I agree with all your points. I think right now the first two are the biggest concern, and they kind of go hand in hand. the more popular the Sussexes are, the more money they’ll make, and that will both “damage” William and Kate (they do not want to be the runners up in the popularity contest), and in 20-25 years, when they try to have all three Cambridges as working royals, there’s going to be a sense of “why do all three need to get public money?” I think we’re going to see it as soon as Charlotte or Louis start looking at universities – “what are they going to do with their lives?” By that point the Queen will be gone, and I think in general the popular opinion re: the royal family will be even more ambivalent than it is now. I think it is likely that Charlotte and Louis are at least going to have to pretend to work a la Eugenie and Beatrice and the Cambridges aren’t going to like that, considering they don’t like working in general.

    • MsIam says:

      The concern is that Harry and Meghan looking hard working and being successful will make them look even more lazy and irrelevant. I think that younger couple who is the “future of the monarchy” fear this in particular.

      • Bettyrose says:

        So it’s a no win. Being upstanding citizens makes them threatening to the RF while being wild debaucherous a-holes (not likely) would give the RF something to gleefully tsk tsk over?

        Thr wording is baffling though. If the sincere desire is that they uphold HM’s values, seems that family and hard work do this.

    • tolly says:

      The expression “the values of Her Majesty” is deliberately vague. If the RF got specific, it would be easy to come up with examples of other family members crossing lines or violating core principles. This is a goalpost that can be shifted back and forth as needed, like “protocol”.

      • bettyrose says:

        That’s what gets me. I understand all the ways the RF is threatened by M & H and scared of where this is going, but there’s no indication that they intend to do anything in violation of TQ’s values. Raise family.Work hard. So I’d be curious to know which specific value they’re worried about being violated.

      • WigletWatcher says:

        Exactly. They will never get specific because the RF is openly corrupt. If 1 value is outright said it opens a closet door full of skeletons.

  2. lanne says:

    welp, the Cambridges got what they wanted. Those pesky Sussexes out of their way so they can win the Most Popular contest. Of course, now they’re starting to realize that the spectre of the Sussexes will hang over everything the Cambridges do from this point forward. The Cambridges have shat the bed, and now they get to lie in their own filth. What’s the saying, be careful what you wish for?

    • Mumbles says:

      I guess time will tell if that bears out. The Netflix deal news is about a week old and everyone’s been talking about it. And when the Sussexes start producing content, the projects will get a lot of attention on release. Time will tell if those projects have staying power.

      • Bibi says:

        I think the bigger hm gets, the less we will see the cambridges, because their working efforts will seem so small compared to the global effect of hm. Well then… it’s a win-win situation! Awwwww

      • fluffy_bunny says:

        Personally I will subscribe to netflix and watch their content and run it in the background on my computer just to boost their numbers. I can run it easily for 12 hours a day.

      • MsIam says:

        But @Mumbles, it’s not just Netflix it’s also their foundation or non-profit they are building. It’s the speaking engagements that will be covered by the press. H&M are playing the long game here. To be honest, I don’t think the Cambridge’s or any of the royals are part of the conversation for them anymore. The other royals have become the evil villains in the story rather than entities with an agenda of their own to promote. Is anyone looking to William as a mental health expert or Kate as an early childhood expert? They are only talked about in comparison to H&M now.

      • Islandgirl says:

        The challenge for the BRF will not be the quality and the success of Harry and Meghan’s projects.
        The challenge has been and will continue to be the popularity of the couple.
        The BM continued to publish made-up stories even when Harry and Meghan were not doing anything.
        The last five months has shown that there is an appetite across the world for information on this couple. The BM continues to encourage that which then fuels the couple’s popularity worldwide and keeps their names in the news.
        If, as I suspect, the BRF collaborated with the media to create a certain narrative about the couple they now have no power to stop the media.
        I don’t know what they are going to do about it going forward…they created and fed the beast and now it is out of control.
        I wonder if the visit to Sandringham is actually to convene crisis discussions because the independence of Harry and Meghan is definitely a crisis for the BRF.

      • Tealie says:

        @fluffy_bunny LOL Same! 😹😹

    • Capepopsie says:

      @Ianne: Exactly! They got what they have been plotting for all along!
      So, stop whining! 🤥

    • Harper says:

      The Cambridges pushed H&M out, so H&M went Hollywood on them. Could there be any better fairy-tale ending? You betcha Wills and Kate would love a southern California mansion lifestyle and entry into the Hollywood celeb circle way more than the kind of work they are required to be doing now. If Will couldn’t get any celebs to work with him before, what are the chances now, especially after all the American celebs and the British ones also working in LA start hanging out on Harry & Meghan’s multiple patios and terraces and they hear the real stories of what Kate and Wills are like? Just a spectacular fail on Willileaks, Kate Buttons and Ma Middleton’s part.

      • Mumbles says:

        You see, I’m not so sure about that. William and Kate want the crown (and the Middletons want royal adjacency). I really don’t think they want to move to California. Kate could have found a terribly/moderately wealthy man to marry but she didn’t. And word is even as a kid, William was very aware of his place in the line of succession, and quite proud of it.

        I think at the end of the day, both brothers and their wives have the lives they want.

      • Harper says:

        Sure, W&K want the crown, but they also did not want H&M to land up in such an enviable position with Hollywood welcoming them with open arms! W&K want the crown, and they also want H&M living a Duke and Duchess of Windsor, genteel poverty type of exile, forlorn and living with regret.

      • Tealie says:

        I don’t think they would move to California if they could do all their role engagements in California and find a way to mingle with celebrities for work they was, don’t forget Katie only used to turn up to engagements where there were celebrities. They would put out a statement saying she is ill to go to a charity engagement but suddenly she’s okay the next day to go and cut ribbons and mingle with the highlife.

  3. Princess Peach says:

    Such a mistake for the Windsors. It’s clear that they underestimated Harry and did not truly get Meghan. Now they are really going to be out here flapping in the wind the next time William cheats or there’s another scandal because they will have no one to throw under the bus.

    • LaraK says:

      I think this is the crux of it – they don’t get Meghan or Harry or really any different way of life. I think it’s genuinely beyond them that someone can be more successful outside the RF than in it.
      For anyone with a speck of awareness, it was obvious that they should not tolerate the racism and gaslighting. But for the RF being royal is so important, that they thought H&M would tolerate anything just to remain royal.
      This Netflix deal is just another nail in the coffin of their worldview.

  4. MsIam says:

    Again, this person is hoping that people will just forget about Prince Andrew. That is the elephant in the room, not the “irrelevant” couple way over in the US. Besides, Harry and Meghan have a brand to protect now, in order to maintain its value. They are definitely going to be careful about what they do and who they associate with. Far more careful than any of the other royals it seems.

    • Nic919 says:

      Exactly. Andrew has raped underaged girls and is hiding from the FBI but sure let’s pretend that Harry and Meghan will do something that reflects poorly on the monarchy. They can fuck off with that nonsense.

    • Becks1 says:

      Excellent point about their brand. If anything, they may be more “careful” now, because they have to protect their brand, because they have to sell it.

    • Willz (not THAT one) says:

      @MSIAM Ah, and this right here is the seed of concern for the queen. Without the throwaway grandchild and his family in the immediate vicinity as convenient scapegoat and distraction from her precious baby’s horrific behavior, the RF is more open exposed and vulnerable to the criticism it so deserves, which also opens up the queen for more scrutiny on how such a sweaty-hand piece of $h!+ has been able to continue his behavior, unchecked, for so many decades.

      Yep, you hit the nail on the head.

    • Lemons says:

      Thank you!

      No one watched Andrew with the same eagle-eyed attentiveness that they are giving to H&M.

      Can we please get an extensive financial investigation into ALL of these royal charities that don’t seem to be making money for their patronages but we’re supposed to believe that the royals are doing SO MUCH to be able to live in the lap of luxury?

      • Becks1 says:

        This kind of goes into what Sofia was saying above – and part of the reason why the royal family is so mad about Sussexit – this just shines a light on the rest of the family in ways they don’t want. People think Frogmore cost a lot of money? What about KP, which was renovated for W&K because they were going to move to London FT, and then they got Anmer Hall and hid out there for years (and still do)? What about Bagshot Park? What about the Royal Lodge at Windsor? How much is Eugenie paying for rent for Ivy Cottage? How are their patronages doing? Who is shutting down? etc.

        Factor in Andrew’s crimes, and the ranting and raving about the Sussexes just looks so stupid.

  5. Myra says:

    This is it exactly. I get frustrated when I see journalists willfully, sometimes unintentionally, misinterpret the actions of the Sussexes. Every step they have taken is exactly what they set out to do since January. They have only altered their plans slightly in response to external factors (the p/t model rejection, the pandemic etc.). They haven’t misled anyone. If people were deluded to think that they were going into hiding, then that’s on them. They asked for the media to not be so intrusive when it comes to their private life, they didn’ ask to be hermits. Good on them.

    • Love says:

      Right… also! I find the statement “ what they saw as unfair criticism and intrusion” as gaslighting. It makes it seem like it’s all in their heads, when the reality is H&M, especially M, were unfairly criticised… unless being black is a crime, then please, criticise all of us

  6. Wendy says:

    That’s exactly what makes the BM so angry now – they really can’t control them. The Firm and the BM have nothing that H&M need or want any longer. I don’t think the titles mean anything to them or to the people that love them. If the media keeps smacking them with the treat of removing titles – perhaps they will just stop using them. It isn’t the titles that make them famous or loved or able to draw crowds and admiration. And as to the worry that they might do something to discredit The Firm – I think H&M have higher morals than anyone else in that wretched family – they needn’t worry about H&M bringing discredit!

    • Tealie says:

      Yeah Wendy they waited their bets too hard and now they have no leverage against them, like you said there’s literally nothing they have that Harry and Megan want nor that they can hold over them that isn’t futile empty rubbish. I really and truly think the Cambridges expected to be a takeover Harry and Megan superstar if they force them to leave hence the Catherine the great article and have been shocked that hasn’t happened and no one cares about them. Hi mate we had some pretty aggressive fro Kate pro William ‘saviour of the monarchy’ PR up until March and still now and none of it has taken.

  7. Kalana says:

    It’s Prince Watermelon Sugar’s time to shine!

    But, yeah, they wanted to humble Harry and Meghan (remember Charles’ communications secretary?) for daring even to get married and instead have invited stronger scrutiny on the rest of the family.

    • truthSF says:

      That song will hunt prince egg head for all eternity!!!😂😂😂😂🤣

    • TheOriginalMia says:

      I must have missed this in my ignoring most things to do with William. What is this about?

      • Kalana says:

        Kensington Royal posted a TikTok style video of William’s visit to Belfast set to the song Watermelon Sugar by Harry Styles. It’s a light popsong about oral sex. They removed the music after even their fans complained.

      • TheOriginalMia says:

        @Kalana, my eyebrows just shot straight up into my hair line. OMG! Whoo…That’s hilarious. How long until the social media guy is fired? LOL.

      • Kalana says:

        Poor David was probably told to use that song.

      • Tealie says:

        @Kalana He probably was, but no doubt that five and just for a performance and to pretend it wasn’t them. he probably was, but no doubt that five and just for a performance and to pretend it wasn’t them

  8. Feeshalori says:

    I’m wondering if the fingers of blame within the family are starting to point at the Cambridges and their coterie for the consequences of their petty jealous actions. I’m sure Charles never realized the consequences of his inaction by not protecting his son and Meghan better and with going along to appease William. This has blown up in their faces in a way they could have never anticipated or controlled. Too bad they didn’t wake up in time to smell the aroma of the 21st-century. Oh, to be a fly on the wall in the halls of BP, KP and CH.

    • Kalana says:

      Dysfunctional families blame the “outsider” for not putting up with the dysfunction. Everyone of them have been tiptoeing around William for decades now and I don’t think even this will change things.

      When the family wants to pull William into line, I think they resort to far more underhanded tactics: South of France, Swiss nightclub, Rose. The Swiss nightclub especially. Someone let the press know that they could actually publish that story.

      • Notafan says:

        What was the Swiss nightclub story?

      • Tealie says:

        @Notafan I think it was an independent holiday William went on where he was caught in a nightclub putting his hands and flirting with women, I think he even was groping ones butt, and the sun published it.

    • Becks1 says:

      I do think Charles et al completely underestimated the Sussexes. They missed the signs about Harry growing up for years now. Not only growing up, but growing into someone with principles and a spine. They really thought Harry was going to just go along with the same old BS that has been part of the royal family for ages now, in particular the “heir and the spare” narrative.

      So I do think there is a good deal of regret, but like Kalana said they have always tiptoed around William and I doubt that will change.

      I do think the press is going to be less controlled by William et al as time goes on – the press didn’t love William and Kate pre-Sussex (remember not only the Swiss nightclub story itself, but the “bone idle” headline, all the discussion of how lazy they were, the criticism of the India/Bhutan trip – by people who are now Cambridge cheerleaders.) they will go back to criticizing them because they are going to need content.

      • Tealie says:

        Yeah I don’t think they realised how much family means to Harry and the lengths he will go to to protect them, they thought that he had their values of sacrificing everyone even your own kids to help yourself. I know it was a shock to them that he didn’t just cower in and let them go. Which says a lot about what they would do both Charles and William if they were in the same position 😶

    • windriver says:

      The irony is, the Firm in all their machinations have now allowed a supremely lazy, unproductive couple to become the main public face of the monarchy, when they aren’t even the next in line. And Will and Kate actually are the exception, rather than the rule when it comes to working royals. There are hangers on, sure, but certainly Charles and Anne, TQ and Phillip in their day, Camilla, Sophie work hard, and/or are at least serious and knowledgeable about the causes they support. Does anyone see that though, in the midst of this heavy PR and photo opps for Top CEO Kate and “bored of racism” Will? If I were Charles, this would be a bigger problem for me than worrying about who’s the most popular, having the work of other family members more or less negated in the public eye by so much focus on the Cambridges. Plus, intelligent people will look at these two useless, publicly supported, semi-permanent vacationers, and ask – why do they deserve our money? – especially when the hard-working Harry and Meghan are out there for direct comparison.

  9. Merricat says:

    The Windsors have taken the short-view in an effort to preserve the monarchy for the long-term, but they sow the seeds for their own destruction when they continue to align with those traditionalist courtiers, who are incapable of grasping the digital age. The dinosaurs are their own comet, imho.

  10. ABritGuest says:

    The Fail said they published Meghan’s letter because as a publicly funded member of royal family, the public had right to know how she conducts her relationships. They said that’s why they had right to know of Archie’s godparents. The ‘public interest’ was being used to target Meghan’s relationships particularly .

    That’s why back in January they said they wanted to keep on working for the Queen but not accept public funding anymore so they could remove the public interest argument.

    The press will still report and nosy about but they cannot demand info or appearances as they aren’t publicly funded. In particular I guess they can totally control when they show Archie and not have it demanded of them.

    The Firm kind of played themselves saying either in or out completely as now they don’t have control or oversight of their work and have to live with that. But they said they will respect the Firm’s ‘values’ and Harry seems to honour his grandmother generally so can’t see them doing something controversial (seeing as it’s meant to be inspiring programming) and that would really upset her or eg anything royal related right now

    • bluemoonhorse says:

      Exactly. And why M&H have cut off contact with theses so-called press members and laid the groundwork for them (the tabloids) not being able to defend future actions in court.

    • GuestWho says:

      I kinda would like to see them do a documentary for Netflix on the corruption of the BM – but I suppose that would drag the RF to the forefront of the discussion and they’re too nice to actually do it. Maybe after the queen dies. It would be a hell of a draw.

  11. Amy Bee says:

    I suspect Harry and Meghan offering to be part-time royals was due to Harry’s promise to his grandmother that he would stay and work for the family. Luckily for them, the family and the media were too stupid and petty to realise that rejecting Harry and Meghan’s offer ultimately gave them the freedom they wanted and more. I think the only regrets Harry and Meghan do have is that they were unable do things they wanted to do as royals and that Harry had to give up his military titles. But even before the Netflix deal, buying a house, signing up to Harry Walker and being more outspoken on social issues were signs that they had no intention of going back to being working royals. The family and the media were too blind to see that.

  12. Sofia says:

    And this is why they should have just accepted the part time model. That way they would still be able to control the Sussexes and keep an eye on what they do. The same with the media if they hadn’t gone so hard with the smear campaign. If the media had just let her be, the Sussexes would probably be sitting in Frogmore right now planning their next engagement. Instead they’re making 9 figure deals and paying back a 2.4 million pound renovation in one go.

    • S808 says:

      Them rejecting the half in half out model was incredibly dumb. If the fear was about eclipsing the RF, that’s gonna happen anyway. Oh well, it worked out great for the Sussexes.

      • TheOriginalMia says:

        I think the BRF truly thought they’d be less popular and less successful without the royal branding. The BRF place a high value on their titles and honorifics, but it’s never meant the same to Harry and especially not to Meghan. So, of course, the BRF can’t conceive of anyone being interested in HM without the HRH. without the pomp & circumstance, w/o the mystique of royalty. They thought they’d fall flat on their faces and would have to come back in a year. Instead, HM did what they set out to do in January. They became financially independent and with it comes the true freedom from the BRF.

    • Becks1 says:

      Right! If the royal family wanted any control over the Sussexes, the half-in/half-out model was how to maintain that control. By rejecting that, they have given the Sussexes free reign to do whatever they want, and they’re already proving they’re making some serious moves.

      • ennie says:

        They would’ve keep both of them doing just 2-3 events less than Top CEO, which is just 1 or 2 less than the FFK PWT, and of course, keeping on criticising her choice of nail polish or hairdo, all while calling to see Archie, while at the same time questioning his existence.

        Nah, haha, they’re much better off.

      • S808 says:

        It feels like the RF was in a hurry to somehow dunk on them by rejecting their proposal and boasting how their demands won’t be accepted and shot themselves in the foot in the process. I also thinking cutting out the RRs was a huge part. H&M were a BIG boost to the “royal expert” industry. Also, alot of them seem to be taking this all personally I can’t help but wonder if some threats were made to not accept circumventing the RRs. Not to shift blame, the institution had its own reasons to not allow them to be part time but I also think RRs could’ve thrown their weight around abit.

    • HK9 says:

      You’re right-but that would mean that someone in that establishment was smart, and they are not.

    • BnLurkN4eva says:

      I truly believe they dismissed the deal in order to call them bluff. They never for one minute thought that H/M would walk away from the BRF, which is why that deal was rejected. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if once H/M returned to England for that last “&&^%% you tour” that they didn’t offer them a redo and asked them to stay and do the half in half out deal after all. I suspect that the long lunch that Harry had with his grandmother was an attempt by her to talk him into staying just like she did years before. It’s possible that’s the real reason W/K were so salty at the CW service. Think about it, if the family had at long last decided to accept H/M’s deal because they figured out what them leaving altogether would mean and H/M rejected the deal completely. That would tick off W/K mightily because not only did they have to change their position of all in or all out, (since I believe that was William idea.) Now, that was rejected and for someone who is used to controlling things, no wonder William was so irate. Yeah, this is what I believe happened.

    • Tealie says:

      They really should have but their egos were too big, they rejected the half in half out model out of spite, because they thought the Sussex’s needed them more than they need them, – this is the kind of shit that happens when you’re followed around by sycophants, they have no grasp on reality. I thought they would come crawling back after you and submit into the fold but they didn’t. The same goes for the media groups that are in that ban like the Sun and Wooten who were boasting that they won’t talk about the Sussex any more. But they will fail without them lmao!

  13. Ennie says:

    An unfair, lopsided “gatekeeping”, where other duchesses Or princesses get to:
    -wear strapless or one shouldered dresses while the new “different” duchess cannot.
    -While others have been able to wear Bright ir dark colored nail polish while the new cannot.
    -Repeatedly Flash her a** to the public and mass media in international profesional tours while the new duchess can’t protectively cradle her pregnant belly.
    – Get to shield their children from photographers’ intrusions by becoming the “official little princes photographer” (and get praise for it), while other new duchess can’t protect her child from being compared to an animal in the media.
    Can spend unsaid amount of money building her wardrobe with repeats and repeats and repeats of the same designer dresses especially made For her in different shades if the same colors and wear any jewelry she wishes, while the new duchess brings her whole wardrobe to wear and is criticised for adding to it, and mix and match with her own, totalling the cost as if it were all new.
    Feel free to add, there is so much.

    • lanne says:

      It all boils down to the fact that Meghan is biracial. This list of Meghan’s so-called “errors” is utterly ridiculous next to the foibles of the royal family including 1) selling access to Prince Andrew for money, 2) publically dissing the queen on camera, 3) “I wanna be your tampon” 4) “There were three of us in this marriage” 5) Fergie getting her toes sucked by a man not her husband while her children played nearby” 6) sitting around waiting for a man to propose for 10 years while doing no work, charity or otherwise (the “work” that kate supposedly did for her family was done by others). Meghan…didn’t wear a hat once. Touched her stomach while pregnant. Crossed her legs. Shut a car door. Sent an early email once. Not even a text, an email! She also: edited the top selling Vogue magazine of the decade (that fact was NEVER published in British media), raised money for Grenfell victims with her cookbook, raised money for Smartworks with her collection, did 2 major royal tours while pregnant. And Meghan’s the problem.

      In all honesty, the British royal family should have simply forbid Harry from marrying her. Then let him choose to walk away from the family. It was the ultimate cowardice to agree to a marriage they didn’t want, then try to destroy a person’s life to make her go away.

      Racists, just own up to it. There are plenty of people who accept you, as we have seen in this world. But the RF wants the freedom to BE racist without actually LOOKING racist. The problem is, their racism shines through every ridiculous statement they make. They haven’t fooled anyone, not even other racists. Racists need to stop the charade all ready and stand up loud and proud. If those are their convictions, then they may as well stand up and show the courage of their convictions so the rest of us know. End the farce. The Brexiteers are the ones yelling “God Save the Queen,” anyway at the BLM counter-protests. Embrace your people RFs! Or join the 21st century. It’s their call.

      • BnLurkN4eva says:

        @Lanne you rock. I completely agree with your post. I have long suspected that the family agreed to the wedding to pretend they weren’t racist, even inviting her to that Christmas gathering was in an attempt to appear not racist. Then they used Thomas Markle to stop the wedding and when that didn’t work, they used the BM to smear her to the point where she would run off and leave Harry behind. I too believe it was never the plan in that family to accept Meghan and in fact now that I think about it, I remember how much was made of the fact that Meghan left her ex-husband and that she’s someone who would leave. That was the set up for when the smear worked and she left Harry. I can just picture those people sitting around plotting how they would get rid of her. Then she got pregnant and the new plan was obviously to stress her out so badly that she miscarry. Then, she had Archie and the plan was for her to run back to America with her baby and leave Harry. But they miscalculated because H/M actually are a love story and tiara’s and palaces are of no interest to them, they just wanted each other and their little man.

      • L84Tea says:

        THIS!!!!!!

      • Liz says:

        Was there ever coverage on this site of the flagrant snickering and smirking the young royals did at H&M’s wedding while the black American reverend spoke?

      • BnLurkN4eva says:

        @Liz, yes that was covered a few times that I can recall. That was very badly done and the media didn’t call them out for it. Those British royals get away with everything, see William and Kate cutting H/M at the CW service.

  14. Eleonor says:

    They did their best to force them out of the Monarchy and now they discover they don’t have any control anymore?

  15. Tiffany says:

    And I still believe that they are salty about being wrong about Meghan.

    They think that she is a gold digger who would put up with anything to get to Petty’s jewels and status.

    HAHAHAHAHA !!! Nope, she took a Prince and their kid and bounced when Harry asked were her bags packed.

  16. Scorpio says:

    “The Happening” By Diana Ross & The Supremes. Comes to mind.

  17. bluemoonhorse says:

    I’m not up on all the publications. Is T&C the same one that published the CEO Kate story? I know there is a US T&C.

  18. OriginalLeigh says:

    Am I missing something? Why is it a bad thing that two adults who are pushing 40 now have the means and freedom to do as they please? Isn’t that what we all want? These articles read like Harry and Meghan have been hatching some diabolical plan to take over and destroy the world, and being tied to the Queen’s purse strings was the only thing holding them back. Shouldn’t everyone be more focused on getting control over the current economic, health and racial crises?

  19. anon says:

    Removing their titles will only cement H&M as martyrs to The Firm’s intransigence and the British media’s overt racism and sexism, which has been on full display.

    Go ahead, take the titles. Harry Mountbatten Windsor is no fool. He’s an insider and knows how the game is played. And he used everything he learned from a lifetime of skullduggery within that family to breakaway on his own terms.

    From a pure tactical standpoint, I’d say he’s outdone King Edward – who, without a viable job or meaningful work, became something of a mooch. Harry, on the other hand, is already the most successful non-heir royal ever.

    And that makes me smile.

    • lunchcoma says:

      Edward and Wallis were both selfish, thoughtless, aimless people before they met, they bumbled into the abdication, and then they were stuck with each other once the passion ran out.

      Harry went into all of this with his eyes open, waited until he met someone he had a strong relationship with and could be a partner in a new life, and planned his departure with Meghan so that he was running toward something and not just away from the royals.

    • RedWeatherTiger says:

      And if they take their titles, Harry and Meghan are free to TELL. THEIR. STORY. No more deference to Petty or Chuckles the Tampon or PWT. Just a huge book deal and all the tea in the world, spilling all over Buckingham Palace.

  20. GR says:

    The last bit of the excerpt is weird: “Harry and Meghan may no longer have to engage with or answer to their critics. But the monarchy does not have the same freedom.”
    When does the monarchy have to do this, exactly?

    • ennie says:

      They never answer to anything! and if they do, is isn the form of
      A) legally threat or sue, like Willam and Kate do (and then the media dare to criticise the Sussex)
      B) a crude photo op, such as the Flybe stunt, oh , look, they are so frugal! (eyeroll of the decade).

    • Ariel's Song says:

      That was a threat, letting the BRF know that H&M will not be the headliner forever. They (the RR) will come back to them, be prepared or give us something (someone).

      • Becks1 says:

        Yup, exactly. even though Victoria Murphy is usually more even-handed than some of the other reporters (I think she has written some BSC stuff in the past but she’s not like English or Palmer), it was still a warning shot. The beast that is the press needs to be fed. And if they cant get to the Sussexes (which they cant, Chris Ship couldn’t even confirm the NYT story re: Netflix, lol), they’ll turn on the rest of the family.

      • BayTampaBay says:

        BSC = ?????

    • Lemons says:

      The journalist knows what she’s saying. The press/RR control the family in a way that they can no longer control H&M. So, they can antagonize them all they want, but it’s merely negative energy that is concentrated in a country where they no longer live. When they antagonize the royal family, they actually need to be worried about how they are viewed in the UK and if they will publish anything damaging to their reputation.

    • S808 says:

      That was definitely a warning. If RRs can’t go after the Sussexes, they’ll turn right back to the monarchy and they better have a sacrifice on standby. Between William’s affair, his and Kate’s continuous laziness and Andrew’s situation there’s plenty for the RRs to choose from. With Frogmore paid off and them continuously being outscooped by American press, it’s only a matter of time before the BM finds a new target.

      • CC says:

        There new target will be Charles, it’s already happening.

      • Ellen Olenska says:

        I’m thinking two prong attack. Press will Drag up the Diana/ Charles/ Camilla becoming Queen consort drama (because how much time could Betty have) AND Willy/ courtiers will begin to serve up Kate as scapegoat to free Willy up…

        And of course there will be special guest appearances by Fergie and Andrew…

  21. lunchcoma says:

    I mean, yeah. They had an opportunity to continue to have a say in things. I’m pretty sure that Harry and Meghan would have agreed to some level of consultation about major decisions if they had been allowed to keep Sussex royal and do some part time royal work.

    If the only means you have of persuading someone to consider you when making your decisions are money and power, rather than earned loyalty and affection, you need to keep up your end of the bargain. The Firm didn’t. They’re lucky that Harry and Meghan have enough dignity to be sticking to things like the Netflix deal. They would have been within their rights to publish a tell all or do some kind of tacky reality show.

  22. Charfromdarock says:

    So does this mean the RF admit they’ve been controlling (abetting) Andrew’s actions because they certainly control his purse strings.

  23. Lizzie says:

    Who is William senior to if the rest of the royals leave?

  24. LRob says:

    VM:”Seething at what they saw as unfair criticism and intrusion, their view was clear; shut down public funding and remove the right to control or criticize.” I agree the Sussexes wanted independence to remove the right of media to control the narrative but disagree they were averse to criticism. They told us they wanted accurate balanced coverage and fair criticism. They were seething that the RF prohibited them from responding to media smears and lies & allowed authors of those lies in the royal rota to continue to travel with and cover them. The RF apparently made deals with the rota long ago, where the press got access in exchange for covering up royal secrets. So the RF refused to stand up to the press, while the Sussexes had the courage to do just that. Harry the wayward prince? Nope, Prince Harry the best of Britain.

  25. BnLurkN4eva says:

    Does anyone believe part of the exit deal H/M agreed to was no social media account for a certain period of time? It just seems strange they haven’t started a new social media account even though it’s clear they were forbidden from using their previous social media account, or even changing the name and keeping the account. It just looks suspicious to me and I’m starting to think they agreed to not start one.

    • lanne says:

      that could very well be the case. But as they’ve shown, they don’t really need a social media right now, and not having one allowed them to build their mystique. They could bring attention to the social media of the charities they support, copyrite their own photos, and release on their own schedule without anyone social media stalking them to get an immediate scoop. It might be wiser for them to keep social media to a minimum right now, and build their foundation and their brand–no one can say they’ve “gone Hollywood” if the only time they appear on social media is to support a charitable organization (well, the BM will because they have nothing else to say!)

      • Jane's Wasted Talent says:

        All these things you’ve listed are great strategic reasons why I hope they never use a personal social media again, only Archewell. You’re right too in how it’s added immensely to their mystique, which is invaluable and a type of allure that is sadly almost extinct. Also extremely important- it helps ‘gray rock’ the British media by starving the sadists of information and access to their targets.

    • MsIam says:

      I thought it was because they were not finished with setting up Archewell. I thought the social media would launch with Archewell. Which actually is pretty clever now that there is all this remove the titles b.s. imagine if everything was branded with Sussex! So I guess in a way the queen and courtiers did them a big favor. Thanks guys!

    • Ennie says:

      I’d put that on W and K who were probably outed because of their obvious use of taxpayer’s money to buy bots.

    • Ginger says:

      Their last message hinted they would be back. They left when the pandemic started to increase so they may be back when their foundation is launched or when the pandemic is gone.

    • Jane's Wasted Talent says:

      I think you and Ennie together especially make a compelling argument- but if this is true, it’s backfired spectacularly (like every other attempt to reduce them), for all the reasons Lanne listed.

    • Tealie says:

      How do you think they’re good not to start one, I just don’t think they have yet or have needed to. Plus the Instagram would be connected to Archwell which I don’t think the launch In full capacity till maybe next year or the year after.

  26. Mariane says:

    Well well..VM is normally a hater but this one went straight to the point! The RF shot themselves in the foot by not taking that half in deal. The more time passes the more press becomes obsessed with Meghan and Harry. Look at how little coverage NormalBill received for his random trip vs the 5 columns about a week old Netflix deal story. When more time passes theyll regret not having any access to them to coordinate & schedule events so it doesnt overtake others.

    The last paragraph of this was interesting. It read like a warning. I said before that the hunting story was a warning shot. Days later DM & Express were writing about Queen’s staff being made redundant and staff striking+some guards going on cocaine bing and more articles about Epstein! Then we heard lizzy changed her routine and is returning to Windsor(I hope it’s not because the Sussexs are coming to UK). The palace is clearly in panic mode and they no longer have their scapegoats so cant feed the beast.

  27. KellyRyan says:

    They never did and they never will. When the goal is freedom to live your life under your own direction you will go to any lengths to achieve it. My family history, England, Sicilian, African migration is proof along with the hundreds of thousands who risk their lives on small boats in rocky seas to find a better life, or cross a border with determination. Meghan experienced it, shared it freely with a husband to be and both planned a better life.

    • Jane's Wasted Talent says:

      What a beautifully written tribute to your ancestors, and to all who came searching for freedom.