Robert Lacey has a new interview in the Times of London, the same outlet which published the Finding Freedom excerpts. Lacey’s Battle of Brothers: William and Harry – The Inside Story of a Family in Tumult was excerpted in the Daily Mail all of last week, to much chagrin. First, the royal reporters were so happy to publicize the book because they thought it would be an anti-Sussex screed. They stopped tweeting about it once they read a few days’ worth of excerpts and realized that Lacey was actually undercover-trashing Prince William. The excerpts about William and Kate’s courtship and the Middletons were practically buried by the Daily Mail. Curioser and curiouser! Anyway, this Lacey interview is FULL of some piping hot tea. Some highlights:
He’s getting hate mail from furious Prince William fans. “There is such anger that the book has dared to suggest Prince William is not perfect… Portraits of William are always so idealised because he is our future king. Charles III and Queen Camilla is not an appealing prospect, but there is William and his wonderful wife — and that’s what everybody has their hopes set on.”
Lacey now believes the rift is even more serious than reports have claimed. Lacey suggests, among other things, that William has a formidable temper and that — perhaps more wounding — he has gained his reputation for steadiness and sense of duty at the expense of his younger brother. Yet this was not the book he had been hoping to write. The heir and the spare he originally had in mind were Charles and Prince Andrew, but he dropped that plan after talking to his friend Peter Morgan, the writer of The Crown, who bluntly advised: “They aren’t the princes that matter any more.”
For years, William has emerged unscathed while Harry is smeared: “This [their Eton days] was the beginning of the relentless popular media stereotyping that would eventually drive Prince Harry out of Britain. The other face of that stereotype was, of course, the impeccable image of his perfect elder brother, golden boy Prince William.”
Sigh, Meghan as “Wallis Simpson”: It is Harry’s marriage — to a woman the author describes, with Wallis Simpson in mind, as “the second American divorcee to screw up the monarchy” — that has proved particularly divisive. “The palace expected Harry to marry a nice girl called Annabel or Henrietta and to go and live in the country. They didn’t expect this bombshell.”
Someone in the palace hated Meghan: Presented with the opinionated and outspoken Meghan Markle, the palace didn’t know what to do. “There was personal animosity in the palace towards Meghan — and the feeling is mutual,” says Lacey. “There was somebody in the palace — and I can’t name them — who hated Meghan. There is no love lost there.” This revelation was removed from the book on legal advice.
The courtiers were initially more concerned with Prince Andrew’s situation: Palace officials complained that talking to Meghan and Harry was like dealing with a hard-nosed Hollywood lawyer, although Lacey suggests the attention of courtiers might have been elsewhere: “One of the reasons things went wrong over Christmas and new year was that the palace was so preoccupied with the Andrew problem, they didn’t see the Harry problem coming.”
Whether William & Harry will reconcile: Lacey doesn’t expect any reconciliation: “I was optimistic, but I’ve become less so. It’s rather worrying that Buckingham Palace is taking William’s side against Harry. The problem with the royal family is that it doesn’t know how to do ‘woke’. Woke is not going to go away. It’s here to stay, and Meghan is the very embodiment of it.”
A few things… “The palace expected Harry to marry a nice girl called Annabel or Henrietta and to go and live in the country.” I’m sure that’s what many *expected* but game that out for a minute and see where it goes. Say Harry had married a Cressida or an Annabel, some beautiful blonde with aristocratic pedigree, someone who would have been “acceptable” to the Turnip Toffs and Buckingham Palace. Guess what? Something similar would have happened. Sure, it wouldn’t have been as racist and anti-American as it was with Meghan, but Will & Kate STILL would have done the most to make Harry’s Wife into persona non grata, they would have smeared and treated her horribly. It’s because no one is allowed to pull focus from this dull and lazy couple. It’s because Kate doesn’t play nice with other girls and William plays too nice with other women.
And this is the most obvious blind item ever: “There was personal animosity in the palace towards Meghan — and the feeling is mutual. There was somebody in the palace — and I can’t name them — who hated Meghan. There is no love lost there.” Does the person’s name start with “W” and end in “leaks”? But truly, it could be anybody in the palace. The Queen’s courtiers despised Meghan, as did Prince Andrew, as did Kate.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
“There was somebody in the palace — and I can’t name them — who hated Meghan. There is no love lost there.” William. Just say William (although it says he can’t).
No matter who Harry married, she was always going to have a tough time in the press against Kate because Kate is married to the heir. However, Meghan didn’t make that /easier/ because she had a work ethic and was charismatic. That does not make the “Kate is better than Harry’s wife” comparisons the palace were banking on, easy because people with sense can see that Meghan was proving to be more popular than Kate.
Also, had he married an aristo, she would
Have had the respect of the aristos and that prob would have protected her in the press somewhat. I’m going to go with Rose H as an example bc she’s the only name I know lol, but if Harry had married someone like her – someone respected by the nobility, with connections and friends in the aristo class, part of the aristo class herself – yes, Kate and william would have tried to establish themselves as the Better royal couple, but I think a lot of the tabloid stories would have been very different. We saw when happened when Kate did try to shun the actual Rose H. Imagine Kate trying to shun a Rose-esque person who was married to a prince.
Now to be clear I am not saying that Harry’s wife would have EVER had it easy, but the nature of the attacks would have been VERY different IMO.
Of course. I agree and that’s what I was trying to say but you said it much better. No matter who he had married, they would have gotten the short end of the stick in the tabloid press but it was much WORSE because he married Meghan.
I also think had he married a white actress from America rather than a biracial actress, her treatment would have been a lot better too.
Another example. If Harry had married Tom van Stawberry’s ex, divorced Lady Melissa Percy? For one, there wouldn’t have been ANY public questioning about whether or not they could marry in a church.
Edit, posted before I saw Kalana’s post below.
An aristo-wife would have had royal clout that Kate never had and only had because the tabloids needed an English rose foil to Meghan’s Black divorcee Hollywood schtick they created.
I also think that William would have seen Harry’s wife as a possible candidate for royal mistress (gross, right?) But he seems like the type of guy who is constantly finding new ways to dominate his relationships. William would have played softball if Harry had an aristo-wife. Meghan is very in love with Harry, knows the game William plays from miles away and would probably shut down any flirtatious notions William may have thrown her way.
Lemons, there is a photo from one event with the four of them. William is staring at Meghan’s chest while licking his lips. Meghan looks afraid. Harry is standing behind them furious. Kate is in front of them all, RBF in place.
I’ve felt from the start that being American has been a huge barrier for Meghan and found it really interesting that this book mentioned the surge in applications from American women, when William formally announced the university he was attending. I really don’t think that the average Brit is anti American at all but I do think that the Royals and aristocracy are. I honestly do wonder how different the approach would have been had this been a black British woman rather than American. Suddenly maybe we would have seen that the Royals can do woke after all?
Any non-Brit would have faced a rough time in the press. The Brits are quite insular at best and xenophobic at worst. Meghan being biracial made everything worse but the audience who were against her based on her race would have been against any non-British royal bride.
The anti-Americanism from the aristos doesn’t make sense to me considering how many married American women married into the British aristocracy in the last 150 years or so (especially late 1800s, early 1900s). Lots of poor aristos married American heiresses to shore up dwindling finances and failing estates, or give some wealth to a younger son. Downton Abbey’s Countess of Grantham was based on this trend.
I think it attacking Meghan as an American was just a stand in for attacking her as a black woman, because they couldn’t come out and make reference to her race without showing their hands.
@Lauren, that might be part of it.
They were dependent on American heiresses for money, which was probably not something they like/liked to admit, so they turn up their noses.
Doesn’t every person who marries into the royal family have have a rough time? With the Queen’s own children, three out of four first marriages failed spectacularly.
Yes they do but no-one in the family was treated the way Meghan was in the tabloids
I still remember how the Percy family managed to shut down press intrusion back in 2012, when Pippa kept trying to tie her public profile to George Percy. The rules are different for powerful aristo families that actually support each other. If Harry had married someone like Melissa Percy, the press would have been far more manageable. They would have gone in on Chelsy though because she may be white and from a rich family but she still isn’t British.
The BRF are predatory for the way they went after Meghan. The only way the press would have backed off is if the family had supported the marriage. Instead they smiled for the pictures and hurt her when they thought no one would trace it back to them. Except for Kate at the Commonwealth Service. The aristos probably thought that was her common roots showing.
TBF, someone like Missy Percy would not have been anything close to who Meghan is as a human being. Aristocratic families and their ilk are as invested in keeping the unequal system of royalty/nobility going, because it directly benefits them. To that end, Lady Missy “Oversized Wedding Tiara” Percy would not have come in with the intention of doing anything even close to what Meghan wanted to accomplish. I’m willing to bet that she would have actually done a lot less, but received as much, if not somewhat more adulation, from the press and the public than Kate.
And the comparison between someone like Missy Percy and Kate would have been incredibly unfavourable to Kate in particular. Kate, who is a commoner, would have been the first wife of an heir to get slaughtered by the press in comparison to the wife of a spare, even though in reality, the aristo girls are as useless as Kate is. Missy Percy dropped out of school to play tennis professionally at 14, but retired when she was 21. She then started the umpteenth aristo trust funded fashion line in 2016, and if you haven’t heard of it, that gives you some insight into how well it’s doing. She got married, divorced, and then got married again, in a southern plantation wedding in Georgia, to an American billionaire financier. I’m gonna guess that this time, she wore a tiara that actually fit her tiny elf sized head, although I’m not holding my breath.
@A – everything you say is true and is exactly what we are talking about here. An aristo wife would have received more protection in the press than Meghan (because while some of Meghan’s abuse was aimed at her work, like “royals don’t guest edit magazines” or the lies spread about the Hubb kitchen, most was just aimed at Meghan – Meghan’s love of avocado toast fueling drought and famine, for example.) I don’t think someone like Melissa Percy* would have been subjected to any of those headlines. Of course she wouldn’t have done the things Meghan did, and of course the comparison between her and Kate would have Kate coming out the loser. It wouldn’t have anything to do with who Melissa Percy (or other aristo woman) actually was. We’re just saying that had Harry married an aristocratic girl/woman like MP, the press protection would have been very different, but it wouldn’t have been coming from the palace.
*part of me feels bad that we’re just using her name now and part of me thinks its kind of ironic considering how blatant Pippa was about her intentions towards George Percy.
I think the person who hated Meghan’s name starts with W and ends with illiam. And I believe he gave her lots of reason to hate him right back. The RF has to side with William because he’s the FFK, but Charles et al know what a disaster this is. The more tea that gets spilled, the more distastrous it will be for the RF. We should all start poppin some corn, cuz shit’s about to go DOWN!!!
Well, it depends on which palace we’re talking about. My money’s on starts with B ends with uckingham, starts with Angela ends with Kelly.
I don’t know if it could be Kelly because I doubt if she has enough clout to throw around legal threats. But we know there is somebody in the family who likes to use lawyers to shut things down don’t we?
@Enny: That was my thought too! I think William is too obvious and is more than just “someone in the palace,” he’s “someone in the family.” But the “someone in the palace” must have at least minor name recognition or else he wouldn’t have bothered saying he can’t “name them.” And we know that AK has outsize influence over the Queen these days.
I personally believe it’s Kate. She clearly hates Meghan and is now copying her. She is very insecure and jealous.
I am sure even with the initial getting to know each other conversations William had with Meghan left him shook,a young beautiful,articulate,confident woman who could easily challenge him. He never had that before,even their famous fab four panel never happened again,Meghan was oozing with confidence and facts. It actually show cased even more how dull and mediocre his own wife was. He only cared about his own ego because he chose Kate more than anything else.
Loving the insights here today!
End of the day.. The couriers We’re afraid and angry this young woman would disrupt the strangle hold they have on the palace and royals. And William and Kate were afraid their safety in their underserved position could be challenged. So, instead of embracing the couple’s natural charisma like they did with Harry, they attacked and showed themselves.
Let the tea flow
Part of William’s choice of Kate was to get back at his family, to stick it too them with the trashy Middletons. It has come back to haunt him repeatedly, and the contrast with Meghan would have mocked his choice at every turn. And he’s jealous his little brother punched so far above his weight and won Meghan.
@Noki, I think you hit the nail. William couldn’t stand the fact that he was stuck with Keen Katie, while his younger brother had scored a woman like Meghan. Harry was supposed to be the ‘loser’. William thinks he’s the interesting one. Remember that ‘Fab Four’ interview where Meghan was charismatic and intelligent and Kate could barely squeeze out a coherent sentence. Every time they were all together at a public or private function, it must have galled him beyond words that he’s was going home with Kate. He had to get rid of them.
The palace made that quite obvious and yes his name does start with W. It’s amazing that it is William, out of everyone (not Elisabeth, not Charles) who went out of his way to try to stop this marriage. He really did set the wheels in motion for all that was to happen. Had he just minded his own business, kept trimming his roses in peace, we would have had a different outcome today.
Exactly this. If he had let H&M’s burgeoning popularity run its natural course, and not tried to decimate her reputation, things would have settled into a nice little status quo for he and his boring wife. They each would have found their niche and W&K could continue to be lazy while H&M worked on projects that actually help people. It would have been a pretty big win-win.
Agree completely. Prince Rage should have sat back and really found his cause and stuck to it. Then as George gets older and more attention and Harry fades here comes William who has been quietly accomplishing something for a decade. That is how a real legacy is built.
“ Palace officials complained that talking to Meghan and Harry was like dealing with a hard-nosed Hollywood lawyer”
Translation: They weren’t pushovers and knew their own worth and exactly what they wanted. Honestly, this was probably the first time in Harry’s life since Diana died that he had someone fully in his corner and backed him up. I don’t think Meghan changed him, she just supported and reinforced his beliefs and helped him finally stand up to his family. She helped him see a future outside of the monarchy.
It is amazing how Hollywood is a bad word for H&M but W is doing his best to work with that same Hollywood! LOL
So true.
My interpretation is some courtiers are not world class and Harry and Meghan often challenged them as the courtiers were trying to run their lives.
One minute they are naïve and need guidance and the next they are like hard nosed lawyers. Which is it ??
This. You’re spot on
Agreed with your entire post @snuffles.
That whole complaint is anti-Semitic code, to boot. 🤮
This is like AITA on reddit, where some poor abused person describes their family from hell, but since they were raised in it, they don’t see how bad it is. They finally do some small thing to protect themselves, their shit family calls them an asshole, and then they come to reddit asking if they really are. Only when reddit responds overwhelmingly with OMG YOUR FAMILY SUCKS that they finally see how bad their family is.
I really think there’s been some heart to hearts between Harry and Meghan, with Harry going “well that’s normal right?” about his family and Meghan responding with “No that’s not!” and finally pulling the wool from his eyes.
One thing that seems consistent is that royal experts, royal followers and the palace seem to have expected Harry to marry an ‘English rose’ and they don’t mean eg a black or asian English girl. People like Ingrid Seward, Piers Morgan & now this guy have said this blatantly so I don’t know how they can deny that some of the Meghan coverage is motivated by racism & xenophobia. And I doubt a white US c list actress would have had as much grief seeing as the Queens nephew is married to one.
Sounds like Meghan had a lot of opposition in the Firm but their saying the animosity was mutual makes me think the person who hated Meghan was a staffer who she was more likely to have regular dealings with (sounds like the Cambridges kept their distance). I think most of Lacey’s sources (apart from tabloids lol) based on his previous books on the Queen etc would be BP or CH so my guess is the top courtier Edward Young
He would’ve also been the one who kept Harry from seeing Petty Betty (ie: when Harry had to wait the entire month of January for an “appointment” to see his grandmother).
Very good sleuthing, ABritGuest!
Doesn’t he basically call Edward Young a weakling in this book though? If Young is not suing over that then why would he sue over being shown to hate Meghan? I think it was William and/or Kate. The implication from his tone is that this is some juicy hot tea that he can’t reveal, but nobody would care if it was some dumb courtier. The “men in gray” already have a bad reputation thanks to Diana and Fergie spilling the beans, nobody would be shocked at their behaving like a-holes.
Courtiers have the palaces believing their expertise is invaluable. They run all of their lives and then here comes Meghan who has run her own life and had experience with top drawer lawyers/agents in Hollywood and clearly sees Edward Young is lacking. I imaging she pushed back when she saw fit. Then she became demanding, 5am emails, shouting at servants, etc. However I am not sure Edward is someone who couldn’t be named, That sound senior royal level to me. My most likely is William followed by Philip, but Edward Young is high on the list.
When it is mentioned the Meghan was ‘shouting’ etc. It makes me think this is just a cultural difference because Americans can be perceived by Europeans to be very loud and seem to be shouting all the time when they are talking. When she first got to the UK – and she wasn’t even living in there that long – there would have been a period of cultural adjustment where she might have been using louder talking voice than the typical Brit.
I have had this experience with loud talking when my family & friends come to visit me where I live in Europe – they seem to be shouting. In general, American tourists are experienced as loud and shouting, and have a talking voice that is louder than what many Europeans are used to – at least Northern Europeans – as that is where I live.
I agree, I think it’s probably a staffer too, and it’s probably Edward Young. He features a great deal in the book from the looks of it.
Just say it – William, Prince Petty!!
I hope one day the truth comes out as something big went down with between the Cambridges and Sussex’s.
I have always had a vague awareness of William’s possible attraction to Meghan. What you can’t have you try to destroy.
Yep. And that must have been so gross to H&M
Uuugghhh
I think last week I said in a comment that in the beginning Will tried with Meghan and things changed after the pregnancy announcement. Someone didnt agree with me in the comments, but the reason I said that was because of the very pictures in this post. That event with Harry, Will, and Meghan. I remember it clearly. I think Kate was on maternity leave, and this was before their wedding? I might be wrong with timing, but there was video. I remember Will speaking to Meghan and interacting with her, and coming away thinking how different he was with her than Kate was with Meghan. Will genuinely seemed to include Meghan. Obviously, we know now what an ass he was behind the scenes but I really feel like that picked up and Will revealed his true self after the pregnancy was announced. Like he was okay with Meghan until Harry actually conceived a baby with her. Kate, on the other hand, I always could feel the simmering disdain from Kate towards Meghan. She didn’t hide it at all during the fab 4 forum event.
As a black woman I know there are white people that like you and accept no matter what, others that hate you, and then there is the other group….the people that accept you and tolerate you…up to a point. I think Will fell into that last category, and Kate and her family fell into the second.
All of this Busyann, totally agree with every word.
I don’t think Archie was necessarily meant to happen as fast as he did. I do think the royal family thought “let them get married and they’ll get divorced in a couple years.” I think they were fine entertaining Meghan while secretly pushing her towards divorce at the same time. I certainly think the royals thought things would slow down after they were married and they’d wait to have a baby. I think it got real for William once she got pregnant.
I’ll edit that to ‘in the beginning Will tried IT with Meghan ‘.
See lanne’s comment below. There are multiple occasions where William’s attitude and looks towards Meghan have been inappropriate. I wouldn’t put it past him to have been inappropriate in words or actions towards Meghan, either to Harry or directly to Meghan. He’s attracted to his brother’s beautiful wife, furious his little brother won Meghan, and furious she’s smarter than he is.
Exactly…and furious that his wife is a total dullard of a doormat compared to Meghan. Both the Cambridges are simmering with jealousy for different reasons: William because he was initially attracted to Meghan and may have said/done something inappropriate that offended her (and Harry); Kate because she no doubt picked up on the attraction William first exhibited towards Meghan and immediately iced her. Both are obviously jealous of her smarts, charisma and the success of her first few projects as well as the deep love and affection between Meghan and Harry which the Cambridges will never experience. Throw in some racism/classism to round out the animosity. I’m amazed they managed to pop out 3 kids there’s so little respect or chemistry between them.
Just a thought but it’s more likely Meghan saw Will throw one of his temper tantrums, most likely aimed at her husband, and was like “whoa – this guy? Needs some distance.”
I doubt William would have exhibited his temper publicly to Meghan early on. Before the engagement announcement? There was every chance Meghan would walk away and be free to tell the world what an abusive, racist ass William is.
Yup. I think William did like Meghan at the start. I know we don’t like Finding Freedom now, but i do think a lot of the eventful stories were more truthful than not. William seemed to have liked Meghan as a girlfriend. Probably suspicious as a fiance and a wife, but i think the hatred, if there is, kicked in much later.
My guess? Meghan put her foot down on some Royal Foundation business, and got Harry to take her side. Suddenly she needed to be put into place. I think Meghan was willing to suck up to Charles and Elizabeth out of respect (elderly and whatnot), but saw William as a peer and treated him accordingly. I know people attribute their feuds to relationships and jealousy but I do think it’s about work as well.
I don’t know if it matches the time line. I think the pregnancy was definitely a factor though.
I’ve always believed that a lot of billy’s anger stemmed from Meghan putting her foot down about the money from the cookbook going to the grenville kitchen project. She didn’t let him get away with taking that money for his projects and he was probably incandescent with rage that someone stood up to him.
What’s the tea on that?
@NotsoSimpleTaylor – someone may have more details, but apparently for a time the proceeds from Together (which were supposed to go to the Hubb kitchen, although the wording in the book is a bit ambiguous) were being diverted to the general royal foundation fund. Apparently when Meghan found out she insisted the money be set aside exclusively for the Hubb and I think the tea was that the Cambridge’s were not happy about that (since they do nothing to raise money for their foundation).
I do not understand William telling Harry to slow down or going to the uncle to try and intervene. It was none of Williams business who Harry married and the queen approved. What exactly was Williams problem? If Harry had it wrong and got divorced it would not be a scandal in that family. Also, if Harry marries a black woman it does not have any affect on William as Harry’s children move even farther down the line as years go by. I feel like I am missing something.
William has always tried to control Harry. Most likely, he realized Harry getting married to Meghan meant he wouldn’t be able to have that control and Harry wouldn’t be the third wheel anymore. I also don’t think William was at all pleased that an American black woman was about to join the family.
@busyann I thought William seemed friendlier with Meghan at the start too. Seemed nice at that Westminster Abbey event when Kate was on mat leave, jokey with her&conscious to make space (even prodding Kate along) at that RAF event. And I always thought he seemed happy& a helpful best man at the wedding. I remember reports suggesting William was really upset for Harry & Meghan with Thomas Markle’s pre wedding shenanigans.
Before these reports of William allegedly urging Harry to ‘slow down’ emerged I always assumed the fallout was due to a pet or threat scenario. I thought Wills was cool & maybe like some of the Firm, thought Meghan would be somewhat of a token- someone to wheel out to show how ‘modern & inclusive’ the Firm now was. but once she started working& did the cookbook for Grenfell, which @nota has suggested, William maybe thought was his area- then she became a threat. Then when they were getting a great reaction during the Oceana tour, feathers were truly ruffled.
Oh… oh it’s on the tip of my tongue… W… Wil… Oh it’ll come to me eventually.
The royals were prepared for Harry marrying a do-nothing socialite. She would have been the subject of negative articles, but might have settled into “her place” as less than Kate and taking the heat when the future King and his wife messed up by being bland and predictable. That’s what they wanted and we’re expecting. Someone with charisma, a work ethic and values was completely unexpected for them.
It easily could be Will, but I’m thinking more and more of some very influential palace aide. Someone who kept his/her position till now.
Exactly.👍👍
In 2019, an RR did a Royal Palace overview segment for BBC and needed access from senior courtiers.
Henderson didn’t name them, but said he was shocked that one courtier, actually “wrinkled his nose” at the mention of Meghan’s name.😶😶
Yes — I’m sure there’s more than one person in the palace that personally hates her. We’ve heard stories about how the press pack talked about her with utter disdain too. The smear campaign has always been very personal, meant to cause deep emotional and mental harm, if not physical.
The best revenge? The Royal Palace courtier doesn’t have a Netflix deal. Hope he likes changing the queen’s diapers.
It could be TQ Private Sec – whatever his name is.
Or her previous one, Geidt, who is still firmly entrenched with control of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust. He is a known Sophie and Edward supporter too. Harry was made president of the QCT a few months before he met Meghan. They may have thought that Trust was a big-enough project to keep Harry engaged, working hard, and committed to the Firm. Get him out from under William’s control, give him a big project to call his own.
Yes, it angered William that the Queen trusted Harry with that job, when really it should have been William getting it. Then along comes Meghan. Happy to accept the VP position at the QCT, but refuses to sit on her hands, belittle herself, or let others steal credit for her work.
It won’t ever happen but I feel like Edward, Sophie would be the ideal King and Queen. At least you know what you’re getting and there’s no spin there. We’ve seen how Edward has evolved over the years.
Edward and Sophie ideal monarchs? Mindless, follow orders, unable to support themselves?
Sophie is all spin, it comes from the PR and marketing background.
@nota Previous excerpts from Lacey’s book paint Geidt as wanting to support and include Meghan, because he felt her experience, talent and bi-racial background would be assets to the royal family in a modern, diverse Britain.
While I do not think Lacey was referring to this person, I’ve always speculated that Christian Jones was out to get Meghan from day 1. That ruthless and cruel media campaign wouldn’t have happened without his hand, even if Wikileaks was the driving force behind it. His proximity and questionable relationship with Dan Wooten also allowed for all those leaks. And, he worked on Brexit, so he has experience creating strife and misdirecting the public’s attention.
That’s no short list now is it? The most dangerous person on that list is William and I’m sure Meghan hates him right back with PLENTY of reason as to why.
Now in terms of “doing woke” (whatever that means): they lost their chance with Meghan. Her and Harry’s absence has created a void with charity efforts, newsworthiness, modernity, charisma, etc. that someone is gonna have to fill. I look forward to watching the firm scramble to do so.
Of course it’s William (Maybe Kate?) but those are the only two who the legal team would recommend removing for legal reasons. Andrew or someone like that wouldn’t be involved enough in their life to make a difference on a daily basis if he did hate Meghan. I don’t think it was the Queen, Phillip, Charles or Camilla. Lacey wouldn’t mind throwing a courtier to the wolves but it also
Wouldn’t be as interesting.
So i def think it was William and he’s making that pretty clear. “William isn’t perfect……oh someone hated Meghan…….”
Completely agree. Who would the palace try to protect and cause legal issues with Lacey for? Not a courtier or aide. It was someone in the family.
And who in the family had “reason” to hate Meghan? Who is made to look worse by her work ethic and charisma? Who loses attention when it’s on her?
The Queen is above it all and sticks her head in the sand.
Charles and Camilla are a level above and Charles saw great press for walking Meghan down the aisle and for treating Doria well at the wedding. He’s a shrewd man.
Andrew is a possible and I could definitely see how it would be mutual what with everything else, but there is that level of distance.
The Cambridges though are on the same “level”. Similar age, both of Diana’s boys… The comparisons are easy to draw even though Williamwillbekingkatewillbequeeeeeen!!!
I’ll throw Sophie in the mix as a possibility. Charles already wanted to get rid of her and Edward, and with Meghan taking to the role so easily? Easier to get rid of Edward and Sophie. He even fired Geidt over his support for Edward and Sophie as working royals in Charles’s reign.
It seems like that would give them more reason to hate Charles than Meghan. Charles was trying to push S&E out long before Meghan showed up, so her marrying Harry didn’t really change anything. Plus hating Meghan speaks of immaturity, S&E are in their fifties, I’d like to give them some credit. But then again there’s Fergie and Andy so….lol.
But with Harry and Meghan are out, there’s a slot open for Edward and Sophie. That was Geidt’s point, E&S as transitional royals between the elders (Kents, Gloucesters, Alexandra) and the younger royals. Charles wanted all the siblings and the elders out (elders by attrition), and only have his line. Geidt wanted E&S to be kept on after all the other siblings and elders were gotten rid of.
My guess is Sophie isn’t a huge fan of Meghan but she’s not the one who “hates” her. Meghan was “taking over” Sophie’s role in terms of women’s rights especially on a global scale – Sophie’s international trips are often focused on that – and maybe there was some resentment there but I don’t think Sophie was involved enough in the daily palace machinations to have an impact on M, even if she did hate her.
Given Sophie’s blatant Kate-embiggening and Meghan ignoring at the Commonwealth service? I could easily see Sophie’s resentment turning to hate, which she didn’t bother to hide. Poor Edward sat there chatting away, not knowing his wife had an agenda and he wasn’t sticking to it!
Of course it is William. I think the hatred is tied to his constant rage. It’s impossible to know but I suspect Meghan didn’t react and accept it the way everyone else has his whole life. The palace is so worried about Meghan and Harry cooperating with a book because there is a lot more about Williams rage that they are not saying.
Imagine, Harry and Megan have not leaked any of this but apparently the rest of the firm or courtiers have.
Are we sure Kate isn’t the main hater? Her history of haterade against other women plus her Kris Jenner-like mother makes a smear campaign coming from the Middleton court more plausible to me. All the “white fragility” stories about Meghan making Kate cry are peak Karen. Kate’s behavior at the Commonwealth service cast her in a completely new light for me. I think she and her mom are leading the anti-Meghan campaign. William’s focus is on competing with Harry.
Kate was jealous and worried about Meghan from day one, see shopping blind where she refused to give Meghan a ride to the store, but Kate wouldn’t have been able to get the courtiers to turn on Meghan over her insecure jealousy. The courtiers disliking Meghan and subsequent royal reporters gleefully announcing that would only happen if someone they take seriously disliked her and it’s obviously William.
I know some others have speculated that it is Edward Young the Queen’s personal Secretary who hates her, but Lacey actually names him in the book and states how he didn’t like Meghan’s approach to things. So it’s not a secret about him. And William has been obvious about not liking Meghan for a while.
I don’t think Kate is the main hater. For Lacey to say something, the hater would have to been very vocal about it. I do think Kate hates Meghan. But I don’t think she’s vocal about it in the palace at all.
Also Meghan did seem a bit tense when she first went out with Kate for the tennis match, but after Archie, her interactions with Kate was a bit more relaxed. I think Meghan is willing to play nice, but not that nice to someone who’s extremely vocal about hating her.
Kate could have been vocal about her hatred for Meghan to the shared office staff – whenever Meghan wasn’t around.
William embodies the issue so many are grappling with right now – the mediocre white male who has been propped up by those around him and no matter how dull, or useless or even actively harmful he is, he is allowed to fail up over and over and over again. The glamour is off and people are sick of that sh*t. Plus, Meghan was dealing with someone who was useless and entitled with the weight of a huge institution behind him.
William on his own could NEVER have gotten himself the level of success Meghan had achieved and, even so, he’s the kind of ignorant and inbred dullard who has the nerve to look down on someone like Meghan because it never occurs to him to even try to work like that.
The Cambridge fans love that though. Many of them are not going to openly support that crazy couple in St Louis who stood barefoot in front of their home with guns (though the MAGA and Brexit crowd do love the Cambridges), but William and Kate are the cleaned up, respectable version of white supremacy that they love.
Notice how they love talking about Meghan bowing to Kate or Kate having nicer things than Meghan or Kate being used as a stick with which to hurt Meghan. Notice the ridiculous outrage about the cost of clothes and rewears that has *completely* disappeared now that it’s back to only Kate spending money.
And Kate is a white woman who gets all her status from her mediocre white husband. That’s also how simultaneously Harry was too unimportant to make any decisions (because they can’t have his status apply to his wife) and too important to be able to leave (if Harry marries a white woman, all will be forgiven).
They love William and Kate’s propped up mediocrity. It’s a fantasy space for their own shortcomings.
This, 100%. The most vehement Kate stans (AKA Meghan’s biggest haters) are also known supporters of Emperor Baby Fists. The ones who keep advocating for Kate to have more children, to keep pushing Harry and Archie further down the line.
Apparently they don’t understand the known line of succession is 3000+ people long. No matter how many kids W&K have, Harry and Archie remain in the line of succession.
They can imagine themselves as mediocre people in an exalted position by seeing other mediocre people propped up in exalted positions. The incredible rightness of whiteness, I call it.
100%. Also they tend to always post that she is stunning. In what world? She’s tall and thin but if not for who she married she’s eminently forgettable.
This. Especially the line: “William and Kate are the cleaned up, respectable version of white supremacy that they love.”
They’re also the ones who photoshop Kate beyond recognition, because the real Kate isn’t good enough for them. They went after the painter of Kate’s first official portrait, because they hated how she looked in it. He paints photorealistic paintings. That portrait is exactly like the unphotoshopped pic Kate gave him to use.
”Portraits of William are always so idealised because he is our future king. Charles III and Queen Camilla is not an appealing prospect, but there is William and his wonderful wife — and that’s what everybody has their hopes set on.”
This is so staggeringly true. The post Diana PR on the beautiful young William marrying his university ’sweetheart’ is so prevalent here. The anti-Charles sentiment has been around for decades and is only growing. People have no idea that William is always incandescent with rage or don’t think of them as lazy and actually want Charles to be passed in the line of succession or for the Queen to outlive her son. It’s so gross and just boggles my mind.
It’s also why many get so offended when you point out who poorly William treated Kate over the years and that anyone else would be considered a major asshole for treating a woman like that. And how pathetic Kate looks for taking the poor treatment, as if marrying William is some sort of prize. The only way that works is if you view this as a transaction, which fine, but then don’t pretend that this is any sort of fairy tale romance. In any other circumstance you would tell the woman to dump that asshole and not accept his bs. The fact that William can get away with what he does simply because of a title is a sad indictment of what society values.
Also a sad indictment of his family allowing that behavior. Lines should have been drawn.
Honestly–this is a big reason why I don’t like him, and I don’t like Kate either. I don’t like feeling lied to and ripped off. I know it’s silly and absurd, because at the level these people operate at, very little of what we see of them in public is a true reflection of who they actually are as people. I know that wanting or expecting “authenticity” esp from the British Royal Family, is like, stupid, because they are not here to be relatable, and they certainly don’t see their own role as one where they have to be ordinary and relatable to the common masses at large.
However, people like the Queen and Prince Charles have always been honest about that to a certain degree. They are not your average reality TV stars, and they are not okay with oversharing beyond what they want people to know. There is more honesty about where they stand and where they think we should stand, and as much as people might not like it, the truth is more or less appreciated.
With William though, we were told that he would be practically the second coming as far as the monarchy was concerned. He’d correct every mistake. He’d be the vindication of Diana’s legacy. The royal family seized on that and marketed him to the masses as such, because they knew they needed to keep people on the hook to ensure the future of the monarchy. He’d be nice, kind, wonderful–the furthest thing from the sort of cad that Charles was to Diana. He’d be everything Charles was not.
And then you see the reality of who he actually is, and it couldn’t be further from what we were told it was. And it turns out that William is actually a not very nice person. He puts on a middle class cosplay while being the furthest thing from middle class. He pretends he’s not like his father when in reality, he treats his wife like shit too. He married a middle-class rich girl, after a ten year courtship, but the girl he married doesn’t want to talk about her middle-class roots because she’s ashamed of them, and the only reason she married him was because she wanted to stick it to all the aristocrats while desperately wanting to be accepted by them.
Every last part of their public image is a facade. And it’s not like the facade that other people in the family put on, where we all see through the polite fiction and have the chance to roll our eyes in private and in public at how stupid and constipated the royals are. With William and Kate, we’re told that the facade IS the reality. And if we don’t accept it, or start to see through it, we’re told that we’re fucking stupid, that we don’t know what we’re talking about, and how dare we say this about the Royal Second Coming, and that, if we know what’s good for us, we’d shut and accept the fiction as the reality, wholesale. It’s a situation where the audience’s intelligence is continually being insulted, where we’re being treated like we’re stupid, and worse, threatened when we say otherwise. Or at least, that’s what it feels like to me.
@A – that is really good. Wow. It explains so much aboutW&K’s public persona and their fans. We’re not supposed to ask too much and we’re supposed to accept what we see as facts, but if you think about them critically for even 5 minutes you see that the facade is just that, a facade.
This is excellent and captures the gaslighting that they and their enablers through the RR do to the public. Everyone must pretend that they have the perfect marriage despite being unable to tolerate brief physical touch or speak respectfully of the other (especially William). With Kate the constant gaslighting about her looks have started from day one. From the lies about extensions, botox etc, when everyone can see the truth with the own eyes. And when William used the establishment media in the UK to blackout news about his affair with rose, that was really pathetic. Charles had to face it and couldn’t avoid it. He still has people dislike him today as a result of it. But William who freely admits he doesn’t see his kids much wants to pretend that he’s always been faithful. The lawyer and / or banker in London may have a few things to say about that.
@Nic919, do not get me started on the coverage about his affairs. It’s the most infuriating part of it all. Again, it’s the fact that we were essentially sold a bill of goods, only to find out that the reality doesn’t match. We were told that William is nothing like his father. He married a woman he loved, after a courtship of over 10 years. A middle-class woman, with very little aristocratic background, who was no shrinking teenager. Everything, on paper, is essentially the opposite of what Charles and Diana’s marriage was, especially the parts of it that went so so wrong.
And then you get this. An almost 40 year old cad, with three children he doesn’t see very much aside from when he wants to play house, a wife who comes with her own particular set of insecurities that make Diana’s pale in comparison. Her marriage and outlook is somehow even more old-fashioned and stodgy than anything the courtiers of Diana’s time could have dreamed up, because she was prepared to do what Diana was expected to do–be silent and obedient in the face of her husband’s infidelities, and fade into the background to cede him, the blood royal, the positive attention.
So what exactly does William offer that’s so different from Charles? He’s seemingly more open about his reactionary right wing beliefs, whereas Charles is definitely not that same way, so that’s one difference here, if we’re not looking for anything positive. But aside from that? What part of any of this offers anything radically different to what Charles did at the time? The only way to salvage it is to not report on it, for the sole purpose of keeping up the facade. Even that would be tolerable if that came with an ounce of humility, but it doesn’t. William additionally has a smarmy sense of incredible superiority for someone whose entire popularity is based on a pack of lies. That’s the other thing I can’t stand about these two. The incredible hypocrisy of putting a public front, and worse, presuming to lecture to the REST of us on how WE ought to behave–as if we’re all so lacking that we need to take lessons from THESE two, on subjects such as taking care of the mental health of our children, etc–okay then. Sure Jan.
I said last week in another post that William likely hated Meghan because she made him feel stupid or inadequate (which he is). One of the worst positions a woman can be in with a toxic man is to be both a) smarter and more capable than he is while simultaneously being b) someone he’s physically attracted to. Meghan is beautiful, and perhaps reminds him of those “Brazilian bombshells” he used to party with during his Booze and Royals military days. The only thing a man in this situation can do is to create a dominance fight that he can see himself winning. His sense of his manhood is threatened by her intelligence and capability. She proved in two years that she’s better at the job he was born to do than he is. Set their tracks records side by side and William looks woefully deficient.
Also, he’s not a smart man, but he’s used to everyone catering to him and making him believe he is smart. He meets someone who highlights his own weaknesses and she has to GO! The only thing he can do is get rid of her. His manhood is at stake, after all. The only way he can bring himself up is by putting her down. (God forbid what would happen if Meghan was his employee vs his sister-in-law. I feel so sorry for women employees in this situation, because there are lots of them).
I went back and watched the “Fab Four” press conference: Meghan was the most dynamic person on the stage. Kate was a total nonentity. You could see Meghan the star, Harry as her “straight man” (thereby improving on his own star quality himself through his support of her), and William seething because he wasn’t the focus of attention. If he were a smart man, he would have realized that all of the interest in Meghan came in part because she was new, and new people are always of interest in the RF. But he’s not smart, so he immediately felt threatened. It really started there with William–you could almost hear him thinking “No WAY is this bitch taking my popularity.” I think when Michelle Obama advised Meghan to go slow as a royal and ease her way in, this is what she had in mind–get the lay of the land and see who your enemies will be, because you will have them.
Hell hath no fury like a mediocre man who feels scorned by a smarter and more capable woman.
100% this.
@Lanne I definitely think he was attracted to Meghan. I think all woman know how men behave when they not only hate your smarts but want to sleep with you as well. I don’t think Will has been attracted to Kate in a long time and it’s another reason why he can’t stand Harry. Harry has a suitable partner not only to him but to the royal family (because let’s face it, this is a job) , she’s beautiful, sexy, and intelligent. Will has to go pruning rose bushes to get all that but Harry has that in his own bed every night (not to be crude). It’s another win for little brother and William can’t stand it because Kate is not fit to be consort and she doesn’t make him look good anymore which is why the entire BM has to sell it like she is.
William was even physically more separate from the other three when you look at the seating arrangements of that Fab Four conference. But it was so obvious that Meghan was the only one there would could speak to things with such ability and intelligence. Harry knew enough to support her.
@Lanne, 👏👏👏
@lanne, You couldn’t have said this more perfectly! Add to this the fact that the woman is Black and you can see where the rage multiplies even more.
I work in finance and you would not believe how often white men are put off when they find out, that I, a black woman, am not there to serve them coffee, but am in fact the person leading the meeting…. It really roils them…
I’ll bet you’ve had some funny situations you’ve been in. The way you must see facial expressions change when they realize you are in charge!
@lanne The best ones are when I do send someone in to get them coffee, or make them copies, and it’s my admin who happens to be a white guy…They really don’t know how to react. I get a good laugh at their confusion every time!
Exactly. Lust is a part of this equation nobody wants to talk about. There are so many clues. The biggest one for me is in the way William’s wife began copying Meghan. And then there are those wedding clips as well, with the strange way William looked at Meghan.
It is a sick thing W&K have in common. They both covet someone in the Sussex marriage.
@Lanne’s post was so interesting and I think there’s definitely something to that re William.
I wonder if being relatively close in age, William& Harry ever had those games about which bro could pull the ‘hottest girl’ on a night out & therefore whether that kind of sibling rivalry extended to their partners.
To your point, KP just released a teaser with Kate wearing an all black suit and she looks amazing and modern but you think this is a total Meghan look. It’s like the coat dresses, Diana cosplay is out the window and now she’s aping Meghan. I’ve been predicting for a while she will be leaning into feminism soon (we saw preview on Pakistan tour and hitting out at sexism in the Tatler article). Makes me wonder what and who is driving this
Harry and William weren’t out partying together often. William had a different wingman. He was known for sending out the wingman to make girls turn around so William could see their faces. Then he’d give a signal as to whether or not they were ‘good enough’ to be brought over to him.
I rolled my eyes at the black suit. Lol it’s so obvious that they’re trying to make her into a Meghan Lite royal! Nobody who consistently wears drab clothing is suddenly into suits! I don’t believe it hahaha
@CC you are going to roll your eyes even harder when after a little time pass with Kate dressing like this, the BM starts saying Meghan is copying the way Kate dress. Watch for it, it’s just down the bend, I promise.
Lanne right on all counts!!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
“You should keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”
Unfortunately, William is no Abraham Lincoln. Wallis & Edward went away quietly, but in the age of social media, Meghan & Harry can make their voices heard where ever they live, with or without a title.
I wish I could have seen William’s face when he realized that. I will stay up on Wednesday and download this book at midnight.
*Adds popcorn to the shopping list*
William is a special kind of stupid if he thought Harry and Meghan would disappear and go quiet.
Of course I feel William’s feelings for Meghan evolved into hatred when she wouldn’t stop being charismatic and capable, but Lacey is talking about someone who hated her from the get-go. My bet’s on Angela Kelly (as if we didn’t know that already from Finding Freedom).
Also I understand Peter Morgan’s point but I still would’ve liked to read a Charles/Andrew book.
The names deleted from the book are William and Kate.
It’s William. William hates Meghan and no one can convince me otherwise. Do yall remember when Meghan gave birth to Archie ,William was pretending that Meghan was not existing and only mentioned Harry while Meghan, the mother who gave birth to a child, did not mention her in any word?
The palace played it wrong catering to William knowing this fool is unprepared and lazy. They should have used Meghan as a reason to put his and Kate’s asses to the fire. I think Will threatening to leave the monarchy is just that, a threat. Everyone knows he couldn’t survive without an entire institution backing him up. He’s just too dim and lazy to be of any consequence without it. He’s also cheap as hell to pay his own way and I don’t think he has the smarts to manage an estate like Charles. Even his attempts at being normal, e.g. his army career, were half assed and he left the service with no real distinction (if I’m not mistaken). The RF should have held Meghan up as an example to W&K that the jig is up, get your asses to work. Will would have raged but it seems that this fool is always raging so it wouldn’t have made a difference, because that is what this is all about…work. Meg would’ve made a splash because she was new and black but she maintained interest because the got to work and was consistent, which fueled her popularity. She gave RR so much content in a short amount of time. If W&K were working like C&C for all these years Meg coming on the scene wouldn’t have made waves for long. Meghan is the rule, W&K are the exception.
“I think Will threatening to leave the monarchy is just that, a threat.”
THIS! I’m sure he throws that threat out whenever he’s having a tantrum about not getting his way. Why no one has ever called his bluff is beyond me. You never negotiate with terrorists, that includes unruly children. They know that man is dumb and won’t survive on his own cause he’s never been made to. I’d tell him to go. He wouldn’t even make to the front door.
What else could William even do?? I mean in the real world. He would just become more bitter.
@Marigold
You mean he wouldn’t get far with that Geography degree?
It was William cos he made it his mission to stop the marriage, he even complained to his thrice married uncle to force harry to slow down . All his staff that leaked information about harry n Meghan, lied about them to the media are still there . Its clear wills is the hater . The only issue I have is its not only William , his dumb wife hates her too and I believe Andrew does as well
Lol. On legal advice…100% William.
I’m now starting to believe that this book is actually a warning shot that stories about William’s behavior over the years cannot be contained any longer.
The royal family doesn’t know how to be “woke” – no shit, a family of neocolonial, racist, thieving aristos who believe that God has made them better than others just because don’t know how to be yoke? I AM SHOCKED I TELL YOU, SHOCKED
I bet the source is Angela Kelly. She has a huge amount of power, with her direct access to the Queen, and boy! does she hate rivals.
I have no doubt that William and Meghan don’t like each other. It’s been covered in articles over and over again. He hasn’t sued anyone over any of them. So, why would he suddenly sue Lacey for it? I mean I guess it’s only ever been implied that Meghan doesn’t like William just as much as William dislikes her, but that’s not exactly a huge reveal.
It’s most likely Charles. While William leaked to the press, it was Charles’ friends who trashed her in the press directly. They were openly criticizing the wedding and her family (dad’s side). He was also known to call her tungsten. It was painted as a term of affection, but it really was a dig at her. The BRF does not see strong and unbending as a good thing. They want a Sophie, but they will take a Kate over a Meghan every time. They do not want anyone they can’t control.
He’s been trying to build his image as King in the past few years. Part of his image building is to be more inclusive. For example, he’s talked about how he doesn’t want to be the defender of the faith in the Anglican Church because the UK is so multicultural. He cannot risk being seen as not liking Meghan. He’s likely where all the talk about Meghan being “useful” to the family’s image, as if she’s an object, comes from. He would definitely see her that way even if he liked her as a person. He’d definitely threaten to sue and have enough power to keep it quiet. We always know when William is suing someone. No one takes his threats seriously because William needs Charles’ money to pay for lawyers. William lost the right to free legal representation quite a few law suites ago.
Why would Charles take enough time with Harry to develop an opinion on Meghan? Charles is known as being “hands off” and that’s me being kind about it. He’s incredibly self-absorbed and vain. Historically, Charles doesn’t say, do, or waste any kind of energy unless there is something in it for him. Now if Charles lost something due to Harry marrying Meghan, then I can see this being true.
I don’t buy it. Charles has too much to gain from embracing Meghan, too much to lose from losing Harry and Meghan.
William and Kate, I can see both of them hating Meghan for their own twisted reasons. Are they the ones alluded to here? Most likely, but not the only option.
Sophie hated being shoved aside when Kate came on the scene. But with Kate being so lazy for so many years, Sophie got to keep keeping on. Sophie figured out how to work around it, kowtowing to William and Kate in an attempt to stay on the books. A popular, hard-working, successful Meghan? Absolutely no need-or-interest for Sophie anymore.
The original plan was Charles, Camilla, William and spouse, Harry and spouse. Charles wanted to eliminate all his siblings as working royals, even fired Geidt over his support for keeping Edward and Sophie around. Given Sophie’s attitude at the Commonwealth service, I could see her being firmly anti-Meghan to the point of hate.
I 100% can see that too. Weren’t there a lot of stories about Sophie mentoring Meghan at one point?
I don’t think Sophie has enough power in that family for the press to discuss her in that way. And the way the press has gleefully stated that the BRF was ditching Harry and Meghan would have to come from someone with power, hence William.
Sophie probably doesn’t really like Meghan and is jealous of her too, but I don’t see her mattering enough for her “hate” to be discussed.
Sophie has spent 20 years ingratiating herself with the Queen and Philip. She doesn’t read military history because she likes it; she reads it because the Queen reads it. She has Louise doing carriage driving because that is Philip’s interest. She has spent 20 years living at Windsor, having the kids ride with the Queen on weekends. Put her in a position to have staff at Windsor clue her in about Harry and Meghan’s courtship at Windsor, although the same could be said for Andrew and Fergie too.
Since W&K’s marriage, she has been spending more and more on her wardrobe. Trying to be perceived as the stylish one. She has been kowtowing to W&K in public. See William’s crass joke at Wimbledon and Sophie’s OTT laughter in response. And in the past few years, she’s been given increasing jewelry loans. The new tiara for the Lux royal wedding, the revamp of her wedding tiara with additional jewels, wearing more earrings, necklaces, and bracelets from the Queen’s private collection. I could see Sophie and Kelly working together against Meghan.
She’s been doing work in the Commonwealth, and working with women’s issues, for years. But no one cared. Along come Harry and Meghan, they’re handed the QCTrust, and Meghan’s focus is on empowering girls and woman. All things Sophie has been trying to make ‘her’ issues.
If Charles removes them as working royals, they have to fund the costs of running Bagshot themselves. As working royals, the staff is paid by the Sovereign Grant. Sophie has reason to want Meghan gone. Is she important enough to be protected legally against being outed as hating Meghan? Maybe, maybe not.
Sophie wore Emilia Wickstead right after the designer’s derogatory remarks about Meghan. That’s when I knew.
Sophie was consistently one of the most openly cold and disdainful BRF member to Meghan. I think only Andrew was worse.
No shit Sherlock, if someone hated me ultimately because of my skin, why would I want to be chummy.
I actually first thought of Angela Kelly as the “somebody in the palace hated Meghan” because William just seems too obvious? It’s clear William resents Meghan and that Harry and William have been on the outs for awhile. Apart from Angela or William, I’m not sure who else it could be? Jason Knauf?? (BTW we were always told Jason Knauf was American but looking at his Linked In, I don’t think so? He sees to be originally from New Zealand?)
I’ve said on these pages before that Harry is never. ever. moving back to Britain.
And by never, I mean ever. He’s got a giant estate in Montecito on the glorious California coast and all kinds of Netflix cheddar. He’s financially independent and he’s with the woman he loves and their son.
Why, in god’s good name would Harry ever want to go back to that emotionally stunted, stale, mossy, marshy, perpetually damp mess? Here’s the point: Sure, they may “hate” Meghan – but really it’s simply a case of displaced anger on William’s part because she and Archie are easier targets to get under Harry’s skin. Also, I’m 100 percent certain that a very large factor in their decision to cut out was due to not-so-subtle jabs and inferences about their son, and they didn’t want him raised in that kind of environment where he would never be fully accepted by the BRF.
Think about it. In the annals of human history, what better way to get back at a sibling than treating a S.O. badly?
I mean – this is not that complex or mysterious. William is a spoiled, raging, cheating prick with no boundaries and knows that because of the “way things are” no one can do anything about it – not even his elderly grandmother at this point. Why on earth, for example, does Kensington Palace keep putting out all these “preparing the future king and queen” stories when he’s got another good – what, at least 15-20 years? – before he actually becomes king. Meanwhile, Harry continues his trajectory toward living his best life. That, in my opinion, is the best revenge.
Charles is only 71. Given the longevity in the Windsor family, William could be looking at a wait of 25-30 years.
I agree–the real tragedy of this story is Harry realizing how much he’s hated by his own family because he won’t play the role they want him to play. Not to take anything away from what Meghan suffered, but she’s a married in. She can leave those abusers and not feel much. Harry is realizing how much his own family doesn’t just hate him, but genuinely wish him harm. I think his brother would rather see him dead than happy. 200 years ago, he would definitely have had his brother killed. Now, he just attempts to bully them into submission, and it has backfired in a big way. (He can’t threaten to leave. What would he do? And if he left, it would cause a parliamentary crisis because George would be next in line, and would need a regent. Who would be the regent? Harry! If not Harry, then Andrew.) He’s given the Sussexes a bigger platform than they would have had. A platform as the ex Duke and Duchess of Sussex would be even bigger.
I don’t think the majority of the Windsors hate Harry. I do think the majority of the Windsors thought Harry should spend his life being William’s scapegoat.
that equals hate in my mind. If their love for him is really that conditional, then it might as well be hate.
It’s known Harry is well loved by the Queen. He and Charles have a friendly but distant relationship. Not a lot has been said about his relationship with his aunt and uncles. I do think he and Philip have a hard time understanding each other because Philip has a hard time because he’s put up and shut up his entire life and can’t understand why Harry can’t do the same.
Harry is only as useful as he allows William to control him. William has lost all control of him. Therefore he is no longer useful to William.
Wait i thought if william abdicates his right to the throne when his children arent off age means that they will lose their right too?
Harry will come back to the UK for the bare minimum, so that he can qualify to be the Regent for George I think. I’m pretty sure the law currently states that he needs to be based in the UK or something like that. He’ll probably do the bare minimum to prevent Andrew from being regent. That’s my uninformed take.
I used to think that too. Given what has gone down in the last year? Whatever W&K said or did around Meghan and Archie? It was so awful, Harry no longer feels the obligation to protect his brother’s children from Andrew.
Not gonna happen. Harry will go back for special occasions and for business reasons attached to the monarchy (eg, Invictus Games, etc.), but apart from that, he will never live in the UK full-time again. I think it takes really separating yourself from your family of origin (FOO) to really see them clearly and for who they are. That said, neither he nor Andrew will be regent for George. I think that’s getting way too ahead of the story.
Nonetheless, my prediction is that even if he and Meghan don’t make it (which, honestly, I hope they do), he’s never going to go crawling back to the BRF.
@Nota – our thoughts align. I think that used to be a factor in Harry’s thinking, and it’s not anymore, which brings us back to the topic of this post and who hates Meghan and it’s reciprocated – and that further convinces me it’s William.
Agree with Harry not giving an eff anymore. When he left, at that final ceremony and he said he is just Harry, it seemed like he didn’t care about the words duke or prince anymore.
anon, InvictusGames is not associated with the royal family. It is Harry’s project that he did on personal time. It only started counting as royal work in the last couple of years, but IG and Endeavour Fund are Harry’s. He’s taken them and run.
William is well on his was to becoming a full blown super villain. I definitely see him becoming a tyrant which is scary. He has no redeeming qualities and his children are going to be the ones who really suffer the consequences in the end. In the next ten years, which isn’t very long, George will become the teenage heartthrob that William once was, how is his ego going to take that? He’ll have someone new to compete with and thus destroy. Not to mention kate will probably be jealous of any young pretty girl George and Louis dates.
I think we need to keep in mind that while most people here have figured out that William dislikes Meghan, that is because we are watching more. Lacey is trying to sell his book beyond the observant audience and he’s not going to talk about a minor player who hates Meghan. Sure William hating her seems obvious to us, but mention that to someone who doesn’t follow this stuff and they won’t have a clue. Legal wouldn’t stop Angela Kelly’s name from being mentioned. It would have to be someone who could and would sue. And that’s William.
It’s also why Harry felt the need to leave the UK. When you know your family doesn’t support you and your only sibling hates your spouse and will eventually be king, you need to get out. It was a drastic move because the problem person has a lot of power coming to him on top of what he already has.
I think it is most likely William, but I’m still not discounting Sophie. Given Sophie’s closeness to the Queen, I could see the Queen pressuring legal to make sure Sophie wasn’t named. Again, same holds for Andrew or Fergie.
ooh it could be Andrew. Especially as he said the feeling is mutual. Either Andrew of AK47.
Reports said the palace returned the book unopened and unread. She got the info through her lawyers, right? They can say they didn’t read it, but someone in that family/organization did.
@nota, I think you’re on to something, even if I don’t think Sophie is the person who Robert Lacey is referring to in his interview. I think Sophie is very…interested in making sure that she and hers are looked after, particularly after the Queen is no longer with us. I don’t think she knows Meghan well enough to really hate her, but I do think that she doesn’t think very much of Meghan either, and is perfectly willing to be rid of her if it means she can protect her own status within the family.
@Emmy – Kate is an albatross around the BRF’s collective necks. I’m alluding to Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” in which a sailor who shoots a friendly albatross is forced to wear its carcass around his neck as punishment. She is a dull, vapid, uninteresting, lazy baby-maker, and that’s all. She could do so much more with her position but instead pushes away the two family members who could have elevated her public persona with their combined work.
In other words, she’s as useless as a chocolate teapot.
There is nothing worse than when a man (especially a mediocre powerful white man) is intimidated by you, hates you but ALSO wants to shag you. But, he knows there is no power on earth that would compel you to shag him, so his ONLY option is to ‘destroy’ you because it’s the only way he’s going to ‘get off’.
So many women have this story.
That paragraph spoke to me. I don’t know if William is the unnamed person, but I do feel that William thought that he could seduce Meghan and hurt Harry, but whatever his plan was, it didn’t work. He really does give me that vibe and knowing what we know about William, he is not mature enough to be above these types of games. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
Angela Kelly or Charles. those are my best bets. He implied it many many times in the book that William despised Meghan, so the only suspects that remain are the ones he did not explicit name or hint at.
I don’t think it’s Charles at all. Charles probably likes her more than the other royals! Meghan’s smile and curtsy at her last royal engagement showed a more genuine warmth compared to the smile she gave the Cambridges. I think Charles is a private supporter, and his major shortcoming with her is that he’s..private about it. Someone who went into CH did talk about how he had the picture with Meghan (walking her down) framed, and even if it’s PR…i don’t know. Not Charles. AK definitely hates her tho LOL
“ The heir and the spare he originally had in mind were Charles and Prince Andrew, but he dropped that plan after talking to his friend Peter Morgan, the writer of The Crown, who bluntly advised: “They aren’t the princes that matter any more.”
_Damn_. 🤣🤣
“…but Will & Kate STILL would have done the most to make Harry’s Wife into persona non grata,”
Yup. As well, the RF’s future was predicated on Harry being scapegoated for the rest of his life to cover William’s deficiencies. Anyone he married would have shared that target on his back.
I think the only two people who truly hated Meghan were William and Kate they were the only two who benefited the most for the Smeared Campaign. Kate especially benefited the press worship her put her on pedestal everything she did was absolutely amazing she had some of the best press since her wedding and pregnancy. I don’t think Charles or Camilla hates Meghan at all I think they both stay out the way because they know it was William Doing and didn’t want to be in the wrath of William . I also believe Sophie was part of some it remember the rumors that came out that someone from the royal family said that Meghan was nothing but a degree wife and we all know witnessed Sophie disgusting bitchy at the service I do believe she definitely leaked information . She definitely wants to get in with the Cambridge’s . I think karma is coming for William he is getting his just deserts for years William has had the royal reporters and the press cover up his behavior making out to be this wonderfully compassions person the press did everything to make him into Diana 2.0 and the public believes that lie for so long everyone in Britain was made to believe that Harry was a jokester the fall guy . And Now William true personality is now out in the open and that’s why the royal reporters are silenced because for years they helped brainwashed the public into believing the royal lies . The press around the royal family is made up of nothing but lies and narratives to fit into whatever royal is playing ball with the press notice how for the past three years William and Kate have gotten some the most wonderfully amazing press they ever received.
I continue to be puzzled by the British public. Americans, we are always stereotyped as stupid Americans and for all my life, Britain has had this sophisticated elder statesman kind of reputation, or at least that’s how it has seemed to me. Then the last few years I realize I was wrong on all accounts. I will give us Americans this, we fight back hard, in numbers that can’t be ignored. Even right now, we might be going down, but we are going down fighting. It would be stupid to count us out yet because many of us are fight back. Where’s the significant opposition to all this coming from the British public? I mean the opposition to the strong, obvious right wing slant in the British media, the opposition to the BRF and what they stand for?
stockholm syndrome.
This is good tea, but I can’t be the only one who’d love to read the book on Charles and Andrew??
It’s William. Remember how he ignored Meghan and played with his scarf coming out of church on Christmas? He wouldn’t even play nice with her when the cameras were rolling. And then, the very awkward, stilted response about the birth of their nephew Archie: “We already have a nephew.” William just drips disdain towards Meghan. Pair that with Kate cutting them in church on Commonwealth Day. We know how Kate and William feel about Meghan because they’ve shown us. Lacy’s use of the fear of a legal threat is just him using the media’s code words for Prince William. I’m sure Sophie has her jealousies, but no one in the public or the press would care if Sophie disliked, even hated Meghan. And Sophie wouldn’t threaten legal action; have you seen how big Bagshot is? She won’t make waves.
I agree with this. William is the only one where Meghan being hated would push Harry to do what he has done. Sophie may have petty jealousies but Harry wouldn’t care about that. This is all William, hence the moving to Frogmore not KP, then just leaving the country. He has placed his wife and child above his jealous brother (and sister in law) and these dimwits just don’t get it.
I think the hater is Philip, who is sort of beside the point now (crypt-keeper that he is), but also the most obvious answer given his overt racism and classism over many years.
Charles, William, and Kate are all snobs and resentful of Harry and Meghan drawing attention away from them, but Charles and William both have bigger issues with Harry (not to mention each other) than they have with Meghan, and I think Kate has been consumed with her own self-image problems and her marriage breaking down more than with Meghan. In a way I think William and Kate saw Meghan as helpful as someone they could throw under the bus to distract attention away from their own problems—they didn’t so much hate her as coldly use her.
Philip being the hater explains why the Queen has blown so hot and cold in the way she treats H&M. Sometimes it felt like she went out of her way to help them and other times out of her way to cold-shoulder them. She’s known to be indulgent with both Philip and Harry and has been torn on this one.
(What if it’s the Queen though?? That would explain how Angela treated Meghan…)
Doubtful it is Philip. He’s been out of touch, out of the scene, out of the royal palaces, and away from courtiers since August 2017.
We all know who it is. His comments even hint that it’s from KP meaning it’s either of the keenbridges.
Whomever it is I bet they are regretting chasing them away and effectively giving them freedom to go build their own legacy outside of palace control. Billy has no accomplishments and I could see him feeling bitter about Meghan’s cookbook(intresting he did the same & wrote forward for his homeless charity) and wanting to control the funds earned from that. I remember tim shipman’s article saying that the sussexs separating from KP was due to financial issues
Y’know, I’d honestly rather be generous and say that William is learning. He is taking lessons from people who he knows have done things that work. So good for him for doing that, I guess. But we all know that didn’t come from a genuine place of wanting to grow, but rather a sense of one-upmanship, and wanting to take credit for something a biracial American woman pioneered. So that makes my generosity dry up faster than a desert in the midday sun.
Hmmm. I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that the person who hated Meghan was William’s Tory Brexit private secretary, Simon Case. And the Queen’s private secretary, Edward Young. These people hire nothing but Tories. I’ll bet the majority of all of their households voted for Brexit. And suddenly, they have to play nice with a biracial American immigrant, who speaks her mind, challenges the norms, and doesn’t subsume herself to their globby crowd mentality? Yeah, I’ll bet they hated her guts, and made it known. Poor Meghan, honestly.
Also, this bit: “There is such anger that the book has dared to suggest Prince William is not perfect… Portraits of William are always so idealised because he is our future king. Charles III and Queen Camilla is not an appealing prospect, but there is William and his wonderful wife — and that’s what everybody has their hopes set on.” I know death threats are hardly funny, but I’m still cracking up at the fact that the fucking Cambridge stans are out here sending this person hate mail because he dared disparage their fav? I feel bad for him, but I still find it so funny that William has these types of stans at all. I guess there really are all types of people out there.
And it speaks to the sorts of attitudes that protect William. He is protected not just by the palace, but by the whole Diana myth at large. He is the Good One. He HAS to be the Good One, the one who does everything right, who doesn’t fuck up the monarchy the way Charles almost did. People who loved Diana want him to be the one who puts those historical wrongs to right, because she’s no longer alive to get that sense of justice they feel is deserved.
And that, in many ways, has locked the trajectory of William’s life. He has to have the marriage that lasts, at least as long as the Queen’s tenure, because two divorces, in a row, even with the shift in attitudes regarding divorce, would invite some really terrible shit on his head in the press and the public. He has to be seen as the father who raises his children with consideration for their mental health, even though, as the years have gone by, there only ever seem to be photos of him playing with or holding George–never his other two kids. He has to be seen as the antidote to everything the Windsors were maligned for, both to ensure the future for the monarchy beyond Charles, but also because this narrative is a proven sale for the tabloids.
Unfortunately for everyone though, William is an inherently selfish AH who only looks out for himself at the end of the day. He’s led a charmed life where everything has more or less worked out perfectly for him–imagine if he’d married a woman who had even a marginal ability to push back against his bullshit. He’s lucked out every step of the way, protected by people and memories and institutions that have a vested interest in seeing him projected as the next great hope of the monarchy. Everyone is invested in keeping his reputation spotless, which is why his worst behaviour does not see the light of day in the press. Hopefully, this book is the flood that breaks the dam. The routine hiring of Tory right-wingers alone is enough reason for people to demand a better, more honest accounting of who William actually is, and why he’s touted as some kind of miracle cure for the monarchy, when it’s likely that he doesn’t actually have the best interests of the people he’s set to rule at heart.
Well said. But the courtiers are all taking their stances from William. He’s the center around which everything flows, as the future of the monarchy. The courtiers could openly hate Meghan because William hated her. Without his lead, all they could do is be coldly courteous. Had the RF supported Meghan and the courtiers acted up, heads would roll. Even though the courtiers know where the bodies are buried, a charismatic Diana’s sons in unity stance would have seriously negated anything untoward they could say, and they could be called racist anyway. Williams the one with the power to turn everyone against Meghan—Kate, Sophie, machine gun Kelly, all of them. Laceys book sounds like the expose the RF needs. It should be the first step in demystifying the whole rancid institution.
Oh, 100%. I’ve always maintained that the only reason these staffers feel so emboldened in their behaviour was because William, their boss, is not reining them in. They take the permissions he offers them, and he’s clearly been very permissive towards them in this regard. The bulk of the leaking came from KP staffers. Who would feel so confident in doing something that could have gotten them fired? Only a person who knew for a fact that they were completely protected by their boss. The boss sets the tone for the work place. William is the boss, and he’s the one directly responsible for letting such an environment fester.
The only reason I suggested a staffer like Simon Case is because, the way I understood Robert Lacey, this was likely someone who was openly setting themselves in opposition to Meghan, with little regard for any propriety in the process. They were openly having conflicts with Meghan, and working to undermine her in ways that were impossible to ignore or dismiss. While there’s no love lost between Meghan and William, I don’t think William is ever so open about this sort of thing. I think he’s a more covert operator than that and he prefers to let other people do the dirty work for him. But whoever this was that hated Meghan, they only hated her with the tacit approval of William. That goes without saying.
I think it’s Andrew. There are probably a few people who hate Meghan, but he says the feeling is mutual. I can’t see Meghan hating anyone other than Andrew, who is the absolute embodiment of everything she is working against. He’s a rapist of teenage girls, a sex trafficker, a friend of pedophiles. He has numerous shady financial dealings and outright criminal dealings that the queen uses her power to shield him from. He was FIRED from being a working royal and yet retains all the perks that Harry had to give up like the HRH and honorary military appointments. I hate him, and I can see Meghan hating him too. I don’t think she hates will or Kate or any courtiers, I think she pities them and is fine with completely ignoring and cutting them out of her life, but I don’t think she hates them.
And Andrew was one of the first people to learn about Meghan the girlfriend (through Eugenie) and likely leaked it, thus outing their relationship. He was pissed that Meghan’s pregnancy, pregnancy announcement, balcony moment, and tour overshadowed his daughters wedding. He probably somehow blames Meghan for the fact that his other daughter had to have a tiny wedding when Harry and meghan had a huge one even though they’ve now left. When Harry and Meghan were both working and working really well, and everyone thought they’d be there forever, that meant that his daughters were finally really out. No more chances.
And for “legal reasons” the author doesn’t want to name names. Who has legal stuff going on right now? Andrew is under investigation, and perhaps Meghan, as an American in America might have some info for the FBI to share? Especially if it comes out that Andrew always hated her and worked against her (maybe in some illegal ways?) Why would she protect him then? OR maybe it has to do with Meghan’s case against the daily mail. She may find out by perusing her case who was leaking so constantly against her, who was encouraging her dad to talk, who was telling lies to the press. If this author just comes right out and says “Andrew hated her and he did this, this, and this against her…” then might that help Meghan to fill in some blanks with her legal case? If Andrew is outed as a leaker and peddler of lies, could he be called to answer some questions in court? Could the author be called to corroborate that Andrew was leaking and lying about her and Harry? Maybe the author is protecting himself from having to testify or talk to her lawyers about what he knows?
Or maybe the “legal reason” he’s worried about isn’t the hater suing him, but Meghan and Harry suing him for the part about it “being mutual”? Might they threaten legal action now if this guy is out there claiming Meghan hated members of the RF? Especially if he’s trying to set up a false equivalency where Andrew had just as much reason to hate Meghan and she had to detest him?
yes, leaning towards andrew now.
William did not like Meghan initially. But I think his hate against Meghan solidified during the Fab Four’s first official joint outing on stage which happened before the wedding. Meghan came across as substantive, strong, confident, and very articulate. For a potential newbie in-law who was surrounded by royalty, she wasn’t awed and was not cowed by their presence. She outshone them all and came out a winner. This was when and where William and Kate saw that Meghan was a potential problem for the monarchy. They were all jealous of her star power. And they hate her for it. The British monarchy miscalculated that joint event with Meghan. She showed them and the world how mediocre and vacuous the future king and Queen were. They were a no match. After that it was all non-stop attacks against Meghan. Up to now they are still jealous of the magnitude of her global star power. They couldn’t wrap their heads around where it is coming from. That’s what they’re out to destroy.
‘This was when and where William and Kate saw that Meghan was a potential problem for the monarchy. ‘
Meghan isn’t a problem for the monarchy. W&K, their laziness, ineptitude, abusive natures, narcissism, and racism are problems for the ongoing existence of the monarchy.
It is one thing if people think Philip is awful, he’s a non-entity now. Ditto Charles, because for all his failings, he has huge successes in helping millions of people. He’s out of touch, clings to his Edwardian Gentleman pursuits, but he’s perceived to be forward-thinking in some areas.
To have the future future monarch and consort be completely out-of-touch, entitled, selfish, racist abusers? That will be what causes the downfall of the Windsors. At least in other monarchies, they are much more successful at playing a ‘modern royals’ game.
Ultimately the cambridges were angry and jealous of what harry and meghan have and what they have; love, loyalty,honesty. The fact that meghan is bi-racial is smart,strong, and confident was just too much for them to stomach.