Buckingham Palace has not issued any statements, officially or unofficially, as I write this on Tuesday morning. Throughout the day on Monday, various royal reporters were freaking out because the Palace courtiers usually leak like sieves and provide reporters with a buffet of nasty storylines to pursue, but in the 24-36 hours following the American airing of Oprah’s Sussex interview, there had been total radio silence. Apparently, the Palace is having “crisis talks” about how to handle this. Which is funny because for the past three weeks, the Palace was gleefully administrating one of the most disgusting and obvious smear campaigns against Meghan. They threw “never complain, never explain” out the window and just behaved like C-list Real Housewives fighting on a Watch What Happens Live special. Call Meghan a “bully” again, you dumbf–ks. F–k around and find out. Here’s what Katie Nicholl has to say about the latest Windsor crisis, in Vanity Fair:
How big was the interview? Royal experts were predicting the interview might be as seismic as Princess Diana’s 1995 sit-down with Martin Bashir for Panorama, and those expectations largely came true. “I think the interview is as major as Diana’s Panorama interview definitely, and there are similarities,” said royal author Sarah Gristwood. “It does have the sense of the Diana style burning of boats. What’s worrying for the monarchy and public perception of the monarchy is that we thought Diana’s death had triggered a big shift. Now it’s looking as though actually not enough has changed.” Gristwood thinks that the reckoning Diana forced within the royal family might repeat itself too. “Just like Panorama, the fall-out from this feels like a moment when the royal family and the palace establishment have to think again and start re casting themselves if they’re going to be in a position, to borrow Meghan’s words, to thrive and survive in the 21st century.”
Everyone is “concerned”: Buckingham Palace has yet to officially respond to the allegations made in the interview, but sources say the Queen, Prince Charles, and Prince William are very concerned by what Harry and Meghan revealed to what could be one of the biggest TV audiences in history. Palace aides had feared the interview would make them look out of touch, but sources say they have been shocked by the severity of the allegations. The various households will be locked in crisis meetings for most of Monday as they work out the next steps.
The Queen was briefed yesterday: Though both Harry and Meghan were careful to praise the Queen, one anti-monarchy group has seized upon the interview as a reason to abolish the institution, while others have reserved their sympathy for the 94-year-old Queen, whose husband Prince Philip remains hospitalized. The Queen has not seen the interview, but was briefed by aides over breakfast Monday morning.
Gristwood keeps going: According to Gristwood she will be aware of the impact this could have on the latter stage of her reign as she prepares to celebrate her Platinum Jubilee in 2022, the longest-reigning monarch of all time. “Go back a hundred years and the point of the monarchy was to represent the best of the country,” Gristwood said. “This has left them looking as though they represent the worst.” And though Harry and Meghan praised the Queen personally, they had harsh words for the royal institution—of which the Queen is the head. That “puts her directly in the crossfire,” Gristwood said. “I think she will be afraid of her legacy being tarnished. She will want to feel she has left the monarchy in a good place. It’s hard to feel that today.”
On Prince Charles: “For Prince Harry to say that he felt let down by his father must have been a difficult thing to say and hard for Charles to hear,” Gristwood said. “Now, just at a time when by and large Charles had started to look like a more popular King than one would have guessed, here’s a major blow to his reputation. That his son felt let down by him. It’s hard to know if Harry is aware of the damage this has done. Did he actually intend to cast this damaging light on his father and his family? We don’t know.”
There’s been a lot of talk about some specific allegations made by Harry in the interview, especially since Harry delivered some of the harshest blows to the institution. Which is still amazing to me – the Windsors were prepared to gleefully smear yet another “married-in” with Meghan, like they did with Diana, and here’s a blood prince who spent his life in the institution, telling the world that his family is trash, that his father is a coward, that his family is weak and terrified of the British press. It’s notable that Gristwood/Nicholl seemingly underlines the point (which Peter Hunt did as well) that even though Meghan and Harry spared the Queen from criticism, she’s the one in charge of the family. The buck stops with her. And what Harry did specifically was make his grandmother sound like she’s not really in change, that Charles is already the de facto Regent, that the Queen is being controlled like a pawn by her out-of-touch courtiers.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
As a biracial person growing up in the 60s and 70s, I’ve been called names, had people wonder “what color my children would be,” I’ve been suicidal, and have felt profoundly alone.
All that said: the thing that gutted in this interview was that Charles stopped taking phone calls from his son.
“His son felt let down by him” does not even begin to describe the horror of calling your dad and being told he will not speak to you. Harry’s mother died a violent death and when Harry moves to protect his family, this is what his father does?
I’m so sorry LillyfromLillooet. Comments like that are amazingly cruel, and I learning that they are amazingly common,too. I hope that you feel loved and don’t feel alone.
@Gillysirl
I do, at this point! We have come such a long way. Attitudes do change and things do get better.
Charles has lost every single ounce of my respect. I am so heartbroken at the news of father abandoning child in need.
I hope Charles and William realizes that they are done, toast, finished with any more tours of the United States. They are terrible representatives of anything English. Harry and Meghan belong to us now, and we love them.
LillyfromLillooet, I know it’s getting late and you might not see this, but do you mind my asking if you are a member of the Lillooet band in the Fraser Canyon? I ask because my sister-in-law, (RIP) was also a member of the Lillooet band. She still has family all through the area. She also described a horrible upbringing, which ended up making me that much more protective of my two nieces. I also have family members on the Katz, Ruby Creek, Seabird, Cheam and Chehalis reservations. Mostly Seabird and Cheam.
That revelation upset me so much that I couldn’t even bring myself to comment on that post yesterday. My mom died of an overdose when I was 6, and had struggled with addiction for a long time before that, so I was raised by a single dad. We are incredibly close because after the trauma of losing my mom that way at such a young age, he was all I had in the world. I think Harry must have felt the same way about Charles after the death of his mother. And that feeling doesn’t just disappear when you grow up. I can’t imagine–and I don’t WANT to imagine–how painful it must have been for Harry that his father, HIS ONLY PARENT, basically abandoned him. He might as well be an orphan. I’m honestly in tears right now just thinking about it, and I’m not sure if they’re tears of sadness, or of rage. How the f–k can a parent do that to their own child?
@Miranda, the loss of a parent such as you and Harry experienced is devastating. I am so sorry for your loss and glad your dad was there for you.
@ Miranda, I am incredibly sorry for you to suffer from such a tragic, life altering event at such a young age. I couldn’t imagine how awful that must have been. It’s wonderful that you and your father are close and he took care of of you the best way possible.
And yes, it’s unimaginable that Cowardly Chuck has disposed of his relationship with Harry, and Meghan, and his grandchild out of concern only for himself. No parent should abandon their child, no matter the circumstances.
“Charles stopped taking phone calls from his son.”
If only that was all there was to it.
This is the man who chose to marry a young girl he did not love, treat her horribly for years, cheat on her with his older mistress throughout the entirety of that marriage, treat his sons with blatant disregard as they mourned, used his family as props, marry that mistress after ‘enough years went by’ and attempt to ‘quietly’ force that mistress-turned-wife into a position of respect over time.
If Charles was concerned about his reputation, he’d behave better, long before this. Then again, that’s the whole family, isn’t it? Because if they were really concerned about reputation, Andrew would not have titles, land, possessions, money, protection and freedom right now. He’s be cooperating with the FBI for allegedly (I use that word only for legal reasons) having sex with underage girls.
To make matters even more mind-boggling, the Windsor bloodline isn’t even actually British! They’re German and relative newcomers to the British crown.
“The British Royal Family Tree. The House of Windsor as we know it today began in 1917 when the family changed its name from the German “Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.” Queen Elizabeth’s grandfather, King George V, was the first Windsor monarch, and today’s working royals are the descendants of King George and his wife, Queen Mary.Nov 11, 2020” (Town & Country link below) https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/a20736482/british-royal-family-tree/#:~:text=The%20British%20Royal%20Family%20Tree&text=The%20House%20of%20Windsor%20as,and%20his%20wife%2C%20Queen%20Mary.
Those who choose to ride high horses have farther to fall. — My grandmother
Thanks for sharing that link Quietly Kitten – very interesting and information I didn’t know at all!
It seems like the collective “royal” families across Europe have bred out intelligence and curiosity. While at the same time convincing themselves that they received a divine blessing to be born into their roles. But only the first born is actually worth any effort.
No problem, Gilly.
It’s not just you. A lot of people aren’t aware of the lineage. I wasn’t, until I looked it up one day out of sheer curiosity. I thought, “Who the f___ are these people that they behave this way and get away with it?” — and lo and behold, there it is.
Are they above the law? Because what they’re doing to Harry, Meghan and their family is obscene, if not illegal.
No, really: Are they above the law? Because those are extremely grave and serious allegations (with a lot of evidence, most withheld from public view due to ongoing cases) regarding Andrew’s alleged criminal involvements with underage sextrafficking… and not only has nothing happened, but he has money, titles, land, possessions, protection and freedom.
The question remains: Are they above the law?
This family behaves as if it is above the law, which is interesting given their actual history, and I’d like to see them be answerable to the same law that govern the rest of us, or else there is no law at all.
The greatest trick ‘royalty’ ever pulled was to convince the masses they were somehow superior to everyone else. However, this requires them to then be superior, particularly in behaviour; and they need to either hold themselves accountable or be held accountable by the masses.
There’s is a very good documentary on Netflix called “The Royal House of Windsor” that explains all that.
The only reason that the House of Windsor is on the throne is because England preferred a German Protestant over an English Catholic for King.
That bit got to me, too. Lilly. I’m so deeply sorry for what you’ve had to go through. I will never understand how cruel some people can be. Not because you’re a liar, thief, cheat, firebug,,. no, just because of skin colour. I grew up with the taunts a lot of new migrants to Australia put up with. Well, the new migrants who looked a bit different, with olive skin, dark hair and foreign names. However, the taunts we suffered pale in comparison to what our indigenous peoples suffered, and still suffer. In my friendship groups, we didn’t notice it then; our group consisted of of kids with pale, freckled skin, to two girls from New Guinea. We honestly didn’t pay any attention to skin colour. The first time it was brought home to me was at public swimming pool one Summer weekend. The three biggest bitches in school were there, and started chanting vile things at a friend with darker skin. I still don’t know where she was from, but she was a great girl – a loyal friend, funny, kind, supportive. The three hags wouldn’t let up, even calling the boyfriends to join in. We packed up and left. When school resumed, Delina wasn’t there. We never saw her again.
As I matured, read more, aw more studied more, I realised that, as much as we pat ourselves on the back about our :wonderful multicultural society”, we have nothing to crow about while our indigenous sisters and brothers are still fighting for their rights that were so cruelly taken from them.
Charles looks like his has a serious drinking problem. His red face shows that his drinking is excessive. I bet he won’t live as long as his mom, old Lizzy.
@marehare please don’t assume those with rosacea have drinking problems.
That’s Rosacea.
If Charles really wants to mend things he needs to get on a plane and go to California to apologise.
Yes, Harry must feeling lonely being abandoned by the only parent he has living. I feel that Harry’s closest relative is the Queen and even that is a difficult relationship to manage with all the courtiers and spies.
I think that’s why Harry did the James Corden piece last week – to underline his relationship with his grandparents and how they talk via Zoom often. The Queen is getting very poor advice from her staff who misread the Harry / Meghan relationship from the start.
I have a friend (british) who married a Japanese woman and when she got pregnant his side of the family were concerned about how Japanese the baby would look. His parents watched the interview and are 100% behind the royal family. It’s gross.
“ Go back a hundred years and the point of the monarchy was to represent the best of the country,” Gristwood said.”
Wow. I mean that’s…quite a take on British history and the monarchy.
yep, the only way to ‘modernize’ the royal institution is to abolish it!
I still think a lot about what an unforced error this all was for the monarchy — that’s how committed they are to white supremacy, they couldn’t even include a biracial Black woman, which actually would have made their ongoing colonial power in the ‘Commonwealth’ (correction: empire) seem more legitimate. I don’t personally agree with Meghan’s take –I don’t think Black people seeing a Black princess constitutes ‘progress.’ I think ‘progress’ means abolishing the monarchy, giving back all the money & riches the Brits stole from those countries– but the larger point remains that, even on a cynical level, literally all these assholes had to do was throw Meghan & Harry a bone now and then to keep M& H working for the institution.. and they couldn’t even do that! M &H were very clear that they were happy to work for the royalty, but it got so hostile and the racism of not-titling Archie & not giving him security forced their hand. Like, the press is acting like these guys are revolutionaries, like they are Angela Davis or something, and they are not! Just goes to show the reactinoary/conservative politics of these racists aristocrat BRF–even the liberal ’empowerment’ politics, like Biden/Hillary Democrats, of Meghan is “too radical” for them.
I agree with your take. They were given an opportunity to show that they were fit to be part of this century and instead of embracing that, they did the very things that people dislike most about them. It’s interesting that all this were happening in a Brexit, Trump environment and the palace chose to embrace that type of approach. They cared very little how destructive it would be for those outside watching it play out because they were catering to a racist audience.
As you rightly said, “the only way to ‘modernize’ the royal institution is to abolish it!”
This is why I fundamentally have an issue with “representation matters.” Representation doesn’t matter if the power structures and systems have not changed. Representation in the context in which is currently used is often a band-aid for a deep wound. How about, let’s abolish these systems, deconstruct the power dynamics then representation will organically happen. Otherwise it is the cart before the horse scenario
Yeah, wasn’t GB still actively colonizing several countries 100 years ago? Was that “the best of white supremacy?”
Did she really say this? I mean. If being a monarch who still styled themselves and their wife as “Emperor/Empress of India” = “representing the best of the country.” Well. Sarah Gristwood is saying a great deal about how Britain truly views itself, isn’t she. Not that people didn’t already know that, but still.
Can someone please help me understand why Liz needs to be briefed and did not watch this for herself? It’s not like it’s the world cup or a tennis match. This is her grandson.
The buck does stop with her and time to let it rest on her desk.
Charles is a person who has not matured and thinks the world revolves around him. He helped destroy Diana and he helped run Harry, Meghan and his grandson to the US.
Yes, the monarchy needs to be abolished. what i would LOVE to see is parts of “The Empire” being to pull away. That will assist in handicapping the Monarchy. After all, they didn’t get Capone on all his mafia crimes. There is more than one way to skin a cat.
THIS! I agree with you completely! The monarchy needs to go. Trash on trash on trash.
Agreed. Just wait until summertime when Scotland starts yelling about seceding. That’s when things are really going to heat up.
I wonder if her aides recommended that she not watch so they could brief(distort) what was said in the interview. Who knows what was actually briefed?
If she actually watched, she might have real sympathy for Harry and Meghan. And that would be a real danger to the aides and courtiers considering Harry literally states in the interview that she is being given bad advice. I imagine that little detail was left out of the briefing.
Her reluctance to issue a statement tells me she watched it. The courtiers are claiming she didn’t watch it because they think it gives her plausible deniability (it does not).
@Mac – I agree. She definitely watched it and thats why she doesnt want to release a statement. The whole “shes not watching it” was always a lie.
@ Jais, of course she watched it. That is why we have Baldimort seen leaving BP. Petty Betty is acutely aware of what is going on in the press. But I wouldn’t put it past the men in grey suits to make their own spin on the interview to the benefit of The Firm.
Petty Brenda would not deign to watch a *sniff* interview on *sniff sniff* AMERICAN television! Her royal eyeballs might parch!
Yeah, again she sounds incredibly out of touch. If you care about the institution you run at all, you need to watch what has been labeled an attack on it. You need to be able to form your own opinion.
But this is no surprise. She believes this attitude is royal. If it’s royal, it certainly isn’t intelligent or wise.
I don’t believe she hasn’t watched it. Maybe at THAT point she hadn’t watched it because of the time difference (didn’t it air on Monday in the UK anyway?), but at this point she’s 100% seen the whole thing, as has every single person in each palace, family and staff.
“She hasn’t watched it” has the same bs vibe as a real housewife saying they don’t watch their own season. Yes you do, give me a break.
Well, she probably has a set bedtime and wouldn’t stay up until 3am. If she watched it now, I wouldn’t put it past Charles to smother her with a pillow during the viewing then claim Meghan and Harry gave Queen Granny a fatal heart attack.
I’m not really sure that Charles at 70 has the upper body strength to smother his 90-something-year-old mother.
Yes, that line about her being briefed really bothered me, knowing what we know now.
The best way to control someone is to control the flow of information around them.
God only knows what BS they told her about the interview.
Exactly, SERAPHINA —- If a 2-hour interview has created a serious crisis to the monarchy, shouldn’t the reigning monarch take the 90 min (minus ads) to watch it for herself? Is this what Blair dealt with around Diana’s death when he said, “God, save these people from themselves”?
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 And, thank you KAISER…your posts are always such a pleasure to read. This today was pure GOLD:
“….for the past three weeks, the Palace was gleefully administrating one of the most disgusting and obvious smear campaigns against Meghan. They threw “never complain, never explain” out the window and just behaved like C-list Real Housewives fighting on a Watch What Happens Live special.”
That’s exactly what he deserves.
Harry didn’t damage Charles’ reputation, Charles damaged his own reputation when he failed to protect Harry and Meghan. Anyone who considers themself a legit journalist needs to stop blaming the messengers.
Charles’ reputation was already in the gutter. He was just been tolerated for the sake of the monarchy. Sadly he’s shown that a leopard never changes its spots. He did more to protect Camilla than he did his own son.
Exactly Mac! If the BRF wanted a better story to come out, then they would have behaved better! Don’t blame Harry and Meghan for sharing their experience.
This is pretty much what I was going to say. I scoffed out loud when I read “It’s hard to know if Harry is aware of the damage this has done.” Victim blaming at its worst.
Say it louder for the people in the back.
Charles was out for himself when he walked Meghan down the aisle. He did nothing else for them. But he got all these accolades for being so “great” to Meghan and he later ignored Archie being likened to a chimp.
I wouldn’t put it past them to kill off Phillip just to make Meghan and Harry look bad.
It’s fascinating to me that the wheels really fell off when Phillip “retired.” I don’t know if that’s a coincidence or not. He’s a horrible racist, but he did manage the family, for better or worse.
Elizabeth clearly doesn’t know what she’s doing and Charles only looks out for Charles.
I would keep an eye on the Queen too. I wouldn’t trust them to protect the Queen. The men in grey seem desperate now. She may not be safe.
Alexandria, a week ago I might have laughed off your comment. Now after hearing that palace staff refused to get Meghan help when she was suicidal? Those people really are capable of anything.
Agreed. At this point, if she were to pass, they would point to M&H, saying they killed the Queen. Would not put it past them.
I know many disagree with me on this, but I really feel the bulk of the negativity/BS/vitriol is directed at/sourced by Charles. I felt like Harry’s entire physical demeanor tightened/changed when talking about his father. Are the others innocent? No, not by a long shot. But the real “big evil” in my interpretation of Harry’s behavior is Charles. Which is why his “history is repeating itself” is chill-inducing, both in the Australia tour and the jealousy.
Which triggered another old school thought in me…does Charles love Camilla because she doesn’t challenge him popularity-wise? There are those men (and women) who intentionally choose partners “far beneath” them in various ways to bolster their self esteem. Did Charles do that?
I am rethinking everything I’d decided about Charles over the last 25 ish years. Sheesh.
I posted something similar to this on another thread. I believe the bulk of the blame is to be laid at Charles’ feet.
He is so small and petty he has no qualms turning on Harry, just as he did Diana, due to them overshadowing him.
As for Camilla, she is much like Kate, wherein, she waited, got what she wanted and is in no way going to make waves or try to outshine her husband in any way. Honestly, I don’t even think she gives a shit about any of it. Her kids are set, so who cares about her step-kids.
Camilla has always made sure Charles was the center of their relationship. She listens to him, tells him he’s wonderful, and sympathizes with him. He probably doesn’t even ask about her day
Didn’t he, though! Full body tense, which is awful and clearly a trauma he’s carrying. (I’m not a psychologist – just a close observer)
It’s sad. He seemed close with Charles. Charles seemed to redeem himself with how his parenting improved as they became teenagers/young adults. But this. This is awful.
Also, a lot of people are saying Charles had the skin color concern. My gut says William. I could imagine that racist piece of shit saying that, then playing it off as a joke because he realized how bloody disgusting that is.
But again, just a guess from an observer.
My gut is that William broached the subject but said “dad wondered what color your kids would be” in an offhand manner.
I think in some ways Harry reacted that way to talking about his father and was so hurt over his father because they reportedly had been close. Harry and his father HAD repaired their relationship. Meghan seemed to get along well with Charles and Camilla. So for that to end with him not taking his calls, and yanking his funding and security abruptly – I can see that being more hurtful than maybe William, if Harry has always known who William is.
Do you honestly think, after all that happened, that if William was the one who made that racist observation Harry would go on record saying he loves his brother to bits?
@SOF: Harry said he loved his family multiple times in that interview, so that doesn’t mean much. What’s telling is that Harry seemed extremely reluctant to talk about William, even when Oprah pressed for details on their relationship. Like Becks1 said, he seemed to be so upset and more forthcoming about Charles because he was disappointed as a son. He was disappointed as a son who had clearly made more effort than his older brother in supporting their father and mending the relationship.
You know… I’ve been thinking about this. Charles is a bag of shyte for doing what he did, pulling security and finances out from under the couple after Willileaks did the dirty and outted their hiding place in Canada. NO doubts about this!
BUT… I’m thinking now that perhaps his cousin Zara is the one that made the comment. She and Harry (and Mike) used t be thick as thieves, then remember, when Harry was at that Rugby championship or whatever back a year ago January (he was Patron, wasn’t he?), Mike and Zara were there and by ALL reports there was NOT ONE interaction btwn the three….they didn’t sit together, they didn’t talk, NOTHING. Considering how she behaved at their wedding, the fidgets (yes, I KNOW she was 8 mos. pregnant, but it was CONSTANT), the eyeballs, the giggling during the sermon, etc… I don’t know. But it wouldn’t surprise me if this was made at a family event and William echoed it….? Or William broached it in the way, “Hey…Zara said something, and I was wondering, too….” Combine it with ALL the other crap W&K pulled…
I dunno… I can see this…. ?
Harry is a godfather to Zara’s second child, and that was in spring 2019 (when Meghan was pregnant) and Meghan went to the christening. I dont think she would have done that if Zara was the one who made the comment, that would have been a very easy event to avoid if she wanted.
The skin color convo seemed to be going along with the title/security convo – ” how dark do you think he’s going to be? and oh btw hes not going to have security.” I dont think they were the exact same conversation, but i think Meghan certainly got vibe that they were going along together. Zara would not have been a part of that.
I think that’s definitely true. From what I recall, the first Meghan smear pieces came from Robert Jobson’s biography of Charles, which were sourced from Charles’ team.
Indeed they did. The anti Meghans on social media keep parroting the story “whatever Meghan wants Meghan gets” and “Harry said it.” I read the book by Jobson and it is Jobson said Harry said it.
I agree that it’s Charles who is the center of it all. William is a whole other story, but Harry was clearly very protective of his brother during the interview. Aside from Harry outright saying that his father cut him off in multiple ways and hurt him, the real clue is the way Harry brought up Australia as being the point where everything changed for the worse. And who was a butt hurt petulant man-child when he toured Australia and his wife was so well received? Charles. His ex wife has been gone for nearly 25 years and he’s still so insanely jealous of her that he took it out, harshly, on his daughter-in-law. And how dare Harry insult him by marrying a charismatic woman who was well received?
Charles and Camilla do not get press coverage like WK do. They know that at their age, they wouldn’t be as popular but that is ok as long as Camilla doesn’t overshadow Charles. The success of the Australian tour made WK jealous because WK is the next young royal couple who are on the same popularity plane. They are competitors in the same popularity league or division. So I firmly believe the people who were most jealous of the Australian tour were WK. I read this article that said in an interview sometimes the most important details are those that are not said. Harry and Meghan spoke openly and at length about Charles. But William…is just space. You can still love your family but still need space from them because they are just so toxic and hurtful that only space and time would be the next best solution. And after all the two brothers have been through? It hurts until you can’t even talk about it. So my guess has always been it’s William spearheading these hurtful conversations about Archie’s skin colour and protection. Charles went along for reasons…mixture of selfishness and emotional blackmail from William?
When he spoke about Charles, I detected sadness and disappointment. On the subject of William, there was tension and avoidance. Harry felt comfortable discussing his relationship with Charles, warts and all. Harry talked a lot about his relationships with his grandmother, his father, and his mother. William was the elephant in the room that he didn’t want to discuss. People often reveal as much through their silence as through their words.
This was my impression as well. It wasnt protection. It was avoidance. saying that their relationship is space and that hopefully time heals all wounds – the unspoken part of that is “because nothing else has healed the wounds.”
With Charles, he spoke about how he wants to repair the rift, how he wants to have a relationship with him again, and how they are working on that. With William, it was “I will always love my brother” and “space” and he never even really said his name.
I thought this, too. I think Harry was honest when he said that he wanted to work at mending the rift between his Father and himself. The man is his Father, and the only parent he has left. I think Charles will determine whether they will have any type of relationship by his actions going forward. I hope for Harry’s sake that Charles wants a relationship, too. Who knows? I do think that William is another matter. Whatever happened there–and I do think he was behind all of the racist questions about Archie–probably about Meghan, too. The fact he wouldn’t say anything about William tells me there’s a rift the size of the Grand Canyon there. That may never be repaired.
➕💯 Saucy&Sassy and Becks1. I agree. I think the dead relationship is between William and Harry. Harry said very clearly and emotionally that HE hoped to try to somehow rebuild his relationship with his father. About William, he restated almost exactly what he said to Braby on the African tour doc, and he was affectless, almost robotic in his response. You can “love a family member to bits” and still not trust them or like them.
I think the systematic cruelty and the big decisions meant to hurt them came from Charles. And I think a lot of the noise and tabloid leaks and lies about stupid stuff came from William and Kate and Carole. I think Charles maybe even came up with the “kill the William/me story and we’ll give you a Harry story,” but then William and his palace and comms team were the ones providing the “Harry/Meghan stories,” because they would’ve known more what H and M were doing/thinking/saying so they could spin it.
I think this too.
We’ve always known that the bulk of the smear campaign came from KP, just because they are the ones who would know about it, even if Charles may have started it (maybe to knock them down a peg or two after the tour?) They are the ones who would know that Meghan is emailing at 5 am. And lets not forget that Charles did bring Harry and Meghan into Buckingham Palace to let them get away from KP. I think Charles started the smear campaign and then it got away from him and William and Kate just had a field day.
But Charles would have been the one saying things like – “we cant afford for Meghan to be a working royal,” or “we arent going to provide protection for Archie.”
So I’m viewing this as two very different aspects that came together to make it impossible for them to stay – the press attacks that went unanswered, and the bigger decisions being made about things like titles and protection that just reminded Meghan of where she stood in the pecking order – and she had to know that a white wife of Harry’s would not have been treated that way. I think KP is to be blamed for the former for the most part, and Charles for the latter.
Again, ➕💯 Amy Too and Becks1. Totally agree with your thinking. Between Charles and William they created the perfect storm.
Camilla is the last woman standing. Camilla saw to it that the savvy Anna Wallace be driven out. She danced with Charles and danced the night away, Wallace in a fury dumped Charles. She did not pretend to be the safe married friend with Anna the way she did Diana. I don’t see C and C as the great love story. He was with many other women and she wanted to marry another man.
I feel you are absolutely correct in your assessment of Charles. It must be so hard to have him be your only living parent.
The “family” is incapable of change. They’ve had many opportunities and they have failed. They are guided by the “firm” that is upholding some kind of outdated belief that the monarchy is more important than anything else. Who’s in charge? Everyone keeps doing their jobs badly. There are no consequences, except for those like Diana, Harry, and Meghan who try to do good because they truly are those people who care about others. Authentic people clearly have no true place in that organization.
Second thought: if the monarchy needs to be run like a business, which it is, then get better talent to advise you. What a bunch of amateurs clinging to their white privilege—either as part of the family or as those who are associated with them. How short-sighted are they not to train Meghan and anyone else who seeks information on how to do their job? The royals and their handlers are so far removed from reality.
Remember that scene in the scene from the Crown (Season 1 or 2) when Elizabeth first became Queen and she wanted to promote certain people and she/Phillip wanted to modernize a bit and the couriers basically said, no, your father, your grandfather, and your great grandfather, all did it this way and that is the way it is done. I really don’t think a lot has changed with how the Firm functions. A co-host on Gayle King show on Tuesday as the Firm functioning like it contained a ‘deep state.’ I see them as the 3rd leg supporting Charles and William and how the Sussexes were first marginalized, then bullied, then run out of Great Britain.
While Harry and Meghan had “praise” for the queen, they were also saying she is nice to their face. It seemed to me they were actually saying that the queen is two faced.
Whoa. Interesting. Never thought of it that way. It kinda makes sense, really, it’s kind of confusing to me how every one seems to give Elizabeth a pass because she’s an old lady, despite the fact that she’s the CEO essentially. I have a mother that is an “old lady” that everyone gives a pass to, and trust me, she’s as mean as a snake and would cut you while she’s smiling at you and saying “bless you.”
And they thought that the Crown (fiction based on truth) was bad. This here is real life, and real life is telling us that Charles is trash.
I think Harry is “aware” of the damage that “he” caused (like someone said above though, the damage was caused by Charles, Harry is just reporting on it so to speak) but I also think Harry held back a great deal, and I think Charles and William know it. For the most part they didnt name names. Harry didnt say who had the conversations about Archie’s skin color. Meghan didnt say which family member told her to lay low. Meghan didnt say which staffer told her she could not seek help for her suicidal thoughts.
Harry said that his father stopped taking his calls and that he was cut off financially and security-wise very abruptly. Those are really bad things, but I think we all know there is more. Charles should be thankful Harry held back.
If Charles doesnt want Harry telling the world he’s a craptastic father, maybe he should stop being a craptastic father.
They should stop whining how bad this interview is making them look and be thankful that the Sussexes held back. It could have been so much worse. So, so much worse.
Harry has another good reason to not name names; he’s protecting his children from learning which immediate family member is hatefully racist. Imagine Archie seeing an (altered) interview in 15 years wherein his dad explains that either Grandpa Charles or Uncle William don’t think Archie is worth protecting because of too much melanin. That’s another crucial layer to the “it would be very damaging” line.
I think he is holding back the names for leverage. As bad as this interview was for the royal family it could have been so much worse. It was back the eff off or I won’t hold back.
Exactly Bee. Can you imagine if it gets revealed that William made the comments about Archie’s skin color? He who had the nerve to try and lecture the BAFTA audience about diversity and racism and he who thinks he has the power to end racism in football, when we never heard him speak on or show any interest in such issues before? Now I find myself wondering if that was all to provide cover for himself.
Two things can be true at once. We can feel bad for the old lady whose old husband is in the hospital AND strongly feel the monarchy needs to be burned down.
Watching CNN on my “work at home day” and Charles had an engagement, was asked and dodged. Too bad he was wearing a mask, we couldn’t see any expression on his face.
IMO Elizabeth might “care” (loosely) about her family as a whole, when it comes to what gets dealt with by her, it’s the direct line. She’ll intervene for Charles and William (Andrew is the outlier as the favorite) but as far as Harry goes, she probably shifted it off to Charles. “He’s not going to be king, he’s your son, you deal with all this.”
See, is it terrible of me that I don’t feel sorry for the “old lady”? This “old lady” supports and plays favorites to a pedophile and gets a pass in all this mess, and YET is the ostensible CEO of this organization. This “old lady” could change this scenario…remember 97 and Diana and her speech to the country and the state funeral debacle? SHE has the power, yet chooses to support Andrew blindly.
And yes, I know, this is a “whataboutism” comment but it just makes my blood boil that some get passes and some don’t.
I’m very disappointed that no one in the media has mentioned that while the royals, the courtiers, and the tabloids were smearing Meghan, the wagons were still circled around a credibly-accused rapist/pedophile.
“It’s hard to know if Harry is aware of the damage this has done. Did he actually intend to cast this damaging light on his father and his family? We don’t know.”
His father, who doesn’t take his calls? His father, who cut him financially and took away his security? They are going with the Poor Charles narrative, how out of touch are they?
The only explanation I have is that all their aides are old, conservative people. There is no way a young person wouldn’t see how Meghan’s poor treatment would come back and bite them.
I’m just struggling to see how Charles being a terrible father is Harry’s fault. Yeah Harry said Charles isn’t taking his phone calls but guess who’s actually doing the action of not taking said phone calls? Not Harry.
It just leads back to what Harry said about the Crown during the Cordon interview. “Duty over family”. The expectation is that you’ll cut out your liver to protect the reputation of the Crown. What does a son and his family matter compared to this?
@Sofia You’re struggling because they’re blaming the victim(s) for the abuse. That’s why we’ve rallied round Harry and Meghan since the start of the smear campaigns.
Can their eyes be any closer….
Ahahahaaa.
I am curious who gives these rats of racism their official royal reporter labels? What makes you an official royal commentator when all you do is spout your own twisted and biased views??? They are just as awful as the rest of the RR’s and Piers Morgan!! They couldn’t find BP if they drove into it!!! All such nonsense and noise, BUT they certainly stand up and defend The Firm and TQ no matter what is said, spoken or printed!! A bunch of washed up flunking “want-to-be” seen as official spokespersons.
The Queen apparently once said of Prince Philip back when they were younger: “If Philip wants something I don’t want him to have, I tell him he shall have it and then make sure he doesn’t get it”. I can’t remember where this was from but it has stuck with me.
She may be a pawn now but back in the day she was very good at serenely floating above the damage caused by minions specifically following her instructions.
And that’s the thing TARA, the Queen has ruled with a pretty tight fist for years. If you’re going to stay in the job, then you need to do the job. The buck stops with her.
Considering Charles’s private secretary Julian Payne at the time was caught liking negative tweets about Meghan on twitter in the past you can imagine what type of advising Charles was receiving. The way Charles threw away his relationship with Harry in 2019 in order to make a deal with William to align themselves against Harry sort of says everything about them as people and family.
This part. Charles had a son he reportedly had gotten closer to and had a relationship with and he threw him under the bus(his son, his daughter-in -law, his grandchild).
I still think much of the leaks came from KP, there is far too much smoke there but Harry has blown up any narrative of Charles being quietly supportive in the background and insinuated the Queen has little to no control now(Charles in charge) so ultimately the buck stops with him and he was willing to ignore Harry’s cries for help.
Chalres has learned not one damn thing in 25 years which is certainly a choice since he is reportedly less stupid than the other royals.
I guess I am too much of a fireball but if my “advisors” or employees or whatever said ONE BAD WORD about my kids I would go nuclear. Nuclear. Their butt would be fired in a heartbeat.
More proof that it is time to abolish the monarchy. Republic Now!
The Queen was briefed. I wonder how manipulative was the briefing?
And how manipulative her briefings generally are.
All that talk about does harry know what he has done to his dad- and zero accountability from these sources on- is Charles aware at not just how bad he looks, but how horrible his behavior was- how he and his family are the cause of all of this.
And it could have 100% been avoided had they taken a millisecond of self-reflection, and thought about the realities of racism.
I mean, not that we here in the US with racist family members can get through to them either.
But enough blaming Harry and Meghan for this situation.
The blame is all on the Monarch and her direct whiny, bigoted, self important heirs.
I will be forever grateful for Harry’s comments about Charles because until this point some people still believed that Charles was supporting Harry and Meghan. He used Meghan for good PR at the wedding and he constantly lied about funding them in North America. Charles’ silence was proof that he was not supporting Harry and Meghan.
I am too. I honestly believed Charles was just a bystander to everything going on, but he looks to be involved and behind many of the “palace machinations” over the years and many of the egregious decisions like cutting their security.
Telling Meghan & Harry to “get a job” after quitting the royal family is one thing (but stupid considering they offered to be part-time). Cutting security from your own flesh & blood considering you will be King is just wild. What kind of father does that?
Charles is no bystander. He has had a habit of having other people say things on his behalf and acting like he had nothing to do with it. Like Nicholas Soames Charles buddy would deride Diana. Charles is slick that way. He cast aside Diana after she had the requisite children that he needed.
How ironic that they told Harry and Meghan to “get jobs” but they have been steadily bitching and screaming about them making money. If I were Harry and Meghan I would never speak to those people again.
I remember the reports that came out when Diana died how he carried on to his aides, Camilla, Blair, and Blair’s aides that he was afraid he’d be blamed for her death and he expressed worry that he would be harmed or killed. I really think self-preservation was a big part of why he flew to Paris to bring her home and marching behind her coffin with his sons. [I truly wonder now, if walking behind the Diana’s coffin was his PR strategy of ‘trying to appear caring and figuring no one would take a shot at him with his sons walking next to him? That’s how jaded I am with Charles at the moment.]. Now, here we are again, with him pulling security on Harry and his family. If that choice had led to a horrible scenario, would we see him walking behind one of their coffins? This whole thing about pulling the security so abruptly and yet the threat/danger level was still the same and their location had been leaked is just mind boggling to me. Charles really had me believing he had grown and changed since Diana’s death. I find him so self absorbed, he’s downright scary.
Pulling security abruptly was unforgivable. Harry and his family were the most targeted members. You don’t do this shit just like that. Even if you had to do it, you do it in phases. And Harry was born a Prince, you owe him security. Even if you take him off taxpayer money security, you can give him private money security. We know you’re rich rich.
I think taking Harry’s security is the biggest sin here. Harry is entitled to livelong security just by virtue of his birth. Some royals may need security as a bit of crowd and paparazzi control but there is a huge threat level against him and his family and that is partly because the firm did not denounce the racist tabloid stories.
Yes!
I agree the removal of his security is especially hurtful and damning. Beyond the unhinged racists, Harry also served two combat tours and became a high value target because of it.
Charles abruptly took away Harry & Meghan and Archie’s security protection and funding which left his son, daughter in law and infant grandson all at considerable risk. But Charles didn’t want to own his actions. Because he is a craptastic person he wanted the world to see him as a wise, generous, caring father. So he hinted and briefed the press and convinced the world that he was really watching over H&M&A and giving them funds and security protection by paying for it out of his private funds. What a generous, loving father! (Sarcasm) This is the real sin in my eyes.
Everything we know about Diana’s death needs to be looked at again with fresh eyes. Nothing concerning Charles and the BRF should be taken as fact. Diana was blamed for her own death by Charles because he said that she had foolishly cancelled her royal security protection therefore forcing her to rely on the Fayed family security personnel. Did she in fact cancel her Royal security or was it jerked away from her by the BRF?
We should not take this as fact. After her death the BRF was struggling against a wave of massive public anger. They were searching for others to blame. They were searching for scenarios that absolved them and the paparazzi/tabloids. The Firm’s publicity machine was focused hard on blaming Diana as well as Dodi and the driver. The paparazzi and the British and French tabloids got off relatively lightly. If in fact Diana had actually been denied her Royal protection by a petty BRF (and if that had been known at the time of her death) then the House of Windsor may well have fallen right then and there.
Shoshone, all of this has made me look at Diana’s death and the info that came out about her years after with brand new eyes. I do not and never have thought she was a saint, but you have to wonder how much of that info was truth and how much was meant to muck up her memory so that Charles could marry his sidechick in peace.
Removing his security when the world knew exactly where they were could almost be seen as a death threat in and of itself. Harry served on the front lines in Afghanistan. He has a bulls eye on his head as far as the Taliban are concerned. The death threat / danger level is huge for him. Add in the race baiting and it must be at really scary levels for them.
First, The Crown undid all the positive PR Charles had built around his and Camilla’s relationship. Now, Harry has reminded everyone that Charles is still the exact same a-hole that destroyed Diana. In fact, he is an even bigger monster than suspected because he is willing to destroy his own son and son’s young family.
I’m still trying to wrap my head around Charles not taking Harry’s calls. I shouldn’t be shocked but like……….how……..how??? how did you do that to your child and still sleep at night? I don’t understand. My mind will not make sense of that.
Agreeed. I used to think Charles’ biggest flaw was that he was a wimp. Now that is the LEAST of his character flaws IMO.
I find it interesting that she says “the various households will be locked in crisis meetings” – to me, that says that each household is meeting separately with their own team, and might be the reason why we haven’t heard anything yet. They’re all waiting to see who will be first to release something, so the rest of them can adjust their statements accordingly.
Over 25 years ago, I called my father only to find out his number was disconnected. I called my grandmother who told me she had his new number but couldn’t give it to me. He cut off my sister and I because we refused to cut off our mother. And he put our grandparents (his parents) in the middle. 25 years ago and I still remember the shock and disbelief like it was yesterday. How does a person do that to their child? After that everything we learned about our father was passed from our grandparents to our uncles to us.
What Charles did was selfish and cruel. But he will never regret it or even care. And he will never change. The best Harry can do is to move on without his father and keep his children away from that man.
I’m so sorry Willow. I witnessed my paternal grandparents disown my father when I was a child (yet I was still accepted by them, go figure) and that pain is tremendous. The only reason they started talking to him again is because he was diagnosed with cancer. He died soon after that and it always got to me whenever my grandmother would wail about lost time with her son. They don’t take accountability, and you’re right, they don’t care and won’t change. It’s a very hard lesson to have to learn. All we can do is love those who we invite into our hearts and kick the toxic abusers out of our lives.
Very well said.
So many thoughts. I’ve watched the interview twice and am still processing everything.
I agree with the above posters about Charles as a father. What parent in the right mind would remove much-needed protection from his son, grandson and his family. Charles would be fully aware of the threats against them and how much it is needed. And he as a parent is saying, “I don’t care if something happens to you or your family?”
I hope both Harry and Meghan are able to talk to someone about this time. They must have so much trauma from this time period! It takes a while to process all the toxicity and sometimes you don’t realize how toxic it is until you have left and experience non-toxic relationships to put it in perspective.
Thank god that they left!
Lol I think princess Margaret win in the end. Lizzy have to detail with charles and William bs in her later year. It’s only a matter of time the royal familywill pull the plug on Philip to gain the sympathy.
Or Kate will announce a pregnancy.
I think Harry knew exactly “how damaging” this interview could be, but he did it to protect his family—meaning his beloved wife and children. We don’t know how many death threats Harry and Meghan receive, or how often, but I imagine it’s significant. Security is a BIG deal for them—can’t be due solely to personal privacy issues. On a deeper level, I feel like this interview has blown the lid off something sinister in the BRF and served to avenge the death of Princess Diana, Harry’s beloved mother. There’s a beautiful justice here, unfolding as we speak…
Harry really is Diana’s revenge on the BRF….
I think Charles has been in charge for a while and has let William make stupid choices to prove that William is crappy. I think Charles wanted something to happen to Meghan and Archie so That Harry would come back and help reign in William.
I think you’re right. He removed their security because he wants them dead.
Removing their security is an abusive move – designed to punish them and, I suspect, bring them back into the fold. Thankfully, Harry and Meghan have wealthy and generous friends who refused to leave a vulnerable couple exposed. That really is the most damning about Charles’ actions and the Queen’s inaction. They were willing to let a vulnerable couple (bc of the racist attack) exposed to harm. I don’t care that Harry talks nicely about the Queen – she’s one of the richest people in the world. She could have paid for her grandson’s security privately.
IMO, Harry’s revealed that Charles is an abusive person – and as I have written elsewhere the way that the BRF as an institution does business is fundamentally abusive to its members in a way that is unique to them. It is a cycle of abuse that is repeated from generation to generation.
I think the fact that people who have no responsibility for Meghan and Harry offered to pay for them to have a place to stay AND full time security is both wild and amazing. These are just friends of friends who are willing to spend their own money on the sussex family when they didn’t have to. They’re not related to them, they’re not the reason why he’s a target, they’re not the reason he was born into the royal family, they’re not the reason he had to leave, Harry and Meghan weren’t trading work for security and housing and they’re likely not expected to pay these people back (with money or connections). Just the fact that random celebrities who know them through other people were funding a home and a full security team when they didn’t have to and it’s not their job to, when his very own family would not, really shows the goodwill that people feel for Megan and Harry. People want to help them. Because they’re good people. And people who needed help and lost everything through no fault of their own.
Harry would never go back.
If it had ended up as a choice between going back or spending every day worried that today was the day he would watch Archie and Meghan die at the hands of one or more of the people sending them death threats, I think he would have gone back. Thankfully he wasn’t nearly as helpless and lacking in resources as the RF thought he was and it hasn’t come to that.
Lessons not learned form Diana. SMH
Charles is de facto king and should receive the blame for allowing a palace environment that abused the Sussexes. Queen Elizabeth will never step down – she wants to be the longest ruler in history, she wants to be on the money, she wants to giggle at statues of herself as her husband lies in the hospital. She might be angry at Charles (and William). She might rebuke him, but, unless she criticizes him publicly, I don’t think she has power over him anymore.
Coco, I agree with everything except – I wouldn’t take anything away from her public silence. She is the one who famously “never complains or explains” or, by extension, blames. That being said, I don’t think she has as much power over Charles as she used to.
You know, I actually didn’t walk away from the interview or the coverage feeling like Charles came off poorly. I think that Harry actually gave Charles a very very clear way to repair his reputation–reach out to your son, mend the fences, and be good to him and his wife, and your grandchildren. The path forward is clear easy for Charles, and it always has been. Do what’s right. Be good to the people around you. Don’t let your own damn self get in the way, like you did with Diana.
How much would things change for Charles and his image if he just, for once, apologized, and stated how awfully sorry he is for the way he treated Diana? How the way he treated her was reprehensible, and if she were alive today, he would apologize to her? How he fucked it up with his own jealousy? How he let that get in the way of him having a good relationship with his son, and that was wrong of him?
I guarantee that if Charles stopped whinging about how awful all of this is for him, constantly, about how he was let down by his parents, his upbringing, his station in life, etc., and just. Started owning up to his OWN shit for a moment, people would see him in a completely new light. Of course, the apology and the accountability has to be sincere. But if he managed to do that, his reputation wouldn’t be in the gutter right now.
But he won’t do that, bc the thing about Charles is that he is a coward. He is a coward who doesn’t ever do the right thing, even though he knows what’s right, because it’s hard. It means he has to take some of the hits, and he just flat out refuses to do that. He wants to be coddled, but he never wants to take responsibility for a single damn thing in his life, which the worst combination to have in a human being who occupies the incredibly public position that he does. And it’s a real shame that he’s like this, because he isn’t half bad otherwise. If he could just muster up the resources to take a stand for once, then he wouldn’t be in this position. People see your truth, even if you take incredible pains to try and hide it. Charles either never learned that lesson, or he never learned what to do about it, which is why he is where he is today.
I think that Harry is angry with William, but he’s disappointed with Charles. The latter is always the worse out of the two. It implies that you expected BETTER from someone. Harry expected better from his father. And he got this instead. Which, to me, says a great deal about his relationship with William too, if you ask me.
Charles and Camilla made it crystal clear how they feel about Diana when their pals like Penny Junor write these super flattering books about them which include Diana being derided. Junor said C and C cooperated with her on these books. I think they truly cast all the blame on Diana. Junor is their muse and says awful things about Diana.
Spot on A.
Just here to say that Kate is wearing a real aqua monstrosity with buttons in that lede image. Ye gods, what an ugly dress.
So Clarence House post pictures of Charles at a event where most if not all of the people greeting him were black! Really! I know that theses events are usually scheduled in advanced but how interesting!!!!
What kind of father “chuckles” at the sound of his own child’s pain? Apparently a royal asshole father.
I wondered if cutting off security was just another way to keep Harry in the family, like removing his honorary military titles. And, of course, it backfired. Thank goodness for Diana’s inheritance and amazing friends like Tyler Perry.
The best apology is changed behavior. Period. This reckoning was long overdue.
Charles’ reputation has been bad for months, thanks to the Crown. All Harry did was show that Charles wasn’t being silently supportive, instead he was being manipulative and cowardly. Charles thought he could use his money to control Harry & Meghan. By cutting off Harry’s money and security, he hoped to force them back to the family and UK. Instead, Tyler Perry swooped in and provided a home, security and time for Harry to make plans for his family. That makes Charles a manipulative asshole and father. Shame on him for putting Harry & his family at risk, instead of manning up and calling for a stop to the harassment and abuse coming from KP. We know he’s capable of doing more because he rehabilitated Camilla. He’s protected her, them. Anyway, Harry wants a better relationship with his father, but this time, it won’t be Harry making concessions. It’ll have to be Charles doing the heavy lifting.
I keep coming back to how all of this was such an own goal. Charles could have prevented so much of it. but Charles’ ego is his worst enemy, second to or tied with his belief in the Firm over family, and M&H were asking for too much in his view. might have helped if the palace advisors weren’t all such rank amateurs—any one of us could have advised BP/CH better! but Charles was ultimately calling the shots. and when Harry put his own family above the Firm and didn’t show the deference he “ought to,” there was no going back in charles’ view. at least, not without any consequences or coercion.
yep. also they kept making it very clear the institution was this & that, does this and that and what it doesn’t do. how there was no thought, care, protection by the institution. unless i’m losing my mind on one of the clips on the morning show there was a clip that i can’t find now where Harry said his father was the HEAD of the institution. so i took that as hurt, disappointment, and pissed that Charles didn’t act as a father instead of head of the Firm.
This definitely made my low opinion of him go through the floor. He should never be King, he tried to delegitimization his own grandchild because he was mixed race. This man needs to never be anything… he is and will always be the man who could have been so much more
It’s Camilla. Always Camilla. She controls Charles. Did it to Diana now Megan
If only England had voted to get rid of the monarchy + no to leaving the EU….
Maybe he, too, was poorly parented, but Charles grew up to be a good-for-naught father. The royals in England, and all over Europe, actually, are such a ridiculous show. Poor in character and moral upbringing, mostly quite low in intelligence, self-righteous entitled twerps who think the world of their titles. I live in a smaller Euro country, and the blue bloods here are imbeciles trouncing around in their inherited money and loving their tradition. It’s weird-like dress up for old people, but in a perverse way.
The Queen’s behaviour in this situation reminds of how she responded in that episode of The Crown when the tailings from a mine slid down the mountainside into a village in Wales and buried the primary school. Hundreds of children were crushed and suffocated to death. And the Queen did…. nothing, for days. She had to be prodded into action by the prime minister. The series presented it like she didn’t want to get in the way of the rescue efforts, but I think she is so fossilised by her role and traditions that she can’t respond to human distress in any meaningful way. Meghan was suffering right in front of her, and she did nothing. She didn’t do anything bad, she just did nothing.