Prince Harry’s Today Show interview will be online later this morning and of course we’ll cover it when it comes out. But last night, on the NBC Nightly News, they showed a preview clip of the interview and everyone has been freaking out about it ever since. Keep in mind that as soon as the Today interview was announced yesterday, the British media began gnashing their teeth and loudly wailing about how Harry was going to insult the Queen and all of the royals and how this would be another Oprah-style “tell-all.” They had no chill. But… perhaps they were right to be concerned, because I definitely raised my eyebrows dramatically when Harry said this:
In a preview of an interview airing Wednesday on Today, the Duke of Sussex, 37, sat down with Hoda Kotb at the 2022 Invictus Games, which took place in The Hague in the Netherlands, to talk all about his recent visit with his grandmother.
“Being with her, it was great. It was just so nice to see her … She’s on great form,” Harry told Kotb, 57, later adding, “It was really nice to catch up to her.”
The Archewell founder also noted that although his family is not based in England – he and wife Meghan Markle relocated to the States and currently reside in Montecito, Calif. with their two children, Archie, 2, and Lilibet, 10 months – he continues to check up on the Queen, who turns 96 on Thursday.
“I’m just making sure that she’s, you know, protected and got the right people around her,” he explained of the Queen, who had tested positive for COVID-19 in February. “You know, home — home for me, now, is you know, for the time being, is in the States.”
So much to unpack in just those few sentences. First off, “I’m just making sure that she’s, you know, protected and got the right people around her” – it’s giving “suspicions of elder abuse.” My take is that he’s not even specifically worried about Charles or Andrew, he’s worried about the Queen’s “Men in Grey,” her advisors, her courtiers, the nest of vipers who surround her. The vipers who won’t even specify why the Queen was hospitalized last October. The vipers who continue to promote all of these events which the Queen simply “must” attend. The vipers who are very mad that the Queen didn’t tell them about Harry’s visit ahead of time. The vipers who don’t know about the latest burner phone Eugenie and Harry gave her (I’m assuming). And sure, maybe he was talking about Charles and Andrew too. It’s giving “regency.”
As for “home for me, now, is you know, for the time being, is in the States” – I’m sure that will launch a million British commentary pieces about how he’s leaving open the possibility of moving back and how he “misses” the UK. Even though he’s making it pretty clear that he’s really happy in the US and he never dreamed of being welcomed to the States like he has been.
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- USA Rights Only, The Hague, Netherlands – 20220417- Meghan Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry attend the athletics section of the fifth edition of the Invictus Games, an international sporting event for military and veterans who have been psychologically or physically injured during their military service. -PICTURED: Meghan Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry -PHOTO by: DDP/INSTARimages.com -ddpimages_17048204 This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact Instar Images LLC for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207 This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. Instar Images LLC reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded
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- North America Rights Only – The Hague, Netherlands -20220419- Prince Harry plays table tennis at the Dusseldorf 2022 stand during the Invictus Games at Zuiderpark -PICTURED: Prince Harry -PHOTO by: Aaron Chown/PA Images/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
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- 18/05/2019. Windsor , United Kingdom. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex leaving the Lady Gabriella Windsor wedding at St.George’s Chapel, Windsor, United Kingdom.
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“For the time being” is pretty suspect. I’ve lived in other countries- and I’ve said similar when my intention is to go back to my home country. This makes me sad. Harry has shown time and again that he actually is invested in being a royal. I hope he doesn’t go back. I hope he seriously considers the long term for Megan and the kids. Knowing how people hang on his every word- I wish he would have just said home is California. Anyway- love them both.
Harry knows what’s best for him and his family. For all we know they may decide to move to Africa or even Canada. They are both global citizens and I’m pretty sure they;ve weighed up all their options. The UK is not the only country they could potentially move to.
Harry is a Counsellor Of State, he can’t just turn his back on the UK unless provisions are made. Besides, no matter what any of us go through, we never treat the place of our birth with disdain. He fought for the UK, he’s in the middle of Invictus Games, what was he expected to say?
I also find it suspect, but not necessarily in a sad way? The UK is where he was born and raised. Meghan married him ALL IN on the plan to make it her home. While I think they’ve thrived in California, I don’t blame them if, at some point, they decide to go back on their own terms. Or hell, they could end up somewhere else entirely! I generally don’t pretend to know the mind of strangers, but they’ve made it clear that every move they make is intentional and calculated, so if they end up leaving California, I have no doubt it’s a strategic move wanted by them both.
Did you expect him to say fuck the UK, I’m never going back? Their goal was always to split time between North America and the UK. That’s why he extended his lease on Frogmore Cottage. They haven’t given up on that goal.
I still believe they will spend the bulk of their time in the US. In the future I can see them living in the US for 9 months a year and spending summers in the UK.
Yeah, I agree. Harry is being conciliatory with the, “for the time being”, and issuing a shot across the bow at the courtiers with the comments of who is surrounding QEII.
Harry is a born and raised Brit, so it’s not surprising he wants to maintain some sort of connection to the UK. His statement left the door open to setting up home elsewhere and not necessarily in the UK, but anywhere. Even if they did return to the UK, that doesn’t mean they will return to the institution. The two are not linked.
I think most immigrants dream about, think about, going back to their homeland at some point. My parents immigrated to the U.S., I’ve spent a lifetime listening to them, their friends and other family members talk as if this was a pit stop and they will go back one day. But the years go by and their children lives are here, the situation back in the homeland gets worse and going back remains just that, a dream. To me what Harry said is a classic immigrant comment, time will tell.
Athena, thanks for your sensitive observation.
The people of the host country assume immigrants come for the goodness of the host country, when in fact many come to leave the badness of the old country. It’s easier on those who have it in them to never look back. For the older people though, the ties run deeper and stronger.
We emigrated from the US and are watching it go through terrible things but the American optimist in me wants that ship to right itself again — as it has before.
I don’t see why home has to be California, why not the East Coast which is closer to the UK? A secluded compound made sense during Covid and pregnancy, getting settled and avoiding the press, but what about the next stage of their lives? Maybe H&M have ideas about how and where the children will be educated. We don’t really know any of their plans.
I’m gonna say it probably has to do with Meghan’s mother. She’s really close to her and this is a way to be close without being down the street. As a Californian who did stints on colder climates, there’s something to be said about California sun and lack of humidity. Montecito can give the illusion of being a small town where you can walk everywhere, which is what Harry wanted right? He wanted to not be isolated he wanted to be part of a community. His kids can have that and still be secure.
I’ve lived in other countries and said “for the time being”. Nobody knows where life will take you.
Yes, it’s a far more mobile world today and even older people move around. As immigrants, we get tired and irritated with people asking us, “Are you going to go back?” Unless we had a firm plan, how would we know? Especially with COVID, climate change, and a rising fascist movement, there’s a lot of flux. It feels like two things are happening with that question: 1. People see us only in terms of our point of origin, and 2. It’s one of those nosy personal questions, like, “When are you going to have kids?”
We’ve learned to say as little as possible or ask a nosy personal question back. Or even, “Why? You want us to leave?”
Harry and Meghan will do what’s right for their family, period. They’re like any other fortunate young(ish) couple that has the opportunity to be in more than one place.
This all about the fact that the British Press can’t control Harry. So more FAKE Outrage….over a man that is happy with his family and living in a country that doesn’t hyperventilate at his every move.
I have always thought they would return when Charles is king, when their children will be given titles. When they will settle into the life of royals, be it full time or part time. I think he is loving his life in the States but he is a royal prince and I think he wants his children to have their titles.
I don’t know. He said himself that his children are not growing up that way.
I think he’s tasted freedom and isn’t going back to that life. Meghan absolutely won’t and I don’t blame her. What was done to Meghan was unforgivable, right up to Knauf’s participation in the Mail trial.
They may visit/come back to the UK at some point but as far as royal life goes – I’m one of the ones that believes that when they offered the half-in-half-out in 2020 that was the last time they would play ball with them and the window of opportunity is closed.
Why would Harry want his children to grow up walking behind the Cambridge children? Growing up believing they are less than and that the Cambridge children will always come before them. Harry knows the damage that type of thinking has done to him so why on earth would he do that to his own children.
Harry was obviously very hurt by Charles and indicated that in the Oprah interview. I don’t think Charles is trustworthy and Harry probably is more tentative in his dealings with him. And Charles caters to William and William would control Duchy finances, he could be a “miser” when it comes to Harry and limit his funds. I don’t have much faith in Charles.I also don’t think Kate would be nice to Meghan and Harry and Meghan’s children. And William had made it clear he “disapproved” of Meghan. And after Charles passes on and Harry is there, William could revoke the titles that the Sussex children have.
I really took that the opposite way. I think he threw in for now statement to soften the statement not that he meant it. It’s like throwing on an IMO at the end of a sentence to be more polite
That’s exactly how I read it as well.
If we think he is concerned about making sure the Queen is taken care of or anything else that courtiers are in charge of, leaving it out there that he may return will keep people on their toes far more than saying that California is his forever home. We know why the press wants H&M to return – $$$ – but for courtiers and staff, I feel like their concern is much more about who is there and who is in their space, entitled to make demands on them. If it’s known that Charles wants Harry to return, and he leaves that option open, he can maintain more influence than if he assured everyone that he won’t be back to hold anyone within the institution accountable.
I say this to my dad to get him off my back about moving back to Ireland. I’ve been in London 15 years now, hahaha.
Is it me or is there weirdly little outrage about this? I feel like a year ago something like this would have Harry trending on Twitter all day but a lot of the right wingers are quiet. They’ve even been pretty quiet about Invictus games/Harry talking to American media?
Anyways I love all this!! Instead of having some of the rota on American media we have the man himself in his own words.
Harry’s been consistent in saying the Queen doesn’t have the right people around her. He’s sending a message.
As far as the home for now..they’ve both said they wanted their kids to know both their heritages…depending on how the security review plays out I think the intention was to move freely between the US/UK.
If the review is denied then their plans will probably become more final.
Ultimately they’ll do whatever’s best for them whether fans or haters like it or not.
The RR are at an international event around reporters from other countries. I wonder if comments have been made and they are realizing that they are seen as a joke outside the UK.
Any outrage about Harry and Meghan is always from the same group of ppl which is why it isn’t really hitting more but when the Cambridges get dragged it’s universal.
I’m sure there will be outrage today, the machine is just going into gear. There’s nothing wrong with a guy looking out for his grandma, but I wonder why he said that part out loud. It’s hard to know what he can do for her outside the institution, from California, when they’ve all circled wagons and labelled him the enemy. It can be a warning shot, like I see what’s going on, but even if he knows of something shady, what can he actually do? It must be frustrating for him.
@Sarator, MTE! I was surprised that he said it, but we know by now that both H&M are very deliberate with their words, so there was definitely a reason for it. And I also wondered what he could really do, but maybe with Eugenie there, if they’re working together…I don’t know. IDK how it all works, but I love that he said something like that out loud while the rest of those fussy little racists would never.
And notice how he never mentions having met with his father, even when asked if he misses his father and his brother. This tells me that Kay and yhe CH PR machine are full of it.
I was surprised at Harry’s comment too, but I’m sure he knew it would go viral and the Brits would totally freak out. I wonder if he said that as a warning – as in – “I’m watching and keeping my eye on the Queen.” I remember in the Oprah interview he said the Queen invited them to visit and stay for dinner when they returned from Canada, but when they arrived he got a message saying she was busy – not only on that day but all week. I often think that when they speak so publicly about royal matters it’s a public warning telling the palace that they know what is going on, and you can’t fool them, and they are ‘watching’.
Maybe you’re right, I hadn’t thought of that. They’d be getting info from the sweet non leaking cousin.
ITA that he was definitely sending a message to…whoever the people are who canceled the plans he had with the Queen, the ones he referenced on Oprah.
It must be driving the courtiers out of their damn minds that he clearly has a way to communicate directly with her on the DL.
Response to comment on SM has been predictably – she’s surrounded by gorgeous, stunning, brilliant, perfect Katy and the rest of the family who didn’t hightail it for U.S. Yeah, whatevs.
Sooo, how did the Queen catch COVID? Certainly not from H&M.
I don’t know why the BM are getting so upset about Harry’s comments, only a couple weeks ago they were voicing concerns about the fact that Andrew living nearby is the Queen’s most frequent visitor and could be exerting undue influence over his very elderly mother. Harry has also hinted before that the Queen does not have full control over matters and that he has been blocked from speaking to her. It is also possible that Harry actually has more conversations with the Queen than other members of the family.
My first thought when I saw the headline on BBC (just a few minutes before I read this): Oh shiiiiit!
I think most of us have suspected all along that Harry felt like the Queen was being manipulated by…someone, be it family or courtiers, or was somehow being prevented from speaking for herself, and that’s why he and Meghan still have affection for her and were so careful about excluding her from their criticism. I feel like maybe this is a confirmation?
Yeah it’s interesting bc it’s clear he wanted to check for himself, implying he doesn’t trust his father or William to really check on whether she is surrounded by he right people.
Remember that the courtiers executed QEIIs grandfather with an overdose of morphine so his death would be timed for the morning papers.
Euthanized
I’m thinking the interview won’t give any more details on his thoughts but I sure want details.
Harry alluded to something similar in the Oprah interview — to the effect his grandmother was getting bad advice from those around her. I took from his comment that his scheduled meeting with the Queen was canceled at the last minute that it was due to courtiers’ interference. Who knows what he’s observed during their Zoom calls over the past two years. It also suggests that her mental and physical condition is probably deteriorating, so ensuring that she’s well cared for is a natural impulse for anyone with a scrap of empathy. This is Harry being Harry. I think his bit of waffling words over his living in Montecito is an outgrowth of trying to keep their living arrangements private. Hoda is not necessarily their friend. He’s happy and it shows.
Harry being Harry is exactly right. He has always been frank–he said he was happier out of England ages ago. He also paid a high price to extricate himself from dependence on the Royals just to be able to be Harry on his own terms. He kept Frogmore because it’s his and Meghan’s home. He loves California and he’s happy there. He’s worried about his Grandma–have you guys seen Angela Kelly? She’s a wacko. Whatever he says, the rota will twist it so why should he hedge his words?
AK is very sus. Someone should keep an eye on her.
I’m kind of surprised, unless I missed it, that Kaiser hasn’t covered the Angela Kelly spread in Hello magazine. She’s updated her book that she wrote to include new info for the Jubbly and mentions new tidbits about life during lockdown and after Prince Phillip’s death.
I doubt he’s worried about Andrew. PA has the biggest motive to keep the Queen well and in his corner. The BM can cry that he’s “above himself” for making that statement but if she had the right people around her, would she have gotten Covid or would she have been protected from it instead of trotting her out?
But Pedrew and Ferg also use the queen to get funds to cover their debts and he and Chuck got rid of her most trusted advisor, so he isn’t trustworthy. I think Harry is just warning the Windsors that he knows what they’re doing and he’s watching them. He’s also warning them he will be living and moving around so they won’t be able to copy and paste his work. The paid bots were out attacking invictus until it got news cites looking into who is funding the bots. If Grangran goes soon, he’s lighting their asses up.
Oh Boy,I must say i switched off my devices last night when i saw what he said about the queen, i knew it was going to all blow up, and sure enough one RR jumped on it. there will most likely be a total melt down tonight. i was just Glad it was only Harry and Meghan was no where near it. if she was a normal Gran chances are she would have gone to live with them in california so she could be close,
I think him saying “for the time being” is just him going “I’m open to the future possibilities/Who knows what life will bring for us?” because 5 years ago, did any of us or even Harry imagine him and Meghan would be living full time in the US? Heck, their initial plan was to spend time in both the US and UK but the pandemic and subsequent behaviour of the royals put a kibosh on that (for now).
As for the right people, he said in the Oprah interview that she gets bad advice or something to that effect. And we all know he loves his grandma so is it really a stretch for him to feel protective over his 96 year old grandma who is on her way out?
He knows his words are going to be picked and criticized so he should stick to simple answers and not give room for innuendos imo
People do that anyways. Harry could say “kicking puppies is bad” and some will go “actually kicking puppies is okay!” and some others will go “well what about cats then? is kicking cats okay? Harry didn’t mention that so he finds kicking other animals is okay”.
H&M are damned if they do, damned if they don’t. I will admit I would have worded that better but not everyone is perfect and even the most media trained public figures mess up.
@em girl where have you been?
They were just picking Meghan apart for saying “service” in what was just a normally beautiful speech. Whatever they do is picked apart by the British Media. It’s been that way for years now. They don’t care. They will twist anything to get fake outrage and clicks.
These same people also weren’t paying attention to the Invictus games…they were instead doing polls on whether Harry and Meghan should be on the balcony.
Harry won’t be bullied into silence. The firm is built on intimidation with help from the tabloids. As Kaiser mentioned, Harry is not talking about his family, he’s most likely referencing the people around the queen that controls her every waking moment. It’s unfortunate that the salty royal rota is turning it into a story about Harry criticizing family members.
I think neither Harry nor Meghan should do a damn thing but what they want to do. Living your life in fear of criticism is no life. And in case you haven’t been paying attention, the British media has zero power over him and and his destiny. He’s saying what he said because at some point in the last two years he’s realized this exact fact.
I agree with Em. This was an unforced error, especially in the middle of the glowing coverage Harry is receiving re: Invictus.
I agree with Em too. Part of the reason the BM goes hard on Harry and Meghan is they believe there is a way to get Harry (JUST Harry) back to the UK so that he can play the little lapdog again. He needs to shut that door, on the record, even if he doesn’t know for certain that it’s going to be all the way shut. If there’s an opportunity to lessen the harassment his wife and children get from the BM, Harry ought to take it.
He’s done this kind of thing before, and I always side eye him for it.
The British media are always going to try to harass him because that is what they do. Their harassment of him is the most sensational but it’s by no means an isolated incident – they do this with everyone who won’t toe the line, so him saying this or that is not going to affect them at all. He didn’t even have to say anything for them to incite people to mail him and his wife death threats when they were in the Firm. Harry already took the opportunity to protect his family by removing his wife and children from that atmosphere entirely. What they say has no impact on him and shouldn’t. I feel like stances like he needs to tailor his words so the BM will get off his back are massively misjudging the situation – and putting power into the tabloids’ hands, power that they don’t have given that we’ve seen that they are the only ones negatively covering Invictus, and they are barely being heard in the grand scheme of things.
At this stage Harry doesn’t care because he knows that whatever he says gets twisted. During the interview, which actually concentrated mainly on Invictus, he said that he knew his comments about his family would become the news.
I’ve moved to another country. I do not intend to move back to my homeland, but I’ve experienced so many changes in my life that I no longer say “for sure” or “forever” but “right now” or “in next few years” because life has just proved to me that many things can happen in a short time.
After the last two years, is anyone 100% sure of their future? I am not, and I had sworn I will never move again.
I love Harry and Meghan but he needs to let it go. I hope this is the only mention of the queen and the rest is about the games because In my opinion he should never have mentioned her at all because the headlines will distract from the games. All these vague statements without full explanation is pointless to outside observers like us. He needs to understand that the UK will never be safe for him and his family and I know it’s hard but he needs to focus on his new life and his business. As for the jubilee whatever decision he takes will be criticized but I feel like he should make private visits only because the UK press should not be rewarded with money shots. He can even attend the service but that balcony thing is a no no imo.
I’m sure this was just a “How is the Queen?” “She’s good. I was just checking up on her cause I live in California now and can’t do it regularly.” type exchange. Probably clipped for the preview to make it seem like he said more when he didn’t.
The UK is Harry’s homeland. His beloved grandma is head of state there, his father and brother are the next two HoS, he served the country through the army, he was born there, his son was born there, he married his wife there, his mother is buried there, he has friends and family there so yes, Harry is not going to turn his back on the UK. We have no idea who they’re still in touch with in the UK besides Eugenie and Jack and while some will say, well they can just zoom or people can visit them, yes they can but maybe Harry wants to continue to have a connection with his home country and visit.
I understand why a lot of the fans don’t like the UK and for good reasons, but fans also need to understand that it’s Harry’s home country and it’s not something that Harry can easily turn his back against and forget about.
He needs to let what go? His grandmother? He was asked about her, so he answered. He can mention whoever he wants.
I feel like sometimes we think, as Sussex supporters, that we know more about what Harry and Meghan “need” than they do. We know better than them what they “should” do. And the reality is that H&M have navigated the past two years really well and I think they will continue to do so.
@Em, I totally agree. A simple ‘It was lovely to finally see her in person after a year. She’s doing well and our visit with her was wonderful. Thank you for asking.” That’s basically what be said in the two interviews prior to sitting down with Hota. No need to deliberately drop bombs in the middle of Invictus. There’s a difference between the media making something out of literally nothing, like Meghan’s use of the word “service” and them jumping on something that’s actually a big deal, Harry implying elder abuse. Why deliberately give them something to feast off of now? This is the kind of thing that legit media will pick up on, not just the crazy tabloids.
But, Harry actually speaks relatively rarely compared to all the words that are put in to his mouth or how much is speculated about the way he feels. He SHOULD take the opportunity to speak, unfiltered, about his concerns for his family.
Expressing concern that your elderly grandmother (whose caretakers were so lax that she got Covid and possibly had a fall and was injured) is unacceptable? Sure, she’s the Queen but she’s also 96 and needs certain medical care and accommodations.
@equality There’s no reason that concern ought to be broadcast on international television, unless it’s a last, desperate attempt to get her help. He’s also publicizing Elizabeth’s private health matters by doing this, which he has no right to do (at least not at this point.) Bad look from Harry.
@teecee I fail to see where he publicized her health matters. The info I have about her covid and back problem was publicized by BP. Why can someone not express concern for someone publicly?
Harry needs to do what’s best for Harry (and his wife and kids). And he’s proven so far he knows how to do that, much better than any any of his supporters or detractors.
You may believe this, but it doesn’t mean it’s objectively true.
Doesn’t mean its wrong either. Based on what I’ve seen since leaving the UK, Harry has made good pretty good choices re: doing what’s best for himself and his wife and kids. I don’t know him personally, so I don’t know for sure…but some of the people on both sides who keep offering advice on how what he ‘needs’ to do (lol, the audacity) don’t know him either, so we’re all kind of in the same boat.
@teecee,
The only things that can be objectively true are things that can be measurably quantified. Feelings are always subjective, particularly H’s feelings about what is best for him, his spouse and their family. It cannot be any other way. If I decided a certain course of action was best for my family, but you then read about it and decided it was not the correct course, your subjective opinion about the life of my family (about whom you know nothing, we’ve never met and have no mutuals), can’t be measurably demonstrated to be correct over my assessment of my own situation.
One can have an objective point of view about a subject if they are not part of that situation (i.e., CBT as a therapist-client relationship), but more often than not, that objective view is borne of that person’s subjective feelings about a situation of which they are not personally an intimate part.
Not throwing flames, I just found your choice of wording odd.
People write misleading headlines anyway. I don’t think it’s fair to say he needs to tailor everything he says with that in mind. To be honest, I think he’s in a stronger position than ever to say these things. I used to see negative headlines about him all the time on various Instagram posts while scrolling, and now even Page Six is writing positive things (trolls still comment like they always do, but still). Much more so than before, anyway. People are seeing him in a different light with the way these games have been rolled out. And it’s one sentence, really.
The overreaction to Harry simply saying he wanted to make sure she was surrounded by people looking out for her screamed of “hit dogs will holler”.
And letting a 95 year old woman who is head of state get Covid is a massive failure on the part of everyone who was supposed to be looking out for her.
Most of the interview was about Invictus and Hoda admitted that every time she tried to talk about the royal family he quickly turned it back to Invictus.
If the Queen specifically asks Harry to attend the Jubilee he will, if he feels it means a lot to her. But he is also firing out a silent warning to his father and brother that they need to change their ways.
I have never understood how Harry can lay the blame on the staff and not QE. Because ultimately the staff answer to her, no? She if she doesn’t like what they’re doing, she can fire them???
She’s 95 and her courtiers are lawmakers, former politicians and members of the klergy. Harry already alluded to her receiving bad advice from them. If she tells them to do something and they say no who’s she gonna report to?
She’s 96 years old. She has a long history of not handling staff properly, going back to Bobo on the domestic front and Lascalles on the Palace front. I think anyone would be concerned about their grandmother in these circumstances. Dude, I both think the monarchy should be abolished, and I think that if she were my grandmother Angela Kelly would make every alarm bell in my system go off.
Alice, I agree with you that he’s at least in part alluding to Kelly. The sheer gall of her approaching the Queen to write a book about intimating the queen. The violent criminal history. The treatment of Meghan. Kelly leaks like a sieve to the media which is why they prop up her poorly written book. Like a lot of people who take advantage of the elderly, Kelly is a grifter who has ingratiated her way in in a family that is splintered with adult children with their own lives, and where the parents of those adult children resent them and wouldn’t take their help anyway.
With all the money and jewels and inadequately-catalogued valuables sloshing around, and opaque offshore tax haven arrangements, and the lack of normal checks and balances, audits and transparency, the opportunities for royal employees to fiddle the books and embezzle god knows how much will be off the scales. They won’t want any scrutiny derailing that gravy train.
That was the weird thing about The Crown that struck me during season 1: no, the staff didn’t answer necessarily answer to the queen but rather to tradition, I guess you could call it. That there was a Way Things Were Done, and the Queen’s job was to uphold tradition not to go against it.
The Japanese royal family are kept in notoriously rigid circumstances. Harry seems to be saying that TQ’s aren’t that dissimilar, and The Crown supports that view.
I think, as a person, the Queen is very susceptible to manipulation and control. I don’t think that excuses her actions, because those are weaknesses on her part so those weaknesses lead to issues like Harry being concerned about her being surrounded by “good people.”
I don’t think she’s a weak person per se, but I think she spent the first few decades of her reign following the guidance of her strong-willed mother and her strong-willed husband, and I think over the past few years there has been a bit of a power vacuum. I also think she has a HUGE blind spot when it comes to Andrew.
@Becks: Agreed.
This! Remember she was sheltered in childhood and was relatively unprepared to be queen when her father died unexpectedly. She set the pattern then by either doing what her courtiers told her to do or defaulting to whatever her father and grandfather had done (influenced in the latter by her mother and grandmother no doubt.) Her personal growth stopped at that moment 70 years ago, and that’s also why the monarchy operates today exactly as it did in the 1920s. A stronger/more seasoned monarch could probably have taken more control. It will be interesting to see what changes in that respect after her death.
The queen did not grow up in a normal way and so she could easily be played by people who take advantage of her sheltered life. She relied on her mother and Philip for a lot and they are both gone.
The Queen in her early years was heavily influenced by Winston Churchill. Also remember that her formal education was fairly limited.
Also remember that she was abandoned by her husband years ago and has probably been very lonely and grateful for Andrew’s frequent visits and Angela Kelly’s friendship.
@Becks1: “I think she spent the first few decades of her reign following the guidance of her strong-willed mother and her strong-willed husband…”
I’m sure this is true in some respects. But in terms of her role as Queen, once she inherited the throne unexpectedly at the age of 25, I believe Elizabeth relied chiefly on Churchill and powerful men in the Parliament, even to the point of allowing them to dictate her sister Margaret’s fate regarding Peter Townsend.
One of the kickers that further reveals incompetence among the monarchy is the fact that Elizabeth’s father, King George VI, smoked heavily and was clearly not in good health, yet no well thought out plans had been put into effect in the event of his premature death. That’s why today, Operation London Bridge exists.
The grey men courtiers and government honchos were also very leery of Philip exerting any control, which is a huge reason why Elizabeth was counseled to officially retain the Windsor patronym and branding. That, along with Philip having to resign from the Navy placed huge strains upon their marriage, as depicted dramatically in The Crown. I’m sure the actual real-life incidents were even more difficult and painful.
I’m not certain about the dynamic Elizabeth had with her mother after the King’s death. But it surely took awhile for the Queen Mother to adjust to losing not only her husband, but also her queenly authority and her preeminent status.
I agree with this, too. Yes, she’s 96. It’s entirely possible that she is both the head of state and a victim of elder abuse. However, she hasn’t always been 96. Her defense of Andrew, her participation in the torture of Diana, that all started decades ago. She chose to surround herself with these particular courtiers decades ago. Maybe now they are overstepping bounds and that ought to be stopped. But the kinds of men these courtiers are are, their characters – those were also true decades ago. She is surrounded by men of her choosing.
Wasn’t her personal secretary ousted by Charles and Andrew, though? Against her wishes? I don’t know the details about that so somebody pls correct me if I’m wrong. While this excuses none of her personal decisions, which I agree have often been egregious, I think it’s more accurate to say that she’s surrounded by people that the men in her life have chosen. Starting with her father, ending with her son.
(And wow, thinking about it that way makes me feel sad.)
Yes, in 2017, Charles and Andrew got rid of TQ’s private secretary Christopher Geidt and replaced him with Charles’ choice, Edward Young. Possibly others were removed as well. Peter Hunt, former BBC correspondent, made an interesting comment about that in a tweet right after the Cambridge’s Caribbean tour ended. Noting that the tour was basically an out of step, poorly thought out disaster, he said, “The fact that they did [do a tour like this] is a reminder of the price the royals are still paying for purging good advisors in 2017.”
She is complicit in a lot. Partially because she is still stuck, both willingly and by circumstance, in a Victorian system of existing in her royal household. They will shield the ugly truths and context from her, and as a result she never learned to ask. She’s not immensely educated or a critical thinker. It would not dawn on her to think “I am the Queen – so these strong-willed men can actually be dismissed if I choose”.
I am sure her attitude towards Andrew is partially a symptom of their sense of royal superiority, partially a holdover from a time when nobody cared about consent or at least not in the general discourse – but I also wonder if she is viewing this through the lens of herself and what she saw Margaret go through. She herself met Philip as a teenager and Margaret met Townsend as a teenager too (others may disagree but I really believe there was an element of grooming in how Townsend treated Margaret). She may have a somewhat warped view of what Virginia went through because of that. Who knows.
She’s representative of a past generation in ways most elderly people aren’t. And she’s too old for it to matter much at this point because she will be gone soon. I think that also factors in Harry’s actions.
If you study royal history you will know that dismissing courtiers can be dangerous, they know all the secrets. In earlier times they were sent to the Tower for execution, nowadays TQ just has to put up with them.
@C: “I really believe there was an element of grooming in how Townsend treated Margaret…”
I agree with some of your comments, however, I don’t think every love relationship involving a disparity in ages is about grooming by the elder party. The Crown misrepresented Peter Townsend — it was a definite case of bad casting. The real Townsend was tall, lanky and impossibly boyish-looking, as well as dashingly handsome, not stuffy, short, stout and old.
Townsend was also a respected war hero, and a thoughtful, dedicated, duty-bound equerry to King George VI. Townsend later spoke and wrote about his love affair with Margaret. They did fall in love, and they even waited for five years due to being promised they could then marry. Once both Townsend and Margaret were dead, their story began to be rewritten by powers-that-be who desire to tweak narratives for historical purposes.
It began innocently enough with teenaged Margaret forming a childish crush, which Townsend at first felt would dissipate on her part. It only deepened upon the death of her father. Townsend treated Margaret gently and did not initially encourage her affections. The biggest problem is Bertie and Elizabeth Sr.’s old-fashioned sheltering of their daughters, who were not well-educated.
The restrictive conditions during the war years when the princesses were coming of age was another factor. They were very rarely around peers their own age. Margaret was overly spoiled by her father, while a sense of duty to the Crown was pounded into Elizabeth (largely by Queen Mary and others within the royal firm).
PrincessK – they sign NDA’s nowadays and they’ve sacked some before. Christopher Geidt being one of them. And like you said, in previous eras they had a lot more leeway without the concept of habeas corpus (an eighteenth century writ but still).
aftershocks – I have to respectfully disagree with some of your conclusions. I found the Crown’s Townsend much more appealing than the real one, personally. Townsend did do things to encourage Margaret’s affections, but remained reserved in some ways because her father was watching. He requested bedrooms next to hers to “watch over her” in 1947 which is when she admitted herself she fell in love with him, and they went riding together and were together constantly. So I don’t think it’s true that he always discouraged her affections. And I think it’s *extremely* telling that the woman he married after his relationship with Margaret was 9 years younger than her and 20 years old at the time.
@cabooklover …you really overestimate the power TQ has. She relies very heavily on ‘advisers’ who have recently proved to be very inept. She doesn’t write official letters or memos, she just approves them. She relies heavily on precedent. TQ doesn’t contact people directly she goes through these courtiers and her children and husband go through courtiers to book time to speak or see her. Therefore these people wield a lot of power and have the ability to manipulate. This is why TQ befriended someone like Angela Kelly who probably tells her a version of what actually goes on, and I suspect the courtiers don’t like that relationship. Remember how Queen Victoria befriended John Brown and Abdul Karim to the horror of her family and courtiers. As Harry said they are ALL trapped.
Grandson says he wants to make sure his 95 year grandma is taken care and watched by the right people.
Royal reporters: shockingly sensational comments!! The place is bracing for more possible attacks!!
Ridiculous overdramatics by the tabloids.
This is a nothingburger statement.
It wasn’t a nothingburger statement, tho. He gave another hint about that something that a lot of royal observers, both Sussex fans and haters, have suspected: that the queen is being taken advantage of due to her age/health. Something is definitely going on with her and it feels he wants certain people to know that he knows what’s going on. My point is, is this a battle that’s best fought in the media and during Invictus? I know he can’t move like Meghan and act like those people don’t exist but he can still acknowledge his granny’s existence in his life without bringing the behind the scenes battle with W,C, and the Firm into it.
I agree, Nyro. It’s totally fair for him to have concerns. I question the wisdom of raising them in the media, especially during Invictus.
It’s not a battle. He’s just stating his feelings. I think anyone reading more into it as a reference to anyone else is comparable to people saying Meghan’s comment about service was a “barb”.
Harry can talk about his granny. The people who don’t like him speaking about it should know that whatever he says, the British media will be outraged at it. What do you expect him to say when they asked about the visit with the Queen? Give shallow answers? Harry speaks his truth with his whole chest. Saying “it wasn’t a nothingburger statement” is not a fact, it is merely your OPINION which I highly disagree with.
I took it to mean her health isn’t great, it sounds like the kind of thing you say when a family member is in a care situation. You’re concerned about the quality of aides, the doctors, that they’re the best people for the job and treating your granny well. Of course with her having unlimited money, it’s more about about making sure she’s not used or manipulated. Her home health aide isn’t going to start running a drug operation out of the palace (happened to a friend).
Yes I agree. Obvi I don’t know if Harry intended more meaning, maybe he did but to me it sounded like an off the cuff comment and not a carefully prepared insinuation. It’s the same thing I might say about my dad today. I have to visit periodically to check in and make sure the people around him have all the information they need, and yes that he’s being taken care of properly. That does NOT mean that I suspect abuse or that there’s anything nefarious about what my mom, his doctors, or his health aides are doing. It’s just that my mom is aging too and the other caregivers don’t know him like I do. Sometimes when you love someone who is declining, and you live far away, you just want or need to survey the situation for yourself.
The difference to you and your mom and dad is that the Queen has four children and seven grandchildren living much closer to her than Harry and taking care of her or at least visiting her far more regularly than Harry. I found the statement super bizarre. How can he protect her and ensure how she is surrounded from California? And does he think all her children and grandchildren want to do her harm? I don’t know I have cases like this in my family. Relatives who are there day to day to care for my grandma and then those who fly in twice a year to question everything and be the heroes of the day for one day or even just a chat over coffee. And then wanting to be thanked for their massive efforts in taking care of her. Of course that is not Harry. But that statement really rubbed me the wrong way. What about Sophie Edward and their children? They live next door.
Sophie, well, someone dropped the ball somewhere, because TQ got covid. She’s 95-years-old. Who was protecting her? Philip got covid, too, at 99-years-old. Frankly, someone is not doing their job.
Harry and Eugenie gave the Queen a burner phone? The Queen of England needs a burner phone. Let that sink in for a moment.
One thing you can say about Harry is that he will always tell the truth. He really does wear his heart on his sleeve.
And he doesn’t seem to care about whatever “outrage” may come from it.
If he doesn’t think it’s right he will let you know. Lol
And there’s nothing wrong with that. But save it for things like the Oprah interview or the upcoming memoir. Don’t do it in the middle of the Invictus Games. Dropping bombs about granny does nothing but take attention away from his work and the athletes. Even the Today show itself is running with the concerns about granny. Out of the whole interview, that’s what they’re featuring because implying that QEII is possibly experiencing elderly abuse is indeed a bombshell.
He’s not fighting a battle in the media regarding what’s doing with his grandmother. He’s made one brief statement that puts – whoever – on public notice that he’s paying attention. No need to say anything else, and I’m sure he won’t.
Also, even prior to this, coverage of IG had already shifted in the last few days to the various personal things Harry and Meghan have said, both in specific interviews (i.e., Harry’s interview with the young Dutch journalists) and comments in get togethers (Meghan’s comments to participants about missing her kids when she was together with the UK team families). The weekend coverage was great and very focused on the games, especially with the Ukrainian team in attendance. It’s unrealistic to think that was going to continue at the same level the entire week. Will likely ramp up again as things wind down on Friday.
And, if Harry was so worried about taking attention away from the games, he wouldn’t have given this interview.
@Windyriver Why does he have to “put someone on notice” during the Invictus games. How is that not problematic? Worried about your grandmother? Then handle it when you see her, not in an interview during your most important initiative. There’s nothing he can do about whatever is going on with his grandmother. That’s not what this week is about and now, it’s about his royal family drama.
Nyro, I think when you take something out of context the intent may change. Harry said more about his grandmother than that statement. If we put it all together, he sounded like any other grandson talking about his grandmother. I, too, think that he may be talking about the medical care she’s getting, and who is around her that perhaps isn’t doing enough to keep her from getting covid. I don’t think everything relates back to the Oprah interview. I’m sure he wants to know that she is protected and won’t get covid again. Invictus is Harry’s baby. I seriously doubt he would want to draw attention away, but I think we all know (as does he) that to give an interview at the Invictus Games was going to include questions about the family in the UK. I think he kept bringing it back to Invictus, which is where he wanted the conversation to go. Even if he hadn’t seen TQ before going to The Netherlands, questions about family in the UK would have been asked. This another one of those “can’t win no how” times.
If he really is putting people on notice, then he had to do it publicly. The palace is a black hole with zero accountability. Knowing people are paying attention may be the only thing that keeps the courtiers in line.
Maybe the timing isn’t great, but I’d argue that there really wasn’t a better option. If he waited until the games were over, he would be accused of contacting the press specifically to smear the palace and his family and they would counter with “he can’t be that worried because he didn’t say something right away”. At least now it can be seen as a comment he made because the visit was fresh and it wasn’t a premeditated smear because he was already scheduled to do the interview on another topic.
“The palace is a black hole with zero accountability.” And, Harry lives 6000 miles away. “Knowing people are paying attention may be the only thing that keeps the courtiers [and family?] in line.”
@Dara – yes, this is my interpretation also of why Harry made the comment. And I agree with your summary about why, if he was going to say something, now was the time to do it. It was a quick, brief comment. I was surprised how much of the full interview did also focus on the games – one of the competitors sat next to Harry for a portion of it and his family was also featured – and I suspect for most normal people (e.g., non-media whose livelihoods don’t depend on microanalyzing every nuance of Harry’s words) it was a quick blip in the middle of the larger IG story.
I was worried about the timing too @Nyro. Then I realized that Harry likely brought more attention to the Invictus Games because of that statement, intentional or not. People opening articles about this end up reading why he was being interviewed in the first place (i.e., IG). There are a lot of gossip and other outlets that haven’t mentioned the games so far, but I bet they will now.
You’re so annoying. If you think this is distracting from the games, you fail to get that they will be OUTRAGED at ANYTHING he says. Sod off, troll.
I think this is both about the courtiers and about Andrew. I still think back to that time in 2019, when Epstein died and the Queen and Andrew were photographed going to church together, and Phillip hightailed it to Balmoral the next day and kicked Andrew out. That said to me a lot about the Queen’s instincts and Philip’s instincts. I dont know if Philip thought that what andrew did was wrong (most likely not) but he certainly realized how bad the optics of that moment were.
So when Harry mentions making sure she’s surround by good people – I think its a combination of people wanting to take advantage of her, or keeping things from here, etc, and making sure there are people who can sort of override the queen’s own instincts at times, bc I think she has pretty bad instincts sometimes. But of course you have to make sure that those two aspects go hand in hand (i.e. that the people around her aren’t overriding her own instincts to take advantage of her, you know?)
The Queen, due to her very advanced age, no doubt has some degree of dementia. We have no way of knowing if she even understands what Andrew has been accused of or how it was more or less resolved. This partly explains why Harry is so concerned about who is around her, who is feeding her misinformation or keeping things from her. She can’t make good decisions without good information which she comprehends. And it’s ipretty difficult to imagine anyone wanting to go into it the gory details about Andrew’s sex crimes or his corruption.
AGE doesn’t not equal dementia. My friend’s dad, who passed at 95, was *sharp as a tack* right up till the end. My own dad, who is 94, has had rapidly declining mental faculties since being hospitalized 2 yrs ago, at the beginning of covid (with the most decline in the last 6 mos). So, just because she’s advanced age doesn’t mean she’s going into decline mentally.
Is she as sharp as she was even 10 yrs ago? 5 yrs? Maybe not. But she’s sounded pretty well the last times we’ve heard her speak. I think her problems are more medical/physical in nature.
If Phil were concerned why wouldn’t he have intervened long ago when it was known PA hung out with Epstein? Most people think he was more upset that Fergie was there than about anything to do with PA.
Oh I don’t think he cared that PA was hanging out with Epstein. I think he cared about the very specific optics of the church pictures with those big smiles on their faces. I don’t think any of the royals actually cared about Andrew hanging out with Epstein.
Intervened how? Andrew is a grown man. He was like 50 years old when he went back to New York to say goodbye and sever his friendship with Epstein because he’s just so honorable. What can his daddy do? Say what you want about Philip but I doubt he thought that was wise. All you can do as a grandparent in those situations is offer your grandchildren stability.
By cutting out his royal privileges. He didn’t have to be appearing on the balcony all these years. He even now is allowed to retain unearned military honors. They could have even treated him like PH and taken away his security if he didn’t fall in line.
Even Richard Palmer recently alluded to Philip kicking out Andrew in 2019 and also responded to a foaming at the mouth deranger who was saying that Philip would be the most angry at the “treatment of the Queen” by which they meant the criticism of Andrew escorting her. Palmer said the Duke (of Edinburgh) would have “injected some common sense into the proceedings.”
Regarding the rest of the criticism from some people on here, if you can’t see that one of Meghan and Harry’s goals is to force light into this opaque and abusive institution, so what happens to them never happens to someone else, I don’t know what to tell you. And re: taking away attention, it’s day 5 of the games and every major news channel in the US has copiously covered the veterans and the events and the purpose of the games.
@becks1 i don’t think anyone in the RF actually think what Andrew did was wrong. Diana was only 18 when she got with Charles and it was encouraged. I can’t imagine they saw a problem with 17.
I dont think so either. Look at any comments on an article about Andrew and virginia and so many of the comments are about “the age of consent” because being trafficked had nothing to do with it I guess. It’s gross.
Trust the BM to turn a chap looking out for his Granny into an international incident.
It’s not the first time that he has voiced his concern about the people around the Queen. But the media freak out has begun.
Why would the media not freak out when someone who knows the queen best, her own grandson, has implied for the second time that she could be surrounded by bad people and unprotected? Of course they’re going to jump all over that. And unlike they other nonsense they try to stir up outrage for, this is actually legit troubling for people.
It should be troubling for people. But its not Harry’s fault for pointing it out. the other royals should be pointing it out as well, or making moves to protect her, rather than circling like vultures.
I didn’t say it was a matter of her situation being his “fault”. I’m saying it’s annoying that, thanks to Harry, his granny’s well being is now being centered a lot of the Invictus coverage now and not must by the crazy UK tabloids.
All I see is a loving grandson who wants the best for his old granny who might not be in the best of health.
As for where is home, why does he need to stay in the same place for the rest of his life? Him and his family might want to be global citizens in the future.
I’m seeing a lot of people “wishing” Harry would do this or that to avoid criticism and scrutiny and I don’t think those fans of H&M that are parroting that line realize how entitled it is to make that request. You’re still someone trying to tell them how to run their lives. That’s not support.
They’ve done nothing wrong and the British media has zero power to affect their brand and bank so all I see is Harry toying with them, them falling for it and publicizing his work for free and people on the sidelines who haven’t caught on that this is all an elaborate game with moving parts we have no clear sight of hand wringing as if the battle wasn’t long won.
At every turn people here and on other sites have tried to tell these two how to win and watched them do their own thing and win even bigger than expected. Maybe they know best.
Being a Sussex supporter doesn’t mean I can’t ever question their decisions. It also doesn’t mean I have to pretend they fart rainbows. We all make fun of the RR every day for acting like that toward the Cambridges. Sycophancy helps no one.
This comment is a little sus. Nobody is pretending they are “farting rainbows”. It’s his grandmother not yours after all and he didn’t say anything negative about her. Anyone who wants to write bad headlines will anyway. You don’t live your life in fear of your abusers tbh. Their reactions are their bad behavior not Harry’s.
I’m not criticizing his concern for his grandmother – anyone would be, and we have no idea what’s really going on in the palace. I just wish he hadn’t commented on it to the media because it just seems like borrowing trouble, so to speak.
I get that but it’s interesting to me because I think finally after all the stupidity of the Cambridges and their tour and how people finally see how respected, powerful, and frankly lucrative the Sussexes are, he’s in a stronger position to say what he wants. There will always be haters but I’ve been looking up a lot of stories that are read by casual observers who don’t follow the royals and I feel like both he and Meghan are getting more support than before.
Also, he just doesn’t talk that much directly about what he feels, so I think people kind of seize on it when he does to a disproportionate level because it doesn’t happen often. It’s like how people analyze the few pics of their kids they release for some sort of hidden meaning but I don’t think it’s that deep – they are just selective about when they want to put out information or material.
It’s not that you can’t criticize. I actually think the push from some Sussex supporters against any and all criticism of the Sussexes is a little “rainbow farting” like you said and gets really old and tiresome. There are people on this site who regularly push back if you don’t say something like “Harry and Meghan are perfect.” They’re not and we’re supporters not sycophants.
What’s problematic for me is the comments from supporters about what Harry NEEDS to do or that Harry just doesnt REALIZE what the problems actually are or that Harry BETTER NOT THINK HE CAN JUST DO THIS or things of that nature. Harry and Meghan know the lay of the land better than anyone here and they know what they need to do.
I remember before Philip’s funeral people here were adamant that he BETTER NOT GO BACK!!! and then when he went people were mad that he didn’t punch William in the face during the funeral procession, etc. People were mad that he was smiling at the Diana statue unveiling bc William was there and said how that was a slap in the face to Meghan. People are going to be livid if he goes back for the Jubbly (which I think is unlikely but not impossible.)
I think Harry and Meghan have shown that they know what they are doing in the media. Harry 100% knew what he was doing with that comment. Look at how well he avoided the question about Charles and William.
For me, I just think there is a big difference between saying “I wish he hadn’t answered that question that way” and saying “harry needs to do X going forward” or something. there’s a different tone between the two responses that is off to me.
Harry knows what he is doing….he is firing a silent warning to Charles and William as he sees them as the major problems he is having in terms of establishing normal relations.
People keep acting like Harry is a media-novice, kind of bumbling child and that he just keeps “accidentally” saying things that he never meant to say, and then is spending the rest of his day being shocked and frustrated about the fact that the press is reporting on the words that he stupidly “let slip.” Like he goes into interviews with one sole thing that he wants to talk about (Invictus in this case), and then while being interviewed he gets tricked into saying things that are really bad for him and that he never wished he had said.
He’s been doing this sort of press stuff his entire life. We know that he’s extremely adept at pivoting conversations back to what he wants to talk to, giving a non-answer or flat out deflecting from questions he doesn’t want to answer, and keeping things private that he wants to remain private. We also know that he’s very good at saying exactly what he means, that he is not afraid to criticize his family or the institution when he wants to, and that he *wants* people to see a little bit behind the curtain of the BRF sometimes. He has made a similar comment about the Queen not having the greatest people around her before. He knows what kind of public response and backlash those comments can get, and yet he chose to say it again now. So it’s not like he fumbled his way into saying something new and now is shocked and dismayed at the response. He’s also really good at using the public platform he gets from one thing to talk about and mention other things that he thinks are important to get out there. He is okay with having the press focus on more than one thing, or pivot from one thing to another.
This reminds me of how everyone was so upset during their Africa tour (I think?) when Harry and Meghan changed the conversation to how they weren’t okay. Everyone was like “This isn’t the time!” But they thought it was and the acted accordingly. They already had media attention on them, and for people who don’t have their own social media, who aren’t constantly giving interviews, and who don’t run to royal reporters to leak their every thought of the day, they need to use the times when the media attention is already on them to address other things. A short line about the Queen and making sure she has the right people around her during a full interview that was otherwise about Invictus seems like a strategic way to get that little hint out to the people he wants to hear it, whereas if he were to wait until after Invictus to get that out, then he’d basically be putting out a new, separate statement that only about his concerns for the Queen.
That would’ve been a much bigger deal, it would have made the statement HUGE and it’s own highly specific and targeted thing, whereas adding it into an interview he was already giving where it can just be one little line gets the message out without making it a whole separate thing. If this wasn’t the time, when was the time? It would either have to be when giving an interview about something else, another project, or it would have to be its own statement.
I just don’t think Harry keeps “accidentally” saying things that he didn’t mean to say. I believe he’s a lot smarter than that and I believe that everything he says, he meant to say and he wants people to know. I think he’s a competent PR person and he’s doing exactly what he wants to do. I don’t think he’s constantly “blindsided” by the press picking up on something he said and reporting it a lot and focusing on it. He knows they’re going to do that. People are acting like this was some sort of unforced error on his part where he screwed up and now things he didn’t want to say are being reported on, whereas I think maybe this is exactly what he wanted to say and that’s why he said it, and he’s not surprised that the press are covering it, and he’s also not concerned about the press covering it. If he truly thinks that the Queen is being manipulated or not well cared for, then that seems like something he would want the press to write about and look into.
@Amy Bee – ITA. Harry made that comment about the Queen’s people because he wanted to make that comment about the Queen’s people and he wanted to make it in that interview on that subject when he did. It was not an accident, it wasn’t a slip. He will have had good reasons for doing so and we do not know what they are.
Yup. If they had listened to all these anonymous internet pr experts, they’d still be taking abuse quietly in London. We’re witnessing what happens when fans become fanatical and controlling.
I got distracted by the fact People included Honda’s age in the blurb. Is that usual, to provide personal info about the interviewer when it has nothing to do with the story?
In any case his wording, focus seemed fine but a bit clunky. But it’s a few sentences out of context and the RR, DM and “Thank God William was born first” crowd are going to blather on in outrage whatever Harry does.
Some fans will just have to accept that Harry sees the Queen in a different light than the rest of the public. He understands the situation more than most and will say what he wants. To those who are upset about this you’re acting like the media and the Palace aides you complain about.
I mean, if my 96-year old gran was first exposed to Covid, people around her were lying about her condition, and then they kept trying to trot her out as an “inspiration for us all”, you bet your buttons I’d be concerned.
It’s also possible he spoke with her and became concerned that she was not “with it” – my own grandfather could carry on a basic conversation pretty well towards the end, but he would have no idea who he was speaking to, or even where he was. Maybe the fact that Harry has not seen the Queen in person for awhile has allowed him to see her condition more clearly. Maybe he sees her as his grandmother, not a symbol of the monarchy that needs to be propped up.
Exactly. The fact that he hasn’t personally met with her in two years is important. Even Zoom calls may not have allowed an accurate assessment of her condition. And most people think of dementia as a slow, steady decline, but, in fact, it can be shockingly abrupt. Her recent illnesses would make her even more vulnerable to mental decline. Especially if the October illness was a stroke or some other cerebral event.
What I find amusing is that W&K made sure to be photographed while visiting the Queen after H&M’s visit.
Harry’s concern for the queen’s safety could be more real than people think. All the william should be king instead of Charles, and Charles wants his turn, may be more what harry was referring to than people know. The burying of the queen with the heirs squabbling for control shouldn’t be overlooked, or the point misplaced, I doubt Andrew would be a issue, he needs mommy. The Grey’s keep jobs, but.fk, and ffk have everything to gain if she goes soon.
There’s no squabble over control. Charles will be the next king, according to tradition, and the monarchy is nothing without its traditions.
that’s true, but I’m sure there will be plenty of jockeying for position as the power structure shifts.
I think it also hints that he may not be safe from the ‘enemy within’.
It brings into sharper focus his own concerns about his safety since Charles and William regard him as having gone ‘rogue’.
This is all so fascinating. We all imagine that we know what Harry’s thinking, but we’re essentially getting our information from the BM, the RR and all the “royal experts” which we hate and think are lying. We so rarely hear Harry’s actual words, that when he does speak it’s like a window opening up to a different landscape.
I mean, he would’ve known this would come up so he knows what’s doing, which opens up all other questions about why he said it. But he has been consistent – he told Oprah a similar thing a year ago. That being said, the british media itself was questioning the same thing with the whole Andrew fiasco.
This speaks volumes. I think his upcoming book is going to expose a lot about the Royal Rota and courtiers. I don’t think he’s going to say anything terrible about his family, but the little gray men must be quaking in their little gray suits. They would stop at nothing, and THAT’S why Harry needs top notch security. Bring it on, Harry. Expose them.
Harry has been on quite the media blitz these past few days. He was a bit messy, whether by intent or not. At least he put it out there, not some “source”, and let’s the heat be directed at him. He was very diplomatic with BBC and Dutch news, kept it more Invictus focused, so maybe he was more unguarded with a US network on purpose. Anyway, he said what he said and cue a million screeds from the tabloids and royalist press.
European media tend to be less direct in their questioning than the US media, they play safe. A BBC reporter, after seeing the Hoda interview, admitted that they had missed an opportunity and a scoop by not asking more personal questions.
May I suggest part of what Harry misses that is not available in California is the soft spring rains. The way the world bursts forth in glory come spring. Not everyone hates rain; I’d be weary of constant sunshine. I can only speak for myself, of course, but when I was in Edmonton for 4 years, that’s what I missed. Being surrounded by lush greenery and gardens can refresh a weary soul. My sister says Alberta skies are wide open – and that’s true. In winter the sun often shines, tho it gets very, very cold. But one doesn’t have to shovel rain, which was a big draw ‘home’ for me! The only place, other than BC Canada that I can imagine myself living is in England, for the simple reason those lush greens do feed my soul. There’s a chance Harry misses that glorious bursting forth the spring rains bring and the flowers. Maybe that’s part of why he wants to be able to easily and safely go ‘home’. And YAY! after a torrential downpour yesterday, with hail, today I wake up to glorious sunny skies and rich, lush greenery, and flowers bursting forth (cherry blossoms are late this year, but they’re coming w/abandon now!!). Apart from the people, that’s what I’d be missing most if I moved to California from BC. Apart from the people he loves, he could also be missing the climate. Especially in the spring.
I don’t know. English spring is lovely, but then I saw Scottish spring which is on another level and he never lived there really. Montecito has a lot of beautiful greenery too!
I don’t see where its anything different to what he has always said. And F the British tabloid media, they’ve never done the Sussexes any favors so I don’t expect any now. Imagine criticizing someone for being concerned about his grandmother! That says more about you than him.
Yes. Reveals that they’re thinking of Her Maj in terms of who owns and controls her.
I think that Harry wants his children to know where Diana grew up. They have one fantastic grandmother for their children–Doria. But I think that he will also want them to know all about Diana and her contributions. If they can get the proper security, I can see them doing school year in the USA and summer in the UK. His immediate family is his number one concern, but I think he will need to include Diana in the lives of his children.
I think he said it as a warning shot across the bow, that he’s keeping a close eye on her wellbeing despite living in Cali. It’s a veiled message to the éminence grise that the power they hold is waning and once TQ falls off her perch I think we’ll see a lot of heads roll. I remember when Harry said during the Oprah interview that she receives “really bad” guidance from her advisors, including an instance when she abruptly canceled a planned visit with him and Meghan. Who knows what he’s being offered in way of work for the BRF? Charles may be having a change of heart (if he has one…) about the star power he and Meghan bring because he’s finally realized Keen and Egghead just don’t have the smarts, energy or enthusiasm for royal work. They are clearly being seen as a liability instead of an advantage.
Harry knows all too well about his brother’s incandescence (that is a royal code word for violent, abusive behavior?) and his father’s manipulations regarding Camilla, along with Prince Andrew trying to take advantage. Harry seems to be the only one who cares for Lillibet, not Queen Elizabeth. Her children are all manipulative snakes in their own way (except maybe Anne who still is a rigid nasty piece work but pretty straight forward) and it seems there’s been a power grab since Philip died.
Harry once again proves to be a MASTER of the “ambiguous statement that reeks of longing…cause the ACTIONS will NEVA match those words”
I don’t see him EVA exposing his family to a long-term stay in England…that man KNOWS the depths of Hell England would put his Wife/Children through
I’m that way about states. I moved here twenty two years ago, but when I’m asked where I’m from, I say, “I live in X, but I’m from Y.” I was twenty four when I moved here, so I’ve lived almost half my life here, but I still say I’m from Y state.
I
Angela Kelly is publishing a book that goes on about the queen and saying she shouted at her for a haircut, but the British media say nothing about that. Meanwhile Harry her grandson expressed some concern that he wants to makes sure she is surrounded by good people and he’s treated as though he’s the problem.
All this frothing at the mouth from RR about how dare Harry be concerned about HIS own grandmother?! Why would n’t he want to see for himself how well she is holding up after Covid and bereavement? Isn’t it standard when visiting an aged relative to check if they are truly okay and ask them is they are being well treated and looked after properly?
I just don’t think the queen is as innocent as Harry thinks she is.
Some of you sound as bad as the people on Twitter who act like people can only read one item a day or only follow one thing. PH was the one interviewed and, like anyone interviewed the subject was varied and not just about one aspect of his life. I can read about his personal things and still follow Invictus.
Thank you! People are being weird. I’m glad I’m not famous with a bunch of strangers thinking they control my actions and my voice.
They don’t even realise how ridiculous they sound. And they get so defensive when you tell them their slave catching sensibilities are showing. A lot of so called supporters exposed themselves in this thread.
It’s like Harry isn’t a profoundly successful person who knows better than a bunch of internet randos.
It sounds to me, as a grandson who loves his grandmother he is simply looking out for her. In particular, due to her age and health – he would want to ensure she is being taken care of and those around her are looking out for her best interests. Absolutely nothing wrong with that!
I think the cost of Meghan and Harry’s mental health is far too great to come back to the UK permanently. Unless there are provisions in place for the four of them as a family whilst they are here for any events or visits. I could see them visiting here for the Summer, as I mentioned, providing there are provisions in place to protect them.
They are happy and thriving in the USA which I am glad they are, especially after everything they went through. This is Harry’s home, like any parent he would want his kids to know about it and their respective Great Grandma QE II/Late Grandma Diana. Meghan and Harry are smart and know what they are doing.
Just my take on it. When Harry said he wanted to make sure the Queen “has got the right people around her” it was a shot at those who could be trusted with a secret and not tittle tattle to KP and CH. It would be very interesting to know which of her “trusted” staff were not informed of H&M’s visit. The fact that there were no leaks (imho) shows that they must have had a conversation about who should know about the visit. Whoever, wasn’t told is the person (or persons) who is probably being discretely moved out of her trusted circle as we type.