Tina Brown: The Sussexit was bad, the Windsors ‘actually need Harry & Meghan now’

We knew that Tina Brown’s The Palace Papers would make news, but I personally was not expecting the book to make this kind of news. As in, I was not expecting Brown to go full-throttle keen towards the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, nor was I expecting Brown to be unable to use her journalist skills to actually parse what she was being told from Clarence House and Kensington Palace sources. Still, there are some very small slivers of “royal truths,” hidden behind mountains of BS. Truths like… the monarchy is in a fragile state. The monarchy actually desperately needs the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. And it’s bad for the monarchy that they can’t work out some kind of deal with Harry and Meghan.

Former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown has described Megxit as a ‘disaster for both sides’ and claimed Harry and Meghan caused ‘maximum mayhem’ when leaving the Royal Family because they are ‘addicted to drama’. Ms Brown, the author of The Palace Papers: Inside The House Of Windsor – The Truth And The Turmoil, made the claims while appearing on New York Times podcast Sway to promote her new book.

She said the couple made ‘bad choices’ and could have left the Royal Family on far better terms if they weren’t as ‘hotheaded’. Ms Brown also labelled Prince Harry a ‘very impetuous man’ and revealed how Palace advisors ‘always thought he would leave’. She said she was told it was because ‘he was so fragile, so combustible, he was so unhappy, frankly, in the constraints of the royal family’.

However, she also noted that the couple’s exit from royal life was a ‘disaster all round’. She said: ‘I actually think there is a Harry-shaped hole in the royal family now. And Harry was beloved, actually, by the British people. And people adored Meghan when she came into the mix. So it was actually very, very sad for everybody that it went so wrong because they actually need Harry and Meghan now. You should see, the queen is failing, and she’s very frail. They kind of need Harry and Meghan to bring that star power and to be on the balcony at the Jubilee. We have to have a royal family up there. We can’t have Andrew up there.’

Ms Brown believes Prince Harry could return to the royal family after the Queen’s death – though she warned that Meghan ‘disliked’ England. She said: ‘I think that Harry is going to want to come back when the Queen dies to serve his country. And I think they will find a way to reel him in. And it’s possible that Meghan – maybe they will have a commuter arrangement. I don’t know. I don’t see Meghan ever wanting to go back. She disliked England.’

[From The Daily Mail]

It was less about “Meghan disliked England” and more about “Meghan was suicidal after she was smeared on an hourly basis for months, all with the explicit approval of the monarchy.” Weird that none of Brown’s extensive research into the Windsors led her to acknowledge, at any point, that Meghan was telling the truth during the Oprah interview, that she was at her lowest point during her pregnancy? As for the monarchy needing the Sussexes… weird, huh? It’s almost as if Harry and Meghan were right all along, that the monarchy needed them a lot more than they needed the monarchy. It’s almost as if Harry and Meghan were constantly trying to tell people within the institution that if they continued to be mistreated, they would go. Also: imagine calling Harry “fragile, combustible and so unhappy” while Miserable Baldemort is punching walls, screaming at everyone and constantly balling up his baby fists of rage.

Also, true story: if his beloved grandmother can’t find a way to force Harry to come back, who honestly believes CHUCK will convince Harry to come back once the Queen dies? Good lord.

Photos courtesy of Instar.

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117 Responses to “Tina Brown: The Sussexit was bad, the Windsors ‘actually need Harry & Meghan now’”

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  1. The firm is like an abusive ex boyfriend at this point and not even trying to hide it. “If you don’t come back, we will keep turning up the abuse via the media.” Get over it Willy and Waity, you blew it. The monarchy is going away and now you two will actually have to get jobs.

    • Jan says:

      Tina brown noser is changing her tune, yeah Harry is going to do a commuter marriage.
      They’re still trying to push the narrative, that Harry is fragile, guess they gave on he is dumb.
      Meeting the deputy of NATO, and top military guys, not because he is the Queen’s grandson, but because he is providing a service that they can use.
      Harry is like a bird out of a cage, freedom, freedom from his backstabbing family and the Courtiers.

      • Sheffaneese Knight says:

        Commuter relationship… LOL. They keep trying to break the Sussexes up

      • Andrew's_Nemesis says:

        I found this interesting: [Brown] ‘revealed how Palace advisors ‘always thought he would leave’. ‘ In the Daily Heil of all places. So how are they going to twist that to ‘Harry left because Meghan brainwashed him with her exotic DNA’? How to square that circle in Tabloidland?

    • Em says:

      It’s a cult

    • PaulaH says:

      It’s really crazy that she believes Harry will go back and serve a country/King that will not accept his wife and children. That he would willing put them out there to be abused by both King/country….it’s all just crazy talk

  2. Lorelei says:

    It’s rare that karma works this quickly, but it is DELIGHTFUL. (My favorite phrase now is about the BRF having a “Harry-shaped hole.” 😂) I’m just going to sit back and watch this shitshow with satisfaction. And hope that Harry and Meghan stay planted in Montecito for the entirety of the godforsaken Jubbly.

    ETA: yeah, there will be no “commuter arrangement” because Harry is not going back to the Firm in any official capacity. It’s cute that anyone thinks he can be “reeled in.”

    • Merricat says:

      +1

    • Yup, Me says:

      Yeah, generally, when people leave their toxic family and there’s only one person they return for, when that one person dies, the relationship with the others is permanently over.

      I don’t see Harry bothering to return once his grandmother dies if his father and brother won’t do their part to repair the relationship.

    • Agreatreckoning says:

      What Harry said: “I’ve seen behind the curtain, I’ve seen the business model, I know how this operation runs and how it works,” Harry said in the interview on the Armchair Expert podcast, hosted by the actor Dax Shepard.

      “I don’t want to be part of this.”

      What “serious journalist”, “fact checker”, “due diligencer*” and “interviewer of 120 people”, Tina Brown, came up with in her “research”. :

      “I think that Harry is going to want to come back when the Queen dies to serve his country. And I think they will find a way to reel him in.”.

      LOL. *made up word I can’t even get going on the ‘commuter marriage’ comment.

  3. Haylie says:

    Lol that Tina thinks Harry will come back to serve the crown and leave his wife and kids back in the US. Yeah, I’m sure he’s gonna leave the wife he loves and deeply respects/ the babies he cherishes so he can do all the work that the LazyKeen Flop Duo refuse to do while taking all the credit.

    • PaulaH says:

      @Haylie: This is the delusional thinking of not only Tina but the British People. It reminds me of the demands of the British people after Diana died. They demanded that they see a 12 year old boy who had just tragically lost his mother so they could be comforted. So of course they expect Harry to leave his wife/children and put their needs first. It’s all delusional and frankly insane.

      • C says:

        They didn’t demand that. The royals put the kids out there to protect Charles during the funeral.

      • Not a Subject says:

        They demanded to have *some* acknowledgement of Diana’s death from the palace – a flag lowered to half mast and to hear from the Queen, but she was silent.

      • Tessa says:

        I don’t think the public was delusional. I think the Queen was oblivious to how popular Diana was. And I remember being horrified that Will and Harry were taken to Church only a few hours they got the news about their mother (cameras were there) and in the Church not ONE word was said about their mother nor prayers read. I never heard of such cold heartedness.

  4. Wiglet Watcher says:

    My goodness, this woman… Meghan seemed to love England. She gave it her all. She continued to work with her patronages after she left. She kept in touch.
    It was those petty, racist heirs and others that made that place unlivable.

    No way Harry goes back. The monarchy will continue to crumble and all they will be able to do is cry about this being Harry and Meghan’s faults for having too many bathrooms.

    • MsIam says:

      Meghan said London was one of her most favorite places in the world. And wasn’t there some silly rumor that Meghan wanted to date an English guy because she found them so polite and charming? But any excuse will do when it comes to vilifying Meghan. Shame on Tina Brown, looking forward to when karma tears her a new one.

  5. Chloe says:

    Harry is not coming back and most certainly not without his wife. These royal biographers need to get that through their thick skulls.

    Harry was ready to serve the monarchy for the rest of his life. And so was Meghan. It’s the firms own doing that they left. Harry has said what needs to be done for him to even consider a “reconciliation” with his brother and father and even then it remains highly questionable if he will actually return to royal life. I think he won’t.

    • VoominVava says:

      That’s the craziest part of it all. Everyone LOVED Harry from day one. They also love his fun spirit, his down to earth attitude and his loyalty. But they think leaving a wife and children in another country to walk around cutting ribbons and bowing to your father and brother for eternity is true loyalty? It’s time to be loyal to his family, his children. It is absurd to me how they judge Meghan for cutting off a toxic father but want Harry to cut off his wife and children.

  6. C-Shell says:

    This narrative line that, AFTER the Queen, Harry (not necessarily Meghan) can come back into The Firm — like the Queen is the obstacle???!!! What? And, a “commuter” style marriage???!!! God, she’s Angela Levin level with this sh!t.

    • Nao says:

      It’s their way of saying they will continue to try to disrupt his marriage and they expect to successfully “reel him in.”

    • L4Frimaire says:

      This is no different than those royal commentators hoping that Harry would return alone after the one year review. Does she think she’s saying something new here. Seriously Tina Brown!?

    • Lov3zone says:

      tina brown is a friggen clown

  7. Amy T says:

    Wouldn’t it be delicious (and plausible) to find out somewhere down the road that a polite refusal on behalf of H&M to Brown for an interview Back in the Day is the real source of her vitriol, and her hostility toward them in the book is her rendition of “DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?!”

    • Maxine Branch says:

      Your comment sounds very plausible to me. Imagine Meghan and Harry being interacting with Oprah, Gayle and Tyler Perry to name a few and rejecting this deplorable woman’s attempt at an interview for her book. Brown is a very unhinged spiteful old Karen.

    • iforget says:

      Exactly this!! Same thing with Piers Morgan (eww hate typing that name). The RR have been rejected by H&M time and time again, and not only rejected, but humiliated. I do not feel sorry for the RR, but they have been made to look foolish because of H&M. Ergo, they go nuclear and unhinged in their attacks. It’s embarassing to watch. H&M are living their life, a life of service (quelle horreur), and the RR are what….?? Miserable cretins, who know that they are out of a job if they don’t embiggen the Petty Jealous Oatmeal Windsors. Ugh just abolish the damn monarchy already.

    • Chloe says:

      She is simply parroting the royal family’s narrative. And their wish(that harry comes back alone)

    • Eurydice says:

      I don’t have to wait for that point down the road – I’m sure Tina Brown approached H&M for an interview. It would have been the logical thing to do, it would have guaranteed that her book would be a blockbuster and would put Tina right up there with Oprah. Big plans were foiled.

      • kirk says:

        CBE Tina B did manage to get Oprah to delivery 2019 keynote address at her image-enhancement project, Women in the World summit.

    • Jan says:

      She admitted that she couldn’t get anyone to speak to her about Meghan and Harry.
      That’s why she is saying they’re miserable and lonely in Montecito.
      Two toddlers, two dogs, chickens and don’t forget their JOBS.

      • RoyalBlue says:

        And yet, she never took notes from their public interviews on ITV and Oprah, or what her friends said? Shouldn’t she take it straight from the horses mouth and document their truth? No, she is showing her true colors here, on where she did her biased research.

      • susan says:

        I found this somewhat offhand remark so so revealing. Basically that M&H have an extremely loyal and buttoned up network around them. No former staff, no friends, nobody leaks on them. And I sorta doubt it’s because they make people sign NDAs. I think it’s because they choose very carefully who they let into their circle, and then they take care of them.

        The fact that Wootton has to drag out Thomas Markle yet again says volumes. There’s nobody else! Since M&H left England, there’s not a single person who has anything to say other than those that they (M&H) have chosen/authorized to do so.

      • Gruey says:

        @susan this is so true and it’s very telling. The Sussex’ media strategy is interesting. It’s either showing, not telling (a la Beyoncé), or extremely direct, high-impact statements direct from the source.

        It’s also interesting that NO ONE in the Sussex camp is dining out on that connection. They authorized Janina Gavankar and Patrick Adams to speak for a few days after Oprah (and you got the sense they had been holding it in and were itching to go off). But since then, there are no Uncle Gary’s from the Sussex side. Their friends seem extremely loyal and disciplined. No one is talking or leaking. The Sussexes only speaks when they need to, and it’s clear that speaking to Brown was not seen as necessary lol!

      • Tessa says:

        Of course Tom Markle was glad to “contribute” and Tina never seemed to question him just took what he said as fact.

    • Liz says:

      Absolutely think this is what happened. The negative spin on H&M is both a punishment for them and their “arrogance” of being unwilling to talk to her, and a natural result of her not having someone in their camp giving her positive talking points as is clearly happening with the Cambridges.

    • ABritGuest says:

      I bet that’s exactly what happened. Just like Piers Morgan , Tina probably tried to get an in with Harry/Meghan at some point & has been told no so is vitriolic she’s not their insider. Like Piers she’s also a tabloid type monarchist who feels weirdly entitled to Harry & the royal narrative & is upset he’s speaking for himself.

      Sussexit happened abruptly because of the royal family’s choices. Nobody told them to smear Meghan, leak plans to step back & then listen to the tabloids blood thirst for a harsh split, turning down H&M’s offer to be part time royals. It’s only because Harry & Meghan haven’t floundered (despite Tina’s claims & all the smearing) & the royals have been stuck on stupid that they say it was a disaster for all sides.

      Tina says it’s great that William not Harry is the heir & he is a Windsor not a Spencer. Kate is the perfect Mona Lisa who has held monarchy together. so they really shouldn’t need ‘impetuous’, ‘fragile’ Harry right? The fact that she even talks about Harry coming back after Elizabeth passes shows she doesn’t believe her own narrative as if Harry was as awful as she claims everyone should be glad to be rid of him.

      And that misogynoir is coming through strong with idea that Harry would be with his family part time to serve the crown despite Harry’s own words for years about how much he wanted kids & Harry saying in the engagement interview his relationship was a priority. Clearly , like the royals with that idea Meghan should keep acting, Tina probably thinks a long distance would strain the relationship & cause H&M to split bringing him back to England full time. Reminds me of Dan Wootton saying that whilst the romantic relationship with Meghan is still going, Harry won’t fully reconcile with his family . Trash

      • ABritGuest says:

        Also Meghan was just co-hosting a brunch for Team Uk at the Invictus Games & separately from Harry, spent time with Team UK’s families. She has continued to support charities in the UK since leaving with SmartWorks most recently getting a grant from Archewell. She JUST did flying visit there, still has a rental there & has friends there.

        So my guess is issues around security, certain people in the palace & tabloids are more the problem in terms of Meghan visiting the UK rather than hating the country. But don’t let that stop Tabloid Tina

      • B says:

        So the new talking point is that Meghan doesn’t like the UK and that’s why Harry would commute alone to serve the crown? I agree with you Abritguest what I’m hearing is that they want to exile Meghan privately but in public claim she doesn’t like the UK and that’s why she doesn’t visit. This is Archie’s title all over again.

        Lol Meghan and Harry visiting the Queen before Invictus Games really blew up a lot of narratives they were trying to establish.

    • Sid says:

      That makes a lot of sense AmyT. I can definitely imagine Brown being salty that the Sussexes wouldn’t give her the time of day for her book, and possibly saw her as no better than the rota rats despite her VF and Newsweek heyday and all her connections.

    • Agreatreckoning says:

      Very good theory Amy T and points made by all the other commenters. Diana’s good son would not talk to Brown. That’s a mic drop. TB became editor of Tatler within a year of her husband’s(Harold Evans) divorce from his first wife. Evans had connections. Harry has always known more than he’s been given credit for. Brown was not Diana’s friend. TB is more like a glorified gossip with connections in a perceived “great” editor’s clothing. One of the things that was minimalized from Brown’s departure from the New Yorker to getting in bed with Weinstein (ick) is, Brown was big on buzzy, glitzy and celebrity. Hollywood. The New Yorker wasn’t exciting (salacious) enough for her.

      I hope she at least addresses in a positive way that the Duchess of Sussex sending out emails at 5am isn’t a crime. Brown was known to send faxes 24/7. The very late and early hours of a day.

      I looked back at the October 2021 post here on CB about Brown’s book.. I remembered most of what I wrote back then. Was not positive about it being favorable to the Sussexes. Wrote something about it coming out not long before the Cambridges anniversary and it being full of complimentary comments about them. Lady C is known for “whoring for Gohring”. Tina Brown is whoring for the boring cruel racists. Interesting review of Brown’s Vanity Fair Diaries.
      https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/nov/19/the-vanity-fair-diaries-review-tina-brown-balancing-act

  8. Jais says:

    Addicted to drama and fragile? Idk sounds like it’s coming from William or JK?
    Also, 100% agree with Kaiser about why in the world would Harry go help his dad once the queen passes? If he does anything with the monarchy, it will be when the queen is around. After that…No.
    If they admit he always wanted to leave and now that he’s left, why would he go back? That’s willful delusion.

    • Agreatreckoning says:

      ++ People addicted to drama stay in the situation. The Sussexes left. Harry & Meghan are anything but fragile. It takes strength & courage to walk away from toxic unhealthy situations and family.

      Brown is playing the same effed up game Levin has. AL said that now that Meghan is married in she would never let Harry leave. Then, when they left, AL said Meghan would never let Harry come back. And these people don’t see how messed up their talking points are.smh

      Brown’s husband passed away 9/23/2020. From things I’ve read, he wasn’t a bad person. He pissed off Murdoch enough to be fired. Tina just doesn’t have the clout she used to have while her husband was still alive. Once again, kind of love this book is coming out after the royal reparations tours and the successful Invictus Games and future Invictus Games announcements.

  9. Deering24 says:

    For the love of Mike, folks like Brown just love to forget Harry has two kids—one of his major reasons for getting the hell outta Dodge. Does she really think he would interrupt the normal upbringing he’s worked so hard to give them for some lame-ass “duty?” Or that he’d want them ripped apart by the BM? Or that there is enough “bait” to make him sacrifice them? Talk about some pernicious fan-fic…

    • Lorelei says:

      The BM always does this — they write about Harry as if his two children DO NOT EXIST. They’re completely ignored in the whole “Harry might come back” narrative. It’s absolutely unreal. Do they think if they don’t mention the children, they’ll cease to exist? It’s disgusting that the BRF and the BM view Harry’s wife and babies as nothing more than obstacles in their way of getting Harry back.

  10. equality says:

    This sounds like what the RF wanted PH to do before he left: for Meghan to keep working and him to be the third wheel. He left that deal so why would he go back to the same when there are now children in the mix to consider? Is it being “fragile” to not like being told to be less than you are in a job so that somebody above you can take all the credit, not because they worked for it but because they were born at a certain time? Who in any sort of normal job would stick around for that? I would like for some of these people who interview these writers to ask them that question.

  11. Em says:

    The royal family is a cult and that is why they will never leave Harry and Meghan alone, it is also why they must never introduce their children to any element of the monarchy. Harry and Meghan do not need to be on that balcony, it’s just going to embarrass them as Harry will be in civilian uniform while pushed to the back of the line and the language experts will tell us how the entire family snubbed them. If they must attend any thing it should be the thanksgiving service and they should be seated as far from the keens as possible. How can you insult him and his wife and expect him to line the pockets of the press with pictures of his wife and kids? Meghan never said she hated England so I don’t know what Tina brown is smoking

  12. Seraphina says:

    There will always be a pull for Harry to go back. England is where his family and homeland are. But he will know and he will remember how he and his wife (and soon to be son) were treated. That’s not something to easily get over. Meghan doesn’t have the ties to England that Harry does, so yes it is easier for her to not want to return to England. I don’t see them returning. The wounds are deep.

    • Chloe says:

      Return to England and even visit family sure but return to the “firm” just to end up being controlled by William? I don’t think so. Especially not now that there are children involved

      • Polo says:

        Yup I agree. Ultimately we never know where life takes us but I just don’t see them back in this institution that caused so much pain especially as Harry has said multiple times he doesn’t regret leaving.

        But for sure I could see them with a country home like the Clooneys/Beckhams for when they have work or to visit family.

        I do think they are trying to bribe them with this security issue for sure as well.

    • Yasmine says:

      I doubt he has much of a pull back actually. In that doc ‘The Me You Can’t See’ he said: “For most of my life, I’ve always felt worried, concerned, a little bit tense and uptight whenever I fly back into the UK, whenever I fly back into London.” I’m sure he misses some things, but his place of upbringing is a huge source of trauma for him. Home is supposed to be safe, and it never was for him. I really relate and empathize with that.

    • susan says:

      Harry knows full well-as does Meghan- that there is absolutely NOTHING they can do that will not be picked over and trashed by the tabloids. NOTHING. There is no win there for them, only derision, insults, racism, and petty gossip.

      I think both of them came to that conclusion when they went to Canada for their Christmas holiday, they took their dogs with them, which to me was a sure sign they weren’t coming back. Any public return would only be more of the damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-dont kind of tabloid coverage, but only more vile.

      The fact that they’re still putting Thomas Markle front and center after all this time speaks volumes. I’m quite sure H&M have figured this out, and I honestly don’t expect the two of them to EVER make a public appearance in the UK again. Harry will go to Granny’s funeral, but I honestly doubt that Meghan will. You know exactly what the reaction would be if she did go, it would be far worse than if she doesn’t.

  13. Zapp Brannigan says:

    “And I think they will find a way to reel him in. And it’s possible that Meghan – maybe they will have a commuter arrangement.”

    And there it is everyone. They are certain that they can manipulate Harry into leaving his wife and kids to return to Will and Kate. This is what they ultimately want, Harry back and Meghan and the kids gone.

    • Chloe says:

      This is exactly what Harry said in the Oprah interview that in hindsight there were problems from the beginning because they wanted Meghan to keep working. They never wanted this union and they never wanted Meghan as part of their family.

      Harry’s relatives lied when the archbishop asked it they would support and uphold their marriage “now and in the years to come”

    • Petra says:

      The BRF, the firm, and the rotas all knew Prince Harry accommodated the firm and the rotas because of the Queen and his brother. Selfishly, they and the BRF took that commitment to grandmother and brother to mean Prince Harry will be of servitude his entire life.

  14. Snuffles says:

    “ : ‘I think that Harry is going to want to come back when the Queen dies to serve his country.”

    No, sweetie, once the Queen dies he’s going to sever ties even further from the institution. Granny is the only reason he’s still even tolerating you people right now. The only reason he hasn’t lit your asses on fire. Out of respect for “Gam Gam”.

    • Ace says:

      This is what’s going to happen and I wonder up to what point he will do that.

      In the Oprah interview H&M made clear they thought Archie had a right to that Prince title, but considering how it was framed as a security issue and the battle they are fighting for that security now I wonder if their opinion has or will change. It would be delicious if Harry decides to take himself (and his kids, assuming he can do that) out of the succession line after his grandmother dies. Just imagine the rage at the “snub” the RF and RR would feel!

  15. Ginger says:

    Why would Harry go from having freedom and then go back to the monarchy? He can make his own decisions and not jump through hoops for any project he wants to take on.

    Also, it’s clear he doesn’t speak to his dad and they are still on bad terms. There is no way he would go back once his dad is king. Tina just desperately wants Harry to divorce his wife, leave his kids and marry a basic white women that is “suitable”

  16. Eurydice says:

    There’s a weird vibe to all of this. Like Tina Brown counters every negative thing she says about the RF with some BS about H&M. It’s like how the tabloids have been operating all along – “W&K peed on the carpet in Jamaica…but wait…Meghan made Kate cry…”

    Other things that strike me weird – so now the story is that everyone always thought Harry would leave? And if Meghan was so adored by the people, how does Tina explain the relentless negative press? Tina didn’t need to interview anybody to see this, just to open her eyes.

    • JanetDR says:

      Delighted to go from being angry about this book to chortling over W + K peed on the carpet! 😂😂😂

  17. Becks1 says:

    So which is it, Tina? Were H&M delusional and arrogant etc bc they thought the monarchy needed them more than they needed the monarchy?

    Or is there a “harry shaped hole” in the monarchy and it turns out – gasp – that the monarchy actually does need them? She specifically says they need them on the balcony for their star power, but I thought their star power was the issue?

    someone make it make sense.

    • SunnyW says:

      H&M are delusional and arrogant, *and* the monarchy needs them. And since the monarchy needs them, H&M (or just H) should come back and do their duty, which is to be the scapegoats to the heirs and their wives, and their kids to offer the same service to their cousins (so that little Louis doesn’t have to do it for his siblings – why should he when there are two mixed race relatives around?). It’s quite simple. Honestly, why should H&M want to be respected by the institution and its sycophants, protect their two children, and also have good mental health? That’s just silly. Very Hollywood. Slap in the face blindside many feet put wrong.

    • Gruey says:

      This is exactly it. Harry and Meghan are crucial, but how DARE they have any awareness of that fact. They should have sat quietly until such time as the other mediocres needed to trot them out (whether for scapegoating or tricky Commonwealth tours). How dare they ask to be treated like human beings? Or, worse, ask to be treated like valuable members of the firm?

      And frankly, there’s a lot of racism in this way of talking about Meghan. It’s implicitly unacceptable for a Black woman to know her real worth (especially if that worth is a lot more than lazy white ones).

    • Over it says:

      See they definitely want Harry back because let’s face it, mutton is not where it’s at. It’s definitely at Harry and Meghan. They don’t really want Meghan but they know the world loves to see her and then they can kill two birds with one stone by using the black woman on the balcony as. Prop to pretend they are not a racist family. But make no mistake if they could get away with a cardboard cutout of Meghan for publicity without actually having to be around her they would. They hate Harry for loving his black wife and children. But they desperately need him because like I said before Harry and Meghan are what the rest of the Windsors wish they were, relevant and relatable and liked,.

      • Gabby says:

        Hahahah @Over it, don’t go giving them ideas with that cardboard cutout thing. They’re dumb enough to try.

      • sunny says:

        This is the take. The royals desperately need Harry back because they are dumb, lack charisma, and fundamentally do not understand the world around them. They have been in the royal bubble way too long. Harry’s time in the military was the best thing that happened to him because it exposed him to realities outside the bubble.

        Secondly, the framing of Harry as weak or unstable is wild. Yes, he has struggled with his mental health but frankly most of us have and he had an insanely traumatic childhood in a messed up family and was a soldier in a war zone so like not a surprise. And Harry has put in the work of therapy to address his issues. What a light that must of been. And facing our challenges, and embracing vulnerability is a strength. He is stronger than his entire mess of a family.

        Finally, he has built a loving, respectful, seemingly happy partnership that is probably the healthiest marriage the Windsors have seen in awhile. And the press and his family continue to invalidate his marriage and his children by downplaying their importance and commitment to them which really is about racism more than anything else. How dare Harry choose and continue to choose his mixed race/black wife and children over the institution of white supremacy he hails from? That is what they can’t get over. And as Kaiser so brilliantly stated if he won’t come back for the granny at the pinnacle of this farce(who he clearly adores and is devoted to) it is unlikely he will come back for his shitty father- a man who treated his late mother like trash, and seems(from all outward appearances) like a cold, disinterested, manipulative parent.

        What a mess. It’s over, the rota and the royal family made a mess of this. They need to stop rolling in the mud.

    • Eurydice says:

      That’s why I say there’s a weird push/pull vibe to all this. The more we see the after effects of of H&M’s exit – their successes vs W&K’s failures – the more the “accepted” narrative about H&M doesn’t fit the overall story.

      I would say the Caribbean Flop was more of a disaster for the RF than H&M’s exit and more telling than Andrew’s horribleness. The failure of that tour (and that of the current tour with Sophie and Edward) has exposed the RF and its heirs as inept on a global scale. Apologists could argue that every family has its squabbles and black sheep, but the RF is supposed to represent a once-global empire – and now we see that they’re not even capable of basic manners.

      • Sid says:

        I suspect the very public success of the Invictus Games threw a small wrench into Brown’s plans around promoting her book. It would be very hard for her to get away with claiming Harry and Meghan have nothing to offer after many people worldwide followed along last week and saw a fantastic event supporting injured military veterans and their family /friends, which was attended and/ or positively commented on by heads of state, NATO reps, military higher-ups, etc. So now Brown is stuck having to play a bit of both sides, and can’t just 100% drag the Sussexes like she might have if her book were coming out at another time. Plus, this was a New York Times podcast, so she is also playing a bit of the game the rota rats play where they change their tone slightly for American audiences since pure bashing does not work here like it does in England.

  18. Amy Bee says:

    Tina is finding herself contradicting her own book. And she forgets that Harry said he wanted to continue serving the Queen not Charles.

  19. Emily says:

    Sorry Tina, Harry’s not leaving his wife to come back and be your Prince.

  20. Izzy says:

    Wait, this is the same person and book that called Meghan deluded and Harry impetuous? These people never cease to amaze me with their willful stupidity. It’s crystal clear that the abuse they help heap on H&M drove them away, yet somehow they think continuing to do so will pull either of them back.

  21. Tessa says:

    So Brown wants a sort of separation with harry commuting and probably hopes Harry will move on and find someone else Brown has an agenda imo

  22. Over it says:

    Why would you want dramatic , fragile. Combustible and unhappy people back Tina ? Like make up your f—-Ing mind you unstable , unhinged, racist B . And yet again I see Tina is one of many white British people who are campaigning for Harry to leave his wife and two young children to come back and be the glue that holds up his incandescent brother and keen wife . Harry can’t stop William from cheating so let’s forget that nor can he make either william or kate ever want to work.

    • Deering24 says:

      Yeah, but he can give Kate someone to google-eye at. He can be held up as a reprobate so W&K can play Happy Families. Even better, he can do all the work and W&K can take the credit.

  23. ILady Digby says:

    Tina is deluded if she believes H is going to divorce M and return to be W’s shield and scapegoat. Given TQ’s frailty the Jubbly might not happen and I doubt H and M will cross the pond to be assailed by frosty relatives, bitchy courtiers and an unhinged press. They just DON’T need the grief and stress. Let bad dad set up his stall in Kensington Gardens selling signed pap pics of himself but leave H and M out of this clown show!!

  24. Sofia says:

    Okay let’s say that H&M do divorce. What makes Brown so sure he’ll come back to the UK and go back to being a working royal? I would imagine he’d want to stay close to the kids and will stay in the US (where Meghan most likely will be). And since he’s talked about how much he’s disliked the royal circus before even meeting Meghan, that’s another reason why he probably won’t come running back as much as her and the other monarchists want.

  25. Charfromdarock says:

    “They kind of need Harry and Meghan to bring that star power and to be on the balcony at the Jubilee. We have to have a royal family up there. We can’t have Andrew up there.’”

    Ding, ding, ding

    • MF says:

      Between this quote and the “commuter arrangement” bit, my jaw was on the floor. It’s kind of amazing to hear someone from the RR finally say the quiet part outloud.

  26. Concern Fae says:

    What drives so much of the Brit commentary, including Tina, is that keeping the monarchy going is an absolute necessity. But one of the problems with making a family figureheads instead of actually powerful rulers is that they are still a family. With all the pettiness and flaws that every family has, which gets utterly magnified when you add primogeniture on top, so that the oldest son must be the best son. In olden days, Harry would have just gotten an army together and defeated William on the battlefield, thus becoming the eldest living son.

    But the current system, where charisma is power, has no way of handling a younger son outshining the elder. They are all literally prisoners of whoever that eldest son turns out to be. The vehemence with which they’ve turned on Harry only goes to prove how bad the situation is.

  27. MsIam says:

    Tina Brown doing the heavy lifting for the monarchy! They are making her earn that CBE or whatever she has. Future recipients take note, you too may be called on to jettison your integrity for the sake of “The Crown”.

    • Eggbert says:

      Seriously Tina Brown sold her soul to the devil.

      • Jaded says:

        A Faustian bargain indeed — “an agreement in which a person abandons his or her spiritual values or moral principles in order to obtain knowledge, wealth or other benefits.”

      • Deering24 says:

        She did that when she endlessly snarked about the Obamas.

  28. Mel says:

    I believe that the idea of “getting out” started to form in Harry’s mind the day he was forced to walk behind his Mother’s coffin for optics. I think he was the one who wanted to bolt more than Meghan and he made the final decision. They appear to be quite happy with it. How can you write/ say that you know something about someone when you’ve never talked to them or the people they talk to? He’s not coming back, the entire thing is going to fall to pieces once QE2 dies because Chuck and Wills do not command the same respect. The rest of them better start asking Harry for advice. Just saying….

  29. Merricat says:

    It is pathetic and hilarious that Tina Brown thinks twitterpated Harry and Meghan will have separate households. Lol. That’s the Cambridge Way.

  30. L4Frimaire says:

    How is it that every new except of this book and Brown’s sad promotion tour goes from bad to worse. Why is it sounding more and more desperate? It sounds like she’s so fixated on the Sussexes that everything else in this screed of a book is filler. I’m also sick if everyone saying the Sussexes needs to be in that balcony. Why do they need to be there? At this point this is just a nasty hit job and anyone giving this book credibility must be returning favors they owe Brown. What a pile of BS.

    • Deering24 says:

      Heh. She’s trying to outrun the Invictus positive press and the double-dutch RF Caribbean tour disasters. And she’s pitching to the MAGA/right-winger market for sales.

  31. C says:

    The fact that leaving in the first place was Harry’s idea is too much for their tiny brains. “Commuter arrangement?” What reality are they living in?

  32. Sal says:

    With the exception of the Queen, who really is a leader and helped guide the world through WWII, does the royal family have any value?

    The world is in the process of awakening to the horrors that the British Empire inflicted in service of the 1% and their staggering wealth.

    Charles can’t change the past, but is he able to add any value whatsoever?

    Also, it’s misguided to constantly blame either Kate or Megan for the royal family. Don’t they always pick an outsider/ woman to be their scapegoat?

    Charles and William only have one idea for leadership and one vision for the future and that is that they feel absolutely entitled to the crown and all of its benefits. What’s in it for the British public?

    • Tessa says:

      Kate is not scapegoated anymore. Some of these writers fawn over her.

    • Debbie says:

      The queen guided “the WORLD” through WWII? Holy jeez! I think you misspelled “England.” If the English consider whatever the heck their queen did, or did not do, during the war to be guidance, well, have at it. But she, by no measure, guided “the world” through the war. Sorry.

      (By the way, this is why I think England will always have its monarchy, no matter how mediocre they are. There will always be a large number of people willing to drink their Kool-aid and support them. All I wish is that they would leave the rest of us out of their false narratives, lies, and stay in their own countries.)

      • Becks1 says:

        The Queen wasn’t even Queen during WWII. She was still Princess Elizabeth and she was a teenager during it, even if an older teenager (turning 20 in 1946.)

  33. Lululu says:

    Wait, wait, wait. Didn’t they try to keep things quiet when they had decided to leave? And then rushed the announcement because someone leaked the news or was going to leak it? I have always wondered how things might have turned out if they had been allowed to negotiate with the Queen without the pressure of a media shitstorm created by KP.

  34. NCWoman says:

    As long as they have their titles, Harry and Meghan continue to serve Britain by association. If people want the monarchy to survive, the BRF and the British press need to get their heads out of their a—- , stop attacking them and publicly repent and reconcile, and then quietly bask in their reflected glory by association. Harry and Meghan aren’t destroying the monarchy. The people who have no purpose beyond attacking them and dressing up for manufactured photo ops are doing that all on their own.

  35. Connie says:

    They alway say Meghan hates the England. Yet they never say why!

  36. what's inside says:

    Tina Brown over the decades has done everything she possibly can to maintain her career by playing all sides of the field. She has absolutely no integrity and only cares about her bank account. She thinks that she can magically make things happen by pushing and pulling the narrative into whatever shape she wants and she has had Charles’ help in the past. It was suggested in the past that she had an enormous thing for Charles who also is a gamer of astonishing proportions. God gave Harry the gift of a lifetime when he met Meghan and was able to marry her and have a family; enormous wealth, good health and prosperity has followed. You can love your family, but you do not have to like them especially those who are not loyal and kind.

  37. Saucy&Sassy says:

    I can’t imagine how fast she has to dance to spin this. Anyone who saw Hoda’s interview of Harry knows that he refused to comment on his father and brother. He only talked about TQ and that was said warmly. I think anyone how watched was left with the impression that he loves TQ and they get on well. I really am enjoying the fact that Tina’s book came out after the Invictus Games. I doubt the people in the UK know how well that went, but the rest of world does because credible news organizations were reporting. There’s definitely a disconnect between what TB is saying and has written, and what the world saw during Invictus. Harry made it quite clear that he missed his (CA) family and couldn’t wait to see them. Yeah, Tina, H really wants to commute to merry, ole England to be the scapegoat.

  38. Jaded says:

    Tina, let me fix something for you. Meghan didn’t *dislike* England, she loved it. She dislikes…she abhors…the very much a racist BRF, The Firm, The Grey Men, the tabloids, all the people who lied, back-stabbed, gas-lit, threatened and generally made her life an utter misery for no reason other than she was a bi-racial American who married in.

  39. HITHERE says:

    Did anyone have else laugh out loud when they read that the British people “actually” love Harry? Was there any doubt? He has always been beloved.

  40. swirlmamad says:

    Tina really thinks he’s going to have a “commuter marriage” — leave the wife he adores for months on end and miss out on his beloved kids’ milestones to do his “duty” and “serve” that sorry excuse for a family? After all the mud and poison they’ve relentlessly slung his and Meghan’s way? I don’t even want any of what Tina is smoking, because she’s literally out of her mind.

  41. TheOriginalMia says:

    Commuter marriage? WTF?! Why would Harry do something like that for the institution that wants nothing to do with his family? He loves his wife and his kids. Heads up, whoever dictated this section! Harry & Meghan aren’t coming back. Harry isn’t coming back without his wife. Ergo…he ain’t coming back to “work” part-time for your crusty asses because William is incandescent and Kate is lazy. It ain’t happening. Stop floating that mess. It just makes you seem dumb and desperate.

  42. LRob says:

    Harry told the world himself that he would have left his role as senior royal when he left the army but stayed at his grandmother’s request. He fulfilled that promise so she knows her grandson owes nothing more to the Crown. So yes they all knew he might leave one day, and they had a choice. Work with him as he carved his unique path to secure a flexible role in the Firm, or work against him. I agree if the Queen can’t fix it, Charles can’t either.

  43. Nyro says:

    Harry has always been the key to the kingdom, and he matters even more with Meghan and her star power by his side. There’s nothing kingly about William. He’s a dud who married an even bigger dud. And they all know it.

    • Lov3zone says:

      Kate WISHES she had 1/10th the shine of Meghan and simply never will.
      William wishes he had a wife he actually wanted to have s-x with…and he never will…

  44. Mrs.Krabapple says:

    Sussexit was a disaster for BOTH sides? Lol. Harry and Meghan have thrived since leaving. They kept their genuine star power and turned it into successful business and charity ventures. They are warmly welcomed wherever they go. I’ve said it before, the one thing the haters hate most, is seeing how Harry and Meghan have succeeded. To placate the haters, the tabloids have to reinforce the lie that somehow Harry made a mistake and regrets it.

  45. Truthiness says:

    A huge thanks to Kaiser, saving me from buying this sh*tty tome and having its bullshit aroma stink up the house. I was curious to see how Gayle King handles this odious mess since she had treated Tina on air as a very good friend in past years. On CBS Gayle pivoted straightaway to Andrew and other problems in the family.

    It’s offensive to see Tina making the argument for the Sussexes to go back to the firm to be the official whipping post for no money and rehabbed servant’s quarters under a flightplan. They are still using them as scapegoats daily in desperation. Tina, printing Royalist horseshit, stinks to high heaven.

  46. ChattyCath says:

    I m sure everyone has noticed that the vile and racist smears only began when Meghan became pregnant. The wedding brought ‘glamour’ and was a rekindling of interest in the RF but all of them hoped from the start that Harry would ‘get her out of his system’ and she could disappear with a pay off and NDA. To suggest he abandon his wife and children shows how amoral our exemplary RF and BM are

  47. Lov3zone says:

    I don’t see this book as
    full throttle” PRO Meghan. Its not at all. They rip her and Harry Constantly and I am always shocked at how quiet we are and rarely see those of us who DO support Prince Harry and Meghan respond or lash out.
    Maybe I will write another book PRO Meg and Harry because they are taking a stand against racism in a way that even Obama didn’t do.

    • Debbie says:

      I don’t know why but for some reason that white woman from New Zealand who recently won an award as best director just flashed through my mind. The one who, right in the middle of her acceptance speech, from out of nowhere just threw out Venus and Serena’s names out there to denigrate their accomplishments. Because, as we all know, out of all the British royal family members, the ones who did the most harm, and most abused H & M, were, get this … the Obamas! Yup. Also, it is a well-known maxim that the people most responsible for eradicating racism are, yes, you guessed it, Black people. Otherwise, they’re just not doing their jobs and should be ashamed.

  48. Tessa says:

    I guess during these “commutes” Tina hopes that Perfect William will “get through” to Harry and Kate will find the right person and tell Harry to divorce. I don’t get why Tina thinks William is bright.

  49. Usavgjoe says:

    The RF wanted to destroy Meghan, we should never forget they tried to break this woman. Why? Because her and her husband were proving to be way more popular than the British royals destined to take the crown. They kept her basically locked away in Kensington Palace and then at Windsor. Like Meghan told Oprah, “…she was everywhere, yet nowhere”. The RF told her when she had been basically In exile at Kensington Palace for 4 months — that she was over exposed in the Media and that she needed to lay low. The RF took her credit cards, car keys and passport. Those close to her heart, said the RF was not protecting her from the BP. The BP was being allowed to slander her, no one was stopping them. It drove Meghan to not want to BE. Who could help her go up against an ancient Monarchy that many believe to be ethical and beyond reproach. Here in America and Canada, anyone who has ever worked with Meghan, or knew her, said she was one of the sweetest people. I don’t care who you are, if you never screamed at or acted that way with other people — you don’t all of sudden start doing that out of the blue.

  50. Agreatreckoning says:

    Love, love, love the pictures of Meghan in the blue dress. Love the crying while laughing pic the best. A bit jealous that she looks gorgeous while doing so. I look like a drowned rat when crying or laughin/crying. It’s an evil plot I’m sure. Harry feels my pain.

    Poor, fragile Harry.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1zM54UqWD8

  51. SuzeQ says:

    Who actually NEEDS any of the royals on the balcony? Whose lives will be improved by that ridiculous custom? My husband is a Brit; he won’t be in the crowd as the royals — convinced of their superiority—wave at the plebes below.
    And sure, TB, Harry is so fragile he served two tours in Afghanistan and just staged a massive event for veterans.
    As for the commuter marriage idea TB is floating, L.O.L.

  52. Serena says:

    “We can’t have Andrew up there”, on that wholeheartily agree.
    These ‘journalists’ can keep bulls*itting all they want but (sane) people know the truth, know who are the lazy, racists, rage monster, especially after the tour of doom.

    Yeah Chuck ain’t gonna make H&M go back, unless he does gives them something really big (which, nah, from that petty small man?).

  53. candy says:

    I love that Meghan doesn’t always wear sky high heels.