Richard Kay has a special Jubbly-themed column in today Daily Mail. Did I say “Jubbly-themed”? I meant “creepy.” Kay’s headline is: “When Lilibet meets little Lilibet… the picture that might yet heal the royal rift: One of the Queen’s favourite photos is of her meeting newborn Archie. Now there’s an even more poignant moment approaching.” Just in case you thought that all of these good vibes were just a dysfunctional family trying to make some messy peace, Kay is here to remind everyone that Harry, Meghan and their children are nothing more than commodities to the Windsors and to the British press machine. Kay has a laundry list of things Harry and Meghan need to do, including a photo-op with the children and the Queen. I think that there’s a good chance a photo will be released of Archie, Lili and the Queen too. But all the rest of this is pretty tacky and transactional.
Trooping will be overshadowed by the Sussexes: This time, however, the [Trooping] spectacle is set to be rivalled by another event, with far more riding on the outcome. For it will afford us the fascinating sight of Prince Harry and Meghan publicly reuniting with other members of the Royal Family for the first time since their frosty departure from Britain more than two years ago. It should also offer a view of their children: Archie, three, and daughter Lilibet, one on Saturday, who is set to meet her great-grandmother for the first time.
Healing the Windsor brand: The significance of this olive branch invitation cannot be exaggerated. For it offers the real chance of not just healing the breach between the Sussexes and the royals but also repairing the House of Windsor brand, which, in America at least, has been severely tarnished by the Harry and Meghan falling-out.
Distrust: What’s more, it could ensure that the couple, who cannot be certain of the reaction they will receive from the public during the four days of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations, are met with warmth rather than stony indifference…. So if there is to be a rapprochement, it will take more than just a photo opportunity, however artfully arranged. With their accusations of racism, claims of cold indifference by both family members and staff, and the memory of the Oprah Winfrey interview still strong, trust in the duke and duchess remains in short supply.
The way they talk about this baby, my God: Baby Lilibet’s role may be crucial. When the couple announced they were giving their daughter the name Lilibet, the Queen’s family nickname, it was seen as a presumptuous choice for a baby who, although eighth in line to the throne, would grow up on the other side of the world, speaking with an American accent. Courtiers saw it as an impertinent, somewhat cynical exercise to secure the Sussexes’ long-term future as Royal Family members. Some wondered if they had even asked the Queen’s permission. But time is a great healer and I know the Queen, 96, is anxious to meet her 11th great-grandchild. Although such a meeting could be today, it may be delayed until Lilibet’s birthday on Saturday.
The British media is giddy at the thought of photographing Archie & Lili: [If the meeting does happen], this would almost certainly take place in the Queen’s private apartments at Windsor Castle. But the timing would depend on whether there is a late change of plan and the Queen goes to the Derby after all, despite reports that she isn’t expected to attend. And if it does happen, imagine if a picture was released. A photograph of Lilibet meeting Lilibet would be a more eloquent symbol of family unity and forgiveness than any anonymous briefing.
The photo of Archie & the Queen: It can surely be no coincidence that, to mark her great-grandson Archie’s third birthday last month, the Palace re-issued that memorable picture of Harry and Meghan presenting their newborn son to the Queen and Philip at Windsor Castle, with the duchess’s mother Doria looking on. It is one of the Queen’s favourite pictures from a time when the bitterness of Harry and Meghan’s departure for California was a long way off and the image of the Royal Family seemed inclusive and diverse. How times have changed.
Tina Brown thinks the royals should pay Harry: The influential commentator and author Tina Brown has suggested that the Palace take steps to persuade the prince to abandon the book. ‘Somebody needs to go to Harry and try saying, “We’re going to give you a cheque for whatever fee you’ve negotiated for the book and, in return, we ask that you don’t do it.” ’ In view of the fact that Harry reportedly secured a £16 million advance for the book, that might be beyond even deep royal pockets. But at the very least, they might be able to encourage him to soften its content.
The Sussexes are “on probation”: Aides are also looking into reports that Harry and Meghan may be tempted to return to the royal fold if their media careers turn out to be less enduring than they had hoped. Their deals with under-pressure streaming giant Netflix no longer seem quite so promising, while the arrangement with Spotify is yet to materialise. For now, there is no doubt that the couple are on probation during their four-day stay.
This is such a disaster from Kay. This is exactly what the Queen and Prince Charles did NOT want, by the way. Liz and Chuck went out of their way to invite the Sussexes and to clear the path for the Sussexes to visit. For Charles and the Queen, this is a tenuous peace and a moment to spend time with their favorites, not a moment to list endless grievances and act as if Harry and Meghan are on probation and on notice. Kay is practically drooling at the thought of Buckingham Palace using Archie and Lili as inclusivity props in their colonialist nightmare.
Her Majesty The Queen, the first Monarch in British history to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee.
To mark the beginning of the #PlatinumJubilee Celebration Weekend, a new portrait of The Queen has been released.
📷 Ranald Mackechnie pic.twitter.com/nmQFf2Zpmy
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) June 1, 2022
Photos courtesy of Instagram, Avalon Red.
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- LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 23: Queen Elizabeth II is given a tour during a visit to The Chelsea Flower Show 2022 at the Royal Hospital Chelsea on May 23, 2022 in London, England. The Chelsea Flower Show returns to its usual place in the horticultural calendar after being cancelled in 2020 and postponed in 2021 due to the Covid pandemic. This year sees the Show celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and also a theme of calm and mindfulness running through the garden designs.,Image: 693865616, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: PAUL GROVER / Avalon
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- LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 23: Queen Elizabeth II is given a tour during a visit to The Chelsea Flower Show 2022 at the Royal Hospital Chelsea on May 23, 2022 in London, England. The Chelsea Flower Show returns to its usual place in the horticultural calendar after being cancelled in 2020 and postponed in 2021 due to the Covid pandemic. This year sees the Show celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and also a theme of calm and mindfulness running through the garden designs.,Image: 693865774, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: PAUL GROVER / Avalon
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- Gigi Hadid Photo Call for Michael Kors Wonderlust Fragrance Launch, Rockefeller Center, New York, NY July 16, 2019. Photo By: RCF/
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- MANDATORY CREDIT: Chris Allerton – copyright SussexRoyal NEWS EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO COMMERCIAL USE. NO MERCHANDISING, ADVERTISING, SOUVENIRS, MEMORABILIA or COLOURABLY SIMILAR. NOT FOR USE AFTER FRIDAY JUNE 7, 2019, WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM ROYAL COMMUNICATIONS AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE. This photograph is provided to you strictly on condition that these conditions and restrictions will apply (and that you will pass these on) to any organisation to whom you supply it. There shall be no commercial use whatsoever of the photographs (including by way of example only) any use in merchandising, advertising or any other non-news editorial use. The photograph must not be digitally enhanced, manipulated or modified in any manner or form and must include all of the individuals in the photograph when published. All other requests for use should be directed to the Buckingham Palace Press Office in writing. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are joined by her mother, Doria Ragland, as they show their new son, born Monday and named as Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor, to the Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh at Windsor Castle.
Yeah, no Richard, that’s not how this works. I can only imagine the gnashing of teeth when the reality dawns that this is not a prelude to the Sussexes returning even part time. Its just a visit y’all.
Yeah, this is definitely what the Queen and Charles did not want. the notion that they are on some kind of probation and have to “earn their place” and all of that is not a good look for the royals and definitely not what they wanted to come out right now. Also the idea that Lili and Archie need to be used as inclusivity “props” is just gross and again not what the royals want out there right now.
Now that said I think Charles at least knows that he needs some images of him welcoming H&M (if not their children) for his own PR, but I think we will see that at the thanksgiving service tomorrow.
The press won’t admit that it applies to them too, but Charles and the Queen absolutely understand that THEY need H&M more than H&M need them.
It took an excrutiating amount of time for Charles, the Queen, AND ESPECIALLY the courtiers to realize that the RF needs Harry & Meghan. My God they are slow. The Brit media regarding them as props is pretty evil and a reminder that the press wants to have the Sussexes in its invisible contract, to abuse whenever they like.
Charles burned bridges and allowed William to push Harry out and Kate’s awful behavior to Meghan. He and the Queen need to try to see if they can undo the damage by condemning the negative articles and comments by the media. There have been really awful comments in the DM and about Meghan and Harry and the children, who are Charles’ grandchildren and HM’s great grandchildren. How they sit back and have allowed this to me is reprehensible.
Some Brit’s are jokingly referring to this as the Platty Joobs and I think that outdoes the Jubbly. Just saying!
Yeah its all over SM as well as several saucy versions as well LOL
I think you’ve hit on the essential point – “This is exactly what the Queen and Prince Charles did NOT want”. But it’s exactly what the BM do want. An open reconciliation with H&M is boring – how will the BM keep up all those angry clicks?
While i believe this is true – I also think its about an old lady who wants to see her favourite grandson (and his family) one more time before she leaves this mortal coil.
That’s what I think, too. ER seems to be tying loose ends before she leaves. She doesn’t want any drama.
BTW, it’s Richard Kay – this is William’s spin. The message is “We need them for inclusivity purposes and they better behave.”
Note how this message placates racists.
I agree that TQ wishes to patch things up with Harry and Meghan. After all, she loves Harry and respects Meghan immensely. TQ has also stayed in constant contact with them once they bounced off of the Salty Island. As for their children, she very much wants to meet them and is willing to grant all requests from H&M with regards to their visit.
As for Richard, he is spouting and spinning Bullyiams hatred and anger into this “hit” piece, with smattering of what the BM are vying for to feed their endless pit of material of H&M. Nothing more.
Agreed. I think it’s mostly about this.
“Their deals with under-pressure streaming giant Netflix no longer seem quite so promising, while the arrangement with Spotify is yet to materialise”. Just, no. That’s where these people get it so wrong. Just how much have Harry and Meg given out this year alone? They have a 100,000 dollar annual price to an NAACP recipient of which the first went to Safiya Noble. They joined Ethics as investors. Harry most likely has shares at BetterUp, in addition to his CIO position. Meghan’s podcast begins this summer plus Pearl will most likely be taken elsewhere. Their home has doubled in value. Meghan is an investor with Clevr Blends. Plus, they will most likely have made other investments that we don’t know about. I said all this to say H and M have become very wealthy. I’m not one to count people’s pockets but trust me, the Sussexes have set themselves up very well financially. America is paying off really nicely for them; so all this talk of probation (just like that one year review) is clearly foolish!
Rich people with connections can always make money. Meghan has a lot of experience managing her own finances and career. They will be fine even if their Netflix and Spotify deals don’t work out.
Kay obviously has not been paying attention, nor does he know how streamers work. The Spotify “arrangement” = a finished podcast that has ALREADY BEEN ANNOUNCED. It’s called Archetypes and has a summer release date. It took a 2-second Google search to find that out. And the Netflix documentary about Invictus is ALREADY UNDERWAY. So what exactly are you banging on about, Richard? They’re busy getting things done.
Unlike the other two, M&H actually do the work and produce results, whether it’s a cookbook, or a clothing capsule, or any of their projects that have tangible results. They don’t release the same cut-and-paste PR release over and over again talking about how keen they are to do … things.
@Bubs
Well said 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
The desperate desire for photos of the Sussex children is just code for “we need to see and judge how dark their skin is”, nothing more, nothing less.
There’s pictures. The kids look white.
They are fair skinned but Archie definitely has floofy/ethnic hair.
The diversity leaks are one hell of a reach. But, still, I wouldn’t be shocked to find out the racist zombies do uphold the one drop rule that would disqualify Lilly and Archie from being white.
Meghan is a fair skinned biracial woman. Those kids were always going to look white. That’s why the pearl clutching skin color comments never made sense to me.
The kids definitely look white. If I didn’t know that Meghan was their mother, I would never believe they had a black grandmother. And that’s okay, people come in all shades. But there was just the slimmest chance they would even have had Meghan’s skin tone with a ginger for a father.
This is exactly why I didn’t want them to go parade of BS and that private meeting would’ve been better. All they are to the Windsors are tokens to say see look we aren’t racist, look how we allow Meghan to stand next to us, look how we allowed them to be around our queen.
The inside of a royal reporter’s brain must look like a flea circus with their eyes being fun house mirrors.
I am continually “gobsmacked” that the BM thinks House of Windsor has a brand in the US. The absolute narcissism they have with their monarchy is beyond my comprehension. We respect your queen because we respect the UK and she is important to you. We LOVED Diana because of her kindness and lack of pretentiousness and she was the underdog (Americans thrive on that), but the rest of it is silly, pompous and the classism is not in line with how we think. The rest of them provide entertainment like the Kardashians or Housewives of Imperialism.
I once worked for a British boss in upstate NY and he once said to me “Our monarchy is the envy of the world” and I almost laughed out loud as I thought it was a joke. To an American we don’t value monarchy AT ALL, much less envy it. We feel sorry for you, that you haven’t gotten rid of it like we have. Now the MAGAts might be somewhat interested because racism, but they will never bow to it.
And as an American I just want to say I know we have so much going wrong in our country right now and I am not trying to throw stones. But admiring a monarchy or titles is just not in our DNA. We are susceptible to celebrity, but we admire results and altruism and no matter who produces that will get our respect.
LMAO I guess your boss forgot about the time America tossed their tea in the harbor and quit that bitch…
“To an American we don’t value monarchy AT ALL, much less envy it. We feel sorry for you, that you haven’t gotten rid of it like we have. ”
All of this. Americans are fiercely independent and staunch individualists. I’d wager most of us think the monarchy is stupid and wonder how the Brits have been scammed into keeping theirs? After all, imagine having to be somebody’s “subject” and having to bow/curtsy before somebody just because they were born into the world’s whitest family? NO THANK YOU.
To give an insight, we were the first commonwealth to reject the monarchy as head of state. When I lived in CT I was a few miles from an abandon Coppermine, they couldn’t make it profitable because the copper had to be mined, sent to England for the coppersmiths there to forge and then sent back to us for a premium price that no one could afford. They took our resources and didn’t share the profit. Although later it was used as a prison for the Tories, so there’s that. Now a state park and halloween attraction.
But you have commented.
Richard Kay is unhinged. I don’t believe there will be any pictures and hopefully Harry read this piece and was reminded why there shouldn’t be any pictures.
This is why I think there will be no pics of the children. Just my thought but I think Harry negotiated privacy for the kids.
“ It is one of the Queen’s favourite pictures…” LMAO it is one of her ONLY pictures.
There really are no words for how patronising this rubbish is. He’s gagging, absolutely salivating for Sussex family pics (explain to me Dickie how a picture heals a rift exactly?) but at the same time we need them but only if they get ‘put in their place’ by the media for the most part. Do us a favour, we need clicks. And the US aside was absurd. Ugh. I’m so grossed out by this mess.
Are they on regular probation or double secret probation? lol
Lol
I dont think it has fully dawned on these folks in flyover shidthole country that Harry & Meghan hv drawn a clear and distinctive line of demarcation between what, from their perspective, constitutes PRIVATE, FAMILY MATTERS and ALL-THE-OTHER-SHIDT-THE-BRITISH-PEOPLE-BELIEVE-THE-ROYALS-OWE-TO-THEM.
But “they gon learn” as the saying goes.
PS: I:e H&M could easily have told betty that they were willing to engage with everything that usually happens at trooping:……i:e ride in the carriage; stand on the balcony; etc. Who amongst us believes that betty wd hv said no to that.
Recall: it was AFTER the Sussexes RSVP’d their jujube invite that BP came out with their statement abt “working royals only” being on the balcony. Who amongst us believes that it wasnt the Sussexes who said how and in what ways they wd participate in the jujube and that the carriage ride and balcony pose were a no-no for them?
Fortunately for betty’s courtiers (who, btw, hv been complaining to the shidtrags that the Sussexes are keeping their itinerary close to their chest so no one knows til the last-minute, what their plans are) they saw the Sussexes voluntary nonparticipation as a convenient ‘save face’ opportunity for the question of “what to do about PedoAndy.”
Folks are conveniently forgetting that one of the offers the Sussexes had made to the royals as part of their half-in/half-out proposition and in addition to the stipulation that they wish NOT to be funded by the taxpayers, was that they wished NOT be covered by the RotaRats. However, the royals said that couldnt happen, given that they are beholden to the RotaRats.
I strongly believe that the Sussexes have placed an embargo on the use of their kids’ images in the britishshidtpress. They know that if their kids are part of an all-the-grand-and-great-grand-kids-photo-with-grandma-the-monarch, which is very likely, the britshidtmedia will feel entitled to it. But in fact, it IS a FAMILY item. So I believe that H&M have laid down the law that the royals DO NOT have their permission to give the britshidtmedia any image of their kids.
Harry and Meghan are under NO obligation to help the Windsor Brand repair its image in the eyes of Americans. Yes, the brand is tarnished here, and it shall remain so, at least in a holding pattern until TOB takes over, at which time it will sink to much lower depths. “Sussex probation” is wishful thinking on Kay’s part.
Kay confirmed the fact that it was the courtiers whose pants were in a messy wet bunch over baby Lili’s name. Yeah, we knew it here, but he admitted it to everyone else. Heh. Heh. Heh.
Wow. This is definitely not what the Queen & Charles wanted. No sane person would come out and say “hey, I want to use a baby and toddler as inclusivity props. Make it happen, Harry & Meghan!” Kay is being ridiculous. Harry & Meghan aren’t going to permit their kids to be used as props for a racist institution. I do believe there will be pictures taken. Of course, there will be, but they’ll be family photos. Not like the Heirs picture of a few years back.
William is being ridiculous and petty as usual. Harry doesn’t need to make amends. He doesn’t need to mend fences with him or any other member of the BRF that continue to attack his family. Take that olive branch and shove it where the sun don’t shine. I guess if William can’t get his disdain for Harry across from Wales, he’ll do it through mouthpieces like Kay & Wootton.
Wha…? Tina Brown, who makes her living exploiting the BRF with her often, very slanted views, thinks that the BRF should pay Harry off — instead of having him openly share his own story.
Hmmm. This just makes me think that there is so much dirt that the RR and others haven’t written about openly yet, and Tina wants to be the writer who eventually profits from spilling it.
If there’s $20 million worth of dirt in Harry’s book, I’ll buy a hat and eat it. But let’s say there are horrible, hairy skeletons in the closet – if I were Harry, I’d keep them hanging over the RF’s head so they’d behave.
I thought that was a really crappy thing of her to say. She’s now thoroughly destroyed every last shred of journalistic integrity (I know, I know, it’s starting to seem as though she never had any to start with) she once had. As long as her bank account is fat, who cares? Is that it? Geez Louise.
Her book just keeps dropping down on the bestseller list. Tina Brown is a total conformist and no maverick. Her book just echoes the negativity found on the DM page.
The British media is certifiably nuts .
This is all so dumb. I think it’s hilarious that they’re sweating about Harry’s book when I think that very little tea will be spilled. If you read any of the Obama’s books, heck even Elton John’s they were all able to tell compelling stories without throwing folks under the bus. I think Harry will do the same thing, then of course, they’ll be mad about that. BTW- Babies don’t have roles in fixing anything. SMDH
Although the tabloids have made much of the fact that Lilibet was a nickname for the Queen it should be recognized that Lilibet originates from the Hebrew name Elisheba. Elizabeth is a variation of the name Lilibet.
If a photo is taken of Lilibet and/or Archie it should be released to only selective media outlets with copyright protection to prevent it/them being used by the UK tabloids, Richard Kay can go ‘fly a kite’.
AS for Harry and Meghan being on probation, they have already served their probation period during which the combination of the royal family and the tabloids nearly destroyed them. They will never return to the toxicity that exists in the UK despite all the hopes of the tabloids and experts.
The most awful articles are out in the DM with comments that never should have been allowed. Total disgrace. Unless HM and Charles do something, this will just keep on going on.
It seems like a real stretch that the RF would want the Sussexes back in the inner fold after the things they have said, implied and done.
Exactly. If I was the Sussex’s I wouldn’t trust any of them or forget what they did either. That whole family went out of their way to destroy H&M just to put them in their place.
How can they not understand? They have openly showed the British Royal Family are just as racist and dysfunctional as Jethro and Bobby Sue in Selma, AL? I don’t want to go to Selma and I will never go back to Britain. I’m certain I am not alone in my thinking.
I hope the Cambridge children are not constantly brought out during the Jubilee. It was a lot for Louis, with the very loud planes. Also, the scrutiny of them by the media.
Tina Brown is so not influential. No matter what Kay claims. Maybe Tina should have abandoned her dreadful book which slammed Meghan and Harry.
I was in Barnes & Noble the other day, and saw “Palace Papers” with a $5 off sticker. Not the “B&N Member 20/30/40% off” sticker. Just $5 off the $35 retail price. Amazon has it marked down to $21. Dayum. It’s just out!
Palace Poopers was overpriced to begin with. In Costco ~ week ago; given the choice between these hardbacks, what would you go for?
A. Tatler Tina’s ‘Palace Poopers’ $21.99.
B. Viola Davis’s ‘Finding Me’ $17.99.
To try to maintain some momentum for TB’s Poopers, Amazon was calling it bestseller in British history. Crikey. If anyone is truly interested in British history why go for unverifiable gutter gossip?
Richard Kay is a ghoul.