This past Sunday, the Wales/Rothesay family did their annual car-ride to church at Balmoral. For years, this has been the one big summer photo-op, the only time they break cover during their summer vacation. The next time we see Prince William and Kate will almost certainly be some prearranged photocall at Eton, as they drop off Prince George. That’s happening in just a few weeks’ time. I suspect that it will be more of a photocall-type situation, as opposed to William and Kate doing their own private photo with George and releasing that photo on social media. The imagery is important, as it was for William on his first day at Eton. The problem? The Sussex family will be back in Britain shortly, and their mere existence will “overshadow” anything and everything the Wales family does. So we’re back to this storyline – the Sussexes must stay silent and go dark whenever the Wales fam wants attention.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are expected to steer clear of releasing photos, making comments or generating other news that could overshadow Prince George’s highly anticipated first day at Eton College, according to a royal expert.
“The Sussexes have assured the King that they will not hijack or derail major royal events, notably the first day of school term for Prince George at Eton,” royal broadcaster Neil Sean told Fox News Digital. “By that, no pictures or comment from either one on that day in September.”
A representative for Archewell told Fox News Digital: “This is not something we would comment on.” Kensington Palace did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The reported understanding comes as the Prince and Princess of Wales prepare for a major family milestone. Kensington Palace confirmed in June that George, 13, will attend Eton beginning this September, following in the footsteps of both his father, Prince William, and his uncle, Harry.
Royal commentator Amanda Matta told Fox News Digital that George’s arrival at the prestigious boarding school carries significance beyond a typical first day.
“Prince George’s start at Eton isn’t just a personal milestone; it’s the beginning of his public-facing path as heir to the throne,” Matta said. “The Palace is incredibly protective of that narrative, and any competing headline — especially one involving Harry and Meghan — threatens to distract from the ‘steady, future-focused’ brand the Prince and Princess of Wales have worked so hard to build.”
She added that, while the matter may not weigh heavily on Prince William and Kate Middleton personally, it could be important to palace staff working to keep the focus on the future king.
“It would certainly be a shame for his first days at Eton to see him embroiled in a ‘feud’ narrative with his uncle and aunt,” Matta said.
The thing is, I absolutely believe that Prince Harry has “given assurances” to coordinate his schedule and Meghan’s schedule to avoid overshadowing his brother and his brother’s family. That’s going to be a near-constant headline for however long the Sussexes are living in the UK, with Harry taking the lead making himself and his family smaller and less visible every single time he’s told that he can’t overshadow the horrible Windsors. And if Meghan dares to post something on her Instagram, then what? Wall-to-wall stories about how she stole George’s thunder or Kate’s thunder or William’s thunder. God, this sh-t is going to be an absolute nightmare.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, Cover Images.
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- London, UNITED KINGDOM Catherine, Princess of Wales (Kate Middleton) and family, attended the final day of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London. Watching from the prestigious Royal Box at Centre Court on July 12, royalty was joined by a star-studded lineup of global celebrities and VIP guests, including Academy Award-winning actor Dustin Hoffman, Vogue editor Anna Wintour, and acclaimed actresses Nicole Kidman and Sienna Miller. Pictured: Prince William, Prince George BACKGRID USA 12 JULY 2026 BYLINE MUST READ: BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- 12/07/2026. Wimbledon, UK. The Princess of Wales, Patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, and The Prince of Wales during the Gentlemen’s Singles Final of The Championships, Wimbledon.,Image: 1116182887, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: © Kensington Palace. This image may only be used for news or editorial reporting purposes. This image must NOT be used for any commercial or other use, save for news or editorial reporting and cannot be altered or amended in any manner or form whatsoever., Model Release: no , Credit line: Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace/Avalon
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- 12/07/2026. Wimbledon, UK. The Princess of Wales, Patron of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, Prince George and The Prince of Wales during the Gentlemen’s Singles Final of The Championships, Wimbledon.,Image: 1116182899, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: © Kensington Palace. This image may only be used for news or editorial reporting purposes. This image must NOT be used for any commercial or other use, save for news or editorial reporting and cannot be altered or amended in any manner or form whatsoever., Model Release: no , Credit line: Andrew Parsons / Kensington Palace/Avalon
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- 01/08/2026, Glasgow, UK. The Prince and Princess of Wales, Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, joined by their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis attend the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Saturday 1st August 2026 to watch some of the sports fixtures taking place that day.,Image: 1120183311, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: © Kensington Palace. This image may only be used for news or editorial reporting purposes. This image must NOT be used for any commercial or other use, save for news or editorial reporting and cannot be altered or amended in any manner or form whatsoever., Model Release: no , Credit line: Wattie Cheung / Kensington Palace/Avalon
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- 01/08/2026, Glasgow, UK. The Prince and Princess of Wales, Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, with their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis attend the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Saturday 1st August 2026 to watch some of the sports fixtures taking place that day.,Image: 1120183314, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: © Kensington Palace. This image may only be used for news or editorial reporting purposes. This image must NOT be used for any commercial or other use, save for news or editorial reporting and cannot be altered or amended in any manner or form whatsoever., Model Release: no , Credit line: Wattie Cheung / Kensington Palace/Avalon
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- 01/08/2026, Glasgow, UK. The Prince and Princess of Wales, Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, with their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis attend the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Saturday 1st August 2026 to watch some of the sports fixtures taking place that day.,Image: 1120183381, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: © Kensington Palace. This image may only be used for news or editorial reporting purposes. This image must NOT be used for any commercial or other use, save for news or editorial reporting and cannot be altered or amended in any manner or form whatsoever., Model Release: no , Credit line: Wattie Cheung / Kensington Palace/Avalon
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- Trooping the Colour 2026 ceremony in celebration of King Charles III’s official birthday Featuring: Prince George Where: London, United Kingdom When: 13 Jun 2026 Credit: Cover Images
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- Royals leaving the Hydro Arena after attending the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games Featuring: William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Prince George Where: Glasgow, United Kingdom When: 01 Aug 2026 Credit: Michael McGurk/Mail on Sunday/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Royals leaving the Hydro Arena after attending the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games Featuring: William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis, Prince George Where: Glasgow, United Kingdom When: 01 Aug 2026 Credit: Michael McGurk/Mail on Sunday/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales and their son Prince George and daughter Princess Charlotte (left obscured) arrive to attend a Sunday church service at Crathie Kirk, near Balmoral Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Prince William, Prince George Where: Crathie Kirk, United Kingdom When: 23 Aug 2026 Credit: Jane Barlow/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
George is going to school and studying. How can. A child doing schoolwork be upstaged. Its a matter of his getting good grades
Tessa you are using way too much logic for those vipers.
I don’t see anything from the Sussexes’ behaviour or narrative since they left that indicates that they are at all concerned with stealing anyone’s thunder. I expect they will tread a bit more carefully with Charles (the king) for various reasons but other than that…nope.
Let the Waleses do as they like. I can’t see either Harry or Meghan participating in any situation where they would have to worry about it. That’s the whole point of being “private citizens.”
Also, when is the first day of school for UK private schools? I thought it was this week, no?
Eton starts next wednesday, lambrook the week after (per google.)
I’ve honestly never thought that the Sussexes care about royal events one way or another. Like do I think Meghan is going to be seen hitting the clubs the night of Kate’s christmas concert? probably not but that’s not because she’s being “aware” of kate’s schedule, its because that’s not something she does in general at this stage, lol.
Meghan posted a chicken tender tea towel joke on her IG. She’s poking fun at the press.
But also, this whole narrative of “stealing thunder” has always ignored the elephant in the room – well the two elephants in the room – if the Wales were more interesting, their thunder couldn’t be “stolen” AND thunder is only “stolen” because* the press is obsessed with the Sussexes. Meghan could be seen going for a walk and the press would screech that she was stealing George’s thunder, like they never realize that they can just…..focus on George and ignore Meghan. But they won’t do that because it brings us back to point one – the Wales are boring, even the children at this point. Not personally boring – I dont know them – but boring for the press. Is anyone really clamoring for a picture or video of George starting Eton?
*does this remind anyone else of the Friends episode about Monica’s thunder lol.
The lazy ones have coasted from the start because their competition for attention was literal senior citizens and ford fiesta. Harry and Meghan bring interest because they do things and don’t hide away for months just to attend things already famous like Wimbledon.
We know they want privacy for their kids and they aren’t doing a press spray for the first day of school. If their existence outshines George’s first day then that’s an issue for Kate and William being too secretive.
@Becks, not until you mentioned it, but now I do remember that Monica storyline, lol
@Lorelei it actually fits so well here because Monica was freaking out that Rachel was trying to steal her thunder by kissing ross, so because of her freakouts, everyone knew about it. If she had just seen it happening and said “oops” and moved on, her night would have gone on as planned and no thunder would have been stolen.
Here, same thing – the royals beat on so much about the Sussexes being “thunder stealers” (god I am hating the whole idea of stealing thunder right now haha) that they end up….well, stealing their own thunder because they are so obsessed with what the sussexes are doing. If the royals and press just ignored themi t would all be fine.
Eton has put up a notice saying “no photographs.” or words to that effect so if the press take any photos they will be breaking the rules.
Yeah I think those who think this is reasonable because they’re not working royals are not taking into account that people who dislike him or want to discredit him (that includes those in the family itself) do not care about that. The sheer proximity of this kind of negativity has an effect even if they aren’t required to give material to the tabloids. There will be story after story and the proximity is a concern. And I can understand Harry’s position wanting to prepare his kids for involvement in the UK and to that extent wanting to get them into the schools there, but if he thinks the aristo folks who closed ranks against the Middletons aren’t going to play each side the way they want then he is wrong.
Is the child getting upstaged or are the tabloids doing what they always do and manufacturing drama to sell papers?
If your monarchy gets “overshadowed” by a couple of private citizens existing (to the point said couple needs to hide away for the days leading up to and the week after), then things do not bode well for that institution nor the future.
That’s the thing isn’t it, who outside of the (dwindling) hardcore royalists and the media who make their money out of them actually cares about this kid starting school? I used to get tired of people I know and like posting first day pics of Facebook.
Right? I think all of the Wales kids are cute, but really, who cares (that much) about a stranger’s first day of school photo
So pathetic.
Do they not feel foolish with all this thunder stealing nonsense. If you as the future King and Queen can easily be over shadowed maybe thats simply a charisma problem you need to work on.
this is going to be so awful. this could quickly become not ‘harry and meghan overshadow george’, but ‘archie and lili overshadow george’ with starting school and will be quickly compared and then made to be quiet or less than. harry literally called his book spare – I’d hope he would do everything to avoid his children feeling that type of comparison and the reality is that will be much harder based in the uk
It’s rarely the Sussexes stepping on royal news, it’s the stupid rats, unable to let a moment pass without moaning about H&M.
“And if Meghan dares to post something on her Instagram, then what? Wall-to-wall stories about how she stole George’s thunder or Kate’s thunder or William’s thunder.”
Meanwhile Meghan shared a cute story on her instagram of a “dad joke”
PEOPLE
WHO
TAKE CARE OI CHICKENS
ARE LITERALLY CHICKEN TENDERS
They’re going to keep living and enjoying their lives, period the end.
I think it’s hilarious that the media refuse to take responsibility for this thunder stealing nonsense. They choose to cover every time the Sussexes, especially Meghan, dare to breathe in public. If they didn’t cover every Instagram post, every latte bought, every dinner date…..no one would know and there would be no frothing at the mouth about thunderstealing.
I wish they would leave all the kids out of it, but we know that will only get worse.
“Highly anticipated “? Really? Who anticipates this? Apart from him and his family?
Sigh!
Do other royal families telegraph their insecurities as much as this pampered family of narcissists? My God! They’re doing Prince George no favors by making him feel ENTITLED to headlines.
Smh.
No the other royal families are refreshingly professional about their PR. For example when Margarethe of Denmark removed the titles from Joachims children, despite complaining to the press, everyone showed up a week later for the Queens birthday photo call. Everyone also managed to look cordial for the whole event so their were no new storylines created
I assume the As Ever stuff doesn’t count, but I agree with Kaiser, there’s obviously some agreements going on now and we will see how this shakes out.
I seriously doubt the Sussexes will share their schedule or even accommodate the royals. And why the press focus on them and not the working royal is not their problem.
However, if it’s like California, they will be seen once in a while in a private situation and mostly while working.
The UK press is crazy mad, but it should slow down once it’s clear there is nothing to said.
Meghan won’t but I’ve come to believe that Harry does provide his schedule to the Palace.
This morning on the Yahoo news page, there was a least 10 stories about Meghan Sussex. She overshadows the leftovers by getting out of bed in the morning. It doesn’t matter what she does, there will be articles written about her. If she does nothing, they will write articles asking why she’s hiding. The issue is not about Meghan but why are the others so boring and unlikeable.
She overshadows them by EXISTING
Meghan could sneeze in her garden, be heard by a neighbor and that would OVERSHADOW those losers. Beyond pathetic.
Will their be a calendar of days the Susexes aren’t to leave the house for risk a photo will overshadow the Wales’s doing absolutely nothing?
“The Sussexes have assured the King that they will not hijack or derail major royal events, notably the first day of school term for Prince George at Eton,”
If H & M have to reassure the rest of the royals the rest of the royals must be very insecure. They know that the Sussexes are more interesting. What does that say about the rest.
If there’s a legitimate fear that the future king going to his new elite school can be overshadowed by the 5th in line and his wife then there’s a serious problem with the monarchy’s future.
Also it’s George’s 4th school and he’s going to the one most people expected. It’s an occasion for his parents but is it really one for the public?
It could become all about Keen rather than George.
Only the hard core Monarchists care about this event partly because the rest are disappointed George is going to Eaton, it was the boring choice.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Meghan doesn’t post on IG while she’s in the UK. The press can just do their job by focusing on George but they lack discipline when it comes to Harry and especially Meghan.
This is so absurd and so unjust. The press decide what is going on the front page.
1) worked so hard to … Really?
2) the wall to wall coverage of the Sussexes is up to the media, who write screeds on them, even when (mostly when?) they’re not doing anything.
3) M and H can’t win: if they publish photos of Archie and Lili’s first day at school they’ll be accused of overshadowing George; if they don’t publish any photos, they’ll be accused of hiding/hiring the children.
Team Sussex: does one event, is talked about and reported on with dozens of articles and weeks of coverage.
Team Wales: does 5 events and is given 5 articles on Kate’s clothes/hair, with the event buried under what shoes she wore, how bright the anger incandescent bulb William turned on is this time, and is lining the litter bin by the next day.
Even if H&M stay home they’ll generate press.
I wonder if Carole will tag along to the Eton photocall to send George off. The parent network she’s probably dreamed of.
What thunder?
😂
This is insane , it matters not if Harry and Meghan are viable or not on George first day of school, those who want to pay attention to him will and those who don’t won’t . For example I am not out here awaiting George going to his first day of school I am not that interested in these children with or without Harry and Meghan in the spotlight. You can’t force people to give a damn when they don’t
“any competing headline — especially one involving Harry and Meghan — threatens to distract from the ‘steady, future-focused’ brand the Prince and Princess of Wales have worked so hard to build.”
Huh. I looked in my thesaurus but didn’t find “steady” or “future-focused” anywhere in the list of synonyms for “lazy.”
W&K are really panicking that they’re going to have to do some public appearances lol. That’s the only good thing about the H&M move.
Hypothetically, if Harry and Meghan have agreed to limit Meghan’s Instagram posts then more fool them. Allowing that institution to have even the smallest level of control is desperately sad considering what they’ve endured in the attempt to live independently from it since 2020.
A child going to school is a “public facing path as heir to the throne”? Wtf. George is going to be the hardest working royal if going to school counts as royal work.
These people are really showing that their entire life has been spent in the service of a cynical game. I mean. For years all we heard was that WanK wanted to keep a low profile, they wanted to keep their heads down and raise their kids, they just wanted to be normies, thank you very much. Don’t ask us to do anything else, we’re not grand, right? We’re not “working” royals, we’re just little old us at home. Turns out that was all a false pose. Like a bit of bad gamesmanship that’s been shown up for the BS it was. Because as soon as the spotlight moved over to Meghan and Harry GOD did it take a nanosecond for Kate to start staging brazen pap strolls and leaking to the tabloids like a sieve. So much for keeping a low profile. Chica could not resist the lure of the spotlight and spent a decade playing games to get it. Then Meghan waltzed in and effortlessly made her look mundane. Because — without the games — she is.
I don’t know what this even means. The Sussexes have to dim their light bc a kid is going to school? Again, if you are doing something amazing, everyone will already be looking at you. You don’t need to tell charismatic people to cease all activity. The problem is, the royals don’t do anything amazing or good. The world doesn’t NEED to stop for it. The satisfaction should be in a job well done, not the applause you want or expect. And why does anyone need all the attention? Can’t you do something you want to or like without needing the whole world to look and admire you?
It would be interesting if it turns out that the Sussex children start the same day as George, I wonder what the press would do. I wonder if they would dare to follow the Sussexes as being more interesting. Of if it did happen would Meghan get the blame.
THIS IS ALL THESE PEOPLE CARE ABOUT. Never anything of substance, never really bringing anything to the table. Allow this baby to go to school in peace and not have him worrying about anything but that!
One thing that was bananas to me watching “The Crown” was how Princess Margaret couldn’t do anything that might “overshadow” her sister. She had to delay announcing her marriage because Elizabeth was pregnant and needed to announce it first. Never mind that it was her fourth child and Edward was not and almost certainly never would be the future King.
Margaret was apparently a right snob and not easy to serve under, but still. She had more charisma than her sister and had to hide it under a bushel so Elizabeth could shine. Then there was the whole Peter Townsend thing. Yeah, he kind of groomed her which was creepy, but he’s the one she wanted. And Elizabeth was like 13 when she met Philip, so it’s not like she cared about that part anyway. They disapproved because he was divorced, not because of how the relationship started.
It really messed her up. But Elizabeth and Margaret loved each other. They had a close bond despite the strains. Harry has to avoid “outshining” a brother who not only is a total pill but doesn’t seem to value him at all.
None of this is George’s fault. But time will tell how his dynamic with Louis and Charlotte plays out in the long run.
I hope that George makes a better elder brother than his own father.
I do believe Harry has been sharing his skeleton schedule with BP since last year, but I firmly believed Meghan was not part of that deal and rightfully so.
If things have changed and Harry has now agreed that he’ll share Meghan’s schedule too, then that is stupid and foolish and he really has not learned his lesson. The family and firm view Meghan as public enemy #1. In what world does it make sense to make her enemies aware of her movements??? Harry, at this point, should know exactly the type of ppl he is dealing with. You can’t claim naïveté anymore. It’s been a decade.
Furthermore, and I am about to use strong language, if Harry is sharing his and Meghan schedule with KP of all ppl, then he’s just an idiot. Again, the vast majority of briefing that came out against Meghan came from Harry’s own brother, and you’re now going to tell him where your wife is going to be??? Fuck that!
I think I will choose to believe that Harry knows better than to hand over info about his wife to his family. If he wants to share his schedule with his family to deconflict, have at it. Leave Meghan out of it.
As for the first day of Eton photo call, again, if the wales family had an ounce of charisma, excitement or interest, no one could steal their thunder. We all know that everyone will talk about George’s first day for about an hour and then swiftly move on to speculating about Archie and Lili’s first day at a British school.