Arthur Edwards is an old-school royal photographer turned unhinged royal commentator. He’s 86 years old, he was literally born during World War II. And that generational deference to the Windsors has remained in his half-baked royal commentary. He thinks everyone with a royal title is sent by god to pose for him personally. He thinks anyone who says a bad word about the tacky, racist Windsor clan is lying. Well, Edwards has a new memoir and he gave an interview to promote his book. Enjoy.
Photographer Arthur Edwards has seen the royal family through multiple generations. Edwards started photographing the royals for The Sun in the 1970s and initially had contentious relationships with Princess Diana and then-Prince Charles. A notable 1980 argument found Edwards yelling “At least I’ve got a job!” as the royal heir rode away from him on horseback. The photographer chronicles that anecdote and many others in his upcoming memoir, Cup of Tea, Arthur? My Extraordinary 50 Years Photographing the Royal Family. He writes about how he’s formed a bond with the now-King, as well as his children and grandchildren.
Having followed the royals for five decades, Edwards has photographed Prince William and Prince Harry since they were born. He noted that the Prince of Wales, now 44, “hated the media” from a young age and was fond of saying, “I hate those ’tographers.” Harry, now 42, meanwhile, “used to love it — he’d poke his tongue out at you.”
Although Edwards couldn’t finish reading Prince Harry’s 2023 memoir as he was irritated by what he found to be inaccurate claims, he corroborated the Duke of Sussex’s claims that he was often looked over in favor of his older brother, recalling an incident on a Norfolk beach when the princes were just 4 and 2. While the nanny was “making a big fuss of William,” a protection officer went to build a sandcastle with Harry, noting aloud that it was “the only bleeding castle you’re ever likely to get.”
While he didn’t approve of the “vitriol” Prince Harry “poured on his family” in Spare, Edwards said he’s happy to have the Duke of Sussex back in the U.K. Harry and wife Meghan Markle, 45, moved their children back to his home country in August.
“I’m glad he’s back, and I hope he gets involved,” Edwards said. “He was a great star. He might not be the knight in shining armour at the moment, but knowing him, he’ll bounce back. People have got short memories.” Despite the continued distance between Harry and his family, Edwards hopes to eventually see the prince back in the royal fold. “I think, hopefully, if he just stops writing books and Meghan stops making horrible jam, and they start working a bit for the family, I think things could change.”
Edwards also offered his thoughts on Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, whom he described as “a prince and princess of the House of Windsor.”
“What were they doing in Montecito going to an American school, when they should be here playing with their cousins?” he said. “They should be getting to run around Balmoral and Windsor.”
“They should get royal protection,” he added, “because if they were kidnapped, there would be uproar.”
Edwards praised Prince William for blossoming into “a great ambassador for the country” and finds it heartwarming that the Prince of Wales instructs his own children — Prince George, 13, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, 8 — to “look at Arthur” as a friendly face among the crowd of press when they are in public.
“I think, hopefully, if he just stops writing books and Meghan stops making horrible jam, and they start working a bit for the family…” These people and their whining about JAM. I guarantee that Edwards has never even tasted As Ever jam. He just knows that he hates Meghan and he figures he’ll hate everything she makes. “What were they doing in Montecito going to an American school, when they should be here playing with their cousins? They should be getting to run around Balmoral and Windsor.” Chat, Archie and Lili have never run around Balmoral. They probably ran around Frogmore Cottage… before King Charles evicted them and refused to invite them to any event for years. But sure. Edwards begrudgingly agrees that the children should have security. Because if something happened to those ginger kids, it would reflect badly on the Windsors. That’s HIS reasoning.
Photos courtesy of Meghan’s Instagram.
“If we can control them and everything they do and mine them for their talents and their aura THEN they should get protection.”
Man, f*ck off.
“he corroborated the Duke of Sussex’s claims that he was often looked over in favor of his older brother, recalling an incident on a Norfolk beach when the princes were just 4 and 2. While the nanny was “making a big fuss of William,” a protection officer went to build a sandcastle with Harry, noting aloud that it was “the only bleeding castle you’re ever likely to get.”
So he witnessed the verbal abuse of a toddler and did nothing??? There’s a special place in h3ll for him and that nanny.
“He just knows that he hates Meghan and he figures he’ll hate everything she makes”, interesting because this is exactly how I feel about the Duchy Originals, and how I would feel about Kate’s chutney.
Security for Archie and Lili he’s good with. But for their mom who makes horrible jam? I sincerely doubt this man cares about her security.
Ya think?
I’m actually very surprised that Harry hasn’t made an issue of it—not just that *he* needs a risk assessment , but that his kids do, too.
All I know is when Harry and Meghan go back to the US to live on a permanent basis people like Arthur Edwards are going to have a major meltdown.
I had some of Meghan’s “horrible” orange marmalade on toasted panettone yesterday – it was delicious.
So one of them are finally admitting they made those kids a target that needs heavy security. Yes?
Even if H&M had never left England, Archie and Lili were never going to be invited to play with their cousins. Not then, not now and not in the future. W&K have always hated the Sussexes, and their hatred and jealousy will only grow as Archie and Lili grow up.
Harry has never been vitriolic towards his family. He was far too kind and diplomatic towards them in Spare. His decision to go high and not over share/gossip embiggened the Windsor smear campaign against the Sussexes. Harry and his family should have security ultimately funded by tax payers in England as long as the house of Windsor is funded and tolerated by the tax payers. His entire life has been systematically sold for public consumption by his family through their rota flunkies. He was literally used as a human shield at his own mother’s funeral and has been the subject of a vicious 10 year smear campaign lead by his brother and father. He wouldn’t need security if he hadn’t been sold as commodity to the press by his family.
I know some people get more conservative as they age, but I don’t understand how this guy could go from yelling “At least I’ve got a job!” at Charles — which is a genuinely sick burn — to sucking up to Charles the king.
I also don’t understand dedicating one’s life to following this weirdo family around to photograph them. And then being happy about any scraps they throw you.
It’s more that, instead of having a constantly combative relationship with him, the family cozied up to him. Philip also hated him and then, by the end of his life, not only hand-selected him to photograph his funeral up close but designed a like, disguise for Edwards to wear while photographing it up close. When Edwards shouted at Charles, the family still hated the tabloids and photographers. Thanks largely to Charles’ ego in portraying himself as better and more visionary than his mother, Charles need to hang Diana out to dry, and then to rehabilitate Camilla, the RF decided to start cozying up to the press. Edwards felt entitled to their time and image, that was the root of his complaint about Charles yelling at him for stalking Charles on private property. We pay, you pose.
So no one in England thinks it’s horrific that young children are made targets for malefactors and still get no royal protection because they are a prince and princess? How evil! I so want the Sussexes out of danger/England.