King Charles is ‘relatively sanguine’ about the ‘Harry & Meghan’ docuseries

In recent months, the royal courtiers have learned a new word: sanguine. Everything is “sanguine” these days. Prince Andrew was even described as sanguine. The courtiers were described as “sanguine” about The Crown’s Season 5. Charles was “sanguine” about Barbados dropping the British monarch as their head of state. Well, now that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s Netflix docuseries is almost here, the reaction from the palace is, you guessed it, sanguine. From Katie Nicholl’s latest at Vanity Fair:

In what is being seen as more than coincidental timing, Netflix released the trailer for Harry and Meghan’s forthcoming documentary on social media on the second day of William and Kate’s highly important visit to the United States. The series has been directed by two-time Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning director Liz Garbus and is expected to reignite tensions between Harry and the royal family.

Although the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were in the UK for the Queen’s funeral, they returned to California without Harry reconciling with his father and brother. And while King Charles III used his speech to the nation to wish his youngest son and daughter-in-law well in America, he has made it clear that there is no way back into the royal family for Harry and Meghan in an official role.

William refused to meet privately with his brother for fears that anything they said could be used either in Harry and Meghan’s documentary series or Harry’s forthcoming documentary. Friends say there has been a complete breakdown of trust between the brothers and William cannot forgive Harry for the racism allegations he and Meghan made to Oprah Winfrey in their bombshell interview.

The royals are said to be bracing themselves for a barrage of criticism — and possibly further allegations of racism — in both the TV series and Harry’s book.

One source close to Charles said, “It is not something they are looking forward to, but the King is relatively sanguine about it. Meghan and Harry can say what they want, and it appears they are determined to do so but it will not bring the monarchy down. The royals have weathered worse storms than this and at the end of it all Charles will still be King and William will still be the Prince of Wales.”

Aides for the Waleses have said they are determined not to be distracted and want the focus to remain on William and Kate’s visit to Boston, but a race row at the palace and now Harry and Meghan’s trailer making headlines has dampened the build-up for Friday’s star-studded prize giving ceremony.

[From Vanity Fair]

A few things. One, if you constantly have to tell everyone that your mood is sanguine, guess what, you’re in a full blown panic. Two, Charles WISHES he could bring back the Sussexes because all of the sh-t is hitting the fan and he needs them there as human shields. Three, William’s childishness about “the racism allegations” looks worse and worse, since we can clearly see through the Susan Hussey debacle that William’s approach to racism is to ignore it and pretend like it’s not happening.

As for the docuseries, it will be six episodes long and it will not only feature interviews with Harry and Meghan (obviously) but it will have “commentary from friends and family, most of whom have never spoken publicly before about what they witnessed, and historians who discuss the state of the British Commonwealth today and the royal family’s relationship with the press…” Sh-t is going down, mark my words.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Netflix.

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53 Responses to “King Charles is ‘relatively sanguine’ about the ‘Harry & Meghan’ docuseries”

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  1. Naomi says:

    pardon me while I pour kernels into the air popper and heat the tea kettle…

    • SarahCS says:

      Mine’s a jasmine tea please. Anything you’d like me to bring for while we watch this go down?

  2. Pam says:

    Maybe I took too many Medieval linguistics classes, but sanguine means bloody, doesn’t it? When did it come to mean chill?

    • Digital Unicorn says:

      It means blood-red in heraldry but its usual meaning is optimistic.

      I think Chuck knows that the Cambridges are the ones that will come out of it way worse than he does.

      • Chica71 says:

        This is my take.
        While KC is a crap person, it won’t surprise anyone.
        Peg and Buttons on the other hand did a lot of dirt and KC now have them under his thumb. Further the unpredictability of HM and lack of BM and BP control over them and their timing means Peg and Buttons have to offer themselves to DF and Murdoch’s regularly.

      • Becks1 says:

        I think Charles sees what’s coming for William and is just going to sit back and let Harry do his dirty work.

        I do wonder why Charles does not seem to be worrying about this though. Maybe he figures everyone already knows he’s a crap father, but don’t know William is a total ahole?

      • Nic919 says:

        Charles has faced criticism for his treatment of Diana and Harry outed the security issue on the Oprah interview. It is likely that the worst that can be said about Charles has already been said, which is why he is less concerned.

        William and Kate have been coddled by the media for the most part when all Harry said is that there was “space” and that to me has always meant there was a lot worse that happened there. Also we saw Kate and her bitchy actions and planting the false crying story.

        They have much more to lose than Charles here. He is also king now so he’s untouchable.

        Also, seeing as how Charles did make an effort to meet Lili when the Sussexes were in the UK and W and K were nowhere to be seen … yeah I think Harry and Charles are generally speaking which is likely the way it’s always been.

      • Cerys says:

        Yes, it seems as if the saintly William and Kate are going to come out of this worse than Charles. Most of Charles’ actions over the years are in the public domain now so I don’t know that there’s much more to emerge but William and Kate are a whole new story.

    • Julia K says:

      Optimistic, hopeful is one version of sanguine which I guess is what they mean

      • Eurydice says:

        There’s also confidently optimistic and eagerly hopeful, sometimes to the point of being complacent, oblivious and naive.

    • Nick G says:

      It does mean bloody, but the mediaeval humours tied the body to emotions, so phlegmatic meant calm and sluggish, bilious meant angry etc. etc.

    • Veda says:

      Reminds me of Friends. Joey learning the word of the day – that is so sanguine 😀

      • Truthiness says:

        Also reminds me of Jon Stewart on the Daily Show years ago, mispronouncing sanguine as Sang-ween and Jerry Seinfeld looked at him and said SANGWEEN?!?! What’s that? Do you mean sang-win?

    • Jaded says:

      It means optimistic and cheerful, even in bad situations, but it’s one of those words that have a double meaning as it can also mean bloodthirsty, bloody, bloody-minded, homicidal, murdering, murderous, so I think we can take from this that Charles is the latter.

  3. equality says:

    “And at the end of it all Charles will still be King and William will still be the Prince of Wales.” So they can still consider themselves superior for the great, good fortune of being born first.

    • Duch says:

      I read that as I no longer fear you messing up my opportunity to achieve the throne because I’m on it now and no one will take it away.

    • Nic919 says:

      If William and Kate were so secure about this they wouldn’t have attacked Harry and Meghan the way they did. Charles has definitely been insecure despite being prince of wales for decades, but I can certainly see that now that he has the top job he isn’t as worried.

      • Saucy&Sassy says:

        Nic919, if he has the job and isn’t worried then what was all of the “let’s humiliate Harry whenever we can” during the funeral? Frankly, I think when they overuse a word like this, they really mean they’re feeling the opposite.

      • BeanieBean says:

        That’s my thoughts Saucy&Sassy–if at the end of the day C is still king & W is still POW, then who cares what H&M do? Why criticize them? Why brief against them? Why pay attention to them? I cannot imagine being so filled with such venomous enmity that I could not enjoy my obviously very good life & circumstances.

    • aftershocks says:

      ^^ Exactly! It’s always been jealous firm members, snobby courtiers, rota & British tabloids loudly pushing a gaslighting, negative, abusive narrative against M&H. They can’t stop mentioning their names and obsessing over them endlessly. Meanwhile, Meghan & Harry moved on a long time ago gracefully, quietly, and protectively to save themselves and their children from the monarchy’s destructive toxicity and above all from the abusive cruelty of the ‘silent contract,’ which has adversely impacted Harry since his teenaged years.

      In fact, M&H have been gracious and tempered in their comments. The endless whining and whinging is coming from online haters and from the Salty Island crew. The projection is off-the-hook. M&H have a right to live their lives without the 24/7 attacks. They have a right for their story to be told through the lens of Liz Garbus and other contributors to the documentary.

      BTW, M&H have no interest in bringing down the monarchy. So why is the monarchy so defensive? It’s the BM aided and abetted by royal firm perpetrators who have been trying to tear down M&H in the hope of destroying their success and happiness together, both inside and outside of the firm. That’s the honest truth, and the truth needs to be fully brought to light and driven home with the M&H documentary, and with H’s ‘Spare.’ Leave Harry and Meghan alone! Let them live their lives free of the endless jealousy, vile attacks, and racist abuse!

  4. Moxylady says:

    Don’t explain, don’t complain has turned into keep the press apprised of your ever changing emotions and blame all those emotions on h and m.
    Also – do they think we all forgot how they were treated at the funeral? There are no relationships to improve. Charles went full petty narcissist to them on the world stage. It’s done.

    • Nic919 says:

      I think the filming was done before the funeral mess, but it would be great if something extra was filmed after they got back.

  5. Moxylady says:

    Charles – I’m breezy!!!

  6. Sindy says:

    I’d say Eugenie gave an interview when she was in Montecito. Can’t wait!

  7. what's inside says:

    He is probably exhausted from all of his machinations in his war against Sussexes. He earned his sanguinity. Maybe Camilla’s India adventure was a much needed break from Charles and all of the negative emotions.

  8. Suki66 says:

    My hope for receipts: pictures of the private, backyard ceremony the did before the big wedding. I bet the have proof that the Archbishop of Canterbury lied.

    • Carty says:

      I would love all sorts of receipts and photos that show the RF and BM lied about them.

    • tamsin says:

      I think Meghan was careless with her wording. I inferred that she and Harry had some kind of commitment “ceremony” and may have written their own vows and asked the Archbishop to witness it and give them his blessing, privately. The key is he agreed to do it. I don’t think the Archbishop “lied.” I understood that nothing was official until the vows were said publicly before witnesses and the papers were signed.

      • Angelica Schuyler says:

        The archbishop was not completely truthful. Our Anglican priest explained to us that he did not marry us. We married each other when we said our vows to one another. He officiated the ceremony, but the act of marriage is performed by the two parties taking the sacred vows to each other.

        We had a small civil ceremony before the big church function, so in essence, our church wedding was in fact technically a vow renewal, according to our priest.

        We did all the counseling, posted banns, etc, after the civil ceremony. And our inside joke with the priest was that if anyone raised an objection to us being wed, it was too late!

    • SpankyB says:

      I don’t think the Archbishop lied, he just said the big wedding was the official wedding. He never said he didn’t perform an intimate wedding for them in their backyard, IIRC. I think he was trying to head off a huge scandal of “why did we waste taxpayer money for this big wedding if they’re already married?”. That was my take on it.

      • Green girl says:

        That is my read of the ceremony too. It’s something a million couples have done: they have the big wedding for legal reasons, but the smaller ceremony is, to them, the meaningful one, even if no one signed any official docs.

        It’s like when a couple renews their vows. Nothing legal actually happened but the ceremony is what is meaningful (and the cake don’t forget that!).

  9. sparrow says:

    I always felt Charles did the least he could in this affair. He was behind the scenes. He was probably equally if not more vile in the scheming. BUT. He stood back and let one son be slaughtered by the other, and let William (and Kate) become the public face of the BRF plotting. It was a cowardly thing to do. He could and should have stepped in to help Harry and at least strive for some equilibrium, and he should have been clear about the part he played. I think he just wanted to slide under the radar, let W&K be more controversial than he appeared to be, and in doing so become the power behind his own throne.

  10. nutella toast says:

    Whew- that pic of Meg, Cam, and Kate looks like the WORST family Thanksgiving meal vibe ever.

  11. Maxine Branch says:

    All those folks had to do was appreciate the gifts the Sussexes are, they refused then vilified them through their gutter press to keep them in their place. The Sussexes have moved on and is releasing this documentary to tell of their experiences during the short time Meghan was there. As time progresses more and more will be discovered re the structural racism within this institution. I am hopeful the flood gates will be opened once this documentary is completed and more folks will share their experiences in dealing with these folks. The best this clan can hope for is to remain in Britain where they are worshipped because pretty soon many countries will be uncomfortable hosting them because they will fear the eyes of the world will be investigating them from hosting these people. Racism is ugly and it taints all who participate in it.

    • booboocita says:

      @Maxine Branch — I really, REALLY liked your post, for multiple reasons:

      1 – “All those folks had to do was appreciate the gifts the Sussexes are.” The Sussexes *are* gifts, aren’t they? And they would have been so beneficial to the RF, if only those crusty old buzzards could have appreciated them. May we all see the gifts that others bring!

      2 – “The best this clan can hope for is to remain in Britain where they are worshipped.” Yep. Keep it on Isla Salada, please. Don’t export that ish.

      3 – “… they will fear the eyes of the world will be investigating them from hosting these people. Racism is ugly and it taints all who participate in it.” And that in a nutshell is why I believe Biden will avoid this flop tour. Hell, the Wailses are in the USA and not all that far from DC, and yet they couldn’t rate an invite to the White House for Biden’s first state dinner. John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, for all their issues, rated higher as desireable guests.

      • Feeshalori says:

        Being left off the list for a US State dinner? That’s got to burn, especially since Kate can’t be rubbing shoulders with those celebrities who rated an invite. This couple is in the little leagues in this country.

      • Saucy&Sassy says:

        President Biden and Fails did meet outside at the library. There is a clip showing Biden arriving and Fails walking up to him to shake hands. There was some light conversation. The clip I saw was on ABC, and what I liked about it, was that the video started with a short clip of the handshake and then went about Fails and OfWilliam being here for Earthsh!t and then went on in great detail about winners and what they are doing. It was a really good video. It was clear they weren’t lingering on Biden’s greeting.

  12. Mrsfonzieface says:

    I think M and H will expose the invisible contract, among other things. I hope they do.

  13. Over it says:

    So I see what Harry and Meghan said about racism in that family is still allegations that willy is hurt about/
    Okay then , willy, may I introduce you to your racist godmother the bold racist Hussy? It’s like chucky and willy live in a completely alien universe. They seriously think if they pretend racism from them is ignored, it will go away . F them both and their racist institution and family

  14. Ceej says:

    In William’s defense, isn’t ignoring it after a “guys, don’t be racist” tweet how he basically cured English football of racism?? Seems like his approach works! (Don’t look at the euro final aftermath, he’s ignoring that too)

  15. Aud says:

    I think Charles expects things to go worse for William so he’s not too worried. He’ll just hand William over to the press and carry on.

  16. GuestWho says:

    “In what is being seen as more than coincidental timing, Netflix released the trailer for Harry and Meghan’s forthcoming documentary on social media on the second day of William and Kate’s highly important visit to the United States.”

    Did any one of these genius reporters look into when Netflix releases the press for ALL of the new shows coming up in a month? Oh – what? It’s always the first day of the flipping month? Fu*kwits.

    • Saucy&Sassy says:

      GuestWho, I wonder how they determined that this is a “highly important” visit. Important to Earthsh!t I suppose, but not anything else. I have no idea why they’ve been visiting anywhere. This is not a royal tour. This is in reality a private visit for Earthsh!t. Americans are just not that interested in the brf. Princess Di got a lot of attention, because of who she was as a person and what she did for different causes. Harry and Meghan are like Diana in their warmth, compassion and empathy, so they’ve got attention. The rest of the royals just aren’t on people’s radar.

  17. MY3CENTS says:

    Well they should be SHOOK.

  18. Robin Samuels says:

    Who they use for PR on this trip should be reassigned. The Royal Planning team should have collaborated with the City Commissioner. Traffic control is vital in major cities, especially during major league sports events and Friday afternoons. The President of France is in the country, and POTUS is hosting his first state dinner since the election. This event was on the calendar, but the Royals didn’t bother to peruse the calendar because who could be more critical than the heir to the throne? If the media reports are accurate, William compared Harry and Meghan to the Kardashians, American billionaires. His stupidity is below sea level.
    I assume the Royal hierarchy forgot the attacks on NETFLIX concerning Crown Season 5. This docu-series will play in thirty countries. Millions want to hear Harry and Meghan’s side of the story. The side that British tabloids, royal courtiers, and certain family members don’t want you to hear.
    William’s racist comrades told Meghan to return to America, and she did. How dare he invite himself to America and expect to be treated royally?

  19. QuiteContrary says:

    Yes, as we all know Charlies is the definition of chill.

    If, as others have said, he’s not worried it’s because he’s looking forward to William being taken down a peg (ahem).

  20. Lucky Charm says:

    “William refused to meet privately with his brother for fears that anything they said could be used either in Harry and Meghan’s documentary series or Harry’s forthcoming documentary.”

    And YET, William seemed to have no concerns whatsoever releasing things said in private conversations about Harry and Meghan to the BM.

  21. Miriam says:

    They say if you did nothing wrong then you have nothing to worry about, but my god this trailer looks to have rattled them😂 chuck is definitely worried as we can tell from his continuous briefing on his reactions via his mouthpieces. He fears how it’ll affect his already shaky reign. I just saw another fail piece of him being “sad” not to have the sussexs over for Christmas 😏dude is surrounded by vultures that have nothing to offer to retain people’s interest especially his siblings. Chuckie is in a predicament, he burned his chances when Harry was in UK by denying them the chance to take pictures with queen before her death and later the uniform stunts. Willy and kity know fully well what’s coming hence why they went through with this disaster visit knowing they won’t have much sympathy after Harry’s book and now this doc

  22. Gabby says:

    Would William be so angry about the racism allegations if either Chuckles or Camilla had made the Archie skin color comments? I don’t think so, because William is elevated if C&C are taken down. Holy accidental confession, Batman. And apparently “sanguine” is the new “tearing sinks off the wall”.