Eleventymillionth Sussex thread - something has occured to me.....

[SirChing]

Sorry, I know there are loads of Harry and Meghan threads, but I haven't seen my question discussed anywhere.

It's been on the news that Charles wants a slimmed down monarchy. Whether that's true or not, who the hell knows.

BUT if it is true, how would the Senior Totals have gone about getting rid of those close to those in the direct line of for the throne, without looking like arseholes?

So, on the basis of fuck all knowledge and with my tin foil hat firmly in place, could the Sussexes stepping back from being Senior Royals have been done with family consent? With them subsequently being thrown under the bus so that the Queen/Charles/William don't look responsible, and it looks like the Sussexes have had a strop instead?

I think it was Tom Bradby that said that it wasn't true that the Royal Family didn't know, and that they have known for a few months. Isn't he the guy who the Royals generally trust to interview them?

Prepared to be flamed. I just think the timing given the whole Prince Andrew clusterfuck is interesting. I wondered if the RF thought that they may as well be hung for a sheep as a lamb while the family is in disarray anyway, and bin off the Sussexes whilst blaming them for it.

[SirChing]

*Royals not Totals.....fat fingers!

[SirChing]

Sheesh, typos galore. Sorry!

[memberofseven]

I think you may have a point. It was also in the news immediately before all of this that the Cambridge's had an announcement to make after Christmas (lots of speculation Catherine was pregnant).

[Blackbear19]

I think the Royals knew, I think things had been discussed but at not at the speed / seriousness that H&M wanted.
I don't think they were being taken seriously that they wanted out so decided to force the family hand.

PC has been banging on about slimmed down. It would slim naturally as he only had 2 children Queen had 4.

However the firm have just lost Andrew, Anne must be aging although she still carrys out lots of work and losing Harry so soon after Andrew. Is going to leave gaps in the amount of work they are able to carry out.

[SirChing]

Hmm that's true

[TroysMammy]

Perhaps they'll move with the times and use Skype for mundane things eg cutting ribbons or unveiling plaques. They can say "I declare this xx open" and some bod, usually the local Mayor, will brandish the scissors or open a curtain.

[SillyMoomin]

@memberofseven the announcement was made; its the new environmental challenge William has set up

[Butterymuffin]

I think the Royals knew something but were dragging out their response. However, I don't believe Harry and Meghan would agree to trash their public image like this for the sake of saving the rest of the family.

And Charles had always intended to keep his own children in the inner circle. It was the others he wanted to exclude.

[SF1269]

I very much doubt Meghan would have gone along with that, as interesting as it is !

[Chemenger]

There is a Royal Family section, why not post this there?

[GloriaMumsnet]

Hi all, we've moved this over to the Royal Family section.

[Blackbear19]

I don't think the Royals appearing by Skype would have the same appeal somehow!

Ok lots of things they do must be 45mins show up and leave, how else does somebody like Anne do 500+ engagements in a year of there aren't multiples in a day. But not stuff that can be done by Skype.

[MsPepperPotts]

I had a similar discussion with a couple of friends last week on this.
I said that the Queen already knew about Harry and Meghan and would be fully supportive of their decision because she is his Grandma and she has experienced what it's like to have to commit her whole life at such a young age to being Queen of this Country.

The time the Queen spent in Malta with her husband for 4years were the most normal and happiest in her life. They could live as normal a life as possible back then when she was a Naval Officer's wife. They thought they would have lots more years together as a relatively normal family but her Father's early death changed history for her and everyone.

She's had to experience(and still is) some really upsetting and traumatic events happen to her immediate and extended family in full view of the world.
She is in her 90's and knows that if she can give her grandson some happiness then she is going to do it.

Charles had been talking about slimming down the Monarchy for a few years, it's not a new statement. It is the right thing to do. Other Royal families in Europe do it.

The Media have had a field day blowing out of proportion every single thing about this situation like it's some massive disaster for the Country when it's nothing like that at all.
But that's the likes of the DM for you printing complete fabrications of stories every hour to stir up hatred as they have done for at least the last century.
Their mantra has always been "Give the public something to hate and they will buy it" and people actually fall for this crap on a daily basis.

[EdithWeston]

I thought that the kind of slimming down that was encpvusaged was moving everything towards the families of Prince Charles's heir and spare, allowing his siblings to retire at a normalish) retirement age (perhaps keeping on a few charities they most care about).

With Prince Andrew already out of the picture, there wouid be talks at the moment in redistribution of his roles, and probably quite a lot wouid have gone Prince Harry's way. So perhaps all this had to happen now - would have been far worse if it was after any redistribution.

So the 'slimming down' problem is that there aren't enough adults in the direct line. So the Princess Royal and the Wessexes will have to keep going for a while. The York princesses will probably continue with a mini role only.

That puts the roles done by the current monarchs four DC and eldest two DGC onto just Prince William. Just not tenable in its current form.

And to be ghoulish, the Cambridge family often travel together. One disastrous plane malfunction, and Prince Harry is next in in England after Prince Charles. If he is disinclined to live a senior Royal life, what then?

[ChardonnaysDistantCousin]

So which one is it?

Harry and Meghan are so disgusted with Andrew that they’ve buggered off all the way to Canada? Or they are helping the RF distract from the Andrew m as with their timing?

I’ve read both on here.

[Blackbear19]

I'd guess if William and family were wiped out and Harry was to stand aside then it would fall to Princess Bea but then I doubt that PH would knock back the top job if it actually came his way.

That said the Queen had Princess Margaret as her only sibling so I'd think two at that Heir and spare level is an ok number.

Who did the Queens father have to support him?

[Blackbear19]

I don't think H&M have anything to do with PA. Things were dying down about him.

[daisychain01]

With Prince Andrew already out of the picture, there wouid be talks at the moment in redistribution of his roles

About 1 day a year then

[SirChing]

Harry and Meghan are so disgusted with Andrew that they’ve buggered off all the way to Canada? Or they are helping the RF distract from the Andrew m as with their timing?

Who knows? Both? Neither?

It just wouldn't surprise me if a lot of this had been agreed amicably beforehand, with H & M wanting to leave, and due to the furore over Andrew, the senior royals have thrown H & M under the bus as a form of distraction. Doesn't mean that the behaviour of Andrew wasn't a factor in them wanting to go.

[EdithWeston]

Who did the Queens father have to support him?

Far fewer people, but a different kind of job when it was a smaller population. His DDs were young and not doing that many duties (or having a few years as a young family). Otherwise it was the Kents and Gloucesters, I think.

[diddl]

"Otherwise it was the Kents and Gloucesters, I think."

The Kents still supported HM until quite recently, didn't they?

I agree though that the monarchy would have naturally slimmed down if PC only wanted his own sons as "support".

And when William takes over with three kids of his own, where would that have left Harry?

[Blackbear19]

And when William takes over with three kids of his own, where would that have left Harry?

Probably ready to retire the way things are going!
The Queen & Philip are in their 90's, Charles is in his 70's. If Charles lasts as long as his parents William will be in his 70's before he takes the throne too.

[Blackbear19]

Good point about the Kent's and Gloucester s though. They are the Queens cousins aren't they?

[EdithWeston]

On her father's side, HMQ has 7 first cousins:

George Lascelles, Earl of Harewood (dec'd); Gerald Lascelles (dec'd)

Prince William of Gloucester (dec'd); Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester

Prince Edward, Duke of Kent; Princess Alexandra, the Hon Lady Ogilvy; Prince Michael of Kent

[Butterymuffin]

Is Tommy Lascelles who everyone talks about as the courtier related to those Lascelles, then?