To think Kate and William saw Harry and Meghan as a real threat to their image?

@BluntPinkNewt I think different factions of the Royal Family have always behaved terribly towards each other.

Think of what happened just before WW1. As far as I can remember, practically all the members of the Royal families of Europe were quite closely related to both Queen Victoria and each other.

Kaiser Wilhelm and his cousin George V were out horseriding together in 1913, everybody was sending Christmas cards to each other, even the Russian lot were included.

One year later they were all fighting each other.

Imagine if Mumsnet had existed during those times.

AlexandraUnderHouseArrest

Name change for this as could be outing: My DH has run into considerable difficulties at work and is very unpopular. We live overseas. I can't say where but think, "Caviar."

I admit I am somewhat to blame for this trouble because I have been trying alternative healthcare remedies for youngest DS who has haemophilia which DH and practically everyone else around me thinks is harmful nonsense.

I don't want to dripfeed so I might as well say now that I have developed a deep spiritual connection to my son's healer, let's call him, "Grigori"

We are living very rurally at the moment which is a big change for both me and DH although my four older DDs don't seem to mind it as much. I miss Gregori but my main focus must be to keep my marriage together and wrangle safe passage for us all to the Americas from either Cousin W in Germany or Cousin G in England.

DH and I write constantly to our family in Germany and the UK to help us but they are keeping us at warship's length.

Several very confused posts later: OP replies:

@ Lucy Honeychurch My cousin is also his cousin. My uncle is also his cousin. His aunt is also my uncle's sister's cousin. My mother was also his father's aunt. It's not difficult.

@ Charlotte Bartlett Thanks for replying and it's a romantic suggestion but it's too late now. He's got an ice pick in his head.

@ ChristobelPankhurstsPurpleSash You think you're so funny, don't you? No this is not a troll post. MY GRANDMOTHER ACTUALLY WAS QUEEN VICTORIA.

Just because you haven’t read or remembered the story doesn’t mean it hasn’t been reported on. The Press have been mentioning Charles’ house in Romania since he bought it in 2006. Here's an article from 2009 for example.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/property/article-1213395/How-Prince-pap-ended-neighbours--Transylvania.html

I would rather have Meghan's figure any day than stick thin Kate's. I also prefer Meghan's dress sense. Kate is just boring

We like our monarchs to be dull. Surely you’ve noticed?

This. Who knew until recently that Charles has a favourite holiday home on Romania that he goes to loads. That's never reported on.

It's beyond embarrassing that they are the future of the monarchy.

Why? They are popular internally and internationally and seem unlikely to screw things up (having recently been deployed by the Foreign Office to make nice to Trump, attend international funerals and assist in hosting state visits etc). That’s pretty much demonstrating competence for the role. It’s not The X Factor.

Chalk and Cheese.

Why on earth are you bothering your head with this?

William and Kate are about as boring and uninspiring as it's possible for a couple to get. It's beyond embarrassing that they are the future of the monarchy. So H&M probably were viewed as a threat.

It's a myth that the Royals live in a fishbowl. They're only photographed when on royal duties. I'm quite sure they have a great social life including trips abroad that is never reported on.

Totally subjective and therefore worthless judgement.

‘Who’s the prettiest?’ Are we, on MN, really that pathetically immature in 2025?

I think it's more that H&M thought that W&C should be jealous of them, would begging them to stay with them so that they could just get a little of their popularity, and were put out to find out that they weren't.

As far as I can see W&C are happy in their own skins with their little family and don't need to keep looking over their shoulder.
That is far more galling to H&M than if they were trying to compete.

Harry didn’t become popular overnight when he met Meghan. He and William were consistently the most popular members of the Royal Family, along with QEII. They far eclipsed Charles as Prince of Wales (and William and Kate still do even now Charles is King). Their Ipsos Mori poll results from 2018 onwards show this (and for those who dismiss polls, they are backed by statistical science and the various companies who run them find consistently similar results).

So Harry being very popular was not a new thing. Are posters suggesting William and Kate were always jealous of Harry? That seems unlikely - in Harry’s own words in Spare from 2011 onwards they were very focused on building a home and their family.

Harry finding a Hollywood actress girlfriend and swiftly proceeding to engagement and marriage would be presumably expected to result in a big bump in attention and popularity for them both. As a PP has sensibly said, we can only speculate about William and Kate’s personal feelings on this. However we also know there were tensions behind the scenes for some time - so public popularity may not have been top of their list of concerns?

I see it that incomers are always meant to play second fiddle and not upstage their other (royal) half. Charles didn't object to Diana's charities but he certainly didn't like the attention she got when they were out together. Meghan severely misjudged it when she walked in front of the late Queen (and collected flowers meant for her) - she just didn't do 2 paces behind anybody! Catherine has perfected the art of knowing her place.

The thing is it's not a job it's a position.

Until they become King and Queen the only official requirements are to produce the next heir, to support the current monarch as he sees fit, and for William to learn as much as he can about how to do the official duties of monarch before he has to do it himself.

It's that second requirement that is the important one. William is required to do as much or as little as Charles requires of him. And as much publicly or behind the scenes as Charles requires of him.

Charles had a long time to prepare and had many years to fill with other activities alongside the requirements from his mother.

I agree wholeheartedly, OP. The Form have never taken kindly to women with celebrity appeal and a desire to promote unorthodox charities, eg Diana and HIV / land mines. The Firm hated her glamour and ability to draw media attention, particularly Charles, who wanted to be the centre of attention.

W &c wouldn’t see them as a threat. I think Meghan and Harry have worked hard to promulgate the MYTH that they saw them as a threat. In their dreams.

The RF is not a meritocracy, it’s a hierarchy and they were always going to be walking behind W&C and boy, did that sting. They tried all kinds of tricks to subvert the status quo and when that didn’t work, they flounced.

Honestly, they were never any kind of threat.

Not really, Anne’s had national treasure status for quite a while now hasn’t she?

Just out of interest, when do you think they should step up? Especially as W's dad is shouldering most of it. Along with his 75yo sister. And 78yo wife. Why can't they pull all the stops out when the children are at school, why can't they 'focus' then?

Someone on mumsnet once said they wouldn't expect William and kate to do much until Louis was 18 !

From what we see, it's hard to imagine a more ideal queen-in-waiting than Catherine. She is discreet, prepared to tow the line, devoted to her husband and children, interested in the topical but non-controversial, and can wear pretty much anything. While I agree that she and William are not hard workers, I can also see that focusing on their children is their way of trying to future-proof the monarchy against the spare syndrome that has threatened the monarchy for generations.

Goodness me, why do you care so much where they sat in a cinema or what they did in their labour room?

They can do what they want. You can avoid them

I don't think William and Kate necessarily saw them as a threat, but Queen Elizabeth might have, as well as Charles. I think William and Kate might have had the role of flying monkeys. But who is to say? They will never tell. 🤐

That whole family sounds toxic AF.

It's true anyone with eyes can see that Catherine's perfect composure and effortless elegance compared to the twerking embarrassment of a ballgown clad wannabe sitting in the third row of a Jamaican cinema can't compare

There is something seriously wrong with you. I hope you find some happiness & peace.

Hahaha, you have me there. 😅
Replace Margaret with Anne and the rest stands.

It's true anyone with eyes can see that Catherine's perfect composure and effortless elegance compared to the twerking embarrassment of a ballgown clad wannabe sitting in the third row of a Jamaican cinema can't compare

Princess Margaret who died in 2002? Shows what you know about the Royals!