The latest royal family drama

[Kinsters]

It's like a TV show. How embarrassing!

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/royal-aides-reveal-meghan-bullying-claim-before-oprah-interview-7sxfvd2c3

The latest is that Meghan is accused of bullying staff. Harry and Meghan then responded that Buckingham Palace was using the Times to peddle false stories/a smear campaign. So presumably the "leak" comes from Buckingham Palace/the Queen.

It's all so childish. Why can't they all just be grateful for the extremely cushy life that they have!

I'll be watching the Oprah interview. I think the royals never come across well in these kind of things. Like Andrew's awful interview...he's just so out of touch with reality. And I think that's a characteristic that Harry unfortunately shares with him.

Perhaps evem the UK as a whole

Love it! Meghan is going to wipe out the UK, I need to stock up on the popcorn to watch this happening. 🤣

Samcro yes to the expensive piano in the background, just about sums it up!

Shallow I agree. For far too long they have lived like this. I read about Andrew's demands and it was just laughable. Drinking water at a certain temperature, changing everything at the last minute after agreeing it weeks ago etc etc.
For far too long, the RF have been indulged and allowed to get away with this.
We need to be like Norway, the poorest RF in Europe. They fund themselves by having jobs, shock horror, can you imagine our lot doing that???
They take public transport along with other commuters, the younger couple (like our W&K) holiday in Ibiza along with other holidaymakers on the beach, and the kids go to state school.
One of the 'princesses' drives a truck and lives independently
and so on...

I am just amused at imagining our lot like this...

Oh lets not even mention Caroline Middleton who sticking the knife by making a declaration she won't get her article for the magazine go ahead right now. I dint even know she qas going to be on it until that news. Then shamelessly there is an article on pippa and her second child..you know if Megan announced another child right now itd be teems of people saying how insensitive it is given Phillips health.

@Samcro waiting to see if something was true would mean ... waiting. Not jumping to defend two very privileged individuals. It's easy to wait. It doesn't involve posting anything at all. I'm all for 'more waiting' for facts and less emotiveness especially when 'waiting' would be more beneficial for public messaging. It must be demoralising watching this, if you were someone considering whether or not to pursue a bullying case at work.

Caroline Middleton? Carole? Which magazine?

Good housekeeping.

I like her dress.

I am confused. I thought they were on good terms with the Queen, the Zoom calls , the waffle maker... Harry said they were all in touch and friendly on James Cordon.

@ChardonnaysPetDragon

As for the allegations of bullying they are just as damaging to the RF as they are to M&H.

which is why it is odd that the royal family has somehow contrived this leak to the press as a way of discrediting the harkles , i mean they had to have known they would score a bit of an own goal with it as now it looks like they turned a blind eye to bullying . yet all the sussexes fans on here are convinced the palace are out to get them and it was deliberate , iv got my doubts about that .

I think its sad but For God's Sake, its like a wounded animal, let the RF go quietly. They belong in another era. The Queen ( although I don't know her personally) seems public spirited. Why on earth didn't she stand aside 20 odd years ago?

@SabrinaMorningstar

A referendum now would be a waste of time. There is a lot of affection for HMQ and PP. However, once they're both gone and Charles has been on the throne for a few years, then a referendum might be interesting.

While I agree with this, that it would be inappropriate timing to have a referendum now, I think this current status quo has gone on far too long, and the Queen would have been prudent to make changes, and slimmed down the firm, much sooner and of her own volition.

If she lives to the same age as her mother, she could be Monarch for another seven years, unless she decides to abdicate which as we know is highly unlikely. I'm afraid this has been a strategic error. And although I lean towards Republicanism, I feel sorry for Prince Charles (professionally!) in that he has been placed in a very poor position to assume the top role, and I don't think he is particularly popular either.

The very things that people admire about the Queen, being stalwart,
traditional, conservativee with a small c, unchanging , could be the very things

imho that contribute to the monarchy's downfall. When stories of this sort start leaking to the press, it's a sign that things aren't running well at the top.

The more you find out about the RF as a whole, the worse they look tbh. I follow an Instagram account devoted to their jewels... it’s interesting to see all the pieces and learn about the history, but it’s also hard to ignore the sheer, vast quantities of bling that seem to showered onto them at every turn. Even if they’re ‘Crown property’, it’s still hardly anything they’ve earned, IMO. Same with all the designer clothes - so expensive, and hardly ever worn more than once, the handmade shoes, the helicopters here and there, and for what? What, really, do they do that deserves any of that? I struggle to see it, tbh.

Conversely, you look at the lives that the youngest of the family lead and think, would you want that for your children? Being faced with a barrage of cameras on their first day at school as the Cambridge children are? No thanks.

I honestly hope that they are at some point abolished. It would be better for everyone. We as a country could have a democratic head of state, and they could go and do whatever. They can still patronise charities if any want them to. They’ve got plenty of private wealth. And we wouldn’t have the embarrassment of people like Prince Andrew being seen as an actual important person, or worse, a representative of this country in some way. Same goes for all of them. Time for the institution to be retired.

think its sad but For God's Sake, its like a wounded animal, let the RF go quietly. They belong in another era. The Queen ( although I don't know her personally) seems public spirited. Why on earth didn't she stand aside 20 odd years ago?

So so agree with this. I have said it endlessly on threads for the last few years.
The Queen should've abdicated 20 years ago and let Charles start his slim down.
Other european royal houses do it, why could we not have done that?

I know a lot of people who support the Queen but have little time for the rest of the family.
Definitely think that the RF will lose support when the Queen goes

Baseratefallacy

Brilliant post. So agree. A strategic error indeed. Because although the Queen is totally compos mentis, she is very elderly and the royal house will be undoubtedly run by a mixture of Charles and the men in grey suits.

@randomer

I think its sad but For God's Sake, its like a wounded animal, let the RF go quietly. They belong in another era. The Queen ( although I don't know her personally) seems public spirited. Why on earth didn't she stand aside 20 odd years ago?

I think you've answered your own question. She is public spirited. She raised a lot of people's spirits. Perhaps not yours, but millions of people around the country find her reassuring and good for morale. Why on earth would she stand aside while she can still do that: especially now?

Spudlet Yes, totally agree. They have enough wealth to live how they want. It ought to be done before the three Cambridge children get too old and anonymity would be more difficult.

Why shouldn’t the Palace staff have a voice too?

Because they've all signed NDAs?

I don't like the things and would never have signed up for a job where one was required, but the toxicity of the RF i hardly a secret and if you willingly enter a workplace like that it seems a bit naive to expect there'll be no adverse effects

Bit disappointed at the latest Oprah clip though. I was hanging onto the hope that it might be mostly low-level whining, but time will tell

Any of us with a passing knowledge of 20th century history knows exactly why the Queen won’t abdicate. The monarchy’s existence has been touch and go ever since Victoria died, yet it survives.

A new era will begin when the Queen dies and we’ll see a different monarchy but I don’t expect to see a republic in my life time which, if my genes are anything to go by, could be another 30 years. I don’t think there would be any appetite for the expense and political upheaval it would involve.

The more you find out about the RF as a whole, the worse they look

Absolutely - which is probably why the slavish admirers are often concentrated among those who admire the clothes, coo over a few photos and syrupy articles and generally croon "Ooooo aren't they nice"

The slighest further enquiry - only too easy in our internet age, which they must hate, or even through some in depth reading - and the picture changes pretty darned fast

I think Diana's death and the hagiography surrounding it might have impacted on the Queen's decisions. Twenty years ago, there was all the weeping and gnashing of teeth about Diana/Charles/Camilla. It would have been a bad time for HMQ to step aside, so she stayed and the moment was missed.
I think it would have been interesting to see what Charles' reign would have been like. His strong ideas on the environment could have had an impact.

@Puzzledandpissedoff

Why shouldn’t the Palace staff have a voice too?

Because they've all signed NDAs?

I don't like the things and would never have signed up for a job where one was required, but the toxicity of the RF i hardly a secret and if you willingly enter a workplace like that it seems a bit naive to expect there'll be no adverse effects

Bit disappointed at the latest Oprah clip though. I was hanging onto the hope that it might be mostly low-level whining, but time will tell

I think they should have a voice and normal employment rights.

They should be able to follow a grievance process and go to an ET, if they wish.

That’s not MM’s fault. That’s the RF fault that it is not run along modern, professional lines. I guess they think royalty is above laws and don’t want themselves to be subject to investigation by others

I think it would have been interesting to see what Charles' reign would have been like. His strong ideas on the environment could have had an impact

I expect they will when he succeeds the throne.

@Puzzledandpissedoff

Why shouldn’t the Palace staff have a voice too?

Because they've all signed NDAs?

I don't like the things and would never have signed up for a job where one was required, but the toxicity of the RF i hardly a secret and if you willingly enter a workplace like that it seems a bit naive to expect there'll be no adverse effects

Bit disappointed at the latest Oprah clip though. I was hanging onto the hope that it might be mostly low-level whining, but time will tell

So if they’re bullied they should keep quiet because they should have known what to expect?

@SabrinaMorningstar

I think Diana's death and the hagiography surrounding it might have impacted on the Queen's decisions. Twenty years ago, there was all the weeping and gnashing of teeth about Diana/Charles/Camilla. It would have been a bad time for HMQ to step aside, so she stayed and the moment was missed. I think it would have been interesting to see what Charles' reign would have been like. His strong ideas on the environment could have had an impact.

The Queen has always said that she considers her role to be life long. There was never any question of stepping aside for Charles in the past.

She should have stood down 30 odd years ago.She could still have raised peoples spirits from the sidelines. Don't tell me a 96 year old has the same brain as her offspring

@VintageDiamonds

I just can’t shake this feeling that she’s taken on the Diana ‘role’. This Oprah interview to me feels like a reenactment of the Panorama/Diana moment.

I don’t blame H&M for needing to escape the British press and the stifling institution surrounding the RF. I hope they’re happy and I hope their motivation for doing the interview was to clarify that they left the UK to raise their children away from press scrutiny. I suspect Harry feels some guilt around the decision due to ingrained duty.

Absolutely, I feel she is totally playing a role.

She said she was going to be as famous as Diana etc when she was a child. I believe she is courting this

On a very interesting (deleted sadly) thread ages ago, people were talking about tiaras. She didn't get the one she wanted and was irritated and then refused another because of the provinance.
It was dodgy.

She knows all about provinance and diamonds. I am sure of this.

Prince Andrew is irrelevant. But for the record, I am obviously not keen.
I am not racist. Even if I was, she does not look black to me one iota, she has totally changed her appearance.

I do not give a toss on how hard done by she feels, it's laughable.
The ungenerous side of me thinks she has engineered all of this. I think she is enjoying it hugely as it doesn't hurt HER one jot.

However, this could be totally wrong and I would be happy to be put right. It will come out in this wretched interview I suppose.

Harry is just silly and shortsighted. Perfect for her role.

I loved Suits and I was genuinely thrilled when they got married.