AIBU to think that Prince Harry is coming across as the most tone deaf and hypocritical member of the RF right now?

[ChocolateSantaisthebestkind]

Yes the guy lost his mother in a tragic way at a young age. (So have many) Yes he was forced out into the public eye in the middle of grief (which was horrific at the time and worse on reflection) BUT he is now an adult man with a family and access to life of extreme privilege yet he cannot seem to realise that him publically complaining about his lot in life and telling the rest of us how to behave is distasteful. Also, the petulant way he seems to communicate with the media is just undelining his immaturity and lack of awareness. By which I mean, the potshots in statements and rapping with James Corden and his pathetic man of the people schtick. If you want to be Hazzer give up your title and STFU!

AIBU?

Whilst the press might write lots of crap in the UK - they don't actually post lots of paparazzi style photos anymore. When was tbe last time we saw a photo of Meghan or Harry other than at an event

@CallmeAngelina

"It's a shame they had to walk behind that coffin" We don't know how that came about, nor what either of them actually thought about it. Many of us would not have chosen it, but others view it as a sign of respect. I seem to recall both of them being asked about it, given time to think about it, knew that they would be supported in it by the company of their father, uncle and grandfather, and they both elected to do so. One can speculate that they were pressured, but that it all it is, speculation.

I think it's not a decision that you can make yourself having just lost your Mum very suddenly aged 12. The cameras could have chosen not to focus on it maybe. I don't know. People have always had polarised opinions of it. I didn't have DC in 1997 but looking at it now having had 12 year old boys maybe I feel differently.

Anyway that's a bit of a tangent I think we are supposed to be discussing what a terrible, terrible person Harry is right now.

Harry was actually protected by the British press in many ways. There is (allegedly) much about him that was suppressed during his younger years.

@justab0utsurviving

Whilst the press might write lots of crap in the UK - they don't actually post lots of paparazzi style photos anymore. When was tbe last time we saw a photo of Meghan or Harry other than at an event

I remember seeing a series of photos of the Kate at Waitrose in Wales I think. I was WTF. But not so much now that's true.

@CallmeAngelina

Harry was actually protected by the British press in many ways. There is (allegedly) much about him that was suppressed during his younger years.

Well maybe he has grown tired of being suppressed then?

I seem to recall both of them being asked about it, given time to think about it, knew that they would be supported in it by the company of their father, uncle and grandfather, and they both elected to do so

How bloody unfair to put them in that position. Harry was 12 FFS. And I read he didn't want to but PP said he'd be there. It is very very wrong to put a child in that position of thinking he had to.

It is just as much speculation to say they 'elected to do so' as being pressured to do so.

"Well maybe he has grown tired of being suppressed then?"

I presume you've decided to deliberately misinterpret my meaning there? Harry (and almost certainly William too) led, by all accounts, quite a lifestyle in his teens and 20s - that would have made sensational headlines if published.

All the stuff on William ‘bullying’ Harry is more speculation.

@CallmeAngelina

"It's a shame they had to walk behind that coffin" We don't know how that came about, nor what either of them actually thought about it. Many of us would not have chosen it, but others view it as a sign of respect. I seem to recall both of them being asked about it, given time to think about it, knew that they would be supported in it by the company of their father, uncle and grandfather, and they both elected to do so. One can speculate that they were pressured, but that it all it is, speculation.

Do you honestly think that, when they were asked, either of them would have said “I didn’t want to do it, but we were told we had to?” Of course they won’t.

The behaviour of a lot of the public around the time of Diana’s death was disgusting. People insisting that the Queen and the rest of the Royal family come back to London from Balmoral, but once they got there that wasn’t enough, walls of wailing members of the public wanted the two young princes to be brought out to acknowledge them and their floral tributes. Prince Charles should’ve put his foot down and said he was keeping them in Balmoral until the funeral where they could have been protected.

Neither William nor Harry should’ve had to walk behind the coffin. Protocol should have gone out the window that day. Harry was a little boy grieving for his mother but the “stiff upper lip” bollocks was more important. How anyone can look at that footage, even now, and think it was ok is beyond me.

We’ve got a funny relationship with the RF. in this country. Some people think we own them so we have to be party to absolutely everything they do, from birth to death. We absolutely don’t.

Except for now with Covid most funerals have a public face - a child or grandchild reading a poem, giving a tribute or whatever. It’s normally seen as a nice and respectful thing to do and to bring the entire family together in their time of loss. It’s not easy for any of us. In Harry’s case it was walking behind a coffin because the RF does state funerals. It was 24 years ago.

@PicsInRed

Their estimated joint wealth on marriage was around £34m. More than enough for a lifetime of independent and still very comfortable living while focusing on charitable efforts.

If they wanted to step away from Royal Family control - and keep in mind, for Harry one day this would mean King William, the brother who doesn't like him - they were always going to need more than £34mil to comfortably pay for their (and the kids') 24/7 private security for the rest of all their lives.

Remember what happened to the young Getty heir? And the attempted kidnapping of Princess Anne, for that matter?

How do you know William doesn’t like Harry? They always (until recently) appeared to get on well. Maybe William feels let down by Harry. Maybe Harry feels let down by William. Maybe, just maybe, they both have grievances.

I saw a clip of William and Kate doing a zoom meet with someone this morning on the news (work related ) and I thought she looked a bit stressed and he has lost weight. I bet this has taken its toll on the whole family as it goes with any family rift or problems. Plus they will need to take up more of the work as well which might not be what they really want ? Who knows.
My own opinion , for what it's worth, is Meghan didn't really understand what her role would be like when they were first married and felt hemmed in by it all. They are probably much happier doing what they want rather than a royal calendar of things.

Yes 24 years. Can’t quite believe that. I agree with PP that however he felt about walking behind the coffin it was a big ask for a 12 year old and his feelings about it now may well be different. We’ll never know. Unless Oprah asks maybe.

@TorringtonDean

Except for now with Covid most funerals have a public face - a child or grandchild reading a poem, giving a tribute or whatever. It’s normally seen as a nice and respectful thing to do and to bring the entire family together in their time of loss. It’s not easy for any of us. In Harry’s case it was walking behind a coffin because the RF does state funerals. It was 24 years ago.

Who cares if it was 24 years ago? Harry has spoken out, repeatedly, about how Diana’s death affected him and how long it took him to cry and process it.

You can’t compare a child reading a poem at a funeral to one walking behind a coffin being watched by millions of people worldwide.

I think the fundamental point that most of us mere plebs just can’t grasp is that if he hates the publicity then why court it? Why the endless barrage of podcasts and Zooms now? Was his gripe that he wasn’t getting a cut? What did he think the Sovereign Grant was. Of your family is “ruling” a country you will get attention. The state funeral for Diana was a tribute, BTW, I think she wasn’t entitled to one but the RF listened to the weight of public opinion.

You can’t compare a child reading a poem at a funeral to one walking behind a coffin being watched by millions of people worldwide

Yes it’s not the same at all!

The state funeral for Diana was a tribute, BTW, I think she wasn’t entitled to one but the RF listened to the weight of public opinion.

It wasn’t a state funeral, it was a royal ceremonial funeral

We’ve got a funny relationship with the RF. in this country. Some people think we own them so we have to be party to absolutely everything they do, from birth to death. We absolutely don’t

Yes. It is almost a hostage situation.... we are so in awe of them being the serfs we are that we are happy to be spoon fed a sanitised diet of everything they want us to know and hiding, by dint of having a clever PR machine, all they don't want us to know. It is all propaganda which is why H&M going off and doing their own thing rattles people so much, it's something the Queen can't control.

We know we are beholden to them, even if we don't want to be because it is ingrained in the fabric of our society. When we kick back against this because we don't like it, we talk of owning them, we pay for them, demanding they bring their newborn babies out for us to ogle at, demanding they turn up somewhere for us to view them... and us demanding means we can put aside the fact we're just one of their subjects and servile.

It's all very strange and it will all change, maybe not in my lifetime but it will.

I think the fundamental point that most of us mere plebs just can’t grasp is that if he hates the publicity then why court it?

The meeja isn’t one homogenous entity. Wanting to get away from the lying, law breaking gutter press doesn’t mean they can’t have a relationship with other media.

We’ve got a funny relationship with the RF. in this country. Some people think we own them so we have to be party to absolutely everything they do, from birth to death. We absolutely don’t

Yes it’s weird.

On some level I think people see it as the ‘price they pay’ for all that wealth and privilege.

@CallmeAngelina

Harry was actually protected by the British press in many ways. There is (allegedly) much about him that was suppressed during his younger years.

That sounds exactly like the classic justification of an abuser.

"It's for your own good ".
"Because I care ".
"You can't take care of yourself."
"You're a bad parent/spouse/person."
"You'll never make it on your own."
"If you leave there will be consequences."
"You'll regret this."

Cue:
undermining
revenge
smear campaigns
stalking
threats

He didn't want their "care" for his wife and children, so he left. Good for him.

If you watch 'The Queen ' film with Helen Mirran it was suggested that she was trying to protect the boys from the publicity at first by keeping them at Balmoral. It was public pressure that made them come back to London to meet the public and see the tributes etc. I can remember commentators saying they should be back in London. It was a surreal time and all the senior royals didn't were vilified in the press for how they handled it. The Queens tribute for her came very late in the day. Public pressure again. Plus she could see a future backlash from it.
I'm not sure whose idea it was to have them walk behind the coffin though. I think that today it wouldn't happen at all. It was awful.
It was a strange week and the events that led to her death never ever went away really.

@TheKeatingFive

I think the fundamental point that most of us mere plebs just can’t grasp is that if he hates the publicity then why court it?

The meeja isn’t one homogenous entity. Wanting to get away from the lying, law breaking gutter press doesn’t mean they can’t have a relationship with other media.

Exactly. I don't get where this all or nothing mentality comes from or the anger that they want it "on their terms".

No one would expect someone having a bad experience (as a service user,employee , etc) with an institution in a certain sector to completely stop engaging with the whole sector permanently.

I think Harry walked behind the coffin along with his brother, uncle, father and grandfather because that is a Royal tradition. It’s not like the paps asked them to do it.

I think a lot of people will question the point of the Royal Family once the queen is gone. The institution is lucky to have survived this long.

'Anyway that's a bit of a tangent I think we are supposed to be discussing what a terrible, terrible person Harry is right now.'

Oh stop with the hyperbole. He isn't 'terrible' he is an oversensitive, needy product of his dysfunctional upbringing and is of course damaged by the tragic death of his mother.

That said he should try to be a bit wiser and put his tiny violin away. Put his US firmly first of course, just stop kicking his UK family and stop projecting all his pent up resentment at 'the tabloids'. Lets see if Oprah just shines a light on their new glossy futures and gives them a voice to talk about something other than the RF and the nasty British media.

'And I read he didn't want to but PP said he'd be there. '

Must be true then if you read it. Wasn't those pesky tabloids was it?