Oh do piss off, Harry

[HettySunshine]

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/apr/20/prince-harry-says-queen-on-great-form-during-visit?CMP=ShareiOSAppp_Other

The Queen has coped for most of her life without you. I don't think she needs you 'protecting her' now.

I'm usually entire ambivalent to the royals but this has really bruised my cherry!

AIBU?

How can you all be so over-invested in this utter fantasy? Pages and pages of speculation and disagreement about people you don't know and never will. Utterly mystifying.

newnamethanks

How can you all be so over-invested in this utter fantasy? Pages and pages of speculation and disagreement about people you don't know and never will. Utterly mystifying.

I used to happily flick through a free DM in Waitrose cafe (no longer, alas) and I'll peruse the glossies given to me at the hairdresser.
These threads are a bit like that for me, with the addition of developing a mild interest in the regulars as well as the royal gossip.
"Hmm," I might think, "Thingummy must be tired. Up at 6am to post and still awake now", or "Strange that old So-and-So's not joined in. Royal threads are usually catnip to them".
Maybe it's because I don't have a soap opera in my life since I gave up The Archers.
Presumably you've got a reason for reading them too?

PS I mean, that's my reason for reading them.
I gave up posting years ago when it was all getting a bit bonkers.
Occasionally I make some random comment, like now, get ignored and continue following during at coffee time or whatever.

Either "during" or "at". Not both. Tsk!

I thought I read that the advisors were against him going into the service with her but she insisted. Doesn't sound like anyone is telling her what to do, she seems perfectly capable of protecting herself and doing what she wants.

I can't see that POW or DOC need to jostle for anything, their position is their birthright (rightly or wrongly) they don't need to jostle for it, it will come to them.

It is an interesting idea isn't it. Would cast a completely different light on alot of things and people's opinions.

He could have had his pick from many younger, prettier aristocratic girls who shared his culture and values

The fact that it is taboo to criticize her for absolutely anything at all, for fear of being accused of being a vile racist has aided her more than anything.

Yes, there's definitely nothing racist about this type of narrative at all.

Rather than another goady post, how about how about explain what you mean, yet another lame attempt to shut down discussion, Its getting pretty old on here lately.

I don't think contrasting Meghan with a "prettier aristocratic girl" who "shared his culture and values" is a comment that needs much explanation. Sorry if you find that goady but I can't believe what goes unchallenged on here sometimes.

I appreciated your post - similar reasons for me too. Was going to comment but couldn’t think how to phrase it…so didn’t… then saw your second post and then thought I would 😄

@Aspiringmatriarch Yes it does actually are you now claiming that any American girl who comes from an American culture, who has been brought up with American values is comparable to some one from a British aristocratic background? or are you just twisting this to fit your narrative.

Which by the way does more harm than good to the real fight against racism, than the constant calling out of views you disagree with. So please enlighten me, to why that post is racist, you still have not explained why? and yes I will also call people out when they are hurting my cause also by misusing racism it at every opportunity to score cheap points and cheapen its meaning.

She made a hash of a relatively easy part-time job five minutes into her Royal career.
Meghan was more set in her ways than Cressie and Chelsea - she was a much older bride and a second timer at that. She had had several relationships (at least three serious ones) so her expectations were more rigid than those of a lovestruck, idealistic twentysomething. That is why was able to effect a swift exit on her terms in a calculated manner when she decided that it was not working.

The weird thing was she was putting on an act as being a giggly, naïve new bride during the first year. It was not credible but the Press indulged it knowing that it was an act. That is the main trigger which alienated Harry from his friends. We aren't used to that level of fakery and unapologetically obvious PR stunts. She never understood why nobody believed her.

Everybody (including the naysayers) was trying to be publicly supportive of Harry's choices even though nobody thought it was a wise choice in the long run. It went on for months and months before the public were let in. Only Harry was being taken in by it. He proved himself to be putty in her hands. Neither Kate, William not anybody else from Harry's friendship circle had any time for it (I know that for sure). Harry became distant from people one by one because any attempts at maintaining a friendship resulted in stinking arguments. What comes out in the Press is less than 30% of all the bad things that could be legitimately said about them.

After they left, people were keen to move on. Most people were sad that they had lost a decent enough friend (Harry) whom they had known since Prep.

Harry seems unwilling to completely let go of some friendships but wants to reframe them in a way in which Meghan plays a pivotal social management role within the dynamic. Most people will absolutely not play ball. They do not rate her as compatible or trust her motives and the more they learn about her, the more they trust their intuition.

There is a reason why so many people mention certain interactions between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth when they are trying to explain their take on the situation.

It's now being drip fed today ( in the Daily Mail , obs) about Harry's rift with his brother and his dad , arguments and recriminations etc
I only saw the headline, but I got the gist of it.
Apparently Chelsea was fed up with his whinging too.

Arucanafeather

How exciting! I never normally get a reply 🙂

There's probably lots of us watching and reading along, mildly interested and slightly bemused.
Often fairly amused as well, though I've never found replies as knicker-wettingly hilarious as some seem to.

(Also, as a by-the-by, I wonder what's happened to the old MN emojis. I seem able to only use phone-type ones)

Meghan had her own section reading to kids her BENCH BOOK for the cameras

Well, reading to the kids was a nice idea, but I'd have thought there were books more suitable to the event's theme if you mean this was at Invictus

Harry now has given a very public American TV INTERVIEW about HIMSELF and his family

I guess the self-publicity momentum's got to be maintained, but how odd that he's quite so happy to do this when he said himself that every camera triggers him

The Bench book wasn’t present at Invictus.
The Duchess attended a reading of Hairy McClary delivered by a veteran.

The Netflix cameras are there to make an Invictus documentary to raise knowledge around the stories of those competing in the games and their families. This supports Prince Harry’s commitment to Invictus. All profits will flow to Invictus. It will hopefully be hugely positive to servicemen/women and ex servicemen/women everywhere and give them greater visibility.

Archwell like any charitable foundation hands a proportion of their ‘proceeds’ to other charitable endeavours it supports. They too have to pay their bills to allow the foundation to run. The size of the fraction depends. See for instance British Red Cross when examining donation made verses direct distribution to those in need. The bigger the charity or foundation the smaller the donation whilst overheads are met. Simple stuff.

Invictus gets publicity because of its solid purpose and its Patron. Removing Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex would vastly reduce the press it received. The amount of press drives sponsorship, support staff, take up from ex service men and makes it into an increasing global movement.

He could have had his pick from many younger, prettier aristocratic girls who shared his culture and values

I'm sure Harry missed a trick here because he saw how wonderfully this worked out for his own mother.

That is why was able to effect a swift exit on her terms in a calculated manner when she decided that it was not working.

She absolutely did not "effect a swift exit on her terms". Almost all the things they demanded in that daft 'manifesto' were rejected.

The Bench book wasn’t present at Invictus

Ah, thanks for clarifying, Ronald; I did say "if", but the earlier post read as if it was

And yes, I know exactly what the Netflix cameras were doing there, and as said before the publicity and awareness-raising can surely only be a good thing for Invictus
Harry's attempt to once again draw attention to himself perhaps less so ...

The bigger the charity or foundation the smaller the donation whilst overheads are met

Even more so when the charitable foundation happens to be American, where the amount they're required to donate is very small (about 5% if memory serves)

No wonder so many self-proclaimed philanthropists over there are keen to have one

I guess the self-publicity momentum's got to be maintained, but how odd that he's quite so happy to do this when he said himself that every camera triggers him.

I mean I never thought that was true for one minute. But I suppose he thought it'd get the sympathy vote. 🥺

Thank you @LaMarschallin, much the same as me then. I fully understand flicking through in a DM way, of course, a little bit of royal entertainment, it's here, why not? It's the flag-waving, choose a side or die folk, who speak with utter certainty on what a royal thinks, has done, or will do, that confounds me. Football for those that hate football maybe. Passes a Saturday afternoon.👑⚽

newnamethanks

It's the flag-waving, choose a side or die folk, who speak with utter certainty on what a royal thinks, has done, or will do, that confounds me.

I can certainly identify with that; I really don't get it myself. And I'm amazed by the time and effort some put into it.

Football for those that hate football maybe. Passes a Saturday afternoon.

That's very much it! I'll try that analogy out on DH (but substituting rugby for football).

@Puzzledandpissedoff you can clearly see I was not replying to you.

I get that for some of you there seems to be a complete animus toward Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex but some of the posts here are dreadful.

Why do we assume, when Prince Harry or the Duchess of Sussex speaks about their mental health, that they must be lying?
It’s really unpleasant.

It is also unhelpful for anyone else who may struggle with their mental health. Often fear of being disbelieved or being disbelieved and having the same ‘types’ question your illness or experience, is what prevents people from accessing treatment, preventing them from empowering themselves through action and learning to cope by support - sometimes gained from a number of sources.

It isn’t hard to imagine that Prince Harry has made negative associations around Press packs, people being pursued for photographs and even the noise of multiple camera’s and flashes going off. Those thoughts will potentially have become associated with the trauma of losing his mother and the aftermath. The thought perhaps of her being hunted and powerless.
I’m suggesting it makes rational sense that he may have or have had a PTSD type response to cameras and flashes.

Many people face PTSD for all manner of trauma and work daily to overcome it. Finding strategies, having therapy, some accepting medication.
Often they work on expanding their windows of tolerance around triggers to support their ability to live their lives whilst addressing their trauma.

It at be that Prince Harry is okay in some controlled situations with the press. It may be that he needs the press to ideally be a certain distance away, for instance. It may be that he still feels a need to control or have a sense of control when these camera and press packs are present.

Knowing he is moving forward to do something positive for a cause he believes fervently in, but which will involve a lots of press, will be something Prince Harry works endlessly on in therapy to achieve.
Eventually he will have great tools to deal with his fears and anxiety; understanding the building blocks of his panic. Even then, at times, it can become overwhelming for people.

This is the same for anyone facing trauma and PTSD. Often they have to face things which are triggering for them but face them they must and do.

(It would be better if the U.K. spent more money of decent therapeutic support and on a mental health focus for all - not just those who are super well off/ insured/or in a postcode lottery. Some waiting lists and resultant outcomes are appalling)