I wonder if reconciliation is possible?

[sunnyblackwidow]

With Prince Philip now gone, the queen not as robust as she once was and grieving her loss, Prince Charles looked distraught today, Harry with a new baby on the way, memories of Diana's funeral today....I wonder if now isn't the perfect time for them to just all get together show their love for each other and clear the air (perhaps without Meghan's presence as she seems to inflame things).

I think it'll be telling how long Harry chooses to stay in the UK before he returns to the US (a clear indication of whether he's willing to hang around for a little while to mend fences or rush back home to Meghan and Oprah and Gail) I really wish the best for them all, family is everything but I'm not holding my breath.

Thanks Nishky I probably jumped in too quick, and I apologise.

How are some things staged and not others?

It was an official event to which press were invited, they didn't accost him during the school run or coming out of Waitrose.

It's a fairly safe bet if, immediately after you're publicly accused of racism, you schedule an official event at a majority-black school, and you just happen to stroll with a black woman past the very area where the invited press have been asked to wait, that it's a PR stunt.

William doesn't do a huge amount of engagements in the first place and his engagements during lockdown have mainly been over Zoom, or big things like the Royal Train tour and the West End panto. He's not exactly popping into random places in South London on a regular basis, is he?

Both William and Charles posed with black people immediately after the Oprah interview. Their PR is hardly subtle.

Let's hope their new crisis managers can get them to tone it down a bit.

@rousette

Not buying it, it was a natural question which he couldn’t help himself by answering. Or not answering. Whatever way the grammar goes.

I do think the royal family PR machine is skilled, clever and possibly somewhat devious. It is there to spoon feed us what they want us to hear, see and inwardly digest. So I do treat everything with some cynicism.

Digressing slightly... this is a really interesting article. It covers a lot, it's long, but well worth a read. 'The Firm' is worth £28billion and this piece goes through it in fairly simple terms.

www.forbes.com/sites/arielshapiro/2021/03/10/inside-the-firm-how-the-royal-familys-28-billion-money-machine-really-works/?sh=3915231a2bcc

@ohforarainyday

I really admired him for answering that reporters question just shouted at him. I bet he was furious to be put in that position.

It was obviously staged. That's why he just happened to have a black woman with him, and why only reporters from royal-friendly publications were present.

What villainy

KatherineParr (great name under the circumstances ) you're right about the number of family supporting George VI; however I'd add that there wasn't quite the same need to be "seen doing things" back when the plebs were more deferential and the media were more amenable to RF wishes

While they make use of it when it suits I sometimes think they must hate the internet age, and certainly we're unlikely to see again the situation around Edward VIII where we were practically the only place where his relationship with Wallis went unreported

@Viviennemary

I read a few days ago the Queen told Harry not to stay. Looks like HM wishes to spend the day on her own. And not be reminded of the Oprah fiasco.

Where did you hear this? Or was it that she prefers to be on her own and does not want a fuss at this time, that's why Charles and Will are not going either - or you prefer it to specifically mean she just doesn't want Harry around - which is very unlikely. If it wasn't for Covid restrictions and her husband passing in the last 2 weeks I believe she would want family around INCLUDING Harry.

The Queen is still in mourning. It's obvious she has made a choice not to see anyone.

Yet the papers are saying she’s having a lunch for some family members.

[quote Mummy194]@Nanasueathome

Strange that you are fast to ask about W leaks, when this and other RF threads are full of accusations that MM has been leaking stories.

The call was between W and H, RN said she got the info from the palace (W's people).

Oh, and thank you Dan Wooten for telling us that it's the RF who have been leaking negative stories about H&M. And how can I forget Piers Morgan saying he got thank you messages from RF for attacking MM.[/quote]
Don’t forget the judge in the ANL case on record as saying Meghan leaked to Omid Scobie.

Whatever your reasons I do find your post very unfair and your last paragraph actually offensive and I would very much hope the lady who you refer to as 'a black prop' is not on here. Very true. I remember the woman at the school and it looked to me as if she was a senior teacher. How bloody patronising of you.

@ohforarainyday

It was an official event to which press were invited, they didn't accost him during the school run or coming out of Waitrose.

It's a fairly safe bet if, immediately after you're publicly accused of racism, you schedule an official event at a majority-black school, and you just happen to stroll with a black woman past the very area where the invited press have been asked to wait, that it's a PR stunt.

William doesn't do a huge amount of engagements in the first place and his engagements during lockdown have mainly been over Zoom, or big things like the Royal Train tour and the West End panto. He's not exactly popping into random places in South London on a regular basis, is he?

Both William and Charles posed with black people immediately after the Oprah interview. Their PR is hardly subtle.

Let's hope their new crisis managers can get them to tone it down a bit.

Those engagements are booked much further in advance than that, aren't they? You can't just add something into the royal diary for two days' time. It will have been scheduled for ages. I think the notion that it was hastily arranged as good PR is unlikely. The question from the press waiting was to be expected in the circumstances. I think that was an ok response. He wouldn't have had time to say much more.

Being devil's advocate here, I thought that Charles in particular had walked the walk for some years now in working with a diverse range of people. Didn't Trevor Phillips write a piece about that? In contrast, I haven't seen Archwell make any high profile appointments who are people of colour. Please let me know if I'm wrong there. I do specifically mean Archwell and not the staff the Sussexes had back in the UK.

The Telegraph are saying the Queen is having lunch with some closely family members. Harry has returned to the US. This is in keeping with what I read that he was told to go back and not to stay for HM's birthday. Hardly surprising up after the trouble he's caused.

So the Queen sent him packing because she didn't want him there?

Hardly her style I would've thought.

I remember the days when the papers featured things like Princess Margaret frolicking with Roddy Llewellyn in the Caribbean not whether Harry had tea with his granny.

derxa Yes! 😂

@Roussette

So the Queen sent him packing because she didn't want him there?

Hardly her style I would've thought.

Maybe it was just awkward if other members of the family are there and he saw the Queen privately. None of us know and she's got plenty of family. I think it is more sad that he didn't come here to see his grandfather before he died. I've told mine not to bother breaking their necks to get to my funeral as I'd rather have a visit while I'm alive. Don't know if Prince Philip shared my view.

I definitely remember that it was reported that the engagement at the school was supposed to be done by Catherine on her own, and William went with her to support her after THAT interview. She did look very down that day.

Reports are that the Wessex's blanked him at the funeral so if they are going to the lunch it would probably have been extremely awkward for all concerned. I would guess the plan was to see them and possibly Andrew on the day itself, so Harry would have been like a bad smell. I would love to know whether H has spent any private time with the Queen at all.

On a nicer note I thought it was lovely that Lady Louise is having Prince Philip's carriage and ponies. It was a hobby they shared so I'm sure she will take good care of them.