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With another podcast set for release this week, The Sunday Times has a piece addressing Harry and Meghan's apparent strategy:

Courtiers are bemused by the Sussexes’ determination to rage against the past. As Davis observed of Meghan in her article: “She has taken a hardship and turned it into content.” A source who knows the Sussexes questions why Meghan “is constantly looking back at how awful it was to briefly be a royal. What does success look like, is it a number in the bank? Is it that they’ve killed off the monarchy?” Another Palace source says: “Ultimately they are bashing the institution that has put them in the position they’re in, the longevity of that strategy is not sustainable.”

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/harry-and-meghan-keep-bashing-the-monarchy-because-its-good-business-royals-believe-nq29p6g7z

I'm curious about their strategy, too. They seem to think that criticizing the royal makes them look better - it really doesn't. Instead, it just makes them look petty and increasingly irrelevant.

I agree that she wrote it expecting it would be exposed and this is what was argued by the DM in appeal. It’s a shame - none of this would have happened if he hadn’t shared the letter.

Her friends gave an interview to People magazine where they revealed the letter. To know about it, Meghan must have discussed it with the five of them. We don't know if she okayed them to do the interview - but I think we can be fairly certain they will have checked with her. She has been clear since her engagement interview that protecting her friends was important to her and she'd surely expect to be protected back. What might be less easy to presume is that she told them it was OK to discuss the letter. However, they did.

Thomas Markle felt he got a bum rap over it so he released the letter through the DM. As he'd never mentioned it you that point, I think its fair to assume he hadn't intended to release it. Otherwise he'd have done it earlier.

At this point I think it's a draw. One side attacked. The other side counterattack.

But I think the Meghan made an error suing. She clearly had the law on her side, but there's a reason the royals don't go to court. It leaves the oposition able to obtain all sorts of information. And the court case exposed that despite saying she'd not cooperated with Scobie, she had fact provided information and was willing to provide more if asked. She had to apologise to the court for misleading them.

It also showed that she had used language in letter deliberately chosen to influence the public in her favour if it was ever made public. It left in the public's mind the fact that she lied and she used a letter to her father to manipulate public sentiment.

So although her friends and her father brought her to that point, it was her own decision to sue and I think it cost her more than she gained because now when people defend her against the accusation of lying, people immediately point to the court case where she admitted to that very thing. (I think someone said it to you when you asked about her lying?)

But of course that's just my opinion and she might have thought it was worth ll that negative exposure just to beat a tabloid.

And actually, Meghan had a lot of sympathy after the DM published that letter. She'd have been better to just have looked sad and capitalised on that.

If I were Charles/William, it would stay that way, without a seismic shift in attitude and full reconciliation.

The price of that reconciliation would be a water tight NDA.
Even then I'm not sure I'd trust them. M especially is the type of person to always be pushing the boundary, or making apparently harmless remarks loaded with "innocent face" meaning and anyway if they did breach it what could be done about it? Drag them through court suing them, when they've already disclosed whatever and knowing that a court case would bring multiple new disclosures?

They can never be trusted again imo.

I still find it amazing how Harry seems to have had a total character change. Time was when he valued absolute discretion from his friends, and would dump anyone he suspected of being indiscreet.

I can't remember the details but wasn't there some unpleasantness that he had to apologise to a friend when it was revealed phone hackers had been the source of certain information and not a suspect friend? Maybe that was William, but whichever, H definitely demanded absolute privacy from friends. Then all of a sudden he starts talking and won't stop whilst supporting his wife doing the same. It's quite bizarre really. I can't imagine what his erstwhile friends think. And for A listers they want to circulate with - I'd be viewing them with suspicion and steering clear.

I can't remember the details but wasn't there some unpleasantness that he had to apologise to a friend when it was revealed phone hackers had been the source of certain information and not a suspect friend?

Tom Bower said that Harry and Meghan accused Victoria Beckham of leaking stories. David Beckham was not impressed. Turns out it was a beauty salon.

I think it predates the arrival of Meghan. One or both had their phones hacked at the height of the whole hacking scandal.

He probably accused the hapless,Tom Inskip. He seems pretty much to be the whipping boy for everything. 😄

A story going back to 2014 and the phone hacking scandal.

Clive Goodman: Coulson signed off plan to hack William and Harry’s phones.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/8bfffb53-719a-48a9-bb1a-09776b5e01b5?shareToken=6107ce114fc8150dadb13b77d7f2b00dd_

What has happened to Harry's case about the phone hacking? Has it been settled out of court or is it still rumbling on?

Anyway:

"Harry is suing for more than £200,000 (about $265,000) in damages, claiming that journalists targeted him since he was 12. After newspapers published stories sourced from Harry's hacked phone, the Duke of Sussex said, he became paranoid and suspected his close friends and family of leaking information about him. Ultimately, the Times reports, he suffered "a complete breakdown in trust." In particular, Harry drew attention to articles about his relationship with ex-girlfriend Chelsy Davy, who he dated on and off until 2010."

This is why I can't understand him becoming such a turncoat.

www.marieclaire.com/celebrity/a34737234/prince-harry-phone-hacking/

I think it's still rumbling on. In fact he seems to have so many cases going at the moment, that I can see why he needs that Netflix $100m deal! His lawyers bills must be huge. I bet Prince Charles is feeling much richer these days, not having to fork out for his youngest all the time.

This is why I can't understand him becoming such a turncoat.

I doubt he views talking about horrendous hardships he's been through as a betrayal, though. He'll think of it as justice. He won't consider the number of times he's made hot-headed accusations as his fault. So no lessons to learn from that, either.

I think it's because his face didn't fit the image she now wanted to portray.
She was embarrassed of him, didn't want the world's media to film him walking her down the aisle.
So she used one error of judgment of his, to cut him off.
Look at her wedding guests, the Clooney's, Oprah et al.
Doria fitted that image, a mother who didn't really raise her, didn't pay for her education, but her face fitted the brand.

Sums her up absolutely IMO

I think the same, as much as she loved her Dad, his image didn't fit and he was no longer useful to her, so he was callously dumped.

I was wondering if those photos are staged. I live a ten minute drive away from that school and the school run yesterday was absolutely torrential. It rained off and on all day. I was nosey so googled the school website and the first day of term is today.

No discussion of the trip to Germany on these threads yet! I had a quick look yesterday. Red carpet, lots of people wanting selfies, a boat trip. It really is a fake RF tour. I’m surprised the Germans aren’t more circumspect.

Ignore me! It turns out it was a welcome afternoon for new pupils.

One of the articles I read said that the heavens opened just after the pictures were taken , Gilmore

A pseudo-royal tour conducted for no reason at all after putting everyone through the wringer. I am emotionally exhausted just looking at them. I think everyone is taking a breather.

And ITV also getting in the correction:

”Going forward, Williams and Kate’s aides have asked that no photographs are taken at the school, and the children are left to carry on with their studies in private.
Editors from media organisations have been asked that they do not buy or publish any images they are offered of the children without the permission of the Palace.
It’s an agreement which has, by and large, held since George started school in 2017.
It also contrasts with the recent claim by the Duchess of Sussex in her Spotify podcast that her son, Archie, would have had to endure 40 photographers in a pen at the school gate every day, had she and Harry stayed in the Royal Family.
For the Cambridge children, a single television camera on behalf of the broadcasters and a single stills camera on behalf of the newspapers and websites were permitted to enter the school grounds at Lambrook to take the images”

Going back to Harry's phone hacking I do feel very sorry for all the Royals that it must be very hard to trust people they have dealings with. Making new friends and wondering how genuine they are. Wondering if staff are up to no good. Princess Anne had love letters from Timothy Lawrence (before their romance was public) stolen - I believe from her hand bag. I think it was largely hushed up so not sure who the miscreant was but I think suspicion fell on household staff. How horrible to think your cleaner or whoever was rooting through your bag and stealing private letters which were offered to the press. And to feel it is difficult to trust all the staff who have access to your day to day life details.

Which is why I find Harry's complete rejection of previous values so strange and frankly disgraceful.

I also think he could have made an effort to come to the UK and visit Prince Philip before he died if he had wanted to but instead he did the Oprah interview upsetting all the family and especially the Queen. Likewise while it is possible he isn't getting the chance to visit HMQ, maybe she is being protected from him, but I think it is a great shame at this stage of her life to not want to see his Grandmother who he appears to have previously had a very good relationship with. Let's face it, at 96 her health could take a dramatic turn for the worse at any time and he will have missed the chance to spend time with her. It's very sad.

I can't find it now but a drone photo I saw showed that the crowd were actually pretty sparse - about 4/5 people deep but obviously close ups can be deceiving. Will try my best to find the photo for those who want PROOF!

"For the Cambridge children, a single television camera on behalf of the broadcasters and a single stills camera on behalf of the newspapers and websites were permitted to enter the school grounds at Lambrook to take the images”

So why would Meghan allege that she couldn't possibly have sent the kids to school in the UK because there'd be a press pen with 40 photographers?

So why would Meghan allege that she couldn't possibly have sent the kids to school in the UK because there'd be a press pen with 40 photographers?

I would think she either:
a) Didn't know about this rule
b) Vaguely knew of it but thought it only covered PW and his children
c) Knew all about it but just wanted to make a negative comment about the U.K. media (again).

I'm not sure but A or B are both possible as she was only there as a working royal for 18 months and Archie was a small baby so maybe she hadn't reached that part of the 'T&Cs'!!

This pseudo royal tour - exposes them for what they are - Kardasians with titles.

I was totally confunded by M's comment about having to clear photos of her kids through the palace / give them to the media before giving them to friends?

Surely what happens is that photos intended for the media have to be released via the Palace, rather than willy-nilly, because of the 'royal rota' (which actually protects against the sort of press scrum she was alleging). I can't believe it applies to private photos.

As far as I know the law applies to all children in the U.K. not just Royal ones