Removing E:R from Harry’s Uniform

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I am certainly not one of H&M’s fans but I think that for someone to actually remove the ER initials from his military uniform for the vigil was beyond petty.

The decision was made to allow him to wear a military uniform, fine, Andrew was also given permission but to take the time and trouble to remove the Queen’s initials from the epaulettes was, I think, really childish. I know he has chosen to not be a working Royal but the initals were left on Andrew’s epaulettes so why were Harry’s removed?

Apart from anything else, this will just add grist to the mill of H&M’s litany of complaints but for once, I think they’d be justified in being upset by this.

Expect I’ll be flamed for this and there are many more important things going on in the world but I do think this was a snotty thing to do to Harry.

That’s not the sentiment right now. He’s being incredibly warm and charming to the people.

Like Donald Trump or Joe Biden you mean?

This old chestnut again 🙄 There are other types of presidencies, the US system isn't the only one. And at least they could be voted out, unlike a hereditary monarchy. We were lucky to get the late queen but we could equally have had someone terrible. Imagine King Andrew for 70 years!

That’s not the sentiment right now. He’s being incredibly warm and charming to the people.

Unless faced with a pen and then he turns into a spoiled man child. Yes he's lost his mother and is stressed but he's been training all his life for the role. You would never have caught Elizabeth II acting like that and her ascent to the throne must've been just as stressful, if not more. She was only 25, had 2 small children and lost her beloved father when he was only in his mid-fifties.

The only person who has come across as a 'spoiled man child' this week is Harry.

Personally, I await YouGov's next quarterly poll on the RF with interest. I predict that Charles' (rather poor) popularity rating will have improved, while Harry and Meghan dip towards single figures.

Erm no darling we have the PM to run the country. Presidency can be a purely ceremonial role such as in Ireland.

Unless faced with a pen and then he turns into a spoiled man child. Yes he's lost his mother and is stressed but he's been training all his life for the role. You would never have caught Elizabeth II acting like that

I'm not passing judgement on either of them but this might be of interest..

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/16/do-you-mind-rare-occasions-when-the-queens-temper-frayed

but he's been training all his life for the role

I'm not sure that any amount of training can prepare you to take over your Mum's role just about as soon as they die!

Those are mainly moments of exasperation when she was off-duty, not losing her temper while on the job.

I remember the tennis racquet incident with Philip from The Crown but assumed it was dramatic licence!

The pen video is hilarious. I think it just shows he is human. I love Camilla's intervention. It was two days after his mother died and he's just become king. Of course he felt a bit disoriented.

He’s essentially an elderly man, I suspect not in the best of health. The Queen was not thrust into the public eye literally hours after her father died , touring the country and appearing every day in the immediate aftermath.

Charles is clearly absolutely devastated. Many of these posters seem to totally lack empathy. He’s human, he’s not a God.

Agree. All this sympathy and justifications for pretty much anything M&H say or do and you can't make an allowance for an elderly, tired, grieving man, who however much he might have thought he was prepared, has lost his mother and suddenly has the weight of the country on his shoulders? QE was at work two days before, clearly no one was expecting her to go so quickly. My Dad is 74, he's not the energetic, sharp, funny man he used to be. He's tired, often in pain and has much less patience than he used to. We make allowances.

Speaking of elderly men and issues with pens/writing. Apparently Joe Biden copied his message of condolence into the queens book of condolence directly from a note he brought with him. There's been some uncharitable takes on this (obvs 🙄) but it seems eminently sensible to me!

All this sympathy and justifications for pretty much anything M&H say or do and you can't make an allowance for an elderly, tired, grieving man

As if anyone would make allowances for M&H if they did that! She couldn't even wear nail polish or a sleeveless dress without at least 5 Mumsnet threads condemning her for it.

Why? There shouldn't be.

I had to write a letter of condolence to a woman I know, her husband literally dropped dead out the blue.
I know them very very well socially and I really don't like sympathy cards but would prefer to write a letter. I wrote it out more than once to get it just right for her.

As if anyone would make allowances for M&H if they did that! She couldn't even wear nail polish or a sleeveless dress without at least 5 Mumsnet threads condemning her for it.

So you condemn it but then do the same?

Why? There shouldn't be.

Couldn't agree more. Made me smile, made him more human to me.

Agree. Wear it properly or not at all.

But we had the Queen and we don’t have Andrew so there’s no point arguing that point.
I don’t want people who are capable of voting for Boris Johnson and Brexit to have any more responsibility - they clearly can’t cope with it

But we had the Queen and we don’t have Andrew so there’s no point arguing that point.

Well there is, mainly because you don't know what you're going to get with a hereditary monarchy.

ditto politicians though… although the shitshow that was Johnson was easy to spot, I’ll give you that

Yes but you can vote out a shitty politician. Not so much a shitty monarch.

Yeah would could be stuck with Charles for 20 years.

I sympathise with Charles about the pen. If I had the King coming to visit and he was required to write something commemorating his late mother I'd make sure he had a decent pen. Not much to ask in the grand scheme of things.

No, it was a business event supported by the working Royals, which H & M have made it very clear they want no part of.

Someone said above that people couldn’t handle H and M walking away from being working royals. I can only speak for me but I thought - although thought it would be nice they stayed - fair play to them if that is what they wanted but their Oprah interview made me less favourable.

I think it is possible that one of the family member’s made a racist comment - grim if so - but I think to not name them and so in effect cast aspersions on all the family was not good. Either name the person or say nothing publicly. Likewise I thought they were disingenuous to possibly imply Archie wasn’t being made a Prince due to being mixed race when as a second great grandson of the heir he wasn’t p yet entitled to be an HRH or a prince due to rules set out more than 100 years ago by King George V.

I also, as I said on another thread, note that the Swedish king in 2019 dropped the titles for all the grandchildren bar the grandchildren of his first born child in a bid to slim down the monarchy and this is how it will proceed from now on. The Norwegian royal family have the same rules. It has been suggested for a long time that Charles wants to slim down the monarchy - in a bid to keep it going I imagine - so it is possible - no proof - he was considering the same for Harry’s children long before Meghan came on the scene. The only way to effectively slim down the monarchy would be to only give titles and royal duties to the first born child of the heir and then the first born child of the grandchild and so on. However, Charles hands will be tied now as i think some will say he is doing it because of who H married. On Twitter I have seen that a lot. Perhaps Charles floated he might be considering this and H and M didn’t like it. The Swedish King’s second and third children publicly supported him stripping titles from their children but perhaps H and M were not accepting. Of course I am only speculating.

Earlier I pointed out a friend in the Times article was cited as the source for claiming H was devastated about the ER insignia being taken away. Someone pointed out it’s v possible the Times journalist made that up. I agree it’s possible. We know such stories gives the papers clicks. I would hope that the Times would be less likely to do this, but who knows, possibly not.

Above all, I wish H and M can reconcile to some extent with Charles and William, it would be so much better for everyone.