The royals and Dan Wootton: Byline Times part 1 of 3-year investigation into how Wootton got information about the royal family

[queentim]

Following their series about the Crisis in British Journalism and MediaToo movement, Byline Times reporters have recently released the first report of the 3 year investigation into the link between the royals and (disgraced) TV presenter Dan Wootton.

The first report reveals how Charles and William were angered that Harry refused to remove the name of an aide (William's aide in Kensington) who was paid cash to leak stories about his wife Meghan, and son Archie. This included investigations by the Met.

As a result, Charles removed the $700,000 granted to support them, which would have seen Harry and Meghan living in Canada and representing the Queen, in an effort to bring them back to the UK by exposing their location in Canada and removing their security. This was the collapse of the 'Sandringham Agreement', which resulted in the signing of the Sussexes media deals.

Some highlights, but can be bought for £3.6:

▪ It followed news that a partner of a key aide to Prince William received £4,000 from The Sun allegedly for stories about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex when Wootton was executive editor.

▪ The Metropolitan Police looked into the alleged leaking but could not go to a judge for a warrant to search royal staff property without knowing the identity of the whistle-blowers.

▪ Two internal royal investigations followed – one involving Simon Case, who is today the embattled head of the civil service facing questions over the Government’s response to the pandemic.

▪ Byline Times has uncovered new photographic evidence of Wootton, the aide and the aide’s partner at a lavish private birthday party Wootton threw for his close friends in a £1,675-a-night hotel suite.

▪ Prince Harry sent formal ‘letters before action’ detailing the claims about Wootton and the palace to News UK.

▪ When the aide’s name was not removed from the legal letters, the Sussexes were cut adrift financially and left unable to protect themselves despite having a security threat level equal to the monarch.

▪ The royal household had thought the threat of exposure would force Harry and Meghan to return to the UK, where their profile could be controlled preventing them from eclipsing the future King

Exploding ‘Megxit’: How Dan Wootton and a Cash-for-Leaks Scandal Split the Monarchy

It does all smack of trial by media, the process being the punishment, even if nothing comes of the investigation

It often does, @Mymilkshakebringsallthepapstomycar, and it's not to my taste

I'd already found the crowdfunder, but as mentioned what I find curious is that they apparently need it at all, when most media surely have insurance for this kind of thing - or at least good lawyers to point them in the right direction

I said to read the last 3-4 pages.
If you did you'd see how BT reporting has been disavowed by several others.

I don't know how it works @Puzzledandpissedoff , but maybe they didn't want insurance, because they would then be tied to getting legal advice every time they wanted to publish something contentious, which would in turn constrain their journalistic freedom?

Andrew is also Earl of Inverness and a petition was set up to strip him of the title .
https://www.northern-times.co.uk/news/hundreds-sign-petitions-calling-for-prince-andrew-to-be-stri-338147/

I am loving the “how dare the British media print news about me as an American, who just happens to like to talk shit about the British Royal family”. Wanting another country to respect them, with their freedom of speech. The press has huge problems but if you want to write crap in your own name on an international platform then that’s the individuals stupidity. No one is forcing them to be unprofessional and petty.

I read them and also the excellent summary provided by milkshake
I even wasted 19 minutes of my life I won't get back, listening to Dan's rant about dark forces of the internet.
He is litigious so why hasn't he gone after Alex Truby too?
He did admit to making errors of judgement in the past but hasn't said what they were. Have Byline Times ever been sued for the story into Kensington Palace leaks? If not, why not?

We hope to give a voice to those not given a platform elsewhere. Please, are they suggesting that MM and PH have no platform? Pull the other one, it has bells on. This is stitch up/ puff piece with which they have co-operated through intermediaries so it is deniable. PH is psycho in his hatred for DW.

It seemed to take off after the Oprah interview, though. My opinion is that the accusations of racism there resonated with a lot of people and played into their own preconceptions about the RF and the UK.

And while some have reconsidered, given the number of lies* H&M have since told, others has doubled down on their initial stance.

*And isn't is nice to be able to type that, and not expect to have a whole bunch of posters enquiring "what lies"?

@LadyChatterjee I am so sorry that you have experienced racism and discrimination. 🌷. I am really hoping that the world will slowly become a better place.

to be honest, the whole thing is just so…distasteful, isn’t it? I just wish that they can get to the bottom of this quickly and show some sunlight on any nastiness.

then everyone can move on.

I think this is quite possible.

What started off as a kind of SM strike-back could easily have got out of control, with a belated realisation that controlling the narrative on SM doesn't change RL - even when newsrooms that use SEO start putting it in to other media (all the PoWess conspiracies theories, now shown up as hurtful and harmful twaddle)

And perhaps also a realisation, belated, that as it can't be controlled it is now best abandoned

That's been the story in the British tabloids in the last 24-48 hours, and it's a speculation piece.

What lies behind it is Invictus event in UK in May, and the expectation that Harry cannot miss that. And with him travelling, then (as always) there is a mass f speculation about whether any of his family come with him. It happens every time.

(If I were the Waleses, then I think I'd want them to bring the DC, as then it dilutes any meeting, and you can have third parties (like nannies) present, no cameras, and keep any conversations off difficult subjects as it would be very clearly inappropriate with DC around. Something the Sussexes might also embrace right now. Purely my speculation, btw)

But @EdithWeston Harry insists that it’s not safe for his family to travel over , in fact not safe for him but he bravely (!) pops over occasionally. That is why he is fighting the Home Office . If he was to now backtrack and bring his family over, his case is totally lost.

I don’t think George should be anywhere near them. Any encounter can be “leaked” not even a leak from them but someone chasing clout about George, but I would make a wager if negative it would not be corrected by Harry and Meghan even if it was made up shite.

It's a fair point, but with the recent judgement I'd have thought his case was pretty much lost anyway? Yes he's asking to appeal - though god knows on what grounds - but that won't change the facts, however inconvenient Harry may find them

If he still wishes to insist they're not safe in the UK that's his choice, but at least it can now be seen he'd be talking twaddle

William would be v well advised to keep his kids well away from Harry’s in childhood. Whether they meet as young adults might be different. It’s v v sad as they are cousins and should be close but William can’t risk any potential gossip which people will believe. If there is no meeting then nothing can be said.
and luckily they do have cousins on Kate’s side - 4 or 5 maybe so they get to enjoy the cousin relationship that way.

I expect he will get the security he wants and expects, should he come with his family, it appears he has given them more than the 30days notice he is required to give. He did get the full blown police protection he wants when he did that quick trip to visit his father.

I think he will be playing games and pushing all the buttons now to get what he wanted anyway, despite disagreeing with the procedure he needs to follow to get it.

And does anybody really think that W&K will be up for the Royal Equivalent of a softball playdate with H&M any time soon?

"George was sooo sweet with Lilibet after he knocked her over."

”learning to share is SO important” head tilt, pause for dramatic effect “ George is getting SO much better at it especially at his age. I really think he’ll nail it soon” wink to camera

The CHIMPO will be provided with whatever security RAVEC deem appropriate, regardless of his 'wants'.

The delusion of this guy continues to grow, why on earth would he think Harry and Meghan are going to join forces, especially when it’s about a conspiracy about Catherine cancer.

I expect he will get the security he wants and expects, should he come with his family, it appears he has given them more than the 30days notice he is required to give

He was always going to get proper protection if the security experts deem it to be necessary, and a good thing too

Unfortunately however what he "wants and expects", has never been adequately justified either by Harry, his legal team or his remaining supporters, so many of us are left wondering if it isn't just a status thing and another display of princely pettishness

Yes the CHIMPO and his family are in a special category whereby their security needs are under constant review. That seems more than reasonable to me, given that he lives on another continent and chose to give up his official role. This definitely seems like a status thing to me, one for which the British taxpayer has already had to pay due to his ridiculous 'case'.

He's a complete idiot. He thinks the DM printing his own words on twitter and drawing obvious conclusions from what he says is libelous. And at the same time, he's shouting about his own First Amendment rights. How this bloke qualified as a lawyer is beyond me. And it can be guaranteed that the DM don't print anything about H&M and their associates without passing it via a lawyer first. However, the fact that he thinks H&M are going to help him speaks volumes in itself about how close these SS people feel they are to Montecito.

I know I'm hopeless with these things, @Vespanest, but who the hell's Jap P when he's at home? Is it a pseudonym for the Bouzy guy perhaps, or just someone else trying for five minutes of fame in the cesspit of Twitter?