GB News is losing the plot!

[LimeBiscuit]

I really don’t think there is a ‘contest’ other than in the minds of parts of the media. One brother will be King in time and the other brother wants to leave a meaningful legacy in his own right. So far both are doing a great job in carving out their own lives. I hope the brothers come to a point in time where they can be friends again. Life is too short to hold on to anger. The media doesn’t help by embroiling itself in their relationship - or lack thereof currently. I think many people in many countries would love to see a sense of family togetherness again with all of the current King’s grandchildren getting to know one another. It would show how a public facing family can overcome its own difficulties if KCIII could bring both brothers into line again. It’s time to stop painting Harry as the black sheep of the family. It hasn’t worked, it just drives more dissent and anti monarchy feeling in the younger generation. If we are to have a King William and a King George then the younger generation do need to see the institution as worth holding onto. As Harry is clearly active on the world stage harnessing his global appeal would be an advantageous move by the current King.

https://www.gbnews.com/royal/kate-middleton-prince-william-news-meghan-markle-prince-harry-contest

@Toastbuttermarmaladetea I read Lady C's book for the first time after the revised edition came out. I'm still stunned and bemused. But no one has taken her to court yet.

He was the most popular royal for a long time. This was despite his ‘bad boy’ image.

He grew up and redeemed himself in many ways.

I don’t think he likes confrontation - not with Diana, William or Harry.

I don’t see it as that, at all. I see it as how deeply he was affected by both the moniker of spare and being treated as such within that world.

Well, I hope he's getting help, that's all. If his biggest gripe is the attendant problems with not being heir to the throne, then he needs to look around him a bit more.

You're right, he's more of a conciliatory character. I do believe that he would like to repair relations with his son.

Limebiscuit
I see it as how deeply he was affected by both the moniker of spare and being treated as such within that world.

The irony is that Harry has shown himself to be completely unsuitable for the Top Job, though. He seems to have made nothing of his world-class education (shamelessly telling his History teacher how uninterested he was in his country's or his family's history, and then boasting about it in Spare as if it's something to be admired), and to have shown contempt and ignorance about British traditions and culture. This might be OK if he wanted to cultivate a laddish persona (which worked for a while) but not OK if he wanted to be taken seriously. And it proves he was not Heir to the Throne material.

I mean, look at how ignorant Meghan claimed to be about all this under his tutelage. When offered several mentors, she rejected them all, saying 'I have Harry!'. Well, a lot of good that did them both.

He can't have it both ways - he enjoyed/enjoys all the advantages of NOT being the heir, while simultaneously whining about being Spare. He was never heir material, much like Edward VII as PoW. If ever a complete dumb-cluck was lucky to be born into the position in life that Harry was, and then not see that luck, considering his mediocre personal abilities, well - I'm lost for words!

Edward VIII - not 7th!! I've cut my middle finger gardening and typing is painful!!

Camilla Tominey - anything she writes is not credible IMHO. Back in the day someone felt strongly enough about the reporting in the UK by disgusting tabloids to create Meghanpedia. For example, an article covered Archie’s ‘reading’.

https://meghanpedia.com/lets-talk-about-camilla-tomineys-voracious-appetite-for-lying/

Lady C. makes me want to puke. 🤢

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53516029-meghan-and-harry

The royals are most definitely highly invested in creating and amassing personal wealth first and foremost. Their charities are commendable but the royals do not really ‘work for us’ although we like to think they do. We are subjects. Our Monarch does represent our country and he understands that it is diverse and I do believe he cares about the UK people deeply. I think the riots will have affected him and as he is a thinker will draw conclusions about online divisive and inaccurate comments/reporting that spilled over into real life, real time events on the streets. The counter peaceful show of force/protests showed we are not a racist country as a whole and that the online space can be used as a force for good and to mobilise in a good way.

QEII amassed a personal wealth of hundreds of millions, she bought the Princess Royal a home (unlike the ‘gift’ of Frogmore to Harry, Anne gets to keep it). There is no such thing as the royals not benefitting from their status as royals, whether working, non working, titled or not. Without exception all of them know people and network in an elite and rarified atmosphere. Harry himself has bagged billionaire friends proving that being the son of a very, very wealthy King will always open doors.

“Her Majesty’s Personal Assets

The Queen has accumulated over $500 million in personal assets, largely due to her investments, art collection, jewelry, and real estate holdings, which includes the Sandringham House and the Balmoral Castle, according to Business Insider. Now that she’s died, most of her personal assets will be passed down to Prince Charles when he takes the throne.

Her Majesty also inherited nearly $70 million from the Queen Mother when she died in 2002, including investments in paintings, a stamp collection, fine china, jewels, horses, and even a valuable Faberge egg collection. Paintings in the collection include works by Monet, Nash, and Carl Fabergé. There is a special legal clause in place that exempts the Queen from paying inheritance tax on the estate left by her mother. This clause will apply to Prince Charles too. Inheritance from sovereign to sovereign is exempt from the 40% inheritance tax, as was agreed with the former Prime Minister John Major in 1993 to avoid erosion of the royal family’s wealth.”

https://fortune.com/2022/09/08/who-inherits-queen-elizabeth-net-worth-will-fortune-will/

Ouch!

At one time Princess Anne was 2nd in line to the throne. She's now 17th. She had shown that it is entirely possible to carve out a positive life for yourself in this position, even though she's been very "spare". She keeps active with many patronages and activities and has chosen not to get money by selling her family's privacy. It is entirely manageable.

... from meghanpedia.com 😂
(That Camilla Tominey article above)

Yes, the point was to show that the UK papers fired up thousands of people to do something about the hateful reporting. As an example someone felt motivated enough to do something about it.

We can agree on that.

Regarding mental health issues ~ no amount of money or status can heal a psychological wound. I do believe that Harry’s life now is to create a legacy for his children

Interesting comparison with Edward VIII, reminded me that I read that when George VI reluctantly took over, he immediately told his younger brothers (Prince Henry of Gloucester and Prince George of Kent) that he couldn't do it on his own and their lives would be changing too. I think previously they'd had a nice time as "spares", doing pretty much what they wanted.To their credit, they did step up and support him.

It's generally acknowleged that this set of brothers didn't have an easy childhood but it seems they were able to pull together when needed.

Well, it can - in a way. Harry has the opportunity to access top therapists whenever, and any kind of alternative therapy as well. He'll never have to go on an NHS waiting list, not be allowed to take time off work, be too busy with childcare or supermarket shopping, take the car for it's MOT etc. He's been able to go on exclusive, relaxing holidays, be driven everywhere, etc. The thing is that you have to want it to change you, and put the work in for that to happen.

Yes - and this brings up an interesting point in that, through the generations, many royal offspring have had difficult childhoods for various reasons. George V was known to be a tough father (whatever his other virtues) to his sons, and they were all affected by it. I'm a mild royalist, but I do admit that being a royal child must be extremely difficult and few come through it unscathed.

The late Queen was very, very dedicated to the job and Charles may have suffered as a result. Charles, for all kinds of reasons (trying not to make the same mistake, guilt over the breakdown of his marriage) seems to have benignly neglected the boys in an over-indulgent kind of way.

People criticise the Waleses, but I really hope that they are managing to bring their 3 up in the most normal, unpressured way possible in their circumstances. I hope the Middletons' influence will help here, and considering W and C will start full-on monarching perhaps sooner than they thought (get well, KC!) I don't begrudge them family time now.

QEII amassed a personal wealth of hundreds of millions, she bought the Princess Royal a home (unlike the ‘gift’ of Frogmore to Harry, Anne gets to keep it).

Yes she did. But you are comparing apples with oranges.

Anne was the Queen’s daughter (not her grandson), and when she married she and her husband declined a title so her children would not be titled. The Queen may have therefore wanted to make a provision for her only daughter’s family.

I don’t believe the Queen has bought any of her eight grandchildren a home, however? Happy to be proved wrong though if you know more about this. William and Kate were given the right to occupy properties that the Crown already owned (Nottingham Cottage, Kensington Palace, Anmer Hall, Adelaide Cottage) by the Queen in the same way that Harry and later Meghan were occupying Nottingham Cottage and Frogmore. The “gift” element of these was that the couples didn’t have to pay to obtain the lease, which would normally be the case (and as Andrew did when he leased the Royal Lodge)

If Meghan and Harry had stuck around for more than 18 months Harry’s Father may have gifted them a property as the Queen did for her daughter. Obviously, we’ll never know.

I’m also always interested to see posters who have such strong views about journalists on the basis that they lie about things (and praise those who set up website dedicated to criticising them for this, as seen above).

Yet Meghan, proven liar who has had to apologise to the Court for doing so somehow is miraculously exempt from any such judgments. And attempts to criticise her is denigrated as bullying and shameful behaviour by those same posters…

You're right, @Serenster , we'll never know, but I have read that Charles wanted H&M to have Clarence House, and then Highgrove. They could also have had the Gloucesters' very spacious apartment in KP. The latter was definitely in process, as Richard and Birgitte were downsizing.

If Meghan and Harry had stuck around for more than 18 months Harry’s Father may have gifted them a property as the Queen did for her daughter. Obviously, we’ll never know.
H & M were impetuous and foolish by flouncing off so hastily. Life could have been so much easier for them. However, as we have no learned how nasty and entitled H is, through his own words in Spare and the documentary, I thought the RF and the country were lucky they buggered off.

I thought they were offered a country property somewhere, weren’t they? But they wanted an apartment in Windsor Castle. They settled for Frog Cottage but this may or may not have been because they thought it was Frog House 🤷‍♀️

I may be misremembering, but wasn't it somewhere in Shropshire?

(I'd have gnashered Charles's hand off for that, but it's a loooong way from California 😆)

No, it was allegedly York Cottage on the Sandringham Estate. They did apparently have a lease on a property the Cotswolds. Maybe that is what you are confusing with Shropshire (which is a beautiful part of the world. The Norfolk house sounds lovely

Ah, thanks @smilesy that explains it (I'll shelve the envy now!) York Cott I believe cramped and inconvenient, although George and Mary and their brood, plus staff, plus eg the visiting Russian Imperial family managed when Queen Alexandra refused to move out of the Big House at Sandringham in widowhood. It was the estate ofice in the 50s when James Pope-Hennessy was researching his biography of QM.

I find the history of some of the lesser known houses and the people who've occupied them fascinating, like Grand Duchess Xenia (last Tsars sister) living in Frog Cott at one point in her exile.

ETA York Cott looks OK to me! The estate is lovely, although I found Sandringham House itself a bit unnerving and I've never felt like that in a historic house before. Found out years later that James P-H felt the same, very odd.