Awful card

[Jostuki]

Happy holiday season. 🙄

Meh, I can get worked up about the security. It’s not their fault they need it and I’m sure they would rather live without it.

I say Happy Holidays it's not such a big deal.

But the juxtaposition of them sending a Happy Holiday card for their American audience from the Office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex is what is the most ridiculous part of it. The informality of the americanised Happy Holidays, using their very formal British titles. They are so weird and such painstaking up-their-own-arse desperate snobs..

Scobie is the one who was allowed to release it to the public and he is British, not American, so they clearly wanted it to be a talking point in the UK.

@Hazeby I think the opposite. They want the security for the status it brings.

If Harry was genuinely that concerned about his and his family's safety he would keep a low profile, he wouldn't publicise his event and travel plans, and he wouldn't have bragged about the number of Taliban fighters he killed in his book.

We've seen plenty of examples of him being able to come to the UK and leave again without anyone even knowing he was here (when he chooses not to let it be known) so it's absolutely possible for him to significantly reduce any risk.

Plus, most other members of the RF don't receive security other than when they're on official duties - and that includes family members just as closely related to the King. This idea that he's so under threat that he needs 24/7 armed protection is a fallacy that he's whipped up himself - although he's certainly doing his best to keep his risk profile as high as possible.

Yes, exactly

alongside the risible, "I'm going to get Meghans friend, Gavin Newsom, onto this' so he could manipulate the situation for his own ends, he is so used to bullying others into doing what he wants, pulling rank is just his modus operandi, thankfully it doesn't appear to be working anymore. He is continually proving himself to be a right ol' loser. .

They do have RAVEC-designated security in the UK - but what they crave is the Internationally Protected Person (IPP) status. Not even Hollywood A listers have that.

I suspect that's why H&M insisted on 'hitting the ground running' and becoming full-time senior working royals straight away after marriage. It gave them IPP status. Never in a million years did Harry think they could lose the IPP status and be required to give up use of the HRH styles when they left the UK.

It seems from his own account in Spare that that really threw him, and exacerbated his bitterness and endless need to compare himself to William and even Andrew at one point.

You're right, @WinterCrow . When in the UK, Harry gets taxpayer funded security.
In the USA, it's their choice to live a public life, and publicise activities.
This is less about security, and more about status.

It’s hard to imagine how two people with enormous egos can cope with the ridicule they have faced
Harry in particular has had mental health problems so it’s difficult to see where this is heading
Neither of them can be happy with the outcome of their scorched earth approach with the Royal Family
Its always worked for Meghan before but this time they are slowly realising they need the Royal Family
Boxed into a corner

Cards aside, the suggestion that very few people would mention their religion... to anyone outside their immediate family doesnt match my experience of living in the US, quite the opposite! People were far more up front talking about going to church/synagogue etc than in the UK.

Scobie is the one who was allowed to release it to the public and he is British, not American, so they clearly wanted it to be a talking point in the UK.

I thought that Scobie being back on the team is the most interesting?

Does that mean that their official PR people (especially the one they painstaking gave some convoluted story about leaving 'because she was setting up her own business - but would work for H&M' at the time of the most recent bullying claims in The HollyWood Reporter) are not around?

Or did Scobie go rogue...maybe he was just a recipentand decided to share?

That is a really interesting point. I hadn't considered that (I haven't read Spare.) But it makes total sense. After all, he has spent his whole life being 'protected'. It's all he knows.

Imagine living with CPOs at school and uni for eg which is a constant reminder that your family has your back (and that you are worth protecting).

And then...to have that effectively pulled because you aren't a Royal in the same way anymore. That's like a message that you aren't 'faaaamily' (said in Eastenders way!)

I would imagine, given his very obvious struggles with his view that the RF failed his mum etc, that would be a real kick in the teeth.

I don’t know. Obviously we don’t know what threats are or aren’t made or how paranoid he is. But the end of the day, he’s a prince, the son of the king and very famous. He’ll always be those things, regardless of where he lives, who he marries, what titles he does or doesn’t have, what work he does. So he’ll always need some security and I can’t blame him for wanting it.

@chollysawcutt it's not "a kick in the teeth".
He chose not to be an official working royal.
He chose to live in California.
Proper and appropriate security in the UK as decided by RAVEC is not "a kick in the teeth".
Most adults would understand about personal choices and outcomes.

He gets UK security, @Hazeby , for the very reasons you have said, taxpayer funded.
Do you think we should pay for his security in California as well?

Oh, they absolutely want security.

If they didn't want security they wouldn't be suing the UK Govt about it, or continuing with civil litigation through the UK court system, drawing further press and public attention.

They wouldn't visit Columbia or Nigeria and have armed guards escort them 24/7.

They wouldn't insist on the NYPD giving them blue light convoys in broad daylight.

And most of all - if they didn't want (or fundamentally mentally crave IMO) security, then they wouldn't send out corporate Holiday cards "from The Office of Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex".

Their constant need for attention is what feeds the "need" for security.

It's fascinating, and having just read Andrew Lownie's excellent book on the Duke of Windsor - the parallels are striking.

Edit: spelling

@mathanxiety you are putting your personal thoughts and experiences into that. It's not that way for everyone though.,Our Jewish family have always taken kids to see Santa etc and would never be offended by a Christmas card. Certain members also celebrate Kwanzaa. I'm talking about the UK and USA.,

Excellent points, @MrsFinkelstein 👌
Although one correction... I believe that the card was on behalf of the office of the royal couple, which made me laugh 😂!

@MayaKovskaya you're correct, it makes it even worse!

I wonder how he manages to get NYC police to give him a security escort when visiting a tattoo parlour. Who is paying for that, and what is their justification, I wonder? Where are American Heritage when you need them?

It's ridiculous, isn't it? The level of entitlement, and lack of self awareness is something else.

If a professional assessment by the met police or whomever says he need security, then yes.

If they don’t give it to him because they don’t think he needs it, then of course he should pay for his own if he wants it. If they don’t give it to him because of media outrage, family feuds or punishment for leaving, then that’s not on.

Their constant need for attention is what feeds the "need" for security

Is that true though? He’s had security from birth, as has his brother.

Harold wants IPP status and all that goes with it as he made clear in the since altered statement issued after the so-called Sandringham summit:

https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a30529397/meghan-markle-prince-harry-website-security-change/

And at every bloody opportunity they flaunt their titles and call their children Prince and Princess ffs!
Of course they want that life, why else would they do this!

The holidays cover Xmas , Hanukkah , NYE, it’s a perfectly acceptable way of saying hope you enjoy the holidays whatever your religion is , Not sure why some are up in arms about it?

who do you think decides who gets security Hazeby? It’s well known it’s the Met , not someone with a vendetta because the left and they’ve fallen out with the family .

I think it is madness that people think it is "entitled" to want security in his position. Harry is the son of a king through no fault of his own. He did not choose that nor can he change it. No matter how quiet he is, he will always the son of a king and therefore he and his family will always live under the threat of harm. It's not a bit entitled to think the very people who have put you in this position should protect you.