Let us all discuss the news and great doings issuing from Montecito

[Uricon2]

WTF Ghana? Just why?

True, @IcedPurple ! However, he ought to at least have explained the Line of Succession, and Letters Patent, and that skin colour did not mean exclusion.
Anyway. I think the idea of $$$$$ was more appealing to the pair of them than wisdom, loyalty or integrity.

Yes @IcedPurple , and I believe it was reported that her friend ( I forget who?) , actually did try and warn her about what it would be like and she told her ( I'm paraphrasing) ... to butt out , mind her own business and not to spoil her joy!!
I think said friend was then frozen out!

I don't for a second believe that she didn't understand all that. She was just playing the victim card.

Then it was a terrible lie, wasn't it, @IcedPurple ? Archie is a Prince and that lie hasn't been retracted.

She refused all help - Sophie , Susan Hussey and a senior aide ( sorry forgotten his name). .
She was given her own staff plus a dossier with guidance .
All ignored .
But she then complained that Catherine didn’t take her shopping !

Harry is solely responsible for the hurt caused to his family and the breaches of their privacy, and the privacy of people who are not in public life, such as the school matron and the young woman he lost his virginity with.

Re Meghan and the curtseying, I was watching some of the events following the Queen's death on YouTube the other day - some video compilations came up on my recommendations.

As the Queen's coffin was being carried into St Giles' cathedral, Princess Anne curtseyed deeply. It was a very moving personal expression of grief and respect, and made M's performance appear even more crass.

I agree that Harry is responsible for betraying his family by breaching their privacy. He is the one who let someone he loves enter the Royal family without a clue as to what she was letting herself in for. I'm not sure any royal bride was fully prepared because it's such a weird life but at least the others accepted help.

I think that Meghan genuinely didn't realise that this wasn't like being interviewed as a celebrity. I'm pretty sure they lie a lot time and spin things to their own advantage. What she didn't realise is that criticism of the Late Queen would cause critical damage to her public image. Criticism of the late Queen was received as criticism of her country and the people of her country. When people feel attacked they tend to go on the offensive, hence the forensic checking of everything she said then and since about the family and the country.

I'm not even taking into account how admired the late Queen was around the world and how offended people were on her behalf by the breaching of privacy and racism accusations.

I do believe that he genuinely feels under threat and his campaign for security is 100% real and rooted in his fear that someone will hurt Meghan or his children.

The sad thing is that any amount of security won't take that fear away and no security will be allocated on the basis of fear rather than fact.

Then it makes no sense to live in a nation with significant gun ownership, and shooting incidents. They were safer in Windsor with royal protection.
They were never papped once during their time there, they seem to be papped frequently there.

But Harry isn't thinking logically, he is thinking emotionally. I agree with all your points but I doubt that he would be able to reason logically in that way.

Indeed, logic is not his strength. He is very contradictory, emotional and impulsive. He also does not choose to be particularly well informed.

I do believe that he genuinely feels under threat and his campaign for security is 100% real and rooted in his fear that someone will hurt Meghan or his children.

That must be why he walked away from a role and a home with high level round the clock security, and why he and his wife happily leave their children to travel to dangerous countries thousands of miles away.

As I said upthread, I don't think his choices are logical, they are emotional and governed by the fear in his head. The UK is painted in his head as the country that betrayed his mother and caused her death and persecuted her with the press. He may well feel safer away from here.

I agree it doesn't make logical sense, but he isn't logical.

No, especially as his mother died in an accident in France, having got rid of her proper protection.

Yes I agree that it doesn't make sense. Somehow he blames the British press for a car accident in France.

But he was 12 when she died, it doesn't seem as if she confided in him much so he didn't have perspective and he doesn't seem to have grown past that devastated child. And it is the child who is making his decisions.

Well then he needs to stay away. He has no role in Britain and his presence is not required.

And I still do not believe that a person who has genuine 'fear' over their family's security would make the choices he and his wife make. What parents leave their small children on another continent for weeks when they could choose not to?

His ridiculous RAVEC 'case' is about ego and jealousy of this brother, not security.

Wow, I listened to the podcast with Ashley Hansen.

Sounds like she was completely depressed and burnt out working for Meghan. That’s why she left Archewell and set up her own business.

She says she’s a complete people pleaser who lost her identity, so you can just imagine how she would get chewed up in Meghans world. She was talking in general terms, but was saying she would never speak up, never voiced her opinion, didn’t look after herself, never switched off and was always trying to help others. I can’t see now how she was one of the few that lasted so long, because she didn’t have the tools to stand up for herself and was buried by them.
Shes desperate to still be the nice one and people please, so she is still consulting for Archewell, even though you can see that’s what caused her mental health to deteriorate.

She did the Hoffman process? It’s a retreat for those struggling I think. And after that decided to leave Archewell and set up her own business. Sounds like she’s still depressed though, she talks about her average day and it seems like she needs to sleep a lot.

She also says she has clients in the UK, which seems a tad strange. Wonder who they are and why they would be working with someone based in California?

Is it not more that he wants the same level of security as William ?

Then what use has his therapy been, or his marriage if he can't stop being a 12 year old boy? Most people don't have that luxury and have to take steps to move on and create an adult life.

In my experience a lot of people are navigating adult life with a damaged child inside of them affecting their decisions.

I'm not getting to excuse his decisions, I see these things as explanations but I don't think they excuse him.

It's certainly not an excuse. Many children were made motherless by the Yorkshire Ripper. I can't imagine the horror of that. These were children from poor families, with no support and help, no therapy, no skiing holidays or safaris to distract them. They suffered stigma because their mums were labelled prostitutes.
I read the account of one of them. He's carved out a productive life for himself, and campaigned against violence against women.

I think Harry does have a "damaged toolkit" and is very stuck. I'm not sure at this stage what would help him move on and for me, there is the also the fact that he seems incapable of recognising the incredible privilege that his birth gave him from the start. Although it is in no way compensation for losing your mother as a child, one thing that Diana's death bought forth was an incredible and longlasting amount of goodwill and sympathy for both him and William and I agree with @MissFenellaPrism , there are many children who go through similar and who might only have a future in the care system afterwards.

I wasn't a massive fan of the Queen Mother, but as a support to her (also damaged) husband she achieved much. Maybe if Meghan had been able to support him in his role in the RF, perhaps if they'd taken off to Africa to do something it would have been different but I can't see their current situation can really suit either of them. A lifestyle that must haemorrhage money, not achieving A list status, estranged from almost all family, lots of their schemes not taking off, really lousy press from most quarters and criticism online that makes this board look like a fan club.

... he doesn't seem to have grown past that devastated child. And it is the child who is making his decisions

That could well be as close to the truth as we'll ever get, @MrsLeonFarrell

As for what subsequent therapy could have done for him, therapists aren't magicians - even the good ones and we don't know who he's seen - and clearly a level of engagement's necessary from the client
Not having been there we can't say if Harry was willing or able to do this, so I guess it's just one more thing we'll never know

@Uricon2 I do wonder how much pressure they are feeling under finanacially . It may be that Love Meghan and ARO take off but it would appear reaction to the series wasn't great . I've no idea what Netflix will do when the contract comes up for renewal but apart from the Documentary about themselves I'm not sure anything else has been a success. I know they are hugely rich by most standards but the security etc must be making big dints . But I am not privy to their finances.

I do wonder how much pressure they are feeling under finanacially . It may be that Love Meghan and ARO take off

I've said before on these threads, I don't see how ARO, from what we know of it, and whatever it's called now, can generate the type of income they are looking for. They don't appear to be offering specialised or high quality products which people might pay big money for, and if it's just a pile it high, sell it cheap operation, what's the USP? You might as well order from Amazon.