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The royal family

Being Mr. Meghan Markle is no honeymoon (The Spectator)

325 replies

Thedom · 30/04/2025 07:11

Sorry, archive not working, so posted the whole article here.

Interesting tidbit about his turn at the aviation thingy, he was either joking and it landed like a lead balloon or he was being sarcasric about being railroaded into having to cough up for a few tables (probably the latter knowing how he hates to pay for anything)

…………..

“Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are finally enjoying their “honeymoon period.” Or they are according to the Duchess of Sussex, who made the statement on a fawning podcast as part of a brand building media blitz – and who certainly seems to be enjoying herself.

But has she asked her husband if he’s reveling in their belated honeymoon quite as much as she is? Once the spare to the throne, his presence as her forlorn shadow at events to honor her now appears largely surplus to requirements even to Meghan.

“That man loves me so much,” she gushed on Montecito neighbor Jamie Kern Lima’s podcast on Monday. She likened their relationship to a video game where you “slay the dragon, save the princess.” An analogy that firmly implies she is the glittering prize and he should be happy with winning her hand.

“You have to imagine, at the beginning, everyone has butterflies, and then we immediately went into the trenches together right out of the gate, six months into dating,” Meghan added. “So now, seven years later when you have a little bit of breathing space, you can just enjoy each other in a new way, and that’s why I feel like it’s more of a honeymoon period for us now.”

As ever, Meghan’s truth does not necessarily accord with everyone else’s reality.

It’s been a tough week for Harry as Mr. Meghan Markle. His wife undermined his latest warning about the dangers of social media for children by posting photos of their own children on Instagram. He bombed at the Hollywood aviation awards. And he was snubbed by Meghan at the Time100 Summit.

All while his brother Prince William looked every bit the senior statesman with world leaders at the Pope’s funeral in Rome.

Harry’s public troubles began in New York last week. While unveiling a memorial dedicated to the memory of children whose families believe harmful online behavior contributed to their deaths, he demanded stronger protection for young people from the dangers of social media. He was “grateful” that his children were still too young to be online, he said.

Too young, that is, unless Archie and Lilibet are helping Meghan promote her brands.

Meghan used their three-year-old daughter to promote her jam, or rather “preserves” as she calls them (jam has too much sugar, apparently), on social media on Sunday. She posted an Instagram Story showing her stirring her homemade strawberry preserves, saying, “What do you think Lili?” A child’s hand can be seen and a voice purporting to be Lili – but sounding strangely AI – is heard saying, “I think it’s beautiful.”

Meghan also posted Instagram pictures of Lili and son Archie, five, in her rose garden, tastefully obscuring their beautiful red hair and faces. How discrete.

Harry’s woes were compounded during his trip to New York by his wife’s apparent lack of interest in him. When he stepped out of the couple’s car at the TIME event on Wednesday, he reached out to Meghan to hold her hand. But – right in front of the waiting paparazzi – she ignored him, turned away and instead enthusiastically hugged a woman waiting to greet her.

A blushing Harry grimaced, as if he instantly knew the media would seize on it (he was correct), then awkwardly adjusted the back waistband of his trousers under his jacket and dutifully trotted through a door behind his wife as she was ushered in by staff and security. Was it take your husband to work day?

Once inside the auditorium at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Harry was forced to take a literal back seat, applauding enthusiastically from the audience as Meghan trotted out some of her signature lines, such as, “Part of what is really, really important is that love language of taking care of people also feeds me.”

Meghan, wearing a $4,000 Ralph Lauren suit, gave her soft keynote speech promoting her show, podcast, lifestyle brand and family. This marked a stark contrast with the other speakers, such as Yulia Navalnaya, who talked about fighting for human rights after her late husband, the prominent Russian opposition leader and critic of President Vladimir Putin, died in prison.

Making Harry’s recent “whining” about being stripped of his UK security details seem petty. Then Harry was off – alone – to the Living Legends of Aviation Awards, where last year he was honored for his work as an Apache helicopter pilot in Afghanistan.

From the stage at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Friday, Harry thanked the first responders who risked their lives to save those devastated by the California fires, but also took a petulant shot at organizers with a joke that didn’t land well. “I feel like I picked the short straw,” he began.

“Someone had to host a bunch of pilots and firefighters, that’s where they are, there are five tables. I agreed with the organizers that it would be a good idea, let’s get them along. I did not agree to hosting two of the tables.”

The sad contrast with William could not be more obvious, royal biographer, writer and broadcaster Hugo Vickers tells The Spectator. “One of them is doing a good job for the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. And the other’s doing nothing.”

Vickers believes Haz, as he is nicknamed by Meghan, is hanging on to his wife for dear life, “Harry is petrified of her and petrified of losing her. It is a nasty syndrome. And maybe I’m wrong, maybe they’re blissfully happy, but he doesn’t look happy.

“Now he’s just sort of dangling about in the background of Meghan’s various other things she’s promoting.”

Vickers added that the Sussex children’s appearances on Meghan’s Instagram makes them “awful pawns in the middle of this game.”

“All this gooey talk that you get from Meghan about connectivity and love and stuff doesn’t seem to extend to her own family, does it? She’s playing silly games with them. I just have a horrible feeling it’s all going to end badly somehow.”

How much longer can this go on? The old Harry, with his jack-the-lad swagger and roguish sense of humor, was hugely popular with the public, the royals and the media. His former friends, who were pushed aside when he met Meghan, miss that version of Harry. We miss that Harry.

Perhaps it is time for the prince to pack away his paranoia, apologize and start building bridges with his father, brother and the media, if it is not too late and he loses the petering goodwill toward him that still remains. That couldn’t possibly be more humiliating than this flower-sprinkled existence as Mr. Meghan Markle.”

OP posts:
DelectableMe · 02/05/2025 05:25

Middleagedstriker · 02/05/2025 00:31

Imagine training your children for this hell :(

Imagine being so desperate for a royal life that you go on "tours" of Nigeria and Colombia to recreate the privilege and status you decided you didn't want. You have a crown above your initial on stationery and a royal coat of arms on your website. You ensure that your children are Prince and Princess. You constantly promote every detail of your life and put your children on Instagram almost daily in order to get the clicks and the headlines.
Imagine doing that.

Tomatotater · 02/05/2025 08:44

Middleagedstriker · 02/05/2025 00:31

Imagine training your children for this hell :(

Hardly hell. If they wanted to reduce their visibility they could easily get rid of their excessive number of homes, reduce their estates, slim down the Monarchy so that only George has a public profile, get rid of the HRH and titles for the ones not in direct line of succession as other Monarchies have done. Only one person is a ( ceremonial) Head of State. The rest of them could do their own thing if they wanted them to. But they want it all. They parade the kids around because they know the rewards they will get by clinging to the status quo are enormous.

Middleagedstriker · 02/05/2025 08:51

DelectableMe · 02/05/2025 05:25

Imagine being so desperate for a royal life that you go on "tours" of Nigeria and Colombia to recreate the privilege and status you decided you didn't want. You have a crown above your initial on stationery and a royal coat of arms on your website. You ensure that your children are Prince and Princess. You constantly promote every detail of your life and put your children on Instagram almost daily in order to get the clicks and the headlines.
Imagine doing that.

That's equally as awful.
Imagine living in the country where people actually fall for this bullshit.

Damn it. I do 😭

Tomatotater · 02/05/2025 08:53

DelectableMe · 02/05/2025 05:25

Imagine being so desperate for a royal life that you go on "tours" of Nigeria and Colombia to recreate the privilege and status you decided you didn't want. You have a crown above your initial on stationery and a royal coat of arms on your website. You ensure that your children are Prince and Princess. You constantly promote every detail of your life and put your children on Instagram almost daily in order to get the clicks and the headlines.
Imagine doing that.

If you 'slimmed down' the Monarchy' to a European style at least, as Charles said he wanted to do, then they would not have those titles. For some reason, he now doesn't want to do it. There is no point moaning about Archie and Lilli being Prince/Princess. They are entitled to use those titles. The only person who can stop them is Charles, and he isn't even doing it, or even making any attempt by the looks of it. William says a lot about how little work he's planning on doing when he is King, but when it comes to taking his own children or grandchildren out of the Royal bubble, or reducing the vast privilege of the Monarchy or even reforming it in any way, it's tumbleweed.

Middleagedstriker · 02/05/2025 08:53

Tomatotater · 02/05/2025 08:44

Hardly hell. If they wanted to reduce their visibility they could easily get rid of their excessive number of homes, reduce their estates, slim down the Monarchy so that only George has a public profile, get rid of the HRH and titles for the ones not in direct line of succession as other Monarchies have done. Only one person is a ( ceremonial) Head of State. The rest of them could do their own thing if they wanted them to. But they want it all. They parade the kids around because they know the rewards they will get by clinging to the status quo are enormous.

Edited

And because they believe they have a right to it. From my viewpoint its hell. I would hate to be famous. Let alone famous from birth

Ohpleeeease · 02/05/2025 08:59

William talking about his personal work plans in the role is very different from publicly discussing reform of the institution especially while someone else, his father no less, is head. Surely you can see that very obvious distinction?

CoffeeCantata · 02/05/2025 09:49

Middleagedstriker · 02/05/2025 08:53

And because they believe they have a right to it. From my viewpoint its hell. I would hate to be famous. Let alone famous from birth

It's complex, though. Their homes don't belong to them personally - they're Crown property. I don't think they could just get up one morning and decide to sell them. I agree with the general principle of reducing the number of residences.

Apparently Charles and William both detest Buck House and don't live there, or ever want to. But that place has become iconic - all the balcony appearances over our history etc and non-Brits do tend to associate it with the RF and UK perhaps more than any other. No problem - it could remain a base for state visits and parades. Foreign dignitaries appreciate that ride in the carriage down the Mall to Buck House - it's great PR.

Windsor Castle, again, is iconic and a more popular base for some of them (eg the late Queen). Everyone seems to moan about Kensington Palace, but it does house lots of different couples, so is good value compared to others.

Balmoral: the Queen loved Balmoral, and I suspect it's one that the others like too in that it represents the only real get-away they have. It's not actually that large (the house) and I expect it's a good source of employment in a remote area, so you have to consider the impact of removing the very valuable royal connection from say, Ballater and the local area.

Sandringham - lots of history and family occasions there, but not strictly necessary.

I agree that, since they all have their own private homes, there is no need for them to retain all the official residences, and I would argue that (for national, not personal royal preference) they need Buck House (as a state-visit base), Windsor and maybe Balmoral.

I don't think for a minute that it's Charles of William insisting on keeping all the other places - but it's not just up to them.

CoffeeCantata · 02/05/2025 09:50

Sorry, Middleagedstriker - that reply was to Tomato's post below. Duh! Sorry...

Tomatotater · Today 08:44
Hardly hell. If they wanted to reduce their visibility they could easily get rid of their excessive number of homes, reduce their estates, slim down the Monarchy so that only George has a public profile, get rid of the HRH and titles for the ones not in direct line of succession as other Monarchies have done. Only one person is a ( ceremonial) Head of State. The rest of them could do their own thing if they wanted them to. But they want it all. They parade the kids around because they know the rewards they will get by clinging to the status quo are enormous.

CathyorClaire · 02/05/2025 10:00

Ohpleeeease · 02/05/2025 08:59

William talking about his personal work plans in the role is very different from publicly discussing reform of the institution especially while someone else, his father no less, is head. Surely you can see that very obvious distinction?

There's little to stop him reforming the way his Duchy conducts its business.

Maybe he could start there.

bluegreygreen · 02/05/2025 10:36

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Tomatotater · 02/05/2025 11:24

Ohpleeeease · 02/05/2025 08:59

William talking about his personal work plans in the role is very different from publicly discussing reform of the institution especially while someone else, his father no less, is head. Surely you can see that very obvious distinction?

His father did it constantly when he was PoW. its only now that he's King that he's been quiet on the matter.

Tomatotater · 02/05/2025 11:33

CoffeeCantata · 02/05/2025 09:49

It's complex, though. Their homes don't belong to them personally - they're Crown property. I don't think they could just get up one morning and decide to sell them. I agree with the general principle of reducing the number of residences.

Apparently Charles and William both detest Buck House and don't live there, or ever want to. But that place has become iconic - all the balcony appearances over our history etc and non-Brits do tend to associate it with the RF and UK perhaps more than any other. No problem - it could remain a base for state visits and parades. Foreign dignitaries appreciate that ride in the carriage down the Mall to Buck House - it's great PR.

Windsor Castle, again, is iconic and a more popular base for some of them (eg the late Queen). Everyone seems to moan about Kensington Palace, but it does house lots of different couples, so is good value compared to others.

Balmoral: the Queen loved Balmoral, and I suspect it's one that the others like too in that it represents the only real get-away they have. It's not actually that large (the house) and I expect it's a good source of employment in a remote area, so you have to consider the impact of removing the very valuable royal connection from say, Ballater and the local area.

Sandringham - lots of history and family occasions there, but not strictly necessary.

I agree that, since they all have their own private homes, there is no need for them to retain all the official residences, and I would argue that (for national, not personal royal preference) they need Buck House (as a state-visit base), Windsor and maybe Balmoral.

I don't think for a minute that it's Charles of William insisting on keeping all the other places - but it's not just up to them.

Buck House costs an absolute fortune in upkeep ( paid for by us) so it should be open to the public far more than it it, and for longer. If tourists want to see it, they can and will pay to see it all year round. the occasional balcony appearance can still be done. Trooping of the colour is done at the Tower of London and it hasn't been a residence for hundreds of years. Get the brothers, nieces, nephews etc who live in the numerous residences to pay a proper rent. Charles says he's an environmentalist (as does William) but their numerous residences are all fully lit, heated and staffed at all times, despite no one being in residence most of the time. Its all a bit 'Do as I say, so I don't have to'.

bluegreygreen · 02/05/2025 11:49

@Tomatotater Trooping the Colour (not 'of') takes place at Horse Guards Parade.

Facts are important.

bluegreygreen · 02/05/2025 11:51

Resident staff deserve heating and lighting just as much as their employers.

GiveMeSpanakopita · 02/05/2025 12:06

notimagain · 30/04/2025 10:19

Quite possibly..the article states

" The old Harry, with his jack-the-lad swagger and roguish sense of humor, was hugely popular with the public, the royals and the media. His former friends, who were pushed aside when he met Meghan, miss that version of Harry. We miss that Harry."

But I think it's reasonable to question whether that version of Harry ever really existed in reality..

It didn't. I've never worked in anything close to Royal circles but I know people who have. He's always been moody, whingey and difficult, apparently.

He's also apparently actually very bad at interacting with people off the cuff, naturally. he's awkward. All the stuff we used to see of him joking with people and engaging in mischievous horseplay with happy kids was scripted and staged. Royal photographers.

Harry's real interpersonal style is best seen in the cringingly awkward interacts he had with veterans for the NF docu, his remarkably bad-tempered Afghanistan interview and his speech at Time 100.

FWIW William used to be absolutely dreadful at off the cuff interactions too but apparently changed a LOT when he became a father, and now seems a lot more comfortable in his own skin and therefore in interpersonal interactions too.

Serenster · 02/05/2025 12:33

Trooping of the colour is done at the Tower of London and it hasn't been a residence for hundreds of years

Quite apart from the fact, as has been pointed out, that Trooping the Colour has nothing to do with the Tower of London - loads of people live in the Tower of London! All the Beefeaters, their families and the Governor of the Tower and their family. They have their own pub in the walls. Some of its residents have instagram accounts detailing their lives behind the scenes.

Tomatotater · 02/05/2025 13:10

Serenster · 02/05/2025 12:33

Trooping of the colour is done at the Tower of London and it hasn't been a residence for hundreds of years

Quite apart from the fact, as has been pointed out, that Trooping the Colour has nothing to do with the Tower of London - loads of people live in the Tower of London! All the Beefeaters, their families and the Governor of the Tower and their family. They have their own pub in the walls. Some of its residents have instagram accounts detailing their lives behind the scenes.

I stand corrected. It was Changing of the Guards I saw when I went there. The pint about people living there was about the Royal Family. people visit the Tower of London even though its not Royal residence. I was comparing it to Buckingham Palace. You could open the whole thing out all year round to the public and have a wing for ceremonial business and State banquets etc. its huge. Why are there so many residences for so few working Royals?

JSMill · 02/05/2025 13:18

GiveMeSpanakopita · 02/05/2025 12:06

It didn't. I've never worked in anything close to Royal circles but I know people who have. He's always been moody, whingey and difficult, apparently.

He's also apparently actually very bad at interacting with people off the cuff, naturally. he's awkward. All the stuff we used to see of him joking with people and engaging in mischievous horseplay with happy kids was scripted and staged. Royal photographers.

Harry's real interpersonal style is best seen in the cringingly awkward interacts he had with veterans for the NF docu, his remarkably bad-tempered Afghanistan interview and his speech at Time 100.

FWIW William used to be absolutely dreadful at off the cuff interactions too but apparently changed a LOT when he became a father, and now seems a lot more comfortable in his own skin and therefore in interpersonal interactions too.

William seemed to relax a lot when he became a father. You can tell by the way he relates to children on walkabouts that he clearly enjoys children. There’s a lovely video of him on Mull encouraging a little girl to go up to Catherine and give her flowers.

Uricon2 · 02/05/2025 13:24

I love the story about Edward III rocking up at the Tower of London one night in 1340 and being furious that he was able to just walk in (one story goes that the warders were drunk) He insisted on a lock up procedure every night and implemented a security review.

smilesy · 02/05/2025 13:38

Tomatotater · 02/05/2025 13:10

I stand corrected. It was Changing of the Guards I saw when I went there. The pint about people living there was about the Royal Family. people visit the Tower of London even though its not Royal residence. I was comparing it to Buckingham Palace. You could open the whole thing out all year round to the public and have a wing for ceremonial business and State banquets etc. its huge. Why are there so many residences for so few working Royals?

Changing the Guard takes place at Buckingham Palace. Not the Tower

removed superfluous word

BemusedAmerican · 02/05/2025 13:40

I've been to the Tower. I love history, I love ravens, and I just finished the Ravenmaster's book. I'd go again. I would also love to visit Windsor because it's an old castle in beautiful and historic parkland.

No interest in BP, KP ( which seems to house lots of people - bought a guidebook about it at Hampton court) or Sandringham. They just don't seem romantic or historically interesting to me.

Not2identifying · 02/05/2025 13:41

I'm not sure this is the thread for it so ignore me if you feel I'm derailing but I do try my hardest to be fair.

Did any of you see that there was an article about William (I can't remember where it is now) that said, probably in a bid to make him look like he works hard, that he messages the people who manage the Duchy at the weekend (WhatsApp apparently)? I did raise an eyebrow as I think that's inappropriate boundaries for managing staff (contacting them out of hours about work stuff)...

Mentioning it here because it's one of the criticisms levelled at Meghan (rightly in my view) that messaging the spouse of an employee who is off sick and messaging staff at 5am is not good management. Looks to me like William is guilty of the same or at least similar.

bluegreygreen · 02/05/2025 13:57

I read the article, and annoyingly can't remember where.

A large part of it was inteviewing the manager of the Duchy of Cornwall, who was describing how William's way of working was different to his father's. His father preferred to use the telephone at the office desk; William on his first day gave the manager his mobile number and said he could be contacted any time.

It was in that context that the manager also mentioned there being a weekend where there were multiple messages. I did wonder about staff wellbeing, but hen realised I know nothing at all about managing a duchy (or even who messaged first).

(The manager has since moved to work with the King again at the Duchy of Lancaster).

GiveMeSpanakopita · 02/05/2025 14:23

JSMill · 02/05/2025 13:18

William seemed to relax a lot when he became a father. You can tell by the way he relates to children on walkabouts that he clearly enjoys children. There’s a lovely video of him on Mull encouraging a little girl to go up to Catherine and give her flowers.

I think it's also worth mentioning cultural differences. People on the East and (especially!) West Coasts have a very different culture to us blighted Britishers. This tends to get forgotten because so much media we consume now is American, but from my own experiences I can tell you that the differences in the US vs UK business worlds, media worlds, and general attitudes to commerce vs 'service' are really very stark.

Societal expectations of how to behave, talk, converse and even joke in formal and informal settings are different too. I think Harry's not yet adapted to this, which also goes a long way to explain his clear awkwardness in all his public undertakings since leaving RF. Especially those in Cali.

MrsLeonFarrell · 02/05/2025 14:41

bluegreygreen · 02/05/2025 13:57

I read the article, and annoyingly can't remember where.

A large part of it was inteviewing the manager of the Duchy of Cornwall, who was describing how William's way of working was different to his father's. His father preferred to use the telephone at the office desk; William on his first day gave the manager his mobile number and said he could be contacted any time.

It was in that context that the manager also mentioned there being a weekend where there were multiple messages. I did wonder about staff wellbeing, but hen realised I know nothing at all about managing a duchy (or even who messaged first).

(The manager has since moved to work with the King again at the Duchy of Lancaster).

That's from a Times article last weekend.