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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:
CoffeeCantata · 01/05/2025 06:38

Weepixie · 30/04/2025 23:11

The derogatory comment above about 'Phil the Greek' 🙄missed the point that Prince Philip had a brilliant relationship with service people

Prince Phillip was a war hero. A fact so many people are unaware of or deliberately chose to forget when putting the boot in on him.

I agree.

There's so much more to Prince Philip than the lazy 'he's a racist' jibes. I really hate the reductionist attitude to people in the past who may not have always conformed to 2025 attitudes but nevertheless possessed sterling qualities and achieved great things.

For all those people churning out cheap insults - do your research and find out about his life and work. He had a very disrupted and difficult childhood, trained as a naval officer, came out top of his year at Dartmouth and then had a very successful naval career which he gave up to be consort to his wife. He was fluent in English, French and German (and spoke other languages too).

He worked to promote nature conservation and for the protection of tribal people whom he very much admired.

RinkyDinkDrink · 01/05/2025 06:42

I think he was joking about how expensive it would be to host two tables full of firefighters and pilots, he’s talking about how much they drink, because he likes to do that whole ‘I was in the armed forces thing, one of the boys’ thing. I’m no fan, but I’m sure it wasn’t a big deal.

SoOxon · 01/05/2025 06:53

TheSecondMrsCampbellBlack · 30/04/2025 17:29

Also Meghan saying they were "in the trenches" WTAF?

The trenches were world war 1 - you were a couple of spoiled whining nitwits who had no idea how good you had it, you were hardly in a warzone.

I'm just not buying that they're living their best life tbh. And Harry's comment about the tables didn't get a good reception, it was weak embarrassed laughter.

It is embarrassing for the UK and for the monarchy really.

‘On the bleachers’ is more realistic

Mila6464 · 01/05/2025 06:54

CoffeeCantata · 01/05/2025 06:38

I agree.

There's so much more to Prince Philip than the lazy 'he's a racist' jibes. I really hate the reductionist attitude to people in the past who may not have always conformed to 2025 attitudes but nevertheless possessed sterling qualities and achieved great things.

For all those people churning out cheap insults - do your research and find out about his life and work. He had a very disrupted and difficult childhood, trained as a naval officer, came out top of his year at Dartmouth and then had a very successful naval career which he gave up to be consort to his wife. He was fluent in English, French and German (and spoke other languages too).

He worked to promote nature conservation and for the protection of tribal people whom he very much admired.

He also wished he could come back as a virus and kill off the groups of people he didn't like.

JADS · 01/05/2025 07:50

While I think the palace did some amazing PR with Harry, the signs of him being an entitled dick are there from very the start. There is a interview from William and Harry where they are both the forces. There is a bit of gentle sibling teasing, then Harry bites hard. He also acts like he doesn't want to be there. William acts an emollient, keeping him a bit in check.

I've never warmed to him or bought his lovable rogue act. I don't think he's funny. QEII is far funnier in their mic drop skit. I think he got away with a lot of stuff because of Diana. I don't blame Meghan - she has other issues. Harry is far worse in my mind.

Ohpleeeease · 01/05/2025 08:01

I’ve seen that interview, I found the dynamic unsettling, neither of them came out of it well, it was banter with a nasty edge.

I’m sure H can be both charming and very unpleasant. Same with his wife. None of which would matter if they didn’t keep shoving themselves in the public eye every five minutes.

StartupRepair · 01/05/2025 08:05

Saying Phil the Greek is itself a racist slur which he had to endure for decades.

CoffeeCantata · 01/05/2025 08:10

Mila6464 · 01/05/2025 06:54

He also wished he could come back as a virus and kill off the groups of people he didn't like.

And you take that literally?

Blimey - the things I've said in jest or anger over the years!

CoffeeCantata · 01/05/2025 08:16

JADS · 01/05/2025 07:50

While I think the palace did some amazing PR with Harry, the signs of him being an entitled dick are there from very the start. There is a interview from William and Harry where they are both the forces. There is a bit of gentle sibling teasing, then Harry bites hard. He also acts like he doesn't want to be there. William acts an emollient, keeping him a bit in check.

I've never warmed to him or bought his lovable rogue act. I don't think he's funny. QEII is far funnier in their mic drop skit. I think he got away with a lot of stuff because of Diana. I don't blame Meghan - she has other issues. Harry is far worse in my mind.

Edited

I agree. I think for lots of reasons Harry is not a pleasant person. It's on record that he's handy with his fists - there were at least a couple of unprovoked assaults that, if her were not a prince, might have warranted an arrest.

I remember years ago Cressida Bonas had said that far from being a fun guy, Harry had been a grumpy sod during their relationship. He just wanted to sit around in the flat watching TV and was totally unromantic and sulky.

I don't particularly like the look of his mates - the Band of Brothers either (I admit that's just prejudice!! But they do look like classic entitled, loud, braying, moronic Hoorays). If I'm being unfair and anyone knows otherwise I'm happy to be corrected.

No - I don't buy the lovable rogue persona either. I can't bear either H or M, but they do deeply deserve each other.

smilesy · 01/05/2025 08:23

JADS · 01/05/2025 07:50

While I think the palace did some amazing PR with Harry, the signs of him being an entitled dick are there from very the start. There is a interview from William and Harry where they are both the forces. There is a bit of gentle sibling teasing, then Harry bites hard. He also acts like he doesn't want to be there. William acts an emollient, keeping him a bit in check.

I've never warmed to him or bought his lovable rogue act. I don't think he's funny. QEII is far funnier in their mic drop skit. I think he got away with a lot of stuff because of Diana. I don't blame Meghan - she has other issues. Harry is far worse in my mind.

Edited

Funnily enough, I remember watching the episode of DIY SoS with Harry and William when they were building a whole row of houses for veterans, and Harry objected to Billy Byrne calling him “sausage”. Everyone laughed but I remember thinking that actually Harry came across as a bit nasty rather than funny. I think you can find it on YouTube.

I suppose that with what we now know, he may have found the word “sausage” triggering 😆

notimagain · 01/05/2025 08:24

RinkyDinkDrink · 01/05/2025 06:42

I think he was joking about how expensive it would be to host two tables full of firefighters and pilots, he’s talking about how much they drink, because he likes to do that whole ‘I was in the armed forces thing, one of the boys’ thing. I’m no fan, but I’m sure it wasn’t a big deal.

I don't know how the hosting works and whether Harry would pick up the drinks bill, maybe @HiRen would know.

Regardless of the funding I don't think the firefighters/pilots would appreciate hints of them being pissheads (that's a pretty dated sterotype, especially in the US) so if it was an attempt at a joke it was poorly judged and certainly wouldn't go down well.

MaryMungoNMidge · 01/05/2025 08:44

smilesy · 01/05/2025 08:23

Funnily enough, I remember watching the episode of DIY SoS with Harry and William when they were building a whole row of houses for veterans, and Harry objected to Billy Byrne calling him “sausage”. Everyone laughed but I remember thinking that actually Harry came across as a bit nasty rather than funny. I think you can find it on YouTube.

I suppose that with what we now know, he may have found the word “sausage” triggering 😆

Here it is. Very short clip, but says a lot. I think William looks relaxed and Harry ill at ease. All of Harry's "banter" just comes off as poorly hidden aggression to me.

- YouTube

Enjoy the videos and music that you love, upload original content and share it all with friends, family and the world on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6GzYEetnBw

JSMill · 01/05/2025 08:54

MaryMungoNMidge · 01/05/2025 08:44

Here it is. Very short clip, but says a lot. I think William looks relaxed and Harry ill at ease. All of Harry's "banter" just comes off as poorly hidden aggression to me.

I watched that episode and remember thinking that William seemed so much more relaxed than Harry. There was something about the ‘banter’ that felt off. William also seemed more willing to roll his sleeves up than Harry, who was acting like it was a bit beneath him.

LaMarschallin · 01/05/2025 09:00

"It'll be a long day" definitely said through gritted teeth.
William was so much better looking than Harry then, imo. He still is but the fact that it was so marked when they were younger could have rankled quite a bit.

Tomatotater · 01/05/2025 09:13

He'd make a lot of ' jokes' that apparently were ' banter' but when the subjects of those ' jokes' are both your hosts ( comments funnily enough largely were at the expense of African and indigenous people andctheir customs) and when people can't joke back for fear of censure they are not funny. Basically a privileged man ( despite his admittedly difficult childhood he fell squarely on his feet at the age of 27) joking that he wanted to come back and kill certain members of the human race to stop overpopulation, as a man with 4 children. All of the Royals have made stupid or offensive remarks, usually when they are trying to be funny and aren't. They are all hugely protected from anyone having to find out what they are like. Really, the only ones I think who have a genuine Interest in the ' dukes and dustmen' thing are arguably TLQ, KC and QC. The rest of them, sniggering at H & M wedding and ' jokingly' mocking people who have mostly been made to stand there and shake their hands and answer inane questions. William said yesterday ' we city dwellers dont know our neighbours' as if he has a clue what ' we' who live in cities are like at all, and as if he doesn't live on at least 3 Royal estates. Harry is not an outlier in any way.They are all clueless because that's what they are working so hard to protect- their privileged way of life.

Rummly · 01/05/2025 09:41

Harry’s uninteresting IMO. Just another dim member of the RF. Without the public duties he has nothing of any value to offer at all. A vacuum.

MM on the other hand…she’s fascinating, in a slow-motion car crash kind of way.

Her constant need for attention, including on her family life, is bizarre, even by Californian show-off standards. (I reckon it was definitely MM who hit the roof about the South Park privacy tour piss-take. It was spot on and that always stings more.)

But most of all, the puke-making tweeness and saccharine nonsense of her thoughts on life. She talks endless, meaningless drivel while flogging stuff. If you chuck in the “Sussex” and (illegitimate) “HRH” monikers, you get quite a show. Harry just seems to be dragged along in the slipstream.

It’s hard to turn away from because it’s so awful.

BasiliskStare · 01/05/2025 10:02

@Tomatotater William said yesterday ' we city dwellers dont know our neighbours'

I didn't hear William say this but if he did that's a silly thing to say. I live in a terraced street in a city & I know more of my neighbours than I ever have. Not always the case I know but there are plenty who do know their neighbours.

Thedom · 01/05/2025 10:26

There is a lot of truth in that statement, especially if you are living in a big city.

OP posts:
BunnyLake · 01/05/2025 10:27

Mila6464 · 01/05/2025 06:54

He also wished he could come back as a virus and kill off the groups of people he didn't like.

Don’t we all!

coolmum123 · 01/05/2025 10:37

Uricon2 · 30/04/2025 19:06

"She likened their relationship to a video game where you “slay the dragon, save the princess.” "

Is there an iteration of this story where the dragon and the prince shack up together and live miserably ever after?

Haven’t rtft, but I’m interested in the fact that she calls herself Princess every now and then. This thing with slaying thing. Then another time when she was droning on about how kids are awed that they have met a Princess on real
life. She really needs to get over herself no one thinks of her as one.

JoyousEagle · 01/05/2025 10:39

The virus thing was in a book where the author asked famous people to write about what animal they’d choose to be reincarnated as. Prince Phillip wrote the foreword, and some proceeds went to the WWF which he was president of.
He wrote “I just wonder what it would be like to be reincarnated in an animal whose species had been so reduced in numbers that it was in danger of extinction. What would be its feelings toward the human species whose population explosion had denied it somewhere to exist. I must confess that I am tempted to ask for reincarnation as a particularly deadly virus, but that is perhaps going too far.”
I agree it is a tad hypocritical for someone with four children, but I think it’s fairly obviously tongue in cheek.

RedRosesPinkLilies · 01/05/2025 10:59

@JoyousEagle to have 4 children at the time QEII and Prince Phillip had them was probably not as unusual as it is now. So
I don’t think it’s hypocritical at the time

We had 4 children, youngest is nearly 20. I doubt I would have that many - for numerous reasons - if I was having them now

foreverblowingbubbless · 01/05/2025 11:12

coolmum123 · 01/05/2025 10:37

Haven’t rtft, but I’m interested in the fact that she calls herself Princess every now and then. This thing with slaying thing. Then another time when she was droning on about how kids are awed that they have met a Princess on real
life. She really needs to get over herself no one thinks of her as one.

By saying this she actually seems to have forgotten the reality - he was the Prince. She obviously sees herself as far more important than Harry and all the guff about him being a fox and loving her blah blah. Who is she trying to convince ? Harry? It was indeed a very weak response to will you be married forever!

MaryMungoNMidge · 01/05/2025 11:18

JoyousEagle · 01/05/2025 10:39

The virus thing was in a book where the author asked famous people to write about what animal they’d choose to be reincarnated as. Prince Phillip wrote the foreword, and some proceeds went to the WWF which he was president of.
He wrote “I just wonder what it would be like to be reincarnated in an animal whose species had been so reduced in numbers that it was in danger of extinction. What would be its feelings toward the human species whose population explosion had denied it somewhere to exist. I must confess that I am tempted to ask for reincarnation as a particularly deadly virus, but that is perhaps going too far.”
I agree it is a tad hypocritical for someone with four children, but I think it’s fairly obviously tongue in cheek.

Thank you for providing the context. I'm liking him more, the more I read about him.

Welcometothewhitelotus · 01/05/2025 11:22

It’s all the contradictions that wind people up. She’s all about women’s rights and how the royal family restricted her as a woman and she didn’t want to be silenced but then she coos to school children about being a real life princess, which she isn’t. And then doesn’t understand it when people say I thought you were about women’s goals in life not just being marriage? You escaped this supposedly awful life but you never ever let anyone forget your title or your royal connections, of a family and system which you hate.

Or posits her and Harry as serious figures on the world stage and then wonders why her words are analysed. Well yes, if you’re going to consider yourself alongside world leaders your words will be scrutinised alongside theirs. And on and on and on it goes.