It’s interesting how positive headlines about Harry coming in from the cold are being used to mask negative ones about Sarah Ferguson

[Inotherwordspleasebetrue]

This is blatant speculation but I’m beginning to think that Harry was right all along and that the Buckingham Palace press machine uses stories about the lower ranking royals royals to protect the core of the monarchy.

So, on this occasion, to distract from damaging stories about Sarah Ferguson’s e-mails and back-tracking with Epstein, especially given the Yorks recent prominent appearance at the Duchess of Kent’s funeral, my theory is that the Palace has given a tacit nod to a story about Harry coming back in from the cold, knowing that any story about Harry or Meghan will immediately hit the top slot and overshadow anything else?

Buckingham Palace must think people are very dim, or rely on the fact that they swallow this propaganda whole without questioning it?

Of course this time Harry will be happy because the headlines are favourable to him. And on a human level everyone loves a story about a reconciliation between father and son. But generally I think the British public are being played by all of this spin to cover up the type of story about financial murkiness that Andrew Lownie uncovered and wrote about in his latest book?

All of which leads me to wondering why the Royal Family and the men in grey suits are once again protecting Andrew and Sarah? Is it simply because Andrew is the King’s brother, and therefore close to the Crown, or is it because Andrew’s financial dealings are not much different to what most of them do in the RF, but just a bit more blatant and extreme?

Who knows what the truth is any more?

Andrew knows a lot of dirty laundry, I bet. If they don’t protect him, he will talk and it won’t be the ‘she didn’t lend me her lipstick’ type of dirty laundry.

Any positive Harry stories come from Harry.

Are you saying Sarah Ferguson is the core of the monarchy??

Yes this. They are clearly running scared of him, and what he knows,.and therefore having to do this awful dance of just about tolerating him while trying to maintain a distance

It's grim

Try reading The Times yesterday about Andrew and Fergie’s emails all over bbc news today. William won’t put up with him. Nor with Harry. What other working Royals are like Andrew, Fergie (not a Royal) and Harry (might as well not be)? The working Royals get on with their roles as far as I can see and don’t have grubby deals. Most people can see the difference.

They just don’t like redheads 🤣

I hadn’t thought of that angle. That’s certainly a possibility isn’t it?

Exactly. Yes, I'm sure that BP press office does promote "good news" stories to distract from other, less helpful ones. They'd be a bit rubbish as a press office if they didn't. But it's a massive stretch to call the DoY part of the core monarchy! She's more like a moldy apple core from their point of view, I would guess.

I don’t want to pay in to Murdoch’s coffers so don’t have access to the Times; although it has to be said that Sky News has been a more solid source of information recently than the BBC! But that’s for another thread… .

I am interested to know the Times’ take on it though TizerorFizz.

But haven’t there have been rumblings in the past of grubby financial deals with other royals? Charles and “his” carrier bags of cash for example? And there was a scandal involving Fawcett, one of KC’s former close aides, and allegations that he helped a Saudi businessman secure an honorary CBE and British citizenship in exchange for donations to , as it was then, The Prince's Foundation? The Met investigated and found nothing. There was talk of a cover up. And Fawcett resigned?

I must buy Norman Baker’s book!

So why is she still there, invited to family events when she's been divorced for decades and has adult children? Her and Andrew are being kept onside. It's all very well saying Harry can't be trusted to sell things to Netflix but the world knows they are estranged. The world also can see the Yorks are right there at every family event and that they are dimwitted and grasping. Including, as we have seen some very shady characters. Why is Harry telling some gossip to Netflix about dog bowls for cash a greater risk than Andrew telling gossip to any one of his dodgy oligarch/criminal/spy friends for cash? If they wanted to they could hide the Yorks away. They dont.

Can you point to the specific positive articles about PH coming in from the cold that you believe were placed by BP?

It would be interesting to see if the timing plays out and if there were no coverage of Lownis book content in that newspaper.

Media have been doing tbis for decades its the same with the government when they have bad news to bury you seen plenty of other headlines and sometimes nonsensical ones that aren't even headline worthy theb you go down and aha there is the story they don't want people to notice as much.

There is truth to what he says and we have seen this happen time and time again. Like how many times do you need to trot out old stories about how Meghan may not have followed royal protocol? We had that earlier this year...why? How is it relevant when they aren't even working royals and have been gone for a few years now? What possible public interest is there in such a story other than to either use it for click ait or to hide other other royal news.

And so now we have then using Harry.

It’s obvious that the RF will do anything to protect Andrew.

No I’m absolutely not saying that.

But her disgraced ex and companion, is the King’s brother, still living in style at Windsor, still present on family occasions.

We all know how the news cycle works.
It’s about coverage and percentages of air time. It’s much better for the royals if press attention can be split between one negative and one positive story instead of one long negative one!

News programmes, radio talk shows, and podcasts feed off the headlines and that sets the subject matter for the day. Much better for the monarchy if a good news story about reconciliation takes up half or more of the air time that would have been solely devoted to Sarah and her dodgy relationship with Epstein!

Yes I think this is becoming increasingly clear.

I’m quite surprised by it!

I agree with you Spectre8.

Timing is everything! It’s all about burying or lessening the impact of other stories.

Look at the DM now!

Maybe? This could be the case.

We simply don’t know enough because their financial dealings are not transparent.

I have found it interesting how quiet Sophie and Edward are at the moment. Or maybe that is just how the press coverage works?

But I have always wondered how they afford to live in a £30 million pound mansion too?
Is the upkeep of that paid for by our taxes? Does anyone know?

https://www.hellomagazine.com/homes/497739/sophie-wessex-prince-edward-bagshot-park-120-rooms-photos/?viewas=amp

What about Gatcombe Park?
Princess Anne seems to claim in this article that the running of the estate depends on the income from the adjacent farm but given the state of the farming industry atm, who knows how that works?
https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a61235396/princess-anne-home-gatcombe-park/

Do they all run their enormous properties from private income, interest from inherited private wealth for example, or do they receive a stipend from the Sovereign Grant? How does it work?

I think these positive articles are coming straight from the Sussex camp.

It’s a possibility! We don’t know enough really?

I wouldn’t have thought that was typical of the DM though?

And I wouldn’t have thought that the Sussexes alone have the power to change the headline order on a Sunday morning?

But who knows?

I agree that Charles feels the need to protect his brother, maybe he promised his mum he would or maybe Andrew could spill secrets if he’s pushed out too much.

Edward has just got back from Papua New Guinea, which is why he wasn't at the State Dinner, and they are currently both in Japan. Just because it isn't covered in the press doesn't mean royals aren't out there working. It is interesting to come the Royal Family Instagram account because it covers everything that the working royals do. I quickly realised that we don't see much of their diaries in the press at all.

Agree - surely thats why he employs a global team of PR people? That’s them doing their job. I can’t see BP doing anything to line the coffers or improve the reputation of a couple who tried to pull destroy them.

If the suggestion was that there were a slue of pro KC3 or W&C articles I would buy it.

I don't think Harry is being used to cover up Andrew and Sarah's behaviour. There are two separate things going on at the moment.

The press are using Harry to attack William (not Catherine they aren't that stupid) probably because it's boring and loses clicks if they don't switch up narratives occasionally. But also in The Mail's case I suspect it has something to do with the upcoming court case.

At the same time more information is coming out about Epstein and Andrew and Sarah. There is a frustration that their behaviour can't lead to consequences as the Epstein prosecutions in the US aren't being pursued under Trump. If they kept their heads down it might blow over but there is something particularly egregious about their arrogance and pushiness at every family occasion. I think the press just want to get them in some way that has consequences, I hope they do.

The royals have absolutely always fed the media. Anyone that thinks otherwise is daft. It's called trying to control the narrative. To be fair, we all do it in a very minor, non-media based way about our own lives. We don't want the world believing what our ex says about us. We tell the world what an arse the ex was to us.

And yes, Andrew will definitely have dirt on them. And he could well turn on them. A bloke that has no qualms about consorting with Epstein, leaving wank tissues for staff to pick up and propositioning very young women, not caring if they're legal or not would have no morals about turning his family in if they are no longer of any use to him.