Harry and Meghan on another pretendy royal tour

[ParrotsAndLions]

This time to Jordan. What do they bring to it, exactly? What is their role? To bring attention to the issue of Syrian refugees? Jordan is dealing with them fine.

What are they there for? In what capacity?

Meghan holds hands with 14-year-old Gaza refugee burn victim as she and Harry embark on quasi-royal tour of Middle East | Daily Mail Online

Yes he’s an idiot! , he’s managed to overshadow Meghans behaviour in a Muslim country!

By the way, I don’t know if @IAmATorturedPoet is around, but I wanted to acknowledge that I decided to mark the photo as ‘sensitive’ on the back of her comments to me a week or so ago re an Andrew allegation (the grim headline). It was a fair point, on reflection, and I’ve taken it on board. We live and learn.

Very worrying.

There's nothing morally bankrupt about researching things, bluegreygreen, though doubtless some will think so if it throws up things they prefer to ignore

That said, backing for Hamas is unfortunately large enough to mean that a supporter will be stumbled upon just about anywhere within this mess, but that's another thing I doubt has occurred to either of them. After all why bother when the photo ops and attention are all that really count?

He’s managed to overshadow Meghans behaviour in a Muslim country!

Edited to add it's about as useful as he's ever likely to be, @jeffgoldblum

You’d think that Sunshine Sachs would have learned by now how very (avoidably) contentious it all is in the geopolitical & social arena of the Middle East, especially after the controversy involving its client, the Golden Globes, and Israeli actor Gal Gadot and the missing pin badge.

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/culture/article-836308

Link above: Jerusalem Post (English language newspaper based in West Jerusalem, Israel). ^

Harry will no doubt attempt to get more security, courtesy of the UK taxpayer, as a result of his folly.

It all boils down to KC3 enabling his darling boy.

BP has failed to give the appropriate guidance to the WHO, Foreign Office and other multi-lateral agencies that H&M are effectively persona-non-grata. If that guidance had been provided, the head of the WHO would not have taken H&M as his plus two to a UK ambassador's event. And the UK ambassador could have communicated this information prior to the event when the initial scheduling was done as the guest list would be known for security reasons.

By platforming H&M at UK embassy events and featuring H&M on the website, BP has created a status ambiguity that H&M are quite happily exploiting, as they have consistently done since temper-tantruming off to California.

We can see the contrast in Jordan where the Jordanian royal family provided guidance to WHO and the head of WHO excluded H&M from the meeting with the Jordanian King.

The buck stops with KC3. It is his monarchy and he needs to do the needful for the UK as he swore to do in his coronation oath.

It's the fault of KC?
So Harry has no personal agency at all, makes no decisions and cannot understand what he's doing?
Extraordinary.

I think he’s almost courting disaster as a way to stick two fingers up to Pa.

BP has failed to give the appropriate guidance to the WHO, Foreign Office and other multi-lateral agencies that H&M are effectively persona-non-grata. If that guidance had been provided, the head of the WHO would not have taken H&M as his plus two to a UK ambassador's event

Not too sure about that either TBH, @My2cents1975 - not with someone who saw fit to appoint Robert Mugabe as an african "good will health ambassador", which suggests his judgement's no better than Harry's

And thanks BTW to whichever PP it was who drew our attention to that ... I hadn't realised

How terrible. Poor Harry, making foolish and inflammatory statements about Aid corridors and it's all the fault of KC.
I wonder if he's speaking to him through the kitchen bin.

very true! 🤣

I'm not sure @My2cents1975

I agree KC3 has shown some family weakness where (in my opinion) he should have put the monarchy first - my personal example is bringing AMW back into the fold for public family events such as Sandringham Christmas.

However, it was clear from the Sandringham agreement, and the confirmation of stepping back a year later, that the Sussexes were no longer working royals. It wouldn't be reasonable to have ongoing messages to that effect - it would only increase their relative importance to keep mentioning it.

I suspect that one of the difficulties may be that the current government has always been relatively supportive of the Sussexes - seeing them as the 'young, modern' alternative that they were promoting themselves as.

In the Jordan scenario, I suspect the difference in management is simply the difference between access to an embassy reception and a royal audience. I don't think the current WHO lead can be depended on for subtlety in his approach.

That said, backing for Hamas is unfortunately large enough to mean that a supporter will be stumbled upon just about anywhere within this mess, but that's another thing I doubt has occurred to either of them.

I do agree, @Puzzledandpissedoff, and wasn't meaning to suggest that it was simple - just that in the case of royal tours more care was likely to have been taken looking into the background of any engagements.

I know what you meant and you were right, @bluegreygreen
The "grey suits" may well have been able to save them from this, providing they'd listened of course, but they're not available now and the consequences are all too painfully clear

I don't think KC3 is personally responsible but @My2cents1975 makes a valid point.

Somebody in the Diplomatic side of things in London should have seen the potential for this turning into a complete diplomatic mess. It's possible the FCO only knew the pair were on Jordan Tues AM but even so they should have been able to give some guidance to the resident diplomatic staff.

I'd still love to know if the Ambassador knew in advance if H&M were going to visit in the evening as part of the group or if he was stitched up by the WHO leadership.....

I wonder if somebody somewhere is perhaps draughting a standing instruction to Embassies and Ambassadors on what to do if H&M turn up in town at very short notice...maybe "lock the doors"???

I did wonder if that was their motivation for the ‘tour’.
‘ oh look we have to come to these dangerous places, we need securidddyy waaaahhh’

He’s a fool if he thinks even our rather pathetic government will fall for that!

IMHO, the issue is that by attending the event, H's misrepresentation of his diplomatic importance was enabled by the UK, and the UK accrues negative publicity as a result and faces an additional, unnecessary, diplomatic minefield in an already volatile region.

H's agency could not enable him to attend a UK embassy event if the Head of State had advised all ambassadors worldwide that H is effectively persona-non-grata.

The UK ambassador should not have been presented a diplomatic quandary by his own Head of State due to H's status ambiguity. If H was PNG the minute Ted from WHO submitted his guest list for security, the issue would have been flagged, and a quiet no would have been communicated. And all embassies have security, especially in the Middle East. No embassy is hosting an event with surprise guests.

H can do all the media he wants. It is KC3's job to make sure his Foreign Office is kept out of H's hot mess.

@notimagain that's actually a good point. I honestly think any attempt to dissuade them from this kind of stunt/activity would be pointless and further 'evidence' of the RF being unsupportive, jealous or threatened by them or of the 'establishment' having it in for them. They will not be advised or guided because they know best. I'm sure various governments really are wondering how they handle a surprise visit from H and M.

I do see your point @My2cents1975 - but would a message like that not have to come from the government rather than KC3?

Honestly this situation is such a shit show.

I have no issue with anyone speaking out to criticise Israel and their actions (the governments of most of the western world are all too silent in my view), but this is a huge faux pas by Harry, for so many reasons.

firstly the lack of any consistency, understanding or commitment to this cause - this is the first time Harry has shown any shred of interest in the plight of the people of Palestine, and he’s a rank hypocrite having welcomed the IDF into Invictus.

Secondly, he has absolutely no business making any comment on this while using his royal title. He may not represent the RF or the U.K., but consistently using his royal title and trying to remind everyone how royal he is means that, as the response from Israel suggests, this issue is hugely embarrassing and absolutely does reflect on the U.K.

He absolutely needs STFU now and not dig himself into a bigger hole by responding to Israel or god forbid, taking them up on their offer to visit. Not that I think he would for a second though, Harry probably stopped thinking about Israel and Palestine the very second he finished his ill advised speech.

personally I think this debacle just makes it ever clearer that Harry and Meghan should have their titles removed. At least it would stop any remaining suggestion that they are somehow representing anyone other than themselves.

You're absolutely right, @elessar , on all counts.

Don't be ridiculous. I think it was the bathroom bin ... :)

😂😂