# Harry and Meghan to step down as senior royals



## dapaterson (8 Jan 2020)

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-51040751


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## Cloud Cover (8 Jan 2020)

Good for them, I hope it works out especially for the sake of the little guy!!


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## dapaterson (8 Jan 2020)

American Divorcées: 2
House of Windsor: 0


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## FSTO (8 Jan 2020)

Governor General of Canada?


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## BeyondTheNow (8 Jan 2020)

I can’t say I’m overly surprised. However, I think they, especially Meghan, will have a rather large uphill battle to climb in terms of staying away from the press and not allowing gossip to bother her, since they’ve already been having issues with being incessant British tabloid fodder since her introduction into the family. They can’t shield themselves entirely, regardless of where they move...unfortunately.

I’m pretty confident in assuming the hardcore, British royal family fans will now be dumping on her even more, and blaming her further for essentially splitting up the family/interfering with British monarchy traditions, common rolls and ‘turning’ Harry. Even though he was already much less into the whole shtick of it all while growing up, Meghan will be held responsible for officially veering him away.  

‘Can’t say I blame them though. It’s not a life I’d want to be born into, and the sensationalist articles/paparazzi over there are far more intrusive and constant than the typical US/North American culprits.


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## OldSolduer (8 Jan 2020)

FSTO said:
			
		

> Governor General of Canada?



I rather doubt that. Can you hear the voices "harummphhing we are turning into a colony again".


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## Czech_pivo (8 Jan 2020)

Hamish Seggie said:
			
		

> I rather doubt that. Can you hear the voices "harummphhing we are turning into a colony again".



I’d have no issue with it. 

With that being said, I wish them nothing but happiness going forward and would be glad if they decided to settle here.


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## tomahawk6 (8 Jan 2020)

I think this is being done for Meghan so she could pursue her financial interests , she is I believe a millionaire with a cosmetics line which of course is frowned on for a Royal.


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## Retired AF Guy (8 Jan 2020)

TMZ is saying that when they mean moving to North America they mean Canada.


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## FJAG (8 Jan 2020)

The Daily Mail is dumping all over them for this and making them out to be near to traitor status.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7866007/Harry-Meghan-step-senior-royals-financially-independent.html

Personally, I think it's a brilliant move on their part. There is now a Queen and a whole chain of succession set up that doesn't include Harry. Why stay around and become like some of the other second, third and so on tiers of Royals occupying space in Kensington and other palaces without any real occupation of consequence other than chilling for some charities?

Harry does more with and for Invictus than most of the rest of them put together and Meghan has potential as well.

I wish the two of them the best and do hope they settle down in Canada for half their year and get out of the spotlight the way they hope to.


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## tomahawk6 (8 Jan 2020)

Maybe they could create the office of GG for BC.  ;D


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## FJAG (8 Jan 2020)

tomahawk6 said:
			
		

> Maybe they could create the office of GG for BC.  ;D



Provinces do have heads of state representing the crown for provincial legislation and other matters. They're called Lieutenant Governors.

 :cheers:


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## Jarnhamar (9 Jan 2020)

Harry should become the King of Canada.


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## Old Sweat (9 Jan 2020)

I wonder if anyone remembers the pejorative "Remittance Man"?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remittance_man


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## Cloud Cover (9 Jan 2020)

He can join the CScotR since they are likely to reside on the Island, where they were just house hunting ...


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## The Bread Guy (9 Jan 2020)

Old Sweat said:
			
		

> I wonder if anyone remembers the pejorative "Remittance Man"?
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remittance_man


 :rofl:

You may be thinking of Prince Andrew down the road ... 

Too soon?


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## dapaterson (9 Jan 2020)

CloudCover said:
			
		

> He can join the CScotR since they are likely to reside on the Island, where they were just house hunting ...


Real world military experience and cares deeply about soldiers.

Don't think he'd make the cut.


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## BeyondTheNow (9 Jan 2020)

FJAG said:
			
		

> ...The Daily Mail is dumping all over them for this and making them out to be near to traitor status.
> 
> https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7866007/Harry-Meghan-step-senior-royals-financially-independent.html
> ...



As I touched a bit on also—sad, and it’ll get much worse, especially if these reports are to be believed and the family itself didn’t have any (or very little) inclination of the plans to leave in their entirety. I’m not really a fan of this style of article, but multiple sources are reporting the same. 



> The statement from the Queen's office reads, "Discussions with The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage. We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through." It also just broke that no one in the Royal Family was consulted about the break and they are apparently "disappointed." ...



 https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/a30448022/queen-statement-harry-meghan-resignation/?utm_campaign=likeshopme&utm_medium=instagram&utm_source=dash%20hudson&utm_content=www.instagram.com/p/B7Gcg2zAMDV/


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## FSTO (9 Jan 2020)

BeyondTheNow said:
			
		

> As I touched on also—sad, and it’ll get much worse, especially if these reports are to be believed and the family itself didn’t have any (or very little) inclination of the plans to leave in their entirety. I’m not really a fan of this style of article, but multiple sources are reporting the same.
> 
> https://www.oprahmag.com/entertainment/a30448022/queen-statement-harry-meghan-resignation/?utm_campaign=likeshopme&utm_medium=instagram&utm_source=dash%20hudson&utm_content=www.instagram.com/p/B7Gcg2zAMDV/



Barring a tragedy to William and his family, its pretty safe to assume that Harry and his family can fade into the Commonwealth with little or no impact on the ongoings of "The Firm".


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## Spencer100 (9 Jan 2020)

Why be a Duchess when you can be a Queen

URGGH!


https://www.spiked-online.com/2020/01/09/a-woke-wallis-simpson/?


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## GAP (9 Jan 2020)

Just more  immigrants......meh


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## BeyondTheNow (9 Jan 2020)

FSTO said:
			
		

> Barring a tragedy to William and his family, its pretty safe to assume that Harry and his family can fade into the Commonwealth with little or no impact on the ongoings of "The Firm".



Yes...and the family will move on, but the tabloids will take much, much longer, drawing things out, not letting both sides have their peace, sadly. 

I know they’re used to it to a degree, and I typically haven’t paid too much attention beyond knowing when a new little one was added to the brood. But when Harry started speaking more recently about the past and treatment of Diana, both within the family and from the press/paparazzi, I started reading a bit more here and there. (I still recall the day of Diana’s death well, and have often thought of the toll in must’ve taken on the boys. If Harry felt he was being constantly reminded of her fate and the circumstances surrounding when he began a formal relationship with Meghan, then I don’t fault him for wanting to take—what others may seem are—drastic steps.)

I hope they’re able to settle into a life better suited for themselves and the direction they’d like to take, apart from “The Firm”, (love that, btw) smoothly.


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## Czech_pivo (9 Jan 2020)

Prince Harry the next GG?

60% of CDN's recently polled, said 'yes' to the idea.

https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/a-majority-of-canadians-want-prince-harry-to-become-governor-general


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## Remius (9 Jan 2020)

Czech_pivo said:
			
		

> Prince Harry the next GG?
> 
> 60% of CDN's recently polled, said 'yes' to the idea.
> 
> https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/a-majority-of-canadians-want-prince-harry-to-become-governor-general



If their plan is to step away and do their own thing, being GG is likely not a good fit.


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## Good2Golf (9 Jan 2020)

#brexitsquared  or  #rexit


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## FSTO (9 Jan 2020)

Well if Harry became GG, at least he'd know how to properly wear a uniform! ;D


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## Kirkhill (9 Jan 2020)

As some have noted, I am a monarchist.  But that refers to governance and oaths and fealty and all that good stuff.  Kind of in the tradition of saluting the rank and not the individual.

I have no problem criticising the individuals.  In this instance I can't find myself criticizing Harry or Megan either in their desire to step away or their desire to promote their "brand".

Harry has had a problem with being "the spare" for some time now.  At least since his first deployment to Afghanistan was aborted and then his military career followed.  He was reduced to being in the background of shots with William and Kate or squiring Kate around when her husband wasn't available.  Now William has a brood Harry is legitimately surplus to requirement.  Godspeed.|

As to concerns about Harry and Meghan marketing "their brand" - the House of Windsor knows a thing or two about that as well.  







https://www.royalwarrant.org/



> Prince Charles's green farming business reaps a £200m harvest
> PRINCE Charles's upmarket organic food business is now a £200million brand, his supermarket partners revealed yesterday.
> By JOHN INGHAM
> PUBLISHED: 07:19, Mon, May 1, 2017 | UPDATED: 09:08, Mon, May 1, 2017









The Firm won't want their brand diluted nor the competition.

And.... in light of the way that Andrew's kids have been treated, the way that Andrew and Fergie have been treated, and the sudden declaration of the slimming of the House to just those in the  line of succession, a decision made by Charles apparently, I don't see that Harry and Meghan would have been given much incentive to discuss matters.









But that's just me


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## FJAG (9 Jan 2020)

The British press is just turning more rabid by the minute:

*Meghan flees to Canada where she left baby Archie with nanny and leaves Harry to deal with fallout from 'abdication' crisis after spending just three days in the UK following holiday*


> -Baby Archie was left behind in Canada with his nanny while Harry and Meghan flew back to the UK this week
> -The Duke and Duchess of Sussex visited London on Tuesday before sensationally quitting the royal family
> - As Prince Harry faces the wrath of the Queen and the royal family, Meghan has already flown back to Canada
> -Meghan spent just three days in the UK, after the couple and Archie had enjoyed a seven-week break abroad
> ...



And on, and on, and on.

My sympathy for Harry and Meghan grows daily.

:cheers:

_- mod edit to fix formatting/link -_


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## BeyondTheNow (9 Jan 2020)

Well sheesh, FJAG, I go to share one link... 

 The Royal Fallout From Meghan & Harry’s Decision Is Turning Nuclear



> Yesterday, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stunned the world with the sudden announcement that they decided to step back from their royal duties. Their statement, shared over social media to their millions of fans around the globe, came to the surprise to the Sussexes’ supporters — and the disappointment to the Firm itself...
> 
> ...The radical move comes after a particularly rough year for Meghan, who was subjected to often derogatory scrutiny at the hands of the British tabloids. Harry has publicly addressed this harassment on multiple occasions, condemning the tabloids’ hounding of his wife and even comparing it to what his mother Princess Diana faced in the last years of her life. Many believe that the couple’s decision to distance themselves from the Firm is a means of creating a necessary boundary that would protect the prince and his family from going through that pain again...



Of course, there’re always endless tidbits of information coming from “the source” :, but I read a very small headline or something about them splitting the day before it all broke, but tossed it aside thinking it was just baseless. Obviously something had gotten out though...

 https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2020/01/9175677/meghan-markle-prince-harry-quit-royal-family-backlash-reactions


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## Kirkhill (9 Jan 2020)

Having been immersed in the British press over the last few Brexity years I was continually astounded by how much ink was spilled on Meghan's parents and whether she or Kate were more popular/worthy/matronly etc.

I am proud enough to be British but John Wilkes has a lot to answer for.


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## The Bread Guy (9 Jan 2020)

More scaling down in the U.K. ...


> Wax figures of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been moved from other members of the Royal Family at Madame Tussauds in London.
> 
> Prince Harry and Meghan had been placed next to the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh.
> 
> ...


The attached, from the museum's Twitter feed.


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## BeyondTheNow (9 Jan 2020)

Unnecessarily hurtful and extremely passive-aggressive this early in the course of events. The family as a whole is still dealing with everything. Distasteful and downright disrespectful of everyone the situation is affecting at the moment. Honouring their wishes, my a$$—It was an extremely ill-timed move, IMO.


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## tomahawk6 (9 Jan 2020)

From what I have read the couple is stepping away for abit and not stepping down. Not informing Her Majesty first is bad form.


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## The Bread Guy (9 Jan 2020)

BeyondTheNow said:
			
		

> Unnecessarily hurtful and extremely passive-aggressive this early in the course of events. The family as a whole is still dealing with everything. Distasteful and downright disrespectful of everyone the situation is affecting at the moment. Honouring their wishes, my a$$—It was an extremely ill-timed move, IMO.


I thought the Twitter post was maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaybe more than just a _bit_ much ...


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## ballz (10 Jan 2020)

I really don't follow this stuff, but one thing I do remember is that they wanted to move out of Buckingham Palace and got told they couldn't. Now they're taking all sorts of measures to try and convince them to come back into the fold. The Royal family seems like a cult to me.


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## BeyondTheNow (10 Jan 2020)

Interesting article.

I remember that televised interview with Diana well. I watched it with a few friends. Even if one doesn’t follow the happenings of the Royal family closely, Diana’s clip from the interview saying, “...Well, there were three of us in the marriage, so it was a bit crowded...” and the pain in her eyes, especially during that segment, is familiar to most. She speaks openly of how poorly she was treated by the family. 

Much seems to be the same with Meghan, and as the article points out, Meghan has ethnic differences, as well as societal/class comparisons compounding her clashes with other Royals. Her (basically) estranged family hasn’t helped matters either.

In any event, I agree with the article’s sentiment that Markle was an easy scapegoat to distract people from other issues involving Royals at different times. It seemed very coincidental that a couple of sources would report on a story (Prince Andrew’s purported affair, for example) and then all of a sudden there’d be a ton of sources reporting on something Meghan said or did to offend.

(I’ll be honest and say I’m personally not an overall fan of Meghan in terms of how she presents herself at times. Diana had a very unmistakable, heartfelt and relatable sincerity to her, which she exuded naturally in interviews, through social functions, galas and global outreach. She seemed to wear her heart on her sleeve at all times, which no doubt made many uncomfortable. On the contrary, I have difficulty gauging Markle. She always seems to be...performing? (And I’m very familiar with her through the series “Suits”, so that might not be helping.) But the same level of authenticity doesn’t seem to flow from her.

Anyway, I do think it’s very brave of them to unite and plot the path for themselves and the future of their own family. I can only imagine the coldness they’ll be facing for a while...

 The Sussexes’ refusal to submit to tradition was a long time coming, and it will shake up the royal family



> ... There was a moment that, in retrospect, was a turning point in our understanding of Markle’s strength. Back in October 2019, just five months after she gave birth, in an interview with reporter Tom Bradby for a documentary called Harry & Meghan: An African Journey, Meghan was fighting to hold back tears although the rest of her face confessed her despair. Bradby asked about Meghan’s wellbeing, and she frankly told him, “Not many people have asked if I’m okay … it’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes.” She pulled back the veil a little further when Bradby asked her if she’s not really okay and if it’s been a struggle, and she replied with a faint yet succinct, “Yes.” The short clip was a disgrace...
> 
> ...The royal family still has not learned their lesson from another woman, who unlike Markle, was born into aristocracy and still struggled to exert her agency: Princess Diana. Twenty-five years ago, in 1995, Princess Diana did an interview with BBC in which she told reporter Martin Bashir that she doesn’t think she’ll be queen (even though she was still married to Prince Charles at the time) because the “establishment” that she married into wouldn’t want it. When Bashir asked why, Diana responded, “Because I’m a nonstarter. … Because I do things differently. Because I don’t go by a rulebook. I lead from the heart, not the head.” The stark difference between Meghan and Diana is that Diana’s rebellious nature is not compounded by her race. Because of Meghan’s Blackness, her controversy is attached to not only what she does but also by her being in the royal family at all...
> 
> ...



More at link:

 https://zora.medium.com/meghan-markle-defeated-the-british-monarchy-f536ae8c14f5?gi=82f703b41c95


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## tomahawk6 (10 Jan 2020)

I read an article today citing the number of Royals who had their own sources of income.


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## daftandbarmy (10 Jan 2020)

I'm waiting for someone to blame the drop out, draft dodging, slacker culture of Vancouver Island for infecting them to the point where they have decided to become Royal Hermits on the Left coast


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## Kirkhill (10 Jan 2020)

This article is curious.



> How Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were 'cornered' into making resignation announcement
> 
> MEGHAN MARKLE and Prince Harry may have hoped to leave the country quietly, but unfortunately for them, a royal “leak” decided to expose their US ambitions in an explosive interview with The Sun.
> 
> ...



https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/1226467/Meghan-Markle-news-Prince-Harry-latest-Duchess-Sussex-uk-departure

The tabloids' "Iron Rice Bowl" is threatened by Meghan and Harry adopting the new Public Relations strategy.  So the press has motive to resist the change and Fleet Street makes more money from Villains than Heroes.  Heroes are only useful as counter-points to Villains and until they can themselves be exposed as Villains.


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## MarkOttawa (12 Jan 2020)

_Daily Mail_ having a field day with Canadian angles (with videos):

1)


> The clue Justin Trudeau knew about Meghan Markle before the Queen: Canadian Prime Minister tweets Royal pair would 'ALWAYS be welcome' weeks before the couple's shock announcement
> 
> _Justin Trudeau wrote 'you're among friends' to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex
> He said they are 'always welcome here' on Twitter weeks before announcement
> ...



2)


> Prince Harry and Meghan Markle face backlash in Canada over bill for Mountie guards as campaigners say there must be 'no blank cheque' for the couple's security
> 
> _Harry and Meghan to hold crisis summit with family over move to Canada
> Canadian taxpayers could be forced to pay for Harry and Meghan's security
> ...



Some more Canadian-angle stories here:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/royals/index.html

Mark
Ottawa


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## Good2Golf (12 Jan 2020)

Is the Daily Mail fabricating a “much ado about nothing” issue about the Sussexes security? ‘Backlash’?  Is the Daily Mail a proxy of ‘The Firm’, trying to sew, or at least fertilize the seeds of dissension against Harry and Meghan? 

Regards
G2G


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## dapaterson (12 Jan 2020)

What's in the back of Prince Charles' mind right now: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nn5e7vq5bqk


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## The Bread Guy (13 Jan 2020)

More - highlights mine ....


> Princes William and Harry slammed a newspaper report Monday describing a severe strain in their relationship, calling the story offensive and potentially harmful as they embark on talks regarding the future of the British monarchy.
> 
> The two brothers issued the unusual statement even as Queen Elizabeth II was set to hold face-to-face talks with Prince Harry for the first time since he and his wife, Meghan, unveiled their controversial plan to walk away from royal roles. The dramatic family summit is meant to chart a future course for the couple.
> 
> ...


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## dapaterson (13 Jan 2020)

It's getting serious...


On Sunday it was believed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have moved their dogs to Canada, prompting speculation they intend to spend most of their time there. 
They reportedly flew their beagle and Labrador out to their property in Vancouver Island in November during their six-week sabbatical from royal duties. 
The Duchess brought her beagle, Guy, to the U.K. when the couple began dating. The couple later acquired the black Labrador, whose name has not been revealed.


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## OldTanker (13 Jan 2020)

I wasn't aware the Royals had property here on Vancouver Island. So far as I'm aware they were simply staying at a guest residence, albeit a very swank one. I hope your post was sarcasm, in which case well done. However, the last thing most of us who live here want is some bunch of poncy Royals flouncing about with their security and foreign media intruding on our solitude. As a young couple, they would be much happier living in a larger city like Vancouver or Toronto where there is action and a vibrant social life. Unlike life here in The Shire where a band of escaped chickens makes the front page of the local newspaper. Please, Royals, go somewhere else. Frankly, anywhere else.


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## Remius (13 Jan 2020)

Looks like the Queen is going to support their request.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-51099102


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## Remius (13 Jan 2020)

Also some questions about who pays for their security...

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/bill-morneau-security-costs-harry-meghan-1.5424988


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## daftandbarmy (13 Jan 2020)

OldTanker said:
			
		

> I wasn't aware the Royals had property here on Vancouver Island. So far as I'm aware they were simply staying at a guest residence, albeit a very swank one. I hope your post was sarcasm, in which case well done. _*However, the last thing most of us who live here want is some bunch of poncy Royals flouncing about with their security and foreign media intruding on our solitude.*_ As a young couple, they would be much happier living in a larger city like Vancouver or Toronto where there is action and a vibrant social life. Unlike life here in The Shire where a band of escaped chickens makes the front page of the local newspaper. Please, Royals, go somewhere else. Frankly, anywhere else.



Are you kidding? Half of Victoria think they're some kind of royalty already. This will just fulfill their self-important imperial delusions


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## The Bread Guy (13 Jan 2020)

Remius said:
			
		

> Also some questions about who pays for their security...
> 
> https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/bill-morneau-security-costs-harry-meghan-1.5424988


Cue memes complaining about spending tax dollars on foreigners when there's other things to spend it on? :stirpot:


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## The Bread Guy (13 Jan 2020)

milnews.ca said:
			
		

> Cue memes complaining about spending tax dollars on foreigners when there's other things to spend it on? :stirpot:


And The Beaverton strikes again!  _*"Unskilled foreigners seek move to Canada"*_


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## tomahawk6 (13 Jan 2020)

milnews.ca said:
			
		

> And The Beaverton strikes again!  _*"Unskilled foreigners seek move to Canada"*_



That fits in with my personal experience when visiting BC. When I visited Toronto my experience was opposite, friendly folks even to americans.
I had related my experience to a Canadian that I had met and he essentially said something like no worries, people of BC/Vancouver look down their nose at Canadians in different parts of the country as well..


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## mariomike (13 Jan 2020)

tomahawk6 said:
			
		

> When I visited Toronto my experience was opposite, friendly folks even to americans.







> Toronto has the world's 3rd largest population of Americans living outside of the USA
> https://dailyhive.com/toronto/toronto-us-expat-population


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## Blackadder1916 (13 Jan 2020)

No meme, but a comment about the funding of security for the ginger-haired, now-excess-to-requirements spare.

The UK government currently pays for the security arrangements for members of the Royal  Family.  Though that comes from the public purse, the revenue from the Crown Estate that is surrendered to the UK government more than covers any of those expenses.  Canada has no similar arrangement.  The Queen (as the Sovereign, or as an individual person) does not own (personally or in right of position) any similar property holdings in Canada that could be used for funding Royal Family expenses.  As the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would be coming to Canada as private citizens and have no official function here or any constitutionally mandated position, they should be responsible for their personal security costs (just like everybody else).  If the UK government wants to continue the funding of routine personal security for the couple, fine (they probably have a legal obligation to do so); if they contract the RCMP to perform the function within Canada, even better.  But otherwise the couple should be treated just like any other wealthy, young, socially connected family.  Let them trade on their celebrity to become "financially independent"; the local social climbers and politicians can kiss their asses but the local cops should not be providing any more services than would be offered to any resident of whichever community in which they settle.


https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sovereign-grant-act-2011-guidance/sovereign-grant-act-2011-guidance


> Sovereign Grant Act 2011: guidance
> Updated 5 November 2019
> 
> 1. Sovereign Grant
> ...


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## The Bread Guy (13 Jan 2020)

Thanks for that Blackadder 1916 - much appreciated.


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## daftandbarmy (13 Jan 2020)

Ginger Samson meets Neo-Delilah 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delilah


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## Cloud Cover (13 Jan 2020)

Meh.. I’ve got no issue paying for their reasonable security costs when they are in Canada. The feds waste far more money on more trivial things and nobody bats an eye.


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## tomahawk6 (13 Jan 2020)

Security ? I thought they wanted to be like regular folks on the dole ?  ;D


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## Jarnhamar (13 Jan 2020)

There's a net worth of $30 million between them both. Pretty sure they can pay for their own security.


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## tomahawk6 (13 Jan 2020)

She is being called the Duchess of Woke in the US.  ;D


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## daftandbarmy (13 Jan 2020)

Break out the pay sheets, it's official, Harry is now a 'Class 'A' Royal 


Queen gives reluctant blessing to Harry and Meghan's plans

She agreed to a ‘period of transition’ and stressed the couple remain ‘a valued part of my family’


The Queen has given her reluctant blessing to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to split their time between the UK and Canada, making it clear that though she had wanted the couple to remain as full-time working royals, she supported their decision.

After a historic summit of senior royals at Sandringham, details over exactly how Harry and Meghan will carve out the new “progressive” roles they seek remained unclear. The Queen has, however, agreed to a “period of transition” and stressed the couple remain “a valued part of my family”.

But there were “complex matters” still to resolve, and “more work to be done” as she said she wants final decisions to be reached in the coming days.

The Queen’s statement came after 90 minutes of talks, which began against the backdrop of Prince William and Prince Harry attempting to stem rancorous speculation about their relationship in a joint statement.

Shortly after the Sandringham summit ended, the Queen issued a personal and informal statement in which she also struck a conciliatory tone.

“Today my family had very constructive discussions on the future of my grandson and his family.

“My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family. Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working members of the royal family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family”.

“Harry and Meghan have made clear that they do not want to be reliant on public funds in their new lives.

“It has therefore been agreed that there will be a period of transition in which the Sussexes will spend time in Canada and the UK.

“These are complex matters for my family to resolve, and there is some more work to be done, but I have asked for final decisions to be reached in the coming days”.

In a highly unusual move Harry and Meghan were not referred to as the duke and duchess in the statement, only as the Sussexes and by their first names, raising questions about whether they will retain their titles in the future.

Monday’s unprecedented summit was attended by the Queen, Charles, William and Harry, and was the first time the senior royals had met since the Sussexes made their shock statement last Wednesday. Meghan was due to join by conference call from Canada, where she has been since Friday, with the couple’s son, Archie, and their two dogs.

The couple want to “step back” as senior royals, perform royal duties “as called upon”, continue their charitable work and, crucially, be allowed to earn a income.

The palace had been blindsided by the timing of the couple’s announcement, made without warning, which left family members feeling “disappointed” and “hurt” according to sources.

Ahead of Monday’s meeting William and Harry broke their silence over the royal crisis to condemn speculation about their relationship as “offensive and potentially harmful”

In a show of unity, the brothers jointly attacked a UK newspaper report, thought to be in the Times, though senior aides did not specify. A statement, issued through the princes’ respective offices, said: “Despite clear denials, a false story ran in a UK newspaper today speculating about the relationship between the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of Cambridge”.

“For brothers who care so deeply about the issues surrounding mental health, the use of such inflammatory language in this way is offensive and potentially harmful”.

Monday’s Times cited a source claiming Harry and Meghan regarded themselves as having been pushed away by what they saw as a “bullying” attitude from William. It reported the source, said to be close to the couple, as saying William was insufficiently welcoming to Meghan when she first started dating Harry. The source claimed that William’s attitude resulted from the competitive nature of his relationship with his younger brother.

The last year has seen repeated reports of a suspected rift between the brothers. Harry then appeared to confirm the speculation when he told an ITV documentary in October that the brothers, once so close, were on “different paths”.

It is unusual for palace aides to issue such vehement public denials on such personal matters. The fact they did so is indicative of just how sensitive feelings are within the family as they seek to reconcile differences and contain the crisis to prevent further damage to the monarchy. The palace is also desperate to avoid a repeat of any narrative such as the so-called “War of the Waleses”, which accompanied the breakdown of Charles and Diana’s marriage.

Final decisions yet to be made on the Sussex’s severance from full-time royal duties will have huge implications for the shape of the monarchy, and for the future roles of young royals including Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, the youngest of the Cambridge’s three children.

No details were given of issues discussed, but they were likely to have included how much time the couple intend to spend in Canada, where their son will be raised, what royal duties they will still perform, and what commercial activities would it be feasible for them to undertake in order to become self-funding yet not risk tarnishing the royal brand.

One possible blueprint regarding how the couple could approach commercial enterprises are guidelines devised almost 20 years ago after the Countess of Wessex was accused of cashing in on her royal status in a bid to win business for her PR firm from a “fake sheikh” undercover reporter.

Those rules advise royals to first consult the Lord Chamberlain – the most senior official of the royal household – before taking on any new business activity. They also require that anyone connected with a business activity “should be carefully briefed not to try to exploit , either deliberately or inadvertently, the member of the royal family’s position, associations or access.”

Both Edward, who worked in television, and Sophie, who worked in PR, stepped down from their jobs after aides accepted they worked in areas prone to accusations of exploitation.

The move has raised questions over whether Canadian taxpayers would have to pay for the couple’s security costs during their time in North America but the country’s prime minister Justin Trudeau said no discussions had taken place.

Speaking to Canadian broadcaster Global News on Monday, he said: “There will be many discussions to come on how that works.

“But there’s still a lot of decisions to be taken by the royal family and by the Sussexes themselves as to what level of engagement they choose to have and these are things that we are supportive of.”

Earlier, Penny Junor, a royal biographer, said the Queen’s statement on Monday was “friendly and warm” and gave the couple space to find some perspective.

“I think it will take the pressure off them. I think they’re in a very vulnerable state at the moment. I think they’re unhappy, they feel isolated and unloved, unappreciated and they needed careful handling,” she said. “My reading from that statement is that the family has been sensitive to their vulnerability.” 

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jan/13/queen-gives-reluctant-blessing-to-harry-and-meghans-plans


----------



## brihard (13 Jan 2020)

Jarnhamar said:
			
		

> There's a net worth of $30 million between them both. Pretty sure they can pay for their own security.



Given the particular threat that is ever-present to members of the Royal Family, they don't really have the choice of living a normal life. He's cursed by birth with that notoriety, and with that ever present need for at least some protection. It's properly a policing function. There's also an element of protecting whichever of the public might happen to be knowingly or unknowingly in his vicinity at any particular time. In the grand scheme of the RCMP's budget, these costs are pretty small. It would be reasonable for costs to be shared with the monarchy to some extent though.


----------



## Jarnhamar (13 Jan 2020)

Brihard said:
			
		

> Given the particular threat that is ever-present to members of the Royal Family, they don't really have the choice of living a normal life. He's cursed by birth with that notoriety, and with that ever present need for at least some protection. It's properly a policing function. There's also an element of protecting whichever of the public might happen to be knowingly or unknowingly in his vicinity at any particular time. In the grand scheme of the RCMP's budget, these costs are pretty small. It would be reasonable for costs to be shared with the monarchy to some extent though.



I know in the greater scheme of things it's probably chump change but the optics of Canadian tax payers footing the bill for this couples perminant police protection? When they're deciding to move here on their own? Can see it being a hard sell if that's the route they take.

What kind of man power would we be looking at to cover off a couple? 4 officers working in shifts? 8?

Where ever the end up will be a dogs breakfast with media, Canadian and I bet British.


----------



## brihard (13 Jan 2020)

Jarnhamar said:
			
		

> I know in the greater scheme of things it's probably chump change but the optics of Canadian tax payers footing the bill for this couples perminant police protection? When they're deciding to move here on their own? Can see it being a hard sell if that's the route they take.
> 
> What kind of man power would we be looking at to cover off a couple? 4 officers working in shifts? 8?
> 
> Where ever the end up will be a dogs breakfast with media, Canadian and I bet British.



I won't speak to the number of officers it would take; too close to OPSEC for my comfort. It wouldn't be cheap and I'm not pretending it is. Annual costs of a couple mil I think is safe to say.

I get the optics of it, and yeah it sucks. I don't really think it can be helped. Like I said, not his fault he happens to be the grandson of the head of state, and a part of a family that is permanently at significant risk. Ultimately it doesn't really need to be 'sold' to anyone; it just gets done out of whatever budget is appropriate and people can deal with it. There'd be a little bit of noise from a few advocacy groups like the CTF, and then people would move on to the next bit of media nonsense.

I would be surprised if some cost were not recouped from the Royal Family.


----------



## mariomike (13 Jan 2020)

> Cost of protecting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has been pegged at $1.7 million a year
> https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/bill-morneau-security-costs-harry-meghan-1.5424988


----------



## gryphonv (13 Jan 2020)

Yeah like it or not, we are a commonwealth country. No matter how we feel about it, it is our Duty to ensure members of the Royal Family are protected while on our soil. Even if they are here in an unofficial capacity. 

One of my biggest issues with our politics is we nickle and dime everything. At the end of the day, 2 mil is a rounding error for the budget. 

But news will make this out to be bigger than it is. 

I don't blame them for wanting out, the media in the UK is ruthless and crosses many lines. At least we are a bit more respectable in Canada.


----------



## brihard (13 Jan 2020)

Brain fart on my part; RCMP would of course only be responsible while they're on our soil. That would simultaneously ease some things, but also introduce additional complexity in scheduling full time VIP trained cops on an intermittent basis in an area where there's typically not much full time demand for VIP security, assuming they lived in BC.


----------



## Czech_pivo (13 Jan 2020)

gryphonv said:
			
		

> Yeah like it or not, we are a commonwealth country. No matter how we feel about it, it is our Duty to ensure members of the Royal Family are protected while on our soil. Even if they are here in an unofficial capacity.
> 
> One of my biggest issues with our politics is we nickle and dime everything. At the end of the day, 2 mil is a rounding error for the budget.
> 
> ...



We Canadians are by far the most cheapest SOB’s that I’ve ever met in the world.


----------



## mariomike (13 Jan 2020)

Czech_pivo said:
			
		

> We Canadians are by far the most cheapest SOB’s that I’ve ever met in the world.





> At this point, it’s unknown just how much security would be required to protect the royal couple and their child, but it would be defined by a threat assessment, said Joe Balz, ex-RCMP officer and president of GloProSec Preventative Services.
> 
> “There’s always going to be the odd idiot who causes some type of problem,” Balz said. He added that they would be safer in Canada than in the U.S., where gun laws are much less strict.
> https://globalnews.ca/news/6393526/meghan-markle-prince-harry-canada-taxpayer-cost/


----------



## FSTO (13 Jan 2020)

Czech_pivo said:
			
		

> We Canadians are by far the most cheapest SOB’s that I’ve ever met in the world.



We hand wring about every dollar spent and our chicanery usually makes everything we do cost much more than it has to be.


----------



## mariomike (14 Jan 2020)

FSTO said:
			
		

> We hand wring about every dollar spent and our chicanery usually makes everything we do cost much more than it has to be.



Spencer Fernando ( don't know who he is, but see him quoted on here from time to time ) had this to say,



> Harry & Meghan Should Pay For Their Own Security In Canada
> https://www.spencerfernando.com/2020/01/13/harry-meghan-should-pay-for-their-own-security-in-canada/
> Harry & Meghan must pay for their own security, and not one cent of Canadian taxpayer dollars should be spent on them.


----------



## Kirkhill (14 Jan 2020)

The Swede's have blazed a trail that the Windsor's might want to consider

https://www.thelocal.se/20200113/could-the-british-royals-learn-anything-from-swedens-royal-family



> the Swedish royal family underwent big changes of its own earlier this year.
> 
> This was a more controlled change, as the king removed five of his grandchildren from the Royal House in a move said to have been discussed among the family over a period of several years.
> 
> ...



....



> The UK's Prince Harry might find himself relating to Princess Madeleine's family in particular, for whom the change might well mean a long-term move to the US.
> 
> The princess currently lives in the US with her husband, a British-American financier who refused a royal title (and Swedish citizenship) upon his marriage, and the changed roles for their grandchildren make it easier for the family to stay in North America.
> 
> Princess Madeleine took to Instagram, the social media platform also favoured by the Sussexes, to share her positive reaction to the announcement about her family. "I believe it is good that our children will now have a greater opportunity in the future to form their own lives as private individuals," she wrote.



I wonder about the calibre of the Swedish King.  He seems to be managing change effectively.


----------



## brihard (14 Jan 2020)

Chris Pook said:
			
		

> I wonder about the calibre of the Swedish King.



84mm, I believe.


----------



## The Bread Guy (14 Jan 2020)

Brihard said:
			
		

> 84mm, I believe.


----------



## Dale Denton (14 Jan 2020)

I'll preface this by saying i'm no Republican, if anything i'm more of an monarchist.

This isn't really anything to do about money... Queen costs us $40Mil/yr (2009 figure) comparatively, and she doesn't even live here (or visit anymore).

Make them the King/Queen of Canada - Canadianize them. Boot the GG, all Lt.Generals. Give them the existing infrastructure/costs/salary meant for the GG. Strong connection to the Queen/Windor family, with the distance from the racist UK press and their scrutiny they hate. People love them over here already, would be a good face for us internationally.


----------



## Remius (14 Jan 2020)

LoboCanada said:
			
		

> I'll preface this by saying i'm no Republican, if anything i'm more of an monarchist.
> 
> This isn't really anything to do about money... Queen costs us $40Mil/yr (2009 figure) comparatively, and she doesn't even live here (or visit anymore).
> 
> Make them the King/Queen of Canada - Canadianize them. Boot the GG, all Lt.Generals. Give them the existing infrastructure/costs/salary meant for the GG. Strong connection to the Queen/Windor family, with the distance from the racist UK press and their scrutiny they hate. People love them over here already, would be a good face for us internationally.



Not that easy or even possible.  The constitutional mess that would create because some people are infatuated with a celebrity royal couple is not worth it nor is it required.  Nothing is stopping them from being appointed GG if the PM is so inclined to do so but as I've mentioned these two want to go their own way.  Being GG of Canada does not further that goal for them.  

I have no issues with them moving part time to Canada.  I hope they do good things.  But in the end they are just going to become influential socialites lending their names to good causes.  

If we want to move to a truly Canadian Head of state why bother canadianizing two non Canadians and why not just pick/chose/vote for an actual Canadian?


----------



## tomahawk6 (14 Jan 2020)

The Duchess wanted to move to the US as long as Trumpp isn't President. Maybe she can do that in 2024.


----------



## mariomike (14 Jan 2020)

tomahawk6 said:
			
		

> The Duchess wanted to move to the US as long as Trumpp isn't President.



She wouldn't be the only US citizen wanting to live in Canada after election night.  
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/canadas-immigration-web-site-crashed-after-2016-election/



			
				tomahawk6 said:
			
		

> Maybe she can do that in 2024.



He "jokes" about staying on longer than two terms.
https://www.newsweek.com/trump-jokes-he-wont-leave-presidency-after-8-years-its-not-bad-idea-1476178


----------



## tomahawk6 (14 Jan 2020)

I recall after his election a number of Hollywood celebs vowed to move to Canada but I don't think any did much to my chagrin. I got through 8 years of Obama so they should too.


----------



## mariomike (14 Jan 2020)

tomahawk6 said:
			
		

> I recall after his election a number of Hollywood celebs vowed to move to Canada but I don't think any did much to my chagrin.



Just wanting to move to Canada isn't enough to get a visa.



			
				tomahawk6 said:
			
		

> I got through 8 years of Obama so they should too.



Going back to when he was pushing Birtherism, and even now in 2020, I'm not sure the current occupant of the White House has gotten over President Obama yet.

Edit spelling.


----------



## Remius (14 Jan 2020)

Meh, nothing new about Americans threatening to move North...

This article back in 2012 explains a bit of it.  although at that time it was more republican supporters worried about an Obama re-election. 

https://www.cnn.com/2012/11/07/politics/us-election-bluster/index.html

Funny stuff every four years.  

Edit to add link


----------



## mariomike (14 Jan 2020)

Remius said:
			
		

> This article back in 2012 explains a bit of it.



Which article is that?


----------



## Remius (14 Jan 2020)

mariomike said:
			
		

> Which article is that?



https://www.cnn.com/2012/11/07/politics/us-election-bluster/index.html

Sorry about that.


----------



## mariomike (14 Jan 2020)

Remius said:
			
		

> https://www.cnn.com/2012/11/07/politics/us-election-bluster/index.html
> 
> Sorry about that.



Quoting from your link,



> More recently, after Tuesday's election results came in, real estate mogul and reality TV star Donald Trump called for "revolution!" and urged his 1.8 million Twitter followers to "march on Washington and stop this travesty."
> 
> He further called on them to "fight like hell and stop this great and disgusting injustice," while proclaiming the country was now in "serious and unprecedented trouble...like never before." Trump has since deleted the revolution missive.
> 
> Post noted that Trump was at the forefront of the so-called "birther movement," which falsely claims Obama wasn't born in the United States, so he wasn't surprised to see Trump sound off, but "the intensity of that was rather shocking."





			
				tomahawk6 said:
			
		

> The Duchess wanted to move to the US as long as Trumpp isn't President.



Good luck to Meghan and Harry wherever they end up.


----------



## OldSolduer (14 Jan 2020)

tomahawk6 said:
			
		

> I recall after his election a number of Hollywood celebs vowed to move to Canada but I don't think any did much to my chagrin. I got through 8 years of Obama so they should too.



Like we need any more useful fools.


----------



## Jarnhamar (14 Jan 2020)

Brihard said:
			
		

> I get the optics of it, and yeah it sucks. I don't really think it can be helped. Like I said, not his fault he happens to be the grandson of the head of state, and a part of a family that is permanently at significant risk. Ultimately it doesn't really need to be 'sold' to anyone; it just gets done out of whatever budget is appropriate * and people can deal with it.* There'd be a little bit of noise from a few advocacy groups like the CTF, and then people would move on to the next bit of media nonsense.



You're probably right my friend, it'll just get done.

I think if enough people get upset (like, livid as we seen in the case of Terri-Lynne McClintic getting sent to a being house) we might see the government backtracking and reversing a decision or going against policy. But this is hardly the same situation or cause to be so upset. Few million for security is a drop in the bucket.

I'm not sure of the police (probably RCMP?) would see this as a jammy go or not enjoy the job. It would doubly suck for an RCMP officer/s to have to uproot their family and move just to provide security for Harry and his wife I would think.


----------



## mariomike (14 Jan 2020)

Jarnhamar said:
			
		

> I'm not sure of the police (probably RCMP?) would see this as a jammy go or not enjoy the job.



You get to wear cool sunglasses.  8)
https://twitter.com/rcmp_nat_div/status/1185198715117674498



			
				Jarnhamar said:
			
		

> It would doubly suck for an RCMP officer/s to have to uproot their family and move just to provide security for Harry and his wife I would think.



And family.
https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ACYBGNQ_UI4iCyBVtUOVZcev9L-JSqUNVw%3A1579046911488&source=hp&ei=_1ceXri1G8_0swWdkZfABg&q=meghan+harry+children&oq=meghan+harry+children&gs_l=psy-ab.3..35i39.2243.8748..9253...1.0..0.237.2825.1j18j2......0....1..gws-wiz.......0i131j0j0i131i67j0i67j0i131i20i263j0i3j0i324j0i10j0i22i30j0i22i10i30.KyCHHfn7pJk&ved=0ahUKEwj4sPaRqITnAhVP-qwKHZ3IBWgQ4dUDCAs&uact=5#spf=1579046921671


----------



## The Bread Guy (14 Jan 2020)

Sooooo, which is it, then?

Attributed:  _*"Finance Minister Bill Morneau said today the federal government hasn't decided if Ottawa would help to cover the security costs associated with a move by Prince Harry and his wife Meghan to Canada ..."*_ (CBC)
No mention of sourcing:  _*"Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has agreed taxpayers in his country should pick up the huge bill for the couple’s round-the-clock protection while they are in the country, the Evening Standard has learned.  Mr Trudeau — still dealing with the fall-out from the downing of a Ukrainian aircraft by the Iranian military which killed 57 Canadians  — has privately assured the Queen that Harry, Meghan and Archie’s safety will not be jeopardised while they reside there ..."*_ (UK _Evening Standard_)
op:


----------



## Czech_pivo (14 Jan 2020)

Jarnhamar said:
			
		

> I'm not sure of the police (probably RCMP?) would see this as a jammy go or not enjoy the job. It would doubly suck for an RCMP officer/s to have to uproot their family and move just to provide security for Harry and his wife I would think.



Tough - RCMP candidates/officers are well aware that they can be posted to any area of Canada as they are needed. If a person took this job and didn’t realize those risks, too bad. 

I didn’t pursue a career with a certain intelligence agency for that very reason. No way my spouse would have agreed to it.


----------



## The Bread Guy (15 Jan 2020)

Interesting side-by-side comparison of how the different members of The Firm were dealt with by media on similar issues - a couple of examples attached.


----------



## Remius (15 Jan 2020)

Czech_pivo said:
			
		

> Tough - RCMP candidates/officers are well aware that they can be posted to any area of Canada as they are needed. If a person took this job and didn’t realize those risks, too bad.
> 
> I didn’t pursue a career with a certain intelligence agency for that very reason. No way my spouse would have agreed to it.



Sure.  That does not mean they have to like it or enjoy it.  But hey, we can keep treating them like hot garbage and wonder why there might be a retention issue.  

Just like in the CAF.  

I'm willing to bet that a lot of guys that might get voluntold for that gig are guys that put in their time on less than glamourous or coveted posts to get to where they are.


----------



## brihard (15 Jan 2020)

Czech_pivo said:
			
		

> Tough - RCMP candidates/officers are well aware that they can be posted to any area of Canada as they are needed. If a person took this job and didn’t realize those risks, too bad.
> 
> I didn’t pursue a career with a certain intelligence agency for that very reason. No way my spouse would have agreed to it.



Respectfully, I’m going to suggest you’re talking well outside of your arcs and without requisite knowledge of how the RCMP solves operational manpower needs both short and long term, or how specialty roles like VIP protection are handled- that’s not something that just any (or even most) RCMP members are qualified to do.

In this case, the decision to set up shop in Canada by the Sussexs will not happen overnight. In the interim if it were necessary to deploy some RCMP members who are VIP trained on essentially a TD task, that could be done, albeit at considerable expense. Longer term, establishing a dedicated protective unit would be a bit laborious but pretty straight forward. I expect this would be a desirable enough full time job that a competition for these roles would get a good number of applicants. Like any postings it takes time, but it would be pretty straightforward.


----------



## mariomike (15 Jan 2020)

In today's news,


> Meghan and Harry were forced to remove claims from website RoyalSussex.com that they are entitled to personal bodyguards due to their status, despite opting to 'quit' royal firm
> https://www.google.com/search?biw=1280&bih=641&tbs=qdr%3Ad&sxsrf=ACYBGNQAUO_xASknygabqU-glZQXBJeFDw%3A1579103629986&ei=jTUfXqXVO6W0ggeIkrbgCw&q=%22internationally+protected+people%22+meghan+harry&oq=%22internationally+protected+people%22+meghan+harry&gs_l=psy-ab.12...3791.5233..7502...0.0..2.261.1540.0j5j3......0....1..gws-wiz.EukgTqTh1TE&ved=0ahUKEwjlz7a3-4XnAhUlmuAKHQiJDbwQ4dUDCAo#spf=1579103640312


----------



## Cloud Cover (15 Jan 2020)

this whole thing is turning into a bit of an a$$.

https://modernfarmer.com/2014/06/modern-farmers-guide-guard-donkeys/


----------



## Czech_pivo (15 Jan 2020)

Remius said:
			
		

> Sure.  That does not mean they have to like it or enjoy it.  But hey, we can keep treating them like hot garbage and wonder why there might be a retention issue.
> 
> Just like in the CAF.
> 
> I'm willing to bet that a lot of guys that might get voluntold for that gig are guys that put in their time on less than glamourous or coveted posts to get to where they are.



If I was a newish RCMP officer and had the chance of Nunavut, Tuk or Vic Island, I easily know what I'd be taking.


----------



## mariomike (15 Jan 2020)

Angus Reid

January 15, 2020 


> Royal Tab: Vast majority don’t want to pay costs associated with the Sussexes’ move to Canada
> http://angusreid.org/harry-meghan-canada-monarchy/
> Nor do Canadians care to pay for his and his wife’s security and other expenditures associated with their stated intention to spend at least part of the year in Canada, while “stepping back” from official duties. Nearly three-quarters (73%) of Canadians say “no thank you” to the prospect.


----------



## Remius (15 Jan 2020)

Czech_pivo said:
			
		

> If I was a newish RCMP officer and had the chance of Nunavut, Tuk or Vic Island, I easily know what I'd be taking.



If you were a newish RCMP officer you would not be with Protective Services either.


----------



## tomahawk6 (15 Jan 2020)

Private security will be bought by the Duke and Duchess. Hope reality sets in and they go back on the public purse. Their brand may not be worth as much as they expect.

The way forward ?
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2020/01/13/prince-william-take-note-queen-kept-rebellious-sibling-side/


----------



## mariomike (15 Jan 2020)

tomahawk6 said:
			
		

> Private security will be bought by the Duke and Duchess.



Hopefully they will stay safe.


----------



## Czech_pivo (15 Jan 2020)

Remius said:
			
		

> If you were a newish RCMP officer you would not be with Protective Services either.



Touche!


----------



## Jarnhamar (15 Jan 2020)

[quote author=Czech_pivo] 

I didn’t pursue a career with a certain intelligence agency for that very reason. No way my spouse would have agreed to it.
[/quote]

Are you regular force military?


----------



## brihard (15 Jan 2020)

Remius said:
			
		

> If you were a newish RCMP officer you would not be with Protective Services either.



What's that assumption based on? What's your operating definition of 'newish'?


----------



## dapaterson (15 Jan 2020)

I think that it's the law that for every jaded, grizzled veteran on the Protective detail who's a month away from retirement that there also be an idealistic young officer, who makes a critical mistake leading to the dramatic death of the grizzled old cop who, with his dying gasp, calls on the rookie to avenge his death.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vyANa71gvU


----------



## The Bread Guy (15 Jan 2020)

milnews.ca said:
			
		

> Sooooo, which is it, then?
> 
> Attributed:  _*"Finance Minister Bill Morneau said today the federal government hasn't decided if Ottawa would help to cover the security costs associated with a move by Prince Harry and his wife Meghan to Canada ..."*_ (CBC)
> No mention of sourcing:  _*"Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has agreed taxpayers in his country should pick up the huge bill for the couple’s round-the-clock protection while they are in the country, the Evening Standard has learned.  Mr Trudeau — still dealing with the fall-out from the downing of a Ukrainian aircraft by the Iranian military which killed 57 Canadians  — has privately assured the Queen that Harry, Meghan and Archie’s safety will not be jeopardised while they reside there ..."*_ (UK _Evening Standard_)
> op:


Well, so far, fact checkers say no decision's been made yet ...


> ... Trudeau told Canadian media Global News in an interview on January 13 that nothing had been settled in regards to the security bill for the royal family, which media estimated to be Can$1.7 million. “We’re not entirely sure what the final decisions will be, those are decisions for them (the royal couple),” Trudeau said.
> 
> A government source close to the matter told AFP that this had not changed as of the time of publication on January 15, adding that reports of Trudeau offering to the Queen to pay for Harry and Meghan’s protection are false ...


Brought to you by #NotBoughtMedia


----------



## mariomike (15 Jan 2020)

tomahawk6 said:
			
		

> Private security will be bought by the Duke and Duchess.





			
				milnews.ca said:
			
		

> Well, so far, fact checkers say no decision's been made yet



Just have to wait and see!i

Some on the internet have described Canada as sort of a "halfway house" between the UK and LA,
https://www.google.com/search?sxsrf=ACYBGNTZ5MPdTAgJvufD5JKBavpyeme8Uw%3A1579142131044&source=hp&ei=88sfXpgRgqy1Bsv2nvAF&q=%22canada+is+not+a+halfway+house%22&oq=%22canada+is+not+a+halfway+house%22&gs_l=psy-ab.3..33i22i29i30l4.2715.13511..14026...1.0..2.481.5736.4j19j3j3j2......0....1..gws-wiz.......35i39j0i67j0j0i131i67j0i131j33i160.RvTF4qzrnJg&ved=0ahUKEwjY1pLuiofnAhUCVs0KHUu7B14Q4dUDCAs&uact=5#spf=1579142145615


----------



## brihard (15 Jan 2020)

tomahawk6 said:
			
		

> Private security will be bought by the Duke and Duchess. Hope reality sets in and they go back on the public purse. Their brand may not be worth as much as they expect.
> 
> The way forward ?
> https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2020/01/13/prince-william-take-note-queen-kept-rebellious-sibling-side/



Something to bear in mind; private bodyguards in Canada would not be carrying firearms. Police can.


----------



## tomahawk6 (15 Jan 2020)

If private security isn't an option then they reimburse the RCMP or Vancouver police all this to keep Megan happy. William did advise his brother not to marry her. Love can be so blind.


----------



## mariomike (16 Jan 2020)

tomahawk6 said:
			
		

> Love can be so blind.



Marriage is the eye opener.  

Not everyone in B.C. is on board with paying,



> Why pay security costs for Harry and Meghan?
> https://theprovince.com/opinion/letters/letters-to-the-province-jan-16-2020-security-costs-for-harry-and-meghan
> 
> If a family wanted to migrate to Canada and a member had a medical condition that would cost Canadian taxpayers $1 million annually, their application would probably be refused.
> ...


----------



## OldSolduer (16 Jan 2020)

So Megan doesn't want to live in the US as long as Trump is President?

How about going back and living in the USA and campaign on behalf of Candidate (fill in the blank here) so maybe Trump won't get a second term.


Just a thought.


----------



## mariomike (16 Jan 2020)

Hamish Seggie said:
			
		

> So Megan doesn't want to live in the US as long as Trump is President?





> Meghan Markle plans to move to Los Angeles only after Trump leaves office, report
> https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/meghan-markle-plans-move-los-angeles-after-trump-leaves-office-report


----------



## Remius (16 Jan 2020)

Brihard said:
			
		

> What's that assumption based on? What's your operating definition of 'newish'?



My assumption was that he was talking about someone right out of Depot.


----------



## Remius (16 Jan 2020)

Brihard said:
			
		

> Something to bear in mind; private bodyguards in Canada would not be carrying firearms. Police can.



Easy solution.  Build a giant mansion in the shape of a brinks truck.  All your limos are brinks trucks.  Put cash in both.  Problem solved.  Armed security. 

 ;D


----------



## mariomike (16 Jan 2020)

Remius said:
			
		

> My assumption was that he was talking about someone right out of Depot.



Without knowing if Canadians will be paying for security for Harry and family, or if it would be a permanent or temporary posting,  different organizations fill internal postings diferent ways. Perhaps using the senior qualified process, or the relative ability process. 

It's up to who signs off on the posting.



eg: Police experience is not required to be a US Secret Service agent.
https://www.secretservice.gov/join/careers/agents/


----------



## mariomike (16 Jan 2020)

Remius said:
			
		

> All your limos are brinks trucks.



By your emoji, I assume you are kidding.

But, I have heard / read of it being seriously suggested - and seriously refused - for other people in Toronto.


----------



## One-off (16 Jan 2020)

tomahawk6 said:
			
		

> William did advise his brother not to marry her. Love can be so blind.



Advised him not to marry her or to not get married at all?  :rofl:


----------



## tomahawk6 (17 Jan 2020)

Arent the Royals supposed to be apolitical ?


----------



## mariomike (17 Jan 2020)

tomahawk6 said:
			
		

> Arent the Royals supposed to be apolitical ?



From what I have read, "They are stepping back from their roles as 'senior' members of the royal family." 

What are the roles of junior members?  :dunno:


----------



## tomahawk6 (17 Jan 2020)

I saw some discussion today that Harry and Megan could lose their titles ? I suppose that's up to Her Majesty. She is making a statement either today or Saturday so we shall see. I saw where their Frogmore House is being shuttered.


----------



## Retired AF Guy (17 Jan 2020)

I was going to post in the Editorial Cartoon forum, but decided post here instead. 

https://www.politico.com/gallery/2020/01/17/the-nations-cartoonists-on-the-week-in-politics-003690?slide=12


----------



## tomahawk6 (18 Jan 2020)

They have lost their title HRH but retaitain their Dukedom. Anyone have further insight ?

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/prince-harry-meghan-markle-queen-announcement-royal


----------



## dapaterson (18 Jan 2020)

I can totally imagine the Queen singing this song...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-qV8zy4b-Q


----------



## The Bread Guy (18 Jan 2020)

tomahawk6 said:
			
		

> They have lost their title HRH but retaitain their Dukedom. Anyone have further insight ?
> 
> https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/prince-harry-meghan-markle-queen-announcement-royal


Here's a touch of analysis from the BBC ...


> ... They will always be, the Queen writes, 'much loved members of my family'.
> 
> But that's about it. No royal title, no royal duties, no military appointments, no tours, most of their time spent in Canada, no public money.
> 
> ...


----------



## The Bread Guy (19 Jan 2020)

A little more from the Royal Info-machine ...


> Published 18 January 2020
> *Statement from HM The Queen.*
> 
> Following many months of conversations and more recent discussions, I am pleased that together we have found a constructive and supportive way forward for my grandson and his family.
> ...


----------



## Blackadder1916 (21 Jan 2020)

Apparently, moving to Canada does not provide a paparazzi-free environment.

https://theprovince.com/news/canada/prince-harry-arrives-in-canada-to-prepare-for-non-royal-life-2/wcm/c7388602-5483-49dd-9007-b391f0b24a2a


> Day One in Canada: Harry, Meghan threaten legal action against paparazzi outside B.C. home
> 
> The Sussexes say paparazzi are permanently camped outside their home with long lenses trained at their B.C. residence
> 
> ...


----------



## PuckChaser (21 Jan 2020)

Paparazzi are such parasites. Only slightly worse than the masses that consume their content and fuel their ridiculous actions. Photographing someone on their private property without consent should be illegal.


----------



## YZT580 (21 Jan 2020)

Candid camera is illegal.  The difficulty is in fighting it.  The argument used by the press is one of the public's need to know overrides an individuals right to privacy when said individual is a public figure.  Harry has resigned and wishes to be eliminated from the public eye except for those occasions when family responsibilities bring him back to England or when he signals his intent to make a 'public' appearance.  Given the normal person's attention span, he should be allowed to sit back in about a week.  Give it a month before he can go into a pub


----------



## daftandbarmy (21 Jan 2020)

YZT580 said:
			
		

> Candid camera is illegal.  The difficulty is in fighting it.  The argument used by the press is one of the public's need to know overrides an individuals right to privacy when said individual is a public figure.  Harry has resigned and wishes to be eliminated from the public eye except for those occasions when family responsibilities bring him back to England or when he signals his intent to make a 'public' appearance.  Given the normal person's attention span, he should be allowed to sit back in about a week.  Give it a month before he can go into a pub



I seriously doubt that. 

Like a straggling moose calf, breaking away from the main Royal 'herd' and leaving a country of 60 million for a tiny rural community like North Saanich will likely mean that they will be easier targets than ever to get picked off by the tabloid wolves.


----------



## dapaterson (21 Jan 2020)

I think they will be aggressively boring, forcing the press to return to the allegations against the man who doesn't sweat... which will end badly for a former Sea King pilot.


----------



## daftandbarmy (27 Jan 2020)

Now they're getting a real taste for what it's like to be a BC landowner/ settler 

Royal rumble: Native band claims Harry's B.C. mansion on 'stolen land'

Some of Prince Harry and Meghan’s Markle’s new Vancouver Island neighbours aren’t quite ready to roll out the welcome wagon.
The Tseycum Nation claims the pair’s rented $18-million mansion is built on land “stolen” by British colonizers almost two centuries ago.
“We get no money from the land now, nothing. But for us, it’s just not right houses like that are built there,” Chief Tanya Jimmy told the Sunday Mirror.

https://vancouversun.com/news/national/royal-rumble-native-band-claims-harrys-b-c-mansion-on-stolen-land/wcm/a59f22e4-8921-4a29-b014-71fbe6966170


----------



## SeaKingTacco (27 Jan 2020)

Uh-huh. Hey, I wonder what the Douglas Treaty says about all this...


----------



## Blackadder1916 (27 Jan 2020)

SeaKingTacco said:
			
		

> Uh-huh. Hey, I wonder what the Douglas Treaty says about all this...



Well, this is what the Tseycum First Nation has to say about the Douglas Treaty.

https://www.sct-trp.ca/apption/cms/UploadedDocuments/20187003/001-SCT-7003-18-Doc1.pdf


----------



## Colin Parkinson (28 Jan 2020)

Well if he gets bored and is reading this, he is more than welcome to inspect our Navy League Corp in North Van who will welcome him (and his wife) with open arms.


----------



## daftandbarmy (28 Jan 2020)

Colin P said:
			
		

> Well if he gets bored and is reading this, he is more than welcome to inspect our Navy League Corp in North Van who will welcome him (and his wife) with open arms.



Write the Queen and request a Royal Visit. Seriously. It's a thing.

https://www.royal.uk/contact

Don't specify that you want 'The Duke and Duchess of Such and Such' etc, as they'll put it in the hopper with the rest of their visit plans out this way and you could get any of 'The Firm' dropping in to see the kids.

I used to know one of the guys that managed these things and it's quite the operation. They were always disappointed that more people didn't write in....


----------



## BillN (28 Jan 2020)

Colin P said:
			
		

> Well if he gets bored and is reading this, he is more than welcome to inspect our Navy League Corp in North Van who will welcome him (and his wife) with open arms.



Is it still the Hon. Clarence Wallace Corps?  Both my nephews were members of that corps....many years ago.


----------



## Colin Parkinson (28 Jan 2020)

BillN said:
			
		

> Is it still the Hon. Clarence Wallace Corps?  Both my nephews were members of that corps....many years ago.



Yes it is, we parade Tuesday nights 6;30 to 9:00pm, drop on by and say hello. Our FB site https://www.facebook.com/NLCC-Honourable-Clarence-Wallace-174880119252848/


----------



## dapaterson (1 Feb 2020)

BREAKING: Harry and Meghan have reached out to the Winnipeg Jets and Vancouver Canucks for advice on living in Canada without a title.

https://twitter.com/Jonathan_Dunphy/status/1223253866139004930


----------



## daftandbarmy (2 Feb 2020)

Quite... eh? 



https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/02/world/canada/harry-meghan-victoria-british-columbia.html


----------



## tomahawk6 (7 Feb 2020)

Haryy and Meg are house shopping in LA. She must crave the sun and warmth of LA. Its expensive but they might find something for a few million bucks.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/lifestyle/royals/meghan-markle-and-prince-harry-are-house-shopping-in-los-angeles/ar-BBZIQwE?ocid=spartanntp


----------



## suffolkowner (10 Feb 2020)

this "article" says that they have 15 full time people in their protection detail. I wonder if that will continue

https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/you-wont-believe-how-many-security-officers-prince-harry-meghan-markle-have.html/


----------



## mariomike (10 Feb 2020)

I'm no security expert. But, I imagine they require three details, because they are pretty mobile, and not always together in the same place at the same time.


----------



## dapaterson (10 Feb 2020)

suffolkowner said:
			
		

> this "article" says that they have 15 full time people in their protection detail. I wonder if that will continue
> 
> https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/you-wont-believe-how-many-security-officers-prince-harry-meghan-markle-have.html/



A week is 168 hours.  That's 21 shifts of 8 hours, or four people full time for a single full time member of the detail If you assume 2-4 at all times (backup and they sometimes go to different places at different time) that averages out to 12 people full time, with 12 left over shifts.  Add in coverage for vacation / illness etc, and 15 full time is not an unreasonable size for round the clock coverage.


----------



## Jarnhamar (10 Feb 2020)

Is the security detail RCMP officers?


----------



## daftandbarmy (10 Feb 2020)

Understandable... the weather was pretty nice here last weekend 


Meghan Markle and Prince Harry allegedly turned down Oscars invitation

Sunday evening's Academy Awards were filled with a year's worth of celebrity sightings -- from Bradley Cooper to Tom Hanks -- but the show's attendees could have also included the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. 

According to new reports, the royal couple was invited to attend the annual awards show and were even approached by the academy to present the award for Best Picture. 

"They were honoured by the request, but declined the invitation," said royal reporter Emily Nash of Hello! Magazine.

The couple's attendance at the Oscars would have been a surprise, but not entirely unusual for the couple, especially given Meghan's Hollywood roots.


https://www.aol.com/article/entertainment/2020/02/10/meghan-markle-and-prince-harry-allegedly-turned-down-oscars-invitation/23922945/


----------



## udtabn (11 Feb 2020)

not sure how  they both can work in Canada ?  guess they had help with  work permits


----------



## Spencer100 (14 Feb 2020)

udtabn said:
			
		

> not sure how  they both can work in Canada ?  guess they had help with  work permits



Well Megan has not been gone too long hers maybe up to date. Or was it employer dependant?


----------



## Czech_pivo (14 Feb 2020)

Spencer100 said:
			
		

> Well Megan has not been gone too long hers maybe up to date. Or was it employer dependant?



She very well may have had Landed Immigrant status prior to her marriage.


----------



## Cloud Cover (14 Feb 2020)

These two will be just fine. They will be in the category of self employed business owners, who will create net jobs for others in Canada. 
I will be interested to learn when or if they need a hospital, will they take a slab and bring their own pillow in the hallway like the rest of us, or will they check in to a 6 star hospital in LA. 
These could be some interesting updates on SussexRoyal Instagram or Twitter:
- “We’re on the waiting list for a day family doctor”
- “Awaiting our MyCRA token in the mail”
- “Applied for B.C. Services card”
- “Go Leafs(?)”
- “What does “Givener” mean?”
Etc.


----------



## mariomike (27 Feb 2020)

> Canada to cease security funding for Harry and Meghan
> 
> https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/canada-cease-security-funding-harry-meghan-n1144381
> 
> "The assistance will cease in the coming weeks, in keeping with their change in status," the office of Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said.


----------



## Spencer100 (8 May 2020)

Well they're not in Canada any more

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/lifestyle/royals/meghan-markle-and-prince-harry-are-staying-at-tyler-perrys-beverly-hills-mansion/ar-BB13LOqe?ocid=spartanntp

Plus Harry has to give up his gun collection.

https://dailycaller.com/2020/05/06/prince-harry-rifles-sell-hunting-quit-meghan-markle-jane-goodall-report-private-deal/?fbclid=IwAR3w8XAJKPr9n8wp7xd0QN9mfeOP5T35Xdcg68eil87YBaI_k1GGeKdUK7k


----------



## daftandbarmy (20 Feb 2021)

Nailed it ....



*Harry and Meghan had perfect platform for their ambitions, but royal life didn't pay enough *

Why have the couple spent the past 12 months desperately trying to disguise the fact that they have swapped duty for dollars?

Confirmation that Harry and Meghan will not be returning as working members of the Royal family will have come as a shock to no one who has followed events since they dropped their “Megxit” bombshell on Jan 8 last year.

The couple announced they wanted to “carve out a progressive new role within this institution” to become “financially independent” while continuing to support the Queen.

They were to balance their time between the U.K. and “North America” in an effort to honour their commitment to “the Queen, the Commonwealth and our patronages.”

Yet within seconds of the post appearing on Instagram, anyone with even the most elementary understanding of the way the monarchy has functioned for the past 1,000 years knew the couple were never going to be able to have their cake and eat it.

This was pointed out clearly to the Sussexes at the Sandringham summit, where the Queen – supported by the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge – told Harry in no uncertain terms (Meghan had already left the U.K. by that point), that they were either in, or out, they couldn’t be in between.

Leaving the door ajar for a return to royal duties should their grand plan fail, the Queen agreed to a 12-month review period as a safety net. But it was never going to be possible for them to have the best of both worlds.

As yesterday’s Buckingham Palace statement put it: “In stepping away from the work of the Royal family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service.”

Part of the problem is that the Sussexes do not seem to understand what public service is. As a California-born actress, Meghan can arguably be forgiven for this, but it somewhat beggars belief that Harry, a prince who grew up in the Firm, agreed to respond to the Queen’s statement yesterday with the line: “We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.”

Why have the couple spent the past 12 months desperately trying to disguise the fact that they have swapped duty for dollars?

Confirmation that Harry and Meghan will not be returning as working members of the Royal family will have come as a shock to no one who has followed events since they dropped their “Megxit” bombshell on Jan 8 last year.

The couple announced they wanted to “carve out a progressive new role within this institution” to become “financially independent” while continuing to support the Queen.

They were to balance their time between the U.K. and “North America” in an effort to honour their commitment to “the Queen, the Commonwealth and our patronages.”

Yet within seconds of the post appearing on Instagram, anyone with even the most elementary understanding of the way the monarchy has functioned for the past 1,000 years knew the couple were never going to be able to have their cake and eat it.

This was pointed out clearly to the Sussexes at the Sandringham summit, where the Queen – supported by the Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge – told Harry in no uncertain terms (Meghan had already left the U.K. by that point), that they were either in, or out, they couldn’t be in between.

Leaving the door ajar for a return to royal duties should their grand plan fail, the Queen agreed to a 12-month review period as a safety net. But it was never going to be possible for them to have the best of both worlds.

As yesterday’s Buckingham Palace statement put it: “In stepping away from the work of the Royal family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service.”

Part of the problem is that the Sussexes do not seem to understand what public service is. As a California-born actress, Meghan can arguably be forgiven for this, but it somewhat beggars belief that Harry, a prince who grew up in the Firm, agreed to respond to the Queen’s statement yesterday with the line: “We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.”

Not only is it deeply disrespectful to engage in this sort of last word freakery with the Queen, but I also do not think the 94-year-old monarch, who has devoted her whole life to duty, needs to be lectured on service by anyone, not least when her 99-year-old husband remains in hospital.


https://vancouversun.com/news/world...ough/wcm/93bf8eff-514d-444c-b359-b902eaa5531d


----------



## brihard (20 Feb 2021)

I don’t believe Harry owes anyone anything merely due to pure accident of birth. I also don’t think he needs to answer to anyone on the matter of ‘service’. He’s given a very great deal of himself for his country, for fellow veterans, and for others. If royal duties are incompatible with the sort of life he and his family wish to lead, then I wish him well.


----------



## dapaterson (20 Feb 2021)

Better a single Harry than a dozen Andrews.


----------



## Good2Golf (20 Feb 2021)

For his service alone, twice deployed to Afghanistan, and establishing the Invictus Games, he’s done more than many still-Royals will do in a lifetime.

Strange that people are so quick to say people deserve a chance to do they own thing and succeed when the start point is one of disadvantage, yet personal rights to follow one’s own path don’t exist if the environment (some would argue reasonably a dysfunctional one) they were born into had greater privilege than most...how then should they atone for their part in being borne into such a situation?


----------



## FJAG (20 Feb 2021)

I'm kind of a fan of the royal family albeit not a rabid one - probably has to do with once holding the Queen's commission - (_WE reposing especial Trust and Confidence in your Loyalty, Courage and Integrity ... _Heady stuff for a nineteen year old_)_

I think the family is getting some really poor advice from the cabal of courtiers that serve them. Its getting to be a "cutting off your nose to spite your face" kind of thing.

Harry has a relationship with former - and especially wounded - and serving service members that probably hasn't been seen in the royal family since Henry V rallied his troops on the fields of Agincourt on St Crispin's day. 

The only thing Harry was looking for in a link with the royalty was to maintain the relationship he had with the troops. The family (and especially the stuffed shirts in the back room) could easily have carved out a system whereby that relationship could have been maintained. He is still a prince of the family after all. Hell, the Third Battalion Mukluk Rifles could appoint anyone they want as their honourary colonel and put him in uniform (although I gather that does need royal approval from the Queen in the Uk.

The end result is that now many of those appointments will go to less noteworthy and much less loved individuals. Plain stupid IMHO.

🍻


----------



## Kat Stevens (20 Feb 2021)

brihard said:


> I don’t believe Harry owes anyone anything merely due to pure accident of birth. I also don’t think he needs to answer to anyone on the matter of ‘service’. He’s given a very great deal of himself for his country, for fellow veterans, and for others. If royal duties are incompatible with the sort of life he and his family wish to lead, then I wish him well.


Nobody owes the kids anything, either. Neither of them are hostages in the RF. If you want out, you’re all the way out, bon chance. Leaving a key under the mat just in case the grand freedom experiment flops isn’t an option. They still play up, and profit, from the fact that he’s a royal, and she’s whoever she is, darling little rebels. I actually like the guy, stand up fella all around and I respect greatly what he’s done.


----------



## Good2Golf (20 Feb 2021)

> As yesterday’s Buckingham Palace statement put it: “In stepping away from the work of the Royal family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service.”
> 
> Part of the problem is that the Sussexes do not seem to understand what public service is. As a California-born actress, Meghan can arguably be forgiven for this, but it somewhat beggars belief that Harry, a prince who grew up in the Firm, agreed to respond to the Queen’s statement yesterday with the line: “We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.”



If the Queen herself actually said the first quote, then she dropped a notch in my estimation. I think it was more a shadowy PR writer paraphrasing what the Queen actually wrote to Harry (Buckingham Palace did not directly quote the words of the Queen’s letter), but notwithstanding, it was a jab to make a black and white straw man that not being a Royal means you aren’t responsible enough for public service. 

That’s BS of course. How arrogant to imply that ‘public service’ is only for Royalty.  I’m glad Harry respectfully called the Castle on it.  Many citizens of a nation are in public service, not just Royalty for nations that have a monarchy.


----------



## dapaterson (20 Feb 2021)

Remember, Sarah is still a duchess - she sold access to her ex-husband, took a bailout from Jeffery Epstein, did a reality show... but somehow Harry and Meaghan are worse.


----------



## Good2Golf (20 Feb 2021)

dapaterson said:


> Remember, Sarah is still a duchess - she sold access to her ex-husband, took a bailout from Jeffery Epstein, did a reality show... but somehow Harry and Meaghan are worse.


...I’m the eyes of the Royals’ bootlicks...


----------



## Navy_Pete (21 Feb 2021)

Meanwhile in Buckingham;

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news...ns-consent-raises-questions-over-uk-democracy

The RF is pretty well paid and constitutionally protected in their graft. They don't 'live a life of service' for free; they make millions every year while not being held accountable to the same laws as the rest of the UK.

Just with the Invictus games alone Harry has done more than most of the extended group of hangdowns. I think once the Queen dies the remaining popularity of the Monarchy is going to fall pretty quick.


----------



## daftandbarmy (8 Mar 2021)

Large nuclear cloud rising over the UK right now, I'd wager....



Harry and Meghan detail royal struggles, from discussions of baby's skin tone to suicidal thoughts​
Conversations about "how dark" their baby's skin tone would be. A rift between Prince Harry and his father so deep that Harry said his father at one point "stopped taking my calls." And Meghan, Duchess of Sussex saying she "just didn't want to be alive anymore."

These were some of the shocking details described by Harry and Meghan in an exclusive interview with Oprah Winfrey, the first they have given since they stepped away from official royal duties last year. They said they would have stayed had they gotten support from the royal family. 

In one of the only lighthearted moments, the couple revealed their second child, expected this summer, will be a girl. 











						Harry and Meghan detail royal struggles, from discussions of baby's skin tone to suicidal thoughts
					

Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, told Oprah Winfrey about their exit from the royal family in an exclusive interview on CBS.




					www.cbsnews.com


----------



## FJAG (8 Mar 2021)

I actually watched the whole thing (or more accurately it was on the TV while I was sitting and writing as well as making time wasting posts on this forum and Facebook) and was quite impressed on how well Ophra handled the interview as well as how well both Harry and Meghan did.

I've been a fan of Harry's ever since he flew Apaches and took up with the Invictus Games. The trouble seems to be that within the Brit society (and the Establishment) there were folks who were outraged at his marrying an American (and quite probably one of colour as well which led to this line in the sand there now. I briefly looked at the tripe that burst out of Piers Morgan this morning and felt like buying a plane ticket to London to kick him in the nuts.

Harry and Meghan are certainly being treated far differently by the family and the Establishment then the pedophile prince, Edward and Anne and their various princeling and princess offsprings. In taking the course that the Queen is allowing to happen they've cut off their nose to spite their face. Harry and Meghan were excellent good-will ambassadors in places where William and Kate did not and do not have a constituency (and maybe that was the problem for them)

I think the royal family is on a downward slide that will accelerate when the Queen packs it in.

🍻


----------



## brihard (8 Mar 2021)

My wife and I watched the whole thing tonight. It hit me surprisingly hard. I’ve never before seen such a public and high profile representation of a man supporting his wife through profoundly difficult mental health stuff, and going through his own along with it. It hit extremely close to home, especially the bit where she points out the photo where they’re both smiling and putting on the facade at an event- and he’s got a death grip holding her hand after she told him that morning that she wanted to die. I know that grip. My wife, similarly, found a lot relatable in what she’s been through. Not the specifics obviously, but some of the tumult life can throw, and being told you’re welcome into an institution and then finding it decidedly not so.

it was a very well done interview, and I think they both handled it very well. My estimation of them has already increased; mine for Harry having been quite high already. I’d have a beer with them.


----------



## Kat Stevens (9 Mar 2021)

Please respect our privacy. Wait... who's on the phone? Oprah? For how much??


----------



## daftandbarmy (9 Mar 2021)

brihard said:


> My wife and I watched the whole thing tonight. It hit me surprisingly hard. I’ve never before seen such a public and high profile representation of a man supporting his wife through profoundly difficult mental health stuff, and going through his own along with it. It hit extremely close to home, especially the bit where she points out the photo where they’re both smiling and putting on the facade at an event- and he’s got a death grip holding her hand after she told him that morning that she wanted to die. I know that grip. My wife, similarly, found a lot relatable in what she’s been through. Not the specifics obviously, but some of the tumult life can throw, and being told you’re welcome into an institution and then finding it decidedly not so.
> 
> it was a very well done interview, and I think they both handled it very well. My estimation of them has already increased; mine for Harry having been quite high already.* I’d have a beer with them.*



Your VISA couldn't take the strain


----------



## Colin Parkinson (9 Mar 2021)

I wonder how much the Queen is aware of what is going on, she is a remarkable woman, but i can't imagine she know every detail and palace intrigue in that place must be insane?


----------



## daftandbarmy (9 Mar 2021)

The truth will out...

*What Meghan Markle didn’t tell Oprah about their security being pulled while in B.C. *

The moment Prince Harry and Meghan Markle arrived on Vancouver Island in December, 2019, their status as royals meant they were furnished a taxpayer-funded RCMP detail without even needing to ask.

https://vancouversun.com/news/world...lled/wcm/b9f796f1-f761-4706-b53f-87248960347e


----------



## Furniture (9 Mar 2021)

daftandbarmy said:


> The truth will out...
> 
> *What Meghan Markle didn’t tell Oprah about their security being pulled while in B.C. *
> 
> ...


The whole debacle with Harry and Megan has painted everybody in a bad light. Harry did some great stuff, that doesn't mean everything he does is great. We have heard one side of a story, the palace will never go public with their side because that's not how they work. 

The interview is nothing more than a PR stunt to keep them in people's minds before they launch their next endeavor. Good for them, rock the celebrity status as long as they can, eventually people will forget about a middling actress and a veteran.


----------



## FJAG (9 Mar 2021)

Furniture said:


> The whole debacle with Harry and Megan has painted everybody in a bad light. Harry did some great stuff, that doesn't mean everything he does is great. We have heard one side of a story, the palace will never go public with their side because that's not how they work.


Nope they'll have a bevy of staffers "leak" stories to a fawning press.

🍻


----------



## The Bread Guy (9 Mar 2021)

Good2Golf said:


> If the Queen herself actually said the first quote ...


I _suspect_ she has signoff on such things, even if someone else crafted the message


----------



## tomahawk6 (8 Apr 2021)

The Duke and Duchess had 9 police calls to their home in California. People must be curious but folks should respect their privacy.









						Police called to Meghan Markle, Prince Harry’s California mansion nine times in as many months
					

The welcoming committee hasn't been favorable for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry as a new report emerged that police have been called to their California mansion nine times in as many months.




					www.foxnews.com


----------



## daftandbarmy (9 Apr 2021)

tomahawk6 said:


> The Duke and Duchess had 9 police calls to their home in California. People must be curious but folks should respect their privacy.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



"People think there's a rigid class system here, but dukes have been known to marry chorus girls. Some have even married Americans."

*Prince Philip*


----------



## The Bread Guy (16 Jan 2022)

No UK-cops-paid-with-your-own-money security for YOU!


> Prince Harry has filed a claim for a judicial review against the British government's decision not to let him personally pay for police protection while in the U.K.
> 
> The Duke of Sussex's legal representative said Saturday that Harry wants to bring his children Archie and Lilibet to visit his home country from the U.S. but that is too risky without police protection.
> 
> ...


----------



## Good2Golf (16 Jan 2022)

So Monarchists complain about the cost to protect Harry and family in the UK, he offers to pay personally for said police protection, and he is not allowed to pay personally.  Sounds like a Catch-22 making it not practical to travel to the UK.  Perhaps not such a loss if that’s how Brits are going to be.


----------



## Remius (16 Jan 2022)

Good2Golf said:


> So Monarchists complain about the cost to protect Harry and family in the UK, he offers to pay personally for said police protection, and he is not allowed to pay personally.  Sounds like a Catch-22 making it not practical to travel to the UK.  Perhaps not such a loss if that’s how Brits are going to be.


So he pays for what I suspect would be specialized police protection that would be moved from other actual details in order to facilitate a private citizen?  

He made his choice to be a private citizen.


----------



## Haggis (16 Jan 2022)

Remius said:


> So he pays for what I suspect would be specialized police protection that would be moved from other actual details in order to facilitate a private citizen?
> 
> He made his choice to be a private citizen.


Under UK law, he is no longer considered an Internationally Protected Person (IPP) _unless_ he is in the company of HRH.


----------



## mariomike (16 Jan 2022)

They wouldn't be eligible for Paid Duty in this town, either,

What paid duties functions are NOT permitted?
• On behalf of an employer or union in relation to a Labour dispute,
• At a function likely to promote a confrontation between participating groups including, but not limited to, annual general meetings, termination of employees by an employer, protests and get belongings, and/or,
• Events for political parties or politicians,
• As a bodyguard service,
• The escort of money or valuables.




__





						Toronto Police Service
					






					www.torontopolice.on.ca
				






Remius said:


> He made his choice to be a private citizen.


And as we read so often on here, choices have consequences.


----------



## Kat Stevens (16 Jan 2022)

Good2Golf said:


> So Monarchists complain about the cost to protect Harry and family in the UK, he offers to pay personally for said police protection, and he is not allowed to pay personally.  Sounds like a Catch-22 making it not practical to travel to the UK.  Perhaps not such a loss if that’s how Brits are going to be.


He wanted to be a private citizen. Welcome to being a private citizen. I can't pay for special police protection either.


----------



## Haggis (16 Jan 2022)

Kat Stevens said:


> He wanted to be a private citizen. Welcome to being a private citizen. I can't pay for special police protection either.


Armed private security services are not available in the UK.  But a quick Google search turned up many security and bodyguard service providers who would jump on a contract with Mr. Windsor.


----------



## KevinB (16 Jan 2022)

Haggis said:


> Armed private security services are not available in the UK.  But a quick Google search turned up many security and bodyguard service providers who would jump on a contract with Mr. Windsor.


They are in the US, and knowing a few folks that did CP work after retirement, you can get approval in the UK for a US Security team to be armed for private individuals (the same way incidentally one can get it in Canada).    The fact is this is a unique situation because of whom he is, and what happened.  

   Fly privately - and you can have weapons, and there are exceptions for anything if you have the right reasons and know who to ask/approve.

 This seems to me, more like a showboating stunt - OR - the Palace ensured he couldn't bring a US team over.
My guess is the former...


----------



## Haggis (16 Jan 2022)

KevinB said:


> This seems to me, more like a showboating stunt - OR - the Palace ensured he couldn't bring a US team over.
> My guess is the former...


You are likely correct.  "You want to be a commoner?  Well, commoners look after themselves."  

And, for reference to the discussion, from a UK agency's webpage.


----------



## FJAG (16 Jan 2022)

Haggis said:


> Armed private security services are not available in the UK.  But a quick Google search turned up many security and bodyguard service providers who would jump on a contract with Mr. Windsor.


They can't provide the same service for numerous reasons. Harry didn't want "free" police protections. He was and is prepared to pay for it.



> The legal representative added: 'The Duke first offered to pay personally for UK police protection for himself and his family in January of 2020 at Sandringham. That offer was dismissed.
> 
> 'He remains willing to cover the cost of security, as not to impose on the British taxpayer. As is widely known, others who have left public office and have an inherent threat risk receive police protection at no cost to them.
> 
> ...





> Harry fears for family safety as he files claim over UK protection
> 
> 
> In a statement, representatives for Prince Harry say he inherited 'a security risk at birth, for life' and say his family has been 'subjected to well-documented neo-Nazi and extremist threats'.
> ...



🍻


----------



## Good2Golf (16 Jan 2022)

Haggis said:


> You are likely correct.  "You want to be a commoner?  Well, commoners look after themselves."
> 
> And, for reference to the discussion, from a UK agency's webpage.


You seem bent on portraying Harry as not being willing to pay the price of looking after himself, which is not the case. 

That said, your linked article that points out that pre-planning and martial arts capabilities of bodyguards should suffice, seems to make it clear, unless Harry’s Judicial Review is upheld, that King Fu/Jujitsu/Karate/Krav Maga/etc. is good enough for non-Royals or Politicians.  If Harry does bring his daughter to meet her great grandma I do wish them safe travels and that no harm comes to them.


----------



## Haggis (16 Jan 2022)

Good2Golf said:


> You seem bent on portraying Harry as not being willing to pay the price of looking after himself, which is not the case.


To the contrary, actually.  Despite his willingness to pay for public police protection, the Home Secretary has made it clear this will not be allowed.  Like all other commoners he is being told to "find your own private agency", which may not (or may, as Kevin B alluded to) be permitted to provide him with _armed_ protection.


Good2Golf said:


> That said, your linked article that points out that pre-planning and martial arts capabilities of bodyguards should suffice, seems to make it clear, unless Harry’s Judicial Review is upheld, that King Fu/Jujitsu/Karate/Krav Maga/etc. is good enough for non-Royals or Politicians.


Buckingham Palace is within their rights to have their own threat and risk assessment conducted on Harry's proposed family visit and it would not be outside the realm of probability that certain orders could be given to provide specific services as a result.

Or, he could be told to stay in the US.


Good2Golf said:


> If Harry does bring his daughter to meet her great grandma I do wish them safe travels and that no harm comes to them.


Once in the company of great grandmum, he is entitled to the same protection as she is.


----------



## lenaitch (16 Jan 2022)

I tried, pretty much in vain, to find a UK policy on charging for police services.  The best I could come up with is this (it's long) and I'm not sure if it is guidelines or policy.  I'm also unclear if the Home Secretary has an overriding policy role.  The link doesn't really speak to personal protection, but it doesn't seem to prohibit it either.

Clearly, if they are in proximity of members of the Royal Family or their properties, then it would seem they would fall under the umbrella of the protective services provided by the Metropolitan Police, but if they wander, it would seem from the attached that they would be subject to individual arrangements with each police service.

The techniques and methods employed by private and police close protection services are probably quite similar.  What private security lacks is access to security intelligence and the ability to control public spaces.


----------



## KevinB (16 Jan 2022)

The major rub is that because who he is, and who he would visit - that external CP will not be appreciated within the window of the Royals bubble, unlike other UK visitors who most likely wouldn't be visiting the Crown - he would.

 The only viable option is to accept what was offered Pro Bono by the Crown.
   The fact he's making an issue of this publicly means it is simply grandstanding, and he wants a record of it for a reason...


----------



## Kat Stevens (16 Jan 2022)

KevinB said:


> The major rub is that because who he is, and who he would visit - that external CP will not be appreciated within the window of the Royals bubble, unlike other UK visitors who most likely wouldn't be visiting the Crown - he would.
> 
> The only viable option is to accept what was offered Pro Bono by the Crown.
> The fact he's making an issue of this publicly means it is simply grandstanding, and he wants a record of it for a reason...


Of course, it gives her him the high ground.  "See? We tried to go over the hills and through the woods to Grandmother's house but they won't let us."


----------



## daftandbarmy (16 Jan 2022)

KevinB said:


> The major rub is that because who he is, and who he would visit - that external CP will not be appreciated within the window of the Royals bubble, unlike other UK visitors who most likely wouldn't be visiting the Crown - he would.
> 
> The only viable option is to accept what was offered Pro Bono by the Crown.
> The fact he's making an issue of this publicly means it is simply grandstanding, and he wants a record of it for a reason...



... because he's a pilot, right?


----------



## daftandbarmy (8 Dec 2022)

Very respectful of the dead... not



__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1600933623028273152


----------



## PMedMoe (9 Dec 2022)

daftandbarmy said:


> Very respectful of the dead... not



I was reading an article about this yesterday. She was recalling the first time she met the Queen. Apparently Sarah Ferguson gave her a crash course on how to curtsy.  

More taken out of context than disrespect, IMO.

And no, I don't watch the show.


----------



## Weinie (9 Dec 2022)

daftandbarmy said:


> Very respectful of the dead... not
> 
> 
> 
> __ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1600933623028273152


Yawn.


----------



## FSTO (9 Dec 2022)

Once again, William should be counselling the boys and his daughter; "Do not, under any circumstances, get romantically involved with a citizen of the USA. A fling, and one night stand? Fill yer boots! But long term relationship? Good god no!!!!"


----------



## Rifleman62 (9 Dec 2022)

She is an opportunist. Getting publicity to suit her ego, as well as getting rich via her marriage. It won't last, either will the marriage.


----------



## Bruce Monkhouse (9 Dec 2022)

Rifleman62 said:


> She is an opportunist. Getting publicity to suit her ego, as well as getting rich via her marriage. It won't last, either will the marriage.


So Diana The Second?


----------



## Rifleman62 (9 Dec 2022)

Not nearly the same.


----------



## daftandbarmy (10 Dec 2022)

I bet he is 

'Harry's Bitter': Duke of Sussex pub brutally mocks Prince with beer 'as weak as namesake'​A source at the pub said the beer was "very popular" with drinkers after the release of the Netflix docu-series.
*Harry & Meghan: First look at final three Netflix episodes

A London pub's decision to brand a beer as "Harry's Bitter" with an image of the Prince's face could take on a whole new meaning for some drinkers after the release of the Sussexes' Netflix docu-series. *​The Duke of Sussex in Chiswick, London, has been selling the house ale since December but brewery chain Greene King said the idea to rebrand it using an image of Harry was down to the venue's own initiative. 

Duke of Sussex pub launches 'Harry's Bitter'


----------



## Humphrey Bogart (10 Dec 2022)

Meghan is a babe and Harry is a Gangster, change my mind!


----------



## rmc_wannabe (10 Dec 2022)

Bruce Monkhouse said:


> So Diana The Second?



Sarah, Duchess of Pork enters the chat.


----------



## Good2Golf (10 Dec 2022)

Humphrey Bogart said:


> Meghan is a babe and Harry is a Gangster, change my mind!


Still gets my benefit of the doubt too, HB.  First Royal since Philip and Mountbatten to have been so deep into serving the Crown in combat.  Pretty big pair to go in to somewhere where you know that there was a heavy targeting effort to get you…

The Business that is The Crown, is a self-serving machine, still with a healthy amount of not-unreasonably questioned racist sentiments…including the next King’s Godmother more recently, but the ugly word thrown about by a few in the fam when Megan first started being seen with Harry.


----------



## Humphrey Bogart (10 Dec 2022)

Good2Golf said:


> Still gets my benefit of the doubt too, HB.  First Royal since Philip and Mountbatten to have been so deep into serving the Crown in combat.  Pretty big pair to go in to somewhere where you know that there was a heavy targeting effort to get you…
> 
> The Business that is The Crown, is a self-serving machine, still with a healthy amount of not-unreasonably questioned racist sentiments…including the next King’s Godmother more recently, but the ugly word thrown about by a few in the fam when Megan first started being seen with Harry.


Haters gonna hate!  Harry did the business and isn't a little bitch like so many upper crust trust fund twits today.  (Stares at Sussex Drive)

We could use a few more Harry Wales in the halls of power these days IMO.


----------



## daftandbarmy (10 Dec 2022)

Humphrey Bogart said:


> Haters gonna hate!  Harry did the business and isn't a little bitch like so many upper crust trust fund twits today.  (Stares at Sussex Drive)
> 
> We could use a few more Harry Wales in the halls of power these days IMO.



If their wives let them


----------



## daftandbarmy (11 Dec 2022)

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1601772173361786880


----------



## daftandbarmy (14 Dec 2022)




----------



## Colin Parkinson (15 Dec 2022)

Humphrey Bogart said:


> Haters gonna hate!  Harry did the business and isn't a little bitch like so many upper crust trust fund twits today.  (Stares at Sussex Drive)
> 
> We could use a few more Harry Wales in the halls of power these days IMO.


I have had respect for what Harry did and understand that growing up without a Mom and in a rather dysfunctional family will cause issues. But I think he is eroding his own standing by his actions. It's one thing to support the wife vs the family, but he should have held the high ground, rather than get into a gutter fight. I suspect the wife is able to manipulate him and pull his strings.


----------



## Halifax Tar (15 Dec 2022)

Humphrey Bogart said:


> Haters gonna hate!  Harry did the business and isn't a little bitch like so many upper crust trust fund twits today.  (Stares at Sussex Drive)
> 
> We could use a few more Harry Wales in the halls of power these days IMO.



Harry wouldn't be the first man to let human desire cloud their judgement.


----------



## Kat Stevens (15 Dec 2022)

Brave soldier towed around by his nutsack by shrieking harpy spouse?  Never happened. Never ever.


----------



## rmc_wannabe (15 Dec 2022)

There is a difference between power, class, wealth, and influence; Something a lot of folks in North America don't understand.

There are times when all run side by side in harmony. I would say HRH the Prince of Wales and Her Late Majesty are prime examples of the full hand.

HRH the Princess of Wales, while she didn't come from the nobility, definitely has carved a path for herself in which to build wealth, credibility, class, and influence. A Canadian example would be former GG David Johnston or Gen (Ret'd) Hillier. 

Harry had all but power (by nature of his place in the Line of Succession). Despite him being a bit of a douche when he was a teeenager/young man; he was a likeable bloke, served honorably as a soldier in war time, did amazing things with the Invictus Games, and had started carving out a nice little niche role within the firm.

Until....

Meghan. 

Having grown up around the entertainment industry, most entertainers are not what I would describe as... well... selfless. They put on a good show in the public eye, but most of them are self-centered, petty, and will do what needs d9ne to get ahead. They crave attention and will do whatever is needed to get it. That's because attention is what gets them the next role and the next pay cheque.

The Royal Family has MASSIVE media pull by nature of their position within the world and society. If a the world's a stage, that would be front and centre for someone looking for attention.  That attention was overwhelming to Diana, Fergie, _insert Royal name here_; but Meghan seems to eat it up. That farce of a wedding at Windsor was proof enough. 

I have no gripes about her nationality nor her ethnicity, but she just wasn't seeing the role for what it was: one of public service with priveliges. She made it clear who she in it for, and I think Harry was a close second. 

So here we are. They've stepped down, but they both are craving all 4: power, influence, wealth, and class. The Firm has made it abundantly clear that they're not playing their game of trying to have their cake and eat it too. So what else pays the bills? 

Entertainment...

I'm not interested in watching and I honestly don't think many others are either...


----------



## FJAG (15 Dec 2022)

rmc_wannabe said:


> I'm not interested in watching and I honestly don't think many others are either...


Actually, quite a few people are, me included.

This affair is one of the Royal Family's making in the way it controls the media, or perhaps more accurately, is in bed with the media and has for some time been throwing first Meghan and then Harry under the bus in order to prop up their favourites.

The Brit media is an entertainment industry that makes gobs of money through a system of phoney outrage.

Watch the series. It's very well done. Who knows. You might even change your views.

🍻


----------



## OldSolduer (15 Dec 2022)

Halifax Tar said:


> Harry wouldn't be the first man to let human desire cloud their judgement.


Didn't Helen have a face that launched a thousand ships?


----------



## Bruce Monkhouse (15 Dec 2022)

FJAG said:


> Watch the series. It's very well done. Who knows. You might even change your views.
> 
> 🍻



Since my "views" are I don't really give a flying frig about people I don't know (tragedy excluded) I doubt that very much....😘


----------



## lenaitch (15 Dec 2022)

Bruce Monkhouse said:


> Since my "views" are I don't really give a flying frig about people I don't know (tragedy excluded) I doubt that very much....😘


Methinks you might be clouded by an antipathy for all things Royal.  Either that or you've never watched something like the Band of Brothers, Apollo 13 or a documentary on the Franklin expedition.


----------



## Bruce Monkhouse (15 Dec 2022)

lenaitch said:


> Methinks you might be clouded by an antipathy for all things Royal.  Either that or you've never watched something like the Band of Brothers, Apollo 13 or a documentary on the Franklin expedition.


You are correct with "never", and you can add anything Star Wars, Terminator, James Bond, etc etc etc...

No Apple, Disney, Paramount, Netflix,  ...life is too short for movies and/or TV.
Except for both Bon Cop Bad Cop movies and the Blues Brothers.....now that's entertainment.


----------



## Humphrey Bogart (16 Dec 2022)

Halifax Tar said:


> Harry wouldn't be the first man to let human desire cloud their judgement.


Meghan is a babe, she can cloud my judgement whenever she wants 😁


----------



## daftandbarmy (16 Dec 2022)

It's all about 'learning' 




What we learned from the final episodes of Netflix's Harry & Meghan docuseries​'It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me,' Harry says in documentary series​


			https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/harry-meghan-royal-dispute-1.6686687


----------



## Colin Parkinson (16 Dec 2022)

Everything I know on the scandal I have learned from viewing the front pages of the magazines at the grocery checkouts. Harry is a Hollywood star and Megan is actually an alien controlling Harry with a sex ray, right? So hard to keep the headlines straight as they get recycled every week.


----------



## OldSolduer (16 Dec 2022)

Colin Parkinson said:


> Everything I know on the scandal I have learned from viewing the front pages of the magazines at the grocery checkouts. Harry is a Hollywood star and Megan is actually an alien controlling Harry with a sex ray, right? So hard to keep the headlines straight as they get recycled every week.


For all the attention we pay to a family squabble there are far bigger fish to fry than this.

How about treating homelessness or mental illness with the same vigor we watch the Royals or the Kardashians?


----------



## FJAG (16 Dec 2022)

OldSolduer said:


> For all the attention we pay to a family squabble there are far bigger fish to fry than this.
> 
> How about treating homelessness or mental illness with the same vigor we watch the Royals or the Kardashians?


Watching the Royals and Kardashians takes virtually no effort or treasure at all. A simple solution for simple souls.


----------



## Colin Parkinson (17 Dec 2022)

I see Harry and Meghan are on Netflix now.


----------



## daftandbarmy (17 Dec 2022)




----------



## Good2Golf (17 Dec 2022)

daftandbarmy said:


>


I didn't know he was partying with Trudeau....


----------



## daftandbarmy (Monday at 19:59)

Starkey is brilliant...


Harry is DESTROYING HIMSELF says historian Dr David Starkey​


----------



## dapaterson (Monday at 20:45)

The mouthpieces of the British establishment are losing their shit as an insider spills the beans of how the UK press play nice with their chosen ones - like the adulterous harridan who leaked for decades to the press to attack the woman who had the temerity to marry the man she thought of as her own.


----------



## Kat Stevens (Monday at 21:00)

.


----------



## Bruce Monkhouse (Monday at 21:25)

dapaterson said:


> The mouthpieces of the British establishment are losing their shit as an insider spills the beans of how the UK press play nice with their chosen ones - like the adulterous harridan who leaked for decades to the press to attack the woman who had the temerity to marry the man she thought of as her own.


Not sure if somebody in the clan stole your lunch money, but you need to tone it down a few notches....
Bruce


----------



## Good2Golf (Monday at 21:29)

Atomic levels of Harrumph!  

Starkey almost let ‘n**** bitch’ slip out of his lips early in his rant, followed by the evil of Americanization against the Grand Old Empire…

“He’s married his mother!”  Da fuq?!?

There are some serious bitter old farts in Merry Old England; if there’s such hatred for him, then why doesn’t Parliament grow a pair and de-role the Duke of Sussex?

Wow…


----------



## FJAG (Monday at 21:54)

I'm still enjoying the whole Harry and Meghan thing and if the choice is between them and the inbred cabal that operates the palace then I'll go with the Californians.

I read the Mail Online every day because a) its articles on events in North America are frequently much more knowledgeable and in depth than what you find in North American news sites, and b) because its a hoot.

Their slavish devotion to Edward and Kate and their deep seething hatred of Harry and Meghan are so obviously worn on their sleeves that you just can't help but laugh and laugh and laugh. There is such a clear link between these "reporters" and their inside-the-palace handlers that one can't help but call them mouthpieces. It would make Russian "firehose-of-falsehood" propagandists shed a tear of envy.

🍻


----------



## Remius (Monday at 21:58)

I don’t know.  For a couple that wanted to be left alone they sure like to be in the spotlight a lot…


----------



## FSTO (Monday at 21:58)

Against my better judgement I’m watching the Netflix series. 

I can see why Harry has such a hatred to the press, who wouldn’t. 

Call me an old fart but airing internal family dirty laundry seems so off putting. But it’s their choice.


----------



## FJAG (Monday at 22:29)

Just took the Mail Online poll as to whether Harry and Meghan should give up their royal titles just to see how the voting is going. Almost 200,000 folks or 95% of respondents said "Yes". I voted "No". I figure if Andrew is still a prince ...


----------



## lenaitch (Monday at 22:42)

Remius said:


> I don’t know.  For a couple that wanted to be left alone they sure like to be in the spotlight a lot…


Ya, they (he?) say they want to repair or reestablish his relationship with The Family but not The Firm.  It strikes me that profiting from airing dirt involving the family seems like an odd way to go about that.


----------



## daftandbarmy (Monday at 22:53)

dapaterson said:


> The mouthpieces of the British establishment are losing their shit as an insider spills the beans of how the UK press play nice with their chosen ones - like the adulterous harridan who leaked for decades to the press to attack the woman who had the temerity to marry the man she thought of as her own.


----------



## MARS (Monday at 23:14)

*This dude and his brother essentially watched their mom die horribly on live TV which then instantly became a global phenomenon. Plus those dudes come from one of the most messed up familial relationships in the modern western world. 

Absolutely nothing about Harry is dealing with his life experiences comes as any surprise to me.  To be honest, I think he is handling his trauma remarkably well. I'm not at all convinced that he even has a plan, or that he even cares.   100% I would have gone with hookers and blow and I would be dead in some motel room within a week. 

I legit wonder how fucked up William must be inside.  I can't imagine that the ever tightening corset of being a future king is allowing him to deal with his own demons and fears and anxieties in any semblance of a positive way.  I wonder if that dude is even allowed to cry ever. 

I think this is just a dude, albeit one with means none of us plebes have, who is just trying to work through his shit.  I personally don't ascribe any proper sense of aim or focus to it.*


----------



## Halifax Tar (Tuesday at 07:20)

If you ignore this crap, it will go away.


----------



## mariomike (Tuesday at 08:17)

Remius said:


> For a couple that wanted to be left alone they sure like to be in the spotlight a lot…



After 12 pages, it looks ( to me ) like the Justin Bieber thread: " For those who feel the need to talk about him. "  🤣


----------



## Halifax Tar (Tuesday at 08:33)

mariomike said:


> After 12 pages, it looks ( to me ) like the Justin Bieber thread: " For those who feel the need to talk about him. "  🤣



I agree.  



Remius said:


> I don’t know.  For a couple that wanted to be left alone they sure like to be in the spotlight a lot…



I agree.


----------



## lenaitch (Tuesday at 10:16)

MARS said:


> *This dude and his brother essentially watched their mom die horribly on live TV which then instantly became a global phenomenon. Plus those dudes come from one of the most messed up familial relationships in the modern western world.
> 
> Absolutely nothing about Harry is dealing with his life experiences comes as any surprise to me.  To be honest, I think he is handling his trauma remarkably well. I'm not at all convinced that he even has a plan, or that he even cares.   100% I would have gone with hookers and blow and I would be dead in some motel room within a week.
> 
> ...


You may be right (to a degree anyway).  They say one of the ways to work through your demons is to talk about them, so it may be cathartic for him.  Making money from it is just a side benefit?  At some point, it loses its therapeutic benefit and most people move on.  I'm not sure he will.  He's living in an environment that makes gobs of money publicizing human dynamics, and he is married to a media-savvy wife.  To maintain their income and lifestyle, what else have they got to fall back on?  So long as they are gold, this will continue.  When we see them on Dr. Phil, the downward spiral will have started.


----------



## Remius (Tuesday at 11:02)

lenaitch said:


> You may be right (to a degree anyway).  They say one of the ways to work through your demons is to talk about them, so it may be cathartic for him.  Making money from it is just a side benefit?  At some point, it loses its therapeutic benefit and most people move on.  I'm not sure he will.  He's living in an environment that makes gobs of money publicizing human dynamics, and he is married to a media-savvy wife.  To maintain their income and lifestyle, what else have they got to fall back on?  So long as they are gold, this will continue.  When we see them on Dr. Phil, the downward spiral will have started.


Stephen Colbert is already one of his tour spots.  I like Colbert but if he’s doing the late night show circuit he’s getting further down that spiral as far as I am concerned.


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## Spencer100 (Tuesday at 13:23)

Nigel Farage posted this on FB.  LOL 

Placement


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## Good2Golf (Tuesday at 14:03)

Spencer100 said:


> Nigel Farage posted this on FB.  LOL
> 
> Placement



Meh.

One could easily replace Harry’s book with one on the Queen/Crown, and replace the other with a “How to Kill a Princess” book.


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## daftandbarmy (Tuesday at 15:05)

Good2Golf said:


> Meh.
> 
> One could easily replace Harry’s book with one on the Queen/Crown, and replace the other with a “How to Kill a Princess” book.



From ARRSE.... a bit highbrow for that forum really, so rather suspect as a consequence 



I had lunch today with an old friend who is a clinical/forensic psychologist specialising in adolescent and post-traumatic incident therapy. I asked her opinion of the revelations being published in Harry's memoir. She wouldn't comment on his mental health but, having met and worked with hundreds of other mental health professionals, she said that much of what he has written sounds like things he has either heard from a therapist or read in a book. She said that, while it's a well-known therapeutic tool for the patient to be encouraged to recall and, to an extent, re-live, traumatic events, however minor, it's done as part of the patient confronting and coming to terms with, events in their past when they had (or felt they had) no control. Often these are events from childhood where a well-adjusted child will eventually make their peace with those events, even something as traumatic as the death of a parent. In the case of a maladjusted child, these issues fester and often emerge in adolescence as poor behaviour. If addressed properly through professional therapy, again, an individual can be brought to an acceptance and, in layman's terms, move on from the trauma.

In Harry's case, my friend worries that if, as we are led to believe, he has been receiving therapeutic treatment for many years and has only recently made the decision to divulge all this publicly, he has perhaps changed therapist. She wonders whether a practitioner has encouraged him to reveal all his issues to the world, without also working with him to understand the impact on others and the potential pitfalls for him. My friend, too professional to put it more bluntly, said that California has it's share of unregulated therapists and, having met a number of them, she wouldn't recommend their methods.

I'm not bound by that type of professional ethic so I think it's highly likely that Harry has indeed been encouraged by some Woo Woo guru to rake up every imagined slight and 'tell his truth', being further encouraged that it's his right to do so, without the safeguard of a wiser counsellor to advise caution. Harry's own statement (paraphrased) that his lived experience trumps objective facts sounded, to my friend, typical of the type of 'validating' technique used by unscrupulous people to create a false 'bond' with a patient - basically where the therapist tells the patient that everything the patient feels is correct and justified, without exception and despite factual evidence to the contrary. An example here would be False Memory Syndrome where the patient was encouraged to accuse an innocent person of appalling abuse.

Harry's lack of insight into his own behaviour is, apparently, indicative of his not fully engaging with therapy, or of an ineffective therapist not actually helping him to see, understand and accept his own role in issues arising in his adult life. This ties in, somewhat, with Dr. Grande's somewhat dry analysis of Harry's Life Coaching venture and the sense we all have that, with his two A Levels and mediocre military career, he's not that smart.


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## Halifax Tar (Tuesday at 15:22)

Forgive if I fail to have much sympathy for a Prince who lost their mother.  I'm sure he dried his tears with British banking notes.  Life must have been real hard growing up in opulence after that.  

These folks, the Royals, get way too much coverage.


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## Good2Golf (Tuesday at 16:09)

daftandbarmy said:


> From ARRSE.... a bit highbrow for that forum really, so rather suspect as a consequence
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That may be, but the entire Royal Family could do with some therapy.  I get it that for many Brits and ex-pats, The Crown/Firm/Family can do no wrong.  However, critical thinkers may observe that The Crown/Firm/Family isn’t without systemic blemishes and could win Olympic gold when it comes to Gaslighting…a classic example being the dig at Harry’s military career…charged as mediocre, but Edward was an RM drop out, Andrew skirted around the Flaklands theatre, Charles did whatever, and William was kept warm and safe on the home front distributing teddy bears in yellow helicopters…none of them mediocre, of course. 

I wish Harry and Megan well, however they want to brand themselves…it’s more legitimate anyways than how Team Kardashian/Jenner has earned billions and billions.  I remain unsurprised at the depth of vitriolic and in some cases deceptively innocent gaslighting that the DoS functional royals and supporters continue to shill through their various media outlets… 🫤


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## Jarnhamar (Tuesday at 16:10)

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, said she wanted to “hit the ground running” when she marries Prince Harry. Just my speculation but it seemed like she had lots of big plans for herself in her new roll. Maybe a little hint of her deserving to be listed to because of her new high station.


Harry is getting millions for his book (A rumored advance of $20m alone). 
They're getting an estimated $100m + for their netflix documentary.
Meghan is allegedly getting $18m for her 1st Spotify podcast episode (haven't listened to it but I've read it's essentially her talking about herself).

These two have the royal family to thank for a very comfortable future.


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## Colin Parkinson (Tuesday at 17:09)

Jarnhamar said:


> Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, said she wanted to “hit the ground running” when she marries Prince Harry. Just my speculation but it seemed like she had lots of big plans for herself in her new roll. Maybe a little hint of her deserving to be listed to because of her new high station.
> 
> 
> Harry is getting millions for his book (A rumored advance of $20m alone).
> ...


Depends on their expenses, 138 mil doesn't go as far as it used to.


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## Halifax Tar (Tuesday at 17:38)

Colin Parkinson said:


> Depends on their expenses, 138 mil doesn't go as far as it used to.



To true.  That's what, a 1 room 700 sqft condo in the GTA now ?


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## Jarnhamar (Tuesday at 17:52)

Colin Parkinson said:


> Depends on their expenses, 138 mil doesn't go as far as it used to.


That's just the first book, series, and podcast. Think George Lucas.


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## Halifax Tar (Tuesday at 18:13)

Jarnhamar said:


> That's just the first book, series, and podcast. Think George Lucas.



I haven't heard great things about the PC.  But I generally dont listen to outlets that have much time for her shenanigans.


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## Remius (Tuesday at 18:31)

Halifax Tar said:


> To true.  That's what, a 1 room 700 sqft condo in the GTA now ?


With the 7% property tax hike set for this year?  Likely yes.


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## lenaitch (Wednesday at 14:21)

Jarnhamar said:


> Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, said she wanted to “hit the ground running” when she marries Prince Harry. Just my speculation but it seemed like she had lots of big plans for herself in her new roll. Maybe a little hint of her deserving to be listed to because of her new high station.
> 
> 
> Harry is getting millions for his book (A rumored advance of $20m alone).
> ...


I see some parallels.  My mom died when I was 12 (not traumatically and no paparazzi).  I got into lots of fights with mu older brother, once cut him for stitches.  My step mother was British born.

I'm off to find a publisher.


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## Spencer100 (Yesterday at 22:00)

lenaitch said:


> I see some parallels.  My mom died when I was 12 (not traumatically and no paparazzi).  I got into lots of fights with mu older brother, once cut him for stitches.  My step mother was British born.
> 
> I'm off to find a publisher.


Can I get a signed copy?


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