Prince Charles gives video message.. with NO picture of Prince Harry - "Prince Charles has given a video message about the Queen's Platinum Jubilee next year with just a single photo of his mother, eldest son and eldest grandchild behind him amid growing concerns about Prince Harry's brutal criticism of his upbringing and his 'pot-shots' at the Royal Family from LA... Royal insiders have expressed their exasperation at Harry and say it is becoming impossible for the family to repair their fractured relationships because of his insistence at taking 'pot-shots' from across the Atlantic."
Prince Harry's hair loss has accelerated since he moved to US, leading cosmetic surgeon says
Amazing what having a horrible wife does to your health
TOSSING HER TIARA! Queen draws line on Harry and Meghan's 'mistruths' - "Queen Elizabeth is taking off her tiara — and the gloves — in her PR battle with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Hollywood spin doctors. According to the Mail on Sunday, the monarch will no longer allow the couple to spew “mistruths” via their American friends and allies. The Mail said it’s a departure from the Queen’s longstanding policy of “never complain, never explain.” Now, she’s instructed palace handlers to correct statements that “misrepresent” private conversations among senior Royals. Over the past four months, the monarch is said to have grown exasperated at the steady stream of briefings from pals of Meghan and Harry to friendly media... The latest PR spectacle sent the Queen “over the edge”... when sycophantic U.S.-based reporters friendly to the couple reported that the pair “asked permission” to name their new baby Lilibet, the queen lost it. Lilibet was her childhood nicknamed and used only by those closest to the monarch. The Royal insider said the conversation between the Queen and Harry was a matter of “a telling, not an asking”. The BBC reported this week that Harry and Meghan never asked the Queen. As per usual, the Hollywood royals contacted their lawyers to battle the “false and defamatory” story from the widely respected broadcaster... there is more than a little bit of self-interest: The pair are terrified of being demoted and losing their titles."
Palace refuses to back Harry and Meghan in dispute over baby Lilibet's name - "Buckingham Palace has refused to back the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in a row with the BBC over whether the couple sought the Queen’s permission to name their daughter Lilibet... The Duke and Duchess claimed they would not have used the name if the Queen had not been “supportive” of their choice. The Palace, rather than confirming their version of events, refused to deny suggestions that the Queen was “never asked.” The Daily Telegraph understands that the Queen was “told” about the name after the baby was born last Friday, rather than her permission being sought in advance. It suggests that if the Duke and Duchess chose the name to curry favour with the Queen and the wider Royal family, the tactic has backfired badly... Although there is little formal protocol around choosing baby names, particularly with great-grandchildren of the monarch, royal sources suggested there was a difference between the couple choosing to name their daughter Elizabeth, in tribute to the Queen, and using her pet name, which had only been used by her parents, the Duke of Edinburgh and a handful of her closest friends and relatives... Even the couple’s spokeswoman stopped short of suggesting the Queen had been told about the name — or asked for permission to use it — before Lilibet was born... Royal sources drew a distinction between being told of the name and being asked. It suggests the Queen was put in a position where she had a choice of either giving her approval, tacitly or explicitly, or ordering the couple to change their daughter’s name... Two of the Queen’s granddaughters, Princess Eugenie and Zara Tindall, chose to give their sons the middle name Philip after the late Duke of Edinburgh, who died in April, but royal sources suggested that there was a distinct difference between naming a baby after a close family member and giving a baby someone else’s personal pet name. Although the Duke and Duchess described Lilibet as the Queen’s “family nickname” in a statement issued at the time of their daughter’s birth, it was only ever used by those of the Queen’s generation and older, including Prince Philip. As a toddler the Queen was unable to pronounce her own name, and pronounced it Lilibet."
Clearly Buckingham Palace must be lying, since we know Meghan always tells the truth
For the Queen to back the BBC over her grandson is not just awkward, it marks a turning point - "This marks a new low in relations between the Sussexes and the wider Royals. If there’s one thing The Firm does well, it’s stick together. But no more. For the Queen to back the BBC over her grandson is jaw-dropping. How could Harry and Meghan have got themselves into this mess? For decades, the Royals have prospered by following the mantra ‘Never complain, never explain’. It’s served them well. We can only assume that Harry, liberated from the Royal straitjacket in LA, thought to himself ‘well, that’s a load of old cobblers’. Because since he got to America, and with the help of Oprah, James Corden and others, he appears to have spent his whole time doing nothing but complain and explain to anyone who’ll listen – particularly if a TV camera is plonked in front of him. And what’s it done for him? Plummeting public respect and an ever-widening gulf with his own family. This is what happens when the Royals start believing their own publicity. This is the result of thinking they’re special not because of the institution of the monarchy but because of who they are individuals. Perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised. If you spend your life surrounded by people who bow, scrape and fawn, then you get to LA and find that the world’s most famous TV personality wants to do a blockbuster interview with you – because what you have to say is so insightful – you might indeed believe you’re worthy of public esteem. Even though you’ve abandoned the very ship that keeps you afloat. One thing we’ve learned over the last few months is that both Harry and Meghan have experienced significant blows to their mental health. In Meghan’s case, suicide has even been mentioned. And regardless of how privileged and wealthy they may be, they have my complete sympathy. But instead of concentrating on getting the help they so obviously need, they appear to be spending their energies on waging an unwinnable PR battle... I’ve no doubt that as soon as he landed in LA, Harry found all sorts of smiling faces with perfect teeth and impressive-sounding credentials eager to convince him he deserves so much more. That he’s a victim. That if only people heard his ‘truth’ they’d love him. Oh, and if you would, sir, please just sign on the dotted line. Yeah, right. They’re leading him down a garden path. Here’s my advice, and it won’t cost him a dime. Just stop digging. Jettison all these advisors in their LA suits. Sort out your health challenges away from the celebs and the cameras. Be humble. Even normal. And, above all, recognise that time, not PR gimmicks, heals wounds."
Meghan, Harry's choice of Lilibet is 'rude' towards Queen - "Angela Levin suggested the decision was a bad idea because the private nickname was bestowed on Elizabeth by her late husband, Prince Philip. “I don’t think it’s a good idea — I think it’s quite rude to Her Majesty Her Queen. It was a very private nickname from her husband, who hasn’t been dead for very long,” Levin said on “Good Morning Britain.” “Prince Charles would never dream of calling his mother Lilibet.”"
JAN MOIR: It's not just a name... Harry has stolen the Queen's crown jewel - "During a life devoted to public service and being on almost permanent display, Lilibet was the one thing the Queen had that was entirely her own. It was hers, and hers alone... It was also a private endearment uttered throughout more than 70 years of marriage by her husband who, may I remind certain parties, is recently deceased... And now it is no longer hers, its emotional exclusivity shattered; targeted and then blown apart like a clay pigeon... She turned 95 in April, four days after burying her husband at Windsor Castle. Newly widowed and grieving, she could be forgiven for hoping for an extended period of peace and tranquillity in these late years of her life. God knows she has earned it. Yet through no fault of her own she is pitched from one Sussex-mangled calamity to the next. Poor Lilibet! She has conducted herself with impeccable discretion and good sense during a faultless 69-year-reign, but once more she is dragged into the bear pit by Harry and Meghan who somehow always do so much harm, under the guise of trying to do so much good... What is puzzling is that if the Sussexes wanted to name their baby in honour of the Queen — and what a lovely thing to do — there are many non-contentious Elizabethan options. Heavens to Betsy! I lost count at 20, including Thea, Tess and Isabella, not to mention the lovely Scottish Elspeth and Ailsa, the French Elise plus a solid Beth, Liza with a Z, Busy Lizzie and Betty Boop to boot. But no, nothing would do but the one name that would do untold damage, the one name that should have been off-limits, the one name that anyone with a drop of sense would realise was personal, untouchable, just let it go... Even now, the Sussexes still don’t seem to grasp the essential divergence between celebrity and monarchy and that different rules apply, but they will take whatever they can get. The plunder of the name Lilibet was their solution to a complex problem of status and prestige, but the audacity might rebound on them yet."ne
Camilla Tominey says Prince Harry is being 'exploited' for ratings in the US - "Prince Harry should consider what he's really achieving by speaking out about his mental health battles, and be mindful of the impact on the Queen and Prince Charles, a royal expert has claimed... 'I think you can talk about your own mental health but you have to be aware of the consequences on other people's,' she said. 'Like the fact the Queen has just buried her husband, the father of Prince Charles, and then the son is over across the Atlantic having a go about the way he's been brought up.'... 'Going over to America, the other side of the coin you could say is that there is a degree of exploitation going on,' she said. 'The Americans are rubbing their heads together with glee, they know this man is quite damaged, disenfranchised from his family... Former MP Gyles Brandreth, who was on the segment with Camilla, quoted Harry Truman and said: 'If you don't like the heat, get out of the kitchen.'... Camilla also said that Harry risked putting people off by talking too much of his own mental health. 'You've got to be quite selective in what you're saying,' she said, adding Harry could lose sympathy rather than garnering it by 'overdoing it.'"
If you actively encourage your "exploitation", is it still exploitation?
Prince Harry Calls First Amendment 'Bonkers,' Sparks Conservative Backlash - "The Duke of Sussex said the constitutional right to free speech was "a huge subject and one which I don't understand" but also indicated he had a lot he wanted to say about it."
As they say about empty vessels...
Harry And Meghan Announce Birth Of Beautiful 'Half-Oppressed, Half-Privileged Baby' | The Babylon Bee - ""Even in these early days, we are making sure to teach our child that she carries the blood of white colonial oppressors, as well as oppressed people of color. This unique mix may make raising our child extremely difficult." Expert critical theorists also expressed worry that the child may grow up fighting a constant internal battle between her oppressor self and her oppressed self. "It is very rare that these two sides achieve perfect equilibrium," said sociology Professor Tawdro Dingletook of Yale University. "It's likely this child will either be doomed to a lifetime of being an evil oppressor, or a horribly oppressed minority. She will never fully belong on either side. This is why we need to bring back racial segregation--to keep this kind of thing from happening.""
It will take more than a well-chosen baby name to rebuild the House of Sussex - "An olive branch to his own family or a cynical ploy to curry favour with British opinion? Calling the baby Lilibet could be either or both. Just not neither. It seems horrible to question the name of a baby who’s only a few hours’ old. But if there’s one family in the world where naming a baby needs a committee of historians and PR experts, it’s the Windsors – even those exiled in LA. We can rule out any notion that Harry and Meghan selected the Queen’s childhood nickname because it sounded cute. Unlike Lilibet, we weren’t born yesterday... Many ardent republicans would agree that a recently-widowed 95-year-old, who continues to carry out her duties energetically in the seventh decade of her reign, did little to deserve the comments shot across the time zones by her emoting grandson over the last few months. An olive branch is the least she deserves. But there may well be a dollop of cynicism in there too. Unlike Oprah, most of us haven’t spent hours talking to Harry about his ‘truth’ and trauma, so it’s impossible to know whether he understands just how badly his recent interventions – including his denunciation of his own family on worldwide TV – have played in Britain. My strong suspicion is that Harry has been blindsided. He wouldn’t be the first Royal to misjudge the mood of the nation. But the avalanche of hostile comments since that first interview with Oprah back in March should tell him that he got it badly wrong. The aftermath saw him plunge into a negative net favourability rating for the first time in his life, and a drop of 15 points in the space of a week. Meanwhile, only three in ten people reported a positive view of Meghan... as Warren Buffett once said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin”. Rebuilding it can take decades. Just ask Princess Anne, who has been, for many years, one of the most popular Royals, widely respected for her work ethic and sense of duty. But it wasn’t always that way. Back in the 1970s, she was seen as spoiled, moody and petulant – words sometimes used about Harry now."
Prince of Wales gave Duke and Duchess of Sussex a ‘substantial sum’ to start new life - "When the Duke of Sussex told Oprah Winfrey that his family had “literally” cut him off financially, sources close to the Prince of Wales could not hide their surprise. The bank statements, they said, told a different story. It has now emerged that the Prince of Wales gave the Duke and Duchess a “substantial sum” when they stepped back from their official roles, apparently contradicting Prince Harry’s claim that they had only been able to afford their new life in California because of his inheritance from his mother. The Clarence House annual review revealed that Prince Charles gave a total of £4.5 million to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex during the last financial year, down from £5.6 million the previous year."
Clearly Clarence House is lying. Anyone who doubts Meghan is just showing how racist he is!
Harry and Meghan 'held talks with streaming platform Quibi a YEAR before Megxit' - "Despite this, during the Sussexes' bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey they claimed they 'didn't have a plan' when leaving the Royal family... Yet a year before they left the UK the Duke and Duchess were reportedly speaking with senior executives at the £1.3billion app that was expected to be the next big rival to YouTube."
Meghan Markle to miss Prince Philip's funeral 'as she doesn't want to be center of attention' - "Ms Markle has also said she is 'ready to forgive' the Royal Family despite telling Oprah they were racist towards Archie and ignored her mental health problems, a friend exclusively told DailyMail.com."
Convenient. As are the leaks
William Requested Cousin Stand Between Him and Harry at Funeral - "Prince William asked for his cousin Peter Phillips to walk between him and Prince Harry during the funeral cortege... “It’s turned out that Piers Morgan was pretty much right. When Piers said that he barely believed a word that she said, as you go through the claims made in that interview with Oprah Winfrey, you find again, and again, and again, things were either plain wrong or certainly inaccurate”... Several sources have come forward in the weeks following the interview to counter her claims... Claims made last week allegedly by a friend of the former actress that Meghan was “ready to forgive” the Royal Family."
Royal expert Lady Colin Campbell shocks Today hosts with comments about Meghan Markle and Harry - "Lady Colin Campbell today accused Meghan Markle of 'playing the race card to get a free pass to behave badly' and claimed Prince Harry 'would never have married her if she was white' ... Princess Anne was the senior royal who made comments about Archie's skin colour. The Sussexes claimed a relative of Harry's said there were ‘concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born’... she claimed Princess Anne 'wasn't alluding to the colour of this child' but rather Meghan's 'unsuitable' character' and alleged 'constant use of the race card'. 'Meghan weaponises colour with everything,' Lady Campbell told the Today programme. 'You see, as long as she plays the colour card, she gets a free pass to behave as badly and as freely as she would like. 'She has no boundaries and as long as she plays the colour card, it is open season.' Lady Campbell said that Meghan's colour 'was the one thing that she had going in her favour'. 'Had Meghan been white, there is no way that marriage would have proceeded, because Meghan's past was rather too chequered, and Meghan's personality was very abrasive,' she said. 'The one thing that Meghan had going in her favour was that she was mixed race.' Today host Leila McKinnon then asked Lady Campbell if she believed Meghan had a hard time with the press. 'She was absolutely attacked,' McKinnon said. Lady Campbell replied: 'Meghan was attacked the way everybody else is attacked who is in the public eye in Britain.' 'Meghan had a very easy ride of it, but Meghan is a born complainer, and a drama queen.'... 'My understanding is that nobody in the Royal Family is very pleased with the fact that any time they say anything to Harry, it ends up on American television via one of Oprah's friends. 'So, you know, put your self in the shoes of the Royal Family. 'Any family does not want its dirty linen washed in public. Nor do they want to be unfairly accused of prejudices that they do not have because an ambitious girl has married into the family.'... 'Harry ran to Meghan with the objections, Meghan weaponised them on the grounds of colour. We are looking at people who are very eager to spot a slight where doubtless none exist'... they were pointing the finger at Princess Anne, unfairly, and it was a misunderstanding in a discussion about the cultural differences between Brits and American. Citing a royal insider, she said: 'There were no concerns about Meghan’s colour. Princess Anne was rightly concerned that if the marriage proceeded and there were children there would be huge problems, not because of Meghan’s colour, but because of Meghan’s inability and determination to remain unable to appreciate the cultural differences'. She added that Anne was concerned that Meghan may not 'actually have respect for the institution in to which she was marrying, and the family in which she was marrying'... 'Nobody is the guilty party in terms of racism. But Princess Anne was the champion in terms of 'don't marry that girl, she is unsuitable. She is wrong for the country, wrong for the job. Well, it's turned out to be true. 'I think it's important that it is out there before it is weaponised by some anti-establishment, anti-monarchist organisation, who will spin things destructively to further their agenda... Previously the Queen responded to the Sussexes’ interview with a deeply personal message saying that while ‘some recollections vary’, the issues raised, particularly that of race, were ‘concerning’ and would be taken seriously. Significantly, however, she emphasised that from now on their difficulties should be addressed by the family privately... Royal warfare erupted after Harry and Meghan revealed deeply private and confidential conversations with the royal family to a US journalist friend after they appeared on Oprah, despite claiming it would be their 'final word' on their rift with the royals. The couple told breakfast show host Gayle King the prince had finally spoken to his father and brother - and she went on a major TV network to disclose that the talks ‘were not productive’. Miss King also suggested that Meghan was unhappy that no-one in the Royal Family had picked up the phone to her yet following their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey. And in a thinly-veiled threat, the broadcaster said Meghan had made clear she has ‘documents to back up everything she said on Oprah’s interview’. The fact that the couple chose to discuss such sensitive discussions between senior members of the royal family with a TV journalist, who broadcast them blow-by-blow within hours, met with an icy response from Buckingham Palace."
Queen 'told Meghan she did not have to give up acting or embrace royal duties' when she married Prince Harry - "The Duchess of Sussex was told by the Queen that she was not obliged to be a full-time member of the Royal Family when she married Prince Harry and was free to keep acting, a royal biographer has claimed... Andrew Morton, who wrote a leading biography of Princess Diana, told the Royally Obsessed podcast that the Duchess was not prevented from pursuing her career or a private life and said Her Majesty gave the Sussexes different routes to take within the family. “The Queen gave them [the Duke and Duchess] the opportunity to go wherever they pleased,” Mr Morton said. “They were given a degree of latitude. “They were told: ‘Here are your first class tickets, pick which country you want to go to, we're going to make you youth ambassadors for the Commonwealth.’ "They did say to Meghan: ‘If you don't want to embrace royal duties full time please be our guest and continue your acting career.’ Those opportunities were open to her.” The Duchess told Winfrey that she felt trapped at Kensington Palace, claiming she “left the house twice in four months” in 2019, a claim disputed by Mr Morton, who said the Duchess was often spotted shopping and eating at restaurants in west London... Mr Morton also claimed that the Sussexes had been hasty in stepping back from royal life in 2020 and did not fully consider the consequences of leaving. “I think neither of them gave it the thought they should have done”"
Piers Morgan drags Princess Diana into Meghan Markle row: ‘She would be horrified’ - "Morgan also called Harry and Meghan hypocrites for profiting off their relationship with the royal family, while publicly castigating them. “Would they be getting the Oprah Winfrey, two-hour whine-a-thon slot if they weren’t royal? No,” said Morgan. “Their entire existence is now being financed by their royal connection. The same royal connection which they spent nearly two hours lambasting on global television and saying how much they hate it. “It’s not just inconsistent, it’s not just hypocritical, it’s actually shameful. “And to do this to the Queen, who has barely put a foot wrong in 68 years of dutiful service to my country… she is a respected woman because she’s earned that respect.”"
Meghan and Harry have 'regrets' about Oprah interview following Philip's death - "Meghan and Harry now "regret" their interview with Oprah in the wake of Prince Philip's death, reports claim. The tell-all chat aired while Philip was sick in hospital, and now sources say the Sussexes regret the timing of the interview"
Meghan and Prince Harry warned 'not the time for PR games' amid Oprah regret claim
Prince Philip Thought Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Oprah Interview Was ‘Madness’ - "Prince Philip thought Harry and Meghan’s interview with Oprah Winfrey was “madness” and that “no good would come of it,” his official biographer has said. Gyles Brandreth, a long standing friend of the Duke of Edinburgh, who died aged 99 last week, is the only journalist ever to be granted a full-length sit-down interview with the duke... “The fact that the Meghan and Harry interview was aired while Philip was in hospital did not trouble him. What did worry him was the couple’s preoccupation with their own problems and their willingness to talk about them in public. “‘Give TV interviews by all means,’ he said, ’but don’t talk about yourself.’ “That was one of his rules. I know he shared it with his children. I imagine he shared it with his grandchildren, too.”"
Queen's cousin speaks out against Meghan Markle and Prince Harry after Oprah interview - "When Alexander proceeds to ask what her view of the Sussexes is, Olga simply shakes her head and says: “Not great.” Olga continues: "I mean the Queen’s never sat there and said about anything that makes her miserable, has she? She’s always got on with it. "The most she ever did was that Annus Horribilis which I thought was wonderful. I think a bit of mystique and all that is a very good thing.""
Prince Harry: Meghan opened my eyes to unhappiness of royal life - "Meghan Markle is behind Prince Harry’s attacks on the royal family, the wayward prince suggested in a podcast interview... Harry suggested Meghan’s comments completely changed his view of royal life, the Sun reported. That set him up for the situation he’s in now, publicly criticizing his family, including sniping about Prince Charles’ parenting skills during the podcast."
If there was ever any doubt over who instigated the trouble
Prince Harry Said He Knew He Had To "Fix Himself" To Keep Meghan Markle
"Fix" yourself by destroying your family.
Royal aides ‘want Harry and Meghan to give up their titles’ - "The prince is said to have left senior royals baffled by his “disgraceful” and “woeful lack of compassion”... Harry and Meghan are subsequently being urged to put their titles into “abeyance”, in the same way their HRH honourifics were when the “Megxit” deal was reached... Aides – all of who spoke under the condition of anonymity – supposedly told the paper that members of the royal family are “appalled that he could do this to the Queen when the Duke of Edinburgh is barely in his grave”. “To drag his grandfather into this is so shocking and disrespectful,” one said. Another criticised Harry for “lecturing” people on how to “live our lives” from his “£11m mansion”... “There is a growing feeling that if you dislike the institution that much, you shouldn't have the titles. They should just become Harry and Meghan. And if they refuse to do that, they have to explain why not.”"
Harry says family tried to STOP him and Meghan from leaving after 'she was going to end her life' - "Prince Harry today dropped another nuclear 'truth bomb' on the Royal Family accusing them of 'total silence' and 'neglect' when Meghan was suicidal, claiming his father Prince Charles made him 'suffer' as a child and insisting he would not be 'bullied into silence' when he alleged 'The Firm' 'trapped', smeared and dumped them - as royal experts warned the latest attack left a 'huge gulf' in the family... royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said there is now 'clearly a huge gulf between the Royal Family and the Sussexes', while Harry's biographer Angela Levin called his appearance 'phoney and embarrassing'... Harry launched yet another full-frontal attack on the Royal Family, who are private exasperated and upset about his constant 'pot shots' from across the Atlantic but are unable to respond publicly... Harry launched another volley of attacks on the royals while insisting he wanted 'reconciliation and healing' with his family... he said would 'never be bullied into silence' in the future... Harry said he felt there were parallels in their stories when he followed in his mother's footsteps and began dating a person of color. 'My mother was chased to her death while she was in a relationship with someone who wasn't white,' he said. 'And now look what's happened... Prince Harry has claimed he and Meghan Markle believed their explosive Oprah Winfrey interview would help reconcile them with the Royal Family"
Prince Philip funeral: Meghan and Harry’s wreath points to wider royal problem - "despite being more than 8500km away, Meghan managed to play a role in the historic funeral. In a moving tribute to the 99-year-old Duke, a handwritten note penned by the Duchess, a former professional calligrapher, was attached to the wreath sent by Harry and Meghan, one of the only nine family wreaths in the chapel. The arrangement, we know, included Eryngium, or sea holly, to represent Philip’s ties to the Royal Marines, Acanthus mollis, the national flower of Greece in a nod to his heritage, Campanula, to represent “gratitude and everlasting love”, and roses to signify the royal consort’s June birthday. All incredibly touching and thoughtful. And all information that somehow – miraculously – has found its way out there in the public domain... What is bewildering here is why and how, on a day which should have been resolutely, solely focused on celebrating the Duke, that still something Sussex-related has managed to end up in the headlines. These symbolic and meaningful blooms by Ms Crossley – who was in charge of the flowers for the Sussexes’ wedding reception and son Archie’s 2019 christening – included deeply personal touches. But why did anyone feel the need to share this information with the world? While Buckingham Palace has released a cavalcade of specifics about yesterday’s proceedings, everything from precise timings to where exactly Philip’s valets would be standing, no particulars about the other eight wreaths that were placed in the chapel have been released. In fact, according to The Times, “the rest of the royal family kept details of their floral tributes private”. Yet the particulars about the Sussexes’ wreath have hit the press. The unavoidable conclusion here is that the details of the Crossley-created salute are known today, and making headlines, because someone wanted them out there. (It’s not as if any eagle-eyed member of the press was ever going to cotton on to the fact that say Eryngium or Acanthus mollis featured in the arrangement.) And that is deeply problematic. The appearance here is that even at this moment of mourning someone Sussex-adjacent has seen the wreath and Meghan’s note as an opportunity to drum up some good PR, hardly edifying stuff. Previously, the now California-based royal couple has chosen to publicise two meaningful royal family-related occasions which could have remained private. In early September they visited a local preschool to plant forget-me-nots in honour of the anniversary of Diana’s passing while in November, to mark Remembrance Day, the couple visited Commonwealth war graves in Los Angeles. In both instances, a photographer was on hand and images of the couple were made public. In recent months both Harry and Meghan’s approval ratings in the UK have cratered to record lows, with both the Duke and Duchess hitting negative figures... Perhaps it was too much to expect that this weekend’s proceedings could have gone off without something Harry and Meghan-related in the mix. All of this comes as the Queen offered up would be read as a jewel-encrusted olive branch to the self-exiled Sussexes. Her Majesty had been expected to wear a brooch to today’s service that had some connection to her husband of more than 73 years, however instead she opted to don the Queen Mary pearl and diamond Richmond brooch. The last time she had worn this particular number it was to the Sussexes’ 2018 wedding, suggesting that this could represent something of a subtle peace offering"
