Just call me Harry. (Everything Harry & Meghan)

[kwanfan1818]

If QEII could fund Andrew's additional protection as a non-working Royal, then if neither she nor his father was willing to do this for Harry (and Meaghan), then they (QEII, Prince/King Charles III) either decided he wasn't in danger or were being deliberately punitive. That's a separate issue from whether the taxpayers should be paying for it.

If he couldn't get family funding for security, and they couldn't pay for it themselves because they aren't allowed to hire armed private security, then their options were being vulnerable or leaving the country where they could.

 

[skategal]

She characterized it in the documentary as her friends organizing the event for her. Bower's book claims that Meghan and her people were the main organizers. Which if that's true also begs the question of why someone so protective of their privacy would organize an event where (allegedly) companies were solicited to donate freebies in exchange for publicity.

Read the book. Believe it or don't, but it certainly raised some questions for me about the content of the documentary. And if Bower is so terribly wrong about major points in his book, H&M's aggressive lawyers will surely be after him.

She said in the documentary that her friends “surprised her” with a baby shower.

She doesn’t say they organized it and planned the whole thing.

Sounds like it was their idea and they paid for it as she says it was private money so the British taxpayer wouldn’t have to pay for it.

She also says “they threw me a shower and got backlash in the media for it.”

I don’t see the conflict with what you say the book says.

 

[becca]

It was honestly Edward that started the long courtship thing. He looked at what happened to every single one of his siblings and decided he was going to take his time and make darn sure a potential bride understood what it meant to join that family.

William and Kate met in college it makes sense they had a long courtship.

In fairness to Meghan and Harry though given their ages if they wanted kids they didn’t have eight years or even five years.

The amount of time they are dating in general isn’t that ridiculous but I wonder how much time was actually spend together given that it was long distance.

I do think more time given to learning British customs and how to be a working royal even if the marriage happened earlier.

Meghan is saying she had no help but the palace actually pushes back on that one with reports they did try and the Queen wanted Sophie to mentor her and that Meghan didn’t want to listen.

I actually kind of belief the palace sources there mainly because they did make efforts with Sophie and Kate so why not Harry’s wife.

 

[morqet]

And didn't Prince Andrew still receive heightened security protection, even when he stepped back?

He has security that the Queen paid from her personal income. Charles is reported to be carrying on funding it at a cost of around £3m/year. But that is not the same level as that which working royals get from the Met Police - particularly armed security. Harry's issue is I think (although there have been many different versions) that a) he now has to pay for security and b) he is not allowed pay for private armed close protection in the UK. Maybe he has a case to be pissed off that his grandmother and father wouldn't help with costs for personal security in the way that Andrew gets. But even if Charles was funding it, he couldn't get the level of security he believes he needs.

The decisions around who gets the highest level of security is made by a body called Ravec - it includes the head of counterterrorism policing and one of the director generals at the Home Office. Because that level of security is funded by taxpayers, it is scrutinised very very carefully. No non working royal is going to be given close protection or special escort group support from the Met Police, that is solely for working royals, particularly those in the direct line of inheritance, government ministers and diplomats and visiting head of state.

ETA: The thing you are all missing is that armed security or even armed policemen are vanishingly rare in the UK. And it's not for the royal family to say this person or that person needs a certain level of protection. It is taxpayer funded, and therefore is in the remit of the government, specifically the Home Office. Those decisions are made by a group of police and government officials, and their decision, which Harry is attempting to challenge in court, is that once they stepped down from official duties H&M do not qualify for close armed protection, both in terms of the level of threat to them and in the risk that they are put in during day to day life in the UK. If they are attending a public event in an official capacity (e.g the Queens funeral), they get the same level of protection as all the other members of the family there. But if they were living in the UK and wanted to go shopping on Kensington High Street, they can pay for their own bodyguard, but he or she cannot carry arms and will not have received counter terrorism briefings.

 

[becca]

He has security that the Queen paid from her personal income. Charles is reported to be carrying on funding it at a cost of around £3m/year. But that is not the same level as that which working royals get from the Met Police - particularly armed security. Harry's issue is I think (although there have been many different versions) that a) he now has to pay for security and b) he is not allowed pay for private armed close protection in the UK. Maybe he has a case to be pissed off that his grandmother and father wouldn't help with costs for personal security in the way that Andrew gets. But even if Charles was funding it, he couldn't get the level of security he believes he needs.

The decisions around who gets the highest level of security is made by a body called Ravec - it includes the head of counterterrorism policing and one of the director generals at the Home Office. Because that level of security is funded by taxpayers, it is scrutinised very very carefully. No non working royal is going to be given close protection or special escort group support from the Met Police, that is solely for working royals, particularly those in the direct line of inheritance, government ministers and diplomats and visiting head of state.

The thing with Andrew though is that his security probably doesn’t cost nearly as much security as the security costs for Harry and Meghan living overseas.

Andrew lives on royal property right? That’s already secure.

The big issues with security came though when Meghan and Harry made their manifesto taking about the public paying for all that security.

Now its totally true that Harry did not chose to be a Prince but Harry and Meghan are both saying they don’t want to be private and they want to make money of who they are and yes it’s due to Harry’s royal roots.

If they chose to live like the former Japanese Princess or Princess Madeline a lot of their security threats would start to fade.

The United States doesn’t pay for Kardashins security.

The UK doesn’t pay for Beckhams why should Harry and Meghan be different they are chosing to live like celebrities.

Andrew isn’t racking in 100 million from Netflix.

So the income level is different too.

I don’t know why the King owes Harry an unlimited check. If they want others to pay for their security they would need to mitigate some of those costs.

 

[once_upon]

I don’t know why the King owes Harry an unlimited check.

Do you have siblings? Do you think one sibling gets more than you? Or do they think you get more than them?

Family dynamics are hell. Especially when it comes to perceived love and money.

 

[airgelaal]

Harry and Meghan were very afraid for their safety, so they went to live with a man whom they had never seen and did not know
Harry and Meghan see their situation as unique. But it's not like that. I'm not a big fan of the royal family, but even I heard all sorts of news about Kate when she dated William for 10 years. And I don't see things getting much better now. I think it's not worth remembering what Camilla faced. I'm not saying that it should be so and these women had to endure. But Harry and Meghan present everything as if it was only Meghan who was bullied and the family did not want to protect Meghan and all because she is a mixed-race American divorcee. It’s hard for me to judge how everything really is, but from the outside it seems to me that Meghan and Harry think only of themselves. From the point of view of their small family, this is probably correct, but this does not mean that everyone should think so.
Meghan and Harry were ready for the love of the public, but were not ready for criticism. A medal always has two sides. You can't get one without the other.

 

[once_upon]

I read the royalty threads as I'm bored. I find it a fascinating study of human nature responses.

I try to look at things - at least in this case - with a mindset that there is a truth in everyone involved assessment.

Several of the classes I took as part of my maternal child advanced nurse practitioner studies were on family dynamics, perceptions of members experiencing the same environment, etc. I just tried to use some of that.

Celebrities - whether Royality, Politicians, Actors, TikToc, influencers, rich - fascinate us. We try to apply our lives and life values to them.

Side note -
I do worry about you @airgelaal I can't understand the difficulties you and your country is enduring. I hope that you and your country can find a bit of joy in Christmas and other religious holidays.

 

[Jenny]

I honestly don't get why they're (or is it just us lol?) still talking about the security issue. Beefs in the past, sure that's fair I guess, but now? They chose to leave the family business. Like any job, when you quit, the benefits stop. Sure, there are some benefits that continue for a time of transition or maybe even forever in some cases, but most of the time, that's part of the decision you make when you quit.

Plus, they are rich, it's not like they can't afford whatever level of security they think is required to protect their family and feel safe. They live in LA, they have many connections, there are no doubt numerous options for putting in place a security program that works for them. Many more options in fact now that they can hire privately rather than deal with whatever is dictated by his former position in the UK.

I get that they must have some bitterness, in Harry's case what he feels his lot in life was, and in her case in how she felt treated. But surely now that they have their own family and a home and a support network outside the Royal Family they could be focusing on the present and future? They have interesting work and lots of business opportunities, why continue to dwell on the past like this? Hopefully their children are growing up in an atmosphere of love and optimism rather than regret, anger and bitterness.

As for those who continue to put words in William's mouth and thoughts in his head, I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on the point where he apparently suggested that Harry take it slower with Meghan. He's the older brother, makes sense that he'd give Harry some advice, especially since before all this by all accounts (that I know of) they got along very, very well. And just because he said wait, doesn't mean he said wait 10 years - for all we know it might have been more like "give Meghan a bit more time to better understand what's involved in being part of this family, help her understand what this means." Might have even been Kate's idea for all we know, like "you might want to have a word with your brother, I'll do my best with Meghan, because I'm not sure she fully understands how dramatically her life is about to change."

I don't know what the motivation was for any of it, or the words actually said, or the context in which the advice was delivered. Just choosing to think that it is very possible that William's intentions were good.

 

[MLIS]

I think there’s a big difference between dating for ten years and dating for a few months, particularly where it comes to something as life changing and all consuming as marrying into the royal family. If William cautioned Harry not to rush into things, he likely didn’t tell him he had to wait ten years. But it’s true that by the time William and Kate married she absolutely knew what was in front of her and chose it with her eyes wide open. Meghan herself admits there were a lot of things she didn’t realize or understand, regardless of who you believe about how much help was or wasn’t offered to her. I think Harry and Meghan had themselves convinced they were going to make major changes and revolutionize the monarchy (and, honestly, they’re not wrong about a lot of things that should change). I also think Meghan already being a celebrity meant she thought she knew how it worked, how to handle the media, etc. And again she wasn’t prepared for or didn’t understand the reality of the difference between royal and celebrity. More time before marrying might have given her more insight.

I also think two (or more) things can be true at the same time. I am perfectly willing to believe the royal family THOUGHT they had bent over backwards to include her. She was invited to Sandringham for Christmas before they were married! She was invited on an overnight engagement with the Queen, just the two of them! Charles walked her down the aisle at her wedding, a huge, expensive royal wedding with all the trimmings and a tiara loaned by the queen. From their perspective they probably feel like they went out of their way and broke lots of protocol and whatever, and she threw it back in their faces. But I am also more than able to believe that she encountered casual, unconscious (or even blatant) racism and a lack of sympathy for much of what she was going through, and things that were meant to be welcoming, or at least innocuous, were not perceived in the way they were intended. She absolutely came in for much abuse from the media and the public (via social media trolls), some of it what any woman marrying into the royal family would receive, but not all of it. And the treatment of Harry and Meghan in the media compared to, say, his pedophile of an uncle, is indefensible. They clearly felt, and still feel, that there are legitimate threats against them. And at the heart of it all, in my opinion, was the truth that they would always come second, their children would always come second, their causes would always come second. And the people who came first (Charles, William) seem reluctant to change anything about that. I think the best thing they could have done was stop being working royals and live a private (as in, not publicly funded) life with their family, working for their own causes. But I agree with this post from MsZem:

I don't think they want privacy so much as they want control: over their daily lives, over their image, over their narrative. Which is very understandable; royal life comes with many privileges, but it also entails a loss of control over aspects of one's life that many people - especially people like Meghan, who was a successful and independent adult woman - might find hard to accept. I don't fault them at all for not wanting that life.

The thing is, they get to control their image, their story, and their brand now. What they don't get to control is how other people will feel about it or respond to it. And for me at least, it seems like they expected the reactions of the BRF to fall in line with what they wanted, without recognizing that QE, or Charles, or William, might value a different path and advocate for it - passionately, even.

And I’m not their biggest fan, and I don’t like a lot of the choices they’ve made, but I will always defend her having a baby shower. Was it tacky and over the top? Sure. But I don’t begrudge her wanting to celebrate her much loved and wanted baby with her friends.

 

[DFJ]

I work with street kids. A little girl just 14 years old was in my office today along with her boyfriend, bless him. She is pregnant. Her parents threw her out of the house. They had nowhere to go in -12 degree weather. Luckily, we found a place for them both, for now. Lots of work to do but it's a start.

These are just my thoughts. But to read about these 2 incredibly privileged individuals in their multi-million mansion whining about anything kind of turns my stomach right now. I'm sick and tired of both of them.

 

[becca]

Do you have siblings? Do you think one sibling gets more than you? Or do they think you get more than them?

Family dynamics are hell. Especially when it comes to perceived love and money.

I understand this but the whole monarchy system is literally based on birth order. Charles didn’t create it.

Harry has tremendously benefited from it. His cousins get less money and less inheritance then him because their parent is a lesser child than Harry’s father. Not to mention the ordinary UK citizen. If a bigger inheritance didn’t go to the heir the monarchy would not exist and his father wouldn’t have any money to give.

Most of us won’t dream of 30 million dollars.

And what happens when Charles dies is William suppose to give Harry an unlimited check to? Even though he has two other non heir children to think about and their potential children. And who knows if the monarchy will be around 50 years from now.

It does Harry no favors giving him an unlimited check.

Furthemore I will say this too King Charles is by no means a perfect man but he has used a lot of the funds he earned from the Dutchy to give back to the less fortunate.

Not every Duke of Cornwall has done that heck the last one certainly didn’t. I think Prince William has plans to do the same the public certainly expects it now so it’s not just all Charles money he accounts for it

Harry and Meghan are incredibly privileged. More than 99.9 percent of the worlds population.

There is also huge benefits to not being the heir.

 

[tony]

I don't follow much of the Royal Family stories and politics at all because frankly, I don't really care about their lives nor do I think it's anything remarkable. Same with the Kardashians. I'll watch their TV shows and find humor in a lot of it, but it's not really changing my life in any way so it's entertainment in the end.

But I did happen to watch the Netflix special and while it raised some questions about the logic of some things, I really wonder why when I pop into this thread, people are harping on and on about disliking them/the Family/whoever based on the day when you can simply.... not pay attention to any of it?

I do actually think there was something said pertaining to race/Meghan and it'll probably never come out, but I also think all sides have savvy enough teams that everything is done with a purpose behind it these days instead of what you just see at surface level.

 

[Allskate]

And I will say this Meghan and Harry talk about how they want no relationship with her father because he talked to the Press.

No. They are upset because Meghan's father staged some stories and photos for tabloids, lied to Meghan about it, told the tabloids (rather than her) that he was not attending her wedding because of heart problems, and did not take or return any of her many calls and messages the week of her wedding. He treated her like a cash cow instead of a loved daughter. Harry and Meghan doing a Netflix documentary is not the same thing. The number of false equivalencies in this thread is too many to count.

The thing you are all missing is that armed security or even armed policemen are vanishingly rare in the UK.

The thing you are missing is that Harry was upset about the role his father, the rest of the family, and the palace played in his increased danger, their apparent lack of concern for H and M's well-being, the attempt by the palace to influence Ravec, and the timing of the withdrawing of security at a time when they were being hounded and the hate and threats were higher. I would be hurt, too, if I were Harry. Comparing Harry to his cousins or the Kardashians is absurd.

 

[taf2002]

So what? From the point of view of the law, they are equal - non-working members of the royal family. Why should Harry be treated differently? And did Canada treat him the same way? Maybe half the country spent the night next to his house every day?
And, I repeat, how do all Hollywood stars live without the protection of Scotland Yard? Or is their popularity not as big as that of Meghan and Harry?

Beatrice & Eugenia are not equal. Their father is not the king. And anyone who thinks they don't need special security - think about the fact that a well-known Brit said he wanted Meghan to walk down the street naked while the crown crowd thru shit at her & the RF had nothing negative to say about that.

 

[MacMadame]

Plus, they are rich, it's not like they can't afford whatever level of security they think is required to protect their family and feel safe.

Harry offered to pay for his security in the UK. But he wanted his security to be armed (for good reasons) and that limited his options. The people he wanted to pay (Scotland Yard) said No though (probably also for good reasons). So he was in between a rock and a hard place.

 

[airgelaal]

As I see this situation.
You have a child and he is sick. He is very ill and you are taking him to the hospital. At the hospital, you ask the doctors to examine him immediately. But in the hospital they explain to you that the doctor will examine the child as soon as possible. You are in a panic, your baby is very sick. You start to make a fuss about being ignored. That your child may die and you must be helped immediately. You can be understood, you are the parent of a sick child. But in the hospital, your child is not the only one, and other children feel bad too. Their parents are also worried. Doctors cannot abandon all children and run to yours. Your child wasn't rushed to not because he had the wrong color of skin, eyes or hair. It's just that the hospital has a protocol and follows it. It would be a lot more cynical if they did it just because you're a celebrity.
I can understand the feelings of Meghan and Harry. I can understand their fears. But this does not mean that the family and the whole country should have thrown all their strength into their defense. Just because the rest of the royal family or the rest of the celebrities aren't screaming about their feelings doesn't mean they're completely safe. It's not just celebrities who are being threatened. Ordinary people are also threatened and these are not ordinary words. They also need protection. I understand that Harry may feel that his situation is unique. But when a woman runs away from her husband, who beats her and threatens to kill her, she is no less scared. And her chances of being killed are many times greater.
Again, I don't think Harry and Meghan's fears and worries are made up. But it seems to me that it is they who do not consider the fears and experiences of other people to be something important.

 

[mattiecat13]

My question is, if Meghan didn’t have access to her passport (or keys or driver’s license) as she claimed in the Oprah interview and didn’t get them back until she left royal service, how was she able to attend her New York City baby shower?

 

[skategal]

My question is, if Meghan didn’t have access to her passport (or keys or driver’s license) as she claimed in the Oprah interview and didn’t get them back until she left royal service, how was she able to attend her New York City baby shower?

I assumed that meant that her comings and goings were subject to approval of the palace.

If she went to New York for her baby shower, they would have known about it and agreed that she could go (and gave her the passport to do so.)

One major issue about the security was the timing of when it would be removed.

They were given 3 weeks notice and were living in a place (Canada) that had just been breached by paparazzi. They were even climbing over fences to get on property.

They knew they had to leave and go somewhere else but had nothing lined up and no way to even try to get security when they didn’t even know where they would be.

It was a dangerous situation for them at that time.

I’m sure they feel differently now that they are settled and can access some of the best security teams in the world but at that time they had every right to feel scared and angry.

It’s ridiculous that these paparazzi are allowed to stalk people to the point of causing mental health breakdown and even death with little consequences.

In Harry’s case, it isn’t even because of his accomplishments, it’s because of his birth and his parents.

Despicable.

 

[taf2002]

As I see this situation.
You have a child and he is sick. He is very ill and you are taking him to the hospital. At the hospital, you ask the doctors to examine him immediately. But in the hospital they explain to you that the doctor will examine the child as soon as possible. You are in a panic, your baby is very sick. You start to make a fuss about being ignored. That your child may die and you must be helped immediately. You can be understood, you are the parent of a sick child. But in the hospital, your child is not the only one, and other children feel bad too. Their parents are also worried. Doctors cannot abandon all children and run to yours. Your child wasn't rushed to not because he had the wrong color of skin, eyes or hair. It's just that the hospital has a protocol and follows it. It would be a lot more cynical if they did it just because you're a celebrity.
I can understand the feelings of Meghan and Harry. I can understand their fears. But this does not mean that the family and the whole country should have thrown all their strength into their defense. Just because the rest of the royal family or the rest of the celebrities aren't screaming about their feelings doesn't mean they're completely safe. It's not just celebrities who are being threatened. Ordinary people are also threatened and these are not ordinary words. They also need protection. I understand that Harry may feel that his situation is unique. But when a woman runs away from her husband, who beats her and threatens to kill her, she is no less scared. And her chances of being killed are many times greater.
Again, I don't think Harry and Meghan's fears and worries are made up. But it seems to me that it is they who do not consider the fears and experiences of other people to be something important.

Nice analogy...EXCEPT all royals aren't equal as to how many death threats they get & how serious those threats are. I've never heard about threats to Edward or Sophie although they probably exist. A few years back there was something about their daughter but I can't remember the details. Andrew is still getting protection & I imagine he really needs it. But Harry does too. And the uncaring attitude of the RF when Archie was threatened "kill that monkey baby" defies belief.

 

[once_upon]

It's well thought out, but there are numerous medical studies and outcome based statistics that do indicate a lower level of care, ignoring of symptoms, and greater mortality statistics with black or biracial people (in the US). Those are facts. A child in sickle cell crisis maybe overlooked on their first crisis and mother hysterical/demanding/unrealistic expectations because it's not known disease and never happened before. Is that child more ill than someone else's-i don't know, but I can't overlook that a triage nurse may miss key information/assessments.

There are things that I, as a white woman, cannot understand about race and perceptions by others, but I can attest to things I've seen and even to somethings were we taught in nursing.

I agree the disparity in the 1% of the world and the stark poverty and cruelty of the world is so wrong.

I cannot comprehend security needs. It's not my reality. Royals grow up, live in such a different environment, I can't understand it. My comments are not about my reality or anyone else not a royal reality, but to the way Royals have reality. Just like how my responses are driven by my reality, theirs is too. What is normal (always protection at a high level because a prince, etc) from them is not for me. What their parents and others around them conveyed as potential threats, cannot be close to anything I conveyed to my kids.

Passport and driver's license stuff I don't know - but I can tell you - if I didn't have access to mine and traveled to another country, even if it was my original home country and I was easily recognizable, I'd still be upset. It's how the world identifies you and possibly more American viewpoint - see PI discussions.

I dont think William would have bad intent, as I said earlier, big brother/little brother relationships - especially regarding advise in my experience - is very, very, very complicated and rarely is given/recieved in the manner intended.

Do I think things on all sides could have been handled better? Sure that's true in every situation.

 

[MacMadame]

I can't believe people think that is a good analogy. I think it's the worst one yet. Harry & Meghan weren't asking for "the family and the whole country" to "throw all their strength" into their security. They also weren't in a line either.

They were arranging their lives and found out at the last minute that something important they thought was settled had to be redone and it wasn't paid for anymore. Then, later, when they wanted to go to the UK, they couldn't make arrangements that satisfied them. Nothing they were doing or wanted was taking away from anyone else, neither from the UK nor from other royals.

And, if you want to use the ER analogy (as much as it doesn't make any sense), it's more like H&M showed up at the ER and their kids were bleeding but the ER said "sorry, all these other people were here before you."

A better analogy is that a hurricane was coming and their dad said, sorry... I need that plywood back so you can't board up your windows. Go buy some new plywood even though you only have 2 hours before the hurricane arrives.

 

[Judy]

I’d be more interested in the U.K. people’s opinion.

 

[manhn]

As a Canadian, I don't much care for the UK's opinion. Other countries have their own monarchies and probably have similar drama, problems, etc. But my taxes ain't going to Thailand's Royal Family (uhm, right?). Abolish all ties!

 

[VGThuy]

The more I hear about the system and how it's described, the more I think it's abusive to those born into it. The royals are basically zoo animals for us to gawk at and gossip about, relate to, or feel superior towards. I mean sure they live a life free from poverty and full of privilege, but yikes. No wonder so many have issues.

 

[skategal]

The more I hear about the system and how it's described, the more I think it's abusive to those born into it. The royals are basically zoo animals for us to gawk at and gossip about, relate to, or feel superior towards. I mean sure they live a life free from poverty and full of privilege, but yikes. No wonder so many have issues.

Yes Harry did the right thing to run away. He and his family would always be set up as the stooge to Will and Kate and family by BP even though the brothers promised each other that it wouldn’t be that way.

 

[MsZem]

The more I hear about the system and how it's described, the more I think it's abusive to those born into it. The royals are basically zoo animals for us to gawk at and gossip about, relate to, or feel superior towards. I mean sure they live a life free from poverty and full of privilege, but yikes. No wonder so many have issues.

Which is what I suspect William may have been getting at when he suggested Harry and Meghan take more time - it doesn't seem like Meghan had been well-prepared for that life, if one ever can be.

One major issue about the security was the timing of when it would be removed.

They were given 3 weeks notice and were living in a place (Canada) that had just been breached by paparazzi. They were even climbing over fences to get on property.

They knew they had to leave and go somewhere else but had nothing lined up and no way to even try to get security when they didn’t even know where they would be.

A few years ago, I relocated to another country. It wasn't a permanent thing, I'm not famous, and there were no dependents affected by my move. And yet I seem to have put more planning into my relocation than Harry and Meghan did into their royal exit. I really don't get it; did they expect to be BRF ambassadors abroad? To continue enjoying all the privileges of royal life without any of the downsides? What was the plan, and if they realized they needed time to line up a suitable situation for their needs, why did they not take a bit more time to get everything sorted out?

 

[skategal]

Which is what I suspect William may have been getting at when he suggested Harry and Meghan take more time - it doesn't seem like Meghan had been well-prepared for that life, if one ever can be.


A few years ago, I relocated to another country. It wasn't a permanent thing, I'm not famous, and there were no dependents affected by my move. And yet I seem to have put more planning into my relocation than Harry and Meghan did into their royal exit. I really don't get it; did they expect to be BRF ambassadors abroad? To continue enjoying all the privileges of royal life without any of the downsides? What was the plan, and if they realized they needed time to line up a suitable situation for their needs, why did they not take a bit more time to get everything sorted out?

The documentary shows that they had many plans over the course of several months.

The first was New Zealand. Before they could finalize plans, it was leaked to the media.

The second plan was South Africa.
Again before plans could be finalized, it was leaked to the media.

The third plan was Canada. They asked to discuss this with Charles and he wanted them to put it in writing.

They didn’t want to because of what happened the first two times but agreed to do so when Charles said that he need a written document.

They put specific comments in the written document in case it leaked so they would know where the leak came from.

Again the Canada plan was leaked to the media and they knew it was being leaked by BP.

Harry said when the plans leak to the media, they are effectively dead in the water at the point because all the negotiations become very political.

So they were then left in a place in Canada with no plans and the paparazzi discovered the location and were trying to breach the estate.

This is when they also learned that they would lose their security in 3 weeks and had to leave to another location but were out of plans at that point.

Also Covid was coming and they were afraid the borders would close. So when Tyler Perry reached out to them, the jumped on it.

It wasn’t lack of planning that was their issue.

Their plans were being spoiled by media leaks coming from internal to BP most likely in an attempt to keep them from leaving the Institution.

Harry also says at a meeting he had with the Queen, Charles and William and Palace advisors he was given 5 options from fully in to fully out and he chose option 3 (part-time Royal living outside the UK) but as time went on it was clear BP wouldn’t allow that to happen.

 

[airgelaal]

I can't believe people think that is a good analogy. I think it's the worst one yet. Harry & Meghan weren't asking for "the family and the whole country" to "throw all their strength" into their security. They also weren't in a line either.

They were arranging their lives and found out at the last minute that something important they thought was settled had to be redone and it wasn't paid for anymore. Then, later, when they wanted to go to the UK, they couldn't make arrangements that satisfied them. Nothing they were doing or wanted was taking away from anyone else, neither from the UK nor from other royals.

I can't understand, why they thought it was settled.
It was their decision to leave Britain. Nobody kicked them out. Why couldn't they clarify all the details in advance? And it is their choice to pay attention to the tabloids and the Internet. No one is forcing them to read all this nonsense. If I read everything that russians write about Ukrainians, I would go crazy, so I chose not to read and feel great. Meghan could do the same
I think a year ago there was a video where William was arguing with the paparazzi, who followed their family on a walk. I'm not saying it's right, but Harry and Meghan make it look like they're the only ones being terrorized like that.

Meghan said to Oprah

If members of his family say, ‘Well, this is what happened to all of us,’ or if they can compare what the experience that I went through was similar to what has been shared with us—Kate was called Waity Katie waiting to marry William. While I imagine that was really hard, and I do, I can’t picture what that felt like. This is not the same. And if a member of this family will comfortably say, ‘We’ve all had to deal with things that are rude.’ Rude and racist are not the same. And equally, you’ve also had a press team that goes on the record to defend you, especially when they know something’s not true. And that didn’t happen for us.

I'm sorry, but that sounds very selfish. And the same goes for all their other accusations. Only their suffering matters. And if she and Harry interacted in this way with the rest of the family, then I can understand why they could be treated differently.

 

[clairecloutier]

This thread is getting into the same tired old arguments again ....