Royalty Thread #9. Welcome Archie, the red headed heir, don’t care!

[clairecloutier]

I was just reading online about the alleged rift between Prince Harry and Prince William. Supposedly before the wedding, William and Kate expressed doubt about Meghan to Harry, objecting because 1) she and Harry hadn't been dating very long and 2) Meghan had previously been married & divorced.

I hadn't heard reason #2 before. If true, it's rather interesting and suggests some naivete and conservatism on the part of the Cambridges, imo.

 

[taf2002]

I was just reading online about the alleged rift between Prince Harry and Prince William. Supposedly before the wedding, William and Kate expressed doubt about Meghan to Harry, objecting because 1) she and Harry hadn't been dating very long and 2) Meghan had previously been married & divorced.

I hadn't heard reason #2 before. If true, it's rather interesting and suggests some naivete and conservatism on the part of the Cambridges, imo.

I've heard this before but I'm not sure I believe it. Surely by the time the Cambridges were in their 30's they knew better than to criticize Harry's beloved. After all Harry had been super supportive of Kate. If true I imagine it would cut Harry to the quick.

 

[Vagabond]

Given that his father is divorced and remarried to a woman who was herself divorced from her first husband, I find it difficult to believe that the Duke of Cambridge would criticize his own brother for marrying a divorcee. Then again, myopia knows no bounds.

 

[mag]

Kate unveils another back to nature garden.

Kate Middleton Steps Out in the Perfect Floral Dress to Unveil Her Latest Garden Design

Kate Middleton proudly showed off her latest garden design on Tuesday

people.com

 

[MsZem]

I was just reading online about the alleged rift between Prince Harry and Prince William. Supposedly before the wedding, William and Kate expressed doubt about Meghan to Harry, objecting because 1) she and Harry hadn't been dating very long and 2) Meghan had previously been married & divorced.

I hadn't heard reason #2 before. If true, it's rather interesting and suggests some naivete and conservatism on the part of the Cambridges, imo.

My takeaway is that the British royals need to get their PR shops to work together.

 

[kittyjake5]

I have a sweater with the exact same color and floral pattern as Kate's dress. Of course it is not a Emilia Wickstead, must be a knockoff as
I picked it up at Marshall's Dept. Store.

 

[Winnipeg]

I can see the doubts about Megan and Harry getting married. Not the divorce aspect but simply the length of time dating. The age component should offset that concern and I hope it works out. I guess they could not wait too long if they wanted a family.

 

[PDilemma]

I can see the doubts about Megan and Harry getting married. Not the divorce aspect but simply the length of time dating. The age component should offset that concern and I hope it works out. I guess they could not wait too long if they wanted a family.

For a couple embarking on a normal life, the age might cancel that out. For people living in a fish bowl and a marriage that comes with a mandatory public role, not so much. And I feel like it is apparent that Meghan needed more time to consider what she was giving up and what she was taking on and to learn how the BRF works and what it means.

 

[puglover]

I get that often sibling advice is not appreciated but I would think it prudent for William (if it in fact happened) to caution his brother before marriage on the challenges they would face and perhaps give some first hand experience on what his wife could/would have to deal with. Once the decision is made - time for all to offer support and encouragement any way they can.

 

[mag]

More detail about H&M’s tour of South Africa and Harry’s solo visits:

Archie Will Make An Appearance on the Royal Tour of Africa

Omid Scobie reports on everything you need to know about the Sussexes' upcoming trip.

www.harpersbazaar.com

I think they are smart to decide when Archie will make an appearance based on his mood on any given day. 5 months is generally a reliable, sunny personality time for kids, but one never knows for sure! Of course, a few grumpy faces will only endear him to the public even more.

 

[MacMadame]

OMG, is Archie already 5 months? I still think of him as being a few weeks old!

 

[Winnipeg]

Maybe we will finally see if he has red hair

 

[Lorac]

OMG, is Archie already 5 months? I still think of him as being a few weeks old!

He's only just over 4 months old now but by the time they are out in South Africa he'll be at 5 months. Still he must be growing like mad and may be will have more hair by then.

 

[Winnipeg]

Do you think that Harry and Megan are their own enemies. Do they really have to have all the spotlight they are getting or do they love it? The other royals don't seem to (Anne, Edward/Sophie, etc) so why Harry and Megan?

I think she likes it

 

[Vagabond]

Maybe we will finally see if he has red hair

Oh, I expect so. When one of his Cambridge first cousins gets married.

 

[MacMadame]

The other royals don't seem to (Anne, Edward/Sophie, etc) so why Harry and Megan?

The other royals you named aren't Diana's kids and are much farther removed from the line of succession. I would compare Harry & Megan to William and Kate... who also get tons of attention.

 

[MsZem]

The other royals you named aren't Diana's kids and are much farther removed from the line of succession. I would compare Harry & Megan to William and Kate... who also get tons of attention.

Archie is currently 7th in the line of succession. Peter Phillips was 5th at birth, and Zara 6th, and I don't think it was such a spectacle - and their grandmother was the actual queen. Granted the media landscape was very different back then, but if you want to give your kids a low-key royal childhood, there seem to be reasonable ways of doing it.

The best way is to be a non-British royal, of course, as Oscar demonstrates:

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden looks low-key in a T-shirt and jeans

Crown Princess Victoria, 42, cut a casual figure in a blue T-shirt - emblazoned with the slogan 'Generation Pep Sweden' - and light-wash jeans as she carried her son Prince Oscar, three.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[MacMadame]

Archie is currently 7th in the line of succession.

But Harry is closer. And Princess Diana's son. People are bitching about Harry and Meghan, not Archie.

 

[MsZem]

But Harry is closer. And Princess Diana's son. People are bitching about Harry and Meghan, not Archie.

Well, Princess Anne was 4th in line when she had her children. I know her first wedding generated a lot of interest, but she was able to raise her children as (mostly) private citizens and they seem to be doing quite well as adults.

William is a future king; of course he and his family are going to generate a ton of interest. Harry is a future Prince Edward (I certainly won't compare him to Prince Andrew!). If he wants a more low-key life for himself and his family, he can turn to some of his family for advice.

 

[Jenny]

I don't think there's much difference beyond the increased amount of platforms for sharing and accessing information, and the public's new(ish) ability to talk to each other about common interests.

As far as the media goes, I remember coverage of the Queen and her children when I was small - state visits, various tours in Canada (there's a lot around here named for Elizabeth and other members of the Royal Family). In the 70s, I remember watching Anne's wedding on tv, and throughout the 70s and early 80s lots of interest in the princes (eligible bachelors and all that, especially with Andrew spending time at school in Canada as a teen). Of course Charles' wedding was a big deal because he's the next king and Diana was so photogenic and relatable with her youth and shyness, but let's also remember that Andrew's romance and eventual televised wedding to Fergie were also a big deal. Even Edward, far from the throne but the last remaining bachelor prince, got a lot of news coverage as I recall, at least until there were other more exciting stories to follow among his siblings and nieces and nephews.

Maybe Anne's and Edward's kids didn't get as much attention, but the births of Andrew's kids certainly did (those names!), and they have remained newsworthy for their clothes, boyfriends, careers etc. Fergie still makes news long after her divorce - various charities and for awhile she had a partnership with Wedgewood (I have a signed teapot!), and remember her children's books? They were big news at the time.

I'd align what's happening with Harry and Meghan more with Andrew and Fergie than with William and Kate. Like Andrew before the next generation started arriving, he was the eligible bachelor, the fun prince, in line for the throne but likely never getting there so freer to have an interesting life and hobnob with celebrities and all that. I recall Fergie was thought to be different at the time, the red hair, the mind of her own, all that - and then Harry, unlike his brother who married a nice English girl he met in college, after a series of photo-ready girlfriends ended up in a whirlwind romance and marriage to an American actress (hello Grace Kelly!), also with an established public persona of her own (which Kate never had).

Of course the media and public are interested in Harry and Meghan and Archie - there are so many storylines, all happening in real time, it's no surprise to me at all.

Whoa, @aftershocks length post there

 

[MsZem]

Harry, unlike his brother who married a nice English girl he met in college, after a series of photo-ready girlfriends ended up in a whirlwind romance and marriage to an American actress (hello Grace Kelly!), also with an established public persona of her own (which Kate never had).

Can you imagine the media interest if Grace Kelly's marriage to Prince Rainier happened today? An actual movie star marrying a ruling monarch is super-glamorous.

 

[AxelAnnie]

Can you imagine the media interest if Grace Kelly's marriage to Prince Rainier happened today? An actual movie star marrying a ruling monarch is super-glamorous.

Yes, but she was always totally classy, and regal.

 

[MsZem]

Yes, but she was always totally classy, and regal.

Grace Kelly was a former model and a movie star. Of course she knew how to present herself.

If the implication is that Meghan Markle is not classy, that's out of line.

 

[canbelto]

Grace Kelly was a former model and a movie star. Of course she knew how to present herself.

If the implication is that Meghan Markle is not classy, that's out of line.

But Grace Kelly was white and @AxelAnnie is a white supremacist.

 

[Jenny]

I just gotta say this. The constant talk of Meghan's race and the racism toward her, yes I believe it exists, I'm sure there's lots out there if I started reading comments on news articles and social media, and sadly as a society racism remains rampant.

However, speaking purely from my own perspective, I honestly had no idea Meghan was mixed race until people started talking about it, and even there until I saw pictures of her parents I didn't really put it together. In the city where I live, white people are the minority, and racial identification can be hard as there are so many people with so many backgrounds and so many mixes that you can't even tell half the time. In fact, it's common for people to ask one another where they are from or what their background is or where they got their accent - not to label them, but because it's so often an interesting story and part of who they are.

Of course it's not all sunshine and roses, my city has plenty of race issues, but this continuing focus on Meghan's race is weird to me. It's part of her personal identity so that's important for sure, but there's so much more to her that I don't understand why we here at FSU, which is generally an open and inclusive community, keep coming back to it.

 

[canbelto]

I just gotta say this. The constant talk of Meghan's race and the racism toward her, yes I believe it exists, I'm sure there's lots out there if I started reading comments on news articles and social media, and sadly as a society racism remains rampant.

However, speaking purely from my own perspective, I honestly had no idea Meghan was mixed race until people started talking about it, and even there until I saw pictures of her parents I didn't really put it together. In the city where I live, white people are the minority, and racial identification can be hard as there are so many people with so many backgrounds and so many mixes that you can't even tell half the time. In fact, it's common for people to ask one another where they are from or what their background is or where they got their accent - not to label them, but because it's so often an interesting story and part of who they are.

Of course it's not all sunshine and roses, my city has plenty of race issues, but this continuing focus on Meghan's race is weird to me. It's part of her personal identity so that's important for sure, but there's so much more to her that I don't understand why we here at FSU, which is generally an open and inclusive community, keep coming back to it.

I'm not talking about any other poster other than one particular poster who has repeatedly made bigoted statements in Politically Incorrect andother threads in FSU for years. I agree that FSU is not dailymail comments section which is really racist. But @AxelAnnie has repeatedly made statements indicating she thinks people of color have no value in society and if they are killed by police for doing nothing, so be it. She has also victim-blamed survivors of sexual abuse. She is a racist and that is her only obsession with Meghan period.

 

[Winnipeg]

My point was that if Harry and Megan wanted a quieter life, they could. I think they like and want the attention.

 

[MacMadame]

And my point is that I don't agree with you. There was intense interest in their pairing and marriage and now they've just had a baby. A quieter life isn't going to happen for them until they are more settled and the public is more used to them.

 

[AxelAnnie]

Grace Kelly was a former model and a movie star. Of course she knew how to present herself.

If the implication is that Meghan Markle is not classy, that's out of line.
.
You do not see the Queen, the Duchess of Cornwall, or the Duchess of Cambridge being extravagant. All three are classy. They do Royal very well.

I don't think it is at all out of line. Meghan has had lots of Royal training, and advisors whose advice, it appears she continues to ignore. Meghan's experience on the red carpet does not translate to her Royal position. I cannot imagine a world where Grace Kelly would have thought it was appropriate or classy to sanction and attend a $200.000 baby shower.

She did not ask for the Queen's blessing before the trip (not classy).

The Royals are funded, in part by the British public. Flaunting is never classy. That shower was flaunting.

Grace Kelly as a movie star was not, by all accounts, a press coverage seeker. Grace Kelly also knew that she was not to become a bigger story than the King.

BTW - I think Grace Kelly may have been born classy. Some people just are. And lots of famous people are able to keep their private lives just that, and their public engagements appropriate.

Best thing for Meghan, IMO, is to realize she is a British Royal (with all the treats ant travails that entails) and not a Hollywood actress.

But that is just me....and I am an old-school fuddy-duddy.

 

[MsZem]

I don't think it is at all out of line. Meghan has had lots of Royal training, and advisors whose advice, it appears she continues to ignore. Meghan's experience on the red carpet does not translate to her Royal position. I cannot imagine a world where Grace Kelly would have thought it was appropriate or classy to sanction and attend a $200.000 baby shower.

Princess Grace (as she was titled by then) was offered a starring role in Hitchcock's Marnie, and reportedly had to back out because public opinion was against it. And this was several years after she married.

Both women had successful careers prior to marrying royals, and both have/had to navigate their new role. I am sure Meghan is doing her best.