The Heir, The Spare and the “Baby Brain” -The Prince Harry and Meghan show rumbles on…

[Spikefan]

This bookstore's window display.

https://twitter.com/bertsbooks/status/1612733269644087296

 

[airgelaal]

That was the saddest part of the Colbert interview. The reported "confessions" aren't in the book. It has been reported in the past that he killed while in Afghanistan. The details that "reportedly" are in the book and have been criticized are not there. (Surprise! There are false reports about Harry.) The really sad part is that he discussed his experience in the book in order to help other veterans who are dealing with similar issues and may be suicidal. I really hope that the lies and consequent criticism do not interfere with the good work he has been doing for veterans.

To be honest, I don't really understand how that would help. And it seemed to me that Harry himself did not understand, just for some reason believed that this would help. I believe that he had good intentions, but this is not an area where only intentions are enough.

 

[starrynight]

It would be the best outcome for everyone involved if Harry’s USA fans like him enough as a stand alone person to bankroll his lifestyle for reasons other than gossip on the royal family.

That way he can move on to something else and his brother can also move on.

It’s now clear that Harry’s participation with the British Monarchy and the Commonwealth is finished with no desire on his part to go back. His relationship with his family is probably beyond salvaging too. And that’s all she wrote on that topic. So there’s nothing left to do but close that door and for everyone on both sides to move on.

If USA fans can provide enough of a base to sustain tv shows, award shows etc (on topics other than his family) and give Harry an independent purpose, it’ll probably lend so much more peace to this situation.

 

[barbk]

I am not saying to renounce the family, but only the institute. Princess Anne has renounced titles for her children, but they remain part of the family and can still claim the throne.

I thought she declined the Queen's offer of a title for Mark Phillips that would have automatically granted the children titles? I don't believe she ever renounced titles. In the British system, titles descend (propagate?) from the male line except for children of the Queen. Anyway, Zara et all never had a title for her mom to renounce.

Personally, I think Anne was very forward-looking to handle it that way.

 

[airgelaal]

I thought she declined the Queen's offer of a title for Mark Phillips that would have automatically granted the children titles? I don't believe she ever renounced titles. In the British system, titles descend (propagate?) from the male line except for children of the Queen. Anyway, Zara et all never had a title for her mom to renounce.

Personally, I think Anne was very forward-looking to handle it that way.

Yes I know. But anyway it was the decision of their family and they refused.
While Meghan complained to Oprah that her children weren't given titles

 

[Spikefan]

As speculated here, the next Netflix series is about the Invictus Games.

Prince Harry's Next Netflix Series on His Invictus Games Is Coming to Screens This Summer

Netflix announced that Heart of Invictus, a series from Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's production company, is coming to the streaming service in summer 2023

people.com

 

[starrynight]

The only big mystery left for me is what happened at Givenchy that resulted in all 6 bridesmaid dresses requiring alterations that necessitated a team of royal tailors working 3 days til 4am in the morning.

I understand at Diana’s wedding the dress designers were so involved they even went into the Cathedral with her to ensure all the bridesmaids and Diana were sorted. I think Kates dress designer was there on the day too.

Forget family squabbles, the Givenchy thing is more of a mystery. Young girls are basically straight up and down, so with a set of measurements, the dresses should have been basically ready to go. I’m surprised that Givenchy didn’t have representatives there in the lead up to the wedding too.

This really is a non-issue, but from the perspective of fashion and couture, it is a bit of a mystery. Maybe because Givenchy is French, they weren’t interested in value-add services for royals like a British designer might have been?

 

[airgelaal]

The only big mystery left for me is what happened at Givenchy that resulted in all 6 bridesmaid dresses requiring alterations that necessitated a team of royal tailors working 3 days til 4am in the morning.

I understand at Diana’s wedding the dress designers were so involved they even went into the Cathedral with her to ensure all the bridesmaids and Diana were sorted. I think Kates dress designer was there on the day too.

Forget family squabbles, the Givenchy thing is more of a mystery. Young girls are basically straight up and down, so with a set of measurements, the dresses should have been basically ready to go. I’m surprised that Givenchy didn’t have representatives there in the lead up to the wedding too.

This really is a non-issue, but from the perspective of fashion and couture, it is a bit of a mystery.

I am also surprised that the dresses were delivered 4!!! days before the wedding.

 

[starrynight]

I am also surprised that the dresses were delivered 4!!! days before the wedding.

It’s been written Givenchy charged Meghan around $265,000 US dollars for her dress. Even if that’s inflated, it’s likely their rates are still insanely expensive.

I imagine those bridesmaid dresses weren’t cheap either.

So it’s blowing my mind Givenchy just delivered a bunch of poorly fitting dresses 4 days before the wedding and left Meghan scrambling to engage her own tailor to fix them.

 

[MacMadame]

To be honest, I don't really understand how that would help.

It helps to know that you aren't alone in having these thoughts and feelings. And, knowing people who struggle with mental illness and PTSD, this absolutely does help.

 

[airgelaal]

It helps to know that you aren't alone in having these thoughts and feelings. And, knowing people who struggle with mental illness and PTSD, this absolutely does help.

How can the exact number of those he killed help?
Unfortunately, I am very familiar with this problem and that is why I do not understand

 

[airgelaal]

Interesting tweet from J.R. Moehringer. He was a ghost-writer of this book

https://twitter.com/x/status/1613316985038966785

 

[Vash01]

My book - ordered from Amazon - arrived today. Will start reading tonight.

 

[Karen-W]

That was the saddest part of the Colbert interview. The reported "confessions" aren't in the book. It has been reported in the past that he killed while in Afghanistan. The details that "reportedly" are in the book and have been criticized are not there. (Surprise! There are false reports about Harry.) The really sad part is that he discussed his experience in the book in order to help other veterans who are dealing with similar issues and may be suicidal. I really hope that the lies and consequent criticism do not interfere with the good work he has been doing for veterans.

Yes, the actual KILL NUMBER that was reported last week from the book IS in the book. I'm reading via Google Play Books, so it's page 274 (Part 2, Chapter 57) and he flat out says this:

Most soldiers can’t tell you precisely how much death is on their ledger. In battle conditions, there’s often a great deal of indiscriminate firing. But in the age of Apaches and laptops, everything I did in the course of two combat tours was recorded, time-stamped. I could always say precisely how many enemy combatants I’d killed. And I felt it vital never to shy away from that number. Among the many things I learned in the Army, accountability was near the top of the list.

So, my number: Twenty-five. It wasn’t a number that gave me any satisfaction. But neither was it a number that made me feel ashamed. Naturally, I’d have preferred not to have that number on my military CV, on my mind, but by the same token I’d have preferred to live in a world in which there was no Taliban, a world without war. Even for an occasional practitioner of magical thinking like me, however, some realities just can’t be changed.

While in the heat and fog of combat, I didn’t think of those twenty-five as people. You can’t kill people if you think of them as people. You can’t really harm people if you think of them as people. They were chess pieces removed from the board, Bads taken away before they could kill Goods. I’d been trained to “other-ize” them, trained well. On some level I recognized this learned detachment as problematic. But I also saw it as an unavoidable part of soldiering.

 

[kwanfan1818]

It would be odd if it weren't in the book, since it was widely reported by the tabloids nearly a decade ago.

 

[canbelto]

Now at the Botswana trip.
I think Harry probably had a learning disorder. I'm a teacher and his descriptions of his academic and behavioral challenges in school scream dyslexia or ADHD to me.

 

[Karen-W]

Now at the Botswana trip.
I think Harry probably had a learning disorder. I'm a teacher and his descriptions of his academic and behavioral challenges in school scream dyslexia or ADHD to me.

Not sure about dyslexia - he mentions never being good at maths and that his mother (and father) both struggled with the subject, so maybe dyscalculia, possibly coupled with ADHD?

I'm not a teacher, but I have wondered the same thing as I've been reading - just finished Part 2 and am going to finish the last of it over the weekend. It's really a fascinating book, I have to admit, and I'm not yet annoyed that I bought it (that could change with the Meghan chapters, lol).

 

[MacMadame]

Not sure about dyslexia - he mentions never being good at maths and that his mother (and father) both struggled with the subject, so maybe dyscalculia, possibly coupled with ADHD?

I'm not a teacher, but I have wondered the same thing as I've been reading - just finished Part 2 and am going to finish the last of it over the weekend. It's really a fascinating book, I have to admit, and I'm not yet annoyed that I bought it (that could change with the Meghan chapters, lol).

dysgraphia?

 

[overedge]

It’s been written Givenchy charged Meghan around $265,000 US dollars for her dress. Even if that’s inflated, it’s likely their rates are still insanely expensive.

I imagine those bridesmaid dresses weren’t cheap either.

So it’s blowing my mind Givenchy just delivered a bunch of poorly fitting dresses 4 days before the wedding and left Meghan scrambling to engage her own tailor to fix them.

I wouldn't assume that Givenchy delivered a poorly fitted product, particularly when they must have known that their work was going to be seen by literally millions of people watching the wedding coverage. Why would they want to shoot themselves in the foot like that?

 

[MsZem]

Forget family squabbles, the Givenchy thing is more of a mystery. Young girls are basically straight up and down, so with a set of measurements, the dresses should have been basically ready to go. I’m surprised that Givenchy didn’t have representatives there in the lead up to the wedding too.

This really is a non-issue, but from the perspective of fashion and couture, it is a bit of a mystery. Maybe because Givenchy is French, they weren’t interested in value-add services for royals like a British designer might have been?

The designer of both the wedding gown and the bridesmaids' dresses is British - Clare Waight Keller, who was artistic director at Givenchy at the time.

 

[MacMadame]

I wouldn't assume that Givenchy delivered a poorly fitted product, particularly when they must have known that their work was going to be seen by literally millions of people watching the wedding coverage. Why would they want to shoot themselves in the foot like that?

IME Bridal gowns and bridesmaid dresses are meant to have alterations to make them fit really well. So the question in my mind is why deliver them only 4 days before the wedding? Did they get the order late and not have enough time? Were changes made from the original order that cause them to have to redo things? I want to know!

 

[starrynight]

IME Bridal gowns and bridesmaid dresses are meant to have alterations to make them fit really well. So the question in my mind is why deliver them only 4 days before the wedding? Did they get the order late and not have enough time? Were changes made from the original order that cause them to have to redo things? I want to know!

The alterations would have been extensive if it required 4 tailors to work til 4 am for 3 nights.

It’s incredible how quickly professional tailors can work on garments. So there must have bene a need to reconstruct aspects of the dresses. It actually makes sense to me that (I think) Sarah Burton at McQueen offered to get her team to remake new dresses. If they put a team onto it, I suspect they could have made all the dresses in just as much time as it took the four tailors to fix the original dresses.

Perhaps there was a total communications breakdown with the the measurements.

Harry has done another interview about the book:

Prince Harry: ‘There’s enough for another book – I cut memoir in half to spare my family’

Duke tells Bryony Gordon ‘some things that have happened, especially between me and my brother, I just don’t want the world to know’

www.telegraph.co.uk

The author has also put a direct Q&A version of it on her blog too - which I found more interesting and to the point:

A cup of tea with Prince Harry

I went to Montecito to talk to the most famous man in the world right now about therapy, family dynamics, and finally finding your voice.

bryonygordon.substack.com

It’s quite an interview - especially when you read the Q&A. It’s funny to think that once upon a time it would have created a storm, but because the author was late in getting it out, it will probably mostly go under the radar as the media right now has probably hit saturation point with Harry.

 

[overedge]

It wouldn't be the first time that a bride or bridal party had different ideas than the designer or tailor of what "properly fitted" meant.

Personally I'd like to hear Givenchy's side of the story. Because I find it very difficult to believe that a designer with that much experience would have delivered outfits requiring that much alteration.

 

[4rkidz]

It would be odd if it weren't in the book, since it was widely reported by the tabloids nearly a decade ago.

This is not news, the tabloids have quoted the numbers and it’s in his records. Again why can’t he then discuss it?? Why can’t he make a dime from his own life as opposed to everyone else by telling his own story?

 

[clairecloutier]

For everyone who thinks Harry has said too much … He claims there’s a lot MORE he could have said (and that most of it involves his brother and, to a lesser extent, his father):

Prince Harry: I left out details as I feared family would not forgive me

Duke of Sussex tells Telegraph that he has enough material for another memoir and his original draft was twice as long

www.theguardian.com

P.S. Another opinion piece in The Guardian argues that Harry should renounce his royal title (in part, because it’s possible it could get stripped from him at some point):

Why hasn’t Harry given up his ridiculous title yet? | Arwa Mahdawi

I don’t think anyone should be going around calling themselves Duke or Duchess in 2023. Unless they are a stripper or a dog

www.theguardian.com

 

[mattiecat13]

I would love to know what Harry’s other relatives - especially Anne, Bea, Eugenie, Zara - think of the situation between Harry/Meghan and Harry’s immediate family. Too bad we’ll never know.

 

[becca]

For everyone who thinks Harry has said too much … He claims there’s a lot MORE he could have said (and that most of it involves his brother and, to a lesser extent, his father):

Prince Harry: I left out details as I feared family would not forgive me

Duke of Sussex tells Telegraph that he has enough material for another memoir and his original draft was twice as long

www.theguardian.com

P.S. Another opinion piece in The Guardian argues that Harry should renounce his royal title (in part, because it’s possible it could get stripped from him at some point:

Why hasn’t Harry given up his ridiculous title yet? | Arwa Mahdawi

I don’t think anyone should be going around calling themselves Duke or Duchess in 2023. Unless they are a stripper or a dog

www.theguardian.com

So? I have a feeling his family has stories they could say about him.

I highly doubt he is going to reconcile with his family any time soon.

Especially his brother.

 

[marbri]

For everyone who thinks Harry has said too much … He claims there’s a lot MORE he could have said (and that most of it involves his brother and, to a lesser extent, his father):

Prince Harry: I left out details as I feared family would not forgive me

Duke of Sussex tells Telegraph that he has enough material for another memoir and his original draft was twice as long

www.theguardian.com

P.S. Another opinion piece in The Guardian argues that Harry should renounce his royal title (in part, because it’s possible it could get stripped from him at some point):

Why hasn’t Harry given up his ridiculous title yet? | Arwa Mahdawi

I don’t think anyone should be going around calling themselves Duke or Duchess in 2023. Unless they are a stripper or a dog

www.theguardian.com

He seems pretty smug in his current position doesn't he? But I guess it's a lot easier to throw stones from your little glass mansion when you know your relatives won't throw them back. Until they do...

 

[clairecloutier]

I suppose stripping Harry of his title would be their equivalent to throwing stones back.

 

[marbri]

I suppose stripping Harry of his title would be their equivalent to throwing stones back.

Wouldn't that would just be the natural consequence of someone who has no interest in being a working member of the royal family or supporting the reigning monarch I would think.

Throwing stones would be airing all the stories they squashed about Harry from his wild years....