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

[Winnipeg]

In the book "Spare" there is reference to the spare being available for organs in the event the heir needs one eg a kidney, bone marrow.

If this is true and someone actually told Harry that, I find it kind of creepy and mean?

 

[Spikefan]

In the book "Spare" there is reference to the spare being available for organs in the event the heir needs one eg a kidney, bone marrow.

If this is true and someone actually told Harry that, I find it kind of creepy and mean?

And not all siblings are a donor compatibility match so not a scientifically sound plan. Creepy, mean and ignorant.

 

[MacMadame]

I suspect that it's not true but that someone said that to Harry either as a joke or completely seriously because that was their own belief.

 

[MsZem]

In the book "Spare" there is reference to the spare being available for organs in the event the heir needs one eg a kidney, bone marrow.

I find this highly unlikely; for all their faults, the BRF playing out a version of Never Let Me Go sounds... off. I agree that someone may have said it to Harry as a joke.

Although in a loving family, I would expect siblings who are healthy and able to be willing to do this.

 

[airgelaal]

In the book "Spare" there is reference to the spare being available for organs in the event the heir needs one eg a kidney, bone marrow.

If this is true and someone actually told Harry that, I find it kind of creepy and mean?

But Harry doesn't think it's all true the other way around either.
I wonder if Harry needed help, would the palace tell him to die since he was only a spare?

 

[starrynight]

By the same logic though, Harry’s life and existence has always been considered more important than those of his cousins and also the general population.

This ‘Spare’ logic falls down, because Harry himself has benefited extraordinarily off this system of hereditary entitlement. As against his cousins, aunts and uncles and certainly against all the peasants.

It’s just that he isn’t in line for the ultimate top position. Harry is targeting William because he is basically the only person currently ahead of him in this hierarchy.

Would Harry be understanding if say Peter Phillips or Princess Beatrice started a public campaign against him due to grief at being Spares? I’m sure they’d have many many examples of Harry getting better houses, money, opportunities than them for no reason other than order of birth.

Goodness, Zara Tindall as an Olympic silver medalist and world champion is more accomplished than any of them and she doesn’t get a look in due to the hereditary order. She’d have some pretty good stories of being required to take the backseat to Harry.

 

[cygnus]

Ok, this is the most ridiculous claim yet. If Harry actually believes this (and I don't think he actually does- he is just lobbing out more and more outlandish claims), then he is even less bright than I had suspected. When did this "policy" come into being? Royal families, like most families have had multiple children, when possible, for thousands of years. Transplant technology has existed for a couple of generations. I'd like to see a non- joking source that this is, or has ever been, a "thing". When did it come into being? The 1970s? The 1980s? After all, it's as likely that Harry would need a kidney as William. I would assume that as in any family, a member would help out another if possible, and they were compatible-but as others have pointed out, siblings are not necessarily a match.

 

[kwanfan1818]

William would never have been allowed to donate a vital organ to his brother. Maybe not even to his father. Even with a perfect match and complete willingness.

 

[cygnus]

William would never have been allowed to donate a vital organ to his brother. Maybe not even to his father. Even with a perfect match and complete willingness.

Maybe, maybe not. We don't know what would happen if such a thing became necessary. I doubt that they would let a brother/son die though, if there were no other option. There's is no point in arguing it though, as we have no info other than speculation. Or if it happens, God forbid.

 

[airgelaal]

William would never have been allowed to donate a vital organ to his brother. Maybe not even to his father. Even with a perfect match and complete willingness.

But it's not like they could force Harry to do it either.
Even in the most ordinary families, not everything is so simple.

 

[taf2002]

I completely believe that it's possible or even likely that someone said this to Harry as a joke & then he took it to heart that all he was worth to them. I have 2 examples in my own life. I don't remember much of my early life but I clearly remember more than one adult telling me "I bet your parents wanted a boy" since I was #3 girl. It started when I was 5 & I believed it for years. We moved away shortly before I turned 7 & I never heard it again. The strange thing is that my brother was born when I was 4.

The other example is my father used to tell a "funny" family story in which I was painted as a bratty & entitled child because I cried at leaving a carnival wanting to stay longer. At about the 50th telling of this story I started crying. I asked him how old I was & why he thought the story was funny. Turns out I was 2.

So yes, adults say mean things to kids that stay with them.

 

[becca]

By the same logic though, Harry’s life and existence has always been considered more important than those of his cousins and also the general population.

This ‘Spare’ logic falls down, because Harry himself has benefited extraordinarily off this system of hereditary entitlement. As against his cousins, aunts and uncles and certainly against all the peasants.

It’s just that he isn’t in line for the ultimate top position. Harry is targeting William because he is basically the only person currently ahead of him in this hierarchy.

Would Harry be understanding if say Peter Phillips or Princess Beatrice started a public campaign against him due to grief at being Spares? I’m sure they’d have many many examples of Harry getting better houses, money, opportunities than them for no reason other than order of birth.

Goodness, Zara Tindall as an Olympic silver medalist and world champion is more accomplished than any of them and she doesn’t get a look in due to the hereditary order. She’d have some pretty good stories of being required to take the backseat to Harry.

This is my problem with Harry and Meghan. There are downsides to royal life. But he had significant privilege due to the same system.

There is no recognition of it. And I suspect that’s where a lot of the popularity decline with the UK is.

No one wants to hear a member of the royal family who got free housing and all kinds of freebies complaining that their free housing is to small.

He would not have those deals with Netflix without being royal either.

He benefited tremendously over everyone but William and in his position he got more freedom than William,

If they wanted to complain about the media it would be one thing.

As for security their decision to move to another country caused their security costs to also skyrocket.

Freedoms come with responsibility.

Also Meghan and Harry sued for a private letter being leaked but it is fine to leak Kate’s private texts.

I mean could you imagine if you had every member of the royal family complaining about their living conditions I only got 30 million.

The monarchy would be gone so never complaining is wise

 

[MacMadame]

I'd be shocked if the person first in line for the throne would be allowed to donate a body part ... to anyone.

 

[marbri]

Are we supposed to be taking this organ donation seriously? Did he really write that in his book? And if so as anything but a joke?
Because I think heirs and spares existed before organ transplants This whole "spare" narrative is getting ridiculous.

 

[MacMadame]

Are we supposed to be taking this organ donation seriously? Did he really write that in his book? And if so as anything but a joke?
Because I think heirs and spares existed before organ transplants This whole "spare" narrative is getting ridiculous.

I take absolutely nothing about the BRF seriously. Oh, except for the accusations against Prince Andrew.

 

[taf2002]

I read today that QEII made sure that Andrew retained his HRH label. ugh! I've thought this but never said it before but I have thought for years that this mess is her making. Why didn't she allow H&M 6 mos off & 6 mos on? Wouldn't have that been better than zero? Meghan is American. Why insist that H&M MUST spend their lives doing whatever her majesty wanted instead of allowing them time in the US? When the whole thing started going south she could have made some concessions. But I think the years of absolute power got to her head. And she allowed a lot more grace to her pedophile son than to her (mostly) blameless grandson. She did a pretty good job for 70+ years but she wasn't some divine being.

 

[marbri]

Jesus

 

[MacMadame]

I read today that QEII made sure that Andrew retained his HRH label. ugh!

I find her attitude toward Andrew abhorrent. She clearly thinks he didn't do anything wrong. But he has is own thread, so...

 

[Lemonade20]

QEII was right not to give them the half-in, half-out. Just because she was American, it doesn't make a difference. Meghan wanted the fame and fortune and everything with it but didn't want to play nice. They chose to leave, but for some reason they cannot stop whining and complaining. They could have everything, living a quiet life together with their family and joining the family on special occasions. That's on them, not the Royal family.

 

[once_upon]

Honestly, if you all think that Meghan is a gold digger or a fame whore, you are just feeding into her desire by doing that. She doesn't have to do a damn thing - ya'll are doing that.

 

[airgelaal]

I read today that QEII made sure that Andrew retained his HRH label. ugh! I've thought this but never said it before but I have thought for years that this mess is her making. Why didn't she allow H&M 6 mos off & 6 mos on? Wouldn't have that been better than zero? Meghan is American. Why insist that H&M MUST spend their lives doing whatever her majesty wanted instead of allowing them time in the US? When the whole thing started going south she could have made some concessions. But I think the years of absolute power got to her head. And she allowed a lot more grace to her pedophile son than to her (mostly) blameless grandson. She did a pretty good job for 70+ years but she wasn't some divine being.

Because they were not trusted and, as history has shown, they did the right thing.
I look at this situation not from the position of the family, but from the position of work, and I absolutely understand why Megan and Harry were not allowed.

And as far as I remember, Meghan was offered to continue her acting career before the wedding, but it was the decision of Meghan and Harry to devote themselves completely to working in the family.

 

[becca]

I read today that QEII made sure that Andrew retained his HRH label. ugh! I've thought this but never said it before but I have thought for years that this mess is her making. Why didn't she allow H&M 6 mos off & 6 mos on? Wouldn't have that been better than zero? Meghan is American. Why insist that H&M MUST spend their lives doing whatever her majesty wanted instead of allowing them time in the US? When the whole thing started going south she could have made some concessions. But I think the years of absolute power got to her head. And she allowed a lot more grace to her pedophile son than to her (mostly) blameless grandson. She did a pretty good job for 70+ years but she wasn't some divine being.

Because Meghan and Harry wanted to do commercial and endorsement deals like Netflix.

They didn’t want to see people making money on royal titles like that.

Beatrice and Eugene are still Princess but they Have real jobs with actual work. But they do not use their titles in their jobs and they aren’t looking for endorsements based on those titles to.

If Harry was let’s say doing what Prince Joachim was doing working for a defense company doing actual work. If he was looking to be a doctor probably no issues.

But Harry and Meghan want to commercialize their titles and also support political causes which is a problem for the Crown.

I can absolutely see the problem.

Furthermore the cost to the tax payers got the security of Meghan and Harry living in the US.

 

[taf2002]

QEII was right not to give them the half-in, half-out. Just because she was American, it doesn't make a difference. Meghan wanted the fame and fortune and everything with it but didn't want to play nice. They chose to leave, but for some reason they cannot stop whining and complaining. They could have everything, living a quiet life together with their family and joining the family on special occasions. That's on them, not the Royal family.

How did they "have everything" when Meghan was contemplating suicide because of the relentless lies & hate coming her way? Or when she had to worry about the safety of herself or her son?

I don't believe everything they say they suffered but I wasn't living under a rock during their time in the UK before the break. I saw how the British paparazzi (I refuse to call them the press) treated her & hounded her. I saw how every joint occasion celebrated Kate & vilified Meghan. Ooh she touched her baby bump-how awful! Except it wasn't awful when Kate & every other pregnant woman on the planet did it. That's just a tiny example but multiple it by thousands. If it were you would you feel you had everything? If so you must be one of those people who think if you have lots of money you can put up with anything. /shakes head

 

[MsZem]

I read today that QEII made sure that Andrew retained his HRH label. ugh! I've thought this but never said it before but I have thought for years that this mess is her making. Why didn't she allow H&M 6 mos off & 6 mos on? Wouldn't have that been better than zero? Meghan is American. Why insist that H&M MUST spend their lives doing whatever her majesty wanted instead of allowing them time in the US? When the whole thing started going south she could have made some concessions. But I think the years of absolute power got to her head. And she allowed a lot more grace to her pedophile son than to her (mostly) blameless grandson. She did a pretty good job for 70+ years but she wasn't some divine being.

I'll stipulate up front that Prince Andrew sucks, something that can be discussed at length in his thread.

But why, exactly, should QE2 have made concessions to Harry and Meghan? They chose to leave, it was up to them to figure out the best way to do it.

The Queen was old enough to remember her uncle's abdication and what it meant for her family. Her power was always entwined with her sense of responsibility to her country, her people, and the monarchy (as you may recall, Harry was not the only veteran in that particular family). Harry and Meghan chose to take a different path with their life, which is absolutely their prerogative, but that path comes at a cost, and I'm not sure why anyone else should be expected to bear it.

 

[taf2002]

But why, exactly, should QE2 have made concessions to Harry and Meghan? They chose to leave, it was up to them to figure out the best way to do it.

Because she loved her grandson & wanted what was best for him & Meghan? I guess that's naive. But she didn't have to put roadblocks in his way. Which she did.

 

[puglover]

I am reading "The Queen" by Andrew Morton. I can't vouch for it's accuracy but it is certainly interesting - especially in light of today. He describes a happy family of four - Prince Albert (Bertie), his wife Elizabeth and daughters Elizabeth (Lilibet as she called herself), and Margaret - whose parents wanted to name Anne but the King had veto power. For them, the abdication of their beloved uncle was a nightmare and it is said Bertie cried like a baby - not for himself - but for his eldest daughter to whom he was "reluctant to sentence to a lifetime of unremitting service, without hope of retirement even in old age, which is inseparable from the highest place of all, a life of great loneliness". They tried to find a way where she would be passed by a son of one of Bertie's younger brothers but it was impossible. When her father became king they moved to Buckingham Palace, a dreary place full of rats, and Elizabeth could no longer enjoy pleasant outings with Margaret but had serious lessons in British history, etc. In fact, her whole carefree life changed. Her greatest desire in life up to that point was to live in the country with dogs and horses and become a horse trainer. She used to pray for a baby brother who would leapfrog over her. However, from a very young age everyone who knew her saw the strength of character she had. I don't believe Charles or William or now George are necessarily the ones to be envied even if they are the heirs.

As far as paying for the security of non-working royals, he tells the story of a very expensive round the world trip for Princess Eugenie on her "gap year" which included providing security in nightclubs with dubious reputations, expensive lodging and a lot of overtime and came in at over 100,000 pounds. The Home Secretary was livid and a policy was put in place that non-working members of the royal family would have protection only when on royal business. This includes Princess Anne, who very nearly was kidnapped. I do have sympathy for Harry and Meghan over the security issue because they certainly had such a huge profile from the beginning and not all by their making. It does, though, seem to be part of what they lost as they changed their status in the royal family and I am not sure how there can be a special concession just for them.

 

[MsZem]

Because she loved her grandson & wanted what was best for him & Meghan? I guess that's naive. But she didn't have to put roadblocks in his way. Which she did.

No, she didn't. Harry chose to leave, and nobody told him he couldn't. He was told that he couldn't have his cake and eat it too, which he seems to greatly resent. Meanwhile his cousins are baking their own cakes, as it where.

Loving someone does not mean giving them carte blanche. The queen could have been a loving person in private, but with specific ideas about what the monarchy should be like.

You seem convinced that Harry and Meghan have been wronged by everyone; is there anything you think that they could have done differently?

 

[taf2002]

No, she didn't. Harry chose to leave, and nobody told him he couldn't. He was told that he couldn't have his cake and eat it too, which he seems to greatly resent. Meanwhile his cousins are baking their own cakes, as it where.

Loving someone does not mean giving them carte blanche. The queen could have been a loving person in private, but with specific ideas about what the monarchy should be like.

You seem convinced that Harry and Meghan have been wronged by everyone; is there anything you think that they could have done differently?

A lot of things could & should have been differently by all. And I do think the Queen was complicit in having this turned into a huge thing when it could have been more under the radar. They didn't need to leave the family. Eunice & Bea haven't left the family & they are allowed their own lives. Bea lives in Spain part of the time. No one told them they couldn't ever represent the family again or banned them from family occasions. And Harry's tale of the Queen just sitting there & not speaking when his father & brother were screaming at him tells a lot (if true). And Meghan being kept out of a meeting when her future is being decided was misogynistic.

 

[marbri]

I read MsZem's post as asking what specifically do you think Harry and Meghan could have done differently.

 

[MsZem]

A lot of things could & should have been differently by all. And I do think the Queen was complicit in having this turned into a huge thing when it could have been more under the radar. They didn't need to leave the family. Eunice & Bea haven't left the family & they are allowed their own lives. Bea lives in Spain part of the time. No one told them they couldn't ever represent the family again or banned them from family occasions. And Harry's tale of the Queen just sitting there & not speaking when his father & brother were screaming at him tells a lot (if true). And Meghan being kept out of a meeting when her future is being decided was misogynistic.

It is Eugenie and her family who spend part of their time in Portugal due to her husband's career.

Beatrice and Eugenie aren't asking to be funded by taxpayers (much as their father may want it for them) or to be part-time working royals and part-time influencers/Netflix producers/whatever. BTW, Beatrice had a tiny pandemic wedding that cost next to nothing; even her dress was borrowed!

I read MsZem's post as asking what specifically do you think Harry and Meghan could have done differently.

Yup.