Thread by @vbspurs

Thread about the leave-taking of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex from their royal duties on 18 January 2020.

First, and foremost, Her Majesty the Queen’s own words in her recently released statement. Her direct statement, using the first person singular (‘I’). Royalty used to use the first person plural (‘We’).

Second, the unusual step of issuing a double communiqué from the Palace. This has never happened before to my knowledge. One is a personal note; the other is the official note.

Titles, styles, and such are alien to the majority of non-British people. Frankly, the niceties are unknown to the majority of British people too. So let me explain what has happened.

The crucial bit, that which makes you ROYAL, is the style, “Royal Highness”.

The not so crucial bit, but which everyone uses and sounds very grand is the ducal title. And there’s a further complication. Prince Harry is BORN a Royal Highness by virtue of being his father, the Prince of Wales’ son.

Harry is also a Prince of the United Kingdom, by King George V’s clarifying decree. George V altered just who could be considered a HRH or not. Grandchildren of monarchs in the male line could. Great-grandchildren could not.

Let’s break down Harry’s styles and titles when he was born. He was:

His Royal Highness, Prince Henry of Wales (later created the Duke of Sussex).

As such he was a Prince of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland.

He has lost the HRH part, and it seems is no longer a Prince.

But Harry has NOT lost the title Duke of Sussex, which will now become a normal aristocratic title, like that of his uncle Charles, Earl Spencer.

It seems he is no longer a Prince of the United Kingdom, either, so will just be known as:

“His Grace the Duke of Sussex”.

To recap:

Call him the Duke of Sussex, and her the Duchess of Sussex. But not Royal Highnesses. They are no longer Royal. They’re “merely” aristocrats — the male of whom just happens to have a Queen as grandmother, same as Peter Philips, Princess Anne’s son.

“Prince” Harry is no more. Now he’s just Henry or Harry, according to your whims.

Perhaps you have noticed that I have always accorded the Duke and Duchess the respect of using their titles and not just “Harry and Meghan” as if I knew them. Though I will still use Duke & Duchess, from now on, I will call them Harry and Meghan.

They’re not royalties anymore.

Notice that the Buckingham Palace announcement bit everyone is ignoring is that this state-of-affairs with the Sussexes is to commence in “Spring 2020”. So there is a period of transition, as the British people, media, and onlookers get used to this seismic shift.

Now that I’ve mentioned “Archie”, it’s as good a time as any to finally grasp what his unusual name meant all along. This move t leave the Royal Family might’ve seemed abrupt, but as you can see by the unusual baby name, it clearly has been planned for a long time.

The timing is odd, since the Sussexes did accept Sovereign Grant funding for the refurbishment of Frogmore Cottage (which the communiqué states will CONTINUE to be their UK residence). Did this mean they were wanted a different role, but one still tied to the RF in the beginning?

Perhaps, the Queen had once accepted that they could retire from royal duties, without being so formal about the titles. But when the extent of their unhappiness reached a crescendo at Christmas, this changed to full removal from the Royal Family.

We are missing crucial pieces of the puzzle, and can only speculate at this point, as to attitude, timing, and triggers of why Harry and Meghan wanted out as members of the British Royal Family.

My sense is that the Queen and Prince Charles put their foot down, and told the Sussexes, either you’re in or you’re out. You cannot use “Royal” for any branding of products or a lifestyle which cheapens the Royal Family.

I’m almost certain that the Duchess of Sussex particularly will not like this compromise, as it seems a lot of the caché or making money from her title is lost by the removal of the “Royal” in “SussexRoyal”.

For Harry, I think not being Royal comes as a vast relief.

Sorry, guys, stopping as mum is texting me about the food. I had gone out for errands when this announcement from Buck House arrived. I’ll be in soon with more info.

Please let me know your thoughts. Mine are a jumble of relief, and regret about Harry. I just wish him PEACE.

I’m home. I hastily fed mum, and I’m back with more thoughts. Thoughts, may I add, which came in a fittingly Canadian Niagara Falls-like cascade, as I drove home.

My mind is a jumble of competing thoughts and scenarios, and I need to unravel them here. Please excuse this.

Immediately my thoughts turn historical. Twice, now, a male member of the BRF has given up his royal duties for an American divorcée. In both cases, neither man was happy being royal, and perhaps subconsciously found a woman who would provide him with a way out.

And twice, each royal male who has given up his duties, has chosen a woman who cared for the “royal” part as much as she cared for the man.

Wallis Simpson merely liked being so close to the person of the King. It was fun, and intoxicating. She fought against EVIII abdicating.

My mother, who dislikes Meghan Markle intensely, is asking me not to mention that I place the onus of this fracas primarily on Harry’s shoulders. She thinks it will exculpate the wife.

The fact of the matter is, that if I place the onus on Meghan Markle for this royal bust up, it will give her more credit (and more importance) than she deserves. This is Harry’s doing, and in a very real sense, she is being used by Harry as his Get out of Palace card.

We suspect Harry is weak, right? To put it mildly. I think his wife thinks that too, certainly she will now. If she were at the meeting, she would’ve fought harder to retain the Royal part of their title.

The Queen, Prince Charles, and Prince Harry had lunch before the #SandringhamSummit portion began. They were together for 4 hours, in total. In effect, it was a last meal for the condemned, because surely he didn’t realise the totality of what was happening until it happened.

Let’s talk about the Duchess of Sussex’ application for British citizenship. What happens now that they’ve self-exiled themselves to “North America”? It’s complicated and unknown. But the upshot is she has to spend 270 days in 3 years, to have British residency for citizenship.

So, unless the Duchess has given up wanting to apply for British citizenship, she will have to spend at least 270 days in the UK, during the period of 3 years, to continue being eligible for British citizenship.

I genuinely hope that Harry and Meghan continue living in Canada, quietly, for a while. Let the dust settle. Let Archie have a measure of quality time with his parents before they return to the UK. Because, ironically, the moment they return, the cameras will quadruple in amount.

Now that Harry has mimicked his mother’s post-Royal life (no HRH, just a flimsy title, and with no police protection) he AND his family are more vulneranle to the tabloids than ever. This is what he didn’t want, and yet, due to his headstrong decision, is now his reality.

When used correctly, the Palace can offer a member of the RF a sanctuary, a cocoon of protection, which private citizens like you and me cannot fathom. It provides a buffer from the reality of mere celebrity.

This is what Harry and Meghan are, at last, without their royal titles. Celebrities. Be careful what you wish for.

My mother just asked, “Has she said said anything on Instagram or in her website yet?”. She being the Duchess of Sussex...and no, she hasn’t. Perhaps this was part of the negotiation. That there would be radio silence from the couple for a while.

Folks, if you had told me in 2010 that in 10 years time Prince Harry would marry a biracial American actress with one divorce behind her; that the couple would have a son named Archie Harrison; and that jointly they would quit the Royal Family, by 2020, I would’ve called you mad.

What a horrible, ridiculous, pathetic, sad, silly, tiresome situation this is. #Sussexes

Meghan. The House always wins. You know that now. Good luck with Obama, Oprah and Jessica giving you ‘advice’.

How does Harry’s situation differ from Edward VIII’s?

- He, not just his wife, is stripped of the HRH.
- He will never be a Knight of the Garter.
- The break with the RF is not absolute.
- They can come back to reside in the UK.
- They have a child.

In many ways, Harry got a cushier version of the fate which befell Edward VIII. First and foremost, the rancour about his decision has not made his family insist he live abroad. In fact, they remain loved and wanted as family. Just not as royalties.

Unlike Edward VIII, stepping away was Harry and Meghan’s decision solely, and didn’t come as a demand from the government to abdicate (or to give up the woman), which was the case in 1936. Edward VIII wanted to marry Mrs Simpson and to remain King, which was unthinkable.

Followup thoughts on yesterday’s Palace announcement on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’ situation going forward. To follow.

Now that the clear light of day has settled yesterday’s dust, we can examine the real fallout of the statement yesterday, particularly the more official statement by the Palace — not the grandmotherly statement by the Queen.

The upshot today is:

- They are NOT STRIPPED of their HRHs, which would require an official proclamation & parlimantary approval, they will simply decline to use the style going forward.

- They will be allowed to continue their private charitable associations (Invictus).

2/

(Con’t)

- They will behave according to the Queen’s values (unspoken, but these include patriotism, political neutrality), going forward.

- Prince Harry is set to lose all his military appointments, including Captain-General of the Marines, which he took over from Prince Philip

(Con’t)

- The couple can continue to use the title Harry received on his marriage, and please note the correct style to address them should (but will it?) be, “His and Her Grace, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex”, NOT, “Harry, Duke of Sussex” like the Daily Mail are claiming.

(Con’t)

- The SussexRoyal website is likely not due to be changed until Spring 2020, when all these changes to their status go into effect. So we are talking March or April 2020. Until which time, they are still HRH the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and I’ll address them as so.

(Con’t)

- The matter of their residence unknown, but it’s been determined it will be in “North America”, likely but not exclusively, in Canada. Toronto is the bigger city, and the Duchess has ties to it, but Vancouver is more awkward for media to move to. Plus it’s nearer L.A.

(Con’t)

- They will continue residing at Frogmore Cottage (which means HE, at least, will not be homeless when visiting Britain) but will pay a commercial rate for it (thought to be 90k p/a), and they’ve pledged to repay the £2.4m of taxpayer money used to refurbish it.

(Con’t)

- The matter of their protection officers is unresolved, as the Palace refuse to clarify. It costs the Met at least 600k p/a per RF member, excluding the Queen, but this could skyrocket to the millions if a permanent move abroad is factored. The Canadians might pay.

- Finally, there is this, and it’s a beaut. All of this situation is reviewable in 12 months time. That’s right, it could be the case that the Queen rescinds all these provisos & asks her grandson back to continue his royal duties, if she feels unhappy with how things have gone.

So just like the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were given a PRIVATE allowance by George VI (in an attempt to curb their more outrageous actions, like visiting Hitler...), this 12 month review is a post-script which acts to prevent the seedier actions of the young couple.

The Duchess of Sussex simply cannot be happy about how negotiations turned out. The only thing she has won is a temporary freedom from the royal round, reviewable in a year’s time. If he or she become problematic, they may well be booted out of the Royal Family FOR REAL.

Embedded thread about HRH The Duke of Sussex’ remarks at The Ivy on 19 January 2020.

First and foremost, here is a transcript of Prince Harry’s* full speech at The Ivy on Sunday.

*I had said that I would continue to use his style and title of “HRH the Duke of Sussex” and informally, “Prince Harry” until Spring 2020? That’s when I thought the style had been stripped from him. In fact, he will retain them simply not use them. Therefore, he is Prince Harry.

The embattled young Duke of Sussex attended a private formal dinner for the Sentebale foundation which his friend (and Archie’s godfather), Mark Dyer, also attended. It seeks to support young people from Southern Africa who are HIV positive.

The Duke attended in casual clothes, somewhat rumpled and seemed dishevelled and haggard-looking. There was a palpable sense of defeatism and sobriety in his tone as he delivered prepared remarks to a rapt Ivy audience.

As an aside, I don’t like Prince Harry’s jacket, and general dressed down look, but those suede shoes look very hip.

Mark Dyer, once Prince Charles’ equerry, and an emotional buttress for Prince Harry when his mother died in 1997, also attended the dinner, and was similarly dressed casually (also donning suede shoes).

On hearing the speech out loud, one got a sense Prince Harry was anxious to publicly air his views on the fateful negotiations of this past week. In fact, I think he would’ve felt exceedingly depressed had he not found a way to do so before returning to Canada.

The speech itself, it must be said, is rambling, and often punctuated by personal and still unresolved trauma, which now seems to include his wife, as much as his mother.

The troubled Prince mentions his mother, once by name, Diana, once by the term “mother”, and once by the informal name of “mum”, no less than three times.

In fact, in referring to himself, he called himself the “son of Diana”, not, the “son of Charles and Diana.”

For his father, the Prince of Wales, a man whose personal guilt about his divorce, and inability to often be there for his sons, due to royal duties, yet was always a loving dad, the Duke of Sussex spared not a word. Not a syllable. He was lumped in with “members of my family”.

Perhaps we got it all wrong, after all. The real rift here was not just with Prince William (though that was real enough, and the product of a lifetime of competition).

Perhaps Prince Harry’s problem is with his father, Prince Charles.

Part of the problem people have misunderstanding the RF is that they mistake their hierarchy with nonsensical ideas of “racism”. Prince Harry mentioned his “commander-in-chief”, his grandmother, the Queen, many times, but not once his father, who is HER Heir and HIS boss too.

And not just that, but Prince Charles has provided his son, Prince Harry, with endless emotional and financial support throughout the years. He paid for his psychiatric counselling, and guided him past his drug experimentation, aged 17.

And as we all know now, “the Bank of Dad” paid for Prince Harry’s upkeep, education, wedding, uniforms, and lifestyle, both privately and publicly. But not one word of thanks goes to Prince Charles, in remarks he knew the whole world would avidly tune into hearing.

I’m reminded that “Prince Edward” (as Edward VIII was known immediately after his Abdication, before being created Duke of Windsor) also omitted mentioning his parents, who he blamed for never accepting his wife, Walllis Simpson, in a radio broadcast to the nation in 1936.

The Abdication speech was actually the only way Edward VIII had to put across his viewpoint to a nation who was stung by his defection. His family tried to prevent him from addressing the nation (Winston Churchill helped him to craft the memorable speech) and he resented them.

Unlike 1936, Prince Harry seems really not to care about form and protocol and I predict here and now that before long, we will see a joint interview with the Duchess of Sussex, giving their version of events to an enthralled international audience.

I am not the child of divorce, nor did I lose a parent at a cruelly young age, nor do I have siblings, and further, I always got along with both parents — so I confess, I am at a disadvantage WRT these aspects of Prince Harry’s psyche. I know the facts. I don’t know the feelings.

So, if you would like to share any insight about Prince Harry’s troubled psyche, I would appreciate it. I feel out of my depth when thinking just how damaged he is, and how I don’t want to be unfair to him either.