Does everyone have their popcorn ready for Harry & Meghan?

Parents Forum Parent Cafe
1157

I don’t know why I’m responding.

As I said before we have limited information on just about everything.

For instance

We don’t know if H&M were told years ago that their lease on Frogmore cottage was for a defined period of time. After which the property lease will go back to the crown. It’s silly for a renovated property to sit empty when any number of people can live there.

We don’t know anything. H&M could have been blindsided by this “eviction”. Maybe they were. Maybe they weren’t.

What I do know is that H&M are back in the news with their latest announcement of mistreatment.

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1158

Was there any evidence they wanted to come back? They can only use 1 home at a time. They have a big mansion in California; why keep an unused vacation home? Cheaper to shut it down or repurpose it.
The free press is limited only by rules on libel and false light. Perhaps that is cruel to some public figures, but it has been that way for 100 years. H&M can accept it, or object and withdraw from public. They do not, however, get to change the rules.

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1159

Sounds like there is a bit of belt tightening and financial auditing taking place within the Monarchy.

https://wapo.st/3EMLVjx

“The Sun tabloid reported that the king is set to cut Andrew’s “annual £249,000 grant, leaving him unable to afford” the running costs of Royal Lodge. The paper said Andrew was resisting the move from the 31-bedroom lodge to the five-bedroom cottage.

Charles has long signaled that he wants to slim down the monarchy, and people have been watching to see whether that translates to more modest lifestyles for the royal family.

The British government is also in the midst of an assessment — done every five years — of the formula for the taxpayer-funded “Sovereign Grant.” That money is used to cover the operating costs of the royal household, including staff salaries, palace renovations and travel. Any changes to the formula are expected to come into effect next month.”

When you’re beholden to your family for housing and financial support it puts you at risk for presentation of and capitulation to unappealing options.

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1160

I officially no longer give a flying fart who is or is not living in this mansion or that mansion or palace or castle or ‘cottage’ or estate. Don’t care which of them has this much money or that much money. Don’t care if somebody wants an apology from somebody else. Don’t care if some royal gave another royal a side eye or didn’t kiss up enough.

H&M asked to be left alone. That’s what I’m going to do.

I wish all of them all the best. Best wishes to King Charles and his upcoming coronation. Don’t care if H&M do or do not attend, whether somebody is or is not given some dumb special ‘duty’ to attend to during the ceremony and the pomp & circumstances before and after. Don’t care what all of the ladies are or are not going to wear.

I am REALLY glad that I don’t have to be a school teacher who’s going to teach H&M’s kids.

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1161

So much for fact checking

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1162

I have been giving this exchange of houses a lot of thought. Being the conspiracy theorist that I am, I have come to think that Charles promised the Queen that he would always make sure that Andrew had a place to live – but not necessarily the Royal Lodge. In return, the Queen would make a statement that states that she approves of Camilla becoming Queen Consort.

Andrew is very unpopular for obvious reasons. Charles is furious about his antics. However, Charles was gracious enough at Christmas to include not only Andrew but also Fergie to Sandringham for Christmas. Andrew was incredibly stupid, but at least he still wants to have some royal duties. Harry doesn’t really want them, except for the few military honors that he had to give up. The working royals are very busy. Princess Anne is considered to be one of the hardest working royals. All of the remaining working royals have had to pick up the load that H & M and Andrew dropped.

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1163

I think that the UK is having a tough time getting their economy on firm footing after the pandemic. I know that inflation is rampant in Europe after the pandemic. Brexit did no favors for the UK despite what some might say.

So maybe public sentiment is that the monarchy needs to be more self sufficient also. King Charles has said for a long time his belief that the monarchy needs to streamline. It’s not a surprise to the public, I’m certain it’s not to his family members. Especially those who do no work for the crown.

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1164

How about we count all the other unused properties royals have? How many homes Kate and William have at this point? Or Charles?
I have property unused in my ancestral home as well. There is nothing silly keeping a home in your home country for visits.

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1165

And apparently Andrew is being indirectly evicted as well after spending a sizable sum in renovations.

“Andrew leased the Royal Lodge from the Crown Estate for a £1m one-off payment in 2003, with the lease lasting 75 years.”

“The agreement required the duke to carry out refurbishments at his own expense and it is believed he spent around £7m renovating the property.”

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1166

The story appeared first in a British tabloid. H&M spokesperson only confirmed the story when asked about it, they didn’t announce it first.

I kinda doubt H&M would leak it initially to a British tabloid, but I guess stranger things have happened.

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1167

Do they have that many? Outside of apartments in various palaces?

Seems like there is a possible solution if Charles made an apartment at Kensington Palace available when and if H&M visit. Or perhaps they could switch with Andrew and lease the royal lodge?

1168

A change of topic: I read Spare. I got it from the library and returned it a couple weeks ago. So I probably have some details incorrect but not the gist.

The first chapter (prologue, maybe) bothered me. Harry requested to meet with his father and brother at 3 in the afternoon in the Frogmore gardens. He ended up waiting for them, glancing at his watch, etc. The meeting did not go well with Charles stepping between the brothers and asking them not to make his latter years miserable.

What bothered me? It was the afternoon of Prince Philip’s funeral. Harry doesn’t seem to take that particular event into account, other than just mentioning it. In my opinion, that just didn’t seem to be the time for all-about-me moment. No matter how Charles may have felt about his father, Prince Philip was his father, beloved by his mother. The funeral itself was no small affair. I kept waiting for it to click with Harry that maybe, just maybe, his timing was not only bad but awful. It didn’t. He wanted to discuss what he wanted to discuss.

Granted I may be projecting since a beloved family member passed away not all that long ago. I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to tackle any family problem that afternoon - big or small - and my adult children would have closed ranks on the one trying to turn attention toward himself/herself.

So Spare for me started with Harry coming across as self-centered and not able to “read the room.”

Regarding the bridesmaid dresses:

The New Yorker summed up the bridesmaid dress brouhaha in a review of Spare:

There is a certain amount of score-settling and record-straightening, which, though obviously important to the author, can be wearying to a reader, who may feel that if she has to read another word about those accursed bridesmaids’ dresses—of who said what to whom, and who caused whom to cry—she just might burst into tears herself.

For what it’s worth: my two girls also had an argument that ended in tears before the oldest one’s wedding. Not all that unusual and I’m personally glad that no one is publishing it years after the fact. It would certainly revive hard feelings.

I really liked Harry and Meghan as a couple once upon a time. I’ve become disenchanted, as I have little doubt that “recollections may vary.”

I’m sorry for one and all.

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1169

I’m thinking you own your property?

I agree it isn’t silly to want to own a property in your home country if you’re not a US citizen or were not born and/or raised here. The issue is that H&M technically don’t own Frogmore just like Andrew doesn’t own Royal Lodge. When you’re a tenant your landlord makes the rules.

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1170

That is true. The tabloid used the lease ending in a sensational way.

All the Sussex’s needed to do was say that the lease was ending, they hadn’t spent any time there and that their life was firmly in California. Much ado about nothing. If we need to spend time in the UK, we can. Rent a house. Stay with my parents. Stay with my cousins. Stay in a suite in a hotel.

But that doesn’t seem to be how the Sussex’s worded it, instead it was look at us, again being shunned by our family.

Sometimes it’s better to take the high road. Even if it’s not the truth. But as I keep saying, it’s put them in the news again.

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1171

Which he gets back pro rata

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1172

I don’t dispute that landlord makes the rules. I am saying my opinion of Charles is down to zero that he as a landlord would kick out his son and grandkids because they already have one home even though his other kid most definitely enjoys more than one home and he himself owns multitude of castles.

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1173

Frankly it may have been done for tax purposes. H&M will need to file US income tax now. All that pesky royal money for H will need to be disclosed and accounted for. Probably best to limit foreign property as well.

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1174

My take away was that was going to be his only opportunity to talk to them in person because of all the road blocks we learn about later.

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1175

All though he says it’s just always the way it was for the second born, it is obviously very painful for Harry to deal with the reality that he doesn’t matter to the family firm and also then, not to the family. One of the things that struck me in the book was how this family doesn’t just call each other or see each other. They have to set up meetings. And their staff may block those meetings.

Far beyond my experience or understanding.

Who said that H and M are wanting to have a meeting to get an apology? I don’t think that came from them any more than the eviction news came from them. Charles and Camilla have relationships with the British press and feed them the information they want them to have. And sometimes the press comes up with things on their own.

Yes, Harry is immature. He never had a “real” life like the rest of us in any way. All of them are so out of touch with reality. But I guess Britain likes having a set of people to cut red ribbons and have pompous ceremonies. It all seems pretty useless to me. I can see why people supported the Queen given her longevity and history around WWII and it’s aftermath. In today’s world I really can’t see the monarchy surviving Charles and Will.

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1176

He asked his father and brother to meet with him; they did. He could have arranged it for the next morning or afternoon or evening or …

Harry’s perceived roadblocks came with meeting the queen - not father or brother. And who’s to say that the queen herself didn’t set up those roadblocks. Harry has no idea in fact where they originated. He assumes - and he may be right - those around the queen.

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