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Hi, this was a bit ago now i think, but at some point everyone got shocked that QEII had pushed for Andrew to get the trade envoy? Job, which made me a bit confused cause i thought we allready knew that?

Yeah, I saw that too. It was like everyone collectively forgot that information had been known already for 25 years, confirmed again in 2024 when the Chinese spy scandal broke, and confirmed again in Epstein/Mandelson emails that came out last year.

Like of course The Queen pushed for Andrew to get the job. That was literally his only qualification for the position.

#brf #Yorkies

So the inbox is finally cleared out, save for some ghost asks that never go away.

I’ll reopen the inbox later this week after I finish some huge work projects.

I do want to let everyone know that I am hoping to follow my own advice and not post as frequently or as constantly on Meghan or the Sussexes. This blog was never meant to focus as predominantly on the Sussexes as it has been. It may mean more periods of inactivity…but we’ll see how it goes.

#blog psa

Hi RTA! I have a question on a very old topic. It's water under the bridge, but it's struck me as very odd due to the narrative shifts:

Up until recently (afaik), the narrative around the Sussex wedding was that, at some point, Thomas Markle thought he was attending. He staged some pap shots re a suit fitting, to improve his image (which pissed H+M off) but he never actually received an invite (apparently, Doria received a beautiful scroll or some such). At some point, Meghan told Thomas Markle to ghost his other children, if he wanted to come to her wedding. He refused. Anyway, he had a heart attack due to the pressure, so wasn't fit to fly.

Subsequently, Meghan (via Netflix?) has told some stories about sending help to his house (whilst he was in hospital!) - but the claims can't be proven - and booking him flights that didn't exist (the named airline made jokes on twitter about the non-existant route).

The long-held theory was that Meghan had set Thomas Markle up, over the pap shots (she'd previously worked with the photographer who appoached Samantha), as an excuse for her to not let him attend the wedding. Lady C has sworn up and down that Thomas Markle didn't receive an invite, obviously because she has spoken to him. IIRC, both Samantha and Thomas have said this, on camera, as well.

Fast forward to today and we have Lady Elizabeth Anson (HMQ ERII's cousin, once removed), via Sally Bedell Smith, stating that plans had been made for Thomas Markle to enter St. George's Chapel via a side door because he "didn't do steps". This sounds wholly plausible, because you'd always try to accomodate the parents of a bride, as a priority.

Now, it appears that Richard Kay states that Thomas Markle DECLINED an invitation to the wedding:

"She was also uncomfortable with Charles’s decision to stand in for Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle, and walk her down the aisle after the retired television cameraman declined an invitation to his daughter’s wedding due to health issues"

(link to paywalled article: https://removepaywalls.com/https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14876499/When-Queen-heard-Harry-phone-stony-silence-Peerless-Royal-expert-RICHARD-KAY-sensationally-tells-time-exactly-Prince-Meghan-blew-relationship-grandmother.html)

What the hell is going on? Was Thomas Markle invited or not? Is this a deliberate - or careless - changing of the narrative? Is this semantics over whether Mr. Markle received an official invite, or not (which of course, he should have done). Were the Harkles running intereference during the wedding prep, so they were responding for Mr. Markle, thus keeping him out of the loop?

I know that this isn't that important, but it seems such a large shift in the narrative, after so long, that it caught my attention. Do you have any thoughts on this?

ask from July 2025

So there are three things that I keep thinking about whenever I read this ask.

Thing One:

That's Tom Markle's name printed in the official order of service/program.

The average bridal timeline suggests ordering and printing your programs about 1-2 months before the wedding to ensure they're delivered on time. Obviously there are different metrics for the BRF since they probably have their own in-house printer/publisher, so let's split the difference and say they had their program ordered and printed 2 weeks before the wedding on a VIP rush job.

Thing Two:

The huge fuss all the Markles made about Meghan in the run-up to the wedding (and for some time afterwards). Is Richard Kay seriously telling us that despite all that fuss, despite all of Tom's moaning about his little flower, despite Samantha's pitiful "woe is me" paproll at Kensington Palace, despite Tom publicly whining how wonderfully Doria was being treated and hosted by the BRF while he gets nothing -- Tom just said "nah, never mind"?

So your guess that the Harkles were meddling, telling the BRF one thing while telling Tom the other, is probably what was going on. And I'd agree with that.

Meaning that Meghan and Harry weren't just misleading Tom that he was being invited - they were also misleading palace officials and the BRF that Tom was being invited.

Because if Tom actually had declined the invite, then why the hell would the BRF list him in the official order of service? If Tom actually had declined the invite, then why would the palace go so far as to devise alternate arrangements for getting him to the wedding?

Which leads me to...

Thing Three:

The wedding invitation. Here, let me blow it up for y'all.

It says "A reply is requested to Assistant Comptroller, Lord Chamberlain's Office" at "Buckingham Palace." That last line there is an email address.

Not Meghan. Not Harry. Not Kensington Palace.

And certainly Meghan would not have had access to the Lord Chamberlain's email address to be able to manipulate responses.

Meaning if Tom had been issued an official invitation to the wedding, his "no" would've gone directly to the Lord Chamberlain's Office and the BRF would have planned accordingly - as in, not developed this "avoid the TV cameras and use the side entrance" Plan B. Not to Meghan, which ultimately meant Meghan had no control over who accepted or declined a wedding invite unless that person wasn't sent one in the first place.

So again, the likely story here isn't that Tom was misleading all of us in his PR, but that Meghan and Harry were misleading absolutely everyone. They were telling Tom one thing, telling palace officials another thing, telling The Queen and family members an entirely other thing, and telling the public a completely different fourth thing.

Two "sides" have been absolutely consistent this whole time: Tom Markle and the BRF. Only one side has been utterly inconsistent and caught in their own lies this whole time: Harry and Meghan.

For me, there's also the Richard Kay of it. Which is that Richard Kay was very close to Diana, he continues to write "exclusives" about Diana, such as this one, from earlier this year (March 2026):

So I think Richard Kay is very much sympathetic to Harry and Meghan, such that I do plausibly think he attempted to reset the wedding narrative to be in the Sussexes' favor.

But why, though? Why rehash this particular narrative now? (Well, then, since this is almost a year later.) Exactly as you say, Void - it's old water under a long-gone bridge.

It's definitely clapback to the Lady Anson reveal, and I think it shows a) how petty Harry and Meghan are that they're still holding a grudge against this thing that happened 8 years ago and b) Harry and Meghan absolutely do read all of their press.

But anyway, yeah, all of this sounds like the Harkles were trying to play chess and outmaneuver the BRF by controlling the wedding's PR as part of their "modernizing the monarchy" effort but it turns out they were playing tetherball with each other instead.

#sussexes #wedding drama

Jill Biden wrote a book. She talks about the BRF in a section of it. Here’s the People excerpt - don’t worry, it’s an archived link.

https://archive.ph/EH66y

And some screenshots:

I wonder what kind of topper Meghan will choose for her souvenir pencils…

#people

Kate: The Making of a Princess

Here’s the PBS docuseries I mentioned in the other post — 3 episodes, each about 45 minutes.

Kate Middleton’s fairytale journey, from ordinary beginnings to her role as the Princess of Wales.

Unfortunately I haven’t been able to find it on any other platforms, particularly where it might be available to those outside the US.

But to any Americans here, it’s on PBS. You might be able to find it on a broadcast (that’s how I first discovered it) but otherwise you may need to donate to your local PBS station and become a member to access the videos.

Highlights to those that can’t watch it:

Episode 1: covers Kate’s life from birth to the royal wedding, most of the focus on her school experience (being bullied at Downe House) and post-St. Andrews being William’s girlfriend.

Episode 2: covers the royal wedding to Megxit - talks about her “training” to be a duchess, her understanding of palace hierarchy, and issues with Meghan.

Episode 3: covers Megxit to the end of 2024 - talks about the impact of the Oprah interview, Spare, and Endgame and her cancer/chemo treatments.

There is an Omid Scobie jump scare in Episode 3. I don’t remember if it’s Episode 2 or 3 but they show clips from the Sussexes’ Netflix docuseries (and Meghan’s vocal fry is seriously annoying). There’s also discussion about The Crown’s portrayal of the Middletons and William and Kate’s relationship which was surprising - the commentary is critical of The Crown’s portrayal.

A couple of new-to-me tidbits:

Kate decided to change her enrollment from University of Edinburgh to St. Andrews at the beginning of her gap year when she was in Chile. Carole did do the work to update her UCAS and submit the application but only because Kate didn’t have web access. Carole made the changes with Kate’s full knowledge.

Harry used to spend most weekends with the then-Cambridges before he met Meghan. (I think a lot of us assumed it, but this is the first I feel like it’s been confirmed by press.)

There were others but I don’t remember them.

Anyway, it’s a good series. Worth the time, I think. There’s a little bit on her fashion and her style, but it’s mostly a biographical look at Kate’s life and the major headlines that she’s become known for.

I did find it interesting that given how critical the series is of The Crown’s portrayal, their title scene is actually copies The Crown’s title scene - like The Crown’s title scene builds/shows off St. Edmund’s Crown, the docuseries’ title scene builds/shows off Kate’s coronation headpiece.

#waleses #pbs #royal reading list

I think advisers to Prince William will play the long game, it doesn´t matter if KC/BP drags PW into being an obstacle for reconciliation. The more Harry and Meghan's PR, BP PR underlines this, the more popular PW will be. British people will see him standing up for them and QEII. PW will gain respect.

ask from July 2025

Well, sort of.

The long game here isn’t reconciliation, it’s modernization. Reconciliation is just one of many facets to modernization.

Both Charles and the Sussexes think modernizing the monarchy means changing how the monarchy looks - more inclusion, more diversity, who stands on that balcony, the charities they support, the press they get. They seem to think that if the monarchy looks like it’s part of the 21st century, then the work is done.

William understands that modernizing the monarchy means changing how the monarchy functionally operates - communications, how they support charities and conduct their work, visibility to the public, the people they hire, the places they visit. He thinks that for the monarchy to be part of the 21st century, it has to truly operate as a 21st century institution.

And I think that’s what people are responding to more than just whether reconciliation disrespects Her Late Majesty’s memory - it’s an effort, or a response, by William to ensure that the monarchy remains and persists, that certain traditions are kept while others change and adapt to the times and the needs of the public, versus being a self-serving institution to flatter the egos of a few.

And we’re already seeing William makes those strategic choices, those small systematic changes to the monarchy’s core functions and operations - how KP talks to the public, how they structure and organize their charity work, how they prioritize duty to their children.

Here’s an example, from 2024. In January when it was announced that Kate needed surgery and was going to be out for three months to recover, the announcement came in a very traditional, very 20th century format - a formal press release on palace letterhead. It was received well, then went off the rails about a month later when the conspiracy theories started and gained global traction. But rather than to issue a second formal press release on palace letterhead announcing Kate’s cancer diagnosis (as Charles had done a month earlier), KP pivoted to a video announcement - Kate speaking personally and directly to the camera, to the people in a three minute video that could be clipped for social media and distributed on social media; truly meeting the people where they are in the 21st century.*

*I can’t take credit for this realization - it’s from a PBS docuseries I watched yesterday, “Kate: The Making of a Princess”. I had such a lightbulb moment when the commentator pointed it out.

But anyway, long bus ramblings short, I think what will be the final-final-final nail in the Sussexes’ plans - whether it’s reconciliation or renewed working status or security - will be their underestimation or misunderstanding of the strategic work William is doing to modernize the monarchy behind closed doors and how those changes will, by ripple effect, alter how the monarchy looks and the public’s support of the changes and of the new modern royal family will make William bulletproof.

#brf #waleses

The only thing I'll say about this BP and Harry PR shenanigans is good luck to Charles when this blows up in his face. I'll be the one who'll laugh at him first when his darling boy decides to do an interview and throw him under the bus again because he didn't get what he wanted.

ask from July 2025

I think there’s a whole long line of people ready to laugh at Charles when this blows up. Even more so now, with all the shenanigans that have happened in the last almost-year.

Speaking of shenanigans, it’s now almost six months since Harry claimed he her his security back…

#sussexes

It seems Harry's people, and he might have already realized and accepted that involving his wife is a liability when it comes to his charities. There's an article in the DM basically admitting there is always a PR disaster when Markle is involved; hence, not letting Meghan join him in Angola to play the Diana 2.0 cosplay, and he doesn't want what happened with Sentebale to happen to his other charities. He wanted his charities to be his only. Maybe this is the reason why he wanted a reconciliation. He needed that royal stardust so he can pretend doing royal works; after all, that's the only thing he knows how to do.

ask from July 2025

I'm not sure that Harry didn't let Meghan join him in Angola. I feel like it's more Meghan is completely disinterested in anything involving the African continent unless they swear fealty to her the way Nigeria did, Diana or no Diana.

Because truth is, if Meghan really did want the Diana 2.0 cosplay, how hard would it have been to convince Harry to exploit visit Lesotho and the communities where Sentebale worked? She could've made it an essential component of her Diana cosplay, but instead Harry stayed away for 6 years.

In fact, Harry's last visit to Lesotho was June 2018, when conditions were perfect for Meghan to have done a Diana cosplay - after all, she had the best popularity and the best media of her career, riding on such a media high that no one would've said anything about Diana cosplay. And given the kind of popularity, attention, and media the Sussexes were getting in June 2018, Harry would've needed some enormous balls to tell Meghan she wasn't invited.

So I think it's less Harry refused Meghan's involvement and more that Meghan wasn't interested in anything Africa once she got her ring. She sucked it up for Morocco and South Africa - Morocco because she was probably promised a glam event, South Africa because she could cause another racism row to further her goal of "modernizing." She sucked it up for Nigeria because it was vital for her plan of world domination. She could've sucked it up plenty of times for Diana 2.0 cosplay over the years and if she has as much influence over Harry that he gave up everything for her, then surely she could have demanded to go with him to Lesotho and all his African trips. Yet that never happened. If they share everything - "penguins mate for life" and "mummy and daddy are like salt and pepper shakers, where one goes the other goes too" and whatever the metaphor for the palm trees was - then why did she let Harry keep Sentebale and Africa to himself?

#sussexes

Meghan's house of cards is slowly getting crumpled (i.e., friends getting divorced, deals expiring, as ever might probably be abandoned for some time). I, for one, don't believe she will divorce Harry. Harry is still the son of the King of the UK; that's why they are desperate for reconciliation. I say they because Meghan is in it; she might even be the one suggesting it to Harry. She needs to secure their future before their deals dry up.

ask from July 2025

No, it's not "she needs to secure their future before their deals dry up." It's she needs to secure her future before their deals dry up.

Meghan has only ever cared about one person and one person only: herself. The extent to which she cares about others (friends, parents, partners, and children included) is based around what they can do for her and she confirms it by always speaking of them in her possessive - my husband's grandmother, my love, my darling, etc.

#sussexes

Today

Today is Memorial Day here in the US. It is the day/weekend on which we remember the sacrifices made by our armed forces and we honor those who died for our freedoms.

It is not a day or a weekend for cutesy Instagrammable recipes to sell products and exploit a lifestyle one rejected, very emphatically, very publicly.

Last night was the National Memorial Day Concert, held on the steps of the U.S. Capitol broadcast on PBS (a noncommercial nonprofit public broadcaster). It's our version of the Festival of Remembrance - an evening of music, storytelling, honoring those who served, and remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice. It is nonpolitical (no campaigning, no hats, no politicians who speak).

If you're interested, give it a watch.

Do note, the concert includes footage of the September 11th attacks. If you've never seen it before, it can be disturbing so consider this an advisory.

#Youtube

Markled

It’s been a long time since we’ve had a nice old fashioned markling…

Give PBS the click - learn about the Everlane sale here.

#sussexes #markled #another one bites the dust

It was a few years ago, I forget which tarot reader said it, but it was something to the effect of someone who is like a sister to Meghan will betray her, and the tea will be released via social media. I am really wondering if it's Jessica Mulroney?

ask from July 2025

I think Jess is still a pretty good candidate for this betrayal. After all, Jess recently(ish) made waves about a memoir and earlier this year, Jess's ex confirmed what we all knew: Meghan didn't ditch her after Jess's race scandal in 2020.

Another potential "like a sister" option is Kelly McKee Zajfen, aka the woman whose pregnant belly Meghan was molesting the other month. I mean, you've got to be practically sisters to be okay with another woman pawing at your baby bump like that.

#sussexes

I have seen this new narrative from the squad that the BRF can no longer pull crowds. It’s funny because they share footage from like 2 hours before the royals even arrive to show how no one is there. I know because I verify and by the time the royals arrive the crowds are insane. I mean even look at will and Kate in wales and Scotland this year.

But their main idea is that since the most popular Harry and Meghan left the BRF is just not interesting so people don’t show up. My question is when was the last time Harry and Meghan actually pulled crowds? The last I can remember is Germany for Invictus? They never have even have crowds lined up to see them in New York let alone Nigeria or Colombia. I also find the narrative funny that the Caribbean tour is considered a disaster because of online narratives but there were sooooooo many people there to see them. Meanwhile Harry and Meghan can’t even get a small crowd interested.

I think the squad are not ready to see how sad this Australia trip will be compared to 2018. I expect no crowds.

ask from March 11th

Well, clearly Kate's trip to Italy proved them wrong. And while Charles's trip to the US didn't pull as many crowds as I expected (the weather and the political climate in DC probably had something to do with it), he and Camilla certainly got tons of glowing press coverage that also debunks Sussex Squad's so-called claims.

(Allow me to use one of my favorite gifs here)

But to answer your quest, when was the last time Harry and Meghan actually pulled crowds?

Honestly, I feel like it was South Africa in 2019.

Invictus Germany got crowds, absolutely, but I don't think the crowds came for Harry and Meghan. The crowds came for the veterans and the participants, which the Sussexes exploited to look like were there for them.

But like I said the other day, even if crowds showed up for the Sussexes in South Africa or in Germany, the size of the crowd has been dwindling since May 2018.

#sussexes

"Makes me think they’re pivoting to more business than lifestyle for whatever this new phase is."

What an odd article. It also sounds like they're using Sunshine Sachs to help move the needle on their security, maybe because they're getting antsy waiting for the decision, and also continuing to try to soften up, at best, and at worst threaten, Charles, about letting Harry back in, to his heart and to the BRF:

In at least one area, though, it appears as though a detente may come soon. Harry, who spent the past few years throwing dirt at the royal family after decamping to California, has been trying to mend fences with his father, King Charles, who is in treatment for cancer.

The Duke of Sussex’s aides are optimistic that the U.K. government will grant Harry’s family taxpayer-funded police protection when visiting Britain, opening the path for Meghan and the couple’s two children to make the trip over from the West Coast this year. The culmination of the prince’s various legal battles with the press could also smooth the way for father and son to be publicly reconciled at an Invictus Games event for wounded servicemen in 2027, aides say. (A public reunion while the prince’s legal battles continue against the U.K.’s biggest tabloids could be fraught for the palace, observers say.)

and

one of the central ironies of the Windsor story today: Those who have worked with Harry in the U.S. say he would have also made a great working royal.

Since leaving his royal duties, Harry has embarked on tours of foreign countries that, from a distance, resemble those of the Windsor travels around the Commonwealth. He is a natural with kids and strangers, and colleagues have been touched when he talks of inheriting a role of service from his mother. He remains the driving force of the Invictus Games, which started with veterans, including some injured on the same tour as the prince.

Last year, he traveled around Britain meeting with charity leaders and army veterans and engaging in balloon fights with children, with the kind of warm approach that had once made him so popular in the country. Shortly after, he visited Ukraine to meet with injured veterans.

This part is interesting: it acknowledges that ignoring problem family members, like the Duke of Windsor and Duke of Sussex, is a successful strategy. But then the article reverts to Harry's and Meghan's very obvious threats:

Ultimately, however, the royal family survived, and actually thrived, largely by appearing to ignore the Duke of Windsor in public. The same strategy is being applied to the Duke of Sussex, but some royal watchers fret that the relationship could get worse before it gets better. The Duchess of Sussex could write her own memoirs or more freely air her views on American politics, though associates say she has been loath to weigh in on any topic that might invite the slightest controversy. Harry has in the past hinted he has enough leftover material from Spare to write a new book.

And such a very curious ending to the article,

And if Harry were ever to remarry, he would have to ask the king to consent first.

Nothing like leaving readers with the idea that divorce is always a possibility, especially after detailing the Sussexes' money problems and aimless personal and professional lives...

ask from March 11th

Thanks!

Definitely sounds like the Sussexes may have been trial-ballooning a divorce option, in addition to making threats about their security. I did double-check timings and this article came out after the Sussexes were in Jordan (which happened in late Feb) so I wonder, with hindsight, if this was part of a campaign to distract from how badly that visit went.

#sussexes #pr shenanigans

Has Meghan been dropped by WME, or are they not able to get her any deals? All her recent appearances seem to have been arranged by Marcus Anderson rather than the agency she pays to get her gigs.

ask from March 12th

My understanding is that WME would never announce that they've dropped a client so you have to read between the lines.

For me, reading between the lines suggests that WME and Meghan split a long time ago and my guess is that happened whenever Markus started appearing more regularly in photos/at events with Meghan - May/June 2025 (he went to Disney with them for Lili's birthday), if not earlier.

#sussexes

Mama Carole rocking up with a Birkin — a rich gran living the life she built. Meanwhile, remember when Meghan was so pressed about the Middletons’ comfortable lifestyle that she convinced herself they must be on the Windsor payroll? And, conveniently, she expected the same deal for Doria. That level of envy and inferiority complex around other people’s success is almost impressive in its consistency.

ask from March 12th

Technically Doria was treated better than the Middletons - the palace picked her up from the airport for the wedding and probably picked up the hotel bill (the Middletons had to transport themselves to London and they paid for The Goring themselves); Doria accompanied Meghan on an actual official engagement four months after the wedding (the first time a Middleton accompanied Kate on an actual official engagement was Pippa, to the Women's Wimbledon Final in 2019, 8 years after the wedding); and Doria was included in the photo op when The Queen and Philip met Archie after his birth (no such photo has ever been released of Carole/the Middletons).

But Meghan doesn't see that because she expects a literal tit-for-tat, not understanding that a) Kate is the future queen so she/her family gets different perks, b) the Middletons get different perks because William asked for it, and c) the royals actually got to know the Middletons - they didn't just fly in/fly out for a wedding. They were at dinners, at holidays, at birthdays, at races, etc.

And also on the topic - the Middletons being close is William breaking the mold. Traditionally once someone married in, they were all-in on the BRF with their family of origin being distanced after the wedding; since that was the expectation for Diana, it became the expectation for Kate except as we all know, the MIddletons have been firmly included. That's William's doing - he wanted them to remain present and involved, so he kept including them and asking The Queen to include them.

(But also, I want to be clear here that William's breaking of the mold here isn't breaking the protocol and modernizing this aspect of the BRF - that "modernizing" is very much Queen Elizabeth's doing, whose acts of inviting and including Sophie's father in events "broke" the protocol and set the stage to allow the Middletons more closely in.)

#sussexes #waleses

The one thing that makes me think Harry will never get Royal Lodge is that the next tenant will have to pay market rent and Harry can't afford that. On top of the rent, that place is huge and must cost a pretty penny to manage, clean, repair, etc. Even if Charles is willing to pay it, William won't. The days of long royal leases and peppercorn rents are over.

ask from March 12th

After seeing the report about Forest Lodge, I completely agree with you, anon: the days of peppercorn rent is over. Harry doesn't have a chance of getting Royal Lodge.

The Times

#brf #waleses

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