May 15
William needs at least one of his cousins plus an aunt and uncle to help him and his wife host a garden party.
Meanwhile, King Charles can do it all on his own.
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William needs at least one of his cousins plus an aunt and uncle to help him and his wife host a garden party.
Meanwhile, King Charles can do it all on his own.
It's another day ending in 'y' while Tom Sykes proves he has no long-term memory.
Tom Sykes has no long-term memory. It was literally just six months ago that The Times did an article on Highgrove, where it was mentioned that Charles signed a lease in 2021 for The Prince's Foundation (now The King's Foundation) to run the Highgrove gardens even after Charles was no longer the Duke of Cornwall. I believe that lease is for twenty years, meaning it won't expire until 2041 or thereabout.
But, hey, neither Tom Sykes nor Martin Robinson of the Daily Mail could remember those simple facts before they busted out stories this morning.
Sykes:
Another day, another suggestion that King Charles III is preparing to make fresh concessions to Harry and Meghan. King Charles will offer Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex the use of Highgrove, his private, beloved country retreat, should they return to Britain together later this year a bombshell report claimed today. The offer, reported by the Daily Mail, would be a sensational development if it came to pass as Highgrove is redolent with symbolism as Charles’ sanctuary. It also, of course, functioned as one of Harry’s main childhood homes. To open its gates to the Sussexes would be confirmation that the King will not be swayed from the project of reconciliation with his son, even if it comes at enormous political cost, and in the teeth of opposition from his other son, William, who considers that re-admitting Harry to royal circles would be profoundly destabilizing to the monarchy. Insiders told the Mail, referring to Highgrove: “There’s a good chance that they will stay at a royal residence during a U.K. stay that includes Invictus events if the current thaw in family relations continues.” The insider added: it would “be difficult for the King to refuse” to open the 2027 Games if his son asked him to.
Charles can't offer what's not his! Not that Tommy Boy is smart enough to realize this before he spat out this missive to his subscribers, but here's the Daily Mail story by Martin Robinson that he was quoting and referring to:
King Charles could offer Harry and Meghan the run of his 'ultra-secure' Highgrove House as an ‘olive branch’ during their likely joint visit to the UK later this year, it was claimed today. The Sussexes are also expected to ask Harry’s father to open the Invictus Games in Birmingham in 2027 if relations continue to ‘thaw’ between them. The Duchess of Sussex, 44, will reportedly join her husband at the ‘One Year To Go’ event at the National Exhibition Centre in July, amid ongoing discussions over whether the couple will be granted taxpayer-funded police protection while in the UK. ‘It seems likely that this will happen. Meghan’s been to the equivalent countdown events elsewhere so it would look strange if she didn’t attend the Birmingham one’, a royal insider has said. ‘There’s a good chance that they will stay at a royal residence during a UK stay that includes Invictus events if the current thaw in family relations continues'. The insider added: ‘I don’t believe Harry has asked his father to open the Invictus Games in Birmingham yet but it seems likely he will and it will be difficult for the King to refuse'. Charles and Prince William helped Harry launch his sporting tournament for wounded soldiers in 2014. The Daily Mail's royal source said that Highgrove, Charles’ beloved home in the Cotswolds, ‘is a relatively short distance down the M5 from Birmingham’ – ideal for a dash there for the Sussexes this summer. The 'ultra-secure' 18th century property also has a steel-lined panic room, is covered by a no-fly zone and also is surrounded by armed police guarding the King 24/7, forming a 'protection bubble' for Harry, Meghan and their children, if Archie and Lilibet come too. But the insider added that while Highgrove would be ideal for July: ‘The Sussexes need to stay in a hotel in the city during the Games in 2027’.
More manifesting from Casa de Olive Garden in Montecito. Too bad both Martin and Tommy Boy weren't smart enough to realize how far fetched this Highgrove ploy was by whichever Sussex plant engineered it.
Another source warned that his brother William and sister-in-law Kate will be watching developments carefully – especially if the Sussexes are offered a place to stay at a royal property. ‘You’ve got to remember the Wales’s are running the show now’, one well-placed source said, adding they believe that Charles would be wary of offering them Highgrove in case it upset William.
KCIII can't offer what isn't his, which is why this story was bullshit from the start. Also, who would want to just stay at Highgrove when it's open for visitors, per the lease for The King's Foundation?
But the royal source said: ‘I think there is a wariness in Whitehall and at the palace over concerns that someone in the Sussex camp is using this to put pressure on Ravec to bring back automatic police protection for Harry and Meghan. ‘I think the Sussexes do have a reasonable case to say that when they come back to Britain to see the Royal Family or to promote their charitable interests then they should receive police protection. They can make it easier and cheaper by staying at royal residences within the security perimeter. ‘But what happens if they are over here to make money? Should the British taxpayer stump up for that?’ Meghan’s return to the UK for the first time since 2022 is on the cards, they said. Harry and Meghan have booked out floors at luxury hotels for them, their team and security detail at previous Invictus Games. A senior security source with decades of experience in royal and VIP protection said that he also believes the Sussexes’ are ‘nailed on’ to get taxpayer-funded security again.
More desperate manifesting attempts! Why is this so hard for people to grasp? Reading this article in the DM gives the impression that the Sussexes are less likely to get their security wishes than ever before. Everything in this screams desperation!
Except Sykes was and still is too dumb to realize that things are crumbling fast in Montecito! Sykes again:
But for the King, this is a strategic gamble that goes far beyond summer logistics. Taken together with the King’s apparent indulgence of Harry’s ongoing security review, and the conspicuous decision by Prince William to quietly hire a senior crisis-management specialist as the newest member of his PR team, this speculation about Highgrove reads like confirmation that Charles is preparing the ground for a rapprochement. Friends of William (and much of the British public) will be aghast. They see that the Sussexes have extracted concessions from the King without apology or contrition. From that perspective, offering Highgrove looks like capitulation to Harry and Meghan’s original ask to be half-in, half-out of the royal family, which the late Queen Elizabeth explicitly rejected. My sense is that the broader pitch—that a reconciliation in such circumstances, father and son reunited on a stage celebrating wounded veterans—is precisely the sort of tableau Harry’s team understands is irresistible to the King, and precisely the sort of public embrace William and his allies regard as madness. The King’s camp insist nothing has been agreed, but also have notably declined, so far, to rule it out. The doves point out that Charles loves his son. He is battling cancer, and acutely aware that time is not infinite. He wants to see his grandchildren. He wants, if possible, to heal the rift that will otherwise come to define his reign. From that vantage point, an offer of a bed at Highgrove is not weakness but an attempt to take control of events.
Cue Sally Bedell Smith with some doses of REALITY.
The Duchy of Cornwall is the property of the Duke of Cornwall (ie Prince William). Even if it were legal for William to bequeath the Duchy's Highgrove property to Harry, it's the last thing he would do. (Not to mention that the next Duke of Cornwall, Prince George, will own Highgrove when William becomes king) The best Harry and Meghan can do to live out their Diana fantasy is spend a few nights there. The prospect of a Diana film project seems to be hovering above all these machinations.
I understand that under the arrangement Charles made several years ago, he retained control of the gardens and the gift shop (the money-generating part), and as Duke of Cornwall, William owns Highgrove House, and Charles leases it from him for his use. If that is the case, William would need to give Harry permission to stay in the house. It is not a happy place for either William or Harry.
and
Correct. The King's Foundation receives all profits from garden tours, gift shop sales, and an assortment of courses and events run by the foundation on the Highgrove property, which is owned by the Duchy of Cornwall. This money supports the charitable activities of the King's Foundation. Highgrove House is owned by William as the Duke of Cornwall, and King Charles pays rent to the Duchy for an estimated 700,000 pds a year. If the King wanted to offer Highgrove House to Harry as a place to stay as his guest, that would be permitted. If he wanted any sort of sublet for Harry, Charles would need William's permission as Duke of Cornwall.,
Consider the dose of reality that Sally Bedell Smith imparts against last three paragraphs of Sykes's gossip column for the day:
The direction of travel is hard to ignore. If Harry’s security is indeed restored, if Meghan returns to Britain for Invictus, if the Palace continues to resist shutting down talk of a 2027 joint appearance, then the Highgrove offer will come to look like a logical next step. Whether this latest sally survives contact with public opinion is another matter. The Mail says that William and Catherine will be “watching developments very carefully.” I suspect that is an understatement, as welcoming Harry back under a royal roof risks entrenching the very fault line that now runs through the House of Windsor—between a King who believes in forgiveness as policy, and an heir who believes, with considerable public support, that some bridges are better left burned.
He's still banking on Harry getting his security back, which isn't going to happen. Sykes still doesn't even understand why THE KP TITANIC hired a crisis manager. He thinks it's related to a theoretical return of Harry & Meghan to the UK. If that were true--which I guarantee you it's not!--then Will & Kate would not suddenly be embarking on a new pr campaign about "the best of Britain" while Kate ditches "cancer" and pivots to "the power of creativity" and "well-being."
Why does THE KP TITANIC need to do subtle yet massive PR shifts when they were confidently pushing William as future king not too long ago? Did everyone forget Jason Knauf waxing poetically to 60 Minutes Australia eleven months ago? I didn't but THE KP TITANIC wants everyone else to forget it. Answer why they need to do a subtle yet massive PR shift, and then you can realize why they hired a crisis manager in an attempt to save their reputations! Except they should have done that thirty-plus months ago but oh well, sucks to be them!
Well, gosh, I wonder why not! It might be due to the simple fact that the story was completely bullshit. The real story is that times are desperate in Casa de Olive Garden in Montecito, but Tommy Sykes isn't smart enough to realize that. Reality kind of ruins all the pearl-clutching hysteria regarding Harry's imaginary security win. I don't expect Sykes to issue any kind of mea culpa later on either. He's got too many paying subscribers to dupe.
Apparently Willie boy is pushing for vegan meal? But a few weeks ago he was hunting on Balmoral ground? He lies too much, he can’t keep up with all of them 🤣🤣🤣
Another day, and it's another story about how William and the people he hires can't adhere to basic, basic, knowledge practices.
When Saulo Jennings heard he would be cooking for an heir to the British throne, the Brazilian chef knew he wanted to showcase the star ingredient of the Amazon: a huge, fleshy river fish called pirarucu. That heir, Prince William, was hosting an environmental awards ceremony by the Earthshot Prize for 700 guests in Rio de Janeiro in early November, his first visit to Brazil. Creating the canapés seemed like the perfect job for Mr. Jennings, an acclaimed chef from the Amazon known for using sustainable ingredients from the rainforest. But there was a catch: The menu had to be 100 percent vegan, Mr. Jennings said he was informed by the Earthshot organization. At first, convinced he had misunderstood, the chef said he offered to add a vegan option to the menu. Then, he said, when he was told he could not use any of the cherished river fish species central to his dishes and to the Amazon region’s cuisine, he grew offended. “It’s like asking Iron Maiden to play jazz,” Mr. Jennings said in an interview on Friday. “It was a lack of respect,” he added, “for local cuisine, for our culinary tradition.”
Vegan ≠ sustainable. I know the radical vegans have a hard time admitting that basic fact, but it's true.
After much coaxing by the museum that will host the event, Mr. Jennings said he created a vegan menu inspired by Amazonian ingredients like cassava root, jambu leaf and Brazil nuts. But by then, negotiations over the catering of the event had broken down. And now, he is out as the caterer for the event, scheduled for Nov. 5. “I have nothing against vegans or British people,” he said. “But I don’t want to abandon my culinary mission.” The chef’s indignation at the demand made headlines in Brazil, as many read the menu request as a snub to the rich culinary tradition of the Amazon region, where the United Nations’ annual climate conference will be held. William, along with heads of state, scientists and policymakers from around the world, will attend.
Why am I not surprised? The militant attitudes they bring along with their awards show, platform, and program doesn't promote "sustainability."
This food problem would NEVER happen with Charles.
Mr. Jennings was perplexed, too. He had cooked with no problem for the coronation ceremony of King Charles III, William’s father, at the British Embassy in Brazil. “I made fish and chips,” he said, “but with pirarucu.”
The menu controversy has also raised questions around what counts as climate-friendly food, at a time when consumers are increasingly worried about sustainability and brands are eager to label ingredients as responsibly sourced. A spokesman for William declined to comment on the situation. But a person close to the climate event, who asked to remain anonymous in order to discuss the sensitive issue publicly, said that the prince had not been involved with the menu.
Of course William wasn't involved! He's too busy being on vacation all the time! Do people really think William does more than the barest of bare minimums? If Charles was involved in something like this, he'd want to know all the details of the food and supply chain months beforehand. William is just going to show up, shake hands, and deliver speeches written by other people.
The person said that the event for the Earthshot Prize, which awards millions of dollars to recipients for their contribution toward environmentalism, had asked for vegetarian, rather than vegan, food because it always serves that type of menu as part of its commitment to sustainability.
See? No real understanding of what is or is not "sustainable." I am so NOT surprised.
In the end, Mr. Jennings, the person said, was ultimately not selected to cater the event because of budgetary constraints, not because of any resistance to creating a fish-free menu. While a vegetarian menu excludes meat and fish, a vegan diet omits all products made from animals, including milk, cheese and honey.
No real understanding of what "local" means either to those people heading up Earthshot.
Mr. Jennings built his career arguing that true sustainability is anchored in the traditional culinary techniques that have been used for generations by Indigenous people in his home region. “We eat whatever the forests give us, whatever the rivers give us,” said Mr. Jennings, who is a U.N. gastronomy ambassador. “Some days, we eat fish. Other days, we eat nuts and açai,” he added. “This is also sustainable.” Environmental advocates say that a key way to halt the destruction of the Amazon is by encouraging sustainable use of its riches. This includes the collection of Brazil nuts and controlled fishing of native fish species, which thrive in Amazon rivers. The pirarucu species has proved to be one such success story. A prehistoric fish that can grow up to 440 pounds, it was hurtling toward extinction just a few decades ago, as illegal poachers haphazardly ransacked rivers for the lucrative fish. But over the past few years, many community projects in the Amazon have succeeded in curbing overfishing and creating more sustainable pirarucu supply chains. This sustainably sourced fish is then sold to customers like Mr. Jennings, who transforms it into refined dishes sold in his three restaurants in Brazil.
I bet King Charles would LOVE to sit and talk sustainability with Mr. Jennings. It is the typical thing that Charles would love to do. William doesn't care about the true ins and outs regarding "sustainability" unless he's promoting Notpla seaweed products!
In a few weeks, Mr. Jennings will have another opportunity to show off his region’s culinary traditions. He has been hired to cook for the Norwegian and Chinese delegations at the climate conference. And, at the request of the Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, he will cater a dinner reception for heads of state, he said. What will be on the menu? “With all due respect,” he said, “there will be fish.”
What a missed opportunity by the narrow-minded and short-sighted people running Earthshot! Obviously that includes current Earthshot CEO Jason Knauf, who is--as I've said before--dumb as a box of rocks!
Par for the course on William, though, seeing as he's on vacation until the calendar flips over to November.
The first sustainable portrait of the King is to be unveiled in public. The portrait, called The King of Sustainability, in homage to the monarch’s lifelong efforts to save the planet, was made using British perennials, flower petals tinted with coffee waste and reclaimed wood. It was presented to the King last month and has since been hung privately at Buckingham Palace. The monarch is said to have “loved” the artwork, taking particular interest in the style and the process of using sustainable materials. The portrait was commissioned in March as part of a wider cultural and sustainability initiative. Artist Michael Shellis cycled around London on a Lime bike to collect materials from St Paul’s Cathedral and the Royal Parks, salvaging wood from a skip. Mr Shellis took his inspiration from the King’s 2010 book, Harmony: A New Way of Looking At Our World, which outlines his “deeply personal” belief that the human and natural worlds cannot be separated. The book calls for a “revolution” in humanity’s attitude towards nature. The resulting work is described as “a profound tribute to His Majesty’s lifelong dedication to restoring balance between humanity and the natural world.” The portrait was commissioned by sustainability campaigner Taz Khan, who founded London’s Community Kitchen (LCK), one of the UK’s largest initiatives tackling food waste and hunger, and the Urban Farmer Project, which creates thousands of meals from surplus food. He was made an MBE in 2022. The King and Queen visited the LCK in Harrow, northwest London, in December 2022 and a few weeks later, the King invited Mr Khan to spend some time with him at Dumfries House, the headquarters of the King’s Foundation. “It blew me away,” Mr Khan told The Telegraph. “What he has been advocating and championing is just fantastic. “After that, I read his book and I understood it. He became my role model and I wanted to pay homage to him.” Mr Khan asked Mr Shellis to create the portrait with a clear brief to use only waste materials and symbolic natural resources. Flower petals salvaged from St James’s Park were dyed with coffee grounds to demonstrate the value in waste. When the portrait was finished, Mr Khan contacted the staff at Highgrove for help in creating a frame. He collected ash timber from the estate, where Lord Snowdon runs furniture making courses, and the frame was created by local craftspeople. When finished, Mr Khan sent the King a video of the portrait. “I was holding my breath a bit,” he admitted. “But he absolutely loved it. He asked if I would bring it over to him.” It was presented to the monarch at Buckingham Palace in October. He has now agreed to loan it for display at Mansion House, the official residence and office of the Lord Mayor of London. The portrait will be displayed at the “Beyond the Frame” event at Mansion House on Friday, organised by Treloar’s, a charity for disabled children and young people. It will include a light and sound installation. The artwork will feature at the heart of an exploration of how creativity, heritage, and environmental responsibility intersect. Dame Susan Langley, Lady Mayor of the City of London, said: “It’s a privilege to host Mansion House’s very first immersive light show, celebrating creativity and community in such a unique way. I encourage everyone to come along for this extraordinary evening and support Treloar’s incredible work empowering young people.” The King’s “harmony” philosophy is also the subject of a new Amazon Prime documentary, to be released in the New Year. The King has spoken of his “fondest hope” that the film, charting his efforts to save the planet, will encourage a new generation to adopt his effort to encourage harmony between people and planet.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2025/11/20/sustainable-portrait-king-charles-revealed/
Cannot wait to hear your opinion on recent dauphin’s PR campaigns and outing 🫶🏻
It's really just more of the same schtick they've been pulling all year.
William has heard this story before, back in 2017.
For those of you who missed it, it’s a must watch on BBC Iplayer. ‘Mind Over Marathon’ is a two part documentary where ten individuals who all live with mental health issues are trained to run at the London Marathon. Supported by the royals, the charity behind the programmes concept, ‘Heads Together’, is aimed at bringing awareness to the stigma around mental health. We see Rhian, a mother of two who lost her baby son and husband just 5 days apart, Claudia who suffers severed OCD and depression and Jake who struggled to get out of bed everyday his depression was so severe. These were just three individuals who chose to share their stories with the nation and train for something many dream of. What links these 10 people together aside from suffering with mental health issues, is that none of them were runners before. It was all completely new and out of their comfort zones.
He also attended the premiere back in April 2017.
And, yes, it's true that Will & Kate's foundation is helping with a suicide prevention network.
HOWEVER, it wasn't necessary to have Rhian tell her story again, just so William could be filmed getting emotional about it.
I'm sure Rhian graciously volunteered after THE KP TITANIC asked her, but the reason William got verklempt wasn't because Diana died when he was 15. Instead, he got emotional because Kate almost died due to this in January 2024. Yes, Thomas Kingston died by suicide, but I've never come across anything that stated William was close to him. So, for once, THE KP TITANIC is actually putting their efforts behind an issue that affected them directly.
But Kate still hates her husband, which is why they're moving into a different mansion. Kate can have a separate bedroom from her husband finally while all the kids can have their own rooms!
Riveting, ridiculous, and out of touch thoughts by Becky English, and I'd bet that the real reason why they had to get a new home will be revealed by the end of the year. (Four bedrooms was no longer enough!) Not that Becky has the brains to figure that one out considering the Daily Mail is still printing THE KP TITANIC's claptrap about how in-love Will & Kate are.
Yup. Gotta make sure that everyone knows that Will & Kate are fondling each other out in public. No marriage problems here!
And the workshy chickens are coming home to roost. Media types are finally noticing the five vacations/year. The lack of public engagements. The hiding behind the smoke screen of "larger" initiatives. The hiding behind his children, who are now ALL in school. And, of course, the whining among the Wales' fandom is also commencing. Why are they picking on poor William? Well, he's not working, he's not transparent about the monies he receives from the Duchy, he has plenty of enthusiasm for football matches and little else, and he's being massively outpaced by his father, who is currently undergoing cancer treatments, and by his aunt, who is thirty years older than he is. That sums it up.
I think he could take all these vacations IF he actually worked when the children were in school. Pack in the meet and greets like crazy and then faff off when the kids are on holiday. That would shut down many of the criticisms. Except he isn't working. There is no way to spin, IMO, that all the working royals are outpacing him by a staggering amount, and all of them are elderly.
There is a history--we are talking 20 years worth of data--where the man hasn't put in the effort. First, well, he's newly married. Let's give him a break. Then it was, well, he has a kid. Let's give him a break. Well, now he has several children, and they are small. Let's give him a break. At what point does William step up to the plate? He's been skating for over 20 years! He's forty-three fucking years old. When does this man grow up and do the job that pays him millions of pounds every year?
Yup. I think Will & Kate's luck with the UK media has run out. It's been three years since Charles ascended to the throne, and what has Will or Kate really done since then? Not much. Sure, the Will & Kate Fan Club will cling to her "cancer" and blah, blah, blah. However, there wasn't much of a difference in their work years between 2024 and all the other years. This is why the press has no choice but to start calling them out on it.
Here's Philip's work rate back when he was in his 90s, before he retired, compared to William's.
Philip did 325 engagements in 2012 (Diamond Jubilee year) when he was 91 years old. When has William ever done 325 engagements in a single year? Never.
I've seen plenty of Kate fans claim that "Camilla is the laziest woman in Britain." Oh really?
Camilla has outworked Kate every year. The only time Kate even got close to Camilla's work rate was in 2020 during the pandemic.
Camilla has basically outworked William almost all the time.
William hit his lifetime best of 235 engagements in 2021 and has dropped his work rate every year hence.
Even when we discount the engagement numbers and start comparing philanthropic endeavors, William still comes up way short.
Here's a look at the financials for The King's Trust (formerly The Prince's Trust):
And here's a look at a smaller charity that Charles founded, The British Asian Trust:
I'm not going to list all of Charles's charities, but, for comparison, here's Will & Kate's Royal Foundation:
It's small potatoes in comparison. Tina Brown was right.
It cannily unleashed for William the uneasy question of what exactly the 43-year-old Prince of Wales is doing with the £23 million a year he gets from the Duchy of Cornwall. Back when Charles was Prince of Wales, he was a powerhouse of philanthropy, starting at age 27, when he used his £7,400 severance pay from the Royal Navy to seed The Prince’s Trust, which has gone on to raise more than £100 million a year. Without wishing to be churlish, I can’t help pointing out that William’s annual Earthshot Prize of £1 million (covered by sponsors) to five promising innovators in the climate change space is a little underwhelming.
When does William grow up and do his job? Probably not until there is a parliamentary investigation into the household of The Prince & Princess of Wales to see what the fuck goes on over there.
Insiders recall that, after the foundation took over, staff had their contracts transferred from the household to the charity, making them answerable to Innemée. The head of gardens was one of the first to walk out. Junior staff followed, many citing low pay. In the days when Charles ran the estate himself, sources say he had from time to time written cheques to top up salaries and pay for unexpected costs. The moment he transferred it to his charity, this stopped. ~ Gabriel Pogrund & Emily Prescott, The Sunday Times, "King Charles, the disquiet at Highgrove and the gardeners’ exodus"
So basically when it was part of his normal operations, these things weren't a problem. Now there are problems because the guy running The King's Foundation (Constantine Innemée) hasn't figured out how to solve these problems.