‘Surprised?’ What do the duke and Duchess of Sussex do you mean exactly by ‘surprised’?
Only two people with the self-awareness of a cabbage could not see that they left the king little choice but to lay out the terms of their return in uncompromisingly plain language.
If you ask me, they got off lightly. The King’s letter, sent to Prince Harry‘s team, government departments, military officials and Lord Lieutenants, stating (among other things) in no uncertain terms that they are simply ‘private citizens with commercial and charitable interests’ and that their HRH titles have been ‘suspended’, is in reality little more than a sensible and long overdue slap on the wrist.
“Grateful” would have been a more appropriate response. After all, a few hundred years ago they would have been taken to the Tower. If Prince Philip if they were alive they probably would have been, God bless.
As it is, when you repeatedly stab someone in the back, despise his wife, mock his entire existence and everything he stands for and generally do your best to destroy his – and your – family’s entire reputation, what else do you expect? The return of a hero? Red carpet reception? A fireworks show? Come on.
Considering everything, I would therefore say that the king has been quite reluctant. His statement was a masterclass in “royal statesmanship,” as my colleague Richard Kay so aptly put it.
But the fact that Charles III even felt the need to put pen to parchment so publicly speaks volumes about how estranged father and son have become, and how far their relationship has deteriorated. They are like a divorcing couple who now only communicate through their lawyers. Or, in this case, courtiers.
King Charles could easily have issued this communiqué privately. The fact that he has not done so shows that he simply does not trust his son not to twist his words and intentions, as he has done on numerous occasions in recent years.
The King’s letter to Harry and Meghan states in no uncertain terms that they are simply ‘private citizens with commercial and charitable interests’ and that their HRH titles have been ‘suspended’.
Harry and Meghan seem to enjoy nothing more than pulling the rug from under people’s feet, writes Sarah Vine
It shows that the king has finally run out of patience for his indulgent youngest child. And not before time.
Plus, it’s good to see these two finally getting a taste of their own medicine. Harry and Meghan seem to love nothing more than pulling the rug out from under people’s feet, as we’ve seen time and time again, first with that awful interview with Oprah, most recently with the announcement of their return to Britain.
They like to play blind, the better to cause a stir, and to put their opponents (or those they consider their opponents) in the background.
Indeed, we are told that the King had no idea of their decision to leave California for the Cotswolds until the Sunday before the announcement. Many doubted whether that was possible; the formal nature of this communiqué is the clearest indication that it was indeed true.
Their short-sighted and tone-deaf response to this shows that there is very little prospect of an immediate rapprochement. (If these two had had an ounce of common sense between them or their advisors), they would have realized that this statement was the perfect opportunity to extend an olive branch. They could have responded with grace and diplomacy and received praise for it.
Perhaps something along the lines of: ‘We would like to reassure His Majesty that we understand the terms of the arrangement and that we intend to respect them’.
Maybe even a “we are grateful for his understanding during this difficult time.” But no.
Instead, they chose to respond in a typically petulant manner. ‘Surprised’, also referred to as rather miffed, once again betrays the complete lack of self-knowledge these two possess when it comes to the damage they have caused, and the mountain they must climb to restore their reputation, not only in the eyes of the king, but also among the general public.
The bottom line is that not many people like them, and even fewer people want them here.
The crowd isn’t exactly raising the flag; According to a poll, 87 percent of Britons believe they should pay for their own safety. America, as Donald Trump noted, is relieved to have been shot by them.
None of this has anything to do with race, class or jealousy, or the way they are framed by the media. They accomplished this all by themselves, through their own direct actions and by repeatedly and consistently demonstrating that they are not very nice people.
While still in the royal fold, they were at least partially protected from their own stupidity (and greed). Left to their own devices, it has become one PR disaster after another.
It is not just their unerring disregard over the years for the feelings of their family at difficult and traumatic moments, such as the deaths of Prince Philip and the late Queen, whose final months were haunted by their selfish behavior, or the way they exacerbated the King and Prince William’s anguish at a time of great personal difficulty.
It’s also the scent of cockiness and general arrogance that follows them everywhere, from that director at Spotify who described them as ‘f****** fraudsters’ to the allegations of intimidation and bullying of young members of Kensington Palace staff.
And then, of course, there are all the millions of pounds – money that would take most people’s lifetimes to earn – wasted on legal battles against bogus claims against the Home Office and blameless journalists, many of whom have torn their lives and reputations apart to satisfy the egos of this meaningless bunch.
The truth is that wherever Harry and Meghan go, trouble is quick to follow. So you really can’t blame the King for wanting to set clear boundaries. No doubt he should have done this a long time ago – but as a father he probably could never have imagined the lengths and depths to which his youngest child would sink in his search for… what?
What exactly has been the point of the last six years? Revenge? Closure? Score points?
The Duke and Duchess’s stay abroad has been nothing but a lengthy and very expensive exercise in self-indulgence on all fronts. For all the blurry Instagram videos of the Duchess frolicking fragrantly in her garden, they’re clearly as dissatisfied as they ever were – or else why would they come back?
They will no doubt be treated like royalty by the obsequious school mums and Soho House sycophants they will surround themselves with in the Cotswolds.
But this isn’t La-La Land anymore, this is 21st century Britain, where people have very little time for spoiled brats like Harry. If he wants the keys to his father’s kingdom back, he and his wife better get in line.
