Meghan for President??!!

Well, I thought Harry sounded confident, sincere and self-assured. Obviously, that doesn't fit the well worn story that he is merely a puppet to Meghan's puppet master.

I agreed with his views re empire but, as Claire Fox of the Institute of Ideas said on Sky last night, I would be more persuaded by Harry and Meghan's argument if they recognised that the royal family is the epitome of privilege. I'm not actually a fan of CF but on this particular issue I agree with her. Furthermore, the empire was very much a product of our monarchical system and the royal family championed it and benefited enormously from it. Queen Victoria was very much the symbol of the British empire.

From that perspective, I think he should at least have referred to that symbiotic relationship, rather than seeming to pass the responsibility for the formation and continuance of the empire to the British public.

Having said that, I don't think Harry and Meghan deserve the unrelenting bashing they get about absolutely everything they do and say.

Anniebach

Good grief can she talk, she doesn’t pause for breath , he is so
out of his depth

Why shouldn’t she talk ? Should she just sit and simper respectfully as her husband talks ?

CleoPanda

Good for Meghan.
Is this a celebrity bashing thread? Good job I don’t know the names of any.

Meghan is always good for a bashing on GN

From today’s DT, Harry Mount writing about H&M’s Commonwealth Trust comments.

But then along come Harry and Meghan, zooming from their Los Angeles megamansion to young leaders from the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust. They spouted the universal modern message that undermines so many great institutions – one that shrieks, “We are all guilty.” The Commonwealth, said the Sussexes, “must acknowledge the past” even if it is “uncomfortable”, as they discussed historical injustice, unconscious bias and racism highlighted by the Black Lives Matter movement.
There is a problem with Prince Harry speaking out like this. He has rejected his official royal status – although his HRH title is still there, in abeyance, waiting to be switched on to full-beam if he wants. And so he is free to say what he wants about politics and the Royal family. But, still, he is only granted the position to speak out because of his former royal status So he is having his cake and eating it :taking advantage of his former royal position and his current über-celeb berth to bite the hand that still feeds him – quite literally, as it is Prince Charles, the next Head of the Commonwealth, who has subsidised the Sussexes.
You can see the temptation to speak out. Prince Harry must be going spare, rattling around his LA mansion, with no official duties to carry out, deprived of the opportunity to use his God-given ability to sympathise with those suffering in these Covid-struck times.
As lockdown ends, I’m sure he will revive that ability – most admirably seen when he set up the Invictus Games. But, until then, he should cut back on the bleeding-heart, We-Are-All-Guilty Zooming. And give his poor 94-year-old granny a break.

I agree with every word of that, Maw. Harry is confusing Commonwealth with Empire. There are currently 54 members of the Commonwealth. It's post imperial and no country is forced to belong.

He would do well to reflect on the Commonwealth's achievements rather than hinting that it is responsible for so many past problems.

How disloyal and hypocritical he is turning out to be.

I also agree with Allison Pearson (same Tory rag ) when she says (much better than I could)
Meghan and Harry are always calling for more “awareness”, a quality the couple seems to sorely lack. Even a whit of self-knowledge might have suggested the following :

a) Possibly not a good idea to weigh in on white privilege when you are His Royal Highness Henry Charles Albert David, the Duke of Sussex, The Earl of Dumbarton and Baron Kilkeel and have benefited from unearned privilege since the day you were born. Basically, your ancestors have been oppressing people since the Norman Conquest. Say nothing.

b) You were supposedly thinking of living in Africa to do some good for your causes. Instead, you ended up in an $18 million (£14 million) mansion on the Beverly Ridge Estates in Los Angeles. It is quite a diverse community, with a lot of non-white people watering the gardens and cleaning the pools.

c) This makes you look spoilt and vacuous and is not the ideal base from which to lecture others on equality and social progress. Oh, and doing all your Zoom calls in front of a plain adobe wall is fooling no one.

d) On your marriage, HM thoughtfully made you president and vice-president of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust youth organisation. Perhaps consider how a 94-year-old might feel before publicly criticising one of her life’s proudest legacies.

e) That bit about wanting a quieter life and not seeking the attention of the dreadful, intrusive media? Still a good plan

When Harry and Chelsey Davey were very much an item he was quoted as saying he couldn't wait to move out of the UK and would love to live in Africa. When that relationship ended he seemed quite happy to embrace his British roots once more. His next girlfriend being English might have had something to do with it.

Having given Canada a brief try out he's now he's in LA with his American wife.

I don't think he's ever going to be satisfied with his lot and will soon tire of somebody else pulling his strings.

Brilliant MawB ... I love the Allison Pearson article you've quoted. Thanks for sharing.

I think that Allison Pearson has hit the nail on the head. How embarrassing for him though that despite having been Commonwealth Youth Ambassador he doesn’t know the difference between the Commonwealth and the British Empire. Shameful.

I really think that he has been managed by the BP publicity machine very effectively for years and it’s only now he’s stepped outside this that we can see how truly unintelligent and entitled he really is.

Harry is actually 6th in line for the throne, not 4th. I'd prefer to vote for Kanye West than Meghan!

Whoever it was came up with the nickname, Harryward the Woke was spot on.

The man’s an idiot, the Commonwealth is so important to his
Grandmother and his father.

He makes videos about sorting the worlds problems, his brother speaks to health workers, to young men about mental
health illnesses, to teachers, to small businesses.

Maw
Brilliant posts. Hear, hear.

Meghan for President, well you never know, the Americans elected Trump.

I’ve never noticed Meghan’s ‘race’. She has a lovely skin colour, unlike Donald who’s just orange! I often think the people in high places are not fit to be there, but someone has to do it. I can’t see why it would matter a jot now after Trump. He’s shown that these jobs really can be taken by anyone at all, no qualifications necessary.

Toad You say "I've never noticed Meghan's 'race' .....
and I agree with you. Neither have I.

When I said a few weeks ago that I don't pay attention to anyone's skin colour, I was "shouted down" on GN and called a racist!!! In actual fact, the person was implying I was a liar. Hope you don't get the same treatment.

I too was jumped on by suggesting that Meghan always looks good in photographs and 'wears it well' in terms of fashion thanks to her skin tone.

You didn't have to dig around much to realise it was a compliment but some refused to see it that way.

I would hate, should I live to be 94, to think that anyone regarded me as a "poor old granny", or that my children and grandchildren wouldn't tell me or explain things to me if they thought that I had some ideas which were out of date, or held opinions they wanted to challenge.

Your are not ‘head of the commonwealth’ trisher so haven’t
appointed your grandson a role within the Commonwealth.

Wouldn't you be a bit upset if your grandson announced to the world that he thought your views were out of date, trisher

The video was about the Commonwealth itself of which he seems to have very little knowledge despite being made president of the Commonwealth Trust youth organisation.

It was not about the Queen's views or opinions but would have hurt her because the Commonwealth is something she cares about.

Why would I be merlotgran? he's entitled to his opinion. In fact I hope he grows up to be independent and outspoken.

Harry isn’t Independant

It always amazes me that with so many good and clever people in the USA they can’t come up with better candidates for president. Megan and Harry are, I’m sure, lovely people but they are not what America needs right now. Right now America needs another Obama - male or female, to get them out of the mess they’re in and put them back on track to be a positive example to the rest of the world.

He's already grown up, trisher

Although I do wonder sometimes.

You asked me about my grandson merlotgran and I replied as such.

Sorry, trisher. Wasn't thinking straight.