Queen Elizabeth II

[luckylexie]

I hope those reports are true because that’s awesome. She never explained and never complained (at least not publicly) about the Sussex shenanigans, but gave those two a smack down by refusing to be photographed with Lilibet. I understood that she didn’t want any professional phots that day, but I guess that included camera phone pics too given her bloodshot eye?

Anyway, seems like that Queen was not amused with those fools.

[carrier76]

What an odd flex to hope that’s true. I think that’s sad and petty if true.

[hellsbells]

Dec 3, 2022 17:27:13 GMT -4 luckylexie said:

I hope those reports are true because that’s awesome. She never explained and never complained (at least not publicly) about the Sussex shenanigans, but gave those two a smack down by refusing to be photographed with Lilibet. I understood that she didn’t want any professional phots that day, but I guess that included camera phone pics too given her bloodshot eye?

Anyway, seems like that Queen was not amused with those fools.

I'd like to turn this on it's head? Maybe her not taking a photo with Lilibet is a part of their whole dissatisfaction with the Royal Family? It's her Great Granddaughter. There has been a lot of criticism of Meg and Har taking the babies away from their family. Cousins/aunts/uncls/grands/great grands. But on the face of it, if the great grand isn't willing to take a photo with the baby, it would feel to them like they weren't a priority in the family.....

Meghan and Harry are a bit of a mess, for sure, but there are two sides alienated here, and I can see where decisions like this would make them feel unwelcome in the family.

[Ladybug]

If it were simply a family photo, I’d agree. But the Sussexes wanted the photo, and hired a professional photographer to tag along with them, for the purpose of using it in their branding. They wanted to have a “Lilibet meets Lilibet” PR moment.

[canuckcutie]

By the time they rolled up to BP to meet QEII with the children in tow, the tv series & book had been announced. Looking at the trailer, it’s clear they had a professional photographer / videographer trailing around with them behind the scenes. Royal staffers have stated they raised it as an issue that Harry & Meghan were doing unauthorized filming. Everything that H & M were doing at that point was to generate content for their show.

Unlike other photos with grand-kids or great-grand kids, which were likely happily taken by a parent, previous reports have indicated that H & M rolled up with a professional photographer in tow. I suspect their usual snapper Misan Harriman. Maybe if they’d made more of an effort to visit QEII during her last years they’d have had more opportunities to ask & her a photograph.

I think it’s sad that a woman in her mid 90’s who had recently lost her husband, had likely been dealing with a cancer diagnosis and multiple family dramas felt she had to be on guard with her grand-son and wife for fear they might exploit her.

[scarlett210]

Yes, exactly. Let's not act like this was a simple family photo. For the Sussexes, it's all about $$$.

[mrspickles]

Dec 4, 2022 9:16:16 GMT -4 Ladybug said:

If it were simply a family photo, I’d agree. But the Sussexes wanted the photo, and hired a professional photographer to tag along with them, for the purpose of using it in their branding. They wanted to have a “Lilibet meets Lilibet” PR moment.

Also interesting that they didn't really seem as intent on getting a photo of Her Majesty with Archie. Only her 'namesake,' and there was even drama behind the name, I believe.

It is foul to me to see H & M perpetually airing their grievances without ever once owning their own horrible actions. They have lied repeatedly, always to their own benefit. I don't blame any member of the RF for being on guard around them and I find it abusive that they would be expected to tolerate it and look the other way. Talk about emotional hostage taking.

[gremlin45]

Dec 4, 2022 10:52:03 GMT -4 scarlett210 said:

Yes, exactly. Let's not act like this was a simple family photo. For the Sussexes, it's all about $$$.

Precisely. It sounds like the Queen was just done with their shit, though I'm sure she'd have phrased much better than that, if she'd actually vocalised it at all.

She was dying, and she would have known it. And here's Harry and Meghan rocking up to the door. Not to see her. Not to say "I love you" or "this sucks" or "you've been an amazing part of my life and thank you for that", but to use her. To 'generate content' for their attacks on the the royal family and the future King.

She was Harry's grandmother. I'm fairly sure she loved him. I'm fairly sure she viewed the split between Charles/Harry and William/Harry with sadness. But she was also someone who put her duty to the crown before everything else. She wouldn't put her favourite son before her duty, so she sure as hell wouldn't have sat back and let herself get used for whatever shenanigans Harry and Meghan were planning.

[Ginger]

Jun 9, 2007 10:03:44 GMT -4 hellsbells said:

ut on the face of it, if the great grand isn't willing to take a photo with the baby, it would feel to them like they weren't a priority in the family.....

You can't divorce this incident from the 3-5 years of history that led up to it. At this point, the Queen had been burned at least a dozen times by Harry and Meghan taking private interactions with her (private meetings, phone calls, Zoom calls, waffle maker gifts) and running to tell the media in an attempt to demonstrate how much they were in her good graces.

By the time Harry and Meghan officially announced that the she had personally approved the name "Lilibet", the Queen finally made it known through a reputable source (the BBC) that she had done no such thing, and was fed up with them using her name in that way. The Queen felt it should be up to her to announce what she had and had not approved of, per the article. She basically said, "Harry and Meghan, keep my name out of your f---ing mouths."

By all accounts, the Queen was very happy to meet her great-granddaughter for the first time. She didn't use the bloodshot eye as an excuse not to see them, just as an excuse not to pose for professional photos taken by their photographer Chris Allerton for copyright owners Harry and Meghan to utilize as PR in their various multimedia deals. That's a whole other matter.

Interacting with Harry and Meghan as family members should not require anyone to submit to being publicly exploited, but I think that's the situation the whole family has been in with them for a while. With the Queen, they wanted her imprimatur. With Charles, William and Kate, they want more "receipts". I think it's difficult to justify blaming any of them for protecting themselves.

Once upon a time, everyone was sympathizing with Meghan because if she picked the phone to call her rogue father, it was very likely that he'd tell the media about it word for word, if not record the conversation. Meghan and Harry have had his family in the exact same position since at least 2019 at this point.

[tiggertoo]

You know what really pisses me off. Supposedly they want to champion green and climate change as one of their initiatives./causes. But they couldn’t hold back the Netflix promo and the other stuff to not clash with Earthshot. Even if they hate W&K, they couldn’t put that aside to give Earthshot and its ideas and champions the spotlight. So f’ing petty.