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A dramatic rift emerged in the Royal Family last night, a mere eight days into the Queen's Golden Jubilee year.
A new royal biography revealed a deep bitterness between the Queen and Prince Charles, her uncompromising attitude towards Camilla Parker Bowles and claims she viewed the late Princess of Wales as 'mad'.
Astonishingly, it emerged that the Queen considered the possibility of bypassing the Prince of Wales in the succession in favour of Prince William.
The extraordinary claim, which was published yesterday in a broadsheet newspaper, is certain to start a fresh round of in-fighting between courtiers at Buckingham Palace and St James's Palace, where the Prince has his office.
At the same time, a savage portrait emerged of the Queen as a failed mother, emotionally unable to provide direction for her children or even the necessary parental attention.
The biography, by the journalist Graham Turner, suggests such was her 'negligence', the Queen had 'arguably made the future of the monarchy less secure'.
Close friends of the Queen contacted by the Mail last night disputed her portrayal as remote and distant, insisting she was 'as natural as any mother'.
But it is the remarks about Charles that could reopen the row that has simmered between the Prince and his parents for the last four years.
He is upset that the claims have come from supposedly loyal courtiers of his mother's only weeks after he had promised a truce over her refusal to warm towards Mrs Parker Bowles.
'For the sake of the Jubilee he made it quite clear he would not rock the boat this year,' said a close friend last night.
'Now this happens.' In yesterday's extract Mr Turner claimed the Queen had been willing to 'contemplate alternatives' after Charles's divorce from Princess Diana, when royal popularity was at an all-time low.
He said that according to a senior adviser, a crisis point had arisen when it might be better if Charles 'were to retire to the country, marry Camilla and pass on the succession directly to Prince William'.
The unnamed courtier is said to have told the Queen who 'did not react violently against it and, indeed, appeared to wonder if it might not offer a possible solution'.
Yesterday Prince Charles refused to read the claims and went hunting in Derbyshire after ordering his office to remain silent on the matter.
According to friends, he views this latest biography as pathetic'.
'He doesn't care what is said about himself, but he minds terribly when unkind comments are made about Camilla,' one said. In yesterday's extract, the Queen was quoted as saying of Mrs Parker Bowles that 'she does look rather used'.
According to the newspaper, Mr Turner was granted interviews with 80 of the Queen's friends, courtiers, clerics and relatives. The resulting picture of her was of a 'less than adequate' royal mother.
Last night, however, Lady Abel Smith, one of the Queen's former ladies in waiting, told the Mail: 'She used to love playing with her children whenever she could. She would ride with them, play tennis and go on wonderful picnics.
'Of course she was extremely busy but when with the children, she was naturally like any mother.'
It was only a matter of time before Prince Harry was asked directly about his relationship with Suits actress Meghan Markle, which seems to be getting increasingly serious. Markle has shut down her lifestyle Web site, and is ending some of her business partnerships, and generally appears to be positioning herself for a full-fledged transition into the royal lifestyle. That she is reportedly going to be attending Pippa Middleton’s wedding is yet another sign, as was a recent report that she can now waltz through the gates at Kensington Palace.
Harry—in an interview about the work he's been doing as an advocate for mental-health awareness—was asked recently by a Sky News reporter whether he was “happier” now that he is dating Markle: “You seem in a really good place at the moment, you seem very focused on what you want to do, but you also seem to be very happy. Is that partly to do with having a lady in your life?
Harry handled the query skillfully: “I think, I think the point that we've learned over this campaign is that if you talk, if you're able and comfortable enough to be able to talk about certain issues, certain experiences, then you come out of it a far better person.”
Undeterred, the reporter followed up: “But you're in a good place at the moment?”
Did Harry relent at this point and show photos of him and Markle at the theater, share his favorite post from the Tig, divulge a minute-by-minute account of what happened the first time Markle met Prince William and Kate Middleton?
No, alas! He replied instead: “Yeah, of course, I'm in a good place. We're all in a good place and we want the U.K. to be in a good place as well.
Prince Harryhas been fervently speaking out about mental health this week, even revealing that hesought counselling following the deathof his motherDiana, Princess of Wales. The Prince has been spilling his thoughts for his Heads Together mental health campaign, but when it comes to answering questions about his love life, Harry is keeping his cards close to his chest.
When asked by Sky News' Rhiannon Mills whether he was feeling "happier" now that he had a certain lady in his life, Harry tactfully dodged the question about his girlfriend Meghan Markle, bringing the interview back to his mental health campaign. "You seem in a really good place at the moment, you seem very focused on what you want to do, but you also seem to be very happy. Is that partly to do with having a lady in your life?" asked Rhiannon.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been dating since the summer
"I think, I think the point that we've learnt over this campaign is that if you talk, if you're able and comfortable enough to be able to talk about certain issues, certain experiences, then you come out of it a far better person," replied Harry. "But you're in a good place at the moment?" asked Rhiannon. "Yeah, of course, I'm in a good place, we're all in a good place and we want the UK to be in a good place as well," said Harry.
The Prince and his girlfriend Meghan, star of American TV show Suits, have been dating since the summer and their transatlantic relationship has gone from strength to strength. The pair make every effort to see each other regularly, with Harry, 32, flying out to Toronto last week to see his girlfriend. In the past month, Meghan has shut down her lifestyle blogThe Tig and ended her role as ambassador to Canadian clothing company Reitmans – signs that she is preparing for a future with her Prince.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry May Be Getting Engaged Any Day Now
Well, well, well. Ever sinceMeghan Markleannounced that she wasshutting downher lifestyle blog, The Tig, the world (O.K., not necessarily theentireworld, but a whole lot of us) has been waiting expectantly for an engagement announcement for Markle and her boyfriend,Prince Harry. When Harry was spotted visiting Markle in Toronto afew days before Easter, you could practically hear the British tabloid editors taking a deep breath.
Over the weekend, there were two further developments that seem to indicate that Harry and Markle might be making things official very, very soon. First, Markle has reportedly cut ties with the Canadian clothing brand Reitmans, for which she has modeled and designed two collections, which, again, could perhaps be seen as a sign that she is trying to get her affairs in order before a potential move to London.
And then, on Monday, multiple outlets reported that Markle will be attendingPippa Middleton’s wedding on May 20 with Harry. However, there is a minor wrinkle. Due to stringent royal protocols, Markle will not be allowed to attend the actual ceremony, which will be held at St. Mark’s Church, as she is not yet engaged or married to Harry. (Though they have a few weeks to change that, we suppose! Can you imagine a surprise quickie Harry-Markle wedding? The Queen might actually throw an entire tea set through a window.) Markle will reportedly be allowed to attend the reception, in the evening, though, which is not under the same rules. Hello magazine said that Markle has asked for a week off of work from filming Suits, from May 15 to 22, in order to attend the wedding. (When reached, the palace had no comment, and a source told Vanity Fair that Suits is on hiatus that week.)
Oh, and on top of all of this, as if it were not enough Meghan-and-Harry-related excitement to work through, Harry said in an interview with the Telegraph, released over the weekend, “I, of course, I would love to have kids.”
The question now is really just whether they will get engaged before or after Pippa’s wedding. Or, if they do get engaged before, will they wait to announce until after the wedding so as to not in any way steal her thunder? And then the other equally as pressing question is: Will we get any sleep until they’re actually engaged, knowing any morning we could wake up and that wil)l be the morning? (All of this seems totally normal, non-obsessive behavior, right?
Tuesday, April 18, 2017
FIRST COMES MARRIAGE
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry May Be Getting Engaged Any Day Now
Markle is going to be attending Pippa Middleton’s wedding, with a caveat.
Left, by Samir Hussein/WireImage; right, David Crotty/PatrickMcMullen.com
Well, well, well. Ever since Meghan Markle announced that she was shutting down her lifestyle blog, The Tig, the world (O.K., not necessarily the entire world, but a whole lot of us) has been waiting expectantly for an engagement announcement for Markle and her boyfriend, Prince Harry. When Harry was spotted visiting Markle in Toronto a few days before Easter, you could practically hear the British tabloid editors taking a deep breath
Over the weekend, there were two further developments that seem to indicate that Harry and Markle might be making things official very, very soon. First, Markle has reportedly cut ties with the Canadian clothing brand Reitmans, for which she has modeled and designed two collections, which, again, could perhaps be seen as a sign that she is trying to get her affairs in order before a potential move to London.
And then, on Monday, multiple outlets reported that Markle will be attendingPippa Middleton’s wedding on May 20 with Harry. However, there is a minor wrinkle. Due to stringent royal protocols, Markle will not be allowed to attend the actual ceremony, which will be held at St. Mark’s Church, as she is not yet engaged or married to Harry. (Though they have a few weeks to change that, we suppose! Can you imagine a surprise quickie Harry-Markle wedding? The Queen might actually throw an entire tea set through a window.) Markle will reportedly be allowed to attend the reception, in the evening, though, which is not under the same rules. Hello magazine said that Markle has asked for a week off of work from filming Suits, from May 15 to 22, in order to attend the wedding. (When reached, the palace had no comment, and a source told Vanity Fair that Suits is on hiatus that week.)
Oh, and on top of all of this, as if it were not enough Meghan-and-Harry-related excitement to work through, Harry said in an interview with the Telegraph, released over the weekend, “I, of course, I would love to have kids.”
The question now is really just whether they will get engaged before or after Pippa’s wedding. Or, if they do get engaged before, will they wait to announce until after the wedding so as to not in any way steal her thunder? And then the other equally as pressing question is: Will we get any sleep until they’re actually engaged, knowing any morning we could wake up and that will be the morning? (All of this seems totally normal, non-obsessive behavior, right?)
Princess Diana, left, sits next to her younger son Prince Harry during V-J Day celebrations in London in 1995
Harry revealed he turned to therapy after coming “close to a complete breakdown” over the loss.
And he told how he turned to boxing as a means of safely taking out his aggression and frustration.
The Prince — who insists he is now in a “good place” — spoke out in an interview with The Daily Telegraph.
Giving an account of conquering his demons, Harry told mental health journalist Bryony Gordon: “I can safely say that losing my mum at the age of 12, and therefore shutting down all of my emotions for the last 20 years, has had a quite serious effect on not only my personal life but my work as well.
He said he was close to a ‘complete breakdown on numerous occasions’
“I have probably been very close to a complete breakdown on numerous occasions when all sorts of grief and all sorts of lies and misconceptions and everything are coming to you from every angle.”
Prince Harry said: “I can safely say that losing my mum at the age of 12, and therefore shutting down all of my emotions for the last 20 years, has had a quite serious effect on not only my personal life but my work as well.
Harry added: “My way of dealing with it was sticking my head in the sand, refusing to ever think about my mum, because why would that help? “(I thought) it’s only going to make you sad, it’s not going to bring her back.
“So from an emotional side, I was like ‘right, don’t ever let your emotions be part of anything’.
“So I was a typical 20, 25, 28-year-old running around going ‘life is great’, or ‘life is fine’ and that was exactly it.”
Prince Harry lost his mother when he was just 12-years-old
He insisted he was lucky it was “only two years” before he discovered talking through his problems could save him.
He said: “During those years I took up boxing, because everyone was saying boxing is good for you and it’s a really good way of letting out aggression.
“And that really saved me because I was on the verge of punching someone, so being able to punch someone who had pads was certainly easier.”
Asked if he had ever seen a “shrink”, he said: “I’ve done that a couple of times, more than a couple of times, but it’s great.”
Diana, Princess of Wales with her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, at the piano in Kensington Palace
Prince Harry insisted his emotional problems were not a product of war — despite seeing combat in Afghanistan.
But he credited his recovery in part to his work with wounded and sick ex- servicemen at the personnel recovery unit, where he learned the value of talking.
He is now determined to help save others.
Harry said: “I know there is huge merit in talking about your issues and the only thing about keeping it quiet is that it’s only ever going to make it worse.”
He added: “It doesn’t matter whether you are a prince or a mother or a CEO of a company or a white van driver or a kid.
A young Prince Harry, with brother William and mother Diana
“It doesn’t matter who you are, mental health, mental fitness, relates to every single one of us and there’s only positives that come out of having a conversation and talking about it.”
Prince Harry has hinted before that he spent years blocking out the emotion of Diana's death.
But this is the first time he has said he sought professional help.
The revelation will be seen as a major boost for those suffering with mental health problems but too scared of the stigma to either talk to friends and family or a counsellor.
