Thursday 14 November 2019

A Special Birthday Message For Prince Charles

Good morning! I'm popping in very briefly to share a gorgeous new photo posted on Sussex Royal to mark Prince Charles' 71st birthday. The previously unseen image of three generations - Charles, Harry and Archie - was taken at Windsor on the day of Archie's christening.


The caption read:

'Happy birthday to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales - Sir, Pa, Grandpa!'

It's a treat to see another photo from the christening. As always Chris Allerton did a splendid job of capturing a great moment. There's also historical value to images like this, when Charles is King they will be archived and seen for generations to come. There's always been a genuine warmth between Charles and Meghan, he is said to be very fond of his daughter-in-law and it's a highlight to see them interacting during engagements.


Charles is currently on tour in India and after several engagements will spend the day privately with Camilla. Wishing the Prince of Wales a very Happy Birthday!


Following yesterday's announcement the Sussexes will spend Christmas with Doria during their break until the New Year, the Daily Express reports the Queen "regularly" visits Harry and Meghan at Frogmore Cottage. It's within such close proximity of Windsor Castle, she is said to pop in for chats and tea with some frequency. Buckingham Palace aides told reporters last night the Queen sees a lot of them which is why they didn't go to Scotland over the summer. There's been, and will continue to be, ridiculous media coverage surrounding their decision, but suggestions they never see the monarch or are somehow "snubbing" the family are wide off the mark. By all accounts, there's a firm realisation within the family that Harry and Meghan desperately need this time away. I should also stress there is no confirmation on where they will spend the break. It's thought they will divide their time between the UK and US.

44 comments:

  1. Happy birthday 🎂 Prince Pappy Charles and happy holidays to Sussexes😍. Love you ❤

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  2. I saw the story in The Daily Fail and I'm baffled as to why this would be seen as a "betrayal." Don't William and Kate spend Christmas with her family sometimes? Good grief, the double standard is so obvious.

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    1. As a reader pointed out yesterday, there was a huge scandal when W&K did not spend Christmas with the RF, even among posters of Charlotte’s Kate’s blog.

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    2. They've done it several times - in fact it's been almost every other year, I think - and have also spent time away from the family at their other home in Norfolk. It is a stupid double standard.

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    3. Kate got flack for it too. There were negative stories about the Cambridges spending Christmas with the Middletons.

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    4. When William and Kate decided to spend Christmas 2016 with the Middletons there was also lots and lots of criticism. The narrative was slightly different because their circumstances was different. The focus wasn’t on any feud but more on them being reluctant/lazy royals who prefer the Middletons to their royal family members. Some even went as far as suggesting that W&K kept George and Charlotte away from Charles on purpose.
      So while I agree that the whole snub and betrayal nonsense are completely over the top, I don’t believe the double standard accusation is accurate.

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    5. They have done it twice, in 2012 and 2016. Not almost every other year

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    6. I may not know all that's involved, but it seems like "home" or with Kate's parents would be a cosier place for kids to wake up Christmas morning. Now there are Kate's three and Pippa's one. There may be more later, and it seems like they would all prefer a Middleton morning. I think it's very beneficial to attend a gathering of all the RF later, and perhaps missing the walk is OK. I don't even know if Anne/Zara participate in the walk because the photos are mostly of Kate and now Meghan. I just have to accept the fact that probably 99% of the communication between RF members is done via a method that leaves me out, so there likely is no snubbing.

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    7. The Cambridges have the advantage of the entire family living close enough, and their own home at Anmer, so they can please both sides of the family. Christmas morning at home, church and luncheon with the Queen. That’s just not possible when home is 6000 miles away. Perhaps one day Doria will feel comfortable staying in the UK for Christmas. Didn’t it take a few years for the Middletons to be invited to church? Glad HM directed publication of those comments about how much time she spends informally with the Sussexes. They surely need a break from the hateful barrage from British media.

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    8. I think that the Middletons spend many a Christmas with the Cambridges, at Anmer or at the Middleton’s home.

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  3. That is a wonderful photo! I love to see Charles with his grandchildren -- the photo from last year made it apparent how comfortable Kate's children are with him. There are double standards (Meghan is always shocking the Queen and Kate is always just looking lovely) and there are the basic misleading lies (The Queen made Meghan stand on a balcony by herself -- oh, and with Sophie and Anne's husband). Even the logic escapes me -- the Queen adores Sophie, but she was on a different balcony. The Queen loves Zara but she never appears. Seems like people who have grown up with the RF would know the drill.

    On a positive note, publishing that the Queen pops in for tea is anice offset to the stories of H&M snubbing the family. Wonder if the new PR person is doing some good.

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  4. Touching picture of Harry and son with Prince Charles. Archie is such a beautiful baby. I always love the b/w photos of Harry and Meghan which started, I believe, with their engagement set. I think b/w photos particularly do justice to Meghan's beautiful face. Because of what can be done with light and shadow in b/w, they clearly show her beautiful bone structure.

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  5. Happy birthday Prince Charles!

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  6. Nicole from france14 November 2019 at 18:29

    Happy birthday to Prince Charles !!!

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  7. There is an article on daily mail which towards the end concluded the folloowing. I had to laugh, not at the couple, but the speculation of the author/s.

    By MARTIN ROBINSON CHIEF REPORTER FOR MAILONLINE and RUTH STYLES FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and REBECCA ENGLISH ROYAL CORRESPONDENT FOR THE DAILY MAIL and AMIE GORDON FOR MAILONLINE

    " The location of the Sussexes' Christmas is a closely guarded secret but their new home Frogmore Cottage, nestled away from prying eyes in the grounds of Windsor Castle, is a possible destination."

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7686111/Queens-former-spokesman-says-Harry-heal-rift-brother-William.html


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  8. I wish they would do a few engagements together and just end the speculation. It would take more than one though. Maybe a few combinations. All 4, the men, the women and a crossover with William/Meghan, Harry/Catherine. If they are all getting along it would be fun... Even if they are all fighting they could fake it for a few hours and then hopefully be able to go their separate ways without every move being dissected and analysed as evidence....erininnyc

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    1. I was thinking on Monday when W&K attended the Shout! Conference that it would have been a perfect opportunity for a Kate & Meghan collaboration.

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    2. Sadly, I think there’s too much palace intrigue here in an effort to win the people’s polling for that to happen. Palace whisperers are jockeying for position of power. There’s no doubt as to the line of succession. But I’ve note of late there has been a strong push in the media, especially on social media, to skip Charles for the younger gen.

      It’s a real problem for the general public on social media because there are literally billions of fake accounts out there. Facebook alone had to cull out 4 BILLION fake accounts! For $25, you can buy 50 FB accounts. Twitter and Instagram all have millions of fakes. The bots are beneficial. They drive up the number of comments on the Daily Mail about Meghan and Kate into the 1-5K number, but garner just a few 100 comments for recent Prince Andrew’s interview. The same is happening in matters of far greater importance such as Brexit and America’s fractured democracy.

      In this brave new world, public opinions are easily manipulated. Instead of caveat emptor- buyer beware, it’s reader beware.

      - Martine

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  9. HBD Charles! Such a sweet pic! -op

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  10. "They'll be out there having fun, in the warm California sun."

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  11. great shot! HAPPY BDAY PRINCE CHARLES!

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  12. It might just be me but I found the articles in today’s newspapers about Harry taking Archie to playgroup a lot more upsetting than the hyperbolic Christmas feud articles.
    Don’t get me wrong, it is not the fact that Harry took Archie to playgroup that upset me, but it is such an intrusion of their privacy even though it was painting them in a positive light. The article doesn’t say who their sources are but I hate to think that it was either leaked or somebody at the playgroup “sold” the information to the newspapers. If I was Harry and Meghan I would get my lawyers to nip these kind of articles in the but ASAP. Archie does not deserve to have his every move (or crawl) desected or reported on.

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    1. RachelZA -- I agree with you but feel guilty. I enjoyed reading that Harry was crawling around but no one should have their off-work activities repeated. He should feel free to do anything he wishes without it being reported, where it will be judged. Likewise, I wish Kate and her kids could have mingled in the store looking at Halloween stuff without it being reported. If I saw them, I would not take a photo and I think I would see how human they are like everyone else and probably not even stare at that point.

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    2. If I remember correctly, Meghan talked during an engagement about Archie going to a playgroup so I don’t think it’s difficult for journalists to investigate where they go. It’s the same privacy invasion as when we knew some months ago that Kate took her children to a spa swimming pool or to a tennis club.

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  13. Anne-Sophie de Paris17 November 2019 at 17:47

    Allison
    Quoi qu'il en soit les Sussex ne seront jamais des personnes lambdas comme nous.
    Je pense que ce qui est plus difficile pour le couple est tout ce que les tabloïds racontent sans aucune véracité sur eux .
    Harry a toujours attiré l'attention des médias et je reste malheureusement persuadée que l'intérêt porté à Archie sera pire que celui porté sur son père .
    Pour une nouvelle agréable, le Prince Harry a été nommé le papa le plus Sexy de 2019.

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  14. I just want to share one of the best analyses of the Windsors’ life in the fishbowl and their relationship with palace insiders, government handlers, the press, the people and each other. Catherine Mayer writes about how royal privileges and blind spots are cultivated and are often abetted by the press, government and palace handlers.

    This, for me, is where the Windsors need to evolve and modernize if they are going to remain relevant. The same goes for those in their spheres.

    https://twitter.com/catherine_mayer/status/1195617535166681089

    - Martine



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  15. Anne-Sophie, I didn't know about Harry's new honor! That's pretty cute! I suspect that
    Archie will be badgered, and so might a sibling. The only chance is if the media decides to pester Kate's kids instead, which is not a good outcome either. It's so unfair -- Anne's grandchildren are rarely mentioned, and even Edward's children are not pestered.

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  16. This is a great picture, happy belated birthday to Prince Charles. Lovely to see the three of them together. Charlotte, I believe you are right, I get the same feeling of warm relaxed between Charles and Megan. Every photo where the two of them are interacting seems to me there’s a good vibe and honestly heartfelt smiles.

    As to the disproportionate reaction to the Sussexes going to (potentially) spend Christmas with Doris and Megan’s family, I am not surprised. There were some comments for sure when Kate and William decided to go to the Middletons in 2012, but nowhere close to the same level of unjustified, meaningless and unfair wording. I will say this treatment from British press makes them (oddly perhaps) more popular outside the UK. There have been nice, warm and very friendly reactions in body Us and Canada. Many comments on how people would welcome them with open arms. Unlikely as that scenario is, it’s nice to see that the world knows better than to bother with the Pierce Morgans and his acolytes.

    On an unrelated note, speaking of Prince Charles, I was happy to see that Camilla is well enough to join him in New Zealand. Any I hope that her Majesty cancelling an engagement recently has nothing to do with her health.

    Liv

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    1. Anne-Sophie de Paris20 November 2019 at 10:00

      Effectivement j'ai vu leurs images ,ils sont très bien accueillis mais je les ai trouvés très bien fatigués.Deja que Camilla ne supporte pas l'avion
      Dommage que leur voyage soit occulté par l'interview du prince Andrew.
      Ils ne méritent pas cela.
      J'ai été choquée par Mme Abiker une experte royale qui mettait les Sussex et le prince Andrew dans le même panier en conseillant de" les isoler" de la firme .
      Dire qu'"on est harcelé par les tabloïds et qu'on se sent seul " comme l'ont fait les Sussex est--ce un crime égal à la la fréquentation et un interview aussi calamiteux que celui d'Andrew même s'il a le bénéfice du doûte ?. Ma peur est qu'à force de titiller Harry, qu'il ne finisse pas par prendre femme et enfant et s'éloigner de la monarchie britannique pour de bon.
      La Monarchie qu'elle soit conduite par le prince Charles ou les Cambridge aura besoin des Sussex.
      Les Sussex arrivent à capter des gens dans ce monde que nul couple même pas Diana - Charles n'avait réalisé auparavant.
      Plus les Sussex seront mis aux bans des accusés plus leur coté de popularité augmentera .
      Ils sont mondialement connus et leurs actions sont saluées.
      La Monarchie a besoin de tous ses enfants:
      Les futurs monarques et le 6eme prétendant au trône en attendant que les enfants Cambridge grandissent pour prendre le relais.

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  17. Hi Charlotte,
    I’m sure you have something great planned for the blog during Meghan’s break. Would you consider doing a “Meghan Loves” article similar to what you’ve done on your other blog? Thanks for your thorough and trustworthy coverage! :)

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    1. I received a number of requests after Archie was born for posts during Meghan's maternity leave, so I'm very much hoping to dig into them in the weeks ahead :)

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  18. I, like many here, wish the four would find peace and carve out mutually beneficial roles together. I think during times of crises and divisions, people crave that unity- a place where people with striking differences can still co-exist, work together and care for one another to do good.

    I have no idea why that can’t happened. I know in the real world, especially one so cocooned, steeped (some might say stuck) in tradition with formal hierarchy, there’s bound to be personal jealousy and resentment and turf warfare. I don’t doubt there are Iagos jockeying into position of power and influence. It’s a family business with office politics. But that’s what team work is about. There’s no better place to put meaning into all that glorious speeches about kindness, fair play, unity, and caring than personal demonstration.

    Regardless, if the four Windsors are smart and work to form a united front (they don’t need to be attached at the hip), they can take advantage of that strength to advance the cause of the monarchy. I like to think there is enough brotherly love there to transcend their conflicts.

    I think the common people need a bit of peace here and would be happy to see these four find their way there.

    - Martine

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    1. Anne-Sophie de Paris20 November 2019 at 10:07

      Je partage entièrement vos voeux Martine.
      Comme vous dites dans une entreprise très hiérarchisée qu'est la monarchie, les royal's eux mêmes ne contrôlent pas tout.
      Ils sont souvent eux mêmes des victimes des "hommes en gris" qui se battent pour leur propre influence
      Hélas!

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    2. Trop “d'hommes en gris”, Anne-Sophie.
      Nous avons besoin de plus de femmes en blanc :)

      - Martine

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    3. Anne-Sophie de Paris22 November 2019 at 21:11

      Vous avez entièrement raison ( rires ) Martine malheureusement ce n'est pas pour demain.
      L'égalité homme et femme n'est pas d'actualité.
      La femme doit rester dans "l'ombre "de l'homme dans les monarchies et surtout au Royaume-Uni C'est pour cela aussi que Meghan dénote . Ne voyez là aucune critique de ma part.

      Juste un constat.

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    4. Anne-Sophie, After Queen Elizabeth, there will be (presumably) King Charles, King william, King George ... the only hope for another queen would be if George has a daughter first. Or if he chooses to let Charlotte be queen. :)

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    5. I agree Anne-Sophie.

      For me, I salute the queen for making recent changes to the succession rule. Unfortunately, if you look at the British aristocracy, this class is stuck in time as its primogeniture rule still applies only to males. Part of the problem is that the British class system is alive and kicking. One just have to look at the small number of people who attends its private schools (about 6% of the population) and the fact that this group makes up over 60% of UK’s judges, 59% of top civil servants, and 52% of top diplomatic corp. This insular and privilege system sustains the good old boy network and is a major reason why the monarchy has the Prince Andrew problem. Charles and Diana were about a marriage breakdown in plain view. Andrew is in a special case here. Far more grave and troubling are those who helped, intentionally or not, to sustain or hide these actions and are part of the systemic problem.

      https://edition.cnn.com/2019/11/22/uk/accents-fiona-hill-uk-intl-gbr/index.html

      The whole system appears so arcane for many people living in democratically developed world (which is probably why we are so fascinated). I’m in constant dilemma regarding the monarchy. The queen is popular in Canada with some caveats. I question why must royal do these constant walk about? (LOL, I answered my own question because it makes me happy to see them out and about.) Often they visit the same places and meet the same organizations. I think it’s about the optics of keeping the monarchy relevant globally and in the media, and promoting their ties with the Commonwealth.

      But these are changing times with 24 hr news and social media. In order to relate and be relevant, it isn’t enough to have big tours, cut ribbons, give medals and speeches, and weave the occasional local shopping trips or favor low cost outfits. It must be about the royals themselves. It’s their personal actions and how they treat one another that speaks far more about their values, sense of fairness, personal responsibility, their ability to share duties and work through difficulties as a team within such a strict hierarchy.

      These royals are under constant scrutiny and yet it’s the irrelevant (often fabricated) aspects of their lives which are picked apart and highlighted by the press. I call it deliberate obfuscation. Misinformation at work by focusing on particular royals. It’s done to keep the magic alive by elevating some. Other times, it’s done to keep things under wrapped by misdirecting the press to chase another royal target instead. Whatever the reasons, this dooms the monarchy by protecting situations that need real fixing. It leaves many royal members (particularly the ones not directly in line to the throne) floundering, looking for something to give purpose to their life within the royal narrow confine of what’s acceptable.

      This inflexible system often leaves the royals vulnerable to those who will use them for their namesake and can make them arrogant and clueless about their personal behaviors. Internal accountability and checks and balances are much needed here. I hope one day, we may see the latest generation embarking on more mundane careers in medicine, government service, teaching, chefs, writing, engineering and so forth.

      - Martine

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    6. Anne-Sophie de Paris25 November 2019 at 08:22

      Allison
      Vous m'avez mal comprise. Les " hommes en gris " sont les conseillers de l'ombre qui gravitent autour de la Reine.
      Ils exercent une influence sans partage.
      C'est d'eux que je parle.
      Je ne sais plus si je l'ai dit
      Meghan est nommée la première influenceuse 2019 et première chrz les royales.

      Je lui présente mes félicitations.

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    7. Sorry, Anne-Sophie -- sometimes I get an idea in my head and run with it. :)

      I do agree with what you said, which leads me to another thought. So much of this fake news comes from "palace insiders" or "palace aides" and it is usually clear that if anyone said such a thing, the purpose would be to hurt the subject about whom they are speaking. I wonder if there are palace negative leaks and if anyone tried to find the culprit and boot them from their job.

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    8. Anne-Sophie de Paris26 November 2019 at 21:24

      Allison
      C'est difficile de savoir ce qui se joue au palais.
      Les désagréments de Meghan ont commencé dès leur retour de la tournée royale d'Océanie.
      Des "fuites soit disant des proches collaborateurs" ont commencé.
      Personne n' a tiré la sonnette d'alarme. Pourquoi tout cela ?
      je n'en sais rien.
      Presque deux semaines après la sortie officielle de Meghan, des histoires sortent toutes les minutes sur elle sur les réseaux sociaux à tort ou à raison.
      Pourquoi cet intérêt malsain ?
      Dernière en datec: "elle annoncerait sa prochaine grossesse en février pour pourrir le mariage de Béatrice..comme elle l'aurait fait lors du mariage d'Eugenie.
      Jusqu'ici aucune date n'est fixée par Béatrice pour son mariage. Tout est supposition.
      Tout porte à croire qu'on veut la faire passer pour une méchante femme qui veut toujours être le centre d'intérêt.
      Absurde tout cela.
      C'est usant à la fin.

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  19. Lovely of the Sussexes to share this beautiful photo. Archie was such a beautiful infant, and seems to be such an engaging baby. It is good to see that perhaps the British royal family is acknowledging that there are generally two sides to every family, and like all other families, holidays should be shared. Luckily for William and Kate, they have Anmer Hall, and so can entertain Kate's family and still be at Sandringham, except perhaps the years when they go to the Middletons. It was very sad to think of Doria spending Christmas without her only child and without her own parents or spouse, so it is wonderful to think that she will get to spend Christmas with her daughter and grandson. It's clear that William and Harry are on different paths- I think that William's work in the future will include much more of a diplomatic element, as a future head of state, and Harry and Meghan will continue to focus on charity and issues. It seems like an inevitable and proper division of work. It seems to me that people want to see all four of them together (or three) like in their "youth" to feel that they are getting along, but that is impractical, and each of the four have their own charities to and interests to tend to. The press like to create drama to sell newspapers, and invite clicks. I've said that they are all frustrated novelists, using the royal family as characters- but as Harry has said, they are real people with real lives and "fictions" of the tabloids have real consequences. So called RR's should stick to reporting, and not try to make the royals behave in a way to make good fodder.

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  20. I think it would be very difficult to provide security if Harry and Meghan visited Doria in the US. I always doubt this could occur.

    R

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    1. Living in the US, I have the opposite opinion and experience. Security in the US is excellent with all resources available- not just tasers like in UK. We also have SO much land available. Cities are crowded, like all cities, but there is so much land available in the US that they could rent or buy hundreds of acres and have the best security and privacy ever. I hope they find a respite where Doria and friends can visit and stay with them as they heal up and enjoy their first Christmas as a family. What a special time😊

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  21. Anne-Sophie de Paris25 November 2019 at 20:10

    Martine 21h27
    C'est avec intérêt et plaisir que j'ai lu votre commentaire.
    Tout votre argumentaire est vrai. Ceux qui y sont nés peuvent se permettre de dévier du bon chemin comme le Prince Andrew.C' esr effectivement une bonne chose qu'une femme puisse prétendre au trône. Il n'en demeure pas moins que la culture britannique reste foncièrement patriarcale.En ce qui concerne les changements radicaux au niveau de la firme , ce n'est pas pour demain car c'est ce qui entretient la magie. Quand on est pas préparé pour cela on le vit mal. C'est le cas de Meghan qui a une vie bien remplie antérieure à son mariage.
    J'attends ce que l'avenir nous réserve avec le retrait forcé du prince Andrew de la vie officielle royale et des répartitions de ses associations entre les autres royal's

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Welcome to Mad About Meghan! We do so look forward to reading your thoughts. Constructive, fair debate is always encouraged. Hateful, derogatory terms and insults are not welcome here. This space focuses on Harry and Meghan, not any other member of the Royal family. It's not the place to discuss politics either. Thank you for reading, we look forward to your comments :)