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Harry says he and Meghan are committed to “life of service”
After a few weeks out of the limelight, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were the show-stopping stars of NAACP Image Awards Saturday night.
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Dressed in a smart tuxedo while his wife wore a stunning blue dress, Harry, in a touching and earnest speech, said that he and Meghan had been “brought together for a reason” and echoed the language of his grandmother when he said that were committed to “a life of service” as they accepted the NAACP’s highest honor, the President’s Award.
Prince Harry said: “I think it’s safe to say I come from a very different background to my incredible wife, yet our lives were brought together for a reason. We share a commitment to a life of service, a responsibility to confront injustice and a belief that the most overlooked are often the most important to listen to.”
There was more than an echo of comments made in 1947, when the then-Princess Elizabeth said: “I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service.”
Meghan added: “I couldn’t be prouder that we’re doing this work together. We are so deeply humbled to be here in the company of such illustrious awardees.”
The couple announced on their website that they were partnering with NAACP to introduce a $100,000 Digital Civil Rights Award to support “a new generation of leaders that are creating transformational change at the intersection of social justice and technology.”
Harry said: “This community knows what it means to speak up for what is right and to march forward is just. As the fight for justice for justice still remains, it’s time to extend this march to the world online, a place where hate and discrimination are fueled instantly, propagated globally and felt deeply.”
The inaugural recipient of the 2022 award is Dr. Safiya Noble, an internet studies scholar and expert on algorithmic discrimination.
Samuel L. Jackson received the NAACP Chairman’s Award for his acting achievements and activism, and Jennifer Hudson, who played Aretha Franklin in the film Respect, was named entertainer of the year.
Ukraine commands royal support
Both Harry and Meghan and Kate and William have voiced their support for the people of Ukraine, but guess which pair have been remorselessly roasted by the U.K. press for daring to do so?
The comments are not so very different.
William and Kate said: “In October 2020 we had the privilege to meet President Zelenskyy and the First Lady to learn of their hope and optimism for Ukraine’s future. Today we stand with the President and all of Ukraine’s people as they bravely fight for that future.”
Harry and Meghan said: “Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and all of us at Archewell stand with the people of Ukraine against this breach of international and humanitarian law and encourage the global community and its leaders to do the same.”
In a wearily familiar display of the double standards applied to the two couples, elements within the British media decided Harry and Meghan’s statement was virtue-signaling, self-aggrandizement at other people's expense, while William and Kate’s remarks attracted no such opprobrium.
The Daily Mail, for example, chose to effectively criticize Harry and Meghan’s statement, which was published on their Archewell website, by repeating social media posts alleging the couple had made the crisis “all about” themselves and were being “breathtakingly arrogant” in making the statement.
It’s one thing to argue that all Western celebrities, influencers and sports teams have a cowardly “preference for tweeting about, not fighting for, what matters” as this Telegraph piece does, but simply singling out the Sussexes for ridicule and derision over pretty standard statements of solidarity only reinforces what a Mail source told The Daily Beast earlier this week: “The Mail is on a crusade against Harry and Meghan...Harry and Meghan are the couple the readers love to hate.”
Harry made a thoughtful acknowledgement of the Ukraine crisis again at the NAACP awards Saturday, saying: “Before I begin, we would like to acknowledge the people of Ukraine, who urgently need our continued support as a global community.”
Prince Andrew “broken” after legal settlement
A source close to Prince Andrew tells the Mirror that he’s been allowed to keep his Vice Admiral title—his only armed forces honorary title—because he’s feeling “broken” after his legal settlement with Virginia Roberts Giuffre. A source described as an old pal says, “He is down, he is broken. If he wants to dress up once in a while in a naval uniform, then let him. He was actually not a bad person when I knew him. He had a few entitlement issues but that is to be expected. His reputation is in tatters, his public life is over. He is a walking embarrassment.
“Frankly, my view is let him keep the rank of Vice Admiral. He served in the Royal Navy in the Falklands War and this was bestowed upon him by the Queen. It’s effectively the same as an honorary degree. He hasn’t been convicted of anything. I have no idea whether he is guilty or innocent, so I think he has paid quite a heavy price.”
This friend is apparently willing to overlook the fact that Andrew just settled a legal case (for a rumored $14 million) in which he was accused of raping Giuffre three times when she was underage and being sexually trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein; and this a payout to a person he previously claimed to have never met.
Kate and William are rugby rivals
Just after their statement in support of Ukraine was released, Kate Middleton and Prince William headed to a big rugby match—representing two separate teams. As the Mirror reported, Kate, the newly appointed patron of Rugby Football Union, and William, patron of Welsh Rugby Union, went to the England-Wales game at Twickenham Saturday with Prince George between them. Kate had an England scarf, William had a Welsh one. George wore a red and blue coat, the personification of youthful diplomacy.
“We’re terribly competitive,” Kate said of her and William earlier this month. “The fact we’re now supporting two different teams is going to make things interesting.”
The Mirror said that before the match William said to officials, “It’s a big game. We’re excited. It’s just so good to be back, it’s been quite weird watching games, and football, without the fans.”
The Mirror reported: “Asked whether George would be supporting his mother or father’s team, the young prince shrugged his shoulders and smiled at William, who laughed: ‘It’s become quite the thing in the house,’ pointing at his wife, adding: ‘She is quite into it, I’m trying to stay out of it.’”
Princess Anne set for Australia trip
Prince Harry and Meghan were the last royals to visit Australia in 2018, when they were, erm, senior royals. Next, Oz can expect Princess Anne who will, the Mail reports, be the guest of honor at the Sydney Royal Easter Show in April. She previously opened the show in 1988. Julia Gillard, former Australian PM, once said, “I believe that this nation should be a republic. I also believe that this nation has got a deep affection for Queen Elizabeth.” For Gillard, the solution was to become a republic once Elizabeth’s reign ends. Will Anne be the last royal to visit Australia before it finally ditches the monarch as head of state?
Pay up
Prince Harry and wife Meghan have been hit with a property tax bill of around $140,000 on their Californian mansion. The Sunday Mirror reports that the annual payment due to Santa Barbara County was spilt into two installments. A source told the Mirror: “The bill is a huge sum but it’s peanuts in relation to their earnings.”
This week in royal history
Happy birthday on March 1 to one of the quietest members of the royal family, Timothy Laurence, Princess Anne’s second husband.
Can’t name one salacious or memorable thing about him? He’d likely be over the moon about that.
Sir Timothy Laurence and Princess Anne.
Oisin Keniry / Getty ImagesUnanswered questions
Just how is the queen? The question continues to bubble up, this time owing to the news that the queen has postponed the annual Diplomatic Reception next week. The official reason is that the crisis in Ukraine makes the gathering, at which 500 diplomats were due to gather at Windsor Castle on Wednesday, inappropriate, but skeptics are likely to wonder if Her Majesty’s health isn’t a factor too. After all, just last Sunday it was announced that the queen, 95, had tested positive for COVID and she didn’t feel well enough to host even virtual audiences during the week. Drinks for 500 isn’t exactly most people’s idea of a calm convalescence.
