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Harry and Meghan are Coronation yeses (right now)
They’re in, they’re out, they’re coming, they’re staying away… This week, at least, the royal family “fully expects” Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to attend King Charles’ coronation, the Mail on Sunday reports—even if some of the family are “spitting feathers” about the revelations and allegations contained in Harry’s memoir Spare, including Prince William shoving Harry on to a dog bowl during one confrontation.
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A friend told the Mail: “Members of the family have told me that both Harry and Meghan will definitely come. They fully expect that. And they should realize that there is only one subject that many members of the royal family will be willing to discuss… and that’s the weather.”
The royals will not trust telling Harry anything more substantial, given he has dished on so many private conversations and incidents. He’s also made clear he has enough material for a second volume. Consequence: a general atmosphere of “loose-ships-sink-ships” if the Montecito couple attend.
A friend told the paper: “Harry revealed details of private conversations, so everyone is on edge. You ask about the Sussexes and everyone immediately changes the subject. They are spitting feathers but not minded to provide any fuel for the fire.”
If Harry and Meghan do show up, as non-working members of the royal family they won’t have any official role in the ceremony, or appear on the Buckingham Palace balcony, the paper says.
Andrew still confident he can clear name
Prince Andrew’s public relations pushback continues apace. Now he believes the unsealing of legal documents involving Virginia Giuffre will “demolish” the claims she has made about him. The Sunday Times reports that Andrew is anticipating that when all is revealed about the lawsuit between Giuffre and lawyer Alan Dershowitz—whom Giuffre admitted to mistakenly identifying as one of her alleged abusers—it will help rehabilitate his image.
Andrew has always denied Giuffre’s claim that he sexually assaulted her three times when she was 17 and being sexually trafficked by Jeffrey Epstein—although Andrew paid her millions of dollars last year in an out-of-court settlement. He doesn’t have a royal role any more, and King Charles is reportedly not on board with his big plan to clear his name or relaunch himself as a respectable royal anytime soon.
Britain’s Prince Andrew, Duke of York attends the royal family’s Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham, Dec. 25, 2022.
Reuters/Toby MelvilleSources close to Andrew told the Times he is “the longest man in lockdown” and has become the “Millwall” of the royal family, a reference to the English football club’s chant of “No one likes us, we don’t care.”
“Except he does care,” a source told the paper. “Dershowitz has made it clear that if the documents are unsealed, it will demolish the established narrative. People underestimate the duke’s resilience and patience. It has been more than three years since the interview, eight years since the accusation and 12 years since the publication of that photo [if genuine, the infamous, extremely damning one of Andrew with a young Giuffre, and Ghislaine Maxwell in the background]. What’s a few more months, if the evidence is unsealed this year and the story turns on its head? There is very much a feeling among those of us who resolutely support the duke, that this is only a half-written story.”
Sources close to Andrew told the Times that he was not seeking to overturn his settlement with Giuffre, and that he only paid out so as not to screw up the celebrations around the queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
All this bullishness may be dented by the Mail on Sunday’s revelation that Andrew will not have a ceremonial role at Charles’ coronation in May, because—like Harry and Meghan—he is not a working royal.
The paper says: “Andrew is still a Knight of the Garter, the ancient order of chivalry dating back to 1348, and, traditionally, Garter Knights have performed significant roles during coronation ceremonies.” But it isn’t yet clear Andrew will be allowed to wear his garter robes at the ceremony. Like the Sussexes, he won’t be seen on the Buckingham Palace balcony.
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Harry and Meghan’s new powerbroker
Harry and Meghan have hired a top Hollywood dealmaker to help maximize their earnings and opportunities in Tinseltown. Page Six reports that Ellen DeGeneres likely introduced the couple to Adam Lilling. One industry expert who works with Lilling told Page Six he works at the “intersection of celebrity and venture investing,” adding that “he has worked with Ellen forever, as well as Matthew McConaughey and a bunch of A listers.”
Britain’s King Charles III, and Prince William, Prince of Wales attend the royal family’s Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham, Dec. 25, 2022.
Reuters/Toby MelvilleWilliam refocuses Duchy priorities
Prince William wants to shift the focus of the Duchy of Cornwall, the title he just inherited from his dad, from architectural preservation on to climate change and mental health. The Mail on Sunday reports that the Duchy is now linked to the environmental Earthshot Prize and Heads Together mental health charity, William and Kate’s passion projects.
William recognizes his father’s passion for “forward-thinking, sustainable, innovative communities,” the Mail says, but “he wants to focus on energy-efficient housing projects rather than traditionally designed ones.” The paper quotes a source saying that “William is looking at how we raise that bar—encourage tenants to think differently and raise their game on sustainability, drive improvement around the land that’s managed and use Earthshot ideas to achieve all this. The Prince wants to move the needle on climate change.’
This week in royal history
Major pre-Valentine’s Day bummer. On Feb. 13, 1542, Catherine Howard, Henry VIII’s fifth wife, was executed at the Tower of London.
Unanswered questions
Will Harry and Meghan really show up at the Coronation, and be happy with being background players? Is Andrew deluded that he can he ever relaunch himself? Will he ever convince the public of his innocence and King Charles that he can be a useful royal?
