London — Prince Harry’s long-awaited memoir, “Spare,” is due out next week, but with a copy leaked to the Guardian newspaper and the book accidentally put on sale early in Spain, some early revelations have been made public.
There was no comment from Buckingham Palace or Kensington Palace in response to the leaked allegations.
Prince Harry says he killed 25 people in Afghanistan
In his new memoir “Spare,” Harry outlines how he killed 25 people while serving in the British army.
“In battle conditions, there’s often a great deal of indiscriminate firing. But in the age of Apaches and laptops, everything I did in the course of two combat tours was recorded, time-stamped,” Harry writes.
“I could always say precisely how many enemy combatants I’d killed. And I felt it vital to never shy away from that number. Amongst the many things I learned in the Army, accountability was near the top of the list.”
Harry says that the number 25 was “not something that gave me any satisfaction. But neither was it a number that made me feel ashamed. Naturally, I would have preferred not to have that number on my military CV, on my mind, but by the same token, I’d have preferred to live in a world in which there was no Taliban, a world without war. Even for an occasional practitioner of magical thinking like me, however, some realities can’t be changed.”
Prince Harry describes losing his virginity in “humiliating episode”
In his new memoir, “Spare,” Prince Harry says he lost his virginity in a “humiliating episode” with an “older lady” who “loved horses very much,” according to Sky News.
Harry says Meghan offended Kate ahead of her and Harry’s wedding
In the runup to Harry and Meghan’s wedding, Meghan offended Kate, who had recently given birth, by telling her she had “baby brain,” Harry writes in his memoir, “Spare.”
In the book, Harry says that Meghan had apologized, but that William pointed his finger at her.
“It’s rude, Meghan. These things are not done here,” William allegedly said.
“If you don’t mind, keep your finger out of my face,” Harry says Meghan responded.
Prince Harry says he took cocaine when he was 17 years old
“Of course I had been taking cocaine at that time,” Harry writes in his memoir “Spare,” according to Sky News. “At someone’s house, during a hunting weekend, I was offered a line, and since then I had consumed some more.”
Harry says that he didn’t enjoy the drug very much.
“It wasn’t very fun, and it didn’t make me feel especially happy as seemed to happen to others, but it did make me feel different, and that was my main objective. To feel. To be different. I was a seventeen-year-old willing to try almost anything that would alter the pre-established order. At least, that’s what I was trying to convince myself of.”
Prince Harry says William and Kate told him to wear controversial 2005 Nazi costume
Prince Harry says that Prince William and his then-girlfriend Kate urged him to wear a Nazi costume to a party in 2005, which sparked widespread outrage at the time.
According to Harry’s new memoir “Spare,” Harry was picking a costume and could choose between the Nazi outfit and a British pilot’s uniform. He asked William and Kate for their advice, and they said to choose the Nazi outfit.
When he tried on the Nazi costume in front of them, “they both howled,” Harry says. “‘Worse than Willy’s leotard outfit! Way more ridiculous!’ Which, again, was the point.”
When a photo of the then-20-year-old Harry in the Nazi outfit was published in a tabloid newspaper, it sparked widespread outrage, prompting him to issue a public apology and later call the experience “one of the biggest mistakes of my life.”
Prince Harry says Prince William physically assaulted him over Meghan tension
In his new memoir, “Spare,” Harry says William met him at his then-residence on the grounds of Kensington Palace, wishing to discuss “the whole rolling catastrophe” of their struggles with the media and their personal relationship.
When he arrived, Harry says, William was already angry and started “parrot[ing] the press narrative,” calling Meghan “abrasive,” “difficult” and “rude.”
William said Harry was not being rational, and Harry accused his older brother of acting like an heir and refusing to understand why Harry wasn’t happy to be treated poorly, just because he was not the next in line for the throne. William said he was trying to help Harry, who scoffed, further angering William, who moved towards him, swearing, Harry writes.
Harry says he then went into the kitchen and gave William a glass of water.
“He set down the water, called me another name, then came at me,” Harry writes. “It all happened so fast. So very fast. He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor.I landed on the dog’s bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out.”
Harry says that William urged him to hit him back, referencing fights they had as kids, but Harry refused, so William left the room but then returned after two minutes, “looking regretful, and apologized.”
Prince Harry has accused his brother, William, of physically assaulting him during an argument over his wife, Meghan Markle, in 2019, according to The Guardian.
The UK newspaper claims to have seen an advance copy of Prince Harry’s highly anticipated memoir, Spare, in which Harry, the Duke of Sussex, reportedly alleges his brother William, the Prince of Wales, knocked him to the floor during the altercation.
The alleged scuffle took place after a conversation between the two brothers, during which William,the heir to the British throne, called Markle “difficult”, “rude” and “abrasive,” according to The Guardian.
The confrontation escalated until William “grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and … knocked me to the floor’,” The Guardian reported.
CNN has requested an advance copy of the book from publisher Penguin Random House, but has not received a response. Kensington Palace, Buckingham Palace and a spokesperson for the Sussexes declined CNN’s request for comment on the alleged altercation.
The Guardian article focuses on the alleged physical altercation between the brothers but describes the entirety of the book as a “remarkable volume.”
The article reports Harry’s version of events, in which William arrives at Harry and Meghan’s then home, Nottingham Cottage on Kensington Palace grounds, to allegedly discuss “‘the whole rolling catastrophe’ of their relationship and struggles with the press.”
Harry alleges that William attacked him after he had offered him water and attempted to cool a heated verbal exchange, according to The Guardian.
The article quotes Harry: “He set down the water, called me another name, then came at me. It all happened so fast. So very fast. He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor. I landed on the dog’s bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out.”
The article says Harry states in the book that William urged him to hit back, but he refused to do so. William left but later returned, “looking regretful” and apologized, according to the Guardian article, quoting the book.
Spare is due to be released on January 10.
Since their wedding in 2018, Harry and Meghan’s relationship has been under intense media scrutiny, with particular focus placed on the Duchess of Sussex.
In a recent Netflix documentary, Harry blamed the media for placing undue stress on his Meghan, leading to her having a miscarriage and suffering suicidal thoughts.
The couple said the unrelenting media coverage ultimately led them to quit working as members of the Royal family.
Harry admitted in the six-part documentary that he didn’t deal with Meghan’s deteriorating mental health “particularly well” at first.
“I knew she was struggling; we were both struggling, but I never thought it would get to that stage. The fact it got to that stage I felt angry and ashamed,” Harry recounted, adding: “I dealt with it as institutional Harry as opposed to husband Harry.”
Meghan said she wanted to go somewhere for help but claimed she wasn’t allowed to because of concerns about how it would look for the institution, without specifying who she believes stopped her. She made similar comments in her explosive 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey.
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 to connect with a trained counselor or visit the NSPL site. The International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide also provide contact information for crisis centers around the world.
King Charles III evoked memories Sunday of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, as he broadcast his first Christmas message as monarch in a speech that also paid tribute to the “selfless dedication” of Britain’s public service workers, many of whom are in a fight with the government over pay.
Charles, 74, also empathized in the prerecorded message with people struggling to make ends meet “at a time of great anxiety and hardship.” Like some other parts of the world, the U.K. is wrestling with high inflation that has caused a cost-of-living crisis for many households.
In this image released on Dec. 23, 2022, King Charles III is seen during the recording of his first Christmas broadcast in the Quire of St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
Victoria Jones / Getty Images
The king’s first remarks, however, recalled his mother, who died in September at age 96 after 70 years on the throne.
“Christmas is a particularly poignant time for all of us who have lost loved ones,” Charles said. “We feel their absence that every familiar turn of the season and remember them in each cherished tradition.”
Charles immediately ascended to the throne upon the queen’s death. His coronation ceremony is scheduled for May.
For his televised Christmas message, he wore a dark blue suit. Unlike Elizabeth, who often sat at a desk to deliver the annual speech, Charles stood by a Christmas tree at St. George’s Chapel, a church on the grounds of Windsor Castle where his mother and his father, Prince Philip, were buried.
Charles said he shared with his mother “a belief in the extraordinary ability of each person to touch, with goodness and compassion, the lives of others and to shine a light in the world around them.”
“The essence of our community and the very foundation of our society” can be witnessed in “health and social care professionals and teachers and indeed all those working in public service whose skill and commitment are at the heart of our communities,” the king said.
Strikes this month by nurses, ambulance crews, teachers, postal workers and train drivers have put pressure on U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government. Opinion polls show a high level of support for the workers, especially nurses. Unions are seeking pay raises in line with inflation, whch stood at 10.7% in November.
Soaring food and energy prices in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have created financial strains for many individuals and families.
Speaking over video footage of food banks and other charity work, Charles expressed sympathy for “those at home finding ways to pay their bills and keep their families fed and warm.”
Charles also reached out to people of other faiths in the United Kingdom and across the British Commonwealth, saying the meaning of Jesus Christ’s birth crosses “the boundaries of faith and belief.”
Charles believes the monarchy can help to unite his country’s increasingly diverse ethnic groups and faiths. It is part of his effort to show that the institution still has relevance.
The six-minute message concluded with an appeal to heed “the everlasting light” which, Charles said, was a key aspect of Elizabeth’s faith in God and belief in people.
“So whatever faith you have or whether you have none, it is in this life-giving light and with the true humility that lies in our service to others that I believe we can find hope for the future,” he said.
The king made no reference to the recent clamor over this month’s Netflix documentary series about the acrimonious split from the royal family that accompanied the decision of his son Prince Harry and daughter-in-law Meghan to step back from royal duties and move across the Atlantic Ocean.
Video footage accompanying the Christmas message showed working members of the royal family at official events. Harry and Meghan didn’t appear, nor did Prince Andrew, who was stripped of his honorary military titles and removed as a working royal over his friendship with the notorious U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Andrew did, however, join Charles and other senior royals for a Christmas morning walk to a church located near the family’s Sandringham Estate in Norfolk county England.
The king and his wife, Queen Consort Camilla, led family members to a service at St. Mary Magdalene Church. They included Prince William, Charles’ older son and heir to the throne, and William’s wife, Kate, and the couple’s three children, Prince George, 9, Princess Charlotte, 7, and Prince Louis, 4.
Joining them on the walk was Charles and Andrew’s younger brother, Prince Edward, and his wife, Sophie.
Prince Charles walks with his wife Camilla, Queen Consort, and other members of the royal family. They attended Christmas Day services at Sandringham Church on Dec. 25, 2022.
Samir Hussein/WireImage
After the family entered the church, congregants sang “God Save the King” followed by the Christmas hymn “O Come, All Ye Faithful.”
Sandringham has been the private country home of four generations of British monarchs for more than 160 years, but this was the royal family’s first Christmas there since 2019, according to Britain’s Press Association news agency.
Elizabeth spent her last two Christmases at Windsor Castle because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Crowds lined the streets near Sandringham to greet the royal family Sunday for its return to the holiday tradition.
“It will be in King Charles’ thoughts about his mother, about her legacy. They will be thinking about it over Christmas,” said John Loughrey, 67, who lives in south London and camped out overnight to be first in line. “It’s going to be a sad time and a happy time for them. That’s how it’s got to be.”
Charles’ portrait will appear on English notes of £5, £10, £20 and £50. Meanwhile, the rest of the design will remain the same as the current notes that feature the late Queen Elizabeth II on the front. The cameo in the transparent security window will also feature the current monarch, the United Kingdom’s central bank said in a press release.
The new banknotes are expected to enter circulation by mid-2024 and will co-circulate with notes featuring the Queen’s portrait, which will remain legal tender in the UK, according to the bank.
“This is a significant moment, as The King is only the second monarch to feature on our banknotes,” Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey said ahead of the release.
The reverse side of the notes will remain unchanged – the current designs feature portraits of Winston Churchill, Jane Austen, JMW Turner and Alan Turing on the reverse of the £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes, respectively.
“To minimize the environmental and financial impact of this change, new notes will only be printed to replace worn banknotes and to meet any overall increase in demand for banknotes,” the Bank of England added.
Earlier this month, the first coins bearing the official effigy of King Charles III entered circulation. The 4.9 million 50 pence coins feature the King’s portrait, and on the reverse, a design symbolizing the “life and legacy” of the late Queen, according to the Royal Mint.
** NOTE: This article contains spoilers from the ‘Harry & Meghan’ docuseries on Netflix. **
The first three episodes of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix documentary didn’t ruffle too many feathers at Buckingham Palace, but the Duke and Duchess of Sussex upped the ante in Episodes 4, 5 and 6, detailing how jealousy, betrayal and the palace’s refusal to protect Markle from a rabid press increasingly led to an untenable situation that, they say, ultimately forced their hand.
The second instalment of Harry & Meghan went live Thursday, offering up a deeply personal — and sometimes shocking — account of how the couple’s relationship with the Royal Family began to circle the drain following their 2018 wedding, eventually causing them to step down as working members of the royal institution and leave for the United States.
Harry, in particular, levelled some pretty serious accusations against his brother, Prince William, father, King Charles III, as well as the palace’s press offices, detailing animosity among the senior-most members of the family and how his wife suffered most as a result.
While Volume 2 of the docuseries opened on a sweet note, with the couple sharing the darling details of their nuptials, it quickly took a dark turn, delivering on Netflix’s promises of a behind-the-curtain look at an increasingly toxic situation. Here are five of the most dramatic revelations uncovered in the final instalment of the series.
Prince Harry “hates himself” for the way he handled Markle’s suicidal thoughts
In Episode 4, Harry and Markle expanded on the escalating vitriol and racism they faced at the hands of the U.K.’s tabloid newspapers in the year following their wedding, which eventually drove an increasingly depressed Markle to contemplate suicide.
Meghan Markle.
AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File/CP Images
“It was like, all of this will stop if I’m not here,” she said. “And that was the scariest thing about it because it was such clear thinking.”
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Harry, reflecting back on that period, said he “was devastated.”
“I knew she was struggling,” he said. “We were both struggling, but I never thought it would get to that stage — and the fact that it got to that stage, I felt angry and ashamed.”
The Duke said, due to his upbringing, he “dealt with it as institutional Harry as opposed to husband Harry.”
“What took over my feelings was my royal role,” he said. “I had been trained to worry more about, ‘What are people going to think if we don’t go to this event? We’re going to be late,’ and looking back on it now, I hate myself for it.
“What she needed from me was so much more than I was able to give.”
Doria Ragland, Markle’s mom, also spoke about how helpless she felt watching her daughter struggle.
“To be constantly be picked at by these vultures — just picking away at her spirit — that she would actually think of not wanting to be here … that, that’s not an easy one for a mom to hear,” Ragland told the camera through tears.
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Doria Ragland.
Netflix
Markle and Harry both said that despite being fully aware of how bad things had gotten, the palace was unwilling to help them.
“They thought, ‘Why couldn’t she just deal with it?’ As if to say, ‘Well, everyone else has dealt with it, why can’t she deal with it?’ But it was different. This was different,” said Harry.
“I wanted to go somewhere to get help, but I wasn’t allowed to,” said Markle. “They were concerned about how that would look for the institution.”
Harry accuses his father’s office of leaking private correspondence over plans to move to Canada
In Episode 5, Harry said he and Markle were contemplating a move to Canada between December 2019 and January 2020, while spending Christmas on Vancouver Island with their son, Archie.
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“We thought it would be good to give ourselves some breathing space, but also we were really passionate about continuing our work throughout the Commonwealth, to support the queen,” Harry explained, adding that the royal rota reporters wouldn’t have access to them in Canada, which would alleviate the pressure on his wife.
The couple also planned to make their own money in Canada, which would give the press little reason to pry into their private affairs, as they would no longer be bankrolled by the taxpayer.
However, Harry said when he approached his dad (then-Prince Charles) about the arrangement, Charles asked him to put the plan in writing before he signed off on it. Harry claimed he wrote Charles several emails over the course of the first three days of January –– one of the emails mentioned that “we would be willing to relinquish our Sussex titles if need be. So that was the plan.”
Meanwhile, Harry said, he contacted his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, about a meeting to discuss the plan. She was enthusiastic about having Harry and Markle come stay with her for a night, he said, adding that the queen told him her schedule was free that week.
Meghan recalled that a few days later they were returning to the U.K. when her husband learned he wouldn’t be allowed to see his grandmother, as her schedule was suddenly full.
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Royals ‘happy to lie’ to protect William, Prince Harry claims in new trailer
“That was certainly the opposite to what she had told me,” Harry said of his prior conversation with the late monarch. “Later that afternoon, we found out that this story was coming out — somehow the tabloids knew about this proposal (to move to Canada).
“It became clear that the institution leaked the fact that we were going to move back to Canada and the key piece of that story that made me aware that the contents of the letter between me and my father had been leaked was that we were willing to relinquish our Sussex titles. That was the giveaway,” accused Harry. “I was like, ‘Wow, like our story, our life literally got taken from underneath us.’ ”
Prince William allegedly broke a pact between the brothers
In Episode 4, Harry also charges that William broke a long-standing agreement between the brothers that they would never allow their press offices to trade negative stories about each other.
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Britain’s Prince William, Prince of Wales, left and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, walk behind the coffin, during a procession for the Lying-in State of Queen Elizabeth II from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall in London, Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022.
(Richard Heathcote/Pool Photo via AP)
Although he did not name a specific past instance, he said, “William and I both saw what happened in our dad’s office and we made an agreement that we would never let that happen to our office.”
“I would far rather get destroyed in the press than play along with this game or business of trading,” he said, expressing his disappointment in the Prince of Wales, noting, “and to see my brother’s office doing the same thing that we promised the two of us would never ever do, that was heartbreaking.”
Harry said overwhelmingly positive headlines about his and Markle’s successful first tour as a married couple in Australia drastically shifted when they came home, hinting that his brother’s alleged jealousy might have had something to do with the sudden change in tone from the press.
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“The issue is when someone who’s marrying in, who should be a supporting act is then stealing the limelight or is doing the job better than the person who was born to do this, that upsets people,” Harry explained of his American bride, who was a natural with Australian fans.
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex meet 98-year-old Daphne Dunne during a meet and greet at the Sydney Opera House on Oct. 16, 2018 in Sydney, Australia.
Paul Edwards / Getty Images
“It shifts the balance because you’ve been led to believe that the only way that your charities can succeed and the only way that your reputation can be grown or improved is if you’re the front page of those newspapers.”
Harry says William screamed at him in front of the queen
In the penultimate episode, Harry discussed a 2020 crisis meeting at Sandringham estate where he claimed William screamed and shouted at him in front of their grandmother.
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“It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me and have my father say things that simply weren’t true, and my grandmother sit there and sort of take it all in,” Harry said in the fifth episode.
The meeting, which involved Harry, William, Prince Charles and the queen, was a high-stakes discussion to determine how the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would continue to operate within the Royal Family.
Queen Elizabeth II as proud grandmother smiles at Prince Harry as she inspects soldiers at their passing-out Sovereign’s Parade at Sandhurst Military Academy on April 12, 2006 in Surrey, England.
Tim Graham Photo Library / Getty Images
Harry said he and his wife had proposed to be “half-in and half-out” of the family, working to support the queen, but also having their own jobs and supporting themselves financially.
Shortly after the Sandringham meeting, said Harry, media reports emerged suggesting William was bullying the Sussexes out of their duties. Harry was then told by a palace press office that a joint statement was to be released by both brothers denying the reports.
But Harry said he didn’t sign off on the statement.
“I couldn’t believe it. No one had asked me to put my name to a statement like that,” he said. “I called (Meghan) and she burst into flood of tears, because within four hours they were happy to lie to protect my brother and yet for three years they were never willing to tell the truth to protect us.”
Public has mixed reactions to ‘Harry and Meghan’ Netflix series
Markle and Harry both said this was the moment they knew their tenure as working royals was over.
Later in the documentary, Harry also revealed that he’s not holding his breath for an apology from his brother or father.
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“It was hard. Especially spending time, having chats with my brother and my father, (they) were very much focused on the same misinterpretation of the whole situation,” he explained, referring to his and Markle’s decision to leave the U.K.
Exploring how and why the Netflix series ‘Harry and Meghan’ is so magnetizing
The Duke also said he doesn’t think William and Charles will properly address their issues.
“I’ve had to make peace with the fact that we’re probably never gonna get genuine accountability or a genuine apology. My wife and I, we’re moving on. We’re focused on what’s coming next.”
Harry blames the stress of the court case against The Daily Mail for Meghan’s miscarriage
In 2020, Markle penned a deeply personal op-ed for the New York Times, detailing a miscarriage she had between the births of her children Archie and Lilibet.
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In Episode 6 of the series, Markle explains that after moving into their new home in Santa Barbara, Calif., she started experiencing “a lot of pain” and then collapsed to the ground while holding Archie.
Meghan Markle in ‘Harry & Meghan.’.
Netflix
She said, “I was pregnant, I really wasn’t sleeping. The first morning that we woke up in our new home is when I miscarried.”
Harry explained that at the time his wife was involved in a copyright infringement lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, which owns the Daily Mail, MailOnline and The Mail on Sunday tabloid newspapers. The Daily Mail had published a private letter the Duchess had sent to her father, Thomas Markle, without her permission.
Prince Harry in ‘Harry & Meghan.’.
Netflix
“I believe my wife suffered a miscarriage because of what the (Daily) Mail did,” Harry said. “I watched the whole thing. Now, do we absolutely know that the miscarriage was caused by that? Of course we don’t. But bearing in mind the stress that that caused, the lack of sleep and the timing of the pregnancy, how many weeks in she was, I can say, from what I saw, that miscarriage was created by what they were trying to do to her.”
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In the same episode, the Duke and Duchess also said lawsuits like Markle’s are a lucrative affair for the tabloids, explaining that the litigation process only gives the newspapers more fodder for their pages, meaning more readers and more revenue.
Markle eventually won the case against Associated Newspapers.
New trailer for Harry & Meghan doc puts royal rift at forefront
‘Tis the season for family gatherings, festive markets, cookie exchanges — and wondering exactly how those very well-off royals spend the holidays.
As it turns out, the House of Windsor had more than their share of quirky and downright unusual Christmas traditions that will leave you scratching your head. From gut-busting gag gifts and garlic bans to proper teacup etiquette and a rather shocking before-and-after dinner weigh-in (yes, really!), we’ve uncovered some of the most bizarre “holiday commandments” the royal family followed under the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.
Thou shalt… attend the annual holiday luncheon
A week before Christmas, Queen Elizabeth would host an annual luncheon at Buckingham Palace for her entire extended family — an exclusive guest list that typically totals more than 50 people.
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Although she delivered fancy invites well in advance, woe betide anyone who declined the generous offer to spend the afternoon balancing their tea cups while mingling with a slew of faces only seen once a year. Little else is known about the top-secret event (no photography was allowed), leaving royal watchers and the British tabloids speculating about what actually went on behind those gilded gates.
If you thought prepping a Christmas turkey for your holiday feast was stressful, how do you think the royal cooks feel? Christmas week at Sandringham House, on the grounds of what is now King Charles’ Norfolk estate, is an absolute must-attend — although the rare exception is sometimes granted.
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Once upon a time, close family wouldn’t be allowed to spend Christmas away from Sandringham. Just ask Diana, Princess of Wales, who never got to spend the big day with her Spencer clan. In recent years, however, the queen allowed for some wiggle room, letting Prince William and Duchess Kate visit the Middleton family in 2014.
Set aside any preconceived notions you might have as to the types of presents the Royal Family buy one another during the holidays. As it turns out, it’s all about a good gag. On Christmas Eve, the Windsors lay out their gifts on a table and exchange them over piping hot cups of tea.
The theme? Cheap, cheerful and full-out hilarious.
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That’s right — as a way to cut loose and avoid flaunting their wealth, the Royal Family buys each other gag gifts instead of expensive items. A few years back, Kate famously bought the then-single Harry a “Grow Your Own Girlfriend” kit while the prince allegedly bought his beloved granny a shower cap with “Ain’t Life a B*tch” printed across the top.
Oh, to have been a fly on the wall when the queen opened that gift.
It’s something of an annual tradition for the Norfolk locals to line the streets leading to St. Mary Magdalene church on the Sandringham estate to catch a glimpse of the Royal Family as they walk to attend the Christmas morning service.
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The Windsor clan — minus the little kiddos — walks the entire way, greeting royal watchers along the path, with the exception of the queen, who would arrive promptly at the church door via car.
The 2017 service, in particular, was a biggie for royal fans since it was the first time the not-yet-a-duchess Meghan curtsied to the queen in public. Naturally, it was dissected by news outlets for days afterward. A few things the former actor needed to remember: curtsies should never graze the floor; you simply put one leg behind the other, allow for a gentle bend at the knees and bow your head slightly. (Markle nailed it, for the record.)
This shouldn’t really come as a surprise, but it still needs to be said: there’s no lounging around in PJs — not even on Christmas morning. (Our sympathies go out to the little ones — George, Charlotte and Louis.) The entire family is expected to be dressed and ready for all the Christmas Day festivities, from the morning church service to the formal evening dinner. Modesty first, while still being fashionable.
This is not a joke, friends. According to royal expert and Majesty editor-in-chief, Ingrid Stewart, every Royal Family member is weighed before and after their Christmas dinner. (We’ll give you a moment to let that sink in.) It’s apparently a tradition that dates back to the early 1900s during the reign of King Edward VII who, as a way of determining whether or not his guests had been sufficiently fed, asked them all to step on the scale.
Given the fact that the Windsors enjoy three huge meals throughout Christmas Day, the scale seems more than a little excessive. Some traditions just don’t age well.
The queen was highly fluent in French and preferred for it to be used during all formal dinner occasions. That meant, the Christmas dinner menu was supposedly printed in French, as well. No word on whether Kate or Meghan were familiar with the language when they spent their first Christmas with the royals.
We’ve all got those foods or seasonings we simply can’t stand, be it due to taste or texture. Queen Elizabeth, however, had one intense dislike that also happened to be a common cooking ingredient: garlic. As former royal chef John Higgins told the National Post in 2016, “they’re missing out on garlic because, at Buckingham Palace, you don’t cook with garlic. I suppose, in case you get the ‘royal burp.’” The real reason, according to reports? The queen hated the smell.
One of the great things about being a queen is that, when it comes to meals, you set the pace. During meals, when Queen Elizabeth had taken her last bite, she reportedly would quietly put down her fork and everyone else would have to follow her lead, whether or not they were actually done with their food. We imagine this must have been a struggle for the majority of her guests.
When at the table, napkins must be folded in half at all times to avoid unsightly stains and food bits. Royals are expected to gently wipe their mouths and hands inside the fold of their napkins. To do otherwise would risk dirty clothes — gasp! — and gross napkins coloured in a variety of less-than-appetizing food stains. Out of sight, out of mind.
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Thou shalt not… play Monopoly
During the holiday break, the royals would enjoy rousing games of charades. Queen Elizabeth loved it so much that no one else would be allowed to retire from the room until she was done playing. But there’s one game, in particular, that was strictly prohibited — Monopoly.
Yes, that board game where you collect real estate and “get out of jail free” cards. The reason? In the past, it’s gotten too competitive and heated so the queen had it banished. What we want to know is who the guilty party was.
Thou shalt… use utensils properly
The majority of us commoners don’t typically spend time dwelling on how we cut into our food during a meal, but the royals take their dining etiquette very, very seriously. Regardless of whether you’re right-handed or left-handed, knives must be held with your right and forks with your left (with the tines facing down, of course). It doesn’t end there: once you’ve cut off a piece of food, it must be balanced on the back of the fork, instead of poked through with the tines.
Entrances are an important factor in the Windsor family hierarchy, and the Orders of Precedence pecking order is nailed down to an exact science. The procession, naturally, used to begin with the queen and would continue in order of those next in line to the throne. For example, prior to his death in April 2021, Prince Philip never entered a room alongside his wife — he always trailed behind her by a few paces during all public and formal events.
Now, King Charles will be the head of the pack.
Thou shalt… drink tea correctly
Yes, there’s a correct way to hold a teacup and saucer — and, yes, that means you’ve probably been doing it wrong. As etiquette expert Myka Meier told People, a royal is expected to use their thumb and index finger to hold the top of the handle, with the middle finger gently supporting the bottom of the cup. Keep those pinkies tucked in! In addition, the women have an extra rule to abide by — one must sip from the exact same spot to avoid lipstick stains around the rim.
Thou shalt not… take down Christmas decor until February
Although most of Queen Elizabeth’s guests would start to leave Sandringham House after Boxing Day, the queen reportedly continued with the festive feels until the second week of February. Although this might seem odd to some, there’s actually a really poignant reason behind the queen’s desire to keep the tree and tinsel up for an extra month and a half.
Her father, King George VI, passed away on Feb. 6, 1952, and it was her way of remembering him during the holiday season before she would head back to London for the year.
Royals ‘happy to lie’ to protect William, Prince Harry claims in new trailer
Prince Harry said it was “terrifying” to have his brother, Prince William, scream at him during his bitter split from the royal family, in the final installments of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s controversial Netflix documentary that were released Thursday.
The fourth, fifth and sixth episodes of “Harry & Meghan” cover the pair’s challenges since their 2018 wedding,Meghan’s deteriorating mental health and her 2020 miscarriage, and ultimately their decision to quit as working members of the family.
Harry said he initially asked for a “half in, half out” arrangement, where Harry and Meghan would have their own jobs but still work in support of the Queen, during a crunch family meeting. “But it became very clear very quickly that that goal was not up for discussion or debate,” Harry said.
“It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me, and my father say things that just simply weren’t true, and my grandmother quietly sit there and take it all in,” he said, recalling the conversations with Prince William, then-Prince Charles, and Queen Elizabeth II.
“But you have to understand that from the family’s perspectives, especially from hers, there are ways of doing things. And her ultimate mission and goal, responsibility, is the institution … she’s going to go on the advice that she’s given,” Harry said.
The pair describe throughout the new episodes how, in their view, their position within the royal family became untenable after constant hounding from Britain’s media and repeated disregard for the couple’s wellbeing inside palace walls.
Buckingham Palace reiterated it will not comment on the documentary on Thursday. Royal engagements are meanwhile continuing, with King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, set to visit a community kitchen in London and attend a carol service with the Prince and Princess of Wales and other members of the family.
Harry hinted that there was jealousy from other royals towards Meghan given the amount of media attention she was initially receiving. “The issue is when someone who is marrying in, who should be a supporting act, is then stealing the limelight or is doing the job better than the person who is born to do this,” he said.
“That upsets people. It upsets the balance. Because you have been led to believe that the only way that your charities can succeed and your mission can grow is if you are on the front pages of those newspapers.”
The series also touches on Meghan’s deteriorating mental health and her miscarriage in July 2020. “I was pregnant. I really wasn’t sleeping. The first morning that we woke up in our new home is when I miscarried,” Meghan said.
She described experiencing suicidal ideation, telling the filmmakers she believed “all of this will stop if I’m not here. And that was the scariest thing about it, it was such clear thinking.”
“The lies, that’s one thing. You kind of get used to that when you live within this family,” Harry added. “But what they were doing to her, and the effect it was having on her… enough. Enough of the pain, enough of the suffering.”
“I just did everything I could to make them proud, and to really be a part of the family,” Meghan said in the fifth episode, speaking of her relationship with the other royals. “And then the bubble burst.”
“I realized that I wasn’t just being thrown to the wolves, I was being fed to the wolves,” she said.
The highly anticipated Netflix documentary marks the Sussexes’ latest attempt to reclaim the narrative surrounding their departure from royal life.
It features details on the increasingly tense relationships between Harry and his brother, WIlliam, and his father, King Charles III. And it emphasizes the suggestion that the royals wanted to sideline and isolate the couple, often through the planting of negative media reporting, rather than have them dwarf more senior royals in popularity.
“My dad said to me: ‘Darling boy, you can’t take on the media. The media will always be the media,” Harry said, describing the palace’s relationship with news outlets as a “dirty game.”
The culmination of the breakdown between the royal institution and Harry and Meghan, who were once touted by parts of the media as the modernizing force the monarchy needed, was their historic and controversial decision in early 2020 to quit as working royals and leave the UK.
Harry said he spoke to Queen Elizabeth II and arranged to meet her, with Meghan, before that split was finalized.
“She knew that we were finding things hard. I’d spoken to her many times about it,” Harry said. But as the meeting approached, Meghan said they received a message from an aide telling them they were not allowed to see the monarch.
“I’ve actually been told that I’m busy all week,” the Queen then told Harry, according to his recollection. “I was like, wow,” Harry said. “This is when a family and a family business are in direct conflict … really what they’re doing is blocking a grandson from seeing his grandmother,” added Meghan.
The couple were critical of the Queen’s aides but again were again complimentary of the late monarch herself, who died aged 96 in September, shortly after filming concluded for the series.
Their documentary, and Harry’s upcoming memoir, focus more attention on the difficult relationship between the prince and his father, King Charles.
Thursday’s release follows last week’s batch of episodes, in which Prince Harry criticized “unconscious bias” inside the family.
It remains to be seen whether the venture will enhance the reputation of the couple as they look to sculpt their post-royalty personas.
Six in 10 Brits believe it was a bad idea for the duke and duchess to release the Netflix documentary, according to a Savanta poll of 2,250 British adults carried out online between December 9 and 11, between the release of the first and second parts of the series.
The same poll found that Harry and Meghan both have negative approval ratings among the British public – -3 and -19 respectively, when subtracting those with a negative opinion from those with a positive one – unlike the high popularity of Prince William (+60) and Charles III (+36).
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or mental health matters, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 to connect with a trained counselor or visit the NSPL site. The International Association for Suicide Prevention and Befrienders Worldwide also provide contact information for crisis centers around the world.
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The second half of Netflix’s documentary miniseries on Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, hit servers around the world Thursday morning. In it, the couple paint a stark picture of the animosity that grew between themselves and Harry’s closest family members amid what they say was racist and defamatory coverage by the British media. All of which, they say, drove them away.
Harry says the tension — which he and Meghan blame on the rigidity and self-preservation-at-all-cost mentality of the royal family, along with the mercilessness of Britain’s tabloid press — exploded in a meeting with his father, now King Charles III, and his brother Prince William shouting at him while his grandmother Queen Elizabeth II sat and looked on.
The royal family has declined to respond to the allegations in the series thus far, but it has denied Harry and Meghan’s allegations of racism and said the issues raised by the couple, “particularly that of race, are concerning.” Buckingham Palace has said it would address the matters privately.
Below are the top takeaways from the final instalments of the show, which has become Netflix’s most-streamed documentary ever. You can read here about the highlights from the first three episodes, which dropped last week.
“Stealing the limelight”
The couple say Harry’s family became unhappy during their trip to Australia, when Meghan started exuding star power. There were perceptions, they say – which echoed sentiments felt about Harry’s mother Diana during her marriage to then-Prince Charles – that the royal outsider was taking too much attention away from the more senior members of the family.
“The issue is when someone who’s marrying in, who should be a ‘supporting act,’ is then stealing the limelight or is doing the job better than those who were born to do this, then upsets people – it shifts the balance” Harry says in episode four of the series.
It was around then, the couple says, that the British tabloids started criticizing Meghan, and in particular painting her in a negative light against her sister-in-law Kate.
The couple have said for years that the negative media coverage took on racist overtones and had a deep impact on Meghan’s mental health. In the documentary, they say it hit her particularly hard when she realized that much of the British public accepted what the U.K. tabloids were printing as fact.
Meghan: “I needed help, but I wasn’t allowed”
Both Harry and Meghan portrayed the royal family as extremely reluctant to show any public signs of vulnerability — to the extent that Meghan claims she was told not to seek mental health support when she needed it most. The couple first revealed Meghan’s struggles with mental health during their interview with Oprah Winfrey last year.
Harry recounts a moment many years ago in the Netflix series when he said his mother Diana was crying in a car and her husband Charles told her she had “30 seconds” to straighten out her makeup, put on a smile and emerge to face the press.
Meghan, they say, found herself under the same kind of pressure, from both the press and the family, and it led her to suicidal thoughts.
“I thought if I wasn’t around anymore, this all stops,” she says in episode four.
“I remember her telling me that — that she’d thought about taking her own life,” says her mother, Doria Ragland, breaking down in tears in the episode. “That broke my heart… That’s not an easy one for a mom to hear.”
“I needed help, but I wasn’t allowed to,” says Meghan. “They were worried how it would look for the institution.”
Prince Harry says he knew his wife “was struggling,” but he “never thought it would get to that stage. I felt angry and ashamed. I didn’t deal with it very well… what took over my feelings was my royal role.”
“You are making people want to kill me”
Meghan and Harry have maintained for years that the British press deliberately attacked the mixed-race American duchess, casting her as an intruder and detractor.
“I saw cartoons of me on all fours and Meghan holding a dog collar,” recalls Harry in the series.
Meghan blames such reports for whipping up hatred of her that leaked from the press onto social media, pointing to one tweet in particular that said she “just needs to die, someone should do it.”
“You are making people want to kill me,” Meghan says in episode five of the press attacks. “It’s not just a tabloid, it’s not just some story, you are making me scared… That night, to be up and down in the middle of the night checking on security, that’s real — are my babies safe? And you’ve created it for what? Because you’re bored, or because it sells your papers? It’s real what you’re doing, and that’s what I don’t think people understand.”
The former head of counterterrorism policing in Britain said recently that the threats Meghan faced were indeed “disgusting and very real,” coming largely from the far-right.
A miscarriage, and “the unravelling”
Harry, Meghan and their associates say in episode five of the Netflix series that “everything changed” about their relations with other royal family members after the couple’s decision to take on Britain’s powerful tabloid press over what they saw as a barrage of negative, unfair articles.
It was sparked by the Daily Mail tabloid reprinting parts of a letter that Meghan wrote to her father — which she says in the series she was advised to write by “senior members of the family.”
“It was horrendous,” Meghan says, referring to the leaking of the letter to the media and the Daily Mail newspaper’s selective printing of portions of it. If the paper had printed the entire letter, she says, “it would it have painted a completely different picture,” as she says they removed “everything that described the media as manipulating” her father.
The couple say they met with senior royals and lawyers and pushed for quick legal action against the newspaper’s publisher.
“We had to draw a line,” says Meghan. But she says the royal family did nothing.
Recalling a conversation with Prince Charles, Harry says in the docuseries: “My father said to me: ‘Darling boy, you can’t take on the media, the media will always be the media.’”
That was a point on which Harry says he and his father “fundamentally disagree.”
“After months of saying she needs to do something about this, we took our own legal advice,” says the prince. Meghan says that after she and Harry’s 2019 decision to file a lawsuit against the Daily Mail independently, “everything changed… That litigation was probably the catalyst for all of the unravelling.”
Harry even blamed the Daily Mail article and the stress it caused to his wife for a miscarriage she suffered in July 2020.
“Bearing in mind the stress that that caused, the lack of sleep, and the timing of the pregnancy,” says Harry, “I can say from what I saw, that miscarriage was created by what they were trying to do to her.”
The couple eventually won their legal battle with the Daily Mail’s publisher, with British courts ruling that the paper had breached Meghan’s privacy.
A “terrifying” meeting, without Meghan
As the negative press coverage continued, the couple say they felt increasingly isolated from other members of Harry’s family, so they started looking west, considering a move out of the U.K. and abandoning their royal titles.
Meghan says in episode five that they “decided we were going to be stepping back — not stepping down, but stepping back.” But before they could agree to the details of a new arrangement with the family, Harry says that “key piece of information — that we were willing to relinquish our titles — had been leaked.”
As Meghan returned to Canada, where they were living at the time, to be with their son Archie, Harry was called to a meeting at his grandmother’s country estate in Sandringham.
“Imagine a roundtable conversation and you as the mom and the wife — and the target in many regards — aren’t able to have a seat at the table,” Meghan says of that meeting in the documentary, with Harry adding: “It was clear they planned it so you weren’t in the room.”
Harry says he went in hoping to arrange a “half in, half out” royal status for his nuclear family, “but it became very clear that goal was not up for discussion or debate.” He says the meeting descended into his father and brother, both future kings, shouting at him as the queen listened in silence.
“It was terrifying to have my brother screaming and shouting at me, and my father say things that simply weren’t true, and my grandmother quietly sit there and take it all in,” he says.
Harry says the meeting ended “without a solidified action plan. From their perspective, they had to believe it was more about us and the issues we had as opposed to their partner — the media — and the relationship that was causing so much pain for us. They saw what they wanted to see.”
“The saddest part of it,” Harry adds, “was this wedge created between me and my brother, so that he’s now on the institution side. And part of that I get — I understand that’s his inheritance and its already engrained in him that part of his responsibility is the survival of this institution.”
Harry suggests what came next was a final straw. Within just hours of the tense meeting, the tabloids were out with stories “that said part of the reason we were leaving was because Meghan had bullied us out.” He says the palace released a “joint statement” about the couple’s plans, but “no one had asked me to put that out.”
Harry says it was a sign that his family was willing to feed lies to the press to protect the royal institution — at the expense of the truth and himself and his wife.
“Within four hours they happened to lie to protect my brother, but in three years they never would protect us,” says the prince. It was then he says he knew they had to leave Britain, though he insists in the documentary that Meghan “never asked to leave.”
Members of the royal family are raised to conduct themselves with a graceful temperament that rarely allows for emotional disclosure. In a rare personal statement online, however, Prince William publicly paid tribute to a friend — who died in a plane crash Thursday.
“Yesterday, I lost a friend, who dedicated his life to protecting wildlife in some of East Africa’s most renowned national parks,” William tweeted Friday. “Mark Jenkins, and his son Peter, were tragically killed while flying over Tsavo National Park while conducting an aerial patrol.”
The 40-year-old continued: “Tonight, I’m thinking about Mark’s wife, family and colleagues who’ve sadly lost a man we all loved and admired.”
William and Jenkins first met during his gap year after graduating from Eton College in 2000, per People. The young prince had foregone family tradition as royals usually attended Gordonstoun in Scotland, but Princess Diana wanted him to follow in her father’s footsteps, per Town & Country.
Yesterday, I lost a friend, who dedicated his life to protecting wildlife in some of East Africa’s most renowned national parks. Mark Jenkins, and his son Peter, were tragically killed when flying over Tsavo National Park while conducting an aerial patrol.
— The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) December 9, 2022
Jenkins was so inspired by William and his African wildlife conservation work with the Tusk charity that he pursued the same endeavor in 2005. Jenkins eventually became a ranger, conservationist and professional bush pilot, according to Hello Magazine.
Thursday, however, Jenkins and his son were conducting an aerial patrol in a Cessna 185 for the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust — for which they volunteered — and crashed at around 7:15 a.m. while trying to drive cattle out of the expansive Kenya park.
“Kenya Wildlife Service and David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (DSWT) teams are at the scene to investigate the circumstances of the crash,” the service told Hello in a statement. “KWS wishes to express our deepest sympathies and condolences to the families of the deceased.”
“Passionate, principled, and strong-willed, Mark was never afraid to speak his mind and stand for what he believed in,” said his obituary from the Frankfurt Zoological Society. “He was a commanding presence and made an indelible impression wherever he went.”
The first volume of the docuseries launched on the streaming platform Thursday, taking the British media to task for what the Duke and Duchess of Sussex say is racist, intruding and unkind coverage of Markle over the years — and it’s sent many of the tabloid newspapers into overdrive.
Britain’s press did not hold back their outrage Friday, clearly taking umbrage with the televised dressing-down.
While none of the major tabloids used their front pages to address the specific claims levelled at them, some splashed angry headlines attacking the couple and channelling their ire into unflattering screengrabs from the series.
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The Daily Mail’s headline accused the couple of an “assault on the queen’s legacy,” and cited palace insiders who claim “it’s as if” the Sussexes “want to bring down the monarchy.”
The series, so far, takes a deep dive into the toxic but symbiotic relationship between the palace and the press. The palace relies on the media to share its messaging, but the tabloid newspapers also feel entitled to publish intimate (and sometimes false) stories about members of the Royal Family, since British taxpayers fund their lives.
This unwritten contract, Harry and Markle explain, often leaves members of the Royal Family feeling as though they have to “perform” for the media — they call it a “we pay, you pose” arrangement.
The Daily Express accused Harry of hurling “slurs” that it claims have made members of the Royal Family “deeply upset.”
So far, for the record, neither the palace nor any senior members of the family have officially commented on the contents of the documentary. They royals are notoriously tight-lipped, and it’s generally accepted protocol that they rarely publicly respond to matters of the press or politics.
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Front page: So hurtful! Royals ‘deeply upset’ by Harry’s slurs #TomorrowsPaperToday
The Mirror went a different direction, leading with the documentary but chastizing all parties — it included a photo of the Sussexes as well as a photo of Prince William and Kate Middleton — for sparring while the British people endure a cost-of-living crisis. “Meanwhile, thousands of ordinary Brits are choosing between heating and eating,” the subhead read.
Even the broadsheet newspapers, like The Guardian and The Times of London, featured the Sussexes on their front pages, though their coverage was decidedly less sensational and focused more on the series’ content than reaction.
Guardian front page, Monday 5 December 2022: ‘Sicker and poorer’: report reveals Britain’s widening health divide pic.twitter.com/j94txZzfBJ
Meanwhile, royal experts, critics and columnists across the U.K. have been offering their takes on the series, ranging from anger to pure indifference.
Nick Bullen, editor-in-chief of True Royalty TV, told Reuters it was the most “self-serving piece of television” he had seen in quite a while, describing it as more like a reality show than a documentary.
Lester Holloway, editor of The Voice, Britain’s only Black national newspaper, was more impressed, calling it a “love story” which talked about the struggles and challenges they have faced as a couple and their battles with the media.
Key takeaways from Harry and Meghan’s explosive new doc series
Other critics found it a satisfying glimpse into the private lives of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
“Does Meghan and Harry’s Netflix documentary live up to its no-holds-barred expectations?” wrote Jessie Thompson from British newspaper The Independent. “Well, within the first five minutes we’ve seen a makeup-less Meghan, hair wrapped in a towel, crying into her phone camera — so I’m going to say yes.”
Bob Seely, a lawmaker with the governing Conservative Party, said he would try to introduce a bill in Parliament to strip the couple of their royal titles, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Seely said Prince Harry was attacking important British institutions, “as well as trashing his family and monetizing his misery for public consumption.”
Employment Minister Guy Opperman branded the couple “utterly irrelevant” in an interview with BBC and urged people “to boycott Netflix and make sure that we actually focus on the things that matter.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex on a walkabout at Trinity College during their visit to Dublin, Ireland.
Joe Giddens / Getty Images
King Charles declined to comment on the series during public engagements in London on Thursday or during a visit Friday to Welsh soccer club Wrexham AFC, where he met the team’s owners, Hollywood actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
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King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort, meet with co-owners of Wrexham AFC, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, during their visit to Wrexham Association Football Club (AFC) on Thursday in Wrexham, Wales.
Arthur Edwards / Getty Images
Both said they had not watched the series, with McElhenney joking, “I’ve never heard of it.”
— With files from The Associated Press and Reuters
It has nothing to do with what the royal couple is planning to reveal during the much-anticipated docuseries, however. Instead, Netflix, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, are being accused of using “misleading” stock footage and photos in the two teasers.
The trailers each paint a picture of the relentless intrusion the prince and his wife faced at the hands of the press after their 2018 wedding — a factor they say led to their decision to step back as working members of the Royal Family and move to California to pursue a more private life on their own terms.
Public has mixed reactions to ‘Harry and Meghan’ Netflix series
According to the BBC, at least three of the images used in the trailers are believed to have been taken from events that had nothing to do with Harry and Meghan. As well, there have been accusations of deceptive cropping of at least one photo and using a video to create an illusion of press intrusion when, if fact, the photographer who captured the footage was invited and known to the couple.
Neither the couple nor Netflix has publicly addressed or commented on these recent accusations.
U.K. newspaper The Sun first reported that an image used in the first trailer, showing a large group of photographers with long camera lenses presumably shooting a royal event, was actually from the movie premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two in 2011, long before Harry and Meghan met.
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This photo, taken at a 2011 movie premiere, is shown in the ‘Harry & Meghan’ trailer, but had nothing to do with the couple.
Netflix / TNI Images
Harry delivers a line in the trailer, right before the image flashes on screen: “I had to do everything I could to protect my family,” he says, giving the impression that it was a group of photographers taking photos in a royal context.
A photographer from The Sun, Doug Seeburg, is seen in the photo and told the publication that no royals were at the event that day.
“In the Netflix trailer, it’s implied the photographers, including me, were trying to get a shot of the royal couple — but that’s nonsense,” Seeburg said.
Robert Jobson tweeted an image featured in the trailer, which shows a photographer taking a picture of the Duke and Duchess from above.
This photograph used by @Netflix and Harry and Meghan to suggest intrusion by the press is a complete travesty. It was taken from a accredited pool at Archbishop Tutu’s residence in Cape Town. Only 3 people were in the accredited position. H & M agreed the position. I was there. pic.twitter.com/nvjznlloLF
“This photograph used by @Netflix and Harry and Meghan to suggest intrusion by the press is a complete travesty,” he wrote. “H & M agreed the position. I was there.”
Buzzfeed also points out that a short clip of footage meant to highlight the couple’s contentious relationship with the media is actually stock video of Donald Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, getting into a vehicle to be transported to prison on May 6, 2019.
As well, the outlet reports that another clip of footage from the second trailer, meant to illustrate paparazzi harassing the couple, was actually taken when former model Katie Price attended a U.K. court to be sentenced for drunk driving in 2021. Over the footage, Harry can be heard in voiceover saying, “I was terrified. I didn’t want history to repeat itself.”
Twitter user @Urban_Pictures also pointed out that the Price footage had been flipped horizontally.
Following accusations of fake footage in the first trailer, the NEW trailer for the @netflix Harry & Meghan documentary appears to use footage of @KatiePrice leaving Crawley Magistrates Court to suggest a mob of paparazzi hounding H&M. #HarryandMeghanonNetflixpic.twitter.com/NFKCedWnK5
Finally, a photo that appears to show Harry and Markle relegated to the fringes of the Royal Family has been cropped to support Harry’s accusation of a “hierarchy of the family,” the Telegraph reports.
The cropped photo, taken during the Trooping the Colour in 2019 where much of the extended Royal Family appeared on the balcony of Buckingham Palace to watch the RAF flypast, shows Prince William and Kate Middleton in the centre of the photograph.
However, the newspaper noticed, the arrangement of the family that day is not as it appears in the Netflix trailer. Rather, Queen Elizabeth II at was the centre of the original photograph and Harry and Meghan were actually standing closer to her than William and Kate.
The Netflix crop appears above and the actual photograph as it was taken appears below.
Netflix / Getty Images
In the aftermath of all of these accusations, it’s certain that royal watchers will be closely dissecting and scrutinizing all of the footage included in the Harry & Meghan documentary when it begins streaming on Netflix Dec. 8.
“It turns your stomach. Why do that? Are they trying to pretend crowds and crowds of people are coming to watch them? What are they saying?” she told the publication, adding it’s very likely Harry and Meghan were given a chance to review the trailers before they were released.
‘Harry & Meghan’ trailer
“They complain about the press manipulating things and not saying the truth and here they are doing exactly that. It’s very foolish,” Levin added. “They are risking their whole reputation. They must assume that we are all fools and we would not dare check on the pictures they have got because they have put them there.”
Royal expert Ingrid Seward defended the couple, saying they may not have realized the images were from events that did not include them. She did concede that using misleading imagery “weakens Harry’s comment about protecting his family.”
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Netflix promises “the series explores the clandestine days of their early courtship and the challenges that led to them feeling forced to step back from their full-time roles in the institution.”
“With commentary from friends and family, most of whom have never spoken publicly before about what they witnessed, and historians who discuss the state of the British Commonwealth today and the Royal Family’s relationship with the press, the series does more than illuminate one couple’s love story, it paints a picture of our world and how we treat each other.”
Queen Elizabeth death: Princes William and Harry greet well-wishers outside Windsor Castle
London — Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, accepted an award for their human rights work in New York on Tuesday night, just two days ahead of the release of a documentary series in which they are expected to outline their experiences as members of the British royal family. It’s widely expected that the couple will make further revelations in the Netflix series about the racism they say Meghan has suffered at the hands of Britain’s tabloid press, and even from members of the royal family.
“They’ve stood up, they’ve talked about racial justice and they’ve talked about mental illness in a way that was incredibly brave,” Kerry Kennedy, president of the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation, said at the organization’s awards gala on Tuesday night, according to Britain’s Telegraph newspaper.
The couple was presented with the “Ripple of Hope” award alongside other honorees, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. At the event, it was announced that the couple’s Archewell Foundation would be launching a student film award for projects about women human rights defenders, in collaboration with the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation.
“For Meghan to get out there on national television and normalize discussion of mental health, at this point, is incredibly important and very brave,” Kennedy said at the gala, according to the Telegraph.
“Together we know that a ripple of hope can turn into a wave of change,” the Sussexes said in a statement announcing the collaborative film project.
The award came days before the release of the couple’s highly anticipated Netflix documentary series, which has prompted widespread speculation over what new accusations it might level at other members of the British royal family.
Since Harry and Meghan stepped down from their roles as “working royals” and moved to the United States, they have spoken out about the racism Meghan says she experienced during her time living in the U.K., including from Harry’s family, and her struggles with her mental health.
In one trailer for the upcoming series, Harry accuses the royal family of leaking stories to the press.
Netflix’s upcoming docuseries “Harry & Meghan” is proving to be an emotional and nail-biting rollercoaster even before its release. In a new trailer that dropped on Monday, Prince Harry teased that they’ll reveal “the full truth” behind what led to the couple’s split from the royal family.
“No one knows the full truth,” Prince Harry says in the trailer, which got nearly 200,000 views within just a few hours of its release on YouTube and 1.7 million on Twitter. “We know the full truth.”
The docuseries is set to be released in six episodes, combined in two “volumes” — the first coming this Thursday, Dec. 8, and the rest on Dec. 15. Netflix calls it “an unprecedented and in-depth documentary series” that allows the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to share their side of the story about their relationship and eventual exit from the royal family.
Harry & Meghan. A Netflix Global Event. Volume I: December 8 Volume II: December 15 pic.twitter.com/WpFzVEC7Yx
Along with interviews with Harry and Meghan themselves, the series will also include commentary from historians and friends and family, most of whom, according to Netflix, “have never spoken publicly before about what they witnessed.”
The latest trailer comes just days after the first sneak peek for the series dropped. While the first trailer promised an emotional look at the couple’s relationship and experiences, the latest provides a glimpse into the turmoil and alleged manipulation that happened behind the scenes.
“There’s a hierarchy of the family. You know, there’s leaking, but there’s also planting of stories,” Prince Harry says in the trailer. “…It’s a dirty game.”
With footage of his mother, Princess Diana, being hounded by the press, Harry continues to say, “The pain and suffering of women marrying into this institution, this feeding frenzy.”
Diana, Princess of Wales, was famously killed in a car accident in Paris in 1997 as she was being chased by paparazzi.
“I was terrified,” Harry says in the trailer. “I didn’t want history to repeat itself.”
That moment in the trailer was only amplified by the words of Meghan: “I realized, ‘they’re never gonna protect you.’”
Images of tabloids, paparazzi jostling with cameras, and the couple clearly going through times of distress continue on the screen as commentators provide snippets of analysis.
“There was a war against Meghan to suit other people’s agendas,” one woman says, followed by a man saying, “It’s about hatred. it’s about race.”
Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have been relatively open about their struggles with the palace. They ultimately decided to step back as senior members of the family in 2020 and have worked to become financially independent. They now live in California.
Last year, Harry told “The Late Late Show” host James Corden that life in the U.K. as members of the royal family was “toxic.” Months later in an exclusive interview with Oprah Winfrey, the couple detailed how they were treated by members of the royal family as their relationship progressed and when Meghan became pregnant with their first child, Archie.
“We did what we had to do,” Harry told Winfrey about the decision to leave the royal family.
London – As the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, visit the United States — their first royal visit since Queen Elizabeth II died in September — a racist incident involving a member of the royal household at a Buckingham Palace reception is overshadowing their trip.
The royal couple arrived in Boston only hours after William’s godmother, who was a lady-in-waiting to the queen for 60 years, resigned as a palace aide for interrogating a Black woman who heads a domestic violence charity. Ngozi Fulani was attending an event at Buckingham Palace and was asked repeatedly to explain where she was “really” from.
Fulani, the head London-based domestic violence service provider Sistah Space, shared an account of her exchange with 83-year-old Lady Susan Hussey on Twitter, which went viral. Fulani told CBS News partner network BBC News it was “abuse.”
Mixed feelings about yesterday’s visit to Buckingham Palace. 10 mins after arriving, a member of staff, Lady SH, approached me, moved my hair to see my name badge. The conversation below took place. The rest of the event is a blur. Thanks @ManduReid & @SuzanneEJacob for support🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/OUbQKlabyq
“First thing she does is she takes my hair and moves it out of the way so that she could see my name badge. That was a surprise. And then she proceeded to ask me where I’m from. Now, because it’s an environment where we are advocates against domestic abuse, I assume she’s asking me what agency or what charity I’m from, so I said Sistah Space. ‘No, where are you from?’ So I say, ‘Hackney’ (a neighborhood in London). This goes on for some time.”
Fulani said Hussey continued to ask her where she was from for about five minutes, not accepting London or the U.K. as answers.
Lady Susan Hussey, Baroness Hussey of North Bradley (then a lady-in-waiting to Queen Elizabeth II) attends a Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at Westminster Abbey on March 29, 2022 in London, England.
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty
“At that time, I’m thinking to myself, is it actually — because she keeps asking me the same question — could it be that she can’t hear me well? Because you have to consider so many things when you’re talking to someone who may be older than you… But it dawned on me very quickly that this has nothing to do with her capacity to understand, but this is her trying to make me really denounce my British citizenship. I’ve never, I mean, there was three of us standing there completely stunned,” Fulani told the BBC. “I have to really question how this can happen in a space that’s supposed to protect women against all kinds of violence… Although it’s not physical violence, it is an abuse.”
One of the witnesses to the exchange was the head of Britain’s Women’s Equality Party, Mandu Reid, who said it was a sign of a wider problem within the monarchy.
“[Hussey] has been a royal aide in the household for 60 years. So in fact, she’s quite a good barometer of that institution. And for her, it was perfectly ordinary to greet and engage with us in that way,” Reid told the BBC’s Newsnight program. “She had no self-awareness. She didn’t respond to any cues we were giving about how uncomfortable it was making us. I think that does signify that we are talking about an institutional problem.”
A spokesperson for Prince William and Kate condemned the exchange, saying that “racism has no place in our society. The comments were unacceptable, and it is right that the individual has stepped aside with immediate effect.”
Buckingham Palace said in a statement that they “take this incident extremely seriously and have investigated immediately to establish the full details. In this instance, unacceptable and deeply regrettable comments have been made. We have reached out to Ngozi Fulani on this matter, and are inviting her to discuss all elements of her experience in person if she wishes. In the meantime, the individual concerned would like to express her profound apologies for the hurt caused and has stepped aside from her honorary role with immediate effect. All members of the household are being reminded of the diversity and inclusivity policies which they are required to uphold at all times.”
Reid said it wasn’t enough that Hussey had resigned from her post, because the problem of racism within the British monarchy was greater than just one person.
“I think, in a way, zooming in on the individual in question, Lady Susan, it reminds me of that bad apple approach to dealing with issues like this… ‘Let’s try to frame it as some sort of isolated incident,’” Reid said. “Well actually, let’s look at Meghan’s account. Meghan herself said that her experiences in the royal household brought her to the brink of suicide. Now, we were at this gathering for just one afternoon. We spent a couple of hours there, and it really left its mark on me and it left its mark on Ngozi. Imagine having to deal with that day in and day out.”
The Prince and Princess of Wales attended a ceremony at Boston City Hall Wednesday night, before watching a Celtics game. On Thursday, they visit a climate change technology incubator and on Friday, they’ll hand out awards worth more than $1 million to entrepreneurs trying to combat climate change, CBS News’ Ben Tracy reports. The White House has confirmed the couple will also meet President Joe Biden later this week.
“This is a really important few days for the Waleses to get their message over about what the royal family is for,” Roya Nikkhah, royal editor for Britain’s Sunday Times newspaper, told Tracy. She said the incident at the palace was “not helpful at the start of this trip. I think they’ll try very hard now to move the conversation on over the next few days.”
President Joe Biden will greet the Prince and Princess of Wales while in Boston for a fundraiser Friday, the White House said Wednesday.
The Royal couple is visiting Boston for the second annual Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony, an ambitious initiative founded by Prince William to help tackle some of the planet’s most pressing environmental challenges, which is scheduled for Friday.
“The President intends to greet the Prince and Princess of Wales when he is in Boston – we are still finalizing and working through the details,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Wednesday. “I don’t have any anything more to share, any more specifics to share on that.”
Earlier this week, CNN reported that Biden was headed to Massachusetts on Friday to headline a fundraiser for the Georiga Senate runoff race. The president is set to appear at the event with Democratic Massachusetts Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and her husband Prince Harry faced “disgusting and very real” threats from right-wing extremists, a former counterterrorism police chief has said.
In an interview with Britain’s Channel 4 News on Tuesday, Neil Basu said the threats against Meghan were serious and credible enough that authorities had assigned teams to investigate them.
“If you’d seen the stuff that was written, and you were receiving it … you would feel under threat all of the time,” said Basu, who was in charge of royal protection during his time at the Metropolitan Police.
“People have been prosecuted for those threats,” said the former Met assistant commissioner.
Since news of her relationship with Prince Harry broke in 2016, Meghan has been subjected to harsh criticism in the British press. In particular, the UK tabloids have faced allegations that their negative coverage of Meghan fueled racist attacks against her.
The racist bullying on social media became so intense during her first pregnancy that the royal staff was put on high alert, beefing up its own digital presence to filter out hateful comments, including use of the n-word and emojis of guns and knives.
The couple said that the racial abuse Meghan faced was a major factor that drove them to move to the United States and step back as senior members of the royal family.
In the couple’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey last year, Prince Harry said he felt the palace was not doing enough publicly to combat the continued racial abuse in the press.
Harry is currently in a legal dispute with the Home Office regarding the family’s security arrangements when they visit the UK.
The threats against the royal couple came amid a rise in right-wing extremism in Britain, according to Basu.
Basu said in his interview that during his tenure, extreme right-wing terrorism was the fastest-growing threat facing the country, going from 6% of the counterterroism department’s workload in 2015 to more than 20% at the time of his departure more than a year ago.
Basu, who is mixed-race, said he believes the Home Office needs to do more to tackle institutional racism.
“I’ve been the only non-White face as a chief officer for a very long time,” he said. “I don’t think the Home Office cares about this subject at all.”
The Home Office said in a statement to CNN that UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman expects police forces in the country to “take a zero tolerance approach to racism within their workplace.”
“We are actively pushing for a cultural change in the police, including via a targeted review of police dismissals to ensure officers who are not fit to serve can be swiftly removed,” a spokesperson for the Home Office said.
A version of this story appeared in the November 18 edition of CNN’s Royal News, a weekly dispatch bringing you the inside track on Britain’s royal family. Sign up here.
London CNN
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When King Charles III celebrated his birthday earlier this week, the headlines focused on the new monarch taking on a new park ranger post previously held by his father, Prince Philip.
Then there were, of course, the military bands performing “Happy Birthday” outside Buckingham Palace at the changing of the guard. And many of the family posted celebratory notes and photographs to official social media accounts. All of this will have probably helped make the day a memorable one.
But separately, the King also moved to address a dilemma that has remained unresolved since long before Queen Elizabeth II’s death.
On Monday, Charles asked the UK Parliament to allow his siblings, Princess Anne and Prince Edward, to become Counsellors of State. The move would empower them to step in for him temporarily when directed to do so. The King said in a message read out in the upper chamber, the House of Lords, that maintaining the smooth running of the government was behind the request.
“To ensure continued efficiency of public business when I’m unavailable, such as while I’m undertaking official duties overseas, I confirm that I would be most content should Parliament see fit for the number of people who may be called upon to act as Counsellors of State under the terms of the Regency Acts 1937 to 1953 to be increased to include my sister and brother, the Princess Royal and the Earl of Wessex and Forfar, both of whom have previously undertaken this role,” the King wrote.
The same message was also read out in the lower house, the Commons.
At present, by law, the group of royals who can fill in for the sovereign numbers five – limited to the monarch’s spouse and the first four family members in the line of succession over the age of 21. Two counselors can be appointed to act on the monarch’s behalf through a letters patent and help keep the state ticking over. Currently, that means the cohort includes Queen Consort Camilla as well as the Prince of Wales, Duke of Sussex, Duke of York and Princess Beatrice.
Experts have long suggested the existing pool of counselors is too small, while public debate on the topic grew toward the latter part of the late Queen’s reign as she became increasingly frail. Charles and William were authorized to act as counselors on occasion when the Queen was unwell. But it was not lost on many that her other two counselors were Princes Harry and Andrew, despite no longer being working members of the family – albeit for very different, well-covered reasons.
Normally, the machinations of royal duties would remain behind palace walls. But the topic re-emerged with Charles’ accession, and because any changes to the Regency Act require legislation, the discussion was broached in the House of Lords for the first time late last month.
Labour Peer Viscount Stansgate challenged Andrew and Harry’s regency powers, remarking that the Duke of York “has left public life,” while the Duke of Sussex “has left the country.” He queried if it was time “to approach the King to see whether a sensible amendment can be made to this Act?” In response, the Lord Privy Seal, Lord True, said he wouldn’t divulge “any private conversations” he may have had with the King or the Royal Household but that “the government will always consider what arrangements are needed to ensure resilience in our constitutional arrangements.”
The King’s moves this week confirm that the palace has been thinking about the dilemma and the options available. And adding to the group of official stand-ins is not unprecedented, having previously been done for the Queen Mother in 1953 after Elizabeth II came to the throne.
Practically, it seems there is a desire within Parliament to resolve the issue quickly. A day after Charles’ request, members of the Lords replied to the monarch, assuring him they would act “without delay” and “will provide such measures as may appear necessary or expedient for securing the purpose set out by His Majesty.”
And the Lords weren’t kidding when they offered expedience, with the Counsellors of State Bill 2022-23 whipping through the Palace of Westminster at breakneck speed. It was given its first reading by Tuesday afternoon and is set to have its second reading and be debated next week.
Expanding the group of royals who can deputize for the King in his absence is an elegant solution to a potential constitutional crisis. It provides for more flexibility while probably going some way to avoid family awkwardness and shields the two dukes from the public embarrassment that might have arisen had they been stripped of their positions. Charles’ approach means both are still technically counselors on paper but firmly puts an end to speculation over whether Harry or Andrew will ever be called upon.
William sends England squad off to World Cup in style.
The Prince of Wales visited the England soccer squad on Monday at St. George’s Park, the team’s HQ, ahead of their departure for the World Cup in Qatar, which kicks off this weekend. Just before the Three Lions swapped the drizzly winter weather for the heat of Doha, William was on hand to wish the team well. “I’m really here to point out that the rest of the country is behind you,” he told the squad, as he presented each player with their shirt number. “We are all rooting for you, enjoy it.”
While William serves as president of England’s Football Association, many Welsh fans on social media suggested the visit was tactless for the holder of the Prince of Wales title and questioned his loyalties.
William has never been shy about being a passionate England fan, as we mentioned last week. And he has been a presence in the Wembley stands, along with his son, George, cheering the team on at previous tournaments. However, he sought to address the criticism mid-week during a trip to the Welsh Parliament in Cardiff. “I’m telling everyone I’m supporting both, definitely. I can’t lose,” he said. “I’ve got to be able to play carefully with my affiliations because I worry otherwise if I suddenly drop England to support Wales then that doesn’t look right for the sport.”
William continued that while he was growing up, Wales didn’t qualify for many football tournaments and so he picked England. But he’ll be cheering both teams on in their first games on Monday and more broadly, he’s found a way to back both countries over the years. “I’ve supported England [football] since I’ve been quite small, but I support Welsh rugby. That’s kind of my way of doing it.”
This year’s tournament is Wales’ first World Cup in more than half a century. The two teams are set to clash in the group stages on November 29.
King Charles shares ‘concern’ after Australia floods.
The King sent a letter to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese late last week to express his concern after flash floods devastated parts of Victoria, a state in the southeast of the country. “Our heartfelt thoughts are with all those affected and for the losses that have been suffered,” Charles wrote. “It has been particularly inspiring to see how communities have pulled together to protect homes and livestock and to support each other during this appallingly difficult period,” he added. The floods are the latest threat caused by climate change that Australia has faced in recent years – after battling wildfires for months in 2020. According to PA Media, Albanese said in September that he would be “very comfortable” with the King expressing his views on the “importance of climate change. It is about the very survival of our way of life,” he said.
Kate visiting Ukrainian refugees who have resettled in the UK.
The Princess of Wales visited Reading Ukrainian Community Center on Thursday, to meet with displaced Ukrainian families who have arrived in the United Kingdom following Russia’s invasion of their home country. After hearing the stories of these families – whose lives at the end of the year are unrecognizable from how they were at the beginning – Kate joined Ukrainian children taking part in an art session. Kate’s visit followed a virtual roundtable meeting she hosted last week, where she discussed with the First Lady of Ukraine how best to provide mental health support to Ukrainians amid the ongoing conflict.
Harry pens deeply personal letter to bereaved military children.
Prince Harry may not have been in the UK for last weekend’s Remembrance Day but he found his own way to mark the occasion. The Duke of Sussex wrote a letter to bereaved military children through the British charity Scotty’s Little Soldiers, offering his sympathies and sharing how he has navigated his grief. “We share a bond even without ever meeting one another, because we share in having lost a parent. I know first-hand the pain and grief that comes with loss and want you to know that you are not alone,” he wrote. The charity supports children whose parents have died in service of the British armed forces. On Remembrance Sunday, dozens of these brave children marched through London wearing the charity’s black and yellow scarves. Harry also wrote knowingly of the “difficult feelings” acts of remembrance can stir. “Whenever you need a reminder of this, I encourage you to lean into your friends at Scotty’s Little Soldiers,” he said. “I couldn’t be more grateful and relieved that you have amazing people walking beside you throughout your journey.” Over in the United States, Harry commemorated Veterans Day by attending a remembrance service at Pearl Harbor, while on his Archewell foundation’s website, he and wife Meghan praised the “brave men and women” who have “made tremendous sacrifices and embody duty and service.” Read Harry’s full letter here.
Getting grilled about his footballing allegiances was not William’s principal reason for going to Cardiff. The Prince of Wales visited the Senedd Wednesday to meet representatives of the Welsh Parliament and hear about the issues of the greatest importance to the Welsh people. William also met the Welsh Youth Parliament, whose members opened up about topics concerning their generation of future leaders.
Charles III led Britain’s annual Remembrance Sunday service for the first time as monarch last weekend. The King attended the service alongside Camilla, the Queen Consort, and other members of the royal family at the Cenotaph monument in central London. The new monarch laid a wreath, the design of which paid tribute to the wreaths of his grandfather, King George VI, and his mother, the late Queen. Camilla was joined by other senior royals including the Princess of Wales to view the moment from the balcony of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, which looks out onto the war memorial. A wreath was laid on the Queen Consort’s behalf for the first time. Find out more in our story.
“Over the past few months, my husband and I have drawn immense comfort from the messages of condolence that we have received, and continue to receive, from the four corners of the world. They have reminded us that the written word has a unique ability to connect, to heal, to reassure and to offer hope, even in the midst of grief.”
The Queen Consort paid tribute to her “dear mother-in-law” during a reception for winners of the Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition 2022.
The speech during the reception at Buckingham Palace on Thursday was the first time Camilla had publicly spoken in her role as Queen Consort.
King Charles III is leading Britain’s annual Remembrance Sunday service for the first time as monarch.
The King is attending the service alongside Camilla, the Queen Consort and other members of the royal family at The Cenotaph in central London.
The King laid a new wreath at the Cenotaph, the design of which pays tribute to the wreath of his grandfather, King George VI, and Queen Elizabeth II.
The wreath’s poppies are mounted on an arrangement of black leaves, as is traditional, and its ribbon bears the King’s racing colors of scarlet, purple and gold.
Camilla viewed the moment from the balcony of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. A wreath was laid on her behalf for the first time.
The King and Queen Consort’s wreaths were accompanied by handwritten cards bearing their new cyphers.
A national two-minute silence was held at 11 a.m. local time (6 a.m. ET), marked by the tolling of Big Ben – which has now officially returned to use after a five-year restoration project.
Other members of the royal family attending the service include William and Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales, Edward and Sophie, the Earl and Countess of Wessex, and Princess Anne.
The event Sunday also featured a march past by some 10,000 Royal British Legion veterans, including World War Two veterans and those who have served in conflicts since.
The annual service is held on the Sunday closest to November 11 – the day World War I ended in 1918.
The event commemorates all those who have died in conflicts.
On Saturday evening, members of the royal family including Charles, Camilla, William and Kate attended the annual Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall. A video tribute was paid to Queen Elizabeth in the course of the event, which also commemorated 40 years since the Falklands war.
Charles, 73, became Britain’s monarch following the death of his mother in September. His coronation has been scheduled for next May to allow time to mourn Elizabeth’s death and to plan the ceremony.
The death of Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, has fueled renewed interest in the country’s royal family. So has the latest season of Netflix’s “The Crown,” which arrives Nov. 9, 2022.
The show depicts real-life events and people, but there are a few times in which showrunners took liberties… more than a few times. But what’s real, and what’s made up for the screen?
We examined some of the most important moments of “The Crown” and researched which storylines were mostly real, and which ones leaned more toward fiction.
Did Princess Diana infuriate Charles with a dance?
Alex Bailey/Netflix
In “The Crown”: Princess Diana secretly plans to dance to Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl” with ballet dancer Wayne Sleep at the Royal Opera House. But Charles is furious at being upstaged by his popular wife.
In real life: The event wasn’t filmed but it did really happen. Sleep has recounted how he trained with Diana before the performance, and while the audience went crazy, royal biographers have written that Charles really didn’t like the performance and thought Diana was showing off.
Did Diana roller-skate through Buckingham Palace?
Des Willie/Netflix
In “The Crown”: Princess Diana moves into Buckingham Palace to receive lessons on royalty. She is seen roller-skating through the palace.
In real life: “Crown” producer Oona O’Beirn has said that Diana loved roller-skating and really did this. She also reportedly rode bicycles around the palace.
Did Philip and Elizabeth fight over their last name?
Robert Viglasky / Netflix
In “The Crown”: There’s an ongoing conflict between Elizabeth and Philip (seen here portrayed by Matt Smith and Claire Foy) about what last name their children will take. Philip wants his family name of Mountbatten, not just the royal surname of Windsor.
In real life: Philip apparently did complain about this, according to a 2004 biography. Elizabeth formally decreed a new family surname, Mountbatten-Windsor, in 1960.
Did Margaret really want to be queen?
Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
In “The Crown”: Princess Margaret has a tense relationship with sister Queen Elizabeth over her less-important role in the family. Young Margaret even says she wants to be the queen.
In real life: There’s no evidence that she ever wanted to be the queen.
Did Princess Margaret flirt with a Catholic priest?
Sophie Mutevelian/Netflix
In “The Crown”: Princess Margaret (played by Helena Bonham-Carter, seen here) flirts with a Catholic priest named Dazzle Jennings, and develops feelings for him.
In real life: It’s not clear just how far Margaret’s feelings went for Jennings. But according Richard Cole, to a friend of Jennings, the priest was gay found refuge in celibacy.
Did terrorists kill Lord Mountbatten?
Des Willie/Netflix
In “The Crown”: Lord Mountbatten (depicted here by Charles Dance) is fishing with his family when his boat explodes. Mountbatten, along with two children, are killed.
In real life: This shocking incident was widely reported at the time. The IRA took credit for the attack, and the perpetrator was later arrested. There was a ceremonial funeral at Westminster Abbey.
Did an avalanche nearly kill Charles?
Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
In “The Crown”: Amid the drama of Diana and Charles fighting, Charles nearly dies in an avalanche — and his friend Major Hugh Lindsay dies.
In real life: It happened. Charles, along with a guide and a group of friends (excluding Diana) were on the slopes in Switzerland when an avalanche came. They all survived except for Lindsay. Pictured here is Charles on the slopes in the ’80s.
Were two disabled sisters abandoned by the royals?
PA Images via Getty Images
In “The Crown”: Princess Margaret is shocked to discover that she has two disabled maternal cousins, once reported dead, who are actually in an institution. Margaret confronts Elizabeth, who defends the decision. Margaret then sends a friend to visit them.
In real life: It’s true that the sisters were institutionalized from a young age, reported dead, and essentially abandoned; the story was outlined via, among other sources, a Channel 4 documentary, “The Queen’s Hidden Cousins,” which aired in 2011.
But there’s no evidence that Margaret intervened. The Royal Earlswood Mental Hospital they were at is pictured above.
Did Elizabeth and Philip once face an angry elephant?
Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images
In “The Crown”: Elizabeth and Philip tour Kenya and face an angry bull elephant. Philip’s steady response saves her life.
In real life: Elizabeth did go on a tour to see elephants, but there’s no evidence any charged her or that Philip intervened. Here’s the couple in 2017 meeting and feeding an Asian elephant at a zoo in Dunstable, England.
Did Prince Philip refuse to kneel for his wife?
Central Press/Getty Images
In “The Crown”: Prince Philip asks Elizabeth if he can forgo kneeling to her at her upcoming coronation, and is denied. He kneels — bitterly.
In real life: He didn’t refuse and it’s unlikely that there was any drama whatsoever about the royal protocol. He’s pictured here kneeling for his wife at her coronation in 1953.
Did Charles hate his school?
Alex Bailey / Netflix
In “The Crown”: Prince Philip sends Charles to Gordonstoun School, where is verbally abused and bullied. When he complains to Philip, he calls Charles “bloody weak.”
In real life: Reportedly, Elizabeth actually watched this episode and disliked it. As for Charles, he has downplayed reports that he hated Gordonstoun, but other former students have aired their own accusations of abuse against the institution, and Charles sent his own kids to a different school.
Did Queen Elizabeth fight with Jackie Kennedy?
PNA Rota/Getty Images
In “The Crown”: Elizabeth is delighted to meet John and Jackie Kennedy in 1961. Then she discovers that Jackie has insulted her, and she is hurt.
In real life: It probably didn’t happen exactly like that. Some biographers claim that Jackie Kennedy was less than impressed by the monarch and the furnishings at Buckingham Palace. Regardless, there was definitely no overt rivalry. The real-life meeting is pictured here.
Did the queen forbid Princess Margaret to marry?
Alex Bailey/Netflix
In “The Crown”: The first season of “The Crown” details a relationship between the divorced Peter Townsend and Princess Margaret. They’re depicted in the show by Ben Miles and Vanessa Kirby, seen here. Elizabeth formally forbids Margaret from marrying Townsend because of his divorce.
In real life: It was way more complicated. While Margaret was initially forbidden to marry him (by Parliament, not the queen) she could have given up her spot in the line of royal succession to marry whoever she wanted. But Margaret ended the relationship and remained in the line of succession.
Did Princess Diana have bulimia?
Des Willie/Netflix
In “The Crown”: Princess Diana is seen engaging in harmful behaviors, like making herself throw up. Diana is seen here as depicted by Emma Corrin.
In real life: Diana definitely struggled with an eating disorder — she said so herself, and said the family knew about her binging and purging.
Did Princess Margaret get raunchy with President Lyndon Johnson?
Bettmann/Getty Images
In “The Crown”: Margaret charms the president with dirty jokes, drinks, singing and dancing.
In real life: Margaret and her then-husband, Lord Snowdon, did go to an event at the White House, and President Johnson did reportedly enjoy the royals a lot. But there’s no evidence that anything scandalous happened.
Was the Duke of Windsor a Nazi?
Robert Viglasky / Netflix
In “The Crown”: The Duke of Windsor — the queen’s uncle, who had abdicated the throne in 1936 — asks her for more royal duties. But British intelligence discovers the Marburg Files, in which the duke appears to sympathize with Nazis. An angry Elizabeth dismisses the duke from the family. The former king is portrayed by Alex Jennings, pictured here.
In real life: The Marburg Files are definitely real. But, while Elizabeth did admonish her uncle, she never fully banished him. He remained in contact with his family throughout his life and occasionally made official appearances.
Did Princess Margaret have an affair with a lowly gardener?
Anwar Hussein/Getty Images
In “The Crown”: Princess Margaret vacations with extramarital lover Roddy Llewellyn, a gardener. They are photographed by the paparazzi. Queen Elizabeth calls Margaret back to England; Margaret attempts suicide, and then the sisters bond over the pressures of royalty.
In real life: Roddy Llewellyn (seen here) wasn’t a lowly gardener as depicted in the show. He was a baronet who was introduced to gardening by his nanny. They started an affair in 1973, and were caught by paparazzi in 1976. It’s unclear if Margaret attempted suicide or what Elizabeth thought.
Was Prince Philip estranged from his nun mother?
Bettmann/Getty Images
In “The Crown”: Greece falls under military rule. Philip’s mother, Princess Alice, is living there as a nun, and Elizabeth brings her to live with them for her own safety. Philip is shown having a strained relationship with his mother, including an estrangement that goes back for years.
In real life: Prince Philip grew up mostly without his parents. His mother had a mental breakdown and ended up as a nun in Greece. But they weren’t completely estranged. Here they are pictured together at a wedding.
Did Winston Churchill’s assistant get hit by a bus?
Alex Bailey/Netflix
In “The Crown”: Winston Churchill’s secretary, Venetia Scott, dies after stepping in front of a bus. The actors playing those characters, Kate Phillips and John Lithgow, are seen here.
In real life: There was no Venetia Scott. She was just a plot device in the show.
What was wrong with Princess Alice?
Evening Standard/Getty Images
In “The Crown”: Princess Alice, the mother of Prince Philip, features in heavily in Season 3. Philip doesn’t seem to care for his mother, mainly as a result of her mental illness.
In real life: Princess Alice was formally diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1930, a label that would later be explored in medical publications. After spending time in a hospital, she devoted her life to charity.
Did Princess Diana face a “Balmoral test”?
Anwar Hussein/WireImage/Getty Images
In “The Crown”: In an episode entitled “The Balmoral Test,” we see Margaret Thatcher and Diana Spencer invited to Balmoral Castle in Scotland, to see how they can interact with the family.
In real life: It’s unknown if the royals really used a trip to Balmoral as any sort of “test.” This is a photo of Charles and Diana pictured there in 1981, two months before they were married.
Did Margaret Thatcher beg the queen to dissolve Parliament?
Des Willie/Netflix
In “The Crown”: Under pressure to resign, Margaret Thatcher begs Queen Elizabeth to dissolve Parliament. A shocked Elizabeth declines, and Thatcher eventually steps down.
In real life: There is no evidence of such an ask. After over 11 years as prime minister, Thatcher’s ministers asked her to resign, and the very next morning, after informing the queen, she did.
Did Queen Elizabeth leak a story about Margaret Thatcher to the press?
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In “The Crown”: Elizabeth has her press secretary Michael Shea leak to The Sunday Times that she is unhappy with Thatcher and that she thinks the prime minister is “uncaring.”
In real life: Thatcher and Elizabeth’s biographers have denied that the queen leaked any kind of story to The Sunday Times. However, Buckingham Palace did remove Michael Shea from his role after the story dropped.
Did people really hate that documentary about the royal family?
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In “The Crown”: The family is having a documentary made about their daily lives to make them seem like normal people, but critics hate it.
In real life: A documentary called “Royal Family” really was made, but it was well received. The family itself disliked it, thinking it invaded their privacy, so it is no longer officially shown or distributed. This photo shows the family having lunch as part of the documentary.
Did the Queen Mother and Lord Mountbatten come between Camilla and Charles?
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In “The Crown”: The Queen Mum (depicted here by Marion Bailey) and Lord Mountbatten conspire to break up Camilla Shand and Prince Charles. They dislike Camilla because she technically isn’t a noble.
In real life: There is zero evidence that the two ever conspired to break up Camilla and Charles.
Did Margaret Thatcher hate Balmoral Castle?
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In “The Crown”: Margaret Thatcher and her husband Denis visit Balmoral Castle for a weekend and fail to master the mannerisms of the ruling class, causing the prime minister to resent them. She is seen here portrayed by Gillian Anderson.
In real life: The relationship between Margaret Thatcher and Queen Elizabeth wasn’t nearly as frosty as was depicted in the show. But Thatcher did reportedly tell people that she hated weekends at Balmoral, calling it “purgatory.”
Was Sir Anthony Blunt a KGB spy?
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In “The Crown”: Queen Elizabeth discovers that her royal art curator, Sir Anthony Blunt, is a KGB spy. But she covers it up to protect the crown’s reputation — because he had supposed blackmail on Prince Philip.
In real life: Blunt (seen here) confessed to being a KGB spy in 1964. He was granted anonymity… until Margaret Thatcher publicly identified him in 1979 and stripped him of his titles. Did the queen know? It’s not certain, but the New York Times once reported that she probably did.
Did intruder Michael Fagan have a long conversation with Queen Elizabeth?
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In “The Crown”: A troubled man named Michael Fagan breaks into the queen’s chamber in Buckingham Palace. Instead of running, she talks to him and listens to his concerns over the state of the country.
In real life: Michael Fagan (seen here) did break into Buckingham Palace — twice. But he didn’t really have a clear reason, and when he made it into Queen Elizabeth’s bedroom, she immediately called for help.
Did Anne date Andrew Parker Bowles while her nephew dated Parker Bowles’s girlfriend?
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In “The Crown”: Princess Anne has an affair with Andrew Parker Bowles while Charles has an affair with Camilla Shand, Parker Bowles’ girlfriend. Charles (Josh O’Connor) and Camilla (Emerald Fennell) are seen here talking in the episode.
In real life: Anne did briefly date Andrew Parker Bowles in 1970; it wasn’t an extramarital affair. Camilla didn’t even meet Charles until later. Their relationship ended in 1973 and Camilla got back together with Andrew.
Did John Armstrong interview members of the royal family?
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In “The Crown”: Queen Elizabeth asks her daughter, Princess Anne (seen here, played by Erin Doherty), to do an interview to help boost the family image. Anne redirects the journalist to her paternal grandmother, the eccentric Princess Alice — and the interview by famed journalist John Armstrongis a hit.
In real life: There was no John Armstrong, and no interview was done with Princess Alice.
Was Queen Elizabeth heartless about Aberfan?
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In “The Crown”: A horrific mining accident buries a school and several houses in Aberfan, Wales, killing 116 children. Philip is heartbroken, but Elizabeth is emotionless and fails to visit Aberfan until Philip insists.
In real life: There’s no evidence that the queen was uncaring about the Aberfan disaster. She did wait eight days to visit, while Philip arrived the day after. However, historians say it was because she didn’t want to take the attention from the rescuers, who were still looking for children days later.
Did Charles really study Welsh to be Prince of Wales?
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In “The Crown”: Queen Elizabeth sends Charles to Wales so that he can learn Welsh before his official investiture as the Prince of Wales. Charles gives a speech in Welsh, expressing sympathies for Wales’ struggles against England. This greatly irritates Elizabeth.
In real life: He did learn Welsh and give his speech in Welsh, but rather than angering Elizabeth, Charles later commented that it was a “moving and meaningful moment” for him.
Was Harold Wilson a spy?
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In “The Crown”: Queen Elizabeth hears that the new prime minister, Harold Wilson, might be a KGB spy. She later discovers that her own art curator, Anthony Blunt, is the real spy.
In real life: Wilson himself (pictured here) was paranoid that he was a target of the USSR, so it’s very doubtful that he was a spy for them.
Did the Duke of Windsor apologize to Queen Elizabeth for abdicating?
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In “The Crown”: The Duke of Windsor, the former Edward VIII, apologizes to Queen Elizabeth for abdicating the throne — which eventually led to her becoming queen — as she goes to see him on his deathbed.
In real life: There’s no evidence that the Duke of Windsor made a big apology on his deathbed.
Was the Suez Crisis a result of Anthony Eden’s drug usage?
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In “The Crown”: Prime Minister Anthony Eden (played here by Jeremy Northam) conspires with France and Israel to take back the Suez Canal from Egypt, all while popping amphetamines.
In real life: The Suez Crisis definitely happened, and it ruined Anthony Eden’s political career. And believe it or not, some historians posit that drug usage may have had something to do with it.
Did Prince Philip have connections to Nazis?
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In “The Crown”: There are multiple references to Prince Philip’s family having connections with Nazi Germany. Philip and his family are even shown in a Nazi parade.
In real life: Philip’s sisters Margarita, Theodora, Cecilie and Sophie all married German nobles with ties to Nazism. Sophie even named her child “Karl Adolf.” Philip wasn’t a Nazi though; he was raised by relatives in England, and shunned those members of his family as he got older.
Did Prince Philip request a private audience with the Apollo 11 astronauts?
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In “The Crown”: Philip requests a private audience with Apollo 11 astronauts pick their minds about deep questions — but is left disappointed by their responses.
In real life: Queen Elizabeth did receive the Apollo 11 astronauts. But there’s no evidence Prince Philip requested a private audience.
Did the queen break precedent for Churchill’s funeral?
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In “The Crown”: Queen Elizabeth gives Winston Churchill a state funeral, which is usually only for members of the royal family, and attends in person, which the family rarely does.
In real life: Elizabeth loved Churchill and began planning an elaborate state funeral before he even died. She and Philip did attend the funeral in person (seen here). The only other prime minister’s funeral she attended was Margaret Thatcher’s.
Was the Great Smog really ignored by British politicians?
In “The Crown”: A thick smog hangs over London, spurring protests and deaths all over the city. Leaders ignore it and call it an “act of God” until Churchill’s secretary dies after stepping in front of a bus on a smoggy day.
In real life: Environmentalism wasn’t a huge movement in the 1950s when the Great Smog happened, but there were protests. More people did die than usual, but those deaths weren’t attributed to the smog until after the fact.
Did Princess Margaret oppose the marriage of Charles and Diana?
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In “The Crown”: Princess Margaret tries to persuade Charlies not to marry Diana.
In real life: There’s no evidence that Margaret (or anyone else) was against the marriage of Diana and Charles.
Did Lord Mountbatten hold sway over Prince Philip?
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In “The Crown”: Lord Mountbatten tries to influence the family via his nephew, Prince Philip.
In real life: It’s unknown how much influence Lord Mountbatten had, but he arranged at least one important meeting — that between Philip and Elizabeth, who met for the first time in 1939.
Did Queen Elizabeth grant Margaret Thatcher the Order of Merit?
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In “The Crown”: After Margaret Thatcher is forced to resign, Queen Elizabeth grants her the Order of Merit, a very rare honor.
In real life: It really did happen. The Order of Merit is a very distinguished honor — only 24 living Brits can be members, and it’s solely at the discretion of the monarch. Elizabeth is pictured here in 2002 with the members of the Order of Merit; Thatcher is the second to last in the front row.
Did Queen Elizabeth have an affair with Lord Porchester?
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In “The Crown”: Elizabeth travels around the world with her friend Lord Porchester, whom she refers to as “Porchey.” She may harbor feelings for him.
In real life: Elizabeth and Porchey had a friendship since childhood. But that’s almost certainly all it ever was. The queen was never suspected of having any affair. Lord Porchester is seen here in the background walking beside Elizabeth and a gamekeeper named James Gillan.
Did the family all have nicknames?
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In “The Crown”: The Duke of Windsor maintains secret, unflattering nicknames for the family (Elizabeth is “Shirley Temple” while the Queen Mother is “Cookie”). Charles and Camilla call each other “Fred” and “Gladys” in covert correspondence.
In real life: The nicknames were all seen in confirmed royal correspondence. Nicknames and pet names continue to be common (usually for more innocuous reasons) among the royal family. The most well-known is that Elizabeth was called Lilibet — which Prince Harry and Meghan Markle later named their daughter. Queen Elizabeth is seen here with her family — Charles, Anne, Andrew, Philip and Edward — in a photo from the ’70s.
Did Queen Elizabeth give a speech at the Jaguar factory?
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In “The Crown”: Elizabeth gives a speech at the Jaguar car factory, inspiring Lord Altrincham to write an article about how much he hated her speech, finding it stuffy and impersonal.
In real life: There was no speech at a Jaguar factory. Lord Altrincham did write an article expressing disapproval with the queen’s public speeches, but it wasn’t about one particular speech.
Did Queen Elizabeth ever cry in public?
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In “The Crown”: Elizabeth has never cried in public during the entirety of the series, and faked crying while touring Aberfan.
In real life: Biographers say she really did cry in Aberfan, and was pictured crying at remembrance ceremonies for soldiers who’d lost their lives. She also appeared to cry at the decommissioning of the royal yacht Britannia.
Did Lord Mountbatten try to oust Prime Minister Harold Wilson?
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In “The Crown”: Prime Minister Harold Wilson has Lord Mountbatten removed from a key position. Mountbatten responds by attempting a coup against Wilson with Cecil King, a newspaper baron, and others.
In real life: Wilson was famously paranoid that people were trying to undermine him, and some writers have claimed there was a coup attempt — but others, including Cecil King, have disputed that. Regardless, Mountbatten left his position in 1965, and the supposed coup attempt wasn’t until 1968.
Was Elizabeth in Africa when she learned her father had died?
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In “The Crown”: Then-Princess Elizabeth is in Kenya when she learns that her father, George VI, has died. It comes as a surprise — except to the viewers, who saw him confess to Churchill that his condition was terminal.
In real life: This one is true… except the conversation between the king and the prime minister probably didn’t happen. Elizabeth and Philip were on tour in Kenya at the Treetops Hotel when she officially became the sovereign. She’s seen here with her father in July 1946.
Was Princess Anne’s really kidnapped?
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In “The Crown”: Princess Anne is featured heavily in the third and fourth seasons of “The Crown,” but a much-discussed kidnapping attempt was left out entirely.
In real life: In 1974, Anne and then-husband Mark Phillips were headed to Buckingham Palace when their car was forced to stop. A man named Ian Ball approached Anne in her car with a gun and said he was going to kidnap her for ransom. She responded sarcastically, “Bloody likely!” Anne’s bodyguard James Beaton is seen here being visited by Anne as he recovered from his wounds after being shot by Ball.
Did the Falklands War unravel while Mark Thatcher was missing?
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In “The Crown”: Margaret Thatcher has a breakdown in front of the queen after her son, Mark, goes missing in the Sahara Desert. When Argentina then invades the Falklands, Thatcher almost seems unable to handle it. Mark Thatcher is found six days later, 31 miles off course.
In real life: These events happened, but the timing is wrong. Mark Thatcher went missing for a week in January 1982, and the Thatchers pulled out all the stops to find him. Argentina didn’t invade the Falklands until April of that same year, and the British took back control of the islands in 10 weeks.
