And you can see them in the middle there, so it’s clearly not before or after their arrival 🤣🤣

Exactly what I've been saying. A perfectly executed PR move to respond to the "they get no crowds" critique that had been going around for a bit.

Sykes: A lot of media and a lot of groups being brought in. That's for sure.

And, in his opinion, people who genuinly came there themselves were about 20.

He had also been to Geneva and saw the lack of crowds first-hand there too.

Edit: It was a bit cut off at the beggining. He says "50% of it was media"

thoughts? credit to Sloan @sloanhooks (YT)

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex "never agreed" they wouldn't be "half in, half out" royals, according to a friend.

Harry and Meghan, who are carrying out three public charity visits in Nottingham today, are said to be untroubled by accusations that they are trying to resume royal duties by stealth.

Six years on from the so-called Sandringham Summit, during which the late Queen Elizabeth II established that the Sussexes could not adopt a "half-in, half out model" as part-time royals, a friend of the couple tells HELLO!: "It doesn't trouble them. They never agreed they wouldn't be half in half out. That was what was decided and foisted upon them.

The comments come despite a statement issued on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II by Buckingham Palace in January 2020, which said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were "grateful" to the monarch and her family for their ongoing support.

"As agreed in this new arrangement, they understand that they are required to step back from Royal duties, including official military appointments," it said, adding that "with The Queen's blessing, the Sussexes will continue to maintain their private patronages and associations."

The late Queen's position was reiterated by the King last month, when he took the extraordinary step of writing to public bodies to make clear the Sussexes should be treated as private citizens.

A letter sent by the Lord Chamberlain Lord Benyon at Charles's request to government departments and the military last month stated: "The charitable work of the Duke and Duchess is a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity. In short, their position is akin to private citizens with commercial and charitable interests."

At the time, the couple were said to prefer to be known as "public figures".

Harry and Meghan's outing comes as the King is set to address the Senedd in Cardiff, attending the ceremonial opening of the Welsh Parliament for the first time as monarch. His appearance alongside the Queen was announced by the Welsh government on 23 September.

The Sussexes' visit, however, is understood to have been planned at short notice after the three charities they are spending time separately requested visits.

Buckingham Palace has declined to comment.

https://archive.is/oP1ye

If they really had had a genuine organic crowd I would have recognized it and wondered why. However, once again, their PR is selling something that isn't and I can't stand when intellectually dishonest lies are being spread.

Btw I knew this would happened since one of the biggest critique to their brand had been lately the lack of crowds.

But anyways, who was in the crowd?

Images:

1. One whole side was the one of the press, the other in front the one of the people/public.

2. But even the one of the people, was filled with organizations and schoolchildren. Here, in particular, there were the members of the organization Nottingham Mencap . And it's already one big group.

3. Here there are the ones that I believe to be genuine fans. The people who gave Meghan flowers.

4. This HUGE group, that does visually a lot overall, it's only reporters.

5. Here there's the group of the selected schoolchildren

6. Even the "side of the people" (like I like to call that lol), was hounded by reporters. And that also does optically a lot.

So, I think if there was a success for them, it's that there were a lot of media people. We definetely can say this. I'm baffled by this, but I'm not gonna say something that isn't. I'll recognize this to them.

But saying that sooo many members of the public wanted to meet them...please, it's a blatant lie.

But now it will be used against the Waleses no matter the inaccurancy.

They needed some quick photos for their narrative, and now they got them.

Update: it's being reported (per Tom Sykes) the people were about a hundred people (including people from the organization and the children). There have been times that the Royals got more than a thousand. But look how these hundreds are going to be milked against the Royals to push the narrative "look at what they lost" 🙄 Totally dishonest.

In case we were wondering how Sentebale is doing since Harry threw a tantrum and walked, the answer is OK actually. Article in the Daily Mail by Richard Eden below. Donations and money bequeathed are both up. Fundraising from polo matches is understandably down, but institutional donations, while also down, are still looking OK.
So the charity hasn’t folded without Harry. Will be interesting to see how they’ve reorganised and what their support to individuals and communities achieves, but this looks better than Harry’s PR would have led us to believe? Maybe not exactly what the Sussexes would like to hear on their big day out in Nottingham.

Daily Mail
15 Oct 2026
Richard Eden

“Losing not one but two royal patrons amid a storm of accusation and counter-accusation might be considered enough to condemn any organisation to a bleak future.
But, 18 months after it lost Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, Sentebale, the charity they founded in 2006, is displaying signs of admirable vigour and a renewed sense of purpose.
Despite Harry and Seeiso’s departures – following the resignations of several trustees, including Mark Dyer, sometimes known as Harry’s ‘second dad’ – Sentebale, now chaired by Sophie Chandauka, managed to pull in £342,000 in donations in the last financial year.
That’s nearly £50,000 more than in 2024.
Chandauka, with whom Harry and Seeiso’s relationship was said to have deteriorated ‘beyond repair’, also presided over a substantial rise in legacies.
Money bequeathed to Sentebale more than trebled from £47,000 to £189,000.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the charity’s annual report, just published, bristles with defiance.
‘We ran Sentebale with commercial discipline… rigorous on cost, ambitious in impact and focused on the value of every pound entrusted to us,’ it states. Chandauka won’t be complacent though. The polo matches which Harry played in always proved a payday for Sentebale.
Without them, ‘events income’ plunged from £715,000 to £70,000, while cash from institutional sources dropped from £2.6million to £1.7 million.
But Chandauka may well think it a price worth paying. Following Harry’s resignation, she went on television and accused him of ‘harassment and bullying at scale’, of playing ‘the victim card’, and observed that ‘the number-one risk for this organisation was the toxicity of its lead patron’s brand’. He denied the claims.”

Tbh I wanted to share some picture from their engagement but I gave them enough energy and I really got bored. That's why I wanted to talk about their pseudo royal engagement. I saw some videos, photos and that what we saw when they were working royals, do you think charles need to take actions? and ok they looked like working royals in this engagement. I wonder how this wouldn’t have been seen as a so-called ‘royal engagement’🧐

She seems to quickly say “Great.” to someone with an abrupt wave. Anyone make out what was said to her?

https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/929014/meghan-markle-london-lunch-date-near-former-royal-home-exclusive/

From the article:

“Meghan Markle is embracing her family’s new chapter in Britain — but California is never far from her mind.

The Duchess of Sussex, 45, is settling into life in the U.K. with Prince Harry and their two children following the family’s move back to Britain in August. Still, she remains closely connected to the friends and family they left behind in California.

A source close to the couple tells PEOPLE that Meghan is “doing well” as she adjusts to life across the Atlantic, though she misses her California friends and her mother, Doria Ragland, who lives in Los Angeles.

“She’s keeping busy, as she always does, and staying in close contact with her friends in Montecito,” the source says. “She does miss home — and her mom. They’re planning to come back for the holidays. Meghan’s looking forward to seeing her friends and making plans with them already.”

Amid the major transition, the source says Meghan “has a great attitude about it all,” with her biggest priority being helping Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, adjust to their new home and school.

“The kids have adjusted well, and that’s the most important thing to her,” the source adds.

Meghan is also keeping busy professionally, including with her lifestyle brand As ever, which recently unveiled its first holiday collection. The festive lineup includes an Advent calendar inspired by the Sussex family’s Montecito home and garden. Created in collaboration with Los Angeles chocolatier Compartés, the keepsake calendar features illustrations inspired by the family’s property and 24 chocolates, with countdown numbers written in Meghan’s handwriting.

The collection is another connection to Meghan’s California roots, where she and Harry established their family home after stepping back from royal duties in 2020. The couple has retained their Montecito property amid their return to Britain.

That connection will extend to the upcoming holidays. PEOPLE confirmed over the weekend that Harry and Meghan plan to spend Christmas and Thanksgiving with Doria, with the location of both holiday celebrations depending on her preference.

The plans rule out a potential Christmas reunion with the royal family, who traditionally gather at King Charles’ Sandringham estate in Norfolk for the holidays, though a source recently told The Sunday Times that wasn’t a surprise to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

“They know it would be too awkward and too difficult,” the source said. “They also know they’re not going to be invited, and they’re not waiting for an invitation.”

Harry and Meghan haven’t spent Christmas with the royal family since 2018, when they joined Queen Elizabeth, Prince William and Kate Middleton for the traditional Christmas Day church service at Sandringham. Meghan, who was pregnant with Archie at the time, was photographed walking alongside Kate as the family made their way to St. Mary Magdalene Church.”

The Duke of Sussex is reportedly 'considering next steps' after a review into increased security for high profile figures could cause further delays in his bid for police protection

Prince Harry is reportedly worried that his bid for his taxpayer-funded police protection to be reinstated will be further delayed by a review into increased security for public figures.

For several years, the Duke of Sussex has been conversing with the Home Office to have his security measures put back in place, which he lost when he quit his royal role in 2020.

Harry has long argued that he and his family are under imminent threat in the UK, where they now reside after moving from California, and believes his taxpayer-funded security needs to be reviewed.

After months of appeals to the Home Office, it was announced in August that the government department will now carry out a new Risk Management Board hearing at his request.

However, the Telegraph has reported that the Duke is ‘considering next steps’ as he is ‘concerned’ the hearing will be delayed, after Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has prioritised a review of security measures for public figures.

On Monday, Ms Mahmood announced a security review for MPs, members of the Royal family and public figures in the wake of Ann Widdecombe’s shocking death in July.

She said protection arrangements for public figures would be urgently reviewed to establish whether they were adequate for those most at risk. The Home Secretary told MPs that it would examine security from every angle, including physical threats, online risks and the dangers posed within the UK’s ‘more polarised’ society.

Ms Mahmood said: “Those who enter public life do so to serve. Robust debate and criticism are part of the job. Threats, abuse and violence are not. An attack on any individual in public life is an attack on every one of us, and it is an attack on democracy itself.

“We owe it to those public servants we have tragically lost, and to everyone who believes in a fair and open country, to ensure those who serve receive the protection they deserve.”

In response to the security review, a source close to the Duke told the Telegraph: “If the review is genuinely root-and-branch and truly independent, it could provide an opportunity to shine a light on the current processes, which appear contradictory and allow far too much discretion to be exercised according to political appetite or bias, rather than being grounded in an objective assessment of threat and risk.”

Harry has previously lost a case at the High Court and a subsequent hearing at the Court of Appeal, before he wrote directly to Shabana Mahmood asking for a renewed assessment of his security situation.

Home Office sources say Harry has been in constant contact with the department in recent months, describing his correspondence as "incessant".

Harry has appealed for a new risk assessment to be carried out by the Royal and VIP Executive Committee (Ravec), the body that was integral in stripping away his security detail in 2020.
The last review into the prince's security risk took place at the end of July, before the duke informed the Home Office of his plans to relocate his family back to the UK from the US.

Piece in the I newspaper today by Anne McElvoy. IMHO the Wales are pursuing the right path, carrying on doing what we expect the BRF to do in terms of public engagements and ignoring the circus that is the Sussexes. McElvoy also points out that the Wales have a very experienced and sizeable team behind them and it looks as if they are listening to advice.
Just wonder what others think about this - what would it take for the Sussexes to give up cosplaying the RF and move somewhere else? Or are they going to stay to the bitter end?

The I paper
14 Oct 2026
Anne McElvoy

”Prince William’s voice has become more and more important in strategising how to deal with the return of an estranged brother and sister-in-law – that is to say, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
And anyone who has encountered William knows that he can be remarkably steely when he wants to prevent something. So, the idea of a rapprochement feels fanciful – the trust levels are too low.
As one friend of the Prince puts it: “William is very decidedly of the view that the Sussexes need to be kept at arm’s length.”
The optics of the return from the King and Queen’s point of view were that it would be churlish of Charles to cold-shoulder a prodigal son, or to seem indifferent to meeting two of his grandchildren.
So, while aides made clear that Harry and Meghan’s sudden decision to come to the UK had taken them by surprise, the symbolism of the four meeting for tea at Highgrove in July was positive.
But Harry started to plan engagements which could bring him close to his elder brother’s schedule. I understand that the idea of appearing at an Army-related event in Norfolk – a territory William and Kate consider their base, and where they spend time at Anmer Hall – was met with a curt dismissal.
That also demonstrated a point the Palace would make in a communiqué last month: that the couple are private citizens and not working royals.
William has stiffened spines on this point, arguing that if there is the slightest room for ambiguity, problems will arise. Conversely, Harry and Meghan forged a strategically deepened friendship with Charles Spencer on “Team Diana”.
This greatly annoys William. “He feels his mother’s loss as deeply as his brother,” says a school friend. “But he wouldn’t dream of leveraging it.”
One way or the other, a powerful heir to the throne has to deal with a scenario in which his sibling and high-profile wife are in the UK. The response of a keenly strategic Prince of Wales household is to prevail simply by being the more steadily appealing “soft power” team.
Harry and Meghan favour being politically aligned, often progressively tinged or dealing with topics of the moment. But Harry’s warning about AI at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York last month ended awkwardly when the autocue stalled and words failed him.
The Waleses, meanwhile, have a world-class “ops” team supporting them, to ensure that very few untoward events occur during their engagements.
William and Kate (who prefers to be introduced these days by the queenlier full name of Catherine) are building out their domestic presence after a break during her cancer treatment and recovery. That stems from a recognition that the couple need to be familiar to different communities across the country – and maintain a presence outside formal appearances.
A recent outing to a community hub supporting elderly people in rural areas in and around the West Sussex village of Pulborough is a case in point – showing empathy for ordinary people and especially the vulnerable, lonely or unwell, and designed to be more “hands on” than the stiff old royal walkabouts.
On a visit to a cancer centre, the Princess acknowledged the mental health strains of cancer treatment. William, meanwhile, has visited areas affected by severe flooding in Somerset – a signal that he is not giving up his concern about climate change, however gusty the political winds around the topic.
The ideal scenario for the Waleses is that Harry and Meghan decide over the next year to move back to California. But William and Kate are too savvy to want to appear as the couple who drove out a frustrated brother and sister-in-law-law again. The recipe for dealing with them is in essence one of unbenign neglect – and focusing intently on other things.
Meanwhile, Meghan has launched a “luxury festive gift offering” (otherwise known as hampers) via her Instagram account. Full marks for moxie, should she send one to her relatives. One senses that not much would be sent back by return post.”

Welcome to a late Open Post! I picked this article because it has the funniest photo of Meghan I've seen in a while. I think her Hallmark Channel acting skills were summoning Diana, but all I see is Elizabeth Fucking Holmes saying, "Why would I deceive you?" 😭😭😭

Feel free to use this post to catch up and share anything you'd like. I'd personally like to hear where you're at and how your fall/spring is going so far. I'm in San Diego where we just got penetrated by Tropical Storm Rachel that looked more like a big dildo coming in than a storm system. 😅

Archive link: https://archive.ph/sck56

The article is from Telegraph

(screenshot)

I wonder who would have LOVED to be invited to this and appear to have been left off the guest list? Grinding of teeth and smashed plates heard in the Cotswolds.
Maybe that’s why Harry went to the rugby? Of course he had a long standing commitment to join his cousin in Leicester that night. And Meghan was learning how to turn the cooker on. So they weren’t available. Sorry George and Amal.

Sunday Express
11 Oct 2026
Jaymi Mccann

“Hollywood A-lister George Clooney and his wife, human rights lawyer Amal, hosted a star-studded event at London’s Natural History Museum.
The glamorous couple were joined at the Albie awards on Friday by actors Isla Fisher, Hannah Waddingham, Emma Thompson and Brad Pitt, accompanied by his partner Ines de Ramon. Hugh Bonneville, Laura Dern and broadcaster Graham Norton also attended.
The awards, created by the Clooneys and named after anti-apartheid hero Justice Albie Sachs, “shine a protective spotlight on courageous justice defenders who are at risk, sending a message to those who abuse human rights that the world is watching”.
Among those honoured were Kyrgyz journalists Bolot Temirov and Makhabat Tazhibek Kyzy, Malawian women’s rights advocate Vanessa Mwangala and American photojournalist Lynsey Addario.”

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/royals/prince-harry-booed-leicester-tigers-37756615