Robert Lacey
  • Home
  • Biography
  • Books
    • Latest Books

      Battle of Brothers

      June 24, 2021

      Latest Books

      The Crown Volume 2: The Official Companion

      November 19, 2019

      Latest Books

      The Crown: The Official Companion

      October 1, 2017

      8.3
      Latest Books

      Model Woman

      June 16, 2015

      8.3
      Latest Books

      Grace: Her Lives – Her Loves

      June 11, 2014

      Latest Books

      Gulf Charities and Islamic Philanthropy

      March 18, 2014

      Latest Books

      A Brief Life of the Queen

      January 31, 2012

  • News
    • News

      As of 1 January 2023, Robert Lacey is…

      January 4, 2023

      News

      Harry and Meghan? John and Yoko? Spot the difference! 

      December 4, 2022

      News

      The Crown does NOT tell lies

      November 9, 2022

      News

      The Crown: Never a truer word was said…

      November 5, 2022

      News

      Yet another new Prime Minister? ’Dear! Oh, dear!’

      October 21, 2022

      News

      Encounters with Elizabeth What was it like to…

      May 31, 2022

      News

      My kitchen EXPLODED when the Queen came to…

      May 31, 2022

  • Contact

Robert Lacey

  • Home
  • Biography
  • Books
    • Latest Books

      Battle of Brothers

      June 24, 2021

      Latest Books

      The Crown Volume 2: The Official Companion

      November 19, 2019

      Latest Books

      The Crown: The Official Companion

      October 1, 2017

      8.3
      Latest Books

      Model Woman

      June 16, 2015

      8.3
      Latest Books

      Grace: Her Lives – Her Loves

      June 11, 2014

      Latest Books

      Gulf Charities and Islamic Philanthropy

      March 18, 2014

      Latest Books

      A Brief Life of the Queen

      January 31, 2012

  • News
    • News

      As of 1 January 2023, Robert Lacey is…

      January 4, 2023

      News

      Harry and Meghan? John and Yoko? Spot the difference! 

      December 4, 2022

      News

      The Crown does NOT tell lies

      November 9, 2022

      News

      The Crown: Never a truer word was said…

      November 5, 2022

      News

      Yet another new Prime Minister? ’Dear! Oh, dear!’

      October 21, 2022

      News

      Encounters with Elizabeth What was it like to…

      May 31, 2022

      News

      My kitchen EXPLODED when the Queen came to…

      May 31, 2022

  • Contact
News

Meghan flies back to Canada; Prince Harry in ‘crisis’ talks with Prince Charles

January 10, 2020
Meghan flies back to Canada; Prince Harry in ‘crisis’ talks with Prince Charles

Robert Lacey is quoted in this Washington Post article following news that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex intend to step back from Royal duties:

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, flew to Canada following the bombshell announcement that she and her husband, Prince Harry, are “stepping back” from royal duties, prompting intensified speculation that the couple will make Canada their part-time home.

A Buckingham Palace official confirmed reports that Meghan had returned to Canada — the latest act in a drama that the British press has dubbed “Meg-xit.”

Meanwhile, Harry remained in Britain, where he was reportedly in deep discussions with his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II; his father, Prince Charles; and his brother, Prince William, about the couple’s future role.

Or, as a tabloid put it: “Queen’s crisis talks with Harry: Duke of Sussex has been locked in four-way call with Her Majesty in Sandringham and Prince Charles in Scotland as they try to avert all out royal war.

Robert Lacey, a royal biographer and author of “The Crown: The Inside History,” said the talks were likely about details and logistics. If the reports were true that the queen wanted to find a solution “within days,” he said, “well, actually, this shows an awareness, an acceptance of reality, that it has to be made to work in a good and positive way.”

Lacey noted that Prince Charles had previously signaled that he wants a slimmed-down monarchy if and when he takes the throne. “Some European royal families get by with four people,” Lacey said, adding that that might not work for Britain, where there is “such an appetite for royalty.”

But Charles nonetheless wants to cut down on the number of working royals, Lacey said, and part of that plan includes expanding roles for William, who would focus on efforts domestically, and Harry, who would concentrate on members of Britain’s Commonwealth of Nations.

Tom Bradby, an ITV journalist who is considered a friend of the royals, disputed that the family didn’t know anything about the couple’s plans, but said they were caught off-guard by the timing.

He told ITV News that Harry had been talking to his family for “some weeks,” and was asked by them to put ideas in writing — which were then leaked to the press.

The Sun tabloid published a front-page story Wednesday claiming Harry and Meghan were looking to move to Canada for a “significant portion of this year.”

“I think he felt once it had been leaked, all bets were off,” Bradby said.

Bradby said Harry and Meghan understood “there was going to be a slimmed-down monarchy, and they weren’t really a part of it.” He also added there have been “really bad personal splits” within the family.

When President Trump was asked by Fox News’s Laura Ingraham if he had any advice for “rogue royals,” he answered instead about the monarch. “I think it’s sad,” he said. “I just have such respect for the queen. I don’t think this should be happening to her.”

Harry and Meghan attempted to explain how they see their roles on their new website, SussexRoyal.com, which promotes “supporting community” above “serving the monarchy” and “strengthening the Commonwealth.”

They said they wanted to continue their charity work, which has focused on issues such as female empowerment and mental health, and that they would also seek to set up a new charitable entity. The Sussexes said they would like to achieve “financial independence.”

But there are more questions than answers. How will they earn money? Will they continue to receive financial support from Prince Charles, who pays for 95 percent of the couple’s expenses via his Duchy of Cornwall estate? Where will they live in North America?

On the last point, they may decide to move to Los Angeles, where Meghan grew up and where her mother lives.

But current speculation is that the couple will take up part-time residence in Canada, perhaps in Toronto, where Meghan lived for more than six years while starring in the legal drama “Suits.”

Eagle-eyed royal watchers noticed that the couple’s new website was created by the same Toronto-based Web designers who did the Tig, Meghan’s now shuttered lifestyle blog.

Canada is a member of the Commonwealth. Even though Prince Harry’s grandmother is the head of state — he will see Queen Elizabeth’s face every time he uses Canadian money — he isn’t an automatic Canadian citizen. He could stay in Canada for up to six months at a time without a visa. The couple could also apply for work visas.

“Canada is the ideal base for the two-way royal work they have in mind,” Lacey said, speculating that Harry and Meghan may try to launch something in the model of the Obama Foundation. He added that “in post-Brexit Britain, it could make sense to strengthen ties across the Atlantic.”

The day before they announced they would be stepping back from public duties, Harry and Meghan visited Canada House in London to thank assembled diplomats for the hospitality they received during a December trip to British Columbia, Canada’s westernmost province. Meghan said they had an “incredible time” traveling with their baby, Archie.

“To see Archie go ‘Ah’ when you walk by, and just see how stunning it is — so it meant a lot to us,” she said.

Jessica Mulroney, a Toronto-based stylist and close friend of Meghan’s, posted a quote on Instagram on Thursday, attributed to the filmmaker and singer Gina Carey: “A strong woman looks a challenge in the eye and gives it a wink.”

Read the article on Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/meghan-flies-back-to-canada-prince-harry-in-crisis-talks-with-prince-charles/2020/01/10/5237cc54-3395-11ea-a053-dc6d944ba776_story.html

British MonarchyMeghan Markle
994
Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
Robert Lacey

previous post
Duke and Duchess of Sussex announce intention to step back as senior members of the Royal Family
next post
How a ‘progressive’ new arrangement for the British royal family could work

You may also like

‘Grace: Her Lives, Her Loves’ featured in Arab...

April 25, 2018

Prince Andrew stepping back from public duties

November 21, 2019

How anger at Harry and Meghan ran deep...

June 22, 2021

Inside Prince Harry and Prince William’s Royal Rift

October 19, 2020

Prince Andrew and the royal crisis: how the...

November 24, 2019

Prince William and Prince Harry’s Rift Rooted in...

October 8, 2020

The Crown season 3 revisits scandal of how...

November 16, 2019

The Crown wins Emmy awards

September 18, 2018

They are not Sussexes! They are Harry and...

January 21, 2020

Prince Harry and Prince William May Not Reconcile,...

October 25, 2020

Robert Lacey

Robert Lacey

British historian and writer

Robert Lacey is a British historian noted for his original research, which gets him close to – and often living alongside – his subjects. He is the author of numerous international bestsellers. lege felicter - may you read happily

Lege feliciter - may you read happily

Follow Robert

Facebook Twitter Instagram

Robert on Instagram

As the Platinum Jubilee begins with news of Camill As the Platinum Jubilee begins with news of Camilla’s elevated status, the Queen, Charles and William are making the big decisions as a trio. 

Robert Lacey writes in @thetimes. Article also on Robert’s website: Robertlacey.com

#robertlacey #platinumjubilee #royalfamily #thequeen
Robert lacey writes for the BBC as The Queen celeb Robert lacey writes for the BBC as The Queen celebrates her #platinumjubilee 

Full article on the BBC website: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60201088
As we approach the 70th anniversary of The Queen’s accession on February 6th, Robert Lacey selects his top pick of books about the Royal Family and The Queen. 

shepherd.com/best-books/about-the-queen

#royalfamily #PlatinumJubilee
Battle of Brothers: William, Harry and the Inside Battle of Brothers: William, Harry and the Inside Story of a Family in Tumult

First published in hardback: 15 October 2020

What drove Prince William and Prince Harry from the closest of brothers into very different, now distanced men? How has the painful, public unravelling of Prince Charles and Diana’s marriage reverberated through generations? What parts have Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle played in helping their husbands to choose divergent paths? And how does the Queen feel, marshalling her feuding heirs and looking ahead to the future of the British monarchy?

Moving and unvarnished, this is the most intimate insight yet of division in the royal family.

#battleofbrothers #royalfamily #harryandmeghan #williamandkate #britishmonarchy #robertlacey #christmasreads
Little Man - Meyer Lansky and the gangster life by Little Man - Meyer Lansky and the gangster life by Robert Lacey in 1991

Little Man is a book about organised crime unlike any other yet written. If, in the mythology of organised crime, Al Capone symbolised the crude menace of the machine gun and the baseball bat, Meyer Lansky stood for the brains, the sophistication, the hot money, the sheer cleverness of it all. This brilliant biography and social history separates the strands of fact and legend in Meyer Lansky’s – the Godfather of Godfathers – career, revealing a truth about the gangster life in America that is far more fascinating and dramatic than fiction.

#biography 
#meyerlansky 
#americanhistory 
#robertlacey
Extracts from Robert Lacey's book "Battle of Broth Extracts from Robert Lacey's book "Battle of Brothers: William, Harry and the Inside Story of a Family in Tumult" are being featured in The Times this week. 

In Today's article Robert Lacey said allegations against the Duchess of Sussex led to a bitter row between brothers who were once inseparable.

You can read the full article from the link in the bio.

#MeghanandHarry
#WilliamandKate
#TheCrown
#BattleofBrothers
#RoyalFamily
Speaking earlier, Robert Lacey said: “Prince Ph Speaking earlier, Robert Lacey said:

“Prince Philip has been such an integral part of our life. Playing such a key role in the life of the nation.

It was no accident that we decided to feature Prince Philip very strongly in the Crown episode about the moon landing – capturing his interests in science and how he came to understand that science can only take you so far. He went on to develop a strong personal religious faith.

He also helped in bringing the monarchy into touch with everyday life in a fresh way. So many of The Queen’s fresh ideas and fresh initiatives came from this remarkable man.

Prince Philip will be remembered for his sardonic smile, hands behind the back, often unfailingly 2 steps behind Her Majesty. Always there in the most supporting sense.”

Photograph from 1972 in Robert Lacey's book Majesty. “Queen Elizabeth was always front, but Prince Philip was always center.”
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

@2022 Robert Lacey, All Rights Reserved | Website by Effra Digital | Sitemap


Back To Top