Armageddon

So, are we all dead yet and gone to hell, or is this just a nightmare?

Nope, we seem to still be alive. 

Note to self: stop watching BBC news before bedtime.

Armageddon...

The Middle East situation or Harry and Meghan's announcement?

Armageddon...

The Middle East situation or Harry and Meghan's announcement?

I think the combo is what makes it Armageddon. Either by itself is insufficient.

I think the combo is what makes it Armageddon. Either by itself is insufficient.

A perfect storm...

Really. Well, the tabloids... I mean "the British press" actually... has already started dumping on Meghan. So she's going back to Canada to be with her son. That is being translated as she's "fleeing" and "leaving Harry to deal with the Queen." Jeez.  Well, that'll take the collective British mind off of Randy Andy, I guess.  And Brexit.

Diana raised her son right. He's looking after his family and getting them away from that circus. Good on him! He doesn't owe anybody anything - other than what he owes his wife and baby. I hope they have a wonderful life, and congrats to Meghan on marrying a guy with enough cajones to stand up for her and the baby. She has money of her own, and he has money of his own, so they should be able to just go do what the hell they want to do in life. I hope they find a nice place to live in Canada and are happy. And that their kid gets to be a kid.

But no, I was actually worried about the nutjob on the other side of the Atlantic. The one with the nuke codes. And still am.

He doesn't owe anybody anything

  There is the small question of the money required to allow him and his family to live in unimaginable luxury.  In fact, they do owe us and they had better deliver or we can choose another royal family.  I'm sure the Kardassians or Katie Price will fill in if required. 

But no, I was actually worried about the nutjob on the other side of the Atlantic. The one with the nuke codes. And still am.

No big deal.  (His words, not mine)

He is taking his own advice from 2011 that to win a Presidential election you need to start a war with Iran. (he predicted that Obama was going to do this for the 2012 election year).

As for Harry and Megan, good luck to both of them, I hope they manage to make the transition.

A couple of big issues is getting off the taxpayer payroll, including security guards, and not using his title for personal commercial gain. Megan may well be the key to financial independence.

Apparently the Duke of Wessex (Queen's youngest, Prince Edward) tried this some while back and it didn't work out so well.  (He created a company called Arden Productions in 1993 and in 1995 changed his name on his business cards to Edward Windsor instead of Prince Edward).  It never worked out, the company collapsed in 2010 and went bankrupt and Edward returned to the more customary role of a high ranking Royal.

https://www.newstatesman.com/broadcast/2010/03/prince-edward-ardent-launched

Ardent ran into trouble in 2001 for breaching the royal family’s privacy guidelines. It apparently filmed Prince William at university without his permission. Edward stepped down as joint managing director of Ardent in 2002.

The company recorded losses every year and slipped into voluntary liquidation last June.

Yep.....good luck to them.... but any money they have should not come from the public. Even after the £2+ million (public money) updating of the house they wish to live in here in the UK. The world of the "royals" can be tough.....but you are either IN (meaning hard, sometimes nasty scrutiny) or you are OUT. If they try to do both......nope.

Yeah, so that set of buildings was due to be refurbished anyway, so it wasn't just for the H&M family. If it hadn't been them moving in, some other royal would have.

 "Sir Michael Stevens, Keeper of the Privy Purse, who is responsible for the monarchy's accounts, said of Frogmore Cottage: "The property had not been the subject of work for some years and had already been earmarked for renovation in line with our responsibility to maintain the condition of the occupied royal palaces estate. "The Sovereign Grant covered the work undertaken to turn the building into the official residence and home of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their new family. "The building was returned to a single residence and outdated infrastructure was replaced to guarantee the long-term future of the property. "Substantially all fixtures and fittings were paid for by their Royal Highnesses," he added."

Meghan is worth, supposedly, $5 million on her own. Harry is supposedly worth $40 million, inherited from Diana's trust fund for him. So they're not exactly paupers if they walk away from the circus. 

The press is, unsurprisingly, going after Meghan. The amount of subtle racism in this country is truly staggering.  I hadn't believed it, though I'd been warned about it, before people & event watching here for the last few years.  At least in the States it's "in your face" racism when it's there. (Looking at the faces of some of the royals during the wedding was pretty telling. And the way Meghan has been treated so far by the press is just...sad.)

So, good for Meghan and Harry, and I hope they go somewhere with kind people and good fresh air for that child to grow up amongst. If they want to resign, it's certainly their right to do so.