For about a year now, the Mail’s Richard Eden has been nursing a funny and interesting conspiracy about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the British government. The conspiracy boils down to variations of “the Starmer government is quietly moving chess pieces to ensure a Sussex Restoration in the UK.” One of my biggest questions about this conspiracy is… say it’s true, then why would the supposedly apolitical Windsors have a problem with the government’s behind-the-scenes advocacy on the Sussexes’ behalf? Constitutionally, shouldn’t King Charles agree with the government? But of course, that’s not the point. The point is that Prince Harry and Meghan present a looming danger for the left-behinds because REASONS! Those reasons are on display right now in Australia, as Harry & Meghan charm an entire country with their overpowering rizz and draw huge crowds and bring joy wherever they go. This simply cannot continue, cries Eden. It’s all an establishment plot!
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex might be 10,000 miles away, but their quasi-royal tour of Australia is meant to be a preview of what we can expect when they return to Britain this summer for their first joint trip in four years. Prince Harry hopes to bring his wife with him when he attends events in Birmingham this July to publicise the Invictus Games due to take place there in 2027. Their trip Down Under this week is part of his plans to ease Meghan’s return to his homeland.
Last year, I disclosed that there was an ‘Establishment plot’ to bring back the Sussexes, which was given the codename Project Thaw due to its aims of improving the ‘frosty’ relationships between the couple and the Royal Family, as well as with the British public. This Australian tour is the latest stage of Project Thaw because it aims to highlight both the popularity of Harry and Meghan as well as their devotion to public duty. And it seems to be having the desired effect – at least among some of the more gullible sections of the media. One British royal correspondent claimed breathlessly yesterday that the tour ‘shows just what the Royal Family is missing’.
From Melbourne, this reporter gushed: ‘I watched as the Duchess of Sussex hugged sick children, declared a hospital garden “serene”, and was laden with handmade drawings and knitted flowers.’
The tour’s itinerary has been carefully designed to give the impression that Harry and Meghan are still royal – despite the fact they chose to abandon royal duties six years ago.
…Project Thaw isn’t just wishful thinking on the part of the Sussexes and their friends, it is supported by some senior politicians in Britain and key figures at Buckingham Palace. That said, some concerns remain. Last month, it was disclosed that officials were trying to block the couple from having their automatic, taxpayer-funded security restored over fears of a public backlash.
Civil servants from the Home Office, the Cabinet Office and the Foreign Office who sit on the royal and VIP executive committee, which authorises security for senior royals, were reported to be against granting the Sussexes taxpayer-funded protection whenever they are in Britain because it carries too much political risk.
This tour of Australia, with its poignant images of Meghan comforting children suffering from cancer, is designed to help change perceptions of her in Britain. Yet friends of the Prince and Princess of Wales are not so easily convinced.
‘What we are seeing shows why the Queen [Elizabeth] was right not to allow Harry and Meghan to mix money-making with royal duties,’ one friend of William and Catherine tells me.
In my own opinion, young cancer victims can end up looking like props to help the Sussexes make money. It’s extremely dangerous for the Monarchy. The public need to know that royals are carrying out engagements out of a sense of duty, not to provide window-dressing for a lucrative foreign tour.
I’ve never been able to follow this train of thought: “The public need to know that royals are carrying out engagements out of a sense of duty…” Tons of celebrities have lucrative revenue streams, and they also do things like “visit sick kids in hospitals” and “highlight worthy causes.” But “people” will be confused!! Literally no one is confused by what Harry and Meghan are doing, because everyone’s seen variations of this from other celebrities. But philanthropic work belongs solely to royals, who only carry it out with a begrudging, grim sense of duty!! Listen to yourself.
As for this neverending talk of Project Thaw… the Starmer government knows that it will look terrible for the UK if Harry and Meghan can’t come to any Invictus events because of the security issue. People like Eden have never understood the political realities beyond “royal temper tantrums about the Sussexes.” Like, I’ve always believed that the entirety of the British diplomat class want more of Harry and Meghan. They’re clearly such huge international assets, moreso than “I demand that you call me a global statesman and you must arrange a meeting for me across the street from the UN” Scooter King. That comment from Will & Kate’s friend sounds sad and resigned, actually.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Cover Images.
