We’ve seen that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s team is being more proactive this year, especially with shutting down completely random rumors originating in the British media. This was a lesson they had to learn the hard way – simply blanking on every single storyline from the UK led to a communications vacuum in which the Sussexes were on the backfoot all too often. It’s not a matter of issuing statements for every little thing, but their comms team can offer a simple denial whenever a rumor pops up and someone from, say, People Magazine or Vanity Fair gets in touch. That’s what happened this week. For a while now, “royal author” Tom Quinn has been saying some crazy sh-t to the Daily Mirror about the Sussexes. One of Quinn’s claims was that Harry is homesick and desperate to buy a private home in the UK so he can spend time with his old friends, the same old friends who hate his wife. The Sussexes’ team just shut down the rumor to VF.
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, have been without a home base in England since they vacated Frogmore Cottage last summer. Despite rumors that Harry’s ongoing legal battle over his security arrangement is a sign that he is interested in a more permanent spot in the country—where he and Meghan both have charitable ties—Vanity Fair can report that the prince is not looking for property in the UK.
Royal author Tom Quinn sparked speculation on the matter in an interview with the Daily Mirror, as he supposed that the California lifestyle might be wearing on Harry. “He misses his old Etonian and army friends, many of whom have not visited, as they don’t get on with Meghan,” said Quinn, the author of books including Gilded Youth. “Harry is determined to find his own permanent home in the UK, which is partly why he’s continuing his legal action to get the British taxpayer to pay for his security.”
Yep, I believe this denial, just as I believe the reporting that the Sussexes are happy in Montecito and they’re likely to spend the summer (if not the rest of the year) in California. Harry is not desperate to “go back” to the UK, but he’s made it clear that he would like to visit and have the protection he needs in the UK. He’s not going to get that protection any time soon though.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instar and Cover Images.