While I respect the fact that the Sussex Squad is populated by such great fact-checkers, I sometimes think that squad members are so focused on fact-checking, they miss some really shady admissions by “royal sources” or “palace sources.” Take, for example, the Daily Mail’s exclusive reporting on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex “asking” the Biden administration for a ride back to the US on Air Force One following QEII’s funeral. The fact-checkers pointed out that the Bidens left right after the state funeral, while Harry and Meghan were held hostage for the family funeral in Windsor, therefore the story is bullsh-t. While I agree that it’s unlikely that H&M asked the Biden administration for a ride, that doesn’t change the fact that… it seems like the palace and 10 Downing Street were very worried that the Sussexes would hitch a ride. I believe that’s the root of the whole story: that British government officials ran to the American government and threw a tantrum, demanding that the Bidens refuse any request from the Sussexes.
Incidentally, I think that’s what happened with last year’s Invictus Games too – Downing Street and Buckingham Palace are regularly using their political capital with the Biden administration to… ask that the Bidens not look too cozy with the Sussexes. It’s insane. It doesn’t matter if the Sussexes asked for this or that – what’s important is that the palace and the British government are using resources, time and capital to focus on a private American citizen and her British husband. Speaking of, Camilla Tominey wants us to know that she got the tip about the Sussexes and Air Force One, only she accidentally admits that the British government threw a f–king tantrum.
Asking to fly home to the States on Air Force One would appear to embody the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s attitude to power: all the trappings, with none of the responsibility. Harry and Meghan reportedly requested the lift back from Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral last September with Joe Biden and his wife Jill – only to be swiftly rebuffed.
British officials are understood to have conveyed to National Security Council staff in a “working level conversation” that they thought the idea would land badly with the palace. Sources close to the couple have not denied the claim. It may have been with the intention of keeping their carbon emissions down (they take a lot of private jets for a pair of eco-warriors, after all).
Or perhaps it was to save a bit of money ahead of Spotify agreeing to “part ways” with the Duchess after just 12 episodes of her Archetypes podcast.
But the reported request raises the spectre of them wanting to be photographed climbing the steps of the famous Boeing 747, to wave alongside the President and First Lady of the United States. For make no mistake – the Sussexes do seem to see themselves as at that level.
What with Harry’s demand that he has armed Metropolitan Police bodyguards when he visits the UK, despite no longer being a member of the Firm, and Meghan’s desire to emulate Michelle Obama with the Oprah Winfrey interview and Netflix series.
The Duchess is thought to entertain political ambitions, but what the pair appear to have forgotten is that, in order to gain a reputation as a leading statesperson or philanthropist, you actually have to have done something. Instead, what we’ve had from the Duke and Duchess since Megxit has been all talk and no action. That’s why the idea of them travelling on Air Force One seems such a flight of fancy.
[From The Telegraph]
Imagine arguing that the Sussexes are not important enough to ride on Air Force One while simultaneously admitting that the British government leaned on National Security Council officials to beg them to ignore the Sussexes. Imagine thinking any of this makes the Sussexes look bad? For years now, we’ve seen that there are really nefarious people working against the Sussexes and actively trying to harm the Sussexes. This whole “Air Force One” story has made it clear that it’s not just the vague “British ruling class.” It’s the actual government, the entire Tory party and the entirety of the royal establishment.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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