Tag: british royal family

Prince Harry criticised for terming Taliban killings in Afghanistan as ‘chess pieces’

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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UK’s Prince Harry has come under fire from the Taliban government after the British royal claimed in his biography that he killed 25 people in Afghanistan while serving as a military helicopter pilot, referring to them as “chess pieces removed from the board”.

The deeply intimate book “Spare” by Harry was on sale in Spain a few days prior to its worldwide release on January 10.  In addition to other disclosures about the prince’s drug use and how he lost his virginity, it reveals the extent of the conflict between him and his brother William, the heir to the throne.

The 38-year-old recounts his two tours of duty in Afghanistan—the first in 2007–2008 as a forward air controller and the second in 2012 as a co-pilot gunner in Apache attack helicopters—as well as the number of individuals he killed during those deployments.

Also read: ‘He knocked me to the floor’, Prince Harry accuses brother William of physical attack in upcoming memoir

The Spanish version of the book quotes Harry as saying, “It wasn’t a statistic that filled me with pride but nor did it leave me ashamed.” “When I found myself plunged in the heat and confusion of combat, I didn’t think of those 25 as people.”

“They were chess pieces removed from the board, Bad people eliminated before they could kill Good people,” he added.

The statements were criticised by Abdul Qahar Balkhi, a spokesman for the Afghan foreign ministry run by the Taliban.

“The western occupation of Afghanistan is truly an odious moment in human history and comments by Prince Harry is a microcosm of the trauma experienced by Afghans at the hands of occupation forces who murdered innocents without any accountability,” Balkhi said.

Senior Taliban leader Anas Haqqani tweeted in response to the prince’s remarks: “Mr Harry! The ones you killed were not chess pieces, they were humans; they had families who were waiting for their return.”

1/3- Mr. Harry! The ones you killed were not chess pieces, they were humans; they had families who were waiting for their return. Among the killers of Afghans, not many have your decency to reveal their conscience and confess to their war crimes. pic.twitter.com/zjDwoDmCN1

— Anas Haqqani(انس حقاني) (@AnasHaqqani313) January 6, 2023

“I don’t expect that the (International Criminal Court) will summon you or the human rights activists will condemn you, because they are deaf and blind for you,” he added.

3/3- I don’t expect that the ICC will summon you or the human rights activists will condemn you, because they are deaf and blind for you. But hopefully these atrocities will be remembered in the history of humanity.

— Anas Haqqani(انس حقاني) (@AnasHaqqani313) January 6, 2023

The book follows Harry and his American spouse Meghan’s retirement from royal responsibilities in 2020 to relocate to California and start a new life. Since that time, the pair has let out scathing criticism of the British press and the House of Windsor.

Also read: I want my father and brother back: Prince Harry before autobiography release

King Charles and Prince William’s spokesmen have refrained from commenting, as is typical for the royal family.

The specifics of the books have received extensive coverage in the British media, but many commuters in London on Friday expressed disinterest and a desire to avoid the topic.

Those who were ready to speak up expressed their opinion that Harry had overstepped his bounds.

Colonel Richard Kemp, a former army officer, told the BBC that Harry’s remarks were “ill-judged.” He stated that the comments may have jeopardised his security and could provoke a sense of vengeance.

Also read: Prince Harry says ‘silence is betrayal’ in explosive interview with Anderson Cooper

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

‘He knocked me to the floor’, Prince Harry accuses brother William of physical attack in upcoming memoir

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Prince Harry has accused his brother Prince William of physical violence in his upcoming memoir. Prince Harry recounts what he says was a physical attack by his brother, now Prince of Wales, over an argument related to Harry’s marriage with Meghan Markle.

The palace is yet to respond to the allegation.

In the memoir, Spare, which is set to release on January 10, Harry describes a confrontation with Prince William at his London home in 2019. According to The Guardian, Harry writes that William called Meghan “difficult”, “rude” and “abrasive”, which Harry calls a “parrot [ing of] the press narrative” about his wife.

The confrontation then escalated quickly. Harry adds that William “grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and … knocked me to the floor”.

Also Read: Prince Harry says ‘silence is betrayal’ in explosive interview with Anderson Cooper

“I landed on the dog’s bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out.”

However, he also recalled that William looked “regretful, and apologised” after he was asked to leave post the fight.

The book further noted that William turned back and said, “You don’t need to tell Meg about this,” “You mean that you attacked me?” Harry asked to which William responded, “I didn’t attack you, Harold.”

Harry had just told his therapist about the incident, but then Meghan noticed “scrapes and bruises” on his back.

The extraordinary scene is one of many from the memoir, which is expected to spark a serious furore for the British royal family.

Also Read: First trailer for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s new docuseries ‘Live to Lead’ out

The book’s title comes from an old saying in royal and aristocratic circles that a first son is an heir to titles, power and fortune, and a second son is therefore a spare, in case anything happens to the first-born.

Earlier, in a TV interview with a British channel, Prince Harry had said that he wants his father King Charles and brother back as a “family, not an institution”.

William and Harry were once seen as very close after the death of their mother, Princess Diana, in a Paris car crash in 1997.

But the brothers have fallen out since Harry married Meghan, a former actress, in 2018 and the couple then stepped down for royal duties to move to California two years later.

Since their departure, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as the couple are officially known, have delivered stinging criticism of the Windsors and the British monarchy which has included accusations of racism which William himself has dismissed.

Last month, their six-part Netflix documentary, which attracted record audiences, aired with renewed accusations including that William had screamed at Harry during a crisis summit to discuss his future.

The main criticism from Harry and Meghan is that royal aides not only refused to hit back at hostile, inaccurate press coverage but were complicit in leaking negative stories to protect other royals, most notably William.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Prince Harry says ‘silence is betrayal’ in explosive interview with Anderson Cooper

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, who is awaiting the release of his autobiography ‘Spare’ next week, sat down with Anderson Cooper on the news show 60 Minutes for a “revealing and explosive interview”.

In the promo of the interview that airs on January 8 on CBS, Cooper asks Prince Harry how he has received criticism for publicly stepping back from the institutional role of a royal. Harry responds that he had first intended to be private in stepping back from his public roles, but had to go public in order to address rumours and tabloids.

“Every single time I’ve tried to do it privately, there have been briefings and leakings and planting of stories against me and my wife,” Harry told Cooper. “You know, the family motto is ‘never complain, never explain,’ but it’s just a motto.”

Prince Harry tells @andersoncooper he was the target of press leaks after private conversations with members of the Royal Family. https://t.co/0xN8FdapYV pic.twitter.com/FRKfp8AVKp

— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) January 2, 2023

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Harry went on to say that “they will feed or have a conversation with the correspondent” and “spoon-feed information” to write stories about Harry and his wife, the former actress Meghan Markle.

“And at the bottom of it, they will say that they’ve reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment. But the whole story is Buckingham Palace commenting,” he added.

Harry added that Buckingham Palace had told him that they couldn’t publish statements to protect him and his wife for the last six years but the institution had put out statements to protect other members of the family. “It becomes– there becomes a point when silence is betrayal,” he said.

The interview comes just a few weeks after the explosive Netflix documentary ‘Harry & Meghan’, which wasn’t received well by the royals. Directed by Liz Garbus, the series had the biggest premiere of any Netflix show.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

A Look at Queen Elizabeth II’s net worth and money that the royal family makes

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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September 8 marked a sombre day for Britain’s royal family after Queen Elizabeth II, the country’s longest-reigning monarch, died at the age of 96. Her Majesty reportedly left behind over $500 million in personal assets from her 70 years on the throne. However, what happens to the Queen’s fortune now is complex.

Much of what is seen to be owned by her belongs to the Royal Firm, the $28 billion empire that members of the British royal family like King George VI and Prince Philip once referred to as “the family business.” Here’s a look into Queen Elizabeth II’s personal assets and the money that the royals make.

Her Majesty’s Personal Assets

Queen Elizabeth 2 had accumulated over $500 million in personal assets, largely due to her investments, art collection, jewellery, and real estate holdings, as per a report by the Business Insider.

Her Majesty also inherited nearly $70 million from the Queen Mother when she died in 2002, including paintings, a stamp collection, fine china, jewels, horses, and more.

Also, a special legal clause exempts the Queen from paying inheritance tax on the estate left by her mother which will apply to Prince Charles as well.

Also Read: Queen Elizabeth II no more: A look at her life and the exceptional seven-decade reign

However, Prince Charles won’t directly inherit the $28 billion empire which includes the estate of Scotland, the Crown Estate, the Duchy of Lancaster, the Duchy of Cornwall, the Buckingham, and the Kensington Palaces. He will only receive what was specifically designated to him by Queen Elizabeth II.

How much money does the royal family make?

The royal family has various sources of income, depending upon the family member.

The Monarchy PLC holds nearly $28 billion in assets through various entities such as The Crown Estate, and the Palaces, according to Forbes.

The royal family receives 25 percent of the income from the Crown Estate (worth some $19.5 billion), and an allowance called the Sovereign Grant, which is divided among family members, reported Reader’s Digest.

The Sovereign Grant’ is a government-administered annual lump sum fund introduced in 2012, which is paid for the monarch’s official duties, and the costs involved in maintaining the occupied palaces.

According to a report by the Oprahdaily, in 2018-2019 fiscal year, the total Sovereign Grant amount was 82.2 million pounds (that’s nearly $106 million in American dollars).

Apart from the Sovereign Grant, there is a portfolio of properties and assets called the ‘Queen’s Privy Purse’ which have been held in trust dating back to the 14th century. This provides private income to the Majesty from the Duchy of Lancaster.

As per a statement on the Duchy of Lancaster website, at the end of March 2022, the Duchy of Lancaster had $652.8 million of net assets under its control, delivering a net surplus of $24 million.

Also Read: Queen Elizabeth II: Major milestones in her 70 years reign

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Royals Harry and Meghan step back from senior roles in surprise move

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Prince Harry and his wife Meghan will step back from senior roles in Britain’s royal family and spend more time in North America, they said on Wednesday, an announcement that appears to have taken his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, by surprise.

After a turbulent year which saw a widening rift with the media and a falling out with elder brother Prince William, Harry said the couple hoped to become financially independent and set up a new charity, while continuing some royal duties.

“After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution,” said Harry, sixth in line to the throne, and former actress Meghan in a statement.

“We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to the Queen, the Commonwealth and our patronages.”

The couple said they would share full details of “this exciting next step” soon as they discussed the move with the queen, Harry’s father Prince Charles and William.

But the timing of the announcement appeared to have wrongfooted family members, including the queen, a senior royal source told Reuters.

“Other members of the family were not consulted on the content,” the source added.

Buckingham Palace said discussions with Harry and Meghan were at an early stage.

“We understand their desire to take a different approach but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through,” it said.

Relationship with media sours

Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, a divorcee whose mother is African-American and father is white, married in May 2018 in a lavish ceremony in Windsor Castle, and at the time it was heralded as a sign of a more modern monarchy.

Last year Meghan gave birth to their first child, Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.

But their relationship with the press turned sour as they struggled to deal with the intense scrutiny it put them under.

There have been negative stories about them, criticising their use of private jets while promoting environmental causes and the 2.4 million pound ($3.08 million) taxpayer-funded renovation of their new home.

Eventually the couple, whose titles are the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, began legal action against some tabloid newspapers in October over phone-hacking and invasion of privacy.

Harry described the treatment of his wife as “bullying”, and likened it to that of his mother Princess Diana before her death in a Paris car accident in 1997 when her limousine crashed as it sped away from chasing paparazzi.

“I never thought that this would be easy, but I thought it would be fair, and that is the part that is really hard to reconcile,” a tearful Meghan said in a TV interview as she described the difficulty of being a new mother and dealing with incessant scrutiny.

Harry also admitted to disagreements with William, who is second-in-line to the throne.

The future

Harry and Meghan did not spell out what they were planning or where in North America they might live.

Last year it was reported that Harry would be executive producer of a documentary on mental health with US television mogul Oprah Winfrey for Apple’s video streaming service.

They said splitting time between Britain and North America “would enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter.”

Harry and William received more than 5 million pounds from their father, Prince Charles, last year and it was not immediately clear how Harry and Meghan would achieve financial independence.

Royal biographer Penny Junor said it was possible Meghan, who starred in TV legal drama “Suits”, might revive her acting career given the demand and fees she could command.

“Perhaps she’d have to be careful about what roles she’d do because she is a member of the royal family,” Junor said.

Last year was one of the hardest of Elizabeth’s record-breaking 67-year reign, culminating in her second son Andrew stepping down from royal duties over his association with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Prince Harry to sue two UK tabloids over alleged phone hacking

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Prince Harry is suing The Sun and the Daily Mirror, two of Britain’s most popular tabloid newspapers, over alleged phone hacking.

Buckingham Palace confirmed Saturday that claims regarding “illegal interception of voicemail messages” were filed on Harry’s behalf. The palace declined to say more or provide details “given the particulars of the claims are not yet public.”

News Group Newspapers, which owns The Sun and the now-defunct News of the World, acknowledged the prince’s High Court action while Reach, which owns the Mirror, said it was “aware that proceedings have been issued” but hasn’t yet received notice of them.

The cases escalate Harry’s fight with the British tabloids. It comes days after his American wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, sued the Mail on Sunday for alleged copyright infringement, misuse of private information and violating the U.K.’s data protection law after the paper published a letter she wrote to her father.

Harry then lambasted British tabloids after Meghan filed her lawsuit on Tuesday, saying in a statement that his wife’s lawsuit, which was months in the making, was a response to a “ruthless campaign” to smear her by creating “lie after lie at her expense” during her maternity leave.

The prince accused the British media of hounding Meghan the way it did his mother, Princess Diana, who died in a 1997 car crash while trying to elude paparazzi.

British tabloid newspapers have paid millions of dollars to settle claims that their employees had hacked the phone voicemails of celebrities, politicians and others in the public eye.

The prince’s lawsuits likely date back years. The News of the World was shut down in 2011, at the height of the hacking scandal and when its former editors later went on trial, a court heard evidence that indicated Harry along with his old brother, Prince William, were targets of the paper’s illicit interception of phone messages.

A transcript of one of the messages read at the trial came from a 2006 recording of William pretending to be Harry’s girlfriend at the time, revealing the extent of media intrusion into their lives.

Harry and William have long had a strained relationship with the press. They grew up in the spotlight and were young boys when their parents’ acrimonious divorce received wall-to-wall coverage.

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KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

The Meghan Factor – always on the wrong side

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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So a prince who will never be king marries a soap actress. You’d think it their business and that the common people, British or worldwide, can get on with their lives. But Harry’s bride appears to be that red rag to the bull raging in most of us. Tabloids and trolls alike have much to say and most of it rude.

Meghan Markle got hate mail from the outset. First Harry appealed to the press to please leave her alone, straightaway identifying us as the enemy. Then he said something about his family being the family she never had, and her family went ‘eh?’ Soon her dad posed for pictures to make some money, and then came a step-sister who called Meghan ‘Princess Pushy’. Only her mother was at her wedding from her side of the family.

A series of PR disasters followed: penning messages to sex workers on bananas, making sis-in-law Kate cry, a fancy baby shower in the US, secrecy during birth and baptism, spending the tax-payer’s money to redo her new home, bodyguards at Wimbledon who asked she not be photographed… Public hatred peaked with her bump being called fake. Yes, she is woke, but maybe too woke? Even Harry’s latest posh pedicure is attributed to her.

Meghan was dismissed from her first interview on, where she clung to Harry’s arm, spoke over him and looked to be the one wearing the pants. Biracial but there are rumours of fairness creams, and her hair is too straight. Divorcee but the murmurs are of two, not one, divorce. Writer Gary Janetti’s insta page, which has many anti-Meghan witticisms, is a big hit. Recently an article hinted that as the eldest of the Fab Four – William-Kate-Harry-Meghan – she should be the more mature one. He misses his mom, was another snide reaction to her being older to Harry.

Now by guest-editing Vogue, she opened yet another can of worms. Laura Kennedy of The Irish Times wrote: ‘The problem with this is that Markle is not a magazine editor, politician or activist.’ When her reason for not going on the cover came out – would be ‘boastful’ – it was seen as a criticism of Kate who has appeared on its cover. Meghan’s ‘Forces for Change’ cover had 15 of inspirational women; the 16^th spot, ever so twee, being a mirror so that the reader herself is the next. A fun-house mirror, apparently, where we see ourselves wonky. The cover itself stands accused of ‘inspiration’ from Samantha Brett and Steph Adams’ best-selling book The Game Changers.

Of course, a passive-aggressive compliment does come her way now and then. Like how she didn’t turn herself skinny immediately after giving birth. But in photos where she stands next to microscopic Kate, paparazzi seems to point out the two waistlines.

Much of the vitriol can be traced back to the fact that she was one of us before she became one of them – a struggling, ageing actor trying to hit big time. Suddenly she is on the other side, waving delicately at us. She had a choice, we felt: represent us or them. She did not choose us.

There’s a reason why Cinderella’s story ends with the wedding.

Shinie Antony is a writer and editor based in Bangalore. Her books include The Girl Who Couldn’t Love, Barefoot and Pregnant, Planet Polygamous, and the anthologies Why We Don’t Talk, An Unsuitable Woman, Boo. Winner of the Commonwealth Short Story Asia Prize for her story A Dog’s Death in 2003, she is co-founder of the Bangalore Literature Festival and director of the Bengaluru Poetry Festival.

Read Shinie Antony’s columns here.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow