Tag: Prince Harry

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

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

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Netflix has released the first trailer for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s latest project ‘Live to Lead’. The documentary series is presented by the former royal couple, and it shares messages from the extraordinary leaders of the world. The seven-part Netflix series will release internationally on December 31.  According to Prince Harry, the series is inspired by former South African President and anti-apartheid campaigner Nelson Mandela. It features climate change activist Greta Thunberg and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern among the figures speaking about “inspiring life stories”.

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Besides Thunberg and Ardern, American social justice activist Bryan Stevenson, the late US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and South African lawyer Albie Sachs are also part of the series.

The series features the captain of the South Africa rugby union team Siya Kolisi, who is the first black player to ever hold the position, along with US social-political activist Gloria Steinem.

As per the description of the trailer, the series intends to “share messages of courage, compassion, humility, hope and generosity” through the extraordinary leaders of the world who were invited to speak on the show.

“Inspired by the iconic legacy of Nelson Mandela, Live to Lead highlights the fundamental values, daily disciplines and guiding principles that leaders employ to motivate others and create meaningful change,” the description read.

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The project by the Nelson Mandela Foundation is created and directed by Geoff Blackwell.  Blackwell conceived the project alongside producer Ruth Hobday when they worked on a book about Mandela in 2018. The project is executively produced by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Other executive producers include Ben Browning and Chanel Pysnik for Archewell and John Sloss for Cinetic.

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

Backstabbing, powerplay and racism — Harry and Meghan make major allegations against the UK monarchy and tabloids

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

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Netflix docuseries is a story from the couple’s perspective about the mistreatment they had to undergo because the UK tabloids and certain sections of the royal family were trying to target them.

While the first three episodes of Harry & Meghan were released earlier this month, the final three dropped on December 15. The first part of the series shows how the unlikely couple met and how the major changes Meghan had to undertake in order to fit into the complex lifestyles of the UK royals.

The last three episodes are more personal as the couple revealed what made them move out of the United Kingdom and step back from their royal duties. The episodes also go into detail about how a “nexus between the royal PR machinery and a handful of UK tabloids which have special access to the family.

Here are the top 10 revelations from the Harry and Meghan Netflix docuseries. [ SPOILERS AHEAD]

Prince William and Price Harry’s relationship

Probably one of the most explosive revelations came in the second part of the docuseries when Prince Harry claimed his brother screamed at him during a family meeting in 2020 after Harry revealed his and Meghan’s plans to step back from some royal duties became public.

Meghan added that she wasn’t invited to the meeting despite it being hugely important for the couple’s future.

“It was clear to me that they planned out so that you weren’t in the room,” Harry said.

Harry also said he was given five options, one being “all in, no change,” and five being “all out.” He said he chose option 3 to be half in, and half out and have their own jobs, but also work in support of the queen. However, the decision provoked intense feelings.

Harry said. “It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me, and my father say things that simply weren’t true, and my grandmother quietly sit there and sort of take it all in.”

The same day, a story came out that said part of the reason for the couple’s decision to step back was William’s bullying. Hours later a joint statement from Harry and Williams was issued, with the intent of quashing the story and downplaying any rift between the brothers. Harry revealed that he had not given his approval to put his name on the statement.

Meghan’s infamous letter to her father and the story behind it

A large part of the second part focuses on a five-page letter Meghan wrote to her estranged father, Thomas Markle, asking him to stop talking to the press about her.

Meghan says that King Charles III (then Prince Charles) and the Queen wanted her to send the letter to her father. Big chunks of the letter ended up being published by Mail Online. Meghan sued the Mail for this and won later.

Leaks from inside the palace

Harry and Meghan hinted that in the palace people would plant false negative news about them so that the press would hold off on writing negative stories about other members of the royal family.

Harry said that he and William had seen this happen in the pitting of two different palace camps against each other. He said they had vowed never to do it. He then claims that it’s sad for him “to see my brother’s office copy the very same thing that we promised we’d never do.”

Meghan’s miscarriage

Between having two kids, Archie in 2019 and Lilibet in 2021, Meghan became pregnant but suffered a miscarriage. In the series, Harry blamed the miscarriage on the events stemming from The Mail publishing her letter to her father and the stress from the following lawsuit.

“I believe my wife suffered a miscarriage because of what The Mail did,” he said. “I can say, from what I saw, that miscarriage was created by what they were trying to do to her,” he added.

Racism towards Meghan

The couple revealed that racism towards Meghan’s mixed-race background played a huge role in the couple leaving for North America.

They said after Archie was born, one social media user shared a photo of a couple holding the hands of a dressed-up chimpanzee, captioning it as if it were Meghan, Harry and Archie.

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan had earlier revealed that someone in the royal family asked how dark her baby’s skin would be.

The Royal family asked why Meghan should be protected

Prince Harry claims in the docuseries that members of the royal family asked why Meghan should “get special treatment” and “be protected” when they questioned the UK press’ treatment of the actress in the early phase of their relationship.

In the second episode, Harry referred to a Daily Mail headline from 2016 that said: “Harry’s girl is (almost) straight outta Compton,” and he revealed that he was instructed to say nothing by the Palace.

Harry also said that he was told by some of the members of the family that “my wife had to go through that, so why should your girlfriend be treated any differently? Why should you get special treatment? Why should she be protected?”

Extensive ‘formality’ behind closed doors

Meghan also talks about her first meeting with Prince William and Kate in episode 2 and said she was surprised to see the “formality” that is shown to the public by the royal family “carries over” behind closed doors as well.

“I remember I was in ripped jeans and I was barefoot. I was a hugger, I’ve always been a hugger, I didn’t realise that that is really jarring for a lot of Brits,” Meghan said.

Meghan also said that she quickly understood that the formality on the outside is carried through on the inside.

The royal family thought his and Meghan’s relationship wouldn’t last
Harry explained that Meghan’s career as an actress “clouded” the judgement of his family, and they assumed that the couple’s relationship wouldn’t last.

The huge level of unconscious bias in the royal family

Prince Harry revealed that in the royal family, sometimes you are a part of the problem rather than part of the solution and there is a huge level of unconscious bias.

The royal family has been accused of turning a blind eye towards several issues such as racism since the early years of the monarchy.

Harry explained that it’s actually no one’s fault but once it’s been pointed out or identified within yourself, you then need to make it right.

“It’s education, it’s awareness and it’s a constant work-in-progress for everyone, including me,” Harry said.

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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

5 controversies that marked Queen Elizabeth’s funeral

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

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Queen Elizabeth’s funeral was a spectacle. About 2,000 people were in attendance, including 500 heads of states, who paid their last respect to the Queen. However, there were some moments of drama and tension during the meticulously planned majestic funeral. Here is a recount of five controversial moments in the queen’s funeral.

Princesses leave early

Royal watchers were confused over a controversial moment during Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral when two senior royals — Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie — appeared to leave the ceremony early. The royal siblings were spotted leaving their seats towards the end of the Queen’s funeral and walking out of Westminster Abbey before the end of their grandmother’s service.

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One netizen Fleur @CathofWales pointed out on Twitter: “Did anyone notice where Princess Beatrice went? I noticed her seat was empty when the camera showed an aerial view of the church.”

Did anyone notice where Princess Beatrice went? I noticed her seat was empty when the camera showed an aerial view of the church…

— Fleur (@CathofWales) September 19, 2022

According to some, the sisters may have left their seats early in order to move to the doors of the abbey and curtsey to the queen’s coffin.

Prince Harry not singing the national anthem

Some viewers accused Prince Harry, the younger son of King Charles III, for not joining the royals in singing ‘God Save the King’ during the funeral. A short clip of Prince Harry went viral on social media platforms where he appears not to be singing the national anthem. The video grab shows the Duke of Sussex looking around and not mouthing the words frequently. His controversial behaviour sparked a flurry of discussions online.

Prince Harry not singing the national anthem 👀 #queensfuneral pic.twitter.com/laNk5JMZ6R

— Kieran (@kierknobody) September 19, 2022

While some netizens expressed their disappointment over Prince Harry’s actions, others defended him by saying they could see him singing.

Controversy over music

Much of the music played at the Queen’s funeral was selected for its special significance to the late monarch. A number of them have a long association with Westminster Abbey, a note posted to the Westminster Abbey Twitter account said. However, even as the music was sentimental and sweet, there were some complaints about the music being played on the organ.

“Following the National anthem in Westminster Abbey, they played some type of Dracula music on the organ, which was quite scary and not what I expected,” wrote a Twitter user 1FunMumm @1funmumm.

Following the National anthem in Westminster Abbey, they played some type of Dracula music on the organ, which was quite scary and not what I expected #queensfuneral

— 1FunMumm (@1funmumm) September 19, 2022

Seating arrangement snubs

There were a lot of talks about the funeral’s seating arrangements. The Queen’s children and their spouses sat in the front row, including King Charles III and his wife Queen Consort Camilla. Among others in the front row were Prince William and Princess Kate with their two children, George and Charlotte, and Princess Anne’s children, Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall. Prince Harry and his wife Meghan were seated in the second row directly behind King Charles and Camilla.

Conspicuous absences

One of the most notable absences from the funeral was that of Prince Louis, Kate and William’s youngest son. According to some, Louis, aged 4, is too young to be sitting through a long funeral service. Prince Harry’s children — 3-year-old Archie and 1-year-old Lilibet – also did not attend the state funeral. However, there were talks of Prince Louis being left out due to his ability to make the most expressive faces known to man.

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Sharing some photos of the young royal from the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebrations, one user Joe @onlyjoekin_ wrote: “People thinking Prince Louis isn’t there because he’s too young. The real reason: High chance of chaos.”

People thinking Prince Louis isn’t there because he’s too young

The real reason: High chance of chaos #queensfuneral pic.twitter.com/SYAZUosE5a

— Joe (@onlyjoekin_) September 19, 2022

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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

Why the royals wear pearls during mourning?

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

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When the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II lay in state in Westminster Hall as part of the national mourning period, both Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge and wife of Prince William, and Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex and wife of Prince Harry, were seen wearing pearl-based items of jewellery belonging to the late monarch. The queen herself had favoured pearls and was rarely seen without them. Hence it is likely that the royals will be paying their final respects to the late monarch at the state funeral on Monday, September 19 at Westminster Abbey wearing pearls.

However, the queen’s liking for pearls is not the only reason for the royals to wear pearls during times of mourning. The tradition of wearing pearls or ‘mourning jewellery’ has been prevalent since Queen Victoria’s era, said a report.

“It’s all about the suppression of colour, and also pearls are not glittery or brash. By choosing them, you are being low-key and respectful,” The Vogue quoted jewellery historian and author Vivienne Becker as saying.

Earlier, pearls, which are formed inside the shell of a mollusc, were associated with wealth and high social rank due to their rarity and high value.

Queen Elizabeth I preferred pearls to show her purity and chastity as she projected her image as the Virgin Queen.

The strong association of pearls with mourning started during the reign of Queen Victoria, who lost her husband, Prince Albert, in 1861. The queen was only 42 and she spent the rest of her life – almost 40 years – in mourning. It was during this period that strict rules around the rites of mourning were developed.

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According to the book Jewels and Jewellery by Clare Phillips, jewellery curator at the Victorian and Albert Museum, in the 1860s, a widow had to wear black for a year to mourn her husband’s death and put on minimal black matte ornaments. She was later allowed to use more elaborate mourning jewellery and then diamonds and pearls. Finally, they were allowed to return to coloured stones. Those who wished to follow Queen Victoria never returned to more light-hearted pieces of jewellery.

Even though such strict rules are no longer observed, the royal family chooses to wear pearls due to their association with purity.

Queen Elizabeth II herself solemnly dressed in black and wore pearls when she was mourning her father George VI’s death in 1952. She also wore pearls to the funerals of Princess Diana, Princess Margaret and her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

Diana, Princess of Wales, wore pearls at the funeral of Princess Grace of Monaco, who was killed in a car accident in 1982. Diana also wore large pearls at Gianni Versace’s funeral after his murder in July 1997.

Since Queen Elizabeth passed away on September 8, 2022, members of the royal family have all worn pearl jewellery to pay respect to the late monarch.

Catherine Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, was seen wearing the queen’s own Pearl and Diamond Leaf Brooch at a service at Westminster Hall on September 14.

Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, also paid her respect to the queen by wearing discreet pearl and diamond studs that were gifted to her by the queen.

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Queen Consort Camilla paired her pearl earrings with her favourite four-strand pearl necklace, while Princess Royal Anne wore her full Royal Navy ceremonial uniform with simple stud earrings.

A day earlier, the princess had accompanied her mother’s coffin on its journey from Scotland to London, wearing the Andrew Grima pearl earrings that were a gift from her parents in the late 1960s. She wore the same earrings during Prince Philip’s funeral last year, showing her closeness to her parents, Vogue reported.

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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

Queen Elizabeth’s funeral to take place on September 19: All you need to know

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

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The funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest reigning monarch of Britain, will be held on Monday, September 19. Queen Elizabeth II passed away at her Scottish estate Balmoral on September 8. She was 96. Her funeral will include a service at Westminster Abbey, a military procession in London, a cortege and a family ceremony at Windsor Castle’s chapel. Details about the state funeral were revealed by Buckingham Palace ahead of the service, which include personal touches requested by the late monarch herself.

This will be the first state funeral in the UK since 1965 when Winston Churchill died. The Queen will be transported from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey and finally to Windsor Castle. Millions of people around the world will be watching the funeral from home as the funeral will be televised in what could become the most watched broadcast in history.

Here is all you need to know about the events of the day.

At 6:30 am BST, the queen’s lying-in-state at Westminster Hall, London, will come to an end. Thousands of mourners have already visited her coffin in London.

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Westminster Abbey will open for guests at 8 AM ahead of her funeral at 11 AM. England is expecting heads of state from across the world to join the Royal Family for the funeral. Former prime ministers and senior UK politicians are also expected to participate. Belgium’s King Philippe and Queen Mathilde and Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia will also participate in the funeral.

At 10:45 am BST, the queen’s coffin will be carried by Royal Navy’s State Gun Carriage from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey.

The carriage will be drawn by 142 sailors. The State Gun Carriage of the Royal Navy was last drawn in 1979 for the funeral of Prince Philip’s uncle, Lord Mountbatten. It was also used for the Queen’s father, George VI, in 1952.

Members of the Royal Family, including King Charles III and his sons Prince William and Prince Harry, will follow the gun carriage in procession.

The Queen’s funeral service will take place at Westminster Abbey from 11 am BST. No monarch’s funeral service has been held in the Abbey since the 18th Century.

Dean of Westminster David Hoyle will conduct the service, while the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby will give the sermon. Prime Minister Liz Truss is expected to read a lesson.

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The funeral will be attended by around 2,000 guests.

Queen Elizabeth will be buried at Windsor Castle’s chapel in a private ceremony at 7:30 pm BST. The queen had herself requested the performance of the Sovereign’s piper before she is buried. She will be put to rest beside her late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.

BBC TV will broadcast the events of the funeral, which can be streamed on BBC iPlayer as well.

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Queen Elizabeth’s funeral on Sept 19: Flight disruptions, a million people and the schedule

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

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Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving British monarch, will be honoured with a full state funeral at Westminster Abbey on September 19. Roughly 2,000 attendees are expected to attend the funeral at Westminster Abbey as Britain bids final farewell to the Queen.

London’s transport authority said it was preparing for around a million people to visit the British capital on Monday for Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral.

Across the country, some 250 extra train services will run, including some overnight trains. Peter Hendy, chairman of Network Rail, said Monday would see the biggest public transport operation since the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

More than 100 Heathrow Airport flights will be cancelled to prevent aircraft noise from disturbing the funeral and the queen’s committal service at Windsor Castle afterwards. The west London airport said 15 percent of its 1,200 flights due to take off or land on Monday would be disrupted.

The event is scheduled to be showcased worldwide to the general public. Here’s what is known so far about the funeral service:

Palace of Westminster to Westminster Abbey

Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin will, on the morning of September 19, be carried to Westminster Abbey, where the funeral will commence at 11 AM local time.

The coffin, carried from Westminster Hall to Westminster Abbey at 10:44 AM local time, will be on the state gun carriage drawn by 142 soldiers. Prince William, along with his brother Prince Harry, and the senior members of the royal family will follow the procession.

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Britain’s historic church

At around 8:00 AM, the doors of Britain’s historic church, the Westminster Abbey, will be opened for the roughly 2,000 attendees. The Abbey is historic since it is the place where Britain’s kings and queens are crowned. Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation was held here in 1953. It is also the place where she got married to Prince Phillip in 1947.

The funeral service

The ceremonial services will begin 15 minutes before the funeral service. It will be conducted by the Dean of Westminster, David Hoyle, along with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and the newly appointed Prime Minister Liz Truss. The end of the funeral will be marked by a short bugle call that will be played followed by a two-minute national silence.

How and where to watch the funeral service?

Multiple platforms and stations will be televising the funeral on Monday. Here is how you can witness the events of September 19 unfolding in Britain.

Television

The funeral is expected to begin at 11 AM local time. On TV, various broadcasting platforms such as British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC One, BBC News), National Broadcasting Company (NBC), Cable News Network (CNN), American Broadcasting Company, Sky News, and Fox News will be telecasting the event.

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Streaming

If not television, you can also witness the live coverage of the event on various streaming sources by Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN.org, C-SPAN Radio, and C-SPAN application). Other platforms that will be streaming the live coverage of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral include YouTube channels of ITV News channel and Sky News. In addition, YouTube TV, BBC, and Peacock Premium will also cover the last rites live.

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Prince Charles is King and Prince William, Harry’s son have new titles | Who’s who in the royal family now

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

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UK’s longest-ruling and oldest monarch, Queen Elizabeth II died in Scotland on Thursday. Following her death, her eldest son Charles, the Prince of Wales, ascended the throne. He will now be called King Charles III.

While King Charles could have chosen a regnal name from one of his other names — Charles Philip Arthur George — he decided to stick with the name that he’s been recognised for over seven decades.

Catch Queen Elizabeth II LIVE updates here

With the ascension, a swathe of royal titles will be exchanged.

The new heir-apparent, Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge has now received the title of Duke of Cornwall and Duke of Rothesay. The two dukedoms were passed onto King Charles III when his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, had ascended the throne in 1952.

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Meanwhile, Prince William’s wife, Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge will now be able to call herself the Duchess of Cornwall as well.

While King Charles also held the title of the Prince of Wales — a title nominally given to the heir-apparent to the throne. This title has not been passed down yet to Prince William. However,  it is expected that it will be conferred to him after King Charles’ official proclamation.

The title is not a hereditary title, so didn’t automatically transfer upon Queen Elizabeth’s death. If the title is passed as expected, Kate will become the first Princess of Wales since the death of Princess Diana.

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Apart from Prince William and Kate Middleton, others will also receive new titles. Camilla, the wife of King Charles, is now the Queen consort. Charles’ grandchildren from his son Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, will now be Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

While Queen Elizabeth had been a widely popular monarch, King Charles III ascends the throne at a time when many are questioning the continuing relevance of the monarchy in a world that is struggling to equalize disparities.

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

Prince Harry says he warned Twitter CEO of US Capitol riot

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

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Britain’s Prince Harry said he warned the chief executive of Twitter ahead of the Jan. 6 Capitol riots that the social media site was being used to stage political unrest in the U.S. capital.

Harry made the comments Tuesday while he was taking part in an online panel on misinformation in California. He said he made his concerns known via email to Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey the day before the riot.

Jack and I were emailing each other prior to January 6 where I warned him that his platform was allowing a coup to be staged, Harry said at the at the RE:WIRED tech forum. That email was sent the day before and then it happened and I havent heard from him since.

Twitter declined to comment on Harry’s remarks.

Social media sites have come under fire for not doing enough to halt the spread of misinformation and inciteful content, and the storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump is often cited as an example of the consequences of allowing hate to fester. Big tech in general has been accused of putting growth and profits ahead of public safety.

Harry accused other social media sites like Facebook of misleading billions of people with misinformation about COVID-19 and climate change. He also targeted YouTube, saying many videos spreading COVID-19 misinformation were left up despite violating the sites own policies.

And worse, they came to the users via the recommendation tool within YouTubes own algorithm versus anything that the user was actually searching for,” he said. It shows really that it can be stopped but also they didnt want to stop it because it affects their bottom line.”

Harry was listed as the co-founder of his nonprofit organization Archewell at the tech forum. Earlier this year he joined the U.S. think tank the Aspen Institute as a commissioner looking into misinformation and disinformation in the media.

Harry and his wife, the Duchess of Sussex, announced in early 2020 that they were quitting royal duties and moving to North America, citing what they said were the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media.

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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