NOT THE KING'S SPEECH BUT A LETTER

Just Enough To Give The Kids A Treat Many people of my vintage may well remember a TV advertisement fromCadburyfeaturing theirFudge Bar. The little tune that was an accompaniment to the ad was - 'A finger ofFudgeis just enough to give your kids a treat, A finger ofFudgeis just enough until it's time to eat, It's full ofCadburygoodness, but very small and neat. A finger ofFudgeis just enough to give your kids a treat'. That is the exact ditty that sprang to mind when I read the letter yesterday, sent on behalf of theKingby theLord Chamberlain, Lord Benyon. You see, it is my perception that it is all a bit of a fudge. InBritainwe are pretty good at fudging, hedging, dodging, prevaricating, call it what you will. If it were anOlympicsport we'd win the gold medal, we've had centuries of practice at it after all. The letter strikes me as just enough to shut down the very loud noise of disquiet that the general public have been expressing since the return of theDuke and Duchess of Sussexon August 26th. In my opinion it is an action that had to be made and I agree withTom Sykes - The Royalistthat it is incredible that it has taken 11 days for any response from thePalaceto theSussexes UKcomeback. Yes it is holiday season, and theKinghas been hiding in the heather and kilted in the glens but how long does it take to type a letter these days ? It would seem that as ever, thePalaceare a bit behind the eight ball and whether or not it is true, the letter comes across as a reluctant riposte, albeit a carefully considered one. Bear in mind that we were told that theKingwas originally blind sided by theSussexesreturn just 11 days ago. In this article I will explain why I think that the letter is too little, and furthermore what action needs to be taken to shut down theHarry and Meghansituation. If it is not closed off soon, it will only get worse moving forward. Surely, best to lance the wound sooner rather than later, before the poison spreads. Picture Credit - PA Media -TheKingremains inScotlandfor his Summer break, plenty of heather, shortbread and tartan no doubt ! WHAT THE LETTER SAID AND WHAT IT MAY MEAN Without reciting the entire letter, I think that it is a very good first step in pointing the way forward for theSussexesand how they should be dealt with now they are here in theUK . My main concern, as it is with many, is that they very rarely actually obey any instructions or guidelines so can we expect them to suddenly change their spots ? TheKing'sletter was sent toPrince Harry'steam, government departments, military officials andLord Lieutenants,according to Palace sources. This letter makes clear that any engagements carried out by theSussexeswill be in a private capacity and they will not be representing theRoyal Family. It makes it clear that anyPrince Harry and Meghanvisits should not be treated as royal engagements. No tugging of forelocks then . This comes ahead of what are likely to be public appearances by theSussexesthis autumn, as they settle in theUKand support their charities. The missive from theKingemphasises that the position agreed in 2020 when theSussexesleft theUK ,the so-calledSandringham Agreement- is still in place. But they haven't observed the terms of that agreement in the six years since it was drawn up, so are we to expect that they suddenly will now do so ? TheSandringham Agreement, ruled out any 'half-in and half-out' status, soHarry and Meghancould not pursue their own commercial interests while continuing to be working royals. But they have been doing exactly that, withMeghanonly today September 8th on herAs Everwebsite suggesting - 'As Ever by Meghan Markle – Savor the Royal Touch' . Yesterday's letter continues by saying - 'It is well known that in January 2020 the Duke and Duchess stepped down from undertaking representative duties on behalf of the Sovereign, and are no longer working members of the Royal Family,' The letter makes it clear that this remains the case. 'The charitable work of the Duke and Duchess is a personal matter for them both and undertaken in their private capacity,' it adds. TheKing'smessage says that any questions from organisations about the reception to be given to theSussexes,'particularly where recourse to public funds may be required, should be directed toBuckingham Palace'. Disputes aboutPrince Harry and Meghan'ssecurity in theUKremain unresolved and the letter spells out: 'Any operational security issues should continue to be directed to the relevant police authorities.' Palacesources have suggested it was better to make theLord Chamberlain'sletter public, in a spirit of transparency, rather than risk it emerging in leaks. Picture Credit - Wikipedia - Lord Beyond, The Lord Chamberlain. WHAT THE LETTER DIDN'T SAY I fully appreciate that theKingand thePalacehave a very difficult path to tread with the way they handle theSussexes. If they are seen as being too draconian, they will provide yet more woe is us material for them to throw back at theKingin their next victim book, documentary, or whatever. So it is a very tricky situation, and giving them any more ammunition could so easily backfire. But I would also argue that because they have been seen to be so untrustworthy, and continually wanting to operate at the very margins of the agreement put in place in 2020, they need much firmer guidelines and a clear statement of what will happen if they break those conditions. It would lay down a clear, concise and definite marker, which to be fair theSandringham Agreementdidn't because it wasn't written down in a binding document let alone a legal one. Of course you don''t expect your family to act they way theSussexeshave and renege on an agreement established by the longest servingMonarchinBritishhistory but you can choose your friends and you cannot choose your family ! So, I would have included in the letter a statement setting out what will happen if they now elect to disobey the conditions of theSandringham Agreement. It would put theKingin full control and there can be no doubt going forward about what the consequences of their actions might be if they choose to misbehave. It sets the agenda and doesn't leave theKingandPalacechasing it. The letter perhaps should have said that if theSussexescannot adhere to theSandringham Agreement, they will be removed from the officialRoyal Websiteat the first abuse of the terms. The letter could also have said that whilst this would be a regrettable action, it is much needed if agreements cannot be adhered to. If necessary, and only if theSussexescontinued using their titles which are supposedly 'in abeyance' for commercial gain, then theKingwould have no choice but to removeHarryfrom his position asCounsellor of State.To be fair, he is highly unlikely to be called upon in the capacity but even so it is symbolic. Again this should have been included in the letter, as it would leave no room for any doubt. In other words - I you don't play by the rules - this is what will happen ! REMOVAL OF TITLES AND FROM THE LINE OF SUCCESSION I do think that theKingmay wish to hold off threatening that action, for the time being, basically because it would yet again give the whingers another load of bullets to fire from their machine guns of woe. It can remain a threat in the background, but we also have to consider that the twoSussexchildren are also involved in any such considerations and it would be a very bad look to remove titles from ones so young. It would likely as not, cause more bad headlines for theCrownthan not and the victim card would be played strongly in response no doubt. Removing the titles would also be quite complicated, as they were the gift of the previousMonarch, so cannot just be withdrawn without anAct of Parliament. TheAndrew Mountbatten Windsor case was completely different in that he was and still is being accused of acts which are entirely different and far more serious than theSussexmisbehaviour. PRIVATE CITIZENS Apparently, theSussexeswere surprised by theLord Chamberlain'sletter (written on theKing'sdirection). 'We were a little surprised not to have been told about this in advance,' their spokesman said. In terms ofPrince Harry and Meghanbeing 'surprised' by theKing'smessage on Monday - it's understood that it reflects the lack of time given for to them to respond. Why do they need to respond ? Just get on with it , them's the rules, suck them up and crack on. Today, September 8th, our thoughts should really be about our lateMonarch Queen Elizabeth II,who died on this day in 2022, but we are yet again being bombarded with stories about 'Private Citizens', 'Non Working Royals' - theSussexcircus. We are all sick of it ! TheSussexes,don't appear to have much to offer, no discernible talent, very little charm and little to add but whinging. That at least is the perception. Her lateMajesty Queen Elizabeth IIwas the longest reigningMonarchinBritishhistory. She came to the throne at just 25 years of age, and her reign lasted 70 years and 214 days. A remarkable life of service and dedication at a time when she presided over a country managing its' withdrawal from Empire and gradual decline. She carried out her role with great dignity, humility, charm and calm authority. May she rest in eternal peace ! IT'S NOT OVER TILL IT'S OVER With the letter published yesterday by theKing, I am afraid that the miscreants won't just go away quietly. It may well stop them in their tracks for a while but the lack of definite sanctions if they err from theSandringham Agreement is a major weakness. The battle may have been won, but the war is far from over. Clear boundaries and sanctions are an absolute must for people who have shown scant regard for rules and regulations in the past. Many of us will have dealt with exactly these people in our working lives - they need tight management and very narrow parameters. Even now as I wrote this piece, a security committee, which includesHome Officerepresentatives, is meeting (again) to look at the level of taxpayer-funded security that should be given to theSussexeswho are now resident in theUK. My pockets are not bottomless you know, so no taxpayer funding should be allocated to their security and i'd guess about 90 per cent of the British people would agree. TheRoyal and VIP Executive Committee ( RAVEC)- decides security for royals and public figures andPrince Harryhas previously whined about a lack of adequate police protection in theUK. TheHome Officedoes not comment on such decision making - and would be unlikely to reveal the outcome of such a meeting. Can you imagine if they are awarded tax payer funded security ? In the current climate it would spark a huge public outcry, especially as money is already too tight to mention for the vast majority of people. Bear in mind that only last week it was confirmed thatKing Charleswill be given £99.9 million in core annual funding to carry out official duties and maintain royal palaces after he 'significantly increased' his number of engagements. The optics would be horrendous but let's see what the outcome is. The conclusion for now is that the letter issued yesterday is really only the end of the beginning, rather than the beginning of the end. This saga will run and run, it's not over by a long chalk. Picture Credit - PA Media - First Day Smiles and a few nerves I'm sure. A FINAL WORD On a happier note Prince George started his first term today atEton, and he was accompanied by his father and mother, thePrince and Princess of Wales. That first day at my senior school, is something that I will always remember, a cocktail of nerves, excitement, apprehension and a desire to wave goodbye to your parents and just get on with it. Good luck young man - the best days of your life ! Picture Credit - Kensington Palace