The Duke and Duchess of Sussex

[CharlieOneSix]

An eye witness told The Sun he got off a British Airways flight from Los Angeles which arrived at Heathrow at 1.15pm today.

Except it arrived at 1221.

[Pontius Navigator]

C16, well that could be true too. Mind you he would surely have been whisked away without going through baggage reclaim.

No purple airway or red carpet for him. Colour clash wouldn't they.

[Ex-Ascot]

I think that he is only there to crank start the old Land Rover. He could have brought Nutmeg to boot black the tyres. Wonder if he was as scruffy as ***** on arrival or had the decency to wear shirt and black tie. Oh no, of course is a 'black' tie politically correct?

[Ibbie]

An eye witness told The Sun he got off a British Airways flight from Los Angeles which arrived at Heathrow at 1.15pm today.

Gutter press making up false news.

The BA flight yesterday with those actual and scheduled arrival times at Heathrow was from San Francisco.

If he did fly from LA at similar times, he was flying Virgin.

[OFSO]

Possibly he borrowed Nutmeg's broomstick to fly in on. Are witches' transport devices certified for ETOPS?

[G-CPTN]

The Sussexes have stated how much their son Archie will miss the DofE.

Come on! he can hardly have any concept of him, and no memory of him.

[OFSO]

Megan Markle has said she's not coming to the funeral as "she doesn't want to be the centre of attention."

Discuss....

[Undried Plum]

Megan Markle has said she's not coming to the funeral as "she doesn't want to be the centre of attention."

[4mastacker]

Megan Markle has said she's not coming to the funeral as "she doesn't want to be the centre of attention."

Does she have access to some really strange recreational herbal substances or excessively large quantities of alcoholic drinks?

[PHXPhlyer]

She really shouldn't drink or do drugs while preggers.

PP

[FD2]

Locally grown organic might be ok.

[Ex-Ascot]

She just can't shut up. Every time she opens her stupid American mouth something more ridiculous is spouted forth.

[Undried Plum]

Cuntequals mouth.

Reallyreally apt, in her case.

[Boac]

I fear with the mentality of our media and its readers and viewers she is probably right. You need look no further than the obsession here on O-N.

[OFSO]

Well unless, like me, you follow all of the financial scandals (three, all billion Euro biggies right now) there's not a lot going on to liven up one's boring life, other than poking fingers and jeering at dimwit and his pretentious wife.

[OFSO]

So no military uniforms at the funeral. A very wise choice, ma'am. No doubt Edward and Andrew will be furious. But who gives a f*ck about them?

[FD2]

I hope that after the funeral it has struck through Harry's thick skull just what he has left behind. Meanwhile from California the MeToo woman just has to get in on the act, but gets it wrong yet again, either deliberately or stupidly. All the wreaths were private except hers which oddly enough had its details comprehensively reported to the press from a source close to the Sussexes. https://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/da ... 62R4VU72Q/


Daniela Elser: How Harry and Meghan took the bloom off their touching tribute to Prince Philip

There is one crucial way that Meghan, Duchess of Sussex – mother, activist, and former cable star – is united with her mother-in-law, Diana, Princess of Wales. Both women have a unique ability to loom over royal proceedings even from far, far away.

... despite being more than 8500km away, Meghan managed to play a role in the historic funeral.

In a moving tribute to the 99-year-old Duke, a handwritten note penned by the Duchess, a former professional calligrapher, was attached to the wreath sent by the Sussexes, one of only nine family wreaths in the chapel.

The arrangement, we know, included Eryngium, or sea holly, to represent Philip's ties to the Royal Marines; Acanthus mollis, the national flower of Greece, in a nod to his heritage; Campanula, to represent "gratitude and everlasting love"; and roses to signify the royal consort's June birthday.

All incredibly touching and thoughtful.

And all information that somehow – miraculously – has found its way out there in the public domain.

According to The Telegraph, "a source close to the Sussexes confirmed that [their wreath] had been designed and handmade by Willow Crossley, a Cotswolds florist known for her natural, rustic arrangements".

What is bewildering here is why and how - on a day which should have been resolutely, solely focused on celebrating the Duke - something Sussex-related has managed to end up in the headlines.

These symbolic and meaningful blooms by Crossley – who was in charge of the flowers for the Sussexes' wedding reception and son Archie's 2019 christening – included deeply personal touches.

But why did anyone feel the need to share this information with the world?

While Buckingham Palace has released a cavalcade of specifics about yesterday's proceedings - everything from precise timings, to where exactly Philip's valets would be standing - no particulars about the other eight wreaths that were placed in the chapel have been released.

In fact, according to The Times, "the rest of the royal family kept details of their floral tributes private".

The unavoidable conclusion here is that the details of the Crossley-created salute are known today, and making headlines, because someone wanted them out there. (It's not as if any eagle-eyed member of the press was ever going to cotton on to the fact that Eryngium or Acanthus mollis featured in the arrangement.)

And that is deeply problematic.

The appearance here is that even at this moment of mourning, someone Sussex-adjacent has seen the wreath and Meghan's note as an opportunity to drum up some good PR.

Previously, the now California-based royal couple has chosen to publicise two meaningful royal family-related occasions which could have remained private.

In early September the Sussexes visited a local preschool to plant forget-me-nots in honour of the anniversary of Diana's passing, while in November, to mark Remembrance Day, the couple visited Commonwealth war graves in Los Angeles.

In both instances, a photographer was on hand and images of the couple were made public.

In recent months both Harry and Meghan's approval ratings in the UK have cratered to record lows, with both the Duke and Duchess hitting negative figures, according to a poll done in the wake of their explosive Oprah Winfrey TV interview last month.

In less than two months, brothers Harry and William will be reunited again in London for the unveiling of the statue they commissioned to honour their mother Diana on what would have been her 60th birthday.

Let's hope the city's photographers and florists are on standby – they just might be getting a call from California about then.

[Karearea]

She could always just write on a banana...

[Pontius Navigator]

FD2, the Telegraph also gave light to this story which appears to have been near identical to that quoted above.

But why did anyone feel the need to share this information with the world?

Or indeed write an article and publish it in papers around the world : money perhaps?

[OFSO]

A banana SKIN, dear boy, not a banana. She'd have eaten the banana first.