#William The Prince of OWN GOALS

[houseofbrat]

As someone who works in PR I am ASTONISHED at how bad Kensington Palace is at all of this. It’s the most interesting part of the whole thing for me. Well that, and how much it seemingly vindicates H&M and Harry in particular in what he’s said about the firm and the media’s role in protecting the Heir at all costs.

Yeah I work in PR for a public company and anytime we want to put something out we have to run it up the chain - we need legal and Investor relations and executive approvals.

Even if KP and BP had their individual PR teams, which makes sense, there should still be one main central PR office that everyone answers to that manages the entire royal families PR, makes sure schedules and press opportunities and STRATEGY AND MESSAGING all aligns, before running up the chain for final approvals. There’d be a social team and a crisis team and government relations team and a branding team and a general “talent rep” kind of team, all working in tandem to serve the overall strategy for the royal family.

The fact that there are so many cooks in so many different kitchens is why the royal family has had so many PR disasters honestly for decades now. They’re truly doing it all wrong. So many Worst Practices here, not Best Practices.

It really doesn't seem like there is an overall PR team. Just the separate entities

Yeah and that’s the problem IMO. They are a business that should be run like a business. They should have the individual departments I suggested, and even more, working in tandem.

The fact that there are so many separate entities with different agendas and priorities is a huge part of their problem IMO.

But Charles has been transparent for the most part!! And photographed repeatedly. It’s so bizarre when compared to KP, and feels passive aggressive to me to be honest lolol.

They’re really so so so bad at this 😭😭😭😭 but the British public and the media lets them get away with it 🙃🙃🙃

For heaven’s sake. If she’s recovering nicely, why resort to recycling old photos?

Other sources are making a pretty good case for the fact that it’s a November photo, taken after Catherine and the children visited the baby bank.

Does nobody, and I mean nobody, know how to do PR in that place anymore? Now it's pin all of this on just-recovering-from-abdominal-surgery Kate? Why not on William since they were so proud about how he was the one that took the photo? Somehow they keep making everything ten times worse.

I’m sorry, but I don’t believe for a second that Kate personally edited that photo together in such a way that it had to be killed as inauthentic. The pulling of the photo is likely more about the refusal to provide metadata or the raw image for proof rather than silly Photoshop choices. That isn’t an issue of “mummy going wild on the computer,” it’s a larger organizational issue about trust, transparency, and KP’s overall poor approach to news orgs and the press lately.

Why is Kate taking the fall? Why is William such a lout to let an ill Kate put this on her own shoulders rather than admit KP made an error or say KP is going to reevaluate their practices and make a change?

Are college interns running Palace p.r.? Because I cannot understand how they're botching this so badly. If Kate couldn't/wouldn't pose for a legit photo, then just don't release anything. The Royals are basically dumping tankers of gas on the inferno by playing all these games. 

Sorry, am I going insane? After saying they wouldn’t respond to these conspiracy theories, they

a) responded by putting out a doctored image,

b) responded to the backlash of doctored image by claiming the woman recovering from a medical issue was playing around in Photoshop, and

c) responded to the backlash of editing claims by putting out an image where the person in the photo is supposed to be Kate but could LITERALLY BE ANYBODY.

NONE OF YOU ARE FINDING THIS WEIRD? NONE?!

"Kate's Back"

Well, it is indeed a picture of Kate's back

Apparently the main symptom of her mysterious medical condition is that any photo with her in it immediately becomes grainy, blurry, or with people's wrists trying to escape into a fifth dimension.

Good Lord, I haven't followed a disaster story this closely since Oceangate Titan and this one may be even worse. The narrative is out of control and the rules have gone out the window.

They already lost control of the narrative at this point. No matter what they do now, they will be scrutinized more than they've ever been before. And they seem grossly unprepared for it.

She’s not even facing camera, how is this supposed to help? This just feeds the conspiracy theorists! headdesk

It's becoming a PR nightmare that only Olivia Pope can rescue.

Maybe the better question is that people are concerned about Kate's welfare, and most WERE okay with waiting under the timeline KP initially offered that is she will likely return by or after Easter.

However KP has mismanaged the messaging, and with that concern grows over how weird some of the updates are. The article explains why this medical time out is turning into an absolute PR crisis. It isn't so much about Kates right to medical privacy (she definitely deserves that )

It now is about institutional reliability, the heir William's arguably erratic or unusual behavior or his courtiers' comments, the mess with the all kill photoshopped/Frankensteined photo (which has never happened before with a palace released photo), the very different approaches from BP vs KP, etc etc. It's become bigger than Kate sad to say.

And ultimately now people are worried for her, in a way they wouldn't have been, because things have become so irregular and bungled. So the urgency to make sure she is safe and okay has become louder and more insistent.

“CNN is now reviewing all handout photos previously provided by Kensington Palace.”

“In editorial photography, photojournalists and editors commonly adjust a photograph’s exposure or color balance in order to more accurately reflect the scene. Most news organizations, including CNN, regard it as unacceptable to move, change or manipulate the pixels of an image. To do so would alter the reality of the situation the image is intended to document.”

“In the past, the family’s amateur photographs have been well received when posted on social media. But on this occasion, this photo was also released to media organizations as a handout and the palace wasn’t transparent about the fact it had been adjusted.

That will have damaged the trust between the palace and media organizations – many of which, like CNN, will likely be assessing all royal handouts. The editing storm has undermined the existing relationship and when public interest over any possible cover up escalates, as it has done recently, many news outlets will now have take that speculation more seriously.”

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Inside William’s Next Act: Tatler’s May issue goes behind the scenes as the Prince of Wales is rising above the noise — and playing the long game

The burden of leadership is falling upon Prince William, but as former BBC Royal Correspondent, Wesley Kerr OBE, explains in Tatler’s May cover story, the future king is taking charge

By Wesley Kerr OBE

21 March 2024

When I first met Prince William in 2009, he asked me if I could tell him how he could win the National Lottery.

It was a jokey quip from someone who has since become the Prince of Wales, the holder of three dukedoms, three earldoms, two baronies and two knighthoods, and heir to the most prestigious throne on earth.

He was, of course, being relatable; I was representing the organisation that had allocated Lottery funding towards the Whitechapel Gallery and he wanted to put me at ease.

William is grand but different, royal but real.

At 6ft 3in, he has the bearing and looks great in uniform after a distinguished, gallant military career.

He will be one of the tallest of Britain’s kings since Edward Longshanks in the 14th century and should one day be crowned sitting above the Stone of Scone that Edward ‘borrowed.’

William, by contrast, has a deep affinity with Scotland and Wales, having lived in both nations and gained solace from the Scottish landscape after his mother died.

He’s popular in America and understands that the Crown’s relationship to the Commonwealth must evolve.

The Prince of Wales has long believed that ‘the Royal Family has to modernise and develop as it goes along, and it has to stay relevant’, as he once said in an interview.

He seeks his own way of being relatable, of benefitting everybody, in the context of an ancient institution undergoing significant challenge and upheaval, as the head of a nation divided by hard times, conflicts abroad, and social and political uncertainty.

We might recognise Shakespeare’s powerful line spoken by Claudius in Hamlet: ‘When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions.’

With the triple announcement in January and February of the Princess of Wales’s abdominal surgery and long convalescence, of King Charles’s prostate procedure and then of his cancer diagnosis, the burden of leadership has fallen on 76-year-old Queen Camilla and, crucially, on William.

The Prince of Wales’s time has come to step up; and so he has deftly done.

In recent months, we have seen a fully-fledged deputy head of state putting into practice his long-held ideas, speaking out on the most contentious issue of the day and taking direct action on homelessness.

Last June, he unveiled the multi-agency Homewards initiative with the huge aspiration of ending homelessness, backed with £3 million from his Foundation to spearhead action across the UK.

He is consolidating Heads Together, the long-standing campaign on mental health, and fundraises for charities like London’s Air Ambulance Charity.

He was, of course, once a pilot for the East Anglian Air Ambulance services – a profession that had its downside: seeing people in extremis or at death’s door, he found himself ‘taking home people’s trauma, people’s sadness.’

Tom Cruise was a guest at the recent London’s Air Ambulance Charity fundraiser, William’s first gala event after Kate’s operation.

And more stardust followed when William showed that, even without his wife by his side, he could outclass any movie star at the Baftas.

There’s also his immense aim of helping to ‘repair the planet’ itself with his Earthshot Prize: five annual awards of £1 million for transformative environmental projects with worldwide application.

This project has a laser focus on biodiversity, better air quality, cleaner seas, reducing waste and combating climate change. Similar aims to his father; different means to achieve the goal.

On the issue which has caused huge convulsions – the Middle East conflict – William’s 20 February statement from Kensington Palace grabbed attention.

He said he was ‘deeply concerned about the terrible human cost of the conflict since the Hamas terrorist attack on 7 October. Too many have been killed.’

There were criticisms – along the lines of ‘the late Queen would have never spoken out like this’ or ‘what right does he have to meddle in politics?’ – but it was hard to disagree with his carefully calibrated words.

His call for peace, the ‘desperate need’ for humanitarian aid, the return of the hostages.

The statement was approved by His Majesty’s Government, likely cleared with the King himself at Sandringham the previous weekend and also backed by the chief rabbi of Great Britain, Sir Ephraim Mirvis.

Indeed, William and Catherine had immediately spoken out on the horrors of 7 October.

William followed up the week after his Kensington Palace statement by visiting a synagogue and sending a ‘powerful message’, according to the chief rabbi, by meeting a Holocaust survivor and condemning anti-Semitism.

This is rooted in deep personal conviction following William’s 2018 visit to Israel and the West Bank, says Valentine Low, the distinguished author of Courtiers and The Times’s royal correspondent of 15 years, who was on that 2018 trip.

‘William was so moved by his visit to Israel and the West Bank, he found it very affecting, and he was not going to drop this issue – he was going to pay attention to it for the rest of his life,’ says Low.

‘He must feel that… not to say something on the most important issue in the world [at that moment] would be a bit odd if you feel so strongly about it.’

There was concern from some commentators about politicising the monarchy, but this rose above the particulars of party politics.

As Prince of Wales, like his father before him, there is perhaps space to speak out sparingly on carefully chosen issues.

On this occasion, his views were in line with majority public opinion.

On homelessness, news came that same week that William was planning to build 24 homes for the homeless on his Duchy of Cornwall estate.

‘William’s impact is very personal,’ says Mick Clarke, chief executive of The Passage, a charity providing emergency accommodation for London’s homeless.

‘Two weeks before Christmas, the prince came to our Resource Centre in Victoria for a Christmas lunch for 150 people.

He was scheduled to stay for an hour, to help serve, wash up, and talk to people.

He ended up staying for two and a quarter hours, during which time he went from table to table and spoke to every single person.’

Clarke continues:

‘William has an ability to listen, talk and to put people at ease. During the November 2020 lockdown, he came on three separate occasions to help.

It gave the team a boost that he took the time; it was his way of saying: “I support you; you’re doing a great job.”’

Seyi Obakin, chief executive of Centrepoint, one of the prince’s best-known causes, adds:

‘People associate his patronage with the big moments like the time he and I slept under Blackfriars Bridge.

The things that stick with me are smaller in scale and the more profound for it – in quieter moments, away from the cameras, where he has volunteered his time.’

It is a different approach from the King’s.

As Prince of Wales, he was involved in the minutiae of dozens of issues at any one time, working into the night to follow up on emails, crafting his speeches, writing or dictating notes.

Add to that much nationwide touring over 40 years (after he left active military service in 1976), fitting in multiple engagements, often being greeted formally by lord lieutenants.

This is not William’s style. He has commended his father’s model, but he does things his own way.

Although patronages are under review, William has up till now far fewer than either his father or his grandparents.

Charles is sympathetic to William’s approach and his desire to make time with his young family sacrosanct.

They are confidantes, attested by the night of Queen Elizabeth’s death.

They were both at Birkhall with Camilla, reviewing funeral arrangements while the rest of the grieving family were nearby at Balmoral, hosted by the Princess Royal.

Charles has had almost six decades in public life and is the senior statesman of our time, with even longer in the spotlight than Joe Biden.

After Eton and St Andrew’s University, where he met Catherine, William served in three branches of the military between 2006 and 2013, finishing as a seasoned and skilled helicopter rescue pilot.

His later employment as an air ambulance pilot stopped in 2017, when he became a full-time working royal.

At that time, not so long ago – with Harry unmarried, Andrew undisgraced, and Philip and Elizabeth still active – William shared the spotlight.

Now, after the King, he’s the key man.

He can look back on the success of his first big campaign initially launched with his wife and brother in 2016: Heads Together.

‘We are delighted that Prince William should have become such a positive and sympathetic advocate for mental health through his Heads Together initiative and now well-established text service, Shout, among other projects,’ says the longtime CEO and founder of Sane, the remarkable Marjorie Wallace CBE.

‘It is not always known that he follows in the footsteps of his father, the King, whose inspiration and vision were vital in the creation of our mental health charity Sane.

As founding patron, he was instrumental in establishing our 365-days-a-year helpline and was a remarkable and selfless support to me in setting up the Prince of Wales International Centre for Sane Research.’

'Indeed,' says Wallace, 'this is where Prince William echoes the work of his father, showing the same ‘understanding and compassion for people struggling through dark and difficult times of their lives and has done much to raise awareness and encourage those affected to speak out and seek help.

We owe a huge debt to His Majesty and the Prince of Wales for their involvement in this still-neglected area.’

Just as I saw all those years ago at that early solo engagement in Whitechapel, William still approaches his public duties with humour and fun.

‘He defuses the formality with jocularity,’ says Valentine Low, citing two public events in 2023 that he witnessed.

In April last year, while on a visit to Birmingham, William randomly answered the phone in an Indian restaurant he was being shown around and took a table booking from a customer – an endearing act of spontaneity.

On his arrival later that day, the unsuspecting diner was surprised to be told exactly whom he had been talking to.

In October, Low reported, William ‘unleashed his inner flirt as he hugged his way through a visit with Caribbean elders [in Cardiff] to mark Black History Month.

As he gave one woman a hug – for longer than she expected – he joked: “I draw the line at kissing.”

And while posing for a group photograph, he prompted gales of laughter when he quipped: “Who is pinching my bottom?”’

Low believes that when William eventually becomes king, he will be more ‘radical’ than his father but wonders if people will respond to ‘call me William’ when ‘the whole point of the Royal Family is mystique and being different.’

However, William has thought deeply about his current role and is prepared for whatever his future holds.

For now, there is a decision to be made on Prince George’s secondary schooling. It’s said that five public schools are being considered, all fee-paying.

Eton is single-sex and boarding but close to home. Marlborough (Catherine’s alma mater) is co-ed and full boarding. And Oundle, St Edward’s Oxford and Bradfield College (close to Kate’s parents) are co-ed with a mix of boarding and day.

As parents, William and Catherine aspire to raise their children ‘as good people with the idea of service and duty to others as very important’, William said in an interview with the BBC in 2016.

‘Within our family unit, we are a normal family.’ Which may be one reason why he is so resistant to their privacy being compromised either by the media or close family members.

The 19th-century author Walter Bagehot wrote:

‘A family on the throne is an interesting idea also. It brings down the pride of sovereignty to the level of petty life… a princely marriage is the brilliant edition of a universal fact, and, as such, it rivets mankind.’

If hereditary monarchy is to survive, it must beguile us but also demonstrate its utility, that it is a force for good.

William said in that 2016 interview, ‘I’m going to get plenty of criticism over my lifetime,’ echoing Queen Elizabeth II’s famous Guildhall speech in 1992 ‘that criticism is good for people and institutions that are part of public life. No institution – city, monarchy, whatever – should expect to be free from the scrutiny of those who give it their loyalty and support, not to mention those who don’t.’

William saw close up his mother’s ability to bring public focus and her own personal magnetism to any subject or cause she focused on.

He admires his father’s work ethic, the way he ‘really digs down,’ sometimes literally (I understand that gardening is giving the King solace during his cancer treatment).

But the biggest influence for William was Her late Majesty, as he said on her 90th birthday.

As an Eton schoolboy, William made weekend visits to the big house on the hill, being mentored by Granny rather as she had been tutored in the Second World War by the then vice-provost of Eton, Sir Henry Marten.

William said in 2016:

‘In the Queen, I have an extraordinary example of somebody who’s done an enormous amount of good and she’s probably the best role model I could have.’

That said, his aim was ‘finding your own path but with very good examples and guidance around you to support you.'

Queen Elizabeth II had a brilliant way of rising above the fray and usually being either a step ahead of public opinion or in tune with it.

If you are at the helm of affairs in a privileged hereditary position, your duty is to serve and use your pulpit for the benefit of others.

In a democracy, monarchy is accountable.

The scrutiny is intense, with an army of commentators paid for wisdom and hot air about each no-show, parsing each announcement, interpreting each image.

William takes the long view. He has ‘wide horizons,’ says Mick Clarke.

‘There are so many causes that are more palatable and easier to achieve than ending homelessness, but his commitment and drive are 100 per cent.’

The prince seeks a different way of being royal in an ancient institution that must move with the times. His task? To develop something modern in an ever-changing world.

He faces all sorts of new issues – or old issues in new guises.

Noises off from within the family don’t help – Andrew’s difficulties, or the suggestions of prejudice from Montecito a couple of years ago (now seemingly withdrawn), which prompted William’s most vehement soundbite: ‘We’re very much not a racist family.’

William is maybe a new kind of leader who can keep the monarchy relevant and resonant in the coming decades.

Queen Elizabeth II is a powerful exemplar and memory, but she was of her time. William is his own man.

He must overcome and think beyond ‘the unforgiving minute.’

Indeed, he could seek inspiration in Rudyard Kipling’s poem, If.

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch[…]

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,

And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

This article was first published in the May 2024 issue, on sale Thursday, 28 March.

[anonymoushouseplantfan]

“They’ve been “lazy” for around a quarter of a century and it has never mattered.”

Beg to disagree. Their popularity has had dips over the years but what boosted them was Harry’s implosion (Harry who used to be the most popular royal).

What kept them insulated was (1) The King has always been the media’s favorite whipping boy and (2) The King largely gave them cover for not working as hard by picking up the sla (not that rabid Wales fans or even William will ever acknowledge how hard he’s still worked so William had time with his kids he didn’t always have). It’s him, not Anne who is the hardest working Royal, doing over 400+ engagements a year PLUS having his own actually impactful legacy projects (far more than just Prince’s Trust).

We’re not even a year in and now that Harry is yesterday’s news, the media will need to find new targets. The erosion of their popularity has started and it will continue unless they step up because as The King gets older, it will get less and less acceptable to beat up on an old man in the press, and the media also has a comparison in Charles to ask why William isn’t doing more or can’t get an adequate balance between bread & butter vs his foundation work.

Already in the last YouGov poll, The King was more popular than Catherine amongst millennials. It

will be interesting to see where their polling numbers are a year from now…

First, it’s not a competition between royals. I’m not sure who is trying to make it into a competition, but it is not BP. That’s why we are getting “united family” pr, and even David Linley is getting “confidante to the king” pr. I think Harry accurately quoted his dad as saying “don’t make my final years a misery, boys.” The common goal is to give Charles a successful reign and keep a lid on the family drama. Everyone is singing from the same hymn book.

That’s because they recognize that Charles’ weak spot is his spotty family record. Just as a light workload hasn’t hurt the Waleses, a heavy workload hasn’t my helped Charles that much. He is very hard working and has executed fantastic projects, but his family life has been an utter disaster and that he colored his royal career. QEII’s family record was also spotty, but she had solid historical achievements that dwarfed that. Charles does not have that.

Thus they are desperately trying to build up Charles’ family record. The fact that he has kept the family together after Harry’s implosion and QEII’s death has a lot to do with his current popularity. I don’t necessarily agree with the “extended family” concept they are going with (particularly where Andrew is concerned), but they are committed to it and it has been working so far. “Grandfather King” is an effective concept, but it requires a family that more or less gets along.

And that requires a good relationship with William and his kids. A competition with William is not good for Charles, as William (and George after him) is his legacy. William being a successful Prince of Wales validates Charles’ questionable life decisions. William’s successes enhance Charles’ reign.

[ladykinrannoch]

Hi Lady Kinrannoch, I thought you would want to know that in Mad World Tarot's latest reading ("99. Harry's Hulu-baloo about Prince William"), she apologized for not uploading videos yesterday because she did a heath check reading on Catherine and also checked in on William in light of the Hulu show about Harry's IG in Canada and they were the darkest readings MWT has ever read on William and Catherine on her YT channel... to the point MWT decided not to upload the readings and deleted the videos. MWT says she will read again in a few days to see if Catherine and William's energy/situation have improved. It surprised me because I know you and Celtic Cross had very nice, positive readings a few weeks ago on Catherine... but I realize that was before the Hulu show premiered the other day. Just thought you would want a heads up as I know you read cards on the British Royal Family too.

Yes I watch MWT regularly so I am aware. This is an interesting question. Since a few of us are struggling with the energies!.

I am becoming more conscious of the fact that some of us may be under psychic attack to disrupt our connections and readings. I am going to start calling quarters and closing a circle before I do BRF readings. The fact that Paula said she felt ill afterwards is to me a sign of psychic interference and bad energy. I think I was just lucky with that last reading.

I snuck in a Celtic Cross reading VERY early this morning while California was sleeping (unless her and Dorito stay up all night hurling psychic attacks to disrupt our readings, there are times in the day that are better than others) and this morning's reading was not bad.

I can't remember everything because I packed it up because the cleaner was coming.

What i can remember. Catherine coming from a feeling of being unfairly treated past energy - Justice Rx - to good news 8 wands upright in what happens next. Situation the Moon upright, all is not as it seems, we are not being told everything, crossed by the Magician (using all the tools at her disposal) - she has done something she needed to do for the greater good of the family. It is something that has been a challenge for her before. Her goal card Queen of Swords upright which suggests she is feeling stronger and harsher. Then...hidden energy Queen of wands Rx I.e Meghan blocked in the situation.

The Hierophant - secrets in the broader context. In others views, The Empress (abundance and fertility) and hopes and fears the Chariot (William and moving forward with pace, direction and fast decisions) together ❤

Outcome Page of Swords Rx. A decision and communication that goes against someone. Clarifier card the slow knight of Pentacles - Harry. I think William will never allow him back.

So I am sticking with my stance that it is not as serious as the squad are dramatizing.

I think William is coming into his own. I am not surprised he opted to stay with Catherine and do the school run. I believe both William and Catherine are embracing their destiny. And I think it will come sooner than everyone thinks. Along with a surprise or two. Like I said if I am wrong I will eat a tarot card.

[celticcrossanon]

BRF Reading - 15th of August, 2023

This is speculation only

Cards drawn on the 15th of August, 2023

Question: Is Harry a danger to Prince William and his family?

Interpretation: At this point in time, yes

Card One: The Queen of Pentacles in reverse

The Queen of Pentacles is an earth sign woman, particularly a Capricorn, and here it stands for Catherine, a sun sign Capricorn.

In reverse, this means that Harry wants to drag Catherine down, over shadow her, destroy her reputation. He wants her to see been as the Queen of Pentacles in reverse energy - a selfish, unkempt gold-digger who is self absorbed, greedy, and materialistic, whose insecurity makes her jealous and envious of any and all women she meets - in short, he wants Catherine to be seen as the sort of person his wife is, and the sort of person that Catherine most definitely is not. He will do what he can to smear and destroy her reputation.

Card Two: The Chariot in reverse.

The Chariot is the card for Cancer, and as such it represents Prince William, a sun sign Cancer. In reverse, it means that Harry wants to drag William down and destroy his reputation.

The Chariot is a major arcana card, so this energy is stronger in Harry than the previous card. The order of the cards suggests that Harry wants to destroy Catherine's reputation first, and then come after his brother.

The Chariot in reverse is someone who is stuck, who has no impetus to do anything or someone who can not achieve their goals, someone who is aggressive, and someone who continually runs up against obstacles. This is what Harry wants for his brother. He wants William to fail in his endeavours, to face obstacle after obstacle that he can not overcome, to be known as someone who is very aggressive and violent, to become someone who has no power of their own and just drifts along without direction, going along with the strongest force in their life.

In short, Harry wants William to become just like himself. He hates William's successes, he hates his brother's self control and self discipline, he hates how his brother overcomes obstacles and brings his projects to a successful conclusion, never losing his focus. He wants to destroy all that and bring his brother down to his own level of incompetence and delusions of importance.

Card Three: The Five of Pentacles

This is the card of the exile, being outcast, of hardship, loss, poverty and disgrace. It is also a marriage card (for better, for worse).

This is what Harry wants for Catherine and William. He wants them outcast, exiled in disgrace, living in poverty and need, homeless, hungry and hurt. He basically wants to swap lives with William and Catherine and give them his and Meghan's life, while he takes their life. The irony is that even of William did somehow end up in Harry's position, he would make a success of it through hard work and not living beyond his means, while Harry would still be a spendthrift drug and alcohol addict if he stood in William's shoes.

Underlying Energy One: The Seven of Wands

This is a card of conflict, of fighting for what you want, of keeping control over things. It is a card of competition and fighting to keep your position, of being determined and persistent, of not giving up.

Harry is prepared to fight to get what he wants, which is what he sees as his rightful position in life. The energy of this card is of someone being very aggressive in their demands for something that they think belongs to them. There is no dirty trick that they will not use to get what they want. With Wands being the suit of PR, this battle will be played out mainly in the area of PR, but rumours and gossip will also be used to achieve the desired goal.

Underlying Energy Two: The Emperor

This is Harry's goal. This is what he wants to be King of Great Britain and of the Commonwealth (the Commonwealth does not have a King, but Harry does not know that). He wants to sit on his throne and abuse his power while everyone bows and scrapes before him and tells him how wonderful he is and how glad they are that he is the King (this is Harry's vision of being King).

The Emperor card also represents King Charles, and coming after the Seven of Swords it suggests that King Charles will support Harry in his conflict with his brother. I asked for a clarifier on this, asking "Will King Charles support Harry in his conflict with his brother?", and I drew The Devil (obsession) followed by the Knight of Pentacles (Harry), which clearly states the situation but does not give me a yes or no answer. So whether King Charles would support Harry in his fight against Prince William is unknown to me - I didn't get a clear answer so I can't say yes or no to this.

Conclusion:

Harry is a danger to his brother and his family. He wants to ruin the reputation of William and his wife, exile his brother and his family and condemn them to live in poverty and hardship, while he takes the throne and surrounds himself with yes men and flatterers while indulging his every whim.

Harry will not give up on this goal. He will continue fighting until he is neutralised or until he is crowned king. He is prepared to do anything he can, use every dirty trick he can, to become King. At this time he is using PR and public opinion as his weapons, and he will continue to do whatever he can to destroy their reputations, whether he is in America or back as part of the family in Great Britain. He will constantly denigrate them and their children, both to their face and behind their backs, he will try to 'one up' them in conversation and in actions (e.g. at Prince Philip's funeral where Harry said to William with respect to the Oprah interview: "How did you like that?"), he will leak stories and made up rumours to the press that make them look bad, and he will stab them in the back whenever possible.

There is no sign at the moment that Harry is going to try to physically remove his brother in some way, as he wants his brother broken and grovelling to him, not dead. but this energy is strong, aggressive, obsessive and it is building, not declining. I would not be at all surprised if in the future Harry goes into a full blown mental crisis where his only aim is to supplant William. The energy here is of a toxic obsession that needs to be purged, not fed.

[tessa-liam]

Turning The Page 

Chapter – 2 –The Sacrifice 

Choices, The Royal Romance. Alternate Universe 

Series Premise: As Riley Brooks journeys through life as a single parent in New York City, an epiphany strikes as she contemplates the future for herself and her two-year-old son. 

Main Pairing: Liam Rys x F!MC Riley Brooks 

All characters belong to Pixelberry, except William Brooks (Rys) and Matteo Magro, who belong to this series. 

Category: On-going series, contains angst/fluff/depression 

Rating: M🔞Warnings - crude language - not Beta’d - please excuse all errors. 

Words: 2499 

Turning The Page 

The Sacrifice -Chapter 2

Chapter Summary: Riley is reunited with Maxwell, as Daniel attempts to lift Riley from her feelings of melancholy at Club Kismet. Liam meets with Olivia in Lythikos searching for another perspective on the night of his coronation and his father’s transgressions against her and Riley. Madeleine discloses a secret. 

Turning The Page Masterlist 

Music Inspiration: Sacrifice, Elton John; The Sweetest Thing (I’ve Ever Known, Juice Newton; Always Remember Us This Way, Josh Rabenold 

A/N1: In this alternate universe, after King Constantine orchestrates two individual scandals to humiliate and entrap Riley Brooks and Olivia Nevrakis in shame, Madeleine Amaranth secures her position as the Queen of Cordonia. Riley, as the King’s mistress and Olivia, in self-imposed exile. Tariq is never found. 

A/N2: My submission for @choicesflashfics , Week #47, Prompt #3 - “Why are you being so weird?” 

Brooklyn Heights, New York City

Sitting beside the second-floor level home office window, Riley opened the heavy canvas satchel that held the new correspondence from her latest client. Working hard at starting her new home business, she put her business accounting skills to use for employment and landed her first client very quickly.  

After leaving Cordonia, Riley enrolled at Brooklyn College to finish her accounting accreditation while she was pregnant with William. She wanted the absolute best for her son, so earning a living was the top priority. 

Now that Riley was back in the States, her set goals also included building a life and creating a happy future for her son. So, when Daniel’s partner Matteo, who owned a six-bedroom brownstone in Brooklyn Heights, offered her a home when she arrived back in New York at Daniel’s old apartment, she readily accepted. 

Daniel met his love interest soon after Riley had left New York City to pursue her prince who captivated and captured her heart in Cordonia. Matteo and Daniel had a spacious brownstone and insisted that Riley and her baby share their home. 

 Checking off these challenges as completed, she once again found her thoughts drifting back to the life, she left behind in Cordonia.  

...and to Liam. 

Riley could not help but think, she had made a huge mistake. As William began to grow and start to talk and walk, the guilt she felt was overwhelming. All the ‘firsts’ that Liam deserved to witness of his son; the family that she knew was his ‘heart's desire’. 

...but then, she would remind herself that if she stayed, Madeleine would demand that William live at the palace as his guardian as per the Cordonian Arrangement. Since he is the Crown Prince, she would be obliged and subjected to Madeleine’s wrath, and be forced to abide by her control as Queen. 

Riley was convinced that Liam would want his son with him, and rightfully so. The King and Queen, and the Crown Prince would be the Royal family. Leaving her as the other woman; the ‘dirty little secret’, who was never seen in the daylight. Without a doubt, Riley was convinced that Madeleine would make it her mission to sabotage her relationship with her son, and with Liam. 

If only, they could have found Tariq.  

If only Constantine had cleared her name before passing away. 

It was devastating when the day came to her realization that the marriage between Liam and Madeline would go forward. The heartbreak she had to endure, having to watch the love of her life marry another. 

Liam said he would never want her as his mistress; but she was. 

He said he wanted her to be his number one woman, his queen, but she was not. 

….and now, here she was. The mother of his child. In self-imposed exile; just like Olivia. 

This realization reminded her why she had to change the course her life was taking. To justify why she had to sacrifice her heart and move forward, without Liam. 

‘And I have never been afraid of losing now. 

And I have never wanted love to be a chain. 

I only know that when I’m with you, you’re my sunshine, you’re my rain. 

The sweetest thing I’ve ever known is loving you.’ 

Riley needed to make a connection with her past life in Cordonia. For William’s sake. It all starts with Maxwell. 

House Nevrakis, Duchy of Lythikos, Cordonia 

The crackle of an ember in the roaring fireplace snapped Liam from his thoughts as Olivia set his scotch down before him. 

Olivia studied the troubled expression of her friend very closely, noticing the added stress lines on his face. Only seeing him on video at his press conferences, this was the first time in four years since she decided to leave court, that the pair were in the same room together. 

“So, what’s on your mind Liam? Don’t get me wrong, I am delighted that you have stopped in for an unannounced visit. But I am very curious as to why, after all this time?” 

Olivia kept the following thoughts to herself, ‘I would not be lucky enough for him to declare he was wrong and made me his queen.’ 

He sighed, and a wistful expression spread across his face. “I have been thinking about my father’s transgressions against yourself and against Riley, very frequently lately.” 

“Oh?” This comment intrigued her. Olivia moved forward in her chair, moving closer to Liam. 

“Yes, well, and so you should Liam,” Olivia scoffed. 

“But why now? What has changed? 

“Liv, when you originally received the intimidation letter the night of my coronation, why did you not tell me at once upon receiving it? All you told me that evening was that you were withdrawing officially from the social season. I never saw your letter.” 

Olivia raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at his statement, “I thought I could handle it on my own. I destroyed it.” 

“Bertrand and Maxwell intercepted a courier with a letter marked ‘urgent’ addressed to Riley, as well. Like you, the letter was from an unknown sender, telling her to leave court at once saying, ‘she will never be queen.’” 

“The letter I received.... I was being blackmailed.” Olivia shook her head.

 “I had no other choice. Whoever wrote that letter knew things about my parents. That they were traitors to the crown. They had attached proof.” 

Liam sat with his head resting in his hands, a faraway look on his face. He took a sip of his scotch, his face a mask of conflict and turmoil. 

Liam let out a heavy sigh, “I now know and have proof of the party who sent those letters.” 

“You have my full attention.” Olivia rose from her chair. “Who do you mean?” 

Liam ran his hands through his hair, “along with my father, Duke Godfrey.” 

“Godfrey confessed this to you?” Olivia gasped. 

“No, I have not personally spoken to him about this matter.... not yet. This information was given to me by a very credible source. I plan to have him interrogated very shortly.” 

“Lord Beaumont has the original letter that Riley received that night locked in his estate vault.  

Along with the photographs, from both my bachelor party in New York and the Applewood incident during my social season; these documents are all now with my legal counsel.” 

“Olivia, I need two things from you.” 

“Name it; let me be the one to interrogate that bastard!” 

Liam guffawed, “I will consider it...” I am formally asking that you partake in upcoming Royal council meetings at the palace and rejoin court.” 

Olivia was unprepared to hear that request. “Me? Why me?” Olivia asked, confounded by his request. 

“Liam, did Madeleine know about this? Was she complicit?”  

Liam downed the rest of his scotch in one gulp. “Yes, and yes.” 

New York City, Club Kismet 

“All right, kids, have a couple of drinks for me tonight,” Matteo joked as he held the front door open for Riley and Daniel. 

“Thank you, Matt, for watching William tonight.” Riley smiled as Daniel held her coat out for her to slip on. “He was at the playground all afternoon and fell asleep quickly after dinner with all that fresh air. He should sleep soundly, but if you need me for anything, please call me.” 

“Matteo has lots of experience sitting for his sister’s boys,” Daniel re assured her.

“No worries, I have lots of contracts to review tonight anyway. It’s my pleasure Riley, really.” 

Matteo pulled Riley in for a hug. “Now, go. Have a fun time dancing the night away with this one.” 

“Ha, ha, Matty,” Daniel winked and kissed Matteo good-bye. 

It was a Friday night, and the New York City streets were buzzing with people going out for a night ‘on the town’. After a lot of convincing, Daniel was finally successful at persuading Riley to go out for a drink at Club Kismet. 

The past six months of not going out and enjoying herself, it was time she started living again. 

Sitting at the bar, Daniel ordered drinks as Riley turned and surveyed the room. The club was packed, and the dance floor was full. Everyone seemed to be having an enjoyable time, which made her feel a little rueful about her decision to leave William with Daniel’s partner, Matteo, for the evening. 

She was about to turn back around to face the bar when she noticed a man sitting by himself a few seats down. Riley did a double take as she was struck by his resemblance to someone she knew. 

“Maxwell?”, Riley whispered. 

“What?” Daniel said, not hearing her clearly over the loud music. 

Riley didn’t hear him. She was too focused on the man who looked like Maxwell.  

Daniel turned his head, as Riley stood and walked towards the mystery man. 

“Maxwell?” The man looked up in surprise at the mention of his name. His eyes widened when he saw her. 

“Little blossom? Oh. My. God. it’s you!” Before she could respond, he was off his chair, engulfing her in an over-the-top hug that lifted her up off the floor and spun her around.

After many moments of laughter mixed with tears, Maxwell took Riley’s hand and together with Daniel, the trio left the club and walked towards the pier next to the Hudson River. 

“Max, thank you for coming to New York.” Riley stopped walking and sat down on a bench. 

“You two get re-acquainted. I am going to get everyone some coffee.” 

“Thank you, Daniel,” Riley looked up and smiled appreciatively.  

Sitting down next to her, Maxwell was nervously fidgeting, waiting for Riley to begin. Daniel had told him that Riley needed to speak with him urgently. This had him thinking that what she had to share was going to be dire.

Looking out at the Statue of Liberty, Riley started to get emotional. 

“I didn’t know where else to turn.” 

Maxwell’s eyes softened, picking up her hand. “Little Blossum, it's no problem at all. I am here for you.” 

Wiping her tears with the back of her hand, Maxwell pulled out his handkerchief for her and pulled her into a side hug. 

Riley smiled and gave him a quick squeeze before letting go. 

“I have a lot to tell you, so you might want to make yourself comfortable.” 

Taking a deep breath, “when I left Cordonia, I thought it was the best for Liam in the situation that we were in. I wanted him to be happy, and the situation in what I found myself in.... I could not bear the thought of him being put into a situation that could taint his rule and embarrass him.” 

Maxwell looked puzzled, “Riley were you sick? Oh no, no... are you sick?” 

“No, nothing like that, but I was wrong, Maxwell. I made a huge mistake. I should never have left.” 

“I can’t imagine how hard it must have been to leave.”  

Maxwell put his hand on her shoulder, “Liam was really upset about your leaving. He still is devastated.” Riley looked down, shaking her head,

“He misses you so much. He is not the same without you.” 

Riley’s heart broke at his words. She was devastated to hear how much she had hurt him. The guilt was overbearing.

“Maxwell, I don’t know if I can face him.” 

“Riley, I’ve known Liam since we were kids. I’ve seen him happy, sad, angry and every emotion in between. And what I can say without a doubt is that he’s never been as happy as he was with you. You have no idea how much he loves you.” 

Hanging her head, “he is going to be so mad when he finds out why I left.” 

“Maybe, but he’ll also be happy to know that you came back. That you want him too.” 

Daniel walked slowly towards the pair with a tray of coffee, overhearing the last minutes of their conversation. 

Riley bit her lip, “do you think he will forgive me?” 

“Riley, did you mention William?” Daniel interjected.

Maxwell looked at Riley, noting her shaking her head. 

He then looked up at Daniel, noting his questioning stare at Riley. 

“Why are you being so weird?”

“Who is William?” Maxwell asked, clearly puzzled, and looked at Riley. 

Riley had her head buried in her hands, weeping. 

Daniel looked at Riley sadly, “William is her son.” 

Cordonian Royal Palace 

Madeleine stepped out of the SUV as the Royal guard stood at attention. After opening the door for his Queen, he bowed as she strode confidently up the stairs and turned towards the east wing in search of Liam.  

Liam, having just arrived back to the palace from Lythikos, was in his study looking over some documents that his advisor had dropped off earlier in the morning. He was distracted by the conversation he had with Olivia on his mind and could not concentrate.  

“Your majesty”, Bastien interrupted his thoughts. 

“Queen Madeleine is here to see you; shall I bring her in?” 

Liam’s jaw clenched at the sound of her name. “Yes, send her in.” Mentally preparing himself for a confrontation by his wife, he slid the documents into a folder and sat back in his chair. 

Madeleine glided into the room, dressed impeccably as always. 

Liam rose from his chair and gave her a formal nod, “Madeleine.” 

He gestured for her to sit down and then reclaimed his seat behind the large desk. 

“Liam,” Madeleine acknowledged and in turn sat in a wing back chair across from her husband. 

“What do I owe this visit?” He asked. 

Madeleine crossed her legs and smoothed her dress, “well, we need to schedule a press announcement.” 

“An announcement?” 

“Yes, regarding the new royal line.” 

Liam frowned, “what are you talking about?” 

Madeleine gave him a patient look, “Liam, we need to announce my pregnancy.” 

Thanks for reading💖

📌@ao719 @txemrn @queenmiarys @sfb123 @twinkleallnight @alj4890 @differenttyphoonwerewolf @harleybeaumont @busywoman @karahalloway @kingliam2019 @imjusthereforliam @lovingchoices14 @kyra75 @tinkie1973 @emkay512 @malblk21 @kristinamae093 @jared2612 @irisk12 @emersyn-in-cordonia @mainstreetreader @belencha77 @walkerdrakewalker @iluaaa @mysticalfangirl @queenwalton @bascmve01 @umccall71 @choicesficwriterscreations

[andsjuliet]

2023 books read

updated reading goal: 150

1) nancy drew: the curse → micol ostow (audiobook, reread) / (jan 1) 2) all the dangerous things → stacy willingham (arc) / (jan 2) 3) lunar love → lauren kung jessen (arc) / (jan 3 - jan 4) 4) death by dumpling → vivien chien (audiobook) / (jan 6) 5) where echoes die → courtney gould (arc) / (jan 4 - jan 7) 6) the no-show → beth o’leary (audiobook) / (jan 6 - jan 8) 7) 6 times we almost kissed (and one time we did) → tess sharpe (arc) / (jan 8) 8) a fatal thing happened on the way to the forum: murder in ancient rome → emma southon (audiobook) / (jan 8 - jan 9) 9) this appearing house → ally malinenko (audiobook) / (jan 9) 10) spare → prince harry (audiobook) / (jan 10) 11) hell bent → leigh bardugo (audiobook) / (jan 10 - jan 12) 12) have i told you this already? → lauren graham / (jan 12 - jan 13) 13) partners in crime → alisha rai (audiobook) / (jan 13) 14) always the almost → edward underhill (arc) / (jan 14) 15) a room of one’s own → virgina woolf / (jan 5 - jan 14) 16) icebreaker → hannah grace (audiobook) / (jan 15) 17) the companion → e.e. ottoman / (jan 15 - jan 16) 18) feel your way through → kelsea ballerini / (jan 16) 19) comfort me with apples → catherynne m. valente (audiobook) / (jan 17) 20) a strange loop → michael r. jackson / (jan 21) 21) maybe in another life → taylor jenkins reid / (jan 23) 22) the fraud squad → kyla zhao / (jan 23 - jan 25) 23) the family game → catherine steadman (audiobook) / (jan 25 - jan 26) 24) the six deaths of the saint → alix e. harrow / (jan 28) 25) these fleeting shadows → kate alice marshall (audiobook) / (jan 28) 26) better than fiction → alexa martin (audiobook) / (jan 30 - jan 31) 27) this is not a personal statement → tracy badua / (jan 28 - feb 1) 28) nine liars → maureen johnson / (feb 2 - feb 4) 29) the nanny → lana ferguson (arc) / (feb 6) 30) finlay donovan is killing it → elle cosimano (audiobook) / (feb 7) 31) finlay donovan knocks ‘em dead → elle cosimano (audiobook) / (feb 8) 32) finaly donovan jumps the gun → elle cosimano (audiobook) / (feb 8) 33) someone had to do it → amber brown & danielle brown (audiobook) / (feb 12) 34) daisy jones & the six → taylor jenkins reid (reread, annotation) / (feb 8 - feb 12) 35) wuthering heights → emily brontë (audiobook, reread) / (feb 13 - feb 14) 36) practical magic → alice hoffman (audiobook) / (feb 16) 37) delicious monsters → liselle sambury (arc) / (feb 11 - feb 17) 38) the world cannot give → tara isabella burton (audiobook) / (feb 18 - feb 19) 39) this time it’s real → ann liang / (feb 14 - feb 19) 40) partners in crime → agatha christie (audiobook) / (feb 20) 41) the glass menagerie → tennessee williams (reread) / (feb 22) 42) missing clarissa → ripley jones (arc) / (feb 22 - feb 23) 43) the reunion → kayla olson (audiobook) / (feb 23) 44) twelfth night → william shakespeare (reread, annotation) / (jan 15 - feb 23) 45) the summer i turned pretty → jenny han (reread, audiobook) / (mar 1) 46) it’s not summer without you → jenny han (reread, audiobook) / (mar 1) 47) we’ll always have summer → jenny han (reread, audiobook) / (mar 1) 48) the late mrs. willoughby → claudia gray (arc) / (feb 23 - mar 2) 49) the appeal → janice hallett / (mar 2 - mar 3) 50) fatal throne: the wives of henry vii tell all → candice fleming, m.t. anderson, jennifer donnelly, stephanie hemphill, debrah hopkinson, linda sue park, lisa anna sandell (audiobook) / (mar 4) 51) a quiet life in the country → t.e. kinsey (audiobook) / (mar 6 - mar 7) 52) leave it to the march sisters → annie sereno (arc) / (mar 7 - mar 8) 53) wild is the witch → rachel griffin (audiobook) / (mar 9) 54) no exit → taylor adams / (mar 9 - mar 10) 55) julius caesar → william shakespeare (reread, audiobook) / (mar 15) 56) last violent call → chloe gong / (mar 10 - mar 15) 57) the witch and the vampire → francesca flores (arc) / (mar 15 - mar 16) 58) what lies in the woods → kate alice marshall (audiobook) / (mar 17) 59) the writing retreat → julia bartz (audiobook) / (mar 18 - mar 20) 60) spells for forgetting → adrienne young (audiobook) / (mar 23) 61) anne of green gables → l.m. montgomery (reread) / (mar 21 - mar 24) 62) an elderly lady is up to no good → helene tursten (audiobook, translated work) / (mar 27) 63) murder your employer: the mcmasters guide to homicide → rupert holmes (audiobook) / (mar 28 - mar 29) 64) fake dates and mooncakes → sher lee (arc) / (mar 29 - mar 30) 65) the sweetest connection → denise williams (audiobook) / (apr 1) 66) immortal longings → chloe gong (arc) / (mar 16 - apr 1) 67) lost in the never woods → aiden thomas / (apr 2 - apr 3) 68) that wasn’t in the script → sarah ainslee (arc) / (apr 3) 69) tell me what really happened → chelsea sedoti (arc) / (apr 3) 70) shakespeare in love → lee hall / (apr 4) 71) the golden spoon → jessa maxwell (audiobook) / (apr 6 - apr 7) 72) hamlet → william shakespeare (reread, annotation) / (mar 4 - apr 8) 73) anne of avonlea → l.m. montgomery (reread) / (apr 4 - apr 9) 74) anne of the island → l.m. montgomery (reread) (apr 9) 75) of human kindness: what shakespeare teaches us about empathy → paula marantz cohen (audiobook) / (apr 7 - apr 10) 76) ophelia → lisa m. klein (audiobook) / (apr 12 - apr 13) 77) anne of windy poplars → l.m. montgomery (reread) (apr 10 - apr 13) 78) women of will: following the feminine in shakespeare’s plays → tina packer (audiobook) / (apr 14 - apr 17) 79) juliet: the life and afterlives of shakespeare's first tragic heroine → sophie duncan (arc) / (apr 5 - apr 18) 80) your guide to not getting murdered in a quaint english village → maureen johnson, jay cooper / (apr 20) 81) when the reckoning comes → latanya mcqueen (audiobook) / (apr 21 - apr 22) 82) laertes: a hamlet retelling → carly stevens / (apr 23) 83) the broken girls → simone st. james / (apr 21 - apr 26) 84) the night swim → megan golden (audiobook) / (may 1 - may 2) 85) when you wish upon a lantern → gloria chao (audiobook) / (may 3 - may 4) 86) chloe and the kaishao boys → mae coyiuto / (may 2 - may 7) 87) ghosted: a northanger abbey novel → amanda quain (arc) / (may 2 - may 7) 88) happy place → emily henry / (may 7 - may 9) 89) the mad women’s ball → victoria mas / (may 9 - may 11) 90) the fiancée farce → alexandria bellefleur (audiobook) / (may 14 - may 15) 91) the strange case of the alchemist's daughter → theodora goss (audiobook) / (may 18 - may 19) 92) the weight of blood → tiffany d. jackson (audiobook) / (may 19 - may 20) 93) the twyford code → janice hallett / (may 18 - may 21) 94) never vacation with your ex → emily wibberley and austin siegemund-broka / (may 22) 95) the dos and donuts of love → adiba jaigirdar (arc) / (may 23 - may 24) 96) european travel for the monstrous gentlewoman → theodora goss (audiobook) / (may 22 - may 25) 97) one jump at a time: my story → nathan chen (audiobook) / (jun 1) 98) death of a bookseller → alice slater (audiobook) / (jun 1 - jun 2) 99) a treacherous tale → elizabeth penny (audiobook) / (jun 3 - jun 5) 100) chapter and curse → elizabeth penny (audiobook) / (jun 5) 101) julieta and the romeos → maria e. andreu (audiobook) / (jun 5 - jun 6) 102) a far wilder magic → allison saft (audiobook) / (jun 7 - jun 11) 103) meet me at the lake → carly fortune (audiobook) / (jun 11 - jun 12) 104) foul heart huntsman → chloe gong (arc) / (may 25 - jun 17) 105) rules for vanishing → kate alice marshall / (jun 1 - jun 19) 106) little thieves → margaret own (audiobook) / (jun 15 - jun 21) 107) the last word → taylor adams / (jun 19 - jun 21) 108) the three dahlias → katy watson / (jun 5 - jun 24) 109) painted devils → margaret own (audiobook) / (jun 25 - jun 29) 110) reign → katharine mcgee (arc) / (jun 25 - jul 1) 111) the chateau → jaclyn goldis / (jul 1 - jul 4) 112) a most agreeable murder → julia seals / (jul 2 - jul 4) 113) the shadow sister → lily meade / (july 4 - july 5) 114) if we were villains → m.l. rio (reread, audiobook) / (jul 6) 115) something is killing the children, vol 1 → james tynion iv / (jul 7) 116) something is killing the children, vol 2 → james tynion iv / (jul 7) 117) something is killing the children, vol 3 → james tynion iv / (jul 7) 118) you’re not supposed to die tonight → kalynn bayron / (jul 8) 119) something is killing the children, vol 4 → james tynion iv / (jul 9) 120) lock every door → riley sager (audiobook) / (jul 8 - jul 9) 121) something is killing the children, vol 5 → james tynion iv / (jul 10) 122) the sun down motel → simone st. james / (jul 9 - jul 11) 123) the only survivors → megan miranda (audiobook) / (jul 13) 124) at home with the horrors → sammy scott / (jul 16 - jul 21) 125) one of us is lying → karen m. mcmanus (reread, audiobook) / (jul 31) 126) bring me your midnight → rachel griffin (arc) / (jul 21 - jul 31) 127) one of us is next → karen m. mcmanus (reread, audiobook) / (jul 31 - aug 1) 128) the summer of broken rules → k.l. walther / (jul 30 - aug 1) 129) one of us is back → karen m. mcmanus / (aug 1 - aug 3) 130) what happens after midnight → k.l. walther / (aug 4 - aug 6) 131) the narrow → kate alice marshall / (aug 3 - aug 6) 132) night of the living queers: 13 tales of terror delight → edited by shelly page and alex brown (arc) / (aug 9 - aug 15) 133) the death i gave him → em x. liu (arc) / (aug 17 - aug 19) 134) heartstopper, vol 1 (reread) → alice oseman / (aug 19) 135) heartstopper, vol 2 (reread) → alice oseman / (aug 19) 136) heartstopper, vol 3 (reread) → alice oseman / (aug 19) 137) heartstopper, vol 4 (reread) → alice oseman / (aug 19) 138) the only one left → riley sager / (aug 19 - aug 21) 139) the getaway list → emma lord (arc) / (aug 21 - aug 22) 140) a good girl’s guide to murder → holly jackson (reread, audiobook) / (aug 23 - aug 24) 141) good girl, bad blood → holly jackson (reread, audiobook) / (aug 24 - aug 26) 142) as good as dead → holly jackson (reread, audiobook) / (aug 26 - aug 27) 143) five survive → holly jackson (reread, audiobook) / (aug 27) 144) one for my enemy → olivie blake / (aug 31 - sep 5) 145) business or pleasure → rachel lynn solomon / (sep 5) 146) maybe meant to be → k.l. walther (audiobook) / (sep 6 - sep 7) 147) yellowface → r.f. kuang (audiobook) / (sep 10 - sep 11) 148) going bicostal → dahlia adler (audiobook) / (sep 19) 149) teach the torches to burn: a romeo and juliet remix → caleb roehig / (sep 16 - sep 23) 150) none of this is true → lisa jewell / (sep 24) 151) the girls in the garden → lisa jewell (audiobook) / (sep 29 - sep 30) 152) a very lively murder → katy watson / (oct 3 - oct 4) 153) she is a haunting → trang thanh tran (audiobook) / (oct 4 - oct 5) 154) murder and mamon → mia p. manansala / (oct 5) 155) in these hallowed halls: a dark academia anthology → edited by marie o’regan & paul kane / (sep 14 - oct 7) 156) hallowe’en party  → agatha christie (audiobook) / (oct 8 - oct 9) 157) the second death of edie and violet bond → amanda glaze (audiobook) / (oct 9 - oct 11) 158) the fall of the house of usher → edgar allan poe / (oct 12) 159) home before dark → riley sager (audiobook) / (oct 13 - oct 14) 160) a haunting on the hill → elizabeth hand / (oct 7 - oct 16) 161) the lost coast → a.r. capetta (audiobook) / (oct 14 - oct 19) 162) murder in the family → cara hunter / (oct 18 - oct 21) 163) starling house → alix e. harrow (audiobook) / (oct 22 - oct 25) 164) the unmaking of june farrow → adrienne young (physical and audiobook) / (oct 23 - oct 28) 165) when ghosts call us home → katya de becerra / (oct 28 - oct 30) 166) a christmas carol → charles dickens (reread) / (nov 5) 167) the fall of whit rivera → crystal maldonado (audiobook) / (nov 9 - nov 10) 168) iris kelly doesn’t date → ashley herring blake (audiobook) / (nov 11 - nov 12) 169) fair rosaline → natasha solomon / (nov 8 - nov 14) 170) the dead romantics → ashley poston (audiobook) / (nov 20) 171) if we were villains → m.l. rio (reread, physical and audiobook) / (nov 8 - nov 22) 172) the ballad of songbirds and snakes → suzanne collins / (nov 23 - nov 25) 173) i hope this doesn’t find you → ann liang (arc) / (nov 27 - nov 28) 174) the hunger games → suzanne collins (reread, annotation) / (dec 1 - dec 2) 175) the christmas appeal → janice hallett (audiobook) / (dec 6) 176) enchanted to meet you → meg cabot (audiobook) / (dec 8 - dec 10) 177) catching fire → suzanne collins (reread, annotation) / (dec 3 - dec 17) 178) mockingjay → suzanne collins (reread, annotation) / (dec 18 - dec 23) 179) none shall sleep → ellie marney (audiobook) / (dec 15 - dec 23) 180) little women → louisa may alcott (reread, physical and audiobook) / (dec 25 - dec 28)

[moriartyluver]

FALSE LOVERS CHAPTER II

"CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ENGAGEMENT, Lady (last name)!"

Unfortunately for both (name) and her parents, there was a slight delay in transporting the Grand Duke and Duchess from (home country) all the way to London, where her Uncle, Marquis (last name) had his second estate, although it was usually occupied by (name) instead of himself.

The young lady was know to be incredibly independent by her family and those who only knew her from mere observations so her uncle, who she wasn't even that close to, had allowed her almost full authority over housekeeping in all his estates. If she was to be described in few words by the nobility then the list would probably consist of many words such as Ambitious, Charming, Independent, Beautiful, & Fierce.

Opinions of others had never mattered to the 21 year old though. Why would they? They aren't the ones paying her bills and she was her own person. A woman who made history already in Britain despite not even being that old.

The first woman to ever receive a degree from university in the entirety of England.

Her name was known even in the palace, where she had actually visited before. In fact, the current Queen Victoria had tried to use the well know woman to strengthen Britain's relations with (home country), but (name) had no intentions of doing so.

She had a goal. A goal to help all the countries affected by Britain empire. A goal to restore all these countries, members of the empire or not, to their previous states before the countless invasions of the evil British troops. A goal for freedom from the shackles of this cursed empire.

A woman with such goals wasn't to rely on anyone. In fact, (name) didn't consider herself to have any friends at all. Sure, she could create surface level friendships with others simply to use them like the cursed woman she saw herself to be, and she had few acquaintances to converse with and maybe after this agreement, she would be able to consider William to at least be an ally if not her friend. Not that she wanted to be his friend of course, she scoffed at the thought.

So how had it come to this?

How had she lost herself so easily?

Was she destined to just fail?

Currently, (name) stood, plastering a cheerful yet undetectably fake smile. She spoke to the guests who congratulated her on her engagement to Lord William. Some disapproved. All for different reasons. None of which (name) wanted to know.

This, of course, was her engagement party. The summer air was warm, but never the same as (home country), so the Marquis had themed the late night party to be one in which he could show off his beautiful garden, covered in many flowers but especially lilies and tulips.

The engagement parties were usually thrown by the bride-to-be's parents. But considering they were absent (although her father eagerly sent a letter from both himself and his wife congratulating their daughter on such wonderful news as-well as giving their blessing), her uncle had offered to host the party in (name) and William's honour as if to stand in for her father.

"Oh, thank you so much, Lady Astor! I believe myself to be such a lucky woman, in all honesty..marrying the love of my life couldn't be more heavenly. I do hope someday you find the same joy that I find in my love for William." (Name) clasped her hands together with a bright smile, feigning excitement.

Ever since the moment that the two had met, (name) knew that she was William's biggest hater. She hated him with all her heart, not that there was much to go around anyways.

To her, it was amazing she was even able to maintain this facade of a lady in love for the sake of the public and it had even surprised William himself.

"Really, Lady (name) I think Lord Moriarty is a lot more lucky than you, marrying such a lovely woman! You are- forgive me if this seems like flattery because it is the truth- an absolute gem of a woman. In fact, his highness the Prince himself would be lucky to even cast his eyes upon your god-given beauty!" The shorter blonde woman smiled in return as she complimented the (hair colour)-ette.

"Are you sure you don't mean to flatter me, Lady Astor?" (name) joked as she felt herself grow bashful, whilst also internally smirking at the idea of being superior to her fiancé"Thank you for your kindness."

As the oddly happy woman walked away to make conversation with another guest, one of her friends who she was attempting to set up with another nobleman, (name) was finally left all alone.

Of course, being so independent was a blessing in times like this and she honestly had preferred being alone than being around the mindless members of high society who only saw this pathetic world as a game because they never had to work for anything in their worthless lives.

Right before she was to leave to go elsewhere, (name) felt the hot breath of a certain someone tickling her neck in the most repulsive way she could imagine yet she didn't turn around to punch the mystery man in the face because of course, she already knew who he was. Her intuition was strong after all.

"You appear to be having fun, my love." a harmonious, almost seductive, voice whispered into her exposed ear.

(Name) exhaled.

William James Moriarty.

And (name)'s fiancé. The man she was damned to marry.

The blond man had adopted the habit of calling (name) all sorts of pet names. Originally it was to suppress any idea that he didn't love his fiancée but recently, after seeing her reactions to such simple words, he couldn't help but use them all the time.

And the best part was that (name) wouldn't have the nerve to keep him quiet in order to dodge any suspicious behaviour. After all, the engagement itself was suspicious to the ton. Not because they doubted the love between the two but rather (name) had recently adopted the reputation of rejecting al of her admirers, usually because they didn't meet her standards. She had even had a wealthy duke ask for her hand in marriage and there were rumours that the Queen herself wanted to set her up with one of her many offspring.

Strangely enough, each time she rejected a man, it only made her more desired to the creeps of the upper class. Perhaps, she had thought, it was because of her 'exotic' appearance, which gave her even more reason to reject them because she knew she wasn't to be valued but more to become a mere foreign doll with no brain in the hands of all these men who found her intellect freighting.

"As much fun as I could have in a celebration of my engagement to you." (Name) retorted to which William's devilish grin widened. His hand was placed on her shoulder as (name) held her drink, holding herself back from splashing it on him.

They were watching.

"Well then it seems I'm having much more fun than you are," William remained in his position. To (name), it was like the devil himself was trying to tempt her to do something unholy, not that she was even to be considered a pious woman at this rate. Murdering people was not going to get her into heaven.

"Because you are able to freely torment me or have you found something actually worth your time?" The woman in front of him asked sarcastically.

"Why, because I have been graced by your presence-"

"They're going to toast to the engagement now, follow me." (Name) stated, freeing herself from Williams gentle grasp. She fanned her face as she walked. Her heart was racing as if she were to die but she knew William wouldn't even dare lay a finger on her. They had yet to spar but they both knew that their physical skills were equal when it came to combat and they both had sufficient stamina to do so for hours on end before coming to a victor.

William nodded, following his bride-to-be into the dining hall where all sorts of food lay. The (last name)s were anything but basic. The table was arranged with expensive dishes from all around the empire and more, including numerous dishes from (home country). Even some of the wealthy nobles were surprised, they supposed that the Marquis' trading company was doing exceptionally well then.

Once they had toasted to the two and the dinner had ended, the men and women parted ways as the ladies left the room to gossip and congratulate (name) whilst the men remained to converse with William, mostly asking him about how he had managed to win over the cold Lady (Name).

During the entire engagement ceremony, (name) felt agitated and confused. Was this deal really even going to help her? Or was William just using her and then preparing to throw her away once she had done her bit in feeding into his plan. Surely he could have gone without her, so why did he agree to the engagement.

And as for herself, this wasn't what she stood for. She was marrying a serial murderer for crying out loud. And the worst part was that she couldn't even blame William for her own despair, because technically speaking, it was her who proposed the engagement.

The halls were crowded and stuffy. (Name) felt ill, as though she were to throw up any moment.

(Name) made her way to the gardens and hid beside a tree, relaxing against the bark whilst she crouched, out of view from everyone else. She had taken a book with her to distract her from the impending doom she was to face at the hands of her own poor planning and morality.

Every time she opened the pages and flicked through the pages whilst she read, the words had become blurred and swirled in her thoughts.

Perhaps if she read aloud, she would feel more composed.

".. 'Come you spirits, That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here.'" (Name) read to herself but the words had only hurt her more.

Perhaps if she were a man, this pain would not be here with her. She had strangely looked up to Lady Macbeth since the moment she even opened the play as a child but now she was her, she didn't feel the satisfaction she had expected at all. She slammed the book shut in anger.

"'And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full Of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood. Stop up the access and passage to remorse'," another voice spoke as he approached (name) whilst she sat at the tree. "Fancy seeing you out here, my lady."

She raised her head to meet the pair of scarlet eyes with her own (eye colour) ones. "You need not follow me wherever I go. Despite the way you act, you are not my husband yet, and apart from in the public eye, you are free to not want anything to do with me." (Name) told the blond man who was now sitting beside her despite her protests.

William chuckled whilst (name) looked at him in awe of his audacity with a flustered expression, obviously due to being caught reading outside. "But my dear (name), they are still watching. Would I really be the wonderful fiancé you have been describing me to be all night if I let the love of my life run away to the gardens as if she were an infant."

"I beg your pardon?" (Name) said rhetorically "I'm not childish in the slightest..and I had to describe you in such a way because you have no redeeming characteristics"

"I beg to differ." William leaned closer to (name), his face inches away from hers whilst she leaned backwards in an attempt to keep their distance.

"What? That you have redeeming qualities or that  I'm childish because either way, you're wrong."

"Have you ever considered the possibility that you may be wrong, dear lady Macbeth?~"  the male teased

"Say another word and I'll punch you so hard that your ever so pretty face will be permanently scarred and deformed." (Name) retorted with a glare

"How flattering," Her future husband ran his fingers through his shiny blond hair "You think my face is pretty.."

(Name) shoved his shoulder whilst William fought back a laugh. Was he seriously trying to irritate her when she was already in a bad mood?  "I also said I'd punch you in the face, but sure, boost your own ego because you're too pathetic to feel loved by anyone."

"Once again, I think you're wrong, (name)," William finally let out a laugh in response to her actions. Strangely enough, it didn't appear to be forced to (name) but oddly genuine. His face contorted into an expression of amusement for the first time in a while. He hadn't take any offence to her statement at all.

"I never told you that you could call me by my first name. Do you not have anything more important to do?" (Name) asked, trying to change the subject.

William shook his head "What could be more fun than watching your beautiful lips insult me with such grace?"

"Don't call my lips beautiful..that's weird.." (name) muttered

"I knew you were a fan of Shakespeare but why choose to read Macbeth on a day like this?" William asked, completely brushing (name) off. "Would a sonnet not be better suited to a day like today?"

"I read what I like, and I'll have you know that Shakespeare's political tragedies will always remain superior to his sonnets." She argued.

"I couldn't agree more, I applaud you in your fine taste in literature." William spoke. (Name) moved along to allow William more space to sit.

"Finally, something you say which isn't pure rubbish." The young lady felt her heart grow lighter, as if her worries were no longer catching up to her anymore.

Moments had passed as they talked about various books they had both read. Mostly Shakespeare but foreign literature was also a hot topic between them. It was as if they were children once more.

In fact, when the two had met, it was over a book that (name) was reading when William first saw her. And once again, this book was a Shakespeare play.

“You wouldn’t mind if I sat here, would you?”

The blond boy asked the (hair colour) girl as he pointed to the seat opposite her at the library table.

She lifted her head in surprise. There were other empty spaces in the library, could he not go sit elsewhere?

(Name) looked at him closely. He was possibly one of the few other people at the university of her age. It would be beneficial to become acquainted with someone of her age and possibly her skill.

“Oh-“ she felt as if she were about to start stuttering “no..it’s quite alright.”

She picked her book back up, almost feeling fearful of the stranger and his piercing gaze yet each time she took a peak at him, he had a soft and gentle expression. Was her intuition acting up, because usually her gut feeling was right, but what could a mere 16 year old do to her?

“I apologise for disturbing you, but is that ‘The tempest’ you’re reading?” The boy finally asked after looking away from the material he was reading.

“Indeed it is. It’s possibly one of my favourite Shakespeare works, despite seeming childish to some..” William noticed she spoke with a slight accent and her features them self were not common ones in a British noble lady. She was a foreigner.

“Well it wasn’t ever a favourite of mine, why would you like it so much?” William asked curiously, aching to hear her opinion

“There’s a deeper meaning. There usually is with William Shakespeare’s plays,” (name) replied “Like this quote alludes to religion..

‘Hell is empty and all the devils are here’”

A/N: really hating how messy my blog is atm so I’m gonna sort that out but anyways- second chapter and first William appearance wow. Also stan y/n our feminist icon. I listened to Taylor’s ‘the man’ whilst writing this lol. I really like ur feedback so please just send stuff in. It doesn’t even have to be about the writing u can just tell me about how your best friends aunts dog ate a stick and threw it up or whatever. I just really like interacting with u all okay byeee 😭

[the-empress-7]

A list of all the things THAT HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED that they/Meghan did behind the BRf's back...as an own-goal...which created friction and made them distrust her -

1. The Vanity fair issue in 2017 (she told them it was to celebrate 100th episode of suits)

2. The love-shield statement by Harry (against Jason Knoufs advice, while Charles was on tour. Seems she wanted Harry to legitimize their relationship even after the VF article)

3. The Vogue UK issue in Sept 2019 (kept a secret for about 8 months)

4. The smart works capsule collection.

5. Promoting Misha nonoos label as part of smart works.

6. The dinky Jen Meyer jewellery merching (which BRF publicly put a stop to in late 2019, around US open)

7. The Elephant documentary. (Going to Lion King with Harry to meet Beyonce. Skipping the Deal memorial for the premier.)

8. Getting permission from queen to do an Invictus documentary but later changing that and doing mental health apple doc with Oprah. (And bashing queen and Charles in it for the 'genetic pain' inflicted upon him.

9. Treating the Aus tour as a vacation and thinking everyone was jealous of her. Taking Messica on the tour as part of emotional support group/stylist. (Gifting Messica a Range Rover as payment is not officially confirmed. Existing articles about it are a but wishy washy)

10. Wanting to release Bench with Vogue UK in 2019 to promote herself in the US market.

11. Collaborating on Finding Freedom (court records show she instructed Jason K to provide material to the authors).

12. Megxit. Planning on the US/Hollywood based career since 2018 and having a Us media team (and keeping them.a secret from her palace staff).

13. Using the Queen, Palace, titles as threat or coersion when something did not go her way (and possibly grabbing deals using those titles).

14. Cutting Harry off from his friends as early as the engagement ( 2017)

15. Secret engagement in early 2017 without the queens permission or informing her (and then waiting for her to get back from Balmoral to ask her permission).

(Remember the Botswana elephant pic with Harry? I suspect that's when they got engaged and she put that pic on her IG as a tease/"sweet nod")

16. Moving in with Harry way back in 2017 (and possibly living in with him for a good year and a half before marriage)

(I suspect that she arranged the VF interview and shoot in London as a flex and to show-off).

17. Hating Nott Cott for being too small and non-glamorous. Then planning to move out or get a fancy place (they leased a cottage in Coltswold)

18. Wearing merch jewellery (the HnM initial jewellery even though Jason K explicitly told her not to draw attention)

20. Deliberately excluding her Dad from the wedding and giving flimsy excuses to the BRF as to why meeting him in Mexico would not be practical. (We always suspected that she did that against the BRFs wishes and pissed them off with those antics alone).

21. Cutting off Harry's friends and later his family by pissing them off, acting superior to them.

22. Deliberately love-bombing male journalists or men in power so they would write favorably about her or do as she wishes. While being abrasive towards female staff or women. ( VF journalist, Pierc Morgan, Scoby, Ed Enninful, Markus, Jason K, Prince Charles, David Foster, Craig Ferguson etc etc etc)

(Treated badly - Catherine, Camilla, Queen, Sophie, all the WAGs of Harry's friends, female staff, RPO, AKelly, UN women etc etc)

23. Trying to cut William and Catherine out Harry's life by saying they are jealous of her popularity.

24. Wearing the blood diamonds in Fiji and then again for Charles bday even though PC himself asked her not to)

25. Trying to open a shady foundation with the help of her US agents to dipost the earnings she makes from her royalling.

26. Being too gung-ho about projects, throwing a million ideas and then changing her mind constantly. Being a mean boss.

27. Competing with the Queen, Camilla and Catherine for popularity by deliberately releasing pics, projects, papwalks or articles about herself on their important days.

28. Demanding a separate salary as a working royal. (And asking for all her expenses to be paid by Charles).

29. Harry's asking to be involved in the working of duchy of Cornwall and expecting to be paid for it (and getting pissed that it wasn't possible)

30. Being jealous of Williams and George's position as future Kings, and being paranoid about become irrelevant as a brand in a few years. (Hence leveraging their royal titles for fame, adoration and money)

31. Trying to sabotage Charles because he wanted to slim down the monarchy for financial reasons.

32. Securing Netflix, Spotify, quibi in 2019 before megxit. Planning megxit and the drama to justify these deals.

33. Demanding a wedding more expensive than will and Kate. Expecting a bank holiday to be declared for her wedding. Not planning anything well (and so PC and BP staff had to step in to arrange basic things)

34. Asking the wedding choir for constant re-do (12 times, and then rejecting the final selection anyway).

35. Rejecting the queen and Charles attempts to reconcile her with her side of family.

40. Stood up Charles for his documentary at the last minute.

41. Inviting celebs for her wedding even though she had never met them.

42. Receiving freebies as a royal (so far confirmed is Soho Amsterdam getaway, Jen Meyer jewellery, things she promoted on SR ig, private jets from Rich celeb friends)

43. Demanding separate staff from the Cambridges and being salty for being put under the BP umbrella (they did not like the checks and rules and hid everything from BP)

44. Rejecting palace doctors and deliberately creating controversy with bump clutching for publicity (she was angry palace asked her to remain low-key and to stop patting her belly so much lol)

45. Going behind Williams back and love-bombing Charles. Going behin Charles' back and trying to cosy in with the queen. Insulting queens staff and bad mouthing them in interviews to undermine the queen in the public's eye.

46. Using the Diana template and trying to be Diana 2.0 as a branding strategy. And resorting to self-victimisation to become popular against the best of advice from her UK advisors.

47. Rejecting South Africa as a place they could move to after the palace arranged for the couple to spend their initial years there (this to you dermine Harry and emotionally manipulate him, I believe)

48. Reading everything about themselvesand then berating staff to correct opinions on Tumblr, LSA, YouTube etc. (Doxing bloggers who were critical of her)

49. Weaponizing her fandom, Sussex squad (they acknowledged a super sugar, Scoby frequently collaborates with them, they acknowledged fundraisers etc)

50. Being work-shy. And barging in on Harry's patronages for publicity. Dragging him away in the middle of conversations. Excessive PDA.

51. Oprah interview. And using that to push the racism angle, jealousy angle and suicide angle. (As a retaliation for taking away Harry's patronages)

52. The exorbitant NYC baby shower. Getting freebies from companies as gifts. Saying Serena comped for the shower when it was a publicity stunt and merching gig.

53. Lying to queen about Lily's name. And lying to public.

54. Blackmailing BRF for jubilee using the kids as a bargaining chip. (And then walking off in a huff when rejected)

Please note: These are the things that I believe the BRF got to know about or knew about. Things that are provable with actual reciepts. Proved either in articles over the years or various books published so far. I'm not including the things she "may" have done or rumours or hear-say.

=============

THIS. SUBMISSION. IS. EVERYTHING.

Can I tell you what I consider to be the most heinous on the list? It's the merching. Her merching was completely against the BRF's financial code of conduct, never mind that fact that universally everyone would agree that a public servant who uses their office for personal profit is CORRUPT.

I am not diminishing the hurt that she caused her staff or even the Cambridges, but I simply cannot abide by people who abuse the public trust and not to mention misuse hard-earned tax payer money. Which is exactly what Meghan did. Every penny spent on her was to prop her up and only her.

My problem with Meghan has always been about her deception and her behavior and this incredible list by you is the proof.

[wessexroyalfamily]

{ Location: St. Christpher's Palace, Winchester City }

Crown Prince William of Wessex: Father, the footman told me you wanted to see me.

Prince Christian, The Earl of Gloucester: Yes, Will perfect timing, let's have a seat.

{ Location: Hyde Park ; Claremont House }

Queen Anne II of Wessex: Margaret, dear hope you are up for a bit of walking.

Princess Margaret of Lancaster: Your Majesty. I appreciate the invite

Anne II: Well when I heard that you enjoy fishing, I knew I had to have you on the estate. There's a perfect little waterhole for us to enjoy the afternoon.

Margaret: Murky, but a wonderful spot to fish Your Majesty.

Christian: I wanted to talk to you, about wife, or rather soon to be wife.

William: My wife?

Christian: Yes. Simply put what is happening cannot go on any longer.

Anne II: So dear, how are you feeling? I'm sure nerves abound heading into the big day.

Margaret: Yes there is still much to do to get ready for the wedding. It has been nice having these last few days to prepare.

Anne II: Yes, that was a clever little ruse you and Will cooked up. But we both know missing public engagements can't last.

William: I want to support her. I want our relationship, our family to be built on trust.

Christian: And that's all fine, but steering from the plan, won't due. Family is more than you and her. It is everything that comes after you and came before you. It is our house.

Christian: You need to tell her plainly that within this family, there is no room for individuality or personal feelings. We are all mere cogs in the same machine striving for the same goal, no matter how hard or frivolous our part may be.

Margaret: I appreciate all that you are saying, but yours and my situations are different.

Anne II: I understand more than you know. I wasn't destined to be Queen. I was the second daughter. My sister was the one who was trained to rule. It was her death that propelled me to the throne. One of the reasons Christian appealed to me early in our courting, was the fact that he wasn't destined to be ruler of anything. I wanted the quiet country existence away from it all. But for what ever reason the Crown saw fit to land on my head.

William: I don't think that is fair to say!

Christian: Why not? She is only doing what you allow her to do. And what she's doing will affect you in the long run.

William: You've seen tabloids, the talk shows, the protestors in the street, even I can't bare it at times.

Christian: We are at a point were the only option is moving forward. We all must buckle in and accept the decisions we've made. Come hell or high water.

Anne II: This family is a calling. And believe it or not you were destined to marry William like he's destined to sit on the throne one day. It will be your duty to...

Margaret: ...I don't think I can be some doll on the shelf, some ornament in his chain.

Anne II: I hope you won't be. A Sovereign doesn't need a doll or guided pieces, there are plenty of those around. The Sovereign needs a protector. Someone who will stand for them, the way Christian supports me.

Christian: Now listen here boy, you may think you are doing the right thing, but someday, the Watcher willing, your own son will sit on that throne.

William: There won't be a throne if the people continue to hate the Margaret.

Christian: The people need to see us to believe in us. And if some believe that we are meant to be the villain in their story, then frankly, that's the part she must be willing to play.

Christian: Now, this nonsense of not attending her scheduled engagements is done. You control your house, and need to man up and put an end to it!

Anne II: I know not everything we ask will be fair. But, as a mother I'm hoping I can count on you to do this one thing and help my son shoulder the weight of the Crown.

[houseofbrat]

As time goes on, this is looking more and more likely, no matter how much people want to deny it.

This is why I said--back when the news first came out on 17 Jan 2024:

Someone isn’t being honest about what is going on, and it’s definitely not me. It sounds to me that The Princess of Wales had a nervous/mental breakdown and needed to be hospitalized. Except that they can’t say that, so they’re going with “planned” “abdominal surgery.”

"Nervous/mental breakdown" is a substitution for a different, two-word phrase that I'd rather not use at the moment.

If Kate really did end up having surgery, it was emergency surgery, and the real question is what happened beforehand that led her to having such a serious, emergency surgery.

Because that's why they've been lying about her surgery being "planned."

It wasn't planned.

That's why there isn't a real Mother's Day photo that they can give to the photo agencies for verification. Because as Tina Brown said today, the photo they produced on Sunday was "a jigsaw."

There is no real photo because the kids are too upset & freaked out to pose for photos right now. That is why "a jigsaw" of the kids posing with someone else was used and spliced with an old image of Kate. Kate also probably can't fake being happy enough for a photo right now too.

Because eventually, the questions are going to arise about what led to this situation. Questions William is definitely going to avoid. For the rest of his life.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Four More Years

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

April 22, 2024

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

APR 23, 2024

With the passage of the national security supplemental bill through the House of Representatives on Saturday, Punchbowl News noted today, President Joe Biden became the winner of this Congress. When the Republicans took control of the House in January 2023, they vowed to impeach Biden and members of his Cabinet, overturn the signature legislation the Democrats had passed in 2021 and 2022, and force the Democrats to accept draconian  immigration policies. 

Instead, the impeachment effort against Biden collapsed into ridiculousness as, after months of hearings by the Committee on Oversight, Democrat Jared Moskowitz of Florida moved to impeach Biden and asked committee chair James Comer (R-KY) to second the motion. Comer refused. That admission that the point of the investigation into Biden was to create media soundbites against him was widely assumed to be the end of that project. Last week, on April 17, the top Democrat on the committee, Jamie Raskin of Maryland, called it “a propaganda experiment” and asked Comer: “What is the crime that you want to impeach Joe Biden for and keep this nonsense going?... Tell America right now.” Comer answered: “You’re about to find out very soon.”  

The House did, in fact, vote to impeach Homeland Security secretary Alejandro Mayorkas—the first time that a cabinet secretary has been impeached in almost 150 years—but senators refused even to hold a trial, saying that Mayorkas’s implementation of Biden’s policies in the absence of congressional legislation to provide more security at the border was not a high crime or misdemeanor. 

House Republicans did not get the deep cuts they wanted to funding for the Internal Revenue Service, measures to address climate change, social welfare measures, or the budget in general. Instead, leaders have had to rely on Democrats to carry the weight of keeping the government funded, while Republicans have repeatedly been caught touting the internal improvements they voted against. Republicans demanded a strong border security measure, forced senators to spend months hammering one out, and then killed it in an astonishing own goal, at Trump’s demand. And the extremists did not succeed in abandoning Ukraine. 

Instead, they have had a bruising fight in which they threw out their own speaker, Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), and had trouble replacing him. Shortly thereafter, he left Congress, leading the way for more than 20 Republican representatives, including five committee chairs, who have said they will not seek reelection. They had to expel one of their own members, George Santos (R-NY), a serial liar who is under indictment for crimes associated with campaign financing—only the sixth time in U.S. history the House has expelled a member. 

In November 2023, extremist representative Chip Roy (R-TX) charged his colleagues with throwing away their shot at changing the country. He demanded one of them “explain to me one material, meaningful, significant thing the Republican majority has done.” 

Now those opposed to the extremists are firing back, publicly charging them with killing border security. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) went further, telling Dana Bash of CNN on Sunday: “It’s my absolute honor to be in Congress, but I serve with some real scumbags. Matt Gaetz [R-FL], he paid minors to have sex with him at drug parties. Bob Good [R-VA] endorsed my opponent, a known neo-Nazi. These people used to walk around with white hoods at night. Now they’re walking around with white hoods in the daytime.”

The chaos of the House has shifted the weight of governance toward the White House, and Biden has taken advantage of that shift to put in place measures popular with the majority of Americans. Today, on Earth Day, Biden also honored the idea of a government that works for the people when he spoke at the Prince William Forest Park in Triangle, Virginia, a national park developed in the 1930s by the government’s Works Progress Administration under the New Deal.

Biden called attention to the country’s historic investment in addressing climate change under his administration. He noted that that investment has created a clean-energy manufacturing boom that has attracted hundreds of billions of dollars in private-sector investment and created more than 270,000 new jobs. 

In Virginia, Biden announced $7 billion in federal grants for solar projects for more than 900,000 low- and middle-income households, saying those projects would save those households about $400 a year annually, more than $350 million total. The projects will also create nearly 200,000 jobs. 

Biden also announced the launch of the website to apply to join the American Climate Corps (ACC), an initiative modeled after New Deal president Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). Over its nine-year existence, the CCC employed more than three million young men improving the nation’s public lands, forests, and parks, many of whom earned their high school diplomas thanks to the educational opportunities connected to the program. 

When the administration unveiled the American Climate Corps program last year, more than 42,000 young people expressed interest within weeks. The first ACC jobs will start in June. Beginning this summer, ACC members will have access to training in trades, thanks to a partnership between the program and the North America’s Building Trades Unions’ nonprofit partner TradesFutures. 

This national shift toward a government focused on the good of ordinary Americans is facing a backlash.

As right-wing voices have lost control in Congress, they have worked aggressively to take over states. There, they have pushed extreme abortion bans, gutted labor laws including for child labor, restricted voting, banned books from public schools, worked to privatize education, and so on—precisely the sort of reactionary state movements the U.S. Supreme Court used the Fourteenth Amendment to undermine from the 1950s to the 1970s. 

Today, on Earth Day, The Guardian reported that Louisiana’s flagship state university, Louisiana State University (LSU), has permitted oil and chemical companies to influence research and teaching activities concerning climate change in exchange for donations to the university. 

The attempt to cement right-wing dominance in the states in opposition to a more liberal national government is a political tradition almost as old as this country, but in 2024 it is being challenged. On Friday, April 19, Volkswagen workers in Chattanooga, Tennessee, voted overwhelmingly to join the United Auto Workers (UAW), despite a letter from the Republican governors of six southern states—Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas—warning the workers that unionization would stop auto manufacturers from expanding in their states.

Similar votes, with similar opposition from Republican leaders and business interests, failed in 2014 and 2019. This time, 73% of the workers voted to join the UAW, which has just negotiated strong contracts with the Big Three U.S. automakers. In a statement, Biden said: “Let me be clear to the Republican governors that tried to undermine this vote: there is nothing to fear from American workers using their voice and their legal right to form a union if they so choose. In fact, the growing strength of unions over the last year has gone hand-in-hand with record small business and jobs growth alongside the longest stretch of low unemployment in more than 50 years. I will continue to stand with American workers and stand against [Republicans’] effort to weaken workers’ voice.”  

Tennessee reporter Phil Williams noted that the Beacon Center, a right-wing think tank in the state, tried to tell Tennesseans that the UAW has a “radical political agenda,” but its own latest poll shows that the people of Tennessee view the UAW’s unionization efforts in the state favorably. (The research also shows that only 12% of likely voters in Tennessee believe the current U.S. tax system is “fair and effectively supports public services.”) 

Today also saw the opening statements of The People of the State of New York v. Donald J. Trump. The prosecution outlined a 2015 meeting in Trump Tower in which Trump, his then-fixer Michael Cohen, and David Pecker, the chief executive officer of American Media Inc., the publisher of the National Enquirer, struck an agreement to influence the 2016 election by finding negative information about Trump and hiding it, publishing flattering stories about Trump, and attacking Trump’s political opponents. 

The defense said Trump is innocent and called Cohen a liar, pointing out that he is a convicted felon (without noting that he committed crimes in Trump’s service). 

Pecker took the stand for about 20 minutes before court ended for the day. He is expected to testify again tomorrow. 

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[mythamongpeople]

Newfound darkness

Witnessing the end of the eclipse, the old man could not but feel the helplessness – for he had not finished the mission at hand, guilt – for he had pushed an innocent man to his untimely damnation. But this would not be the end of his journey, and he planned to set things right, for, at that very moment, hope was all that was left of him.

         The Grand Warlock packed his belonging and set his foot on the treacherous journey to save this nation, but his ultimate desire: saving his son.

.....................................................................................

         In a kingdom from far and far away, there was a king, a hero of all, who once freed the people from slavery and formed a peaceful nation. With his righteous calling, people from all over came under his leadership to form an alliance, and one of them is the Grand Warlock –Torus. However, fate had other plans.

         Under the myriad of miasma and lingering hatred formed by the enemies he was once slain, the King soon succumbed to his own darkness. The once heroic figure was now reduced to nothing more than an old malicious tyrant, as he no longer cared for his duty, his own hobby left were lust, greed, and gluttony.

         In this seemingly dark era, a new soul was born into this world. A prince was born from one of his many affairs, and so people grieved as they thought the reign of terror would be inheritance. But to many surprises, Prince William was nothing like his degraded father: he was kind, strong, and wise and his beauty transcended the country. They all loved him and harbored the belief that he would one day lead this kingdom out of his misery. Ironically, the only person who hated him more than anything was King Ama himself.

.........................................................................................

         The High Commission of Magic wanted to rush the demise of the King, now that he was confined only in his own chamber. They could publicly execute him for the fear that other nations would invade once they saw the discord. So they resort to another plan: poisoning. The Council gave the High Warlock a poison from Greece, said to be from the Arachne herself – a myth from the Greek. It was believed that this poison would burn from the inside out, making it seem like a fever when in reality, that person’s organs would be liquified – in the same manner how a spider consumed their prey.

         Torus knew full well that the King was very much aware of his status, and so in order the achieve his goal, he would have to ask the Prince for one last dirty work.

................................................................................

         “ Your Majesty, you have arrived.” Torus smiled, seeing William enter his chamber after a sword practice.

         “ Please refrain from using such a formal manner to address when we are alone like this. You know I have always seen you as my family.” William signed.

         “ Regardless, it was not a wise choice for a humble servant like me to address you in that way”. The Warlock whispered, “But yes Will, I also saw you as my family – a son that I long to have”.

         “ So what do you want me to do “Father?”, Will smirked, contending that the Warlock acknowledged him as his son.

         “ You know that in a month, it will be your coronation day. The Knights have gathered and discussed with your father. Regardless of his wrongdoing, he was, after all, a person that formed and united us all. It would be his last honor to step down with tradition.”

         Torus then held out an exquisite cup, inside held a gold shimmering liquid.

         “ This is something we have prepared to lessen his pain, hopefully, bring him some peaceful time of whatever time he has left. We cannot bring it to the King directly since he will not have it but from his son’s hands, his Majesty might consider taking it.”

.........................................................................................

         Carrying the cup in his hand, the Prince was thoroughly concerned and a little bit curious about it. Even though coming from his adopted father, Will could not help but feel all wrong about all of this. No matter how badly his own father had treated him, he could not choose his own blood. He took a little sip from the cup to sample the content, but a heavy burn soon spread out all over his body. The cup shattered and the young heir desperately tried to crawl his way to the King’s chamber, in the hope that the caretaker might be there, before collapsing at the door with a loud thud.

...........................................................................................

         Chaos engulfed the castle, as the King had gone missing and the Prince was in a coma, believed to have been hit unconscious by the intruders. Upon hearing such traumatizing news, the Warlock hastily made his way to the infirmary, where William could be seen, lying on the bed with only half of his naked, bloody body covered in a blanket.

         “ Pray tell milord, what happened? I was only gone for a moment when I received his Majesty had gone missing, and you were badly injured.” Torus said in distress

         “ Are you blind Torus? Or perhaps my temporary vulnerability is of your enjoyment, Warlock? It was made very clear that this had been an unfortunate turn, but we cannot let this omen disturb my coordination, for only after everything has been done and I have been acknowledged as the new rightful ruler, we can start searching for my father. And for that I need rest.”

         “ Your Majesty, please re...” Torus pleaded

         “ LEAVE, I SAID”. William roared with such anger and disgust that made the Warlock have no choice but to leave.

........................................................................

         It had passed midnight, but Torus could not fall into his sleep. It was clear that under confusion, pain, and desperation, people tend to exercise extreme behaviors. It might have been his own delusional moment, but when the Prince’s anger was shown earlier that day, it was accompanied by a fleeting feeling of .... satisfaction?

         Concerned about the Prince’s mental health, the Warlock made his way to the Grand Chamber, only to stop dead in his track with what he was seeing before his eyes. There before his eyes, the King, standing naked before the mirror, marveling at his aged, withered body... Near his foot was the Prince, only now instead of the angry demeanor, his body was twisted and pale, his mouth opened in a shape of O, and his eyes – once a dark blue like a starry sky – were void of any life.

         “ So much work to be done, and yet so little time was offered. Once a great king hailed by all, now left only with a big sack of meat waiting for Death to claim my breath.” The King sneered at his own reflection, patches of grayish skin were shone under the moonlight – the result of countless poison and malice of himself and his enemies, eating him away from inside out.

         “ And yet all of you traitors tried to cut my life short, as if I was nothing more than a tyrant in your eyes.” King Amaangrily punched the wall. “ Well then, a tyrant all you shall get!”

         He picked up the lifeless husk of a man from the ground, holding the face of the-once-a-prince up in his hands, and looking lost in thought. He then started to laugh in such a maniacal way that made the hiding Warlock shuddered with horror.

         “ And you, my dear offspring, my sweet, sweet William”. His laugh turned into a mockery sneer. “ What a useless, idiotic brat you are! How kind of you to worry for me, to take the poison for me when all others have betrayed my side.”

         “..But as for me, I HAVE NEVER loved you! The moment you were born was the day my life turned into dust.”  His voice held nothing but coldness, void of any parental emotions. “ Though I suppose you have served your purpose, and now for your final honor: to be a vessel for this newborn king!”

         A nauseous feeling formed inside Torus, as he watched the sick and perverted King licked around the lips of the Prince’s flesh, all the while hands roamed all over the remaining parts of him. “ Ahhhhh, such a fresh, and youthful face. Charming features, bright skin, and a defined body – a fitting body for the soon-to-be King like me. With this body, my legacy shall live on and soon – forever, as I will forever live on through my children!”

         The King then flipped the deflated flesh around and used his hands to peel away a small cut in the back. As he peeled open the gap, a sticky substance and an immense heat escaped into the air, indicating that it was used earlier, and yet he could not wait to be young again. He then started inserting, sliding his sagged legs down like a pair of long boots. Soon enough, all that was left was a pair of the defined, well-trained legs. Satisfied, he worked his way up to the hard muscle on the buttock, and put his black, weak manhood into his new home. The once limped cock now sprang back to life, vibrant, veiny, big, and long to the point all people who see would crave for it.

         Hitching with breath from the over-whelming erotic sensation, the King lightly massaged it, and stroked his new cock ever slightly, until a very dense droplet of white milk came out. He quickly grabbed around it tightly to stop the climax feeling, his face a hazy red from the experience.

         “ A virgin cock is always the best, so sensitive and so potent with life.” He breathed as he brought the cum coated finger to his lips. “ But I better save some for the main finale”.

         The King then pulled up the rest of the hanging flesh, from the sculptured abdominal front, up to the huge chest. Sliding his arms into his new ones, he could already feel the newfound strength that he had experienced earlier, back in the infirmary. That time was a close call, as the King only have enough time to pull the suit from the chest up and cover the rest of his body with a blanket.

         Now, strength from the remaining parts flooded back to him, as he suddenly feel a staggering wave of power rush through him, and he had to grab the nearby wall to not fall down. After the wave had passed, he went to the mirror and started to feel every new part of himself. There was no longer the rusty body of a man, for all had been hidden inside the flesh of pristine, ... all save for his face...

         “ With this final step, King Aba will now rest in the eternal slumber, and Prince William shall be reborn as a tyrant he should be, like how I want him to be, or should I say: Like how I wish myself to be.”

         With one last victorious smile, the King opened the back of the head, stretched it wide open, and pressed it to his skull. As the King finally let go of his hand, the seem behind his back started to heal itself, and came with it a flood of sexual sensation. The King gave in, as his legs were no longer able to support his body, and fell down to the bed. There, his body wiggled in ecstasy, and his hand clutched the mattress tightly, as wave after wave of pleasure washed over him – his cocks stood up in all of its glory, as ropes after ropes of think substant poured out like a fountain.

         “ Godddddd......oh.....goddddddddd please have mercy on me” was he could manage in the bliss, even though he knew God had long abandoned him the moment he committed such a horrendous act.

         After a while seem like forever, he finally calmed down, panting heavily as a devious smile creeping his face. “ I .. always....win... in... the end...” Before the new “William” close his eyes and let the darkness consume his sleep.

......................................................................................................................................

          After the crowned ceremony, King “William” have been a true savior. He established various treaties and rules, and with it, the Kingdom was slowly brought out of the pit. He soon got married to a Princess of an allied country, and with his first heir being a son, the whole Kingdom enjoyed, in an illusive hope of an ever-lasting radiant of their own Kingdom. Unbeknown to them, the same darkness of the previous era would soon consume them all, hungry under the guise of this temporary scenario.

...............................................................

..

..

..

         That faithful night,

         Rushing, panting, and sweating... He did not know for how long had he ridden his horse, and yet he did not care. He needed to get far away, as far as possible from this hell on earth. It was not until his horse collapsed from exhaustion, and he rolled on the grass under the pitch-black sky, that he wept. He wept for the inevitable downfall of the Kingdom, he wept for the kind-hearted person that he had always seen like his child...

         In the midst of rain and tears, he heard a muffled cry in the distance. Standing up from the ground, he rushed towards the riverbank, and there he saw a skinless body laying on the ground, life slowly bleeding off it. Before the body passed out, Torus could have sworn he heard: “Father.......help....me....”.

         Without a second thought, he wraped the body around his cloak and rushed into the night. Maybe, just a very slight maybe, there is still hope in the dark.

[saintmeghanmarkle]

The by u/Mickleborough

The …4th anniversary of Megxit [typo, not dramatic effect].It was on 8 January 2020 that the Sussexes announced on Instagram that the chickens were flying the coop [word salad alert] - so it might be timely to remind ourselves what happened.https://ift.tt/RJjdKCh won’t get back the time I spent reading this twaddle.I‘m not aware how much notice the Palace had about this bombshell, but the Palace came out with their own statement very shortly after:In other words - nothing’s settled yet.The late Queen, the then Prince Charles, and the 2 princes agreed to what’s been called the Sandringham Summit, on Monday 13 January.There have been various accounts as to what happened at the Sandringham Summit, eg:- The late Queen had invited them to lunch, but Prince William declined.- Harry and Meghan had wanted to be some sort of semi-royals (the ‘half-in, half-out’ proposal). Harry said: ‘It became very clear very quickly that that goal was not up for discussion or debate…. 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.’After this, the late Queen issued a statement calling the discussion ‘positive’:68 years of diplomacy.On Saturday 18 January the Palace issued a statement making some things clear:- Harry had to give up his military appointments and Commonwealth Youth ambassadorship- The Sussexes wouldn’t receive an income from the Sovereign Grant, nor from public funds, for royal duties. They also had to repay the costs of refurbushing Frogmore Cottage.- Their new Sussex Royal [always reminds me of a breed of chicken] couldn’t be used to market their merchandise and activities.The late Queen gave the Sussexes’ a year’s grace, in case they changed their minds.They didn’t. Consequently, in February 2021:It was the Sussexes’ decision not to return. This promoted Meghan, I mean the Sussexes, to respond childishly: ‘We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.’2 years and 8 months to the day of the Sussexes’ Instagram announcement, on 8 September 2022, Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral.Daily Mail archived / unarchived post link: https://ift.tt/rAklMXq author: Mickleborough submitted: January 08, 2024 at 10:04PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit

[celticcrossanon]

“Charles and William can work towards a common goal but they can not work together on the same team.”

Celt,

Given that is is wholly similar to the way things worked when the King was Prince of Wales, working independently from his late parents, yet still supporting QEII (& yes grudgingly at times) - I don’t think either of the two men will find it strange or unusual.

The King’s reign - to his own mind - is as much a continuation of his grandfather King George VI’s reign as that of his mother’s. He echoes lessons / mirrors aspects from the Queen mum more than from his own parents in style and substance. I think in due course Prince William will mirror same with the legacy from his grandparents.

Just a thought

Hi Nonny,

I hope you are right. I have nothing against the Prince of Wales working independently from his parents at all. What gets to me is what I see as King Charles expecting William to sacrifice himself for King Charles's aims (e.g. welcoming Harry back, supporting Harry with Duchy money), although that may all change now with the removal of Harry's HRH from the website (and I could be wrong about who is behind those articles).

I see what you mean about King Charles echoing the Queen Mother instead of his own mother in his reign. I don't mind that as long as it is for the good of the country and not self indulgent, and I see the PR about Camilla over this past year as very self indulgent. He has time yet to do things, so I will wait and see what King Charles does in the future. At the moment I am happy that finally, after 3.5 years, the royal website reflects some of the reality of Harry's situation. If King Charles was behind that, then good on him.

I look forward to Prince William mirroring the legacy of his grandparents in his reign. :)

[ladykinrannoch]

Reading

Charles' media strategies towards the Cambridges. Is this the new War of the Wales'? - Employing old strategies expecting a different result is a definition of insanity.

Are William and Charles on the same page with regards to matters in the family?

The World. This card is about rising status, promotions, increase in authority and things turning in your favour. I feel from this card, that they are united on certain issues, because they both have something to gain out of being united on these issues e.g. Andrew, but I get the feeling the motivations for each are very very different. They will both benefit from a rise in status and increased authority after the passing of HM but how they view this is different.

Is Charles and Clarence House briefing against the Cambridges in the media?

The Devil. Yes, this represents toxic manipulative behaviour. A situation that is destructive and falling prey to bad influences and a negative way of relating. The energy off this card is bitter, passive aggressive, immature, selfish, mentally addicted to self-importance. There is saying, "his head is so far up his own ass that he is drowning in his own sh1t." I'll leave that there.

What does Charles want to achieve in this?

Six of Swords. This is a moving-on energy, seeking peace and harmony, so I think Charles wants to rewrite his own history. It is a very calculated and detached approach. Completely conscious decisions to do this for his own benefit. It feels ruthless. Ultimately he is trying to create a situation where he can remove himself from drama and complication in his reign. It is a case of the PR strategy of distract and deflect. Don't look here, look over there. He truly believes if he discredits the Cambridges that it makes him and Camilla look better. He is all about looking better, at any cost. However, the image of the card suggests to tread carefully or cut your own feet.

Why does Charles want to paint this united front with the Cambridges, while briefing the media to criticise them?

Temperance. Charles wants to create a picture of reconciliation, balance and harmony in his favour. It falls directly below the World card, so this is about achieving his goals and turning thing in his favour. But it is a juggling act of putting out a united front and behind closed doors undermining Will and Catherine with the Devil energy. Usually this is quite a positive card, but what strikes me about the image that I have never noticed before is that the figure is pouring out the cups but looking away! The psychic feeling I get from the card this time is of deliberately muddying the waters, but looking the other way. This is just spiteful.

How does William feel about this situation?

Four of Pentacles. This falls below the Devil card, so I am reading this as how does he feel about the passive aggressive briefing against them and undermining them in the public. What springs to mind with this card, which is sometimes called the banker card, is that William is aware of what is going on, he is taking a short term strategy of letting it go like biting the bullet, but at the same time being protective of their situation and as a result what jumps into my head is playing his cards close to his chest. He is not sharing all their plans with Charles or Clarence House. The emotion with this card is one of delayed gratification or resignation, he is accepting of it now because he is playing a longer game, he knows he needs a stable transition, a firm foundation and he needs to bide his time until such time as he is Prince of Wales with more authority and the opportunity to run an independent office the way Charles has for the last few decades. This is also a card of moving home. So I think the move to Windsor is part of putting distance between them and Clarence House, physical distance. It feels like it is about not having the CH staff interacting so much with their office so as to keep the granular details of some plans under wraps.

Underlying Energy for Charles

Oh boy, Prince of Swords, the stress and truth card. Charles knows there are tempestuous times ahead, there are going to be highs and lows to his accession. I read last year on this and I did see him being bogged down by scandals and sudden truths coming to light, this card confirms this yet again. This is the expose card, sudden truths coming to light, exposing underlying conflicts, disputes and tensions. This is fast moving air energy being the suit of swords, not as fast as wands, but nevertheless a bit like a roller coaster. The feeling I get is that the stress of what might come out has him really worried. See the distract and deflect PR strategy mentioned above. Sadly, those strategies will not work with these truths. The Prince in the card is holding a book close to his chest, he has a raised sword and falcon. Charles is trying very hard to keep his secrets secrets, he has eyes everywhere and he is quite prepared to fight ruthlessly to defend his position.

I wanted to see what hidden energy there was in the middle of deck as advice to Charles.

8 Cups Rx. Oh boy, this is a warning. This card is telling Charles that he is being obtuse, he is unable to see there is another way. He is therefore making errors of judgement and suffering an extreme lack of emotional intelligence. Using the same old strategies he has used in the past. This card sits directly below the six of swords, the moving on card. He really needs to reconsider his approach. However, he keeps relying on an intellectual detached approach because it makes him feel in control, but that is not going to help him when the scandals hit. And he WILL look back with regret on the strategies he is employing now.