Prince Harry & Meghan Markle - Engagements

[wannable]

Kensington Palace
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@KensingtonRoyal

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will visit Dublin, Ireland on 10th & 11th July 🇮🇪 The visit is at the request of Her Majesty?s Government.
They are looking forward to learning more about Ireland's history and experiencing its rich culture, as well as meeting the people who are shaping the country's future.

[TLLK]

I understand that all ladies must have proper hats with at least a 4 inch base this year. So Meghan could repeat one of her smaller hats or opt for a new one.

Great news about the visit to Ireland. Do we know which places they are to visit?

[wannable]

She's wearing Givenchy (her go to designer) and Phillip Tracey hat.

So far Dublin, Ireland. 

[Curryong]

They are both going to France in August. I saw the announcement on another forum. It's the anniversary of the battle of Amiens.

[TLLK]

Excellent news about the upcoming foreign travel for the Sussexes. I hope that we'll have news about Ireland soon, but for security reasons I could understand them keeping these plans quiet until we're closer to the date.

[amabel]

Why re they going to Ireland when Charles and Cam made a visit only just now?

[TLLK]

Yes @amabel the timing is unusual considering  that the PoW and DssoC were just there but it must be the best dates that worked for the Sussexes, the Irish and British governments and the Windsors.

[amabel]

It still seems odd. I'd say that the Rep of Ireland is a delicate "posting" and Harry and even more so Meg are inexperienced at this sort of visit..

[TLLK]

Well I would assume that the FO and the Irish government will select safe and noncontroversial activities for the couple. Likely they'll pay homage to Irish war dead and the veterans from WWI and any other conflict that Ireland participated since independence. There will likely be something involving children or the elderly. The couple will visit historic sites that are not harsh reminders of the Irish battle for independence. (Kilmainham Gaol might not be on the itinerary, but a photo op of Meghan kissing the Blarney Stone might be.  :blowkiss:)

They'll be briefed on how to reply in a neutral fashion if any controversial question comes there way. 

[Curryong]

One might ask what do any of these visits by royals achieve bar perhaps a bit of goodwill, even if they are couched in terms like 'at the request of HM Govt' as almost all of them are.

Some of them are fact finding tours for the BRF, like the one to the Middle East by William, who isn't exactly a seasoned diplomat either. In a region where brokering a permanent peace eluded politicians like Bill Clinton and Obama, I don't think anyone with knowledge of the area is under any illusions that William is going to do anything much.

He is, IMO, going over there on a charm offensive because the FO under Boris Johnson has decided that the British Govt have been less than even-handed in its relations with Israel in past decades and a few feathers need smoothing.

We don't know why the Sussexes are being sent to Ireland. We may find there was something of substance behind it eventually, we may not. In my view the only trips of any substance undertaken by the BRF in recent years have been Prince Charles's to the Gulf States. He has built up a rapport with many of the rulers there and that has apparently been of great help to Britain in trade deals signed later for armaments by British manufacturers. Apart from that the vast majority of these visits are mainly gloss, IMO.

[wannable]

 There are fluffy and half fluff/serious trips. The Irish trip is fluffy. Trying to make Wiiliams trip fluffy won't happen, his detailed schedule is published by the official Royal website, there you will find 75% is very serious because the nature and history of this particular visit and 25% fluff, i.e visiting where Kate took her picture when a kid.

[Curryong]

I didn't say in my post that the Middle Eastern trip by William was fluffy. What I said was that some trips are in the nature of being fact finding, and that is what William's trip will probably be. Unless you are inferring that William will be returning from the trip with a signed treaty for peace between Israel and the Occupied Territories in his back pocket, lol, something that hasn't been achieved by top international diplomats and politicians in the last fifty years! No serious journal or writer that I have read has suggested any such thing.

You don't know whether the Irish trip will be fluffy or non fluffy. No details of the schedule have been released.

[wannable]

He will be meeting with kings, presidents, politicians and will be accompanied by UK foreign office staff, plus his secretary and David Manning, his advisor, who happens to be the ex ambassador to USA. A diplomat who lands the highest post in the most powerful country in the world is not to sneeze.

The thing is reading the initial official information of a royal trip, once you do this, one may quite rightly guess the fluffiness or not. KP Irish tweet sounds very much fluffy.

To make myself clear, all royals have done and been there; fluffy trips and not so, half and half be it political diplomatic sits meet and greet picture taking and then a closed door meeting where David has been there with William in the past, charity fundraising money's with friendly or commonwealth and the sort, which constitutes the non fluffy aspect.

[Curryong]

All royals meet Presidents and Prime Ministers and diplomats etc. Of course the FO is going to send staff, including a high ranking diplomat. They want to influence things in the Middle East.

What I doubt is that William will be sitting there doing most of the talking, broaching most of the subjects for discussion and getting into the nitty gritty of any negotiations, while his entourage just sits there and nods. Beyond pleasantries and fact finding I doubt that very much. As well as everything else such as no diplomatic or FO experience William is as a Royal not suppose to engage in government business or negotiations anyway.

[wannable]

He was chosen, after 70 years of nothing official.  :windsor1: and the best part Israel and Palestine agreed! Yay both!

Admit you would have liked it to be the 6th in line to carry out this extremely important and one of the most historic trip rather than the future future King.  :shrug:

[Curryong]

William was chosen, in my view, because the Queen and Duke are too old now to make such a trip now the FO has changed its views. Charles would probably have been ideal. However, he has too strong a relationship with various Gulf potentates to be considered neutral by the Israelis.

And William won't be my King. Australia will be a republic, within the Commonwealth, along with the other realms, long before William comes to the throne, in probably another twenty to twenty five years. That is if Britain doesn't become a republic before then, which it may do. He might well, if he does get there, be king of only England and Wales, with Scotland and NI broken away. Fine heritage!

[wannable]

After your admittance to not reading or commenting nothing's of the Cambridges, I will not further comment on William's trip or anything of what may constitute of importance with you.

Admitting = no knowledge to what William did or will do.

No idea of why mention another kingship or commonwealth countries into the mix, but if future guessing makes you happy, go for it.

[Curryong]

After your admittance to not reading or commenting nothing's of the Cambridges, I will not further comment on William's trip or anything of what may constitute of importance with you.

Admitting = no knowledge to what William did or will do.

No idea of why mention another kingship or commonwealth countries into the mix, but if future guessing makes you happy, go for it.

I didn't say that I don't read about the Cambridges' engagements at all. I said I don't comment on them more than once in a blue moon (because as a couple/family they don't interest me.) And I do that on every forum I'm on.

[wannable]

But you have commented and in the Sussex board?!

[Curryong]

I replied to your comment that I 'admitted' (apparently on a previous post) that I didn't read Cambridge links/posts about engagements when in fact I said nothing of the kind.

You misread (probably deliberately) what I said. I said in former posts and have said consistently that I hardly ever comment on the Cambridges because they don't interest me. You apparently misread and twisted that to mean that I never READ any Cambridge posts.

For the last time...

I am on several forums. On each of them I may read or not read stuff about the Cambridges, depending on the content. If I feel like it, usually about their engagements though not exclusively, I may comment on what is there but I do so only once in a blue moon.

Now please stop twisting what I have consistently written in my last posts.

[TLLK]

It still seems odd. I'd say that the Rep of Ireland is a delicate "posting" and Harry and even more so Meg are inexperienced at this sort of visit..

@amabel-There is an interesting discussion happening on the big royal site regarding the timing of the visit. There are British citizens including a Northern Ireland resident there who are questioning the decision made by the FO, Irish Government and KP for the Sussexes to visit the Republic of Ireland in the upcoming weeks, as July 11 is bonfire night in Ulster and this marks the start of marching season in NI for Unionists. (Which I have to say I did find a bit startling when we drove into some NI towns during a visit there last July. I'd  read about it in the past but I foolishly assumed had somehow tapered off in the 21st century after the Ulster Accord.)

Now I do believe that the Sussex visit will be carefully planned, monitored and designed not to cause the slightest controversy, this is an "interesting time of the year" in NI so hopefully this visit won't be exploited by those who seek to cause some disruption.

[Curryong]

Putting this here rather than opening yet another thread as there isn't one for just news/press releases of the Sussexes unconnected with engagements.

The Mirror has apologised,  after communications by Meghan's lawyers, for their totally false story about steamy photos of Meghan from Suits etc being used by lawyers for Closer magazine in their appeal against damages re the Cambridge photos. So that Meghan was totally made up. However, other tabloids followed, and I doubt they will follow suit.

Meghan Markle - an apology - Mirror Online

[wannable]

^ The main apology should come from Paul the Royal Correspondent in Paris, who tweeted that exclusive. I can't recall his twitter at the moment. But, the UK lawyers are probably getting hold of UK papers first.

***
New engagement for the DOS's

Kensington Palace Retweeted
The Royal Family‏
Verified account
@royalfamily

The Queen will also be accompanied by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the @QueensLeaders Awards on Tuesday.  #QueensYoungLeaders

[TLLK]

However, other tabloids followed, and I doubt they will follow suit.

@Curryong sadly have to agree.

Glad to see that the Mirror had given the apology.

[amabel]

@amabel-There is an interesting discussion happening on the big royal site regarding the timing of the visit. There are British citizens including a Northern Ireland resident there who are questioning the decision made by the FO, Irish Government and KP for the Sussexes to visit the Republic of Ireland in the upcoming weeks, aNow I do believe that the Sussex visit will be carefully planned, monitored and designed not to cause the slightest controversy, this is an "interesting time of the year" in NI so hopefully this visit won't be exploited by those who seek to cause some disruption.

frankly seems extremely foolish to me... NI is still a bit of a powder  keg...