Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s staff sacked from Frogmore Cottage
Negotiations on a deal for Prince Harry and Meghan’s royal resignation has hit a series of stumbling blocks as the couple look into buying a six-bedroom beachside mega mansion.
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Sussex souvenirs have plunged in price near Windsor Castle, as negotiations on a deal for Prince Harry and Meghan’s royal resignation hits stumbling blocks.
The Queen was expected to make a statement early this morning Australian time but it has been delayed because of sticking points in the talks.
Security, how much time they will spend at Frogmore Cottage, their UK home, their finances and what they will be known as, remain the key hurdles.
It comes as Prince Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, have shown an interest in an $40 million West Vancouver beachside property.
They plan to become financially independent of the royal family, but will have to work hard if they take on a mortgage on the stunning six-bedroom, five bathroom home.
“Meghan has expressed an interest in this beautiful house. It would be perfect for her, Harry and little Archie,” an estate agent source in Canada told The Sun newspaper in London.
“The neighbourhood is known as a haven for wealthy people and has a very laid-back atmosphere. I’m sure they would be very happy there, and they would be welcomed with open arms.”
Mugs with the royal couple’s image have fallen 20 per cent, while tea towel packs are down 70 per cent on some websites.
Photographs show that stores near Windsor Castle slashed the price of Prince Harry and Meghan mugs from $19 to $15.
A popular department store dropped tea towels from $19 to $5.70.
Talks were due to continue on Saturday, Australian tim, e as aides for the Queen, Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry work on the exit deal.
But they had reportedly also been held up on how Prince Harry and Meghan would use the Sussex brand, according to the UK Daily Telegraph.
The royal staff were working furiously to get the deal done to prevent it diverting attention from Prince Charles’ historic visit to Israel next week for the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.
It was also planned to be done so Prince Harry could be reunited with Meghan and Archie in Canada.
The Queen was seen driving on her Sandringham Estate early on Saturday, amid reports she was unhappy but had accepted Prince Harry and Meghan were leaving.
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SISTER BLAMES MEGHAN FOR ROYAL SPLIT
The latest development came as Meghan Markle’s half-sister Samantha has spoken out during a British TV interview, accusing the Duchess of Sussex of “gross breach of duty.”
On the UK show This Morning Samantha Markle, 55, slammed her half-sister over her treatment of their father Thomas Markle, which she called “incredibly wrong.”
The Duchess of Sussex is suing Associated Newspapersfor publishing a letter she wrote to Mr Markle in 2018 in which she criticised him for speaking to the press.
Defence papers this week revealed that Mr Markle, 75, might be called as a witness against his daughter.
Samantha Markle said that “If he is called, he will come.”
Samantha is Mr Markle’s daughter from his first marriage.
She claimed that the decision to extricate themselves from royal duties after less than two years of marriage was Meghan’s, not Prince Harry’s.
RELATED: Meghan and Harry’s lucrative life after ‘Megxit’
“I feel that Prince Harry and Meghan have quite a bit of apologising to do. We aren’t talking about teenagers, we are talking about adults who knew what they were doing, and in regards to my father it was incredibly wrong and shocking.”
Samantha Markle also said that criticism of Meghan’s spending could have set off her intention of quitting royal life.
“From my perception, I feel that she did enjoy it when there was the Fab Four and the photographs of her hair blowing in the wind and the smiling and the contrived British accent.”
But, she said, public criticism of Meghan’s spending and of her behaviour caused the Duchess of Sussex to change her tune “and it became a bit more attribution error, avoiding accountability, flipping the script, and it’s quite hurtful — I’ve never seen anything that was racist in nature”.
It comes as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have reportedly given the strongest indication they are going to turn their backs on the UK and move to Canada, as staff from their Frogmore Cottage were let go.
According to the Mail Online, sources said two permanent employees – a house manager and a cleaner – are being redeployed to the Queen’s household.
Other members of staff such as chefs, maids and footmen, have been told they are no longer required.
Leaving a simple “skeleton staff”, the move has triggered further speculation the couple will not be living in the UK and will be settling in Canada for a substantial period of the year.
It comes after Prince Harry arrived at Buckingham Palace and shared a joke with children playing rugby league on the lawn during what may have been his last official event as a full-time royal.
While he dodged questions from the media about his planned move to Canada, he joked as he posed with budding rugby league stars: “Look after the grass though, yeah? Otherwise I’ll get in trouble!”
Harry was at the palace in his role as patron of the Rugby Football League to host the draw for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.
Prince Harry was at the palace in his role as patron of the Rugby Football League to host the draw for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.
It was his first official function since he and Meghan announced they planned to step back from their full-time royal duties and split their lives between North America and the UK.
A sad Queen Elizabeth supported their decision, although she said she would have preferred Prince Harry and Meghan remaining full-time royals.
In a sign the rugby league event might well have been his last formal outing as a senior royal,
Prince Harry and Meghan’s Instagram account marked the occasion with an official @sussexroyal video set to a Stone Roses hit which famously features the words: “I’d like to leave the country”.
CHEEKY LYRICS FUEL TALK OF MOVING
In what could be taken as another nod to his imminent departure to North America, the soundtrack was the Stone Roses’ indie hit This Is the One, which contains the lyrics: “I’d like to leave the country for a month of Sundays”, although these words are not heard in the video.
Prince Harry appeared happy as he went back to his day job and chatted with world cup officials.
Wearing a dark suit, white shirt and grey tie, spoke to some junior rugby players and swapped high fives as he smiled and posed for photographs.
But he did not respond when reporters shouted questions about his future before he went inside the palace.
PRINCE HARRY: ‘DON’T GRIN AND BEAR IT’
Prince Harry also posted a video message ahead of the launch, where he urged people not to just “grin and bear it” when it came to mental health, a message which is likely to be pored over by royal watchers following his decision to quit the royal family.
Prince Harry has helped launch the world’s first major sporting event Mental Fitness Charter for @RLWC2021. By the tournament final, every player, team and match official, teammate and volunteer will have been trained to look after their own (and others) mental fitness. pic.twitter.com/XfCl92bbJd
— Omid Scobie (@scobie) January 16, 2020
Prince Harry said the Rugby League World Cup would have a mental health charter, to ensure protect players’ minds are protected as well as their bodies.
“It is not just about being physically fit but more importantly mentally strong,” he said.
“The perception of rugby league is that you need to be tough. You can’t show your feelings, you need to grin and bear it.
“But something like the Mental Fitness Charter will help us make real progress in getting rid of the stigma associated with mental illness.”
He said that rugby league had been a leader in promoting awareness of the importance of looking after mental health.
The Duke, a patron of the Rugby Football League, said the game was “one that takes care of its own”.
“For many years, it has been at the forefront of promoting and supporting good mental fitness, working hard to build a positive mindset for everyone involved in the sport,” he said.
“So, I am proud to support the Rugby League World Cup 2021 Mental Fitness Charter.”
‘NOT ALLOWED TO MOVE TO CANADA’
The royal couple’s plans to move part-time to Canada have not been a universal hit in the land of the maple leaf – and they may still be stymied by a legal hitch.
One of Canada’s most influential newspapers, The Globe and Mail, said in an editorial the couple were not welcome to set up a home there.
“You are welcome to visit, but so long as you are senior royals, Canada cannot allow you to come to stay,” the newspaper said.
It argued the Canadian Government should reject a request from them to move there.
And a Canadian legal expert warned the couple could face a court fight because there was no official role for them in the country’s constitution.
“They can visit Canada on behalf of the Queen but they can’t take on any other royal family responsibilities or live in Canada permanently or part-time. I hope that [the] prime minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet fully respect the nature and scope of Canada’s Constitution Acts of 1867 and 1982,” Michael Behiels, a professor of political and constitutional history at Ottawa University and fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, told The Times of London newspaper.
But Australian comedian Adam Hills, who was part of a group of executives and players from the 21 competing nations at the event, praised him for being aware of the story of English rugby league great Rob Burrow, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease.
Sydney-born Hills said Prince Harry had chatted about Burrow’s recent testimonial match.
“That for me shows the kind of duty and commitment to rugby league that he has,” he said.
“That in among everything else that’s going on in his life, that he is aware of the rugby league story of the year.”
MEGHAN MARKLE VS HER FATHER
Prince Harry’s announced involvement comes as text messages filed in court reveal Meghan Markle’s father Thomas did try to contact his daughter despite claims from her camp he “never called … never texted” after he missed the royal wedding.
In court documents filed ahead of the “trial of the century”, details of the breakdown of Meghan’s relationship with her father Thomas have been revealed.
It also follows Prince Harry breaking cover on Wednesday to announce Dusseldorf, Germany, as the new host city for the 2022 Invictus Games, an event for injured veterans he helped create.
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Meghan also has stepped out in Canada to visit a women’s shelter in Vancouver in a visit that was planned with just one day’s notice.
On Wednesday Meghan was seen joyfully speaking with women at non-profit organisation Justice for Girls – discussing the rights of indigenous people, the importance of a holistic approach to social justice and power of young women’s leadership.
Yesterday, The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle visited to discuss climate justice for girls and the rights of Indigenous peoples. Was great to talk about the importance of a holistic approach to social justice, and the power of young women’s leadership. #DuchessOfSussex pic.twitter.com/M9LaqEELl7
— Justice For Girls (@JFG_Canada) January 16, 2020
The Duchess of Sussex is suing the Mail on Sunday and its publisher for writing a story based on a letter she sent to her father in August 2018.
US-based People magazine quoted “friends” as saying that her father did not try to contact her after the royal wedding in May 2018.
According to the court filing, text messages from Thomas Markle to Meghan show he did try to repair the damage after he humiliated her with the paparazzi pictures.
“I want to reach out to you or try to reach out to you one more time,” he wrote to Meghan on November 25, 2018.
“You apparently have just written me off and now it’s telling me I guess for the rest of my life?”.
Thomas Markle had been looking forward to the wedding before the paparazzi pictures broke.
“I look forward to trying on my shoes and see how we look thank you for getting it ready for me its probably past your bedtime so have a good night I love you Dad,” he wrote on May 10, 2018.
He then had a heart problem and pulled out of walking his daughter down the aisle following the publication of the set up photographs.
Meghan’s half sister Samantha confirmed her father would testify if the case went to court and he was required.
The Duchess of Sussex may also be required to give evidence however, many cases involving the royals get settled out of court.
Meanwhile, there are reports Prince Harry had cut himself off from his friends.
“Most no longer even have his cell number,” an insider told PEOPLE.
“They totally understand that men often drift from their friends after marriage, but there’s still a lot of resentment because they had been close for so long.”