it's Harry and Megan this decision to
step back a senior Royals petulant and
ill-judged right so that was a comment
petaled ill-judged in The Times I
believe in a Times editorial today makes
it as it's been dubbed now inevitably
Clive where do you stand on this no it
isn't I think first of all I'd say about
mega Marcos she's been a breath of fresh
air for our monarchy she's been a role
model
inspirational her work with charities in
particular with the victims of Grenfell
has been outstanding and I think the way
that she has been treated by our media
is little short of disgraceful and quite
well I think
I think Prince Harry himself has said
himself that he thinks that there is a
large degree of racism in terms of how
she's been treated it's been quite
appalling I mean he's obviously pointed
to what's happened in South Africa on
the tour and the court the royal
correspondents who have been reporting
and he also said something about the
fact that sometimes what's being said
has been so far from the truth and yet
because it has come from those royal
correspondents it's been repeated around
the world now anyone that's in the
public eye in this country knows if that
happens far too often in our media I
think he said it was real corresponds
reporting and then that would get
misreported misreported and but they
were basing it on what was said by those
royal correspondents but there's be
quite clear and quite frankly I think
it's up to them in the 21st century if
they wish to step back from their royal
duties I think given what it has done to
them given the pressure and the stress
if you've ever been in the public eye
and you've been in the eye of a media
storm our multiple media storm let's not
forget Prince Harry's mother has was
harassed severely Princess Diana by the
media he has seen as before yes had a
massive impact on his life and now it's
happening to his wife I think he has
every right and she has every right to
step back from public life and do as
they see fit and I also think as well
look this sheer mega Marco is one of the
most privileged people in this country
and yet look what our media is doing to
her and
Harry it is completely unacceptable and
I think that they have every right to
make the decision that they have and do
you think it's just the media that is
making them do this we must looking
through their website today and they
explain their their reasoning and in
some detail they want to live a
different kind of life as well
yes they do but I think we have to take
into account that this probably wouldn't
happen and it is speculation on my part
but this probably wouldn't have happened
if there hadn't been this such negative
coverage from the British media I mean
this is the same British media that is
meant to be the Fourth Estate meant to
hold power and the public to account
it's meant to be fair it's meant to be
balanced it's anything but and I think
what you can see in the way that she has
been treated as a member of the royal
family is that little short of a
disgrace as far as I'm concerned and I
think she has every right and Prince
Harry have every right to do what
they've done as for the issue of warning
her Majesty about this well I personally
feel that's a that's a that's a family
matter between them I understand that
her Majesty may be upset about that but
ultimately that's a family matter and I
don't think I would want to delve into
that thanks I agree was about half of
what Clive said I think that Megan
Markel and Prince Harry I deserved
tremendous sympathy because it is hell
being royal it is incredibly difficult
being royal I don't buy the view that
it's all racist if one remembers you
mentioned Diana I was a newspaper editor
at the time that Diana was in the eye of
the storm and an awful lot of Royals
have had a very bad time you can argue
from the media without the issue of race
being brought into it
but I wasn't until John I also feel very
sorry for the Queen and all this that
here is she in our 90s facing more of
these of these family storms and I think
one of the problems that perhaps because
she has lived at such a great age
nobody's got to grips with the issue of
what is the royal family supposed to be
and the idea I think Prince Charles is
dead right to talk about a slimmed-down
royal family in which the state is not
expected yes to pay 2.4 million for
Prince Harry his house
in which there is a clear understanding
of what isn't is not expected to bless
the Royals and we're all arguing all the
time I think they're the victims of this
in some degree because nobody has told
that makes basically just what is and
it's not expected on them so they
deserve sympathy but Prince Charles
William and the Queen deserve sympathy
and all this but I hope that they'll
keep talking what one does hope is
there's obviously a hell of a round
going on in that family and the worst
thing that could happen is if up they
end up on non-speakers they've got to
keep talking they've got to see a way
through this and one hopes it will be a
happy one not only for Megan and Prince
Harry but also for the Queen and the
future of the monarchy which some of us
care passionately about the mango
chapter would their financial and the
seeking financial independence not have
been better before the multi-million
pound renovation or Frogmore cottage yes
they're talking about living financially
independently let me just take another
question here at the front you had your
hand up with the sweater to see them
live their own life to will do ever they
want their humans like we all are but
yeah shouldn't they immediately stop
taking public money as they step down
instead of I think they said today move
towards that yes so what do they said
exactly they said they will work become
financially independent mean who pays
for the Royals it certainly toes their
security something that comes under your
Aegis Brandon yes so are you happy if
they step back from their role as senior
major all family are you going to see
keep paying for their security well I'm
sure you won't be suppose I'm not gonna
be able to comment on how we deal with
security issues for any protective
person whether they are maybe the mall
family or otherwise protected surely you
can tell us whether or not you'd be
happy to keep funding it no we all all
protection for our family always is done
on a risk assess based it's done
independently it does come within my
remit but I think it would be I'm afraid
it just will be inappropriate me to
comment on how we arrange and what we do
for security for protective people but
look what I would say and this is where
there's an element of agreement between
Clive and max and certainly myself would
be that I grieve the point Clive point
out beginning which is I think
that Harry and Megan and the royal
family generally do amazing work for
this country and particularly for
charitable and good causes as well we
should be you know we're very lucky I'm
very proud to be in a country we've got
a royal family like that but ultimately
I think Max's point is is also right
around to the fact that this is also a
matter for the royal family and I and I
hope we end up in a position where the
whole family get a result that's good
for them and also good for the country
because one of the things we have seen
throughout the history of that country
is that the world family has evolved
over the centuries and over the
generations to reflect the country as it
is at that given time I'm sure we'll
continue to see that but obviously this
is a matter for the royal family and can
you see a situation where Harry and
Megan are living independently but are
still part of the royal family can you
see that I mean some would see that as a
contradiction in terms can you see that
working well as I said we're waiting to
see exactly what the world family want
to do and what they where they want to
go with this I think but I think it'd be
difficult to prejudge what they might do
but we should also be clear that they
are part of all things not just funding
through the public purse you know family
all says funding through the family
itself from their own interests and I
saw you shaking your head in some
frustration let me start with with the
position of the Sussex is I think it
depends whether their aim is still to be
in the royal family or not I mean they
said they didn't want to be senior
Royals but that's a somewhat different
question
well they say they want to continue to
collaborate with the Queen right and and
support you know I think I think that's
the slight problem that you have a model
of the royal family and I do think a
slimmed down
royal family is where we need to head I
think Prince Charles was right about
that that is now happening by a
necessity not by choice but the question
is then what is the role of those who if
you like or in the outer core they are
an attractive couple they have brought a
breath of fresh air to the royal family
I interviewed Megan Markel along with a
panel of other people last year I found
a very very engaging professional to
work with I liked her focus on subjects
like girls education worldwide I liked
the fact that she had an international
dynamic - what she brought to it but
that it you can do a lot of that from a
different platform if you want to stay
somehow
family being a semi demo here oil with a
bit of time at Frogmore cottage in a lot
of it in North America is going to be
very difficult to pull off it's going to
need to be very strategic max Hastings
said I think quite rightly it's going to
have to be done by agreement it can't be
done by an exchange of hostile
communications as we've had in the last
day or so so something's gone badly
wrong
it may be salvageable but it does need
thinking through the reason I disagree
with Clive is look I mean we talked
about the media and poor coverage yes it
must be very bruising to get coverage
you don't like sometimes that even
happens to the Polish just very quickly
max out what I was about says if you
look I think most coverage including the
broadcaster's is very very positive in
the UK we often don't report a lot of
things that people say when they don't
like the Royals so I think that you have
to calibrate it and they have to roll
with that if they want to still be
connected to the firm
one short brutal point about money that
one issue that it's going to face
Hisashi if they do step down is that
they're going to find a lot of people
especially in North America who want to
give the money but they are absolutely
the worst sort of people whom probably
most of them they should not be taking
money from on this issue
you mean tears a commercial endorsements
that kind of thing well they're up
whether it's whether it's lending them
yachts whether it's it's all the people
who are most eager to hang around Royals
are almost episo-- facto the people who
the Royal should let them hang around
and how they overcome that problem is
going to be very difficult for we have
one thing that has mean this idea of
growing financial independence we've
seen that before I'm thinking of the
cantle countess of wessex for example
here TV production company the PR
company and in the end the Queen ended
up giving them money so they wouldn't be
doing that any longer can you see that
working so I think you can see it
working and I think it's just a you know
question of imagination a question or
willing at the end of the day for me you
know I have a lot of sympathy for Harry
and Megan I think they've been given a
really rough ride you just have to look
at some of the coverage over you know
over the overnight around their decision
which has been really vile and exotics
Esav to see that actually
it's been hugely unfair and I think in
part it's because Megan doesn't conform
to what people some people expect a
royal should look like should act like
and so she's thinking a really tough
time I think it's wrong and I think it's
really sad and so you know I think
they're young family they'll it just had
a baby that's pretty tough in its own
right and they're under a huge amount of
pressure they've been really honest
about you know how unhappy they are
about mental health issues that they're
struggling with and I say you know they
cata break and they decided we want to
change things we want to focus on
ourselves and our kids and I think
they're completely right they say fair
play to that but I do think it shines a
spotlight yet again on the royal family
on the monarchy and you know I think
that you know the monarchy a part of our
culture our tradition our history but it
needs to be reformed and it needs to be
brought it back into the 21st century
and for me that means both
constitutional reform so that we're no
longer a nation of subjects but were a
nation of citizens through to the fact
that it needs to be scaled down so that
they're less Royals and the fact that we
have this very privileged very wealthy
family that should be financially
independent but also actually wealth
that they have accumulated three
centuries that they have inherited they
should be giving it back some of it back
to the public because in the end it
belongs to us isn't the truth of the
matter
everybody now looks on the monarchy as a
bargain and unless we get our pound of
flesh from the press and in terms of how
much money they bring into the country
nobody actually believes that that
family should be allowed to rule the
country as right we all look at it as a
transactional arrangement now and you
think we're wrong to do that
no I think well in a way I think we're
wrong but I think also the transaction
is in terms of how how many stories were
they give to the press the press turned
on Megan when she stopped providing so
many photo opportunities for the baby
and very quickly they turn on her and I
think we like to see a soap opera we
like to be provide
with entertainment and if we don't get
that entertainment the country only is
governed by our agreement and we feel we
have to get value from them as
entertainment as well as money being
brought into the country well certainly
all time we provided acres of coverage
in the last couple of months in
particular yes the manual entry I agree
with max actually my sympathy goes to
her majesty
you know she in her last year's she had
to put up with what happened to Prince
Andrew and and she a good it's a tough
time it seems and 2019 has been a very
tough time and her husband was in the
hospital and now this sudden breaking
news about her grandson I think what
Perry should have done is he should have
actually come back from his holiday from
America and Canada and then taken his
time perhaps gone to the Queen he did go
to her majesty when he actually decided
to marry maghen he did ask her and she
gave consent what she should have done
is gone to Reno Windsor Castle or
Buckingham Palace how did she Chad with
his grandmother and then discuss what is
his intention half so that all the
protocol could be followed and then he
could have had a press release but he
preempted and Menten and gave a press
release I mean there are reports and I I
can't verify one way or another that the
Queen was aware to some extent of what
was going to be announced today we just
don't know doing well I do agree with
climb the the British media have
actually you know bitterly tortured them
and he is frightened I mean he is seen
what his mum went through and he doesn't
want his wife to go through that so he's
made that decision but I think is too
preempted and too early the man here in
the in there in a cap yes I admire them
but having the courage to come out and
say what they've said and what they wish
for I have got adult children with
families and if I started to try to tell
them what to do I think I would be out
of order and they would also and also
the question of Frogmore if they didn't
occupy that perhaps they'd give it to
the homeless right
can I just ask out of interest is there
anyone in the audience who thinks that
how and making have done the wrong thing
not a single hand up that's really
interesting I had no idea how this
common safe as we go but that that's
very interesting
[Applause]
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