Following a dramatic start to September, HELLO!’s Royal Editor Emily Nash sat down on A Right Royal Podcast to break down the rapid transition of power in Norway, what Meghan and Harry will be doing during their first few weeks in Britain, Sarah Ferguson’s surprise UK return, and major staff changes behind Palace doors.
Scroll down to listen to the full podcast episode.
Norway’s historic succession & family controversy
Q: How is Norway navigating the transition of power following King Harald V's death?
Emily Nash: "It's interesting to see this, isn't it? Because you always have to consider when a monarch passes away, there's a dual story there, isn't there? Because you want to establish continuity straight away, and so whoever comes in as the heir, the successor, immediately becomes king or queen, as they do in this country, has to be visible and has to get out there and address the public. And how, this is one of the great sadnesses, isn't it, of taking the role, is that you only do so on losing your beloved parent. And that must be incredibly difficult."
Q: What additional personal challenges is King Haakon VIII facing during this historic moment?
Emily Nash: "But I'm really thinking for Haakon, he's got a lot of other stuff going on at the moment, not least his wife, now Queen Mette-Marit, she's just had a lung transplant, she has had some complications from that and has not been able to be at his side for some of it. And that, just to add to the pressure, honestly."
© Alamy Stock PhotoQ: Mette-Marit’s son, Marius Borg Høiby, was seen participating in the private family proceedings despite his recent convictions. How difficult is that situation for the family to navigate?
Emily Nash: "I mean, it's quite an extraordinary turn of events. I think from the family's perspective, absolutely they would want him to be part of it, but it makes things incredibly difficult from a PR perspective for the family. This is the new King and Queen; they are attached, for better or worse, to this incredibly damaging story and the situation."
Q: Who is likely to represent the British royal family at King Harald’s state funeral?
Emily Nash: "Well, I think there's, there's probably some flexibility. But the honest answer is we don't know, there are obviously discussions going on behind the scenes. Last I heard, it hadn't been decided. Now, quite often in a situation like this, it would fall to the heir. Obviously, the King has master state concerns, like he's up in Scotland next week... when the funeral takes place. So, it's not impossible for him to attend, but usually he would deputise to his heir. So, it falls on William potentially to go and pay his respects on behalf of the Royal family. The King's also talked about Harold having been a dear cousin. And so, you know, it's not beyond the realms. But we'll find out. "
Harry and Meghan’s UK return: Privacy, plans & party invites
Q: Should Meghan be scared about doing the school run? How do UK privacy regulations protect royal children compared to international coverage?
Emily Nash: "The key to this really is privacy and also the editors' code. So, so much has been said about the British media and you know, Meghan herself talked about the fact she wouldn't be able to go on the school run without it becoming a royal photo shoot. Have you ever seen photographs of William and Kate on the school run?"
"No. It's not the case. And actually, there's very strict self-regulation in the media around the use of children, children's images relating to school. Children's images, full stop, without the permission of a parent, you shouldn't be running. And I think that they will be very well protected by that.
“You know, there is so much speculation about what school the children are at. Even if people know, and people do know... It would never be published because there's a very clear regulation here that just because a child is the offspring of someone in the public eye doesn't mean they're public property."
© InstagramQ: What will Meghan and Harry be doing during their first few weeks back in the UK?
Emily Nash: ”I think, obviously, they'll be settling Archie and Lilibet in. They do have, or Harry certainly does have public appearances lined up for later in the month. And this was always part of the schedule, he was always going to come back to do the WellChild Awards, for example. And a few other events; you can expect a lot of Invictus activity. Obviously, that's coming up next summer.
“But what really fascinates me is to find out what Megan is going to do. Because she has her brand, which is going to be going back and forth to work on that. She's essentially a private citizen here in the UK. Will she pop up with or for Harry? If she does, does that make it look more like they're sort of imitating royal engagements? I think this could become a bit of a problem for them.
“The other thing that I found fascinating this week was Theo James, star of The Gentlemen, coming out and saying that all the rumours around her starring in season three are hot air. That fascinates me. That whole sort of PR bombshell about her returning to acting, very specifically linking her to that production in particular, and now, people at the heart of it saying, it's not right. What is going on there?
Q: What is Meghan’s plan, do you think?
Emily Nash: “From the people I've been speaking to, I think Meghan's plan is to carry on doing what she's been doing. I'm sure they're working on, you know, some of the things they were doing with the Archewell philanthropy, so, the work she was doing around online harm, for example, I'm sure we'll see more of that kind of thing. But do they really want to return to the kind of engagements that they turned their back on? And if they did, how are people going to react to it?
“So there is a danger, isn't there, that the public gets confused about this whole situation, sees them out attending events, and thinks they're back, you know? There's a lot of confusion to be had around this, and I think it makes it a really difficult situation for both royal households, who are very clear in what they're doing, putting duty first, carrying out the responsibilities. And the King's been absolutely clear throughout, you can't be half-in and half-out.”
© Getty Images for W+PDo they really want to return to the kind of engagements that they turned their back on? And if they did, how are people going to react to it?
Q: What about Catherine's Christmas carol concert? Will the Sussexes get an invite? What are your thoughts?
Emily Nash: “That's a really good question. I mean, and this is a very different scenario because if they're suggesting they are in any way in the same sort of boat, are invitations going to be extended? So, it's not impossible for them not to get an invitation, but I think they're a way off. Being invited to parties, a lot might change in that time, and it could be that, you know, now they're all in the same part of the world, channels open up. But at the moment I can't see it happening.
“I think far more interesting could be Remembrance between now and then, because Harry always wants to pay his respects as a former serviceman. He feels absolutely, and he does work with veterans, that's where he would want to be. He's not going to be able to hitch up with the rest of the royal family at the official event. What is he going to do? And will it clash?”
Q: Do you think they’ll be upset by Donald Trump's comments that he’s glad they’re gone?
Emily Nash: “I don't think it's going to trouble them, to be honest, but yeah, I mean, it shows that they certainly divide opinion. They still divide opinion in this country. There's a world though, in which I think if they just get on with their business…”
Sarah Ferguson's UK return & major shaking-up behind Palace doors
Q: Sarah Ferguson has returned to the UK after seven months in Switzerland. What could be behind the move?
Emily Nash: "I think the fact that she's come back now is really interesting. And there are a couple of things that could be behind it. One, she may potentially have inherited some money from, you know, we talked about this, from her great friend whose property she was staying in in Switzerland. But I think probably the key thing for her will be her grandchildren and wanting to spend more time with them. You know, she's just welcomed a new granddaughter, Adelaide. It's still not 100% clear if she's spent any time with her. And while Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank are based in Portugal, they do come back and forth. But she also has Beatrice's children. And what grandmother doesn't want to be closer to them? She can't live in exile forever.
"The thing that I find absolutely fascinating about this is whether or not she is having any conversations with the people investigating Andrew. Because she will have information that people absolutely want to hear. Now, I don't know where things stand between them right now. This is the longest period they've really lived apart. That's ongoing. She's moved back to the UK, she's living in the Home Counties, you know, she's in a six-bedroom property, she wants to live as a private citizen."
© Getty ImagesQ: Who is bankrolling all of this? Her time away and her new property?
Emily Nash: “Well, one thing she's always succeeded in is finding means. We know that, and we're finding out increasingly about sort of the lengths that she has gone to to try to drum up business over the years. So, yeah, I'm sure it will come out more. There are rumours going around that she's in talks to give her version of events.”
Q: There have been major personnel changes at Buckingham Palace recently - including the news that Lieutenant Johnny Thompson is leaving. What is happening behind the scenes?
Emily Nash: "Yes, and this has come as a blow to royal fans who were particularly taken by him. He's a dashing young man, as my grandmother used to say. And often seen in a kilt at the King's side. And I think they do change equerries every sort of three years, so this is not unusual. But he had a sort of special role that was created for him there. And really, the equerry serves as the King's eyes and ears."
"But we've also had the announcement over the summer of the departure of the King's private secretary, Sir Clive Alderton, who's a very seasoned diplomat and had played a big part in the very successful USA visit earlier in the year, working with the King for about 20 years. So it's all change behind the scenes."
© Getty ImagesKing Charles's soft diplomacy
Q: King Charles has maintained a packed schedule despite his ongoing health treatment. What has be up to this week?
Emily Nash: "The King had a really busy day on Wednesday. He hosted a couple of events at Clarence House. The Queen visited the Royal Academy of Dance, then in the evening, they hosted President and Madame Macron for tea at Clarence House before going together to view the Bayeux Tapestry.
"Now, for anyone who doesn't know what this is, it is an incredible 70m-long tapestry that was created by English needlework experts, I suppose, around 1,000 years ago. And it depicts the conquest of England by the Normans. So, William the Conqueror. There's famously a scene in which King Harold, Harold Godwinson of England, is seen with an arrow in his eye, showing how he fell to William the Conqueror. There was a moment in the footage from the night in which they're touring this incredible exhibition, which is now on display at the British Museum, with the Macrons and also with the new Prime Minister, and Charles turned to somebody and said, 'Where is Harold?'
“And I thought, that's a question many of us have been asking over the last few months. Because we know that, according to Spare at least, that is what William called his brother Harry.
© Instagram“And there were some jokes - Charles made a comment about the fact that he was very grateful to the president for bringing back this great reminder of Britain's biggest defeat in history. So there's a lot of bonhomie, a lot of entente cordiale. This is a relationship we know between the King and President Macron that's very warm; it’s been ongoing for quite a while. It took eight years for them to bring this to the UK, and they're seeing this as again a masterstroke of soft diplomacy.”
Q What is next for the monarch?
Emily Nash: “We also know the King is going to be undertaking a very significant, important tour this year. He's going to the Bahamas, he's going to Guyana, and then on to Antigua and Barbuda for the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting. So he is not stopping."
