Following a dramatic series of royal developments, HELLO!'s Royal Editor Emily Nash sat down on A Right Royal Podcast alongside Editor-in-Chief Jessica Callan and Senior Writer Jack Malvern to unpack the Sussexes' UK school swap, the Palace's reaction to Earl Spencer's allegations, Prince Harry's first UK interview, and the Duchess of Edinburgh's week on the road in Africa.
Scroll down to listen to the full podcast episode.
Archie & Lilibet's sudden school swap & Sussex security
Q: Archie and Lilibet reportedly changed schools just two days after starting term in the UK. How did that happen so quickly?
Emily Nash: "We had a tip that Archie and Lilibet had begun at a different school to the one they'd started at the week before. They'd attended a taster session and we got wind of this. And to be honest, my initial reaction is, 'That's surely not true. They can't have removed them from one school and moved them to another so quickly.' But we looked into this and found out it was exactly the case and put it to the Sussex team. What was extraordinary about it was how fast their decision to move had been.
"The children were enrolled at a school in the city of Oxford. Not a terrible commute from where they were living, but what they hadn't factored in was the very heavy traffic during term time. They'd sent their security team to go and recce this location, but during the school holidays. They weren't actually able to do a proper run-through of the school run until term started. What they found after two days, of course, as they were sitting in stationary traffic, there was one incident in which their car nearly became separated from the security team's car. Of course, this is not a situation you want to be in when you have known threats against you."
Q: How did Harry and Meghan handle having to withdraw them?
Emily Nash: "Their security team raised genuine concerns and said, 'Look, we're not very comfortable about the operational security of taking this route every day.' As a result, I'm told they had to reluctantly withdraw them. Harry and Meghan were apparently very sad about this. I think they had their hearts set on going to this particular school, but they did reluctantly agree that it was necessary to change. So, it's been quite an unsettled start for Archie and Lilibet and their parents, who then had to start all over again.
"Prince Harry was seen showing Lilibet into the reception class. He and Meghan joined WhatsApp groups with other parents, and we hope, for the sake of the children certainly, that they can settle into things now in a calm way and get used to their new lives in the UK because it's been a period of enormous change for them."
Q: Does this situation feed into the ongoing debate around their security levels?
Emily Nash: "No one wants to sit in traffic for too long, but does that justify pulling your kids out of the school? I think probably in Harry and Meghan's case, it does, because of their ongoing security concerns. But of course, this whole story really amplifies their argument that they deserve VIP police protection. There's a bit of cynicism around this whole thing, I must admit, and some people think that they've used this situation to really highlight that need. And it's come at a time that both Harry and Meghan's security is being reviewed by RAVEC—this is the VIP and Royalty Protection Committee. So, this is a key moment, I would say, and of course, does help support their arguments."
Earl Spencer's memoir & Palace pushback
Q: Charles Spencer has released serialised extracts of his new book, Swan Song, Diana, My Sister. What kind of impact is this making in royal circles?
Emily Nash: "It really has unpinned a grenade as far as the royal family are concerned. We knew this book was coming, and we suspected there may be some fairly strong criticism of the royal family made in it. But some of the comments, some of the allegations that he has made have been extraordinarily strong.
"He alleges that on a phone call with Prince Charles discussing funeral arrangements, they had an argument about whether or not the boys—Princes William and Harry—should walk behind their mother's coffin. According to Charles Spencer, this resulted in the now King Charles telling him, 'Rest assured, we will forget about her soon enough,' referring to Diana. Now, this seems like a very unlikely phrase from the King, as far as I have observed him over the years. He's someone who's deeply sensitive, thoughtful, and someone who was actually grief-stricken following Diana's death."
© Instagram / @charles.earl.spencerQ: How did Buckingham Palace respond to these extraordinary claims?
Emily Nash: "Buckingham Palace have made a real 'one and done' statement. It is worth noting the really careful language in it, which is at the same time incredibly damning: 'While we do not comment on books as a matter of principle, His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment, and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss.'
"It's an incredibly elegant and polite way of suggesting that it's not true. The Palace didn't take it lying down, and I think it's really important for them to make that clear right from the outset because really they can just keep referring to that statement, whatever else follows."
Q: How does this leave Prince William and Prince Harry?
Emily Nash: "For William and Harry, they've always been caught between the two sides, and to my mind, this is effectively another war of the Windsors against the Spencers. Earl Spencer said that he's doing it to correct untruths about what happened following his sister's death, but it's also a very lucrative move for him. Harry stayed with him at Althorp when he was in the UK, so they have a somewhat closer relationship. But it puts Harry in a difficult situation because, however much he may like to wear his heart on his sleeve when he talks about his mother, on the other hand, we know he's trying to reconcile with his father. Where does this leave him? He can't very well support what his uncle is saying while at the same time trying to rebuild a very fractious relationship with his dad.
"And William is the person I think maybe in the most difficult situation, because this is his future and his family's future. From everything that happened around the Panorama scandal, William is really sick of people capitalising on his mother's memory to make money."
Prince Harry's first interview since returning to the UK
Q: HELLO! held an exclusive interview with Prince Harry at the Invictus Spirit Awards in Greenwich. What was the atmosphere like?
Jessica Callan: "It was the inaugural awards over here in the UK. We were the media sponsor for the event, and we had the exclusive interview with him. You would have no idea that just an hour earlier, the first portion of his uncle's book had just dropped. Prince Harry turned up with all his Invictus family around him. He couldn't have looked happier, more comfortable with everyone around him. They fundraised £1.7 million, which was incredible."
Q: What did Harry have to say about being back in the UK?
Jessica Callan: "When I asked him what his highlight was so far, he said, 'Do I have to share it with you?' I said, 'Of course you do.' He did say, 'They've been getting back to work, the kids are in school, and we're very happy.' Also, he said, 'Great to be back on British soil,' and he's looking forward to Birmingham next year, saying, 'It's coming home.'
"He looked so comfortable and so happy to be back. You could tell he was really glowing and it's something so important to him. He definitely feels being back in the UK, it's all about old faces, friends, and being surrounded by those he loved."
William and Kate's Scottish escape
Q: While all this was unfolding, Prince William and Princess Catherine were carrying out engagements on the Isle of Bute. How did they appear?
Emily Nash: "I travelled to the Isle of Bute in Scotland. I was absolutely fascinated to see whether there would be any sense of what was going on in William's face. We went to a beautiful place called Ettrick Bay, where William and Catherine took part in a beach clean. They were just themselves. She was on fabulous form, giggling away. At one point William had to drive a tractor down onto the beach to pick up some marine waste, and she sat next to him in the tractor, killing herself laughing.
"It was absolutely business as usual as far as they're concerned. You can't imagine how difficult it is for William to have all of this being played out in public again, but he gave nothing away. You couldn't tell that that was on his mind at all."
© Samir Hussein/WireImageOn the road in Zambia with Sophie
Q: Senior Editor Jack Malvern shadowed the Duchess of Edinburgh on her royal tour of Zambia. What was that experience like?
Jack Malvern: "She's incredible. She's absolutely brilliant at bringing a spotlight to the causes that she really cares about, and she's clearly having a really good time at the same time.
"A couple of days ago we were waking up in the camp, and I came down to where everybody was having breakfast, and there was this big pile of elephant dung on the ground about half a tennis court away from where the Duchess's tent had been. She then proceeded to tell everybody that she woke up and found that she was face-to-face with a hippo. She was in this tent, woke up, and saw this hippo. She moved her sheet to get a closer look, but the noise of the sheet alerted the hippo and it stopped grazing and looked up at her. When asked how far away it was, she said it couldn't have been any nearer than had it been sitting on the seat outside her porch."
© PA Images via Getty ImagesQ: How has Sophie handled the busy schedule and diplomatic duties?
Jack Malvern: "What really has come across to me during this trip is how good she is at being spontaneous, even when things go wrong. On the very first day of the trip, she was separated from her luggage, her flight was delayed, and she had to rush off to her engagement in her 'airplane clothes.' But she just laughed it off and gave her speeches anyway.
"We also had a wonderful visit to the President of Zambia's house. We arrived and there were zebras in his garden chewing on the grass and drinking out of his fountain. The Duchess went in with him, and they ended up chatting for over an hour. She's very good at that diplomatic element, she's game for anything, and she'll get involved in every cause she supports."
