Royals
Memoir is about saving royals from themselves: Prince Harry
Prince Harry has said he had enough material for two memoirs, but that he held back because he didn't think his father and brother would “ever forgive" him.
In an interview with British newspaper The Telegraph published Saturday, he also said that releasing his memoir wasn't an attempt “to collapse the monarchy. This is about trying to save them from themselves."
“And I know that I will get crucified by numerous people for saying that,” he said.
Harry's candid autobiography, “Spare,” sold 1.4 million English-language copies on the first day it was published. Many of its revelations and accusations were splashed across the global media this week. In the book, the 38-year-old revealed how his grief at the death of his mother, Princess Diana, affected him, and saw Harry detail his resentment at being the “spare to the heir."
“It could have been two books, put it that way,” Harry said in the interview. “But there are some things that have happened, especially between me and my brother, and to some extent between me and my father, that I just don’t want the world to know. Because I don’t think they would ever forgive me.”
Harry also said in the interview that he worried about William's children, saying he felt “a responsibility knowing that out of those three children, at least one will end up like me, the spare. And that hurts, that worries me.”
He said he felt this way despite William making it clear to him that “his kids are not my responsibility.”
Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace haven't commented on Harry's book or his string of media interviews to publicize it.
1 year ago
Royals tour US green tech incubator, meet at-risk youth
The Prince and Princess of Wales on Thursday heard about solar-powered autonomous boats and low-carbon cement at a green technology startup incubator in suburban Boston before learning how a nonprofit gives young people the tools to stay out jail and away from violence.
William and Kate, making their first overseas visit since the death of Queen Elizabeth II, also found time for hundreds of cheering onlookers at each stop on the second of three days in the city. The royal couple spent 10 minutes with the crowd at one stop, chatting, taking selfies and receiving lots of flower bouquets. Some fans held up signs “Welcome to Boston, Your Highnesses” and “Welcome to Chelsea, the Future King and Queen of England.”
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” declared Loren Simao, who said she’s watched William grow up over several decades. “They are just wonderful people, and we need more of them in the world.”
The visit started Wednesday with a reception at Boston City Hall and a trip to a Boston Celtics basketball game. It culminates Friday with the awarding of the prince’s signature Earthshot Prize, a global competition aimed at finding new ways to protect the planet and tackle climate change.
The trip also comes amid uproar back home over an 83-year-old honorary member of the royal household who reportedly asked the Black chief executive of an east London women’s refuge where she “really came from” after she told the older woman that she was British. Some said the incident was an example of wider issues of racism at Buckingham Palace.
On Thursday, William and Kate stopped by Roca Inc., a nonprofit north of Boston that strives to halt the cycle of incarceration, poverty, unemployment, substance abuse, pregnancy and racism faced by young men and women ages 16 to 24.
Roca CEO Dr. Molly Baldwin and Chelsea police Capt. Dave Batchelor explained the science and cognitive behavioral therapy used by the nonprofit.
Read more: When Bollywood actor Padmini Kolhapure kissed King Charles
During the visit, the royal couple met with two young men involved in the program.
“Well I hope you give yourself a pat on the back as well, you got yourself here,” the prince told Jonathan Williams. “These guys have provided you with the support and the outside bit, but you’ve done it yourself.”
The couple also talked to some participants in Roca’s program for young mothers. The royals, who have three children, even showed off their parenting skills while interacting with some of the kids, at one point helping a little girl look for her mother.
Before heading to Roca, the couple went to Greentown Labs in Somerville, where they were greeted by CEO Emily Reichert, Mayor Katjana Ballantyne as well as Joe Curtatone, the former mayor of the city just north of Boston who is now the president of the Northeast Clean Energy Council.
Since its 2011 founding, Greentown, the largest climate technology startup incubator in North America, has supported more than 500 companies that have created more than 9,000 jobs.
While at Greentown, the royal couple chatted to Shara Ticku, CEO of c16 Biosciences, a company developing decarbonized alternatives for the consumer products supply chain, starting with a sustainable alternative to palm oil. “Oils today come from animals or plants,” Ticku said. “We made this from fungi.”
At Open Ocean Robotics, CEO and cofounder Julie Angus told the prince and princess about their solar-powered autonomous boats, which provide real-time information about the oceans. Angus had a computer and monitor on her table, showing data of a real boat out in the harbor in Victoria, British Columbia, where the company is based.
“Five knots? That’s quite quick,” the prince said, looking at the screen. “It’s amazing it hasn’t capsized,” he added. Angus noted that the boats are able to self-right.
William and Kate also chatted with Katherine Dafforn, co-founder of Living Seawalls, an Australian company that designs environmentally friendly ocean infrastructure. “For all of us, time is ticking,” William said.
Upon their departure from Greentown Labs, Kate received flowers from 8-year-old Henry Dynov-Teixeira, who was wearing a King’s Guard costume.
Thursday’s agenda also included a visit to the Boston waterfront, where the royal couple braved brisk conditions to learn about efforts to prepare the Boston Harbor community for rising seas and other impacts of climate change.
Read more: Not just any cake: A Bollywood homage to queen for Jubilee
As they left, Prince William talked with several park workers who asked if they had enjoyed the Boston Celtics game they attended Wednesday night. Prince William said Kate had asked if he wanted to shoot some hoops.
“Ten feet up? It’s been a long time since I’ve done that,” he laughed, adding, “We might come back when it’s a bit warmer. It’s beautiful along the waterfront.”
The royal couple’s first trip to the U.S. since 2014 is part of the British royal family’s efforts to change their international image. In the wake of Elizabeth’s death, King Charles III, William’s father, has made clear that his will be a slimmed-down monarchy, with less pomp and ceremony than its predecessors.
That includes a focus on the Earthshot Prize, which offers 1 million pounds ($1.2 million) in prize money to each of the winners of five separate categories: nature protection, clean air, ocean revival, waste elimination and climate change. The winners and all 15 finalists also receive help in expanding their projects to meet global demand.
The winners are scheduled to be announced Friday at Boston’s MGM Music Hall as part of a glitzy show headlined by Billie Eilish, Annie Lennox, Ellie Goulding and Chloe x Halle. The show will also feature videos narrated by naturalist David Attenborough and actor Cate Blanchett.
2 years ago
Too much? BBC gets complaints over Prince Philip coverage
The U.K.’s national broadcaster switched instantly into mourning mode when Prince Philip’s death was announced Friday.
The BBC canceled its regular programming and aired special coverage hosted by black-clad news anchors throughout the day. Popular prime-time shows such as the cooking contest “MasterChef” were supplanted, and the network’s music radio stations played instrumentals and somber tunes.
Some Britons saw the BBC’s actions as a fitting mark of respect. For others, it was a bit much.
The broadcaster received so many complaints alleging its reporting was excessive that it set up a special website page for viewers to register objections if they felt there was “too much TV coverage of the death of HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.” It didn’t disclose how many people had complained by Saturday.
Simon McCoy, a long-time BBC news presenter who recently left the network, suggested the wall-to-wall coverage was inordinate.
Also read: Prince Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, dies aged 99
“BBC1 and BBC2 showing the same thing. And presumably the News Channel, too. Why? I know this is a huge event. But surely the public deserve a choice of programming?” McCoy said on Twitter.
The publicly funded BBC often finds itself under fire from all sides for its treatment of major national events. When the Queen Mother Elizabeth died in 2002, the broadcaster received criticism because the announcer who delivered the news did not wear a black tie.
Britain’s other TV stations also gave extensive coverage to Philip’s death at age 99 and after 73 years of marriage to Queen Elizabeth II. Commercial network ITV aired news coverage and tribute programs all day Friday in place of scheduled programming.
The BBC is under unique pressure, though, because it is taxpayer-funded. Scrutiny and questions about its role have grown in recent years as commercial rivals and streaming services give audiences more choice.
Also read: Philip, in role with no job description, was queen’s bedrock
The BBC has often irked governments with its coverage of their failings and scandals. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative administration has been especially rankled, detecting a liberal bias in the broadcaster’s coverage of issues such as Brexit.
For a time, the government refused to allow Cabinet ministers to appear on major BBC news programs, and it mulled the idea of scrapping the 159 pound ($218) a year license fee that households pay to fund the broadcaster.
BBC Director-General Tim Davie has acknowledged the organization must evolve with changing times, but says it remains essential to British society.
“We have a different purpose” than broadcasters such as Netflix, Davie told U.K. lawmakers last month. “I’m not running a business for profit. I’m running...an organization for purpose.”
Also read: Bangladesh, British Bangladeshi community lost a true friend with Prince Philip's demise: PM
3 years ago
Both Royals and Challengers eye to final
Rajshahi Royals and Chattogram Challengers to face each other in the Qualifier-2 of the ongoing Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
4 years ago