Kate was so angry at the commonwealth service. Kate and William are always so professional and will smile no matter what. Whatever went on, it was serious.
Yes, I've never seen her so icy. Whatever has happened behind closed doors, they've clearly burned their bridges with Kate. I wonder if we'll ever find out?
I suspect that Palace advisors are working non-stop on anticipating every contingency. Their priority must surely be the continuity of the Monarchy now, rather than individuals.
Charles is in a tricky position IMO and between a rock and a hard place. The Queen's mantra has always been "Duty first, self second" (or was that Helen Mirren?
).
But Charles is coming over as a father first, and POW second, and the thing is, there's nothing wrong with that....provided you're not the Prince of Wales! He cannot IMO continue to bale out H&M using Duchy of Cornwall money, or even worse, public funds. If the latter, the public won't stand for it, and if he continues to use 'his' income from the Duchy estates then there's a big problem there too.
I understand that the POW has the stewardship of the Duchy of Cornwall, and the income derived from it is the 'purse' of the Prince of Wales, i.e it's the pocket money of the heir to the throne while he (or I suppose she) is waiting for the current Monarch to pop their clogs. So it's in Charles' gift at the moment, and on HMQ's death, it will go to William, and on his death to George.
Now if I were HMQ, or William or a Palace advisor, I'd be very concerned that the Duchy's coffers were haemorraging money to H&M. I totally understand that Charles, both as a father and as the POW must be beside himself about the welfare of his son and grandchild, as well as the impact all this is having on the reputation of the Monarchy.
But is it okay for C to allow H&M to effectively plunder Williams's and George's birthright so they can piss it up the wall? He stands to be perceived as weak and profligate if he does. Or if he doesn't, and cuts them off, as a cold and uncaring father which buys into H&M's narrative of victims and the RF being nasty and toxic. And of course, there's the spectre of "but what if something happens?" .
Charles must have his own personal wealth, but the RF and indeed all old families /institutions have different behaviours and values when it comes to money.
What's clear, to me at any rate, is that H&M will continue to ponce off Charles and the taxpayer for as long as they can. If the marriage lasts until Harry gets access to his trust fund, then he, or rather she, will go through that in a flash on geegaws / holidays / dresses / parties / booze / drugs (I think Harry would be happy with a box set, some drugs and some booze). When they divorce, M will get lots of lolly as a lump sum from the Palace, and then some more while Archie is a minor - if she has custody. Harry will end up potless and dissolute.
What a clusterfuck.