bitchy | Scobie: Prince Harry is waiting for ‘accountability’ from ‘line-crossing’ William

Omid Scobie’s weekly Yahoo UK column is all about Prince William and Prince Harry and how there’s really nothing new to report, despite the British media’s unhinged focus on their relationship. I would argue – and I believe Scobie is indicating this as well – that William has gone on a briefing spree alongside the Sussexes’ visit to the UK and Germany. There’s clearly a delusional need for William to overemphasize that HE doesn’t want to see Harry… even though Harry has made it abundantly clear that he has zero time for Peggington drama. The briefing spree says more about William’s immaturity and his short-sightedness more than anything else. Anyway, Scobie has some fun tea. Let’s get into it – you can read the full piece here, and here are some highlights:

On all of the stories about the Cambridges “snubbing” the Sussexes during their visit: Speak to real sources and you’ll find that the breathless speculation is questionable at best, gossip with an agenda at worst. “There’s a laughable effort to suggest the [Sussexes] have been shunned,” someone familiar with the current family dynamics tells me, adding that Sussexes kept their work-focused itinerary…as tight as possible so not to be away from their children for too long. “The true story is, they never reached out to the Cambridges.” Even a senior palace aide confessed to me, “Looking at [the coverage], you would be forgiven for thinking that certain family members have had a say in the matter. They have not.”

The Diana statue unveiling last year: Last summer, when the Duke of Sussex and Duke of Cambridge came together to unveil a statue celebrating the life of their late mother, much was made about the fact that it could become a day of reconciliation (in the end, it was not—Harry left the event just 15 minutes after their photo call). It was a similar scenario during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June—but beyond some polite hellos, there was little else to report.

Harry wants accountability: “People are desperate for steps to be made but behind the scenes there hasn’t been movement,” explains a family friend. “What [Harry] is waiting for is accountability… Many lines were crossed by William. He was at the centre of a number of painful moments, be it the actions of his own staff or turning his back when support was needed. It was a dark time and one that, so far, William has been unprepared to unpack.”

William wants an apology from Harry: Equally, adds the friend, Prince William is “still waiting” for an apology from his brother for making details of private family matters public. “When you look at the bare facts, it becomes obvious why it is pretty much the same state of affairs as years ago.”

Harry’s memoir: Though recent tabloid reports claim there is hesitation on the Cambridge side to engage with the Sussexes for fear of details ending up in Harry’s forthcoming memoir, the fact that his manuscript was finished months ago (a fact known to all family members), makes it pretty clear that the book is not an obstacle to reconciliation. It just makes for compelling clickbait.

[From Yahoo UK]

Hit after hit: “The true story is, they never reached out to the Cambridges.” And: “Looking at [the coverage], you would be forgiven for thinking that certain family members have had a say in the matter. They have not.” All of that was clear from the start. Harry and Meghan are not hiding family agendas – they came to the Jubbly because they were invited personally by the Queen, and they came to see her and pay respect to her. This week’s trip was also an open book: they were coming for charitable appearances and nothing more. William and Kate are the desperados trying to endlessly force themselves into the Sussexes’ newscycle.

As for what that “family source” says about Harry wanting accountability… that made me so sad. William expected to treat Harry and Meghan like garbage, smear them both for years and steal their work and accomplishments and then William has the delusional arrogance to believe that Harry and Meghan should never have a right to speak about how he treated them. William was always the problem.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Instar and Avalon Red.