Prince Harry’s Attacks on Family: Unforgiveable?
Editor writes…
According to the Gospel, before we “go public” with criticisms, we ought to try to settle differences with the person(s) concerned. It’s not clear that Harry has tried to do so. The general opinion (in the media) seems to be that he is using the media outlets to make money out of his family problems.
If someone in your family were to do this, would you forgive them?
Tell us if there anything in the panel discussion above with which you agree/disagree. And help us to answer this question in the context of the ongoing right royal row: how might we interpret Christ’s injunction to forgive offenders not merely seven times, but seventy times seven? (Matthew 18:22).
Your thoughts – but first, note: this thread is aimed at discussing the extent and limitations (if any) of forgiveness. It is not to be used to bash the royal family. We are not “anti-monarchist” here. Anti-Government, yes, but not anti-monarchist 😀 Fair comment is acceptable – anti-monarchist rabble-rousing is not 😀
Comments (19)
I think the royal family (at least King Charles and William) need to sit down with Harry in private and help him to see that he is destroying himself (with the help of his wife).
There cannot be any limit on forgiveness, that is what Jesus meant by 70 x 7, but if someone doesn’t ask for forgiveness, but keeps asking for an apology instead, which is what Harry is doing, then there’s not a lot that his family can do. Forgiveness isn’t a sentimental thing btw, it doesn’t have to be a feeling, just a determination to put all the hurt etc behind them. In any disagreement, it’s not possible for one person to put it right, there has to be goodwill and a meeting of minds by all concerned. I hope they can fix this soon before the very troubled Harry causes himself severe mental stress.
Forgiveness would require that the person doesn’t intend to continue to transgress. Harry and Meegain have an ongoing documentary series deal with Netflix and a lucrative Spotify podcast contract. The new book is the first installment of a 4 book deal. All of these are worth multiple millions. No-one pays those amounts unless someone is going to continue to air the dirty laundry.
Forgiveness may take some time.
Andrew Q,
Put it like that, and I think you are right – forgiveness may take some time. I hadn’t realised there were more books to come. That’s devastating. What a terrible start to the new King’s reign.
I was quite struck with something Jacob Reece-Mogg said in a recent interview. He recounted from childhood that he never cried when his mother went away, only when nanny went away.
There is something unhealthy about the way the nobility raise their children. They send them away to schools at a very early age and place them in the general care of nannies or other strangers, which combination disrupts normal emotional bonds with parents. Hence, there’s a distance and a hardness in these offspring as they reach adulthood. As regards royalty, we all know that, in general, they are also encouraged in young adulthood to have “experiences” before they settle down to married life.
All of this is contrary to the Commandments of God and the natural order established by Him, which is why, apart from the late Queen Elizabeth, our Royal Family is actually quite disfunctional.
They have no Catholic moral compass in life, which is why Charles, Anne and Andrew all divorced and why Harry has set himself on the road to disaster. He’s an immature spoiled brat who publicly bewails personal sorrows, both real and imagined, that many ordinary citizens have likewise suffered in their lives, though without the comfort of his privilege and wealth. Megan has become his controller; she has isolated her own family and is now in the process of isolating Harry from his. To quote Lady Colin Campbell in this manipulation, “Harry was never the brightest pebble on the beach”.
His brother William is far more stable, both in his marriage and as regards his duties of State. He seems to be happily married to Kate, who appears to be also level headed and dutiful. That’s the kind of alternative example which is keeping the Royal Family relevant for most Britons.
Given, however, that King Charles and Prince William, like the late Prince Philip, are on message with the globalist climate change myth, a myth of Communist origin, I don’t hold out great hope for the future of the Royal Family. I think that unless they get their royal house in order and get back to the Christian basics, it’s a family doomed to self destruction. That’s my sad view of things as they stand.
Concerning this sending young children away to distant schools at a young age, I have never agreed with this cruel and heartless method. Our Lord gave the example He desires for families by living and growing in the Holy Family under the watchful and loving guidance of Mary and Joseph for 30 years. Those who dispatch their young to strange and distant schools contradict this example and usually pay a high price for breaking that emotional bond with their children. For me, they betray their duty as parents, however well intentioned they are. Prince Harry is a classic example of the coldness and resentment that results.
Sorry, “disfunctional” should read “dysfunctional”. Maybe I’m getting a little dyslectic in my old age. Or should that be dislectic!!
LOL! That’s very funny, Athanasius!
MM (and Athanasius)
It IS very funny, which is why I’m not correcting the typo!
Editor
All typos were deliberate, including “Reece” instead of Rees and “dyslectic/dislectic” instead of dyslexic. Aye, right!
I’m intellectually out of shape!
Athanasius,
That’s one consequence of my tendency to read too fast – I didn’t even notice the “Reece” or any other typos! I make no comment on you being “out of shape” in any which way whatsoever 😀
I so agree about sending children off to boarding schools or placing them with nannies. In a way that is what parents are doing these days by putting their toddlers into day-care, so they can get back to work asap.
I actually think Harry regrets what he’s done. I just get that feeling but his awful wife seems to have a hold over him that is powerful and he can’t see how manipulative she is, although he did say at some point to someone “what Meghan wants, Meghan gets” so he does have some awareness of what she’s like in that regard.
Michaela,
I think Harry is regretful, too, and some reports say he didn’t actually want his book to be published, but too late. I think we should pray hard for him – he is very mixed up.
This is really bad news. Prince Harry’s careless words about killing Taliban members has brought calls for retaliation. This is very worrying.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/anjem-choudary-calls-duke-of-sussex-a-muslim-killer-and-calls-on-jihadis-to-retaliate/ar-AA166DmJ?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=6578a96bd5994d9595bbcf11f6714942
I don’t know what the answer is, but a peacemaker is needed in that family and I doubt very much if it will be Meghan. She seems to be a master manipulator, a troublemaker.
Lily
Yes, that was a very foolish thing Harry said and it now puts greater strain on security services. Look at Salman Rushdie, he was attacked decades after calls were issued by Islamic extremists to kill him.
Putting that aside, I really don’t think Harry was allowed anywhere near the fighting in Afghanistan. I believe he’s lying about the numbers he killed, though even if lying he still demonstrates a shocking lack of respect for human life. Regardless of who the enemy is, they are human beings.
That’s the kind of thing Lady C was referring to when she said that Harry has never been the brightest pebble on the beach. As for regret, I’m not sure he regrets anything. I haven’t heard a single word from him to indicate regret for what he has done to his family.
A tale told by an idiot full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.
cbucket,
You’re not the first person to say that about me. Ach well. 😀
All (or most) families have problems and fall-outs. Obviously, this has become so high profile because of four reasons: (a) the fact that it involves the Royal Family (b) an unhealthy interest from a large swathe of the public in the misfortunes of others – poring over every press and media report of every alleged occurrence; (c) an over intrusive media, only too glad to capitalise on the problems; (d) certain members of the Royal Family clearly manipulating the media for their own ends. I think the best solution is to starve the whole situation of the oxygen of publicity. Stop reading media reports, wherever they occur. There are more pressing matters in the world that deserve our attention.
WF,
That’s all well and good but the issue of forgiveness is key in this matter. Latest reports are that people were raging watching the ITV interview and switched off in droves. That’s fine, but what about within the family – those of us with very similar problems of a major rift, do have an issue about forgiveness. 70 x 7 is not easy, LOL! You don’t tackle that issue, so maybe in the same situation you would just double down and stick to your own corner. I’m tempted to do the same thing but if there is another way out, I’d like to know.
Trying to arrange conciliation meetings doesn’t work. If someone is so stubborn and immature and just doesn’t want to talk, probably because it means admitting some guilt in themselves, how do you forgive? Writing notes emails etc doesn’t get any response. How can you forgive but if you don’t then the feelings of bitterness just grow and grow.
I agree that if the media stop publicising this royal rift it might be better for Harry (probably would be) but with the issue staring us in the face, as Catholics surely we should want to seek and hopefully give some answers as to how to deal with such a major family rift?
Fidelis,
I think there’s two issues here.
The issue of forgiveness amongst the members of the Royal Family is not a key matter for us. I don’t feel I have anything to forgive them for – I don’t know them and it’s none of our business, however hard the media and certain Royal Family members try to suck us into this toxic vortex of claim and counterclaim. There are already countless articles in the media, advising the Royal Family what they should do, what they shouldn’t do etc. I think people should just mind their own business and let them get on with their own issues, and if certain members of the Royal Family choose to go very public on this or that issue, just ignore them. If there’s anyone who can afford to have access to professional help to solve their issues, it’s the Royal Family. The man (and woman) in the street constantly gabbing on about who they think is to blame and what should be done in the Royal Family isn’t going to help anything or anybody. That was my point.
Having said that, I agree that families do have problems, and very often you can get situations where warring factions become completely intransigent, and progress seems impossible. It’s very difficult but at least we ought to be thankful that we don’t have our family issues played out in the glare of the media. I think when situations like this occur, all that we can do is resort to prayer, penance, and having Masses offered for reconciliation, and avoiding any words or actions that will add fuel to the fire. When I was in a similar situation once, a priest said to me that as long as I had tried to reconcile, and didn’t harbour any ill-will towards the other person, even though relationships had seriously broken down, then I wasn’t guilty of any sin. If you have indicated that you want to be reconciled with someone and they refuse to do so, there is nothing more you can do, apart from the spiritual remedies listed above. The problem, ultimately, becomes that of the person(s) who refuse to reconcile.
Seems there is a significant error in Harry’s newly released book, which may, of course, be a simple error of memory, but, as critics point out, it raises questions about the overall accuracy of the contents.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/significant-queen-mother-mistake-in-prince-harry-s-new-book-sparks-fresh-accuracy-storm/ar-AA16b7Zq?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=6ecd2e4c165a4e5a86a6dceb3231e657#comments
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