The Duchess of Sussex has not been back to the UK since the Windsors held her hostage for two weeks when QEII passed away. I sincerely hope she never goes back. I remember, last September, spending too much time worrying about her safety in that very salty island. I also remember suggesting that it would be a good idea for Harry and Meghan to hitch a ride back to the US on Air Force One following QEII’s funeral. At the end of the day, they did not hitch a ride with President Biden, but they did leave soon after the funeral. Now the Daily Mail has “sources” claiming that the Sussexes really did ask the White House if they could hitch a ride back, only to be turned down. Not only that, but apparently the British government actively dissuaded Dr. Jill Biden from attending the Invictus Games in The Hague last year. All of these stories are being billed as “the Sussexes’ political moves are faltering!” Baby, the British government throwing a hissy fit at the FLOTUS is not the political strategy of the winning team.

Amid all of the funeral mess, the Sussexes’ staff reached out to the White House: Their staff reached out to the White House to ask if the couple could get a ride back to the United States on Air Force One. It would have been a grand photo-op: Harry and Meghan climbing the steps of the famous blue-and-white 747 to wave alongside the President and First Lady of the United States. But it was an immediate no from the Americans. Sources with knowledge of the decision said there was barely any discussion on the issue, just a general agreement that the request was a ‘non-starter.’ ‘It would have caused such a commotion. It would have strained relations with the Palace and the new King,’ another source told DailyMail.com.

LOL, how would President Biden justify the cost of letting the Sussexes ride on Air Force One?!? The Bidens can invite whoever they want to ride on Air Force One. But there would have been questions on who would pay for the Duke and Duchess to be passengers on the plane. The US government pays for official trips, like the Bidens’ travel to London, but Harry and Meghan aren’t American officials. President Biden pays for his children and grandchildren to ride the plane, the Democratic Party pays for any travel to campaign events, and news organizations pay for journalists who travel on board to cover the president’s activities.

The Sussexes invited Dr. Biden to the Invictus Games in The Hague: A central point of their outreach was the Invictus Games, held in The Hague in the Netherlands in April 2022. It was the first games since the couple had exited the Royal Family. Prince Harry created the games to honor wounded warriors and the event already had been a bonding point between Harry and the Bidens. Both Bidens attended the games when they were held in Canada in 2017. And Jill Biden attended the 2016 games in Florida.

Dr. Biden wanted to go: The First Lady wanted to attend the 2022 games, per a source close to her. She was the mother of a veteran and, through her Joining Forces Initiative, was a huge supporter of the military and their families. And she shared her love of the armed forces with Harry, a veteran of Afghanistan.

British officials threw a tantrum about it: However, British officials, in a working level conversation, conveyed to National Security Council staff that they thought the idea would land badly, a source said. ‘She wanted to go,’ a person familiar with the event told DailyMail.com of the First Lady, but noted the East Wing was concerned the Palace could be hurt if she attended. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and his husband Chasten led the US delegation instead.

[From The Daily Mail]

The Invictus stuff is both fascinating and infuriating. I was also surprised last year when Pete Buttigieg was the highest-ranking member of the American delegation to Invictus, especially given Dr. Biden’s long-standing support of Invictus and veterans. Now the Mail’s own sources are admitting that the British government spent the time and energy to throw a tantrum about it to the First Lady’s office. THAT is the story, not “the Bidens snubbed the Sussexes.” The story is that there are people very high in the British government who are using what little political capital they have to whine, cry and stomp their feet about the Biden administration doing anything friendly with the Sussexes.

I bet something very similar happened with the Air Force One situation too – in the middle of the whole QEII-funeral extravaganza, someone at 10 Downing Street was sent to speak to one of Biden’s senior staff and the topic was “please don’t give Harry and Meghan a ride on your plane.” I truly don’t think the Mail or the Torys understand how ridiculous and, frankly, unhinged this makes them look. No wonder Dr. Biden made a point of telling the press that she read Spare.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.