Various royal reporters, royal historians and royal experts have punched themselves out over the years, and they have zero credibility or genuine gossip at this point. I think that may explain the new crop of names trying and failing to become royal experts, because it feels like every week, there’s some new name of someone claiming to have a CV as a royal historian. The latest is Ed Owens, who is currently on a promotional tour for his book After Elizabeth: Can the Monarchy Save Itself? From what I’ve seen, Owens isn’t a full Deranger and he acknowledges in some ways that the Sussexes’ exit from the monarchy irreparably changed everything. Here are some assorted comments Owens has made:

King Charles’s back channels: “The King obviously wants to maintain a positive reputation with the British people. In that respect, the easiest solution is for him to try and maintain and keep hold of the moral high ground. So far, he’s done that [with the Sussexes]. He’s done that by making it clear, sometimes through back channels. But often, it’s through stories that go out to the press, from the palace, that he very much wants to keep the door open to Harry and Meghan, should they decide they want to return.”

King Charles has put the “onus” on the Sussexes. “He is demonstrating that he is ready to reconcile and that ultimately, the onus is on them to make a decision as to whether they want to heal the wounds that have opened up between them and the rest of the Royal Family. The King has done that quite successfully so far. He’s held the moral high ground, he’s presented himself as a conciliator. That is the best way to maintain his reputation as a public figure.”

How the Windsors react to the Sussexes: “All they can do is carry on in a dignified manner as possible. If the royal family wants to come to light with any new story, this might prove that Harry and Meghan’s complaints about the royal family were true. There was a lot of discussion in both the Netflix series that Harry Meghan made, but also in the book Spare around the record press briefings by the palace against other members of the family. Harry said that there were members of the family that were essentially briefing against him. Now, what the remaining members of the House of Windsor don’t want to do is to have those stories proven true by behaving in some way where they’re found out.”

The Sussexit did real damage: “The story is a slightly tragic one as it has damaged this idea of a family monarchy. This idea that this is a united group who embody, if you like, the best of British family life. Originally King Charles III’s reign was going to be based around him being supported by his two trusty lieutenants — William and Harry. But when that went so disastrously wrong in early 2020 because of Harry and Meghan’s decision to leave Britain, it really put paid to that vision of the family monarchy. And then of course we’ve had the Sussexes airing their dirty laundry in public for the best part of three years — and again it has done much damage to that narrative of happy family life.”

Do away with the “family monarchy” brand altogether: “So why not, as I suggest in my book, do away with this family narrative once and for all? We don’t need to have this big royal family presenting themselves as moral exemplars. King Charles is uniquely placed because he knows first-hand that the ideal of the family rarely matches the reality of the family monarchy.”

[From OK! Magazine, NY Post and GB News]

“He’s done that by making it clear, sometimes through back channels” – lmao. Charles has made nothing clear and has exacerbated the drama constantly through his own buffoonery. The fact that one of his very first acts as king was calling Harry to tell him not to bring Meghan to Balmoral was inexcusable, as was the briefing spree about Meghan and Harry after QEII’s death. He evicted his grandchildren from their secure home, he refused to invite Harry and Meghan to the coronation directly, leaving it to staff, he refused to allow Harry to stay in Windsor Castle for one night, and on and on. Harry has made it clear and on the record that the onus is actually on his father to apologize.

As for “what the remaining members of the House of Windsor don’t want to do is to have those stories proven true by behaving in some way where they’re found out”– that’s an interesting way to put it. This guy is mostly toeing the Windsor line, but as we’ve seen time and time again, these little nuggets of truth come spilling out.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Instar.