Air Force One: America or Bust

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s struggles to retain the standing provided to them as Royals proves tough to hack

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex at the 2022 Invictus Games at The Hague

On September 7th, 2022, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were flown to Düsseldorf in a government plane funded by the German taxpayer. They were visiting the city to “survey venues” for the next Invictus Games and were collected from RAF Northolt in West London by one of the German Air Force’s fleet of four Bombardier Global 5000 jets. Usually used to carry Germany’s Chancellors and Political leaders round Europe, the 13-seater aircraft, nicknamed the “Bugatti of the Air” on account of its speed, was helmed by the Bundeswher, German Armed Forces. And by Bundeswher’s account, they were “happy to assist with the journey”.

A day later, Queen Elizabeth died.

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Not commoners yet they are not quite Royals. The Sussexes's challenges to forge ties with America's political elite was broken down on Wednesday in the Daily Mail via a comprehensively-sourced story: A request by the Sussexes for two seats on Air Force One was shot down by the White House. As it turns out, in the wake of their exit from the Firm, preserving the treatment and relational ties they were accustomed to as Royals has been easier said than done.

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.

Without a doubt, it would have been a coup and a photograph for all of the front pages. President Joe Biden and the First Lady of the United States Jill Biden accompanied by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, conveniently photographed climbing the iconic steps to Air Force 1 on their way back to their adopted home: America. Leaving behind the cold, distant Windsors for the warm embrace of the Biden clan and sunny California. Rubbing shoulders with the Leader of the Free World and his wife would’ve gone long way towards driving that narrative home.

But it was not to be.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle wanted to ride back to the United States on Air Force One after the Queen's funeral – but the request was denied by the White House in case it caused a 'commotion,' sources have revealed to DailyMail.com.

Months earlier, First Lady Jill Biden was also invited to attend Harry's Invictus Games – but the idea was killed amid concerns that the Royal Family may have been offended by her presence there.

Both the failed initiatives are understood to have been part of a campaign by the Sussexes to gain political influence in the US as they settled into life in California. Meghan publicly advocated for paid family leave to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, and worked behind the scenes to connect with the Bidens, DailyMail.com discovered from speaking to many current and former officials in the Biden administration and in the British government.

This leak was not borne from mouths of back-stabbing Courtiers roaming the crown-molded halls of Buckingham Palace. It came from government buildings in Washington DC and seasons diplomats and advisors in the British government. The origins of this leak are no different than the stories which leaked about Trump’s disastrous call with the Australian Prime Minister in 2017 or the draft memo that leaked stating Trump wanted to galvanize the National Guard to “round up” undocumented immigrants. Government employees are some of the biggest gossips out there, even more so when the story is ridiculous.

Royal Tea is only rivaled by Washington Tea. So while I know understand there are some readers who hate everything the Daily Mail stands for (with good reason), take a step back and see this for what it is: A good, old-fashioned political gossip story on how Heads of States are handling the Sussexes. How did we get here? Turns out that since moving to the United States, the Sussexes have been hustling hard to make friends and forge alliances with the cream of the political crop. They’d been campaigning heavily to get the Bidens as allies. Let’s dig in and analyze the approach and where they went side-ways:

Invitation to the Invictus Games

The Sussexes personally invited Jill Biden to the 2022 Invictus Games, the first one held since they left the Firm in 2020. Even though she would’ve liked to attend Jill declined due to guidance from her advisors, members on the National Security Council and the British Government: “British officials, in a working level conversation, conveyed to National Security Council staff that they thought the idea would land badly, a source said.”

The invitation itself was nothing out of the ordinary. Jill Biden attended the Invictus Games in 2014, 2016 and in 2017. But, we are not in 2017 anymore. Sussex Supporters will frame this as the “Men in Gray” sabotaging Harry and “hurting the troops” because they’re sooooo jelluz but that is a reductive turn of thinking. In large part because it ignores two very big points: