3-76

76.

I jumped into the car and was immediately told that a strongly worded denial had been put out by

the Palace, squashing that morning’s bullying¹ story. The denial was signed by none other than…

me. And Willy. My name attached by faceless others to words I’d never even seen—let alone

approved? I was stunned².

I went back to Frogmore. From there, remotely, over the next few days, I took part in the

drafting of a final statement, which went out January 18, 2020.

The Palace announced that The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had agreed to “step back,” that

we’d no longer “formally” represent the Queen, that our HRH titles would be in “abeyance”

during this transitional year — and that we’d offered to reimburse³ the Sovereign Grant for

refurbishments to Frogmore Cottage.

A firm “no comment” on the status of our security.

I flew back to Vancouver. Delicious reunion with Meg, Archie and the dogs. And yet, for a

few days, I didn’t feel fully⁴ back. Part of me was still in Britain. Still at Sandringham. I spent

hours glued to my phone, and the internet, monitoring the fallout. The ire directed at us by the

papers and the trolls was alarming.

“Make no mistake, it’s an insult,” cried the Daily Mail, which convened⁵ a “Fleet Street jury”

to consider our “crimes.” Among them was the Queen’s ex–press secretary, who concluded, with

his fellow jurors, that we should hereafter “expect no mercy.”

I shook my head. No mercy. The language of war?

Clearly this was more than simple anger. These men and women saw me as an existential

threat. If our leaving posed a threat to the monarchy⁶, as some were saying, then it posed a threat to

all those covering the monarchy for a living.

Hence, we had to be destroyed.

One of this lot, who’d written a book about me and thus provably depended on me to pay her

rent, went on live TV to explain confidently that Meg and I had departed from Britain without so

much as a by-your-leave to Granny. We’d discussed it with no one, she said, not even Pa. She

announced these falsehoods with such unfaltering certainty that even I was tempted⁷ to believe her,

and thus her version of events quickly became “the truth” in many circles. Harry⁸ blindsided the

Queen! That was the narrative⁹ that took hold. I could feel it oozing¹⁰ into history books, and I could

imagine boys and girls at Ludgrove, decades hence, having that hogwash rammed¹¹ down their

throats.

I sat up late, brooding on it all, going over the progression of events and asking myself: What’s

the matter with these people? What makes them like this?

Is it all just about the money?

Isn’t it always? All my life I’ve heard people saying the monarchy was expensive,

anachronistic¹², and Meg and I were now served up as proof. Our wedding was cited as Exhibit A. It

cost millions, and thereafter we’d up and left. Ingrates.

But the family paid for the actual wedding, and a huge portion of the remaining cost was for

security, much of which was made necessary by the press stirring up racism¹³ and class resentment¹⁴.

And the security experts themselves told us the snipers and sniffer dogs weren’t just for us: they

were to prevent a shooter from strafing the crowds on the Long Walk, or a suicide bomber¹⁵

blowing up the parade route.

Maybe money sits at the heart of every controversy¹⁶ about monarchy. Britain has long had

trouble making up its mind. Many support the Crown, but many also feel anxious about the cost.

That anxiety is increased by the fact that the cost is unknowable. Depends on who’s crunching¹⁷ the

numbers. Does the Crown cost taxpayers¹⁹? Yes. Does it also pay a fortune into government

coffers? Also yes. Does the Crown generate tourism income that benefits all? Of course. Does it

also rest upon lands obtained and secured when the system was unjust and wealth was generated

by exploited workers and thuggery, annexation²⁰ and enslaved people?

Can anyone deny it?

According to the last study I saw, the monarchy costs the average taxpayer¹⁸ the price of a pint²¹

each year. In light of its many good works that seems a pretty sound investment. But no one wants

to hear a prince argue for the existence of a monarchy, any more than they want to hear a prince

argue against it. I leave cost-benefit analyses to others.

My emotions are complicated on this subject, naturally, but my bottom-line position isn’t. I’ll

forever support my Queen, my Commander in Chief, my Granny. Even after she’s gone. My

problem has never been with the monarchy, nor the concept of monarchy. It’s been with the press

and the sick relationship that’s evolved between it and the Palace. I love my Mother Country, and

I love my family, and I always will. I just wish, at the second-darkest moment of my life, they’d

both been there for me.

And I believe they’ll look back one day and wish they had too.

1 bullying   

v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈

参考例句：

• Many cases of bullying go unreported . 很多恐吓案件都没有人告发。
• All cases of bullying will be severely dealt with. 所有以大欺小的情况都将受到严肃处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 stunned   

adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• The fall stunned me for a moment. 那一下摔得我昏迷了片刻。
• The leaders of the Kopper Company were then stunned speechless. 科伯公司的领导们当时被惊得目瞪口呆。

3 reimburse   

v.补偿，付还

参考例句：

• We'll reimburse you for your travelling expenses.我们将付还你旅费。
• The funds are supposed to reimburse policyholders in the event of insurer failure.这项基金将在保险公司不能偿付的情况下对投保人进行赔付。

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

5 convened   

召开( convene的过去式 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合

参考例句：

• The chairman convened the committee to put the issue to a vote. 主席召集委员们开会对这个问题进行表决。
• The governor convened his troops to put down the revolt. 总督召集他的部队去镇压叛乱。

6 monarchy   

n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国

参考例句：

• The monarchy in England plays an important role in British culture.英格兰的君主政体在英国文化中起重要作用。
• The power of the monarchy in Britain today is more symbolical than real.今日英国君主的权力多为象徵性的，无甚实际意义。

7 tempted   

v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词）

参考例句：

• I was sorely tempted to complain, but I didn't. 我极想发牢骚，但还是没开口。
• I was tempted by the dessert menu. 甜食菜单馋得我垂涎欲滴。

8 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。

9 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

10 oozing   

v.（浓液等）慢慢地冒出，渗出( ooze的现在分词 )；使（液体）缓缓流出；（浓液）渗出，慢慢流出

参考例句：

• Blood was oozing out of the wound on his leg. 血正从他腿上的伤口渗出来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The wound had not healed properly and was oozing pus. 伤口未真正痊瘉，还在流脓。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 rammed   

v.夯实（土等）( ram的过去式和过去分词 )；猛撞；猛压；反复灌输

参考例句：

• Two passengers were injured when their taxi was rammed from behind by a bus. 公共汽车从后面撞来，出租车上的两位乘客受了伤。
• I rammed down the earth around the newly-planted tree. 我将新栽的树周围的土捣硬。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 anachronistic   

adj.时代错误的

参考例句：

• In remembering historic events,the mistake you tend to make is anachronistic.在记历史事件时，你容易犯的错误是时代错误。
• English public schools are anachronistic.英国的公立学校已经落伍过时了。

13 racism   

n.民族主义；种族歧视(意识)

参考例句：

• He said that racism is endemic in this country.他说种族主义在该国很普遍。
• Racism causes political instability and violence.种族主义道致政治动荡和暴力事件。

14 resentment   

n.怨愤，忿恨

参考例句：

• All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。
• She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。

15 bomber   

n.轰炸机，投弹手，投掷炸弹者

参考例句：

• He flew a bomber during the war.他在战时驾驶轰炸机。
• Detectives hunting the London bombers will be keen to interview him.追查伦敦爆炸案凶犯的侦探们急于对他进行讯问。

16 controversy   

n.争论，辩论，争吵

参考例句：

• That is a fact beyond controversy.那是一个无可争论的事实。
• We ran the risk of becoming the butt of every controversy.我们要冒使自己在所有的纷争中都成为众矢之的的风险。

17 crunching   

v.嘎吱嘎吱地咬嚼( crunch的现在分词 )；嘎吱作响；（快速大量地）处理信息；数字捣弄

参考例句：

• The horses were crunching their straw at their manger. 这些马在嘎吱嘎吱地吃槽里的草。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The dog was crunching a bone. 狗正嘎吱嘎吱地嚼骨头。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 taxpayer   

n.纳税人

参考例句：

• The new scheme will run off with a lot of the taxpayer's money.这项新计划将用去纳税人许多钱。
• The taxpayer are unfavourably disposed towards the recent tax increase.纳税者对最近的增加税收十分反感。

19 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

20 annexation   

n.吞并，合并

参考例句：

• He mentioned the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910 .他提及1910年日本对朝鲜的吞并。
• I regard the question of annexation as belonging exclusively to the United States and Texas.我认为合并的问题，完全属于德克萨斯和美国之间的事。

21 pint   

n.品脱

参考例句：

• I'll have a pint of beer and a packet of crisps, please.我要一品脱啤酒和一袋炸马铃薯片。
• In the old days you could get a pint of beer for a shilling.从前，花一先令就可以买到一品脱啤酒。