It feels like the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been away for forever! But it’s just been about five weeks. When will they EVER come back?!? I miss them. That being said, I’m happy that they got away to a still-undisclosed location and I’m glad they’re avoiding the Protect Andrew campaign. I also think they were a bit overexposed, which wouldn’t have been a problem except that the British tabloids were ensuring that the exposure was overwhelmingly negative. So, people are already looking ahead to what will happen with the Sussexes and the Cambridges in 2020. Katie Nicholl, the pro-Middleton Vanity Fair reporter, gave an interview where she talked about what she expected for Kate and Meghan:

The pressure is on Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton to ‘save the Royal Family,’ royal commentator Katie Nicholl has claimed. Her Majesty will turn 95 in 18 months – the same age at which her husband Philip withdrew from his public duties – and there is talk among courtiers that she may use the milestone to effectively hand over day-to-day control of the monarchy to Charles. And Katie has suggested the Queen’s move towards retirement will ‘force’ the Duchess of Sussex, 38, and the Duchess of Cambridge, 37, to work closely with each other.

‘I think after a festive break, both Kate and Meghan will know that joint ventures to support the Queen are not only part of their duty, but also good for the public image,’ said Katie, speaking to Closer magazine. ‘[Kate] knows the pressure is on her and Meghan to save the royal family, to an extent.’

With Prince Andrew stripped of his duties, the royal commentator claims his charities may be distributed to other royals which in turn, could result in the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, putting on a ‘united front.’ ‘The Queen turns 94 this year and there’s a plan in place to relieve her of her pressures, which is why she’s calling on the four to step up,’ explained Katie. ‘Although the Cambridges and Sussexes have their own charities, I think the Queen’s move towards retirement will force them to work closely with each other.’

[From The Daily Mail]

This is painful for a lot of reasons. CB and I have talked about this a lot on the Gossip with Celebitchy podcast, how the British papers and the royal family have been so short-sighted, parochial and small-minded. Everyone refused to see the bigger picture with Meghan, that she would be great for the family and that the family – gasp! – needed her, and they needed someone who wanted to work, who wanted to be a big part of the royal family’s future. Instead, they treated her like an interloper in their all-white fairytale and spent the past two years smearing the f–k out of her. I guess in the new year, maybe the royals will start treating Meghan like they need her? LOL, of course not.

Also: “Brighton councillors” have created a petition to strip the Duke and Duchess of Sussex of their titles. The reasoning is that the titles are a “symbol of oppression by the wealthy elite.” So… that’s why these peeps only care about Harry and Meghan’s titles? It’s definitely not because these colonizers can’t stand that a black woman has a royal title, right?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red and Backgrid.