ON the eve of her marriage to Bertie (later King George V1) Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (the late Queen Mother) granted The Times newspaper a sycophantic interview. Her father-in-law, King George V, chided her indiscretion. It was “not what the royals do”. If only Harry and Meghan would heed the advice — and stop the chit-chat.
The Crown — under which we live — is seriously jeopardised by celebrity, exacerbated by the antics of those members of the royal family who are caught-up in their own fame. The Duke(Harry), and the Duchess(Meghan), are the among worst offenders. The prattling couple announced they were retiring from public life to settle in the United States — quietly and away from the glare of the public spotlight. The couple’s penchant for garnering headlines is infinite. It could be argued, the most dangerous place on earth is between them and a microphone.
The persistent “will he or won’t he see sense and make-up with the family” is too tedious. Sadly, Prince Harry does not appear cognisant of the consequences of his penchant for metaphorically throwing his dress-over-his-head and stomping-off in a state of high dudgeon — constantly bellyaching about the injustice of the universe, and how he, and his wife, have been put-upon by everyone. His relentless carping is manna from heaven for Australia’s republicans.
Previously, The Duke of Sussex, together with his brother, Wiliam, The Prince of Wales, were the two unassailable weapons in the Crown’s arsenal. The sight of the dashing Prince Harry, kitted-out in the white Tropical Dress of the Blues and Royals and talking and laughing with the crowds, won every heart when he visited Australia. The republicans’ arsenal did not have a comparable weapon of defence. Now, he, and the disgraced Prince Andrew, are the republicans’ “pin-up royals” reinforcing the renewed cries — “get rid of them!” — for Australia to become a republic.
While both men are strictly minor players, they appear incapable of comprehending the role of Charles 111, who is the physical manifestation of the Crown in the 14-Commonwealth Realms where he is King and Head-of-State. While the duo play no part in the political affairs of those realms, their on-going antics reflect poorly and subliminally undermine the system’s stability. Born into unparalleled luxury, public deference, enviable privilege, infinite potential, and a lifetime of fiscal independence, it is difficult to comprehend their woes. Meghan’s wedding day tiara is valued at more than 80% of people’s houses in the UK.
The world’s fixation with the couple’s shenanigans is redolent of the late Duke (formerly King Edward V111) and Duchess of Windsor, who, having abdicated, lived-out their Parisian exile in a frenzy of hedonism and feted by a cadre of tawdry flatterers. The recently released video of the dancing, pregnant Meghan seemingly has no other objective than to garner more adverse publicity for the shy, retiring couple who witter constantly they want only to be left alone — unencumbered — to pursue their silly, vapid, money-grabbing, publicity-seeking lives. The barrage of press releases; photographs of their children with faces shielded; banal television appearances; and endless, manufactured headlines designed to advance their ego-centric narrative, smacks of serious relevance deprivation syndrome.
The perfect prince, Harry occupied a position of unique advantage with a platform to do such good. What a tragedy!
Roland can be heard with Brett Macdonald radio 3BA — Monday 10.40am. Contact: [email protected]