Why Meghan and Harry’s step back is a brilliant move
The Sussexes’ intended move away from official duties appears to be a headache for the royal family, but it might also be Diana’s dream for her son coming to fruition, writes Anna Byrne.
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Life may be, as Irish singer Ronan Keating once told us, a roller coaster – but it ain’t no fairy tale, as proved by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
The soft focus love story of When Harry Met Meghan – which began as a hopeful story of a couple pushing boundaries and modernising – has quickly morphed into one very sad tale.
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While an elegant wedding and glimpses of royal baby Archie satiated the public’s appetite momentarily, there has been a constant sense that the pair are not fulfilling their obligation or duty, and the couple slid further to the fringe of the firm.
Rumours of a rift with William and Kate, mass exodus of the couple’s royal staff, constant controversy with Markle’s family, warfare with the British media and claims of bullying did little to lift the couple’s image and they appeared increasingly unhappy in their public roles and the level of scrutiny they faced.
Last year, Harry announced a landmark legal case against tabloid press, The Mail on Sunday, after the paper published a handwritten letter Meghan had sent to her estranged father.
The action was launched alongside a scathing statement from Prince Harry denouncing the media’s “bullying” of his wife; behaviour he likened to the treatment of his mother, Princess Diana.
He said he could no longer be a “silent witness” to Meghan’s “private suffering”, adding that his “deepest fear is history repeating itself”.
And now comes the news that seemed inevitable, Harry and Meghan will be stepping down as senior members of the royal family.
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According to a press release issued on Thursday, the couple plan to split their time between the UK and North America, the continent of Meghan’s birth, as they raise their son, while maintaining commitments to the Queen and their patronages.
Almost as soon as the release hit headlines, news broke that no other member of the royal family was consulted before the decision was announced, with Buckingham Palace reportedly disappointed by the news.
“We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through,” Buckingham Palace’s response statement read.
Commentators and couch critics alike were quick to condemn the couple. Some likened Meghan to Wallis Simpson; other’s said she should have known what she was getting into. Some questioned the environmentalists’ plans to split time between two continents; others pondered their hypocrisy in wanting financial independence after the public paid for their wedding and home renovations. Put simply: Can open. Worms everywhere.
Unfortunately for the pair, there is no denying that they are cogs in a system where controversy is currency, and private lives are tidily packaged up for public consumption.
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When the Sussexes took part in a documentary last October, candidly opening up about the strain of royal life, reporter Gaby Hinsliff described the clamour for the couple to “put out” as, “kind of creepy,” likening the behaviour of the public to drunk men berating a lap dancer “they don’t feel has gone far enough for the money.”
Once again, it now seems parts of the public don’t feel like they have received the full pound of flesh they paid for.
But should punters seriously expect to own a piece of you when they pay the price of a coffee to make that claim? While the royal family cost the British public £82 million last financial year, it whittles down to just £2.65 per taxpayer.
So just what should they expect in that steaming Sussex takeaway cup? It seems to be far more than expected from Lady Sarah Armstrong Jones, the daughter of Princess Margaret. The passionate artist, and her husband, former actor, Daniel Chatto both pursue careers as painters, while Lady Sarah is also the vice-president of the Royal Ballet. She happily keeps a relatively low profile for a royal though will occasionally attend a function or wedding or visit Sandringham privately at Christmas time.
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There seems to be a longing in Harry to do the same; to find a balance and privacy. And before people blame his wife, perhaps we should be asking if the damage was done long before a glamorous actor arrived on the scenes.
No one can forget the footage of him as a child, expected to walk dry eyed behind his mother’s coffin.
A rift began in the royal family began that day as Diana’s brother Earl Spencer delivered a powerful eulogy. One part of his speech seems to have been somewhat prophesizing as Harry and Meghan now stand at the crossroads.
Spencer said: “I pledge that we, your blood family, will do all we can to continue the imaginative and loving way in which you were steering these two exceptional young men so that their souls are not simply immersed by duty and tradition, but can sing openly as you planned.”
Perhaps this is Harry singing openly as his mother had dreamt. Perhaps he and Meghan can now live happily ever after; carving out their own refreshing path, still destined to do great things.
I for one say, take it away Harry.
Anna Byrne is a journalist for The Herald Sun.