There has long been this absurd love/hate relationship with our "Mother country." No where is it more absurd than the way we follow the royal family. I suppose a lot of Americans were pleased as punch when Harry took an American wife, but they didn't figure all the trouble it would cause the royal family, namely in Meghan's awful estranged father and jealous half-siblings who have desperately tried to cash in on her new royal celebrity.
Every tabloid in England and America has given these pathetic individuals space to air their many grievances and tell us how rotten Meghan is at her core for not having taken them into the royal family as well. Meghan's father Thomas seems to have modeled himself on King Ralph, hoping to find a special place at the royal table only to be rudely rebuffed.
It would all be quite funny if it hadn't gone on as long as it has. Thomas Markle continues to opin in London papers long after he has been asked to cease and desist. The royal family has sued the tabloids, as it often does, but to no avail. The press just keep printing anything and everything they can get their hands on, with or without the consent of the persons involved. It was Papa Markle who released a letter Meghan wrote to him to the Mail, without his daughter's consent.
It doesn't seem to matter that Meghan has long been estranged from her father and half-siblings. Meghan was only 6 when her parents divorced. It was her mother Doria who brought her up, and continues to play a strong role in her life. Papa Markle remained an influence, but nothing like he projects in the media.
The problems go deeper than the nasty in-laws, and to the royal family itself. The Queen has tried to keep a tight ship while on the throne. It hasn't exactly worked. As we have seen in the Netflix series, The Crown, sister Margaret would often deviate from the norm. Charles had a somewhat wild and reckless youth, eventually forced into a marriage he obviously wanted no part of. Diana had to suffer through this for ten years before finally being granted a divorce and having her title lowered. Andrew's storybook marriage also failed, apparently as a result of all his philandering with Jeffrey Epstein's underage girls, which he hotly denies. The only thing positive to come out of all this after Diana's tragic death has been William and Harry, who the media has followed closely ever since.
Harry was having a hard time staying in William's shadow. Any little misstep was immediately reported in the media, like the Nazi outfit he once wore. He was a bit of a cut-up, just like his dear old dad but given no end of grief for it. Two tours in Afghanistan appeared to settle him down. He got actively involved in philanthropy. He started the Invictus Games, which became a major event drawing the attention of the Obamas and leading to a friendly interchange between him and the White House couple, memorably captured in this video. Harry went from royal ruffian to the most eligible bachelor in the world.
It was clear that Harry had a more liberal bent than his royal family. He liked to travel and do things his way. He met Meghan while in Toronto staging the 2017 Invictus Games, developing an immediate bond that led to a royal marriage a year later. It was a splendid affair that held so much hope that he and Meghan and William and Kate would give Britain two royal power couples like it had never seen before. Alas, there is only room for one royal power couple and so Harry did what Harry would do with or without Meghan -- opt out.
Sadly, the tabloids are making Meghan look like Yoko Ono in breaking up the royal family, but this was bound to happen eventually. William is on track to be King of England. Harry can never be anything more than a charming prince. Meghan was his way to get out of this pomp and circumstance and carve out a life of his own with someone he truly loves.
In part, Harry's exit is to give more room to his brother. For the past two years, the papers have focused almost exclusively on Meghan and him, as if he was next in line to succession. After William's and Kate's third child, Harry is now sixth in line to the throne. It would take a catastrophe tantamount to that in King Ralph, god forbid, to see Harry sitting on the throne. However, Megxit, as the press is calling it, is being portrayed as a horribly selfish move by the Duke, inspired by his mischievous wife.
I personally don't find it selfish at all. It appears refreshingly unselfish for a change. For once, we see a royal scion wanting to strike out on his own and carve a place for his wife and him away from all the tedious obligations of the royal family.
Actually, this wouldn't be the first time. Edward II abdicated his thrown to be with his American divorcee, Wallis Simpson, living their lives out in France. This abdication is what paved the way for Elizabeth to eventually be Queen, as her father succeeded his brother to the throne. Of course, it was much different back then. Divorce was grievously frowned upon by the church and state, which The Crown has amply illustrated.
It seems the Queen has a soft spot for Harry, but was none too happy in the way this mini abdication played out in the press. The royal family desperately needs fresh blood, and Meghan was the perfect star child to give the family a liberal bent. The wedding and everything that came with it increased the value of the royal brand significantly.
Alas, Harry and Meghan want more than a place at the table. They want to create their own unique brand, and not have to stomach such social obligations as a royal dinner with Donald Trump, or an appearance with Boris Johnson. As part of the immediate royal family, they are bound to such duties. As distant relatives, they become more free to do what they like.
The Queen seems fine with this as long as it doesn't bring shame on her brand, but what to do with Andrew, who has brought far more ignominy than Megxit ever would. Andrew is the true rake. A guy who has used the royal brand in the most unseemly ways and appears completely unapologetic for it. This is a guy who hobnobbed with Jeffrey Epstein and a cast of other unsavory characters that probably even made his father Prince Phillip blush. It is Andrew who should be stripped of his title and sent to Timbuktu or some other faraway place.
Long story short, we shouldn't give a farthing for all this nonsense. Yet, we do. The American press lambastes Harry for diminishing the crown, when Andrew and his own father Charles have done far worse. Do they forget how horribly Charles treated Diana, the People's Princess? I don't think Harry does.
Harry wants out and I don't blame him. There is absolutely nothing in it for him to stay close to this royal family. He and Meghan make the perfect power couple. After the dust has settled from this messy exit, they will be loved all over again. Wisely, they have chosen Canada as their second home.
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