Lunchtime a week ago yesterday brought onto the television screens of the World, the eagerly anticipated and awaited grandiose wedding of Britain’s Prince Harry [33] and American actress Meghan Markle [36], didn’t it?
The couple were conferred with the title of ‘Duke and Duchess of Sussex’ by the Queen that very day – only the second time that dukedom has been awarded.
It was a spectacular event of an astounding nature indeed, which fully exemplified just how expert this Country is in planning, organising, and performing major State visual events, don’t you think? It has been reported that say twenty million Britons actually watch the couple exchange vows in a stunning lavish ceremony on the day, while perhaps some two billion people worldwide also saw the event – not perhaps the most watched royal wedding ever, but certainly up there in the top few, eh?
There were though some disappointing elements to the wedding, don’t you think? Like guests? What was the Palace doing to allow the bride’s mother Doria Markle (who looked stunning in fact) to strike a lonesome friendless figure in St George’s Chapel amongst 600 guests (surely there should have been a friend at her side throughout? Why was Victoria Beckham Posh Spice there, other than to show the Queen how not to crack a smile (neither did)? And the Clooney’s – just to provide unneeded extra glamour? Sad looking Chelsy Davy being there was somewhat of a surprise, as it wasn’t expected that Harry’s old-flames would be invited [there to make her (or Meghan) jealous?]. ‘Miss nothing that’s free’ Fergie was there of course [suitably dressed in near black?], and despite earlier reports that she had been snubbed by not being invited to the evening reception she got-in there as well. Rick Hoffman [‘Suits’ actor] looked so bored and fed-up that the BBC were amazed, so kept showing him? What about the guest who sold her wedding goody-bag gift on eBay for reportedly £21,400, named as Claire Oliver [a ‘good-friend’ of Harry (now was?)]?
[Although the wedding and stuff alone will have cost a few million pounds, that will without doubt pale into insignificant compared to those of security and anti-terrorism [with snipers, undercover police and a counter-drone system – an extra £30million?].
Britain is a sovereign monarchy, so a relative rarity in the modern world indeed [just 26 in total] – in fact there aren’t even all that many hereditary kings or queens, ruling or otherwise, alive or around these days, are there?
Many considered beforehand that Meghan and Harry would have been wiser to have stuck with a more private ‘low-key’ affair, and without doubt the new couple took an incredible risk with such a big event, wouldn’t you say? Certainly, it turned-out though to be an incredible triumph for the lovers and vindicated their belief that the Nation would play a supportive role in their ultimate union.
You see, the House of Windsor’s current Royal set that includes Harry [the so-called “firm”] are in-place solely through a bit of (bad?) luck (who of sound mind really would want to voluntarily live in a goldfish-bowl, be denied any privacy whatsoever, always being watched, be spied-on relentlessly by the media and others, and be controlled by those flunkies put in charge of royal etiquette, simply to gain a ‘challenge-less’ pointless life of boredom, cutting ribbons, and shaking hands, albeit coming with untold wealth, luxury and privilege (including slaves servants to meet every whim?) – when alternatively you can get that anyway simply by being a scheming, dastardly, care-less, capitalist, can’t you?
Back in the days of 1936, the person designed to be crowned King of this Country was Edward VIII, but instead he decided to marry an American double-divorcee, and in those days that was most definitely ‘not acceptable’ – so he was forced to abdicate (and went-off to live in France), and the job was handed-over to his younger brother George VI – Prince Harry’s great grandfather.
Now, Prince Harry is Britain’s beloved Princess Diana’s second born son, so was not actually heading for the Crown (baring accidents) and is now only 6th in line of succession to the British throne, so he is off the hook, so to speak?.
He has though had a bit of a wild laddish past [with some private illegality thrown-in?} it must be said, but he has served ten years with dedication in the Army (including combat helicopter piloting), where he put his life on the line for his Country, and subsequently he had found in 2014 a commendable current worthwhile role for a Royal, by creating the Invictus Games (Latin for “unconquered”) – an international adaptive multi-sport event [Archery, Athletics, Indoor Rowing, Jaguar Land Rover Challenge, Powerlifting, Road Cycling, Sailing, Sitting Volleyball, Swimming, Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Rugby], in which wounded, injured or sick armed services men and women (both serving and veterans) take part using the power of sport to help them physically, psychologically, and socially. [some 500 competitors from 18 Countries taking part this year (but these yearly games will end in 2020 as there are increasingly fewer war-wounded)].
[Harry has spent his entire adult life in uniform – and so it was in getting married as well!]
Bride Meghan, an actress of mixed-race heritage, is American and a divorcee, so in light of the Royals’ past historical mayhem resulting from the divorce issue, it is somewhat surprisingly that the couple (who have actually lived together for six months at Kensington Palace) embarked on such a high-profile, very much in the public eye, ‘white wedding’ with all the trimmings, don’t you think? Another factor is that the extravagance, opulence and expense of this whole Royal event [and not least the security’s eye-watering cost to the public purse] comes at a time of austerity and when the Royal family as an institution is facing untold critical pressure.
Worry has been expressed in some quarters about the Royal family becoming associated with such a dysfunctional family as the Markle’s, hasn’t there? Now the gutter press didn’t miss the chance of rubbishing Megan’s family in America, did they? No, they got their column inches in spades by warning that her fractured family suffered the likes of feuds, arrests, and divorces. Her father Thomas Markle is twice divorced (his second marriage of just 6 years was to Meghan’s Mum). Her estranged elder half-sister Samantha Grant is twice divorced, a bankrupt, estranged from her own mother and brother, and estranged elder half-brother Thomas Markle Jnr is divorced, has been arrested twice in a tumultuous relationship for drunkenly holding a gun to his fiancée girlfriend’s head [neither step-sibling was invited to the wedding].
However, some would have it that the Royals are the most dysfunctional family in Britain and there might be more than a grain of truth in that, wouldn’t you say?
The Queen has stayed married despite her husband Prince Philip’s reportedly numerous assignations. Their first-born son Prince Charles, heir to the throne, brought an affair into his marriage with Princess Diana of Wales right from the start, so was divorced after 14 years and he subsequently married his long-standing divorced mistress Camila. Daughter of the Queen, Princess Anne married Mark Phillips, had a son and daughter, but divorced after 19 years and she remarried just the same year. The monarch’s second son Prince Andrew married Sarah Fergason, had two daughters and divorced after 10 years. Queen Elizabeth II’s fourth child Prince Edward has been married to Sophie 19 years and they have two children.
The Queen’s younger sister, Princess Margaret, fell in love with Group Captain Peter Townsend but as he was a divorcee she was not allowed to actually marry him. On the rebound, she subsequently married Antony Armstrong-Jones [the first commoner to marry a Royal in 400 years], had two children, he was promiscuous and she was involved in an affair with Roddy Llewelyn (and played the field with others?) so they got divorced after 18 years.
Hardly a roaring success story for the stability or permanence of royal House of Windsor marriages, is it?
Furthermore, there seems a general high level of high promiscuity within the British titled or upper classes, so without the help of DNA, one cannot be too confident on the parentage of any offspring nor be sure there aren’t others, can you?
Certainly, Megan is a very brave, strong-willed, independently minded, young woman to take on the royal role she has accepted in pursuit of love, and Harry [as someone who has understandably always tried to avoid the intrusive glare of the tabloids and escape the unremitting hounding by the paparazzi], will be much empowered by help from his now wife on Royal duties. Mind you Duchess Meghan will do fine if she takes a leaf out of her sister-in-law Kate Duchess of Cambridge’s book, as she hasn’t put a foot wrong throughout her long-time relationship with the Royal family [it is a pity that they can’t reciprocate the same, eh? (Like ignorantly ignoring her and her family in public at Prince William’s Sandhurst passing out parade, eh?)].
With luck the Royal entourage will have learnt a sad lesson and butt-out of the new Royal Meghan’s life and so not destroy heras they did Harry’s dear mother Diana, eh?
[The people have fully embraced Prince Harry to their hearts as someone who has inherited the caring qualities of his mother ‘Princess Diana’, and Meghan is well on the way to joining him]
ramblings007 