Meghan, Brexit, & Change
The Meghan Markle story is part of the ongoing process of change in the west and a UK slow to enter the 21st Century.
The UK Royal Family is a symbol of UK nationhood and history. So, watching the Royal Family and its evolution is watching the UK itself and how the UK adapts to a swiftly changing world where the UK is no longer an imperial power.
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex and the Favorite grandson of Queen Elizabeth the Second is a Senior Royal. That means Harry is in the Inner Circle of the Royals with huge privileges as son and brother of Future Kings of England, in addition to being the Queen's grandson.
The Royal Prince interestingly looks more like Royal Kings himself going back centuries. It is astonishing how the handsome prince looks like forbears such as King George, and the last Russian Tsar who was a cousin of Queen Victoria. In other words, in terms of possessing the blue blood of Royals, Harry is as Royal as they get.
Harry falls in love with a coloured American divorcee called Meghan Markle. This was very much like when King Edward the Eighth fell in love with one American Divorcee Wallis Simpson that forced the former King to abdicate.
However, Harry is not King, as senior as the Royal Duke is.
The British are obsessed with the Royal Family. And rightly so. The Royals are a real-life soap opera who are symbols of a society rooted in privilege and social class. The Royals are also integral to the history of the UK. Albeit the Empire no longer exists. However, the activities and narratives of the Royals are part of the daily life of the Briton.
Brexit, for all the evasion and obfuscation, is underlined by a UK that has always been a highly prejudiced society, that is xenophobic and racist. That is a simple fact that most Britons black and white are fully aware of, even though it is the ''great unspoken.''
Meghan Markle described by the right-wing British Press as uppity, hustler, opportunist, social climber, gold digger, and a host of epithets simply exposed the underbelly of the UK like Brexit has done. Black Britons like this Old Boy are unsurprised at the fall out with a blue-blooded royal marrying a woman of colour.
But there is a silver lining. Brexit, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, have exposed the change that is taking place in British society. Today the UK is being shaken to its roots. Prince Harry decided to step back as a Senior Royal like the fall out from Brexit, is a reminder of great change in the UK.
The UK is an anachronistic place that dislikes change. Britons are naturally conservative. The UK is a centre-right country.
However great change is on the horizon whether Brits want change or not. Whether the UK post-Brexit will survive in its present form is to be seen. Europe, for all its faults, is much more change-oriented today than a Post Brexit UK rooted in the past.
Prince Harry's greatest legacy will most likely be as the Royal who first recognized that change was inevitable and swiftly decided that anachronism would destroy his life. Harry is the UK's agent of change. And the Royal Prince would not allow anachronism and the petty mindedness of a racist and right-wing press destroy his life: he was not having it.
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6 Responses to “Meghan, Brexit, & Change”
Many abolitionists in the UK,USA...........etc advocated strongly for abolishing the dehumanizing, abusive and exploitive institution of slavery. On paper and for the most part, physical slavery was abolished. Yet there are still many that come to the VI skinning their teeth, flashing fake smiles, marooning in their enclaves and behaving like snakes in the grass that they are post racial. Post racial my a.s; ask former US President Barack Obama, the first Black president of US [father Black ( Kenyan)and Mother White], about his tough time in the White House. This racist and prejudicial behavior is deplorable and despicable and they (racists), along with self-hating Uncle Toms, need to be run out of town, for their is no room in the VI inn for them.
Moreover, here is a news flash. The Royals, blue blood as some called them, are as White as they come. They revelled at having Blacks as subjects in the colonies and elsewhere but frowned upon having them as part of their family. They reluctantly went along with Harry being smitten with jungle fever; they were shame into supporting the wedding. Nevertheless, the some racists press personnel in the UK lambasted and scorched Megan Markle.
However, the Royal push back, if any, on the vicious attack on Megan was at best luke warm. The low key action, defense and support spoke volumes. Megan had a life before being hitched to Harry so why would she stay in this dysfunctional family and take the abuse that the doctor didn’t tell her was good for her health? Harry and Megan are not the first and will not be the last to part ways with the Royals. King Edward VIII abdicated, telling the UK to take the job and s...e it. The current set of Royals have issues that even the sight challenge can see clearly. Further, racism, prejudice and xenophobia are a UK core issue so it is no surprise that some in the press felt comfortable unleashing their racial venom.Bon voyage to Harry, Megan and Archie!