Who knew the British Royal Family was going to pot right before our very eyes? However, it couldn’t be more crystal clear that that’s exactly what’s been happening after Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, shocked the world last week by announcing they are “stepping away” from (read: quitting) the monarchy.
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The press had been whispering about it for months. The moment Prince Harry married a half-black American actress then had a baby with her, all hell broke loose. British journalists began hounding Meghan Markle in a way that seemed eerily similar to how they treated Harry’s mum, the late Princess Diana. The once unbreakable relationship between Harry and his brother, Prince William, is said to have crumbled to near nothing because William didn’t approve of his little brother’s choice of bride and believed he was “moving too fast” before marriage. Then, the press had a field day with the bitter (and, apparently “fake in public”) relationship between Markle and William’s wife, Kate Middleton.
For months, the imperial family pretended there was no riff or discourse behind the walls of Buckingham Palace — and then last week, Prince Harry put an end to the sham and aired the royal dirty laundry for all the world to see.
“After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution. We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen,” the surprise public statement read. “We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages. This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity. We look forward to sharing the full details of this exciting next step in due course, as we continue to collaborate with Her Majesty The Queen, The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and all relevant parties. Until then, please accept our deepest thanks for your continued support.”
It was signed “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.”
Interestingly, not a single royal — including the Queen, Prince Charles, or Prince William — was consulted before the statement was released. In fact, Queen Elizabeth had reportedly asked Prince Harry not to go public with his feelings until the palace had figured out the best way to handle the discord in public. However, Harry and Meghan had other plans and had clearly had enough.
“I think it indicates a real strength of feeling in the palace tonight – maybe not so much about what has been done but about how it has been done – and the lack of consultation I think will sting,” said BBC royal correspondent Jonny Dymond. “This is clearly a major rift between Harry and Meghan on one part, and the rest of the Royal Family on the other.”
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Statement from the Queen’s office at Buckingham Palace: “Discussions with The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are at an early stage. We understand their desire to take a different approach, but these are complicated issues that will take time to work through.”
— Richard Palmer (@RoyalReporter) January 8, 2020
To call this “a major rift” in a relationship that appears completely and utterly deteriorated is perhaps an understatement. Now, the royals are racing to save face.
“Nothing has changed. They (Harry and the other royals) don’t speak, no one is checking in, no one is texting.” – a Palace source
On Friday, Queen Elizabeth called an emergency meeting of her royal clan in order to reach a solution on how to play the hand Harry and Meghan dealt them. The Duke and Duchess could be “bought out” and allowed to live the rest of their days outside of the royal family at a place and in a manner of their own choosing. They could be officially kicked out and cut off completely from all official and unofficial contact and communication with Prince Charles, Prince William, and all the other royals. Or, any of a hundred other potentialities is possible.
After nearly a year of denials, Prince William finally acknowledged the split with his brother over the weekend and spoke publicly about his feelings.
“I’ve put my arm around my brother all our lives and I can’t do that anymore; we’re separate entities,” the 37-year-old royal said. “I’m sad about that. All we can do, and all I can do, is try and support them and hope that the time comes when we’re all singing from the same page. I want everyone to play on the team.”
The Queen, Prince Charles, and Prince William are scheduled to meet in person today with Prince Harry in the hopes of either salvaging their relationships or brokering a deal.
The fact that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have reached a point so low that they’re each willing to walk away from the titles and trappings of royalty, walk away from the bloodline of the royal family, walk away from financial security, find a way to financially support themselves independent of the monarchy, and go to live in love and peace outside of Great Britain for the rest of their born days is beyond telling.
Still, here we are. Mr. and Mrs. Harry Sussex have reached their boiling point and are throwing everything away for love. Queen Elizabeth, it’s your move.
A little late getting to this this morning. I want to start with this……. I’m sorry the brothers are going thru a strain in their relationship right now and I genuinely hope they’re able to mend fences (despite the challenges) soon. Now (sigh!)….the New York Post pic is about as racist as it gets but it correctly speaks to the root cause of ALL of this mess. Harry married a “Black” woman..it’s as simple and as complex as that. And adding insult to injury (if you will)..they’ve now created a child who is (gulp!) part Black too!!! Those two realities have thrown white folks in Europe AND America into a fit of anger, prompting flat-out rejection. In short, the “Royal” family’s effort to APPEAR to be alright with what Harry has done is now being exposed as *just for show* when the truth is, they are completely traumatized by the… Read more »