Judging by this week’s royal news, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s New Year’s resolution was: “Quit your family; move to Canada.”
In an Instagram post (how millennial!), the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they are stepping back as senior members of the UK royal family, working to become “financially independent” and splitting their time between Britain and North America. In other words: They’re done with royal life. They’re going in a different direction. It just wasn’t for them, thanks.
Despite the pearl-clutching from horrified scolds lamenting the disregard for tradition — yawn — this isn’t unprecedented: In 1936, King Edward VIII abdicated the throne to marry Wallis Simpson, an American socialite who had two ex-husbands by the time they tied the knot. British royal drama is nothing new; just ask Henry VIII.
To add to the intrigue: Harry and Meghan seemingly did everything exactly on their terms. They announced the move when they wanted and against Queen Elizabeth’s express wishes. Buckingham Palace released a terse statement: “Discussions with the duke and duchess of Sussex are at an early stage.” The queen is reportedly deeply disappointed and Princes Charles and William are “incandescent with rage.”
Isn’t the spectacle just tantalizing? It’s so deliciously fitting that the saboteur of the royal family, the thorn in Buckingham Palace’s side, is an American. The woman taking on the monarchy is a quintessential California girl.
To some observers, the decision feels a bit like comeuppance. Both Meghan and Harry have plenty of reason to want to sever ties with the royal family. Since the beginning of their relationship, Meghan has been the target of merciless, and often racist, media criticism: about her previous marriage, her strained relationship with her father and even the way she held her belly while pregnant.
She could do nothing right, and the palace rarely came to her aid.
For Americans — or at least those who pay attention to this sort of thing — watching one of our own get beaten up by the Brits has been distressing. In October 2019, the Twitterverse exploded after Meghan gave an emotionally raw interview, in which she, on the brink of tears, thanked the host for asking if she was doing OK — because “not many people have.”
It was clear she wasn’t doing OK. She described bearing relentless criticism while experiencing the “vulnerability” of being a new mother. “It’s not enough to just survive something,” she said. “That’s not the point of life. You’ve got to thrive. You’ve got to feel happy.”
It’s easy to roll your eyes and mumble “Poor little rich girl,” but money and fame don’t protect anyone from constant reproaches.
Unlike many other royals who grin and bear it, Meghan and Harry fought back. The same month as the teary interview, Harry released a letter describing his wife as the “latest victim” of a “ruthless campaign” and calling out the media’s treatment. “I have been a silent witness to her private suffering for too long.”
If this “Average American girl steals royal’s heart, throws monarchy into disarray” storyline feels familiar, it’s because it was the plot of at least a handful of teen movies in the early aughts. We Americans cheer stories like this, because we love a plucky disrupter and a love-struck royal who choose each other over power and duty and expectations.
Whether you love Meghan or love to hate Meghan, she isn’t letting others dictate her life, not even the royals. As for Harry, he told ITV: “I will always protect my family, and now I have a family to protect.”
He has made his choice. Be happy for Harry and Meghan: They aren’t surviving; they’re choosing to thrive — far away from the prying press (or anyway, as far away as they can get).
How does Meghan and Harry’s Declaration of Independence taste to us Americans? Satisfying.
Twitter: @BKERogers
