Not so Royal Anymore

All little girls dream of princess gowns and tiaras and prince charming’s or so is the age old belief. However, in this bold new version of fairy tales 2.0, of women calling the shots, we have a Meghan Markle who lived this quintessential fairy tale and then gave it all up, except for, of course the prince.

In a move that has taken the royal family by surprise Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex, have decided to step down from their official duties. The couple not only wants a new role within the monarchy but also want to ‘work’ to become financially independent. The royal family is completely financed by a ‘Sovereign Grant’, which is a government handout that covers the running costs of the royal household and travel expenses. The couple also said that they wished to communicate with the public via social media and bypass the ‘royal Rota system’, wherein they speak directly and only to royal correspondents. The situation is as unique as it gets for no senior royals have ever had the temerity to say that they want to remain in but not wholly.

The Queen and Prince Charles are supposedly furious at the couple who ignored explicit instructions and went public with the announcement. Britain’s media too have lambasted the duo, accusing them of being selfish, grasping, scheming Kardashian wannabes. Harsh terms but then Britain has not taken too well to the American Meghan Markle. The treatment meted out to her has been borderline racist. Headlines involving her have never been kind to the actor turned Duchess. Her newborn’s been called a chimpanzee while she’s said to have exotic DNA. Discrimination at the most basic things, like for example, Kate Middleton’s editorship at Huffington Post earned her bouquets while Meghan’s stint with the British Vogue earned her nothing but brickbats.

Last week in a separate statement Prince Harry had confessed,“Because my deepest fear is history repeating itself. I’ve seen what happens when someone I love is commoditized to the point that they are no longer treated or seen as a real person. I lost my mother and now I watch my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces.”

More power to this young couple who have challenged conventions to forge a new path.