BATTLE OF THE ROYAL ‘IT’ COUPLES.
The murmurings began in earnest at Christmas. When 7.6 million people tuned in to watch the Queen’s speech, a subliminal message was also being aired, it seems. As the camera panned round the room, we got a glimpse of the framed photos jostling for position on Her Majesty’s desk.
There was the Queen with Prince Philip, Prince Charles with the Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince Harry with Meghan Markle, in a newly engaged clinch. But where were the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge? Prince George and Princess Charlotte were at the forefront, but there is always a romantic snap of the couple. This year … none. The message was clear — the Cambridges are yesterday’s news! Long live the Markles!
Well, perhaps not quite, but some read it as such. The Queen, after all, had already rewritten protocol by inviting Meghan to Sandringham for Christmas — a favour she did not bestow upon Kate until after she had walked up the aisle. If it is a stretch to suggest Her Majesty would pick favourites, it seems reasonable to assume Harry’s engagement — and the ensuing Meghan mania — may have ruffled royal feathers at Kensington.
This phase of the Cambridges’ life was supposed to be about ramping up their profile in preparation for a bigger public role. An announcement last year made clear their intentions: they would relocate from Norfolk to London and “increase their official work on behalf of the Queen.” Prince William gave up his career as a helicopter pilot and they waved farewell to the peace of Anmer Hall. What blissful years they had been — though some had begun to speculate William was enjoying them a little too much. In 2016, he clocked up just 204 engagements, less than a third of Princess Anne’s 640.
Autumn 2017 was t he start of the big push. September saw the happy news they were expecting their third baby. And then, in November, came Harry’s engagement. The Duchess is due in April. The royal wedding is in May. Just as Kate is battling morning sickness and swollen ankles, the last thing she needs is a media natural sashaying into her limelight. Even if Kate doesn’t consider Meghan a rival, she knows that from now on, every outfit she chooses will not only be pored over (as usual), but compared with her soon- tobe sister-in-law, too.
Bubbling tensions were alluded to last week, when it transpired both couples would be out and about on the same day, the first time since standing shoulder- toshoulder at Sandringham. Come Thursday, however, there was only one Royal couple shaking hands. Harry and Meghan went to Cardiff as planned, but in a lastminute swerve, William visited the Evelina Children’s Hospital alone; his new shaven haircut ensuring media coverage focused on the absence atop his head, rather than the one by his side.
Side- by- side comparisons of the two have become a growing PR headache for the Cambridges. As the past two months have shown, that is not a game they can easily win.
As Harry and Meghan are lauded for injecting glamour into the Royal family, and embodying a positive wider message of modernity, the Cambridges look, well, not quite so ritzy. All this is normal — at home, they are ankle- deep in diapers; in public, the future of the monarchy rests with them. Now, if ever, is the time to settle down.
And yet, who wants to be the sensible grown- ups when you were once the it couple? Probably not Kate. The t hing t o remember about the Duchess of Cambridge is that she is competitive. At school she was athletic and on the top teams for field hockey and netball. To put it bluntly, she is used to winning. Until Meghan, Kate had no rivals — Harry’s girlfriends came and went but none stayed long enough to pose competition.
In no time at all, Meghan has become part of t he family, fast-tracked into situations that Kate waited 10 years to achieve, from meeting the Queen, to appearing alongside her in public. And what’s more, she’s good at it — a fully trained actress who is a natural on camera, and knows how to work a crowd.
In 1986, when Prince Andrew announced his engagement to Sarah Ferguson, Britain’s head was turned by the new royal bride. In 1987, Vanity Fair said: “In the year since her wedding, the rambunctious red-headed Duchess of York has charmed the Queen, captivated Prince Philip, and romped away with the hearts of the British public. Her angst-free antics have highlighted the mounting pressures on the Princess of Wales.”
In truth, Diana welcomed Fergie as an ally against The Firm but their rivalry was inflamed when a spokesman, extraordinarily, pointed out their differences: “The princess and duchess are friends, not equals.”
In many ways, t i mes have happily changed, and Markle, a divorcee, is able to enjoy the high- watt glow of a royal romance, fully endorsed by the Queen. But as that courtier of the 1980s said, she and Kate might be friends, but not equals.
The Duchess of Cambridge may want to remind herself of that in the coming months, if all this Meghan mania gets a bit much.