Why Markle’s sparkle is a victory over world’s woes

Budget rows, Middle East border fighting and the ongoing racial unrest in the US: Thank goodness for a glamorous royal distraction.

WHATa tough seven days it’s been to hand out my inaugural autumnal newsmaker-of-theweek awards.

Finance Minister Grant Robertson is a contender thanks to his eagerly awaited first Labour Government Budget in nearly a decade.

There seemed to be a palpable sense of buttock-clenching going on in the blue-belt suburbs: it almost seemed like National voters thought Robertson was going to give all Kiwis the pin number to the national eftpos card and tell them to go hard.

Speaking of the Middle East, another contender comes in the form of Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern thanks to her leadership following the tragic events in Gaza when the Israeli military killed 60 Palestinians and injured more than 1000 during mass border protests.

There were extraordinary scenes of women and men, young and old, able and disabled, up against armed soldiers and drones while 80km away in Jerusalem the Americans opened their controversial new embassy.

The killings prompted international condemnation, with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres among those calling for an independent inquiry.

Ardern added her voice: ‘‘At the time when the United States announced they’d be moving their representation to Jerusalem we stated strongly that we did not think that that would bring us closer to peace, and it hasn’t.’’

She described the loss of life as ‘‘devastating and one-sided’’. Ardern’s statement attracted the ire of Israel, whose ambassador over here called the comment ‘‘regrettable’’.

But even with all this actual news going on, it would be tough for the newsmaker of the week to be anyone other than Meghan Markle.

This won’t please those who subscribe to the view that royals getting married does not constitute news – and usually I would tend to agree . . . if Prince Harry was just marrying a traditional British bride from within the usual royal circles.

But he’s not. His bride is a hot-as American actress whose mother is African-American. Thanks to Meghan, this family have become as interesting as they were in the days of Princess Diana.

With his dad happily married to Camilla, and big brother William now happily married to Kate and with three kids to raise, Harry has got himself perhaps the most fun life of all. He has also smashed down the door to diversity in the royal family, breathing new and normal life into centuries-old traditions.

There’s another reason Meghan walking down that aisle is oh-so awesome – it’s shown a woman of colour in a thoroughly positive light. And considering what’s been going on in the United States recently, some people still need that as a wakeup call.

Some white folk in America seem to have reached peak insanity when it comes to calling the police on innocent black people.

The list of ‘‘offences’’ that have prompted those 911 calls include a tired student falling asleep in a common room, two guys sitting in a Starbucks waiting for a meeting, a group of women accused of playing golf too slow, a couple moving out of an Airbnb and, get this, a man who was walking his baby through a park.

With African-Americans under attack like this in their own country, Meghan Markle’s global moment of love and matrimony represents a victory of sorts.

‘ Harry has also smashed down the door to diversity in the oyal family.’