Meghan: Why she’s so
AGENERATION has grown up watching the monarchy sail serenely on. Despite her 92 years the Queen shows no sign of flagging, Prince Charles seems content to wait in the wings while the young royals led by William and Kate are more popular than ever. The birth of Prince Louis is the icing on the cake. Yet it’s not so long ago that the institution was in crisis.
Three of Her Majesty’s children had been through divorces, the fallout from the death of Princess Diana was bitter and it appeared the nation would never take Camilla Parker Bowles to its heart.
There were allegations that the Royal Family was out of touch, rooted in the past and loathe to modernise. At one stage there were even whispers that the monarchy might not survive.
However there has been a minor revolution behind the scenes at Buckingham Palace over the past few decades and nothing demonstrates this more than the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
He might only be sixth in line to the throne but Harry’s choice of bride is another important sign of the monarchy’s desire to shed its stuffy image. Not only is Miss Markle a commoner but she’s an American, a divorcee and of mixed race. In fact she could hardly be further removed from the blue bloods who have traditionally become royal brides.
In years gone by she would, no doubt, have been deemed “unsuitable” just as her compatriot Koo Stark was when she won the heart of Prince Andrew in the 1980s.
So it is to the Royal Family’s credit that Meghan has been warmly welcomed into the fold: she already has a Christmas at Sandringham under her belt.
ROYAL commentator and broadcaster Jennie Bond says: “This confident, eloquent and elegant young woman is a powerful symbol of how the monarchy is moving with the times.
“Edward VIII had to choose between his love for a divorced woman, Wallis Simpson, and the throne. Prince Andrew was pressured into giving up an American actress, Koo Stark. But Meghan Markle, who is divorced, American, an actress and of mixed heritage, has been welcomed into the Royal Family with open arms.
“She will reflect Britain’s multicultural society as well as the empowerment of women. And that makes the monarchy more relevant, more contemporary and more connected to society – exactly as Harry’s mother Diana once advocated.”
Race is always a delicate subject but if the Royal Family is to remain relevant it has to mirror society: in Britain about one in 10 couples is now in mixed ethnicity relationships. In the past Meghan, whose mother is black and father white, has expressed pride in her heritage.
Then there’s the matter of her acting background, spanning from 2002, which divides opinion.
While Kate Middleton has gone from strength to strength since joining “The Firm”, one criticism had been her lack of previous real-world experience. When she married William her “career” amounted to only a short time working as an assistant accessories buyer for the clothing chain Jigsaw.
In contrast Meghan battled hard to get her break in the notoriously tough acting world before landing the plum role of Rachel Zane in the US legal drama Suits.
Earlier there was a stint as a scantily-clad hostess on Deal Or No Deal but through her charity work Meghan has shown that she has brains as well as beauty.
She is also reported to have built a personal fortune of more than £3.5million.
It’s clear that this will be a marriage of equals and Meghan, who voiced her opposition to Donald Trump in 2016, is not crossing the Atlantic merely to play the dutiful wife.
Jennie Bond, who was the BBC’s royal correspondent for 14 years, believes we can all relate to Meghan and that’s a key reason why she’s so good for the monarchy.
She adds: “Meghan is older than most royal brides and is already a success in her own right, with self-made wealth, an established career and a solid track record in supporting charities and causes about which she feels strongly.
“She has certainly won the love of her Prince but it seems clear that she has also won the respect of the family she is now joining and the nation as a whole. Meghan gives the impression that she is very comfortable in her own skin.”
Crucially Harry has been allowed to make his own match without all the restrictions that his father faced, which now seem so ridiculous.
IN CHARLES’ day there was a tiny pool of potential wives, drawn from the British aristocracy and the other royal houses of Europe. We all know how badly that ended, as he was effectively pushed into marrying the very suitable Diana Spencer who was barely 20 years old but