To last, family must change
RACISM. Suicidal thoughts. Exile. Patronages, security and Civil List funding all removed.
A confessional TV interview that dares to criticise a Royal Family that’s deaf to those “trapped” in its traditions and outmoded attitudes.
The beautiful ghost of Princess Diana hovers over an institution in crisis once more. But who will win the nation’s hearts this time and will the monarchy learn a lesson?
Perspective is needed: all modern monarchies go through crises of legitimacy. Juan Carlos of Spain abdicated in 2014, and went into exile last year after a series of scandals. And in Thailand the young are jailed for questioning Rama X’s right to rule.
But we’re different, aren’t we? Not as much as we like to think.
The Windsors were badly shaken by Edward VIII’s Abdication in 1936 when he too fell for a divorced American.
Almost two thirds of the British public supported the couple. It didn’t matter. The Firm ensured they never darkened palace doors again.
Princess Margaret fell in love with a divorced war veteran and over 90 per cent of readers backed her. It didn’t matter. In 1955 she was pressured into choosing “duty”, not Peter Townsend.
Flings, affairs, divorces and rumours of sexual deviance have stalked the monarchy ever since, which appears to have tin ears to social change.
Yes, there were people of colour at the Sussex’s wedding, in what seemed a show of integration. And speculating on the skin colour of a baby doesn’t make you a racist, countless mixedrace families have done that in a spirit of benign curiosity. However questions really must be asked about how deep change goes at Buckingham Palace.
Polls since Diana’s day have consistently shown majority support for the monarchy. But to regain their popularity among the young, the Royal Family cannot miss the next big opportunity to modernise.
The Crown isn’t a complete fiction. And the British know it. It’s a fairly accurate drama about a dysfunctional family and an institution that hasn’t learned from its recent past.
Perhaps Harry and Meghan could play themselves in a future season as part of their Netflix deal?
Now that would wake up the most complacent courtier.