Royalty strengthens special relationship
The monarchy’s constitutional essence always stays the same, but this institution has survived precisely because it has moved with the times. In 1953, say some historians, Prince Philip was instrumental in the Coronation being first broadcast on television, while ensuring it retained its ancient magic. In the same vein, the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will combine tradition and innovation.
Take the Instrument of Consent, the official document that records Her Majesty’s consent to the marriage. On the left-hand side is a design that features symbols of Prince Harry, the Spencer family and the United Kingdom. The design on the right adds the rose (the national flower of America), the Californian poppies and olive branches adopted from the Great Seal of the United States. Here is an imaginative combination of the history and culture of two nations that began, effectively, as one but were divided by 18th-century revolution. As if to underscore that the monarchy can reconcile without compromising tradition, the Instrument is illustrated, as always, on vellum.
In another example of change in the midst of continuity, Lance Corporal Kate Sandford will become the first woman from the band of the Household Cavalry to play the fanfare at a Royal wedding. The address will be given by the Most Revd Michael Bruce Curry, the first AfricanAmerican elected as Presiding Bishop and Primate of The Episcopal Church. His presence will be a reminder of the breadth of the Anglican communion, which crosses continents. The service will epitomise the particular “special relationship” between Britain and the US. Our countries get on so well because we share certain values. For all their divergent histories, our nations are products of Magna Carta, the Enlightenment and the philosophy of liberty.
The determination of Prince Harry and Ms Markle to give a prominent role to charity workers also reflects a monarchy that long ago transcended the aristocracy to become something that serves the whole nation. The Royal family remains compellingly relevant to a changing world.