EDITORIAL
The marriage of Harry and Meagan is a union made for the modern times
If we’re going to have a monarchy, and we do in Canada, then we might as well celebrate it for what it is, a symbol of nationhood — and there’s no better time than in the feel-good afterglow of a royal wedding.
Many years ago, the marriage of royalty was more than symbolic. Often, it was part of nation-building itself. Royal marriages were as important as peace treaties. Royal babies, especially of the male kind, kept monarchs’ families in power.
But in the age of democracy, those countries that have retained constitutional monarchies now rely on their royal families to help define what they are.
Canada is fortunate in its royal heritage. We have enjoyed and admired, for the most part, the leadership from the House of Windsor, particularly from the Queen herself, Elizabeth II.
Marriages in her family have become great occasions of pomp and pageantry, and most of us are suckers for the real-life fairy tales, even if the couples don’t always live happily ever after.
Which brings us to the marriages of the sons of Charles and Diana. The boys were 12 and 15 when their much-loved mother died in a Paris car crash. The world followed their growth through the rocky teenage years and through their service in the military.
Prince William, second in line to the throne, has been successfully building a family, as royals are wont to do, with the Duchess of Cambridge, popularly known as Kate.
Harry, the youngest, was always the wilder son, but his Victoria Day weekend marriage to Meghan Markle shows a new maturity and new symbolism for two ancient institutions, marriage and the monarchy.
First of all, Harry married a divorced American commoner. It wasn’t so long ago that a British monarch gave up his throne for that very opportunity. This commoner, an actress, was also born of a white father and a black mother whose descendants were slaves. Another radical departure.
Then there was the ceremony itself. In front of guests from all walks of life and many parts of the world, the wedding ceremony of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex featured a gospel choir and a fiery sermon from an American bishop — all reflecting the bride’s heritage in a traditional ritual, and all very inclusive.
And now it appears the Duchess will not set aside her feminist beliefs and activism, for any kind of bland neutrality. Her official website states: “I am proud to be a woman and a feminist,” taken from a speech she gave at a United Nations event.
This is the modern age of our monarchy. Long may it reign.