And the award for best display of self-importance goes to...
IF anyone was to ask Kerry Kennedy her thoughts towards Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, she’d say they are true heroes.
The daughter of Robert F. Kennedy believes the couple’s work since arriving in the States has been so important she has chosen to honour them with her family’s prestigious Human Rights award.
The accolade – named after the assassinated US attorney and politician’s iconic ‘Ripple of Hope’ speech delivered in South Africa as apartheid raged – recognises “moral courage”. The bravery to speak truth to power.
Next month, Harry and Meghan will attend a glittering black-tie gala in New York City, where they will be celebrated for fighting racial injustice and receive the award.
You see, Kerry has insisted the Sussexes have this recognition, not for their tireless efforts to rid America of its racist roots but for their “heroic stand” against “structural racism within the institution” of the monarchy.
“They went to the oldest institution in UK history and told them what they were doing wrong, that they couldn’t have structural racism within the institution, that they could not maintain a misunderstanding about mental health,” Kerry said.
What the...?
The award places the Sussexes in the same echelons as Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who was a lifelong campaigner for the abolition of apartheid and who also pushed for racial harmony between all nations.
He was a true hero who repeatedly put his life in danger for the cause while residing in abject poverty. It is in stark contrast to the Sussexes’ lives, who together enjoy the splendour of their £14 million California mansion while cashing in on their royal titles with megamillion deals.
But whilst most of America has wised up to Harry and Meghan’s
claims, Kerry fell into the trap the Sussexes set when speaking to Oprah Winfrey. During their cosy chat, Harry and Meghan would have anyone believe the royals were almost on par with the horrors of the apartheid regime in South Africa.
The Sussexes would do well to refer to the history books – books showing that Harry’s own grandparents worked tirelessly to banish racism from the world.
As a small example, during apartheid times, the Commonwealth wanted economic sanctions against the racist regime in South Africa. Many successive British governments disagreed. Yet it was the Queen who consistently sided with Nelson Mandela and the other African leaders in their demands for embargoes. Therefore, for the Sussexes to be portrayed as valiant anti-racism activists, coupled with their acceptance of this award, is an incredible display of self-importance. It also defies understanding that the alleged “institutional racism” inside the royal family is somewhat equivalent to the blatant injustices committed by racist governments in South Africa and the States.
Professor David Nasaw, Pulitzer finalist and author of The Patriarch, about Bobby Kennedy’s father Joseph, has declared the award to the Sussexes as “between sublimely ridiculous and blatantly ludicrous”. And he is right.
The idea that the Sussexes are being lauded as some kind of heroes in America by its own sort of royal family is unthinkable.
When Harry and Meghan hold up their Ripple of Hope trophy, they will look foolish compared to those who have won it before.
The fact they cannot find harmony within their own family while presented as peacemakers to the rest of the world should not be lost on anyone.
But should we really be surprised by Harry and Meghan’s acceptance of such an award?
After all, was it not the Duchess who claimed somebody told her that her marriage to the Prince caused as much celebration in
South Africa as the release of Nelson Mandela.
How deluded can one be?
The idea that the Sussexes are being lauded as some kind of heroes in America by its own sort of royal family is unthinkable