QUEEN: DUTY AND FAMILY UNITE US
That’s public service for you, Harry and Meghan ...NOT a self-serving TV chat with Oprah
LOYAL Britons rallied behind the Queen yesterday as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s controverisal interview hit TV screens.
Online platforms were flooded with an outpouring of support for the 94-year-old monarch who carried on with her own television message, to the Commonwealth.
In her annual address, during a BBC One programme ahead of today’s Commonwealth Day, the Queen emphasised the importance of staying in touch with family and friends despite “testing times”.
As her husband Prince Philip, 99, continued his recovery in hospital following a heart operation, she paid a touching tribute to him too.
She had on the chrysanthemum brooch – adorned with sapphires and diamonds set in platinum – which she wore on their honeymoon in Broadlands, Hants.
By stark contrast to the Sussexes’ well-publicised appearance with US chat show royalty Oprah Winfrey last night, the Queen kept a dignified silence on their stepping away from the Royal Family.
Duties
Instead she spoke of using technology to stay connected during the pandemic. Faced with a rift between her grandsons William and Harry, she has used video calling to keep in touch with all the Windsors.
Although it was the Queen who decided Harry and Meghan could not continue to represent the monarchy after qutting royal duties, she has been keen to keep up regular chats with the couple and their 22-month-old son Archie as well as with other members of the family.
Her Commonwealth message, in which she celebrated the “friendship, spirit of unity and achievements” around the world and the benefits of working together in the fight against Covid, was about collaboration – in sharp contrast to the crisis splitting her family.
It was also a tale of what might have been for the Sussexes.
Before they moved to Canada and the US, the Queen had given them responsibilities to work across the Commonwealth as a voice for the 60 per cent of the 2.4 billion people under 30 in the 54 mainly ex-British Empire nations.
They have now lost that role. She said: “As we celebrate the friendship, spirit of unity and achievements of the Commonwealth, we have an opportunity to reflect on a time like no other.
“The testing times experienced by so many have led to a deeper appreciation of the mutual support and spiritual sustenance we enjoy by being connected.
“Stirring examples of courage, commitment and selfless dedication to duty have been demonstrated in every Commonwealth nation and territory, notably by those working on the front line who have been delivering health care and other public services.” As footage was played of the Queen’s many official video calls, she acknowledged the benefits of connecting friends, family and colleagues who could not meet during the pandemic.
She said: “We have all continued to appreciate the support, breadth of experiences and knowledge that working together brings. I hope we shall maintain this renewed sense of closeness and community.”
The film showed the Queen in a blue dress and jacket in Windsor Castle’s St George’s Hall, which was lined with flags from around the Commonwealth. The Queen hopes that the Commonwealth will be her legacy.
She continued: “Relationships with others across the Commonwealth will remain important as we strive to deliver a common future that is sustainable and more secure. So that the nations and neighbourhoods in which we live, wherever they are located, become healthier and happier places for us all.”
Meanwhile messages backing her, rather than California-based Harry and Meghan, in the rift that has torn the Royal Family apart spread across the internet from celebrities and the public alike.
Ex-England keeper Peter Shilton said: “Harry and Meghan are about to feel the wrath of our nation.”
He added that many people “will want to defend and protect our
Queen. Thousands will stand united behind our sovereign”.
Lord Sugar, of The Apprentice, tweeted about the Duchess: “I don’t like her and I feel for Harry.”
While presenter Colin Brazier wrote: “A lot’s been written about the Sussexes’ ability to deftly manage their own PR.
Revenge
“But it’s not a good look is it?” Members of the public voiced their support too. Mary Mclean posted about Meghan: “I don’t like what she and Harry are doing.
“It all smacks of revenge and self promoting, profit making. This is spiteful.”
Chris Smith said: “Meghan came with a plan, she got her man, got the additional fame and now gets to live in LA as someone who is or was remotely royal.Win-win.”
During last night’s programme,A Service Of Celebration For Commonwealth Day, Prince Charles spoke about the role of the Commonwealth in health crises linked to environmental problems.
He said: “The Commonwealth has been a cornerstone of my life. It is my dearest wish that it might also be the cornerstone of a sustainable future for as long as we recover from everything that we have endured.”
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were seen on video calls to medical and charity staff in South Africa, Bangladesh and Malaysia.
Kate, 39, praised them, saying: “It’s sad, almost, that it’s taken the pandemic for the public to really back and support all those working on the front line.”
The Countess of Wessex spoke to three women from the Commonwealth ahead of International Women’s Day and the programme also featured a reflection by Olympic heptathlete Denise Lewis.