Sussexes pop up in a crisis to hold court
WELL, thank goodness for that. The world is in crisis, the Taliban has retaken Afghanistan, there are fears of terrible human rights abuses and the rise of extremism and terrorism – but be calm. Those mighty influencers, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have spoken, and don’t think they’ve forgotten other global crises either. Their hearts are big enough to care for all. “The world is exceptionally fragile right now,” they said in a statement. “As we all feel the many layers of pain due to the situation in Afghanistan, we are left speechless.” (Yeah, right.)
“As we all watch the growing humanitarian disaster in Haiti, and the threat of it worsening after last weekend’s earthquake, we are left heartbroken.”
Ah, that’s big of them, is it not? I expect the people of Afghanistan have breathed a sigh of relief, while Haiti knows that help is on the horizon. And after Harry and Meghan have sorted out that particular tragedy, perhaps they could turn their hands to the humanitarian crisis in Yemen, the persecution of the Uyghurs, the ongoing military coup in Myanmar, the Northern Ireland backstop and the current shortage of lorry drivers in the UK. Surely all it would need is a cup of chamomile tea with Meghan, a scented candle glowing in the background and perhaps a little yoga afterwards and it could all be sorted out?
As featured earlier this week in the Daily Express, Andrew Lownie has just written an excellent book about Edward and Mrs Simpson, called Traitor King: The Scandalous Exile of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor and of course the parallels with Harry and Meghan are remarkable.
Both involved a senior royal leaving behind his duties for an American divorcee, both involved money grubbing, memoirs (yup, Edward wrote one too), dumping friends, mistreating staff and complaining about status.
But even at their very worst, the Windsors could not have harboured the same levels of selfdelusion about their global importance as do the Sussexes. It is actually arrogant beyond belief to issue that statement: why do they think anyone cares about their tuppence worth?
Anyone with the tiniest touch of empathy will be feeling for the people of Afghanistan: why do Harry and Meghan, with their pop-up displays of compassion, think that they will make any difference at all?
Never let it be forgotten that Meghan could have changed history for the better if she’d been able to step up to the role of senior biracial member of the Royal family, but that would have involved a certain degree of selfsacrifice and hard work.
So it was off to the Californian sun, where it is increasingly difficult to distinguish them from a pair of well-connected chancers. Their most recent mission statement ends with a list of charities you can support to help out in these global issues. Will Harry and Meghan be out there on the ground, doing their bit? I wouldn’t hold your breath.