It’s not wrong to feel joy over royal baby amid Brexit gloom
AS Brexit gets more gloomy, complicated and depressing, how lovely of Prince Harry and Meghan to cheer us all up with the sweet news they’re expecting their first child in the spring.
Talk about great timing. There’s nothing like a royal baby to put everyone – well, most people – in a good mood, even if it is just for a day or two.
It gets people talking to each other, something we don’t do enough of these days as we rush about with our busy lives.
Inevitably, some commentators have made much of the fact the baby will be the first mixed-race child to have “royal blood”.
To hear them speak you’d think they were discussing an episode of Game of Thrones.
In the two years the couple have been together they’ve done so much to reposition the image of monarchy that the idea of a royal baby born with an African-American grandmother doesn’t seem as far-fetched as it would have been years ago.
I asked most of my black friends and family what they thought about the announcement. All were excited about the news, even the men. One even declared “the fairly-tale continues”.
What did they think about the fact the baby will be of mixed race heritage?
Not one of them cared. They were more excited about Prince Harry becoming a dad. If May’s royal wedding showed us anything, it was that this is a thoroughly modern couple who embrace all aspects of each other’s backgrounds. And if anyone’s worried about the new arrival being cut off from his or her cultural background, just remember the little one will be doted on by graceful grannie Doria Ragland.
If she is able to pass on to her grandchild some of the values she instilled in Meghan when raising her, she’ll have done a great job.
Of course, the trolls have come out in force – some of the comments and tweets are just ridiculous. Why can’t people just be happy for them?
Yes, the news is a distraction from Brexit, but so what.
The EU political drama will still be hanging over us tomorrow, and the day after.
There’s a lot to be said for good news that brings everyone together. There’s nothing wrong with feeling happy for Harry and Meghan.
Who needs to watch a rom-com for a bit of escapism when we’ve got a real-life one in front of our eyes. We’ve never needed it more.
The trolls have come out in force – some of the comments are ridiculous