Western Morning News (Saturday)
Archie and Lilibet miss out thanks to martyr Meghan
THE picture of the then Prince Charles offering his arm to walk Meghan Markle down the aisle was one of the defining images of her wedding to Harry.
A spectacular fallout with her father left the former Suits actress without a chaperone to escort her to the altar of St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle.
No one could have predicted, from the happiness and unity emanating from the ceremony, that such harmony would be in ruins just a few years later.
Appointed Duke and Duchess of Sussex following their wedding, the couple have now given up on royal life to seek happiness in the US and Harry no longer speaks to his best man, Prince William.
In between, we’ve heard how Meghan’s short time in the UK led her to thoughts of suicide and claims that a senior family member held concerns regarding the skin colour of their unborn son.
More recently, Harry, in his book, Spare, admitted he “begged” his father not to marry
Queen Consort Camilla, fearing she’d become his “evil” stepmother.
Given everything these professional complainers have said, it’s a marvel that the Sussexes haven’t given up their titles. But their currency is dependent on links to the very thing they have spent years attacking – the royal family.
It was no doubt why, months after the Queen passed away, Harry and Meghan confirmed their children were now to be called Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
But Meghan’s decision to decline an invitation to next month’s coronation, opting not to join her husband at the service, makes anyone wonder how there is a way back for her in the UK.
Sure, there is a relief for some royals that she is to stay at home in California on May 6, but the decision could benefit Markle Marketing Inc.
Concerns of being placed at the back, out of sight from the cameras or being booed on her arrival by supporters of the royals may have played a role in her decision. But forgoing the coronation allows Meghan to appear as a martyr, adding to the Sussexes’ narrative that she was persecuted by the monarchy.
It falls perfectly in the couple’s playbook, eliciting yet more sympathy for their plight here.
Harry’s attendance is a must – without it, their ‘brand’ would have been dealt a devastating blow.
But for all the why and wherefores as to why Meghan is not going, two people are losing far more – Archie and Lilibet. The two innocents in the bitter war of words the Sussex have embarked on, are now denied one of the most historic days of their lives.
Seeing their grandfather crowned King is an event so very few can say they have seen. Then again, having any grandfather in their lives would be a blessing.
Given that the King was there for her on Meghan’s big day, it is a shame she cannot be there for him on his.
Seeing their grandfather crowned King is an event so very few can say they have seen