Living Under the Microscope !

From the moment they were born, Prince William and Prince Harry knew they were " different " from the other boys and girls with which they came into distant contact.   One of them was destined to sit on the throne of England and they became known as " the heir and the spare ".  Efforts were made to protect them from probing cameras during childhood but the people of Britain had an insatiable appetite for the entire Royal family and as they grew they became accustomed to sharing their lives publicly with their " subjects ".

Both eventually married and their choice of brides were both " commoners ".  In the distant past, Royal marriages were carefully arranged between the children of monarchs from other countries.  That was all about forming both commercial alliances and bolstering military capabilities and little thought was given to the happiness of the couples.   These couplings were more in line with livestock matings in the equestrian world.  Combining the right bloodlines was the important issue.

The British Royal family broke new ground when both Kate and Meghan were chosen by that very old fashioned method known as a " love match ".  There were trepidations in the circle of Royal watchers because of the intense pressure exerted by the media to capture and share every moment of their lives with an adoring public.  It was remembered how this pressure eventually destroyed Princess Diana, to whom the mantle of Royalty was more easily accessed because of her background on the fringe of aristocracy.

William and Kate have settled into what they regards as their "jobs " with elegance and have produced children.   Harry and Meghan married  in May, 2018 and recently produced a child. They are now in a lower ranking in the line of access to the throne and yet as newlyweds the media concentration with their lives has yet to abate.

Meghan - now the Duchess of Sussex has spoken frankly about the stress of adjusting to Royal life. She is American born and was a fast emerging star in the film industry.  Her parents were divorced and she is the child of a mixed colour marriage, and that was definitely a first in Royal genealogy. So far Royal watchers give her an excellent accolade although some criticism has arisen about the use of private jet aircraft in an age when jet travel is harming the global warming problem.

Harry is supportive to her efforts to protect their privacy from media intrusion.  Legal action is underway over the publication of a private letter she wrote to her estranged father and many phone conversations have been intercepted and appeared in newspapers.  The Duchess of Sussex admits that private friends tried to persuade her not to marry Harry.   The complications of adjusting to Royal life have been greater than she expected.

It seems likely that Harry and Meghan will try to separate their official and private lives by part time living in America.  The media stalking in Britain makes any sort of private life impossible and spending some time outside the country seems to be the only answer.  How this sits with their adoring public waits to be seen.

The British Royal family has changed more in the present Quern's lifetime than for many centuries. An ageing Charles is next in line for the throne, and then this next generation will have their turn to create the throne as more tuned to the modern world.

It seems that Kate and Meghan are the catalyst for how the Royals will be portrayed in the future.  The Royal family will be more like the men and women with which they rub shoulders in the street. Hopefully, media pressure will be less intense.