Has Meghan Out-Trumped Trump?

Dear Reader,

Well, all I can say is that I hope we are seeing the pinnacle of the cult of personality and that it will cause such a backlash that it will disappear from view altogether. 

How can the extreme world developments of the last 20 years that have caused such suffering, followed by the COVID pandemic, and the effects of Climate Change, take second stage to the personality of Donald Trump and Meghan Markle? Yet that is how both have been treated by many - as though they are both so important to world peace and prosperity.

Perhaps they reflect the nature of the world as it appears to many.

Yes, there can be questions asked about the suitability of the UK Royal household in this day and age, but it has continued to fulfil a function and I feel it has survived as long as it has through the Queen's determination over near-70 years to stick to her responsibilities and moral purview through thick and thin. She has set a remarkable standard. in my view, considering the changing role of the monarchy during her father's and her own lifetime.

Despite seeming to be an anachronism, the monarchy has succeeded - I believe - in setting a standard in maintaining a sense of stability and providing good sense at times when all else has seemed to threaten to run riot. Somehow, I feel the Queen has succeeded in adapting to changing circumstances fairly well even though there are those who take exception to the set up in the Royal Family.

Having lived and played her part through the rigours of a World War, she learnt at first hand how she could play a role to try to pacify and unify nations as they morphed from members of the Empire into the Commonwealth and has provided much-needed counsel and inspiration to the Commonwealth's and UK's democratically-elected leaders.

Her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, set aside his own ambitions in the Navy to walk with the Queen through her life and its challenges with mostly impeccable strength, and through their example Prince Charles (despite much opposition from the personality cult) and Princess Anne, their elder children, have shown a commitment to the same personal standards of service. Prince William, the second heir to the throne, has done likewise.

By comparison with what President Trump has delivered - and still strives to deliver - the fortitude of the senior members of the Royal Family and their good influence stand in firm contrast. Prince Philip's Duke of Edinburgh Award system and Prince Charles's' Prince's Trust have over many years provided a great basis for needy young people - of whatever creed or colour - to make a solid headway in life. The activities of the Royal Family have been such as to smooth the path for others wherever possible.

From all accounts, the very popular Prince Harry stood to make an even greater impact as a member of the Royal Family. Until the phenomenon named Meghan appeared.

We know that not all members of the Royal Family have lived up to the standards set by the Queen, but that is life. Just as in the world in general, there are those who make mistakes, deliberate or otherwise.

Yes, we know also that the Royal Family lives at a material level that few other people can achieve, but - look closely - and observe the frugality of the members of the Royal Family just mentioned. Waste not, want not, appears to be their motto. As for Prince Charles, he has delved into practical alternatives in a way like no other member of that family before him, despite all the bile he has been treated to from time to time because of his way of life. Yet effective alternatives are exactly what we need to look for as we move into uncertain times. Many 19th/20th-century 'modern' ways and methods have been shown not to work very well - they're past their sell-by date.

Yet, despite that situation, Meghan seems to love lampooning that family as though only she matters - almost as though she was not spoken to by them in her time in the UK. But she must have been spoken to as she accuses the family of racist attitudes. With the attitude that only she understands, she now struts the portals of the Oprah Winfreys of this world as though she should be considered to be the First Lady, and, unfortunately, aiming missiles as she goes, frustrated by her (she says) mistreatment.

The target for her missiles are mainly the Queen and Prince Philip, both in their late 90s now, and with Prince Philip recuperating from a heart procedure. It's hardly the time for wayward children to be crying wolf, and hardly thanks for being baled out by Prince Charles from their financial difficulty during their sojourn in Canada.

The British press is also, admittedly, a target for her missiles, but though I share some of her distaste for the popular press, they did give her support until she got unsettled by Royal Family life.

Still regaling the title of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (which was bestowed upon them by the Queen before the hiatus), the couple continues to use their title for trade and status purposes regardless of their acrimonious affair with the Royal household and while the people of Sussex protest against the title's misuse. The couple seems to be oblivious to all this.

Meanwhile, Meghan's American fans are in glee at the stand she is making, happy to follow up their Princess Diana worship with an apparent successor. But how is it that she acquired such First Lady approbation? 

Considering that her achievements as an actress are not a great lot to write about, and considering her failure to give credit to her father for much, the route she has used to attain virtual First Lady status seems to have been well-engineered. Having said that, the Queen was simply born into her position as the UK's First Lady, but she did serve an effective apprenticeship based on good values before taking over the reins as Queen. And the Queen is essentially still a modest and unpretentious person, loved by all who have dealt with her it would seem - apart from those who cannot put up with the trappings of being members of the Royal Family when they marry into it.

With Donald Trump and his wife recently exiled from the prime position in her country, perhaps Meghan felt the time is ripe to declare war over her frustration, with Harry in tow. But surely the cult of personality and ego has now gone one step too far. 

We would do well to give these affairs short shrift: the days of such glamour, posturing and hero worship are numbered. The world is subtly changing in quite a different direction, though unseen to many. God's Will will be done.

I do - sincerely - hope there's not a sad ending to all this. I pray for good sense to operate; even those who do wrong are inclusive members of God's family.

I am not a monarchist especially, but I am happy to say"God save our Gracious Queen". And also pray that all the world be happy.

Thank you for reading this.

Postscript

A few hours after posting the above, it came to me that perhaps there are many in America that just do not understand what the role of the Monarchy is. 

For those that don't, the Monarchy is a constitutional entity - that means that it is a part of the British Constitution and has a role to play, though the Queen rarely exercises the powers of government that she does have. She primarily executes her role in a ritual way, but she is kept closely informed on what is happening in British affairs.

The Monarchy is on a par with the position of President (as in the USA) but without most of the presidential powers. Part of the confusion of those in the USA and elsewhere is that they most likely view our Prime Minister as being akin to their President - which is not the case.

The Royal Family, therefore, are not just that - a high class family. They have an actual role to play in civic life, and that is part of the reason why there is a good deal of control on the behaviour of the Royal Family - what they should or should not do in their lives.

Meghan seems not to have even tried to grasp that situation.