Left behind
Actually, most people are missing the main point about the exit of Harry and Meghan. Undoubtedly, she was treated horribly. For being mixed race, but mainly for being American. The media portrayed her as different and, by implication, unworthy. Undoubtedly, the sexist attitudes towards her were palpable — she was the shrew wife who led ‘our Harry’ astray, to blame for everything. The one who tore him away from his happy life of n̵a̵k̵e̵d̵ ̵p̵o̵o̵l̵ ̵a̵n̵d̵ ̵N̵a̵z̵i̵ ̵f̵a̵n̵c̵y̵ ̵d̵r̵e̵s̵s̵ ‘being Harry’ and made him ‘woke’. Undoubtedly, the double standards are palpable — witness the distinctly muted reaction to Prince Andrew’s downfall.
And yet, there is a much bigger elephant in the room. The Sussexes have, quite simply, outgrown this country. They are celebrities of an international standing, a recognisable world brand in their own right. Britain has nothing to offer them that would make a gruelling lifestyle of a royal, the constant scrutiny, the role in an around-the-clock lifelong soap opera, worthwhile. It used to be that the perks more than made up for the considerable downsides: it is no longer the case. A sign of the times, of Britain’s falling status in the world but also of the diminution of the nation state before a jet-setting trans-national elite. Free from obligations, free from rules, going about as they please without a care in the world, answerable to no one except their accountant and PR guru.
Does this make their critics right? Undoubtedly, Harry and Meghan have been ruthless in turning the tables on the British establishment. They have used Britain as a springboard to greater things, to greater fame — and the British taxpayer shouldered at least some of the cost. But please, let us be consistent. Are they any different to a corporation that pockets a few governmental subsidies to build, say, a factory only to move on after a few years? In either case, it is nothing personal, just business. Are they different to a high-powered CEO that accepts a job in the City, gets handsomely rewarded for his work and gets a golden parachute on departure? Clearly not — and even the millions spent on the now-infamous Frogmore Cottage are peanuts in comparison (*).
It is very reasonable, despite that, to bemoan the loss of a Britain in which duty came before monetary gain or a chance of an easier life. But that Britain — if it ever existed — is long gone. Each successive generation, each successive decade heaped more soil on its grave. In the current state of breaking norms, precedents, conventions, is it a wonder that the rot has reached the very top? Is it a wonder that a country whose official ideology has been to express life itself through the logic and the language of the markets and through individualism finds itself in a situation in which a grandson of the ruler decides that to keep performing his duties is both a poor business decision and doesn’t fit his own interests?
So I disagree with both the Meghan-bashers and the Meghan-sympathisers. The former should look at the media’s role in driving her away, in failing to provide an appealing enough environment. The latter should remember that she and her husband will be just fine and will no doubt go on to a glittering celebrity career. Me, I will instead lament Britain’s diminished standing in the world.
(*) Update: the Sussexes have now announced that the ‘Frogmore repair money’ will be repaid in full.