A very good article in The Times online today. I will see if I can paste several paragraphs below:
"The timing of this move might delicately be described as tactless. As Prince Charles fights Covid-19, as hundreds die and thousands grieve, and millions suffer distress and financial uncertainty; as a quarter of the world’s population are allowed little further than their own front door, the duke and duchess chose this moment to display their wealth and the freedom it can buy, to sever ties more definitively from crown and Commonwealth, to further their own interests.
"Indeed, the timing is so crass that we have to wonder whether it was deliberate. Perhaps, to paraphrase that odious line coined on 9/11, the Sussexes thought this pandemic was “a good time to bury difficult news”? If this was the rationale, it was entirely wrong. Making the move to California, and making it now, only inflames the irritation many feel over the couple’s actions in recent months.
"I am one of those who thought the union of Harry and Meghan an exciting thing for our country. The woman is beautiful, charismatic, blessed with Cleopatra-like poise. She glows as though lit from within by 1,000 watts. Harry’s discovery of Meghan seemed as great a boon to Britain as the uncovering of a fresh field of oil in the North Sea. Then came Megxit part 1: a disappointing rejection of this nation by those who had been offered all its riches on a plate. Still, we could find it in our hearts to understand their need for a life away from the spotlight; we could give them credit for staying within the Commonwealth, and we could be hopeful about their pledge to spend a lot of time in Britain.
"Now Megxit part 2 has blown those charitable assumptions about part 1 out of the water. The couple who professed to hate media intrusion have headed to a place where their every move will be captured by paparazzi. The people who make so much of their bonds with the Commonwealth — and who reportedly toyed with a move to Africa — have moved out of it. The duke and duchess who still style their communications with a crown motif, whose brand is explicitly built on the back of the British royal family, have decided that in this moment of crisis they will leave the old firm to it.
"According to the Times report on the couple’s move, “the royal family is said to be disappointed that Prince Harry and Meghan have not returned to Britain to perform a supportive role.” Disappointed — exquisite understatement! The word carries the weight of 100 courtiers’ raised eyebrows, and the Queen’s own quiet despair. The theme of Her Majesty’s reign has been humility over haughtiness; whenever possible you stand beside your people, not above them. She learnt that from her mother, who insisted that she and King George VI stayed at Buckingham Palace during the Blitz, and who was “glad” when the Luftwaffe bombed the palace because it meant she could “look the East End in the face”.
