Prince Harry and Meghan Markle – A Modern Couple Trying to Bring the Royal Family into the 21st Century?

Oh my days! What a stressful time it is for the royal family at the moment! If you haven’t heard the news, firstly, where have you been? Secondly, I’ll kindly update you (as though I know the royal family personally and haven’t just googled exactly what is going on!)

Five days ago Prince Harry and Meghan announced, via their Instagram page, that they plan to step back from royal duties and seek a new ‘”progressive” path.

I’m not sure they, nor the rest of the royal family, know exactly what that means, but should the public be as quick as they have been in jumping to the conclusion that this is a bad idea?

Obviously I only know what I’ve read and heard in the news, but I think the first thing to address is that Prince Harry and Meghan could have handled this in a very different way.

For starters, it probably would have been good a idea to discuss their future plans with the Queen, Prince Charles and anyone else at Buckingham Palace who could offer advice, but for some reason, we’ll probably never know, they decided not to do that. Is that disrespectful to a monarch that’s reigned over our country for over six decades? Personally, I think so.

Now I will admit that I am a fan of Prince William and Kate. I was also a fan of Princess Diana too. I’ll also add that whilst I’m not Meghan’s biggest fan, mainly because I don’t really know too much about her, but I do think she’s been treated unfairly by the British press and public.

Unlike Kate Middleton, who was born and raised in England by wealthy parents, Meghan had a rather different upbringing. Born in California to two working parents, who divorced when Meghan was just six years old, I have to say that I admire how well Meghan has done in life.

She grew up in Hollywood and was educated at private schools (according to wikipedia) and she went onto earn a bachelor’s degree and gained her most well-known role in the US TV show, Suits.

Meghan has certainly faced a lot of backlash from the British media. She’s been accused of ‘ditching her family’, ‘breaking rules’ and has had her father and half-brother talking to the press behind her back too, yet Meghan has remained dignified in the face of all this.

She’s openly admitted that she found her transition into a royal role difficult and who wouldn’t if they were in her shoes? She’s moved to a foreign country, given up her career and social media accounts, plus she’s raising her first child very much in the public eye.

Like many people who saw Meghan’s emotional Tom Bradby ITV interview, Meghan revealed that she’s struggled to cope through pregnancy and the early stages of motherhood amid the pressures of press interest in her public life as a member of the Royal Family. So many people came out and said that Meghan came across as insincere, that she’s playing the biggest role of her life as the wife of Prince Harry, but all I see is a vulnerable woman who’s struggling to cope with so many different pressures.

When my twin girls were born, I cried non-stop for so many weeks. There was no reason behind it. Nothing in particular would set me off. It was just a mixture of hormones and generally trying to get used to the fact that I was now responsible for keeping two small human beings alive. I couldn’t imagine having to deal with all of that in the public eye, with people constantly putting you down, having to deal with royal duties, and reading negative news stories about yourself in the media on a daily basis. It’d be enough to tip even the strongest of women over the edge.

I have to say that I do admire Meghan in light of everything she’s going through and I think she’s getting a pretty rough deal. I hear people saying that she’s manipulative and has coerced Prince Harry into making this decision. He’s a fully grown man and whilst I’m sure Meghan hasn’t been short in coming forward about her feelings, Harry is probably doing his best to keep the peace between Meghan and his family. He’s pretty much stuck in the middle of it all and is only trying to do his best for his new family. I’m pretty sure if he was a commoner and in the same position, he’d most likely be doing the same thing he’s doing right now.

In addition to this, sources from the royal family have spoken of how Prince William is disappointed and no longer has a close bond with his brother and I really do feel for Prince William, but I think Prince Harry and Meghan could be making the right decision. Although, again, I think they should have handled it better in the way in which they announced their decision.

I think the royal family is so important for Britain. However I also think that it’s old fashioned and it’s ideas are outdated. Why shouldn’t Prince Harry and Meghan try to pave the way for a more progressive, modern role?

After all, why should a woman have to give up her career, move to a different country and face a backlash for just breathing? Meghan has a real opportunity here to show just how strong us women can be and with her husband by her side, I wish them both the best of luck, although it’ll certainly be difficult.

I will add that I’m in no way an expert on royal protocol etc so I have no idea if it’s even possible to do what they want to do. I understand it’s fairly complex, as do the many tax payers who are quick to voice their concerns, and I get that, but why can’t we give them the opportunity to try something new and just see how it goes?

If it doesn’t work, then we’ll know and at least they’ll have tried. Yes, I know tax payers footed the bill for their wedding, their security etc, but unless we give them a chance to try something new, how will we know if it’s possible for them to take on a more ‘humanitarian role’ like Diana and be financially independent? It seems they can’t do right for doing wrong.

I’ve heard people saying that Prince Harry and Meghan jumped before they were pushed and who can blame them if that’s true?

I’d love to hear your thoughts! What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.