Royal Family : On Thursday (what would have been Diana’s 60th birthday), a new statue of Princess Diana will be unveiled at Kensington Palace in London, honoring a woman whose charisma, compassion, and rebellious streak revolutionized royal affairs.
It will also be the first time her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, have been seen together since Harry and his wife, Meghan, began publicly criticizing the royal family from their new California home.
On April 17, they met for the first time in a stiff-looking encounter at the funeral of their grandfather, Prince Philip.
“How difficult is it for Harry to make these return visits to the United Kingdom following the interview that he and Meghan did with Oprah?” correspondent Holly Williams wondered.
“Oh, it’s incredibly difficult,” said Ayesha Hazarika, a former political advisor and journalist. “They are treated as outcasts in this country. The press treats them with contempt. They’ve been chastised from all sides.”
The royal family, according to Hazarika, has been harmed by the couple’s racist allegations: “There are a lot of younger people, especially in the Black and Asian communities, who are interested in that. That was taken very seriously by them. They were extremely ashamed of the royal family and of the United Kingdom.”
She stated that the royal family is in desperate need of Harry and Meghan’s celebrity.
“William and Kate, particularly Kate Middleton, are being pushed to the forefront in terms of publicity,” Hazarika said. “I believe the royal family’s PR machine is attempting to transform William and Kate into the new Meghan and Harry. They’re attempting to make them look like rock stars.”
To commemorate their tenth wedding anniversary, Kate and William released a Hollywood-style video; the royal family has never done anything like it before.
Kate was seen with Jill Biden, the first lady of the United States, during her visit to the United Kingdom earlier this month:
And Kate, who has become a regular on Zoom calls with the general public:
“Harry and Meghan were hugely popular, and they sucked up a lot of air,” Jonny Dymond, a royal correspondent for BBC News, said. “With them out of the picture, William and Kate are getting a lot more attention.”
Harry and Meghan named their newborn daughter Lilibet, a private royal family nickname for the Queen, earlier this month, according to Dymond. The couple claimed the Queen was on board, but Dymond was publicly humiliated when a palace source claimed she hadn’t been asked.
“When I first heard about it, I thought to myself, ‘That is a mark of great love and respect,'” Dymond said. “Then, from the palace, I was told a slightly different story. It hasn’t made people feel any better on either side of the Atlantic, in my opinion.”
While the monarchy is still supported by the vast majority of British citizens, younger people are much more sympathetic to Harry and Meghan. However, according to a recent YouGov poll, more than 40% of those aged 18-24 now say they would prefer an elected head of state.
One of the Queen’s subjects, Jane Wilson, says she could live without her. She told Williams, “I’m pretty agnostic about the royals.” “Some people care about them, and they’re here. However, I do not believe they are necessary, nor do I believe Britain would be a lesser country without them.”
Williams enlisted the help of public relations expert Wilson to assess Kate and William’s new video. She described it as “like an ad for an insurance company or some kind of country living company.”
“Do you think it was done at least in part explicitly to counter the narrative pushed by Harry and Meghan?” Williams wondered.
Wilson replied, “I believe almost certainly.” “I believe it kicked off a soft-power charm offensive for the family, particularly Kate and Will.”
A family feud has revealed the difficulties that a 1,000-year-old institution faces in the modern world.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt that there is debate in the palace about the monarchy’s future,” Dymond said.
Are they concerned about something? “I’m not sure if they’re concerned,” he admitted. “They are well aware that they have no God-given right to live. They understand that they are here because of the patience and support of the British people. I don’t think they’re scared, but I’m sure they’re thinking about it.”
