I finally got around to watch the Meghan and Harry soap Oprah, and frankly, I was not won over by her (or his) performance. Sure, she is cute and well-spoken, but she was not convincing enough. I particularly struggled to believe her assertions that when she had it all (a prince, a title, servants, security detail, and a child underway) she entertained suicidal thoughts.
To me, her story sounds like a failure to adapt to reality. When you join the Firm, you fundamentally agree to follow its rules and customs, and not the other way around. To my knowledge, there is absolutely no job devoid of any pesky drawbacks, even when you are a newly minted duchess.
Meghan failed to carefully the script and was totally unprepared for her new role. She was not even aware that she had to curtsy before the queen. Even a peon like me knows that…
When she married into the British royal family, she had no idea what to expect and by her own admission, she was unwilling to do some research about it. Today, the Internet is available to answer any questions and if you fail to do so, you have only yourself to blame.
Both Meghan and Harry came out as spoiled whiners. If you want to play by your own rules, you forego all the benefits of your previous employment. Once you leave Google, you are not a Googler anymore and you are no longer entitled to any of its perks. The same goes for royalty. You just cannot have your cake and eat it too.
“Googlers employees are extremely well fed, getting healthy and varied breakfast, lunch, and even dinner if they stay late — for free. There are also coffee and juice bars scattered throughout the campuses.”
Meghan’s problem is above all a clash of cultures. There is a big gap between make-believe and reality. If you are not born into royalty, it is difficult to learn and abide by its rules. It might also be unpleasant to lose some of your independence and become a second, or even a third banana. But this the price that you have to pay to become a “royal”.
Meghan’s story reminds me of Wally Simpson’s tale. Both women married princes but failed to ingratiate themselves into a higher (and probably snobbish) caste.
Hot-headed Harry, like the Duke of Windsor, was influenced by a strong-willed woman and unable to resist the pull of the woman he loved. He might later regret his bid for independence.
Latent racism might have been a small part of the equation, but it is not the main reason for Megxit. British aristocracy’s snobbery more than racism might have played a bigger part in this melodrama than the racist card.
To sum it up, I don’t feel much sympathy for Meghan and Harry. They made their bed and have to lie in it.
Alain