The Soapbox: The King of His Castle

A wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands a foolish woman tears hers down.—Proverbs 14:1

Prince Henry Charles Albert David, a man whose promise supersedes the need for a surname, has walked in solidarity with his brother since birth. Prince Harry, born to be spare to an heir, remains as the world’s most beloved ginger. A kiss of God’s grace, and two younglings sprouted into dashing princes as their mother’s guiding legacy was stronger than death itself.

After “Waity Katie” initiated her metamorphosis from college student to future queen, it was Prince Harry who told his brother to gift her Diana’s iconic sapphire and diamond engagement ring. The sacrificial act showed his selflessness, by relinquishing the sole artifact that young Harry requested from Kensington Palace in the days following his mother’s death, according to personal butler Paul Burrell.

And so it was, as Kate Middleton emerged from the intense media scrutiny of the courting years to earn the nod of approval of the Queen herself, Prince William slipped his late mother’s ring on her finger so that it would someday sit on the throne as originally intended. Within the two years following their wedding, Prince Harry’s proverbial fate would undergo the inevitable shift, with the birth of his brother’s heirs.

No longer needed to secure the throne, Harry was loved all the same. Taking lessons from his Uncle Andrew, he went right along with being the loving brother of a future king. The world could not get enough of the William, Kate, and Harry trio, even as his potential path to ever stepping foot on the throne was being diminished with each new Cambridge birth. Jealousy was never his style, rather a fun-loving appeal that melted a thousand hearts.

Every royal watcher took note of African Chelsy Davey who balked at saying yes to the dress, following an 8-year on and off again courtship with Harry. Enter Meghan Markle. In spite of being called a royal rebound romance, the entire world cheered her on in getting her guy. The couple wed in the months following their first public appearance at the Invictus Games. The stunning bride was practically worshipped by the world in a 45 million dollar macro-maniacal wedding-palooza. The commentators were unaware of just how foreboding were their remembrances of Wallis Simpson, without whom the scepter of the monarchy would have never been bestowed upon Harry’s dear Granny as a mere 27 year old.

So now that a second American woman has shattered dreams, this leaves the former Suits actress as some kind of Cinder-Freakin-Zilla in a post-pandemic world. The world had been willing to overlook the red flag that American bride had but one close friend at the May 2018 wedding—her mama, with the exception of a team of actors from her show and a handful of big names. She was so beloved that warning signs of the quickie nuptials between Prince Harry and a scarcely known Hollywood actress were widely ignored. Nobody said out loud that the Suits star was ill-suited for the lifestyle she now calls The Firm.

Citing reasons of being uninformed, the former Duchess pleaded ignorance that her Hollywood bubble prevented awareness of the misery of those brides before her, brides who upon their final exit of the Buckingham Palace princess wagon, also took a final bow, but without the world’s contempt. While Di and Fergie each gave prime time and Oprah interviews of their own in the years to follow their contractual departures, they did not use this as a platform for some sort of shock and awe campaign.

They, too, issued the cry of victimhood in spite of professing to be fully Anglo. This fact alone, shattered the theory that victimization was the result of discrimination against anyone’s race, most especially a bi-racial woman that looks just like anyone else in the castle. The credibility of the professional actress took a nose dive when she expressed discontent with her lavish palace life as her adoring fans also endured pandemic identity loss, financial losses, and thoughts of mental health issues like thoughts of suicide.

Nobody previously paid much attention to whether Archie had a title or not, until now that is. The claim of perceived injustice is rooted in tradition that predates Meghan by hundreds of years. The Queen’s other untitled grandchildren Zara and Peter Phillips have every right to be thinking, “Welcome to the monarchy. Cry me a river.” There is no denying that the 1200 year old organization has its fair share of proven injustices, but on a positive note it has come a long way since beheadings.

Prince Harry is in a terrible position under the leadership of his wife’s American mantle of entitlement. What is his path toward home, if any?  After a one year trial period and subsequent discussion with Granny, he is repeating the history of the Queen’s Uncle when a Baltimore bad girl led him by the noose into renouncing his birthright.

This time, the Queen’s public response went something like, “Granny loves you, Harry. Come home so we can work this out.” While Queen Elizabeth has previously banned the recycling of her defrocked Uncle’s title, Duke of Windsor, Harry still has both his Granny’s heartstrings and a path toward restoration as evidenced by her still referring to him as The Duke. He should gather up his family, go home to some country estate, spare the world of the dirty laundry that is no respecter of persons, and become the king of his own castle.

Tending to his wife’s mental healing would be a good first step for Harry in helping her fragile state of mind. Regardless of any unimpactful dressing room spat of who made whom cry during the stress of a wedding, she has the option to rejoin with Kate and Wills by promoting the mental health text line called Shout that she and Harry co-promoted with them in May of 2019. The Heads Together mental health awareness movement launched in 2016 by the pre-Meghan trio, showed the strides of the monarchy in a more humanistic Diana-inspired mindset.

Because of her love of humanity, Markle is suited to be the perfect face of the organization following her recent public breakdown. She has a built in “out” by the fragility of her pregnancy as the perfect abort mission button to this impending exile. Who could be a more perfect face to cut ribbons on behalf of the new diversity czar that Queen Elizabeth is putting into position?

Prince Harry will always be a prince by both his bloodline and by being born of The People’s Princess. His son Archie will be just like Granny Diana who created magic without titles. Ms. Markle, however, who has now forfeited her path to becoming a British citizen, should take care to exercise more dignity and self-control in the future. As humbling as the road back might be, it is far better than how history will write her if she ignores the Queen’s olive branch.

Archie Mountbatten-Windsor will always have the name that was born to the throne. His little sister in the womb will be born on U.S. soil as a citizen. Regardless, the best chance for long-term happiness is to rekindle their natural affections to their entire family. In what could be divine oversight, the first face to face contact of Harry with his estranged legacy could be at none other than the unveiling of his mother’s memorial statue when he will meet William face to face. Oh Dear Prince, please go home and reclaim your destiny before you lose all that truly matters most!