Ex-royal “hypocrites” in search of American Dream

Prince Henry of England and his wife, Meghan, officially end their duties as members of British royalty on Tuesday, although they have already started a controversial new life in the United States in the midst of the global coronavirus pandemic.

President Donald Trump was quick to emphasize that he did not intend to finance their protection. And the British newspaper The Times denounced in an editorial the indifference of the couple to the COVID-19. the crisis that the British are living through

Henry, 35, sixth in the order of succession, and Meghan, 38, will cease to be active members of the royal family on Wednesday, less than three months after they shook the pillars of the institution by announcing that they wanted to abandon their obligations.

From now on they will not be able to use their titles as royal highnesses nor officially represent the queen.

After spending time in Canada, the couple moved to California last week, where the American actress has good contacts and where her mother, Doria, lives. According to The Sun newspaper, the couple rushed to take refuge in Los Angeles before the borders between Canada and the United States closed.

The  couple on Instagram on Monday that they were striving to “contribute in the best way” to the fight against the pandemic.

“Perhaps you no longer see it here, but our activities continue,” they said, announcing that they stopped using their official account @sussexroyal, followed by 11 million users.

But The Times criticized their haste denouncing that they have “chosen this moment to show their wealth and the freedom that it can buy” and the writer specializing in the British royal family Penny Junor considered that they show their detachment from the British.

“Now it will be Queen Elizabeth II, her son Charles and her grandson William who will lead the country in these difficult times, says Junor.

“It is a great boost for morale to have a message from the queen or from William and to see their children applaud the health workers is important,” she says.

“This is precisely what the royal family consists of and those members who are now left on the sidelines will be quite irrelevant,” she adds, stressing that Prince Charles, 71, experienced the crisis in the first person by testing positive for COVID-19 and staying in quarantine that according to the palace ended on Monday.

“Hypocrisy”
Prince Henry denounced on many occasions the relentless pressure of the media on the couple, which was also the victim of his mother, Princess Diana, who died in a car accident in 1997 while being chased by the paparazzi.

That was the main argument they used to justify their withdrawal, stating that they wanted to have a quiet life with their son, Archie, who will celebrate his first birthday in May.  

Their wedding in 2018 had awakened a certain hope of modernization in a corset monarchy with the arrival of Meghan, divorced, mixed-race, American and an actress.

Now their move to Los Angeles, the heart of the film and entertainment industry,. Far from moving away from the media pressure, “they chose to settle in Hollywood and lay the foundations for their new lucrative careers there, not far from the projectors, but rather, in their midst,” The Times noted.

Disney announced last week that the Duchess of Sussex had lent her voice to a documentary dedicated to the life of an African elephant family, scheduled for release on April 3.

As they no longer receive public money, the two thirties are free to sign commercial contracts and take advantage of their fame.

Although Meghan has voiced the Disneynature film in exchange for a donation to an association for the protection of elephants, the British press did not hesitate to criticize this first work and denounced the “hypocrisy” of the couple who, according to The Times, “take advantage of the royal status” without assuming the obligations that come with it.

Another issue that caused controversy is their security expenses.

“The United States will not pay for its protection,” Trump tweeted, “they must pay!” An issue that already generated discomfort during their stay in Canada.

This time,Henry and Meghan assured that “they envisioned security systems financed by private means,” according to their spokesperson.

And if the American dream does not finally live up to their expectations, perhaps the couple can return to their former life, since the agreement reached with the royal family will be reviewed in a year. Says AFP.