Imagine being Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, falling head over heels in love, pursuing and marrying a popular American actress, Meghan Markle, and then experience her undergoing clearly undermining and racist scrutiny from much of the press, the nation that you serve, and your own extended family.
Imagine, meanwhile, that your Uncle Andrew has been found out to be part of a tragically and deeply tawdry pedophile ring at an international level, then holding an interview in which he attempts to lie about his involvement in it, then almost certainly participate in a cover-up of his activities, while showing no genuine remorse for the young women who were scarred and manipulated, and then being told to stand down from his royal duties by Her Majesty the Queen.
How could Meghan and Harry not feel it incumbent upon both of them to stand down, as well, especially now that their child, Archie, has been born, with a clear desire to whisk him away from the same shaming and disregard that Meghan had been receiving, before Archie might be old enough to feel the brunt of it.
Imagine also being slighted or shunned by your older brother, Prince William, the actual heir apparent after your father Prince Charles, and your sister-in-law, Princess Kate, for having ideas, styles and behaviors that does not quite match their standards of behavior for being royals, from which they and their children stand to reap much greater focus of attention and personal reward in exchange for providing such services.
Imagine seeing that your wife, the American born Duchess of Sussex, has been performing her royal service with great enthusiasm and intelligence, but that attacks against her for being half black have not abated. Imagine how much you might feel that your family and your royal family are built upon colonialism and racism and extremely antiquated prejudices.
Imagine, also, that your mother was none other than Princess Diana, who had taught you intrinsic values of compassion, equality, and, even, social justice. And that Meghan’s mother Doria has been of a similar mind and heart, a social worker who ran a 5k on behalf of suicide prevention. Harry’s mother’s name and Meghan’s mother’s name, even sound quite the same, and if Diana were still here, we would likely see photos that show Diana and Doria confiding in one another and understanding each other, at least from time to time.
Now imagine if you feel like you’re actually up to it, up to being a standard bearer for something you’re really not a part of, and noticing how strong a pull your wife is feeling for returning to Canada, and to acting, and to making her own way as a modern woman. You might feel torn, of course, between your family and your wife, and between your nation and your duties, and especially between the reality of your situation and your intense loyalty to your comrades in the royal military.
But with just a little bit of soul searching, you can see the writing on the wall, enough to announce your departure, along with your wife, on social media, on Instagram, without further delays once the New Year had arrived.
How can you not at least try to make it on your own as much as possible from this point forward? Because how can you not feel alone, isolated from the rigidity and decay of your family, while still savoring the joy that being a part of it has brought you. One can almost imagine Harry channeling Diana, urging him from somewhere, to cling to his wife and child, and live a bit more modern, a bit more enlightened, though still quite wealthy and privileged life. And how could Meghan put up with another day of racial harassment, now that Archie has joined her and Harry in this mixed up, crazy world.