Meghan and Harry, or the indecent lament of two privileged

A chronicle by Francis Van de Woestyne.

In recent days, televisions around the world have been inflicting on us the moans of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry and Meghan, who orchestrated, with their friend Oprah Winfrey, an unworthy, indecent, indigent public confession. This commercial product would not deserve a line but here it is: enough is enough.

Let’s start by qualifying our point. If Meghan has suffered, from unidentified members of the royal family of England, the slightest racist comment, this obviously deserves to be denounced, condemned in the most formal way. It is, if the matter is confirmed, just as unbearable that she suffered from psychological violence and that all help was refused to her. But, by subtly generalizing the condemnations, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex bring discredit and opprobrium on all Windsors.

We can also understand that Prince Harry wanted to protect his family from the assaults of a tabloid press, relentless, intrusive. The one that undoubtedly caused repeated depression and, ultimately, the death of her mother, Princess Diana. But the way the couple takes their distance, while spitting in the family champagne, gives the feeling that they would have wanted to keep the advantages of their status, without enduring the constraints.

But what is most disturbing in this media operation is to see two young people in full health, fortunate, spoiled by nature, complaining for two hours about their fate. We have said, if Meghan has been the victim of harassment, it is unacceptable. But for the rest…. She complains about the lack of a title that would have been reserved for her son. She complains that she had to google the lyrics to the British anthem. Indecency has no limit.

They are readily presented as two exiles. What an insult to the real exiles, to those who had to flee the war, the famine and who find themselves, foreigners, without status in their new country. Harry and Meghan “fled” to Vancouver, then found “refuge” in a friend’s sublime villa in Los Angeles before casting their spell on a property in the heights of Beverly Hills, in the community of Montecito, the coastal enclave of Santa Barbara, California. Price of their little nest: $ 10 million. Harry recognizes it: “Our life is great, we have a wonderful house, I have a wonderful family. The dogs are very happy…” If the dogs are happy … so much the better for them. What are they complaining about then?

Poor rich

According to the magazine Forbes, they have “only” $ 5 million left to live on. But the couple are formidable in business, and have signed lucrative contracts with Netflix ($ 100 million) and Spotify for the publication of podcasts. They intend, according to the American media, to monetize their outings or public interventions. Thus, Prince Harry spoke in February 2020 at a private summit of JP Morgan in Miami: his intervention would have brought him $ 1 million. No doubt Meghan and Harry needed a little publicity stunt for their production company Archewell Audio. Oprah Winfrey offered them on a silver platter, she who sold the ducal confidences 8 million euros to the highest bidder, CBS. She and she alone is the winner of this media stunt that she has been preparing for three years.

Since their flight to California, the Duke and Duchess have never ceased to affirm that they want to live in all simplicity and ask that their quiet privacy be respected. They are entitled to it, of course. But what the hell don’t they do? In a previous interview with CBS reporter James Corden, Harry said he and his wife wanted to dedicate their lives to helping others and making the world a better place. Magnificent. And no doubt he is sincere. But there are two things, either they missed their start and will correct the situation, or they consider that charity begins with themselves.

The time is perhaps fond of this kind of confessions. Provided they remain worthy. One can only admire the reaction of the Queen of England, who soberly calls on them to settle the dispute in private.