The Flight of the House of Sussex

And you thought the rise of Boris Johnson was a threat to British integrity.

Well, well, well, well, well, well, it's only January and the year 2020 already has a Big Story No One Cares About!  His Royal Highness Prince Henry Charles Albert David, Duke of Sussex - call him Harry - and his lovely American wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex - still known as Meghan Markle - have decided that they want to step way from their royal duties in Great Britain and pursue their own careers and their own lives in Canada. Why, Meghan may even go back to acting - on another television series?

And this is a big story because?  Look, if Ivanka Trump disavows her father and she and her husband go off to an Israeli kibbutz or a French commune to seek personal fulfillment, that will be a story.  But this story is merely Page Six stuff.

I don't understand the British obsession with the Royal Family.  I also don't understand why Queen Elizabeth II's birthday is celebrated in June when she was born in April, but that's another post.  I do understand that they're seen as a symbol of national unity and that their presence on the world stage makes the Brits look classier than us heathen Americans every time we elect an intellectually impoverished Republican President, and the British people certainly need something to be proud of at a time when Boris Johnson threatens their superiority complex with Brexit and his bad hair, but why is that thing the Royal Family and not National Health?   And why do they have their knickers in a knot just because The Queen's grandson and his lovely wife want to earn some bread on their own?

You really can't blame Harry and Meghan for wanting to move to Canada (and as long as Trump is President, you can't blame them for not wanting to move to America).  As an American and as a biracial woman, Meghan has never really been accepted in the Royal Family and by many Brits, who can just be just as racist and xenophobic as we stupid white Americans.  Also, she's an actress, and show folk are considered beneath their high standards for royalty.  (Imagine if Harry had married a game show model!)  If Meghan were accepted in greater numbers and with greater respect by the British public and her uppity in-laws, maybe they'd be a little more open to fulfilling their royal duties.  But if they want to get away from all that and live their own lives, then gosh darn it, what's the problem?  They wouldn't upset the line of succession to the throne - there are five family members ahead of Harry already, so it's not like he's going to become king or anything.  They have interests and minds of their own, and it's not like they're going to go out in public and bitch about the family or embarrass them in any way - geez, after Prince Andrew, it's quite obvious that the Royal Family are capable of embarrassing themselves!  Why is this an issue?  What's the big deal?  Especially when there are more important issues, like Britain leaving the European Union or the United States leaving every international organization it belongs (or did belong) to?     

On a more sober note, Harry and Meghan are especially tired of unwanted media attention, and it was a wild pack of paparazzi that hounded Princess Diana, Harry's mother, to the point where she was killed in a car crash, and I applaud the couple for wanting to get away from all that.  The fact that Harry wants to live his life the way he wants to and not be subjected to official "duties" of a powerless royal dynasty suggests that he's the most sensible person in that family (though his big brother William also has a good head on his shoulder).

So I say, let them go live them own lives!  And stop caring about them going off to socialize with media moguls and movie stars, and stop getting upset about them pursuing social and political causes that may cause some controversy.  For Pete's sake, I already have!

Queen Elizabeth II has said, after Monday's family gathering, that details of Harry and Meghan's exit still have to be worked out, but that they will not be holding a separate court in Canada, which, as part of the British Commonwealth, recognizes the Queen as its head of state.  Hey, I have an idea - instead of having a governor general representing the Queen in Ottawa, make Harry the King of Canada - problem solved!  Maybe if the Royal Family had given Andrew a Commonwealth country to be king of, they would have been better off.  As for Meghan, if she wants to continue her acting career while her husband reigns as king of Canada, she doesn't even have to be Queen Consort - she can be Lady Sussex and pursue her career interests!  And then everyone can stop bitching about the whole thing!

Note to the Brits: If you really care about national pride, give us another playwright like William Shakespeare or Harold Pinter, or another band like the Beatles.  No more Ed Sheerans, please.

(Okay, I talked about the Royal Family, can I go back to talking about climate change now?)