On Saturday, our Prince Harry becomes a married man, to actress Meghan Markle. Columnist Jack Strange writes why he’s raising a glass to the new married couple..
If you didn’t know about this, then that’s understandable, seeing as it hasn’t been mentioned anywhere.
Oh wait, it’s been just about everything. The past week, in the build-up to the wedding, we’ve seen interviews with camera crews setting up outside Windsor, and we’ve also watched a real-life soap unfold regarding Meghan’s dad, who sadly won’t be at the wedding because of a heart problem.
Today, it was announced that Prince Charles will walk Meghan down the aisle.
It’s all very excessive to be talking about when you consider it’s only two people getting married, but of course, these aren’t your typical people.
They’re our monarchy; a royal family that have been in the public eye their whole lives. We’ve followed Harry since he was born, seeing him lose his mother tragically at such a young age, and seeing those pictures that leaked from Vegas.
Harry is undoubtedly our most down to earth royal. He’s a younger generation that has fought in the army, fighting for our country, and working endlessly to meet different people in different countries to enrich things such as the Commonwealth.
Meghan Markle, on the other hand, is a young woman that has lived her life in the limelight and happened to meet Harry because of a blind date. Undoubtedly, Meghan is feeling the pressures of this new limelight that has been put upon her. She can no longer act, and she even had to delete social media. Now, Meghan has to fit the role of a royal. Regal, helpful, a Good Samaritan.
But what we have with Meghan and Harry is something unusual. We have an American marrying into a family that have been traditionally British, albeit with German ancestors. It’s unusual, too, for Meghan to have had a public career before this. During the 2016 election, Meghan spoke out against Trump, an opinion that she will probably have to put aside now that she is such a public figure. What could have once been seen as problematic to the diplomacy of royalty has now been modernised.
Let us also not forget that The Royal Family bring the British economy a good source of income. Abolishing them, or dismissing them would be foolish. This wedding between Harry and Meghan alone will boost our economy by £1billion.
That £1billion comes from things such as tourism, PR, money spent in restaurants and on merchandise.
The whole world is watching the United Kingdom right now, and broadcast around the globe.
We should also see this as a testimony to our history. We are alive to witness history. Sure, it ‘may just be a wedding’, but it’s a wedding between two people that have the influence to change how we live, and how the world functions.
As humanitarians, both Harry and Meghan have a responsibility to uphold. Not only are we seeing two people in love tie the knot, but we’re celebrating something good.
We have bigger problems to face, sure, but for one day we should focus on the good. We should enjoy an enrichment of culture.
I, for one, wish the new couple a happy wedding day!
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