When Harry met Meghan

A MODERN love story! Prince Harry got down on one knee, proposed with a ring he designed himself, with his late mother Lady Diana’s diamonds. After making the announcement that he would soon marry American actress Meghan Markle, he has declared himself to be simply thrilled and sounds every bit like just another man besotted by his love. Only this is not an ordinary “happily ever after” fairytale. Prince Harry, currently fifth in line to the British throne, is no stranger to media glare. All through the 18-month courtship, the coverage of their relationship has been marked by “racial undertones” as Harry puts it. Markle’s half-Jewish half-African American descent, as also her divorcee status, have generated much attention and comment. The Harry-Markle marriage will keep the celebrity-hawking industry busy over the next few months.  The citizens starved of any good news deserve distraction and entertainment.

The British royal family has been evolving with the changing British society.  Divorce is no longer taboo, as it was 81 years ago when King Edward VIII had to abdicate the throne to marry the woman, again an American, he truly loved. Even Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth’s younger sister, could not marry the man of her dreams, for he was a divorcee. Now, this latest marriage has the blessing of the Archbishop of Canterbury and approval of the Queen.

A traditional society like England needed monarchy and royalty as symbols and reminders of national unity. On its part, the House of Windsor has moved on with the times. It was Lady Diana who took the wraps off the stuffy and stolid royals and in her death became the peoples’ princess. Prince Harry and Markle promise to carry further Lady Diana’s legacy of demystifying the monarchy. Clearly, bridges are being forged between tradition and modernity. A traditional institution can remain relevant only as long as it is capable of coming up with a course correction in sync with modern life.