In the midst of Brexit bedlam, the Royal Family is one part of Britain it seems we can rely on. In recent years, the relevancy of the British monarchy has been debated and interrogated, however the media prevalence of this famous family is greater than ever, for better and for worse.
Last year Britain was enchanted by Harry and Meghan’s fairy-tale wedding, which captivated all those with dreams of becoming the next Cinderella. Then of course, the newlyweds announced their pregnancy, again seeing their names in headlines. All seems entertaining, but it was made even more so by the drama and rumours surrounding the American Duchess’ family and past. The press seemed to relish in the supposed scandal, which escalated with each story of how Meghan was abandoning her father and betraying her family. All of this did make her seem more human and it was interesting to see how our monarch reacted. However, was this fair?
Undoubtedly, this will have put pressure on relationships and family ties, for the purpose of entertainment. Even now, the drama continues with television documentaries about the feud between Kate and Meghan and numerous articles scrutinising the body language of the duchesses. This leads to the question of whether there is a growing obsession over the royal family, or even perhaps that there is some innate British resistance to an American princess.
Moving on, the Duke of Edinburgh has again entered our news but not for his usual reasons. Last week, the headlines were plagued with stories about the Duke’s involvement in a shocking crash outside of the royals’ Sandringham estate. The crash, which happened on Thursday, left the Prince and the other participants unhurt, yet managed to flip the royal Land Rover.
Despite it seeming that it was the Duke’s fault, the next day a brand-new Land Rover was delivered, and he was seen driving without a seat-belt. Of course, this sparked controversy, given that Prince Philip did not personally apologise, and it was reported that there was an infant on board the Kia car he collided with. This has led to calls for the Prince, who is 97, to retire his driving gloves and take the backseat. Nevertheless, people are enjoying this story and one local has even been trying to make a profit, selling crash debris on eBay!
Love them or hate them, it appears that the royals remain popular with the press, and indeed, prove a welcome distraction from the political confusion of our country, as people look back to the good old days.
Featured image by: Amie Woodyatt
