British royal family: furore over Harry's biography
The biography of Prince Harry, who with his wife Meghan has already been at the heart of several scandals involving the British royal family, will be published today. Titled Spare, the book contains intimate details and numerous accusations concerning King Charles III, his wife Camilla and Crown Prince William. Harry has stressed that he is not aiming to settle scores but seeks reconciliation. The royal family has remained silent so far.
Who cares?
People in Britain have other problems, The Independent stresses:
“Aside from the genuine traumas Harry and Meghan have been through, you have to shrug and say 'so what?' about the tiaras and the titles. The Windsors, after all, haven't been arguing and literally fighting about how to pay the gas bill, let's say, or who's going to go to the food bank. Meanwhile, 500 poor sods are dying every week because they can't get to A&E in time [because of the overburdened healthcare system]. ... With the Queen gone, and with it the affection and respect she commanded, within months the Windsors, collectively, are starting to look as out of touch and incompetent as the Bourbons and the Romanovs. They can't go on like this, can they?”
Utterly illogical behaviour
The prince benefits to no small degree from the media which he purportedly hates, Visão notes:
“No one can explain what's going on with Harry. Some say it's the syndrome of being the second child in a hierarchical family, others blame Meghan and her presumed ambition. ... Harry says he has an 'arch-enemy' in his brother, which points to remarkable childishness and immaturity, as do his alleged military exploits, which have embarrassed the British armed forces. The Duke of Sussex, who wanted so much to break away from the 'system' and his beautiful privileged life as a prince, but above all from the abusive interference of the tabloid media, has now become their main source of nourishment.”
Use the uproar for reforms
Now at the latest, the role of the monarchy should be reconsidered, writes The Guardian:
“Instead of wallowing in royal gossip or drooling over the supposed timelessness of coronation rituals, Britain needs to decide how a system of constitutional monarchy that retains public support can be made better and reformed. The size of the royal family should be reduced, its titles reined in, some of its palaces sold off, the honours system recast, the coronation rethought and the monarch's role as head of any state other than the United Kingdom ended. Harry Windsor should be left to live his new life. Civil society has failed to face these issues.”