How the Rules of Royal Dating Almost Bought Down the Monarchy:
Not so long ago, royal dating relied upon a tick box system. Unless a potential suitor had a clean past and aristocratic blood, any union was doomed. The Queen’s uncle, Edward VIII, famously gave up his throne in order to marry an American divorcee. Prince Harry’s own father bowed to pressure and cast aside his true love to appease the establishment. As a consequence, an ensuing love triangle almost bought down the monarchy.
Princess Diana was just nineteen years old when she was found to ‘tick all the boxes’ for the Queen’s heir, Charles. The misery of marrying the ‘right’ girl – rather than the girl he loved – caused Charles to be a distant and unfaithful husband. His lover, Camilla Parker-Bowles, was married with children. As a result, she was an unthinkable choice.
Diana’s wounded pride caused her to seek out ways to share damaging secrets about the royals. For the first time, the British public saw how the royal family had placed ‘honour’ before ‘love’. They also saw a deeply hurt woman, pledging to raise her own sons to value love above all else.
Why Diana Would Love Harry’s Choice
After Charles, Diana followed her heart. Her choices weren’t always wise but importantly, they were her own. We can only imagine how Diana would have guided her own sons through adolescence and subsequent love affairs, however, it’s safe to imagine her only hope would have been that the boys experienced true love. Meghan Markle is a beautiful and determined, socially aware woman. Much like Diana. She had Hollywood in the palm of her hand but instead, chose the elfin-faced Prince who stole the British public’s hearts as a child. It’s so apparent that Harry and Meghan share the kind of unpretentious, mutually supportive and loving relationship that Diana yearned for. As a nation, we’ll always wish history could have played out differently. However, we’re thankful that Diana’s youngest son has been able to honour her work as a mother in the most beautiful of ways.
