I just finished the Six episodes of Harry & Meghan on Netflix. It chronicles the couple’s relationship with one another, the media, and the royal family. Although the series has been criticized for everything, from the narcissism and deceptive editing of its stars (accurate), the main takeaway for me is that Harry is right to want his family to be safe from the traumas that befell Princess Diana. Real men do what is necessary to protect their families. Harry deserves to be commended for taking such drastic actions, even if it meant he had to give up his royal titles and privileges. He’s putting his money–literally–where his mouth is.
Let me admit up front that Meghan and Harry are insufferable wokesters who repeat talking points about white privilege and climate change ad nauseam throughout the series. They also complain endlessly about the lack of privacy accorded to them by the media, while hypocritically splashing their faces and their story all over Netflix and social media.
I don’t think anyone can really understand what it is like for a child to live in the British royal bubble. Members are expected to join “The firm” to take part in boring ribbon-cuttings, charity events, and public events.
This is just the beginning. The royal family also has a dangerous and codependent relationship with the British press. The royal family regularly uses the Rota to promote its talking points and retaliate against any rogue family members.
The British tabloids and paparazzi are a dangerous mafioso-style operation—they’re largely blamed for the death of Princess Diana, who perished in a car crash after being chased by the media. They’ve hounded Meghan and Harry relentlessly, hiding in bushes, climbing walls, stalking their children, and putting their lives in grave danger, even while the royal family cut off their security detail.
Would you want your kids to live like that? Can you blame Harry for not wanting his family to live like that? Or for wanting to be his own man, free from the constraints of the dysfunctional royal family? Over and over again in the Netflix series, he talks about wanting to protect his wife and children. “I accept that there’ll be people around the world who fundamentally disagree with what I’ve done and how I’ve done it, but I knew that I had to do everything I could to protect my family, especially after what happened to my Mum (Princess Diana). I didn’t want history to repeat itself.” Meghan, to her credit, appears to relish Harry’s role as her protector, despite her feminist credentials. The couple appears to be deeply in love and dedicated to their children. If they believe that a life free from royal trappings is the best path to a healthy family, why would anyone complain about that? I’m not saying that Harry is some paragon of virtue, but he’s right to want to protect his family.
Harry didn’t ask to be born into the royal family, and he certainly didn’t sign up for the media harassment, the lack of privacy, and the death threats. If he wants to make a life for his family in sunny California on a palatial estate, living on his own Netflix-derived dime, I say good for him. We need more fathers in the world who are willing to sacrifice everything for their families.
