Page 30 - Seniorstoday February 2023 Issue
P. 30
accepting his birthplace and birthright. The book has all the stuff that soap operas are
The book definitely will do very well made of— sibling rivalry, wicked stepmother
in England where a large portion of the so easily relatable to ordinary family life.
British population love the pageantry Harry comes out as an unfortunate
of the monarchy. At the last count, five personality that constantly seeks sympathy
million copies of the book were sold. The from a perceived victimhood. Harry moved to
world is full of voyeurs. the USA because they want privacy yet they
Harry should have known that a coloured are in the spotlight all the time. Money sure
woman is not acceptable to the white on talks doesn’t it?
white British monarchy. The British are It is easy to write a book about the Royal
a racist lot, it’s a quality they inherited Family and earn millions from the book
from their forefathers. It is the goodness and subsequent interviews. I wonder
of the Queen who showed up and ensured which family does not have issues, one is
that the rest of the clan also attended the tired of hearing and reading about Harry
wedding. But starting from there one could and his woes. Not to mention Meghan the
predict that happily ever after may not manipulator. Enough is enough and it is
happen. Maybe things would have been boring. How many different ways can you tell
different, if the Queen had appointed him the same story?
as Government General / Viceroy and sent The more Harry criticises his family, the
him to one of the smaller African countries. more his popularity falls. To recover, he will
have to find a clearer brand narrative of his
own, one that doesn’t depend on resentment
of the royals and playing the victim role in
the family saga. But then again stories of the
British Monarchy find huge viewership even
stuff like what the Queen eats for lunch or the
menu for the dinner hosted by her for XY and
Z, such inane stuff also has big viewership on
YouTube.
I think that the problem is that Harry has
no real role and life outside of being a royal
and now has further cast himself away from
the fold – a fold that at least gave him a place,
a military or charitable role that was clearly
It is hard not to see the ongoing saga as a defined; and above all a royal salary and the
soap opera. The genre’s serial form follows a prerequisites that go with being the Duke and
continuing narrative around a permanent cast Duchess. The story hasn’t ended here. I can
of characters. With their sentimentality and see a Whoopi Goldberg-like actress playing
moments of melodrama, soap operas engage Meghan in a new serial. Now that he has said
us at an emotional level, inspiring feelings all there was to say I wonder what he will
from sorrow and hate to joy and love. They do next as a kid? Every fairy tale ends with a
bring us insights into the ups and downs of prince rescuing his princess, the question is –
personal relationships, and of society at large. now who will come to rescue the prince?
30
