Saturday, May 19, 2018
EDITORIAL – Social insights: a modern royal wedding
WEST SHORE VOICE NEWS EDITORIAL, by Mary P Brooke
Upon marriage, together they became the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Successful in her own right, it was a major statement of independence by Ms Markle to join by choice one of the world’s oldest ‘family businesses’. Among other things she apparently broke with tradition at the private evening reception by giving a speech (a job normally reserved for the guys).
For many it was a social spectacle of the year, reportedly viewed worldwide by about 2 billion people on TV/livestream and stirring up giddy excitement on the ground with about 100,000 people packing into the centuries-old town of Windsor (population 32,000) to be a part of or catch a glimpse of the pageantry.
Royal watcher or not, this event caught the attention of many — for reasons old and new. The traditional reasons to gaze upon this orchestration of course include support of the monarchy, a belief in fairy tale endings, or just plain entertainment (the bride’s dress, the fascinators worn by guests, and who was there).
The new reasons are far more intriguing, and Markle has indeed given sparkle to a new edge in societal decision-making. For starters, she veritably shrugs off all the narrow-minded fluff about her bi-racial heritage. But most dramatically she made powerful statements with simple actions, like choosing to enter the cathedral and walk most of the way down the aisle on her own with no man taking her arm as she was about to forever end her previous life.
Yeah, at first it seemed a bit weird when she requested that her future father-in-law Prince Charles walk her the rest of the way down the aisle. But in a way, that forced her hand upon the family, rather than the other way around. What a perfect match, this Markle for the son of the late Princess Diana who is still given far too little credit for setting the monarchy onto a modernizing pathway to the 21st century (primarily by raising her two sons to see and interact with the real world).
It appears Markle appreciates her new position as a means to further the social causes that are important to her. It’s an intelligent and gutsy choice, underpinned by love of her man. The strength it will take for the new duchess to pull this off long-term is the storyline we now get to see unfold. Hats off to Harry for opening the door to this bold new adventure.
This article was first published on page 6 in the MAY LONG WEEKEND print/PDF edition of West Shore Voice News
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