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Why news of Prince Harry to marry Meghan Markle brings cheer

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Kaveree Bamzai
Kaveree BamzaiNov 28, 2017 | 14:38

Why news of Prince Harry to marry Meghan Markle brings cheer

The last time an American divorcee married an English prince, she ended up depriving him of his right to the throne. That was Wallis Simpson and it was 81 years ago. Things have changed enough for the Queen and England to accept Meghan Markle into the royal fold but only partly because it is Prince Harry and partly because he will soon be a distant sixth in the line to be King.

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There were some murmurs of discontent from the traditional right-wing about Markle being of mixed parentage (her mother is black and her father Danish-American) until Prince Harry set them right, but one suspects most of England is so grateful that they won't get to see the army veteran's naked butt on display now that they will settle for anything.

Truly. It's good to see Harry all spruced up and well, dressed up. Who can forget the pictures of his unclothed self with several unidentified women (probably to him as well) in Las Vegas drinking, dancing and letting it all hang out?

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Prince Harry in Las Vegas. Credit: Twitter

Or was it his idea of fancy dress? Dressing up as General Rommel complete with Nazi badge and military insignia? Or even the joke he is on The Windsors on Channel 4 where he is portrayed as a royal buffoon who cannot get a single thing right, whether it is hosting a party or running a business (one episode has the actor playing him dressing as a woman to please a potential client in a business run by that other black sheep of the English royals, Prince Andrew).

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In danger of becoming as much of a joke as Andrew, Harry has been rehabilitated not just by his open adoration of his late mother, so obvious in the carefully sentimental tribute by the sons, Diana, 7 Days, on BBC, on her 20th death anniversary, but also by the all-in-one cure for all ills, working for army veterans. His Invictus Games, charity games for wounded combat veterans, is a huge hit and has served to turn his image around. Enough for the paparazzi to forgive him his perceived sins. The $16 million he inherited from his late mother's estate when he turned 30 has helped him find a "career" which for royals essentially means spending the tax payers' money wisely or at least not foolishly.

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Prince Harry with his mother. Credit: Reuters

In this generation the bar has been lowered somewhat with Prince William's early golden looks fading into a sort of harmless domesticity after the most boring royal union ever with Kate Middleton. As they breed babies, do "good works" and recycle old clothes, they have given England a stability it much needed after the Charles-Camilla-Diana triangle that never went away.

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At the cost of tabloid excitement, of course.

There are also the two unfortunate looking Beatrice and Eugenie who have made a career out of being busy doing nothing. Harry seems almost star-like in comparison, having also served two tours in Afghanistan to burnish his patriotic credentials.

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Prince Harry was 12 years old when his mother Princess Diana died. Credit: AP

So if you found yourself gagging at the saccharine sweetness of the interview Harry and Meghan gave to the media displaying the ring with two diamonds from his late mother, designed by himself, no less, remember it could be much worse. Or better, given your proclivities. It could have been Harry letting it all hang out once again, displaying crown jewels of, shall we say, another sort.

Harry couldn't have been more royal in the interview, displaying the tone-deaf quality so typical of his privileged father as well.

The proposal was over a roast chicken at their cottage (which just happens to be in Kensington Palace), they discovered each other over five days of camping in Botswana (former colony, check) and he declared he had never heard of her, though Suits just happens to be one of the most popular serials globally having just completed 100 episodes - almost echoing his father's famous gaffe when he announced his engagement to Shy Di, saying that he was in love, "whatever love means".

Some things can never change.

Last updated: May 18, 2018 | 12:04
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