Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s feud with Royal Family has sparked something ‘fundamentally incendiary’ that may topple ‘archaic’ monarchy before Charles ascends the throne, royal expert claims
- Upset caused by Oprah interview could pose a threat to Charles’ ascension
- Sussexes accused royals of institutional racism and lack of support for Meghan
- Anna Pasternak says the ‘monarchy as an archaic institution may well topple’
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have sparked something ‘fundamentally incendiary’ which is ‘changing the face of Britain’ and could topple the ‘archaic’ monarchy, a royal expert has claimed.
The upset caused by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s bombshell Oprah interview could pose a threat to Prince Charles’ long-awaited ascension, according to Anna Pasternak.
Harry and Meghan accused the royals of institutional racism, claiming one member of the family questioned what colour their son Archie’s skin would be, and alleged Meghan was denied mental health support despite feeling suicidal.
Speaking to Vanity Fair, the author of Princess in Love and The Real Wallis Simpson: A New History of the American Divorcee Who Became the Duchess of Windsor said she is ‘not 100 per cent sure’ that the Prince of Wales, 72, will ever ascend to the throne.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have sparked something ‘fundamentally incendiary’ which is ‘changing the face of Britain’ and could topple the ‘archaic’ monarchy, a royal expert has claimed (pictured during their Oprah interview earlier this year)
‘The Sussexes have sparked something so fundamentally incendiary in this country that it is changing the face of Britain, and I think the monarchy as an archaic institution may well topple,’ she said.
The author added that it may be there is such a groundswell of public opinion against Charles that it’s deemed by the Firm ‘preferable for William to ascend then because he’s younger, more relatable’.
Former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott – the first Black female member of Parliament – told the publication she believes the monarchy as we know it will last as long as the Queen is alive, but when she dies there will be a ‘big public debate’.
‘I think what the Royal Family and their advisers did with Meghan will be part of the argument for change,’ she argued.
Speaking to Vanity Fair, Anna Pasternak said she is ‘not 100 per cent sure’ that the Prince of Wales, 72, pictured at Prince Philip’s funeral, will ever ascend to the throne
Kelechi Okafor, a Black-British actress and London-based host of the Say Your Mind podcast, added that she believes the Queen is a ‘figurehead for an empire that refuses to understand that its days are gone’.
‘Diana came along… and then Meghan Markle came along, and everything started to fall to pieces,’ she said.
In Vanity Fair’s May issue, contributor Michelle Ruiz also examines the fallout between once-close brothers Prince William and Prince Harry
In Vanity Fair’s May issue, contributor Michelle Ruiz also examines the fallout between once-close brothers Prince William and Prince Harry, which many speculate was prompted by William urging Harry to take his time when his relationship with former Suits star Meghan began.
Ms Ruiz puts forward the argument that the Windsors’ latest family feud chips away at the idea of royal exceptionalism.
‘To hear Meghan and Harry tell it, the Windsors are just another dysfunctional family; the Firm, one more toxic workplace where H.R. is not your friend and there’s a lack of diversity in upper management,’ she wrote.
Ms Pasternak also observed that William and Harry are seemingly ‘playing out the dynamic of their parents’, Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana.
‘Harry tracks with Diana, a rebel spirit fueled by fury at the tabloid press, blowing up the family’s cone of silence in a blockbuster interview,’ she explained.
‘William is very aligned with his father in his sense of duty above emotion.’
She argued that Harry and Meghan – much like Diana – were suddenly ‘too electric’ for the Firm, making the Cambridges ‘seem dowdy, suburban, and rather dull’, which ‘does not go down well in the palace’.
Read the full story ‘Continental Rift,’ by Michelle Ruiz on VanityFair.com and in Vanity Fair’s May issue.