The Simple Raven's Post: Princes. Black or White?

Princes. Black or White?

When I was young, people talked about the US as the outstanding achievement of democracy, but we considered the British queen the most powerful person on earth. It was embedded in the culture of the adults that I, as a child, overheard talking. I am OK with someone who symbolically oversees the politicians, or in churches a figurehead above clergy and so on. We are social creatures and we need leadership. In the case of politics, I like to see a balance. The monarch should be able to fire the political leadership and guarantee that a new group representing the will of the people will be installed. It is better than civil war, as we almost witnessed in the USA recently. Yet it doesn’t have to be someone rich beyond compare.

Another adult conversation that I overheard as a child was about genetics and racism. My mom was talking with her friends, saying that if you have a black person in the family lineage, a baby of different skin colour may be borne at any time. It was not considered discriminatory, only a scientific fact.

Being the most famous people in the world at the time ensured that the British royal family naturally feared the birth of a dark skin future monarch. No royal would have considered marrying a commoner, never mind a person of mixed or other race. At that time many people suspected that all black-skinned humans may be primitive cannibals. People used to believe strongly in eugenics. We had songs on the radio saying that Africans eat each other.

I know some mixed-race couples. They signed on for some abuse when they joined up and freely talked about it all the time. Some people befriended them and others didn’t. However, the royal family lives their entire lives on a stage and they must maintain their aura of being superior humans. They have no special qualities, only the image that the media gives them. There is a partnership. News reporters wish to be close to power, and they derive power from being on the news.

Not long-ago people believed royalty had blue blood. The monarch never says “I” when talking about themselves, they always say “we”. They don’t mean I and the royal family, the Firm, as Meghan refers to it; they mean I and God. God after all ordained the royals and if we mere mortals don’t protect the monarch, we sin against God.

The media could ruin the royal family if they unite against them. The royal family controls the media by giving them access. If a reporter is permitted to interview the Queen, the paper will sell a lot of copies. The Firm, (royals) plays the game expertly. They are stumped by Prince Harry and Meghan. The young couple is loved by the common people yet doesn’t play by the royal’s rules.

Now the sweet young mother Meghan stunned the world, accusing someone in the firm of being racist against her baby, and the world is holding its breath. The royals said sorry, and the media is trying to milk it for all it’s worth. We see a repeat of Princess Diana’s story. Will we see her younger son Harry walk in her footsteps? He captured the world when he marched as a child behind her casket. Will he survive if he no longer pleases the firm?

Prince Harry and his beautiful combined-race wife are now some of the most famous people in the world and able to do what hardly anyone else can. Their words and actions are “news” in every corner of the world. How will they use that power? Will they prolong the concern that their children didn’t receive a title and related income, or will they use their fame to help others? If they are concerned about children suffering for no fault of their own, the Prince can help by bringing media attention. There are so many children not born into rich families who face the reality of starvation.

Take, for example, the children in Yemen right now. The World Food Program is warning that children in Yemen are facing the biggest food famine in history. This is caused by the US-backed Saudi blockade, which is a fight between Suni and Shiite Muslims. Saudis and Iranians are vying for oil dominance in the Middle East and millions of children are starving. Their sad pictures are available to all on the internet. Not too many people can help them, but Harry and Meghan working with Oprah could.

Harry most likely can’t become the king of the British Empire. If he did, he would be awarding medals and cutting ribbons for the rest of his life. Yet, using his star power, he could make a difference in the world, but it would not be easy or safe. Let’s see what he is made of. Does he care about his babies not receiving titles and security, or does he promote justice for children?

Princess Diana brought attention to the victims of Aids. I hope that Prince Harry and Meghan will do something equally important.