Daniela Elser: Meghan and Harry Baby News met with a ‘cold’ reaction from the royal family

OPINION:

A lovely and beloved Briton smiles, peacefully, in a perfect garden, lovingly cradling his wife’s head in his lap, her tummy on full display, as she smiles at him. It is an image full of joy, a touch of intimacy and love.

I’m talking, of course, about the final scene of Notting Hill, a movie about the unlikely romance between a charming Brit and an American actress after they met by chance in London.

Whether they wanted to or not, the image released in the early hours of this morning by Harry and Meghan Duke and the Duchess of Sussex to announce that they were expecting their second child bears a striking resemblance to their cinematic doppelgangers.

Yet rather than, as in the Richard Curtis hit, the moment that ushers in his own happily ever after, the new image of the Sussexes is a much more charged and potentially strained outlook.

Before we continue, let’s pause here and collectively, heartily and joyfully, congratulate the Sussex family. The last year has been one of tumult, turmoil and saw the Duchess suffer a devastating miscarriage. That they are welcoming an adorable baby later this year is truly wonderful news. Meghan, according to the UK Telegraph, is believed to be around five months pregnant and the baby will be born during the northern summer.

It’s also particularly sweet that they chose not just Valentine’s Day, but the fact that the day marks exactly 37 years since it was revealed that Diana, the Princess of Wales, was hoping for the second time to make the announcement. All together now – awwwww …

But today’s debut of the new take is a highly charged milestone.

Let’s start with the fact that they released an image. Sydney Harbor played an unlikely backdrop for her 2018 announcement that they were pregnant with the Duke and Duchess announcing the news hours before their first day of their Down Under tour. In what was seen as a deeply moving and moving tribute to her mother-in-law Diana, the Princess of Wales, the newly created royal wore a pair of her favorite diamond butterfly earrings. It was the kind of loaded semaforeo that is as real as horse breeding, grouse hunting, and singing Merry Christmas in the family’s native German.

But that, that was the full extent of any kind of emotion, even vaguely effusive. There was no carefully organized photoshoot on the grounds of the New South Wales Government House where they were staying or a press call. The media received a statement and Harry and Meghan continued their work. All those hands weren’t just going to shake hands.

That is why even posting an image, especially one that has been rendered so ingeniously and timidly, is very important, made even more so by the informality and cuteness of the chosen shot, which was taken with an iPad and taken remotely by the photographer. Misan Harriman. (Harry could have made history as the first prince to release an official shoeless photo. The family’s namesake, Dickie Mountbatten, would be rolling in his grave at the nonchalance of the whole thing.)

The fact that they decided to host a baby reveal photoshoot is blatantly Hollywood, made even more so by the fact that the composition of it all seems more like the memory of a former Love Island fan favorite posing for a Hello! magazine spread rather than the kind of press release the prince of the kingdom undertakes.

For Harry and Meghan, going this route speaks volumes – most of all, it shows a certain glorious disdain for the Windsor precedent and seems like an obvious rejection of the palace’s modus operandi.

Yes, Princess Beatrice and her husband Jack Brooksbank told the world that they were ready to become parents last year via a cute Instagram picture but more critically, she has never been a front-line member and a worker for the royal family and therefore has always had much more leave. be as twee as she wants.

Deciding to go beyond a short statement filled with all the usual lighthearted epithets and the careful inclusion of the WAG royal family, the photograph of Harry and Meghan epitomizes how willing, if not hungry, they are to turn their backs on life. in the palace and do things the way they see fit.

Consider, just a scant 11 months ago they appeared starkly alongside the Queen at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey and now today we see them implement a move straight out of Beyonce’s playbook.

There is an interesting and disappointing coda in the good news from the Sussexes. At the time of writing this article, at least four hours have passed since the news broke and in that time the family, including the Queen, Prince Charles and William and Kate Duke and the Duchess of Cambridge, have not publicly congratulated the Sussexes via their official social media channels, instead relying on a very generic statement from a palace spokesperson saying they are “delighted” and “wish them well.”

Given that the Windsor clan would have known for a while that Meghan is pregnant and that some sort of announcement was coming, their silent reaction seems unduly cold, if not quite rude and insensitive.

If ever there was a moment that symbolized the end of any kind of fidelity to the prevailing HRH-dom restrictions and the true advent of their American lives, it was this that is far more Kardashian than polite.

Look a little closer and wonder if there will be even more to the Sussex shot, metaphorically speaking.

Since landing in California in March of last year, the pair have achieved a string of high-profile victories, including their $ 198 million worth of content deals and their inclusion on TIME’s 100 Most Powerful People list. but they have also been hit by criticism, in much of the UK.

They have received criticism for their excitement and willingness to speak out about their decidedly non-British personal feelings and experiences everywhere from high-profile girl power talks to a mental health podcast hosted by teenagers.

In September they dipped their toes in particularly tense and dangerous political waters, speaking out against “hate speech, misinformation and negativity online” in what was seen as a reprimand of Donald Trump. The move prompted senior palace aides to tell the Sunday Times that the Sussex’s comments were a ‘violation’ of their Megxit agreement with the palace with claims that their intervention could further jeopardize their relationship with the monarchy.

When Oprah took to Instagram in December to enthusiastically advertise a brand of vegan instant latte in which Meghan had invested, the Mirror reported that the move had “sparked fury in the palace.”

Similarly, his son Archie delivered his first public words through his debut podcast Archewell Audio, his first outing as part of his $ 53 million Spotify deal, proved controversial.

My point here is, after repeatedly drawing fire for their rule-breaking Californian customs, did they decide to obediently obey and do what generations of SARs have done before them to get back on the good side of London?

Absolutely not. You have to admire his steadfast commitment to being guided by his own pole star, no matter what waves it may create.

If this deviation from rule-breaking tradition is any indication, last year’s events, nine-figure deals, and the nascent vegan latte empire are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to initiative, appetite, and passions of Sussexes.

In recent weeks, reports have circulated saying the 39-year-old Duchess is considering writing a book (“Meghan has some very serious book deals on the table,” a friend told Vanity Fair recently, “all are under consideration “) along with claims that she, too, might be considering entering politics after it was revealed that the Duke and Duchess had had an hour-long phone call with Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom the year last.

Time and again, the Sussexes have blatantly indicated that they have no plans to let their creativity, ambition, and plans be limited by the palace’s starched thought or tradition, and today’s debut is a logical and very sweet extension of that. .

With his reveal of Valentine’s Day photos, it would seem like nothing is off the table and that’s an electrifying thought.

Here’s an interesting treat to put it down. If Meghan, as reported, is due in around four to five months, that would lead us to June, July, which would be right around the time of several high-profile royal events, such as Prince Philip’s 100th birthday and Trooping the Color. . Earlier this year, the Sunday Times reported that the Queen is eager to “get back to work” during the British summer.

Even in utero, it seems, a member of the Sussex family can outmaneuver the palace.

Hey.

• Daniela Elser is a real expert and writer with over 15 years of experience working with several of Australia’s leading media titles.