Shirley Tart: The happiest of wishes to Harry and Meghan
We all knew that love – real and lasting love – was in the air. And when it was finally announced that our young prince was finally to marry, there was a genuine delight.
Not to mention what was happening in America. Hysteria, or what?
And a nostalgic touch of irony that even as Prince Harry asked Meghan Markle, a divorced American, to be his wife, it is exactly 81 years since King Edward Vlll abdicated “to marry the woman I love.”
Wallis Simpson was an American divorcee.
While writing this I took what has become a regular call from London based Premier Christian Radio seeking a comment on various royal matters. During the conversation as we talked about changing times in so many ways, the interviewer said “Oh, we’ve just had a tweet from Justin Welby congratulating the Prince and his fiancée.”
Well, there you go then. How times have moved on when you get an Archbishop of Canterbury not just accepting these lifestyle changes in relationships – even for our royals – with warm congratulations but one who also tweets his messages!
Though they do say Her Majesty, Harry’s much loved grandmother the Queen, is a dab hand with the tweeting as well.
So is the scene set for a very different wedding as our 33-years-old Prince Henry of Wales finally chooses a bride? Judging by their body language, he and Meghan are both delighted by this momentous change in both their lives. And while she will already have been tutored and helped as the pair of them face what we hope will be a bright and shining future together, mostly the changes will be managed by them. This is a pair of independent people.
At 36, Meghan is a bit older than her beau and, handy for the royal records, was born on August 4, 1981 - so she shares a birthday with Her Majesty the late Queen Mother.
There have been many speculations since the pair got together about her background. And last year, Meghan spoke frankly and told Elle magazine: “My dad is Caucasian and my mom is African American. I'm half black and half white. To describe something as being black and white means it is clearly defined. Yet when your ethnicity is black and white, the dichotomy is not that clear. In fact, it creates a grey area. Being biracial paints a blurred line that is equal parts staggering and illuminating.”
Not a lady to under-estimate, I’d say.
Both she and Harry are committed to their charity work at home and abroad. And both stick pretty close to their beliefs. Here, we know of Harry’s causes which help so many, of his bravery in military service and, of course, the time he and brother William spent on courses at RAF Shawbury.
People also love this young chap because he sometimes messes up ... and admits it. Just like the rest of us.
He also broke our hearts on that day when as a tot he followed his mother’s coffin through the streets of London and into Westminster Abbey for her funeral.
Given all that is past, this is a fine young man who makes no secret of the fact that he would love a family and after Cressida, Chelsea and other special girlfriends, longed to meet the one to share that family with him.
Now he has. And it is a moment in these grey winter days for all of us to be glad for them.
As a long time actress, she has (very handily) just finished filming the popular TV programme, Suits, in Canada. And then it was a case of packing up the suitcases, the dogs and her life beyond the Atlantic and flying into the open arms of her prince. Fairy story stuff.
But life is not really made up of fairy stories. Whether royal or not, it is the creating relationships, about sharing and caring and supporting each other.
Whether the actual ceremony takes place at Westminster Abbey, the bigger St Paul’s Cathedral, maybe St George’s Chapel at Windsor, or even another and perhaps surprising venue, what is most important is that they share those vows for all the right reasons.
And even with the sad knowledge of broken marriages in the Royal Family, there is always hope that the latest one not only lasts but works well.
The couple have taken tea with the Queen, got the approval of Harry’s father the Prince of Wales and, to all intent, the groom-to-be also did the formal thing of talking to Meghan’s parents before sanctioning any announcement.
When Meghan recently opened up about her relationship with Prince Harry for the very first time, she said: “We are two people who are really happy and in love.” And it’s my guess they will do their best to live their lives as near to that as they can.
The happiest of wishes to them both and a wedding day to remember – for all the right reasons.
