When Harry met Meghan and became seriously involved with her, a great many people must have seen similarities between their relationship and that of Edward VIII and Mrs Simpson.
It was unfortunate for Edward and Wallis that Britain and its government didn't take a slightly more liberal view of their relationship but those times were very conservative and in those days nobody was woke. The powers that be looked at Wallis and immediately decided that, when it came to making a convincing and appropriate British queen out of her, the task would be only slightly less difficult than making a silk purse out of a sow's ear.
Times change, of course, and in a remarkable stroke of luck for Meghan Markle they changed dramatically just in time for her relationship with Harry to be conducted without anybody of any importance in Britain actually spitting feathers in public.
Not only has she bagged herself a handsome prince who, by all reports, happens to be an exceedingly nice bloke but he's also a bloke with some £40 million in the bank.
The girl's done very well - by any standards.
And now, she wants to take her nice, rich, handsome prince and his £40 million to America in order to start a new life away from the British royal family and all the obligations it places upon the shoulders of its senior members.
Not only does she want to do that, it seems she's going to be allowed to do it.
I say "allowed" but, in reality, there's not much anybody can do to prevent it happening. I mean, Harry doesn't need any money from the queen or from Charles or from anybody else. He's got £40 million of his own and, as if £40 million were not enough, Harry and Meghan are set to make megabucks (Meghanbucks?) in America simply by being who they are. Chat shows? Highly paid positions (but no actual duties) with huge organisations? The list is almost endless.
Unlike Edward and Wallis, I suspect they're going to be allowed to desert the royal ship without incurring any significant penalties. I mean, if Meghan were to do an interview with Oprah, the entire world would be tuning in to hear what she had to say. In particular, they'd be tuning in to see whether or not any accusations of unwoke attitudes were made against the royal family or against Britain in general.
You've got to hand it to her. This girl has come from nowhere and raised herself up by the bootstraps to become a TV star in a successful and very glamorous American drama series. Following that not inconsiderable success, she raised herself even further to become a British duchess and now, as she prepares to jump ship, she has the British royal family acceding to her every wish for fear of what she might do (or say) if they don't.
Love her or loathe her or be completely indifferent to her, one can hardly deny she's a most remarkable young woman.
Interesting times lie ahead.
