THE BRITISH MONARCHY SHAKEN

BY THE ESCAPE OF HARRY AND MEGHAN

Far from being of any significance, the event refers to the abdication, in 1936, of Edward VIII, uncle of the current sovereign, following his decision to marry a divorced American, Wallis Simpson.

But he also recalls the decision of Diana, Prince Harry's mother, to withdraw from royal charities.

By renouncing their prominent role in the British royal family Prince Harry and his wife Meghan decided to become

"Financially independent", according to their press release.

The cost of the monarchy or the money of the “Sovereign Grant”

Consequently Harry and Meghan announced on their site to give up their share of the royal allowance (the “Sovereign Grant”), without specifying exactly the amount which it represents.

This allowance is paid annually to Queen Elisabeth II to pay for her representational functions but also those of members of her family, her employees and the maintenance of Buckingham Palace.

The total amount of this royal allowance paid to family members amounted to £ 82 million in 2018-2019, as stated in the official report on sovereign grants. Harry and Meghan tell on their site that this sum only covers 5% of their expenses. The princely couple said that the money from the royal allowance "has never been and will never be used for private expenses by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who also do not enjoy tax privileges. "

On their site, Harry and Meghan also state that about 95% of their income comes from the Prince of Wales, Charles, who also bears the title of Duke of Cornwall. It is the income from the Duchy of Cornwall (properties, assets, companies) which is used to finance Crown Prince Charles, his two sons William and Harry and their families. According to its latest annual report (2019), the Duchy of Cornwall reports a heritage of 926,000,000 pounds sterling, or more than one billion euros.

Unlike the royal allocation, Harry and Meghan have not announced their intention to forgo these funds. According to the latest spending report for the Duchy of Cornwall, Harry and Meghan received £ 5 million in 2019, or € 5.9 million.

The announcement of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's decision to become workers like any other, and therefore no longer to be employees of the British crown, is in fact a strong symbol: it highlights an increasingly criticized system public funding of the crown.

Harassment of tabloids

The discomfort caused by the withdrawal of with the Windsor is reinforced by the break announced by Harry and Meghan with the media rules of Buckingham, which reserve the contacts to a restricted circle of "royal correspondents", whose more or less informed chronicle of Windsor action is the livelihood.

Hence the criticism of Meghan for not "playing the game". Because in exchange for wages and a comfortable standard of living, the members of the royal family agree to live in public, to stage their children, to give news of their health, their way of life. It is an unspoken pact.

However, Harry, marked by the death of his mother, harassed all his princess life by the paparazzi, had warned that he could not bear to see his wife go through the same hell. "I lost my mother and I now see my wife targeted by the same powerful forces," he said, a clear allusion to the death in Paris of Princess Diana, pursued by the paparazzi. Even before their marriage, in 2018, Harry had denounced the racist allusions of the press to the fact that Meghan's mother is black.

Behind the announcement of the resignation, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle also announced a new report to the media, very detailed and very distant. No more access to their private life and that of Archie ... Besides, the British tabloids are now pouring a torrent of mud on the couple accused of treachery and selfishness. The Daily Mail does not hesitate to demand that the queen "fire the crooks of the monarchy", these "spoiled children, impostors, raptors", who, according to the newspaper, endanger the institution.

If this “gossips for taxes” pact is broken, doesn't the British crown lose its raison d'être in the hearts of the British?

And yet the British royal family plays such a role in the cohesion of the United Kingdom, holds such a place in the soft power of their country on the international scene........