Prince Harry of Sussex, the Conqueror
by Josie P.
- 4 August 2022
After more than 200 years since the American Revolutionary War, in which the Americans fought against the British monarch, Prince Harry of Sussex took the high moral ground to lecture the revolutionaries’ grandchildren on how to run their country. He seemed as if he had conquered the land of the free and the home of the brave. For an outside observer, it seems that he attempted to rally the Americans to revolt against their Supreme Court. It seems that the bold Prince has forgotten that thousands of Americans fought for more than eight years to be independent from Windsor’s crown. They did not want the British royals to control their lives while taking part of their revenue. For generations after the American independence, the Old Kingdom and the New State were distrustful of each other. Despite a veneer of friendship, the two countries have been competing for power and dominance most of the time. To this day, the past struggle and the differences between the self-governing nation and the hereditary monocracy is entrenched in the conscience of the Americans as well as the Brits. Americans are proud of the facts that they do not have a royal family while many Brits cherish their constitutional monarchy.
The British royals have usually refrained from meddling in the Americans’ internal affairs. This changed when Prince Harry of Sussex thought that he is in a position to dictate to the Americans what is right and what is wrong. Harry defamed America, interfered in the American law, and brazenly attacked the American Supreme Court from the podium of the United Nations. He used the time given to him to commemorate Martin Luther King to foment the differences within the American society. He compared the Supreme Court ruling which allowed the different states to reregulate abortions rather than being regulated on federal level to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine. Hence, should we infer that the judges who are among the most important legal scholars in the world and the millions of Americans who respect the Supreme Court are similar to the Russian invaders who are killing the Ukrainians? This description paves the way for dividing the nation and legitimising hurting millions of people.
Whether the Prince realises or not, he is calling for a civil war and the destruction of the only democratic superpower of the world. He seems to have overlooked the fact that he is not an American citizen, a neutral scholar or an influential thinker, thus, he has no credentials to discuss such a matter. He was allowed to speak from the United Nations’ podium because he is a working Prince and hence, a celebrity who can influence people’s opinions. With that privilege come certain responsibilities, and understanding the consequences of taking stances is at the top of that list.
The Prince’s talk is not a heroic nor an honourable endeavour, it is an abuse of the democratic atmosphere in the US. Harry could have used his influence to fight against undemocratic powers such as Russia or China. He could have rallied the people against the systematic gross human rights violations committed by the brutal autocratic regimes, if he wanted to fight for human rights and be a hero. By vilifying the American Supreme Court, Harry chose a risk-free, fake battle to publicize himself and boost his income.