Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex have been making a lot of headlines this past year. For example, the couple stepped down as senior royals in 2020 and recently spoke to a few American media outlets about grievances they have against the royal family.
In response to some things Harry and Meghan did, Queen Elizabeth showed just how much she prioritizes the monarchy.
Queen Elizabeth takes royal duties seriously
Queen Elizabeth became heir to the throne in 1936 after her uncle, King Edward VIII, abdicated. Her father became king, and Queen Elizabeth ascended the throne in 1952 following his death.
Her Majesty has always taken royal duties seriously. She is now 95 years old—well over the age in which many people would retire—but she continues to dedicate a lot of her time to her work.
In fact, on her 21st birthday, then-Princess Elizabeth proclaimed that she would never stop serving the citizens of her country.
“I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong,” she said in a statement.
Queen Elizabeth prioritized the monarchy over Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
As queen, she often tries to uphold royal traditions whenever possible. One tradition she abides by is the “never complain, never explain” rule. This means Her Majesty often does not publicly respond to stories about her in the media.
When it comes to Harry and Meghan, Queen Elizabeth also does not engage in the feud via the press. In this way, she prioritizes the monarchy over the Sussexes, as explained by royal author Matthew Dennison.
“Elizabeth was hurt and disappointed,” Dennison wrote in the book The Queen about Her Majesty’s reaction to Harry and Meghan stepping down, according to Us Weekly. “Elizabeth’s official statement expressed loving finality: ‘It is my whole family’s hope that today’s agreement allows them to start building a happy and peaceful new life.’”
Dennison added, “It was an attempt to reassert control in the interests of damage limitation, and a decisive but dark beginning to a new decade. Elizabeth had never been a sentimental woman; she had acted in the only way she understood.”
“As throughout a life in which she had consistently honoured her father’s belief that ‘the highest of distinctions is the service of others’, she had placed the monarchy first, safeguarding its mission of service and duty that could never, she was certain, be a part-time calling,” Dennison said.
How Queen Elizabeth might react when Prince Harry’s tell-all memoir comes out
The royal family will have to react once again in 2022 when Harry releases a tell-all memoir. The book will reportedly talk a lot about his childhood as a royal.
Some people wonder what the queen’s reaction to the book will be and whether Harry’s titles would be removed or not. However, royal expert Ingrid Seward believes Her Majesty will once again not engage much with the drama.
“I don’t think removing the titles would make much difference and it would look very petty,” Seward said, according to Express. “I also don’t think it is something the Queen would want to do at this stage of her reign. It would be far more insulting just to ignore them. Even excluding them from the jubilee next year gives them ammunition to criticise the monarchy.”
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