Face of Nation : This week, a man scaled the fence of Buckingham Palace, evaded CCTV and heat sensors and ended up just metres away from where the Queen was sleeping, according to British TV.
It was the second security breach in the last year — in July 2018, a homeless man broke into the grounds of the Palace and went undetected for four hours. However, threats to the monarchy don’t just try and climb over gates.
Right now, the case could be made that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex qualify as a greater threat to the monarchy, whose global popularity and burgeoning international brand have thoroughly upset the royal pecking order. This week, a man scaled the fence of Buckingham Palace, evaded CCTV and heat sensors and ended up just metres away from where the Queen was sleeping, according to British TV.
It was the second security breach in the last year — in July 2018, a homeless man broke into the grounds of the Palace and went undetected for four hours. However, threats to the monarchy don’t just try and climb over gates.
Right now, the case could be made that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex qualify as a greater threat to the monarchy, whose global popularity and burgeoning international brand have thoroughly upset the royal pecking order. While having glittering charismatic younger members is essential to maintaining public interest in the monarchy, that should never come at the expense of detracting from the person who actually gets to wear the crown.
Whether Diana was just being wilfully obstinate in the face of her husband’s imperious family or simply naive, the causes and issues she devoted herself to in the ’90s transformed her into a global powerbroker who, perhaps unwittingly, stole the limelight and made herself a target. And this was a cardinal sin in the eyes of the royal family — and one her son and daughter-in-law are dangerously close to repeating.
As the Princess’ equerry of eight years Patrick Jephson has written: “As Diana discovered to her cost, if you acquire for yourself, however justifiably, a profile, a purpose, and a vocal, passionate public devotion independent of the royal mainstream, then you will risk being perceived and presented as a threat to the Crown itself.
“This will mobilise the full forces of the establishment against you.” Basically, she was a victim of her own success and the Sussexes are perilously close to repeating this miscalculation.
Consider this. Within the same 24-hour period earlier this week, the Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cornwall visited Mevagissey (it’s in Cornwall) and later Charles visited Boscastle to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. And, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex went to The Lion King premiere, hugged Beyonce and nearly broke the internet. Which one do you remember reading about?
It would be wildly naive to think two 70-somethings dutifully plodding around Cornwall admiring local pasties would trump the goings on of the controversy-plagued Sussexes. But the grave imbalance in coverage and attention will be duly noted by those entrusted with ensuring the continuation of an institution which can trace its lineage back to Egbert in 827. (Seriously).
“The one really key skill Meghan absolutely must perfect is how to avoid being seen as any kind of a destabilising danger to the established royal order,” Patrick Jephson writes in The Meghan Factor. “Centuries of royal history have shown that, when you’re in the dynasty business, every consideration is subjected to the ultimate existential test: Will this person/thing/idea/development help or hinder the survival of the current royal line?”
In the years and decades to come, the Sussexes’ endeavours will only increasingly compete with those of the Cambridge’s. Every click, like and column-inch devoted to the Sussexes and their global endeavours will come at the expense of the future King and Queen Consort.
Strange as it might sound, there is a certain amount of persistent campaigning required to keep the monarchy alive and kicking. And to do that, they need persistent coverage, column inches and clicks. Anyone who sucks all the media focus away from Charles, Wills and later, George, will be viewed as an existential threat.
The monarchy is a resilient beast whose longevity is down to a slavish commitment to the overriding principle that the only thing that truly matters is the monarch and those in the line of succession. So … God Save the Queen (and the future Kings). And god help the Sussexes because things are going to get rocky in the years to come.
