Is Meghan Markle Making the Royal Family More Selective About Letting Celebrities Into Their Ranks In the Future?
Before Meghan, Duchess of Sussex married into the royal family, she was an actress. Meghan had been working in Hollywood for many years and was most well-known for her role on the TV show Suits.
After becoming a duchess, Meghan was expected to fulfill her royal duties. However, she ended up only working as a royal for a year and a half before she and Prince Harry decided to step away from that role. The pair moved to Los Angeles and has since been receiving constant criticism for their decision to leave royal life behind.
The royal family has not spoken out too much about their feelings on this situation, but it does beg the question: Is Meghan making other royals more selective in the future about letting celebrities join their ranks?
Meghan Markle has been criticized for acting too much like a celebrity
Ever since she joined the royal family, Meghan has been criticized for behaving more like a celebrity than a royal.
For example, in 2019, she and Harry caught flak for making their son’s birth and christening extremely private. Some fans felt this was hypocritical considering taxpayers funded renovations for their home and expected them to be public figures.
Additionally, Meghan came under fire for editing the September 2019 issue of British Vogue. Critics felt she was taking a stance on political issues since she featured women like former First Lady Michelle Obama as well as New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
Socialite/author Lady Colin Campbell criticized Meghan’s behavior last year, saying she does not seem to understand what it means to be a royal.
“Her behaviour shows a lack of understanding and appreciation of what being royal is,” Lady Campbell said, as reported by Express. “I’m not sure who she thinks she is behaving this way.”
Expert says most royals understand they do not have the same job as celebrities
In a new documentary called Prince William: A Monarch in the Making, royal expert Nick Bullen explained there are fundamental differences between royals and celebrities. Although they might be popular like movie stars and singers, royals understand they are playing a different game than those in Hollywood.
“The joy of royalty and British royalty particularly is none of the royals see themselves as celebrities,” Bullen said, as reported by Express. “They’re born into this job. Most celebrities crave fame… Most celebrities have worked to get that fame, whether it’s talent or, in the case of sometimes these reality stars, maybe lack of talent, but it’s there for the royals from day one.”
Bullen also added, “I think [royals] choose not to consider the celebrity world because they literally don’t see themselves as part of it. They haven’t sought fame… They’ve got a duty and they do the best that they can with their duty. And you know, we’ve seen when royalty and celebrity come together – it can sometimes not work.”
Is the royal family going to be more selective about letting celebrities into their ranks?
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For critics, Meghan’s situation seems to be highlighting the issues that can arise when a celebrity becomes a royal. Things got more exacerbated when Meghan and Harry decided to step down from being senior royals to retreat to a more private life in Los Angeles. At the same time, the couple also took on more “celebrity” jobs by supporting a book written about them and working in the film industry.
Meghan has no doubt received a lot of criticism that could reflect negatively on the royal family, but there is no proof that other royals will now hesitate before letting another celebrity join their ranks.
In fact, some fans even believe Meghan’s presence is good for the royal family. For instance, her way of branding might be too “celebrity” for traditional royals, but it could be what is needed for the monarchy to continue being relevant with younger people.