Engagement of Prince Harry of Wales and Meghan Markle: November 27, 2017

[Denville]

Originally Posted by wyevale

NO intelligent individual would 'get bored' by the opportunities now opening up for Ms Markle.. She has the privilege to engage with all manner of interesting individuals/causes/groups on an ongoing basis, and to use her talents to further their interests and aims..

If 'five years' is enough to exhaust the challenges and thrill of that, one REALLY has the attention span of a Goldfish...

Of course she could get bored. There are limitations on what a royal can do.. she will be subject to endless criticism and she wont be able to be all that "hands on" in her charties. She will always be junior to William and Kate.. and to an extent, to Harry.
She may find it restricting after being a private person who could choose her own work..

[Erin9]

Originally Posted by O-H Anglophile

But I believe this is changing.

Charles began the Prince's Trust. He was hands on in the beginning, stayed fairly hands on over the years and only more recently as he began taking on more of his mother's duties has the process of restructuring the Trust for him to take a few steps back really begun.

William and Harry began their Foundation and brought Catherine into it. The Foundation has continued to grow as the trio cultivated their charitable endeavors in the areas they discovered they were passionate about.

No they don't do the Daily office work, but they attend meetings, have meetings, talk regularly to people. I disagree that they aren't the movers and shakers-the marquee name, whether it is a Royal or a wealthy patron, always are one of the movers and shakers.

Meghan's drive and talents will be great in this venue. She cannot really be accused of social climbing- in marrying Harry she has no where to climb.

I’d include Philip on that list. The Duke of Edinburgh awards, for one thing. He’s always been very active- certainly beyond ribbon cutting.

[Somebody]

Everyone could get bored in any job so yes that is true for Meghan as well but the solution isn't to just give up but to find ways to make it more interesting. I believe that's what Harry himself has done. He wasn't to happy about his prospects in life given the limitations that his role brings but realized that his role also brings lots of opportunities to do good and he jumped on that bandwagon and with this new approach he has a purpose in life and he probably considers himself rather priviliged nowadays because of everything he can do that he couldn't have done had his grandmother not been the world's most famous monarch.

So, given that Meghan seems to have a positive approach in life in which she looks for opportunities rather than focuses on limitations and barriers, I'm not that worried.

[Pranter]

Bored? Good Grief. She's not 20 and taking her first job at the grocery store.

If she did get bored, so what...like the rest of the responsible adults in the world that get bored with their job etc...you get up and go to work and get thru it. You don't run away from your responsibilities.


LaRae

[Osipi]

We forget who Meghan is teaming up with. How can life with a person such as Harry is be boring? As we've seen from just the few engagements that they've been on together, they really get in there and get down and dirty with the people that they're meeting. Especially around children. This is a couple that takes life by the horns and goes on a wild rodeo ride with it.

Meghan will find her niche in the Royal Foundation with areas that she is solely interested in. She will join Harry in some of his passions such as Invictus Games and Sentebale and most likely partner up with Heads Together. There may even be a new awareness area of HT dealing with mental health and prejudice (not only biracial prejudice but prejudice that stems from any kind of being "different"). Then there's the private side of raising a family. Do we seriously believe that Harry and Meghan will not want kids? On top of all that, lately Harry's been a go to guy for doing royal tours representing his monarch and other engagements where they work for the "Firm".

Frankly, I don't see Meghan having any breathing space really in the near future to even contemplate being "bored". Should it cross her mind, I think she's more of the type of person to make some comfort food, lean on Harry and figure out what to do next. Meghan doesn't seem like the type of woman that's just sat back and let the grass grow under her feet and give up on anything but finds a way to make the proverbial lemonade out of lemons.

She's going to do just fine and not only do just fine but revel in the life she's leading.

[AlowVera]

Originally Posted by Denville

Of course she could get bored. There are limitations on what a royal can do.. she will be subject to endless criticism and she wont be able to be all that "hands on" in her charties. She will always be junior to William and Kate.. and to an extent, to Harry.
She may find it restricting after being a private person who could choose her own work..

No matter who Harry marries that would be a problem and as Harry said they talked about all the problems he faces. I feel so sorry for Harry that his life and happiness have been destroyed by the same press that destroyed his mother and the moment he has enough and tells the press to back off they become even more evil about him and his future bride.

[Denville]

Originally Posted by AlowVera

No matter who Harry marries that would be a problem and as Harry said they talked about all the problems he faces. I feel so sorry for Harry that his life and happiness have been destroyed by the same press that destroyed his mother and the moment he has enough and tells the press to back off they become even more evil about him and his future bride.

?? how is his "life destroyed? He is a well to do, socially privileged young man, and has now chosen a young woman whom I hope he is happy wth, for his wife.
And of couse the press will be crticial of him and his wife..that is a given. There will also be times when he and Meg are wildly over praised. As far as I can see, at the moment he and Meg are in "honeymoon stage" with the press being highly affectionate about them.
I hope that he and M have discussed the problems they are going to face.. it doesn't mean that she will defintley not get bored. She may well do so.. You can't tell what royal life is really like until you have lived it...

[royal rob]

Originally Posted by AlowVera

No matter who Harry marries that would be a problem and as Harry said they talked about all the problems he faces. I feel so sorry for Harry that his life and happiness have been destroyed by the same press that destroyed his mother and the moment he has enough and tells the press to back off they become even more evil about him and his future bride.

I must have missed something when did his life become destroyed???

[Abbigail]

Originally Posted by Somebody

Everyone could get bored in any job so yes that is true for Meghan as well but the solution isn't to just give up but to find ways to make it more interesting. I believe that's what Harry himself has done. He wasn't to happy about his prospects in life given the limitations that his role brings but realized that his role also brings lots of opportunities to do good and he jumped on that bandwagon and with this new approach he has a purpose in life and he probably considers himself rather priviliged nowadays because of everything he can do that he couldn't have done had his grandmother not been the world's most famous monarch.

So, given that Meghan seems to have a positive approach in life in which she looks for opportunities rather than focuses on limitations and barriers, I'm not that worried.

Well said. I totally agree.

[Dani257]

I don't really know how to put this. I hope that people are concerned for nothing. I'm not predicting anything. I hope she thrives in the role. I hope she's not boxed in and she's allowed to do as much as she can.

But, as far as it's just a matter of having the right attitude, I can't help thinking of someone like my aunt. Who is in a job she hates. It's making her completely miserable. And I'm not using hyperbole for effect. It truly is. And the best advice is not for her to just have a positive attitude. It is for her to get out. There is nothing that will make this job even slightly okay for her. And the most responsible thing for her well being is to find something else.

And again, I'm not predicting that the royal life for Meghan will be akin to my aunt's situation. I hope she finds it fulfilling as is. And I know every job has its ups and downs, but you hope the pros outweigh the cons. And if it isn't automatically, I hope she's allowed to make it so. I know there are certain restrictions, but I hope she can fly as far as she likes within those restrictions and isn't yanked back. Because if she is miserable, she will never be able to get the advice my aunt has gotten. .

Please understand I'm not expecting misery, even if my post sounds gloomy. But, any job can be a miserable job for someone. And any job can be one where that's an overall joy to have. I hope it's the latter.I think we all do. I don't know if I've explained what I mean, but I think that's the best I can do.

But, I do want to address one thing. Please lets not say anything about a person's intelligence based on whether they find the royal life boring or not. What if I were to say that no intelligent person would find being a surgeon or a writer or a teacher or a pilot boring? Even though I know there are people who could tell you all the reasons why any of those (and other) professions are exciting and enjoyable and interesting. But, you ask someone else and they'll tell you all the reasons those jobs are mind numbingly dull. Same can be said for being a royal. And no one lacks intelligence based on what sort of jobs they find interesting.

[Lady Nimue]

In fairness, some may find the daily events a pleasant break in the day. Others may not. I have a hunch William (and maybe Harry, though that is less clear) may share the latter view, hence why there is talk of the number of events per year (under William's kingship) being drastically reduced. If William liked events we might see him elbowing Charles out of his or even showing up with Charles at events. That does not appear to be happening.

Of the current crop of 'younger' royals (and I say that advisedly ) it seems that Charles and Anne are the two who may genuinely like the work. For Charles it may be more because he will be monarch one day and he views this as his role to be so engaged.

I am always impressed by Edward and Sophie (especially Sophie). It feels like they do a lot, maybe because Sophie does more strung out across individual days and not all clumped onto one day. It may have to do with Sophie being naturally a PR person so she does in fact like the work. (I don't want to slight Andrew, he may also like the work, he just doesn't get much press regarding his workload).

In the end, some may have a natural liking for the work, others may develop a liking. It may be an acquired taste. But it would be disastrous for someone who truly abhorred the events work to be forced front-and-center continually.

For Meghan it's like a stage role she has signed up for, and she will be playing matinees for a lot of years, with some evening performances thrown in. She'll do okay. I have no doubt she will be a success in that aspect of 'the job'. It's the more nuanced constraints regarding freedom of expression, and the endless critique. It's not like an actor getting a bad review for one part played and then over. This is going to be a life-time gig. The light at the end of the tunnel is that Harry will move father down the pecking order giving them more leeway as the years wear on (perhaps).

[Curbside]

Not to mention, she is marrying the man she loves, a good-looking and rich dude who is fun-loving and has a large extended family. It's not like she won't have children, a husband and friends to keep company with as the years go by.

[Lady Nimue]

Originally Posted by Curbside

Not to mention, she is marrying the man she loves, a good-looking and rich dude who is fun-loving and has a large extended family. It's not like she won't have children, a husband and friends to keep company with as the years go by.

Agree. I think she's going to have fun all-in-all.

[rominet09]

Originally Posted by Pranter

Bored? Good Grief. She's not 20 and taking her first job at the grocery store.

If she did get bored, so what...like the rest of the responsible adults in the world that get bored with their job etc...you get up and go to work and get thru it. You don't run away from your responsibilities.


LaRae

EXACTLY ! All positions in life have their advantages and disavantages........... Nobody is always contented 24/7 !!!

[soapstar]

Posts discussing the guest list have been moved to the Wedding Musings and Suggestions thread.

[Jacknch]

Please be reminded that posts containing only a link with no additional information will be deleted as per the announcement made last March. Thank you.

[BMC]

Originally Posted by Denville

Of course she could get bored. There are limitations on what a royal can do.. she will be subject to endless criticism and she wont be able to be all that "hands on" in her charties. She will always be junior to William and Kate.. and to an extent, to Harry.
She may find it restricting after being a private person who could choose her own work..

I'm glad to finally see someone who shares my concerns about this.

Megan Markle not only had the talent she had the strength & courage to establish a career in a fiercely competitive business ( I pray she never encountered Harvey Weinstein or anyone like him). She's been the architect of her career & her life. Not only is she giving that up she is entering a position with very strict boundaries and governed by rules that are mostly unwritten, none of them determined by her. I think it would be odd if she did not struggle a great deal with the lack of control over her own life she will now have to endure as Prince Harry's wife, plus the scrutiny of the British media. I don't think this is something Prince Harry can help her with all that much as he has never truly experienced the freedom & independence that Megan has enjoyed. I'd feel a lot better about this marriage if Megan had had the "apprenticeship" that the Countess of Wessex & Duchess of Cambridge had prior to their marriages where they were able to get a first hand look at & experience of royal life over a lengthy period of time. I think it helped them both a great deal in the long run. Instead Megan is jumping from the frying pan into the fire as it were.

[Countessmeout]

Honestly I agree. I think its probably why some royals find it hard to find a spouse.

Yes, Harry comes from a large family but that doesn't mean that Meghan will become close to them and spend much time with them. Thankfully she does have friends in the UK and she will hopefully become closer to Harry's. But much of her own family and friends live on another continent. And as much as we hope that she will have children, there is no guarantee sadly they will.

For many women, having family and friends is not enough. Back a few decades ago it would have been easy to find a royal wife. Many women would have been raised to think their goal in life was to marry, raise kids, throw dinner parties for their husband's work, and maybe be involved in church fundraisers. If they came from money, the charity work would go up, house work down. So royal life would have been the top rung of their goal.

Now a days women are raised to be educated, have careers, have ambitions. Meghan has established a career as an actress, as a business woman and with charity. If she married Mr John Smith, she would have it both. She could have her husband, kids and friends. While still acting, running tig, doing her charity work and more. As much as they may love their kids, many women don't dream of being stay at home moms.

The reality is being a royal is never going to compare to a full time job. 200 engagements a year, sometimes 2-4 of those being in one day, barely constitutes a part time job. Yes, there is leg work, but a lot of that is done by staff. They have their foundation, but they also have a staff that runs that foundation.

Meghan needs to find her own niche in the royal world. Her own passion and something to work with. Or yes she could easily get bored with royal life.

[Terri Terri]

Your sentiments make a lot of sense! Meghan would have to be super human not to experience doubts and challenges adjusting to her royal role.

That being said, I am hoping that she uses the same tenacity and drive to build her new life in the same way that she built her acting career and humanitarian role. She is more mature in life experience than Sophie and Kate had before they started their royal roles and it appears that she is going into royal life with her eyes wide open.

[Lady Nimue]

Originally Posted by Osipi

We forget who Meghan is teaming up with. How can life with a person such as Harry be boring?

Easy. A falling out of love will do it in a trice, in which case it will be more than just boredom she (and he) will be dealing with. There is an old saying: 'familiarity breeds contempt'. We are watching a couple in the full flush of a new love. Give it time. There is something to be said for the long lead-up (but not too long a lead-up) to the wedding of Edward and Sophie.

Originally Posted by Osipi

As we've seen from just the few engagements that they've been on together, they really get in there and get down and dirty with the people that they're meeting. Especially around children. This is a couple that takes life by the horns and goes on a wild rodeo ride with it.

That for sure describes Harry, who we have heard leads with his heart. In other words, Harry is impulsive. Meghan may be far more judicious in her approach, she would have to be to have succeeded as she has in her chosen profession. She is the far seeing one, I think. Harry is driven by passion and that being the case, this 'rodeo ride' could easily turn into a bucking bronco.

I see in Meghan an unexpected vulnerability. I am thinking of the Christmas walk-about (where she wore that forever-to-be-remembered brown hat, not ). Meghan came across (to me, maybe not surprisingly) as tentative, as vulnerable. I worry for her.

Originally Posted by Osipi

She's going to do just fine and not only do just fine but revel in the life she's leading.

We'll see. Give it 5 years. There is a lot of assuming that life behind those gilded gates is a life one would 'revel in'. A life of perks and privilege and wealth for sure can make the day-to-day life pleasant, but it's the soul one is experiencing that really matters. If Harry and Meghan fall out of love there will be no greater purgatory for them than that glided cage existence. JMO.

Originally Posted by BMC

I'm glad to finally see someone who shares my concerns about this.

Megan Markle not only had the talent she had the strength & courage to establish a career in a fiercely competitive business ( I pray she never encountered Harvey Weinstein or anyone like him). She's been the architect of her career & her life. Not only is she giving that up she is entering a position with very strict boundaries and governed by rules that are mostly unwritten, none of them determined by her. I think it would be odd if she did not struggle a great deal with the lack of control over her own life she will now have to endure as Prince Harry's wife, plus the scrutiny of the British media.

I don't think this is something Prince Harry can help her with all that much as he has never truly experienced the freedom & independence that Megan has enjoyed. I'd feel a lot better about this marriage if Megan had had the "apprenticeship" that the Countess of Wessex & Duchess of Cambridge had prior to their marriages where they were able to get a first hand look at & experience of royal life over a lengthy period of time. I think it helped them both a great deal in the long run. Instead Megan is jumping from the frying pan into the fire as it were.

Good points. We are watching a pretty winning chemistry at the moment, but if that chemistry ever 'goes south' brace for a bumpy ride.

In fairness to Harry, he shouldn't be having to 'hover' around Meghan always to ensure she is happy, nor should she be in the role of mothering him for the rest of her life (unless that's her thing and his). There are many make-or-break junctures coming up for them (as we all know as 'old marrieds') and for Meghan in the past she has always been in the position where she could decide to walk away. She's signing on to a life she cannot walk away from (easily, the 'mess' would be extreme).

Imagine if she finds that in this extended royal family there are some real doozies she would prefer not to be around? (Like William? Imagine that playing out if she finds William an unbearable stuffed shirt?) There will be no walking away. Because the lead-up time has not been 'deep' (as much as Harry and Meghan think it has, and Harry wants us to believe it has been), it is the one serious weakness in their pairing at this point. JMO.