WELL, the knives are out for The Duchess of Sussex, who has published a children’s book about father-son relationships.
And while my instinct is always to support all women and see the best in everyone, I’ll admit that with this, I’m floundering.
The book, The Bench, by “Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex”, will be published on June 8 and seems to be inspired by the bond between Meghan’s husband Prince Harry and their son Archie.
Meghan said it started as a poem she wrote for her husband on Father’s Day, the month after Archie was born.
It doesn’t take a shrink to want to scrutinise why, of all the subjects in the world, she chose fatherhood for the topic of her first book.
Both Meghan and Harry have strained relations with their fathers. So, writing about such a happy one could well be a wish fulfilment exercise on Meghan’s part.
After all, she has cut her father out of her life and it appears Harry is heading the same way.
Choosing to write about this topic could be seen as a not-so-subtle message about what “good” fatherhood looks like.
Although the problem with kids, of course, is they grow up. All two-year-olds do what they are told (mainly) and are sweet and loving. It’s when they get older that parenting becomes tricky.
And it is when they get to adulthood that they — like Meghan and Harry — form their own opinions of their mums and dads and whether they are good parents or not.
Yes, sure, you might argue: Why shouldn’t Meghan write a sweet ode to the two loves of her life and the healing power of parenthood? Maybe she feels that by publishing this, she is offering hope to other lost souls?
It is unknown whether the proceeds of the book are going to charity. But if they don’t, using her royal title for commercial gain would seem slightly disrespectful.
And that is the problem with this book. Meghan claims she wants a life out of the spotlight and away from royalty. At the same time she is using her status and title to get a book published.
For someone who claimed she was silenced by the Royal Family, it looks hypocritical. Without her royal title, would anybody publish this book? I doubt it.
When you use the royal title, it comes with royal duties. You can’t drop the duties, slag off the family and still use and benefit from your rank. Or rather you can, but people won’t like it.
HAVE HER CAKE AND EAT IT
And the book — selected for Oprah’s book club this week in a reminder that friends stick together — is just one of a few different ventures Meghan and Harry have started since moving to the US and stepping away from royal duties to pursue an “independent” life.
They have their own charitable foundation, Archewell, Meghan voiced the Disney nature film Elephant, there is a podcast in which they aim to foster well-being and kindness — and then there is their Netflix deal, said to be worth millions of pounds.
And on the one hand, they have every right to do all of these things if they want to be independent. But almost none of these deals would have occurred if they were not royals. It all just looks a bit like she is trying to have her cake and eat it — which never goes down that well with the British public.
Both Harry and Meghan argue that they need to make their own living now they’ve been cut off from the royals. But they are millionaires already.
They have enough money to keep their family safe. They just don’t have enough money to do that and to live in a £20million house and spend thousands on clothes and fly in private jets, which I guess is why they want to make more. It all seems misguided and ill-judged to me.
And while I haven’t read the book, I do wonder if the last chapter consists of the father telling the son that he’s old enough to make his own money and then the son having a massive strop about it and going on a global TV show to moan about his lot in life.
WORKOUT? I STILL CAN’T WORK OUT KIM’S KIT
I HAD to laugh at the photos of Kim Kardashian “working out” wearing a face full of make up, a blonde wig and the skimpiest thong suit I’ve ever seen.
Just what you need for a workout, right?
Except for the fact that I suspect you would get done for indecent exposure if you went to the gym wearing that.
