King Charles just proved nobody's missing Harry and Meghan
King Charles was in his absolute element during his four-day State Visit to the United States - and I for one found myself feeling immensely proud and glad to have such a skilled and devoted diplomat in chief representing our country, who everyone listens to and wants to be photographed with. The monarch took the other side of the Atlantic by storm, with his address to Congress (my favourite line being how 250 years ago is "just the other day" in the UK) and after dinner speech at the White House, cracking jokes while also reminding elected representatives and Donald Trump of the rich history between our two nations.He showed exactly what one of the monarchy’s chief purposes is: supreme diplomacy. The sovereign’s trip made Harry and Meghan’s quasi-royal tour in Australia look pathetic in comparison. Charles mentioned William, the Prince of Wales, during his after dinner speech, making a joke about how Britain’s royal heritage remains etched across the American landscape, suggesting the nation's maps resemble "our Christmas card list across the ages”.The King said: "North and South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and the cities of Charleston - a particular favourite of mine, obviously - Georgetown - and, for that matter, Georgia - Annapolis, Prince William County and Williamsburg.”As well as proving amusing, this remark showed that the Firm does not need Charles’s second son.Harry has become unimportant on the world stage and basically irrelevant.William is the King’s heir, and Prince George is next in line, with Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis having roles to play in the future too.But Harry and Meghan clearly still need the Royal Family. Their Australian tour seemed to be primarily for commercial gain.It is objectively very sad to see a rift between a father and son, in any family.But royal rows are different in that they are illuminated brightly upon the nation’s stage, and everyone gossips when things are not all well amongst members of Britain’s most prominent clan.The death of Diana shook the world, and reasonable people hoped that Charles and his sons would live as stable and happy a life as possible following the tragedy.Instead, Harry has found himself in California, shooting artillery at Buckingham Palace, and the family he was born into, without which he would be an unknown - and a lot less wealthy.Charles was most likely advised not to mention Harry during his trip, as goodness knows the kind of media frenzy it would have triggered.This trip was about showing the monarchy at its best, and what it is capable of achieving in the 21st century, not airing its dirty laundry.
