Analysis Of The Royal Wedding Of Prince Harry And Princess Meghan
Abstract
How many times have you asked yourself, “why are royal weddings so important?” Another question you may ask is, “why are royal weddings televised?” Although there were royal weddings that took place in the 1800s, 1960 was the year of television’s first royal wedding. Princess Margaret married Antony Armstrong-Jones, being the first “royal couple” to be married on television. The significance of a royal wedding is to represent historic changes within the British culture as well as the culture of the “chosen princess”. It humanizes and opens the monarchy to a younger, more globally connected generation. This is through a pre-planned media spectacle to which we have all been given an invitation. Today, society remains interested in royal weddings, making them a “big deal” in pop culture, race, and the royal bloodline. As we begin to discuss the royal wedding of Prince Harry and Princess Meghan, we will discuss how social media and black twitter responded to their marriage. We will also discuss the aftermaths of the wedding, special elements of the wedding, and 'fashion magazine talk'.
The Significance of Royal Families/Weddings
Why are Americans obsessed with the British royal family? I believe we all find it interesting that a prince would marry an American woman. Of course, Meghan is not the first American woman to marry into the British Royal family. It is the simple fact that a woman of our very own culture has been accepted into “royal hood”. We as people desire to have extraordinary weddings, riches, and fame. Many times, we deceive ourselves by living fairy tales instead of reality. For example, those who grew up on Disney movies and fairy tale stories believe that British royal families and weddings represent a real-life fantasy. Those are people who will follow closely and live out vicariously. In other words, royal weddings give people hope, that they will one day have the opportunity to live a royal lifestyle.
Race plays a major role in the marriage of Prince Harry and Princess Meghan’s wedding. This is because interracial marriage was illegal in some states from 1664 to 1967. Meghan herself stated, “My mother is white, and my father is black”. She also stated, “Growing up in the late ’80s as a biracial girl, I never had a mixed-race prince or princess whose image I could sport on my backpack or my lunchbox. There was little to no representation of my identity — almost no characters in movies or television shows, no musicians or celebrities who identified as mixed-race”. Being biracial or mixed is more common in the United Kingdom but was not often talked about. Britain is made of many islands and those who live there have immigrated. People are unaware that indigenous groups like the Angles’ and Saxons’ presence were predated by people of color. For example, there were Africans who lived in Britain since at least Roman times. Many contemporary black British people trace their family history to the British Empire.
Social Media/Black Twitter Responses
With Meghan stating that she is biracial, social media had a lot to say. People felt that the wedding was a 'black service' because those who sang in the choir were black. The preacher, Bishop Michael Curry, was also black. America as a whole was excited to see so many people of color attending the royal wedding. Overall, everyone had great things to say about the wedding. Yes, people are entitled to their own opinions, but more people were for instead of against the marriage of Prince Harry and Princess Meghan. I feel that people respect Meghan for not being ashamed of who she truly is, sharing that she is a part of the black culture. Other weddings may have been acknowledged but in my opinion, no royal wedding has received as much recognition as theirs. Black women as a whole feel more accepted because they see greater opportunities. If Meghan did it, why can’t we?
Let us not forget about Black Twitter. Keep in mind, people feel as if they can freely speak and say anything they want. Someone tweeted “The twist-outs, the crotchet curls, the Senegalese twists, the feed-in braids, the side-swept ponytail. We out here.” Serena Williams, being a friend of Meghan attended the wedding. She was captured on camera and posted on twitter wearing her neatly twisted Senegalese ponytail with a fancy laced bow. The twitter caption was, “The first braids to grace the #RoyalWedding, Iconic.” The young black male who played the violin was considered to be a “young king”. He was given the caption, “yes young King, give them that aristocratic elegance #RoyalWedding #AllTheBlacks”. Although many people had great things to say about the wedding, many people had negative things to say. Some people felt as if the wedding was overrated and received too much recognition, calling it a “media-confected event played out over many months”. The media did not feel that the wedding was satisfying to peoples’ appetite. Truth be told, the media was upset because the prince could marry Meghan because she was divorced and considered non-British. Republicans knew Meghan was not British and she was of another culture. However, Harry himself knew and was thankful for what he called “a hint of diversity that characterizes contemporary Britain”.
Now that Harry and Meghan are married, what is next? Meghan knew she would have to relocate and move to another country. She would be living a new religion, which is a huge change of lifestyle. Not only this, but Meghan quit her acting career having to adjust not only her lifestyle but her friendships that were created over time. There were huge adjustments that she had to make to become a 'princess'. Although she had to rearrange her entire life, Harry saw that she had become extremely comfortable. Now that the entire world knows about Meghan, the spotlight is not only on her but her family as well. Knowing the spotlight was now on them, particular family members such as her half-sister Samantha Markle, began to tweet insight information on Meghan. She tweeted, “Dad paid for her college education. I love my sister, but this is ridiculous.” Meghan’s dad, Thomas Markle also complained on British morning TV, how Meghan has been avoiding him. He said that he has not met his son-in-law (Prince Harry), and no one is talking to him, not even Meghan’s mother (Doria Ragland). According to her father, they have always had a close relationship. However, when Prince Harry became a part of Meghan’s life, they began to lack communication.
Fashion Magazine Talk
According to US magazine, the best outfits Meghan has worn, has been since she became the royal princess. Becoming the Duchess of Sussex has inspired Meghan to focus more on her fashion statement. She has created more of a “signature sleek and contemporary vibe (US Magazine, 2019). Many people know the way Meghan dressed as an actor, but now that she holds a royal title she is expected to dress with “plenty of clean lines, dreamy cream dresses, waist-crinching belts and sweet, dainty jewelry pieces all with that Markle flair”. Throughout her pregnancy, her taste in clothing never changed. During pregnancy, most women dress in maternity clothes as they are with child, but not Meghan. She hardly wore maternity clothes because she wanted to accommodate her baby bump and give expectant moms a new style.
Special Elements of the Wedding
Overall, I enjoyed the wedding, but certain elements stood out to me the most. I love how the wedding consisted of blacks and not just those of Prince Harry's culture. There were many “blacks” who participated and attended the wedding. The preacher was black, those who sang were black, and they also sang “Stand by Me” which is a traditional song that represents black culture. I found it interesting how there were different areas for those who attended the wedding because not everyone was in the same vicinity. Apart from this, I found it weird that Prince Harry did not shave his facial hair or clean up his hair. In a typical wedding, the Groom is usually 'well-groomed'. I would label it as 'The' wedding, which is why I had higher expectations. Furthermore, the hats that the women wore reminded me of those “boujie” deaconess that sit in the “deaconess” section at church. It was also different seeing the entire church sing those various hymns when there is usually a soloist singing. There came a time where Prince Harry and Princess Meghan were able to sit down when usually everyone must remain standing. Lastly, at the end of the wedding, I found it interesting that there were many horses to follow them throughout the remainder of their wedding. There were four that carried them in a carriage and the rest followed.
References
- A history of royal weddings. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace/history-and-stories/a-history-of-royal-weddings/#gs.5hc8ol
- Beeson, Leigh (2018). Retrieved from https://news.uga.edu/why-are-we-so-interested-in-the-royal-wedding/
- Bologna, Caroline (2018) Retrieved from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/british-royal-family-obsession_n_5a4b0788e4b025f99e1d0a4b
- Gaither, Sarah (2019). Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/first-person/2018/5/14/17345162/meghan-markle-royal-baby-prince-harry
- Greenslade, R. (2018, May 20). Royal wedding shows growing irrelevance of monarchy and press | Roy Greenslade. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/media/media-blog/2018/may/20/royal-wedding-monarchy-press-newspapers
- Grigoriadis, V. (2019, January 11). Meghan Markle's Family Breakdown: The Untold Story. Retrieved from https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2018/12/inside-the-meghan-markle-family-breakdown-thomas-samantha-markle
