Harry and Meghan Shine a Light on Monarchy, and its Demands

The Netflix documentary Harry and Meghan conveys the impression that they have been uniquely victimised. But the difficulties they have faced are shared by all the royal families of Europe. It is monarchy which is unique, in the extraordinary demands which it makes of close members of the royal family. They lack freedoms which ordinary citizens take for granted: privacy; free choice of career; freedom of speech; freedom to marry whom they like; freedom of religion; and freedom to travel. It is not surprising if individual royals wish to escape the gilded cage. But as Harry and Meghan have shown, opting out is easier said than done.