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Appears that Prince Harry has been summoned to meet with the Queen of England.

Amid all this focus on meetings to negotiate whether ole Harry and his wife and child get to "Megxit" the Royal Family, something seems sorely lost in all the talk.  Who's life is it, anyway!  Last I checked, involuntary servitude was outlawed in Great Britain.  So, what is there to negotiate? 

Henry Charles Albert David Wales (that's his real name) is 35 years old, married, and a father.  His wife is very much an adult also.  This whole House of Windsor is a rather quaint heraldry.  Great Britain still has a monarchy simply because it apparently still wants one.  But, beyond titles and names of ships, there seems little else to it.

And yet, the British tabloids devote more ink and TV seconds to discussions of the Royal family that about any other topic.  We shouldn't loose sight of the fact that this media obsession well contributed to the premature death of Harry's mother, a woman who didn't seem to like life at Buckingham Palace any more than Harry and Meghan do.  Also, since the birth of three young children from his older brother's marriage, ole Harry has been bumped down to number six on the list of potential crown wearers.  That's mighty thin odds of ever filling the monarch's seat, and you certainly cannot fault a son for holding strong connections to his mother.

I realize we in America long ago cast off our allegiance to the crown, and thank goodness for that bit of luck.  In our country, if two young adults want to kick off and establish their independence from in-laws and blood kin, well we call that normalcy.  They're welcome back for Thanksgiving and Christmas, and hopefully get to bring the grandchildren to a few days of granddad and grandmother remembering what it was like to have little ones scooting around on the carpet!

Given this, someone in jolly ole England needs to grab the attention of the queen, and reveal to her that there's something rather smelly about trying to intimidate a grown man and his wife into remaining part of the extended household.  Frankly, perhaps Harry is on to something, and what we really need is for Charles or William to put on the crown, and then abruptly take it off and announce to the world, "Look here chaps, this bloody nonsense has gone on long enough!"

It would cost substantial money to repaint all the military bases and government office signs to omit reference to the Royals, but the good news is that it would be a one time expense.  A consolation prize is that the lion's share of the British press might have to be quiet for a few seconds while they think of something else to write about.

Another financial windfall is that Great Britain would no longer need to pay huge sums of money each year to the House of Windsor, and so the whole lot of them might have to go out and get real jobs!  Harry and his wife are already paving the way forward on that concept, as they've declared they seek "financial independence," and with Meghan already inking a contract with Disney to do voice work for an upcoming film, that independence isn't merely a theory.  Queen Elizabeth II might be the only grandparent who's unhappy about the kids growing up and moving out of their parents' basement!

Well, if the Brits don't want Harry and his family around anymore, then move west and be welcome over here.  Yes, Canada appears to be the couples' intended destination, but we here in America can find room for all three of you also.  If many of your countrymen cannot understand your desire to breath free, then don't worry, we Yanks well understand the feeling!

-- Ken Stallings


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