If the late Duchess of Windsor, Wallis Simpson, could have foreseen the future she’d have been astonished to glimpse the day would come when an American divorcée could marry an English prince and the entire nation – and world – would be celebrating.
Times are different, as are circumstances, as are the personalities involved. Meghan Markle, Prince Harry’s fiancée, has had one previous marriage, lasting two years, to film producer Trevor Engelson: Wallis Simpson had two ex-husbands.
Edward VIII was the heir to the throne. Harry will soon be displaced – by the Cambridges’ new baby – to sixth in line.
The Church of England (and even more ferociously, the Church of Scotland), as well as most of the Commonwealth, were strongly opposed to Mrs Simpson. With Meghan, the churches seem to have taken a tactful stance. The Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev Justin Welby, is prepared to bless the couple – although there will be some Anglicans who have doubts about the orthodoxy of a divorced bride. The divorce issue, which once so rocked the Royal Family – and which, in living memory, seemed to threaten the institution of the monarchy itself – has apparently melted into invisibility. The general attitude to Meghan and Harry’s betrothal is joy for the couple, and anticipation of the jollity of a royal marriage. That’s a kindly attitude: this couple seem very sweet and in love, and who wants to rain on their parade?
The beautiful Meghan being from a mixed-race background is a fact greeted with positive acclamation, whereas previously, we’re told, it might have raised eyebrows. Personally, I’m not sure that mixed ethnicity would always have elicited disapproval: people today don’t quite understand that religion was often more emphasised than race, historically. In the 18th century, being a Protestant was more important than skin colour.
Even today, it’s an interesting question: if Meghan were an observant Catholic, would there be more obstacles for her? Like Autumn Kelly, Peter Phillips’s wife, a move to Anglicanism might be considered more diplomatic.
The increasing acceptance of divorce is surely a challenge for Catholics – and other Christians – who affirm the indissolubility of wedlock. But a principle can be upheld without judging individuals. Nobody should rain on their parade, but that mightn’t necessarily mean everyone accepts that divorce is of no account.
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When the Queen made a state visit to the Republic of Ireland in 2011 – which reported on – it was agreed by one and all that relations had never been so harmonious between Ireland and Britain.
And now, with the entanglements of Brexit, that harmonious relationship seems to be in reverse, and there are bad-tempered expressions of annoyance on all sides.
Dublin can veto progress on the Brexit negotiations unless there is a guarantee that there will be no hard border (which nobody wants anyway). Belfast is furious that Dublin seems to be suggesting that Northern Ireland could be separated from the rest of the UK in a customs deal. London – at least in the person of Liam Fox – says that there can be no border arrangement until a trade deal with the EU has been discussed.
There are often hidden grievances and wounded feelings behind political positions. The Irish feel that the British electorate never gave the border, or the delicate Anglo-Irish relationship, a second thought when they voted for Brexit. Irish interests were simply ignored. This is probably a fair point.
Older Irish people may feel that Liam Fox, being a Catholic, could be more sensitive. Younger Irish people probably don’t even know that he is a Catholic, and it would make no impact on them anyway.
Attitudes to divorce may change with the times, but the Irish Question is as complex now as it was in the days of Gladstone and Parnell.
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I am appalled at the ghastly takeover of the Advent calendar by consumerism. Advent calendars with chocolates are commonplace, but there are also Advent calendars with alcohol, scent, toiletries and household treats – some costing up to £300. There are even Advent calendars of “erotica”. Proper Advent calendars with a faith theme can be found, but often you have to go online to find them (by Googling “religious Advent calendar”). A season of greedy vulgarity has replaced awaiting the Nativity thoughtfully.
Mary Kenny’s new book Am I a Feminist? Are You? (New Island Books) is out now and available via Amazon
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