After Brexit, Covid and Boris Johnson, a dollop of platinum jubilee pudding is just what the country needs
Some years ago, or so the story goes, the then editor of The Independent attended a reception at Buckingham Palace for newspaper executives. During the course of the evening, the Duke of Edinburgh came over and asked who he was. When he stated his credentials, the Duke replied “You’ve got a bloody cheek,” turned on his heel, and strode off, in that brisk style of his.
It was an unfortunate exchange, and – perhaps not for the first time – an occasion on which Prince Philip’s directness was misguided. The Independent isn’t hostile to the notion of a rationalised, accountable, constitutional monarchy; one that commands the respect of the people, and is of use to the nation. Over the centuries, however, such traits have not always been evident. Criticism of the institution is right, proper – and inevitable.
That healthy scepticism is different from campaigning for its destruction, or indeed, making the lives of those who happen to be members of “The Firm” miserable. Where matters of law and public interest are concerned, such as in the case of Prince Andrew and the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, reportage and scrutiny are essential. By contrast, Prince Harry and Meghan are only the latest victims of a tendency within the media to treat the private lives of the royal family as “fair game”. They ought to have been left alone, for the simple reason that they are far away from the line of succession.
