What does Prince George's obvious discomfort at the Wimbledon men's final
have to do with Harry and Meghan's 2020 exit from the royal family?
One royal expert saw the connection. Keep watching for what he had to say.
It's most assuredly a privilege to get to attend the Wimbledon men's final. Something only a select
few get to do. But what about attending during an unprecedented UK heat wave? While wearing
a full suit with a coat and tie? And as one of the players rants and raves about an unruly fan?
This was the reality for Prince George when he made his debut at the prestigious final match
of the tennis tournament on Sunday, July 10, 2022. He got Twitter buzzing about his Prince-Louis-like
range of expressions as he coped with extreme temperatures and inappropriate language.
The Daily Beast reported that it was the hottest day of the year in London.
It's enough to convince at least one royal expert that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle,
as well as their kids, Archie and Lilibet, were lucky to get
away from the responsibilities required of being working members of the royal family.
While their engagement, wedding, and early romance took the British public — and the world — by
storm, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle quickly made it clear that royal life did not suit them.
Considering they dealt with incessant media scrutiny from the moment they went public with
their relationship, never quite seeming to have the full support of members of the royal family,
the couple's decision to step back from royal life was a shock for some,
but not a huge surprise to people who had been keeping up.
Airing their truth soon after moving to California, Meghan and Harry sat down
with Oprah Winfrey in a now-infamous interview, telling the host that their lives in the firm were
nothing short of a nightmare. In the expository sit-down, Meghan revealed that she was suicidal,
they noted their son Archie's skin tone was brought up by the firm as a potential problem,
and the couple said they felt suffocated by pressures to conform.
"So to receive no help at all and
be told continuously, 'This is how it is. This is just how it is. We've all been through it.'"
Harry and Meghan didn't say anything to Oprah about having to struggle through
a Wimbledon final, but George's experience at the sporting event
is emblematic of the types of pressures royals find themselves under on a regular basis.
For 100 years, guests in the Royal Box at Wimbledon have adhered to a strict dress code.
Men are asked to don "smart" dress, which means slacks, a jacket and a tie.
Obviously this applied not only to Prince William, but to the young Prince George as well.
The young royal, who is third in the line to the throne, is of course
rarely seen in casual attire, and according to Hello!, even wears a uniform to school.
Although George dressed appropriately while accompanying the Duke of Cambridge
and mom Kate Middleton, according to The Sun,
the tot was overheard telling his father that it was just too hot at Centre Court.
According to royal correspondent Tom Sykes writing for the Daily Beast, contrasting
George's appearance at Wimbledon with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's low-key Independence Day
celebration with Archie justifies the couple's choice to exit Buckingham Palace back in 2020.
Would you rather be wearing a full suit and tie in 100 degree heat watching a premiere tennis
match while the world analyzes your every facial expression, or be a spectator at a July 4th parade
dressed however you want and simply enjoying the festivities? For Sykes, the decision is clear.
Sykes writes that he thinks that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may even have looked to the
Wimbledon final as proof that they made the right decision to leave royal life behind
in favor of a freer existence in California. The royal expert points to the couple's Oprah
Winfrey interview, in which Harry noted that he felt "trapped" by life within the palace walls.
The Duke of Sussex insisted that while he did what was "expected"
of him — much like Prince George at Wimbledon — he was not happy.
"She felt trapped, you were trapped?"
"Yeah, I didn't see a way out."
Of course, Harry and Meghan have not publicly commented on the photos of their nephew,
and we don't know for sure that George was miserable sitting in
the Royal Box with his parents looking on.
But it must be said that the Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Independence Day parade
Archie attended looked pretty darn enjoyable, according to photos published in The Daily Mail.
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