This week’s point of curiosity was kicked off by reports Harry and Meghan were left off the invitation list for. All we need to know about him is he’s a bosom buddy of both Harry and William,godson of King Charles and godfather to Prince George and Prince Archie. In short,he’s connected.
At 39,Harry’s at a time in his life many of us who get a bit lost along the way also face.AP
Next,sources close to Harry and Meghan said they scored a save-the-date card for the nuptials,but binned it after deciding it would be “too awkward” given ongoing tensions with the Waleses:“Harry made his apologies.”
Righto. Whatever the truth – deliberate exclusion from what’s essentially a royal bash or deliberate decision not to fan the flames of the family fire – the interesting thing is the invitation brouhaha could be an unlikely tipping point for the man.
Amid racist rows,self-imposed exiles and being called a “grifter”,is not being in a morning suit at a country cathedral for his BFF’s big day the thing that could have Harry seriously looking around and thinking,“sheesh,maybe the[rescue] chickens are coming home to roost”?
In late 1988,nine months into backpacking around Europe with my mate Pies,I sat on a beach in Turkey,fixated on the horizon because somewhere over it lay Australia. Crying with homesickness to INXS’sDon’t Change on the Walkman,I craved familiarity. Wanted footy and beloved people and easy communication and things I knew inside out.
Strange dichotomy because – apart from casual sexual assaults experienced almost daily – at the time of my beach pity party I was having an unreal time. The cultures,food,ancient civilisations were bedazzling. Until I didn’t,I adored more than anything the differences thrown up by travelling.
I wonder if it’s the same with Harry.
Prince Harry and Meghan’s life looks substantially different to what the Duchess signed up for.AP
From the outside,it seems he’s had a legit fabulous time being somewhere new,raising a family with the woman he loves in instead of being crammed into bachelor quarters in a gloomy Kensington Palace corner. If not having to earn his keep by making pancakes at London youth centres or fake chit-chat at garden parties has invigorated him and opened his eyes to how people in other lands – real and metaphorical – live.
But for every idyll that isn’t what you’re born to,I reckon there comes a time when you miss what is truly yours. For Harry,that’s hard to escape. He’s England personified.. Fought for his country. Loves belting around on British polo pitches. The UK is his home,his history. His heart.
He has to miss that. And maybe not being able to see his duke mate wed is the thin edge of the wedge for not just missing home and wishing things were different,but taking action to redress and reclaim.
At 39,Harry’s at a time in his life many of us who get a bit lost along the way also face – taking a long hard look in the mirror and figuring out what his role has been in his estrangement from his family.
Deciding what he wants the next half of his life to look like,and who he wants in it.
Everyone knows he’s had some awful things thrown his way,but at some point in adulthood he needs to work out how many were beyond his control and how many had him as the common denominator.
There will be tons of families out there now worrying about the politics of Christmas,about why and how family rifts started,about whether they’re worth addressing or should be let slide.
About accountability,and whether familiarity does breed contempt or is the point of life.
Kate Halfpenny is the founder of Bad Mother Media.
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