Congratulations to Prince Harry and his wife Meghan. The birth of their baby boy two days ago has been long awaited by the media and many people around the world.
I have to admit that I know I will get fed up with all the hype soon, though. I love babies and love all the pictures, and I laughed at how Prince Harry was so excited when he met the media, but sometimes it all seems to go on forever. I know this baby is a 'first' of many things. The first Anglo-American baby born to a prominent royal and his wife. The first mixed race baby born to a prominent royal and his wife. Probably the first baby to have a dual passport, British and American. The first baby for Prince Harry and Meghan. Lots of 'firsts' and it's no doubt because of this that the media have done a lot of articles about the couple.
Actually it's not even the British media that has gone mad. The Americans are even more exuberant that we are over here. Because Meghan was such a well known actress and she captured the heart of her Prince, their story has been told as a fairy tale. That a fairy tale can come true. Indeed it does seem so, but I really don't envy them. It cannot be easy, and how ever much Meghan thought she was prepared for marrying and producing a family within the royal circle I am sure the truth is that nothing was enough. She was certainly used to the media coverage, being an actress, but royalty is something else, and the British are remarkably protective of Prince Harry and Prince William. I cannot imagine how much pressure their wives are under each and every day.
The lives of the Princes and their wives will never be what they have admitted they would like, more private than it is now. Because of the adulation of their mother, Diana, the British public have idolised the Princes and as we have watched them grow, every bit of their lives has been under scrutiny. It still is. Prince William is the epitome of a future King, and everything he and his family do seem to me to be smooth and regal and exactly what we would wish for the future. Prince Harry and his family will have a little more freedom. Both Princes are well loved by the public and both have extremely supportive wives, and now their lives appear to have come full circle. The birth of the latest royal baby is the dream of a secure family life Prince Harry seemed to have wanted. His brother already has this, so I hope that the media circus will allow them and their families the time to develop and grow.
Having a new baby is exhausting. The first pictures have been published, and before that we already had days of comparisons of how the adults looked as children and how they grew up. Days of what Meghan wore through her pregnancy. Days of what she wore before. Days of comparisons to Katherine. I am close to being a little bit fed up, but not quite. I cooed over the pictures today, but the fact that social media has praised the 'baby figure' Meghan has, shows that in spite of everything we still focus on the physique of a person. I found it all rather condescending in fact! Whether we are thin after having a baby (and indeed I was back to below my pre-pregnancy weight after a week with my first, though it took four months to regain any semblance of a figure after my second) or not, it doesn't matter. We should completely stop focusing on how any new mother's figure looks. Forget the figure. Focus on the beaming face. The love of a family and the joy. Focus on the happiness that clearly shows, and then let them have some peace for a while. Let them live and let them enjoy their baby. These first few weeks and months can never be got back, so congratulations to them both and may they be left alone for a while...….and please may I read about something else in the paper tomorrow!
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/royal-baby-of-prince-harry-and-meghan/meghan-markle-praised-for-showing-off-real-postpartum-body-in-belted-white-dress-days-after-giving-birth/ar-AAB56WQ?ocid=spartanntp
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