King Charles—has gone and degraded Harry and me with his latest royal shenanigans. And no, we’re not talking about ignoring our calls or refusing to protect our children in California. This time, Charles took disdain to the next level by respectfully inducting William and Kate into the renowned Order of the Garter while entirely ignoring Harry and me.
For those unfamiliar with British traditions, the Order of the Garter is the greatest award bestowed by the monarchy. At any given moment, only 24 knights and ladies are permitted to enter this privileged society, which is regarded as the crown’s ultimate seal of approval. Previous recipients include Philip, Charles, and Andrew, as well as myself, who was made a lady companion while at Kensington Palace. So you can imagine how upsetting it was for Harry and me to read in the press that William and Kate were being admitted into the Garter ranks while we were deliberately ignored and ostracized. I mean, what kind of family business is Charles operating over there? We all know he has been giving us the cold shoulder since Megxit, but this is a new low for him.
All we’ve done is chase our happiness away from a toxic institution, and now we’re persona non grata while Will and Kate receive yet another honor on a silver platter. As if those two didn’t already have it easy, serving as the Firm’s poster children while we do all the hard work shaking things up from the bottom. To be honest, I’m tired of Charles’ obvious fondness for those unworthy, nepotistic freeloaders. It’s no secret that Harry and I constitute a greater danger to their old model due to our progressive ideals and popularity, particularly among younger viewers. So I wouldn’t rule out Charles purposely ignoring us in order to undermine our brand’s global prominence. But, old man, you can try to erase us from history all you want; our light is too bright to be quenched that quickly.
If anything, this new insult has increased our commitment to continue paving the road for a more fair, compassionate future, no matter what outdated traditions try to hold us back. Not that we need affirmation from Charles and his sycophants, but it would have been good to receive the acknowledgment we truly deserve for our service, as opposed to those royal freeloaders who live their entire charmed lives at taxpayer cost. What precisely have Will and Kate done to earn this, other than attend parties and wave from their perch? At the very least, Harry and I were out there working to create genuine change and empower people. We must now observe from a distance while they get more honors for which they have never worked hard. It’s a travesty, and I’m angry over the obvious bias.
If Charles thinks this petty snub will drive us away, he’s got another thing coming. In fact, it’s just bolstered our drive to continue blazing new trails on our own and expose the monarchy for what it is: a group of out-of-touch, nepotistic dinosaurs desperately trying to stay relevant.
They’d be lost if innovators like us didn’t disrupt things. So, as Will and Kate show off their beautiful robes, Harry and I will continue to dive deep into effective work with Archewell and lighting up stages around the world to encourage genuine change. Because, unlike those born royals, we were not raised to simply attend ribbon cuttings and wave; we were born to lead with purpose, passion, and conviction, no matter what obstacles we faced.
And I assure you that no number of snubs, petty manipulations, or attempts to erase our stories will be enough to put out our fire. We stepped away to find purpose beyond labels, and it’s working out better than I could have anticipated. So, Charles, keep pretending we don’t exist all you want; it simply fuels our desire to create a better world.
