A controlling, dominating ultra-feminine woman playing upon the masculinity and weaknesses of a handsome and vulnerable prince is one interpretation. Another is a couple so in tune with each other, so absorbed in each other, so in love with each other, that one finishes the sentences of the other because they have ceased to be two individuals and are now functioning as a unit. Certainly, Meghan had a lot of time for Harry. It didn’t seem to be a sacrifice for her to be with him. Yes, he was in her thrall, and seems to have been from very shortly after they met, but like many Alpha males, he had found himself an Alpha female who was a stronger personality than he was, and he was happily enchanted by her. The fact that Meghan was also far more intelligent than him, and more worldly-wise than any prince, who has spent his whole life being cosseted by nannies, servants, private detectives, staff and courtiers, could ever be, might well have been a plus where Harry was concerned, even if critics felt it should be otherwise. Hungry for love, feeling love and believing that it was reciprocated, he was placing his fate in her hands. To those who questioned her motives, this was frightening, not only in practical terms, but in emotional ones as well, but to those who did not, their relationship was something to celebrate.
Because Harry was so far down the line of succession to the throne, no marriage of his would ever possess such importance constitutionally that it would threaten the fabric of the monarchy the way the direct heir’s could. It was therefore safe to leave the problem, should there really be one, for family and friends to solve. The first person to try to try to influence Harry into taking things at a more considered pace was William. By this time, it was obvious to everyone that Harry and Meghan were hurtling at great speed towards matrimony. By their own admission, by their third date they were planning their future together and even telling each other how they would change the world together. Harry had never before shown such a predilection to make his mark on the world at large, and observers became worried that such potent headiness could lead to problems unless he took a step back and pursued the relationship at a more considered pace. These concerns would have existed even had Harry and Meghan’s worldly positions been more equal, but the fact that they were not, raised a red flag. When one had so much and the other so little in comparison, the question that Meghan might be using Harry was bound to arise. But Harry himself had no such reservations. He might have been blind to the dangers of the adage, ‘Marry in haste, repent at leisure’, just as how I was until I found a wedding ring on my finger and a millstone around my neck, but William was only too aware of the possibilities. He tried to introduce an element of caution into Harry’s reckoning, even warning his brother how their mother had always preached the virtues of longstanding relationships rather than sudden passions. Harry, however, had already burnt his bridges emotionally, and now started burning them personally as well. His response to William was aggressive, unappreciative, and resentful. He even accused him of being jealous and trying to deprive him of his right to happiness, which really was ridiculous, as William has always loved his brother and had always sought his happiness. But that still did not stop Harry from resenting his brother’s intrusion and putting a wholly personal and somewhat irrational spin on his motives.
It was relatively easy for Harry to burn his bridges with William, because he was now one half of a couple who were both at one remove from everyone else. Meghan has always been one of those women who backs up her man fully, who displays loyalty so utterly that she always takes his side against everyone and everything, with the result that there were elements of an ‘us against the world’ posture. One only needs to look at the almost identical black and white photographs she had both husbands pose for following their weddings to see that she has a vision of her husband and herself, arms intertwined, their backs to the world, as they jointly gaze upon a distant but unseen horizon, entwined together but apart from everyone else.
This ‘us against the world’ attitude has powerful appeal to men who want to shelter and protect the woman with whom he is involved, which is why Alpha males are ideal partners for women who want to be protected. And Meghan is undoubtedly a woman who wants to be protected. Such a dynamic has great appeal for the couple involved, but it can trigger concern in loved ones, especially as how there are elements which can be evocative of paranoia. As the couple becomes increasingly detached from the world around them and they become more and more intertwined with each other, loved ones can begin to feel that they are becoming unhealthily wrapped up in each other. The couple might then become hyper-sensitive to what seems to them to be attacks upon their relationship, but are in fact mere attempts to maintain a healthy equilibrium, which is what happened when William tried to get Harry to take things more slowly.
No one likes to lose a loved one to a burgeoning romance which has exclusionary overtones. It is therefore understandable that William would have been concerned that he was in danger of losing the brother he loved, as indeed he did. While cynics may take the view that Meghan set out to detach Harry from his family and friends, Harry was always going to be susceptible to a powerful, dominant woman because he was the Mama’s boy of just such a woman. For all her warmth and affection, Diana was
