Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s decision to hold a private christening ceremony for their son, Archie, was met with mixed reviews. On the critical side were the British taxpayers, who felt that they were being snubbed even though some of the taxpayer money goes to fund the royals’ lavish lifestyle. One such disgruntled taxpayer wrote an opinion piece that was published by the New York Post , which at one point called Meghan “public property.”
“To be a beloved royal, you have to give up a bit of yourself. You are not a celebrity. You are public property. But in return, you get to travel the world, make some charitable contributions close to your heart, and live a life that most of us could only dream of.”
The distinction between celebrity and “public property” seems to be contentious for some royal fans. The idea that Meghan and Harry, along with all of the other royals, owing something to the British public is nothing new. But whether the Duchess will let the public into her private life seems to be partly Meghan’s choice.
And while fans may complain about not having the chance to have a better look at Archie, it wasn’t so long ago when Harry had to issue a rare statement in defense of Meghan. Some may remember that in November 2016, Harry spoke out against the allegedly racist and sexist media coverage of his then-girlfriend, noted Today .
The statement, which was released by Harry’s spokesman, called out the “racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments.”
Since Meghan’s marriage to Harry, American celebrities have stepped out to also call out what they perceive as racist coverage of Meghan. This included Oprah herself, and Markle’s close friend, Priyanka Chopra.
So with all that in mind, it’s possible that the parents want to shield Archie from potentially derogatory coverage. After all, he’s not just another addition to the royal family, but breaking stereotypes by being a biracial baby.
Fans may never know for certain why Meghan and Harry chose to enjoy a private christening. And we’ll have to wait and see if Archie will grow up in the public eye, or if he’ll be hidden out of sight as much as possible.
And while some may argue that it’s up to Meghan and Harry to decide how they want to raise their son, it’s clear that there’s a ton of royal fans that feel they should publicize every major life event.
