Britain's Prince Harry's wife, Meghan Markle, has not been seen in public for a long time. It was previously reported that Princess Meghan's due date was at the end of April, and the British public was looking forward to seeing her like Princess Diana and Princess Kate, holding her newborn baby and receiving blessings at the hospital gate. But last week, Buckingham Palace issued a statement in which vague rhetoric led the media to suspect that Meghan may have secretly given birth to a child. They enjoy a "secluded" life in a paradise in their new home at Windsor Castle.
"The Duke and Duchess of Suxos are very grateful for the kindness that people have sent to their children from the UK and around the world," the statement said. They personally decided to keep their plans for the arrival of the child confidential until there was a suitable opportunity to share with everyone the excitement and joy of the birth of the child, when they celebrated as a family. ”
Many people believe that the last sentence implies that the child has been born, but the royal family has not announced the news for the time being. On March 19, Meghan was last seen in public on a visit to New Zealand with Prince Harry to mourn the victims of the terrorist attack. According to the custom of the royal family, the princess will generally start "maternity leave" one month before the birth of the child. Fathers, on the other hand, traditionally have a two-week paternity leave.
Of course, many British fathers now choose to take care of their families for a longer period of time, and Harry may break with royal tradition and share more of the responsibility of caring for their children. However, for most members of the royal family, the identity of the mother almost means "superman", which makes the otherwise busy schedule worse, and there is no need to complain and maintain a smiling demeanor.
A month after Queen Elizabeth II gave birth to Princess Anne in 1950, she travelled in a carriage to Scotland and gradually began to resume work. In 1960, two months after the birth of his second son, Prince Andrew, he presided over a state visit by French President Charles de Gaulle to Britain.
Princess Diana's first official appearance as a new mother was about a month after Prince William's birth, attending a memorial service and visiting Scotland with other members of the royal family a few weeks later. Less than two months after Prince Harry was born, Diana's schedule was already full: attending the opening ceremony of the British Parliament, visiting schools for the blind, comforting civilian children...
Princess Kate, who has already given birth to three children at St Mary's Hospital in London, was able to show her perfect posture in her arms less than 10 hours after the baby was born. In 2013, five weeks after Prince George's birth, Kate and William made a public appearance to launch a marathon. By the time George was 10 months old, Princess Kate had been able to take her children with William on a three-week trip to Australia and New Zealand...
Some argue that royal mothers represent the face of Britain and must be perfect.
But grandmother, mother-in-law and sister-in-law are all fighting like this, how much pressure is Megan?
Many British media reported that Meghan chose to give birth "secretly" because she did not want to show the most "perfect" side of her mother in front of the camera like her sister-in-law, Princess Kate. In fact, with the advancement of medical conditions, most women still need a long time to recover from their figure, appearance to mental state after giving birth. With Kate's recovery speed, receiving media praise the next day with a perfect smile and figure is impossible for many mothers, and such a "recovery standard" will increase unnecessary psychological pressure on the mother in addition to the huge physical burden.
Such "perfection" and "indestructibility" do not win more respect for the true state of mothers who endure pain.
After Kate has three children, not only to take on busy public affairs, but occasionally when the child is naughty, a little bit of harsh unhappiness is revealed, which will be criticized by the public for "gaffe", which will cause dissatisfaction from all sides.
Therefore, instead of demanding herself by the standard of "nitpicking" for the future Queen of England, Meghan embraced the "secluded" life after moving into a new home, trying to avoid the public eye.
Harry and Meghan reportedly even opened a vegetable garden in their new home's garden, specializing in growing herbs, fruits and organic vegetables. Megan herself has revealed that she grew up in southern California and grew up gardening, hoping to provide the table with as many fresh vegetables as possible grown on her farm. During her confinement, she remained passionate about cooking, often cooking for Prince Harry.
Due to the pressure faced by young members of the British royal family, personally "growing vegetables", cooking, and experiencing the lives of ordinary people seems to have a unique charm for Prince Harry.
According to royal expert Roya Nika, since Prince Harry is the most popular member of the British royal family, popularity is sometimes even ahead of the queen in polls. It was hard for him to live a normal life.
Royal biographer Duncan Larcomb revealed that Harry himself was once very distressed by his high popularity. Every time he wants to start dating, even if it's just to be found close to a woman, it attracts "massive paranoia" attention. Prince Harry said that this unnecessary attention greatly affected his habits and life.
"When people finish their work in New York City or any place of work, if they want to have some time to relax, they choose to go to a bar with your friends." Harry said, "I rarely do that. Because for me, there is almost no time off work. I don't know who I'll run into at the bar, I don't know if anyone will follow me, so there's very little personal life. ”
Whenever he finds someone he wants to approach, Harry takes a series of precautions, including contact with his now wife, Megan, who is also deeply troubled and very struggling. Megan's "seclusion" is also a kind of healing for him.
Some British media said that Meghan chose to give birth to a child "secretly", but also partly because he hoped that the child could stay as far away from the media and public sight as possible. But given Prince Harry's popularity and the attention Princess Meghan received after marrying into the royal family, even if the child did not assume the public office of the royal family, it was related to britain's public image and public interest, and it was very difficult to live in ordinary people's lives. "I think they have to accept the reality that they want to make their child's life as normal as possible, but he may be very different from most children's lifestyle." Royalty expert Roya said.
However, this may also be the "price" of enjoying the paradise. Although the "secluded" life looks good, it is actually expensive. To meet Meghan and Harry's picky requirements for their new home, including their own organic garden, the renovation cost up to £3 million. Basic house structure repairs and basic equipment such as plumbing and electrical appliances will be borne by the British government's taxes and fees to the royal family, which is about 1.5 million pounds. The rest of the cost will be paid by Harry and Meghan themselves. For the sake of a better life, Harry and Meghan will probably be meeting up with the public again soon...
Translator: Wu Yu
Editor: Wu Yu
Editor-in-Charge: Wei Zhong
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