Mayer: ‘Spare’ could be the beginning of the end of the British monarchy

Catherine Mayer wrote a highly critical biography of King Charles, which was published last fall in royal-commentators’ rush to get books out before Prince Harry’s Spare was published. Mayer’s book was genuinely critical of Charles, Prince William, Kate, the courtiers and the entire institution, and Mayer has repeatedly made some good points about how the institution has badly judged and poorly treated the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Mayer recently spoke out positively about the Sussexes’ Netflix series, and now she’s got some sh-t to say about Harry’s memoir. From the Guardian’s Observer:

Spare could mark the beginning of the end of the monarchy: “It is possibly something that will mark the beginning of the end of the monarchy, and that is what we should discuss. It is important, given the lack of trust in the state at the moment and an upsurge in rightwing politics. Members of the royal family have become our proxies for anger about racism, misogyny and wealth. This is, after all, an institution that stands for inequality, so there are huge things at stake.”

Mayer says the monarchy is trying to “dodge” the real issues Harry speaks out about: Accusations of bullying, racism and misogyny, as well as the class distinctions shored up by the monarchy, will eventually combine to undermine the basis of the consent by which the royal family rule, if they are not addressed, she predicts. “There is a general misapprehension that this is a light story about a British tourist attraction. The polarisation on both sides of the row is styled as a defence of the monarchy, but it’s not that,” said Mayer. “This is not just a celebrity knockabout story. What we are talking about is the status of a significant institution of state, with significant powers and significant taxpayer funding, so whether you are pro- or anti-monarchy, it deserves to be considered seriously.”

The tabloids’ confrontational tone: The author first condemned the confrontational tone of much media coverage of the dispute in a tweet on Saturday morning, writing “It’s as if UK journalism, stung by #PrinceHarry’s criticisms, went down the pub, chugged 17 pints of lager top, and came out swinging, staggering and shouting ‘you think *that* was bad!? Just you watch!’ #Spare”

King Charles sh-t the bed: The prospects for reconciliation were remote even before the book, Mayer said, “but there is a strong incentive for King Charles to initiate some kind of truce – this is bringing back the fallout from his first marriage and questions about Queen Camilla are resurfacing already.”

The media’s performative outrage: Mayer notes that the alleged racism, bullying and image manipulation inside the institution are not being examined. Left alone, they have the power to dissolve faith in the idea of a hereditary head of state. “The extreme reaction, and probably confected outrage, when Meghan mimicked a curtsey in the Netflix documentary is a case in point,” said Mayer. “In fact within the palace staff there is competition to see who can go lowest without falling over. So she was not being so disrespectful. She had a point.”

The monarchy’s failure of the Meghan Project: Partly to blame, Mayer holds, are the “layers of secrecy and obfuscation” that surround the royal family and encourage misunderstandings. “It is intended as a defence, but it will defeat the organisation if they concentrate on the personalities. The whole family is meant to be an idealised reflection of the British people themselves and Harry’s marriage to Meghan made the job much easier,” she said. “The failure of that project is absolutely catastrophic for the royal family.”

[From The Guardian]

Mayer is one of the few “royal commentators” with this kind of perspective. Which alone is notable, and it speaks volumes about exactly what Harry has said about the Windsor-media collusion. If the bulk of “royal media” is just to act as stenographers to royal power, then that proves Harry’s point. The tabloids and the British conservative media are not acting on their own, they’re being directed and co-opted by a racist, far-right, colonialist monarchy and the monarchy and media are working in concert to perform their outrage at all things Sussex. Basically, where’s the initiative to actually talk about the issues the Sussexes have raised for years?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instar.