Last Updated on: 21st July 2023, 02:55 pm
From King George V To Prince Harry, The British Royal Family Has Been Hit By The Free Room Curse
Prince Harry’s decision to title his autobiography “Spare” is a direct reference to the brutal reality of a life ruled by the royal hierarchy, an issue that has often plunged the family into crisis.
History has shown that the so-called “surrogate” heir to the throne, stripped of weight and expectations of leadership but still in the shadows, can become a loose cannon.
Prince Harry
Henry, the youngest of King Charles III’s children with Diana, Princess of Wales, was born in 1984, two years after Prince William.
He gained a reputation as a party king by admitting to smoking cannabis and snorting cocaine in his forthcoming memoir.
Despite, or perhaps because of, his quirk, Harry remained popular with viewers who still remembered the 12-year-old boy trudging behind his mother’s coffin at her funeral.
This popularity continued to grow during his 10 years in the British Army, which included two deployments to Afghanistan, and he was seen to have matured.
But the births of William’s three sons dropped him down the royal pecking order, though he still played a central role.
However, his marriage to American actress Meghan Markle in 2018 sparked a feud with his family that eventually saw him step down from his royal duties and move to California.
However, his harmless sense of his unhappy life as a “spare” has drained support in Britain, which is currently grappling with a host of social and economic problems.
His portrayal of William as his “sworn enemy” and an alleged physical assault by his brother adds a Shakespearean dimension of power, jealousy, and revenge to the actual soap opera.
Prince Andrew
The second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Harry’s uncle Andrew passed Princess Anne in the line of succession on her arrival in 1960.
Also considered a playboy prince, he served as a Royal Navy helicopter pilot in the Falklands War in 1982, which boosted his reputation.
But that fell apart with the rise of his friendship with convict Jeffrey Epstein.
The 62-year-old Duke of York has largely been out of sight since the claims he denies.
He has seen in public the day after his mother died in September and verbally abused during an appearance.
The Queen has stripped Andrew of his military titles and patronage, and Charles is expected to eventually make his younger brother’s royal exile permanent, experts say.
Princess Daisy
While the Queen inherited the strict devotion of her father, King George VI, her only sister, Princess Margaret, was freer to have fun.
Born in 1930, she brought glamor into the ’60s by associating with actors and musicians and living a bohemian lifestyle.
She wanted to marry a military officer who worked for her father, but the marriage was prevented because he was divorced.
Instead, she married photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones and later had a long affair with a young gardener.
A heavy smoker and drinker, her health deteriorated and she suffered a series of strokes and died in 2002 at the age of 71.
King George VI
The second son of King George V, young Prince Albert of York was never destined to rule.
However, her older brother, King Edward VIII, abdicated months after his reign to marry divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson in 1936.
Shy and stuttering, as portrayed in the Oscar-winning 2010 film The King’s Speech, George nonetheless had a strong sense of duty and sustained the monarchy as he guided Britain through World War II.
The pressures of his unexpected responsibilities are believed to have compromised his health, and he died of coronary thrombosis in 1952 at the age of 56.
Also Read: Prince Harry’s Memoir is All About Cash
King George V
Born in 1865, a year after his brother Prince Albert Victor, George is credited with founding the House of Windsor and introducing the modern style of monarchy.
But like his son George VI., he was never destined to be king, only becoming heir apparent when his brother died of the flu in 1892 at the age of 28.
Albert Victor was engaged to Princess Mary of Teck, who became close to George during their duel together, and they were married the following year.
George V ruled from 1910 until his death in 1936, broke ties with the German royal family during the First World War, and tried to bring the monarchy closer to the people.
Also Read: Prince Harry ‘Fears’ Revenge From Queen Elizabeth’s Closest Confidant
