I know it is unpalatable to equate the Royal family with fictional gangsters and murderers but I was watching The Godfather films a few weeks ago. Harry has been compared to Fredo before i.e. the second son who was fun loving and simple minded but who would never get to become the head of the family which given his indignation and ego about this reality would become his fatal undoing when he betrays his brother Michael. I was reminded of how Meghan was analogous to Carlo Rizzi in the first film. Carlo is a small time criminal who manages to network his way to a friendship with Sonny Corleone. It is via this friendship that he is set up with and eventually marries his sister, Connie. Vito has his reservations about the match but relents and, following strict Sicilian tradition, vows to not interfere in any of his childrens marriages. Vito and the core family including consigliere Tom Hagen (the men in grey suits by analogy) keep Carlo at arm’s length in terms of strategy, inner workings and their wider interests but Carlo is always provided for and given a living running the family bookmakers. His financial worries are over and so long as he knows his place in the power structure then he will be fine. However Carlo becomes ambitious and quickly dissatisfied with his lot and position. He becomes aggrieved at what he deems a lack of respect for him from the Corleones. Sonny will be the Don when Vito dies and Carlo feels discarded, his own subjective talents dismissed. He physically abuses Connie as a means of venting his anger. This rouses Sonny who beats him up in public. Ultimately, with a bruised ego, it all leads to a betrayal by Carlo against the family who took him in. He participates in a set up with a rival family which results in Sonny getting assassinated. Vito and Michael know Carlo was involved but he is allowed to live until they can piece together the trail of betrayal. Carlo is deliberately taken in with the core family for a period (keep your friends close but your enemies closer) to avoid him becoming suspicious. Vito dies and Michael becomes the new Don. Carlo is murdered after he confesses to Michael.
Circling back then I think Meghan was similar. She was a nobody who married into a family with a power structure and rules of conduct. She had it made but was quickly dissatisfied. Her own subjective (and deluded) talents weren't being utilised properly. Ultimately she participated in an assassination albeit one of character. An aggrieved Oprah was used for the hit job. She played the race and victim card and waited for the Commonwealth countries to fall like dominoes and the Royal family who dismissed her would become weak and internationally regarded as pariahs. She took that shot with Harry, like Fredo who also participated in a hit job against his brother Michael who survives the hit. They missed. Now Vito (The Queen) is dead. I would see Charles as a caretaker of the head of the family given his age. The real Don here will be Michael (William). Meghan and Harry are living on borrowed time. They are invited to the Platinum Jubilee and the Coronation (keeping the enemy closer). There is minimal clap back from the Palace. Once Charles dies and William takes over then Meghan and Harry will be going the way of Carlo and Fredo i.e. dead to him not literally but effectively dead once his reign begins. In the movies Michael doesn't kill his brother while his mother is alive. He waits. I think William channels Michaels famous quote regarding his feelings for Harry. “Fredo, you’re nothing to me now. You’re not a brother, you’re not a friend. I don’t want to know you or what you do.” That cottage in Frogmore will be deemed a luxury once their money runs out and no one in the family is interested. They will only have themselves to blame.
I wonder if we attended the same school! I used to refer to my teacher as Mr Pink Whistle as he looked like the Enid Blyton character in my mind
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