Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

choi

Sarah Lyall, A Royal Invitation Asking Britain RSVP to a Modern Future. New York Times, Nov 28, 2017 (front page).
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/ ... gagement-royal.html

The first four paragraphs:

"Once upon a time, in 1936, a British monarch named Edward VIII [1894 – 1972; reign Jan 20, 1936 - Dec 11, 1936] was forbidden to marry his divorced American girlfriend and also be king, so he renounced the throne, moved with her to France and lived not-so-happily [I am clueless about this] ever after.

"Nearly 20 years later, forced to make a similarly unpleasant choice, Edward's niece Margaret opted to keep her title [actually, right to the throne. See (b)(i)] but jettison her (also divorced) boyfriend. She ended up herself divorced from the man she married in the boyfriend's place.

"But that was another century, another world and many divorces ago.

"As we ponder the news that Prince Harry, the raffish younger son of the future king of England, has become engaged to Meghan Markle — an American actress who, like nearly everyone in this story so far (except Harry) is divorced — it is worth noting how dramatically Britain and the royal family have changed in the intervening years.

My comment:
(a) There is no need to read the rest.

(b)
(i) Edward VIII
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_VIII
(1894 – 1972; reign Jan 20, 1936 - Dec 11, 1936; married Wallis Simpson on June 3, 1937)

Quote: "The prime ministers of the United Kingdom and the Dominions opposed the marriage, arguing that a divorced woman with two living ex-husbands was politically and socially unacceptable as a prospective queen consort. Additionally, such a marriage would have conflicted with Edward's status as the titular head of the Church of England, which at the time disapproved of remarriage after divorce if a former spouse was still alive.

* Dominion
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominion
(section 3 Dominions and note 2 to List of Dominions: "The term dominion generally fell into disuse from 1953, after which these countries were referred to as realms")
(ii) Wallis Simpson (1896 – 24 April 1986; born Bessie Wallis Warfield; commonly known by her second married name of Wallis Simpson and previously as Wallis Spencer; first husband "Earl Winfield Spencer Jr, a US Navy aviator" (Earl is first name, not a title); second husband "Ernest Aldrich Simpson, an Anglo-American shipping executive" )

(b)
(i) Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Margaret,_Countess_of_Snowdon
(1930 – 2002; (section 3 Romance with Peter Townsend: In 1953, Margaret 23 years old and Townsend 39; section 4 Marriage: married photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones in 1960 and got divorced in 1978 + during the marriage she had many affairs)
(A) Winston Churchill (1874 – 1965; prime minister 1940-1945, 1951-1955)
(B) George V of United Kingdom (reign 1910 – 1936) had the oldest two children (and sons) as Edward (future Edward VIII) and Albert (future George VI). Edward VIII abdicated and Albert ascended to the throne. The latter had two children (daughters):  Elizabeth (future Elizabeth II) and younger Margaret.
(ii) Snowdon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowdon
(Elevation 1,085 m)

* Not to be confused with the surname of a whistleblower named Edward Snowden.

(c) raffish (n; from riff-raff + -ish): "unconventional and slightly disreputable, especially in an attractive way  <his raffish air>"
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/raffish