A few days ago, I celebrated the new mayor of London, Sadiq Kahn, and the people of London for having shunned an attempt to defeat him because of his religion. They elected someone who is likely to be an important world figure in the coming years. (see blogs x2 on May 13th).
We've all been charmed by Prince William and his marvelous wife and adorable two children -- not only for their good looks but also for their down-to-earth life style and for their good works.
And now comes Prince Harry making his contribution to humanizing and endearing the royal family. Harry was the hands-on, driving force behind creating the Invictus Games, a Para-Olympics type of games for wounded warriors and veterans. The second year games have just concluded in Orlando, Florida, where Harry proved himself to be a fun-loving, warm, enthusiastic man of the people, not some stuffy royal elite. Here are a few photos, credited to Getty Images.
The last photo is of Prince Harry paying tribute to the athletes at the closing ceremony of the Invictus Games, which borrowed lines from "Invictus," the poem that is the source for the games' name, emphasizing overcoming limitations and adversity: "I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul."
This is the modern generation of the Royal House of Windsor; they are the Sybils of Downton Abbey. I had thought William and Catherine had the monopoly on loveableness and that Harry was a happy-go-lucky playboy. Here he shows he is a caring good guy, with no pretentions of elitism -- and truly appreciative of the sacrifices these men and women have made for their country. He himself trained and served as a helicopter pilot with a tour of duty in Afghanistan. Fortunately he was not wounded, but his experience in the military, as did William's, seems to have grounded them in ordinary life outside the royal palaces. Of course, they also had Princess Diana as their mother, and she paved the way as the beloved "People's Princess."
Ralph
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