From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli – 8 January

I wish the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – Harry and Meghan – would, for everyone’s benefit, including their own – stop the blathering.

AFTER one episode of the Netflix documentary, I could not force myself to watch anymore. I do not have enough years left me to be wasting precious time suffering their contrived diatribe of carping; of telling each other how much they love each other; of hearing how badly they have been treated by the world – and the royal family, and of constantly griping about racism.

Let me caution before anyone takes umbrage and leaps onto their moral high horse: like millions, I understand the impact, and the ramifications, of minority discrimination. Until recently, homosexuals were illegal. They lived in a state of constant fear of being denounced, or even being thrown into jail, for an accident of birth; and contrary to the vile homophobic contention, it is not a life-style choice – an idea so profoundly stupid, one would need to be intellectually concussed to embrace the theory.

In my considered opinion the episode was mostly a self-indulgent stream of consciousness, exacerbated by their self-inflicted paranoia. Their ingratitude, and constant foraging for dark shadows, is too tiresome.

While nothing is achieved by excoriating and demeaning the Duke and Duchess, one could be forgiven for wondering whether the former Meghan Markle imagined her marriage to Prince Harry would, by osmosis and privilege, make her a royal Kardashian. There appears to be a naïve conflating of celebrity and royal expectation. Patently, there is something about the monarchy which Americans do not appreciate. It is not a reality television show.

Marriage has gifted Meghan Markle an international voice and profile which I wager never would have come to pass as a consequence of her career. She was an average, jobbing, television performer. A check of her IMDB credits, and accompanying film clips, displays an unexceptional but adequate ability.

On the one-hand, the disgruntled couple find the royal family objectionable but hubristically use their reduced status in a dash-for-cash. If the touted $100 million deal with Netflix is accurate then they should retire quietly.

However, there is a more important issue.

Do the long-suffering Sussexes actually appreciate the unique position they occupy in Great Britain, and the other realms and territories beyond the seas, of which King Charles III is the Head of State, and where he reigns by the will of the people? I suspect their self-importance and seeming lack of political awareness would have precluded them from considering such a concept.

The behaviour of the Prince Andrew, and now Harry and Meghan, is reason enough for republicans to pause, smile wryly, and consider: Is this the best possible system of government? Is the monarchy an anachronism in the age of space?

The British MP, Bob Seely, Member for the Isle of Wight, is proposing a bill be brought down in the House of Commons to strip them of their titles. It is hard to envisage a more satisfactory outcome to the tedious conundrum.

The Federal Government has announced a consultation tour to begin this year and will be the first step towards Australia becoming a republic.

While a referendum will not be held until possibly 2026, the antics of these two self-indulgent individuals, and who seem determined to bring the monarchy to its knees, is providing ample ammunition to bolster the republican campaign.

“Don’t bother”, is my advice to anyone who has not watched the Harry and Meghan documentary.

Roland can be contacted via [email protected].