His
Own Character
It’s a Prince! Collective ooh’s and
aah’s were heard around the world at the announcement Prince William and his
Kate are the parents of a bouncing baby prince. The birth has prompted me to
reflect on the scenario’s I would create for this new young royal if I were plotting his life as a character in a
story or novel I was writing.
I don’t think there will be a need
to make him any more attractive and dashing than he is likely to be naturally; his
parents have given him that already. Of course, it cannot be escaped that he
will be wealthy and privileged, well-educated and surrounded by all the
trappings of a royal life. Beyond all that is already a given in his life, as a writer I would add what I hope to see as
the character develops: times of ordinariness, simplicity, peace and privacy.
He is born into a life of duty and
responsibility, but I hope that will be tempered with other opportunities. He
should be allowed to be a child; play ball, ride a bike(well, okay a polo
pony), dig for worms and skin his knee without the necessity of a royal press release to explain his injury. He should be allowed to be a young man, to experiment
and experience the world away from the harsh glare of a spotlight while finding
his direction in life. This baby will always share aspects of his life with an
adoring public, but he should be able to expect moments of private joy,
individual triumph and personal sorrow without intrusive observers.
I am sure his parents are more than
aware of the struggle which awaits them as they work to create a balance for
their new family between public and private, duty and desire, obligation and
escape. I hope each member of this new royal baby’s immediate family will share
with him, at the appropriate times in his growth, their own stories of success
and failure in the public eye. I hope everyone around him will shield him when
he needs protection and give him confidence as he undertakes his public role.
If I were writing this sweet new
baby’s story, I would encourage all the supporting characters to let him have
the freedom to be ordinary as well as royal. When he was old enough, I would
hand him the pen and paper and tell him he has the opportunity, the choice to
define his own Happily Ever After.
