Eat your heart out, William Shakespeare. Yes, he knew a thing or two about the rivalries that were going wrong, the fights of the families, and the corrosive consequences of the human wounded being allowed to go bankrupt.
But he could even have invented a story as outrageous as the one the world will see play out in the final weeks of this year and starring none other than William and Kate, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess. the Duchess of Sussex?
In the last 36 hours, a lot of real news has been given, thus preparing the stage for a scenario that could end up being as climatic as anything that Will and his trusty pen have raised.
As he himself wrote, “from the old break of resentment to a new riot.”
In December, both the Cambridges and the Sussex will be in the same country and both will present iconic projects almost at the same time.
Here is what happened. First, Page six has reported that Netflix bosses want the “home” documentary series that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been filming to screen after the premiere of the fifth season of The Crownwill be out in November, but before the end of the year.
A source told the newspaper that “Netflix wants to make sure they get in there and not be heard” by the Duke’s memoirs, which will also come out around this time.
But here comes the kicker: guess what else will happen in December? Guess who else will be hoarding headlines in the U.S. when the audience is potentially dealing with Harry and Meghan’s descent into Kardashian-lite status?
Enter from the wings of William and Kate, who will land in early December on the East Coast to launch their biggest push in the United States in eight years.
Specifically, during the night Kensington Palace announced that the second Earthshot Prize, the $ 87 million (£ 50 million) prize created by Prince William to find solutions to climate change, will be held in Boston in December.
Thus, the stage is set for an epic clash of brands, brothers and approaches to public service, which will be played on all smartphones and TV screens in the world.
Talk about content that can be done.
If there will ever be a moment that indicates how dramatically divergent the paths the brothers in Wales have chosen, he will surely have to be a man enjoying the focus of one presidential library while the other is paid to leave cameras. in his kitchen.
The William Awards, an initiative focused on real-world efforts to address the climate crisis, will be held in conjunction with the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation.
The iconography of this journey is written by itself: we will have the future king of 40 years walking around the place with the appearance of a world leader, possibly paling with a former president or two, and all the time selling the monarchy as a dynamic and proactive institution.
But this supreme achievement (boom tish) will come just at the moment when the dignity and seriousness of the Sussex could be about to be severely and publicly tested.
How many people come out on the other side of being filmed day after day, for months and months, with their aplomb and ego intact? Will this series help the couple consolidate their position as humanitarians or will it be a new and ignominious low in their post-royal lives?
The biggest question I ask myself here is: would Harry and Meghan have happily given a film crew to their private domain if they really had a choice?
In 2020, they signed a “megawatt” deal with the streaming giant for a figure that has stood at around $ 145 million ($ 100 million), but since then, only two have been publicly announced. shows: a documentary about the sporting event for injured and in-service veterans that Harry established when he was still part of the royal family and a children’s animated series by Meghan, the last of which was removed in May.
When news of his “docuseries” became known in May, he said “insider information from Hollywood.” Page six, “Netflix is getting its pound of meat.” Really ominous.
It is difficult to exaggerate how much is in this effort for the Duke and Duchess.
However, as we now know, just as the world takes its first look at Sussex’s Netflix offering, we will also have the opportunity to see William and Kate bring their 2.0 monarchy brand change to the world stage. .
This is a juxtaposition that both couples should be afraid of.
And for the Sussex, having William and Kate come down and look positively gifted, making them launch their global and world-changing campaign while the White House and Hollywood call to join them, will only make the nebula position and each increasingly irrelevant they occupy in the United States. life.
Harry and Meghan not only seemed to struggle to produce the content they were paid for, but they also seem to be struggling to consolidate a public identity and purpose. The problem is that no matter how charismatic they are, they can’t follow their titles forever.
What has become clear is that they are incredibly good at talking about their ambitions and what they hope to do. But then, when we get to the next logical step, doing it, well, the couple has already moved on to their next cause.
Try to identify something they have achieved tangibly beyond a charitable donation here and there, for example, when they paid to fix the roof of a Texas women’s shelter after it was destroyed by a storm, and you will be scratching your head.
In the last two years, the Sussex have managed to do more than sound and fury, which means a new press release from time to time.
But the Cambridgeers should be equally nervous about what awaits them on American soil. When they land, it will be right after both Harry’s book and the Netflix TV series came out, which could rekindle anti-royal sentiment.
One thing the Sussex have proven to be especially adept at since 2020 is to have put a goal on the back of the royal family. Their demands for racism and institutional cruelty, for being forced to suffer mental anguish and for “total negligence” have dealt a blow to the monarchy from which the institution has yet to recover.
William and Kate may be very popular, but the substance of Harry and Meghan’s accusations has never been fully addressed and they are still in the Zeitgeist. As demonstrated by their disastrous tour of the Caribbean, they cannot smile through this situation and hope that the world will conveniently forget if they bring their children.
What’s interesting is what unites the two couples right now, as they both find themselves in the middle of a rebranding effort as they try to prepare for the future.
For William and Kate, this has meant increasing the focus and energy given to their long-term legacy projects: Earthshot for the Duke and the Royal Foundation’s Early Childhood Center for the Duchess, the whose goal is to reduce mental health. problems, addiction and homelessness in future generations.
For Harry and Meghan, their American renewal has seen them present themselves as bold leaders willing to tell the truth to power, especially if there is a camera around.
They have also signed $ 200 million deals with Netflix, Spotify, a vegan latte business, a Wall Street investment firm, a $ 1 billion coaching company, and Penguin Random House, which in turn turn has made them produce a children’s book and a single podcast episode.
December arrives and the arrival of William and Kate in Massachusetts, what we will see is that these two versions of royalty clash: the serious reformulation of the Crown by the Cambridges as an organization focused on optimism and merchandising constant of the Sussex. of themselves in search of likes, clicks, downloads and plays.
The world will be watching, along with a 96-year-old private resident of Windsor.
Daniela Elser is a royal expert and writer with over 15 years of experience working with various Australian media titles.