Capping days of transatlantic controversy, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II issued a definitive word on the pending separation of grandson Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, from the royal family.
“My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family,” the 93-year-old monarch announced in her official statement. “Although we would have preferred them to remain full-time working Members of the Royal Family, we respect and understand their wish to live a more independent life as a family while remaining a valued part of my family.”
The Queen added, “Harry and Meghan have made clear that they do not want to be reliant on public funds in their new lives. It has therefore been agreed that there will be a period of transition in which the Sussexes will spend time in Canada and the [United Kingdom].”
The royal kerfuffle broke out last Wednesday when Harry and Meghan posted a notice on their shared Instagram account, declaring their intention to “step back” from royal duties and become “financially independent.”
Dividing Public Opinion
Although the life of a British royal family member might be seen as rather undemanding, those at or near the top of its hierarchy are expected to “work” as patrons of various charities and in making public appearances. Media reports indicate that Prince Harry attends about 200 such engagements during a given year and his wife, in her brief time as a royal, about half that amount.
The couple—who married in May of 2018 and welcomed their first child, Archie, last year—say the occupational pressures and alleged racism and criticism from the British media and elsewhere have been an incredible source of stress. The pair, along with Archie, took a six-week Christmas holiday in Canada this past year instead of joining other members of the royal family at Sandringham, one of the Queen’s estates.
Jonny Dymond, who covers the palace for the BBC, reflected on the situation: “To watch Prince Harry for not very long, as I have, is to observe a man who comes alive with crowds, with love, with those who need him [b]ut also to see a man entirely unhappy with his lot[, a] man who desperately wants to get away from cameras, observers, outsiders … looking and filming and exploiting him,” he wrote.
But while some, like Dymond, express sympathy for the royal couple’s situation, others see them in a more negative light. Take Daily Mail columnist Sarah Vine, who commented, “It’s almost as though nothing matters to this couple apart from their own immediate happiness and gratification, as though they are incapable of seeing beyond their own little bubble of privilege.” The press has even dubbed them “Rogue Royals.”
Whatever your stance on the royals, it is certain that the Sussexes continue to polarize public opinion and, as usual, will be followed by intense media scrutiny as the Crown makes its decisive conclusion on the matter.
The First “Royal” Exit
The affairs of Britain’s royal family are constantly, obsessively examined, especially by media outlets. But did you know that there are more important events being watched by countless others—by the entire universe in fact?
Hebrews 11:3 states that multiple “worlds were framed by the word of God”; and Job 1:6 reveals a meeting in heaven with different representatives, called “sons of God,” from different worlds—and additionally Satan as Earth’s representative. These other worlds have been watching the happenings on Earth with interest since the departure of another being from the most royal family in all the universe, from God’s kingdom in heaven. This being was Satan, once known as the angel Lucifer.
Did God Create the Devil?
As noted in an Amazing Facts Bible Study on the subject, “God did not make a devil—He created a perfect angel (Ephesians 3:9).” The Bible describes Lucifer as such: “You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you” (Ezekiel 28:15).
The British Crown is putting up a united front, with both the Sussexes and the Queen insisting that they will continue to support one another. It was not so with Lucifer. Lucifer did not want to support his heavenly king, God, in the least. In fact, he wanted to overtake God and, well, become ruler of the universe. “I will be like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14), Lucifer said.
And so the great controversy between Christ and Satan began: “War broke out in heaven[,] … and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail …. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:7–9).
Satan has, since then, been waging a war of propaganda against his own Creator—doing his utmost to paint God as an unjust, inhumane dictator. And, smoother than any tabloid out there, he has been somewhat successful. Quite a few people have fallen for it; and as time goes on, we see an increased polarization of public opinion about the character of God. Do you have sympathy for the devil? Make no mistake; the Bible is as clear as crystal: Satan “is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44).
What’s the real story behind Lucifer’s “royal exit” from heaven? And what does it mean for believers today? Pastor Doug Batchelor examined these questions and others as part of the “Millennium of Prophecy” video series, available online for free. Learn the story of “The Rebellious Prince” and the truth about God and Satan.