History may repeat itself as 2019 seems to be another "annus horribilis" for the royal family. Similar to the 1992 statement that Queen Elizabeth delivered 27 years ago on the 40th anniversary of her accession, this might not be the year that she would look back with "undiluted pleasure."
According to Express, a lot happened in 1992 that Queen Elizabeth considered it as a year of disaster. Both Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, and Prince Charles and Princess Diana announced their separation in the said year, while Princess Anne's divorce to Captain Mark Phillips got finalized.
It was also the same year when Princess Diana's tell-all book, Diana: Her True Story, about her marital problems, was out. A fire, too, broke out in Windsor Castle that caused the ceiling of St. George's Hall to collapse and burnt several apartments.
Unfortunately, 2019 is starting to feel like another annus horribilis for the monarchy. Royal expert Camilla Tominey wrote, in the Daily Telegraph, that there are some allegations made against Prince Andrew's friendship with the convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who reportedly abused hundreds of girls before.
Queen Elizabeth was also dragged into the issue of constitutional crisis over Brexit. Prime Minister Boris Johnson got her approval to suspend the Parliament for five weeks before its new session's opening on Oct. 14. As the Queen takes the advice from the Government in power, there was no suggestion that she had to reject the request. However, the Supreme Court ruled the prorogation unlawful, which meant Her Majesty approved an illegal act on the Prime Minister's advice.
In addition to these things, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle gave a television interview that seemed to be like Princess Diana's explosive sit-down with Panorama. "By seeming to suggest that she can no longer continue in the Royal Family as it stands, Meghan appears to be not only casting aspersions on the British tabloids but also The Firm she married into," Tominey said.
Allegedly, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's interview with Tom Bradby on the ITV documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey made the matters worse when they opened up about their struggles with the media scrutiny. The couple, reportedly, gave one of the most candid interviews that a royal family member ever revealed.
Here, the Sussexes said that the media made them feel like they are both existing, but not living. Tominey claimed that the royal household and Queen Elizabeth herself might not accept Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's interview. It has been known that the monarch's mantra when it comes to dealing with the press is "never explain, never complain," which contradicts Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's actions.
