Royals fans shouldn’t miss the documentary “The Burden of Being a Windsor”. The filmmaker Katherine Kelly shows the lust, burden and influence of the women who married into the British royal family.
Berlin – When Meghan Markle stepped in front of the altar in Windsor Castle with the British Prince Harry in 2018, many millions of television viewers all over the world cheered the US actress.
Less than two years later, the beauty, now called Duchess of Sussex, left the island kingdom with her husband to first go to Canada and then to settle in California. The general criticism of today’s 40-year-olds had already hit hard. The reason: Markle knew too little how to adapt to the strict royal rules of behavior – for which, on the other hand, she also has fans.
Appearances without nylon stockings, the self-closing of car doors, personal expressions of opinion in public caused displeasure. Later, at the beginning of 2021 in an interview with US talk star Oprah Winfrey, there were also allegations of racism by the American with black ancestors against the Windsor clan. And yet: Despite all the quarrels, Markle changed the British monarchy. Has shown that a divorced American serial actress baptized Catholic can marry into the most influential royal family in the world – and thereby give it a more relaxed touch.
Because the traditional, quite hard task of Windsor women is having children, looking glamorous, shaking hands and doing good. And otherwise to be silent. At least that’s how the documentary “On the Burden of Being a Windsor” (2020) by Katherine Kelly sums it up. The ZDF broadcasts the 45-minute film on Tuesday at 8.15 p.m. in repetition. “It’s a big step from mediocre Hollywood celebrity to being the wife of a prince. Maybe that’s more fame than you can take, ”says author Andrew Morton. He knows his way around as he has written several books about the royals, such as “Diana’s Diary” (1990) about the then Princess of Wales.
Kelly’s film places the Meghan Markle affair in the difficult tradition of marrying women who were not educated for such positions in the British royal family. With the help of other royals connoisseurs, the thesis is put forward that it was not easy for them all – and still left their personal traces. They were now called Wallis Simpson (1896-1989), for whom King Edward VIII had to renounce the throne in 1936, which shook the monarchy badly at the time. Or Diana (1961-1997), who unaccustomedly relied on emotion, touched AIDS sufferers and campaigned against landmines. Long after her accidental death, Lady Di should still be present to most people.
Diana’s marriage to the heir to the throne Charles (now 72) ended in divorce in 1996 – an unheard of occurrence. Charles, on the other hand, led Diana’s rival Camilla (now 74) to the altar in 2005 – and today she has moved away from her image as a “Rottweiler” to become the duchess of Cornwall. The wives of Queen Elizabeth II’s two younger sons also caused scandals. The wild Fergie (now 61) has long since divorced. Sophie Countess von Wessex (56), on the other hand, managed to find her way into well-liked accommodation. dpa
