Harry, Meghan, Latifa - the royals who want to break free

Have you ever fantasised about being a prince or princess? What a wonderful life! Comfort, status, prestige, and a light-to-moderate workload - what is there not to like?

But why, then, are some of those born to royal status so keen to escape their inheritance?

Prince Harry, aka the Duke of Sussex, captured headlines around the world the other day when he confirmed that he and his wife, Meghan Markle, will no longer be working members of the British royal family. They had already moved to California with their young son, Archie, and taken the first steps in a career in the media and entertainment. Now it's clear that the formal breach with the royal family is irreconcilable.

Harry had made clear his frustration with the cloying conservatism of those who run the royal household - the Queen may be nominally in charge, but it's the top courtiers who run the show. He's also hugely exasperated by the tone of much of the press coverage of his wife - initially gushingly positive, and then more acid, perhaps (in some eyes at least) because she is American, a TV actor, divorced and not white.

The woman who was once seen as breathing fresh air into the royal family, making them look more modern and relevant, is now portrayed in some quarters as the selfish temptress who has led young Harry astray.

Of course, it's tricky being a prince - especially if you are not likely ever to become king. Harry's father, Prince Charles, has been waiting patiently (and sometimes not-too-patiently) for his moment to rule for decades now - he's 72 and still waiting. Eventually, Harry's older brother, Prince William, is likely to accede to the throne. So it's the old 'heir and spare' problem. What does the younger prince do with his life?

There's always the option of doing a little light work of some sort, serving as patron to a few charities, opening the odd building, that sort of thing. It's not all that exciting. At least, that seems to be the conclusion Harry has come to - and Meghan clearly wasn't made to feel too welcome by some members of the royal family.

Public statements by the Queen and then Prince Harry in the last few days have been icily polite at first glance - but almost rebellious at more careful reading. 

The Queen declared publicly that the life Harry and Meghan have chosen to lead away from the royal family is not compatible with 'the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service'. Within minutes, Harry and Meghan responded: 'We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.'

They had forgotten the golden rule. Don't answer back to your grandmother (especially when she's the Queen!)

What's really alarming the royal establishment is an interview Harry and Meghan have given to the American TV host, Oprah Winfrey. It has already been recorded but is not being broadcast until March 7th. 
 

There is a long and inglorious tradition of royal 'confessional' TV interviews which have rebounded disastrously on the Crown: Prince Charles's admission that he had been unfaithful to his wife, Princess Diana; Di's revenge, lamenting in another TV interview that 'there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded'; much more recently the Queen's second son, Prince Andrew, addressing questions about his friendship with the convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein, in a TV interview so inept he's been told to stand in a corner and shut up.

All these royals were said to regret their decision to go public on TV about their personal problems and grievances. We'll have to see whether the Sussexes also come to wonder why on earth they decided to bare their souls to Oprah Winfrey and the world.

The royal soap opera playing out in California is diverting; the difficulties within Dubai's royal family are more tragic.

New evidence has come to light of the plight of Sheikha Latifa, the 35-year-old daughter of Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum, the ultra-wealthy ruler of Dubai. She tried to flee from Dubai by boat three years ago but was retrieved (or perhaps snatched) from the high seas off the Indian coast, apparently by armed commandos. She ended up back in  Dubai. 

Recordings she made in a bathroom and sent to her former yoga teacher have recently been made public - in these, the princess expresses fears for her life. 'I'm a hostage', she declares. 'This villa has been converted into a jail.'

The Dubai authorities have suggested that Latifa is unwell and is being cared for by her family. Human rights advocates are deeply sceptical of that explanation for the princess's continued confinement.

It's not a happy story. So if you are tempted to dream about life as a royal, well, be careful what you wish for!