Oh Harry! Getting A Piece Of The Royal Pie

There has been an upswing in royal fever on both sides of the Atlantic since last April. When Kate Middleton and Prince William got married, the British Royals were thrust into the spotlight for a generation who scarcely remember Princess Diana.

Now that his brother is taken, Prince Harry has become one of the world’s most “eligible” bachelors. Women and girls of all ages are hoping to snag him as their royal husband. Channel 4 in Britain is taking advantage of this renewed interest in the monarchy with a new documentary called First Cut: The Harry Hunters.

The “Harry Hunters” are five young women and girls from the ages of 14 to 21. Each girl has her own strategy. Cassie and Whitney, two 21-year-old Americans from Iowa, have a plan to catch Harry at his usual hangouts around Britain. Two 16-year-olds, Jade and Joy, from London follow his every move on social media; one of these girls even has an engagement ring for Harry’s proposal to her. Clara, 14, who hopes to charm Harry through her intelligence and not just her looks, rounds out the group of Princess wannabes.

“The Harry Hunters shares the romantic age-old dreams held by thousands of young girls around the world,” Channel 4 Commissioning Editor Aysha Rafael told Channel 4 news. “They fantasize of fairy tale dresses, extravagant royal weddings and for that special day when they finally meet their Prince Charming.”

While I support childhood dreams, why are young girls pushed to dream of marrying a Prince in order to become a Princess? To me, this isn’t romantic. This is telling a young girl that regardless of her own accomplishments, in the end who she marries is far more important. Instead of encouraging girls to become presidents and prime ministers, a woman’s chief concern is “snagging” a man. And by any means necessary.

Not only are the girls in this film going through desperate lengths to marry Prince Harry; they are competing against each other for him. Time after time in pop culture women are pitted against each other to win the ultimate prize: a man. This is not a healthy example of relationships among women. It breaks down the trust women have for each other and makes it hard for young women to form friendships because they are afraid of potential competition.

I really hate the title of this documentary. First Cut: The Harry Hunters makes me think of a band of young female serial killers stalking a guy named Harry to see who can “snag” him first in her lair before he is turned into a sexual slave. Yikes!

I hate to break it to you girls, but you may not even like Prince Harry. Sure he is handsome with a bad boy streak, a royal title and money in the bank. But in the end, he is a regular human being who has his own issues to sort through — for instance, when he dressed as a Nazi for Hallowe’en. Focus on yourself and I promise you that you will be a kick ass woman with many men to choose from. Forget Harry, you can do better.

Contact the author here: kait@morningquickie.com