15Milestones
DIED
Singer-songwriter
Pete Moore, an
original member
of the hitmaking
Motown group the
Miracles, at 79.WON
TheMiss
Universe crown,
by South Africa’s
Demi-Leigh
Nel-Peters, who
wants to use her
reign to champion
HIV/AIDS and
self-defense
causes.
CROSSED
The$10,
mark, for the first
time, by Bitcoin.
The value of the
cryptocurrency
soared from
under $1,000 at
the end of 2016
to more than
$10,267.90 on
Nov. 28.DECLARED
Complicit, as
Dictionary.com’s
word of the year
for 2017, after
political scandal
(and anSNL
sketch) led to an
uptick in lookups
of the word.ANNOUNCED
Meredith
Corp.’s planned
acquisition
of Time Inc.,
publisher of TIME,
Fortune and
People, among
other titles, for
$2.8 billion.
The deal, partly
financed by a
$650 million
investment by
Koch Equity
Development,
would expand the
largest magazine
company in
the U.S.ENGAGED
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
A modern fairy tale
By Ingrid SewardEVERYONE LOVES A ROYAL ROMANCE, BUT FEW ARE
as unlikely as that of Prince Harry and Meghan
Markle, who announced their engagement on
Nov. 27. The American divorcée from Los Angeles is
now marrying into the Royal House of Windsor, with
its blessing.
Markle has all the attributes of a modern-day
princess. She knows her own mind, she has mastered
the art of saying a lot and giving away very little, and
she is used to being the center of attention. She is
not going to be pushed around by a royal system that
caused so much anxiety for Princess Diana. Prince
Harry laid down the ground rules early in their
relationship when he complained to the press that
his then girlfriend—born to an African-American
mother and a white father—had been the subject
of racial abuse. No one dares say anything against
Markle’s mixed-race background now.Most people still
remember a shy Lady
Diana Spencer who was
so obviously out of her
depth when she agreed
to marry Prince Charles.
Just 20, she was too
unsure of herself to know
what to say or do. As an
actor, Markle appears
to know how to deal
with the attention, if the
engagement interview
was anything to go by. She
outtalked the prince and
even stopped him short
when he was about to let
slip who introduced them.
Being a royal is not
easy. There is still some-
thing of the medieval
court about royal life,
but Markle will catch
on quickly. She is used
to learning lines and en-
chanting audiences.
Queen Elizabeth,
who is the least snobbish
person in the family, can
see all this. She will not be
troubled by the fact that
Meghan is mixed race—
in fact, she probably
welcomes it. She has often
said that to survive, the
monarchy has to evolve,
and she will be confident
this couple can begin their
new life with love and
togetherness.
We in Britain should
be too. The match could
do more to cement the re-
lationship between our
country and the U.S. than
any number of state visits
or entreaties on the politi-
cal front. It could yet be a
special relationship for the
“special relationship.”
Seward is the editor ofMajesty
magazine and author ofMy
Husband and I, the story of
Queen Elizabeth and Prince
Philip’s 70-year marriage△
Prince
Harry and
Markle make
their first
appearance
as an engaged
couple on
Nov. 27CHARITY: PAUL TAYLOR—GETTY IMAGES; ROYAL ENGAGEMENT: SAMIR HUSSEIN—WIREIMAGE/GETTY IMAGES