Prince Harry and Meghan’s made-to-measure morality

Prince Harry’s revelation that he intends to only have two children for the sake of the planet is woke politics at its worst. As his critics have readily pointed out, if he truly believes that having fewer children will save the planet then why not stop at one child? As much as Harry might like us to believe that his decision comes at a great personal cost, he has simply adopted an ethical stance that best suits his lifestyle.

This made-to-measure approach to morality is everywhere these days: from so-called ‘flexi-veganism’ to the long-haul flights enjoyed by some supporters of Extinction Rebellion. It enables people to signal virtue without having to change very much about the way they live. Harry’s seemingly selfless attitude to the national birth rate is a classic example: many people settle on two as the ideal number of children and it isn’t because of any great concern for the climate; all the practicalities of modern life, including the trend for having children when we are older, mean that two is typically seen as the ideal number.