What the ancients would have made of Harry and Meghan

The antics of Harry and Meghan would not have gone down well in the ancient world, where the family and its future flourishing were an absolute priority.

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Francis Pike

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Harry’s proposal to marry Meghan would have been a matter of some negotiation – Roman orators argued that the paterfamilias (‘head of the family’, with absolute authority over it) should always be consulted on such matters, but ultimately it was wise to allow the son to have his way – but Meghan’s attitude would not have gone down well. The point is that the family was welcoming into its bosom a female outsider – a doubly dangerous moment – who had to learn the family’s ways. It was the job of the women of the family to ensure she did, and they would certainly have made their feelings about this uppity woman very clear.