Satirical Semite: The Real Housewives of Buckingham Palace

America has bestowed many gifts upon the world. These include democracy, freedom of speech, Walmart, Dunkin’ Donuts, Big Macs and family members’ ability to sue one another.

Libel cases do not have a great history in England. An example of this is how Holocaust denier David Irving’s case backfired when he took historian Deborah Lipstadt to Britain’s High Court of Justice for calling him a Holocaust denier. He lost the case when he proved himself to be a Holocaust denier under oath (the story was turned into the film “Denial”). I once shared a car with Lipstadt en route to presenting at the Limmud LA conference, and she is delightful, genuine and community-minded — not your typical Nazi-hunter.

Actor Johnny Depp recently lost a case in the High Court when he sued The Sun, a British tabloid, for calling him a wife-beater. He was ordered to pay £630,000 in legal costs, which he has now appealed. Depp fans showed up outside the court every day, and one was even dressed as his character Jack Sparrow from “Pirates of the Caribbean.” Guns can come out when things become pressured in America, but when life gets too intense in England, we have a costume party.

This track record on libel is partially due to the fact that Britain takes political satire very seriously. In fact, major elections in the United Kingdom have included candidates from the Forward to Mars Party (who are focused on creating intergalactic settlements, of course) and the Monster Raving Looney party (which is self-explanatory). Until recently, we were also part of another very ridiculous satirical political body called the European Union.

Later this year, Meghan Markle may face her father in London’s High Court as part of a libel case resulting from the British press publishing a private letter she wrote to him before her wedding. This suit has abandoned traditional protocol, much to the chagrin of the Royal Family, who, to maintain dignity, would never take anyone to court. Thank you, Team USA, for bringing some litigious American flair to the British Monarchy. How can we thank you enough?

Thank you, Team USA, for bringing some litigious American flair to the British Monarchy.

Shakespeare wrote in “Henry IV Part II” (one of the first-ever sequels), “uneasy is the head that wears the crown.” Today, we might rephrase it as “uneasy is the head that is in ‘The Crown.’” The royals are apparently very distressed by Netflix’s fictionalization of recent history, which negatively dramatized the relationship between Prince Harry’s parents, Prince Charles and Princess Diana. One can assume that “The Crown” is not on Queen Elizabeth’s Netflix binge-watching list, and she’ll stick to rewatching every episode of “Game of Thrones.”

I am a monarchist and wish the very best for Prince Harry and Meghan, also known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. It has now been 10 months since they resigned as senior royals. The last senior royal to give up his role was King Edward VIII so that he could marry an American divorcee. Although it sounds familiar, it is unlikely that Harry would ever become king.

The Sussex story is complex. While the press criticizes Meghan for luring Prince Harry away from England, who can blame him? They were under intense scrutiny by the tabloid newspapers and felt under attack. Meghan responded, “this is racism,” and the press retorted, “no love, it’s nothing to do with your heritage; this is purely a personal slander.” The whole situation reminded Prince Harry of Princess Diana’s harsh treatment by the tabloid newspapers, who were allegedly chasing her car when she died in a crash in a Paris underpass in 1997.

Harry wasn’t going to allow history to be repeated, and so he quit his royal duties and headed for California. Who wouldn’t? Come to think of it, with the six-month-long dreary British winter; it would make sense if the entire nation moved to SoCal.

Many expected Meghan Markle to completely leave show business once she became a senior royal and slammed the couple for signing a lucrative Netflix deal with their new production company. But why shouldn’t the couple have the opportunity to create positive, life-affirming media? Perhaps the Netflix deal can be a major blessing in disguise, giving the royal family a direct ability to reshape the narrative. After all, Harry’s grandma is still the queen, and his father will one day be king. I can’t wait for “The Real Housewives of Buckingham Palace.”

As one saying goes, “A dog is for life, not just for Christmas”. Another says, “A broiges (Jewish disagreement) is for life, not just for simchas.” Today, we know that family litigation is forever, not just for America.

If you have an upset with your parents or siblings, you know who to call: I own the URL www.sueyourfamily.today.

Marcus J Freed is an actor, author and marketing consultant. Online at www.marcusjfreed.com and on social @marcusjfreed.