by: Shannon Redmon @shannon_redmon

Over the last few weeks, the world has been captivated by the death and life of Queen Elizabeth II, including myself. Television stations run multiple segments a day, the newspapers print hundreds of articles, and magazines post photo after photo of the royal family on their glossy pages. Her majesty’s legacy demonstrated hard work, an unwavering faith in God, and her graceful ability to navigate some of the toughest personal issues played out on a world stage.

I often wonder why I’m so fascinated by the royal family since I don’t live in England but perhaps my love of Victoria Holt novels has something to do with my admiration. As I watched footage of Prince William and Princess Kate walk down from Windsor Castle to greet the crowds with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex beside them, I realized why these couples and this family hold a special place in many American’s hearts. We love a good story and when we look at the lives of the royal family, we long to know every aspect unfolding before us—the tragedies, the heartache, the conflicts but most of all we hope for a happily ever after.

Their failures and successes invoke emotion in us because we can relate to their trials and tribulations. We too, have experienced the loss of loved ones, unrequited love, sibling rivalries as well as the healing and successes life brings.

Author John Truby, in his book The Anatomy of Story (2008), states seven key steps of story structure and all of them play out in the lives of the royals, but with so many storylines to choose from, this post will focus on the drama between the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex.

The seven steps are:

• Weakness and Need
• Desire
• Opponent
• Plan
• Battle
• Self-Revelation
• New Equilibrium

The media has documented the story of these two brothers as they’ve walked through all six of the first seven steps. After the death of their grandmother, we hope they’ve reached step seven, a new equilibrium, despite the hurt and anger between them. A fresh start and a new normal could rebuild their relationship, but let’s take a look at the first six steps they’ve already traversed.

Weakness and Need

Prince William—He’s the typical older child, a rule follower which can often be a strength unless He expects all those around him to rise to his high standard. If there is little grace and understanding for others around him, then he will be disappointed often.

Harry—All though he is loveable and quite charming, his ability to expose his family’s difficulties to the world as tabloid fodder instead of working their issues out in private reeks of weakness. He needs humility and gratefulness for those who do love him.

Desire

Prince William—His desire is to fulfill his duty as the Prince of Wales and the future King of England. He also wants to be the “best father as possible” according to an article in Vanity Fair.

Harry—Wants a normal life. Freedom to make his own decisions without being controlled by the royal family.

Opponent

Both the opponent of Prince William and Harry has long been the tabloids, press and photographers, hounding them wherever they go. Also, the establishment holds them to strict standards and could be seen as an enemy. These are their external opponents. Internally, they battle their emotions, each other, and themselves to meet their ultimate goals.

Plan

Prince William—He follows the rules, accepts his duty, and takes his rightful place as the future king of England.

Harry—He left his home country of England with his wife to start a new “normal” life in the United States.

Battle

Angry feelings, hurtful actions, and resentful words rage between the brothers which feed their shared external opponent’s desire for negative material to publish. Since the brothers aren’t united in the same privacy and future goals, these scandals strengthen their enemy, the media. Also, the more they fight against each other, the more the establishment tears them apart. This weakens them in the public eye and if they could put aside their anger, even if it is warranted, then they might have a chance at winning the battle.

Self-Revelation

Both brothers need to recognize their part in this feud. One way to reach step seven, A New Equilibrium, is to let all their anger and negative rhetoric go, acknowledging they’ve both made mistakes and forgive the other.

New Equilibrium

The King of England’s two sons can start fresh and rebuild their relationship from this point forward if they so desire. As for the rest of us, when we write our stories, we need to make sure they encompass all seven steps and continue to hope for a happily ever after for the royal family.

Truby, J. (2008). The anatomy of story: 22 steps to becoming a master storyteller. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Vanderhoof, E. (n.d.). How Prince William’s Desire to be the Best Father Possible Inspired His Family’s Move. Vanity fair. Retrieved September 12, 2022, from https://www.vanityfair.com/contributor/vanity-fair

Shannon is a Publisher’s Weekly bestselling author and her greatest hope is for her stories to immerse readers into a world of suspense and escape while encouraging faith, hope, and love in Christ.  She has three books published by Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense line–Cave of Secrets, Secrets Left Behind and Mistaken Mountain Abduction. She is also one of the Managing Editors of Acquisitions for Spark Flash Fiction Magazine, where she received her first official published byline. Shannon is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube
Agency.