Welcome Prince Sussex

Duke and Dutchess of Sussex…Please pass this along

I am your Auntie Talia from the United States.

Prince Sussex….may I call you Prince? I want to welcome you to an amazing community. Your life will be different than most, because…face it… you are ROYAL.

I mean ROYAL royal!!

Royal Descendants

Many of us have been told we come from Kings and Queens our entire life. You have literally come from two sets of monarchy.

Publicly, one side of your crown will be talked about to you more prominently than the other, however both are equally important as you are the culmination of royal love.

Granny

Your maternal grandmother, I imagine you will call her “Doria Ragland,” granny, is a beautiful black woman. She is a strong black woman. Most importantly she raised one of the strongest women you will ever know…your mother.

Your granny is the daughter of a nurse and an antique dealer from Cleveland. She is the granddaughter of a bellhop and an elevator operator in a “Whites-Only” hotel. She is also the product of two divorced marriages. Your granny also went through a tough divorce involving your mother and other children.

I tell you all of this to set you up for the “But God….” portion of the story.

But God….

Since you are new here, I will explain.

The “But God…” portion is the part where someone says all of the things that should have stopped something or someone from being great, BUT GOD stepped in. The “But God…” portion is where you are told of earthly circumstances that should theoretically keep you back, BUT GOD stepped in.

Your granny made the entire world fall in love with her on the day your mom and dad were married. The way she held her head high, regally let one or two small tears drop, smiled when appropriate and boldly told the world without using a single word, “Here is my daughter, your princess.”

We Are Family

Prince Sussex, black women and little girls from across the world felt like we were part of Doria Ragland’s family on May 19, 2018…we were all Raglands that day. Collectively, we could feel generations of strife and hardship through her tears. We also felt the fear of a mother knowing her child is walking into something larger than herself. However, through her smile, we felt the love and pride all mothers hope to have for their daughters on their special day.

We could feel her influence in the wedding ceremony, whether it was Bishop Michael Curry or the all black choir, singing Stand by Me. Her level of influence in your mother’s life was apparent, respected and being shared with the world unapologetically.

Princess Diana

Your grandmother on your dad’s side was an amazing woman. Princess Diana. Princess Diana was a beautiful woman who tested the status quo of being a princess. Ironically, it seems she was very much like your mom. Maybe that’s one of the many reasons why your dad loves her.

Birds of a Feather

Unlike many royals, both your mother and grandmother worked real jobs before they were married into royalty. They made their own money. Your mother was a TV star on Suits, which was a very popular American TV Show while your grandmother was a nanny and a teacher’s assistant at a kindergarten.

Your mom and grandmother both married their princes shortly after dating. Both began dating and became engaged in less than 18 months.

As a way to honor your grandmother, your mom made her first royal charity appearance at the Terrence Higgins Trust World AIDS Day Charity Fair. When the vast majority of the public was uneducated on and fearful of its affects, Princess Diana made AIDS awareness one of her signature causes.

“From now on, I am going to own myself and be true to myself. I no longer want to live someone else’s idea of what and who I should be. I am going to be me.”

Princess Diana, 1991

Lastly, women worldwide love the work and responsibility that both women have taken as a role model for young girls looking to find greatness in their differences.

Prince, you will be great, not because of a crown of jewels, fancy outfits or horse drawn carriages. You will be great because of the lineage of powerful women and men in your DNA. You will be strong, caring, loving, thoughtful and selfless because that is the example that has been set before you.