Many Brits think Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's union will change the conversation about Brexit, class, and religion in the UK — but they're wrong

Gareth Fuller/Reuters

• The royal wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry has spurred many interpretations of its political and social significance. 
• Markle's veil was embroidered with flowers from each of the 53 countries in the Commonwealth.
• This political gesture was meant to revive interest from the Commonwealth, part of the UK's larger effort to reestablish its international identity in the wake of Brexit.

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What does Meghan Markle mean for multilateralism?

Since the British royal wedding on Saturday, commentators have been lining up to interpret the political and social significance of the fact that a "mixed race American divorcee actress" is the newest member of the House of Windsor. This is not all froth. The marriage ceremony — with its emphasis on black culture and heritage, both British and American — has added a positive spin to debates about race and identity in the UK.

If you believe the British media, Markle's nuptials with Prince Harry could also reshape debates about Brexit, class and the role of religion in public life. Most of these prognostications will evaporate before too long.

But apparently pundits must link the wedding to their pet political issues. As an Englishman whose work focuses on United Nations diplomacy, this author must therefore ask what it means for international institutions.

This is not as quixotic as it may first appear, as the wedding contained a coded message about one multilateral organization, although most viewers will have missed it. The bride's 16-foot veil "featured a trim of hand-embroidered flowers from each of the 53 [countries] in the Commonwealth."

Neil Hall/Reuters

This was not a coincidence. The royal family and the UK government have been trying hard to revive interest in the Commonwealth, the club for former British colonies, since the 2016 referendum on leaving the European Union. Britain's ties with its erstwhile empire faded during its decades in the EU, but some advocates of Brexit hope to revitalize political and economic ties with Commonwealth countries once the UK leaves the union in 2019. London invested heavily in a Commonwealth summit earlier this year.

The summit backfired, as revelations about Britain's poor treatment of immigrants from the Caribbean overshadowed the meeting. The royal wedding, by contrast, was an opportunity to show goodwill. The bride was keen to have all the Commonwealth members "on her journey through the ceremony," according to the veil's designers. This was a subtle gesture, and it is unlikely that Commonwealth heavyweights such as India and Australia are going to rethink their diplomatic ties to Britain as a result.

Nonetheless, this little act of diplomatic embroidery encapsulates far bigger questions over the UK's international identity in the wake of Brexit. While many Britons may have voted to quit the EU out of dislike for immigration, the country's political and diplomatic elites remain instinctively cosmopolitan. 

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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