Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have reportedly returned to Britain after unsuccessful attempts to establish themselves in Montecito, California. Their departure prompts a reflection on America's enduring fascination with royalty, despite the nation's 250-year history rejecting monarchical rule. For decades, families like the Vanderbilts, Kennedys, and Bushes have been worshipped as American elites, often compared to actual royalty.

This year's coverage of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding exemplified this trend, treated as a royal event despite occurring at Madison Square Garden. The article argues that while celebrity culture allows for reinvention and self-made success, actual royalty imposes burdensome, tradition-bound expectations. Meghan Markle's observation that American fame differs fundamentally from royal status highlights this distinction.

Unlike the suffocating constraints of a royal court, the American ecosystem, though not a true meritocracy, requires nepo babies like Jack Schlossberg to prove their worth. The piece suggests that the public's recent interest in Harry and Meghan revealed how meaningless yet burdensome actual royal lineage can be, contrasting sharply with the freedom and fluidity found within the American celebrity landscape.