The horror of it all is that it isn't how the world works. Aside from illness and old age with its expected deadly consequences at any moment, seemingly happy, balanced people may not make it home again due to circumstances beyond their control; or, if not a happy, balanced person inside, will end their life within their own control. And so it is with the alarming, extremely sad apparent suicide of Jacintha Saldahna, the nurse who had the unfortunate timing to pick up a phone in the spirit of helping the receptionist who was not at her desk when the prank call came in to King Edward VII hospital from two DJ's in Australia pretending to be The Queen and Prince Charles while Kate was there. I'm sure when she lifted the phone to her ear she had no idea it would cause her death.
The embarrassment of making an innocent mistake which caused international headlines and laughter, sent this self-described "shy" and "nervous" woman into a personal hell because her unintended error involved The Royals. Unbelievable.
Also "unbelievable" must be how Kate Middleton/Duchess of Cambridge/Mother-To-Be feels to know that beyond the often excessive media focus and other unpleasant elements of marrying a Future King, she can't have a bad case of The Nauseas without a serious side effect of someone's death. In private, I believe Kate may feel both baffled and full of chagrin. Welcome to The Royal Family! Try not to become ill or do or become anything which may cause the Unwashed Masses to use as fodder for jokes and pranks. Just continue to lay back and think of England before the next upchuck. I don't know how I would handle knowing someone killed themself/their Self, because I was the focus of a joke that deeply disturbed an unwilling participant.
At the same time, we are always reminded that we cannot control how others react/feel/think about what we do or say. Such is true. Yet, it's sickening nonetheless when we watch/hear how something we were going through created a chain of events which caused another person to feel so despondent, desperate, that their only solution was to leave the planet. I would like to think that Kate hasn't lost her humanity inside the castles in which she floats through her new life as Prince William's wife.
Many young girls grew up thinking how wonderful it would be to marry a Real Prince and live in Royal Luxury, adored by millions with all of the perks handed to us at the ring of a bell. Not so, as we have learned over the years. Marrying into any kind of royalty – official or not (i.e.; the Kennedy's for example) – involves more than a stiff upper lip. Your every public move is scrutinized. Just as with "celebrities" your private times are intruded upon by a long-lens camera when you think you are able to take off your top and simply enjoy a bit of freedom. You are chased by paparazzi's while attempting to go from one place to another, ending up in a devastating car crash in a Paris tunnel…even when you are no longer an "official" Royal. Your Prince just might be in love with someone else.
And it goes on.
The price for fame and fortune isn't always kind. If "Someday my Prince will come..." has been your mantra, perhaps you may want to send him back to the palace unless you are prepared to carry the weight of Other People's Lives on your mind and possibly tiny shoulders. That's what Presidents must do. That's why they age so quickly…unless one has a fabulous hair colorist as one of the U.S. Prez's did. BUT, these leaders choose to take on Life And Death situations/decisions. I doubt that a young woman who everyone has laughed-at because she waited to marry her prince ever imagined that a bout of preggers with major nausea would be the end of someone's life.
RIP Jacintha.
Image via: http://patriciavaloy.blogspot.com
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