Opinionated News

This is a good thing.  Unlike the Queen who had a very cozy visit to Turkey and to emphasize the British support for Turkey, Princess Beatrice(20) and Princess Eugenie (18) - daughters of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York, went to Turkey with their mother for a different mission.  They weren’t looking to create diplomatic relations.  They weren’t there to appease politicians and make nice with Turkish officials over refined chitchat and refreshments.  Instead they were there to publically uncover something unpleasant.

In disguise, the two young princesses went into orphanages run by the Turkish Government and secretly filmed the abuse suffered by the children who live there.  This is a similar situation to that found in Romania years ago and which touched the hearts of many British people.  The conditions in these orphanages in Turkey touched the hearts of the Princesses enough for them to go undercover and expose the appalling environment that the Turkish Government is allowing these children to live under. 

The TV documentary that they were reporting for is scheduled to be televised around the same time that Turkey’s progress towards EU membership is discussed by the EU.  Naturally the Turkish Government is a bit peeved about the negative impact this documentary filmed by the Queen of England’s granddaughters, and feels that it will put them in a negative light.  Really?  Hmmm, so are they saying the film is a hoax?  No.  Are they saying that it’s untrue?  No, although one Turkish official is quoted as accusing Sarah Fergusson of smearing Turkey’s reputation.  Are they defending their actions?  No.  They were caught on camera allowing abusive behavior and practices against children.  Well excuse me for thanking Princess Beatrice, Princess Eugenie and the Duchess of York for having the audacity to go there and do something more than pose for pretty photographs! 

We have such a huge opportunity to stop the violation of human rights, especially those against children, because of the speed and technology of media.  Naming and shaming those countries and leaders who allow human rights violations to go unpunished will bring about faster much needed changes in our current culture than fake smiles and empty promises.   I applaud Sarah Ferguson and Prince Andrew for allowing their girls to grow into compassionate and courageous individuals who care more about people than they do the “social structure” into which they were born. 

The Queen may not be up to the task of being a change pioneer, and I doubt her sons are either.  The new generation however - Princes William and Harry, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, and Princess Anne’s children Zara and Peter are rewriting the rulebook as regards the duties of royal heirs.  By doing so they’re doing a much better job at promoting the positive influence of future monarchy in the UK than their grandparents. 

As for the documentary unmasking the treatment of children in Government orphanages in Turkey, I hope the British TV channel ITV1 displays the same courage as the Princesses did in obtaining the footage, and shows it as planned.  If the Turkey Government is responsible for this, and have the guts it takes to tie small defenseless children into their cots, they should have the guts to stand the global shame that comes when their abusive practices are discovered.