Our Christmas culture wars say more about Britain’s anxieties than the Royals
The debate over who “owns” Christmas does distract from issues that really matter to younger generations, writes Lydia Alty
This December, Britain faces two very different visions of Christmas.
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On one side is Netflix’s With Love, Meghan, a festive special framed around the Duchess of Sussex’s personal story and modern celebrity culture. On the other is the Princess of Wales’ Together at Christmas service, rooted in the traditional Royal Family image and long-established holiday rituals.
Supporting the palace-aligned event can feel like holding onto a Britain that seems to be slipping away. Embracing an alternative celebration signals a desire for a more inclusive, less class-bound identity. The friction isn’t about the events themselves, but what they’re taken to represent about aspiration, authenticity, and who defines “real” British culture.
Royal fandoms (and the intense anti-Meghan pile-ons) map neatly onto these broader social anxieties. For younger people, the monarchy is viewed through a lens of institutional critique: questioning inherited privilege and representation. Older or more traditional audiences see criticism of the Royals as criticism of the nation itself.
Meghan became a lightning rod for debates about race, belonging, and modernisation. The backlash against her isn’t necessarily personal, but reflects unresolved tension over who is allowed to fit within British institutions and whose vision of the nation is being defended. These celebrity battles become a stage for much larger cultural arguments.
Meanwhile, the debate over who “owns” Christmas does distract from issues that really matter to younger generations: housing insecurity, stagnant wages, tuition debt, NHS pressures, and the cost of living crisis. The energy spent arguing over festive branding overshadows the conversations that shape our futures.
Christmas has become emotionally charged and commercially amplified. A perfect spectacle that keeps attention on personalities rather than substance.
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Lydia Alty is a Royal Reporter and YouTuber.
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