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The Two Popes and the Crown are showing on Netflix at present and attempt to shed light on two of our oldest Institutions. Apart from the fictional entertainment, the shows try to say something about leadership and the different styles involved. Both crown and papacy pre-date the modern world and stand out not just in longevity, but also because of faith. Monarchs are anointed in the coronation ceremony and Popes, as successors of St. Peter, are elected by 120 of their Cardinal peers, who Catholics believe are guided by the Holy Spirit in their choice. Similarities don’t stop there, in a world of greater flux I think such offices retain a symbolic power, reminding us of some of the abiding values which lie at the heart of faith and nation. Perhaps that’s the reason we care. This morning the media is full of the weekend developments involving the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their decision to step back from the Royal Family. Opinions divide sharply about where the balance lies between public duty and private life. The debate reminds me somewhat of the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI in February 2013, the first Pope to do so in six hundred years, for popes, like princes, usually hold the office until death. At the time of his resignation, Pope Benedict cited growing age and ill health and the physical and mental demands of the papacy. Responding to the news one Cardinal allegedly said, ‘you don’t get down from the cross’. At the time, I too was shocked. And yet in slower time, some saw in Benedict’s resignation a way of bringing the humanity of the office to the fore; a necessary and timely reminder to Catholics in an age of celebrity, perhaps, to keep the papacy in perspective, to ground it and show its humility. Though Prince Harry’s situation is different from that of Pope Benedict, I wonder if the longer-term consequences for the institution of royalty might be similar. It is all still quite immediate, and we do not yet know how the Sussex’s roles will evolve. That will take time to work its way through, so we might just have to hold our judgement. But as with Pope Benedict’s effect on the papacy, this incident reminds us of the humanity, even frailty that often comes with such roles and the pressure involved. We can often see the office and ignore the human serving in the role. In a way we can take it all for granted. So a reminder from time to time of the humanity of these ancient offices, is not just healthy for society, it might also be good.