A Nobel endeavour or a royal pain?

When the mother (and in-law) of a 2019 Nobel Laureate couple chooses a low-profile jeweller from Barasat (a commuterbelt town on the outskirts of Kolkata) to make a gold necklace and bangle for one of them, the latter is bound to bask in reflected glory. Bengalis do have an avowed admiration for intellectual achievements, after all. But whether or not the Nobel cachet boosts the Barasat jeweller’s business, the commercial spinoffs of celebrity patronage are well known. A certain Ahmedabad tailor of half-sleeved kurtas would certainly corroborate this fact. The fringe benefits of fame are also what presumably prompted the commercially savvy Duke and Duchess of Sussex to submit documents earlier this month to UK’s intellectual property office to trademark their ‘Sussex Royal’ label, for a range of items under the broad rubrics of clothing and ‘printed matter’.

In this context, the action of the Canadian restaurant that reportedly turned down a reservation request this week from the Sussex royals is inexplicable. The security bandobast demanded by mega celebrities can be a pain for all ordinary mortals in their vicinity — including other diners — but the free publicity of a Harry-and-Meghan endorsement could outweigh any inconvenience. Unless, of course, the royal request also included a gag order — post-prandial, naturally.