The remarkable similarities between Queen Elizabeth and Alex Ferguson

THE PARALLELS between a royal family and a football squad are not exact—footballers tend to be more disciplined and better trained than royals—but monarchs and football managers are both in charge of small groups of unusual individuals who are constantly in the public eye. Missteps by one mean disaster for all. So it is not surprising that similarities are emerging between the queen and English football’s most successful manager, Manchester United’s Sir Alex Ferguson.

Both royal and football squads have to be refreshed to keep the fans happy, and Ferguson and Windsor have both shown the ability to nurture young talent to maturity (David Beckham and Ryan Giggs; William and Harry) and to bring in outsiders (Wayne Rooney and Eric Cantona; Kate and Meghan). But new hires do not always work out, and great managers have to be willing to sacrifice talented individuals in the interests of the team. Just as Ferguson sacked Beckham when his ego and his endorsements got in the way of his football, so the queen has dealt ruthlessly with Harry and Meghan. They wanted to be able to stay half in the family, doing some royal work while exploiting their titles for their private interest; and, as the most popular of the royals, they might reasonably have expected that Windsor would accede to their demands. Instead, they have been put on the transfer list, and will lose their royal titles. Like Beckham, they will be relegated to North America.