Why I Watched The Royal Wedding
(... or a repeat of it on BBC, since I wasn't inclined to get up at 4AM and I could then fast-forward through the slow bits.)
It's been interesting to watch the opposing sides battle as far as people's enthusiasm for the British royal wedding. I have to say, I understand some people's opposition -- glorifying rich folks and all that, thoughts that monarchies are outdated -- but I was far more attentive than I expected.
And I have my reasons.
Here's what I think.
There are some things we Americans simply do not understand. We very carefully removed any semblance of a monarchy from our government 240 years ago and we've (mostly) stuck by that decision.
The British, on the other hand, have ruling families that can be traced back for generations. This isn't just tradition, but true history -- centuries of history -- being honored by a truly modern couple. While they may not have the same technical political power that was once held, they have influence that many of us cannot comprehend. More importantly, they are in fact trendsetters.
Our trendsetters, on the other hand, are celebrities that we have elevated to similar levels as members of the royal family. (Really, think back a few years. Remember all those Seventeen magazines that had pictures of the rather good-looking Prince William right next to Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Devon Sawa? It's almost alarming in retrospect.)
The biggest difference here? These royal trendsetters in question are in fact held to a higher standard. They are expected to behave themselves. And -- particularly when they're younger -- they are punished if they do not. This is admittedly not a universal truth, but I would argue that it's far more stringent than the standards to which we hold our celebrities.
Furthermore, these are people who are willingly taking on the responsibilities presented (I am, after all, talking about the future king of England and his wife) with full knowledge that they will be scrutinized daily as a couple from now on. One of them was born into this -- he did not star in a blockbuster movie, he wasn't paid copious amounts of money to play a sport, but instead was raised to be a leader. The other accepted the position with more grace than most can imagine.
Not least of all, Prince William chose a woman who came from comparatively modest beginnings. Her parents were flight attendants before starting a successful business. She was raised as a commoner ... and then she fell in love with a prince.
Somehow, watching the wedding was a bit like watching Cinderella come to life.
Finally, and perhaps most trivially, it is about dang time the world had something to celebrate. Between the wars outside the country and the storms within, we have been in desperate need of some good news.
I can't think of better news than a future king marrying for love -- a young man making a truly solid, grounded move in life with the woman he loves, and therefore setting yet another example.
Please forgive me if you think I'm glorifying a monarchy, or getting mushy about a wedding so far removed from my own life. The truth of the matter is that I consider this one of those things I will be able to refer to many years from now ... After all, these are the royals of my generation.
It's been interesting to watch the opposing sides battle as far as people's enthusiasm for the British royal wedding. I have to say, I understand some people's opposition -- glorifying rich folks and all that, thoughts that monarchies are outdated -- but I was far more attentive than I expected.
And I have my reasons.
Here's what I think.
There are some things we Americans simply do not understand. We very carefully removed any semblance of a monarchy from our government 240 years ago and we've (mostly) stuck by that decision.
The British, on the other hand, have ruling families that can be traced back for generations. This isn't just tradition, but true history -- centuries of history -- being honored by a truly modern couple. While they may not have the same technical political power that was once held, they have influence that many of us cannot comprehend. More importantly, they are in fact trendsetters.
Our trendsetters, on the other hand, are celebrities that we have elevated to similar levels as members of the royal family. (Really, think back a few years. Remember all those Seventeen magazines that had pictures of the rather good-looking Prince William right next to Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Devon Sawa? It's almost alarming in retrospect.)
The biggest difference here? These royal trendsetters in question are in fact held to a higher standard. They are expected to behave themselves. And -- particularly when they're younger -- they are punished if they do not. This is admittedly not a universal truth, but I would argue that it's far more stringent than the standards to which we hold our celebrities.
Furthermore, these are people who are willingly taking on the responsibilities presented (I am, after all, talking about the future king of England and his wife) with full knowledge that they will be scrutinized daily as a couple from now on. One of them was born into this -- he did not star in a blockbuster movie, he wasn't paid copious amounts of money to play a sport, but instead was raised to be a leader. The other accepted the position with more grace than most can imagine.
Not least of all, Prince William chose a woman who came from comparatively modest beginnings. Her parents were flight attendants before starting a successful business. She was raised as a commoner ... and then she fell in love with a prince.
Somehow, watching the wedding was a bit like watching Cinderella come to life.
Finally, and perhaps most trivially, it is about dang time the world had something to celebrate. Between the wars outside the country and the storms within, we have been in desperate need of some good news.
I can't think of better news than a future king marrying for love -- a young man making a truly solid, grounded move in life with the woman he loves, and therefore setting yet another example.
Please forgive me if you think I'm glorifying a monarchy, or getting mushy about a wedding so far removed from my own life. The truth of the matter is that I consider this one of those things I will be able to refer to many years from now ... After all, these are the royals of my generation.
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