I have never been a royalist and to be honest until recently didn’t know much about them. I always saw them as something that was nice to have and that made us proud to be British whenever they were wheeled out to the world. When William and Kate’s wedding was announced, I viewed this in pretty much the same way and thought how nice it was seeing as there hadn’t been any nice events for the Royal family in some time.
As the day grew closer my anticipation level was still flat lining but I took a mild interest in the hype about the dress. At this point I have to say I am not a follower of fashion at all. That isn’t to say I dress like a throwback with no sense of style but I do not know my Jimmy Choo’s from my Manolo’s if they were sat in front of me.
Obviously the bank holiday given to the nation was greatly appreciated and seen as an excuse to catch up on a few jobs at home. The day before my curiosity was sparked and had the idea that it would be nice to get the family round for the event even though I knew full well no-one would watch it save for my mother in law perhaps.
We went out that morning and bought pastries, fruit juice, fruit and muffins for a continental breakfast which is quite ironic given the magnitude of the Britishness that was about to follow. We laid everything out and we even put out some bunting and a flag. My husband wanted to even things up, in consideration of the cup final, and put out his Roy Keane Irish flag but this was never going to happen as somewhere inside me felt that there may be someone in our street that would take offence – namely the Rangers fans across the way.
The family came round and as predicted no-one paid an iota of interest and my Mother in law was half watching and half playing with her three grandchildren. What was a surprise was how much I was watching. I was sat glued to the TV and telling my brother in-laws to keep quiet.
I was transfixed on the event paying attention to every detail. I watched as William, in all his finery waited for Kate to arrive. He looked dashing in his regimental colours and putting the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh aside I felt very proud of our heritage. You may think this strange but I am not of an age where the Queen and Duke have done anything for me nor have they endeared themselves to the nation being of an era where pomp and circumstance took a precedent over common sense and rightful duty. I am thinking of the handling of Diana’s funeral on this one.
When Kate emerged for the first time I was amused to see how her dress was so simple, so elegant and extremely unassuming given the expectations debated by all leading up to the day. She looked so beautiful that I was consumed with jealousy but at the same time was so happy for her. She was, that day, the most popular woman on the planet yet she had chosen a dress that spoke volumes about the characteristics she would need to possess in her new role as the wife of a future King.
I watched the ceremony and listened intently to the commentary by the BBC. Huw Edwards gave a comical analysis at times including the comment about having a ‘limited view, but a splendid view’ of Kate which seemed to me to be a filler comment. Most of what he said went in one ear and out of the other as it was the images that were creating a lightning storm of colour, emotions and orchestral memories that would last long enough to relay them to my daughter in years to come.
The final, and most likely future discussion point was the scenes on the balcony. They played out, and are remembered now in my mind, in the same way that Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Balcony Scene are. The overwhelmed look on Kate’s face as she saw the vast numbers of supporters contrasted with the cool, calm and experienced look on William’s face worked in perfect harmony. The tension built as thousands of people cheered and shared what is the most sacred and personal day for any couple.
Then it happened. It was quick, loving and almost played for the crowd but that kiss, in its split second united the young couple in their future, reminded us all of the love we hold for our respective other halves and was potentially the start of the Royal family re-connecting with its public for the first time in years.
The event was filled with loving, family moments like Harry telling his brother how beautiful Kate looked as she approached the alter, William making small gestures towards Kate to reassure her everything was fine and the nervous shake of both their hands whilst holding their ceremony books.
When it was all over I was filled with curiosity about what the after party would be like. They had completed all the ceremonious pomp, circumstance and tradition that had been asked of them whilst maintaining a human side that is seldom seen from the Royals but now they were free to let their hair down. Good luck to them, I thought. I hoped they would get as drunk as any of us and dance the night away knowing that they had done things the right way.
There have been many times since then where I have remembered, relived and compared their day to that of others and genuinely wished them all the best. Others have speculated about children and duty but as far as I can see they are in no rush but are slowly and steadily increasing their public duty itineraries for their nation.
Despite this interest in that particular Royal event I was still not interested in the Royal family as a whole. When Zara Philips married Mike Tindal I did not pay any attention to it or anything else for that matter.
We are now approaching the Queen’s jubilee and in the same way as the wedding I have made no plans to celebrate it but am grateful of the extra day off. It leads me to question the validity of us spending so much public money on an institution that is only appreciated when something big happens. Knowing that the Queen has no real power compared to our monarchs of old makes it even more difficult to accept. The Queen’s Government is voted in by the public and makes its decision based on a system of passing what can only be described as a concept through a chain of approvals by people who have not necessarily been voted to the panel so to speak and who may have interests more akin to their own agendas rather than the good of the nation.
In the same breath I do feel that I would feel that our heritage had been lost if we abolished this very British head of state and put in its place a president. I would feel we had replaced a costly institution with a political one that held none of the history that we learn so much about in schools. It would make us no different to our European and American friends where the head of state is, when all is said and done, a politician who was very good at making you believe that they are the best choice.
I will wait to see if my interest in the Jubilee increases as we get closer but the question still is, and always will be ‘Do we need a monarchy?’ and ‘what so they do for us?’
