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| William and Catherine (from www.officialroyalwedding2011.org) |
You might wonder how the Brits are preparing for the big day and whether they really care at all.
Based on my insights from living here and also watching the Today Show coverage via the internet, I would have to say that the Americas are WAY more excited about the wedding than the Brits themselves.
Don't get me wrong - the Brits are rooting for the happy couple and seem to be genuinely excited for the wedding, but I think the Princess Diana experience left them quite cynical about the whole thing.
There are plenty of tacky souvenirs to go around:
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| Brits get a four day weekend for the wedding |
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| Souvenir for the cynical Brit |
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| This is a real Ale available in the UK |
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| Tea bags |
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| Kate doll - sold out in one hour |
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| With this royal toilet seat, you could really call it "The Throne" |
London is sprucing itself up for the big day. The flowerbeds near Buckingham Palace are looking colorful and the Union Jack bunting is being hung on the parade route.
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| Flower beds at Buckingham Palace |
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| Viewing area around Buckingham palace |
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| Construction of media center in front of Buckingham Palace |
This is the first wedding time where an expected King of England will marry for love. Most royal marriages have been arranged, with some monarchs meeting the prospective queen just days before the wedding. In 1936, King Edward VIII (Queen Elizabeth's uncle) actually had to abdicate the throne to marry Wallace Simpson for love. Catherine is quite out of the ordinary as she is a "commoner" coming from "new money" and will be the most educated royal spouse in history. The Brits very much view the wedding of William and Catherine as a turning point in the royal monarchy's attitude toward marriage.
I went on a Royal Wedding walking tour last week which was very informative. The tour guide was a hoot - in the video clip, she is talking about the reception and whether Queen Elizabeth will attend:
As the eternal optimist, I am very hopeful that this will be the Cinderella fairy tale marriage I envisioned as a child - with the beautiful wedding AND the happy ending. I find Catherine to be very engaging and down to earth - hopefully the press will not cause harm to her and William in the long run.
If you want to send them a wedding gift ;), Prince William and Catherine have created a charitable gift fund which supports five causes chosen by the couple (http://www.royalweddingcharityfund.org/faqs.php). Hopefully their guests will abide by their wishes as I think this is really a nice gesture during difficult economic times in the UK.
Best wishes to the royal couple!!
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| Official Wedding china (from www.officialroyalwedding2011.org) |
Linda
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