I think it is safe to say the frenzy for the Royal Wedding between Prince William & Kate Middleton on April 29th, 2011, has crossed the ocean and firmly planted itself in American soil.
In Chicago, the Four Seasons is offering a package deal titled “Afternoon of Royal-Tea” complete with Pimms cups and coverage of the nuptials. Bath & Body Works has an entire collection devoted to the affair with pocket sized lip glosses, hand sanitizers, and odorous lotions for you to to slip into your wedding party favor bags – and with names like “If the Tiara Fits” who can resist?
Americans have gone so ga-ga for the event that BBC America has an entire show devoted to it, aptly titled “Royally Mad,” because it is madness, isn’t it?
The Brits’ obsession with their royal family is well-documented and goes back well before I was born. If you think the weekly glossy covers that showcase the celebrity lifestyle in the United States are obnoxious, you have yet to see the miles of magazine covers at UK checkout stands devoted to all things royal…affairs, fashion, love lives, personal decisions, and more. When Princess Diana died – after a paparazzi chase in Paris no less – her funeral drew an estimated 3 million mourners; impressive when you consider that this is almost half the population of London. Current estimates indicate that two billion viewers will tune in to watch the wedding this April, even with time differences and work schedules. In contrast, only 42.8 million households watched the 2011 State of the Union address by President Obama, and approximately one billion viewers caught the opening ceremony of the Vancouver Olympics in 2010. There are even stamps commemorating the event!
That said, it is easy to see the appeal. Being a royal subject - something that even the wealthiest can’t buy into – is arguably the most elite club there is, and with crowns, titles, and castles it comes with the best accessories. While many believe the President of the United States is the most powerful man in the world, when his wife and First Lady Michelle Obama touched the Queen during a state visit in 2009, the world recoiled. After all, royal etiquette dictates that the Queen not be touched unless she reaches out first. Powerful. And what little girl doesn’t dream, at least once, that she is swept off her feet by a handsome Prince Charming to live a life of love and luxury? I’d argue that Disney has built an entire empire on that fantasy alone.
But, as cynical as I may sound, I too have a soft spot for the royal wedding. When I was a little girl I lived in England and my mother and her best friend, mystified by the royal obsession, decided to take the train to London in July of 1986 to see what the fuss was about; specifically for the wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson.
It was that evening that my Mother, fresh from California, declared that it was one of the most exciting days of her life. She loved the fanfare, the cheers, the royal procession. She said that when Princess Fergie turned and waved in her direction she felt like the most special lady in the world, if only for a moment. She even snapped this photo that her daughter is now sharing on the world wide web 20-something years later.
This, perhaps, is the magic of it all. For just a moment you can close your eyes and imagine the crown in your hair, the adoring fans, and the afternoon crumpets. If only for a moment.
Daisy is a lawyer married to a lawyer (insert lawyer jokes here) living in a small condo in a big city with a new baby and beagle. She breaks up the legal-speak by blogging about life in Chicago, which is filled with escapades of urban living. In the summer she enjoys patio dining and in the winter wonders what she was thinking when she moved here. You can read more from Daisy on her blog, Just Daisy.
“The Brits obsession with their royal family is well-documented and goes back well before I was born.”
I think you may be surprised by the distinct lack of interest from us Brits in the royals and all things wedding related. The media goes crazy but most of us plebs are only really excited as we all get the day off work!
Haha! I understand what you are saying, but I suppose the other end of the argument is that if it wasn’t profitable, i.e., people paying attention to the media coverage, it wouldn’t be covered- but I don’t know how true that is. Enjoy your day off!!!!
I agree Nelly! I work in a pub and all of my customers are sick of all the wedding stuff now. Every single shop has piles and piles of tatt that they are selling with pictures of the happy couple, but to be honest its getting so boring. And not all of us get the day off
. Moan over!
A rich, bald guy marries a rich, moderately attractive woman who likes hats. Finding it hard to get excited.
Urgh. No offense to any Brits or other Royal watchers, but I’m so sick of hearing about this wedding. I’m happy for the couple, but enough is enough. I cannot wait until 04/30 when hopefully the media will stop with their constant “WE WILL MAKE YOU CARE ABOUT THIS!!!” reporting.
As a Brit I totally agree with this post! I am so sick of it all already, roll on the 30th!
I don’t really get it either. Or I just don’t really care. Either way, I fear that on 4/30, the pregnancy watch will start.
I too am a bit sick of it – I could have done with “lead up” for a day or so and then caught a snip of the event on the evening news. And I totally agree that pregnancy watch is here to stay.
I’m so in the minority here.
*shoves her commemorative Will & Kate gold coins in her pockets*
I’m with you. I love the tradition and pageantry. I’m dvr’ing the entire day. Am I a NERD.
I’m with you to a point. I think most of us dreamed as children that we’d find our prince and become princesses. To see Kate get that dream seems pretty amazing to me. I just think that it might be way tooooo much coverage.
I’m also going to London and Scotlnad (St. Andrews) in May so watching the coverage of the couple gets me really excited to see where they live and all the places I need to visit. I won’t be buying any commemorative coins
but I will be sure to take some pictures in front of Buckingham Palace.
I guess this isn’t the place to ask where I could buy some of Kate’s fabulous jackets
Most of her jackets are from Burberry and become a hot commodity once she wears them. I love Burberry but last time I was in London I just picked up a small cashmere scarf there- much more in the budget!! Have a fantastic trip!!!!
Yeah, I think I’ll leave some space in my luggage to pick up something while I’m there. Thanks!
Brittany- I’m in the minority there with you.
I totally get the argument about how it’s two rich people getting married,and I shouldn’t care, but I do.
I’m totally a product of the Barbie fantasy machine, and I still believe in happily ever after, even though I realize that it may never happen in the way that I planned.
Also? I’m sort of a royal history buff, and the British Royal Family is one of my favorite things to read about. I have 5 books on Henry VIII alone.
And..they seem like they’re truly in love. I hope they are.
I remember seeing Diana’s mostly because my mom was glued to the tube. But my obsession with this wedding is all my own. I am incredibly excited about this wedding. I am not ashamed to be enthralled with the pageantry and protocol.
I am DYING to see what the wedding dress looks like.
I am a lover of history (and the wedding has led me to do more historical reading and brushing up on all things Royal from a historical perspective)…but I do wonder if part of my fascination has to do with the fact that I’ve never had a wedding (or went to Prom for that matter). Perhaps I am living vicariously through Kate and William due to a lack of Pomp in my own life.
But yeah, whatever the reason…I don’t care. It’s fun and harmless.
I’m just trying to figure out how to best watch the coverage.
Every single shop you enter has some Will and Kate memorabilia. Even the pet stores have gone red, white and blue!
This is the true stuff of fairy tales – an every day girl marrying a prince, and she deserves to be happy. I just hope the media do not hound her like Diana.
Although, it is quite funny that Royal protocol (or whatever it’s called) mean that once married, she must be referred to as Catherine. However, it cannot be Will & Catherine as that would be WC and reference to the toilet. So, in a break from tradition, it’s Catherine and Will. Anyhoo, off to check the post for my royal invitation. I think it’s just caught up in the system somewhere…
Ohhhh, interesting about the naming convention!
I had posted something before, and I don’t know what happened to it. Silly internet.
Anyway, I’m super stoked about the wedding, and I can’t wait to watch it. I’m a huge royal family buff,this just fits right along with it.
I totally get the argument about it being two rich people getting married, and why should I care? I’m totally a product of the Disney marketing machine, and I still believe in happily ever after, as crazy as that sounds. Also? I really think that they’re in love, and I hope they make it.
I’ll be up to watch the wedding, and will be live-tweeting as well. Should be fun.
As a Brit myself I can report that we’re as split over the royal wedding as the rest of the world. Personally, I’m loving it and not just because I’m planning a party to celebrate.
(small point though, royal subjects are the people the royal family rule over – us – they’re not subjects)
Oooh, thanks- won’t make the same mistake again!
I love it all. I love pageantry from any country, but this is a wedding – it revolves around love! Plus I can’t wait to wear a hat at 3am.
What sort of hat are you going with? Feathers? Netting? DO TELL.
Heather, maybe you can help me understand the hats. I’m going ot a wedding in Scotland and own zero hats..what is appropriate for a wedding in the UK? I’m not sure a good hat will make the trip very well from Texas to Scotland so I may need to buy one when I get there.
I may resort to Googling appropriate UK wedding attire..getting desperate.
Melissa- I’d look at Etsy for a hat, or fun hair comb w/ feathers. For maximum pack-ability you could even buy a gorgeous feathered headband or fascinator. I think attire is pretty similar to that in the U.S. – no white or red,if it is in a church bring a wrap or jacket to cover your shoulders.
I’ve been reading about England’s royal family since I was a little girl. Most of my reading has been about pre-1900′s royals, though it definitely stirred my interest when Lady Diana’s wedding rolled around. I wonder if the naysayers for the royal wedding feel this way about celebrity weddings. I’m much more interested in a royal wedding, possibly because of its ties to the history I love. Celebrity weddings — blech.
Sigh. I remember Diana’s wedding…I remember her tragic death (actually was at a party and we watched the coverage on CNN live!). I think the whole concept of royalty and a monarchy are so interesting! All of the rules and pageantry? So cool. I’m skipping most of the build up, but I’m sure I’ll be watching the wedding.
I have to say, they sure know how to keep secrets, though! Here, the dress, food, etc, would surely have been leaked by now!!
I love it all. I wrote a blog. I tweeted. I facebooked. I cried. I have repeated myself 100 times since 5 am. A friend mentioned something on facebook that I totally agreed with…it’s become okay for everyone to obsess over reality shows like the Bachelor and exploiting love all to hell that way(not to mention glorifying “Real Housewives” or Dancing with the Stars and TEEN MOM) , but when two people who really truly RADIATE Love, those of us who were/are excited about the new Duke and Duchess get chastised for it.
You make a great point Amy – it is nice to focus on something that is steeped in tradition instead of something like American Idol or Say Yes to The Dress.
So my take is this: Have you seen the other junk on TV? At least this is something different! Its appeal to me is that it’s so relatively rare-when was the last time a celebrity (think Hollywood) has invited the public to watch their wedding start to finish? I can’t think of anyone, not that my brain is the ultimate authority on the matter. I just don’t get worked up about the monarchy being a relic of the past, even though it is. It’s just *fun* to me being something new and different and one-time-only on TV (a guilty indulgence-basic channels only), and I indulged in a heaping helping of nostalgia remembering my own wedding day-how did I feel the night before? What did I do that morning to get ready? It’s the same reason people love weddings to begin with- either to hope for their own one day, or to remember their own day long past-royal wedding or that of a friend, it doesn’t matter. She was a gorgeous bride and I really hope they find happiness together.
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