At this point in time, when there really has only been one thing on most people's mind, I think the only thing I can do is blog about the Royal Wedding. On Friday, Prince William, married Kate Middleton in a beautiful, ellaborate, but still personal ceremony (Yes, I watched it all, and I enjoyed it). The problem I have is that so many people are so critical of it. I want to make it absolutely clear that I am Pro Royal Family, there will be no anti comments here, so if that's what you're after, I suggest you find another blog. alternatively, if you are open minded enough to want another opinion, feel free to keep reading.
Millions of people flocked to the UK to be there for the wedding, and even in places across the country, nowhere near London, the atmosphere was electric, as we watched our future King, marry the love of his life. And yes, it was an expensive affair, and yes, we did pay for some of it, but we also made back that money and more from the tourism brought in.
People complain about our money being spent on them, but in reality, the question we ought to ask ourselves is "Did Wills and Kate actually choose it?" The answer is "NO!" They would probably have chosen a quiet affair, in a remote church, but they don't have that choice. This is reflected in the small intonations in the service, which were clearly personal choices, such as the prayer they wrote together, and the songs that they chose, and also the way in which they chose to leave Buckingham Palace. The came across as simple, down to earth people, who just love each other and want to be together. The fact of the matter is, that the real money was spent on delegates, politicians and royals from other countries having to be invited, but even this brings in its own revenue. The thing with this is that our economy has boomed over the last few months in preparation for the wedding, and let's face it, in a time of such economic downturn, and general misery, it really was nice just to have something to celebrate.
At the end of the day, this relationship was not one born of a one night stand, and a rash decision to get married, this couple have been courting for 8 years. Just as much of taxpayers money, if not more is spent on celebrity weddings, many of which rest on a quick meeting, and marriage, and will end in a quickie divorce.
People have become caught up with the romance of this wedding. The idea of Kate arriving as a commoner, and leaving as a princess is incredibly romantic. People who are anti royal families, let me ask you, have you ever told a fairy story, or watched a film about a princess or a prince? Does that not make you a hypocrite?
At the end of the day, the Royal Family do a lot for us. They may not have a hand in running the country any more, (not that I think this is a particularly good thing), but every year, they bring billions of tourists to the country to see them. As a British people, we are lucky. We have something that no where else in the world has, and this is why the Royal Family is so important. If people from America and Australia can love our Royal Family, why can't we? This entire wedding was for us as a nation. As I have said earlier, the Royal couple would probably have much preferred a quiet ceremony, but gave that up for protocol and the public, and anyway, after losing his Mum and being reminded of it almost on a daily basis, doesn't he deserve a nice day.
We don't have a Royal Wedding often, and people who complain of the cost, I challenge you to try and justify the billions of pounds spent on fireworks every new year, which really is just a competition with other countries, and brings very little tourist revenue. It's about time the Royal Family get the respect they deserve, and quite frankly, I believe the doubters and haters ought to get over themselves, and appreciate the time of celebration for what it is, a long time couple openly declaring the love they have for each other.
