Royalty and Why it Fascinates Us

I admit, I’m a Royal Wedding Junkie. I’ve been following this beautiful couple for a long time now and am anxiously awaiting their wedding this week.

I started wondering… why the fascination?  Why is this the “Social Event of the Year”?  Here are my thoughts.

First of all, at least for me, Diana has a big impact on this event.  I think the general world population loved Princess Diana and thought she got a raw deal marrying Charles.  I was fascinated with her from the first time I saw her. She was young, beautiful and oh so innocent. It was truly like watching a sheep go to the slaughter.  I never liked Prince Charles. He seemed to be an old frumpy whiney man.  Can men be frumpy? If so, he’s one of them. 

We watched Diana have two boys and be as good a mother as she could be considering her circumstances. We saw her put up with her husband’s infidelity and selfishness and stood by her even when she divorced him and left “Royalty”  The world grieved for her when she was taken too soon and we were angry with the press for pushing her so hard she felt the need to flee until it killed her.  I saw her boys mourn her death and felt a terrible sadness for them. They seemed to have lost the only real parent they had and would surely have a hole in their hearts forever.

So now, the beautiful first born son is engaged to be married, and to a lovely young woman.  This Princess-to-be is different from Diana in so many ways. She’s older, has had a long term relationship with her fiancé, and is the first woman to marry into royalty that has a college degree. Just as Diana was, Kate has the opportunity to be a wonderful role model for other young women.

I think another reason I’m fascinated with the royal wedding is the fact that it IS royalty. Let’s admit it, every little girl imagines herself a beautiful princess marrying her prince.  The idea of this couple marrying in such a fabulous church, living in a palace and riding off in a carriage is magical.  We can all live a little vicariously through Kate on Friday as she dons her tiara and amazing gown to wed her prince. I know I’ll be up very early to see the whole thing, just as I did for William’s mother oh so many years ago.