I’ve been watching the preparations for Charles and Camilla’s wedding with a certain degree of bemusement…okay, I’ve actually bookmarked the news site. Not because I have any deep interest in the couple, but because the whole thing is so utterly compelling….it’s like watching a train wreck unfold. I had never realized just how much pageantry, tradition, etc. there was around the British royalty before, and how completely flummoxed the system is about handling something as simple as marrying a divorcee (or having a civil marriage in Windsor Castle). It’s incredible.
Even more amazing is the degree of examination (and apparently argument) over everything–like what tables and how many, whether Prince Charles gets his favorite organic vegetables served, and so on. The latest: Queen Elizabeth has apparently nixed an actual sit-down dinner reception for her son, and is instead offering only finger foods. And this after refusing to turn up for his wedding.
All this is making me think, “Gosh, how on earth did Lady Di manage to marry into THAT?” and “My God, is THAT what she had as a mother-in-law?” Well, hopefully her influence will loosen things up a bit for Princes William and Harry.
I always figured being part of the Royal Family was kind of like being a movie star, but without having to do all those tedious movies. But apparently there’s even more pageantry than that.
Tien
