The Royal Wedding

Prince William and Kate Middleton

take their vows

Prince William of Wales & Princess William of Wales

exit Westminster Abbey

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

The Earl and Countess of Strathearn

Baron and Baroness Carrickfergus

I haven’t felt the slightest interest in the nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Their lives are so far removed from my own that we could be on different planets, at least that’s what I felt. But this morning I thought that, since the nation has been given a holiday in honour of it, I would at least watch the actual ceremony at 11am if nothing else. I would like to say that I was moved, and it is true that there were two occasions when my eyes did fill with tears but neither of them were for the bride and groom. The first was sadness that Princess Diana was not there to see her adored eldest son married. The second was singing “God Save the Queen” which I even stood up for, alone in the sitting-room. It was very unexpected.

When I was a child, the National Anthem was always played in the cinema before any film. My mother would not allow us to stand up for it. She had nothing against Royalty as such (she was very sure of her own royal roots) but she was against idol worship. New Zealanders at that time were very proud of their British connections so we got a lot of stick from any adults around us. Actually it was extremely embarrassing so I always stood up and sang if my mother wasn’t with me.

So why did I cry for the National Anthem today? I think it was from a sense of loss – loss of that sense of connection, of being so small yet a part of something so big, it engulfed the whole world. When I was growing up in the farthest reaches of the colonies, England was everything. It was the centre of the Universe and the Queen ruled it all. Now there is so much unwarranted vitriol against the British Monarchy. I may not be able to relate to them but I see the hard work that they do for the country. And they do it unceasingly and without fanfare, not like “here today gone tomorrow” celebrities. OK, they have a lot of people taking care of all the mundane aspects of their lives – what wealthy person doesn’t ?- but they are far from idle as so many of their critics will have it. Most will grudgingly exonerate the Queen herself who still works tirelessly at 86 years of age. Her working day still starts 9am when she goes over the day’s correspondence and arduous schedule with her private secretary. During the day she will receive ambassadors, visit hospitals, preside over inaugurations, confer honours and awards, attend lunches and dinners with a wide variety of people and attend to other social duties. Once a week she gives an audience to the Prime Minister to discuss affairs of state. She is still awake after midnight poring over confidential government papers. She always does her homework and knows exactly what the issues are.  The Queen is in a position to speak with foreign Heads of State on a level that no elected Prime Minister or President could possibly match, and she does so, behind the scenes, beyond the reach of the media. She has an incredible sense of duty which I would bet the anti-monarchists do not share, or very few self-serving politicians either. When you think that the Group Chief Executive of the RBS had a salary of over £4m plus nearly £3m a year in bonuses, plus he will get nearly £600k pa after he reaches retirement age, something that the Queen can never do, I don’t think anyone could fairly disagree that she deserves every penny she gets which is surprisingly little, virtually covering expenses. I hate it when I hear people denigrate her work when they imply that her worth lies solely in her tourist attraction. All the Royals, apart from the Queen and Prince Phillip, have to earn their income just like the rest of us.

So, I cried for the loss of the Empire and I cried for the Queen, in appreciation of her and for shame that we allow the ignorant to shout out against her while her more informed supporters are only allowed to whisper. I cried for fear of the future of the British Monarchy when she is gone and the loss of a nation forever.

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What is there to be critical of in HRH the Duchess of Cambridge? She is every inch the princess. But if she truly does not want the media frenzy every time she pokes her face out the door, she should put on at least two stone and wear her hair in a bun. Wearing glasses would be even better still. I can guarantee they’ll very soon lose interest. Otherwise she’ll have to wait until she is middle-aged provided she foregoes a facelift.