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The Royal wedding will naturally be a discussion topic over the next weeks around water coolers, in classrooms and at social events. Some of us will even encounter a journalist or participate in a talk show, blog or tweet, Here are just a few ideas to supplement the League’s Myths about the Monarchy
which appear on this.
One of the attractive features of the Monarchy is that it places other human beings at the top of our constitutional structures. So in this way William is much more than simply our future King—he and Kate form part of our extended family, which we care about along with all the ups and downs of life—in this case, the triumph of love despite the young couple’s lack of privacy, the recollection of William losing his mother, the knowledge that Kate is giving up her freedom to embark on a life of service. So while, yes, of course, the glamour and glitz are exciting, at root there is a very basic sense of human identity and emotion—happiness for others that brings happiness to our own lives.
When we celebrate William and Kate’s special day, we are celebrating ourselves in many ways. Historically, Canadians will remember our own Queen’s marriage in 1947 and how her life of service has been a constant part of the fabric of our lives and those of everyone in the Commonwealth. In the present, the wedding—like one in our own family—lifts us out of the discouragement of news of wars and earthquakes and elections to an event that is focuses not on politicians striving for popularity but on sheer happiness and romance. And we all also feel certain stability for the future: we know who are next two monarchs will be, Charles and William, and look forward to the next generation of the Royals as well!
The best way is to remind everyone that this is a Canadian celebration as much as it is a British one—how proud we are that such a terrific young man is Canada’s future King, and is bringing his bride to Canada in June to get her acquainted with our amazing country, so let’s fly the Maple Leaf proudly that day. To do an act of kindness for others, whether physically or by giving to a charity in the young couple’s honour, is the best celebratory gift we could make and reflects the Crown’s devotion to community service. And of course, we should all responsibly raise a glass or two to celebrate this special event in our extended family, the Canadian Royal Family.
Millions will be watching the live coverage on Canadian television—part of a worldwide audience estimated to be a billion, so it is good to think of how there will be a great tide of love and well-wishing circling the globe on April 29th, a perfect antidote to some of the unhappy news of war and calamity and self-striving that often seems to dominate the headlines. We sense that some thousands of Canadians will be traveling to London, as our group from the Monarchist League is going, to share in the special sense of occasion and remind the world proudly that William is our future King and this is a special event for Canadians, too.
It is constant: magazine editors report a bump in sales every time The Queen or a Royal appears on their covers! It is interesting that the Crown provides for Canada a humane form of government: that is, our ultimate loyalty is not to a politician or a political document but to The Queen, another human being—and so naturally we care about the lives of the Royals who mirror those of our own families except their ups and downs are played out on a very difficult public stage.
Many young Canadians can identify on a lot of different levels with William and Kate. First, the fuss around the details of the wedding—most of us don’t have to deal with the media, but we all know about the advice
of well-meaning family and friends as to a wedding dress or the details of a reception or where the ceremony should take place. Second, William reminds us all of his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, who brought so much love and happiness to others. At the same time, he is a role model to many young Canadians who consider public service in general, and service in the Canadian Forces in particular, as a very special calling. Kate of course mirrors many young girls’ dreams of marrying her prince charming—and how persistence in love pays off—not all the nastiness of the paparazzi and media have been able to discourage her and William, or separate their love. That is a special thing, so they are also examples of toughness and resilience, which are also not bad qualities to have!
