So, Royal Wedding fever is here, and everywhere you look there is wall to wall coverage of the ‘big day’. Like it or loathe it, it is very difficult to escape the wedding, and it is also fairly difficult to escape people’s opinions of the occasion.
There are three fairly distinct camps people fall into on the subject: those that are terribly excited, have put up their bunting, baked a victoria sponge and are getting their trestle tables ready for the big party; those that are disgusted at the attention the whole affair is getting, and that are planning republican demonstrations, who will be flocking to the streets chanting ‘viva la revolution!’; and those that, quite frankly, couldn’t really care less.
It is interesting, however, the number of people in the latter category that are creeping into the second… I know a number of people who, when asked, would say they have no real interest in the royal family or the wedding itself. However, many of these same people have been invited, and will be going, to ‘Anti-wedding’ parties. It seems that being against the wedding is the fashionable thing to do these days, whether you are bothered about it or not.
I, myself, fall into the latter category, and will be at a traditional street party in the afternoon. I am not royalist, I take very little interest in the royal family (in fact about as much as I take in any celebrity) however I feel no need to try and claim I am against two people getting married. The wedding itself means nothing to me – if two people I have never met and have no interest in knowing choose to get married, then so be it; I have no opinion other than that I hope they are very happy together. However what I am looking forward to is everybody that lives in my road coming together and spending the afternoon out in the street, having fun and getting to know one another.
I do not know any of my neighbours, and this will be the first time I have spent any time with any of them. My nephews will be coming over for the occasion and it is set to be a lot of fun. It isn’t a statement on the monarchy, reform or birthrights – it is a gathering of people over a single event that, no matter what anyone says, is meant to be a joyous occasion, at a time when community is often invisible and everyone lives in their own bubble.
One could say that the anti-wedding parties are, in fact, similar, in that they are more about having fun and getting together than making a point about the wedding itself. However it seems clear that people are almost embarassed to say they will be tuning in, even out of interest, or that any sort of gathering is anything but a protest against the event.
Walking to work this morning I noticed several streets with bunting between the houses, and a number of street parties being planned. It reminded me somewhat of the World Cup finals where, for a few (often very) short weeks, the country comes together over a single event. It seems somewhat unfortunate that for an occasion such as this, the majority of ‘fence sitters’ tend to align themselves in the anti camp, almost for fear of being mocked, rather than embrace a celebration over something which, at the heart of it, few people can really take issue with. The wedding, after all, is not a coronation. It isn’t a celebration of the monarchy or an endorsement of royalty it is, well, a wedding.
I am off to find a union flag tie and ‘Wills 4 Kate’ tshirt, feel free to leave your thoughts on our Facebook…
