Though the newly formed country of America fought bitterly to overthrow the oppressive reign of King George, there has been an ongoing interest in the British monarchy either encouraged by the American people themselves or by the American media.
Wedding Coverage
This is particularly evident in the media coverage of the April 29, 2011 wedding of HRH Prince William of Wales, the future king of England, to Miss Catherine Middleton. There have been years of speculation as to when a possible wedding for the Prince would take place. The rampant rumors even caused Woolworth’s, a department store, to start selling commemorative wedding souvenirs in November 2006, longbefore any official engagement took place..
The Prince eventually proposed to Miss Middleton in late 2010 after nearly eight years of courtship, quite the contrast to the brief courtship of his father, Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, and Lady Diana Spencer. Their wedding went on to be the most widely televised event with an international audience of 750 million people. A high viewership is expected for Prince William’s wedding as well.
The sheer spectacle of tradition, romance, and wealth adds to the fascination with not only a British royal wedding, but also of the monarchy itself. It seems that even though the American people have no monarchy of their own and have this arrangement by choice, an often noted “special relationship” that President Franklin Roosevelt described between the United States and Great Britain during the Second World War, thrives.
American Royalty
The level of interest in the royal wedding can be partially attributed to the fact that America has no distinct aristocracy of its own with which to concern itself. The toiling of the British monarchy is an unfamiliar body with which Americans are intrigued. This is evident in the media coverage of the wedding of Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of former President William Clinton and current Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
The wedding of Miss Clinton to Mr. Marc Mezvinsky was widely reported both during the event and in the months leading to it. Unlike other weddings of the American upper class, this event was the closest to royalty, an occasionally described “American royalty” made up of the President and the Presidents family.
Paying for a Wedding
There is also the added concern of finances when discussing any wedding, but particularly one of the size of a royal wedding. HRH Queen Elizabeth II has announced that the wedding will be paid for from the personal wealth of the royal family and Miss Middleton’s parents, self-made millionaires, though as per law, her subjects will be charged with paying for security. Such an enormous wealth that the Queen possesses is relatively in line with the so-called “American Dream;” to acquire wealth and live as comfortably as one deems appropriate. A wedding paid for by Her Majesty is an opportunity to see this wealth used.
Also, as Americans are not subjects of the British Commonwealth, they will not be required to pay for the security nor have their livelihood forcibly altered to accommodate the activities of the day. Americans and the rest of the international audience can enjoy the event from a comfortable distance, interested spectators without an actual stake in the proceedings.
References:
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library,
BBC On This Day, 29 July 1981, Charles and Diana Marry
