The royal wedding a fairy tale?

Correction & Clarification

Lance Neita's column gave the incorrect date for Princess Diana's death. She in fact died in 1997

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I INTEND to be among the estimated two billion persons from around the globe expected to watch the televised royal wedding on April 29. It will have all the elements of a fairy tale as, when Prince William slips the ring on the finger of his bride, the commoner Miss Catherine Middleton, she will turn into a princess, or at least a duchess, with a ranking among the highest orders of British nobility.

I have always been intrigued by the well-ordered tradition, pomp and ceremony displayed by the British in matters of state. The wedding will have all the trappings of a Hollywood blockbuster, with 60 governors general and prime ministers from the Commonwealth (including, we assume, our own Sir Patrick Allen and the Honourable Bruce Golding) mingling with 40 crowned heads from Europe and elsewhere, among the 2,000 invited guests.

There will be state carriages, royal trains, glittering tiaras studded with real diamonds, morning coats and top hats, and cheering crowds lining the route from the palace to Westminster Abbey.

It's a historic moment and a major global event, putting the royal family on line, as they continue to claim relevance and defy the changing cultures and patterns that have elsewhere abandoned the notion of kings and queens. Except, of course, in England, where that country not only continues to uphold its ancient traditions, but does it incredibly well.

rights of succession

All eyes will be on Prince William, second in line to the British throne, and whose father Charles may have been tempted to give up his rights of succession some years ago as he struggled to overcome opposition to his marrying a divorcee, Camilla Parker-Bowles, against the wishes of his mother, the reigning Queen Elizabeth II.

The queen herself may not have been in line for succession if her uncle, Edward VIII, in one of the greatest love stories of the 20th century, had not given up the British throne to his brother and her father in 1936, in order to be free to marry the woman he loved.

The lady in question was Mrs Wallis Simpson, a twice-divorced American, whose love affair with the king continued after he ascended the throne on January 20, 1936. Edward's determined efforts to marry his commoner sweetheart ran into stiff opposition from the Church of England and the prime minister, Stanley Baldwin. In a touching radio broadcast on December 11, 1936, he announced his abdication, stating that he found it impossible to discharge his duties as king "without the help and support of the woman I love."

The British, who had been upset with Mrs Simpson's intrusion into the royal family, were happy to see the back of her, but the Americans who had supported the union were peeved.

America considered it a snub, and continues to take delight in shafting royalty with some irreverent but amusing take-offs. One priceless bit of theatre has an aging Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip in their rocking chairs with the queen worrying that "Charles has not been looking too well lately". "I know", says Phillip. "He still thinks he is going to become king".

William knows well that the royal family has not been the epitome of virtue as demanded by the monarch's role as head of the Church. The Queen herself describes 2002 as a horrible year when two of her sons separated from their wives, and her daughter Anne got a divorce. The Queen's only sister, Margaret, also lived out her problems in full view of the press. During the '50s, she was the life of the party in London's fashionable West End, where she was often photographed at bohemian nightclubs dancing, chain smoking and drinking champagne.

In spite of our shadow-boxing and sensitivity over the position of Elizabeth as queen of Jamaica, we still enjoy a love affair with the royal family, played out whenever they visit. For whatever reason, they also seem to love this country and are always relaxed and at ease in Jamaica.

With the failure of his parent's marriage and the unfortunate circumstances surrounding his mother Diana's tragic death in 1997, we hope that William and his beautiful bride will live happily ever after.

Lance Neita is a public relations and communications consultant. Comments to columns@gleanerjm.com or lanceneita@hotmail.com.