Now before you ask, The Sage hasn't been suddenly snapped up by an ageing and desperate cougar countess from Scleswig Holstein. But in my view today's royal wedding was an extremely significant moment in British history as, rightly or wrongly, it secured the future of the monarchy for the forseeable future.
My views on the royal family are somewhat ambivalent. Looking at the subject logically, there's really no place in a modern democracy for such an outdated anachronism, an institution that promotes both sexual and religious discrimination by clinging on to the highly dubious practices of primogeniture and barring both Catholics and those married to a Catholic from the succession. The House of Windsor stands at the apex of an age-old, debilitating class system that is still the biggest barrier to a genuine meritocracy in the UK.
On the other hand, only the most fervent republicans would dispute that our royal family, by far the most famous in the world, is integral to the image of Britain across the globe, a unique selling point that makes us stand out from both our European neighbours and 'new money' nations like the US. The Civil List can be seen as grossly unjust, but at a cost of just under 70p per person per year many would argue that they're good value considering the amount of tourism revenue they bring into the country and the roles of some more worthy family members as national ambassadors.
Struggling with these two opposing viewpoints, The Sage sat down on his Stockwell sofa this morning with a Guatamalan coffee and tuned into the coverage, which was the usual mix of glittering pageantry, sycophantic gushing from fawning commentators and breathless interviews with often hysterical Union Jack clad spectators. William looked nervous and awkward as usual, Kate scrubbed up rather well in her lovely dress, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh continue to look remarkably spry for octogenarians and Prince Andrew's ghastly ginger daughters were the runaway winners of the worst hats competition.
The throngs of well wishers lining the Mall and outside the Abbey, some from as far afield as the Americas and the Antipodes and prepared to camp out for hours or even days to catch a glimpse of the newly weds, are the main reason the monarchy won't be abolished any time soon.
The royal obsessives are simply so much more numerous, vocal and committed than the still thin voices of republican dissent. Such is the hope and love they feel for William, with his Diana connection and his pretty new English rose 'commoner' bride, they'll be able to grit their teeth through the reign of his far less popular father to wait for their true king to ascend triumphantly to the throne. Which with the longevity of the Windsor genes will probably take us to at least 2050. Only in that distant future will the next generation of royals be scrutinised more thoroughly.
In the meantime, those of us in the middle will continue to view the monarchy with largely benign detachment, taking a passing interest in the great occasions of state (apparently today wasn't 'a state wedding' ... yeah right, obviously the father of the bride paid for everything didn't he?) but lacking the will to rock the constitutional boat. The British people seem to feel most comfortable harking back to what we perceive as our glorious past, rather than looking forward to a more uncertain future in the world.
On that note, the Sage intends to make another coffee and turn the TV back on, probably to be confronted by Fern Britten interviewing a man who once sold a pint of milk to the new Duchess of Cambridge in a St Andrews Tesco Metro.
God Save The Queen!
Regards
The Sage
No comments:
Post a Comment