Royal Hysteria

Given the news announced yesterday morning from Buckingham Palace, there were no prizes for guessing what would drive just about everything off the front pages of the country's newspapers this morning. Indeed, the Telegraph, probably like many others, managed to devote a further 16 so-called ‘souvenir' pages to the engagement of Prince William to Kate Middleton. The British people - perhaps English especially - being what it is, this means that we are entering a period of mass hysteria. Granted, Prince William seems to be a thoroughly decent sort of chap: a serving officer in the RAF who has just completed training as a search and rescue helicopter pilot, reportedly popular with both his fellow officers and the other ranks. Kate, who one assumes will become Princess Katherine, is a very good-looking woman and it is probably to her advantage in these days that she comes from a bog-standard, middle class family - a commoner, not an aristocrat from some almost unknown European dynasty. Taken all round, this looks like being a Good Thing for both the monarchy and the country as a whole.

(Pause to explain the Upper Case Initials. Some years ago, there was published a slim volume covering the history of the United Kingdom. In this tongue-in-cheek work, all major events were classified as either a Good Thing or a Bad Thing. Memo to self: must get hold of a copy of that book.)

The wedding will take place in the spring or summer of next year. It will have to be in 2011 or the couple will need to hold off until 2013 as the year in between is the Diamond Jubilee of the Queen's accession to the throne and they wouldn't be allowed to upstage those celebrations.

The television news showed the number of photographers gathered outside the Middleton family home in a village in Berkshire, the sub-text seeming to be how the rest of the media was already in a feeding frenzy. The BBC then showed clips in which they themselves had interviewed some of the village tradesmen and residents, thus proving themselves to be part of the feeding frenzy. No doubt it will not be long before our shops are filled with Will and Kate tat imported from China.

All the same, I am not being sarcastic when I wish the couple every happiness.