8/7/2019 Royal wedding-1

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/royal-wedding-1 1/2

with the woman who wears her ring.

(CNN) -- For anyone around 30 or older, this week's royal engagement left one wi

th an uneasy feeling of déjà vu.

The photographs of Prince William and Kate Middleton, facing the flashing cameras of the world's press, were uncannily like those of William's parents, the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer, when they announced their plans to marry in1981. The color of the dress, the pose, the linked arms, the looks -- they werealmost identical. Kate was even wearing Diana's ring.

The rapturous response from the media was a rerun of 1981, too -- the special supplements, the pages and pages of photographs, the speculation about who will design the dress, where they will honeymoon, where and how they first met, who their friends are and from whom their families are descended.

Television channels were saturated with more of the same, the only difference being that this time around we have nonstop rolling news broadcasts so there was even more on which viewers could feast.

Bad news took a back seat. The British people, struggling with job losses, cutsand economic hardship just as they were 30 years ago, were lifted out of the gloom for a day.Royals: Life in the public eyeWho is Kate Middleton?Marry me, finallyRoyal historian gives royal detailsRELATED TOPICS

* Prince William of Wales* Kate Middleton* Diana Spencer* Prince Charles* Celebrity News

When it comes, the wedding will be another great boost to the country's morale,an excuse for a giant party, for people to take to the streets, embrace strangers and celebrate, just as it was in 1981. The nation fell in love with Diana, andthe nation has once again fallen in love

So where does the comparison end?

The first wedding was dubbed a fairy tale, but the story didn't play out as it should have. Looking back, it is all too easy to see why and to see why this marriage between William and Kate has every chance of being the real thing.

Charles and Diana scarcely knew each other when they became engaged.

He had played the field during his 20s. He had a string of pretty girls who adorned his arm, each one exciting speculation in the press, but by 32, the pressureto find a suitable bride had become intense.

Once the press identified Diana Spencer as a possible candidate, they hounded her mercilessly until Charles was told by his father that he must make his mind upand either marry this girl or let her go. He asked her to marry him.

8/7/2019 Royal wedding-1

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/royal-wedding-1 2/2

Diana was just 19. She was from a broken home, albeit an aristocratic one. She was poorly educated and had little experience of the world. She was quite unprepared and emotionally ill equipped for life as a member of the royal family, a life that is as bizarre as it is unreal. When asked on the day of their engagementwhether they were in love, the Prince of Wales famously replied, "Whatever loveis."

William and Kate met at university in St. Andrew's and were friends before theywere ever lovers. They have known each other for eight years and appear to havebecome soul mates. No one who has seen them together can question that their love is genuine.

Kate is 10 years older than Diana was. She may be middle-class, but she comes from a stable, loving and happy family. She is well-educated and has traveled andseen the world. She has held down a responsible job, and crucially, they got toknow each other away from the public gaze.

The monarchy learned a lot during the Diana years and is infinitely better armed

today to protect the privacy of its members. The press may not have been tamedbut they have certainly been given boundaries that never existed in Diana's day.

Kate is going into this marriage and this bizarre life with her eyes wide open.

She has had a taste of what life in the gold-fish bowl is like. She's been followed and photographed, analyzed and criticized, and her humble origins have beenchewed over in the press. She has proved herself to be made of strong stuff andto be discreet, loyal and trustworthy.

Diana became a superstar and at times she eclipsed Charles because she was young, glamorous and fun, and he was seen as rather staid and serious. It wasn't goodfor their relationship. William is a superstar himself; he is young, glamorous

and fun. And he is Diana's son.

Kate won't eclipse him; she will complement him. His overriding desire is to beseen as relevant in his public life, and with someone who is so grounded and sonormal by his side, I have a hunch they will become a formidable team.

The failure of Charles and Diana's marriage almost destroyed the monarchy. Thisunion has every chance of securing its future.