Another royal wedding

Hi neighbors. Did you get up at 3 a.m. today to witness the spectacular event as Britain’s Prince Harry married his American lady Meghan Markle? America hasn’t had this much public interest invested in a wedding in the United Kingdom in, well, maybe never.

I wonder if it will rain? Rain at a wedding is supposed to be good luck and I think the young couple (Harry and Meghan that is) will need all the good luck and best wishes they can get. Weddings seem to go fine for the queen’s family, but the “happily ever after” sometimes gets a bit shaky.

May 19 was chosen as almost every other summer day in the kingdom has some bloody history attached to it.

One curious fact is that May 19 is the date redheaded King Henry VIII had his wife Anne Boleyn executed. Prince Harry also has red hair and his given name is Henry. Best be a good husband there Harry, or you may find some outraged, former colonials at your door!

When Harry marries an American divorcee, he will be stepping into the position of his great-great uncle who had to give up the throne to marry his American love. That’s how Queen Elizabeth became Queen of the United Kingdom. Other than the king who resigned the throne for his American lady, declining to take the throne in the first place seems to be a popular choice for young royals in line for it.

After King George V’s death, in 1931, Edward, Prince of Wales became King Edward VIII. However, because his marriage to American socialite Wallis Simpson, a divorcée, was forbidden, Edward abdicated the throne after ruling for less than a year.

Harry has laughingly stated while living the bachelor life earlier, that he would never be king and so was free to do as he pleased and enjoy himself. If Charles declines the throne for a quiet old age, and William takes the throne, it will be his son, Prince George who stands in line to follow William as king. William has stated he doesn’t want the throne till his children are older. Poor Queen Elizabeth will get no retirement years at all!

There is a new law passed now that bumps tradition and allows female heirs to claim the throne even if there is a son as possible heir. I’m not certain how that works, but I’m certain the British folks have that all lined out with that stern brilliance to detail they are known for.

I remember when First Lady Nancy Reagan was to meet Queen Elizabeth at some function. She was going over all the protocol she had to remember and even showed off her much-practiced curtsy. Oh my! All the clamoring from American citizens over that subtle show of submission to the queen’s authority!

Headlines filled the news the next day reminding the First Lady of the thousands of revolutionaries who died seeking a nation freed from the “bend a knee” reverence to a royal. I can’t remember if she curtsied or not, but with all the outcry I think she determined a lowering of the eyes and a brief nod of the head would have to do.

Back to the current British news ... I’m certain I’m not the first to compare Meghan’s situation with that of Grace Kelly who married Prince Rainier of Monaco and became a princess. She too was an American actress and brought celebrity to the tiny country and a touch of American can-do spirit to help pull it into the 20th century.

But the United Kingdom is not a tiny country and remains a leader of the 21st century in the world.

The United States and the U.K. share a lot a history, culture, language, lifestyles and traditions. Many people of both countries view the people of the other as similar to themselves.

So it is not unusual to expect American television viewers to have their eyes glued to the television all day today.

It is nice to attend a royal wedding and see all the formality and grand procession from the comfort of my favorite chair while wearing my pajamas and sipping coffee! That’s the American way!