Around these parts, today is a holiday.
As we speak, thousands are going about their business whilst the Royal Wedding is going on. And thousands are riveted to their television screens.
Though we tend to joke about people’s fascination with the wedding of Prince William, the truth has been explained to us by our friend Judy – when she was “a wee gel,” Queen Elizabeth married Prince Phillip, and there wasn’t television coverage, nor was there coverage of her coronation. People were bused to cinemas to see it on film, after the fact. For people in Judy’s generation (and, okay, people who lust after Kate Middleton’s wardrobe), this is a BIG DEAL. Imagine the millions of little girls who desperately wished to see their beautiful princess crowned and wed. And for Judy’s sake, today we will not mock. (Tomorrow is another story, however.)
Seriously, though, people have asked us how we, as Americans, feel about singing the Coronation Te Deum for chorus, which was written for the coronation in 1953, and how we feel about being here for the wedding… to which we can only reply, well, we don’t know the couple or their parents, they didn’t invite us to the wedding, and while we wish them as well as we wish anyone embarking upon a marriage, frankly, what does it have to do with us? Further, the Te Deum is a song to God – not to Regina Elizabeth, so we just can’t get into a swivet about it. Americans do not implode upon exposure to another country’s royalty. Despite the international picture of us as hardcore flag-wavers, we don’t generally get upset about anyone else’s flag. (Or do we? Are we behaving un-American-ly? So hard to know.)
Meanwhile, on Facebook there was an ALTERNATE Royal Wedding party to be staged today at Kelvingrove Park. The Powers That Be have put the kibosh on that, as the 1200 people who were going to attend might have overwhelmed the park’s bathrooms, and that there were extra police, etc., on hand for such an unofficial gathering. We have a feeling that it is going on anyway.
At least the weather appears to be cooperating. For Glasgow, that’s reason enough to celebrate right there.
I was struggling to get Cooper to have a sleep, so I sat him in his chair in front of the wedding and it did it’s stuff. He was enjoying all the music until he nodded off. I just wanted to see her dress. Lovely!
Yes, it was! And I truly do wish them happy – and to Cooper, happy napping as well!
I’m still aghast over the cousins’ hats. OY.