Friday, 29 April 2011

Pomp and Grandeur: Kate and Wills Tie the Knot

"Two rather beautiful kids tying the knot", sums up the day perfectly. I heard this quote during an interview with Simon Scharma, the well-known British historian. The Royal Wedding between Prince William and his stunningly gorgeous bride, Kate Middleton was everything I had hoped for, and some. The new Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's big day was fantastic and it encapsulated the best of British pomp, circumstance and majesty. It was also cleverly intermingled with the "common touch".

It was a moment in British history that I desperately needed to be a part of here back in Abruzzo. K set about strimming the garden with a vengeance, leaving me alone with Sam and her 4 adorable kittens, to witness the wedding of the century streamed via the Internet. With a token flute of chilled "bubbly", I settled myself down to watch the most amazing show on earth today.

At first I wanted to turn this post into an idiomatic field day, but then I stopped myself. This shouldn't be turned into anything but what it really is. The most magical event witnessed by about two billion people worldwide.

My Highlights
  • The spectacular horse-drawn carriages
  • The sight of the sprightly 85-year old Queen and 90-year old Duke of Edingburgh
  • The bride's entrance with her father walking down the magnificent Westminster Abbey aisle
  • The beautiful bride Catherine and handsome groom Prince William
  • The wonderful fairy tale atmosphere
  • All the fascinators (special headgear) on display
  • The mixture of royalty and the crowds
  • The timeless elegance of Princess Catherine's exquisite designer dress
  • The incredible music in the Abbey
  • The fly past of historical Spitfire, Lancaster and Hurricane planes
  • The ride in the old Aston Martin, driven by Prince William
  • The sight of so many street parties around Britain
  • The sheer joy and exhuberance on display
  • The British Monarchy enjoying a surge of huge popularity
  • The future King and Queen of England having a grand day out!
In the words of the comentators, this wedding was "a nice, communal, unifying experience with the magic secret. It was a symbolic and ornamental expression of royalty".

I personally loved it!!

Have a look at the fabulous images from the MailOnline's Royal Wedding Coverage here.
The Independent has a comprehensive list of videos of the day, in case you missed any parts.
YouTube The Royal Channel had live streaming of the ceremony and events.
The English Blog has lots of great links regarding the wedding dress.

Newsy Video: The Wedding Dress


Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com

AKaTea and William Memorabilia
I had to buy the teabags below. I found them in Brighton and I wanted them immediately. Of course, I won't use them. I will keep them for historical and collactable purposes only! They are really fun and in thoroughly good taste, don't you agree?


2 comments:

popps said...

Not a republican then!:-)

Janet Bianchini said...

I have great admiration for Queen Elizabeth, who is a noteworthy example of utmost dedication and devotion to her country :)