Best wishes, Chuck and Cami

Today was the big day. Prince Charles finally married Camilla Parker Bowles. They even delayed the start of the Grand National (a steeplechase horse race that is extremely popular) so that the two events wouldn't cause conflicts with avid TV viewers.

It has been a big scandal about how this wedding would take place. Beyond the whole adulterous divorcee problem, there is the fact that the couple wanted to marry in a private home, but by law royals have to marry in public so that any member of the realm can object or take notice. Then there was the whole boycotting of the civil ceremony by the Queen. Then the Prince and future Princess Consort had to call her ex-husband and apologize to him for cuckholding him. (By the way, doesn't Princess Consort sound like a fancy way to say "ho"? I'd be a little crabby if I were her.)

Oh. And then the pope died.

I have a love/hate thing with the royals. I love Wills (because you have to love a well-behaved young man like that, plus he's dishy), and Harry, well, he needs a hug and a stiff talking to, but with an older brother who is positively perfect one can hardly blame him for acting up a bit, bless him.

Charles, on the other hand, seems like a jug-eared doofus. Let us for a moment forget his taped conversation longing to be a tampon so he could, um, spend some quality time with Camilla. (In fact, let's forget it forever, because it's absolutely heebie-jeebie-inducing.) Let's just take the dumb stuff he's done since I got here:
  • Made public statements about how kids should stop thinking they can do anything, because some people are supposed to be laborers... that's their state in life.
  • Remained silent for three days after his youngest son's fancy-dress homage to Hitler. (Even Will made a public statement of responsibility and shame before his father did, and he had finals.)
  • See above paragraph about the wedding
  • Borrowed against income from one of the counties that support him, amounting to something like £20M in excess income payments over the last few years.
  • Just last week, he did a grimace at the camera and bad-mouthed the press, specifically the BBC. During his scheduled interview/photoshoot.
I'm sure he's not a bad guy....he's just inherited the less that ideal character of his father AND the lineage to the crown from his mum. If he were just some guy, he'd be annoying but not worth ink in the papers. He'd just be the blowhard you avoid sitting next to at dinner parties. Unfortunately, he gets £12M each year from the UK, lives in some pretty spectacular palaces, and gets every perk you can imagine. It seems the least he can do in return is give people a pleasant king-in-waiting they can be proud of. I think it's appalling that he has no clue how privileged he is. He really seems to thinks he's owed this good fortune.

I guess my colonial roots are showing.

Camilla I might actually like if it weren't for the fact that she hasn't really answered for the manipulation of the Diana situation. I liked Diana...she was pretty and friendly and gracious and didn't seem to assume that she was better than everyone else. And no matter how funny, or personable, or warm and easygoing Camilla may be, the thought of her identifying Diana as the perfect virgin bride who would provide an heir AND let Charles continue his ongoing affair is just creepy. It's too bad, really, because they say she's a bit bawdy and loud and tells funny jokes. That's a refreshing add to the royal family not seen since Fergie left.

I will admit that I watched the whole spectacle, and I thoroughly enjoyed the silly hats. If this wedding is any indicator, foliage and goofy feathers are coming in in a BIG way. Perhaps I'll get some peacock feathers and rapeseed flowers and make myself a bonnet. I suppose the bonus to wearing twigs and hay on your head is that people behind you can still see the action. And the wedding did make me long for a pastel suit...perhaps a robin-egg blue one with a bias cut skirt at the knee. Just have to figure out where I'd wear it.

And in the end, I guess that after 30+years of shenanigans and secrecy, Charles and Camilla have probably earned the right to a life together....they must love each other quite a bit to leave such a path of destruction behind them and still be together. I suppose you have to wish them well. And ultimately, it's hard to imagine Camilla could actually bring the royal family down from where they've been lately. Perhaps the wedding will close this chapter and allow them to move on.

Comments

lulu said…
I don't know, I think it is kind of sweet. She's middle-aged and frumpy and probably smells like wet dog the majority of the time, and he loves her. He's loved her for years. I like the fact that he's marrying her and not some 23 year-old trixie with highlighted hair and a body by bowflex. It gives me hope.....

Popular posts from this blog

Ways other than Paul Blart and lipstick to combat economic depression

Executive MBA 2006-07 Director's Prize

Planning Funerals