It was announced yesterday that Prince William is to marry his long term girlfriend Kate Middleton (now to be referred to as Catherine, apparently. As if that’s going to happen!). I wish them both well but what a terrible situation to be in. He has grown up with the inevitability of this thing happening but just how prepared can she be for taking on this job, because a job is what it is.
The intense curiosity of the public and the intrusive probing of the press has already gone into overdrive and will only get worse as the event approaches and that, of course, is just the beginning. The pressures on the relationship are, and will continue to be, immense. William has had a privileged, though very public, upbringing and by all accounts Ms Middleton hasn’t done too badly in that area either, but I doubt that anything could really prepare her for what is to come.
It does appear that William is a very different man to his father and seems to be more grounded in reality. He also has the dubious advantage of witnessing, first hand, what media pressure did to his parents relationship. In hindsight, of course, it is clear that that was never a marriage made in heaven. I just hope that all of this will help them find a way to get through the next few years.
Don’t make the mistake of believing that I’m overly sympathetic to their situation. Nor do I have a strong opinion, either way, about the monarchy, but you certainly can believe that I am glad to have never been in a similar position to this particular couple.
They really do have an incredible challenge facing them, but us lesser mortals also have to face up to a major reality. We are all going to have to live with this thing being thrust down our throats every day until they eventually trundle down the aisle and even then, the media machine will simply change gear and stride off in a slightly different direction.
There is a precedent!
Oh well, we can at least hope that the day of the wedding will be a public holiday and that is always something to look forward to.
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