A PUBLICATION CELEBRATING the tenth anniversary of Charles and Diana’s wedding in 1991 gave voice to the revolution that had occurred in the popular view of royal weddings: ‘Today, as far as the public is concerned, nothing less than a love match will do.’ The statement not only demonstrates the dramatic shift in the perceived motivations for royal marriage, from dynastic stratagem to romantic ideal, but also the authority that the public seems to believe itself to wield in royal familial matters. In a far cry from the relative apathy and even ignorance of the medieval era, and as a direct result of the changes to royal protocol introduced in 1917, modern subjects seem to claim an entitlement to act as witnesses to the ceremony.
The history of the monarchy illustrates that the character and components of royal weddings can be as individual as the couple at the heart of the proceedings. The element of pomp and pageantry, the location, the dress, the music, the vows, the time of day – as the event approaches, all are subjected to considerations bound up in contemporary fashions, and balanced by wider ideological trends and personal preference. Nevertheless, glimpses of the monarchy’s heritage continue to be expressed and honoured in the rituals and iconography of regal celebration, often most pertinently for those who hold the rights of a future heir to the throne. Selected from a rich and varied tapestry of tradition, from the sprig of myrtle to the relatively recent trend for a balcony appearance and public kiss, these elements are often seen to reflect the values of the couple themselves.
News of the forthcoming nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton has been eagerly embraced by a public somewhat starved of regal glamour and celebration in recent years. Having met outside of stately circles and enjoyed a long courtship, they represent a thoroughly modern royal match, and their lack of pretension has endeared them to the world. The occasion promises to be a vibrant blend of tradition and modern taste, and is set to rekindle the national spirit of optimism that always attends the wedding of a well-liked royal. As The Times articulated in 1858:
A wedding brings out all that is genial in the nature of those who come within its influence. How much more is this the case when the pair to be wedded are of Royal blood, young, and attached to each other.
As with the popular matches of Arthur and Catherine, Victoria and Albert, and Charles and Diana before them, no matter what the face of the occasion proves to be, this tide of sentiment will provide the backdrop for what could herald a new era for the British royal wedding.