Royal love story comes as welcome distraction
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Already the magic has begun. Kate has become Catherine, and will likely be named a princess or duchess in the next step of this remarkable transformation. The interest in this young couple is not only because William will one day be the king, but also that he is first in line to inherit the public fascination with his mother, Princess Diana.
That also will have a direct knock-on effect on his bride. Much has been made in the media of the Middleton's unlikely rise from flight attendants to self-made millionaires. And, as the eight-year royal relationship has progressed, a lot of that has taken on a sneering tone. When speaking to the Queen, Mrs Middleton, Kate's mother, was accused by papers of saying "Pleased to meet you" instead of the more correct "How do you do," while others noted she uttered the distinctly non-U "Pardon" instead of "What."
The funny thing is that most people wouldn't know the difference between these social subtleties, and rightly nor would they care.
We live in a world that hopefully has become more meritocratic through the closeness and interaction brought by social media, the Internet, and greater access to education.
I may sometimes notice if someone leave the table with a napkin tidily folded, or more stylishly scrunched up, but it doesn't make a person.
Some obviously disagree. As the eight-year relationship has gone through its up, down and up again, with a nation (and presumably Kate, too) waiting for a proposal, the Middletons continue to be vilified for being exactly that: middle, average, ordinary. My Cambridge classmate who is now a well-known print journalist made the good point last week that the Middletons can't be very middle class, given that they were able to send three children to boarding school.
This is a good, old-fashioned love story where a boy meets a girl, they fall in love and, when they marry next year, our own problems will ease for a couple of days.
At a time, when we have much to worry about, this will be a welcome distraction. So, you see, it doesn't matter what you think of them—because the world will at least be a happier place for a couple of days.
The author is a CCTV-9 news presenter and UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador. james@james-chau. Com
