By Lubna Abdel-Aziz Why is the whole world in a flutter over the upcoming royal wedding? The answer is obvious---this is not just another royal wedding, this is a British royal wedding, hence the difference, hence the global absorption. The question remains, why! Britain and British royalty is so steeped in tradition one can almost visually watch history on parade. The past returns for the present to view, to applaud, to revere. As the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley so eloquently said:" The past, like an inspired rhapsodist, fills the theatre of ever-lasting generations with her harmony". British royalty has endured for two millennia, grasping the imagination of its own citizens, who hold it close to their hearts. Many states have abolished the monarchy in favour of republics. Britain remains a republic, headed by a monarch. It is not alone. There are currently 44 nations with monarchs as heads of state, 11 in Europe alone. There are only a handful of absolute monarchs , most European monarchs are ceremonial figureheads, subject to a constitution. None retain the pomp and grandeur of the British monarchy. This once mighty empire has touched the world with its presence, its influence, its culture, its language and its literature. Its language has become the international means of communication. Shakespeare is performed daily, somewhere in the world, in different countries, different tongues. The saying rings true, that there will always be an England. It is therefore no wonder that a major British event, such as a royal wedding is able to arrest and retain the attention of very ordinary audiences. All weddings are appealing, particularly royal ones, strictly for the native citizens. None carries such a sensation of doubled or tripled intensity, as a British royal wedding. British history offers an unending drama of human passions. A messy mix of love and romance, adventure and bravery, ambition and greed, betrayal and deceit, murder and intrigue, blasphemy and polygamy, covers the spectrum of emotions. Why, Henry VIII alone, possessed all the vices and virtues known to man. His daughter Elisabeth I was no less ruthless, no less ambitious. Both remain the most popular figures in history, portrayed on film by numerous actors. It is every actor's dream to impersonate a British monarch and judging by the enormous interest of filmmakers in Britroyals, every actor has or may, fulfill that dream. How can we withhold a tender tear or a scornful reproach for the likes of Mary Queen of Scots, Richard the Lion-Heart, Henry II.III.V, Queen Victoria, Edward VIII, George VI or Elisabeth II? The reigning Queen Elisabeth, now 84, traces her ancestry as far back as King Albert of the 9th century. . Amidst the joys and melancholy of such a long life she has done her best for her nation,and has endured with great dignity and majesty her many " annus horribilis". The Queen is getting ready for her grandson's wedding, the future heir to the throne. Not since his father's wedding to Princess Diana has there been such a hysterical frenzy over a wedding as Prince William and Kate Middleton's nuptials of April 29, 2011.The world went mad over the fairy-tale wedding of Lady Diana Spencer to Charles, Prince of Wales, at St. Paul's Cathedral, on July 29, 1981. The world is even madder over Will and Kate's wedding, with an estimated 2 billion viewers anxiously awaiting with bated breath, another English fairy-tale come true, in front of their very eyes. The ring, the hair, the clothes, the flowers, the styles, the wedding dress......every girl dreams of becoming a princess.... every young girl wants to marry her Prince Charming ....only one will have her dream come true , Catherine (Kate) Middleton, who will be married on the same day as the Feast of St. Catherine's. Shrouded by mystery the wedding dress is to be a surprise for the groom. Diana's dress was kept in a vault until her wedding day. Kate's remains a big secret, leaving the women of the world fretting and fuming. Although she is complying with tradition to a large extent, Kate has chosen to do some things her way, such as arriving by car instead of the traditional gilded carriage. Many view this as appropriate, since she is not royalty yet, but just a commoner, the first to marry an heir to the throne in centuries. She will not however arrive in her family' Oldsmobile, as Prince Charles has offered his Phantom Rolls Royce for the occasion. The wedding dress, most believe , will be white, a tradition first started by Queen Victoria 170 years ago, and since then all brides have followed in her footsteps owing the British monarch a debt of gratitude The quintessential English rose, Kate has already won the hearts of the British, perhaps of the world with her beauty, poise and grace. She may not replace Diana, but she will come close. The couple chose to be married at the more traditional Westminster Abbey, and will ride back to Buckingham Palace for the traditional "balcony kiss", to the thrill of the throngs below and satellite viewers around the globe. Britain has stood the ordeal of republicanism by holding closely to the value of its traditions, to the pomp and pageantry cherished by her citizens, and deeply enjoyed by all. Is it any wonder that this monarchy will never break! History is the cyclic poem written by Time upon the memories of men. -- Percy Bysshe SHELLEY (1792-1822)
