Saturday 19 May 2018

First Thoughts

Well, call me a sentimental dotard, but wasn't that the best royal wedding ever? The most human and likeable of all the current royals marrying a stunningly beautiful woman, and both of them clearly in love head over heels. A brilliantly orchestrated ceremony, individual but traditional, with lovely music and glorious (and very English) floral decorations – not to mention the bride's timelessly elegant dress. Windsor in the sun never looking better, huge crowds full of genuine enthusiasm and affection – and of course magnificent, meticulous pageantry. It's hard to believe there can be all that much wrong with a country that can still put on a show like that (even if, as some might point out, it does depend heavily on the armed forces, arguably the last enclave of dutiful efficiency in our society). It was grand.

4 comments:

  1. I was intrigued by the highly decorated Gurkha who greeted Harry and William on their arrival at the chapel. He looks very like the man who served as Harry’s bodyguard in Afghanistan.

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  2. It was grand, shame about the slightly embarrassing 'sermon', I actually had to leave the room it was that cringe worthy. Needless to say, he was still meandering when I got back. England looked beautiful.

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  3. I was pleased to write this yesterday for my group on Facebook and, thus, to echo your sentiments. "UNTIL WE SEE THEM We (which, of course, includes me) are all too modern and sophisticated to be duped by the deceiving attractions of the institution of marriage, religion, beautiful dresses, architecture, music, ceremony, military pageantry and Royalty. And then we see them and find ourselves gawping and weeping because they touch the most profound instincts. I'd rather trust those instincts (often driven by the visual and the auditory) than the superior and purely intellectual notions that tempt us to despise them."

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  4. Hear hear, Guy – and Craig (that sermon was a shame, esp as it cld have been really good if he'd cut it by two thirds) – and yes Waldo I believe the Gurkha was Harry's bodyguard. I think his Army service was the making of Harry, and he knows it.

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