Kate Middleton woke up to get married today. Was she much like me? Did she go outside in the dawning hours and feel the dewy air on her bare shoulders as the sky pinkened into day? Did she take a few minutes to write down her feelings in a spiral-bound notebook? Did she have a cup of coffee? A bagel? A fresh kiwi? Was there time to reflect, to realize the threshold she was crossing? What had she and her sister talked about the night before? Fond memories of childhood, perhaps. Or maybe the excitement of what was coming next. Both, probably.
As she rode from the hotel to the church, did she realize she'd forgotten anything? I suppose she didn't have to fret about the caterers showing up on time. Had she described the dress to William? Was she nervous about the world's approval?
I didn't follow the courtship or wedding prep or much royal family news at all. I can't say I cared much. Until today. Suddenly, I couldn't get enough. I turned on youtube at home this morning to watch live coverage and saw the couple parading through London, the ceremony long over. Once at work, I watched The Kiss(es) over and over, read up on the Royal Family, watched highlights of guests and their get-ups, clicked through slideshows of Harry's, Kate's, and William's lives and read about Kate's "Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue." Frowning Flower Girl and the octopus hat, Beckham's lapel pin and William's whispered words - I became an expert on all of this. I was proud to be part of the 1.6 million who made the Royal Wedding the biggest event ever to be watched on the web.
My excitement stemmed from the feminine fascination with romance as well as from my own love for Great Britain. (How would Simon Schama have narrated this wedding day?) But it was not only the "princess bride" magic and the pageantry that drew me. I also found myself captivated by, if I dare say it, the normalcy of it all. Isn't Kate a woman just like me? With more money, a better sense of style, and a lot more social pressure, perhaps, but she's a young married lady with a future ahead. She'll disagree with William, be tired at the end of a long week, long for a vacation. When everything is peeled back, at the heart of Wedding Day is a couple not much different from my husband and me.
It didn't make media headlines I read, but I know some people assume this "celeb wedding" will end like so many others: that Kate and William will divorce. Marriage is difficult, and no palace by the sea or custom-designed acorn earrings or Astin Martin convertible can make it easier. The battles every couple fights will seep through the Welsh gold of the wedding ring and become part of Kate's experience too. I don't know if the marriage will last - I hope it will - but I know marriage will be for these two what it is for all couples: challenging.
In this big world God has sprinkled people into all manner of situation. Kate and William live in a castle on an island. Children in India live in boarding schools. I've spent 24 years in southeast Pennsylvania. All of us, though, face the ultimate decay of our world, our friends, ourselves. Kings and queens are not exempt. I know that when my life fails, I'll be part of an eternal royal family. Will Kate?
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