No it’s not a royal wedding shot (I wish!), it is Bath Abbey, next to the Roman baths in Bath, UK. I took these shots a few years ago on a family trip.
Royal weddings. Don’t you just love them? Yesterday I immersed myself in all things ‘Harry & Meghan’ and today I’m experiencing withdrawals! As I was watching the ceremony last night (again) I said to my husband; ‘There is something so reassuring about the Royal Family’. With that in mind I wrote this post about this royal wedding and why tradition and ritual matter more than ever in today’s frantic world.
More things British – bookstore sign in the Cotswolds
’23 And Me’? These folk don’t need that!
The A list guests. The fascinators. Harry and Will in their uniforms making their way to St. George’s Chapel. Meghan walking up the aisle of that 14th century church, framed by those white flowers.
Amazing!
And according to ‘The Telegraph’ newspaper (UK), roughly TWO BILLION of us around the world tuned in to watch.
Stained glass window Bath Abbey, Bath U.K
Isn’t it wonderful that the Royal Family can trace their history back to the age of William The Conqueror and the epic Battle of Hastings in 1066.
1066.
Let that sink in.
More than ONE THOUSAND years ago.
It is mind blowing!
On Royal Weddings
Watching Harry and Meghan, took me back to July 29, 1981, when, at age 13, I stayed up late with my aunt, grandmother and cousins, in my sleeping bag on the rec room floor, to watch Charles wed young Diana.
Yet from there my mind skips forward to the tragic events of August 1997.
I was living in Sapporo, Japan teaching English, and my sister had come to stay with me. It was the middle of the night when we got a call telling us that Diana was gone. Days later we watched the funeral for the ‘People’s Princess’ and were saddened at the sight of Harry and Will, walking behind the funeral cortege. It was all so unbelievable.
Time Passes…
Then suddenly it’s 2011 and young William is all grown up and he’s marrying Kate – a commoner no less! When I think of that occasion I recall the tea party we threw to celebrate, complete with little bowler hats for the kids, then aged 2 1/2 and 4.
Now here we are in 2018 and Harry has taken for his wife Meghan, a beautiful, bi-racial, American divorcee, who is an actress and activist! Progress!
Sorry – I can’t afford to pay for a shot of Harry and Meghan so a pic of me, Oliver and Will on the steps of Salisbury Cathedral will have to suffice! lol
On Ritual
But back to ritual.
Watching yesterday’s ceremony made me acutely aware of my mortality, and how we are all just blips in the long procession of time.
Monarchies – Good or Bad?
Yesterday on CNN they quoted a study on monarchies to determine whether they were good for a country or not. This study tracked 137 countries from 1900 to 2010 and concluded that monarchies were good for the people because monarchies offered;
- unity against internal conflict,
- a check on the executive powers of the government, and
- a check on executive office holders. (Making sure Presidents don’t stay in power indefinitely)
What Do Monarchies (And Weddings) Do For Us?
But beyond that is the emotional and spiritual aspects of the monarchy, the value of rituals and traditions such as weddings, holidays and even funerals. Different studies have shown that consistent and repetitive actions involved with certain rituals (like weddings) soothe people, for they act as a buffer against anxiety and make the world feel more secure and predictable.
Weddings, special meals, toasts, gift giving and wakes, are all powerful rituals that bring joy, connect us with loved ones and take us out of the everyday muck of life.
Simply put – occasions like Harry and Meghan’s wedding raise us up.
Back To That Family Tree
Watching the wedding, I considered the history of it all and how Harry was the great, great, great, great grandson of Queen Victoria and her statue could be seen standing in the town square of Windsor. This thrilled me.
I felt linked to history, and recalled my own wedding, and I reminisced about the previous royal weddings, who I was with when I watched them, what we were doing, how I felt, all of which gave me a stronger sense of belonging to my own family, and indeed to my place in the greater human chain.
In this crazy world filled with school shootings, rogue Presidents, never ending wars and grievances, and rapid technological and economic changes, traditions and rituals are more important than EVER.
I hope you got to see the wedding the other day, and I hoped you loved it a much as I did, because the next royal wedding on the scale of Harry and Meghan’s (involving those who will one day, likely inherit the throne) may not occur for another quarter century or so!
That means I will be around 75 or 80 plus years old when George, Charlotte or Louis tie the knot. But if I am above ground (knock on wood! lol) you can bet I will be tuned in to all the pomp and circumstance, and ritual and tradition that goes into a royal wedding, and I will have a BIG smile on my face.
Signing off for now,
xo
Eliz