Those of you, like me, who revel in Royal Weddings, will have taken a lot of pleasure from yesterday’s spectacle. I loved watching all the hats and commenting on outfits etc with my friends and a glass of fizz!
However, not everyone is interested in watching something that seems remote from them and their lives. To people who are struggling with how they feed their kids, where they live, whether they can get work or if they are in work whether they can earn enough to keep the rent paid and a roof over their heads. I was horrified when I realised that even people who are working are being evicted because they don’t even earn enough to pay the rent and buy food. This is a disgraceful state of affairs and must be tackled by government. To these people a Royal wedding must seem like rich people having a party to which they know they would never receive an invitation.
Except for one thing, this particular wedding broke with established tradition on several levels. It’s the first time that a girl of mixed race has married into the Royal Family and with her she brought a very different looking wedding than anything seen before. Her mother was her only family and was very dignified, Prince Charles walked her down the aisle and looked after her mother readily and kindly. The wonderful Bishop Michael Curry preached a sermon such as no one had ever seen, incredibly inspiring. And you can’t forget the British Gospel Choir and young black cellist.
But the most important thing to me was that the couple invited people from all the charities they support and from all walks of life. These included people from mental health charities to children taking part in mentoring schemes to injured servicemen.
And this is where we come to the legacy left to those two brothers by their mother Diana, Princess of Wales. She was the first to open her heart to AIDS sufferers, to children in Africa and to the effects of landmines in countries affected by war. That open heart has been evident in her sons, no more so than in Harry and Meghan’s wedding.
All the talk amongst commentators, the newspapers and ordinary members of the public is of change brought about by the wedding, and there is no doubt about the change in Royal traditions. But the real change has been brought about by Harry and his open heart, which in turn was brought about by his mother. Luckily for him he has found a kindred spirit who opens her heart in the same way. They have a fantastic opportunity to do good in the world. I wish them luck.
