I am obsessed with The Royals. This week's news that "Kate's preggers!" had me bypassing all the "important" news I'm supposed to be following, like what's going on in Syria. Kate was on the front page after all. I really should stay up to date!
I hope it’s a girl. It could be the first time a female may benefit from the new rules on succession to the throne that are in the works. It used to be that a princess would be bypassed for the seat if she had brothers. Soon, no more.
And I hope they name her Diana. Because it’s Diana who got me interested in the royal family in the first place. She was the first one I took notice of. She breathed new life into an old establishment that seemed so outdated it had lost all relevance. She made it modern and she made it human.
Now, her sons are keeping that tradition going. The members of this latest generation all seem so terribly normal. William married a commoner, but there doesn’t seem to be anything common about Kate, of course. I saw her in real life at the Olympics last summer. Stunning. She seems like a smart, modern and together person. Although, I do wonder who would ever choose that life.
Oh, say what you will about the royals. They don’t do much, they’re not elected, they perpetuate a class system, etcetera. I know. I know! But you can’t deny that the royal family is awfully resilient. In an anti-political era, the Queen and her family are seen as UNpolitical. And they have a way of throwing a wedding at exactly the right moment to get everyone excited again, despite the fact that the world’s in the tank.
And even in this undemocratic way, we all want people to look up to; we want somewhere to turn when bad things happen and we want to see public figures leading by example. When they do right, we feel reassured about the state of the world. I never miss the Queen’s message at Christmas. (And when they do wrong, we love to gossip about it because it makes us feel superior).
Personally, I’m interested because this group is young, attractive, apparently more modern and relatable than ever before. It’s the same reason any TV show is popular: because there is a cast of characters who have something in common with us, yet they give us something to strive for at the same time. Even if it’s only hair. Kate has excellent hair. Relatable, yet glamorous.
So perhaps The Royals is my favourite reality show. At the moment it’s a whole lot more positive than Housewives or Bachelor, both of which give me a stomach ache.
And truth be told, it’s really Harry who keeps me coming back. He’s so naughty and adorable. He would be welcome at my dinner table any time! For anyone else who’s interested, he was on the cover of the November issue of
Tatler magazine. The best place for royal gossip! It’s still on newsstands.
