Reflections on royalty

It was a hot, sticky day last summer when I saw the fairly newly-wed Prince William and his Duchess of Cambridge, Kate. It was no accident that I ran into them - after all, I was partaking in Canada Day in Ottawa, and we were one of the first stops on their first tour as a couple. When they were finally supposed to make their appearance at the Parliament buildings, the crowd was huge, hundreds and hundreds of people packed behind crowd control lines, nose to armpit. I ended up separated from the group I came with, and stood packed in closely with strangers on all sides, with everyone trying to subtly edge their neighbours aside, straining to see over the heads of everyone in front. When the royal couple finally came into view, the entire crowd erupted. I could only see the tops of their heads over the crowd, at a distance that made it feel just a little ridiculous, but the excitement was contagious, nonetheless. I was certainly not one of their most loyal followers; I slept in on their wedding day and caught the post-ceremony kiss while munching my cereal. While my interaction with the royal couple was limited to being one set of thousands of eyes gawking at them as they addressed the nation, I did manage to get a photo with a life-sized cut-out of them that was floating around the streets downtown.
For me, the royal family has always represented the last remaining vestiges of some fairy-tale fantasy, the public adoration, the stories of princes and princesses, of happily-ever-after lives. Of course, one only needs to look to the tragic death of Princess Diana, and that illusion loses its power. Despite the many trials the royal family has endured, they remain a popular topic for the public, possibly reawakened by the newlywed Will and Kate. While not too long ago they may have been described as a hobby for an older generation, the crowd I saw on Canada day proved that they have appeal to a broad demographic. Personally, I think this is great. The royal family has always appeared, at least to me, as a much classier version of 'celebrity'- less plastic, less fixated on publicity stunts, more tradition and far more material to their clothing. I look at Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, and see a woman who does not come with the shady reputation of some Hollywood women, or dress like she's for sale. The young princes, William and Harry - while not my personal cup of tea - are not the worst sort of males for young women to go after. After all, they aren't convicted drug offenders, women beaters, and they haven't made a habit of being rude simply for the shock value. It is interesting to note that while they have managed to remain reasonably respectable young men, and haven't had to earn their public exposure, our culture has many a celebrity who has had to earn their exposure, and often earned it through obnoxious behaviour and illegal activity.
This year, the year of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, it's suitable to spend some time reflecting on her life, and what she has meant to a generation. Even if you've only followed her life previously by noting the aging facial characteristics on the back of our coins, I would strongly recommend checking out some of her life highlights thus far. It continues to be one of note. Public service, dedication, tradition, and self-sacrifice are the words that were thrown around most during her ceremony. Her reign as a British monarch is second (thus far) only to Queen Victoria, who reigned for three years after her own Diamond Jubilee.
Even with her work as Queen aside, Elizabeth’s personal life is incredibly fascinating. As a young woman, she dealt with gender inequality, the death of her father, public scrutiny, and loneliness, along with a great deal of expectation. A woman who appears so peaceful, even docile, in her public appearances is also the woman who skilfully controlled her horse when she was shot at, and maintained her composure. She is the same woman who once woke up in the night to find a mentally unstable intruder in her room, and managed to handle it with grace. She is a grandmother who carefully protected her grandchildren from the prying eyes of the press as they tried to grieve the loss of their mother in privacy. Wars and press criticism aside, the Queen herself is a woman of character, who has dealt with personal hardship and global conflict with grace. She is also a woman of humility: her two requests for the celebration of her Diamond Jubilee were that the use of public funds be minimized, and that people 'not be forced to celebrate.'
The Queen's Diamond Jubilee has been wrapped up, but her reign continues. With the revitalized interest in the Royal family through Will and Kate, the royal family will undoubtedly be in the public eye even more in the years to come. And to that, I raise my cup of tea in a salute.