Our Fascination with the Royals

As it was lunchtime I did some browsing of the web and 3 stories about the Royals caught my eye.

The first was that yesterday the 70th Anniversary of the Abdication Crisis and Brian Walden has done a piece for Radio 4. It does seem odd how this event still has the power to engage our interest. To modern eyes it all seems very archaic a man giving up the throne to marry a divorcee. But I suppose the 1930's were a different age and the social and moral code of the time is different.

In todays disposable society we almost regard marriage as something we can just discard as the whim takes us. Take back our attitudes 70 years ago and we would horrify the society of the time. I am not saying that either attitude is right but I do think we are to quick to rush for divorce and the next big thing. Perhaps that, more than anything else, has caused the lack of respect we have in our society today.

Prince Charles must look at the world with puzzled eyes. Though he married his divorcee there are still people calling for him to step down when his time comes. 100 years ago his ancestors could do what they want and no one said anything. The press didn't report it and the ordinary person on the street thought they were the guardians of moral values. Indeed his own parents were treated to different standards than Charles.

Of course the public will never forgive Charles and especially Camilla because they still love St Diana. Of course dying young is a great career move. Everyone remembers you as you were (please note I was not a Diana fan and I never thought she was the most beautiful woman on the planet and a saint). Anyway her sons are going to mark the 10th anniversary of her death with a concert. I an not certain that a line up of Elton John, Duran Duran and Andrew Lloyd Weber would please me but I seem to remember she was a Duran Duran fan and anyway Elton John is a "close personal friend" of just about everyone moderately famous. Note to self avoid TV that week as it'll be full of St Diana crap.

You have to feel sorry for Zara Phillips she wins the European and World 3 day eventing Championship and then the public vote her BBC Sports personality of the year. Now I appreciate that Eventing is a bit elitist (you need money) and is a minority event and like all horsey stuff bores the pants off me but she has had to work hard to reach the top. Of course some muppets have taken to phoning phone-ins to say this is the BBC pleasing middle-England. According to these muppets to win this sort of thing you should be in a mainstream sport. If Phillips grandmother happened to be someone else would they object? Of course not. Muppets.