Academic

Royal weddings were historically events involving property and politics; now, it's merely tabloid fodder.  However, I have to say that news of the long-awaited engagement of Prince William and Kate Middleton was interesting enough to make me pause a moment and read a little of the commentary.  My only reference point, of course, is the wedding of Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales.

Diana came into the spotlight when I was 12, the perfect time to buy into the fantasy of a fairy-tale marriage.  I set my clock for the middle of the night so that I could watch the Royal Wedding live (only to find it replayed forever after that).  As a shelver at the public library, I often spent my breaks coming through books devoted to Diana, who must be one of the most photogenic persons ever to have lived.  Kate Middleton is also extremely photogenic, but her journey to being a princess is a little different.

First, William and Kate have dated for many years, lived in a group house as friends, and now live together presumably as more than friends.  Diana, almost a decade younger when she became engaged, was widely celebrated as having little dating experience.  The most interesting factoid I've seen all day is that, if she is Queen, Kate (formally Catherine) will be the first Queen of England to have attended, much less graduated from College.  Of course, England has only had one Queen for most of the modern era that saw women go to college in droves, but Diana did not go to college.

I still haven't given up on fairy-tale weddings.  I hope that this handsome couple lives happily ever after.