First, welcome to CowanCommentary, and especially this first entry. I've been following with interest the media coverage of the Royal couple on their first overseas trip since their recent marriage. You'll note in the title of this entry I refer to 'Wills,' not Will. That's because I recall after he and his brother were born, one or both of his parents said publicly the boys' nicknames of their given names, William and Henry, would be Wills and Harry.
But, generally, to the discredit of many in the media, they and their editors seem adamant about turning Wills and Kate into their own sitcom, by constantly referring to them as Will and Kate. Those in the media who do this, and there are many, seem unable to let go of the now-defunct TV show, Will and Grace; they seem to be desperately trying to be cute and funny--which they aren't--by refusing to afford Prince William the basic courtesy of at least referring to him by the nickname, Wills, given to him by his parents.
Those in the media who do this also seem to want to rename the prince--as though they either don't like his personal nickname, Wills; or they've decided to just ignore his actual nickname in favor of what they think he should be called; or they can't be bothered to learn the name by which he apparently is known to those who know him best. I find that to be a sad statement on too many in the media who are reporting on this royal tour. Of course this isn't catastrophic in the grand scheme of things, and I suspect Wills and Kate--who seem to like to laugh--might even chuckle at the way in which they are commonly mentioned by so many common reporters.
Through the media, I've followed the royal couple's visit to gorgeous Prince Edward Island, where I was privileged to live for many years before heading off to graduate school some years ago. I'm reminded of the thrill I got in seeing Wills's parents, Charles and Diana, in the summer of 1983. I had recently moved there with my daughter's mother, and we were so new to PEI we didn't even have a home yet; we were camping at the Prince Edward Island National Park. But, knowing the royal couple of the day were going to do a walk-about outside Province House, the provincial legislature, we planned the night before to drive into the city early enough the next morning to get a good seat. And we did.
In fact, we made the 20-minute-or-so drive from the National Park early enough to set up our lawn chairs around 7 a.m. in the front row where Charles and Diana would be meeting and greeting hordes of welcoming Islanders; of whom there were many, and I'm still glad I went and to have that memory. Sadly, who could have predicted then, that Diana would die 14 years later in that terrible car crash in Paris; or that her first-born son would also be meeting and greeting Islanders in 2011, shortly after his marriage--just as his parents did all those years ago, not long after their own marriage.
In some ways, I usually don't purposely pigeon-hole myself into one category or another, but on reflection I seem to be a bit of a monarchist; not that I mind. In fact, if my memory is correct, I remember feeling thrilled as a boy in London, Ontario when Queen Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip--of course, Wills's grandparents--were in a parade driving down Oxford Street, near our house at the time. I was quite young, around 10 years old, I think. But I don't know if I was excited to see Queen Elizabeth per se, or because I'd been told she was important, or just because I was seeing someone who was world-famous.
These days, with Wills and Kate--or Catherine, as the Royal PR people promote her whenever possible--I find I'm caught up in the excitement over them--I even watched their wedding on television, starting around 4 a.m. local time. Unfortunately, my invitation didn't arrive in time for me to actually attend the wedding--and in fact it never did come--so like most people who are interested in them I turned on the T.V. that morning.
I concede I like watching Wills and Kate, in part, because they're famous--although realistically, they are famous just because of who they are and not because of anything they have actually done or accomplished in their own right. Yet, maybe I'm also drawn to watching and reading about them partly because when we mere mortals see them performing in public, they seem to genuinely like being with each other, they both appear to have a healthy sense of humor, they seem to like to laugh, and we can assume they also appear to be generally optimistic. They're fun to watch, and watching people who seem to be having fun can be enjoyable.
I concede I like watching Wills and Kate, in part, because they're famous--although realistically, they are famous just because of who they are and not because of anything they have actually done or accomplished in their own right. Yet, maybe I'm also drawn to watching and reading about them partly because when we mere mortals see them performing in public, they seem to genuinely like being with each other, they both appear to have a healthy sense of humor, they seem to like to laugh, and we can assume they also appear to be generally optimistic. They're fun to watch, and watching people who seem to be having fun can be enjoyable.
In fairness, however, in reveling in the apparently happy life and times of Wills and Kate, many of us might feel the same way about life in general, and about our own lives in particular, if our situations mirrored or were in any way analogous to those of Wills and Kate: financially rich beyond belief through inheritance and marriage; never having to look for a job; never having to worry about being 'downsized' or laid off; and being able to travel anywhere in the world, presumably whenever the desire hits, and without worrying about expenses.
As a case in point, when Wills and Kate finally took their honeymoon trip a few weeks after their wedding, media reports said they spent their time in some sort of cottage in the Seychelles, an archipelago of islands in the Indian Ocean--that reportedly cost about $6,000 per night, if media reports about that were correct. Wills and Kate shouldn't be condemned for being in the fortunate position to be able to do these kinds of things; it's not their fault they are who they are, or that they are in their respective positions.
The important thing, however, for those of us who are unlikely to ever walk a mile in their privileged shoes, is to be fair to ourselves in how we perceive Wills and Kate. I suggest we be realistic. In other words, do we like what we see of them mainly because they seem, publicly, to be nice and friendly people, and because it's just fun to watch them apparently enjoying their lives; or do we make the mistake of succumbing to the age-old temptation of idolizing and adoring them because of who they are and not so much because of what they have done and accomplished.
It can be fun and might even be healthy sometimes to escape in these ways, by momentarily living vicariously through someone else--such as Wills and Kate--whose life might seem better, more fun, more glamorous, more interesting, or more exciting than ours. But when we go further and idolize and adore others such as these young royals, especially for the wrong or unhealthy reasons, we can also implicitly send the equally wrong and unhealthy message to ourselves that we are somehow second-rate or second-class because we aren't like them; or aren't as good as they are; or aren't as important as people as they are. And that kind of thinking, which can lead us to believe what we tell ourselves, can be detrimental to one's self-image and self-esteem.
It seems to be human nature to do this, though, especially when those of us who aren't wealthy and privileged unfairly compare ourselves and our lives with some rich and famous celebrities and with what we see of their lives. And we might not even realize that's what we are doing.
So as the Wills and Kate show continues unabated, and will soon leave Canada for the United States, we can rest assured there will likely be plenty of real or imagined reasons and opportunities to fawn over them in the months and years to come; we just have to keep things in perspective, that's all.
It can be fun and might even be healthy sometimes to escape in these ways, by momentarily living vicariously through someone else--such as Wills and Kate--whose life might seem better, more fun, more glamorous, more interesting, or more exciting than ours. But when we go further and idolize and adore others such as these young royals, especially for the wrong or unhealthy reasons, we can also implicitly send the equally wrong and unhealthy message to ourselves that we are somehow second-rate or second-class because we aren't like them; or aren't as good as they are; or aren't as important as people as they are. And that kind of thinking, which can lead us to believe what we tell ourselves, can be detrimental to one's self-image and self-esteem.
It seems to be human nature to do this, though, especially when those of us who aren't wealthy and privileged unfairly compare ourselves and our lives with some rich and famous celebrities and with what we see of their lives. And we might not even realize that's what we are doing.
So as the Wills and Kate show continues unabated, and will soon leave Canada for the United States, we can rest assured there will likely be plenty of real or imagined reasons and opportunities to fawn over them in the months and years to come; we just have to keep things in perspective, that's all.
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