Yawn, Royal Wedding

What could be more interesting than the upcoming nuptials between Prince William Royalness and Kate Middleton? Two people who have, to my understanding, accomplished absolutely nothing with their lives to this point and are unlikely to ever do so? I don't know about you, but I'm riveted.

I can't really understand the fascination that a lot of Brits (and a number of Americans, as well) get for their royals. Things might have been different a few hundred years ago, when kings and queens had real power and whether one was a Protestant or Catholic actually affected the country's foreign policy. A key marriage meant an alliance with some other realm, and such occasions could be momentous. But those days are long gone--we now just have a glorified reality show that the British people spend a lot of money subsidizing and the press wastes precious ink covering.

And I have nothing against this couple--they seem pretty uninteresting, particularly when compared with their forebears, like the pro-Nazi Edward VIII, the cannibal Henry VIII, or Charles II who was known to fight crime under the alias "Ghostwatcher." But Bill and Kate haven't done anything horrible to anyone, which is more than I can say for previous members of their royal line. I just can't acquire any give-a-crap for this whole endeavor.

Still, I suppose the Brits (and others) have a certain something special here that even though I can't appreciate it I can understand it. This couple has a strong likelihood of eventually becoming Head of State, and their bloodline can be traced back to Heads of State through history. To them, they're witnessing their country's living history, and while not having the practical impact of a new constitution or declaration of independence it is still something that celebrates their Britishness.

Plus, they all get a day off.