Friday, April 09, 2010

Royal blogging halcyon days

Today is Charles and Camilla's 5th wedding anniversary. And people thought it would never happen.

While Camilla might be out with a broken leg this anniversary brings back fond memories for me. I'd started this blog less than a month before the wedding and it was an inspiring and prolific time for me as a royal blogger. I couldn't get enough of writing about Charles and Camilla and some of my earliest posts were about royal weddings. I wasn't sure what direction I wanted this blog to take. Would it be informative? Would it be satire? Why limit myself to being anything specific. Just blog and see where it leads me. Truth be told I've always preferred writing satire. It's just my natural inclination to see the royal world that way.

In the last five years, few royal events have been as interesting. No one thought Charles and Camilla's marriage would ever happen. But then no one could have predicted that Charles and Diana could ever divorce or she would die in such a tragic and violent way. I was happy for them but I also saw lots of material in the event and I was sad when the furor died down. What would I blog about now? It's not as if their relationship had any potential for conflict. They were dedicated to each other, but while enviable, didn't make for good material.

There was the Diana inquest but very little material in that. When Camilla was scheduled to attend the Diana Memorial the uproar inspired some articles but none in the way that Charles and Camilla's wedding did. We haven't had a lot of major royal news since then. Yes, Peter Phillips married a Canadian who was also *gasp* a Catholic. Yes, Prince Harry went to Afghanistan and is dating Chelsy Davy. Yes, Prince Philip says continues to say what's on his mind, even if it isn't politically correct. I wouldn't expect anything less from him.

We've had some close calls with William and Kate. Intense speculation on their relationship. They broke up in April 2007 and then got back together. Engagement updates come in waves, some predictable, some completely surprising, like the recent revelation of a June 3rd or 4th engagement announcement. Will this be a false call yet again? It's enough to make anyone give up hope of it ever happening, until the next rumour flares up again.

An engagement between William and Kate would be big news. Mecca for royal watchers who have followed the couple's relationship. Will it be as prolific and inspiring time for blogging? Maybe, but it won't be the same as the first time I started in March 2005.

© Marilyn Braun 2010

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