IF there is a British Royal occasion going on, I am always keen to watch it because the British excel at pomp and ceremony. Not only is this because their organizational skills on these occasions are perhaps the best in the world, but because everything that is brought into play is backed up by hundreds of years of tradition and history. It was fortunate for those expatriates in Jeddah who wanted to watch the royal wedding that the date fell on a Friday, the Saudi national day of rest. However, there were mixed opinions from the British community about the publicity made of the event. For Peter and Tanya Linton, for instance, it was a double celebration. “It was our 34th wedding anniversary the same day. Maybe I should write to the Palace and ask if they would like to join us next year so we can celebrate their first and our 35th anniversary together!” Peter laughed. Maggie Andriopoulos is one of Jeddah's very well known dive instructors and she was disappointed that she couldn't watch the wedding live. “I was booked on a boat trip to the Farasan Banks well before the wedding was announced. If I was in Jeddah, I would have been glued to the television all day and I think it's just what the UK needs right now to lift the spirits. I think most Brits think that Prince William deserves a wonderful wedding with a beautiful girl with whom he is obviously very much in love, and I think she will make a great addition to the Royal Family. Like most women, I love a wedding and I was really looking forward to seeing her dress. If I had been in London, I would have been in the crowd, waving a flag! The atmosphere would have been terrific,” she remarked. Pauline Yates was on vacation and sent this email to me before the wedding: “I'm Australian and will be in Australia on April 29 and will be watching ‘The Wedding' sitting in front of the TV with my favorite drink and chocolates. I think Kate is beautiful and will be a gorgeous bride and think it is wonderful that all that money is going to be spent on a happy occasion. I want to see all the thousands of people lining the streets, waving the British flag and smiling. The world needs more days like the 29th of April. I wish them all the very best in their life together and hope they have the full support of everyone in the Royal family. Lessons should have been well learnt on how to treat a newlywed Royal couple.” Nonetheless, not everyone felt so happy about the event. Alan (not his real name) is British and said: “I won't be paying any attention to the royal wedding. The idea that people all around the world will be fawning over this silver-spoon fed couple is beyond me.” Uzma Hussein is from India and said that the majority of women she knows would be watching. “There has been no good news in the world in recent times, of this magnitude. From the earthquake and the subsequent tsunami in Japan to the unrest in the Middle East, it has been a year of bad news so something of this proportion will bring out the human tsunami to witness news that is pleasant to the ears and soothing for the eyes!” she said. “I also think that lots of people have not found closure after Diana' s sudden death – they need this wedding to bring a happy end to her tragic legacy.” In Riyadh, as well as Jeddah, celebratory parties were arranged in various compounds. Angela Brazier wrote from Riyadh: “I watched the royal wedding in a compound in Riyadh. Bunting, dozens of Union Flags and confetti had been brought back especially from the UK. We each took a typical ‘street party' dish – Bakewell tarts, coronation chicken, steak pies, Welsh cakes, scones, cream and jam, and cucumber sandwiches. We also had a super cake which was made locally. The atmosphere was great, with people from all parts of the Commonwealth. Everyone really got into the mood and there was a great sense of patriotism. We had all dressed up, either in posh frocks or red, white and blue, and were all glued to the TV to get the first sight of the dress, which was so beautiful and elegant. I loved the little bridesmaids too. It's great to have an event like this –the whole world was watching and it's a brilliant way to promote our country.” The well-known Scottish Jeddah artist, Dorothy Boyer, was unashamedly enthusiastic about the royal wedding. “I watched it on TV and listened to it on the radio, on my own. I am absolutely thrilled at all the media coverage, especially on the lives of the two young Princes and of their father, Prince Charles, who is a great inspiration for motivating people to better their own destinies. Much nonsense has been talked about the lineage of Kate Middleton but her exemplary behaviour is surely the result of her enlightened upbringing and her parents are to be congratulated. Apart from the romance and glamor of it all, I am sure that the young couple have already helped the continuation of the monarchy in our country. It is beyond the comprehension of some other nations to understand the unique role our monarch plays alongside our elected and politicians, and long may that continue.” she remarked. Jasmin Keaton, who is Saudi/American, watched the wedding at home with her husband. “Watching Kate emerge from the Rolls Royce on her way into Westminster Abbey was thrilling. It was a beautiful dress and I'm sure lacey sleeves will be very popular during the upcoming wedding season. I think any event like this, which symbolizes joy and faith in the future, is a blessing,” she said. Some of the staff at the British International of Jeddah organized their own “street party” with around fifteen adults and ten children. “We organized bunting to decorate the common area, called ‘The Green',” said John Costello. “At about noon, we gathered in one of the villas to watch the wedding. Some people dressed up for fun, both formal and informal...After the happy couple left the cathedral we met on the Green for a shared lunch. We returned inside to watch the balcony scene. The nationalities at the Conti Wedding party were: Australians, New Zealanders, South African, British, and Papua New Guinean.” A British expatriate nurse who watched the royal wedding with friends in Jeddah commented: “Everyone loves a fairytale romance and this is about as close as we will get to one! Catherine looked like a princess and her dress was perfect. I loved the trees inside the Abbey, but now everyone will be wanting to use trees in their wedding. The music was lovely, especially the trumpet fanfares. I feel there is real love between these two and they will be the ones to save the British monarchy,” she remarked. Along with a few friends, I attended a private function where we had several large screens set up and people dressed up for the occasion, with some women wearing smart hats. What was wonderful was a sense that we were actually taking part in the event. When the Queen was heralded into Westminster Abbey by the loud trumpets, and later when the bride entered with her father, we all stood up, just as the congregation did. This wedding was truly the stuff of fairy tales: a child from an ordinary English background grows into a beautiful girl with a natural elegance and poise, and captures the heart of the nation's handsome young Prince. With the ancestral connection to working class coal miners, through to the success of her hard-working middle-class family, she is beyond doubt the ‘People's Princess'. She truly represents ‘the people' linking with the monarchy. As the Bishop of London said: “This is a joyful day”. As a British national, it is impossible not to be filled with pride at the spectacular pageantry on such an occasion, the splendor of the thousand-year-old Abbey, and the carriages, uniforms and equestrian expertise of the procession afterwards. The hours of organization and rehearsal under the leadership of Sir Malcolm Ross paid off and the event progressed punctually and with regal precision. When she saw the enthusiasm and goodwill of the one million strong crowd that lined the streets to watch the wedding procession, a happy Queen was moved to say: “It's amazing!”. Now 85-years-old, she and the Duke of Edinburgh – nearly 90 – must have been delighted to see their grandson married in such happy circumstances. Even the British weather didn't let us down and an overcast day made life much easier for photographers as there were no harsh shadows or ‘burnt-out' highlights in the whiteness of the wedding gown. It was almost perfect, apart from one random black police horse that galloped through the horses in the wedding procession without a rider! With typical British ‘sang-froid', not one of the other riders and horses flinched, so no one noticed this bit of excitement until it was replayed later in slow motion!
