RULED BY OUR HEARTS
William and Kate have helped make the monarchy relevant again
Even in an age of smartphones and selfies, the goings-on of kings and queens continue to lord over the imagination of many. And with the British Royal Family’s latest storybook couple set to visit B.C. and the Yukon, the ancient institution is as compelling as ever.
There is nothing quite like a royal visit to remind us of the power that history has over our imaginations. The British Royal Family may be part tradition, part spectacle and part soap opera, but they are also all too human. They are celebrities of a sort, but they haven’t earned their celebrity — they are simply born into a story that reaches back hundreds of years and still holds an enduring fascination.
Whether or not we agree with the idea of hereditary monarchy, or with our own constitutional monarchy, many of us are still embarrassingly interested in queens, kings, princes and princesses. Royal visits elicit tremendous excitement, with Canadians lining the streets to catch a glimpse, and the upcoming visit by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be no different.
We are mesmerized enough by the British royals to celebrate their births and mourn their deaths, to watch their weddings and funerals, to keep the duchess on a bump-watch — she’s rumoured to be pregnant again — and to wonder what they eat and drink and wear. Thankfully, with William and Kate, as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are affectionately known, our interest is forgivable. No royals embody the family’s move into modernity more than this couple, who are dubbed by some in the British press as the thinking person’s Brad and Angelina.
They may be part celebrity, but because Kate was born a “commoner” they are only one part royal. In some ways, William and Kate are a new kind of royal, representing a sort of mirror that we can look into and see ourselves.
Their upcoming eight-day visit to B.C. and the Yukon, and their carefully curated itinerary — with visits to Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, to the Immigrant Services Society of British Columbia, to aboriginal communities in Bella Bella and Haida Gwaii, and the Great Bear Rainforest — reflects an attention not just to what is beautiful about Canada, but to what is important: the struggle to reconcile the damage colonialism has wrought in aboriginal communities, and to deal with the poverty and mental health crisis in one of Canada’s most disadvantaged communities.
A visit from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge probably won’t fix any problems, but it certainly has the power to draw international attention.
“They are a global royal family,” says Richard Berthelsen, a commentator on the royal family for CTV who is a protocol expert and former royal tour organizer. “There is international interest in them. This is very significant for Canada. Canadians learn from royal visits. (Royal visits) aren’t just for the royals.”
Every stop is carefully planned, said Berthelsen, to reflect the charities and interests of the royal couple, and they won’t just be whistle stops. A royal tour is a working visit. The couple will be briefed on the history and context of each community in an effort to come away with a deeper understanding.
“Royal visits are an amalgam of federal and provincial government priorities, territorial and municipal priorities, the visitors’ interests and things that are timely. This royal couple is really interested in children, mental health, sports, healthy living and they are interested in programs that connect those things — what we call ‘joinedup thinking,’ ” said Berthelsen.
There may be fewer opportunities for the kind of delirious coverage that has taken place in the past — what they were wearing, their hair, the minute details of the menus and wines. This royal tour is a little different. There are no banquets, state dinners or public meals scheduled.
“It’s a bit unusual compared to the Queen or the Prince of Wales, who would agree to attend official lunches and dinners,” said Berthelsen.
That is in part, said Berthelsen, because the Government of Canada shoulders the cost of the royal visits, and there is a growing awareness that lavish displays and excessive spending only bolster the perception that the monarchy represents not just tradition but elitism, class differences and profligate spending at public expense.
“They do recognize that meals are costly,” said Berthelsen. “They are more interested in having a casual, informal style. It is unfortunate in some ways because at a dinner you can bring together a cross-section of people, and it really does streamline things.”
There is no question that this royal couple’s style is decidedly informal.
For the first time, the couple will be travelling on an official visit with both of their children. In April, William and Kate visited India and Bhutan, leaving George, 3, and 16-month-old Charlotte with their grandmother Carole Middleton. Kate told the press she missed her children “massively.”
The presence of George and Charlotte on the B.C.-Yukon tour increases interest.
“There is a lot of anticipation for this particular tour,” said Robert Finch, dominion chairman of the Monarchist League of Canada. “You will see some very enthusiastic crowds around them. It’s a bit unusual and I think it’s phenomenal.”
The decision to travel with their children is a reflection of the relatable image the couple wants to project. When George was born, William proudly announced that he had been the first to change the future king’s “nappy.”
“He’s a hands-on dad and that reflects a modern expectation,” said Finch. But that doesn’t mean William is just like us.
“He has been born into the expectation that he will one day be king. He’s been born into an environment where he doesn’t have to worry about money or lifestyle,” said Finch.
“But it’s an incredible burden, it’s the burden of sacrifice he has had to take up being born a prince. Disney would have you believe it’s all wonderful, but it comes at a great cost.”
That cost is privacy, the ability to live an ordinary life and define his own destiny. But William is also Princess Diana’s son, and in some ways his choices reflect not just his commitment to duty, but also Diana’s legacy. Diana was vocal about wanting to give her boys a normal life — or at least, as normal as possible.