There was an element of fairytale in Friday’s events, as many have said. There was a spontaneous warmth for William and Kate, not just because of the pageantry of Royalty. He is the daughter of the People’s Princess, whose death left an unfilled void in the hearts of so many. She is of an aspirational middle class family with working class roots. Both have university degrees, which is how they met. They symbolise in their marriage the fusion of crown and people. They make real the gradual modernisation of the monarchy. They are bang up to date. They show the monarchy is able to bypass government and parliament and appeal directly to the people. What politician could draw a crowd, let alone crowds, on the scale of yesterday?
Once we were all subjects of the monarch. When we reach King William V and Queen Catherine, he will be our King and she our Queen. That is the significance of the relationship, begun today, between the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the now citizens of the United Kingdom. This young couple will more than anything ensure that it remains a kingdom and does not become a republic.
It was a very good day for the Queen and Prince Philip. If they had worries about Charles and Camilla, they now have less to fear. In the long term, the future for the House of Windsor looks a lot brighter. Because, when it comes to it, Britain may choose to govern itself by a surprisingly limited form of democracy, but at its heart it is a proud and willing monarchy. In an age of brands and celebrity the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are at the top rank of both. When it comes to public ceremony, Britain remains in a class of its own. All may envy, but none can match.