I am not much interested in the Wedding of the Decade. Watching somebody I don’t know get married on TV just does not seem that interesting. I did enjoy Robert Altman’s movie A Wedding, however.  On the other hand, I like to watch very specialized cars drive around and around a track to see who is faster so I am in no position to say say what people should or should not watch on TV, or what is serious and what is frivolous.

I consider myself a small “d” democrat and somewhat of an anti-monarchist. Actually, I have not been around enough monarchs to be an anti-monarchist in anything but theory although I did date, for a while, a Homecoming Queen from the University of Texas. Also, I have never been invited to any royal weddings – even the Texas girl’s. I did once photograph a very minor maharajah – known as a raja, I think – when we stayed at the  Bijaipur Castle and I was so nervous and sweating so much I thought my camera might squirt out of my hands. I did get alot of nice shots of commoners, though.

I am mildly interested in the ho haw surrounding the wedding. The professed claim that this is not a state occasion but a personal occasion as the reason the Obamas or the Blairs are not invited. Apparently just seventeen hundred of their closest friends was all there was room for, so no old friends of the boys’ mother were included. Fortunately, there was room for Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the “King” of Bahrain. I guess the fact that he recently killed some of his troublesome subjects was not a deal breaker – although it did get the Syrian ambassador’s invite rescinded.

Anyway, Happy Wedding Day to all.