1. What a great day to be British. The eyes of the world were on London, which looked fantastic on television, full of happy, good-natured and patriotic crowds. A coup for UK plc, to boost (as well as be further boosted by) next year’s Olympics. It even didn’t rain!
2. The pomp and circumstance was exceptional. It is a cliché – but an accurate one – that foreigner visitors, especially Americans, love it, and you can see why. The carriages were wonderful, Westminster Abbey looked amazing and my friends, even those sceptical about the value of the monarchy, were in awe at the processions and fanfare afforded to the Royals.
3. It was pleasing to see that so much of the country got into the spirit of the event. 35 million Brits followed the event on television or online, hundreds of thousands took part in street parties, one million lined the route and other festivities and bunting is hanging everywhere. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the college bar was packed with those watching the events.
4. It was so overwhelmingly successful that I don’t feel particularly annoyed at the eejit MP and columnist who tried to politicise the event (and I haven’t named them so that I don’t fall into the same trap).
5. This country is so much the better for having a monarchy. Yesterday showed their value, both at uniting the nation as well as their ability to boost our fragile economy. Why some say we should get rid of it, I cannot fathom. Tradition is so important; the very fabric of the United Kingdom is based on having the Royals (one clue being in the name of the country) and to switch to a Republic would be such a shame.
6. Incidentally, it is interesting to note that a large proportion of the world’s richest (per capita) and most developed countries are constitutional monarchies: Andorra, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden. Surely no coincidence!
7. Finally, congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their families.
P.S. Is it just me, or does Michael Middleton look a lot like an older Fischer, from the film Inception?
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