Tainted Love

By Felice E. Baker
Posted March 7, 2005


princecharles.camilla.finaled.jpg

Wedding leaves royal fans disenchanted

Have you experienced a dry spell since swastika-donning Prince Harry recently displayed his affection towards all things Jewish? Do you want to witness another episode of corruption as Britain’s royal version of Days of Our Lives throws aside their last vestige of prestige? Well, stay tuned to major broadcast late-night shows between now and April 8, the date when the frumpy royal couple gets hitched - and you won’t be disappointed.

For many fans, British and international, Camilla Parker-Bowles, Prince Charles’ bride-to-be, embodies the evil responsible for uprooting Princess Diana from her family, causing her subsequent downfall and untimely death in Paris. After eight years, fans have still been unable to reconcile the tragedy. In fact, according to CNN.com, Prince Charles and Parker-Bowles announced their plans to marry before the completion of the inquest into Diana’s death. Meanwhile, the former head of the Metropolitan Police, Sir John Stevens, is still investigating the August 1997 car crash in which she died.

The announcement of the upcoming wedding seems to have all the ingredients for juicy intrigue: a passionate and boundless love affair, an abiding love for horses, tragedy, and the expected hoopla. Yet the story seems to waver between leaving the public cold and simply invoking a collective sense of nausea. BBC polls state that 29 percent of Britons are actually opposed to the upcoming wedding, while 32 percent approve it: the remaining 38 percent feel blasé one way or the other.

If observers are not still reeling over the Princess’ death, they are perplexed by Charles’ taste in women and his senseless rejection of the widely-regarded, beautiful, philanthropic Diana. “The British tabloids seemed indifferent Thursday [date of announcement],” writes People magazine, “Charles and Camilla don’t sell magazines any more.” Hello! magazine states, “This is not Brad and Jennifer. They are middle-aged and boring-looking.” Ironically, Princess Diana was hounded by cameras throughout and beyond her married life, ultimately falling victim to the Paparazzi.

Well, just leave it to late-night hosts to fill the void of coverage. Jokes range from Jay Leno’s satirical portrayal of Queen Elizabeth’s refusal to attend the wedding - “I’m opposed to same-sex marriage” - to Conan O’Brien’s conversation with the queen while Parker-Bowles neighs in the background. Apparently the story seems to be popular on any venue not depending on sales – reinforcing the perception that people will watch anything on TV.

Recently, Queen Elizabeth issued a statement saying, “The Duke of Edinburgh and I are very happy that the Prince of Wales and Mrs. Parker Bowles are to marry.” So why has she refused to attend the actual ceremony, only to attend the reception? Apparently, she’d rather get drunk. Understandably, any traditional queen would feel ashamed to descend to the level of civil ceremony (many members of the Anglican Church are opposed to the re-marriage of divorcees). At any rate, if Her Highness’ sense of “straight-talking” runs in the family, it will be hard to tell whether princes William and Harry truly meant it when they said, “We are both very happy for our father and Camilla, and we wish them all the luck in the future.”

But will the drama continue? There’s not a doubt in my mind.

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Copyright 2005 The Dartmouth Independent
The opinions printed within are those of the authors and do not represent those of Dartmouth College.