Young Prince George sure is causing a stir. Three times this week I've gotten into a debate about whether we should care about the arrival of the new royal heir to the throne. "Why is this front page news day after day in Canada?!" "What do these people even do anyway?!". "This child is born into such privilege, I can't relate." Well, DUH...wake up and smell the royal diapers people! Of course we should care!
The arrival of any baby is reason to celebrate. And isn’t it nice to read happy front page news for a few days?
I for one am happy for the break from rail disasters, natural disasters, economic disasters and general grimness. Those of you (Kristina) who roll your eyes at the endless coverage are enjoying your complaining, so I guess we’re all getting something out of it.
Sure, those royals are only famous for being born. Or because they’re complex (crazy? Power hungry?) enough to choose to marry into the royal institution, and that seems to be what makes some people mad.
The royals didn’t become celebrities because they worked hard at their craft of singing, dancing or acting. But even many of those celebrities are where they are because of who they are. Would Kelly Osbourne have any sort of celebrity status if it weren’t for her dad? And Nicole Ritchie Please. Google celebrities and their famous parents and you’ll see another, much bigger royal family.
For me what is interesting about this royal family is its history. Pick up a history “book” or just watch Game of Thrones to get the idea (but it isn’t based on British history). Kings and queens used to lead armies into battle. For better or for worse, they have helped define the geography and culture of the world.
And as a commonwealth country, those British royals of yesteryear played a part in defining Canada, which is arguably the most privileged country in the world in which to live. We as Canadians were born into a great deal of privilege thanks in part to them. They are relevant because of who they were. This week’s new baby is a great excuse to learn something about the history of the world. So get Googling.
Britain’s royals may not do much of anything practically relevant in our daily lives, but you can’t deny that this generation is redefining aristocracy. Whether real or by design, they have created an image of being just normal enough to make themselves interesting to the masses.
Will spent the last three and a half years working as a pilot for search and rescue and Kate mixes trendy, inexpensive clothing with her high-fashion. And her mother used to be a flight attendant! I for one couldn’t care less about what brand of car seat they buy, but then again I don’t have a baby. Now, if they had some uber cool dog collar I’d want to know where it came from.
And Prince George and the gang are the basis of a booming tourism business; one based on hope and fantasy. And don’t we all need a little of that?
