Inside U.K.

Royal Wedding Ushers in a New Age for Britain

By STEVE HILL

With the new millennium fast approaching, the timing of the recent marriage of the queen's youngest son, Edward, to commoner Sophie Rhys-Jones could not have been better.

Here was the wedding of a modern couple aware of their responsibilities as members of the royal family, but determined to learn from the recent past. They would do things their way while still acknowledging tradition.

The ceremony at London's historic Windsor Castle was grand enough, attended by some 550 guests, cheered on by thousands of well-wishers packing local streets, and viewed by millions on television.

But there was little of the state pageantry, glitz and glamour that surrounded the marriage of older brothers Charles, to Diana, and Andrew, to Sarah. That was one of the first signs that times have changed — and will continue to do so as the royal family adapts to the evolving mood of the nation.

Edward, 35, is the last of the monarch's four children to wed. He looks forward to a partnership that is happier than those enjoyed by his three siblings.

The unhappy example of his older brothers and sister was one of the reasons, publicly acknowledged by the pair, for their six-year courtship. They would not be rushed into making a rash decision and asked — with success, mostly — to be left alone by the intrusive British tabloid press. Finally, they decided to marry.

It was hard not to look with irony at the pictures showing Edward striding down the road to his wedding accompanied by his two older brothers, both of whom suffered such unhappy marriages.

His only sister, Anne, also suffered the pain of a broken marriage before finding happiness the second time around with Cmdr. Tim Lawrence. Even Edward's aunt, the queen's sister Princess Margaret, was divorced.

On paper, therefore, the chances of a long and happy life together do not appear good. But the reality, one hopes, will be different.

For a start, the couple are older and more world-wise, and are determined to live lives as normal possible for people so close to the heart of such a long and enduring monarchy.

There were several signs on the big day that things have changed. Gone were the military uniforms, guards of honor, politicians and processions that symbolized many royal weddings of the past. Celebrity guests could be spotted — Lord Lloyd-Webber, who gave Edward his first job as an owner of a television production company; Jackie Stewart, the former Formula One racing car driver; and British television journalist Sir David Frost among them.

But it was basically a family wedding, even though the proceedings just happened to be watched by an estimated 200 million people around the world on television.

Another break with tradition was revealed the morning of the ceremony with the announcement of new titles for the couple.

Edward is now known as the Earl of Wessex, reviving a title that died with King Harold II in the year 1066 at the Battle of Hastings, as every young schoolchild should be able to tell you. And Sophie will be known as Her Royal Highness the Countess of Wessex, although any children the couple have will not be called His or Her Royal Highness.

For anyone interested in these affairs of state, Edward will become the Duke of Edinburgh when his father, who currently bears the title, dies.

As you can see, then, Edward is not ever likely to become a member of the English middle class, but there is a definite down-to-earth impression about the life he and his wife will lead.

Their honeymoon, to Balmoral in Scotland, lasted only a few days before the couple got back to work and to supervising improvements to their new home in Surrey.

They hope to be left alone, and there is a fair chance that the newspapers will respect their appeals, particularly The Sun. Britain's biggest-selling tabloid sparked great controversy in the weeks leading up to the wedding when it printed a picture, taken several years previously, of a topless Sophie on holiday with friends.

The newspaper made a great play of its world exclusive and confidently expected sales to soar, but there was no public appetite for what many ordinary people perceived to be needless humiliation. The picture was roundly condemned and The Sun was forced to print a groveling apology several days later.

In the long term, The Sun may have unwittingly helped the royal family, which, finally, may once again be able to get on with life without tabloid reporters and photographers dogging its every step.

Shukan ST: July 23, 1999

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