Where’s The Largest Royal Wedding Audience?
A Nielsen report shows how the Royal Wedding buzz is far louder in the US than in both the UK and Australia combined. All the jokes we’ve thrown around the office in New York about the intense bombardment of press surrounding the majestic nuptials is not just a joke, but a reality. Why?
Our UK-based team also jokes about how British newscasters show footage of “crazy” American journalists camping out all over to bring live reports of the scene in London, whether from Piccadilly Circus, Buckingham Palace or Westminster Abbey. UK journalists are apparently not camping out anywhere.
Sick of the Royal Wedding? Lydia Leith has created special sick bags for purchase.
Because every TV network will be streaming the same video feed of the wedding, US networks like ABC and CBS have been warring to hire the best personalities and commentators for their specials. According to a New York Times article, The most sought-after pundits have been signed to contracts worth over $100,000 and others have committed to several networks.
Why is this such a newsworthy event for the US? Is it the fact that the US has no royalty? The fairy tales of Western Europe, many of which come from Germany and the UK, have captured us as children and taught us that the elusive, endangered Royal species is unlike any other. The decline of royalty worldwide makes a royal wedding an even rarer occasion indeed.
The romanticism with which the US media and film industries impact our perception of celebrity may explain the hype. While we know plenty about William, we know very little of Catherine’s personality. Nonetheless, the media is drawn to the little they know of her, her sense for fashion and other details they’ve excavated from a paltry record of her background.
How would you articulate your interest, or disinterest, in the Royal Wedding of April 29, 2011? How do you see the fascination connected to the cultural background of the US?
A throwback to a previous Royal Wedding—Princess Margaret's wedding: The excitement overwhelms a woman in the crowd, 1960. George Rodger / Magnum Photos
After all the press that Charlie Sheen got recently, the news of the royal wedding was a relief for me. The key to appreciating the events properly is to keep what James Hilton called in his book “Goodbye, Mr. Chips” a “sense of proportion.”
What wedding?
I noticed yesterday that in one of the avenues in Tel Aviv, UK flags were hanged all along the avenue. I thought it was funny and nice at the same time, a symbol of recognition of the relationship between the UK and Israel.
In Israel the radio and TV referred to it with respect.
In general I have a feeling that for counties in the world, it serves as a “pause” from daily realities. We, people outside of Britain, can see the aspects of joy, traditions, costume etc., without referring the costs of the event or the meaning of the royal family to the citizen of the UK
Maybe that is why it receives lots of references around the world?