The Los Angeles Times describes Britain as ‘grateful’ for good news during dark times:
“It was a grateful nation that received the news, happy for any distraction from depressing headlines about government cutbacks and painful retrenchment,” the paper commented. “Months of excited gossip over a possible royal wedding will now be replaced by months of excited gossip over wedding preparations, plus ceaseless scrutiny of Middleton’s fashion choices and general overuse of the description “fairy tale.”
“The wedding is likely to be the most anticipated royal event in Britain since William’s parents, Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, married in 1981. That occasion too was a mood-lifter for a country mired in recession, though royal watchers said that William’s nuptials will probably be less lavish, in a nod to the troubled state of Britain’s public finances…British Prime Minister David Cameron interrupted a Cabinet meeting to tell his colleagues the news, which he said sparked “a great cheer” around the table, though whether it was out of joy for the couple or for the opportunity to divert public attention away from the government’s sweeping austerity program was unclear.”
The Washington Post describes the latest royal wedding as an opportunity for ‘redemption’:
It claimed: “William’s nuptials will likely be Britain’s grandest royal wedding in nearly 30 years. But more than that, the young lovers represent a royal redemption, a rehabilitation, a reboot from the fraught triangle of Charles and Diana and Camilla. Over the past two decades, the reputation of the entire royal family has steadily declined from regal to rancid. There was the divorce of Charles’s brother, Andrew, not to mention further dramarama earlier this year when his former wife, the Duchess of York (“Fergie”), was caught on video arranging payment for access to her ex.
“Queen Elizabeth II – herself besieged by a burnt palace and a tax scandal, and portrayed in her own 2007 biopic as kind of a jerk – once declared 1992 as her “annus horribilis.”
“It is now up to Prince William to transform 2011 into an annus mirabilis.”
The Boston Globe claims that Kate Middleton has American connections:
It said: “The British fiancée of Prince William has family ties to some big names across the pond, genealogical researchers in Boston announced yesterday.
“Kate Middleton is an eighth cousin eight times removed from George Washington, through common ancestor Sir William Gascoigne, who died in 1487, according to researchers at the New England Historic Genealogical Society.
“She also counts Meriwether Lewis, who together with William Clark mapped the West in a famous 19th-century expedition, as a ninth cousin seven times removed. And she is related to General George S. Patton, the outspoken Army officer who commanded troops across Europe during World War II, as a 13th cousin three times removed.”
For the Huffington Post, Jonathan Ezer wonders whether Americans will care about Kate Middleton:
He writes: “Naturally, Kate’s rise is a fairy tale. A beautiful young girl, wooed by a charming Prince. Rarely does a person become so famous just for falling in love. For that reason, the story may resonate all over the world.
“But on another level, the story carries some tension. Everyone knows of the paparazzi’s pursuit of Diana, William’s mother, and how that cat and mouse game ended in tragedy. And not just any tragedy: a death that gripped the world. A natural question comes to our minds: Will Kate’s fate be any different?
“Americans have traditionally disdained the royal family as a relic of bygone era. Even more so, Americans view the continuation of the royal family as something “primitive”. Whereas America eschewed the hereditary transfer of power in 1776, Britain still “suffers” from this terrible injustice. A clear sign — one may argue — of Britain’s arrested development, and of America’s superior constitution.
“Nevertheless, the royal family carries some fascination. During these tough economic times, will Americans take notice that, in Britain, fairy tales do come true?”
The International Business Times of Australia says that the engagement has reignited debate over Australia’s place in the commonwealth:
It said: “The news of the engagement between Prince William and Kate Middleton has stirred the debate whether Australia should remain a constitutional monarchy or adopt a republican system of government.
“In a statement, the Australian Republican Movement (ARM) called the news of Prince William’s and Kate Middleton’s engagement as a “very British moment.”
“This was a quintessentially ‘British’ moment in which the English-born and raised Prince William announced he will marry the English-born and raised Ms Middleton, amid the appropriate congratulations of the British Prime Minister,” reads the statement from the Australian Republican Movement.
“While the organization congratulated Prince William and Middleton, it also said that the news highlighted ” just how remote this development was from normal Australians.”
The Australian says its politicians have been divided over their reaction to the royal engagement:
It commented: “Julia Gillard and Quentin Bryce have sent congratulatory messages to Prince William and Kate Middleton but republicans have played down the couple’s engagement.
“Governor-General Ms Bryce extended on behalf of all Australians her best wishes to the prince and his fiancée and said Australians were “delighted” earlier this year when William made a formal visit.
“Our time with you in Sydney was memorable and thoroughly enjoyable. Your genuine fondness for Australia and Australians shone through in all your interactions, and I know that these feelings are very much reciprocated,” she said.
“I am sure that Australians look forward with anticipation and excitement to hearing of your wedding preparations as they unfold.”
The New Zealand Herald questions the cost of a royal wedding and the strain placed upon police by security demands at a time of economic austerity:
“The cost of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s union will run into millions and will be largely met by public funds,” it points out. “The bulk of this expense will go on the huge security bill for the occasion.
“The announcement of a wedding adds another red letter day to a police diary already overflowing with costly events. One member of the Metropolitan Police Authority, Scotland Yard’s board of governors, warned that budgets were already tight.”
The Globe and Mail says Canada has welcomed the engagement and hopes the young couple will come and visit them after they are married:
It said: “Prime Minister Stephen Harper wants Prince William and his fiancée, Kate Middleton, to come to Canada after they are married.
“Mr. Harper extended the invitation in a statement Tuesday congratulating the couple on their engagement.
“On behalf of all Canadians, I wish to congratulate His Royal Highness Prince William, the grandson of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, on his engagement to Miss Kate Middleton,” the statement says.
“It would be an honour to welcome Prince William and his bride to Canada in the future and show them the special warmth and cherished traditions that are reserved for members of the Royal Family.”
Slinking Toward Retirement 