We are excited to interview royal expert Susan Catto about the upcoming royal marriage.
There’s so much that’s unprecedented about this union and this royal bride, and I’m eager to see if that holds true for the wedding, too. I think many people who would normally skip royal weddings will be tuning into this one. The fact that Meghan is American – and something of an honourary Canadian too -- means there’s a huge amount of interest over here.
It’s much smaller in every sense, which makes sense considering that Prince William is a future King.
It’s not a state occasion (so you won’t see Heads of State or other dignitaries), there’s no bank holiday in the U.K., St. George’s Chapel holds just 800 people compared to the 2000 guests at Westminster Abbey.
The Great British Tea Party at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver would be my pick. It’s held three times daily but it’ll be electric on May 19! Mind you, the earliest sitting is 11 am, so you’ll have watched the wedding by then, right?
I like the idea of watching with friends but given the early hour, I’m going to tune in at home in my pyjamas with a pot of tea. I’ll have my social networks fired up, though, because I think it will be really fun to share the experience and hear the thoughts of other royal watchers.
In Vancouver, you could stay up all night and have a seriously crazy royal wedding party; coverage will start around midnight with the ceremony around 4 a.m. A saner option would be to host a royal wedding brunch at a civilized hour. Set your PVR, ask your friends to hold off on watching the news and then screen the whole thing as you sip tea (or Champagne) and eat scones.
Susan Catto, an unabashed Royal watcher and head publisher of Travelzoo Canada. Prior to joining Travelzoo, Susan was deputy editor (and royal expert) at Hello! Canada, and has appeared as a commentator on Royal affairs on CBC Newsworld and other television and radio stations.