A Royal Wedding Affair...oh, to be so young, so beautiful and so in love!

I am not really a royal watcher per se and I had convinced myself that I was happily going to sleep through the LIVE televised nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton catching every little bit of the event later in the day when it would, most certainly, be running on a continuous, non-stop loop on every television station, network and cable.

So, I was shocked to find myself awake and glancing at my clock at exactly 3:22am. My then surprising  response (at least to me) was to bolt from my bed to my tiny family room clicking on the televsion as quickly as was humanly possible...especially since I already knew that the real action had begun at 3am PST.

By the time my eyes were no longer in a blurry haze I was able to see that William and Kate (or Catherine as people were now calling her) were seated to the right of the center altar. I kept waiting for them to get up and say their vows...mostly because I just wanted to see the full effect of Kate's dress having obviously missed the grand entrance 22 minutes earlier. For me at that moment it was all about the dress.

I can't tell you how long it took me to realize that they had said their vows at the very beginning of the whole spectacle and in doing so had deprived me of my God given American right to see it all LIVE (oh, just forget that I  had not intended to do so in the first place...just never mind about that). I was beyond frustrated as I struggled to stay awake long enough to get through all the church music and shots of the Queen who NEVER cracked a smile or even the hint of one...she is one piece of work that one! I mean, for goodness sake, it was her grandson's wedding...wasn't she the least bit happy about that?! Oh, well, never mind about that, too.

The music was actually quite lovely and the grandeur of the centuries old Westminster Abbey was something to behold indeed...but it was Prince Wiilliam and his new bride, Catherine (now together the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge) who took my breath away. They were both so poised in the face of such enormous pressure and scrutiny. William was shy and low key in the way that his mother, Diana, was before her fame took over. He was constantly and lovingly gazing at Kate, holding her hand as if to reassure her that he was (and would always be) there to guide her through this new fishbowl life she had just signed up for. And then, there was Kate/Catherine looking as serene and quietly elegant as a human being possibly could. She was so stunning, so classy, so dare I say perfect, that I'm sure I was not the only one who was left spellbound. Though journalists and others liked to remind everyone that she was considered a "commoner" I don't think that there is one thing "common" about Kate Middleton. In fact, I would go as far as to say that that young woman has more class in her pinky finger than all of those royal Windsors combined. Good for Prince William for realizing that he was the luckiest guy on the planet to have found her.

As most of you know, I never found my Prince Charming (at least not yet...but let's be honest here, time is running out!)...anyway, I can say without hesitation that I would be ill suited for the royal life. I would never be able to keep my mouth shut and my opinions to myself, my past though not racy would come back to haunt me I'm sure plus I don't possess the kind of natural elegance and grace that would be required to really pull it off with any dignity at all. So, I don't secretly long for a real prince...but what I found myself truly envying was how much in love William and Kate appear to be...such a sight to behold...such magic, such wonder...yes, I admit it, I do envy them that because I would like to feel like that again... it looks like a piece of heaven.

Around 4:22am I decided that I better get back to sleep if I was ever going to get through my day with what is left of my brain intact. I staggered back to my bed feeling giddy and quite joyful actually...very happy for Prince William and his new bride, Catherine...oh to be so young, so beautiful and so in love...

Sweet dreams to them and all of you...

xo Nanci