In theory, the birth of the "royal baby" should have little to no impact on my life whatsoever. So why am I so excited? Why did I actually scream out loud when I read the news. The REAL news, not all of those stories that have been written over the past year to sell tabloids.
It might have to do with the fact that I studied abroad in London. In my time their last spring and since, I've spent a decent amount of my time obsessing over British culture, food, music, style, TV, you name it. If it comes with a fancy accent, I'm pretty much all over it. And, of course, the royals are no exception.
I was lucky enough to essentially stumble upon the Queen one day while I was on campus in London. I attended King's College, located right on the Strand and next door to the Somerset House. She happened to be there and I happened to be quite close. I heard whispers that old Queenie herself was at some high falootin' event so I did some investigating. A security guard told me that if I wanted to see her I better get to the sidewalk where the car was set to leave from (I think he only told me because I was American). So after taking a few pictures with the Queen's purple Rolls-Royce, I planted myself on the sidewalk. After chatting up a constable for a few minutes, we started to hear the rumblings of the motorcade and before I knew it, her car was right beside me waiting to turn onto the street. And while she and Prince Philip may have only sat there in front of me for 25 seconds, I managed to snap my photo and give my wave. And it was glorious.
Every time I walked past that spot on the street for the next three months, I stopped, thought about that moment, and paid just a bit of homage to Lizzy herself. But even before this magical encounter, I always felt a connection to the royals. I remember seriously contemplating staying up to watch William and Kate's wedding (I didn't, but COME ON, it was so late). I was young, but I remember the coverage when Diana died and I remember how devastated everyone seemed to be. She wasn't just Great Britain's princess, she was the world's princess.
The bottom line is everyone loves the Royal Family. Whether or not you think they actually do anything, whether or not you agree with the things they actually do, you can't help but want to know everything about their seemingly fantastical lifestyles. It's hard to believe that there are people in 2012 that actually live the way I imagined Cinderella's life to unfold. And knowing that that lifestyle is out there, and that this baby is going to live that life, is something that makes me happy. And a bit jealous.
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