How important are the royal family?

I was in London on the day of the royal wedding. And, my intention was to write this article avoiding clichés and stock phrases, such as: “young and old mingled happily together,” and “the Mall was a sea of red, white and blue.” However, upon sitting down to write about my experience, I came to realise that such clichés are almost certainly the only way to accurately convey the atmosphere of such a unique day.

The crowds really did represent a fantastic mix of young and old people, who came from a whole range of backgrounds and countries. While the majority of those crowding into central London were unsurprisingly solid representatives of tea-drinking, X Factor-watching middle England, there were also contingents from a large array of other countries, all joining in enthusiastically with the celebrations.

I can think of few other events where such an eclectic mix of people gather together in such good humour. The septuagenarian ladies who were standing next to me didn’t tut or protest as children squirmed past them to get a better look at the passing royals; the middle-aged couple behind me was unusually talkative and friendly; and even the rather noisy and boisterous Stella-drinking Aussies were tolerated with friendly good humour by their long-suffering neighbours.

The crowd’s reaction to the wedding was also heart-warming, and surprisingly moving. Before the parades began, people scrambled onto railings, lampposts, and walls to catch a better glimpse of royalty. A group of girls even looped some rope over an overhanging tree branch, and were using the rope to totter precariously on a bollard to see over the massed crowds. Genius.

The cheers for the passing royals were loud and refreshingly un-ironic, and the moment of touching intimacy was listened to in a respectful hush by the vast crowds. Many of those around me joined in enthusiastically with singing the national anthem, and I’m not ashamed to admit that I did feel a small lump rising in my throat.

The Duchess of Cambridge

It is reported that a million people gathered in London to take part in these celebrations, and it is estimated that 20 million people watched the royal wedding on television in Britain alone. This really doesn’t surprise me, and on the day itself, I sensed a notable feeling of increased neighbourliness, and an increased feeling of affinity for one another. This was accompanied by a palpable sense of pride in our country’s history and traditions.

In an age where technology is making us increasingly atomised, when many are uncertain of their place in the world, the royal wedding really pulled everyone together in a moment of common celebration and common identity. In our cynical age, such moments are all too rare.

As for those who are using the opportunity to call for more constitutional vandalism in the name of ‘progress’, the royal wedding demonstrates conclusively that any change can only be for the worse.

I, for one, strongly doubt that a ‘representative’ elected president would command the same level of instinctive loyalty and affection on the part of the British people as the royal family demonstrably still can. I also doubt that any elected representative would be able to convince millions of British citizens to gather in the streets in such an incredible celebration of our nation and our way of life. And, some tired political ‘has-been’ of a president would certainly not keep alive our links to those millions of Commonwealth citizens in a wealth of countries in Africa and Asia who also recognise and rejoice in our shared history and traditions, as the monarch currently does.

While the monarchy may seem anachronistic in an age of iPads and Twitter, it continues to work exceptionally well. I’m certainly looking forward to the next royal wedding.