Ahhh... a Royal Wedding. Something to free our minds from...

[VolcanoJen]

... rising energy prices, a bloody, misguided war in Iraq, the ever-looming threat of terrorism, the economic rise of China, India, and "new" Europe...

Gotta love the celebration of the uber-rich European Royalty! Rock ON, Old Europe!!!!

Honestly, I'm all for it if it helps heal Spain for just a moment. But in the realm of things... ya know??

Tune into CNN-International now, if you haven't yet had your fix...

Royal fever sweeps Madrid for prince's wedding

[izzie]

1. It was a shock to wake up to the 19th century this morning.

Sort of nice to see two pretty people in a lovely place do this, even if those times are gone, it does not hurt to bring back this part of it, at times.

[Bridget Burke]

2. Thanks for the reminder.....

I switched on Univision so I can catch the end of the ceremony. I woke early ago to see Diana marry Charles; that didn't end well. However, this bride is not a maiden selected for her bloodlines marrying a prince who really wanted someone else.

Saturday's wedding offers Spaniards the first chance to show some public joy after a year that has seen several somber demonstrations against war abroad, violence at home and in mourning for those killed on March 11.

Felipe, 36, is often described as the most prepared heir yet: three military academies, law school and a master's in international relations from Georgetown University.

After dating a Spanish aristocrat, an American millionaire's daughter and a Norwegian model, Felipe chose a modern Spanish woman, professional and divorced. Ortiz, 31, seems to have won approval from a Catholic public in spite of her marital status.

www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/features/2582781

Not a heavy story--a little break from the grimness is welcome. The Queen looks distinguished in her black lace mantilla; she is Greek & was born in exile, like the King. The family does work for their upkeep. The King put down a coup 6 years after Franco died--right wing generals were nostaligic for the old days. More recently:

At a state funeral at Almudena Cathedral following the bombings, Prince Felipe, Ortiz and other members of the royal family went from pew to pew, trying to comfort sobbing mourners.

www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4119527,00.html

[sushi]

3. I love weddings

The bride is lovely. The dress stunning. The bridegroom tall, dark and handsome. The cathedral awesome, worth a visit. It rained, which means good luck. What more do you want.

[Kellanved]

4. argh

It is live on here - on all channels. I don't know why the Spanish royal clan is deemed that important outside Spain; I guess people like seeing the prince and princess stories without having to pay for it.


If only this guy had won his lawsuit...
http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?channel_id=2&story_id=7516

[BelleCarolinaPeridot]

5. I see you are enjoying ARD , ZDF , RTL and NTV .

Please tell me I am missing at least one channel . It was on CNN International as well .

[Kellanved]

6. ...Euronews, TV5, ...

RTL is now showing the Formula 1, which is no improvement at all.

Guess I'll have to go out and enjoy the weather... oh well.

[July]

7. Actually, the Spanish royals are not uber-rich

They have very little personal wealth. The King is widely admired for helping usher democracy in after the Franco years, and particularly for personally intervening to stop the coup attempt. The royal family is considered pretty down-to-earth for monarchs, and they make an effort to do their duty toward the Spanish people.

[VelmaD]

8. Don't know if it's an urban legend or not, but,...

I remember hearing the story about King Juan Carlos stopping and helping someone whose car had broken down on the side of the road. Just rolled up his sleeves and pitched in to help a complete stranger. If it's true then I figure that makes him a decent human being (whether he was a king or a hot dog vendor). :)

I also remember hearing that his government ID lists his occupation as "government functionary" or something like that.

[July]

9. I've heard a similar story.

Heard it in Spain. Supposedly, the king was driving his motorcycle and stopped to help someone on the roadside. The guy didn't know he was the king (helmet). When the guy thanked his rescuer, the king took off his helmet and the guy saw who it was. Apparently, the king used to "escape" on his own once in a while.

[VelmaD]

10. Must have driven his "handlers" insane...

that he road a motorcycle.

I haven't seen a pic of Juan Carlos in a while but I remember thinking he was a hottie back in the day. And he drove a motorcycle too. *drool* *swoon* *thud* :)

[Darth_Kitten]

11. Well, can't really fault the Spanish Royals.....

they seem like regular decent people. :)

but.....

for the other euro-trashy royals and their marriages, it was like which daughter of some shady murderous tyrant, former girlfriend of a druglord, some drug-addicted former party girl was going to be a future Queen. :evilgrin: :eyes:

[Zomby Woof]

12. Congrats to Felipe!

Link is not working for me, but I did find http://theinternetforum.co.uk/rf/felipe1.php . He is about my age. In 5th grade (fall of '77) we were rushed out of the classroom to see an airshow demonstrating the new 'Harrier' fighter jet (aka "El Matador"), and Juan Carlos, Queen Sofia, and the children were there to see it as well. They were about 100 meters (hey, the use metric there ;-) ) away, but it was cool to us. We liked that Felipe could be someone we could play soccer with - there was NO pretension about this family AT ALL. And I am someone with a very dim view of royalty, but as July said, the king helped usher in democracy, and at the time I was there, that was very important.

Our next door neighbor was a contractor with McDonnell-Douglas, who designed and built the jet. He and his wife met the king at that show, and he kissed her hand, lol. All that evening she was excited, saying she would never wash it again. So, in a way, I am just 2 degrees from the Spanish royal family.

Congrats to Felipe and Letizia. :toast:

[brook]

13. I met...

the King and Queen during their honeymoon in the US at a mutual friend's home. My Greek husband and I (a Spanish speaker)compared communication difficulties with them. Like us, neither spoke the other's native tongue. They were a lot of fun... much like any other young couple. Their being there was a last minute event. I do remember we got a quick head's up in case we wanted to forsake our usual jeans and tees for the evening. Outside of that there was no formal folderol.

A few minutes after they'd left, Juan Carlos burst back into the room looking for Sofia's purse which he laughingly complained she seemed to forget at every place they'd been.

It's pleasing to see them so well-loved and respected. I hope that the Prince and his bride have a happy life together also.

[Darth_Kitten]

14. nice anecdote!!!

:hi: Again, they seem like very unpretentious classy people. :D

[UTUSN]

15. Let'em Have Fun. They Were 90% Against the Iraq Attack

Including Juan Carlos (unprecedented speaking out). And they got OUT. Usually I'm democratically anti-royals, but let'em eat cake in this instance. Also, anything to get a t.v. anchor off the air.