Royal Wedding

Why is the royal wedding New Zealand news? It is probably news in every Commonwealth country. New Zealand is closely tied to the UK for a number of reasons. One is the Commonwealth. New Zealand was once a British colony and most of the first European settlers in the 19th century came from Britain. Young New Zealanders who have a parent or grandparent born in the UK have special rights to work in the UK. Many older New Zealanders worked in the UK when they were younger. Members of the royal family, including Prince Harry, have visited New Zealand.

Those of you who live in New Zealand now will know about the media interest in the royal wedding. Many people stayed up late last night to watch it on television or spent some time today catching up on it. It was like a fairy tale: handsome prince in love with a beautiful woman and they get married.

Of course, it was more than that. Because it was a royal wedding, it took place in a beautiful church. The bride wore a beautiful designer wedding gown with a very long veil which was embroidered with a flower from each of the Commonwealth countries. New Zealand’s flower was the kowhai.

Then there was the pageantry, the spectacle of the bride and groom in a royal coach pulled by horses with the horse guards leading the parade. Crowds of people lined the streets waving flags.

In many ways, this wedding breaks with old British traditions. The bride is an American, divorced, and of mixed race with a black mother and white father. She does not come from a royal family. In 1955, the Queen’s younger sister, Princess Margaret, was not allowed to marry a divorced man. Times have changed.

Listen to Royal Engagement for more about this couple.

Vocabulary

• settlers – immigrants planning to live (to settle) in the new country
• to catch up on something – to find out something that you missed e.g. to catch up on the news
• pageantry – a show, like a theatre with traditional costumes
• spectacle – a show, something wonderful to see