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Apr 29
Friday
Community Articles, Opinion Pieces
Artfully Wedded in Britain

Jennifer Holder shares her cross-national perspective on watching William & Catherine’s Royal Wedding live.

As the royal wedding proceedings rest for photographs and inner-sanctum formalities, electricity is surely surging across Britain as everyone flips the switch on their kettles for tea. I myself flipped the switch, but being an amalgamated citizen of both Britain and the United States, I am making Starbucks coffee in my French press.

What a beautiful experience to rise at 2am and witness this world event. I have been asked several times of my motivation for such a determination to do so — fellow Britons living here in Denver have declared they will be watching the replay at a decent hour, albeit we all agreed that the event would be accompanied by tears and hankie-blowing. I responded to the inquiries by telling people that one day Catherine would be my Queen. This answer reflects my sense of belonging to a nation in which I have spent many wonderful holidays with family and one extended stay during which I had the good fortune of working on the Thames in London. Altogether, if I were to add it all up, I have spent just over a year of my life Britain.

So why the determination? Longing and nostalgia which is physical. My feelings for the place have the powerful quality of birthright, of wandering around Westminster Abbey in my parents’ arms, in sandals and a sundress, in too-short cutoffs and a tank top. Most recently, I stopped by after work, wearing loafers that tapped with a professional cadence as I walked the cross into the inner sanctum of the altar. No red carpet for me, but a feeling of having inherited the place all the same in a kind of cultural imagination.

But there is another reason for my keen interest. In my life of collecting citizenships, I have two that come by birth and one that arrived by choice. I am also a citizen of Shambhala, a global society based on the principles of basic goodness in all beings, community enlightenment, and enlightened monarchy. So I will declare to the world that I am a fan of the monarchy, in Britain and in Shambhala. To me, monarchs hold the central seat for a society and the quality of their reign more reflects the qualities of these royal persons than the roller coaster whims of the general populace. Whether or not the monarchy has governing power doesn’t matter. These are the people we look up to and should hold dear as a symbol for what is important. If we don’t treat them well, if we hound them and terrorize them with criticism or praise alike, then that is a sign of degenerate times.

That said, perhaps you will understand my early-morning insanity — though those who truly know me know that I love to wake pre-dawn anyway, especially to write. As I type, the Rocky Mountains are turning purple outside my bay windows, birds are loud, and traffic is only just showing the first signs of picking up. And Colorado Public Radio has concluded their daily “Sunrise Serenade.”

I have to watch the time to be sure not to miss the ancient tradition of balcony waving, as Catherine greets the crowd from Buckingham Palace, which is now her home. I want to see the new bride, hopefully feeling at home and not intimidated by her in-laws and the formalities that life as a royal brings. I personally feel her level head and her heart, grounded in the simple elegance of humanity’s virtues, is reflected in her choice of dress, the hair that fell around her shoulders, and the softness of her makeup — hardly tinged with color. Women truly do express their inner thoughts and feelings through dress and my heart truly did heart skipped a beat when I saw the low scoop in the neckline of her sister and maid-of-honor, Phillipa. The loose fabric adds a profound soft sweetness to her attendant role. But when I saw the fold and lace of Catherine’s neckline — sweet, light veil and petaled drapes and hem aside — my breath left and mouth fell open at my admiration of her sophistication and elegance.

How can it be that elegance is so simple? That is how I would describe the whole event, as true elegance is just that — simple. It holds tradition with respect and honor, it graces everything with touches of personality and flair, it expresses where we’ve been and where we’re going. I found this in the choice of cars that delivered superstars, friends, family, and diplomats to Westminster Abbey. The alternation of Jaguars and Rolls Royces or Bentleys or whatever they were. The order of arrival, the different greeters and escorts who led guests to their seats — it all had to be incredibly complicated to pull off just right. But the effect was simplicity and acknowledgment — not of importance or who’s-better-then-who — but of who holds what seat and role in society. The elegant, the clumsy, the attention-getting, all these styles were scattered everywhere among the classes.

My observations had the good fortune of not being augmented by televisor’s commentary — I streamed the event through the BBC’s website and found that I could watch the events at Westminster Abbey as the people in attendance experienced it. With the sounds of organ, orchestra, choir, priests, and wedding couple I was relieved to have the fullness and solemn gaiety to myself and to accompany every movement with my own observations. When I wanted, I could check the Twitter feed to the right of the video and was able to follow who designed the bride’s dress, what people were saying on the street, and just who was speaking — all in my own time and according to my own desires. It was a fabulous broadcast experience: kudos to the BBC and their magnificent camerawork. Some of the shots will stay in my mind’s eye forever.

I feel proud of my heritage, and felt even more faith in monarchy upon the reading of the couple’s prayer to bring benefit to the suffering. As a Buddhist practitioner, I felt completely satisfied and elated watching this Church of England ceremony. The “Generous Love” spoken of, the descriptions of the nature of marriage, and the way in which each and every marrying couple is — in his and her own right — the King and Queen of their domain. I hope the messages shared dispels the reputation of stuffiness and haughtiness that plagues the British and especially the monarchy. I find instead deep humility and genuine kindness behind their civility. At heart, the forms they practice actually protect and preserve those qualities. And the power of those forms was reflected today. Even the first public, balcony kiss was just right, as was the Duke of Cambridge’s subtle flush afterward.

And my pride in experiencing this event from all these points of view — as a Briton with such a long and distinguished inheritance, as an American who can carve her own path in life, and as a Shambhalian who has been properly trained to appreciate all these things as well as the grand, distinguished honor of having been born into the human race — the truly noble citizenry we all belong to — swells as I watch a woman in white marry her prince in uniform and a world celebrating such a primordial affair.

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Jennifer Holder is the former content manager of the Shambhala Times who spent more than two years covering events in Shambhala. She is a writer, editor, agent, and publisher at Full Bloom Publications. You can read this article and more at her blog, Artfully in Full Bloom.

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2 responses to “ Artfully Wedded in Britain ”
  1. Arthur Ramsay
    May 6, 2011
    Reply

    While I appreciate that these individuals may manifest some aspects of the King and Queen principle I think this article is one-sided and overly romanticised. The British monarchy also manifest negative qualities such as personal greed and fabulous and extravagant wealth which they do little to let their subjects access They are the apogee of the British aristocracy which much of the mythology surrounding them legitimises. They therefore help to support the dreadful British and Imperial class system which in my experience is largely a setting sun hierarchy which suppresses opportunity and glorifies social injustice and poverty. Individuals within the ruling classes may manifest uplifted qualities but others certainly do not.

  2. Sherab Gyatso
    May 1, 2011
    Reply

    I found the Lord Bishop of London’s speech to be incredibly Shambhalian, albeit from a Christian perspective.

    http://www.officialroyalwedding2011.org/blog/2011/April/29/The-Bishop-of-London-s-Sermon


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