Why Australians care so much about the royal wedding

YOU may already be sick of the royal wedding, but its cultural significance is undeniable.

No amount of Facebook rants can trump the fact that over two billion people around the globe are expected to tune in to watch Prince Harry and Meghan Markle get married at Windsor Castle.

I didn’t realise just how intense the royal fever was here until a passing comment saw me in an abrupt war of words with my taxi driver earlier this week.

We were making small talk over the radio headlines — the federal Budget, North Korea and, of course, the wedding.

“God I’ll be glad when it’s over,” I said conversationally.

The driver’s friendliness immediately evaporated.

“You know what you are?” he said. “You are an elitist. You are an arrogant, a racist, and an elitist.” Please explain? Elitism for not expressing interest in the Western world’s most elite family?

I gave a short laugh, assuming he was joking. He ... wasn’t.

He demanded to know where I was “from”, not taking “Australia” for an answer. I’m not sure why my ethnic background was relevant — perhaps he thought it un-Australian to not engage with our colonial past? — but he was genuinely fired-up. I fired back. People stared. Queen Lizzy would’ve had a heart attack.

Expletives aside, he, like many Australians, was resolutely passionate about the upcoming event.

But why? Why does Australia — a nation where more than half of us are now in favour of a republic — care so much about strangers getting hitched 17,000km across the world?

That’s not a self-righteous rhetorical question. I asked a hardcore monarchist for answers.

WHY AUSTRALIANS CARE ABOUT THE ROYAL WEDDING

According to Rachel Bailes, a prominent spokeswoman for Australia’s Young Monarchist League, Australia’s interest in the royal wedding is rooted in escapism and the comfort of tradition.

“People see the royal family as embodying these transcendent ideals of tradition, beauty and service ... it’s this idea that in a way this is all larger than life,” she explained over dinner (where just about everybody within earshot was discussing the same topic).

“It’s like, ‘I’ve got my life at home, I’ve got my 9-5 job, I’m in the rat-race ... but here I am, able to connect with something that’s magical and pure.’

“We live in this postmodern world where so many things have lost their essence, where lots of traditions have been disbanded, but this is riding through strong and that gives people a sense of hope.”

I suggested this event epitomises an ugly aspect of weddings — the materialistic side that emphasises expensive dresses and flowers and photographers and show. Everything but the authenticity of the relationship in question, in other words.

But the estimated £32 million ($A58 million) price tag is not about the couple. According to Rachel, it’s about the billions of viewers.

“The real cost of the wedding is the publicity,” she said. “It’s the public nature of the event that’s costing so much money. They know there’s this huge surge of demand and they need to give the people what they want. They don’t have the luxury of a private wedding.”

Isn’t that kind of ... depressing?

“Sure. I’m sure they do find it depressing. And I don’t think it’s fair on them.

“But I also think the royal family is often perceived as a little bit remote. They don’t speak to the media. It’s always tightly controlled and it’s often for charity when they do give an interview.

“But what William and Kate have been trying to do, for example, is acknowledge the people. They’re trying to bridge that divide and say we’re not just these mystical pawns; we’re living, real people just trying to live our lives.”

The same goes for the cultural significance of Prince Harry.

“This isn’t just ‘Harry from the block’, this is someone who’s dedicated his whole life to serving a higher purpose. I think that kind of transcendence is lacking in everyday life, and if you took it away, people would feel like they’ve lost something.”

But what about the dripped-out hype? Do we need the blow-by-blow updates on the $180,000 dress and the first kiss that will “break tradition” and the quantity of tiers on the wedding cake? Rachel reckons that’s half the fun — and ties into a hunger for light entertainment.

“The media networks are giving the people what they want and the reality is, some of the key commentators and producers spearheading the media hype probably couldn’t care less about the wedding itself.

“They simply realise that people want to know and that people will be watching.”

But she does believe there’s a groupthink aspect to the media avalanche.

“Everybody’s watching this. There’s this idea of ‘I’m watching this because this is what everyone’s watching’. It doesn’t have to mean you have some deep notion of care, but you see something of public significance unfolding before your eyes, it has historic value and it’s aired for free in your lounge room.”

Not to mention the massive windfall.

According to Bloomberg, the wedding is predicted to boost the British retail sector by a one-off £120 million ($A216 million), as people hold street parties and buy commemorative plates — not to mention all the tacky merchandise.

Royal tourism reportedly rakes in close to $1 billion per year. At the same time, pubs are expecting to reel in a £10 million ($A18 million) boost to trade on Saturday, with extended licensing hours.

Like most people, there’s no bitterness in my contained enthusiasm. I wish them as well as I would any other two people I’d never met. British actor Emma Thompson summed it up best in her now-viral response to a journalist asking if she wished them well: “Obviously, yes, but I don’t know them.”

Even to a hardcore monarchist, that’s good enough.

“It’s fair for people who would vote in favour of a republic to still enjoy observing such occasions,” Rachel said. “There doesn’t have to be a strict separation between monarchists and republicans and the events we enjoy. One of the strengths of the monarchy is its ability to unite across political views and divides.”

Regardless, I’m sticking to using Uber from now on.

Follow Gavin on Twitter at @gavindfernando.

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