Mad for the Royals? This could be why!
Cheryl, hello! It’s Friday and I can’t think of a better way to launch the weekend than celebrating COURTED on your blog. Thank you for having me today!
In honor of all things royal, I thought I’d explore a little about why I think Americans have a unique soft spot for royalty. These are just my opinions, and I welcome other ideas as well!
Three reasons to love the Royals
1. Sometimes, we like to rock it old country
Though America is a melting pot of people from nations all over the world, a large percentage of the country has roots (sometimes distant roots) in Europe. As such, we see the monarchy as a bit of a holdover from our own past, a time when things may not have been better, but they certainly were simpler. Whether our family trees are rooted in England, France, Germany, Ireland or countries farther flung across the old world, today’s monarchies echo a past rich with history and royal pageantry.
2. They seem… classier
American pop culture is not built on hundreds—even thousands—of years of refinement and elegance, in the way that most European monarchies are. While we celebrate actors and actresses, sports stars or people famous for simply being famous, a royal family has a panache that we can’t deny. Even our American royals—the Rockefellers, Kennedys, Roosevelts and Carnegies—can’t outweigh the current popularity of families like the Kardashians. As a result, for many Americans, the idea of royals is almost a comfort in the same way that the James Bond character is. You just know they’re going to be civilized, even if they’re in the midst of a dastardly plot.
3. Because most of us grew up with fairytales
The great American dream is about self-determination, but the idea of living in a world of kings and queens brings to mind all sorts of fond imaginings of fairytale balls and dashing princes. Especially in those tales where the commoner is elevated to the crown. Though must of us are all grown up now and not susceptible to the allure of the Disney princess, once upon a time we likely either imagined ourselves as one of the characters in these stories, or made up tales of our own—the adventurous Belle from Beauty and the Beast, the sweet rags-to-riches Cinderella, the fierce warrior maiden in Mulan. Even if we were the princesses who fought battles instead of drinking tea in the front parlor, we were special, rulers of our own little kingdoms.
Modern day royals don’t always live up to our imaginations—they have scandals and discord like any other family. But there’s still something magical about the idea of princes and princesses in today’s rush and tumble world. And stories about royalty help us escape for just a brief few hours into those imaginings, where kings and queens really rule and wishes just might come true.
What about you? If you love tales of royalty…ask yourself why. You may be surprised by the answer!
Thank you again, Cheryl! This was a lot of fun, and here’s wishing you an absolutely royal weekend!
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