Royal Wedding
The Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on 29 April, 2011 attracted worldwide attention. This news was not a surprise, because the couple had been frequently in the news over the past few years. I am pleased to hear this happy news.
In spring 2003, I was in Edinburgh. My friends and I took a day trip to St. Andrews. We secretly hoped to see Prince William, because he was in the university there at that time, and we were looking around as we walked towards St. Andrews Castle. In particular, one of my friends, of about his age, had an ambition to be the first British princess from an Asian country (though it was just a dream and she knew it was unrealistic).
The weather was nice; we passed the time idly, sitting on a bench in sight of the Castle. Nearby, people were making arrangements for a wedding party. Later in the day, the castle was closed for the wedding party, so we left. Men in kilts and ladies in beautiful clothes began gathering around the castle. We saw three generations of men; father, son and grandfather wearing the same kilt that has been passed down in their family - the 'clan tartan'. It was very Scottish, and a great sight.
I think Kate's wedding dress was simple and elegant; it really suited her. Women dream to find the perfect wedding dress for the special day, one that seems chosen by fate - even a rental dress. But the most important thing is that the wedding is not the goal of happiness itself - it’s just the beginning of a new phase of life. This is a quote from the Christian Bible which is often used at weddings; Corinthians 13:4-8a "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but regoices with the truth. It always protects always trusts, always hopes, always preservers".
The wedding of Japan’s Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako on 9 June 1993 was also impressive. For me, the news of this wedding came as something of a surprise, because Naruhito hadn’t been the subject of gossip items for a long time. Eventually he found a perfect lady. Princess Masako formerly worked at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is highly intelligent. She wore a traditional Japanese ‘junihitoe’ at the ceremony and also a white wedding dress for the parade. 'Junihitoe' was really elegant - in the past, only court ladies could wear it. ‘junihitoe’ means 'twelve layer collar robes' - people in the past enjoyed the arrangements of the layers of colours.
Royal weddings always seems like fairy tales, a prince and a princess, white horses and a carriage, guards and the public watching, waving flags. But in reality, Prince William and Princess Kate must have felt happy and also huge pressure as the future of the British monarchy depends on them.
In spring 2003, I was in Edinburgh. My friends and I took a day trip to St. Andrews. We secretly hoped to see Prince William, because he was in the university there at that time, and we were looking around as we walked towards St. Andrews Castle. In particular, one of my friends, of about his age, had an ambition to be the first British princess from an Asian country (though it was just a dream and she knew it was unrealistic).
The weather was nice; we passed the time idly, sitting on a bench in sight of the Castle. Nearby, people were making arrangements for a wedding party. Later in the day, the castle was closed for the wedding party, so we left. Men in kilts and ladies in beautiful clothes began gathering around the castle. We saw three generations of men; father, son and grandfather wearing the same kilt that has been passed down in their family - the 'clan tartan'. It was very Scottish, and a great sight.
I think Kate's wedding dress was simple and elegant; it really suited her. Women dream to find the perfect wedding dress for the special day, one that seems chosen by fate - even a rental dress. But the most important thing is that the wedding is not the goal of happiness itself - it’s just the beginning of a new phase of life. This is a quote from the Christian Bible which is often used at weddings; Corinthians 13:4-8a "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but regoices with the truth. It always protects always trusts, always hopes, always preservers".
The wedding of Japan’s Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako on 9 June 1993 was also impressive. For me, the news of this wedding came as something of a surprise, because Naruhito hadn’t been the subject of gossip items for a long time. Eventually he found a perfect lady. Princess Masako formerly worked at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is highly intelligent. She wore a traditional Japanese ‘junihitoe’ at the ceremony and also a white wedding dress for the parade. 'Junihitoe' was really elegant - in the past, only court ladies could wear it. ‘junihitoe’ means 'twelve layer collar robes' - people in the past enjoyed the arrangements of the layers of colours.
Royal weddings always seems like fairy tales, a prince and a princess, white horses and a carriage, guards and the public watching, waving flags. But in reality, Prince William and Princess Kate must have felt happy and also huge pressure as the future of the British monarchy depends on them.
