What a lovely royal springtime 'blessing ceremony' we were treated to after the sadness and mourning at the Vatican funeral. The princely red and white cloaks of the assembled cardinals swept aside by the expected show of expensively kitschy hats. Outdoing the usual standards of laughable headgear, this royal celebration sported everything from inverted chamber pots to the feathery sweep of a rooster's rear end.
The subdued ceremony, the beautiful music and lovely readings all brought home that this was a much-welcome departure into something refreshingly new. A royal match between two individuals whose hearts have actually freely chosen each other. And yet, this newest in the series of royal couples has to endure so much outrage and indignation from the judging masses.
God only knows what all the brouhaha is about. The best of us makes mistakes, we change our minds, fall in love one year and out of love again the next. Divorce can hardly be such a moral offence in a country that sees more marriages fail than any other in Europe.
Over and over again, one hears the misgivings.
Camilla is a threat to the memory of the late Diana, Princess of Wales. Diana was wonderful in her so many loving and lovable ways. She needs to be remembered for all she did and was, and yes, her end was brutal, tragic and utterly undeserved. It must also be remembered, however, that before her tragic end, the fact of her divorce meant she had already vacated the chair of queen-in-waiting.
It seems a bit unfair to claim Camilla is stepping into Diana's shoes, usurping a role that isn't rightfully hers. How can anyone cherish the memory of the "Queen of Hearts," and then deny heart and its fulfilment to Charles and Camilla? Theirs is a union blessed by love and affection. Such love in itself is a cause for celebration, admiration and respect.
Surely a king that is happy and emotionally balanced is preferable to one that is lonely, bitter and unfulfilled.
Let's digress to Coronation Street for a moment. In an episode last week, poor confused Todd came out to his pregnant girlfriend and within minutes the whole street knew. And they weren't very kind. Lots of tears, screaming, mothers threshing in on each other, at least one black eye, and all kinds of "queer," "pervert" and "poofter" anger bombarded the honest boy. The heckles from those without sin only sobered when Todd's mother put her foot down, announcing her pride. She yelled into the street that Todd had had a choice of keeping his gayness quiet, that he could have gone on living his love in secret. Instead, he had owned up to the truth, and that, she belted out, before she slammed the door behind her, "takes a real man and real guts to do."
Todd's mum certainly scored a win by silencing the rioting masses. Pride and manliness may seem like a bit of an old-fashioned pair of values in these more sophisticated times, but they actually aren't such an unconvincing stance when it comes to judging Charles.
Eventually, the dust will settle, the motley folks in the microcosm of Coronation Street will unknot their knickers, turn back to their own business and intrigues, and leave Todd be.
When the storm in the teacup does pass - and this is just a hunch - Todd's manliness may well be rewarded with a fine queen by his side. The man that will be king deserves nothing less.
Michael Varga is a Montreal writer and royal watcher.