Bring Me My Chariot of Fire.....

Oh, if only TV had been invented before 1509. And, the Internet.  And Facebook.  Just think.  Instead of having to watch "The Tudors"....

We could have seen the wedding of HenryVIII and Katherine of Aragon live.  And rerun.  And rerun.  And when he married Anne Boleyn someone would maybe have run videos of the weddings side by side.  The birth of his son?  Would Henry have had a Facebook page

Instead, I saw an event today whose broadcast would not have been possible the year I was born.

"In a sense every wedding is a royal wedding...." we were told today.

I got to see about 7 minutes of the royal wedding this morning, scurrying around to get ready for work.  I'm watching it now as a rerun on MSNBC.  With all the power Henry Tudor had at his fingertips, he never could have imagined this.

Instead, I imagine this as a sort-of live telecast of The Tudors.  The very existence of the Church of England that married William and Catherine was thanks to Henry and the inability of Katherine to produce a male heir.  And, even in a 2011 wedding, three reasons were cited for people to marry - the first being the production of children.

Oh Catherine.  Be grateful that you weren't used as a pawn to gain power by your family, as Anne Boleyn was.  And don't feel all that pressure to produce a male heir.  You won't end up in the Tower of London.

When I heard James Middleton give the Bible reading , (the part of the ceremony I saw live) I heard commentary that it didn't uset the translation of the King James Bible - considering that Prince Charles is Patron of the King James Bible Trust.  Hmmm?  Well, nowadays it would be only food for bloggers, not a trip to the chopping block for the offending party.  (it was disappointing in a way, given the 400 year history of the KJB.)

The  homily?   It was very thought provoking.  Especially if you think of Charles and Diana and what became of their marriage.

The special decorations of Westminister Abbey for the wedding?  Made me wish for a HDTV (still don't have one!)


Later in the ceremony I saw Elton John and his husband, singing "Jerusalem" with the crowd. Ever since I first heard that song in Chariots of Fire, it has given me chills to hear it.  I really can't explain why.

I send (over the Internet, this evening) Catherine wishes for a happy, long marriage. (Given William's love of the warrior life, I hope she keeps busy.)   I hope she doesn't suffer the fate of two other famous Catherines:  Katherine of Aragon (daughter of Queen Isabella of Spain) and Catherine Howard.