As a US citizen I've often wondered how folks in the UK feel about the royal family, and in particular all the hullabaloo that surrounds something like the royal wedding.
From what I know of the British political system (and that's admittedly not much), the royal family is pretty much not involved at all except in a ritualistic sense, yes? So from what I can see they're pretty much just a bunch of celebrities-by-birth.
Here in the US we have very mixed views on celebrity. On one side we have the tabloid-reading mouth breathers who get off on any and all celebrity gossip (including your royal family), and on the other we have the folks who just don't give a crap about any of that nonsense (if you can guess where I stand you win a cookie ).
I can only imagine it's a bit of a similar situation over there in regards to your average, everyday celebrities. But the royal family is a bit of a unique specimen. Are they just another group of celebrities? Or do they instill a sense of patriotism? Are they beloved by all, or does a portion of the citizenry see them as archaic and unnecessary? Are they a model for other citizens to follow or just a nostalgic throwback to a bygone age?
Also including these because I thought they were funny (both are shots from the royal wedding):
<img src="http://i52.tinypic.com/14ctu08.jpg">
My sentiments exactly, little girl...
<img src="http://i56.tinypic.com/2cxg786.jpg">
Evolution at work: The larger and more ornate her antlers, the more likely she is to attract a mate.