It is a dreary Monday in November; the Brexit talks are sinking ever deeper into a rut of pettiness; and the biggest UK news is the release of a 225-page white paper on “industrial strategy” – two of the dullest words in the English language.
And then, suddenly, the news breaks that Prince Harry and his beautiful girlfriend, Hollywood actress Meghan Markle, are getting married.
The natural reaction, of course, is joy. But bizarrely, a very vocal minority of social media users have taken to social media to express what can only be described as passionate indifference with a side order of sneering at the deluge of media coverage.
I’m all for laughing at British media going into overdrive mode, but there is something unattractive about the metropolitan liberal elite, to give them their full name,  sneering at Royal Wedding excitement – especially when today’s news is so clearly a cause for celebration about how brilliant the British royal family is and how awful a republic would be.
For a start, for all Prince Harry’s privileges, he didn’t have an easy childhood. His parents very public divorce hit him hard, and his mother’s death, when he was just twelve, left him struggling with mental health issues well into his adult life.
Despite this rocky beginning, he has become a national role model: at the age of just 31, he’s got a distinguished career in the army to his name, and his work on the Invictus Games is nothing short of inspirational. His status as the country’s red-haired darling is well earned, and the fact that he has now found happiness and stability should be reason enough to crack a smile.
But if a lonely, grief-stricken boy growing up to become a brave and happy man isn’t enough to move you, then the economic impact of the wedding definitely should be. According to the Office of National Statistics, the marriage of William and Kate in 2011 resulted in an additional 350,000 visitors coming to the UK over the same month in the previous year. Throughout 2011, visitors to Britain spent 5% more than the prior year’s visitors, no doubt in part thanks to the bewildering array of merchandise emblazoned with the Royals’ visages.
What’s more, the “Will and Kate effect” has been credited with boosting the UK economy with every standard life milestone. The birth of their first child, Prince George, in 2013 reportedly generated an estimated £247 million ($329 million) in retail sales. With the couple expecting their third child in April, Britain’s economy could see a much-needed double Royal whammy.
And if even that doesn’t warm the cockles of your heart, then there’s the impact the wedding will have on British morale outside north London.
We are a country divided. Yet there is overwhelming  support for the monarchy. Over seven in ten (71%) adults believe the British monarchy should remain, with only a fifth (18%) saying we should have an elected head of state instead. Young or old, rich or poor, urban or rural, leaver or remainer, a royal wedding – and the national pride it brings with it – is bound to bring us closer together.
Whatever your take on the royal family, there is no escaping the bald fact that today’s announcement is Good News for Britain. And on that note, lets press pause on the cynicism, and raise a glass to Harry and Meghan.
