Feminist analysis of the royal wedding

It does make me wonder what they would have done with Diana today, had she lived. How William can bear to be around the people who destroyed her and so clealry knew what they were doing with her during the other wedding is beyond me.

I came back in at this bit of the service

"O God, who hast taught us that it should never be lawful to put asunder those whom thou by matrimony hadst made one, and hast consecrated the state of matrimony to such an excellent mystery, that in it is signified and represented the spiritual marriage and unity betwixt Christ and his Church: look mercifully upon these thy servants, that both this man may love his wife, according to thy word (as Christ did love his spouse the Church, who gave himself for it, loving and cherishing it even as his own flesh), and also that this woman may be loving and amiable, and faithful to her husband, and in all quietness, sobriety, and peace, be a follower of holy and godly matrons."

Do we have a vom emoticon yet?

Oh get alife . Kate looks fab, great day. go suck a lemon

I mean that it serves us well to remember what our position actually is and has been. I read Backlash the other week and constantly got a shock that all the terrible things detailed happened during my lifetime, while I was going about my business growing up.

Sorry that sounds really sycophantic.

Dittany, I love it when you put things so bluntly into context like that.

The woman in the middle of a load of men thing came across starkly in the Abbey. I missed a nun (she was very teeny) and another of the female religious types, but it did seen like she was being delivered up to a bunch of men. Why did Harry stay up there with them at the start and Pippa didn't?

The decisions were made long ago and now fall into tradition. And lots of people don't want to mess with that, regardless of the damage it can and does cause.

Yes, dittany - and the man dressed as warrior.

But then again, I also see two young people who love each other and who are also simply doing their best. So I am split. Tis a dual wedding.

Made the mistake of watching this out of a sense of it being an occasion- goodness knows I am not into weddings (although, at same time, have to admit that marriage is of use to women who become sahm's who rely on man for money and for other legal reasons), royalty, nor am I religious. Wish I had not. The whole thing has made me feel a bit queasy.

This is the 21st century and we are still having men 'give' women away. What a schizophrenic society we live in today ('schizophrenic' meaning confused in this context; so no offence to those who are mentally ill).

Women are supposed to be men's equals, yet a man gives his daughter away upon marriage. All about how lovely bride looks (and she did, fair play) but so what? Marriage supposedly unimportant, yet thousands getting all sentimental at this spectacle. We live in a secular society, yet we are bombarded with religion in this marriage.

Oooooh, who's getting married? Anyone i would have heard of?

Jenny - isn't it a narrative of William triumphing over the harpy-like force of Diana his unhappy past to find a well-behaved wife happiness?

DM headline: 'This is Britain at its best, says Cameron as he tells of pride at seeing William overcome his mother's death to find love'

I agree, it's propaganda, and it is patriarchy - though I feel that many of the men who buy into this system are as asleep as the women. There is conscious manipulation, of that I have no doubt. But it is the acquiescence that shores that up.

propaganda by whom? obviously 'the patriarchy', but who in particular is making these decisions?
I am sure the Palace hierarchy will be very male, and Dave 'Calm Down dear' Cameron will tend to the old-fashioned I suppose.
who else?
how do these decisions get made?

I feel the words of the ceremony (any) are important and set the tone for the future.

So I did not obey, we became husband and wife, and no one wears a ring.

Though I regret changing my name almost daily

Yes, dittany, exactly, the complete acceptance of this as wonderful in the aftermath of the last big wedding. It's staggering. As a republican this makes me ill and I just can't see how they get away with it. Even a cursory analysis of each of the senior members of the royal family makes my teeth itch.

In other words, I think equality is a process of awakening, in many respects.

But I think that like someone said up thread, once she agreed that was probably all she had a choice over.

Then you are more enquiring than many, AmIAPayne. Inequality is often allowed unconsciously.