Peter McKay
Are you shocked by, indifferent to, or entertained by Princes William and Harry’s visit to Memphis, Tennessee, for the wedding of their ropey-sounding friend, nightclub expert Guy Pelly?
Those in the shocked camp will cite the £50,000 bill for sending eight policemen from the royal Protection Squad to guard the Princes — along with Princesses eugenie and Beatrice — as they gallivanted from fancy restaurant to nightclub via Graceland, former home of rock ’n’ roll royal elvis Presley.
The indifferent say, who cares? What have the Princes and Princesses got to do with the price of fish — or ed Miliband’s treasured cost of living crisis? There are more serious things to worry about in our troubled world.
Those who are entertained might savour Harry’s arrival in Memphis — after partying in Miami — in a private jet supplied by Pelly’s bride, Holiday Inn heiress elizabeth ‘Lizzy’ Wilson, the reportedly prodigious consumption of Tennessee whiskey by Princesses eugenie and Beatrice, and the excited coverage (some by helicopter) of the affair by America’s main TV networks.
The former head of the royal Protection Squad, retired Chief Superintendent Dai Davies, addresses the security question, telling the Mail: ‘William is a future king and his brother is fourth in line to throne and a serving member of the military which does, unfortunately, make them a major security risk.
‘If we accept that we need to protect them 24 hours a day then that protection will, by necessity, extend to trips such as this.’
To WHICH the indifferent might reply: ‘Well, he would say that, having been part of the royal protection team.’ But if we prefer to have a monarch as head of state, we have an obligation to protect his or her family. As we would if we had a president, of course — although not, perhaps, for an extended family.
There can’t be much doubt about the entertainment value of the Princes and Princesses — even if the main pleasure we derive is from disapproving of their gaucheness, how they are turned out, their iffy friends and seemingly inexhaustible quantities of money and parties.
What do foreigners think — and does it matter? ‘He’s so handsome and rich and a really nice guy,’ said onlooking Memphis student Meghan riley, 22, of Harry, adding: ‘I would love to be a princess.’
Americans are conflicted about monarchy. While proud generally to have broken away from Britain and built the strongest nation on earth, they’re often wistful about princes and princesses, considering them a cut above the endlessly renewed roll call of TV, music and movie celebrities.
Having questioned me at length about the royal Family and its place in modern Britain, an American lady friend once sighed: ‘Gee, I guess it would be great to have a royal Family, but I don’t think I could ever accept being reigned over.’
Certainly, heiress Lizzy Wilson will have impressed her Tennessee friends by securing the attendance of two real royal Princes — and a brace of Princesses — for her wedding.
In 2003, she was crowned ‘Queen elizabeth — Queen of Carnival in Memphis, Tennessee’. The ‘proclamation’ read: ‘Queen elizabeth’s family heritage is one of the greatest entrepreneurial success stories of not only Memphis but of the world.’ It continued: ‘She is charming, poised and kind. We are happy to be her subjects.’
Surely bridegroom Pelly’s ability to snare a real royal quartet for his big day tilted the balance in his favour when the Wilson family considered whether or not he was a fortune hunter.
If so, is £50,000 too high a price to pay for placing one of our own — even if it’s Guy Pelly — as the consort to Queen elizabeth of Holiday Inns?