This utter sham of a royal wedding gets worse and worse. As if it wasn't bad enough that young Prince William had chosen to invite every two-bob rugby player in the colonies to attend the event, it now emerges that one of those invitees, Richie McCaw, has
brazenly snubbed the Prince's invitation. One can only imagine the paroxysms of embarrassment that the poor courtiers at Clarence House are experiencing at this time. I am told that William simply refuses to listen to advice and these risible shenanigans rather seem to prove it.
It seems to me that two grave faux pas have been committed here:
Firstly, on the part of the Prince,
to invite an ill-bred colonial to the wedding in the first place. If William was desirous of a rugby guest for some chappy banter, then there was only ever one acceptable course of action: that is, to invite the England captain, flaxen-haired Mr. Moody (Oakham College), to attend.
Secondly, on the part of McCaw, to reject the Prince's invitation. Now, I know that McCaw is a colonial and thus can hardly be expected to act like a gentleman: but snubbing the future King of England?
Really? It is pretty shoddy behaviour to say the least. I imagine that even the rough-and-ready sheep farmers of New Zealand can sense the stench of
lesé majesté.
It is a most regrettable affair all round. I can well understand that the young Prince might be anxious to reach out to the surly burghers of the colonies, but in my experience it is a profound folly to mix breeds. The pleb and the gentleman - or the colonial and the Englishman - can rub along perfecly well when they merely watch each other from afar with a curious eye;
but the moment these separate classes are thrown together in experimental fashion, one finds that, ineluctably, mere contact with the proletarian undermines the dignity of the gentleman in irredeemable fashion.
This, alas, is the lesson being administered to Prince William at this time. One rather fears that his unfortunate choice of bride - the bony oikess, Middleton - will ram the message home still farther over the months and years ahead.
