Dubai: As the British royal wedding approaches, the buzz around the mega event seems to be getting louder thousands of miles away in the UAE.
With the big date falling on a Friday and the wedding being broadcast live, British citizens in the UAE are gearing up to spend April 29 glued to their television sets.
Like a reader told Gulf News, everybody is hoping to get a slice of the fairytale magic. "We are all such romantics at heart, and this is a fairytale wedding. I guess we all want a bit of fairytale magic in our lives, and that's what the wedding brings with it," Mona Syed-Mirza, director of a skin clinic in Dubai, said.
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For someone who has attended the silver jubilee of the Queen's accession and Prince Charles and Princess Diana's wedding, this is one event impossible to miss.
"My daughters wanted to be in England, and were quite disappointed that they couldn't attend. There is a huge feeling of euphoria in London and especially after the recession, this is just what England needed," she said.
Nasser Hafez, a sales manager, felt that there was more excitement around the royal wedding this time as the common man in UK connected better with Princes William and Harry, compared to older members of the royal family.
He said: "About 20 years ago, the royal family was a bit stuffy and lived in a completely different world. We couldn't identify with them. I think Prince Charles was the first to try to reconnect the royal family with the common populace. Now, the two boys, especially Prince Harry, seem like any other lad in town who everybody can connect with. Also, Kate's just so beautiful, you have to wish them well, and I think a lot of British people do. They are a beautiful and vibrant young couple and for them to be the face of the UK is just great."
Most readers Gulf News spoke to were excited to have the young couple as the new ambassadors of England. Karen Beggs, a business development manager, felt it was difficult to not get excited about the wedding, thanks to the buzz in the media.
Point of interest
"I will be very interested in what Kate Middleton wears for the wedding. She and Prince William seem lovely together and I definitely connect better with them than Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles," she said.
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The royal wardrobe is not the only point of interest among the masses. Most Gulf News readers were also excited about how the wedding would give England a chance to showcase its culture and heritage to the rest of the world.
John Savage, an educator, said: "It will be interesting to see how many brunches are planned across the UAE as everyone's getting involved. People are pretty pleased that it will be shown live right from the stables of Buckingham Palace. Royal weddings are an amazing sight, and I personally am a fan of the royal family. I think we've lost so much else in the country, I'm glad this is still there."
