I was in the crowd at Province House (Prince Edward Island) yesterday when William and Catherine visited. I (49) drove for five hours, waited in a "prize spot" with my daughter (24) and my niece (16) for nearly six hours. Anyone who knows me well thought I was joking when I told them what I intended to do. (I am not a "fan" of anything in the sense these acts imply and it is VERY out of normal character for me to do such a thing).
The organizers of the event were goofs and the set up was goofy and William was mostly a disembodied voice no one could see because the podium was facing the building and not the crowd (weird but true) and the long drive and wait resulted in a VERY brief glimpse of them.
We talked all the way home about it. We were all cranky at the organizers and the people who are responsible for creating the public itineraries and publishing said information to internet and print sources. There was a lot of confusion about where they would be, what was public and what was private and how one got to those places, etc. I have some -small- bit of influence in my professional role and fully intend to make sure that the people who put it together hear my critique of the form of the event (for whatever good it will do).
That said - each of us is very glad we did it and, disappointment aside, feel that the experience was not just a worthwhile one, but a VERY worthwhile one. Why? Because we felt like we were part of a "tribe", if you will. Because we felt we were giving them what the Monarchy needs - visible, public, active support. Because we felt that we were getting what we needed back from the Monarchy - a willingness to move amongst us, meet us, share in our traditions and successes and understand what we love, want and need.
For a short while we were amongst tens of thousands of other Canadians, celebrating our future monarch, sharing our country and our traditions with them. It was very cool. There was a sense of anticipation in the crowd - not just for the coming moments and days and weeks - but for the years and generations. I likely won't be alive when William takes the throne (unless something terrible happens) - but my daughter and niece will.
They have been polite, interested, engaging, fun but not frivolous, and altogether charming - approachable in the way they should be, distant in the way they need to be.
We all felt it was a bit of a Kennedy scenario... "Ask not what your [monarchy] can do for you - ask what you can do for your {monarchy[]." We felt what we could do for it was ... show up, cheer, wave and welcome them. It was a marvelous experience.