It's reality shows vs royal wedding

Now, the 10-year-old would rather watch a blockbuster episode of reality TV talent show X Factor and meet one of its pop singer judges than see Kate Middleton become a real-life princess when she marries Britain’s Prince William. “I’d rather go to the ‘X Factor’ final because you get to see loads of famous people like Cheryl Cole,” she said.

“I’d rather meet Cheryl Cole than Kate Middleton, because Cheryl is cool and kind.”
Pop star and X Factor judge Cole is the product of manufactured fame in Britain, who began her own career on a reality TV show when she was chosen as a member of girl band Girls Aloud. By contrast, William is the Eton-educated third-in-line to one of the British throne. His fiancee Kate Middleton is a privately educated woman with a degree from one of Europe’s top universities whose parents are self-made millionaires.

With the media frenzy surrounding the royal wedding on April 29 gaining steam, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Hardcastle’s views were out of kilter with that of most Britons. However, a survey by pollsters ComRes last November found a majority of Britons were “not excited” about next month's occasion, with 31 percent saying they “couldn't care less”.

Commentators agree that the royal family might have lost some of their mystique, but reject the notion that they no longer capture the public's imagination. “The British royal family has in a sense stepped into the showbiz arena and they do compete for interest with the X Factor,” said royal biographer Christopher Wilson.
“The only thing is that most of the people who are in X Factor disappear after a year or two, whereas the royal family has got continuity that goes back hundreds of years.”

Claudia Joseph, who has written a biography of Middleton, said global interest in the wedding showed their lasting appeal.  “Times have changed since the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Both Britain and America are obsessed with reality stars, who are much more willing to talk about their feelings and take their clothes off,” she said.