The wedding that Britain needs more than ever

Despite embarrassing relatives – and not just on one side – and a plethora of salacious tabloid headlines, even rain could not dampen this important party, one that Britain needs

A dark cloud in the form of the bride’s seemingly dysfunctional family hangs over the impending royal nuptials. Every day a new and slightly more farcical story emerges.

And truly, when it comes to tabloid gold, never has a gift been so endlessly generous as the Markle family. There is the estranged half-sister Samantha, recently in a car crash in LA after an altercation with the paparazzi, and the estranged aunt and her two sons, who have not seen the bride for 20 years, are categorically not invited to the wedding, and who have arrived in London purportedly to appear on Good Morning Britain. And let’s not forget the estranged half-brother Thomas Jnr, fresh from prison, who we might expect to turn up at the church and raise his objections at the appropriate moment. (Has anyone ever had so many estranged family members?)

Really you can only feel sorry for Prince Harry and Meghan, both of whom must be going through hell in the lead up to what is supposed to be one of the happiest days of their lives, largely thanks to the press who have been exploiting the decidedly un-media-savvy Markle’s ever since news broke of the pair’s relationship. This really should in fact be a very happy day for Britain too which, let’s face it, needs a bit of lift in the midst of its relentless political woes. The retail sector is struggling and consumer confidence it at a low, Brexit keeps churning away in the background, while the depressing prospect of a labour government led by Jeremy Corbyn continues to niggle away at the public consciousness.

But love is in the air, and that’s not the only thing Britain should be revelling in. Good news is aplenty. The UK’s jobless total fell by more than 40,000 to 1.42 million in the first three months of the year, for example, while employment rose by 197,000 to 32.3 million, which is the highest figure since records began in 1971. Meanwhile wages were up by 2.9 per cent on the previous year.

There really is nothing quite like a royal wedding, or any royal occasion for that matter, to raise the British spirits and remind us of the fact that all is not doom and gloom although the mere sight of our sad Prime Minister might give that impression. Tens of thousands have already flocked to Windsor with their tents and overnight bags, just to get a glimpse of the couple as they emerge from St George’s chapel and embark on their carriage procession ending at Windsor Castle where the Queen will hold a reception for them.