The Wedding Of The Century?

As I write this, Prince William will be getting married to Kate Middleton. The media hype machine has been going into overdrive for the last few weeks. You cannot turn on the television, listen to the radio or go online without seeing something about the royal wedding.

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What's odd is that while you would expect a frenzy in their native Britain, there is far greater interest in the "wedding of the century" (well, until Prince Harry decides to get hitched) in places like the US. Even here in Singapore, the magazines are all reporting on it. I see so many updates on Facebook wishing the young couple well, on my local friends' Facebook pages.

KATE MIDDLETON

It makes for a sweet story, I suppose - the young prince getting married to an attractive young commoner (I mean no disrespect to Kate but she does not come from royalty). People are getting caught up in the hype and they have good intentions - I am sure the vast majority of people hope that the young couple will live happily ever after.

But how many people have considered what the young couple actually want? On one of the most important events of their lives?

I do not know what Kate Middleton is feeling. I think she had some idea when she started her relationship with Prince William Windsor. But I would not be surprised if the full-scale of the media frenzy, which has forced them to dance a perverse jig like a pair of marionettes, has scared the living daylights out of her.

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, is much easier to read. He clearly loathes it. It is a well-known fact from several impeccable sources that he despises this media circus.

Alistair Campbell, the former Director of Communications for Tony Blair, wrote in his diaries that William is "consumed by a total hatred of the media". He holds them accountable for ruining his mother's life and contributing to her death. It is not an unjust criticism, to be fair.

In the book "Diana's Boys" by Christopher Andersen, Princess Diana once remarked that William is waiting for the monarchy to be abolished and he even told his father that he would "go backpacking in Nepal and never come back".

But perhaps the greatest insight to his young mind comes from an episode in his mid teens. According to the journalist Nicholas Davies, during one holiday, William was tobogganing down a steep hill in the dark.

When the young prince got to the bottom of the slope, it was near a road where cars were passing. Suddenly a detective leapt out, threw himself on the sledge and hurled William into a heap of snow, for his own protection.

A furious William got up and screamed: "Why do I have to be surrounded by policemen all the time? Why won't you let me be a normal person?"

This should proven that beyond a shadow of a doubt that when they pose for the cameras, they are fake, plastic smiles and done through gritted teeth. Perhaps the greatest gift of all that we can give to the young couple is this - the gift of anonymity.

The Wedding Of The Century?

Han Hwee Yeo is a Singaporean Chinese. He works in the education and seminar business. In his spare time, he likes to travel, do yoga and enjoys cooking and wine.

KATE MIDDLETON