Your daughter has married a royal. And not just any royal. No, the second in line to the throne. Yep, your daughter is now at the pinnacle of the aristocracy. And it only took your family several of generations to get there. As every media outlet seems to want to remind you.
So now that all of the wedding bills have been paid. You've packed up your bags, smiling graciously as you get into your car to return to your normal life back in Berkshire.
Or will you?
Unlike some other families who have had relatives marry into the royal family, you have had the advantage of getting used to the spotlight. Unlike the Ferguson's or the Spencer's, you Middleton's are a stable and loyal family. Why if it weren't for Uncle Gary, the relatives who worked in the coal mines, or that you once worked in the airline industry, your family is close to ideal. As the media seems to want to remind all of us.
Unfortunately you made a mistake - without even knowing it. Something that might cost your family dearly when it comes to privacy. You only have to look at the wedding footage to prove it. In a nutshell:
Pippa.
The moment she stepped out of the car in that slinky Sarah Burton dress (a style, oddly, bearing no relation to anyone else's in the wedding party), you were in trouble. You may not have even realized it until you read the papers the next day. Now for the most part, a maid of honor who overshadows the bride will test any friendship/family bond. Long after the wedding photos make the bride's dress look dated, a gorgeous maid of honor will live in infamy. Why, it's enough to get you removed from the Christmas card list or any invites to subsequent marriage ceremonies. In this instance it's different. Pippa is not only the star of the wedding album but now a tabloid cover girl. Unfortunately disowning Pippa will backfire. That is the stuff which juicy tell-alls are made of.
At least Diana had the good sense to put the lovely Lady Sarah Armstrong Jones in a larger version of the children's dresses. Pretty, but no sex appeal whatsoever. It was Diana's dress that was the most important. After all, it was her day now wasn't it?
What's done is done. Just when you thought your lives could go back to normal Pippa unwittingly unleashed a whole new focus on the Middleton family. That slinky body will inspire hundreds of potential story lines. Pictured beside Prince Harry on the palace balcony, who wouldn't see them as a couple? Maybe if you're lucky something will become of it. That will show them, won't it?
It's plain to see that your family is close-knit and loyal. Now that Kate is royal and Pippa is on the radar, you'll need those qualities to survive the continued and intense interest in your family. Think you've been through the ringer before?
Brace yourselves Middleton's, this is just the beginning.
© Marilyn Braun 2011
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