Is anyone else as excited as I am about the royal baby news?!

Yes, Kate Middleton is expecting.  If you haven’t heard the news, here’s an article all about the details.  I think I am about obsessed with William and Kate as most of the rest of the world so I can’t help but be excited.  First of all, I think they (particularly Kate) are just fascinating people with fascinating lives but it’s also interesting to see another young couple who’s just about a step ahead of us hit some of life’s major milestones.

The Royal Wedding came just a couple of months before Charles popped the question (which I had a good idea was coming) so that definitely gave watching the Royal Wedding and everything that led up to it a whole new meaning.  My mom and I even had an opportunity to wake up at dawn and watch the Royal Wedding inside Disney’s Wedding Pavilion where I would get married myself just a year and a half or so later.

It’s fun to live vicariously through observing the lives of public figures.  Now, don’t get any ideas – Charles and I will not be quickly following the trend with baby news anytime soon but I am sure it will officially babies, baby names, maternity fashions, etc. at the forefront of the news cycle for the next 7 months or so.  I would be willing to take bets that there will also be a mini baby boom as women get caught up in the craze!  I think it’s safe to say that all eyes will be safely back on Kate for the first time since focus on the Royal Wedding died down.

Something that was somewhat interesting that I read in one article was about Kate Middleton’s hair.  The recently unveiled new bangs (as seen in the picture at the top of this post) have apparently created some speculation.  In addition to physiological/hormonal changes potentially effecting your hair (I can’t attest to the truth in that and I doubt these sorts of websites are really the best source of medical information), this article noted that women often change their hair at a time when they are making a major life change.  I am sure there’s a lot of truth to this.  What better way to start a new chapter in your life that making a change to your appearance that you are just really excited about?  No matter what, I think it’s safe to start the clock to see how quickly women around the world will begin emulating the Duchess’s high fashion hair, maternity wear, and eventually diaper bags, “prams” as they call them, and everything else that comes along with parenthood.

I know, I know…while so many love learning about the Royals, a whole host of others are probably frustrated by the amount of attention they receive from the media and everyone else.  I really like William and Kate and have a great deal of respect for them for a number of reasons:

1. Shaking Up the Status Quo.  Being in a family with so much history and tradition, I would imagine it takes a lot of guts to break from the status quo which is something both William and Kate have so willingly done.  Even the recent change allowing William and Kate’s first-born to ascend the throne one day, regardless of its gender, is a sign of the progressive direction the royal family has taken.  Kudos to them!
   
2. People You Can Relate To.  While people are fascinated by people who are very far removed from normal, I think most are even more interested in people who seem normal in completely surreal situations.  It is for this reason that people like Kate Middleton and Michelle Obama have become icons for real women.  Re-wearing outfits or frequently using a beloved accessory should be more the rule than the exception but we see it so rarely among the right and famous that it’s a novelty.  Although many of the pieces they sport are still outside of my price range, it is much easier to emulate a style icon who’s closet is somewhere in the realm of reality.
3. Cinderella story.  We have all grown up on the Disney fairytale and no one can resist seeing one come true in real life.  Seeing normal people plucked from obscurity to live a life that seems destined for someone else gives us hopes that anyone of us can have something unexpected and amazing happen in our lives.
4. Great Taste.  Aside from the fact that Kate is the almost-every woman when it comes to fashion, she also has really impeccable taste.  I have been inspired by more than a few of her outfits and she has a sort of effortless, natural looking beauty that we need to see a little bit more of in the fashion world.
5. They Just Seem Like Good People.  Sure, celebrities can be misleading with the persona that they put on for the public but I really think that William and Kate are the sort of people who you would genuinely like if you met them.  Although involvement with philanthropic endeavors sort of comes with the territory, they seem to interact with people with an air of authenticity and sincerity that is difficult to fake.  Despite their lofty responsibilities to their nation, they still know how to have fun and are not afraid to be genuinely affectionate to one another.  It is very difficult to mimic true happiness and I think we as spectators are truly glad to see it.  Relationships are tough, they take work, and too many marriages in the public eye crumble after controversy and scandals.  I think seeing a couple who has gone through so much and seems to come out on the other side stronger touches the part of that really believes in true love.

Ok, enough philosophical commentary and sappiness.  It is clear that 2013 is shaping up to be another exciting year for all of us “Royal Watchers” out there!

—

How do you feel about the Royal Family?  Did you get caught up in the excitement of the Royal Wedding?  Will you be among those closely following the next chapter in the lives of the Royal Family?