Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle: why is the British royal family arousing so much interest in the world?
Do you remember that the future queen of Sweden, Victoria, married her former personal trainer in 2010? And that Prince Albert of Monaco married a swimmer?
If not, you probably do remember that Prince William of England married his former college classmate Kate Middleton in 2011.
And it is that according to some calculations, almost 2,000 million people saw the couple say yes I want in real time around the world. In the United States alone there were more than 20 million viewers of the event.
On Saturday, many people around the world will tune in again to see the British royal family.
But this time the attention will fall on Harry, the youngest son of Prince Charles and Lady Diana, who will marry the American actress Meghan Markle.
Dozens of broadcasters have already installed their filming equipment outside Windsor Castle, where the ceremony will take place at 12 noon local time.
But why of the 28 monarchies that still exist in the world, is the British one that arouses the most interest?
For the experts consulted by BBC Brazil, this occurs for multiple reasons.
The main one is the way in which the family of Queen Elizabeth II adapted to the changes of behavior in the world. All, of course, with some good marketing help, which made it a global brand.
Novel and consumer product
Pauline MacLaran, a marketing professor at the University of London and co-author of the book Royal Fever: The British Monarchy in Consumer Culture, argues that the fascination with the British monarchy is essentially due to various factors.
The size of the British empire is what gives it a global reach.
Elizabeth II is queen of 15 other territories beyond the United Kingdom and also the leader of the Commonwealth, the Commonwealth of Nations that has 53 member countries, almost all with historical ties to the United Kingdom.
In addition, there is a certain popular imaginary about how royalty lives.
"The idea of the fairy tale of princes and princesses is deeply rooted in Western culture and is reinforced globally by Disney," MacLaran tells BBC Brazil.
According to the author, there is also the "human factor", the curiosity about the behavior of each member of the royal family.
"There is an interest in members of the British royal family as individuals with their own personalities, opinions and feelings," she says.
"And the relationships between them, the fact of being a family, also exerts fascination, with their emotional ups and downs with which we can identify in a way similar to the attraction exerted by novels."
There is also the "heritage" built by the family of Elizabeth II, with historical elements that guarantee longevity and stability, and the luxury normally associated with royalty, with an image of fame and fortune embodied by its members.
"The British royal family was able to adapt well to contemporary consumerism. There are many different ways that people engage with it," says MacLaran, in relation to tourist events and souvenirs related to William, Harry and the rest of the members. rof the royal family.
Fairy tale and young royalty
For Charlie Proctor, editor of the Royal Central site, dedicated exclusively to the news of the British royal family since 2012, the role that the family plays has to do with the fairy-tale aura to which it refers, with princes, princesses and castles .
According to him, most of the readers of his site are from Republican countries such as the United States, South Africa and Brazil, who want to know what life is like for the royal family.
"People are simply fascinated by royalty. They are treated like celebrities and as such have dedicated fans who follow their every move," he says.
The media have an important role in building that interest. "Royalty sell newspapers and as a result more people read about them," he adds.
And, according to Proctor, British royalty knew how to use the media to their advantage, mainly after Diana's death, to promote their charity events and the actions they sponsor.
"In recent years, there has been a significant movement within the royal families regarding social media. The Kensington Palace Twitter account has 1.3 million followers. Often the main announcements regarding them are made via Twitter ".
"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted to announce they have named their son Louis Arthur Charles. The baby will be known as His Royal Highness Prince Louis of Cambridge," read a recent Kensington Palace tweet.
"In a way, royalty is ignoring the press and spreading their latest news themselves and that's good for the royal family, because they present themselves in the best possible image," says the Royal Central editor.
Another clear rebranding of the British royal family, according to Professor MacLaran, is the way in which the image of the couple of Carlos and Camilla Bowles was disclosed.
"Their image creation processes tried to ensure that the couple is seen as appropriate to eventually represent the Crown (since Carlos is the heir to the throne). We also see that in the emphasis on the young royalty and in the popularity they achieved to become the face of the modern monarchy. "
For Proctor, the younger members of the royal family, the couple William and Kate, as well as Harry, did much to help the British monarchy win more popular support.
"People adore the younger royalty, they are always on the front pages of the newspaper and the world's media follows their every move."
The Diana factor
Harry's marriage to a divorced, feminist, black American woman will further help the British royal family become more popular, according to MacLaran.
Diana's death, at age 36, in 1997, also helped the royal family gain more supporters.
"The crisis that produced her death led to many changes in the way the royal family behaved and made her connect better with her people."
For Proctor, Diana's death extended her popular image to the royal family as a whole.
"Diana was known as the 'People's Princess' because she was a person of the people. She changed the way royalty did their work, showing passion and enthusiasm. Diana's legacy will continue in the future. She gave the monarchy a life very necessary, "he says.
"The British royal family repositioned itself, going from being considered elitists without contact with the public to being friends of the people," he concludes.
