28 april 2011, two narrow for too kings

Although likely to be the year's most watched television event, I shall be resolutely not watching the royal wedding. This will be hard, as my mother, an ardent royalist despite her befuddled state, will be in the lounge. I've nothing against queen lizzy and her clan, and I could even be convinced that the much-complained-about taxpayers' millions they get every year do actually yield a positive cost-benefit ratio in terms of tourism and the paraphernalia of the pomp that will be so much on show. It's just that my son made a wish. He wants to be king. Yes, he could still be prime minister, and yes our latest little princess skipped two classes in two generations, but that's not the point. We need a world where merit has opportunity, yet my son could be a genius and will never be king, whereas william could be thick as a brick and still be britain's most important global ambassador. And this is just the tip of the iceberg of talent lost in poverty and opportunity borne on a silver spoon. Many a crown covers a bald forehead, as whilst ten of the poor can sleep in peace on one straw heap, the biggest empire is two narrow for too kings.