In 1966 John Lennon caused a major row by exclaiming that The Beatles were "bigger than Jesus". He was actually musing at the time on how long their popularity would last but, as many others have found to their peril since, the media are prone to reporting what you say.
With regular church going declining, the modern day venue for mass worship seems to be football stadia; up to 80,000 'faithful' paying homage to their over-paid sporting icons acting as deities. The match earlier this week between Barcelona and Madrid is the perfect example: a packed stadium and 500 million watching live on TV.
Then fast forward a couple of days and we see today's wedding between Prince William and Catherine Middleton. A truly spectacular event that has captured the attention of the entire planet. With hundreds of thousands in central London and an estimated 2 billion watching on television. More popular than the great 'El Classico' match by far. Some in Britain sneer at our ancient traditions and the stability our Royal family brings to the country. When you have an event as popular as this - the heartfelt joy on the faces of all those lining the route from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace - you realise those naysayers and their views are like a raindrop landing in an ocean.
But why is it that only a Windsor can be Head of State? And why is unearned status and privilege more appropriate than meritocracy ?
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