I have always disliked televised royal weddings

Good for you. Since I've enjoyed reading about and following British history and the British royal family for many years, I happen to enjoy watching televised royal weddings, just as I now enjoy learning more about QE-II's coronation, which was the first one ever televised. On Youtube, there's the actual b&w coronation, as well as a documentary about the behind-the-scenes planning and mishaps. I've also learned a lot and I've had a blast watching all the BBC documentaries about British castles and mansions, their history, family ownership, provenance and rigors of upkeep in the modern world. Below are just a few:
Windsor Castle: A Royal Year
www.youtube.com
*Secrets of Althorp: The Spencers (featuring Diana's brother, Earl Spencer) *Just added, I forgot to include earlier
www.youtube.com
Secrets of Chatsworth (home of the Dukes of Devonshire)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw54CrzpR-4 (there may be a better copy of this on Youtube)
High Stakes at Highclere (home of the Caernarfon family, and site where Downton Abbey was filmed)
Before it became the setting for the hit series 'Downton Abbey', Lord and Lady Carnarvon opened the doors of Highclere Castle, their stunning lakeside countr...
www.youtube.com
Inside Britain's Super Rich Longleat Estate:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMLWf1Zyd_k Ep. 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9Df7rErNiw Ep. 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8qL7Fl2CEQ Ep. 3
The first episodes in this series about the Earl of Weymouth, his wife Emma Viscountess Weymouth, and the Longleat inheritance were filmed prior to her first pregnancy and difficult birth which was covered in the third episode. They subsequently had a second son by surrogacy:
Emma Thynn, an extraordinary cook and mother who is positioned to become Britain’s first black marchioness, has recast the mold of aristocracy with her stylish, entrepreneurial spirit—despite a strained relationship with her in-laws.
www.vanityfair.com
Here's a brief follow-up on the Weymouths and Longleat, in 2018:
Find out more about this year's exciting Longleat Food and Drink Festival and book your tickets by visiting www.longleat.co.uk/food-festival
www.youtube.com
Growing Up in a Stately Home
www.youtube.com
Treasure Houses of England: Harewood Court
www.youtube.com
More views of Harewood, built upon the slave-owning wealth of Edwin Lascelles, 1st Baron Harewood
QE-II is related to the Lascelles family via the marriage of her Aunt, Princess Mary, to Henry Lascelles
Harewood House is a country house in Harewood near Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Designed by architects John Carr and Robert Adam, it was built, between 17...
www.youtube.com
Highgrove House
Highgrove House is the family residence of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, situated south west of Tetbury in Gloucestershire, Eng...
www.youtube.com
Country House Rescue: Elmore Court
See where Elmore Court is now at www.elmorecourt.com... But back in 2007, which is when Anselm inherited the Court, we featured on Channel 4's 'Country House...
www.youtube.com
Lucy Worsley is known for presenting a number of historic documentaries about British monarchy, country houses, castles, British cultural traditions, etc. Here's a partial playlist:
Lucy Worsley explores the different houses in which Jane Austen lived and stayed, to discover just how much they shaped Jane's life and novels. On a journey ...
www.youtube.com
There's a fascinating book entitled
Victoria's Daughters, by Jerrold M. Packard. Perhaps this 2-part documentary was based on the book:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tysr2GAGeBQ Pt. 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYnZKKthfmo Pt. 2
The Sons:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-dv3SNSzkg
Anyone who doesn't enjoy royal weddings can skip these
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5w30XgACSAg The royal weddings that shaped European history
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htSvZDvIf5I Royal wedding dresses: a history
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUfwpU2B7qg Beautiful British royal brides pt.1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4xtVgK8A6A " " pt.2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYoiY98V-T0 10 most controversial royal weddings (albeit overdone gossip)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsWb4W22Jl0 15 most expensive wedding dresses of all time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyC4KO_uXtM Top 10 ugliest wedding dresses
Bottom line, the history of royal families and of aristocratic/ upper-class families is fascinating and larger than life. It tells us a lot about human and cultural history, wars, the building up and toppling of nations. It can be a soap opera as well as providing insight into human nature and family dynamics. Why do you think
Upstairs, Downstairs and
Downton Abbey were such runaway hits for Masterpiece Theater?
ETA:
Moreover, it was Queen Victoria who started the trend for brides wearing white. In addition, there's so much about the Victorian era that continues to inform subsequent centuries (good and bad). Some fascinating facts about British royal weddings I discovered in these books:
Five Gold Rings -
A Royal Wedding Souvenir Album: From Queen Victoria to Queen Elizabeth II; and
Royal Wedding: The Souvenir Album, by Alison James.
I would love to see Princess Beatrice's wedding televised, but I totally understand why it will be kept low key and private, as opposed to Princess Eugenie's nuptials. In any case, since Princess Beatrice with her big eyes looks a bit like her historic namesake (QV's youngest daughter), it would be rather historic to be able to see Beatrice's wedding take place in living color and to see her be the focus (not her father) while walking down the aisle in a gorgeous wedding dress. Sigh...
Here's rare footage of Queen Elizabeth II in her own words talking about what matters most to her -- duty and service above all, family, and her love for animals:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lh1-9ww_HmM "Continuity is very important... It is a job for life..."