Letter from the editor: A fine line to tread

About six weeks ago, I was on holiday in a remote island location where I met an elderly American lady who asked what I do for a living.

When I told her I was a newspaper editor, she said: “This must be a really exciting time for you.” I concurred, saying that events in the Middle East were indeed rather gripping. “I don’t mean that,” she said, exasperated. “I’m talking about the royal wedding!”

While this betrayed a difference in attitudes to the forthcoming nuptials between Britain and America, and there is no doubt that interest levels seem higher across the Atlantic – witness the number of satellite trucks belonging to the US networks already on the Mall – it did make me wonder whether I was a little curmudgeonly in not getting all Mills and Boon about Wills and Kate.

So now, only days away from the wedding, are things any different? Has excitement taken hold? I asked Peter York, Britain’s leading social commentator, whether he was looking forward to the big day. “What I am looking forward to,” he said, “is having a jolly nice day.” He added that he’s keen to see the dress, and who’s sitting next to who, and, of course, the pageant, but what the day represents is a chance for the nation to come together and have a good time.

I suppose that represents my view, and, judging by the letters I have received, yours too. If nothing else, it gives us another bank holiday, and we’re getting the hang of those now. And, whether royalist or republican, the opportunity to have some sort of shared, communal experience is something we should probably embrace.

Here at i, you wouldn't expect us to be breathless in anticipation, but neither will we spend this week in a state of snootyness. It’s a fine line to tread, and I’m sure you’ll tell us if we waver. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of Easter. Back to work tomorrow (briefly!).