This Little Prince Brings New Hope, by Michelle Marchildon.

 

Along with the rest of the world, I have been enthralled by the new little prince.

I say everyone is excited except there are a few sourpusses who think the royal family is a sham (um, really?), and they will probably write in to tell me that it’s a sham, but guess what? I don’t care.

Le Petit Prince, named just today George Alexander Louis, is a symbol in so many ways of how we long to get it right. His arrival reminds us of his father’s birth, when the beautiful Princess Diana emerged from the very same hospital 31 years ago with William in her arms.  If you don’t remember that moment, then perhaps you know how her story ended?

The story of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer is among the greatest tragedies of modern life. Young teenage girl (mortifyingly pronounced a virgin by the royal physician) falls in love with older Prince, the future King. They met exactly 13 times, and then got married.

The display of pomp and pride at her wedding was apparently the high point of the romance, because if you look carefully, you can see the Prince’s mistress in a front row seat as Diana was led to the altar. I don’t know about you, but in my weddings, we kept the exes as far away as Texas.

In the end, Diana was unhappy in her marriage, but found joy in her children and in her charitable work. Then she died in a car crash after being chased by paparazzi.

Now it seems that her son, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, is doing everything he can to write a new ending to the sad story of his parents’ lives.

First of all, unlike his father (who may have picked Diana out of a “look book” of eligible, virginal girls with a title), William fell in love with his wife the old fashioned way: he met her in a bar. He first took notice of Catherine Middleton at a college “fashion” show where she walked a make-shift runway in barely more than a bathing suit. “Whoa,” he was reported to have said. The fact that she was a commoner didn’t slow him down for a nanosecond.

Then there were the ups and downs of royal dating. You know, the break ups and make ups, except these were on the front page of the newspapers. It takes more than 13 televised visits to fall in love. The future Duchess of Cambridge was known as “Waity Katey.”

Finally, the Prince came to his senses, and I have it on good authority that he threw himself at Kate’s feet begging her to forgive him for being an idiot and take him back. This is how every successful marriage begins: dashing husband realizes who is in charge and learns to say, “yes, dear.”

I watched the videos of the young couple emerge from the hospital and stand exactly where his mother stood 31 years earlier. Diana had an uncomfortable husband by her side. We know how that ended. But these two young people were gloriously happy.

We do not yet know how the story of the Prince and the commoner is going to end. This tale is filled with hopefulness that the child is not just an heir to Britain, but the successor to a love story that will finally come true.

I can see Diana now, but this time she is smiling from above because she did one thing well: she raised a son who is willing to break a few rules in the name of love. It seems that when it’s important, in matters of love and children, Prince William is willing to try, over and over again, until he gets it right. I’m glad there is finally a real “prince” in the royal family.

Michelle Berman Marchildon is the Yogi Muse. She is an award-winning journalist and the author of Finding More on the Mat: How I Grew Better, Wiser and Stronger through Yoga, and Theme Weaver: Connect the Power of Inspiration to Teaching Yoga. She is a Columnist for Elephant Journal and a Contributing Editor for Mantra and Origin Magazines. She is an E-RYT 500 with Yoga Alliance and teaches Hatha Yoga in Denver, Co. You can take her classes on www.yogadownload.com or www. Yogasteya.com.