I'm vaguely aware that there's a royal wedding in a month's time. I really don't give a damn and was bewildered to find that the English teacher in a firm here in Milan is actually going to Britain to follow it.

How patriotic/royalist do other forum members feel? Does living in Italy affect their feelings? I've lived in Italy more than half my life and recognise good and bad points in both countries. I find patriotism just plain daft; I couldn't stand all the flag-waving for the 150th anniversary of Italian unification either.

If it was not for them we would be a small island stuck in the middle of nowwhere:

wait for 4mins 53 sec and then tell me you do not get goosebumps

Brilliant Mr. Posh!
I have to say I will probably put on a nice dress on the day, and I'll be flogging it as much as possible for lessons, but the main thing I'm worried about is the fact that I'm going to miss all the street parties I've never been to one before and I'd really like to try it.
I have no ill feeling towards the Royal Family, and I think people should be happy about a wedding - it's a nice occasion!

Just an OT to say that I didn't see many italian flags around;( apart from public buildings) I could count really a few..it's easier to see football clubs flags hung up these days.. ps I'm Italian but it's not my fault,() 150 years ago somebody made a huge mistake ( just my opinion though)

I have to say as well, the more time I spend abroad the more patriotic I feel; not in a horrible American sort of way, just a quiet sort of pride. My country is amazing, it beats Italy any day of the week (unless football is involved of course!) and I am so so glad that I'm going back there in a couple of months time!

I wouldn't go to London for the wedding. I don't think I'd be able to cope with the crowds and the chaos.
I wouldn't mind a good old fashioned British knees-up though.
I'm sure that we won't escape the hoo-hah here in Italy. It'll be all over the TV, radio, newspapers and magazines.

Mr Posh, no goose-bumps, I'm afraid! In the 1960s (in my teens) I used to watch the last night of the proms and enjoy it, because I was naive enough to think they were just letting off steam and didn't really have such extreme patriotic feelings. When I later realised they weren't joking it turned me off... and I turned it off!
Just out of curiosity I thought I'd sound out the other forum members by starting this thread. Actually the views I find here don't correspond with the general feelings I found among the British people where I worked until recently (in a language school in Milan). It may be that an Expats forum tends to attract the more patriotically-minded.

But don't worry, I do love my country! Take away my English bitter and a good pork pie and you'll see me up in arms!

I don't give a toss about the wedding. How cynical that they've made it a public holiday!

Is that to take the public mind off the money it will cost?

I don't really care about it either. I'm not necessarily anti-royalist (it's part of our history after all and what makes Britain, Britain) but I don't really get what the difference is between this and any other celeb wedding personally... weird that they get a public holiday... I can understand more about having a public holiday to celebrate the unification of Italy than I can for some sodding posh wedding.....

If it was not for them, we would be a small island in the middle of nowhere....

Who exactly? THe Prommers? Composers such as Elgar? Or are you saying that the Royal Family themselves have prevented Britain/ENgland/The commonwealth/ becoming an insignificant backwater in world affairs?

I was wondering the same thing... By the way, don't misjudge Elgar, who wrote the Pomp & Circumstance March, but didn't write the words of Land of H&G and didn't like them.

Apart from the title line "Land Of Hope And Glory" does anybody know the rest of the lyrics?

Yes, for my sins I do know them, but anyway all you need is to do a quick Google search.

I never said I wanted to know them .......... but as I was never taught them nor heard anybody singing them, I was wondering how many people grew up having learnt them.
I have heard the tune a million times but not with the words.

I was forced to learn my grammar school song though - including the chorus in Latin. I can still remember that. It was drummed into us in 1st year.