IN THE 29 years since Prince Charles questioned the real meaning of love while handing over a £30,000 engagement ring, cynicism about celebrity weddings in general and royal weddings in particular has reached epidemic proportions.

Barely a day goes by when one of the red tops or a glossy gossip magazine does not report another superstar marriage crumbling into acrimony.

It is a welcome change then to witness the broad optimism that has greeted news that Prince William is to wed his long-term girlfriend Kate.

While many will dismiss the wedding as an irrelevance in the modern age, in an otherwise gloomy era of post-recession austerity it should at least be acknowledged that the Wedding of the Century (as it is sure to be known) is an opportunity to unite a nation in something other than a sports match.

If a slight lift in the public mood can be maintained through to the wedding next year, it must be better than endless wallowing in reports of a global financial crisis, strikes and the impending collapse of another economy.

That should be especially true in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, which has shown through its continuing enthusiasm for Royal visits over the years that the Windsor family is still a very popular institution.

Perhaps surprisingly for islands with a parliamentarian history going back to the English Civil War, the Royals are loved and respected by many islanders.

And if the young prince and his new bride were to accept the Lt-Governor’s offer and visit the islands sometime soon it is certain that the bunting will come out and people throughout the Bailiwick will line the streets flag in hand.

It is equally clear that come the day of the wedding next year thousands of islanders will tune in their new digital box or satellite to a day’s pomp, ceremony and celebration which might at last soften those sad memories of the last Royal occasion to change the mood of a nation: the funeral of William’s mother, Diana, 13 years ago.