To London, To London

President and Mrs. O are off to London for the G20 conference. And they've been invited to Buckingham Palace to have dinner with Queen Elizabeth. Oh! To have an invitation to that dinner party! What I wouldn’t give to watch the Obamas charm the royal lace drawers off of that old bird.

I must admit to a long-term fascination with the British Monarchy. I was eighteen when Diana Spencer became engaged to Prince Charles. I remember so well getting up at 5:00 am with my mom to watch the festivities. We had just settled on the sofa when my Dad came around the corner and settled himself into his La-Z-Boy chair so he wouldn’t miss out on a moment.

And that’s the thing about that wedding, I don’t know anyone who didn’t watch. It was like watching a real-life version of Cinderella. And Diana....she was one of us. She had never outgrown the desires of her thirteen year-old self. When it came to engagement rings, she picked out the biggest sapphire in the British Isles. Wouldn't you? When it came to wedding dresses, she picked up the one with the most ruffles, bows and longest train. Bring it on! When it came to flowers, she said, ‘more, more, more!’ Fortunately, she also had good taste.

Queen Elizabeth, unfortunately, did not enjoy having a daughter-in-law that was so completely in touch with her inner 'tween. It’s too bad. Diana’s wedding was an incredible moment of good publicity for HRH. They’ve certainly had to work hard to remake their image after Diana’s death. The whole world was devastated when Cinderella’s real-life marriage didn’t work, and Diana died after running off to Paris with a rogue.

But this is a new era for all of us. And our new President and his missus are off to London to see the Queen.

Not to be outdone by the Obama administration forcing the White House into the information age, HRH Elizabeth has recently gone out and gotten herself a website. There are some other websites that are even more intriguing -- full of gossip and photographs of the current young royals and their nuptials.