I don't mind the royal family at all...as someone says above, they're cheaper to "run" as an institution than most elected presidencies...and in cases where the president's a figurehead (eg France, Russia) rather than part of the executive, having an hereditary head of state takes the politics right out of it. So I'm by no means a republican.

However, the "Kate and Wills" hype is driving me nuts and I too will be far away from a TV on the day....climbing a nice bit of gritstone at "the Roaches" in Staffordshie and staying in the Don Whillans Memorial Hut, which is let into the crag itself and has NO TV reception :-)