Mal Fletcher comments on the wedding between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, the media culture, and the potential for an entire nation to take on the role of a third set of (unhelpful) in-laws.

As you might expect, some news outlets concentrate less on the glitz of the occasion and more on a discussion about the present and likely future state of the monarchy itself. This can be helpful.

On the morning of the wedding, the respected news agency Reuters took that perhaps a little too far.

A survey by Reuters found that two thirds of Brits were not interested in watching the royal wedding. This may be interesting, but it is a stretch to say that this reflects on the monarchy as an institution.

Reuters claimed that the occasion was all about "injecting new life into a monarchy striving to stay relevant in the modern age". Really? In a 2015 YouGov poll, 68 percent of Brits said they felt the monarchy is "good for the country". Only nine percent felt the opposite, while 17 percent had no opinion.

There is some debate about the future role of a number of senior British institutions - the House of Lords, for example - but to claim that the monarchy is becoming redundant is looking for a story where there is none.

In the post-Brexit age, this nation will rely on finding and building new global trade arrangements. The country will look to traditions such as the monarchy to provide a unifying effect and to reflect Britain's values to the world.

Institutions and national interests aside, however, we must not lose sight of the fact that a royal wedding is still just that: it is more than a one-day spectacle, it is the beginning of life-long journey.

If weddings were merely about signing a legal contract, or a romantic day out, even royal weddings would hold less attraction for us. Even in these often cynical times, marriage is still seen as a covenant and a wedding involves the exchanging of vows and the intertwining of two lives into a common cause.

It follows then that while we may all share in the joy of a royal wedding, we shouldn't expect a share in the ups and downs of the marriage itself.

For weeks if not months to come, the rolling news media industry and social media chatter will bombard us with information about the young couple.

Prince Harry may presently be just sixth in line to the throne, but he is a well-liked, respected young royal who has proven an enthusiastic social entrepreneur. He also happens to be marrying a glamorous yet seemingly down-to-earth TV actress.

Their story will never be far from the news, even if the press culture has changed somewhat since the marriage of Harry's father and mother.

Such was the outpouring of grief and fury following Diana's death that news editors quickly backpedalled on the level of intrusion into royal lives. This was not a matter of Victorian forelock-tugging, but of simple human decency.

Of course, the melodrama that became the married life of Charles and Diana emerged in a world that lacked the intrusive power of today's digital media.