Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I thank members of the opposition for their sterling support. This was, of course, a highly formal and symbolic occasion for the Royal Family, for the British system of government and for the entire Commonwealth. It was also a very human occasion: two young people, very much in love, having the courage to build a life together amid the glare of publicity and scrutiny.

Opposition members interjecting—

They are romantics on the opposition frontbench, Mr Speaker. It is obviously a huge pressure to know that your wedding will be watched by probably two billion people—that is an amazing statistic. The upside of that pressure is the joy that is given to so many. I had the opportunity to see that joy personally in the abbey and beyond with other prime ministers and governors-general. We watched the crowd outside Buckingham Palace as they saw William and Kate and the Royal Family come out onto the balcony. It was a truly amazing site, to literally see tens of thousands of people on the move, walking together, happy, no pushing, no shoving; nothing but happiness from the crowd itself and even from the police who were marshalling the crowd.

For many in the world this was a moment of uplift from the pressures of daily life. For the Royal Family, it was pomp and ceremony blended with a truly family wedding. At Buckingham Palace, before the cutting of the cake, the speeches given by Prince Charles and Prince William were the kind of speeches you would have expected to hear at any wedding in any suburb in any town in our nation—the father gently joking about his young son and his humour being returned by the young son as he joked about his old man; humour and emotion woven together. Around the world, of course, people celebrity spotted as they watched the royal wedding. Elton John, Posh and Becks were among the celebrities they wanted to spot. But there was an absence that was keenly felt—the absence of Princess Diana. I am sure she would have been very proud of her son, who has grown up into an exceptional young man, and of his choice of Kate Middleton, whose grace and self-possession spoke volumes about the character she brings to her new role. I am sure we all hope that the world has learnt and the media has learnt some lessons from the way Princess Diana was treated, and that we will all give the royal couple our best wishes as well as the space and privacy they will need to pursue their lives together.

We wish the Duke and Duchess all the best in the busy and demanding years that lie ahead. Their wedding is a great time of renewal for the Royal Family and for Great Britain, and none of us would wish it any other way. For those of us who have a different view about Australia's constitutional future, it highlights the fact that our debate should not be centred on individual qualities but on issues of principle debated in an atmosphere of civility and reason. If Australia ever chooses a different path, it should be at the right time for the right reasons. In that spirit I welcome the marriage of William and Kate. It is good for Britain and good for the Commonwealth. May they enjoy a long and happy life together, as united at the end as they have been at the beginning.

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