The Royal Wedding, the perfect marriage of showbusiness and celebrity, could not have been better scripted than if it had come from the pen of a Margaret Mitchell or, for that matter, a Jane Austen.

It comes as a welcome diversion from the threat of terrorist attacks, tensions on the Korean peninsula, the violence in the Middle East and the slow motion train wreck that is the Trump presidency.

Yes, all of these problems will still be with us after the weekend. But surely it will be nice to take some time out and not worry about them for a few hours.

Why not sit down in front of a large screen television, an appropriate number of bottles of bubbly, some nice canapes, several boxes of tissues for those special moments and your normal monthly quota of chocolate and let the splendour unfold?

While Harry is definitely not Mr Darcy, even though he was famously compared to Brigette Jones during his single days in 2015, Meghan Markle would, by all accounts, give Elizabeth Bennett a good run for her money.

And, like the aforesaid Miss Bennett, who she definitely resembles in terms of feisty independence and 21st century "go girl" pluck, Ms Markle also comes with a complex and intriguing family who have added numerous colourful sub-plots to the main event.

While not quite in the same league as the Windsors, who have been successfully making themselves the centre of attention for more than a century, the Markles have definitely managed to put their own spin on the traditional "commoner marries Prince" Cinderella-style fairy tale.

On a more serious note, the bad news in all of this comes for the republicans who were, at least until recently, pressing for this country to break away from the monarchy on the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

That cause appears to have suffered a significant setback thanks to the way in which Princess Diana's two boys have captured the hearts and minds of the younger generation.

The level of interest in the marriages of both William and Kate and Harry and Meghan amongst the under 40s is one of the most remarkable social phenomena of recent times.

Anybody old enough to remember the swinging 60s and the, if anything, even more psychedelic 1970s, will recall that 40 years ago the only people who took a serious interest in the affairs of the Royals (apart from Princess Margaret of course who was always in a class of her own) were grandmothers, solitary cat owners and the chronically bored.

Fast forward to 2018 and suddenly everything Royal is ultra-cool with 20 and 30-somethings in offices across the land planning weekend wedding parties with zestful abandon.

It will be truly ironic if Princess Diana's enduring legacy has been to ensure the British monarchy survives as a popular and well loved institution through the 21st century and possibly beyond.

Weddings are meant to be happy events - one that has the potential to bring joy to millions of people around the world is indeed something worth celebrating.