Monarchy

The traditional banging of the table

The New York Times reports:

After an autumn of dismaying news about budget cuts and Austerity Britain, the engagement [of Prince William and Kate Middleton] provided an all-purpose happy diversion. The BBC started providing saturation coverage of the announcement. Queen Elizabeth proclaimed herself to be “absolutely delighted.” Prime Minister David Cameron said that when he announced the news, members of his cabinet responded with a “great cheer” and “banging of the table.”

Harry’s Place has managed to obtain exclusive footage of the banging of the table:

A bit more seriously: is this really cause for joy and celebration among ordinary Britons– as opposed to the snarky people who post and comment here?