On this Solemnity of Jesus Christ the King, questions about Jesus’ reign are central to the gospel. Questions about the reign of Britain’s royal family are highlighted this week as well now that Buckingham Palace has announced the engagement of Prince William and Kate Middleton, who may one day be king and queen of England.

Nonetheless, the royal family chose to break the news of the pending nuptials in a decidedly populist way--via a Twitter feed. Although a formal statement was issued, it was scooped by the accompanying tweet that distilled the official confirmation of the first major royal wedding of the new millennium into a bite-sized social media post.

William gave Kate his mother’s sapphire and diamond engagement ring as a way of making the late Princess Diana part of his special day. “I thought it was quite nice, because obviously she’s not going to be around to share any of the fun and excitement of it all,” William said.

“We’re massively excited,” William said in a televised interview that marked the first time the couple has spoken publicly about their relationship, which dates eight years back to their days as university students. “We’re looking forward to spending the rest of our lives together.”

But just as the idea of Jesus’ reign met resistance from many of his own people, a number of Brits are not terribly excited about the idea of footing any part of the huge tab a royal wedding will surely generate, especially during a time of national austerity and sharp budget cuts.

Source: Articles by Liz Kelly for the Washington Post and Jill Lawless for the Associated Press