(10 of 10)
Their Majesties' almost treasonous appeal will be apparent in coming months as millions of Americans switch TV dials from Sonny and Cher to Sonja and Harald and Liz and Phil spectaculars. The royals have always been polished performers. They have, after all, been in the magic business for a long, long time, and their claim to the copyright on Camelot is, in many ways, as enduring as it ever was. Democracies have long since learned they can live comfortably either with them or without them. But the mystique of nationhood is as elusive of definition as ever, and wherever Kings and Queens still hold scepter, if not sway, they continue to provide the sense of history and continuity that helps make diverse peoples one. That is a most uncommon, magical—and much needed—gift indeed.