It's a marriage not just a carnival

Prince Harry may presently be just sixth in line to the throne, but he is a well-liked, respected young royal who has proven an enthusiastic social entrepreneur. He also happens to be marrying a glamorous yet seemingly down-to-earth TV actress.

Their story will never be far from the news, even if the press culture has changed somewhat since the marriage of Harry's father and mother.

Such was the outpouring of grief and fury following Diana's death that news editors quickly backpedalled on the level of intrusion into royal lives. This was not a matter of Victorian forelock-tugging, but of simple human decency.

Of course, the melodrama that became the married life of Charles and Diana emerged in a world that lacked the intrusive power of today's digital media.

Today, anyone can be a commentator, producer or reporter - as distinct, that is, from a journalist. Anyone with a mobile phone potentially becomes a paparazza.

So, in spite of a less pushy professional media culture where royals are concerned, the potential for intrusion has grown exponentially.

Within the next decade, mobile communications technology will take us into completely uncharted territory with, for example, the greater use of mobile augmented and virtual reality and holography.

To a degree, of course, a royal marriage is public property, especially given the taxpayers' financial investment in keeping the royal "firm" afloat. But pushing that line too far means that the natural ebbs and flows of a marriage cannot be worked through properly, between man and wife.

Anyone who's been married for long knows the importance of being able to talk things through rather than leaving divisive issues to fester unresolved. And the need to keep things as much as possible within the family.

If we're not careful with royal marriages, the entire nation takes on the role of a third set of (unhelpful) in-laws.

Some people have the good fortune - as did I - to marry into a great relationship with their in-laws. But there's another brand of in-law, the type who constantly offer unsought advice and/or constant criticism, usually without having the benefit of accurate intelligence.

In the end, the hapless couple struggle to find the space to build lines of communication and the positive shared memories that make a marriage last.

Imagine how much more difficult this might be if the in-law factor was multiplied millions of times, with everyone in your world knowing – or thinking they know – all about your challenges.

Many mllions of people will have enjoyed the royal wedding celebrations and will wish the couple well. Yet the potential for an unhealthy national preoccupation with the marriage is real – especially given our taste for celebrity gossip.

We all wish Prince Harry and Meghan well. These young people are celebrities but they must not be expected to become part of the modern celebrity culture, with its emphasis on cheap sensation and setting people up for a fall.