Can the birth of the royal baby boost the British economy by £380 million?

Queen Elizabeth’s first cousin, Margaret Rhodes, stirred a mini storm in a royal tea cup on Monday. When asked by a visibly excited Christine Amanpour of CNN whether she’s excited about the royal baby, she guffawed at the anchor and set forth her laconic wisdom: “Not terribly excited... everyone has babies!”

It can’t be denied that she spoke for many of us, if not all. Strangely enough, the air of celebration seems to envelop the majority of the British population. To outsiders, this royal obsession may seem anachronistic, if not outright outlandish. But let’s scratch the surface and understand what the real celebration is all about.

In this time of crippling economy and reckless politics, the birth of the royal baby will bring respite from those long-term ailments. People will come together to forget about job losses, curtailed benefits and tumbling democracies, if only for a short while. Analysts say the birth will boost the British economy by a whopping £380 million.

One only hopes that the soothsayers are not based out of Buckingham Palace. Rhodes, after a bit of nudging by the anchor, says, “All right, I’m prepared to be excited.” Well, so are we. After all, there is a dearth of good reality shows these days and, if nothing else, round-the-clock coverage of the royal birth should make for wonderful television.