Royal Love a Royal Pain?

Happy royal wedding day! I'm assuming you heard of the royal shindig that happened earlier this morning across the pond.
In the weeks leading up to today, the media has analyzed and re-analyzed every aspect of the affair from what dress Kate Middleton will wear, what she will ride in to the wedding, what food will be served at the reception, whether Kate and Prince William will kiss, what vows she will say, how she will not throw her bouquet, how she compares to Princess Diana, where the newlyweds will go on their honeymoon, to a million other aspects of their wedding and life together.
And to those of you who can't wait for the wedding to happen so that you don't have to hear about it anymore, you might be out of luck. I have a hunch that every aspect of the wedding that has been speculated about in the media will now be critiqued and replayed many times over.
Though most of the media speculations have been white noise to me, the one article I found very interesting about Kate was about the things she will give up upon saying "I do." First, she will no longer be referred to as Kate, but rather Her Royal Highness the Princess William of Wales, Catherine or Ma'am. She will no longer vote, though she is technically allowed to, because the royal family views voting as unconstitutional and not in accordance with the need of neutrality. Along the same lines, she will not be able to run for political office.
Though she has been in the spotlight for the past nine years, Kate will be in spotlight even more so now that she and William are man and wife. Similarly, she will not be allowed to do or say anything that could be deemed controversial. It's no longer just her reputation on the line, but that of Prince William and the rest of the royal family.
Kate will no longer have the opportunity to pursue a career outside of her royal duties. While Kate has a art history degree, she really hasn't worked since finishing college. She also will not be able to sign anything unofficial because as a potential future counsellor of state if Prince William becomes king, Kate might have to sign government papers and bring legislation into force in place of William. Members of the royal family are not supposed to sign anything that could lead to their signature being copied or forged.
A bit more ridiculous things Kate will not be able to due once dubbed a princess include playing Monopoly, eating shellfish and finishing her dinner.
Some of those things she'll give up aren't too bad. I wouldn't mind not having to work anymore and devote my time to charity work. I also wouldn't have a problem giving up Monopoly. However, I'm not sure how I would deal with the media scrutiny and having to watch my every word and move.
However, she is giving up a lot more than being single. Her life will become completely devoted to being royal. She won't really have much freedom.
Marriage typically entails giving up some aspects of your single life. I think that's why some people are nervous about tying the knot. When things get tough, it's not as simple to take a break or say "it's not you, it's me." That might even be why some people don't get married at all -- they like their life the way it is and are not willing to change. Or they don't feel the love enough for that sort-of special someone to give up the freedom.
Though marriage means giving up some things, it also means that you are gaining some things. A (hopefully) lifelong companion is the number one thing you gain in marriage. Someone to share the good and tough times with. Someone to start a family with.
The love you have for someone and the gained benefits are what are supposed to outweigh the things you lose with "I do." And when you do find someone you want to don a white dress for, you probably know them well enough to know exactly what you're getting yourself into.
While it seems that Kate will be losing many more things than us commoners in marriage, she has obviously decided that they are insignificant to her love for William. There's no doubt that Prince William will be by her side to help and support her along the way. And I don't think many people would mind actually being a princess either.
xoxo Nickie