CHICAGO (CBS) — There’s a big number in the news tonight. It is 2 billion — the number of people who will be watching the Royal Wedding on television.

I will because two people loving each other are better to watch than those who are hating and killing each other in Libya, Syria and on the streets of Chicago. 

Nice for us for a change to see people smiling instead of shooting. Cheers instead of tears on the news. And how sweet it is to see beautiful old churches in England instead of bombed-out mosques in Baghdad.

It is true: The monarchs of England are not doing well. Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Princess Anne, all those divorces and the foibles of Fergie.  No fairytale endings of late.

But William and Kate are different. They’re pals more than prince and princess, so their story is a fairy tale.

Good for the monarchy. Good for all of us for a few nights on the news. More William and Kate. Less Moammar Qadaffi.

Check out CBS Chicago’s Best of Royal Wedding features.