Royalty as Celebrity Road to Avonlea shows us many different pass-times that were popular at the turn of the century. Social events, sports, reading, and crafts were all common activities. The internet, television, or splashy gossip magazines, didn't yet exist, but people still followed the lives and times of important figures. Even without gossip magazines and websites, and television news, the interest in certain public figures definitely existed during the time of Avonlea. ‘Celebrity’ took a different form, with the most interesting of all public being Royal families. As we see in Road to Avonlea Season 6, “What a Tangled Web We Weave”, a visit from the Polish Countess Polenska brings great intrigue to the small town. In Season 7, “King of the Great White Way” the mention of King George V is enough to excite even no-nonsense Hetty King. After the death of his father, King Edward VII of England in 1910, King George V took the British throne and he reigned from 1910 to 1936. In keeping with the time, the King and Queen had a large family, raising 4 boys and 1 girl, and their lives were followed by people around the world. The Royal families of all of Europe interacted both socially and politically, and their activities therefore made the newspapers around the world. Even before photographs were commonplace, Royalty would be emulated in their style of clothes, hats, hobbies and interests. Today many different types of celebrities are followed in this way, but the privileged world of the Royals still holds a special allure—Queen Elizabeth II is the first British Monarch to have her own youtube channel! http://www.royal.gov.uk