Kate Middleton, Prince William’s brand-new fiancée, became a hot topic of conversation after Britain’s royal family announced their engagement on Nov. 16. While several members of the news media tout her as a “modern-day princess,” I wonder what she will bring to the most widely talked about royal family in the world.

Since their engagement was announced, gossip magazines threw themselves into writing elaborate stories about the wedding, the dress, the ring (which initially belonged to William’s mother, Princess Diana) and wedding dress designers started sketching what Middleton’s perfect wedding dress should look like. It threw Britain’s population into a wedding frenzy and sparked American followers of the royal family to follow suit.

Which raises a few questions: What is Middleton going to bring to Britain’s monarchy, which is essentially a ghost of what is used to be? In this day and age of countries fighting over whether or not to set up democratic governments in developing countries, what does this marriage really signify (besides inspiring dining room china featuring Kate and William’s faces on them)?

From what I’ve read, Middleton seems like a strong, intelligent young woman who has it together. She wasn’t raised in royalty, and isn’t likely to do things exactly the way the royal family expects her to. She obviously took her time making the decision to join the royal ranks””only after eight years of dating Prince William, graduating from college and holding down a variety of jobs since finishing her education did she make a decision. Although the monarchy is considered to be simultaneously irrelevant and fascinating by many Americans, the impact Middleton is going to have on the royal family will, overall, be a positive one.

Several problems await any new member of the celebrated Windsor clan, however. The country’s economy, also going through hard times, is considered by many Britons as an inappropriate place to draw wedding funds from. In an interview with globalpost.com, Jo Bain, a British anti-monarchist, said, “I want to know who will be paying for all the fancy frocks.”

Indeed, if William and Kate’s wedding is paid for with British tax dollars, there are sure to be more than a few unhappy campers. Prince Charles and Lady Diana’s wedding in 1981, which took place during a recession, contributed to some protests in financially supporting the monarchy. At Charles and Diana’s nuptials, the wedding cake alone cost $6,000 (more than I can ever hope to spend on my wedding someday). The marriage, celebrated by a costly wedding, ended in 1996.

Despite Britain’s financial problems and a bad example of royal marriage, William and Kate’s wedding in April is expected to set a new precedent for how royal marriages should be. Beyond that, I expect Middleton will bring a new feeling to Buckingham Palace. After all, the girl has survived the pomp and circumstance of dating a prince. She’s proven she can take the heat. Let’s hope this new girl in the royal family avoids the disaster the last one didn’t.