A Royal Engagement

[LittleMissPussyCat]

Off topic I know, but I do love a royal wedding.

Prince William and Kate Middleton have announced their engagement.
BBC News

 

[rue]

Off topic I know, but I do love a royal wedding.

Prince William and Kate Middleton have announced their engagement.
BBC News

It's exciting, even for us in the states, but I worry about her. I hope she can handle it. If so, I think she'll make a beautiful Queen one day

 

[LittleMissPussyCat]

I know it is a lot of pressure for someone not born in to the public eye, but apparently they will start off their married life living in Wales as he is carrying on with his Job in the RAF as a Rescue Helicopter Pilot.

I think everyone loves a good fairytale Royal Wedding.

 

[rue]

I think everyone loves a good fairytale Royal Wedding.

Oh yes, most definitely

 

[AmateisGal]

I remember getting up early to watch Charles and Diana get married on t.v.. I did the same for Andrew and Sarah. Loved the fairytale wedding, even though neither marriage ended happily ever after!

 

[Puzzicato]

I know it is a lot of pressure for someone not born in to the public eye, but apparently they will start off their married life living in Wales as he is carrying on with his Job in the RAF as a Rescue Helicopter Pilot.

I think everyone loves a good fairytale Royal Wedding.

I think she is a lot more media-savvy than Princess Diana was, and she has had several years to adjust to life in the public eye (and the appalling things the media are prepared to write about her) so I think she knows what she is getting into and will be OK. I hope.

 

[dhermann1]

I wish them the best, they'll need it. I think royal weddings are a thoroughly legitimate vintage topic.
Seems like only yesterday his parents were getting married in front of the whole world. Who can forget Kiri TiKanawa's gorgeous singing of "Let the bright Seraphim"? Or 16 year old Sara Armstrong-Jones bouncing around the balcony of Buckingham Palace so excitedly? I remember the queen's coronation vividly, and of course there's that great Fred Astaire film, Royal Wedding, which featured Winston Churchill's daughter, Sarah.
Whether William's fiance will actually be queen is an interesting question. Traditionally a commoner marrying a royal, especially the heir the the throne, would be a morganatic spouse, meaning she would not have a royal title. (Sophie, the wife of Arch Duke Ferdinand, who was assassinated in Sarajevo in 1914, sparking WW I, was a morganatic spouse. True fact.)
One assumes that somehow they'll find a way to give her the title officially and legally. Maybe they'll give William a Dukedom, so she can be a Dutchess . . . or something. Then she can work her way up.

 

[Edward]

I may be a little off on the protocols as I am..... well, let's just say "not a royalist" and leave it at that (albeit that I should consider support for the institution an equal breach of site policy, but whatever). If my memory serves me correctly, I believe that a so-called 'commoner' marrying into the Royal house can become queen if she is female and marries the man who eventually ascends to the throne, but a man who marries a female royal can never become king, merely consort to the Queen. Of course, this may have changed... I know they were looking seriously at a number of revisions once the Human Rights Act came into force as protocols such as preference of a male heir, bar on Roman Catholics marrying into the royal Family etc obviously aren't compliant with that.

 

[Tomasso]

I wish them the best.......though I wouldn't wish a lifetime of scrutiny by the British media on anybody.


Loved this bit:

Prince Charles said he was "thrilled, obviously" about the engagement, joking: "They've been practising long enough."

 

[HoundstoothLuke]

I feel sorry for her. Being forced to live in north Wales? Perish the thought.

 

[HadleyH]

I also wish them the best. I'm sure it will be a nice royal wedding. But I do hope that the marriage will not have a bad ending like the one of Charles and Diana.

Only time will tell, in the meantime, many happiness!

 

[Shangas]

Prince William has given his fiancee the engagement ring that his father gave Princess Diana when they were married. I think that's kinda sweet and romantic. But some people are apparently furious and scared and sickened and terrified by it.

I confess I don't see why. It's a royal engagement ring, not the Hope Diamond...

 

[LittleMissPussyCat]

North Wales is lovely, well some parts are.

Must admit Anglesey is a bit bleak.

 

[Edward]

Prince William has given his fiancee the engagement ring that his father gave Princess Diana when they were married. I think that's kinda sweet and romantic. But some people are apparently furious and scared and sickened and terrified by it.

I confess I don't see why. It's a royal engagement ring, not the Hope Diamond...

Perhaps the ring has some sort of Royal history extending back further than his parents' marriage (it's not as if they can't afford a new one). It is an unusual choice, a ring so readily associated with one of the most publicly failed unions of the past generation.

 

[Tomasso]

Diana picked the ring out herself at Garrard Jewellers.

 

[LittleMissPussyCat]

It is a slightly odd choice as far as the media are concerned, however he was close to his late mother.

 

[Cobden]

I may be a little off on the protocols as I am..... well, let's just say "not a royalist" and leave it at that (albeit that I should consider support for the institution an equal breach of site policy, but whatever). If my memory serves me correctly, I believe that a so-called 'commoner' marrying into the Royal house can become queen if she is female and marries the man who eventually ascends to the throne, but a man who marries a female royal can never become king, merely consort to the Queen. Of course, this may have changed... I know they were looking seriously at a number of revisions once the Human Rights Act came into force as protocols such as preference of a male heir, bar on Roman Catholics marrying into the royal Family etc obviously aren't compliant with that.

The British Royal family has never had the concept of morganatic marriages - it's purely a continental thing (indeed, unlike in Europe, where marrying other Royal's was the norm, in the UK it was the exception; usually it was marriages with British nobles, though peers aren't considered commoners in English and Scottish Law). Thus, Catherine Middleton will become Queen Catherine. In fact, legally speaking, Camilla will become Queen Camilla and she actually is the Princess of Wales - it's purely the case that she doesn't wish to be called the Princess of Wales due to the connection of the title with the late Princess Diana of Wales, and will use the title Princess Consort for similar reasons. Incidentally, the lack of status of morganatic marriages was part of the reason for the whole "William and Mary" joint rule thing and the abdication of Edward VIII (he muted the idea of this with regards Wallis Simpson, but was rejected)

You are quite correct however, in the a man who is married to the Queen is not called a King, though a woman married to a King is a Queen. The reason is that a King is a higher rank, as it were, then a Queen. As no-one can be a higher rank then the monarch, the husband becomes a Prince.

The thing that I'm curious to ascertain is whether they'll break tradition with regards to the naming of the Royal House, and keep it as Windsor when Charles ascends to the throne. Traditionally, a monarch maintains the house name of their father: hence Victoria was of the House of Hanover, but Edward VII was of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (George V changed both the name of the Royal House to Windsor, and subsequently this became used as the surname). Thus when Charles comes to the throne, he should be of the House of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg. Which I personally think would be awesome, though I sneakingly suspect this won't be the case

 

[Nik Taylor]

They look like a beautiful couple....I wish them well...:eusa_clap
I took a look at that ring......

DIAMOND SAPPHIRE ENGAGEMENT RING

This ring has a large oval sapphire surrounded by 14 round diamonds set in 18K white gold.

I think this picture was very "timely"

Kate

 

[rue]

The story goes that William used to play with the ring on his mother's hand as a tot and was always fascinated with it. The ring was left to him and with his close attachment to his mother I think it's a beautiful sentiment. After all he is marrying Katherine (as he asked everyone to call her) on the 30th anniversary year that his mother married his father on purpose to keep her memory alive. I think he's trying to right the wrong, if you know what I mean.

 

[dhermann1]

I also seem to recall a story that when C and D got engaged, the queen had the royal jeweller send over a nice little tray of sample engagement rings. Diana immediately gravitated to the most expensive ring in the group and chose it. The queen gave a sort of gulp, and assented to it.