A Royal Engagement

[rue]

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.

Maybe she just had great taste

 

[Smithy]

I am very happy our future King has gotten himself engaged.

I wish them all the very best.

 

[Tomasso]

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.

Maybe it wasn't the price......Maybe she thought it gaudy, compared to her tastes.

 

[lolly_loisides]

Maybe it wasn't the price......Maybe she thought it gaudy, compared to her tastes.

From what I understand Lizzy's engagement ring is a bit grander than that (3 carat diamond surrounded by 5 smaller diamonds).

Must admit I'd be appalled if my prospective mother in law had to approve my engagement ring before my fiancée was allowed to purchase it.

 

[dhermann1]

I was just perusing the royal family's web site today. The official surname of the happy couple will be Windsor-Mountbatten. The queen added the Mountbatten part to honor her husband's lineage, but I think also to honor Louis Mountbatten her uncle, who they all pretty much idolized.
The name Mountbatten, of course, was an Anglicization of Battenburgh, which was sort of I guess technically George V's surname, or something. But being . . . ahem . . .errr . . . German, it didn't go over too well when the Brits were fighting the Huns in 1917.

 

[Shangas]

The British royal family changing its name during WWI was probably the most famous example of Britons of German background disguising who they were, in fear of reprisals from "full-blooded" Englishmen and women. Windsor-Mountbatten sounds like a lovely surname.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

The name Mountbatten, of course, was an Anglicization of Battenburgh, which was sort of I guess technically George V's surname, or something. But being . . . ahem . . .errr . . . German, it didn't go over too well when the Brits were fighting the Huns in 1917.

The Royal Family's German origins date back to the early 18th century with the Hannoverian kings: Georges I-IV, and William IV [Queen Victoria's uncle]) who were simultaneously the kings of Hannover. George I and II -- the original "German Georges" -- preferred to rule from their native Germany while George III was the first in the line to be born in England. The British branch split off when Victoria ascended the throne -- by law no woman could become the ruler of Hannover*.

Many of the British regiments that fought in World War I had a member of European royalty at its honorary head. The Colonel-in-Chief of the King's Royal Rifle Corps** (now The Royal Green Jackets) was none other than Emperor William II of Germany. On a similiar token Tsar Nicholas II of Russia was the Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Scots Greys (now the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards)

*interestingly enough, one of the last kings of Hannover was another George V.

**The KRRC, like The Guards, was considered one of the "posh" regiments of the British Army and was also known less reverently as The King's Rich Rude Club

 

[Spitfire]

Not really a royalist - but they seems like a nice young couple and I wish them all the best.
And I think they are going to need it!
Could not help thinking how Lizzi and Phil were looking in their faces, when the young couple both started talking about Diana.

 

[BinkieBaumont]

Divorce, Toe Sucking,( Auntie Fergie), Squidygate, (Di playing up) I think the present Queen is the last true Monarch, sadly , when she goes that may will be the last episode of this particular Dynasty

[video=youtube;LvxUxyju0a4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvxUxyju0a4&feature=related[/video]

Did the "firm" ever forgive the Duke and Duchess? of Windsor

 

[Cobden]

It's worth bearing in mind that surname and Royal House name are different, and the idea of Royal's having surnames is very modern indeed (Victoria looked into what her surname would be if she had been a commoner, and it wasn't until George V reign that the idea caught on, and even then there are still anomalies (such as the use of the name of the area over which their father holds a title until they marry or are invested into a certain title, after which they get a normal surname or just use a title. ATM, William uses Wales as his surname, for example; similarly Princess Eugenie uses York). The use of Mountbatten-Windsor started with Charles, though Charles is of the House of Windsor and Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg (as I mentioned, William would traditionally be of the latter, though it's likely he'll use the former - same with Charles)

 

[LittleMissPussyCat]

Did the "firm" ever forgive the Duke and Duchess? of Windsor

Sadly no.

 

[Puzzicato]

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...

It's his mother's ring - I think that is sweet.

 

[Smithy]

It's his mother's ring - I think that is sweet.

I understand the sentiment as well.

The engagement ring I gave my wife was a new setting of my mother's engagement ring and my great grandmother's.

My Mum had passed away before we got engaged and it was (for us at least) a nice continuity with family history. My wife adores it and it means a lot to her as my mother and her were very close.

 

[Edward]

Could not help thinking how Lizzi and Phil were looking in their faces, when the young couple both started talking about Diana.

lol Yes, definitely gritted teeth there.... I'll never forget the contrast between their stony faces at her funeral and the very real tears a few weeks later when the Royal Yacht was decommissioned!

Sadly no.

The Queen Mother, as we knew her, never forgave Edward VIII for abdicating; if memory serves, she blamed him for her husband's early death, the latter being a shy man who didn't like public speaking and didn't want to take on the responsibility of being King. Of course, from what we now know the abdication was forced for political reasons much more to do with Edward VIII's Nazi sympathies rather than his marrying a divorcee. (Times have certainly changed when choice of such a wife is no bar to Charles - himself, of course, also a divorcee- ascending to the throne, however likely it may be that he will stand aside in favour of his eldest son).

 

[Shangas]

King George VI is one of my heroes. He led his people through one of the hardest times in history and lived to tell the tale. He had a marvellous wife and queen to back him up and he overcame big personal issues to rule his country as a king that his people could be proud of. Edward's right in saying that George hated doing public speaking. King George had terrible speech-difficulties and stammered almost nonstop. He hated giving speeches for this reason. He was also rather shy and I believe, intimidated by his father (George V).

In fact, there is a film coming out very soon (this year or the next, I believe). "The King's Speech". It covers the private life of King George VI through the 1920s, 30s and WWII. It stars Colin Firth as King George VI.

 

[rue]

King George VI is one of my heroes. He led his people through one of the hardest times in history and lived to tell the tale. He had a marvellous wife and queen to back him up and he overcame big personal issues to rule his country as a king that his people could be proud of. Edward's right in saying that George hated doing public speaking. King George had terrible speech-difficulties and stammered almost nonstop. He hated giving speeches for this reason. He was also rather shy and I believe, intimidated by his father (George V).

In fact, there is a film coming out very soon (this year or the next, I believe). "The King's Speech". It covers the private life of King George VI through the 1920s, 30s and WWII. It stars Colin Firth as King George VI.

Now that is a movie I'd love to see and starring Colin Firth makes it all that much better

 

[HoundstoothLuke]

The Colonel-in-Chief of the King's Royal Rifle Corps** (now The Royal Green Jackets) was none other than Emperor William II of Germany. [/i]

Now The Rifles. Do keep up!

 

[AmateisGal]

Ooh! Now this is interesting: from an ABCnews.com article:

"Who'd have guessed that Kate Middleton has blood ties to George Washington? According to the Associated Press, the New England Historic Genealogical Society said that Middleton is "an eighth cousin eight times removed to George Washington. Their common ancestor, Sir William Gascoigne, died in 1487."

Her other U.S. relatives "include explorer Meriwether Lewis, who teamed with William Clark for their renowned 19th-century Western expedition. He's a ninth cousin seven times removed," according to the Associated Press, and she's a "thirteenth cousin three times removed of World War II General George S. Patton." "

 

[Cobden]

lol Yes, definitely gritted teeth there.... I'll never forget the contrast between their stony faces at her funeral and the very real tears a few weeks later when the Royal Yacht was decommissioned!



The Queen Mother, as we knew her, never forgave Edward VIII for abdicating; if memory serves, she blamed him for her husband's early death, the latter being a shy man who didn't like public speaking and didn't want to take on the responsibility of being King. Of course, from what we now know the abdication was forced for political reasons much more to do with Edward VIII's Nazi sympathies rather than his marrying a divorcee. (Times have certainly changed when choice of such a wife is no bar to Charles - himself, of course, also a divorcee- ascending to the throne, however likely it may be that he will stand aside in favour of his eldest son).

There were political reason's for the abdication, but the Nazi sympathies aren't quite as pronounced as many point - he certainly met and to a certain extent admired Hitler, but the full horror's of the regime were far off, and many other politicians of the era felt rather the same as he at the time. It was more due to the fact he was a pretty rubbish King - too willing to voice his political views (a big no no) and a general immaturity regarding the responsibilities of the role. In all honesty, though, the real reason was due marrying a divorcee. You have to remember this was the 1930's, not the 21st Century, and times have certainly changed, and Royal protocol has changed with it. The Royal family may seem to be stuck in the past, but really it's closer to a link to the past. If a problem arises, they change; if the newly engaged couple were to have a daughter as the firstborn, then the rule on male ascension would likely change - there's just no point in changing the rules until it becomes an issue, which I feel is a fairly sensible and pragmatic approach. I quite agree with Shangas about George VI; he was a good man

 

[rue]

Ooh! Now this is interesting: from an ABCnews.com article:

"Who'd have guessed that Kate Middleton has blood ties to George Washington? According to the Associated Press, the New England Historic Genealogical Society said that Middleton is "an eighth cousin eight times removed to George Washington. Their common ancestor, Sir William Gascoigne, died in 1487."

Her other U.S. relatives "include explorer Meriwether Lewis, who teamed with William Clark for their renowned 19th-century Western expedition. He's a ninth cousin seven times removed," according to the Associated Press, and she's a "thirteenth cousin three times removed of World War II General George S. Patton." "

I'm 17th cousin to the Queen, so I'm just waiting for the checks to come pouring in lol