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Tag Archives: Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

Happy Birthday HRH Prince George of Cambridge!!

21 Sunday Jul 2019

Posted by liamfoley63 in Featured Royal, Happy Birthday

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Duchess of Cambridge, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Duke of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, Kensington Palace, Prince George of Cambridge, Prince William

Happy Birthday HRH Prince George of Cambridge!!

From Kensington Palace: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to share new photographs of Prince George to mark His Royal Highness’s sixth birthday.

These photographs were taken recently in the gardens at Kensington Palace by The Duchess of Cambridge.

Thank you everyone for your lovely messages on Prince George’s Birthday! 🎂

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The Duchess of Cambridge leaves hospital.

23 Monday Apr 2018

Posted by liamfoley63 in Royal Genealogy, Royal Succession, This Day in Royal History

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Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Duke of Cambridge, HRH The Prince of Wales, Prince, Royal Family, St Mary's Hospital

Copied from the Royal Family Facebook page.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have left St Mary’s Hospital in London with their new arrival, a baby boy.
Their Royal Highnesses have thanked all staff at the hospital for the care and treatment they have received, and thanked members of the public for their warm wishes.

This afternoon a notice was placed on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace following the announcement of the birth.

The notice will be on display for the next 24 hours for the public to view.
Find out more here > https://www.royal.uk/baby

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Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expecting their third child

04 Monday Sep 2017

Posted by liamfoley63 in In the News today..., Royal Genealogy, Royal Succession

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Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Duke of Cambridge, Kings and Queens of England, Prince William, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge

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The new Prince or Princess of Cambridge will be 5th in line to the throne of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Due to the Crown Act of 2013 if the Prince is a boy he will not supplant HRH Princess Charlotte of Cambridge in the line of succession. 

 

 

Is Royalty a Controversial and Complicated subject?

30 Thursday Apr 2015

Posted by liamfoley63 in Uncategorized

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Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, Earl of Chester, High Steward of Scotland, King George VI, Kings and Queens of England, kings and queens of Scotland, kings and queens of the United Kingdom, Merge with the crown, Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Prince Henry of Wales, Prince of Wales, Prince Philip, Princess Beatrice, Princess Elizabeth of York, Proper usage of titles, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Queen, titles

You would think this was harmless and fun without much controversy… but you’d be wrong!! You wouldn’t know it from reading the comments on this blog because they are 99% very positive. However, I also run my own royal history page on Facebook (link below) and while that page is also pretty civil you will see some squabbling from time to time. If you’re on Facebook you can follow that page if you’d like.

https://www.facebook.com/EuropeanRoyalHistory

I would to mention a few of my observations to why discussing royalty can be controversial.

1. First of all not everyone is following royalty for the same reasons. Plus, some peoples interest in the topic may not be as deep or as intense as others which lead me to this observation. Before I relate what it is I want to say, I imply no judgment at all. It seems there are two groups of people that are interested in royalty. One group, I call royalty watchers, follow royalty like they would follow any celebrity, be they an actor or an actress, singer or musician or sports figure. Often, as I have observed, many of these types of royalty watchers began watching royalty due to the influence of Diana, Princess of Wales. Therefore, there interest may be limited to The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry of Wales, and may be extended to the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh and other immediate members of the British Royal Family. But there is a limited focus and interest.

2. The other group that are interested in royalty are like myself, they are more of an historian than royalty as celebrity watcher. That means often our knowledge and interest is not just with the British Monarchy (although it may be our favorite) or the current British Royal Family; our interests stretch far back into history and across all monarchies of Europe and even the world. Again, both groups are fine. If you’re interest is not that deep, whatever level you enjoy royalty is fine!

The problem, as I have observed, these two groups often clash.

3. It seems as if they clash over two areas. These two areas are Diana, Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall (Camilla) and the knowledge and usage of titles and correctly addressing the members of the royal family. I apologize for generalizing the situation so if you don’t fit in these categories I understand. It seems the more historical minded people have no problem accepting the Duchess of Cornwall (Camilla) into the royal family and seeing her one day being queen along side her husband, future King Charles III. The more casual royalty watcher, those that began watching royalty due to the influence of Diana, Princess of Wales, tend to still hold Diana in very high esteem and cannot stand either the Prince of Wales or the Duchess of Cornwall (Camilla) very much. With some there is outright hated. So that can be a controversial topic and an area of conflict.

Another topic that is surprisingly controversial is the usage of titles. Now, I must admit the proper usage of styles and titles is a bit confusing and can take a while to learn, but it can be done. I have found that the more historically minded the royalty watcher they generally do know this information. What I see in the casual royalty enthusiasts can be divided into three categories: a) There are those who do not understand the proper usage of titles or the laws governing how titles are created and inherited and what happens to some of them when the heir to the throne becomes the sovereign or the title becomes extinct. This group is eager to learn about these things. b) The second group may have some knowledge on the subject but they are grossly misinformed and are often wrong. I find this group to be a challenge to deal with because they often do not like to be corrected when they’re wrong and will often stubbornly cling to their misinformation. c) That last group are the very casual royalty watcher who could care less about this topic!

The proper usage of titles and the rules and laws governing them was a big interest of mine so I don’t think I am being too pedantic about this topic considering how much misinformation there is and given the fact that there are people that do want to understand how the system works. Someone has to set an example or all we get is this misinformation! Even keep in mind often the American media and even the British media gets this stuff wrong!!! (even a King got it wrong once)*

Here is a quick run down about how to refer to the members of the royal family. One thing many royalty watchers get upset about is the fact that the press on both sides of the pond still call the wife of Prince William (HRH The Duke of Cambridge) Kate Middleton!! The proper way to refer to the wife of HRH The Duke of Cambridge is, simply, HRH The Duchess of Cambridge. It is not Princess Catherine or Duchess Catherine. You do not call members of royalty by their first name if they have a peerage title. For example, its not proper to say “Prince Charles” he is to be called HRH The Prince of Wales. It is alright to drop the HRH and call him the Prince of Wales.

We do not call the Queen, Queen Elizabeth or just Elizabeth, it is proper to refer to her as Her Majesty, The Queen or simply The Queen. Her husband is not to be called “Prince Philip”, he is to be referred by his title, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. Now if members of the royal family are not the sovereign and they do not have a peerage title, you refer to them by their style Prince of Princess, their first name and the territorial designation they would inherit from their father. For example, Prince Harry is officially, HRH Prince Henry of Wales because he is the son of the Prince of Wales. The Duke of Cambridge was HRH Prince William of Wales until he received his peerage title.

Princess Beatrice is HRH Princess Beatrice of York because her father is HRH The Duke of York. The Queen, incidentally, was born HRH Princess Elizabeth of York for at the time of her birth her father, future King George VI, was HRH The Duke of York.

For those Princes or Princess without a peerage title to be able to use the predicate “The” in front of their name is reserved only for the sons and daughters of the sovereign. For example, if tomorrow the Prince of Wales were to ascend the throne as king, HRH Prince Henry of Wales would then become HRH The Prince Henry. He would be known as that until he is given a peerage title. Also, if the Prince of Wales were to be king tomorrow, the Duke of Cambridge would automatically inherit the titles Duke of Cornwall in the Peerage of England and the titles Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick, and High Stewardship of Scotland, which are the Heir Apparent’s titles in the Peerage of Scotland. The titles Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester are not hereditary and would merge with the crown when the current Prince of Wales becomes king. King Charles III would then be able to re-create his son Prince of Wales and Earl of Chester whenever he sees fit. Until then he known by his double peerage titles while in England, HRH The Duke of Cornwall and Cambridge.

That is only the tip of the iceberg. I am sure I will type more about this in the future. Suffice it to say whenever the question of titles and its rules and regulations come up there is often some misinformation which leads to debate and conflict. I don’t claim to be the font of all knowledge on this topic for I am still learning myself. I know a few royal authors that know quite a bit more than I.

Even sometimes the sovereign himself doesn’t know the rules! * In 1947, Prince Phillip of Greece and Denmark renounced his Greek and Danish titles to become a British subject (something he already was, but that is another story) in order to marry the heiress presumptive to the throne, HRH Princess Elizabeth of York. He became Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten (taking the Anglicized name of the Princely House of Battenberg that his mother was from). The day before the wedding King George VI endowed Philip with the style His Royal Highness and the titles, Duke of Edinburgh, Earl of Merioneth, and Baron Greenwich. However, this did not create him a Prince of the United Kingdom as many, including the King, thought! Despite renouncing his Greek and Danish titles (not legally recognized in Britain anyway) HRH The Duke of Edinburgh was not a Prince! But that didn’t stop the press from continuing to refer to him as Prince Philip. I have a book on the royal family from 1951, a year HRH The Duchess of Edinburgh became queen, and it refers incorrectly to the Duke of Edinburgh as “Prince Philip.”

Some say King George VI did this intentionally and that is the point of debate. However, the matter was left unsettled for ten years. Various dignitaries of State suggested titles for the Duke of Edinburgh. They ranged from Prince Consort, the title Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria held, to the unusual, Prince of the Commonwealth or  Prince of the Realm. The Duke of Edinburgh himself did not want any elevation of his titles. In the end The Queen, issued Letters Patent on February 22, 1957 giving her husband the style and titular dignity of a Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. He has henceforth been known as His Royal Highness, The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, with the capitalized definite article “The”normally restricted to the children of the Sovereign.

I guess it can get complicated and no wonder titles can be quite the controversial subject!!!

Titles, Titles Titles! HRH The Earl of Wessex and his title and his children’s titles.

14 Tuesday Apr 2015

Posted by liamfoley63 in Uncategorized

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1917 Letter's Patent, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Duke of Cambridge, James Windsor, King George V of Great Britain, Kings and Queens of England, Lady Louise Windsor, Prince Edward, Queen Elizabeth II, The Earl of Wessex

I have been having some lively debates on this topic on Facebook and another Royal message board. Things seem a little cloudy when it comes to the future title of HRH The Earl of Wessex and the titles of his children. The debate hinges around how Her Majesty the Queen conducts her royal prerogative as the font of all honors. 

Let’s take the children of TRH The Earl and Countess of Wessex. According to the 1917 Letters Patent (LP) issued by King George V the title of Prince or Princess of the UK is held by the sons and daughters of the sovereign, the male line grandchildren of the sovereign, and the eldest son of the Prince of Wales’s eldest son. Prince George of Cambridge is an example of the last condition of the LP. Incidentally, with HRH the Duchess of Cambridge due pretty soon with their second child, this child would not hold a royal title under the rules of the 1917 LP. However, on December 31, 2012 Letters Patent were issued by Queen Elizabeth II which extended the 1917 patent so that all children of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are Princes or Princesses of the UK with the style Royal Highness.  

I think her actions on the Cambridge children and their titles is important to this debate. Let me explain further. According to the 1917 LP the Children of the Earl of Wessex are entitled to be Princes or Princesses of the UK with the style Royal Highness, but they are just not currently using those titles.  Or, do they not even have them? There are some that believe that the agreement in 1999 between Her Majesty the Queen and the Earl of Wessex that his children be styled as the son or daughter of a non-royal Earl was enough to deny them their titles. Is her wish and word enough or does she have to issue Letters Patent to override the 1917 LP? That is the question. 

There are two camps. One camp believes their children, James Windsor, Viscount Severn, and, Lady Louise Windsor, are, in fact, Princes or Princesses of the UK with the style Royal Highness.  They cite the 1917 LP as evidence and feel that Her Majesty’s agreement with the Earl of Wessex did not override or negate the 1917 LP. The other camp believes that Her Majesty, as the Font of All Honors, doesn’t always have to issue LPs to state her will and that her word and will is just as sufficient as LPs in this area. In that case, then the agreement  between Her Majesty the Queen and the Earl of Wessex that his children be styled as the son of a non-royal Earl was enough to deny them their titles. Plus, it has been pointed out, that if the Wessex children wanted to use the titles the 1917 LP allows them to have, they would need permission from the sovereign to start using them, giving weight to the argument that they do not have the titles. 

I can see both sides of this issue so I am neutral on this issue. 

I want to keep this to a digestible amount so part II, dealing with the Earl of Wessex title and his inheriting his father’s title “Duke of Edinburgh,” will be posted tomorrow. 

Royal succession laws set to be changed

10 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by liamfoley63 in In the News today...

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2012. Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Charles, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Elizabeth II, England, Kings and Queens of England, kings and queens of Scotland, kings and queens of the United Kingdom, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Prince Philip

With the announcement that HRH The Duchess of Cambridge is pregnant the need to change the succession laws to absolute primogeniture have been kicked into gear. Her Majesty has spoken out in favor of this meassure. This will give the descendents of HRH The Prince of Wales right to the throne in order of birth regardless of gender. That means when the law is passed if the new baby is a girl she will have rights to the throne directly after her father, HRH The Duke of Cambridge, even if she has a brother born at a later date.

Although I have to be honest I feel twinges of sadness to see the centuries old Male  Preferred Primogeniture dismantled, but the progressive and pragmatic side of me does view this as a step in the right direction. Since all European monarchies are symbolic and governed by a Constitution the need for a “males only” club is gone. Even history has demonstrated that there have been very capable women to rule in the past. Eleanore of Aquitaine, Elizabeth I of England, Catherine II the Great of Russia and Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom are a few examples or women who ruled wisely and who also were very popular.

As most of my readers know I am a bity of a stickler for the correct usage of titles. As I mentioned in a previous blog post these change in succession laws will also require some changes in titles: Here are the two main issues.

1. The 1917 Letters Pattent limit the style  of His or Her Royal Highness to and Prince of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the grandchildren of the sovereign in the male line. An exception is made for a male line great-grandson when it is the eldest son of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales. In this case that would mean if the Duke of Cambridge’s son is a boy then he will fall under the provisions of the 1917 Letters Pattent, but a daughter would nopt. However, the Palace has announced that a daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be a Royal Highness and a Princess of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. That should mean the issuing of a new Letters Pattent but with the way the titles of both the children of the Earl and Countess of Wessex and the Duchess of Cornwall have been handled, it remains to be seen what will happen.

2. Prince of Wales. This title has been traditionally held, since 1284, for the male heir apprarent to the throne. It is a title that is not hereditary and must becreated anew for each holder. The wife of the Prince of Wales has been traditionally been called the Princess of Wales.  Now with the likelyhood that hier to the throne will be a female in the future I wonder if the title will be changed to allow gender nuetrality? If the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge has a daughter will she become a Princess of Wales in her own right?

There is also a double standard to be addressed. For example, in Britain the tradition is that wives will share in their husband’s title, which is why Kate Middleton became HRH The Duchess of Cambridge, when she married Prince William, The Duke of Cambridge. However, husbands have not shared in their wives titles which is why when Her Majesty the Queen mounted the throne in 1952 her husband, HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, did not be come King.

I am not ready to see a change in that part of the double standard. I would be alright with the title of Prince or princess of Wales being limited to the hier to the throne only, while their spouse holds a different title. The current Prince of Wales and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, are a good example of this. Even though legally the Duchess of Cornwall is by right HRH The Princess of Wales she just chosses not to use the title out of respect for the late Diana, Princess of Wales.

I also propose another solution. There is talk of the United Kingdom becoming less united and if Scotland does vote for independence, but still retaining the queen as head of state, this could give an opportunity to send the title Prince of Wales back to Wales. Let me explain. Even if Scotland remains part of the United Kingdom the title of Prince of Wales could become one of the titles for the monarch his or her self instead of keeping it for the hier. This would demonstrate the reality that the British monarch is also head of state in Wales. Then the title of Duke or Duchess of Cornwall could be used for the hier when in England and Duke or Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland (as it is now).

There is much more to this topic! Changing the succession laws also has to be done in all 15 Commonwealth countries of which the British monarch is head of state. Also, changes would have to be made to several key constitutional documents, including the Bill of Rights and Coronation Oath Act of 1688, the 1701 Act of Settlement and the 1706 Act of Union with Scotland. At the heart of one of these dicussions is removing the bar against Roman Catholics.

I will discuss that on Wednesday.

TRH the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are Expecting a Child!!!

03 Monday Dec 2012

Posted by liamfoley63 in In the News today...

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BBC News, Buckingham Palace, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Elizabeth II, England, Kate Middleton, Kings and Queens of England, kings and queens of the United Kingdom, Prince William, Queen Elizabeth II, The Duchess of Cambridge, United Kingdom of Great Britain

Duchess of Cambridge pregnant

Breaking news

The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting a baby, St James’s Palace has announced.

Members of the royal family and the duchess’s family, the Middletons, are said to be delighted.

A spokesman said the duchess has been admitted to King Edward VII Hospital in central London with very acute morning sickness and is expected to stay for several days.

Catherine and William were married at Westminster Abbey in April 2011

source: BBC NEWS

 

Diamond Jubilee Thanks Giving Service

05 Tuesday Jun 2012

Posted by liamfoley63 in In the News today...

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Buckingham Palace, Camilla, Crown Jewels, Cullinan diamond, Diamond Jubilee, Duchess of Cornwall, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Elizabeth II, Kate, Kings and Queens of England, kings and queens of the United Kingdom, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Prince William, Queen Victoria

Here are a couple of photos from the conclusion of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations. 

Church service at St Paul’s Cathedral. Her Majesty is wearing a brooch that is worn infrequently. The brooch, know affectionately as “Granny’s Chips,” contain stones 3 & 4 of the Cullinan diamond. The larger stones, 1 & 2, are also part of the Crown Jewels and are fitted into the scepter and imperial state crown respectively.

On the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the serve. The absence of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh is sadly noted. I wish him a speedy and thorough recovery. Her Majesty is supported by her two eventual successors, HRH The Prince of Wales (the future King Charles III) and HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (the future King William V and Queen Catherine).

Although here in the United States we still have last night’s concert to watch, today’s ceremonies end the official Diamond Jubilee celebration.

I completely enjoy the pomp and pageantry that surrounds the British monarchy and I have been very caught up in the emotions of the events. These are rare historic events. Jubilees do not come very often and this is only the second Diamond Jubilee in British History. The first was in 1897 when Queen Elizabeth II’s great-great grandmother, Queen Victoria celebrated her Diamond Jubilee.

With millions celebrating and cheering in Britain and around the world the support for the monarchy is high at this moment and any rumblings and complaints from the Republicans (those who want the monarchy abolished) have been drowned out by the cheers. I am grateful that I lived to see these events and pray that Her Majesty continues in good health and may she continue to reign for a long long time. Who knows? If Her Majesty has the long life her mother had she will easily reach 96 years of age ten years from now and will celebrate her Platinum Jubilee, 70 years on the throne!

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