On this date in History: April 29, 2011. The wedding of Prince William of Wales and Catherine Middleton.

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The Kiss

The wedding of Prince William of Wales and Catherine Middleton took place on April 29, 2011 at Westminster Abbey in London, United Kingdom. The groom, Prince William of Wales (now the Duke of Cambridge) is second in the line of succession to the British throne. The bride, Catherine Middleton, had been his girlfriend since 2003.

HRH The Duke of Cambridge

Prince William Arthur Philip Louis, KG, KT, PC, ADC. (Born June 21, 1982) He is the eldest son of Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales. Since birth, he has been second in the line to succeed his grandmother Elizabeth II, who is the Queen of the United Kingdom and 15 other Commonwealth realms.

On the morning of his wedding Her Majesty the Queen bestowed upon Prince William of Wales the hereditary titles of Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn, and Baron Carrickfergus. These titles were formally patented on May 26 that year.

HRH The Duchess of Cambridge.

Catherine Elizabeth Middleton was born at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading on January 9, 1982 into an upper-middle-class family. She is the eldest of three children born to Michael Middleton (b. 1949),and his wife, Carole (née Goldsmith; b. 1955), Catherine was baptised at St Andrew’s Bradfield, Berkshire, on June 20, 1982.

On November 16, 2010, Clarence House stated that Prince William of Wales was to marry Catherine Middleton “in the Spring or Summer of 2011, in London.” They were engaged in October 2010, while on a private holiday in Kenya; Prince William gave Middleton the same engagement ring that his father had given to William’s mother, Diana, Princess of Wales an 18-karat white gold ring with a 12-carat oval Ceylon (Sri Lankan) sapphire and 14 round diamonds.

Engagement Ring

The Dean of Westminster, John Hall, presided at the service; the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, conducted the marriage; Richard Chartres, the Bishop of London, preached the sermon; and a reading was given by the bride’s brother, James. William’s best man was his brother, Prince Harry, (now the Duke of Sussex) while the bride’s sister, Pippa, was maid of honor.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

The ceremony was attended by the bride’s and groom’s families, as well as members of foreign royal dynasties, diplomats, and the couple’s chosen personal guests. After the ceremony, the couple made the traditional appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. As Prince William was not the heir apparent to the throne, the wedding was not a full state occasion and many details were left to the couple to decide, such as much of the guest list of about 1,900.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

The build-up to the wedding and the occasion itself attracted much media attention, being compared in many ways with the 1981 marriage of William’s parents. The occasion was a public holiday in the United Kingdom and featured many ceremonial aspects, including use of the state carriages and roles for the Foot Guards and Household Cavalry.

Events were held around the Commonwealth to mark the wedding; organisations and hotels held events across Canada, over 5,000 street parties were held throughout the United Kingdom, and one million people lined the route between Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace. The ceremony was viewed live by tens of millions more around the world, including 72 million live streams on YouTube. In the United Kingdom, television audiences peaked at 26.3 million viewers, with a total of 36.7 million watching part of the coverage.

In accordance with the settled general rule that a wife takes the status of her husband Catherine is a Princess of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Duchess of Cambridge, Countess of Strathearn, and Baroness Carrickfergus.

20 Years Ago Today….

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Here is a little bio on Diana, Princess of Wales whom we lost 20 years ago today.

Diana, Princess of Wales (Diana Frances; née Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family as the first wife of HRH The Prince of Wales, who is the eldest child and heir apparent of HM Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Diana was born into the Spencer family, a family of British nobility with royal ancestry (through illegitimate lines from Charles II and James II-VII of England, Scotland and Ireland. Diana was the fourth child and third daughter of John Spencer, Viscount Althorp, and Frances Roche. She grew up in Park House, situated on the Sandringham estate, (first purchased for the Royal Family by Edward VII). She was educated in England and Switzerland. In 1975—after her father inherited the title of Earl Spencer—she became known as Lady Diana Spencer. She came to prominence in February 1981 when her engagement to The Prince of Wales was announced to the world.

Their wedding to the Prince of Wales took place at St Paul’s Cathedral on 29 July 1981 and reached a global television audience of over 750 million people. During her marriage, Diana’s official title was HRH Princess of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Duchess of Rothesay, and Countess of Chester. The marriage produced two sons, the princes William (HRH The Duke of Cambridge) and HRH Prince Henry of Wales who were then respectively second and third in the line of succession to the British throne. As Princess of Wales, Diana undertook royal duties on behalf of the Queen and represented her at functions overseas. She was celebrated for her charity work and for her support of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. She was involved with dozens of charities including London’s Great Ormond Street Hospital for children, of which she was president from 1989.

Diana remained the object of worldwide media scrutiny during and after her marriage, which ended in divorce on 28 August 1996. Media attention and public mourning were extensive after her death in a car crash in a Paris tunnel on 31 August 1997 and subsequent televised funeral.

Who is entitled to a Princess title?

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There has been a lot of discussion concerning who is entitled to call themselves a Princess followed by their first name in the British system. Many people get it wrong including the press, or shall I say, frequently the press. Many know by now, for example, that when Diana was Princess of Wales she was wrongly called Princess Diana by the media. Although she was a Princess of the United Kingdom via her marriage to HRH The Princes of Wales this did not entitle her to be called “Princess Diana” as that is reserved for British princesses born into the royal family. Princess Anne; The Princess Royal, Princess Beatrice of York and Princess Eugenie of York are prime examples. The correct title for Diana was, simply, HRH The Princess of Wales. The press, being sloppy, just called her Princess Diana, and they also sloppily call the Prince of Wales, simply Prince Charles. This may sound pedantic but the way to address royalty in the media is to call them by their correct styles and titles. For example it is correct to call Princess Beatrice of York “Princess Beatrice” because that is her correct title. It is not correct to call Princes Anne by her name in the press, it is correct to call her The Princess Royal

This system is unique to Britain among the existing monarchies in Europe. The German monarchies, when they existed, used the British system. Well, to be more honest it was Britain that adopted the German system of how they titled the wives of princes when George I of Great Britain, originally the Elector of Hanover and Duke of Brunswick, came to the British throne in 1714. In places like Denmark and the Netherlands for example when a woman married into those royal families they are often created Princesses in their own right. For example when Marie Cavallier married HRH Prince Joachim of Denmark in 2008 she became Her Royal Highness Princess Marie of Denmark, Countess of Monpezat. When Máxima Zorreguieta Cerruti married the Prince of Orange (king Willem-Alexander) in 2002 she was created a Princess of the Netherlands in her own right and was styled HRH Princess Máxima of the Netherlands, Princess of Orange-Nassau.

What is interesting to note is that even when foreign royals married into the British Royal family they were not entitled to be styled as if they were a British princess in their own right. For example, when Princess Alexandra of Denmark, a Danish Princess in her own right, married HRH The Prince of Wales (Prince Albert-Edward, future king Edward VII) in March of 1863 she ceased to be a Danish Princess and was only a British Princess by marriage and this did not allow her to be called Princess Alexandra. In other words, even though she was born a Princess in her own right, she was not born a British Princess in her own right, and she was in the same boat that Diana Spencer would be over a century later; only entitled to be called HRH The Princess of Wales. You know what? The press got it wrong back in the day, for they also called her Princess Alexandra.

There have been exceptions to when a member of the British royal family, who is not entitled to be called Princess and use their first names, has been allowed to stlye themselves as if they were born a British princess. One example is Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark. She was born a Greek and Danish Princess the daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark (a son of King George I of the Hellenes) and his wife Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia the daughter of Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia and Duchess Marie of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. In November of 1934 Princess Marina married HRH The Duke of Kent (Prince George) the fourth son and fifth child of King George V and Princess Mary of Teck (Queen Mary).

Sadly, the Duke of Kent died in 1942 when the military plane he was riding in crashed in Scotland. His eldest son, Prince Edward became the current Duke of Kent. Marina remained styled as HRH The Duchess of Kent until her son’s marriage to Katherine Worsley in 1961. This meant that Katherine was now legally HRH The Duchess of Kent. This mean that Marina now had to be called something different. She could have chosen to be called HRH The Dowager Duchess of Kent but instead petitioned the Queen to allow herself to be called Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent, despite not being born a British Princess. The queen did grant her this permission.

This seems to have set a precedence. In 1974 with the death of HRH The Duke of Gloucester (Prince Henry) son of King George V and Princess Mary of Teck (Queen Mary), his widow, Alice, daughter of John Montagu Douglas Scott, 7th Duke of Buccleuch, petitioned the queen to be allowed to style herself Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester. This permission was also granted. The significant difference between the sister-in-laws Marina and Alice was that Marina was born a Greek and Danish Princess in her own right while Alice was never born a princess in her own right. Under the British system this did not matter, for to be called a Princess and to be allowed to use your first name is a right reserved only to those women born into the British royal family. All others must seek permission from the queen to do so.

Happy Birthday! HRH The Prince of Wales

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Today I would like to feature the current Prince of Wales, Prince Charles…again. I will not re-post the older feature on the Prince of Wales, I will repeat some of my words but I will also add to them.

Today HRH turns 64 years old!

In the United States when people reach their 60s they are usually planning their retirement…if they can afford it. The Prince of Wales, However, is still waiting to star his main job…King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is difficult to talk about the prince of Wales taking on the role of king when you know another person has to die in order for him to assume that role. I have great respect for both of them and would love to see Her Majesty continue her reign. Yet, I also have mixed feelings to be honest. I would also like to see Charles assume the role for which birth has placed on his shoulders while he is still healthy and young enough to enjoy the role and make his name in the great panoply of British rulers.

I have always had great respect and admiration for the Prince of Wales. When I began studying and following royalty the Prince of Wales had just turned 30. He was described as a man of action and always on the go. He was into sports and his service in the military had him doing some amazing things from being a helicopter pilot and captain of his own ship. He also came across as very intelligent and articulate. I have come to learn that not everyone shared this admiration. Following his life for 34 years has allowed me to see some great changes in him. He seems more comfortable with himself than he was when younger. I think that comfort translates into being more at ease with people. He has had a long public career and I think he has found his niche in life while waiting for the crown.

This next paragraph is from my earlier writings out the Prince of Wales.

My final thought about the Prince of Wales is what style of kingship will he have? Will he stay the course and walk in the model that his mother portrayed? I do not know. Tuesday I mentioned that the Prince of Wales will make changes when he is king but I wonder what those changes will be? He has been outspoken and generally the monarch does keep neutral quite about issues, so will he continue the path of neutrality or will it be difficult for him to adjust to staying above the fray on specific issues? He does have a very warm and compassionate persona and while his mother also can display that quality there is also a sense of distance even aloofness wit the queen. Is that a trait that the monarch needs in order to retain that regal sense of mystery the crown allegedly has? Or will his more personal style be a breath of fresh air in the modern age?

I actually believe his friendly and personal style will help the monarchy move into the 21st century. What I am about to say is not criticism toward Her Majesty, it is more of an observation. I see Elizabeth II as one of the last of the Victorians. The influence of Queen Victoria was still being felt while Her Majesty was in her formative years. She was born 25 years after the great queen and raised by family members that lived and knew Queen Victoria. Although the queen herself has become more personable within the last 20 years or so, I think Charles, and then William afterward, will demonstrate the quality to a more pronounced degree.

I don’t think the reverence for monarchy will be, or has been, diminished in the light of this new open and personal style of monarchy. For what keeps the mystery and reverence there for the monarchy is a sense of class. Not the social class type of distinction where one class is seen as “better” than the other, but the type of class that displays maturity, dignity and respect. In that way the prince of Wales is a very classy guy! I wish him a happy birthday and many more healthy and happy days ahead for him.

 

 

HRH The Prince of Wales

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HRH The Prince of Wales

Today I would like to feature the current Prince of Wales, Prince Charles. He has held the title since 1958 when he was 10 although he was not formally invested in the title until 1969 when he was 21. His great-great grandfather, Edward VII, held the title the longest, 59 years. Edward was 59 when he became king while Charles, who will be 64 next month, is the oldest to still retain that title.

 have always had great respect and admiration for the Prince of Wales. When I began studying and following royalty the Prince of Wales had just turned 30. He was described as a man of action and always on the go. He was into sports and his service in the military had him doing some amazing things from being a helicopter pilot and captain of his own ship. He also came across as very intelligent and articulate. I have come to learn that not everyone shared this admiration. The Prince of Wales reputation has gone up and down over the years. He is an environmentalist and I remember the flack he received for talking to plants. What surprised me about the fall out from that was talking to plants had seem to be such a common idea here in the States and it didn’t sound strange to me at all.

 The Prince of Wales has been an outspoken individual and when you speak you mind in any public or even private manner there will be people to disagree with you, sometimes that disagreement will be quite vocal. The Prince has had a passion for keeping cherished old buildings from the destruction block and has also railed against the monstrosities that pass for modern architecture. However, the thing that has caused the most controversy was the affair with his now current wife and treatment of his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. I must admit even my respect for his was weakened during this time. What saved it was the fact that it takes two to have a bad relationship and both parties had apart in the demise of the relationship. That doesn’t make his behavior acceptable it just places it in a proper context for me.

 I think the way he has conducted himself since that time, especially in his treatment of his sons, William and Harry, has helped him on his path of public redemption. His work and tributes toward his mother during this Diamond Jubilee year have also helped in that process. The Prince of Wales may not be the man of action that he once was but I still find him to be a kind and gentle man who dose display a great deal of warmth to those that he serves with his charities. Although he is heir to one of Europe oldest monarchies there does not seem to be an arrogant snobby attitude within him. Quite the contrary, he does come across and a down to earth individual with a sense of humor and an ability to put people at ease. Make no mistake a bout though, he is a Prince and also comes across with a sense of dignity, class and very cultured. These are all traits I admire and hope to emulate.

 My final thought about the Prince of Wales is what style of kingship will he have? Will he stay the course and walk in the model that his mother portrayed? I do not know. Tuesday I mentioned that the Prince of Wales will make changes when he is king but I wonder what those changes will be? He has been outspoken and generally the monarch does keep neutral quite about issues, so will he continue the path of neutrality or will it be difficult for him to adjust to staying above the fray on specific issues? He does have a very warm and compassionate persona and while his mother also can display that quality there is also a sense of distance even aloofness wit the queen. Is that a trait that the monarch needs in order to retain that regal sense of mystery the crown allegedly has? Or will his more personal style be a breath of fresh air in the modern age?

 

The Man who will be King.

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During the Diamond Jubilee festivities I cam across an argument that I have seen on the internet before, namely, that when Her Majesty dies the crown should go to Prince William, Duke of Cambridge rather than the next in line, Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales. This generally has me rolling my eyes and shaking my head with a mixture of laughter and annoyance. I find the majority of those who entertain this wish are Americans. Although there are some British subjects who also entertain this idea the majority of people that understand the monarchy do not want to see this happen.

I do understand the popularity of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. First of all Prince William is the son of the very popular Diana, Princess of Wales whose fairytale marriage ended in divorce and she died much too young in a tragic car accident. Secondly, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are a young and attractive couple and in the US we have a culture that worships youth. At 63 The Prince of Wales just doesn’t have the youth appeal that his son has.

When I began following royalty in the late 70s the Prince of Wales was a young man of action. He was in the military and also active in sports. He also was very cultured, articulate and intelligent and I found much to admire and respect in him. Problems came with his marriage to the then Lady Diana Spencer. With hindsight we all now know that what began as a modern day fairytale not only ended sadly but probably never should have happened in the first place. The couple were ill suited for one another. Prince Charles was unable to let go of the woman he truly loved and this was a huge source of problems in their marriage. At some point in the marriage Diana also strayed.

The affair between Charles and the woman who is now his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, is the main reason many want the crown to skip a generation. I can understand and empathize with their dislike and anger toward Charles. I went through that for a time period myself. In time I was able to move on and what helped me was seeing his actions during Diana’s funeral and how he really became a hands on Dad to the boys after her death. The the men do have a close familial relationship and that has also helped me regain my respect for him.

As I have come to learn about the Duchess of Cornwall I have come to see that she is well suited to the Prince of Wales. From what I understand is that she is also very kind and has a very warm personality and her popularity is growing in the UK as people have come to experience her testify that she really is a remarkable woman in her own right.

The main reason Charles will someday be king is the fact that the succession to the monarchy is established in centuries old laws and the Queen does not have a say in these laws. Although the monarchy needs the support of the people to survive the succession cannot be just set aside based on personal whims.

When the time comes Charles does have large shoes to fill. His mother has been an an exemplary monarch and the Prince of Wales would be wise to adhere to as much as her style as he possibly can. However, the Prince of Wales will develop his own style when he becomes king and seeing that he can be a personable and caring individuals as well as an intelligent man who, like his mother, has dedicated his life to the service of his country, Charles will indeed make a fine king when his time comes.