Neat.

As Wills is 2nd in line to the British Throne, it'll probably be made a huge deal of.

Bittersweet though, as few will watch without thinking of the spectacular event made of the arranged wedding of his father & late mother, and how that turned out to be a sham almost from Day One.

Also sad with Diana not being there, and one can only imagine, being almost age 50 by the time of the wedding, how resplendent the Princess of Wales and mother of the future King might have been.

Apple

I certainly wouldn't want to marry into the British royal family--you pretty much renounce your right to any privacy whatsoever.

The nice thing about this is that William & his bride have been dating for about 8 years and she is probably well aware of what lies ahead.

Unlike Diana who was literally thrown to Charles at age 18 because of her 'suitability' only to receive a crash course in the 'Royal' way of life. Something for which a girl of that age proved to be woefully unprepared.

This marriage will hopefully be far more successful than that of Charles & Diana.

Honestly, I feel a bit for Camilla who will be in her rightful place next to Charles but forever compared to the late Princess.

I heard that William gave his fiance one of his mother's rings for her engagement ring.

He did.. Good luck to them, she's a very pretty girl..

Why is a state wedding necessary?

This thread is definately missing Capo's patriotic commentary.

Most importantly, with it being a state wedding it will be a public holiday, which means an extra day off work

That's our Yogi! BTW - can you imagine how attractive those kids are going to be?

Who cares as long as i get my day off..........

I just heard on the radio that it will not be a state wedding.

Signor V.

Uh-Oh! Back to work, Yogi!

State wedding what does that mean?

A 'State' wedding is what Charles & Diana had and what Andrew & Fergie had. National holiday, Heads of State from all over the world. Basically it's the same as a 'State' funeral only happier. Basically run by protocol which was why Diana was forced to have a wedding party full of royal children and not the friends she wanted as bridesmaids.

A non-State wedding is what Edward & Sophie and Charles & Camilla had. Televised of course but a much smaller scale - seems to have worked out much better for these couples.

Either way, at least Kate will not have to walk down the aisle looking around for her husband-to-be's girlfriend.

What I think is sad & pathetic is that some people here in the states actually care about this.

people like weddings

Apple, you have always had a way with words!

Signor V.

If I miss it on tv trust me I won't lose no sleep over it.

Or anywhere else for that matter. Still I managed to take a look at this thread three times. So did you. Oh, the gossip!

I always claim not to care about the Royals, but I admit that when they come to NY I pay attention. They always go to a small park called Hanover Square that is just outside my office in NYC. I have seen Charles, William, and Harry there over the years. You can always tell when one of them is going to be there because they plant new flowers and clean all the pigeon droppings off the statues and benchs.

What a difference one generation makes. Charles knew Diana something like 24 days before he asked her to marry him (of course the fix was in). She was chosen primarily because she was a virgin, and because the Royals did not approve of Camilla. I have always thought Charles should have stood up to his family then and gone off with Camilla. What the hell he is now in his sixties and it doesn't look like his mother is going anywhere soon.

Unlike Charles and Diana this couple live together and have dated on and off for 8 years. One has to credit Diana for bringing William and Harry up like "normal" children, and Charles for not taking them off that path after Diana died.

It wasn't just his 'family' but the 'suits' surrounding the Royals as well. Camilla had been with 'others' besides Charles and therefore unsuitable to produce an heir to the throne...Charles didn't even WANT to get married, but having surpassed age 30 was basically instructed to 'get on with it' and start having some sons. However, nobody had a problem with Camilla remaining Charle's mistress after the marriage to Diana. (Including apparently, Camilla...). It is really quite dysfunctional.

Everyone standing at that altar knew this marriage was a sham, including the Archbishop of Canterbury or whoever that was preciding. What was expected of the then shy, 19yr old Lady Diana Spencer was that she would be sufficiently content with the title of HRH Princess of Wales and one day, Her Majesty the Queen - and like so many Royal wives (Queen Elizabeth included)...look the other way with regard to her husband's love life. Nobody, expected the immaturity, insecurity, and inevitable attempt to confront the Charles/Camilla situation head on, and ultimately rebel against the family, while still holding the undeniable status of the mother of a future King. That was the one thing they could never change...and had Diana lived Charles would have NOT been permitted to marry Camilla even in 2005. Their mistake was in choosing someone so young...and not expecting her to outgrow her role.

William and Kate are DEFINITELY a real couple and in a much better situation. Both seem to have benefitted greatly from what Diana put herself through.

By the way I give the Queen another 5yrs tops, Charles will be King for 10 years at the most, and barring any unforeseen events....William will have probably assumed the throne before reaching age 50. Bright future ahead for THIS couple!

And yes, pathetic though it is, I will enjoy watching the Royal Wedding next Spring...because gosh darnit, it's FUN!!!!!!

Streamofconsciousness
Apple

I'm curious, doestn't Kate have to be a virgin also? I know nothing about the royals.

I don't think so Mig.

I don't imagine she is still one anyways.......

Then why did Diana have to be?

Good question...already in her mid-20's, one would guess that she is not. However, it may have already been established that William is the only man she's ever been with. They DO check these sorts of things before a royal couple goes public w/ marriage plans...especially when one of them is a direct heir to the throne.

Don't think that William & Kate did not go through LOTS of behind-the-scenes scrutiny before announcing the engagement.

Of course, I'm just basing all of this on stuff I've heard over many years. Perhaps some of our Brit friends can provide better insight in case all of the above is totally incorrect or overexaggerated....

I suppose its because the closest thing we have in America are the blue-blood political dynasties like the Kennedys or Bushes, spoiled fools bred and raised for politics, where they're supposed to lead us as (hack) statesmen. Ted and Dubya in other families would have bottomed out in obscurity at the end of the bottle. And maybe many of us had wished God had given them that destiny instead.

Difference with the Royals is, its a job for life earned at birth, not by winning public office and playing the vile dance when its convenient (RFK working for Joseph McCarthy, Dubya "born again"). This gives off at times the appearance (I know, I'm understating here) the idea that they're aloof and closed off from any resemblance to reality. I think THE QUEEN was a good example of that closed-blinders coming back to bite them in the ass.

They represent an Empire in name only, and some of them do take that job seriously. Others not so much. Personally I don't see why the Anglo peoples need a monarchy to politically function anymore, but I guess its like making New Year's resolutions you know you won't keep: It's tradition.



They should then visit NJ sometime.

The Royals may be out dated and the like but they still bring an awful lot of tourism to the UK. You go to Buckingham Palace at any time of day and it is heaving with people wanting photos and such!

In Hell, one watches the Sky News recycled updates of this proposal that were made in the hours following its announcement, including Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband's public 'best wishes' statements to the couple and the 'news' (!) that 'the proposal went well' (ie, the girl said Yes).

Before going to Hell, though, one can also visit Karl Marx's grave in London.

Was this a pun?

Before that, they should read Marx's letter Abraham Lincoln.