Friday 29 April 2011

Kate and William

Just married! HRH Princess Catherine emerges from Westminster Abbey, wearing an Alexander McQueen dress, holding hands with her new husband Prince William
Image copyright Mail Online
Will they ever be known by any other names? Certainly, they are now the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, but somehow Duchess sounds far too stuffy for Kate.

I watched the Royal Wedding and I must say I have hopes for this marriage. When William’s parents married we were travelling to the South of France and listening to the coverage on the car radio. I remember saying to Barry, ‘I wonder if she’ll turn up’ – there must have been something about the relationship between Diana Spencer and Prince Charles that could be seen to ring not quite true. They had similar privileged, very aristocratic backgrounds but Diana was young and shy and not very sure of herself. She was not Charles’ first choice. He should really have married Camilla when he first had the opportunity, in his youth. She had many of the right credentials, being the great-granddaughter of Alice Keppel, a mistress of Edward VII, but got fed up waiting for him and married Andrew Parker-Bowles.

By contrast, Kate and William come from very different families. She is a true commoner, he a prince of the blood royal. They met at university, on common ground, met, fell in love and lived together while they completed their degrees. They even split up for a while afterwards but eventually rekindled their relationship. I wonder how hard William had to fight to have the Royal family accept his choice of bride. I think they should be most impressed.

On their journey in the state Landau from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace, William saluted to honour the fallen, notably at the Cenotaph, and as he did so his bride bowed her head humbly – very nicely done. She is graceful and charming and brings a welcome shot of fresh DNA to the royal bloodlines.

I hope my expectations and those of many of my fellow Brits will not be dashed and that this marriage will be a long and happy one.

14 comments:

  1. They are cute together and I hope all goes well for them. I did not watch, I like the cliff notes version!

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  2. Well said. They looked like a couple truly in love.

    Ellie Garratt

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  3. i wanted to watch the wedding live but its 1am here in the US. Thank God for DVR.:)
    Great meeting you through the A-Z:)
    nutschell
    www.thewritingnut.com

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  4. Rule Britannia, Britannia rules the waves :) They make such a lovely couple. Mummy has been to a street party and really enjoyed "getting together" with friends. Lets hope they have a long and happy marriage and are blessed with beautiful children to complete their family - oh and maybe a kitty or two hee he :)xx

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  5. She is lovely, isn't she? And they certainly didn't rush into it. She must have known for a long time what she'd be in for, so she waited until she was definitely all grown up.
    I loved Princess Diana, but my heart ached for her.
    I didn't realize Charles and Camilla knew one another before she married Parker-Bowles. Yes, he should have married her then, but, of course, William would not have been born.
    — K

    Kay, Alberta, Canada
    An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

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  6. I think the fresh shot of DNA is badly needed in the royal family. They are a lovely couple and seem well suited to each other. I'm betting this marriage will last.

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  7. We are up here in Boise until Monday, but will watch a rerun tonight. I am SO glad it all went smoothly. I think it we be a good strong marriage.

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  8. I have recorded the wedding and will be watching it this weekend while hubby is out of town. I'm trying not to turn on the tv until that time, but I have looked at photos of the beautiful bride and handsome groom. I think her dress is so pretty and tasteful.
    I found it very interesting to hear your perspective on Charles and Diana's wedding. Diana really was very young when she got married. Hopefully this marriage will work out better.

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  9. It was so beautiful! I actually took a photo of that moment when he saluted and she bowed her head, and posted it. I didn't realize it was at the Cenotaph, however, since it was 2:00 AM and I was exhausted.

    For Kay L. Davis: I've heard he couldn't marry Camilla because she wasn't a virgin.

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  10. Yes she is the right wife for him and I don't think that he had to fight a lot to get the permission. With the disaster of his parents marriage and and all other children of the Queen being divorced (except Edward) the Queen has learned her lesson. She was lucky she fell in love with a certain Mountbatten (origin Battenberg, translated into English) and he was nobel ! and her poor sister Margaret, she had no choice either. Arranged marriages never last long or only on paper.

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  11. I wish the best for them, I'm sure they are off to a good start by knowing each other for so long.

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  12. John and I watched the wedding together, and it was wonderful to see such a happy couple. Kate was so graceful and elegant, and I too noticed the way she bowed her head each time William saluted. I'm sure she will take her duties in her stride.
    The tragedy of Diana's life will hover in the background for many years to come, and I pray that Kate will not be hounded, as she was. May God bless their marriage. Hugs, Sylvia, John and R Jack xx

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  13. I saw the royal wedding Friday all day…..I really love it a lots…Prince William & Kate look good together too….I hope that they will be happy forever.

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