Clearly, Mr. Pinkerton has great affection for Kate Middleton. Hang in their Kate, you’re a terrific gal.

sojourner,I love it! I wonder if they can get the royal crest to fit on a fingernail?

Does anyone know who has Princess Diana’s engagement ring? Prince William? Prince Harry?
As I recall, it was a huge saphirre surrounded by diamonds that PD chose herself. If PW, do you think he will give that ring to Kate? It DID represent a happier time in PD’s life w/Prince Charles….

Harry at Womad this weekend.

http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/4512687.Perfect_Saturday_afternoon_for_Wiltshire_s_WOMAD/

I LOVE the fact that Harry was able to enjoy Womad in relative peace. I LOVE the fact that pictures of him were not plastered all over the papers this weekend speculating on who his latest femal companion. I LOVE the fact that it maybe that he is no longer being used as a sacrificial lamb.

http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/sport/sportresults/MotoGP/2009/July/jul2609-prince-harry-on-two-seater-desmo/?R=EPI-117088

Prince Harry rides his Ducati.

Keysmom, no I don’t recall who has Diana’s engagement ring. What I do know is that those royals who inherit jewellery sometimes have them cut or reset into different designs. But I don’t know if that is what will happen to the engagement ring.

Thanks Tamara!

Hale,
I did not know of this tradition of royal jewelery resetting. Do you know why they would need/want to do this?

Sojourner,

Many of the royal family’s jewels are very versatile. Several of the tiara’s you see the senior royal women wear can be easly turned into a necklace. Diana wasn’t a fan of brooches so she would have a diamond attached to some pearls and wear it as a chocker. She really got creative with the jewels she had.

I believe William has her engagement ring but I have no idea if he will give that to Kate as her engagement ring. He may have the diamond made into a necklace or a brooch, it all depends what he choose to do with it.

NBC Today Show (Video)
Will Prince William pop the question?

http://www.getback.com/video/will-prince-william-pop-the-question-/3129616

Judy Wade says none of the engagement rumours, nor the Balmoral meeting are true.

It’s a mess.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/fashion/beauty/2555768/Copy-Kate-Middletons-immaculate-make-up.html

Indeed. I don’t expect anything to come this year. I don’t know muchabout Judy Wade. Does anyone have any info.

Sorry I didn’t finish what I was saying,

Judy Wade is a royal correspondent for Hello! Magazine and she is also a royal editor for Ok! Magazine. She has been covering the royals for many years and she is the person that I look to for info on the royals. She also knew Diana, William and Harry personally.

I agree about the ring. I also cannot see Kate wearing such a large ring given how small her fingers appear to be. When it comes to jewelry,I think Kate goes for smaller and more simple. Probably something in the area of about 5 carats with a simple setting. Diana’s ring was 18 carats. I hope the ring is either custom made or a stone from the royal collection reset for Kate.

Here’s a ITN Source video and interview of William on the Fell Climb.

http://tinyurl.com/mr64mk

Doesn’t she look pretty in that photo that Steve (BRW) published of Kate with Mr. Pinkerton.

I have played that game (hand and finger exercise) with the hands, trying to separate first the pinky, then pinky and ring finger together whilst the remaining fingers stay in a V shape, etc. it enhances hand strength, coordination, finger independence and fine motor response.

The story from the Netherlands is scary, but especially when you consider that the Prince’s new bride is works for a Human Rights organization. She works; does something eminently worthwhile and yet is still considered ‘unworthy’ royal material because of some tenuous connection to a drug dealer in the past. Kate hardly works, does very little worthwhile and yet is still thought by most to be perfect to be a future queen. I have no doubt that she is a lovely young woman, but she really should be using her talent & undoubted intelligence to some end. It seems that she could take a leaf out of the new Dutch royal bride’s book. She proved her own ability and viability before she took the plunge into Royal duties: I only hope Kate does the same.

Sojourner If Kate gets engaged to William and stories about what she did while single appear – and I have an almost certainty it has to do with charity related to the family business firm, plus who knows what with the courses, seminars, and out of the blue, etc. I bet it will be called PR spin.

In today’s time and age, people are expecting a 24/7 royal big brother.

Sojourner,
Thanks for bringing another perspsective to the House of Orange issue. Interesting!

Rman,
One correction that really matter. Diana was an aristocrat who worked as a nanny before marriage to a Prince, this is in no way shape or form or even remotely similar to Miss Middleton’s status.

There is no comparison any level.

There’s another Hello! issue coming out soon. It talks about how William is Kate’s rock and showing his support for her.

http://www.hellomagazine.co.uk/

Yes I know that Clover, but what I’m saying is we cannot expect Kate to be a superwoman at this time. I think she has been encouraged to enjoy her private life while she can and later after things are official, she will allowed to explore her interest.

Diana went through the same thing, once she became the Princess of Wales, she had some help in finding what her interests were and that’s how her engagements started.

The Countess of Wessex is doing a good job as a royal but her interest in charity work didn’t really start until after her marriage. The first charity she became involved with and became president of is Brainwave, a charity that supports disabled children. So at this time Kate can’t do much without the system behind her. If she did too much now, people would excuse her of putting the cart before the horse.

Though the Spencers had an earldom, Diana was not an aristocrat. She did not have a title of her own. Moreover, her family was in shambles, and considered very problematic (her brother continues to work hard to uphold that reputation). My parents remember how her father married Barbara Cartland’s daughter, and was pretty much a laughing stock at the time.

Lets face it: whatever we say about the Middletons, the RF can comfortably top. They are quite the bunch. The Middletons bring stability, as PW has so clearly understood and appreciated.

That’s right Sojourner, Diana’s family was in a mess since she was a child. Kate comes from a stable background and loving home. That is something Diana wanted in her marriage but didn’t get it. Now William has found someone who brings some stability to the table.

Here is an artical from WD and they have added their own twist to Kate’s family problem.

http://womansday.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=841574

This is all entertainment for the tabs.

Judy Wade is associated with WD?

I guess we can expect the same story from Hello! in the coming issue.

“Kate’s Australian relatives give an exclusive interview”? Cant’ wait!

These tabs really embroider the tale, but anyway: TOO MUCH COVERAGE!

Rman,
I said that those who support Kate do not have an issue with her for any reason, the title, no job, no charity work.

So the point is that you support Kate and you are not alone. You have enough people who think that Kate is just fine as she is now. There is really nothing to argue for, you have support for your position – which is that Kate is perfect as she is.

On the Diana issue, I stand by the belief that Kate and Diana are from two entirely different worlds with very different ways of being in the world. For me, comparing Diana to Kate is like comparing a pineapple to a banana. That is all I meant.

Here we will have to agree to disagree and move on.

Let’s not forget that Diana entered the Royal foray nearly 3 decades ago, which in my opinion, makes comparisons between her and Kate almost irrelevant. Diana was a nanny, a dance instructor, and even cleaned up after parties and such, which was in some ways, more than what was expected of her aristo background (regardless of whether or not the family was in shambles, she was still a member of the peerage). Also, the late 1970s and early 1980s were at the very tail end of the sexual and feminist revolutions that brought women into the workforce.

More relevant is comparing KM to today’s royal brides, ranging from the Countess of Wessex (who may not have done much charity, but not only had a successful career in PR but started her own firm) to Queen Rania (who, as I have mentioned before, worked for both Citibank and Apple), to Emma Pernald, who has focused on her own career and growth all through long relationship with Carl Philip.

To be honest, running to mummy and daddy when the press harasses you for being work shy is not fostering your employment ambitions. If her desire all along was to help her parents with their business, I’m sure she would have studied something that would have aided her in that end such as business or computer science, or even vocational photography.

Rina,
Good post!

Rina,

are you sure the Queen shares your view of the advantage of Sophie’s career? I think it has been nothing but a headache. Shameful that RF women’s careers come second? YES! Reality that in current media climate, any life at all is a liability? Yes.

Moreover… I should think that what a person chooses to study, and later do with his/her life is still their choice to make. Kate is in very numerous company in choosing a job or even a career that seems tangential to their university studies.

I think your correct Sojourner. Anyway I found this helpfull.

http://www.gaelenfoley.com/archives_history6.html

Sojourner,

The Peerage is a system of titles of nobility in the United Kingdom, part of the British honours system.

If an individual is neither the Sovereign nor a peer, he or she is a commoner.

Peers are of five ranks: Duke, Marquess, Earl, Viscount and Baron (in descending order of hierarchy).

Diana’s father was born Viscount Althorp, therefore Diana was born and baptised, The Honourable Diana Frances Spencer.

When her father become Edward John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer on 9 June 1975, Diana became The Lady Diana Frances Spencer.

So please explain to me how Diana is a commoner?

Rman,

It is okay if Diana’s background has no more meaning for you beyond the the fact that she worked as a nanny and lived in a flat paid for by her parents.

Let’s be clear that it is your personal choice to ignore all the things that some people believe make Kate and Diana very different people who come from two very different worlds.

I just think it is interesting that you argue that “it really don’t matter that Diana was an aristocrat or not.” Interesting!

I think it is great that you want to have a family business. I really don’t think the people who criticize Kate for not working have a problem with family businesses in general, that is really not the main issue IMO.

Kate still remains unmarried. The same is said year after year and no engagement comes. It is a mess now.

This is the timetable I have of KM

JJ, I don’t get either the broohaha.

Beg. November 2007 quits Jigsaw
End. November 2007 Photography Charity
Mid. December 2007 Family Holiday Barbados
January 2008 – Actual July 2009 Party Pieces

Quote
Belle and Kate’s working relationship ended last November (2007) when Kate quit her job, saying she needed “some time to herself”. There were no hard feelings and Belle would never criticise Kate for not wanting a full-time job. SHE SAW FIRST HAND THE DEMANDS MADE ON HER – she jokes that her own girls would never want to be a royal girlfriend.
Unquote

Clearly then, I should not assume that everyone views royal relationships in the context of the history of the monarchy. Nor should I assume others view how the media have reported on those royals and their relationships in the past, present and future, in the context of royal reporting history. I shall therefore, attempt to clarify.

When the engagement of Charles & Diana was announced, the whole of England was rejoicing. Diana, was young, vibrant, shy and very beautiful. All the media were proclaiming what a perfect match this was. We were bombarded with pictures of when she was young, her home, her brothers and sisters. We were told how fun loving she was, how well versed Diana was to royal circles. Diana having been born near the Sandringham Estate. How much she loved children, how she made Prince Charles laugh, how very much they were both in love and how perfect they were for one another .

The wedding took place at St Paul’s. Who can ever forget the closing words of Archbishop Runcie, ”this is the stuff of fairytales.” The reception was at BP.

We all watched C & D leave the palace, board the train for Broadlands where they spent their first official night together. Then we read they were spending their honeymoon sailing on board the Royal Yacht Britannia.

The Monday following the actual wedding, the Daily Mail ran a series of articles. It began to question whether this shy young girl was the right match for Charles. They referred to the 13 year age gap. They also noted that Diana wasn’t as well educated as she might have been. Diana liked pop music, Duran Duran was one of her favourite bands. Prince Charles, on the other hand preferred classical music. Charles was an intellectual, Diana a bit of a dunce. The Daily Mail implied , that Diana wouldn’t be able to socialise within Charles’ circle because of her failing intellectual ability. Diana wasn’t worldly, Charles was and although Diana was the daughter of an Earl, the royals were far more formal than what Diana was used to. The list was endless.

In other words whether they be celebrities or royals, unfortunately in England the media have this thing whereby they love to build people up only to drag them down. Diana, wasn’t someone with a past. The most scandalous thing in her family in the 20th century was her mother and fathers acrimonious split. That too was detailed in the media, despite the fact Diana’s parents divorced 12 years earlier, but because Diana’s father won custody of the children the press were not exactly kind to Diana’s mother.

The point is here, the press were really scraping the barrel in order to hurl things at Diana, only a few days after C & D were married. That is the British press for you.

When Diana died and her body was interred at St James before the funeral, my mother and myself got up early, and made our way to KP, BP then St.J’s to place flowers at each of those areas. The thing that struck me about all those places was, regardless of the throngs of people was the sheer silence. Honestly, you could of heard a pin drop. I was upset, my mother was beside herself.

I watched the funeral on television. When I saw William, I recall saying to myself, ” Diana can never die and that’s because we have William. He looks so much like his mother. I thought then, he has inherited his mothers face, and I truly believed he had inherited Diana’s heart and soul.”

I sobbed through the whole funeral, but cheered at Earl Spencers speech.

When, William went to Canada with C & H. I remember how many girls had turned up and how much they screamed at him. Why? They greeted William as if he was a pop star. Why?

Several years on, we have an extremely sad situation in the form of Kate’s uncle. Something which isn’t going to go away no matter how much people want it to. I for one question how it is being handled by the Palace PR. Not very well to date. This situation will keep on resurfacing

Therefore, how to combat it? Can it be combated?

So in my post at #107 under the Harry & Lily thread, what I was endeavouring to do was: Show how over the course of years the Queen has established herself in the hearts and minds of the people. I then attempted to do the same for Charles. Despite his Jekyll & Hyde character, and despite his personal life forever remaining a minefield, Charles to a degree has established himself in the public’s eyes through the Prince’s Trust, and it is through his work with the Prince’s Trust that Charles developed some counter balance against his critics. Although that doesn’t mean, when he becomes King, former aspects of his personal life shan’t also re-emerge and once again be hurled at him.

William on the other hand, has yet to established himself in the hearts and minds of the British public at large. The fact that hundreds of girls greeted him like a pop star in Canada has not been repeated for some time. That doesn’t mean people don’t turn up to cheer him on official visits. Of course they do, much in the same way people turn up to cheer Charles. Frankly, there’s very little difference.

William also does his bit for charity, as ALL the RF family do, and when we do see William doing good works, he does it extremely well. No question about that. That’s when I cheer him, “that’s what I want to see my future king doing, ” every time. However, because of William serving in the S&R, we don’t see a great deal of William. We don’t really know what he is like. He is a bit of a mystery to us.

I happen to thing, valuable time has been squandered in introducing William to the public. Time, which if he had established himself early on could also have helped Kate to repel her detractors. I happen to think that William is under the misguided opinion that if PR can make Camilla acceptable to the public, then PR can make Kate acceptable. The point here being, Camilla has not been accepted, Camilla is tolerated. Big difference.

So, providing Kate stay’s quiet and keeps a low profile everything is going to be okay. I happen to think William isn’t being very kind to Kate. I happen to think William takes Kate for granted. I also happen to think William could do a lot more to squash criticism of Kate. But he does zero, and that is why I am becoming critical of William. I don’t like the way he treats Kate, he reminds me of his father.

Therefore if William or his PR team are under the delusional belief that William can do anything he likes because he is the son of Diana, he is very much mistaken and he/they are taking his mothers legacy for granted also.

I now ask what is on the table here? What future for W & K? What has been done so far?

What has been done is the Palace have through their contacts with the press have fielded out how everyone has a black sheep in the family. The press meanwhile, has in my opinion deliberately edited many of their comments. For proof of this, I suggest to all take a look at the comments under the NOTW story which triggered off this mess. Many comments which were originally posted have now been removed. Also, it should be remembered how fickle the press are. The Times for example also ran a, ‘everyone has a black sheep in the family’, story. I myself have not forgotten, that is was the Times who several months ago ran a particularly vile and abhorrent story entitled, “Kate Middleton, Man Pleaser”. The press will do anything to sell their junk, and will write anything regardless of how hurtful or untrue.

If W & K marry whilst W is still serving in the S&R. Well, neither W or H are in receipt of monies from the civil list, but their security is paid for by the taxpayers. So it is only natural that Kate shall also have her own security. Kate will also become public property. Yes, she shall have the palace PR behind her, and it is in her best interest that she starts to do things to combat the fickle press

coverage. But is that fair on Kate? William shan’t be able to be by her side every time she completes an official visit. He will still be in the S&R, so Kate will have the palace support but Kate shan’t have the emotional support of William.

If W & K marry after William leaves S&R, then they both shall have each other. However, the ugly question remains. What happens if further stories emerge about uncle GG? The palace PR cannot manipulate the press forever. The press isn’t a charity, they are a business, they do what it takes to sell newspapers.

So in closing, it maybe that people do find my opinions shallow and superficial, but by the same token and for those who ignore the realities and practicalities I to find their thinking shallow and superficial. I have never nor ever shall buy into the ‘stuff of fairytales’. History has at least taught me that.

Indeed, let us agree to disagree.

Hale I enjoyed reading the first parts of your post.

The one thing I don’t believe in is fairytales. Royalty in the real world has no fairytales attached to it.

What I do believe is that William & Kate will be okay and if they marry while he’s serving in the SAR, I think things will workout. I think for awhile, the couple will do their engagements together so we may not see Kate doing official engagements by herself for while. They will have to split them up at some point but we may not see that for awhile. They will make a great team.

People who criticize Kate for having an ‘unacceptable’ job are ignorant and small minded.

Britt, If we are talking about private citizen miss Middleton than her job is fine. Her family owns the firm and must be counted nicely with respect. So as Kate herself doing important part of needed work for the family business. But try to understand, if we are talking about future consort of the king those standards are not quite the same. Ideally that would be perfect for the future princess to work as a teacher, a doctor or even a volunteer for some charity. Those professions were, are, and will always be noble. Those people’s work is in serving to other people while business frankly is for money or for ambitions. And nobody is comparing Diana and Kate. I don’t criticise Kate for her choice of job because it is her choice, and must be reasonable.

Hale

I don’t find your comments shallow or superficial however I want to know what the alternative is. If he dumps kate now and tries for a better fish there are no guarantees that the new person won’t have equally if not worse problems. If he marries someone he doesn’t love to protect the monarchy we run the risk of anther Charles/ Diana situation (would that be any better). I agree that more should be done to help Kate. If further revelations come out they will have to deal with it. What if more videos come out of that girl the Freddie Windsor is marrying? What are they going to do??

I agree at some level the palace has to be worried about another big splashy nasty article but I just feel as if in life their are no guarantees. I think given William’s personality and all of his baggage it MAY be (not impossible) difficult for him to find someone else who is going to want to take him and his family on and that will pass the test & who is going to be able to deal with the press as I think it would be even worse for another lady to jump in at this point. The press would be relentless. I just don’t know that that is the correct answer here.

I agree that you can only manipulate the media for so long and that PW should have made some different choices. I’m not of the mind the S&R was the right path for him to go down but…..

JJ,
He is currently 32nd in the line of succession to the British Throne.

I understand that Clover but still it doesn’t look pretty to have someone who is involved with at member of the royal family dating a porn star. It just sounds awful typing it…

The other point to note is the palace have known about GG for a while what were they to do?? What actually can be done? The only thing they could have done was made sure there was no contact with PW and GG. That’s about it. They can’t control him or his activities much as I am sure they would like to. They tried to warn him to behave himself but that’s about it. It wasn’t that they didn’t know about the existence of GG there just wasn’t much they could actually do about him IMO?!?!?

I think it’s safe to say to that most families have an uncle or aunty GG to varying degrees (probably not so severe) so the question is do you take a chance on a younger model who may have equally if not worse problems or problem relatives??

Welcome to the forums, First time!

I think you have a point when saying that the king’s future consort ought to have higher standards. But as of Kate’s current job (working for her parents at Party Pieces), I really think she’s in the right place. Remember that Kate worked in London at Jigsaw, but it didn’t last very long. It was during that time when the media followed her daily activities, when she was splashed over the papers for the smallest details, and also the time when she had that temp split with William in 2007. In short, I believe that Kate’s decision to work for her parents and stay low was and is fully supported by William. If the RF found it overly detrimental, they would have persuaded her to do something, and I believe Kate would have followed their advice. After all, she and her family have already sacrificed so much for this relationship. But no… Kate continues to work for PP, around the privacy and loyalty that only family members can provide. Her charity work remains connected with PP and remains mostly private. Of course she also supposedly supports various charities that William and their friends organize. Still, she can’t be a public figure. Not yet. When she did the Time to Reflect charity event for UNICEF in 2007, some people accused her of campaigning for princess, saying her efforts are too late. Perhaps it would have been easier if Kate had started all these activities before she became the prince’s girlfriend. But remember, she and William met at university! Diana was already a teacher when she started dating Charles. The other royal wives had already established their careers before they met their princes. Moreover, these princesses had either dated their princes for a significantly shorter amount of time or simply didn’t get the public interest Kate received. I believe it was a much harder road for Kate in terms of establishing herself professionally. It’s easy to point a finger, but she simply doesn’t have the liberty private citizens have. This is why I believe PP in Berkshire is absolutely the right place for her. And I hope she stays there.

Clover,
Diana is a commoner as long as she herself does not have a heritable title. So, her title was a courtesy title of “Lady.” But she herself is not a peer. As Hale pointed out, the fact Diana’s pedigree (distinct from being a peer) was not aristocratic enough (!) was seen as a draw back.

Our class system is quite charming when looked at closely, wouldn’t you say?

Diana was not a “commoner” as that word is genuinely understood. She was a member of a noble/aristocratic family and therefore an aristocrat. Camilla is a commoner, even though her mother was not.

Sorry for the broken pics. Here is the link.

http://tinyurl.com/kq99x5

Notice Miguel Pointing at the photograhers.

Rman,
your links are not working!

To me, Diana did a excellent job as Princess of Wales and yeah people thought that she wasn’t good enough for the job but she proved them all wrong. I often wonder what she would have been doing today?

More pics of Kate and Jamie.

http://tinyurl.com/l2k88a

Also, she could have done more in college as well, if we are making the argument that most gfs and brides had already established themselves in their careers upon meeting their princes.

Many of my peers are involved with campus charities such as Darfur Aid, Doctors Without Borders, Unicef, student councils etc, and dedicate hours each week as though these charity posts were their fulltime jobs. KM, as reported in the media, led a quiet academic career at St. Andrew’s, and only started a drinking society for women.

Even before her relationship with PW, I do believe there were many doors open to her.

LOL, thanks Rina but let me tell you what happened. When Kate was working at Jigsaw, she was being harassed on a regular basis by the paparazzi. The photographers that chase you now it’s not the well established photographers but street paps and they can get very aggressive.

They chased Kate from the time she left her flat to go to work, to the time she went back home. You can look back at some of those old pictures that Kate at times appeared very stressed and it really became a problem. I think she, William and her family discussed this problem and decided to pull her out of that situation. She stopped working at Jigsaw and the media flew into engagement talk. Not knowing that Kate went on to work at PP.

They came up with the idea that Kate stopped working at Jigsaw because she was going to get engaged. The engagement didn’t happen and that caused people to jump to conclusions that Kate had put her life on hold for William and prayed to God that he would propose.

I personally think that some statement should have been made saying that Kate couldn’t take the harassement from the paps any longer and went on to work in a safe environment. But that didn’t happen because I guess royal advisors didn’t think they had to explain Kate’s problem.

I don’t think for one minute that Kate put her life on hold, but the situation she was in could have gotton a lot worse if she wasn’t pulled out of it. She works in peace now and I’m happy for her. Just my opinion.

Hi Ked,

I think the Queen, Prince Philip, and Charles respects William’s private life and have come to know Kate during their years together. I think there has been a lot of unnecessary drama built up in the media about the whole situation. From the pictures I posted up at #94 and #100, I think it’s pretty clear that William is sticking by Kate and will help her get through her private family problem. Just by those pictures, I can tell William’s team is behind her.

Ked I sometimes think the longer this relationship drags on, the more dramatic things will get. I pray that next year this wedding will happen. I’m keeping my fingers crossed on that.

Hello Rman,

There is no way there will be a wedding until PW finishes in Armed Services. With helicopter crashes, lack of maintenance and replacements the possibility of an accident increases day by day.

If married then without doubt children will be expected very quickly, it’s the accepted development of Royal weddings and KM as a dowager mother of a future sovereign would be a disaster for her especially after the way her youthful life has been restricted so far.

PD was a divorced mother of a future sovereign so had a little more room for manoeuvre but KM would be subjected to a more severe and restricted existance should the unforseeable happen .

KM has already suffered more than enough since PW entered the Army with his reported nefarious activities albeit in the past so it surely will not be in her best interest to risk all until PW takes up his accepted birthright as a future Prince and King. At 27 he should now accept his responsibilities and release the pressure on the elder members of the RF. His actions appear to be very selfish and wilful and it is surely time to accept that with privilege comes responsibility to his family, his country, his future subjects , his heritage and above all to a loyal partner.

i do not think that this scandal has damaged kate in the way i originally thought it would. the public in general seems to be supporting her and the ones who are not appear to be people who are simply questioning her background. in response to her background i think that the monarchy has evolved so much in the last three decades that its not reall an issue anymore that she has not come from an aristocratic background. kate has played her hand perfectly. she has always maintained a dignified silence on her relationship with william even in the wake of their split in 07. i think it is her deep sense of composure and never wavering elegance which has won not only a vast majority of the ublic but even some of her doubters. she herself has never put a foot wrong. even carole middleton is not being slated as much as i would have thought. the general concensus would appear to be that we all can have a black sheep in the family and UG would appear to be theirs. as for the royal family they are not exactly innocent but yet it is deemed acceptable for them to have ‘”indescretions” as they are aristocratic so to speak.when harry made blatent racial statements it was forgiven rather quickly as it was not intendd in an offensive way. if it ad been any of kates family who had done such a thing it would never be forgiven as it would only cement the belief that they are too common for the royal family. the middletons are being held to a much higer standard than seems fair. if we should be judging the family on anything it should be the way kate has been impeccably well behaved and that she is IN MY OPINION orthy of he comparisons to Diana as she as been scrutinised for a lot longer than diana was before even an engagement andhas IMO yet to put a foot wrong.

Good post,Danielle. Apparently alot of people share your thoughts.

http://www.nebusiness.co.uk/business-news/latest-business-news/journal-business-news/2009/07/28/don-t-visit-uncle-sins-on-kate-51140-24250943/

er,citb?… I have seen this pic before, if you zoom in on it what you shall see is some sort of signet ring. It has a black flat stone.

This is driving me nuts. I have always gone with the standard statement that royals do not comment on their personal lives. But, I do recall an incident involving Prince Edward.

This was when PE was dating a musical actress by the name of Ruthie Henshall. The thing is here, I distinctly recall that because of the media attention it generated, PE actualyl sent a letter to all the editors asking for privacy during his relationship with RH. Does anyone else remember that? Or was it PE and another female companion? I recall seeing this on the news, but am having difficulty in providing a link and therefore proving it.

I mention this because, I cannot understand why William or his PR team cannot do something similar. That would in my opinion be a better way of showing support instead of arranging rendevous in car parks.

So wait Hale

What that would essentially mean is one of two things, either someone who was very wealthy who don’t want they to marry procured the video and released it, or this is the work of the grey coats to get the bad news out of the way before the good??

Am I reading you right at #115??

Morning,

JJ all I can say that William’s grey coats team is behind Kate and they showed it at that polo match. So yeah this my be the case of getting the bad news out before getting the good news out.

This girl is in it for the long haul.

Ooooh, Lisa, I like it!
I am sending Godivas as we speak

The US perspective on the UG scandal:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/27/AR2009072702665.html?hpid=artsliving

Good scoop, Clover.

However, when a major, liberal US newspaper compares any bias with US racial attitudes, it cannot be a good thing

Rman,
you are a sweety.

Yet, I am afraid, as I have said before, that is precisely KMs lack of “action” and willingness to remain “inactive” that has made PW so fond of her. And there is nothing wrong with being the best girlfriend/spouse you can be. (Well, it’s not enough for me, but then, I am not up for the post) double LOL

Sojourner,
Thanks for the compliment!

Rman,

I am sending a shower of little hearts to rain down on you. I always have images like this when I read your posts! LOL!

LOL, you guys are crazy.

Lisa I agree with you.

sojourner, I guess you are right. But I just can’t wait to see this girl behind her prince officially.

WOTW, was that a mistype meaning NOTW or is WOTW another publication?

Well

Mr. Mamood has a mixed portfolio. Somethings are admiral like exposing immigration problems, however a lot of his work is exposing celebrities/politicans for having affairs which is entrapment for monetary gain. I just can’t support that. One thing is crystal clear in my mind. He better make sure he is clean as a whistle because one of these days someone is going to make it their priority to take him down and if he has been up to no good they are going to take great pleasure in exposing him. That same let he who is without sin cast the first stone phrase comes to mind. I don’t know how he can sleep with himself at night ruining peoples lives for money. It’s disgusting. Aren’t their laws in America about entrapment or does that just pertain to court cases? There should definitely be some laws made in the UK because it is disgusting some of the things he is doing..

jj, there are laws in England. As yet he has not to my knowledge breached them. Although I have to say I am not familar with all his cases.

jj, don’t feel sorry for our politicians. Trust me on this, they are not worth it.

I could say a lot more about our government ministers, but hey we’re having a party.

Who has the cheese and onion crisps?

By the way I agree with Ked. I think it’s time for PW to give up this S&R deal and get on with his life. He won’t be flying helicopters for a living and is really just wasting time and risking his life. I don’t necessarily think that PH should be flying helicopters either. It’s just not safe.. But then again the Swedish prince races boats and motocars so who knows. Young royals are allowed to do all sorts of dangerous activities now a days.

curious,
I think HRMs oversees trips will be very few and far between. I also imagine (with fair certainty) that several other islands will be celebrating their anniversary during the upcomming years. So it would seem that one trip to visit all of them, rather than individual trips to visit each is a more likely scenario.

And I think them wise not to send Andrew’s young ones. As for PW and PH, who knows what’s coming up for them?

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2009/07/nacho_figeuras_thinks_prince_h.html

Another positive article about Harry… Interesting…

jj, I believe that H & C have managed to stay friends.

By the way, I loved the article you posted at 144.

Isn’t Kate in the Carribean? They could send her to the festivities in Bermuda

Clover, I haven’t seen the issue yet. What other rumors does it clear up?

I think it says no marriage or engagement this year and no meeting with the Queen at Balmoral… Nothing new there…

“Commoner” status confuses a great many people. They cannot understand how someone with a title can be described as a “commoner.”

However, anyone who is not royal or a peer is a commoner, and Diana was not a peer. Her father was, and now her brother is, but she held only a “courtesy title.” And courtesy titles are exactly that, awarded merely “by courtesy” to the wives, daughters, and younger sons of peers. Think of it this way: in the U.S., a woman who marries a high-status man may benefit socially from his status, even though she’s done nothing to earn it. She can acquire a social position, as “Mrs. Doctor John Doe,” though she is not a doctor. Her children, as the offspring of a doctor, may receive more respect and deference than the offspring of supermarket cashiers, even though they are not doctors either and couldn’t join the AMA.

Strictly speaking, ANYONE who doesn’t hold a peerage is a commoner, meaning that Prince William himself qualifies as one. In practice, this technicality is ignored.

But no, the late Princess of Wales was a commoner before her marriage. And as I said in an earlier post, merely holding a title — even a peerage — says nothing about your character or suitability to marry into a royal family, given the historical reasons for which titles were usually awarded. Having a title doesn’t make you “special” or superior. It’s an accident of history.

Fiametta,
People with titles, the blood relatives of peers are not “described” as commoners as you claim. They are described as aristocrats and those who are not OF the Nobility are described as commoners. Nobles do not refer to each as commoners. Why do you think that is the case?

A coutesy title is not an “ONLY.” It is highly signficant title in the context of a system of nobility. The British System of Nobility is in no way shape or form similar to marrying a doctor in the United States. LOL!

What are the children of doctors called according to your theory?

Nobles do not view Prince William as “merely” a commoner as you claim.

If Lady Diana was considered a commoner by all people before her marriage to Prince Charles, then what made her suitable for marriage to the future King of England?

“Merely holding a title – even a peerage – says nothing about your character or suitabilty to marry into a royal family” you said.

Titles do matter in the modern world and they are used to determine “suitability” still and are perceived by some as very “special” and, in some cases, “superior” to having no title at all.

I am sure there are many people in the modern world who care very, very much about titles and what they stand for.

If you read the literature on Lady Diana you will see why she was selected to marry Prince Charles. I think you will be shocked by what you discover.

You don’t have to like an existing system and you are also free to criticize it and view it as unfair, but I think it is hard to argue that it works in an “accidental” way and has no meaning or value in the modern world.

I have never heard Diana described as a commoner.

I really don’t get into these man made titles but I have never considered myself a commoner because I am a child of God and that alone makes me more noble than any noble person on earth.

It’s very possible for many people to marry into the royal family, commoner or not.

Well said Rman. They are only given this title on
Earth. We are all the same in the eyes of OUR father.

How often will Kate get to see her family when they marry?

With Ked’s comments re. the possibility of death of William and kate left with a royal son…makes me wonder…if william wants to put off any real commitment as long as he can …maybe he is scared by his parents that way and if everyone is saying that is the only way he won’t be pressured to marry maybe that is one of the reasons he is still in it…but i think he likes it too

thanks for the info. I wasn’t sure what her family connection would be like once they are married and eventually when Kate is Queen.