Engagement of Prince William to Catherine Middleton: November 16, 2010

[Zonk]

Allow me to remind you. No one heard Diana speak prior to their engagement announcement either. You could not have known more about Diana prior to her engagement since they only breifly dated prior to the announcement and Prince Charles barely knew Diana himself. You are re-writing history here.

Everyone will get to know Kate in time, just as we got to know Diana over time.

I agree! Anyway by the way the Daily Mail and the other British tabloids are working (chunking out 2 to 3 Kate stories a day!) by the time the wedding is here....we might know more about Kate than we ever wanted to know!

 

[texankitcat]

I agree! Anyway by the way the Daily Mail and the other British tabloids are working (chunking out 2 to 3 Kate stories a day!) by the time the wedding is here....we might know more about Kate than we ever wanted to know!

Exactly! Although I think the all important question here is what hair products she uses.

 

[Zonk]

Exactly! Although I think the all important question here is what hair products she uses.

Or doesn't use.

Those ends those ends...and I say the same thing for all woman who have long hair (as do I).

Though I must admit it did look a little better on the actual engagement day. I just wish she would trim the ends and do something different. It will be very interesting to see what style (and patronages) Kate takes on after marriage.

 

[georgiea]

Everyone will get to know Kate in time, just as we got to know Diana over time.

In my opinion, we will know Catherine Middleton's public life, but never much of the private. Princess Diana let us in with the Morton book and being friends with reporters. I don't think Ms Middleton will do that if she wants her relationship with Prince William to work.

 

[Lumutqueen]

I never heard her talk at all till the engagement. I wondering who she is, I feel like if you are going to be married to the prince and future king, your subjects should at least know stuff about you. Like how you talk, what interests you and what do you plan on doing with your duties???. Felt like I knew Di more before she got married then Katie. Anyone else know what I mean???

Why would you have heard her speak before the engagement, she had no reason to speak to the press.
When Diana got married what did we know about her? All I knew was that she was the daughter of an Earl, worked at some nursery and her older sister had dated Prince Charles as well. I never knew what her interests were, I could guess them from the patronages Diana took on.

What do you mean by "what do you plan on doing with your duties"? What else is she going to do other than perform them?

I also think that article before had some truth to it. If you spent 8 years becoming who the royals want you to be, one day your going to wake up and realise you have no identity . If they divorce, its gonna spell doom for monarchy probably.

Are you assuming then, that the Kate we saw last wednesday was a Kate that has been created and moulded by the BRF for 8 years? And not what Kate is actually like?

Why would it spell doom for the monarchy?

 

[Skippy]

Why would you have heard her speak before the engagement, she had no reason to speak to the press.
When Diana got married what did we know about her? All I knew was that she was the daughter of an Earl, worked at some nursery and her older sister had dated Prince Charles as well. I never knew what her interests were, I could guess them from the patronages Diana took on.

What do you mean by "what do you plan on doing with your duties"? What else is she going to do other than perform them?



Are you assuming then, that the Kate we saw last wednesday was a Kate that has been created and moulded by the BRF for 8 years? And not what Kate is actually like?

Why would it spell doom for the monarchy?

You are so saying what I wanted to say myself as well, although I couldn't find the right words for it.

 

[texankitcat]

Or doesn't use.

Those ends those ends...and I say the same thing for all woman who have long hair (as do I).

Though I must admit it did look a little better on the actual engagement day. I just wish she would trim the ends and do something different. It will be very interesting to see what style (and patronages) Kate takes on after marriage.

I have long hair too and don't get trims as often as I should. I am sure she will get a full makeover prior to the wedding.

Oh goody! I just noticed that I am no longer a commoner! Gentry huh.....perhaps by the wedding I will have a royal title!

 

[BritishRoyals]

For those who are having a difficult time catching up with the flurry of news, I try to make a collection of articles on my blog...
British Royals

 

[texankitcat]

For those who are having a difficult time catching up with the flurry of news, I try to make a collection of articles on my blog...
British Royals

Thank you for the link! It's very helpful to have the latest news on one site.

 

[Lumutqueen]

Prince William Kate Middleton engagement: Masai maid Margret Lekartgi kept it secret | Mail Online

 

[CarolMR]

When exactly will Prince William become King? Isn't Charles next in line? I don't know much about these things, but it seems to me that William will be waiting many, many years before he ascends to the throne.

 

[Helen Anna]

Engagement of Prince William to Catherine Middleton

It was about time..

 

[Skippy]

When exactly will Prince William become King? Isn't Charles next in line? I don't know much about these things, but it seems to me that William will be waiting many, many years before he ascends to the throne.

According to me, those who want William on the throne instead of Charles can jump up and down and stand on their heads for as long as they want, but it won't help. It is how it is and can't be changed for 'popular' opinion.
Charles is next, then William.

 

[texankitcat]

When exactly will Prince William become King? Isn't Charles next in line? I don't know much about these things, but it seems to me that William will be waiting many, many years before he ascends to the throne.

This is a difficult question for anyone to answer. The Queen is 84 and shows no sign of wishing to relinquesh the crown to her son Prince Charles who is next in line. She will be 100 years old in 16 years. He is in his early 60's now and may very well be into his mid to late 70's by the time she does pass which is pretty old to take on the duties and responsibilities required for the Regent. At that age there is no telling how long his reign would be or if he will even want to become King.

It would be better for the Monarchy for William to become King once the Queen passes since he will still be young enough to adapt easier to the demands of being the reigning Monarch. That is my opinion of course.

 

[texankitcat]

According to me, those who want William on the throne instead of Charles can jump up and down and stand on their heads for as long as they want, but it won't help. It is how it is and can't be changed for 'popular' opinion.
Charles is next, then William.

Correct. However, by the time the Queen passes away he could be pretty old. There is always the possibility that he may not want to become King and could abdicate in favor of William.

 

[Skippy]

Correct. However, by the time the Queen passes away he could be pretty old. There is always the possibility that he may not want to become King and could abdicate in favor of William.

Yes, that could be a possibility, although I don't think a likely one. I think those polls mean to say that people want to skip Charles for the throne and go straight to William, without Charles having to abdicate at all. That won't happen and I doubt very much that William is ready yet, let him get married first

 

[SASSY]

For those who are having a difficult time catching up with the flurry of news, I try to make a collection of articles on my blog...
British Royals

Great link! Thank you for posting this. It's been a busy week keeping up with the news.

 

[Emmily]

When exactly will Prince William become King? Isn't Charles next in line? I don't know much about these things, but it seems to me that William will be waiting many, many years before he ascends to the throne.

Charles has been waiting many years for the throne as well

 

[Sister Morphine]

When exactly will Prince William become King? Isn't Charles next in line? I don't know much about these things, but it seems to me that William will be waiting many, many years before he ascends to the throne.

Scenarios for William to become King:

• Charles dies before his mother does, making William heir to the throne upon her death
• Charles dies after reigning as King
• Charles abdicates the throne to him after his mother's death
• Both the Queen and the Prince of Wales die at the same time, making William king automatically as he's next in line

1, 3 and 4 are not at all likely. So William will become King after his father dies following the natural order of things.

As for waiting to take the throne, he might not have to wait that long, and that's not me saying I wish ill health on the PoW. The Queen is 84 and shows no signs of being feeble or suffering from poor health. She could theoretically, live to be 100. At which point Charles would be in his mid-70s when he ascends the throne. Now, Charles could also live to be 100 since longevity is something that is common on his mother's die of the family, which would put William in his early 50s or so when he takes the throne. Of course all this is purely speculative, none of us have any way of being certain how long anyone is going to live, but this is going for best-case scenario and everyone being relatively healthy for their age.

Edward VII was PoW for a very, very, VERY long time because his mother was very young when she became Queen and therefore reigned for over 70 years. So he was only king for a short time before his son George V succeeded him.

 

[Amelia]

I'm a little late but many congratulations to the couple - hope they enjoy many, many happy years together.

I think Kate came across very well in her first interview. Nervous but very natural. Very different to how some of the new European princesses came across.

 

[Iluvbertie]

Edward VII was PoW for a very, very, VERY long time because his mother was very young when she became Queen and therefore reigned for over 70 years. So he was only king for a short time before his son George V succeeded him.

Charles has already been PoW longer than Edward VII who succeeded aged 59. Victoria reigned for nearly 64 years (succeeded 1837 died 1901). However Edward VII was a heavy smoker all his adult life and also was overweight for most of his adult life. Hence he died aged 68.

Charles has never smoked, is a non-drinker, eats sparingly, is fit and generally very healthy. He has a father about to turn 90 and a mother in her mid-80s with a grandmother who lived to over 100. He has a number of ancestors who lived well into their 80s when medicine wasn't as good as it is now. There is no reason to assume that Charles also won't live well into his 90s and with his faculties.

I could see William becoming King in his 60s (if Charles lives to 100 that is another 37 years making William 65). However, William is a smoker and drinker and I suspect, like many in his generation, won't live as long as their parents (there is research out that indicates that young adults today will be the first generation to have a shorter life expectancy than their parents due to their lifestyle). Even if the Queen lives to 100 William will already be in his 45, and presumably with teenage children.

I remember watching the Edward VII mini-series and there was the scene where Edward was travelling to London for his accession council and he was thinking about abdicating but realised that it was his duty and that it wouldn't be fair to burden his son with that responsibility at that point in time. Charles will be the same - do his duty and allow his son more time to be a father, husband and heir.

I also feel really angry with people who suggest that William would want to be King while his father is alive as they are really suggesting that William would want to step into his father's birthright. William has always come across as being very close to his father and I think William would be horrified at this idea and the insult that it is to his father.

 

[rob2008]

I was surprised how un-prepared Kate was for the interview. Their role is public yet they were not ready to discuss the public matter of their engagement. In contrast, Willem-Alexander and Maxima speak in a professional and friendly manner in their interviews.

 

[4Pam]

^ Or she could just be very nervous. There's really no way to prepare yourself for the kind of media circus you're facing for the first time.

 

[Sister Morphine]

I was surprised how un-prepared Kate was for the interview. Their role is public yet they were not ready to discuss the public matter of their engagement. In contrast, Willem-Alexander and Maxima speak in a professional and friendly manner in their interviews.

That was her first public interview. What exactly were you expecting......Barbara Walters? Willem-Alexander and Maxima have been married nearly 9 years and have done in that time, a lot of interviews. So naturally the two of them would be very at ease with it and natural-sounding.


Give the girl some time, for cryin' out loud.

 

[texankitcat]

I was surprised how un-prepared Kate was for the interview. Their role is public yet they were not ready to discuss the public matter of their engagement. In contrast, Willem-Alexander and Maxima speak in a professional and friendly manner in their interviews.

Are you serious? This was her first interview.

 

[Lumutqueen]

I was surprised how un-prepared Kate was for the interview. Their role is public yet they were not ready to discuss the public matter of their engagement. In contrast, Willem-Alexander and Maxima speak in a professional and friendly manner in their interviews.

WA and Maxima have been married for 8 years.
Their engagement is a public matter, but not how it happened.

 

[Naggi]

What a strange conversation you have here guessing the age of when someone could die. Let's hope that everyone lives a happy and healthy life as long as possible. We all know that this day will come sooner or later. But for the time being I would simply like to enjoy the excitement of the upcoming wedding and nothing else.

 

[Sister Morphine]

I don't think anyone was seriously discussing life spans, we were merely answering someone's question about when William could see himself on the throne. Besides, we've all acknowledged that a long life span is in Charles's DNA and that both he and his mother could reign for a nice chunk of time before William gets there.

 

[4Pam]

Charles could live to be past 100 years old and so could the Queen. The BRF has longevity on their side.

 

[branchg]

Correct. However, by the time the Queen passes away he could be pretty old. There is always the possibility that he may not want to become King and could abdicate in favor of William.

Charles will be King. He may not have a long reign, but it is out of the question that he will abdicate in favor of William, something that would have to be accepted by Parliament in any case.

And The Queen will never abdicate in favor of her son. She has made it clear she intends to serve until her death.