Harry and Meghan: Royal Wedding Miscellanea

[Osipi]

Dedication

Sometimes a connection is made between two men that kind of proves that one is a dedicated royal watcher because they, then, can play the six degrees of separation with a simple video such as the one just posted with CNN's Anderson Cooper.

Just in case someone isn't familiar with the game, this is the synopsis of it. "Six degrees of separation is the idea that all living things and everything else in the world are Six or fewer steps away from each other so that a chain of "a friend of a friend" statements can be made to connect any two people in a maximum of Six steps."

Harry waving to Anderson Cooper may actually have resulted in both men realizing how somewhere in the annals of history, their ancestors have affected their lives. We've had discussions in this thread of the differences between now and then comparing Meghan Markle with Wallis Simpson and royal marriages and their effect on their lives.

The kicker here is that Wallis Simpson may not have even met David who was the Prince of Wales at the time and eventually King Edward VIII if it hadn't been for his, then, mistress Thelma Furness who introduced them and asked Wallis to look after David while she was away in the US. This is when David and Wallis started their affair. Thelma Furness was Anderson Cooper's great aunt.

I'd be willing to bet my last cheese curl that both men were aware of this little fact.

 

[jacqui24]

I don't know. Judging by the way he's describing it, I doubt Anderson Cooper was thinking about anything or anyone else in that moment.

I believe Thelma Furness was visiting her twin sister (Anderson's Cooper's maternal grandmother) at the time that she asked Wallis to look after David.

 

[Countessmeout]

Anderson was joking. He was playing up the whole Kelly saying he was important enough he could have got an invite. Harry was waving at the crowds, and Anderson jokingly waved from an area Harry would never have seen him. The producers told him 'Harry may look up this way because of the bright lights shining their way'. So Anderson waved, to make it look like Harry was waving at him.

Even if Harry had seen him, it wouldn't be due to 'six degrees of seperation'. It would be as he was waving to many people in the crowd. And he likely would recognize the man.

No doubt Anderson is fully aware of his Aunt's connection. Thelma was of course not only his grandmother's sister, she was her identical twin sister. He may have met her, she died in NY city when he was 3 years old. His mother was close to her Aunt, and was there when she died.

 

[Curryong]

And Anderson thought, for one brief moment 'It could have been Me', like the song!

 

[Osipi]

I don't know. Judging by the way he's describing it, I doubt Anderson Cooper was thinking about anything or anyone else in that moment.

I believe Thelma Furness was visiting her twin sister (Anderson's Cooper's maternal grandmother) at the time that she asked Wallis to look after David.

I've always liked Anderson Cooper's brand of journalism. Just imagine what responses he could have gotten from royal wedding reporting acting like Meghan's half siblings and claiming "connections". He could have royally "cashed in" if he felt inclined to do so and fed the tabloids for months. Not one tabloid picked up on this little known "fact" where they could have blown it way out of proportion and made some serious cash.

I like this man.

 

[Fijiro]

I didn't know about his Thelma Furness.
Consuelo Vanderbilt (formerly Consuelo Spencer-Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough) was Anderson Cooper’s great-great-Auntie.
The current Duke of Marlborough is Consuela Vanderbilt’s great-grandson.

 

[MaiaMia_53]

Good point. It's hard to compare this royal weddings with previous ones, since the ways in which people view such things has changed. For example, Charles and Diana's wedding had very high ratings, but VCRs were not popular back then, so if you wanted to watch the ceremony, you'd have to tune in to see it. Streaming services are bigger now than in 2011, so more people might view online than would even record and watch later.

Comparisons are really apples and oranges.

Quite true. In addition, there were so many people who didn't get up to watch in real time because so many opportunities were available to watch later. For example, the entire wedding was shown in the U.S. on the big screen at a number of theatre locations reportedly around 10:00am eastern time. And coverage from so many outlets became immediately available to play back on Youtube! Not to mention all of the television programs that preceded and followed the big day. In addition, all of the print media memorabilia publications which surely surpass print coverage of Prince Edward's nuptials. Comparisons are not that big a deal in any case. Each wedding is a special moment in time for each couple. In the end, the 'power of love' and the dedication toward maintaining that love and sharing it with others is the thing that matters most. It's quite amazing that Meghan is now part of the history of the British royal family.

Although I wasn't very happy with Bishop Curry's OTT delivery, his going over the time, and not connecting more directly and personally with Meghan and Harry in his effusive remarks, there are many positive elements in what he said that resonate. The first 4 minutes of what was supposed to be an address, not a sermon, was very good but he failed to bring it altogether concisely in a more uplifting and poignant way. Still, the overall message of love and healing are key. 'There is a Balm in Gilead.'

Here's a link to a tweet and reports that Meghan and Harry may be spending their honeymoon at Ashford Castle in Northern Ireland:
https://www.her.ie/celeb/stop-everything-meghan-harry-ireland-honeymoon-407064

Here's The Learning Channel's after wedding summary:

 

[MaiaMia_53]

Here's an entertaining video revealing (via a lip reader) some of the things said by participants and guests at the royal wedding:

 

[Somebody]

Pretty sure this had to do with the wedding (note: my 9.05 am is 13.05 pm in the UK)

"Most users ever online was 5,828, 05-19-2018 at 09:05 AM."

 

[Curryong]

My goodness, that's a very large number, observing, lurking and posting! It was certainly a memorable day.

 

[BoySetsFire]

i hope everything works out for this couple.

 

[wyevale]

Completely forgot about it 'on the day', in all the excitement, but did anyone else register the marked absence of aircraft noise during the Ceremony ?
At every two minutes the din from planes taking off or landing at Heathrow is ALWAYS noticeable in Windsor..
I can only think that [somehow] normal operations were suspended for the hour or so of the ceremony itself ?

 

[Osipi]

I think I remember reading that Windsor was deemed a "no fly zone" for a period around the royal wedding. I'd have to seek and find exactly how long it was for though. It was probably done not only for the noise factor but also for security reasons with so many high profile people all congregated in one spot for the wedding.

 

[Zonk]

Please note that several off topic posts have been deleted.

 

[jacqui24]

I think I remember reading that Windsor was deemed a "no fly zone" for a period around the royal wedding. I'd have to seek and find exactly how long it was for though. It was probably done not only for the noise factor but also for security reasons with so many high profile people all congregated in one spot for the wedding.

There was a restriction in terms of flying under a certain distance above, I believe. Not that all flights are grounded. I definitely heard flights taking off while watching some of the coverage. However, nothing during the ceremony itself. So perhaps they decided to ground the flights for one hour that day. I can't imagine it being done for more than that. It's a logistical nightmare when things like that happen in an airport.

Coincidentally, Independent has an article out today about the increased traffic at Heathrow for the month of May due to the wedding.

https://www.independent.co.uk/trave...=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1528710062

 

[MaiaMia_53]

Here are the Meghan and Harry wedding attire dolls from Bradford Exchange:

https://www.ashtondrake.com/product...MIoI-0_-nT2wIVgx6GCh3r5gwREAQYASABEgJVp_D_BwE

https://www.ashtondrake.com/product..._UPSELL=Y&SOURCE=Y_CERT_PROD&RECOMM=Y&PDP_WEB

They just need to make two more dolls showing M&H's after-party looks. ?

I have a suspicion that the faces of the dolls may be superimposed from photos, and when you get the actual dolls, the facial likenesses are not that exact. But I don't know because I've never purchased any celebrity dolls from the Bradford Exchange.

 

[O-H Anglophile]

The Danbury Mint has one too--

https://www.danburymint.com/prod/934/1639-0015/The-Princess-Meghan-Bride-Doll


And The Hamilton Collection has a figurine--


https://www.hamiltoncollection.com/...eghan&N=9054&canonicalUrl=/search/meghan.html

 

[MaiaMia_53]

The Danbury Mint has one too--

https://www.danburymint.com/prod/934/1639-0015/The-Princess-Meghan-Bride-Doll


And The Hamilton Collection has a figurine--


https://www.hamiltoncollection.com/...eghan&N=9054&canonicalUrl=/search/meghan.html

I wonder if the Danbury Mint version has cloth attire, or whether the wedding dress is also crafted in porcelain with a fabric veil? The Hamilton Collection figurine sales ad states that the veil is made of fabric.

Again, both faces of these Meghan dolls appear to be superimposed from photos for the benefit of the advertisement sales pitches. Although it is possible with skillful attention to detail. to sculpt fairly close facial likenesses. It's also possible for less skilled products to be comically odd-looking and far off from the subjects' actual visages.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

The twin page boys Brian and John Mulroney held Meghan's veil. Which side of the veil did Brian hold? Which side of the veil did John hold?

 

[O-H Anglophile]

I wonder if the Danbury Mint version has cloth attire, or whether the wedding dress is also crafted in porcelain with a fabric veil? The Hamilton Collection figurine sales ad states that the veil is made of fabric.

Again, both faces of these Meghan dolls appear to be superimposed from photos for the benefit of the advertisement sales pitches. Although it is possible with skillful attention to detail. to sculpt fairly close facial likenesses. It's also possible for less skilled products to be comically odd-looking and far off from the subjects' actual visages.

Danbury Mint did wedding dolls for Diana, Sarah and Kate--all had actual fabric clothing.

 

[DuchessMia]

Danbury Mint did wedding dolls for Diana, Sarah and Kate--all had actual fabric clothing.

I have Diana’s.

 

[jacqui24]

The twin page boys Brian and John Mulroney held Meghan's veil. Which side of the veil did Brian hold? Which side of the veil did John hold?

From Meghan’s perspective, Brian was behind her on the left, and John on her right. Ben Mulroney talked about why Brian had the reaction that went viral.

 

[MaiaMia_53]

From Meghan’s perspective, Brian was behind her on the left, and John on her right. Ben Mulroney talked about why Brian had the reaction that went viral.

I saw that their father Ben posted a reaction to Brian's charming reaction. But what did Ben say exactly about why Brian had that reaction? I just thought he was rather overjoyed and excited by the sound of the trumpets and the whole experience in general.

 

[jacqui24]

I saw that their father Ben posted a reaction to Brian's charming reaction. But what did Ben say exactly about why Brian had that reaction? I just thought he was rather overjoyed and excited by the sound of the trumpets and the whole experience in general.

He was. Ben said they were really excited and things were different from when they rehearsed, so Brian was a little amazed. They had rehearsal, but it was hard for the kids to understand the feeling of when it actually happens because the people weren't here. He said Brian said he's never heard trumpets before when he asked him about what happened.

 

[MaiaMia_53]

Bringing this post here to comment on as it was off-topic in Meghan and Harry general thread:

Hallelujah! Church of England turns to Harry and Meghan-style preachers

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/...to-harry-and-meghan-style-preachers-sxjmdwhdw

I can understand and respect the outreach to black churches and preachers, but it's overly generous for the lasting view to be that America's Bishop Curry was completely successful. The first four minutes was good, but then he strayed into ad-libbing and over-performing. It was supposed to be a wedding address, not a sermon!

While there were many good elements and profound scripture contained in the overlong comments, Bishop Curry never connected everything together by speaking more directly and personally to Meghan and Harry. His comments about fire, travel, the stone age and Twitter were OT. He didn't have time for that drift. Despite there being a bit of a relationship between some of the scripture he cited and fire, Curry didn't adequately connect it to the event and to the moment of the royal wedding. For me, that's one reason for the restless and amused reactions by Harry's immediate family members. I had a similar reaction, which has nothing to do with not understanding 'black' culture. I am a WOC raised in an African-American culture. Part of Zara's reaction likely had to do with her pregancy and experiencing discomfort sitting. She must have wondered how long Curry was going to ramble on.

Even Harry and Meghan seemed nonplussed at various points of Curry's ramblings, although they covered their reactions well. They likely shrugged in the realization that unexpected stuff happens at weddings. It was a shame because I was anticipating the address to be uplifting. I felt the Queen's personal chaplain (a black woman) and the Coptic minister gave excellent prayer readings that should not have been overlooked due to Curry's OTT performance. I wish that the Queen's chaplain had given the wedding address. She surely knows Meghan and Harry better. Honoring her with giving the address would have been a more fitting statement. Unfortunately, Archbishop Welby's well-intentioned selection of Curry backfired, although the failure is being downplayed and ignored. But the royals never complain, never explain. They are accepting the views being promoted in the media that Curry was a success and that the reactions by onlookers was due to cultural differences.

I'm not buying that, especially not when it was Prince Charles who suggested participation by the gospel Kingdom Choir. I'm sure that Prince Charles is familiar with the stylings of black preachers in some Prostestant churches in America. IMO, if Curry had actually been cohesive and truly profound in connecting his message from scripture re fire and the 'power of love' to Meghan and Harry more personally, everyone in the church would have been nodding and saying Amen.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

It was nice that Brian and John Mulroney held Meghan's veil. You do not see many royal weddings where page boys hold the bride's train or veil.

 

[O-H Anglophile]

I have Diana’s.

I have the Franklin Mint vinyl dolls for Diana, Kate, and Princess Grace. I wish Franklin Mint still made dolls. I would get Meghan in vinyl.

 

[O-H Anglophile]

While there were many good elements and profound scripture contained in the overlong comments, Bishop Curry never connected everything together by speaking more directly and personally to Meghan and Harry. His comments about fire, travel, the stone age and Twitter were OT.

I disagree. I had to listen to it a second time but it all connected.

 

[MARG]

It was nice that Brian and John Mulroney held Meghan's veil. You do not see many royal weddings where page boys hold the bride's train or veil.

You are correct. However, one noticeable exception is that of Princess Elizabeth's wedding to Prince Philip. Her two pageboys wore Scottish kilts.

 

[CyrilVladisla]

^MARG, That is correct. Do you know the history of why Princess Elizabeth Alexandra chose pageboys instead of bridesmaids to carry her train?