William and Kate: engagement and relationship rumours and musings 2005 - 2008

[Lady Bluffton]

I think Clarence House and the BP are well aware of the rumors, and use press and public reaction to plan or set a schedule. Is the public ready now? I think Wills and Kate have been ready for some time.

Maybe I'm wrong, but all "establishments" have their own methods of dealing with the press, the public, and "big announcements". Has anyone ever seen the television show The West Wing (the White House "establishment"); if you have, keep in mind that that's just a TV producer's and screenwriter's version of what they think happens behind the scenes. In reality, I bet it's even more calculated.

 

[christinacg]

^I never thought about it like that but I think that you're absolutely correct.

 

[Royal Fan]

Me Too I Think in an odd by CH Saying its not true That it actually is. just my two cents.

 

[Sister Morphine]

Oh he's proposing again is he? This is turning into a regular event.

They should put that in the TV Guides.


"BBC 1 -- 8:30pm; Prince William proposes again"

 

[Oppie]

Has anyone ever seen the television show The West Wing (the White House "establishment"); if you have, keep in mind that that's just a TV producer's and screenwriter's version of what they think happens behind the scenes.

But if it was West Wing then the conversations would be more around the lines of

(Setting walking around the halls of Buckingham Palce)
W: Granny I have to talk to you about a thing
Q : Did you know that corgis decended from Swedish Vallhund
W: Well no,
Q : We should start a project, tracing the orgins of corgis it would be fun, we could translate it into Latin !
W: Actually I came to talk to you about the thing
Q: The engagment thing ?
W: No not the engagment thing
Q: William, your on the side of the better angeles (then says something in Latin)
W: Yeah it's about the engament thing

(all you need is few few baseball metaphors and a reference to Judaism and you get a scence from the West Wing)

Speaking of West Wing (although somewhat off topic) there was an episode where the Queen was coming and she couldn't be seated with the Swedish ambassador because they had "a thing", almost fell off my chair laughing at that. Oh and the British ambassador was going to set up Donna with the Earl of Ulster, except on the show he was three.

 

[BeatrixFan]

Just watched a programme on BBCFour about the abdication. It showed front pages from 1936 saying, "WEDDING NEXT YEAR" and "KING TO MARRY WALLY" and "WALLY TO BE DUCHESS OF EDINBURGH". Oh how we laughed.

 

[Oppie]

I think I might have mentioned this before, but someone on this board has a key chain of Willem Alexander and one of his past girlfriends.

 

[Lady Bluffton]

Just watched a programme on BBCFour about the abdication. It showed front pages from 1936 saying, "WEDDING NEXT YEAR" and "KING TO MARRY WALLY" and "WALLY TO BE DUCHESS OF EDINBURGH". Oh how we laughed.

Well, at least 2 of those front pages turned out to be true prophecies, eh?

 

[BeatrixFan]

Well yes but the stories suggested that he'd be King when they married next year so not quite the true prophecies they might have been.

 

[ysbel]

Well after Kate's red coat at William's passing out, my opinion is changing. I think its possible they are setting her up for an engagement announcement.

The reason is that Kate is really smart about keeping a low profile; even when she's out in public with William, she takes care to give off the impression of an ordinary girl who one may not recognize without being told who she is.

But the red coat among a sea of dark colors was bound to give photographers a really compelling and attractive photo op to splash the front pages with.

If Wills and Kate wanted to keep their relationship private much longer, this was the last thing I expected them to do. And while the Royal Family may not be a public relations saavy as the former Princess of Wales, they do know the effects of wardrobe colors on the press photographs. They plan their wardrobe color coordination for public events very meticulously to show attention to whatever they want to get attention.

 

[carlota]

i really think the fact of kate attending the sandhurst graduation and of her being invited to sadringham says a lot. i'm convinced they are going to announce their engagement soon. the only reason i think they might not is because they are still too young and william mentioned repeatedly that he wanted to marry after a while (but... didn't diana also marry at a young age?)

i'm going to think wishfully and i'm convinced they will announce their engagement soon. it will definitely be the event of the year for the whole world, for royal watchers and for non-royal watchers considering the royal family of britain is known all over and is by far the most known of them all...

 

[bbb]

http://www.cnn.com/
has a video and called kate his "lady in waiting"
don't watch it beatrixfan, i worry about your blood pressure
its all sugar and fairytale (with a shot of the fur hat i might add)

 

[ysbel]

Yes, I saw that video and quite frankly I was disappointed.

Already CNN is playing up the 'fairytale' princess aspect and comparing her to Diana. They're also predicting a media frenzy as big as Diana.

Plus a reporter responded quite arrogantly when he was asked whether they were harassing her too much. He didn't deny it but he said it was their right because she could be their future Queen.

Given the timing of Diana's inquest report, I find the suggestion to be absolutely heartless and tasteless.

 

[Skydragon]

Already CNN is playing up the 'fairytale' princess aspect and comparing her to Diana. They're also predicting a media frenzy as big as Diana.
Plus a reporter responded quite arrogantly when he was asked whether they were harassing her too much. He didn't deny it but he said it was their right because she could be their future Queen.

Given the timing of Diana's inquest report, I find the suggestion to be absolutely heartless and tasteless.

Sadly nobody has learned from the tragic marriage, life and death of Diana. They will all go out and buy the magazines and papers that contain the 'latest' picture or news story, (some true, most not).

The media will see that as the approval of the masses and hound this young woman, lets hope this time it is not to her death!

 

[Iluvbertie]

Well said Skydragon.

 

[corazon]

the comparation cannot be avoided, diana was a priness of a fairytale, have a hard life, and a tragic death when she was young, the comparation is just part of a process.
diana was comparate with the queen elexandra the last princess of wales before to her, is all part of the media.
william is a prince very very popular and if he will marry the comparation with the wedding of his parents is obvious.
don't forget than charles and diana's wedding was 'the wedding of the century' many people wait the same for the william's wedding for all the thing than happend in william's life since he born

 

[Charlotte1]

The royals themselves have learnt a lesson from the disasters with Sarah and Diana. Royal partners are included in events it doesn't necessarily mean an engagement is about to be announced. Sophie Rhys Jones was included in royals event and publically photographed with the royals, including their Britannia holidays from 1994 ( She and Edward got engaged and married in 1999). Just because Kate was at the passing out ceremony doesn't mean that there is to be an engagement within weeks. If they stay together expect it within years.

 

[Laviollette]

Interesting how one person in the CNN video predicts Kate will be as big a star as Diana just by marrying William (if she does). It's as if the media thinks it can manufacture that kind of international superstardom if the public doesn't feel it for that person. I think the media will be disappointed and this reminds me of the marketing of Jude Law as the next big star in the U.S. -- sexiest man alive and all that or like every British actress being the next Kate Winslet yet she remains the standard bearer. The way the mass public takes to a public person can't be manufactured. It has to come from the heart.

 

[Skydragon]

It was press manufactured with Diana, so what has changed and if you look here, some are already saying she has captured the heart of the British.
Princess Catherine certainly has a nice ring to it!

 

[Laviollette]

We are not in disagreement. It has to come from the heart of the people as I've said. However, I think Diana was unique and someone like her only comes along once in a generation i.e. JFK, Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly, Jackie O. It doesn't mean Kate won't be adored by her countrymen.

 

[Incas]

Grace Kelly, Marily Monro and Jacqueline Onassis were of the same generation. Grace and Jacqueline were born in 1929, Marilyn was born three years prior. The idea of unique persons only comes along once in a generation is very romantic but also inacurrate.

 

[Laviollette]

Well I guess this makes these people even rarer because our generation sure hasn't seen many of them except Diana.

 

[ysbel]

The way the mass public takes to a public person can't be manufactured. It has to come from the heart.

Who says that the two are incompatible?

Marketing, advertising, and public relations are the science of provoking certain human emotions in your audience to get a desired reaction to your product whether it be perfume, an actor, or a public figure.

Just because the reaction is manufactured doesn't make it any less real. These experts figure out what most people are looking for emotionally and then package the product or person to enhance what people are looking for.

That's not to say that Diana didn't really care for people, but don't underestimate the power of the journalists around her (Richard Kay, etc.) to enhance certain qualitites that she possessed that they knew would resonate with the public.

Its interesting that the journalists are doing the same with Kate but emphasizing different characteristics. With Diana before her engagement, they emphasized her youth, her innocence, her freshness, her unspoiled nature, her virginity. With Kate, its her common sense, her decorum, her coolness under fire.

Kate may not have any more common sense than Diana had but from the way the papers are talking about her good sense and her willingness to stand up to the Royal Family, its pretty apparent that these qualities that the majority of the newspaper readers relate to now - not the innocence of a schoolgirl.

 

[Laviollette]

Who says that the two are incompatible?

The two are not always incompatible. Most of the time they go hand and hand. But sometimes we're surprised by, for instance, lackluster sales of an album or movie by a singer or actor who is on the cover of every magazine in the world and then some singer or actress, without much marketing at all, comes out of no where to become a big star.

I will get back on topic now.

 

[Duchess]

i think Catherine, if they marry, will be extremely popular but not to the same degree as Diana.

 

[sophie]

kate and william

prince william and kate are not ready for marriage yet they are too young to be thinking about marriage.

 

[Iluvbertie]

prince william and kate are not ready for marriage yet they are too young to be thinking about marriage.

Why are they 'too young'?

I know many young people who have married at 24 or so - and they don't seem too young to me.

William and Kate have been in some type of relationship for at least 4 years now and are comfortable with each other.

I don't see any reason why age has anything to do with it - maturity yes but age no (the two are not the same thing).

 

[Ctejnoe]

I personally think that the press and people, in general, are getting over-excited about Kate and Wills ( insofar as their marriage)
Firstly, she is his first serious girlfriend (but maybe i just didnt notice the others) and his first long term relationship...Its a big thing and generates fun pictures.
Secondly, my goodness, they're 24! If they announced their engagement next week, well...this'd be me: (imo 24 is a very young age to marry..)
And thirdly, it hasnt been common, has it, for the British Monarchy to "flaunt"(used loosely) their gf's/bf's? (as opposed to the Danish, for example...We have front row seats )So maybe, Will is just being a little less formal and it conflicts with what has previously been presented? So people dont know what to think.
Despite all that, they're young, my age, and in love. No need to push them to the alter...Despite how much fun it'd be to look at all the pretty dresses

 

[hibou]

William still has alot to go in the military first of all, so he won't be around much this next year. I would think that after the disaster with Charles the royal family is going to be really careful. The Queen inviting her to tea , and riding etc. is just a first step not an engagement. If they are going to get married, I would say that they will keep the engagement announcement quite for as long as possible to give them both space before the masses decend on them. So I would say maybe next year but not this one. After all She won't hang around for ever waiting. So next year is my guess.

 

[Iluvbertie]

Remember that next year is the 60th anniversary of the Queen and Prince Philip's marriage and she has indicated that she wants the focus on celebrations next year to be on the contribution that he has made - a way of honouring him.

An engagement and a wedding next year will take the focus away from those big celebrations.

I suspect an engagement may be a year or so away - if Kate is to be the one.