You seem really knowledgeable to me, too. I'm looking forward to picking your brain on royal issues as they come up, because you probably do more reading than I can (currently studying law, so most of my reading time is confined to human rights abuses (which makes Constantine's case even more fascinating to me)).
Yes! Now that is interesting....I know back in 2002 he won his case..although not in the way he had hoped in the World Court, I believe. He, his sister Irene and aunt Katherine received money in the suit but not the property Mon Repos or Tatoi.
I will tell you that I think if ANY royal family outright owned property in their own name, and jewels for that matter, and the government during WWII stripped them of it, they should get it back.
How would we feel if our government did that to us?
We should start another thread for this as I know King Michael and King Simeon are experiencing similar issues..so are some of the Hapsburgs...
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not only them, but some other noble/aristocratic families as well. all i know is that i'd feel horrid if my family lost everything - i know some ancestors of mine were forced into exile from their country of origin, and they never got over it.
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"Two sprays of mixed flowers, entirely pavéd with diamonds, meet at the large, open wild rose in the center. The sprays can also be worn as brooches. The diamonds, set in flowers, are recorded in the Heathcote inventory of 1786 and have descended in the same family since..."
The tiara is named as being the property of Baroness Nancy Willoughby de Eresby, 28th Baroness Willoughby de Eresby, who apparently was one of the train bearers for Queen Elizabeth at her coronation in 1953.
The mother of the present owner of the tiara (the Baroness) and the grandfather of the bride were siblings, both children of Waldorf Astor, 2nd Viscount Astor.
1-2. Edward Van Cutsem
3-6. Ben and Kate Goldsmith (brother and sister-in-law of Jemima)
7-8. Tiggy Pettifer (formely Legge-Bourke, former nanny of William and Harry)
9. Prince William
10. Prince William with William Van Cutsem (behind the lady in the red hat). He is the youngest of the Van Custsem brothers.
I love the fact these Van Cutsem boys are marrying women worth millions and in the case of Lady Tamara Grosvenor, billions.
They came, they saw inheritances, they conquered. The first time we have a male family to compare to the Cushing sisters, the Mitfords, and the Miller sisters.
The one who married in November to Lady Tamara received 10 m pounds to ensure the Duke of Westminster's daughter was kept in the lifestyle she was used too.
I am very surprised by this statement. I was always said that the reason why British aristocrats were doing so much better than most European aristocrats is that the titles, properties AND money go undivided to the eldest son, leaving nothing to other kids.
Tamara being a girl and having a little brother, I wonder to what extend, exactly, she is an heiress. It seems to me that she is the one who did a good wedding. The Van Cutsem boys are very wealthy (on their own since they all have good jobs and potentially by inheritance) and their social standing is above question.
Same comment for Rose.
And just a look at the brides (especially Rose) makes me think they did not need much extra motivation to wed them...:p
In a post you also said that you met the Cutsem brothers and that they were annoying. I wonder if Nicholas was among them. He always seemed to me the nicer and more discreet.
1-3. Bride and Groom
4-7. Laura Parker Bowles
8-9. Kate Middleton
10. The Church
Thank you pdas for the photos, especially the ones of Rose's dress. Her wedding dress is definitely one of the nicest wedding dresses I've seen. I love its simplicity mixed with the intricate lacework. And of course, the tiara. How wonderfully it complements her gown. Hugh doesn't look bad either, but dresses are far more important to a girl than tuxedos.
Tamara got L10 million in comparison to the billions her brother will inherit. She probably got around the same amount of money that Edward will eventually inherit (their father spent L5 million building a family house, not including the cost of buying the land the house sits on). The Astors have an estimated L66 million (the entire Astor clan, not just Rose's dad), so she probably isn't in line to inherit much of that (the family has really branched out and is fairly large considering how new they are).
It was a sight royal fans the world over have been longing for for quite some time. Prince William, with a broad smile on his face, standing side by side with Kate Middleton as the wedding march played in the background.
Those already anticipating the day Wills makes his vows will have to wait a little longer, though - he and his girlfriend were simply guests at the nuptials of two close friends. The second-in-line acted as an usher at the marriage of his chum Hugh van Cutsem to landowner's daughter Rose Astor.
With a light drizzle falling over the church in Burford, Oxfordshire, the 30-year-old groom escorted his fiancée, who wore an ivory gown with lace sleeves, into the church under an umbrella. Once inside, the couple made their vows in front of a who's-who of British society. Among those in attendance for the ceremony were advertising mogul Maurice Saatchi and banking heir Zac Goldsmith.
William's girlfriend of two years might have been forgiven for feeling a little awkward, since her beau's ex-girlfriend Jessica Craig was present too. Conspicuous by their absence, however, were Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall, who likewise stayed away from the wedding of elder brother Edward van Cutsem to Lady Tamara Windsor after finding out they were to be seated separately.
Prince Harry wasn't able to make it either, as he is currently in the thick of combat training at Sandhurst. And it seems the young royal is feeling the strain of military life, because he has been forced to trade his army boots for trainers after developing painful blisters on his feet.
1. Hugh holds an umbrella over his bride to protect her from the rain
2. Wills acted as an usher at his old friend's wedding
3. Girlfriend Kate Middleton was also in attendance
4. Banking heir Ben Goldsmith arrives with partner Kate Rothschild
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