Christening of Princess Charlotte of Cambridge: July 5, 2015

[Pranter]

Hmmm maybe grandpa as well. If that's what Charles likes to be called...so it seems anyway.


LaRae

 

[MichelleQ2]

Amaryllus...I found an old article!

While at the Sandringham Flower Show, Prince Charles reportedly revealed that he wants his new grandson—or "Prince Georgie," as he'll call him—to call him "grandpa" (not "granddad," because he doesn't like that),....

I believe 'Granddad' is what the grandkids call Philip - so that may be the men's way of differentiating.

 

[acdc1]

When will they be releasing the official photos?

 

[Archduchess Zelia]

I believe 'Granddad' is what the grandkids call Philip - so that may be the men's way of differentiating.

IIRC, in The Diamond Queen, Harry referred to Philip as "grandpa".

 

[Isabella]

IIRC, in The Diamond Queen, Harry referred to Philip as "grandpa".

Yep. Eugenie also refers to him as "grandpa" in Our Queen.

 

[ladongas]

Respectful children call adults what the adult wishes to be called. I always had a houseful of other people's kids when our son was small (oh, what happy days!). It was always my preference to be called by my first name. I would have thought them disrespectful to go against my wishes and call me Mrs. 'ladongas'.

We had a very close relationship, I fed them, drove them around, and occasionally (ugh!) had to change their diapers. I was not an employee of their parents, I was their much older friend. In turn, my son called their parents whatever the parents wished. Very few insisted on Mrs. or Mr. Whomever.

And all these years later, whether my son is at home or far away, they still come to visit and chat (and sometimes eat grilled cheese sandwiches or mac and cheese) and catch up. They called me Meg then and they call me Meg now. And if I ever have grandchildren, they can call me what they please unless it's offensive to me.

 

[hernameispekka]

Kate does seem to have a wonderfully calm, steady personality. I always thought she seemed to be that way, but the more we see of her in different situations, the more I realize how true it is and how significant it is. For some people, I think it's part of what makes people think Kate's boring, but I think it's part of what makes her a perfect partner for William, both on a personal level and on a public level. She never loses her cool and, particularly when the children are involved, she seems to be so calmly in control of things (and when you've got a toddler as rambunctious as George, that can't be easy!)

And, credit to William too (lest it sound too much like he needs babysitting himself ), he's always been very protective of Kate, and I think he's really helped to ease her into the royal family and the spotlight, particularly during their engagement and early in their marriage, when she did seem a bit nervous and shy at times. The two of them make a very good pair, and it's so lovely to see them out as a family. They all looked so picture-perfect as a family, which can't be easy with so much going on (babies, crowds, etc.)!



Too true.

Very nicely summarized!!

 

[hernameispekka]

I think the bottom line is a child shoukd not be calling an older woman by her name, that just seems very disrespectful. I know in some cases children use the title aunt or uncle for a close non related friend of their parents.

It might be very different in the UK, but here in Sweden eveyone is their first name. Old people, teachers etc. So I don't see anything disrespectful.

And the granny thing, here we have two different names depending on if it's a maternal or paternal grandparent. Mormor (is mothers mother) and farmor (is fathers mother). So my mormor has always been momo

 

[ladongas]

OT, but amusing to me: My housekeeper's granddaughter came home from kindergarten calling her teacher by her last name- "Johnson gave us homework today", "Johnson brought a puppet show to class." Don't know if that got sorted out eventually, but I assume so.

 

[Isabella]

Respectful children call adults what the adult wishes to be called. I always had a houseful of other people's kids when our son was small (oh, what happy days!). It was always my preference to be called by my first name. I would have thought them disrespectful to go against my wishes and call me Mrs. 'ladongas'.

We had a very close relationship, I fed them, drove them around, and occasionally (ugh!) had to change their diapers. I was not an employee of their parents, I was their much older friend. In turn, my son called their parents whatever the parents wished. Very few insisted on Mrs. or Mr. Whomever.

And all these years later, whether my son is at home or far away, they still come to visit and chat (and sometimes eat grilled cheese sandwiches or mac and cheese) and catch up. They called me Meg then and they call me Meg now. And if I ever have grandchildren, they can call me what they please unless it's offensive to me.

Yes, that's the way I was raised - call an adult what they want you to call them. I mean, my default was always Mr./Mrs./Ms. [surname], but a number of adults I knew preferred to be called by their first name. For example, my father's two sisters never liked to be called "Aunt [first name]," they preferred to be called by their first names only. I also had a nanny who preferred to be called by her first name (even though she was old enough to be my grandmother).

I've seen adults actually be quite uncomfortable if I'm too formal with them. Being from the South, I was raised to say "Yes ma'am/no ma'am" and "Yes sir/no sir" to my elders. I just do it reflexively. However, on more than one occasion when I was in college, I would be meeting my friends' parents (none whom were Southern), I would say "'yes ma'am" and the parent would sort of flinch and be like "oh, please, you don't have to call me that!" Needless to say, I would stop. I certainly don't want to make someone uncomfortable!

 

[Pranter]

Being (originally) from the south and being a military family our kids were raised to say yes ma'am and yes sir. I'm almost 50 and still do it. My grandkids are being raised in a similar way.

Nothing wrong with manners.


LaRae

 

[Skippyboo]

Both Philip and Charles refer to themselves as Pa as their dad nickname so that they use grandpa make sense for the next generation. If Kate used mum(my) and dad(dy), Carole and Mike are probably grandmum granddad.


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[Isabella]

Being (originally) from the south and being a military family our kids were raised to say yes ma'am and yes sir. I'm almost 50 and still do it. My grandkids are being raised in a similar way.

Nothing wrong with manners.


LaRae

Of course there's nothing wrong with it - unless it makes someone feel uncomfortable. For some people, being called "ma'am" or "sir" makes them feel old. I still use it generally, but if someone asks me to stop, I stop.

I think that's general point some are trying to make: children are usually taught certain manners with regard to what to call adults, but if a specific adult expresses a different preference, it's best to go with that. Based on what Camilla said, it sounds like she'd like to be called "Gaga" by William's children (which seems like a logical choice). However, as things can sometimes be a bit complex with stepparents, I'm sure it's something she would probably leave up to William. I doubt it will matter much to George and Charlotte, though, as I'm sure they'll just regard Camilla as a normal part of their lives, no matter what they call her.

 

[Duchess of Durham]

Of course there's nothing wrong with it - unless it makes someone feel uncomfortable. For some people, being called "ma'am" or "sir" makes them feel old. I still use it generally, but if someone asks me to stop, I stop.

I think that's general point some are trying to make: children are usually taught certain manners with regard to what to call adults, but if a specific adult expresses a different preference, it's best to go with that. Based on what Camilla said, it sounds like she'd like to be called "Gaga" by William's children (which seems like a logical choice). However, as things can sometimes be a bit complex with stepparents, I'm sure it's something she would probably leave up to William. I doubt it will matter much to George and Charlotte, though, as I'm sure they'll just regard Camilla as a normal part of their lives, no matter what they call her.

Someone once encouraged me to be okay with ma'am as that is the other person's way of showing their respect for me.

 

[Daria_S]

Being (originally) from the south and being a military family our kids were raised to say yes ma'am and yes sir. I'm almost 50 and still do it. My grandkids are being raised in a similar way.

Nothing wrong with manners.


LaRae

That's how I was brought up too, and it was a huge culture shock when I was informed that my preschoolers were to call me by my first name, without a Miss' attached to it. I think there always needs to be a distinction between children and adults, and just calling an adult by first name only implies a familiarity that may not be there.


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[hernameispekka]

This conversation amuses me alot. It feels so foreign/exotic to me. A whole different culture. He almost everyone is speaked to by their first name. Like, if you get presented to your boss he says "Peter Svensson" and after that you call him Peter. It has nothing to do with "bad manners". Just that it's not a thing that is included in what is considered "manners" here. My aunt and family lived in the UK for 2 years and she always felt really wierd and distanced from the kids when they called her Mrs. **...

 

[Pranter]

That's how I was brought up too, and it was a huge culture shock when I was informed that my preschoolers were to call me by my first name, without a Miss' attached to it. I think there always needs to be a distinction between children and adults, and just calling an adult by first name only implies a familiarity that may not be there.


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How weird. Here in my part of the midwest (and in the south where most of my grandkids are) teachers are not called by a given name, not even in high school....even college (here) you call instructors Mr/Mrs or Professor/Dr unless invited to use their given name.

I have a BIL who is a professor at a large university (another state in the midwest) I'll have to ask him how it is there. I do have a niece by marriage in that same state who teaches in elementary school...they call her Mrs. surname.


LaRae

 

[Sunnystar]

How weird. Here in my part of the midwest (and in the south where most of my grandkids are) teachers are not called by a given name, not even in high school....even college (here) you call instructors Mr/Mrs or Professor/Dr unless invited to use their given name.

I have a BIL who is a professor at a large university (another state in the midwest) I'll have to ask him how it is there. I do have a niece by marriage in that same state who teaches in elementary school...they call her Mrs. surname.


LaRae

Same is true here on the West Coast. Teachers are always called Mr./Mrs./Ms. Surname.

I went to a small college in Virginia so most of our professors had their PhDs and were generally called Dr. Surname. The adjunct professors would usually correct us if they didn't have their PhDs yet and we'd default to Professor Surname.

I think that's just generally how it ia through much of the US. Granted, things are much more informal nowadays than 25 years ago when I was in high school and college but most kids still seem to use an honorific and the person's surname unless that person is a close, family friend or has given them permission to use a first name.

 

[HRHHermione]

Calling teachers by first names is common in some Montessori schools and private schools in the U.S.

It's not uncommon in the northeast.


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[soapstar]

Although this is an interesting discussion, it's time to get back on topic. If you would like to continue this discussion, you can do so in the general discussion forum. Any further off-topic posts in this thread will be deleted.

 

[Queen Camilla]

I do not think George called the Queen 'granny'. If he said 'granny' it was for Carole.

The Queen's grandchildren call the Queen 'granny'. They called the Queen Mother 'gan-gan'.

George calls the Queens whatever Savannah called her that was later picked up by Isla, then George and then Mia.

The Queen is probably 'gan-gan' to her great-grandchildren.

We will have to wait to see what George calls Camilla but I doubt he will call her the same thing as her own grandchildren. Camilla's grandchildren probably call Charles 'sir'.

 

[Tiggersk8]

From all of the photos that we've seen of Maria this is the first time I've seen one where she is in her Norland uniform. Typically she wears comfortable slacks/skirts and blouses. She earned the privilege to wear that uniform and if that is what she wants to wear for "formal occasions" then IMO it is her right.

I'm positive that royal nannies have been present at BRF royal christenings at BP just that they're out of sight, this is just one of the few times we've seen one.

I can't for the life of me remember where I saw it, thinking Pinterest, but there is a lovely portrait picture out there of Sister Helen Rowe, who was one of the then Princess Elizabeth's Midwives and I also think Nursery Nurse, but not so certain on that one, holding Prince Charles at his Christening. I was so shocked seeing it because AFAIK, it's the only time before George's that a Nanny or Nurse was actually seen as a part of a Royal Christening. It really is a lovely picture if you can find it out there online.

The Kate is just a another mom on maternity leave having the same struggles as mom of every mom of a toddler and new born is more than a bit ridiculous. You know what, Kate may be hands on and do much of the work and end up exhausted at the end of the day we don't know she does not and kudos' to her if she does but the difference is she makes a choice and can stop Anytime she wants.

I guess Camilla will be granny also, what else can he call her? Step granny ? Cam?

My nephews and niece call my Dad by his given name, but he obviously means more than a Step to my niece as ever since Parker was born, all Presents & Cards are to Great Grandpa. . I'm sure they've figured out what Camilla will be called by George and as long as they're okay w/it...

They may be a Royal Family, but they're a Blended Royal Family and like all Blended Families, they'll figure it out.

I was very impressed by how Kate has already developed that special skill of keeping an eye on her Family and what they're up to at all times. There were a couple of moments when it appeared her attention was solely on Charlotte in her pram, yet at the same time she was also keeping an open ear out for what George was up to and when needed, helped out William w/him.

That seeming to have eyes in the back of her head, that was one thing about Mom during my Childhood I hated. Wonder if George is at that point yet?


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[Rudolph]

You must watch this video clip of Prince George from the christening

Prinz George: Fang mich, Papa! | Video auf BUNTE.de

 

[Lumutqueen]

Why would they call a grandfather figure Sir? That makes little sense.

 

[Daria_S]

I can't for the life of me remember where I saw it, thinking Pinterest, but there is a lovely portrait picture out there of Sister Helen Rowe, who was one of the then Princess Elizabeth's Midwives and I also think Nursery Nurse, but not so certain on that one, holding Prince Charles at his Christening. I was so shocked seeing it because AFAIK, it's the only time before George's that a Nanny or Nurse was actually seen as a part of a Royal Christening. It really is a lovely picture if you can find it out there online.




My nephews and niece call my Dad by his given name, but he obviously means more than a Step to my niece as ever since Parker was born, all Presents & Cards are to Great Grandpa. . I'm sure they've figured out what Camilla will be called by George and as long as they're okay w/it...

They may be a Royal Family, but they're a Blended Royal Family and like all Blended Families, they'll figure it out.

I was very impressed by how Kate has already developed that special skill of keeping an eye on her Family and what they're up to at all times. There were a couple of moments when it appeared her attention was solely on Charlotte in her pram, yet at the same time she was also keeping an open ear out for what George was up to and when needed, helped out William w/him.

That seeming to have eyes in the back of her head, that was one thing about Mom during my Childhood I hated. Wonder if George is at that point yet?


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I was also very impressed with Catherine's ability to multi-task without being too obvious about it. You can tell she has this mommy thing under control . I'm sure George will soon realize that Mama knows what he's going to do before he even attempts to do it, and it will make for an interesting dynamic at home. Yes, the eyes in the back of the head was always something I hated, but now, as an adult I'm thankful for a mother who cared enough to tell me 'no', so that I won't get hurt, or land myself into trouble. I'm sure George will be the same way.

You must watch this video clip of Prince George from the christening



Prinz George: Fang mich, Papa! | Video auf BUNTE.de

Oh, goodness! What a little ham! He was determined to get a bit of freedom. Thank you for sharing. This was delightful.

 

[Cici]

According to Kensington Palace twitter the christening photos are about to be released. I hope that they come soon.

 

[hernameispekka]

Kensington Palace ‏@KensingtonRoyal 4m4 minutes ago
We're about to share some very special christening photos by @mariotestino. Thanks so much for all the lovely messages in recent days!

 

[Cici]

Adorable photos and I love the different scenarios, in the drawing room and outside and inside.

 

[Skippyboo]

I think George is bragging that he has more hair than his daddy in that one photo. I love that once again the Queen's handbag is in the shot. That has to piss Lupo off. ? He could squeeze in there under the sofa.


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[iisuzieii]

I think Charlotte looks like Kate in the new pics...wonder what color her eyes will end up being.