Wedding of William & Catherine: Royal Wedding Miscellania

[Mia_mae]

Originally Posted by XeniaCasaraghi

Which little bitty bridesmaid did you want to cover in kisses more:

Grace Van Cutsem or Eliza Lopes?

Both. Equally!
That whole ceremony must've been overwhelming ! And as others pointed out, they did a great job.

[Rocketmom]

I have a question. I am new to the forum and have been making my way through the posts but have not yet seen anything that answers my question. I hope I am not violating protocol by posting it here. Apologies if I have.

I noticed during William and Catherine's carriage ride back to the palace after the wedding that on several occasions he saluted and she bowed her head, obviously in respect to someone or something along the route. Thinking back to Charles and Diana's wedding, I do not recall that they did the same thing. Is it because William is considered to be active military duty and Charles was not?

Secondly, I'm curious about the military uniforms so many of the men wore. In the U.S., most men who are no longer on active duty do not wear their uniforms. It appears that this is not the case in Great Britain as Princes Charles and Andrew wore uniforms and even Prince Philip at age 89 wore one. Even Edward wore a uniform and I was under the impression that he never completed a military commitment.

If anyone can address these questions, I'd be grateful.

[Daria_S]

Welcome to the forums!

I'll try to answer at least one of your questions. During the procession from the Abbey, William and Catherine's carriage passed by the War Memorial, and that's why William saluted and Catherine bowed her head.

Not sure about the military uniforms, unfortunately.

[Skippy]

Originally Posted by Rocketmom

I have a question. I am new to the forum and have been making my way through the posts but have not yet seen anything that answers my question. I hope I am not violating protocol by posting it here. Apologies if I have.

I noticed during William and Catherine's carriage ride back to the palace after the wedding that on several occasions he saluted and she bowed her head, obviously in respect to someone or something along the route. Thinking back to Charles and Diana's wedding, I do not recall that they did the same thing. Is it because William is considered to be active military duty and Charles was not?

Secondly, I'm curious about the military uniforms so many of the men wore. In the U.S., most men who are no longer on active duty do not wear their uniforms. It appears that this is not the case in Great Britain as Princes Charles and Andrew wore uniforms and even Prince Philip at age 89 wore one. Even Edward wore a uniform and I was under the impression that he never completed a military commitment.

If anyone can address these questions, I'd be grateful.

Originally Posted by Daria_S

Welcome to the forums!

I'll try to answer at least one of your questions. During the procession from the Abbey, William and Catherine's carriage passed by the War Memorial, and that's why William saluted and Catherine bowed her head.

Not sure about the military uniforms, unfortunately.

Here is information about Prince Charles' uniform:

HRH The Prince of Wales's Uniform.

[Lumutqueen]

Originally Posted by Rocketmom

Secondly, I'm curious about the military uniforms so many of the men wore. In the U.S., most men who are no longer on active duty do not wear their uniforms. It appears that this is not the case in Great Britain as Princes Charles and Andrew wore uniforms and even Prince Philip at age 89 wore one. Even Edward wore a uniform and I was under the impression that he never completed a military commitment.
.

I don't think there is any 'rule' on when to stop wearing your uniform, but Phillip, Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward have all received honorary military appointments.

Edward did not complete military training neither did Princess Anne nor Queen Elizabeth II. All three wear or have worn uniform on occasions.

[Diarist]

Please can I add a little background information here?

William and Catherine were saluting / bowing to the Centotaph as it is properly known. It is indeed a war memorial and stands in Whitehall, and the Royal Wedding procession of course did pass by it. My parents have always told me that when they were younger, men of their generation ALWAYS removed their hats as a sign of respect WHENEVER they passed the Cenotaph, although this practice has ceased over the last 40 years or so, which is probably why William and Catherine's act of homage stood out. It

The Cenotaph was originally constructed as a memorial to those of the armed forces who lost their lives in the first world war, but is now treated as a memorial to all those who have served in all those wars in which Britain has fought.

Each year, on the second Sunday of November, the UK commemorates those service personnel who lost their lives in all wars fought by the British Army by holding a formal service of Rememberance at the Cenotaph. It is a solemn occasion; the Queen leads the country in the Act of Rememberance by laying the first wreath on the Cenotraph [always seen on tv coverage and then in press coverage] followed by other members of the BRF.

Originally Posted by Lumutqueen

Edward did not complete military training neither did Princess Anne nor Queen Elizabeth II. All three wear or have worn uniform on occasions.

Good Heavens!! I hope that Her Majesty is NOT reading TRF tonight, otherwise it will be 'off with Lumutqueen's head' [or it would have been some generations ago.!!]

Her Majesty MOST DEFINITELY did complete military training! During the war she joined the Women's branch of the Army, which was then known as the ATS. She joined, not in an honorary capacity, BUT as a serving Subaltern [Lieutenant] and trained as a driver, which included training and working as a mechanic. This was because these were the roles open to women at the time - it was not possible in those days for women to be deployed in battle. By the time the second world war ended, The Queen had reached the rank of Junior Commander. These, emphatically, were NOT honorary appointments: the Queen underwent a full training, qualified and then worked in army. She is reputedly proud of her achievements in her army role. There are many anecdotal stories in existence of how the Queen can change car wheels and service car engines. In recent times, when out in a Land Rover that broke down during a private visit to see some racehorses, Her Majesty was quick to diagnose the problem and what needed to be done etc.

The Queen is entitled to wear the uniforms that she does by virtue of the fact that as Sovereign she is Head of the Armed Forces.

Other members of the BRF hold honorary appointments in all three of the armed services. This is why members of the BRF are seen wearing uniforms on various occasions. The Duchess of Cornwall and the Earl and Countess of Wessex all hold a number of such appointments [as do other members of the BRF]

Hope this helps,
Alex

[Lumutqueen]

Originally Posted by Diarist

Good Heavens!! I hope that Her Majesty is NOT reading TRF tonight, otherwise it will be 'off with Lumutqueen's head' [or it would have been some generations ago.!!]

Her Majesty MOST DEFINITELY did complete military training! During the war she joined the Women's branch of the Army, which was then known as the ATS. She joined, not in an honorary capacity BUT as a serving Subaltern [Lieutenant] and trained as a driver, which included training and working as a mechanic. This was because these were the roles open to women at the time - it was not possible in those days for women to be deployed in battle. By the time the second world war ended, The Queen had reached the rank of Junior Commander. These, emphatically, were NOT honorary appointments: the Queen underwent a full training, qualified and then worked in army. She is reputedly proud of her achievements in her army role. There are many anecdotal stories in existence of how the Queen can change car wheels and service car engines. When out in a Land Rover that broke down during a private visit to see some racehorses, Her Majesty was quick to diagnose the problem and what needed to be done etc.

She's not going to take off my head, hilarious, it's my opinion. I missed three letters out.

[Daria_S]

Originally Posted by Diarist

Please can I add a little background information here?

William and Catherine were saluting / bowing to the Centotaph as it is properly known. It is indeed a war memorial and stands in Whitehall, and the Royal Wedding procession of course did pass by it. My parents have always told me that when they were younger, men of their generation ALWAYS removed their hats as a sign of respect WHENEVER they passed the Cenotaph, although this practice has ceased over the last 40 years or so, which is probably why William and Catherine's act of homage stood out. It

The Cenotaph was originally constructed as a memorial to those of the armed forces who lost their lives in the first world war, but is now treated as a memorial to all those who have served in all those wars in which Britain has fought.

Each year, on the second Sunday of November, the UK commemorates those service personnel who lost their lives in all wars fought by the British Army by holding a formal service of Rememberance at the Cenotaph. It is a solemn occasion; the Queen leads the country in the Act of Rememberance by laying the first wreath on the Cenotraph [always seen on tv coverage and then in press coverage] followed by other members of the BRF.




Good Heavens!! I hope that Her Majesty is NOT reading TRF tonight, otherwise it will be 'off with Lumutqueen's head' [or it would have been some generations ago.!!]

Her Majesty MOST DEFINITELY did complete military training! During the war she joined the Women's branch of the Army, which was then known as the ATS. She joined, not in an honorary capacity, BUT as a serving Subaltern [Lieutenant] and trained as a driver, which included training and working as a mechanic. This was because these were the roles open to women at the time - it was not possible in those days for women to be deployed in battle. By the time the second world war ended, The Queen had reached the rank of Junior Commander. These, emphatically, were NOT honorary appointments: the Queen underwent a full training, qualified and then worked in army. She is reputedly proud of her achievements in her army role. There are many anecdotal stories in existence of how the Queen can change car wheels and service car engines. In recent times, when out in a Land Rover that broke down during a private visit to see some racehorses, Her Majesty was quick to diagnose the problem and what needed to be done etc.

The Queen is entitled to wear the uniforms that she does by virtue of the fact that as Sovereign she is Head of the Armed Forces.

Other members of the BRF hold honorary appointments in all three of the armed services. This is why members of the BRF are seen wearing uniforms on various occasions. The Duchess of Cornwall and the Earl and Countess of Wessex all hold a number of such appointments [as do other members of the BRF]

Hope this helps,
Alex

As always, very informative. Thank you for the information.

[XeniaCasaraghi]

Wasn't there at least 2 or 3 times when William saluted and Catherine bowed her head? If the war memorial was one, what were the others?

[Rocketmom]

Thanks to all for the information. I was aware that at least one of William's salutes was at a war memorial. There were several other times he saluted and Catherine bowed her head and I assumed it was to return a salute they received. What I really wondered about is.....did Charles and Diana do the same thing? Perhaps since their procession was from a different church, they may not have passed the same memorials.

All in all, I found it very respectful and certainly elevated the couple in my esteem.

[Mermaid1962]

I was impressed with the entire wedding, but I think one of the most touching things for me was when the prayer written by William and Catherine was read. I think it showed that their hearts really are in the right place. To my recollection, neither the Waleses nor the Yorks saluted or bowed during their carriage procession.

Originally Posted by Rocketmom

All in all, I found it very respectful and certainly elevated the couple in my esteem.

[Daria_S]

Originally Posted by Mermaid1962

I was impressed with the entire wedding, but I think one of the most touching things for me was when the prayer written by William and Catherine was read. I think it showed that their hearts really are in the right place. To my recollection, neither the Waleses nor the Yorks saluted or bowed during their carriage procession.

I couldn't agree more. It was simple, yet one could tell that the words came from the heart. They have their priorities straight, it would appear.

[wbenson]

Originally Posted by XeniaCasaraghi

Wasn't there at least 2 or 3 times when William saluted and Catherine bowed her head? If the war memorial was one, what were the others?

I think it might have been whenever they passed the colours of one of the groups of street liners.

[PrincessApple]

This is probably a really daft question but at the majority of weddings I've attended the wedding cake is served to guests and the top layer often kept for celebrations when the couple's first child is born or to mark their first wedding anniversary, so....

Considering William and Catherine's wedding cake went on display, it could not have been served at the wedding breakfast/reception, right? So, why did they have a wedding cake and what 'role' did it have on the day? I'm assuming there was a 'special' moment to cut it; if so why, especially when the guests were not able to enjoy it? What will happen to all the cake when the display is packed away?

[MARG]

Originally Posted by wbenson

I think it might have been whenever they passed the colours of one of the groups of street liners.

Whilst I agree that Catherine should have bowed her head at the Cenotaph she should not for Colours or Standards. William salutes, she should sit up straight (the sitting version of Attention) as they pass.

We should only bow our heads at Cenotaphs and funeral cortèges. Those in uniform pay compliments.

[bethaliz6894]

Originally Posted by PrincessApple

This is probably a really daft question but at the majority of weddings I've attended the wedding cake is served to guests and the top layer often kept for celebrations when the couple's first child is born or to mark their first wedding anniversary, so....

Considering William and Catherine's wedding cake went on display, it could not have been served at the wedding breakfast/reception, right? So, why did they have a wedding cake and what 'role' did it have on the day? I'm assuming there was a 'special' moment to cut it; if so why, especially when the guests were not able to enjoy it? What will happen to all the cake when the display is packed away?

i thought i read somewhere the cake was served and only one layer is real the rest was a replica. i cant find it now...of course.

when charles and diana were married she gave people a small square in a special keepsake box.

[PrincessApple]

A replica would make sense. I have just assumed it was the original as the display is reported to bear the cut they made. But perhaps the other layers were served and replicas added to this one for the display. It would make better sense to my mind at least!

[Daria_S]

This is a very interesting way to look at William and Catherine's wedding.

A brief glimmer of hope in lives of desperation - The Globe and Mail

[Baroness of Books]

That's an interesting article. It's amazing how the wedding affected people in so many different ways.

[ghost_night554]

Kate Middleton and Prince William receive 60,000 messages wishing them well from public - mirror.co.uk