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

[Duke of Marmalade]

If they get married it won't be within the next few years. I don't think William wants to get married now. I don't think he even wants to marry Kate.

Exactly my thoughts! Why would he commit to the RAF for years if marriage was on his agenda? I might be wrong but from the moment William gets married the public and media will be on his back asking for a) children and b) the couple being engaged in royal duties. If William referred to his RAF stint as "being engaged in royal duties" this would mean for Kate having to live separate lives, with him being a soldier and her pursuing her own agenda and bring up kids (= the reality for many army wives) - I don't see this as a feasible solution.

No, I agree with blondie, the RAF stint means he's off the marriage market for the next 7 years and I especially agree with the second point, that he doesn't even want to marry Kate. The RAF engagement is handy for him as an excuse not having to commit and it is very unlikely that Waity Katy is still around in 7 years from now. At some point she will have to move on with her life, with or without William. As I said before, William can still marry in 10-15 years from now, no problem, and I believe that's exactly what he has in mind for his own future.

 

[muriel]

Exactly my thoughts! Why would he commit to the RAF for years if marriage was on his agenda? I might be wrong but from the moment William gets married the public and media will be on his back asking for a) children and b) the couple being engaged in royal duties. If William referred to his RAF stint as "being engaged in royal duties" this would mean for Kate having to live separate lives, with him being a soldier and her pursuing her own agenda and bring up kids (= the reality for many army wives) - I don't see this as a feasible solution.

No, I agree with blondie, the RAF stint means he's off the marriage market for the next 7 years and I especially agree with the second point, that he doesn't even want to marry Kate. The RAF engagement is handy for him as an excuse not having to commit and it is very unlikely that Waity Katy is still around in 7 years from now. At some point she will have to move on with her life, with or without William. As I said before, William can still marry in 10-15 years from now, no problem, and I believe that's exactly what he has in mind for his own future.

William's decision to commit to the SAR for the next few years is, IMO, based on a sense of duty to serve a longer time in the armed forces than the 2.5 years he had done so, and to perhaps, delay entering full time royal duties. There may have also been an element of strategic thinking involved here, in allowing brand Camilla to get a little better established before Will himself entered full time royal duties. Looking at his fathers life as King in waiting, it must be clear that Will needs to have a few causes close to hs heart that he can spend the next few decades pursuing, before he gets the top job himself. It takes a while to get your thinking developed so that you can identify what you feel passionately about, before you start to pursue it.

In relation to the topic of marriage, since when did marriage and a career in the forces become mutually exclusive? If anything, it is the perfect way for her to gently ease into royal life. There will no doubt be pressure from the press and public for them to have children fairly early in their marriage, and I am sure Kate (or whoever Will eventually marries) can manage being eased into royal life, bringing up children and being a forces wife in parallel. I don't think they will need to live apart for any length of time - not sure where he is going to be posted, but its probably going to be someplace in the UK itself and she can live in suitable accomodation near there. At that stage, they will pursue different "day jobs", but they will not be the first to day so. Most active royal couples follow completely different diaries for most of the week in any case.

Delaying marriage till his 40s is not a decision that somebody in Wills' position is going to take likely, and is certainly not one for which he is likely to get much support from his father or grand parents, or the royal household for that matter!

 

[MARG]

William's decision to commit to the SAR for the next few years is, IMO, based on a sense of duty to serve a longer time in the armed forces than the 2.5 years he had done so, and to perhaps, delay entering full time royal duties. . . . .

Since both his grandmother and his father are still working "full time" for the firm I think this move makes sense.

In relation to the topic of marriage, since when did marriage and a career in the forces become mutually exclusive?

It's a great way to ease into married "royal" life and still actually have a life.

Delaying marriage till his 40s is not a decision that somebody in Wills' position is going to take likely, and is certainly not one for which he is likely to get much support from his father or grand parents, or the royal household for that matter!

I can just see it now . . . . William puts marriage on the back burner until his 40's . . . . and everyone will be beying for a young, fertile bride! Deja vu anyone?

 

[Kezza]

Can I remind people of the situation Sarah Ferguson found herself in when she married Andrew while he was still very much in the Navy. She hardly got to see Andrew and she was forced to live away from Andrew and get on with raising the two girls and doing her duties as a member of the Royal Family. I agree with Duke Of Marmalade if Kate was to marry William she will be very much expected to do the samething as Sarah had to do. I cannot see either of them being able to live the quiet life out on some air base for the next few years as a married couple, and just suddenly come out of the air base with a couple of kids and the world finding out about them having children for the first time.

I think William has made it very clear he wants to have a career before marriage. I think Kate should move on IMO because I get the feeling this waiting around for him is for nothing. I think the more aristo ladies have been keeping clear of William until he is ready to start looking for a woman that he is ready to settle down with.

I don't think he has met the one yet. Prince Charles said in his recent interview that he hopes his two sons get into gardening when they finally met that special someone.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

In relation to the topic of marriage, since when did marriage and a career in the forces become mutually exclusive? ... can manage being eased into royal life, bringing up children and being a forces wife in parallel. I don't think they will need to live apart for any length of time - not sure where he is going to be posted, but its probably going to be someplace in the UK itself and she can live in suitable accomodation near there.

i would wholeheartly agree if we were talking about Harry. no way such an arrangement would be possible for william and his future wife, especially not if her name is kate with the media history she's bringing along. IMO if william marries he'll be full time into duties, same goes for his wife and kids will be on the agenda from day one. at least for me his commitment towards the RAF clearly shows that doesn't want to find himself in such a scenario for the next years.

 

[muriel]

Can I remind people of the situation Sarah Ferguson found herself in when she married Andrew while he was still very much in the Navy...

The situation with Andrew and Sarah was quite different. Andrew was a helicopter pilot in the navy, and was often away for very extended periods on naval exercises, by the very nature of naval exercises. The role at the SAR is not likely to involve Wills being away for a majority of the time. I will not say much more on this as I do not know the SAR environment very well.

The other point of difference is that Wills, as the future King, will only see limited service and will really not expected to serve on the front line. That too, will impact the type of postings he gets. This was not a constraint for Andrew, and he saw active service in the Falklands conflict (albeit before he was married to Sarah).

Kate (if she is the one) will be required to carry out royal engagements from the beginning, and bring up any children they may have - thats just life, and thats what most working women do. She may be fortunate enough to tailor her engagements so that she does not have to be away from Wills or their children for any length of time. Lets not forget that even after joining the RAF, Wills will continue to carry out a certain number of public engagements a year, just as he has in recen years. No doubt his wife's diary will be structured to allow them to do joint engagements in those times.

Going back to Andrew and Sarah, Andrew being away was certainly not the only factor in the break down of their marriage.

 

[muriel]

i would wholeheartly agree if we were talking about Harry. no way such an arrangement would be possible for william and his future wife, especially not if her name is kate with the media history she's bringing along. IMO if william marries he'll be full time into duties, same goes for his wife and kids will be on the agenda from day one. at least for me his commitment towards the RAF clearly shows that doesn't want to find himself in such a scenario for the next years.

I am still struggling to see the link you are suggesting between Wills marrying and entering royal duties full time. He will continue to do a certain number of public engagements a year, and Kate will work full time. I fully agree there will be a lot of media attention, and children will have to be on the agenda fairly early on - which I think is anther reason Wills wants to delay getting married. Most people these days at age 26 are just not ready to start thinking about having children.

As regards Kate's relationship with the media, my opinion is that the negative stories in the last 6-12 months are really because there is very little the press has on her. They have sold their share of newspapers initially telling the world how lovely she is. That story has run its course and they have found little else to talk about since. They have probably not been able to get much more from her friends and the larger Middleton clan, so in a bid to sell more newspapers, they have been forced to go negative on Kate. If she marries Wills, they will retreat for some time, and then wait on judgement on her performance as a working royal.

 

[Iluvbertie]

You know I have a sneaking suspicion that following the very public breakdown of his parents' marriage William may simply never marry.

I think, unless he really finds 'the one', who may be Kate or not, then he shouldn't be pressured by the public and the press to marry just because he is expected to do so. His father was, to a large extent, and we all know how that worked out.

 

[Skydragon]

Can I remind people of the situation Sarah Ferguson found herself in when she married Andrew while he was still very much in the Navy. She hardly got to see Andrew and she was forced to live away from Andrew and get on with raising the two girls and doing her duties as a member of the Royal Family.

Shock, horror, RAF spouses are allowed to live on base or in a private hiring. As he will be a member of Search and Rescue, he will have a choice of 5 bases and it is unlikely he will be away more than the helicopter has fuel for.

I cannot see either of them being able to live the quiet life out on some air base for the next few years as a married couple, and just suddenly come out of the air base with a couple of kids and the world finding out about them having children for the first time.

They are allowed off the base for an hour or two each week! I really can't see your point, members of the RAF have 'normal' lives on and off base, they are not prisoners.

I think William has made it very clear he wants to have a career before marriage. I think Kate should move on IMO because I get the feeling this waiting around for him is for nothing. I think the more aristo ladies have been keeping clear of William until he is ready to start looking for a woman that he is ready to settle down with.

I think the more aristocratic ladies have better things to do with their lives than sit around hoping William will notice them sooner or later!

I don't think he has met the one yet. Prince Charles said in his recent interview that he hopes his two sons get into gardening when they finally met that special someone.

He did, well I'll wish him the best of luck there then, I thought he expressed the hope that they would become involved in the Princes Trust.

 

[Kezza]

The situation with Andrew and Sarah was quite different...

The point I was making is that she will be put under the same sort of pressure that Sarah was under and what you have said is pretty much what I meant.

 

[Kezza]

Shock, horror, RAF spouses are allowed to live on base or in a private hiring...

I really cant see your point either.

 

[muriel]

The point I was making is that she will be put under the same sort of pressure that Sarah was under and what you have said is pretty much what I meant.

.....but so was Diana, and to a much lesser extent, Sophie. Thats life. Being a member of the BRF is not easy, especially in the earl years when you are tryng to establish yourself, and what you stand for. It has taken Charles a lifetime!

 

[gabby_windsor]

He's a 26 year old boy (and I mean boy) who I seriously doubt (knowing many a 26 year old boy myself) is even thinking about marriage. He has committed...to his career overy anything else. I think that's a very sure sign there will not be an engagement with this girl, if ever.

Also, I think the fact that the UK is going into recession will mean that the Royal family will have to keep it's head down for the next few years whilst the population is losing their houses and jobs left, right and centre. Thus, no major announcement of anything or major celebrations - rules out an engagement and wedding.

That poor girl gave away all her power to him. He makes the decisions and she lets him. But to me she showed her true colours when she allowed herself to be photographed for the cover of some newspaper a few years ago, modelling some clothes and then claimed she didn't know what it was for. Puhlease! I think she'll stick around for a few more years and then he'll do a Viscount Linley.

Completely agree with you Duke of Marmalade.

 

[Jo of Palatine]

w years whilst the population is losing their houses and jobs left, right and centre. Thus, no major announcement of anything or major celebrations - rules out an engagement and wedding.

You are serious about that? That because some overpayed good-for-nothing bankers sold unreliable products to over-greedy costumers and payed the piper means that William is not allowed to get engaged and marry for years? Come on. especially during recessions people have loved a good party and which party could be better than William's wedding?

 

[muriel]

You are serious about that? That because some overpayed good-for-nothing bankers sold unreliable products to over-greedy costumers and payed the piper means that William is not allowed to get engaged and marry for years? Come on. especially during recessions people have loved a good party and which party could be better than William's wedding?

The economic environment might shape the size and nature of any wedding related celebrations, but IMO its certainly not going to stop them. I know times were different, but the wedding of the Edinburghs in 1947 helped lift the national mood after WW2.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

The economic environment might shape the size and nature of any wedding related celebrations, but IMO its certainly not going to stop them. I know times were different, but the wedding of the Edinburghs in 1947 helped lift the national mood after WW2.

don't overestimate the impact of monarchy on today's society. 1947 was a different time post-war when people saw their royals as beacons in the night. these days most people don't care - they do respect HM but especially the younger royals, headed by william - are rather an annoyance. the charles & di wedding took place in 1981 when better times for britain were on the cards.

Originally Posted by gabby_windsor
w years whilst the population is losing their houses and jobs left, right and centre. Thus, no major announcement of anything or major celebrations - rules out an engagement and wedding.

You are serious about that? That because some overpayed good-for-nothing bankers sold unreliable products to over-greedy costumers and payed the piper means that William is not allowed to get engaged and marry for years? Come on. especially during recessions people have loved a good party and which party could be better than William's wedding?

i absolutely agree here with gabby. the last thing the nation wants or needs is an expensive wedding. i am dead sure that the overall mood would not be joy over the wedding but anger over spending money on an unnecessary event. i am honest, if william announced his wedding tomorrow people would not be excited one bit - they would moan about the money etc and it doesn't help that kate is not exactly popular in the country. she would be seen as social climber finally getting her way. a lavish royal wedding at this stage - and a future heir to the throne is supposed to have a lavish wedding - would imo rather harm the monarchy and question the institution - because the taxpayer has to pay for it - than boosting it.

if it's fair or not i don't know but imo this is the truth. i live in the uk and if i asked 30 people i would get two kinds of reactions - either i don't care or do we actually still need a royal family?

 

[Menarue]

I really believe that William doesn´t want to get married also that Kate isn´t the right one for him (if there is a right one somewhere in the world) it feels to me that he is just a bit reluctant to end it as it has been a long time and even princes can have a guilty conscience.

 

[muriel]

I do think this conversation is going around a bit in circles. There is little new fact around, and we just seem to have reached a point where people are continuing to repeatedly state their position. So can I suggest that Wills and Kate please get on and snog or row publicly, for the sake of TRF!

 

[Isana]

Let's start a petition: Kiss or dismiss!

 

[blondie28]

I highly doubt William will be getting married within the next couple of years. But then again I don't know when the economic crisis will get better. I also don't think he will marry Kate, he's getting a little tired of her IMO. I agree Britain would not be very happy if he announced his engagement soon, because of the economy and because of how Kate is seen, as a social climber.

 

[ghost_night554]

I think we know so little about her, and their relationship that I don't think it's fair to judge whether she's right for William or not. I highly doubt he would have held on to her for so long if he felt she wasn't right As for if there is someone right out there in the world for William, I mean plenty of other princes around the world have found suitable wives what makes William so different?

 

[magnik]

I highly doubt William will be getting married within the next couple of years. But then again I don't know when the economic crisis will get better. I also don't think he will marry Kate, he's getting a little tired of her IMO. I agree Britain would not be very happy if he announced his engagement soon, because of the economy and because of how Kate is seen, as a social climber.

I'm not sure if the crisis would have something to do with their possible engagement. William's paternal grandparents married just 2 years after IIWW.

 

[blondie28]

Read post 1544, that should tell you something.
We know so little about her?

 

[magnik]

Read post 1544, that should tell you something.

I understand it.
But the events like this specially weddings are expensive (f.ex. security of all invited VIPs).
But not expensive wedding of the member of THIS RF (future king) would be something new.

We know so little about her?

Who? About KM, yes.

But maybe they'll break up and he for some years find new girl/woman with whom he married.

 

[kimebear]

We know so little about her?

Relatively speaking, yes. She doesn't talk, William doesn't talk and royals have been known to feed friends false information to see which of them talk.

Aside from the few public appearances they make during the year, the very occasional CH comments on not commenting and idle gossip, we really do know very little about her and where their relationship stands.

 

[blondie28]

But doesn't one's activities and what they do, in the way and manner thay handle things show a lot about who they are? I have always learned your actions reflect on you as a whole.

 

[Isana]

So what "actions" has Kate taken the last 2 months? No pics, no reports how are we to judge her by her "actions" if we only know about 10% of what she does (at most)? The thing is that we do not have enough factual basis to draw reliable conclusions about her character or William's (though we know slightly more about him) or the state of their relationship.
Of course people will always draw conclusions - that's inevitable but I would be surprised if they all turned out to be true in the long run. After all this thread shows very well how the very same "actions" and reports can be interpreted completely opposite by different people.

 

[blondie28]

Well we know she was pulled over for breaking the law!

 

[kimebear]

What exactly was she pulled over for? The only incident I remember is when she was photographed talking on her cell phone, but she was not pulled over for that.

 

[CasiraghiTrio]

But doesn't one's activities and what they do, in the way and manner thay handle things show a lot about who they are? I have always learned your actions reflect on you as a whole.

We do actions. We aren't the actions themselves. You're not really an accountant or a doctor or teacher. That's just what you do.