Prince William & Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge News #1

[rox_yr_sox]

Royal wedding date set for 29 April

The wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton wedding will take place on Friday 29 April at Westminster Abbey, it was announced today by Clarence House.
The princes' private secretary, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, said they had chosen the venue for its "staggering beauty".
He said the arrangements were the personal wishes of the couple. "They are very much in charge if the arrangements. I have never seen two happier people. They are on cloud nine."
The royal family and the Middletons will foot the bill for the ceremony between them, although the cost of security will be met by the taxpayer.
No 10 confirmed the wedding will be a bank holiday. It will mark the start of a four-day weekend, ending with the May Day bank holiday on 2 May.
It will be the second four-day weekend in a fortnight, following the Easter weekend. Speaking to MPs last week, the prime minister David Cameron said an extra bank holiday would be a "very good idea" for the nation to enjoy the royal wedding.
Lowther-Pinkerton said the couple chose Westminster Abbey for its "staggering beauty", 1,000-year royal history and intimacy despite its size.
He told reporters in a briefing at St James's Palace: "The venue has long associations with the royal family – it is in many ways the royal family's church – and of course with Prince William personally.
"For Miss Middleton, the associations she has with the abbey are quite simply the same as any British person would have for such a glorious and holy place."
By coincidence, 29 April is the feast of St Catherine of Siena.

the guardian

 

[brownsugarplum]

OMG! A public wedding in london in april? it would probably rain like crazy. for their sake i hope that won't be the case. but its always raining here and ever heard of april showers?

 

[Squizree]

For most people outside of Britain, the royals are nothing more than public figures who live in castles and spend their time carousing at charities. When Diana came along, she was like a rock star, she had a special charisma that wasn't seen in other royals before. She was also more down to earth than anyone in the royal family. With Kate being boring and dull the monarchy is taking a step back, really would anyone care what the royals do if it weren't for Diana making the headlines? For as much "trouble" as everyone said she was, she sure did a hell of a lot to raise awareness for certain causes. It's a double edged sword but Diana became one of the most iconic figures EVER and now everyone pays attention to the royals (mostly because of her).

So if you want a princess that isn't extraordinary and doesn't make waves then Kate is your woman. Kate will never get the proper "good" attention for their causes if she "doesn't frighten the horses" and stays behind William every step of the way. The royals will go back to being stuffy, unapproachable and boring. And imo that's not what they need to get their voices heard.

Here's to a boring monarchy, a mind numbing, dull princess! Congrats Brits!

But that's what they want! They don't want to be celebrities! They're the bloody monarchy. They've never wanted attention and clearly have no plans on doing so. Since when was the English monarchy a dance festival? Yes it's a bit boring, yes it's serious and yes it's "stuffy", but the monarchy doesn't need to be anything else. It's still a political figure and should be seen as so. Diana's "special charisma" didn't belong in the English monarchy, that was the problem.

 

[LifeNatureLove]

Ugh, now I have to share my birthday with Prince William and Waity Katie's anniversary. It falls on a Friday, why not wait until Saturday? My birthday better not get overshadowed

 

[Persephone G.]

I'm not a Kate fan either but if I'm not mistaken, Diana wasn't a style protegee before her wedding either. Nor was she the icon loved today, known for great amounts of charisma and her charity work. Give her some slack and time.
It's the same for Charlene Wittstock, she can't escape the Grace Kelly comparisons.

As I would say, a good horse still needs to be trained.

And about Chelsy, she may have wealthy parents but she went to lawschool and has her degree which she got in a different country not her own. She may be a party girl but atleast she has brains and an impressive degree to go with it.

Yes, but that's her own damn fault.

Charlene continues to mimic Grace's style. Albert encouraged (he paid for all of them) Charlene to have a complete facial makeover. Her new face looks exactly like Grace's minus Charlene's giant chicklet Veneers.

 

[Bahiyya]

Why is Chelsy being brought up and where does the contempt comes from?
Kate's mother was a air hostess (which basically is a beauty pageant contestant that brings you your drinks) and the generation before that were coal-miners, so if you want to be a ridiculous snob at least be consistent.
And I assume that you feel comfortable enough to be so condescending to a girl with two degrees in some of the most difficult academic subjects because you happen to have a PHD in Biochemistry or something equally impressive.

The contempt was put on, really. I don't know much about them besides gossip stuff but on paper they both look about the same to me: middle-class, self-made parents etc. However, ppl seem to be much warmer to Chelsey than Kate for some reason. Posters in this thread who say they don't mind Middletons middle-class origins always make fun of her parents, their party business (organizer? party favours?) & how they're social climbers because...well, I don't know. Yet Davy's background looks like much more fertile ground for mockery yet the press doesn't mine it, therefore... It looks pretty irrational to me, so I make fun of it .

(I've got similar qualifications to Davy from a "good" school if that makes it look better...? No PhD yet though.)

AschottManor: Ok, I get the criticism if it's because people wanted another Diana. (Or another glamorous, graceful etc.) It was just weird when people generalized that to the entire family because, just...no. People forget that Diana really did dress like a grandma for a while. There is hope, Britain! Kate could style her way out of this. And wasn't Di shy & reserved initially? Then she blossomed into a charismatic goddess.

 

[eternitygoddess]

I think people need to cut Kate Middleton some slack. What do you expect from her first interview? It makes sense that she would appear demure, soft-spoken, and unsure in her first public interview.

Princess Diana also didn't exhibit that star-quality of hers from the very beginning. When she first appeared on scene, she looked like a lost babe-in-the-woods (much worse than Middleton). Only a few years into her marriage did she become more confident of herself in the public engagements.

We shall see what kind of princess Middleton will be like once she has had some time to settle into the role.

 

[The_Ida]

Ugh, now I have to share my birthday with Prince William and Waity Katie's anniversary. It falls on a Friday, why not wait until Saturday? My birthday better not get overshadowed

My stepsister shares birthday with the Danish Queen...my sis just pretends that people fly the flags for her

 

[Ashcottmanor]

But that's what they want! They don't want to be celebrities! They're the bloody monarchy. They've never wanted attention and clearly have no plans on doing so. Since when was the English monarchy a dance festival? Yes it's a bit boring, yes it's serious and yes it's "stuffy", but the monarchy doesn't need to be anything else. It's still a political figure and should be seen as so. Diana's "special charisma" didn't belong in the English monarchy, that was the problem.

That's exactly my point, do you think anyone outside of Britain would care what the royals did and what causes they endorsed if they stayed out of the media?

No. And how do you get people to put up money and help your causes? By bringing media attention and lots of it. It's PR 101 and even the "stuffiest" royals know it. I'm sure Prince Charles hates doing t.v interviews (at least he always looks terribly uncomfortable every time he does one) but he does it! And why? Because he wants his voice heard, he wants people to support his cause. Diana just did it in another "flashy" way. It's all the same.

Every other monarchy does it, they've come into the 21st century and by result they have flourished. So it's either sink or swim. We'll see how this goes but I'm not betting on Kate as a winner.

 

[brownsugarplum]

Princess diana's "special charisma" might not have belonged in the royal monarchy but neither did prince charles infidelities and "tampon envy" talk.

 

[Harumi]

But that's what they want! They don't want to be celebrities! They're the bloody monarchy.

Very true. Yet, you have to wonder how long this system can go on.
They don't marry royals anymore so they are loosing their mystic, they don't have automatic deference from their subjects anymore because all their scandals are public knowledge and while they don't want to be celebrities, they have to pander to the celebrity culture to remain relevant.

They can't really remain in their Ivory tower when most of the reason they got there in the first place do not exist anymore. They have to remain relevant and keep convincing the increasingly indifferent British public that they are needed.
A new charismatic princess might have helped, considering the Windsor themselves are very short in charisma (save for Harry).

Princess Diana also didn't exhibit that star-quality of hers from the very beginning. When she first appeared on scene, she looked like a lost babe-in-the-woods (much worse than Middleton). Only a few years into her marriage did she become more confident of herself in the public engagements.

I beg to differ about the star-quality, she was very charismatic from the start, albeit in a saccharine ingenue way.
And I don't understand the comparison: Diana was a shy teenager with little experience of the world and low-self-esteem from her traumatic childhood. Kate is a grown-a$$ woman nearing 30 with no emotional baggage. I don't think it's unfair to have higher expectations from her.

The contempt was put on, really.

I am truly sorry I misjudged your intent. Sarcasm or irony often don't translate well on the Internet.

 

[LUXXX]

However, ppl seem to be much warmer to Chelsey than Kate for some reason. Posters in this thread who say they don't mind Middletons middle-class origins always make fun of her parents, their party business (organizer? party favours?) & how they're social climbers because...well, I don't know. Yet Davy's background looks like much more fertile ground for mockery yet the press doesn't mine it, therefore... It looks pretty irrational to me, so I make fun of it .

I think people enjoy Chelsy more because she's a bit trashtastic and definitely looks like she's full of personality. She also doesn't seem to be "waiting" for Harry, she lives her life and is working toward a career. But her family has been looked at closely in the press, her father reportedly has unsavory connections to a certain dictator. This has often been listed as reason why Harry could never put a ring on it.

Kate's safe, but I do think she has star quality.

 

[sethii]

Prince William plans to pack Westminster Abbey with children, volunteers and the homeless in a unique ‘People’s Royal Wedding’.
Invitations will be sent to scores of ordinary citizens as William attempts to evoke the memory of his mother by making his marriage to Kate Middleton on April 29 next year a celebration for the whole nation.
There will be street parties, a concert by Britain’s top pop stars, and a bank holiday the weekend after Easter. For many this could mean a break stretching to 11 days if they take time off between the successive four-day bank holiday weekends.
When Diana’s funeral was held at the Abbey 13 years ago, hundreds of charity workers were there to commemorate her life. Now courtiers have told the Daily Mail that her eldest son wants a sea of similar faces when he walks down the aisle with his new bride.
After a week of speculation following the announcement of the couple’s engagement last Tuesday, it emerged that:

• Kate’s ‘extremely generous’ parents have agreed to pay a five-figure sum towards the £12million cost of the big day, the rest of which will be funded by the Queen and Prince Charles.
• William won a battle for a spring wedding with senior courtiers, some of whom had argued for a later date for better weather.
• He chose the Abbey because of its poignant link to his mother, contrasting its ‘staggering beauty’ with the ‘feeling of a parish church’.

Yesterday St James’s Palace named the day and venue – confirming the Mail’s revelation last week that the wedding will take place at the 2,000-capacity Abbey.
Heads of state will be invited but a courtier disclosed last night they will not be ‘top of the couple’s list’, revealing that William is far more enthusiastic about making sure less recognised friends were there.

The insider said: ‘There will be certain people there who you would be very happy to see but wouldn’t necessarily be at the top of your list.’

Those likely to receive an invitation could include destitute teenagers from the homeless charity Centrepoint. The prince spent a night sleeping rough on the streets of London in support of their plight last year.

The Palace revealed yesterday that William wants a ‘spectacle’ on a grand scale. Street parties around London on the big day and a military fly-over are expected in a ‘classic example of what Britain does best’.

But Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, William’s private secretary, added that RAF helicopter co-pilot William was keen to avoid roping in colleagues from the Armed Forces who are involved in the war effort in Afghanistan.
He said: ‘The couple are very mindful of the current situation, and for example Prince William has already expressed a clear wish that any involvement by the Armed Forces should rely in great part on those servicemen and women already committed to public and ceremonial duties.’
The couple have still to decide, however, on which senior church figure will celebrate the wedding.
The date – confirmed as a bank holiday by Downing Street – means millions of workers and schoolchildren will have two four-day weekends in a row.

Workers will have to use just three days’ leave to enjoy a break lasting 11 days, from the Friday before Easter – April 15 – until the May Day bank holiday on May 2.
ABTA, the travel association which represents more than 5,000 travel agents, described the news as a ‘unique holiday bonanza’, while it was predicted that wedding fever will boost the economy.
Visitor numbers to London will rise over Easter and people will buy celebratory drinks and meals and wedding souvenirs from mugs to replica engagement rings and dresses.

While foreign tourists flood the country to join in the royal ‘street party’, some Britons will use the break as an excuse to take an extended holiday – rising sharply from the two million who normally go abroad over Easter.

Senior courtiers said William and Kate had been ‘fully aware’ that the country would benefit from a holiday akin to a ‘second Christmas’.

Prince Charles and the Queen will foot most of the bill for the multi-million-pound celebration but the wedding – including the service, music, flowers, decorations, reception and honeymoon – will be partly split with Michael and Carole Middleton.

The taxpayer will pick up the bill for security costs, thought to approach £20million thanks to anti-terror measures and bank holiday overtime payments.
The Middletons’ contribution will be ‘something specific’, aides said last night, amid suggestions they may pay for a multi-tiered cake as part of one of two expected receptions.
A formal reception is likely to be hosted by the Queen at Buckingham Palace for guests including heads of state and ordinary people who have met William through his charity links, while a second reception could be at St James’s Palace.
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[EVBC]

IMHO, Kate and her family left themselves open to criticism and accusations of social climbing because of the way they tried to insert themselves into the social sphere of the people that the royals associated with. They showed up at charity events, fashion shows, polo matches, Cheltenham, etc. They posed for Hello magazine and granted exclusives. As far I know, Chelsy's family never did any of that. Kate and Chelsy's backgrounds might be comparable, but it was the way they behaved in the years when their daughters were dating royals that spoke volumes about them: Chelsy's family were discreet, Kate's only claimed to be.

I can't help but feel that William settled for her. I know that people say he could get any girl her wanted, but there are a lot of stories about him being turned down by women he was interested in, mostly because of the royalty baggage. I think he thought, "she'll do".

 

[miche]

What exclusives?

 

[McClaire]

I think people enjoy Chelsy more because she's a bit trashtastic and definitely looks like she's full of personality. She also doesn't seem to be "waiting" for Harry, she lives her life and is working toward a career. But her family has been looked at closely in the press, her father reportedly has unsavory connections to a certain dictator. This has often been listed as reason why Harry could never put a ring on it.

Kate's safe, but I do think she has star quality.

I don't think Chelsy is trashtastic a lot of what she has worn had been cringe worthy but she was in her teens but what you said is I think what's really the key. Chelsy dared to have a personality and self respect. Something that Kate, who's at Wills beck and call, doesn't seem to have. It's not so much that I'm disappointed with Wills choice. It was bound to happen. I just don't think Kate is worth the respect or praise she is getting in the press and not worthy really of little girls worshiping her. Time will tell but it'll be mostly white wash as it now is. Before the engagement everyone called her Waity Katie and made backhanded fun of her about how she just hangs on, but now she's all glory. I think Kate's family strategically played William with the press "leaks" and everything. I think they knew with all the combination of engagement rumors, the more press that Kate got and considering how long they were together he had to purpose eventually cause Kate wasn't going to break up with him ever.

 

[affaireducoeur]

IMHO, Kate and her family left themselves open to criticism and accusations of social climbing because of the way they tried to insert themselves into the social sphere of the people that the royals associated with. They showed up at charity events, fashion shows, polo matches, Cheltenham, etc. They posed for Hello magazine and granted exclusives. As far I know, Chelsy's family never did any of that. Kate and Chelsy's backgrounds might be comparable, but it was the way they behaved in the years when their daughters were dating royals that spoke volumes about them: Chelsy's family were discreet, Kate's only claimed to be.

I can't help but feel that William settled for her. I know that people say he could get any girl her wanted, but there are a lot of stories about him being turned down by women he was interested in, mostly because of the royalty baggage. I think he thought, "she'll do".

I agree with your last point. That's all i thought about while watching them deliver the news publicly. I feel as though many have turned him down because of not wanting to live that type of life, especially with having to be compared to his mother any time they stepped out the house. I also feel many perhaps wanted more to life than living royal. But Kate showed she'd do whatever to be whatever and was ok with that and so, Will settled.

It will be interesting how the media will decide to portray her once things start moving along. I do believe they have very loyal friends who won't snitch them out but there are bound to be those who would. In any case, they've decided to go through with this so we can only watch and see how it will play out.

 

[McClaire]

The Bishop who said they would last only 7 years has been forced out.

 

[Ashcottmanor]

IMHO, Kate and her family left themselves open to criticism and accusations of social climbing because of the way they tried to insert themselves into the social sphere of the people that the royals associated with. They showed up at charity events, fashion shows, polo matches, Cheltenham, etc. They posed for Hello magazine and granted exclusives. As far I know, Chelsy's family never did any of that. Kate and Chelsy's backgrounds might be comparable, but it was the way they behaved in the years when their daughters were dating royals that spoke volumes about them: Chelsy's family were discreet, Kate's only claimed to be.

I can't help but feel that William settled for her. I know that people say he could get any girl her wanted, but there are a lot of stories about him being turned down by women he was interested in, mostly because of the royalty baggage. I think he thought, "she'll do".

Totally agree with everything you've said here. Kate's family made is so obvious the were social climbers by their behavior alone. Chelsy's family made no attempt to cash in on her spotlight.

I also believe William settled like you said. He was 8 years in and she wasn't going anywhere. It would have taken too long and too much effort to find somebody else.

 

[McClaire]

^ And Chelsy's parents live in SA (her Mother was born and raised there and her Dad moved there when he was in his late 20's I believe) I doubt they care about English society and social climbing.