Seriously thoughtful Princess Catherine of ???

[GA Russell]

Thanks Shayne!

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by DixieGal

Nor King John II for obvious unfortunate name associations.

I'd love to see Prince Charming ... Uh, I meant Prince William ... call himself King Arthur II. I'm just saying, how cool would that be?

you mean after Henry the VIII's brother?

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

Live and learn...That's two of you who have used the word "dukedom". I thought that there was no such word, and that Gene Chandler was in error when singing The Duke of Earl.

I thought the word in English was "duchy".

Both are correct. Duchy is the usual word when referring to the land that's associated with the title. (Duchy of Cornwall.) Dukedom can mean the territory, but is used more often in relation to the title itself (IMO).

[neilmarr]

Unlike Harry (T that is, not the prince of the same name), I'm afraid I'm no royalist. In fact, I still strongly object to the current queen being accepted as Queen Elizabeth II in Scotland where we never had a Queen Elizabeth I.

I'm inclined to agree with Christopher Hitchens who feels it might be misguided to take seriously an institution that lives by the family values of Henry VIII.

This engagement announcement means no more to me than the hype surrounding the lovelife of one obscure film star and another (which is zero).

The pair are not friends , neighbours or family of mine. So it's none of my business and I don't want to know.

Mind you, I've never had a king or a prince named after me like Harry has.

Hoots. Neil

[GA Russell]

I have no idea if the rotten marriages of Charles and his siblings have had any effect whatsoever on the British people or British history.

When Charles married Camilla, I recall there being some discussion of it being a bad idea because of the king's position as head of the Church of England. I am not aware of any influence the royals have on Church matters, and perhaps you Brits can inform me.

I was surprised to learn this morning reading the paper that William and Kate have been living together. Surprised, because I remember that Diana's virginity appeared to be her primary qualification. Perhaps the powers that be feel that Diana's behavior over the years was such that they can no longer limit the pool of good candidates to that criterion.

[Bilbo1967]

Personally, I think that the Royal Family are basically an irrelevance to the majority of British people. Their exploits are largely now seen as no more than a soap opera; something to watch and talk about rather than something with any personal relevance.

For that reason, I don't think anybody really cares about Charles' or Andrew's failed marriages or about the fact that William and Kate have been living together any more than they care about who the latest Pop Idol winner is.

[wodin]

Originally Posted by Bilbo1967

Personally, I think that the Royal Family are basically an irrelevance to the majority of British people. Their exploits are largely now seen as no more than a soap opera; something to watch and talk about rather than something with any personal relevance.

For that reason, I don't think anybody really cares about Charles' or Andrew's failed marriages or about the fact that William and Kate have been living together any more than they care about who the latest Pop Idol winner is.

I haven't been in the UK in about 40 years, but I remember in my younger days a sure way to trigger a bar room brawl was to yell out "F^%$ the bloody Queen!"

Perhaps a generation or two has jaded the Brits, but the Royals certainly weren't irrelevant last time I looked.

[MaggieScratch]

Originally Posted by GA Russell

I was surprised to learn this morning reading the paper that William and Kate have been living together. Surprised, because I remember that Diana's virginity appeared to be her primary qualification.

Also her aristocratic background. Obviously this has been thrown out the window with Kate, who is very much a commoner.

The requirements for royal marriages have loosened up considerably. I think George VI was the first offspring of a monarch who wasn't required by law to marry royalty. While the Queen Mum was aristocracy, she wasn't royalty. That was fairly recent, too--just the 1920s.

Perhaps the thinking is now that at least Kate and Will know each other very well and have been together for so long that the marriage might reasonably be expected to succeed, so let's throw the rules that have caused royal marital problems in the past to the wayside. Also I think it makes them very relatable as a young couple.

[nohmi2]

Originally Posted by DixieGal

Nor King John II for obvious unfortunate name associations.

I'd love to see Prince Charming ... Uh, I meant Prince William ... call himself King Arthur II. I'm just saying, how cool would that be?

Pretty cool.

In this day and age of doom and gloom, it's nice to have some happy news.

Cheers.