Royal Tradition

Yes, I got up early to watch the wedding of William and Kate with my daughter.  I'm not really into the whole royalty thing.  In fact, I still don't know if Kate is now a princess.  They keep calling them the Duke and Duchess on the news.  (And why is that old dude married to the queen called a prince?  Shouldn't he be the king?) 

At any rate, I got up and watched it because when I was 11 years old, my mom got me up early to watch the wedding of Charles and Di.  I still remember how cool it was to get up in the middle of the night for the big event.  To this day I remember laying on the couch and watching as Dianna walked down the isle with that incredibly long train. 

So I got up early with my daughter to watch the next generation marry.  We snuggled in bed and giggled at the crazy hats and frilly collars on the choirboys.  It was fun and I'm glad I did it.  (Although, I still don't know if Kate is now "Princess" Kate.)

(A few words about the dress -- loved it!  Like the umami of fashion.  Demure yet sexy, traditional yet modern.  And the touch of tragedy surrounding the designer, weirdly gave it a bit on melancholy that added something.)

Comments

[Norma]

The old dude married to the queen is called the Queen's Consort (sounds dirty, doesn't it?). He was a prince in another country, I think? before they got married? I will NEVER understand it! I've TRIED! I had to try when I worked there! It is all so complicated, and seems to follow no rules. Why was Queen Elizabeth the queen anyway? Or I mean, I understand why she is now. But more aptly, why wasn't her mother the queen until she died? Instead she was called The Queen Mum. Why was Diana a princess but Camilla is not? And yet, I just saw an article in the NYT that suggests that Camilla is holding out hope to be the queen someday, if Elizabeth dies and Charles becomes king, and... and... and... Good grief. I love it, I think it is an important institution for the country of England. I disagree and get upset with some pundits (and Twitterers and FB messages) that say we Americans are "supposed" to boycott the wedding and are "supposed" to be "against" the monarchy. What?! Maybe 300 years ago it was a problem. Now? It's just entertainment. Good Lord! :D

[Rowena PHilbeck]

I was up as well watching it. Her dress was very pretty and I loved it all. Very Romantic even with all the people!!
I think we all as little girls would have loved to have been a PRINCESS!!

Have a Great Weekend

Rowena

[Katy]

I heard on the news this morning that Kate can be referred to as "Princess William" but not "princess Kate" b/c you can only be born a princess...that seems so very weird!

[Donna]

I have one word for you folks - tivo - I tivoed "Royal Wedding" & got so many shows that I ended up deleting most. But it did allow me to wathc the entire procedure when I was alert enough to realize what was going on. Prince Philip is of royal blood & I think Diana was also. Kate is not. She is a Duchess because the Queen gave her the title. I'm not sure Why Diana was a princess. Maybe the Queen felt she had to make her a princess because she was already Lady Diana before the wedding. Katy - that can't be true because Diana was a Princess & she wasn't born a princess - maybe you have to have royal blood. Princess William would be similar to Princess Michael of Kent (I think that;s right - definitely Princess Michael.) I meant to ask my daughter if she let my granddaughter watch the wedding - she's 4 & all about Princesses - can't figure out why - she certainly didn't get it from her not at all girly mom or grandma! I thought Kate's dress was beautiful - understated & elegant - it really was very princessy looking to me - in the old fairytale book tradition - no the frou-frou Disney versions.

[kirsty]

Basically you can't get a title by marriage, you can just use your spouses and it's not the same for men/women marrying royalty.

Diana was never "Princess Diana", she was the Princess of Wales as she married the Prince of Wales. (Technically she was Princess Charles of Wales but I've never heard that used.) Camilla *is* now the Princess of Wales but she doesn't use it preferring to use the lesser title of the Duchess of Cornwall as Charles has a string of titles one of which is the Duke of Cornwall. Special rules were created when Charles & Di divorced to allow Diana to carry on using the Princess of Wales title - God knows what would have happened if she had lived until Charles married Camilla - I have no clue.

Kate can use her new husband's title and be "Princess William of Wales" but she won't be a princess herself, just as neither Diana or Camilla are. It looks like she's likely to use her husbands new Duke of Cambridge title to style herself as the Duchess of Cambridge.

The current Queen's father was George VI, his wife was Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, when she was married to the king she was a Queen Consort. When George VI died the monarchy passed to their daughter Elizabeth who became Queen Elizabeth II. Her mother was then styled as Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. She couldn't have ruled in her own right as she just married into the monarchy.

The Queen's husband Philip was a prince in Greece but renounced that title to become British when he married the Queen (who was then Princess Elizabeth). That didn't make him a British prince either. He was granted the Duke of Edinburgh title which is what he's usually known as in the UK. He is a Prince Consort as the husband of the Queen (curiously Kings get to have their wives be Queen Consorts; Queen's husbands only get to be Prince Consorts). I think the Queen has granted him a Prince at some point though so he is Prince Philip again now.

When/If Charles becomes King, Camilla will be the Queen Consort though I think she wants to be known as the Princess Consort - not sure on this. Then William will become the Prince of Wales and Kate will be the Princess of Wales.

When/If William becomes King, Kate will be the Queen Consort too.

That's my understanding of it all anyway. I didn't even watch the wedding but I can't resist detangling the code of royal nomenclature!