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The Royals!

Posted: April 22nd, 2011, 6:46 pm
by mrsl
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This is a query to our friends across the pond. When John Kennedy Jr., and his fiancee Caroline were married, was your TV filled with their lives, their dates, their engagement rings, their church, etc., etc., etc., I use him because he was the closest thing we have to royalty here. Please don't take this the wrong way. I am mildly interested in their wedding, but I don't live and dream of it, and frankly, I'm getting a little tired of how they keep tying Diana into the story. The lady has been dead for 10 years, let her rest already! I don't mean to sound like a terrible snob, but we have so many troubles here, that I resent my news hour being filled with aalmost total frivolity. I truly hope they have a lovely life and a new lifestyle emerges from it to end all the sadness of the past, so please don't think I'm ragging on the royals.

Re: Kate and William

Posted: April 22nd, 2011, 9:09 pm
by movieman1957
I'll be otherwise occupied as it is my bride's and my (and ChiO's) wedding anniversary. How nice they chose our day to get married. It must be due to the success attributed to the day.

Re: Kate and William

Posted: April 22nd, 2011, 9:41 pm
by mrsl
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I hope everyone takes my post in that vein. I certainly don't mean to say I hate all things British, I just think our news media simply overdoes a good thing now and then. I believe, let the kids get married and start their own life, not relive someone elses.

Re: Kate and William

Posted: April 22nd, 2011, 11:34 pm
by stuart.uk
Anne

While it's being treated as a public holiday and peopleif they chose can take it as a day of, as far as I can tell most folk will still be going to work as usual. It maybe different in England, London in particular, but in Scotland I detect a little lack of interest in the event, even though the media has hyped everything up. I'll still be working on the big day, but hope those more involved have a great day.....................

No nothing about the Kennedy wedding overhear,but we got a dailly report on the behaviour of Charlie Sheen for a while, last week it was Catherine Zeta Jones and her health

I know they were British, but America in the 70s seemed to regard Burton and Taylor as royalty. I seem to remember their remarraige got a lot of coverage

Re: Kate and William

Posted: April 25th, 2011, 3:03 pm
by charliechaplinfan
I've been in France for two weeks so have been spared but from what I can see, apart from a few programmes this week and the wedding coverage on Friday, it doesn't seem too overdone. I personally am looking forward to it, a chance for my Mum, my daughter and myself to get together and watch a nice wedding. I don't take offence Anne, it sounds like coverage is overdone in America, it's nice to know our royalty is mentioned in America but wall to wall coverage is a bit much. Diana has been kept in the story with Kate having her engagement ring, a nice gesture but not one I'd appreciate.

Re: Kate and William

Posted: April 25th, 2011, 3:16 pm
by klondike
Speaking of the Diana connection, it occured to me while reading this William & Harry, when they lost their Mother, were only about 2 years older than my grandsons Spud & O'Toole were, when my lost their Mom.
In trying to look at this wedding through the William's eyes, I think that perhaps, in a deep & intensely personal way, the significance of Kate wearing Diana's ring is far more important to the groom than to anyone else.

Re: Kate and William

Posted: April 25th, 2011, 3:26 pm
by charliechaplinfan
Yes, perhaps I was thinking too much that it might be a harbinger of bad luck, it never brought Diana any happiness but as I'm a woman who used her beloved Grandmother's wedding ring as her own, I can apprecaite the sentiment.

Re: Kate and William

Posted: April 25th, 2011, 9:00 pm
by silentscreen
I saw a special on them tonight. They're a lovely couple and I wish them all the happiness in the world.
I agree about the sentiment of the ring for William. I don't think anyone could possibly fault Diana as a
mother. I modelled her somewhat in the personal affection she showed her children. My own parents
were a bit distant in that regard, and I always understood how she felt about not being stingy with the hugs. :)

Re: Kate and William

Posted: April 26th, 2011, 8:42 am
by MichiganJ
I just received my invitation. Anyone know if the happy couple are registered at Pottery Barn? Do they even have Pottery Barn in England? Maybe Home Depot instead? New home and all…

Here's the formula used to get the Royal Wedding guest name:
Start with either Lord or Lady. Your first name is the name of one of your grandparents. Your surname is the name of one of your first pets, hyphenated with the name of the street you grew up on.

Lord Arthur Bandit-Brandywine at your service.

Re: Kate and William

Posted: April 26th, 2011, 8:54 am
by movieman1957
If you're going I have a card. You can save me the postage.

(My name would be ridiculous so I'll stay dignified and enjoy yours.)

Re: Kate and William

Posted: April 26th, 2011, 9:23 am
by moira finnie
Uh, there seems to be an understandable backlash pooh-poohing the whole wedding celebration on this side of the pond this week. Much of this appears to be a reaction to the overkill on the part of the American media trumpeting every nano-second of the royals' lives, with live reports from Trafalgar Square, the Tower of London and Kensington Palace and "breaking news" regarding the guest list, the paternity of Prince Harry, and really important stuff, like terrorism threats, God forbid. The latter reports really have the earmarks of a longing on the part of the voracious media for a touch of tragedy, though the incessant focus on Diana seems to satisfy that urge for now. I think the celebration, however trivial or untoward it may seem to many, might be seen as a chance to focus on something positive, hopeful, and even life-affirming for once. Next week, the media can return to their endless reiteration of military, economic, environmental and political strife, characterizing those very real problems as though they were sports news, with that "us vs. them" attitude, and neglecting to report on possible solutions and the need for compromise and understanding of everything facing us on a daily basis.

Me?--I'm avoiding all the "news" programs until Friday and just trying to figure out which tiara to wear on the big day as I determine if I shall arise at 3am or 4am to catch the action on BBCAmerica or CNN. All I can say about the youngsters getting hitched is mazel tov, good luck, and I hope you shelter each other from the world for many years to come. :wink: If anything, the lasting impact of this extravaganza may generate far more people spending tourist dollars in the UK, which won't hurt the Brits, (I hope).

One question for our UK members: In your nation is the fact that a coal miner's great-granddaughter is about to be in line to become a queen an indication of a softening of centuries of class boundaries? Thanks in advance for any insights you can share.

My new name, using MichJ's formula: Lady Grace Queenie-Haverling!!

Re: Kate and William

Posted: April 26th, 2011, 10:00 am
by stuart.uk
I haven't seen the movie, but I gather Hollywoods Willam And Kate is not to be taken seriously

BBC presenters Sian Williams and Bill Turnbull, who normally present the breakfast show from the studio, will be outside broadcasting the event, but are wary because the forecast is heavy rain

Re: Kate and William

Posted: April 26th, 2011, 10:05 am
by moira finnie
stuart.uk wrote:I haven't seen the movie, but I gather Hollywoods Willam And Kate is not to be taken seriously
I saw a few minutes of it here. In terms of looks, the leads don't have a patch on the real people. The re-imagined conversations seem more banal than most real life exchanges. I guess people are starved for fantasy, (or they can no longer tell the difference).

Re: Kate and William

Posted: April 26th, 2011, 10:17 am
by stuart.uk
Moira

I watched a doc the other day where is said after WW1, the King wanted his children to marry British partners, whereas before Royals married other Royals from other Countries. This was because he wanter the Windsors to become more popular with the public. It seems that Bertie and Elizabeth married out of love in 1924, and was not arranged. Mind you after Elizabeth gave a harmless interview, just before the wedding, she was told in no uncertain terms not to do it again. However, she still came from an upper class family.

I felt sorry in the 70s when Princess Margaret, whose marraige had broken up, got such a hard time for her invlovement with young gardener Roddy Lewellyn. As far as I can gather he was a decent bloke, who cared for her, but it didn't work out, though how much the media played in that I'm not sure. Margaret in the 50s wasn't able to marry divorcee Peter Townsend, but the fact he was a household servant wouldn't have helped

One good change is that the future heirs wife no longer has to be virginal. I think that was part of the problem with Charles and Diana. While she was suitable in class, Charles was a middle-aged man and she an innocent teenager. Kate is older and looks able to cope with whatever the future holds

Re: Kate and William

Posted: April 26th, 2011, 10:29 am
by stuart.uk
Apparently Tony Blair and Gordon Brown haven't been invited, yet former Tory P.Ms Margaret Thatcher and John Major have