I expect simple behaviours here. Friendship, and love. Any advice should be from the perspective of the person asking, not the person giving! We have had to make new membership moderated to combat the huge number of spammers who register
Location: U.S.
Registered: November 2009
Messages: 630
A lovely spectacle, I doubt if anyone does does up a wedding quite like the English royalty. This, of course, from my American perspective. And now what?
A grand party is usually followed by a large mess to clean up and the inevitable hangover. In this case I imagine the hangover will be accompanied by the invoice for such a large affair.
No one seems to do this pomp and circumstance quite like the English. The setting was lovely, always liked large cathedrals from a non-religious point of view. Lovely choir boys...I'll just leave it at that.
Some forty years ago I almost had what might qualify as a royal wedding, but I cancelled it. My father-in-law-to-be wanted a grand party and engaged the local Shriner's Temple for the reception. This massive hall would have been the site for the reception, and the source of nightmares for years afterwards.
He invited some 400 people, I kid you not. I might have known a dozen, maybe two dozen people on his list. He was paying for it so he invited every business contact he had, he felt it was his circus. I informed my intended that the wedding was off. I was certain her father was a little off, but that's another story.
I spent weeks explaining why the wedding was called off, and rather than lambaste my wife-to-be's family I told a small lie. I told everyone that her father had decided on such a grand party, but that at the last minute the National Symphony cancelled and was unable to play the reception.
We settled for a small garden wedding, 30 people and all of them related or our personal friends. I really wonder...do you suppose William and Catherine would have eloped if they could and avoided all this mess? Heavy responsibility being royal, they had to attend the party.
Age appears to be best in four things; old wood best to burn, old wine to drink, old friends to trust, and old authors to read. (Sir Francis Bacon 1561-1626)
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13778
William has inherited, as all except the twat who abdicated have, a fine sense of duty. He knows he is to be king once his father dies and his grandmother dies. He understands that figurehead status, spectacle and the earning of foreign revenue is what the monarchy is all about.He understands the constant point of reference, love it or hate it, that the monarchy provides.
And so, while I am certain that he and his bride would have preferred to elope, they knew the duty that comes with the position.
Many rail against a family that has the job by heredity. They fail to note that it is also a life sentence. There is no choice, no real choice, in whether the job is done or not.
We do spectacle very well indeed. And those soldiers in our slimming down armed services, those who march in the red uniforms, they are not toy soldiers. They are serving soldiers who happen also to be good at ceremonials.
I'd say the Queen knows very well that you don't dress to out-do the bride. A number of people commented that she was wearing was "somewhat plain." So? That's just as it should be, and her outfit was simple but elegant. Even the jewelry was kept to a minimum.
By comparison, Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice looked like a ridiculous pair of tarts. Most guys would have run screaming!
Nigel: Maybe, but I have no personal information on that.....