|
|
Post by paulchen on Feb 25, 2011 9:46:45 GMT
Have people seen Kate Middleton's first public engagement with her fiancé HRH Prince William where they named a lifeboat? OK, it wasn't exactly taxing, but a great idea to ease her into that kind of work. But she looked relaxed, chatted and smiled, as if she was enjoying the occasion. She had done her homework by learning the Welsh National Anthem. They look like a good team and I look forward to their wedding in a couple of months' time. [And not just because we get a day off work!  ] |
|
wendy
Member of the Court
Posts: 49 
|
Post by wendy on Feb 26, 2011 17:13:55 GMT
I've seen a couple of video clips of the event and of their engagement at St. Andrew's University the following day. I think both events were well thought out in that Catherine was likely to be more at ease in familiar surroundings.
It's impressive that she learned the Welsh national anthem. It brought to mind how Crown Princess Mary of Denmark quickly learned to speak Danish and won the hearts of the Danish people.
It was especially heart-warming to watch William and Catherine's non-verbals toward each other. They turned to each other, were very relaxed and he was very protective and helpful toward her...all EXCELLENT signs!
As a Canadian, I'm tickled they're coming here at the end of June for their first royal tour. I read an article that stated this country was chosen because of how well royal visits are received (i.e. extremely warm and welcoming) and that William feels very comfortable here. I hope Catherine will have better memories than Diana did of the 6-week marathon in Australia (no fault of the Aussies!).
P.S. As a bit of a tiara watcher, I think the Canadian visit will be Catherine's first post-wedding opportunity to attend a formal (state?) dinner and wear an evening gown and tiara. Which tiara will the Queen give her for these events? (I've read/heard that her wedding tiara won't necessarily be her working tiara.)
|
|
|
|
Post by paulchen on Feb 26, 2011 21:29:36 GMT
Yes, I was reminded of Crown Princess Mary of Denmark. I think, as they were at University together, that this is a match of equals and HRH Prince William won't be struggling with his spouse as his father did with Diana.
Remember too, Wendy, that the Royal Couple will be celebrating Canada Day which, this year, marks the day the late Diana, Princess of Wales would have been 50 years of age. It will be an emotional day for William and significant that he will be out of the UK [away from the paparazzi] and with the woman he has chosen as his wife.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ibelieveinfairytales on Mar 6, 2011 6:28:59 GMT
As a Canadian, I'm tickled they're coming here at the end of June for their first royal tour. I read an article that stated this country was chosen because of how well royal visits are received (i.e. extremely warm and welcoming) and that William feels very comfortable here. I hope Catherine will have better memories than Diana did of the 6-week marathon in Australia (no fault of the Aussies!). P.S. As a bit of a tiara watcher, I think the Canadian visit will be Catherine's first post-wedding opportunity to attend a formal (state?) dinner and wear an evening gown and tiara. Which tiara will the Queen give her for these events? (I've read/heard that her wedding tiara won't necessarily be her working tiara.) As a Canadian I'm looking forward to the visit too! Hard to say what tiara Kate will wear. The fringe tiara, the one the Queen wore at her wedding in 1947 would be a nice choice. Doubt she would be allowed to wear the girls of Great Britain tiara. It has such a strong association with the Queen as well I've read it's one of her favorites too. My thinking is that Kate might either have the Lovers Knot tiara or the Queen might have a new tiara for her. |
|
wendy
Member of the Court
Posts: 49
|
Post by wendy on Mar 6, 2011 12:35:48 GMT
@ paulchen...It's impossible to know if July 1st will be emotionally tough for William. Even though he'll be away from the pack of paparazzi in Britain, I'm sure there'll be a large contingent of press following their first foreign tour as a royal couple. As you said, the bonus for him will be that he'll have his wife by his side through thick and thin. Methinks he'll be very focussed on helping her learn the ropes of royal touring.
@ ibelieveinfairytales...Ottawa (the closest city for me on their Canadian tour agenda) is always crazy on Canada Day but it'll be nuts this year with the royal newlyweds there. I don't think I'm brave enough. <sigh>
Here are my thoughts re the tiara options:
Fringe tiara: This one's an excellent candidate. It has great history (the Queen wore it on her wedding day) and its design is so classic. My only hesitation is that it's large'ish and it may or may not be comfortable.
Girls of Great Britain tiara: I think pigs will fly before the Queen gives her favourite tiara to anyone!! Seriously! It's said to be lightweight and we know it's her go-to tiara. No tiara is more closely associated with HM than this one. I seriously hope Queen Camilla never wears this one.
Lover's Knot: It was Diana's so methinks it'll be shelved on that account alone. Catherine needs to distance herself from Diana comparisons whenever possible. Also, it was said to be heavy and headache-inducing for Diana.
New tiara: It might seem like a huge splurge to purchase a new one for Catherine during this time of financial harship in the UK. One way around that would be for HM to donate the gems to be put in the new tiara. One reason a new one might work is that I've noticed younger royals usually wear smaller tiaras and that they 'grow into' the larger ones.
Okay, I'm guilty of going off-topic on this thread. But one thing does sometimes lead to another. And it's fun to bounce these thoughts back and forth with others who are knowledgeable and interested! No one in my circle is interested in such details. Thanks for listening!
|
|
|
|
Post by Ibelieveinfairytales on Mar 8, 2011 2:39:02 GMT
@ ibelieveinfairytales...Ottawa (the closest city for me on their Canadian tour agenda) is always crazy on Canada Day but it'll be nuts this year with the royal newlyweds there. I don't think I'm brave enough. Yes, Ottawa is nuts on Canada day but it's also the ultimate place to celebrate it too!  Here are my thoughts re the tiara options: Fringe tiara: This one's an excellent candidate. It has great history (the Queen wore it on her wedding day) and its design is so classic. My only hesitation is that it's large'ish and it may or may not be comfortable. Girls of Great Britain tiara: I think pigs will fly before the Queen gives her favourite tiara to anyone!! Seriously! It's said to be lightweight and we know it's her go-to tiara. No tiara is more closely associated with HM than this one. I seriously hope Queen Camilla never wears this one. Lover's Knot: It was Diana's so methinks it'll be shelved on that account alone. Catherine needs to distance herself from Diana comparisons whenever possible. Also, it was said to be heavy and headache-inducing for Diana. New tiara: It might seem like a huge splurge to purchase a new one for Catherine during this time of financial harship in the UK. One way around that would be for HM to donate the gems to be put in the new tiara. One reason a new one might work is that I've noticed younger royals usually wear smaller tiaras and that they 'grow into' the larger ones. Okay, I'm guilty of going off-topic on this thread. But one thing does sometimes lead to another. And it's fun to bounce these thoughts back and forth with others who are knowledgeable and interested! No one in my circle is interested in such details. Thanks for listening! Join the club, no one around me is interested in royalty either! Thank goodness we can come here to discuss! Doubt Kate would be given the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara for the reasons you mentioned above. I can see the fringe tiara more than the Lover's Knot, though that's always been a favorite of mine. It's very closely associated with Diana so I agree that Kate may want to choose another one for the occasion. The fringe has been worn by the Queen and Princess Anne for their weddings, so maybe Kate could continue the tradition - if you want to call it that. I've heard the Spencer tiara as an option although I sincerely doubt it would be chosen. Too much a reminder of Diana. I think the Queen bought a new tiara for Sarah, and I think Sophie's was new too - or maybe we just hadn't seen it in a long time. Can't find it in any books prior to the wedding. These tiara's are pretty and look a lot lighter than the ones Camilla wears. Despite the financial times I really think the Queen should give Kate a new, more modern tiara. They already saved on the engagement ring so they have money to put towards it... |
|
wendy
Member of the Court
Posts: 49
|
Post by wendy on Mar 8, 2011 13:07:13 GMT
@ ibelieveinfairytales: I agree with you 100%! I think I read/heard that Sophie's tiara was made from gems in the Queen's collection. For some reason (but don't quote me) the thought keeps coming to me that it was an old piece (methinks a necklace) whose setting was too ornate/heavy.
I think that'd be a perfect strategy for Catherine's tiara although I've read a couple of articles which stated that the BP ballroom was set up soon after the engagement as a sort of showroom for Catherine to choose which tiara she wanted. That could be complete fiction.
On a completely different note...actually, back to the heart of this thread (grinning guiltily here> I just saw a news video showing William and Catherine in Northern Ireland today. It was a top secret trip to offset any potential security threats. The crowds were excited to see them and both of them were handed a frying pan with a pancake (today is Shrove Tuesday) to flip... which they both successfully accomplished.
It occurred to me that their first three public engagements were held outside of Britain per se: in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It's like whoever is planning their outings is trying very hard for the whole of the realm to feel included in the upcoming wedding.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ibelieveinfairytales on Mar 9, 2011 3:31:50 GMT
@ ibelieveinfairytales: I agree with you 100%! I think I read/heard that Sophie's tiara was made from gems in the Queen's collection. For some reason (but don't quote me) the thought keeps coming to me that it was an old piece (methinks a necklace) whose setting was too ornate/heavy. I think that'd be a perfect strategy for Catherine's tiara although I've read a couple of articles which stated that the BP ballroom was set up soon after the engagement as a sort of showroom for Catherine to choose which tiara she wanted. That could be complete fiction. On a completely different note...actually, back to the heart of this thread (grinning guiltily here> I just saw a news video showing William and Catherine in Northern Ireland today. It was a top secret trip to offset any potential security threats. The crowds were excited to see them and both of them were handed a frying pan with a pancake (today is Shrove Tuesday) to flip... which they both successfully accomplished. It occurred to me that their first three public engagements were held outside of Britain per se: in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It's like whoever is planning their outings is trying very hard for the whole of the realm to feel included in the upcoming wedding. If the ballroom story is true then Kate must have been like a kid in a candy store! Can you imagine the treasure trove? Yes, Kate did very well on this engagement. Glad she didn't drop the pancake - could have been another Fergie moment she'd never live down! With the location of the engagements, never thought about it that way. They wanted to do the engagement in Anglesey so maybe it was a way of meeting their neighbors per se? Going back to St Andrew's was a nice touch and significant for both of them. If this is their way of including the realm then they're doing a nice job with it. |
|
|
|
Post by chewsteraghi on Mar 14, 2011 15:29:47 GMT
wendy (this is my first post, haha; I've liked the WOR forever without coming on the forum) I think you're point about the expense of the new tiara seeming awkward in this economic crisis is a good one, however, I can't help leaning to this "new tiara" as the most likely. Personally, I wish that the crescent Teck (I never remember its offficial name, but you must know the one i mean, the crescent moons) would be worn more and I think it would look very good on Kate with her hair and everything. She would not look good in something too large and gawdy and I think the Teck would do nicely, but .... the family don't seem to want to show the Teck crescent for some reason. Maybe it is damaged? Or too delicate? Or just too sentimental to the Queen? hmmm. @ibelieveinfairytales I heard the theory about the Spencer too. It would do nicely, but it's too true, as you point out, too much a 'ghost' relic of Diana. William already has his bride wearing the ring and that's probably enough Diana presence for him, and for everybody. And it is true that Sophie had a new tiara. Sarah had a 'new' tiara in a sense, but I think it was made or designed from something that came from her background somehow.
|
|
|
|
Post by Cinderella on Mar 14, 2011 20:09:29 GMT
Chewsteraghi, welcome to the board! |
|
wendy
Member of the Court
Posts: 49
|
Post by wendy on Mar 14, 2011 20:12:26 GMT
@ chewsteraghi: I couldn't recall having seen the Teck crescent tiara so I tracked down a photo of it. I'm sharing the link so others can view it too: media.photobucket.com/image/teck%20tiara/cilililingi/Jewels/DuchessofTeckTiara.jpgMy question: do we even know if this piece is still in the possession of the main line of the Windsors? Who was the last royal lady to wear it? It could have trickled down another branch of the family tree. Personally, I think its size and style are perfect for Catherine's age and rank-to-be in the RF. I think I'm as keen to see which tiara she wears on April 29th as I am to see her wedding gown! |
|
]
