A bumper year for royal news!

2010 began like any other year. Ho hum royal tours and continuous nauseating royal engagement speculation. If it wasn't Prince William and Kate Middleton's will they/won't they saga, then it was Prince Harry and Chelsy Davy's on/off relationship.

Therefore, there was no reason to believe that 2010 would be any more remarkable than previous years. Royal news tends to come in spurts.The family hadn't had a major royal wedding since 1999 and the Queen's last grandchild had been born in 2007, the same year, The Queen and Prince Philip celebrated their Diamond wedding anniversary.  Her first grandchild married a Canadian in 2008. With the exception of a few minor weddings and births, it seemed like the royal family hadn't had any real news in ages.

Then, in the summer of 2010 that changed. Peter Phillips and his wife Autumn, were expecting a baby. But this would not be just any baby but the Queen's first great-grandchild. The last reiging sovereign to welcome a great-grandchild was Queen Victoria, whose eldest, Princess Feodora Saxe-Meiningen, had been born in 1879.  Peter Phillips himself is not only the Queen's first grandchild but also the first-great grandchild of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.

This year would continue to bring happy news with the long-awaited engagement of Prince William to Kate (Catherine) Middleton. And now today's engagement announcement of Zara Phillips to her long-time boyfriend Mike Tindall. With two upcoming weddings and a new baby, what better news could anyone ask for?

At this rate, 2011 promises to be a bumper year for royal watchers!

© Marilyn Braun 2010

Boopity Boop supports Sentebale!

Boopity Boop! Writes Her First Poem is a new book written by actress Masiela Lusha, the US ambassador to the charity Sentebale.

In BOOPITY BOOP! Writes Her First Poem, the main character Boopy, is a spunky and colorful 6-year-old girl that is learning of her inner strengths and encouraging children to pursue their own passions. This book shows each child that major accomplishments are possible and that happiness awaits if they have the courage to dream.

Sentebale was founded by Prince Harry, following his gap year visit to Lesotho a mountainous landlocked country in southern Africa. Overwhelmed by the plight of the children he met, Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso, younger brother of King Letsie III of Lesotho, made a long-term commitment to the children of Lesotho through Sentebale. Sentebale means ‘forget me not’ in Sesotho and is named in memory of the late, Diana Princess of Wales and Queen ‘Mamohato Bereng Seeiso, the late mother of Prince Seeiso).

The focus of Sentebale is to make a life changing difference to Lesotho's orphans, vulnerable children and the forgotten victims of poverty and the HIV/Aids epidemic that ravages this kingdom. Every day in Lesotho, more than one hundred children have their lives shattered by the death of a parent. One quarter of the population of the Forgotten Kingdom, as Lesotho is aptly known, are children who face horrors that no child should ever face.

Lesotho is fighting for survival. Nearly one third of Lesotho's people are infected with HIV/AIDS - the third highest rate in the world. There are an estimated 400,000 orphans and vulnerable children in a country of 1.8 million. Life expectancy has plummeted to 34 years.

Published in 2010 by Little Black Dog Publishing, 25% of the wholesale proceeds of Boopity Boop! Writes Her First Poem will go directly to support Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso's charity.

Boopity Boop! Writes Her First Poem by Masiela Lusha not only supports an important cause it also supports childrens literacy. Order your copy through Amazon today!

© Marilyn Braun 2010

The Royal Report for Sunday December19, 2010 - The best of Prince William & Kate Middleton episodes

In honor of Prince William & Kate Middleton's recent royal engagement, on this episode a look back at the best of William & Kate episodes.

You can listen to the episode here

Tune in to the next episode of The Royal Report on Sunday January 9, 2010 at 9:00PM EST (North America)

The topic will be: 2010 - The Royal Year in review

© Marilyn Braun 2010

This Week in Princesses

Wow! What a truly newsworthy week. While the Swedish royals were celebrating the Nobel Prizes, the Prince of Wales and his wife were caught up in the middle of violent student riots. Sometimes, I'll admit, royal news isn't really "news", but this week, it absolutely was.

DECEMBER 4, 2010

Princess Caroline presented the ceremonial prize check at the International Gucci Masters Show Jumping Competition in Paris. Her daughter, Charlotte Casiraghi, competed in the tournament, but didn't get the big check.

Incidentally, Gucci is Charlotte's sponsor: the fashion house makes her couture riding ensembles (and presumably the matching hat for her horse!)


DECEMBER 8, 2010

Queen Paola and King Albert II of Belgium officially welcomed Russian President Medvedev and his wife Svetlana on an official visit. It almost looks like the two ladies coordinated their ensembles. Did Paola (on the left) call Svetlana and tell her to wear dark blue or did they both say, "Look! We are twins!" when they met?


DECEMBER 9, 2010

The Duchess of Cornwall and her husband, the Prince of Wales, were all smiles as they arrived at the Palladium for the Royal Variety Performance. However, the two had just emerged from a truly frightening experience. Their car, which was somehow separated from its security detail drove straight into a violent protest by students angry over British tuition hikes. The crowd kicked the royal vehicle, threw things at it and chanted "Off with their heads." An investigation is underway to determine why the heir to the throne didn't have sufficient protection to have prevented his car bumbling into a riot and how his vehicle was separated from the following security vehicle. Concerns are now being raised about the level of protection that will be needed at next April's royal wedding.

Meanwhile, the rioting students not only damaged the prince's car, but also defaced several London landmarks.

In Moscow, Empress Elizabeth celebrated her 300th birthday by opening an exhibition about her life and reign. The daughter of Peter the Great, Elizabeth never married, just like the English Elizabeth. The Russian Elizabeth adopted her nephew Peter as her heir and found a nondescript German princess to marry him to. It took nine years for the couple to have a child, whom Elizabeth immediately claimed. After Elizabeth's death, that frustrated German princess overthrew her husband and declared herself empress; she became Catherine the Great.


DECEMBER 10, 2010

While Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Carl Philipp and the new Prince Daniel looked suitably regal at the Nobel Prize ceremony, King Carl XVI Gustaf looks angry and slouchy in this photo. All of the prizes, except peace, are presented in Alfred Nobel's native Sweden, followed by a lavish Swedish banquet. The Peace Prize is usually presented in Oslo with the Norwegian royal family on hand. This year, the Peace Prize winner, Chinese human rights activist Liu Xiaobo, is being held in a Chinese prison, so, he was honored with an empty chair in Stockholm. The Nobel Prize web site is full of great information, including a look back at Queen Silvia's Nobel gowns since 1976. (View the gowns page.) Princess Madeleine, who is now living in New York City, did not attend this year. Although she was not scheduled to be present, she is also said to be suffering from the flu.
Meanwhile, (below) the king's sister, Princess Christina, attended her 47th ceremony; setting a record!

Royal Sang Froid

The extraordinary pictures of Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall besieged in their limousine are shocking. Their faces show real fear – as any of us might if we were stuck in a car that was being hammered by an angry mob.

Similar attacks on royal personages are rare today, but were not so unusual in the 17th and 18th centuries. Charles II and his brother James Duke of York enjoyed a daily stroll through St James Park, and although Charles was relatively popular, his brother and heir was regarded as dour, charmless and overly ambitious. James was concerned for their safety, as, in the days before the royal protection squad, they were accompanied only by a couple of unarmed companions. Charles comforted his brother: ‘There is no danger,’ he assured him, ‘no man in England would do me harm to make you king’.

Why Kate Middleton IS the new Diana

Yes, you read that right. Kate Middleton IS the new Diana.

Sure, it has become fashionable to write articles diminishing the idea but it remains a fact nonetheless. Embrace the idea or live in denial like Prince William. The moment he slipped Diana's ring on Kate's finger she automatically filled the void left by her, mainly the desire for glamour and the potential for royal renewal. The royal family has been stuck in a rut and Kate is the perfect antidote. A lot rides on her slim shoulders, including the collective weight of our expectations.

On a superficial level, like Diana she will be looked upon to reinvigorate the British fashion industry, potentially setting trends in the process. As well, she will be expected to stay model slim, look like the modern version of a princess and smile while standing up to our minute scrutiny.

Like Diana, Kate will be denied the perks of her newlywed status; enjoying time as a couple before children arrive. Sooner rather than later, she will be expected to produce a photogenic heir, preferably a male so people don't have to go through the trouble of changing those pesky succession rules.

Oh yes, and let's not forget those dirty words: 'Cinderella' and 'fairy-tale'. Unrealistic? Yes, but you would be hard pressed to avoid them now. What's a royal wedding without the fantasy? Tiara - check. Glass carriage - check. Handsome prince - check. It borders on plagiarism. Deny it all you like; it will be the purple elephant in the royal wedding pews.

Also like Diana, Kate will be expected to live happily ever after. Read: Stay married and look happy - regardless of the reality. People will expect nothing less. Especially given the last marital implosion. Kate will also be expected to find her own role, look good while making a difference, and avoid overshadowing the rest of the royal family.  No tall order.

Sound familiar?

© Marilyn Braun 2010

Lively Images

With all this talk of celebrated photographer Mario Testino being commissioned to take the official engagement snaps of Prince William and Kate Middleton, it’s easy to forget that In the days before mass media and photography, few people knew what their rulers looked like unless they actually saw them in the flesh (rather than in the flash, as is the case today). Diplomatic reports, letters and diaries often contain detailed descriptions of the great and good, because then, as now, readers had an insatiable desire to know everything about their lordly masters.

When it came to seeking out a bride for a royal prince, such descriptions were absolutely critical. The happy couple were not likely to see each other, let alone learn about much about each other’s characters, until days, or even hours before the wedding. Fortunately, the highest in the land could afford to despatch a portrait painter with the diplomatic party that negotiated the marriage deal. Decent artists were highly valued by royal marriage brokers, but they trod a fine line between flattery and honesty.

Henry VIII, Britain’s most-married king and an experienced prospector in the world of Renaissance princesses, employed the best. In 1539, after the death of his third wife, Jane Seymour, he despatched Hans Holbein to paint two German princesses, the daughters of the Duke of Cleves (in northern Germany), and instructed him to err on the side of accuracy. Henry, a connoisseur of the female, form, wanted no nasty surprises when he encountered his bride-to-be in the flesh.

Nicholas Wotton, the head of the English delegation, reported to Henry: "Your Grace's servant Hanze Albein hathe taken th'effigies of my lady Anne and the lady Amelye and hath expressed theyr images very lyvely".

Holbein’s portrait of Anne (left, courtesy WIkimedia Commons) showed an unassuming, thoughtful woman in an intricately decorated, rich red dress – indeed the gown is rather more memorable than the princess. Anne was clearly not a great beauty, but nor did she appear to be utterly unpleasing. When she arrived in England, Henry came to inspect her incognito, and introduced himself as one of the king’s nobles. Anne was polite, but clearly more interested in the bull-baiting that was taking place outside her window, and Henry, who was accustomed to being recognised, retreated with wounded pride. Either Henry’s disguise was impenetrable, or Anne had not seen a portrait of her husband-to-be. The bride’s opinion of her future husband was of little consequence to the marriage deal.

When Henry re-appeared as himself, the couple appeared to get on well, although Henry allegedly dismissed her as a ‘fat Flanders mare’ and muttered to Thomas Cromwell that he was only going through with the marriage for the sake of the country. Henry could not wriggle out of the marriage treaty and the couple married on 6 January 1540.

Holbein, formerly the king’s favourite artist and arguably the architect of Tudor visual propaganda, was temporarily disgraced.

Anne’s reaction on meeting the overweight, irascible Tudor monarch is not recorded. Their marriage was not consummated and was dissolved after only six months. At this point one wonders whether alarm bells rang in Anne’s head, given her husband’s habit of disposing of wives who displeased him. Anne did everything she could to cooperate with Henry’s plans for an annulment. In return she was given a handsome allowance of £4,000 a year and allowed to retire to the south coast, with the honorary title ‘King’s sister’, where she lived contentedly at Henry’s expense for the rest of her life. Just three months after their divorce, the French ambassador reported that the former queen was on excellent form:

‘Madame of Cleves has a more joyous countenance than ever. She wears a great variety of dresses and passes all her time in sports and recreations’.

Anne enjoyed far more freedom in England than she would have done if she returned to her brother’s court in Cleves, where she would have been disgraced. In England she was a woman of independent means who maintained her friendships with the royal family, and was the longest-lived of Henry’s wives, surviving them all.

Holbein’s lively likeness may not have impressed Henry, but it seems to have conveyed the truth about Anne: compliant, sensible and polite, she used these skills to survive.

A Princess at Seven

The adorable Princess Catharina Amalia Beatrix Carmen Victoria of the Netherlands is celebrating her seventh birthday. In a country that has had only queens since 1890 (Wilhelmina then Juliana and now Beatrix), Princess Amalia stands to continue the tradition of grand dames following a masculine interlude by her father, Crown Prince Willem Alexander.

Like most seven-year-olds, Amalia has big plans for her big day. First, a plane will be named for her. Then, the Royal Dutch Navy Choir will present its annual Princess Amalia concert at The Hague. But, little Amalia will miss the parties: it is, after all, a school night, even for princesses.

The Royal Report for Sunday December 5, 2010 - Should the crown bypass Prince Charles and go to Prince William?

Doubts have been cast on whether Prince Charles should inherit the throne. Many people favor the crown bypassing Prince Charles altogether and go to Prince William. Should William inherit the throne instead of Charles?

Also on this episode: I wave my royal magic wand, Why is Peter Phillips walking on egg-shells? Weird royal collectibles and the people who buy them, creepy royal wedding plans and am I on the verge of becoming a monarchist?

Listen to the episode to find out:

Should the Crown go to Prince William instead of Prince Charles?

Publications discussed

Hello! Canada Weekly No 197 6 December 2010

Blogs mentioned

World of Royalty Blog

Links mentioned

The Prince of Wales - At Work

From My Royal Collection

Cecil Beaton: The Royal Portraits

Tune in to the next episode of The Royal Report on Sunday Decmeber 19th, 2010 - 9:00PM EST (North America)

The topic will be: The best of Prince William & Kate Middleton episodes

© Marilyn Braun 2010

This Week in Princesses

NOVEMBER 27, 2010

Queen Elizabeth II donned a sunny yellow ensemble for the final day of her official visit to several Middle Eastern countries. Hopefully, she stored up some of the warmth and sunshine before returning to London, which received a blanket of snow this week.


NOVEMBER 29, 2010

The usually colorful Queen Margrethe II of Denmark was in more somber colors, choosing a full-length black coat against the bitter London temperatures as she attended a reception at the Danish Embassy honoring the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment. Formed in 1992 and named for Diana Princess of Wales, the regiment's Allied Colonels-in-Chief were Diana and Margrethe. After her divorce, Diana resigned and the Danish queen assumed the honorary duties on her own.


NOVEMBER 30, 2010

Queen Elizabeth II combatted the cold in London by wrapping up in a long, gray shawl for a 'date night' with Prince Philip. You can still see the shiny splendor of her electic blue gown under the dress. The royal copule attended the premiere of "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of The Dawn Treader." She is said to have enjoyed the film, even tearing up at times.


DECEMBER 1, 2010

Snow on the ground didn't stop Princess Beatrice from wearing an above-the-knee ensemble to The Dickensian Ball at Harrods in Knightsbridge, London. Despite the event's name, I'm guessing you weren't supposed to come dressed as your favorite Dickens character.

Across town in Chelsea, snow obscured the lenses but the photogs still managed to snap a few shots of royal bride-to-be Kate Middleton, dressed in heavy coat and boots, as she launched her holiday season by attending a carol service.


DECEMBER 2, 2010

Letizia Princess of the Asturias made a very small fan when she attended a national volunteering conference in Logrono, Spain.

Snowy weather wasn't the only thing Princess Beatrice and her boyfriend Dave Clark had to face as they attended the opening of new London night club. As they were leaving, an eager young man (who probably had too much to drink) got too close to the princess and her security detail dragged him away. The princess appeared amused by his goofy antics, but the incident highlighted the controversy over whether or not the British public should foot the bill for protecting Beatrice and her sister Eugenie, who are fifth and sixth in line for the throne. (See and read more.)

Across the pond, 19-year-old Princess Alexandra of Greece grabbed the photographers' attention with a wrap skirt and thigh-high purple boots at the Celebrate Room to Grown Benefit Gala at Christie's. The charity honors parents who make "extraordinary efforts to help their babies thrive despite the challenges of poverty."

The impropriety of marrying a countrywoman

How did one go about finding a royal bride 250 years ago? When George III came to the throne at the tender age of 22 in 1760, he was unmarried, but had proved he had an eye for the ladies. The year before his accession, he had fallen hopelessly in love with Lady Sarah Lennox, the engaging, self-assured 14–year-old daughter of the Duke of Richmond (and, as it happened, a distant cousin). George knew that he would be expected to make a strategic marriage with a European princess, but, as he put it, he endured a struggle between ‘the boiling youth of twenty-one years and prudence.’ George tried to make her acceptable to his advisors: ‘her voice is sweet, she seems sensible . . .In short she is everything I can form to myself lovely.’ The poor lovelorn prince paints a slightly tragic figure – he knew his love was doomed, but desperately hoped that it wasn’t.

In the end, his chief advisor, Lord Bute, convinced him of ‘the impropriety of marrying a countrywoman,’ and the royal advisors sent out a search party to Europe to find a suitable German bride for the young king. And Lady Sarah found that being passed over was a blow to her pride, rather than her heart.

They produced 17-year-old Princess Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, a young woman of undoubted intelligence, good sense and plainness. Horace Walpole described her on her arrival in England: ‘She is not tall, nor a beauty; pale, and very thin; but looks sensible; and is genteel. Her hair is darkish and fine; her forehead low, her nose very well, except the nostrils spreading too wide; her mouth has the same fault, but her teeth are good.’

Charlotte arrived in Harwich on Monday morning, met the king on Tuesday afternoon, and was married to him later that day. The chief bridesmaid at her wedding was none other than the beautiful Lady Sarah, and according to Walpole, ‘nothing ever looked so charming as Lady Sarah Lennox; she has all the glow of beauty peculiar to her family’.

One might have expected Princess Charlotte, effectively a girl from the sticks thrown headfirst into the sophistication and intrigue of the English court, to be overwhelmed by the occasion. It is clear, however, that she was confident and articulate. ‘As supper was not ready, the Queen sat down, sung, and played on the harpsichord to the Royal Family, who all supped with her in private. They talked of the different German dialects; the King asked if the Hanoverian was not pure—"Oh, no, Sir," said the Queen; "it is the worst of all."’

‘She will not be unpopular’ reported Walpole waspishly. In fact, Charlotte proved to be a remarkably successful queen, producing 15 children and retaining the King's devotion for the rest of their lives.

Video: A Royal Engagement and its hold on the media

The first 8 minutes of this episode of The Listening Post is devoted to a story about Prince William & Kate Middleton. The focus is on the intense media coverage and how it make news around the world.




© Marilyn Braun 2010

The Royal Report for Sunday November 28, 2010 -Do Kate Middleton's parents know what they're in for?

What do the Middleton's, the Spencer's and the Fergusons all have in common? They have a daughter who has married into the royal family. The Middleton's are well on their way to joining those ranks. When Kate marries William, what are they in for?

Listen to this episode to find out: What are Kate Middleton's parents in for?

Publications mentioned

Hello! Canada No 196 29 November 2010

Hello! Royal Special Collector's Edition - A Royal Engagement Celebration

Star December 6, 2010 Cover Story - The Real Kate

Macleans November 29, 2010 Cover Story - William & Kate - At Last

People Magazine December 6, 2010 Cover Story Kate Middleton - A Perfect Princess!

OK! Magazine December 6, 2010 Issue#49 Cover story - William & Kate wedding special

US Weekly Issue 825 December 6, 2010 Cover Story - The Making of a New Princess

Websites mentioned

The World of Royalty

From My Royal Collection

The Country Life book of Diana, Princess of Wales by Lornie Leete-Hodge

Tune in to the next episode of The Royal Report on Sunday December 5, 2010 at 9:00PM EST (North America)

The topic will be: Should the Crown bypass Prince Charles and go to Prince William instead?
© Marilyn Braun 2010

Marital overload, 1818

If you've already had enough of royal wedding fever, be glad that we are only expecting one wedding next April. In 1818, there was no less than three, as the unmarried sons of George III rushed to the altar in an effort to produce a legitimate heir.

On 1st June the 44-year –old Prince Adolphus, Duke of Cambridge celebrated his nuptials to the 21-year-old Princess Augusta of Hesse. ‘'Immediately after the conclusion of the marriages, the Park and Tower guns were fired, and the evening concluded with other public demonstrations of joy in the metropolis’, reported the London Gazette.

Six weeks later, his elder brothers, the 53-year-old Duke of Clarence and the 51-year-old Duke of Kent shared a double wedding on 11th July. Once again, sighed the London Gazette, ‘the Park and Tower guns were fired, and the evening concluded with other public demonstations of joy in the metropolis.'

In a time of economic crisis, when the government had a war debt of some £800 million and the Corn Laws contributed to large rises in the price of food, national celebration was muted, and even newspaper reporters couldn’t be bothered to appear pleased.

This Week in Princesses

Several royal ladies were flying their flags all over the globe this week, from Hong Kong to Peru to the Middle East. In the Netherlands, a royal wedding brought together a small crowd of royal ladies, but nothing like you'll see when Prince William marries Kate Middleton on April 29, 2011 at Westminster Abbey.

NOVEMBER 20, 2010

What better way to start the week than with a royal wedding! Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Parma, nephew of the Dutch Queen and the Carlist claimant to the Spanish throne, and his wife, Annemarie Gualtherie van Weezel celebrated their religious wedding ceremony four months after their civil wedding. The ceremony was postponed this summer because of his father's death.

Many royal relatives attended the wedding including the groom's aunt, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands (center), his cousin Crown Prince Willem Alexander and the Crown Princess Maxima.

The groom's sister Princess Carolina Marchioness of Sala was pretty in purple on the arm of Prince Lorenz of Belgium, who is also an Archduke of Austria. Although the princess is single, her escort is married to the Belgian king's daughter.

The mother of the groom, Princess Irene of the Netherlands, also chose purple. She looked very proud arriving with her oldest son. (For more pics from the wedding, visit Mad Hattery.)


NOVEMBER 22, 2010

Princess Letizia and Prince Felipe arrived in Peru for a three-day visit to promote trade between Spain and its former colony. At the end of the trip, Felipe called the visit "especially gratifying and fruitful."

Meanwhile French-born Princess Marie of Denmark and her husband Prince Joachim were spending a few days in Hong Kong promoting Danish business. Ironically, Joachim's first wife, the former Alexandra Manley now Countess of Fredriksborg, was born in Hong Kong. Wonder if that was awkward for second wife, Marie?


NOVEMBER 23, 2010

Queen Sofia of Spain attended the 20th anniversary celebrations of the Queen Sofia Museum (Museo Reina Sofia). She looks lovely, but the Spanish royal ladies seem to be wearing a lot of gray lately.

As Head of the Church of England, Queen Elizabeth II attended the ninth inauguration of the General Synod. She drew praise for her speech, which included the following: "In our more diverse and secular society, the place of religion has come to be a matter of lively discussion. It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue and that the wellbeing and prosperity of the nation depend on the contribution of individuals and groups of all faiths and of none. Yet, as the recent visit of His Holiness The Pope reminded us, churches and the other great faith traditions retain the potential to inspire great enthusiasm, loyalty and a concern for the common good."


NOVEMBER 24, 2010

84-year-old Queen Elizabeth II started an official tour of the Gulf States with her husband Prince Philip, who will be 90 in June, and their second son, Prince Andrew The Duke of York. Her hat-and-scarf combo drew a lot of favorable attention for its cultural sensitivity, but it does look a little warm for a visit to desert lands.


NOVEMBER 26, 2010

Queen Fabiola of Belgium, widow of King Baudoin, still looks fabulous at 82 in a bright red scarf. The devoutly Catholic royal was attending a tribute to Sister Leontine, who is considered the founder of palliative care in Belgium. The event marked the 20th anniversary of her unit at the St. John Clinic. She and the English queen favor similar hairstyles.

Finally, future princess Charlene Wittstock, fiancee of Prince Albert of Monaco, was on hand for the Monaco Film Festival. Despite the somber color of her outfit, she was positively glowing. No jealousy I guess about Kate Middleton's royal wedding trumping her own by two months, I guess.

Where the marriage should take place . . .

There can't be many families who have embarked on wedding planning without having, at the very least, a heated debate about some aspect of the Big Day. The venue is often the trickiest decision, simply because it is often hard to book the place of your dreams. This is obviously not such a problem if you are marrying into the royal family.

In 1858 Queen Victoria's eldest daughter, Vicky, the Princess Royal, married Prince Frederick William of Prussia. They had been engaged for two years, since the princess was 14, a relationship cemented in the heather at Balmoral where the 24 year-old Fritz had proposed. Victoria was delighted because the young couple obviously cared for each other (and we must brush aside modern concerns about the wisdom of encouraging your 14-year-old’s relationship with a man ten years her senior). Conveniently, their union also fulfilled a useful political purpose in the wake of the Crimean War, uniting Britain and Prussia against misplaced Russian ambitions in Europe.

Punch Magazine composed a patriotic ode to the happy couple.

Victoria and Albert were determined that the wedding could not take place before Vicky was 17, so their engagement was a long, and for a while, secret one. Early in 1856, rumours of the union appeared in the press, however, and neither English nor Prussian commentators were overwhelmed with happiness at the prospect. The Times sniffly dismissed the Prussian royal family as ‘a paltry German dynasty’. The official announcement did not occur until May 1857, at which point the Prussians issued the ultimate insult, by suggesting that the marriage take place in Berlin. Lytton Strachey, the Queen’s biographer, noted that the Queen was ‘speechless with indignation.’

On paper, however, she let rip, emphatically, imperiously, and slightly hysterically. She asked the Foreign Secretary, Lord Clarendon, to inform the German Ambassador

‘not to ENTERTAIN the POSSIBILITY of such a question . . . The Queen NEVER could consent to it, both for public and for private reasons, and the assumption of its being TOO MUCH for a Prince Royal of Prussia to come over to marry the Princess Royal of Great Britain IN England is too ABSURD to say the least. The Queen must say that there never was even the shadow of a doubt on Prince Frederick William's part, as to where the marriage should take place. . . .Whatever may be the usual practice of Prussian Princes, it is not EVERY day that one marries the eldest daughter of the Queen of England. The question must be considered as settled and closed.’

And that was that. The wedding took place on 25th January 1858 in the comparatively small Chapel Royal of St James Palace, but it was accompanied by great public festivities – illuminations, state concerts, immense crowds and general rejoicings. Incidentally, the bride and bridegroom left the church to a glorious, but then little-known recessional, Opus 61, by the German composer Felix Mendelssohn. Since Vicky’s nuptials, it has become known as the ‘Wedding March’ and few weddings are complete without it.

Question: Royalty Marrying Commoners

From Kate's biography it looks like she is a commoner. Does this not negate William's chances of being King. Can Charles even become king being married to Camilla. I was under the impression that the princesses had to be of royal blood.

There is no stipulation that members of the royal family need marry other royals. When Prince William marries Kate Middleton it will have no effect whatsoever on  his chances of becoming king. Prince Charles' position as second-in-line is also unaffected by his 2005 second marriage to Camilla Parker Bowles.

In Queen Victoria's day, at one point it was out of the question for members of the royal family to marry beneath their rank and station. If a royal did so they risked banishment. If they held military rank they could be stripped of that as well. Such marriages were called morganatic, whereby the lesser-ranking spouse and any children they may have, did not share the royal titles or any inheritances that go with it. However, the Queen was an ardent matchmaker and could turn a blind-eye to royal status when it suited her to do so.

One example of this is the marriage of Queen Mary and King George V. Queen Mary's (then Princess May of Teck) father was the product of a morganatic marriage. While both her parents held royal titles, Princess May was a mere Serene Highness as opposed to a Royal Highness, thus making her not royal enough to marry royalty, but too royal to marry a commoner. Queen Victoria bypassed this issue and allowed her to marry her grandson, the future King George V. Given that no one would think of Queen Mary as anything less than royal now, it's rather ironic that she wasn't considered royal enough at the time.

As royal houses fell during the First World War there was a shortage of eligible princes/princesses. For practical purposes royalty started looking towards the aristocracy for spouses. This is still an option however it seems as though members of the royal family are choosing to marry for love and compatibility as opposed to trying to make alliances between royal or aristocratic houses.

Like the Crown Princes of Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, and even the Crown Princess of Sweden, Prince William has chosen a commoner for a spouse. And like them, his (and Prince Charles') position in line to the throne is completely unaffected by it.

© Marilyn Braun 2010

Queen Victoria as a Child

In response to search queries, here is a little tidbit about Queen Victoria as a child. Born in 1819, she was the only daughter of King George III's fourth son, the Duke of Kent. Her father died when she was an infant and she was raised at Kensington Palace by her German mother, who did not get along well with the royal British in-laws.

Through a series of tragically young deaths among her cousins, Victoria succeeded her uncles George IV and William IV when she was barely 18 years old. (Read my post about the "Royal Baby Race" at the Unoffical Royalty Site.)

Catherine: An Unhappy Queen?

With the announcement of the royal engagement between Prince William and Kate Middleton, speculation has run rife about every imaginable topic. Where will they marry? What will she wear? When will they have their first child? What will her new title be? All of these things are unclear for now, but there is one thing we can know for certain: When William becomes king, Kate will be his Queen Catherine.

But, the name Catherine has not been a joyful one among British queens. There have only been five, but when you learn that three of them were wives of Henry VIII, you will immediately understand the sad history of the name.

Catherine of Valois

Catherine of Valois was the daughter of King Charles VI of France when her husband essentially won her in battle. King Henry V, Shakespeare’s famed ‘King Hal,’ insisted on the long-discussed marriage after his victory at the Battle of Agincourt, and he was even more urgent once he saw how pretty the young French princess was. As a royal ‘love’ match with good political benefits—Henry was also named heir to the French throne—the marriage was destined for success. Of course, it hardly had time to fail: Henry died just two years later, leaving his 21-year-old widow with an infant son, King Henry VI.

The English were concerned that the young Queen Catherine would marry again and, thereby, give control of the king and the kingdom to her new husband, so they passed a law that a widowed queen could not marry without the king’s permission. And, to make sure Catherine had no options, the king was not allowed to consent until he had reached his majority. Catherine would have to wait more than a decade.

She didn’t. As a healthy young woman, she was, as one chronicler wrote, “unable to fully curb her carnal passions” and she began a secret liaison with the Welshman, Owen Tudor. She bore him five children before anyone noticed. (Fashions must have been loose-fitting!) Her son Edmund Tudor married a girl from the House of Lancaster and became the grandfather of Henry VII.

Catherine died as a result of childbirth shortly after her affair was discovered. She was entombed at Westminster Abbey, where Kate and William may marry, but her coffin wasn’t sealed. It was opened many years later to reveal that her corpse had mummified. For hundreds of years, special visitors were allowed access to it and, in the 17th century, diarist Samuel Pepys even kissed her on the mouth. (And to think, the Queen Mother never liked Jimmy Carter because he kissed her on the mouth while she was still living!)

In addition to her Tudor progeny, Catherine allegedly left an even longer-lasting legacy to the British royal family. Some believe that porphyria entered the family through her. This metabolic disorder is thought to have affected many British royals including her descendants Mary Queen of Scots and “mad” King George III. (See her funeral effigy: http://bit.ly/ae4sQ6)


Catherine of Aragon

The next Queen Catherine was a bright and beautiful blonde teenager when she arrived in England to marry the future king. The daughter of the “Catholic Kings” Ferdinand and Isabella, Catherine was expected to seal an alliance between the nouveau regime of King Henry Tudor, whose dynastic claim to the English throne was slight, and the powerful Spanish kingdoms of Aragon and Castile. After a lavish wedding at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Catherine and her teenage groom, Arthur Prince of Wales, were sent to live in Wales—incidentally where Kate and William will live after their wedding (and before it, too!) Soon after arriving, they both fell very ill. Catherine survived but Arthur did not.

Catherine was now in a state of limbo. She could have returned to Spain and been married off again, but instead, King Henry, lusting after her hefty dowry, kept her in England and began negotiating for her to marry his second son. When King Henry’s wife died, he even thought about bedding the princess himself, but Catherine’s mother was shocked and irate. Over the next several years, Henry delayed returning Catherine (and her money). After Queen Isabella died and the Spanish kingdoms were no longer united, Catherine became less politically appealing and almost lost her chance to be Queen of England.

Then, fate intervened. Old King Henry died and his 16-year-old heir, Henry VIII, played knight errant to his 23-year-old sister-in-law’s damsel in distress. The two were in love with the romance of their situation and, perhaps, even with each other. Well-educated and charming, Catherine showed herself an excellent consort. During her widowhood, she had served for a period as her father’s ambassador—the first woman to hold such a position—and, after her second marriage, she served as her husband’s regent while he was fighting in France. The Scots, taking advantage of his absence, attacked in the north and Regent Catherine was able to report that the troops she sent not only routed the enemy but that the Scottish king did not survive the battle. Henry was not nearly as successful in France.

The marriage slowly deteriorated due to fertility problems. What we see today in scientific, medical terms experienced by many people, King Henry saw as a sign that God was displeased with him marrying his brother’s widow, despite the fact that God didn’t seem to mind giving them a perfectly healthy daughter, the future Queen Mary I. As Henry fought the Church to divorce Catherine, she steadfastly maintained the validity of the marriage and proclaimed her love for Henry. After he took over as head of the Church of England, Henry’s ministers declared the marriage void and he married his mistress, Anne Boleyn.

Catherine was sent away and was even eventually denied the company of her young daughter. When she died at the age of 50, Henry and Anne dressed in bright yellow and held a party to celebrate. Four months later, Anne was no longer celebrating when she became the first of Henry’s wives to meet the executioner. (Read my profile of Catherine of Aragon.)


Catherine Howard

In one of those strange twists of history, Henry VIII’s fifth wife, Catherine Howard, was first cousins with his unfortunate second wife, Anne Boleyn. They were both nieces of the powerful Thomas Howard Duke of Norfolk, who, no matter how many of his kinsman met the axeman, always managed to keep his head (literally!) The Howard clan was very large, but as the daughter of a younger son, Catherine’s prospects were not very good. She was sent to live with her step-grandmother in a kind of girls’ home for similarly unfortunate aristocratic girls. The young ladies slept all together in a large chamber, but some, including Catherine, were apparently rather good at sneaking in companions of the opposite sex. It’s unclear how far Catherine’s pubescent explorations went, but she certainly experimented with a couple of fellows.

When Henry VIII married his fourth wife for diplomatic reasons, young Catherine was sent to be one of her ladies-in-waiting. Disgusted by his “Flanders mare” of a wife, Henry soon took a fancy to the buxom and flirtatious Catherine. As the fourth wife was more compliant than the first, Henry peacefully and quickly left her after just six months of marriage. Weeks later, he made Catherine his new queen.

While it is uncertain how old Catherine was, since no one bothered to document her birth, she was no older than 20, while her husband was nearly 50. He was no longer the handsome and athletic prince who had married Catherine of Aragon. He was bloated and ill and increasingly despotic. Nevertheless, he was positively besotted with his lovely bride and showered her with gifts and attention.

He even allowed her to continue music lessons with her old music master, completely unaware that the man had already “tickled her ivories” as it were. When Catherine started an affair with one of her husband’s companions, she was indiscreet and the affair was soon discovered. Henry at first refused to believe the accusations against his “rose without a thorn,” but when love letters she had written were produced, he sulked in anger and disgust. As her illicit past was revealed, Henry was disconsolate—Catherine, unlike any of his other wives, had truly broken his heart.

With her cousin’s fate in her mind, Catherine was nearly hysterical. One apocryphal tale has her running through the palace and banging on Henry’s door while he stubbornly ignores her cries. Unlike Anne Boleyn, who was probably innocent of adultery, Catherine earned her traitor’s title since it was treasonous to cheat on the king. She was beheaded after being queen for only 18 months.


Catherine Parr

A year later, Henry VIII decided to give marriage another shot, but this time, he chose more wisely, thinking more practically and less romantically. His sixth bride was no lusty teenager. In fact, the thirty-ish Catherine Parr had the perfect background for the aging Henry and his three motherless children. She was used to nursing older husbands, having already been widowed twice, and for looking after stepchildren, some of whom were older than herself.

Catherine had made other plans for herself after her second husband’s death. She wanted to marry the dashing Thomas Seymour, brother of Henry’s second wife, Jane, and a boon companion of the king. However, Thomas dawdled too long in the asking and the king beat him to the punch. Catherine had no choice but to accept.

Well-educated and clever, Catherine was a worthy companion for Henry and his erudite children. She managed to reconcile the far-flung family, which had been divided due to Henry’s turbulent matrimonial choices. As mater familias, Catherine created a more domestic relationship and was loved and respected by them all. She also was an able nursemaid for the king, uncomplainingly changing the bandages on his oozing, ulcerated leg.

Catherine’s only fault was her devotion to Protestantism. Despite common belief today, Henry VIII was staunchly opposed to the Reformation. His break with the Catholic Church was political, not religious. In fact, he earned the title “Defender of the Faith,” which English monarchs have used ever since, by refuting the doctrines of Martin Luther. In his kingdom, it was deadly to espouse any kind of Reformation thinking. Catherine was devoted to the cause, however, and did not exercise enough caution in hiding her reading materials or in posing theological arguments with the king. When councillors became concerned, they convinced Henry to issue an arrest warrant. But, the warrant was accidentally dropped on the ground, and friends of Catherine found it and brought it to her. She was able to reach the king before the guards got to her and she sweet-talked her way out of a very dangerous situation.

Henry’s faith in Catherine was never shaken again. After three and half years of marriage, she outlived the king and then secretly married Thomas Seymour. As the widow of the king, her marriage was considered an affair of state and the couple was strongly criticized when it was revealed. Nevertheless, Catherine was contented to have, at last, a husband of her own choosing and at 36, for the first time in her life, she became pregnant. Tragically, her happiness was short-lived: Catherine succumbed to childbed fever and died days after the birth.


Catherine of Braganza

When Catherine of Braganza was born, the Spanish king was still king of Portugal. By the time she was two, the Portugese had instituted a coup d’etat and placed her father on the throne. Now an infanta, the toddler became a major commodity on the royal marriage market. Not only did she come with a huge dowry that included the ports of Tangier and Bombay, but she also represented a strong alliance against Spain. So, any prince who wanted to oppose the still-powerful Spanish king was interested in young Catherine.

During her childhood, England seemed an unlikely alliance since the English had abandoned the monarchy and beheaded their king. But, that changed when the dashing King Charles II was restored to the throne in 1660. Catherine’s mother saw an opportunity and seized it immediately. Within a year, Charles had agreed to accept the money he desperately needed and the wife that came with it. Despite its obvious economic advantages, however, the marriage was hardly popular because Catherine was staunchly Catholic, a fact that kept her from being crowned in the now-fervently Protestant England.

As a fun-loving, playboy King, Charles II may have been less than impressed with his pretty but dowdy wife. At 23, she had spent much of her life being raised by nuns and her Portugese fashions were demure and prim in the raunchy atmosphere of Restoration England. Charles may have been a rascal, but he was no cad. He might privately have remarked that “they had brought him a bat” instead of a bride, but officially and publically, he was always gracious. A self-proclaimed connoisseur of women, he declared, “she hath as much agreeableness in her looks altogether as ever I saw.”

Despite the fact that Charles installed his mistresses in Catherine’s household and that he readily acknowledged his numerous bastards, he always insisted that Catherine be treated with respect. He always took her side over the mistress du jour and even defended her when presented with (fabricated) evidence that his Catholic wife had plotted to have him murdered.

Her religion was not Catherine’s only difficulty in England. Far more personally disappointing and politically dangerous was the fact that she had no children. She suffered several miscarriages and still births, but produced no living heir. Although Charles could have followed his predecessor Henry VIII’s example and found a way to rid himself of his wife, Charles was never even unkind to Catherine. Her quietly affectionate and tolerant personality made it easy for him to genuinely like her. Once, when she was deathly ill, he even indulged her delusion and told her that she had given birth to healthy children.

The combined issues of heir-lessness and Catholicism made the situation volatile. Charles wished to be tolerant of all religions, including Catholicism. However, when his brother and heir, James Duke of York, converted, Parliament was infuriated and passed legislation which forced James to resign as Lord High Admiral. By the time Charles died, religious tensions were prevented from exploding only because James’ presumed successors were his two Protestant daughters, Mary and Anne.

When Charles’ illegitimate son, the Duke of Monmouth, led an unsuccessful Protestant revolt against James, Catherine put aside her religion and any natural jealousy she could have felt for husband’s bastard. Instead, she demonstrated her continuing loyalty and affection for her late husband by pleading for his favorite child’s life. His Uncle James was less sentimental: he executed Monmouth.

As the anti-Catholic fervor grew more intense, Catherine decided to return to Portugal, where she acted as regent for her brother, King Peter II, on a couple of occasions. She died after an illness at the age of 67 and was buried in Lisbon.

Although she mothered no kings, Catherine of Braganza had an impact perhaps greater than many other English queens. Not only did she introduce the nation to the “English” tradition of drinking tea, but her dowry of Bombay became one of the major keystones to British imperial power.

The Royal Wedding Report for Sunday November 21, 2010

Big news this week for Royal Watchers when Prince William and Kate Middleton announced their engagement. On this episode, a recap of the week's events. The Royal Report also celebrates its 100th episode on the BlogTalkRadio network.

You can listen to the episode here

Publications mentioned

Hello! Canada Weekly No 194 15 November 2010

Hello! Canada Weekly No 195 22 November 2010

From My Royal Collection

William's Princess: The Love Story that will Change the Royal Family Forever by Robert Jobson

Kate: Kate Middleton: Princess in Waiting by Claudia Joseph

Tune in to the next episode of The Royal Report on Sunday November 28, 2010 at 9:00PM EST (North America)

The topic will be: Now that their daughter is engaged to Prince William, what are the Middleton's in for?

© Marilyn Braun 2010

This Week in Princesses

While Britain was announcing its next princess, other royal ladies had busy schedules that did not necessarily include 24-hour news coverage.

NOVEMBER 14, 2010

Camilla Duchess of Cornwall and her sister-in-law Sophie Countess of Wessex were appropriately somber at the Remembrance Sunday ceremony in London honoring those who have died in war. The bright poppies popped up on British notables around the world--including at "Harry Potter" events--prompting speculation from American media. The red flower is a tribute inspired by the famous WWI elegy "In Flanders Field" where the bright flower populates the ground where so many died.


NOVEMBER 15, 2010

Crown Prince Philippe escorted two royal ladies to the King's Day Te Deum at Brussels Cathedral: his wife, Crown Princess Mathilde, and his aunt, Queen Fabiola. The annual celebration is a thanksgiving for the life of the king, but the king himself does not attend.

At the same event, Princess Astrid of Belgium wore an old-fashioned hat of orange and black feathers that Britain's Queen Mother would have loved, while her sister-in-law Princess Claire looked fresh and lovely.







NOVEMBER 17, 2010

Queen Sofia of Spain was in the United States promoting an fashion exhibition about Spanish designer Balenciaga. Not only do queens get to play with pandas, they also get to be dressed by the best designers. I'm sure Her Majesty's companions, Oscar de la Renta and Carolina Herrera have dressed their share of royal ladies!

Is Camilla Duchess of Cornwall economizing to save money for her stepson's wedding by taking the bus? Not exactly, the jaunt was part of an official visit to the transportation museum.

That evening, the future queen met a queen of another sort. The Duchess of Cornwall brushed up against a host of celebrities at a fundraiser for her husband's charity, The Prince's Trust. And, yes, I'm saying it much more unequivocally than Charles did in his recent interview: I have no doubt that if Charles becomes king, Camilla will be queen.


NOVEMBER 17-18, 2010

In Belgium, Queen Paola hosted a conference about "vulnerable children" on the run. Of course, children at risk are a favorite cause for royal ladies everywhere, so the conference had almost as many princesses in attendance as a royal wedding.

Infanta Cristina of Spain, Queen Silvia of Sweden, and HRH the Duchess of Gloucester with King Albert of Belgium

Queen Paola enjoyed a wee nip in the company of daughter-in-law Princess Claire at the end of the successful conference.


NOVEMBER 18, 2010

Meanwhile, across the border, Queen Beatrix and Crown Princess Maxima of the Netherlands were on duty at The Hague to welcome the German president for an official visit. He must be a charming fellow because they both seem genuinely delighted.


NOVEMBER 19, 2010

I must admit, I'm loving the softer styling of Letizia Princess of the Asturias hair. She wore this very contemporary and flattering look at a Spanish fashion event.

The future Princess Charlene showed that she fully plans to emulate her late mother-in-law's sartorial vision of princess-hood: elegance with a touch of glamour. She and Princess Caroline of Monaco were at a concert celebrating Monaco's national day.

Earlier in the day, Charlene Wittstock also looked very Grace-like, and was apparently witty, judging by the look on Princess Stephanie's face.

For me though, one of the best part's of Monaco Day is the opportunity to see Princess Caroline with both of her daughters, Princess Alexandra of Hanover and Charlotte Casiraghi.