Duke and Duchess of Cambridge Current Events 1: April 29-November 2011


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Daria_S said:
roseroyal said:
Their kindness is always refreshing to see. UK is lucky to have such thoughtful and compassionate royal couple.
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Please may I supply a little background information?

The GENERAL rule is that the BRF do NOT accept presents from people not known to them. There are sometimes exceptions to this rule: for example, at an agricultural or flower show, stallholders sometimes make presentations of not-very-expensive goods to visiting royals.

The MAIN EXCEPTION to the general rule I have quoted above is Royal Weddings. Members of the public were traditionally able to send in wedding presents to marrying royals. The custom in those circumstances was that the presents were put on display and members of the public invited to view them. An admission fee was charged for this, with the money going to charity. When the queen got married, the story was that one of the pieces of jewellery that she wished to wear was in fact being displayed [I think in St James's Palace] and therefore had to be retrieved pretty pronto. The first exhibition I can remember going to see was that of the presents given to the Prince and Princess of Wales. It was a fascinating exhibition, and the presents ranged from the exquisite and the costly to the inexpensive but obviously carefully chosen and/ or lovingly made or knitted. From memory, the admission fee I paid was quite modest - a few pounds - and it went to IIRC the Royal Wedding Charity the couple had set up. Someone with a better memory than me should be able to help me with this recollection.

Commercial presents - i.e. from companies, are only accepted if the company does not try to capitalise on the gift: for example, if the XYZ Bed company was to give a present of a bed to the royal couple, the bed would be immediately returned if the XYZ Bed Company was to run an advertising campaign which said ' as slept on by prince and princess ABC'

The wedding of William and Catherine was a bit different. William and Catherine announced that instead of receiving presents, they wanted people to contribute to the charity they had set up. In addition and in fact contrary to some reports, family members and friends and I believe some foreign guests did make personal wedding presents to the couple. I would also suspect that such people would also have made a charitable donation as well.

This is going to sound a bit 'off' on my part, but whilst it is of course good that William and Catherine were 'donating' the Land Rover, they were actually only 'giving' one of the gifts that had been donated in the first place for 'charitable purposes'. It wasn't therefore a completely 'new' kindness, and they were not giving something that they actually owned or had bought. But of course, it is still commendable that they were 'doing some good'. And, without trying to sound cynical, the 'publicity' that this will give Land Rover - i.e. being linked with the currently 'hottest' royals on the circuit will no doubt have a keen commercial value. Like I said, sorry to sound cynical. The main thing of course is that a good cause is going to benefit.

Hope this helps
Alex
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Diarist said:
Please may I supply a little background information?

The GENERAL rule is that the BRF do NOT accept presents from people not known to them. There are sometimes exceptions to this rule: for example, at an agricultural or flower show, stallholders sometimes make presentations of not-very-expensive goods to visiting royals.

The MAIN EXCEPTION to the general rule I have quoted above is Royal Weddings. Members of the public were traditionally able to send in wedding presents to marrying royals. The custom in those circumstances was that the presents were put on display and members of the public invited to view them. An admission fee was charged for this, with the money going to charity. When the queen got married, the story was that one of the pieces of jewellery that she wished to wear was in fact being displayed [I think in St James's Palace] and therefore had to be retrieved pretty pronto. The first exhibition I can remember going to see was that of the presents given to the Prince and Princess of Wales. It was a fascinating exhibition, and the presents ranged from the exquisite and the costly to the inexpensive but obviously carefully chosen and/ or lovingly made or knitted. From memory, the admission fee I paid was quite modest - a few pounds - and it went to IIRC the Royal Wedding Charity the couple had set up. Someone with a better memory than me should be able to help me with this recollection.

Commercial presents - i.e. from companies, are only accepted if the company does not try to capitalise on the gift: for example, if the XYZ Bed company was to give a present of a bed to the royal couple, the bed would be immediately returned if the XYZ Bed Company was to run an advertising campaign which said ' as slept on by prince and princess ABC'

The wedding of William and Catherine was a bit different. William and Catherine announced that instead of receiving presents, they wanted people to contribute to the charity they had set up. In addition and in fact contrary to some reports, family members and friends and I believe some foreign guests did make personal wedding presents to the couple. I would also suspect that such people would also have made a charitable donation as well.

This is going to sound a bit 'off' on my part, but whilst it is of course good that William and Catherine were 'donating' the Land Rover, they were actually only 'giving' one of the gifts that had been donated in the first place for 'charitable purposes'. It wasn't therefore a completely 'new' kindness, and they were not giving something that they actually owned or had bought. But of course, it is still commendable that they were 'doing some good'. And, without trying to sound cynical, the 'publicity' that this will give Land Rover - i.e. being linked with the currently 'hottest' royals on the circuit will no doubt have a keen commercial value. Like I said, sorry to sound cynical. The main thing of course is that a good cause is going to benefit.

Hope this helps
Alex
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Thanks for the clarification. It is appreciated.
 
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From one side,I've liked Kate's dress,it has a beautiful colour ,that suits perfectly Kate and demonstrates her nice body ,putting accent on her nice legs.But this model reminds me of woman's undergarment dress,it lacks some more details.I do think that they've decided with Pippa ,who will wear this time brighter dress.
 
Kate looked good but I have one slight reservation - so far as British weddings are concerned, it used to be regarded as a complete 'no no' to wear red to weddings - the reason is that it 'stands out' in photos and tends to draw the eye AWAY from the bride. For the same reason, it was felt inappropriate to wear white or cream or indeed any pale shade (e.g. light pink) that could almost photograph as white.

Alex
 
Diarist said:
Kate looked good but I have one slight reservation - so far as British weddings are concerned, it used to be regarded as a complete 'no no' to wear red to weddings - the reason is that it 'stands out' in photos and tends to draw the eye AWAY from the bride. For the same reason, it was felt inappropriate to wear white or cream or indeed any pale shade (e.g. light pink) that could almost photograph as white.

Alex
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Her dress looked to be a raspberry color versus straight on red. Although, my eyes have been failing me lately, perhaps this is another time they have failed me.
 
Hard to tell from most coloured photos, Duchess. I still think that any shade of red is 'pushing it' a bit, if you see what I mean.

The important thing, though, in the final analysis, is that Catherine was there with her friend at her wedding.

Alex
 
I do wish both Catherine and William (separately or together) would stop and pose for the photographers at events like these. Just for a few seconds...it's perfectly obvious why the photogs have gathered and I don't think it's upstaging the bridal couple. That's what I'd expect of any public figure in a similar situation, sort of a professional responsibility to graciously acknowledge and then move on. :flowers:
 
:previous:I totally disagree. Again, a private function was intruded. I like to see Wills & Kate as much as the next person, but this was NOT a Kate event. It was a private wedding.
 
KittyAtlanta said:
:previous:I totally disagree. Again, a private function was intruded. I like to see Wills & Kate as much as the next person, but this was NOT a Kate event. It was a private wedding.
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I completely agree. They are not walking the red carpet at a celebrity event. There is absolutely no obligation for them to stop and pose. Nor should they voluntarily stop and pose.
 
KittyAtlanta said:
:previous:I totally disagree. Again, a private function was intruded. I like to see Wills & Kate as much as the next person, but this was NOT a Kate event. It was a private wedding.
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I absolutely agree that it would be nice if the photographers weren't there at all, but they were and always will be if there is an inkling that the Cambridges are remotely expected to attend whatever event. From what I've read, William ducked into the church without looking at the photographers at all, and Kate certainly wasn't all smiles either. I just think it goes with the territory and it looks silly that they try to ignore the whole thing -- but I admit that it's their right to do so. (To be completely honest, this feeds into my bias that it's high time William stepped into the royal spotlight and quit using various excuses to avoid it -- first youth, then schooling, now military service. But that's another thing altogether!)
 
I don't think Will and Kate should stop and pose at a private event where they're guests, either, but they could certainly smile or at least look less grim at the cameras while continuing on their way. Windsorgirl is right; cameras and the press are a fact of life now wherever they go, and the sooner they adjust themselves to that the better. It seems a bit pointless to duck away from them, but of course it's their right to do that or not acknowledge the cameras at a personal event. But as stated, once William steps into the royal spotlight, hopefully this sticky wicket will disappear.
 
windsorgirl said:
I absolutely agree that it would be nice if the photographers weren't there at all, but they were and always will be if there is an inkling that the Cambridges are remotely expected to attend whatever event. From what I've read, William ducked into the church without looking at the photographers at all, and Kate certainly wasn't all smiles either. I just think it goes with the territory and it looks silly that they try to ignore the whole thing -- but I admit that it's their right to do so. (To be completely honest, this feeds into my bias that it's high time William stepped into the royal spotlight and quit using various excuses to avoid it -- first youth, then schooling, now military service. But that's another thing altogether!)
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Yes, it goes with the territory but what would you expect them to do? Stand there and pose for photographers at a friend's wedding? Of course they were going to ignore them.

I don't understand the comment that he needs to stop making excuses of youth, schooling, military service and step into the Royal spotlight. With that statement, it appears that you expected him to be a working Royal the minute he got out of his nappies. Forget being a child. Forget an education, forget the tradition of service to the military, forget enoying any part of youth. All excuses not to work. Do you really consider this a rational expectation?

William supports a growing number of charities that he works with closely. He has taken a number of tours, which most recently to Canada. He has made numerous Royal appearances which he balances with his miltary duties. He has plenty of time to become a full time Royal and as second in line, he isn't required to take all this on at this point in his life. I really feel that some people have incredibly high standards and unrealistic expectations of William at this point in his life.
 
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I agree that they should not have stopped for photos. They probably wanted to show their support for their friends- and at the same time not steal the spot light. I think they did the right thing. The spotlight should be on the bride and groom- not the guests. I am sure every wedding where big celebrity friends are invited face this problem. They probably posed with smiles for the private photos with the new happy couple. Those photos will not be released to the press. At least not for some years.
 
I dont think they should stop for the photographers but they should at least ignore them with a nice smile. Looking grim or ducking away doesnt help anyone and is borderline rude.

There is no such thing as "private" occasions in public for royals, like it or not.
 
texankitcat said:
Yes, it goes with the territory but what would you expect them to do? Stand there and pose for photographers at a friend's wedding? Of course they were going to ignore them.

I don't understand the comment that he needs to stop making excuses of youth, schooling, military service and step into the Royal spotlight. With that statement, it appears that you expected him to be a working Royal the minute he got out of his nappies. Forget being a child. Forget an education, forget the tradition of service to the military, forget enoying any part of youth. All excuses not to work. Do you really consider this a relational expectation?

William supports a growing number of charities that he works with closely. He has taken a number of tours, which most recently to Canada. He has made numerous Royal appearances which he balances with his miltary duties. He has plenty of time to become a full time Royal and as second in line, he isn't required to take all this on at this point in his life. I really feel that some people have incredibly high standards and unrealistic expectations of William at this point in his life.
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I think they used to be credible reasons for avoiding the spotlight. As he is now a married man approaching 30, it has worn a bit thin with me. Just my opinion.
 
windsorgirl said:
I think they used to be credible reasons for avoiding the spotlight. As he is now a married man approaching 30, it has worn a bit thin with me. Just my opinion.
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He's only been married for 5 months as of September 29th. He and his new wife went on a major tour of Canada and the US a little over two months after gettng married. He IS a full time RAF pilot and he has to balance his Royal duties around his work schedule. That is not an excuse. That is reality. He isn't just playacting as at being a RAF Pilot. He is responsible for saving lives and he is performing an important duty for his country. Much more important than shaking hands, making speeches and posing for photographers at this point in his life. I still fail to see how this is being determined as an excuse. I am sorry.
 
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It is not as if there is a shortage of royals needed to perform official duties, so there is no immediate need for William to end his service in the RAF to pick up the slack.
 
NGalitzine said:
It is not as if there is a shortage of royals needed to perform official duties, so there is no immediate need for William to end his service in the RAF to pick up the slack.
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True but they aren't the future king and heir so although I respect his RAF job and don't consider it an excuse at all to some his real job is being a Royal and heir to the throne, even if once removed.....
 
I agree with everything texankitcat has said over the last few posts. The Duke of Cambridge works fulltime rescuing people and goodness knows what else as part of his job as an RAF pilot AND he carries out official duties as a member of the royal family AND NOW he is expected to play act to the cameras whenever one happens to be there just to satisfy a few people who need to see a constant smile on his face.

It is NOT a case of William and Catherine having to adjust to the media, it is a case of the media and us having to adjust to the fact that the couple will perform the happy, smiley, wave-to-the-cameras routine when it is appropriate to do so / when THEY feel they want to.

As for the wedding they attended, if the media want to turn up at every trivial or insignificant event that William and/or Catherine attend, then that is entirely up to the media so to do. It doesn't automatically follow that W&C are then obliged to stop, stand like a couple of idiots for a few moment, smile like a pair of monkeys and proceed. In fact, it is in the photographer's best interests for them not to do so. You can't sell a photo for much if every other photographer has exactly the same posed photo. It is up to the photographer to get a good smiley photo better than the others!
 
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