I have noticed [amongst my own friends and family] that Divorce seems almost an hereditary condition..not invariably so [obv], but VERY often.. so i'm sorry for the Snowdon's but not [in the least] surprised.
Yes, I believe in that concept, too. Also the Lord Snodon was raised within very fragile circumstances, with two very fragile parents, spinning around themselves, having lots of affairs, drinking too much (well, keep my fingers crossed for the marriage of Lady Sarah Chatto...!).
On the other hand David Linley and Serena have been together for such a long time! Perhaps it was just what so many couples experience living together for years or even decades, the average growing-apart-from-each-other in the boredom of day to day life...
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No. But it speaks volumes about her track record as "Defender of Faith" and head of the Church of England: abysmal.
If we can not judge the Queen on that, why is she then "Defender of Faith" (it is pressed on every coin!) and head of the Church of England, with Lords bishops residing in the House of Lords even... It exposes it all as an empty egg: it means zero comma zero.
In the interbellum marrying a divorcee was reason for abdication. These days being a divorcee seems the norm at the Court... It is painful for the Queen, how symbolical her clerical position might be, it is a stain on "Dei Gratia Regina Fidei Defensor".
Well, different from the roman catholic church, the church of England includes marriage and by that, possible divorce goes with it. It is not a characteristic of the Church of England, especially nowadays - and we speak about the 21st century! - to prohibit divorce. If you even look at some arab monarchies having muslim faith which, I´m sure we can all agree on, deal a lot stricter with the subject of divorce, royal people can become divorced.
I think all the Queen can do to "defend the faith" in modern times is giving a good example HERSELF, by being pious in life, doing her worships regularly, claiming that prayer does matter and so on - all the things she has done brilliantly since she ascended the throne!
It would be a strange thing to expect of her to prohibit two people, who, in due course, taking in account their own children´s age, could become grandparents themselves, to seperate or divorce...! IMO she also can not force the two due to divorce to stay together (she is neither Henry VIII nor Queen Victoria!) - what kind of head of the family would she be then....?!
And haven´t there been divorces even in georgian times (apart, of course, from the infamous one of the Regent and Caroline of Brunswick!)? I guess the mistresses of the sons of King George III had their share in keeping the one or another royal marriage running - without them I assume there would have been more divorces! And that although their father the King was a very religious and devout man, plus Defender of the Faith! But even back then...
*jaw drop*
What in the world is going on??? After 25 years of marriage???
I know a lot people seperating after such a long time - including my own parents after 31 years!
I think in the old days many couple´s didn´t live being married for 20, 25 or even more years as one of them might have died before (just think of all the deseases that couldn´t be cured 80 or 100 years ago or of how many younger women in their 20s and 30s died in child birth!), while the surviving partner eventually remarried again some time later. I´m sure longevity didn´t make things easier for marriage!