William and Kate: engagement and relationship rumours and musings 2009

[Mermaid1962]

America doesn't have a monarchy, though. A wiley politian could use a royal wedding in a political way.

I hope it is 2010. I don't understand the British election thing. Here in America it wouldn't matter. And I certainly don't understand this lifetime dating status. I would hope that as long as they have dated they have talked about their future. But I would love the pomp and pagentry of a royal wedding.

 

[mrsbugman]

Thanks for all the answers. I understand how a royal wedding could take away from, or overshadow an election. I also can see how a wile politician could use anything to his/her advantage. But I sure would like to see a royal wedding. I love the pomp and ceremony of all royal weddings.

 

[Ella Kay]

I think that was because King George was concerned that his daughter was still very young, something that I don't think is relevant to Wills and Kate.

Right; I'm not trying to equate the two specific situations, though. I'm just pointing out that it wouldn't be unheard of for a royal couple to become engaged and not announce it to the public immediately.

 

[Mermaid1962]

I'd love to see another royal wedding, too.

Thanks for all the answers. I understand how a royal wedding could take away from, or overshadow an election. I also can see how a wile politician could use anything to his/her advantage. But I sure would like to see a royal wedding. I love the pomp and ceremony of all royal weddings.

 

[Vanesa]

Why, Mermaid, I'm also waiting for it since a looong time! And it will be nice to see a new Royal wedding.

I'm a hopeless romantic person!

Vanesa.

 

[muriel]

Thanks for all the answers. I understand how a royal wedding could take away from, or overshadow an election. I also can see how a wile politician could use anything to his/her advantage. But I sure would like to see a royal wedding. I love the pomp and ceremony of all royal weddings.

Quite right. The royal family typically tries to be low key in the run up to an election.

The one recent exception to this unwritten role was the wedding of the PoW and Camilla in April 2005, just weeks before a general election in May 2005. That said, controversial as the wedding may have been, it was certainly very low key.

In this case, my sense is that if they are planning a wedding for 2010, it may be announced shortly after the elections (say May 2010) and the wedding takes place in late Aug or early Sep of the year. If they miss this window, they may aim to announce in Jan / Feb of 2011 and have the wedding in June - Aug of the year.

 

[Iluvbertie]

Quite right. The royal family typically tries to be low key in the run up to an election.

The one recent exception to this unwritten role was the wedding of the PoW and Camilla in April 2005, just weeks before a general election in May 2005. That said, controversial as the wedding may have been, it was certainly very low key.

In this case, my sense is that if they are planning a wedding for 2010, it may be announced shortly after the elections (say May 2010) and the wedding takes place in late Aug or early Sep of the year. If they miss this window, they may aim to announce in Jan / Feb of 2011 and have the wedding in June - Aug of the year.

June 10th 2011 is of course Philip's 90th birthday.

 

[muriel]

June 10th 2011 is of course Philip's 90th birthday.

Sure, but that is unlikely to affect the wedding schedule, IMO.

 

[pacomartin]

I would think there would be a desire to have a baby for the queen's diamond jubilee.

 

[Zonk]

Carriage before Horse Carriage before Horse Paco!

Let's get them married before we start talking about babies!

 

[muriel]

Gross, premature, possibly antiquated as it may seem, whilst the topic of future babies has been raised, do you think it is likely that Kate would be subjected to some sort of medical examination before any engagement is announced?

 

[Zonk]

Gross, premature, possibly antiquated as it may seem, whilst the topic of future babies has been raised, do you think it is likely that Kate would be subjected to some sort of medical examination before any engagement is announced?

I would think so. Just to make sure she can have children. It does sound disgusting but necessary I would think.

 

[muriel]

I would think so. Just to make sure she can have children. It does sound disgusting but necessary I would think.

Exactly my thoughts.

 

[Warren]

It would be a full examination, not just gyno. Once she's married she will most likely come under the care of the royal doctors and they would want to have a complete physical/medical record in her file.

 

[Lady Ann]

Wow never thought of all that, Kate is in for it.

 

[Zonk]

Oh yeah, being royal has some nice advantages (clothes, travel, beautiful jewels as your disposal, money) but it comes with one big disadvantages as far as I can see: your private life is never your own -- you are answerable to the British public, are you doing enough duties and earning your keep, you have a small circle with whom you can trust and anything and everything can be said about you in a public forum (rightly and wrongly) and you can't speak out to defend yourself and maintain the dignity of the monarchy.

 

[Roslyn]

I would think so. Just to make sure she can have children. It does sound disgusting but necessary I would think.

Grrrrrr. The idea that this might still happen horrifies and sickens me. I remember getting very angry about this issue when Diana was marrying Charles.

1. How could they tell?

2. What will they do if she can't?

3. Will William be tested to see if he can father children, and what would they do if he can't?

Is it really possible that after all these years forming this relationship Kate might be ditched because she can't have babies? Isn't it hard enough to find someone suitable who's prepared to marry into that circus without the poor woman being subjected to that sort of indignity?

I think more highly of HM and her family than to believe they might behave that way. I think any examination would just be part of a full medical examination to compile a medical record for the future, as Warren suggests.

 

[muriel]

Grrrrrr. The idea that this might still happen horrifies and sickens me. I remember getting very angry about this issue when Diana was marrying Charles.

1. How could they tell?

Thats for the royal doctors to work out.

2. What will they do if she can't?

Given the importance of an heir in their situation, I think there would be some sort of medical examination. If there is a clear and unrectifiable problem, I think there would be real pressure on William to rethink his relationship.

3. Will William be tested to see if he can father children, and what would they do if he can't?

There is little point in testing William - he is the future King, irrespective of whether he has any children.

 

[Iluvbertie]

Her first duty is to provide an heir and if she can't then a whole lot of things have to be done differently e.g. what role Harry will play along with who he marries also having to be subjected to the same process

If they know William can't have children it makes no difference to whom he marries but impacts on Harry, his career and the training he and his children have as they would be the future monarch. If neither William nor Harry could father a child then Beatrice's status changes as well as the line would then pass through her.

 

[Roslyn]

I find the concept very distasteful, and sad.

I refuse to believe that, in this day and age when the RF are really only there for ceremonial purposes, that they would be so cold hearted as to tell William he can't marry a woman after many years of getting to the stage of contemplating marriage, merely because they don't think she can have children. Assuming she's got all the necessary parts, which she would probably know by now, I understand it can be very difficult to determine in advance, without invasive investigations, whether a woman is likely to have trouble conceiving. Look at how many times people conceive naturally when doctors have told them there's not much chance of it and they've gone through many sessions of IVF unsuccessfully.

And if they can't, that's what Harry's there for, and all those other folk in the line of succession. They should wait and see what happens naturally. Are the poor devils to have all the fun and spontaneity removed from their already so extensively planned lives?

 

[iowabelle]

My guess... you can check to see that the lady is ovulating and whether she has any conditions that might prevent or hinder pregnancy (endometriosis for example). No clue as to No. 2. No. 3, I bet they won't test him, at least not prior to marriage... it would be embarrassing to find out that the heir can't fulfill his major responsibility, wouldn't it??

I think in the past that the RF wanted to know that the lady was a virgin, although there's ways that that could be gotten around. Back "in the old days" it would have been important to know that your babymaker wasn't pregnant with someone else's offspring.

Sorry to be a cranky cynic!

 

[Moonmaiden23]

I think it's kind of funny that this thread was first started in Jan 2008..with posters musing and commenting on PW's "imminent" engagement.

Now here we are, almost two years later. And we are still....MUSING on PW's imminent engagement!

Just a thought....

 

[greenways]

Seems William and Kate have minds of their own and will do things when they are ready - within the bounds of royal life of course.

 

[Lighthouse]

I think it's kind of funny that this thread was first started in Jan 2008..with posters musing and commenting on PW's "imminent" engagement.

Now here we are, almost two years later. And we are still....MUSING on PW's imminent engagement!

Just a thought....

Yes but now word is that BP is to prepare a wedding!
I bet they won't announce their engagement until 6 months before the wedding which is often the case with royal weddings.

 

[zembla]

I would guess that she and William will try to have kids quickly because chances really do slim down after 30. Every woman I know lately that is trying to have kids after 30 is having no luck the old fashioned way, they all need medical intervention. I don't know if it is chemicals in our food or what...

 

[Marsel]

Actually, most of current European Crown Princesses had their first kids at or after the age of 30, so I don't think Kate has to worry about her 'clock' yet. And don't forget that Kate (or whoever William marries) will have access to best medical services in the world.

 

[Dani90]

(unfortually) that is how the monarchy works, the (in this case future) king needs a heir. Quite oldfashion but the monarchy is built like that

 

[rmay286]

I would guess that she and William will try to have kids quickly because chances really do slim down after 30. Every woman I know lately that is trying to have kids after 30 is having no luck the old fashioned way, they all need medical intervention. I don't know if it is chemicals in our food or what...

My mom had her first child (me!) when she was 39, and she turned 44 the year she had my brother. My grandma (my dad's mom) was 42 when she had her 12th and last child. I do believe that it is harder for some women to get pregnant when they are in their thirties, but I see a lot of news articles telling women to have children before they are 35 and I think sometimes that pressure is unnecessary. Women who are married and are postponing pregnancy because of their career might need to hear that message, but some people haven't had a child when they are 35 because they haven't found the right person to have a child with.

I guess that's a roundabout way of saying that I don't think William and Kate should rush into marriage just because William needs to have an heir. They should marry when they're sure they want to be married to each other, and they should have children as soon as they're ready, but not until then.

It does seem so strange in this day and age that Kate would have to have a medical examination to see whether she could bear a child. Honestly I don't see the point of it. Women who are told they can never have children sometimes end up having children, and sometimes other women don't get pregnant despite being healthy...so how can even doctors possibly be sure?

 

[Sonjapearl]

My sister is 35 and is pregnant with her first child. My mother had me at age 43. So, having kids at 35 or over is possible.

 

[Zonk]

Well like it or not, one of the duties of the wife of the consort is to produce an heir. In addition, to supporting the King of course.

Thank goodness this is not the time of the early York and Tudor monarchs, where a lack of a legitimate heir could lead to a war and conflict. The British succession is well established. If God forbid, something would happen to William and Harry or if they couldn't have children, we have Andrew and his daughters, Edward and his children and Peter and Zara Phillips. And considering William and Harry's desire to particpate in war and the world of terrorism that we live in, this is just one more reason why people shouldn't be so quick to write Beatrice off. But that is the topic of another thread.

But let's not fool ourselves, although the sucession is secured the desired result is

Elizabeth II > Charles > William > his son or daughter > their son or daughter

If Kate or whoever William marries produces a child at 21, 20, 35, or 40 her job is just that....to produce a child.