A beautiful bride.

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Madame's Nightshirt

Mrs. Peperium

 

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A beautiful sister.

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 A beautiful mother.

 A beautiful mother.
 

 

 

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Too bad she didn't choose a better family.

 

 

 

 

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Comments

[Lillianna]

It's common knowledge among those who have followed this 'romance' from the start that Kate (encouraged by her Boleyn-style family) is a social climber who turned a blind eye to William's infidelities over the past 8 years as well as not worked after college (all expenses paid for by her parents) in order to be at Wills' beck and call and thus get the ring and tiara. She made her bed with him long ago, now she must lie in it. William has settled for his long-time bedwarmer because the suitable girls he fancied (e.g. Isabella Calthorpe, Jecca Craig, etc.) turned him down.
Her family isn't spotless either. Her maternal uncle Gary Goldsmith was recently caught on camera in Spain trying to sell cocaine and underage girls. But for some reason he wasn't arrested.
[BTW, am I the only person disgusted by the bride and bridesmaid's display of cleavage at a CHURCH wedding? Even Camilla, who occasionally puts it 'all out there' wasn't that crass!]

[Mrs. P]

I don't disagree Lilliana. I was surprised by the restraint with the dresses. I expected to see much more of both the bride and her sister. We usually do.

The dress has been compared to Grace Kelly's - take a look at Grace and decide if that it really looks like Kelly's or merely suggests Kelly:

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_KKNyXy942PA/SxPzjjB_jHI/AAAAAAAAA00/B57ZBySHb0M/s1600/grace-kelly-bride-790440.jpg

Suggestive.

BTW, Grace was a Catholic bride.

[The Ancient]

When I read this, I went back and tried to find a bit of cleavage on the potential future Queen.

Squint as I might, alas, I could find none. Perhaps it's my eyes, perhaps it's her poitrine. (I don't think the Maid of Honor counts, now or later.)

P.S. BTW, we should all think less about Grace, and more about Charity. (Not least because Grace Kelly, while a nominal Catholic bride, was no model of Catholic virtue.)

[Crackie]

Oh well, I wish them all the best.
I cannot find an online link, but the NY Post cover photo was an absolute delight--the Royal Kiss taking up most of the pages, but with three year old bridesmaid Grace van Cutsem looking grumpy in the lower left corner.

[Mrs. P]

Ancient, I don't know how long you've been with us but in the early days of PP - I used to regularly write/criticize the House of Windsor.

Being a convert to Rome from the CofE, my criticisms of the House of Windsor were largely about the way they ran the church their forebears invented. And how the present day members of the fam, have descended to the point that -due to their own behavior- they can't even be married in the Church they run.

Liliana -without giving too much away -has been a reader since those days and is a British subject.

Now let us take a charitable look at the marriage. If we are to believe the narrative put forth by Clarence House, these two waited until they were mature enough to take the final step. Putting aside William will someday run a church and he's resided with his bride off and on since college, what I found most disturbing about this marriage was a news item about 10 days before the wedding - that was day it was announced the Duchess of Cambridge was confirmed into the CofE.

Now, to most people that's a big so what??

However, in this case considering confirmation is a (interior) sacrament in which the full outpouring of the Holy Spirit is received to help a Christian make it to Heaven. In the Anglican Church it is still -- on the books at least --taken so seriously that only a Bishop can perform this rite. What the big deal about that is the Anglican Church still maintains their Bishops are part of the Apostolic Succession so they're still acknowledge that something big (and necessary) happens to the confirmee (sp?) I find it interesting -at best- that the Duchess only undertook this step now. She made her choice to marry the Prince and future head of the Church without being a confirmed member of the Church and enjoying the full fruits of the Holy Spirit when making her choice. Sure the cynic here again, says so? To which I have no polite response, except now as William's wife she will be prayed for in the prayers of the people every service in every parish across the UK and Belize, Canada, Australia, etc, ect. by the devout of her now family's church. The devout deserved more respect of their faith from her.

But the devout know it's better than they got with Camilla -they didn't even get a Church wedding with her but a High street one -so they can take comfort the Duchess is a full member of the Church.

As far as Grace Kelly being Catholic. You are spot on. In art school, I had a very good friend who was at Amherst with what's his name - her son - the prince. And during figure drawing class- which was about 3 hours long, 3 times a week we would just draw and talk. And talk and talk. I recall her telling me me the stories of her friends from her Andover Academy days who would come to visit her at Amherst so that they could sleep with Albert = that's his name. That was their mission - fully announced before they arrived and mission fully accomplished by Sunday afternoon's departure. They wanted to be able to say they'd been with a Prince. They left walking a bit funny but able to say this. So this sort of stuff goes both ways with Princes and Kings and women- always has. And it's a bit too prudish of us to say otherwise.

As far as Grace being a Catholic bride - I meant more of a dress code then personal virtue. A friend's mother about the same time Grace married was presented to the Pope - her mother received specific dressmaker standards for hemline and bust line (none) as well as a palette of colors - I assumed Grace must have had that as well. The Anglican/CofE of today has dropped most standards. I was surprised the Duchess wore white. So too were the bookies. The Duchess has a lovely neck and she would have looked fabulous with a low lace turtleneck instead of an open front. The dress did not need to be open. As for her sister's frock it is lovely - it looks just like something Wallace Simpson would've worn -hence the too low neck but in one carriage shot you can see the designer built in a bra so we couldn't see all. If the designer had not taken this precaution, well then Hello girls. It is appropriate for her to dress like Wallace because her sister looks so much like Wallace it's uncanny.

There's a news item out there that the bride's mother chose the late Diana's favorite designer and was wearing "Diana's signature blue". If this is indeed true, then unless she was asked by William to do this - which would be a very strange request at best- it doesn't look good. One has to think it was done to get Camilla.

Camilla is not someone I would mess with.

Also as a mother of a youngish woman who is taking on a huge role would not be playing with the family drama on such a big day. It may have been a totally cynical move on the mother's part to revive the cult of Diana, and keep the people on her daughter's side.

That all said, it was nice to see all the horses. Say what you want about the Queen but she keeps a beautiful stable with impeccable bloodlines.

If only her sons and grandsons could say this.

[Lillianna]

Mrs. P, as you're a former Episcopalian:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1382316/Royal-wedding-2011-They-wouldnt-thought-1953.html

BTW, Prince Albert of Monaco is FINALLY marrying long-time girlfriend Charlene Wittstock (from South Africa, and many years younger) this summer. She recently converted from Protestantism to Catholicism. But strangely enough, the religious wedding won't take place in the cathedral but outdoors. Rumour is that Albert is marrying because he has had a serious falling out with his big sister Caroline, and thus by having legitimate heirs he will be able to keep her and her children out of the line of succession. (All of Grace's children are completely messed up, not just Albert.)

Regarding, Mrs. Middleton's dress, the design by the firm previously owned by the late Catherine Walker (Mrs. Walker passed away some months ago) was chosen at the last-minute after Mrs. Middleton had sacked both her dressmaker Lindka Cierach and milliner Jess Collett. I also wouldn't describe it as 'Diana's signature blue', that's made up by the gutter press. When Mrs. Middleton entered the Abbey, her dress appeared greyish in the lighting whereas outdoors it was clearly blue. Diana was very careful in her fashion choices for official events. She would select clothes after taking into account location, lighting, weather, occasion, local culture, etc. She wouldn't have chosen that outfit.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1377712/Carole-Middleton-refuses-wear-Lindka-Cierachs-royal-wedding-outfit.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1380019/Royal-Wedding-2011-Kate-Middletons-mother-Carole-axes-hatmaker-week-before.html

[Mrs. P]

Lilliana - when I read -before the wedding the Duchess was not going to "obey" her husband, I thought about the definition of insanity being - doing the same thing over and over expecting a different response. Diana didn't say obey. Now Kate.

If there is anything a wife who marries a Royal has to do - it's obey.

The marriage ceremony of Edward and Sophie -with the exception of the lack of hats- was lovely. They used the 1662 Book of Common Prayer which has the procreation of children first as the reasons for marriage. The Bishop actually bound their hands together with his mantle. We all know that Sophie went on to risk death to bring forth children. She and Edward have suffered much sadness and grief but have two children now.

We know William's wedding came about -at this point - for the same reason his parents had - need for children. (Probably also to help the idea of Queen Camilla to go down -pun intended) For the Royals to pretend otherwise isn't quite cricket. They are also hoping an added 10 years on the bride will avoid the pitfalls Diana took, fell, whatever.

Prince Edward also gave Sophie the most beautiful necklace and earring set I've seen in recent years. That ponce who worked as PR guy for Dodi's dad was hired by whatever television channel we were watching the wedding on and he scoffed when she arrived at the chapel at Windsor -(St. George's??) saying she must have *borrowed* from one of her clients. Sophie actually worked as you recall as a PR person and this was how she met Prince Edward.

I was so surprised that Kate did not receive something from William. Yes the Queen lent/gave her the tiara but nothing from William? Her parents provided her jewelry I understood. I know they were trying to downplay money with this but really - this takes the cake. Well no it doesn't. There are so many other cake takers.

I do think Camilla was smart to have an Edwardianesque outfit plus I think she had some of her Mrs. Keppel jewelry on. Her brooch i think. Still trying to prove she deserves her posish.

As for the Catholic royals - didn't Stephanie take up with a circus act and didn't that act father several royal offspring?

The outdoor wedding is interesting. As is the fallout with Caroline. I remember Caroline's parents being displeased with her first husband. He was a Catholic but he was a lot of other things too.

Albert had a duty to marry a long long time ago. Shameful.

I agree with you about Diana's selection of clothing. I don't think Diana would've selected this bride either.