Royal Roundup March 26
1. Two talking points have emerged from last week’s Royal skiing trip to Klosters in Switzerland.
Kate Middleton with Prince William at Klosters
One is the obvious closeness of Kate Middleton and Prince William. The other was the presence of a close protection officer whenever she took to the pistes alone. No other member of the party was given this attention.
What this says to us is that a certain level of protection is already in place for her, despite the normal rule that only someone engaged to a senior Royal is entitled to protection. Either that rule is being bent or a settled understanding of her future with Prince William is accepted by the police and therefore the politicians.
In the circumstances, a Royal engagement announcement can’t be far away, possibly some time after the wedding of Peter Phillips and Autumn Kelly.
2. American fighter pilots have heaped praise on Prince Harry for his expert handling of air strikes in Afghanistan. “He showed extraordinarily high skill,” one said.
USAF Captain Ben Donberg, who led a pair of two-seater F15s, said, “It was a standard troops-in-contact call and we checked in with him. His accent didn’t give him away because we’re used to working with the British. But the item that did stand out at the time was the extraordinarily high skill of the person coordinating the attack. In fact everybody in that sortie, all four of us, once we got down, we all commented on the proficiency and the skill he was providing us.â€
High praise indeed from the Top Guns.
3. After their success with the Concert for Diana, Prince William and Prince Harry are planning another joint extravaganza to raise money for charity. This time it’s a glittering party for the wealthy to extract much-needed funds for soldiers wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Amid the cocktails and champagne, the Princes will make a rare personal appeal for millions in aid of the Help for Heroes appeal. They will be joined by celebrities including James Blunt, Jeremy Clarkson, Anneka Rice and former SAS soldier, now an author, Andy McNab. It will also feature a marching band and a military display.
The event is scheduled for May 7 at a “secret location in the City of London” — which may turn out to be the Guildhall because of its size.
Do you really expect an announcement this summer, John? I had the impression that Zara and Mike would be heading off to the altar before William and Kate – possibly this Autumn. William’s engagement would then be announced in 2009.
By Isana on March 26th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Anything is possible, Isana. If you look at the schedule, there’s a gap in the summer between William’s RAF stint and the Royal Navy service later. If that’s missed, we go right through to Christmas and we’re back to the “Will they, won’t they?” that marred the Christmas before last and led to the April split.
My point is that if she’s getting some protection — as she did in Klosters — it shows that they are further down the path than the public realizes. In which case, that may well bring the engagement announcement forward. Speculation, of course.
By John on March 26th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
john – i think you’re right on this..especially since kate is getting protection – they could get officially engaged this summer and not marry until after william is done with his military training (believe thats at the end of 2009?) dont think that really has any bearing on zara and mike..
thoughts
By coni on March 26th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Excellent summation post, John. I agree with you about Prince William and Kate and I am pleased that she is apparently getting the security protection she needs. Regarding Prince Harry, the statement from the American military is praise indeed. Stoic expectations of the highest levels of achievement are the accepted standard in the American military, thus making such a public accolade extremely rare, if not unprecedented. I am very, very pleased! I am also filled with admiration for Prince William and Prince Harry for their plans to raise funds for the wounded soldiers who were in combat in Afghanistan and Iraq. Britain’s golden Princes are a blessing to the nation and commonwealth.
By Gigi on March 26th, 2008 at 3:05 pm
John
This is super exciting!! I live in the USA now ( I lived in London up until 3 years ago) and I constantly call my father for updates on William and Kate. He thinks it won’t be until Jan/Feb next year but I am hoping the announcement will occur before then. What are the chances John of there being two announcements this summer. Given that I think Zara and Mike are also unofficially engaged do you think that two announcments could take place or will one couple have to wait?
By Jackie Mccoy on March 26th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Things are much less formal now, so I don’t see why two engagements can’t be announced in the summer. Zara’s will wait until after the Olympics, but will probably be small-scale like her brother’s.
Bear in mind, though, that my forecast of a summer engagement for William and Kate is only a guess based on recent happenings.
By John on March 26th, 2008 at 4:24 pm
I shall go out on a limb and say that I think that an engagement announcement for Prince William and Kate may occcur on Prince William’s 26th birthday, which is June 21, 2008. I think that would be ideally apropos! The May nuptials of Peter Philips and Autumn Kelly would by then be a lovely memory, Zara and Mike Tindall would still be focused on the Olympics, so the Royal Engagement announcement would give everyone a happy event to contemplate over the summer and fall.
The Season of Easter extends to Pentecost, which we shall celebrate on May 11th this year, so I am guessing a date in June would be the earliest date contemplated for the Royal engagement announcement. 
I should warn everyone on Royal Anecdotes that my prognostications are reputedly and deservedly wrong at least 90% of the time, as when I was so sure the engagement announcement would be on Valentine’s Day last year. 
Oh, well. Nothing venture, nothing gain. 
By Gigi on March 26th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
John, I agree with your speculation about Kate and Prince William there is that ‘window of opportunity between his RAF training and his time with the Royal Navy. They have certainly been showing all the signs of a close relationship, Kate was grouse shooting with Prince Charles at Balmoral, skating with William at Somerset House and skiing with Prine William and Prince Charles. At all times she behaved admirably with a particularly closeness to PW and seems to get on well with PC who is when all is said and done the heir apparent whose opinion must carry much weight with the Queen. I just think John that it is a fair bet that we could see an anouncement just after Autumn and Peter’s wedding.
I feel though I must go off the thread to say that I think the future of the monarchy rests with William and at the appropriate time the succession should jump one place to him, an opinion that was shared by a majority in a poll a few months ago.
By Royalist on March 26th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Could anyone enlighten me as to how long after an engagement announcemnt the wedding would follow? I would imagine an engagement between PW and Kate would not be too lenghthy. After all, wasn’t Charles & Diana’s engagement only a few months before the event?
I know many times engagement-lengths are sometimes more determined by how long it takes to secure a venue for the event, which I imagine is not such a concern for the Royals as for the rest of us!
My line of thinking: An engagement would not be announced until schedules would be free for the marriage to take place sooner than later.
By Claire on March 26th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Deep waters, Royalist, but you could be right. It would be an unparalleled act of generosity on the part of Charles, but he would save Camilla from vast anxiety and draw a line under past calamities.
As for the engagement, further delays would add to the impression that William is being unfair to Kate, who is popular with the public. A summer betrothal would be just the job and a shot in the arm for the nation in the midst of the credit crunch.
By John on March 26th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
Claire, these two definitely don’t follow the traditional path. A summer announcement with a date set next spring or early summer (2009) would not be a problem. A few months in the Navy for William and a spell here and there would soak up the time in between. But at least Kate would have the certainty that her face was on the tea towels and the Abbey booked.
By John on March 26th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
I agree with you, John, and with you Royalist, but, as much as I wish Charles would step aside for Prince William, for the sake of the nation and indeed of us all, I fear that I cannot see Charles making that sacrifice. He has waited a long time to take charge and I doubt very much that he will stand aside for anyone. The reason I believe he insisted on marrying Camilla in the first place was to make himself more classically traditional a king when he comes to the throne. British folk do not like the prospect of an unmarried Monarch and no family life at court. Charles has a very fragile ego, does not share well and certainly has no wish to surrender the limelight or the throne. I hope I am wrong about this, but I doubt that I am.
By Gigi on March 26th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
I am curious to see what Kate wears to the wedding in May. She is so into black and white and I can’t see how either color would be appropriate. Maybe blue?
BTW John, fun choice of pic with Kate sticking out her tongue.
By dally on March 26th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
I guess it would depend on how long HM lives. If she lives another 10 or 15 years so that William would have enough time to enjoy family life before entering into the “top job”, I could see a more than 70-year-old Charles give up his position to his eldest son. But if (God beware) HM passed away within the next five years, I think it would be an incredible burden for William to be crowned as the next King possibly with very young toddlers to take care of at home.
Btw. did anybody else notice William wearing the “ER” t-Shirt with the Royal crest in Klosters? Here’s a Link
By Isana on March 26th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Isana, your link broke the sidebar. Could you please use the a href= format for links?
By John on March 26th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
John, I did not realize that you are a fellow economist! I fully agree on your timing of a summer announcement. Given the credit crunch you mentioned and the fact that tourism is likely to be down in the UK this summer (due to the US dollar dropping & oil prices rising), the prospect of a royal wedding next year would likely help to improve businesses’ and consumers’ outlook for 2009.
By Lisa on March 26th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
I agree with everyone about a summer engagement. I don’t know where I read that William is thinking about proposing after
he finishes his RAF training. If he formally proposes (actually I think that he already has), that will give hime time to make it
public in June. I don’t think that William would have made a public appearance with Kate for such a long time over the week if things hadn’t happen to change the levl of the relationship. You all have followed them a lot longer than I have. You can read them better. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that you are right. I think that it will be an exciting time for the RF.
By kat on March 27th, 2008 at 1:12 am
I have to say I am most excited that Harry got such high praise from our soldiers. He used his training in a totally professional manner in a most dangerous area and for our men to praise him is quite an accomplishment.
I’m not to crazy about all the secrecy surrounding the latest fundraising concert the Princes are doing although It is for a good cause. I think they should also do some sort of mass appeal to average people. I think it is a shame that the concert that was the memorial to Diana could not become a yearly charity raising event.
I’m not holding out much hope for an engagement announcement anytime soon with P&A’s wedding the world and the RF will no doubt want the light to shine on Zara in Beijing this summer. I think if one is forthcoming it will be in the fall. And that would put things right around the timeline of 2009 for a Wedding.
By Trudie on March 27th, 2008 at 1:59 am
An announcement of the Royal Engagement in the Fall would be equally welcome, of course. You may be quite right, dear Trudie. We shall have to wait and see how things unfold. Having no other viable option, I shall take what comes.
By Gigi on March 27th, 2008 at 3:48 am
Trudie, I agree with your remarks about PH it is very good to get praise from American professionals but when all is said and done that is what he is trained to do. I do not want to detract from his accompishment but there are thousands of American and British forces putting their lives on the line every day without getting this publicity. Newspapers in the UK described him as a hero but I do not regard him as such, many of the British forces have been decorated for acts of selfless acts of gallantry-these in my estimation are heroes. What about Prince Andrew who flew helicopters in the south Atlantic in the Falklands War and the Argentines knew exactly where hw was!
After all that I have said-well done Prince Harry you did a very good job in war zone conditions
By Royalist on March 27th, 2008 at 8:20 am
Royalist, I did not call Harry a hero. Harry is always getting negative press i.e. He is falling down drunk, he cheated at school, his costume choice while poor at a private party. I am just elated that for once Harry is getting positive press for accomplashing a dream to simply do his duty and any praise he gets is totally deserved.
By Trudie on March 27th, 2008 at 11:06 am
Trudie, William is likely to be at sea in the fall/autumn, which is why I see an ideal “window” in the summer.
By John on March 27th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Lisa, yes my degree was in economics (major) and psychology — an ideal combination for writing about the Royal Family.
By John on March 27th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
Harry is always getting negative press i.e. He is falling down drunk, he cheated at school, his costume choice while poor at a private party.
Those were not negative press, they were real events captured on film.
By John on March 27th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
I know that this is very off topic but I have always wondered if there was ever any more on the accusation that Harry cheated in his exam or was it just another unproven rumour.
By Ash on March 27th, 2008 at 1:35 pm
Ash, that seems to have been the actions of a disgruntled teacher.
By John on March 27th, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Royalist, the material point about the praise for Prince Harry’s performance in his military role in Afghanistan is that the praise came from the American military, who never praise anyone for anything. Further, the American military has no reason nor wish to curry favor with the British Royal Family by praising Prince Harry, making it a certainty that the remarks were sincere. Further, a man who does not have to go to a forward area of a war zone, placing himself in extreme danger, but insists on doing just that and performs his job to the highest standards in life-threatening circumstances–that man is a hero, in my opinion. Thank God we still have men and women who are willing to go into military service and answer their country’s call when needed. Britain should take great pride in the fact that their own Prince Harry was among those brave soldiers who stood their ground and fought.
By Gigi on March 27th, 2008 at 3:22 pm
On other news, I read that Gordon Brown was told by palace staff to sit down when he should have been standing with the Queen and President Sarkozy at the State Dinner last evening.
Are these kinds of palace mix-ups common? We’ve commented on several schedule problems in the last six months. Now this. What’s up at the palace?
By Evelyn on March 27th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
I read that too, Evelyn. It puzzled me because State Dinners are driven entirely by protocol, and there is always a protocol officer in charge who knows exactly where everyone has to be at any given minute. Either there are some brand new staff at the palace (as is true with the person in charge of scheduling) or someone who should have known better had a mental lapse at the worst possible time.
Regarding the State Dinner, why does Prince Philip’s red sash seem to be awry in the photographs shown of him, the Queen, and the President and First Lady of France? Sarcozy’s sash crosses his chest from shoulder to waist, as is proper. Prince Philip’s sash seems to cross his chest from under his arm to his waist. Do we need to send a memorandum to Prince Philip’s valet, or perhaps to his ADC? That said, I thought they all looked splendid and very regal. No one looks more regal than Queen Elizabeth II, especially in her diamond and ruby tiara.
By Gigi on March 27th, 2008 at 3:41 pm
The Palace staff were correct, Evelyn. The Prime Minister is Head of Government, while President Sarkozy is Head of State, like the Queen. Brown is outranked by protocol. We don’t like to see our politicians parading around in fancy uniforms — they are cocky enough as it is.
Yesterday was a State occasion, today, will be the turn of the Government. They have chosen Arsenal football stadium as the venue.
By John on March 27th, 2008 at 3:42 pm
evelyn..i just read that myself – also, all this fuss about what carla was wearing vs camilla – heard they were suppose to stay at windsor for 2 nights but opted for just 1..interesting…
By coni on March 27th, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Then what did the Queen mean when she said to the Princess Royal, “The Prime Minister got lost.”? I am getting confused, John.
By Gigi on March 27th, 2008 at 3:44 pm
He may have sat in the wrong place, Gigi. He is in any case below the Speaker of the Commons in precedence and all the Royal Family, but he usually sits at the high table.
By John on March 27th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
Normally a full State visit is four days. Sarkozy is a bit of a live wire, though, and likes to get on with things. He’s still like a fish out of water on these occasions and tries to shorten them if possible. His wife, however, looked in her element and she got on famously with Philip.
By John on March 27th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
I’d guess one reason the visit was shortened is that Sarkozy wasn’t sure if his English would stand up to 4 days of scrutiny.
By Evelyn on March 27th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
Most of the Senior Royals speak French, so Sarkozy would have no problem no matter what his English is like. He gave his address in French, after all. Regarding the shortened schedule, a State Visit would unnerve anyone, even a seasoned politician, and I am sure all concerned were happy to have it over so all could collapse and relax.
Protocol makes these events rather stiff and quite an exhausting ordeal, even for the Queen.
By Gigi on March 27th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Did anyone else notice the new eyeglasses the Queen wore at last night’s State Banquet? The were very chic and less conspicuous than the large, heavy framed glasses she has worn for the last ten years. I wonder if this is another example of the positive influence of Angela Kelly on Her Majesty’s fashionable new look.
By Arthur on March 27th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
Thank you for your answer John. What a disgrace to her profession that teacher turned out to be.
By Ash on March 27th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
The engagement won’t be announced until after PW finishes training, in early 2009.
The RF prefers short engagements, probably for protocol reasons as well as to lessen the chance of a broken engagement being made public.
That said, I believe PW already proposed to Kate and they are secretly engaged and living together.
One thing that struck me during their separation last April/May was that we would see Kate in girl-about-town mode. Going here or there constantly being photographed alone.
Then she started appearing with Will’s friends, which John rightly pointed out as extremely suspicous in a post.
Then she would be never seen on weekends – she would be photographed in London Mon-Thursday, but nothing Fri-Sun. I thought this indicated she was seeing Will in private on those days. (Very normal behaviour, when your fiancee works (trains) out of town.)
Finally, she sort of dropped out of sight.
My opinion – she’s unofficially part of the RF now, secretly engaged.
By Alicia on March 27th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
Well spotted, Arthur!
I think the new eyeglasses look wonderful on HM. Maybe she’ll even come to have several pair that she can coordinate with various outfits/colors. The bows of this one looks like they might even have a touch of red in them, which would go well with the tiara she was wearing.
By Evelyn on March 27th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
John those real events were and are an invasion of his privacy by those with an agenda I also forgot the pot smoking as a teen. It seems Harry is always thrown under the bus at the expense of good son Willie who rarely gets such negative press and who drinks harder, had dressed in a feather boa dancing on tables and has the light workload and more time off for his pleasures than Harry. I’m still waiting to see him in his capacity as patron for Centrepoint doing more than the two light appearances he did in the run up to the concert last year. And who really did not have a kind word to say about his mother during his interview prefering to bring up cellulite and how terrified she made him by taking him to visit a homeless shelter in the night. According to Willie Diana seemed mad to Harry she was amazing as a mother. Perhaps that explains it.
By Trudie on March 27th, 2008 at 11:15 pm
Sorry for the double post but I was attempting to correct my typos.
By Trudie on March 27th, 2008 at 11:20 pm
I can’t imagine W&K announcing an engagement before he is finished with the RAF, although I could be wrong, of course. For starters, what if (God forbid) something were to happen to William while he was at sea – it would make it very awkward for the RF if left behind a fiancee….
By Amity on March 28th, 2008 at 12:45 am
Amity your point is well taken. However, I think that it might be that William would want Kate to have security while he was away. For her to have said security, she would need to be engaged to him. Therefore an announcement would need to be made. Secondly, William and Kate could have been hidden away for the vacation. They were very much in the public. For that to happen, something must be happening behind the scenes.
Since she is invited to Peter and Autumn’s wedding, Kate is taking a more formal stance. Maybe it is wishful thinking on my part. Maybe, I am just hoping that true love will win out. They will have many years of happiness.
By kat on March 28th, 2008 at 1:53 am
Wearing a feather boa and dancing on a tabletop hardly compares to donning a Nazi uniform.
By Positive on March 28th, 2008 at 2:16 am
Because of William’s longstanding animosity towards the press his conduct has long been more circumspect. That’s the point: not that he is a milk drinker by any stretch, but he has been savvy enough to keep his hijinks out of focus of the camera lense.
By Positive on March 28th, 2008 at 2:20 am
I agree with Trudie that Prince Harry seems to be the unfair target of the media on some occasions. I do not approve of this skewered policy and I do not think it helps the already shaky credibility of the press. Further, there are positives and negatives that are balanced in both Princes and, on the whole, both of the Royal brothers are very admirable young men with many fine qualities. The hi-jinks and occasional piccadillos are simply part of young men growing up. I would appreciate it if the media would back off and allow them to be free and merry while they may, as their time grows short before the onerous weight of duty intercedes. Moreover, the holier-than-thou carping of the media is hypercriticial, if I am any judge. If those who point fingers at the Princes in the press have never had a drink or attended a wild party, I will eat my hat, with or without ketchup!
By Gigi on March 28th, 2008 at 3:39 am
Oh good grief, I meant to type hypocritical. My typos will be the death of us all!
By Gigi on March 28th, 2008 at 3:41 am
My point was not to criticize Harry’s behavior per se, but to express my exasperation at those who condemn the press for documenting someone who at one point seemed hellbent on giving the press the rope to hang. But as a credit to Harry, he has redeemed himself quite nicely. I think those other days are behind him.
By Positive on March 28th, 2008 at 3:55 am
Questions: I know the Queen is said to be fluent in French. I gather that Charles speaks French well. What about William? I’m assuming he has received some instruction in French, but does anyone know how he fares in that language? Or does William speak any other languages?
By Evelyn on March 28th, 2008 at 4:00 am
Evelyn, William went to Eton not some “bog-standard” state comprehensive. He will have had a good grounding in modern languages, especially French and German. I expect he speaks both better than Nicolas Sarkozy manages English.
By John on March 28th, 2008 at 10:37 am
Alicia, I agree with most of your points, but I still think there are pressing reasons to make an announcement in between his service deployments, i.e. in the summer break.
Not only would it regularize Kate’s position for security, it would also avoid the rumour-mill starting all over again while William was at sea in the autumn, and especially over Christmas. If they left it to February, as is usual practice, the story would be very stale by the time it actually happened and Kate would be exposed for nearly another year.
I’ve no idea if they will take Royal Anecdotes’ advice, but it would be much neater, and more helpful to Kate, than letting the whole thing hang in the air for another 10 months.
And the tea towels would be a bit moth-eaten by then.
By John on March 28th, 2008 at 10:46 am
Positive lets get real here Williams hijinks are always covered up. Everytime he leaves a bar he has that glassy eyed look. But whatever happens in the bar regarding Willie stays there while every moment of Harry is captured and recorded. William gets positive press for not doing much of anything. He is praised for his military training to be given an understanding. He really does no charity work given the amount of time he has off which IMO is a lot. Harry on the other hand before he left for Afghanistan made sure he went to Lesotho in November to check on Sentable and that was not commented on. He returns is shocked and Angry that the money was spent as it was but CH produced spin to make it’s involvement honorable. William is praised for his love of Camilla when Harry was praised for his heartfelt speech on his mother in a matter of days the press was full of anti Harry stories. I have to say I am more impressed with Harry and his work with the exception HM,PP and Princess Anne than the rest of his family especially HRH her loveliness.
By Trudie on March 28th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Trudie, I don’t recognize either the foibles of William or the bias against Harry that you keep pressing on us. We can make up our own minds on these matters.
Let’s give it a rest, hmmm?
By John on March 28th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
John I’m done with this thread It just makes me angry that when there is just a bit of praise for Harry Someone always tries to top it with how Wonderful Willie is . I think good or bad should be posted equally about both Princes.
By Trudie on March 28th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Sure, Trudie, but you are very one-sided in your views : Charles is the Devil’s disciple, Camilla the spawn of Satan. William is his father’s son and beyond redemption, while Harry is his mother’s son, therefore a walking, talking saint.
These are the views of Mohamed al Fayed, and if anyone new to us made them, I would not let them onto the site. You, however, are a long-standing contributor so I put up with them. That’s why I say, we know your views, but we can make up our own minds how we think individually.
We don’t like rants on this site, simply because they put off others who just want to comment peacefully and truthfully.
By John on March 28th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
My dears, it is time to withdraw from discussion temporarily, gather around the tea table and celebrate our collegiality once more. Let us agree to disagree agreeably while we share a cup of tea, scones, Devonshire Cream, tea sandwiches, Dutch chocolate double lace tea cakes and Balmoral Dundee Cake. Dear Trudie, if you will pour, I will pass the sandwiches, scones and cakes. Royal Anecdotes Tea is now served!
By Gigi on March 28th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
It sounds like we need something a little stronger than tea, Gigi. Anyone care for some Irish coffee topped with a dolop of whipped cream?
By Arthur on March 28th, 2008 at 4:26 pm
i’ll take a double! thanks arthur and gigi!
By coni on March 28th, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Dear Arthur sets us all to rights! Irish coffee with whipped cream is also served to please Arthur and Coni.
By Gigi on March 28th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Thank you, Gigi. I’ll use any excuse to put whiskey in my coffee.
By Arthur on March 28th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
dont think its too early to head down to the buena vista here in san francisco for an irish coffee – nice way to start a friday
By coni on March 28th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Ahhhhhhhh, San Francisco. What a beautiful place to sit and enjoy an Irish coffee, coni. I awoke this morning to another three inches of snow, here in Massachusetts, so you can understand why I need an Irish coffee. Three inches of snow is nothing compared to some of the other snowfalls we have had this Winter; however, snow has been on the ground since Thanksgiving and I am tired of it. Mother Nature, please get to work and bring on the sunshine and Spring flowers.
By Arthur on March 28th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
arthur – where in mass are you? am heading down to so cal this afternoon to see my beloved sox vs dodgers….
By coni on March 28th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Here we are gathering for dinner and to watch the Sweet 16 NCAA teams play for the right to become part of the Elite 8, specifically Texas!
By Gigi on March 28th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
A Red Sox fan in CA? You must be a transplant, coni.
I live an hour north west of Boston, just a few miles form the New Hampshire border. I’m in the snow belt, so it can be 40 degrees and sunny in Boston, but 20 degrees and snowy here.
By Arthur on March 28th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
John, I think you are right from a PR standpoint … but, I think in 2007, the problem started because Will hadn’t made a commitment yet, so the rumours probably originated close to the Royals and were then picked up by the media.
In 2008, the media tried a few times to get the rumours started, but they never had any traction. In fact, many articles were transparent attempts to sell ad space.
At any rate…I agree an engagement this year would be lovely and Kate deserves the recognition, the protection, and the freedom from rumours.
By Alicia on March 28th, 2008 at 9:30 pm
Arthur, it’s been cold in Europe too. I’ve heard that the skiing season in the Alps has been extended by at least two weeks because of heavy snowfalls.
Meanwhile, here in the South West of England we’ve had a very mild winter, but a stormy few weeks since. We really are spoilt compared with everyone else.
By John on March 29th, 2008 at 10:11 am
Alicia, I suppose if we knew everything that was going to happen in advance it would be rather boring, wouldn’t it? At least they keep us on our toes.
By John on March 29th, 2008 at 10:12 am
I agree with you John, it would be better all round if they broke with tradition and got engaged this summer, after all Peter and Autumn got engaged last summer. The press are an impatient bunch and if they don’t have a wedding to plan then they get ansy and go negative. We don’t want negative stories for a year.
Just wondering if Kate will take any fashion tips from Carla Bruni, she was the epitome of understated glamour and elegance on the UK trip. I reckon her style would suit Kate coz Kate is tall and slim.
Does anyone know exactly what height she is? If I remember correctly William is 6′3” and she doesn’t look small ‘longside him.
By Eliza on March 29th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Eliza, I’ve no idea how tall Kate is, but she seems tall enough to rise out of the dwarf category.
I agree about Carla Sarkozy, who makes the most out of what she’s got, although her winsome manner rather got on my nerves towards the end of her very short stay. I noticed that the Daily Mail referred to her Dior clothes as “High Street”. Maybe Kate could do better?
But I take your point.
By John on March 29th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Eliza, one thing we know for sure is that Kate will be able to wear high heels when in the presence of Prince William. Poor Carla Bruni was relegated to wearing boring flat shoes because she is married to a man who is very insecure about his shortcomings.
By Arthur on March 29th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Let’s just be grateful that the State Visit went well and that the Queen seemed pleased with it and found the Sarkozy couple to be congenial and pleasant guests. It is important for France and England to have improved relations, especially in these dangerous and uncertain times. It helped tremendously that the Queen is fluent in French and is so gracious and tactful a hostess, traits she inherited from the wonderful Queen Mother of shining memory.
By Gigi on March 29th, 2008 at 7:15 pm
John DM are reporting that the Queen has cancelled her Diamond wedding anniversary party. Do you think that the reason given is the truth? They had said that they did MOT want to throw an extravent party given that the country is on the brink of a recession.
By jackie mccoy on March 30th, 2008 at 2:26 am
Just a note on the alleged cheating. An employment tribunal was called in to review the claims of a former teacher at Eton College who felt she’d been unfairly dismissed. For reasons quite beyond me she felt it nessessary to back up her claims of unfair dismissal by claiming that the head of the art department had asked her to write Prince Harry’s written art exam for him.
Rather funny, when the tribunal looked over Prince Harry’s exam they found a number of errors and judged it unlikely to have been written by a teacher! But not funny in the least the teacher went so far as to attempt to entrap the Prince into “confessing” he had not written it by trying to secretly record him during a meeting with him prior to her dismissal. Her lawyers publicly stated that the recording had the Prince saying he had not written it yet when the tribunal listened to the tape it was of such a bad quality that they couldn’t make out any of what was said. None of this was behaviour befitting a teacher and the tribunal told her so. Had she been on my staff I’d have dismissed her quite fairly for attempting to entrap a student in such a devious way whatever her reasons. Had she still been in Eton’s employ at the time she said she’d made a secret recording of one of their students I’m sure they’d have done the same.
Eventually the tribunal deemed that she had been unfairly dismissed, however, all her claims against Prince Harry were dismissed as unsubstantiated.
So please don’t treat them as facts.
Prince Harry has made some mistakes in his past. Who among us hasn’t? But that should not distract from his accomplishments.
By Piper on March 31st, 2008 at 2:06 am
Piper, thanks you for all those details, I had forgotten most of them, although I remembered that Harry was exonerated. It’s often overlooked that members of the Royal Family are very exposed to wild allegations of all kinds.
By John on March 31st, 2008 at 10:50 am
Well said, Piper, and thank you for reviewing the facts of the case. That is the problem with the gutter press (one problem among hundreds)–they take potshots at people, splashing doctored photos and unsubstantiated stories across their front pages and in order to get any retraction of these spurious stories, the victim must go to court and seek a legal remedy, as the McCann’s did. Since the Royal Family does not seek legal redress in court, it leaves them peculiarly vulnerable to sabatoage attacks in the gutter press. It really is outrageous, but it happens here in America as well.
By Gigi on March 31st, 2008 at 4:57 pm
arthur..there are tons of sox fans in california. actually am a san francisco native so the red sox connection is a long story that i dont want to bore everyone with..
By coni on March 31st, 2008 at 5:48 pm