After reading about Charles engagement to Diana and why he picked her.....

[LynneSin]

I really think that Wills and Kate have a much better chance of making their wedding last.

Seriously, if this is the criteria you're going to use to pick your wife, the future Queen of England, there's a good chance it will fail miserably:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana,_Princess_of_Wales#Relationship_with_the_Prince_of_Wales

Diana's aristocratic descent, Church of England faith, presumed virginity and native Englishness appeared to render her a suitable royal bride.

Seriously, when a 35 year old man picks a 20 year old woman to be his wife simply because of the perception she is a virgin, that's not exactly a match made in heaven. Thankfully Wills has spent years with Kate and I'm suspecting the whole virgin thing is no longer an issue when finding a bride - I mean, Kate isn't even from a royal background.

Best of luck to Wills and Kate. I think it's sweet he gave Kate is Mom's engagement ring.

[InvisibleTouch]

1. I think he was pressured to pick her by his mother.

Made for unhappiness for everyone involved. I'm glad he did finally get together with the woman he really loved, but sad for Diana. Goes to show you that you've got to do what's right for *you*, not live your life to please others.

[LynneSin]

2. From what I've read - Camila was Prince Charles' "Kate"

He was his first true love but for some reason was found unacceptable by the Queen.

I mean the good thing is because he married we have William and Harry. Harry is a bit of a wild card but I think William is trying his best to carry on his mother's charitable legacy. But still that has to suck if you can't marry the one you love.

[greatauntoftriplets]

12. Camilla was married at the time. And had children.

Marrying a divorced woman is the reason why Charles' great-uncle had to abdicate in favor of his brother. In 1980, that still would have been an issue. I'm very pleased for the couple and think it was very sentimental and loving on William's part to use his mother's engagement ring. And Kate doesn't seem to mind.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

3. They are a lovely couple. I wish them many years of happiness.

:toast:

[Iggo]

4. I like her. She's purdy.

Caught a glimpse of a sitdown interview with the two of them this morning. They looked like they were gonna bust out giggling trying to stick to the script.

Cute.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

5. I caught that, too. very endearing.

it was sweet to watch.

[HopeHoops]

6. I assume Kate's "virginity check" will be streamed live on the Internet.

:evilgrin:

That's what I remember as the most disgusting aspect of the Charles/Dianna thing. It was all the news could focus on for days. Who GIVES a fuck? (no pun intended)

[sarge43]

15. The virginity check is urban legend

Yeah, I know her father said it, but he wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer. She was given a GYN exam for fertility and a functioning uterus and yes almost as demeaning. However, if Charles didn't reproduce, the job would go to Andrew and his get and we know how that could have turned out.

The myth that Diana was plucked out of obscurity is just that. The Windsors and Spencers had "drop in any time" with each for at least three generations. One of Diana's grandmothers was lady in waiting to the Queen Mum, dad was a palace aide de camp and EII is Charles Spencer's godmother. Further, when he was bride hunting, Chuck first put the moves on Sarah, Diana's sister. The Windsors knew exactly who and what Diana was.

[HopeHoops]

17. WHOA! TMI - TMI - I really don't give a shit about the "royal" family. It was a joke.

[LynneSin]

18. There was a history but Charles' relationship was with Diana's older sister

Just because the families had known each other for generations doesn't mean that Charles and Diana were some sort of 'star-crossed lovers'.

Diana was like 12-15 years younger than Charles so if anything, he probably saw Diana as some little girl, lil sister to a girl he was trying to probably score with. I don't think Charles ever saw her as someone who was marriage material until his mom told him to get to work, find a bride and have babies.

As for 'obscurity' - she was obscure to the rest of the world. The british tabloids kept a long track record of all the women that Charles dated and Diana was never considered in the running. It's like going to the track and better on a horse race only to find out the winner wasn't even on the picks list.

[sarge43]

19. I never said they were star crossed lovers.

She was perceived as presentable, tractable and 'our kind'. In short, have the heir and spare, keep up appearances and turn a blind eye to hubbie's horsing around. Diana didn't stay tractable.

[NV Whino]

7. The virginity thing is an antiquated requirement

to insure that no bastard child inherited the throne. I'm happy to see that they have moved on from that, as well as from the "aristocratic descent."

[applegrove]

8. Yup.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

9. I wish them a very happy marriage!

And I think they will have that.

They both have the advantage of hindsight...they can see where Charles and Diana went wrong, and they have already taken the steps to avoid it.

I also thought that giving Kate Diana's engagement ring is a lovely gesture...

:toast:

[Manifestor_of_Light]

10. I have some training in gemology.

I have 2 certificates, in Diamond Grading and Colored Stone Grading, from GIA.

This means I am dangerous, because I can spot the good stuff. That costs real money. DH found this out when he bought me an all Asscher cut wedding set at the gem show in Houston. Even thought we got it wholesale, it still burned a large crater in his wallet. The seller is a guy in LA named Berj Kouyoumjian who has the most gorgeous stuff at the gem show. Berj, his wife and son are thoroughly nice people.

But I digress.

My professional appraisal of the stone is "pretty good big-assed sapphire". :D

And yes, I think it's sweet that Kate got Diana's ring. I hope they have a long and happy life together.

[riderinthestorm]

11. Wills and Kate have been living together for the past few years

I doubt the virginity thing is going to be even mentioned for this pair.

I wish them the best of luck. I wonder if one of them has "baby fever" and that's what's prompting them to marry. They apparently have had a pretty lovely life, lying low and under the radar. Wills doing his RAF rescue work, Kate doing her work. I wonder what made them decide to take the plunge.....

[Iggo]

13. Maybe the royal family wants to get him settled down.

They effed it up last time when they let Charles go from world's most eligible bachelor right up to the edge of national joke. In other words, it may be a PR move.

[WinkyDink]

14. I don't think so. Charles at the time was the heir apparent who NEEDED an heir; Wm is not, yet.

I'm thinking Kate gave the ultimatum, as she edges ever nearer to thirty.

[Iggo]

16. Also, Charles at the time had been at it for way too long.

And right now, Charles seems to me to have been relegated to nothing more than a placeholder. It's apparent who the heir is, even if he ain't officially the Heir Apparent.