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3:24 am
April 9, 2011
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OK, I'm sure I'll think of more stupid questions, but this one I thought you lovely people would know the answer to as I can't imagine where else I could ask.
When The Queen arrived to her grandson's wedding, everyone in Westminster stood up for her, like I thought they would. Could someone explain to me why the congregation did not stand up when Prince William and Prince Harry entered Westminster and travelled down the aisle. My simple explanation is the book of protocol everyone got with their invivte told them not to. But my question is Why? I thought being royal and so high up in the royal family, people would be required to stand upon their arrival.
1:40 pm
December 5, 2010
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Not too sure about that… I was standing down the Mall so didn't see inside the Abbey! I suppose there were some people that would be seen as higher on the royal-ladder to Prince William and Harry. There were a few other reigning sovereigns there who I suppose couldn't really be expected to stand. Interesting question though… I just got confused when Catherine didn't curtsey for the Queen. Most royal brides do. Or it could just be that I haven't seen it because I only watched the follow-ups!
I wish to confess to you and tell you my secret, which is that I am no angel. -Queen Elizabeth I
2:19 pm
June 7, 2010
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bethany.x said:
Not too sure about that… I was standing down the Mall so didn't see inside the Abbey! I suppose there were some people that would be seen as higher on the royal-ladder to Prince William and Harry. There were a few other reigning sovereigns there who I suppose couldn't really be expected to stand. Interesting question though… I just got confused when Catherine didn't curtsey for the Queen. Most royal brides do. Or it could just be that I haven't seen it because I only watched the follow-ups!
Kate did not curstey on her way up the aisle, but she and William did curtsey and bow to the Queen as they were leaving the Abbey. I re-watched the wedding last night.
"By daily proof you shall find me to be to you both loving and kind" Anne Boleyn
2:01 am
January 17, 2011
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Slighty off topic here but I wish the Queen had made her a Princess 
most people in the UK wanted her to be a Princess.
3:48 am
April 9, 2011
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If she made her a Princess, as Prince William wanted, it meant that the Queen would have had to make Princess Michael Of Kent a true Princess, apparently. Which the way the article was written is something the Queen is loathed to do. Doesn't really matter though cause the media keeps referring to her as Princess Catherine after the event. Although today I noticed it was always Duke and Duchess.
Because of this wedding, I learnt that children born to a daughter of the monarch are not automatically princes/esses. Only children of the sons get that honour. That's one crazy silly rule that I would change if I was monarch. I would assume that if Princess Anne was to become Queen surely her children would then have the honour (or choice) to be Prince and Princess cause it would seem strange that the next King was never a Prince. If you get where I'm thinking with my hypothetical.
Thanks for your thoughts on the lack of bowing to Prince William and Harry. It does make sense if you are higher up in the chain than them. But why didn't pretty much everyone else stand up. That's the confusing bit, it's not like it would look any stranger some standing and some sitting than when the Queen doesn't sing the National Anthem. Which I would admit would look really silly if she did.
But what is the protocol when two monarchs meet of equal standing. Is it home turf advantage and the visiting monarch has to do all the bowing/curtsy stuff?
I also learnt that Queen Victoria stipulated that all female descendents of her needed to have the name Victoria somewhere. That's a tad egotistical and she seemed so down to earth in Young Victoria. LOL. Learnt that bit reading about Princess Eugenie who is the first British Princess to have Victoria in her name in about 2-3 generations.
6:03 am
August 12, 2009
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Wow, you are so not the only one hashing this out, as a quick Google search confirmed. Lots of contradictions out there! Sifting through them all, it seems that possessing a title doesn't always grant that person the right to be called that, or 'styled' as such. And sometimes they choose to be known by one of their lesser titles.
Anne has always been HRH, The Princess Anne. When she was married for the first time, her husband's name was added to that – HRH, The Princess Anne, Mrs. Mark Phillips. Since divorcing him, however, the Queen granted her the title The Princess Royal, so she's now HRH, The Princess Anne, Princess Royal, although most just call her HRH, The Princess Royal. Her children don't have a title because their father was a commoner who turned down the Queen's offer to make him an Earl.
Prince Charles is HRH, The Prince of Wales. Technically, Camilla is HRH, The Princess of Wales, but chooses to be styled after one of her husband's lesser titles – HRH, The Duchess of Cornwall, to keep from seeming to be usurping Diana's title, which was HRH, The Princess of Wales until her divorce, when she was stripped of the title HRH, becoming Diana, Princess of Wales.
Wives of Princes are known by their husband's title. William isn't The Prince of Wales, but rather HRH, Prince William of Wales. Kate would be HRH, Princess William of Wales. But the Queen granted William more titles upon his marriage, becoming HRH, The Duke of Cambridge, and so Kate is now HRH, The Duchess of Cambridge, although she is technically a Princess.
And I think I've just thoroughly confused myself, so I'll sit back and let someone else have a whack at it.
"Don't knock at death's door.
Ring the bell and run. He hates that."
8:35 pm
April 9, 2011
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I just went back and re-read my post and I may have added to your confusion. What I meant to say was that even though Kate Middleton became a Princess, because she is a 'commoner' she is not to be addressed as Princess Catherine, but as Princess William, if the person wanted to address her as a Princess. If she was Lady Catherine before the wedding, she would have been allowed to be called Princess Catherine. That's why we have a Princess Michael instead of Princess Whatever her real name is.
The 2nd bit about children of a daughter not getting the Prince/ss title. I don't think I articulated myself very well. I'll try again using Will and Kate as an example.
Wills become King BEFORE they have children. Kate pops out a little boy and a little girl. So they are called Prince X and Princess Y. These 2 children grow up and have kids. Prince X marriess a commoner and has a kid of both sex. They automatically get to be named Prince Z and Princess W. Princess Y marries a commoner and has a kid of both sex, but unless King Will says so, they are not automatically Princess A and Prince B. That's according to what I read on Wikipedia anyway.
