Royalty Thread #7: Do They Get Frequent Flier Miles?

[taf2002]

@aftershocks, I didn't click on any of your links because I didn't want to be as bad as the paparazzi. If we read their insane articles (who cares if 2 adults hold hands?) then we are giving them an audience. That's as bad as buying tabloids or nosy magazines because they count each click & that keeps them in business.

 

[AxelAnnie]

There actually is quite a lot about Margaret's story that is interesting and unique. Were you unable to marry the person of your choosing because your older sister and the British Parliament disapproved?

Didn't think so.

I read a pretty interesting bio of Margaret awhile back. The title is Princess Margaret: A Biography and the author is Theo Aronson. In many ways her life is more interesting than her sister's as she was not bound by the throne. Bios of Elizabeth can get boring as it is day after day of royal duties.

Margaret could marry him just not to the church of England. Scotland would have been fine. And while sympathizing with her plight she was afterall having an affair with a married man

 

[PDilemma]

Margaret could marry him just not to the church of England. Scotland would have been fine. And while sympathizing with her plight she was afterall having an affair with a married man

She was also told that she would have to give up her title.

After seeing how her uncle was banished not only from England, but effectively from the family, I think that none of that felt like an option she could live with. And I don't blame her.

Please note, also, that I was not condoning the affair in any way, shape or form. I was responding to a poster who declared that Margaret's life was not unique, shaped by being a royal or interesting and, thus, no one should be interested in it nor should she merit biography. A normal commoner in her situation would have been able to marry if she chose without the same fear of losing family and position.

 

[taf2002]

No poster said that Margaret's life was not shaped by being a royal. But I personally don't find her all that interesting because I was around when all this stuff was taking place & to me she seemed like a royal spoiled brat who wanted to have her way but not suffer any of the consequences. If I was her age & having an affair with a married man, my parents would have done everything in their power to get me out of that entanglement. And no one said she would be cut off from the family, just give up her title. Since she had to know she would never be queen I guess her love/obsession wasn't all that strong. It wouldn't be like her uncle who gave up the throne, she just wouldn't be legally be princess anymore. Except the majority of people were used to calling her princess & probably would have continued. Was it the title or the financial support she couldn't let go of? Who knows?

 

[aftershocks]

No poster said that Margaret's life was not shaped by being a royal. But I personally don't find her all that interesting because I was around when all this stuff was taking place & to me she seemed like a royal spoiled brat who wanted to have her way but not suffer any of the consequences... Since she had to know that she would never be queen, I guess her love/obsession wasn't all that strong..."

Well, it seems for sure that Margaret was "a royal spoiled brat" who wanted and often got her way. But yet, I go beyond that assessment to understand how that came about. To some degree probably our personalities are set at birth, however we are still also shaped for better or for worse by our environments, upbringings and interpersonal relationships. Margaret's personality perhaps might have been directed into a more fulfilling and purpose-driven path had she not been so spoiled by her parents (particularly her father) and overprotected by her sister. No one seems to have detected and tried to correct the petulant, overbearing aspects of her behavior growing up. They simply laughed at her gift for mimicry, petted and made excuses for her. So Margaret's faults apparently only became increasingly worse after the forced split with Townsend. Perhaps marriage to Townsend might have tamed Margaret. It's really hard to know for sure at this point. In any case, instead of the hard luck of the broken love affair helping her to grow up and change, Margaret's indulgent behavior patterns and character faults worsened as she faced a purposeless life as the younger sister of the Queen of England.

I think Margaret's parents, being mindful that Margaret was the second child, apparently overcompensated to a fault in trying to make up for the fact that Margaret was not the anointed one like her sister, Elizabeth. Britain and the world are fortunate that Elizabeth's personality was more calm, dutiful, and no-nonsense.

Great that you were around to witness some of the events of Margaret's life in real time @taf2002. I gained a high level of interest in and knowledge about the British Royals and about the history of the British Monarchy in the late 1970s and 1980s (via reading books and viewing documentaries). Margaret's marriage to Antony Armstrong-Jones was disastrous aside from the two creative and productive children they brought into the world.

I disagree that giving up her title would have been such a small thing for Margaret. At a very young and vulnerable age, Margaret was forced to choose between giving up the only identity she'd ever known or giving up the man she loved. Her father likely never had a harsh word to say to Margaret, but he needed to. Unfortunately, George VI's untimely death only exacerbated the problems that both Elizabeth and Margaret experienced in their early adult years (Elizabeth from having to assume the throne so early in her young married life). Let's also not forget that King George VI and his brothers experienced a terrible childhood, suffering from physical and mental abuse meted out by their nanny that was not discovered before great damage had been done to their psyches and their constitutions. Queen Mary was joyless, stiff, dutiful and set in her ways (as formed by her strict Victorian upbringing). King George V was temperamental, overly strict and regimental toward his children. Even after they discovered the nanny's abuses and got rid of her, the parents weren't able to comfort or show demonstrative love to their children. King George V had received over-indulgent affection from his mother, Queen Alexandra, but his father (King Edward) was distant, self-indulgent and philandering. And King Edward's problems extend from his mother's (Queen Victoria's) neglectful and overbearing behavior toward him. So obviously a lot of family dysfunction, which fortunately for William and Harry was not passed down to them by their parents. For all intents and purposes of course Elizabeth and Margaret enjoyed a charmed and loving childhood. However, they were both very sheltered and Margaret was overly pampered and indulged in, which seemingly unintentionally aided in the nurturing of her worst character faults.

BTW, the Townsend character in The Crown seems rather miscast, since Peter Townsend was tall, long-limbed, youthful looking, and quite dashingly handsome. Margaret was much shorter in height than Townsend. I wonder why they cast an actor who appears almost shorter than the actress who portrays Margaret. I doubt that Margaret set out to nab a married man. She lived a very sheltered existence in royal palaces growing up. The young-looking Townsend, a well-respected and admired war hero, was thrown into Margaret's path domestically when she was only 14, a very impressionable period in her life. After all, her sister had fallen in love with a dashing, older military man when she was 13. Likely subsconsciously Margaret was somehow following in her sister's footsteps. There were some objections initially to Elizabeth's choice of husband, but she eventually got her way. Of course Philip was not as old as Townsend, and Philip also was not married, and he had the advantage of his Uncle Dickie Mountbatten going to bat advocating for his betrothal to Elizabeth. Fate handed some difficult cards to Margaret OTOH, and she didn't play those cards well.

And here is this passage from the biography, Snowden, by Anne de Courcy, describing the early love affair that preceded Margaret's marriage to Snowden:
"Despite his record as a courageous fighter ace, [Townsend] was gentle, sensitive, and intuitive, qualities that appealed to the vulnerable core hidden beneath Margaret’s willful, confident exterior..."
[Discussed in this recent article: http://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood...garet-peter-townsend-affair-the-crown-netflix]

I think the qualities attributed to Townsend are similar to some of King George VI's personality traits too. So, Margaret may have been responding to the qualities in Townsend that she sensed in her own gentle and loving father. While you feel that Margaret is not all that interesting or worthy of admiration herself, the circumstances of her life and the experiences that sealed her fate I personally find vastly interesting. She is very much a tragic figure. Of course her vanity, her willful, insatiable personality, and her bitterness contributed to the debilitating downfall she suffered in her later years.

 

[Lorac]

Congratulations to HM Elizabeth II on reaching her Sapphire Jubilee, marking 65 years on the throne.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38872538

The photo is a couple of years old but shows Queen Elizabeth in sapphire jewellery that she received as a wedding gift from her father - George VI. Gorgeous.

As always HM is spending the day in quiet contemplation at Sandringham as it is a bittersweet day for her - as it also marks the death of her beloved father.

 

[skatefan]

Long to reign over us indeed

Congratulations to our Sapphire Queen

 

[ballettmaus]

Princess Sofia and Prince Carl Philip are expecting their second child http://www.kungahuset.se/royalcourt...eexpectingachild.5.73a5feee15af50049ffd2.html

 

[aftershocks]

Very interesting podcast with Prince Harry speaking to The Telegraph's Bryony Gordon about the impetus for him, William and Kate organising the charity, Heads Together.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...counselling-death-mother-led-two-years-total/
"Mad World: Why it's normal to feel weird"

Harry speaks passionately and revealingly about his own struggles dealing with his mother's death which came to a head in his late twenties after he had essentially shut himself down emotionally from the age of 12.

Cute video here with Prince Harry, Bryony Gordon, and another participant in a marathon to support the charity:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/201...-run-relay-race-mental-health-campaign-heads/

 

[skatesindreams]

That Prince Harry is able to discuss this publicly, is a big step forward; and will help many:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/17/europe/uk-prince-harry-diana-death/index.html

 

[aftershocks]

http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity...eghan-markle-accepted-by-royal-family-w477446

"An insider says William, 34, and Kate, 35, have given the Suits actress tips on handling life in the royal spotlight. 'She’s very much been accepted into the family,' says the insider. 'They are so happy to see Harry happy.'"

From how their relationship has seemingly been progressing, I wouldn't be too surprised to find out that Meghan and Prince Harry may already be unofficially engaged. Likely the timing to make a public announcement is not right until after Meghan completes her Suits filming commitments, and until after at least the couple reaches the one-year anniversary date of having known each other.

 

[Gazpacho]

That Prince Harry is able to discuss this publicly, is a big step forward; and will help many:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/17/europe/uk-prince-harry-diana-death/index.html

This is Diana's legacy, the fact that royals such as her son feel like they can be open with their emotions and their pain. Diana took a lot of grief for not being a stoic stiff royal.

 

[Garden Kitty]

I was watching an old episode of What's My Line last night, and the panel was trying to guess the Mystery Guest. One of the panelists said they thought it might be Senator Kennedy, referring to JFK. It got me thinking about how old the show was and how it was all before JFK was President and all the decades of historic things that have happened in the interim. But later in the same show, someone mentioned the Queen of England, and I realized that she's still on the job!

 

[skatefan]

And it's her 91st birthday today


http://www.express.co.uk/news/royal...nours-Newbury-Racecourse-racing-Princess-Anne

 

[skatesindreams]

That Prince Harry is able to discuss this publicly, is a big step forward; and will help many:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/17/europe/uk-prince-harry-diana-death/index.html

Catherine discusses the subject:
http://www.newsweek.com/kate-middle...iana-death-mental-health-issues-london-587632

 

[aftershocks]

A candid conversation between William, Kate, and Harry sitting together at a park bench. They are not being interviewed by anyone. It's as if they are just allowing us to sit in on a conversation similar to ones they must have had which sparked their idea to launch the charity, Heads Together. Apparently, the idea was initiated by Kate wanting the three of them to join their efforts around a project. And mental health seemed to be the theme that ran through the work they were each doing individually, so that became their joint focus.

It's interesting to hear Kate, William, and Harry simply talking with each other, rather than being interviewed:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRIvXVbBTfQ

Plus, a sit-down television interview with Harry, promoting the upcoming London marathon on behalf of supporting Heads Together:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z60ERms-bsY

 

[aftershocks]

This is hilarious ... Duke and Duchess of Cambridge let their hair down with the hosts of Radio 1, as they promote their charity Heads Together. William is so funny and down-to-earth. He even makes a joke about his 'dancing.'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDKGAPppxwU

Radio 1 host:
"What do you get for your 91-year-old grandmother who has everything?"

William:
"Well, George makes her little gifts, and that goes over rather well..."

 

[clairecloutier]

Did everyone see the new picture of Princess Charlotte?

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2017/05/01/happy-birthday-princess-charlotte/100858576/

1. She is adorable 2. She looks so much like the Queen 3. Will & Kate, you're giving us .... ONE picture?? ONE?? (We need much more of this cuteness. )

 

[liv]

See, I don't see the Queen at all. All I see are Kate's mom and Pippa, and William's eye colour. She sooo looks like Pippa and has Carol Middleton's eyebrows etc.

And yes, why just one picture? They're already keeping her quite well hidden, I don't see how releasing another pic or two would be too much!!

 

[Lorac]

Charlotte is so like the Queen - I see some of Kate in her as well but not much of Pippa or Carole. So adorable - she also has a look of Sarah Chatto - the Queen's niece - Princess Margaret's daughter.

Anyway it is a lovely picture - would like more but understand what Kate and Will's are guarding her privacy.

 

[Jenny]

My first reaction was that she looks just like her father when he was that age.

 

[PDilemma]

Less the Queen and more her great great aunt Princess Margaret:

http://c8.alamy.com/comp/G1DN4F/pho...izabeth-1926-and-princess-margaret-G1DN4F.jpg

Not the spitting image of William at all. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/ab/bd/4c/abbd4c77b17f09dcadb65f0bacbc8ed2.jpg

For starters, her face is not even shaped the same.

But it is interesting that everyone wants both children to look like William and that everyone insists he looks exactly like Diana. As he ages, he favors Prince Edward more and more. (Though on another forum, I recently discovered that no one knew Prince Edward actually existed, so there is that).

http://www2.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Prince+Edward+Prince+William+Arrivals+20th+lbhiNcQyXK_l.jpg

 

[Vagabond]

(Though on another forum, I recently discovered that no one knew Prince Edward actually existed, so there is that).

"Does Prince Edward exist? Discuss." It sounds like an examination topic for a course in Obskur European Royals.

 

[Jenny]

Not the spitting image of William at all. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/ab/bd/4c/abbd4c77b17f09dcadb65f0bacbc8ed2.jpg

For starters, her face is not even shaped the same.

It's not, but IMO it's in the eyes, and better seen in other pictures of young William, including this one.

But it is interesting that everyone wants both children to look like William and that everyone insists he looks exactly like Diana.

 

[PDilemma]

@Jenny--Maybe a bit around the eyes, but that hardly makes her the spitting image.

As for the people wanting him and the children to look like Diana, that is in every comment section and on the royal FB pages I sometimes visit. Not in this thread. I consider it part of the ongoing weird obsession with Diana.

 

[aftershocks]

Did everyone see the new picture of Princess Charlotte?

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2017/05/01/happy-birthday-princess-charlotte/100858576/

1. She is adorable 2. She looks so much like the Queen 3. Will & Kate, you're giving us .... ONE picture?? ONE?? (We need much more of this cuteness. )

Yep, I think that Princess Charlotte resembles her Dad a bit too and she does take more from his side of the family (Windsor side mostly), whereas Prince George looks much more like his Mom and his Middleton Granddad.

See, I don't see the Queen at all. All I see are Kate's mom and Pippa, and William's eye colour. She sooo looks like Pippa and has Carol Middleton's eyebrows etc.

And yes, why just one picture? They're already keeping her quite well hidden, I don't see how releasing another pic or two would be too much!!

Ummm, yes, perhaps there is a bit of Grandmom Middleton in Princess Charlotte's features, but I think there's more from the Windsor side. And there's a young picture of her Dad, William, which Charlotte resembles quite a bit (the picture posted by @Jenny). It's still rather early to tell at Charlotte's young age how she will look overall as she grows up.

Here's a cute video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOYUcC8nrbs

And another, asking who Charlotte more closely resembles:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYZaNS1IS90 It looks like she resembles Prince William a lot as well as her Grand Uncle, Prince Andrew, when he was little!

I'd love to see more pictures, and more glimpses of Charlotte and George growing up. But I suppose William and Kate are wise to be very restrictive about media intrusion into their children's lives. They will apparently keep a tight lid on their family's privacy, as they seemingly want their children to grow up well-rounded and well-grounded with not a hint of any repeat of what happened to Princess Diana re the media onslaught.

 

[aftershocks]

It's not, but IMO it's in the eyes, and better seen in other pictures of young William, including this one.

In that one yes, there is a striking resemblance between William and Princess Charlotte at similar ages.

There's a slight resemblance, but I don't think William looks that much like Prince Edward @PDilemma. They've both lost their hair in similar fashion. At first I thought you were referencing the former King Edward VIII, who was called David by his family. He never lost his hair.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EpmngMARa...d+VIII+Duke+of+Windsor+1936_The+Tweed+Pig.jpg

I still think that Prince William looks very much like his mother Diana, especially his nose and his smile. Prince Harry has more of his mother's personality and her side of the family's ginger hair. But as they have aged, both William and Harry have taken on a lot of the look of the Windsors, particular re the close-set eyes that they get from their father, and that Prince Charles gets from his father, Prince Philip. Harry looks quite a bit like Prince Philip around the eyes and nose mostly.

... she also has a look of Sarah Chatto - the Queen's niece - Princess Margaret's daughter.

Yes, I think there is some resemblance between Princess Charlotte and Lady Sarah:

https://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2017/05/charlotte.jpg?w=748&h=498&crop=1

https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VoLfzqhPPCk/UG4gIfWXwmI/AAAAAAAAMXE/4fCRoLiyaeU/s1600/__BestTiara.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/6e/d4/2d/6ed42d8eadc09bdcb7a278e3a9f6ce01.jpg

Above all, Charlotte mostly looks like herself.

 

[Jenny]

Not sure why we're arguing about this @PDilemma - it's just a cute baby picture after all, and I never claimed that anyone was the "spitting" image of anyone - just my own entirely subjective first impression.

And frankly, I think you have a weird obsession with other people's weird obsession with Diana, because you sure bring it up a lot

 

[PDilemma]

Not sure why we're arguing about this @PDilemma - it's just a cute baby picture after all, and I never claimed that anyone was the "spitting" image of anyone - just my own entirely subjective first impression.

And frankly, I think you have a weird obsession with other people's weird obsession with Diana, because you sure bring it up a lot

Again, because I'm reading elsewhere, I'm seeing other comments as well. Sorry that you find it odd or humorous or obsessive that some of us read things online outside of FSU. Over on two Kate pages on Facebook, they have decided that Charlotte's sweater in this picture is a "tribute to Diana" because someone diligently searched until they found a picture of Diana wearing a sweater with a sheep on it. Everything Kate wears is deemed a tribute somehow--if they can find nothing else, they latch onto Diana having at one time worn the same color. Because in the millions of pictures of her, it isn't like you can find every color on the spectrum.

 

[Wyliefan]

Something's up . . .

http://www.news.com.au/entertainmen...e/news-story/f4713452396863eff2dc2a4dc7997215