Royal style and gossips: gowns and crowns but please no frowns!

[QueenOfTheAndals]

Just in the nick of time! Clothes and light-hearted gossip only please...

DontCallMeCharlotte

William is lucky to have her. She's the kind of woman the phrase, "the power behind the throne" was invented for.

Could not agree more.

Nor me.

I think William now knows that Catherine is the catch in that relationship. They seem genuinely happy, especially when they travel abroad and get to show their outdoor and competitive sides.

K&W were friends for a year, then dated for five years (including sharing digs at uni)

They were split up for more than two months - but for anyone wanting more details, there's a new book out detailing "exactly what went one at the time"

I have to share this link - both because look how young K&W are in the first photo! And I love the way that the light makes it look like W has a diamond stud

It's an interesting theory that the split was actually secret 'education' time for Kate. I think it's probably more likely that once they got back together both they and the grey suits realised it was for keeps this time, and educated accordingly.

I agree that William is very lucky in his choice of wife. She's helped him to have a very lovely family through dc and also in laws, as well as probably making the royal stuff much more fun.

Diana actually looks like a fresh faced school girl. Charles is so much obviously older, it really is quite shocking looking back that such a marriage was considered acceptable

It is indeed, but let's not forget it was back in the time when a future heir's bride was expected to be innocent and virginal ... both things which might have been harder to hang onto with an older woman

As I said not all of us went along with the fairytale at the time, but it simply wasn't what people wanted to hear - just as remarks about the haste of H&M's marriage and the lack of time they had together beforehand aren't always welcome now

The King and Queen of Bhutan the most beautiful Royal couple

Queen Silvia of Sweden’s 75th Birthday reception . Love the purple tweed.

Apparently Adele went to the Hubb yesterday at the same time as Meghan & Harry

More on Lady Gabriella’s wedding next spring.
Apparently she was born on St George’s day, so perhaps that’s a date for the diary.

Oleanaswimple
That Guy Pelly chap sounds thoroughly unpleasant, he doesn't look good either..

William and Harry are very loyal to Guy Pelly

It was clearly William who wanted some space when he and Kate split. They admitted as much in their engagement interview. I guess he wanted to test the waters and maybe play the field a bit. She very cleverly made sure she was seen out and about having a good time, and he saw sense! I really think he’s incredibly lucky to have her. She is stable, good fun, discrete, kind and funny. She’s a great mother and she always supports him, sometimes at her own expense I suspect. Plus she’s got a great family who understand that they need to keep their mouths shut.

Do you think if people could have known that Charles wouldn't become King until his old age, if ever that so much would have been made of him getting married?

All that pressure to find the perfect future Queen, and all for nothing!

Crooked - yes, because the line still needs to be assured, even if it isn't "used" for many years. Without him getting married - and having a legitimate child - the succession would have become more complicated

Not really. He has two brothers after all! If he'd never married and had children then Andrew would be his heir.

God yes - we'd get King Andrew.

I meant the pressure to find a young perfect bride really, more than the question of marriage itself.

Don't even go there ... personally I'd have preferred Queen Anne, but realise of course that it doesn't work like that

I can't recall who it was who said "pity the only real man among the kids was the daughter", but it didn't sound far wrong to me

At least we got William (and now Kate) out of it though, and he seems pretty decent on the whole ...

No. We'd probably have had Queen Beatrice.

But the "young perfect bride" is part of the "get married and produce and heir and a spare" issue. Not getting married wasn't an option for Charles. If they hadn't been able to have children, then of course the succession would have gone sidewise to Andrew (!!!!!), but he had to at least try

Ditto William, TBH

I have so enjoyed reading these threads as an antidote to the political and economic doom that's everywhere at the moment.

I was picking up a couple of Christmas bits at lunchtime and, for the first time, noticed an actual tiara shop on a road that I've walked many times (Piccadilly) - this thread has made me Tiara Aware obviously

I couldn't not take a picture - these ones look beautifully vintage, sadly no price tags...!

In the words of Inspector Morse

‘God, what an inheritance’

Said for something else but I think very applicable.

MissSue thank you for the share! I didn’t know such shops existed. The RF aren’t going to be buying tiaras there so who buys them? I’ll have the one in the middle!

There were about 8 in the window altogether, all of them looked old. I wonder if it's the impoverished aristocracy selling off the family treasures.... a bit sad if it is. The jewellers' website just gives technical specifications (and the price, yowsers! ), but they must have seen some fantastic parties!

Ooer MissSue, I just found their website. You know you're out of your financial league when you can sort things by price, with the categories 'Up to £50,000' and 'Above £50,000'!

www.bentley-skinner.co.uk/london/jewellery/category/tiaras/

So going fantasy tiara shopping now, mind