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The royal family
Original poster

Why did they wait so long?

26 replies

alicatte · 28/04/2011 19:17

I was just musing on the whole thing and began to wonder that, as Ms Middleton has only had the one job, why they waited so very long. 29 is almost 30 and doesn't fertility fall off around then? Then again I suppose I should not be assuming that they want children - actually I guess it is none of my business really. But I do wonder why they waited so so long.

OP posts:
Skifit · 28/04/2011 19:42

I think Prince William really wanted to make sure he was doing the right thing. He also wanted to pursue his career for a while to 'get ahead' before he popped the question. I guess a Prince can never be too careful with marriage.!

Original poster
alicatte · 28/04/2011 19:48

I suppose - but, I was sure practically straight away and we've been together for 28 years. I hope they will be happy. As I said I guess it is none of my business.

OP posts:
JazzieJeff · 28/04/2011 20:44

No, I wondered that too. Haven't they been together about 10 years or something? I would've thought that'd have been frowned upon in the Royal Family, being rather traditional and all, no?

niceday · 28/04/2011 20:49

No idea. Could it be that his family did not want it? And she than said fine, I'll have children anyway? :)

PatientGriselda · 28/04/2011 20:54

Or could be that they had all seen the disastrous results of short courtships and wanted to be really, really certain that everyone knew what they were getting into and that they could cope with it and still love an support each other.

blackcurrants · 29/04/2011 01:21

I'm 31 and when I got married at 28 a few people thought I was "quite young to be getting married" - people are marrying a bit older, now, aren't they?

HowsTheSerenity · 29/04/2011 01:25

I want to know if they were each others 'firsts'. Are there going to be people coming out of the woodwork saying that they slept with Kate/Wills. Nice DM fodder of course.
Maybe she said no and wanted to wait but I remember an interview when William said he would not marry until he was 31.

diddl · 29/04/2011 08:08

Because she was happy to sit back & wait whilst he did what he wanted in life first?

Because they could due to the C & D cock up?

They have known for a while that they would marry but waited as long as possible so that she wouldn´t have to take on Royal duties?

Is has taken this long to shape her into something considered acceptable?

meditrina · 29/04/2011 08:10

Because she was reluctant to step into the formal role, and he took that long to persuade her?

darleneconnor · 29/04/2011 10:08

It takes that long to train her for the role. she looks like she has spent the last 5 years in the gym. She'll have been groomed in royal protocol and etiquette, media relations etc etc. they'll have needed time to research her entire family history to check for skeletons in the closet. she'll have had lots of medical/genetic/fertility tests.
Also they'll have waited for a recession so they can use a wedding to cheer everyone up.

georgie22 · 29/04/2011 10:12

I'd been with my partner for 11 years when we got married. After the previous disasters with royal marriages I think they've done the right thing. Good luck to them I say!

Original poster
alicatte · 29/04/2011 22:49

Maybe that is so blackcurrant - I guess I was the first amongst my friendship group by quite a long way. My children went to most of my friends weddings.

I really do wish them both well - it is nice when you see such a genuine relationship between a couple who are getting married.

It was such a lovely day to watch. The fly past came right over my house - really low, I got quite excited.

OP posts:
bronze · 29/04/2011 22:52

Also the expectation to produce and heir as soon as they married must be quite strong so by putting off being married they could be together for a while before that pressure started

Meglet · 29/04/2011 22:53

Because he had seen what a balls up his parents marriage turned out to be and how his mum was thrown to the wolves. I wonder if he wanted to make sure she was 100% certain she was willing to go through with it.

They look like a good team and will probably be able to have a few quiet years while William is still in Anglesey.

MsHighwater · 29/04/2011 22:54

My theory is that they have known for a long time that they would marry but have waited until they are ready to have children before marrying. This way, she is well-known to and comfortable with the rest of the Family, they can both be absolutely sure that they want to be together and that she wants, and is ready, to spend the rest of her life with William and all that goes with being married to him.

I predict an early pregnancy.

coastgirl · 29/04/2011 22:56

DH and I are both 31 and have been together since we met at uni at 18. We got married in 2006 but are only starting a family now - and this is not at all unusual among our peers. If we thought everyone was going to immediately expect us to reproduce as soon as we got married, we would probably have had our wedding later.

TragicallyRoyallyHip · 29/04/2011 23:07

I believe everything else of what you had said darleneconnor but do you really think they have waited till there was a recession so they can cheer everyone up?!

Jacaqueen · 30/04/2011 17:35

They lived together for 3 of the 4 years that they were at uni. They have also been playing house in Wales for the past few years, all of this has been relatively private.

As soon as they became engaged her status changed and she will now be expected to attend official state occasions and form her own charities etc. This would be a daunting prospect for a 23/24 year old.

By waiting they have given themselves a good few years out of the spotlight to grow up and really make sure that this is what they both want.

I too think she will be pregnant fairly quickly.

JemimaMop · 30/04/2011 18:10

They were very young when they met. I met DH at uni and we got married when I was 24 and had DC straight away, but I was by far the first of my friends from school or uni to do this (I am 33).

No doubt if they had got married after 3 or 4 years they would have been criticised for marrying young (by current standards).

Also agree that as soon as they married the pressure would be on for children, so they couldn't have really got married and then waited a few years before staring a family.

Romilly70 · 30/04/2011 20:24

4 or 5 years ago, William was too cocky that he could marry anyone he wanted and Kate was too confident that she had bagged a prince. The break-up in 2007 was a wake-up call for them both.

I think they started appreciating each other more and once they got back together, they knew it was for good.

I do wonder how much royal grooming Kate has had before William proposed and if she really did have some fertility "inspection"?

diddl · 30/04/2011 20:34

"4 or 5 years ago, William was too cocky that he could marry anyone he wanted and Kate was too confident that she had bagged a prince."

Yes, & then when they split they realised that actually, no one else wanted either of them!

I should imagine he didn´t want to marry,but when they got back together it was on the understanding that they would.

It has meant that Kate could be groomed whilst not too much in the public eye until the engagement, I guess.

And I suppose it was wanted that she they marry before 30?

SummerRain · 30/04/2011 20:49

It's not exactly been a smooth relationship has it..... infidelity, break-ups, lots of time spent apart due to his career.

PercyPigPie · 03/05/2011 19:13

Infidelity??

SummerRain · 03/05/2011 19:30

He's cheated on her several times apparently.

One of the ex girlfriends at the wedding was from 2004 fgs, they've been together since 2002 supposedly!

TragicallyRoyallyHip · 03/05/2011 19:58

Do you really think Kate would have had a girl at her wedding that Wills had cheated on her with??