I have my alarm clock set to wake me and my Mr up for the Big Day. I will join the world in witnessing one of the most watched weddings on this Planet Earth. Well, we shall wake up at about 10am (BST) and while still in our sleepwear and bed heads, drag ourselves over to camp in front of the box called TV. We have decided not to join in the throngs of Britons and tourists on the streets as the local TV would most likely give us the best views and coverage of the event in the comfort of our home. ;)
For the past week, the local TV has been broadcasting not only how Prince William and Kate were raised, educated, met and etc but also the lineage of both family trees from before World War II. Though boring to some people, I like watching documentaries like these. I even went online to read more about the British Royal Family.
So, here in this post I am giving you a very short pictorial synopsis of what I have gathered from the huge chunks of info I digested. Hope this blog post is more fun for you to learn about their backgrounds and marriages. Ready? Let's go!
Queen Elizabeth I & King George VI
(Albert Frederick Arthur George & Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon)
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26th April 1923 |
Special Note :
- King Edward VIII (Elder brother of Albert) chose to abdicate in favour of Albert, rather than abandon his plans to marry Mrs Simpson. Albert was unprepared and reluctantly became king in his place on 11 December 1936.
- Although Elizabeth was a descendant of King Robert the Bruce (Robert I of Scotland) and King Henry VII of England, she was, according to British law, a commoner
Sparks Began : Summer 1920 at a dance party.
Obstacle For Relationship : Elizabeth (also lineage of British Prime Ministers) refused the proposal of Albert twice due to her preference of freedom from royal responsibilites and restrictions.
Sacrifice : Elizabeth embodied traditional ideas of royal family and public service.
Venue of Wedding Ceremony : Westminster Abbey
Live News Hits : Unknown - before TV & Radio was invented ;)
An easier way to find out about King George VI & Queen Elizabeth I is to just watch a movie out in 2010 entitled, The King Speech. Unless you are part of the minority who do not like watching films.
Queen Elizabeth II & Prince Philip
(Philip Mountbatten & Elizabeth Alexandra Mary)
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20th November 1947 |
Special Note : Queen Elizabeth nicknamed 'Lilibet' is the current Queen in reign.
Sparks Began : When Queen was age 13.
Obstacle For Relationship : Her decision to marry Prince Philip was at first shunned by the British Royal Family because Prince Philip's is from the lineage of Germans and had close ties with the Nazis - 3 of his sisters married to German princes, some of them with Nazi connections).
Sacrifices : Before the marriage, Philip renounced his Greek and Danish titles, converted from Greek Orthodoxy to Anglicanism, and changed his surname to his mother's - Mountbatten.
Venue of Wedding Ceremony : Westminster Abbey
Live News Hits : Recorded and broadcasted by BBC radio to 200 million people around the world.
Prince Charles & Princess Diana
(Charles Philip Arthur George & Diana Frances Spencer)
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| 29th July 1981 |
Special Note :
- Diana was from the lineage of King Charles II of England & King James II of England.
- Diana's parent's divorced when she was 7 - her mother had affair with a married man.
Sparks Began : Summer of 1980
Obstacle For Relationship : Camilia came into the picture. Charles' marriage with Diana began to wreck within the first 5 years, separated in late 80s, ended on 1992 and eventually they divorced in 1996.
Sacrifices : Despite the infidelity of Charles, for many years Diana stayed married to him,continued to make appearances and performed her royal duties alongside him. What else? Young children are always victims, are they not?
Venue of Wedding Ceremony : St Paul's Cathedral
Live News Hits : Estimated worldwide television audience of 750 million people.
Prince William & Princess Kate
(William Arthur Philip Louis & Catherine Elizabeth "Kate" Middleton)
29th April 2011
Special Note :
- William was known as 'Steve' by other students in St Andrews to avoid any journalists overhearing and realising his identity.
- After this royal wedding, William will no longer only associate Westminster Abbey as a venue for the funeral of his mum, Princess Diana but also where his joyous union with (Princess) Kate was.
- The press has nicknamed Kate as the 'New Diana' but c'mon... let the new princess have her own identity!
- Upon the wedding, Kate will receive some or all of these titles : Her Royal Highness The Duchess of _____ / Her Royal Highness Princess William of Wales / Princess of the United Kingdom / Her Royal Highness Princess Catherine.
Sparks Began : 2003 while still in University of St Andrews.
Obstacle For Relationship : Kate was being overly harassed by the paparazzi and they almost ruined Kate&Will's chance to be together with all the rumours they irresponsibly reported. All these tension led to their break up in 14 April 2007.
Venue of Wedding Ceremony : Westminster Abbey
Live News Hits : Expected 2 billion ^_^
Well, I have this blog entry done due to the increase of interest of the British Royal Weddings leading up to the one of William & Kate. Surely there are a lot more juicy details other I am no historian. I certainly have to give the credit to Wikipedia for offering so much useful info and the BBC documentaries. As of the photos, they are found through Google and I know not of the true original source.
I am not exactly a true fan of the Royal Family. This is just my bit for expressing my gladness of the union. Unlike a 56 year old man who had begun to camp opposite the Abbey from 25th April to ensure himself a good view of the event.
In any case, if you don't care about this whole big hoo-ha... enjoy your free day off (that's if you are entitled to one).
