Camilla should be a great mother in law in all the circs. Bit of an ally against The Firm. Good at keeping Charles in check.
The idea of wearing Diana’s engagement ring would give me the heebie-jeebies, especially as it is supposed to going to channel her presence at the wedding, but Katherine is in a position to know a lot, to have heard, & to understand just why her husband-to-be finds this appropriate & meaningful to him.
The current baby boom ensures plenty of little girls whose princess passion will provide all the popular support anyone could hope for - more than a match for all those older cynics.
Do Kate’s parents & family have to call William Sir or Your Royal Highness? Do they have to bow or curtsey to him?
It is always amusing to see the English upper middle classes struggle with the idea that someone whose quite recent ancestor was a miner can nevertheless be very charming, attractive & intelligent, almost exactly the same as one of them.
Philip Collins in The Times thought this marriage a rare example of someone (in this case William) moving down in class - but he is still a prince & second in line to the throne. There are plenty of precedents for men (not just the rich or aristocratic) marrying beneath them. But even that is not really a proper analysis in this case. At the time they met William & Kate had very similar experiences of life at public school & shared quite similar groups of friends, as well as being on the same course at the same university.
What has really happened is that The Court has shrunk - nothing like the numbers & range of people of all ages as in Victoria's day. The dangers of this were spotted & spelled out by Lord Altrincham all those years ago.
William & Harry have been allowed to escape its confines, not least thanks to the determination & efforts of their mother.
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