Prince William, Kate Middleton to Wed

[Elmore Furth]

Source: ABC News

By LEE FERRAN
Nov. 16, 2010


"Waity Katie" must wait no more. A mere eight years since the couple met, Britain's Prince William is officially engaged to Kate Middleton, royal officials said today.

"The Prince of Wales is delighted to announce the engagement of Prince William to Miss Catherine Middleton," the statement from Clarence House read.

Prince William, 28, asked Middleton, also 28, to marry him while the two were on vacation in Kenya last month, the statement said. The two met nearly a decade ago while students at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. The relationship garnered some controversy because Middleton does not come from royalty and royals are generally expected to wed other aristocrats.

The Queen said she is "absolutely delighted" for the couple, Buckingham Palace said today.





Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/International/prince-william-kate-middleton-engaged/story?id=12158508

[EmilyKent]

1. Congratulations to both of them.

I wish them well.

[xchrom]

2. Congratulating the young couple. Nt

[Botany]

3. And this fluff will get endless fawning press

BTW there is no such thing as royalty or unicorns or magic elves that make cookies in a hollow tree

[truebrit71]

4. William is a good lad...

...I wish them both the best of luck..

[Botany]

7. I wish them well too

..... but I fear the endless media yak about the wedding.

[Zoeisright]

16. I'd rather listen and watch that then the drivel about Bush the dumber's memoirs.

And all the fawning crap about the asshole repukes taking back the House.

[AngryAmish]

28. No he is not. He is royalty and therefore scum.

By what right does he get to live in utter luxury? Oh, that is right, he thinks God wants him to live in luxury.

[truebrit71]

29. Hmm..the same scum that serves his country with honour and pride?

The same scum that donates stacks of his time to charity?

I have NEVER heard him say that God, or any other invisble being for that matter, wants him to live in any fashion whatsoever...

I DO know that his mother was cruelly taken away from him at a highly impressionable age, and that despite growing up in a fish bowl he has managed to turn into a thoughtful, polite, intelligent and caring man.

I think that whatever problem you have about Prince William says more about you, than it does about him.

[AngryAmish]

30. It is not him, it is the institution

I, for one, beleive people should be allowed to rule themselves.

And how much money does the british taxpayer pay to him? To keep him safe, to allow him to go all over the world? His family earned all this money, fair and square? Let's go to India and ask them if they got the fair end of the Raj.

[truebrit71]

32. You know he's in the RAF flying helicoper search and rescue missions right?

How much money does the US taxpayer pay to keep Lt awol (an admitted war criminal) safe? Or his boss Darth Cheney?

You know you are talking about shit from CENTURIES ago right?

Let's ask the native Americans if they got the fair end of the white man's invasion over here yes?...

[Agent William]

54. It costs......

69p per person to keep the monarchy. Roughly £25million over all.

Having a Head of State you can be proud of and respect...... priceless.

£25million is a very good deal... London and the Royal estates make £Billions in revenue. In case you're not familiar with London, everything associated with the Crown is a huge money maker for business in the area by extension of tourism. Hell, even the other Commonwealth realms make money of the Monarchy.

I'm not going to paper over many of the injustices we committed in India, but cruelties aside, we did build railways, infrastructure and united the whole country (with the exception of Pakistan and Bangladesh). Additionally we left when the majority wished us to do so... We left the area with dignity, France and the US did not.

[Cassandra]

5. Why include a picture of Harry...

who's not the one getting married?

[Glorfindel]

8. Because he's so darn cute?

Actually, I hope the young couple will have a long and blissful marriage. And the same for Prince Harry when his turn comes. :evilgrin:

[closeupready]

12. He sure is ...

My favorite! As was Diana, so, there you go. :)

[Botany]

9. seen one "chinless wonder" you have seen them all

I was looking for a picture of the royals in stupid hats.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

10. Yes, why indeed

[Voice for Peace]

11. I think that's Kate standing w/Harry

[melm00se]

14. well....

there is no such thing as royalty

while from an American point of view, I agree with you (all men are created equal... and all that) but somewhere in the range of 70% of the British public support (on one level or another but not opposed to the Royal Family) so from their point of view, royalty is very real. Ceremonial, powerless (direct, legal power, but they do have a certain amount of public opinion power: if the Queen were to take a strong stand on an issue, I believe a certain percentage of the British subjects will follow her lead).

[VermeerLives]

63. LOL! My response as well (n/t)

[boomerbust]

6. Lucky young man

:fistbump:

[SCRUBDASHRUB]

13. Here you go...

[Warpy]

15. He's marrying young by royal standards

which means it is likely not a contrived match like his dad's was. I guess they learned their lesson over that one, that they should simply have let Chuck marry his horse earlier in life*. As it is, he can't succeed his mother on the throne as long as he's married to a divorced woman because the king is also the titular head of the English church and must be close to sainthood.

If England is lucky, Chuck will abdicate gracefully and William will be a young king whose own grandson will likely succeed him.

*yes, I'm being catty as all hell, but I get so few opportunities to take on the upper class twits in Britain.

[enlightenment]

17. Actually, Charles is still heir to the throne,

by virtue of several maneuverings when he married Camilla. There is a question as to the legality of the civil union, though it was declared legal, but not to his position as heir - because they were not married by the Church. There's no rule about a king living 'in sin' . . .




*and why do you feel the need to take on the 'upper class twits in Britain', Warpy? Just because they're an easy mark?

[Warpy]

18. Hereditary aristocracy is always an easy mark

for those of us who had to do things the had way and learn our lessons in the process. Even the inherited aristocracy of old money here in the US is a gorgeous target since they're so utterly clueless about everything outside their immediate surroundings.

That's the main reason they're tolerated, so we can tweak their noses and feel superior.

[enlightenment]

61. Ah.

I guess I would rather tweak people who get rich and THEN behave like idjits. If I were to choose that route. Taking the piss out on somebody because of their birth seems a bit too easy for my taste.

To each their own! ;)

edited to correct sentence.

[awoke_in_2003]

19. it is fun to make fun of...

upper class twits of all nationalities :)

[peace frog]

20. Congratulations to a beautiful couple

Wishing them a lifetime of happiness together.

[Boudica the Lyoness]

21. Good news for a change

I think they each others first loves, unlike the marriage of Prince William's parents.

To the American's who hate the monarchy...piss off.

[lordcommander]

36. +1,000,000 nt

[muriel_volestrangler]

22. Royals must not use taxpayers' money to turn wedding into PR bonanza: Republic

Republic has today challenged to government to ensure that not a penny of taxpayers' money will be spent on the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, following the announcement of their engagement today.

Spokesperson Graham Smith said:

"I'm sure this is very happy news for those who know the couple, but it is a private matter and we mustn't see the government wasting limited resources paying for a major set-piece event."

"William is not the head of state, there is no guarantee he will ever be head of state. This is a private occasion which I'm sure the palace will want to milk for maximum PR effect. It is not for the taxpayer to pay for any part of this event, the Windsors must cough up."

"Inevitably there will be additional security arrangements for the wedding, but that must be paid for by the Windsor family from their own personal fortunes, not by taxpayers who are experiencing sweeping spending cuts."

"If people are being told to tighten their belts, if the government is making thousands unemployed, if welfare payments are being slashed, it would be sickening for the government to allow a single penny more to be spent on the royals at this time."

http://www.republic.org.uk/What%20we%20want/In%20the%20news/?command=fe_show_press_release&press_release_id=316&date__date__year=&date__date__month=&date__date__day=

Damn right. No chance of this happening, of course - someone will no doubt say that "this will be a boost to the economy", ignoring that any other 'boost to the economy' that involves spending public money has been banned by the coalition government.

[Turborama]

25. I just saw on Sky that there's going to be a 'cross government' panel to work on the wedding

Just what Britain needs right now, a government wasting massive amounts of time and money acting as wedding planners.

What are the odds that Cameron has planned his http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/15/britain-to-measure-happiness/">happiness survey to be rolled out at the same time?

[muriel_volestrangler]

26. Tell 'em to wait until August 2012, and they can double up with the Olympics

It could be the opening ceremony!

[Turborama]

44. LOL, great idea!

I'm sure Danny Boyle would be able to fit them in.

[NashVegas]

40. That's Just Silly and Ridiculous

If the family does nothing to accommodate the press, the press will take matters into their own hands and create a circus.

[Turborama]

43. Are you sure you're replying to the right post? n/t

[Blasphemer]

23. Congrats to them! I hope they are happier than his parents were... nt

[mahatmakanejeeves]

24. I'll get them something at Walmart on Black Friday.

.

[PopSixSquish]

27. I Thought it Was Sweet That He Gave Her His Mother's Engagement Ring.

I think both princes loved their mother very much and William said that this was his way of making sure that she (Diana) was there today.

They both seem very likable and both serve on active duty Britain's military. Prince Harry was even in Afghanistan but had to be pulled out until somebody broke the story.

Congratulations to both William and Kate...

[XemaSab]

31. Congratulations to them

:)

[Lil Missy]

33. A guest on Andrea Mitchell refered to Kate as a "spinster". Whaaat??

Does William have to marry a virgin? They've never had sex??

[cyr330]

38. I doubt it

He's probably porked her already.

[muriel_volestrangler]

52. The definition of 'spinster' doesn't involve sex

The legal definition in England is a woman who has never been married (the equivalent of bachelor). More informally, it's used to describe an older woman who has never married - the implication being it's beyond the age at which she's ever likely to. Strange to hear it used by a guest on TV, though.

And of course they've had sex - they've been living together for a few years.

[cherish44]

55. Spinster over there a woman who's never been married

Age and virginity are not qualifiers for the label...just marital status.

[slackmaster]

34. Best wishes to the couple. I hope the British public gets a lift from the event.

They surely need one.

[calimary]

35. Absolutely, and they do need one, and they'll surely get one.

Her face is on the tea towels now (or it will be in a matter of minutes). All that souvenir shopping and the glitz and the glamour and how we can all watch it on TV - actually makes me pretty happy.

Yeah they're royals and anachronistic and all that, but I think they'll give the UK a BIG psychological lift. The world's a pretty miserable place at the moment, and I think we need this kind of pleasant frippery every now and then! I'm looking forward to it!!!! It's going to be fun and foolish and we need a dose of that!!!! The thing I do like about the British royalty is that many of them have this sense of "much blessed, much obligated." YES I know about how expensive the monarchy is, YES I know about the opposition to it and YES I know. I know. I know about a lot of that. But STILL. Diana brought both her boys up with a sense of obligation to the poor and needy and outcast. The royals are all charged with picking various charities to lend their names to - to help them raise money and their profile and their credibility and they actually do some good. And it's a boon to the tourism industry in Britain also.

Admittedly, I'm kind of a sucker for this stuff. I bought some gossipy magazine a couple of days ago because it had Wills and Kate on the cover. I'm glad he's found what appears to be real genuine love AND that he'll be allowed to marry for love - which wasn't an available option to them. Certainly wasn't available to his dad back in the day. And evidently there's no purity test for her to pass anymore, which is welcome, too. And I kinda like that she's a "commoner".

I wish them GREAT happiness and a Fabulous, world-class wedding day! And I will be up watching, too! It's gonna make the whole world feel a little bit better and forget about all our problems, at least for a few hours. It's neat that he gave her his mom's ring. Evidently this is a young man with a sense of obligation and family tradition and maybe a little sentimentality. Which is neat! We need leaders like that in the future!

Happy news!

One downside - this means he's no longer available to my daughter. But then again, she likes Prince Harry better.

[cyr330]

37. I don't

give a rat's ass about the royal family. They can all go take a big fat shit for all I care.

[donheld]

39. I hope Kate get's better treatment than Diana got.

[DavidDvorkin]

41. She's marrying a better man.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

51. not really

[Arrowhead2k1]

42. Another distraction from the real issues in this world that will dominate the headlines.

Meh.

[HEyHEY]

46. No, this is a real issue

This mooching bum and his family are living the high-life on my taxes while many in the commonwealth struggle to make ends meet. Why? Cause they were born.

[HEyHEY]

45. Fuck him and his mooching family

I say that as a citizen of the commonwealth. FUCK HIM.

[CrawlingChaos]

48. no kidding

I'm just thinking of the Queen's recent attempt to take advantage of power subsidies meant for low income people. And to think taxpayers have to subsidize these elitist parasites.

[Agent William]

56. As another Citizen of the Commonwealth

UP THE CROWN!

They are a money making institution in Britain, and the a much lesser extent the Commonwealth as well. Also having a Head of State that doesn't go around making an arse of him/herself is totally worth what ever relatively meager price we foot to keep them in ''power''. The £billions they raise from tourism and Crown land management negates what ever stipend they get from the treasury.

PS, your 1964 flag was way cooler......

:hide: :hide:

:D

[CrawlingChaos]

64. one question

How do you get around the issue of their existence as "royalty" making them symbols of a class system that is the very antithesis of social justice?

Even if we accept the claim that they bring in money (and I've always been deeply suspicious of that), aren't there are any number of abhorrent things that might conceivably bring in a few tourist dollars, but wouldn't be worth the overall detriment to society?

[Name removed]

59. Deleted message

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[CrawlingChaos]

47. Their very existence as "royalty" is offensive

Disgusting to witness such opulence obtained on the backs of the poor.

Here's hoping their stupid wedding does not detract from the unrest over austerity measures and other important issues.

[HEyHEY]

49. Yeah, god knows what this will cost taxpayers

Just the coverage by the CBC and BBC alone will cost millions.

[cyr330]

53. Oh, I agree. . .

The whole notion of "royalty" is repugnant. I don't give a fuck how much $$ they bring in; they are a pack of goddamned snobs, and they somehow thing their shit doesn't stink like everybody else's. Oh, but wait, they're royalty, and the rest of us are "commoners"(!)

But let's not forget that the queen and the rest of them shit, fart, and piss just like everybody else.

[The abyss]

50. Hmmmm....

Now why does this story remind me of the old Koo Stark Prince Andrew stories of long ago...

Probably just my imagination.

[zen_bohemian]

57. I hope the paparazzi stays off of this young couple

and that they don't harass the life out of Miss Middleton like they did with Princess Diana

[Darth_Kitten]

65. Oh, please....

Kate Middleton grins like a Cheshire cat whenever the "intrusive" media has given her the time of day. She's a phony and a hypocrite.

She and William are no innocents, here. If you party away on the tax-payer's dime and get sloshed to the gills every other night, you deserve to have a few photos taken of you. :)

[Name removed]

58. Deleted message

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[earth mom]

60. I find the Royals fascinating because of their long history. As long as they don't behave like

horse's ass rich people, I'm ok with them.

I love how Prince Charles cares about the environment. I often wonder what he would do for the planet as King, if he ever gets the chance.

I really liked Diana too, so it's sweet to see her son getting married to his long time love.

[katty]

62. Royals should never marry into a 'love match' - essentially

the non-royal is signing a contract with the 'family' to play a role, it's a job at the end of the day - if you are in love with your royal it only makes it harder, because duty to the crown and family comes FIRST. Hopefully, Kate will embrace the intense scrutiny she will be subjected to from this point on-no matter how hard William asks or endeavors to sue the papparazi their job is to be 'in the limelight' and 'be perfect' for 'the firm' - good luck, royals should marry their own kind and agree on being discreet if they have an affair(s).