The Duchess of York on Being Excluded From Prince William's Wedding

[blue2000]

As an ex-royal and mother to Beatrice and Eugenie, she might have been invited. Lots of other notables were, even some of the HC's exes. But since she messed up so badly, there was little chance of her going. And wanting to fuss over her girls is OK, provided they wouldn't mind!

I think the remark about Diana came out wrong. It sounds like she felt a connection to Diana because they both weren't there and would have liked to be. It was just said in the worst possible way. It seems like she needs an agent or a speech writer or something. Someone to nudge her - with a brick, if necessary - when she's gone and put her foot in her mouth again.

[Allie003]

I think Beatrice's outfit and makeup were quite lovely. That fascinator, though...I can admire Phillip Treacy's headgear as works of art, but he should have told Beatrice that the hat didn't suit her and was overwhelming. I know she likes crazy hats, but this one was just way, way to much. It wasn't like the butterfly hat, which was outre but also charming, age appropriate, and suited her.

Eugenie, though...She's such a pretty girl! That jacket was just very matronly and looked like sausage casing. Her hat was also a Treacy, and I think its maybe one of his ugliest creations of the last year. Another woman wore a version of that hat and also looked ridiculous.

[Larrabee]

Hmm, I'll try to give her the benefit of the doubt and hope that she meant something entirely different to how it came out along the lines of what Sharnita said. 

I think if this were an ordinary family wedding she should never have expected to be invited but as the world and his wife were at this wedding, including plenty of people the HC don't actually have relationships with, very distant relatives and even dictators currently involved in violently oppressing their own citizens then maybe she had more reason to expect an invitation.

Ceiling Fan, I thought the princesses looked lovely:

I'm going to be so embarrassed if I though you were were acually being serious, and not ironic

What do you mean by that?

You know, its a real shame that so many people are happy to be mean about these young girls, especially on an etiquette forum.

(Comparing her to a chipmunk, really Tycha?  on ehell?  That disappoints me.)

[Wonderflonium]

Yes, it's an ettiquette forum, not a 'lets be nice to tender young things who never have to work a day in their lives, and the least they can do is leave the house not looking ridiculous' forum.

You may not like the way they look, but they were both dressed appropriately for the occasion. Given that this is an etiquette forum, that is the only facet on which anyone should be commenting.

[Winterlight]

I think if this were an ordinary family wedding she should never have expected to be invited but as the world and his wife were at this wedding, including plenty of people the HC don't actually have relationships with, very distant relatives and even dictators currently involved in violently oppressing their own citizens then maybe she had more reason to expect an invitation.

Except that it's a royal wedding, so there are people who by protocol must be invited. The HC did get to pick friends, but for the most part the Palace dictates the guest list and vetoes anyone unsuitable. I can't see, "My uncle's ex-wife who tried to sell access to the royal family" as someone they'd be willing to add.

[Lauren]

This is seriously the second thread on the royal wedding that has resulted in extreemly rude comments about both princesses, since this is an ettiquette board, can we please stop, or this thread will be closed too.

Gee Fergie, the fact that you're currently on Oprah crying about it, just *might* be the reason you weren't invited? She seriously has no class whatsoever.

I'm sitting here trying to think of the last time she was seen in public with either William or Harry. I think they would have been little boys. She seperated from their uncle around the same time Charles and Diana split up. Since she was fighting with Diana at the time of Diana's death (which she hasn't mentioned in a very long time) I doubt she's even seen them since then.

[Sharnita]

I would imagine that it is not uncommonm for a fatal car accident to occur when the victim is in the middle of a spat with somebody they actually love very much so I wouldn't base assumptions on her closeness with the kids or even Diana on that.

[Elfqueen13]

I've always felt a great deal of sympathy for the Duchess.  I was living in England when she and Andrew were married and through the early years of their marriage and she really did have a hard time.  The press loved her initially but the inevitable comparisons to Diana left her lacking in their eyes.  "Fergie" didn't have a fashion editor from British Vogue dressing her like Diana did nor did the York income match up in any way to the Wales' but she was crucified in the papers if she wore the same outfit twice or if she wasn't at the height of couture fashion. Then after she had a baby and had trouble losing the weight (like a good number of other women) it all went downhill.

[jaxsue]

Frankly, I pity anyone who marries into the royal family. It's a minefield.

Edited to add: Not maligning Will and Harry, who seem like good guys. It's the general royal family culture I'm referring to.

[Larrabee]

Frankly, I pity anyone who marries into the royal family. It's a minefield.

Edited to add: Not maligning Will and Harry, who seem like good guys. It's the general royal family culture I'm referring to.

Completely agree, Kate Middleton seems like a nice girl and all, but I can't imagine why anyone would want to become a part of that craziness.  I hope she doesn't end up regretting it. 

[Wonderflonium]

Frankly, I pity anyone who marries into the royal family. It's a minefield.

Edited to add: Not maligning Will and Harry, who seem like good guys. It's the general royal family culture I'm referring to.

Completely agree, Kate Middleton seems like a nice girl and all, but I can't imagine why anyone would want to become a part of that craziness.  I hope she doesn't end up regretting it. 

I like to think of it as a testament to how much she loves Will.

[Larrabee]

Frankly, I pity anyone who marries into the royal family. It's a minefield.

Edited to add: Not maligning Will and Harry, who seem like good guys. It's the general royal family culture I'm referring to.

Completely agree, Kate Middleton seems like a nice girl and all, but I can't imagine why anyone would want to become a part of that craziness.  I hope she doesn't end up regretting it. 

I like to think of it as a testament to how much she loves Will.

I hope so, but she did know he was a prince when she started dating him!

Its interesting, there must be lots of people who feel the opposite way because when it was announced that Prince William would be going to St Andrews for uni their applications went up by about 500% or some similarly insane figure, nearly all females!  I even had a friend who applied there specifically with the goal of meeting Prince William and convincing him to marry her!

[Wonderflonium]

Well, even if Kate did have princess fantasies at first (and who could blame her if she did?), I'd like to think that the amount of time she and Will have been together has prepared her for what she is about to face and she decided that she loved him enough to deal with the craziness. I'm hoping that he, in turn, loves her enough to try to make it as easy as possible for her, as she hasn't grown up in this life as he has.

What can I say, I'm a romantic! 

[blue2000]

She's had the tabloids rip her apart a few times. I think she knows what she's doing.

Living in a goldfish bowl is a pretty harsh life, though.

I like to think of it as a testament to how much she loves Will.

True. And how much he loves her. He's not one for parties or publicity, but they both went through all this hoopla with a smile, just to get married. It's enough to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

[guihong]

They actually broke up for a time, probably partly because she had to weigh her love for him vs. becoming a Royal and giving up a lot of private life. 

As for the Princesses, likely they are more remote from the main line of the family and able to live more privately.  The children of the Queen's cousins, for example, do not have titles and work at regular jobs (though well-paid  ).

gui