Sunday 15 March 2009

Fred to Wed, and Other Young Royal Romances      

Lord Frederick (Freddie) Windsor, the son of Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, became engaged on St. Valentine’s Day to Ms. Sophie Winkleman.  Freddie, who will turn 30 on April 6, is the next-to-youngest great-grandchild of King George V and Queen Mary… the youngest being his sister Gabriella.   Ms. Winkleman is an actress who has performed on stage, screen, and television.  The timing of the engagement may have been a bit unfortunate since it coincided with news about the bride-to-be’s rather racy (“blue”) role in a new film.  But that flutter seems to have passed quickly.  With Princess Michael involved as the mother of the groom the wedding, when it comes, will undoubtedly be a sumptuous affair.

Lord Freddie’s life to date has had some fairly unconventional elements, not unlike that of his grandfather George, Duke of Kent (1902-1942).  He has led a lively social life over the last few years, with the inevitable tabloid photos.  Back in 1999 he admitted to experimenting with cocaine.  He has done a bit of fashion modeling, and has been something of an adventurous dresser.  There has also been a bit of speculation about his sexuality over the years.  One thing he clearly does NOT share with his royal grandfather is looks, the Duke of Kent having been the most handsome member of his generation.  But in that department Freddie seems to have a stronger resemblance to the young King George V… perhaps a mixed blessing.

Windsor currently works as a financial analyst for JPMorgan in London, but in the past he has expressed an interest in becoming a solicitor working in entertainment law.  Given his fianc�’s profession he may yet find himself a niche in that industry.  (It is interesting, by the way, how many of the Windsor clan have been drawn to professions in the arts and related fields… from the Earl of Harewood on down to Viscount Linley, Lady Sarah Chatto, and Freddie’s cousin Helen Taylor.  Not to mention Prince Edward’s aborted career in television production.)

Although, genealogically speaking, he is nearly the last of his generation to wed, age-wise Freddie Windsor is much more a part of the rising generation of younger royals who are just now beginning to move toward the altar.  In many ways he and his sister seem to be more easily grouped with the likes of Peter and Zara Phillips, Prince William and Prince Harry, and so on.  And, given that there are current bits of news, or at least current bits of speculation, concerning some of these other young royals, a bit of a review seems timely.

Peter Phillips wed his longtime girlfriend / partner Autumn Kelly last May at Windsor Castle, the first of Queen Elizabeth II’s grandchildren to wed.  The wedding became somewhat controversial because of the access given – for a price – to photographers from HELLO Magazine, but in all honesty many of those pictures were wonderful to view.  The former Ms. Kelly, a Canadian by birth, is a management consultant.  Since their marriage the Phillips have been living in Hong Kong, where Peter works for the Royal Bank of Scotland.  Autumn Phillips has now appeared at several public gatherings of the royal family, including the trooping of the royals to Christmas morning services at Sandringham.

Zara Phillips has been in a long-term relationship with footballer Mike Tindall for several years now.  Despite regular recurring rumors that they are about to become engaged, that seems to keep not happening.  My own guess is that nothing will happen along this line until after the 2012 London Olympics, in which Zara is intent on competing.

Prince William’s relationship with Kate Middleton hit the headlines again on Thursday of this last week as the French publication Point de Vue claimed a “scoop” that they will shortly announce their engagement and plans to wed this coming summer. The evidence cited for this is a supposed request to several European royal families from the British royals for them to keep their calendars open for a special summer event, and also claims of an increased pace of work on the Harewood Park Estate owned by the Duchy of Cornwall (i.e. the Prince of Wales), long touted as an eventual home for William and his eventual bride.  We will see.  I usually take these sorts of things with a grain (or a whole sack) of salt, but as the British press noted on Thursday, Point de Vue does have an impressive network of royal and aristocratic connections.

Prince Harry’s recent break-up with Chelsey Davy is being questioned, vis a vis its permanence.  He has been seen out with other young women, but the rumors continue.  My own observation is that given his stated intention of a military career, the ongoing danger is that any significant relationship could fall into the same trap that befell Prince Andrew and Sarah Fergusson’s marriage.  Long absences while on active duty are not the best foundation to build upon.  And that appears to have been part of the problem already.

Princess Beatrice has now been dating Dave Clark since the summer of 2006.  Originally introduced by Prince William, Clark works for Sir Richard Branson and is said to be an up and coming young businessman.  Born in the U.S., he has lived mostly in the U.K. since age 5.  Bea is 20 and in university, Clark is 25.  He recently accompanied Beatrice, along with the Duchess of York and Princess Eugenie, to the premiere of the movie “The Young Victoria” in which Beatrice briefly appears as a maid of honor in the coronation scene.

Lady Gabriella Windsor, Lord Freddie’s sister, does not seem to have a current significant other.  Back in 2006 she broke up with Aatish Taseer, a wealthy Sikh, after a three-year romance.  Gabriella was born in 1981.  She is a graduate of Brown University in Rhode Island, and is currently working as a journalist.

Looking back over the list, it seems striking that none of the younger Windsors, at least thus far, has found a partner among the historic aristocracy or gentry.  While all of their significant others have a degree of wealth and privilege in their background, they are mostly from upper middle class, even nouveau riche, families.  They also seem to be, in general, rather self-confident and competent young men and women.  As the years pass it is unlikely that most of them, except for William and Harry with their eventual spouses, will play any really significant role in the future of the monarchy.  At most they will become part of the “who’s that?” mob on the balcony after the Trooping the Color in June, or they will show up as society faces appearing in the magazines after various gallery openings and charity events.  But it will be interesting to see what contributions they make to the world.

In the meantime, with all due respect to the French, I’m not putting William and Katherine’s faces on the tea towels just yet.

Yours Aye,

- Ken Cuthbertson