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Apr
18
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Posted by maureen
April 18, 2007 |
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Alas it’s true: Prince William and Kate Middleton’s romance has come to an end and along with it all the hopes of a fairy tale ending. There has been speculation of a split up over the last few weeks when William was photographed at nightclubs in the company of several young women. As expected there is disappointment in some quarters who had hope a royal wedding on the scale of Charles and Diana was imminent. There is no doubt that Middleton was popular with the public and the media and even appeared to have gained the Queens approval and was a favorite of the Duke of Edinburgh.
The news took many royal-watchers by surprise. It was widely thought the couple would soon announce their engagement; one bookmaker was so certain of a royal wedding it stopped taking bets on it earlier this year. The popular retail chain Woolworths had commissioned mugs, plates and other Wills-and-Kate memorabilia, despite the absence of a formal engagement. So what happened?
Some point out that it just part of a natural process where it often takes a few tries before finding the perfect partner. But of course, theirs wasn’t a typical courtship. Once the media caught wind of a romance and published a joint photo of them on a Swiss skiing holiday in 2004 they became the center of the media attention. Middleton was popular with the press and became a media darling and any thoughts of leading a “normal” life after that were shattered; she was photographed doing the most mundane of everyday things as well as the public events on a scale that reversed for royalty and celebrities. This had to be hard on the them and only last month Middleton, filed a harassment complaint with Britain’s press watchdog
There is also speculation that William’s career in the army may have been a contributing factor. William graduated from Sandhurst military academy in December and is undergoing further training at an army base in rural England, while Middleton lives in London. With that commitment he wasn’t in a position to get married for a few years. It was also reported that Queen Elizabeth had told the second in line to the throne at a secret “royal summit” not to rush into anything he might regret. I doubt, that if it was said, it was said in anything more than an informal way: most of us would advise both parties to be really sure before making a decision and they probably felt a lot more pressure that most to “get it right”
The main underlying reason given by most commentators for the split was simply that at 24 years, William was not ready to get married and wanted to wait until he was 28, or 30.
No matter what the truth is, whether it was all the media attention, his career or just a generally cooling off or a combination of any or all of these Prince William is back on the list of most eligible bachelors once again.
A really sad statement on the times is the speculation on whether or not she will “kiss and tell” She could undoubtedly make millions if is she is prepared to give details of their romance and time together. Sources report that the 25-year-old could make as much as $5m for details of her six years with the heir to the throne. Of course, her friends are fair game too and will undoubtedly be approached. I prefer to take the high road and believe that she will keep the special, bittersweet relationship private and personal.
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