Royal Insight Forum

The wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton took place on April 29, 2011.     
In the Church of England, April 29 is the feast day of Saint Catherine of Sienna.       
Do you think Prince William chose April 29 to honor Catherine Middleton so their wedding would be on Saint Catherine's day?

IMHO they likely chose the date because it worked around the calendars of QEII, DoE, PoW and the government. Also I believe that the weather would  have been taken into consideration.

Quote from: LouisFerdinand on March 26, 2017, 09:50:54 PM
The wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton took place on April 29, 2011.     
In the Church of England, April 29 is the feast day of Saint Catherine of Sienna.       
Do you think Prince William chose April 29 to honor Catherine Middleton so their wedding would be on Saint Catherine's day?

Of course not. I shoudlnt think either of them knew anyting of this.

Quote from: amabel on March 27, 2017, 07:54:46 PM

Quote from: LouisFerdinand on March 26, 2017, 09:50:54 PM
The wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton took place on April 29, 2011.     
In the Church of England, April 29 is the feast day of Saint Catherine of Sienna.       
Do you think Prince William chose April 29 to honor Catherine Middleton so their wedding would be on Saint Catherine's day?

Of course not. I shoudlnt think either of them knew anyting of this.

Prince William will someday be the Head of the Anglican Church upon becoming King William V.   
Is it not part of his training to learn church history?

Unlike his father and grandparents William isn't exactly known as being deeply religious. I remember when there was an article about the Cambridges missing a service once, it was noted that William, like most English people, rarely attends Church. He has been confirmed. As for Kate, she comes from a family of non-churchgoers. If they were regular attendees the Middleton children would have been confirmed in their early teens, but they weren't. 

In my wildest dreams, therefore,  I can't imagine William and Kate poring over the Calendar of Saints when choosing their wedding date. As I've posted before, I believe that weddings in the BRF are a combination of timing and logistics, ie do all the senior royals have that date free?

One of the clergy may have mentioned to the couple that the date chosen was St Catherine of Siena's day and Kate probably regarded that as serendipity, but that would be it. Unlike adherents of the RC Church the lives of saints don't loom large among Anglicans and Kate had only been confirmed into the C of E a very short while before. After all, Charles and Diana's wedding day was St Martha's Day. As she's the patron saint of housewives, I shouldn't think that date was specially chosen!

As I recall when he was going to school he had ot ask his mother what denomination to put down.. Not exactly into religion obviously....

^^^I've read in the past that Charles is religious but that Diana was more spiritual.

I have to say I am a bit uncomfortable about a head of the church who is "not overly religious". First we will get an adulterer of "faiths" then a person who is "not too religious". Maybe it's time for the Anglican Church to find a new head. 

William is like the vast majority of his future subjects. Clergymen and priests do often seem to be faced with dwindling and older congregations, something that I believe is very different in the US. People in England (not sure about Scotland, Wales or NI)  go to church sometimes for funerals, sometimes for weddings (often civil celebrants do the honours now) for funerals and on occasion for Xmas and Easter. Australia is the same. William goes a little more because of military and national commemorations, but not too much more.

  I do get the feeling, actually, that in the new reign or the one after it, the Church of England might move to remove the title of Governor of the Church of England from the monarch and do a bit of reorganisation on the higher levels. I think Charles would not be at all averse to moving from 'Defender of the Faith' to Defender of Faiths'. He's often said that he would like the latter title put in his Coronation vows.

We are long removed from Victoria's reign, when the Church of England was described as 'the Tory Party at prayer'. From being something of an elite organisation when people often went to church on Sundays merely as a matter of form, sadly church going has become an irrelevance in the lives of most, and that includes younger royals like William. Face saving platitudes from his spokesmen about his non church attendance like 'he has a simple faith' are meaningless.

Quote from: royalanthropologist on March 28, 2017, 05:53:23 AM
I have to say I am a bit uncomfortable about a head of the church who is "not overly religious". First we will get an adulterer of "faiths" then a person who is "not too religious". Maybe it's time for the Anglican Church to find a new head. 

He's not head of the church and never will be.  but it is shaemeful that he was let grow up with so little knowledge.

@Curryong, It was interesting to learn that Diana and Charles wed on Saint Martha's Day.     
Saint Martha is the patron saint of housewives.

Quote from: LouisFerdinand on March 28, 2017, 09:04:41 PM
@Curryong, It was interesting to learn that Diana and Charles wed on Saint Martha's Day.     
Saint Martha is the patron saint of housewives.

how is it interesting?  They didn't choose it for that reason but because it was the most sutitable date for the Royals all to be there at the most important royal wedding in many years

Quote from: amabel on March 29, 2017, 07:29:38 PM

Quote from: LouisFerdinand on March 28, 2017, 09:04:41 PM
@Curryong, It was interesting to learn that Diana and Charles wed on Saint Martha's Day.     
Saint Martha is the patron saint of housewives.

how is it interesting?  They didn't choose it for that reason but because it was the most sutitable date for the Royals all to be there at the most important royal wedding in many years

I think it's interesting because centuries ago most of the dates in the calendar were named for saints. However I do agree it was chosen because it was open on the calendar for the BRF and the government.

 well yes TLLK, In that all date in the calendar are dedicated to some saints.  But in the Anglican church  many or most people don't venerate saints... its only the High Church wing who do that.. so it would be odd if the RF chose a wedding date because of a saint.   it was chosen because it was a suitable date, just as Kate's wedding date was chosen for the same reason.  RoyaL weddings take months of forward planning...

Because Royal men generally don't, I suppose

I have to admit if and IF i married I wouldn't wear a wedding ring either.  I don't feel comfortable wearing rings and having one just to show you are married don't see the point.

Catherine and her bouquet     
TOPSHOT - A combo of images showing Kate, Duchess of Cambridge's... News Photo - Getty Images (http://www.gettyimages.com/license/157652183)     
Catherine Middleton with the father Michael Middleton waves as she... News Photo - Getty Images (http://www.gettyimages.com/license/113264746)

Catherine was most certainly a very beautiful bride and with time has learned and become a fabulous and gorgeous woman who has taken on the responsibilities of her role in the family and country.  William is darn lucky to have found such a wonderful bride and mother for their children.

Quote from: PaulaB on May 20, 2017, 04:59:52 PM
I have to admit if and IF i married I wouldn't wear a wedding ring either.  I don't feel comfortable wearing rings and having one just to show you are married don't see the point.

I know this is an old post but most people are happy to be married and to have something to show it to other people. 

Imagine what thoughts that Catherine had when she and her father first stepped out of the car after its arrival to Westminster Abbey. All eyes were on her: a future Queen.   

All the Details on Kate Middleton and Prince William's Wedding Cake (https://www.brides.com/kate-middleton-prince-william-wedding-cake-5184584)