So the kid likes ‘The Princess Diaries’. (In fact she digs anything with Princesses in it at this point.)
And in the sequel there’s a scene where
they’re reviewing eligible princes that our heroine can marry. At one point Prince William pops up and they all adore him etc ad nauseum…
That got me to thinking. Suppose you-know-who (mentioned in the spoiler) saw the movie, laughed, decided to invite the cast over and hit it off with young Anne Hathaway? Could he just decide that he was going to marry a Yank movie star or what?
Given that he will be (barring fate) the future King of England what restrictions are placed on him?
I suspect that who is acceptable is a matter of what public opinion will bear. Back in 1936, the then UK government decided that it was not acceptable for the monarch to marry a divorcee. That would probably not in itself be a barrier now, but someone with the public reputation of (say) Paris Hilton might be unacceptable, even if she qualified otherwise.
The jury’s still out on the divorce thing, it looks like. Prince Charles is free to marry, but Camilla what’s-her-name is divorced and her ex is still alive. No engagement ring yet…
I think it may be the adultery rather than the divorce by itself which make Camilla unacceptable to the British public. Wallis Simpson, though twice divorced, was more discrete about these things, and she might well be acceptable these days.
I don’t think so. There’ve been news reports that the Queen is gradually coming around to a marriage, and I recall that Camilla and Charles were an item way back in the 70s. Don’t think that would be at all possible if she were RC.
Her ex-husband, Andrew Parker-Bowles is a Catholic. Besides if a member of the Royal family wanted to marry a Catholic that law would mostly likely be changed (if William wanted, it would defiantly be repealed). Right now there is no legal reason why Charles and Camilla can’t marry. Since Diana is dead the C of E considers him a widower, but 1) Camilla’s ex-husband is still very much alive, 2) there is debate in the C of E on whether marriung them is consecrating an old infidelity. Of course Charles could just do as his sister did and get married in the Church of Scotland, or even a registry office. Right now public opinion is very much against “Camilla, Princess of Wales” or “Queen Camilla”. Charles probally won’t marry her until the public expects rather than accepts such a union. And then Parliament may pass a law allowing for a Morgantic marriage. Camilla would then use the feminine form of one of his lesser titles (Duchess of Cornwall, Duchess of Rothesay) after he becomes King she could be made Princess-Consort.
As far as I can recall, and googling says similar, Camilla Parker-Bowles is not Catholic. However, a Roman Catholic is forbidden by the 1701 Act of Settlement to be either the Monarch, or the Monarch’s Escort.
It would appear they have been an item pretty much since the 70s.
I seem to recall Prince Andrew gave up American “actress” Koo Stark back in the 80s because she was deemed “unacceptable”. She has behaved impeccably ever since … unlike her replacement. :rolleyes: