# Would a bride "of color" been considered appropriate for William?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-bride-of-color-been-considered-appropriate-for-william/580409
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [May 1, 2011, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-bride-of-color-been-considered-appropriate-for-william/580409 "2011-05-01T20:52:33Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Gestalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gestalt)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2011, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-bride-of-color-been-considered-appropriate-for-william/580409/1 "2011-05-01T20:52:33Z")
So, assuming William wanted his grandmother’s and father’s blessing before marrying . . .
If he had been dating a woman who was not white (so black, Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern, Latina, etc), so you guys think the Queen and/or his father would be cool with her becoming Queen eventually? Let’s assume she was, like Kate, from a fairly wealthy, proper family and moved in the right social circles.
It seems like there are some unspoken “rules” about who can marry an heir prince, and somehow I think race is among the rules. Moreso for the Queen than for Prince Charles, if only because the latter has already engaged in some unconventional marriage habits.
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### Author:  [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2011, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-bride-of-color-been-considered-appropriate-for-william/580409/2 "2011-05-01T20:57:35Z")
Color shmolor - I don’t think they would even have let him marry an Irish Catholic. ICBW.
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### Author:  [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2011, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-bride-of-color-been-considered-appropriate-for-william/580409/3 "2011-05-01T21:00:17Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#):
>
> Color shmolor - I don’t think they would even have let him marry an Irish Catholic. ICBW.
With red hair.
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### Author:  [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2011, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-bride-of-color-been-considered-appropriate-for-william/580409/4 "2011-05-01T21:51:03Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#):
>
> Color shmolor - I don’t think they would even have let him marry an Irish Catholic. ICBW.
The problem with marrying an Irish Catholic - or any other sort of Catholic - is that he’d automatically lose his ability to inherit the throne. But there are millions of Anglican Nigerians who wouldn’t have presented that problem.
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### Author:  [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2011, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-bride-of-color-been-considered-appropriate-for-william/580409/5 "2011-05-01T21:51:32Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#):
>
> Color shmolor - I don’t think they would even have let him marry an Irish Catholic. ICBW.
Doesn’t that have more to do with the Catholic part, though?
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### Author:  [@YaraMateo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YaraMateo)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2011, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-bride-of-color-been-considered-appropriate-for-william/580409/6 "2011-05-01T21:55:29Z")
He wouldn’t have gotten the permission from the Queen. His grandfather is a known racist. I doubt she’d want to deal with his bs. Just as Charles didn’t get permission to marry Camilla because of how she would have looked.
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### Author:  [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2011, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-bride-of-color-been-considered-appropriate-for-william/580409/7 "2011-05-01T22:01:27Z")
What would have if Kate was:
Jewish?
Muslim?
Buddhist?
Hindi?
etc.
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### Author:  [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2011, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-bride-of-color-been-considered-appropriate-for-william/580409/8 "2011-05-01T22:49:53Z")
> [@YaraMateo](#):
>
> He wouldn’t have gotten the permission from the Queen. His grandfather is a known racist. I doubt she’d want to deal with his bs.
I think that she’s the queen and he’s not, and he’ll do as he’s told. I also doubt Phillip has the personal influence on William that he had on Charles.
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### Author:  [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2011, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-bride-of-color-been-considered-appropriate-for-william/580409/9 "2011-05-01T22:54:48Z")
Whatever her religion, she’d be expected to convert to Protestantism – Phillip was Greek Orthodox before he married Elizabeth.
Question – can a Catholic inherit the throne IF he or she converts? After all, the Spanish royals are still in line for the throne, despite being Catholic. Or if one marries a Catholic _ **WHO CONVERTS FIRST TO THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND** _? (I’m not talking about a Catholic who stays one, but someone who converts?)
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### Author:  [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2011, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-bride-of-color-been-considered-appropriate-for-william/580409/10 "2011-05-01T22:55:13Z")
His family aside, I assume that a substantial wedge of the British people would have found it unacceptable to have a future queen, and thus future heir, who “wasn’t British.”
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### Author:  [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2011, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-bride-of-color-been-considered-appropriate-for-william/580409/11 "2011-05-01T23:00:31Z")
> [@spark240](#):
>
> His family aside, I assume that a substantial wedge of the British people would have found it unacceptable to have a future queen, and thus future heir, who “wasn’t British.”
I know! Think what would happen if the royal family were actually _Germans_.
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### Author:  [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2011, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-bride-of-color-been-considered-appropriate-for-william/580409/12 "2011-05-01T23:03:30Z")
> [@Alessan](#):
>
> I know! Think what would happen if the royal family were actually _Germans_.
Or, worse, if the sons-of-bitches spoke _French_!
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### Author:  [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2011, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-bride-of-color-been-considered-appropriate-for-william/580409/13 "2011-05-01T23:06:04Z")
> [@YaraMateo](#):
>
> He wouldn’t have gotten the permission from the Queen. His grandfather is a known racist. I doubt she’d want to deal with his bs. Just as Charles didn’t get permission to marry Camilla because of how she would have looked.
There is a mechanism for bypassing the Queen’s consent. Any royal over the age of 25 can notify the Privy Council of their intentions in writting and if Parliament goes 12 months without objecting to the marriage it can go ahead regardless of what Her Majesty thinks of it. The Queen isn’t an idiot; if William went and did that it’d be the worst PR diaster for the monarchy since the Abdication. And if William was determined enought to do that he might just petion Parliament to remove him from the succesion (a constitutional crisis that would likely destroy the monarchy).
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### Author:  [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2011, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-bride-of-color-been-considered-appropriate-for-william/580409/14 "2011-05-01T23:10:47Z")
> [@Alessan](#):
>
> I know! Think what would happen if the royal family were actually _Germans_.
Yes, ha. But you know what they’d have meant.
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### Author:  [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2011, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-bride-of-color-been-considered-appropriate-for-william/580409/15 "2011-05-01T23:15:22Z")
Don’t see how it would be such a problem, after all, if William is no longer heir (for whatever reason) it goes to Harry, right?
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### Author:  [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2011, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-bride-of-color-been-considered-appropriate-for-william/580409/16 "2011-05-01T23:19:14Z")
> [@Alessan](#):
>
> I think that she’s the queen and he’s not, and he’ll do as he’s told. I also doubt Phillip has the personal influence on William that he had on Charles.
I agree - I think that Phillip’s irrelevance, although probably not the primary driver of his outrageous political incorrectness, is the fertile ground that nourishes it.
If his opinion mattered, [this book](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Duke-Hazard-Wisdom-Prince-Philip/dp/1846240697) would never have had any reason to exist.
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### Author:  [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2011, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-bride-of-color-been-considered-appropriate-for-william/580409/17 "2011-05-01T23:21:01Z")
With the caveats you’ve given - British, well-educated, middle-class, etc, then I think the royal family would have been fine with it, as long as she was also protestant or willing to convert. The religion bit is more reasonable than it sounds, since William will be King one day, hence head of the Anglican church.
The general populace would probably have been OK with it. There is racism here, so there would have been murmurs of discontent, and questions would have been asked about her citizenship, religion and political affilations that wouldn’t be thought of for a white woman. These would not have been insurmountable problems.
If he’d chosen a woman who wasn’t conventionally pretty, that would have created more problems than anything else.
> [@spark240](#):
>
> His family aside, I assume that a substantial wedge of the British people would have found it unacceptable to have a future queen, and thus future heir, who “wasn’t British.”
But if she were born in Britain and at least one of her parents had lived here for a reasonably long time, only hardcore racists would have thought she wasn’t British.
> [@Alessan](#):
>
> I know! Think what would happen if the royal family were actually _Germans_.
This comes up so often from people I know aren’t avowed racists. Makes me wonder if they’d tell Jason Smith who lives down the road that he’s not British because one of his grandparents came from a different country. To be consistent, they should, but they’d actually think that was a terrible thing to do.
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### Author:  [@Shmendrik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shmendrik)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2011, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-bride-of-color-been-considered-appropriate-for-william/580409/18 "2011-05-01T23:21:10Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#):
>
> Whatever her religion, she’d be expected to convert to Protestantism – Phillip was Greek Orthodox before he married Elizabeth.
> Question – can a Catholic inherit the throne IF he or she converts? After all, the Spanish royals are still in line for the throne, despite being Catholic. Or if one marries a Catholic _ **WHO CONVERTS FIRST TO THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND** _? (I’m not talking about a Catholic who stays one, but someone who converts?)
It appears that if you were ever a Catholic or married a Catholic, you are permanently excluded from the succession. At first glance, marrying a former Catholic wouldn’t exclude you, but I’m not sure about that.
[Quote=Act of Settlement]
And it was thereby further enacted, that all and every person and persons that then were, or afterwards should be reconciled to, or shall hold communion with the see or Church of Rome, or should profess the popish religion, or marry a papist, should be excluded, and are by that Act made for ever incapable to inherit, possess, or enjoy the Crown and government of this realm, and Ireland, and the dominions thereunto belonging, or any part of the same, or to have, use, or exercise any regal power, authority, or jurisdiction within the same: and in all and every such case and cases the people of these realms shall be and are thereby absolved of their allegiance: and that the said Crown and government shall from time to time descend to and be enjoyed by such person or persons, being Protestants, as should have inherited and enjoyed the same, in case the said person or persons, so reconciled, holding communion, professing or marrying, as aforesaid, were naturally dead:
[/quote]
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### Author:  [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2011, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-bride-of-color-been-considered-appropriate-for-william/580409/19 "2011-05-01T23:25:19Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#):
>
> But if she were born in Britain and at least one of her parents had lived here for a reasonably long time, only hardcore racists would have thought she wasn’t British.
Is Britain now in short supply of those?
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### Author:  [@YaraMateo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YaraMateo)
#### Post date: [May 1, 2011, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-bride-of-color-been-considered-appropriate-for-william/580409/20 "2011-05-01T23:28:44Z")
> [@Alessan](#):
>
> I think that she’s the queen and he’s not, and he’ll do as he’s told. I also doubt Phillip has the personal influence on William that he had on Charles.
They’re still a family, though. She is the queen, but she wouldn’t want to make her husband unhappy. This is a family issue. Not an issue of state. Think about it. This girl would have to spend the rest of her life surrounded by this people. I remember them saying this Christmas was the last Christmas she was allowed to spend with her family. Do you really think the queen would allow someone in who a prominent member of objected to? It’s not like a normal family where he could choose to never see them again.
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