Majesty Review Jan. 2012 by Royalty_Now

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Majesty Review: December 2011 and it's Kate all… by Royalty_Now

Get your diaries ready! These reviews are coming soon to RoyaltyNow!:

and then:

After these reviews, I have some special royal books to share! Stay tuned.

A Royal Romance: William & Kate
Inception Media Group, LLC

This unauthorized tribute is a very charming documentary about the royal couple’s relationship. Prince William is hailed as the British Royal Family’s “golden boy” marrying the lovely young English rose, Kate Middleton.

The documentary looks back on William’s young life, but most of the focus is placed on his university era when he met Kate, up to the present time.

Fun, brotherly jabs are exchanged between William and Harry; Ingrid Seward, the editor of Majesty, discusses the background of William and Kate’s public relationship; and naturally there is old footage of William’s mother, a baby-faced Diana Spencer, walking briskly down the street with photographers swarming around her. Seeing Kate in much the same position today makes you realize that the paparazzi will never truly give any of the royals privacy, despite Diana’s death.

The sincere hope is expressed that William and Kate’s engagement and wedding will bring new life into the British monarchy. As the documentary comes to a close, the major weddings of our time are seen with the serious intonation by the narrator: “The success of William and Kate’s marriage is crucial to the future stability of the modern monarchy”. It’s a concern not without reason – the marriages of William’s parents, great-aunt Margaret, uncle Andrew, and aunt Anne ended badly. Thankfully uncle Edward’s marriage to Sophie Rhys-Jones has flourished, and Anne and Charles seem to have found success in their second marriages. Andrew still seems somewhat undecided over ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, whose scandals have landed him in many an awkward position (amusingly, Sarah’s name is misspelled “Furguson”).

It is concluded that the monarchy will mostly likely be in very safe hands with the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton – now Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. It is a happy ending to an upbeat and fun DVD. Please enjoy this documentary, which you can purchase at Amazon.com: A Royal Romance: William & Kate

Image via Wikipedia

Mandy’s British Royalty Giving LIVE Royal Wedding Updates!

I’ll be tweeting LIVE on the big day! Join me for updates, commentary, and more on April 29th. I’ll also be available on Skype (as mandysroyalty) and Facebook for discussion. Let’s have fun!

Royal Weddings: A Very Peculiar History (With Added Majesty)
By Fiona MacDonald || Published by Salariya

This little hardcover treasure trove of wedding facts is divided into nine chapters, full of delightful history lessons.

Just before you pore over the contents, you are presented with small Q&A of  royal wedding facts, as well as a handy family tree of Queen Victoria’s English descendants. These make a great introduction.

You expect proposals, weddings, and honeymoons to be romantic, but that’s not always the case among royals. One of my favorite courtship stories in the book is between William the Conqueror and the object of his desire, Matilda of Flanders.

Around 1047, the young Duke William of Normandy sent a proposal of marriage to Matilda, daughter of the king of France.

He was turned down flat.

Matilda haughtily refused him, saying she ‘would marry no bastard’. William leapt on his horse, rode to the royal palace, stormed his way into Matilda’s bedchamber, and dragged her around the room by her hair. Rather surprisingly, this savage courtship won Matilda’s heart, and they enjoyed a long and happy marriage together.

William the Conqueror, indeed.

Another favorite section of mine is the unique piece that puts you in Henry Tudor’s shoes. You have to deal with betrothal at age 11, becoming king, finding a wife, trying to produce an heir, then trying to get a divorce. Then you have to find another wife. Did I mention finding a wife? And in the end, your longed-for male heir is sickly and dies young. It’s your daughter that heralds England’s golden Elizabethan era.

The little details put into this book really make it entertaining and fascinating. We get the low-down on select wedding cakes, background on the traditional dressing – and undressing – of the bride, and the little favors they gave to their guests. The Queen, as a young princess in 1947, gave her wedding guests little hand-tied posies of myrtle and Scottish white heather.

My only point of contention is the graphic embellishment in this book. While beautifully detailed, it looks too busy. Mind you, the book is only about 4″ x 5″; if it was a larger book, there would be more room for the graphics. The small size of the book is what makes it very charming, however, and any book I can tuck into my purse and take with me everywhere is definitely a plus!

Royal Weddings: A Very Peculiar History, is a great book and an absolute gem to have in the run-up to Prince William’s royal wedding. You will heartily enjoy MacDonald’s compilation.

Fiona Macdonald will be helping to provide commentary on the day of Prince William’s wedding, live on MSNBC. Be sure to check it out!

In honor of the impending nuptials, Silva Screen Records, Ltd. has released a sensational CD of music entitled Music For A Royal Wedding.

The triumphant trumpets of Fanfare For A Festive Occasion ushers us into a world of pomp and circumstance. Pie Jesu is both haunting and uplifting. Helena Blackman’s rendition of I Vow To Thee My Country, already touching and heartfelt, will move you even more and bring you to tears.

No wedding music selection would be complete without Richard Wagner’s classic Lohengrin Bridal March. Other highlights include Lesley Garrett’s delicate reading of Lakmé’s The Flower Duet, William Walton’s stirring music for Henry V and Craig Armstrong’s tender Balcony Scene from Romeo & Juliet.

The complete list of music, below, for you to enjoy and celebrate along with William and Kate!

1. FANFARE FOR A FESTIVE OCCASION

2. ELSA’S PROCESSION TO THE CATHEDRAL FROM LOHENGRIN

3. NIMROD

4. PIE JESU

5. BRIDAL MARCH FROM LOHENGRIN

6. POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE MARCH NO. 4

7. OVERTURE/THE GLOBE THEATRE FROM HENRY V

8. TOCCATA 5TH SYMPHONY

9. SOUS LE DÔME ÉPAIS (THE FLOWER DUET)

10. CROWN IMPERIAL

11. FOR THE LOVE OF A PRINCESS

12. CANON IN D MAJOR

13. THE BALCONY SCENE FROM WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S ROMEO + JULIET

14. WEDDING MARCH FROM FROM A MIDSUMMER’S NIGHT DREAM

15. I VOW TO THEE MY COUNTRY

16. GOD SAVE THE QUEEN