Kate Middleton

Congratulations!  

Click here to see a replay of the big event!

Kate Middleton will soon be married to Prince William of England.  She is currently 3 degrees from Pope John Paul II, but in two days, she will be 2 degrees away.

Prince William (top) with his mother, Princess Diana
and brother, Prince Harry

Princess Diana met the Holy Father several times during her reign

Prince William's mother was married by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The current Archbishop of Canterbury,
the officiant at Kate and William's wedding,
 and
Pope John Paul II

Kate is now two degrees from John Paul II!

Here is part of Queen Elizabeth's wedding in November of 1947.

And here is the Queen Mum's wedding in 1923.  It's silent film.  Enjoy!

A word about the abdication, divorce, and the Anglicans.  

"I do believe you'll be queen over Churchill's dead body.
This is my fondest wish, Wallis."  

Edward VIII abdicated the throne because of his relationship with Wallis Simpson, a woman who had previous marriages.  The traditional story is that, as a divorcee, Ms Simpson was unsuitable to be queen of England.  This was not the actual reason for absolutely and entirely rejecting her.  Ms Simpson was a Nazi!  She was friends with Adolf Hitler, a Eugenist, and general white supremacist.  In the 1930s, many countries toyed with the ideas which became Naziism.  Indeed, the concepts of Eugenics, superiority of the white race, were born in The United States.  England and America could have easily turned to the right.  Instead, we elected FDR, and England forced the abdication of Edward VIII and had King George VI consecrated as their king.

The abdication happened when the then Princess Elizabeth was barely 10 years old.  It must have made quite an impression upon her.  The government serves at the pleasure of the king and queen, but the king and queen ultimately serve at the pleasure of their people.  It is Elizabeth's integrity, love of country, and love of personal and societal freedom, that have kept the monarchy strong during her reign.  While I don't understand the need for the royal family, I respect the British institution and understand that Britain's need for the royal family goes very deep and bears much fruit.  I wish them well and pray earnestly that their church will reconcile with their Roman brothers and sisters soon.

I am just itching to read this book.  It is a highly acclaimed novel imagining what the world would have been like if Charles Linberg had defeated FDR in 1938.  I heard it recommended on NPR and read a review in The New York Times Book Review Section. Check it out!