Royal Thoughts

The Royals have always been fascinating to me. As a child I looked at their lives as magical. The women wore gowns with a tiara, the men would wear uniforms adorned with medals. They lived in a castle and traveled by horse drawn carriages. What a beautiful life they lived. I have since learned that they are very hard-working people, their life is steeped in tradition, protocol and devotion to their role in the monarch.  

I often think of William and Kate and how they are handling her health crisis and life in the public eye. Dealing with chemotherapy at any time is difficult, let alone at 42, with 3 small children and married to the future King. Princess Kate's first appearance since her cancer diagnosis was the "Trooping of the Colors". This is one of the most important events on the Royal calendar. It is to celebrate the King's birthday which will be in November. She looked radiant as always, despite how she must have felt on the inside. 

I read Kate's message about her journey with cancer treatments. I loved the part where she said, "as those that have had chemotherapy know, some days are good, and some days aren't". The simple reference to "Others" going through the same thing, is the reason we love her so much. 

Prince William celebrated his birthday on June 12, at a Taylor Swift concert in London. He took his children, and they are known as "Swifties". This is something that Diana would have done with her sons. I love how William and Kate bring as much normal into the lives of their children as they can. Yes, there would be many men at the concert with their kids and the future King was one of them. If Kate were well the entire family would have been together. 

Princess Anne has recently been hospitalized with a concussion. She spent a few days there following an accident where she was kicked by one of her beloved horses. I understand that Anne is the hardest working royal and during his illness she took over some of King Charles's duties. Anne seems to be kind and humble. She is known to make frequent visits to see Kate to support her during her treatments. I have nothing but respect for Anne, she seems like the quiet worker bee, she does her royal duties and so much more with little recognition. Because she is female, Princess Anne is 17th in succession to the throne. 

Diana would have been 63 on July 1. I think we can all remember where we were when we heard the announcement she had died in a car accident. The world mourned her death. She wanted to be, "Queen of our hearts" and she was. One of her famous quotes was, "Family is the most important thing in the world". That was so evident when we saw her with her sons. I can only imagine how she would be if she were alive with her 5 little grandchildren. I feel she would be a tremendous support for her two daughters-in-laws living the royal life. In many ways I think Kate is like Diana, in a non-rebellious way. They are similar in that they are both stunning and devoted mothers.  

My thoughts when I think about the Royals are; they are also people, they don't have any superpowers. They would have received the best medical attention known to man, but they still get cancer. Anne is an accomplished horse person, but somehow, she ended up in the hospital with a concussion. They are not spared the agony of death. Even thought they had their issues with Diana, her death was obviously hard on each of the members of the royal family. I think the current royals are allowed to live a more normal life. I love how William and Harry show such respect and devotion to their wives and children. 

My final thought is that I could never be a royal. Knowing the royal protocol would be way too much for me. Having to wear high heels and a dress everywhere would also be an issue. Being chased by paparazzi would never be something I could just accept. Their lives are not as magical as I thought as a child. But I still love to watch any Royal event and will always enjoy the gowns, crowns, parades, uniforms, horse drawn carriages and castles.   

In closing I am going to share one of Queen Elizabeth's quotes that I really like: