Friday, April 29, 2011

The Pros and Cons of Being a Princess

The other day, while watching the endless run-up to the Royal Wedding of Catherine Elizabeth Middleton to His Royal Highness Prince William Arthur Philip Louis, my daughter wondered what it must be like to be a princess -- and if there was any downside.

So after giving it a bit of thought, and in honor of the new Princess Catherine, Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge, who looked absolutely stunning in that Princess Grace of Monaco-inspired Sarah Burton gown and her grandmother-in-law's tiara (also loved the little pages in their red uniforms and totally want the dress Kate's sister/maid of honor, Philippa Middleton, was wearing -- gorgeous), I present to you the pros and cons of being a modern-day princess.

Pros

Cons

You get a prince!

That prince of a guy doesn’t do laundry or cook or change diapers. (Though on the pro side, you have servants!)

You get to live in a palace!

You think your in-laws are dysfunctional…

You get to meet all sorts of fascinating people!

You have to spend hours politely listening to all sorts of odious, boring, and pompous people.

You get to travel the world!

You constantly have to accompany your husband on business trips.

You get to stay at luxury resorts and homes wherever you go!

[Uh… uh… bedbugs? Frankly, can’t think of a downside to this one.]

You get to wear beautiful clothes and shoes, from all the best designers, who make stuff just for you -- and you get to wear a tiara!

Every woman and fashion magazine in the world is eagerly waiting for you to make a fashion faux pas – and constantly commenting on your weight.

Your picture appears in all the chic magazines!

Your picture appears in every tabloid and rag – and oh the paparazzi!


As per usual, feel free to add to either list via the comments.

And they all lived happily ever after... ?

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12 comments:

The Daily Del Franco said...

I hate to be Ned Negative here...but how did all this princess stuff work out for Diana?

Dave S. said...

Seasonal allergies.

Jiu Jitsu Los Angeles said...

Well, it would be technically the grandmother-in-law that she would have to worry about. I don't think Camilla poses much of a threat. But, she has done this for 8 years already, do I'm sure she's well-versed in the art of shaking hands and kissing babies.

J. said...

@Jiu Jitsu Los Angeles, thanks for catching my error! Yes, I meant the Queen, Kate's grandmother-in-law. And I only had half a glass of sparkling wine at the noon-time royal wedding party I attended. Sigh.

@Dave S., funny.

@Ned Negative, this is the 21st century. It's all different now! (And let us hope Kate has a much happier ending, many, many years from now.)

Anonymous said...

I read that they are not having servants -- but I don't believe it. Who wouldn't have a cook and a housekeeper if one could affort it????

Ange said...

Loved the wedding. Snuggled up and watched it in bed with C (since it was her 7th birthday). Not sure if I loved Eugenie's outfit or Victoria Beckham's hat.

Emily and Laura said...

Apparently William learned to cook pretty well when they were at university, so she's not only snagged a prince but one who can take care of himself around the cottage -- not bad for a newly-minted princess!

And unlike Diana, I think this pair is going to make it. They've taken their time to make sure the new HRH the Duchess of Cambridge is willing to cope with the drawbacks of royal life. And Kate is, after all, ten years older than Diana, which makes a huge difference, IMO.

The hats were fabulous! Why don't Americans wear hats? They are such a great way to make a fashion statement!

J. said...

@Ange, everyone I've talked to thought Beatrice and Eugenie's outfits and makeup were dreadful. Was a bit surprised how frumpy both looked.

@Laura, I missed the part of the Lifetime special where William learns to cook. Thanks for updating me. No, not bad at all. And excellent points re Kate. Here's hoping they enjoy wedded bliss for many years to come.

Emily and Laura said...

I've spent waaay too much time on this wedding, J. -- so any detail you might have missed I probably picked up somewhere along the way. Want to lose a few hours? Go start reading the UK's Daily Mail, and then following all the links. You'll learn more trivia than you ever realized you wanted to know. For example, did you know that Kate's Uncle Gary is the black sheep of the family, not only because he's covered with tattoos but because he owns an establishment in Ibiza called "Le Palace de Bang Bang"? :)

J. said...

@Laura, I think just about every family, royal or otherwise, has a black sheep. And I had read about Uncle Gary's drug problems, but did not know about Le Palace de Bang Bang (Ibiza's version of Baddabing?). Thanks for enlightening me. :-) So how did you find my blog?

Emily and Laura said...

I'm not sure how I found your blog, J., but I've been reading it for a while; I didn't want to start commenting till I had a sense of how things work around here. I love the fact that you blog about so many different things -- so many people just stick to a narrow niche, but you've got interests about as wide-ranging as any blog I've seen in a while.

Anonymous said...

Pro-you get to meet all sorts of fascinating people