This reproduction lark is quite amazing. No matter how carefully various 'elders and betters' try to arrange matters the result is the equivalent of throwing a pair of dice! Take Prince Charles, for example, not the brightest light inside 'Buck House' and I suspect he is the sort of man who is often defined as 'meaning well', and we all know what a menace they can be! His coupling with Princess Diana was not so much a marriage as a bit of royal breeding with the prize bull eventually choosing a suitable heifer from the herd of upper-class 'gals' then available. Not the least of her attractions from the Palace point of view was that she was too young and immature to have any history! Mind you, to Charles' surprise, I think, she soon developed and became both very tough and very fragile.
Anyway, the result of this odd couple's coupling has been two Royal Princes who, against all the odds, seem as near perfect for their roles as it is possible to be. William seems a quietly intelligent young man who is at home in this ghastly modern world whilst managing to retain the best virtues of the old English gentry. He had the very good sense to marry the daughter of sturdy middle-class parents who started their own business and built it up to be a very prosperous, going concern. Kate seems to have her very elegant feet firmly on the ground which is exactly where her prince also stands.
Harry, of course, is straight from Central Casting for the role of second son. He is up for anything, most of it good, like fighting in Afghanistan or trecking across Antarctica with wounded servicemen, and some of it exceedinlgy naughty like rave parties in Las Vegas - the lucky sod! But through it all you sense a serious young man, perhaps not quite as serious as his brother, but aware of his larger responsibilities. I hope he continues to enjoy his life and amuse us as he does it. As children, both these young men suffered the trauma of losing a young and beautiful mother. Perhaps it served to remind them that their life is not totally frivolous.
I really don't know what is going to happen to my country in the first half of this century. At the moment the centrifugal forces are at work and many of the ties and relationships which once seemed unbreakable, are gradualy weakening and disintegrating. Of course, our Royal family can do nothing to stop it but at least by conducting themselves responsibly they may perhaps add a foot to the brake. The role of these two young men could be critical.
