Aw, poor horse! I wonder if he'll ever be allowed to do a parade again, or do they mark them as unsuitable if they panic on an important occasion? Do they do further training or decide not to risk it?

>Yes, Footage here, look closely right at start of clip right of screen

It was great to see how well it went - I bet that verger was so relieved that things had gone off without a hitch (except that horse of course which I didn't see)  Kate has got it completely right - cool, calm and elegant.  They did marvels for the Royal family - just a shame that Prince Andrew and his daughters were up there in the front of things. I am sorry but I thought Harry looked less than elegant in a uniform that was too big across the shoulders. Yes I would have liked to see more of Princess Anne - she and her mother have kept the dignity that royalty should display. 

> Thankyou for the footage. I actually thought I had dreamt

Me too. I thought I spotted a loose horse, but nobody else saw it, so thought I was imagining things.

What a fantastic sight seeing the parade :)

As for the hat JG I thought it was awful. A lot of people seemed to be wearing their hats stuck to their foreheads instead of actually on their heads  but I look ridiculous in any type of hat so shouldn't be so judgemental 

LOL....can never quite pull off the "Art of Hat Wearing"....My Self either....why is that do you think...??? :)

Mind you....My "Hat Collection" consists of One...!

A woolly thermal Hat....for taking the Dogs out in Winter....so I don't really Know what I'm talking about to be honest...! LOL :)

Oh brilliant thanks Carrington :-) Love the hat not so sure about dress/coat.....

Found some of Princess Anne too
http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/sx-oP9zqMxT/Newly+Married+Royals+Leave+Westminster+Abbey/E8JXjDKZkp4/Princess+Anne

I thought more like panto Ugly sisters, but without the clown make-up..

Aren't we mean.............I said the same 'two ugly sisters' just need to find cinderella.
Sorry I didn't go to London now.

Karen

> Only thing that was missing was some beautiful spotty carriage dogs trotting along with the Windsor Greys and the happy couple LOL :-)
> JMO
>

PERFECTION!!!

I really did enjoy the royal wedding and wish William and Kate the very best for their future :)

Her dress was just amazing, so understated and yet in a way very lavish (I know what I mean LOL!).
Everything was brilliant from start to finish and what is so good is that I think William has taken his time, learning from past royals, and found someone that he genuinely does love, so that they have the best chance of success.

Lindsay
x

At 29 though they need to hurry up producing the next heir though.

Wasn't he born within the year of his parents marriage?

Mind you, look at the longevity of our current royal family, they all seem to be living to a pretty good age, I couldn't believe that Prince Philip had reached 90 (almost) already and the Queen Mother reached 101 and our Queen is still looking fit and healthy at 85..... 29 is just a drop in the ocean to this lot.  (Must be all that good food and wine :-D)

But I agree, I think we shall be hearing of a new babe on it's way this time next year. :-) Another reason to celebrate, love all these excuses to get the champagne bottle out. :-D

I think all the Royal family (those in line for the throne) got children out of the way fairly quickly.

>I think all the Royal family (those in line for the throne) got children out of the way fairly quickly.

Apparently kate has put a minimum of a 1 year ban on starting a family so they can get used to the new roles and settle into that before bringing any children into the mix.  I believe William was born 11 months after the wedding.

Kate and William sound very sensible :) :) My children and most of their friends don't want children before they are 30 - too busy with their careers and trying to buy a house. I didn't have my first until i was almost 28 and that seemed quite old nearly 30 years ago :) :) :) But my mother didn't have her first until she was nearly 38 and I came along when she was 40 - never caused any problems :)

People have to do what seems right for them and their circumstances, I think :)

> At 29 though they need to hurry up producing the next heir though.
>
>

I read somewhere that she wants 4 so she had better get cracking !
I think she will get this Canada trip over and then start trying, or maybe they already are.

I would guess that once she has produced an heir it would allow Harry to marry that Chelsea (or however you spell it).

I always said I wouldn't have any children after 30 LOL.  Had mine at 23 and 27.  My mother had 5 by 29, my Grandmother had completed her family of 4 by 30, as had my other grandmother. 

So yes leaving motherhood deliberately (as opposed to not having a partner) until ones 30's is rather a new phenomenon, as after all  womans fertility falls off markedly after 30, I have read it is only half that of your 20's.  Might account for why so many women have problems conceiving by leaving things late.

Have to say I like having my own life back as an adult in my 40's with adult children, and would not want to be at the teen stage in another 10 years or more, instead will probably have grandchildren I can enjoy and hand back..

I wondered do these brides have to have their fertility checked out before the marriage takes place as they need to provide the next heir to the throne?

I did wonder whether they have to sign an agreement that they will have children.

I expect that it is an unwritten agreement!  :)

Speaking as a 27 year old with no children I am definately going to wait until my 30's. For the person who said they wouldnt want to go through the teens at 40, its because you've already been through it but while you've been stuck in the house with the children I will have been doing my living and hence when Im ready to stop in you will do your living. I always wanted to wait until the right time for having children and Im glad I did because my last partner of 6 years left me with no warning. I see now problem with them waiting. You can have children right up till 45 nowadays anyway!

Trouble with delaying having babies until later is that teenagers' adolescence can come head to head with Mum's  peri-menopause !

It was reported that Princess Di had to have fertility tests before being accepted as a potential bride for Charles.

The monarchy can afford to wait for an heir this time around.  The Queen is still in rude health and, if anything like her mother, may have another 15 years or more to reign.  Likewise, if Charles enjoys such longevity, it will be some considerable years before William gets a sniff of the throne...so they are not in any huge rush for the next in line to be produced.

> The monarchy can afford to wait for an heir this time around. 

The monarchy may be able to afford to wait, but the biological clock doesn't and fertility reduces hugely after 30.  Didn't Prince Edward's wife have problems conceiving/carrying to term?

Then there is the increased risk of birth defects to be considered, don't know what the monarchy would do if the next in line to the throne was Downs for example?

If William had no issue it would be down to naughty harry wouldn't it?

Diana was just under 21 when William was born.

My friend had her first at 37 and second at 40.  She now has a nursery school age child and Primary school when all her friends have got grandchildren they can hand back.

I think we have more scope for enjoying our lives, as we have usually reached the stage in our careers, home ownership etc where money isn't as tight as when we were young.

I have just two years left before I am mortgage free, and still under 50.

Leaving motherhood until very late has socila repercussions, it means many children will not have grandparents (I had a great grandmother when my first child was born) that are fit enough to enjoy them or help out.

At the other end of the scale it often means that parents with child responsibilities may also have elderly parents to care for.

My Father has had 8 children.  The help and support and relationship I have been able to have with him as an adult is not what my younger siblings will be able to enjoy.

Where Dad (30 years my senior) can be relied upon for help and advise, by the time my little sister (51 years his junior) is my age my Dad will be gone or in his dotage, let alone my brother who is only 22 born when Dad was 54.

There are lots of benefits to having children over 30. The parents will have been able to 'sow their wild oats' - get their immaturity out of their system :) Also, older parents are financially better off having been able to save and probably have bought their own house etc. They also tend to have more patience and are prepared to go without in order to make sure that their chldren have good quality parenting. They are also, perhaps, less likely to suffer marital problems when the stresses of parenthood are high. (This is my opinion based on my observations and doesn't necessarily apply to all older parents and likewise doesn't mean that all younger parents do a bad job !!!)

Having said that, there are many benefits to having children when you are young as you have said - but personally, I have been pleased that my children aren't rushing into having children :)

Suppose there are advantages to whatever you choose but as someone who has no children at all but with relatives and friends who have I think as an onlooker young is best. My sister had 3 by the time she was 21 and was able to grow with her kids and they are very close now on the other hand my closest friend had her 1st at 30 and the 2nd at 32 however it was a sad decision as she died when the eldest was at uni. Not something you would expect but such a pity.

Everyone will be different but I had a much better time kicking over the traces when I was in my 30s & 40s because I had so much more confidence but I think that these days people mature much younger and are no doubt full of confidence in their late teens and twenties.

>Diana was just under 21 when William was born.

And look how that turned out.  I think they learned a valuable lesson that picking someone solely to be a brood bitch (so to speak) did the royal family no favours.  This time around, they want a successful marriage that reflects well on the House of Windsor and if that means waiting a few more years to produce the next in line, then so be it.

Catherine is only 29.  She's not just ready for the knackers yard yet and it's not like they can't afford the best medical care and assistance that the world has to offer if it is needed.

bet the solider got a bollocking lol!

> The parents will have been able to 'sow their wild oats' - get their immaturity out of their system :-)

Do you think that in the past we expected to have and took on responsibilities much younger, now with extended school leaving age, childhood on the one hand re responsibilities is extended, but with increased spending power and freedom, the rights of adulthood come too early?

My grandparents were in work at 14 and 15, married by early 20's and children came along (as reliable birth control was not available or ignorance or religion).

Now people in their 20's are still considered little more than children, and not ready for responsibility?????

Maybe when families tended to be larger and extended, children had already experienced the responsibilities of helping care for children etc. 

Certainly at 12 my parents considered me responsible enough to leave at home looking after younger siblings while they shopped, feed and change a baby from 8 years old.

I washed all my smalls from that age and by 10 did all my own clothes by hand, the launderette was for big items, the bedding once a week, and me and my brother went and did it and Dad picked us up later, we were 8 and 10.

Primary school children certainly from Juniors walked to school unaccompanied.

We had home economics at school and learnt everythign abotu running a hoem especially budgetting, how mortgages worked etc.

LOL @ LoUSA....! :)

I'll bet he got a right Royal Bolloc*king...! :)

Harley I now have Two Hats in My collection...found another one when I was spring cleaning in the saucepan cupboard...! Its very fetching...one of those Russian type thing-a-ma-jobbies...with the fluffy flaps...

Brainless I had my 3  kids...two daughters...and a Sun... when I was about 23...25..and 30...got a 2 year old grandson now..and two beautiful little half grandsons...wouldn't change em for the world....keep me young they do...and keep me on my toes...LoL :)

> Catherine is only 29.  She's not just ready for the knackers yard yet

If she was then there would be no hope for me, lol..
I think having children is a personal matter and to have them when you as a person feel ready for them, whatever the age.. There are pro's and con's to having them in any age group.
I have really enjoyed my time in my 20's travelling and learning new skills and with a child there would be no way I could of done that, nor could I of afforded it either.

I personally am struggling to buy somewhere of my own or even rent somewhere decent right now, how on earth would I cope with having a child too??

Suppose it is a bit like having a first litter from a bitch over 5. Do know that Mothers over 30 are referred to as Old Mothers in some NHS departments and are considered to require special services and treatment, do not think the worry is as much if it is not a first child.

>I think having children is a personal matter and to have them when you as a person feel ready for them, whatever the age.. There are pro's and con's to having them in any age group.

Agree totally.

I agree and having one in my early twenties and the second in my late thirties I would opt to have them later as I found it much more rewarding and seemed the 'right' time.

If you have children young, you could possibly be young grandparents!  :)

> Do you think that in the past we expected to have and took on responsibilities much younger, now with extended school leaving age, childhood on the one hand re responsibilities is extended, but with increased spending power and freedom, the rights of adulthood come too early?

Goodness knows what is right and wrong these days :) :) :) It mostly seems to come down to money. With more and more youngsters going to university and runnng up debts and the difficulty in getting affordable housing, whether mortgaging or renting. The days of having a baby at 21 and being able to properly afford one, are long gone for a lot. It also depends on the expectations of the young people. To some, having a job, a home and spare cash is a requisite before bringing a child into this world. For others, being able to afforda child isn't thought about at all :) The trouble is that a lot more money seems to be required now - being able to buy children everything that they want seems almost the norm amongst some families. Going without just isn't as acceptable as it was when we were young - we had and expected so much less.

my MIL says kate wont have kids yet because of the silver jubilee next year!

>my MIL says kate wont have kids yet because of the silver jubilee next year!

Diamond jubilee (60 years since her coronation).  She had her silver in 1977. And surely it would be very fitting for the next in line to the throne to be born in her celebration year ;-)

meant diamond sob!

At least the Pretzel Hat is now going to be put to good use :-)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-13435455

My Mum was 43 and a grandmother a friend (school friend) was 32!! that was fast 16 and 16!!!

My Mum was my Grandmothers second child (born when she was 19), yet my mother made her into a grandmother at 36.

My maternal great grandmother was only a year older than paternal grandmother, and outlived her by a couple of years, so she was still alive as a Great Great Grandmother.

My Dad's Mum was cared for by her grandson and his wife as my Aunt was looking after an elderly husband.

Having more generations means the care load can be spread out.

My Dad is Great Grandad to 6 now and he is going strong.
He hopes to get to NZ once more to see the two there, the youngest being the first "Blunt" Great Grandson.
All the rest have been girls and a son by his granddaughter so he has Dad's name.

I have no grandchildren myself all the children are from my brother, he started at 19, I was over 30.

My dad is a fit 76 year old with a wife 30 years his junior, great grand children he can still enjoy with adult grandchildren.  Though he has 3 children the same or younger ages than three of his grandchildren.

Dad at 79 married new step Mum at 60 just over 18 months ago, Im 56 now. Mum died 6 years ago and her husband 10 so its all happy happy now. No sign of step family yet though LOL ?

Hee hee at 60 she won't be likely producing any, though I know my kids were a bit worried when I remarried, but I was adamant I was not doing that again in my 40's!

Well I am a 'great greaty aunt' to 6 nephews and neices!!
My sister is the great grannie .