Even though I'm the mother of two young girls, I'm not worried about them getting caught up in the whole princess complex. My husband is some kind of anti-royalist so he keeps any princess talk in check. Last time the girls tried to dress up as princesses, my husband gave them a lecture on Constitutional governance.
Which means I may have trouble convincing him that we need to buy this refrigerator.
The media love a good princess story, though, and they're all over the upcoming wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton. There's been a ton of coverage and I think I've seen most of the stories because I have friends who are, shall we say, obsessed about the impending nuptials. Most stories steered clear of religion but check this one out, from Reuters:
Kate Middleton confirmed ahead of royal wedding
As in, confirmed confirmed. She became a member of the Church of England. What was she prior to this? An unconfirmed Anglican? A non-Anglican? Was she already Christian? Well, let's go to the story for the details:
"Catherine Middleton was confirmed by the Bishop of London at a private service at St James's Palace attended by her family and Prince William," the spokeswoman said.
"Miss Middleton, who was already baptised, decided to be confirmed as part of her marriage preparations."
William himself was confirmed by Chartres in a ceremony at Windsor Castle in March 1997 when he was 14.
OK, so if she was already baptized as a Christian, I wonder, again, if she were an unconfirmed Anglican or what denomination she was prior to becoming Anglican. I mean, the whole reason I'm wondering is because of this story. I hadn't even given it any thought prior to seeing this news. And yet, the story completely whiffs on the answer. I have no idea what she was.
Now, there is a line that may give a hint. It's the last line:
British law forbids a Catholic, or anyone married to a Catholic, from taking the throne.
I mean, the story doesn't say that Middleton was Catholic. But if the story is telling us that British law forbids anyone from taking the throne if they're married to a Catholic, that suggests she was one. Doesn't it? Or does it? I'm totally confused. (Here's some background on that no Catholic royalty law, for what it's worth.)
Voice of America reports that with her confirmation, she "joins" the Church of England. That would seem to indicate that her baptism was in a different church body. The AP report doesn't tell us.
Thankfully the Telegraph has the goods.:
Miss Middleton, 29, was baptised at the age of five months at St Andrew's Bradfield parish in Berkshire, but was not confirmed as a schoolgirl. The ceremony, which marks the point where baptised Christians make a firm commitment to their faith, was held on March 10. ...
It is understood that she received guidance and counselling from the bishop before deciding to become confirmed. ... The Bishop of London, who is regarded as one of the Prince of Wales's favourite clerics, has played a role in several royal religious ceremonies in recent years. He confirmed the 14-year-old Prince William during a ceremony in St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, in March 1997. ...
Once Miss Middleton becomes a member of the Royal family, frequent church services will be a part of her life.
And it actually goes on to offer more information. So kudos to the Telegraph for not expecting its readers to have to investigate answers to some basic questions. I think this report makes it pretty clear that she was baptized in an Anglican church, but if you're wondering, the church web site is here.