Photographer: Mario Testino
Blogging about the Royals as a rule is not my piece of cake, but thought to do it today as the sun is out, it’s a wonderful day – a-picnic-in-the-park-day- after the horrible weather the past two weeks [and at least there’s some chess involved too]. Official photos of William and Kate have been released.[only two – very stingy of them, I think] Comparing the couple to Charles and Diana [when they got engaged], I would say they look more mature and confident. Diana looked more like the submissive-type of person than Kate – or is it my imagination? I’m not a huge fan of the Royals. When I was a child – about age 9-11, I was a fan of the Dutch Royal House. My mum used to have a book about the Dutch Royal family and I loved paging and reading through the book every now and then.
Charles and Diana – with the announcement of their engagement.
Chess and the British Royals
By reading an article on the site of Chess History – I might take a guess and say that William might enjoy a game of chess too – and hopefully, Kate as well – to support the future king-to-be. [hehe] He hasn’t got a choice actually, he needs to follow in the footsteps of his forefathers [lol] to show l[r]oyalty to the game [hehe].Following quotes from Edward Winter’s site: chesshistory.
Victoria (1819-1901):
On page 74 of the Chess Player’s Chronicle, 1842 a correspondent, ‘H.N., Charter House’, asked: ‘Is not chess an amusement much in vogue with the courtly throng of Buckingham House? and may not her Majesty be numbered among the votaries of Caissa?’ The published reply was: ‘Chess is frequently played at the palace, and not uncommonly by the Queen herself.’
Edward VII (1841-1910):
From page 131 of Lasker’s Chess Magazine, January 1906, page 131:
‘King Edward, we are told, is developing an enthusiasm for chess. In that case, says a writer in Tid-Bits, he is only following in the steps of many of his predecessors on the throne …
Read more on THIS LINK on the site of Chess-History by Edward Winter.
Page 158 of CHESS, 24 December 1954 published a photograph of a game of chess being played by ‘the young sons of the Duke of Gloucester, the Queen’s uncle’, i.e. Prince Richard (born 1944) and Prince William (1941-1972).
Image: chesshistory.com – The young sons of the Duke of Gloucester, the Queen’s uncle, play chess. Prince Richard [left] and the 12 year old Prince William…
Chessalee 
Seker is jy mal oor skaak, ne? 🙂
(Wil jy meer een Russiese gesegde? 😉 )
Hi Eugene, Ja ek dink nogal so. 🙂 Ek het ook gehoop dat jy vir Little Indian gaan omverskoning vra op die ander link, hy voel nie gelukkig dat jy hom ‘n trol genoem het nie. Dink jy nie jy skuld hom ‘n verskoning nie? – al het jy dit dalk in ‘n grap bedoel. – nie almal beskou als altyd as grappe nie. Little Indian is ‘n groot vriend van my vir ‘n paar jaar al en ander mense se gevoelens moet maar in ag geneem word in dit wat jy sê.
Ek moet bieg, soveel as wat ek die Ingelse pes, die Royal House fassineer my nogal. 😳
In my jeug was ek ‘n Diana-fanatic – MAL oor haar gewees! Dink darem ek het dit ontgroei…William het gelukkig sy goeie looks ontgroei. 😆
hi Vlam! Ek was ook ‘n fan van Diana – maar ongelukkig is daar nie nou regtig iets meer aan die Royals wat my trek nie, nie eens die seuns nie. Ek sal verseker die troue deursit – want dis altyd mooi, maar nee wat, oor hulle gaan ek regtig nie ‘n pennie mors om iets te koop wat oor hulle gaan nie. – ek het iewers op my blog ‘n Diana-inskrywing, maar sal rerig nie uit my pad gaan vir ‘n Kate-een nie. 🙂