CNN PRESENTS: THE WOMEN WHO WOULD BE QUEEN
REPORTED BY SOLEDAD O’BRIEN
CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien examines the lives of Catherine Middleton and Prince William in a documentary that explores how the future King and Queen have been influenced by the legacy of his mother, Princess Diana, and are forging a very modern royal marriage. O’Brien chronicles their friendship-turned-romance, and how they are preparing for an “ordinary” married life in North Wales following their nuptials.
AIRTIMES (All times Eastern)
Sunday, April 24, 20118:00pm – 9:00pm
11:00pm – 12:00am
Monday, April 25, 20112:00am – 3:00am
Saturday, April 30, 20118:00pm – 9:00pm
11:00pm – 12:00am
Sunday, May 01, 20112:00am – 3:00am
Speaking about young Prince William’s early life, Christopher Andersen, author of several books about the royal family, tells O’Brien that sometimes Princess Diana’s eldest son was a witness to his parent’s troubled marriage. Andersen suggests the prince’s early sad family experiences may yield insights into his deliberation for his own romantic life, and to what drew the prince to his fiancée.
“William became sort of ‘the fixer’ ... here’s this little boy when his mother locks herself in the bathroom after an argument with Charles, and she’s sobbing, and here’s little seven-year-old William slipping tissues under the door and saying, ‘I hate to see you sad, Mummy’ ... so ... he meets Kate and Kate exposes him to a happy family for the first time ....stability,” Andersen tells O’Brien in the documentary.
Young Diana and young Kate are described by friends as painfully shy. Princess Diana was said by many who knew her to have long nursed a crush on Prince Charles, and friends of Kate Middleton have related that, similarly Kate long admired William from afar. And in 2000, both Prince William and Katherine Middleton spent portions of their “gap” years, between secondary school and university, in volunteer service in Chile, though ironically, the two were on separate missions and never met.
Kate is said to have switched her initial selection of Edinburgh University to St. Andrews University shortly after the palace announced that Prince William would be attending university there, though later, it would be Kate who would encourage struggling student, Prince William, that he could indeed make it through their challenging courses. They both completed their studies in art history there.
After their graduations, their romance took on more public visibility – and became more complicated. Reminiscent of Princess Diana, paparazzi aggressively followed Kate, and Prince William worried about Kate’s safety. The prince entered his military training, and sometimes Kate was alone for long periods. Prince William broke off their relationship in 2007, after seeking counsel from his father. Of course, the world knows the couple later reconciled and the documentary gives details of their engagement, including how and where the prince popped the question.
O’Brien describes the ways in which the couple has seemed to pursue a strong foundation for marriage – living together for a time, taking premarital counseling, and preparing for a simple early married life far from Buckingham Palace. O’Brien also reports on the moving ways in which the couple is honoring the legacy of the prince’s mother in their marriage ceremony, including Prince William’s selection of the engagement ring for his bride-to-be, and in the location the couple will take their vows, Westminster Abbey.
Also featured in the documentary are interviews with Oliver Baines, a friend of Kate Middleton’s days at boarding school; Mary Clarke, Lady Diana’s nanny; Arthur Edwards, who has photographed both princes' lives during his 30-year career at The Sun newspaper; Berkshire pub owner and Middleton family friend John Haley; long-time friends of the couple Jules Knight and Richard Dennen; Dr. James Colthurst, Lana Marks, and Mary Robertson, long time friends of Princess Diana; Malcolm Sutherland, leader for Kate Middleton’s and Prince William’s separate Chilean volunteer service expeditions; Penny Walker, Lady Diana’s music teacher; Charles Warren, one of Prince William’s lecturers at St. Andrews; and Ken Wharfe, bodyguard for the royal family.
For more information
follow the link to CNN's wedding website.AIRTIMES (All times Eastern)
Sunday, April 24, 20118:00pm – 9:00pm
11:00pm – 12:00am
Monday, April 25, 20112:00am – 3:00am
Saturday, April 30, 20118:00pm – 9:00pm
11:00pm – 12:00am
Sunday, May 01, 20112:00am – 3:00am
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