Maori man to marry into Royal Family

From today's Telegraph UK online:

Maori prepares to marry into Royal Family

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Maori prepares to marry into Royal Family
(Filed: 26/07/2004)

Lady Davina Windsor, the 26-year-old daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, is to marry a Maori builder this week.

Lady Davina, who is 20th in line to the throne, met Gary Lewis, a former sheep shearer, while on holiday in Bali four years ago. Mr Lewis, 33, is believed to be the first Maori to marry into the Royal Family.

The couple, reportedly known as Denny and Gazza by their friends, will marry in a low-key ceremony at Kensington Palace on Saturday.

Mr Lewis, 33, who comes from Gisborne on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island, has an 11-year-old son from a former relationship.

According to The New Zealand Herald, Mr Lewis, who has been described as a "renovator", has said his future in-laws are "no different to anyone else".

His father, Larry, was a champion shearer in New Zealand in the 1980s and his mother, Viki Carr, previously worked as a maid.

Lady Davina, whose father the Duke of Gloucester is the Queen's cousin, keeps a low profile and does not carry out any official royal duties.

She attended Kensington Preparatory School and later St George's in Ascot and was once reported to have gone out with Rupert Young, the brother of Will Young, the winner of the television gameshow PopIdol.

She and her husband are expected to settle in Britain.

If the story wasn't real it could make a great idea for a sitcom!

I say good for the Royal Family!

They could stand a little genetic diversity!

She married up!

This is good news. The Royal bloodline needs a little freshening up! One only needs to look at Charles to see that. However Di's kids are OK cause one looks just like her, and the other isn't Charles' anyway...

All this talk about freshening up the blood line, its not like theres any English blood in them anyway!

Commonwealth members of TC -- your comments are going to go over most Americans' heads.

It is my perception that most British people are forgetting that "Windsor" is a completely made-up name, and most Americans would be shocked to learn of this in the first place (or of the equally foggy fact that the predominant bloodline in the British royal family is German).

We are so very glad our Founding Fathers created a pure republic and banned hereditary titles of any sort; nonetheless, we cannot help but continue to be fascinated by your royals' antics, which proves to us on a continuing basis of the wisdom of the Founders' decision. And I think a little Maori blood will do them good.

And p.s. -- poor Charles. He has the most unfortunate face. I met him ages ago, and he was much better looking in person than in his photos. Actually a rather handsome man, not at all like the jug-eared, pointy-nosed upper-class twit (to borrow a phrase from Monty Python) he looks to be in his pictures. Some people are unlucky like that.

*On 2004-07-27 07:11, Satan's Sin wrote:*It is my perception that most British people are forgetting that "Windsor" is a completely made-up name,

Your perception is wrong, we're very well aware of it.

Anyway, you're straying into politics, here.
That's a no-no on TC.

Trader Woody

For an American such as myself, a discussion of royalty is so safely in the camp of celebrity gossip as to be outside the same universe as politics, but I accept your warning and thank you for setting me straight on the common British perception of "Windsor."

And if this is not a political question, could the same thing be said about "Mountbatten?"

On 2004-08-05 08:30, Satan's Sin wrote:
For an American such as myself, a discussion of royalty is so safely in the camp of celebrity gossip as to be outside the same universe as politics

Well, I'm not saying I disagree with you at all, I just don't appreciate a patronising lecture about the pros and cons of our respective political systems.

Trader Woody

I apologize.

No worries, mate.

Trader Woody

Put 'er there, cousin.

Put 'er there, cousin.

Ha ha! Very good - 'hands across the ocean' and all that.

Cheers,
Trader Woody