CHAPTER 40
It is now nearly four years since I began writing this book, and even more since I carried out the bulk of the research on which it is based. Therefore, I thought it would be interesting to see what happened to the various families who, together, made up the ‘Welsh Renaissance’ of the 15th and 16th centuries and who laid the bedrock for the ‘Rosicrucian Enlightenment’ (as Dame Francis Yates called it) of the 17th century.
The marriage of Prince William to Kate Middleton – now known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – went smoothly and according to plan. However, as he was still a serving officer in the RAF – one who flies air-sea rescue helicopters – they chose a cottage in Wales for their first married home, positioned not far from the airbase from which he operated.
Already, in 2013, the Duchess has shown herself to be a natural at handling both the protocols of royalty and the demands of the media. To date, her only major mistake was to be photographed topless while on honeymoon at a private residence in France. These pictures which, although not published in the UK, appeared in a number of European papers and magazines and caused major embarrassment to the Royal family, reminding them that, like Diana, this potential future queen has a price on her head. As far as the paparazzi are concerned, she is a meal ticket and, therefore, fair game. If she had thought it would be life as usual when out of the public spotlight, she has been disabused of this illusion. From now on, unless she and her Prince take active measures to secure it, she has no private life. At all times she must behave as though she is being watched by a camera lens, for all too often she will be.
A somewhat similar fate has befallen her brother-in-law, Prince Harry. He, like William, is a helicopter pilot, but in an attack rather than a rescue role. From October 2012 to March 2013, he was serving with British forces in Afghanistan, his task being to act as ‘shotgun’ on an Apache helicopter. His job is to fly higher than helicopters sent to rescue wounded troops and, from this vantage point, attack and take out any enemy forces that seek to hinder such operations. This, press reports point out, is not an easy option, but is somewhat similar to being a Spitfire or Hurricane Ace in World War II. Thus it is that the third in line to the throne is following a very active military career, one wholly in line with his Arthurian ancestors.