How has courting changed for the current heirs to the English throne compared to Queen Victoria?

How has courting changed for the current heirs to the English throne compared to Queen Victoria?

Fortunately todays young royals are pretty much free to choose their spouses for "love" and not for land or political gain. I think this is partly due to the disastrous marriage Margaret had when Elizabeth did not allow her to marry the man she loved.

I don't think we know how much influence the Queen has on the choices of the younger generation's mates. I presume their social circles were pretty much limited up until William and Harry.

I think those who are in line for the throne still are under great pressure and scrutiny in their choice of a mate and partner.

I think the younger generation of royals are able to seek a mate based on their feelings rather than being limited to other royals. The days of the arranged marriages for political reasons are long gone. Prince William and Kate are a prime example

In the past royal marriages were arranged for political expediency to other royals. Today we witness the fairytale marriages of the young. Prince William and Catherine are a prime example of what appears to be a loving union and Catherine is not a royal by birth

I think the establishment have softened their views considerable over the decades. Ironically, it is the tabloid media, and the public who read them, who cause most of the angst these days. Prince Charles got incredibly negative press before and after marrying his current wife; Kate Middleton was disparaged for years as "Waity Katie" (the implication being that William would never marry her); and now Harry and his new girlfriend (who happens to be an American actress) are having to deal with unfounded gossip. It seems that human nature is slow to change!

Yeah, I always felt bad for Charles & Diana. It was so evident that they didn't love each other. I was actually very pleased when Charles was able to publicly acknowledge his love for Camilla. I hope that William & Kate will be happy.

We now have a divorced Charles married to a divorcee, and William married to a commoner. It seems the new generation of royals will be able to marry whomever they please. (At least, whomever of the same race and opposite sex...) I think the tragedy of Diana and Charles is what changed things, and that's a good thing. The choice of partners of course is not the only aspect of "courting." In Victoria's day, no "dating," and apart from balls and such, all of the courting would be out of public view. Today that is totally different, and royals can't expect any relief from constant media scrutiny.

Wow! How has it not changed? I remember my mother bemoaning the fact that poor Princess Margaret could not pick her own husband for love. When I asked why she told me that princesses could not marry anyone who was divorced. She also said, in a conspiratorial voice, that Margaret was a little "fast". Funny that this conversation came back to me as I watched THE CROWN. I think Queen Victoria may have been the rebel who began the conversation about the "whys" of royal courtship.

There are no longer arranged marriages but I am sure the current heirs to the throne must choose carefully. I imagine the Queen would have her say if she was unhappy.

Diana's life and death changed the rules of courting. She gave us a real sense of what life in the "realm" was like and made us want the royal family to be real people. To allow for love and choice. And I think that William, Kate and Harry have continued that. Love certainly didn't matter in Victoria's time, it was about kingdoms and power. That need is certainly not part of our world.

I don't know if the Queen (if one is ruling) still must be the one to propose but, I am certain that it would not be done on such a short notice. There is still a preference for someone with a title but I think the recognition of how much inbreeding was present and how disastrous that was has changed the emphasis on this. Also, in modern days, the kings and queens of the world, particularly in Europe, have far less power and have become more figureheads. All in all, the courting and marriage alliances have become more open though there are still real concerns about scandals.

They are not as limited in their choice of partners but I think they have to pick carefully. I think they are also able to wait for someone they love. They are no longer limited to only royal partners. They also no longer have marriages arranged for them.

Obviously things have changed drastically and for the better. I think that social media has played a role in the change. Under so much scrutiny, and because of so many recent scandals, the rules had to be relaxed. Also, how much real influence do royals hold as far as running governments, really? Their relevancy plays a role in the change in how they court and marry.

Technically the monarch still holds considerable power, but practically speaking there would be a constitutional crisis if she was to use it. Indeed, there's always a flurry of media angst when a member of the Royal Family even hints at a public position on a topic (which is rather ironic considering that this means that the any member of the public is actually freer to express their opinions in public than members of the Royal Family. People are generally happy for them to lend their support to worthy causes by being a patron (aged 91 the Queen is still patron of more than 600 charities), but expressing a public opinion on anything that even hints at politics tends to get a negative reaction very quickly.

So, theoretically, the monarch's powers including summoning and cancelling parliament (but in reality this is done in her name these days, rather than by her). She's also responsible for agreeing to acts of parliament and could refuse to sign - but no monarch has tried to do that for 300 years. She also has the power to appoint the prime minister, declare war and issue passports - but, again, these are now done in the monarch's name, not by the monarch.

Since monarchs are currently more figureheads than actual rulers, there is more leeway for a royal to marry and arranged marriages are no longer the norm. Also, since divorce has become acceptable, which it was not in Queen Victoria's day, the rules of courting have definitely changed.