It's the first Wednesday of the month,
the day that members of the
Insecure Writer's Support Group
share their writing struggles
and writing successes
and offer their encouragement
and support to fellow writers.
To visit the IWSG website, click here.
To become a member of the IWSG, click here.
Our wonderful co-hosts who are volunteering today,
along with IWSG Founder Alex J. Cavanaugh are
along with IWSG Founder Alex J. Cavanaugh are
Stop by their posts and thank them for hosting.
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Every month the IWSG announces a question that members can answer
with advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story in their IWSG posts.
Or, the question can inspire members
if they aren't sure what to write about on IWSG Day.
Remember the question is optional.
This month's featured question is:
Describe someone you admired when you were a child. Did your opinion of that person change when you grew up?
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Happy New Year, Everyone!
I was ready to change the page on 2024 for sure.
I am happy to have this bright shiny new year to move forward into.
I hope 2025 is a year of peace and happiness for us all!
I grew up in Canada in an extended family that revered the Royal Family.
If you entered a relative's home on either side of my family,
you would likely see one or more photos of members of the Royal Family.
Usually the photos included the young Queen Elizabeth II, her husband Prince Philip,
and their young children Prince Charles and Princess Anne.
The Royal Family ~ 1956
I decided when I was about four that I would marry Prince Charles when I grew up.
I admired him as a real prince who lived in a real castle,
someone who had stepped out of the pages of my fairy tale books
and into modern London, Windsor, and Balmoral.
My family respected the Royal Family, and my parents, grandparents, and other relatives
honored them for their bravery during World War II and other historical events.
I remember my Grandmother MacBeath from my father's family,
and my Great Aunt Nan from my mother's family
practicing their curtsies for events the Queen was attending.
Yes, I would marry Prince Charles, become a princess,
ride a gorgeous horse, and go to garden parties and royal balls!
A mounted trooper of the Life Guards on duty at Horse Guards
London, England, United Kingdom
June 8, 2014
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
When Prince Charles married Lady Diana Spencer on July 29, 1981,
my parents, my brother and his wife, some of my sisters,
and I stayed up most of the night to watch the wedding ceremony.
As the couple walked down the aisle of St Paul's Cathedral,
we toasted the bride and groom with champagne over strawberries in chilled glasses.
I can still hear the Archbishop of Canterbury saying during his sermon,
“Here is the stuff of which fairy tales are made—
the prince and princess on their wedding day.”
Sadly, the world soon came to know that their marriage was not the stuff of fairy tales.
Charles and Diana separated in 1992 and divorced on August 28, 1996.
I can also still hear Princess Diana saying in an interview with Martin Bashir of the BBC,
“There were three of us in the marriage. That made it a bit crowded.”
A year and a few days later, Aug. 31, 1997, Princess Diana was dead.
I stayed up the entire night sitting on the edge of the bathtub
and staring at the tv on our bathroom counter, sobbing, unbelieving,
as the horrific and tragic events unfolded.
I Visit The Diana, the Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain
London, England, United Kingdom
June1, 2014
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
I had long outgrown my girlish plans to marry Prince Charles
by the time he and I were teenagers.
As the years passed I realized there was no way I would want to live a royal life.
I love to be anonymous and free, to live my life on my terms.
I'd rather be the photographer than the photographed!
Prince William and Princess Catherine
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
September 24, 2016
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
I have followed Prince Charles and other members
of his extended family throughout their lives with interest.
As an adult, I have admired Prince Charles for many things,
beginning with his concerns about plastic pollution
and the environment in the early 1970s
and continuing with his advocacy for sustainable practices,
organic farming, and renewable energy,
not to mention his extensive charitable work
and his support of health, education, and responsible urban development.
I am well aware of the many criticisms of the Royal Family and the Monarchy,
and I'm not going there in this post.
I don't revere the Royal Family as my older relatives once did.
I don't have their photographs displayed in my home.
But there is still much that I value in the family and in the institution.
And there will always be
that little girl inside me who once planned to marry Prince Charles.
Me, Shortly After Turning Eight
Along with My Brother Roy (6) and Sister Donnie (4)
Likely Alymer, Ontario, Canada
April 1958
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue. All Rights Reserved
Wishing each of you a fun IWSG Day,
and a big thank you to our awesome co-hosts.
Have a healthy, happy, and creative January!
Take care!
Till next time ~
Fundy Blue
Standing Into Danger https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com
Copyright ©2025 – All rights reserved.
My next post will be January 17th 🤞
