Here comes the bride..

The hunt for a bride for Prince William has begun! The top contender at the moment seems to be his present girlfriend, Kate Middleton. They seem so happy and so young and so in love and depending on which report you read they plan on getting married. Despite all of the speculation, one must note that William is only 23 years old; merely a pup, and he no doubt would like to 'sow his wild oats'. So, I'm sure we will see a bevy of lovely ladies photographed in close proximity to him, whether he wants them in the frame or not. We will never know the true status of the relationship as royal prince's are not usually photographed touching their girlfriend, so the first we are likely to know about an engagement is when it's announced.

When the time comes for him to choose a wife to bear his children, she will probably be from the upper classes, wealthy, aristocratic and well bred. The options for marrying in his status level are limited. Unlike the good old interbred days, royalty no longer seems to marry royalty. Today people would gasp in horror if he took off with his cousin, Lady Gabriella Windsor, gorgeous as she is. So should things not work out with Kate, I have compiled a list of potential candidates. In no particular order:

Britney Spears - just thought I'd throw her in there since they supposedly emailed each other. Unfortunately, now that she's married, she out of the running. Of course if she happens to be divorced by the time William seriously considers settling down, she may once again be a consideration. Princess Britney does have a nice Barbie doll ring to it.

Christina Aguilera - her version of God Save the Queen would blow the corgis right out of the room

Mary Kate or Ashley Oslen - Maybe they could sub for each other when they're ill. When Prince William does walkabouts he would have one for each side of the street.

Hillary Duff - Didn't she recently play a princess in a movie? What better preparation than that? A modern day Grace Kelly with her own clothing line.

Princess Theodora of Greece - not a bad looking girl and already familiar with the ins and outs of royalty.

Princess Madeleine of Sweden - Beautiful girl, maybe too beautiful. They would be so dazzling together we wouldn't know whom to look at.

Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden - the royal power couple of the century.

Charlotte Casiraghi - daughter of Princess Caroline of Monaco. Beautiful but Catholic. Maybe she would consider converting to the Church of England for him.

Princess Leia - He might even get his own action figure.

Chelsy Davy - Prince Harry's girlfriend. The royals do have a precedent of a bride marrying the brother when her fiancé unexpectedly dies.

For versatility, this list can also be used should something unfortunate happen to Prince William. Just change out Chelsy Davy's name with Kate Middleton's.

© Marilyn Braun 2005