Yes, you *are* on topic, Rachel, or more than you think : )

Bridegroom Prince Haakon's great-great grandmother was Queen
Victoria; she was also the great-great-grandmother of the Prince of
Wales (unless I'm missing a 'great' I think that's right).

Some day, I want to investigate the
historical-political-gynaecological-lactational  axis that has led to
much of Europe still having  the monarchical system.  I only have the
vague bare bones of the idea - but here it is!

Queen V. had 9 children. She had this many because she didn't bf for
long, if at all. They survived to adulthood because despite not being
bf (though they may have been wet nursed for a short time - must find
out!). They all (or almost all) married into European royalty, with
more-or-less arranged marriages, which were designed to bolster
European monarchy at a time of growing republican and Marxist action.
It became important to marry, and procreate - which that generation
did, almost as serially as Queen V. Their children married more
European royalty, and so did their children.

Arguably, this maintained the life of European royalty, or some of
it, longer than would have occured 'naturally' - if Queen Victoria
had bf each child for two or three years, say, she would have had
fewer children.  This would have de-stablised the European
monarchies, and more of them would have ended sooner, under the
pressure from republican movements.

I am not going to bring politics into Lactnet, except to say I am
*not* a monarchist...and I think it would have been a good thing for
Europe if Queen V. *had* breastfed ; )

Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc, Newcastle upon Tyne UK

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