Like many other couples of their generation, Prince William and Kate Middleton have followed a recently popular pattern with their courtship. They met at school, dated a while, lived together, broke up, dated others, reconciled and finally decided to marry, probably with a little push from their families that it was time to settle down.

Unlike many other couples their age, with the exception of some show biz favorites and sports idols, every tiny fluctuation within the relationship has been observed, speculated about, photographed and scrutinized by millions of watchful eyes. However, unlike any other modern couple in the public eye, centuries of tradition and history, the very future of an empire, rest on their shoulders.

Read the rest at AOL's MyDaily.

Thanks as usual to Gina Misiroglu of Red Room for putting me in touch with the AOL people. It's just one of the great ways she's bringing traffic to Red Room and getting attention for Red Room's authors.