Library:Personal Life (Thomas): Romances: Difference between revisions

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==Relationships==
==Relationships==
===Jaclyn Smith===
===Lynda Carter===
[[File:Charlies Angels cast 1976.JPG|thumb|200px|right|{{wp|Jaclyn Smith}}, (left) photographed with costars {{wp|Farrah Fawcett}} and {{wp|Kate Jackson}} for the popular crime drama show ''{{wp|Charlie's Angels}}'']]
[[File:Lynda Carter Wonder Woman black and white.jpg|thumb|200px|right|The {{wp|American}} actress {{wp|Lynda Carter}} as the superhero character {{wp|Wonder Woman}}]]
Around 1977, Thomas, who had then been residing in the {{wp|United States}} for a while, first came into contact with the {{wp|American}} actress who, in that year, had been steadily rising in prominence thanks to her role in the popular crime drama show ''{{wp|Charlie's Angels}}'' in which she had a major role alongside fellow actresses {{wp|Kate Jackson}} and {{wp|Farrah Fawcett}}. Soon enough, Thomas, having been a somewhat regular watcher of the show, decided to personally meet {{wp|Jaclyn Smith|Smith}} himself, an endeavour in which he proved successful when the prince was personally invited by one of the show's executive producers {{wp|Aaron Spelling}} who subsequently arranged a meeting between the prince and the actress while the latter was shooting for an episode of the show's second season.
Beginning in 1978, while residing in the {{wp|United States}} for his academic studies, Thomas first met the {{wp|American}} actress {{wp|Lynda Carter}}. Reportedly, their first meeting was arranged exclusively by the producers of {{wp|Wonder Woman (TV series)|''Wonder Woman''}} who were informed by Thomas of him having taken a liking towards the star actress who was none other than {{wp|Lynda Carter}} herself who played the {{wp|Wonder Woman|titular superhero character}}. In any case, {{wp|Lynda Carter|Carter}}, at the time in an unhappy marriage with her former talent agent {{wp|Ron Samuels}}, immediately took a liking to the unaffiliated Thomas who was seen by her as an escape from her unhappy marriage given the former's "alluring charm" and "impeccable style". Consequently, under much secrecy, the two soon began an extramarital affair that promptly escalated with the birth of a son [[William Carter|William]] in May 1979, an event that, in turn, led to {{wp|Lynda Carter|Carter}} finally divorcing her {{wp|Ron Samuels|husband}} for good the following year in favour of a serious relationship with her {{wp|British}} lover. Then, in June 1983, the couple welcomed a daughter [[Jacqueline Carter|Jacqueline]], their second and youngest child.


In any case, the arranged meeting proved to be an instant success, with {{wp|Jaclyn Smith|Smith}}, a divorcee from her first husband and actor {{wp|Roger Davis (television actor)|Roger Davis}}, later describing Thomas as "very easy-going" and "impeccably charming" in their first encounter. Soon afterward, the two began a longstanding and passionate affair that would last throughout the following decade, although this relationship, upon the behest of Thomas himself, was kept largely secret from the media and the public, and its knowledge is restricted to only a select few, which included {{wp|Jaclyn Smith|Smith}}'s co-stars {{wp|Kate Jackson}} and {{wp|Farrah Fawcett}}, both of whom agreed to remain silent on the affair and to never disclose it to the public, out of respect for the couple's privacy. On the other hand, the couple's relationship also allowed Thomas to appear on the show himself at the invitation of the show's producers who, reportedly with the couple's own agreement and supervision, gave the prince the role of Patrick Williams, a retired {{wp|United States Navy|US Navy}} officer and briefly a romantic interest of {{wp|Jaclyn Smith|Smith}}'s character {{wp|Kelly Garrett (Charlie's Angels)|Kelly Garrett}}. At the same time, in order not to deliberately reveal his true identity, Thomas was otherwise cast in the show under his alias of "Charles T. Lawrence" Then, roughly two years into their relationship, the couple would welcome their first child together, which is also {{wp|Jaclyn Smith|Smith}}'s firstborn child, that being a son [[William Smith|William]], a circumstance which led to the show temporarily halting its production for a few months or so, in order to give much-needed time for {{wp|Jaclyn Smith|Smith}} to raise her firstborn son with the help of Thomas himself who, despite the accompanying risks and potential scandal should his affair with the actress ever be discovered and publicised, opted to remain close with his romantic partner. Later, in a 2005 interview with {{wp|Larry King}}, the prince said, ''"Frankly, when Will was born, we initially had little idea in going forward with our relationship, and were kind of a little freaked out at the beginning, but then, we just soldiered up and decided that with what we have now, we are just going to do the best we could"''. A few years later, on 22 June 1983, the couple welcomed a daughter [[Jacqueline Smith|Jacqueline]].
However, despite positive signs, the couple's relationship was briefly put to the test when, after initially seeking his [[Charles the Great|father]]'s permission to marry {{wp|Lynda Carter|Carter}} in light of their growing affair, Thomas was unexpectedly denied from doing so with the main reason being that, as a divorcee whose former husband is still alive, {{wp|Lynda Carter|Carter}} was deemed unfit by the {{wp|Church of England}} and the conservative parts of {{wp|British}} society to be a proper {{wp|queen consort}}. In this, even after attempting to explain that {{wp|Lynda Carter|Carter}} was escaping from an unhappy marriage and that their two children together would be treated as legitimised upon marriage so as to avoid any major scandal, Thomas was once again denied permission to marry his romantic interest. Nonetheless, despite the apparent impossibility of marriage, the two chose to remain together throughout the 1980s for the common sake of their children. Eventually, despite the two enjoying a mutually happy relationship, the couple later parted ways on mutual terms just a few years prior to Thomas's subsequent marriage, thereby ending their almost fifteen-year-long relationship. Despite this, the two continued to maintain warm relations even after their separation as they later reunited in the early 2000s when the career of their son [[William Carter|William]] as a professional footballer for the {{wp|English}} football club {{wp|Manchester United}} led {{wp|Lynda Carter|Carter}} to the {{wp|United Kingdom}}. In the meantime, since their separation, both Thomas and {{wp|Lynda Carter|Carter}} went on to marry their respective spouses with the former marrying the {{wp|American}} supermodel {{wp|Christy Turlington}} while the latter married the {{wp|American}} lawyer and video game executive {{wp|Robert A. Altman}}, with whom she subsequently had two more children, namely a son James in January 1994 and a daughter Jessica in October 1996.  


Eventually, despite the two enjoying a mutually happy relationship, the couple later parted ways mutually just a few months prior to Thomas's later marriage to his wife, thereby ending their almost nineteen-year-long relationship, although Thomas, despite his romantic partner's well-to-do status, continued to provide some unofficial form of "spousal aid" in the years that followed, which lasted well until both [[William Smith|William]] and [[Jacqueline Smith|Jacqueline]] themselves graduated from their universities, at which point they are expected to be self-sufficient despite their father's immense wealth. Meanwhile, following an almost decade-long period of "separation", during which the two largely devoted themselves to their respective spouses, with {{wp|Jaclyn Smith|Smith}} later marrying her current husband {{wp|Brad Allen}} in 1997, the two later reconnected with one another around the year of 2004, when the career of their [[William Smith|son]] with the {{wp|English}} football club {{wp|Manchester United}} brought {{wp|Jaclyn Smith|Smith}}'s family over to the {{wp|United Kingdom}} where the two were reunited once again. Meanwhile, despite having since moved back to the {{wp|United States}}, namely to her hometown state of {{wp|Texas}}, the {{wp|Jaclyn Smith|actress}} and her husband are said to have maintained a house in {{wp|London}} relatively close to {{wp|Buckingham Palace}} for matters of convenience when the couple are in the {{wp|United Kingdom}} again.
During an interview in 2020 on Thomas's 60th birthday, in recounting their past life together, {{wp|Lynda Carter|Carter}} described the former as "one of the kindest men I have ever met", adding, ''"When the whole separation thing happened, which was obviously very difficult for both of us, I knew from the start just how much he tried to be there for the people he cared about the most, especially his two children, which is something that I'll always appreciate him for even if we are no longer together as a couple"''. In addition, {{wp|Lynda Carter|Carter}} further revealed that up until their reunion in {{wp|London}}, Thomas would, among other things, call his two children every few weeks and also on their respective birthdays where, if possible, Thomas would spend some alone time with either of them. In one interview, {{wp|Lynda Carter|Carter}} remarked, ''"During those years, we all pretty much missed his voice and presence of course. Out of us three, [[Jacqueline Carter|Jacqueline]] was definitely the most excited one each time whenever her dearest daddy was on the phone whose mere voice was just very soothing for her as a young teenager"''. Likewise, [[William Carter]], the couple's eldest child, has also heaped praise on his father's character, even going so far as to describing the latter as "very gentlemanly" and "the best loving father anyone could ever ask for", adding that the latter "never forgot or abandoned us at all even if he had to be away for a long period of time and would instead always find a way to ensure that he was talking to each us from time to time". Later, on 11 October 2015, the two became grandparents for the first time when their son [[William Carter|William]] fathered a pair of fraternal twins named William and Anne with the {{wp|American}} actress {{wp|Anne Hathaway}}, followed by a daughter Michelle in 2018 and a son John in 2019, while their daughter [[Jacqueline Carter|Jacqueline]] later gave birth to a son Thomas in 2017 and a daughter Elizabeth in 2019, thereby making it a total of six grandchildren. Meanwhile, on 3 February 2021, at seventy-three years old, {{wp|Lynda Carter}}'s second husband {{wp|Robert A. Altman}}, whom she met after parting ways with Thomas, died from a rare type of {{wp|leukemia}}, thereby leaving behind his two children James and Jessica Altman by the {{wp|Lynda Carter|actress}} who gave birth to two children by her {{wp|Robert A. Altman|late husband}} after her first two children with Thomas.
 
During an interview in 2015 held on Thomas's 60th birthday, in recollecting their past life together, {{wp|Jaclyn Smith|Smith}} described the former as "one of the kindest men I have ever met", adding, ''"When the whole separation thing happened, which was obviously very difficult for both of us, I knew from the start just how much he tried to be there for the people he cared about the most, especially his two children"''. In this, {{wp|Jaclyn Smith|Smith}} further revealed that up until their reunion, Thomas would often call his two children monthly and also on special holidays as well as their respective birthdays, stating, ''"During those years, we all pretty much missed his voice and presence of course. Out of us three, [[Jacqueline Smith|Jacqueline]] was definitely the most excited one each time to hear her dearest daddy's voice"''. Likewise, [[William Smith]] himself has also heaped praise on his father's character, describing the latter as "very gentlemanly" and "the best loving father anyone could ever ask for". Meanwhile, on 11 October 2015, the two became grandparents for the first time when their son [[William Smith|William]] fathered a pair of fraternal twins named William and Anne with the {{wp|American}} actress {{wp|Anne Hathaway}}, followed by a daughter Michelle in 2018 and a son John in 2019, while their daughter [[Jacqueline Smith|Jacqueline]] later gave birth to a son Thomas in 2017 and a daughter Elizabeth in 2019, thereby making it a total of six grandchildren.


===Caroline Kennedy===
===Caroline Kennedy===
[[File:Caroline Kennedy, U.S. Ambassador 2.jpg|thumb|200px|right|{{wp|Caroline Kennedy}}, the only daughter and the eldest of two children of {{wp|President of the United States|President}} and {{wp|Governor of Massachusetts|Massachusetts Governor}} {{wp|John F. Kennedy}} and {{wp|Jacqueline Kennedy}}]]
[[File:Caroline Kennedy, U.S. Ambassador 2.jpg|thumb|200px|right|{{wp|Caroline Kennedy}}, the only daughter and the eldest of two children of {{wp|President of the United States|President}} and {{wp|Governor of Massachusetts|Massachusetts Governor}} {{wp|John F. Kennedy}} and {{wp|Jacqueline Kennedy}}]]
During the mid-1970s, for several years, Thomas was said to have engaged in a secretive and little-known romantic relationship with {{wp|Caroline Kennedy}}, the only daughter of {{wp|President of the United States|President}} and {{wp|Governor of Massachusetts|Massachusetts Governor}} {{wp|John F. Kennedy}} and {{wp|Jacqueline Kennedy}}. In this, the two were said to have initially known each other as friends when sometime in February 1964, Thomas accompanied his [[Charles the Great|father]] in visiting a recovering {{wp|President of the United States|President}} {{wp|John F. Kennedy}} at the {{wp|Walter Reed National Military Medical Center}} in the state of {{wp|Maryland}} where {{wp|Caroline Kennedy|Caroline}}'s father was in the midst of recovering from a near-fatal assassination attempt back in November 1963 during a trip through {{wp|Dallas}}, {{wp|Texas}}. During this occasion, Thomas's personal charm, coupled with an already strong friendship struck by their fathers, saw him immediately strike a good rapport. Following this, during the ensuing {{wp|Christmas}} celebrations that year, Thomas even personally sent a gift to the presidential family himself, with the aforementioned gift revealed by {{wp|Caroline Kennedy|Kennedy}} herself decades later to be a miniature lion statue, a reference to {{wp|England}}'s national animal.  
During the mid-1970s, for several years, Thomas was said to have engaged in a secretive and little-known romantic relationship with {{wp|Caroline Kennedy}}, the only daughter of {{wp|President of the United States|President}} and {{wp|Governor of Massachusetts|Massachusetts Governor}} {{wp|John F. Kennedy}} and {{wp|Jacqueline Kennedy}}. In this, the two were said to have initially known each other as friends when sometime in February 1964, Thomas accompanied his [[Charles the Great|father]] in visiting a recovering {{wp|President of the United States|President}} {{wp|John F. Kennedy}} at the {{wp|Walter Reed National Military Medical Center}} in the state of {{wp|Maryland}} where {{wp|Caroline Kennedy|Caroline}}'s father was recovering from a near-fatal assassination attempt back in November 1963 during a trip through {{wp|Dallas}}, {{wp|Texas}}. During this occasion, Thomas's personal charm, coupled with an already strong friendship struck by their fathers, saw him immediately strike a good rapport. Following this, during the ensuing {{wp|Christmas}} celebrations that year, Thomas even personally sent a gift to the presidential family himself, with the aforementioned gift revealed by {{wp|Caroline Kennedy|Kennedy}} herself decades later to be a miniature lion statue, a reference to {{wp|England}}'s national animal and also a symbol of strength, a reference to her {{wp|John F. Kennedy|father}}'s miraculous recovery from a near-fatal assassination attempt.  


Eventually, around the mid-1970s, at which point the two have matured somewhat, an already blossoming friendship soon saw the two decide to begin a discreet romantic relationship that was reportedly met with much immediate positivity from both of their families who largely encouraged and even tolerated the two's budding romance. However, despite initial positive signs, a longstanding ban on marriages to {{wp|Roman Catholics}} imposed on Thomas as a {{wp|British}} royal, coupled with {{wp|Caroline Kennedy|Kennedy}}'s uncertainties over becoming a potential royal consort who will be under constant media coverage, resulted in the two formally ending their relationship after just a couple of years. However, having parted ways on somewhat mutual terms, Thomas and {{wp|Caroline Kennedy|Kennedy}} continued to remain close friends over the following decades with Thomas himself later attending the state funerals of the latter's parents whereas {{wp|Caroline Kennedy|Kennedy}} reciprocated by attending Thomas's March 1997 coronation and the state funeral of his [[Charles the Great|father]] in March 2011. In the meantime, before later marrying her {{wp|Edwin Schlossberg|husband}}, {{wp|Caroline Kennedy|Kennedy}} also briefly dated the {{wp|British}} travel writer {{wp|Mark Shand}}, Thomas's second cousin once removed by virtue of being the grandson of the {{wp|British}} socialite {{wp|Sonia Rosemary Keppel|Sonia Cubitt}}, one of [[William V and II of the United Kingdom and of the Netherlands|King William V]]'s illegitimate children by his famous mistress {{wp|Alice Keppel}}. Moreover, in an interesting connection between {{wp|Caroline Kennedy|Kennedy}} and Thomas's other romantic interest, the actress {{wp|Jaclyn Smith}}, her mother {{wp|Jacqueline Kennedy}}, the {{wp|First Lady of the United States}} from 1960 to 1968 during the presidency of her husband {{wp|John F. Kennedy}}, was portrayed by {{wp|Jaclyn Smith|Smith}} in the 1981 biographical drama film {{wp|Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy (film)|''Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy''}} while her {{wp|John F. Kennedy|father}} was portrayed by the actor {{wp|James Franciscus}} whose co-star {{wp|Rod Taylor}} portrayed {{wp|John Vernou Bouvier III}}, {{wp|Caroline Kennedy|Kennedy}}'s maternal grandfather.
Eventually, around the mid-1970s, at which point the two have matured somewhat, an already blossoming friendship soon saw the two decide to begin a discreet romantic relationship that was reportedly met with much immediate positivity from both of their families who largely encouraged and even tolerated the two's budding romance. However, despite initial positive signs, a longstanding ban on marriages to {{wp|Roman Catholics}} imposed on Thomas as a {{wp|British}} royal, coupled with {{wp|Caroline Kennedy|Kennedy}}'s uncertainties over becoming a potential royal consort who will be under constant media coverage, resulted in the two formally ending their relationship after just a couple of years. However, having parted ways on somewhat mutual terms, Thomas and {{wp|Caroline Kennedy|Kennedy}} continued to remain close friends over the following decades with Thomas himself later attending the state funerals of the latter's parents whereas {{wp|Caroline Kennedy|Kennedy}} reciprocated by attending Thomas's March 1997 coronation and the state funeral of his [[Charles the Great|father]] in March 2011. In the meantime, before later marrying her {{wp|Edwin Schlossberg|husband}}, {{wp|Caroline Kennedy|Kennedy}} also briefly dated the {{wp|British}} travel writer {{wp|Mark Shand}}, Thomas's second cousin once removed by virtue of being the grandson of the {{wp|British}} socialite {{wp|Sonia Rosemary Keppel|Sonia Cubitt}}, one of [[William V, King of the British|King William V]]'s illegitimate children by his famous mistress {{wp|Alice Keppel}}.  
 
Meanwhile, in January 2024, after a decade-long period of dating, Thomas's daughter [[Alexandra of the United Kingdom and of the Netherlands|Alexandra]] and {{wp|Caroline Kennedy|Kennedy}}'s son {{wp|Jack Schlossberg}} married in a lavish ceremony at the {{wp|Westminster Abbey}}, thereby effectively uniting the two prominent families for the first time.


===Christy Turlington===
===Christy Turlington===
Sometime around January 1994, while accompanying his sister, the [[Catherine, Princess Royal|''Princess Royal'']], to an exclusive gala in {{wp|Paris}}, {{wp|France}}, Thomas was first introduced to the {{wp|American}} supermodel {{wp|Christy Turlington}} by none other than his own [[Catherine, Princess Royal|younger sister]] who was rather familiar with {{wp|Christy Turlington|Christy}} and other well-known fashion models of the time. To that end, Thomas, by then a highly successful actor in his own right, proved quick to establish an initially cordial and unassuming friendship with the {{wp|American}} supermodel who had previously ended a relationship with {{wp|American}} actor {{wp|Roger Wilson (actor)|Roger Wilson}} the year before. In this, despite soon appearing to be well-suited for each other, the two initially chose to remain as friends only whereas Thomas, as per a later revelation, said that the fateful meeting "left me with little to no doubt that {{wp|Christy Turlington|Christy}} will be my long-awaited wife". Eventually, under much secrecy, the couple reportedly spent the ensuing {{wp|Valentine's Day}} together in {{wp|Hawaii}} during which they officially agreed to commit to a serious romantic relationship. However, fears of an immediate conservative backlash owing to {{wp|Christy Turlington|Christy}}'s line of work and her {{wp|Roman Catholic}} faith, a major obstacle for any marital prospects, saw them conduct the affair under much secrecy with the expectation that the romance would eventually be made public after a few years or so. Eventually, later that December, while giving a brief speech on his 41st birthday, Thomas opted to disclose his relationship with the {{wp|American}} supermodel for the first time, stating, ''"For quite a while, a number of factors and complications have prevented me from finding the one true love that my heart desires. Now, after about a year or so, I'm happy to say that I have found the lovely lady that I desired for so long"''.
Sometime in December 1992, while accompanying his [[Catherine, Princess Royal|sister]] to the {{wp|Met Gala}} in {{wp|New York (state)|New York}}, {{wp|United States}}, Thomas was first introduced to the {{wp|American}} supermodel {{wp|Christy Turlington}} by his own sister [[Catherine, Princess Royal|Catherine]] who, as a fashion model herself, had come to know and subsequently befriend the {{wp|American}} supermodel. Following this, Thomas, at the time a highly successful actor in his own right, proved quick to establish an initially cordial and unassuming friendship with the {{wp|American}} supermodel who was then in the final year of her relationship with her then-boyfriend, the {{wp|American}} actor {{wp|Roger Wilson (actor)|Roger Wilson}}. In any case, a promising first encounter, in which {{wp|Christy Turlington|Christy}} herself later recounted being "absolutely awestruck" by her future husband's "charm" and "politeness", soon gave way to an eventual romance with {{wp|Christy Turlington|Christy}} herself subsequently ending her relationship with her then-partner {{wp|Roger Wilson (actor)|Roger Wilson}} by the following year. However, fearing the immediate media attention, the couple agreed to keep their relationship a close-knit secret that was only known to a select few including their closest friends and family members. Eventually, after a couple of years had passed, Thomas made the decision to disclose his relationship with the {{wp|American}} supermodel for the first time. To that end, during a New Year's eve speech marking the arrival of the year 1994, in his statement, Thomas declared that he had "finally found the one and only woman after so long" whose identity was promptly revealed to be none other than {{wp|Christy Turlington}} herself.


[[File:PradaBlack.jpg|thumb|200px|left|The {{wp|American}} supermodel {{wp|Christy Turlington}} at the Christian Lacroix Spring Summer 1994]]
[[File:PradaBlack.jpg|thumb|200px|left|The {{wp|American}} supermodel {{wp|Christy Turlington}} at the Christian Lacroix Spring Summer 1994]]
Almost immediately, {{wp|Christy Turlington|Christy}}'s status as a fashion model, coupled with her {{wp|Roman Catholic}} faith, made the revelation a source of considerable controversy as critics, particularly those in favour of "classical" queen consorts, claimed that the {{wp|American}} supermodel "lacked the proper character and image for a queen consort" while others also expressed their worry over the latter's {{wp|Roman Catholic}} faith given that it meant a marriage between the two would come into direct conflict with the terms laid out by the {{wp|Act of Settlement 1701}} which legally disqualifies any member of the royal family who either converts to or marries a partner of the {{wp|Roman Catholic}} faith. In response, during an interview with the {{wp|BBC}}, Thomas publicly accused his critics of "social bigotry", stating, ''"Regardless of who my future wife would be, it cannot be ignored that my own mother, who I love dearly until the very end, was of a background that one would not necessarily expect for the wife of a {{wp|British}} king. The daughter of a pair of {{wp|Jewish}} {{wp|Romanian}} immigrants, my {{wp|Lauren Bacall|mother}} bravely faced those prejudicial people who wished to prevent her from seeking happiness in marrying my [[Charles the Great|father]] until they all finally relented and allowed her to do so as she wishes. Yet, it seems that just a few decades later, such a conflict appears to be inevitable once again, which says a lot about the society of this country as a whole"''. Eventually, both {{wp|Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister}} {{wp|John Major}} and {{wp|Archbishop of Canterbury}} {{wp|George Carey}} jointly agreed to approve such a union under the strict condition that {{wp|Christy Turlington|Christy}} herself would ultimately convert to {{wp|Anglicanism}} in order to avoid any further complications, a condition that {{wp|Christy Turlington|Christy}} herself seemed content on abiding. Meanwhile, Thomas's own father [[Charles the Great|King Charles III]] also personally came out in support of the union, claiming that "it is wrong for me to say that having a {{wp|Catholic}}-turned-{{wp|Anglican}} convert as my very own daughter-in-law would be something entirely strange or a new concept for myself for my own beloved wife is a {{wp|Jew}}, an identity that no one shall absolutely be able to take away by any possible means". In the end, such a conversion proved unnecessary when, after much lobbying, the prime ministers of the {{wp|Commonwealth realms}}, countries that still recognise the {{wp|British}} monarch as its head of state, unilaterally agreed to amend the succession laws where, in the {{wp|United Kingdom}}, the passage of the {{wp|Succession to the Crown Act 2013|Succession to the Crown Act 1995}} resulted in, among others, the lifting of restrictions on marriages to {{wp|Roman Catholic|Roman Catholics}} which meant that {{wp|Christy Turlington|Christy}} was no longer required to convert to {{wp|Anglicanism}} upon marriage although Thomas, as the head of the {{wp|Church of England}}, is still required to be of the {{wp|Anglican}} faith, a condition that also applies to his future successors.
Almost immediately, {{wp|Christy Turlington|Christy}}'s status as a fashion model, coupled with her {{wp|Roman Catholic}} faith, made the revelation a source of considerable controversy as critics, particularly those in favour of "classical" queen consorts, claimed that the {{wp|American}} supermodel "lacked the proper character and image for a queen consort" while others also expressed their worry over the latter's {{wp|Roman Catholic}} faith given that it meant a marriage between the two would come into direct conflict with the terms laid out by the {{wp|Act of Settlement 1701}} which legally disqualifies any member of the royal family who either converts to or marries a partner of the {{wp|Roman Catholic}} faith. In response, during an infamous interview with the {{wp|BBC}}, Thomas publicly accused his critics of "social bigotry", stating, ''"Regardless of who my future wife would be, it cannot be ignored that my own mother, who I love dearly until the very end, was of a background that one would not necessarily expect for the wife of a {{wp|British}} king. The daughter of a pair of {{wp|Jewish}} {{wp|Romanian}} immigrants, my {{wp|Lauren Bacall|mother}} bravely faced those prejudicial people who wished to prevent her from seeking happiness in marrying my [[Charles the Great|father]] until they all finally relented and allowed her to do so as she wishes. Yet, it seems that just a few decades later, such a conflict appears to be inevitable once again, which says a lot about the society of this country as a whole"''. Eventually, both {{wp|Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister}} {{wp|John Major}} and {{wp|Archbishop of Canterbury}} {{wp|George Carey}} jointly agreed to approve such a union under the strict condition that {{wp|Christy Turlington|Christy}} herself would ultimately convert to {{wp|Anglicanism}} in order to avoid any further complications, a condition that {{wp|Christy Turlington|Christy}} herself was reportedly on board with for the purpose of marrying her beloved partner. Meanwhile, Thomas's own father [[Charles the Great|King Charles III]] also personally came out in support of the union, stating that "it is wrong for me to say that having a {{wp|Roman Catholic}}-turned-{{wp|Anglican}} convert as my very own daughter-in-law would be something entirely strange or a new concept for myself for my own beloved wife is a {{wp|Jew}}, an identity that no one shall absolutely be able to take away by any possible means". In the end, such a religious conversion proved unnecessary when, after much lobbying by Thomas, who was also joined by the mostly {{wp|Roman Catholic}} {{wp|Irish}} politicians, the prime ministers of the remaining {{wp|Commonwealth realms}} unilaterally agreed to amend the succession laws for the first time in almost two centuries. To that end, in the {{wp|United Kingdom}}, the passage of the {{wp|Succession to the Crown Act 2013|Succession to the Crown Act 1995}} resulted in, among others, the lifting of restrictions on marriages to {{wp|Roman Catholic|Roman Catholics}}, meaning that {{wp|Christy Turlington|Christy}} was no longer required to convert to {{wp|Anglicanism}} upon marriage although Thomas, as the head of the {{wp|Church of England}}, is still required to be of the {{wp|Anglican}} faith, a condition that Thomas himself had little qualms about. Nonetheless, the likely possibility of a {{wp|Roman Catholic}} queen consort for the first time in centuries was met with considerable attention in {{wp|Republic of Ireland|Ireland}} with {{wp|Taoiseach}} {{wp|Albert Reynolds}} particularly heralding the "end of an ancient, discriminatory rule that deserves no place in a modern and tolerant world".
 
On 14 June 1995, the couple was wedded in a private and intimate ceremony at {{wp|Oheka Castle}}, {{wp|New York (state)|New York}}, the site where Thomas's parents were previously wedded themselves almost five decades prior. The ceremony was attended (and officiated) by the {{wp|Archbishop of Canterbury}} {{wp|George Carey}}, {{wp|British}} {{wp|Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister}} {{wp|John Major}}, {{wp|US}} {{wp|President of the United States|President}} {{wp|Bill Clinton}} and {{wp|Vice President of the United States|Vice President}} {{wp|Al Gore}}, as well their closest friends and relatives which included the groom's parents [[Charles the Great|King Charles III]] and {{wp|Lauren Bacall|Queen Lauren}}, {{wp|American}} politician and {{wp|United States Secretary of the Treasury|Secretary of the Treasury}} [[Jane Rockefeller]], and several {{wp|European}} royals including the crown princes of {{wp|Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway|Norway}}, {{wp|Frederik X|Denmark}}, and {{wp|Felipe VI|Spain}}, the kings of {{wp|Carl XVI Gustaf|Sweden}} and {{wp|Constantine II of Greece|Greece}}, and the reigning {{wp|Rainier III, Prince of Monaco|Prince of Monaco}}. Described by the ''{{wp|New York Times}}'' as "the wedding of the century", the ceremony featured an appropriately star-studded lineup of groomsmen and bridesmaids that consisted of the likes of the groom's own brother [[Prince Nelson of the United Kingdom|Prince Nelson]], {{wp|US}} {{wp|United States Senate|Senators}} {{wp|Ted Kennedy}} and {{wp|Robert F. Kennedy}}, attorney {{wp|John F. Kennedy Jr.}}, actors {{wp|Hugh Grant}}, {{wp|George Clooney}}, and {{wp|Pierce Brosnan}}, singers {{wp|Frank Sinatra Jr.}}, {{wp|Nancy Sinatra}}, and {{wp|Barbra Streisand}}, along with fellow well-known supermodels including {{wp|Cindy Crawford}}, {{wp|Linda Evangelista}}, {{wp|Naomi Campbell}}, {{wp|Claudia Schiffer}}, and {{wp|Elle Macpherson}}. In addition to this, several of the prince's former servicemen from the {{wp|Royal Navy}} were also in attendance and even later took part in the {{wp|saber arch}} wedding tradition afterward where the newlyweds walk under an arch made up of sabers held up in unison. Meanwhile, regarding their respective outfits, Thomas opted to don a {{wp|Royal Navy}} ceremonial uniform, hence acknowledging his military background, which he paired with a {{wp|peaked cap}} and a gilded {{wp|sabre}} tightly held at waist-level. In the meantime, drawing much inspiration from the iconic wedding dress of the {{wp|American}} actress {{wp|Grace Kelly}}, {{wp|Christy Turlington|Christy}} donned an elaborate ivory silk bodice designed by an up-and-coming {{wp|British}} fashion designer {{wp|Alexander McQueen}} with the estimated £430,000 cost that accompanied it reportedly paid by Thomas himself.  


For entertainment purposes, at Thomas's request, the couple was serenaded by the well-known {{wp|American}} singer {{wp|Whitney Houston}} who sang her 1992 hit single {{wp|I Will Always Love You|"I Will Always Love You"}}. Regarding this, Thomas later joked that as a huge fan of the late {{wp|George Michael}}, he initially thought of having the latter's iconic 1984 single {{wp|Careless Whisper|"Careless Whisper"}} sang at his eventual wedding but ultimately decided against it after reconsidering its appropriateness and having also come across {{wp|Whitney Houston}}'s {{wp|I Will Always Love You|"I Will Always Love You"}}, a song that he felt would be better suited for an intimate wedding ceremony. Consequently, {{wp|Whitney Houston|Houston}} became the first black artist to perform at a royal wedding, an honour that only further increased her already burgeoning popularity as a widely-acclaimed singer and also helped establish a long-lasting friendship, in spite of their differences, that lasted well until {{wp|Whitney Houston|Houston}}'s death in February 2012. As one of the several high-profile figures invited to the {{wp|Whitney Houston|late singer}}'s funeral, Thomas remarked, ''"At only forty-eight, an irreplaceable singer with a truly enchanting voice has left us all for good. Now, while others may perhaps thank and remember her for their own respective reasons, I would like to personally thank {{wp|Whitney Houston|Miss Houston}} for one final time for having made the day with my {{wp|Christy Turlington|beloved wife}} a moment that I will remember for a lifetime"''. Nonetheless, aside from {{wp|Whitney Houston|Houston}}, other artists also took part including the {{wp|Canadian}} singer {{wp|Bryan Adams}}, who sang {{wp|(Everything I Do) I Do It for You|"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You"}}, {{wp|English}} rock band {{wp|The Police}}, which sang {{wp|Every Breath You Take|"Every Breath You Take"}}, and the {{wp|American}} singer {{wp|Lionel Richie}} who, together with fellow singer {{wp|Diana Ross}}, sang their 1981 hit duet {{wp|Endless Love (song)|"Endless Love"}}.  
On 14 June 1995, the couple was wedded in a private and intimate ceremony at {{wp|Oheka Castle}}, {{wp|New York (state)|New York}}, the site where Thomas's parents were previously wedded themselves almost five decades prior. The ceremony was attended (and officiated) by the {{wp|Archbishop of Canterbury}} {{wp|George Carey}}, {{wp|British}} {{wp|Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister}} {{wp|John Major}}, {{wp|US}} {{wp|President of the United States|President}} {{wp|Bill Clinton}} and {{wp|Vice President of the United States|Vice President}} {{wp|Al Gore}}, as well their closest friends and relatives which included the groom's parents [[Charles the Great|King Charles III]] and {{wp|Lauren Bacall|Queen Lauren}}, {{wp|American}} politician and {{wp|United States Secretary of the Treasury|Secretary of the Treasury}} [[Jane Rockefeller]], and {{wp|European}} royals including the crown princes of {{wp|Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway|Norway}}, {{wp|Frederik X|Denmark}}, {{wp|Karl von Habsburg|Hungary}}, and {{wp|Felipe VI|Spain}}, the kings of {{wp|Carl XVI Gustaf|Sweden}}, [[Georg Friedrich|Germany]], {{wp|Michael I of Romania|Romania}}, {{wp|Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha|Bulgaria}}, and {{wp|Constantine II of Greece|Greece}}, the grand duke of {{wp|Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg|Luxembourg}}, and the reigning princes of {{wp|Rainier III, Prince of Monaco|Monaco}} and {{wp|Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein|Liechtenstein}}. Dubbed by the ''{{wp|New York Times}}'' as "the wedding of the century" and broadcasted live by various TV networks including the {{wp|BBC}}, {{wp|ITV (TV network)|ITV}}, {{wp|NBC}}, {{wp|CBS}}, {{wp|ABC USA|ABC}}, {{wp|PBS}}, and {{wp|Fox Broadcasting Company|FOX}}, the ceremony saw the attendance of various figures from both politics as well as the entertainment and fashion industries. In addition to this, several of the prince's former servicemen from the {{wp|Royal Navy}} were also in attendance and even later took part in the {{wp|saber arch}} wedding tradition afterward where the newlyweds walk under an arch made up of sabers held up in unison. Meanwhile, for the occasion itself, Thomas opted to don a standard {{wp|Royal Navy}} ceremonial uniform, a tribute to his military background`, which he paired with a {{wp|peaked cap}} and a gilded {{wp|sabre}} tightly held at waist-level. On the other hand, having drawn much inspiration from the iconic wedding dress of the {{wp|American}} actress {{wp|Grace Kelly}}, a fellow {{wp|Roman Catholic}}, {{wp|Christy Turlington|Christy}} donned an elaborate ivory silk bodice designed by an up-and-coming {{wp|British}} fashion designer {{wp|Alexander McQueen}} with the estimated £430,000 cost that accompanied it reportedly paid by Thomas himself. Meanwhile, for entertainment purposes, the couple was serenaded by the {{wp|American}} singer {{wp|Whitney Houston}} who sang her 1992 hit single {{wp|I Will Always Love You|"I Will Always Love You"}}. Later on, Thomas revealed that as a huge fan of the late {{wp|English}} singer {{wp|George Michael}}, he initially thought of having the latter sing his iconic 1984 single {{wp|Careless Whisper|"Careless Whisper"}} wedding but ultimately decided against it after coming across {{wp|Whitney Houston}}'s {{wp|I Will Always Love You|"I Will Always Love You"}}, a song that he later said to have immediately loved and thus wanted it to be the centerpiece of his wedding. Meanwhile, aside from {{wp|Whitney Houston|Houston}}, other artists also took part including the {{wp|Canadian}} singer {{wp|Bryan Adams}} who sang his 1991 single {{wp|(Everything I Do) I Do It for You|"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You"}}, the {{wp|British}} singer {{wp|Seal (musician)|Seal}} who sang his 1994 hit single {{wp|Kiss from a Rose|"Kiss from a Rose"}}, the {{wp|English}} rock band {{wp|The Police}} who sang their 1983 single {{wp|Every Breath You Take|"Every Breath You Take"}}, and the {{wp|American}} singer {{wp|Lionel Richie}} who, together with fellow singer {{wp|Diana Ross}}, sang their 1981 hit duet {{wp|Endless Love (song)|"Endless Love"}}. Moreover, after being initially considered as the wedding's main musical act, {{wp|George Michael}}, who previously enlisted {{wp|Christy Turlington}} and her supermodel friends in the music video for {{wp|Freedom! '90|"Freedom! '90"}}, also sang Thomas's favourite song {{wp|Careless Whisper|"Careless Whisper"}} and {{wp|Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go|"Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"}}, with the latter song seeing him briefly reunite with his former {{wp|Wham!}} partner {{wp|Andrew Ridgeley}}.


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In just a year into their marriage, the couple would welcome the birth of their first child together, the future [[Alexandra of the United Kingdom and of the Netherlands|Queen Alexandra]], although this was in turn followed by a roughly three-year long period during which the couple chose to live separately from one another so as to accommodate for {{wp|Christy Turlington|Christy}}'s decision to focus on her university studies back in the {{wp|United States}} which in turn led to rumours falsely claiming that the couple's marriage was in an allegedly terrible state as several media outlets began claiming, often without basis, that both Thomas and {{wp|Christy Turlington|Christy}} have begun seeing another romantic partner in order to overcome their supposedly miserable state of affairs. Nonetheless, it was also during this period that Thomas's father-in-law {{wp|Dwain Turlington}} passed away in June 1997 at the age of sixty-four from {{wp|lung cancer}}, just a year after the birth of the latter's [[Alexandra of the United Kingdom and of the Netherlands|granddaughter]]. Eventually, following {{wp|Christy Turlington|Christy}}'s graduation from the {{wp|Gallatin School of Individualized Study}} in {{wp|New York (state)|New York}} in 1999, the two would finally begin to live together, initially starting as a family of three. Then, in the following year, {{wp|Christy Turlington|Christy}} gave birth to their only son [[Prince Richard of Hanover|Richard]], followed by another daughter [[Princess Nicole of Hanover|Nicole]] in 2003. The year afterward, the couple further welcomed a pair of fraternal twins [[Princess Elle of Hanover|Elle]] and [[Princess Vivian of Hanover|Vivian]] named respectively after the two female characters from the 2001 film {{wp|Legally Blonde|''Legally Blonde''}}, namely {{wp|Elle Woods}} and [https://legallyblonde.fandom.com/wiki/Vivian_Kensington Vivian Kensington], portrayed by {{wp|American}} actresses {{wp|Reese Witherspoon}} and {{wp|Selma Blair}} respectively.
In just a year into their marriage, the couple would welcome the birth of their first child together, the future [[Alexandra, Queen of the British|Queen Alexandra]], although this was in turn followed by a roughly three-year-long period during which the couple chose to live separately from one another so as to accommodate for {{wp|Christy Turlington|Christy}}'s decision to focus on her university studies back in the {{wp|United States}} which in turn led to rumours falsely claiming that the couple's marriage was in an allegedly terrible state as several media outlets began claiming, often without basis, that both Thomas and {{wp|Christy Turlington|Christy}} have begun seeing another romantic partner in order to overcome their supposedly miserable state of affairs. Nonetheless, it was also during this period that Thomas's father-in-law {{wp|Dwain Turlington}} passed away in June 1997 at the age of sixty-four from {{wp|lung cancer}}, just a year after the birth of his [[Alexandra, Queen of the British|granddaughter]]. Eventually, following {{wp|Christy Turlington|Christy}}'s graduation from the {{wp|Gallatin School of Individualized Study}} in {{wp|New York (state)|New York}} in 1999, the two would finally begin to live together, initially starting as a family of three. Then, in the following year, {{wp|Christy Turlington|Christy}} gave birth to their only son [[Prince Richard of Hanover|Richard]], followed by another daughter [[Princess Nicole of Hanover|Nicole]] in 2003. Then, in the year afterward, the couple welcomed their last few children, namely a pair of fraternal twins [[Princess Elle of Hanover|Elle]] and [[Princess Vivian of Hanover|Vivian]] who were named after the two female characters from the 2001 film {{wp|Legally Blonde|''Legally Blonde''}}, namely {{wp|Elle Woods}} and [https://legallyblonde.fandom.com/wiki/Vivian_Kensington Vivian Kensington], portrayed by {{wp|American}} actresses {{wp|Reese Witherspoon}} and {{wp|Selma Blair}} respectively.


Given their unique dynamic, namely their differing social standing and respective occupations, in subsequent years, the couple has been compared to other famous pairings including {{wp|President of France}} {{wp|Nicolas Sarkozy}} and his wife, the {{wp|Italian}} singer and model {{wp|Carla Bruni}} who was herself a friend of {{wp|Christy Turlington|Christy}} in the modeling industry. In addition, the election of {{wp|Donald Trump}} as {{wp|President of the United States}} in 2017 also saw the royal couple compared to the {{wp|American}} presidential couple which consisted of the real estate mogul and his wife {{wp|Melania Trump}}, a former model hailing from the {{wp|Central European}} nation of {{wp|Slovenia}}. Meanwhile, in 2018, {{wp|Muhammad V of Kelantan|Sultan Muhammad V}}, the then-{{wp|King of Malaysia}}, also attracted headlines himself when reports emerged of his marriage to the {{wp|Russian}} beauty queen {{wp|Oksana Voevodina}} who subsequently converted to {{wp|Islam}} and took the new name of '''Rihana Petra''', thereby becoming the first non-native {{wp|Queen of Malaysia}}. However, in a much closer example, in 1998, {{wp|Denmark}}'s {{wp|Frederik X|King Frederick X}}, at the time a crown prince, wedded the {{wp|Danish}} supermodel {{wp|Helena Christensen}} although the two did not ascend to the throne as {{wp|King of Denmark|King}} and {{wp|Queen of Denmark|Queen}} much later on until the abdication of {{wp|Margrethe II|Queen Margrethe II}} in January 2024.
Given their unique dynamic, namely their differing social standing and respective occupations, in subsequent years, the couple has been compared to other famous pairings including {{wp|French}} {{wp|President of France|President}} {{wp|Nicolas Sarkozy}} and his wife, the {{wp|Italian}} singer and model {{wp|Carla Bruni}}, who was herself a friend of {{wp|Christy Turlington|Christy}} in the modeling industry. In addition, the election of {{wp|Donald Trump}} as {{wp|President of the United States}} in 2017 also saw the royal couple compared to the {{wp|American}} presidential couple which consisted of the real estate mogul and his wife {{wp|Melania Trump}}, a former model hailing from the {{wp|Central European}} nation of {{wp|Slovenia}}. Meanwhile, in 2018, {{wp|Muhammad V of Kelantan|Sultan Muhammad V}}, the then-{{wp|King of Malaysia}}, also attracted headlines himself when reports emerged of his marriage to the {{wp|Russian}} beauty queen {{wp|Oksana Voevodina}} who subsequently converted to {{wp|Islam}} and took the new name of '''Rihana Petra''', thereby becoming the first non-native {{wp|Queen of Malaysia}}. However, in a much closer example, in 1998, {{wp|Denmark}}'s {{wp|Frederik X|King Frederick X}}, at the time a crown prince, wedded the {{wp|Danish}} supermodel {{wp|Helena Christensen}} although the two did not ascend to the throne as {{wp|King of Denmark|King}} and {{wp|Queen of Denmark|Queen}} until much later on prior to the abdication of {{wp|Margrethe II|Queen Margrethe II}} in January 2024.

Revision as of 19:36, 29 April 2024

Relationships

Lynda Carter

The American actress Lynda Carter as the superhero character Wonder Woman

Beginning in 1978, while residing in the United States for his academic studies, Thomas first met the American actress Lynda Carter. Reportedly, their first meeting was arranged exclusively by the producers of Wonder Woman who were informed by Thomas of him having taken a liking towards the star actress who was none other than Lynda Carter herself who played the titular superhero character. In any case, Carter, at the time in an unhappy marriage with her former talent agent Ron Samuels, immediately took a liking to the unaffiliated Thomas who was seen by her as an escape from her unhappy marriage given the former's "alluring charm" and "impeccable style". Consequently, under much secrecy, the two soon began an extramarital affair that promptly escalated with the birth of a son William in May 1979, an event that, in turn, led to Carter finally divorcing her husband for good the following year in favour of a serious relationship with her British lover. Then, in June 1983, the couple welcomed a daughter Jacqueline, their second and youngest child.

However, despite positive signs, the couple's relationship was briefly put to the test when, after initially seeking his father's permission to marry Carter in light of their growing affair, Thomas was unexpectedly denied from doing so with the main reason being that, as a divorcee whose former husband is still alive, Carter was deemed unfit by the Church of England and the conservative parts of British society to be a proper queen consort. In this, even after attempting to explain that Carter was escaping from an unhappy marriage and that their two children together would be treated as legitimised upon marriage so as to avoid any major scandal, Thomas was once again denied permission to marry his romantic interest. Nonetheless, despite the apparent impossibility of marriage, the two chose to remain together throughout the 1980s for the common sake of their children. Eventually, despite the two enjoying a mutually happy relationship, the couple later parted ways on mutual terms just a few years prior to Thomas's subsequent marriage, thereby ending their almost fifteen-year-long relationship. Despite this, the two continued to maintain warm relations even after their separation as they later reunited in the early 2000s when the career of their son William as a professional footballer for the English football club Manchester United led Carter to the United Kingdom. In the meantime, since their separation, both Thomas and Carter went on to marry their respective spouses with the former marrying the American supermodel Christy Turlington while the latter married the American lawyer and video game executive Robert A. Altman, with whom she subsequently had two more children, namely a son James in January 1994 and a daughter Jessica in October 1996.

During an interview in 2020 on Thomas's 60th birthday, in recounting their past life together, Carter described the former as "one of the kindest men I have ever met", adding, "When the whole separation thing happened, which was obviously very difficult for both of us, I knew from the start just how much he tried to be there for the people he cared about the most, especially his two children, which is something that I'll always appreciate him for even if we are no longer together as a couple". In addition, Carter further revealed that up until their reunion in London, Thomas would, among other things, call his two children every few weeks and also on their respective birthdays where, if possible, Thomas would spend some alone time with either of them. In one interview, Carter remarked, "During those years, we all pretty much missed his voice and presence of course. Out of us three, Jacqueline was definitely the most excited one each time whenever her dearest daddy was on the phone whose mere voice was just very soothing for her as a young teenager". Likewise, William Carter, the couple's eldest child, has also heaped praise on his father's character, even going so far as to describing the latter as "very gentlemanly" and "the best loving father anyone could ever ask for", adding that the latter "never forgot or abandoned us at all even if he had to be away for a long period of time and would instead always find a way to ensure that he was talking to each us from time to time". Later, on 11 October 2015, the two became grandparents for the first time when their son William fathered a pair of fraternal twins named William and Anne with the American actress Anne Hathaway, followed by a daughter Michelle in 2018 and a son John in 2019, while their daughter Jacqueline later gave birth to a son Thomas in 2017 and a daughter Elizabeth in 2019, thereby making it a total of six grandchildren. Meanwhile, on 3 February 2021, at seventy-three years old, Lynda Carter's second husband Robert A. Altman, whom she met after parting ways with Thomas, died from a rare type of leukemia, thereby leaving behind his two children James and Jessica Altman by the actress who gave birth to two children by her late husband after her first two children with Thomas.

Caroline Kennedy

Caroline Kennedy, the only daughter and the eldest of two children of President and Massachusetts Governor John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy

During the mid-1970s, for several years, Thomas was said to have engaged in a secretive and little-known romantic relationship with Caroline Kennedy, the only daughter of President and Massachusetts Governor John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy. In this, the two were said to have initially known each other as friends when sometime in February 1964, Thomas accompanied his father in visiting a recovering President John F. Kennedy at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in the state of Maryland where Caroline's father was recovering from a near-fatal assassination attempt back in November 1963 during a trip through Dallas, Texas. During this occasion, Thomas's personal charm, coupled with an already strong friendship struck by their fathers, saw him immediately strike a good rapport. Following this, during the ensuing Christmas celebrations that year, Thomas even personally sent a gift to the presidential family himself, with the aforementioned gift revealed by Kennedy herself decades later to be a miniature lion statue, a reference to England's national animal and also a symbol of strength, a reference to her father's miraculous recovery from a near-fatal assassination attempt.

Eventually, around the mid-1970s, at which point the two have matured somewhat, an already blossoming friendship soon saw the two decide to begin a discreet romantic relationship that was reportedly met with much immediate positivity from both of their families who largely encouraged and even tolerated the two's budding romance. However, despite initial positive signs, a longstanding ban on marriages to Roman Catholics imposed on Thomas as a British royal, coupled with Kennedy's uncertainties over becoming a potential royal consort who will be under constant media coverage, resulted in the two formally ending their relationship after just a couple of years. However, having parted ways on somewhat mutual terms, Thomas and Kennedy continued to remain close friends over the following decades with Thomas himself later attending the state funerals of the latter's parents whereas Kennedy reciprocated by attending Thomas's March 1997 coronation and the state funeral of his father in March 2011. In the meantime, before later marrying her husband, Kennedy also briefly dated the British travel writer Mark Shand, Thomas's second cousin once removed by virtue of being the grandson of the British socialite Sonia Cubitt, one of King William V's illegitimate children by his famous mistress Alice Keppel.

Christy Turlington

Sometime in December 1992, while accompanying his sister to the Met Gala in New York, United States, Thomas was first introduced to the American supermodel Christy Turlington by his own sister Catherine who, as a fashion model herself, had come to know and subsequently befriend the American supermodel. Following this, Thomas, at the time a highly successful actor in his own right, proved quick to establish an initially cordial and unassuming friendship with the American supermodel who was then in the final year of her relationship with her then-boyfriend, the American actor Roger Wilson. In any case, a promising first encounter, in which Christy herself later recounted being "absolutely awestruck" by her future husband's "charm" and "politeness", soon gave way to an eventual romance with Christy herself subsequently ending her relationship with her then-partner Roger Wilson by the following year. However, fearing the immediate media attention, the couple agreed to keep their relationship a close-knit secret that was only known to a select few including their closest friends and family members. Eventually, after a couple of years had passed, Thomas made the decision to disclose his relationship with the American supermodel for the first time. To that end, during a New Year's eve speech marking the arrival of the year 1994, in his statement, Thomas declared that he had "finally found the one and only woman after so long" whose identity was promptly revealed to be none other than Christy Turlington herself.

The American supermodel Christy Turlington at the Christian Lacroix Spring Summer 1994

Almost immediately, Christy's status as a fashion model, coupled with her Roman Catholic faith, made the revelation a source of considerable controversy as critics, particularly those in favour of "classical" queen consorts, claimed that the American supermodel "lacked the proper character and image for a queen consort" while others also expressed their worry over the latter's Roman Catholic faith given that it meant a marriage between the two would come into direct conflict with the terms laid out by the Act of Settlement 1701 which legally disqualifies any member of the royal family who either converts to or marries a partner of the Roman Catholic faith. In response, during an infamous interview with the BBC, Thomas publicly accused his critics of "social bigotry", stating, "Regardless of who my future wife would be, it cannot be ignored that my own mother, who I love dearly until the very end, was of a background that one would not necessarily expect for the wife of a British king. The daughter of a pair of Jewish Romanian immigrants, my mother bravely faced those prejudicial people who wished to prevent her from seeking happiness in marrying my father until they all finally relented and allowed her to do so as she wishes. Yet, it seems that just a few decades later, such a conflict appears to be inevitable once again, which says a lot about the society of this country as a whole". Eventually, both Prime Minister John Major and Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey jointly agreed to approve such a union under the strict condition that Christy herself would ultimately convert to Anglicanism in order to avoid any further complications, a condition that Christy herself was reportedly on board with for the purpose of marrying her beloved partner. Meanwhile, Thomas's own father King Charles III also personally came out in support of the union, stating that "it is wrong for me to say that having a Roman Catholic-turned-Anglican convert as my very own daughter-in-law would be something entirely strange or a new concept for myself for my own beloved wife is a Jew, an identity that no one shall absolutely be able to take away by any possible means". In the end, such a religious conversion proved unnecessary when, after much lobbying by Thomas, who was also joined by the mostly Roman Catholic Irish politicians, the prime ministers of the remaining Commonwealth realms unilaterally agreed to amend the succession laws for the first time in almost two centuries. To that end, in the United Kingdom, the passage of the Succession to the Crown Act 1995 resulted in, among others, the lifting of restrictions on marriages to Roman Catholics, meaning that Christy was no longer required to convert to Anglicanism upon marriage although Thomas, as the head of the Church of England, is still required to be of the Anglican faith, a condition that Thomas himself had little qualms about. Nonetheless, the likely possibility of a Roman Catholic queen consort for the first time in centuries was met with considerable attention in Ireland with Taoiseach Albert Reynolds particularly heralding the "end of an ancient, discriminatory rule that deserves no place in a modern and tolerant world".

On 14 June 1995, the couple was wedded in a private and intimate ceremony at Oheka Castle, New York, the site where Thomas's parents were previously wedded themselves almost five decades prior. The ceremony was attended (and officiated) by the Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey, British Prime Minister John Major, US President Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore, as well their closest friends and relatives which included the groom's parents King Charles III and Queen Lauren, American politician and Secretary of the Treasury Jane Rockefeller, and European royals including the crown princes of Norway, Denmark, Hungary, and Spain, the kings of Sweden, Germany, Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece, the grand duke of Luxembourg, and the reigning princes of Monaco and Liechtenstein. Dubbed by the New York Times as "the wedding of the century" and broadcasted live by various TV networks including the BBC, ITV, NBC, CBS, ABC, PBS, and FOX, the ceremony saw the attendance of various figures from both politics as well as the entertainment and fashion industries. In addition to this, several of the prince's former servicemen from the Royal Navy were also in attendance and even later took part in the saber arch wedding tradition afterward where the newlyweds walk under an arch made up of sabers held up in unison. Meanwhile, for the occasion itself, Thomas opted to don a standard Royal Navy ceremonial uniform, a tribute to his military background`, which he paired with a peaked cap and a gilded sabre tightly held at waist-level. On the other hand, having drawn much inspiration from the iconic wedding dress of the American actress Grace Kelly, a fellow Roman Catholic, Christy donned an elaborate ivory silk bodice designed by an up-and-coming British fashion designer Alexander McQueen with the estimated £430,000 cost that accompanied it reportedly paid by Thomas himself. Meanwhile, for entertainment purposes, the couple was serenaded by the American singer Whitney Houston who sang her 1992 hit single "I Will Always Love You". Later on, Thomas revealed that as a huge fan of the late English singer George Michael, he initially thought of having the latter sing his iconic 1984 single "Careless Whisper" wedding but ultimately decided against it after coming across Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You", a song that he later said to have immediately loved and thus wanted it to be the centerpiece of his wedding. Meanwhile, aside from Houston, other artists also took part including the Canadian singer Bryan Adams who sang his 1991 single "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You", the British singer Seal who sang his 1994 hit single "Kiss from a Rose", the English rock band The Police who sang their 1983 single "Every Breath You Take", and the American singer Lionel Richie who, together with fellow singer Diana Ross, sang their 1981 hit duet "Endless Love". Moreover, after being initially considered as the wedding's main musical act, George Michael, who previously enlisted Christy Turlington and her supermodel friends in the music video for "Freedom! '90", also sang Thomas's favourite song "Careless Whisper" and "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go", with the latter song seeing him briefly reunite with his former Wham! partner Andrew Ridgeley.

Actresses Reese Witherspoon and Selma Blair as their respective characters Elle Woods and Vivian Kensington from the 2001 film Legally Blonde, after whom Thomas's twin daughters were named

In just a year into their marriage, the couple would welcome the birth of their first child together, the future Queen Alexandra, although this was in turn followed by a roughly three-year-long period during which the couple chose to live separately from one another so as to accommodate for Christy's decision to focus on her university studies back in the United States which in turn led to rumours falsely claiming that the couple's marriage was in an allegedly terrible state as several media outlets began claiming, often without basis, that both Thomas and Christy have begun seeing another romantic partner in order to overcome their supposedly miserable state of affairs. Nonetheless, it was also during this period that Thomas's father-in-law Dwain Turlington passed away in June 1997 at the age of sixty-four from lung cancer, just a year after the birth of his granddaughter. Eventually, following Christy's graduation from the Gallatin School of Individualized Study in New York in 1999, the two would finally begin to live together, initially starting as a family of three. Then, in the following year, Christy gave birth to their only son Richard, followed by another daughter Nicole in 2003. Then, in the year afterward, the couple welcomed their last few children, namely a pair of fraternal twins Elle and Vivian who were named after the two female characters from the 2001 film Legally Blonde, namely Elle Woods and Vivian Kensington, portrayed by American actresses Reese Witherspoon and Selma Blair respectively.

Given their unique dynamic, namely their differing social standing and respective occupations, in subsequent years, the couple has been compared to other famous pairings including French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife, the Italian singer and model Carla Bruni, who was herself a friend of Christy in the modeling industry. In addition, the election of Donald Trump as President of the United States in 2017 also saw the royal couple compared to the American presidential couple which consisted of the real estate mogul and his wife Melania Trump, a former model hailing from the Central European nation of Slovenia. Meanwhile, in 2018, Sultan Muhammad V, the then-King of Malaysia, also attracted headlines himself when reports emerged of his marriage to the Russian beauty queen Oksana Voevodina who subsequently converted to Islam and took the new name of Rihana Petra, thereby becoming the first non-native Queen of Malaysia. However, in a much closer example, in 1998, Denmark's King Frederick X, at the time a crown prince, wedded the Danish supermodel Helena Christensen although the two did not ascend to the throne as King and Queen until much later on prior to the abdication of Queen Margrethe II in January 2024.