I think coupling with a commoner is also a bit of risk. Look at the first commoner who married into the Royal Family : Anthony Armstrong Jones ? What a spectacular success that was ! Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent was against the Kent marriage from the start, and if not for Katherine's devotion to the the crown, it would have ended rather badly. Marina was right after all. I am not saying those I spoke of as "bottom of the barrel" as anything but unsuitable in status but not personality. There are more aristocrats in Austria, Hungary, France and not to mention Germany of course. Prince Aimone of Aosta and Prince Nicholas of Greece both chose within the class. I disagree that Prince Philip was a liability, his marriage to the Queen has its ups and downs. But they have been together for more than 60 years. He is a royal and knows how to behave.
I agree those three were well behaved, but what of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Mette, Crown Princess of Norway or Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York ? I totally agree with Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone who lived from the time between Queen Victoria to Queen Elizabeth II. "In my day, people do know their place". A well trained aristocrat who grew up in a firm "royal family" is a much better bet than a commoner who do not know how to behave when suddenly elevated to a new position. The handball player who suddenly found himself married to an infanta found opportunities he would not find. hence the temptation to do something inappropriate. I think quite a lot of Spanish Grandees agrees with this sentiment and stayed away from these kinds of celebrations with commoners.
