The running theme of Duchess Kate’s first year of royal life seems to be “Kate is hilariously lazy, and the palace is constantly in damage-control mode to convince everyone that she’s just like Diana.” Kate just made an increasingly rare public appearance over the weekend, when she and her sister went to a friend’s wedding. There were obligatory fashion stories because Kate chose a new, bright-red lace dress for the event, and she kind of looked like she was there to steal the bride’s thunder. Us Weekly did a story yesterday where they described Kate’s four-hour salon visit in preparation for the wedding – which… sounds like she spent more time getting ready for a friend’s wedding than she spent getting ready for her own:
After being absent from the spotlight for a few weeks, Duchess Kate stepped out at her friends’ Wiltshire wedding on Saturday where she and younger sis Pippa Middleton nearly stole the show with their glammed-up ensembles.
Like clockwork, Kate’s hair looked especially glossy and fresh underneath her red fascinator, which matched her scarlet lace Collette Dinnigan knee-length dress. And it’s no wonder her brunette strands looked so gorgeous — she had just spent four hours at the salon Friday!
The 29-year-old royal stopped by her go-to hair haven, Richard Ward Hair and Metrospa, in London’s stylish Chelsea neighborhood where she sat all afternoon for a series of services including getting her hair colored with an organic vegetable-based hair dye.
An insider tells Us Weekly that “Kate goes in for a long appointment about every eight weeks. The shorter appointments for trims and treatments aren’t always done in the salon, but she doesn’t want to stop visiting the salon for her longer appointments. She loves her time there and she has known everyone there for years so it’s really relaxing for her.”
Kate, Pippa and their mother Carol Middleton have been trusting the salon’s tress masters Richard Ward and James Pryce for over eight years. (Pryce created Kate’s hairstyles for her April 29th wedding day and accompanied her on her North American tour in July.)
Earlier this summer, Ward told Us the trick to creating the princess-in-training’s picture-perfect blowout.
“To create the natural Chelsea blow-dry, apply a holding serum onto wet hair to take out the frizz and make the hair silky smooth. Start with hair that’s 80 percent wet and use a good blow dryer with a concentrator nozzle and a real-bristle brush. The serum memorizes the form and holds the curl in place while you blow dry.”
“Anyone with long hair should have it trimmed regularly,” he added. “Also get a deep conditioning treatment every six weeks or so to keep it healthy. I like our Richard Ward Couture Hair Silk Protein Masque.”
[From Us Weekly]
Now, I’m not begrudging Kate her hair appointments. Her hair is her signature, and I understand that it takes a lot of time and energy for Kate to keep her hair picture-perfect. But an image is beginning to form of Kate, isn’t it? An image that isn’t quite what the Palace wants. Instead of seeming normal and down-to-earth, she seems like a rich girl who doesn’t know the meaning of “work,” who lives on her trust fund and on a new royal allowance, who spends her days shopping and getting her hair done and planning her outfits for rare public appearances. Basically, a girl who spent a decade focused only on getting the ring, and who has no interests or accomplishments beyond that.
So, the Palace did some damage control, predictably. On the heels of the American reports that Anna Wintour was trying to get Kate for the cover of Vogue, the palace spokesperson issued this hilarious statement to People:
Glossy magazines hoping to carry exclusive portraits and an interview with Kate, The Duchess of Cambridge can forget it, for now. Latest rumors were that Vogue was hoping to secure a shoot by Mario Testino for the fashion monthly. But the palace denies any deal.
“There are no plans for the Duchess to do anything with U.S. Vogue,” a spokeswoman tells PEOPLE.
In any case, Kate, 29, has her mind on other matters. A few days after she attended the wedding of a friend, she is set to open a children’s cancer center Thursday with Prince William. While it is part of William’s continuing royal work, the event will provide Kate a chance to experience an official royal event at a hospital, the Royal Marsden. The hospital was one of the causes favored by Princess Diana, and the prince took over in 2007.
Kate is also doing her own search over the coming months to seek out the kinds of causes where she believes she can “make a difference,” a palace source tells PEOPLE. She is consulting friends, family and aides, and quietly visiting charities as she learns more about the voluntary sector and how the royal family interacts with the British public.
“She knows her role is to bring a spotlight onto causes and she will do that – and when she starts, she will do it with gusto,” the palace source adds.
[From People]
She’s been “studying” and “researching” charities and causes for about a year now – that’s what the palace claimed as soon as Kate and Will got engaged. You’d think that with all of that research and time and careful study, she would have been able to attach her name to at least one charity, right? Sign up to be the patroness of just one? Of course not. To be fair to Kate, she’s nearly 30 and part of her “princess training” involves rudimentary civics, so maybe she’s not that bright.
Photos courtesy of Fame.
What you fail to address is this: Kate does what the Palace tells her, what William instructs her to do. They’re not begging her to do things and she’s saying no. They are saying to her, Not Yet. So it’s not her fault for not doing more at this point. Jeesh. The Queen and William run the show, not her.
Wow-you really have it in for this girl. She is going to be a royal for the rest of her life-I don’t think there’s anything wrong with slowly easing in and carefully picking what charities she’s going to support. I think William (with Charles and the Queen’s full support) wants to make sure that she’s not overwhelmed. I also think they want to avoid the papps as long as possible-British tabloids are notoriously vicious. The Queen and Prince Philip spent the first year of their marriage as just a military couple-and that is credited with a lot of their happiness-having a period of time (albeit short) to be a regular couple. Just because Kate is an “older” bride does not mean she knows much about how the royals operate. I think she should be cut major slack. It’s not as though she’s out clubbing.
The palace will be dictating how much and at what speed Kate goes…she doesn’t call the shots.
And is it possible to write about Kate without mentioning Diana?
Not sure why you care so much, it’s not like she’s part of the american royal family or america’s part of the commonwealth.
oh princess Waity people want to love you for your work not just your glossy hair but to do so you need to do something. Anything really. Just pick a charity and dazzle us with your charm 🙂
It’s interesting that for a girl who grew up “middle class” she had so little ambition to ever make something of herself. Yes, her parents have grown their wealth over time, but they weren’t always basking in millions. She acts like she’s always been an aristo, who has no concept of weekdays and weekends a la Downton Abbey.
@Happymom I’m with you. I don’t think it’s intentional, but I do think there is a tendency to discredit a lot of the things she is doing because they don’t fit with our idea of what work is. But she is taking it slowly, and I don’t really see a problem with this. There is an awful lot about being a royal that people outside of the family will know nothing about. I don’t think the comparisons to Lady Diana are fair either, as there were paps then but no internet to provide the obsessive gaze and complete ever-presence that they have now. If people took pictures of me every 6 hours or so it could probably be made out that I don’t do anything much either, and I work 12-hr shifts for the military and look after the house by myself right now because Mr Amazon is away.
LOVE WAITY!!
I assume she may be well working 15 years after a “commoner’s” retirement age if Queen Lizzie’s schedule and precedent prevails.
glad i’m not in the minority here. I agree with the first three poster. Give the girl a break. its not like she can go off and do what ever she wants to.
My first thoughts were that she needs to make sure any charity she supports is totally on the up and up, right?
However.. that doesn’t make sense because the Palace should already have a list of ones she could choose from. So really, why would it take so long? She can pick one, for gosh sake’s, and go from there. One surely couldn’t be that big for her to handle?
Then I read the other posts and think they are on to something. Why would we think she has any say at all, no one else ever did.
I use to feel meh about her, but lately I just love her, I find her so graceful and elegant and poised.
Cosign with the majority–I think it is not her decision to make. It seems as though every effort is being made to correct the problems Diana had when she undertook her royal duties.
She’s a princess, why do people expect her to work? Isn’t that what princesses are NOT supposed to do? The eyeliner needs to change though.
She was a priveledged little girl who is now an uber priveledged woman. Why the surprise? I don’t think she’s evil, just pampered. I personally have no expectations of her at all.
What exactly does she do all day when he’s not around? I would probably go bonkers from the boredom, but I guess if you can shop and spend hours at the salon it could be bearable. Maybe she’s on lock-down.
Yeah, she’s useless. She had time to figure this out. Plenty of time. It’s not that hard. It’s because she doesn’t really care about any cause. If she did, it wouldn’t take this long. She’s 30 for crying out loud. If she were 23 I could see it. 30? No.
Im sure there is much more to her gearing for her royal duties than any of us realize. That stuff is kept behind closed doors and the press cant report on it. I doubt she has much say in what she does any more. I also think she has had more of a life than what has been reported. The press just likes to spin things to make it a more interesting read, whether it be saying she did absolutely nothing but wait for William (which I know isnt true) or that she isnt doing enough now that she is a royal. They can put her on a pedestal or make her out to be a lazy free-loader, its all up to the writer of the story. Meanwhile, the actual truth of her reality is something we’ll never hear about b/c certain things are very protected by the Royal Family.
@NYC_girl: not sure about the level of amenities on islands off the coast of Wales .. do they have electricity?
This is why I love your posts on Kate, Kaiser. You tell it like it is.
I commented at a blog after the Royal wedding with a comment that went something like, “Kate is pretty but looking too thin…that this kind of lifestyle (the waiting around for a man and not working part) shouldn’t be what most girls should aspire to (the wealth is an entirely different issue)…that history has shown there is more than meets the eye to these royal relationships (i.e. rumors that Wills was with other women during their 10 year courtship)…” This blogger chewed me out for giving my honest and straight-forward assessment of the Kate/Wills relationship.
Kate is what she appears to be and how you have described her, Kaiser. I don’t think she cares as much about PR as Diana. If she did she would have used the years she was unemployed to begin working with a safe and PR friendly charity or non-profit. Not just because she will be the future princess, but because there is so much someone in her position could do to help make the world a better place for others.
But why should she care? Wills married her despite the fact that she is a plain socialite. Having her as the anti-Diana and supportive friend was enough for him. So she will not lift a finger until the Queen and the Palace forces her to. The last ten years have shown us exactly who she is and where her ambitions lie.
William is trying to stay in the RAF for a few more years, and of course he and Kate will soon have kids. I think there is some long-term stalling going on to avoid becoming full-time royals, which would mean having to make hundreds of unglamorous appearances like Charles, Camilla and his elderly grandparents each year, rather than London galas, and foreign tours.
Kate will probably pick a handful of charities over a period of years but otherwise be too busy being a ‘housewife.’ Smart if you want to preserve your privacy, but not smart if you want to come across as hard-working and have the monarchy seem a relevant part of people’s lives rather than a relic. But maybe William doesn’t want to be King and he’s setting the wheels in motion.
This woman is not going to ‘work’ like your everyday common person. Like several have already said, she’s a Royal, a princess now. Your not going to see her doing a regular 9-5 job, so just get over it already.
The Palace controls everything, and apparently William feels strongly that she not be thrown in the deep end and left to thrash, and he wants her to ease into it slowly. Plus, there’s all the pressure to have a child. I can’t imagine what that’s like; to have everyone looking at you wondering if you’ve conceived yet.
But, just to I can snark, I saw photos of her and Pips at the wedding, and she needs to start spending as much time on her skin as she does on her hair. Very rough. I’m perfect, by the way. 🙂
I have a feeling that the Palace expects her to get pregnant soon so they don’t want to overburden her with charity work just yet. The minute they announce her pregnancy, her idle ways will be forgotten and she’ll be everyone’s princess ;). Personally, I do not care for her style at all. If she spent FOUR hours getting ready for a friend’s wedding and she ended up looking like she did, completely boring and uninspired with an 80style saucer on her head and the same hairstyle as always, there is no hope.
Give me a break. Isn’t William still in the RAF? Didn’t they say that the first few years of their married life would be spent as an ‘ordinary’ couple while William continues to serve his country and she supports him? I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that the goal was to take a few years and live quietly before assuming Royal duties.
Charles is next in line to the throne. Let him and Cammie deal with the charities and duties and give William and Catherine some downtime before they have to assume the weight of the monarchy.
She spent 4 hours getting her hair done. OMG.. the NERVE. *eyerolls*
@Kaboom – Ha! I love your use of the word “amenities.” I would have panic attacks from the isolation and boredom. She needs to get pregnant and start popping out puppies.
@21 I agree with you. William is making sure she is OVER prepared for her princess duties so she can handle the pressure and the spotlight. He’s VERY protective of her because of all the things that happened to his mother. I hope she gets preggers soon and the pressure will be off (assuming she has a boy)
why is it in every picture this girl takes the time to flash that blue engagement ring. every shot. I started doing charity work when I was 13 years old. My parents raised me with a sense of giving back to my community. Duchess Dolittle is almost 30 and still has no charities that she has had a long time relationship with? Look, I don’t mind if she wants to play at Princess. what bugs me is the media make this WOMAN (no longer a girl) as some big deal for what? dressing in designer clothes, smiling and waving? It’s 2011 and really sad that this is what a 30 year old university grad does for her life’s work. even models work hard compared to Duchess Dolittle. I’m with Kaiser, the Palace needs to stop with their PR. No one likes to be spoon fed B.S.
Even when they do charity work, is it really WORK? I mean, cut a few ribbons, wave and smile for the cameras. Isn’t that pretty much what they do?
I’m just a regular, working-class schmo (not the millionaire kind of working class that Kate is) and I already know which charities I would be helping out if I was rich and didn’t need to work all the time. Serously, it’s not THAT hard.
If you’re gonna live off the taxpayers, you should earn it.
I didn’t jump onto the “I hate Kate” bandwagon right away, despite the fact that her full-time “job” seemed to be dating William for 9 years. But after these past couple of months, I have to say I think she turned out to be a dud.
She doesn’t have the glamour to satisfy superficial expectations of a princess (like Grace did); she doesn’t seem very bright (like Victoria is); she’s not hard-working (like Anne); she doesn’t seem to have that rapport with strangers that Diana had; she basically has NOTHING going for her, except the eating disorder. And although I feel sorry for her, I don’t think that’s a good thing.
She’s awful, should not be someone people look up to. I would be seriously annoyed if I were British and knew she would be my Queen someday.
I’m with those of you who think she’s had enough time to figure out which type of (or specific) charities she would want to be patron of. She was dating Wills for 10 years, then engaged and now married. She’s had plenty of time to figure out what causes interest her.
I don’t expect her to have a 9-5 but I do think she should be seen as doing SOMETHING (ribbon cuttings and speeches and bringing attention and money to worthy causes). She’s already got the waity tag and I think the press will turn on her if she does nothing except princess lessons for the next few years. Especially if they are also waiting to have children.
I understand that Wills wants to protect her better than his mother was but, come on! She’s 30, not 19 as others have stated and she’s been with William for 10 years, not 6 months like Diana and Charles.
I also understand the they are trying to recreate the idyllic time that QE and Phillip had when they were married, but times have changed and I think the modern monarchy needs to show they are earning their keep rather than looking for any excuse to sit at home or the salon for hours on end, attending one official event every 3 months.
You know, THIS is why I love this site. Everywhere you go in the mainstream media, they are afraid to pass any judgments or make even the slightest bit of criticisms. I open up a People magazine, and it’s just exorbitant amounts of praise left and right for anyone and everyone. They never step outside the box or dare to think or speak differently.
I love that you don’t just sit back and blindly praise the people you write about, but you’re also not so ridiculously harsh that it screams “tryhard.”
I’m with you on Kate.
She’s had 9 years to get used to the idea of being a royal (and of being hounded by the press wherever she goes – and she’s not a child. I don’t see why the royal family feel the need to wrap her up in cotton wool.
The Palace would NEVER indicate that Catherine will be or is like Diana as the Palace never liked Diana & her constant need to upstage them.
This girl doesn’t get options. She is lovely. She didn’t take Diana’s place so stop with all the ugly snipes.
Remember it is Diana’s boy who picked & loves this girl. The jealous comments are beyond the pale
I love how the Palace or royal sources keep on releasing statements about Kate’s supposed work ethic.
“The Duchess will decide which charities she’ll have SOON.”
“The Duchess will be working more in the next couple of months.”
“The Duchess is getting ready to pick charities.”
And now this “she’ll work with gusto.”
LOL.
Why can’t the Palace just send Kate to a charitable organization for an hour and get her photographed there? That would be better for their PR than releasing these vague statements that only add to the questions on when, exactly, is Kate going to work.
I’ll believe it when I see it. But until then, I’ll say Kate is lazy, work-shy, and has no ambition other than to be William’s wife and arm candy, and wear expensive clothes and jewelry.
If the Palace decides everything, fine. But what’s stopping Kate from being seen and photographed visiting charitable organizations, hospitals, museums, art galleries, etc on her own time?
How come she’s never been known to do charity work before her marriage to William? In 10 years of being in the media, she’s never been reported to do charity work. The only things she’s been photographed doing are partying, shopping, and vacationing. Now that she’s married to William, I don’t think that’s gonna change.
What Kate loves is to wear designer clothes and jewelry, and parade around the cameras and meet other rich people. That’s all she’s done as William’s girlfriend. When it comes to serious royal work, she’s nowhere to be seen.
The press have caught her shopping in high end boutiques in London recently, but they can’t catch her doing a more interesting hobby than spending money?
It’s either Kate is really stealthy when it comes to pursuing meaningful activities, or she doesn’t do anything else but shop, shop, shop.
Give me a freakin’ break.
And to all those who say, “She’s a royal, she doesn’t have to do anything but look pretty.” It just shows you don’t know anything about how royal families/monarchies work, and you’re just basing your opinions on the experiences (or lack of) of a 30-year old girl who has done nothing significant in her life.
Go look at Princess Letizia of Spain. She’s the busiest Princess/future Queen in Europe and she has 2 little daughters at home. She started doing royal duties even before her wedding to Prince Felipe. She gets criticized all the time in the Spanish press, but instead of babying her and protecting her from the media, the Spanish royal family just keep on going, keep on working, to show the public that they are worthy of their support (taxpayers’ money). Not once did Prince Felipe provoke the press by commenting on their bashing on his wife. Not once has Letizia shied away from doing work, no matter that it’s not her forte (she was an award-winning journalist). She took on the role without complaint, no “Princess lessons”, no break from royal duties. She was working 2 months before giving birth. If Kate gets pregnant now, there’s no way in hell she’ll work for the next 5 years. She’s being treated like a baby by William and the public.
I can’t imagine how Kate is going to fare in Letizia’s case. Kate will probably keel over from starvation and stress with Letizia’s schedule and the Spanish press always on her back. If people think it’s too tough for Kate NOW, look at Princess Letizia of Spain. And yet Letizia has worked hard for 7 years to get the public’s approval. Only 2 years ago, 5 years after being Princess, that the public’s approval of her seem to be getting better.
Kate is lucky that the public the world over is blinded by her boring style, big hair, and thick eyeliner. She’s the media’s darling now. But soon enough, the press is gonna turn on her and the criticisms will get louder.
How amusing that she rocks the most difficult outfits in a simple and casual way. Here’s to the narrow silhouettes of Ireland!
I’m sure that soothing delicate royal egos is a full-time job. I don’t recall Prince Charles being that big a fan of his wife’s attention-getting activities, regardless of the fact that it was charity work — it still took attention away from him and focused it on her.
Maybe Prince William likes ’em skinny and in heels watching the cook work in the kitchen.
I am 100% with Kaiser on her assesment of Waity Kate. This is a THIRTY year old woman. We’re not talking about a young person still growing into their own. We’re talking about a mature adult woman completely lacking the charitable values that are expected from the monarchy. A certain noblesse oblige.
I’ve been doing charity work since I was 10. I am not “rich” – I work for a living. I spend time outside of my job doing other things. I volunteer with the humane society that runs our local animal shelter. I bring my pup (who I adopted from that shelter) to visit patients at the local hospital. During the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays I work in soup kitchens. This has been something that my parents ingrained in me since I was young. I was raised doing charitable things, not because it was a “photo op” but because giving back to those less fortunate instills values – values such as empathy, compassion, selflessness.
You know what Kate’s parents ingrained in her? Appearances. Keeping up appearances. Marrying rich. I think that a lot of people see through her “appearances.” She has long seemed so desperate and grasping for William, because that has been her sole life goal. I get the impression that Kate was totally sheltered, and continues to be sheltered. Hence she is not charitably inclined. She is superficial.
I’ve never heard of her doing ANYTHING for ANY charity. I haven’t even heard of her working hard at a job. ANY JOB.
William has commitment to charity because he was raised with it. He was taught those values as a young boy. His mother especially never sheltered him from how the “other side” lives.
TC: i thought i was the only one who had noticed the ring flash…LOL
Another Waity sighting – surprise! She went shopping. Because that’s all she does. Shops and gets her hair done and stares directly into the camera.
http://www.people.com/people/package/article/0,,20395222_20532216,00.html
Kaiser – a few points of interest.
First, Waity got a fresh BLOW OUT and has full on camera makeup for this “quick” jaunt into Topshop. Do we think she’s above calling the paps on herself? (No, we don’t)
Second, methinks someone has a breasts where once there were none. Plus a bit of midsection weight. Are we on pregnancy watch? Or is this just the precursory fertility drugs that this anorexic smoker is most likely on.
Third, why is she in London? William is in Wales. Does this mean she’s not the perfect traditional housewife the palace wants us to think she is? “Just enjoying the newlywed phase.” Right.
To be fair I think Waity did work for one charity, I can’t remember exactly what it was but it was something a friend started and they used to row boats on the Thames to raise money every year, but I think it was more ‘go along and have fun with the friend’ rather than any long lasting commitment to the charity.
Her princess lessons nonsense is utter tripe, she did better than well on the Canadian tour and that is exactly what she will be expected to do charity wise, she is just dragging her heels.
I guess everyone missed the story that said she is lonely and bored in Anglesey when Wills is on duty and not at home so she is now going to spend alternate weeks there, the other in London (shopping, lunching with her sister/mother, trying on clothes etc ….oh and princess lessons apparently). Poor Kate such a hard life.
In royal terms she is a major slacker the Queen at the ripe old age of 85 had over 500 official engagements last year, almost as many for the 90 year Prince Phillip and Princess Anne has an average of 40 engagements a month. Kate has probably been given a year to get herself organized but after that you can be sure the Queen will give her ‘the look’ and she’d better snap too it. I can see Kate getting pregnant around about then to avoid having to do her fair share once again. She really does absolutely NOTHING royal duty wise, emphasis on the word DUTY…you do it whether you want to or not and look like you enjoy it, that’s her job, what she signed up for and she is totally flipping the bird on this one.
For all you dellusional Team Kate fans, what you fail to realize is this. If Kate had any real worth and true desire to do charity work she would have brokered her “employment” prior to the wedding. Once the engagement was announced she could have every whim fullfilled. She had no desire to hit the ground running. The palace justifies her laziness time and again and some of you are two foolish to see it. I thought she was a house wife, what happened to that? Now she’s going to do charity work. I’m not buying it. That girl has no substance.
Bermuda blue that pic of her was taken a day or so before the wedding
I love you, Kaiser!
Duchess Dolittle is doing exactly what she’d be doing if she hadn’t married William. She’d be the pampered wife of some aristocrat with little expected of her beyond popping out a heir and a spare.
@ Jenn #43
I’m referring to the updated photograph that Kaiser posted – Comment # 39. Certainly you couldn’t think that initial photo of Waity’s collar bones could show surplus weight?
#28 benny –
“she basically has NOTHING going for her, except the eating disorder.”
She has her hair too! As much as I don’t like her I do envy her hair. But that’s as far as my envy goes.
She should never lose her hair as besides from being a woman’s crowning glory it’s the only thing that people mostly notice from her. Lose that hair and she’ll be a plain old regular Jane.
#33 Snappyfish
“The jealous comments are beyond the pale ”
And here I was wondering who the first person will be to pull out the “You’re just jealous of Kate” card. Well done Snappyfish!
If Kate announced “one charity”, she’d be accused of showing favoritism & ignoring all the other worthy causes. The custom is to announce sponsorship of several at a time, after investigation & clearly deciding the extent of her involvement. She can’t sxactly withdraw support after she has publicly committed.
Why do you judge her by your non-royal standards? Unless you’re experienced in that life & its requirements, as well as its privileges, it seems wrong to be constantly mean & petty in so many comments.
@Ell: Would it be safe to say that you did not grow up in the US or attend public school in the US? The required amount of history that we take in school covers basically city, state, and country through the Boston Tea Party. Maybe the beginnings of the revolution. Point being, I’m pretty sure based on American public school textbooks that we are still subjects of the monarchy – or at least involved in a very lengthy separation process. And thus, we have a right to royal gossip.
when i see it i’ll believe it (on her working) and I thought she was all ‘i do my own hair and make up’ (obviously lies). wow but her hair is gorgeous so its all worth it.
@ taxi… Kate is lazy by royal standards not just non-royal standards, she isn’t expected to be running a charity or to be a decision maker on their boards, she just needs to sign up as their patron, appear at a fund raiser or dinner once a year, shake a few hands at a luncheon every year or two, and allow them to use her name. At one point Prince Phillip was patron of 800 charities at the same time, not just in Britain but in Commonwealth countries also, as well as international organizations, he’s cut back a bit now it’s down to around 200 I think, because he said he can’t physically keep up with the demands any more, but Kate can’t pick two or three to start with……please!
Kaiser after my heart. You are so right.
I am shocked at how many people are willing to make apologies and excuses for this lazy elitist. People actually feel sorry for her?! Are you flippin serious? This family has billions– BILLIONS–in assets, and all that’s asked of them in return for taxes piled on top of those billions is a little ribbon cutting here and there, or maybe a visit to a soup kitchen. I don’t think any amount of excuses justifies Duchess Dolittle’s laziness. That’s just what it is: Laziness. Not “enjoying married life” (after 10 years of dating). Not “not repeating mistakes of Diana”. Not “easing into royalty.” Seriously, do you think royalty is something you need to ease into? It’s a lavish, luxurious lifestyle, free from the exhausting responsibilities of normal lives. The PR team is scrambling to represent her, and she hasn’t even so much as thrown them a bone. Why? Because she’s as clueless as Marie Antoinette. Instead of doing something, she goes to a four-hour salon appointment, and is praised for shopping at topshop like all us “regular” peasants. Oh please. My question is: Why does she need to shop in the first place? Doesn’t she have enough clothes, dresses, jewelry?
@ Bermuda, your comment really hit the nail on the head. This girl is 150 percent focused on appearances, resulting from a poor set of values. Like you, I volunteered from an early age, and honestly couldn’t imagine my life without it.
In the past week William has said he would like to extend his RAF duty on the grounds that he doesn’t want to be a full time Royal yet. What is the betting this is the ground work for more non working by Kate. I can’t wait for the excuse that is somehow going to work that in to the next statement released about her work intentions.
The people who excuse her fail to see that had she been a working girl , no pun intended, we would give her a lot of room to have those princess lessons.
Given that her goal was to marry him, and stuck around for 8 years, surely she knew what her role would be.
@Lolas — Catherine is not a princess, she is a Duchess. The Crown made sure of that by giving William the title Duke of Cambridge. Prince William will never lose the title of Prince because he is the heir to the throne. The only title that Kate receives is any CURRENT TITLE bestowed by the Queen ie. the Duchy of Cambridge. The only true and current young princesses are Princess Eugine and Princess Beatrice.
And guess what? Even Princess Beatrice has to get a “real job.” She worked (in a high position naturally) at a department store over the summer.
If a real Princess can get a job, why can’t Kate, who happens to be a Duchess?
Unless Beatrice marries a Crown Prince, she’ll never sit on a throne. Eventually Kate will, as King William’s wife. Maybe The Firm doesn’t want the wife of a king-to-be to work. Might be OK if it was a Jackie O kind of job, out of the public eye. I think Countess Sophie worked before she had kids, but nobody’s ever paid much attention to her or hubby (except wondering if he was gay, during his acting days.)
Both William and Catherine said they were going to spend the year quietly, William is in the airforce, they live in a remote part of Wales most of the time and she prefers to live with her husband, not in London “doing” duties. Point is? She doesn’t have to work if she doesn’t want to. She is who she is and if I were in her shoes I’d want to spend the first year of my married life with my husband as well. If she has children and raises them and she and William are happy then I say good on her. Not everyone wants a career or needs a career. And there is no harm in that either. The Palace has also said that Catherine has stated she will not be carrying out appearances without her husband. Which, given the well documented problems caused by Diana’s popularity in her and Charles marriage this is most likely a good move. I remember very well the groan that would go up from the crowds if Charles went over to speak to people without Diana. And no matter who you are that would hurt. Ms C is no fool.