Prince William checks into Cambridge for 10 weeks: will he be living on campus?

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Lord, this was fast. These are some photos of Prince William arriving at Cambridge to begin his “bespoke program” in agriculture. Meaning that he’s not going to get grades or a degree or anything, he’s just going to be living in the fanciest campus housing and auditing classes, from what I can tell. Also, it seems that Duchess Kate and little Prince George are going to be staying full-time in London, in Kensington Palace, while William is doing the Cambridge thing. Which is… interesting. If he wasn’t a prince, would we feel differently about a 31-year-old man spending 10 weeks in student housing with 19-year-old college girls? I feel like this premise will be used for a future Will Ferrell movie. Anyway, People Magazine had a lengthy write-up about William’s new excuse to not work educational goals. It’s so extensive, I think we can safely say the royal propogandists were working overtime to explain this mess:

The Duke of Cambridge has arrived at the University of Cambridge to check in for the start of his special farming course. William, 31, traveled up on Tuesday from his home at Kensington Palace in London to Cambridge, around 60 miles north of the capital. There, in a suit and tie, he was welcomed to King’s College in the rain as he enrolled for the first day of a “bespoke” 10-week course in agricultural management.

The prince is to take one-on-one classes and join other lectures and tutorials with other students at the Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership until mid-March. The CPSL devises tailor-made courses for business people and others. “There will be other students who attend modules of his course, but his course is unique to him,” says a university spokesman.

Drawing on the strengths of academics across the university, William will spend 18-20 hours a week learning all aspects of areas including agricultural policy, countryside governance, farming, food management, rural policy and planning.

“The purpose is to give the Duke sufficient grounding in contemporary issues affecting agricultural business and rural communities in the U.K.,” a palace source tells PEOPLE.

It will give him both a greater understanding of the countryside over which he will one day be king and stand him in good stead when he is head of the vast Duchy of Cornwall estate (which was set up in 1337 to provide heirs to the throne with an income). The portfolio of land, property and investments currently generates an annual income of about $47.5 million, and William will take it over when his father, Prince Charles, 65, becomes king.

William’s move has been welcomed by academics elsewhere. Rita Walsh, senior lecturer at the Royal Agricultural University, believes his decision to study agricultural management “will no doubt further raise awareness” of agribusiness courses. She adds: “Clearly it demonstrates his desire to develop his knowledge and understanding of the complex land-based industry, which is essential to run any large-scale specialist business.”

William has the concerns of the countryside in his blood. One of his favorite times during his “gap year” before he started university was when he quietly worked on a farm, friends say.

With Kate and baby George remaining at home in Kensington Palace, William will mostly commute to Cambridge, but he is likely to have some nights when he needs to stay over. Sorry, fellow students, he won’t be in digs with you – he will live privately when he needs to bed down in the famous university city.

Still, they might catch a glimpse of him in a tractor or knee-deep in a muddy meadow. “There will be field trips,” says a university spokesman.

One insider concedes the course is “not cheap,” but the university will not go into cost details. William’s fees are being paid for privately.

The world-renowned university prides itself on its farming courses, which are generally taken by the children of farming families, gentlemen farmers and others. “There is a strong tradition of teaching agriculture at the department of land economy,” the university spokesman said.

Some students have complained that William’s initial “A” level results that got him into St. Andrew’s University in 2005 were not good enough to get him into Cambridge. His office will not comment on that, but an ally points out that it can’t be judged in the same way in any case. “This is not an undergraduate course, but an executive education program,” the source says.

Following the course, William, who left the Royal Air Force in September last year, will head to New Zealand and Australia on an official tour with and Kate and George. He is then expected to finalize other plans for further work in public service.

[From People]

So, People’s sources are now claiming that William will “commute” to Cambridge and that he’s staying in private housing? That’s in contradiction to what they were saying last week, which was that William would be staying on campus and wouldn’t be commuting that much. Maybe someone in the press office realized how bad it sounded when they basically said that William was going to be surrounded day and night by nubile college girls. Also: “William’s fees are being paid for privately”? Charles, I guess, is footing the bill.

Do you think Kate will do any solo events while William is away? I would shake my head and roll my eyes at the idea, but I remember when William was away on military exercises, and Kate did more work than usual. So I do think we’ll see some solo appearances from her. Either that or she’ll just go to her mom’s house with the baby for the next ten weeks.

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Photos courtesy of Pacific Coast News.

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88 Responses to “Prince William checks into Cambridge for 10 weeks: will he be living on campus?”

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  1. Christin says:

    The idea of Will Ferrell making this scenario into a movie will be in my head all day.

  2. Thinker says:

    Guess he’s going to miss the annual Middleton Mustique holiday which should be slated for the last week of January, first week of Februrary, right smack in the middle of his studies.

  3. T.Fanty says:

    Why the hell would he “need” to stay overnight? It can’t be much more than an hour to Cambridge from London, by rail.

    That baby must really cry ALL the time for him to come up with this nonsense.

  4. LAK says:

    Tone deaf. As always.

    Meanwhile the worker bees over at KP struggle to fill his diary and to explain it to the public in ways that make him look like an over-achiever.

    • LadySlippers says:

      ‘Tone deaf’.

      What a brilliant description of William. He has no ear for anything and can’t dance. Unless it’s to a tune of his own making.

  5. T.C. says:

    Some students have complained that William’s initial “A” level results that got him into St. Andrew’s University in 2005 were not good enough to get him into Cambridge. His office will not comment on that, but an ally points out that it can’t be judged in the same way in any case. “This is not an undergraduate course, but an executive education program,” the source says.

    LMAO. So you don’t need good sources to enter an executive education program? Hilarious. Have fun lazy Prince.

    • bluhare says:

      If it’s like continuing education at US college/university, you don’t even need a college degree to take the class. Just a willingness to go and pay for it. I wonder if Charles paid for it personally or if the Duchy is as a business expense.

    • T.C. says:

      Sorry replace “sources” with “Scores”. Good A-level scores.

  6. Ash says:

    Aren’t they going on a tour of Australia this Spring? At least he is doing something. What was the alternative – visit a couple of charities before they go to Australia?

    It’s not like he is going for a full-blown degree. It’s just 10-weeks.

    • bluhare says:

      The alternative? Yes. Some charities or some work for his grandmother.

    • Florc says:

      Ash
      This 10 week course came quickly after his RAF job ended. Let’s see what else pops up after these 10 weeks are up to delay being a hard working royal.

      • My2Pence says:

        @Ash. You know he’ll think of something else to delay it. Perhaps an extra week or two on either side of the downunder tour, just for a little relaxation?

        This course hasn’t started that quickly after the RAF job ended, although I’m sure their PR would like us to think otherwise.

        According to general sources, he basically didn’t show up for work much of the spring and summer – as per usual. He then took paternity leave. His last day with the RAF was September 10, 2013.

        http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2418522/Prince-William-gap-year-quits-military-wont-increasing-number-royal-engagements.html

        William sat around twiddling his thumbs and doing very few engagements for FOUR MONTHS, then started this course on January 6th.

        Wife has been off living with her parents. The “devoted father” was caught skipping back from a hunting trip just in time for the christening. Also add in the 2 known nannies, and there isn’t a lot of hands-on parenting from either of them. So much for the fairy tale of being full-time devoted parents who don’t have time to work for those pesky taxpayers.

  7. Suze says:

    I honestly wonder why he’s doing this. Does he have a genuine interest in agricultural management? Is it to fill up his resume (like he needs that)? Is he bored with the stay at home dad routine?

    Inquiring minds want to know!

    • sunny123 says:

      He’s going to inherit the Duchy of Cornwall sooner rather than later.

      • LadySlippers says:

        You’re assuming an awful lot.

        So if we’re going on possible scenarios let’s consider another one (equally as likely). If by chance, Charles predeceases William, William will not inherit the duchy. Only the eldest son of the Soveriegn inherits Cornwall (England) and Rothesay (Scotland).

    • justme says:

      He is going to inherit the Duchy of Cornwall, one of the largest public estates in the UK, when his father becomes king. Obviously he is not going to be micromanaging the estates on the Duchy, but he should be knowledgeable about what goes on.

      This is what he will be studying – it is sort of like Continuing Education which does not have the same admissions standards as Undergraduate Education, but is very common for adults pursuing a subject which relates to their career.

      The Royal will have 20 hours of teaching time each week, including work in small groups as well as one-to-one tuition and his own additional reading. He will also go on a series of field trips. He will be taught by academics specialising in geography, land economy and plant sciences. Modules he is expected to study include rural and planning policy, farming and supply chains, site management, agricultural policy and conservation governance.

      Sounds like a good idea to me! It is not a lazy thing to do, nor does it have much in common with being a college student.

      • LadySlippers says:

        But apparently he’s ready taken similar courses.

      • justme says:

        He did a 2 week stint at Chatsworth in 2005

        http://www.bakewelltoday.co.uk/news/local/estate-takes-on-royal-worker-1-979679

        “Prince William, who graduated from St Andrew’s University this summer, worked alongside the house’s promotions and education manager, Simon Seligman, to learn first hand about the management of a country estate.”

        Not really the same thing.

      • My2Pence says:

        @ Just Me. Chatsworth is just the one that is mentioned, but he seems to have done those stays at multiple large estates. He’s done more then 2 weeks training in agricultural overall, plus spent time working in finance around the same time.

        Just another excuse not to work full-time, or else he just didn’t pay attention the first time. No tutors to do his homework this time around, however, unlike for his undergrad.

    • L says:

      He’ll inherit the Duchy of Cornwall-so he’ll need that knowledge to help run that estate once he inherits.

      • Suze says:

        I was kind of kidding with my comments ; ).

        It’s good to know that some folks have Wills’ back on the board, though!

        I wonder how Charles was trained to take over the Duchy. Of course he’s been running the enterprise for so long I’m sure he’s got it down by now.

      • bluhare says:

        I wonder what Charles knew when he took it over too. He’s certainly made a going organic concern out of it though.

    • Decloo says:

      I think it’s wonderful that he is studying agriculture, following in his father’s footsteps, but if it’s a customized one-on-one class, why can’t he stay at Kensington with a private tutor and have his own personal field trips? The Palace can still milk it for PR.

      • justme says:

        Because he is being taught by Cambridge Univerisity professors who are in Cambridge. Also although the course has been designed specifically for him it will also see him study alongside ordinary PhD students in some classes.

        I can’t see what the big deal is. He is going to take over the Duchy of Cornwall, which is a thriving enterprise these days. It is good for him to get some knowledge of the way estates like this are managed.

      • Florc says:

        justme
        William can be taught by many professors at very prestigious universities, but it will never match jumping into his future role and learning the business from inside the actual business.
        I’d believe this course more if he also was assisting his father. Until then he isn’t really preparing for anything except being a professional procrastinator.

      • justme says:

        Florc, the question was why does he not just have a private tutor at Kensington and I said it was taking courses from Cambridge professors (imagine if they were shipped in to privately tutor him at Kensington – more consternation!)

        There is nothing wrong with jumping into a business but it also helps to have some academic knowledge as well – what is wrong with having both? Most people who are to inherit estates of this kind these days seem to take advantage of what can be learned in the classroom, which then makes the “on the job” training work better. I needed a library degree before I could get a job as a librarian and though I learned a lot on the job, the theoretical underpinnings of the degree aided immeasurably once I got a job.

        I think the impetus for this course probably came from Charles who wants his son to use his transition year well as he moves from a military to a royal career. This is why it has been called a transition. Up until now William has had a military career and would not have been involved in the Duchy of Cornwall. Before dumping him on some managers why not give him an overview of how modern land and agricultural management works?

      • Florc says:

        justme
        Ok.
        I guess i’m critical of the whole situation then. There’s nothing wrong with having the tutors come to him. I agree with that. And there’s nothing wrong with wanting a foundation of specialized knowledge for this future job. I guess what i’m getting around to is he’s had time to build that foundation and he currently still has time to be involved in both th learning and working side of his future role.
        It still looks like he’s dragging his feet.

        And I do wonder how Charles feels about this. Was this whole thing his idea?

        And all the time spent on his RAF career gone. He even stuck with it when the RAF’s S&R days were very numbered.

      • Justme says:

        @Florc. I can understand you being critical. Maybe William will mess up and not work and generally let down his father and grandmother. But maybe he won’t. The whole thrust of much of the coverage has been that what he really wants is to go the Uni and hang out with cute girls and get away from his wife and baby

        I don’t think that is fair. Nor do I think it is accurate. The fact that William sometimes goes on shooting trips on weekends just makes him a typical aristocrat, not an unhappily married man.
        Also if you think about it, Charles’ naval training also went to waste so to speak. Most men, even those who are not royal,don’t actually stay in the military long term.

        Becoming a parent can be a growing up experience – I hope this will be the case here. I may be wrong of course.

      • Florc says:

        justme
        I understand that royals are expected to have some sort of military service under their belt. William just seemed to make it more of a joke with almost losing his pilot license and taking the helicopter for personal use. In short he was not dedicated.

        And I think William cheats, not because he’s an aristo or unhappily married. I think he cheats because he knows he can get away with it and has an ego that likes the attention. If down the road it’s confirmed he never cheated on Kate i’ll eat my hat. I also don’t think he’s taking this course to get away so he can cheat. He can do that whenever.
        Becoming a parent doesn’t make people grow up. They simply have a greater reason to change. When all parenting needs are covered by others what reason does William have to mature?
        And I hope i’m wrong too. I hope this really is the turning point.
        I just haven’t been proven wrong the theory that unless there’s a vacation, event, or camera around Will and Kate are not around eachother.

  8. PHD gossip says:

    I think this PR Fiasco is the reason they were hand holding on Christmas for the world media – to innoculate themselves against the speculation…

  9. Christin says:

    Where I live, retired persons usually audit classes. It’s something I automatically think of a 70-year old doing to fill a few hours a week without the typical class requirements of testing, etc.

  10. sunny123 says:

    No report ever said William would be residing in student housing. It was always said to be private accommodations close to campus if needed.

  11. Hautie says:

    I still think this is a great course study for him. For a man who will one day have that huge Duchy of Cornwall to manage…. he needs these agricultural classes. If it is generating $45 million a year now… the man needs to understand farming.

    But I realize that folks who don’t have any idea about land management and farming, will see no point of these classes.

    I would also like to see him do at least one solid year of accounting 101. Or the Summer school course. For anything generating that kind of income yearly, one needs to have a solid understanding of basic bookkeeping too.

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      I see nothing wrong with him continuing his education regarding his future inheritance, though I’d point out that he did already go to university and knew about his inheritance then, but I see no reason why he has to do this exclusively, and not carry out any public duties for 10 weeks. He’s 31 for Heaven’s sake. It seems so lazy to me.

      • LadySlippers says:

        AND I’d like to add that he’ll be paying people to manage Cornwall. I mean let’s be honest — he’s not going to do it himself.

      • justme says:

        Of course he’ll be paying people to manage the Duchy of Cornwall estates – as his father does. However having someone in charge who had no idea how things operate is not a good idea in any enterprise. It is very common for young aristocrats who are going to inherit estates to take these courses in land and agricultural management.

      • My2Pence says:

        Excellent point, GoodNamesAllTaken! He’s known this is his future all along. If he wasn’t going to prepare himself by getting a degree in international relations (like so many of the heirs in other countries), why not study this all along? He wanted the freedom to choose his own degree course? Fine, get a dual degree in Geography AND Land Management.

    • Lilacflowers says:

      I think he is simply trying to make his resume look like that of Eton classmate Eddie Redmayne. Next up: RADA!

  12. Sixer says:

    Oh dear. Cambridge makes a fortune from “courses” like this, just as it makes a fortune from A level summer crammers. Attendee gets the cachet of having been “educated” at Cambridge. Cambridge gets big bucks. Attendees other than William then go back to their jobs with loads of new buzzwords and mess up stuff that was working perfectly well without them.

    • Suze says:

      Many prestigious US colleges make an unholy amount of money from professional courses of study like this as well. It’s a bit of boondoggle for them. Companies foot the bill for their managers, colleges pocket the cash and the participants get a credential. How much actual knowledge is transferred is pretty questionable.

      I hear the Duchy is pretty profitable and well managed as it is. Maybe William should dive in and just see what’s going on with it – after he finishes his coursework, of course!

      • bluhare says:

        I read a comment somewhere (here?) where the poster wondered why he doesn’t apprentice at the Duchy and get actual hands on experience. I agree with that wholeheartedly. Nothing like actually doing it to learn it. But maybe he’s getting some theory in organic and sustainable agriculture before he goes. Don’t know.

      • Suze says:

        Hi Bluhare – hope all is well!

        I hate to totally dump on this idea because one of the very beneficial things to come out of the monarchy over the past forty years has been Charles’ commitment to organic agriculture. He was truly ahead of the bar on it. He turned Highgrove into a thriving concern when everyone else mocked the idea. He also nurtured the Duchy so that it is a highly profitable business that will sustain his heirs for many generations. If William has a sincere interest in continuing that legacy, I have to say, good on him.

        But.

        These “programs” are known to be a bit of a boondoggle, as I said before, and William hasn’t exactly shown himself to be a dynamo when it comes to getting busy with the family business.

        We shall see what happens. I’ll reserve judgement!

      • bluhare says:

        Hey, Suze. We survived the holidays in bluhareville so all’s good!

        Your boondoggle point is well taken. And if I remember right LAK said he took a course similar at Chatsworth a few years ago.

      • Suze says:

        @Bluhare – I envy William in that regard. I would love to take a land management class at Chatsworth.

        Maybe he’s just the type who can never “get enough education!” ; ).

      • justme says:

        As I mentioned above, it was not really a land management class. He did a 2 week stint at the Chatsworth estate in 2005

        http://www.bakewelltoday.co.uk/news/local/estate-takes-on-royal-worker-1-979679

        “Prince William, who graduated from St Andrew’s University this summer, worked alongside the house’s promotions and education manager, Simon Seligman, to learn first hand about the management of an estate” More like a work experience rather than anything formal.

      • Suze says:

        @justme – Maybe he is adding on to his knowledge, then.

        Like I said, I’ll reserve judgement. If William picks up an active role in the Duchy after this gap year, maybe he’ll put all this training to good use.

        I don’t think that learning about the ag biz is a bad thing. It’s just a little funny that William keeps training for jobs, but the actual work just never really materializes.

      • My2Pence says:

        To repeat what I said above:
        @ Just Me. Chatsworth is just the one that is mentioned, but he seems to have done those stays at multiple large estates. He’s done more then 2 weeks training in agricultural overall, plus spent time working in finance around the same time.

        Just another excuse not to work full-time, or else he just didn’t pay attention the first time. No tutors to do his homework this time around, however, unlike for his undergrad.

        @Suze. “It’s just a little funny that William keeps training for jobs, but the actual work just never really materializes. ” So true, so true!

  13. HappyMom says:

    Whatever. He’s going to be the King. The whole concept of a royal family and what their “duties and responsibilities” are so bizarre and antiquated. He and Kate are in a no-win position.

    • Suze says:

      On the contrary, they stand to win quite a lot!

    • bluhare says:

      If he and Kate are in a no-win position, they put themselves there. I can’t think of too many people in the public eye who have had so much public goodwill toward them since they got married, and it’s slowly receding as they continue to say they’re going to do things, then don’t do them.

      Like Kate was going to “come into her own” this year and find her place and do solo work. When William’s ag class was made public, that made some sense as he wasn’t going to be around for 2.5 months. Instead of coming into her own and forging her own place, now shes going to be spending time with George. Her calendar for the next two months has exactly NOTHING on it. There’s no reason she can’t do some appearances. We know there’s at least one nanny.

      Before I get jumped on, there’s exactly nothing wrong with wanting to stay home with your baby. I bet most mothers would do exactly that if they could. I’d want to as well. But don’t tell us how much you’re going to do and how powerful you want to be, and then don’t do anything! It’s like the boy who cried wolf. Pretty soon we won’t care what she does or when she does it. Not much worse for a public figure than apathy.

      • The Original Mia says:

        I would not give her or him a hard time if they would stop with the PR pieces. We know Kate has no intention of doing anything, except mothering George and shopping for her Aussie/NZ tour. Admit that and stop trying to snow people into thinking she is actually going to work.

        As for this bespoke class, if Willuam had a real interest in agriculture like Charles, then he might actually absorb these classes, but he hasn’t showed an interest in much of anything in his 31 years. I doubt he’ll get much from this course other than 10 weeks off from his royal duties. I also have no doubt he’ll jet off to Mystique with the rest of the Midds in Feburary. I mean studying is hard. He’ll need a break.

  14. MavenTheFirst says:

    Eighteen to 20 hours a *week*? Damn, that’s a heavy auditing workload! With that schedule there’s no time for carousing, canoodling, clubbing, drinking, or shooting masses of defenceless birds and animals, right? I don’t know how the 31 year old princeling will survive!

  15. BeckyR says:

    I get the feeling the prince isn’t very bright intellectually, but then none of them are.

  16. Florc says:

    My predictions…
    William will end up commuting, but from 1 private residence to school and back.
    Kate may visit him at this location, but will not stay overnight and could likely find the residence empty quite often.
    Press for William will work overtime to fight all the on campus students that are catching him not acting like a married royal.
    Kate will do several events on her own and the press will go wild.
    She will never be far from her mother. Carole will even move into KP or Kate will move back into her parent’s home. Get ready for all the chopper sightings!
    Kate’s weight will drop from all the stress of William being around blonde college girls. (He’s always seemed to look happier with random blondes even though all his gfs were brunettes -1 to my knowledge.)
    That’s all.

  17. Lil says:

    My husband commutes everyday from just north of Cambridge to London and that train is packed with commuters both too and from London no matter what time you go. I can’t see William’s security allowing him onto a beyond full train every day for 45 minute trip each way. He’d be better off commuting by car from his new house in Norfolk which is about an hour and a quarter away in traffic.

  18. Maria says:

    Paid for privately??? The duchy is masked PRIVATE but it really isn’t.

  19. Bored suburbanhousewife says:

    If following the course William jumps into an active role in the Duchy or other royal estate this will make sense. If not, and nothing changes, it will just seem like an odd bit of time filling. Also the propaganda continues to work. PBS just broadcast an adoring documentary about royal parenting through the last century called Born to Royalty with lots of royal experts and insiders talking about how very modern and dedicated the Cambridges are; how he has “worked” as a rescue pilot whilst they rented a little “cottage “. How they were raised to always put others first. And on a separate point, I can’t believe how much Katie Nicholl resembles Teri Hatcher. Kept waiting for her to say “they’re real, and they’re SPECTACULAR.”

    • Bwarf says:

      If you look at other royals, you’ll see they really are more modern and dedicated to parenting. The Queen and Prince Phillip are widely known to have let the nannies take a brunt of the child-rearing, the Queen not being very maternal (I think I even saw that in a documentary as well). Even Prince Charles was like that. They were a royal family in a very different generation and I don’t fault them for their parenting but I do see how very different modern royals are as opposed to the baby boomer royals or even the Queen’s generation. Look at videos online of them interacting with their children, it was very distant. Look at Diana, William, even some other younger European royals and you’ll see they seem much more involved and loving.

      I think it’s sad that William & Kate are being called lazy, I don’t see that at all. Their public relations ppl are doing their job and they’re doing it well.

      • Suze says:

        But who knows how any of these people really raise their kids? We don’t see Will and Kate and George interact, all we know is what their PR machine tells us.

        And that’s fine, really. They do deserve a private life, they hardly have to display their parenting skills for my approval. And I’m sure they are different from their grandparents. I’m different from my grandparents. Times change. I do have to nitpick – I don’t think modern parents are more loving. They may be more hands-on and involved, though.

        BTW, Diana was a baby boomer royal, and she was considered the vanguard of modern parenting in royal circles.

      • LAK says:

        if you believe all the PR regarding Charles and Diana, then it’s easy to extrapolate ‘Charles the cold husband’ to ‘Charles the cold father’

        The truth is many of the videos showing them as parents often cut him out so most people saw the enthusiastic public greeting from Diana and assumed that the same hadn’t happened with Charles.

        There are videos, official and unofficial, that show him being a loving father with an easy relationship with his sons.

        The same can be said of Anne who remains a cold public person and yet is demonstrative and loving to her kids.

        Ditto Andrew. Ditto Edward.

        They may have been raised by nannies, but they have all proved to be very hands on parents. Much more than the public is willing to admit or see.

        They simply don’t ask for a parade like Diana did.

    • LAK says:

      Yes, KN looks like Terri Hatcher! It’s been bugging me for years, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Thank you!!

      On a snark note, KN made me question the validity of Vanity Fair magazine. I’ve read this magazine faithfully since I was a teen.

      I enjoy most of their writing, Michael Lewis, Dominic Dunne and Christopher Hitchens were worth the subscription, but when KN started writing for the magazine, I seriously thought about cancelling my subscription.

      VF is supposed to fact check, no? Why do they allow her to peddle the emperor’s clothes? It’s amazing how she’s built an industry for herself as the premiere journalist for. WK insider ‘gossip’ for American media!

      • Suze says:

        I read one of Katie Nicholl’s pieces. ONE! And it was ridiculous. I could have written it. It purported to explain why William enjoyed the Middleton’s company so much, but it may as well have been a marketing piece for the perfection of all things Middleton. They have never ever put a foot wrong.

        Michael Middleton is an easy going patriarch, loved by all who have ever met him. Carole, who could be Kate’s sister, is fun loving and always laughing. Her Sunday roasts are legendary. Pippa is vivacious and smart, James is a terrible flirt but studious underneath, and Kate is beautiful, sweet and good.

        Their home is lovely, their dogs well-behaved. The estate is always full of love and laughter. Their business goes from strength to strength, never having a downturn or a bad year.

        On. And on. And on.

        Even if you were a complete fan you’d gag.

      • LadySlippers says:

        Suze, WOW. I didn’t realise Glenda the Good Witch was now a writer! 😉

      • Bored suburbanhousewife says:

        @LAK I could not agree more about the sad decline of VF. Losing Hitchens alone was a disaster. I was somewhat acquainted with him socially–even hungover & red eyed at 8 am he could still effortlessly run rings around anyone intellectually. And he so enjoyed being the Bad Boy.

  20. Jaded says:

    Old Prince William had a farm, E-I-E-I-O
    And on his farm he made a mil, E-I-E-I-O
    With a “million” here and a “million” there
    Here a “mil” there a “mil”
    Everywhere a “mil-mil”
    Old Prince William had a farm, E-I-E-I-O….

  21. vylette says:

    The problem with old billy boy is that even if he genuinely is interested in this ‘bespoke’ course no one really believes him! Thats the result of false PR propaganda all these years.

  22. mimi says:

    …..Um……. What’s a Dutchy?*

    * testing the theory there’s no such thing as a dumb question