Duchess Kate in a blue LK Bennett dress in London: chic or not so much?

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Here are some new photos of Duchess Kate opening up a new ‘Art Room’ in West London today. Is it just me or does Kate look as orange as her sister in these photos? It might just be the lighting or something, but I could swear that Kate overdid the fake tanner. Her dress is by LK Bennett – the style seems dated and that color makes her look like a stewardess. You know what I’m saying? #nodisrespecttostewardesses but this looks like a uniform handed out by American Airlines or Delta or something. As for the hair situation… I can’t. Someone – other than me – needs to sit down with Kate and talk to her about professionalism and how to present herself.

As we discussed a few days ago, Prince William’s boar-hunting trip to Spain last weekend ended up being more controversial than even I was expecting. I thought it was going to be controversial because he was killing animals just days before undertaking a new anti-poaching/pro-wildlife initiative. Turns out, the real story is that William’s ex-girlfriend Jecca Craig joined him on the trip, which also included Harry and several other friends. It was also pretty bad because Duchess Kate and Prince George were left at home in London while William and his attractive, single ex were off with their bloodsport. So, what’s really going on? Star says William flat-out lied to Kate about Jecca’s involvement with the trip:

When the Duchess is away, even the world’s most famous husband will play! In early February, while Duchess Kate and baby George decamped to Mustique for the Middleton family’s annual Caribbean getaway, Prince William stayed behind to work on his agricultural studies program. But Will managed to carve out some babyless leisure time of his own, including a hunting trip to Seville, accompanied by both Prince Harry and his ex-girlfriend Jecca Craig.

“William tried to make it sound like it was just a short weekend of male bonding,” says an insider. “But Kate got word that Jecca was with them and she was in shock that he lied.”

“Kate was very upset that William told her he couldn’t go on their family holiday, but then he takes off to Spain,” says an insider.

If there’s anyone who could make Kate feel insecure, it’s Jecca. The Kenyan socialite has known William since they were teenagers, and at one point the pair were so infatuated with each other, they staged a mock engagement while visiting her family’s estate in Kenya. Jecca managed to remain a close-enough fixture in William’s life to score an invite to his 2011 wedding to Kate, and Jecca’s outdoorsy-glam personality won Will’s affections long before Kate entered the picture. Plus, Jecca has remained a free agent, since her own weding (to Hugh Crossley) was called off.

“Kate knows that William has maintained a friendship with Jecca, but his fondness for her still makes Kate uncomfortable,” says the insider, who adds that Kate is refusing to talk to William, lest her husband start believing he can get away with shady antics, like father, Prince Charles.

[From Star Magazine, print edition]

Here’s the thing: I don’t believe William even feels the need to lie or obfuscate. He probably told Kate that he was going boar-hunting in Spain and she and George weren’t invited and Kate said, “Okay.” Maybe she didn’t know about Jecca, maybe she did, but it’s not like Kate has much power in her marriage in any case. If she doesn’t like the Jecca situation… what is Kate going to do about it? It’s like Kate sold her soul for that sapphire ring, I swear.

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Here are some photos of Will, Harry and Prince Charles yesterday at Lancaster House, where they were all working that anti-poaching initiative (which got c—kblocked by William and Harry’s boar-hunting excursion).

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Photos courtesy of WENN.

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345 Responses to “Duchess Kate in a blue LK Bennett dress in London: chic or not so much?”

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  1. BendyWindy says:

    I actually think the blue dress looks lovely.

    • Eleonor says:

      me too.

      • ReturnoftheMac says:

        Me three. I’d like to have one like it. Also, I said this on another thread a few days ago but you have to admire that even though she may have her missteps here and there she’s getting out and making appearances while this scandal is all over the news.

    • lana86 says:

      the dress looks great

    • Mary says:

      I do too! Kate looks great in bright colors!

    • L says:

      Ditto. It fits great, I like the top of it, and the length is perfect to.

    • Sarah says:

      I agree. I love the color and it fits her like a glove. I always like when she wears bright colors, especially in the dreary London winter. The length is appropriate as well. I kind of agree about her hair and think it is probably time for her to get a more up to date style. She could be a trendsetter with a new cut.

    • Mel M says:

      Agreed, looks good and appropriate but the hair! Pull at least half back so you don’t have to always be messing with it!

    • SonjaMarmeladova says:

      Me too. And her hair looks nice.

    • Tulip Garden says:

      I agree that the dress is lovely and Kate looks great in it. I have to admit I was furrowing my brow while reading the post because I thought she looked great and I would wear this, relieved to see others are on board.

    • FLORC says:

      It looks like the Stella dress she worn last year(?) with the Cartier necklace.
      Maybe it’s just the same color. It reminds me of when Kate and Carole would swap clothes. Young styles on older and older styles on younger.

    • Sammi says:

      Me four! She looks great in all shades of blue. And this particular shade matches her engagement ring.

      No , she doesn’t look “orange” but she does look a bit tanned. She just came back from a sunny vacation, so of course she would get some colour.

      I still don’t get all the hoopla over Will going hunting. He is in university during the week but can nip away for the weekend. He couldn’t meet up with Kate and her family on vacation because it was too far. Stop all the hysteria!

      • Stef Leppard says:

        +1, Sammi
        I don’t approve of hunting for sport but I think all the hysteria over Will leaving Kate and George at home is ridiculous.

      • wolfpup says:

        I bet that if we were to take a vote, you would find hardly a woman who would be okay with her husband on holiday with his ex-girlfriend. Especially when everyone at the party, would cover for Will, if questioned about any sort of indiscretion. Who else would Jecca hang out with, other than William? The two of them certainly looked bonded in the photographs. Will may be king-in-waiting, but he is also a man. If one has any sort of dating history for reference…men are pretty much, sorry to say, sort of like dogs. And when there are very warm feelings involved, seduction is only a hug away. Come on girlfriends, don’t be naive.

        I doubt that Charles (and hence Kate) knew about the circumstances in this outing, because it looks so bad, as far as press. The Crown needs this marriage to succeed. This outing opens the door for all sorts of speculations from here on out, about the health of the Cambridge marriage. The crown needs the fairy-tale to continue. Me too!

        Poor Kate. All of the excuses one makes to justify Will’s bad judgement, could not make this any easier for her.

      • hmmm says:

        @wolfpup

        Well put!

      • Stef Leppard says:

        @wolfpup
        I commented in another thread about the fact that she was his high school girlfriend. They probably never even had sex! I just wouldn’t think twice about it if it were my husband. It’s not like they went on a romantic vacation just the two of them.

      • Thinker says:

        Its incredibly naive to think that… Seriously, what teenagers do you know? Teenagers get hormonal, they fall in love hard and fast. Of course they had sex.

      • Sloane Wyatt says:

        @stef leppard – “she was his high school girlfriend. They probably never even had sex!”

        You’re kidding me, right? Are we both talking about the most eligible high school (I mean middle school) boy EVER?

        Wills had to beat them off with a stick. Titled and commoners alike threw their daughters at the Little Princes like heat seeking missiles! Diana’s Boys are freakin’ catnip to every British self respecting climber.

      • Stef Leppard says:

        @thinker
        I was a teenager once…

        @sloane
        You’re right, and the truth is we don’t know what went on between them. My point is that a former teen romance just doesn’t seem threatening to me. Maybe I’m more confident in my marriage than Kate is.

      • FLORC says:

        Stef leppard

        Jecca was a “high school girlfriend” sure, but their relationship did extend past that point in time. Kate was said to be extremely afraid William would leave her for Jecca and William would often visit Jecca for extended periods of time during his University days. Not to mention the 2 weeks Jecca and William held up during their engagement rumors.
        They were young, wealthy, cute, and shared a passion for the same things. They likely fooled around.

      • Sloane Wyatt says:

        @stef leppard, Congratulations!

        I’m glad to see you’re secure and happy in your marriage this Valentine’s Day! 🙂
        As you know, I don’t think the Duchess is secure at all in hers. Major bummer.

      • Stef Leppard says:

        @florc
        Interesting, and damning! I did not know this about his relationship w/ Jecca. I was only speculating off one line from one article: she was his gf before St Andrews.

        @sloane
        I do pity Kate to some degree, but I think she got all she wanted and would laugh at my pity.

    • gogoGorilla says:

      Yes! Gorgeous. She looks great in that color.

      I don’t love the shoes, but she usually wears terrible shoes, so that’s no surprise.

    • KateBush says:

      I think the dress looks great. She looks happy and relaxed here. The William hunting trip is a non story IMHO. I choose to believe that they have a happy marriage.

    • MollyB says:

      I think the dress is lovely and I don’t mind her hair. She’s opening an art room, not attending some formal event. There’s nothing wrong with having her hair down (although I do wish she wore it up more often). I swear, the ‘criticize Kate about every little thing whether it makes sense or not’ vibe makes me want to defend her against my own will!

    • katy says:

      That dress looks amazing on Kate – and I like how happy she looks!

    • Duchess of Corolla says:

      +1

    • Sacred And Profane says:

      I think she looks appropriately “Young Royal” in this dress.

      On one of our Australian morning shows, it was reported that The Queen had sent down orders for Kate to smarten up in the way she dresses when in public – on duty or off. Apparently, it was decreed that Kate wear longer hemlines, and that if she insisted on wearing floaty dresses or skirts that fly up in a breeze, they were to have weights sewn into the hems, just as Her Majesty’s frocks have always had. I could be wrong, but I took it to mean that The Queen was fed up with seeing Kate’s legs exposed in shorter skirts and perhaps felt that, any day now, the world would be treated to a full view of her knickers, too. In short, I think Grandmama has called for a more traditional and modest image for Kate.

      • LAK says:

        We’ve already been exposed to Kate’s exposed bare bottom whilst on official duties due to unweighted hems. On more than one occasion.

        The media is protecting her blushes by not stating outright what we have all seen.

      • FLORC says:

        And not just once. She’s exposed herself or put herself in a position to be exposed with 0 safe guards at least a dozen times and i’m only counting official duties. Not including France or any of the exiting the car/drunk shots.

      • Sloane Wyatt says:

        Oooh! She’s a very kinky girl.

        “We’ve already been exposed to Kate’s exposed bare bottom” and “On more than one occasion” too! – LAK

        FLORC, It seems our Duchess IS a bit of an exhibitionist. Kate’s a Super-Freak, y’all! She’s super-freaky, yow!

        Rick James – Super Freak http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYHxGBH6o4M

    • Maisie says:

      I think she looks really great in this dress. The shape, color, and length are all really flattering on her.

    • Esme says:

      It looked lovely on me when I wore it 20 years ago–this is terrible.

      • Sloane Wyatt says:

        @Esme, THANK YOU, I couldn’t put my finger on why this dress bugged more than just being constructed to hide a scarecrow! Another poster made an excellent point too about Princess Kate’s blue dress being a throwback to Princess Diana.

    • bluhare says:

      I don’t love the dress, but it’s a great look for a daytime engagement.

    • DottieDot says:

      The dress looks good and so does her hair. Professional? It’s not like she is going to a Board of Director’s meeting at Bank of America. Sheez!

      • Suze says:

        Lots of women who are not attending board meetings are expected to look professional.

        I’m puzzled why the duchess should be exempt.

  2. Dawn says:

    I think she looks great! I like what she is wearing lots.

  3. Kaye says:

    I think she looks great. Dress fits well and is a gorgeous color.

  4. lambchops says:

    She is so boring.

    • My2Pence says:

      She has a similar dress, in an identical color, from Stella McCartney which cost roughly $890. Why not wear that dress, or choose to purchase this other dress in a different color? Why spend this kind of money and still be boring?

      Today’s tally not including shoes:
      $ 374.00 dress
      $ 6350.00 watch
      $ 5390.00 necklace

      • My2Pence says:

        Forgot to add: $2000 earrings. So that’s over $14,000 of clothing and accessories (all of which appear to be new) to look basically the same as she looked in the McCartney.

      • hmmm says:

        Holy cow! Most professional women could pull that look off for a moderate amount of money (and look better)! Holy cow!

      • LadySlippers says:

        In Kate’s defense the jewelry & watches are a one time purchase that can be re-used. That’s true of most of us. So it’s really the dress we should focus on as she has 100 pairs of those shoes.

        Slight exaggeration on her shoe count. It’s really only 98 of them. 😉

      • My2Pence says:

        Let’s hope so! Just like we’d hope she’d re-wear the $890 McCartney. A few months ago she was spotted with a different expensive watch, which launched some speculation that she now had Diana’s watch as well (I think this was disproved). And this new necklace is very similar to the expensive diamond button one she wears so often. Just odd to me to spend lots of money on such similar items. And to me, $374 is still a ridiculous amount of money to spend on a dress 🙂

      • Hazel says:

        I think she shops so much she forgets what she already owns.

      • sienna says:

        I hope she continues to shop. She has the money, she might as well spend it and keep the economy moving.

      • My2Pence says:

        @ Sienna. Seeing as all of her money for “work attire” comes from the taxpayers, I think some of them would suggest there are better uses for the money than expensive clothing for Kate Middleton.

      • FLORC says:

        LadySlippers
        Being a fan of accessories and jewelry more than clothes I’ve been noticing she almost never repeats the accessories. If she does it’s some of the worst of the bunch too.

        I’m waiting for that (imo) ugly Cartier necklace to swing back around and several lovely watches, ring, and bangles. Her earrings are harder to spot because of the hair, but she has some gorgeous earrings that are in some dark vault not being loved. How i’d love to liberate her jewelry!

      • sienna says:

        @my2p

        If I truly thought that a decrease in her clothing spending account would really fall back on us taxpayers, I would wholeheartedly agree with you. But as I am incredibly doubtful that would ever happen, I would rather see her support jobs and the economy by spending money and showcasing UK brands abroad.

      • My2Pence says:

        @ Sienna. Then she’d best stop purchasing Roland Mouret, Ralph Lauren, Zara, and Missoni, all of which she’s worn “on duty” in the last year and none of them are BrandUK.

    • fairy godmother says:

      ITA- she is always boring! Although the dress color is lovely i personally find her style bland. On a good note- at least she is not wearing her fav tight jeggings and h@@ker wedges!

  5. Mimi says:

    Why is her mouth constantly open these days. She looks a bit cray cray!

    • Zigggy says:

      lol

    • FLORC says:

      Don’t make fun of her. Can’t you see her excited eyes and open mouth smile with loads of laughter is her dealing with her anxiety. Anxiety so bad she hates public events.
      😉

      • hmmm says:

        What’s with her gawping maw all the time? Reminds me of Mortimer Snerd. It just looks so unnatural.

      • FLORC says:

        hmmm
        I had to have my husband explain “gawping maw” to me. It’s mouth, right?
        I’d say that’s veneers, damage caused by smoking, and various cosmetic procedures she’s had that tightens her skin over time.

        She needs to learn how to close her mouth. Cameras are everywhere.

  6. ncboudicca says:

    NBC news was waxing rhapsodically about William and Harry finally pitching in with some sandbags in the flooded areas. Thanks to several CBers, I know they’re a hair late with that effort. Kate could have been out there in coveralls and waders last weekend and had a PR coup while William was out of the country. These two are so stupid they can’t even seize a good opportunity to look like they’re worth the money.

    • Sixer says:

      Yes, finally. And exactly. Mind you, NOT choosing the relief effort within spitting distance of Windsor Castle would have been better!

      • ncboudicca says:

        Are you able to get out and about, Sixer? I seem to recall you commenting earlier this week in another thread about your village maybe being cut off by the flood?

      • Suze says:

        Sixer, I’m sorry about all the flooding. Scary.

        And yes, wandering twenty feet out of their castle to help out is something but I think a bit more effort would have been appreciated by the public.

      • Sixer says:

        I’m ok for flooding – top of some very big hills. Can’t get anywhere today as all routes out are flooded at the bottom. So kids not at school, which is in the town at the bottom of the hill. TERRIBLE wind today, which keeps knocking out satellite TV.

        I have a flooded out cousin and aunt back in the Datchet area and many of my friends here in the West Country (mostly small farmers) are in dire straits.

        Luckily I work from home and Mr Sixer’s job is within walking distance.

      • Suze says:

        I hope your friends and family stay safe, Sixer. This is an awful thing for farmers.

        And not to beat a dead horse, BUT, since Charles and William are all about supporting agriculture, a little extra appearance here and there to support the farmers would be appreciated, I’m sure.

      • Sixer says:

        Yes. And thanks.

        To be fair to Chas, he went to the Somerset Levels a week or so ago and did an excellent job of being on the side of the little people. He also ponied up a big donation.

        Wills – too little too late for me. And Kate? Well, I won’t say. This is their JOB.

      • FLORC says:

        Keep safe Sixer.

      • LAK says:

        Sixer; thinking of you.

      • LadySlippers says:

        Stay safe and dry Sixer. And sane. Being homebound can get quite tiresome! Lol

      • hmmm says:

        My question is, where did Charles and Di go wrong with William that he is such a lazy loser? He could care less about his duty and his countrywomen and men. He shows not an iota of concern or interest.

      • LadySlippers says:

        @hmmm: Read (among other things) ‘To Marry an English Lord’. The British aristocracy has LONG allowed their men, especially the heirs, to behave like spoilt children. William is only one of many like this. Charles had this leveled at him at one time as did David (famous Duke of Windsor). Again, very, very, very common problem in the British aristocracy.

      • WendyNerd says:

        Be safe Sixer.

      • hmmm says:

        @Ladyslipper

        Thanks! Sounds like a must read.

      • bluhare says:

        Good heavens, Sixer, I hope that things get back to normal for you soon. I can’t imagine what it’s like to live like that for weeks at a time.

      • Sloane Wyatt says:

        The Flood Princess Katherine should immediately rebrand herself from the Do Nothing HRH Duchess William of Cambridge!

        All ‘Lazy Kate’ has to do is hire her own Press Office (just like the beloved Princess Diana). Rip the page from the classic People’s Princess Diana Playbook and voilà! In one fell swoop, The Flood Princess endears Herself to the public’s heart as The Princess Who Singlehandedly Saved Britain & The WORLD From RISING SEAS!

        ‘The Flood Princess’ has legs. Heck, this a tremendous opportunity for BRITAIN to literally seize the high ground of the world’s playing field and rescue Gaea from the global warming apocalypse in the nick of time! – http://www.climatehotmap.org/

        @Sixer, Do you have fresh water or any problems with your utilities? This is truly wretched for your cousins as well. Is the UK and Holland teaming up with other small island nations like the Maldives and Tuvalu? – http://geology.com/sea-level-rise/netherlands.shtml

      • Sixer says:

        @Sloane – I’m fine, except for a bit of satellite jiggery pokery. But there have been power outages for many and there are concerns over the hygiene of the water supply for the worst affected. We’re using enormous Dutch pumps in some areas but mostly, it’s all about waiting for water levels to subside and minimising the damage in the meantime. Plus planning for the future flood resistance of our transport systems, particularly the railways.

        And I’m STILL waiting to see Lazy Kate turn up at a community hall somewhere to dish out tea and sympathy. For me, it’s not even about PR. It’s her freakin’ JOB. In the UK, support for the Royals is mostly strongest in the rural areas and there is a distinct rumbling of discontent even from their biggest fans: “Where the heck ARE they?”

      • Sloane Wyatt says:

        @Sixer, Britain’s Flooding right now reminds me of Katrina and ‘Bush doesn’t care about Black People.’ Are there political cartoons with “Heck of Job, Brownie!” coming out of Will’s mouth? Princess Kate’s and the radio silence from The Royals in the face of what’s predicted to be continuing flooding for, what is it, weeks!?, is bloody horrible! Are ANY the Firm doing ANYTHING of substance? Is support for the hardest hit areas coming from unexpected quarters like Beatrice and Eugenie?

        It is NOT about the PR for me either, on that we are completely agreed. I care more about the suffering and the toll Climate Change from Global Warming that is affecting us ALL than I do about any Toff’s parasitical uselessness. Polar Vortex anyone? Snowpiercer is looking downright prophetic where I live.

        Though I must say, lovely Sixer, you seem to be epitomizing the Brit stereotype in the face of all this really frightening disaster, “Stiff upper lip, Chaps!”

    • Beatrice says:

      You are so right about the missed PR opportunity–if the same situation happened to Princess Diana, she would have been out in waders helping and genuinely comforting people. She would have been on the front page of every paper in the world and Charles branded as an uncaring cad (I guess that did happen quite often).

      • wolfpup says:

        @LadySlippers The biggest problem with men who behave as spoiled children,is that they are far more destructive than a child could ever be. Someone in a powerful position, who feels entitled to behaved like a spoiled child; what kind of man is that? Where are the lines drawn, and how far does his disregard of decency go?

      • bluhare says:

        Agree, wolfpup. Case in point: The nutcase leading North Korea.

    • Carolin says:

      VERY good point. Missed opportunity and all.

  7. Ice Maiden says:

    The first thing I thought of when I saw the dress was that it’s like a more modern version of the dress Diana wore when her engagement to Charles was announced:

    http://princessdianabookboutique.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/princess-diana-engagement.jpg

    But my goodness Kate is thin! Has she ever been as skinny as this? I don’t think so. I know she’s naturally lean, but this is not a natural size her her. You can see it in her face. She looks gaunt.

    • Azurea says:

      I thougt she’s looking AWFULLY thin here. too. Perhaps she’s readying for another bun?

    • Tulip Garden says:

      I agree that Kate seems unnaturally thin which is a pity because she looks so much softer/younger with added weight. While she’s always been thin, she hasn’t always been this thin and I think it is the result of effort (wasted effort imo).

      • Original N says:

        Or the etiology could be unhappiness, anxiety, etc. There are so many people that just cannot eat when they are dealing with issues or that transfer their lack of control for those situations to control of food intake or exercise. All that to say, it is possible that she is not choosing this now (yes, I am aware she chose it before the wedding as ‘all part of the plan’).

      • Tulip Garden says:

        Hey O.N.,

        It is certainly possible that what you described is the reason for Kate’s weight loss. I’ve just put it down to a concerted effort to stay in sample sizes and to deflect the horrible criticism for any woman that isn’t very thin but is in the public eye. In that way I do think that Kate controls her anxiety about “image” this way. I’ll admit that were I a high profile female, today’s internet critics would probably make me anxious about my appearance as well. It just seems to me that in trying to avoid the “too large/could afford to lose a couple pounds” label many women, including Kate, swing too far in the opposite direction.

      • Original N says:

        Hi Tulip! I agree with you…I just put forth another theory because I remember reading an article pre-wedding where the author mentioned a source that said KM was unable to eat due to ‘nerves.’ There was a distinct possibility that was true…but a part of me wondered if exactly what you said above was the reason. I don’t know which theory is correct…but I do know if my husband was out for a weekend with the one woman I had always been insecure about, I wouldn’t be able to eat either [because I would be too busy moving his stuff into his new apartment ;)]!

      • Tulip Garden says:

        @O.N.

        Yeah, I’d be moving my hubby’s stuff too (just not very carefully and gently)!!
        I don’t know which theory about Kate is correct either. Perhaps, eventually we will know. I guess that is what is interesting in royal watching. It really is a long time endeavor because for the most part we won’t find out for years what the “true story” is/was or, at least, it won’t be verified. I mean I theorize right now that Kate was okay with Jecca going on the trip but I don’t know that for a fact. I believe that in their “sophisticated” circles that it isn’t unusual for them or their contemporaries to be in social settings with former lovers albeit the fact that Kate wasn’t there definitely makes it a situation worth watching. Either she is very secure, she is insecure but lacks power, or she knew nada (which I doubt). There are other possibilities too which is what makes this fun to me! I love to hear other peoples theories and conclusions 🙂

      • CC says:

        She’s taking a page from a large number of past royal consorts. Their life is amiss, they drop the weight so they at least be able to wear designers,

        Read about Sissi (Elisabeth of Austria). She was extremely unhappy in her life and marriage even despite the fact that Franz Joseph actually insisted on marrying her and definitely loved her, and placed all her self esteem on being a famous beauty, since everything else pretty much failed on her.

    • Suze says:

      I find Kate to be attractive usually, but not beautiful.

      However, the one time I found her simply stunning was when she left the hospital with George. The extra weight in her face pushed her into the beautiful territory for me.

  8. Lilacflowers says:

    Is there a reason all four of them wore blue yesterday? Her dress is nice.

  9. Thinker says:

    William looks pretty chuffed with himself. Not at all like a man in the doghouse…

    At least Harry has the decency to look uncomfortable for the lot of them.

    Kate looks manic. Thin, aggressively cheerful, like she might crack.

  10. Hannah says:

    Awful, awful, awful. Colour. Cut. Styling.

    • hmmm says:

      Agree very much about the colour! I was looking at pix of her in years past, the way she dressed. She has little dress sense at all, this art historian.

  11. Curious Cole says:

    The dress is fine but for the love of the Crown Jewels Kate – use colored lipstick and root volumizer!

  12. Neffie says:

    The tan could be because of her recent sunny holiday.I cant imagine just how tiny she must be in person. I have gone to a couple of meet and greets and these celebrities in person are not as tall or big as they seem.

  13. Beatrice says:

    Totally agree, Kaiser–it does seem like she sold her soul for that ring. But of course no sympathy from me because that’s what she and her mother went after with a vengeance. So get used to it, Kate! I have wondered if William would have dropped Kate cold if Jecca wanted the job as his wife.

    • Fette says:

      “she sold her soul for that ring”

      Well, that’s certainly one way to interpret the situation.

    • ItSetsYou says:

      @Beatrice , I would’ve agreed with you if Wills hadn’t dated Kate for 10 years. If he couldn’t decided whom to marry (which is extremely unlikely) no one stopped him from at least going out any other woman, including Jecca.

      • FLORC says:

        ItSetsYou
        William dated Kate on and off for 9 years. If he was with her he was often caught acting like it was an open relationship. Outside of that they were broken up.

        William had a few girlfriends around Kate. 1 girlfriend has an overlap timeline with Kate and the fashion show. If rewriters of history really want to declare that as the start of their romance they must admit Kate was the other woman.

        No girlfriend of Williams hung around. All sighted in some wording he cheated and couldn’t be trusted.

        Jecca made it known she loved her life where it was and wouldn’t move to the UK. She’s ended relationships since because men wouldn’t relocate for her.

        And Kate did her best to keep women away from William. Numerous reports of Kate clinging to William’s side at the bar staring down girls who might have considered approaching him.
        And it’s no secret during one of their break ups William stood on a table in a pub and declared he was free of Kate.

        Nothing i’m saying is too hard to find. It’s heavily bogged down with positive W&K stories after the great whitewashing, but still around.

        And William being a prince was a huge deterrent for ladies. On top of his reputation for a wandering eye, ego, and current and future role he wasn’t appealing to many. To live in a fishbowl with a man who wouldn’t be around, not easily trusted, and future King the role as his wife meant you took a job. A job for life with high demands and huge shoes to fill.

        So, no one forced him to marry Kate, but there really wasn’t anyone else who wanted the job and he was within the age people expected him to marry. Also, the press made him look like the bad guy for not propsing to Kate after x amount of years.

    • Thinker says:

      William doesn’t even want the job responsibilities of Prince. It makes sense he wouldn’t want to put that on the woman he loves.

      • Sloane Wyatt says:

        Yeah, ye old Ball & Chain is chopped liver compared to Jecca the Hud.

        In Will’s selfish callow eyes, Kate really cramps his style. She’s nothing more to him than an incubator.

        @ Thinker, I feel like a ‘Bitter Kitten’ posting this on Valentine’s Day!

      • Thinker says:

        Me too, Sloane. Me too.

  14. Kali says:

    Lovely dress but I concur on the colour. I’m just going to pretend it’s a nice navy or an amazing deep jewel tone colour 🙂

  15. Sullivan says:

    I like the dress. The color is quite becoming on her. I’m not as vexed by her hair as many seem to be. At this point, to expect anything different from her is setting yourself up for disappointment. I will be pleasantly surprised when/if she makes a change to her hair. Maybe if she excelled in her duties people would be less inclined to focus on her hair?

  16. SamiHami says:

    “Cray Cray?” Please, spare me. I’ll be so glad when this ridiculous fad passes…

    Anyway, I think she looks great here. The color is terrific and it really flatters her figure. She doesn’t look especially worried about anything here. I doubt that Star has the inside track on her relationship.

    • Fette says:

      Haven’t you heard? Star is totally reliable, the Daily Mail is straight from the horse’s mouth, and if you repeat negative things about celebrities you don’t like over and over again eventually they become TRUE! It’s like my favorite thing about the internet 😉

  17. Aria says:

    The dress in beautiful and fits her like a glove.

  18. Suze says:

    Actually I like the blue dress. It’s attractive, it covers her decently without jumping into matronly territory and she can move around in it. It’s almost a perfect hem length (for those who care about such things), short enough to escape dowdiness but long enough to look professional.

    The only thing I can say about the hair is “tie it back when you are out in the wind”. It will make your life easier and photos will look much more professional.

    The royal family needs to get their asses moving on the flooding/wind/climate issue. Be visible! Get out there with your people and chip in to help alleviate the misery. These folks support you.

    • LadySlippers says:

      Suze, I love this colour on her as well as the style. I think it hits all the right notes. I won’t gripe about the hair (dead horse) but she looks stunning here.

      Totally agree on everyone getting on the environmental issue.

      I know that others are commenting about her thinness, so I won’t. But I am noticing the press is starting to publish less than flattering pictures of Kate — very reminiscent of Sarah. That to me is very, very telling.

      (For those of you who don’t know, editors readily admitted they only published good pics of Diana while purposely picking horrible ones of Sarah. They stated that most people have an equal number of good and bad pics to pick from and they chose to demonise Sarah to up their sales and steer public opinion. And it all started with slightly odd or goofy pics of Sarah being published and then they got worse. Of course Sarah was never an ally to herself either….. But this type of photo is not the first I’ve seen of Kate not appearing her best. Many others have noted it too but may not know about the editorial choices people behind the scenes make in order to steer public opinion or up their sales.)

      • J says:

        I love your posts. They’re so informative.

      • Fette says:

        Now this is actually an interesting piece of information, thank you. Though I may still google it for corroboration 🙂

      • LadySlippers says:

        @ J: Thank you. 🙂

        @ Fette: Google away! Lol However, they do scrub certain stories so often you can’t always get a complete picture. And it’s William’s stories that get scrubbed most often (by scrubbed I mean taken down or had anything negative removed).

        YouTube stories as well. This tidbit about what the editors did came from a YouTube clip about Sarah and Diana. I honestly don’t remember the title (sorry!) but it was an actual newspaper editor that stated this. He said (paraphrasing) that it was common knowledge that the British newspaper editors choose particular photos of Diana and Sarah to boost sales and to sway public opinion. In fact, he said neither of them was that much more photogenic than the other. He said the perception was due to the TYPE of photos they selected and why. No one wanted to hear bad things about Diana so she got stellar photos published. On the other hand, the public ate up the trashy Sarah photos. He went on to show the numerous awful photos of Diana that never saw the light of day. Equally hidden were the beautiful pics of Sarah.

        People are quite ready to jump on a celebrity or a Royal for any number of reasons but never think how the media has a hand in that perception. Always remember that sales is the biggest driver of them all — they publish what sells. Money and profit trump the truth.

        So I look at these photos and think — are these the best that are out there? If not — why might that be?

        And the tide is slowly turning on both William and Kate. He is not as media savvy as he thinks he is. Even Diana wasn’t as good as she thought she was. Charles understood that was not his strength and hired a PR firm to clean up his image (to a lesser degree Camilla’s) because the ‘Grey Men’ that work in the various palaces (press people, etc.) are not PR people. The ‘Grey Men’ were (this has changed somewhat) former military people. Much different focus and priorities.

      • Fette says:

        Oh thank you for your reply, LadySlippers! This is so informative, really, and gets to the root of what I find most interesting about the public’s internet response to media gossip coverage. This is a business driven by sales, and there is so much behind-the-scenes framing that goes into these narratives. Unfortunately people will overlook this aspect of the game in their eagerness to accept negative stories about public figures they dislike.

        And in my opinion it often obscures the most interesting stuff! If you stick to the facts and bear in mind the role of the press as an invested party, you can really have some fun discussions.

        Which is not to say that I don’t love Kaiser’s tongue-in-cheek rehashing of the daily gossip. Been reading her for years and she always makes me laugh!

      • LadySlippers says:

        @Fette: As always — you and everyone else are so very welcome.

        Keep in mind that even *positive* perceptions are also heavily influenced people’s opinion. And once we see the ‘truth’ behind a certain celebrity’s facade — how quickly it evaporates.

        But I TRY and evaluate everything critically. Knowledge is indeed powerful.

      • Original N says:

        @ Fette … It should be mentioned that it goes both ways; people also overlook crucial motivations behind & aspects of stories in their eagerness to accept/promote/believe positive stories about public figures that they want to like as well.

      • Fette says:

        @Original N Thanks, yes, I do think this needs to be said. I’m not chattering away on this thread because I think we should only believe the good stories, but because I think — in the interest of enjoyable gossip — we should not state things as fact which are not fact.

      • bluhare says:

        If we had to stick to facts, this comment section would be basically empty.

        It’s a gossip site, not a news site. You want strictly facts, go to a news site. Sorry, it annoys me when someone who’s never posted here before wades in and starts telling everyone else how to live. If you want me to listen to you, start talking and quit critiquing everyone else.

      • FLORC says:

        Bluhare
        Bravo! This is an issue on many sites.

      • bluhare says:

        Thanks, FLORC. I sort of wish I’d kept my fingers idle, though. I actually think her point was good; it was more the lectury way in which it was stated. I was in a bad mood yesterday and should know better than to post when I’m easily riled.

  19. Tsarina says:

    Is t me or does she look a bit too happy in these photos? Reminds me of articles I read when she and Wills were dating. If they were on the “outs” she made it a point to be seen and to be seen as if she could care less. I don’t know, something looks off.

  20. Tiffany says:

    Wasn’t there a story out there that Kate found out he was cheating and confronted Will about it and he said something along the lines of him being a royal and he can whatever he wants. Kate ended things and it looked like Will was not coming back and Carol convienced her to try and get him back because it would be good for her and that is when she was seen out partying and the press got wind of it. Is a ring once belonging to one of the planets most beloved figures and a extensive clothing account worth it.

    • FLORC says:

      Tiffany
      He said more to the tune of “don’t you know who i am” or close to it. Same meaning. That was when his cheating was outed in the press and she told him to stop because it made her look/feel “cheap”.
      And Carole did advise Kate to be seen out having fun, dropping weight, and having a good time with William’s friends/inner circle.

      IMO Carole and William just do not sound like the best people.
      My mom would have told me I deserved to be treated better. Not to change to get a man that mistreated me to take me back.

      • LadySlippers says:

        Florc, I said as much on the Kate’s speech post.

        (Responded to something you & Anne said but did it just this morning)

      • Fafette says:

        How do you know that he said that? How do you know that any of these people said any of these things?

      • Anna says:

        I’m with Fafette on this one. Tabloid reports from those days are even less reliable than today, so it’s incredibly doubtful any of that happened.

      • LAK says:

        Actually, considering the hacking trial going on right now, i’d say that tabloids in the past were accurate.

      • wolfpup says:

        yes

      • FLORC says:

        LadySlippers
        I’ll go back and read it. Thanks for the heads up.
        And loving To Marry An English Lord so far. Thanks for the suggestion.

        Fafette
        Tabloids get it so wrong so often that when they do get it right the stories are so exaggerated with a foundation of truth that we write it off because it came from a rag. This hacking trial is confirmation that they get more of it right than we think.

        Meanwhile the same thing is happening with respected publications. They take a grain of truth and build a story with questionable facts and we believe it because of their name and because lots of similar publications are saying the same thing, but that doesn’t make it true. Just confirmation that the message one someone is trying to get across. It’s really up to us to figure it out.

    • Ice Maiden says:

      Oh dear. Reminds me of the story about how when Anne Boleyn confronted Henry Vlll about his mistresses, he turned around and said ”You will shut your eyes and endure, as your betters have done.” He also warned her that he could destroy just as easily as he had raised her.

      isn’t it sad how this ‘modern royal couple’ are so evocative of their late medieval counterparts? Do things ever change for the ‘royals’?

      • Thinker says:

        They gradually become less and less powerful. They hang on to privilege, but must exercise their residual powers secretly. Avoiding the appearance of improper motives while their facade is harmlessness and charm.

      • Suze says:

        @Thinker

        One of the most brilliant things I’ve read on CB.

      • hmmm says:

        @Suze

        Agreed! Incisive and spot on. A thing of beauty :).

    • Fette says:

      Really? What you take away from the hacking trials is that we should trust tabloid accuracy? Hmmm…

      • LadySlippers says:

        @Fette: This is a great question. The answer really stems from the variety of sources you pull your information from and the quality of any and all sources. For example, the DM has broken numerous factual stories that get picked up by others. I *carefully* check to see which area (the colour banner helps with this) that publishes it. Not only that, you can see if the pattern or behaviour is consistent with previous behaviour.

        For instance, the DM broke the story that William was seriously in danger of losing his wings. The Palace quickly turned around and stated that the RAF and William were diligently working on making up the necessary hours in order to prevent the loss of his wings. So in this instance the Palace corroborated a story that many would have dismissed due to the source.

        Carole’s comments have been widely reported and may or may not be accurate. However, a lot of what might be ‘extraneous’ information to some can actually be used to tie together other behaviors — both correctly and incorrectly. And Kate did indeed appear to dress sexier and flashier after their big break up that supports something changed with Kate.

        So I think it IS healthy to question sources and such but remember that many scandalous stories often have some substantial evidence to back it up. The problem is that it’s often interwoven with crap so you have to learn to really get a feel for what’s true and what’s garbage.

      • Fette says:

        Well I don’t dispute that she dressed more flashy after the breakup. That’s a fact. But saying that Carole told her to dress flashy and pursue William’s friends or that William told Kate “I can do whatever I want because I’m royal” just smacks of conjecture, don’t you think? I mean, we can wonder about those things, sure, and debate them. But they are more often presented as unassailable, as if they were overheard in the hallway five minutes previous.

      • LadySlippers says:

        So, serious question here, what and how many people reporting this statement would strengthen the idea that Carole did indeed say these things? I’m using that as an example but it’s a serious question for you and anyone else. What is your standard of criteria that takes something from a ‘possible’ (gossip) to an acceptable fact? Everyone’s has a different criteria that needs to be met. So what’s yours?

        I’ve kinda of outlined mine. However, there are several Royal Watchers that have never met before and yet, many of us share similar opinions. None are locked in-step in our opinions nor have we joined together to create a diabolical team. And what stands many of these women apart from other commenters is they’ve been serious Royal Watchers for quite some time. Now that doesn’t mean I’m or we’re not infallible. I’m not. We’re not. I’ve gotten a good many things wrong (oh Lordy have I! Lol) but after awhile you do get a ‘feel’ for it. (Maybe instead of a Spidey sense we get a Loonie one!).

        As an example, a week or so ago there came out a story posted on CB about Charles, Harry, and Cressida. Most long time Royal Watchers quickly called BS because the story didn’t mesh up with what we knew about the three people or the circumstances. While it wasn’t reported on here, other sites also called BS on it and even contradicted it. Of course we all could be wrong but so far it hasn’t been shown that.

        Again, go and Google this. And poke around. See what you think after reading it yourself.

        Have fun and good luck.

        🙂

      • LAK says:

        Fette: Firstly, our tabloids aren’t ‘aliens are amongst us’ type tabloids. That said, not everything they write is truthful, but i don’t dismiss them simply because they are tabloids. The veracity of any story depends on the tabloid, the byline of the journalist and other sources that collaborate with the story as well as nature of the palace media operations and or how the Palace reacts to the story. The PR narrative and agenda the story is pushing is also a factor.

        The Royals’ use of tabloids is demonstrated by the fact that many, if not all, the royal reporters write for tabloids. Royal Reporters are briefed directly by the Palace. Many are on twitter now, so you can ask them questions directly. They usually respond, and usually what they say is always in line with Palace briefings. You will also find that many of the talking heads in the documentaries on youtube that Lady slippers is recommending are tabloid editors/reporters/paps.

        Going back to my original point about the hacking trial, many stories that were written up and dismissed in the tabloids are turning out to have been true in the sense that either events happened as reported or they paid people directly involved with the story subject or they hacked people’s phones and wrote stories that were very close to the story situation based upon phone messages. i left out the implication that it isn’t necessarily the case anymore since this hacking scandal happened because i didn’t think that needed to be said.

        EDIT: in answer to your next post, many royals also have a pet journalist that reports their words. As soon as you see their byline, it’s as good as the horse’s mouth. There are also additional sources such as paps who work directly with some royals who will report information verbatim.

        And finally never ever discount loose lipped household staff, people who went to school with them, people who have worked with them, and people who socialise[d] with them, twitter and many other sources. sidenote – caution with such information because it also comes with an agenda.

      • Fette says:

        How many people would it take? I don’t know that that’s the right question to ask. I mean, one tabloid could run it as a story and then twenty five others pick it up. Three thousand people could say it on Twitter. I could say it to you over dinner and then you could tell fifteen of your closest and they could tell fifteen of theirs etc… but I don’t think that makes it any more true. I also don’t think that gossip pushes something into the realm of being “possibly” true. I think it just stays gossip, which usually has a motive, positive or negative.

        And I don’t think I have a standard of criteria for facts. They’re facts because they don’t need one.

      • Fette says:

        LAK: Well I guess we have reached our first impasse — and so soon! 🙂
        I’ve lived for years in both London and Paris (suburbs, admittedly) so I’m aware of the different tenor to the term “tabloid” in Europe. Nonetheless there is very little that I would believe coming from a tabloid. If it IS something that skews to fact it is likely to have been reported by another, more reliable, publication. I think tabloids are useful mostly for how they both shape and mirror the sentiment of their readership (and I think it’s worthwhile to point out that their readership is not representative of UK society as a whole). They can tell you an awful lot about the opinions of a particular set of people.

        I don’t take the fact that “Royal Reporters” write for that tabloids as evidence that the royals use the tabloids as mouthpieces, but rather that I should be more careful with what I hear from people who self-style themselves as Royal Reporters. These are people whose bread-and-butter is maintaining a juicy narrative that will bring repeat readership. There is too much conflict of interest there to weight their stories very heavily.

      • LAK says:

        Fette – i don’t think we have reached an impasse yet, because i agree with what you have written and i think it follows what i wrote about veracity of stories that show up in tabloids.

      • LadySlippers says:

        @Fette: When I said people I didn’t mean one person and others repeating that one person (those stories are easily flagged too). I meant how many people that do their own investigative reporting? Real checking? How many reports that say the same thing or similar things do you need before believing in their veracity?

        Perhaps I am misunderstanding your views on tabloids — but how is that any different from any other journalist or newspaper? By your standard it seems as if no one can critically evaluate reported information to determine the truth on anything. Skepticism in moderation is good but too much or too little isn’t good at all either.

        As for an agenda, people posing with celebs and posting them online have agendas. Agendas are like a**holes — everyone’s got one. Plus, agendas aren’t bad in and of themselves — you just have to cognizant of any agenda they might have.

        Royal Reporters NEED their Royal to stay happy so they tend not to toe the line and not only that, the Royal needs the reporter to be their mouth piece. That indeed means both the Royal and the reporter have an agenda and are dependent on each other. But that doesn’t mean the press will totally lie for a Royal as they do need to keep their credibility and the Royal knows he/she needs to provide truthful and good nuggets. If the Royal Reporter loses their credibility, people stop flocking to them and that’s terrible for business. So that delicate balance needs to be maintained in order for everyone to profit. I’m not sure why you’d dismiss a Royal Reporter for just being that.

        So yes, a healthy skepticism is good. But that doesn’t mean stuff that’s out there is all unicorns and rainbows OR all lies and deceits.

      • Fette says:

        @ LadySlippers I thought you were suggesting that repetitions of an unverifiable fact made it more believable, which is an argument that is occasionally made ie “well everyone was printing it so it must be true.”

        So my answer is one. I would only need one verifiable reporting of an event or quote to believe it as fact. My point is that most tabloid gossip is unverifiable.
        And if I may, from your previous post:

        “People are quite ready to jump on a celebrity or a Royal for any number of reasons but never think how the media has a hand in that perception. Always remember that sales is the biggest driver of them all — they publish what sells. Money and profit trump the truth.”

      • Tara says:

        But when the phone hacking transcripts were released people didn’t view them as the proof that the tabloids can be truthful(ish) and somewhat reliable. People used the transcript snippets to shore up what they already believed/wanted to believe anyway. And for every story with one angle their is another media outlet with “evidence” and “sources close to” ythe people involved to contradict it. Royal gossip has boiled down to a stand-off between “reliable sources” When you mix these factors in with personal perspective, specific agendas, leaks, backstory and verifiable observances/facts I’ve come to the conclusion that none of us royal gossipers can assert our rightness. But I take pride in the fact that so many CB royal loonies usually come pretty darn close to the mark here.

      • Fette says:

        “None of us royal gossipers can assert our rightness.” Thank you , Tara, this is very much what I was trying, albeit rather poorly, to say. I don’t think it’s quite beyond the pale to suggest that you shouldn’t believe what you read in the tabloids. I think that suggestion does, however, hinder the arguments of people who want to cherry pick from tabloids the “evidence” that supports their perspective.

      • LAK says:

        Tara: I think most people are surprised that stories that had been dismissed were proven correct. That’s what is coming from the hacking trial. see – the Daniel Craig/Jude Law/ Sienna Miller story.

        i don’t think it’s making people trust the accuracy of tabloids more nor do i suggest that they should.

        Tabloid reporting remains a mix of truth and fiction, the difference is that phone hacking is off the table. Other methods remain.

      • hmmm says:

        I don’t want to interrupt this very edifying conversation, but wanted to mention that it is a fact that Diana used reporters as mouthpieces (didn’t Charles as well?). I find it hard to believe that no one else in the RF or the Middleton family does not.

      • LAK says:

        hmmm: Diana made a big thing of courting the editors of ALL the papers, broadsheets and tabloids which Charles later took up as well.

        The Middletons have a favoured reporter on the DM, as well as a pap on speed dial.

      • Mel says:

        “Royal Reporters NEED their Royal to stay happy so they tend not to toe the line and not only that, the Royal needs the reporter to be their mouth piece.”

        Yes, but they are both vitally dependent on the public opinion (which is the only thing that is keeping the monarchy on the throne; the monarchy hasn’t had any real power for many decades now) – and if the editors get a feeling that the public opinion is shifting (regarding any issue), they are going to follow the money, that is, the public opinion.

        True, newspapers can also shape opinions (not merely reflect them), and do so regularly, but that goes mostly for matters involving finance and political power (under any guise) .
        In this case, I have the feeling they are already testing the water to gauge just how much of the unfavourable public opinion they can start reflecting (which you – or some other poster – implied in a different post above). After all, “love to hate” sells too – in fact, it sells much better than just “love”.

      • FLORC says:

        LadySlippers
        This is a key reason why this site seems to be the most balanced when on a Royal thread. So many here have knowledge on the subject that goes beyond reading articles. And so many of us are open to being corrected. We welcome it! Better to get the facts right than go about stating opinion gospel.

  21. Lila says:

    I really like the dress, color and her straight hair. Otherwise, shut your mouth girl. I don’t understand why she always has to wear platform heels. Does she have on suede shoes in the rain? Yes she’s orange. She was in the necklace pictures too. My guess is she got a tan on her vacation but didn’t adjust her spray tan routine.

    The trip- I doubt Kate cares. The trip was a screwup by William in a half dozen ways and he is having to eat all of it while she gets good press. That favor can only help her since she didn’t actually cross the line and work to get in front of William.

    I really just don’t get that trip honestly. Did they think no one would notice? It’s just so stupid. Them again nowhere near as many people would have cared if William hadn’t taken his hot, single ex. The whole thing is just an idiot move on his part. If Kate is pissed though, it has everything to do with the bad press and nothing to do with the ex. She knows he’s not leaving her. She’s got the ring for good so the only thing him getting caught screwing around can do is garner more public sympathy for her. Girl has her priorities.

    • Tulip Garden says:

      @Lila
      Completely agree that having Jecca along on the hunting trip was a stupid move on William’s part. I don’t think it even matters whether they are friends or not. Their past relationship is well-known and this just doesn’t cast him in a very favorable light. It surprises me that he would make such a glaring PR blunder.
      As far as Kate, I’m not going to believe tabloid reports that she didn’t know that Jecca was going. I would believe that she advised him against it and he didn’t heed her warning. Perhaps, she is even satisfied that he has gotten flak about it. I do think that women, in general, can see how certain issues will be viewed better than their male counterparts and are less likely to shrug it off. It seems that William has taken a leaf out of Charles’ Book of Questionable Behavior and that doesn’t mean he is having an affair but it does mean that he is insensitive to the questioning that he has caused.

      • LAK says:

        William, himself, has said he doesn’t listen to his advisors, so even if someone had advised him against it, he probably would have gone ahead.

        That said, he has been on many hunting trips [or trips away with his friends] in the past few years. They have gone largely unreported. I’d wager he thought this would be more of the same.

        However, i have a theory that this might be media revenge for the fact that Kate allowed pap pics of her to go unsanctioned AND william had a hissy fit within the same week about pics of him off the cambridge train.

        I do find it interesting that though Harry was on this trip too, no one seems to have given him much thought. 3-4 yrs ago, the press would have crucified him whilst keeping silent about william.

      • LadySlippers says:

        I love you my dear Tulip *kiss kiss* but LAK is spot on. William is very headstrong and likes to do his thing (that’s nice speak for he will not be controlled). This is a trip that I believe both William and Harry have taken about this time for several years now (prior to this I think it’s been boys only). However, it normally gets only a blip in the media.

        I do agree that Jecca might not be anything to worry about (time will tell) but it doesn’t look good any way you look at it. I also think Kate knew too. Don’t know if she’d be ‘angry’ but I doubt she was clueless. Even Diana knew what Charles did…

        As for the firestorm it’s bringing on William’s head makes me think of an old adage — timing is everything.

        LAK, I am watching this with great interest. Especially if they used Harry today to buffer and/or distract from the fallout of the trip. People really like Harry and hopefully this means their plans to use him as the BRF sacrificial lamb aren’t working.

      • LAK says:

        i don’t think Jecca being in this trip would have been an issue if the Middletons’ pap-on-speed-dial hadn’t tweeted ‘Is Jecca the new Camilla?’

        That drew a conversation with a few journalists in which he then proceeded to provide information regarding other times William and Jecca had been together.

        That is the source of all of this.

      • Original N says:

        @ LAK, Lady Slippers, Tulip, FLORC …. I have been actively attempting to discern why on earth the ‘Is Jecca the new Camilla’ was postulated so publicly, particularly given from whom it was sourced … Yet, I fail to see who has the most to gain from this type of public inquiry EXCEPT harboring public goodwill towards KM. Any one else have alternate theories?

      • LAK says:

        Original N: that’s my theory too. I question why KM would need public good will right now.

        watch this space……time will reveal why this was made so public.

      • FLORC says:

        Original N
        I’m with you on this too. As soon as LAK mentioned it in a post it looked suspicious. There’s a lot going on here, most already mentioned.
        *Harry is not being the Scape Goat.
        *Jecca’s name has been called out as a possible partner in William’s alleged infidelity.
        *William is taking heavy heat over poor form regarding hunting trip.
        *Kate is being painted in a very sympathetic light.
        Something is brewing.
        Is this backlash from William being so controlling of the press and the press pushing back?
        Is it a Middleton move like when Kate drove herself to the hospital with their personal pap waiting to make it a huge story of why William was yet again off on another hunting trip. Or rather the big message “William abonded pregnant Kate again”. It’s my opinion he was shamed into returning to Kate’s side since he left again as soon as he could.

        As LAK said. Time will reveal.

      • Tulip Garden says:

        I don’t know if I made myself clear in the original post on this thread so to clarify:
        I am not surprised that William and Harry went on the hunting trip. I actually don’t think that in and of itself is that big of a deal. I am surprised that William made the mistake of making “Jecca Craig” into a thing by inviting her or joining her or whatever the case may be. I completely agree that William, in the end, always does what he wants regardless of advice. Still, he isn’t stupid and, presumably, would know what the press would make of the “Jecca thing” if they were to find out. That just seems a pretty large misstep to me and one I wouldn’t have expected William to make. Maybe as you other posters have posited there is a reason that this has become public knowledge. I would like to know that reason and the reasoning behind it because, frankly, this just looks like poor decision-making. I am not saying that William isn’t capable of poor decision-making but I am saying that this is rather a large one to make, imo.
        I don’t understand why it would be favorable for any of the parties involved (William, Middletons, Kate, Jecca,Palace) to want this story out there. As far as the press is concerned it is great grist for the mill. Nothing sells papers like the possibility of a royal affair. I am sure they salivate at the idea that the second coming of Camilla is underway.
        BTW, love that you all share my love of royal-watching. I have just never found a very intelligent forum to join. I am now able to thoroughly enjoy royal stories via CB, these threads, and you posters so Thanks! 🙂

      • LAK says:

        Tulip Garden – The first report of William on this trip was reported as ‘William and harry on hunting trip to spain. several male friends and 1 girl’ or similar wording. accompanying photos showing them at airport, girl in photo’s face was obscured. The widely reported angle was the hypocrisy of his position vis a vis hunting.

        The next day, popsugar.com posted an airport pic from a different angle showing girl’s face clearly with a simple paragraph saying the same as above.

        later that day, the middletons’ pap on speed dial tweeted this question ‘Is Jecca the new Camilla?’ with a link to the popsugar.com site.

        immediately, other journalists started tweeting questions at him and he responded by pointing out all the times in the past Jecca and William had been together. Popsugar used his information to re-write their post incorporating all this information.

        The day after that, all the papers wrote articles along the lines of ‘william might be cheating, we don’t know for sure, but regardless here he is with Jecca’

        That’s how this became a story. without the Middletons’ input, i doubt Jecca’s presence would have been a big deal. the fact that it is coming from them is why we have to watch this space.

        THIS is why i said in my post down thread that Kate will not go quietly. It’s not a question of their relationship being at that stage right now, but allowing their pap to leak or say such damaging things is one of the ways William will be kept in line, whatever the truth and no matter the guns of the palace.

        EDIT: as m further down thread reminds us, pap’s tweeted cryptic leaks are always accurate eg Kate’s pregnancy announcement date as well as which week she would give birth.

      • LadySlippers says:

        @Tulip: William has a history of making poor decisions. The reason most don’t know about it is because it’s often covered up, promptly removed from public spaces, AND/OR they highlight Harry’s poor decisions so William’s get lost in the shuffle.

        @Original N: I gotta say I’ve been reflecting on your comments. When LAK came in it simply added more to my churning brain. Florc, very thoughtfully, highlighted key points. However another element stuck out to me — the *timing* of the Mustique photos.

        Hear me out. My guess is the Spain Boar Hunting trip was on the books for months (if not an annual thing as they’ve gone before around this time). The Middleton’s Mustique trip is definitely an annual thing that William usually attends. What if Kate was upset that William was ditching Mustique for the Spain hunting trip and asked the paps not only to take George’s photos but also asked them to wait to publish them? That gave the perception (key word here) that not only did William miss the Mustique trip but he ditched his family for a hunting trip?!? Also, by throwing in the Camilla bait, it further ups the ante because people despise(d) Camilla. AND the bonus is hunting is also publicly very divisive.

        There might be nothing going on with Jecca and William but now *perception* is skewed regardless. (Even Diana knew that Camilla wasn’t Charles’ only mistress but facts weren’t what she was after — it was perception and making someone — anyone but her the villain. Moriarty said every good story needs a villain).

        Hmmmmm. And the thought that Kate might have called the paps when she was admitted to the hospital (links anyone?) in order to possibly embarrass William because he was (again) hunting and away from her. Then, to top it off, she might have done it just recently. Hmmmmm. It does point (IF TRUE) that Kate has to get passive-aggressive in order to ‘balance’ the power in their relationship. It also hints that while she may be quiet and passive — she’s not a total rug.

        Oh this IS interesting.

        Okay LAK, is this why you think she might now go as quiet as I thought she’d go????! Gosh, looks as if someone was watching Diana for more than just walkabout tips. IF true Kate’s ripping pages from Diana’s media relations guide.

      • FLORC says:

        LadySlippers/LAK
        Do go on Ladies!

        LadySlippers
        I wish I could post links! It would just refer back to a CB thread where LAK/Bluhare and others posted all relevant links to this regarding the Kate drives herself to hospital while family pap camps out.

        And I’m getting a strong feeling Kate is being passive aggressive. Or rather Midds/Kate are publicly shaming William when he spends time away from Kate.
        Whoever is doing it they’re playing it well. Jecca and William have always enjoyed eachothers company and by calling her “Camilla” William can kiss spending more time with her minus Kate goodbye.

        Tulip
        LAK and LadySlippers covered it well, but I just want to add a bit more.
        William has always done as he pleased. The press didn’t touch him for whatever reason applied to the times. I’m sure he assumed the same would done this time around and his protection would continue. What he didn’t count on was Middleton loyal Paps.
        The pap has proven he has an inside line with details only a Middleton could have.

      • LadySlippers says:

        One of the great ‘fallouts’ from this is people will start watching William much more closely. AND start counting the days they are together AND apart.

        The hard part for Kate is she is so much older than the very naive bride Diana was. So many people will not muster the sympathy because she had a much clearer picture of what life would be like with William than Diana did. Unless she has something on him that we don’t know about…. Hmmmmm.

      • LAK says:

        Florc ; i never saved the links to the hospital story, and it would take some time to dig it out. i wish i knew which CB thread we posted all those links. too lazy to go that far back.

        There are many links to post because that story kept changing.

        1. first it was Kate drives herself to the hospital with only bodyguard for company and walks in smiling and waving and well. William, who was spending weekend with friends meets her at the hospital.

        2. then the same as above except bodyguard drove.

        3. then it was William, who was with friends, was alerted and so went to pick her up from Middleton towers and drove her to the hospital.

        4. then William and kate were spending a quiet weekend at middleton towers when Kate was taken ill, and so he drove her to the hospital.

        5. About an hour after everyone agrees that kate had been admitted, a statement is released from sjp announcing her condition and the HG that had ‘forced’ the announcement.

        6. this was swiftly followed [possibly filed at the sale time] by a story saying HM and POW had been informed minutes, if not same time, as media.

        7. that soon changed to they were informed an hour before Kate was admitted.

        8. the funny thing is that BP took their time announcing their ‘delight’ at the news. IIRC, Charles was doorstepped and gave a remark off the cuff. Infact, most of the royals were doorstepped into giving a statement. Sophie had a really lovely one, Anne was her usual gruff self.

        the entire episode stank of manipulation.

      • Tulip Garden says:

        @LAK, LadySlippers, and Florc,

        Ooooow-weeeee, I am really enjoying this 🙂 You three have given me much to think about and to assess and re-assess! I am thinking that if the Pap to the Middleton’s did tweet at their instigation (something I wasn’t even aware of because I don’t visit PopSugar) then that certainly confirms my initial impressions of Kate that she is far from doormat. I know most find her bland and booorrriiing but I have always thought that to survive, and perhaps flourish, in this world that she chose that there may well be far more to her than meets the eye. I’ll be mulling all of this over. Thanks for the food for thought!

      • LAK says:

        Tulip Garden: This was the original coverage and accompanying photos, later covered by other media BEFORE pap’s tweet:

        http://muckrack.com/david-dinsmore/statuses/432063024397316096

        http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/5430799/Prince-William-goes-shooting-ahead-of-wildlife-campaign-launch.html

        the top picture in the link below is the one that pulled a reaction from the pap. Rest of article was later filled in with jecca details after the tweet conversation.

        http://www.popsugar.com/Prince-William-Jecca-Craig-33983460

        here is the pap’s twitter feed: look at conversations on Feb 10th.

        https://twitter.com/IkonPictures

      • Original N says:

        @LAK, FLORC, Lady Slippers, & Tulip … Good evening (or early morning) Ladies!
        Thank you so much for your replies. You all provided insightful theories / critical information and appear to be evaluating potential motivations for this current PR fiasco as I am. LadySlippers, your theory is completely plausible and supports FLORC positing that the Middletons are publicly shaming William through manipulation of the press in order to keep him in line and bonus! They simultaneously generate public goodwill for Waity through manipulation of the press. However, whilst this tactic may work in the short term, I question how well thought out a play such as this is, i.e. what is the long game? I ask because William is the heir & these manipulations (in my humble opinion) make him look worse than a divorce would with regard to public perception given most people have truly started to question Kate’s dedication to serve her country. Moreover, given what we have concluded about William’s personality, he doesn’t seem the type to respond well to being manipulated. So, isn’t there a point where Waity could overplay her hand in these passive-aggressive endeavors…as were William to divorce her on the grounds of her being vacuous/manipulative, etc. – wouldn’t Diana’s son end up far better? Also, I’m not certain that this has ensured that William won’t be seen with Jecca anymore as that would only, from a public perception standpoint, serve to support the alleged infidelity. Rather, continuing to be seen with her could be interpreted as solidarity in the fact the media just took an innocent trip and blew it out of proportion …. yes?

      • Tulip Garden says:

        @LAK,
        Thanks for the links! I will be perusing them this weekend or Monday. I am enjoying this conversation too much to leave to check that out at the moment! I really do appreciate that you took the time to do that 🙂

        @ LAK, LadySlippers, Florc, Original N (hope I didn’t miss anyone, this thread is getting super long),
        If Kate is playing this game wherein she is responsible for the “Jecca Craig angle” becoming public then it is a dangerous game that she plays. I agree that William will not respond well to manipulation, I believe he saw the Machievellian works of his mother (and father) and wants no part of that sort of relationship. It could well be that he underestimated Kate (as I believe much of the public has) when it comes to her desire and ability to get what she wants or what she believes that she is due. (BTW, that is not a necessarily a criticism of Kate, I think people should go after what they want within reason and insist on a certain equality in relationships). Still in this case, she could well be orchestrating it so that William is forced to re-think just going about his business since he now has her and George to consider. I don’t think this tactic will serve her well because what makes William look unworthy also tarnishes their reputation as a unit. At this point, I believe that Kate hasn’t been a part of the royal family long enough and has not garnered enough public affection on her own, to make it a good idea to attempt to tarnish William in the press without that affecting her own standing. While she may get some momentary sympathy, I don’t think it would be worth the continual questioning of her husband’s fidelity that she will have to endure for the foreseeable future. IDK, I am really going to have to give some thought into what she had to gain versus what she has to lose by a move like this.
        I do know that the tabloids would have a lot to gain with this Jecca Craig story. Do you all think there is any chance that the Middleton’s supposed Paparazzi mouthpiece person would report this stuff without their okay? Or maybe just give them a heads up by way of respecting their “I’ll stroke your back if you stroke mine” relationship? If this person said to Kate (or Middletons), “I have this picture and I am going with this Jecca Craig thing. I’m letting ya’ll (doubt he’d use that word :)) know” thus giving them an opportunity to shape some of the continuing Kate coverage while still giving the reporter a semi-major news story? IDK, just thinking thru all of the angles.
        Okay, I’m gonna stop stream of consciousness posting now. I hope I made some sense. At any rate, I find all of this vedy, vedy, interesting and will be following it closely!
        As Sherlock Holmes says, “The game is afoot” 🙂

      • Tara says:

        But what happens to part of these theories in light of the fact that the palace approved/orchestrated the Mustique photos and not the Mids, as people are determined to think? That changes things a bit. That Mustique coverage may have given the Mids the courage to take the plunge and hold up the Camilla 2.0 red flag. Bad long-term move, by the way. A man has to change because he wants to. Because he wants to be a better husband, father and humanitarian/role model. I am not sure it is good to back someone like Will into a corner. No externalities will change him – only time and hopefully, maturity.

      • FLORC says:

        Tulip/Original N
        I’m flattered! Gossip sites and news stories keep me sane and it’s better than TV imo.

        LAK
        The way SJP dropped the ball on the HG press release was a nightmare! For what it was to Kate it was making a mountain out of a molehill. I’ve stated my thoughts on the page.

        Tulip
        We’re discussing what Kate might hold for cards in her hand based on how she’s playing, but we have no clue what William and the Palace has. The Middleton’s could very well be overplaying and trying to control William. If they are they’re sure to lose. Even if they know something very damaging on William or the Windsors it’s unlikely they will walk away the victors. IMO.

        Tara
        I think the Mustique pics were sanctioned by the palace. Kate has been getting more and more dotting mommy pics. Maybe this is to dismiss Kate having nannies care for George while she continues to not work? Maybe to also build goodwill?
        We know Charles is trying to reconstruct and repair their images or at least laying the groundwork.
        As LAK said. It’s too early in the game for theories. This is just idle brainstorming while i’m recovering from a fractured tibia. Very “Rear Window” only it’s my tablet screen.

      • Tara says:

        FLORC
        ;-( at your injury! Feel better.
        But yes, I think the Mids scored big with the press office takeover (big, bad wolf Charles is a control freak and is jealous of Kate’s curls), Skirt Gate (big, bad Charles is a control freak and wants Kate to wear his mum’s clothes) and Hello Gate (Charles has contradictory tones with the press but Kate and baby sure are cute!) and so they may have over rotated with Jecka Gate if they, indeed, pushed their press piece to go the Camilla 2.0 route. It is possible, however, that the Mids and Kate are embarassed at the comparisons. People need motives, not just opportunity. The Mids need for everyone to keep believing the fairy tale – not tear it down after only three years. A royal rift hurts their brand. As far as gaining goodwill for Kate well she actually doesnt need it yet. Not as much as internet blogs would have us believe. There is no need for the Mids to sully Will’s reputation at this point. Besides, gasp, Carol and Michael have really come to care about their son-in-law. That does happen in families, you know. I also believe Kate is secure. Maybe not too confident these days but, for now, secure.

      • LadySlippers says:

        So much to process! Yay!!!!

        @Tara: Just because the Palace approved doesn’t mean they were privy to Kate’s logic. She could have told them, ‘Let’s wait to publish the pics until we get back to ensure our safety & privacy’ because that sounds reasonable. Yes? When she really wanted to highlight the timing of William’s trip and a certain person. This duplicity is straight from Diana’s tactics. BP was told one thing and then was blindsided when Diana’s real motivation became apparent. Patrick Jephson wrote a whole, and very bitter book, about Diana’s duplicity.

        @Tulip: I think it still speaks volumes that Kate has to resort to media tactics in order to restore balance in the relationship. She may not be a doormat but this isn’t isn’t indicative of a heathy relationship either.

        @Original N & other posters concerned about short term vs long term gain: I agree. This tactic worked for Diana but came at a HUGE cost to her (and I don’t just mean her death). This honestly would not be the route I’d advise Kate to go on. However, passive-aggressive tactics are used when the person feels they have no other options.

        It’s just a yucky situation. 🙁 And it really highlights why so many women steer clear of British Princes — it looks all rosy from people who don’t know. But the thorns are all too apparent to those that do.

    • Tulip Garden says:

      Aaack! Ignore this, my earlier post just showed up!

      • LAK says:

        Original N/Tulip Garden: it’s too early in the game to post a theory.

        Most of the public don’t watch this stuff closely, and don’t see the pattern.

      • LAK says:

        Tara/Florc: the pap and his agency who took the Mustique photos said the Palace was informed ahead of publishing.

        I’m on the phone which doesn’t let me post links, but he gave an interview to The Independent newspaper stating categorically that the deal was already made with Hello BEFORE the palace was approached.

        Their only concern was to hold onto the pics until after Kate was safely back home.

        To me that says only one thing, the Palace knew someone on the inside had arranged for those photos, and couldn’t cause a stink about them.

        Considering the narrative of ‘William is staying at home studying’, in the same week the pictures appeared, the Palace had no trouble stopping pics of William off a Cambridge train.

        Someone at the Palace had their hand in the cookie jar, and so forced the Palace to sanction the pictures.

        Now let’s look at those pictures……

        1. Kate was pictures happy, casual enjoying herself. I wonder what that reminds me of…..media tour 2007.

        2. Baby! Baby! ( goodwill to Kate in multiple ways eg
        a) people forget she’s not worked since December,
        b) people forget she’s on another expensive holiday while news is filtering in of the flooding country side.

        This is all speculation of course, but the mother and child image has a very strong societal pull and will give Kate good PR and sympathy as long as she keeps playing that card strategically.

        Those Mustique pics also have the added advantage of wrongfooting William which is exactly what Diana did repeatedly to Charles.

      • Tara says:

        LAK
        I think Charles fully approved of the pics. A beaming mother and child is better press than a poor princess stuck in KP with a screaming son, an absentee husband and palace seamstresses storming her dressing chamber armed with boxes of hem weights.
        This plus a knowledge of the upcoming boor hunt could have given the palace reasons to gamble on the Hello pics. And that particular mag never ticks off the palace, so, imo – complicity.

      • Tulip Garden says:

        @Tara,
        I believe that you may be correct. I don’t think Kate and/or the Middletons would need the good publicity as much as the palace “grey men” probably think it is the image that they want portrayed. New daddy working, new mommy and baby happily surrounded by family.

  22. Alili says:

    Well, for a flight attendant she looks good… I swear to god for someone with so much access to everything (stylist, hairdresser, make-up artist), she looks really really bland, generic and just not exciting at all. Come on Kate, you have potential, I know it !

  23. Ferdis says:

    So much blush! As always, I hate her make-up.

  24. Elisabeth says:

    definitively getting skinny again. I don’t like it although the colour looks good on her!

  25. Anoninga says:

    I like Kate but I’ve become a little jaded by her work ethic. I also think that she had a rough time after Prince George was born. But I saw those pictures of Will, Jecca, and Harry and I just didn’t get the controversy vibe from them.

    • Fette says:

      I think we may have to allow that our right honourable Waity is not really a hard worker. Sigh. One had hoped that she would have stepped up her game by now.

  26. vava says:

    How many blue, straight dresses does one Duchess need? This dress looks so similar to the Stella dress she wore last year.

    I think the fabric looks cheap and she does look like a flight attendant. And that mouth – please close your mouth, Duchess. She looks a bit manic. I, too, have the impression that all is not well in the House of Cambridge. She’s tired, gaunt, and behaving overly exuberantly in what appears to be compensation for something that is amiss. We’ve seen that with her, before.

    • Hazel says:

      Yeah, she has a higher tolerance for polyester than I do–apparently, that’s what viscose is, a combination of polyester and rayon. No wonder I think ‘ick’ whenever I try on something viscose.

  27. Feebee says:

    She looks fine. As for the Jecca situation, we’re believing Star now, are we?

    I’d like to think that William isn’t stupid enough to be cheating on his wife but if he is she’s not stupid enough to accept it. She could tell him where to stick the spare. So unless he wants George to be an only he’ll pull his head in.

    • FLORC says:

      Feebee
      Star is never to be believed, but there is truth here.
      I won’t bore you, but Kate will not refuse William. She did once and he broe up with her. A divorce would not go in her favor at all either.
      Bottom line. William will do as he likes and Kate who has zero power in the relationship will not challenge him.

      • Tulip Garden says:

        That all may be true but the tables of power in a relationship can turn and he would be wise to remember that. I agree that a divorce wouldn’t favor Kate at all but I also think it could ruin William. That is no little power.

      • Fette says:

        I think when you make a statement like “Kate has zero power in the relationship” you might want to bore us with your primary sources.
        Otherwise I respectfully reserve the right to my skepticism 😉

      • LadySlippers says:

        @Fette: See LAK’s comments below.

      • Fette says:

        LadySlippers: I believe LAK’s point was that in the case of a (hypothetical, as yet unheralded) divorce, Kate would have little legal firepower against William/the Palace. The statement I took issue with was that Kate has no power in her relationship with William.

      • Mich says:

        @ Fette

        I take it you have never watched live videos of the two of them together. It is quite clear who has the power in that relationship and who walks on eggshells.

      • Fette says:

        @ Mich I hope you don’t think I landed on this thread accidentally while searching for an apple pie recipe! 🙂

        I’ve been reading this site for years, and following UK gossip for far too long 🙂
        So I have watched quite a few videos of them, actually. And I have not reached the conclusion that she walks on eggshells around him.

      • LadySlippers says:

        @Fette: I absolutely and unequivocally believe Kate has no power in a divorce and not a heck of a lot in her relationship. In every Royal bio I’ve read it’s been pretty darn clear that a relationship with a British Royal or even a British aristo the rules are different and weighted heavily against the ‘outsider’ and/ or woman. It’s pretty much ‘Play it my way or be gone.’

        People chastise Diana but she saw *first hand* the power the establishment has against it’s own. Her mother had not a chance in hell of gaining custody of her children and Diana was bound and determined not to let that happen to her. Diana pulled every trick in the book in order to outsmart the establishment so she could be treated as an equal post divorce (she wasn’t totally equal but she got more than she would have if she hadn’t fought tooth and nail). It was a very rare coup that Diana pulled off and Kate does not have Diana’s personality OR the strong ties to the aristos that Diana had (not that the ties to the aristos would have helped — aristos defer to the BRF). Kate is still being called by her birth name in most places on the internet or in the press. Almost three years into her marriage, Diana had lost her own birth name. BIG difference between the scenarios and women.

        Every chance I’ve gotten I’ve directed people to read ‘To Marry an English Lord’ — male British aristos don’t play fair and don’t care who knows. It’s the whole mentality that is bigger than just William and Kate or even Charles and Diana. It’s the whole culture of the British aristocracy here.

        So I agree completely that Kate has very little power in the relationship. Their relationship is not what you and I know and can relate to. And what little power Kate has now evaporates in a divorce. Unless she can pull off a coup like Diana which I don’t see but wouldn’t completely dismiss. But most David and Goliath showdowns don’t bode well for the David’s of the world.

        Note: I mention Diana’s aristo connections because being a Spencer helped her in more ways that I could list here — especially in public opinion.

      • Fette says:

        @ LadySlippers

        Yes, as I said above, I don’t dispute that she would be powerless in a divorce. I don’t think that we can extrapolate from that that she is powerless in her interpersonal relationship with William.

        I’ve read “To Marry an English Lord”! It was very, very good. (I’d also recommend “The Sisters: The Saga of the Mitford Family”) I think it’s worth pointing out, though, that this book refers to late 19th and early 20th century relationships.

        There is certainly a lot to learn about how that history may inform present-day marriages in the aristocratic class, but so much has happened to the roles of men and women in general, and the upper crust in particular, that I would view it more as a fascinating account of what was, rather than a mirror image of what is. Even the generation from Diana to Kate has seen huge changes. So, as seems to be my pattern, I agree with you a little, and disagree with you a little! 🙂

      • LadySlippers says:

        @Fette: The reality is that women have not gained much power in the aristo world. I’ve read in numerous places the men of the British upper classes (especially heirs) acting however they damned well want today and that in a lot of aspects you can’t tell what century it is. So where women have gained power elsewhere — it’s not reflective of every stratosphere.

        Supposedly this was something along these same line that Kate told Chelsy (Royal boyfriends will cheat) and Chelsy wasn’t having any of that.

      • Tulip Garden says:

        @ Fette,
        I have noticed reading up and down this thread that you and I share a sensitivity to the labeling of unverified information as “fact”. I have to say that I appreciate that someone else feels the way that I do. Of course, as Ladyslippers has pointed out many of us have followed these people for years and can give very good accounts as to what we believe and why we believe it. While I believe that can bring about an educated opinion and conclusion, I too shy away from labeling those extrapolations as “facts”. As you stated upthread, a “fact” by it’s nature needs no extrapolation, it is in and of itself provable. I hope everyone realizes that I am not trying to deny them their learned conclusions. I just think we should call them that instead of “facts”. For example:
        Factually, Charles and Camilla are married.
        My learned conclusions based on knowledge of Camilla’s background, personality, and lifestyle prior to the marriage is that she would rather not have wed Prince Charles. While I heartedly believe that this is true, I cannot call it fact. Now if a letter, email, or even quoted conversation from a person of repute confirmed this, I would then call it fact.
        Anyway, I hope that I am not being pedantic but I probably am. If so, please forgive me for eccentricities 🙂

      • Tara says:

        Tulip
        I intentionally refrained from using the word odd in describing the Will/Di dynamic because as you rightly and astutely observe, it is one not too uncommonly found between fragilei, emotionally vulnerable mothers and devoted, strong-willed and protective sons.
        But it is, imo, unbalanced and regrettable. It is also marginal because Diana and Will offset the imbalance with love, affection, humor and respect. Or at least it would have become marginal in William’s psyche as he grew and matured into adulthood had he not lost his mother.

    • LAK says:

      The Palace always wins. That’s something people always overlook. Even Diana, much loved by the public, lost in the end. Her death helped restore her and that’s what people also forget.

      With regards divorce, his father has shown it can be done. If he wants more children, he can always have them with the next wife.

      • Tulip Garden says:

        I completely get what you are saying and I don’t disagree that William has all the power now or that the palace will “win” in the end. I still believe that Kate (or Camilla for that matter) could wreak havoc with the perception of the monarchy especially in regards to divorce. I guess I think in time it could be a case of MAD (mutually assured destruction) if William and Kate fell apart which I don’t think that they are by any means. The House of Windsor tooks body blows from Princess Diana even though she “lost” in the end, they still smart in terms of public perception from that debacle. IDK, maybe one only loses power in a relationship when you cede it? It’s just never too late to take it back.

      • LAK says:

        Tulip Garden: I firmly believe that Kate will not go quietly. Her media tour 2007 proved as much. However, she hasn’t endeared herself to the public like Diana did, and that’s a big reason she’ll fail. she won’t just be fighting the palace, she’ll be fighting diana’s ghost in the form of William.

        And this time the Palace is prepared. they’ve made it very clear publicly that she’s being supported in every way, she can’t used that card to the effect Diana did.

        Sidenote – I’m forever fascinated by how closely William is identified with Diana and Harry never is.

      • Original N says:

        Perhaps I am atypical, but I actually think Harry embodies more of Diana’s personality and characteristics and there is one particular quote from her that makes me wonder if she felt the same.

      • Tara says:

        You wouldbe correct. Will was a source of worship for Diana but Harry was her cherished pet and her emotional indulgence. Charles did not particularly warm up to Harry for awhile and Di treasured him all the more, referring to him as her little Spencer. She often sought Will’s approval and he was fiercely protective of her. Imho this was a tragically inverted relationship. Harry, in contrast, just got to luxuriate in Di’s motherly affection and be a happy little boy. Even at the age of eleven/twelve he would curl up on the sofa and watch television with her, eventually falling asleep in her lap.
        I’ve often thought this helps explain the difference in how the princes dealt with their mother’s death and therefore, the differences in the men they are today (although zi do not buy that Will is bad/Harry is good crap, or vice versa).

      • Tulip Garden says:

        @LAK,
        I don’t think that right now, or maybe ever, Kate and William are in the throes of coming to the point where a separation/divorce is even vaguely on the horizon. Actually, I believe that they are a stable couple. Having said that, I just think that Kate has some agency in their personal relationship. I think that all of the time that they spend with the Middletons is evidence of that. While I believe that is what William wants to do, as well as Kate, it seems that Kate’s desire to continue a close relationship with her family has already held sway over William. I don’t think Kate is as meek as others perceive her.
        At any rate, the longer that they are wed, the more “power” Kate will accumulate in her own right. That may be power within their relationship, power thru public perception, and other naturally occurring phenomenon for a person in her position. I am not saying that she or any non-royal will ever come up against the House of Windsor and win. Like you, I think that is near to impossible. I just think that as time progresses, she could if she wanted make trouble for them in the event of a relationship breakdown. It is something I believe that will, over time, adjust the balance of power in their relationship to some degree. 🙂
        @Original N and Tara,
        I think both princes embody certain characteristics of their mother. I agree with Tara that the good cop/bad cop image of the princes seems skewed and I don’t buy into it. Tara, I also think that your analysis of Diana’s parenting skills and their effects are spot on.

      • LadySlippers says:

        I actually disagree with the idea that William and Diana had an odd or unbalanced relationship. All these accusations came after she died from Charles’ camp. If you read Wharfe’s book — it sounds very normal and loving. Other contemporary accounts echo that. Also, Diana was an INFP are the parenting styles for INFP’s are a lot less formal than most.

        As for Kate & William, I don’t think a divorce is as bad as some suggest for the House of Windsor. IF they were able to keep it quiet and low key, I don’t think it would affect the BRF much. (BTW not saying they are heading for a divorce)

      • Tara says:

        Ladyslippers,
        I do not base my opinions on those silly “Wills had to pass tissues to Diana under the bathroom door” type of stories that Charles felt the need to spread around to discredit Diana. First of all if she were in the bathroom there would already be plenty of tissues in there lol. But seriously we do know enough to know that Diana’s relationship with Will was such that she felt comfortable putting more on his shoulders than was age appropriate. I believe it was done out of ignorance, without Diana realizing it because she really was a stellar mother.
        I remember reading once that Will angrily forbade his mom to attend a school function because she had been in the tabloids for some scandal. He wouldnt change his mind and so she did not go. When she had pics taken of her clad in a bikini and nuzzling with Dodi Al Fayed Will was livid and had quite a fight with her, which supposedly oftenn left her sobbing.
        This seems unbalanced and inappropriate to me. Looking at the past with fresh info doesnt do an injustice to those who lived in it. Rather, it makes larger than life figures more understandable/relateable. And ti me this sort of explains Will. The most important person in his life was taken away so now he will only first and foremost look out for number one. But with Kate I can still see the headstrong teen Will who will leave you crying if you displease him.

      • Tulip Garden says:

        @Ladyslippers,
        I don’t think that Diana and William’s relationship was necessarily odd. I think it may be that the norm for some women in unhappy marriages to make their child/children into closer confidantes than may be normal for women not in that situation. Also, sometimes elder sons naturally take on more emotional responsibility like this even in intact and happy homes. I don’t think that that is all that unusual but I do think that it has effects. Not necessarily harmful effects but certainly character-shaping ones. I do think that was the situation between William and Diana and I think that he felt a degree of responsibility toward her and her happiness that Harry didn’t shoulder. I think Harry, as someone noted upthread, got more lovey-dovey attention from Diana and was less burdened by her problems (as she saw them). I could be wrong but this has been my conclusions based on different books/articles.
        As to a low-key royal divorce, wouldn’t that be something? In order for that to happen though both parties have to play nice, I wonder if they could if pushed to an actual divorce because I am assuming there would have to be a helluva good reason for wanting to call it quits. A reason likely to leave one or both parties with anger and/or resentment that might be difficult to contain especially if they felt unfairly maligned in the press which almost surely be looking for a “villain” and a “hero or heroine”. I absolutely don’t think that they are anywhere near divorce level as I’ve already said but it might be interesting to watch who the media seems to prefer to get an idea of what would happen in that event.

      • LadySlippers says:

        @Tara & @Tulip:
        William often sought out tabloid reports about his parents. Ken Wharfe wrote about the lengths everyone went to shield both boys and to the extraordinary efforts William took to be circumvent those efforts. That can’t be a fault of either parent if they did their best to shield both kids.

        William may have known a lot but that doesn’t always translate into Diana used him inappropriately. I brought up her Myers-Briggs because INFP parents often hear similar accusations but that doesn’t mean it’s unhealthy — it’s just not a well understood parenting style. Kids can still know things and it still be age appropriate. Plus, if William were going to great lengths to get reports — Diana might have needed to be honest in order to clear up the crap he was learning elsewhere.

        I’d like to add my personal experience. I also went through a nasty divorce and you’d be amazed at how much kids guess on their own. Like WOW (right down to who their father was having an affair with).

        Basically, all I’m saying their relationship might not be as bad as so many people assume.

        @Tulip: I don’t think they are close to a divorce either. I’m just saying that if Kate was well taken care of — she’d have no need to create a fuss. And the Windsor’s supposedly have a gag order in place so they were doing damage control before the wedding. An amicable divorce a la Denmark wouldn’t really hurt the BRF.

  28. PHD gossip says:

    I think the story here is that she looks borderline anorexic. Again.

    • Sloane Wyatt says:

      No, I wouldn’t say borderline anorexic, PHD Gossip. Don’t people have eyes?

      “It might just be the lighting or something, but I could swear that Kate overdid the fake tanner.” What’s overdone here is the dolman sleeves and the shoulderpads The Royal Tailor has to sew them into all her garments to literally pad out her emaciated body! What we are seeing here is a dedicated Anorexic’s Uniform of Choice.

      Karen Carpenter’s wardrobe manager and agent teamed up to do the same thing to keep audiences from gasping out loud when she took the stage. After the shows, her entourage was approached by concerned fans who knew something was terribly wrong but assumed she had cancer or some other disease.

      Katherine did NOT sell her soul for a lousy sapphire ring and a Pretty Princess Tiara. Kate was trained up so well, so carefully, at her Mother’s knee. An apt pupil, she learned early how to perform in exchange for grabbing the Brass Ring, but somehow Kate’s new life didn’t change things. Like Princess Charlene before her, Kate sold her soul for her family’s orchestrated material and social advancement. THAT was her Deal with The Devil.

      Kate is literally a pawn in A Game of Thrones.

      • Suze says:

        Honestly? I think Charlene over in Monaco had a rough darn start. But she seems to be digging deep and coming out a bit ahead. I see steel in those eyes.

      • My2Pence says:

        (Trying this for the fourth time, stuck in moderation for hours)

        I think Kate Middleton has been too thin for her frame for several years, since before the engagement. Then she lost more weight prior to the wedding. Again, she is quoted in the press as saying the weight loss for the wedding was, “all part of the plan.” What that plan is is anyone’s guess. Shopping before wedding:
        www(dot)starandstyle(dot)com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Kate-Middleton-Black-Dress(dot)jpg

        I don’t think she’s looking more thin now than she was around the wedding. Compare the pictures of her in the green dress from the other night with when she wore it the first time about four months ago. I think her sternum looks more boney four months ago than now.

        Four months ago
        www(dot)eonline(dot)com/eol_images/Entire_Site/2013924/rs_634x1024-131024125701-634(dot)kate-middleton-gala-dinner-102413(dot)jpg

        I think if a designer was trying to cover up her thinness, they wouldn’t choose this plunging neckline and the sleeves would have been full length.

      • FLORC says:

        My2Pence
        I tried posting I was also having issues with posting, but it didn’t post… maybe this one will?

      • Sloane Wyatt says:

        My2Pence and FLORC, “issues with posting”! HA! Welcome to my world! *ahem*

        Suze, I can see the Blue Steel. No one knows what it’s like behind blue eyes, but Charlene’s got that thousand yard stare down, doesn’t she?

        But beneath Princess Charlene’s placid mask and behind those tranquil baby blues, she dreams of swimming the French Riviera to freedom. She’s one of those who’s seemed to accept that late at night the big ol’ Pile gets lonely. She just gets up and pours herself a strong one and stares out at the stars up in the sky. Another night, it’s gonna be a long one, but Char knows every form of refuge has it’s price.

  29. Louise says:

    I agree with Kaiser about the dress, although I’m glad that it’s not short or too fussy. Ofcourse the press is going to write about how thrifty is Kate and completely forget to mention her new 10thousand necklace. Apparently the event was closed to the press, just some odd pictures taken from the window.

  30. m says:

    Harry was never scheduled to attend the conference and they said he asked if it would be alright if he joined Will and Charles. The theory floating around says that they dragged Harry along to deflect some of the criticism from William onto him. Seeing as Harry is always being scapegoated to save his brothers ass, I can see it being accurate.

  31. davidbowie says:

    Those shoes…ugh.

  32. MyLittlePony says:

    I like the dress! It is of appropriate length, does not blow up in the wind, and the colour suits her.
    And the wind is providing a helping hand in blowing the hair off her face, too! Cannot help but notice how thin she looks :/

  33. Other Renee says:

    This makes me sad. I’m a hopeless romantic and thought these two were really a love match. Should have stayed in Wales where life wasn’t led in a fishbowl and temptations were minimal.

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      Come sit by me then, and don’t be sad. Who knows the real story? Maybe Jecca is just a friend, and Kate’s fine with it. We don’t know what she did or didn’t know before the trip, except what a tabloid claims. Would William be dumb enough to lie about it? She was bound to find out. And I don’t think it’s a big deal that he didn’t go spend 10 days at the beach with his in-laws, either. I think this is all being blown out of proportion. I think they love each other.

      • Fette says:

        Yay for levelheaded approach to tabloid media representations!

      • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

        Sorry double post

      • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

        @wolfpup
        You completely misunderstood me. I don’t think there’s any reason to believe he’s cheating with this woman. Or that he lied to Kate. I meant maybe she is ok with the trip because she knows they are just old friends.

      • wolfpup says:

        Perhaps, Will and Jecca are just good friends, like the Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles were.

    • Suze says:

      Since this is Valentine’s Day and all, I’ll take the sentimental approach.

      I think these two love each other and that they are as much of a love match as the British royals can be. Many people blow it off, but William and Harry are NOT kidding when they say that they interview women for the job of wife. It is a job as much as a relationship. Kate is expected to take on very specific tasks and adapt to Williams’ lifestyle. He isn’t going to change one iota. If he wants to hunting, a hunting he will go. She is the one who must deal with it.

      (When I say “as in love as much as the British royals can be” I mean on the first tier level royal – minor royals can have more conventional marriages. For example, Zara and Mike are probably more of a love match that we folks can relate to).

      Their lives are so so different from ours that you almost can’t judge their relationship based on our standards. I think, essentially, that they will be very good partners but that they will hit bumps and this is a bump – just a little one.

      They could never have stayed in Wales. It wasn’t part of the deal. Kate is now adjusting to the deal. It will all pan out as it does – I for one would be shocked if they ever divorced. I think they will constantly recalibrate throughout their marriage and stay married.

      • Tulip Garden says:

        Suze,
        I completely agree that William and Harry were/are hyper aware that their wives will have certain stresses and responsibilities that come hand in hand with marriage. I also believe that they keep/kept this in mind while choosing a partner. I am interested to see who Harry chooses. I believe that despite the public’s general adoration of him, Harry isn’t that different from William when it comes to relationships and expectations.

      • LAK says:

        I also think they will never divorce. separate at best, but no divorces here.

        That doesn’t mean that i think they are giddily with love or even in love.

        more very good friends.

      • betsy says:

        Then they will have a happy marriage. Being good friends is the best basis for a marriage. (I am a romantic too.)

      • My2Pence says:

        I think they are fond of each other, have known each other over a decade, but am not sure about the “good friends” part. I don’t see romantic “true love” in their actions or body language. I suspect this relationship will last through 1) another child and 2) until William falls in love (for real) with someone else.

      • Sloane Wyatt says:

        “This relationship will last through 1) another child and 2) until William falls in love (for real) with someone else.”

        @My2pence, In the mean time, Kate suffers the slings and arrows of being publicly humiliated and hung out to dry on the World’s Stage. The Size Nothing Duchess Of Cambridge is wasting away before our very eyes.

        The Heir and The Spare were once little boys with a fiercely protective Mama Bear who rightly despaired of them following in their Father’s footsteps. Princess Diana was on record worrying ‘something would happen to her’ and agonized over her sons being ruined as men. Diana desperately wanted to protect her boys from Charles and The Firm, but her influence was snuffed out in a tunnel in France.

        I’m sad Diana’s worst fears have now been realized with Will’s utter disregard for not only his wife, but his Duty.

  34. some bitch says:

    Does she ever shut her mouth? She looks like a thirty-something who can’t let go of her high school days with that hair and eyeliner.

    • TreeAnne says:

      THISSSSS!!!! Exactly this. Desperately clinging to the makeup and clothing of yesterday.

      BE A LADY! PUT UP YOUR HAIR! STOP PLAYING WITH IT! APPROPRIATE HEMLINES! NO MORE SAUSAGE CURLS! EAT A SANDWICH!

      I’ll stop shouting now.

  35. Val says:

    There is something going on with this marriage for sure… But, for the love of God, somebody get her a nice pair of shoes!!!

    • vava says:

      LOL love that.

      I can’t say I have ever liked any of her shoes. Girl needs a stylist, that’s for sure. That would reduce the number of look-alike outfits, too.

  36. Hope says:

    I believe all of this. Except I think it’s laughable that if Kate really is giving Will the silent treatment, she think it will work. He’s probably overjoyed about it. Alright, I’m sticking by what I said yesterday, 3-5 more years for them. Right around the seven year mark, that’s when the cracks will fully show and they’ll divorce or just be largely separated.

  37. Talie says:

    The tan makes her look rough… She should be careful since her skin won’t bounce back as fast as it did ten years ago. As for the trip, it’s not like she’s taking any of the heat. She looks great in all if this, as usual.

  38. Karen says:

    She looks like a parody to a pantene commercial: hair flying everywhere and getting in the way instead of being glam.

  39. themummy says:

    She looks lovely. I love the dress, the fit, the color, and the hair. And I think reading so much into this Jecca “situation” is silly. I’m sure Will and Kate are totally fine,. Nothing like a good gossipy conspiracy, though, right? He would never embarrass her publicly after the way his dad treated his mom. No way. I believe they love each other, are close, and do not lead separate lives. Everything is not automatically shady just because.

    (Side note, as a Jessica myself, I have to say that I find that I find the nickname “Jecca” pretty revolting. It sounds like swishing nails around the mouth when saying it, and it’s just dumb.)

  40. FLORC says:

    Harry and Charles look fine in the picture. William’s smile bothers me.

  41. Jaded says:

    She’s lost too much weight again….it makes her look harsh and angular. Couple that with the fake and bake tan and she looks almost leathery. I think it’s a look William likes – the slightly cheap flight attendant look – so she likely won’t change because we all know Wills has turned out to be a demanding arrogant b*gger who has to get his way. She might have caught the brass ring but it’s a Faustian pact – be careful what you wish for…

  42. Emily says:

    Well, the site ain’t called Celebitchy for nothing. That first paragraph came off as straight-up jealous, sarcastic bitchery. Maybe Kate’s style is wearing thin, but the idea that “someone” needs to talk to Kate about “how to present herself”??? AAAAHAHAHAHAAA!!! Pretty sure that’s the *only* thing her inner circle talks to her about.

  43. Alina says:

    the dress fits perfect and the colour is really pretty. Yes it looks a little bit like a stewardess-uniform… it´s the material i think. The shoes are fine because they look old and comfortable!
    Today i like her hair open… with this dress and an updo she would look way more “air hostess”.

    As always: make-up and orange tan 🙁

    I wish she would behave more real and elegant… her mouth is always open (reminds me of a T- Rex). Kate´s biting air and and her hands are everywhere (yeah rhyme).
    She overplays happy in an aggressive way. That has to be some protective mechanism/ nervous tic. When she is “on duty” alone she fidgets as if she is on drugs. I bet as soon as she is at home her whole organism has to cool down

  44. Lia says:

    She looks great, the dress is nice and her hair is beautiful, as always. Why does she, or anybody really, have to follow Hollywood trends in order to be admired? There isn’t anything wrong with the way she wears her hair. It’s clean and pretty. I don’t get the hatred for the long curls.

  45. Fafette says:

    You guys are so mean! This is seriously cracking me up, I LOVE it. This is Master Class bi#chery. Seriously if you just read the comments on these Waity Katie threads without having observed her on your own you would think she was lower than scum. Keep it coming!

    • Angelique says:

      Yeah, for every Kate-lover there are just as many Kate-not-in-lovers. And there are even more people who have no idea who she is. She is a big deal to only a small portion of the population.

      And yes I think she sold her soul for that ring. Bizarre.

      • Sloane Wyatt says:

        @Fafette, yes, yes we are!

        The Duchess of Cambridge is tugging atmy heartstrings right now though. 🙁

      • Suze says:

        Sloane, I agree with you about her appearance. I stand by my frail, dead-eyed and scary comment.

        It hasn’t happened lately, but there used to be comments that any concerns about her weight were misguided, that she was naturally thin and the naturally thin were constantly berated about their weight.

        However, I don’t think this is her natural weight, I do think she is too thin for her frame, I do see some manic activity in her actions and face. And, yes, I do feel sorry for her. Something weird is going on.

      • Jaded says:

        Sloane Wyatt – agree, it’s a sad situation. I think she’s given away her soul to be with an arrogant, controlling man who is manipulating everything she does. She looks terrified at most of her public engagements, almost like she’s thinking “if I f*ck up William is going to be furious.” Between her family coaxing her on from the sidelines and a dog-like devotion to him, she’s fighting a tough battle that, ironically, Diana fought, conquered, but eventually lost. You’d think William would be a more tender person considering what his mother, even though she was a flawed and manipulative person, had to endure and eventually led to her untimely death. Kate seems like an empty shell now, tense and scared, hence the weight loss. Maybe I’m wrong but I think it doesn’t bode well for her.

      • FLORC says:

        Jaded
        “You’d think William would be a more tender person considering his mother”
        Bingo! He’s awful.

      • Sloane Wyatt says:

        @Suze “she was naturally thin and the naturally thin were constantly berated about their weight.” God, I remember that. I might have been on that bandwagon too, something about body shaming is so WRONG!

        Ugh, the worm turns!

      • Sloane Wyatt says:

        @Jaded, You’ve said it all so well! Yep, IRONY.

        I agree Wills has internalized his Fathers treatment of his Mother; judging by his callous disrespect of Princess Kate, I think he’s beyond hope. The Heir’s callow treatment of HIS WIFE, the overweening arrogance, the petulant laziness, & especially his highly inflated self regard coupled with seemingly no care for his subjects were the stuff of Princess Diana’s Worst Nightmares!

        I so want there to be a chance for Prince Harry. I believe Diana’s most cherished dreams were for her sons to grow into fine young men, and I hope desperately that Harry identifies with his Mum.

        Only Time will tell if The Spare has escaped the long shadow of Royal Male Privilege cast by the Ultimate Future King Baby Charles.

  46. Anonymous says:

    I like the dress. Wish she would put her hair up though. With that amount of hair she could do some fantastic up-do’s in the evening and a beautiful, chic and simple chignon during the day. She has the face for it.

  47. hmmm says:

    Has anyone seen her wear a watch before? Looks like the scuttlebutt was true- she’s being made over (man, I really hope she was read the riot act). The dress is fine and she looks much more professional. However, that shade of blue looks terrible on her. Other than that, not much has changed about her.

  48. Nymeria says:

    There is something about this woman that cheapens everything she wears. Even amazing jewelry looks like paste when she’s wearing it.

    She can’t help her proportions, but I still chuckle every time at her stumpy legs and incredibly long torso. This dress is a good attempt to try to hide her proportions, but if her waist is really where the dress’s waistline is, then she has the longest thighs in the world.

    As for William and Harry and their ill-advised boar hunting, there aren’t words to express my disgust. How can people still praise these twats for anything? Sheer hubris has collided with a massive sense of entitlement to create two very ugly people.

    • Angelique says:

      I’ve noticed her torso/leg issue. I think that’s why she wears those super-high heels to make her legs look longer, Unfortunately I think those shoes just make her look slutty.

      As for the cheap factor, she definitely makes the extraordinary look ordinary. I’ve never seen her look above average. The make-up, hair in her face, spray tan, odd expressions, she really is quite a disappointment. Following Diana can’t be easy but I think she can do better than this.

      • Nymeria says:

        It’s really hard to avoid comparing her to Diana! Diana was, as one courtier described, a “fruitcake on wheels,” but she had a certain charisma which, coupled with her tall figure, made even her casual outfits look classy. If I didn’t know who Kate was in these photos, I would pin her as someone trying way too hard to look well-to-do in order to climb the ladder of her chosen career. She looks plain cheap. No elegance or class at all.

      • vava says:

        Most of the time she does look cheap. Her fashion was much more interesting before she got engaged. I think she’s trying to ‘find herself’ as a royal wife. 99% of the time, it’s an epic fail. I’m still laughing at the gold/white McQueen gown she wore in SE Asia.

      • Nymeria says:

        @vava – I didn’t remember the McQueen gown, so I looked it up. o_O It’s a good one, all right! She looks like “Empress Barbie” wearing that thing. A “haute cari-couture,” if you will. 😉

    • ItSetsYou says:

      @Nymeria she has a long torso, but her legs aren’t stumpy, they are long. Her sister Pippa is shorter and has a long torso-short legs, but Kate definitely has long legs.

      • Nymeria says:

        Sorry, ItSetsYou, but we’re going to have to agree to disagree. Kate is, at most, 5’8″ tall. With such a long torso, that means her legs aren’t very long at all.

      • vava says:

        I’m with Nymeria, Kate’s legs are no where near as long as some people want to believe. And she certainly is not any taller than 5’8″ either. She wears these heels to plump her calf muscle up for photos and draw attention to her legs. If she didn’t wear such high heels, she could actually look people in the eye and not stoop with that horrid posture she has acquired.

      • Suze says:

        Pippa is a couple inches shorter than Kate, but their body proportions are very similar, as are Carols.

        Diana had a rangy figure, she was very long limbed. Cressida is a bit shorter, but she too has longer limbs.

        Personally, I think all bodies are good and all these ladies are attractive. Kate certainly had a wonderful athletic figure a few years ago. I kind of wish she would go back to carrying more muscle but she has her own priorities.

        That said, Kate is hardly deformed. She looks good. Dresses suit her because she can wear the waistlines higher and give the illusion of a shorter torso.

      • My2Pence says:

        I’d say closer to 5’6″ . Posted the photos a few posts back to show. I’ll repeat here:

        She’s slightly downhill, but if he is 6’3″ there is no way she is 5’10″
        http://amokmagazine.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/2011__07__william_kate_july6_92_-_2.jpg%3Fw%3D400

        In this one, they’re side-by-side. She’s wearing Jimmy Choo’s that add at least 5 inches to her height. (5.5 inch heel, 1 inch platform) Plus he’s wearing dress shoes, so that adds 1 or 1.5 inches to his height too.
        http://assets-s3.usmagazine.com/uploads/assets/articles/46700-kate-middleton-wears-loose-fitting-silver-gown-to-palace-dinner/1320964696_prince-william-kate-middleton-467.jpg

        A designer or stylist in the KatePedia article (Vogue) talked about her proportions. KM deliberately has the waists raised above her natural waistline to visually trick the eye into thinking her legs are longer. Most likely on the high street items as well, so they are tailored not off-the-rack. She has a long torso and short legs, and disguises this with higher waists and high heels with platforms.

        http://www.laineygossip.com/KATEPEDIA-by-British-Vogue-on-Kate-Middleton-style/25578

      • vava says:

        @my2pence………
        I’m kind of surprised that Kate goes for the higher waistline, it just seems rather ridiculous. Who cares how “long” her legs are, anyway?

      • ItSetsYou says:

        @Nymeria
        “agree to disagree” yeah, that’s fine. I’m just genuinely surprised you see it differently because I always thought looking at her pictures that she definitely has long legs. And long torso. I think Harry once said that she has sensational legs or something of that sort.
        I guess what’s fat for some women is skinny for others 😉

      • Tsarina says:

        I read the postings about the waist trick she likes to pull and here is a nice pic:

        http://www.pinterest.com/pin/265008759296143982/

      • Maisie says:

        Kate does have short legs for her height, but because they’re slender they appear longer than they are.

        @My2Pence:
        I don’t think Kate has the waistlines raised on her high street clothes. I’m 5’8″ and long-waisted (I joke that if my legs were long enough to be in proportion to my torso I’d be at least six feet tall!) and the waistlines of most dresses hit me above my natural waistline. Unlike Kate, I wish that weren’t the case!

    • Original N says:

      Wow, finally made it to the end of the comments and saw yours…Waity may be a lot of things, but one thing is certain: she doesn’t have stumpy legs by most people’s definition!

      • Nymeria says:

        As I said in my reply to ItSetsYou, I must politely but firmly disagree. Kate is barely out of the average height range for women, and her long torso automatically means that her legs are short. They are lean legs, which helps them to look less short, but they are nonetheless not long.

      • Original N says:

        But Nymeria … The definition of stumpy isn’t just short. Stumpy is defined as ‘short and thick.’

      • Suze says:

        She has lovely legs, and she’s very slender. They aren’t particularly long, but they aren’t stumpy, either, in my book. Just average length, maybe a bit shorter. They are in great shape, though, she never loses muscle tone in them.

        She is clever in that she wears her waistlines very high, giving the effect of a shorter torso/longer legs.

        I’m not sure how the whole “Kate is so tall” theme made its way through the internets. She’s probably 5’8′, maybe a tiny bit more than that, but not much. I don’t consider that super tall.

        When you see her with Will (6’3) or Harry (6′ 2), you can tell she’s a good five to six inches shorter than they are. I’ve seen photos of her next to Charles (5’10’) and wearing four/five inch heels she is only an inch or so taller than he is.

      • Nymeria says:

        @Original N – You’re right about the definition of stumpy, but that’s just the overall effect I always come away with from Kate’s legs: they are stumpy when compared with her long torso, even though they are objectively lean. Artistic license! At any rate, I maintain that they are short.

        @ Suze – Agreed on the puzzlement as to how Kate’s height blossomed its way through the Internet. She certainly isn’t the 5’10” that some people claim she is!

        As for the waistline issue, I think Kate might actually look better if she just embraced her own proportions. The high waistlines always make her overall figure look weird to me. Her thighs are made to look unnaturally long with the high waistlines, and her skirt lengths wind up looking too short because most of the skirt length is traveling along her stomach, abdomen, and thighs, rather than just along her thighs and calves. There is nothing wrong with having a long torso and short legs, but her efforts to disguise her natural proportions are, in my opinion, a total fail and, thus, unintentionally funny.

      • Suze says:

        @Nymeria –

        I don’t mind the high waistlines, although I do see your point.

        I do think that the high, high heels are a bit of a distraction. I know she wears them to lengthen the leg, but sometimes they just look odd and impractical.

      • Nymeria says:

        @Suze – You hit the nail on the head about the heels. They can be lovely, given the right outfit (though ouch!), but she seems to just go hell-for-leather for heels, regardless of the occasion or sartorial accompaniment.

      • vava says:

        Kate should wear clothing at her true waistline, and not be so obsessed with those damned heels all the time. Honestly, it seems like she is insecure about her body when she is doing this shit.

    • Alina says:

      her legs are thin and normal long… her very long torso is the “problem”

      http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tsYixd7wHVI/TZhcMTiZZdI/AAAAAAAAATY/bOPJApB6xj0/s1600/kate.middleton.short.legs.jpg

      http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l9s1wET_fCc/TZhcL-IbMwI/AAAAAAAAATU/594bB6N20QM/s1600/kate.middleton.long.torso.jpg

      Pippa is shorter and more muscular, but the proportions are the same for all 3 Middleton-women: long torso, normal long/ maybe a little bit short legs

      • vava says:

        Agreed. And herein lies the question, why is the Duchess trying to trick the eye? I guess it’s important to her, it isn’t important to anyone else, though.

      • Sloane Wyatt says:

        “Why is the Duchess trying to trick the eye?” Indeed.

        The Duchess is hiding her nearly skeletal frame. As I mentioned up thread, vava, The Royal Tailor is conspiring to hide her bony shoulders, vanishing bust, and pipecleaner arms by constructing her garments with built in massive shoulderpads and dolmen sleeves.

        Kate is suffering an ED. To me it seems as plain as the nose on your face.

      • hmmm says:

        Thanks for the pix! She has relatively short legs. And how else to explain her fetish for skyscraper heels all the time? I think she looked less freaky with her natural waistline and moderate heels. She looked perfectly fine.

      • LadySlippers says:

        @Sloane: I’ve dropped a lot of weight (or gained) when I’ve been clinically depressed. Weight loss isn’t always indictative of an ED only. I think something is wrong but wouldn’t want to place such a definitive label without having more facts.

      • Sloane Wyatt says:

        @LadySlippers, Cocaine is a hell of drug – Rick James – http://cocainediet.com/

        I know there are other reasons for weight loss (Anxiety being chief among them). Most of us know all too well how effective ‘The Anxiety Diet’ is for rapid effortless weight loss. I really want to be wrong here.

        If you’re theory is correct, Kate’s current distressingly haggard physique is totally temporary. Once the depression lifts, she’ll sooner rather than later bounce back to her beautifully healthy athletic build. I truly hope that’s all it is, and she’s not suffering from ANY of the worst scourges that can cause this severe of weight loss.

  49. Justaposter says:

    I think she looks lovely. And I always love seeing her with a real smile.

    What I find odd is, look how strained the boys look. (When you are old enough to remember them as babies, you can call them boys! LOL)

    In most of these pictures, they look like they would rather eat sea sludge, then be there.
    Just some things that make you go ‘hhhmmmmm’

    • Tulip Garden says:

      Your comment made me laugh because I trade out “William and Harry” or “Princes” when I post but mentally I am calling them “boys”! 🙂 It is just from watching them grow from babies to, I realize, grown men!

  50. We Miss You Enclave_24 says:

    Something about her hair……it just doesnt look like it did at the art gala. More today, less yesterday.

  51. Mrs.Krabapple says:

    It was clear to me that something was wrong in their marriage when Kate was so sick early in her pregnancy. She was staying with her parents that weekend when she told them about the baby. William was away at a shooting party. Either William left his incredibly sick wife alone, to tell her parents about their first child by herself, while he enjoyed himself at his friends’ place, which I find horrible. Or, Kate wasn’t THAT sick and with the conniving of her family, exaggerated the incident to force William to return early. If it’s the first scenario, William is an ass. If it’s the second, Kate is an ass. Possibly it’s a combination of the two, and they’re both asses.

    And maybe there’s an explanation somewhere in between, but that would be one hell of a coincidence: that Kate wasn’t sick at all prior to her visit with her parents (so William felt “safe” leaving her), but she just so happened to become violently ill that very weekend that William went shooting, and that Kate and William never planned to tell Kate’s parents about the pregnancy that weekend (despite the timing of Kate’s visit), and was only forced to reveal the secret because Kate’s incredibly swift and unexpected illness. That’s just a bit much for me to swallow. I think it’s more likely William left his very sick wife for her parents to deal with, and/or Kate exaggerated her illness to force his return, or a combination of the two.

    So I’m not surprised by William skipping Kate’s first vacation with the baby, or William hunting party with his friends while Kate stays home.

    • Original N says:

      Actually, the ‘somewhere in between’ explanation is completely plausible if the illness was viral and not HG as they claimed, non?

      • Mrs.Krabapple says:

        Yes, a viral illness or food poisoning or something like that would have been easier to believe. But HG lasts longer, so it was a better choice. Or, she really did have it (poor thing), and William just didn’t care — which I would also totally believe. Either way, it seemed like something’s been “off” in their marriage for a while.

      • FLORC says:

        Noro Virus was going around. Easily caught and lasted 48 hours of intense discomfort.

        Although HG does mean morning sickness it’s more associated with intense and long lasting morning sickness. So terrible that expecting mothers choose to abort rather than continue the pregnancy. It’s truly crippling and she could not have driven herself the 2 hours to the assigned hospital with pap waiting.

        The palace diagnosed her and never corrected themselves. No hospital, nurse, or doctor ever confirmed this.

    • Suze says:

      I honestly thought she had a virus. They can come on quite quickly. I think the Palace (not sure if it was the WillKate staff or the Charles gang) put out the HG diagnosis and they could never really back down from it.

      Whatever, I would say I think she was pretty sick. She came down those hospital stairs pretty shaky.

      • My2Pence says:

        She visited a school 24-48 hours earlier (in the uninspiring $8000 non-McQueen McQueen). A school where norovirus seems to have been making the rounds. So far more likely it was viral. She was certainly well-enough to fly off to Mustique a couple months later…

      • LadySlippers says:

        Suze, I thought it was a virus and not HG as well. A key factor in diagnosing HG is weight loss equal to 10-15% of your pre-pregnancy weight (which usually means some time needs to elapse). I can tell you from experience — when you drop weight that fast it is totally noticeable and Kate never appeared to lose any weight. Not only that but the Palace’s subsequent press releases didn’t sound right, you manage HG but recover from an illness.

        My guess? I think it was William who put out the HG phrasing out there via his press office. I think the docs put HG out as one option and he ran with it. It might not have been an intentional mistake but IMO should have corrected if she did indeed have a virus rather than HG.

      • vava says:

        If she had HG, you’d think she would have participated in the charity event several months later that dealt with the affliction. She didn’t. This chick just got sick, they rushed her in, and then all the PR staff started weaving their “magic”. I think she flew off to Mustique just a few weeks later, not months………….

        Poor little Snowflake. Looking for attention.

      • LadySlippers says:

        Vava, It was William who immediately had their press office release her admission to the hospital and diagnosis to the world. He could have said she had food poisoning, a violent case of the flu, norovirus, or any number of other things in order to keep their ‘secret’ secret until they were out of the critical zone (common knowledge for most women).

        So IMHO the person needing the Special Snowflake treatment wasn’t the one puking her guts out. It was the one trying to recover from hunting (again) and away from wife (also again), nude pics (France), and bad press over the fact he was struggling to maintain his wings.

      • Sloane Wyatt says:

        LadySlippers is right. William is the Special Snowflake, and judging by the way he’s treating the Duchess, Kate is actually the Yellow Snow.

      • LadySlippers says:

        @Sloane: I love it! It sounds as if we’ve given William and Kate beautiful Chinese names!!! Special Snowflake & Yellow Snow…. It’s poetic.

        🙂

        Is there another word that brings to mind yellow without being that blunt and obvious? Like Goldenrod Snow or Daffodil Snow? Just curious….

      • vava says:

        Good point, LadySlippers….. Willy is, and always will be, ‘Special’….. ugh!

      • m says:

        You know what what nobody talks about but still throws me? Niraj Tannas mouthpiece (Kates childhood friend) was telling everyone that she was pregnant and would announce it on December 3rd and then what happens? On December 3rd they are “forced” to announce it early because she was sick. That was no coincidence, it was the plan the entire time to announce it exactlywhen they did.

      • Sloane Wyatt says:

        Indeed, LadySlippers. ‘Yellow Snow’ is quite crass for a prizewinning climber with rather cultivated aristocratic pretensions like Kate. Perhaps ‘Buttercup Snow’ would suffice?

        It’s absolutely disgraceful the way Special Snowflake treats poor Buttercup Snow like something his valet scrapes off the bottom of his princely shoe.

    • PHD Gossip says:

      Brilliant analysis.

      • Thinker says:

        I concur, both with phd’s assessment, and mrs. Krabapple’s comment.

        The hunting trips have been nearly monthly since 2012. The whole HG/hospitalization and baby announcement always seemed suspicious. In retrospect it seems almost obvious that Kate has to make her martial power plays in covert ways, lest she deal with wee warrior Willy.

  52. Mrs.Krabapple says:

    Oh, and I wanted to add: Kate looks good in that color. She’d look better without the fake tan, but even with it the cobalt blue looks good on her.

    • mel g says:

      She’d look even better if she stopped with the crazy dieting and started eating normally. No wonder she is seldom seen publicly and does minimal “royal work”, she simply doesn’t have the energy!! Sure make up and the right colours and make her look better, but it’s painfully obvious that she is a shadow of her former self and putting her health on the line.

      • vava says:

        This starving/dieting regime will continue. Girl has some real issues.

      • amy c says:

        Lighten up, Mel G — this is supposed to be a fun post about her fashion sense – or lack thereof. Save the armchair psychiatry for another site, ‘kay?

        BTW, you are among the minority re: her appearance. On other sites and in most news publications, there are seldom any “shrinking” Kate or unhealthy Kate references. All of the sheeple are constantly harping about how great she looks.

      • Mich says:

        @ amy c

        Why don’t you lighten up? Mel G isn’t saying anything here that others aren’t.

      • FLORC says:

        Amy c
        Attack the comment with facts or examples that you can support. Don’t attack the poster. Simmer down and enjoy the site.

  53. Mel says:

    It was very windy yet she was NOT showing her thighs.
    Apparently the Queen and she did have that little talk about hemlines, after all.
    Good.

  54. Lisa says:

    I’m not a fan of Kate’s — I think she sets a terrible example but I do feel sorry for her looking at these pictures. She looks like a woman about to break behind those manic smiles.

    • Sloane Wyatt says:

      @Lisa, Yes she does. I wrote that up thread before I saw your response.

      • Lisa says:

        Hi Sloane — yep — this woman is completely fraught. Just saw your post about the shoulder pads and dolman sleeves — I hadn’t noticed it but you are absolutely right. I can only imagine what she looks like in real life and the comparison with Karen Carpenter — amazing.

  55. anne_000 says:

    Jecca kind of reminds me of Tiggy Legge-Bourke, William’s former nanny.

    • wolfpup says:

      That was my first thought upon seeing Jecca’s picture. Wasn’t Diana threatened the relationship that Tiggy had with her boys? I’m speculating about his draw to Jecca…

      • FLORC says:

        Diana really showed her teeth to Tiggy. Diana was crazed about Tiggy. Just awful.

        Wolfpup
        Wiliam’s draw to Jecca was conservationism. It’s the root of every and extended stay with her family. It could be a cover, but it’s what he credits as the reason they are still close.

      • Thinker says:

        Tiggy was an unusual type of nanny for the royal family to employ. In fact, she was an unusal nanny for anyone to hire: Young, and beautiful and hired against the wishes of the children’s mother.

        Diana’s feelings towards Tiggy’s were more a reflection of her poor relationship with Charles, and should be considered in the context of the increasing animosity between Diana and the royals/Charles. It was intentionally provocative of Charles to hire Tiggy. Nobody in that divorce was behaving well. Not Charles, not Diana, not the Queen Mum, not Philip, and certainly not Camilla. I have a hard time passing judgment on Di for that whole mess, because under similar circumstances with the odds stacked against me and in a fight for my kids, I would probably be just as impassioned.

      • Sloane Wyatt says:

        Oh man, I want to slut shame that hussy Tiggy so bad! I guess I’ll have to be content limiting myself with observing her lack of scruples.

        ITA Thinker. Not only did Tiggy seemingly have no compunction being used by Charles as a deliberate irritant to bait Princess Diana, but she also didn’t seem to have any problem with cementing the affections of her children.

  56. Aria says:

    After having read all the comments I pity Kate. I don’t like her, I mean, I think royalty is useless and that includes her, but I don’t wish her ill by any chance.

    Many of you, the sames as I, saw (and see) her as a social climber longing for the ultimate prize: the crown. Even William acknoledged it but in spite of that, he married her because he loved her. I refused to think her forced to marry a commoner.

    The Jecca (spell?) thing is blowing out of proportion thanks to the media. He might like her but we don’ t know if it is mutual. Maybe this Jecca person is not interested in becoming the next Camilla or she is not attracted to him. The problem seems to be his refusal to accept any responsability: work, parenthood, etc.

  57. Stephanie says:

    I hate her shoes. And I’ve said it a million times she looks about 15-20 years older than her actual age. Other than that I think she looks lovely and appropriate. I had a problem with Harry’s suit. Love the guy but get him a tailor. It is so ill fitting.

  58. Zombie Shortcake says:

    I think the dress is an improvement because it’s a cut/style that won’t go flying up or ride up too high.

    • FLORC says:

      I love the dress. Love everything about it. It deserved better… So did those diamonds. I can’t help, but think they’re covered in hair spray or hair product residue getting all dingy. Poor necklace needs a steam bath stat!