Am I hallucinating or is Duchess Kate wearing blue eyeliner and blue mascara in the photo People Magazine used for their cover? Does she really use blue eyeliner and mascara, or is it just weird lighting, or did People Magazine Photoshop her eye makeup? In any case, I would really love it if 2015 brought us a new “look” for Kate’s makeup. She’s a stress-shopper, for sure, but she’s also a stress-makeup-applier. The more criticism she receives for not working, the heavier the eye makeup. Anyway, the point of People Magazine’s cover story this week is that Kate is going to be one of those mums with two kids under the age of two and how is she going to manage it?
It’s a scenario familiar to millions of moms: the combination of a busy, chatty toddler and a sleep-averse, crying newborn. And now that Princess Kate is poised to join the Two Under 2 Club, she’s doing everything she can to prepare before her due date in late April. At the top of her to-do list: making sure to spend plenty of one-on-one time with her firstborn, 17-month-old Prince George.
“She will be mindful that this will be one of the last opportunities for sole ‘George time,’ ” maternity nurse Sarah Dixon, who has worked with friends of Kate and Prince William, tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story.
From Christmas lunch with Granny (a.k.a. the Queen) to a recent outing at London’s Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, “they’re making the most of it,” adds Dixon.
Of course, the new parents have more help than most – along with nanny Maria Borrallo, the pair may hire a second nanny after the new baby’s birth. And Kate’s mom Carole often steps in as caregiver when her daughter is occupied with royal duties.
Now that the young family has settled into their new country home, Anmer Hall, a source close to the royal couple tells PEOPLE, “I’m certain Kate will largely be based at Anmer to bring up the children.”
You know what irritates me? This is straight-up royal propaganda, which is fine, but even in this fanciful world that People Magazine has created, Prince William is nowhere to be seen. It’s like Kate is a single mother. A single mother with lots of help, for sure, but it really feels like William wasn’t around much for George’s first year and half and he’s not going to be around much for this second kid either. Oh, and as for “Kate will largely be based at Anmer to bring up the children…” Of course. That’s been the game plan now for about seven months. Nevermind all the money that was poured into the Kensington Palace renovation because KP was supposed to be their homebase.
Meanwhile, the Middletons were still camped out at Anmer Hall this past weekend, and Carole, Michael, Pippa and James all went on a pheasant hunt on Saturday with Prince William on the grounds of Sandringham. Apparently, Kate and George stayed home, although Kate ventured out for “afternoon tea” with the group later in the day.
Photos courtesy of Pacific Coast News, cover courtesy of People Magazine.
Why do they keep releasing this as if it’s new info? Some version of this story has come out multiple times for months now
Maybe they’re trying to make it sound like there’s some kind of cohesive plan rather than K and W have basically run away from full-time royal duties for an indefinite amount of time? So they keep repackaging and relaunching the same information over and over again?
What is wrong with William? No job, barely around his family, aging like Mr. Burns?
The Queen would be away from her children for months at a time, at best she spent an hour or two with them. Diana suffered mental issues due to the heavy work load on top of postnatal depression. Maybe they have finally learned that the children need to come first when they are little. Lets not have another generation saying they were raised by the nanny not the parent.
I think it’s also in part because this is considered a ‘slow news’ period, although I think all that really means is most reporters are on vacation. Ever notice how many ‘news’ reports at this time of year are based in the Caribbean or Hawaii or the Pacific Islands? Ah, People Magazine, still banging that ‘Princess Kate’ drum. And yeah, I got a good look at William this time. He’s certainly in need of a fashion intervention.
i realize now her foot is behind the other but at first she looks like a flamingo.
haha I had to look twice; thought they had misplaced a leg somewhere!
Do you think she’s happy with her life? I know she lives a life of luxury but her life just seems so boring. I mean does anyone think William is a good husband? He’s never around. And is anyone surprised that she’s going to give birth and probably won’t do much work for at least another year I wonder what her excuse will be once George and the spare are in school?
Is Kate happy with her life? That’s an interesting question. Most of the time I believe Kate is not at all introspective and therefore she never ponders that question.
I do think she love, love, loves her luxe lifestyle but that’s very different than the internal, existential question you ask about being happy.
I agree with MinnFinn. I don’t think Kate goes in for introspection. I think she’s happy enough. it’s a life of ease, she’s got her kids now, her family is tight–it’s just that husband that’s a bit of a wing-nut. I guess he’ll be off the next several months studying & taking exams & doing practice flights.
I’m with MinnFinn and Hazel. I don’t think she’s terribly introspective, and I also don’t think she wants all that much out of life beyond what she has. She has shopping, decorating, her family of origin, and her kids. That’s plenty for some people.
Agree with you all.
Though, I think Kate does become unhappy at times and does things to remedy that. Here and there when William was gone too long a story would leak or shots would surface in such a way to shame him into returning to her. Most often the story was an exclusive from Tanna the Midds on call pap.
There are tons of theories on what gives a life meaning and joy. We could speculate all day.
I think she lacks deep purpose in her life outside of her immediate wants. That doesn’t seem like a life of enjoyment.
If Kate is like that then what does that say about William?
Sigh. I would love to live in a fully staffed palace in the English countryside with my growing family of rescue pets. I’d drink tea and sit around reading Jane Austen and Harry Potter all day.
Me too! Me too!!! And take the dogs out for long, rambling walks in the countryside. And come home to a fully-prepared four-course dinner. Oh, and pop in to say hello to the babies, of course!
Right me too! I would hire a tutor to teach my toddler with the Texas twang to talk in an English accent.
… and High Tea every day …
BettyRose
+1
What a useless life though.
Millions at your disposal for shopping hair, padding carole and the middletons hangers on – deciding which palace to live at for the next month/s (inspite of HM, PC/CH) and dozens of servants, even to care for your children. PG at least is a Royal standard for a nanny – but thank goodness for small favours, we have nanny Maria to give PG better work values to duties as he grow.
With all this wealth – life is all a boring waste for Waity Cannot.
The Midds are an extra Cambridge limb.
Quite O/T: Why wastn’t Arbella Stuart titled as Princess? I mean, she was a Princess Of The Blood, but the books I’ve read call her Arbella Stuart. Arthistorian, help?
Title is always handed down ie inherited via the Male line except in very few and exceptional cases which usually require parliament and the Monarch’s signature.
Arabella Stuart was the great grand-daughter of a female princess – Margaret Tudor.
Though Margaret Tudor was a Queen, her 2nd marriage, from which Arabella is descended, was to an Earl. The highest title held by the family in subsequent generations upto Arabella was that of ‘Earl’. The children of an Earl are always Lord/Lady.
Therefore, Arabella Stuart was ‘Lady’ because that was the highest courtesy title she could have as the daughter of an Earl despite having royal blood with clear rights to the throne.
She’s often referred to simply as Arabella Stuart without her courtesy title, but her father was Charles Stuart, Earl of Lennox.
Ps: Arbella is the ye olde English way of spelling her name.
Thanks!
Here’s a question for someone who knows (LAK?). Why are Prince Edward and Sophie’s children Lady and Viscount? I know he’s Earl of Wessex or whatever, but he’s also a Prince, like Andrew, and his children are Princesses as their dad’s a Prince. Why does being an Earl demote the children too? And will it change when he becomes Duke of Edinburgh after the death of the current one?
Bluhare I could definitely be mistaken on this, but I think Edward and Sophie’s kids use the children of an earl titles so that they don’t appear to “outrank” their parents (since Edward chose an earldom). And yea, I think it’ll change once he gets bumped up to duke. But im definitely no expert so don’t take my word for it!
blu,
The story goes that Edward and Sophie asked HM that their children only use the courtesy titles of the children of an Earl so that they can lead more normal lives as adults. I tend to think they were told the monarchy was downsizing and this was the way it was going to be.
However, HM never issued Letters Patent to this effect, and so Louise and James are technically and rightfully still Princess and Prince.
Got it; thanks guys!
Lovely PR piece from the Kensington Palace…erm, I mean People. New PR dude is working overtime to make these two seem like a cohesive unit and for Kate to seem opinionated and working. That’s funny. I don’t really understand why they needed Kensington Palace when they never planned to be there. Or is it just a bachelor’s pad for William. Someone needs to explain it to me.
Yes, let’s all wave to Jason (“Hi, Jason. Welcome Aboard!”). It is going to be amusing to see how much of a pretzel he becomes in the next couple years, twisting and turning to try to make W&K look good.
TOM, my suspicion is that William played HM and Charles. He went along with the idea that after his “gap year” (3rd one?), he would move into KP and do full-time royal duties. The reward for his agreement to step-up was Anmer Hall, which was intended as their weekend country home and a place to suffer the Middletons being around at holidays. Instead, William pulled the EAAA thing on them and announced they’d move into Anmer full-time – and pull back even further on royal duties.
Notasug
+1million
And AH is at the door of HM – for carole and the middletons hangers on at HM property – perfect location for Willnot to ease out of the ambulance time (as bespoke Agri class), without any royal duties work representing HM, GB UK.
Will be interesting that Jason last years as PR. – as other sites stated- ‘ there are three people in Willnot marriage (Waity * ma Carole middleton)’.
Is it just me, or does it seem like part of the problem is that William doesn’t seem to particularly like kids? He’s not like Harry who lights up around kids and constantly has photo ops with kids. Instead, he’s barely living with his wife and kid (granted, the wife he’s historically been on and off with, and supposedly even when they were together they both like their “space”) and I can’t imagine much is going to change with #2 on the way. I wonder, if it weren’t for the dynastic considerations, would William have preferred to be childless?
Hah! William doesn’t like kids which is in keeping with the fact that he doesn’t like hardly anything does he?
While I don’t necessarily agree with you, it’s not really uncommon for men to not be in love with the baby stage. Lots of men bond as the kids get to an age where you can really do things with them. I always thought that Charles was like that.
Charles was very involved when the boys were babies. Lots of pictures of him carrying them around, stories of him feeding and changing them. This was less than the average father of today would do, but more than many aristocratic men of his day. It was said Philip criticized Charles for being too involved with the babies.
•notasugarhere•
He actually wasn’t super involved (he was involved though). He was more involved than Philip but Charles would still go up to 6 weeks not seeing either boy due to work.
But I think Charles was more involved than he was expected to be and William is only maybe as involved as Charles was, certainly no more – and there’s a different standard for fathers today. Not to mention that William puts out the image of being an average person but still practices these upper class customs in private.
I can’t hate on him for that. I don’t particularly enjoy the company of toddlers, but my family doesn’t care if I devote my life to fur-babies instead. Meanwhile, William is obligated to produce genetic heirs. Kate enjoys children and craves luxury, so why not put her and the kids away in a country castle? Shirking royal duties is a different matter.
“Does she really use blue eyeliner and mascara, or is it just weird lighting, or did People Magazine Photoshop her eye makeup?” Kaiser, if she’s switched to blue liner and mascara, she’s single white femaling her late mother-in-law again.
True, you say “blue eyeliner,” and I think immediately of Diana. That really was her signature look. (And, like Kate’s eyeliner regardless of color, at the time lots of people thought it was dated and unappealing.)
Nota
It’s the filter the cover is using on the pictures. There’s no blue eye makeup there.
And while it was very 80’s to wear blue eye shadow and compliments blue eyes I never liked it on Diana either.
I feel badly for Kate. I wonder who William’s Camilla will be?
It’s a different era of sexual permissiveness. I doubt he’ll have just one long term mistress.
I think you’re right. He’s not going to have just one long-term mistress. He’s going to have flings, not a second ‘wife’ on the side.
I think Kate knew before the wedding that they weren’t going to be the perfect couple. I think Carole let Kate know the facts of life and marriage if she wanted a certain type of lifestyle with certain type of people.
William can have a million mistresses but Kate will never divorce him.
Part of me thinks less of her for that, but then I remember she has a close family and probably derives a lot of joy from motherhood. Now she has those things plus an easy, luxurious life. Maybe William’s affections aren’t that important to her. She doesn’t seem lonely.
My money’s on a lifelong emotional (not physical) affair with Jecca.
Nota
Agree.
And that’s the worst. A warm body will come and go, but an emotional attraction is the most damaging affair. I think that’s why there was truth to those Kate jealous of Jecca stories. That Kate can have his name, children, position, but not his whole heart.
CCakes
We sometimes forget Camilla was with Prince Charles before she marry – DoC marry after PC embarked on a NavAl career duties, and was deployed.
I start to appreciate DoCornwall. who seem dedicated to PC and is very supporting and hardworking as he, in his Duties to HM and as future Monarch, without competing (as Consort.).
Seems the Monarchy is – Royals in addition to HMs DoE PC DoC – P Royal and even less senior – C Sophia Wessex another hardworker supporting HMs, GB UK * CW.
The question is why? With a lovely wife and adorable child and everything one could possibly ask for in life, why is William so unhappy? His brother is clearly happy, exuberant even. Maybe I’m reading more into William’s sour face than is true. Maybe that’s just his countenance and he really is content with Kate. Just because we don’t have daily pics of him with the family doesn’t mean he’s not actually there. Aren’t paps prohibited from stalking them on a daily basis?
Perhaps still having problems with the loss of his mother?
I am so tired of letting William be a martyr because he lost his mother. Granted, it was very sad. But, you know, get over it. Life goes on and there are plenty of children out in the world and productive adults who have suffered similar losses. That excuse for him and his attitude and behavior has been beaten to death.
Have to agree with Bethany. Diana has been gone for 17 years. William was 15 when she died. He’s had over half of his lifetime to recover from his loss. At this point it’s simply become a crutch and a lazy excuse not to do his duty/ job. I wonder if he ever thinks of what Diana would think of his lazy entitlement issues. I know she would be so proud of Harry’s dedication and achievements. William, not so much IMO.
I agree too. Look what those two boys who lost both parents in the Boxing Day Tsunami have done by selling flip flops.
Losing his mother in such a violent and public manner has undoubtedly been traumatic – and a trauma at that age can lead to all sorts of dysfunctional behaviour and thought patterns, especially if he didn’t get professional help. I speak from experience on this. When I was 16 I had an argument with my mother and she took an overdose. Granted, she was and still is a very sick woman but that experience was incredibly traumatic for me, I didn’t get any help and it has taken me a very very long time to get help and to process this experience and what it did to me. I’m in my late 30s and I’m just only coming to terms with this experience and my guilt, and learning to live with it.
So I’m cutting William some slack on this issue because I know how hard it can be to get over something like this, especially if you don’t get help right away to deal with it – and somehow I don’t see the BRF as big on psychological counselling, especially since they appear to have their own dysfunctional family behaviours. Getting help immediate is crucial for trauma recovery. One couple among my parents’ friends lost their youngest son in a car crash and they got professional help right away – and I can see how much they have benefited from this.
If William hadn’t already demonstrated these traits while his mother was alive I would agree, but that’s not the case. He’s always been this way and the loss of his mother is just used to help excuse his behavior.
William wants it all on his terms and he’s always been this way. He is 1 of those people who showed his personality in full early on.
Personally, I think Harry is a shining example of how to honor his mother’s memory. Not to use it as a shield.
That’s awful, AH. I can see why you would have sympathy for William, especially as it’s said he and his mother weren’t speaking when she died.
Yes, and for periods I didn’t speak with my mother either because our relationship was so strained. However, that doesn’t mean that her death wasn’t traumatic for him, it might even have made matters worse.
Even if he had these traits before her death, that doesn’t mean that he wasn’t affect and that it hasn’t effected his life in a harmful manner. Behaviours after trauma doesn’t appear of of the blue – some traits are reinforced (as defense mechanisms) and some traits are suppressed. I think that this very much influences Will’s attitude to the press, but I don’t think it is a healthy attitude both in relation to him as an individal and him as a future monarch. However, he will not change until he come to realize how harmful his own attitude can be for him.
It is very easy to judge from the outside. It took me such a long to time get help because I actually had to completely fall apart, not being able to do my work, finish my studies or even eating. And it has been a very long and very hard struggle to come back – and people on the outside are sometimes judging me on it. I recently applied for a Ph.D. Fellowship, something I’ve wanted to do for a long time but only was well enough to do know. When I announced it to my extended family the reply was: “took you long enough!” – because they haven’t really seen how much I’ve struggled.
Just a theory not based on much, but he’s made very few life decisions for himself. Maybe he just doesn’t have a good sense of who he is and what will make his life feel meaningful. I know, wah wah wah. Just a theory.
Kate Middleton was the one who told people on the AU/NZ tour that William “wasn’t around much” for the first six months of PGTips. Not conjecture, she said it.
What’s PGTips mean? Prince George…? I honestly cannot believe she said any such thing. I can see a rag making that up though.
Other Renee: PGtips = Prince George.
The quote came about as she was talking to a single mother at the NZ playdate who said she found her life difficult being a single mother to which Kate responded with the above quote and saying she’d simply had to cope.
The quote was reported, but everyone was so distracted by PGtips at his first official public outing that quote slipped through unexamined.
Quick correction – it wasn’t at the playdate, she made the comment when they were meeting military families and she was commiserating. Rest of the sentiment still applies.
We have quite a bit of documented time where William has been photographed or confirmed to be away from George. That time alone is enough, but I can’t imagine that he has then spent every moment we don’t know about with his child.
Heck, my dear husband spends more time with our cats than William has with his son. I do think William is “damaged goods”. And he always will be.
Other Renee
To add. The PGTips was discussed recently. It’s also a tea brand and the name stuck.
He strikes me as a spoiled child who is convinced that there is always something Bette on the horizon. Just look at what we know of him – he seems to have very few true interests outside of hanging out with his social circle. He’s not passionate about any particular cause or even any specific person. He’s lived a life of luxury where he’s always gotten his way and never really had to work for anything, and I’ll guess that things hold significantly less value when you don’t have to work for them. Its kind of an empty way to live.
I love your first sentence. 🙂
Yeah, ‘Bette on the horizon’. I like the sound of that!
Ha! Dang autocorrect. But certainly fitting! Should I read into the fact that it also likes to change Duchess into Douches?
LOL Bridget. I want your autocorrect! 🙂
He doesn’t like and isn’t good at his job. The women who he really liked and wanted to be with weren’t all that interested in him, so he married a woman who was willing to have him instead. They had kids because she wanted to and they were expected to. His father and grandparents are still in control of significant aspects of his life.
I know some men who aren’t rich who have similarly passive lives, and they’re not all that happy, either. I don’t much admire the way William handles things, but I suspect the things I listed are more relevant to his moods than his wealth, which is something he’s always had and feels “normal” to him.
So Kate didn’t like living at Kensington Palace? Can’t say I blame her. It must have been like a prison with old ghosts.
I think it was Sarah Ferguson who said that living in the palace was strange because while certain areas were alloted to a family you actually had to walk into a main hallway in order to get to a room. So if you’re scurrying from the living room to the kitchen in your jammies you have to go into a hallway where other royals who “live down the way” will be able to see you if they, too, happen to be in the hallway.
Yes, privacy issues.
Anmer strikes me as much better home to raise children.
Question is: why was so much spent on refurb Princess Margaret’s former apt for them and I hope the taxpayer didn’t foot the bill on that one.
They did, Citresse. To the tune of a few million.
I thought Kensington Palace was a series of townhouses with individual entrances? But I love the idea of all the minor royals running around in jammies and hair curlers trying to avoid each other.
That’s terrible re- the taxpayers covering refurb for royal newlyweds.
In cases of natural disasters ie- storms and fires etc.. I can understand the taxpayer covering some of the costs since the properties are historical. But only a very small portion. The Queen should cover the bulk of cost.
She also said they were only allowed to use very low watt light bulbs, and the curtains had to stay closed so it all looked symmetrical from outside. It doesn’t sound like a big deal, but light deprivation can take a toll on your psyche.
£4.5million ($7 million) of taxpayer money on KP, an additional £1.5million ($2.3million) from The Duchy. Plus the costs of kicking out the charity that was occupying the space. W&K didn’t want any of the available spaces and had to have the largest space. To abandon. bettyrose, yes, I think KP is a set of apartments and townhouses with separate entrances.
Fergie said in Buckingham Palace the kitchen was 2 miles away from their apartment and food was always cold.
The British taxpayers have been maintaining Kensington Palace since 1689, but, as some may recall, the palace underwent a fabulous renovation several years before William and Kate moved in.
http://www.architecturaldigest.com/decor/2012-06/kensington-palace-renovation-article
Good link, Megan. I wonder if some of the slideshow was in the part of the palace that the charity occupied — the part that was so uninhabitable it needed a major interior redo. 🙂
I find the fact that a charity was working in a space insulated with asbestos really disturbing. No one should have been in that apartment.
As someone who almost bought a house with asbestos siding, I can tell you that asbestos is only dangerous when disturbed and flying around. And it wasn’t just that apartment; it was the building. Others were impacted as well. You make it sound like William and Kate saved an unwitting London.
The problem is that asbestos is very easy to disturb. The safety risks of asbestos insulation, which is fine fibers, have been known for decades. It should have been abated before the apartments were leased.
My god, I cannot excuse her makeup any longer.
The awful makeup is making her look old. She really needs to lay off the pancake makeup and heavy stuff on her eyes.
lucky bitch.
Pheasant hunting? Shameful unless they eat the birds.
They do eat the birds and then they sell the untouched ones to the local butcher shop. Nothing gets wasted.
It’s still bloodlust.
Some of the birds on royal properties are bred to be unable to fly well. Once shot full of buckshot, they aren’t edible.
I’m guessing they use shells or BBs. It isn’t safe to use buckshot around other shooters. Just ask Dick Cheney.
Thank you, nas. I thought I’d read that about the royals and hunting. I was shot down when I mentioned it, if you’ll pardon the pun.
And Megan, LOL!
Anyone know the latest on James’ love interest, and what about Pippa’s Niko? Weren’t they supposed to announce an engagement earlier in the year? I wonder how things are going since he moved to Switzerland.
If the new PR guy is reading our comments, please come up with some better tidbits. We loved Diana because we got to hear the common things, what she ate for breakfast, her diary, such as when she responded to letters, where she liked to lunch with her friends. We don’t even know George’s favorite food or toy. Come on, these can’t be State secrets!
I think many people loved Diana for her work ethic. Let’s see Jason instill a work ethic in W&K. A 2015 miracle!
A Christmas Miracle 😉
I think people loved Diana because she was a woman who gave every appearance of being noble/royal through and through and yet she truly cared about people and causes that society would have expected her to stay away from. William and Kate, on the other hand, want everyone to know just how common they are and don’t appear to care about anyone outside of themselves.
Beautifully put, AM.
I think people loved Diana because she was the star of the Lady Diana Show, which was an epic filled with true love, heartbreak, redemption, fashion, scandal, sex, and fabulous jewels. All delivered in weekly installments via People Magazine.
Prince William is looking more and more like Mr. Burns of The Simpsons since he’s gotten thinner.
IMO he is stunted at the time his mum died in just about all manners, and as he ages and does not or cannot move forward emotionally from that trauma, it’s much like a person with PTSD. A person who hasn’t acknowledged that sad fact, though; as many PTSD sufferers do live much more forward-moving and productive lives.
I do think he is capable of doing so, but when that occurs is up to him. JMHO. I hope he has it in him.
Upshot, both Kate and William look older than their years. I think they both like to sit in the sun, smoke and drink (hopefully Kate stops while pregnant) and research has proven it ages people.
Citresse,
From my own “research”, I can attest to that fact.
Yes, I’ve noted photos of William with yellow teeth fr smoking presumably, and when the paps caught them outside when Kate was topless, I think they were both smoking and drinking not sure 100 per cent though.
Why are people so obsessed with their drinking and smoking? Billions of people do it.
Why does Kate only have one leg in the second picture?
In their usual flip flop hot cold way, the DM has written a negative piece on Kate, calling her out on the number of royal engagements she has done over the year — paltry few compared to most of the other “working” royals, even 93 year old Prince Philip!!!
Yes, loads of Kate Middleton fans on there bashing Prince Philip (FFS) to try to excuse Middleton’s lazy behavior.
the thing is Philip is 93 and sickly… while Kate is a young, healthy woman. Some of the hardcore fans do as if pregnancy is a sickness and she shouldn´t leave home.
Oh how could humankind survive?
Makes you wonder what they think why Kate hasn´t worked before she was pregnant… or between her two pregnancies… or ever?
Alone 50 or so of her “engagements” were part of the royal tours. Means the rest is what she would have done without a big tour! So we talk about maybe 3 weeks where she was attending galas and smiling for the cameras for an hour. Half of the year (or more… don´t now how far she is) she wasn´t even pregnant… What was she doing all day? To be fair William is the bigger problem…
50 engagements? If you calculate 1 hour per engagement then that is roughly about one week of work. I would give her two or three or four weeks even. But it just ain’t much is it?
Is is two holidays for every engagement?