Duchess Kate is all about kids these days. Or should I say that Kate’s PR guy has told her that she needs to be all about kids these days? Something like that. I actually believe that Kate does care (to a degree) and that she’s probably in her comfort zone when she can spend time with families and children and she doesn’t have to pretend to be super-knowledgeable about any one subject. So, Kate has made a public statement today to The Times. She’s encouraging a renewed focus on childhood mental health:
The Duchess of Cambridge is urging parents, teachers and health professionals to give child mental health the attention and focus it deserves.
“I have been heartened to see that so much progress has been made in ending the taboo of adults openly treating mental well-being as the health issue it is,” she said in a message to The Times. “I believe that our generation of parents, carers, teachers, and health workers now have the chance to give the mental health of our children the focus it requires.”
“I feel strongly that young people and parents need to know that they can ask for help. Just as with physical health, we need to act early to provide support when a child is faced with emotional difficulties,” she said.
She suggested in her message that she would be devoting more time and effort to the cause of child mental health when she returns to her public duties later in the year. “This is a discussion that William and I hope to play a part in during the months and years to come. We welcome all work to highlight this important issue for the benefit of all our young people,” she said.
The duchess has told colleagues that she has been struck that the need for early intervention comes up repeatedly when she visits projects and charities, including those for the homeless and drug addicts. However, she believes that her energies will have most impact in the area of early intervention in child mental health. She is patron of the charity Place2Be, one of the first roles she took up after her marriage. The charity provides counselling and psychological help for children in 235 schools to help them cope with issues including bullying, bereavement, domestic violence, family breakdown, neglect and trauma.
I think this is a great discussion to have, and it’s a great cause for Kate in particular. It’s about kids, it’s about families, it’s a “big issue” but it’s not really controversial and she has a personal history that dovetails with this cause. She’s said in the past that she was bullied by classmates when she was a girl. And childhood bullying is getting a lot of press these days, but I like that Kate is making it about the larger issue of childhood mental health.
Meanwhile, if you want to check out the latest odds-on favorites for Kate’s baby name choices, go here. Apparently, there are a lot of people in Britain who think Kate is totally expecting a girl, and that she’ll name the baby girl Elizabeth, Charlotte, Alexandra or James (OMG, Blake Lively’s baby name!). If it’s a boy, the favorite is now… Albert. God, I hope not.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.
Can the someone over here commend her for doing THIS at least? First that vid, now this. It can be said that she(finally) has a main cause she supports. Nothing bad to say(again,FINALLY!).
Agreed. It’s early days, and let’s hope it doesn’t go the way of her other causes.
Yup. Maybe just MAYBE this is something she’ll continue doing. I’m sayin she deserves an award or anything, it’s nice to finally be able talk about her w/o wiglets & coat dresses. If she continues, she’ll get synonymous with this cause the same way Harry is with HIV/AIDS. All hope isn’t lost, you guys.
Mixed feelings. It’s important that she’s doing this and it’s a very good issue to champion, but it really takes very minimal effort to have your advisors tell you what to say and your staff put it into words for you. So while I do think it’s the absolute minimum she needs to be doing – and kudos to her for doing it – let’s not throw a parade just yet.
Agree.
yes, time will tell.
At this point she’s doing what she should be doing at the minimum. She’s a mouth piece for a worthy cause and attention will be brought to it.
So Good.
Everyone is doing their job.
She has colleagues?!
hmmm, I’m not sure what you’re asking.
Colleagues? What about “contemporaries”? There are other royal spouses who started at a similar age. Most of them weren’t this slow to get off the mark (other than Letizia who was deliberately held back). You cannot convince me that what Middleton has faced in the press is worse than what Letizia has endured for a decade.
I’ll wait here while someone chimes in with, “But William is only the heir-to-the-heir, she shouldn’t have to work as much as those other women who are higher up.” I’ll also wait here while someone explains why Sophie Wessex works more than Middleton, seeing as Edward is so far down the line. Crickets.
I see Maxima, Letizia, Daniel, Mathilde as her contemporaries. They will likely end up being consorts during most of William’s reign (if he makes it that far), so I consider them her contemporaries.
The heir-to-the-heir thing automatically changes when you mention to some that they’re taking heir-level perks and not doing the work. “But he’s the heir-to-the-heir, he deserves the biggest palace, etc.”
Nota: I think HMMM was being sarcastic because it mentions in the article that Kate told *her colleagues* about her surprising newfound knowledge. Since we all know Kate doesn’t have colleagues, that insertion is BS. More like a staffer put that information in a report to her and Jason added it to the statement to make it look like Kate has day to day work life that includes work mates.
I think she’s trying to delve in more and that should be encouraged. Good for her.
Good for her (PR team) for ‘suggesting’ that she may be more involved in this issue in the future (yet conveniently glossing over the fact that she’s been barely involved all these past years).
Good for her (PR team) for writing up several sentences on this topic. She (her PR team) could have done this on a regular basis all these past years for this particular topic and those of her other (handful) of charities, but at least she (her PR team) finally decided to put out a message that is (almost) not entirely self-serving.
But I do at least applaud her for agreeing to have this statement (written by her PR team) put out in her name. That must have taken a lot of strength and thought *cough* from her.
I don’t care why she’s doing it or if it is her PR team doing it for her – for me the important thing is wether it is effective in terms of raising awareness. Let’s face it – it gets press coverage because her name is attached. If it leads just one person to get help then I’m satisfied because if stuff like this were debated when I was growing up it could have really helped me. I actually don’t care if she’s honestly caring or not – so long as her PR flack gets her to do things like this, and it effectively reaches the people it needs to, then I’m content. The important thing is that it gets done – and the PR guy certainly appears to have lit a fire under her a**.
William is entirely another matter because I think that he is too mulishly stubborn to take advice, even advice that would benefit him.
Can a lightweight dilettante do more harm than good in this arena?
@ArtHistorian – I’m not saying she shouldn’t do this. I’m saying good for Kate for rubber-stamping somebody else’s good idea. Yay for Kate! Must have been tough to break out of the inert mode. Hopefully Jason has many more good ideas and persuasive ways of getting Kate to nod her head in his direction in between shopping and trips to the salon.
A rubber-stamping Duchess, indeed! LOL at fitting this stuff in between the shopping and salon appointments. how true.
I agree. So it took her (and her PR team) four years for her to publicly state she’s focusing on a cause? This statement just proves how unfocused and uninterested she’s been since she married William. It’s about time she shows some interest in something and she shouldn’t have needed a PR team to remind her of her obligations never mind public perception. It just goes to show that she’d never survive in the real world with her (and Williams’s) work ethic IMO.
Nota,
Certainly, a dilettante can do harm – if they sprout their own harmful ideas, like Tom Cruise. If Kate sticks to the facts, she can do no harm – even if the main impetus to go into this arena comes from her PR team. I care about how effective the message is – that’s all.
Absolutely. I don’t care why she’s doing it, she’s doing it and it’s a very worthwhile thing.
Everyone: I’m confused…again…although am not sure it’s got to do with being 71 years old! Think I asked this in another post: how did the new PR bloke get K. to the point where she has actually ‘worked’? What did Letzia go through for 10 years?
You mean Jason released a statement Rebecca wrote and Middleton possibly read? Three weeks late? Well, at least someone on the team is working.
+1 That would be my guess.
+1
Rebecca as in Rebecca English from the Daily Mail? Someone fill me in, I want the dish 😉
@Sharon Lea………..it’s Rebecca Deacon, her “personal assistant”.
Jumping in early with this: Kate looks wonderful with a few pounds on her. I pray that she will not continue with the harsh dieting after giving birth to the newest baby. She is a beautiful woman, who became so harsh and drawn looking from whatever was causing her to be so thin. Perhaps she wasn’t dieting, perhaps she had an illness. I am American and want to encourage her to live her life in public without stress or pressure to look a certain way (too thin).
Hi. I think she looks better with some pounds on her, too, but I doubt she feels that way. Kate likes to look starved and IMO it’s based on some self esteem issues she has. My guess is in a few months that what she will be – underweight, skeletal. The thing is though, it’s very aging. Hopefully she might realize that ahead of time?
But did SHE do anything, or did her staff? [OK, I see I agree with notasugarhere; weird sometimes how comments get placed.]
She apparently signed off on it, but did she initiate it? Only she and her PR staff will know for sure. (Reminds me of the Clairol commercial from years back, “only your hairdresser knows for sure…………..” hahah)
My brother is an OB – if she wanted a girl, it is really not very difficult – not at all. It’s just a matter of sorting sperm.
Her PR statement is pretty highbrow, for someone who hasn’t done a thing. Calling on parents, teachers and health professionals to give these issues the attention that they need, is something that they have been asking her to do! That she is “heartened to see that there’s been so much progress” – no thanks to her. However, it’s nice to have her on board. (uppity royals anyway – good for nothing, but monies for beggars!)
This.
Yeah, that’s exactly what I thought…….beyond her doing a couple of meet and greets a MONTH and a few statements, what exactly has she done?
Just saw your comment after I posted. ITA
Well, she’s worn a gazillion coats, flicked her hair, grabbed her crotch, and that is just about it.
To play devil’s advocate:
I am “heartened to see that there’s been so much progress” and that the issue of mental health is being talked about more openly, and I haven’t done anything either (except suffer from depression for well over a decade).
+1
I have to say that I’m quite pleased by this statement – and that is seems to have been worked into a wider, organised campaign. Mental health issues is something that I myself feel very strongly about not only due to my own struggles with depression but also due to growing up with a parent who suffers from severe mentall illness – at a time where the impact of mental illness on children in a household with an ill parent wasn’t even on the radar of the medical establishment.
I know that this campaign is very much focused on the mental health of children and I don’t know much about the campaign in its entirety. However, I can’t help but wish that there would be more focus on the subject of children of mentally ill parents because the effects and traumas are profound and can lead to serious mental problems in the children when adult – such as depression and personality disorders.
AH
Well said. There should be more focus on the other disorders as well and not such a wide umbrella. Hey. At least we’re talking about it!
Now serious question. What comes next. There’s a statement. Will there be followthrough? an event? a workshop?
The real litmus test for Kate in relation to this cause will be if she continues this work after her delivery. I hope that’s she’s sincere and that she’ll continue on this track with her cause – but part of me is sceptical because we rarely see an organized follow-through as part of a long-term plan with her. Time will tell. Right now, I’ll simply say that I’m pleased that she made a statement on what I consider an important subject. I’ll withhold judgement until we see if she and her team are going to follow through or if this is a one time fluke.
@ArtHistorian – “continues to work”???!! surely you jest. UK taxpayers would be pleased if she STARTED to work and furthermore, got a better appreciation for what constitutes “work”.
maddie,
I wrote “continues THIS work” – in reference to this subject about mental health!
And I really don’t have the time an energy to go into the whole debate about what constitutes “work” for royals. They are never going to work as long or as hard as the rest of us ordinary peasants.
AH
In all truth even if Kate simply attaches her name to these statements and appears in a few pre-recorded sound bites it’s will be not only a massive improvement for her image, but a drasstic change in bringing this issue into the light. It just doesn’t get the coverage it needs.
FLORC,
I have no idea what this will do to her image and, frankly, I don’t give a damn about her public image. I do care a lot about a cause like this getting attention – even if it is through a vapid woman like Kate. Her name is click-bait – and I’m much happier if it leads to an awareness and discussion of mental health than what she wore or how her skirt flew up for the umpteenth time.
If she follows through on these new initiative so much the better.
FLORC,
I have no idea what this will do to her image and, frankly, I don’t give a damn about her public image. I do care a lot about a cause like this getting attention – even if it is through a vapid woman like Kate. Her name is click-bait – and I’m much happier if it leads to an awareness and discussion of mental health than what she wore or how her skirt flew up for the umpteenth time.
If she follows through on these new initiative so much the better.
I think this is really coming from her PR guy. But if it isn’t, and she really is that interested, then good for her. I just am skeptical. I’d like to see her get some counseling herself – to learn how to be an independent woman and keep her mother at arm’s length.
I honestly just can’t believe we have to lower the bar THIS MUCH for a 30 something year old woman. Like really?
VG: it’s the world we live in. SMH
VC
It’s so low that if you don’t praise her for this much you’ll never praise her for anything. She can never win, right?
It wasn’t long ago she was seen getting through an even without flashing us and wearing her hair up. This was worthy of praise.
And as LAK said, this is the world we live in.
I find it difficult to praise her for anything, quite honestly. She seems emotionally stunted and immature. It’s like William ripped her spine and brain out when they got together. She can’t make a speech, she says idiotic things in person, and can’t even write her own letters. (I’m surprised she even takes the time to sign the typed messages her staff writes for her!) So, she’s going to have to do a hell of a lot more than some published remarks like these to gain any respect from me. I can see right through this smokescreen, and the remarks were written by her PR guy.
LAK, with all due respect, it is the situation as you’ve chosen to accept it. That doesn’t mean the rest of us have to give up and decide this pathetic amount of effort from W&K is acceptable.
Nota: I used to rail against this situation. Occasionally I still do, BUT!! It’s never going to change. She’s been a public figure for 10+ years and through every excuse that she’s given or that’s given for why the goal posts have moved again, one thing remains constant which is that the bar is set very low and it’s never, ever going to be raised.
Jason is a good PR person thus far. This is what she should have been doing a few years ago.
I agree with notsugarhere and vava ,this was written and produced by her new PR team.
It’s good she’s heading in this direction, but the bar has been lowered for her so much.
That poor bar. It was buried years ago with cement and now appears to be sinking from soft ground. We’re not getting it back.
She’s not going to get into the trenches. Awareness, which she’s encouraging by doing this — even if it’s all Jason and she’s just parroting it — is a good thing.
Yes, I’m glad Jason is the brains of this operation because certainly Kate, left alone, would not think to do such things. Good parroting Kate, good parroting. *Pats her head* Now we must commend her for not objecting, even though it costs her nothing to do otherwise.
(I must be in a bad mood this afternoon.)
Imagine if this guy ever leaves, the PR situation will probably revert to the former mess as before.
I hope he’s being paid well, because he’s got one heck of a job going. I wouldn’t make it a day with the Cambridges because I’d tell them they would have to show some initiative and do something constructive. I’d be fired immediately.
William usually thinks he knows better than his PR people and that’s when the trouble starts.
Who else read that in her fake accent? And I think a lot of people are going to be disappointed if she has a boy. I don’t understand why people just can’t wait until the baby is born and we know the gender to come up with name guesses. Why do people want her to have a girl so bad?
Really? Who cares?
Probably because of the outfits a girl can wear. Maybe people are also wondering if a girl will have some of Diana’s looks. That’s my random speculation.
No one is losing sleep but speculation about gender always leads to interesting and sometimes informative discussions about royal names, family structure within the royals and bits of historical trivia. It is as lighthearted and convivial a topic as, oh I don’t know, celebrity gossip?
I don’t get why the press keeps wishing for a girl, they did it with the first child, before he was born. I believe somehow they see it as Diana part two somehow IF she has a girl.
Oh, totally! I read it in her accent, with odd pauses & all.
Kate was not bullied nor has she made that claim. She was mocked, teased and snubbed by the other girls. She was miserable and her parents made the decision to withdraw her and send her to Marlboro. Jessica Hay would be the one to invent the bullying narrative in order to sell her story to News of the World. But Kate’s experience at Down House did inform her public statements against bullying. Despite the intensity, any cruelty is keenly felt by people that young.
A glass of Gin and Dubonnet for the use of ‘keenly’.
A concerted campaign of snubbing and mocking can most certainly be bullying – it is typical of how girls operate whereas boys tend to be more direct when they bully. I suffered both types in school, but in some ways the snubbing and non-inclusion were much worse because it took place outside of school and the teachers couldn’t really deal with it. If a boy pushed or slapped me, often in school, the teachers took action immediately but they can’t dictate to children and parents what how they behave outside of school. I felt very isolated growing up due to behaviour like this and it certainly didn’t help my self-esteem.
Exactly. Mocking and isolation are the worst forms of bullying. Bruises and broken bones heal; the emotional trauma of isolation lasts far longer.
Can I just say that being a day schooler in a boarding school is a terrible thing for parents to do to their kids.
Kate was a day schooler and from my experience, the day schoolers were always excluded and isolated. Not deliberately. I can see why a day schooler would assume that they were being deliberately being excluded and or mocked, but mostly it’s simply thoughtlessness of children.
There is a lot that happens at school once the formal schooling part is over. In my personal experience, most of that didn’t include the day schoolers because they’d left for the day. Very rarely did they stay beyond the formal schooling hours.
The boarders bond after formal school as a result of the shared experience. It leads to conversations, injokes, nicknames, clubs, special BFFs. All of that is excluded from day schoolers for the simple reason that they aren’t around to experience any of it. The bond that builds between boarders is very strong because you form a family out of need because your parents aren’t around to provide the pastoral care you would like. Housemistresses/Housemasters help, but your boarding friends are much better at getting you over the hump of being away from home much faster.
I would never subject my child to day schooling in a boarding school because they won’t break into those night/evening forged friendship circles easily and that leaves then isolated. When stuff happens, are you going to turn to someone you see for only 7hrs at best vs someone you see all the time who’ll talk you down from the metaphoric ledge? If you are bad at something, are you going to seek help from someone you see for 7hrs at best vs someone you’ll see all the time, who will give you a very long chunk of time to help you get it right?
From a day schooler’s POV, it’s almost like being the first day of school every day with new lingua franca to learn every bloody day. Eventually you get your group of friends, but it’s hard work.
If you aren’t a confident child like Kate apparently was, it is extremely hard to be a day schooler in a boarding school and I think it was an oversight of her parents that was corrected at her next school where they made her a boarder.
Forming bonds over shared experiences and circumstances is laudable but mistreating others because they don’t fit in is inexcusable. Unfortunately, it is something young people find easy to do.
Not sure mocking and isolation are worse than out and out intimidation. Can we say that all forms of serious bullying are horrible?
There was a girl who would lie in wait for me by my locker every morning in jr. high. She would get in my face, insult, and bring her friends to join in. I hated going to school, and would have prayed for isolation. Wasn’t even safe on the school bus. There were kids who’d laugh at me there.
I’m past it now, but I have a hard time thinking that mocking and isolation are worse than what I went though. The only thing they didn’t do was physically attack me.
I suffered both types of bullying – once a boy even threw a shoe in my face in class, and the teacher didn’t bat an eye. That’s why I changed schools. But these things were very direct and easier to talk about (and for teachers who did their job to deal with). The other sort of bullying just left me alone, lonely and completely outside the social life of my class mates.
At one time, at a school camp, us kids had to split up into groups to bunk down for the night. Every time I went into a room to find a bed, the rest of the kids would pack up their things and leave. This happended several times until a teacher intervened.
That’s just one example. I was very lonely, didn’t really have anybody to talk to or play with (but my sister) and I felt completely worthless because the other children didn’t want me for a friend. I had suicide throughts in my early teens because of this (and a stressful home life).
It was only in my mid-20s that I found out that my peers actually liked me! I couldn’t believe that they liked me and wanted to be friends with me – and for a long time I was deeply mistrustful and only waited for them to say “fooled you”.
This is just my experience – for some it may very well be different.
I still wait for it, AH. 😉
Huzzah! *modestly accepts compliment from our own royal LAKtionary* Thank you 🙂
I thought I read she was bullied but then I’ve also read she was the captain (is that the right word in UK?) of her sports team (lacrosse?) at school.
The two aren’t mutually exclusive. She excelled at lacrosse but it was at Down House that she discovered that she was no good at field hockey – it opened her to ridicule and was a disheartening realization for someone whose only natural superiority was athletics. She got good grades but had to work for them. Pippa never studied and breezed through her classes with stellar grades.
ArtHistorian
Beautifully said. I should have clarified my remark by saying there was no extreme or physical bullying. But you are absolutely correct, as usual.
🙂
And believe it or not Kate was selected by the faculty and staff at Marlboro to be a mentor to the incoming girls because they felt she exhibited the nurturing, thoughtful kindness necessary to help nervous newbies become comfortable. Without her negative experience at Down House she may not have developed this empathy. Some here say she lacks compassion but I am not yet convinced. I’ve read things to indicate she is a feeling person but it is hard to be sure because she is rather stiff in public.
IMO: re:kate’s chosen role. That’s not a Kate specific role. It’s policy at every boarding school to partner incoming newbies with established students to help them acclimatise. It’s always a wretch for the newbies being away from home for the first time.
It happened in my time, it happens now at most schools. Pretty sure if you asked anyone who’se been through the system, they’ll give you a similar answer.
Pastarol care is very good around the issue of pupils that struggle to adjust.
I always take Kate school stories with a big pinch of salt because many of us went through the system and often recognise the embellishments especially in the media.
LAK
I’ll defer to your knowledge base about boarding school but even though many girls are encouraged to mentor the new girls the faculty at Marlboro expressly stated why Kate was chosen to do this. Not negating the possibility of embellishment but also not grounds to disclaim the direct quotes and recollections of the faculty and staff at Marlboro.
In addition the staff from her gap year expedition in Chile described her as quiet and unassuming but willing to help those in her group who were unused to roughing it in the wild and dealing with the rigors of the excursions.
The Kate of yesterday is not quite the dating Kate or the Duchess Kate although many find it necessary to insist she has been a cold, lazy and disreputable person her entire life. I find that sad and strange.
Imo
I’ve said Kate shows textbook apathy to many things so let me tackle that Kate doesn’t care part.
I think she cares, but it’s not a priority. I care about a great many issues. Animal abuse, homeless, hunger to name a few. I do what I can and I never stop caring, but those aren’t priorities in my day to day. They are in hers though. Or rather the BRF’s day to day.
When i’ve noted Kate appears to not care was blowing off charities that openly declared they needed her help. Or she would skip out early to shop for what was maybe a 45minute event in full. That appears to be the actions of someone that doesn’t care to make a difference. That’s the approach of someone who is bored with their job and can’t wait for a lunch break to skip out.
It all boils down to her level of apathy for her platform. Though if this behavior holds up she’s currently turning this all around.
IMO: I agree that school age Kate is completely different from the dating, current Kate.
And I think that difference is down to William. The terms of a relationship with him are so William-centred that it doesn’t appear to have left room for anything else.
Consequently she atrophied herself into the Kate we currently see, whose only concern is William.
I blush with secondhand embarrassment, not to mention a big dollop of pity whenever I re-read the interview with the Jigsaw boss because it outlines the philosophy so clearly.
I can’t believe anybody, in this day and age, with all the resources including such driven, entrepreneurial parents, would do that to themselves.
I think Kate does sympathise with causes but appears to lack confidence when in public and as others here have said its not her priority right now. Her priority has always been William and his needs – which is sad as in the early days she always seemed like she had her head screwed on. She’s changed herself to please him and has become someone she thinks he wants.
The University Kate could have nailed all of this and become a media darling. Where did she go?
The snark is strong with me today so i’m trying to cut her some slack. Need more chocolate maybe.
FLORC
Good points but I’m still not quite there. It sounds crazy but I still believe she won’t shine until she starts to resolve her issues with William. I believe his character flaws throughout the years keep her in a state of agitation. But she is not quite as docile as she is considered to be. I have read that she is high strung in private and often puts her foot down with William. The problem is there is in imbalance in their power structure and her triumphs are short-lived.william does love her imo but he will absolutely always do what he wants in the end. If Kate is smart she will learn to make him believe that what she wants was his idea all along lol.
LAK
Spot on.
Betti
It is a great deal to do with confidence. Kate appears to shine in athletic events because she’s confident. Speaking about a topic she revisits (publicly) only once a year can only highlight how unsure she is of herself regarding it.
Imo
I’ve read those standing up to William stories too. I take them with a heap of salt. I’m sure she gets her way with things like decorating and allowance. When it comes to telling William he needs to come home though it’s another matter. If she put her foot down and that was it we wouldn’t have had the hunting shots with the “William’s Camilla” title. Or the drop (well placed by Kate) of William being mia for George’s 1st few months of life. Kate studied and held tight to William for a decade on the hunt. I have no doubt she learned many tricks with him as we all do after years with our spouses.
I agree with you. Kate has her way and likes to keep to that strictly. And that William gets his way.
The balance of power is very 1 sided and I just don’t see that changing.
And Kate shined with William during their boat race. I actually thought that was all so sweet and genuine. Then I was directed to links where it appeared William was angry at Kate for making that “L” with her hand to him. He’s a child and when he acts up Kate falls in line. And when Kate feels she’s had enough of that she gets him to return to her side by some very nice press manipulation/leak work.
A guy that like has no reason to change when he’s rewarded for doing as he pleases. Kate will need to learn how to be her own person and shine apart from him. I wonder if that is what she’s doing here…Maybe?
LAK
Well put.
If Downe was so terrible, why didn’t Pippa attend Marlborough instead?
Pippa did attend Marlborough. She & Kate were both on the field hockey team. Pippa was team captain.
Pippa apparently attended Downe and then Marlborough.
Didn’t the teachers at the school ,come out after the engagement and say Kate’s bullying claims were false, it never happened?
Yes, as did many of the students.
Are you paying attention? Attitudes like yours downplay the serious pain, hopelessness and desperation people feel when others gang up on them.
And they still sent their second daughter there. Even if you thought Pippa was more able to cope in that environment, why put her through that? You’re spinning a side of the story that doesn’t exist, Imo.
“Kate was not bullied” … “She was mocked, teased and snubbed by the other girls. ”
I do not think that word means what you think it means.
There was one girl who said Kate would have a party and invite only titled kids or from titled families ,people ,she was not even friends with at all, but she would invite them, they did not want to attend her parties, because they were not really her friends. Her mum would then call up the parents and supposedly tell the parents, Kate was shy,Kate had few friends etc and could the student come. The parents would then make the girl (students) go to the party, feeling sorry for Kate. The one girl who’s father was titled , said she hated being forced into an uncomfortable environment with Kate, having or pretending to be friends with Kate at a birthday party when they were not friends at all. She said it happened more than once and made other kids uncomfortable too.
Was Kate ever really cultivating friendships or just vehicles for social ascension? Kids know when someone is being sincere.
They say that’s the real reason she left, not bullying.
The teachers said there was no bullying with her.
IS, that is very interesting.
I’m just glad I never attended school with you guys.
Pushy Carole tried to force the aristos to be friends with her daughter, but she didn’t call any parents of middle class girls at the school asking them to help Middleton fit in. Imo, you do not see the difference between someone who is truly bullied and someone who ONLY tries to make friends with the aristo girls – and when she is turned down cries “bullying”?
You have an interesting interpretation.
Inner
Carole sounds like every other mom I know. They want their kids included. And sometimes mom’s don’t realise thisact can only hurt their child.
I will put on a lot on Carole, but not this. This happens because a parent wants their child to have an easier time. And they want to be able to help.
And Kate did not cry “bully”. This is long established. So that scenerio you’ve given doesn’t hold up with the facts.
Read LAK’s account of why day schoolers at boarding schools are often excluded from the boarders.
Hopefully she will use her platform to do meaningful work here and truly make a difference. It’s one thing to call yourself a patron of a charity and get your pr people to write a statement. Actions, not words Kate and by that, I don’t mean random, brief photo-call visits to your various charities. Please do your image a favour and take some pointers from Anne or Sophie Wessex or even Harry who along with a work ethic, truly and genuinely seems to like helping others.
When it comes to the Cambridges it is better to wait and see. But here’s hoping.
I don’t have much hope for either of them, sorry.
Ok screw this. Trying to open the Zayn thread and I keep finding myself here.*hits the screen in frustration*
Welcome lol
This has been happening to me a lot lately. I have to hold down my finger and wait until I can read the link i’m opening in another tab is the one I want. Sometimes it takes numerous tries.
Why doesn’t she say things like that at EVENTS PROMOTING THE ISSUE!!!!!!! It would have more of an impact rather than making random statements to the press.
But beggars can’t be choosers – at least there is the effort.
She seldom speaks spontaneously other than “how are you”, etc. and seems incapable of speaking intelligently beyond 1 or 2 simple sentences. Everything she says in excess of that has to be scripted by her staff.
If I were her, and I read these remarks, I might go back to not bothering. She can’t even do a nice, uncontroversial thing without being slammed.
+1.
I get that there is much valid criticism of Kate, but it seems like she damned if she does, damned if she doesn’t.
I just put this above. Who else could do just this and receive praise?
She’s not damned either way. She’s getting praise here and other times.
People just expect more when this is all she needs to do. This is a worthy topic and it’s getting discussed. Things like this are prepared for her so you would think they can come out more often.
It’s too often forgotten she does get things right. Just not too often and the praise might be for not wearing her hair down. Or 3 events in a week.
Still, Great topic.
GNAT
These comments could be worse. And not all the negative ones are off point.
And she can still prove she does care. She can continue this. Claiming you care and showing you care are not both caring. 1 is declaring without proof and the other has proof of the claims.
Just to top off my snark this is all she has to do. Read prepared statements because what she wears, buys, says gets carried in the press. Her words, even if not her own, can make the difference.
She doesn’t have to want that difference. She just has to be the mouthpiece. Then she can go back to her life.
This all day long.
I agree she should be praised for doing something. No one cares what we think here, but I don’t think we should say “she should do more!” and then complain when she does.
I just reread a comment where I’m stating she needs to do more.
I want to clarify in case I fell into this catagory of people.
I meant more outside of what she does. Like what she’s done here. This is the “more”. And it’s not much, but Kate doesn’t have to do much. Just something and her words will be noticed. Even if she didn’t say this. If she signed off on it it’s something.
Should she be praised like she penned this and cares deeply? Maybe, Maybe not. Should she get light praise this issue is brought to light because she attached her name to it? Yes. She didn’t have to do that, but she did.
It ends up being an issue of what did she do, does it get backed up with action or is it clearly a PR move.
Remember the introduction to the book for military wives “written” by Middleton? Okay, by Deacon? Those of us who remember, remember that she refused to participate in the Wives Club. What her PR releases and what she does/cares about are often polar opposites.
Preaching to the choir re the RAF wives, nas. Ask LAK how berserk I used to get over that.
Of course this is a PR move. For her and the issue. Her “job” is all about PR; she’s never going to do actual work. But if it does some good, I’m not going to complain.
If I were her reading these comments, I’d get off my ass and do something constructive aside from shopping, getting my hair done, doing ‘fluff’ engagements (Downton Abbey set visit), and the ritual stops where she smiles at the cameras, runs inside and hobnobs for a half hour and then takes off. In other words: I’d get to work and do something worthwhile. This young lady is just a living Barbie Doll, that’s it.
That’s an interesting reaction on your part. Very mature. I’m serious. But when she does get off her ass and try to delve into something deeper, she is laughed at, ridiculed, called fake, a lightweight, accused of not really caring and just doing what her PR person wants, wearing boring clothes, pretending to have morning sickness, smiling too much, never smiling, how she wears her hair, on and on and on. So boring. If someone does something good and you are completely incapable of acknowledging it, what encouragement does that provide? She is who she is, and that’s not a deep thinker, or a woman with a burning passion for a career helping others. I could spend all day naming things we could accomplish with a tenth of her influence – yes, it would be a dream come true for most people. But William chose to marry this nice, shallow girl who looks pretty. I think she’s sort of intimidated by people looking side-eye at her and wondering if she’s stupid. And I just think that instead of spitting on her efforts, they should be encouraged. Maybe she will grow and find her feet. As others said, it’s a start. And I don’t have a problem with legitimate criticism of her. But as bluhare says, it’s just odd to me that she gets criticized for trying to improve. FLORC you made several excellent points, as always.
Kate has the capability of turning all this around, and so I’m not going to debate all the things you want to challenge me on, GoodNames. She married the future King Of England and with that, come some obligations. She should be laying the groundwork right now as being a dedicated public servant. She should have started that on the day of her marriage, but I guess if she’s starting that today (finally) with this press release by her PR guy, then that’s a step in the right direction.
I’m skeptical and will remain so until I see a pattern of changed behavior on the part of our dear, beloved Duchess.
GNAT
The easy things never give the greatest rewards.
Kate and others knew this was the life of William’s wife. It was no secret and judging from how skillful the Midds used the press during those dating years Kate knew this on some level. It isn’t blindsiding her.
Now, speaking as an adult life is hard. Work is hard. And there will often be someone who will criticise you. There is nothing you can do to stop that. Giving up is a cowards/childs way to deal with it. continuing on even while criticism goes strong is how this should be handled. And eventually it will fade to the backround.
So, it’s on her. This is her job. If she will run from it she needs to mature a great deal.
I think this charity is a great step for Kate to form a profile for herself.
…” she doesn’t have to pretend to be super-knowledgeable about any one subject”…
I remember reading in Kitty Kelly’s Royals book that the Queen (as a young woman) was lying in her bathtub and was often thinking “Oh, next to whom am I going to sit tonight and what are they going to talk about?”
She was so uneducated and felt often humiliated that she can’t participate in a normal conversations. The oficial parties were pure horror for years.
Of course, people expect more from Kate but I think sometimes the Palace staff can make anyone feel acutely every little blunder and undermine anyone’s confidence. I think Kate sounds so contrived most of the time because she feels closely scrutinised .
Kate has described public speaking as her nightmare. And it’s not like people will judge or criticize her for making nervous mistakes or anything. *eyeroll* she will improve if she does it more but no shade here for what can be an almost debilitating issue for so many.
Imo
Public speaking can be awful ffor many and be truly debilitating.
Kate was very outgoing and very sociable. She had before lead a crowd and given speeches, but maybe the setting of her new role makes that tougher. I’ve always read how she descibed that as being over the top in a joking way. Like “my commute to work was a nightmare.” When the reality was I was stuck in traffic for 5 extra minutes over a fender bender and rubbernecking.
And when Kate has spoken publicly maybe a month apart she improved greatly. There was ease and she came across as human sympathetic. When she stops though you can tell.Those skills of socializing and public speaking are ones she must always have sharpened and at her side. Especially as William’s wife. That she struggles with polite how do you dos shouldn’t happening.
*I’m citing her cousin’s statement given about this in defense of Kate appearing to struggle with small talk. Defending that she isn’t quick on her feet to think about what to say and very honest. Like if she doesn’t care how you are she won’t ask how you are. Even when they ask how she is. It’s not a trait of a bad person. Just a trait some people have. Their minds drift.
She had 10 years to prepare for this role. She can have the best experts on hand to help her. She fails to improve. This doesn’t speak to fear of public speaking so much as apathy.
I disagree that she’d get laughed out if she tried speaking more. There’s always someone who would, but wouldn’t most people feel for her if she really tried? I would. I know how hard it is to get up in front of people, and I haven’t done it on a global stage.
Bluhare
If she has to speak about a topic she’s is unfamiliar with she is nervous. Outside of that crowds do not appear to bother her in the least.
Nota
I’d agree with you, but then someone would claim Kate can’t win no matter what she does.
Her biggest problem is she doesn’t practice. The few speeches she has made have been so short, and yet she bobbles her head all over the place, makes awkward pauses, and can’t keep her hands out of her hair. If she would practice the speeches and memorize them, she’d look more professional. I’ve seen grade school kids do a better job delivering a three sentence speech. Kate is lazy and ill-prepared for this role she has taken on. William’s lazy too, but at least he can deliver a speech without looking idiotic. (He just saves his stupid remarks for the small talk with world leaders…..)
I don’t remember people laughing at Diana for seeking help from multiple speech experts, including Richard Attenborough.
The thing with public speaking is practice, practice, practice.
Practice at home with a small trusted audience, videotape the practice sessions and evaluate them (including body language), even though that can pretty cringe inducing. Then go out and do it – and do it again – and again…
That’s how I was trained when I first started doing guided tours at museums in both Danish and English. At first it is really nerve-racking but with experience it gets better, even if you don’t like it. Fortunately, I really got to love it and I got a lot of energy back from doing these things. I could come in at work and have a bad day – and then leave with a big smile on my face because I was energized by giving something out and receiving something back in return.
That’s absolutely right, AH.
Unfortunately I don’t see that happening with Kate. Her priorities obviously are not aligned with public service. She’s only into this (IMO) because she’s obsessed with William, ‘the title’, and her material possessions. That’s all.
Why don’t these people who are suggesting names for a girl do a little research.
I don’t know about Charlotte because the Earl Spencer named his daughter Charlotte Diana. I don’t know about Alexandra because there is still a living member of the BRF with that name: Princess Alexandra, the Honourable Lady Ogilvy. James? No way would William allow that.
Elizabeth will probably be a middle name. I’m betting on Alice or Mary for a girl. For a boy, Prince Robert of Cambridge has a nice ring to it.
Those are all better than George. He’s a cute little guy but the old man swag is strong with that name. Maybe Brits feel differently?
This one doesn’t. I was hoping they’d use his middle name and call him Alex.
Alex would have been perfect.
Good for her! I think this is a very important issue and I’m happy to see her supporting this cause. I love how she interacts with children and it’s easy to see she really connects.
Could she please just publicly state she is vaccinating her kids? Stage a photo op leaving the doctor’s office. This would be such an easy thing for her to do and would be profoundly helpful in a debate that should not even be a debate.
That would be a huge deal and bring on some backlash from anti vaccine folks that still get press. I think it’s weak, but safe that they don’t do that.
Still, get those updated on their shots and boosters!
That would be great! The recent measles outbreaks in the US are evidence of the need to vaccinate. I hope we don’t see a return of smallpox or polio.
And whooping cough is on the rise as well. I know, I had it! Adults need to get vaccinated, too!
Yet she upholds a monarchy that is thought to contain at least one pedophile (Andrew) and recently rumored to have put a stop to formal investigations into cases of ongoing extensive child sexual abuse by authority figures and others (clergy, social workers) meant to protect children. The royal order to cease investigatons is allegedly on the basis of upholding national stability (i.e. if a royal
is found to have committed such crime, disorder would ensue). I don’t know if the Vatican employed a similar stance to justify its historic cover ups, but, if this is true about the British monarchy, what a truly disgusting, egregious abuse of power. How timely that she decides to engage in this specific cause.
True enough, but I think all of her causes will be ‘safe’ ones.
Does that work still? I mean: can the Royal Family give orders to stop a criminal investigation if a member of the Royal Family is involved?
Yes. There’s a few ways they can protect themselves. They don’t have to stop an investigation, but can still make sure they’re protected and nothing happens.
I don’t disagree with this perfectly executed piece of Public Relations.
And credit should be given where credit is due…………and it isn’t to the Dear Duchess.
Anybody have an idea why The Times was even ‘talking’ with the Duchess? Why she would release a statement to them?
It is a Times campaign.
What do you mean – is it a pro-Kate paper?
No, the campaign itself is headed up/owned by The Times.
Ah, ok, thanks!
She is so utterly boring.
Well, good. She is doing something. After reading all the comments here, I have Thoughts. 🙂
I think William is a bully and Carole is a bully too. I think Kate had to change and tamp down so much of her personality and character so she would appeal to William. I think her mother had him in her sights from when Kate was young and made it all happen. It fits with how Carole treats him now, the adored son, making him snacks and siding with him against Kate. Can you imagine? My mother used to do that, and I told her I wouldn’t even talk to her if she did it again, I am her daughter!
I remember seeing a picture from the NZ/Australia trip in which Kate and Wills were alone right near an airplane and he was talking to her and he was pissed. Very angry face, and she was upset. Ever since that, I felt he was a bully. He may love her, but she had better toe the line, because not only will he be king, but he is the poor unfortunate motherless boy who can’t be wrong. Schmuck. Harry would be a far better king and, I think, a better husband.
And if she is under such pressure from him and her mother, no wonder she can’t speak publicly, or says stupid things, and has lost so much weight. Can you imagine how nervous she is? Shopping may be her release, her therapy. I don’t like her, she’s on my irrational very dislike list, but the more I read, the more sympathy I have for her. Maybe after she produces a spare, she’ll get some gumption and tell her mother and William to both stuff it.
Or maybe I’m 100% wrong and Kate rules the roost and only does the absolute minimum because she prefers lazing around and shopping. But I don’t think so. Because to be honest, I have a 20 year old daughter, and I would NEVER encourage her to marry into royalty, especially the BRF. They have a bad track record with daughters-in-law.
If Kate got “some gumption” and told her mother and husband to both stuff it, I might actually have some compassion for her. She is a subservient wife, a throwback to an old era — nothing to admire. But sadly, I think Kate is blinded by William, her obsession with him, the title, the perks………….and she won’t jeopardize that. The mother is an entirely different issue. Carole Middleton should give her daughter and her husband some space so they can have their own family time without her sticking her nose into everything. Maybe once this kid is born and things taper out, Carole will go home and stay there for awhile. I have this impression though that Kate is emotionally juvenile and that she needs her mother more than a normal 33 year old woman would. There’s something very strange going on…………
I agree, Vava. I also think she is a throwback, which is why she is on my “irrational dislike list.” I get so annoyed at how much admiration she gets from other women for being pretty, thin, dressing nicely and smiling – because that is really all she does. Oh, and get pregnant. Can’t forget that. In an age where women get more than 1/2 of the college degrees, one would wish that a woman with such a high profile would do more than be pretty and obedient and not have any opinions that might cause controversy.
But I bet you anything all of those perks have a very high price tag attached to them – William and a life with no privacy and really, no security. I know I would be up nights worrying about my family’s safety and what kind of life my kids will have, growing up under such scrutiny. In this way, other celebrities are different – they can tell the media to back off their kids, and the media is pretty respectful. But their child will be the future king – so he doesn’t really get the space other celebrities’ kids get.
All I know is that I would never, ever have chosen her life and watching her has made it hard for Harry to find someone, I think. She lives in a gilded cage: golden, but a cage all the same.
Kate has been involved with children’s mental health issues before. I have the British monarchy on my Facebook page. (I happen to think they are a good thing, but I’m not like a rabid monarchist) I have no idea why this site downplays her charity work as much as it does. I think she is doing fine. She doesn’t have as many engagements as some of the royals, that’s true, but she does work, and I’m pretty sure the family is as happy with her as they can be. She has given an heir, and a spare.
OK so, having babies makes her relevant? We are in 2015 here. She needs to work in return for all the perks she gets by being a pampered ‘royal’.
This site doesn’t downplay Kate’s work schedule. They comment on Kate’s work whether it’s official, ‘secret’, public or private.
The BRF website also gives impression that she works more than she actually does because they add endless pictures that give impression of a busy work life.
Most people don’t pay attention to the detail, and are then surprised when the figures come out at the end when the most visible member of the BRF (on the BRF Fb) worked the least whilst the *invisible members who barely get a mention on the same fb, work the most.
Eg The BRF website barely posted pictures of all 400+ engagements that Anne made last year. The same website posted endless pictures of Kate at work. Imagine everybody’s surprise to find that she had only clocked in 76 engagements!!
A better gauge of her work record is the Court Circular.
The perverse thing is that it is always the human being who is perceived as deficitary. You know it is never the circumstances that lead people to develop mental health issues but the problem is somewhat inherent in the human being.
Is anybody really astonished that children under 12 who spent 10 to 12 hours in school and in daycare develop mental health issues?
If you have a look at the meals which are served by British schools … are you really astonished that children become obese from such crap?
You could continue this list …