Late Saturday evening (London time), the @KensingtonRoyal Twitter account (the official Twitter of Princes William and Harry and Duchess Kate) released four portraits of Prince George and Princess Charlotte, all taken by their mum, the Duchess of Cambridge. The portraits were taken at Anmer Hall, by most accounts. The photos caused a stir on social media and on blogs, mostly because the internet thrives on chubby baby cheeks and cats.
Still, it did seem like an odd decision: why release the portraits on Twitter in the middle of a lazy June weekend? Many UK papers don’t even do Sunday editions, so half of the British print media would have to wait until Monday to publish the photos… although most British and American outlets posted the photos online, so it was no biggie. Except many of the British royal reporters are kind of pissed off about the way these photos were released. Richard Palmer is the royal reporter for The Daily Express and Niraj Tanna is the Middletons’ favorite paparazzo:
KP's use of Twitter to release pictures and information will eventually render royal correspondents jobless. Nearly all info is from KP PO.
— Niraj Tanna (@IkonPictures) June 7, 2015
@IkonPictures We need to work harder at coming up with proper news – what somebody somewhere wants to suppress.
— Richard Palmer (@RoyalReporter) June 7, 2015
@royalmusing @missymckee If the palace tries to cut out the middleman, we need to go back to finding more unofficial stories and pics.
— Richard Palmer (@RoyalReporter) June 7, 2015
Twitter's great fun but should a British Royal Family funded by UK taxpayers release historic images first on US-run social media?
— Richard Palmer (@RoyalReporter) June 6, 2015
It seems like petty, after-the-fact nitpicking, but it plays into a larger discussion we’re having and many royal-watchers are having about Prince William and Duchess Kate’s disdain for old media, and how they believe they can function as royals – paid for by the taxpayers – without doing much at all and by cutting out the press in total. The release of these portraits comes after William in particular was criticized for choosing a football game and playing polo over attending the opening of Parliament (which is apparently what the Queen wanted him to do, attend the opening). When William and Kate are criticized in the media, they deflect using their children or some “look, we’re just like you!” strategic leaks (which are usually about how they’re different from the royal family because they care about their children).
Oh, and there’s a rumor that William and Kate will bring George out for Trooping the Colour next weekend. If you remember, there were some tabloid reports that the Queen basically had to beg Kate to attend this year’s Trooping the Colour.
Photos courtesy of the Duchess of Cambridge @KensingtonRoyal.
Every major UK paper does a Sunday edition.
That’s what I thought when I read it. I’m more likely to buy a paper on Sunday than any other day too..
Same! Especially cause over here in the US that’s when they have adverts.
The Sunday papers are the biggest papers of the week, so I thought that was a strange comment to make as well.
But I think the point is that by 9:00 pm Saturday night, all of the papers’ layouts and articles have been finalized, so it’s too late to get something in the print edition of the biggest paper of the week. That’s how I interpreted it anyway.
Daily Mail had the pictures up on the online edition at 7.54pm Saturday night – I’m sure they got them in even if they had to shuffle the front page
There is a reason Richard Palmer tweeted that to Tanna about coming up with stories,
He and everyone in the Royal press corps. Knows that Tanna already has some juicy stories he has never told, which he could.
Let the games begin. Lol. I hope the press starts talking. 🙂
Newspapers are dead!!
Absolutely! Every year I get high school kids coming to the house trying to sell newspaper subscriptions to raise money for uniforms or something. I tell them, why are you selling newspapers subscriptions when everyone is reading the news on computers or cell phones?
What? Fundraising has 2 forms:
a) Edible (chocolates, cookies, morning teas), or
b) Physical torture (40 hour famine, “fun” runs, bucket challenge).
So, if you buy a newspaper, are you supposed to eat it? Or do you roll it up and smack the teenager with it?
@ Lucrezia
Hahahaaha! Good one. My kids are only 6 & 7 but I can only imagine . . .
@Lucrezia
That’s funny you would say that because I have rather indifferent memories of selling wrapping paper for years on end for some school fundraising (that was obviously not important enough for me to remember what it was). As far as I’m aware the paper wasn’t edible and there was no torture involved (unless the selling counts?)
Thank you! I thought I was the only one wondering why this is even a story. Print Media is dead – not that I expect the old ‘journos’ who work in it to realise it.
Just think, now they may need to do actual journalism to earn their money…….oh Lord! Many of them won’t know how. Cue the threats to start hacking again….
“Now” they may need to do actual journalism? As in “now that print media is dead”? Do you really think that?
I think that print media is actually the last bastion of real journalism with some depth and integrity.
Timbuktu, you are right (if you didn´t mean it ironically:) )
The print version of the newspapers are more quality than the online versions…….Online news tend to get away with a lot and are usually very dumbed down, but the printed version is always better
just have a look at the online DailyMail….. in the last few years its a disaster
But those papers all have websites. And some still like to read the Sunday paper even if you don’t.
Not for a lot of us theyaren’t. And doesn’t England have a much different relationship with the press and papers than the US?
I still subscribe to one. I love my daily paper.
Kaiser, I love that you used the pic of Mini Winston Churchill giving the, “I am not amused” side-eye face.
Mini Winston Churchill 😀
Historic images?!?! They’re kidding, right?
These people need a big bucket full of perspective.
ITA.
…..but they ARE historic images.
Forget the PR/gossip angle for a minute and think about the history angle. And the head of state angle.
1. These pictures will be reprinted in history texts for the rest of time even if the monarchy is abolished.
2. Just as we have reprints of royals/heads of state from ye old times, including the deposed or executed ones.
3. William and Kate don’t seem to understand that they are historical figures. That sounds ridiculous to you because you are a regular Joe living a regular life.
4. Unlike people of accomplishments who are frequently forgotten even if we enjoy the fruits of said accomplishments, we always remember royals/heads of state to extent that periods are named after them eg Napoleonic times, Edwardian era, Victorian Era, Elizabethan Era (usually talking about Shakespearean (sp?) era rather than current Elizabeth), Georgian Era ( first 4 Georges) etc.
5. We have portraits of royals as young people which were used to folster an image since someone realised that could be a thing. These days we use photography instead, but the point stands.
Yes. Exactly. You don’t have to like it – I think it’s fairly clear by now that I don’t like it! – to acknowledge it.
If you look at any royal portraits, you can see all sorts of signifiers intended to communicate a propaganda message about power (I had to write an essay on a portrait of Elizabeth I when I was at school and you wouldn’t believe how many symbols were included) or to otherwise indicate a difference to the common man.
People were commenting on the long socks on George in these photos. That’s exactly what they are. An indication of separateness. Does George usually wear outmoded long socks when he’s playing the park with his nanny? No. But he does in official public photos, even those taken by Kate. There’s a reason for that and a double message – Kate took the photos so this is a modern monarchy; George wears different clothes to other British kids because he is a special (royal) child.
@ LAK,
Agree with some of what you have said but the point is – we are currently living in a more modern DIGITAL age. The royals of today SHOULD reflect the culture of today in such things as modern media. Ann Boleyn did just that.
These photos are historic. The will be used/shared in our new digital world time and time again. They will NOT belong to anyone so won’t be sold online. Old journos do not want to realise this because they want to retain control. It’s time for them to move on.
We can all take our own pics now instead of going to the photo booth and the quality is good enough for a pro not to be needed. That’s what the young royals are trying to prove.
Historic ? maybe – though who is going to care. Winston Churchill had his panties in a wad at Gandhi dressed in his usual clothing going to meet the representative of the British King- and who even remembers who the king was when India won Independence but everyone knows Gandhi! Only the ones like Queen Elizabeth the first with remarkable life stories and achievements will be remembered. I seriously doubt even QE11 would be remembered for very long.
BritAfrica: not disputing that. Every age uses the tools at their disposal.
Whether it’s a digitally captured image or painted, the result is the same. That image will be shared forever.
Sara: Not every royal/head of state is memorable, but the information is recorded and made mandatory in history class if you are studying the relevant period.
As boring and dull as I find WK, my descendants will know about them because they are British public figures whose lives are added to history books. Ditto PGtips/Charlotte.
And the King at the time of India’s independence was HM’s father George 6.
Sara: Just wanted to add that George 6 *is* overshadowed by his abdicating brother, his steel Magnolia of a wife, and the fact that he was succeeded by a woman.
He isn’t memorable in anyway and yet he is in all the history books.
Creepily, PGTIPS is wearing a shirt very similar to the one William wore in photos of Harry’s christening. Gives credence to the idea that Kate Middleton studies Diana’s photos and tries to copy her. Too bad she isn’t copying her work ethic.
Yeah, but can’t Kate mix it up a little? Is George wearing the same pair of socks as his trip into the Lindo Wing on 2 May? Or is it “look we’re so much like you peasants that George has only two pairs of socks in his entire wardrobe.”
@BritAfrica
The thing is, the BRF has a constituency in this country. It’s the people outside the cosmopolitan big cities and the older generation. This is the constituency that still buys a daily newspaper and is influenced by what it reads in them. The royal press pack has influence over the very people who strongly support the BRF. It lacks influence with the people who are much less likely to actively support the BRF – the young, urbanites, those who get their information online, where the deference is much less and the only real support comes from vocal, but fairly small in number, fandoms. The press pack could still do a lot of damage.
And if William and Kate think that they themselves, or their PR people, can do a better job in the Lord of the Flies environment of social media, where there are no deferential pacts to sustain and protect them, then they should have at it.
They’d last about the amount of time it’s taken me to type this post.
I think you’re exaggerating the significance of these photos a little, though. Back in the day, we only got a few portraits of a king or a queen, so of course they were treasured, especially if they were official (commissioned by the king or queen him/herself). In this century, we get so many more photos, I don’t think history books can possibly fit them all in. The odds of these specific photos finding their way in many history books are fairly low. I mean, the Queen has been ruling forever, I only really can think of a couple of photos that come up often enough to be memorable to someone who’s not particularly interested in the Royals: the Annie Leibovitz portrait, and a black and white of the young Queen during the war.
Yeah the longevity is amazing. Sometimes I wonder if the Queen will outlive Charles but then I remember Philip is still around too so I guess not.
notasugarhere
My goodness, you’re correct re- George’s shirt. It looks identical in fact. Then I got to thinking:
what if it’s actually William’s shirt that was packed away?
We may see a lot of William’s old clothes on George.
Timbuktu: We had paintings in the past because that was the media tool. royals/heads of state have always used portraiture as a PR tool where thousands of portraits were painted as a study in power as Sixer points out.
We have photography now. Message still the same. And it’s not restricted to fansites. Official pictures like these are used in official docs, biographies and historical texts.
Further, You are confusing pap pics with this set. Technically, we’ve seen PGtips many times, but that wasn’t official. Those were pap shots. Officially this is the fourth time we are seeing him. The official sets are used in officially sanctioned places, not the pap pics.
As for photos of royals, have you seen how many photographs of Victoria exist? Or any other royals since the advent of photography? Hundreds, if not thousands. Some are formal, others are mundane, and still people publish new ones with reverence. In biographies and history books. Depending on significance of a royal eg Elizabeth I or Victoria, with news headlines touting the discovery.
For your specific example of the Queen, there are pictures of her growing up, from babyhood to current. Millions of her throughout her life even if the only ones you personally remember are of her as a young mechanic.
Her baby pictures are in biographies and in history texts. And for the most part, it’s the official ones that are included, not the pap ones. How else do you think we know that she was a blonde child? In an era of children not being seen at all?
You might argue that one has to have a specific interest in royals to have that information, but that’s not true.
If you picked up a random history/biography book, there the pictures would be.
They ARE historic images
And better to take pictures than to have a portrait
Remember that awful portrait of Kate?
Such petty nonsense. Beautiful portraits of two adorable children that are a welcome break from all the horrible things going on in the world, what’s the harm. Who cares who released what and when? It brought a smile to many faces, unlike most of what’s usually in the papers.
Says someone who doesn’t have a family member working for a newspaper.
And the content of newspapers is hardly the newspapers fault. Blame humanity (or lack of it).
Hey! You disappeared for a while again.
Where exactly did I blame the papers for what’s in them? How absurd to suggest I would blame the messenger for the state of the world. I’m commenting about what a welcome distraction looking at photos of two beautiful children is and somehow you see that as a problem.
You called the reporters’ anger “petty nonsense”. My point was if you had a family member working for one of those papers, you might not feel the same way.
You said that the photos brought a smile to people’s faces (which I totally agree with!) as opposed to what’s usually in the papers. I did not say that photos of children are a problem. You’re totally twisting my words.
PS Hi Kiddo! I tend to stay away from most threads except the royal ones. I’m still around and I’m happy to torture you to prove it! 🙂
Going by all the rumours swirling and various twitter commentary:
1. KP had asked the press NOT to print these pictures ahead of time such that they could be released at the same time.
2. Then KP said they were going to tweet one picture later that evening and another 3 later same evening.
3. Then KP tweeted ahead of the agreed time. Not by much, but enough for the pictures to go viral ahead of the rest of the media.
Reading between the lines, I think the British press thought they were getting an exclusive because I remember a twitter conversation last week about editors of sunday newspapers salivating at the coming pictures.
If my guess is correct, i’d wager this is why they are pissed off.
By the way, I think Richard should move to a different news desk. The royals (KP and BP) keep using him and publicly shafting him. This isn’t the first time he has been shafted.
I’m sorry, what is the deal here? Yes, the press didn’t get first dibs but that Richard Palmer character seems delightful. Threats always go over so well with William. I see a hissy fit coming. We can talk about their work ethic all day long and I’m right there with most of those who think they should WORK, damn it (to be fair, I’m not a UK taxpayer). But KP has a twitter account and they used it. Big whoop. Maybe Palmer should look at his own tweet again and actually work harder at coming up with proper news? These are pictures of two babies. This is not news. He’s just p*ssed that the days of trotting out a toddler in front of 20 photographers are over. That part of royal life always seemed a bit grotesque to me.
Everything you said, except I’m totally down with Richard Palmer staying pissed and reporting on whatever the real news is that someone doesn’t want to get out.
Abbott
Same! He’s ready to hold that grudge and now act on it. It’s a thinly veiled threat. If WK/KP won’t toss the press their scraps/cut out the middleman they’re going to go foraging for themselves.
This could get really messy/revealing.
FLORC! Yes! And in his tweets he was trying to rally the other reporters. The gossip potential here is too great.
If, until now, he hasn’t been reporting certain things because of an unspoken (or spoken, who knows) agreement with KP, he hasn’t been doing his job or has been mislabeling that job. I know it’s always been like this, the press and the royals work together. Sometimes things get heated but mostly, they work together. I never understood that. If journalists work like that, they should just call themselves PR people.
If he now suddenly wants to move to “real news”, that’s fine and I’m all for it. This not working thing re Kate and William should absolutely be examined and they should be asked why the fork they’re wasting time and money. Maybe the Queen or Charles should answer the question of why they’re working their senior citizen *sses off while these two are paid to vacation. All very fair questions and if Palmer wants to ask them, go ahead. My issue with him is that he does not sound like he wants to do hard news. He wants a cushy job where things are handed to him so he can sell them as news. But hey, if his staying p*ssed is what it takes to reveal certain things, I’m with you.
“…we need to go back to finding more unofficial stories and pics.” Isn’t he a journalist and isn’t his job exactly that? Working with sources and uncovering stories to report on?
Or is he admitting that he’s complicit in taking whatever tidbits the BRF hands to him and he doesn’t do any actual journalism, but is just a shill for their PR.
I can’t wait for the press to dig deeper and unveil some trash. With William as a target, yes, that would be fun reading. BRING IT ON.
littlemiss
As I understand Palmer and other royal reporters. It takes time to become a journalist that gets those scoops. The names are “go to” names for a reason.
They have cultivated a relationship with both the palace pr and the people. That said that becomes the bankable feature. They still report news. It’s just spoonfed to them with an understanding attached. It’s a symbiotic relationship.
And there’s more to uncover here than just vacations and spending. We’ve had a glimpse or several at what William does when asking for privacy. It will send Jason into a tailspin or early retirement.
FLORC
I know why he’s angry but I do think this is his own fault. These two have been showing a disregard for royal tradition for years now. Personally I think the monarchy needs change, I’m just not sure this was the way to go (not to mention the work ethic that seems to have gone out the window). There’s no co-ordination here it seems. So Buckingham Palace and Clarence House are playing by the rules and the journalists basically fell asleep over the years after Diana passed away. And then Will and Kate apparently go rogue and stop playing by the rules. This is surprising how? Yes, it’s a symbiotic relationship which in itself is a little ridiculous if you want to call yourself a journalist/reporter but let’s ignore that and look at their behavior. This is NOT surprising. William hates the press and they know it. They were just snoozing and confused him with his granny. The Queen he is not. And if they have information that can be considered news and not just gossip, they shouldn’t sit on it until Willy misbehaves. Let’s have it!
…and RicharPalmer doesn’t exactly have to go foraging for stories. There are rumours that Tanna has PLENTY that he could have released over the years, but never has.
Also Ingrid Seward said years ago, the Palace has hid a lot with William over the years and instead offered a Harry story up.
I’ve also heard that the recent stories bashing Beatrice, are to divert attention away from William and Kate not doing much. The PR for right now have laid off trying to make Harry look bad, the public likes him.
Well, if you hold to a promise made and someone else doesn’t, wouldn’t you be annoyed? I would. The photos were supposed to be released at 10:00pm at their request — and they were. And they pre empted it by releasing one an hour early themselves. Stuff like that gets people who report news — and honor promises — mad.
William pulled the same stunt when Charlotte was born. Told the press they’d come down to speak to them and then changed his mind on the steps. Heck, even Kate thought they were going to give them a short interview. William may get a thrill from sticking it to the media, but like Richard said, if they continue in this vein, the reporters will start doing their jobs and find stories William doesn’t want to be reported. Incredibly childish and short-sighted behavior.
I am waiting for the real gossip. It’s about time the reporters got a clue and realised that the likes of the Dolittles are not their friends and are simply yanking their chain.
When are the reporters going to take their gloves off? They seem like a simpering bunch to me.
Bluhare— this. Playing games like this is so silly and just highlights how esstentially lightweight and unsubtantial William is. You’d think he would have more on his gourd than pranking the press over a few sweet baby pictures.
The larger issue to me is that these two refuse to work in exchange for the salary they are awarded to maintain their several homes and luxury life. So that brings us down to the last two things they can do to “earn their keep” so to speak. One, produce heirs (done). Appear in photos for all that “visit the UK and see Kate buy a scone or shoes maybe!” touristy-value stuff RF loyalists swear by (though that is not why I like going to the UK, but I am just using that “why they are worthy it” line others use).
So seems they should at least play nice w press photos, eh?
All above
Do you think Palmer and others have been sitting on something just waiting to scratch that itch? Only they have to be in agreement to release it as a united front that the other reporters won’t run counter stories? Rather all or majority come forward with same claims for more power?
I think this might be very likely. Now, would the gains outweigh the loss in the long run is the question…
Maybe the press response will be to publish off-duty photos that are only being published overseas now. Instead of turning down those photos, they’ll purchase and publish as many as they can get. William made this bed, he has to lie in it and all that.
Tanna knows plenty. This is a guy who spent hours on the street from the time of the dating years, during the breakup, to the wedding, at all hours day and night.
I hear he knows and has SEEN with his own eyes, a lot that he has never told!
William HATES him.
Tanna has dirt. Real dirt.
Tanna was there when Kate sneaked into the hospital before they had George, tweeted “It’s a boy!” and didn’t release the photos. The tweet soon disappeared. He knows so much.
Because there’s a give-and-take between the Royals and the media. It’s a symbiotic relationship. The Royals exchange positive information about themselves in exchange for the media to suppress negative information. The Royals gain by using the positive PR for their existence and the media gains by making money off of readers/viewers who click their ad links or buy products from their advertisers who in turn pay the media for advertisement space.
Apparently the agreement was that at 10 pm, the media would share in the readership/viewership and therefore a boom for their advertisers. W&K released the photos one hour earlier at 9 pm, thus giving the public one full hour to satiate their curiosity and therefore, there may have been a loss of expected readers/viewers to the media’s sites, print publication, tv viewership, etc., which would have an effect on their advertising income.
I love power plays & grabs. Let the games begin!!!!
Digital media is here to stay and will evolve further. As a result, beat reporting and older forms of news reporting will continue to take a, well, beating. However, W/K will have to learn who wags whose tail and when. I don’t know about reporting laws in the UK but If the press continues to feel slighted the deference it pays to the royal family (implicit & explicit) will eventually erode. William’s reign may well become known as one of the most litigious in history with the press exposing embarrassing info and with him suing.
George III lost the colonies and Will lost the Kingdom. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.
Yes, I agree that the more W&K erodes the good will of the media, the more the media will feel that it’s OK to do away with any unwritten agreement they have with the BRF to help promote them through positive PR.
It’s more about the Middletons making the future King William/George way too middle class.
The Royals don’t like it. They also keep breaking protocol, which won’t sit well with the Queen.
For instance Kate letting Carole and Pippa see Charlotte first. The Queen is supposed to see her first, and from what I have read she refused to see the baby until the grandmother and aunt were asked to leave.
I do hope Kate can balance the very thin line between commoner and royal, but at the moment she isn’t doing it very well.
If this is the best “scandal” Palmer has, William’s rise and reign is going to be a very dull one.
Piers Morgan once said that every celebrity’s dirt is kept in a drawer until it becomes profitable to use.
There is serious dirty on William sitting in a drawer. Not just the usual ‘William is a pr!ck’ type of dirt. Some of it has made a brief appearance and been quickly removed before it gained traction, some of it has been banned from being reported.
If the press decide to unleash it, he will be toast.
See Heather Mills McCartney, Charles.
Charles managed to rehab his image with the help of a marchiavellian PR tactics. Will William do the same?
LAK
That’s not a stretch to believe either. Most of us have had site addresses with damaging or unflattering info in an article that went dark post engagement/pre wedding.
And most of us have read stories of a celeb there has been rumors of terrible things. Next day we read a full report of insane detail over years.
Yea, they’re storing a lot for a rainy day/ace in the hole should they need it.
I wish but I don’t think this will bring it out. I do wonder how far this will go before the press feels they’ve been backed into a corner. He already unjustly took them to court over them acting within the laws.
Isn’t it Tanna who says he’s sitting on something that would bring down the Monarchy if it were released? Wonder what that would be. Seems a bit hyperbolic to me.
Why the Queen has to beg them to do stuff? There should be some system that if they are do not work as much as the Queen wishes them to they would loose some privileges like apartments or something.
I have said this many times before… but I do not believe, for one moment, this line of BS. That the British media is desperate to sell.
If the Queen wanted them (William/Kate) there. They are there. I do not, for one moment, believe William is telling her to drop dead. That he will do only… what he wants to do.
What I do suspect. That the Queen wants this marriage to work. And after seeing three… of her four children’s marriages, go down in flames. With lots of ugly gossip. Maybe she is allowing William and Kate to live a quite life. As a new married couple with 2 small children.
Especially after the ugly nasty mess, that his parents own marriage, ended up being. Maybe the Queen has decided, it is not important for the rabid British press machine, feast on this couple.
Given the chance to raise their children quietly in the country. And not be part of the ugly gossip machine of Kensington Palace, the couple will have a chance of good solid marriage.
And for the love of all things holy… I can not believe all the whining from that Richard Palmer person. Geez… it is 4 baby pictures.
But it is interesting to see that since no one got an “exclusive” rights to them. The pictures are not worth anything financially, to any publication. Which is probably why they were released on Twitter.
Hautie
I agree about the Queen begging and insisting. It seems false. Appeasing though seems fair. This marriage needs to hold.
Palmer is correct to be upset. It’s a treaty in a way. William wants privacy so he gets it. In return the press need something to report so they take what they’re given. If William won’t even toss them the fluff scraps their symbiotic relationship will crumble fast.
What is interesting is this. The press will survive without the royals approval. It will be bumpy, but ultimately survive. The Royals need the good side of the press. Or their dirty laundry will be aired with no fluff to counter in the majority press.
It seems the media had the photos before 10 pm. They agreed with KP not to release them until 10 pm, so that all the media could release them at the same time in order to have a share in the number of people who would click their sites to see the photos (or see them in print).
Online media sites make money by advertising income. The more readers, the more clicks on ad links.
So when W&K released the photos at 9 pm, one hour earlier than the agreed upon time, the readers got their curiosity satiated by going directly to W&K for the full hour, which means the media lost potential site visits and income from ad clickers.
I don’t think it has anything to do with their marriage and everything with the fact that William is not the Prince of Wales, Charles is . But Charles is old and not “glamorous” (whatever that means) and won’t sell as much papers as William , Kate and family . So when they don’t show up at the opening of parliament it’s not because they’re snubbing the Queen or avoiding work , it’s because Charles is the heir and it’s his place to be there.
Hannah
That’s 1 theory carried over from Diana’s media attack, but is countered by Charles directly. He NEEDS WandK to be seen as hard workers. It’s his intent to streamline the working royals to only his family. If a large percentage of them are not working it looks very bad on him.
And Charles doesn’t need a popularity contest like he has. He’s set. He’s next in line and stands as well liked and a hard worker. If anyone is a threat to the longevity of the monarchy it’s William. And Charles knows this can only be handled with media goodwill and being seen as active and involved.
I don’t believe for a moment that the queen begs for anything. She commands.
I am astounded, however, that the BRF is allowing the Dolittles so much leeway. Does their PR and they not understand what a PR debacle WK are?
I came her to say exactly this. Queen Elizabeth does not beg anyone. Let’s be real.
George looks as if he’s over all the fuss and thinking, “MUST we keep her? You’re not taking her back, are you? Nnhhhnnn…”
Briefly after I was born my older brother asked my aunt if it would be possible to return me and buy a puppy instead :/
Unfortunately for him my parents already kind of liked me.
Naaawww… That’s so sweet, Linn. Brothers, huh?
Ok Richard Palmer what is this “suppressed” news you speak of? I am all ears and have popcorn and m&m’s.
I have the junior mints and drinks.
I’d like to hear it too, but ugh it seems like Palmer’s going the same way as Niraj Tanna -All empty threats and whining. If he was serious about it, there wouldn’t have been a warning. I think if it happens at all, it won’t be for years.
I guess Murdoch has been defanged after the hacking scandal?
William is short-sighted and arrogant. Woe is the day the UK press unleash on him. If he ever steps out of the line of succession, it’s going to be open season on him and his family.
Just posted my comment and then read yours! Glad to see I’m not the only one whose seeing a blood bath in Williams future 🙂
I think everything will change after the Queen passes. She appears to be the only one (in the immediate line of succession – I know Harry is well liked and works) who has the respect and consideration of the people and the press. After that, the press will be all over Charles and William and Kate.
I really don’t think this is just William playing games with the press. It’s Kate, too, and she’s not just going along with what he wants. She and her family have been playing back and forth with the press for years. I really think her influence in this marriage and how much control she has over her public image is often underestimated.
Kate is complicit in that she enables William. She doesn’t care one way or the other as long as she gets the funds and unlimited access to her family. There is no sense of duty. There is no respect for the monarchy. There is only William. She goes with the flow until she wants to bring William back in line, then she’ll arrange for him to be embarrassed, ie the Mustique pics of her & George. William didn’t want anyone to see George and he had no plans to vacation with them. He was with Jecca and Harry in Spain. Kate wasn’t happy so she struck out. So, yes, she helps him thumb his nose at the BRF, but most of the time she’s content to let William be William as long as he stays attentive to her.
Really good and salient points, Olenna.
Not true about the Mustique pictures. Hello magazine worked closely with the palace.
@Imo, there’s no way William would sell pics to Hello. If you’re saying Kate or a Middleton sold pics to Hello, then yes, I’d believe that. But there’s no way, judging by his behavior to date, do I believe William okayed his son & wife being papped disembarking from a plane.
I’d go with the Middleton’s on the tie to Hello, following the suspicious family skiing photos from a few years ago. Those were too posed, everybody in place, smiling and facing the camera, and featuring the fur headband the designer said they’d sent to KM (but Carole was wearing).
Hello’s staff worked with the palace – reported by the photographer and confirmed by the palace which even stated the photographer’s name. Make of it what you will and give it whatever motive you like but the Mustique pics were sanctioned.
The Middletons have proven ties with Hello magazine. The Mustique pictures weren’t the first time they’ve used that connection. They did it with the skiing pictures post-William’s Falklands jaunt AND they did it to showcase the first images of Kate’s popped pregnant belly for her first pregnancy. At all times, pictures were exclusives for a week or two.
They were also instrumental to Kate’s media campaign to marry William….lots of exclusives then too.
Regarding the Mustique photos, the photographer clearly said that he worked with Hello because they are a trusted source as far as handling such sensitive subjects. He also says the Palace was informed AFTER the deal was made, not before.
Why did the palace not pull the plug? For the same reason the pap approached Hello. They are a trusted magazine who can spin sunshine out of hay of everybody they showcase. No negative or snarky editorials. Ever.
Thanks people upthread for the information about direct connection between the Middletons and the media, sidestepping William and the Palace.
I wouldn’t doubt that the Middletons would use this resource to help themselves gain their positions, keep it, and maintain it, especially since William isn’t 100% under their thumbs.
With regards to the press, it seems to be ‘sound and fury, signifying nothing’ when it comes to their idle threats. Show me the money.
I agree, enough whining.
Put up or shut up.
I wish Richard Palmer and Tanna would release unapproved PR stories. These 2 (esp Tanna) know plenty of gossip they’re not spilling. They play nice to get first dibs with royal news, but if these two are going to go around them with releases…. well the gossip columns will be filled with goodies. I say bring it on!
If I had juicy stories about the BRF, I would hang onto them until the time is right and then quit my journo job at the Daily Mail. Then I’d publish my own book.
+1. If they know something good, I’d love to here it. I”ll buy all the newspapers they want to read it 😉
I don’t want bluster. I want the goods. Idle threats may puff them up but do nothing for me.
There was a documentary on BBC a while ago that Charlie boy tried to suppress which mentioned chaos re the PR people in Clarence House..ie Charles stitching up Willie when he was at College especially with Camilla and their relationship.
Any how the long and short is that these folks have lots of goods on the royals that don’t get published ,pressure by the owners etc and I believe once Liz has gone and if William stays true to form it will be open season and it won’t just be the foxes of England that will become chased around..I don’t believe that the country will put up with him and that was the start of a warning shot to the Press office ,
I think there’s a big wodge of revenge in this from William who still blames the media for Diana’s death. Cutting reporters out of the picture is his way of getting his own back (and even typing that makes his behavior seem childish). The problem with his attitude is they are dependent on the media for goodwill – just like any other celebrity and that good will seems to be fading fast. If the British media turn – and they can turn – it will get very nasty, very quickly.
The Independent is running a story about the 30% increase in the Sovereign Grant today. I think we’ll have to wait for the Mail to see if all the worms are going to turn.
I don’t even want to think about the Sovereign Grants because I will actually probably blow a gasket if I dwell on it too much. I start comparing it to the Disabled People having to wait ten effing months for the new ‘Personal Independence Payment’ – roll on the revolution…
Same here!
30%?!
For what?
Did you know the Sovereign grant is recession proof?
Per the original rules for civil list, the government can never pay the royals less each year no matter the state of the economy or the profit margin of the estates.
This ruling has been carried over into the Sovereign grant payment which means the royals will always be paid a base rate of 15% of the profits plus whatever increase that occurs as a result of a good trading year. In other words, they had an increase of 30% this year, they will receive the same next year even if the % profits of entire estate is down.
FLORC – the Sovereign Grant is 15% of the revenue of the Crown Estates. Crown Estates revenue went up and therefore so did the Sovereign Grant. The quality press is now openly suggesting that this 15% deal was done specifically to protect the BRF from the austerity the rest of the country is undergoing – ie they had some idea Crown Estates revenue was likely to increase significantly. Add to that the fact that MPs have been given a 10% pay rise by their “independent” overseeing body, when all other public employees are restricted to no pay rise or 1%, and you can see the potential for crossness!
@LAK – and that!
May I say, Sixer, that you rock. You are the trenchant voice of reality (along with LAK) on this gossipy gossip blog. I learn so much from both of you.
Huzzah! I’m going to tell everyone that I am not a pain-in-the-neck gobsh!te at all; I’m a trenchant voice of reality. Hmmm said so! Eye fank yew.
Look what you’ve done, hmmmm!!! Trenchant voice of reality? Really? 😉
Watch out for my upcoming power trip, bluhare!
Sixer/LAK
That’s horrible. There are some cases where yes, beneifts should be recession proof. This isn’t 1 of those.
Have I told you how delightful you look today, Sixer? Thatshade of sh*te matches your eyes beautifully. 😀
They are dependent on media for good will but I bet Wm thinks they can eliminate outside media and generate sufficient good will via BP’s official Twitter, Youtube channel, Facebook and websites. Wm copyrighted both his and Kate’s names and images right after they married. I believe he did the copyrights so that when he’s the monarch he can have 100% control of his and his immediate family’s official working images and stories. He’ll direct BP press to release all info only on their official BP media accounts. And then he’ll refuse all requests from outside media to take own photos of them or re-print material from BP’s media accounts.
That’s a really good point and such a good idea I doubt that William thought of it himself, but if the rot sets in with the UK Media now they can do so much damage that all the controlled Social Media in the world won’t save these two at a future date.
I like the way you think frisbeejada.
@ MinnFinn, Sixer’s got herself called ‘the Trenchant Voice of Reality’ up-thread – which is all totally true of course – and nobody’s ever, not once in my life called me the Trenchant Voice of Anything (I usually get called a raving loony conspiracy theory nutter) so thank you for your comment.
I usually get called a raving loony too. So I am making the most of it!
@ Sixer – we need to start our own Monster Raving Loony party (with added ‘Trenchant Voice of Reason’) AND the revolution – I’ll bring the tea and cakes.
I have fresh baby broad beans from the garden?
I was thinking of something more explosive but I suppose Broad Beans will do, windy is a start 🙂
Sixer – brilliant update work re the 15% — wow.
LAK – thank you for educating us, I love your comments.
Ok I am going to say again that I think William needs to realize that working w the Press is Part Of The Job. He is doing precious little otherwise in exchange for his wad. Re his mother’s death by papparazzi (or drunk driver or Philip’s assassin bureau or stupid decision by the ambulance crew to stop outside the hospital, take your pick) he cannot forget that Diana also embraced the press for her causes. Yes she used them for her side of the story re the marriage combustion too, but…..she found value and fostered a working relationship.
He needs to mature and think and take a lesson from Harry. Eh, he néeds to totally hand off to Harry and go live the Midddleton life full stop.
Liberty: I am hugely (looks at notes) honoured (deep breath) that I am (looking at notes) teaching you. I assure (tosses hair, looks at notes) you, it is (deep breath) accidental.
(deep breath, tosses hair) I am keen (looks at notes) on history and I (looks at notes) enjoy the discussions on (looks at notes, tosses hair) CB from all (deep breath, tosses hair) CB royalloonies.
I (tosses hair, deep breath) learn so much from (looks at notes) you and (looks at notes) enjoy all your (looks at notes) posts too.
I hugely (deep breath, tosses hair) enjoy your (looks at notes) witty (looks at notes) way with (looks at notes) language and I (deep breath) keenly look forward (tosses hair) to every (looks at notes) post.
And the Oscar for best impression of someone reading a speech (word for word, no less; a stunning achievement!!) goes to our own Lady LAK!!!
@LAK…………great post. You’ve got the Duchess down pat.
LAK, brilliant. I could see the tossed extensions in my mind’s eye!
I like that one guy who was like “oh, ok, then if you want to give us more time for investigative stories on shit you want to hide that’s FINE WITH ME.”
so basically the press is blackmailing them- do as we want or we will get unofficial pics and news to print.
Lovely.
Yes, I thought that was ugly.
Yes, but no.
It’s an understanding. This for That. William will still be expecting this without giving them That. I don’t think he really understands how much he needs the press to not hate him.
Nope I’ve changed my mind, I think he does probably know but the urge to defy them is just too great for him to resist. He’s getting himself into a battle of wills with the Brit media (no pun intended), it looks to me like he’s gradually upping the ante all the time. I wonder if he’s self destructing, slowly, gradually and deliberately because he essentially doesn’t want the job?
Fris
Interesting theory. Self destruction.
I can’t rule out ignorance.
Well when you’re dealing with an IQ that probably hovers at room temperature you should never rule out ignorance…
The ‘blackmail’ goes both ways. Exclusives or whatever else are given to certain media companies if they’re favored which helps their advertisement income via number of readership/viewership.
Each side makes money off the other. Royals need the money and position they get from gaining the public’s goodwill via positive media PR. The media needs advertising dollars gained through ad clicks, subscription count, and viewership ratings.
Like them deliberately denying Tanna a pass to photograph in Kensington Park, when all the other photographers were given theirs. Clearly stalled by W&K and other photogs mocked him on twitter.
Or when certain reporters were called in to a secret meet-and-greet to meet PGTips, Tanna excluded. I think W&K headed off on vacation days later and the reporters weren’t supposed to mention it?
I think it’s high time! William and Kate need to be taken down a notch (or two).
Going hard on the royals — I’ll believe it when I see it. TMZ goes harder and all they did was publish some nudes of Harry.
Gah! These people will complain about anything. So ridiculous. I could never live as a royal. I would end up deliberately doing crap to piss the media off.
Oh dear – I do need to bleach my brain. I read that as ‘doing a cr*p to piss the media off,’ and then really, really laughed 🙂
Why post the pics all of a sudden? Simple-to steal the spotlight after Harry got his well deserved award. William is very predictable.
No offense to Harry but his knighthood is not making waves in the media under any set of circumstances. The majority of people don’t care. His dating life sells better.
The media could raise him up for it, but they act like it’s just some hum drum achievement because he’s just a spare. If William actually did something of merit (don’t hold your breath) we’d never hear the end of it!
True.
Murphy
This. All Day.
Yeah, I agree. The knighthood was a gimme.
I didn’t even know princes could get knighthoods, so I’m surprised his hasn’t been covered more. I figured royals weren’t allowed that kind of accolade because it would be seen as awarded based on nepotism. The fact that Harry got one suggested to me that Elizabeth must respect him a lot on some level (I mean, as more than her grandson).
perplexed: it’s not a knighthood from the standard honours order – that one goes MBE, OBE, CBE, then KBE (knight) and DBE (dame). That’s the one the hoi polloi generally get.
There are other orders of knighthoods, of which this is one, and these are usually awarded to very high up people from the Establishment, very often minor royals. The most famous one is probably Order of the Garter. It’s almost expected that Harry would get one of those.
Hope that helps!
Say I am the British media. Say I am now thoroughly acked off by William.
Would I bitch about it on Twitter? No. I would quietly join my peers in a full-scale celebration of Harry and his work and knighthood etc. All day, all the time.
And limit my William and Kate stuff to photos of “Harry’s favorite nephew and niece who have his charm and liveliness!” and “while Harry met with children at this Rio care center, his sister-in-law’s skirt flew up while on holiday with her mother” and “while Harry met with military veterans to plan a charity event, carefree brother William enjoyed hunting holiday in Spain attractive and jolly friend Jecca.”
Edit: my iPad is freezing and deleting and wildly autocorrecting. Sorry for the goofy sentences. Agh.
That would be AWESOME, Liberty. I’ve thought for a long while that the media should just completely ignore W&K on official engagements and that would bring them around quickly. But I like your idea of focusing on Harry and even relating PG and Char’s cuteness and character back to uncle Harry (even though I doubt he even sees the that often).
I also think Richard Palmer, in particular, is PO’d going all the way back to W&K’s NYC trip when the UK media was behind barriers across the street and the US media were up close and personal and W&K stopped to chat them (US media) up. I think the UK press getting more and more mad has been simmering for a while.
I like that plan kind of a bit more… WK would get the privacy they scream for and coverage would go to the spare who’s doing a job above and beyond expectations.
William released more pictures of his children? *Yawn*. Harry got knighted? Fire up the social media accounts!
Sadly, people see a baby photo and you’re almost a monster for not forgetting all bad press with laying sight upon it.
And the world would thank them.
The Daily Mail seems to be sort of taking this tactic with William. Some of his events are ignored or framed in an unflattering way. They’re more passive aggressive with Kate.
I wish they would!
inthekitchen
yeah, I agree with you.
I know it’s not quite they same, but it’s similar to the papparazzi being annoyed that the Jolie-Pitts sold they baby pics to People Magazine. Or video newsmen being pissed about everyone with a cellphone camera is now getting a scoop. It affects their jobs, sure, but I don’t think whining and threatening retribution is going to help.
It’s a new era of Journalism, and it’s either get on board or get left behind.
These are reporters, not paparazzi. I think they’re annoyed because they purposely only tell positive stories to keep a good relationship with their royal house, but they keep getting screwed in the deal. They DO have a deal in place for exclusive access, but Will/Kate keep pushing the bounds. The press is getting restless.
@Viv – Nah, IMO, it’d be more similar to if Jolie-Pitts told People they could have the exclusive and then sold the same pics to Hello an hour before People went on the shelves. It seems to be an intentional FU from Will to the media. He’s got issues.
From what I’ve been reading upthread, KP gave the media the photos but got an agreement from them not to release them until 10 pm.
But then after all of that, KP released the pics at 9 pm, one hour early.
So the media feel like they got punk’d.
In other news, ice delivery man still upset about so-called “refrigerator” and finds it utterly undignified and unworthy of royal family. Threatens to stop delivering ice and move to newspaper delivery if KP not careful.
Excellent!
LOL @ Melody! EXACTLY.
The agreement with the media was to hold off until 10 pm but KP released it at 9 pm anyways, from what I’m reading upthread.
So I think it’s more like they called the Ice Man to deliver ice at 10 pm, but they had the refrigerator delivered at 9 pm, thus diminishing the need for ice by the time 10 pm rolled along.
Kate and William need to be careful. They’re making stupid, emotional decisions while the ice melts under their feet.
Richard Palmer is a notorious whinger but in this instance he is probably saying what the rest of the Royal press pack feel.
If he doesn’t stop with the petulant attitude toward the media (in all its forms) he’d best buckle down as there will come a point when they will air his (and her) dirty laundry. The level to which he was ‘cheating’ will be known and how her family used the tabloids to promote her and win him back will be confirmed.
The whole ‘wanting to live a normal life’ narrative is old and its clear thats not what they really want – they want to live the lifestyle without doing what is expected of them. She is happy to be one of those middle class mothers who spend all day shopping etc.. while hubby has his little hobby jobs that take him away from home. I suspect that one of the reasons Willy is away from his family a lot is because of Kate – she’s always come across as needy and obsessed. She earned the ‘limpet’ nickname and just because she got the prize doesn’t mean she’s going to let go – means she’ll cling even harder. If Mummy has to come running to ‘soothe’ her then there is something clearly wrong with her.
More pictures please, these two beautiful babies are a photographic dream. Lovely and must have more.
Honestly, I see nothing special about them. They are just kids.
Vava you’re just jealous that you don’t have a cool pair of blue knee socks. (snark)
But to your point, they’re adorable kids but so are all kids. The halo effect will get stronger as these kids grow up and royalists will soon be seeing qualities in them that to no one else sees. BTW, Ang, that’s my observation about royal loonies which I have no reason to think that’s what you are.
I understand the irritation at being scooped but no sympathy from me for media who intentionally only print favorable news in exchange for access. Blackmail in other words.
The ‘blackmail’ goes both ways, especially in terms of exclusives to certain media companies.
The entitled dinosaurs of the press are starting to realize that they are rapidly becoming completely irrelevant.
Just a side comment. The @royalmusings mentioned in the cited tweets is a good friend of mine. She’s Marlene Eilers Koenig who has been writing on Queen Victoria’s descendants and the British monarchy for decades. She’s an academic librarian, author and all-round knowledgable source esp with British Royal minutiae (titles, succession,etc). She not only is on Twitter but also has the Royal Musings blog which is fabulous.
Interesting, will check it out
…these are the types of stories that could make you put your head through a wall.
Well shoot, William and Kate didn’t officially release photos of their children and now the Royal reporters are SOL. Darn darn that pesky William and Kate, imagine the horror if they’d released the pics through Instagram?
But no worries there’s a villain in the shadows who will publish all the nasty bits and pieces for revenge!
Seriously these cute babies deserve 5 minutes of cooing not full paper spreads with nonsense interviews, get a better job if those 3 photos send you into a tizzy. Maybe if he were reporting dirty deeds he would actually be working and not simply waiting for Willie and Kitty to ring.
This!
From reading posts upthread, I think the contention was that KP had made an agreement that the media kept but that KP didn’t. And what makes it more annoying is that it was KP that probably created this agreement in the first place.
Precisely. Ask that something not be posted until a certain time, and then scoop it. In an industry that lives off scoops. Not cricket at all.
Am too tired to care about the real story, but dang! These are adorable pics!! CUTE attack!
I can’t believe I’m reading all these comments about whether or not there is a ‘Sunday edition’! Talk about the tail wagging the dog! Who cares when the news cycles are? Who cares about protecting reporters jobs? I don’t meant to be insensitive to people’s employment –I mean, no one wishes anyone to lose their job– but honestly, do we really think we can stop the halt of social media? News reporting needs to adapt to society, not the other way around. Kate and Will are modern parents and they have every right to release photos, news tidbits, etc. about their family using all of the media at their disposal –just like the rest of us. And the media making veiled threats about digging up dirt doesn’t do anyone any good, including the public’s empathy toward reporters.
Read WHY people like me said some of that.
William and Kate can release things whenever they want. In this case, they asked to media to wait until a certain time. Which they all did. Then William and Kate’s office released a photo earlier, thereby taking the wind out of everyone’s sails.
If someone asked you to do something, then then did an end run around you, wouldn’t you be annoyed? I would be.
Yep. At the very least — keep your word. That’s essentially the issue here.
Otherwise it’s a non-story (except for the adorable kiddos).
In a fishbowl where much is kept secret and their word means so much to avoid looking into those secrets… it means a bit more imo. And it’s a repeat offense. No, it’s not a stop the presses type story, but certainly has the foundation for 1.
Exactly Tracy. These reporters are slow dancing in a burning room.
Sorry, I just quoted that ultimate douchebag, John Mayer. Great song though.
I don’t get the premise that social media is more controllable than old media (if that’s what William and Kate are thinking). So many celebrities have complained about the wrath they get from regular people on their accounts. Do William and Kate delete all negative comments? Right now the kids are small and cute, but at some point I don’t see people on Twitter hesitating to hurl insults at the royal family if Kate and William annoy the public in some way.
Diana once said that she hoped William would grow up to manage the press like JFK Jr. does, but I don’t see the same kind of savvy from William and Kate. Right now they’re coasting on the royal kids being cute, but what if they hit an awkward stage?
I dunno, I find it kind of ridiculous to be all, “nice stories you got in the press, there. It’d be a SHAME if somethin’ happened to ’em.” If you have unsavory things to report, as a journalist, report them. Threatening to do so if the Royals don’t continue to play ball is gross.
If they want to firmly plant themselves in the 21st century by posting their children on twitter, so be it. However, they need to placate the press because it’s just as antiquated as the monarchy and staunch old school supporters read the papers on Sunday. Like I always say, the people in the UK are being played. Images of those children should have been released to Britain, in Britain first.
storm in a teacup.
This is all about control – actually its all about Willy controlling them/the situation. He’s quite the control freak.
It is about control.
William has a lot of good qualities but his stubbornness and control issues certainly aren’t in his better qualities group.
As time goes on, any good qualities he might have had seem to be fading.
The heart bleeds – for royal reporters, the old press, and the Cambridges . . .how can you turn away?!
They should be on social media as that is the present and future.
BUT as lavishly paid tourism symbols driving hoards to the UK (per pro royal logic) they also need to be in all those colorful tabloids and magazines sitting in stands outside the train stops, yeah? Part of the job to be a bright presence even if they’d rather stay sequestered with the honey toast at Carole’s house, or Anmer (Carole’s other house?).
Exactly – IF (a big if) the royals are a tourist draw for Britain, they needs to be on the glossies regularly to keep the commercial machine rolling.
This is nothing new ie- technology making jobs redundant. There are companies all over the world developing state of the art technology which will get rid of even more jobs in future. A nice thought? No, but it’s reality.
hmm, they’ll have to get over it… Journalism is changing and considering Will and Kate it seems like they want to pick and choose what is shared as for the Royal Children.. Don’t blame them for wanting more control on what pics get posted of the children
I usually could care less about the Royals; I am just lured in by these pics-let’s face it-The photos are darling. And I like the fact that they are out there on social media, with a minimum of fanfare. Maybe that’s just because I’m American…
Additionally, I don’t believe the days of babies and toddlers meeting the press in person, whether it be on a beautiful rug or in a walled garden, are dead.
William could opt for such a setting but he doesn’t appear to want it. I believe Kate is controlled very much by William also.
Well. the press can get very nasty. I hope William knows what he’s doing.
And I hope the press takes William down a notch or two. It’s high time.
If the threats have any truth, poor Jason could have his work cut out for him. 😛
They are really pissed and publishing pics of the two kids is not the reason, it´s just another straw. The UK reporters are totally fed up with William bypassing and controlling them. He is on war with them for years now and isn´t shy showing it. I remember how mad some of them went when Willy and Kate happily posed for the US paps at the airport last year. They would never do this in the UK. Many are still angry that they showed George in NZ and Australia, but hide him at home. William shows them the middle finger every single time he prefers the foreign media or threats and sues so no one publishes the daily paparazzi photos of Kate shopping… and yes, i´m a bad person, but i really really hope the UK press will finally end the Palace press ban and publish all the dirt they have on William and Kate.
I hope they target William more than Kate. She’s just a pawn on the chess board (she has very little to say about what goes on, and quite honestly comes off as pretty brainless and helpless). But William is the one who deserves the reality check. I hope they go after him. He is such a petulant brat, a real loser, and needs to get his sh!t together.
Exactly, well said.
Vava, I totally agree.,
Go Kate! You are a terrific photographer!!! Known people are sick to death of reporters and paps constantly and aggressively invading their privacy for a snap. Local officials do nothing to prevent the harassment, so this is what they do. Many celebrities have released pics of their new babies this way to put an end to the madness. This is also why Caitlyn Jenner is going about things the way she is. She is NOT doing an ongoing reality show – its an 8 part docuseries about transitioning. This is what she has to do to get the paps using telephoto lenses away from her. She already called the cops numerous times, yet the battle for the most revealing pics keeps going.
BTW The little future king and his baby sister are TOTES ADORABLE!!!!!
I don’t think Kate and William should have promised the pics to the royal reporters though (that seems to be the concern here). Making an agreement you’re not going to stick to makes Kate and Wills look kind of dumb. If they don’t want to deal with the UK press, that’s fine — I have no problem with that. But I don’t think it makes sense to make promises to the royal reporters one will renege on, just because, either. Seems kind of….like playing a game, but for what purpose, I don’t understand.
This is tough…on the one hand, as far as the queen making them do stuff, I definitely understand. They are “important” royals. On the other hand, I would never want to subject my toddler to the public at large. I know she signed up for this life. Some would even say it was her only goal for 10 years. But I think once you have children, your reality changes.
Why did William and Kate make the promise of releasing the pics to the royal reporters before posting them on Twitter? That crucial part of the story I really don’t get. If they didn’t wan’t to give the royal reporters the scoop, why didn’t they just….uh…not make the promise? Would that have been too logical?
At this point, i’m surprised anyone is surprised that they lie about their intentions. Even where it has potential real world consequences like this.
If they wanted to be Modern and share things on social media, why announce ahead of time that there would be photos released? Why make a deal with the legitimate press and then break the deal to anger them and cost them money?
They could have released the pictures, without prior announcement, only on social media. Instead, they chose to make a big deal of it AND break the Gentleman’s Agreement they had with the press. Eventually, and I hope it is soon, the Ladies and Gentlemen of the press will beat William at his own game.
What games will they play with the two-year birthday photos, or will they release any at all?
Could it be probable that William is just an impulsive personality; meaning he seems to be heading into a certain direction then changes his mind suddenly sp not in a malicious fashion.
Or is he a person who plays games ie deceives and finds it amusing?
If there was a gentleman’s agreement in place, then this seems like deception to me. No one put a gun to his head to actually make the agreement in the first place.
perplexed
If William is actually quite a deceptive individual who gets amusement from playing such games esp considering the livelihood of some journalists, then I certainly don’t want him as my King.
Notasugarhere, I agree, all this.
This avoidance of paparazi (I won’t win a spelling bee) takes me back to the chase launched by the paparazi toward Princess Diana. Maybe the avoidance is a puzzle piece.
I don’t know the details of this story and haven’t read all the comments, but my impression was that there was no last-minute subterfuge or surprise. The Daily Mail had a silly preview article which stated clearly that it would publish the photos at 10pm, but the Kensington Palace Twitter account would release one photo earlier at 9pm. So the press (or at least the Daily Mail) are aware that Twitter would get the first photo (while traditional media can publish the rest an hour later). This was hours before the release on Twitter. It was NOT a case of Will & Kate surprising the journalists by launching the photo on Twitter ahead of the press release. Or are the journalists mad that Twitter got first dibs at all, not necessarily that they have been blindsided?
I don’t even like Will & Kate but I thought I should share what I had read cos there seems to be impressions that they had lied to the media or given it a unoleasant surprise, which I’m not sure is necessarily the case. Of course the press can still complain that they didn’t get first exclusives to the pictures, or they may have been promised days earlier and W&K changed their minds hours before.
Hence the point (reading your last sentence). After having agreement they changed their minds hours before. Without telling anyone apparently.
And for the life of me I do not understand why anyone would put a bloody embargo on baby pictures! Just release them and have done with it!
Yep I agree the last sentence is a possibility, though that is still speculation on my part (did the journalists confirm that on Twitter?). I didn’t follow the Twitter conversation, but just thought the tweets shared by Kaiser above are inconclusive as to whether W&K changed their minds hours before, or if the journalists are just peeved that the pictures were released on Twitter at all, since presumably the latter scenario also affects their readership and clicks.
What I’m certain of is that the press are aware beforehand (though exactly how *long* before is unknown) that the first photo would be shared on Twitter an hour before the traditional media release. The Daily Mail ran a preview article on that with the timings clearly stated.
And maybe I am stony-hearted, but the baby pics do not detract from what a lazy couple W&K has been. 😀
Sorry double post.
While I agree with the sentiment that Kate and Wills probably need to get out and be seen more, reporters kvetching about not being “in the loop” is like listening to the sour grapes rantings of someone whose profession has morphed into near obscurity…because it has. Sure, they’re funded by the taxpayers, but that really doesn’t mean they’re obligated to function like its 1958. A courtesy call perhaps, to the royal reporters, but in the age of Instagram and immediate media, they’re lucky to have a job at all. Most reporters if this ilk have either been replaced by freelance stringers or by social media itself. Roll with the times reporters…nobody owes you any baby pictures. Besides, this is a gorgeous photo. Kate may be on to something. There’s talent there. Perhaps a “job” she might actually do?
But, Highland Fashionista, right as you are about the evolution of media generally, what you say ignores the fact that the British MSM STILL performs an important propaganda function for the BRF. Reports are 99% positive and are still relied upon for accurate information by the very constituency in the country that supports the BRF. TV reports are still – for many of us, nauseatingly – deferential.
William and Kate can’t have it both ways. If they want the propaganda and the self-censored reporting that occludes their actual cost to the national budget and the actual amount of work they do for it, and exposes their various hypocrisies, they have to give something back. If they don’t want it, then fine. Let’s have the warts-and-all reporting and see how that turns out. It won’t be to the advantage of the BRF, that I promise you.
Wouldn’t there have been less intrusive media coverage in 1958 of the royal family? I actually think that’s the kind of media coverage William would be hoping for. Everything was covered up, and all politicians and celebrities were pretty much deified then.
I don’t really think William and Kate are obligated to function like it’s 1958 either, but I don’t think the British royal public are obligated to like them or keep them either. It seems like Queen Elizabeth (and Charles, by extension, behind the scenes in performing some of the protocol Elizabeth might be too old to perform) is keeping everything going, but once she dies, I doubt whether the sentiment that anybody really wants to keep the monarchy around is really that strong. The royals serve some kind of symbolic role of uniting the kingdom in their pretend regal-ness, but once that symbolic role is stripped away from their end by trying to be whatever it is Kate and William are, they’ve rendered themselves useless.
Oh boo hoo. Now the “royal correspondents” might have to get a real job??
i used to like Prince William and Kate but seriously they been on my last nerve. With their stature they can do so much good in the world but yet they like to play house. i understand they want to be normal but its how you manage it. Kate has done nothing to make herself worthy of being royal. You pushed out two kids basically your job is done. Kate needs to use her popularity to do good. i see no inspiration in her.
Baby with a 1 Billion dollar spoon in his mouth!!! Can you imagine being born worth just over a billion dollar’s worth?? Can someone help me find the line up for that category please??