Here are some additional photos of the Duchess of Cambridge at the EACH Charity Shop opening on Friday. Get used to these photos, because they are very likely the last ones we’ll have until William and Kate set off on their royal tour of India and Bhutan in April. According to People Magazine’s sources, Kate is “spending as much time as she can with her children” and Friday’s appearance was her “last” until the tour. Sigh…
Meanwhile, as promised, Kate sat down for her first-ever on-camera interview as a duchess. The last time she sat down and answered questions of any kind was for her dual interview with William when they announced their engagement in 2010. She’s spoken in public since then, of course, but Kate seems extremely uncomfortable with public speaking in any form. The more she has to say, the bigger her hair (so she can hide behind it, I suspect). So of course her hair is pretty distracting in the first clips from her new interview. This interview is part of an ITV documentary called The Queen at Ninety, all about the Queen’s historic reign, etc. Here are two clips of Kate:
Her hair is so distracting here, but otherwise, she’s fine. She’s trying so hard to achieve Peak Poshness with that accent, but I’ve gotten used to that. The dark eye-makeup is very Diana-esque to me. Diana seemed to love liquid liner, and Kate’s go-to makeup look is heavy, dark eyeshadow for daywear. As for the quotes, they are pretty much what you’d expect.
On having Charlotte last year: “It’s very special having a new little girl … I feel very, very lucky that George has got a little sister. The Queen was really thrilled that it was a little girl, and I think as soon as we came back here to Kensington she was one of our first visitors here.”
George calls his great-grandmother Gan-Gan: “George is only 2 ½ and he calls her ‘Gan-Gan.’ She always leaves a little gift or something in their room when we go and stay, and that just shows her love for her family.”
Doing an event with the Queen in 2012: “I went without William, so I was rather apprehensive about that. I think there is a real art to walkabouts. Everyone teases me in the family that I spend far too long chatting. So I think I’ve still got to learn a little bit more and to pick up a few more tips I suppose…She was very supportive. The fact she took the time to make sure that I was happy and looked after for that particular occasion, which probably in everything that she’s doing is a very small element, it shows just how caring she is really.”
The Queen isn’t forceful: “She’s been very generous in not being forceful at all and in any of her views, but I feel she’s been there, a gentle guidance really for me.”
God knows I’m a parser, so I’m having some fun debates with myself about what to nit-pick here. I’ll say one thing in defense of Kate: I don’t think this is the sum total of what she said on camera. These are just the “big” quotes that ITV has advanced ahead of the May airing of this documentary. I’m assuming we’ll hear more quotes from Kate in April and May. As for what I’m nit-picking… “She’s been very generous in not being forceful at all and in any of her views, but I feel she’s been there, a gentle guidance really for me.” Yes. We all know William and Kate don’t do well with “forceful.” Imagine if the Queen ever did get “forceful” and tell Kate and William to put on their big-girl panties and do five events a week, every week and for Kate to never, ever again flake out on a military engagement.
PS… Please no threadjacking! I promise we’ll have another Kate post tomorrow.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I do not think she is very good at faking emotions.
I thought the first comment would be… She had BOTOX since last week!
Disgraceful excuse not presenting shamrocks
she has hundreds of hours with her children
she wanted to be in royalty and live a life of luxury….. this comes with the job and title….
pampered spoilt child woman
they need stripping of the position and titles and told to go away …..we public sick of their lame excuses
agree
bring in Harry
Agree. I hope you saw Harry’s interviews on American television last week with Robin Roberts. Compare and contrast. No fakery here. Even his relaxed body language says it all.
HARRY’S US television interview:
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/prince-harry-opens-princess-diana-kids-drives-candid/story?id=37725137
PS watch BOTH parts, part two follows part one — charming bit with Mrs. Obama.
OK thx
That accent is exhausting.
Omg yes
What I don’t understand is why she sounds so much like a Kiwi (New Zealander) with those flat vowels.
On a side note, whenever I see Prince Charles decked out in his ludicrous, unearned military honours I feel like punching him in the face.
And I say that as the daughter of someone who kept his REAL WWII medals in the bottom of a drawer in the shed.
Charles served in both the Air Force and Navy. He may not have earned all the medals on his chest, but at least he and Andrew served in the military unlike Anne or Edward.
Just have to defend Anne here, since she didn’t have the option to join the military in her twenties; only the auxiliary corps were open to women at that point. By all accounts she does extremely well as mascot for her regiments and is very well respected; I know she’s made multiple quiet trips to Canada for her military patronage commitments here. It’s a bitch to fly over commercial for a short engagement (even first class) but she does it. It would have been interesting to see what her choices would have been if the military/Sandhurst had been open to women when she was younger.
Anne would have kicked A** in the military.
I love Anne – my fav.
But I also love Charles. He’s a decent man. Look at the you tube video of Zara’s baptism. You can see Charles in the background patting her head and giving her a kiss. It was sweet. You can tell Zara and Charles are close.
IKR? It reminds me of watching American actors try to pull it off….badly. I’m so caught up by her unnatural accent I can barely catch what she’s saying.
I used to date an English guy, and I would try to imitate his accent. I sounded just like her.
My bf’s American, but he used to live in London, and he absolutely forbids me from doing the accent.
Yes, my bf said it was the worst thing he ever heard.
I had never heard her speak before, and I was confused when people said she sounded “fake posh…” like, how does one pull that off? But wow. Yes, I get it. Even as an American, her accent sounds like an affectation. I can only describe it as… just, like, /too/ much. Especially when juxtaposed with Harry. Ah well.
I always think she’s trying to specifically fake Diana rather than trying to out-RP the aristos generally. That’s why it sounds so fake. She hasn’t done RP coaching; she’s doing a Diana impersonation.
Yep. That’s exactly what she’s doing. Does she ghoulishly watch Di’s interview on repeat? Is Will okay with that?
Diana started out as the shy demure girl. Kate had been around the block a few times before marriage. She can’t emulate her husband’s late mother. Diana, flaws and all, can not be duplicated. Kate would be a fool to even try. She did her job, has two heirs and does what they ask of her. It’s hard to follow in an icon’s shadow. Not her fault, just her fate. She’s fine, just don’t compare her.
I agree she shouldn’t even try, Nancy, but not so sure about the “does what they ask of her” unless you mean the children and not making many waves. Not so sure she does what she’s asked based on this backlash.
Nancy: I’m not comparing them. I’m saying Kate has an obviously fake accent but that it isn’t fake RP, it’s fake Diana. Two different points entirely.
If I were to compare them…
Kate is less bonkers than Diana. Diana was better at public service than Kate.
See the difference?
@Sixer: I wasn’t even commenting on your post. I always jump to Diana because Kate is so boring to me. Diana was crazy but did her thing and helped so many people, especially with the landmines and AIDS….putting her own life in jeopardy with the mines in Angola. Dancing with Travolta, partying with Freddie Mercury and besties with Elton John and Versace. Like I said it’s impossible to compare these two women.
Oh, ok Nancy. Apologies. You replied to me is all, so I was confused!
Lord help me, now I can’t unhear it. I had to youtube that Martin Bashir interview for reference and almost pooped myself. This is not good. She also sounds posher than Harry for god’s sake. The almost whispered Ds and Ts drive me nuts and must be exhausting to keep up. Serious question though. I only spent a few months in the UK but I NEVER heard anyone outside of TV shows (and not young people) speak like that. Is this even an accent that exists today?
It does exist, LMN, but only within a very shallow gene pool. None of us REAL Britishers speak like that!
Sixer: even the Queen doesn’t speak like that.
That said, i wonder at William’s mummy issues when his wife tr ies so hard to impersonate her.
Good god……………………I see now how she is trying (unsuccessfully) to mimic Diana. It’s sick.
I went to the same school as her and no-one there spoke like that. She does sound posher than Will and Harry and like you all said, exactly like Diana.
I have a mental picture of her and her mother sitting at home watching YouTube clips of Diana’s old speeches on a loop.
That accent sounds so put on that I’m imagining her finishing the interview, taking off the mike and going “oi georgie, gerrof the lav, come ‘ere and lemme wipe your bum.
LOL
EV, that gave the heartiest chuckle. Imagining her saying that. Thank you for the laugh!
😀
I was wondering if when she’s at home with William only or her parents she goes back to her old accent??
LOL, and I mean it! That accent of hers sounds so tiring and fake. Do you think she has to keep a running reminder to herself of how to sound just right in a public appearance?
Yes her accent is tiring. I’m American and even I know it’s phony. My close friend from England thinks it’s funny but her Grandmother who is a Royalist thinks it’s not funny at all and thinks it’s ridiculous. She’s still grasping at straws to find the positives about W and K but she’s starting to think they are useless. Despite all of my travels to the UK, I have never encountered anyone with such labored speech.
I am pretty good at understanding thick accents but this is ridiculous. There were times I actually had to focus on what she was saying because if I didn’t I wouldn’t understand her. And while I get I’m American, I shouldn’t have to struggle to understand an English woman speaking English.
I’m an American as well, and could tell right “off the bat” that this accent is completely contrived and PHONEY. Kate, get a grip. Please, for the sake of England……………….and your reputation.
It is! Distracting, too. Someone already British shouldn’t have to struggle so hard to appear MORE British (I know, I know–it’s a class thing. Still.)
No wonder william’s friends mocked her.
She sounds fine and I didn’t notice anything awkward about her answering those interview questions. If she is affecting a more posh accent that’s totally understandable. She’s a ROYAL! She is already on lower footing being a commoner – she wants people to forget when she speaks.
I think it has the opposite effect. It just points the light towards the fact that she’s pretending to be something she’s not.
Really, no. All she has to do for people to take her seriously is start behaving like an engaged, willing member of that family. And the sad thing is, if she did that and really put effort into learning, it would benefit her so much by giving her the – imo – much-needed confidence boost she’s plainly in need of, some actual informed substance to her public speaking and the realisation that it’s WHAT you say that counts, not the accent in which you say it.
It would be so much easier than struggling with a comically constipated accent to deliver the most platitudinous of ‘feel-good’ soundbites while trying to channel a dead woman.
Guesto, that last sentence absolutely knocks it for six. Exactly that.
Do Pippa and James have the accent to? Wondering if this is a Clan Middleton climbing-quirk, initiated by Mike and Carole back in the day, or if its the result of princess lessons.
Nope
CLairols is pretty bloody try hard too. Apparently she has taken elocution lessons. Remember when her PR tried to say Carole didn’t care for the grand life. LOLz, fake accent, fake crest, pinky rings. Pass the bucket.
It’s ridiculous, that accent! And it’s pretty telling that the last event Kate and the Queen did alone together was 4 years ago.
And really? Kate spends too much time chatting with the plebes? I’ve never noticed that! She must talk fast to get out of each engagement in 35 minutes.
She has trouble speaking in general. You can tell there in that small clip she got tripped up on her words two times, mumbling and getting tongue tied. I don’t think she is AT ALL comfortable speaking during formal occasions.
I could hardly understand her with that accent. She is really forcing it too much. Btw the queen already has already three great grand-daughters so I don’t think that she was necessarily overly excited at having another one. Specially if like George the child would be kept away from family (except the Middletons) and prying eyes.
While watching that Harry interview with GMA, I noticed when Robin Roberts asked Harry about George and Charlotte and he said he hopes he’s a fun uncle..did anyone else notice how he bit his lip when replying about them? I wonder if there is truth to the kids not seeing/spending time with the Windsors. How said to have Harry as an uncle but to be shielded away only to spend time with the Midds and Uncle Marshmallow.
@Cricket I really noticed that Harry kinda dodged that question about William’s family. He tacked on that “I hope I’m a fun uncle” line at the end of some rambling and it really made me wonder about whether he doesn’t spend a lot of time with the Buckets.
All I see in her in the posh accent, the way she walked that carriage with the baby, her mannerisms, is fakety fake.
Everything about that christening cracks me up…the outfit, the pram, the walk to the church
Oh I know. I laughed too. It felt like an episode of Little Britain. I was waiting for the punchline,
And to me the worst was nanny Maria’s costume! OMG!!!
I don’t know what the questions were so some context is lacking, but what struck me is that it’s all about Kate. All of her comments about the queen are about things the queen has done for Kate and her family.
Exactly, it’s ridiculous.
Also, other “messages” from Kate:
– How she is just too generous on her walkabouts, she gives each person too much time, the other members think she should spend less time giving of herself.
-Kate enjoys gifts from the Queen for her and her family. Keep them coming!
-The Queen doesn’t expect her to do more.
This girl is exhausting.
Yes, 35 minutes total at an event is spending “too much time”. SMH
Do I think others in the family tease her about this? Of course not. You learn this job by doing it and she rarely does it. William shoves her along and tries to get her to move in the direction he wants. I wouldn’t call that behavior from William teasing.
“Everyone in the family” tells her she spends too much time chatting(?). Everyone????
And congrats to the person who managed to translate. I understood every word Charles said, yet every third word at best for Kate.
This is what struck me too (aside from the horribly put-upon accent) is that all of her statements are about her, and what The Queen has done for her. Nothing in the released snippets that’s actually about TQ.
I’ve come to believe that she’s really this vapid, immature and out of touch. Sad.
And there is SO much filler in her statements, and run-on sentences. “Really, really”… “I think…I think…” It’s like she’s not really saying anything of much substance.
Here I am, surprised to find myself sort of defending her . . . sort of. Maybe this is the section where they asked her “what has the queen done for you and your family” or something like that.
I suppose I’m still trying to find something I can have some respect for in there!
bluhare, I admire you for trying to find something to respect her for. I, on the other hand, can’t see anything. I’m genuinely finding nothing.
vava, it is getting more difficult. 😉
That’s why I caveated with the context part 🙂 Maybe we’ll get to hear the questions in the whole interview.
Yes, yes, YES! Her comments are just a variation of her main theme and goal in life- being “well-taken care of” (coddled) , the passive ninny.
In this instance, she is so special, the queen looks out for her and is sensitive to her needs. *rollingeyes*
I can’t imagine the BRF teasing her, ever. They don’t like her. I can imagine them mocking her, though. If she talks a lot at engagements, it’s because it’s all about her.
I have said this before, but I would love to be a fly on the wall when members of the BRF talk about her. Can’t you see them knowing her work schedule and appearances leave a lot to be desired, so they decide to be sarcastic and tell her she takes too much time on the walkabouts?
Given the queen’s rumoured talent for mimicry which she apparently unleashes for intimates, can you imagine her imitating kate!
@LAK, and that would be really choice. I’d love to hear it. My guess is it does go on behind closed doors.
Yes, exactly! Kate has nothing to say outside of herself & her own tiny little world. And why is being ‘looked after’ so important to her?
Apparently Cam does a righteous impersonation of Claroil. I would give all my worldly goods to see that one.
Because she’s the delicate little flower who’s been told all her life that to make it in life you shouldn’t appear to know how to take care of yourself or appear too smart because men (especially rich men) don’t like that. It’s a life rule to “snag a rich titled husband”, courtesy of Carole./snark
I can’t comment on her accent. I can’t tell as I’m not from England.
But I can say that I didn’t understand about 70% of what she said.
Me too!! I hope when the interview is broadcast it’s closed-captioned.
Wait, do we really even care to understand what she is saying? Something about children blah blah blah gifts blah blah blah hair toss blah blah blah….
I did love the part about the Queen leaving gifts. I imagine there is a huge room in BP of stuff she doesn’t want for herself and uses for re-gifting.
the Queen re gifting……lololol
I couldn’t make much of it out either, and was grateful for the transcript.
Well, I’m not from England either, but will say that I think her accent is completely PHONEY.
It never ceases to amaze me how she speaks of wanting to be with her children as if she never spends any time with them and or she’s been away from them for weeks on end. Perhaps it’s a slip and she really doesn’t spend any time at all with them, so in this case it was imperative that she squeeze them into her very busy schedule.
It was especially inconsiderate excuse because these military people are forced to go on military tours for months on end. I’m sure they’d also like to skip these ceremonial things so they can have some more time with their families.
And it’s a completely boneheaded excuse for the rest of working parents who would never dream of flaking out on their jobs because they had to be with their kids. They have to give a proper excuse. Not that they can’t be bothered or they want to spend time with their kids or they don’t want to create expectations of being required to work even if they are being paid for the kob….heck, even volunteers wouldn’t come up with such a boneheaded excuse.
Sixlet Minor watched IDS on Marr this morning and said, “Silly man is just a rage quitter. You tell me off for that.” Never heard this expression “rage quitter” before but both Sixlets assure me it’s common currency among the iPhoned yoof of today.
So I am going to riff on that and declare Katie Bucket a laze quitter. This is my new name for her: Katie Laze Quitter.
Rage quitter! Love it. Lazy quitter is perfect for kate formerly bucket.
Ps: someone pointed out yesterday (?) That kate can’t be a bucket because hyacinth would never have missed an opportunity to show off without good reason, and even with good reason, would have dragged herself into position.
I have tried to point out to Sixlet Minor that the entire welfare system of a country probably has a bit more to it than “rage quitter” but I think it is one of those yoof TARDIS expressions that says a lot more than the haggard old mothers can fully comprehend!
Ok. Katie Laze Quitter. That’s her going forwards then. Cos you’re right about Hyacinth. Hyacinth would never have been a shut-in.
Wait a minute; there’s only two Sixlets? Why did I think there’s a small herd of them? We’re going to have crappy interwebz service unless you start bulking them up, Sixer!
bluhare: we can use Young Cat and Old Dog to make up the numbers! Plus the singer of the band I’m bringing… when he isn’t busy in my boudoir!
Boudoir? Sixers have boudoirs???
Yes. Even on our island commune. Because you might be a peeping Tom. Plus, I need somewhere for the ball gags. I can bring them, right?
Ah. AKA “Solitary”. 😀
PS Of course, you bring the ball gags. I thought they were part of the ceremonial rites!
recently i have read defense of Kate not doing the Irish Guard Shamrock as being a feminist stance. ie we must applaud Kate for finally taking a stance against a sexist agenda, and to never do Irish Guard Shamrock again. they even called for it to be abolished.
i thought the tradition of a Senior Royal Spouse was because it was a Senior Royal Spouse who instated the tradition in the first place?
and even if you want to boycott it, or change it (like succession rules, for instance) surely there are more elegant and respectful ways to do it
because obviously refusal to work while accepting money from taxpayers is epitome of Gender Equality?
i find that even the most staunch Kate (and Will) defenders are now grasping to defend them; if they continue on this vein, i am afraid that even the fans would become fed up.
yes. Kate. A woman who aspires to pre-feminist womanhood is a feminist. Not saying that she can’t suddenly see the light, but she doesn’t have a single thought that is exclusive of william. She handed her agency to him a decade ago and doesn’t do anything he doesn’t approve of. Even her little rebellions are about him.
A “feminist” stance?!?! I dare not roll my eyes as hard as I should because I fear they may get stuck.
That is the most pathetic rationalization for rudeness I think I’ve ever read.
That is so bizarre I can’t even begin with it. I say let Camilla or Sophie do it.
I keep getting the vibe that it all means – Kate’s kids are more important than ours. Its important that she spends time with her kids. its not important if you spend any time with your kids.
Kate is an embarrassment to all modern working women but especially working mothers who have to work 8 or more hours each day while still being devoted wives and mothers and active members of their community. There are in fact women out there who do it all and make it work even if it means sacrificing a few hours with their children to fulfill obligations outside of the home.
I do not believe that Kate really cares about spending every waking moment with her children. If given the opportunity, she and William would leave their children at home with Kate’s parents or their nannies while they go on vacation. The only time they seem like devoted parents is when they are trying to get out of a work obligation or are using their children as props to improve their public image. I’m really not buying the fact that she feels the need to cancel public engagements for her children. It is because she is personally too tired or lazy or simply would rather be at her hair appointment or shopping rather than interacting with commoners.
oh my god stop mumbling aargh
http://youtu.be/lUXaU5p4Ynk
I didn’t know where this was appropriate to post. Has she tried to be more ” posh” – so she mumbles because she is trying to talk by hardly moving her lips, actually Pippa does this pressed lip speech. As for Kate something she didn’t seem to do in this video.
Agreed, she juts her jaw out. It makes her force her words out harder and thus appears more laboured and posh.
Just reading the quotes, she sounds like a high schooler. HM leaves a little gift and that shows how much she loves her family? She truly sounds (emotionally) somewhere in the range of age 14-17.
that’s what I was thinking – it’s very sad for the Queen to have this embarrassing woman on board,
It is amazing how much slack K and W are given. William (and by extension, Kate) has been enabled for nearly 20 years.
Most people have to steadily work for decades to earn a living. I guess either the Queen ignores it, or they ignore her (assuming she has ever indicated they should do better / do more).
I guess gift giving and being looked after, are kate’s love languages. It’s the way she perceives love.
It sounds like the maid leaving chocolates on the pillow. Honestly, what are the odds that the queen personally shops and leaves these gifts herself. Kate does NOT realize how this comes across, does she…
Also, that flimsy dress clinging to her legs under the already cheap-looking coat looks really bad. Poor choice. Again.
Canadian here who knows this country will need a massive upheaval before it ever sheds the monarchy, and probably would have to be the dumpee instead of the dumper, which ain’t gonna happen. Sigh.
I think there will be a big push in Canada to dump the British monarchy once the Queen passes. She is respected even by non Royal supporters. Charles is not liked and while at one point Will was liked better, that is definitely not the case now.
That would be something if it happened, but the very apparatus of government is so intertwined with the monarchy. I guess it depends on the government – who’s in charge. It would never have happened under the Conservatives.
Wouldn’t the Canadian Constitution have to change – i.e. if there is a role in it specified for the Governor General as representative of the Queen, etc.
And new citizens affirm allegiance to the Queen as head of state. So much would have to change, top to bottom.
> Honestly, what are the odds that the queen personally shops and leaves these gifts herself. Kate does NOT realize how this comes across, does she…
So, the offensive bit is that Kate doesn’t realise that she makes it sound like the queen is herself shopping for the kids? No, that’s not the offensive piece; there’s no shame in that and it doesn’t liken the queen to a maid. The offensive bit is that Kate appears to equate regard for the kids with presents for the kids. Immature, materialistic and grabby.
> Also, that flimsy dress clinging to her legs under the already cheap-looking coat looks really bad. Poor choice. Again.
Funny. The little I could see of that dress, I liked. It might be the wrong colour but it puts me in mind of the blue frock she wore the day after the wedding when she and Wills were photographed walking about somewhere. I liked that dress and thought this one might be the same.
The cost to go republic is HUGE. Its just cost 12 Million dollars to hold a shall we change the NZ flag referendum. Imagine going the whole hog.
Canada could still have the Governor General as head of state to approve the laws, he or she just wouldn’t be doing it on behalf of the monarch anymore. The repatriation in 1982 (thanks Trudeau Sr ) has made the monarchy more symbolic than anything. The queen cannot get involved in our laws anymore… Not that the UK did since the Statute of Westminster anyway.
As for costing money, once there is a new monarch, there will be the cost of creating new money and all those pictures of her will need to be replaced. Seeing as Charles won’t reign as long as her, there will be future changes for Wills too. A lot of money for mere symbols.
Changing the Senate will be harder because the rules are explicit in the BNA Act (1867 Constitution Act)
I think what Will does is stomp his feet and threaten to leave the monarchy if he doesn’t get his way. “,,,,,,you killed my mom, you ruined my life, you ruined my childhood”
but then again, he’d have to earn a living. so….that thesis probably doesn’t hold
perhaps he has something big and bad on them?
I think there were some pieces missing of those taped interviews from Diana. Maybe on Charles?
I like Charles. I hope that’s not the case.
I don’t think he’s thought through the having to earn a living part of life. He’s a lazy quitter who never suffers consequences, whose life is financially cusioned even when he doesn’t have the personal funds – he once famously called up a mustique villa owner and asked to be gifted their villa rental for free as he had no money….straight out asked as if the villa owner should be super grateful that PRINCEwilliam desired his villa. Sadly, William got his wish albihht for a small donation to charity.
If he quits, and parliament cuts him off the tax payer CC, as well as no more duchy funds and he has to hustle properly, it will be a huge shock to uim.
@ chrisitin. Can you just say she’s sounds immature I hate when people make comments about age as if all 14-17 year olds are stupid or emotionally whatever. That comment is so wrong, I’m offended, I know a lot of people that age who aren’t either, mean while I know several adults like her who are ridiculous. She acts her maturity (or lack there of), she will always be her age, she is just not mature. Age doesn’t tell intelligence or experience or anything for that matter other that your age. Not trying to be rude please understand but that type of stuff is just annoying because your making a statement that doesn’t apply to everyone than age especially with someone like her.
Emotional intelligence can be assessed in an age range, while chronological age is what it is. The two don’t always correlate, as you point out by saying some adults (chronological age-wise) act immature. “She is just not mature” – hence, her emotional age range does not match her actual age. “Immature” is a broad term when I personally think she is roughly 20 years younger (emotional maturity wise) than her chronological age.
As pointed out below, emotional maturity is a fact and not intended to be perceived as an insult.
She comes across as very immature, incurious and not of great intelligence. I think she never transitioned from her girlhood into being an adult and is a case of arrested development. As we all know, during the waity years, she did nothing at a time when most young people are starting jobs and careers and/or continuing their education and learning how to be grown ups, with the various challenges and positive experiences that goes with the territory. So she missed out on an important part of life experiences and it shows in everything she does.
I get what @ chrisitin is saying, but still I don’t think it is fair to make a generalization of a group of people. I don’t understand why when we criticize someone we have to drag a whole group of people into it, you can get your point across or entertain someone without mentioning x race, y gender, or z religion. It’s those types of stereotypes that will continue to keep us in where we are.
Stereotypes like this causes serious issues in the world even though this is not at all that big of a deal it’s still wrong. Stereotypes have caused Muslims to be accused of being a terrorist, gay people of being feminine (I hate that word), all people of having to lock their door when African Americans walk by, all men of having to be masculine (I hate that word as well).
I just wish we stopped trying to criticize someone and always making it someone else’s fault rather than who is actually wrong. We can’t help who we are or what we believe in, nor should we, but we shouldn’t blame those types of things on race, age, sexuality, religion, or gender.
Here’s a reality check: Immaturity is part and parcel of adolescent years as well as childhood. It’s a biological fact and not a stereotype. There is no stigma attached to it, unless you’re 34 and act like you’re 12.
@Oli – Please see hmmm’s comment, above. Few if any adolescents (even the most level-headed ones) have the depth of life experience that someone in their 30s should have. I considered adding “no offense to teenagers” or something to that effect, but it’s not intended as an insult. I am simply stating my opinion of what emotional maturity level she seems to possess, based on this interview excerpt.
A teenager would be more likely to comment on a gift, or how the family teases them.
@ chrisitin I get what you’re saying, but I think ones maturity is related to their environment, like if you grow up with parents with no sense of reality that is most likely going to affect you, not your age. As far as life experience I think that also plays into ones environment like where you are, who your with, and what your doing. But I do understand what your saying. Age does affect maturity that I understand, but I think we put to much emphasis on it.
@hmmm The stigma to it, was comparing Kate the incompetent to people who can be competent. When you compare bimbos and dumb people to a whole group of people (even though it wasn’t meant as an insult) it still is digraceful in a sense.
She’s immature emotionally but all of things affect that not just age. I think her surroundings have set her back not her age.
By the way are their usually not that many post on Sunday
I am continually amazed that Kate came from a home of supposed entrepreneurs (where one would assume being exposed to a work ethic) and attended university, yet seems to be reticent about working, doing speeches, etc.
In this taped interview, she likely knew all the questions in advance. She likely had assistance formulating answers, yet the end result is how I would expect George or Charlotte to respond in 10 or 15 years.
@christin then you win I didn’t know that about her, I just dont think age always applies to things sorry for the misunderstanding, I don’t really know how to reply to that, other than maybe it’s just her being lazy and stupid emotionally, idk, but whatevas you win this one good job. 🙂
Do you think there is a possibility like William, Kate just doesn’t care how she comes across (I don’t know if William cares or not but I think they might just not care anymore or ever really cared) I’m seriously asking not trying to take away from what you stated above.
@Oli – I could have worded my initial comment less specific when it comes to age, and genuinely did not mean to offend.
Whether we consider her emotional intelligence or not, Kate doesn’t seem to be delivering at the highest level when it comes to performing some of the basic duties expected of her role. She and her husband seem much more willing to act engaged and participate in the fun aspects (e.g., sporting events) versus the ‘duty’ appearances. There are just so many questions as to why they choose not to embrace their role and stop making excuses.
William was a very petulant child, and seems to be carrying forth some of those traits well into adulthood.
You didn’t say anything inappropriately : )
the funny thing we now have confirmation from the person herself that everything she does, she decides on her own.
i hope no Kate-hards push down our throats the proclamation that “oh the Queen made her do this, made her do that” when in fact the Queen and everyone else just gave them (Both Will and Kate) a long rope to go hang or do whatever with.
meanwhile, Harry is doing commendable royal work in Nepal.
we will have good material (recent royal tour material) to compare and contrast with The Normal Family’s visit to India and Bhutan.
i cannot wait, or rather: i am extremely Keen, to hear what excuses will be brought up this time.
i am also looking forward to seeing photos of the very handsome Bhutan Royal Family! i hope we see their little Dragon Prince!!
See the link I posted above, the 2-part interview Harry did last week on American television news w Robin Roberts. Stunning and proof that he is the real deal, through and through.
Yes, he was wonderful during that interview. So warm, easy-going and genuine. I’m so proud of him for passionately working so hard for a cause so close to his heart. I’m jealous of Robin for getting that hug LOL.
I think it’s telling that Kate is so used to being “looked after” (by her mother and William) that the Queen felt she had to be sure Kate was “happy” at that little walk about just because William wasn’t there. I could understand it if she was 19 or even 22, but for heaven’s sake, she’s a grown woman. How hard is it to trail around after the Queen and shake hands? She has the attitude and demeanor of a much younger woman.
she’s a special little snowflake
She sounds so immature. Also, was the Queen keeping a close watch on her out of consideration for her feelings OR out of consideration for the royal image? Methinks the latter.
I’m thinking the latter as well. The first joint engagement, KM wore the green peplum miniskirt suit and nearly flashed the Queen. Then she kept walking in front of HM and Prince Philip. Killing with kindness? “Kate you lazy twit, I mean Kate dear, over here,”
That’s funny. “Kate, dear, why don’t you go pet these nice puppies for a while, that’s a good girl.”
I think that part of Kate’s appeal to William is that she is somewhat fragile and/or in need of being looked after and he can be protective of her as he was a protector of his mother to the extent that he could as a child. I think that other members of the royal family also go into “look after” mode because they got hammered for not “looking after” Diana and Fergie.
I really loathe women like this…OMG I don’t want to sleep alone at night, omg I am so scared. This is why I prefer male versus female friends because you never hear this from my male friends. When she says she was looked after, I inwardly cringed. I would never admit such things to people like that!
I think it was more that she was malleable, that is, willing to do whatever he wanted without question. Like a lapdog or any other sycophant. The question is does William respect Kate. I doubt it. It must get incredibly boring living with someone whose always there waiting for your next command or word of wisdom. Clingy insecure people drive me crazy. She’s a grown woman with children. I think it’s very unhealthy to centre your whole being around someone else’s wants and needs.
@ Andrea – that’s not really the same thing at all as someone who can’t function.
@Chrissy,
I agree that Kate adoration of William and her willingness to be the woman who he wanted also played a role in her getting the big, blue ring. I don’t see William being gaga over Kate, but William is his father’s son and probably can’t resist a woman who considers loving him her “greatest achievement.”
Interesting, aaa. Never thought of that.
I agree with the above, She comes off as clingy and insecure and I highly doubt William respects her. Why would he shout I am free when they broke up? I really wonder why he went back to her? maybe because no one else was a potential prospect truly?
@Andrea he went back to her because nobody else wanted the job. Seriously, there were other women he asked out during that breakup and he got shot down by every single one, because what modern woman wants to marry into royalty and all the scrutiny that entails, especially aristocratic ladies who already have money/titles. Kate was *literally* the only one who wanted the job, so that’s why he married her.
Being “looked after”……………….sounds rather Stepfordish to me. C’mon Kate, get a grip. This is 2016, not 1950.
She has the most unusual way of creating a thought. She uses “I think” a lot. But you think you would know if someone visited you or not.
she is a busy working royal with two very small children to care for. (and arguably a man child, as well) surely you must understand that she has a lot of things in her mind. her grocery list alone takes some memory space, not to mention fashion related lists.
who cares about the Old Queen? she’s going to be the young Queen.
Trying to sound as if she thinks?
I found her sentence structure odd, too. Lots of ‘reallys’ thrown in the weirdest places.
That accent is so ridiculous when compared to the born royals.
And it’s all me me me me my children me me. She also acts as if Charlotte is the first great granddaughter when she’s the fourth.
My thoughts exactly. Kate just sounded ridiculous in so many ways in the interviews. That accent is horrid, and her self-centeredness is as well. She should be talking about the Queen, not herself.
Everything I ever said about Little Tommy Hiddleston owning the Hallmark archive, I take back. It now belongs to Katie Laze Quitter. Did #poorjason put a load of sickly cliched phrases together and tell her it didn’t much matter in which order she regurgitated them?
Normal bill is also regurgitates talking points in a manner that indicates that he doesn’t know what he is saying nor has he given it much thought.
Agree. And even way back when, Charles was perfectly in command of the topic when he spoke. Even if his opinions were roundly mocked at the time and less so now (architecture, talking to plants et al) – they were actually thought-through opinions. These two don’t have anything better in their heads than PR-implanted platitudes.
yep, a bunch of platitudes. You’re absolutely right! That’s why it’s so grating to hear them talk, they just sound like human tape recorders. Keen!
Both of them seem to lack the intelligence and wit to respond with anything other than a warmed-over platitude. Even in the few moments that Charles is shown in the video before Kate comes on, he manages to make a rather funny statement that may be of a dad-humor vibe, but at least he can think on his feet and say something that isn’t vapid and eye-roll inducing.
I think it’s part of their schtick of never giving anything of themselves away. We get the public side, but we shall never, ever see what they are really like. Ergo, scripts and banal conversation.
But I think they could do that (stay private) and still manage to sound intelligent. There is no excuse.
If they insist on limited engagements, one would think they’d each try to do a stellar job (at least better than appearing too wooden/ill-prepared).
I agree with Yellow; no excuse for not having a balance.
bluehare,
But why would people care about them if they never ever show share anything of themselves? The monarchy needs an emotional investment from the people to stay alive, and for that to happen in this day and age, people need to see something authentic once in a while.
I saw a wonderful program on Danish television the other day where Queen Margrethe takes the camera on a tour of Christian VII’s Mansion (one of the four mansions that make up Amalienborg Palace). It is a mansion that is primarily used for representative purposes and as guest accommodation. The Queen had a guiding had in its restoration a decade ago – because non-royal heads of state, she says, wouldn’t really accept having to share bathroom with 3 other people.
The program not only let people see spaces that normally aren’t publically available, it also let QMII show some glimpses of her personality: She’s rather dry, funny and seems to be a person that doesn’t suffer fools lightly. One of the best parts of the documentary was when she opened the main gate and stuck her head to look the Palace Square (which isn’t cordoned off, btw). A couple of ladies recognized her and waved, she waved back with a smile. It was just such a little moment but one that reinforced a former statement of hers on how much she likes it when people say hallo or wave when she is seen outside of official business.
She also reminisced about her childhood, fx that she had to walk to school every day through the inner city, or a story about a special brooch that her father gave her when she became his heir. It really allowed her people to see the human being that inhabits the role. I admire and respect my queen, she has been an excellent monarch – but these little personal tidbits makes me like her, even though I don’t know her. They allow people to invest emotionally in the Sovereign who in herself is a national symbol.
These days royalty walks a fine line between being remote yet relatable as human beings. It is a difficult path to tread. It doesn’t do to let the private becomes too public (like Diana and Fergie) but neither does it do to make nothing personal public because without a public, emotional investment, then the monarchy as a national symbol becomes meaningless.
I agree with you guys. I just really think this all has to do with William’s obsession with privacy — the blurred (or no) backgrounds in photographs, the photos turned around, the secret holiday, and the scripting of their public personae. There is nothing natural about either one of them.
I think he is obsessed with secrecy, bluhare, not privacy.
The most frustrating thing? William and Kate will never have to pay any real consequences for being entitled arses. Sure, they endure some bad press, but that is it! No matter how awful they are, they will remain in the lap of luxury for the rest of their lives — and sycophants will always cater to them. They will be King and Queen and live in castles and never go hungry and always be surrounded by servants and luxury. Either they did something really great in their past lives to have such an easy one now — or the world, is, ultimately, a never-ending experiment in unfairness.
Wouldn’t they still live in basic luxury and with protection even if he abdicates? With more privacy even to do what he wants, whatever that means. And I’m sure when Charles the King dies, there will still be a substantial so called ‘private wealth’ amount to inherit. In this sense, I don’t believe Will will wake up.
They would live on his inheritance, which they would spend through in a few years. One grace-and-favor home that they wouldn’t own (probably Anmer as Sandringham is private property). No more living in royal properties like Kensington or on Duchy property.
If he was no longer in the line, I don’t think he’d inherit Balmoral or Sandringham. He might not inherit them now, if HM or Charles are thinking ahead. He has shown no love for Balmoral and only likes Sandringham for the privacy. Leaving those jointly to William and Harry would be a smart plan even if William stays in line.
There would be an arrangement for an annual allowance to keep them quiet, much smaller than what they have now, and a cap on security costs. No more unlimited spending. If they wanted privacy from the press, they’d need to move to a country with strict privacy laws like Switzerland or Germany.
There is a myth about william’s private income that he is fabulously wealthy and that’s not true. As the heir, he will EVENTUALLY inherit a fabulous sum, but for now, not so much.
Granted he has some inheritance from Diana and his royal family trusts, but it is not fabulously wealthy. He inherited only £10M from Diana. Anmer Hall is priced at £10M. So using his diana money alone, he can’t afford to buy his own home because he wouldn’t have the money to cough up stamp duty or annual maintenance.
Taking into consideration his estimated total income, 70% comes from taxpayers or duchy in the form of goods and services and or bills being directly covered by everyone else.
Should he remove himself, he will have only his diana money and his royal family trusts to fall back on as he would be cut from the other sources of funding.
By normal standards he would still be rich, but not to the level he currently maintains.
Nota: i dont think there would be cap on security. They would simply be asked to pay for it themselves. This is what has happened to all other royals except when they are on official duties.
They would turn into the duke and duchess of windsor. High profile, needing to maintain a high end lifestyle and having to sing for their supper to pay for it.
Which they already do with their comped vacations and helo/ private jet habit.
They’ll live in luxury I think. Look at the Duke of Windsor. He was kept in style through various means. What they wouldn’t get would be the free security and security upgrades to their homes (maybe?) but the royals would not want William to be seen as out begging. And he’d play that one; I truly think he would.
I feel strongly and a lot of people appear to feel similar, that it would be a great thing that he abdicates. Harry would be far better suited for the role.
Years ago I saw a documentary on the royals that suggested that they have vast sums of wealth stashed away in Swiss bank accounts. There was also the suggestion that a couple of holiday homes and yachts that they use that “belong to friends” actually belong to the Windsors, and they just use their friend’s names to get around the flack they would get for being so extravagant. Even if they were tossed out tomorrow I think they would still be extraordinarily wealthy. I actually think that might be what Willy’s endgame is – but I would rather watch him squirm and sulk.
Her accent sounds like somebody desperately trying to emulate “posh”, yet failing at it miserably.
Listen to Emma Watson, or Emma Thompson, or Tom Hiddleston, or Benedict Cumberbatch. That’s how you do “posh” naturally: it’s just very clear, nice British English, and it sounds right. There’s no contrived element to it, it’s just very well-pronounced and precise.
Epic Fail, Kate.
She’s like the British version of Trude and Prue from Kath & Kim!
OMG, thank you, thank you, thank you for introducing me to Trude and Prue! I was unaquainted with them, I had to look up Kath and Kim on YouTube. And noar I’m in lorfe.
The comparison is spot.on.
This is it! + 1 million. That’s exactly who she sounds like. She could fit in with the duo in their shop at any given moment.
Also… Kate is as lazy as Kim. I don’t know who Kathy would be, maybe Carole? Whoever she is, she’d have had to enable Kim’s laziness. But Kim has one over on Kate in that Kim is a born-princess.
yes, but Watson, Thompson, Hiddles and Cumberbatch are actors, their job kind of depends on being able to speak clearly and none of them iirc are actually aristocracy, they’d be out of a job if they spoke the way aristos actually do.
Hiddlestone is proper aristocracy. His family is in burke’s peerage!!
Helen Mirren as The Queen herself doesn’t sound like Kate, either. And if you want to go to the aristocratic source: Listen to Prince Charles talking! He sounds very much like Alan Rickman – again, clear British English without additional mouth acrobatics.
I stand by my original assessment: Epic Fail.
Just listen to Michelle Dockery’s immitation of posh………………it sounds very similar to Kate. I had to laugh – it was during the recap of the filming of Downton Abbey where the actors offered their insights. LOL
This clip and the comments she make just supports the attitude they have that they are the very special snowflakes of the RF because he’s the heir’s heir.
And as for her mannerisms in the clip – very very Dianesque. The big eyes, sly glances from under the fringe/bangs and looking down when speaking to the interviewer. She is sooo trying to be Diana 2.0.
That’s my thought too. Ditto pitch and intonation of her voice.
I wonder how long it will be before the press start calling her out on it – its becoming so very obvious.
Me three.
Like I said above: she’s doing a cheap impersonation of Diana more than she’s trying to acquire the RP accent.
She is so disgusting on so many levels.
Having just watching a video of Diana speaking, OMG yes. She is copying, and badly, Diana’s speech pattern. She pronounces certain vowels and consonants in the same way, ‘ch’ is an example.
Its really quite creepy and disturbing on many levels as its quite deliberate on her part.
Betti – years and years ago, I watched a video on YouTube with Diana and her speech coach. You can really see it. It’s all the pauses. Diana faltered because nerves. Kate falters because she is doing Diana.
Kate is the Talented(less) Mrs. Ripley
Again, please no threadjacking. We’ll cover the Seward column tomorrow.
Maybe it’s just the way it’s edited but her words are so awkward. She seems to put in words on to fill spaces. Or maybe I’m just being really picky.
I’d love to know how many takes were needed to get her to this version. She famously needed several takes for the engagement interview even after being fed the answers.
And she is famously incapable of coherent answers or sentences in public.
I jusy can’t with her accent. It’s so ridiculously fake. Kate really thinks that the Cambridges are special, doesn’t she? Doesn’t she realize that any additional attention the Queen gives her is only to make sure she and Willnot do not screw up what she’s spent a lifetime building up? It’s not that Kate herself is so special that she’s so beloved by the Queen as a person. That goes for Charlotte and George as well. I’m sure the Queen loves all her great-grandchildren equally. The Cambridge kids aren’t extra special to Gramma Liz. Such a load of rubbish. She sounds so clueless and immature for a 34 year old. SMH
The way she speaks about the queen is very disconnected. Her opinions on her would not be out of place on a greeting card, no real specifics, no real anecdotes, no real emotions.
I find it funny that she even mentioned this word”forceful” in connection with the Queen, probably this would be the last word that comes into my mind about her. Is it Freudism, Kate?
I would like to see the Queen acting forcefully with these two lazy ones.
On a different note, I hate her accent, I think it is totally ridiculous, she was and never will be at ease when she has to utter 2 words in public so i don’t understand why anybody forces her to speak like that. Why she thinks it is ok, is beyond me.
The quotes I know they are out of context, but she is such a disappointment to me, she is a graduate, young person, but sometimes I think her vocabulary like 20 words. She is a subtle example of not being bright, which is fine, I have no clue why I expected more from her.
Sometimes I think that the English as a second language posters here are more fluent in English than Kate. Then I find I feel sorry for her because she’s so obviously laboring to create an image for public consumption that I want to give her a nice cup of tea, and tell her she should relax; there’s no need to try so hard.
Bluhare
You know it is so sad, I can’t understand why she doesn’t re watch these videos, she must feel that this is not good. Unfortunately I can’t say she is getting better at this or she will especially now when she hardly does any royal work.
Still saying, you must apply for a PR job there, money must be really good, and your ideas and creatiivity would make a difference!!
So, basically, in an interview dedicated to the Queen and her achievements she is saying that everything she does, she does with HM’s approval.
Considering that she has been largely criticized for all the things she has ‘done’ or has not done she is now throwing the Queen under the bus by saying she has special permission.
It takes a lifetime of work to build respect and very few moments to lose it. If these two continue with this behavior and continue throwing everyone under the bus, I don’t know why we wouldn’t think that this is true, maybe the Queen really does approve of them.
If big hair is her security blanket, she must have been feeling especially snug in that bouffant.
HA.
She looks prettier in the video than I was expecting. Her pictures had been looking kind of horrible. But in motion she looks pretty good. I think this is the first time the word “beautiful” came to mind when looking at her (even with the weird ’80s hair…)
I didn’t know what to think of what she said. I thought maybe the documentary was looking for more personal anecdotes rather than historical ones so I’m hesitant to criticize her talking about the Queen in relation to herself. She does sound a little distant from the Queen, but I think I’d probably be a bit detached from her too, given her position. Nonetheless, she and William could stand to do actual work, and I guess Kate did unwittingly and accidentally confirm that she’s kind of lazy…whoops…
Sounds as if she thinks only her children count for the Queen. And sadly she’s not alone with this mindset.
The Queen was at an event some months ago where they gave her 2 teddybears as gifts for her great-grandchildren…. It felt awkward and wrong. The Queen has 5 great-grandchildren (plus 2 grandchildren who are still under 12 years old) and surely makes no differences.
Listening to her what popped into my head was —jeez you’re 30 something yrs old Kate, act like it. Listening to what the Queen had to do on that public appearance sounds like something appropriate for say Lady Louise on her first walk about with the Queen without a parent. Also hilarious that Kate thinks chatting too long is the biggest mistake she’s ever made at the rope lines or arrival greets. Would have loved hearing that fancy accent admit her bare bum flashing gets a lot of comments by the family.
OK the fake posh accent sounds like she botoxed her mouth.
The fact that she’s trying to channel Diana is painfully obvious and all it does is reveal how she doesn’t have an original thought in her head. To think that she and her sulky dullard of a work-shirker husband will be king and queen someday.
After reading comments suggesting she’s trying to sound like Diana, I watched part of a lengthy video featuring the 1991 ‘secret tapes’ Diana made. Diana seemed quite perceptive, as she recalled her childhood, courtship, engagement and Camilla. All of these recollections involved her life before age 20 (tapes were recorded when she was 30).
People sometimes suggest Diana was a bit dim, but she certainly seemed to have a grasp of emotional intelligence. When Charles told her she’d someday be Queen, she recalled a voice saying, “You won’t be Queen, but you’ll have a tough role.”
She comes across as completely oblivious and somewhat dim. It’s like mentally she sees herself as the object of envy and that she, with her pluck and her above average desirability, managed to snag the catch of he century. Except a lot of women wouldn’t want Workshy. So maybe that amounts for her smug Diana impersonations and self congratulatory demeanor. It’s like in the interview she is trying to get across that the Queen approves of her totally and treats her especially kindly and is especially favorable to her children.
Nothing about the Queen and her accomplishments.
Her world is seen through a self centered lens where other people’s worth is measured by how they treat her. I wonder if other people of Workshy’s class find her absurd. I can just imagine them watching this interview and laughing and poking fun at her up jumped ways.
I guess she doesn’t realize that she was only the consolation prize when no one of William’s set was willing to put up with his nonsense. So delusional. He treated her poorly and cheated on her repeatedly for years but her lack of self-respect and her and her mother’s scheming and social-climbing made the goal of marrying him paramount. However, given her laziness, she should have married a banker and lived a more “normal” life. She really isn’t cut out for this life as compassion, humility and public service obviously aren’t in her vocabulary.
I never understood why he went back to her in the first place when he was sooo happy to be “free” from her when they broke up. He was still young enough to date around—look at Harry now.
@Andrea, I never understood why she took him back! He is a real loser.
Eh, maybe the reason the Queen ‘goes easy’ on Ms Simpleton is down to her realisation that she’s only one small, precarious step away from ‘village idiot’ status and, at 90, has no intention of spending the rest of her days cringing in embarrassment everytime she publicly opens her mouth.
And who could blame her.
I could fully understand if she has simply decided to let them both do it more or less their way. Sometimes that’s the best way to learn. After years of royal training for both, what else can you do?
At 90, I’d be over trying to reinvent the wheel with either of them.
Exactly. Why waste good energy.
The Queen has been around long enough to see right through all this B.S. that Kate Middleton oozes. She sees Kate’s overt concern about the appearance of her hair, legs, and garments and she knows Kate is very superficial. Kate may truly love William, but in my view it’s more of an obsession than true love. Would Kate be with him if he were just a pleb? I doubt it. Anyway, back to Kate – her phoney accent has got to grate on the nerves of the Royal Family. My guess is behind closed doors some of them joke about it. It’s obvious she’s insecure, if she wasn’t why would she be playing this stupid game? Quite honestly, if Kate would just relax, speak naturally, do a little more work – she could become likeable. When she was first engaged, she wasn’t nearly as obnoxious as she is now.
I too hope the Queen sees through the BS but it’s hard to know since she’s known for burying her head in the sand so it’s hard to tell. How the Queen reacts to the Bucket’s bad press lately will tell how she perceives them.
I’m also thinking that because the Queen is so old that at this point she just doesn’t care anymore. Maybe she would be stricter and perhaps meaner to Kate the same way she was with Diana if she were 30 years younger, but the Queen probably wants to spend the rest of her days focusing on herself and her legacy rather than a nitwit that one of her grandchildren recently married.
Basically she’s just reiterating the recent PR statement that the Queen is OK with their decision to spend their lives not working much.
This ‘I get chastised by them for being too much of the people’ sounds like she’s trying to invoke Diana’s memory again.
What stuck out to me is that she said that “the Queen was really thrilled that it was a little girl.” Of the queen’s five great grandchildren, four of them are girls – George is the only boy and three of her four youngest grandchildren are girls too. If I had to guess why the Queen would be thrilled about Charlotte being a girl, it would have to be on behalf of other family members, perhaps Charles and William, who were hoping for girls.
I said the same thing yesterday. I guess Isla, Savannah, and Mia don’t count since they aren’t hers and aren’t princesses.
I’ve always had a hard time understanding Charles speaking, but Kate was even worse.
Years ago, Johnny Carson (yes I’m aging myself here) used to say that with the English, the more money they had the harder it was to understand their accent. His friends played a prank on him and invited him to a party full of “wealthy English people” and as he’s trying to carry on conversations with them, they’re literally mumbling and not saying anything. He’s wandering around looking uncomfortable trying to carry on conversations. It was the funniest thing.
That’s what I always think of when I hear Charles speaking.
I need closed captioning in the worst way. I honestly couldn’t understand half of what she said. I wonder what her old college friends say about miss marble mouth. A serious question: does she even have any close friends who might either tease her or lovingly tell her she sounds silly? I hear of William’s friends often. Does she have any, or is it just her mother and Pippa? Has Carole made any speeches lately? Is she as unintelligible as her daughter?
I find her whole diatribe about there being an art to walkabouts a bit ironic. You have things to learn but you learn them by experiencing them. You’ll never learn the art of the walkabout, madam, if you refuse to participate in them.
The accent truly is awful. Doesn’t she see how bad it is? Why doesn’t she just speak how she normally speaks without such a forceful put on?
I don’t get it. It’s not as though Kate grew up on a council estate in Newcastle. She was raised in an exclusive part of Berkshire and went to a very expensive private school. So I’m sure her natural accent is pretty posh anyway. So why affect that ear grating faux acent that nobody, not even those born into the royal family, speaks with? I almost needed subtitles to understand her, and I live in the UK!
I don’t know if it’s Kate or if it’s a quality of the British Royal Family in general but whenever I watch these clips I am internally screaming, “Get to the effing point already.”
So many, “I think” and “I suppose” and little fillers before she gets to the real reason for the sentence.
I think it’s to draw out the answers and to make the interviewer and audience think that they are really getting a lot of information when it’s about two words. Really. I suppose. Good god. You can tell these people haven’t worked in the real world because they would have been coached by bosses to “tighten up the story, you’re wasting people’s time.”
What to say? Her hair looks big. Really big. Is this stylish or is this Kate’s own take on style? I must say it looks like the hair of cheerleaders in my high school, circa 1980.
She is still strangling every vowel that falls from her mouth. But she did her job and provided the firm with some interview moments on her own, which will get some folks out to watch the thing. Good team play, Kate!
In the real world of business, they would not be promoted through the ranks. Delivering speeches, leading and interacting well with others would be a key part of any executive role. Either the employee would improve or be demoted/stuck where they are.
Not sure the same expectations and repercussions exist for the BRF.
Kelly Garrett called and wants her hair back … lol cue Charlie’s Angels TV show theme song
The fake accent is weird because it’s not even a particularly posh accent. It sounds exactly like my accent (except fake) and I’m not posh, just regular upper middle class suburban.
Wow. I went to St. Andrews when Kate and will were there and heard all manner of posh accents from Chelsea to the Home Counties via Swiss finishing school and a cooking course, and I ain’t never heard anything as weird as Kate’s voice. I’m sure she never used to sound like that!?
Did you ever see them out?
I’ve just remembered who it is that Kate and her fake posh accent remind me of – La Liz Hurley of Basingstoke! She speaks with that same over-enunciated, faux posh voice.
The Duchess needs to learn as the Queen did from the Queen Mum.. ‘work is your devoir, the rent you pay for life’
The posh accent distracts me too, especially as she is not very articulate.
A lot of “sort of’s” to fill the gaps…
The comments about the queen “taking care of her” during an event are the most interesting to me. It raises a question: Who instructed that tact? Buck House PR or was it a Will & Kate special? Either way, deciding to go with that message is dumb.
Huh? What am I talking about? Well, to me, that statement seemed to be addressing the once popular belief that the Queen was terrible to Diana and didn’t give her any support. But that semi-myth has been deconstructed over the years. Except for a very small minority, most people have come to realize that everyone was a little to blame in that whole situation and have moved on. So, trying to fight rumors of “not being supportive” seems so tone deaf. Like, “Hello….the world got over that years ago.”
I just have a hard time believing that the Queen’s PR people would go that route after all these years.
But if Will and Kate really don’t listen to advice, and decided to go with that “message” on their own, it shows how isolated their out-of-date, untouchable bubble really is. It shows just how much they live in the past — ya know.
(Hope that made sense.)
that struck me as a bit strange, as well.
why is a grown woman speaking about being “taken care” of? I think it just speaks to her self-centeredness.
I actually wonder if the Queen has said anything to her. Sounds as if she copped the old Diana story about her walkabouts. No one can accuse Kate of taking a long time talking to the people when she’s on them. Majority of the time she’s too busy looking for the photogs to make sure they get her in shots.
Good lord, If you listen carefully to kate speaking in the interview you can actually hear when her fake accent drops a word or two and her real and normal speech comes in. And yes, I did hear a few kiwi sounding words. I think that’s because she keeps her mouth tense and closed so she has to force her words out. She thinks its a trick to sound more posh.
Good grief, Kate. Just be yourself. Perhaps she would be calmer during public speaking if she used her own accent. How silly this is.
she does seem very forced.
it must be a real prison of a life, actually. even with it’s privileges. imagine living with the pressure to be that forced and unnatural. it’s a recipe for self-doubt.
The duchess of fake and flake!
After seing these two in recent interviews I can safely conclude that I think both are very lucky to have “jobs” for life and a salary.
They have zero charisma and have this incredible sense of entitlement. As many of you pointed out the interview was about the Queen and Kate had to manage to make it about herself. Both are useless.
Her hair doesn’t look anymore huge than her usual to me. I’m glad she put to rest the notion that The Queen is forceful with them and that she is supportive. I rather like her accent. I forgot what her voice actually sounds like since she rarely speaks on a major platform like giving speeches.