Prince William & Kate will host a pre-tour reception at Kensington Palace

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We got a special request from commenter Sixer to re-use some of the “helicopter hair” photos of the Duchess of Cambridge, so here you go. It took me a second to realize that you guys were probably talking about Kate’s big “comeback” to work after her maternity leave (the photos of Kate in Ralph Lauren), but I also included some photos of Kate with her hair loose on a windy day last fall too (that was an official event as well).

As we’ve been hearing for a few weeks now, basically ever since Kate shunned the Irish Guards and then breezed through a 30-minute appearance at a shop opening the next day (with her hair freshly colored and blown out), Will and Kate were going to take a break from public appearances ahead of their MASSIVE and grueling six-day tour of Bhutan and India. Then the Cambridges were quietly called to Windsor Castle on Monday for an audience (and photoshoot) with the Queen, just as soon as William returned from his four-day solo frolic in Kenya. Now, suddenly, Will and Kate will be doing an appearance ahead of their tour. Coincidence?

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are set to take part in a reception held at Kensington Palace on Wednesday, April 6th, a few days ahead of their visit to India and Bhutan. The reception will give Their Royal Highnesses the chance to meet with and speak to young people from India and Bhutan who are currently studying or working in the UK. Their interactions will give William and Catherine a greater understanding of the people, history, culture, politics and current affairs of the countries that they are visiting next month.

The Duke and Duchess be introduced to a number of Indian and Bhutanese people who are currently living in the UK and are involved in British and Indian businesses and charities. These individuals are key figures within the diaspora community of Great Britain. Among them is Navtej Sarna, a noted Indian author and columnist who is India’s High Commissioner to the UK.

Also in attendance will be representatives from the British Asia Trust, as well as Indian and Bhutanese students who are enrolled on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Chevening Scholarship Programme, which is an international awards scheme aimed at developing global leaders. Additionally, Their Royal Highnesses will meet Indian entrepreneurs who are supported by the UK Trade and Investment’s Global Entrepreneur Programme, an initiative that helps and supports foreign startups or technology businesses that are in their early stages to relocate to the UK. This will prove to be a precursor to the Duke and Duchess’s second day in Mumbai, where they will meet young Indian entrepreneurs at a GREAT campaign event.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit Bhutan and India between 10th and 16th April. It will be the first time that the royal couple has visited either country.

[From Royal Central]

Well, it’s good that we’ll (hopefully) get some photos of the Cambridges ahead of the tour, and it’s good that somewhere, someone is telling them that can no longer go dark for weeks and even months at a time. I also think this reception in particular is a good idea, but I often feel like Kate and William have very limited experiences with people who are not A) posh or B) working for them in some capacity. That being said, the last time a big reception was held at Kensington Palace, it was the night before the BAFTAs and BAFTA president Prince William didn’t even bother showing up, for the second year in a row. It would funny/sad if that happened here – like, Will and Kate make a big deal about a “Kensington Palace reception” and they don’t even show up.

Two more things. One, the Daily Mail’s Sebastian Shakespeare got his hands on a blurry photo from Jecca Craig’s wedding, which you can see here. She wore a sleeveless, simple wedding gown which looked very pretty on her. Also, the British Monarchy YouTube put up one clip of Kate talking for the Queen at Ninety special. It’s a clip we’ve seen before, but it’s still interesting. I’m obsessed with her faux-posh accent.

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Photos courtesy of WENN.

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108 Responses to “Prince William & Kate will host a pre-tour reception at Kensington Palace”

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  1. tegteg says:

    I love that thumbnail of her. Gets me every time. Thank you, Sixer!

  2. Mrs. Wellen Melon says:

    Fingers crossed they are no-shows at their reception.

    • BDA says:

      Maybe this will be like the reception in Spinal Tap before Spinal Tap’s wildly successful tour. Sir Denis Eton-Hogg will stand up and gave a speech before they “Tap into India!”

    • bluhare says:

      I actually hope HM talked some sense into them and that they do show! It would be very poor form to their hosts if they didn’t.

      • notasugarhere says:

        It wouldn’t be the first time W&K failed to show up at one of their own events at KP. BAFTA reception(s) and Winter White Ball fundraiser with Ralph Lauren come to mind.

    • Liberty says:

      “Their interactions will give William and Catherine a greater understanding of the people, history, culture, politics and current affairs of the countries that they are visiting next month” —

      —–all that, in JUST 20 to 35 MINUTES!

      Wow.

  3. Magnoliarose says:

    We get crazy hair and some crotch purse clutching all in one photo. I bet they got a very chilly talking to by HM. This tells me she is fully aware of optics and how this meeting would be seen.
    Audience with her and then schedule change. Like she told them in firm terms who runs the show and it ain’t them. She gave the country a clear signal that she is well aware of their shenanigans and she’s not very keen about it.

  4. lower-case deb says:

    well i suppose doing a reception is to get a lot of people together in one place in one big go.

    i much prefer that they study up the way Harry did his pre-Nepal preparations. have informative meetings for overview and in depth presentations of key projects.

    but perhaps multiple meetings and sit downs a few days in a row might endanger these lesser-spotted Royalo normalofamilii var. workaphobicus.

    • LAK says:

      Who said anything about depth to the tour? They are going to ‘listen and learn’. translation= multiple pap stroll in India.

      No need to trouble their heads with indepth study, or even to know what they are looking at or visiting until 5mins before they arrive at each destination.

      • notasugarhere says:

        Watching cricket, visiting a national park, taking a hike to an historic monastery. Sounds like vacation to me!

      • Lady D says:

        I laughed when I read who their guests would be at this reception. I just can’t see these 2 deigning to learn anything from their perceived inferiors.

    • anne_000 says:

      @ lower-case deb

      I agree. What I posted to mytake down thread (#5) should go here in reply too.

      This party will be just useless to W&k to learn anything from. It’s just for PR rather than done through any real interest. It’s all going to go over their heads once their guests say anything to them other than ‘Hello.’ I’m predicting videos and photos of them going dead-eyed or eyes glazed over, and fidgeting like they can’t wait to get out of there.

  5. mytake says:

    I’m not sure the reception is a good idea. Well, it’s not a bad idea — but it just seems like an empty gesture to me. Why? Well, first off, you know the talk at the reception will probably be polite small talk; don’t think they’ll learn anything or engage in conversations that challenge them in any way. I also bet the majority of people going are probably poshies, which, IDK, seems pointless. Yes, the guests may be involved in charities, but it sounds like they’re the well-to-do people who run the charities, not the people who benefit from them. And sure, they are meeting some scholarship folks — but the way Jason wrote the press release, I get the impression they aren’t students that need financial assistance, but instead students tapped to be international leaders — which is very different.

    So, basically, W&K spend a night meeting more well-heeled people at their palace.

    • Sixer says:

      It will be well-heeled people.

      But the royal stuff has two prongs: state stuff, in which they further diplomacy and trade and features well-heeled people; philanthropic stuff, in which they further causes and features vulnerable or underprivileged people. They should be doing both and the former particularly in advance of tours. So the reception is the right thing (in royal duties terms) to be doing.

    • LAK says:

      They’ve reduced their engagements to 20min-30mins this year. It will be the same drive-by no matter the PR selling it as a meeting/day/afternoon/1hr reception.

    • anne_000 says:

      @ mytake

      I agree. The photos of Harry preparing for his Nepal visit looked like a professional tutoring session with infographics on poster boards; I think there was a projection machine there; documents; folders; maybe even books or booklets; several people sitting around a large table with him watching, listening, discussing; etc. It looked like the intent of the session was to make sure he learned specific, relevant information related directly to his visit, and there may have been more than one session with different groups.

      On the other hand, this KP reception sounds like just a party, which is one way to get W&K to show up. I know that there will be informed people who are may be important to various causes and fields, but essentially it’s a meet-and-greet party. And I seriously doubt that anything anybody says to W&K will sink into their brains long enough to be of any use to them on their trip. In one ear and out the other.

      I think the party will be mostly saying Hellos with short introductions of each guest and W&K’s assistants looking at the clock waiting to tell them when their 20, 30, or 45 minutes is up.

  6. als says:

    I wonder what Kate would say if she saw these pics?
    She would probably say nobody here has the ‘generosity’ to care for her, her image or her well-being!

    Otherwise, when I became fluent in English and experimented with accents I tried one similar to Kate’s (had no idea it was posh, just thought it was British) but I was getting a dry mouth all the time because you have to take in a lot of air, the words are not pronounced fully, just barely ‘touched’, sort of.
    Maybe it doesn’t make sense and maybe it’s easier if English is your first language but the point is, it is hard to have such ‘affectation’ in your words.
    But she could just quit the accent and make her life easier.

    Of course, these are words of a mere mortal, not the words of royalty. I just work and do things and pay for my life and stuff.

    • thelazylioness says:

      I’m American and speak English. I cannot for the life of me detect the different English accents. Although I am hard of hearing so I suppose that may have something to do with it. I cannot imagine going through public life putting on a phony accent. It’s got to be exhausting.

      ETA: Besides a Cockney accent that is lol.

      • kcarp says:

        I know this is ignorant but I either hear Harry Potter speaking or chimney sweeper. I cannot tell the difference.

    • melodycalder says:

      I have a hard time understanding what she is saying, but yet I have no issues listening to harry. Maybe it’s just the subject matter though 🙂

  7. Size Does Matter says:

    “Hair freshly colored and blown out.” I had to stop. I have medium/dark brown hair and it takes three hours at the salon to cut, color, blow out. I have an almost three-year-old and a five-month-old, similar to George and Charlotte. She can be away long enough to get her hair handled but can’t do the shamrocks? Priorities.

    • Christin says:

      I have thought about that as well. Most of us spend far more time working than personal grooming each day.

      A five-hour salon appointment (which at one time was rumored to apply to her, probably included extensions) equals six ‘events’, if she stays less than an hour at each one.

      • hmmm says:

        I’m curious to know if the wiglet is fixed in or taken off every night, and does she have a bunch of wiglets all sitting in a row on foam heads. Does Willy know about them? Is she balding back there to keep up with Willy? She brings out the deep thinker in me.

      • Christin says:

        Glad I am not the only one curious about her hair add-ons. It’s probably the only thing I find remotely fascinating about her.

        One of my favorite actresses from late 1970s TV (who now has a wig line) said that most actresses use some type of hair help, including falls or wiglet pieces.

    • Canadian Becks says:

      That day she wore that large grey big-brimmed hat? I speculate she chose that big hat because she needed her grey roots covered. That was on Commonwealth Day, after that was the St. Patrick’s ceremony that she cancelled, and the next day, she showed up at the charity shop with the freshly coloured blowout.

      She’s not one to cover her hair with big hats, she usually goes with fascinators or small hats.

    • Roslyn says:

      And if she tied the hair back in a ponytail or chignon, she wouldn’t need to waste so much time at all those long hairdresser appointments, and instead she could actually do something constructive that might improve her reputation.

      • Chrissy says:

        I get the feeling that the words “Kate” and working at something “constructive” are two things that don’t go together. Let’s face it, being pampered is majorly important to her and her hair seems to be the one thing that keeps Willnot focused on her for some reason. She’s been pampered all her life and she probably feels like the spotlight is on her when she’s sitting in that chair and she’s doing this for “her man”. This is a woman who’s as deep as a puddle after all. What a complete waste of a first class education!

  8. Lizzie McGuire says:

    Sebastian Shakespeare is a great name & that’s all.

    Oh yeah Kate finally works…

  9. Sixer says:

    I LOVE YOU, KAISER! LOVE YOU!

    That is the best photo of all time and goes a long way to reduce my blood pressure over all things Katie Laze Quitter.

    This reception is the type of thing they should be doing in advance of tours. Even I can’t complain.

    • Betti says:

      I believe that TQ does these types of receptions before outgoing state visits and tours. She clearly wants these 2 to keep that ‘expectation’ up.

      • hmmm says:

        Well, you learn something new every day. I did not know about the diplomacy angle, but that makes sense. Thanks, Sixer. The fact that this has been added, and it is a *serious* addition and expectation suggests that someone is being taken in hand.

        I would love to hear the Dolittles’ conversation. I wish someone would leak something juicy. This will exhaust Waity, I’m sure. I wonder if she will show up.

      • Sixer says:

        It’s hard to believe they’re going to do it well, isn’t it?

      • hmmm says:

        Thanks, Betti, for the info about the protocol.

    • NUTBALLS says:

      That hilarious snap is the only reason I clicked on what sounded like an utterly boring post topic. I hate Katie posts with the mickey mostly intact. harrumph.

      Back to the Hiddleston post where feminists are offended, amused, shrugging and threadjacking…

      • Sixer says:

        Who’s threadjacking? Who’s being off-topic? Point them out to me and I will smite them with my death star. 😉

        (Oh. I was being off-topic. Oops.)

  10. Katydid04 says:

    I also will soon be going on a grueling tour (aka “vacation”) of Europe myself…….I suppose I should tell my work I won’t be coming in for the next few weeks, so I am properly rested before my trip?

    • LAK says:

      What? You created an expectation that you would show up at work? Everyday? What is wrong with you?😉

    • Anett says:

      Good idea!! You should definitely do that:-))) Tell us what they said:-D

    • Lucky Charm says:

      Like I told someone on the train this morning, if it’s the thought that counts can’t we just think about being at work while actually laying on the beach? ☺

    • Lindsay says:

      You are going to have a champagne reception and make other people come to your home and tell you about the the places you are going to as well, right?

      Be sure to mention the exclusive island vacation you will need afterwards to become keen and energized about work again.

    • Green Girl says:

      Don’t forget to schedule a vacation after the vacation! Depending on when all of your rests and vacations are finished, it might be fall. Which means the holidays are just around the corner, so really, you should just take off work now and plan to come back around January 15 of next year.

      • Canadian Becks says:

        You should subscribe to the very exclusive Cambridge Work Plan where once you’ve worked less than 2 weeks, you automatically get the next 50 weeks off.

      • notasugarhere says:

        LAK’s (?) numbers from the other thread were so helpful on this. KM has done the equivalent of 9 weeks of work in the last 5 years.

  11. happyXamp says:

    For those of us who need a harry break http://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/650073/Army-regiments-battle-Prince-Harry-honorary-colonel I know it’s a little older but I didn’t see it mentioned anywhere here.

  12. Jaded says:

    The Queen is well aware of what the press is saying about The Duke and Duchess of Slothdom. She’s pretty savvy with social media for an old gal and it can’t have gone unnoticed that it’s not just the rag mags that are dumping on them but more highbrow publications as well. I would love to have been a fly on the wall for that conversation….

    “Aright you two, Imma tell you short and straight – five simple words. GET.THE.F*CK.TO.WORK.”

    • hmmm says:

      She must have been inspired by yesterday’s scenario from Liberty. Who knew it would come true (maybe).

      • notasugarhere says:

        May it live on.

        “You think I’m just a granny in a hat, that’s your first mistake”

        “You think because they dress me like a tea cake for the people, I melt at the idea of giving you lot a mule kick? Well, think again, my lovies”

  13. Anon says:

    PLEASE tell me you all saw the PR piece on William on Nightly News with Lester Holt last night?! It was of him “saving” someone in the air ambulance work and when the victim realized it was him William helpfully pointed out that he’d been holding the peasants head for a full 30 minutes. Despite that quote they made it sound like he was doing some miraculous, and never mentioned how sparse he is actually working. #PoorJason is working overtime!

  14. TyrantDestroyed says:

    That photo of flying hairs is awesome. Every time I see it I start singing in my head “Can’t feel my face”.
    The idea of the reception sounds good but feels a little disappointing that they wait until the last moment to learn about the culture of the countries they are visiting. Based on the position they will hold one day we should expect them to be more educated in this subject , but I think I am just being naive with this couple and expecting things that will never happen, as usual.

  15. vilebody says:

    I know that the UK did do some good things in India (medicine, end of sati, urban development), but the majority was so incredibly bad that I don’t understand why the Indian people would have an interest in anything relating to British royalty, especially concerning two people who would have no idea about the issues facing the Indian people or nation. Sorry for the morning negativity but I just find it so odd!

    • happyXamp says:

      @vilebody isn’t there a group demanding the return of Indian jewels as well?

      • teacakes says:

        the Kohinoor, to be specific. There have been calls for its return for decades, but it’s kind of a half-hearted thing at this point, even the Elgin marbles campaign was better-organised than whatever’s been happening with that. And realistically, we know we’re probably never going to see it again.

    • teacakes says:

      Speaking as one of ‘the Indian people’, it’s worth remembering that India and Britain actually have something of a historical relationship – an exploitative one, and often the exploitation and the relationship are repudiated by both sides – but our colonial past is part of the fabric of our country, and Independence was long enough ago that most people bear no ill will towards the UK or British people. (politically aware middle class Indians are far more likely to be annoyed by the US of A and it’s actions/attitudes)

      And we do like ceremony, so as long as these twits you’re sending over aren’t actually going to rule us, it’s all right.

      • vilebody says:

        I hope you didn’t take my language as anything derogatory! I’ve been writing reports all morning, so if “Indian people and nation” comes off as snobby, I promise it’s the snobby academic “aha I’m concluding this detail-oriented paragraph with polished and precise language!” way instead of the snobby “anonymous commenter eating McDonald’s leftovers at breakfast but pretending to be eating Kale and Chia smoothies” way.

      • teacakes says:

        haha no problem there! But really, these two are no different from any other visiting dignitary from another country, and India is no different from, say, Australia or Canada (or even the US) when it comes to taking an interest in visiting members of the BRF, especially youngish ones.

      • vilebody says:

        @teacakes. I agree to most extents, and probably would feel differently if it were the Queen or even Harry or Charles. I just feel like William has glamorized the “gentleman farmer” and “out of Africa” aspects of his life, which I–and probably everyone apart from Kate and Carole–find weird.

      • Sixer says:

        vilebody – that bit of your critique in particular (Normal Bill is living in fantasy throwback times) I completely agree with.

    • Sixer says:

      You forgot cricket, vilebody!

      I agree wholeheartedly with you. But I will tell you this: the biggest telling-off I’ve ever received for any anti-colonial rant of mine came from my friend’s dad – a Punjabi Sikh. I was only a teen but he REALLY tore a strip off me that I should have respect for my country’s glittering past and achievements and never slag it off. A good number of the Indian diaspora here are ardent royalists, too. On the other hand, Prime Minister Modi recently made a state visit to the UK and filled a stadium at a rally. Outside, almost as many people again were protesting him and his Hindutva politics. Diverse country, diverse diaspora, diverse views.

      It’ll be interesting to see the turnout for this visit.

      ETA: sorry teacakes: posting as you were.

      • teacakes says:

        No problem, Sixer! I can actually see your friend’s father’s POV on the issue even if I still think it’s fair to acknowledge the wrongdoings of your own country. India has its own – what has been done to the people of Kashmir and the North-East is a crying shame, but it’s still possible to love your homeland and hope it does better.

        And yes, the fact that Narendra Modi is our Prime Minister is a huge disappointment to me on so many levels. The startling fact is that a lot of the funding for these Hindu fundamentalist organisations actually comes from the Indian (Hindu) diaspora – many of whom have an idealised image of the kind of ‘culture’ they’re helping to preserve (a culture according to which someone of my heritage and beliefs isn’t even Indian, and under which – at its apex – women would live in basically a Hindu version of the Taliban).

      • Sixer says:

        I grew up in the middle of the Punjabi diaspora (Sikh, Hindu and the occasional Muslim) and I would say that the people of my generation (particularly the women) are mostly aghast at Modi, for all the obvious reasons. But some people are loyal to the old country and would support any Indian leader just because. And then there are some of the older Hindu generation – the angry old men waving their fists at the sky! – who think he’s the best thing since sliced bread. And these are the people filling your collection buckets, I’m sorry to say.

        To me, the white British girl, it seems that we’ve mostly moved on, as you say, and that this is a good thing. But I don’t understand Britons who defend colonialism with stuff like “we gave them cricket, a civil service and a legal system, so it wasn’t all bad”. As if India wouldn’t have developed these things by itself and in its own good time had Britain left well alone.

        PS: also, grimly amusing to see the positions reversed. The deference extended to Prime Minister Modi by our political class was extensive!

      • teacakes says:

        with Modi it’s also worth remembering that a lot of Indians were very sick of the gross corruption of the previous government, and with good reason – it was literally a choice between corrupt vs fascist. But a lot of Indians – and I mean a LOT – see him as a ‘strong leader’ and tend to dismiss anyone who is less than celebratory about Modi as either ‘not really an Indian’ (i.e. a member of a religious minority), a foreign agent, or a self-hating Hindu. It’s deeply frustrating, but I realise I’m insulated from the worst of it by a certain level of privilege. No one, for instance, is going to kill me for eating beef. And I hope to god we don’t see any more pogroms like what was done to the Sikhs in 1984 or the Muslims of Gujarat in 2002. And it is deeply ironic that Modi is met with so much sycophancy abroad, when post-Gujarat he was getting barred from travel to the US because they considered him guilty of human rights violations.

        I personally am quite glad our colonial history has been more or less absorbed into what we are today, despite the horrors of Partition the distant past is what it is and can’t be changed. I even love the mild strain of Anglophilia running through the old-school urban middle class (the Wodehouse-reading, book-fair-going, afternoon-tea-drinking type) Though any apologist who claims we should be ‘grateful’ for the railways etc has some cheek – all of that was paid for, and handsomely, by Indian taxes!

      • Sixer says:

        Yes, that’s it, it’s cheek! Perfect word for it!

        I will remember that. Thank you.

    • hmmm says:

      William would be ecstatic to have lived in the time of the Raj. He might even act like it still exists on his holiday there. I can’t imagine him having any interest whatsoever in India now, especially the slums.

      • vilebody says:

        Their itinerary is what really got me angry about the trip. He’s squeezed in his tour of the Mumbai slums in between a cricket match and Bollywood gala! Couldn’t they have used one of their “unplanned” days to visit the slums to give it at least a half day and its own news cycle?

  16. teacakes says:

    So these two layabouts are on their way to my country, eh? I hope they don’t embarrass themselves.

    Also, random: I knew the son of one of the people they’ll be meeting at that reception. He was a touch tryhard but a sweet boy and quite curious about the world and ideas in general. Didn’t know until a while ago that his dad was a Big Deal in Indian diplomatic circles.

  17. The Original Mia says:

    Pikachu!

    If they spend 20 mins actually talking to these people, I’ll be shocked. I’m sure we’ll see a variety of looks from both W&K to convey their interest in these people. Lots of full mouthed guffaws from Kate to convey hilarity.

    • Lady D says:

      Don’t forget her, ‘I’m serious and engaged in what you’re saying’ face. It looks so forced and calculated, and phony. Really, really phony.

      • LAK says:

        I read this in one of those black and white 1960s comedies where they describe someone as being a phoney, a real phoney….whilst sipping martini. Played by Lauren Bacall

    • anne_000 says:

      I wonder why she never seems to know how her hair would look like when she moves or on days with even a little bit of wind. Does she get her hair cut the day before an event so she doesn’t have enough time to test it out? Or does she just not care or does she think that wind-blown hair is sexy and therefore always a good look?

  18. Lauren H. says:

    I still do not understand why they don’t like doing these things. They get to dress up and meet lots of different people. Sounds like fun.

    • Tina says:

      That part I do understand. I hate making small talk more than anything else in the world (but I can speak to large crowds with no difficulty). You wouldn’t catch me marrying a royal though, it’s all they do.

  19. Maggie says:

    How is she supposed to hold her clutch and does she control the wind. Honestly this is like a mean girl thread. It’s high school mentality.

    • anne_000 says:

      I guess she could hold her clutch at her side or above her crotch sometimes, instead of pushing it into her crotch nearly all the time. Look at the other photos of royal women holding their clutches and handbags. Theirs are not always at the crotch area.

      As for the wind, she could try to remember that it exists and so prepare ahead of an event by wearing her hair up or controlled in some way like other grown up professional women do when they have to go to a business meeting outside of their office buildings. Also, she could put weights in her hemline like the Queen does and not wear flimsy fabrics that by the laws of physics will fly up in a strong breeze. Also, she could make sure not to have high slits in her dresses.

      Has she never been out on a windy day, especially as a professional career woman? *hahahaha*

      Or has Mama Carole always walked besides her all her life making sure her hair and dresses don’t fly up?

    • LAK says:

      She’s not the first woman or girl or man-with-longish-hair, to encounter windy conditions nor is she the first woman, girl to carry a clutch.

      Since she’s determined to copy Diana, perhaps more study is required to see how *she* carried her clutches.

      The Crown Princesses of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Japan, not to mention the Queens of Jordan, Spain, The Netherlands all have long hair. Some of yhem wear it down most of the time, and yet they manage not to look unkempt unlike our dear darling duchess.

      For goodness’s sake, Pippa is better turned out than Kate and her hair is never a mess.

      It’s not surgery.

      • Maggie says:

        There’s a YouTube video with the Swedish royals. Their dresses are blowing up, hair blowing and hats blowing off their heads and clutches in their crotch.

      • LAK says:

        Receipts or it didn’t happen, Maggie.

        Further, you are comparing one occasson against Kate’s 357 occassions? Really?

    • notasugarhere says:

      She also chose to wear a flimsy dress with a very high front slit, no slip, and didn’t weight the hem. Five years in, these basics should be just that, basics. When newspapers publish stories directed at a public figure detailing how she can weight the hem with curtain weights, it is bad.

      • Maggie says:

        There are photos of Letizia wearing a very short dress well above the knee. It’s very cute. There’s another with her hair blowing in her face. All on the dailymail. I’m sure you’ve seen it. There’s another of the queen herself struggling with the wind trying to keep her hat on and dress down. I’ve had my own Marilyn moments with gusts of wind that came up out of nowhere.

      • notasugarhere says:

        Twice in 65 years for HM iirc. Once at the airport for Letizia, she’s since weighted the hem on that dress. The Spanish Royal Family dress code is different than the British one, including hem length. They are more casual overall for everyday events, very few hats and fancy outfits except for big things, and they wear casual slacks outfits to Easter mass.

        In 5 years KM has had so many upskirts, bra flashings, high-cut flashing slits on skirts, that we cannot list them all in the space allowed.

      • Jaded says:

        @Maggie – stop. Remember Kate’s Marilyn moments? Barely any underwear? Knowing full well she was going to be on a windy airfield? William giving her blue bloody hell once the winds whipped up her flimsy dress to reveal pretty much nothing? She’s a member of the royal family, not a cute college student. She knows she has to dress appropriately, use skirt weights, not wear filmy dresses and butt floss underwear. These are not just hair moments, they are disrespectful and dunderheaded moments that show her total lack of understanding or caring about her role.

    • Emily C. says:

      There aren’t very many comments in this thread about her hair (or weren’t, until your post.) They’re mostly about how she and her husband don’t do any work. I agree, I think the hair stuff doesn’t matter — but that’s not what the vast majority of criticisms of her are.

  20. ABC says:

    Reception at KP??.. Hang on, WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN! I so hope someone responsible is able to get to Amner so hands-on Mummy Kate can leave them for a couple hours..

    • anne_000 says:

      I’m thinking that having this party…er reception at KP was to try to up the probability that W&K show up, even though both have a history of not showing up to KP events they were supposed to attend.

      Now they can’t use the excuse that they have to stay home with the kids since they could stay in their 22-room-plus apartment with all the nannies.

    • HyacinthBucket says:

      I expect Charlotte to develop an life threatening diaper rash so KM can’t attend.

    • Tough Cookie says:

      Thank God they have a helicopter in case they have to travel from Anmer.

  21. Canadian Becks says:

    I look at that helicopter hair and hear Gloria of “Modern Family” going, “Tikka-tikka-tikka”

  22. Starlight says:

    At least Jecca didn’t look like she had been doing lots of weight bearing exercises on her arms. The PR must be having a truce with the paparazzi – hope Kate wears a decent hemline and no wedges!

  23. Citresse says:

    I love Kate but she really needs to get to work.

    • Citresse says:

      PS- To clarify; love, as a source of mild amusement.
      It’s difficult to admire someone, who, from a stable background (such claims from Kate herself) close, caring family, with an education and all kinds of opportunities the majority of people don’t have, seems to contribute so little to the betterment of society. I wish I could say things will change with Kate but even as her children age; meaning she won’t have the childcare excuse in future, it seems she won’t really change. I’m still a little hopeful, but I think with Kate, this is as good as it gets.

  24. HyacinthBucket says:

    How many years of waiting did Katie again? The kid was at St Andrews, where they have people who actually teach you stuff. How about using the waiting period to get educated about British History (with the juicy bits left in) so she is actually informed about the country she intended to be Queen Consort of?

    The time she had, she could have received a PhD on British History and Politics if she was really interested in fulfilling her role.

    • Kaye says:

      Hyacinth, I so agree re the idle years spent waiting for the ring.

      It has always irritated me that she ‘forgot’ to be confirmed in the Church of England until the month before her wedding. Did it never occur to the girl that this might be important??

      • Tough Cookie says:

        We saw this past weekend how important the Church of England is to her. Sulking at Mummy’s house instead of attending services with The Queen.

  25. Tina says:

    The Guardian has outdone itself with this very special royals story. Anyone with an interest in the family owes it to him- or herself to read it: http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/apr/01/exclusive-royal-family-considering-dramatic-brexit-intervention

    • notasugarhere says:

      Nobody does tongue in cheek (or April Fools) better than the Brits.

    • Liberty says:

      ….wonderful, thanks for posting that link.

    • seesittellsit says:

      Oh, you beat me to it! I didn’t see your post before putting mine up!

      It is indeed worth a read!

    • Sixer says:

      That is a thing of beauty! They’ve got so much in there. Someone at the Grauniad has been paying attention, haven’t they?!

      Bestestest bit: “Prince Harry’s strong favourites Ant and Dec… particularly appealing to “people in the north with accents””.

  26. seesittellsit says:

    The Guardian has an April Fools column up claiming that the Royal Family are considering risking a constitutional crisis by coming out in support of remaining in the EU – only when it references the lousy PR Kate and William have been coming in for from the DM and the Sun do you realize it’s a put-on. It is quite funny and mentions the “Kate is now posher than the royals” charge. Took me a few paragraphs to get it – it’s fun!

  27. Liberty says:

    CHELSY is back in the press! Sebastion Shakespeare has the story, from the DM yesterday:

    “She’s been working with schools and local communities in South Africa,’ says a friend.
    ‘A lot of the money she makes from sales (of her new Aya Africa jewelry line) will go there.’

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3516553/SEBASTIAN-SHAKESPEARE-Prince-Harry-s-ex-heads-Zambia-research-upcoming-jewellery-line.html#ixzz44XFMMcV9

    • Betti says:

      Ooh – didn’t our very own ‘creative’ Duchess want at one point to launch a jewellery line? Think i t was after the childrens clothing line didn’t happen, the professional photography career didn’t happen and everything else that she said she wanted to do and didn’t follow throu.

      At least she’s showing a philanthropic side – not doing it for the PR space (some a certain Duke and Duchess are won’t to do).