Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced their engagement yesterday, and the day was full of royal coverage across all of the gossip/entertainment media. Most sites and media outlets drew comparisons between Meghan and the Duchess of Cambridge. I did as well, which caused a few minor sh-tstorms from Kate-defenders. It’s going to be a really long engagement stage if you Keen-fans get touchy every time Kate is mentioned alongside Meghan. Personally, I don’t think it bothers the Keen fans that Kate is mentioned alongside Meghan, I think it bothers them when comparisons are drawn and Kate is the one found wanting.
Anyway, I predicted that Meg and Harry would announce on Monday because I correctly read the tea leaves. Part of the “tea-leaf-reading” was that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were exceedingly extra in their public schedule last week, making unannounced appearances and suddenly being solicitous with photographers. Almost like they knew what was coming and they wanted to make sure no one forgot about them. Well, surprise, Kate also had to make a solo appearance today in London, at the Foundling Museum. Kate is normally so keen to disappear for weeks, sometimes months at a time. It’s remarkable that she chose the end of November to suddenly do, like, six events in the span of a week. It’s so special, and different.
Kate wore a polka-dotted and buttony Kate Spade dress for today’s appearance. Polka dots are like buttons built into the fabric!! This Spade dress is apparently from the Resort line and it’s not even being sold yet. Kate was especially keen to speak to the press today too, which is also very special and unique!
A day after her brother-in-law Prince Harry announced his engagement to Meghan Markle, Kate Middleton was all smiles as she stepped out for the first time since the big engagement news.
“William and I are absolutely thrilled,” she told reporters early Tuesday at the Foundling Museum in London. “It’s such exciting news. It’s a really happy time for any couple and we wish them all the best and hope they enjoy this happy moment.”
I mean, what is she going to say? “OY, I NEED EMERGENCY BUTTONS TO GET THROUGH THIS TRYING TIME.” We’ll see, y’all. I mean, there will be years and years of this. This is a gossip marathon, not a sprint. The Kate vs. Meghan comparisons will become an entire industry. And you know what? The Windsors are actually happy about that. If we’re talking about Kate and Meghan, that means we’re not talking about royal tax dodges and how much the Buckingham Palace repairs will cost.
See Princess Kate wish Prince Harry and Meghan well on their engagement pic.twitter.com/6oxL4rD4SF
— Simon Perry (@SPerryPeoplemag) November 28, 2017
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Her hair is great here. CHuckles at all the rest of it 😛
Her hair DOES look good here…. and I almost never think she has good hair lol. I’d love to see her go a little shorter, even.
I am going to be THAT person and say that those are not polka dots. It’s a diamond print, or are my eyes failing me? That being said, I love prints and polka dots and find this extremely boring. Chuckles at all the rest of it, indeed!
I think it is a diamond outline with a polka dot in the center of each diamond.
She doesn’t have good hair ’cause it isn’t “her” hair. She doesn’t even have much hair aka thick hair.
She wears extensions and/or wiglets.
She has some very good stylists at hand.
Anybody could look decent with the same amount of help and money. Stylists can make mediocre and thin hair look like a substantial sexy mane. See Kate Hudson. Or Angie.
I like her shoe color.
But WTH is she doing with her hands during her little remarks about the engagement.
Yeah the outfit is pretty good too. I have never had an issue with the things she wears though, so whatever 🙂
Grannie duch waitie middleton dots with a ton of hair – out and about in brand new reds.
This will balance the Dalmatians frock from other HG pregnancy. White stripes at hem is too much with dots and strip at the waist.
Those are her standard hand movements – watch any video of her talking to people and trying to look animated and that’s what she’s doing. I think some body language expert must have told her it communicates enthusiasm and makes her look more lively. Hahahahaha Maybe if you do it naturally, like the Italians! She looks like a marionette. Bless her though, she’s trying so hard.
same, love she changed her normal shoe style.
Meghan made it clear in that interview that she wants to be all over England, meeting everyone and hitting the ground running…so William and Kate will be needing to step up their game.
This.
Did it seem to anyone else that Meghan may be helping Harry to move out of the bullying shadow of Bill? I hope H&M don’t disappoint and work like troopers.
She was so supportive of him. It was really sweet. A little gushy but it’s their engagement day after all.
Yes I hope so. Harry has always been easily influenced by Bitter Bill and once they are married they will have their own household and staff. Its about time that Harry got his own media team – one that knows what they are doing.
I think Harry realizes this and it’s why he seemed moodier in the more recent trio visits because he knew he wouldn’t have to be the third wheel for much longer. He has someone supporting him now.
+1000
Totally agree – his own Line – Willnot can handle his mess without dragging Prince Harry to validate his Idle / I am a Prince ‘regular’ 3-some decoy.
+1 million @RedS thread.
)Off topic a tinsy bit – Dec 1 is the Christening of Prince Gabriel, Sweden – another classy regal event !
+1000
Notice waitie totally ignoring the young ladies im those stills high shoe –
3d photo is priceless -they stay out the way – “the ladies seem well aware wantie in those stills reds to be pap against Princess Sparkle engagement recycle. Sky high shoe with child.
@Royalsparkle
i didn’t actually notice she was ignoring the women, tho’ i did notice one young woman’s face. You’re utterly correct, she totally ignores them and is showing off. We talk about mental health yet I truly wonder how healthy is it to pretend to be something you’re not? or is that what we all do, when we go out to work every day? Put on our carefully cultivated accents and our best foot forwards? Good burn.
Not only all over England but the Commonwealth too! She’s truly seems ready to get Team Harry up and running.
As for Kate, she looked nice and she seemed engaged. If competition will breed a better work ethic from the Cambridges, then bring on the comparisons.
H and M interview:
Harry- (blushing) ‘I couldn’t be more thrilled, she’s The One, I’m so in love with her!!1!’
W and K interview:
William – (dead eyed) ‘I’m very happy’
LMAO RED! HAHA!
Yup, I do believe Harry and Meghan are marrying for love, William married for convenience and because Kate outwaited and outlasted everyone else – horrible basis for a marriage imo.
I dunno. I tend to think Harry and Meghan are in the honeymoon stage of their relationship. Of course they are giddy. Will and Kate had ten years behind them. Most people ten years in aren’t going to act like they did when things were still fresh.
I agree with Frisbee. William treated Kate terribly during the dating years; her mother kept them together when Kate wanted to walk away. There was one time when William disrespected Kate horribly and her mom brought them together to patch things up. It was all about social climbing for Carole—and now we see a miserable Kate a lot of the time. I feel sorry for Kate, but she didn’t have to listen to her mother. Also, Kate was the last one standing. I still remember when the Queen was worried about their union saying to someone that “there would be tears” in their marriage..I wish Kate forged her own path and married for love, not for power and status.
I don’t even remember the Will and Kate interview; all I remember is it seemed so dull.
Harry and Meghan, on the other hand, were so loving and authentic.
The Brits will bitch about her being an American (it’s inevitable), but they will enjoy her enthusiasm and sincerity. And the love…who could not be charmed by that? What a refreshing change!
“Our Ginger Prince, happy at last.”
@ ravensdaughter, I’m a Brit and I don’t care that Meghan is American, I don’t know any other Brits who do either.
This Brit doesn’t care what nationality she is either!
@RedSnapper
Yes, the differences in how Bill and Harry talked about the woman they will marry is quite striking.
Everyone I know is shouting GET THIS SHITE OFF MY TELLY ALREADY!
I dunno. If Katie Keen is as unkeen as we all like to call her around here, me especially, she’ll probably be thanking her lucky stars for Ms Sparkle. She can be unkeen as much as she likes if the spotlight is elsewhere.
LOL Red Snapper … exactly!
Sixer – I disagree. Waity will not at all enjoy being lesser in any way. The press will set them up as the Good Princess and the Bad Princess, and if Meg show up, smiles, is articulate and keeps her biscuit covered, the outcome of the comparison will be obvious. Carole will be furious! First her wife beating brother, now an American *actress*!! Pass the popcorn and open the wine!
Oh my, seems like a lot of people here have made up their own entertaining narrative about Kate and Wil.
I saw some of the H&M interview and have to agree with @Millenial that they seem still in the Honeymoon phase of the relationship, but who’s to say. It’s not every couple that has to go on tv explaining why they’re getting married.
@Sixer, I think W&K will be happy if someone else carries the load. Carole might not like it if the public and press embrace MM’s very private mother.
Victoria and Daniel were about halfway between the two IMO. Not in the engagement announcement with the king and queen, but in the later one as part of the photo call. They started dating in 2002 and announced their engagement in 2009.
Daniel was trying to be serious in that, still in the “how do I handle media” stage. Victoria burst out her happiness a couple of times, like when she mimicked herself saying ‘yes yes yes’ when he asked. Daniel’s wedding speech about Victoria is the Best Of the public examples. As he has gotten more comfortable being a public person, the way he talks about his wife has gotten even sweeter.
God I love it. Mizz Markle has actually done real charity work (and work work) before so we won’t be getting interviews from her where she talks about how much the Queen takes care of her grown ass self.
Show those keen kids that American work ethic, girl. Z-snaps.
She’ll have to learn the difference between England, the United Kingdom and Great Britain too then!
Yeah, I had the same thoughts from hearing the interview, Meghan is ready to hit the job running and really wants to meet people etc. Kaiser is right on about the ‘sudden’ availability and engagements we are seeing from K&W.
I’m not saying she won’t but isn’t that similar to something Kate said in her engagement interview? Saying something and doing something are quite different things, is what I’m saying.
And once Meghan realises how mind-numbingly boring most Royal work is, she might just follow her future husband’s lead and do as little as possible.
Kate did attempt to say she was going to work but didn’t say much when Bill suddenly stopped her, put his hand on her knee and said that she would do just fine with the royal duties. And the expression of contempt on his face was priceless. Of course they had do say they would work. Both couples said so.
But Harry had a much more comprehensive answer and a proactive demeanor. Both he and Meghan actually looked excited at the prospect of getting married and working as a team. And Meghan actually has something to show. She’s worked all her adult life with very steady work in the past seven years in a very competitive field. She got the job and was able to keep it for seven years. A job that hundreds of not thousands of qualified women wanted. Kate didn’t manage more than a few months at a part time and then again part time job in retail. An arts major with a degree from a top university buying fashion. Kate did not work before and it shows. She was not able to keep one job that we know of, because I don’t believe that she worked for the family business. She had to be available all the time for William. And being a working RF member is a tough and demanding job. Kate is simply unprepared for the job. She even said that she didn’t care what people think of her lack of work ethic. She may be prepared to be a wife and mother with dozens of help staff. Not by herself.
IDK, I think once they have kids Harry will want to hide out at his country pile for a few years like W+K did.
Plus. She is 36. Time to get pregnant. We will see how much hitting the ground running will really happen.
Acting involves hours and hours spent waiting and saying the same shit over and over again as though it’s your first time and doing so with a brightness and presence as though you really mean it. And then interviewing and pretending to be welcoming and interested in the interviewers and their questions. It’s a perfect bootcamp for boring royal work, it seems.
But they really doesn’t seem to want to. William has to be as spoiled as one can get and i am sure both him and kate will give spotlight easily.
I wonder if anyone at the Palace has asked Meghan to take a “back seat” to Kate, yet? (LOL … asking an American to take a back seat is pretty funny.)
I think Meghan and Harry will totally outshine William and Kate (by just doing and acting naturally) and W&K will be a non-interest. (Poor Carole is already in her lab making cocktails to put Kate back on the top shelf or on the lowest level of top shelves because she’s such a nothing.)
Seriously………Kate has two beautiful kids and another one due next year. Do you think really think she needs to up her game. When are you clowns going to stop pitting women against each other.
Kate will be the future Queen of England, don’t think she really cares what people say. Why they need to pit 2 women against each other? Not does it to the guys, besides they seem like they will be friends
She is pregnant, right? Can’t stand the dress but it works for someone with a bump.
Yeah, love the shoes, hate the dress. But I just hate polka dots…
She looks pretty, though. This pregnancy agrees with her.
She looks pretty and youthful here compared to some of her other looks. Shoes and bag are nice. Maybe Meghan will have her upping her style game. That’d be nice.
Those shoes are fabulous and this is the only time I’ve ever wanted one of Katy Keen’s shoes.
They are, aren’t they? She really upped her shoe game on this. But now she’ll probably wear them with everything.
Probably the best she has worn, but the bag, while very nice, is too matchy-matchy.
The shoes! Love them!
I think she looks like a school teacher in the dress. Although the shoes are a pretty color, they don’t really go with the dress. The dress is a bit too casual. The purse has got to go.
How many months pregnant is Kate? She barely looks as though she’s showing, especially since this is the third child. That amazes me.
3rd kid-the moment I peed on the stick and got a positive I had to wear maternity pants. I’m tall too-but I definitely showed a lot, and immediately, with each pregnancy.
long torso?
I would not for one second think this woman was pregnant if I did not know. It’s too weird.
I had my third last year and I’m overweight so you couldn’t tell as fast, but Kate is rail thin and you can’t tell at all. I think she’s four and a half/five months? Wow. That’s a magic dress!
I like the shoes and the purse. The hair is as unfortunate as ever. I don’t get why she likes wearing her hair in ways that age her.
The hair IS unfortunate. It’s shorter but still soooooo blah. Kate has the most boring hair. She should go back to putting it up.
I am not a fan of polka dots, never have been, never will be, and never will wear a polka-dotted dress. But I actually like that dress for her being pregnant. Maybe it’s the cut of it I like, with the higher waist for her pregnancy,which is flattering on her, and the white trim and band, or maybe it’s just that I like the color shoes she put with it. So,for once, I will give polka dots a pass as I think it’s nice on her during her pregnancy. Love her hair.
Damned if she doesn’t appear in public, damned if she does!!
And she looks fine.
Yeah. If she doesn’t make appearances she’s lazy. If she does it’s because she’s scared of Meghan showing her up. I’m not sure exactly what this site wouldn’t criticise her for.
Yeah. If she doesn’t make appearances she’s lazy. If she does it’s because she’s scared of Meghan showing her up. I’m not sure exactly what this site wouldn’t criticise her for.
Hey, are you stalking me? 😀
She’s lazy and has no fashion sense. A real nothing that people keep trying to make into a something. She’s a waste of time and money.
I know totally, she cannot inhale without being called out for it.
And am not a Kate Keener, it’s just about needlessly pitting women against one another.
I think it’s more that she is very calculated in her actions. She always has been – she did it with William and she continues to do it now.
I agree.
I agree. But I guess I must be a Keen fan even though the only awareness I have of her is through this site.
Doesn’t they always do a flurry of engagements around this time to get their numbers up?
Pretty sure that their unannounced visits aren’t kept secret from the fam…Dunno why that would be the case, just because they didn’t announce to the press that they would be arriving to scheduled events. The places knew they’d RSVP’s, it just doesn’t need to be advertised. They aren’t being extra, they’re just working – which is what they’re constantly accused of not doing. Plus, Harry and Meghan clearly didn’t want a massive media frenzy, so having all the tabloids fully engaged in coverage about K&W really worked out in their favor. It was a controlled release. I don’t understand the interpretation wherein the Middletons are somehow great schemers (so the Windsors are all chumps duped by these upstarts or something? Wut?) and Kate is super hostile. Maybe that’s the joke? Because she’s clearly so nice irl that it’s humorous to cast her as some super villain?
Either way, I’m glad to have a new duchess to fangirl out about as well. I read somewhere that it’s possible that they’ll all go to the Star Wars premiere in London. That’d be incredible. I NEED THIS FOR CHRISTMAS.
Agreed.
And I really like her shoes here.
I actually really like this dress, and I like that she paired it with red shoes to bring out the red in the dress, not black or navy (Cant tell which color the dress is.) I don’t like the matching clutch but its Kate, so its expected.
And she did an indoor event and did not wear a coat! and talked to the press!
I feel like those things are all big, sudden improvements.
I wonder if Kate and Will realize that a little sharing with the press goes a long way. It was talked about on here – not sure if Kaiser did it or it was in the comments – about how Meghan and Harry were letting just enough spill about their lives that it made them seem more real – talking about Julia Samuel, how their date nights were spent at home, etc – it was nothing super personal, nothing super revealing, but just enough to make people say “awww.” This is something where I have always felt like Will and Kate miss the mark. they are so protective of every aspect of their lives but in reality the tidbits like “George likes to play trucks” or whatever go a long way to making people feel positive about you as a person.
Don’t know if that makes sense.
it totally does make sense, Becks. And I like the dress and shoes and agree re clutch and it is Kate, so there’s that. Did not wear a coat good. Talked to the press (probably coached, which is cool that she ‘worked’ and practised her statement in her ‘accent’. Man, I want to hear her just talk. Like a normal person. She’s so worried about how she sounds, she forgets what’s she’s saying.
I disagree that these are big, tho’ do agree they are sudden, improvements. And your whole last paragraph is brilliant. Thank you for having the thoughts and worlds I didn’t!
Every time I see Kate, I get this sad like, “awww, poor dear.” Thing going on. She’s not great at the public thing. I kind of get embarrassed. And then I see Megan and I’m like, “Yeah girl!!! Preach!” I LOVE Megan. Kate is too bland.
Yes, Meghan seems so much more at ease, confident, happy and articulate. Kate’s statement felt planned, not very well executed and incredibly stilted. It seemed clear that she had been instructed to walk directly to the press, allow one question, give her pre-written answer and then walk away. She can’t help the fact that she is not good in public but it is a shame that she’s not better at engaging, given the nature of her role and the time she had to put in to get it.
Something good, shoes and bag looked great. Um…thought dress was ok… er, at least she was out doing something.
And ‘ENTHUSIASM’. Meghan has enthusiasm. Kate wouldn’t know enthusiasm (or genuine keeness) if it stood up in her soup.
this.
it was a planned statement fine. but say it like you mean it. she is such a bad public speaker and after meghan’s triumph yesterday it just looks so much worse.
Someone else wrote yesterday that the difference is that Meghan is an extrovert and Kate is an introvert so naturally it would be more difficult for Kate to engage with people. As an introvert myself, I can sympathize to a certain extent BUT Kate chose this role – unlike Will or Harry, she wasn’t born into it; and surely with all the resources at her disposal, she could hire speaking coaches and other experts to teach her the ropes.
@The Hench, I get what you’re saying, but she CAN help the fact that she’s not very good in public. Public speaking and presenting is a skill. Like any other skill it can be learned and needs to be practiced. I should know–I do this for a living; teaching people how to be confident and communicate effectively. It’s easy, too! Just a few key skills, lots of practice, and you’re golden. In her case the ‘lots of practice’ part seems to be missing.
I have to say that I prefer Kate’s more reserved style. Meghan’s enthusiasm sounds phony to me and I’m not sure that I buy it. Not all people need to be gushing, enthusiastic, outgoing and in your face. It would be a boring world without the introverts among us.
I think Kate’s reserved style probably suits where she is, in keeping with her husband’s position. I don’t think she’s interesting necessarily, but I’d probably find her more annoying if she was putting on an outgoing personality for the sake of it.
There were times Meghan seemed “on” in that way actresses are supposed to be. I don’t think it was wrong, but we criticize so many other actresses for having that quality when they’re at the Oscars or wherever, it’s funny to see it being lauded in the context of being a royal wife.
It’s because Meghan has charisma and Kate does not.
(And before ya’ll come for me, I’m not trying to hate on Kate, just stating a fact).
If this forces Kate to up her game, then everybody wins.
Agreed. I’m not a Kate-hater. I think she has a more quiet personality. But Meghan is totally charismatic and so well spoken-most people would look bland in comparison.
It also helps that she’s an actress and used to being in public speaking. I’m all for kate upping her game (esp with charities) but some people are so extra trying to force ill will into everything
I don’t think either has a lot of charisma. Meghan is an actress who is poised and confident, but I don’t necessarily think she’s charismatic either. On Suits, she definitely wasn’t as charismatic as the other characters on the show. She’s outgoing, but I think that’s different from being charismatic.
On Suits I don’t think she was supposed to have ‘charisma’ the person she played lacked self confidence and seemed the very opposite of who Meghan is. That is why I was so surprised at the engagement interview, i was expecting Rachel.
I think she was supposed to have charisma on some level. She was one half of the leading couple on that show. When you become the romantic interest, you have to be able to make the audience care what happens to both you and the man you are paired with. Yet I liked it better when they were apart.
What I suppose I mean to say is that she didn’t have the charisma or anything extremely compelling about her to make me interested in what her character was going through. She’s very pretty, but that’s not enough to command a screen as an actress. That’s why becoming a princess will be great for her. She won’t have her limitations as an actress exposed in her new public role.
I don’t think it’s Kate’s fault that she lacks charisma. It really isn’t. She’s just that type. The Queen is another such type. It’s not a bad thing, and I don’t like it being referred to as such because it’s just what it is.
The problem with Kate is that she doesn’t put in the work required of her job. The Queen does. She is not a natural at it, and she never has been. But she works hard (within the context of her job lol) and it shows. Like someone else says, public speaking and presenting is a skill. You can have a flair for it like Meghan and still do poorly if you don’t practice.
Also, I’m seeing this whole introvert/extrovert crap getting thrown around this comments section, and nearly everyone is getting it….so wrong, lol. Those things are not identities like people assume they are, and to see people misuse those terms is painful.
@Montréalaise, Kate has proven time and time again that she is not an introvert. She plays the introvert role now, the “snowflake” some people call her. Before the wedding she played in school theater plays. At university she ran in a fashion show with very, very bare clothes. She and her sister were photographed all the time all grinning and smiling. She has repeatedly shown her bare a~~ and was happy to meet celebs. She is lazy, plain and simple lazy, and IMHO extremely arrogant as she does not meet some minimum requirements: show up steadily at functions particularly with charities, keep composure and do not flash, express interest through reading, research and making meaningful conversation. It’s almost 2018. Previous royal women, by blood or through marriage have survived childbirth without top notch medical assistance like she has, and even armed wars and bombing. Kate has absolutely no excuse.
I agree. Kate is not an introvert. William wants her to be one. She seemed very social in her younger years and had no problem falling out of cars drunk and wearing short dresses.
She is insecure in her role period. She is a poor public speaker and top that trying to do it in her fake accent makes it even more excruciating. She is terrified of making a mistake and embarrassing William. He never seems to be proud of her.
@SOULSPA and even if Kate is an introvert, she still has to perform a job. The fact that she is “shy” should not preclude her from performing the duties assigned to her. It doesn’t work that way for regular people; we have duties that may not be our strength but we are obligated to take them on. That is how we learn and grow.
@Zondie, I totally agree: we learn and grow. Learn and grow from experience, dealing with sometimes tough circumstances. Smooth seas don’t make sailors. There are so many ways to improve ourselves and do a good job personally and professionally. I will repeat myself and say that Kate has been in a state of arrested development since she started dating William with very very little improvement and nothing that I can think of that she could do by herself other than walking and grinning. She cannot even give a relatively good speech, a speech made by someone else and written in her native tongue. Nothing remarkable to make people say wow, she’s done it so well, good job! She’s been married for six years? One can get a top university degree in less time, say four years, get some work experience at the same time and some more experience in two more years. She is not even able to speak properly, again in her own language. And thinking that she’s been with him ten years before the wedding. She’s such a poor choice for the BRF. I have the feeling that Bill only married her because she was the last one standing. He needed a wife and children.
I am an extrovert but do not like public speaking. However, I am President of my organization and I have to make speeches on occasion. I have my script, but I am not reading it. I try to engage the audience. The last speech she made I could not believe that she was starring at her script and just bopping her head up a few times. She needs to work with a coach. She is awful.
Diana was painfully shy at first but she rolled up her sleeves and got at it. Look how she turned out – you can develop your speaking and people skills even if they’re not innate. Kate just doesn’t give 2 f*cks. Meghan, on the other hand, has worked hard in an industry that’s all about communicating. She’s also done a great deal of humanitarian work down in the trenches with UN Women, campaigning for gender equality, girls’ education, and works as a global ambassador for World Vision Canada. She’s studied theater and international relations – now compare her to Kate… *crickets*
You can be an introvert and be in plays and fashion shows. That’s not what that means. And being chatty with your sister (who is probably your best friend) doesn’t mean you’re an extrovert either. She doesn’t seem like someone with a lot of close friends, and she appears to enjoy being at home or shopping alone. All signs of being an introvert. That said-as Karen says-if it’s your job, you use all the resources at your disposable to improve your performance. The Queen isn’t natural with people or public speaking either-but she clearly has practiced it a bazillion times to be better at it.
I don’t know if this is entirely fair. Being an introvert/extrovert is not defined by
how sociable you are within contexts you enjoy. Nor is it directly about shyness. Besides behaviour is highly contextual. Also, I am all for work and practice, but certain situations are so anxiety-inducing that working on bettering them can be difficult too. I have found this incredibly frustrating myself: I know what I need to do to get better at my job, but certain aspects of it are so irrationally frightening to me (exacerbated by childhood trauma) that I avoid them. It does not make “common sense” but human psychology is complex.
Extrovert means that you feed off other people’s energy. Introvert means other people’s energy drains you. Don’t quote me, but that is my understanding of the difference.
I don’t think shyness has anything to do with either. I also don’t necessarily think shyness is a negative. It can work in certain contexts. I don’t think everybody has to be yapping all the time. Look at Susan Sarandon — she yaps and yaps all the time. Clearly, it’s not effective in her case.
I always arrive at the same place of feeling kind of bad for Kate, too. I mean, she’s a bit lazy and very privileged, but she’s also the girl who’ll always be second (or lower) best who now must pretend she isn’t. Just an average girl elevated to a high position and not equal to it.
I find it hard to feel bad for her when she fought for this role for YEARS and chose it for herself. Her being “elevated” was not passive like William, born into it – she chose to marry a future King and elevate herself.
If she wanted it so bad, she should’ve recognized she had to improve her own skills in order to succeed. But she wanted to carry on doing the same old, same old Kate, instead of rising to the challenge of marrying the heir (to the heir). I’m sure she loves that people feel bad for her, since it doesn’t require any extra work on her end.
Edit
This is one of her cancelled engagements from the begin of her pregnancy.
It was said from the beginning she will make all the visits as soon as she feels better.
She looks super healthy and happy lately.
Yup. It’s been on the calendar for a while rescheduled, and she had another one tomorrow too i think. So you know it’s just competition with Meghan.
Nevermind she’s always busy in November before the quiet of the Christmas season.
That’s what I was thinking – Will and Kate always do a flurry of events at the end of the year to get their numbers up.
..and then take off for a 3-6 week luxury vacation. They do this every year. They’re like the Vancouver Canucks. Get your hopes up every time, just to let you down again.
On some level, I’m okay with the comparisons — at least as it relates to work-related events. I’m less okay with comparisons about aging/youthfulness, fashion choices, etc…
But I’m also guessing Kate has had this event booked for a while? She shouldn’t cancel just because Harry and Meghan made their announcement yesterday, especially as it seems they weren’t sure what day the news was going to drop.
Yeah, this. Honestly, what happens if Meghan turns out to do just as little as Kate? People are holding her up on this giant pedestal – and it’s really not healthy. I don’t understand the need to tear Kate down at every chance – she some things worth criticizing … but there seems to be a weird kind of personal aspect to it all as if it’s a win for some people whenever she messes up.
Personally – I don’t really care enough about either of them to feel strongly either way. Good for Meghan if this is what she wanted. Good for Kate if this is what she wanted. As long as they’re not putting out hate-speech and other evils into the world, I don’t really care about how they wear their hair or how many buttons they have on their clothes.
ETA: this was a reply to Nicole who’s post got deleted, I guess? But I think mine can work as a standalone for the most part.
I also don’t care much about either one of them, and that’s why I don’t understand why there’s so much dislike of Kate and so much love for Meghan. After Meghan gets married, she might not be able to wear ripped jeans, short dresses, all the stylish clothes everyone likes, and she might end up dressing boring like Kate.
It must be the excitement of a royal wedding and marriage of Harry being with an American woman who is beautiful and wasn’t well known until they got together that’s got Meghan on such a giant pedestal.
We’ll see how it all ends up going, and I hope the whole family is happy together forever
I didn’t see Nicoles comment
Kate was promoted as the most educated royal bride ever and was going to hit the ground running… but then she was going to take time to decide about which charities she wanted so she would start slow. And then she was pregnant with George and couldn’t do it, and then she wanted maternity leave… the excuses have been piling on for seven years. William is also to blame because he is lazy too, but a lot of the criticism of Kate relates to unfiflled promises and raised expectations. If Meghan ends up not delivering then she will be criticized too. But Harry seems smarter about knowing what to say to the press. And who knows maybe they will live up to expectations.
I would love it if Meghan received a noteworthy Royal Order within a few years while Kate continued to go without. It would speak volumes to what the Queen thinks of the Duchess and her work ethic.
Well, Meghan would need to put in the work first before she receives anything. Otherwise why would you love it?
Yeah Meghan’s charity work is being intensely inflated. Apparently it only adds up to a few weeks spread over several years.
Nothing wrong with that per se, but that Diana 2.0 narrative is setting her and the public up for a disastrous clash if she doesn’t meet the impossible expectations that the PR is creating now.
This isn’t an insult to Meghans character, it’s a side-eye to the PR-management teams.
Mind you, Diana did not become Diana-humanitarian with marriage, but with divorce from the royal family.
I think Meghan is being setup for a terrible fall among the gossip crowd too. She was a middling actress on a somewhat popular American TV show and did a bit of charity work. She was hardly curing cancer or saving the world or working all that hard either, nor was she Grace Kelly either. Nothing against her, as she seems like an average American woman of 36. Kate was a Brit and grew up in a more affluent lifestyle, and was quite a bit younger when she was first married William. Plus Kate married the future King of England, a lot more pressure on W&K than on Harry and Meghan. I’m hoping Meghan does well too, but I think her issue may be more the American versus British lifestyle. There is a difference from the East versus the West Coast of America in the people and attitude. This may be a bit different to her, plus all the crazy pressure of Royalty too. Looks fun looking in as an American, but probably much less fun living it. Still if it makes a fashion war between Kate and Meghan, I’m all for it. I think the Kate Spade dress is different for Kate and cute and the shoes really are great and an enormous improvement. Yes, the monarchy I’m sure would much rather like this talk then the other about how they maybe should not exist anymore. Big win all around!!!!
Average American women of 36 are not on television shows or UN Womens Advocates. I don’t think she’s curing cancer or a movie start-but she’s certainly done more than most “average” women.
I don’t think she’s done more than most average 36 year old women. Some are postgraduates and are in highly skilled professions. I don’t necessarily think she’s done a lot less either. I don’t really think of being on a television show as being the height of accomplishments nor do I think it’s the bottom of accomplishments either — it’s simply a different kind of career. It’s not better, not worse, just different.
I think she’s in the same middle-ground as most women her age, but with a better salary. It’s probably her salary that makes what she does as a living look attractive, but what she’s actually accomplished is not necessarily more than what other women of 36 have done, imo.
POLKA-DOTTED dresses are so old-fashioned ,anyroad ,her scarlet stiletto court shoes remain the only saving grace of her outfit
I meant to comment on the post with Meghan and Harry’s first interview yesterday but forgot.
I just chuckled a bit to myself when Meghan said something about them meeting that it was spontaneous and that she didn’t know anything about him and she was glad she knew about his life threw him and not any other way. Like, we’ve heard so many stories about how Carol arranged everything for Kate to be with William and all. Anyways, I’m not saying it was shady or a purposeful comment. Just thought it was funny.
And um, after various appearances wearing coats and not taking them, it gives me chills to see her with a dress that seems to be a bit thin and everybody else is wearing heavy coats.
Agree!!!!! I didn’t believe she didn’t know about Harry. OMG, what a statement. I saw the engagement interview quite late in my time zone and had a good giggle. I am sure that most of things were just fed up to the public. They have the right to privacy and say what they want, the thing is that they made it like bad actors. So I didn’t believe most of the things they said.
Americans do not pay that much attention to the RF with the exception of Diana. I am not surprised she did not know anything about him except that he was a Prince and his tragedy.
Agree with you @Karen. Of my friends, I might be the only one who is familiar with the RF (and that’s only because I started reading Celebitchy).
I took it she meant she did know who he was, she just didn’t know anything substantial about him because she never paid attention to any of it beyond the “common facts”. She got to know him in a private setting with no previous “knowledge” of his “reputation”.
If I asked a bunch of my (American) friends who he is (prior to yesterday when they were splashed all over the news) I can guarantee the majority of them would not know anything about him other than he’s a red head (maybe) and Diana’s son. I’m sure she knew that much. Growing up in LA, I’m going to guess she didn’t follow the BRF very carefully. Her mom doesn’t appear to be into “fluff” which is really what it would be here.
TBF the DoLittles normally up their engagement game at this time of year to up end of year numbers – but yeah i think that given the heads up on the engagement they’ve gone a little extra. She seems to do more engagements when pregnant.
But is she wearing pantyhose?
😉
OK, has anybody seen the part in the movie “Apollo 13” where the astronaut wives are coached on what to say about their husbands’ space launch? “We’re just pleased and proud, and thrilled.” That’s Kate right there. Maybe one day she’ll both rehearse for a predictable question AND make it sound natural.
That dress seems too……sister-wife. Or Little House on the Prairie,
Notice that she didn’t say anything nice about Meghan in particular, just “it’s a happy time for any couple.”
There wasn’t one positive, personal thing she could have said about her future SIL as a person?
Is she obliged too?. I don’t recall Prince Charles saying anything regarding Meghan specifically in his statement/talk to the press.
You’re right. He did not. The BRF doesn’t usually do “personal” in comments-so not sure why Kate is being held to a different standard.
Out at an event, when asked, I thought it sounded fine, that they are thrilled for the couple.
‘William and I are absolutely thrilled. It’s such exciting news.
‘It’s a really happy time for any couple. And we wish them all the best and hope they enjoy this happy moment.’
Camilla did – her statement was lovely. It was personal, welcoming, and even a bit political in a quiet sort of way.
Cams said: ‘It’s brilliant and as I said, America’s loss is our gain. We are all absolutely delighted. As you can see, they are so happy. Sometimes, you know, in a climate where we are surrounded by a lot of bad news, it’s a real joy to have some good news for once.’
I was going to mention Camilla but someone beat me to it. Camilla was sincere and when you watch the clip you can tell that she actually met Meghan more than once and really likes her.
Kate’s stiffness could simply be awkwardness but she knew she was going to be speaking to the press today about this and this is all she could come up with?
I thought perhaps Kate hadn’t met Meghan yet and that was slightly reflective of her statement. The relationship between Harry and Meghan seems newish somewhat and I could see Kate and William not having met her for that reason.
She may have also been terrified of saying anything that could be construed as envious or used against her in the future. I know I would be, if I’ve seen how the press works.
Camilla’s statement is warm, but anytime that lady speaks about William and Harry’s moments, I just think Diana should be the one getting the chance to saying it. And no, I’m not saying Camilla shouldn’t have the chance to say something either (she does have to say something, of course, since she’s married to Charles), but it is at times like this that you can suddenly picture what Diana has missed out on. Camilla has stepped into the place of appreciate mother-in-law, and it is kind of jarring at times to see.
Kate is just really bad at delivering statements. The palace should have let her use her own words.
Meghan praised Kate in her engagement Interview. They know and like each other. I bet we will see these two giggling together many times. Heads will implode around here.
I highly doubt the palace gave Kate a word for word statement to repeat. She is just bad at making statements. End of.
Who are you to tell someone end of? That’s so dismissive and rude.
When another internet commenter is rude to me then I give back. See her comment below. Who are you to determine etiquette on Celebitchy? Besides, there is zero evidence that Buckingham Palace or Kensington Palace ordered Kate to repeat a word for word message on this issue.
Ollie wasn’t rude to you. No one was rude at all in this thread but you.
No, she’s not obliged to, but it seemed very cold and like she could have been saying it about anyone. It was so clear she wanted to answer the question, get it over with and walk away as quickly as possible. One of her fan sites called it an “interview.” It was one question! She can’t even converse like a normal person for ten seconds.
Considering this is the first time she’s being asked about Meghan specifically, she could have said one nice thing about her, no? Meghan said yesterday that Kate has been wonderful, so clearly they’ve spent some time together. Her statement was just very generic, and not even said with much warmth or genuine enthusiasm.
It doesn’t have to be super-personal, but she could have said something like “it’s been so nice getting to know Meghan and the kids are excited to have another aunt” …something, *anything* kind.
Camilla’s statement was much better — and I don’t even like Camilla much, but credit where credit is due. Her words really make you feel that she and the family like Meghan and are happy for Harry.
@Lorelai
The reporter didn’t ask her what she thought of Meghan the question was ‘How did you feel about yesterday’s royal wedding announcement?’ Kate answered that question correctly saying she was happy for the couple – it was short, sweet and to the point. Exactly how I would have done it. I see nothing wrong there. The nit-picking over every little thing is getting ridiculous now.
Yeah I noted that, and it kind of annoyed me. Like say the lady’s name Kate.
.
I do love her shoes. As for her and Meghan, I think both will be fine with each other.
I think they will bond over eyeliner and be just fine because Will and Harry are close.
The extra weight has done her some good. She looks fresh faced. But that dress is not very youthful. I think MM will outshine her and I think Kate may have issues with how at ease MM is in the public eye.
Hopefully, Kate will pick up some tips about public speaking from her. I honestly think Kate’s biggest problem is she is afraid she’ll say something to piss off Will. It makes her stilted in her speeches and affects how she deals with the public/everyone.
Lady D, i hope you are wrong because is very upsetting to think that she is scared of a misstep due her fear of Will. Much easier to chuck it up to lack of work ethic and being spoiled. But I think you may have a point. The body language between her and Will are so different compared to PH and MM
Whenever I see Kate my first instinct is always, ‘not for all the money and privilege in the world do I want to be in her shoes.’ I don’t know if her job is easy or hard but she makes it look SO uncomfortable. She might be growing into the role but she certainly doesn’t look or act as if she is.
It isn’t that unusual to see her and William do so much this time of year- it’s he end of year flurry to get their numbers up. She was also going extra hard in their today.y fav pic has her maniacally laughing when no one around her is even looking at her.
And could her statement be any more boring and impersonal? She could be congratulating some random person in the world with this statement.
Those pictures of her laughing away when the kids are stone faced are hilarious.
The kids were busy crafting.
Kate was laughing with the women sitting opposite her. You know how cameras work, right? You have to look at the photos from the other angle too. And the ones where Kate was playing with the super happy kids.
It doesn’t make the pictures any less hilarious. Clearly the press wanted to post the pics making her look silly. After seven years of being rude to them this is their revenge.
Sky news journalists have already started comparing both women saying things like Kate had to wear protocol clothes but Meghan can be more adventurous with her outfits as she isn’t in line to the throne. In fact one journo said that Megs would bring a new type of Hollywood glamour. Firstly tick box Meghan she wore a coat from a small unknown designer and not high street secondly when walking up the stairs at the sunken garden after the interview you could see her knicker line tick box again she was wearing a decent pair of knickers by the looks of it unlike Kate who seems to like wearing a thong with a blow away skirt.
How long is it since she wore a thong with a blow away skirt?
She has been better lately. But it took way took many fly ups incidents for her to figure out that she needed her skirts weighted. One flashing incident should have been enough. She started this job at 30 and not 13.
I think she finally got a royal ticking off to stop flashing her bits and started wearing weighted hems, etc. I doubt you’ll be seeing anymore flimsy little wrap dresses and thongs.
They said the exact thing about Fergie (she could have fun with her clothing versus Diana) and then the media destroyed her later.
I like this look today. But, the full length photos illustrate why hemlines are not even when you wear non-maternity when you’re pregnant. That aside, the dress looks nice on her and I like the shoes and handbag. If that part in her hair was on the side, I’d like the hairstyle better.
Kate’s skin looks really great when she’s pregnant.
I LOVE the style and lines of the dress on her…and I LOVE that FINALLY…Kate is in a shoe that’s showcasing the season’s hottest color and one that compliments the style of her outfit perfectly…those polka-dots though…no…and her hair is GLORIOUS! But, for anyone that does a middle part…just…don’t…everytime I see Kate, I just want to pull out my rat-tail comb, sit her between my legs…grab her head…and put her part of the side!!! (I’m talking to you too Gwinny & Jennifer)
This was so funny when I pictured it! I bet she’s tender-headed.
She looks nice although I loathe polka dots.
I want to know how she manages to never have a run in her nylons. I can’t keep a pair for very long.
I hate polka dots with a passion! Would look so much better in simple colours or with another print.
But i love the cut. I have different dresses in that style.
Damn dots!
I love the dress itself, too. Dots, no.
I don’t think they’re polka-dots…it looks like a diamond pattern close up.
Ollie – buying a size larger than yours helps, and, of course, keeping an extra pair at hand (maybe even in the handbag, though I doubt it) is a must. Old model trick. ; )
I totally agree with you, Lainey. She didn’t seem happy at all when she made the statement about being happy about Harry and Meghan. Honestly, I think she is jealous. She is afraid Meghan will outshine her—and she will. Also, it is evident that Meghan and Harry have that special something in their relationship that William and Kate don’t have; it’s passion. William dumped Kate so many times during their relationship and humiliated her (calling her the mattress etc.); she was the last woman standing. I don’t think William treats Kate very well. Seeing Harry treat Meghan so well probably bums her out. Hence, the not so enthusiastic statement from Kate..Sometimes, I feel sorry for her—that she followed her mother’s dream for herself not her own. She seems as if she is miserable and stuck; it’s sad, but that’s what she signed up for.
Will called Kate “The Mattress”?! WTF
No, that was a term used by a few members of the press and apparently the RPOs.
Ok so I’m not shading a pregnant lady because it’s never right for any reason, however the weight she is here is *perfect* for her body structure. She needs to carry this weight after the baby is born. She looks fantastic!
Although I can’t stand polka dots, it is good to see Kate looking so radiant and healthy.
Is it just me or did her face fall as she walked away from the reporter after giving her response to the engagement news? Does anyone else think she may have serious emotional issues?
Got the same vibes. She seemed very sulky… :\
Its just you. You’re projecting your ’emotional issues’.
I think it was relief. She knew she had to do it, is uncomfortable speaking with the press, and was quite glad it was over with.
Meghan has the potential to be the next Diana in humanitarian work, if you ask me. Her passion, as well as Harry’s, were so evident in the interview – I was shocked that she already has a plan for smaller orgs and the Commonwealth. Did Kate ever acknowledge the Commonwealth? I wonder. The only thing that worries me is that WK’s handlers will block Meghan. Cannot imagine them being happy with the younger couple outshining them. What do you guys think?
@VICSY That’s amazing that Meghan has already drawn up plans for her humanitarian efforts! I hope she doesn’t meet resistance. However, she probably will, for reasons you stated and because doing good work is never as easy as planned. There will be bigger egos, red tape and perhaps the “grey men” that Diana mentioned. But hopefully the loving couple will use their savvy and overcome most of these obstacles.
Sophie was equally prepared. She’d drawn up a list by her wedding day and visited them all by 6mths into her marriage.
Whilst maintaining her job at the company she had founded.
For the first 2 years, she combined working at the company AND royal duties. And it didn’t look like William or Harry’s version of the same.
Sophie doesn’t get enough credit.
I don’t believe Kate has ever truly been comfortable in the limelight so I doubt very much that she will resent Meghan’s popularity. Comparing an inherently quiet English woman to a product of Los Angeles Hollywood culture is apples to oranges. (I lived there for years and still spend a lot of time there and yes, the show biz aspect of life is pervasive even if you’re not directly involved in it.)
I thought maybe she’d prefer that Meghan take some of the spotlight. The more spotlight you have the more likely you are to face criticism.
I was surprised when it was mentioned how upset Carolyn Bessette was when Diana died, because it had never occurred to me that she’d prefer someone like Diana taking more off the media attention away from she and the husband.
Kate may like a lot of attention, but maybe not that much either. I think you can have a love-hate relationship to attention (which maybe Bessette had).
Lets compare their work ethic, maybe then Kate will start taking her role seriously and actually do something other than 10 engagements a year and a lot of shopping. She can do better and maybe Meghan will be the fire she needs to start moving.
This is going to be interesting. When Fergie married Andrew, a lot was made out of the fact that Fergie and Diana were buddies (at the time.) And they were Sloane Rangers with similar social circles and backgrounds.
These two women are so very different. When Waity was working a few days a week buying accessories for her parents’ friend’s company, Meghan was out hustling in an industry notoriously tough to break into. She has never had anything handed to her. She also seems a smarter than Harry, and Harry seems to know that (and accept it.)
Meghan may end up being the next Diana in her willingness to work and disinterest in pomp and snobbery, and buy this obsolete institution some time.
Agree that Meghan seems smarter than Harry—by a WIDE MARGIN. And God bless him he seems to know it and respect it.
See..think Harry seems a lot more intelligent and aware than his brother and is very smart. He isn’t a intelligent conversationalist per say but he is making smarter choices when it comes to the media, his very active charity work and the people he appears with in public. He has way better PR mind than William and you can’t be a dummy with that mindset. Harry is smart.
I didnt have an opinion on MM other than she at times seems a bit much, the VF article quotes, in the engagement itw she stressed that she never had read about Harry because she is American (really? Because Americans seem to follow the Royals quite well actually), “is he nice” to her friend (who notoriously has been close to the Harry’s circles for years) etc. Also the amount of irrational love she gets vs. the avalanche of disdain and sarcasm against Kate is disproportionate. Talk about pitting women against each other. Kate is probably content about the family she is creating, she has healthy adorable children and it’s probably her main joy. I only wish for MM to adjust better to the role than Kate has and her and Kate to go along well.
Lovely dress !
In regards to the comparisons, between Meghan and Catherine, may I suggest the possibility that people are reading a bit too much into this ?
I have no doubt Meghan is a fantastically charming person however, to Brits, she is hardly the breath of fresh air Americans believe her to be. Even her being black is hardly relevant or shocking ! Harry ‘sixth in line” Windsor is at a point when he is firmly descending into monarchical irrelevance (which will only get more visible as William’s children grow older); as such, his choice of spouse is quite inconsequential to the Firm… Now, had future King William chosen to marry a divorced American black woman, I doubt the Windsors (and perhaps the British public) would have been nearly as welcoming !
As for Meghan’s “novelty” in relation to her personality, it is also fairly non-existent. She is basically Sarah Ferguson 2.0 : upper middle class, used to have something resembling a job before marrying into royalty, charming, vivacious, obviously enamoured, etc.
In the same way, Harry’s public image is a redux of that of a young Prince Andrew : while the older brother (Charles/William) is viewed as dull/lazy/uptight , the younger one is celebrated for his fun-loving style and military service (Andrew was in the Falklands, Harry in Afghanistan). Hell, we could even go back to the way young Elizabeth and Margaret were portrayed in the press for an extra historical precedent.
Therefore, we can all deduce where this is going. After a short-ish honeymoon period, the novelty of Harry and Meghan is going to wear off as the true heirs to the throne get more coverage and the British press is going to view the once-golden couple as fair game… It is going to get very ugly very fast ! The worst part is that i doubt either Harry or Meghan are truly prepared for it. Harry has always been protected by his father’s and brother’s shadow (he got away with dressing up as a Nazi and being photographed naked, for Pete’s sake) so I do not think he is braced for what is coming. Similarly, Meghan’s profile as an actress was always obscure enough that she never found herself at the centre of a media blitz of the magnitude the British tabloids can create.
“(she) used to have something resembling a job before marrying into royalty” Seriously? Last time I checked, being an actress was an actual job.
Of course it is. Just as Sarah Ferguson’s occupation in a PR company, then an art gallery and a publishing firm were actual jobs.
My main point was that neither Meghan nor Sarah, while both working women before their royal engagement, ever experienced much of the 9-to-5, paycheck-to-paycheck lives most people do. And, professionally speaking, they were never “top dogs” : Sarah did not abandon a position as CEO of anything to marry Prince Andrew and Meghan is not giving up on an Oscar-winning career to live with Prince Harry.
42istheanswer-there is no comparison to Fergie. She went to secretarial college. Meghan went to Northwestern University one of the top universities in the US. I always thought Fergie was a ditz. Meghan is very bright and articulate.
I also believe Harry has grown up since his younger antics. Unfortunately Andrew is still a jerk.
U r quite negative. Let us see how this plays out.
William and Kate continue to be unremarkable after being on the job for several years. Give people some hope that someone in this family could actually do a good job. Or u r right-it is impossible. We shall see.
You may be correct; perhaps, I am being overly negative
However, if I may, I believe you might not be a tad harsh in relation to Fergie. She is hardly a “ditz”. Overly enthusiastic and not entirely able to follow protocole, perhaps, but far from stupid. Very far from it, as a matter of fact. By all accounts, she is far wittier and sharper than Diana ever was.
I fear most people may remember the past through the prism of the present, unfortunately. Is Andrew now very much identified as a jerk ? Of course. Nevertheless, at the time of his wedding and for some time after that, his public image was that of the Royal Family’s golden boy : vivacious, funny, irreverent (like his nephew now). The same applies to Fergie who is now either reviled or derided but was, when she got engaged/married, presented as a ray of sunshine (like Meghan currently).
Amusingly enough, Diana was overwhelmingly portrayed as lazy (she was not particularly keen on royal engagements…), indolent and/or emotionally unstable for most of her marriage. It was only after her separation that she associated with famous causes and became viewed as a parangon of virtue.
The line of succession matters and dictates much of what the British press allows itself to expect from and say about individual members of the royal family. It is a double-edged sword. William, as future king, suffers from much heightened expectations but benefits from better protections.
Harry, now a second-tier royal, benefits from more freedom (he can marry whomever he wants !) but will have to suffer the consequences of both the press and the public being much less patient with him and his wife. One toe out of line and he and Meghan will be decried as “useless royal spongers”. And once those floodgates open…
@42istheanswer…Fergie was a loose canon, utterly uncontrollable and turned out to be a huge embarrassment to the BRF. She had no control over her appetites and desires, hence the weight issues, the spending issues, the bottomless pit of debt she put Andrew in again and again, even after they divorced. And remember the toe-sucking and topless photos? Meghan seems very focused on this next stage of her life as allowing her to expand her humanitarian work with someone who has a similar dedication to shining a light on the disadvantaged, not just showing up to swan around for 15 minutes at some tony event then disappearing for 3 months. I think they’ll make a real mark in the world.
I feel no royal bride will ever be as bad in her choices as Fergie was. She’s some kind of anomaly, I feel. Like, seriously, no one is THAT dumb. She might be a perfectly nice person, but some of the stuff she did was just outright dumb.
Diana had negative pieces written about her during the marriage (i.e her spending habits), but I also think she was viewed positively during the actual marriage as well (before the extramarital junk anyway). I don’t think the portrait of her was always negative. It’s just her fame was so massive, stuff was being written about her daily. And it was inevitable that some of it would be negative. Her popularity was always pretty solid. Harry himself mentioned how she took up the cause of AIDS when she was only 25, a very young age to be astute enough to see how she could make a difference in a cause no one wanted to touch. Had she lived, I have no idea how things would have turned out for her though.
Fergie was just straight-up dumb with some of the choices she made. One or two bad choices I can understand. Or, okay, maybe three or four. Or heck, ten. But she never stopped making horrible choices. It was just one constant stream after another…and there wasn’t really anything positive to counter-balance the bad choices she made. Diana made bad choices too, but there was enough positive to counter the negative…
@42istheanswer, I agree with your analysis. After watching a few minutes of the video my thought was it came off as rather rehearsed and a bit awkward with some American reality TV vibe to it. On last nights news they were showing some of MM’s family. One was of a unshaven brother’s mug shot. Apparently he was charged for holding a gun to his fiancé’s head. Her father is bankrupt and living somewhere in Mexico. I cannot imagine these people mingling with the RF esp the Queen,, at the wedding. I feel like I’m living in a parallel universe while watching this train wreck. However Harry and MM did seem giddy with happiness and one can only wish them good luck!
@Jaded
I fail to see how Fergie could be considered a “huge embarassment” to the royal family without the same term being applied to Prince Harry. I can only wonder, if the toe-sucking and topless pictures prove her to be a “loose canon”, what do the Nazi and naked photographs do for Harry’s reputational standing ? As for Fergie’s eating disorder, I struggle to perceive it as a personal failure for her or anyone suffering from the same affliction. Furthermore, I can only assume that being nicknamed the “Duchess of Pork” in every British tabloid cannot be good for one’s mental health…
If regards to Meghan, if her intentions are to expand her humanitarian work, then I am afraid joining the royal family was a terribly counterproductive decision on her part. Royal protocole will prevent her from being active on the ground (no six-month engagement with the Red Cross or any such, genuinely impactful commitment). All she will be able to do is PR and fundraising, for this is pretty much all the royals family does in terms of charitable work. Showing up for 15-30 minutes to have their picture taken to ensure the charity-of-the-day’s name get out in the newspapers is the royals’ job, for better or for worse. Even the most successful royal charity, namely the Prince’s Trust, is somewhat clunky in its ability to improve people’s lives in the long run (the overwhelming majority of the young “entrepreneurs” the Trust finances go under within five years…)
I may be overly pessimistic but I have yet to see any evidence of a royal family member leaving any kind of real mark on the world (in terms of measurable impact, not PR moments). If you are correct and Meghan is motivated by a desire to do good for the world’s disadvantaged, I fear she may end up extremely disheartened by the limitations of her position… She probably would have been better off becoming an Amnesty International volunteer.
History is on @42isthe answer’s side.
The details might be different in the sense that one looks better or worse, has more or less achievements, but that heir vs spare policy the palace employs will play out with Harry as it did Andrew, Margaret, George 6 when he was the spare and swopped to David once he abdicated.
And it’s extended to their spouses. It’ a long game. The spare (and their spouse) might have a period of public adulation for various reasons, but in the long term they never win.
At first everyone might love the spare for various reasons, but the palace keeps pushing their negatives over and above those of the heir. The result is to make the public prefer the heir, whatever their qualities, because the spare is just too horrid for words. The public is gaslighted into always believing every negative thing the media chooses to print regardless of veracity. The heir’s bad qualities are glossed over, all their events talked up positively. The heir is frequently described in glowing terms whilst also enjoying a gentleman’s agreement with journalists not to write negative stories. Any that make it into the media are quickly pulled before they gain any traction and very quickly swopped for positive stories.
So far, no spare has bucked this trend.
Fergie was nutty. I saw her once described as acting like a hyper Irish setter (back when she married Andrew) and that seemed accurate. Meghan is a million times more composed, more educated, and more professionally accomplished.
There is a juicy old book on Fergie called ‘Fergie Confidential’. Basically leading up to dating Andrew she was living a ski bum lifestyle in Switzerland with a much older, very wealthy boyfriend (Paddy McNally). It seems she expected the party to continue in grand style once she married a prince but it turns out the lifestyle was not quite what she expected. She was living in Andrew’s apartment at Buckingham Palace and he was gone on a lot on his Navy duties.
The continued pursuit of that ski bum, hanging out with the rich and infamous is IMO still visible in the $$$$ Swiss chalet purchased with Andrew, and her party buddies. Her daughters are into it too – see their hanging out on oligarch yachts where they can and buddying with the Bransons.
After Fergie’s scandal a few years back caught on tape offering to sell access to Andy for cash, she did a reality docu with the O network (“Finding Sarah”) and came across as an arrogant, entitled beeyotch. In my opinion 🙂
@perplexed
Again, I am sorry to say I fear we are seeing the past through the prism of the present. Diana’s legacy was “white-washed” beyond recognition after her tragic death and the PR storm Tony Blair partly manufactured around it (he coined the term “queen/princess of hearts”). During her marriage (and before the adultery scandal), her public image was very Kate-like, I am sorry to say : she was portrayed as cute but vapid, nice but overwhelmingly irrelevant. Her connection to the cause of AIDS was, at the time, as skin-deep as Catherine’s involvement in maternal mental health… The press did not unleash its worst dogs to go after her while she was supposed to be the future queen so the criticism was fairly tame and her overall image was in many ways similar to that of Catherine’s today.
Then, the adultery scandal hit and she was viciously attacked. Then the divorce got underway and she did her interview with Martin Bashir, seizing control of the narrative by presenting herself as her husband’s victim and a symbol of betrayed womanhood. Then she got her picture taken in a minefield and was hailed as a hero. Then she dated Dodi and was presented, once again, as a horrible person. And then she died at a tragically young age.
@Joannie
I am sorry but I would rather not comment on the “quality” of Meghan’s family to be honest. The royal family is, after all, hardly an assembly of wonderful people. For most of them, they do not have much more than their birth to recommand them. So, from a purely moral standpoint, I do not think they have any right to look down their noses at Meghan’s relatives.
I’m going based off the actual footage that can now be viewed on Youtube. Whole documentaries were put out about her during her marriage (when she was in her mid-twenties/early-thirties) and they can now be viewed there.
I’m probably also going off the books my mother used to collect about her. She had negative things written about her, but the level of adulation she received when she went on her walkabouts was kind of high (like you were looking at a rock concert). Based on how people actually responded to her, I really don’t think she was viewed quite like Kate is. People treated Diana like she was the Beatles even before the marriage very publicly imploded. You can see old clips on Youtube where people are screaming out her name in other countries. The crowds in Australia were massive. If the old clips had been destroyed, I’d be inclined to believe that her public reputation was like Kate’s. But she seemed to make iconic moments happen even she was 24 and she danced with John Travolta. I do think criticisms were levelled at her for being a typical housewife or whatever and her spending habits were seen as out of control (someone said she was upset when people said her children didn’t have manners after Harry mimicked what the photographers were doing to him — sticking their tongues out), but her actual popularity with the people on those walk-abouts looked like nothing that has been replicated since. That’s why I don’t see a similarity with Kate in terms of public image.
That isn’t to say that I don’t think Diana didn’t make mistakes. She never should have done that Panorama interview or collaborated with Andrew Morton. She should have kept her private life to herself. I’d rather forget she ever dated Dodi or the horse riding instructor. But at the same, I think her level of fame even when she was in her mid-20s indicated that the public did have some kind of warm attachment to her even before she became the separated wife who had been cheated on. And the clips are all there on Youtube to visually see the difference.
@LAK
I could not agree more with every single one of your points. Though, for nuance’s sake, I would argue that the Palace does not even need to push this narrative; the newspapers do that very much on their own.
Which is far from stupid on their part, to be honest. Heirs, by definition, have a strong chance of becoming monarchs someday and maintaining the reputable image of the king/queen is paramount given the overall affection the British public feels for the monarchy as an institution. Other royals, conversely, are politically and institutionally irrelevant so attacking them is not only easy but also a way for the press to prove its “independence”…
As long as Harry was the “spare”, he still benefited from some degree of protection. Now that he is no longer even that (George and Charlotte have blown him into smithereens, relevance-wise), he and Meghan have to fend for themselves… And it always gets ugly.
I don’t think it is any more fair to blame Meghan for her step siblings than it would be for Kate’s Uncle Gary, now a convicted domestic assaulter. There is also an element of racism in a lot of coverage of her family.
To add to my previous post…
Nonetheless, I agree with LAK’s point that the heir and his wife are more likely to be treated better by the press. That general point makes sense to me.
But I also think Fergie was an unusual level of dumb and lack of common sense. I don’t think one point cancels out the other one. Meghan might be thrown under the bus at some point, but I also don’t think she’s as dumb or illogical as Fergie is/was. Saw Fergie on Oprah complaining about not being invited to William’s wedding, and OMG, it was painful to watch. Like, lady, this is just not dignified at all. Meghan strikes me as more savvy. I’m not saying she won’t make mistakes at all, but she strikes me as having some degree of emotional intelligence to avoid making the massive errors Fergie did. The press might be ready to throw the spare under the bus, but you don’t have to help them along!
@perplexed
I fear I am looking like the Negative Nelly of the bunch ^^ and for this I sincerely apologise.
Crowds cheering for major royals is more the norm than the exception, to be honest. You are utterly right to say that youtube is full of videos of people shouting enthusiastically for Diana; however, a quick search proves that equally effusive chants and screams occur when Catherine shows up, no matter how rarely that may be ^^ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzuiZoz0VCk, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1i2GdztiV8, etc.)
One also has to take into account that the 80s were a far less jaded decade as far as enthusiam for the royals was concerned. “Annus horribilis” had not happened yet, Palace-related tax evasion scandals were not a thing, the Falklands had thrown the United Kingdom into a form of patriotic/nationalistic frenzy… It was the perfect storm for royal enthusiasts ! And then, 1992 happened…
@42istheanswer, I don’t think Diana or Fergie had to put up with the press mocking their family. I agree the RF have their closet of skeletons too.
“Crowds cheering for major royals is more the norm than the exception, to be honest”
I just mean that the crowds were much bigger for Diana in other countries. Or for Diana AND Charles. The footage of their trip to Australia, which is on Youtube, looked slightly insane. And if Charles has commented on it himself, asking his aides why everyone likes her so much, I tend to believe her popularity was at a different level.
I really don’t think the crowds for Kate or William and Kate are the same, especially not in other countries. In the USA, I don’t think people go out of the way to see them like they did for Diana and Charles. I don’t think William has ever had to say he needed another wife so that they could go to the other side to meet the demand. Maybe British people flock to them, but the crowds on tv look comparatively smaller in places like Australia and Canada.
Maybe the Queen attracts these kinds of crowds for major events, because she is the head of the entire institution, but I really don’t think Kate or William do. I’d be surprised if Anne or other members of the royal family had the crowds Diana and Charles did.
I do also think a lot was projected onto Diana and Charles. I think they visually looked good together (despite the fact that everyone said Diana was the better-looking one). And I think people did genuinely like seeing them together. At the same time, they clearly couldn’t live up to what was projected on to them.
I do also think the British press did a fair amount of spying on them. But also chose to sit on the information until they were ready to unleash (i.e the Tampon tapes, Squidgy Tapes – I do think both Charles and Diana made mistake, but I also think spying on them and recording them was going too far).
There’s been so much information shared about all of these people over the years, I think it’s difficult for me to subscribe to only one interpretation of them, even though I find all of it quite fascinating (well, compared to what we see today).
This thread is the most realistic outlook I’ve read today. You might not like it, but that doesn’t make it less probable.
@Joannie
Diana’s family, as long as she was married to Charles therefore the presumptive queen-to-be, was very much off-limits for the British press in spite of how utterly dysfunctional it was. Once her divorce was officialised, more articles were written about the Spencers but, after Diana’s death, they once again became untouchable for a long period of time (at least until her brother’s cravenness manifested itself spectacularly).
As far as Fergie’s family is concerned, their past did become tabloid-fodder for a while but there was nothing particularly juicy (by the British press’s standards).
In regards to the media treatment of Meghan’s relatives, I do believe, like nic919, that part of it is a by-product of racism. However I think it is even more significantly (in this instance) the result of Harry’s diminished royal status. The equation is fairly simple and eternal : something scandalous happens to/around a royal who has a good chance of sitting on the throne = the press covers it just enough to make a point and then moves onto more flattering matters; something scandalous happens to/around a royal who has zero chance of ever reigning = the hunting season is now open !
Harry and Meghan will never get anywhere near the throne so they are “fair game”. Once the honeymoon period is over (3 to 5 years) and George and Charlotte start talking and displaying signs of individual personality (hence becoming more “interesting” to the British press than their uncle and aunt), the gloves will definitely come off. Every last ounce of scandal that can be wrung out of Harry, Meghan, their activities and/or non-royal relatives will be exposed in technicolor…
As for the royal family’s skeletons in the closet, yes indeed. There are quite a few…
Tourmaline: Fergie is not nutty. She’s gregarious, warm and doesn’t stand on ceremony, and she’s a goof ball, and always up for abit of fun. She’s learnt to control the goofy side of her in public because the media would take pictures of her goofing around and ran a negative article about it. Thus there are many pictures of her seemingly not taking situations seriously, and that is all part of the media construction of her as the bad royal vs Diana the good royal.
At the time of the engagement and for a year afterwards, her manner was considered a good thing, a breath of fresh air in the corridors of the stiff royal households and personages. Editors liked her to goofing around because they claimed thst made her much more down to earth than the rest.
When they turned on her, they used that same quality against her and revised history to say she was a nutter right from the get go.
Jaded: Fergie may have got into debt, but she also worked to pay it off. She has been criticised repeatedly for her commercial ventures, but they have paid off her debts and paid for her lifestyle.
Yes, she gets herself back into debt from time to time, and why she can’t manage her money is another conversation, but she does earn her own money over stretches of time.
I suppose if Andrew stopped bailing her out when she goes into debt might force her to take better care, like he did immediately after the divorce, but it’s unfair to cast her as someone who is entirely feckless.
As for her weight issues, she was never a skinny girl/ woman. And she was a fat pregnant lady who struggled to drop the weight just as her marriage was imploding and as she said herself, she’s a stress eater. The media was cruel about her weight and the public lap(ped) it up.
Perplexed: regarding Fergie, editors are on record that they set her up. That’s not to say that she didn’t make bad choices, but they immediately set up a bad Fergie vs good Diana narrative which made them tonnes of money and fixed these women’s images forever. Bad pictures chosen, Fergie doing anything unroyal however minor was blown up into a huge scandal. The public lapped it up. Bad Fergie sold papers better than good Fergie just as good Diana sold papers better than bad Diana. Bad Diana articles were few and far between and could always be trumped by Good Diana articles or conveniently available bad Fergie articles and pictures.
Further, it was well known that Diana frequently used Fergie as a canary because she was much more protective of her own image than Fergie. She was actively encouraged by Diana to try something, and Diana would learn from the result and behave accordingly. And diana would call her media friends to give them tips about Fergie which is how the toe-sucking pictures were obtained. Fergie never suspected or probably didn’t believe she was being used.
And when her marriage floundered, Fergie was cast out. Huge debts, terrible divorce settlement. She worked those debts off in the face of a media baying for her blood AND calling her crass for finding commercial work.
She’s a poor money manager which is a mystery given the humiliation her financial woes bring her, but she remains a dedicated charity worker and the charity she founded, Children in Crisis, is going strength to strength.
As for what Diana’s image would be if she had lived? I think it would be bad. After that panorama interview, the media stopped selling good Diana stories. Instead articles about her manipulations, self absorption, etc were the order of the day. Private eye ran a tear out page in their weekly magazine for hospital patients requesting Diana be kept away from their beds. Cartoons making fun of her. Her image took such a nosedive even politicians were calling her a loose canon in parliament. It sounds cold, but dying rescued her image.
I think the knives will come out for the spare and his wife when the press needs a target, but I also don’t know what can be used against Meghan either. She doesn’t have a weight problem. She doesn’t wear bad clothes. She’s got good hair. She’s well-groomed even in torn jeans. She’d have to give them the ammunition for them to come after her. What could hurt her is if she has an affair. Then, yeah, the gloves will come come off. But she has to actually commit that mistake for them to be able to come after her.
If she doesn’t do anything egregious, the only thing that could be used against her is to go into her past and talk about whatever sex scenes she did on Suits. That’s the only area of her life I could see the press being able to target. Even then, people might argue that that was her pre-royal life. But in terms of weight, dressing, and fitting a conventional mode of attractiveness, she doesn’t have the same problems to contend with in that area like Fergie did. She’s also a lot more poised and confident with herself. An uneven temperament could bring her down, but I have my doubts as to whether she has the exact same kind of temperament as Fergie did. It’s possible she could have the same temperament as Sophie who is further down the line but seems to have evaded the problems Fergie did.
I do think it’s quite possible Diana would have come to the same end as Fergie had she lived. At some point, I think Diana might have succumbed to the temptation of spilling her guts once again, and done Oprah, and we would be rolling our eyes. So, yes, I do agree that the death has frozen her image into the kind people respect. So I don’t actually disagree on the point that Diana’s image could have turned out quite badly had she lived a full lifetime. Diana gave in to her weaknesses a lot of the time.
To be honest, I hold multiple opinions at once about the royals. They’re such complicated people….
@perplexed
Anything can be a “fault” or a “mistake” if it is framed as such…
A simple wardrobe malfunction can be turned into a minor media frenzy, a photograph taken at just the right second can give out the wrong impression (a mid-blink picture would make anyone look drunk or bored; a yawn at the wrong time can make one look disintered or snobby, etc.), an unfortunate joke can be construed as crass and insensitive and so on and so forth.
Whoever is in control of the frame is in control of the narrative and, as such, in control of the public’s perception. TheBritish press is in control of the frame and if editors decide that “bad Meghan/Harry’ is the frame they like, that is the narrative everyone will receive. Anything can and will serve as fuel.
Furthermore, no one is perfect, and I doubt Meghan and/or Harry are any exception. So they are either good people who will make mistakes (like everyone else) or they are not-so-good people who will reveal themselves as such. And when they do either of those things, the press will be there with a prepackaged narrative at the ready.
However, Harry and Meghan may escape this and simply disappear into the background, like so many second-and-third-tier royals before them.
@LAK–sorry I stand behind my opinion that Fergie is NUTTY as a bag of peanuts—the (recorded) act of trying to crassly solicit a bribe from someone for access to Prince Andrew of all people is not the mark of a clear thinking, reasonable woman.
I will say that it is nice she is so very close and loving to her daughters and presumably to Andrew, and that she still does charitable endeavors.
Tourmaline: i’m not here to defend that particular transgression nor am i here to persuade you to love her, BUT trust me, Fergie is not nutty.
Don’t forget the royals were not subject to social media. The new younger set has to be much more careful.
I am American and really don’t have the historical background about how the British feel about the RF. To Americans they are a bit stodgy from their clothing to not being warm and open. Especially after the Diana funeral debacle. We are hoping to see more openness from the new couple but I have no idea how important a role they will have in the future monarchy. It depends how long Charles rules and if William wants to take the role in the future. He does not seem joyful participating in any events. It would require more education on our part. We no very little.
British people, for the overwhelming majority of them, cannot imagine their country without a monarchy. Even during the PR catastrophe that was Diana’s death, the legitimacy of the monarchy was never seriously questioned (Elizabeth’s and Charles’s legitimacy may have been doubted but not that of the institution).
As for the role Meghan and Harry will have in the future monarchy, I think the most probable answer is “none of any significance”. Regardless of how long Charles may reign and of William’s alleged lack of enthusiasm for the task, the latter’s abdication is singularly improbable. And even if he did abdicate (or died unexpectedly), George would succeed him. And if George then abdicates or dies, Charlotte will take over. And if she falters, Baby 3 will take the crown. Harry’s days of royal relevance are decidedly over so he is very likely to follow in his uncles’ and aunt’s footsteps : as long as his nephews are still toddlers, he and his wife will get some positive attention but once they grow older, Meghan and Harry will either sink into the public’s benevolent indifference (cf. Princess Anne, Prince Edward, etc.) or become reviled (cf. Prince Andrew, Fergie)
Are people excited about K & W being the future king and que n o scared? Or indifferent?
Overall pretty excited…
There is little doubt the Queen’s death will be a very traumatic event for the country. For most British people, she is the only monarch they remember or have ever known. So the idea of her succession is not one Brits contemplate with pleasure.
However, and in spite of Charles’s popular resurgence in the last ten or so years, William is still very much the favoured future monarch. To such an extent, in fact, that a majority of British people would prefer him to bypass his father and become king upon his grandmother’s death. His approval rating is neck-and-neck with his brother’s. Catherine is overall pretty well-liked.
As for Meghan, she has a mountain to climb. I have no doubt her weddind and the lovely pictures that will come with it will increase her profile as well as her favourability but it is going to be an uphill battle, especially when compared with her future sister-in-law’s much higher approval ratings at the same period in her life (weeks before her engagement).
(Most recent figures pre-announcement of the engagement : https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/878350/Queen-elizabeth-news-quits-abdicate-prince-charles-prince-william-kate-middleton)
Like it or lump it, these two will be part of the six-person working royal team for 25 years. Duke of Kent, Gloucesters, P&P of Kent (not officially on the team), Princess Alexandra – they will all retire soon. Anne will work until she drops, Andrew will want to work but will be shunted to the side by Charles.
Charles might keep Edward and Sophie on for transition, to do the local engagements the younger ones don’t want to do. Otherwise? If his rumored plan is to be believed, in the next few years there will be 6 working royals – Charles, Camilla, William, Kate, Harry, Meghan. That’s it. That will stand until W&K’s kids are 30+. Tabloid interest will be about the kids in 15 years, but until then, it is the six member team.
I have no doubt Meghan and Harry will be part of the streamlined team of royals for the next 30-40 years. That is beyond question.
However, the matter at hand is threefold : what sort of duties will they be put in charge of (ranging from high profile to low profile), how much coverage their activities will receive (ranging from intense to virtually non-existent) and what the nature of said coverage will be (ranging from positive to negative).
In regards to the first point, due to Harry’s now irrelevant position in the line of succession, I seriously doubt either he or his wife will be given any of the major, high profile engagements the Windsors have in their schedule. When it comes to the second point, Meghan and Harry will always be eclipsed by the Cambridges and their children, regardless of what they do (if Meghan visits a hospital on the same day as Charlotte goes to school for the first time, the national media will give precedence to the toddler’s remarkable fingerpainting skills). As for the third point, well, history presents us with a clear pattern as far as second-tier royals and their reputation over time are concerned…
Overall, to me those points don’t matter. Royal work isn’t supposed to be front-page news; that is an unfortunate hold-over from Diana. Most of the time they’re supposed to show up at the bread-and-butter and *not* make news. Their names attached to big items, like Invictus, are supposed to be a part – but not the biggest part – of what they do. If that isn’t covered for any of them, who cares?
The six member team are going to have to take over everything, including the Commonwealth. Charles and Camilla aren’t going to be doing a lot of that especially with Camilla’s travel vertigo. A lot of the long haul travel will fall to these four, even while they all have young children.
Those points may not matter to you and that is truly wonderful. However, they do matter to the royal family and the people/charities they visit.
The royal family, due to its privileged position, has the spotlight. What they do has the potential to become news. And this is why it is even remotely important for them to visit institutions and/or charities. The mere presence of its most “relevant” members attracts journalists who, in turn, write not only about the royals themselves but also the places they went to, and the resulting media exposure can translate into direct benefits for said places (charities get their names out there and receive more donations, institutions get their work broadcast to a large audience which can help with allocation of resources, etc.)
That is the “bread and butter” of royal outings.
A royal visit that does not generate fanfare, media attention or positive feedback is uniquely useless; after all, only few people/organisations have a fetish for merely receiving a pat on the head from a very posh person without any added benefit, be it in Britain or in the rest of the Commonwealth.
The vast majority of what they do does not garner media attention and it is not supposed to. The bigger events, like appearing at a movie premiere that is also a charity fund raiser is supposed to garner attention.
The rest of the time? The majority of the 3000+ engagements done by the BRF every year are supposed to bread-and-butter, local interest, not on the nightly national news. It is those local, unsung visits (most of which are not related to charity fundraising) that keep the royals in their jobs. Sophie handing out the prize for best apple jam at such and such county fair, etc.
The problem comes in when they *think* all they have to do is show up at the big events, wave, and their work is done. The idea that everything they do is supposed to be front page news is a negative association with the Diana Years.
Media/popular attention is media/popular attention, regardless of the scale, I am afraid. Princess Sophie appearing at a local county fair will bring in some extra local reporters and the announcement of her attendance will possibly attract some extra visitors. Now, of course, it will not feature on the national newpapers’ frontpages (unless some utter debacle occurs) but it will boost up the coverage of the fair from page 7 to page 5 of the local gazette…
That is what the royal family does : bring their own spotlight to benefit whatever event they choose to attend, ranging from high to low profile .
This is why there are two teams, so to speak, of royals. The “major” ones, aka the heirs, get all the higher profile, national and international assignments as well as some lower key ones to make up the numbers. The minor royals, like Sophie, Andrew or Anne, get all the local events.
Harry, now no longer a spare, will slowly become a minor royal over the next decade and his as well as his spouse’s worload will reflect the transition.
I think we’re writing at cross purposes. The bread-and-butter as LAK calls it, which is the vast majority of what they *should* do gathers small, local attention. The bigger things, such as charity events like movie premieres, are where the bigger attention should come in.
Given that there will only be 6 workers on the team soon, I’m thinking the big ticket item coverage will be roughly equal for the younger four and less for C&C who do less of those big things anyway.
With a team of only 6? There won’t be any “minor royals”, unless Charles keeps Sophie and Edward on. He’ll be offing Andrew from the team and Harry will take on Andrew’s international trade ambassador role. With Harry and MM talking in their engagement interview about working throughout the Commonwealth, I’m guessing they’ve already been given some ideas from Charles on how he intends to staff things.
+100
Here is the Kate Spade dress from the collection. It is a sporty collection. Don’t love it either way but would look better with cute flats. Kate Spade started with accessories. Not sure when her clothing line came out.
https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/resort-2018/kate-spade-new-york/slideshow/collection#16
It’s all a question of individual taste, I think the dress looks awful with flats. But there you are.
What bothers me is that there are comparisons made in the first place. I like Kate (although I wish she would work more) and think Meghan is the bee’s knees.
Because guess what…
Two awesome women can occupy the same space at the same time. *GASP*
I like Kate, though not so “keen” on her husband or brother-in-law but then I was never a big Diana- or Prince Charles fan so I guess that’s why I don’t really see the allure of their sons. Or maybe I’m just too old and they’re just too boringly and royally entitled. Ain’t nobody got time for that crap at my age. And I’m a Swede, we have our own royal pains-in-the-behind so I’m not as fascinated by royalty as so many American women seem to be. But I digress. I came here to say that dress is truly hideous. It wouldn’t even look good on Meghan Markle, who has one of the best bodies out there, IMO.
If you could get it down to king, queen, and crown princely couple you’d be better off, no?
I admire Victoria for what she has overcome (anorexia, dyslexia, face blindness), but she has an enormous blind spot (no offense or pun intended) when it comes to the Republican movement. She cannot seem to understand why many in egalitarian Sweden think royalty is an outdated concept.
I watched Kate congratulate the couple, she made no eye contact and she sounded very rehearsed and mechanical and rather cold and failed to mention the couple by name. I really think that all the comparisons are getting to her, what a pity. She should have tried to sound warmer and said something like “Meghan is really great and Harry is so happy”. I also noticed that her eyes were blinking a lot which often means that there is no feeling behind the words. I hope she manages to find a way to be happy with the situation, especially as Harry and Meghan are so happy. William and Kate have been married 15 long years.
By total contrast when Camilla made her comment on the couple she made direct eye contact and her words sounded very warm and genuine, and I am no Camilla fan. To make matters worse commentator after commentator keep saying how totally different Kate and Meghan are. I hope they get along for the sake of both of them.
Agree she did not come off as genuinely happy for them & all the “bad” body language signs were there. Her statement was very awkward at best.
William and Kate have been married for six years, though–unless you meant they’ve been together for 15 years.
Yes, sorry I meant as a couple for 15 years. Quite a contrast to Harry’s 18 months.
Agree. I just watched the video of Camilla’s warm, lovely comments on the H&M engagement and was touched by her down to earth eloquence.
Camilla also acknowledged the man who opened her car door. You don’t see the Cambs doing that ever.
Has William said anything yet? I feel he’s more obligated to say something warm than she is, since he’s the actual brother.
Even if he had said something it would be ignored and everyone would pinpoint Kate. They always pinpoint Kate. It’s no use in reasoning people loathe her and will have a problem with everything and anything she does.
Of course, people will say it’s not the truth but we see it every post.
I wonder if William keeps thinking of Diana outshining Charles and he’s trying to keep the focus on him? I wouldn’t be surprised if what Kate said in her answers (rehearsed) are words that William OK’d for her.
In years to come I see W&K living separate lives. Pippa seems happy. I have no doubt that Harry & Meghan will be happy. I see Kate constantly trying to make William love her with William being bored stiff with absolutely no interests.
William can start worrying about Meghan (and Harry) outshining him and Kate. Even if Meghan and Harry do just 1/4 of the engagements which W&K do they would still outshine W&K.
If M&H and W&K would go on an engagement together then M&H would get all the attention and all the good reviews.
Dream on. William and kate will be King and queen one day. They and their children will always receive more attention than the other two, no matter how much you can’t stand it.
Please don’t get personal.
I don’t like Royals or monarchies in general because they go against my democratic core.
But I am amused at the impending possibility that Meghan Markle might appear to be the “more hard-working princess” than Dolittle.
I watched Meghan’s interview yesterday on CNN and I also watcher her UN speech. She is very eloquent, poised and an excellent public speaker. I think the main difference between Kate and her (regarding public speaking) is the fact that Kate comes from a wealthy family and got everything handed in a silver platter whereas Meghan had had to work for everything she has. I don’t believe the excuses that “Kate is an introvert and she can’t handle public speaking”. She is just lazy. I have to do a lot of networking and I used to have panic attacks while speaking to a crow, I saw a therapist and took lessons with a professor at my local university. When you need to get something done and you have to get it done you just do it.
Very true, I am a bit shy and was rubbish at public speaking. I attended an ordinary school and I noticed that my peers who were posher and privately educated were much better speakers . I never forget a time when I had to chair a meeting and made a complete cock up of it, I had no idea and I was given no help. Till today I can still see the look of dismay and annoyance on the faces of people in the room because I was so terrible.
Any way years later when I had another job which required making presentations I was gently criticised for reading my presentation rather than talking to the audience. I then started buying books on public speaking and I am now very confident at making presentations. So if you really want to do something you can.
Meghan has got where she is through sheer hard work and determination and her ordinary parents should take some credit too. But I do feel a bit sorry for Kate because she managed to get herself into her present position by trying very hard to be the opposite of Diana because the RF did not want another Diana but the truth is nobody wants ‘dull’, people want ‘vivacity’ and ‘warmth’, two things Diana developed in abundance and will forever be remembered for.
Work ethics would be nice for a start. Kate attended elite schools and university so she must have some work ethics at least. But she just doesn’t use them for her royal job and that way she looks as if she didn’t care.
I once had a panic attack while talking to a magpie, so I get you.
Did Kate personally offend you somewhere along the way?
I watched the engagement interview yesterday and was so impressed with the couples obvious happiness and Meghan’s beautiful voice and manner. It’s a shame bitter Bill’s wife looks older than the bride-to-be!
She may be more “sexy pretty”. But I don’t think she looks younger and Kate will have three kids when she is 36 like Meghan. I think they both look their age.
That dress….hmmm. it has the potential to be a good one but….I know I wouldn’t wear it. The funny thing is that there are so many beautiful tasteful dresses out there. I mean look at Sophia and other royals around Europe. This girl has no sense of style I think. As for what she said to the reporters it was on point. She is in full control mode and she is not very spontaneous so…
As for Megan and Harry they looked fine to me. It is obvious that she is a girl that is at ease with people. She might not have been a superstar but keep in mind that there is a loot of hustle that goes behind the scenes in her industry. I mean I work a boring job and every day I have to talk to different people and work with them, try to achieve something with them so I am used to talk to strangers or worse difficult colleagues and look them in the eye time to time.
Well, if Kate had some work ethics concerning her job then a lot could be forgiven. But for now it seems she doesn’t care.
Whenever kate does suddenly display work ethics she does usually go on a lenghty and expensive holiday soon.
Hysterical!: “Polka dots are like buttons built into the fabric!!” That’s why I’m a faithful Celebitchy reader!!!
*LOL*
I’ve always been a kate fan but something about her comment threw me off.
She seems so cold and aloof and unhappy now. It’s like the soul has been drained out of her.
Kate’s good wishes for Harry and Meghan. In this interview she seems to want to end it quickly. She seems very tense and nervous. I doubt she means what she says but I believe that she is afraid of competition from Meghan. Also it seems that Meghan and Harry are happier than Kate and William and perhaps Kate gets that notion, too?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJRWoqUfR64
Pics of Kate from that charity visit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zt2LpcGrT1o
KM has never been good at off-the-cuff speaking, nor does she put much effort in memorizing sound bites. This could just be another example of that.
I’ve never gotten the sense that W&K&H spend much time together. It is pretty much – meet up at departure point, read notes in car, do event, go home to separate homes. It sounds like Harry did a lot of planning to make sure other members of the family spent time with MM in the past year. If only a couple of those times involved W&K, it shows he didn’t feel the need to prioritize them in her introductions to family and friends.
William has been a Middleton for 15 years. It may be Harry felt the need to get her comfortable with the people he himself spends time with – friends, Yorks, Lady Sarah Chatto, the Spencers he spends time with, his father and Camilla.
Since she’s pregnant, that might affect how she looks a bit (although I actually thought she looked better here in the face than she has in the past).
Is it just me or did Kate a lot of low-low prestige charity things lately? I don’t mean that as a compliment because it is more prestigeous to be the patron of some big art gallery than visiting some petite charity nobody has heard of in a place nobody has heard of. Lately Kate seems to have done lots of small charities. Doesn’t she get the big prestigeous things any more? Like London Natural History museum. She once did some charity-ing there but not any more?
Don’t get me wrong, I believe that small charities need support. But Kate is a top class royal. Wife of a future king. I would expect that she would get some big charity things, too.
Those low prestige engagements are the bread and butter that keep the monarchy in place. The high prestige engagements are fickle and filled with republicans, not to mention have more celeb patrons than is good for them. A royal patron is meaningless to them given the richer, preening peacocks already patroning them.
The low prestige charities are filled with ordinary people. Monatchists or not, they are thrilled to meet a royal even if it’s Princess Michael. Having a top tier royal visit them is a very good idea. Queen Mary (the present Queen’s grandmother) felt very strongly about royals visiting the low prestige places and once publicly told off a royal who tried to wriggle out of such a visit.
Speaking of Queen Mary, there is a funny anecdote about an outing she had with her little grand-daughter, our current Queen, in tow where she told off the little girl for being grand and not showing good manners to the people they met.
Bread-and-butter is the key, and that work isn’t supposed to be front page news. They’re supposed to quietly go about those visits and get the job done.
Looking at the clip properly, I actually thought Kate was better at speaking her than she has been in the past. She didn’t seem to bump over words like when she’s looking at a cue card. I think she may be genuinely happy for them both.
This question actually seemed easier for her to answer than the question posed to her about Diana during her interview with William. I didn’t see any hesitancies when she was answering.
A reporter said Kate’s words and stop in the video above were pre-planned and not spontaneous. Kate does very well when she has been rehearsed and a script is given to her.
Regarding her words on Diana during her own engagement interview, it was later revealed that she couldn’t come up with anything to say about Diana and her eventual words were supplied by a production assistant. And it took 4 tries for her to say the supplied words.
That interview is heavily edited because of Kate’s inability to string a sentence together and inability to answer anything sponteneously or without the barrage of filler words that she uses.
Kate’s response seemed very canned and rehearsed. She started walking away before the words barely left her mouth like she spit out what she was told to say and didn’t want to have to answer a follow up question. She also mumbles and swallows her words making her difficult to understand.
I don’t care for her dress. It is boring, and dowdy. She is wearing too much eye makeup as well. Does her stylist hate her? Why is she always dressed so frumpy? If she would lighten up on the makeup she would look younger. Maybe it’s unkind to rip on her while she’s PG. She could be feeling really fug and uncomfortable. Been there. The shoes are nice tho’. Lol.
yep, canned and rehearsed response. Yep and leaving quickly.
The “spontaneous” questions weren’t spontaneous but planned. She walked up directly to that particular journalist and only towards that one – she didn’t walk towards any other journalist. She seems to have expected the question and she had an answer ready. She mumbled and talked rather quietly for an outdoor interview because she was nervous. She was afraid the journalist might ask a 2nd and 3rd question hence she said thank you and walked away quickly.