Prince William attended the Centrepoint Awards last night because they were held at Kensington Palace, which is where he lives. He’s the royal patron for Centrepoint, and it’s been one of his most consistent patronages, meaning he has shown up to do work for Centrepoint on a somewhat regular basis for years. At the awards, William joked around with various guests about how the Duchess of Cambridge is expecting:
Speaking to Raymond Stoner, boss of Anston Properties, William said: “Our third child is due in April, I’m getting as much sleep as I can.” Mr Stoner suggested he could save time by having twins, to which William replied: “Twins? I think my mental health would be tested with twins.” The future King also told another supporter at the awards ceremony: “Two is fine, I don’t know how I’m going to cope with three, I’m going to be permanently tired.”
I’ve often said this, and I’ll say it again – I think William play-acts this idea of I’m-just-a-normal-bloke and it often comes across that way, meaning he seems like he’s just playing a part. No one believes that William will be tired when the third baby comes, because no one believes that he’s that hands-on with his kids when they’re babies anyway. Even Kate admitted once that William was barely around when George was a baby, and it didn’t seem like he was much better during Charlotte’s first year either. You know who’s going to be “permanently tired”? Poor Nanny Maria. And Carole Middleton will probably be exhausted too.
That Hello piece also made note of something to keep your eye on: the Cambridges will probably be on vacation next week! Apparently, George has his “half-term break” this coming week, and Charlotte’s nursery school will be off too. William and Kate have nothing on their schedule until the BAFTAs. Perhaps a week and a half in Mustique?
Also: William got a lot of headlines this week for comments he made at a discussion with kids about cyberbullying and mental health. William told the audience – of boys and girls – that he feels sorry for girls in particular:
Prince William made a surprise visit to Ark Burlington Danes Academy on Thursday to talk to students about cyberbullying. At one point, the Duke of Cambridge spoke about society’s unrealistic beauty standards for women and criticized the vast amount of “fakeness” and “touched up” pictures across the web.
“I worry for you girls … so don’t try and recreate or think that’s what, you know, you’ve got to aim for,” he said. “There’s a lot of fakeness online so don’t worry about that.”
Students Samara Hackett-Valton and Sophie Crowder, both 15, acknowledged the pressures William described.
Joined by British rapper Professor Green and YouTube star Daniel Howell, William said he didn’t grow up with the same online influences kids face today.
“The online world is a whole new sphere that we never had to deal with,” he said. “If you’re trying to do your normal life and trying to get that right and make friends then you’ll also try and do that online, that’s a lot of pressure guys.”
I’m feeling rather meh about this as a controversy – do I think William could have articulated this better? Sure. Do I think he came across as mildly sexist and patronizing with “I worry for you girls”? Sure, but I don’t believe he meant it that way at all. This is William trying to be a bloke-y big brother type to the youngsters: he’s trying to talk to them at their level and he just didn’t say it the right way.
Photos courtesy of Getty, WENN.
I don’t think they’ll go to Mustique – there’s too much risk from Zika. They haven’t gone the past few years because of that.
I think they are planning a ski trip actually. Apparently, George already knows how to ski. As far as the “permanently tired” comment, is that a warning that he won’t be around much after the birth of the baby?
IMO it was one of those generic parent-of-babies comments about being tired. No big deal.
Agreed. Even dads who are more hands-off are tired with 3 little kids-even if there’s a lot of help. Babies, toddlers and preschoolers are fricking exhausting.
Are we supposed to believe he actually goes to the lenght of being permanently tired on his dad duty?
I think he meant to say: the nannies will be permanently tired.
LOL, thank you for fixing that!
Eh. I mean, I get that he is in a position of privilege and should be cognizant of that, but I’m ok with the comment. He is only saying what every parent of a newborn says (which, I mean, yeah.. he is trying to be normal Bill.. but still). I feel like snarking on this typical comment is a bit too far. BEC.
When my second was born I cried exhausted all the time. Because I was. But really, if we are comparing things, of course I wasn’t tired relative to a parent of more kids, or relative to a parent who works multiple shifts, or one who was a single parent, or one in a third world country, etc.
I don’t doubt for a second that for William, he will be tired. Sure… Nanny Maria and Carole will be lifting the heavy load, but I am sure his life will still change to some extent and he will therefore be tired. I am fine (in this scenario) with him responding in the typical way any other parent-to-be would.
Exactly. What is he supposed to say? “I’m sure the help will adjust, they’re troopers!”
Never complain Never explain is a rule for a reason. He should have deflected. Ask a question? Do you have kids?
RIght? Please! I had 3 kids in 4 years and my husband was very hands-on and never once whined about being tired.
And females and body images? I don’t know, but I still think kate has an eating disorder when not pregnant. Those Vogue pictures pretty much convinced me.
My husband complained about being tired and so did I. Having children enrolls you in the brotherhood/sisterhood of exhausted people. My kids are 25 and 18 and I can still conjure up that fatigue from early parenthood.
… and note how entitled whiny ‘I am prince’ is mocking and throwing around mental health….please! He wouldn’t know what hardworking dedicated parents manage with his Spoilt Entitled middleton lot – with an the many Staff and NANNY MARIA raising their children.
A regular normal commenter on this site is doubling up as RoyalSparkle. I think I know who it is.
Yeah this isn’t the real royal sparkle, the tone is off and the word salad isn’t on point.
I’m amused by the real one and look forward to her posts.
And I think this is someone else playacting
Yeah, that isn’t her.
Her word salads are charming, and her devotion is real and harmless.
This is a very strange thing to do. Why?
Word, magnoliarose. That makes no sense whatsoever, but you’re right about it not being the original royal sparkle. Nobody writes like her.
@Guest1, who do you think it is?
I think people are being rather unkind to William, who is much more hands on than his parents or grandparents ever were. I also think that William prefers being a Dad rather than a future King. Of course they have servants and nannies but they can also create more work, I know. Anybody who has had servants, bodyguards and chauffeurs around all the time will know that they come with big pros and cons.
He just says what he thinks real working Dads would say. Dads without 4 Nannys and entire household staffs. Well we see you Billy. Cut the shit.
He is such a moron.
He completely is
He is such an insufferable jerk !
William always plays a part; he is rarely authentic. Do you recall that a second child was “a game changer” and everyone examined the meaning… when really, there was none. These statements are camouflage. He doesn’t want to share anything of his life, resents it, so reverts to meaningless clichés. Bit like himself really. Such a douche in his publicly-funded bubble of privilege.
Re. photographs being touched up etc: well, since William approves all images of him and family published, here’s an idea for him to consider: ask papers and magazines NOT to Photoshop them. See how that goes down with the missus. As for fakeness, perhaps he could be honest for once in his life and admit that he does next to nothing and has immense amounts of paid help to deal with children and pretty much everything else.
All you said @Addie.
I mean they have an army of nannies? I find this so aggravating because we know they have nannies, maids, and servants at there disposal. It’s not like William works a 9 to 5 and has to come home to 3 kids, a messy house, and dinner not being made.
I feel like he’s insulting our intelligence.
Yeah it’s like he thinks that everyone else is so stupid to believe him. The 3rd baby will.probably have no effect on his life whatsoever
The concept of ‘royalty’ insults our intelligence, let alone the dolt that is William. Imagine where he’d be in life if he had none of the armor that ‘royal’ gives him? he would have failed at the local comprehensive and if he had a job, would be most likely loading boxes at a Tesco.
I disagree royalty can have a place in a country, Queen Elizabeth II makes her monarchy work. She’s an important image for her people to aspire to. She knows how to handle herself, and always has. Charles also will probably know how to make the monarchy work.
William has none of this ability.
+1million on the second sentence.
Gosh, lets hope we never see a King Billy – yuk!
I think william has some growing up to do but by the time he becomes king he will probably have it figured out.
No,it’s HIS intelligence that is in question here-what kind of dumbo would say this,expecting Us to believe his ignorant talk.
Do we know if Kate breast feeds her babies? Maybe if she was breast feeding them so she was getting in and out of bed all night long that might “tire” poor William out, having the bed move a few times a night. Or even if she doesn’t nurse her babies, does she cosleep? Or have a bassinet in the bedroom so she can be near her baby? The crying in the night could wake William up and he could potentially be “so tired” just from hearing his baby a few times each night. That’s all I can think of. I cannot imagine him ever missing sleep or getting up to feed or comfort a baby, or staying up late with a sick child, or waking up early with any of them.
They employed a night/maternity nurse (and day nanny) for each baby. And Kate spent a significant time at Middleton Towers with each newborn with Carole to hand.
We had a night nurse but I breastfed – the nurse brought him to me to feed. So my husband was disturbed. Getting a night nrse doesn’t mean you necessarily abdicate all responsibility!
Give the guy a break. No matter how hands off he is, having 3 kids is a big leap from two. Not going to pick on him for his fairly anodyne comment.
He bugs me with this.
I know privilege can be embarrassing, but it is a small price to pay for actually having it. Stop trying to take the struggles of people without help and co-opting it to seem more relatable. WE KNOW he has a fleet of help. It doesn’t make him a bad parent or a less loving one.
We have help and a large family and are very hands on. You can be. But I would deserve a full arm bitch slap if I compared it to what a lot of families go through without it.
Poor fool, sets his own trap and walks right into it. He is just so bloody clueless. Doesn’t he know that lots of men have three kids…and no nannies…AND they actually have to work?
He always makes comments about how hard life is with children and what problems they cause. If so, could anyone please explain to me why they keep having them? He never has anything happy, loving or kind to say about his children. What is wrong with him?
I have wondered the same thing. We are in an era where you are no longer forced to have children, so if all you are going to do is complain, then do the world a favor and stop having them.
I have always believed it is Kate who wants more children. But that’s just my opinion, not backed by acts real facts.
Amen!
Having all these babies, at other peoples’ funding and still complain. He is as poorly at representing the people as he is at pretending and fake at ‘Speaking normal’.
I think he’s clumsily trying to be funny, griping as parents of young children do.
@Minx i agree. He’s only saying what he (and all other dads) thinks people want to hear. He probably forgets as soon as he’s in conversation with another guest.
In general (and not in reply to @Minx), I don’t think its fair to assume he is not a present dad when the kids are babies, I chose to believe he is. William has that awkwardness about him that’s makes it seem like he would rather avoid a situation completely than attempt and fail or attempt and not do so well.
I generally sympathise with dads all round because they get made fun of sarcastically in this way, being told and made to feel they’re not trying hard enough and at the same time being made to feel ignorant and incompetent when they get involved with new babies. Wives and mother-in-laws tend give the “you don’t know what you’re doing” vibe or watch them with eagle eyes so much that they end up being clumsy. How about supporting, encouraging and teaching instead of the ongoing down putting.
OOHH: it’s not an assumption. It came straight out of Kate’s mouth. It boggles the mind why she would say this publicly, but there it is.
That said, there are some people who aren’t good with small babies and or can’t stand to be around them. They prefer them once they enter later stages of babyhood and as toddlers.
William may be one of those people because he is very good, even complimentary with his toddler children, but kept complaining about them as babies.
He didn’t want a third. I don’t think fathering comes easily to him. He behaves like an Edwardian father not one in 2018.
I don’t mind about the “worry for you girls” part because a) he was speaking to girls, and, b) it didn’t do that thing of acting like men and women both have pressures and ideals to live up to. Ugh! However, I will side eye his attempt to appear normal. I’m sure three children will be more work, but he (and his nanny, chef, housekeeper, groundskeeper, butler, and additional house staff) will survive.
I don’t have a problem with that either. He flubbed the sentence a bit, it didn’t come out in a prepared, nicely quotable way, but I have no issue with the sentiment or the use of “you girls,” as he was talking to girls. And he was talking about something that many women and girls actually talk about and worry about—the copious amounts of photoshopping, makeup, angles, lighting, filters, spanx, waist trainers, high heels, hair extensions, false eyelashes, fillers, plastic surgery, use of Fit Tea, etc that is making every image of a woman you see online completely unrealistic, fake, and unattainable. And because of social media, it’s not just celebrities and models in magazines who have this photoshopped, unrealistic look, it’s any woman with a camera or a phone and an Instagram. One of the articles either here or on Pajiba about Khloe Kardashian and her recent pregnancy photo shoot, showed the images from the photo shoot and also the images of her walking into the photo shoot, and she looked like a completely different person—her face shape, her body shape, her skin tone, everything was dramatically different.
I believe he is being sincere. His “tired” is different from other people “tired” since he is used to do so little.
I wonder though, if it was Kate who really wanted a third child and whether or not he cared? I always wonder how parents who have a certain number of children reconcile if one of them wanted more or less – cause you know, it takes two to make a baby.
Way to be nitpicky. His comment could have been worded better, but are we really going to pretend that girls don’t have more pressure put on them? Harry’s fans obsession with hating every single aspect of William’s life is nearly pathological at this point.
+1
He should have worded it better. He’s got an office full of well-paid staff. He represents the monarch. He’s second in line to the throne. He’s graduated from a top university. He has lots of free time. He has *no* excuses.
I think there is a difference between “could have worded it better” and being worded “poorly.” Could this have been phrased better? Yes. However, it was not phrased so poorly as to muddy the point, be insulting, or anything else that completely ruins the sentiment.
+1
It’s hilarious because they make a tonne of excuses for Harry when he does the same things. In the future… I’m sure Harry will have an army full of taxpayer-funded help too… but there’ll be no criticism from his fans lol.
If Harry had said this it would’ve been on the front page of the DM tomorrow and he’d be publicly shamed.
He wasn’t talking to grown women, was he? If he was talking to actual girls, I think what he said sounds fine. Girls do face a lot of pressure online.
I think he is just a socially awkward person. I can relate because I am one too. I say a lot of weird, dumb and off the wall stuff. I have been told that I can come off as unauthentic and I guess that is because I am not always comfortable with interacting but at the same time, I am trying to say the “right thing”. Give the guy a break.
Hi Gigi, good point. I often wondered this about William, he looks so uncomfortable when greeting people and does say some fairly awkward things. But then there are times when he’s just down right dismissive of others (not saying hello back to press reporters) and obviously doesn’t want to be where ever he is, that then I wonder if he’s just a nob.
I don’t think his issues are helped by his purposely surrounding himself with yes men. No chance of acquiring any self awareness for how he comes across, nevermind improvements.
@LAK I’m not too sure he has a choice in yes men. William doesn’t do interviews for members of his staff, so he’s not in charge of discerning who is or isn’t sincere at point of employment. I will say from my own work experience that honest people can become yes-men when they’ve elevated to a certain position of privilege, so many the honest workers who became his close rank now act differently for various reasons I.e. to keep their jobs, anticipate promotion, think its what they need to do to keep him happy, act on authority of a senior official, who knows.
OOHH: He has final say in the people he employs in his personal office. Is very firm on that point. Reporters confirm. And he does not hire anyone who might contradict him. His friends are chosen along the same lines. Including his wife.
Harry is equally involved in the employment process and he has picked experienced people.
The result can be seen in their very different images and quality of work.
The only time Harry has faltered is when he has used William’s PR hire, poor Jason. A yes man bar none.
William has been very coddled and spoiled his whole life. He has been covered for and has never been forced to take responsibility for his behaviors or actions. He says haughty things often enough to believe it is his personality and his mannerisms reflect the same thing.
He is determined to have his way in all things even if it is misguided. It has been said about him for years.
@Gigi, I agree with you. I don’t think being personable in that sense comes easily to him or Kate in the way that it does to Harry. It doesn’t for some. But I think it’s more inauthentic of him to try and compensate for that by creating a front or saying things that he thinks others want to hear, or that makes him more relatable. This is what, to me, makes it painfully obvious that he’s insincere. I don’t relate to him or his life. And that’s okay. That’s not necessarily a bad thing when it comes to royals. But people do expect a level of sincerity with public figures. When he talks about how his children will make him tired, when everyone knows he has 2 nannies and round the clock help, it just seems like he’s trying to say things he thinks will make him more likeable to others even though it isn’t true.
He could simply be honest and say, “Yes I am going to have three children. I think raising three children is difficult for anyone to manage, even though I am lucky to have a lot of help with the responsibilities. Every parent struggles, and I’m sure I’ll be no different.” Every word of that is true. We all know for a fact that he’s not going to be ‘permanently tired.’ So why say something that we all know isn’t going to be true for him?
He should just stick to being honest as much as possible, within the realms of politeness of course. It’s a better look for him.
These questions are easy to predict ahead of time. So he should have some answers ready that have been vetted.
When he is relaxed and not trying to be someone else he can be charming. He used to be this way more when he was young. But as he has aged he seems to have lost some of that spark. I don’t know why.
What? Really? Try hard to be “normal”…sorry, when you and your spouse are both full time employees with no nannies and can’t afford daycare, we’ll talk about being permanently tired. That’s my life day in and day out, with 4 kids, where 3 aren’t even school aged yet. Just to make sure we can put food on the table and keep a roof over their heads. Forget renovations or gowns…
@Aerohead21…. you shouldn’t take William’s comments seriously or personally although I gather you are responding from your own inner frustrations. William knows he is fine, but if he were to project that he has no worries or concerns because he can afford all necessities and luxuries for his baby, would your comment be any different?
He created his situation because he wanted his situation as I’m sure you did with yours. Parenthood IMO should not be compared or slammed for being different because in most cases as it is with you both, it is the choice you made.
Great comment, OOOH.
William’s comments should reflect his reality. There’s nothing wrong in pointing out how empty his comments were and how much they ignored what people actually deal with as parents without help.
If William could speak honestly and meaningfully about how incredibly lucky he is to be given so much help, maybe that could inspire him to give back more in trying to help regular parents who don’t have his privileges. Why be in the room saying insipid nothings?
Will is very try hard when it comes to being a normal guy. This was one of those type of comments where heard of what normal parents go through so he repeats it. I thinks he treats his babies like you or I treat family members babies hold and play with them but once they start crying and being fussy you pass them to their parents in his case nanny.
Oh please. He’ll get his usual 8-10 hours of sleep a night, no worries.
Yeah this plus however much he sleeps during the day
Lol
He he.
Ugh Billy, don’t be tone deaf with the British people, not smart!! Without the “subjects” there is no “king”. I suspect that he understands this at some level but does not want to face what that realization would mean ( remove self/family from line of succession, or get to work and quit saying dumb shit). Pretty sure that he has a say in who gets hired for his staff– I suspect that the Q and Charles have been trying to get good staff (who would find a way to communicate this to him , get him to work and curb his tone deaf impulses) for years, but he has rebuffed these efforts, choosing instead to surround himself with enablers. I can see how he might resent Charles and the institution of royalty, given his/Ds history, but since he chooses to remain part of the instsution, he must find a way to separate those feelings from the British people and his obligations to them. Which is where the problem lies, I guess. He seems to have no concept of his obligations to the British people.
Eh i think Kate will be exhausted because I believe she is more hands on. So okay.
As for the comment it is nitpicky. I think it could’ve been worded better but he hit a good point. Girls have always been historically fed images of skinny, over filtered women which hits the self-esteem. So I get what he says.
Something tells me that he’ll manage to catch up on his sleep at some point during the every second day he seems to have off. And that sound you’re hearing is me rolling my eyes.
I wish Diana was still alive to give him a slap across the head.
Father of three with a part time job and massive benefits? Poor *lamb*. Are we supposed to feel so sorry for him, or laugh at his mediocre joke?