People are still enjoying these photos of the two duchesses at Wimbledon last Saturday. The Duchess of Cambridge and the Duchess of Sussex announced ahead of time that they would attend the “ladies day” together. Meaning, Meghan wanted to finally go see her friend Serena Williams play – in the final! – and Kate is patron of the All-England Club, so she tries to make it to the finals every year now.
What was interesting is that Kate and Meghan’s day was extended, because of screwy Wimbledon scheduling, and they ended up sitting there for hours as Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal finished their semifinal match. Then Serena played Angelique Kerber in the final and Kerber (deservedly) won. One of the funniest comments I saw about that was that Meghan was apparently super-salty about Serena losing – like, she was genuinely upset about it and she was either near tears or really crying in the Royal Box. The photos from earlier in the Royal Box tell a different story though: they tell the story of two animated duchesses, getting along very well. Kate’s always especially animated at Wimbledon, and Meghan seemed very chatty too. So here’s what the professional royal-watchers have to say about it:
When it comes to mastering daily royal life, Meghan Markle is learning from the best. The royal family’s newest family member has a supportive team behind her, including sister-in-law, Kate Middleton. And on Saturday, Meghan got to see Kate in action when they attended their first solo outing together at Wimbledon.
“She very much let Kate take the lead,” veteran royal photographer Mark Stewart tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story. Before the match, they met with former female tennis champions and chatted with ball girls and boys. Meghan remained just a few paces behind Kate as they made their way to the royal box to take their seats.
The afternoon outing marked the first time the two women have attended an event without their husbands, Prince William and Prince Harry. And it’s clear that their friendship is blossoming. Throughout the game, Kate leaned in to chat with her new sister-in-law and the two women were seen sharing hearty laughs.
“There was no rivalry,” says Stewart. “It shows how well Meghan has adapted as she is aware that Kate will be Queen one day and her position is different.”
LOL, even professional royal-watchers are now adopting the “KATE WILL BE QUEEN ONE DAY” line. Like that’s the answer for everything these days. “Did you see Meghan doing so many events last week?” “Kate will be Queen one day!!” “Isn’t Meghan so natural around people?” “Kate will be Queen one day!!” No one can compliment Meghan about anything without someone chiming in that KATE WILL BE QUEEN. Yes, we know. Basically, I think everything can be true all at once: there is some kind of rivalry between them, but also, they get along well enough. Meghan’s not trying to overshadow Kate. Yet. Meghan is fine with Kate being the alpha. For now. But I feel very strongly – and I have felt for months now – that Meghan’s arrival raised Kate’s competitive hackles. It’s a healthy competitive urge, in that Kate will be doing more and Meghan will be doing more and we’ll have so many duchess photos! So really, we’re the real winners.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.
The world will never believe 2 women can be friends and have no rivalry between them. This so called rivalry is to sell magazines…
Kate will be the future Queen and Meghan will never be one. Kate has no reason to feel threatened by Meghan and vice versa.
Frankly, Kate is not comfortable in public eye while Meghan seems to be so they are a perfect fit. Kate can do things behind the scenes while Meghan will be in front of it..
Exactly! Well put!
“Kate is going to be Queen”. Again i refer you to what Tywin said to Joffrey on GoT, are we sure that the monarchy will exist then. Ha
The problem is Kate not be behind the scenes because SHE WILL ONE DAY QUEEN.
I agree with a Kaiser and she is spot on with her assessment of this situation. And yes, more photos is a win win for us.
Kate does less behind the scenes than she does in front – all she seems to do is shop, work out and be a mother. This is the life she clearly wanted but she chased after the wrong man, there are expectations on her beyond having heirs.
I wouldn’t mind this kind of life, either.
The Cambridges were spotted in St Lucia yesterday to take the plane to Mustique. So clearly neither Cambridge is working at all behind the scenes right now.
The article is pathetic in that Kate’s great skill seems to be watching tennis at Wimbledon. It’s not like Meghan never attended before so it’s pretty condescending. If Kate was showing Meghan around at a charity she works for that would have a lot more meaning. But we don’t see Kate at those very often.
Kate and Meghan will always be seen to get along in public. Neither is so dumb that there will be public cat fights. But this instant BFF thing is also nuts too. I assume most here are adult women and if you are in your 30s, you are unlikely to have insta friends. Especially a sister in law where you have little in common. They will always be cordial but it is just as bad to expect high school BFF behaviour as much as cat fights.
I was always curious why she didn’t do what Pippa did and marry somebody Terribly Wealthy, so she could enjoy the money and not be obliged to make appearances.
She met William when he was like pretty hot. When you’re 20, I can see that being a strong factor in choosing to go out with him. During the time of his former hotness, she may have genuinely fallen in love with him and it stuck.
You’re right society always pits women against each other. This was always bound to happen. However, when one of the women ia black or WOC the tone of these quips have a layer of racism and ignorance.
And to add to the situation, Meghan is clearly ambitious and accomplished; so it’s hard for royal watchers to demean Meghan bc these traits aren’t visible in Kate. So they always have to fall back on “Kate will be queen”. It’s their only Ace.
This will only get worse as Meghan continues to expand her roles as duchess. When she starts working on her own projects and has kids, I bet “Kate will be queen” faction will get louder and louder.
Nothing is guaranteed. Who would have thought that Camilla would end up the future Queen Consort and not Diana. Will and Kate could divorce tomorrow or the Monarch might not survive Charles to see William rule. Nothing is guaranteed until it happens. Hell, Elizabeth only got put in the line for the throne after her uncle abdicated.
Kate being Queen Consort means nothing. We live in the real world. Royals don’t rule the way they did. The title is for show more than anything at this point. Kate MIGHT become Queen Consort but it doesn’t make her more important or a better person than Meghan in the grand scheme of things.
It’s sad most people only have that to fall back on.
Kate will be consort of the marriage lasts. And the queen statement is dumb. Like that’s a justification for doing less.
Bleh
Maya, I never thought I’d agree with one of your comments – but you’re 100% spot-on IMO!
I hate this expectation that women must always be rivals. It’s ridiculous.
@Maya: 100% agreed: Why do 2 women have to automatically be RIVALS? Why portray them as such? This whole “competition between females” spin is so sexist and stupid.
I wish those two women would get out of the way so we can clearly see the two GODDESSES sitting behind them.
Lol. You know your athletes. Billie Jean and Martina. I love tennis and agree these two are Goddesses!! Where’s Chris? We need someone to throw the racket!
Chris was working. She was doing tv commentary on the match.
She was at the men’s final though. At one point the camera was on her in the royal box and the guys were commenting on it.
Yes @lightpurple! Also did you notice that Billie seemed to be sitting next to her mini-me (on her left)? I was trying to figure out who that was.
The woman sitting next to Billie Jean King is her long-time partner, Ilana Kloss.
Gosh I can’t believe Billie is 74 and Chris, 63. True icons of the sport. Thanks @lightpurple, I can’t get Billie Jean by Michael Jackson out of my head. Billie Jean’s not my lover! Oldies but goodies day!!
I wish we had more tennis icons in the making coming up in tennis. When Serena retires there will no American powerhouses in Women’s tennis.
It would be cool if someone did a biopic TV show about Martina and Chris and their rivalry.
If anyone enjoys podcasts or British radio, the latest Desert Island Disc episode was Billie Jean King, and it was a really good interview!
I do think they get along and seem to like each other. My guess is they aren’t especially close, probably just because of where they are in their lives and their backgrounds.
I don’t mean this as snarky as it sounds, but I knew a lot of super rich people in college and I just…..didn’t have a lot in common with them. One of my friends in law school made a comment third year about just realizing why people were stressed about jobs – “you all have loans!” (LOL for days.) None of these people were bad people or people I disliked, I just didn’t have that much in common with them because our lifestyles were so different. I would talk about my summer job and they would talk about their trip on a yacht in the Mediterranean. I know Meghan wasn’t poor growing up and she made good money on Suits, but between Kate not really working in her 20s and being a part of William’s circle for so long, my guess is there is a gap between the two. I don’t know if that makes sense.
then factor in that Kate has three kids,etc.
So like I said I am sure they get along, but are just at different places in their lives, despite both being married to sons of the PoW.
NOW that said, I do think there is a bit of rivalry, not between Kate and Meghan personally but maybe just in general. Kate is competitive and I get the impression William is as well. I don’t think the two are going to make every decision in their lives based on what Meghan and Harry are doing, but I do think after maternity leave we are going to see a different Kate.
Kate might have come from a wealthier family than Meghan, but Meghan has been swimming in similar social circles for years. That’s how she was set up with Harry! Her best friend is a Canadian socialite. I don’t think that’s really a difference that’s keeping them from being close (if those differences exist at all).
I understand what you are saying. It is the same thing that makes lovely sweet aristocrats strange to someone who isn’t. They say and do things that aren’t relatable to the average person. There is always a disconnect somewhere. That is why when someone pretends or tries to copy it comes off so bad because there are telltale signs that can’t be faked.
However, though Kate has been around it a long time she has never been an insider that way. I think she knows this though. Or seems to. They weren’t very nice to her and reminded her all the time she was not one of them. William is still friends with these same people too.
Yep, that’s why Kate never felt ‘in’ and tried to steer away from William’s snobby friends. Kudos for her for not being friends or trying to impress those idiots. She might still feel like an outsider when being with them despite being a duchess and future queen consort. She wasn’t born aristo and that’s all that matters, duh. Frankly, what she experienced was pretty bad, it’s just forgotten by press and now she has 3 kids so it’s different. So Kate being pampered – yes, but the number of times she has been reminded of her “working class” (despite millionaire parents) roots by press, William’s press would be overwhelming. Even before the wedding press played it up and was looking for her family’s, especially her mum’s behaviour that would indicate she’s from the lower class. Disgusting. So I believe she at least understand being grilled.
Meghan went to private school and attended Northwestern. For all we know she got scholarships and financial aid or took out loans. And sure she might have lived the struggling actress life for awhile (so she knows how to hustle). But I actually think she and Kate come from similar middle-class backgrounds, the main difference being Kate’s parents are together and Meghan’s parents are not.
Supposedly Meghan interned at the US embassy in Argentina thanks to her uncle’s connections at the State Department. She didn’t come from a super wealthy family but we know she went to Europe at least once as a teen (I’ve seen pictures). I don’t think the Middletons are so wealthy that Meghan and Kate had very different upbringings and come from polar opposite social classes. Plus Meghan’s been hanging out with the Hollywood crowd/Canadian elite since being on Suits. Not the same as hanging out with aristocracy like Kate but… they’ve both been upper class for awhile now.
Meghan had it even easier because Hollywood/Canadian elite was probably more forgiving than aristos. For some it’s almost like ‘you weren’t born one, you’d truly never become one.”
I understand what you’re getting at here. While Meghan’s lifestyle is completely different now, and I think she has no problem connecting to wealthy people – there seems (to me) a fundamental difference in that Kate is a little oblivious to the struggles of the “normal people” or the rest of the world, while Meghan appears to have more awareness and appreciation for their luck to have this life.
I think Kate might be a bit oblivious but I believe her parents valued money and hard work and she gets that her life was relatively easy because of her parents’ work. She was never this dumb spoiled girl like #rich kids on instagram.
They are sisters-in-law so am sure both will make an effort to get along even if they have nothing in common – happens all the time with us plebs.
They are both very different women with different life experiences. Kate has led a very sheltered life with Mummy doing everything for her, Meghan the opposite – Doria encouraged independence from a young age and Meghan clearly hasn’t had an easy ride through life (her career, family etc..), experiences that clearly make her all the stronger for it. I’ve said on here several times, both Princes married women who reflect who they are as men! I’ll leave you to decide who the better man is.
I agree the Cambridges are competitive, we have seen this from them and it will be interesting to see how things go if the Sussex’s become more popular or get praised for doing more public duties. It might force the DoLittles off their backsides, hopefully.
Saying that, remember Diana and Fergie were buddies and that all turned sour when their marriages broke down.
Imagine that statement reversed…to look at their husbands to “see who the better woman is”. Why does someone have to be better?
Seems to me that “professional” royal-watchers would not be referring to the duchesses by their maiden names.
Eh, 7 years in and DoC is always Kate Middleton on this site. It always reads like a low key snub to me but many media outlets do it. I think, oddly, the titles they ended up with are reflective – Kate is much more traditional (stodgy?) so Cambridge works, whereas I think sexy or sassy when I see Sussex.
This comes up on Twitter — Royal reporters use their maiden names because that’s still how people look them up on the Internet. Their editors need stories to be tops on the Google results list. It’s search engine optimization (SEO) 101.
I think of the royal family as a cult. Everyone has a place, and they all know this. Meghan is smart, and she’ll color within the lines. I have a feeling the machine would turn against anyone who tries to upend things – that’s how the machine protects itself.
You are right. Everyone knows his or her place, including Meghan and Kate.
Yes, totally agree. I’m not sure about this either but – rather than taking lessons from Kate (walking a few paces behind her), isn’t that the pecking order protocol in the RF? Whatever, I hate the narrative that they are in competition as I don’t really believe they are. I bet they are forming a friendship.
Didn’t Diana and Fergie walk side by side? How does one carry on a conversation if you are 2 paces behind? Oh, I guess you can’t and that’s the point.
I don’t think there’s a rivalry now or ever. The article is true, they are not competing for the same title or man so why would there be competitiveness? I think Kate’s been happier since Meghan has arrived, I think she not only enjoys that there is another woman to commiserate to and now the attention is not all on her. I don’t think they’re besties right now, but they seem to enjoy each other’s company. I don’t see competition at all, even in the future.
@red @muffy – agree with you both. I think Kate does seem even happier. I’m sure she’s thrilled for Harry to have found Meghan & also relieved to not be practically the sole focus. It’s clear Kate loves being a mum which I think is adorable. And Meghan is so likeable, imo. A win all around!
Agree. For two women who are still getting to know each other they seem to have an easy rapport. Their body language says that they are comfortable with each other.
I agree too. There is no reason why they aren’t friends now, and will become even better friends as time passes. I hate when people/tabs try and be sh!t-stirrings and create problems where there are none.
I don’t think Kate’s competitive hackles are raised or whatever. I think she’s grateful to have someone else take an intense focus off of her so she can spend time with her small babies. Obviously the Crown supports this, as they don’t want another divorce.
I agree. And it’s well established that Kate can be quite competitive/single minded when it’s something that matters to her (sports, getting William to the altar, accruing off-white dresses) so I feel like we would not be left in any doubt if Kate was unhappy with Meghan overshadowing the Cambridges.
“accruing off-white dresses)” LMAO
It’s unsurprising. People were really trying to make a rivalry happen.
Body language was positive I thought. Meghan deferred but I didn’t sense Kate was alpha dogging here. Kate is going to be queen yet she is also Patron so had a role beyond just watching.
That was my impression re: Meghan deferring. I think it was a combination of things – can you imagine the press reaction if Meghan had walked in front of Kate?!!? – but I think the fact that Kate is patron played a big part and I think that had more to do with the deference than Kate being future queen.
One small thing I noticed when they got to their seats was that Meghan was about to move the program from her seat when the attendant (?) did it for her and she was like “oh, okay, right” in her head. It would never occur to me to have someone else do that, because I’m perfectly capable of moving a program, but Kate is used to it now where Meghan isn’t yet.
It’s also why I think we see Meghan looking to Harry a lot at events, because she’s following his lead. I’m an independent woman with a career, but when I’m at functions for my husband’s job I definitely find myself letting him lead the way.
I agree Becks1, the deference (if there was any being shown) was due to the fact that Kate is the patron of Wimbledon not that she might be the Queen in 20-30+ years.
It would have been rude of Meghan to not be like that when Kate is the patron. In my mind that is how being supportive should look. I think they get along.
I hope they become great friends & remain as such. They share a unique situation.
Perhaps they just actually, genuinely like each other.
Perhaps their status in The Firm has no bearing on their relationship.
Perhaps they approach their friendship like two sisters-in-law who are married to brothers who are very close.
And perhaps the ‘rivalry’ or ‘competitiveness’ is simply a ploy to sell gossip.
Such a shocking concept, right!?
“and Kate is patron of the All-England Club, so she tries to make it to the finals every year now.” Except this was the first year Kate’s ever attended a women’s finals match, it’s always the mens she goes to. She’s only ever been to one other womens match before.
It looks like Kate’s only been patron of Wimbledon for two years at this point. It doesn’t seem fair to judge her attendance just yet.
I don’t see a rivalry. I saw one between Taylor Swift and Katy Perry, but not here. Neither is dissing the other one.
Honestly, for the present it does seem like they like each other. That could change ing the future, but only if one of them writes about a book about getting warts from shoes they borrowed from the other one.
😂
(Neither one of them seems as distressed and quick to lash out as Diana was.)
Your rivals do not have to bow and scrape in your presence which one day is inevitable between the two of them.
Richard Palmer, the royals reporter at the Express, said in May that the stories about curtsying in private were overblown: https://twitter.com/royalreporter/status/999886207789101056?s=21
What’s some people’s obsession with Meghan bowing and scraping to Kate.She won’t be the only one that will yet she’s the only one people focus on….
@Josie – thanks for that link! I’ve always wondered about curtsying protocol. The whole concept of curtsying is so weird to me that I’m having a hard time figuring it out.
I’m always disappointed when the Queen is out in public and the whole street or arena doesn’t curtsy to her, like they do in Shakespeare in Love. LOL
@Sam
Yes! There are some people who have a weird obsession with seeing Meghan bow down to the “future Queen”. They mention it on just about every Kate and Meghan article.
Missy, yes they do and I find it strange. Like, what is with the hyper focusing on something I doubt either of them think about. They both willingly married into an old institution with outdated rules they know they have to follow. It’s not that serious.
People keep saying Kate will be Queen as if it’s her birthright. Divorce is legal, people die.
What is her worth and contribution outside of her marriage and first born?
Not to mention a lot can happen to the monarchy within the next 20 years. I’m not so sure it will survive when the beloved and highly respected current Queen passes. The monarchy is so dependent on popular opinion these days, and I doubt the people feel that connected to Charles or William. If I was the British public, I would feel that the Queen’s death should mark a natural, dignified end of an outdated institution.
Maybe it will survive, but it really remains to be seen.
Well, if the monarchy goes, all of them are out. They’ll all be in the same boat and have that to commiserate about. Maybe Harry, Meghan, Kate, and William will do a group chat about their new lives on Oprah’s Youtube channel.
I don’t think anyone watching the government try to negotiate Brexit is excited about tackling the Constitutional debates that would accompany abolishing the monarchy.
Republican reform would be a lot easier from a statutory point of view, but a bit of a mess otherwise. Who becomes the head of state, and how are they selected? What’s their role? What happens to the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall — who oversees the financial management of all the subsidiary properties? How will that be transitioned from BP and Clarence House to Westminster? What about all the Crown properties, some of which clearly revert to the State but are fixed in people’s minds as belonging to the Crown? Will the royal household/the Firm cooperate or be quietly obstructionist? I don’t think people will have the stomach for a second round of change and parliamentary debate on that scale any time soon.
I don’t know Josie. If Putin gets his hard Brexit and the economy gets as bad as is forecasted there may be no other choice BUT to have that conversation. Brexit is going to be pretty ugly and the public may have huge issues with their spending. All these fashion walks (though I do enjoy them) can begin to look like “let them eat cake” (even though MA never said that).
Not immediately but in 5 years or so? When NHS is gutted to near nothing, shuttered farms litter the countryside, shops close and so on, the public may want some symbolic retribution. Something they can SEE changing when they feel helpless about the aftermath.
The BRF is fun to gossip about but otherwise a very glossy expense.
Extreme retrenchment of Royal expenses, I could see. Abolishment? It seems really unlikely to me, @magnoliarose. Even if the public called for it (a big if when polls suggest people blame their MPs for economic woes), I think Westminster wouldn’t want the headache.
Could Parliament make Buckingham Palace public property? start charging even higher rents at KP? Assert Parliamentary control of crown assets? Sure. But to abolish entirely would be a massive constitutional wrangle that they are likely to avoid.
I can see expenses being cut off for everyone but the actual monarch and immediate family but I don’t see it happening until Charles is king. Andy’s escapades are going to play a role too. I don’t think his behaviour with Epstein will remain quiet forever, especially since Epstein is linked with the orange one and I expect that it’s going to get ugly in the US very soon. Traitor time is in high gear and much too obvious to be ignored now.
There’s a rumor on Twitter that the Middletons and Cambridges are in Mustique together on holiday. I 100% believe that Kate is happy to have Meghan do more/most of the work right now. Meghan’s not a rival, she’s a replacement. (Kate has ignored seven years of stories about her bad numbers, and polls even now consistently place her and William above Charles and Camilla on popularity lists. They have decided this works for them — and William’s numbers are actually going to be significantly higher this year. I think we should get used to this state of affairs.)
They were spotted in St Lucia by fans (although no one was sure if Pippa was with them). And St Lucia is where they transfer to take the plane to Mustique.
I would be a little surprised if Pippa was there, because of Zika. Usually someone gets blurry photos of them on Mustique, so we shall see.
There is nothing about Kate’s behaviors toward Meghan that could indicate jealousy toward Meghan.
Kate isn’t called “the recluse” for nothing, she doesn’t like the spotlight while Meghan likes it.
These too seem to enjoy each other compagnie, which make some people pressed. There is nous rivalry betweet these 2 lol.
I believe they are friends. Why wouldn’t they want to be? There are probably precious few other women they will be able to trust. And Kate will be Queen. I believe Meghan does understand their positions are different because they are different. Meghan will always have to defer to Kate because of their positions. I think Meghan is smart enough to have understood THAT before she ever married Harry.
I think they look great together having fun.
They get along. Shocking, I know.
I don’t see any signs of rivalry, but I guess depending on who you like more, you’ll see what you want to see. I think they both know their places in the royal family and it would be silly of them to go up against each other.
To me, they seemed very comfortable with each other from the shots and video snippets we got to see.
Camilla and Diana were a rivalry. This is nothing.
I’m not even sure Diana and Fergie were a rivalry. I think Diana was just terrified people might look into her indiscretions, and hoped Fergie would distract from whatever Diana was doing in private.
Harry said no one lies awake with the ambition to be King. I assume the same applies to being Queen. If that’s their view of things, they’re probably all happy with where they currently are. And personally I can’t see any of them getting super excited to discuss the state of the nation with the Prime Minister. That seems like the sort of thing that excites Charles, but William, Kate, Harry, and Meghan seem more interested in non-intellectual matters.
To be fair, none of the younger royals seem particularly bright (maybe with the exception of Meghan, who actually seems capable of stringing more than two coherent sentences together). That’s part of the reason why the monarchy seems so absurd to me – it’s so evident that these people would never achieve positions of power and influence had they not been born royals. Judging from their appearances and interviews, most of them are simpletons.
That has always been the case of course, but before the royals had to appear on TV/interviews there was a bigger sense of mystery and otherworldliness surrounding them. Now the randomness of who gets to be Head of State is so clear. Intellectually and personality-wise William couldn’t be further from a statesman, yet he will inherit such a central role.
Good assessment. You touched on something that is bothersome about them. It is why when they won’t do the minimum asked of them it seems like an outrageous insult.
William is a dolt. There isn’t much to recommend him intellectually or anything else really yet he is supposed to go on and fill TQ’s shoes. TQ benefits from coming along when being royal meant something but these days it doesn’t really. No one fights to be among their social set. Maybe Harry and Meghan now but for different reasons. Without the cache and prestige, I don’t see how they continue.
TQ also benefits from having done her job consistently since before she became queen. Charles has followed in her footsteps in terms of work ethic and it’s really his personal life that has caused the most problems. William has simply been lazy. His version of full time royal still isn’t close to what Charles did at his age and there is no excuse for it anymore.
Oh exactly. I never understood how with the access to the best education the majority of the royal family can be described as stupid and of less than average intelligence. If you’re born aristo you’re all set. Even if you have no clue who won WW2 (I’m exaggerating of course).
Kate will become Queen consort, but I bet Meghan will have a more fun life. W & K might be lazy now, but when they become Prince and Princess of Wales in a few years, they will be expected to be out and about. Look at Charles and Camilla, doing all kinds of engagements up and down the country. And the workload will only increase over the years, with no retirement. In comparison, Harry and Meghan will probably be able to have more freedom, considering they are lesser royals. They will live glamorous lives, but with more opportunity to retreat and socialize.
So I actually think Meghan has the better deal. And she has the charming Prince Harry, not the surly, petulant William.
Couldn’t agree more! I would definitely want Harry and Meghan’s life and position rather than William and Kate’s if I had to choose.
Meghan will definitely have the better deal in the future. However I struggle to see W&K carrying out as many engagements as Chas & Cam when they eventually become Prince and Princess of Wales. (The idea of calling them that sticks in my throat a little.) There will be continual excuses about why they can’t step up.
I agree Cerys, when Kate fans say that she’ll really step up once she’s the PoW I always ask what in her (or her and Williams) past or current work history lead you to believe that? funny but no one’s ever answered.
Cerys & Harla: I’m not saying Will and Kate will magically become less lazy when they are Prince and Princess of Wales. Just that they will be one step closer to the throne, and it will (hopefully) be more difficult to avoid doing some actual work without losing public support.
Right now, the palace can spin the whole “they are young parents and besides they are only second in line”-story as an excuse for their idleness, but once they are higher up the pecking order, the public will expect more from them. They need to be visible. Not to mention Charles and Camilla are already in their 70s, and can’t possibly continue doing all of their current patronages and engagements in addition to being regents. If the RF have any sense, they will delegate a lot to W & K.
But obviously I don’t know for sure. I seriously hope it won’t be Harry and Meghan pulling the weight while Will and Kate are lazing around at Anmer or Mustique. That would be so infuriating. Harry should be careful not to let William take advantage of him.
I don’t think there is any rivalry. Meghan does not have any desire to be queen. She’s happy to be married to Harry and that’s what this is about for her. As for Kate, she’s secure in her position (there is literally nothing Meghan could do to change Kate’s role or subvert her and everyone knows it) AND she genuinely seems relieved at Meghan’s arrival because it has taken pressure and scrutiny off of her. Their body language was friendly and completely fine. I don’t understand at ALL why people are always so convinced that women are competitive and interested in rivalry–even when there is evidence quite to the contrary. We are not all like that. Meghan does not want what Kate has and Kate does not want what Meghan has.
My goodness…these rivalry conspiracy theories are going to be increasingly tedious and they will never end. Ever. In 30 years we will still be hearing this crap. Ugh.
It makes me crazy that anytime two women — esp two powerful women — are together, they can’t simply “be.” They must be PITTED against each other. It must ALWAYS devolve into a — save me from this phrase — “cat fight.”
Such misogynist b.s.
I believe that they get along and if William and Kate took holidays then it means Kate doesn’t even pretend to be competitive and show up for 1 engagement. I always wondered about it since Kate is very sporty so naturally competitive. Same goes for Pippa. Yet they clearly love each other. (Was Pippa ever jealous? well, everyone would be a bit.)
Harry had his own place within Kensington Palace and so Meghan moved in with him at Rose Cottage. It’s absolutely false that Harry and Meghan stayed with Will and Kate in apartment 1A.
I believe Harry lived (and still lives) in Nottingham Cottage, not Rose Cottage. But I agree Harry, much less Harry and Meghan, never ever lived with Will and Kate.
While women shouldn’t be pitted against each other for no reason, I don’t understand why people would expect Kate and Meghan to automatically be good friends. Friendly yes, really good friends I doubt. They seem to be quite different in many ways. And even if they weren’t different, in many ordinary families sisters-in-law aren’t “best friends.” That is especially true if one brother has been throwing the other under the bus for years. The idea that being within the BRF should create a special bond between Kate and Meghan hasn’t turned out that way for other women in the family!
I do think Kate is competitive at times. Right now, Meghan is being raked over the coals by the media (protocol, wardrobe, bad family) so Kate doesn’t have to do anything even if she IS feeling competitive. That may not always be true. So for me, I think it’s still pretty unclear what effect there may be.
These photos look like Meghan was trying to concentrate on the game and Kate was just distracting her.