Yes, this is going to be another Kate Middleton story where half of you yell at me. Yes, I’m expecting half of the comments to be along the lines of “LEAVE HER ALONE” and “She’ll make a fine princess!” I’m okay with that. Everybody is entitled to their opinions, and in my opinion, Kate Middleton is hilariously lazy, and she’s in for a rude awakening once she becomes a princess and realizes how much “stuff” is expected of a working royal. So imagine my lack of surprise to learn that Kate has now officially quit her “job”! And why did she “quit”? Because she “is now preparing for her future life.” Oh, Kate.
First, some background: Kate has a degree from a university, having graduated from St. Andrews in 2005. At one point, briefly, she had a real job as a buyer for Jigsaw. That job was back in 2006, and it only lasted for a few months, likely because they didn‘t have an official policy of letting their employees jet off 13 times a year on royal holidays. Since then, she’s either been flat-out unemployed and living on her parents‘ largesse, or “working” at her parents’ company, Party Pieces. I’m not saying that Kate doesn’t do real work – occasionally – for her parents, but I will say that it’s not a real job by any stretch of the imagination. First of all, there’s never really been a straight answer as to what exactly Kate does for Party Pieces. Sometimes she does editorial work, laying out the catalog. Sometimes she photographs the merchandise for the catalog. Or maybe she’s just around for moral support…? But she’s always on vacation! That’s what’s important. Anyway, that little career is O-V-E-R.
Kate Middleton has quit her job at her parents’ online party supplies business to throw herself full time into planning her wedding. The future Queen stepped down from her role at Party Pieces just before Christmas, royal aides confirmed today. One said: “She has handed over her work to colleagues and is now preparing for her future life.”
She and Prince William are now spending all their free time together at their cottage on Anglesey, close to the RAF Valley base where he works at a helicopter pilot.
According to one friend, Kate, who helped organise parties in her former guise, has taken on the planning role with “gusto and energy”.
The friend, who was quoted in Hello! magazine, said: “Catherine is a naturally creative individual and has spent her professional life in the creative industries having worked at Jigsaw, then as a website designer, photographer, marketer and events organiser. Skills she has built up in her working life translate naturally to organising a wedding.”
Royal insiders say that while most of the big decisions have been taken, the couple will hold back on publicising some key details to keep them as surprises for April 29. These include the identity of the dress designer, the design of their wedding rings and the words of their vows.
The insider said: “They don’t want the world to be sick of their wedding before they become husband and wife. To them it is very important for people on the day to feel they are a part of something which is fresh and new.”
However, some key decisions have still to be made. It is not clear whether Prince William will wear his RAF uniform on the day of the wedding, following the example of his father Prince Charles and uncle Prince Andrew in opting for military dress.
There is also uncertainty about where the couple will live after the prince finishes his training on Anglesey in 2013. Some expect their London base to be St James’s Palace but insiders says Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace have not been ruled out.
[From The London Evening Standard]
Okay, and now for the kicker: I don’t hate Kate for “quitting” her “job”. I don’t! It’s important that she really start to learn all of the crap that is going to be expected of her. There is a ton of protocol junk she has to learn, and there is probably a lot of wedding planning left to do too. So I don’t blame her “quitting” to focus on all of that. I do blame her for never having a career before now, though. A career beyond getting the ring, I mean.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Gosh how plain this chick is. I just hope she’s good to William.
I don’t hate Kate but it’s obvious she never really had a job and has been counting on Wil to marry her since college. It’s pathetic. I do think he loves her though and I hope their marriage works out.
Looks like, in that first pic, she’s flipping us off insider her purse. Of course, she’s not. I doubt she’s clever enough to have thought of that. In other news…
She had a job??
Has anyone noticed how skinny she’s getting?
Call me a skeptic but I find it very puzzling that she quit her job at Jigsaw.
I don’t understand why working for her parents’ business is considered “working.” They have a successful business and there probably is a lot to do and just because Kate doesn’t release a daily schedule of everything she does, doesn’t mean she doesn’t “work.” Sorry, Kaiser, I guess I’m in that group that doesn’t understand all the nastiness about her.
I’m with you, K.
She’ll probably end up with a reality show on Bravo. And sadly, I will watch it.
Her career has been “Catching William”, during which her many many years of planning and hard work have paid off brilliantly. And now that she has reached the pinnacle, beyond which no further accomplishments are possible, she is retiring with a golden parachute.
Watch for her to come out of retirement with a new career, “Mother of a Dynasty” in which she produces an even more ambitious project called “The Heir and a Spare”.
Is that her mother in the bottom picture? If it is, she’s not going to age well… such a witch-like profile.
Ok, not really like, “defending” her, but not for anything, it’s not like Princess Diana had a “real” job prior to marrying Charles. She worked as like, a random dance instructor until a skiiing accident screwed that up, she was a pre-k assistant for a few months, and she’d host parties…I mean, she wasn’t exactly a CEO for Barclays Capital.
Given, I know she was not a “commoner” like Kate, but still….I mean, maybe I’m lazy, but if I didn’t have to work at a “real” job, I wouldn’t. Kate doesn’t. Her parents are loaded, she’s going to marry a goddamn prince….I mean, right now, if I were 30 and didn’t have to wake up at 6 in the morning to go to a job I hated (I don’t do this, thank god) I wouldn’t do it just to “do it”. I don’t think working at a job like that gives you character or like, insight to a lot.
Mind you, I work at a bar. I’m not partial to sitting behind a desk or ‘career” jobs. Some people just aren’t.
I agree with Kaiser. I think that once she became involved with Prince William she focused on closing the deal. This is why she never seriously tried having a career (except when they briefly broke up). She knew a regular employer would not allow constant breaks, vacations so she wouldn’t be able to accompany William and keep an eye on him. She was very clever this way: she kept steady and always perfect, never taking a wrong turn, always discreet, always beyond reproach. If she truly loved him, she would have made a false move, lost her temper, showed her true emotions. And even when they briefly broke up (allegedly because she pressured him for a ring), she was very careful with the press. I don’t hate her or anything, I think she’s a nice girl and probably good for him. But she’s far more interested in becoming a princess than just his wife, IMHO.
Ha Kaiser, you have our number! I guess I am a Kate defender in that I don’t MIND her being hilariously lazy, she’s from a wealthy family and being a royal seems like the worst job in the world to me. So I don’t criticize her, I figure having to be a royal for the rest of her life will be wretched enough without a little contribution from the likes of me.
I sometimes wondered why she always wore such conservative clothes… many quite dowdy. I guess she figured that she can’t afford to be controversial, even in the slightest.
There are a lot of women who stop working when they get married. I’d quit if I married a Prince I’m sure most people would.
She is a specialist in marketing and sales. That’s a full time job. This deal was a long outstanding conspiracy -going to university together was the start and modeling in the see-through number to catch his eye was the hook-line-sinker for William. Sigh!
Man, none of the royals have proper jobs, why should their soon-to-be-wives and mistresses be any different?
I don’t dislike her, just can’t summon up any interest in her.
Considering her retirement age equals the one when she drops dead she’ll have to take it easy while she still can.
mary jones: of course there are.. the key is that they stop working AFTER they get married. I would too, if I married a prince 😉 But Kate never really worked, never even tried to figure out what she wants to do with her life.. except for being a princess. Her whole preoccupation since college seemed to be catching the prince.
I agree with whoever wrote this. She might be the nicest person, but I just don’t like the idea spending almost 10 years just waiting to get married, and doing NOTHING else. That’s pathetic and shallow.
Stef – Not to be nit-picky, but Diana was 19 years old when she and Charles started up, and she worked at a nursery school, and had previously worked as a nanny. Plus, she volunteered as nursing homes and such.
Here’s one of my biggest complaints about Kate: it’s not just that she didn’t use her degree for anything career-wise, it’s that she couldn’t even be bothered to do some charity work while she waited for William to propose. I mean, it didn’t even have to be full-time charity work. Just volunteer at a shelter or a soup kitchen or something, so SOMETHING besides wait around for William.
Minx2 – I agree! That’s why so many people take issue with her!
Stef – You’re comparing the job experience of a 19 year old to a grown 28 year old woman who is a college graduate? Really?
Does it ever cross your mind how difficult it is to have a ‘normal’ job if you’re straight out of university and already a paparazzi target? Especially if you have to take care not to embarrass your boyfriend’s family with an unsuitable job? You underestimate how intrusive the British press is, I was living in the UK when Kate was working for Jigsaw and she was followed constantly by the paparazzi. And it’s not like she had any protection from them while ‘only’ being the girlfriend. I also vividly remember when William dumped Kate for a while and suddenly it was apparently okay for the paps to take pictures up her skirt. Must have been great fun for a young girl. I think she worked in her parents’ business because that was the only way she could actually work.
God. I love you, Kaiser.
Now I know who she reminds me of…Katie Holmes sans the meds. Complete sell-outs for what they perceive to be a fairy tale life when the reality of life as a scientologist or royal is in stark contrast to happily ever after.
I’m simply saying, Princess Diana wasn’t exactly running a company either. I know she was 19/20, but I’m only saying!
I agree that there is a Katie Holmesish thing going on in a lot of these pics. Totally weird.
I’m 25 and my resume includes a 6 month stint as an assistant at a PR firm and a bar. And I have my college degree.
Some people just don’t do the job/career shit. And I also agree that it probably wasn’t insanely easy getting a “normal” job being followed by the paps.
Oh well, if I were English I would be really pissed off at having to pay taxes that goes towards the Royal family, who aren’t actually that much of political benefit to society. It would just make me really mad…anyways is it me or is she totally staring at that lady’s chin in the last pic.
I feel bad for her.
Number 1. She didn’t get the hot Ginger prince.
Number 2. Who cares if she worked or not? I highly doubt she could have held a job outside of her parents company due to people trying to sell information about her, paps…etc.
Number 3. People won’t leave her the heck alone!! Just let them get married and be happy.
Number 4…Imagine how STUFFY life is going to be as a royal?? UGH.
She is a complete Disney princess…just waited around for her prince to arrive.
I wish I had her body.
Can’t wait until the wedding is over. I’ve never been a fan of the “royals” – – with the economy in the tank, I can’t imagine how the country is so psyched for this waste of taxpayer money.
Anyway, God bless America.
I don’t mind that she never really had a “real” job, what bothers me about this woman is that she seems to be disingenuous regarding her true interests and motives. I am so tired of all of the excuses about her inability to work due to the paparazzi etc.. The paparazzi never seemed to curtail her shopping and partying. If she were a charitable person she could have easily became involved with several charities but she had no desire to volunteer her services. I always thought royalty was all about service and duty to country. This woman has only been interested in servicing William over the past 10 years to get the golden ring and nothing else. She is nothing more than a concubine who will soon be sporting a crown….and I am not a hater and I am not jealous.
Kaiser, I’m sure you know by now that I have your back on this one. This woman’s sole function in life was bagging her prince. And, by golly, she did it. I will give her credit for that, and only that.
She quit her “job” at her parents company. How many people did she beat out to get that job in the first place? Or the Jigsaw job? These jobs were handed to her as busy work while she waited William out. Are lots of other people handed jobs with no competition? Of course, absolutely. What did Katey do with them; go on multiple, extended, expensive holidays.
This whole palace PR campaign to make Katie into something she is not is actually becoming quite comical.
Eh, I kind of like her. Also, I love the fact that he could have married the most beautiful woman in the world and he choose a woman who is solidly cute but not a model.
In fact it is not THAT difficult to be a member of the Royal family and HAVE a job.At least before the marriage.The wife of Peter Fillips had.Zara Fillips anf her boyfriend earn their own money apparently.The wife of Eduard had one in a PR agency and the daughter of the late princess Margater too(design I think).The men usually go to te army like Andrew-for about 15 years.
So Kate IS lazy in a general sense.
Years ago there was quite a discussion about the public appearances taken by Charls and Diana.They’ve been seen (altoghether!) less that 200 times a year, while his sister princess Ann had about 500 a year, which is about 2 appointments a day. Many Brits thought she is more worthy to be Queen one day.For her devotion to the throne she got the title Princess Royal, which is the highest one, thast the Queen might possibly give.
I am VERY curious what kind of profile Kate is going to create…
Oh come on.. she has an university degree.. so even though her parents are millionaires she went to a great university and what is wrong working for her parents? I would do the same thing. And.. after all these years with William they knew they would eventually marry, so why trying to start for example an own company if she has to leave it anyway like Daniel, princess Victorias husband!
The comparison to Katie Holmes is spot on: Kate’s got that dead look in her eyes and you suspect that there is nothing going on there at all. I guess my feelings for her are meh. For someone with her advantages the only thing she’s accomplished is that she waited nine years for a guy to marry her. I know he’s a prince but deep down we all know that there’s something desperate and pathetic about her but we excuse it because he’s royalty.
It seems that perhaps William is in some ways trying to mold Kate to be a lot like his mother. Every piece about the couple on the Today Show (and there is at least one a day) always has a line or two that ends in “just like Diana.”
@ Riley:
“Dreadful crayola eyelliner. Just like Diana!”
Sorry kaiser, but I am going to have to go into the group of people who will be yelling at you. I am not a Kate fan per-se, but some of the assumptions you are making are pretty huge. I think the reason she quit the Jigsaw job was that the press was hounding her everywhere she went in Richmond, and as an assistant buyer for the chain this made the travelling part of the job very difficult. Also, many people work in family businesses, this doesn’t automatically make them lazy.
Also, and I think this is the key thing, the Royal family are probably already keeping Kate on a tight leash. They don’t want another Diana debacle on their hands- it turned the British public against them and they aren’t going to let that happen again.
So she spent four years learning party tricks in order to put on the biggest party of her life? Wow what a career.
princess di also didn’t start having any style until she dumped the fuddy duddy Charles. and she had as much of a career as Kate did. also, the tabloids were not as out of control as they are today.
While everyone is remaining so bitter about Kate and her jobs, the girl is busy sgetting herself read for a job that has expressed an interest in and said that she will work hard at. William believe’s in her and that’s what matters.
hellen has it right..she seems catty to me..I dont think she is evil though, she just knows what she wants and goes after it..
Oh, let’s have her fax her resume and daily schedule to all you whiners, stat! And if she doesn’t measure up and do all the right things plus cut off at least one arm because she didn’t do enough charity work, then off with her head.
Give me a freaking break-ANYONE would quit their job if they were going to marry the future King of England!
Im also tired of the comparisons to Diana-they couldnt be more different starting with the fact that she is not a 19 year old virgin from a dysfunctional aristocratic family…
She is going to be great-they clearly are good friends which is a good base for a marriage.
As regards the taxpayers money going to the royals-I for one do not have a problem with the immediate royal family-its all the lesser ones that need to be reminded that they exist but for the grace of the people-the queen has been amazing ,shes one of the most photographed women in the world and lets face it-the only royal family that people are truly interested in are the Windsors…
LOL, I had been wondering what Kate Middleton’s job was.
Job?
I was on the fence about her – she seemed so shallow, just waiting around for the rich man to propose. But when I really thought about it, isn’t that what a future queen has to do? Suppose she had a real job – let’s say, a cardiologist. There’s no way she could continue to work at ANY real job, no matter how important, after becoming the future queen. To me, it would have been sadder to see a real career woman forced to give up a career she actually cared about. So I think it works out better this way.
She’s kind of a throwback to the 1950’s. Always accommodating herself to the prince. It’s not like it could ever be a marriage of equals. If she actually had a career and not just a job to pass the time, William would be waiting on her.
Yeah, I now think that for her it was all about the catch.
If memory serves I thought the Queen told Kate months ago to go and work on her “Jubilee” under the ever watchful Camilla’s supervision. Now that would have a real job! Guess that too was beneath her work goals since she hasn’t deemed to mention that as one of the reasons why she quit.
I disagree here. Catherine actually has been working since she was young. Her parents have a very successful business and all the children work there in one way or another. So she’s been doing that from the start.
Then she went to university and believe me that’s a full-time job in itself if you get the kind of good grades she got. When she graduated she was officially William’s girlfriend. Pray tell me where would you find a job then, especially without security detail? Pretty much no where! People will take advantage of you or try to trip you up.
So Catherine stayed with her family’s business. I don’t see anyone dissing the Trump children for working for their father. So why are people dissing Catherine for working for her parents? It’s a pretty busy job if the Middletons are quite well off!
It is not like she was waiting at home by the phone. She had and still has a very active life. I think that’s why she and William lasted so long. She wasn’t a doormat for him. When he was being stupid and looking at greener pastures she didn’t put up with it.
If Catherine was like a successful banker or professor or doctor, can you imagine how she would feel trying to keep her career and the future ahead of her as Queen of England? Quite impossible! So really, everything works out for the best.
I really hope The Firm doesn’t corrupt Catherine like they did Diana and to some extend Sarah. There’s only so much a person can do without causing distance in a marriage. The last thing they need is for William to start having affairs because Catherine is too busy being patron of 1000 charities and looking after the 10 children they’re bound to have.
Only 93 more days until the wedding! 😛
GO kate! I don’t blame her at all
If i was marrying the King of England I wouldn’t work a day in my life either
*prince of england
If Kate’s career was Catching William, then she’s now President and CEO of it. I agree with people who say she singlemindedly pursued William (although some pin it on her mother). That being said, she’s being kept on a tight rein so as to avoid the Diana Debacle. The Queen doesn’t want another movie about how they effed it up.
She couldn’t hold on to a job because nobody wanted her, viz. everything that came with her. She got as much attention as any royal but didn’t have any of their security or protection, including (especially) the era when they were busted up.
Besides, even if William weren’t in the picture, she’s essentially an heiress in her own right. She may be ‘common’, but not financially. And it’s a sad truth that the average age of people settling into careers and achieving financial independence from their parents is currently 32.
So yeah: I figure she’s more to be pitied than censured.
Kate middleton is scum, I hope she NEVER becomes Queen. Lazy bitch.
I love how she just can’t possibly work with all the paparazzi following her everywhere. (PS – That sounds like Zsa Zsa Gabor in my head, hand on brow and all.) I never knew taking pictures of someone could affect them from outside their office building. Weird how all these other people who are photographed BECAUSE of their job(s) are able to work it out.
I agree with Kaiser, that she had a goal and accomplished it and now probably doesn’t feel the need to do anything else. I don’t think the monarchy realizes how out of touch they are. The would get much less criticism if they’d let the royals act like normal people. Yes, I get that they’re not “normal” but it invites the general mass to continue to look at them certain way.
LOL @ Schnauzers!!!!. I’d rather marry Harry too!
Let’s add it all up then…
Lazy – CHECK
Entitled – CHECK
Used to living off the sweat of others – CHECK
Dull – CHECK
I think she might be the perfect princess
All of Europe’s royal prince’s who married within the past few years have wives with prior careers. Kate M has chosen not to apply herself in any manner. Her parents paid for her education (which Kate has done nothing with, while other British students struggle with university fee hikes), her expensive flat in London, her clothes etc. Obviously if Kate is not earning, she cannot be paying for her lifestyle – someone else picks up her tab. She chose to be glued to William so he wouldn’t get away.
All this talk about her being “her own person” is nonsense. How can someone who lives off of family money or William’s expensive be considered “modern” in any manner? She’s almost 30 and has done nothing. She’s not a good example for the British and reflects poorly on William. An accomplished woman – even doing charity work if she didn’t need the money – would have been a better choice than lazy Kate.
My thoughts, precisely. I don’t dislike her, but by not applying yourself in any way is just retrogressive. She is really the only one who hadn’t a previous career or accomplished anything among the recent royal matches. But then again, that’s William’s choice. It reflects on his character really.
I think Kate gets a lot of stick – but to be honest she doesn’t really help herself – if she got a job and tried not to look like her whole life’s aim was to be royalty, which unfortunately, it probably was, then people might not dislike her so much.
I just feel a bit sorry for william, because if people have got it wrong and she’s actually a lovely girl who has never had a cunning thought in her life, then the woman he’s in love with is being cruelly misunderstood by everyone. On the other hand she is indeed a cold, callous woman who only wants a pretty ring and a nice title….. then he’s pretty stuffed too… either way he loses.
He’d have done better to choose a girl who had more than one aim in life…. I do wonder whether after the wedding Kate might find that royal life is not all she expected it to be and be very unhappy with her lot in life….. I hope for william’s sake she doesn’t… the last thing he needs is a disastrous marriage like his parents….
Good Luck to them both… they’re going to need it.
She is a smart girl and was totally focused on what she wanted and went for it. Unfortunately, what she wanted was to be a royal and nothing else just seemed a little sad. They have been married for awhile now and still she does nothing significant but travel and have fun. She really needs to start applying herself, but trust me, tamaroon, she is a way tougher cookie than D. She will last all the way. She will not be trying to run away or be difficult anytime soon.
What evidence is there her sole pursuit in life was to marry the Prince? I just watched a BBC documentary. I found it interesting she chose the same charity group and work in Chile as the Prince, but she was there several months after he was. So what was the point of that? Something in common to talk about? Going to the same university doesn’t necessarily mean anything. (Though I read once that British parents who are able like to send daughters there for finding a good prospective husband. I’ve no idea how accurate that line of thought is.) So I’m asking in all sincerity. Did she know William would be going to that University in time for her to enroll? How did she manage to graduate with good grades if her sole purpose was 1) catch a Prince’s attention and 2) keep it. That would be a rather busy occupation. Ingratiating herself into the right circles, knowing where he would be and being there as well, etc. I am genuinely curious about this “pursuit” line of thought.
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What a leach! She is 30yo and never had done anything with her life. She should be ashamed of herself.
who cares if she never worked.geez people. i am no kate middleton fan but seriously.
i think alot of people are just jealous that she never had to really work, get up at 6am in the morning, etc..
well people, thats life, some people are just born lucky and don’t have to do the kinda shit we gotta do to make money.
if my parents were that loaded and im marrying a prince, hell, ill quit my stupid 9-5 boring job asap,
Although it’s almost been a year since the wedding, I continue to be interested in Kate Middleton because I’m still waiting for an inkling of what her interests are. I wouldn’t say she doesn’t do anything while working for her parents because there’s a Youtube video of her at a party item convention on behalf of Party Piece. That’s my only evidence of her work.
That being said, I think a lot of people are bothered by Kate because her lifestyle conflicts with our definition of a good modern female role model who is not living in the shadows of her man. As for all those who said that they would give up their work to marry a prince – sorry to hear that your work is not meaningful to you.
I personally make the comparison between Kate and Chelsy Davy all the time – it is this comparison that makes me dislike Kate’s lifestyle. Chelsy Davy comes from a family that is far richer than Kate’s and is of a younger age so you would think she would “work for her parents” too. Plus the paparazzi has followed her around all the time for the past many years for dating Prince Harry. Yet she has never ever given people the impression that she is lazy or desperate for a prince. Since university graduation, Chelsy went to law school in Britain and have since then been carving out her own career path as a lawyer in Britain. Yes she parties and smokes and leaves the house unpolished looking – but that just adds to the fact that she is a very relateable 26 year old whose goal in life isn’t to catch a prince. If you look through the photos, it seems like Chelsy and Harry’s love appears to be more genuine than Will and Kate.
Kate you ‘Lazy LAZY’ ‘BONES’.