Duchess Kate and Prince William released two very low-key portraits Monday. There is some question as to whether the leaks were “official” or whether the photos were released earlier than originally intended. Whatever happened, the result was the same: Will and Kate are not fussy or pretentious, say the official royal propagandists. Will & Kate are “just like us”. They are royals who choose to live a decidedly middle class life. They are so low-key and “real” that they got Kate’s father to take the photos. No muss, no fuss. No drama, say the royal propagandists. “It’s a new, modern monarchy!” they say.
Truthfully, I have no shade for them for choosing Michael Middleton as “Baby’s First Portrait Photographer”. My generous side says Kate is smart for not making it into a big deal or for calling Mario Testino to Bucklebury to do some glitzy portraits. But what does my generous side say about the fact that Kate didn’t mind a huge fuss about HER HAIR?
The royal family may have released the most casual, DIY baby portraits ever on Monday, Aug. 19, but new mom Kate Middleton looked as effortlessly glamorous as ever — just a few weeks after giving birth. Holding newborn son Prince George and standing alongside husband Prince William (with their dog, Lupo, and the Middleton family pooch, Tilly, making cameos in a second pic), Kate Middleton was fresh-faced yet regal as they posed for her father, Michael Middleton, in the garden of her family’s home in Bucklebury.
“William and Catherine wanted to release photos that are more natural and personable, something more intimate,” a Palace aide told Us Weekly on Monday of the shots. Nevertheless, a second source reveals, the Duchess of Cambridge, 31, did recruit Amanda Cook Tucker, a freelance hairstylist with whom she’s frequently worked, to travel to Bucklebury and get her world-famous locks ready for the camera.
As for the frock selected by George’s mum? Middleton chose a fuschia knot front maternity dress by Seraphine. Retailing at just $79, the dress features a forgiving empire waist and draping perfect for women’s pregnant and post-baby bods.
As for little George Alexander Louis (born July 22 in London), the third-in-line to the British throne was swaddled in the same shawl, by G H Hurt and Son Limited, which he left St. Mary’s Hospital in on July 23.
The Kate-apologists will say what they always say, that of course Kate cares about her hair and she knew the photos would be seen by everyone and that’s why she called a hair stylist in to do her hair and OMG I hate you Kaiser, you are so mean to Kate if I had the money, I would get professional blowouts all the time too. Which is fine. But if the message we’re supposed to be receiving is “they’re so normal and low-key and down-to-earth,” can the Kate-apologists at least admit that speed-dialing professional hair stylists at the drop of a hat is counter-message? She doesn’t look low-maintenance or low-key at all. She looks like someone who cares very dearly about her image (often at exorbitant cost, not to mention all of that time she spends shopping and weekly hair appointments) and like she’s trying to counterbalance that (completely legitimate) criticism by playing the “we’re so normal, these are just my dad’s photos!” game. My point is the same as it’s ever been – royal propaganda is royal propaganda. And if you’re going to spring for a professional hair stylist, try an amateur photographer who knows enough not to back-light.
Update: Kate, Will and George are on the cover of this week’s People Mag. You can read the story here. The only new info I got from it is that Kate and Will did hire some kind of nurse or midwife to help out.
Photos courtesy of Michael Middleton.
Fresh faced??!!!
Who writes this stuff.
We can all see the make up and done hair.
lol, she does look a lot better with some weight on her face, and she didnt pile on the makeup her. LAK, do you think Prince Charles and HM will make more of an effort to persuade William to not be so close to the Middletons once George is older?
I wonder the same @Phaksi. But I also feel Wills willfulness and petulance migh render HM’s’ and Prince Charles’ efforts futile 🙁
As Aeryn39 says, William’s willfulness and petulance will win out. Especially with his strategy of doing, THEN informing HM/Charles such that they can’t NOT back him without causing big family monarch destroying drama. That sounds like hyperbole, but the monarchy rests on a dime. Small things can cause huge shifts so they are always vigilant in how they react and handle things
Charles is too concerned with his own relevance and survival. Ditto HM.
However, HM is the only one who can reign William in. We’ve seen examples of her doing this throughout his life.
Using the examples of her own life, she tends to act when the monarchy is threatened, so until the Middleton cause some sort of monarchy threatening action, she’ll just let it slid.
The other times she’s acted is when circumstances or people have forced her to act eg the Diana funeral or Anne’s order of precedence.
I will also add that the death of QM released her from some of the more firmly held traditions, so she may be more tolerant of the Middleton than she would otherwise have been. If the QM had been here, a lot wouldn’t slid.
How will he learn to be the monarch if he is always around the Middletons? I know he wants to be “normal” but being a king isnt a normal job. Even being Prince of Wales will be hard for him, his dad will be a tough act to follow
And I’m guessing the photo (in particular Kate) was touched-up before being released. I don’t think she releases photos before a little airbrushing takes place.
I posted the original photo that was doing the rounds on twitter before the newspapers posted their ‘official’ versions. It’s 2 days ago on a royals thread.
The originals have too much light which completely washes everyone out. Similar to over exposure of old fashioned negatives.
These photos (and all the ones in the papers) have had a lot of colour and light correction.Mostly on Kate.the colours have been intensified to give that glowing apple cheeked look.
Lak I’m hoping you can answer some questions for me. Most of my favourite authors are English, (Tolkien, MacLean, Christie, Rowlings) and a few things have always puzzled me.
1. When you say ice lolly, do you mean ice cream cone?
2. What is treacle, how do you pronounce it, would you recommend it?
3. The Daily Mail is always talking about Towie and Corrie. What do they mean?
4. Can you really take your 8-year-old into the pub for breakfast?
5. Ginger beer is nonalcoholic, right?
6. Is a pasty a type of pastry?
Thanks in advance LAK. Thanks also for explaining the Royal Family. Your knowledge about the royals is impressive.
In case LAK isn’t back . . .
1. Ice Lolly is a popsicle
2. Treacle is pronounced like beagle with a “k” instead. It’s like molasses.
3. TOWIE (The Other Way is Essex and Corrie (Coronation Street) are TV shows.
4. Yes.
5. Yes.
6. Yes. With a meat, or savory filling.
Not British, but I’m pretty sure an ice lolly is a popsicle.
And I think ginger beer is simillar to gingerale, though maybe more gingery in flavor.
I might be able to answer some…
1) a popsicle
2) pronounce it “tree-kul”; it’s a combination of molasses and golden syrup, and is delicious on oatmeal! Treacle tart is rather like a very sweet butter-tart
3) TOWIE is a “reality” program The Only Way Is Essex (kind of a British Jersey Shore?) and Corrie is an affectionate nickname for Coronation Street, a long-running soap opera
4) Children are allowed in pubs, mostly, but the drinking age is 18. Some pubs will let children have A cider or A beer with the meal at 16…some pubs will not serve families alcohol at all if they have children accompanying them. Try this link for more info: http://www.pubs.com/
5) Yes. It’s a soft-drink (soda)
6) It’s a meat pie, usually small (hand-held)
Hope that helps 🙂
ETA sorry, just noticed you’d already been admirably answered 😛
Lol Bluhare!
It’s rare I get a real laugh from reading online. More just a giggle in my thoughts, but this was a true lol!
It’s also horribly funny how at times these threads turn into an Ask LAK column.
I needed this chuckle! I’m going to giggle my way down the page…hehe
Thanks guys. Really appreciate the answers.
Ask LAK!! Great idea.
And I’m now in the mood for a Cornish pasty.
Backlighting can be nice with a bounce or flash. This way the hair is highlighted as well. Although honestly I still don’t understand the hoopla over the royals, it eludes me. I don’t understand the purpose and heavy financial burden of supporting figureheads.
We still dont see Prince GAL properly in these photos, so Ill wait for the christening photos. Im sure they will get a real photographer for those. As for the hair, she always makes a real effort with it. Her makeup and cloathes are always a mess
Wills is still hot *sigh*
Lupo is all black.
lol
You ARE joking, right?
I agree with everything you’ve said.
The pictures in the thumbnails had looked cute, but in the full pictures,their facial expressions are really strained. She looks like she’s thinking “just take the picture” and he looks completely annoyed. He can’t even muster a smile, and hers looks very fake. They have had better facial expressions, so it’s interesting to me that they’d release those as their first photos.
I’m glad I’m not imagining that.
The makeup is bad as always. I have zero problem w/ the hair situation b/c I am obsessive about my own hair.
I don’t buy that they’re just like us but then again I don’t live in the UK. I prefer them over Prince Charles and that horse he married.
I think they should have hired a photographer. Plenty regular folks hire one for baby’s first pictures. Plus it would have been great for the photographer’s business.
Yep, I’m a “regular” person and our first family/baby pics were done by a professional photographer. However, I did my own hair. 🙂
I would hire a photographer bc I could employ 10 hair stylists and my hair still wouldnt look like that.
Yes, sometimes I think Kate and the Middletons try too hard to be relatable, which is funny, bc I find William and Harry to be naturally intelligent and very down to earth, but Kate is the one with a “normal” upbringing and I still don’t really get her.
Well, my 74 year old father, who I dub a late bloomer metrosexual, always make sure to comb his hair even before going to bed. (You bet he’d carefully dress before his morning walk). I’m sure he won’t understand why people are going to fuss over someone -with money- to get their hair done before a family photo shoot 😉
That’s really cute.
Thank you. May I add that he’s as adorable as other grey haired daddies as well? 🙂
Ditto the cute on that. 🙂
I love this comment!
The pics look fine to me, backlight and all. As for the hair, I would want it looking great too. Not bothered with Kate for this.
Toot
It’s a stretch, but if that’s your real first name I may have known you in college. If not your name brought back fond memories of a friend.
I agree. At first thought this not nothing major. Although, Kaiser made some excellent points about how this is suppose to be just an average family snap shot not meant for the press. If it was only for family sake then why the stylist home visit? If she does get these home hair visits often without an event to go to then she is very much not “just like us.” I hate to think who’s really picking up the tab here.
Doesn’t bother me that she had her hair done, but I agree that the insistence that they are normal folks, just like you, is wearing thin and seems a little condescending. It’s silly.
Does anyone know the history of the name Bucklebury? Because it sounds a little, well, like Dogpatch to me and strikes an off note whenever I hear it, as if the Middetons were trying to be all fancy and it went wrong.
Bucklebury is the name of the village rather than their house. Pretty standard south of England name 🙂
Oh, thank you. I hope I didn’t offend anyone from there. I thought they named their house.
It always makes me think of Buckleberry Ferry in LOTR.
Me too XD
Bucklebury always makes me think of blackberry cobbler…
The 1st time they outwitted the Nazgul.
I heart you. XD
Well and even take the royals out of the picture and think about the Middletons — even they aren’t ‘normal folks’ — isn’t Bucklebury worth $6 million or something like that? I don’t know too many families that have that kind of money and live as opulently as they do.
And I always think of ‘dinkleberry’ when I hear Bucklebury.
There was a Telegraph article last year that strongly hinted William had actually given the Middletons a lump sum of cash (several million dollars) to purchase Bucklewhatever and make the necessary upgrades to house the security people, plant screens of trees, etc.
The article said that the Middletons had previously been looking at houses in the $2-$3 million dollar range, but that none of those estates were big enough or private enough for William and Kate, so William helped out. The withdrawal from William’s trust fund was allowed because basically it’s a second home for them.
Then I’m guessing you’re not English, the name of the village has been there for yonks and is mild compared to a lot of village names,(upper and Lower Slaughter etc) to us Brits it’s quite normal with no con nations whatsoever( unless one is desperately looking for another thing to slag the Middletons off for?)
As to the hair thing, I often get my hair done for a photo that may be seen by more than my immediate family, is she supposed to represent her husband’s family, world wide, with morning hair! Though her hair is lovely anyway..like it or not( and of course for most on here it’s not….) and I do not think they want to posit themselves ‘normal’ people as much as a new less opulent and stiff branch of Royalty!
Liza Jane: ‘normal’ didn’t come out of nowhere that people then see them as trying to be ‘normal’. In many soundbites they both give, the word ‘normal’ crops up often, reinforcing the idea that they want us to see them as ‘normal’ doing ‘normal’ things.
And that’s before you get to the many interviews over the years where William has specifically said he wants a ‘normal’ life like ‘normal’ people.
It was actually refreshing when Harry said in his first post Afghanistan interview that he knew that his ‘normal’ wasn’t the same as that experienced by regular people nor would it ever be. He went on to say that ‘normal’ was whatever one made it rather than ascribe to some arbitary idealised ‘normal’.
The contrast between the 2 brothers is that one realises he can never be ‘normal’ whereas the other one clearly doesn’t. I think that difference is reflected in how they use the Royal platform they are on.
No, I’m not English, and I probably should have kept the remark about Bucklebury to myself. I hope I didn’t hurt any feelings.
I agree that there’s no problem with the hair, and she looks very pretty.
I think the Palace PR team tries very hard to make them seem like they are “normal,” very low key and don’t have lots of staff, etc., and perhaps compared to other royals, it’s true. But he’s the Queen’s grandson, and she comes from an affluent family, and as LAK and emmie_a pointed out, they are not and never can be a “normal” couple in the sense they are portrayed. That’s not a criticism of them. They can’t help the circumstances into which they were born.I just think it’s silly to pretend otherwise.
An advantage to these backlit photos is that any weaves aren’t as obvious. I recall a few months ago a poster on this site carefully pointed out how you could detect them.
I think she might look younger if she’d embrace her natural waves.
Ah the old “Wiglet Watch”. Her hormones kicked in with thicker hair as most pregnant women gets and she ditched the extensions to ween herself onto a wiglet and then nothing at all. This also was possibly in part to her changing of primary hair dressers. The new one maybe encouraged her to go with a more natural look and not the too thick hair. Her hormones are probably diminishing after birth so her hair will fall out. Sometimes in clumps. I hope she keeps it natural though and doesn’t go back to filling it in.
Ah, wiglet watch. I love wiglet watch. And I confess to checking these out to see if she’s wearing one. Can’t tell for sure though.
But speaking of wiglet watch, WTF did People do to William’s head in their cover shot? Couldn’t figure out what was different about him for a sec.
William could use a wiglet, too – not to mention that bald little baby. 🙂
Wiglets for the whole family!
Hair too thick? I’ve never heard of such a concept.
Ladies, you know where I stand on wiglet watch. It’s the first thing I check out when I look at Kate pics.
It’s hard to tell with these pics, however, the thickness here compared to hospital photocall implies something has been added.
….BUT, Sachi pointed out the use of products since the hair isn’t OTT thick like it usually is….so what do I know!!! 🙂
LAK, I suspect I speak for Florc as well when I say I will be forever grateful to you for Wiglet Watch.
Bluhare
You do speak for me. Wiglet watch was such a fun point in these threads. Once it is seen it truly cannot be unseen. Took me a bit, but then I saw it, looked up comparable pics or what a wiglet even was and the rest is history.
To look back and how naturally thinner Kate’s hair was brought out some frustration as to how others couldn’t see it. Her natural hair was not thin, but it was never naturally that full once the engagement hit.
Kaiser, your Kate-apologist run-on sentence cracked me up.
Hah! And the accuracy shows even more as those same lines are being used here.
This ^^^^!
Indeed. A perfect encapsulation.
I read somewhere else that it was like Kate’s uncle who took the photos. So I think it was meant low-key since it was meant for family.
No matter how “down to Earth” they are, I couldn’t imagine they’d let Uncle Gary snap the first official photos.
Perhaps he’ll let them hold the Christening party at La Maison de Bang Bang.
Well, if the photos were meant to be ‘low key’ for family, then why release them as official photos? They weren’t private photos that were leaked to the press… they were supposedly sent to all of the outlets, but told not to publish them until after a certain time. One of sites published early.
Gah, I wish Uncle Gary had taken them…
I’ve had a love/hate relationship with my curly hair my entire life. It takes forever to style and it’s worse when it’s too short to tie up. But I want to believe that hair like Kate’s exists, and that she just bounces out of bed with long, manageable, shiny hair. Who am I hurting by clinging to that dream?
The dream is not harmful. The beach photos showing her hair in its true, full, frizzy state showed why her hair appointments supposedly take so long.
Nope. Look at photos from college when her hair is natural and look at the car ride (to her parent’s house) when she had it pulled back.
That hair is a lot of work.
From your lips to my ears bettyrose (or the online equivalent thereof). I hate my hair and I would kill for hair like Kate’s.
I’m quite sure that Kate would die for your lovely curly hair.
i am the duchess of nothing and i get at least 1 professional blow out a week, i fail to see how having a hairdresser is even interesting
and there will be fifty billion official professional photos when he is baptized, i dont see a need to have some now. honestly at this age, most babies are pretty indistinguishable.
The hair dresser item is for 2 main reasons. the first stated by Kaiser. The image is meant to show how low key they are and how natural they are yet her hair is done.
The 2nd reason is who pays for your blowouts? In Kate’s case it’s likely from a credit card for expenses. It’s also likely no Middleton, or her husband or herself pay off that card or earn money for it. Charles is my best guess and he is reimbursed.
You are all forgetting that the palace said that these pics were never meant for the public eye and that they were taken in the spur of the moment. That means that Katie sits around at home with a full face of makeup and a blowout. Just like us, huh?
m, when did the palace say the photos weren’t meant for the public? I missed that… last I heard, the photos were in fact for the public, but one of the sites published them early (many outlets had them but were supposed to hold them until the next day… or something like that).
Has that story changed?
Belle
Sorry for not being clear, they werent taken with the intention of being published, I didnt mean anything about the early release.
Well, now i’m on the hunt for who sent out these private family photos then. If Kate was just casually posing for a family photo I can see the midds actually going all out. That this was “low key” is out of character given they have a go to photo agency and pr pros. So who leaked the photos? Not W&K’s nanny. That woman has a long career of being trusted within the RF. The Midds have leaked info before or rather info that only they could know made it to the press. Or it was their staff… But with such a back story of Michael snapping the shots and such it seems like these were taken with full intent to leak them for whatever reason.
but i dont see how that is a point
to prove they are “normal” do they have to always do their own hair? i think i am pretty regular and i dont do my own hair, even though i am never photographed and sometimes no one even sees it. i dont see how it is different from a manicure.
I’m still trying to figure out where the idea that the photos were not meant to be seen by the public came from. I saw these photos shortly before they were ‘officially’ published. It seemed that all of the major outlets had received the photos, but were not supposed to publish them until the specified time. They leaked a few hours early on twitter.
I’m with Belle. They were most definitely meant for public consumption.
Lisa
I think you’ve reached an extreme here. They shouldn’t have to deprive themselves luxuries to be normal. We all indulge with our earned money and saved vacation time (use it or lose it). It certainly wouldn’t hurt their campaign to be considered “normal” If she cut the shopping trips from every other day down to few times a month. Or if she didn’t cut some functions or visits with charities short so she could make her hair appointment with no engagement after.
This whole normal family photo idea seems to be unraveling. More so maybe when numerous outlets tell us if they all received the photos and were indeed told to wait until a specified time to reveal.
Maybe she needed a trim. And she’s not in a position to just walk down the local barber shop.
I trim my hair myself, but I have friends who look forward to their hair (or mani-pedi days).
It doesn’t bother me one bit that she was concerned about her hair. The first thing I did after having my baby was a good hair cut too. Good for her for having her hair done but not wearing enough makeup for five people and having an informal picture of herself, her husband and new baby taken and then releasing the picture. Charisma is charisma and these two have buckets full!
I’d get my hair done before pics too. Who in the world would take a pic without trying to look nice?
If they released a pic of her rolling out of bed at 2am for a feeding looking all ratty, there would be hell to pay for that one too.
I know- right? I will get a blowout any chance I can. And certainly if I was a getting my picture done and doubly sure if I were a “royal”. I seriously don’t get why people get so butt- hurt about this woman’s hair.
So what, she’s supposed to pose for a
family portrait to be released to the public without getting her hair done?
Well exactly, but you cannot please this bunch of mean hags! Any chance to criticize or bitch, they’ll take it! Sad lives!
Mean hags? LOL
‘Any chance to criticize or bitch, they’ll take it!’
@Liza Jane
Um… weren’t you the one who just called posters here ‘mean hags…’? And yet you call them out for ‘criticizing and bitching.’
Wow.
I take offense being called a mean hag. I mean, yes i’m withered with grey spindly hair and claws with yellow thick nails too thick to cut. Yes, I have no man or children in my life, but my cats and the critters in the walls have only the nicest things to say when we all meet for tea Sunday afternoons. I’m in fact the nicest hag you may ever know:)
Much too hypocritical for my taste.
Nice!
Be nice to Kate but it’s open field day on your fellow posters!
Can some of you pro-photographers please explain to me what exactly is wrong with the photos? I keep on reading about the back lighting but to me those pics look great! I actually like the way the lighting is reflecting on her hair and babies face. Aren’t some photography rules meant to be broken? I think the pics are really quite sweet, especially the one with the dogs. I would be quite impressed with myself if I was grandpa Middleton 🙂
When you photograph an object or a subject that’s supposed to be the center of attention, that’s what should be lit. They are in the shade, and the grass is lit.
Also basic perspective rule is that something close to you is light and something further away is darker (think of the sides/dimensions of a cube). There’s now a big dark hole in the middle of the pictures, an the eye is drawn to the light – away from the subjects. A photographer always tries to steer the focus toward the subjects.
Also the light is too bright, completely white, beyond the point of photoshop. The sky is not suppose to have that color. Neither is the grass. Unnatural colors for nature. And look, it completely melts in with the white of the website. Printmedia’s worst nightmare.
Hey, thanks for the explanation! I can see it now.
Thank you so much for this explanation.
I don’t know much about the technical aspects of photograph except in the broadest sense.
Very concise guide. 🙂
Well its pretty terrible by pro standards. You can still get casual shots and have a well exposed portrait. First off the rim lighting on her hair is nice enough, but the only reason that she has a reflection on her face is due to the white blanket. If they didn’t use off camera flash, they could have at least used a large big reflector to throw more light on their faces. Plus, they don’t look tack – which is pro-speak for the photo is not focused correctly/blurry.
The pictures are “sweet”. That was the point. Everything looks natural and without a fuss. I guess that’s why the hair is such a thing.
Light and shadows make and break images. I thought this was a very basic concept Michael would have picked up in viewing his shots on the camera or in the editing software. Kate’s skin was smoothed out so this was edited. Probably also to lighten it a bit.
Thanks all, really interesting! I guess it must look completely different to a professional eye. I just see pretty, soft-looking almost romantic photos.
I don’t get the issue with any of this. It’s baffling to me. I’m just going to not have to read any of the royal posts I guess.
I’m confused as well at this non-story.
love or hate her, she looks fabulous.
I don’t think they are trying to be like you and me, every day people. I think they are trying to be as low key, normal for THEM.
Yes, they are royal. They are rich. They get vacations, fancy clothes etc. Get over it.
Do they accept all the perks that come with their lifestyle? Yes. Do they also try to be kinda normal and not so stuffy as previous royals? I think so.
They know, we know, everyone knows they will never ever be like every day people. But it’s like they can’t do anything right. No matter what they do people complain. They could act more arrogant, with major attitude but at least they don’t. That I can see.
Do people expect them to toss away the money they have, the position, houses, security and get a 50k 9-5 job because thats “normal”? If I had what they had, I wouldn’t.
Would you?
And I have seen many of birthing pics, right after the birth, pics later, and believe me almost all mothers have gotten their hair done and makeup done. I think it looks stupid right after birth but hey it’s what a lot of people do.
If anyone wants the royals to go away, not get all this money. perks etc then they need to talk to their government.
This!
“royal propaganda is royal propaganda” but hey the mini-van majority completely buys their we are just like you propaganda and fights for Kate while looking down their noses at other female celebrities so good show royals.
I arrived for induced labor fully (natural look)made up and with my hair done. I mean, you don’t have to look like shlt just to have a baby.
🙂 props
Now, you, I bow down to!
Give it a rest, for Pete’s sake. All new mothers, no matter who they are, have image issues after they give birth, especially while their bodies are getting back to “normal”. Many new moms go for a mani-pedi, massage, a new haircut, etc. Are you going to start criticizing the way she breathes next? They are who they are. Continually hating them for it is counter-productive on all fronts.
Kate and William both look ordinary. William has lost his looks and Kate is just very average looking and always has been, both look older than their yrs.
Also What’s the point of having a Monarchy if it’s ordinary? I have no desire to the Monarchy looking or acting Normal. This middleclass introduction of the new royalty will be William’s downfall. Why have a ordinary, King and Queen, what’s the point to that?
If he wants to be normal and ordinary, just give up all titles and go really live with the Middleton’s. That’s why I never cared much for Kate, it was so obvious imo, all of this was not about love, but more about William wanting to rebell against his own background. Let him give it up if he dislikes it so much.
For some reason Kate is really avoiding bonding with the Royal Family , and this one day will come back to haunt her, she will need them one day more than they need her, if she ever gets caught in another scandal, nude or anything else. She’s making a big mistake not bonding with William’s family , no matter what he imagines, William is NOT an island, he needs his family and all of their comforts to keep up his charade of middleclass Prince. If he really wanted to be Middleclass he’d drop his title and go live with Carole. This whole thing is such a joke, a disgrace and a slap in the face to the Queen and Royal Family. The press can go on with their syncophancy all they want, but the Palace has a memory like an elephant, they don’t forget things. This entire episode from engagement to baby photos has been one slap after another at his own heritage. How can a Prince who dislikes himself and what he represents be a good or great Monarch. I don’t think Pr.William really wants it, I think he wants it all to fall apart.
Completely agree. If the royals are just like us, then whats the point of having them? They are supposed to be special
You took the words right out my mouth
That’s a good point about royalty. I wonder if he ever would give up his future as King? The way I see it he LOVES the perks of being a royal but hates the duty of being a royal. So far he is enjoying it both ways but I’m guessing eventually he’ll either have to step up and perform or he’ll face backlash?
Does anyone know what the Middletons are like? Like what is the pull for Will? Are they really all that?
Emmie
Over the years with various articles I think Will loves that the Middletons treat William like he’s pure gold. They make no demands of him, they stroke his ego.
It was spoken of how Carol encouraged Kate to stay with William and fight to get him interested in her again post break ups. Even after William very openly with his friends and Harry made jokes of the Middletons. In my opinion, speaking simply of scenarios reported on by numerous publications… Girl is broken up with by boy. Boy publicly makes fun of girl and her family. Mother encourages daughter to lose weight and date boys friends to make him jealous and get him back. A resonate mother would encourage her daughter to have some self respect and she deserves better.
I think this family is tight. I think they love and support each other to a certain extent. I think the pull for William is that his family is like a family to him. Expecting you to be hardworking and not to coast by. As a family of public figures I can see this as going double for them.
yeah I think he’s like his late great-aunt Margaret in that way. She was quite vocal about how she didn’t like being royal and she was charmed by the ‘commoner lifestyle’, yet when she had to choose choose between love with a divorcee (who wasn’t that rich, btw wtf is there no male equivalent for that word?!?) or royal-lifestyle (and royal income), she chose royal-lifestyle. She was also known to be rather spoiled, and was also kind of a rude snob. So many contrasting opinions and actions.
Agree with everyone.
Margaret was a bitch, frankly, and totally consumed by being a Blood Princess. Snooty in the extreme.
In my opinion, William has been traumatised by his upbringing. People always give him slack because of how his mother’s death affected him, and I do believe it did a lot. However, what isn’t talked about as much is how his mother and father’s fractured dynamic, along with his mother including him in it, has probably affected him to his core. And I think the Middleton “We’re just one big happy family” dynamic mesmerizes him.
I think that is a good analysis bluhare.
Bluhare – absolutely. You don’t hear so much about it these days, but in the lead upto the wedding and a few months afterwards, there were many reminders of how he found peace in their ‘cosy family’ dynamic.
There is a strain of thought that Kate’s big attraction for him is her family. He calls her father ‘Dad’ and has done for a very long time which must give Charles pause.
The Middletons are probably one of the few middle class families William knows. Probably the only one he knows intimately.
So whatever they do is probably “normal, middle-class” life to him.
For me, if there’s one thing that shows the schism between William and the Windsors it’s him calling Michael Middleton “Dad”. If I were his father I would be cut to the core to hear that. He and Charles cannot be close or he wouldn’t call MM dad, would he?I wonder if he calls Carole “Mum” and, if not, why that is. As his own mother is not living, it’s not the insult calling Michael Dad is.
Although maybe I’m reading too much into it. More than happy to hear someone else’s take on it.
Lots of people call their inlaws mom and dad after marrying – many inlaws insist on it as an indication that they are now a part of the family. I really don’t think that’s abnormal.
Now if he called Michael dad and called Charles something else, that would be questionable…
Interesting, LNG. I didn’t know that. I never had in laws, but my husband always called my parents by their first names. My mother would not be happy if I called someone else “mom”!!
It’s never been reported that William calls Carole “mum”.
The concept, styling, communication strategy and photographer choice of these pics was just as thought out as a professional photoshoot. Rather silly that they are so in denial about it, because it’s pretty obvious.
I really dont mind the royal propaganda machine. I dont mind the done hair and amateur photo. What I do mind is them not working for it – taking a dozen public engagements in 6 months and so forth. Obvs not now with a newborn, but even pre-preggers. They should look at Swedish Victoria for a role model.
I just came from seeing my Mom who has Alzheimers and she combs her hair compulsively so I’m not going to shade Kate for that. We know these photos are going all over the world, you gotta look good and they do.
So sorry to read your mom has Alzheimers. My dad had a bit of dementia; not too severe, but a bit and it’s hard to remember how he was now. I can’t imagine how it would be for someone with Alzheimers.
Hugs to you.
That’s very hard. My best to you and your family.
There would be even more bashing if her hair looked like a hot mess.
Does her hair look that bad when she doesn’t have it done? I mean, I have curly hair and I love me a good blow out. But does she get the frizzies enough to need one? Either way, it doesn’t strike me as that big a deal that she got someone to come out to her house to do a blow out.
Hair doesn’t bother me. One, it’s photos. Two, post-partum hair is crazy. She may be starting to experience some of the hair loss that comes around a month or so after birth. I was hysterical when that happened after my twins. It wasn’t that obvious with my singleton, but with them t was just handfuls in the shower. It took my hairdresser a long time to calm me down!
Eh, I’ve totally gotten my hair done for family photos, and even if it’s just photos being done at home by other family members, it still often involved extra help getting ready with hair and makeup, a new dress, etc. Like, this seems pretty standard for photos, regardless of who was behind the camera.
I’m not saying these folks are regular – I don’t expect royalty to be “regular” and don’t really care one way or the other what their PR says, I just don’t have a dog in this race – but finding fault with getting your hair done for photos seems silly at best.
I think the photo is lovely. If you knew the entire world was going to see you, wouldn’t you have a pro do your hair, I would.
Yep, I would too… and I would also probably have a pro take the photos that were going to be seen around the world.
Then again, if I were having photos taken with my new baby, I would probably want to… you know, actually show the baby and not just my fantastic hair. 😉
Agreed! Having a chance to relax instead of spending time curling my own hair 4 weeks after giving birth (regardless of how much help I am getting from family, nannies, etc). Who wouldn’t? There is nothing not “normal” about having a person come to your home to do your hair for a photo everyone will see, or even if it is just getting sent to friends and family on a Holiday card, or even posted to Facebook for gosh sakes. Regardless of how much help one has, hormones are still making mum a wreck and exhausted only four weeks after giving birth. And the last thing I would want would be to take the time and effort of a full blown formal photo shoot. Just put something nice on, have your hair done (I’d send out for a massage and facial, too!), take the pictures, and get on with it. Personally, there are few things more beneficial to my well being than having someone else pamper me a bit to feel a little more sane when my poor post-partum body and mind have me feeling like a total mess. And, of course, they don’t look “full of life” in the photos. I would imagine, since they are still human beings, they are quite tired and worn from looking after their baby. Most mothers, and fathers, these days do feel enough of a bond with their newborns to want to care for them on their own as much as possible. If she’s breast-feeding, she’s likely at least having to feed/pump every four hours to avoid becoming engorged, so that means getting up in the middle of the night even if someone else were to be bottle feeding the baby. Lets just admit it’s a tiring time no matter how much help you have. It’s bound to show a bit on one’s face! And with all the extra rules and regulations placed on mothers these days, it’s exhausting just trying to make sure you’re doing the “right” things (is baby sleeping on back vs. stomach, to swaddle or not to swaddle, bumper vs. non-bumper, nipple shield vs. no nipple shield, OMG a blanket in crib will suffocate your child, OMG if you don’t do this/that your baby will more likely die of SIDS…). For women 80 years ago, there was far less criticism, advice, and medical statistics to worry about. That alone can make us crazy! Then add the hormones!
It is amazing how many people have commented on here and their comments clearly indicate that they completely missed the entire point of Kaiser’s sentence (illustrating the contradiction of current royal propaganda). Sigh. I suppose a lot of these people still believe there isn’t media spin apparent in everything the general public reads. This “modern monarchy” bit is carefully choreographed and is being put forth for a reason…
I don’t think anyone here missed the point Kaiser was making, they just disagree with it. I don’t know a single person, even the most ardent W&K fan, who thinks they’re exactly like average middle-class non-Royals, and I can’t imagine that W&K themselves think they have any chance of (or would even want to) convincing people of that.
So when they do something somewhat “normal”, like Will driving Kate and baby home from the hospital or doing more casual first official photos, no one is actually thinking, or trying to make anyone think, OMG THEY’RE EXACTLY LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. We’re not idiots, we understand how different their lives are from average people. Which makes the W&K haters getting up in arms about them being hypocrites or deceptive or whatever kind of tiring. Because it seems like the actual point of the more low-key things they do is just to relax a little from the very formal, very traditional ways. Yeah, they still have palaces and stylists and a PR team. Obviously. That doesn’t mean it’s LIES AND HYPOCRISY when they have a hair stylist but also want to have a more casual setting for their photos and avoid bringing in a professional who might be less happy about waiting for the baby to stop screaming and fall asleep (or, heaven forbid, just want to enjoy being with family and not have the stress of a virtual stranger taking their first pictures).
Yes, it *is* hypocrisy, but people seem casual about it these days, I think. Standards lower and lower. Good character is no longer something to aspire to.
Also, people seem so casual about being manipulated, as if they are savvy about it and it’s no big deal- a form of cynicism. Meanwhile, boundaries get blurred and before you know it you’ve been manipulated out of your critical thinking, become biddable, will accept the horrible.
Spin is meant to make you dead in the head. It wouldn’t exist if it didn’t work.
The Doolittles and their ilk are hypocrites of the first order, pretending to give the public what it wants, a narcissistic reflection of itself, in hopes of surviving as a monarchy. They are image fabricators, all smoke and mirrors. It shows a fear and contempt for their public; it is also demeaning.
Things like these informal shots and the “informal” chat on the hospital steps are probably not remotely relaxing events for them. I bet they are just as tiring, just as much work, as posing for formal portraits or attending formal events.
They didn’t just brush their hair, grab the dog and sit in the backyard to grab a few family shots. The process was highly planned, coordinated and executed.
It’s not that Will and Kate are giving us a peek at their casual, laid-back life (so modern! so unlike all those other stuffy royals, doncha know!) – they are just promoting a slightly different image than some other royals do – but it’s still just an image.
Their real lives are well concealed from us and always will be – unless we get another Diana-type going rogue moment. Which I doubt will happen with either of them (but might with Harry – he has control issues).
And for the record, I don’t hate them. But I don’t “just love them so much” either. I’m fascinated by how they control and project their image. After all, who needs royalty these days? How do we convince the public that it’s ok that we live these privileged lives? Right now they are doing that by promoting that “relaxed, low-key way of doing things” that seems to garner approval from a lot of people. And it works, to some degree.
Admittedly The Guardian is a firmly republican paper, but they have an article by Jonathan Jones that deconstructs these images.
They compare them to Marie Antionette dressed as a sheppardess and conclude that they are just as authentic.
The point about how WK are selling their image as ‘normal’ ‘down to earth’ people is very brilliantly made.
Here’s a shot of a couple of stuffy royals and their baby – from 30 years ago- hanging out in front of the booze bottles in the rec room. Hat tip to Lainey for reminding me of this hysterical photo.
http://assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1098787.1340147029!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/gallery_635/princess-diana-prince-charles-prince-william-1983.jpg
Yeah, William and Kate aren’t exactly treading new ground with their “casual, relaxed” photos.
I’d rather see more baby and less adults and dogs. Little George got lost in the crowd it seems to me. And he’s the only really interesting one there! And I love dogs 😉
^^This.
I get that it is supposed to be a ‘family photo’ but it seems to me that most people are interested in seeing the baby. Most new parents are trying to show the new baby when they have these type of photos taken. Not only is baby George lost in the photo, but they might as well have just photo shopped the ‘baby bundle’ from the hospital photos into these.
I guess I’m a ‘hater’ because my impression of these photos is that Prince George is an accessory, and the photos are about Kate and how nice she looks (she does look nice!). There was no effort made to show Prince George… so what was the point?
Oh, and I love dogs too. 🙂
Oh, also don’t think it is a big deal that she got her hair done… though I do see the point being made… the photos are being portrayed as ‘casual, natural, we are very normal and unpretentious’ when that is clearly not the case.
Totally agree. We’ve seen lots of photos of Will and Kate looking almost exactly like this. I’d rather see closer-up photos of the baby. Although, to be fair, he probably doesn’t look much different than the avg. newborn at this point.
Yes, yes, yes! It’s a manufactured “family”. Kid and dog as accessories.
Ugh What’s the big freaking deal?
We have newborn photos scheduled for around 8 days after I give birth to my first in a few weeks. I will ABSOLUTELY be getting my hair done, either by going to the salon first (I live in hope!) or by my very obliging hair dresser coming to our house for no extra cost.
These are photos that we will be looking back at for years to come and I don’t really want to look like crap in them. Moreover, these will just be seen by our family and friends, not the international media!
I would like to think that I am pretty normal so I don’t get the Kate-hate for this at all.
THIS,
Oops, posted in wrong place. 🙂
Exactly!! No one wants to look like poo in their photos, especially when feeling like absolute poo! Congrats on your upcoming arrival Lola!
last one I swear
Lucky81!
Are you saying Kate needs high end professional help so she doesn’t look like poo?
In all seriousness I can’t see how you aren’t a fan of Kate or William. You claim you’re not in a lower post, but you defend her passionately.
A hair tip. My hair looks the same with a wide brush and a $3 can of dry shampoo to spray in. The dry shampoo is a thickening agent. Spray and brush it in then flip your hair. It also holds curls better for straight hair that doesn’t like to hold like mine.
I don’t think the hair care was a crazy move, but Kaiser is 100% correct. Why go through the fuss if this is so casual and a just because family photo? The official photos will come eventually. That’s when to pull out all the stops.
I am going to try this. Does it help calm frizz? I am frizz queen.
I have frizz issues myself at times. You have to blow dry it straight or flat iron it lightly before you do this so it holds straight better. Or you can do nothing if you just needed it thickened for an updo with thinner hair.
I’ve been doing this for ages. Washed or oily hair, dry shampoo is such a saving grace for my hair styles. Especially when my hair pulling trichotillomania gets bad.
every woman I know that has had a baby – EVERY SINGLE ONE – one of the first things they did when they had a little bit of free time was go out and get their hair done.
Kate is, in this weird way, kind of totally middle-class by getting her hair professionally done for these pics. Weird, I know, but true. I live in Canada and families spend THOUSANDS of dollars on baby-related stuff: pictures, commemorative nursery items, baby moons etc. For my baby pics, I got my hair and nails done, got a new dress, and got someone to clean our house before the photog arrived. And I’m totes middle-class.
He’s starting to look like his father, especially in the first picture (shudder).
Hey CB, Really sexist headline there…what’s wrong with getting your hair done? Would you have said that about William? William would have too if he had any hair…And I think it was pretty cool her dad took the pics. Love the low key nature of it all…
I know you don’t have kids, Kaiser, but one hires a midwife to help you give birth, not to help care for the babe after it is born
Having your hairstylist on speed-dial is the same as celebrities with their team of professionals making sure they’re camera-ready every day. It’s the perk of having money, title, and status. Nothing ordinary about it.
These photos show two rich people posing with their new baby at the house of the woman’s wealthy parents. A house that is guarded 24/7 by security paid for by taxpayers, something that had to be done because all the couple’s other “homes” aka palaces/mansions, are under renovation and they refused to make do with another room in the Palace.
There is nothing ordinary about the nature of these photos, or William and Kate’s lives, at all…except William’s looks. Yikes.
These two love the idea of being their version of “normal”. They can afford to dream up living ordinary lives because they don’t actually have to live it. Their PR team can put out statements like “Will and Kate will have no servants” with the definition, for THEM, being ‘nobody to put toothpaste on Will’s toothbrush’ like Prince Charles has in his employ, but staff as in a housekeeper and a cook are actually in place. That’s what it means to be ‘normal’ for William, not actually living on his own and cleaning up after himself.
William loves the idea of being an ordinary Joe, yet has no problem using his status to throw his weight around and get what he wants. He’d most likely balk at the idea of giving up his title and privileges to find a job that would require 40-hour workweeks, as well as not being able to go on expensive trips as often as he likes.
You know who else loved the idea of living a simple life? Marie-Antoinette playing farmer at her Petit Trianon.
Couldn’t agree more, Sachi.
And if I could have a hair and makeup artist (and maybe stylist) on speed dial, I would. Nothing wrong with not being ordinary, but own it!
Thank you, Sachi, I couldn’t have said it better myself…
Well said!
Nicely worded.
+1
Absolutely.
Well said as always Sachi! I wish I could be so eloquent at times.
umm, I have my hairstylist on speed-dial and I am neither Royal nor rich. I just have annoying hair and I’m not very good at styling it. I, too, get extensions/weave put in. As a white woman with rather fine hair, it helps with the volume/body/texture. It’s a bummer there are people probably making fun of me for that, but doing it makes me happy so I guess I really don’t care! I would most definitely not want a photo of myself posted anywhere, especially that could be picked apart by the entire world, where I don’t look as nice as possible. Who would?? I wouldn’t send out an ugly unkempt Holiday card to friends/family, so why would I send out one to the whole world? Or why would I bother taking a picture where we all look terrible, even if I am the only one who sees it? There is no point! Those are the photos we all delete from our cameras, not look back on and say “ahhh, remember how terrible we looked there? So glad we have that to look back on.” Get real!It’s simply against humane nature to do that.
But, I’m guessing Michael Middleton sure wishes they would’ve hired someone to take that photo, since few photogs can resist commenting on how terrible the lighting/quality of the picture is. Sigh…
Seriously, now you’re comparing them to Marie Antionette???? I’m not even a big fan of W&K, but that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve read on a blog in a long time.
You’re not a big fan of Will and Kate? Really? Because your half a dozen comments in defense of them in this thread alone would suggest otherwise.
I actually like that their family portrait was very low key. I think some people will hate on the Royal family no matter what they do or don’t do.
The hairstylist did not earn their fee. That being said, I like the low key photos.
The pictures are lovely.
All I’m going to say is, ask ANY new mother during the first month with the new baby if she is going to get her picture taken and would she like professional hair and makeup for it? Would she do it? Hell yes.
After that first month, future queen or no, a little pampering is MORE than due, and goes a long way to life the spirits.
I think the point of this post was not to gripe about Kate getting her hair done. Yes, most women get their hair done after having a baby… and want to look nice for photos. Everyone seems to like that these photos are so ‘low key’, when the only thing low key about them is the sub-par quality of the photos themselves. There is a carefully choreographed image of these ‘new, modern, low-key, relatable royals’ that is being put forward, and the photos are just part of that image. Many (myself included) believe it is silly to push this false image… but maybe not, as it certainly worked to some extent in this case… a lot of people seem to love that this low key, normal (yet entitled, privileged and ROYAL) couple released such low key family photos.
Um…. okay. 😉
I’ve already said (several times) that I don’t love the photos. Kate looks great… and you can hardly see the baby. William looks like William… and the dog is cute. Lighting is bad. IMO, they could have managed some ‘low key’ quality photos that actually show Prince George a bit and have proper lighting. I guess if they had though, everyone wouldn’t be talking about how normal and down-to-earth this couple is… and how sweet it is that Kate’s dad took the photos… just like any normal new little family!
This ^^^ exactly!!! This is what I was referring to above … so many people have made this a discussion of whether or not being “normal” and “ordinary” means having your hair done before a photograph … and have completely avoided grappling with the reason this message is being advocated for these two…
Here is the scenario the way I see it. No one is getting more than a couple of hours of uninterupted sleep. Rather than schedule a sitting with a photographer, the Princess of Great Britain has her hair done and the parents and grandparents are relaxed and ready to snap a photo when George is at his most adorable. New mothers are subject to postpartum hormones that cause out of control mood swings and problems with lactation. With Michael Middleton taking the picture, the environment is stress free and privacy is preserved. They have been spared the hassle of having to meet a schedule that could easily have been a disaster, with this approach they were able to play it by ear and the look on Catherine’s face I doubt could have been captured by a pro, even if the lighting is not optimum.
I’m with the people saying “Where’s the baby?” The point of these was to show him off, right? And he does look like an afterthought. It’s “Here’s William and New Mum Kate and, oh yeah, the Baby”.
True true… or my version: “Here’s KATE (and Kate’s hair), William, their dog and oh yeah, she’s holding a baby”, at least that’s how I ‘read’ the picture.
It’s sort of interesting that Kate’s head is above Wills and she’s in front of him in the first photo. She’s really the star, when it should be the baby.
Yah, maybe next time they can have that teeny slacker breakdancing or something. Cmon, all they do at that age is sleep, sh*t, and scream. Maybe it’s just me, but I think they chose the perfect one of the three S’s for this photo. The idea, no doubt, was to take a family shot, showing the three of them together as a family for the first time since the baby was brought home. I for one kinda think the shot of William’s arm around Kate’s derrière and his hand on her hip speaks volumes. Nice going, Daddy. Keeping it fairly real for a royal, if you ask me.
The point was that we want to see the baby. The BABY. I don’t give damn where William has his hands. I also don’t understand your breakdancing comment. Many people manage to get lovely photos of their infants sleeping. I’ve awwwww’ed over lots of them.
Patience, Bluhare–at this point Prince Georgie still looks like Sir Winston Churchill in a receiving blanket, anyway. 😉
We all know good shoes or good hair can pull off a cheap outfit. Since Kate is not a shoe person, she has to rely on her hair.
Brilliant!
It’s an okay picture except for lighting. I wanted to see George not Kate’s blowout. But then he wasn’t the star of this picture. It was the PR image of his parents as the new modern monarchy. They’re just ordinary like you & me. Not!
I’ll never understand the dislike for this lady.
but I do remember the same dislike and harsh criticism of her mother in law, no matter what she did.
I still got to shake her hand and she treated me like “I really mattered” when she came to Chgo. I’ve always admired” the mother in law” and have a certain respect no matter who or what the media says.
I don’t dislike her. I actually want to like her. What I don’t like is the dance they do. And that’s William.
If they want to be so normal, William could step out of line for the throne. In the absence of that, I wish they’d quit cramming the “we’re so normal” stuff down our throat. Again, that’s William. Kate’s been “normal” her entire life and I don’t think she married him to continue that existence. He’s the one living in the Palace of Delusion, not her.
“Kate’s been “normal” her entire life and I don’t think she married him to continue that existence.”
I love that point. Will is royalty, wants a normal existence w/royal perks. Kate is normal, wants a royal existence w/”normal” perks (like including her family in all things royal.)
So in a way I guess they are perfect for each other but I wonder if this will ever become a point of contention between them? Like maybe Kate will want to be more of a public Princess while Will will want to hang out in the privacy of Bucklebury. Or will it irk the public that supports them?
And for some reason I do dislike her. She just seems so… blah. There’s nothing to her. Her goal was to become Princess, she did it and I think she’s done. I loved Diana because she was so complex. Maybe I’m comparing her to Diana and that’s where dislike stems.
Has anyone actually heard KATE say she’s trying to be “normal”? Pretty sure it’s everyone else saying it. Maybe she wants to be fabulous! I know I would much rather be fabulous than just plain “normal.” 🙂
Don’t know if you’re responding to me, Lucky, but if you are I never said anything about Kate. I laid it directly at William’s feet.
Not responding to you directly, Bluhare, just more generalizing since many people use the phrase “They say they are normal” or “They want everyone to think they are normal.” I would assume “they” is referring to both Will and Kate, but I’ve only ever heard Will say anything about “normal.” So, I would say “Will claims they are normal” or even “Will and Royal PR says the couple are normal” but probably wouldn’t throw Kate in there as “they” since we actually have no idea what she thinks about the whole blessed thing.
Diana was pretty much universally beloved by the public throughout her life. There were only small pockets of criticism coming from a few corners of the world.
To say she was disliked and came in for harsh criticism no matter what she did is truly rewriting history.
Truthful
You know where I stand I think.
Bluhare, Suze, LAK, Sachi, and anyone i’m leaving out. None of us hate or dislike her. We root for her and are just disappointed the most. That’s all. I agree with Bluhare and Suze here as well.
I don’t think she’s even worth disliking, sad to say. She is more than happy to play the game because it feeds into her narcissism. She and Wills are a perfect fit in that respect- all about manufacturing the image. In that they are sympatico, IMO.
But I’m not rooting for her either. That would be akin to trying to believe a scorpion could change its true nature.
Actually the scorpion has way more going for it. She comes across as an empty shell.
It sounds weird but you would have to read about their behavior, values, work ethic, etc. Then you would know why this couple enjoys all the perks of royalty and taxpayers footing the bill for their luxury vacations every other month. So when these two claim to be just like everyone else, I get insulted. And in this instance, you get a feel for what Kate’s values are (and they aren’t working for her handful of charities.)
Well said!! +1000
Very well said, angelique. That’s it in a nutshell.
Would anyone who actually KNOWS W&K personally like to comment? Instead, we are all just going on pure hearsay from the media, quotes from unnamed “friends” in the Daily Mail, and random opinions from uncle Gary. Unless someone actually KNOWS them personally, I don’t think we are qualified to comment on what their VALUES are. I wouldn’t pretend to know yours, and I even have the advantage of being able to actually read things you’ve said first person.
Lucky81
If news was only credible when it came straight from the person or their intimate friend circle there would be no news at all or only lies. Your statement holds no water. And people that have known Kate, the Middletons well have spoken to the press. Though their intent was to be kind they casted more of a lazy, entitled, and dependent light on Kate and at times the Middletons. I’m mostly citing Kate’s old boss at Jigsaw. Also, her coworkers spoke. And her Jigsaw boss tailor made that position so Kate could leave at a moments notice if William requested her for a vacation while she worked 2 days for 3 hours a week. Her Jigsaw boss did this for Kate because she was very good friend with her family and personally with Carole.
Also, this is a gossip blog. We air our opinions here. It’s my opinion that if Will and Kate have to have constant articles printed about how family oriented they are and how hard they work when we rarely see them in action it says a lot. Cameras are on them constantly. We see how much they shop and vacation. We never see how in love they are or how family oriented they are.
Yet you do. (directed at Lucky)
The pictures Brad & Angelina did for the twins were more intimate and casual than these. And we got to see the babies, which was the whole point of releasing the pictures to begin with.
Pretty sure the point of releasing the pictures was to pacify the relentless press and public who, for some reason, can’t get enough of these people. Highly sure they weren’t like “Yes, wouldn’t it be lovely to send out a picture of our brand new baby for the whole world to comment upon? What fun!”
The point of releasing the photos was because the baby and his father are directly in line to the throne, Lucky. As I said, if they don’t like living in a fishbowl there are options.
It *is* expected that they release photos of that baby. And if you want to get really technical, the Queen has the final say into what happens with him.
That’s exactly my point, Bluhare. They HAD to release something in the way of photos, so they did. They got away with releasing these, perhaps so as not to have to show everyone in the world close-ups of their newborn.
What are the “options” if they don’t want to live in a fishbowl?
Just my opinion, but I think they’ve been more than compliant with what they’re “supposed” to do when it comes to this baby.
William could remove himself from the direct line of succession. That would remove them from their current small fishbowl into a somewhat larger tank.
By the way, I’ve never known any new parent who didn’t want to show photos of their baby to anyone who wanted to look. And I’m tired of their schtick.
Lucky81
Did your name use to be SISI here by chance? You have striking similarities your tone, frequency, and sentence structure.
There is nothing natural about these two who live in multi-million dollar digs acting like a suburban couple, or Kate’s makeup and stylings. Everything about this photo screams fake, yet the serfs are loving it and gushing about how these two are just like them. Score +500 for their PR team.
These pictures seem to be all about Kate and she looks lovely, which is fine I guess for a family photo op but in my view the focus should have been on the two future monarchs, not her.
Perhaps the couple doesn’t even want the world to look at their 4 week old child and comment on features. It is, after all THEIR child. Regardless if Royal or not, we are not ENTITLED to see someone’s four week old child. They humoured the world with the stupid pictures. Would you release close-up pictures of your child to the world?? Personally, I would feel pretty violated. I don’t care who they are; no one has the “rights” to their infant, even if his life is supported by the tax payors. Absurd.
If they didn’t want people gawking at their baby, they didn’t need to release photos.
EDIT: Problem is that is isn’t that simple when you are a senior royal in the BRF.
Bluhare, you just said above that the Queen gets to make that decision, not them. So, no, they didn’t have a choice whether or not to release pictures of HRH. They did, however, get a choice of how much they wanted people to be able to see of him at this early in his life. This is evident in the photo they chose to release. Nothing wrong with that.
I actually didn’t say that. I said she has final say. There’s a difference in that she will get in the middle if necessary. But not as a matter of course.
Lucky81
You did not marry into a fishbowl. Other women refused William because they knew this. Kate chose this and because she is now a public figure that’s the trade off. If they want a private, normal life they can have it, but that means all the perks go too.
This is not a control of how little they want the world to see of George. This is an image control issue. Do not peek behind the curtain. Just look at the totally normal couple in this very well thought out, staged photo.
How’s that kool-aid taste Lucky?
Kate is set for life! Oops, wait…people thought the same about Diana’s fairytale marriage and life too, and we know how that ended.
Even though the press is annoying in their a$$ kissing of Kate, these are nice photos. Kate has that inner glow going on now that makes her photograph well. I’m starting to warm to her, but will still refrain from drinking the Cambridge kool-aide. For some reason, I still feel like Willy has a “Camilla” somewhere and Kate knows but chooses to play her role, unlike Diana. Maybe I’m way too skeptical for no good reason, I don’t know.
Oh dear, it seems like a lot of people missed the point Kaiser was making.
It’s not about the hair. It’s about the image they are trying to convey with these pictures. “Hey look, we’re not stuffy snobs! We hang out in the backyard just like you commoners! Ignore the fact that we have at least 3 homes that are protected by round the clock security and that last year we had a Christmas party for our staff of 27 people! And ignore all those holidays we go on and every time it’s the most exclusive resorts in the world, costing more than what most people make in a year!
Look at us, we’re so in love! Forget that for nearly ten years the man strung the woman along, cheated on her numerous times and the fact that she was the only woman who wanted the job(oops I mean undying Royal love!) Forget about the press that once dubbed her “Waity Katie” and thought she was too lazy to be a Queen. They love her now because I told them to!”
That is what Kaiser’s point is. They have been trying to whitewash their past since they got engaged. Hell I remember Vanity Fair publishing an article called “Wills and the Real Girl” an article that was not at all flattering to either of them just days before the engagement annoucement. Now they are so far up their asses it’s gross.
Unfortunately for them this love in won’t last. Hell I can tell the press is getting fed up when one of their lapdogs went off on them for lying about Kate’s title these past two years. And really if they can lie about something as trivial as that, what else are they lying about?
Preach!