Here are some more photos from Prince William and Duchess Kate’s St. Patrick’s Day outing. It’s their annual thing – three years running. Every year they get dolled up, he in his Irish Guard uniform and she in a green coat, and they present some shamrocks to a dog. It’s sort of cute and I’m still rather pleased that Kate wore something new for the event. This was Kate’s fourth public event so far this year. Truly. And I didn’t realize it until late yesterday, but wasn’t William supposed to be back at Cambridge for his bespoke program?! I guess he finally gave up on that? The bespoke program was messing with his vacation schedule.
Also messing with his vacation schedule? Fatherhood! Yes, even though William doesn’t seem to spend any time with his son George (in fact, William seems to actively seek out opportunities to avoid George), William still feels the pressures of fatherhood, and he’s not eager to bring a spare along so that the heir will have a playmate.
Forget about there being another royal baby on the way – at least, not today. Prince William, paying a St. Patrick’s Day visit to the Irish Guards on Monday with wife Kate, was asked by Regimental Sergeant Major Ray Collister if there were any more baby Irish guards on the way.
Replied the prince: “Maybe one day. One’s enough at the moment.”
Collister, 56, told reporters after his royal exchange, “He said maybe when there’s time.”
Another revelation William made among the guardsmen (past and present) and their families: 8-month-old Prince George is now crawling. Kate handed out shamrocks at the gathering, and also chatted with those attending. Came time for the toasts, she sipped some white port, while William had red port – chased down by Guinness.
Afterwards they told guardsman Glenn Tierney that the little prince is “very busy crawling and eating.”
“I asked them all about George,” Tierney said, “I’m nosey like that. They said he’s doing really well and he’s very busy crawling and eating. They said they’re very busy sorting everything out for taking him to Australia. They’re very excited [about the trip].”
Ray Kidd, 72, a former regimental cook, also spent time with the royals. He said: “I asked him if he’d bring George next time, and he said, ‘Yes, that’s a good idea, I’ll try and get him fitted for the uniform.’ ”
I do get the feeling that George has been more work than they were expecting. Will and Kate probably had a vague idea of parenthood – no judgment, I’m like that too – which involved quietly cooing at sleeping babies and making your baby laugh by making funny faces. The fact that George cries constantly and loudly must have come as a shock. A shock that required three nannies and seven vacations!! But yes, I guess I’m not surprised that William doesn’t want another baby right now. I doubt Kate wants another one right away either. She has to spread out the births a little bit so her schedule can stay light for YEARS.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.
I think Prince William’s response is the best way to reply to that question. I never reply truthfully when asked about kids because that’s my business. As an aside I love Kate’s coat – even that shade of green.
Exactly. I think you are under absolutely zero obligation to be truthful when someone asks you a rude, intrusive question. He’s not really in a position to say, “That’s really a personal question and none of your business.” So I think his answer was fair, whether or not it’s true.
I think the question was simply a point of shared common interest and a shared humanity. It’s rather natural, IMO, especially if you love your own children to share that commonality. It also humanises Baldtop, who, BTW, is not averse to using his child to charm and manipulate people when it suits him.
Yeah, once you have a baby people seem to feel like it’s okay to discuss your uterus openly. Suddenly sex, birth control and when you want more should be public knowledge.
I just say we’re focused on our daughter for now. Honestly we never want another but I got sick of the you need more lecture so we stopped telling people that we’re done. None of their business anyway
Absolutely none of their business. Honestly, people are so judgey about children.
As the future King of England with only one heir, asking if he’s going to have more children is actually the public’s business. It’s always more reassuring to have a backup to the throne. It would be rude to ask the same question to an average Joe but not to Wills or Kate.
I agree with Kaiser that they will spread out the kids to continue using parenthood as a reason to avoid work even though Wills doesn’t seem all that into staying home to spend time with his son.
There are lots of backups at this point. George is 3rd in line, he has to out wait both his grandfather who isn’t ancient, and his father who is a young man. There is really no rush to produce a spare. But I agree, I don’t think its particularly rude and everyone is going to keep asking until they have another.
Come on. Their baby is only 8 months old. Is she supposed to be pregnant again right away? I’m not going to roll my eyes at anyone who just wants one kid or wants to space them more than one year apart. Since she had hypermensis gravidum I’m sure she is not eager to get pregnant again, since that often recurs.
My thoughts exactly…why do people think she’d be jumping at the chance to get pregnant again when her first one isn’t even a year old yet?
Oh please, she never had HG, that was just an excuse. At most she had a stomach bug for a few days that was cleared up before she left the hospital.
How do you know?
@Janet,
Because one of the diagnostic criteria of HG is a weight loss of 10-15% of a woman’s pre-pregnancy weight (for most women that’s about a 10-20 lb drop). That kind of weight loss happens over a few weeks and wouldn’t be known hours after check in.
Note:
It does appear that they now reduced the weight loss requirement down to 5% instead of the 10-15%. This has changed since Kate announced her pregnancy.
http://americanpregnancy.org/pregnancycomplications/hyperemesisgravidarum.html
@Ladyslippers: I lost 10 Lbs (off my 120 lb frame) in 5 days with my first baby in week 5 of pregnancy. I was quite ill with NVP, and promptly off work until I could recover. It was an easy diagnosis.
@butterfly:
Kate hadn’t appeared to lose any weight when we saw her on Friday before her admission to when we saw her shopping about 3 weeks-ish after her hospital stay. And the diagnostic criteria at that time was mostly 15% weight loss with a few 10% floating around. So at that time, using the 120 lb as a generic weight, Kate would have needed to lose 18 lbs for the 15% weight loss criteria or 12 lbs for the 10%. On almost anyone those are drastic enough weight losses to be noticeable. And I’m all too aware of how quickly you can lose weight with HG. But it still doesn’t happen overnight and they wouldn’t have known that immediately after admission. And we did — that’s my point.
Kate also had been at a school on the Friday before admission that was hit bad with Norovirus so it’s equally likely she had that and not HG. My guess is (and always has been) that the docs threw out several options and William ran with one. It’s not a criticism of anyone.
HG was also never announced nor corroborated by the medical staff/hospital. This came from the Dolittles’ camp IIRC.
hmmm,
No it wasn’t but I’m pretty sure the hospital wouldn’t have done it anyway
— privacy laws and such.
And I forgot to add above that there were several different stories floating around about when and how she arrived at the hospital. Some of them didn’t support the idea she was sick at all, so that increased people’s doubt that the diagnosis was correct. All in all, there’s a decent reason to doubt it and not take William’s press office at face value. Which is very sad.
I don’t even like Waity, but I’m not going to rag on her fro not wanting another child yet when the one she already has is not ever 1 year old. This is a discussion for when the kid is2-3 years old.
Ugh I don’t blame them. I think I got one hour of sleep last night. #teethingisgoingtokillme
Edit: I wonder if Kate gets up in the night or if they have a night nanny?
I am sure they have a night nanny. If I had the money for a night nanny, I would like another baby. Now 2 is enough.
I sympathize with you for the teething nights. Not nice. 🙁
You bet your bottom they have at least 1 night nanny. Probably comes as a set with the night nursery. No joke. George has a nursery for daytime and nighttime.
The day nursery is really a playroom and the night nursery has the cribs/beds. They’re just archaic terms for things we have already. The nursemaids (junior nannies) would get nighttime duty, if the parents don’t get up with them.
Hmm Thanks LS
So where does George nap in the daytime?…
And still… George has a Kitchen and at least 2 other rooms for only his needs. He has more than a few employees that cater only to him. That was pretty much my point. He’s not a burden to his parents in terms of too much work.
Oh Florc, I wasn’t debating that! Lol
I don’t think the nursery kitchen is all that large either. Probably something similar to what you’d find in a long term hotel or efficiency.
(Naps are in the night nursery DUH! lol)
What? No Nap Nursery? The poor child.
I know Bluhare!
No nap nursery? The poor dear. Quick! They need more renovations!
Ugh. My daughter got her bottom 2(her first) a month ago and has been cutting the top 2 for weeks. Can’t get a break and I’m so tired. She wants to be on the boobs all night long.
I thought her sleep would get better since she’s nearly 1 but it’s worse. One day she’ll sleep through the night lol. Maybe
Haha. My daughter and your daughter must have read the same book.
My 1 year and a half dgt has been going through a sleep regression, she woke up twice last night and then I had to wake up to come to work this morning while curently 20 weeks pregnant with a second I might add. I’m about to fall asleep at my computer, so I’m not going to judge anybody who does not want 2 small children running around at the same time. That being said, they have several nannies and by the looks of it, William does not spend much time with his son so I don’t believe they have it as hard as regular parents.
I don’t blame them for wanting to wait a little. I also think it’s a rude question and no one else’s business.
I don’t think it’s that rude really. But his answer was perfect regardless.
As someone who had years of fertility problems made more painful by intrusive questions, I never ask anyone about their plans for future children. Perhaps I’m overly sensitive about it, but you never know how that seemingly innocent, “So when are going to hear good news from YOU?” can hurt someone. It’s a very private matter, and no one else’s business.
Most people don’t mean to be rude and are genuinely curious. Large families used to be the norm and I see these questions as left over from those days plus a lack of other ‘fluffy’ and/ or neutral topics to discuss.
What I consider rude are the people that persist on details, touch your pregnant belly uninvited, or insist on telling you ‘their way’ is THE only way to do X with infants or children. Those kinds of things drive me batty. Oh and the competitive thing with children. You know, my child did this at X age, when did yours do it? And they aren’t curious — they’re asking to show off.
Most people aren’t genuinely curious. They just can’t come up with something else to ask, and don’t think about how that question may feel to to person being asked. And after five pregnancies and four miscarriages, yes, I think it’s rude, They may not mean it to be, but it is.
The holdover is asking the question because of the succession, but that’s actually the reason why there *is* an order of succession. So it’s not really a question that’s necessary.
Come on, George is still very young! And yes, if he is a demanding baby, I can understand them.
Of course there is pressure for the spare, so they will have to do it eventually.
It seems to me that in Britain it is common to have several children one after another, probably that’s why they are being asked such private questions.
Normally this is a very personal and private issue. I can’t fault those who are asking though. I wonder if the question was posed to make sense of all the baby free vacation and very light work schedule. That they needed that time away to make another baby.
Ths is a couple who have a very unique position. Their lives aren’t fully their own. And they live extremely comfortable as compensation. They’re bloodline is also unique so babies are treated and speculated upon differently than anyone elses.
It’s a trade off. No shade either way.
I like the word “unique”. Makes better sense to me than the arrogant notion of a superior being (eg or race) with “‘blue” blood. ‘
Totally agree, wolfpup. But some of them really do think they’re special because they’ve got royalblood. Maybe all of them, but I decided to be charitable and say “some” in this post. I would really hate to learn Harry thinks that way.
@FLORC. That was how I saw the questions as well. Along the lines of questioning the vacations, the number of nannies, how much time they do NOT spend working, how she has time to shop and vacation but not to work, etc.
Like Kaiser and others, I think they’ll probably wait to have a second and I don’t see them having more than two. Kate Middleton will draw out a full year of “maternity leave” for George (again, leave from what exactly) and William will use PGTips as an excuse as well. She’ll “work” an extremely light schedule from August 2014 – through all of 2015, even though they’ll spin the line, “Back to work with a vengeance now that maternity leave is over” etc.
My guess is pregnant for most of 2016, on “leave” for all of 2017. Then we’ll be sold the theme of “she wants to focus her time on the children while they are young” which means no full-time royal duties for these two until 2022 if even then.
Lol my Goopy motherinlaw says that only ‘plebs’ and ‘benefits scroungers’ breed that quickly…
If that is a remote indication of the moral attitude of the upper classes, I can see why they don’t want to be associated with the British trend.
By the way, as a British taxpayer, the less they have the better.. Less nannies to pay for 😉
I mean, William and Harry are less than two years apart, so …
@ Bucky, no they are 27 months apart. William turned two in June and Harry was born that September.
Oh my gosh @ Hiddled Forever – “benefit scroungers” might be the best phrase I have heard all year. I assumed you meant gold-diggers but now I realize you might mean welfare recipients but I guess it works for either.
Compared to the time she dated William she looks really skinny now. Is it something that’s required of her or is it the pressure?
Maybe pressure, but definitely photographs.
If you look at the rest of the RF, it’s obvious that looking anorexic is not required of her.
To look radiant, you have to go on vacation. They sure looked like everybody was very pleased, that they were back, as they joyfully, and most bountifully, smiled and waved, like we love them, and we are so happy that they are well-rested.
I’m beginning to dislike William. I never thought I would say that. I had the illusion that he was shy and sensitive like mom Diana. He seems more spoiled and aloof. Also this couple is already in their 30’s. It might not be good to wait too long for the spare.
People have babies well into their 30s all the time. He’s 31 and she’s 32. That’s not too old to have children by any stretch. Jesus.
And they can easily do IVF while keeping it very private.
Marigold
Some people don’t easily conceive and that only gets harder as they leave their 20’s. Saying “Jesus” seems OTT for a valid point.
Yes, SOME people. Your fertility in your late 20s through age 35 remains basically the same and at age 35, the majority of women who want to, will get pregnant. So, like you said-SOME, but not many. There’s certainly no rush for a 32 year old, medically speaking so my saying “Jesus” makes perfect sense because the comment was ignorant. I’ve got plenty of personal perspective on conception difficulties and don’t need the lecture, particularly from you. Even you don’t know anything about their baby making ways, although I’m sure you’ll try to argue you do since you are the go-to person when it comes to all the crap people spin on these two.
Fun fact: QE and Margaret were products of IVF according to the Kelly biography. According to The Royals Bertie and Elizabeth found a specialist who finally helped them to conceive. Don’t know if it is true or not.
@Marigold. Personally not thinking you needed to take somebody’s version of the divine’s name in vain just to try to make your point. Yes you had the freedom to do so, just seems over the top and potentially offensive to some.
As for the comment “some people” yes, some people have difficulty conceiving and some don’t. You’ve experienced your difficulties, and those are unique to you. Your case does not define every other woman’s fertility. Every woman is different and her fertility is different too, Some can conceive naturally at 45, some cannot conceive naturally at 25.
We do not know whether or not these two had help. You probably already know, Kate Middleton’s history of smoking, drinking, and extreme dieting do not in general lend themselves to *helping* in the fertility arena.
Snark,
Kelley is not known for her facts. Nor is Lady Colin Campbell.
Marigold,, I really wish you’d have left your post at your opinion of FLORC’s response, rather than the petty crap at the end. Her response was quite benign too AND she’s a maternity nurse.
I get it. You have had trouble conceiving.. There are others here who have had trouble too, and they don’t get bitchy like you just did.
Hope things are going well, FLORC.
Marigold
I objected to your use of “Jesus” and how you said it. I didn’t lecture you in fertility and I didn’t spit in your coffee. The animosity is coming through my screen as if I attacked your personal level of fertility.
And IVF is an option. I didn’t say I know for a fact they used it. Sometimes a woman isn’t terribly fertile when it’s scheduled she conceive. And yes. It can happen that way in the BRF.
I sort of disagree about Kelly. She is actually known for over-the-top sensational claims/exposes and writung about the scandalous side of public figures. She is therefore thought of as disreputable and unpopular, especially since she writes unauthorized bios. She is almost always dragged into coyrt and celebrities hate her and try to get injunctions against her. She does, however, scrupously research her subjects and has excellent sources. Even Sinatra’s lawyers couldn’t touch her in court.
Having said that, I do not personally like Kelley’s style because she plays to the most common denominator and always seems to have an agenda. But she doesn’t make up facts. Where it is speculation she says so, and we need writers who are not so impressed with their subjects that they whitewash their lives.
But again, I don’t know if the IVF stories are true. I just thought it was interesting/novel.who is the other writer you mentioned? i don’t know her.
IVF wasn’t successful until 1978, and wasn’t even thought about until the 1960s, so even if Bertie and Elizabeth were having trouble conceiving in the 1920s, they certainly would not have had access to IVF! I don’t think ANY of the major IF drugs (clomid, the injectibles, etc) were available until the 1980s. So the most that anyone could have one in the 1920s would have been something organic/”natural fertility remedy” related. The birth-control pill wasn’t even available until the 1950s.
I haven’t read Kelley’s biography of the Queen Mother but seriously, if she was suggesting they were doing modern-style infertility treatments in the 1920s, she was seriously off her rocker.
The rumour is artificial insemination, not IVF. It’s been around for quite a while.
http://www.life123.com/parenting/pregnancy/infertility/the-history-of-human-artificial-insemination.shtml
I’m with you on Kitty Kelley, Snarky. She’d have been sued up the wazoo by a lot of people if she printed rumours or lies. Where we differ is I love a good gossipy read. 🙂
Blu
Yes, thank you for the correction – AI is vastly different from IVF. And you are 100% right about Kelly. She has made a living out of writing about the rougher aspects of the public figures we think we already know about. Celebs quake when she picks up her pen and authorized/sanctioned chroniclers blackball and ridicule her. But this is precisely why I don’t automatically dismiss Kelly. Being bold doesn’t make you a liar. She said once in a foreword that she painstakingly researches publuc records, cites named sources, corrobates accounts and actually tape records interviews with sources who do not want to be cited because she knows she will be threatened and dragged into court later, lol. I don’t mind a dishy bio every now and then but I find that Kelly is not very ladylike and seems to have a slant. But she is factual.
The rumour I’ve heard was it AI too and that QM wasn’t all that fond of sex. Once Margaret was born, rumour has it she closed up shop for good.
(Poor Bertie if that’s true. I say that because he was head over heels in love with her.)
I can’t remember if it was Kitty Kelley or Colin Campbell, but I read sex was done after the honeymoon and Bertie had mistresses. 🙂
BTW, Colin Campbell was a lot more right about Diana than she was wrong, IMO.
Interesting. It was also rumored at the time of Elizabeth’s own birth that she was the child of her fayher and one of the servants. This rumor was fueled by not only her father’s preference for the staff but her family’s inability to record her birth with the church in the required amount of time. When she was being vetted for the prince there was some scrambling done by her family to clear up some naggibg questions about Elizabeth.
I see a future couple in Nori West and George. She’ll hate her mom and he’ll hate his dad. They will bond over a shared hatred of their parents.
Wow. Because the public doesn’t like them doesn’t mean their kids will feel the same. That’s pretty cold.
I was (mostly) kidding.
Lizzie
Sarcasm iis not easy for me in text. Sorry!
But still… Hope neither kid grows up to dislike their parents. That’s sad and not to be wished.
@Lizzie – don’t even suggest such a thing. You just know PMK has been researching the best private schools that Prince George is likely to attend. The good news is Carole Middleton might come in handy here and put the kibosh on any scheming the K Klan sets in motion. PMK has likely met her match in Carole Middleton.
In fairness, I’m a new mom and its WAY harder than I expected. I work full time (because we need my salary and I also enjoy it) and we have childcare. No shade from me there.
We’re not sure we want another one because our little guy is so energy intensive and expensive! With that said, if I had their resources, I’d definitely have another. 18 nannies and no money worries? Yup.
I would kind of love to see staged pics of him playing with George — I think it would be cute. I hope he’s different behind closed doors — I don’t buy that he despises his son and doesn’t spend time with him. These articles suggesting that always make me a bit uncomfortable.
Won’t be long now. New Zeastralia is coming up!
I don’t think he despises his son. I think he loves George in his own way. William is probably one of those fathers who doesn’t know what to do with an infant child, and given the choice, he’d rather spend time away from his son, than with him. Anyway, William’s never struck me as the warm and cuddly kind. You sort of need to have that inside of you to bond with children, whether they’re yours or not.
I think William’s a big boy and can handle the standard ‘when’s the next one’ sort of thing.
Of course they don’t want another so soon because it can be daunting having a toddler and a new baby. Trying to do up the toddler’s coat while the little one’s wailing away… that is after the toddler’s made you chase them round the house first and you suddenly notice you have a smudge of poop on your hands from the nappy change…… when all you want to do is get them outside for a walk!!!!!! If only they had another set of hands to help out.
But they have staff! They don’t care for George themselves. So many keep writing how tough it is with small kids but forget: they are not you. They don’t spend sleepless nights and don’t rush around because George’s coat or whatever is missing. There is an army of staff to do all that. On top of that, they don’t work!
Sorry, I thought my sarcasm was obvious. I’ll try harder next time 😉
It’s also hard being pregnant and nursing….Staff or not, it’s generally medically recommended to wait. Not so easy on the body…and if she had severe morning sickness [i know people debate that…], then she may not be in a rush again…
Is she still nursing?
No one’s said whether she is or isn’t, but judging from the way her chest’s deflated, I’d say no.
Omg, when they start crawling some sort of cuteness bomb goes off and everything baby does is amazing. And sketchy, so I hope the nannies are hypervigilant. Babies want to eat everything they come across as they explore.
*whispers* I only like babies after the 3-4mth mark when they start showing personality. When they start crawling, I can’t get enough of them.
*dusts reflected baby cuteness residue off LAK’s coat*
Ita – this is the stage when babies are yummy 🙂 Let’s hope William truly appreciates this because they grow up so quickly.
George’s age is the cutest. I love babies, but once they start interacting I turn into a peekaboo playing idiot. The faces, the singing, the clapping . . . . gah, I’m truly ridiculous.
Peek-a-boo & waving my hands around idiot right here!
Blu
It’s okay. I’m still that way with Mr. snarkweek.
Awww, Snarky. Patty cake for lovers?
Blu he woukd just die if I fessed up, lol. Luckily, he doesn’t read CB.
Snark,
Wouldn’t most men die of embarrassment of they admitted they adored a bunch of ‘girlie’ things? Like chick flicks, flowers sent to them, etc. etc.? Lol
Lady
Absolutely, lol. Mr. Snark constantly reminds me that I’ve turned him into a study in contrats. It’s true – he’s a third degree judo black belt who bakes. He could play golf and poker morning, noon and night but he is also wonderful at picking out lipstick shades for me. He yells at the television whe his team is losing but when I put on a record (we actually have a record player) he dances around with our yorkiepoo. Men really are funny! I love the contrast 🙂
Dame Snarkweek, your husband sounds fantastic – does he have a brother??? I want one of those, too. 🙂
I have to admit, the visual of Sir Snark waltzing with a little yorkipoo is awfully cute.
Is this even up to them? Isn’t there pressure from the palace to get on with the business of a spare?
These days, you’d think a spare is less important than it was in the past.
I was wondering that . . . i.e. if the RF had factored in advances in medical science and the decreasing likelihood of George being locked in London Tower by his rivals. But I’m betting a spare will be in the works within a year.
Yeah, these days I think it might be more about a social expectation for two children than any real need for a second child for succession reasons.
Probably so, but accidents do happen. It must be an ingrained thing to have your heir be the fruit of your loins and all that, but it’s not like the royals don’t have any others hanging around. Even the Queen’s got a gazillion before the rest of them make the list.
I wonder if there’s any left over fear at the difficulty that preceded Victoria. I also wonder if Victoria had so many children to ensure they will never again lack heirs.
I don’t spend time researching the BRF, but from my casual reading, it seems like the female rulers always had a goal to ensure they will not have a female successor. Victoria had tons of children, and I’ve read (who knows if it’s true) that Elizabeth had more than two children to try to protect Anne from the pressure that Margaret lived under. (I’ve often questioned Elizabeth’s love of certain family members, but she certainly seemed to adore her sister)
There was an interesting final jeopardy question the other day for those who like the BRF. The answer was who was the most recent king who had not been Prince of Wales first.
Victoria had a lot of children because of her extremely strong sex drive. Apparently it was quite voracious and Albert’s wasn’t near as high as hers (Albert was known to hide from her at times). And very ironically, Victoria was NOT found of children whereas Albert was.
Kitty Kelley (I know you’re not a fan; sorry!!) said that the Queen didn’t leave Philip alone when they first got married either. Hard to imagine . . . . . 🙂
@bluhare
I can just imagine. I wouldn’t have left Phillip alone either…he’s still hot. He’s old, racist, crotchety, and pretty much an ass–but he’s still got it. He’s an extremely handsome man. He was hot in his younger years. He would’ve had to pry me off of him.
I’m just sad that his good looks didn’t go to his kids. I mean, Charles is so odd looking, Andrew was hot for about a minute, and so was William. Only one who I find mildly attractive is Harry–but that’s more for his personality–and he looks like his mom.
OMG! We saw that Jeopardy episode and when the answer came up my husband looked right at me and said ‘take it away, hon’ lol
Yes, apparently Phillip was taken to task by close personal friends for complaining about Elizabeth’s hyper sex drive. They thought his mentioning it was crass and disrespectful. According to The Diana Chronicles and The Royals Diana tried every trick in the book to get Charles’ attention on their honeymoon. I guess the aristo men can’t keep up with da ladies!
Virgilia, I almost added that as an editorial comment. I think Philip, in his youth was so handsome. William’s the only one who came close in handsomeness and his died early. Philip’s didn’t.
I forgot . . . was it TwoPence who posted the article about him a thread or two ago? Great article.
Mayame: Victoria loved sex. Couldn’t get enough of it. The unintended consequence was many children who she didn’t love. Woman had no maternal bone whatsoever.
Philip’s alleged comment after the honeymoon about HM’s creamy skin made me think their sex life was HOT!!! Apparently he said that it was creamy all over!!!
Andrew came after a difficult patch in their marriage. He was their make up baby. Edward the encore. That’s why there is such a big age gap between the 2 sets of kids.
@LAK — creamy all over! Oh Philip. And didn’t Victoria treat one son rather coldly after the death of her husband, because he (the son) had given the Prince the cold that eventually killed him? Nice to think there was some true feeling in the castle.
PS The answer to the Jeopardy question is George VI.
Madame Liberté,
Yes, Victoria was beyond cold to the son that ‘killed’ her Bertie. LAK was correct, she was NOT a maternal woman.
Using this older article for the quote, shaking head, and sighing at the loss of James Whitaker. Oh the things he would have said for the past two years.
She’s called ‘Sausage’ ..he’s called ‘The Hun’
James Whitaker’s 60 Facts to Mark the Queen & Prince Philip’s 60th Anniversary
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/shes-called-sausage-hes-called-521652
November 17, 2007
18 WHEN Philip’s cousin Patricia Mountbatten remarked on Elizabeth’s flawless complexion, the Prince joked: “Yes, and she’s like that all over.”
Another one with a great quote from Prince Philip
http://shine.yahoo.com/love-sex/10-surprising-facts-marriage-queen-elizabeth-ii-prince-210700573.html
Philip wrote (in a post-wedding letter to her parents), “Cherish Lilibet? I wonder if that word is enough to express what is in me.” He remarked that she was “the only ‘thing’ in this world which is absolutely real to me, and my ambition is to weld the two of us into a new combined existence that will not only be able to withstand the shocks directed at us but will also have a positive existence for the good.”
It looks like Kate’s left breast exploded to reveal that she’s really made of plant matter, and not human at all.
**snort** love it 😀
LOL!!!
I never believe anything anyone says to random strangers or interviewers about their baby plans. It’s the sort of question that absolutely everyone should feel free to lie about, because it’s such a private thing.
Come on: even if it were true, would we really expect William to say, “yeah, we are trying for our second right now”? I’m laughing just imagining that.
His posture is killing me, and making my back hurt.
I guess I don’t blame them. My husband and I have one daughter and we plan on keeping it that way. I can’t stand when people tell me I need to have another child. It’s really none of their business. I don’t judge people who have more than one kid. Every family is different. Different strokes.
I don’t blame them. One, it’s a rude question and two, babies are hard work, nanny or not.
For a normal couple… Not our business.
For these 2? Yes… sort of. It would reinforce their “Just Like Us” normal campaign to have another baby and to justify all these vacations and not working.
And George seems to be such a quiet baby when in pubic and by all accounts except Williams he’s quiet when at home. So quiet even on his trip to mustique. And if a baby is going to cry a plane will set them off.
Because of this I doubt William sees George much at all. If all he can ever say is he cries and not his giggles or wiggles he’s going off of a very small span of time. Or George just cries when he sees his father.
And yea… What about that Bespoke Program. Is that on hold or even still happening?
William’s comments about George are so weird to me. I have a baby the same age as George and my husband works long hours but the baby lights up and freaks out (happily) every time he sees him. Because he doesn’t see his dad as much as he sees me it’s priceless when they are together. The smiles couldn’t get any bigger. William must not be used to kids or be uncomfortable around them still. I hear it can take dads awhile to gel sometimes until they are walking and talking.
That’s cute!
And maybe William is just naturally uncomfortable around babies. It happens.
You can’t argue against his willingly taken a lot of time away from George in these early and cutest stages of his life. Not going to Mustique. Not taking him on vacation. Going to his bespoke program. He seems to have only been around George during the 1st week or so and since then actively making plans that exclude father son time.
That’s a good question about the class, FLORC. I see he did another investiture today.
As far as the class goes, he’s starting to look like a dilettante, without the dandy part. I don’t know why, but dilettante brings up someone who’s flashy, which William is definitely not!
I like it! PGTips always crying when he sees his father is like Bertie’s little brother Ulysses always throwing up when his mother picks him up (Alexander McCall Smith’s 44 Scotland Street series).
I For One LOVE that they make this George Baby sound like The Worst Most Colicky bothersome baby in The World LOL
I’m so glad someone ventured this because that’s what I think too. Their public comments about PGtips makes him no 1 candidate for colicky (sp) baby EVAH!!!
Ew…Poppet..the little grape is screwing up his face and making shrill, hideous noises…is he defective?
Neeewwww, muffin…he’s crying…isn’t it just dreadful? Let’s go on vacation.
Again?
Again.
This comment made me chuckle. Although it would be “holiday” not “vacation.”
ROFL!!!
At the risk of sounding dumb, why do people refer to George as tips? Is it a Brit thing?
Goodnames
Lol forever at defective!
PG = (Prince George) and PG Tips is the name of a brand of teabags. Hence, “tips” 🙂
Ha! So cute 🙂
LOL! He looks like he will have quite the personality. Reminds me of my friends’ baby with super grumpy attitude who everyone called Little Churchill.
Totally agree, up to them about another kid and “one’s enough at the moment” suffices as an answer. I get it, as a stay at home mom, believe me! However, the “maybe when there’s time” is odd to me – huh?! ALL they have is TIME to kill. Their life is on autopilot and they are opting for a light load when they could do much more. And they have lots and lots of help with George. These are not your average parents. They can have as many or as few children as they choose and it wouldn’t impact their professional, financial or personal goals, it seems. Just worked around their very delicate appearance schedule…
Whatever else I think about them, this is a perfectly sensible comment. It’s actually best for the mother and child’s health if there’s at least a year and a half between pregnancies – just because you’ve lost the baby weight doesn’t mean your body is completely recovered.
Besides, this would be the right comment to make even if they were actively trying to have a child right now. If they said they wanted another child very soon and had trouble conceiving, that could bring even more unpleasant pregnancy-related attention than they already get.
Who knows… spares aren´t that important nowadays so maybe George stays an only child. But i´m sure that they spare the Spare for the next two gap years 😉 That´s the best excuse Willy can get 😉
Will and Kate are so used to their lazy lifestyle without the burden of full time duties… i don´t think they´ll be very happy when they finally are working royals with kids. Their whole (semi-seperate living) relationship was a decade of parties, vacations, weekend trips and free time without obligations. Kids change your life and one look at Will (and his actions) says me that he isn´t happy about this change.
That’s what this gap year is for.
I have no doubt that they are both lazy, somewhat entitled brats, but I think a lot of great dads (my husband among them), just aren’t into the baby phase. My husband told me that while he felt very responsible for and loved our little ones, he was an outsider since the kid was nursing 24/7 and unable to verbalize what they needed. As they grew, he became more attached, and four kids later, he’s an amazing, patient, fun dad. Let’s hope that for little George’s sake that’s all that’s going on with his dad!
Mr. bluhare is that way too. Scared to death of babies. You should see the photos of him with our nephews when they were babies. He was scared to move. Get them a bit older though, and he’s a maniac. The kids used to love him because he’d see a jet flying overhead and ask them if they wanted to be high enough in the sky to wave at the passengers (he’s tall the start with). Oh my god, they loved it.
….Apparently there are people who actually think they raise their own child. I mean how daunting is parenthood if you only trot your child out for photo ops and leave the actual work of childraising to the nannies? They are like the Xes come to life.
More and more I see traits in the both of them that resembles narcissism or at least extreme self absorption. Of course they don’t want another child anytime soon. Babies are natural attention suckers. At this point there’s probably more of a demand to see George than the two of them combined. And they know this hence why they are taking him on the official holiday. Doesn’t mean they like it though. They have to know at this point there’s a lot of public resentment towards them and all the goodwill they had at their wedding is gone. I’m sure they like their son well enough but they probably miss when it was all about them and only them.
Am I being too cynical? Probably, but they haven’t done anything to make me think positively of them these days.
I see your point but you might be quite surprised at just how out of touch WillKat are with their public perception. You have to realize that they live in a golden bubble where news is selectively fed to them and their yes men want to keep their jobs. That plus the fact that a lot of people still openly support and adore them. It has only been within the past couple of months that negative stories and photos of the Cambridges are surfacing. So I doubt they accurately see the whole big picture. But there is beginning to be backlash and rumbling about the constant vacationing and refusal to roll up their sleeves and get to work.
But they seem to know enough to lie about their holidays, like the paralympic disgrace, and lie about the nannies and help, for example.
Hi, hmmmm (I think someone wrote a song that starts a lot like that!), they are very good at prevaricating and parsing what they say. For example, they bailed on the Paralympics because they had to prepare for their trip. They just neglected to mention it would be in France, naked on a balcony. 🙂
And no help means they don’t employ any other than the housekeeperchef and the nanny. No mention that the entity that runs the building may employ cleaning staff (my take only!!), and they do have people cleaning, just not on their payroll.
Hmmmm
What you’re talking about are attempts to craft their image and shape public perception. I was just saying that they don’t fully realize yet that not all of us are buying it. They’re not quite there yet.
@Dame Snarkweek,
I agree that they don’t accurately see the big picture. But their manipulation of their image suggests that they know that they are nothing like it and don’t care to be like it. So they need to give the plebs what they want to be able to do what they want.
On the other hand….yeah, you could be right, to them it hasn’t been a big deal, this mendacity- just the cost of doing business for royals. Their golden bubble encourages their manipulation and lies, by Divine Right. Hmmm, I’m seeing it now… Which suggests to me they are far more removed than I imagined and thus not remotely in touch and therefore even less media savvy than I imagined. This is fantastic because it makes them even more vulnerable to downfall when the peons get a clue.
Terrific point, DS. I have seen the light. Thanks! 🙂
@Xantha,
For me, so on point! It’s not cynicism, it’s just observing behaviour and putting two and two together.
My boyfriend and I get asked all the time when we are going to have a baby we have been together since my daughter was 2 and she’s almost 6 now..he considers my children as his so our response has become right now we are trying to focus on the two we have when in reality we don’t want to have another baby and arr quite content with enjoying the two we already have even though we have decided to leave the baby discussion open for a future time
Totally normal question. Everyone gets asked that question at some point in their adult lives. These two don’t do anything and just went on a week long vacation without their 8 month old son. We all know they tanned. We’re assuming there was plenty of naked shenanigans going on to justify their need for being childless for a week.
No, this is absolutely not a private matter as he is the heir and his responsibility is to provide more heirs. When your life is funded by taxpayers (oh and the money from duchies, which is still public money in its origin btw) be gracious. His response was fine though.
Can anyone guess what’s Kate weight right now? I’ve never seen anyone who would look thin in a coat like her!
Diana, too.
I’m convinced these two barely can stand each other anymore. They are almost never seen together and when they are they barely are ever even looking at each other or touching. They don’t live together and Wills is still treating her like she is Waity. All is not well.
Actually I thought they looked quite engaged yesterday. Tropical holiday fall out.
This, to me, seems like fiction. They’re at an official event. They’re royals. They’re not going to show a lot of PDA at a St. Patrick’s Day ceremony. They always seem happy and engaged with each other and others. I’m not sure what you’d have them do differently to convince us they’re still in love.
Out of all the endless snaps of this event, why is there not a single one where Wills and Waity are engaged with each other? The only usual photos are of Waity grinning at him who seems to be looking at her but really is not , it’s just the angle. I bet a lot of the media were those lackeys who met Georgie , the ones willing to keep the fairy tale alive.
She is still waity, really. We remain the same even after the church bells ring. Whatever sort of king/subject relationship or dynamic that they had, would remain. If William did not treat her with respect before marriage, that kind of interaction would naturally continue.. Do his ideas of “blue blood”, factor in his assumptions of commoners? It would be very hard to be waity (oh, that’s right, the vacations…).
Really? It looked like they were engaged with other people but making an effort not to look at or talk to each other.
Yeah, I thought they looked happy. Both of them, and they had to talk to the people they were there to honor!
Projecting perhaps? They appear to be engaged with one another and the other people there.
@ Maggie. Inappropriate to accuse Christina of projecting. You see what you see, others see what they see. To me they appear to be avoiding each other and William is doing his typical fist “clench and release” in frustration.
C’mon, Maggie, I think people would be willing to engage more with you if you didn’t take such a hostile approach to your fellow posters. There’s lots of lively back and forth on these royal threads, if you seek it. If you just want to shoot and run, I guess you’ve got the tactic down pat.
I actually agree with you that they seemed to be interacting in quite a lovely way, btw. As controversial as their vacation was, it seemed to have done them good on a personal level. Was it worth $12,000/night? Eh – I leave that up for debate.
What Suze said, Maggie. I too wish you’d come in and stay rather than posting and running. I have to get back at you for calling us jealous prigs. 🙂
Christina, I watched a short video of the ceremony and during the toast and whiskey sampling, William barely glanced at Kate. I think he gets into his military/man mode at times and forgets she’s not one of the guys who can handle themselves in any situation. On top of that, she seems to have the strangest emotional range during these “working” events, anything from girlishly giddy, to inattentive, to just unprepared. I think back to the Malaysia trip where, after a very brief speech, she left the podium and stood next to him assuming an almost child-like demeanor and seeking approval. This in itself may annoy the H out of him (he doesn’t come off as the most patient or tolerant person), so he avoids making too much eye contact and getting that “Am I doing OK” look from her. He probably just wants her to stand on her own two feet and demonstrate some self confidence.
Interesting! I love the different ways people interpret Will and Kate. So many takes always give me a new way to think about things.
@Cersei — that’s an interesting thought. A friend is always complaining that Kate looks like she is a dog who hopes to be taken home — maybe she is trying so hard to get his approval….hmm.
Liberty, I’ve noticed the puppy dog look before, too. And, it always seems that PW is deliberately ignoring it. To be honest, after 10 years of waiting to become a royal/public figure and still needing encouragement (or a pat on the head), it would annoy me, too.
This post (and many comments) seem awfully judgmental about the timing of another baby. Sometimes ppl ask the question to make idle chitchat, some to be nosy. Will handled it smoothly. How do you know he tries not to spend time with his son? That seems awfully presumptuous. We don’t know Will’s schedule 24/7. I’m sure he’s making an effort to be more present than his family has traditionally seen in their parents. Someone said they’re not like us. Of course they aren’t. And why the whining about their “maternity leave” ?? Would you like them to get part-time jobs? Or you’d like to see a heavier schedule of ship christenings and tree plantings? I don’t get it.
It appears that people are just feeling jealous. There are couples who are rich, beautiful and happy with each other and these two are definitely it.
It might also be difficult to think of a question to ask the heir to the throne (a couple times removed). Many have commented on Kate’s poor abilities at chit chat, but sometimes members of the public may not be giving them much to work with. True conversationalists can work with anything, but it’s much more difficult when you’re given yet the same inane question for the umpteenth time.
I actually think he handled it well. One thing I will grant William is that he is good with the idle chit chat required of royals at these types of outings. So is Harry. It’s a lifetime of practice, I think. It’s not as easy as it looks, I’ve seen some marry-ins struggle with it. Sophie has gotten much, much better throughout the years.
The duchess downed a shot of whiskey at the event, so I’m thinking there’s no immediate plans to add to the royal nursery. Maybe George is a handful – maybe they want to concentrate on him since he is the heir and all – maybe they are the types to plan kids every two to three years. It is entirely their business.
.
The things that stand out for me in William’s ever glib responses is the frequent use of the word ‘busy’ (oh they are SO busy), having another kid when they have ‘more time’ (oh, they are endlessly busy) and the fact that Georgie is ‘crawling and eating’- well, bugs do that, too. He never, ever says anything unique about the kid, or gives evidence that the kid has any personality whatsoever or that he is charmed by him. He is about as doting a papa as he is busy. Heck, I am not sure that Georgie actually knows who Baldtop is, especially with him being so ‘busy’ and all.
I have to say I wondered what “more time” meant. I mean it’s not like they’ve got a full schedule.
Wills, I find, bluehare, is glibbety glib 24/7. The inference that they need more time is damned offensive. His responses are so superficial and noncommital, he never truly engages with any human being lower than him, IMO. Mind you, he will talk sports. Such a guy!
It would have been very interesting had the questioner followed up on Baldtop’s ‘more time’ comment. Maybe something along the lines of, oh, and what are your current projects?
Maybe they are just enjoying having one baby right now. I know not popular here, but could be totally true.
Personally no I don’t think they should get part time jobs, I think they should respect the full time one they already have and do some events to give back to the kingdom they take so much from.
The DM just covered a couple of engagements undertaken by Camilla & Sophie Wessex (separately) and the photos (at 2 different hospitals) and accompanying articles really emphasized for me the difference between Kate and these 2 women. Both Camilla and Sophie seemed at-ease, genuine and engaged – unlike Kate who always seems so forced and wooden.
I don’t expect Kate to be a reincarnation of Diana who despite faults and imperfections was a natural and very charismatic, but jeez, if you want to get respect Kate you have to earn it and emulating the likes of Sophie and Camilla & Anne is a good start.
I saw both of those articles and Sophie especially came across very well. She opened a new neonatal unit in the hospital where she had her children (and for those who don’t know she had fertility issues, an ectopic pregnancy, and almost died delivering Louise). She teared up when she unveiled the plaque, engaged with the babies and moms, and hugged the chief midwife. Lovely.
Camilla beat Charles at a wrist surgery demo. 🙂
I saw that too and thought the genuine emotion was rather lovely. I remain a Sophie fan. She works hard, and somehow stays under the big radar. Didn’t someone once post that she regularly does a huge amount of appearances every year? She seems to have the work ethic of HRH or Anne, etc.
@Liberty, Could we have another Fifty Shades of Windsor today? Pretty please!!! 😉
Lana,
Regrettably, I had to allow the Vicereine some holiday time. The chit was becoming quite unmanageable because of the popularity of her little books and it was quite wearing. She had the unmitigated gall to ask me — me!!! — to be the Presidentress of her fan club. Baronesses do *not* do fan clubs.
The Baroness
Liberty, I second the motion.
I found myself feeling very emotional reading that article, especially the pics of her hugging the midwife who helped her during her time.
Liberty: to answer an earlier question, yes there was a lot of passion in the Albert/Victoria union. Unfortunately, she hated being pregnant and didn’t like the resulting kids much, especially her eldest who she hated more for ‘killing’ her Albert.
As for Philip and Lizzy, ever since I came across that quote, I have a very different view of their marriage even if they try to look like a pair of cold fish in public.
@LAK — well I can imagine that having a baby in the time of Victoria was certainly no picnic. Plus, wasn’t her mother rather awful; I seem to remember my teacher saying that immediately upon becoming Queen, Victoria tossed her mother out of her chambers and basically got out from under her pushy thumb? So maybe she wasn’t maternally programmed from that either? @Baroness, apologies, I did write and post book seven this morning, but it didn’t appear here, so I guess…I am a dreadful drowned chit today. 🙁
Hey my friend asked her great aunt about Philip and Elizabeth — she is British — she sniffed “the rude anti-Prince Philips” made up the whole thing about the first two children being tough to conceive because he was a “foreigner”; also that “they were crazy about each other in real life, ask anyone who saw how they looked at each other” when out and about! She was indignant! Of course they were/are crazy about each other! He treasures her! I like that she feels that way too. I like knowing he said that creamy thing as well!
We do want Chapter 7, Liberty. The Baroness was giving you an “out” if you didn’t have time. Who knew she’d be so thoughtful. I didn’t.
Maybe next post?
Just saw the photos of Sophie at the hospital visit and she looks fantastic! Hard to believe that she is almost 2 decades OLDER than Kate because she sure doesn’t look it. She also seems to be pretty low maintenance — i.e. no obvious signs of “work” such as cosmetic work or veneers (cough, cough). I’d wager that her hair is all her own too 😉
MOre importantly, I agree with the others that she seems to be real and has a work ethic unlike certain others.
According to the astrologer who predicted the correct week of Georges birth months before the pregnancy was announced, the next one will arrive in October 2015.
@ Wendi
I saw those two articles today too, and I was thinking the same thing about how Camilla and Sophie seemed so at ease and comfortable. At one point Sophie was so touched she was crying! I don’t feel we will ever see any real emotion from Kate, and I think Diana would be pretty disappointed in her daughter-in-law. IMHO
I think she does her best with all the “shoulds” surrounding her. But I don’t see her as someone in control of her owe life; there is a helplessness about her.
Are the hats that the women wear part of a dresscode? I can’t tell if they are mandatory or a long standing fashion statement that will never go out of vogue in the UK.
Hats have always been part of formal dress for women at church and daytime outdoor events. That was the case in the US also (remember Jackie O’s pillbox hats?), but they fell out of fashion here for some reason. Now you can see women wearing them mostly at church services.
I love hats – I really wish they would make a comeback here.
There is an elderly woman on my street who takes walks with her dog. Little dog in a shining navy blue pram that sparkles like a Bentley, and the lady is always in a very lovely hat coordinated to her ensemble (always a sort of St John suit thing). it is so charming to see this, I must admit, it makes me sigh and wonder what life in hats was like back in the day.
I wear hats almost every day. Why wait for everyone start wearing them again? I like them and that’s enough.
Ronia – good for you! Get that trend going again. I love hats too. And though I have only a couple, I am happy if I find a reason to wear them.
Me too re hats. I wear them, but mostly in the winter to keep my hair flat and unfrizzy. I wouldn’t mind seeing them make a comeback either.
Meanwhile in Imperial news:
The £20m Fabergé egg that was almost sold for scrap
A scrap metal dealer bought an ornament to be melted down for its gold – until he read a Telegraph article revealing it to be a £20 million Fabergé egg
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/art-news/10706025/The-20m-Faberge-egg-that-was-almost-sold-for-scrap.html
Apparently the sale price would surprise art history major Kate Middleton, who was recorded asking HM if Fabergé was still making eggs. I’m amazed HM didn’t swat her with that big handbag of hers in frustration.
Kate didn’t seem to be even know what Faberge’ Egggs were, the Queen actually seemed utterly perplexed by Kate’s question for a moment .
Concerning kids. I don’t think Kate really wanted any kids this soon. I think George was a seal the deal baby after the nude sunbathing,photos fiasco.
Also I agree with those who say William hardly interacted with her. I was looking at the photos with my elderly neighbor who is a royal follower mostly of the Queen. Anyway my neighbor looked at the photos of William and Kate and said she got a vibe Pr.William just doesn’t like Kate anymore. I said why, she said he just seems cold towards her, as if he doesn’t want to be bothered,
What I’m wondering is if William just doesn’t want anymore kids with Kate. I still think he’ll be looking for an out in a few more years. I don’t believe this marriage will last.
Francis
I think Kate got pregnant when she was expected to. And not and after thought for the topless photos. The timeline doesn’t support an ter thought.
And William just hasn’t seemed intersted in Kate since the Canada tour. It’s amazing how he’s finding himself always away from her living seperately. RAF, vacations, bespoke program. I’m on the fence on divorce since they already seem to lead seperate lives.
And that Egg comment was cringe worthy. Mostly because it’s common sense knowledge to the public, but worse for her being an art history major.
Kate was scared witless by those nude photos. I still believe the pregnancy was a response to her shaky image at that point. She ran home to her mom after returning from the tour and API will always believe the pregnancy was a save herself save her spot, pregnancy. Now that she has the heir,mI doubt she’s worried about having more anytime soon. When Pr.William says no baby anytime soon, I wonder if he’s basically not into Kate anymore?
Maybe William wants to get back to hanging with Jecca.