Now I’m obsessed with Prince George’s eyes. Are they really dark hazel or just straight-up brown? Prince William has blue eyes and Kate… well, I think she has hazel eyes? So George got brown eyes probably from the Middleton side of the family. Carole has brown eyes, I think. So many people say that George looks like the Middleton side of the family, but to me, George just looks like Prince William, only with darker eyes. Anyway, People Magazine has put the royal stuff on their cover again this week. There are actually two covers, one with George and another “collector’s edition” with Kate holding baby Charlotte. Two covers… and barely any new information.
Miles of green fields, a kid-friendly home (mortgage-free!) and quiet time with their newborn and toddler: For Prince William and Princess Kate, country living is as close to bliss as can be. As Kate, 33, and William, 32, settle into their first few weeks with 11-day-old Princess Charlotte and 21-month-old Prince George, they “don’t have any plans other than to have a proper family life,” a close friend tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story.
William’s job as an air-ambulance pilot gives him the chance to finish a shift and then head back home in time “to read [the kids] a story,” says the friend.
Meanwhile, George has the run of the family’s 10-bedroom home, Anmer Hall – located in the countryside northeast of London – which was gifted to them by Queen Elizabeth.
“This part of Norfolk is very peaceful,” says Marie Therese Viney, who co-owns the nearby Church Farm Bed and Breakfast with her husband, Nigel. (The Queen is their landlord.) “It is the perfect place to raise a family.”
For William and Kate, the idyllic location allows them to “be mother and father in isolation a bit,” says the friend. “It’s a dream scenario for them.”
Well, William doesn’t go back to his air ambulance training until June 1st, so he’s not finishing up a shift and heading back home to read bedtime stories right now. William actually was in Staffordshire today, making an appearance with the England Women’s football team – go here to see some photos. What struck me about this People Magazine story is that this might be a half-assed attempt to make Will and Kate look like they’re a “just so normal” young family, doing it mostly on their own. Like, they don’t have a house full of staff and Carole Middleton isn’t managing the whole household.
Two more items. In last week’s People story about the royals, there was this interesting little note: Kate and William did a champagne toast with the doctors right after Kate gave birth. Second item: Queen Elizabeth said yesterday, “We love to have another girl.” The royal “we”!! Love it.
Covers courtesy of People Magazine, photos courtesy of WENN.
Good grief that little boy is adorable.
Yes, all Kate-and-William-are-lazy thoughts just run out of your head and off into the distance once you see that cute face and those chubby little cheeks. George is so adorable.
ugh, they don’t for everyone. Bless their family, but, in my opinion, royal life should be about more than living out a private, idyllic fairytale for everyone to occasionally “coo” and “aww” about.
Does no one else think that People cover is creepy? Cute kid but I don’t like to see his discombobulated head,,,,, just looking at me.
Haha, yes! Came to say the same thing.
Yes!!! LOL
How can you think that adorable little tot is creepy?
They do make beautiful babies.
Yes! Both their children are absolute dolls.
So was Prince William. Now, not so much.
Regular old run-of-the-mill 10 bedroom mortgage-free house….
Technically a leased house – they don’t own it.
You’re right, but I’m just repeating what the article said.
Private property owned by the Queen, He can use as long as he desires.
I wish he’d just step down and go live the quiet life away from the spotlight he seems to talk about.
George is adorable, can’t get enough photos of Sweet George. 🙂
They don’t lease it either.
It was leased to the former tenants, the kitchen remodelers, but I’d be very surprised if it was leased to W&K in that he has the responsibility of paying the rent every month or else the sheriffs will be at their door ordering everybody to leave.
No lease at all, just the Queen has allowed them to use it, as long as they desire.
It’s still owned by Queen.
Reporter Victoria Arbiter wrote about it.
People’s insistence on calling her “Princess Kate” really irks me. Luckily, it doesn’t seem to be catching on with other outlets.
People irks me period. What a rag.
I stopped reading people a year after the wedding when they insisted on calling her Princess Kate, even after most U.S. Networks and publications threw in the towel and just called her Kate of Duchess Kate or Catherine, People still goes with Princess. I think they just do it for clicks because they believe Princess sells more and they also know it annoys people….lol
Even several UK reporters slammed them.
I stopped buying People mag on the newsstand about 8yrs ago, it’s just not the same magazine, it’s all kissing up to celebs and reality stars. I just don’t go near it, it’s not the same magazine from the early 90’s ,…the 80’s royal coverage in People magazine was amazing….now it’s just whatever KPalace PR office feeds.
This kid has already started over-shadowing his boring parents. Hilarious.
Yes he’s so adorable,
Don’t care! Don’t care! Black spider memos are being published today. I am hoping for massive amounts of schadenfreude to make up for the dispiriting election result. Something has to feed my prejudices this week!
I’m waiting for these to be published as well! Charles is the gift that keeps on giving.
Unless it’s a sex scandal the general public who are not royal followers may not follow much on the letters after the first reports.
Even the documentary by the BBC didn’t really get the public outraged on a wide scale, it was mostly royal followers like myself and the press.
Ooh! I am looking forward to those.
I’ve ben reading the coverage in the Guardian: Charles Clarke, the Education Secretary: “I have the honour to be. Sir, Your Royal Highness’s most humble and obedient servant.”
Ugh, is it really the 21st century?
In another letter, he mentions the risk of putting things in writing and references the Freedom of Information Act
Natalie: sadly, Charles Clarke’s sign off is the correct form when writing to a member of the royal family.
If you think that particular addressee is abominable, imagine signing that phrase to WKH and other members like Andrew.
Yikes, I know Charles was rumored to have his girlfriends call him Sir, so I guess he doesn’t see anything wrong with it but if any of them are serious about modernizing the Monarchy, they need to get rid of it. It’s so cringingly toadying. And I have a dirty mind because I read that and think uh that’s also a bit bsdm.
Sixer
That is exciting!
I think Kate’s eyes are green. Plus, look up baby pictures of Kate’s Uncle Gary Goldsmith – STRONG resemblance to George!
Her eyes are hazel and usually photoshopped green. She’s always photoshopped, especially her skin. I don’t see why she needs to be, though.
I have hazel eyes and though sometimes appear to be light brown, often times they are half green half light brown, other times they are very green. Genetics! I believe G’s eyes are brown, though.
Ah, ok – sometimes they look green, sometimes hazel, so that makes sense.
Yeah, G’s eyes are definitely brown!
It may not be photoshop. Eye color can vary with the lighting and what you are wearing affects perception also. I think I have blue eyes, but my driver’s license says green (I never put that there) and I remember in high school when I wore a green dress people remarked on the change in my eye color from blue to green. I looked carefully in the mirror and thought I could see some greenish flecks in my otherwise blue eyes.
jwoolman – I know, but it’s different with hazel eyes because the dominant colour is brown with some parts being green. of course lighting helps, and my eyes are usually 90% green during spring and summer or with the right makeup, but in Kate’s case, her eyes are always photoshopped to very green. Sometimes, when the Fail is feeling petty, they publish non-photoshopped photos of her and you can tell the difference with her eyes and skin condition.
yeah, Kate (like her siblings) is “darker” in person. Magazines photoshop her skin and eyes lighter. It bothers me. Is it so important that she looks like a fair skinned, fair eyed english rose?
Same with George´s eyes and all the photoshopping him “fairer”. His eyes are dark and he will likely get darker hair in a few years. He will look like Michael Middleton 2.0…for real this child already has grandpas dopey eyes
George does look a lot like Uncle Gary’s baby photo, very much alike. Gary’s baby photo was in the Daily Mail, but he also looks like Mike Middleton and Kate facially.
Kate’s eyes are hazel with specks of brownish in them. The press tends to lighten her eyes in photos. George’s eyes are brown ,according to reporters who have seen him in person.
George on the People cover photo kinda looks like Shilo Jolie- Pitt did at that age.
wow now I cannot un-see that.
same photoshop technician.
Ah, well, I didn’t realize it worked that way. I too want a normal family life. Who wants to step up to fund it? Anyone? Anyone? The line starts here!
Lol, seriously, what else are they going to say?
I couldn’t have said it better! Who wouldn’t want the same? They were already living “the dream” compared to most people’s lives; now, they just want to live in a luxurious bubble. I really don’t understand how they can be so self-centered and out-of-touch.
That’s because thety already live in a bubble of extreme privilege, surrounded by yes-men.
@AH, and now with the PoW bomb threat in Ireland, they’ll probably find even more excuses to avoid public service.
http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2012/07/13/2644179-7da6bef1b942f2e09c2ecd6a2221dfa49ead9188.jpg
I’m your greek chorus!
George is really cute and has tons of personality. Reminds me of the old videos of William when he was the same age. Plus I love that they just let George be.
Has anyone seen the gifs they make of George’s appearances? They are hysterical
William is visiting the women’s team NEXT Wednesday. those are old pictures.
They really should not put the baby on the cover like that, im sure if it was british magazine they would be in trouble.
People mag are being hypocrites, saying they want privacy yet plastering George in the cover.
The thing is George sells. kate didn’t really sell a lot since the wedding coverage,until her pregnancy with George , then George sold, so the Magazine will use George now I guess.
Kate on the cover still sell magazines. Sure there will always be a group of people who won’t like her, but that doesn’t change the fact that on whole, there is still a world-wide fascination with her life.
No, they wouldn’t be in trouble. This photo was taken in public outside the hospital, pre-arranged as part of the new baby PR. This is the ONLY type of photo William wants allowed of himself and his family — photos when and where he approves them.
It is legal to take photos of anyone, children included, in public places in the UK and sell them for profit. That escapes him. His attitude is he should have more privacy rights than everyone else. IMO, it should be one privacy law for everyone, not whinging, rich princes illegally demanding more privacy than the rest of us have.
Just because it isn’t illegal doesn’t make it right for the family to be hounded constantly when they are out in public. And just because it is not illegal doesn’t make William wanting to preserve some privacy for his family “illegal”. He is using his influence to try and demand privacy – there is nothing illegal about that. The press in the UK has thus far done what he’s asked, and not published the photos. Whether his actions are unsavoury to you is a whole different matter. It is clear that William is struggling with the demand for access to his family – he doesn’t want it to happen. He has a bad relationship with the press and the power struggle seems to grow with every milestone in his life. I think they should release more photographs of the kids on a regular basis, which may serve to decrease the demand for pap pics. I do not think they should be followed and hounded and photographed constantly, so I really am fine with him using his influence to try to prevent that from happening. As a parent, I’d do the same. But his privacy and “our” privacy really cannot be compared. We don’t need to demand greater privacy because paps aren’t likely to follow us with cameras every day if we don’t.
LNG
What Nota is saying is correct. William went to court to strip the press of their freedoms. 1 example. A photo of George out with his nanny was taken in a public park. The press broke no laws. William cried it was harrassment and stalking.
Their are private gardens George could have been brought to, but wasn’t. No laws were broken when taking that shot, but William wanted them punished just the same. There was a scolding to William for attempting to strip freedoms away. What William wanted done is illegal.
A few times there were also moments where it’s accepted the Midds or Kate set up pap shots. A giveaway is the RPO’s allowed it. William screamed stalking again.
There are laws against harassment and stalking. So if William felt he had a case that they were being harassed and/or stalked it is well within his rights to make a claim. You or I really have no idea as to whether any harassment or stalking actually happened or whether the press broke any laws. We don’t know how they went about finding George, whether they followed him/his nanny around, how long or how often it happens etc etc etc. Saying George should only ever be brought to private parks is essentially blaming the “victim” in my eyes (and I’m not asserting that George is a victim in this case, because I have no idea of the actual circumstances of this one instance you are referring to), akin to arguing that women shouldn’t dress provocatively if they don’t want to be raped. George has the right to be out in public free from harassment, just like any other person in the world, “celebrity” or not.
Furthermore, it isn’t illegal to bring a claim that might not be successful. That is why we have courts – to decide whose point of view is correct in law. William feels his family is being harassed and is trying to keep it under control – whether you think his methods are unsavoury does not mean that he doesn’t have the right to try. If he is correct that there is harassment/stalking, he is not trying to strip freedoms away. He is protecting his family. If he is incorrect then he won’t win. Public pressure is a whole different issue, and if he wants to try to use his influence to change the behaviour of the press that is well within his rights as far as I’m concerned. The outcome (the press being pissed), may not be worth the fight, but if that’s what he wants to do it’s his decision.
I don’t agree that RPO’s allowing some photos to be taken is evidence that all shots were set up. Take Kate and George in the park recently, for example. It looked to me like the photos were taken on a cell phone. The RPO’s may have asked the person to stop taking the photographs (that’s really all they can do), but they can’t physically take the phone away and erase the pictures. Just because photos came out doesn’t mean that they were sanctioned.
That is exactly what their RPOs have done, and continue to do. They demand private cell phones and delete the pictures. Off of private cell phones when the pictures were taken legally, in public, with no harassment. One of the big examples was the Switzerland debacle, when she went sledding while pregnant and RPOs walked around grabbing cell phones.
They are demanding more privacy rights than the rest of us have. Not through legal means but through using his position. It has been shown, time and again, that the photographers are NOT stalking and not doing anything illegal. Did you miss what FLORC wrote? William was given a public smackdown by the Press Complaints Commission for his attempts to shut down a free press.
They constantly change the rules of the game too. It is ok to take a picture of them at an airfield in Mustique and publish the photos. But not okay to take a picture of them in a public park and publish the photos. There still has been no complaint about the two sets of photos taken at play farms and published outside the UK. Those were some pretty crisp photos to be taken on the sly with a cell phone.
The last time something like that happened, William shut down an Italian company and put people out of work. The photos proved he’d lied to the public. Yes, the people have a right to know things like that. If a politician had done that, they’d be thrown out of office. All the more reason to make sure these unelected representatives get caught in their lies.
Likening photographs to rape or “asking for it”? That is offensive, derails the argument, and serves no purpose.
You know what? I’d like nothing better than to get to enjoy my family life too. But no. I have to work to pay my bills. This guy is going to be a head of state in a ceremonial role. To be taken seriously, he needs to be respected. You don’t get that by staying home and enjoying your family. He would still have plenty of family time if he got off his dilettantish ass and helped his grandmother!
From their actions over the past few years, it seems like they don’t give a fig about earning their keep as royals. They seems to show us that being royal means getting to do whatever they want. They are *extremely* entitled, and not subject to the same rules as the rest of us. I mean, really, they are not like us, they are sitting on clouds…showing us how wonderful being royal is! Is this how we are to “honor” them? Can you imagine having your life arranged to suit yourself completely? Are we to be jealous, or are we to think that they actually deserve such a cuddling?
The problem is the UK press bends over backwards like they are afraid of William, because he sends out legal papers from lawyers. When they do pound him or Kate for not working ,it’s only The Royal Reporter or the Daily Mail…much of the UK press has been trying to protect from the public how truly self centered and lazy William is.
IMO his hiding away serves several purposes. He can be lazy, do as he pleases, not have to answer to anyone and take off and do his own thing with friends without the public knowing about it.
Meanwhile read about Harry today over on the DM. The BRF are lucky they have him on board. Photos of his crowd interaction — and dancing with the troops — are the stuff good PR is made of, but for him, it’s natural. The real deal.
Yes Prince Harry.
Exactly, bluhare. They can live in the country, raise the kids there, and still do royal work just like all the others do. W&K seem to be the only ones who don’t understand this. There is a price for their keep and they aren’t earning it.
If Queen Elizabeth wanted William & Kate to pick up more royal duties, they would. If she cared as much as the public does about this, something would change. She doesn’t. So they do what they want.
Some call her the Ostrich Queen. Buries her head in the sand and hopes it all goes away. She does not act, she only reacts. Generally she only reacts when things get really, really, really bad.
Like Diana’s Panorama interview. Like the front page news of Fergie’s indiscretion. Until that last straw, she puts her head in the sand and keeps hoping everyone will learn from their mistakes, wise up, and do their jobs.
I’m in the camp of HM being okay with the recent leaks about life at Anmer. Someone else doing the dirty work, increasing press criticism into their laziness, and she’s waiting to see how W&K react. The fact that neither BP nor Clarence House commented on W&K’s recent privacy demands at Anmer is telling.
notasugarhere
Yes, exactly!!!
There is a currently a lazy life intervention going on behind the scenes re-W&K. Just wait and see.
In the meantime, HM looked less than pleased to have Camilla greet her today at a horse show. But it may have been for the cameras only. Perhaps they get on like a house on fire behind closed doors?
Kate just had a baby though and calling her lazy, at this time, is not fair. If she does not start to pick up more royal duties in a year or two, then fine. But let her enjoy her time with the kids, they are only this little once. I don’t want to hear she has staff, her mother, etc. She is spending time with her kids, she just has a lot more help than the average mom would.
I honestly don’t think either Prince Charles or Queen Elizabeth cares about how lazy either one are right now. I think both feel that the spotlight should be on Prince Charles taking on more responsibilities and becoming King. I think once he is King, things will start to change a bit for William and Kate. You’re just assuming too much here as am I.
I still don’t get the hate or shade. I don’t. So they are lazy. Who cares?
@Citresse, they were having a grand ol’ time in the photos I saw. Perhaps they just caught them in a moment.
This discussion has been had many times. In the UK, you have to work full-time for a year to qualify for maternity leave. Her job is to serve the UK and she hasn’t done that anywhere near full time, whether or not she was expecting. They are not independently wealthy, they owe their lifestyle to the taxpayers in many ways. They are required to work and give back.
Them taking all these privileges and not giving back? That is what is unfair. Most women I know work 40 hours a week minimum until the day they have their child. Back to work in 4-6 weeks. They’re both lazy, they’ve demonstrated that for years, and having young children doesn’t change or justify that.
Other royals have children, get back to work, and manage to raise happy kids. See Estelle of Sweden. Having young children AND working a few hours a week for your country isn’t asking too much. It is only asking of her what all the other royals do and have done for years.
Charles is taking on duties from both his mother and father. He should, by rights, be able to hand off some of his POW and Duchy responsibilities to his eldest. But his eldest refuses to take them on.
OR Charles refuses to hand them on. We really have no clue whether William is refusing to take on more duties that are being demanded of him. Seems to me like everyone in the RF is fine with them not working that much at this point in their lives, since there has been no evidence to the contrary and we all know Charles has NO problem leaking to the press when he is unhappy with something.
What seems to be happening is that Charles is handing those duties off to Harry, both public ceremonial duties and the managing of some estates. Harry has a full-time job until the end of this month plus royal engagements, plus his big charity work that is outside royal duties. William was twiddling his thumbs doing nothing, hasn’t worked in almost two years, was caught away from his family frequently, and not helping his father. At least one brother got the duty gene.
So true Bluhare.
Sometimes i’d like nothing more than to have more time with my husband when either of us have to travel for work. We work hard now to be able to afford that time later though and make sure to still get some enjoyment in.
WK saying this or having the message attached to them rings false. I bet they’d love to be left alone. They can have that, but have to start actually being a normal family. 1 that earns funds and pays bills. Not lives off of others. They play normal and using that as an excuse to hide away from dutiies is insulting.
Still. Same old story and excuses. Nothing new here.
Pull up the wiglet wagon and get me when William is caught on another hunting trip while said to be working.
Boom! Let it all out, bluhare!
“William’s job as an air-ambulance pilot gives him the chance to finish a shift and then head back home in time “to read [the kids] a story,” says the friend.”
So they’re not giving him any night shifts?
But doing one or two 90 minute engagements a day gives him no time at all. Shame, really.
Good one!!!!
Someone very high on the UK Totem Pole (not me, that’s for sure) has officially bitched about William’s absence at VE Memorial.
Look what’s happening now.
If he didn’t show up, it was because he was too busy being ‘normal.’
He had to go to the store to buy diapers and groceries. He had to wash Lupo. He had to change diapers and give George a bath. He had to mow the lawn and put the bins out on the street for garbage day. He had to put petrol in the car and do an oil change on it. He had to stay home all day because the cable company won’t give him a narrower waiting time. He had to go to the hardware store to buy a washer to fix the leaking of the kitchen faucet. He was just very busy.
I wonder if Jason sent a letter in William’s name to the VE day events coordinator because that covers for all of W&K’s absences, right?
OK! magazine has released information today from KP.
KP has stated they’re putting together a full diary of engagements for William beginning May 20.
Yeah, I know it’s OK! magazine, but they got the yellow dress right.
Maybe Jason just has a form letter for all his missed appearances?
Dear __(name of charity)_____,
I am sorry I missed __(Fill in name of event)____, I was busy doing ____(give made up excuse)____.
Hugs, William.
George is generally adorable but that cover doesn’t do it for me. It’s an image of a bewildered very little boy on the cover of a gossip magazine for adults. I find it slightly creepy -I think it would have been better if they’d used the image of William giving him a kiss or George resting his cheek on his dad -some indication of an adult in the picture.
I seriously doubt Kate will enjoy the quiet country life. Granted she can do her on-line shopping, but eventually it’s all going to get boring and old. Same for William. Now normal people living that lifestyle would be busy because they wouldn’t be waited on hand and foot – they’d have work and chores to do to keep the household going. But these lazy louts, they’ll eventually want to escape to the city, or on some expensive vacation somewhere. They’re not going to hang in Norfolk indefinitely.
As for George, I see no resemblance to William, and that is a very good thing. For his sake, I hope that continues as he gets older.
Vava
Yup. Normal is proven code for not to be bothered with duties of their station.
And hoping for those Charles letters! That will be great.
I hope Celebitchy has some juicy details soon re- news of Prince Charles’ secret letters to UK Gov’t released. The letters were written prior to his wedding to Camilla.
The Royal Family is an outdated concept that should be shelved.
Loving George’s side-eye. It’ll come in handy for him in the future.
I’ll buy this issue soley for the Paul Walker tribute by one of his brothers. For me that’s more interesting at this point.
If you like George’s side eye you’ll adore Estelle’s!