^^ She can almost taste the Mustique vacation!
Kensington Palace’s press office dropped an interesting piece of news on Saturday which made me literally whisper “OH MY GOD.” Why, you ask? Because the Duchess of Cambridge really doesn’t get it. And I really wonder if the crack team of bullied sycophants in William and Kate’s press office truly understand how vapid and how lazy they’re making Kate in particular look. As it turns out, over the past couple of years, Kate HAS been busy… taking a special class to ensure that her Mustique vacations would be even more fun. I’m not even joking.
They are famously competitive when it comes to sport, and now the Duchess of Cambridge has ensured that she will never be left behind when her husband goes diving by passing an advanced scuba course. The Duke of Cambridge has been diving for much of his life, encouraged by his father the Prince of Wales, whom he succeeded last year as president of the British Sub-Aqua Club. The Duchess’s pursuit of advanced diving qualifications, to enable her to dive to the same depth as the Duke, has until now remained a secret.
Kensington Palace confirmed to The Telegraph that the Duchess has passed a Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI) Advanced Open Water Diver qualification, meaning she can dive to a depth of 30 metres (98ft). It is the most advanced qualification taken by most recreational divers, as going any deeper involves inherent risks such as nitrogen narcosis, a sensation similar to drunkenness. The qualification has enabled the Duchess to join her husband on deep dives to look for sharks during holidays in the Middleton family’s regular haunt of Mustique.
Kelly Fisher Katz, who met the Duke and Duchess when she was on holiday on the Caribbean island with her husband Martin, a Beverly Hills jeweller, said: “We went diving and they went very deep, more than 90ft. Our instructor said Martin and I weren’t qualified to go on the shark dives that they went on. They’re quite the sportsmen.”
To pass the PADI advanced qualification divers must complete a total of five dives, including a deep dive and an underwater navigation dive, during which they are taught how to cope with the physiological effects of deeper scuba diving. The other three dives are chosen from a range of options including photography, buoyancy control, fish identification, night time diving and exploring wrecks. Compulsory equipment includes a dive knife – used in emergencies such as becoming entangled in fishing nets – and a compass.
A spokesman for the Duchess said: “Diving is something the Duchess very much enjoys, and the Duke of Cambridge, who is of course President of the BSAC, has said in the past that he is hopeful his children will become interested in the sport.”
The Duchess is thought to have gained the qualification from a diving school in Mustique, as the British Sub-Aqua Club has its own system of qualifications which the Duchess might have been expected to use if she had been in this country. PADI is an American organisation which charges for its qualifications, whereas the BSAC is run by volunteers through a network of local clubs.
Eugene Farrell, chairman of the British Sub-Aqua Club, said: “We are thrilled that The Duchess of Cambridge shares her husband’s interest in the underwater world and has further progressed her diver training. Last summer while diving with BSAC, The Duke of Cambridge suggested George may also one day follow in his footsteps, so we hope in the future the whole family may share the same passion for scuba diving.”
It sounds like Kate became qualified last year maybe? Can pregnant women dive? Because she was pregnant the last time she and William were in Mustique, earlier this year – that was the rather famous holiday they took with the Middletons to celebrate Carole’s birthday, only Kate didn’t even go to her mom’s birthday party. Rumor was that Will and Kate spent that entire vacation fighting in their luxury villa. So sad.
Anyway, it sounds like Kate was qualified last year, I think. So the royal press office kept that one under their hat because someone, somewhere realized that piece of information made it sound like Kate only puts effort into learning how to have more fun on her many vacations. Speaking of…Kate and her press office let everyone know that she was taking an extended maternity leave, and then Kate christened her baby, went to Wimbledon and hung out with some yacht people. SO MANY EVENTS! She totally deserves a vacation, you guys. She’s probably so sad that William is working these days (ha). They usually do have some kind of holiday in August. I wonder if William is going to take some “time off” very soon.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I can’t say anything fuzzy or positive right now. WTF. How is it that these two have time for everything but do what they are paid/spongeoff for? Sheezus, the #commontouchcambridges can’t get any more vapid at this point. Poor ignored charities.
I wish to god I could spend my life championing caused and fundraising and advocating for those in need without having to worry about bills. It would be glorious. Literally a dream come true. And to have all that celebrity/ royal clout to throw in with a cause? Truly a game changer. I don’t get how she doesn’t realize this. She could be making an enormous difference. She could be changing people’s lives in huge meaningful ways. And she just …. Doesn’t. And it’s her freaking job! That’s it! Live in the lap of luxury but please try to make the world a better place. And she says no. I just can’t anymore.
+1. I would love to be able to do charity work and raise funds and awareness about causes full-time. What a dream come true. But the difference between us and Kate is that you and I give a cr@p about something besides our hair, makeup, tanning, shopping, whereas I honestly think she just seriously does not. Remember that engagement interview (I think?) when she said she doesn’t care what anybody besides Will thinks? Yeah. She doesn’t care and can’t even pretend to be bothered.
I think she cares a lot. She pays attention to what people think. I say that thinking back to an article a while ago which said she wears older things a lot so people can’t go out and buy them to look like her. That indicates a certain vanity as well as sort of a superiority (someone can talk me down from that as I’m not quite sure what you’d call someone who doesn’t want people wearing the same clothes she does). Especially when part of her “job” is promoting British business.
She’s incredibly vain. She’s showing her true colors in the last couple of years, that’s for sure.
MoxyLady007, i strongly agree with everything you wrote.
Bluhare
That article I read too. The way it was written it supported itself. Kate’s behavior and the overall time period with what she purchased and wore did not support the narrative.
IMO Kate doesn’t get much feedback. She’s not told the full or honest scale unless she asks for it. Otherwise, we would see her respond in a way like she does care and does know what is being said. Not just from a more superficial angle like not wanting others to dress like you.
But you know I adore your humor and insight! And you know my biggest and really only issue is that this woman embodies apathy for her station. I wish she cared. I wish there would be really any true sign she cares. Just when she works 3 events in a week and she appears on the right track i’m still let down when a vacation comes and future charity visits get cancelled. I just wish she would care. Or fake it. Whatever gets her through honoring her position.
I remember a few articles that supported the theory. Things had been purchased, or were accepted on loan from designers, but not worn or paid for until after they were worn several seasons later. She also likes shopping at Bicester Village for past-season designer things. A few Ralph Lauren dresses and that blue Missoni coat come to mind. Have we seen her wear that Missoni since she was twinsies with another woman at a wedding?
Nota
I think she has. I only know that because I love that coat and have a similar coat design. And those clothes you have mentioned are often known. Or the info is leaked. People still buy them, but it’s not always advertised as selling as a result. Still, people know what Kate has eyed and they go for the same brands/styles.
But really, isn’t it the charity’s fault for not being located in a fun location, like Mustique? Or underwater? Or for having their own yachts or tennis courts? (okay, I’m done being sarcastic now)
I find her diving certification as interesting as her nude pumps.
I usually feel like the Kate apologist on this site bc I don’t take such a harsh view of her. But I do not understand why she would get certified by PADI on Mustique if William is president of the British equivalent’s club. I’m sure part of it was privacy but what a missed opportunity to sell it as her becoming interested in a) his volunteer opportunity and b) his passions. We all want to share in our spouses’ hobbies to an extent so we can spend more time together (I took up golf! GOLF! And I was awful at it and fainted in the heat one of the first times). My point is this is a really stupid missed opportunity to spin it in a positive way. Are we all to think Kate shouldn’t have hobbies? I don’t think that. But it shouldn’t look so sneaky and weird.
Isn’t it disrepectful to her patronages that she manages to get this but can’t squeeze Place2Be or others in her schedule? If I was a charity director I’d be pissed.
I got the advanced cert years ago, it’s not really that big a deal, just a little more diving and a few exercises that buoy your confidence. I had the opportunity to do it in a (very cold) murky lake in Pennsylvania or off an island near Honduras–and of course opted for the latter. For most recreational divers, cold water, like what British divers deal with, is a different ballgame. I loved diving, but have never gone in Northern CA for that reason.
Omg, I admire you so much! I am gasping for air just thinking about it! I don’t know why – I love snorkeling, but diving gives me such claustrophobia. Or it would if I did it. Which I won’t. But how cool of you.
As Birdix said, the advanced course (which is now correctly called adventures in diving, btw) takes only 1 weekend and isn’t a big deal at all.
Who know whether she went away but she very well could’ve have trained in the UK while wearing a dry suit.
And no, pregnant women can’t/don’t dive. Part of any PADI training requires that the student fill out a medical questionnaire and one of the questions is are you or could you be pregnant.
Sheesh, what’s the big deal? Diving is an excellent hobby, but what would I know? I only have my tech cert…
I took a NAUI class at our local YMCA. It met twice a week–the first half of class was spent in the classroom & the second half in the pool. After a few weeks of that, we took our open-water dives: in the Smith River, CA (yes, it’s deep enough)., off the coast of Anacortes, Washington, and then, off the Northern CA coast, by Mendocino (full wet suit!). Then after all that, we took an official exam. I think this approach was much better than those half day or one-day instructions. We got really prepared for all eventualities in that pool. I still remember one drill, in which we stood at the edge of the deep end wearing only our swimsuits, then had to jump in & put all our gear on. I remember another drill where our instructor swam around to each person, popping open a weight belt, unbuckling the BC, pulling off the mask, etc., so that we could learn to cope with problems. Great, great instructor, & his teachings have served me in good stead elsewhere (Red Sea, Caribbean, Hawaii, Palau).
Oh, and my guess is Kate went with PADI because that was what was available at whatever vacation spot she was at–sounds likely to have been Mustique. Maybe that trip when she took George but not William?
GNAT–it’s funny because snorkeling sometimes makes me claustrophobic, because you can’t back up (out of the water). When you’re diving, it’s like flying, soaring over and under the rocks, with a friendly turtle or grouper peering at you curiously, so peaceful. Only two things I didn’t like — night dives (all you can see is what’s illuminated by your torch) and friendly/curious eels who like to nestle up close (shivers).
Oh, God, I got certified in that quarry in Pennsylvania!! It was cold, dark and I hated it!! My offshore dive was in NJ, where I couldn’t see 5 feet in front of me once the sand got kicked up. It was MUCH nicer SCUBAing in Bermuda!!
@MsTurtle
Not “all” of us share in our husband’s hobbies. Seriously? Why should we? Nor is this a hobby- it is an interest. Perhaps Dolittle is interested, but I’m guessing she’s doing what Limpets do best- clinging, under the sea, like a giant mollusk.
It took her 14 years of vacationing on Mustique to decide she wanted to try diving? Or was this something William could do without her so she decided to get the certification?
@ hmmm
I agree. It should be labeled as an interest, rather than a hobby as it seems she’ll probably only take advantage of this ‘new’ knowledge only when she’s on vacation in warmer waters and not the colder waters of the UK.
If she was going to do this as a hobby in the UK, then I would think she would have deigned to grace the courses and certification held by British Sub-Aqua Club of which her husband is the president.
Remember when Sarah got her pilot’s license, supposedly to have something to share with Andrew? She didn’t continue with that. I think anne is right–Kate will only scuba in warm waters w/William on any one of their many tropical vacays.
Hmmmm, obviously I didn’t speak for you so I should have said “some” not “all.” And whether it’s a hobby or interest is semantics.
i really want to learn how to play Golf. I imagine it´s a very good anti-stress sport, but somehow i´m afraid my golf club and ball will hit and kill someone…
I go to the driving range for stress relief.
Yesterday I read somewhere “Duchess Catherine qualifies for…” and for a tiny second I thought: “Wow, she has actually done something valuable with her time apart from shopping and instructing unnecessary renovations. Good for her. She really gained my respect for that. What kind of programme did she complete?”
The joy did not last very long…
Yeah, I saw this, too, but the first think I thought was that someone on CB had mentioned they looked tanned at the yachting event last week. I don’t want to jump to conclusions, but I think she took this course in Mustique within the last few months, and it’s really a shame that both of them can do no more with their lives than hide out in the country and take vacations.
They must have gone to a beach outside of the UK because I don’t believe we’ve every seen Wm tanned unless he’s been out of the country on vacay.
This makes that EAAA tracking app more relevant. I’m banking on Mustique post-Charlotte.
Uh… yeah, this isnt that impressive. Diving is easy. Sure, it requires some familiarity with the equipment and the ability to swim, but its not particularly hard to learn. It takes five days, max.
Yeah, I was going to say that the press release made a mountain out of a molehill here. I have advanced open water, deep diving, wreck diving, and nitrox certs. Getting the initial and advanced certs take about a week or two total, and aren’t difficult.
The hyperbole involved with this one. Yeah.
I guess no matter what Kate does she will get snark because of her incredible lazy, can’t be bothered to do anything worthwhile attitude… I mean usually I would think that a woman who puts in the effort to get a higher certification for scuba (which I would never even try) deserves, if not praise, at least kudos. Good on her for pursuing a cool sport/hobby which she shares with her spouse. If they can bring more awareness to preserving the aquatic environment/sharks/coral reef, even better.
The problem is that anything she does is completely overshadowed by what she does NOT do. Too bad. When Will married her, I thought it was great that a stodgy royal family was finally mixing it with the daughter of a self-made family, a young woman who was athletic, educated etc. Then she went and proved me so wrong. When I think how much good she could do, and how she could help to prove that social barriers are a thing of the past, I get dissapointed. So much potential and so wasted on shopping, tanning, eyeliner and dodging work, and I bet she gets stressed about it too. It’s like her FT job is dodging work and commitments, and I can’t imagine even enjoying the Mustique vacation if all I was doing was getting away from… Well, nothing.
W & K are not bringing favorable PR to the oceans if it turns out the reason they see sharks whilst diving in Mustique is because the local dive masters are feeding the sharks.
I agree. If they want to see them in their natural habitat they should see them in their natural habitat, not something put together for tourist amusement.
Yeah, I don’t care for those dive outfits that scare up the critters for you. That really makes me uncomfortable & I don’t go out with them a second time.
Did Diana have such a qualification? She was known for her love of swimming and diving.
I didn’t know Kate was interested in scuba. I thought she was a sailor.
Well Diana did do her job even w/ all that love for swimming and diving.
Yeah and any sailor (Kate) who needs extra qualification in diving can’t be that good a sailor. First off, good sailors don’t need to abandon their ship(wreck) and dive for shark viewing and Mustique sexcapades 😉
I read this as “Driving” and I was all WTF-ing everything that followed, like you can’t drive while pregnant? Why do the Brits only allow you start driving at such a late age? And then I realized it was “Diving”, so der der der dee der, la jiggy jar jar, and such. *
Anyway, we can only hope that her wetsuit also has her name printed on the back.
*Sits in corner with dunce hat and large pot of coffee, alone*
*joins Kiddo in the corner and offers chocolate-glazed donuts but Kiddo sadly declines, being a person who survived a PartyPieces-supplied party. The trauma is too great for Kiddo coupled with the DKdiving qualification. It’s just too much, ya know?*
Are we sure she wears a wetsuit? The girl does not like tan lines. You know what, I bet she had Sarah Burton whip up just for her, a wardrobe of thong wetsuits.
LOL……………Or a wetsuit with a peplum!
A wetsuit with stripes?
Don’t forget the buttons!
flippers with wedge heels..
A pink wet suit with Kiki McDonough buttons and matching wedge flippers…you guys are hilarious!
I’m sure the wetsuit is not as high on her list of priorities as waterproof mascara
Don’t worry, you aren’t alone. I did a diving/driving double take but my twerp brain went to golf. I don’t know why I’d connect Mustique with the world’s most boring sport, but there we go.
I’ll put it down to my rhubarb having bolted and being required to spend the entire weekend trying to turn an enormous pile of the stuff into rhubarb and ginger chutney, stewed rhubarb for the freezer and future crumbles, rhubarb smoothies (the Sixlets seem to think one per day is sufficient but my pile begs to differ so I’m considering force-feeding), rhubarb muffins and…
… oh! Cool! Kate goes golfing! I always knew she was a boring rudeword!
Okay, so now all I can think of is rhubarb crumbles or muffins with my Kaw-Fee.
I think the Sixlets are hoping that the topic of rhubarb goes away in VERY short order. If I get distracted by Kannot golfing/driving/diving, it will be the best thing that has happened to them today!
I have rhubarb too, Sixer. Love rhubarb and I just discovered a couple of years ago that I live one town away from the rhubarb capital of the world! I should see if there’s a link to the rhubarb cookbook.
mmmm rhubarb……
bluhare: link if you get time, please!
This is the (easy) chutney recipe I’m using – but I do a bit more ginger and a bit less sugar. It really is gorgeous with cheese. http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/recipes/quick-rhubarb-chutney/
And if you look at the bottom of this article, there’s a rhubarb bellini recipe which I have done before. It’s yummy and nice for a summer party – http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2007/jan/06/foodanddrink.recipes3
SO much better than diving or driving!
Sixer, for you: http://rhubarbpiecapital.com/
I can get you conversions for the American measures if you decide to try one. And there’s a company around here that makes a dry rhubarb soda. It’s quite delicious!
And my mother LOVES chutney. I’m giving her your recipe.
Coolio! Merci bien! I can convert.
I got the diving part, but at first thought it meant diving off a diving board — like learning cool new dives off a high dive or something (seemed to go along with her pole dancing lesson, somehow. Then I got into the article and realized, “oh, SCUBA diving, duh.”
I can only say it’s still early on the west coast and I’m on my first cup of coffee 😉
@ zinjojo
I too thought at first that it meant acrobatic diving. Like Kate actually studied and practiced long hours doing various types of diving and accomplished them well enough to get a certification.
Rosanne Rosanandana…oh…never mind…
There’s always something!
Ha!
@KIDDO
*May I join you for coffee and wearing of the dunce cap?*
I didn’t have my (bifocal-sigh) glasses on and also read it as
‘driving’. Took me reading damn near the whole article to figure out what the hell was going on…D’OOOOOH!
I’d like to bring Twinkies or Ding Dongs to our pity party but last time I heard, neither of them are available in the States. Any suggestions?
No, no, Twinkies are back!! There was such outrage and uproar that they weren’t off the shelves for long.
Well I read it as divining, I thought perhaps she was joining wizard school and taking magic lessons. DO you have any additional dunce caps?
There really are a lot of things Kate has taken up seemingly only because she is with Willy – flying, diving, hunting, sponging off taxpayers, navy blue casual attire… Kate is like a Borg from Star Trek, resistance is futile. Wm, future king of the collective will have accomplished 100% assimilation of Kate very soon.
As for diving, It used to be that preggos were not supposed to dive. But that was 15 years ago when I got my PADI open water diving certificate. I don’t know if that’s still the rule. Easily googled I’m sure.
It concerns me that W & K are into shark spotting in Mustique because there’s a very good chance dive shops are feeding sharks to habituate them to feeding in specific locales. In general, I oppose feeding wildlife as they are better off obtaining their own food.
Agreed – and better off not getting habituated to seeing humans hanging around their food, either.
I would be so much more impressed if she had become certified so that she could do PR dives to bring more exposure to our endangered coral reefs
Agree re: sharks. They seem to undermine Bill’s conservation messaging at every turn, don’t they?
It seems that his conservation message/plea has NEVER been replicated in his own life. Billy is two-faced even in the work he actually does bother with.
Whether or not you can dive while expecting now, it doesn’t fit into their crafted PR story it if happened during one of her pregnancies. Oh, she has HG, she’s having the worst pregnancy ever, she might miscarry, she cannot work because of it.
But she can fly to Mustique and get diving certifications while pregnant? For Jason’s sake, do we hope this whole process took place during a secret trip to Mustique June or July 2015?
Im working in the diving industry and no, pregnant women are not allowed to dive. Most of the centers are not even taking preggos on the boat for snorkeling if they use a speed boat because they dont want to risk a morning sickness/nausea incidents or even a miscarriage.
it’s funny because a lot of people pointed out that kate and will looked especially tan during the portsmouth visit. when i heard about this i couldn’t help but gather they might have just gotten back from a secret Mystique vacay. is that possible? could they have spent a week there without anyone knowing so Kate could finish up her “coursework”?
And I’m not snarking on anyone’s right to have a hobby. It’s just sad that all Kate’s hobbies were William’s first and, for some reason, she can’t possibly combine hobbies with actually work. What is that old saying, “love what you do and you’ll never work a day in your life”? Kate manages never to work – but the old fashioned way – by not working.
+1 and thanks for the laugh too.
ITA.
There is a suggestion that the Middleton’s take two Mustique vacations a year, but the January one is the one that is paid attention to. Last August they were all caught going through a Scottish airport.
It was around this time that KM canceled a charity visit, claiming illness. It turns out W&K&PGTips had flown to Scotland the day before. I don’t know if those dates add up. It may be that they have been having an annual Mustique holiday in July/August each year instead of Balmoral as was assumed.
W&K used to vacation 10 times a year when dating; now they’re just better at hiding their vacations. Remember the French skiing vacation a few years ago? Only two photos caught on a cell phone and not mentioned in the main press.
nota, Iirc there were no photos and only a few tweets by people who spotted them in the Maldives islands 2 years ago. Which begs the question – are they getting better at hiding their vacations or better at suppressing info about them caused by their constant threats of litigation.
MinnFinn
Suppressing. I remember those tweets and photos. There were several. A day later there were a couple. Now I can’t even find any.
Hello, fairly new here..who is “PGTips”? Prince+George+ ?
Thx!
@ misery chick
PGTips is apparently a popular tea brand in England. It’s said Will and Kate use it for George as a nickname and people do the same here. As an American, it took me awhile to figure out what it meant 🙂
Jeanne/misery chick
The tea brand is correct, but not sure about WK using it for George. I have yet to hear that, but maybe they have? It started likely on the DM and commentors used it until it was picked up by press. Like many nicknames associated with them.
Oh wow, I’ve been wondering about this PGTips thing too for ages and ages! Thanks you guys for solving that mystery!
I think it’s weird too, that she doesn’t have her own hobbies. It seems as if everything revolves around William, and if I were him, I’d find that pretty suffocating. She seems so clingy. If she’s not clinging to him, she’s clinging to her mother. Kate, grow up already!
Boy, the two yacht guys look thrilled to meet Kate. That picture cracks me up.
“Come on Mister, you don’t need all those buttons. Let me have some.”
Ha! 😀
lol……………..!
Ha! I didn’t notice that. They look bored stiff.
GNAT
They looked like they were all set to stay home and get things done with the event cancelled. Was anything actually accomplished? Or was it simply a meet and greet for Kate and William?
The role here is promotion. When the crowds are sent home and the event cancelled it appears to be more of a social call than an event.
Lol that’s what I immediately thought too- How thrilled she looks and they couldn’t care less.
I want to hear more about why they were fighting last year in their villa.
You are not alone, PhD. If I get bored (have to go to a brunch now) I will do some scholarly research this afternoon on the subject!
PHD/bluhare
Same! To argue a whole vacation… To not call a cease fire for a party? Marriage means fights will happen and it’s totally normal. I’m just curious what about.
So now she’s going to throw herself into environmental work to save the oceans, right? Right? Please?
Dream on! I doubt she’s taken up diving for that reason. She wants to keep an eye on William, even below the surface.
He might abscond with a mermaid otherwise. 😉
Vava/Arthistorian: you are killing me. LOL
LOL ArtHistorian! Good one!
Well, what she seems to lack in initiative and hard work (charities), she makes up for in physical health. I mean, she must be in great shape. Though, I’m glad Carole is around at Club Amner preparing snacks etc… because, never trust a skinny cook.
And now I want to see/hear some stories how Kate ‘buckled down’ and took on a charity, going to regular meetings, learning everything she could about it, attending events etc. Diana took her charity work seriously, she realized she may have looked like ‘a princess,’ so she started taking a briefcase to the meetings, filled with briefing papers that she had read prior to going and she wore suits, she wanted to blend in with others in the meetings. PR team, if you are reading this, we need stories about the same charity through the next few years, every few months. Pick one, just one for Pete’s sake.
I may be comparing Kate to Diana, but only in ways that I felt Diana took her ‘job’ seriously. Kate will never have the star quality Diana had, so I won’t go there, but Diana blazed a trail of how we view what a princess does and Kate does not measure up. I keep wondering what Diana would do if she were alive to get Kate focused.
Don’t worry, Jason will whip up a beautiful story of the Duchess bonding with her kids OR we will see Ma Midd taking PG to a zoo OR a story saying how DK is totally “interested” in hubby’s causes. Maybe all three.
She is disappointing….if I were in her position (preferably with Harry ha!) I would be known for my charity work NOT my vacations. Do we have too high expectations or are they just coming off as a bit of spoiled brats/lazy people? I think it is a bit of both. Let’s hope Harry marries someone we can respect a bit more. Heck, I respect Harry more than William, he seems to DO more.
Speaking of Harry and OT, but…
Regarding the selling of permits to kill big animals… Harry was criticized by some Namibia govt officials for his wildlife conservation work there because as the officials said, they sell those permits which make loads of money for them and the employees involved in big game hunting. But now we have the controversy surrounding Cecil the lion and with some US lawmakers wanting it make such an industry illegal.
The Namibia officials (probably to protect their own revenue source) called what Harry was doing a PR stunt, though he is quite serious about his interest, and said he was disrespectful in coming to their country and doing this type of work without first coming to them and discussing it. So then there was news that Harry left what work he was doing in a different African country to travel back to Namibia to smooth out the situation with them resulting in the officials appreciating his efforts to handle the ‘diplomatic’ side of what he is doing. Good for Harry.
Don’t get me started on that lion hunt. I hope that dentist is extradited, but we all know he won’t.
I read that article about Harry too. He drove several hours to meet with them to assure them it wasn’t a stunt.
@Anne_000, Thanks for that update, I wondered what the result was going to be. Another point in Harry’s skills basket.
Does she even know anything other than frivolity and her own vanity? She puts so much effort on things that only serve her fancy. Why can’t she put half of this same energy and dedication into her charities?
Again, it’s not about her not being allowed to do things for her own leisure, but she should have balance in her life. Work hard, play hard. She can shop and go on holidays but if those are all she does constantly, then it’s easy to question why an adult woman, who seems healthy and physically capable of doing charity work as part of her role as a royal, is so afraid and allergic of doing minimal work?
I don’t know how anyone can live a life of nothing but primping and pampering. I would feel like a zombie if I were to become as lazy as this woman.
Search up billionaire’s children and even they like to “play” at something whether it’s fashion design (that Kira Plastinina girl) or sitting at charity boards to be a fundraiser. The bottom line is: spoiled as they are with daddy’s money to back them up, even they like to try something other than having lifestyles of endless excess. We can laugh at their failed ventures and say they were too entitled because they have money to throw away, but at least they try to be productive.
Can’t say the same for Kate. I think she actually works harder at not working and avoiding her charities than she does deciding which organization gets her precious and rare 45-minute annual visit.
And let’s not re-hash the lie that her main job is “popping out heirs” and now she’s had two then she can do what she wants and doesn’t have to work. I am sure there would be people on this topic saying that same thing. That is an archaic and sexist notion that Kate apologists love to use because they think that’s a good defense and it helps put Kate in a good light and again, absolves her of any responsibility and infantalizes her in the process.
Great post!
+1
This is true. I went to school with many wealthy children. Despite being spoiled and sheltered, at least they had the motivation to go for advanced degrees, do research, publish, design, open businesses of their own, among other pursuits. They are doing things other than spending the entire day shopping and going to the spa. People call Kate a photographer, but she has never deigned to open her own studio, feature her work in an exhibition, or use that interest to do something for charity. The only photo I’ve seen taken by her is of Prince George.
Kate has had her photos on display before. It was not wel received at all. They called it like it was, but were still extremely nice about it. That she had an eye for pretty scenes, but lacked the skills all decent photographers that are 1 step above novice should have. The angles, the lighting, the shadows, the focal point. In total that’s pretty much saying to a photographer you have no eye for photography.
As a result Kate did not pursue it any further.
search Kate Middleton photography exhibit. It all gets scattered with her most recent PG/PC shots, but it’s there 2012 era.
Duchess Kate took a diving class to make it impossible for her husband to escape her – even underwater.
LOL! 😀
I think Jason heard us complaining that Kate has no hobbies or interests.
that’s a very basic cert and lots of people get it when they are on vacation, this is a non story
Yes, other people take them when they’re on vacation, because the rest of the time they’re working and can’t take the time off just to do a scuba course. Their bosses won’t OK that.
The difference here is that when W&K go on vacation to Mustique, it’s time they’re taking off from doing what?
theyd be in mustique whether or not they took the diving class
The trouble is we have ‘expectations’ from Kate. let’s not expect anything out of her and let’s see what she makes of it all!!! How’s that?
We’ll stop with the expectations when they stop taking millions in royal perks every year. As long as they’re funded as senior royals, we’ll expect the work of senior royals out of them.
kate is not Queen nor queen consort and and not even next in line. Charles is. So let’s leave Kate alone!
Let’s not.
The majority of working royals are further down the line than W&K. Only HM and Charles are above William, only Prince Philip and Camilla are above Kate. W&K should be working more than all of the other royals further down, based solely on their position to the throne. Add in their age vs. all the pensioners on the staff of the Family Firm, and these two have no excuse for their behavior.
They take senior royal perks but refuse senior royal work. Give back the perks or start working at the level of those perks.
@ elisabeth
But W&K are living in and off of funds that go to full-time working royals. That’s why there’s an expectation for them to work off what they get.
If they don’t want the expectations, then they can go live off of solely William’s $17 million that he got from his mother.
And really, seeing as we’re talking money, the money they got from Diana was due in large part to her divorce settlement from Charles, right? Which came from Duchy of Cornwall money if I remember correctly. Would Charles have had £30 million of private money he could have given her?
The entire royal family has been living in and off of funds for centuries….that’s the way it is, has been, and will be. It is a monarchy!
It’s completely unrealistic to say you have expectations from them. And if you do, then what about the rest of the royal family? what about Sophie Rhys-jones? Prince Andrew? Are they all full time royals? Prince Eugenie, Princess Beatrice?
I don’t think they are! Some are just more involved than others…They have more free will than you think! I remember a time where Prince Charles was hunting, paintint in the countryside, playing polo in his thirties. He wasn’t a full time royal!
And anyway, Prince Charles won’t be King unless the Queen dies. Seriously, they have young kids. If they can have a bit of a breathing space for now and enjoy it, I say good on them. That’s the very reason they move to Anmer hall.
elisabeth
The examples you’ve listed are not senior royals. They get far less perks and have far less access to those funds. Yet they have been known to still work as full time royals.
And what is a full time royal. It’s more work. Events, diplomacy, and charity support. This is very often too. If you looked at the true counts of events on all members you’d see this.
And no. Because someone isn’t in that role currently does not mean they can goof off. They should prepare. Get comfortable with the heavy duties they will be accountable for. As they are now they are already slacking.
They live like private citizens on public funds.
Ultimately your argument in their defense is this imo. They don’t want to work so no one should make them work. They have access to money without working so who says they need to earn it? They money is just there. Why question that?
They should want to better their nation and enrich their lives and the lives tey have the power to better. That some people feel they need to defend pure apathy is tragic.
@Elisabeth
Beatrice and Eugenie – Andrew has always wanted his daughters to be part of the family firm but Charles has always stopped it. To their credit they also want to get involved and have causes of their own that they support privately. Its an issue thats said to be a bone of contention between the brothers.
No one is really grudging W&K the time and space now – however there is an expectation for them to do more than they currently ‘do’. Harry does more than these 2 combined. They go months with nada and then there’s a spurt normally before they are due to go to Mustique for a month with her family. They can and should do more – even if its joint events every 2 weeks. She at least can do more, rather than spend her time shopping, on her vanity or learning how to dive. She should be taking this time to learn how to be a good royal consort from Philip and how to work an event from TQ – both are pro’s at what they do and would be better teachers than Chuck and Camilla.
They get stick as it is becoming blatant that they have no desire to take full time duties and because of the events the do show up at. They only make time for the glamorous hi end events where they rub shoulders with heads of state or celebrities (i.e. tea with Ange and Brad). They make NO TIME for the charities that they are patrons of – charities that need the exposure that they can give. There are reports of her in particular cancelling trips to charities claiming morning sickness and then being papped at airports going on holiday a day later. I can count on one hand the number of charities/hosp (the non glam events) she has been to since she got married, the glam ones outnumber these 10:1 at least.
Charles has been a full-time royal since he left the Navy at 28 and founded the Princes Trust. Andrew, Anne, Edward & Sophie – they are all full-time, all do more work than W&K, and are all further down the list. All the royals have managed to live quietly in the country with young children AND do royal work. Where they live does not negate them doing royal engagements, it is absolutely no excuse.
B&E are out, they will not be working royals and are not (technically) supported by taxpayers. Like Peter and Zara Philips, they’ll be making their way in the world NOT as working royals. Regardless, both B&E do charity work on their own time.
In the end, the money doesn’t belong to the Windsors. If the taxpayers get tired of The Family Firm, they will throw them out and keep the money and land for themselves. Even if W&K never want to do a single thing for charity, they should be doing charity work for self-preservation.
They continue the “we just want to be normal” routine and soon enough, they’ll be thrown out and can be as normal as they want. But only with money they earn themselves, as everything else will revert to the taxpayers.
bluhare it is an ongoing question where the money came from. Start of an article about the settlement, but since I cannot add links, you’ll have to search for the original yourself.
Diana ‘took Charles to cleaners’ in divorce, says his banker
By Chris Logan and Andrew Alderson
Telegraph 25 Jul 2004
The Prince of Wales was “taken to the cleaners” and handed over his entire personal fortune to Diana, Princess of Wales, as part of their divorce settlement, his former personal financial adviser has revealed.
Geoffrey Bignell, who handled Prince Charles’s financial affairs for more than a decade until 1996, disclosed that the heir to the throne was forced to sell his entire investment portfolio to meet the demands of the Princess.
Thank you, nas. So he did have the money. Interesting.
No wonder she has to have her mother live with her. When she’s off chasing down her hobbies out of the country, she has to have someone to keep the household running. What a lazy do-nothing. Do she and/or William realize this is the opinion of so many?
^^ She can almost taste the Mustique vacation!
Kaiser, you need a raise.
I’ve been laughing for 10 minutes.
+ 1 right down to the photo, lol
I love the photos that accompany these articles. The caption was just the icing on the cake 🙂
I swear marriage into the BRF has upped Kate’s ‘horsey aristo’ face times a million. She’s morphing into Camilla.
Imaginary WBaldtop: I say that’s it, old Thing, well done! Make your dive right there in that spot now, won’t you, and just keep swimming down until you’re very very close to the sharks, what ho! VERY close, Eh, eh? Get your cert like I did, wot! Royal way, wot? Sports girl, all the headlines will say, eh, all about you looking quite smart and bravely done, cheers, MerPrincess, dolls and tea towels, wot? But do remember what I said — you should look for the great big ones, eh, see the red of their eyes, eh! Great tale for the tabs, eh? Kill all those stories about that vomitous pink scab Ginger brother of mine with his little easy to see really nothing dusty land rhinos, wot!?!? Now, remember what Gran and I told you, don’t be shy, Wot! Close, close, close! That’s how we do it in the Firm!
imaginaryDK: Oi! Yah okay, Winkie! Very close! “ere I go! Does me new Gucci bikini look good? I tied my diamonds aroune me waist, right, like a Bond gal, eh? I want to look right smart for this, mummy’s got the man from the Danky Mail down there wiv ‘is camera! C’n you see me eyeliner fru this bloody old mask, then? Look! Jimmy bedazzled me mouthpiece whilst I was hard at me bloody job workin’ the seats at Wimbledon! Ain’t it fine!
iWB: Yes yes fine, fine! Off you go then, hurry on, we aven’t all day, press deadlines, wot! Remember, as close as you c’n get to the sharks, bigger the better wot! Don’t be shy, eh, eh? For the Firm! Right close! Jecca would do it, eh! I say, old Thing, have you got on the lovely clever bacon and kippers diving bracelets I gave you! All the rage with the pros, eh? Make ‘em snug! I’ll be down in just a moment, must make a call, bloody rescue work, wot? Updates on the bloody plebes being splattered about, wasting one’s team’s fuel needing help, wot!
iDK: Oi, right then, I’ll dive first on me own then! and see, I do ‘ave ’em on! Look, just masses of kippers and bacon, wound tight!! I look like I been divin’ for yonks like an Aussie, right? Like I’m Nicole kidmanperson, right? Okay! See you down there! ‘ere I go, do I look slim? All right then, see me dive, oopsie daisy! Here I go then! Wheeeeeeeeee!
iWB: Allo, Gramps, Project Have the Heirs, Lose the Ninny, Keep the Crown in motion! Do I get that jet if it works? I want Rolls Royce leather pilots seats, remember, ho? Ah, jolly good! No, no, her mum’s and the sprigs are up with Pops, he’s got them contained! Again, jolly good, fine cheeses, thanks much old man for getting me out of the Tower to solve our little problem, yes, yes, quite best thing for the Firm, quite, no, no worries! There’s a nanny I need to find who’ll comfort me, right, right, nudge, wink, har har! Right ho then, watch the telly, fingers crossed, black arm rag ready, ho!!
Bacon and kipper bracelets!! LOL!! Apparently iPW doesn’t like working at the Tower!
Apparently he doesn’t!! 😉
I’ve been saying “Bacon and kippers, wot?” all day ROFL
“Wheeeeeeeeee!” Effing hilarious! I’m bedazzled!
It never stops making me giggle that Kate’s initials are “IDK”.
Liberty, your William voice is hysterical, and if the leaked phone messages are anything to go on, very spot on!
Liberty, check this out! My crush on Aidan Turner has just evaporated. LMAO, I’m almost in tears!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3184483/Poldark-No-s-scyther-Charles-Prince-bales-Royal-reveals-relishes-using-traditional-farming-methods-tends-meadows-Highgrove-estate.html
Wouldn’t it have killed two birds with one stone to have supported William’s patronage by taking the advanced scuba course with the British organization? Or will only the warmer waters of Mustique do?
Maybe all their British charities should move down to Mustique if they want any attention.
I don’t know when she took this course, but according to Kate apologists, it would have been nearly impossible to take at any time after she got married or had her first kid or her second kid, because she needs to spend all her time on being a newlywed or on motherhood. Anyhoo…
….but, you’re using logic and sense, here.
😛
let´s face it. Such a PR action for William´s patronage would call for cameras/photos. Kate would never ever pose without make-up and a wet hair (she can´t use her wiglet then). That´s not glamorous. Kate would never do something without her armour of hair, eyeliner and theme clothes.
I remember how wonderful it was to see Princess Charlene with her “learn swim”-charity. She had a wide smile while swimming and playing with all these kids. She was make-up free and in a bathing suit = normal for a swimming course. Kate would never take such a risk.
So this is what she’s been spending all her time working hard on. I’ve stopped being surprised by these stories and it only fuels the republican cause. She can make time for her vanity, shopping and ‘hobbies’ while running a household and raising 2 kids and the odd ‘fun’ royal event but she can’t do anything what so ever for her charities. The only charity she seems to care about is the Middleton one.
You know, the image that we’ve been given of her over the years is as fake as her hair, tan and teeth. The image of her as a loyal, discreet, fun, hard done by GF was perpetrated by the press and the Midd family PR strategy and know they are pushing the image that she’s a dedicated and full time, hands on mother and wife. The reason we know nothing about her is because thats what she and her family have wanted from the get go – the real Kate is likely going to be a big disappointment to everyone. We know she’s lazy, never had a career or work ethic and she’s not the raving intellect that they want us to think. She’s clearly a spoilt, vain, vapid woman child who is very self obsessed and lacks any sort of smarts. Then there is the ‘mean girl’ aspect, the stories of her telling Princess Beatrice to eff of at her charity disco (a reporter was there and found B crying in the toilet), evidence of her and Pippa looking like they are bad mouthing Roger Federer’s wife and the many stories of her growling at ANY woman who went near Willy. Kate has a vacant look in her eyes – always has, the over the top facial expressions and fake accent don’t help disperse that image.
where did you hear that about Princess B at the charity disco. I’ve never heard that before. I thought Princess B and Pippa were decent friends still, more than Princess B and Kate at least?
Katie Nicholls before becoming Kate’s biographer was the reporter in the bathroom with Bea. Bea was crying hard.
As it goes Kate was putting on that party for a group friend that passed years earlier to bone cancer (i think). Bea heard and asked if she could come. Kate told her it was no theme and to just show up. Upon entering Kate and some of her friends greated bea to tell her her clothes weren’t appropriate. I’m editing this to sound nicer than it was. Bea ran into the bathroom in tears while Kate was seen laughing over it.
Also, the fashion show front seats Pippa insisted E and B give up to her. Once people started pulling out their phones Pippa stopped trash talking and sat backdown. Bea and Pippa have never been friendly. The Yorks and Midds have never liked eachother. Too many occasion where Pippa/Kate have been snarky. Bea and Eug rarely if ever have this association. They have enough carrying the sins of their parents.
And i believe the charity disco was in response to comments allegedly made by TQ asking what she does with her time and concerns that she had no humanitarian/charitable interests. A big deal was made in the press about how she organised it all herself then it transpired it was a joined effort with Holly Branson (daughter of Virgin owner Richard Branson).
Kate only makes the effort when pushed.
Betti
The disco party and either the Jigsaw job as a favor from a friend of Carole’s… or.. Carole hiring her as a part time photographer for PP displays. 1 of those 2 jobs came because the Queen asked what she does.
Any bonehead can pass a diving course, but since Kate’s accomplishments are so far and few between, they have to spin this like it’s a big deal.
I passed that diving cert years ago. It’s not tough.
This PR is hilariously horrible. Kate puts in the effort and time away from her children to have more vacation fun, but never to visit a charity. 1 that needs her. I don’t think she’s very aware of her actions. If all she knows is her family who will tell her what should be said?
No defense for that sort of action of willful ignorance. and sloth.
If she is like that thanks to her PR, do you imagine what she is like without her PR then?
Dana
Actually, I think she’d be better off. When it was Carole, Kate and Tanna working the PR angles things wre going very well for Kate. Now Kate is the one in charge of her PR/work. And it’s not been going well.
Their PR is a revolving door at this point. No one stays very long.
It’s really only up to Kate to work. And the PR does the best they can with what they have.
You mean that time when Kate was painted as a very smart middle-class hard working lady? That only could last until she got down to her duties and it was seen at once that she was different. So their best PR was still very short-lived.
Dana
No. I mean as the girl who was strung along by a prince that took the entire 20’s of this girl and had no intent on marrying her. All while even then it’s was an open secret William was cheating and Kate was just taking it with the hope of a ring.
That PR show William what he’s missing went well.
The overall narrative was middle class girl from hard working Carole lands prince. All the details that went into that and how to keep him would only detract from the fairy tale.
Just glad I’m not British so this useless human will never be my Queen.
I can’t even form a good comment. This woman exasperates me.
If the Will and Kate fighting rumour in Mustique Villa is true, then I wonder what they were fighting about?
The length of their next vacation? MOAR vacations! MOAR!
Why does it seem that she is on constant vacation? Does she do anything useful at all?
First time commenting here, but I have been lurking for a while.
I cannot get over the laziness of this woman and how she does not seem to care about what she does and how it is seen by others.
She really needs to be spoken to by someone in the BRF. She is just a joke and I cannot wait until the public turns on her and Wills.
Kate enjoys SWFing Diana, but she won’t actually step up and do any of the work that Diana (who was not perfect but at least worked) did.
So over this woman.
OMG that one picture with her big wet gaping maw…..should be captioned “Is that an umbrella handle you’re holding or are you happy to see me?”
(at least I THINK it’s an umbrella handle….)
Also….I know it’s not the same person but I did a double-take when I saw the name Kelly Fisher Katz in the article…..because Kelly Fisher was the model who was engaged to Dodi Fayed that last summer of Diana’s life. Just a coincidence but so weird…
I think the marriage is holding on by a thread!
This is totally random, but I never realized how flat her butt was until now. And that’s all I got.
I think she feels like providing an heir and a spare was her ‘job’.
I know she is never going to have a normal job or ever work ‘hard’ but she really does come off as a lazy person. She has soooo many opportunities to work with different charities and organisations, or whatever her interest is in. Like if she loves film, she can easily ring up BAFTA or whatever and they would throw whatever kind of position she wanted at her. If she loves fashion, all she has to do is ring Anna Wintour… yet she only appears when she absolutely has to.
I still think she and William made a deal. Kate provides heir and spare and does the minimum, while William gets the freedom to do what he wants.
Lol ! Freakinng *dead* at this post title.
I see why this irks people. But the thing is, she married into an extremely privileged family and lifestyle. Sure it sucks that most of us have to work for a living to afford nice things and nice vacations while Kate’s whole life seem like a vacation. That’s life though.
She’s supposed to work for her living too. If they don’t, they get criticized and eventually thrown out. It isn’t rocket science. Work for the lifestyle or give the taxpayer-funded lifestyle back.
Does her security team go under water too? You know in case a sting ray or shark goes after her or something like that?
They would have to i’m thinking. So, that’s all tax costs.
well, then, there is probably a way she can make it count as “work”…
Patty, she has always had a flat butt, that said her sisters is so flat it’s practically concave,hence the heels,they push your touche out!