This is the first Sunday after Prince William and Duchess Kate’s magical ski holiday photos were revealed, so of course all of the British Sunday papers ran some not-so-flattering articles about the Cambridges and how they are terribly tone-deaf. One of my favorites was this piece in the Daily Mail – the same paper referring to the prince as “Workshy Will” in articles for more than a week – written by the Middletons’ go-to royal reporter, Katie Nicholl. After Nicholl details the many, many PR gaffes from the Cambridges in the past few years (William announcing his anti-poaching initiative just after a hunting trip, the ski trip, etc), she says that the real blame is on Will and Kate’s young staffers, none of whom have the brass to say to no to Will and Kate. Um, really? I mean, I don’t doubt that Will and Kate could use some seasoned PR professionals on their team, but aren’t Will and Kate to blame for that? Some highlights:
When the problems began: “Royal insiders say the turning point in William’s fortunes came when the Cambridges and Prince Harry set up their new office at Kensington Palace two years ago. The move coincided with the departure of his former private secretary, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton. A distinguished former SAS commander, Lowther-Pinkerton, 55, had spent a generation as a reassuring presence by the side of Princes William and Harry. Crucially, it is felt he was willing to stand up to the young man and William turned to him for advice right up until the birth of his first child Prince George in 2013, and made Lowther-Pinkerton godfather.”
Team Cambridge is too young: Today, William’s Private Secretary and team of aides are all, like him, in their 30s. One friend of the Royal Family says: “There is a feeling that perhaps there isn’t someone in William’s court who will put their foot down and say no if they think William is making the wrong decision”
Another source says: “William has changed and so have his aides. William needed Jamie for advice and counsel because he was younger, but he’s a grown-up man now with his own ideas and opinions. He has a clear idea of how he wants to steer his PR machine. He has a good team around him, but the point is they all listen to William and rarely question him when sometimes William does need to be questioned.”
Poor Jason: At Kensington Palace, the team of aides include Communications Director Jason Knauf, 30, an American who dealt with the near collapse of the Royal Bank of Scotland as its spin doctor. He was appointed in 2014. A source says: “William was involved in the interviewing process when they appointed a new communications director and he liked Jason Knauf. Others who were interviewed had big ideas to bring to the table, but William wanted to do things his way.”
It’s really all about William: Nicholl writes: “Perhaps, though, the temptation to shoot the PR messengers should be resisted. Because the person pulling the strings is William himself. The Mail on Sunday can reveal it was William who decided not to follow the Royal tradition of posing on the slopes in favour of a private photoshoot with PA’s Royal photographer John Stillwell. The pictures were carefully selected by the couple before being released once they were safely back in Britain. And it seems likely that the release date was chosen by William himself, against advice from some in his team. He was apparently delighted to have kept the press in the dark.”
Ingrid Seward, Editor of Majesty magazine, says: “His aides are very young and very good, but the problem is William has never really taken advice and has a tendency to think he is always right.”
Yes, and this is just my opinion: it’s not his PR staff, it’s William and Kate. They think they’re geniuses when really they have absolutely zero PR instincts. William hates to be questioned, corrected or advised, and Kate acquiesces to his wishes because she too is unwilling to change in the face of overwhelming criticism. While I think this piece is the first nail in Jason Knauf’s royal-career coffin, I think that’s pretty unfair. There’s a reason Will and Kate keep going through staffers like kleenex, and there’s a reason why Will and Kate keep having “PR gaffes” – they are difficult and unwilling to do the barest minimum of work.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
William views himself as some sort of PR genius. He thinks by making enemies of the UK press people will see him as some sort of force to be reckoned with, when in reality his crusade is making him look like a complete and utter fool. The press will absolutely destroy him. Everyone else can see the warning signs, only William, Kate and their fawning PR team refuse to see the impending disaster.
+1
Also as soon as his staff would question him they probably get fired immediately. This piece is a shame. He grew up in the spotlight, he should know better. Blaming the staff is poor and rude. You are responsible to surround yourself with people who stand up to you and advise you. If you don’t then it says something about you, not your staff.
Beth – good point!
+1 indeed.
Also it’s ridiculous to me that two adults need a staff to stand up to them. They aren’t children and shouldn’t need to be told, “hey in light of your lack of work ethic perhaps releasing pictures of yet another holiday is a bad idea”
They’re entitled, spoiled, and immature. This most recent finer pointing is quite low, even for William.
I am not a Royal Watcher, but I am not anti-Royal and I am certainly not pro tabloid journalism. I think that on the whole the British press have been good to William, but he needs to step up. The country gives the Royals a hell of a lot and in return they must dedicate their lives to working hard for us, that is the deal, if they don’t like it then give up the succession and retire from public life, They will still get a pension and be protected, but apart from that they can pretend to be as middle class as they wish.
Agreed Jellybean. As I understand it (and feel free to correct by stats if I’m wrong..) the RF assists the British economy via generating and sustaining tourism – the various Palace tours, changing of the guard, even the Tower of London for history junkies. And they should be engaged and promoting charities through sponsorship and public appearances. In exchange, they get a very comfortable lifestyle. I think the Queen always understood that and has been tireless and uncomplaining in fulfilling her duties. When W & K first married, there was such a huge rush of hope in the press & public that they would continue in this tradition – and bring some modernization & sparkle to it as well. Instead, what we are seeing is a peevish, spoiled boy who wants to have his cake & eat it too. W needs to understand he has responsibilities and the public is not simply “grateful” to see him pop up every now and then and return to his spoiled extravagant lifestyle. And as far as K goes, the longer she is on the scene, the less bright she seems and the more Boleyn her family is starting to appear….
@Redgrl
Tourism would still be alive and well without the RF. People would still go see Buckingham palace and pay for tours, because people like history and pretty things. I think the pushback is that people are frustrated that the RF, namely Will and Kate, are costing more in taxpayer money (whether through Charles or not) than they are actually stimulating the economy.
France does quite well with tourism and has no royal family to deal with. The argument that the UK needs the Royal Family for tourism is weak. It’s not like most tourists expect to actually see the queen anyway. They visit the castles and buildings when they aren’t residing in them.
A monarchy is an archaic concept, even a constitutional monarchy. The Queen understands this, hence her dedication to service. Even Charles understands this. If Will and Kate don’t figure out soon that they need to sing for their bread or else face angry tax paying peasants, they may end up next like the Duke and Duchess of Windsor.
The other thing that many people don’t know is that the main visitor attractions that are “palaces,” which are the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace State Apartments, etc. are managed by Historic Royal Palaces, which is an independent charity. The royals don’t have anything to do with them nowadays (except for the Kensington Palace private residences and Hillsborough Palace, which is in Northern Ireland and was recently taken over by HRP).
Then there are the official residences (Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, Palace of Holyroodhouse, Clarence House) which are managed by the royal households and are open to the public, sometimes. And then finally there are the privately owned residences (Sandringham, Balmoral, Anmer) which have nothing to do with the Crown Estate or either of the Duchies.
If we got rid of the monarchy, people would still be able to visit everything except the privately owned residences (and frankly they’d probably still keep them open to the public as the tax breaks are pretty good).
Tina: Yes, and in fact, those palaces might well generate even more money than before, since with the royal residents gone it would be possible to open more rooms to the public, on more days of the year, and probably with substantially lower security costs.
Silly Billy is now 33 – how can he get away with this sulky teen kind of behaviour?
Yes, the Cambridge problem is not Poor Jason, it’s staring right back at William in his mirror. I can’t even blame Kate for this. William is just not as smart as he thinks he is. Get to work.
She remains as bad as he is. If she was longing to work and make a difference, her behavior at her few engagements would be perfect, engaged, informed. Instead, she does as little prep as he does and cares just as little. They are a matched pair.
I’d give her a pass because she’s got two little children, but hey, she also got several nannies…
You’re right notasugarhere. She could show up prepared if she were interested in her visits.
Liv, she’s been doing a sloppy job even before the kids were born and before her first pregnancy. It’s not like she was prepared before the kids, but then got sloppy afterwards.
I disagree. William’s the royal, I think the larger share of responsibility falls on him here.
Do you give a pass to all the working mothers who are paying for these two? W&K have loads of home and office help and still do next to nothing. They barely prepare and they barely work. What if they had to earn a living like normal people? These two would never survive.
Other people do all the heavy lifting when it comes to helping her / them prepare. The research, talking points, etc., are all done in advance by paid staff, I’m certain. There is really no excuse for not being able to show up prepared and seem genuinely engaged for a short time.
BRIDGET, +1. He is the royal. She is not going to surpass him at all. They do not want another Diana.
In terms of royal obligations, I would agree the primary blame lies with William as the actual heir-to-the-heir. However, in personal terms – would I spend an hour in the pub with either of them? Would I employ either of them? – I think they come out about equal. (Answer: no, I would not sit at their table in the pub; no, I would not hire either of them).
I don’t understand this theory that William is preventing Kate from doing a good job performance at her very few work visits.
Is he standing over her shoulder:
– forbidding her from practicing her speeches so she can do them to a professional level?
– forbidding her from learning about the charity pre-visit? Forbidding her from reading the material the charities send her, from using the internet to study up on the charities, from being educated by her staff about the charity? So that she is forever ‘learning on the job?’
– forbidding her from staying at the charity more than 45 minutes at a time even if she arrives an hour late? Is this why she acts bored, shifts around in her chair or while standing, and does her dead-eye look or she rolls her eyes trying to get whomever is talking to her at the work event to hurry up and stop talking?
– forbidding her to plan her visual appearance ahead of time? Forbidding her to wear her hair up and back at events held on windy days, or wear appropriate and respectful clothes, accessories, jewelry to match the mood and type of events she goes to?
Just because she does only a few appearances at her charities, doesn’t mean that she can’t do them with the proper respect they deserve for all the trouble they go through to set up her visitations.
notsugarhere I think you got me wrong. I would usually give a mother with two little children a pass, but not her with all the nannys she’s got.
It’s possible that William doesn’t want to let Kate do too much charity work or be too visible because Kate could potentially become the bigger media star, completely overshadowing William much like Diana did with Charles. When Diana realised the power she wielded with the press she used to her advantage, sticking it to the BRF. Wills may be keen to keep a lid on Kate so that it doesn’t become all about her. On the other hand, they may be lazy workshy spoilt over-privileged takers
@Betteboo2u – I think, like you, that Kate is unfortunately the end product and victim of his petulance. And I’m really not liking the increasingly nasty backlash that she’s getting because of him, not least, unflattering pics of her being drooled over on here, with the justification that she somehow deserves it because of her ‘workshy’ ways that actually may have little to do with her and everything to do with him and his controlling ways.
I don’t care what she looks like or whether she’s photoshopped or not. But she went all out for what she wanted and she got it: and what she wanted was William and the life the two of them have now – the workless life. How she is not complicit is beyond me. And even if she is nothing but a foil for Bill’s foibles – it was her ambition to be that. We might think that a pretty sad ambition – I certainly do – but I don’t think he’s used his Kaa the Snake eyes on her so she’s his hapless victim.
I agree totally with Sixer. It’s both of them. No one is holding Kate back.Lady Parvenu is lazy plain and simple and so is he.
The only initiative Lady Parvenu EVER showed was to land William. Once she did that, she has turned her new role into just a pap stroll, plain and simple.
I think it would be great if she’d get in there and work hard. She’s shown who she is though, and this is just not going to happen in our lifetimes. Guesto, Kate has herself to blame for all this. She COULD change the dialogue if she wanted to.
Well said Sixer.
And I think even Kate’s landing William was largely due to Carol’s iron will..Kate lacks any agency or initiative of her own.
You know things are bad when the Middleton Mouthpiece pens this article.
She’s either
– Parroting William throwing the PR team under the bus (at the instigation of the voice from Norfolk/Berkshire on the phone)
or
– She’s continuing to kiss up to W&K and saying it is someone else’s fault.
Par for the course for the Middleton Mouthpiece.
Or the Middletons see what’s going on and are positioning it so that the blame is falling on William, not Kate the convenient scapegoat.
She chose this life, she isn’t a scapegoat. Without William the Middletons have nothing. Carole has shown she’ll side with William, so I wouldn’t think this came from the Middleton camp.
Because Kate’s never fired warning shots through the press before?
If KM was beloved for being a hard worker and William was being criticized for being lazy, it would be another story. She’d be the wronged, hard-working commoner wife, trying to do everything and being Done Wrong by the mean royal husband.
They’re both being called on the carpet for their laziness, games, and lack of engagement with their work. They all (William, KM, Middleton family) have as much to lose at this point.
Funnily enough, Harry has the same team and much better PR. That tells me it’s the Royal, not the messengers.
The PR team is probably giving the Cambridge’s sensible advice, but they are choosing to ignore it. The PR team needs to change their tactics with the Cambridge’s. Whatever they are doing is working for Harry, but the stubborn Cambridge’s need a different approach.
Probably under the orders of William, the PR team throws Harry under the bus and doesn’t really do a good job highlighting his non-official work schedule. They don’t want Harry to outshine William in terms of doing good works and having a better work ethic and being more interested in people outside of just their royal selves.
Some people have been saying that Harry either needs to go back to using his father’s PR team or create his own, but at the very least, not use the same one as William’s.
I’m baffled by the implied “they’re all in their 30s ergo they’re all children and you can’t expect much” by the source…say what? So is Harry, so are lots of people who fulfill their obligations and make smart choices.
That’s the implied message I got from the piece. Too young, too inexperienced — just lots of excuses in general.
PR is mostly common sense, which isn’t all that common.
I’m so done with the “they’re only in their 30s and can’t be held responsible for what they do” garbage.
That’s what got me too. Experience does come with age. But we’re not talking individuals who are fresh out of college. Also, Will and Kate are making “rookie” mistakes. They’re not caught in some intricate PR scandal, the literal solution is ‘work more’. Simple.
+1! Harry lost his mum too, went through all the angst about the press, etc etc, and seems to have emerged as a much more balanced, cheerful man.
Kate not doing shamrock/Irish Guards event this year is the equivalent of a very rude gesture – the Queen Mother did this for 23 years? And it’s because Kate has something the previous day? To me this is way beyond the ski trip photos….
I’m floored that apparently she’s not doing it because she doesn’t want to create an expectation of her annual attendance…….
I really hope Richard Palmer made that up or heard wrong because to be so openly contemptuous of the public and the army is……..i actually have no words.
I hope this is wrong, because it is stunningly stupid.
LAME.
Palmer said that he was told that she doesn’t want to set the expectation that she’ll do this every year. Clearly the Queen Mum must’ve been doing something wrong.
How difficult is it to put on a green coat, add a wiglet, and give out some shamrocks? Geez, this woman is a real joke.
How puzzling. Maybe she and Wills have a tradition of hitting a pub or two on that day. As if the entire day would be consumed, that is.
LOL vava, thanks! Well according to William it IS very difficult for Kate. Just getting her hair done is a ‘nightmare’.
Ah yes, those expectations that they show up for work. Can’t allow any of those to be raised, only to be lowered again. They did nothing but play for a decade. They thought they could get away with the same lifestyle for at least another decade by playing the Evil Press, Diana, and Malta cards. Too bad the taxpayers have expectations of their employees.
Wow. That was one of the few things she did consistently. What is wrong with those two?
Well considering that every year there are the same stories about them NOT doing Xmas eve pressie opening with TQ at Sandringham or doing the church services on Xmas day. Don’t know if they did both last year in the end. W&K keep pushing for Queen Mother-In-Law in waiting Carole to get a seat at the big table – never going to happen till he takes the throne.
Also, do you think all the negative press will drive him to walk away from the throne to become a private citizen? The more he learns that he can’t control the press the more i’m convinced he’ll walk away, regardless of the Middleton ambitions.
I don’t think he’ll ever give up his status. He wants the deference people give him. Once he loses his position, the media, his former employers, the public in general will feel free to start speaking more of the truth about him and he’ll lose whatever respect he thinks he has.
He’ll hold onto the title for dear life and expect and demand that everybody accept whatever he does with it.
I think she has something scheduled for the next day, the 18th. So asking her to work two hard days in a row would be asking a lot of anybody.
Also, can’t expect her to do something on a regular, once-a-year basis. That would take a lot of re-arranging her work schedule just to fit this in.
Because, you know, the date of St Patrick’s Day, like Easter, changes every year. SMH I hope the Northern Irish and Army take offense and let everyone know it. She probably has a hair appointment that day and we all know those can’t be changed. Ugh.
I work hard 5 days in a row every week. Most people do.
Hope you’re being ironic. I work 6 days a week.
@ Luciana
🙂 Yes, I meant it with a lot of sarcasm. But I think this is what Kate genuinely believes. 🙁
I thought that was one of her patronages. How can she back out of it? And will this be the nail in their proverbial coffin?
Whilst there is a lot of blaming ‘young staffers’, I see this as the very same staffers making it very clear that it isn’t them. That it is William, and that they don’t approve his decisions.
It’s in line with Palace policy regarding Kate when as a GF she tried to blame the Palace for her shortcomings eg why she couldn’t work, or respond to charity overtures or isolating herself or do anything at all.
The Palace made it very clear, publicly, that it was all her. They are now doing the same with William.
100% agree. To add, I was just thinking: I really hope #poorjason walks and writes a tell-all about what went down behind the scenes. He probably won’t be able to write a non-fiction, but I’ll take a roman a’clef!
I’d take the memoirs of all those ex-AH staff. Deacon is probably one of two or three who’s spanned the last +/- 5yrs, which says a lot about these 2.
I agree.
“He was apparently delighted to have kept the press in the dark.”
I think this is honestly what it is all about for William. He actually is *that* shallow. He actually is also *that* stupid, to fail to understand that this is not a battle he can win. There isn’t a recalcitrant prince in history who has won this battle, and this simpleton is not going to be the first.
It’s petty. Not a good look on a grown a$$ man.
And I don’t think anybody in the Palace or BRF will try to teach him better. One, because he can’t and won’t be taught. Two, because he makes the rest of them look that much better.
You’re right, Sixer. I hope more people speak up about this guy. He really is playing a cat and mouse game.
“There isn’t a recalcitrant prince in history who has won this battle, and this simpleton is not going to be the first.”
Sixer has coined the quote of the day! 🙂
Will the press keep at him until he quits the air ambulance job and becomes a full time royal or do you think if he steps up the royal work a little more this will all blow over? He clearly doesn’t enjoy royal work but he doesn’t seem like the sort of person that will fall into line. Maybe only if his place in the succession was truly at stake but by that point would the public still want him? It feels like his future will be decided in the next few months.
There was a recent article in which it was said that he was ‘bored out of his skull’ at his co-piloting job, and that he barely shows up anyways. Hell, he even gave himself a four-week vacation from it in December and he’s done what? Showed up about 12 days in total this year so far.
So yes, I think that if he quits that ‘job,’ he’s going to blame the press, the Palace, his grandma, his dad, the public for having bad people in it who are scary, security-wise, etc. Anything his potato head could think of without blaming himself.
But no, I don’t think that if he quits one job, he’ll put more effort into the other. I read somebody comment that he basically does his royal duties mostly in March, June, and November, meaning that he does a bit after his months-long winter break, he does the summer stuff because it’s related to the Queen’s events, and he does the November ones because he’s going into hibernation for the next few months.
A pro-William supporter is now taking the reins at EAAA. That means co-worker dissent about William’s games and lack of work ethic will be hushed up. No more sources talking about his schedule and bad attitude off the record. Expect even more unhappy colleagues and transfers to another location.
@ notasugarhere
True. I wonder if the appointment was made for this purpose? Maybe if William stomped his feet enough. It would be way too coincidental if it wasn’t related.
Yeah, I didn’t read the blame on the staffers as genuine either – I read it more as the Mail slyly telling readers that William has ALWAYS been like this, but used to have savvy staffers who’d been around long enough to have some authority over him, so could get him at least partly in line. Now, he calls the shots, and this is what results.
What do you expect from people who live in the bubble? The reality check is coming and I hope it will be painful experience for them. They are a relics of the past.
Normally you’d think the two most basic members of the royal family could at least get by without offending everyone in sight, but these two upend all expectations.
But perhaps that’s not surprising considering the most interesting members of the BRF – the Queen Mum, for one – were also among the hardest working. Maybe having a personality and interests outside of petulance and shopping inclines royals to actually earn their keep. Something these two don’t do.
Petulance & shopping! Love it! And excellent point…
i think some of their PR people finally had enough and quit or will leave soon. With this article the rest of the PR team tries to minimize the “why does the Cambridge stuff quit. Is William truely that work-shy and hard to work with”-articles in the future… it won´t work cuz Willy is Willy, but it´s their job to at least try.
Years in PR have taught me that you only have so much control over the client’s bad behavior. It’s the most frustrating thing in the world to have a client who is tone-deaf to how their actions appear to the public. I sure wouldn’t want any of their jobs.
THIS. People like W&K are the reason I quit doing PR. It was too often an exercise in futility.
This is the craziest circular argument I have ever heard. William hired people he liked but they are “young and inexperienced”.
William proceeds to do as he wishes (not sure why the PR is supposed to make him work, they are just supposed to communicate his actions and portray them in a favourable light, but if there is nothing to portray they can’t exactly make miracles happen.)
If they advice him to do something he doesn’t listen, so the staff can either like it or quit or be fired.
So it is entirely the staff’s fault, you guys.
Not Will’s because he doesn’t work. Not Kate’s because she leaves her big, much advertised, day of work as a blogger after less than an hour of effort. Not theirs because together they are the most obnoxious, entitled, lazy, uneducated, uninterested, selfish twats. Oh no. It is the staff!
William wants to be like a monarch from the very old days – do whatever he wants without accepting criticism and judgement, but if something goes wrong, blame the underlings. And he has a bad temper to boot. He’s like the Red Queen from Wonderland.
vauvert, Who has the nerve to get in his face and say “Get your act together,” they don’t have the nerve, seriously vauvert, how do you motivate a slug? Obviously the people that have tried to tell him have been sacked, it is his to loose, and so be it!!!
Oh it all makes sense now – the PR for the Royal Bank of Scotland was bloody awful, he’s obviously not good at the job, has no idea of the cultural sensitivities of the Country or how Royalty is looked upon being from the US and is a ‘yes’ man’ which is why he was hired.
Everyone is to blame here – but don’t push yourself into a job you cant do….
I gotsta say, the man who did the PR for Fred the Shred Goodwin doesn’t seem a desirable hire. He got his house attacked, his knighthood taken off him, and was even slagged off under parliamentary privilege in the House of Commons! Fred’s PR managed to unite the plebs and the establishment AGAINST him. And, let’s face it, Billy’s isn’t looking much better.
Oh, but this job would look good on his CV. It seems that Jason bit off much more than he could chew. I’d be looking for a new position if I were him.
Talise- I was wondering about that myself. An American seems like such an odd choice for royal PR. We really don’t understand the royal dynamic at gut level. A native would have an instinctual feel for how all the players interact.
That photo of Kate is very unflattering.
They have always had tone deaf PR. And it comes from the top, the Crown Prince himself. (I know they don’t use that term but he acts it).
Yes, she looks really bad in that photo. Like a really haggard, poorly-preserved 50-something. It only shows how much she relies on photoshop. Wow.
Neither look their actual age, IMO. Even though daylight isn’t kind to most of us in photos, she looks considerably older. Heavy tanning, cigarettes?
Another observation is that she is frequently photographed with odd, rather extreme expressions. People who are often photographed, seen in public, etc., are advised to observe themselves in a mirror (see what others see, facially). I would think royals would be advised to do something similar.
I am 50 and my skin looks a heck of a lot better than hers.
No offence meant, Crumpet. That’s why I said “poorly preserved”. I’m 50 as well and she looks way older them me. But then I don’t smoke, tan or extreme diet. And I don’t live her life of leisure.
This article confirms that it was William who selected the exact date for when the vacation photos would come out, and as notasugarhere pointed out previously, it was the same day as the 40th anniversary of the Prince’s Trust, which was meant to be Charles’ day, not W&K’s. I think William did that to screw over Charles. He could have waited another few days to release the photos, because Charles couldn’t have postponed the anniversary celebrations.
The DM also reported that Carole was with them on this same vacation to the French Alps. It writes that Carole hosted the group (W&K & friends) at the ski chalet.
Among the people on the vacation were W&K’s friend van Straubenzee, who is in the process of divorcing, and his former girlfriend, Sophie Carter.
So it wasn’t really the ‘us four’ family vacation that W&K are trying to push in order to copy the family man image of George VI.
And I’ll bet that its Carole that’s ‘advising’ Willy boy in his PR – they are using the same tactics the Mids used during the dating years. Its no surprise that Carole was there – Kate can’t function without her mother and if that marriage is going to work its needs Carole.
And if the soon to be single Van S was there am sure Pippa was – he’s a very good catch for the Middletons.
Wow, didn’t know that. Re Pippa – climb, wisteria sisters, climb! How vile…
I am *dying* to know why van Straubenzee is divorcing. Apparently the divorce was decreed in under 45 seconds based on his “unreasonable behavior” toward his spouse.
He must have cheated on Lady Melissa Percy, right? Is there any other explanation? I’m an American attorney but have no idea how the laws differ in the UK. And if so, then WHY ON EARTH would they want to set up a friend, let alone Pippa, with a known cheater?
Good lord, I can’t with these people.
WOW…………..this is a new tidbit of information that Carole Middleton was also on this trip. Where was Mike?
I read somewhere that Carole financed the trip for them.
I want the dirt on the van Straubenzee divorce. The last line of the article makes it sound like old Thomas did something real bad. To the Duke of Northumberland’s daughter, to boot!
Me too!! You can’t tell me something didn’t go down for it to be over that quickly….
Yes, I want to hear about that, too! Sounds to me as if he cheated on her – and she was not about to turn the other cheek like some of these aristocrats do! Good for her!!!!!!!!!!!!
That’s what it sounds like too- quickie divorce because he knows he screwed up. Good for her if she wouldn’t put up with it!
The article was a bit bizarre, though- the W&K+ Glorified Nanny Carole are going to try their hand at matchmaking for their poor, sad friend (who, by the sounds of that last line, played a large part in the demise of his own marriage)… perhaps they’ve already given up on poor Harry (4ever alone Harry).
Bluerunning, if you were in Harry’s shoes, would you even want that group setting you up with someone?!?
“Friends” have released a story that he was fully committed to the marriage and no one understand Missy Percy’s attitude. Fully Committed, newly divorced, upset, and already being set up with his ex on a ski holiday? W&K and Carole supporting TVS, how does it impact Pippa’s friendship with Missy’s older brother, the $450 million Percy heir?
Oh the tangled web The Set weaves.
Plus the DM article says that Sophie Carter currently has a boyfriend! Awkward.
I forgot about Pippa being BFF with Lady Melissa’s heir brother. Also that Chelsy Davy is BFFs with Lady Melissa and was in the wedding.
Was William’s Dad doing a lot more work when he was Williams’s age? This is a serious question. Just want to know how bad William looks compared to the royals before him.
William is lazy. Charles left the navy at 28, started the Prince Trust at 28 with the navy pension, launched Duchy Originals, etc.
Elizabeth took the throne officially at 26 and had taken his duties well before that. Princess Anne joined Save the Children UK when she was 20, an organization she is still heavily involved with to this day.
All the Queen’s children and their cousins were working by the time they were 28. In Royal Duties or some occupation. Fully committed and fully engaged.
If only William would emulate the cousin he was named after, William of Gloucester. He died at 30ish, but he packed a lot of work into that very short life.
And what’s really remarkable to realize is that Kate is two years younger and William three years younger than Diana was when she died. Look at all she accomplished in those years, compared to these two dilettantes. Kate and Wills seem like children when compared to the life Diana lived and all she accomplished!!
The sad thing is – when the bad PR hits critical mass the Cambridges trot out the kids. Will & Kate need to stop using George and Charlotte when the press isn’t in love with their decisions.
I’m beginning to think that W&K aren’t really worried about the kids’ privacy so much as they say. They don’t seem to raise a fuss when the public takes photos of the kids and they’re printed outside of the UK, especially in Australia.
I think they’re trying to limit the UK media’s access to the kids in order to create a ‘shortage’ of photos and stories and thus create more of a ‘demand’ for them and making them much more of a valuable commodity that they can use as bargaining chips or to placate the UK media whenever they need a boost to their own image.
Both sets of pap photos that involved their daughter, exclusive to Woman’s Day Australia, have been removed from that site. William kicks up a fuss over their son’s photos, but kicks up a much bigger fuss about their daughter. William wants exclusive control of their daughter’s image.
@ notasugarhere
Geez. The influence that the BRF have. Smh.
Good grief, Kate looks much older in these pics. You’d think all those vacations and (no doubt) spa days would work wonders.
That’s my take on this, too. For as much relaxing as she seems to do, she always looks like she’s in need of another vacation.
Colour me surprised said no one ever. His staff are young but not experienced – I suspect that they have all been on the receiving end of a Willy tantrum so have given up trying to make a difference. He’s doing what his parents and the Middletons have done – thrown other people under the bus to make themselves look better. The Middletons tried to blame the palace for Kate not working and then the accused one of her schools of bullying – its never their fault. Kate is just as bad as he is for blaming other people for her own shortcomings.
The press are sharpening their knives for these 2 – I want to see whats they have in their files on them.
Also, Richard Palmer has tweeted that there was a surprise CC entry for Harry in that he went to the Invictus training – interesting as its quite rare for his Invictus work to make it into the CC.
Anyways am off to watch the Scotland vs France rugger game on the telly – come on Scotland!!!
Hurrah for the ruggers. I support three teams, the mighty AB’s, Scotland, and anyone playing against England!
I support Wales and England (sorry!) plus Exeter Chiefs as a club. Mr Sixer is Ireland and England. Wales and Ireland due to parental influence respectively. Six Nations gets a bit ratty chez nous!
The Six Nations is always a little contentious chez nous as well Sixer, I am with you on that. Mr Antipodean is of the Scottish persuasion, and I am actually for the Irish as well, so we are all over the shop. At the end of the day we do just appreciate a good ruck and scrum. I was jesting about the English quip, it is a standing joke in these parts, and not (really) to be taken seriously!
It also occurs to me, will Billy the Basher get off his duff and show up to support his patronage, or is he off on his hols again? The plebs want to know. I suppose I could look it up on the Fail, but thought you might know.
Just as well your name isn’t Andy Murray or you could get into all sorts of tabloid trouble with that English/Scottish feuding stuff! Ack. Without it, where’s the fun?
This pleb prefers it if there’s no Billy Basher. Billy Bunter?
I have to concede that for all his wastrel ways Billy just doesn’t have the required girth to be a Bunter, although I bet he scoffs more than his share of jam/cream doughnuts, probably snatches them off Katie’s plate as well. Maybe we could settle on the apt Bucket instead?
The English/Scottish feuding stuff is really just a good natured throw back to ye olde times, and ye olde injuries, (clearances, absentee landlords etc), just a nod in that direction, no real malice intended. I think Andy Murray would even approve.
Liberty could do such a gorgeous skit with Billy as Bunter, though. How I wish she would!
Paid up Andy Murray fangirl, right here.
I am sure Liberty could write a very entertaining treatise on the subject. She is probably having a well earned Sunday off though. I have to confess that I find Andy, and his mum, a little wearing for my taste, but I am not a mad keen tennis aficionado, so there is that.
That first pic of Katie Bucket, wow. Looks like she’s thinking “I’m in a world of sh*t”.
I wish, but no, that would require insight and maturity….
The quote from Ingrid Seward pretty much sums up the entire situation.
And you know when she speaks out like that, there is trouble brewing.
I would personally love to work for the RF just to have my career set for life but it must be absolutely frustrating to work for these two workshy and entitled brats. Poor Jason should view this experience as a stepping stone to any job he wants in PR in the UK after he leaves behind this mess. That’s all this is. He nor anyone else can do anything to save William and Kate. They are not very bright and on top of that they have no work ethic, motivation, or interest other than going on vacation. Yes, it is William’s fault but Kate is just like him. No wonder these two got married.
He won’t get hired off of this job, because right now it looks like an enormous mess. He hasn’t gotten his clients under control and their image has gone south in the year he’s been employed with them.
Maybe he could return to the US and have a better chance. I thought I read somewhere he was an expert in crisis PR, which is interesting. That’s sort of setting the bar high in the first place.
I can’t wait to see one of these “too young employee” quit the job and write a tell all book.
The PR staff MAY be part of the problem but W and K are not children. If these two are really so detached from the real world than they get what they deserve. Many others were detached from the real world and lost their positions of entitlement; some even lost their heads.
And I agree with notasugarhere. If Kate was really trying to make a go of it, she’d be polished and on point with what little she does.
Sidebar: she really looks tired and old in these pics.
Completely agree, particularly with your sidebar observation.
As far as her looks and aging, there are two issues at play:
1. the press really set her up. And she played into their hands by overindulging the botox.
She’s always had bad skin and is modestly pretty. Her photos were photoshopped to a hyperstyled version of herself.
These days, she’s not photoshopped so much, she isn’t botoxing as much, so she looks as she always did, albight older.
Comparing the two is shocking because you are comparing a more realistic version of her with a previously hyperstylised, photoshopped to the max version of her.
2. As long as the public loved her, only flattering or photoshopped pics were posted.
Now that she’s not so beloved + the media dislikes them, unflattering or less photoshopped pics are being posted.
The more she is shown looking less than the previous perfect photoshopped image, the more it supports whatever negative narrative the media is spinning.
This is how Fergie was set up with less than flattering, idiotic expressions etc. Ditto Saintly Diana and her always flattering pics.
Over on the fuggirls when someone said that Kate isn’t being photoshopped as much anymore, they claimed that they only buy images from Getty images and that they have never been photoshopped. I didn’t know what to think about that response.
JIB: anyone who thinks Getty images doesn’t use photoshopped images is an idjit. Especially in this age of everyone having a photoshop tool on their computers to adjust image before uploading to the Getty servers.
This piece completely blames W & K. It is just doing it in a roundabout way. The quote from Ingrid Seward, who has known William his entire life, says it all: There’s no telling William anything. The PR people can only advise, William makes his own (poor) decisions.
I think William is being advised but not by his PR staff but by the Middletons – Carole has a lot of influence over the two of them. William has said on more than one occasion about how much he admires her.
Tone-deaf is no longer an apt description for those two. The problem may be that in addition to being strong-willed and thinking that he is right all of the time is the fact that the level of deference William has received throughout his life reinforces his belief in his own genius. So the problem, simply put, is that he believes his sh*t doesn’t stink. Or that he believes that it can only flow from the royal anus and not out of his mouth or are refected in his actions. Somehow I see a Greek tradegy in all of this ala some sort of mythological tale in which he learns a great lesson. Who knows? Anyway . . .
The press doesn’t even have to go after them head on. It can play it’s own games of show and tell. For instance, it can do subtle things like not retouching the photos of Kate, publishing pictures from unflattering angles, publishing articles that have a then versus now theme (etc,. William’s teeth which looks as if he’s had them whitened), and/or publish a timeline comparison piece (of UK royals) under the guise of flattery. For example, the press could highlight the Prince’s Trust in such a way to show not just what Charles has done and accomplished but which also highlights what William hasn’t even attempted.
The press is a way better power player at this then are Will and Kate. While the phone tapping scandal (the UK folks, in particular, will know the one to which I’m referring (Milly/Molly Dowling??) & paparazzi over-reach may have set the press back on it’s heels a bit–and even unleashed a bit of soul searching on the parts of some–the press is still the press, journalists are still joirnalists, and celebrity press is still an amped of version of the former.
Random question: is getting one’s teeth whitened looked down upon in the UK?
We are definitely past ‘tone-deaf’. We need a new descriptive word for this mess.
“William announcing his anti-poaching initiative just after a hunting trip”
Why is that a gaffe? Hunting legally has nothing to do with poaching.
Optics. To some people they are related with the anti-poaching initiative targeting the poor natives without other options and a hunting trip being associated with the rich elite. At a glance it looks like he’s simply being a colonial elitist sitting on his high horse preaching to the underlings. JMO
It’s totally optics and an amateur move.
Of course is someone else fault, and not of the grown up throwing tantum baby.
I’m my view for Katie Nicholls to be writing in this vein then she must be concerned that the term work shy Willie is going to take a lot to bury. Mind you wasn’t it Nicholl who thought up that rather b*** name for Kate ‘Waity Katy’. Perhaps things will become more settled after the India Trip or Wills is working an overtime shift.
I believe she/the Fail took that name from the comments section of the DM site.
I suspect that Will and Kate would actually LOVE to go on way more private trips and holidays. A bit like Will’s cousine Beatrice . But given that Will and Kate that they get criticized for it they can’t. Both of them would love to not “work” at all, only go to those visits that actually interest them (Will maybe military stuff and Kate culture, arts, tv shows etc.).
They averaged 10 away trips annually during the dating years.
They probably don’t go away as often now that they are married, but they still go away.
It’s usually not publicised, but there are little clues every time they go away.
All th PR in th world cant hide this pair of shirkers and their arrogance – if wills wants to take on th press one day it will come bak to bite him on his lazy arse. Th press arent stupid and neither r th public, their patience is wearing as thin as his hair. Hes playing a dangerous game n should know better.
Oh, this is getting good and can only get worse as we near the Queen’s birthday.
William thinks he’s so smart and that he’s outwitting everyone with his shenanigans and all he’s done is set him and the missus up for their eventual downfall. If William keeps at it, he’s going to force the Queen and Parliament to do something about his work-shy ways and lavish lifestyle. QEII may not want to confront William, but Charles is no dummy. He knows the BRF will be on thin ice once his mother dies. If William won’t conform, it may be time to help him make the decision to remove himself and his children.
omg! She is rapidly aging. William must be a terror behind closed doors. Always unhappy and complaining. Nothing she does is good enough. She looks 50. He is like his father!
Regarding Jamie, he was fired by the Queen because he kept her in the dark about the first pregnancy. They told the Middletons, but wanted to wait until Christmas Eve to tell the Queen. When Kate got sick, the game was up. A huge number of people knew about the pregnancy, and the Queen wasn’t one of them. She forced Jamie out over William’s strong objections. Jamie still works one day a week. This mirrors the actions of an aide of Charles that got into trouble, and he was forced to resign, and Charles kept him on a day a week. Wills named Jamie a godparent just to goose the queen.
I’m guessing at this point the queen is furious, but Charles is thrilled because William is not overshadowing him. He and Camilla get nothing but great press. This is an ideal set up for Charles.
No, this is not ideal for him. Charles needs W&K getting positive press. He needs people thinking beyond his reign to William’s. Charles needs all the people in His Line to be popular. If Charles was worried about being overshadowed, Harry would be locked in the basement at Highgrove.
PR gaffes?!
I lived through tampon-gate, through pictures of Fergie getting her toes sucked, through tell-all books and interviews and a very public divorce, and a re-marriage that threatened to spark a constitutional crisis.
Nothing William has ever done even registers on the Royal gaffe scale. Even Harry’s misdemeanours are minor in comparison to his parents’ generation.
LOL…………..very true. BUT – you don’t know what has gone on behind closed doors yet.
I think what William has done through the years easily outweighs Fergie’s affair and some stolen pillow talk. Ultimately, his lifelong negative attitude towards the monarchy and the press will be the undoing of the House of Windsor.
The UK’s Independent reports that the press discusses something called the ‘Middleton Rules,’ which was created by William and Michael Middleton. Its purpose is ‘to shield the Cambridges from the public gaze.’ Does this mean from just the media or it and the general public too? Oh my…
Interesting. See? You think Michael is the only one stepping back and not getting involved, but he is as part of the shenanigans as the rest of his family is.
I dunno, but I think Michael is doing this just to go along to get along with William, because isn’t this contrary to what the core Middleton members want? They seem to want media attention. But then someone has to pretend to be on William’s side, so was Michael appointed to step in and pretend to agree with William that a plan to keep the Cambridges from being seen by the public has to be created? All of this is so weird.
From the Independent’s section ‘Voices.’
Tittled: The Media Column: If the Royal Family continues to push out the press, it will put its own future at risk
Dated today
By Ian Burrell
These ‘rules’ have been around since the wedding and were allegedly towels ease the special snowflake shopaholic into Royal life, it’s been 5 years and they are still being ‘followed’. It’s just excuse after excuse, the public and press are part of the role if he/they don’t like it they can walk away and become private citizens.
The link to that article in the Independent was tweeted by Peter Hunt of the BBC. I find that very interesting.
The way his staff’s ages are used as a perjorative, you imagine they are teens or young adults with no experience whatsoever.
The irony being that WK, despite approaching mid-30s, have no life experience at all, yet want everyone to follow their lead and can’t comprehend why doing so is a disaster.
Ahh so PR is lying. It just goes to show what a messed up world we have when commentators are telling them to lie better
Of course this was going to happen – when have W or K ever taken responsibility for anything in their lives? They have no sense of accountability.
A DimWill has accomplished is to start a conversation as to wether he, and his family, are needed and/or relevant in this grand old 21st century. Well done, Willy!
Wow I just saw a picture of Jason Knauf in that Nicholl story. He’s cute! Not what I was picturing…
Why is it that I think Jason ain’t taking it all for free? He’s going to get something in the end. A sweet, off the royal money, payment for all the pain of having to deal with The-Blame-is-NEVER-on-Me-I’m-A-Lazy-As-Hell-Manchild-William-Of-Windsor (thank God all of the members of the royal family have hundreds of names and middle names and surnames), the Duke of Never Do Anything Land, and his wife, the Duchess of Forever Waiting [for her to do something worth noticing other than shopping and vacationing]. And No one can convince me Jason’t payment will come in the shape of a tell-all. To hell with any silent clause in the contract.
The Prinny vibe from Will is overwhelming. (George IV, one of the most spoiled brats any monarchy has ever produced, and that’s saying something.) He really seems to think the world exists to cater to him. That attitude in monarchs has never gone over well, even in the times of divine right. You have to hold that crown somehow, and you can’t call “off with their heads” these days, Willy.