Prince William, Duchess Kate and Prince Harry are due to make appearances at Westminster today for Commonwealth Day, so we’ll have those photos either later today or tomorrow. There’s some additional information going around that deserves its own post though. Let’s go through some of the assorted stories.
Kate’s expensive tablecloth suit. Last Friday, Kate wore an Eponine London ensemble which apparently cost £600 per piece, meaning the suit cost £1200. Which is pretty steep, especially considering how ugly it was. She also paired the suit with £3,400 morganite and diamond earrings. All to visit underprivileged children.
Kate and William’s ski holiday. It wasn’t just a happy family-of-four vacation at all, which is what we were previously led to believe, that Will and Kate wanted to take their young children on their first family holiday, etc. First of all, Carole Middleton was there. She vacations with them because – I strongly suspect – she is one of the big reasons why their marriage functions at all. Will and Kate also brought along Thomas van Straubenzee and his ex-girlfriend Sophie Carter. Thomas is recently divorced, so Will, Kate and Carole were acting as matchmakers. They all enjoyed wine, beer, cheeseburgers, goat cheese salads, linguine and more during an epic, no-kids-allowed dinner, then Carole acted as “host” at the chalet. At some point, Kate will have to learn how to host her own parties/events/vacations without her mum’s help, right?
The Daily Mirror is going after William too. After the Daily Mail went full-negative on William, Mirror columnist Camilla Tominey wrote a piece on Sunday called “Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are overly staged.” The words used: workshy, control freakery, overprivileged, “wanting to have his cake and eat it, with cream and a cherry on top.”
Photos courtesy of Getty, WENN.
As a pleb, I would like it known that MY cake has a jelly tot on top.
When I hear tot, I think TATERS. Methinks that’s not what you meant.
Cheap sweeties not posh cherries! https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Jelly_tots.jpg.
Sugar jellies!! If you gonna promote tooth decay, that’s a delicious way to do it.
Could Carole have been overseeing the children’s care?
I don’t understand what hosting or cheese cracker serving would need to be done, when there are great places to eat, etc., in the village where they stayed.
I thought they had nannies for the kids! Are Will and Kate capable of taking a single vacation on their own without Mummy tagging along? I remember when they want to Australia on an official visit and wanted to bring Carole on the trip until the Palace put its foot down and said no.
Carole also got to go on a v private trip to the set of Downtton Abbey a week after Kate’s visit, organised by her staff. The Mids get a LOT of perks and have been riding on Royal coattails for many years.
I was thinking more along ‘managing’ child care (hovering over nannies).
The DM reporter clearly got a copy of the restaurant bill, so I think that whoever at the restaurant sold it to them also said that Carole was “hosting” i.e., making the reservation, settling the tab, etc. Carole was probably in charge of weekend logistics and using her own name and credit card instead of the Cambridges revealing themselves immediately.
There’s no need to give your own name to make a reservation and surely they have some staff credit card they can use. I expect their staff to be perfectly able to organize very simple trips and events like these.
Maybe Carole is there to promote herself as a “high profile host” and have some more business opportunities at home.
A previous article said that they brought loads of help with them, including at least one nanny. So I doubt Carole was the main baby-sitter.
And since Carole helped create the Middleton crest, which has ski slopes in it to signify how much the family loves to ski, I’m sure she spent time skiing too, not just hosting parties and baby-sitting. No doubt she’s was allowed to indulge herself in the superior restaurants and wine bars there too. Or if she was with the kids, she was probably looking around hoping for paps to take pics of her being the ‘royal’ grandma.
A “coat of arms”… with a skiing motif? Please.. just kill me now. How revoltingly pretentious.
OMG, we should all have sporty crests and talk about them. Mine would feature a Spalding rubber ball.
Does that mean she picked up the tab?
U must be joking, either it was fully comped or Charles gets the bill.
I read somewhere that she financed the trip. However, I might be wrong. But it wouldn’t surprise me. Good way to ensure being invited to come along.
I’d love to know when Kate is ever going to run her own life without her mother up her nose!
Of course I was joking.
She just called in her Visa number.
Still joking.
As if the chalet didn’t have a butler, housekeeper and other servants.
Yes, methinks she WAS overseeing the children’s care….if by children, you meant Will and Kate, not George and Charlotte!
All of the above — LOL.
Creepy, weird, strange couple.
I see that Kate gets her eyeliner tips from her mother. Wow, what an unflattering pic of Carole, the den mother of Amner Hall.
Also, I’m so loving this take-down. Keep it up, tabs.
Let’s all wish Carole Middleton a long and healthy life because she’ll have to be there for her daughter for the rest of her (Kate’s) life.
Are we surprised Mommy Dearest was there? She practically runs that family. God help us when he takes the throne as u just know she’ll be the power behind it ‘advising’ him just like she does with his PR strategy.
The UK’s Independent had an article yesterday in which it says the press recognizes something called the ‘Middleton Rules’ which was created by William and Michael Middleton and it’s purpose is ‘shield the Cambridges from the public gaze.’
So Michael has not been sitting back and letting the rest of the Mids do everything. Apparently he’s involved in the behind-the-scenes stuff as well.
These rules also show just how much influence they have over William. Talk about the Boelyns 2.0 and look how things worked out for them. If I were Charles that would worry me.
The “Middleton Rules” have been talked about since before the wedding. When you read through what is said about them, they are about maintaining William’s obsession with secrecy – with the wife and kids as the excuse.
I always shake my head at the enormous sympathy tossed Michael’s way, which, in effect, emasculates him. Just because he’s the quiet one, doesn’t mean Waity isn’t a product of his upbringing and values as well. He should be embarrassed about creating signet rings and a coat of arms (with a skiing motif).
Michael Midds is as much of a crass arriviste as the rest of the family, and wholly on side when it comes to the social clamber. Besides, what father allows their daughter to be treated like dirt by his son-in-law and endures the trashing of her reputation over the years? He’s scum, IMO, along with the rest of them. Unless he really is a eunuch and even then he doesn’t get a pass.
ITA agree with everything hmmm said. I’ve never believed Pa Middleton was anything less than an enabler and active, voluntary accomplice to Ma’s and Katie’s scheming. Some people think he’s quiet and unassuming. I never got that impression of him. What I see is a very sly and creepy man.
They live in the lap of luxury, so much privilege and money, plus they barely work. But they still somehow always look exhausted, and much older than they really are.
That is exactly what baffles me. Leisure, paid help plus access to whatever spa treatments one might want to look fresh and relaxed. Yet they look so tired most of the time.
Willy, Kate, Carole, Michael, they all smoke and have for years. Smoking and sun are the top two worst things you can do to your skin.
I think it’s an emotional problem because as much damage as smoking and sun can do to a person, Carol M doesn’t look this exhausted and *she’s* apparently running their household, hosting their parties AND running a business and her own household.
It’s because they’ve been up all the night before crying about going to work the next day.
@Anne – that might be the issue. Worrying about ‘work’, public speaking, etc., can be more draining than just doing it. They don’t look quite so exhausted when at a sporting event.
Maybe she can take on smoking and use as a cause. Given that most of those with mental health also have an an addiction problem…. Oh wait, too much information.
*snicker*
Guilt.
They are receiving tons of backlash
Last week, one of the UK papers said Kate was brittle. Can any Britishers tell me if that has cultural meaning in the UK beyond the dictionary definition of ‘hard but liable to break or shatter easily’. In other words, how would Kate Fox translate that from Britisher to American. (KF wrote “Watching the English: The Hidden Rules of English Behavior”.)
Means she’s fragile, like ‘handle with care’ fragile. Hence why mommy is always around.
It’s pretty obvious that Kate can’t function even on the lowest level without Carole. That level of dependency in a grown woman is not normal.
It means emotionally uptight, lacking affection. Its an insult.
It’s interesting Kate was anything but “fragile” before she met William. I mean, by all accounts, she led a pretty athletic life.
I would say she’s not cut out for a public role if the pressures have rendered her “fragile.”
Thanks soirise, I’m gonna go with that. Kate Fox would be proud. Thanks
I sort of assumed it meant she was very difficult to deal with and couldn’t handle any type of adversity or stress.
Mum and daughter are looking old beyond their years
It means panties in a wad, or knickers in a twist!!
It can also mean a person is hard, cold. It wasn’t a compliment and it wasn’t necessarily sympathetic.
Ooh, she’s “complicated.”
Demi Lovato never meant “Complicated” to be Waity.
Citresse, brittle when used to describe a person refers to personality, not physical stamina.
Azurea, yes I understood but Kate looks so thin. The tablecloth didn’t fit her properly- the top emphasized her thin frame I thought. She appears brittle in personality and physical stamina. Today, she looked overwhelmed by a coat and at first I thought Kate was Carole Middleton- Kate’s aging so rapidly.
It used to largely mean someone who is emotionally hard edged and hollow. Ice cold and superficial.
She needs her mom basically, he never got off the tit. So Carole calls the shots on everything. She is the catalyst for the whole relationship and her standing in society is dependent on Kate and Will so she wants to make sure they are happy. I’m an only child and the dedication to this makes me sick. My mother has done some crazypants things for me but I can’t imagine her giving up everything to follow me around is ludicrous
I love that everything about the manufactured Cambridge image is being unveiled. Kudos to those who thought there were others, besides their help, on this trip. You were right. No wonder PR guru William didn’t want the royal press pack with him. Can’t host your friend and his girlfriend and your MIL if you’re pretending it was just the 4 of you plus your nanny.
Drag them, UK press. Drag them!
Bravo. Well said. Finally the media is showing the truth. Although, the un-photoshopped pics of Kate are quite hilarious.
They had waitress and chef I suppose.
I can’t believe they needed someone “to host”. To host what ? To order the dinner for everyone ? To make a phone call for a reservation ?
These two are overspoiled and overprivileged grown adults. William got a pass for too much time because his mum died tragically, but Harry shares the same fate and he doesn’t come out this bad, so William doesn’t have any excuse left.
Obviously she is not that much better, but I think in her case things are a bit strange: there’s the “she is not royal” thing, and I seriously believe this stuff in their absurd world matters, I do not give her a pass either, but I want to try to have a different perspective, and how is even possible that her younger sister does more charity work than her ???
Plus the fact that one of the friends is v recently divorced for a short lived marriage and it sounds like he was their with the ‘new gf’ or his ex that W&K r trying to set him up with. Am surprised they weren’t trying to foist Pips on him.
It could mean organizing events throughout the weekend, too. So if someone mentions wanting to ski, you’re on the phone and getting equipment, a ride out so you can ski, and making sure there’s a proper snack or light meal ready when they return. She was probably overseeing the staff who actually does the heavy lifting, but “hosting” sounds better.
At least, that’s my interpretation of it! When I host relatives for the weekend, I use the word “host” as shorthand for all the cleaning, event organizing and so on that goes on (and I don’t have staff to help, either!).
Kate has a PA for this kind of thing and I think the RPOs do this as well. So again there was no need for Carole to be there organising everything as they have hired help to do it, it’s just excuses to justify her presence.
Can’t royals pick up the phone and order their own food without a servant? Egads.
You’re right Green Girl. Thing is, I take pride in hosting my friends and you clearly do too. I wouldn’t slough their comfort off onto my mother: it’s my job to make sure my guests are having a great time.
Frankly, a large part of Kate’s job description is ‘host’. Michelle Obama has a staff of PAs to organize state dinners, but she’s the one making final decisions on menus and china and then showing them off to the press. The Queen infamously reviews her tables before hosting her state dinners. Kate is going to be responsible for that task eventually. She needs to step it up now, with these smaller low-stakes parties, if she’s ever going to be a successful host as Queen Consort.
These kinds of ultra luxury resorts tend to have in-residence butlers, assistants, concierges, etc. on call 24/7. Also, W&K were said to have brought ‘loads of help,’ so I think they must have used a staff member to do all the coordination.
Yikes, that photo. I think Kate looks old because she takes after her father. Mike Middleton’s face is lined and saggy. It looks distingushed on an older man and worrying on a woman in her 30s. Really nothing she can do about that. Maybe that’s one reason she always has her hair in her face?
I think Kate is pretty.
IKR? I know they usually photoshop her image but wowzer did not realize how much. You never see the lines on her forehead, the bags under her eyes or the sagging skin. Maybe she also gets Botox and it wore off, she looks closer to her Mom’s age.
How about all those years of playing in the sun? And strict dieting?
I think Kate is very pretty also, but when I see un-photoshopped pics of her, she has really bad skin and is already getting jowly on the sides of her mouth. I think that’s why she puts the makeup on with a trowel.
I’m not British so maybe I don’t get it, but I don’t get the carol Middleton hate. My own mother got cancer when I was only 17 and died early into my life. I wish very much I had my mom to be close and involved in my life. I think it’s sweet and I think it’s clear that she isn’t pushing- Kate is clearly asking her to be there/wants her there. Codependent bla bla ok, but it’s not the worst thing to be close with your mother. I wish I had the option.
You’re not the only one. It’s always a hatefest on these threads.
I’m always a bit startled by the mother-hate for Carol.
I was thinking the same. I would be so happy to have my mother around that I’d take her everywhere with me too!
Same here. I lost my mom to cancer. She was only 49. I would give *anything* to have my mom back “hosting” with me. 😪
It’s not about Carole herself, is about the pr crap they’ve tried to sell for years: how down to earth, how all on their own and simply they live, and how “Kate would hit the ground running” and “how she would amaze us all with her work”, when the reality is: Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth who are in their 90′ s work three times more than these two.Plus she wasn’t there to help (they have nannies) she was there on taxpayers money. If their work-ethic was better I think no one would go after Carole being there, even if there’s a Pimp mama Kris allure in her.
Personally I think she is far way more interesting than all her daughters put together.
What about her dad though? He is rarely mentioned being present. Wouldn’t he want to see his grand kids too?
And with bringing friends along with her mum, it doesn’t seem like they spent much time during this ski holiday actually being with the kids, except for the few photos. Usually a family holiday is family, so while Carole being there fits in that definition, also bringing the divorced buddy and ex girlfriend does not.
I’m sorry to hear about your mother, that must be tough and I can see why you feel that Kate and Carole’s relationship is seized upon on these threads – which, to some extent, it is. I don’t think anyone here would say there’s anything wrong with being close to your mother, but there’s a line, regardless.
I think part of the reason people see their relationship as unhealthily co-dependent is because it sounds like Kate’s life does not function without her, from running Anmer Hall to her relationship with William to her children, and seems like a continuation of when Kate spent her twenties living with her parents ‘working’ for their company as she waited on the engagement. Being close to a parent is important, but at some point the parent has to allow the child to make decisions and mistakes on their own and grow as a person, because at some point the child will be on their own, and may even have their own children to be raising too.
If the impression of Carole as omnipresent in Kate’s life is true, then that speaks to the level of Kate’s maturity that she has married and had two children whilst remaining a somewhat overgrown child herself. I’m not saying that no daughter should ask for her mother’s support or advice with children or marriage – especially for the early years, which is part of the reason I wouldn’t side-eye her going to spend the summer after George’s birth with her parents – but if Kate can’t handle those things as a thirty-something woman, blessed as she is with her position in life, without Carole’s perpetual, constant presence and guidance, then I’d kind of wonder if she really should have made the commitment of a marriage and family.
Excellent post, I think you sum it up nicely!
Everything you said is spot on. I can’t help but notice that Carole is not as “hands on” with her other children. Makes me think she would not have been as involved in Kate’s life had Kate not married into royalty.
The closeness wouldn’t seem so odd if Kate and Carole were two independent people capable of living each of their own lives on their own and that their closeness was based on a healthy, grown-up relationship. But in this case, it’s more like severe dependence and inability to let Kate get on with her own life without Carole worrying that she might not be integral to the royal life W&K have.
There’s been stories about how much Carole runs everything from Kate’s household to how George goes through his daily life. Carole has a hand in choosing the servants, what decorations go where including flowers and scents, feeding William his favorite snacks, etc. She dictates George’s daily schedule, including when he can sleep, eat, nap, play, what clothes he can wear, how his laundry is processed, etc., and it’s been said that it’s Carole that reads him bedtime stories. No mention of Kate doing any of this. The only thing I’ve read about Kate’s own involvement with her kids is that she drew pictures of them last summer.
It’s also said that Carole acts as an intermediary between W&K and that she always comes down on the side of William and tells Kate to step in line. Is this healthy? Why always support William? Why teach Kate that she must defer to him as if he’s of more value in the marriage? Why not teach Kate that she should have equal footing in the relationship?
Just as Carole makes sure that Kate can’t grow independent of her, she makes sure Kate can is dependent on William to the point that it’ll be considered their life’s failure if William isn’t always appeased in the marriage. This isn’t healthy.
I think that’s an interesting question – who needs whom? Can Kate not function in life without her mother? Or is Carole smothering Kate to avoid losing control of her eldest daughter and her ticket into the Royal Family, which she apparently wants so desparately?
@ Bethany
I think Carole is getting something out of this too. She wants in on Kate’s ‘royal’ life, so she makes sure to keep Kate dependent on her and William, with the latter two always being right and Kate being wrong if she disagrees or starts to think a different way. I think it’s very much a control issue with Carole.
I come from a very large and very matriarchal extended family on both sides. (Father one of 7 including 5 sisters, mother one of 8 including 6 sisters). Basically, two sets of Sister Mafias run us all and men are only allowed in as acceptable spouses provided they concede all decision-making capacity to the respective Sister Mafia. Babies are raised by the Sister Mafia village. I jest, but honestly, it’s not *that* far from the truth.
And even I think this Carole thing is W.E.I.R.D.
I come from a cultural group with strong women and mothers and I find it a bit odd too. There’s a difference between getting together as a family in good times and bad, and depending on your parents to organize your everyday life.
I think it must be the clear feebleness and incapacity demonstrated by Katie Bucket rather than anything to do with Normal Bill.
My mother, grandmothers and aunts may well have been the most significant authority figures in my life, but I was expected to be as they were and take my place among them, not forever be ruled by them.
Add me to the sister mafia AND finding the carole/Katie relationship very odd indeed.
Ohhhhh Sixer, that warms my heart. You and LAK should meet up and watch Steel Magnolias. It’s about a U.S. Southern Sister Mafia.
PinaColada, my mom died when I was 13. I envy Kate her relationship with her mom. If the Kate Haters dislike her and Carol M so much, they should just stop reading about them.
I agree, too. I’m sorry to hear about your mom. My (immigrant) parents live with us, and truly, my mother’s help may also be the reason my marriage stays together! She is a wonderful woman, my husband loves and appreciates her, she is very happy to have this role in helping raise our grandkids, and I only see positives in it. I have MANY issues with Kate and Will and their work ethic, but I think the judgment of Carol is misplaced.
Yes I too dragged my Mom on many vacations to help fill the hole in my marriage while my husband played 36 holes of golf and left me & the kids at a pool…Mom is a comfort when you have trouble in paradise.
It’s not about being close to your mother. It’s about being dependent on your mother. At some point in your life as a woman, if you are lucky enough to still have a mother, you separate from your mother and become your own woman: you make your own decisions, you are your own matriarch. With Kate, it seems as though Carole is the matriarch/wife to William, almost, and it’s creepy. She is always there, always managing, always arranging and she and her husband made it possible for a grown woman to do absolutely nothing for an entire decade except wait around for Will to call. How is that healthy??
Carole had her eye on the prize for years, and allowed her daughter to sit and wait for the phone, thus never pushing her out of the nest so she could learn to fly. That, in my opinion, is why Kate still can’t fly on her own – she was infantalized and disempowered for a decade when she should have been figuring out who she was and what she wanted.
Spot on.
Good observation. It takes two to create a seemingly highly dependent situation.
Perfect assessment.
They went on a ski trip with a baby and a toddler. I think having mom along would be great. That way you get some adult time off or you can take Will and mom can watch the baby. And I would much prefer my mom (if alive) along than a nanny. Kelly Ripa and her husband took her parents along a lot when taking kid vacations. My friend used to bring her parents along to help out on ski vacations with small children. .My friend who loves to ski, they bring her mom and dad along to help out with the kids. Having another couple along is fun also. The whole “hosting” comment I take with a grain of salt and blown out of proportion.
I don’t see the problem.
The problem is that it was sold as a first holiday of them as a family, not with her mother and some friends. The more that comes out makes it sound like the only time they were seen with the kids was for the pap stroll.
Its still a family vacation and the children are a huge part of that. Whatever. People can twist it all they want. You try taking a baby and a toddler on a ski vacation. The mother is family and is a big help. Enjoying some friends there while on it, is that so awful? The children are still a huge part of it and Will running around.
Jayna, they have more than one nanny so she doesn’t actually need her mother there to help with child care. They have hired help for that.
Maybe because it was probably at their expense -or more like the public’s ?
But the nanny did go with them. If they gave the nanny a holiday, then I could sort of understand asking Carole to come along to watch the children, but that’s clearly not the case here. If the intent was for Carole to attend so she could look after her grandchildren and spend time with them, why didn’t Michael also attend to do the same thing?
@Betti is spot on – why try to sell this as ‘our first holiday as a family’ when it was more a hodge-podge collection of adults having some boozy fun at a no-kids-allowed dinner, with a brief photoshoot with the children thrown in? It makes me think of the rumours about their honeymoon that Will and Kate invited along several friends and were at no point actually alone in the Seychelles, despite the PR of ‘our romantic trip away’.
@Rachel – this reminds me of Charles and Diana’s honeymoon with his friends
Rachel, when the sex part gets old, yeah it is time to bring your friends, howse about an orgy?
Nanny Maria was there to take care of the kids. Carole was there in her usual role of treating William like the Golden Child, and keeping the peace between Petulant Will and Prickly Kate. If left alone, this relationship would have died after university.
ooh notasugarhere I think you said it! The relationship would have withered after uni (as William was apparently wishing it would) if the Limpet and her mom hadn’t hung on for dear life.
I agree with you Jayna, I have said before on similar threads – the problem is not having a mother close to her daughter and grandkids. I actually have no issue with that.
I think the hate you see on these posts towards Carole is a result of having raised an infantile daughter with zero sense of responsibility, duty, self awareness… you can add a lot more here.
If Will and Kate would actually be hard working, pleasant, more involved and rational, decent human beings, I bet you wouldn’t see so much hate towards the Midds. After all, going on vacation for a few days with a grandmother when you have young children and live out of town and you are a young working mom – well, everyone would get that.
The problem is that Kate is none of those things – not working, not exactly covered in parental responsibilities or home managing ones, with all the staff she has… so people end up resenting her mom both due to Kate’s apparent inability to sneeze by herself, and because Carole obviously adores to interject herself into “royal” situations. Again, I don’t think people would mind it at all, were Will and Kate acting more like Harry, for example, rather than the selfish twits they are.
Rarely, have I seen the situation written so well. +1
They brought the nanny with them. It’s also been reported that they brought loads of other help.
With Carole so intent on the joy of skiing that she created the Middleton crest to include ski slopes, I doubt that after hosting the party, she was relegated to baby sitting duties all on her lonesome or supervising the nanny. I don’t doubt that she was out and about, skiing, going to the world class restaurants and wine bars, shopping, making sure William was sufficiently entertained and ass kissed up to, etc.
This now makes me wonder about the reports of sightings of Willy and Waity dining out on their own several times (so romantic, such a golden couple). What about their guests? What about her mother? I wonder if these reports were planted lies as well, because I don’t see Carole out on the town all alone or skiing alone.
I agree. Since William can barely keep from rolling his eyes in public when Kate speaks, I doubt he spent much of the time alone with just Kate. After all, he brought along his best buddy and a pretty blond and who knows how many other guests or people he knew that arrived separately? And it seems that when he leaves Kate on her own, she goes to mom and dad for companionship.
The family holiday was just a smoke screen. The pretty blonde was probably for willie.
Lolz and Carol was there to “protect her interests”
Oddest thing to me is bring a friend and his ex… His quickie divorce is barely inked and they are match making him with his ex? Wow that’s cold! And weird right? To me that’s the juicier story! I thought Melissa Percy was the prettiest bride I’ve ever seen!
Ps- maybe they are bringing in a new couple to spice things up haha!
And the Percy’s are allegedly good friends with the couple. Interesting indeed.
I wonder what was the unreasonable behaviour cited in divorce papers?
Isn’t Thomas one of Willys wing men? Could be he was cheating or an absent husband. Weren’t they together for a long time?
They won’t be happy that Willy has thrown them and their marital issues under the bus to protect his image.
Yes, very interesting. The article seems to say that Carter has another boyfriend, but the timing and the situation is… interesting.
What I find the MOST interesting, is that as an American, I would have NO CLUE about the TVS/Percy divorce, except that Willy and Kate dragged him along on this trip and brought his quickie divorce into light. Poor couple- if they were hoping to keep it quiet, this is probably not the way to do it! Now we all get to speculate on what was so awful she already divorced him. Cheating seems to plebeian…
Yeah, that part caught my eye too. How long has the ink been dry on those divorce papers? Melissa pulled the plug rather quickly. Makes you wonder if Sophie was the reason why. Also makes you wonder why family man William brought these two on a secret ski vacation with the missus and the kids and his mother-in-law. Juicy…
Citresse, what does unreasonable behavior mean, he toots in bed, or he left the toilet seat up, could somebody please enlighten me??
the wedding was covered here –I was surprised the divorce wasnt. They quietly separated in late 2015 and it was just finalized. The Percys and Von Straubenzees are both close to the royals. George Percy, the heir to the Dukedom, was the one linked to Pippa–who was at the wedding. Melissa is close to Eugenie and Cressida (both at the wedding) and Chelsy (a bridesmaid). William and Harry were both ushers. Thomas is close to both brothers and charlottes godfather. He seems like an ass though. Melissa probably would’ve been a good hypothetical match for Harry. Blonde, sporty, aristocratic, etc…Too bad.
Mother Middleton was probably a help on this trip with the little ones. No big deal in my book.
She helped supervise the nannies.
I think she was enjoying the luxe restaurants, skiing her heart out, and getting her drink on. No one puts Carole in a corner!
The nannies were a big help too.
If Carole is advising Kate on her fashion choices, then how great are her party hosting skills?
I would say W&K need new PR people, but at this point, I think no one can help them.
“how great are her party hosting skills?”
On the level of ‘Party Pieces’?
Will Kate ever be able to function without her mother breathing down her neck and managing her life?
Why can’t these two spend a holiday by themselves and their 2 children? They don’t work and have no obligations whatsoever, but they still manage to need Carole to smooth things over, the nannies, and another couple! They seem unable – or unwilling – to spend time together. And people mock Charles and Diana…
Well perhaps the Van Straubenzee/ Percy union declined at Chatlottes christining. See this- both as godparents, then a separation then a couple of months later a divorce for his actions?
Also this rules out any hope of a double Dutch for the Middleton girls. The Percy family likely won’t look kindly on this. Even if the Percy heir may not play the hetero team, he will still likely marry and provide and heir, that’s just the way it works.
http://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/princess-charlottes-godparents-meet-the-god-squad-10371044.html
Probably but s already 31 and no wedding in sight. He has a younger brother so at least some pressure is off. And the Northumberlands have a bit of history with the younger son succeeding an older anyway. 🙂
Melissa Percy is besties with Chelsy. Because William and Kate have taken such a public stand in favor of her ex is this a sign of them taking sides against Chelsy? Hmmm aristo intrigue… can someone write a book on the newer generations alliances??
I would see no problem with her mother/parents/friends tagging along or picking up the tab or whatever if these two actually worked hard at their royal duties. I think that’s the real issue. People are irked and are going to be annoyed with them for the smallest things that are really not a big deal. Personally, with two small kids, the more hands the better. We vacationed with my parents or my in-laws a lot when our children were really young so we could occasionally enjoy ourselves. But since these two shirk their duties at every turn (I still cannot get over Kate skipping the St. Patricks Day thing) they get no slack cut at all.
Well, if Carole is babysitting the kids, then what did the nanny do whom they made sure to bring along?
2 small kids-2 adults to help. Again-not going to slam her for bringing her mother along with the nanny. If you’ve had small kids and tried to go on a holiday with them, it’s not remotely relaxing. I’ll slam them for their work ethic, not for needing or wanting help with their kids.
It is plenty relaxing for them when they all (Bill, Kate, and Carole) dump the kids on the nanny and ski all day. Carole wasn’t there to help with the kids, she was there to keep the peace and enjoy skiing with her favorite child (Billy).
I seriously doubt that Carole was there to take care of the kids. It’s been said that W&K have more than just one nanny. With reports from the scene that they brought along loads of help, there’d be no need to force Carole into coming just to babysit and host parties. They could have brought all the nannies with them and let Carole have her fun. I doubt W&K think of Carole as the hired help.
They all had beer, wine, and burgers? Can someone produce pictures of Kate consuming this feast?
I think maybe the “goat cheese salad” mentioned on the bill was for her. Or maybe the omelette.
If it said “lettuce” or “boiled egg” I might believe it. I doubt she eats anything with cheese, be it a salad or an omelette. But if she does, I’d still be interested in those pictures. 😉
I interpreted the “hosted” comment as Carole was the one who actually rented (or was loaned) the chalet in Courchevel and she invited Kate, William, her grandchildren and a few of their friends to join her for all or part of her stay.
Exactly.
The irony of her wearing such an expensive suit and earrings to visit with underprivileged children! They really don’t get it at all, do they? Diana would be so disappointed in her son.
Sorry to be devil’s advocate but I keep hearing this cirticism about the cost of Kate’s wardrobe.
Diana spent more on her clothes. It was overlooked once she started working hard for her charities. Along with a boatload of other things.
I don’t necessarily have a problem with Kate wearing expensive clothes. She is a princess after all. What I have a problem with is her MIL did more with less formal education and ditto with her Grandmother in Law who at ninety does rings around Kate.
India, Diana worked hard from the very beginning. Several hundred engagements a year from the very start. She wore expensive clothes AND she worked hard. The criticism of KM comes in when she wears expensive clothes, expensive foreign designer clothes, and still doesn’t work. In the past two weeks, she worn thousands of pounds worth of new clothes. Is that the bribe it takes to get her to work?
I think she should just have her clothes made for her privately. It would end all the talk about pricetags. No designer name could outshine her “Your Highness” status, anyway.
The Daily Fail and other press are just pissed that Will doesn’t jump to their whistle. They aren’t able to bully or vomplain their way yo more access to this couple and their children so they pout by creating these type of articles. It’s funny to me especially since almost any other time they are writing glowing articles about The Cambridges and kissing theircroyal bums. Even more comical is how some readers can blatantly dismiss all of the previous positive articles about this couple written by the DM yet wre quick to believe and support any negative ones without the same skepticism.
I don’t find it strange that Carole was there. She and William are close to her. Apparently so are their children. The only thing that I found even remotely surprising is that Michael Middleton wasn’t there. And that some readers seem to have a problem with families that are close and enjoy each other’s company.
You can see why the press are annoyed with the Cambridges though, right? The BRF and the British press have had a gentleman’s agreement about their co-operation because it’s a mutually beneficial, symbiotic relationship between the two of them. The BRF gets good PR and coverage, the press sell more papers if they can put photos of Kate et al on the cover. That’s how it’s always worked, and since Diana’s death there have been minimal problems as both parties understand their limits. Has the Queen ever made a fuss about the press? No, because she understands that she’d struggle to salvage the monarchy without a positive relationship with them.
When William and Kate first got married, of course there were only positive articles as the press were making clear that they would play the game if the Cambridges did too. Now that William has made it clear that he wants to cut the press out of the loop purely because of his own self-centred ‘I know best’ attitude, the press are biting back to show him what kind of power they have. British media are famous for ‘build them up, knock them down’ and that’s what’s happening here. Besides, I think you’d find that a lot of comments here even in the days of their positive press were sceptical that a) it’d last and b) it wasn’t hyperbolic fluff to begin with.
As for Carole, the discussion above is all pertinent – I don’t think anyone here has a ‘problem with families that are close’, but find the level of co-dependency unhealthy considering Kate is now a thirty-something adult who should not have to rely on her mother to cope with a holiday (or her day-to-day life in general, for that matter), blessed as she is with numerous staff. Michael’s absence suggests there is trouble in paradise.
The Daily Fair is a crapfest, not real journalism, a rag mag, nor do they have journalists that can spell and cut and paste properly. The errors on there are astounding. I know a couple of British guys in our neighborhood, brothers, and they said they wouldn’t be caught dead reading it.
On a rock music board I am on, when Bowie died, we were all posting things. I posted an article from the Daily Mail, and all the UK board members (all men) jumped in and said don’t post anything from there, that they avoid it like the plague, etc.
I don’t like the Daily Mail either, and find its lack of coherent grammar frankly offensive, but it is the most popular newspaper, both in print and online, in the UK. Any paper that is read by 23 million people a month has serious influence that one cannot easily dismiss.
http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/nrs-daily-mail-most-popular-uk-newspaper-print-and-online-23m-readers-month-0
It’s not just the Mail. All of the papers are writing about it, broadsheets (Guardian, Telegraph, Times) as well as tabloids. Even the BBC has mentioned it. William has made a lot of enemies in the press.
Not to defend the DM, but all the UK press are writing articles or opinion pieces about lazy William. And for once they aren’t framing it in a way that blames the woman.
Even the independent, a paper that routinely ignores all royals, be it the Queen or Edward, had an article yesterday.
Also, our tabloids are not like US tabloids. Th mailonline is run by a different editor from the print edition. The mailonline is generally in line with other tabloids like The Sun and the Mirror. Not so surprising when you know that Piers Morgan is it’s editor – he famously edited The Mirror print edition for a decade.
The Sunday papers, online or print, are run differently from the dailies, with different editors and different agendas.
The Sunday papers are viewed as different papers from the dailies.
And all sunday papers use investigative teams. If it appears in the Sunday paper, it’s a big deal. Every public figure, official, celebrity fears appearing in the Sunday papers except as a flattering subject of the articles.
All of that said, the daily mailonline remains the most popular website in UK and according to the New Yorker, in the world. As such it wields a lot of influence to extent that even our politicians keep an eye on it.
What Murdoch wouldn’t do to own it
DM seems to have so much content, no doubt errors are going to happen. I have noticed it mostly with photo captions.
As a US-based reader, I must say they have accurately covered multiple stories from my neck of the woods. One story was about an upcoming parole hearing connected to a kidnapping/torture/double murder of two college students that happened 4 years prior, less than 100 miles away, yet I (and several others, based on comments) had never heard about it at all!
There are actually completely different Daily Mail home pages for the US and the UK. Next to the “home” button on the upper left hand corner of the page, if you click on the other country’s name, you can see their home page.
The royals stories are the same, but we are spared the Palins and you are spared the EU referendum. The grisly murders are also targeted at the respective audiences.
Oh, please. My family is close but I don’t need Mommy to make my husband cheese toast and to take his side against me in every fight. Carole is more like Will’s husband than Kate it, from things I read. Anyone with any critical thinking skills get slammed as haters by those who unabashedly adore the royals. How sad, to admire those who do so little except get born lucky.
Now, Princess Anne and the Queen – I admire them. William and Kate?? What did they EVER do to earn admiration? Absolutely nothing.
Carole is like the ultimate courtier. She knows on which side her bread is buttered and will send up anyone necessary to keep her prince happy.
Wow, that Straubenzee marriage didn’t last long.
It’s not (just) immaturity. Kate is genuinely frightened of something – I’ve seen it in her eyes. Obviously Carole isn’t scared of squat and it’s her job to protect her daughter.
Would you mind elaborating? Considering Carole did everything in her power to ensure Kate married William and now maintains their family life, surely if whatever Kate was scared of was related to her marriage and/or position in the royal family, Carole wouldn’t have pushed her into it, or would be encouraging her to get out, rather than hanging around ‘protecting’ her and consequently keeping her in the situation at hand?
Yeah, I’m actually starting to feel a bit sorry for Kate. I don’t think William is nice to her at all. I also don’t think he wants her to do any work on her own or to outshine him in any way, and he takes what measures he can to prevent it when it seems like she might do so. She could try harder and be more educated with the engagements she does do, that’s absolutely true, but I don’t think she has much natural ability or personality of her own. And Carole’s first and only goal is preserving the marriage, which means that William’s interests take priority.
I think he is downright mean to her, that said, she sure was delusional if she thought he would change once he said I do!!!
I don’t see William as the baddie here. She chose a spoiled manchild and through her own behavior allowed him to remain a spoiled manchild. She has what she wanted, she had the spine to cling for a decade, and she’d gotten the prize she wanted. Her mother helped in those ambitions but they were HER ambitions too.
I think the chickens are coming home to roost for both of them. The media is tired of the games, the people are tired of their laziness. They aren’t the Golden Child and Golden Bride.
She looks tired because 1) they aren’t photoshopping her as much and 2) this is the most work she’s ever done in her life. Expected to show up for more than shopping, skiing, vacationing, and drinking? That is what has her exhausted – working a few hours a week.
“Allowed him to remain a spoiled manchild”? Shouldn’t William be the person responsible for his bad choices?
I’m not saying that I necessarily agree with the OP, though if that were the case some choices would certainly make a lot more sense. I simply don’t understand why we’re holding Kate accountable for William’s behavior.
I think William would’ve dumped Kate if she expected him to become an adult. He doesn’t like being told what to do much less who to be.
I don’t feel bad for either one of them obviously they had an agreement beforehand. She wanted the ring and he needed to settle down. She has a crazy gold digging mother and he had to show the girl who had been with him for years was the one. I still think Carole could take down a nation of needed, she’s a stong lady. The way she manipulated the press during the breakup shows what she would do during the divorce
Bridget, if you love someone and you allow them to treat you badly, you’re not helping anyone. You allow them to be the worst version of themselves and you stay with them? Being from a wealthy family, KM had all the resources in the world and could have walked away. She didn’t challenge him or make him treat her with respect.
In other royal relationships, it can be seen how the partners have helped each other grow. Press in The Netherlands have written about how Maxima helped Willem-Alexander rein in his temper and become more even-keel. Victoria talked of how Daniel helped her become stronger physically and mentally after her anorexia. Letizia has made Felipe a much better public speaker and have more of an overall Presence.
KM stayed the convenient girlfriend, he stayed the demanding manchild. They’ve done no personal growth in 15 years. With two kids, an interfering mother in law, and a nation on the line? Not good.
notasugar, you are right about the chickens!!
Sophia, I don’t mean to make light of your observation, but who or what could Katie Bucket possibly be frightened of? Are we to believe she’s afraid of Mommy Dearest or Willie? All I see is a woman worn out from waiting for and hanging onto Willie the Sh*t for years, over dieting and exercising, and trying to help her family scheme their way to the top of British society.
Maybe she’ afraid of the responsibilities she’s signed on for. I get the feeling she thought she knew what was ahead for her; having been with Bill for so many years. Now that she’s knee deep in it, it’s not what she thought it would be. I think it’s pretty obvious she’s in way over her head. But, she and Carole schemed to get the “job” and all the privilege that goes with it, so it’s difficult to find empathy for them.
Well, this explains why the photos looked like images out of a catalog, i.e. Party Pieces.
Wow good point! I’m sure Carole was on the scene, styling the whole family and the photo shoot. We know she procured the possum-line mittens.
I’m just surprised claroil didn’t push her way into the family happy foursome photo. I’m sure she thinks she should also be in it.
One wonders if so much attention/bad press for Kate is not part of a longstanding “find fault with the heir’s wife” that led to Diana’s unfortunate outcome. Now, don’t get me wrong. Ol’ Waity here is certainly no Diana…but even Diana, hardworking and earnest, third wheel in her own miserable marraige, was often beaten up in the press for being complicated, fragile, mentally ill, brittle…whatever. Then Fergie was too strong, boisterous, fun-loving. What we need is for Sophie Wessex, the only wife to have escaped (because she is too far down the chain to even matter?) to give lessons in how to NOT be skewered by the press for existing.
I have new respect for Chesly Davy and the blonde actress whose name I forget, as they know that marrying royal means the death of the self.
It hasn’t meant the death of self for Sophie Wessex, Daniel of Sweden, Maxima of the Netherlands, the list goes on. If you are a strong person, confident in yourself, you can embrace the royal role and do some good.
I was limiting my comment to the British royals, and I wondered if Sophie was too far from the throne to matter. It was just an honest question, really.
I think Queen Letizia is doing a good job, even after years of being attacked by the press and some of her in-laws. From my understanding of both Letizia’s and Kate’s situation, Letizia has had it worse in the press from the start. But the long list of good characteristics about the former has helped her come out on top and receive praise and a good reputation.
On the other hand, Kate has had years of a honeymoon period with the UK media. The press constantly photoshopped her to look her best, they obligingly posted whatever her PR team wanted: she’s skilled and talented in her hobbies, keen and energized to work, her being the lowest on the royal work tally list was excusable, her conduct during her work visits was always on point, etc.
Sophie on the other hand got skewered in the press from early on. They printed the scandal of her previous job being tainted by using her royal connections, her presumably bullying an RPO at a shop and with photos included, her being nothing more than a Diana copycat and wannabe, etc.
You’re right about Sophie being accused of being the Diana wannabe. I had forgotten that. I guess everyone in public gets skewered, more so if one is sucking off the public teat, as it were. And the women…well. We’ve also seen Zara’s husband dragged through the mud, and she isn’t even in the line of succession, so. It’s all pretty ugly.
Re- Sophie Wessex, the British tabs during the engagement were calling her “Didentical”…. I really never understood it. Sophie, other than a somewhat similar hairstyle, didn’t resemble Diana. Her face, eyes, so different and Sophie’s build is so different too, isn’t Sophie rather petite? Sophie appeared much more emotionally stable and confident too. I can see how HM gets on well with her.
Don’t forget that Sophie was involved in a much greater scandal than any of this early in her Royal career – she was essentially caught on tape dissing the government of the day which is Very Not Done for a member of the Royal Family. She also was insinuating to clients of her former PR firm that she could ensure patronage and access to the royals in almost a lobbying role.
She gave up her job and pretty much devoted herself to The Firm since that point and has done a very good patch up job to the point the gossip is she is the Queen’s favourite of the spouses of her children and I think highly regarded for her charity work etc.
I am not even surprised Carol went on a holi with them. Though where was his hubby at that time, strange!
I am very surprised how bad pic is taken of Kate, first pic up there. Bad and unfortunate. I am sorry for her, truly.
Having Mummy along to take care of the housekeeping and hosting? Nauseating. No wonder Willy calls her ‘Babykins’. He deserves the same moniker.
Ok. Hopefully this is OK.
Camilla Tominey’s excuses… It’s OK that William doesn’t work now and not for decades more but stays home to take care of the kids, because he’ll have to start work later at a time when other people in his generation will begin to retire.
1) The other people will be retiring from having worked decades at the same time parenting their children. Unlike William, who his apologists say he should do only one or the other, but not both.
2) She ignores that William will also have the position of PoW and Duke of Cornwall and their required duties to fulfill in the meantime. So is she saying that the only time he should be expected to work on a regular, consistent basis is only if he’s given the top title?
3) If it’s so unfair to ask William to start doing regular work after half a century or more of slacking off, then he has the option to step out of the line of succession and get his son to be King. George will be about his mid-to-late 20s. QE2 became Queen in her mid-20s, so it’s not unprecedented to start the highest level of a royal career at that age.
I know @anne_000 the whole reasoning is so bizarre to me. It’s a pretzel twist of logic with so many jaw dropping assumptions baked in. Like–he has to prioritize his children now because he can never retire once king. Lots of “commoners” can effectively NEVER retire due to economic constraints but still manage to “prioritize” their families while working.
The whole argument is just so dumb.
@ Tourmaline
So true.
did Carole wear a pair of possum gloves too?
lol!
Ha!
I don’t mind the gloves. They’re an invasive, non-native species and need to be culled anyway because they’re destroying the native environment. Might as well do something useful with their fur after they’ve been culled.
If you want to try their fur, you can find it much cheaper than $300 for gloves. I don’t want to call out those businesses though so I won’t list them here.
PETA animal rights were very very unhappy !!!
I wish they would make mongoose gloves, Hawaii would love that!!
I know it’s not the thing to feel sorry for her but I do. She looks like someone who had no idea what the reality of being married to him involved. Vapid, sure, limited, sure, but if he were different, then she’d be different, of that I’m sure.
I kind of wonder if the reason her mother is so involved is that she sees how out of her depth her daughter is.
I co-sign this thought.
I think she is completely out of her league and hangs to Carole for dear life.
suze, In less than 5 years I think she’ll be history!!! over, Kaputputput!!!! There is only so much one individual can take.
I agree with this. Only someone seriously delusional would marry into that pressure cooking circus. And it never ends — it’s from cradle to grave, unlike every other public role. I can’t imagine any sane person signing themselves (and their unborn children) for that. Kate could easily have married for a comfortable life, since it seems making one for herself was outside the realm of her imagination.
I’m with you. She’s outgunned.
Did anyone notice the look on Kate’s face in two of the photos. She looks worried about something.
They are the top photo and one of the photos at the bottom you have to enlarge. Kate was exiting the car while William rocketed ahead like usual.