The only thing on Duchess Kate’s schedule is a rendezvous with Ben Ainslie

The Duchess of Cambridge arrives at BAR racing to visit the crew of BAR Land Rover America’s Cup team with Sir Ben Ainslie

The Duchess of Cambridge did a handful of events in May. She went to a farm. She went to a garden show. She made a day trip to Luxembourg. And she acted as the kind-of matron of honor for her sister’s wedding. That’s about it. But that looks like so much “work” compared to her June schedule. She hasn’t done anything so far this month. Her staff won’t even confirm if she’s attending Trooping the Colour this year (but, to be fair, it’s possible it could be canceled). So the only thing she has booked is an event next Friday. She’s going to spend HOURS with Sir Ben Ainslie. Someone’s going to need a fresh cut, color and blowout!

In her role as Patron of the 1851 Trust Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cambridge will be at the Docklands Sailing and Watersports Centre on Friday 16 June to attend the charity’s last Land Rover BAR Roadshow event. Using the inspiration of Sir Ben Ainslie’s British America’s Cup Challenge, the 1851 Trust roadshows aim to inspire primary and secondary school pupils to pursue STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects at degree level. The roadshow utilises practical applications encountered by the team as they prepared to compete in the 35th America’s Cup in Bermuda.

The roadshows also provided students with an opportunity to take to the water themselves with sessions carefully designed to enrich each pupil’s school curriculum. Students from four East London schools will join the Duchess of Cambridge at the Docklands Sailing and Watersports Centre for the final roadshow. During the event they will all see real-life examples from within the Land Rover BAR team employed to engage and inspire young people.

During the visit the Duchess will take part in an educational treasure hunt which will see her work with a small group of young people to answer science and technology questions as well as questions about Land Rover BAR and the America’s Cup. Her Royal Highness will also take part in an oceans plastics activity which highlights the damage caused by single use plastics and promotes sustainability, a cause which has been at the heart of the team and Trust operations.

The Duchess will then be reunited with Sir Ben Ainslie, whom she has undertaken engagements in the past with. In his role as Team Principal and Skipper of Land Rover BAR Sir Ben will talk to Kate and some of the school children about the team’s experiences in the America’s Cup, which is currently underway in Bermuda.

[From Royal Central]

She’ll always show up for Ben Ainslie. I think her patronage of the 1851 Trust is probably her favorite – and the one she’s most consistent in her support – mostly because of Sir Ben. She always seems happier when she’s with him. Now we know what it takes to get Kate to do anything these days: Charles has to buy her $3000 earrings, or a $2000 dress, or she’ll only get out of bed for Sir Ben Ainslie.

The America’s Cup World Series Races

The America’s Cup World Series Races

Photos courtesy of WENN.

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64 Responses to “The only thing on Duchess Kate’s schedule is a rendezvous with Ben Ainslie”

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  1. Rapunzel says:

    He’s a good looking dude, Ainslie. I can understand why she likes being around him. He probably treats her better than Wills.

  2. TheOtherOne says:

    I keep seeing him in Land Rover commercials on MSNBC in the US. Everytime I see the commercial I say “Oh, there goes Kate’s boyfriend.” That is all I have. Time for the Comey Hearing!!!

  3. astrid says:

    She and Melania are starting to seem the same. Not really into royal/presidential duties

    • Algernon says:

      But unlike Melania, Kate knew what she was getting into when she married William. Melania signed up to be a private citizen’s trophy wife. Kate signed up to be the future Queen of England. The trade off for that is doing charity work and representing the UK at ceremonial events. I understand Melania’s reluctance, but not Kate’s at all. She knew the responsibilities that came with the position.

      • astrid says:

        Good point, hadn’t thought of that aspect

      • Eleonor says:

        I sooo agree with you about Melania: Melania had a schedule, she didn’t sign for being a first Lady.

      • Royalsparkle says:

        +1000
        Spot on. I eould also add Melanie worked before marriage.

      • Elsa says:

        Are you guys serious? What the hell is with this making Melania a victim?? She repeatedly said she knew donald was going to win and was looking forward to it and being the first lady!! She was gloating about it. The campaign is like 2 years, she knew there was a probabilty that she would be first lady!Good lord this is why people hate white american women world over its because of your insistent need to play victim and people are tired of it which is why feminism is so unpopular these days and we have things like red pill women.
        By the way, Melania could and still can get divorced anytime! This is america, not Saudi Arabia and she is not living some modern day version of not without my daughter.
        All Melania has to do is pull sad face on camera and everyone is poor melaniaaaa, even though she said several times not to feel sorry for her and she said she is sick of people feeling sorry for her.
        I am so sick of white liberals and Americans in general right now. You are on your last leg hope you enjoy the ride down.

  4. Seraphina says:

    I love reading her schedule above. Wow. Poor Kate. She could put forth some effort but always the bare minimum, ALWAYS. i read the fluff piece People did with Charlotte on the cover. They painted a nice picture that Kate is doing it on her own. And the sad part is people expect more, but she has shown us over and over again what she will do.

  5. notasugarhere says:

    24 four days since she last showed up? But remember, “Their Royal Highnesses are keen to continue to increase their official work”

  6. Nic919 says:

    It’s pretty bad she didn’t take any time to see the victims of either Manchester or London. She has no excuse to have been silent on this issue, even ignoring her completely empty schedule and total laziness.

    • BearcatLawyer says:

      You know what can really help kids process their feelings after a traumatic event? Art therapy. How hard would it have been to rounded up some art supplies and visited the Ariana Grande concert attack victims for a little drawing time? How bloody difficult is it to stop thinking of oneself and think of others?

      • Harla Jodet says:

        Great idea BearcatLawyer!!! I wish you were in charge of the Duchess’ scheduling.

      • BearcatLawyer says:

        She would not like it one bit if I were in charge of her schedule!!!

      • Redgrl says:

        Excellent point Bearcatlawyer about the art therapy. Cannot should have thought of that.

    • Seraphina says:

      She’s busy cooking and cleaning and chasing after two kiddos. I hear she makes her own chutney too.

      • Harla Jodet says:

        Don’t forget she gardens and sketches too Seraphina! With this kind of schedule no wonder she can’t find the time to support her charities.

      • bluhare says:

        Or The Queen.

    • CynicalAnn says:

      Yes-what’s the deal with that??? Seriously appalling. She absolutely should have done SOMETHING with the Manchester victims.

      • Zondie says:

        The thing is, she should have WANTED to do something nice for the victims. That’s the response most normal people would have- “what can I do to help them feel better, safer, even just for a bit?” I think she must be empty on the inside.

    • Royalsparkle says:

      I totally agree.
      USELESS entitlef waity snoeflake waste of space of taxpayers medical funding.

      The snob entitlef middletons continue on their PR – pepa £1m wedding/honeymoon during such crisis death and destruction no consideration for peoples lives.

    • Disco Dancer says:

      And considering that the kids who survived the bombings at the concert are probably going to be in need of mental health support, and mental health is right up Kate’s alley, she and Will really should’ve gone to visit the kids and provide a helping ear and encourage families to seek mental health supports.

  7. Ravenna says:

    What a disappointment this woman is. She is in a position to do so much good, and yet she chooses to sit on her ass all day long and do nothing. Does she ever feel ashamed of herself, I wonder?

    • addie says:

      In answer to your last question, I very much doubt it. Kate impresses as a selfish woman who does what she likes. What irks is the press writing such rubbish about her – it enables her laziness.

    • CynicalAnn says:

      Can you imagine how cool that would be to have a platform to actually make a difference or at the very least put a smile on people’s faces by meeting a pretty princess? It’s such a waste that she’s a royal duchess.

  8. Andrea says:

    I have no respect for this woman. It’s one thing for your marriage to give u a title, another thing to earn the respect to go with the title. She hasn’t because she’s lazy and cold, the coldness is why Willis friend didn’t like her, not that nonsense about her being middleclass, it’s easy to see she is cold. No hospital visits or anything since her tacky sisters wedding.

  9. Nanea says:

    So this Royal Central site is implying Kate will actually meet Sir Ben on June 16 in London?

    Do they know something all sailors don’t? Team BAR hasn’t crashed out of the challenger qualifications yet, although it’s not looking good. If they manage to qualify, the actual races for the Cup start on June 17 – ​in Hamilton, Bermuda.

    So either Katie Keen will have to cancel due to unforeseen reasons, or the poor dear will have to do without Sir Ben – unless he doesn’t make it to the finals .

  10. Amelie says:

    I kind of ship these two together. I just looked up Ben Ainslie, he’s married and just had a kid last year but in another world I feel like Kate would really enjoy being a competitive sailor’s wife. Oh well, she’s stuck with William for the time being.

  11. Anitas says:

    I distinctly remember reading right after their wedding, while they were living at Anglesey, about her declared intention to be a housewife, and while the article implied it was going to be for a limited period until they’re ready to move into their royal roles, I think she just meant permanently. And every time she does a public appearance I can’t help thinking how much she doesn’t want to do this, she’d rather be at home making chutney or shopping or playing with the kids.

    • notasugarhere says:

      It was all PR. She was papped 3x a week in London during the time she was “being a housewife” in Wales. They had four full-time staff in Wales as well, including cook and housekeeper. WAG with multiple nannies, not “normal SAHM”.

  12. Kate says:

    He is HOT and has a full head of hair (bonus for her)!

  13. JustJen says:

    What an odd combo- beige wedges with a racing uniform? Ugh

  14. Ravine says:

    Meanwhile, Wills hasn’t worked much either, has he? The only thing that makes Kate’s laziness stand out is the obscene price tag attached to her infrequent appearances. But the future monarch’s chronic work avoidance is a MUCH bigger issue than Kate’s empty schedule. I hope whoever wins the election starts to demand a better return on investment from this guy, stat.

    • addie says:

      The whole royal contract needs to be redrawn. Ridiculous level of compensation for doing so little. No-one in a public job needs to live so extravagantly, and interestingly, the royals couldn’t afford their lifestyle either if they relied on their private funds.

    • bluhare says:

      William was just in Belgium for WWI commemorations.

    • Sorry, no dignity in that says:

      The Queen of Britain is head of state who doesn’t ever have to answer questions. Her job as head of state is a political office. Allegedly she “represents” merely “a symbol” of the “unity” of Britain bla bla bla. But in the end being head of state albeit symbolically/representation is a political office. And certain duties are attached to such an office: transparency. Cost efficiency. Duty to fulfill you job. and more.
      I would like to give an example of a similar office and then compare this to the Queen and her office.
      Germany’s head of state (the “Bundespräsident”) holds a political office although his job is mostly to represent Germany. He has only one kind of political power: He can refuse to sign a law which means he consults his advisors about impending laws and has to make an effort to understand the matter. But he mostly “represents” Germany. But as the German head of state he must answer questions. And he is subject to rules of transparency and cost-efficiency and similar. He usually does give interviews now and then so that the electorate knows which things he believes in. He has to be transparent about whom he meets and why he meets them. He has to be transparent about “additional” earnings and about his investments/financial interests. The German Head of State “earns” 200.000 Euros / per year but he gets to live for free in a very nice place. I guess that in total the German Head of State and his advisors and his staff and security and all that cost about 10 Mio / per year. Extra trips might cost extra. But that is it.

      If you compare the German Head of State’s job and conduct to the Queen’s then you can only conclude that Britain is indeed lagging behind in modern state building. Because the Queen doesn’t give interviews. Because the Queen’s and Queen’s family’s upkeep is unbelieveably expensive. It is 40 Mio / per year for the Queen’s upkeep and the upkeep of her residences. The Prince of Wales’ upkeep costs another 20 or 30 Mio / per year. Because additional trips of the Queen and her family are unbelieveably expensive. Because you don’t even know how high the costs for security are (because for security reasons it is all a secret bla bla bla). Because you don’t even know what the financial interests of the Queen are because her financial interest is not subject to rules of transparency as they are usually applied to politicians.

  15. Greta from Munich says:

    Speechless….. what a lazy brat. God bless Good King Harry!

    • Sarah says:

      Let’s be honest – Harry is no better. He just puts on a bigger smile when he does work. He has no job, and does a few weeks a year of his own charity work, and a few royal events a month.
      The horrors! The poor dear must be exhausted!
      All three of them are lazy, entitled twits.

      • Lizabeth says:

        But Harry’s clothes are likely much  cheaper than Kate’s and no more expensive than Will’s, Harry has only one “house”, likely has many fewer staff, and isn’t as close to the throne as Will. He is less petulant when he does work and doesn’t supply obnoxious excuses that appear designed to put working parents to shame when he doesn’t work. He also seems to have developed some “causes” on his own rather than simply being “keen” to do it in the future. Will may be the supposedly “smart one” but Harry seems better with PR.  And appearances do matter.

      • Zaratustra says:

        Harry does do the pr part better than Will and Kate. But numbers show he doesn’t work that much more.
        Harry struck pr gold with the Invictus games. He can be seen as an authentic face of these games. But he didn’t work as much for them as it is claimed. The ministry of defence wanted these games and organised them. Harry is just the testimonial used to selling them.

    • Royalsparkle says:

      Spot on!
      King Henry would be and do so much more if he woukdn’t show up lazy entiled waste of willnot cannot waity middleton.

      • Sorry, no dignity in that says:

        Willy married the wrong wife. Married too early, too. He should have waited longer and searched longer.

    • trace_smiles says:

      Exactly!!! Have a look at the coverage of Harry promoting the Invictus Games in Sydney. He spent hours in the pouring rain meeting people who had come out to see him and refused an umbrella!!! My eight year old son adores him because he’s normal.

      • Royalsparkle says:

        Talk about HRH in the rain – maybe its my eyes – but by golly, he is more Hunky wet.

  16. Abs says:

    I think Ben is actually in Bermuda, but the official announcement says: “The Duchess and some of the school children attending the roadshow will speak to Sir Ben Ainslie, the Team Principal and Skipper of Land Rover BAR who are currently competing in Bermuda, about the team’s experiences so far in the America’s Cup.” So a Skype call with her crush is probably the only reason she agreed to do this.

  17. Sorry, no dignity in that says:

    Ben Ainslie to Kate.
    Camilla to Charles.
    James Hewitt to Diana.

    Wake up Willy.

  18. Starlight says:

    She comes alive in Prince Harry and Ben A company maybe she just likes the attention

  19. PrincessK says:

    I really do not understand the obsession with the amount of engagements the royals carry out. Yes, there are things Kings and Queens and Princes and Princesses are supposed to do, nobless oblige and all that but there should also be some understanding of the need for them to have a life of luxury and enjoyment, otherwise what is the point of being a royal if you can’t be put on a pedestal. I don’t want my royals to be like Joe Bloggs , what is the point? If the Queen and Princess Anne want to run around the country all the time , fine if they enjoy it. If I see Kate come out for an engagement once a month that is fine for me . People are treating them as though they are being paid by the hour for work. If they do engagements fine but it should not be seen as value for money, it should be seen as a royal gesture. If everything is equated to money what is the point of wanting to have a royal family, they should be seen as living embodiment of our cultural heritage which we must maintain and not measure in monetary terms or number of engagements.