Vanity Fair published a very interesting and slightly suspicious article about the Duchess of Cambridge. The article is called “Welcome to the Golden Era of Kate Middleton,” and the point of it seems to be that Kate is coming “back” from six months of maternity leave, and she’s ready to queen this bitch. After more than seven years of watching her duchessing, I can’t say that I really buy any of this. Is it true that Kate has seemed more relaxed in general? Sure. Is it true that the sense of “competition” has made Kate more keen? Perhaps. But if you take away Meghan’s entrance into the royal fold, what are we really left with? Yet another story about how Kate *plans* to be super-keen very soon. These stories crop up about three times a year, on average. We’re always hearing about how this time, she really means it, she’s totally going to be keen now. She never is. You can read the full Vanity Fair piece here. Some highlights (yes, this is a really long piece, so I’m editing out some of the dumb fluff):
Kate’s turning point: Post-maternity leave and with Meghan around, “It’s a huge turning point,” said Susan E. Kelley, the owner, editor, and Middletonian obsessive behind What Kate Wore. “I think this is where Kate gets to make her mark…A couple of years ago, you might still have seen her being a little bit timid. Now, she seems like she’s in a more take-charge position. I’m beginning to see the person who’s going to be the queen emerging.”
Kate is a senior royal now: Kate is “no longer the “commoner” who married into the family but the future Queen Consort and mother of the future King. The role of princess-in-training has been passed on to Meghan—who, as a former actress and longtime humanitarian, is already perfectly comfortable in the public eye, but is just getting started with her own royal family and working with her chosen causes, including girls’ education. Kate has graduated to an unspoken Level Two, where she is more free to pursue her own passions—including mental-health issues, underprivileged children, and art—in a more targeted way.
Kate finally knows what she wants to do: “She found her role as a working member of the royal family through bringing up her own children and realizing what’s important to her,” said ABC News royal commentator Omid Scobie. “One of the things that we’ll see her really focusing on for the months ahead is working to help support disadvantaged children in the U.K. . . . Kate has this plan in place to really work with a number of organizations, including the Royal Foundation…If you look at Queen Elizabeth, she has that strength without really saying much, that has held this country together through some of the the fiercest wars and times that we’ve faced. I think Kate has the ability to do the same.”
Katie Nicholl’s take on Kate’s “work-shy” label: “She’s a mother, first and foremost. Her children are going to be her priority while they are young, and she will juggle her work commitments around the kids. The Duchess of Cambridge has been labeled work-shy in the past. But, actually, she’s taken on just a few patronages, things where she’s really made a difference. Early intervention with young children in primary schools, putting mental health on the map with Heads Together, was her idea. She’s been very instrumental.”
Nicholl believes Kate is “quite grateful” to Meghan, not jealous: “People who are often saying ‘Well, is she jealous of Meghan?’ She’s really not. Kate is happier in her life now than she ever has been. She has everything she wants. She has William, she has three beautiful children . . . she is where she always wanted to be,” Nicholl said. “The fact that there is a new glamorous sister-in-law in tow is not going to worry her one bit. I think Meghan came at the right time for her, because it was at a time when Kate wanted to step out of the spotlight.”
Sigh… I understand that Kate is more conservative and she has to be more conservative, because she’ll be a Queen Consort eventually. But I’ve never understood the point of waiting around and doing next to nothing just to avoid controversy because you’re going to be queen in 25 years. The argument seems to be “well, different people are different, and Kate just wants to have a quiet life with her kids and her shopping, she doesn’t want to change the world.” And maybe that’s good enough for some of the British subjects. But if you’re paying for all of this upkeep, don’t you want a bit more? Don’t you want someone who understands their soft power and has passions beyond her kids? I don’t know. Anyway, we’ll be back here in another five months with another story about how Kate plans to be super-keen eventually.
Photos courtesy of Getty, WENN and Avalon Red.
I laughed so hard reading that VF article LOL
Who is this article even written for? People who follow royalty know better than believe this and those who don’t, don’t care. Did Will came up with this or was it Carol? It’s laughable.
That article was like fan fiction?
I think it was written for people who only noticed the monarchy after Netflix’s “The Queen” and after Meghan entered it. They would be looking for info on the current family because they don’t know much more than some surface details from the wedding.
But, hey, Kate’s getting credit for any progress on Britain’s mental health, she does seem happier, and maybe this time she really will generate more substance-filled articles. William has also (finally) agreed to do more, so she’ll benefit from that.
I had a nice giggle over Kate having the quiet strength to hold the country together through tough times. Just like the Queen. I can’t even type that back with a straight face.
If that happens (a big if), I’m expecting some kind of Pippa tips for the Brexit generation.
“Don’t worry if your ethnic family can no longer get visas to visit you in the UK, just hop a jet to see them anywhere else in the world! We don’t mind people leaving, just coming in!”
I rolled my eyes so hard I have a headache now. But the one thing I agree with, is that Kate is not jealous of Meghan, and is in fact grateful. Once the queen is gone, a lot of the nostalgia and pride people have in their royal family will go with her. I don’t know how popular Charles and Camilla will be, but William and Kate will be even worse. It’s like diminishing returns. So having someone popular like Meghan can help protect the monarchy, which is probably a big relief for William and Kate.
I have read VF obsessively since it relaunched in the 80’s, and I am very, very disappointed in the new editor. The photos are glum and unflattering, and half of the content reads like rehashed press releases. VERY lightly rehashed. Did we really need three different articles on different tv and book projects about Ruth Bader Ginsberg? She’s awesome, but really? In one issue?
To be honest, I’m not even sure it was three articles. I don’t know what they’ve done with the headlines but I can’t tell when one article ends and another begins.
Nowadays VF is merely advertising royals, celebrities, actresses, h o.s and party locations (clubs, pubs, restaurants and high-end parks). throw in a bit of fashion adverts for colourful pics and you got it.
I don’t understand what this article is saying lol. I think we have all acknowledged on here many times that Kate has definitely seemed more confident recently (over the past year or so) so it will be interesting to see if that translates to…anything.
I also think they need a better defense of Kate’s work habits over the past few years than “her focus is her children.” As a mother who works fulltime outside the home, and has kids roughly the same age as Kate’s – it sets my teeth on edge every time. I think they would be better off saying something like ‘Kate was really nervous, she had some anxiety as she moved into her royal role, but she is ready to take on more now.”
Also, the timing of this article is everything. For an article that insists Kate isn’t jealous at all of Meghan….like I said, timing is everything.
The only thing my mom knows about the royals is what sees on CNN, but when Harry and Meghan got married she did comment to me that William and Kate were sitting pretty. I don’t think Kate is even a tiny bit jealous. I think she is thrilled that the media is chasing someone else down the street. William on the other hand …
It also contrasts badly with Diana, who was known for being a very involved mother and yet could definitely not be called work-shy. Kate likes to invite the comparison with Diana, but in that regard it really, really doesn’t work.
Right! I always thought Will and Kate are perfect for each other. They both don’t like to work. They work 1/3 of their 92 Queen. If they could, they’d take their millions and raise their kids in the country as rich people, and not do a single royal ‘duty’.
@ Mee
I agree. Will and Kate are really trying to not work at all. And nope, it ain’t believable. The article is so hilariously over the top gushing about Kate I find it very amusing as a satire or parody. kate who can barely give a little praise- speech in front of an audience for any of her charities. kate who can barely give a good interview. Kate who has barely organised any events at all for any kind of anything. Has she ever organised anything? She merely gets invited and deigns to attend for half an hour or so.
Not buying it.
The timing is weird too. Why would this article come out smack in the middle of Harry and Meghan’s tour? Usually the royals don’t try to steal the thunder of others. And when you have Meghan giving multiple speeches, baking banana bread and doing a heavy schedule while pregnant during a tour, but Kate gets praised for…. doing the same which she ever has… it looks weird.
Why would the article about Kate dedicating her life to helping the children of Broken Britain have come out days before the Together cookbook announcement? Carole’s connections with the DM anyone?
I’ve long suspected that William sets the course for the Cambridges & he, unfortunately, appears to be deeply ambivalent about leading a public life.
Consequence: I don’t think there is much meaningful affection or admiration for the Cambridges & I suspect this may jeopardize their ability to carry, in any significant way, the “symbolic power” that publications like Vanity Fair insist on wishing for them.
Cue the Diana references, because surely that supply of goodwill is endless, right?
“The argument seems to be “well, different people are different, and Kate just wants to have a quiet life with her kids and her shopping, she doesn’t want to change the world.” And maybe that’s good enough for some of the British subjects. But if you’re paying for all of this upkeep, don’t you want a bit more? Don’t you want someone who understands their soft power and has passions beyond her kids?”
I 100% agree BUT at the same time I recognize that this is the essential problem with monarchy. You get who you get. Prince William chose her as his wife for his own (unknown) reasons so this is who the British get representing them: a woman who, by all accounts including those paid to spin her “side” of things would rather live quietly in the countryside as a rich SAHM then use her influence to change the world. Shrug. I don’t understand why the British continue to want a monarchy in power.
Exactly. It’s a monarchy.
If she had a job description it would be primary responsibilities support William and the Queen, and make heirs, and secondary responsibilities supporting local charities and attending royal events. In modern times this looks ridiculous. But selecting an empire’s leader by birth right instead of qualification is also a bit ridiculous in modern light.
Could she do more? Should she do more? Yes. Is it required by the firm? Sadly no. Will-be-keen-forever Kate continues.
Their commitment to charities has always been a smokescreen to ensure the continuity of the monarchy by making it seem like what they do is vital & invaluable. Everyone that is part of the royal family is there to ensure that the system continues which is why I don’t buy this ‘modern’ line their constantly trying to push.
When you have an undemocratic system that propels people into privileged positions at the top of society this is what you get. Let’s face it none of the royals have earned their positions, it was handed to them on a royal encrusted diamond platter!
For many it’s history, continuity with the past, tradition, ceremony, nostalgia, etc. The royals are not the people most look to to change the world.
There have been times in the last couple years, I have slightly envied countries with monarchs for having living symbols of their nations that are theoretically above politics. I think at least some of the division in America is down to have nothing, really, that unites us. We have only elected leaders, which means some portion of the country always doesn’t like the people in power. I know not everyone in the UK approves of the royals, but at least there is that non-partisan presence.
One of the weakness of a constitutional monarchy is that everything hinges on what kind of person the monarch is. It is great if it is someone who is diligent, takes their responsibilities seriously and has a popular appeal.
My queen, Margrethe II, is all of these things and she is well-beloved. But it will be interesting to see how her son does when he becomes king. He has the “common touch” but he also comes across as less serious than his mother and even his wife. Crown Princess Mary has done a lot of the heavy lifting in the public sphere because she’s created a foundation that has a very clear purpose and successfully collaborates with larger foundations on specific issues. Frederik’s public profile is less well-defined.
If you get a dud as a monarch then the institution suffers – like in Sweden where the King is rather unpopular. Fortunately for him, his heir Victoria is made of the right stuff and she is immensely popular. If his son had been the heir then I think the situation would have looked different.
@AOIFE I can understand the position of embodying history. But that’s QEII and for the most part she has done her duty and done it well.
However, unlike the monarch, there is no set of rules for what any other royal members are expected to do publicly beyond representing the Queen at her request. Technically speaking every duty performed by Kate is not for Kate but for the Queen and crown.
Hmm, I wonder what they have in common! I think women make better monarchs than men.
@Eliza You are right. What I don’t understand is why there would be an expectation for a member of the royal family, be it the queen or a lesser royal, to “change the world” when they are the living embodiment of an archaic institution.
Good point—“you get whom you get.” There’s no recourse if there’s a dud.
I don’t think the reason was unknown. He thought that neither of his parents had time for him when he was growing up and Charles had the same complaint about his parents. So, looks to me like it was a conscious decision to marry a woman that wasn’t into a celebrity culture or into publicity/media, like his own mother.
She is just dull. And yes , maybe she has to be but I don’t have to like it.
She can be dull, that isn’t the problem. The problem is she and her husband are lazy.
This. She could be dry toast but if she got out there and did her job, no one could fault her.
I dunno, if she was lazy and interested in the outside world, I personally could take her a bit better. What a waste of education and access. Really you Brits deserve better, feel free to mention our first .. um.. lady, course, but at least we get to shed her at some point and God I hope it’s in two years, not six.
In my spare time I have read archival posts about the Royals here on Celebitchy and announcements about how Kate is going to hit the ground running and then not, or getting pregnant, are well documented. It’s very difficult to believe that anything will be different now but it’s rather maddening that throwing out a few crumbs of keen in the media seems to shield her from accountability.
LOL what announcements?
You mean fan fic from US weekly and Co?
Yes I use the term loosely. Wonder who feeds these articles?
I read the article, what a syrupy mess. I really dislike how journalists paint Kate as some behind the scenes diplomatic whiz who wields great power. No, she is an incredibly wealthy, lazy woman who wants a life of luxury and privilege without having to do any work. ugh
She could easily have had that without marrying a future king. I know her mother pushed it, but it makes me wonder why not push for someone less in the public eye.
In hindsight, Earl Percy seems more like to provide the lifestyle she wants. Money, castle, title, tiara, with no obligation beyond, someday, hostessing at Northumberland.
I still think he was Pippa’s first pick, ha. But maybe they were never anything more than good friends.
The Percys are one of the oldest and most aristocratic families in England. No joke, families like that look down on the royals as being arriviste Germans. Kate and Pippa would have had no chance.
But what about the Van Straubenzee’s? Are they an old family? I can never seem to figure out what they “do” lol but one of them married Melissa Percy (at least for a while.)
@Becks1, respectable enough, but nowhere near the Percys. The standards are also very different for marrying a daughter than the son and heir. (No one would ever articulate this in the way that I am doing, and anyone reading it would cringe, but it’s the truth).
I just wonder how she will cope with all the ceremonial responsibilities when William is POW and eventually King. We already know she is not remotely prepared to help run the Duchy of Cornwall.
She always looks so out of place during the state dinners. Sure she may have a tiara on and a fancy dress, but she never looks anything but awkward and there are going to be plenty of those types of events in the future.
@Nic919 – my mom always used to talk about women who would be good hostesses and not in a snarky way (and men as good hosts too). She said that it was a gift to be able to make small talk with people, or even one step up from small talk (I wouldn’t talk about the weather at a state dinner necessarily, ha) and to be engaging and interesting at events that had large groups of people who may or may not know each other. And that making guests feel comfortable and at ease is a special skill.
I can see now that I am an adult what she meant. Kate doesn’t have that gift, and its something that surprises me. As we talk about how she didn’t work throughout her 20s, it seems to me that teaching her the art of hostessing/dealing with important guests/etc could have been a priority, since she wasn’t working in anticipation of becoming the future queen.
@Becks1 completely agree with you on Kate’s lack of hostessing skill. I feel like she thinks it is enough for her to stand or sit around looking pretty. There were a bunch of photos of her that were leaked from one state dinner (in which she is wearing a pale pink lace dress with a deep v neck and bell sleeves) and she looks awkward and out of out place in all of the photos. She isn’t chatting with anyone and has a bored look on her face.
In my humble opinion, Kate is following William’s lead. She knows if she is to ascend to queen consort, she cannot be another Diana. Kate cannot overshadow William, and she is more than happy to comply. If William were to be a work stallion, she would be in the trenches with him. But since he is lazy as they come, then she is happy to oblige.
@Ostone : THIS +1,000,000. Kate follows her lazy husband’s lead. She doesn’t want to rock the boat she swam to for all these years..
Naw I don’t buy that. I think Kate is bone idle lazy and William tries to keep the status quo. I don’t think William would care at all if she kept a consistent schedule of work like other royals do.
I agree she follows William’s lead that’s why I always bring up William. On the other hand…why can’t she be a Sophie after her kids are older? Does Sophie overshadow Edward?
I think she does, but I don’t think Edward cares as much.
One of many excuses for Kate’s laziness. Kate is not working because she follows William’ s lead. William is not working because he does not want to overshadow his father, blah blah
I think they’re both lazy (according to modern American standards) and entitled. There’s a reason Kate didn’t really have a “real” job for the ten years before her marriage. She didn’t need one for the money and apparently didn’t want one either. Or else she would have gotten some type of job. Eugenie works full time and no one says boo to her about it. Even the Queen, as old fashioned as they come, thought it was strange that Kate didn’t have a job!
Yes, I don’t think Kate is secretly dying to get out there and work more and William is holding her back. I think one of the reasons they probably get along as a couple is because their outlook on life is very similar, and I’m including their work ethic in that. (yes yes I know William has worked more over this past year, but he’s 36. He should be working more.)
I’ve been saying thwt for ages. Kate cannot outshine the golden child. Diana made that mistake and Chuck didn’t like it at all.
Harry seems to be different now, but we shall see what the future holds.
Kate can have her little projects but that’s it.
That’s the elephant in the room that is never addressed Diana. In no ways does “the firm” want another strong women in any role taking focus off where they determine it belongs. Kate will always shadow William. She pretty much just sticks to the rules as far as I can see. She doesn’t make them.
Well if we are going to call Kate and Wiliam lazy then the same should be said about Harry since he and Wiliam did the same amount of appearances last year. No one wants to acknowledge Harry’s “laziness” bc he is liked more.
I agree that Harry does not work as much as we sometimes pretend he does; but I also think that William is the future king and will be prince of wales sometimes in the relatively near future, and he should do more appearances than Harry. I think it reflects worse on William that his younger brother, who will never be king, works as much as he does.
Perhaps, but lets not forget that William has three young children so perhaps he is less inclined to do major overseas trips at the moment which can add up total appearances quickly. Lets be honest, Meg and Harry are liked more so they get passes that Kate and Will dont get.
But even when William did more overseas trips when he and Kate were first married, they did not do the number of events we have seen from Harry and Meghan over the past two weeks.
I agree though that Harry and Meghan are liked more so they are going to get more of a pass, but I also think that Will and Kate were really well liked when they first got married. For me personally I was SUPER pro Kate and was really a fan of hers and then we didn’t really see anything from her. So I don’t begrudge Harry and Meghan their goodwill at this point. If in 5 years they are doing the same numbers that Will and Kate did at 5 years in and people are still praising them to high heaven, then I will be completely on board with you.
He has no problem going on ski trips and leaving his young children and wife alone. Don’t be so pro W&K, there are loads they can do for an hour or two here and there to make the public more aware that they are just keen, they are accountable for this position, whether they chose it or not. Kate definitely chose it. There is an article out there somewhere that well to do families called Kate and Pippa the ivy sisters because they climbed social ladders. Get out and earn your keep like the rest of the world has to.
The difference with Harry is, 1.) he’s actually GOOD at being a prince and meeting with both dignitaries and regular people. He’s very charming and personable. You can tell he is interested in other people. He is able to talk to them and put them at ease. He has real conversations with people. William looks awkward or anxious or aloof. He’s not into it and you can tell. He rushes through his chitchat with regular people. 2). Harry does have causes he is genuinely passionate about like the Invictus Games. He and Meghan are killing it on their tour. Compare their tour and the press and goodwill they’ve been generating to any one of William an d Kate’s including the one they brought their kids to and you will see the difference.
Harry should get the top job, if you are going by merit. Of course, that’s not how monarchy works.
@lindz you kinda just proved my point. Harry hasnt worked anymore than Will but doesnt get the heat bc he is liked more. All the royals should be working, lets not cherry pick who we call out on it based on our personal like or dislike of that individual. Harry and Will (and their spouses) should be doing more if the bill for their lifestyle is being paid for by taxes.
Harry often gets a pass and I don’t know why.
They are all freeloaders IMO.
@Jadedone but you are overlooking the fact why Harry is liked more – which @lindz just pointed out. Harry is more engaged and is doing the “prince” job better. They may both just do, say 5 events a year but it certainly matters that one is doing the job better than the other who is just going through the motions (or gives the impression he’s forced to be there). They may equal in quantity but Harry upstages William in the quality. The same can be said of their wives. But of course, the onus is on Kate because she has been with the Royal Family for 7 years and her competence leaves much to be desired.
I agree with you though that they should all do more, and do so competently, for their keep.
@Jadedone – but I think what some people are trying to say about Harry being liked more (is my opinion, anyway) is that he’s earned his “liked more” through his own effort at being more prepared, being more engaged, trying harder, starting his own initiatives (Sentebale, Invictus) and being very engaged with them, etc. Shouldn’t he then deserve to be liked better? William has flat out stated that he doesn’t prepare for engagements by reading his briefings. To me, it seems like William wants to be “liked more” simply because he was born first and through no effort of his own at being a nice, hard-working* person. And, look at each of their first tours post-marriage – I think H&M did about 20 more engagements over about 5 fewer days than W&K did on their first tour (and with no days off!).
Also, I find it funny that you are unhappy that people are making excuses for Harry working the same numbers as the heir (to the heir) while at the same time making excuses for William to work less. This is what I find annoying – why is there a double standard for Will and Kate? As the heir (to the heir) – shouldn’t William’s numbers – every single year – be higher than Harry’s? If he ever decides to create any, shouldn’t his original initiatives/projects be more robust and wide-reaching than Harry’s? And shouldn’t Kate’s numbers always be higher than Meghan’s? I wonder how William would explain that he is usually (always?) outworked by Anne, Edward, Sophie? People much further down the line than him? And, regarding Harry, isn’t it true that up until last year(?) none of his Invictus meetings, or activities counted toward his official totals? I don’t think Sentebale is counted even now, does anyone know? So, for many years, I do think Harry was doing work than was counted in his annual totals…but that’s just IMO.
For Meghan, e.g., she made multiple, regular trips to the Hub Kitchen to meet with the Grenfell survivors, and then spent time and effort developing the cookbook – but I bet that work won’t be included in her annual total (even just the post-marriage work/meetings). Did Kate do anything similar during the engagement period…or even since? I somehow don’t imagine that all of the people who defend Kate’s desire to raise her children and be a SAHM will be out there for Meghan, if she chooses to do the same or disappears for 6 months for maternity leave. I’ll be so curious to see how that goes next year after Meghan gives birth.
*Overall though, I do agree that the royal version of “work” isn’t real work…and none of them, except Meghan who has already had a real career, would survive a week in the real world.
Didn’t Harry also spend 10 years as active military?
Wouldn’t that impact his numbers when he was serving due to active duty?
She didn’t work for the 10 years they were together before they married. What is your excuse for that? That she couldn’t do anything at all because it would be controversial?
All of the other royal spouses have worked, most while publicly dating their eventual spouse. These constant excuses are debunked time and time again. She had all the opportunity and freedom to do something, even with galleries who promised to protect her from the press. And. She. Did. Nothing.
She isn’t following William lead. They are both lazy and selfish, always have been, always will be.
Perfectly summed up. Both lazy and looking for excuses to avoid stepping up with royal duties.
I thought she worked as a buyer at jigsaw?
Job gotten for her by mummy Carole after the famous leak from the Queen, What Does She Do All Day? And all the press articles about it.
Essentially tea girl 3 days a week at first, went down to 2 days a week almost immediately. Demanded to have complete flexibility to be free for her important boyfriend. Took multiple vacations in the total of 9 months she was there, William dumped her, she took paid compassionate leave to get over it, then quit.
She was at Jigsaw for a few months and even when there she had to have a flexible schedule to accommodate William. Or at least that is what she told the supervisor. There is an article about it online.
I didn’t think it was any of our business, before she married in. It was her life and she funded it. Now, I am irritated because they cost us an obscene amount of money, and she does very little. Yes, she has three kids. She also has paid fulltime childcare. She could do two days a week of full-on engagements and still be a full-time mother, but she doesn’t. There is no excuse for that that holds water at all. They even have a helicopter to manage transport!
@K2 I do agree with you generally – if she didn’t want to work before she got married, and her parents were happy to support her, then you do you Kate. I cant lie, it seems like a good gig if you can get it!
But its hard to look at it that way when you can look back and see how those years set her up for her current schedule. and like you said, there is no excuse now. But if she never learned how to work or what a FT schedule actually looks like, why would she want to work more now? If she was just working 2-3 days a week at Jigsaw, then obviously doing 2 full days of work a week now are going to seem like a lot.
Lol I just looked at how the NYT described her during the engagement – “a former part-time assistant accessories buyer at Jigsaw.”
This is a woman who was in her 20s with a degree from a prestigious university. With her art degree and her connections she could have gotten a job at a museum or auction house. But that would be….work. Not ditch-digging, but more than occasionally showing up a day or two working for your parents’ friend.
Diana was a teenager from a posh family and didn’t have a university degree, she didn’t dig ditches either but she did work as a nanny and at the kindergarten and seemed to enjoy it.
She has a degree in art history, right? She easily could have worked a job at a museum or gallery and no one would have thought that was controversial in the slightest. In fact, jobs like that exist for people like Kate, who maybe don’t need the money but still want to have something productive to do and to contribute and have social connections out the wazoo.
She didn’t have to work. She didn’t take money from the public, didn’t take someone’s place just cos she’s rich girl dating prince. She wasn’t Ivanka or Paris, so yeah, there’s an upside to her not working. And btw if i had rich parents I’d travel and host charity galas but i wouldn’t work or be in a public eye.
Kate has shown us who she is. It amazes me that after all these years people refuse to see her for the lazy shallow person she is. Suggesting that the RF is afraid of her becoming another Diana is absurd because Kate couldn’t be another Diana, she doesn’t have the character. Sophie Wessex was very afraid of having the next Diana mantle put on her because she resembles Diana. Sophie avoided it altogether yet still gets off her butt and works hard.
Kate is very lovely due to hairdressers, rigid diet and exercise and plastic surgery (look at pictures of her when she was young and she looks very different) thus proving that anyone with enough resources can look good. Beyond that there isn’t much going on.
Agreed. She’s produced hiers. IMO, she’s done her job – now she just needs to look after them and try her best to make sure they’re not cock-up adults. I could really care less what she does for volunteer/causes. She’s boring and doesn’t seem to have a thought of her own – all she needs to do is what she’s supposed to as the future queen consort. I think she’ll do fine in that role.
It is 2018. It is not her job to produce heirs FFS. There are 5000 people in line to the UK throne, and that’s before they really start looking. The Belgian throne went sideways with no problem one generation ago, the UK throne went sideways to QEII.
@Stubbylove – but no.other.consorts do that. NONE. Not the queen mum, not Philip, not Camilla, not to mention any of the other European royal consorts (Mary, Daniel, Maxima, Letizia, etc.). I just don’t think that is acceptable in this day and age.
And, not only that – if that were the case – then William and Kate should have been transparent in their engagement interview and told the world that was the plan. William could have said: “Kate plans to spend her time before I become Prince of Wales being a wife and mother. She won’t undertake many engagements and once we have children, she will be a stay at home mother.” There…done! Instead, what we got was: Kate is the most educated royal bride ever; Kate will hit the ground running!; Kate is KEEN; Kate will be doing more work soon/in the future/next year/big initiative coming soon; etc. etc. But they didn’t tell the world Kate doesn’t want to work and only wants to have babies because they knew it would be unacceptable to most of the public and they need public support.
Great! Then fire her nannies and staff and let her be a stay at home mom of three. Let that be her “job”.
We get some photo ops of her with the kids where she looks like the Holy madonna but You can bet that nannies are doing the brunt of the grunt work care taking of her children. She would have been better off marrying a moderately wealthy James type like Pippa did and she could be living the life she wants criticism free.
@RoyalWatcher all these Ladies you are mentioning are wives of the heirs or Queens! Kate is the wife of the heir heir. There is no job subscription for her role. Do you know who the first Duchess of Doolittle was? Camilla.
By the way Daniel is the laziest consort ever. He hardly works yet it’s ok because he is a MAN! A penis excuses everything.
Oh please. Anne and Sophie are much further down the line, and work much harder than Kate (and did when their children were small, as well).
Nobody is asking the royals to be interesting. Having charisma to engage for their charities is a bonus but if none of them have it, they trudge on with bread and butter events. There is really no need for such articles or PR when you are working steadfastly.
Having said that I know many here thinks Kate can’t change but sigh, I’m still gonna wait and see since she has birthed 3 kids in a short time. Night is still young? I think William is working more at least. I think? Lol!
Maxima had three kids in quick succession. Mathilde had four in quick succession. Mary has four. All of them managed to have those kids and still work for their countries.
“Nobody is asking the royals to be interesting.…”
But royal lines being ‘divinely selected’ has lost credibility, so inspiration, entertainment and leadership are what people will want for their tax dollars. Saying royals merely need to reproduce draws attention to the archaic animal-husbandry character of monarchies.
@nash – And nobody would ever think to say of those women that their ‘job’ was to reproduce.
Lol…these two make it very hard to be emphathetic, much less defend them. Not when other non-royal couples with kids, have it much harder.
As the adage goes, a leopard doesn’t change its spots. Or buttons.
You can’t make a silk’s purse out of a sow’s ear.
“… Queen Elizabeth, she has that strength without really saying much, that has held this country together through some of the the fiercest wars and times that we’ve faced. I think Kate has the ability to do the same.”
No. I’ve never remotely seen that. People need to stop over-praising her. There’s nothing wrong with liking her for who she is.
Kate will wear the princess clothes and jewels and show up to events that she either wants to attend or that she couldn’t get out of, raise her kids to be as happy as possible and fiercely safeguard their public image and try to project a family image of stability and contentment. She’ll occasionally contribute some good ideas but the consistent work to see it through will be up to other people. That’s it.
Kate is cossetted in a way that even Elizabeth wasn’t because Liz was the actual leader and the buck was supposed to stop with her. Kate will never have that kind of expectation or scrutiny as a leader in her own right and she doesn’t care about creating a leadership position for herself. There are people who think of authority as a way of getting what they want rather than leading and I think she’s in that group.
It’s pretty insulting to Elizabeth to claim they are the same. Elizabeth helped with the military effort during the war which she didn’t have to do and once she was queen she has worked steadily for decades. The red boxes show up every day except for a few days per year and then there are the patronages and engagements she has done. Her numbers are only slowing down in her 90s but to suggest that Queen Elizabeth is a quiet doormat is insulting.
“It’s pretty insulting to Elizabeth to claim they are the same. ”
I completely agree. It is extremely insulting to Elizabeth to make that comparison. Let’s not forget, Elizabeth wasn’t raised for this role and didn’t ask for it. She was forced into it by circumstance and did the very best she could by putting in a ton of EFFORT and WORK. Something Kate knows very little about, even though her formal education is miles better than the one the Queen received. Elizabeth rose to occasion because she didn’t want to let her family or herself down. I don’t see Kate doing the same. She doesn’t care when people call her “work shy.” She probably doesn’t even know that they do.
Watching Kate over the last year has been interesting. I’ve always thought of Kate as a “quintessential first born”, she doesn’t make waves and follows the rules, therefore she’s pretty bland. Since the birth of Louis she has seemed so happy to me, in his baptism pictures she’s absolutely beaming, like she finally has a personality. I never bought the idea of Kate being a super-involved mother until now. In the past I felt her “work-shy” reputation was just lack of ambition or motivation. Now I think it might actually be a desire to be a mother, and that will create real conflict with what is expected of her as a working royal.
But being a mom and a working person are not mutually exclusive Literally millions of women who have much less than she does, do it every day. If there is a conflict it’s because she doesn’t want to work, being a mom has little to do with it, it’s just her newest excuse.
Exactly. The taxpayers funding their lifestyle? Many of them are working parents who manage to work, pay their own bills, and care for their children.
I don’t have children so I’m curious – if a woman is really into being a mother, does it actually make her disinterested in everything else? Like, if there were any hobbies or work. Can one really be happy with being a mother only? Then, I’m thinking, what were Kate’s interests before Will? Sports primarily. She always seemed quiet and low-key.
Well, it obviously depends on the woman. And for some women, yes. I have some friends who freely admitted that their goal in life was to be a mother, and when they had kids, they immediately stopped working outside the home, their only friends anymore are their friends who have kids the same ages as their kids, etc.
Some women’s lives do revolve around their kids but in a healthier manner. My mother was like this – she didn’t work when we were little, and her BFFs all had kids around our age, and her life revolved around ours, but not to the point where she didn’t know what to do when we all got older. Her interests when we were little sort of just shifted a bit (so she used to love making crafts for the teachers for Christmas gifts, now she makes things for her church, stuff like that.) So there’s a difference but I’m not entirely sure what it is. Like I always knew we were important to my mother but I never felt like she didn’t have a life outside of us.
There are millions of women who successfully hold full time jobs and have hobbies and interests outside of their children. I never got the impression that Kate had any hobbies, interests or ambitions, (she played school sports but that’s just “what you do” especially at the types of schools she attended). She was a good match for a Royal because she just followed and did what she was told. I see her truly wanting to just be a mom now, and actually realizing the Royal work is at odds with what makes her happy, she might actually be looking at her position and thinking “what did I get myself into!?”
Obviously she “made her bed” so she needs to do the work of a senior royal (funded by taxpayers) but I don’t think she’ll ever be a self-starter; and I think she might start to feel resentful of the expectations of her, even if she knew what she was originally getting into by marrying Will.
Quite a lot of women enter a baby bubble when they have very small children, yeah. They are consumed by them, It’s a phase and it ends.
The problem with thinking that about Kate is that she had a decade before marriage and a few years before motherhood when married, and she’d never done anything with it to speak of.
She doesn’t need to be charismatic to be a good royal. Anne’s not charismatic either, but she worked very hard. Turning up and smiling and showing an interest in people in their working lives is their job, and while dull it’s not onerous. She could spare two days a week to do that, and they would show as full-time work, because each separate engagement is counted. So one day can be counted as plural engagements, if you visit a town and see several places when there. To have as few showing as she does is really poor, even with kids.
The sad thing is that they can raise so much money for good causes. If she had the passion for child mental health she claims to, she could host a few big-ticket events a year at Windsor and Buckingham Palace and Kensington and make millions, just by charming corporate donors and showing an interest and sweet-talking companies into donating auction prizes etc. She could even offer to host charity auctions for eg hospices, and donate personal items to them, which would send overall take rocketing. But she isn’t doing so. I think Pippa Middleton would have made a better princess, frankly, because while intellectually limited she’s never seemed exactly lazy, and I think she’d have leveraged her role for the good of the country more effectively.
I don’t blame her for being involved with her kids, or having narrow horizons. I do blame her for failing to do the bare minimum, when the role gives them astonishing privilege and luxury. She’s not holding up her end of the deal. Charles isn’t lazy. I don’t necessarily agree with the man on everything or admire his petulance, but the commitment to the country is absolutely there. Where’s hers?
Some women are content being only a mother and are laser focused on their kids, stay home and have no other outside interests. I know a few people like that and while it’s a totally fine choice they struggled once those kids got a little older and didn’t want Mom around 24/7.
I love my kid more than life itself and she is my primary focus but I personally needed to go back to work for my own fulfillment (and money, lol) and I still find a way to make time for my friends and hobbies. It also helps a lot that most of my friends started families around the same time so we are all in the trenches together and now we can plan outings with or around our kids’ schedules.
It ultimately depends on the woman. And how engaged she was in her job/hobbies before kids. People I know who were passionate about something before kids are a lot more likely to keep it up after. Kate never seemed to let on that she really cared about anything (except the ring) before kids, so it’s not surprising that she doesn’t make time for anything after.
I am a mother and if her only interest is in being a mother, that’s dangerous for her. Because children grow up and start families of their own. When she’s not as needed as she is now, which is normal as kids grow up and mature, what is she going to do? ARe they going to send the kids to the same boarding schools William went to? So when they’re not there a minimum of 5 days a week, what is she going to do? What will she do when Louis is school age (if she doesn’t have another child), what will she fill her days with if mothering is her only interest or goal? I’m really hoping she has another interest. even if it’s shopping. It will keep her saner and happier in the long run
I think that can be true for some women, but there is an important distinction here. Regular SAHMs do the cleaning, cooking, driving the kids around, do school events, etc. It IS a full time job. That is NOT what Kate is doing.
I have some obscenely wealthy friends with kids. They do not work, but several of them write novels, they are involved in the arts, involved in their kids’ schools and of course, very involved in charity. That is really the proper comparison for Kate and she is falling well behind them.
” she’s taken on just a few patronages, things where she’s really made a difference.”- and yet she can go years without visiting them.
“realizing what’s important to her,”- its only taken nearly 40 years.
Its the same old same old with her. She’s so keen and passionate and once she deigns to work she’ll do it greatly…until she doesn’t, again.
Nothing has changed about her position in the family in 7 years, and her non-existent work ethic won’t either.
What a load of rubbish. Kate isn’t some hidden superwoman waiting to burst out of her gilded cage to lead the unwashed masses. She’s Kate Middleton, who fought for 10 years to be William’s wife first and foremost and princess of the U.K. second. If Kate had any interest in anything, we would have seen glimpses of it by now. The only thing Kate wants is to live a life of luxury with few work requirements. The fact that William wasn’t interested in his responsibilities worked out perfectly for her.
+1
This. So much this.
Sadly she could be queen sooner than 25 years.
Why sadly? Chucks is not king material. Tampon dude couldn’t even be faithful to his young bride during the very beginning of their marriage, what makes you think he’ll know what to do with the whole kingdom?
Sadly because despite what you think Charles will e a good king.
What does being a bad husband have to do with soft politics though? I can’t see any correlation. Yes he was an ass when it came to Diana, and it was wrong. Outside of that Charles seems very intelligent and dedicated to his place in the BRF. I think he will be a good king, but probably not appreciated because people don’t “like” him.
I think Charles will be a good King, he may even be lucky and get 15 years on the throne. He is said to be envious of Kings who got the Crown when they were in their prime of life.
Charles will be a good King if he can understand precisely that he does not have “the whole kingdom,” or indeed any political power at all. If he can use his position to influence and persuade, as the Queen has done, he will be successful.
I think it’s time we moved on from Charles’s horrible marriage to Diana. His current marriage has lasted and appears solid thus proving he can stay married to someone he is compatible with. The tampon conversation was a flagrant invasion of privacy and should not have been made public. Just as Diana’s private conversation shouldn’t have been made public.
“But, she’s taken on a few patronages, places where she has really made a difference.” What? I would love to hear about these places where she reallly made a difference. As far as I can tell, the only places that she has made a differences are her favorite dress shops, certain contractors who have remodeled homes that were already lovely, and bringing more attention to Wimbledon, a little known tennis venue.
Reading that line made me think of the patronages that she took on but no longer visits or visits very infrequently. What happen to EACH, to the Scouts, to Action on Addiction?? When she first took on the cause of children’s palliative care I was impressed because that would be a tough, heartrending cause but one in desperate need of attention but other than a few visits and a couple of speeches in the beginning, she hasn’t done much since. Also in regards to the Scouts, her lack of visits and acknowledgement only shows other adults that it’s okay to volunteer to help but then drop it once it’s no longer interesting.
I forget which charity hired Ed Meehan to help with fundraising because she did so little for them. In any case, it’s really bad when this happens. The whole point of attaching a Royal to a charity is to help with fundraising.
Hah – brings to mind the Ed Sheehan reference on yesterday’s Dr. Who. He’s everywhere!
‘Wimbledon a little known tennis venue’……I can see you are not a tennis fan, I gulped when I read that. Wimbledon is hallowed ground when it comes to tennis. Kate should do more with sporting charities.
@PrincessK – I think she was joking 😉
I read it as biting sarcasm too – good one Giddy!
It will be interesting to see what happens with Meghan’s workload next year. If she comes back to work and continues to work as hard as she is right now, she will quickly make Kate look really bad in comparison. Will Kate and William care about that? I could see it going either way.
Meghan will not be allowed to outwork Kate. Meghan will be reined in.
But all the ladies in the BRF outwork Kate. Why would Meghan be treated differently? It’s been 7 years and, as far as we know, no one has been reined in. To me, it’s always looked like, the more others work, the better for Kate because they’re taking up her slack, no?
Anyway, I hope, for the sake of the charities involved, that Kate is actually ready to do more and make up for the past few years.
“Meghan will not be allowed to outwork Kate. Meghan will be reined in.”
This will be really interesting to see what happens with that. I’ve always thought it was possible that the Queen thinks William and Kate are lazy but doesn’t care enough to get involved or doesn’t want to rock the boat with William’s obvious reluctance to do the job at all. Maybe she thinks it’s enough that he goes through the motions when the worst case scenario would be him just refusing to do it at all, period. How could she not think they are lazy when compared with herself? The woman is in her nineties and is outworking them! It’s insane.
And please don’t give me excuses about them wanting to be there for their children. That is incredibly insulting to working parents who don’t have the nannies and staff they have. Working parents – including people who work FULL TIME which William and Kate have NEVER done – can be and are hands on parents too.
Interesting they quoted the blogger from What Kate Wore. I follow What Meghan Wore and What Kate Wore (they are run by the same person, though the Meghan blog is run by another woman as well) but just because you cover someone’s fashion does not mean you have a sense of the person they are. We really don’t know all that much about Kate if you think about it. We know some things–her family, her education, dating William, and she really likes sports… I don’t think I even knew she was super into photography until she curated (?) or wrote something for the Victorian photography exhibition at that museum, forget which one. Maybe she’s super interesting behind closed doors with family and friends and she is definitely more relaxed since Louis’s birth, that much is obvious. But this narrative that this super confident and transformed Kate is emerging… no, I do not see that.
I thought that was interesting too. I love both those blogs,* but I’m not sure that the women behind them are qualified to make statements about seeing “Queen Kate” emerging.
*I think the blogs are REALLY well run and the posts are excellent, but the comments drive me crazy to the point where I don’t read the ones on WKW at all anymore and I have to ignore half the ones on WMW.
Yes, the posts covering the fashion and the breakdown of events are excellent but yeah, I hear you about the comments! They fawn over everything Kate wears and Meghan is criticized for the stupidest things–some are valid but I really do not think the majority of women on either blog have any kind of fashion sense–it tends to border on the grandma side. In a rare display of personal opinion, they mentioned the dress Kate wore to the state dinner for the Netherland royals being reminiscent of 1980s prom dresses and some of the commenters lost their minds hahaha.
Poor Kate’s true personality has been smothered because in order to win over the Palace she and her mother very determinedly modelled herself into something that was the antithesis of Diana, because at the time the RF felt that they could not handle another Diana.
But as we have seen from this current royal tour the public want another Diana figure.
I would really really love to know who Kate Middleton really is.
This is a really interesting observation. I wonder what Carole is making of Meghan’s very warm reception by the public.
The vanity fair pr is nothing more than an attempt to make it look like kate is finally stepping up .Now that meghan has actually hit the ground running and making royal duties look like a cakewalk.Compared to every other royal married-in kate is the only one that has never worked and has given every excuse in the book before and after having kids not to work.Kate will continue doing the same as always and be praised while doing nothing.
Royals are unelected officials. None of them got their ‘job’ by merit. Whilst Meghan might be better at giving speeches & is more charismatic, it is important to remember that she too is an unelected official who like Kate has also been thrust upon the British people because of who she married. No one voted for either of them to be in their positions!
If we truly want the royals to be modern then the best way to do that would be to get rid of an hereditary monarchy and its antiquated system. Otherwise we stick with the status quo.
You know, I feel for her, actually. She always seemed to be a low-key kind of person. She probably genuinely loves Will and wanted to have a family with this man. And unlike Meghan, she doesn’t crave public attention and doesn’t bloom with it. Her sister got the best deal of them all.
I don’t think Kate is a shy or retiring person. She likes attention in the same way anyone else does, when it’s on their terms. I did think it was funny that she accepted being on the cover of Vogue for a story about how quiet and removed she was. Rather conflicting messages.
I don’t think she is “shy” or “retiring”. Low-key and shy are two different things. I never bought the “nervous” and “shy” Kate narrative. I actually think she is a relatively confident person as someone who comes from a stable family, financial security and doesn’t have much ambition in life can be. As far as loving attention – nah. If she did, she’d be all over two hundred causes and five million plaque openings. Meghan Markle, for example, enjoys, thrives and does very well with attention. Kate seems to be taking it as part of the deal.
Kate loves attention on her terms. See her and Carole requesting pap photos for the family album. Strutting on the catwalk in the sheer outfit. The expression on her face during the public parade at their daughter’s christening. Whenever they’re at movie events with celebrities and Kate lights up like a Christmas tree.
Kate loves attention on her when she wants attention on her. When all she has to do is show up in an expensive outfit and pose. What she doesn’t like is showing up for day to day events where she has to pretend to care.
Oh, sorry about that. I agree with you that Kate is actually a confident person. In terms of loving attention -liking attention doesn’t mean you indiscriminately like any attention.
Kate enjoys her sailing engagements, visiting the Downton Abbey set, Harry Potter world etc. Attention on her terms, same as anyone else is what she enjoys. And if she’s doing things that she wants, that’s when you see her come alive. Not having a great work ethic doesn’t equal not liking attention.
Meghan also wants attention on her terms, just like Kate. And she’s very good at it because I don’t think we’ve ever seen an actual candid picture of her since she met Harry. And she does seem to do better with public speaking and engaging with the public and thrive on it.
“Kate enjoys her sailing engagements, visiting the Downton Abbey set, Harry Potter world etc. Attention on her terms, same as anyone else is what she enjoys. And if she’s doing things that she wants, that’s when you see her come alive. Not having a great work ethic doesn’t equal not liking attention.”
This is so true. When it’s something she intrinsically enjoys, she does well with it and is engaged. When it’s not, she can’t be bothered to fake it. Whereas I think Meghan just loves any kind of attention so she can fake interest in pretty much any circumstance.
Or Meghan takes a genuine interest in the state of the world around her, as she’s shown since she was 11. Video proof has been posted many places for those of you who kept pretending it didn’t happen.
I feel like I’m diabetic after reading all that sugary b.s.
Kate is boring and lazy. She isn’t well suited for the role she is in, or will be in the future. Case in point: can’t make a speech, and doesn’t seem to try to improve that by PRACTICING. She just seems like a total WAG who likes to play dress up from time to time.
Exactly. She’s a WAG in a tiara.
“Is it true that the sense of “competition” has made Kate more keen?”
I think this is actually the explanation for Kate seeming livelier and happier lately. Her independent life revolved around competition: sports, of course, but also being the one to keep competitors at bay and win marriage with William. Once the competition was over, she seemed not to know what to do with herself. It doesn’t ring true that ‘having everything she wanted’ with three rather than two kids finally ‘gave her a personality’, as one commenter said. On the contrary, being back in competition would make everything more desirable to her – as in the PDA with William at Eugenie’s wedding. This makes her more understandable and sympathetic to me.
I agree.
Wow, I never thought about it this way but I think you hit the nail on the head with what has changed recently about her.
As far as I can tell, her main job after producing heirs is to remain painfully thin.
By the time she eases herself into “full time” work, she’s going to be ready for early retirement. Watch for it.
You know Will and Kate could carve their own and become global world figures and big dogs which would be beneficial for the monarchy in the future esp once Charles takes the throne yet they don’t even want to do that. Diana did it. Why can’t they?
Yes Kate is where she wants to be but please she has never ever had a work ethic. She doesn’t know what hard work is, she is never consistent and has no plans to be. William is stepping up but she won’t as she just doesn’t have it in her to give back. Yes she seems happier but that’s prob down to the fact that hes around at home more since all his party mates have ‘grown up’ and he doesn’t have his pilot job anymore. If you’ve been paying attention over the years Kate always seems happier when William is giving her his attention.
And yeah the timing of this article is suspicious, a subtle attempted to jump on the good press that H&M tour has generated. They have done this soo many times and it’s usually when the Invictus games r on.
These embarrassing articles are going to do Kate a major disservice in the long run. Too bad she/her team can’t see that.
It shouldn’t take ritzy galas and opulent state dinners to get an incentive to “work”, though it’s quite clear that Kate loves to step out and show off for those types of events. Royal work in general is hardly a 9-5 deal, so it’s laughable that people continue to trot out the “she’s a dedicated MOTHER!!!” excuse.
The timing of this article is quite interesting. I’ll leave it at that.
Here we go again – Kate bad, Meghan good.
Not on the DM comments section! Kate is the perfect English 🌹! I don’t even want to repeat what is said about Meghan.
Well the DM is not a good guide of anything! 🙂
I was really referring to here!!
I don’t think kate is bad I highly doubt majority of the comments think she bad either she just bad at her job. It took years for people to get fed up with kate laziness still to this day people are willing giving her the benefit of the doubt and places the blame on William make excuses for her I think that her and William didn’t want to work as hard as the another royals they shouldn’t never say in their engagement video that kate was going to hit the ground the running. Like it or not both William and Kate made promise to the public and seven years later kate has done the bare minimum yet. Meghan has so far kept her promise of hitting the ground running and lets face it meghan was never going to get the leeway kate has gotten over years this new roll out of the new and improved kate is just smoke and mirrors she doesn’t want to do anything but the bare minimum when it comes to Royal work. And this vanity fair article is not doing her any favor kate continues to make promises of doing more than she backtrack and says well I have small kids to raise I can’t do this and the public will accept her excuses and rinse and repeat again .
There’s a huge difference between calling someone bad and saying someone is being treated to an unrealistic puff piece
Ive always been indifferent to Kate. She’s perfectly fine, nice and pretty. This article makes Kate feel desperate when she has no need to be. She’s got nothing to really prove.
Kate has always been fine. Only peeve I’ve noticed lately is she dresses like she’s in her 40s. Someone decided conservative means midlife pearl clutcher. She’s sfill in her 30s she dresses like she’s mid 40s. It makes her look older than she is but her prerogative. I don’t get the problem with her not working at all. I’m not a royal follower. But why does it matter? I don’t think many are waiting for her big enlightenment to go make her mark. She’s a married royal raising kids. No ones expecting Kate to save the planet… but these stories make a problem when there isn’t one.
Piper I agree. Like it or not her main role is to keep the 2nd and 3rd in line to the throne happy. The children are very young and need stability, George often looks nervous when the press are around. William and Harry complained that they didn’t see their parents much when they were young. W&K could have 30-50 more years to serve the country. I’m British and have paid taxes for over 30 years. I’m happy to pay for a Monarchy if it prevents people like Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair etc being top dog in the country. I like the balance, even if it means paying for designer dresses etc. I would much rather Kate focus on her kids right now.
The Queen had a very sheltered upbringing with her parents and sister, before her grandfather died, and her uncle abdicated. They used to call themselves ‘we four’. I have a feeling W&K are trying to create the same safe environment for their children. It’s what Kate grew up with, and what William craved. Maybe they are lazy, but if their approach means that the Monarchy continues through William, George and hopefully beyond I personally don’t care.
What’s the big problem? She married a job. Every penny they spend comes from the taxpayers. Their two giant luxury homes are because of William being the first born. In exchange for that lifestyle, they are required to work for the taxpayers. See all of QEII’s elderly relatives who work circles around W&K, will never be anywhere near the throne, and keep working.
All of the others who married in are raising kids and are doing their royal jobs. When will these endless excuses for Kate Middleton stop? She has two housekeepers, three nannies, and has proven time and again she’s happy to spend time away from the kids shopping, working out, and even vacationing away from them for 10 days at a stretch. But when it comes to working, every excuse is brought out and dusted. Time and time again.
How is this supposed to work out? Is Queen Catherine going to some day stand in a palace wearing granny’s chips and the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara (like about $150 million worth of jewels), hosting a state dinner? Will the world really tolerate that in 25 years?
@Marjorie, of course they will not tolerate that in the future. It won’t be enough.
I definitely think something has changed with Kate. She is giving a whole different vibe since that last baby was born. Some women love being a mother but not the process leading up to it. Maybe she is relieved to have it all over with, finally, and has a better sense of where she and William are headed. But she definitely seems more confident, more secure, and happier.
@Majorie – It’s the way it works: you marry a future King, you end up a future Queen, and as for the world tolerating it – if you think the world cares one bit about the Head of State in Britain hosting a state dinner in lots of inherited jewelry, as Queens and Queen Consorts of every possible quality have done for eons, think again. The world will barely notice.
The British public, on the other hand, is another matter. So far, if polls are to be believed, they approve of Kate. What else would she do at a state dinner by her husband’s side but dress appropriately, including wearing Granny’s chips?
Love Myrtle’s Comment! Wish I could be a fly on the wall! What does she do all day? To echo Richard Scarry.
I do not think the taxpayers should have to pay for anyone besides the Queen, Charles and Camilla, and Catherine and William. I honestly see no difference between Harry, Zara, Eugenie, Peter Phillips etc., and frankly they should be paying their own way.
Whew, I thought I had missed it! TG the Golden Age of Kate Middleton is still to come. Seriously, I wish someone on her PR team, or whomever keeps touting her keenness, would just have the courage to say: “what you see is what you get folks. From now on, Kate will be a SAHM, solely focused on her kids. Maybe she’ll show up when she says she will, maybe she’ll spend more than 15 minutes on her one appointment a month, but don’t count on it. When the kids are off to school, she might do more, but, again, don’t get your hopes up. Meanwhile, she’ll be spending thousands of pounds a year on clothes with lots of buttons and blowouts. Just be happy she deigns to grace the public with her presence or a photograph of the kids every so often.”
I don’t criticize Kate for wanting to be a SAHM or spend most of her times with her family; many of my friends, some with advanced degrees and highly successful careers, decided to be SAHM or go part-time once they started having kids. The difference is they weren’t paid for it; if Kate wants to be a SAHM and not a working royal, public funding should reflect that. I think many more people would be supportive if the Cambridges offered to reduce the public funding they receive until they do more engagements (not that they would, but it would do a lot for public goodwill).
Excellent points! I think what annoys people isn’t just the lack of work but the ridiculous promises of “this time she is super keen”. I think if they spent less, and managed the narrative in a more sincere way it would be less laughable.
Oh, is Katie Keen finally going to hit the ground running?
How dare they compare her to the Queen…who was already a mother of two when she became queen – and who is still working 60 years on!! We wouldn’t have to worry about the BRF if they all had the sense of duty the Queen has…unfortunately they don’t.
Meghan is a hard working woman. She is and will always be. Its in her DNA. Modest parents but determined ambition. She is blowing out Kate. My worry is how the RF or the cambridges will react? Hope she will not get in trouble with them. Btw M is not acting. She really care about people and has always said she want to make an impact with people regard to women and girls rights. Stop with this acting thing. It becoming boring. VF article is reaching…sure they are afraid of the comparison…
Charles seems to appreciate the work ethic. I think everything that has happened so far has been with his approval. The tungsten nickname created by Charles was leaked for a reason. He is going to need a hard working crew anyway if he wants to keep the working royals group streamlined and Meghan working hard, at least in the context of Royal work, helps him immensely.