It took six and a half years for Queen Elizabeth to award the Duchess of Cambridge with the Royal Family Order of Queen Elizabeth II, an honor (or “honour”) traditionally given to women in the royal family. With other royal wives, the honor is generally given in the first three or four years of marriage, especially after the royal woman has given birth to a baby or two, and after the Queen has seen the royal workload taken on by the duchess or princess. I always found it notable that the Queen waited so long to give Kate that award. But this one seems like it’s coming too soon! On Kate’s eighth wedding anniversary (Monday, the 29th), the Queen made Kate a Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order.
The Duchess of Cambridge was given a very special honour from the Queen on Monday, as she was granted the title of Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victoria Order (GCVO). The monarch gave it to Kate as a wedding anniversary present to mark the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s eighth year of marriage.
The awards in the Royal Victorian Order are made personally by The Queen, for services to the Sovereign, and highlights the Duchess’ close relationship with the royal family. The Royal Victoria Order was first instituted by Queen Victoria in 1896 to reward personal services performed on her behalf.
Kate was awarded the highest ranking from the award – with the ranks being Knight or Dame Grand Cross (GCVO), Knight or Dame Commander (KCVO or DCVO), Commander (CVO), Lieutenant (LVO) and Member (MVO). Other members of the royal family to have received one include the Duchess of Cornwall, Princess Anne and the Countess of Wessex.
This was clearly a “congrats on sticking around for eight years, and for 10 years before that” kind of anniversary present. But my first thoughts were along the lines of “huh, funny timing” and “Embiggening Kate.” As I’ve said before, the past year has been all about the media and the courtiers “embiggening” Kate and fluffing her up and making everyone know that SHE is a senior royal, and NOT MEGHAN. Suddenly, Kate has never put a foot wrong and she’s always been absolutely perfect and NOT MEGHAN. So I feel like this is part of the Embiggening Kate movement.
I also wonder if the Queen giving this to Kate specifically on her wedding anniversary is significant because of the Rose Hanbury story. The Queen obviously doesn’t want her grandson to get a divorce or for the Cambridges’ marriage to end up line the “War of the Wales” between Diana and Charles. Is the Queen basically telling Kate “thank you for sticking with the sucky cheater”? Probably a little bit of that too. But mostly, this is about embiggening Kate, let’s be real.
Photos courtesy of WENN and Avalon Red.
Wait, gave it as a wedding anniversary gift????
Is that how those work these days????
I want one too for sticking around my marriage for 15 years while having kids, working, cooking and cleaning, volunteering and dealing with life.
I’d you start a petition, I’ll sign it!
Listen, the monarchy gets participation trophies just for being born, getting married and giving birth. That’s it. None of these people are setting the working world on fire.
Ahhhh, so that where the participation trophy idea came from. And society is slowly becoming entitled and soft like the monarchy. It all makes sense now.
Sorry, I am cutting in line. Down below the subject veers to perhaps Kate has social anxiety and was pushed by her pushy mom into a highly social position. I couldn’t find a reply button there, so I’m cutting in where the light is better — haha. Don’t know anything about Kate’s inner life. But … many mental/emotional conditions are not curable and are not pleasant to be around and don’t make the sufferer lovable. But I hope the mental health campaigns in the UK (that I read about on here) don’t limit empathy and concern to just the sympathetic and easy-to-treat.
I hear by grant you the title of Dame Grand Cross of Johnnie Walker Blue.
Because you are awesome.
Tiffany, cheers!
Definitelly part of the “Embiggening Kate”/”Difficult Me-Gain” Movement.
I think this is QEII sending a message to Bill Cambridge: Clean-up your act! I will stand behind your wife.
This is not QEII’s first ride on the merry-go-round.
I hope that’s the message.
I seriously doubt the Queen is saying “I’ll stand by your wife.” You are either one of them (the royals) or you’re not, and they will never take anyone’s side against their own. The message the Queen is sending is “Thank you for putting up with this” and “Don’t forget, you get some nice perks in exchange for being a doormat.” I mean, if the Queen didn’t care enough to stop her own husband’s cheating, or her son’s, she certainly ain’t gonna care about Will’s Wandering Willie.
I agree, Mrs. Krabapple. This is definitely not TQ saying she’s ride or die with Kate.
What I meant to imply is that QEII does not want a repeat of “The War of the Wales”. Therefore, she is trying to give support to Cathy in a way that she did not try to give to Diana.
“Cathy”? Really?
My favorite moniker for them: Bill & Cathy Cambridge as it reminds me of the TV show “MadMen”.
Full disclosure: I stole it from the TLo fashion blog site.
I kind of feel that on a personal level, the last year has been really hard on Kate. I mean if you look at pics from before Louis was born and after Louis was born, she looks like she’s aged quite a bit and she’s been less smiley than she was in the past. Maybe it’s because she’s had to work now, maybe dealing with William’s cheating behind the scenes, maybe it’s having 3 kids now. I won’t pretend to know why. But her face says it’s been a rough year for her – whatever the reason.
I’ve always wondered if she has crippling anxiety issues. That is a hard, hard thing to break away from even with all the resources in the world at your disposal.
William doesn’t help either.
I kind of wonder that too. I know a lot of people think she’s lazy but I just feel there’s more to it than mere laziness.
That’s an interesting take. I see this a lot at my universities job – smart young women, who would probably do fine on their own if they were allowed to, but who parents who have extremely high expectations/unintentionally put a lot of stress/anxiety on their daughters. I could totally see this dynamic with Carole/Kate.
Funny she never has “anxiety” when she’s doing a fun royal engagement. It is only when she has to appear professional and concerned that suddenly there’s talk of “anxiety”.
We don’t know that, nota. Sometimes people with anxiety have to soothe herself.
I know you don’t like Kate, nota but please quit bulldozing over others whose opinions differ from yours.
I’m stating my opinion which is contrary to yours, but somehow I’m bulldozing while you’re here trying to what, shut me up?
Soothing herself by flirting with Ben Ainslie? No anxiety when it is something she clearly wants to do. When she doesn’t want to be there, her body language and facial expressions are obvious. Those times are always when she has to pretend to care about people in crisis.
I understand your opinion. You state it quite often to the point of shutting down anyone who dissents from yours and I don’t like it. You don’t Kate and that’s fine, Nota. But this is literally gossip and hearsay. She may have her reasons, she may not. Being pro one person doesn’t mean we have to tear Kate down. I would like for once to have a conversation with others without you coming in and tearing down Kate.
Could be flirting or could it be another person seeing another person being uncomfortable and talking to them in a such a manner that it relaxes them? We don’t know. Some times she looks relax and fine and other times she looks like a deer in the head lights.
Cosign everything you said, Lucia.
You’re welcome not to read anything I write, your choice.
Deer in the headlights always comes when she has to pretend to care. “Oh how interesting” to the child who told her they were deliberately maimed to make more money as a beggar. A person without genuine empathy for the people around her, and with no interest in the world around her according to her cousin the professor.
Agreed. I wonder about her and anxiety as well. I suffer anxiety, and the “work” everyone else is saying should be so easy (showing up at events, little speeches, mingling, whatever it is royals do to get their credit) would be terribly difficult for me.
As someone with lifelong severe anxiety, I’ve wondered the same thing about her. Unless I specifically share it, people have no idea the terrible toll my anxiety takes. Even if do share it, I may not really get heard, since I look “fine” despite how draining social situations of all types are for me. That’s not a whine or complaint, simply a fact. When we aren’t able to grasp what someone’s inner experience is like, it’s all to easy to label him or her as lazy, unfriendly, unreliable, etc. There’s something about William that causes me to think maybe he truly is just an entitled, work-shy ass. And perhaps Kate is just a vapid woman bored by royal duties. But I do wonder if she struggles socially/professionally in a way he doesn’t and never has.
Kate may have anxiety = interesting take
Nota gives examples of fun events where Kate is fine and examples of her inability to really care about other people = Bulldozing.
The math doesn’t add up.
Lucia
Well said. This commentor has been aggressive towards others here in the past. People don’t always see eye to eye but I am amazed at some of the things notasugarhere gets away with.
Thanks, Melly.
Nota is not aggressive. Far from it. She is passionate about her opinions, and she’s allowed to be.
If she does have anxiety then why not get treatment? She has access to the best medical professionals in the Uk if not beyond. Considering she’s been at this since 2011 and her big cause is supposed to be destigmatizing mental illness then why not get help? Harry did. Now empress Masako also went public with her need to take time off and gained a ton of sympathy for it. As it stands there is no explanation for the low numbers and the most obvious reason is that she simply does not want to do more work.
And anxiety doesn’t explain why there isn’t more behind the scenes work. The court circular puts every single meeting she does on the list and there are few of those as well.
Nota loathes Kate and jumps in without fail if anyone posts anything remotely positive or empathetic about her. She states her opinion as fact (see above) and is rude to posters who disagree with her (see below.) It is what it is.
I’ve noticed the opposite since Louis was born. She seems happier and more relaxed, not anxious and depressed. I don’t know if this whole cheating thing is real because if it is, Kate’s done a great job in public hiding at how miserable she feels. Ever since Louis’s christening, she has seemed radiant and enjoying life. Maybe she doesn’t care about William cheating on her (supposedly he’s done it before) and just enjoying being a mom.
Now she doesn’t like public speaking which is fine. I hate it too and am not good at it like Kate and would probably need notes and a paper to read. Meghan excels at it but she is used to having cameras trained on her while saying lines she’s practiced and rehearsed. It comes with the acting territory.
And I am not a Kate superfan but claiming Kate is “flirting” with Ben Ainslie is just silly. Kate has always loved events that involve sports and it’s where she has always shone the most. Ben is a competitive sailor. He is clearly friendly and engaging and that puts Kate at ease. We’ve seen Kate smiling and laughing around Harry and no one is saying she’s flirting with Harry. Case in point: the event she just did for ANZAC Day where Harry showed up as a surprise guest. She seemed relaxed and happy in his presence. Were they flirting? No.
@Nic919, Perhaps Kate is getting treatment and doesn’t want to discuss it publicly., There’s no magic wand to fix clinical anxiety or depression. Some people are treatment-resistant and often treatment is only partially effective, even if you’re wealthy and have access to great medical care. She may be lazy, as you say, or she may be doing the best that she can.
Nota doesn’t “attack” people and she is not “aggressive.” She just has a different opinion than you. But the pearl clutching over her posts is a reflection of just how splintered and siloed our society now is. People straight-up can a) no longer take criticism and b) categorize anyone disagreeing with them as “an attack.” It’s something we’re going to have to address on a wide scale if we ever want to evolve culturally and socially.
Thank you ladies. And as this is the only board I post on, Reese your comment makes no sense. Unless there is someone using my name on another board.
If Kate has anxiety issues, then I have a lot of sympathy for her because I know exactly how hard anxiety can be to deal with. However if this is the case I have to ask, why did she choose to date and marry a prince? They were together for nearly a decade before they got married so it’s not like she didn’t know what she was getting into. In the engagement interview William said that was the exact reason they dated for so long, so that Kate would know what to expect and have time to decide if that was what she wanted. While I’m sure there is no way to know exactly what this kind of life would be like before you actually get into it, there is no way she didn’t know she would be a public figure and speeches, small talk etc. would be a permanent fixture in her life. If she really does suffer from anxiety why didn’t she either not marry William, or get help so that she would be prepared for her future role?
If u look at their engagement photos both have aged quite a bit in the past eight years and it’s not down to hard work. Neither Kate or William want to work, both are only interested in the perks that come with the position.
They have both aged, but William much worse. I’ll at least give Kate that she’s had three babies and growing children puts your body through the ringer.
Anyone who ever thought William would age well is to have their temp checked. Yeah he was adorable as a teen and in his 20s but I don’t know why anyone is surprised that he is not aging well. That’s down to his genes. He always resembled Grandpa Philip who looked 45 at 25. Harry takes more after The Spencers who look alright for their age.
Kate on the other hand looks like she’s aging from stress.
Um Harry is an exact copy of Phillip not Will
People DO AGE in 8 years! Of course she’ll look older (as does he, esp. with his hair loss). Between extreme dieting, exercising, and having 3 small kids (and by all accounts, she *is* a hands-on mother, even with help), it will definitely take its toll on your looks. I’m sure Wandering Willy’s latest fling being flung in her face hasn’t helped; to me, lately, she looks like she’s not sleeping well (circles under her eyes).
But in this last year, since Louis’ birth, I don’t think I’ve ever seen her looking as happy or more relaxed in all situations (until this Turnip Toff Tiff). But that’s just my view, yours may vary 😊
Baba I had a conversation in another thread with someone about this. I concede that Harry does look like Philip minus Spencer nose and Spencer ginger hair.
I think Kate is anorexic, which can be hard on your features. She’s crazy thin and I worry about her. I think the marriage is wearing her down.
Actually the consensus for the past year is that Kate has been looking much happier & content in her role, and most people seemed to agree. This would not be the case if her personal life was in shambles.
I am one of the few that thought she looked unhappy a lot last year. I also thought she looked miserable at Harry and Meghans wedding, except for when she was with the children in the wedding.
During the wedding My neighbor watching the wedding with me, asked who is that lady , she looks miserable. It was Kate inside the church.
On the steps she looked happy though, with the children around.
Um, I’m pretty sure everyone is saying the opposite.
I wouldn’t say she was happier, a bit more relaxed during her public duties maybe which I put down to the fact that Mummy had backed off. I noticed a difference when the story came out about how Carole was going back to Buckbury to the family business and the Cambridge’s thanking her for her support and wishing her well for the future. It was soon after that those interviews came out. Carole. by her own admission is a hands on parent, it was long rumoured she ran that household and relationship, often interfering and taking Williams side over her daughter. The third person in Kate’s marriage was finally removed, her mother. I think Kate is relaxed because she can finally breathe and be in charge of her own family.
I think overall, Kate has looked more confident in her actual public duties (when she appears in public), but her actual face has appeared more…..something. Older? Sick?
I think the confidence could be due a number of factors – Carole backing off, Meghan taking the media heat away from Kate (which has resulted in lots of praise for Kate), maybe finally growing into her role a bit – not sure.
But her physical appearance has not looked well. I know that this site has a rep for being anti-Kate, so I think when we say that people think we are just being haters, but I legitimately think the past year has taken a serious toll on her, for whatever reason.
@Becks: I noticed the physical difference too. I’ve wondered whether it was simply a matter of getting older (post third pregnancy Kate is not going to look like post first pregnancy Kate after all), or if there’s something more going on. She’s been focused on maintaining a svelte figure since she married into the family, but in the past year she’s looked somewhat frail imo. So many commenters were talking about how great she looked at the state dinner last year, but she seemed a little unwell to me. Again, it could just be a matter of aging.
@90sgirl keep in mind she was like 3 weeks post partum at H and Ms wedding. She may well have been exhausted/ uncomfortable.
As for those saying she has aged a lot… I have the same type of skin and am six months older than her. I’ve aged too. More so than most of my friends. I try to take care of my skin, I don’t smoke, but it happens. Some people are lucky in this respect- but remember it’s not a crime against humanity that she is getting older.
To me, she’s looked unhappy at a lot of events, except for the ones with children. At those, she really shines. But, the unhappy looking photos could be just a fraction of a second where she was otherwise looking happy. The camera can exaggerate things and make them look longer or more prominent than they really are.
I think she’s had a difficult year and has had to support the royal family under circumstances we know little about . I’m sure there is a lot going on behind the scenes that we don’t know about .and she has been treated shabbily but still puts on a good face
That’s the thing that gets me. Everyone rags on her as much as they rag on Meghan. That has to take a toll after awhile, even if you do live in a glass bubble.
“Everyone” is a strong inaccurate phrase. She had multiple sources that were critical, sometimes highly, of her before Prince Harry married Meghan. Upon Meghan’s arrival, the media and commentators had someone new to kick around so to contrast with how horrible their new target (Meghan) is at everything, Kate was elevated to the perfect English rose, the perfect princess who never puts a foot wrong, the epitome of perfect motherhood and English family life. So this last year she has had the best press since her wedding. (I feel bad for their next target once they’re done kicking around Meghan)
Yeah but after 8-10 years of getting kicked around, it must be a relief to let someone else get kicked around. I suspect they’ll be kicking around Meghan until Charlotte turns 16. Then they’ll start up on Charlotte.
skippy is that you?
I think she was accused of being lazy, waity and common. Someone who preferred shopping and getting her hair done to visiting troops, whatever the worst spin they could put on it.
That’s different than being accused of being responsible for war and famine because you like avocados, “demanding and b!tchy” for waking up at 5 am and at some point sending emails and texts to staff, a whole lot of slurs against her regarding sexual past, out to destroy the monarchy, really over the top stuff with dog whistles of racism and classicism as well.
Did Kate have it easy? I wouldn’t say that. Have the kicks inflicted on her been particularly sharp? Nope.
IMHO, The tabloids do not really care for Cathy Cambridge, even the Daily Fail.
However, falsely praising Cathy to the hilt is a passive-aggressive way for the tabloids to stab another dagger into Meghan & Harry and attract click-bait for $$$ at the same time.
But it’s not as if she reads posts or comments on sites like this every day and sees what people are saying, so I don’t think the fact that people like us are hard on her takes any sort of toll on her, adding to her stress.
The tabs build her up and then tear her down. It must be an exhausting cycle.
I must confess…at long last I have sympathy for Kate. She is deathly thin, is aging rapidly, and looks stressed out. I think William is a cold-hearted man, and has little regard for Kate’s feelings. I do believe Will did have an affair. Kate seems defeated & heartbroken. Money & privilege cannot mask sadness and betrayal.
Has she aged more than usual, or is it that the press has dialed back on the massive photoshop job? Her portrait by Paul Emsley years ago was accurate, set side by side with the unretouched photo she gave him as source material.
That’s a fair point, too.
I have said for ages that Kate often thin, tired and anxious. Now we know why, and we also know that she is ‘obsessively thin’.
Oh yeah! Royal Foibles mentioned that. I wonder if she has an eating disorder. I don’t say that to start anything or be mean but I reading obsessed with staying thin as her being somewhat unhealthy.
@Lucia no,I hear you. I hope she doesn’t, but she looked super thin on Easter sunday. (and no, that’s not concern trolling, I’m not wishing anything bad on her, etc.)
One thing I didn’t understand from the Royal Foibles article is how “pregnant and obsessed with weight” translated into “no sex.”
She has always been slim in all the photos I’ve seen over the years but when she was younger she had a fuller face and a softer look overall. People do lose that as they get older though. I hope the pressure of being in the public eye hasn’t given her a disorder. Look what that press did to Fergie. This is an area where I think if Diana were around, she could have helped, given her experience with a disorder and the therapy she undertook to get over it.
At university she had a healthy, sporty weight suited to her frame. She’s lost and gained weight throughout this relationship.
I have crippling anxiety that keeps me home almost all the time, but it doesn’t mean that when I finally get myself out the door I don’t have enough saved up spoons to enjoy myself. Mental illness isn’t all cloudy days all the time.
My mother is the same and most people don’t even know it because she tries so hard to put on a good face when she does go out, even when she’s struggling. I believe (and it’s been rumored for years) that Kate suffers from both anxiety and depression. I assume she’s doing her best under the circumstances.
The happiest I ever saw her was at Louis’ christening. It warmed my cold dead heart to see how much she adored that baby. Speaking as someone who’s anxiety sprung up like it hasn’t in years the past few days, I can’t imagine having it when the world’s eyes are on you. Bleh.
I completely agree. Kate has aged a lot and she pretty much always looks troubled or stressed but as though she is putting on a smile in public. I hate that people are willing to take the fact that she might have had a few good public appearances as proof that she clearly doesn’t have any anxiety issues. We don’t know either way whether it’s anxiety, depression or something going on in her home life but having good days doesn’t mean the bad days aren’t there. She looks tense, tired and drawn. Compare that to Meghan who’s smiles seem light and genuine, who’s eye’s appear happy and who’s posture is relaxed.
What else is noticeable is the fact that despite looking older, Kate clearly isn’t big on botox and fillers, which feels refreshing for someone in the public eye.
Lol.
Yeah, he’s definitely cheating.
My thoughts exactly.
Willie the wanderer.
Congratulations Duchess Kate on the honor from the Queen.
Also Princess Anne, Sophie Countess of Wessex and Camilla Duchess of Cornwall have the honor.
Yep thanks for putting up with William and his cheating a**.
It could also be “Thanks for putting up with my idiot grandson and all of his stupidity these past 8 years. I know what a spoiled and petulant person he is and you’re a saint for tolerating his BS.”
IMHO, QEII is standing up for and protecting Cathy in a way she did not do for Diana. but should have.
@Lucia, I agree, but if that’s the Queen’s reasoning, than Meghan should also get one immediately for continuing doing her duties with dignity even as she’s been assaulted by the press daily for over a year now. 🙂
Well it could all be just an interesting coincidence of events.
Kate cheated with him. She stood by and watched him cheat for a decade, kept pursuing him, chose to marry him. Cheating is no surprise from William.
she stuck with willie and getting a honor for doing the least amount of work as compared to others of rank. if this is how people get awards then kate deserved this
He might be royal, but he’s not much of a catch. Married, three kids, boring and not very handsome. 🤷🏼♀️
yeah, but I just heard his voice in something or other and it was beautiful. Deep and somehow reassuring. also, that pic of the 5 of them, where his shirt is unbuttoned, make me think he’s not all dreadful. No one is all bad or all good.
Are we really Kate-haters? I’m not. I like both women for different things. I also have critical thoughts about both of them…for different things. And honestly…after reading “The Royal We” by the Fug Girls I have more leeway to give Kate.
Totally off the wall: I think Pippa’s wedding dress deserved WAY more attention and approval than it received. She looked absolutely stunning IMHO
That was my reaction as well. “Please don’t do an interview like Diana did and I’ll give you this reward.”
Yeah, I think the Queen is rewarding Kate for not losing it like Diana and creating a War of the Wales II. The RF doesn’t need that smoke ever again. That’s why I don’t understand why they don’t champion Meghan and Harry more. They are love’s young dream right now and glam and hardworking. You can’t ask for better. Hurting them is cutting off your nose to spite your face.
Problems with Meghan = Bill Cambridge + Commentariat of (Daily Fail + The Daily Express)
Yep, the timing of this honor/honour pretty much confirms the cheating.
The Fellowship of Catherine: Embiggening Kate. Or insert a better title.
Clearly this is PR but the Queen has to secure her legacy through the Cambridges. If that includes ‘whitewashing’ and unearned praise so be it I guess.
Hopefully William and Kate step up and take on more work since the older generation will not be around forever.
I just worry that Prince George will be worse than his parents and not work at all.
I heard a rumour that the queen gave it as a way to make Kate feel better after the affair story.
Agreed. I think the wording is very telling: have as a wedding anniversary gift. Reading between the lines tells a lot.
+100
Not really. Kate isn’t the only person that received this honour as a wedding anniversary gift. I found some information online which stated that a lot of the women that received this honour from the Queen specifically received it as a wedding anniversary gift and most of them had to wait longer than their 8th wedding anniversary. I can’t remember where I read it now I’ll have to look it up again.
Andrew got his to distract from the Epstein scandal. Same playbook by the Queen.
@Nic, that’s interesting— I didn’t realize the timing of Andrew’s, but that makes sense.
Honestly, IMO this lends MORE credibility to the cheating rumors; the Queen feels sorry for Kate and is rewarding her for putting up with it, staying with William, and keeping her mouth shut about it.
Anyone who has followed Kate for years can see she has clearly done nothing to deserve this honor. And it’s all nonsense anyway- one of the articles said that the Queen also gave her hairdresser one, so lol at all of the Kate fans freaking out about how meaningful and wonderful this is.
@Nic919
I didn’t know it! Mess.
Sophie received hers in 2010 after 11 years of marriage. Camilla received hers in 2012 after 7 years of marriage. So no, it’s not accurate to say other senior royal women receive them after only 3-4 years.
The Royal Family Order is different and typically given out a couple of years after marriage. This new honor is a bigger deal and you are correct that there is usually a longer wait.
Sophie has both
Dame Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) 2010
And The Royal Family Order. 2004
So do Princess Anne and Camillai , Duchess of Cornwall have both.
Now Duchess Kate.
Yeah I noticed that too. Prince Andrew only got the male version of the honor himself a few years ago as well. I thought it was rather quick for Kate to get this honor, especially given that her workload isn’t setting the world on fire.
Andrew has a lot more important ones given to him. This one isn’t a Thistle this is a more minor order. So historically all the orders were not given by the monarch but other powers behind the royals. Queen Victoria made this award for one of her milestone anniversaries so she could personally award people. I think in the 1940 or 50s the king/queen took over the power of giving all of these honors. So it does not mean as much as it used to as the personal award of the queen.
Sophie and Edward were not part of the working royal family for the first three years. They were never meant to be, while W&K were supposed to be from day one.
These family orders are given at the Queen’s discretion and there doesn’t really seem to be one format that she follows. Diana was given the family order within a year but she was never given the Victoria order, Sophie was given the family order after 5 years & the Victoria order after 11 years.
Personally I don’t think the Queen is that cynical to just hand Kate an order simply because of an unfounded rumor about her grandson on social media which I doubt the queen even follows. Only the Queen knows her reasons.
To the public it’s an unfounded rumour.
But No one knows What the Queen , Prince William and Kate knows as far as what the truth is, behind the scenes.
Obviously TQ is part of the smear campaign and did it as a middle finger to Meghan.
Or it could be that she wants no parts of the Kate v Meghan tabloid narrative and has her own reasons.
Or It’s the Willie wandering rumour most are referring to.
Lol
Actually, going by body language at public events, the Queen seems very fond of Meghan, so too does Anne apparently.
If that was the Queen’s reasoning, I don’t see it as cynical, I see it as savvy. She wants to keep Kate happy and avoid any Diana-like behavior.
And you can bet that the Queen is absolutely aware of what is being said about the family, especially a story so significant about the heir to the throne. Of course she doesn’t sit on Twitter all day, but she gets reports on everything daily. By all accounts, she is very attuned to what the public is saying/thinking about the BRF. Which is also why it’s notable that she pulls the ostrich act and ignores issues that she doesn’t want to deal with. This has been a pattern of hers for decades.
I think that Kate, who has not really done much to deserve it, got it now to pave the way for Meghan to get her’s within the lifetime of the Queen.
That’s about the only reason to give it to Kate. Kate is lazy and has the lowest number of events year after year so it clearly isn’t for her work ethic. And her patronages certainly aren’t singing her praises the way the patronages for the Sussexes or the Wales are.
The Queen visited Frogmore Cottage, they are saying Zara and Mike also visited with other member of the Royal Family.
Now people are saying the baby is here, otherwise why would the Queen visit, like FC is not down the road from Windsor Castle.
The queen’s visit is to go over the process of introducing Baby Sussex, possibly letting Harry and Meghan know the baby will get HRH?
But that was Emily Andrews who reported that, right? I think we can safely assume everything she says is a lie or a guess. She’s the one who wrote an article about the baby shower – complete with quotes from attendees – a day before it actually took place. She has no credibility. She has also claimed to know Meghan’s exact due date, which again…no.
They r also saying that it could have been the same time as the Cambridge’s. Seems granny decided to smack the brothers heads together. Someone is trying to undermine the narrative from the Cambridge’s that they r making the effort even though the Sussex’s are being ‘difficult’.
You can’t believe everything you read
Or maybe TQ just thinks Kate is doing a good job. Crazy huh.
Yes, for sure, that one event every 4 months is taxing…
Hush, don’t say this here! 😉
Lol
A good job doing…?
Birthing babies.
Yes wowsers, with her work ethic and list of accomplishments she would put the likes of Anne and Sophie to shame! 🙄
Or maybe HM is 93 and has put some things on an accelerated schedule.
Exactly, the Queen will want to give Meghan something within her lifetime.
The Queen may want to but where awarding different honors and orders on Meghan gets tricky is citizenship. Some she can’t get because she is not a citizen of either the UK or Commonwealth.
@Wowsers: thanks for the laugh!
If doing barely any work and popping out kids while enjoying a luxurious life full of undeserved perks warrants getting this award, than Kim Kardashian should be the next recipient.
I would venture to say that Kim actually works more than Kate does.
Doing what? Seriously, the woman barely works. She’s done 15 events in 5 months this year. She stays a short amount of time at each event, isn’t doing anything behind the scenes and isn’t heading any major initiative. There’s nothing to reward. Absolutely nothing.
Probably the fluffing up of Kate is a big part of it, and a hint to William, but it could also be a message sent to those horrible turnip people who think Kate – and Meghan – are “commoners” and “lesser than” the horsey aristo set…building on the Royal Foibles theory!
Excellent theory!
@Redgrl: yes, but Kate having this won’t make any difference to the real aristos. To them she will always be a commoner, an arriviste.
If the fact that she’s going to be Queen Consort is irrelevant to these people, a badge that Kate wears on a sash a couple of times a year is certainly not going to change anything.
@lorelei – oh, I know. But it’s arguably the Queen signalling those turnipy people about her support to Kate – whether they like her or not. Which they may not care, but Kate probably does.
Can’t believe Philip only got this in 2017 when hes worked 100x harder than Kate ever as.Its actually madness
I kind of wonder if it was a case of her feeling weird giving her husband the title? Or maybe he protested that he didn’t NEED it. Who knows. It is kind of weird though.
We are discussing the British Royals so is not everything a little weird?
Camilla apparently received the award at time of 7th wedding anniversary. Sophie got it after around 10/11 years so fairly normal timing in view of her position. Princess Anne, Princess Alexandra, Duchess of Gloucester all have the award.
I don’t disagree that Prince Phillip has worked harder but Kate has also managed to do events without making racist, sexist, or otherwise disparaging comments so there’s that.
Kate should not be getting praise for not saying racist things in public as an excuse for her poor work ethic. We know they had a painting with a racist name in her home that only got noticed when the Obamas showed up. Clearly she was fine with it to put it there in the first place.
Not to mention her brother’s marshmallows, her clothing choices, and the friends/staff she keeps.
This comment is in the wrong place, it was meant to be in response to the above comment about Prince Phillip. And I don’t think she is necessarily someone to be praised or admired but in this particular family, I do think that her lack of over the racism is something of note. To the below commenter, I don’t think that she should be taken to task for her brother’s shoddy professional practices, that’s on him and him alone.
The issue with the painting wasn’t just the name. It was the subject matter, which the name only described.
Agree. And it’s impossible to wash away the racism for wanting a painting like that in your house in the first place.
You have to date anything granted to Sophie and minus three years for more accuracy. She and Edward were not meant to be working royals, unlike W&K who are required to be from the beginning.
Exactly. Sophie and Camilla work their asses off. Kate does basically nothing. The fact that Kate for this as a “participation award” without earning it actually devalues it, IMO.
If in fact this is something that is meaningful within the family, I would be pretty annoyed if I were Sophie and saw Kate, who works for about three hours a YEAR, getting this for no reason except existing and providing heirs (when by all accounts she wanted to be a mother anyway; it’s not as if she made some huge sacrifice for the throne).
The RVO is awarded for services to the sovereign. When I first heard the award I found it odd given Kate’s work shy rep. And the Cambridges got dragged on their 8th anniversary for Turnip Toff gate on Twitter. I’m not sure how to take this. If the queen plans to gives Meghan an RFO this year (Meghan earned it and then some) the wig out would be huge.
But ‘services to the sovereign’ could mean anything in the Queen’s mind. Maybe it’s for having 3 heirs, maybe it’s for not making a fuss about the cheating rumors, maybe it’s for making William cheese toast every Tuesday. We are assuming it means work…but clearly not in the case of the Cambridges (when compared to workloads of Sophie or Camilla).
Te queen must value her a great deal and hold her in high regard to give her this
Hi skippy.
@Skipper: lol. The Queen just wants to ensure that Kate keeps her mouth shut and doesn’t pull a Diana after being cheated on. Her “services to the sovereign” are minimal at best. Nice try, though!
The embiggoning of Kate makes sense as the reason makes sense along with the cheating story not going away. Meghan may receive the RFO sooner than Kate. She cannot receive this Victoria one until she is a citizen of the UK.
I also suspect Meghan might get one sooner because it will seem, to many people, to be more significant if it comes from the Queen as opposed to being awarded by Charles once he is King. Since the Queen is 93, she’s probably accelerating everything as she knows she doesn’t have much time left.
Honestly, I have thought for a while that Meghan was going to get the RFO pretty fast, and that’s why Kate got it finally (so that Kate can have it for a few years before Meghan gets it.)
The womans in her mid 90s… she has to give these things out now or else lol!!
I was thinking that; she has to get this stuff done or forever hold her peace. Not a lot of time left there.
Agreed. It would be amiss of Liz to not give this to the future Queen of England before Liz joins Queen Victoria in the afterlife.
These orders are clearly not based on merit, but then again, nothing this family is given is ever based on merit…eh
and there it is….
I’m still hoping she has an Elle Woods moment, but I think she’s just content to be the Pippa equivalent with a title…(but I think Pippa does doe things outside the house)
Somewhere Mrs. Bennett is smiling down on Carole Middleton.
Pride and Prejudice, Windsor addition
I’m not really knocking Kate its just that this family gives itself orders, new titles and awards constantly…all based on the fact that they were born into the right family or married into it.. it’s sort of ridiculous
The word service has certainly degraded in meaning in any case. Camilla and Sophie waited but they also had put in years of solid engagement numbers before they got it. Sophie also managed to have two kids and almost died giving birth to Louise and still did more.
The number one reason this stinks to me is that the Queen’s beloving husband didn’t get the male equivalent until 2017. Are we really supposed to believe that in 8 years Kate has provided greater services to the crown than Prince Phillip did in the 68 years that they’d been married at that point? Sure, Jan.
Philip had received much higher awards like the Garter, Thistle etc. pretty early on. His getting the RVO is more of a case of finding an honour he hadn’t actually received to make it a present for their anniversary.
No matter what people say, this award to someone who treats being a working royal as a part-time job will always garner a massive side-eye. It had to be given at some point, though. Couldn’t run the risk of the future QC not having this order from the Queen. I’m sure William begged and pleaded for it when he was pushing for Meghan to be forbade from wearing signature pieces from the Queen’s collection (I kid. About Meghan, not the begging).
Well the queen must think contrary to this
Has tumblr arrived on CB?
None of us know what the Queen thinks. The Queen could have been told it is a good PR move to try to break the negative Cambridge cycle or it could be that she truly felt Kate had earned it.
Charles and Diana getting separated and divorced was a huge issue in the 90s and the Queen was not happy about the crazy media attention. It would fall within her belief system and actions in the past, including to her own, to believe that sticking with an unfaithful husband is also considered service to the crown by maintaining family continuity at all costs. It certainly can’t be because of actual engagements because Kate has had the lowest number of all the senior royals for years, even when she wasn’t on leave.
It gives Kate a sash to wear during official visits. Remember how people commented when she was the only unadorned one in the bunch at the Chinese and Spanish visits? This has been given for appearances, not service.
Which is sad because the sashes are ugly af. Takes away from the lovely gowns Kate wears.
They don’t have to, if you plan your gown for the sash. Letizia and Mathilde are good at that.
What is Duchess Catherine’s “real” job and duty to the crown? Pop out a legitimate healthy heir. Doesn’t even have to be male now. She did that three times. The duchess must figure her work is done (unless they go for #4)
I was very surprised they had Louis. I was convinced when Charlotte turned 2 there would be no more Cambridge babies.
Now, it wouldn’t surprise me if Kate has a fourth.
Kate has never worked for or earned anything on her own merit, so why should this be any different?
True facts!
^This. Then again, neither has William.
Not convinced. Maybe after more speeches and maybe a book or some solid initiative aside from tagging along Will and Harry. Sophie, Anne and Cam are miles ahead. But eh this is how royals roll I guess and she is in her 90s, might as well give it to the next future QC while she can.
Giving the workshy Kate an award devalues it if you compare her workload to that of the other female royal recipients. As the CB article says, it seems to be part of a strategy to boost Kate’s future queen profile. The timing is a bit suspect too with all the cheating stories going on so maybe this is a little reward for Kate putting up with 8 years of William.
Lol…what a joke. At least sophie and camilla earned theirs and their work shows that.
This is on the same level as Andrew getting a special ribbon.
Considering the circumstances in which HM awarded Andrew, I’m thinking that there’s truth to the rumors. It’s just extremely poor timing. I’m seeing people who don’t even follow the royals joke about Kate being rewarded for standing by her unfaithful husband.
The Queen has a pattern of making certain gestures as a show of support for members of her family, if they need it. If Kate is receiving this right now, the dates and the timing is just too much of a coincidence for it to be anything else.
Also a little bit off topic….this ribbon story and their anniversary story still didnt take the heat off the affair story. Tmz is now sniffing around and gave rose her own profile story.
They might think they’re in the clear because they have a modicum of control over the British media. However, with the introduction of Meghan into the royal family, American Meghan, the US tabloid media has more interest in the royal family than they have since the Diana days. And they have no control over the US tabloids. This will drag out for a bit until maybe Baby Sussex is born to distract.
Yes, I think the Queen and courtiers are learning the hard way that they do not have the same control over the narrative as they did pre-internet.
Willy can keep bullying the UK papers, but this story isn’t going away.
“Willy can keep bullying the UK papers, but this story isn’t going away.”
Lorelei, this story will never go away; not with you and me around! LOL! LOL!
Jezebel too.
Rose seems to me the type that enjoying all of this at the expense of Cathy Cambridge. Anything new in the Jazebel and TMZ stories or are they just a rehash of everything written in the last three months? Inquiring minds want to know!
Jezebel? Really? Jezebel is a gossip blog that doesn’t have any source and,in fact, it doesn’t say anything new. Tmz literally retweeted another third-tier American gossip site.
At the end of the day these awards and honours are meaningless bs especially to anyone outside of the royal family. Prince Andrew is still a cad after receiving one, Kate is still and will continue to be lazy and unengaged etc.
She got it after the same amount of years as Sophie on her anniversary, and 1 year after Camillas anniversary (but that was a Jubilee year and lots of awards are given on those years).
It’s just a thing that’s done. No embiggening. Just status quo.
eh I very much doubt that a W+K divorce split would reach the levels of the War of the Wales’ – mostly because Kate is nowhere near as beloved (or PR clever) as Diana, and Will is nowhere near as loathed as Charles was at the time.
I know there are stand and hates in all corners, but I do not believe the general public interest and feeling is anywhere in the realm of Diana and Charles.
Many would understand if they divorced. A college relationship lasted too long and ended in divorce. People would be angered by the taxpayer costs of housing and securing Kate post-divorce.
On the other hand, it might be worse in some ways due to the internet being more prevalent.
This made me howl, because the reaction of so many on twitter was just….”for what?”
And of course my immediate reaction was “oh so he definitely cheated.”
Maybe this is just completely normal, timing is usual (if Sophie got it 11 years after they were married, that would have been 8 years as a FT royal, so that fits with Kate) but its one of those things where you probably don’t want the reaction of so many people to be, “huh. So……that other scandal….”
That was my thinking. It seems to be within a typical window for these things, but yeah, it’s clearly for distraction, and obviously that failed, lol. Which, whatever. Not the first time, won’t be the last. I found it funny, though, how people were trying to argue that William pressured and forced the Queen to do this like he has that much power and she has no agency.
It seems the Queen is about as PR-savvy as William, if she thought this would deflect from the cheating scandal!
Very much a, Hey, Thanks for staying with your cheating husband, award.
Does anybody really think Queen Elizabeth herself is above this dog whistle racism? Queen Elizabeth has seen for months the type of racist shit that the press puts out and some of it comes from her own family ( William, Andrew)! This is woman who was so quick to shut down the story about a minor who had slept with Prince Andrew, intervened in a governorship of Australia, made sure Prince Phillip was protected after the crash story, but can’t shut down the racist bullshit that her own family puts out? A woman whose family includes cousin Princess Kent who wore a racist broach, a grandson-Harry, who were a Nazi uniform, her son Phillip who tells brown woman they don’t look like they were born here, a husband who spouts racist shit all the time, another grandson-William, who hung a racist painting and tries to send the black princess back to Africa. These are the people she has raised and allowed into her family. We can’t control our family, but if these people raised to be ashamed of racism this would not be an issue. Queen Elizabeth can put out a statement about the racism Meghan has faced and it would be perceived very differently than when Harry has. It would send a message to everybody, including her own family and courtiers. And no she’s not a fragile old lady, as he speech in front of golden piano showed. She aware of that jags going on and just doesn’t give a shit. And awarding Kate with this award right before Meghan is about to give birth gives credibility to the idea that Kate is second coming of mother Mary while Meghan is the angry black woman.
The Queen is a woman of her time and place, so no, she’s not going to be progressive by modern standards. She was progressive by the standards of her time though – the one and only time she has been political (which she is really not supposed to be) was when she let it be known that she opposed Thatcher’s apartheid appeasement in the 1980s.
Being anti racist is not being political. It’s just not being a despicable human being. And the whole Queens is a person of her time and place is an excuse that people use to let old people continue being racist. But the Queen sure is progressive when it comes to allowing her kids to get divorced and remarry within the church. Her progressiveness is selective, which is exactly what a racist does.
I don’t think there is anyone of the Queen’s generation who you wouldn’t think was racist, so I won’t argue with you. But the Queen was not the one who decided whether her children could divorce and/or remarry in the church.
@Tina, if people think that anyone of the Queen’s generation is racist by default, it’s because a great deal of them actually are, even if it is just inadvertently and through pure ignorance. I know a lot of old people who are incredibly kind, caring and aware, but still hold racist views and ideas, either blatantly, apologetically, or accidentally. Racism is a structural problem in the world. Even the best of us who often know better, or aspire to anyway, have to evaluate our prejudices on this front, because the hurt that can stem from that racism has repercussions.
@A, I don’t disagree with a single word you’ve said here. But I think that young people ought to do some hard thinking and research, before describing all of their elders as automatically “racist.”
Here, here.
Absolutely. The Queen is cute and grandmotherly, so people act like she’s a good person. She’s not. Her family is not.
She and her husband literally fought the Nazis. People are complex.
But the Queen is in an extremely unique, public position. She’s not someone’s racist old uncle sitting home watching Fox News. So her attitudes and actions carry more weight than average racist plebes.
I lost a lot of respect for her when she covered up Andrew’s Epstein antics, and lost any respect I had left when she refused to make a peep on behalf of Meghan over the past year. Because as someone else said above, a statement from her would have carried a lot more weight than Harry’s did. But she didn’t. She did nothing. And now she gives Kate an award?! Give me a break.
Is the Queen racist… I think at some point in her life she realized that her attitude and position on some racial issues had to change. I don’t believe today she’s a racist. A true racist, ie the late Queen Mother, would’ve NEVER allowed Harry to marry Meghan PERIOD!
@Tina, the Queen is the head of an institution that has historically been used to establish an empire. Saying “she fought the Nazis” as a rejoinder is kind of useless, given that it was her country who was fighting the Nazis, a country that until very recently to that point had been very content to just let Hitler be until he became a direct threat to British hegemony in Europe.
@A, neither the Queen nor Prince Philip did anything to establish an empire. The Queen fought in the ATS, and Philip fought in the Royal Navy. When I say that they “fought,” I mean that they literally took up arms. Philip was a war hero for the Royal Navy, and has been belatedly recognised as such.
The UK fought alone, defending Czechoslovakia and Poland (not to mention France) until very late in 1941. Do you have any knowledge of Chamberlain? Churchill? The ONLY country that gets to complain about the UK in WWII is Russia.
@Tina
uh “the UK fought alone?”
Please don’t erase British India, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa, all of which all joined that war at the very same time with the same effort in the same cause. And they all lost a staggering number of soldiers.
Don’t erase them to amp up the drama of your narrative.
@Emby, you’re quite right that those countries fought valiantly for the Allies in WWII and lost lots of soldiers (no percentage approximating the UK’s losses, though). But they didn’t fight at that time. In 1939-1940, none of those countries meaningfully contributed troops in the same way that the UK did. (And I have no intention of “dramatising my narrative” – I just want young people to think for one second about what their grandparents did for them). https://www.spectator.co.uk/2015/07/britain-didnt-fight-the-second-world-war-the-british-empire-did/
@Tina–
You are wholly incorrect.
All the countries mentioned in my previous post joined the war in 1939. As did France.
The dates of entry into the war are as follows:
The UK: Sept 3, 1939
British India: Sept 3, 1939
France: Sept 3, 1939
Australia: Sept 3, 1939
New Zealand: September 3, 1939
South Africa: Sept 4, 1939
Canada: Sept 10, 1939
Troops from all those countries arrived within months.
I think about it because my grandparents were there in 1939. Perhaps their lost friends and PTSD were not “meaningful” enough for your narrative, but they were there.
@Tinato that the UK’s lost more lives is technically correct. But to say they fought “alone” (which you did say) is blatantly disrespectful to the nations whose contributions were not inconsequential, and were absolutely key to the survival of the UK from 1939-1941.
@Emby, I am sorry for overstating the case. The contribution made by those countries was important, even if the troop numbers were initially small.
100% For towing the line with a smile and staying out of the spotlight for 30 days and not making it difficult. She’s probably considered a real royal now That she has had to publicly go through infidelity. Will is quite the disappointment
There’s a service for the order – held every four years – on Friday. Seems likely that’s why it happened now
https://twitter.com/MajestyMagazine/status/1122909840710434816
Now or never if HM was to be the one handing it out I suppose.
That makes sense. Thanks for the link.
All this fuss about the affair rumors but yes, the motivation seems to be awarding Kate within the same timeframe as Sophie and Camilla, and not wanting to wait until 2023, when the next service takes place.
Whatever her private feelings, the Queen hasn’t interfered or put her foot down to make the Cambridges work more. And make no mistake — when she cares enough, things happen (see: the Wales divorce, which was initiated when Liz and Phil said “enough.”) There’s no reason to think the Queen had Kate’s workload in mind at all when she decided to add her to the lists. It is what it is.
And, she rewarded for doing absolutely nothing. Congratulations.
Not exactly. HM is a big fan of marriage and being fruitful….ie: multiply…therefore it’s likely a reward for having Louis, the third child….and perhaps a fourth will be announced later this year?
Citresse: So basically you’re saying the honor is a bunch of BS because that explanation for receiving an honor is BS
Clearly the honor was given to Kate to keep her “in her place”. The only thing Kate has done was give birth to the heir and the spare. Otherwise, empty vessel. Well, she’s probably the only person on the planet that understands the A-hole and can play the role regardless of his issues…having said that, she’s perfect for the position and the Queen was right to give her the honor she deserves way more for having to deal with the A-hole the rest of her life!!
What an odd practice. Giving orders to your family in random ceremonies. In my family I just take the kids out to ice cream when they do well but I think I will start bestowing family orders from now on.
If there are no clear criteria for receiving them and they are granted willy-nilly at someone’s discretion it is just meaningless and of no value. It’s obviously to embiggen her and to keep her happy. Her silence can be bought and they know her price. There! she now has to play nice with the turniptoffs.
I hope Cathy Cambridge takes “them” for everything she wants.
Not a Kate fan…but that A—hole William deserves it!!
Yup. I bet she would even get that emerald tiara if she requests it. Russian diamonds and all.
On the other hand it’s quite sad. I wonder if there is a royal therapist who counsels them in difficult times. They better do that because these things fester if left unchecked.
Forgive me earrings and a Dame Cross, she earned them. Whilst I do prefer Meghan and Harry, I hope things work out well for W&K. Also, I didn’t read through all the jewelry comments the other day, so I concede that these may not be new earrings, but I love them and this hat is one that I kind of adore too.
The consensus is the earrings are from Kiki McDonough and they are genuine aquamarines, as opposed to topaz that has been heat treated to look blue. Duchess Fergie made the jeweler popular. Also, you might want to stop wearing blue topaz earrings if you have them.
I would think these kinds of things are planned far in advance, not on the spur of the moment.
I love Meghan and I am also a Kate apologist over the years…and I still am! Cut this woman some slack. Lol I can’t fathom being raked over the coals for every decision I made, on any level. Now that MM is here everyone forgets Late could do no right for YEARS. If Normal Bill did cheat, with her best friend, the Queen probably remembers how horrible it is to go through cheating scandals in the public eye. Every single thing Kate does, is what Normal Bill wants her to do. If she was working less, it’s because that’s what Normal Bill wanted her to do.
No matter what the inside gossip reporters are writing, Cathy & Rose were never best friends. A good analogy is that they were just “co-chairs of the Turnip Toff Chapter of the Junior League” trying to out-dress each other on every charity occasion possible.
I think queenie’s been watching that Marie Kondo person and has decided to rid herself of everything she no longer has any use for or takes any joy in.
She’s now using the newly-freed drawers, in which the badges and sashes and ludicrous trinkets of queenery indulgence sat, to house her collection of Private Eye magazines, horsey paraphernalia and her box set of ‘The Windsors’.
LOL!
Perhaps it is a reward/acknowledgement for putting up with William’s crap. There is an old saying “be careful what you wish for because you might actually get it” well, Kate got what she wanted but I feel it is very bittersweet.
The timing seems normal when other members got it on their anniversary,and above all when we take into account the queen’s age and the fact that this service apparently is held every four years. And in this case announcing it for their anniversary makes even more sense because the service is happening this week.
Kate looked great when she was pregnant and post-partum, but more lately she’s looked more tired, pinched, and drawn. From a physical standpoint, I think she lost the baby weight a little too quickly; that yo-yo’ing of the weight takes a greater toll the older you get.
Also, there’s the stress factor: the possible (probable?) cheating scandal, the increased scrutiny since Meghan came on board, and one thing that few posters have mentioned. The Queen and Prince Philip are in the twilight of their lives. Sure, Kate knew going in that she would be Princess of Wales and eventually Queen Consort one day, but it was probably more of an abstraction at first. Now, there’s much talk and planning behind-the-scenes regarding succession and What Happens Next. In short, it’s no longer an abstraction – Kate knows that sh*t’s about to get real.
Yes I agree she looked well and healthy when pregnant but otherwise ever since the engagement she had been unnaturally thin and to the detriment of her health and appearance. Pre engagement she always seemed athletic, full of energy and the picture of health…
I certainly hope this means we’ll all hear one more time that Kate “never put a foot wrong.” It’s been weeks since we heard that one.
I think the Daily Fail has a copyright on the phrase “never put a foot wrong” if Cathy Cambridge’s name is in the same sentence.
It is said both about Meghan of the $70.000 engagement dress for a breath of fresh air and about Kate of the photogenic vayaya.
The ease which is applied when applying orders to royal chests is both pathetic and ridiculous.
It is also dangerous as it undermines meritocracy both in the folk people and in the Royal people.
Speaking of pathetic: what was Kate thinking when she applied that rolled feather to her hat? I guess she hoped to achieve a crown-like effect. Pity the slippery angle destroys any meaningful aesthetic but thankfully for the benefit of a comic effect.
Thank you for the entertainment, Queen of the loopsided crowning merits.
It seems quite the custom to ascribe merits to Royals even before they had any possiblity to deliver them. Meghan is still at the royal bride stage of being described as a “breath of fresh air” as was Kate when her Royalishness was new. The latter is now at that stage that her Royalishness becomes lacklustre some newish royal bling needs to add some weight to the royal chest. It is heavy and deceptive but not helpful.
I think the fact that she received the upgrade on this order, on her wedding anniversary no less, is significant. The Queen doesn’t make such gestures lightly. I think this is her way of sending a message to the public that she has faith in Kate and expects the marriage to last. Whether that will be the case isn’t for certain, but I truly think that’s the intention.
Faith in Kate staying in the marriage or in her work ethic?
Huh? So her Maj is a soothsayer now?
Congrats to the Duchess of Cambridge. On one hand a personable and charming Duchess and on the other one who have being awarded medals. Would this make the Duke of Cambridge more secure? It could be seen as
reward for producing three possible heirs to the throne and the appearance of a stable marriage based on fidelity.
I think Kate’s just decided to finally put on her big girl panties and try to find fulfillment from her “job” rather than her husband and children. Particularly now that she’s got the baby-making expectation covered. I’d lay money on the fact that they insisted she fade into the background in the beginning in an attempt to prevent a repeat of Diana. But things have changed. The Queen needs a lot more support now, and if it’s true that Will’s cheated on her then…starting her Queening apprenticeship isn’t a bad rebound from finding out that your husband’s a dick. It’s not like she can leave. It would explain the change in her style, showing up for solo work engagements, the fact that she speaks. Meghan was likely a positive inspiration in that sense, rather than a competitive one. I don’t see her being “embiggened,” I see her finally waking up and starting to figure out who she wants to be for herself. Lots of women do that in their 30s, (particularly after figuring out that their husbands are dicks.)
🤞 Would be nice
This makes sense.
It only took Kate 20 years to find a work ethic of any kind?
I think she had to give it to her now because Meg is checking all the prerequisites off the list at a rapid pace.
Just remembering staying up all night here in the U.S. for the Cambridge wedding. It was an easier, more innocent time in my life and I’m feeling nostalgic. I remember live tweeting with friends on “The Ministry of Silly Hats” and “The Ministry of Unfortunate Bald Spots.” and sighing over how pretty Kate looked. Sigh. Simpler times, simpler times.
First thing I thought of when I read about this was that the Queen was maybe deflecting attention from the cheating scandal and/or giving Kate a cool award for shutting up about her cheaty-cheaterson hubby. Curious timing indeed.