Duchess Kate’s keen Early Years project ‘will be unveiled later this year’

Britain's Kate, The Duchess of Cambridge listens during a visit to The Natural History Museum in London, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019. The Duchess of Cambridge, Patron of the Museum, visited the Natural History Museum's Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity

Here are more photos from the Duchess of Cambridge’s appearance at the Natural History Museum’s Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity yesterday. People are still talking about her outfit, and there’s a special focus on how Kate was “thrifty” for choosing mass-market pieces like a $50 Warehouse sweater and some inexpensive Jigsaw culottes. And then she wasn’t so thrifty when she used a $4000 Chanel purse. I’ve always said – about Kate and Meghan both – that I don’t mind when they spend a lot of money on purses and jewelry, because those are the pieces which last forever and can be used forever. But yeah, it’s not “thrifty,” it’s just smart to mix-and-match High Street with expensive stuff when you’re a duchess.

The real reason for this post is that we’ve finally got an update on Kate’s secret, keen project. I called the “Broken Britain” project, because that’s how it was initially described, that Kate wanted something major to do with the children who have fallen through the cracks of a Broken Britain. We were told about this secret project relentlessly last year, that Kate was taking meetings and doing research and that she would soon unveil this major initiative. Or project. Or charity. They were never very clear about what was being announced or what any of it really WAS. Then in February of this year, Kate threw herself a palace party to celebrate this keen project, and VF tried to explain what it is and it still sounded… vague?

The point is that we’ve been keen-baited about this damn thing for 13 months and we finally have something solid to cling to. As The Royal Foundation continues to update their site and delete almost everything having to do with the Sussexes, it looks like Kate’s Keen Project made it onto the revamped site. She’s calling it “Early Years” and here’s what’s on the site:

The first few years of childhood are more pivotal for development, future health and happiness, than any other single moment of our lifetime. With greater focus on the early years, The Duchess of Cambridge believes we can better provide solid social and emotional platforms for children to make them healthier and more resilient later in life. Her Royal Highness and The Royal Foundation have brought academics, practitioners and charities together to form a steering group to develop a significant new body of work that will ultimately support all efforts to provide children with the best possible start in life. This has been a major body of work and will be unveiled later this year.

Stemming originally from her work on issues like addiction and family breakdown, The Duchess of Cambridge has observed that so many of society’s greatest social and health challenges, and the inter-generational cycle of disadvantage, could be mitigated or entirely avoided by providing the right support for children in the earliest years in life.

[From The Royal Foundation]

“Her Royal Highness and The Royal Foundation have brought academics, practitioners and charities together to form a steering group to develop a significant new body of work that will ultimately support all efforts to provide children with the best possible start in life. This has been a major body of work and will be unveiled later this year.” A BODY OF WORK. All of the keenness was really there and there is now a “major body of work” and “a significant body of work.” I still don’t really understand what is is though… a “body of work that will ultimately support all efforts to provide children with the best possible start in life.” “Ultimately” is doing a lot of work there. As is “support.” Again, I have to ask: is Early Years an actual thing, an actual charity or organization or program? Or is it just some floaty thing which offers “support” to existing charities and organizations?

Britain's Kate, The Duchess of Cambridge arrives at The Natural History Museum in London, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2019. The Duchess of Cambridge, Patron of the Museum, visited the Natural History Museum's Angela Marmont Centre for UK Biodiversity to hear how it

The Duchess of Cambridge

Photos courtesy of WENN.

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95 Responses to “Duchess Kate’s keen Early Years project ‘will be unveiled later this year’”

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  1. Millennial says:

    I mean, she’s smart to lean into the kids thing. That’s about all I’ve got.

  2. Kimmie says:

    Lol! So much word salad to say that nothing is really going on. I think all of these keen meetings for the past year was to come up with a name for this significantly major body of work.

    • Mtec says:

      Lol! That’s what I thought as well, just complete vagueness and world salad. There’s nothing clear or concrete to what they are saying, It’s already close to the end of the year, they should hold off on announcements till they are ready to launch w.e this is.

      “ ..better provide solid social and emotional platforms”— what does this even mean?

      “ steering group to develop a significant new body of work that will ultimately support all efforts”—huh? What does a steering group do exactly? What does developing a “body of work” even mean and how is it significant? And this “body of work” will “support all efforts” what efforts? How? So it’s just about supporting something? Im more confused than before.

      “ The Duchess of Cambridge has observed..” —so she observes? She observes is the only way she contributes to this “initiative”? In what capacity is she involved in this exactly?

      Maybe I’m being harsh, but I just don’t understand what she’s contributing at all, or the need to constantly remind us how this initiative is still in development yet they can’t explain what it is. Total word salad.

      • bros says:

        lol, this reminds me of when I am writing a grant and have nothing to actually say in the narrative but you have to look like you are trying so you just throw in words like ‘civil society’ and ‘stakeholders’

      • BeanieBean says:

        I had the same questions as you on the same passages. bros’ response to you made me laugh, though!

      • Sunshine says:

        It means they are throwing all the resources of the palace and the tabloid media at this.

      • Bella DuPont says:

        Maybe it’s some sort of intellectual product…..maybe some research whose results will be published that would be of benefit to children…..eg a “cure” for autism or ADHD, that sort of thing?

        I don’t know, but that’s the only way that statement makes any sense.

      • guest says:

        another one who didn’t attend uni, who then asks silly questions, which are easy to know. @mte.

  3. MitzyMW says:

    Those culottes need set on fire, they ugly. Maybe if they were in another colour………..but current colour, yuk!

  4. (TheOG)@Jan90067 says:

    Wasn’t this the SAAME EXACT THING Ashe was doing this time last year, when this “initiative “ was announced?? Still all air and fluff. While I do believe Kate *feels* like she’s doing something with her 45 min. meetings, it’s just all embiggening. She’s actually *still* doing nothing concrete.

  5. M. says:

    We are already in the later part of the year. There are only two months left. Just release the info. I wish her success, but I think this all kind of dramatic.

  6. Becks1 says:

    I just don’t understand what this is. is it going to be something like Heads Together, an umbrella organization/campaign for children? That announcement/posting is still incredibly vague, and honestly it sounds like something I would have written in HS when I didn’t have anything substantive to say but still needed another 300 words in my paper.

    So there is a steering group, that seems good – and I guess those are the meetings she has been attending at KP – but after that it loses me – “a significant body of work that will support all efforts….” What does that MEAN??

    or is this crystal clear and I’m just missing something?

    • Nic919 says:

      That reads like it is a heads together kind of project that groups together the work that other people have done on early childhood development. As for claiming that Kate has observed anything, that’s a joke. She does so few engagements that maybe she does about five a year that remotely relate to young kids. No one takes her seriously on any subject with substance. It didn’t have to be this way but with 8 years of doing bare minimum and shallow involvement, you can’t pretend to know anything about a complex subject like early childhood development without putting in serious work. Something she still fails to do. Yesterday she looked at bugs. We don’t even know why. She should stick to the garden thing because that’s her level at this point. Anything more complex and she looks like ivanka trump playing at being an adult.

      • Amy Too says:

        I think it’s going to be an umbrella group thing too. Her steering committee is going to read a bunch of existing research that has already done by other people, they’re going to write it all up into one big report, and they’re going to come out with a list of things that affect kids as they’re growing up. “Poverty, parents who are addicted to stuff, lead paint, lack of gardens to play in, teen moms, not enough fruits and vegetables,” that kind of obvious stuff. And they’re going to formulate some kind of umbrella group that has a website that lists already existing charities that do work in these areas. Then they’re going to pretend like Kate has personally done all the research herself, personally synthesized it into the report, personally founded all the charities that work on the various problem areas, and is personally guiding all of their initiatives. She will get credit for all the work that everyone else has done, is doing, and will do in the future.

      • Mtec says:

        @Amy Too
        This. Right here.

        That’s exactly what I expected it’s gonna be as well. And she will be praised to the heavens for it.

        I wish I could bookmark your comment for when this eventually launches and It turns out to be this exactly what you mentioned and I could quote your post directly lol.

      • Silas says:

        @Amy Too. That’s exactly it. She’s going to umbrella her way into taking credit for work other people are already doing. And the steering comittee is a way to lend her credibility.

        She wants to use her title to spotlight organizations and that’s exactly what a royal should be doing plus FUNDRAISING! But I think Kate is looking at this as a way to attend several charities with fewer personal appearances and little to no fundraising (unless it’s something like a yacht race -which, how much was raised after expenses in the end?).

      • guest says:

        Bitter? ‘Coz that’s how the above reads. The academics and professionals do take her seriously here in London & wider Europe. I’m relying on their words, not gossipers on a gossip board.

    • Lorelei says:

      @Becks1 it is definitely not crystal clear! It’s vague AF and no one can make heads or tails of it. But if there’s no clear goal, then there are no pesky public expectations for Kate to worry about.

      @AmyToo thank you, you articulated it so well. That’s probably exactly what’s going to happen. And by “that,” I mean basically nothing. It’s all lip service. I mean, maybe we’ll be proven wrong, but I doubt it tbh.

      @Nic919 I laughed at your comment but ITA, in some of those meetings she *does* look like Ivanka when she attends high-level events where she’s totally out of her depth.

      On another note, that site has some of the worst writing I’ve ever seen. It’s repetitive and clunky and…don’t they have an editor? Good god, she should sell that $4000 bag and pay an editor to go over that entire site and clean it up. (Although even an editor couldn’t make this vague nonsense sound like an actual project of substance with a clear goal.)

      • Amy Too says:

        Lorelei, their foundation’s website really does have some awkward writing. What was it yesterday? Something like “this initiative was started by the duchess of Sussex when she was part of the royal foundation. The duke and duchess of Sussex were part of the royal foundation.” Get an editor!

  7. Maria says:

    Holy photoshop! That top picture is amazing!

  8. janey says:

    so they got a steering group to do what? make recommendations to early years practitioners? It sounds to me like they’re come up with almost a white paper for early years care and everyone else should go along with it. I sincerely hope that whatever it is, it works and has significant benefits to our children not just a bunch of people suggesting recommendations then providing no funding or support to follow them up.

  9. Ahully1 says:

    “Body of work” is a phrase often used in academic research. Could be pilot projects based on research findings. If so, then that’s actually fairly innovative, to close the loop btwn research & practice, in social policy anyway. Science/medical findings are more straightforward than social policy in changing practice. (Yes, I’m an academic in social (education) policy who worked in policy circles first.

    • Coz' says:

      I was about to comment this way. I work for Child Protection NGOs. Innovative programs should always be launched after careful study. Academic researches directly aimed to help launch such projects or programs for children actually seem quite interesting to me.

      It might not look that impressive but it seems to be really meaningful.

      But sure, we’ll have to see what really come of it

      • Becks1 says:

        This seems like it would be interesting and important work like you both said. But do we know that’s what’s actually happening here?

      • Lorelei says:

        Agree with Becks that this could be very interesting if that’s the case. But if it were really that major, wouldn’t they have been touting it much more? I mean, how many articles did we get about a garden? I feel like if they were confident that this project is going to be as impressive as they claim, we would have heard a lot more about it by now. JMO

    • Blue36 says:

      I don’t think they can get involved in policies??

      • Lorelei says:

        @Blue36: White Duchesses can.

      • Coz' says:

        I am not familiar with the field in the UK. But in my country most programs related to child protection are launched by NGO or non profit organisations.

      • RoyalBlue says:

        Not at all LGO. I know it to be usually a local government authority that’ is responsible for child protection services especially in the case of abuse.

        I am really curious. If a mother who is addicted to drugs gets pregnant and has a child what exactly are they going to do. Send the regional nurses to visit post natal? When I had my two kids the regional nurse came to check on me twice the first time and I told her no need to come back. I never saw her the second time. They were only to happy not to as they are a scarce resource. Anyone can have a child, good or bad. it’s free choice and there are no parenting manuals. I really wish she did not undertake such a difficult task because oof the end result is just a research paper talking fluff we already know she ought to be called out on it and raked over the coals for doing jack squat over the past year.

      • Coz' says:

        In my country, the local authority is in charge of the Child Protection Policies. They are the one deciding when and what kind of protection a child need. But the foster solution are in the hand of non for profit org. through public service contracts.
        It’s the same for specific educative programs and initiatives.

        The truth is that Public funding is scarcer and scarcer everywhere.

      • guest says:

        woah, that explains your comments @RoyalBlue. It’s personal for you..

    • notasugarhere says:

      A “body of work” AKA a paper produced by the professionals who were already doing this work, before and without Kate because she doesn’t attend the meetings. But Keen will take umbrella credit for what was already being done by people who know what they’re doing. Check.

      • Angela Hull says:

        You’re not wrong @notasugarhere, though royal value tends toward highlighting the work to draw other funders and/or underwriting via the foundation funds — presuming that’s happening — but sure seems to veer into taking credit for work. The royals would hardly be the first people to borrow and use vocabulary like “body of work.” Academics-in-training and their hangers-on are adept at it, though the world class researchers speak plainly because they’re actually trying to inform and change the world and care less about credit than contributions from their ‘bodies of work.’

  10. Beli says:

    Just think how much more promising it would have been to say “the Duchess has been working behind the scenes for the last year to bring together [whatever the heck this is because I still don’t know] and look! Here are the results!”

    This feels empty and dull because we’ve heard so much about it over the last year and it’s still… Nothing.

  11. Chris says:

    All she seems to do is attach her name to things, delegate the work to others and show up for the photo ops when the work is done, taking credit. Harry has a team to help and advise him but he truly seems a lot more hands on & willing to roll up his sleeves…

  12. Amy Too says:

    Wasn’t this big new initiative supposed to launch early 2019? It’s now October and we don’t know a single new thing about it. It doesn’t sound like the idea has progressed at all. It’s still just a bunch of people in a room talking about doing something.

    And there are so many layers of removal between Kate and the actual work. Kate has a royal foundation. The foundation has brought together academics, charities, etc. The academics, charities, etc. will form a steering group. The steering group will develop “a significant new body of work.” The “body of work” will eventually support all efforts to provide children with a good start in life. It just sounds like layers upon layers of distance between the problem and the woman who supposedly wants to fix it.

    Why does the royal foundation need to create a group that consists of existing charities who then talk about how they can make a new charity to address children’s issues? Why doesn’t Kate just work with the children’s charities that already exist? And if those charities aren’t doing exactly what needs to be done to help children, or they’re not doing it effectively, then why doesn’t she help them do their work better? Like Meghan went into Smart Works and saw that they needed certain things to function even better, so she came up with a solution to help them do their own work even better. She didn’t ask smart works to come to meetings with other charities and her royal foundation and talk for 18 months about how they could eventually create a new charity that would maybe meet the needs of women entering the workforce.

    • Kebbie says:

      Last September they said it would be “launched in the new year.”

      https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6169611/Duchess-Cambridge-launches-solo-charity-campaign-help-disadvantaged-children.html

      Sorry for linking to the DM, but I believe this is where the story originated. Reported by Rebecca English.

    • Bookworm says:

      SmartWorks was a two-week program and Meghan had one of her many best friends as one of the designers (of a plain white buttoned shirt). It was not exactly a long term life changing initiative.

      • Nic919 says:

        Smart Works is not a two week program. The matching clothing program was and it has helped to update the clothing available at the various locations for the women, which will be life changing for many of them. Sure it’s not a vague steering committee but it’s a hell of a lot more concrete than anything Kate has done to date.

        Let’s talk about the cook book too. That also provided money for the women running the kitchen which they were able to upgrade. Again a concrete result for a project that was only presented when completed.

      • Bren says:

        As much as you try to minimize Meghan’s initiative at least it was something tangible that had an immediate impact to an organization and the women they serve. Convening a group of high level professionals a few times a year to discuss strategies that have already been studied and discussed in detail before isn’t helping anyone. Since this initiative was first revealed last year, Kate could’ve brought much needed attention to various grassroot organizations that actually support young children and families while still convening with a steering committee to map out a greater plan.

      • Amy Too says:

        But SmartWorks was something she was able to do quickly that had immediate results and will continue to have lasting benefits. Meghan seems to do a lot of these kind of things. The cookbook was another one. She sees a problem, she thinks of a solution, she implements it quickly. Many short term projects can add up to a lasting impact in various areas. Whereas with Kate, there just isn’t a lot of action, or fresh ideas, or solutions. Even if early childhood development is more important and could be more life changing than the cookbook or SmartWorks, there still isn’t anything really being done besides (maybe?) creating umbrella groups and having charities talk to each other. Kate’s been married for 8 years now, right? If early childhood development solutions aren’t something to be rushed and would need more time than any of Meghan’s projects, Kate has had the time. Why hasn’t she identified a problem, created a solution, and implemented it yet?

      • MsIam says:

        SmartWorks is the clothing program, that’s an ongoing charity. The two weeks was for the capsule collection, to provide those basics to SmartWorks. We don’t know if it will be ongoing, I guess it just depends on the needs of SmartWorks. If they have a good supply of interview basics, they may not need to do another collection.

      • VS says:

        Try to minimize Meghan’s work as much as you can, but at least be good at it! Nothing Kate has done in her entire life is even close to that work!!!

        I think Kate should use the Meghan’s approach; work quietly and release only the results; it is clear that she is not a creative person, if she cannot do the projects, why not do like Princess Anne and do the bread and butter type work?

      • Bella DuPont says:

        Re Smart Works….it was a tangible, exciting and successful initiative, plus Smart Works got a hell of a lot of great publicity as a result.

        I score the Duchess 95% in effort and execution. 😬

      • guest says:

        Been there many times, it’s a few stops over from where I live. The cultural centre’s kitchen didn’t need upgrading or renovating it was perfectly fine for community cooking events. Waste of money to do that. I do like the fact Meghan put Grenfell into the spotlight and inspired the women because they could have easily stayed on their benefits, carrying on as they were.

      • guest says:

        Bren, Kate has done just that multiple times this year. Visits to different baby/family & mother centres. The last one was a organisation which helps very young vulnerable mothers and their babies. Earlier in the year it was another mother and baby toddler group in South London. Can she do more? Sureee, but it looks like she is doing it slowly. The point is , these visits do happen but I guess people just want to focus on the clothes whenever she is pictured visiting. A whole thread about her pussy bow blouse earlier this year lmao when she was at a baby & mother organisation. Meh at least she’s highlighting these centres for people in this country. Non Brits & folk not from the Commonwealth opinions don’t matter.

    • Mtec says:

      Wrong place

    • Lorelei says:

      I think the primary reason for them forming these endless “umbrella” organizations is simply to lead to less work. If they worked with existing charities, they would actually have to show up and do things. This way, Kate continues to do next to nothing, but can be praised for being the catalyst of all of this forthcoming groundbreaking research. Their foundation is working exactly as intended!

      It’s actually an incredibly smart way for William to do 99% less work than his grandparents, aunts and uncles, but still generate headlines.

  13. stepup says:

    I have a queasy feeling this may be a whole lot of “blame / scold the victim” nonsense, couched in fluffy language, surrounded by charts.

    • Harla says:

      Or blame the parents.

      • stepup says:

        Exactly.

      • Mtec says:

        That’s something i’ve tuned into as well. All talk about helping disadvantaged children but no mentioned of how that means they would have to look on how to help those children’s families in doing so. Unless it’s an initiative to only help orphaned children. Maybe Kate + Children makes for a better image/soundbyte but it’s not like they can ignore the influence their family lives have on them. Are they working to support these children’s parents and families as well? Or blame them for the state their children might be in. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

      • guest says:

        No you don’t have to “wait and see” because some of it has already been done with the parents and families, bringing them into the conversation at school with the AFC project. Why bother though no one here *really* cares. It’s means nothing to you & never will. Just a chance to whine, moan & cry for you.

    • Lorelei says:

      @Stepup, me too. I can see this very quickly turning into a Biden-level cringe fest blaming individual parents instead of systemic problems that will be offensive and insulting to a large part of the population. But I guess we’ll see.

      • stepup says:

        Yes! The Biden example is spot on. Fingers crossed its not along those lines.

      • guest says:

        Biden? You’re Americans and you have so many problems. What charity & volunteer works are you doing in your communities to make life better for the disaster of a country you live in? Surely you could be doing something.

    • Mary says:

      “The Duchess of Cambridge has observed that so many of society’s greatest social and health challenges, and the inter-generational cycle of disadvantage, could be mitigated or entirely avoided by providing the right support for children in the earliest years in life.” By “inter-generational cycle of disadvantage” are they alluding to “welfare mothers”??!!

      • Mignionette says:

        The woman who was educated at Marlborough college lecturing the great unwashed about early intervention.

        Of course she will NOT be critiqued in anyway for preaching given her recent elevation to saint-hood ….

      • guest says:

        The white working class who do absolutely nothing, then their laziness & lack of education gets passed onto their next generation. The cycle continues.. so many social problems in their lives. Then they become racists and try to put us down because we actually do something with our lives and build wealth for our families even though many of us had to escape war torn countries. They have no excuse.

  14. Market Street Minifig says:

    I feel bad for her. That writeup did her no favours. I have to believe that more work has been done behind the scene than they’ve managed to convey so far. But the culottes are nice.

    • Piptopher says:

      if so though, where is it? Isn’t it as simple as that? I can point to specific initiatives that *other* people have done this year. Imagine Kate having “inivitatives” plural. She just has had this one, for a whole year, and all she has to show for it was the party in February.

    • Jamie says:

      I feel bad for her too. This writeup only increases expectations on the final product. Throwing around phrases like “significant body of work” and “support all efforts” means people will be expecting something huge and complex when the final product is revealed.

    • Nic919 says:

      I don’t because she has ridden on the coattails of other people’s work and taking credit for it for years. If she had any shame she would be doing more. She does not and will not need to put in the work.

    • Amy Too says:

      But this is the write up on her own foundation’s website. This isn’t some mostly made up fluff piece in People magazine that quotes “sources” and uses as many words as possible to say as little as they can because they don’t actually know what’s going on. This could have been written by Kate herself if she wanted to write it.

    • Royalwatcher says:

      I’m curious why you believe more work has been done behind the scenes than we’ve heard about? If that were the case I think it would have been publicized, no? Why would they be keeping any of her work quiet?

      IMO I think she’s actually done less than we’ve heard about (or that the work going on in all these meetings has mostly/all been done by others)…or we would have heard about it. I mean, she got CC credit x8 (or whatever it was) for all of those garden exhibits and the latter ones we later learned had been created by others. So it seems like KP is always stretching to find ways to give her more credit rather than less.

      • Nic919 says:

        She can’t speak about the projects she gets credit for in any kind of substantial way so it’s obvious she doesn’t really do more than show up. She’s been lazy since day one and she’s not changing at almost 38. Adults who live in privilege don’t need to change.

  15. Mego says:

    Typical bs we’ve come to expect from her but her staff are experts at spinning nothing into sounding vaguely important.

    “Later this year” and “in the New Year” is a coded way to say “never going to happen.” What will happen sometime next year is an announcement that announcement will be made later in the year.

  16. ShazBot says:

    I think her issue is the aim seems so broad. She should be focusing on smaller, more specific initiatives that are all loosely related, and after a period of time, the results will show how her various projects helped kids in the early years.

    Meghan’s strategy is similar – it focuses on women’s empowerment, and the cookbook and smartworks, and even the Vogue editorship all worked towards the one goal.

    It’s probably because they’re being lazy and want the big win right away, but Instead of trying to find THE initiative, they should be doing a bunch of small ones that work towards the big goal.

    • Mtec says:

      I agree, and I also think it would have helped if for the past year and so she would have visited and spoken about the charities that are involved in this initiative, and or the academics and practitioners and the work and research they are known for. That way we could have gotten a glimpse into what exactly this entailed, all the while bringing her influence to highlight these works, and up their profile and thus their charity donations, and bring even more and better attention to this initiative.

      But instead she and her team decide to hold meetings in her house every so often and then release statements about nothing solid.

    • Bren says:

      Agreed on all points. Kate has no real passion for charity and helping others. I believe she was directed down this early years path because it looks good on paper. The garden and outdoor play space was a good start but even that was presented as a vehicle to prop up Kate. She could be doing so much more to bring attention to grassroot organizations and initiatives that have an immediate impact on kids in the early years but she chooses to hide behind a steering committee and have articles written about how keen she is to help disadvantaged children.

      • Nic919 says:

        She could start by showing up to her patronages that aren’t world renowned museums, like maybe EACH. If she went more than once every few years she might be believed to have observed things.

    • guest says:

      I thought she was doing the above with the gardens? She’s been on Blue Peter quite a few times with the kids. So it all ties back into her early years children work.

  17. MsIam says:

    That line about “her work on the issues of addiction and family breakdown” makes it sound like she has some type of Ph D in those areas. But hey, I don’t follow Kate so correct me if I am wrong, has she done some significant “work” in those areas?

    • ArtHistorian says:

      No she hasn’t.

    • Ina says:

      Much ado about absolutely nothing. In the end, she will get all the credit and photo ops and attributions for someone else’s work, which is really pathetic—just like the whoop-dee-do garden. Let’s face it. She has no creativity, no passion, and no desire to push the boundaries to make a difference.

      • guest says:

        Your first part – yes like the other “younger” royals. People seem to forget they all have dozens and dozens of publicly funded staff behind them really organising and working behind the scenes. Royals show up and stick their name on it so the PR comes flying in. Yes, they all do it.

  18. RoyalBlue says:

    So have these academic practitioners she has gathered left their day jobs to create this new body of work? I honestly thought university professors were busy. Or are they doing this in their spare time after work? Or are they gathering once a month/quarter to chat while they sip tea and eat cucumber sandwiches. If it’s one of the latter I wonder about the substantial nature of the results. There are so many organizations already existing to support early years initiatives.

  19. Beach Dreams says:

    A whole bunch of nothing in that grandiose statement…looks like it’ll be more of the usual image over substance from her.

  20. Lisa says:

    @AmyToo You summed up exactly what is going to happen perfectly.

  21. February Pisces says:

    Unfortunately i don’t have much faith in this project ever seeing the light of day. You would think they would have learnt from the Sussex’s not to announce until to have a fully cooked project ready to serve. But no, they are still sticking to the whole ‘she’s really keen to hit the ground running’ line that they have overused for the past 8 years, then slowly slacking off the idea.

    I’m other news I have seen lots of kate ‘preparing for future queen’ stories lately. Whenever I hear that it always reminds me of that one friend who starts their Christmas shopping in August, you it’s not out of good preparation, but that fact they have nothing else going on in their life. Whenever Kate’s PR mention she ‘further queen’ it’s like they are trying to use that as her current title, instead of DOC. It’s almost like they are saying ‘we know she hasn’t done much as a duchess, but we promise she’ll be great as queen”. She should focus on being a great DOC now, not preparing for a role that I don’t think she ever actually get.

  22. Marie says:

    Kate just doesn’t care, plain and simple. Before, she could get away with it but now that Meghan is here, she has to step up. Even some of her fans are complaining about her lack of engagements this year.

    • Nic919 says:

      Sophie did the work too but never got the media attention Meghan gets. Kate is the only royal bride who has worked so little, and they have all raised kids. With the media following Meghan it’s hard to avoid just how little Kate does.

  23. Reece says:

    She looks great! I like the entire outfit. It fits well. I like the colors on her.

    Can I just say that I for one am so glad that Kate helped Meghan by letting her know that it’s ok for her to wear business casual outfits while working particularly pants/trousers. Now Kate wears them herself and Meghan doesn’t feel so alone. Thank you Kate! 😁
    I’ll leave now.

    • Nitz says:

      she looks like a granny who rushed to pulled her favorite knickers, and rushed outside to do an errand.

  24. Mignionette says:

    I’m starting to understand Kate’s strategy. I don’t necessarily think it’s clever and it has the ability to backfire spectacularly, but it is having exactly the desired outcome.

    We are now beginning to associate Kate with an interest i.e. children. Something that did not happen pre 2018.

    So even if she is still work shy, she now has an interest….

  25. Molly says:

    Does she have an original idea or thought? Is there something beyond the hair? Will we get more of the same? Usually we get the big run up to a Kate projects and end up confused or frustrated. So we find ourselves on familiar ground , once again.

    • undergalaxy says:

      Part of me would love to say that she has a ton of great ideas, that gradually get toned down by the powers that be. It’s probably the other way around – her team throw out a load of ideas and she rejects all but the bare minimum.