Prince William & Kate ‘much prefer’ video calls & remote meeting to regular events?

Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge reveal how they stay in touch with the rest of the Royal family

Last week, Prince William and Duchess Kate did a video-link interview with the BBC to highlight their support for the Every Mind Matters campaign. Basically, when anyone asks what Will and Kate are doing during a pandemic, they say they’re “working on mental health issues.” Again, mental health is important. But they either A) say really obvious things like “get some sleep!” or B) say really vague things like “just talk to someone!” Every little bit helps, etc, but after years of banging on about mental health, one would hope they had more to offer than “get some sleep” and “here, a struggle-survey!” Anyway, I never did get around to publishing the full video of their BBC interview, so here you go:

Will & Kate’s lockdown branding is apparently this, doing interviews via Zoom (or whatever) and contacting their charities via phone or link-up. Apparently, though, Will & Kate PREFER it to actually going out and doing events. Who would have thought.

Prince William and Kate Middleton ‘much prefer’ video calls and virtual working to meeting people face-to-face, according to a BBC reporter who interviewed the couple last week. The Duke, 37, and Duchess of Cambridge, 38, have been undertaking engagements virtually from their home at Anmer Hall in Norfolk since the start of the coronavirus lockdown.

Now Tina Daheley has revealed how Prince William and Kate told her they actually prefer the virtual way of working, telling the Coronavirus Newscast: ‘You don’t have to faff about with all the other stuff and only having a set amount of time and having to go somewhere and meet loads of people….They like that you can have an in-depth one-on-one conversation with people.’

Tina said: ‘They much prefer [it]. I’m not saying they don’t want to meet people face-to-face but they’ve really enjoyed speaking to people on video calls and using zoom.’

She explained that the couple felt the virtual way of working involved less ‘faff’, allowing them to spend more time connecting with individual people. Meanwhile she added that her interview with the royal couple had felt remarkably ‘normal’.

She said: ‘I think the thing that people sometimes forget is that they’re members of the royal family, they can perform if you like. But the thing that always strikes me is how normal they are.

[From The Daily Mail]

It sounds like this is just Tina Daheley’s opinion about the Cambridges’ preferences. But it’s an educated guess that the two laziest royals would enjoy the fact that they don’t even have to keep up an event schedule and they can just “work” from “home.” Their quarantine is basically the kind of schedule they would keep if they weren’t so busy “competing” with you-know-who. Lots of “private meetings” and “phone calls.” Also, no one is actually forcing Will and Kate to NOT stick around their public events. They usually just breeze through an event in 15-30 minutes. And all of this time, they would have preferred to be on an hour-long substantive phone call? LOL.

Also, Kate write a letter of support for one of her patronages:

cambridge2

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visit the London Ambulance Service during the Coronavirus crisis!

Photos courtesy of WENN, Avalon Red and Backgrid.

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64 Responses to “Prince William & Kate ‘much prefer’ video calls & remote meeting to regular events?”

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  1. JaneDoesWerk says:

    I was saying this yesterday. Kate is loving being home.

  2. Amy says:

    Well it does sound like an opinion but I can’t imagine liking video conference over interacting people. I mean i would imagine some events are boring but its not that hard of a job so suck it up.

  3. Sofia says:

    Well I can believe this. They don’t have to leave the comfort of their home, interact with people and it takes what? 30? 40 minutes of their time? Instead of the hours it takes to get ready + go there and the 45 minute engagement itself.

  4. Snowslow says:

    Hate me if you like but it does make sense: they have a LOT of protocol that is ritualistic rather than being established to truly connect with people. So once they’ve cut ribbons, been offered flowers, said hello to all the workers in a queue, there is very little left for a real talk.
    Makes sense to me actually shows a hint (just a dash) of humanity on their side.
    PS: I love her suit and the striped shirt. The wonders of lockdown!

    • Becks1 says:

      I see your general point, except that nothing is stopping them from that “real talk.” They could cut ribbons, get flowers, say hello, and THEN have the real talk. They are the ones who decide that their engagements have to be 20 minutes.

      • Mumbles says:

        Right. A lot of us here work 8-10 hour days, often more. The idea that they can’t extend a two-hour event to three so they can have more “real talk” boggles the mind. And how many of these events do they do a week? I’ll laugh if one of the results of this pandemic is that these two find a rationale to be even more lazy.

      • Becks1 says:

        @Mumbles – exactly. They aren’t Charles or Anne or the Queen, who work a lot more and presumably have a very tight schedule.

      • Slowsnow says:

        Guys… what you’re saying is too much for them who have the adaptability of walking sticks. But I can understand that they’d only “let go” in a Zoom format because they are intrinsically awkward, protocol-prone, stifled by the image they are supposed to project etc.

      • Lizzie says:

        Agree with you Becks1. Also nothing preventing them from delivering food, volunteering at the hospital, or donating money to food pantries. PH, Mehgan and Princess Sofia have done all of these.

  5. Chica1971 says:

    They work very hard… shopping, pretending to be keen in public, the long chauffeured drive to work, holding the flowers, smiling and making small, adjusting the tiaras and throwing family members under tabloids, pruning rosebushes and buds. Wearing the crown is heavy in public.

    Ten minutes on zoom! Yeah, we gotta here

  6. Seraphina says:

    Kate will Never know what real work is nor will she ever understand what working moms deal with. I don’t think it’s that she CANNOT it’s that she WILL NOT, her and her husband. Choosing outfits and accessories and being driven to an event for about two hours and you barely do anything – meanwhile the kids are well cared for and our dinner (that I chose and is healthy and not a drive through) – SIGN ME UP. She doesn’t want to do more than she thinks she should. She and her twit husband.

  7. Katie says:

    Hard same. I’ve never found them more relatable lol.

  8. Andrew’s Nemesis says:

    I find them so unbelievably offensive. As someone whose suffered horribly through years of abuse and violent relationships, I’m struggling greatly at the moment: having had the virus, and nursing my father through it (who is back to full health: praise God!), I’m at rock bottom. Very unhappy. Being told to ‘get some sleep’ and make sure you exercise’ by two people whose qualifications are even thinner than their faux-care for the citizens who subsidise them makes my blood boil. They are absolute hypocrites, cold and unempathetic, and the sooner they’re brought down to earth with a bump the better. We’re way beyond the age in which it was tacitly accepted if not encouraged that the royals were isolated and mysterious. Time for Britain to grow up.

    • Noodle says:

      @andrew’s nemesis, I’m so sorry to hear about your health and that of your dad. It sounds like a terrible time for you, a time where shallow platitudes and Pollyanna chirpings make no substantial impact. What can we do to help support you right now? I realize we are in different geographic areas, but I’d be happy to have groceries or chocolate or wine delivered to you.

      • Andrew’s Nemesis says:

        @Noodle You’re so incredibly kind. Just being on this site, interacting with people, giving and receiving support, has kept me on the right side of sane. The community Kaiser and Hecate have built is so mutually supportive and giving that I frankly don’t know what I’d do without it! Thank you so much for the lovely offer of wine and chocolate – I’ve stocked up on the latter… are you doing well? Do you have everything you need; how is lockdown affecting you?

      • Noodle says:

        @andrew’s nemesis, I am glad you are stocked up on chocolate and wine! My offer still stands if and when you need it. Honestly, I am getting by on the kindness of others, and I can’t help but share that same support when I see others struggling. To answer your question… I am surviving. I am sure the trauma of all of this will hit at some point, but until then, I get up, do my work, parent as best I can, and try to stay sane. I am a college professor who has the luxury of working from home, but with three kids home from school, and a husband on disability, it doesn’t feel much like a luxury these days. My students are needy right now, and understandably so. I am doing my best to be a helper to my students, my family, my neighbors, and my community, if, for no other reason, it distracts me from the challenges of day-to-day sheltering in place. As hard as my situation is in my head, I can’t imagine adding the stress of having the virus or a loved one having the virus, on top of everything else. I hope you and your dad continue to improve, and you can start to “get back to normal”. I think we are all craving normal right now, just not at the cost of human lives. Thank you for asking, though; that was so kind of you.

    • L84Tea says:

      I’m raising my coffee cup to you! Glad you’re on the mend and your dad is better. I hope you hang in there.

      • Glad you and your dad are both feeling physically better. Isolation when you have other issues you are struggling with is beyond difficult and I hope you have someone that you are interacting with to help you stay strong. You are not alone.

    • Bohemian Angel says:

      Andrew’s Nemesis 👏👏👏
      I too find them totally offensive along with their stans. I am fed up to the back teeth of hearing how great these two are and how they are dutiful to the Crown! I really wish we could have a referendum on abolishing this dysfunctional family!
      On a nicer note; glad to hear both you and your dad are on the mend. 👍

    • pineapple says:

      Andrew’s Nemesis so, so sorry that you are at rock bottom. Most of us have been there at one time or another. I think this time of isolation makes feeling awful all the more challenging. Caring for your Father through his illness must have been exhausting. I am so glad he is on the mend. Listen, you are not alone. Not at all. So many people right now are losing it. I recently watched a nighttime interview show with Bill Mayer. (I think that is how you spell his name.) He is not caring for anyone. He is alone in a lovely home with money and he is losing it. Care giving and isolation would be very hard. Caring for our loved ones is one of the most valuable things you can do in this moment. I hope you have congratulated yourself enough. Your Father is extremely lucky to have you. Extremely. And having left an abusive situation? Many people would be very impressed with you!

    • BUBS says:

      So sorry about your current situation Andrew’s Nemesis. You’ll get through it. Things will get better. Do take care.

    • Lizzie says:

      Andrew’s Nemesis, my prayers are with you and your father. I hope the community here lifts your spirits, at least for a bit. Also, be sure to get some sleep (JOKING).

    • Jaded says:

      @Andrew’s Nemesis – we’re all rooting for you here, and I’m so relieved to hear your dad’s on the ass-end of this vile virus. I’ve sure been there in my day too and know exactly of which you speak – rotten relationships, messed up family members, job loss, friends suddenly turning on me for no reason, and sometimes all piled up at once. Though I don’t know you I admire your intelligence, humour, and articulate commentary on these issues so spoil yourself for a bit and keep on commenting.

      Yours in solidarity!

  9. FrenchGirl says:

    During Covid 19 pandemy,everyone must prefer to interact via videophone or vidéoconférence

  10. Sid says:

    Such a sharp contrast in attitude in comparison to Sofia over in Sweden. I’m not saying they should or could be that hands on, and I think the idea of shifting to more teleconferencing is one that more businesses should consider long-term, but coming from these two? Sounds like they are laying the ground work for being able to be less visible once all this over. I’ve always felt William was trying to get the public used to the idea of seeing him and Kate less, so that there would be no expectation of them doing hundreds of engagements yearly like Charles and Anne and that crew.

    • Harla says:

      “I’ve always felt William was trying to get the public used to the idea of seeing him and Kate less, so that there would be no expectation of them doing hundreds of engagements yearly like Charles and Anne and that crew.” This is exactly what William is doing. Charles is in for a rude awakening if he thinks his ‘slimmed down monarchy’ crew are going to fulfill 100’s of engagements a year and once William is King that number will drop even less. Which of course could result in huge savings for the British taxpayer, fewer engagement, fewer tax dollars spent to fund the rf. That being said I don’t think William has put two and two together enough to realize that funding will drop dramatically.

    • Lizzie says:

      I think they could and should be hands on if they truly support the front line workers. Imagine if the royal family had hidden way during WWII.
      Princess Sofia and the Sussex’ show it can be done.

      • Dee says:

        They could make some masks at home. Make signs and posters of support. Send takeout dinners to first responders. Everyone I know is trying to do something. There’s so much they could do, with all their money and contacts. I love Princess Sofia for pitching in. Kate would make it all about her in buttony Dolce and Gabbana sewn scrubs.

  11. Becks1 says:

    Of course they prefer videoconferencing. They get the same amount of credit and its a lot less work.

  12. Lila says:

    Lazy gits.

  13. Original Jenns says:

    I will say this. I am able to work from home during this time and I love it. The stress of the office is gone. Granted, I am truly working regular hours and putting in extra time and effort lol so there is probably a difference.

  14. Nic919 says:

    How many actual calls have they done? Kate did two with William and William did one or two more on his own. That’s nothing. They should be doing multiple video chats a day if they cared. It’s been a month so this is pretty pathetic. Everyone else who has to work remotely figured out the zoom calls within days and got back to a semblance of normal. Of course their normal is to avoid work of any type. And Kate didn’t write that letter. She never does and the press should stop pretending that her aides don’t just add her electronic signature to them.

    Sophia of Sweden puts these two to absolute shame. She is a bit younger than them and has two young children as well and yet she took the time to help. Even Sophie has gone out to food banks. There is no reason why these two can’t leave their mansion for a day or two to provide actual help.

  15. Beach Dreams says:

    Lol of course they do. They could make one or two “appearances” via video conference and then pretend they’re working behind the scenes. There’s never a bar too low for these two. I wonder what on earth their shrinking team is doing. Seeing that Simon Case (Will’s private secretary) just left to do COVID19 relief work is hilarious, considering that it’s exactly what W&K should be getting more involved in.

    • Nic919 says:

      Isn’t that interesting. Both of them lose their private secretaries in fairly quick succession and the press barely comments on it. The tabloids are moaning about censorship but yet here is a story that they aren’t even covering.

    • kyliegirl says:

      With the RR so focused on every little thing the Sussexes do I am so surprised that NONE of them have written about William’s private secretary leaving. This means that both FFK and FFQ have lost their private secretaries in the last few months. I haven’t heard about Kate getting a new one. Now with William losing his no wonder they are acting like a rudderless ship. They don’t have leadership in their office and it is not like these two have the motivation or creative thought to do any meaningful work. If you actually listen to what they said in the BBC interview, it was just the same soundbites they have been saying for years with a few words about the NHS added into it. They repeated the same phrases multiple times in the interview. So awkward. Does anyone want to work with them?!?

      • But oh those calendar numbers are adding up as they Talley the: thinking about something, to making a call or video, to thinking about how they just did a call or video. These two are worthless and I am so over the free pass they get from the RR on every single thing. Their staff has always been a revolving door and yet nothing is ever said.

  16. Chelle says:

    No shit.

  17. Aria says:

    My tinfoil theory is that I get why William resent his work because of jecca. Jecca was his true love that she rejected him especially of his royal work and this life. That comes his resentment towards his duties. He knows that Kate wont leave or throw tantrum if he cheated. That why he is doing this and plus he is lazy . But my main thing is William resent of his duties because he cant marry the woman he love. Diana loved Charles and willing to put up with his life and duty but she cant stand him loving camilla. But kate doesnt care as long as she is future queen and William knows that too. Also I believe that’s why everyone in brf hate Sussex because they are in happy marraige and no cheating and harry is not cheating his wife which make other memeber jealous and angry and comes smear campaign. None of brf has good marraige in direct line except Sussex and euegiene . We can start from queen with cheating hubby, charles cheated and camilla doesnt care abt Charles, william cheating, anne cheating , peter philip, mike tindall, andy, many rumors about edward and his sexuality. So only left is Sussex and euegiene and I have some doubts on eugene marraige. That’s why they hate with passion for Sussex and smear campaign.

    • yinyang says:

      I think at this point, Kate (coming from two parent family) is really grasping to stay with William. I think William (coming from a broken home) doesn’t really care to stay with Kate, if the right girl came along, he’ll more than likely leave. Sad reality.

      BTW I don’t think they’ll divorce over an already married woman.

      • Aria says:

        I was thinking the same thing too. Because when many Sussex haters point that harry and Meghan both comes from dysfunctional family they dont know about stability etc etc. That’s why William choose Kate because she comes from stable family. But from my experinces I saw people where couples comes from dysfunctional family married and live together for long time because they know what they have missed and they dont feel left out. In Sussex case both their parents divorce and have toxic dynamic towards their family. But in William case its different because whenever William comes around middleton and their happy family it rubbs him off because he doesn’t have that with his parents and he cant it . Whenever their family gathering it’s a reminder that he cant have it but his wife has . That what the relationship break because she cant understand what he missed as a child but constant middleton rubbing at his face . That’s why William is struggling in his marraige. Take charles where his parents in pretend happy marraige but diana is divorce they cant related to one another.

      • yinyang says:

        William is just a bad husband, if after having three kids he still can’t commit to his WIFE. Good marriages don’t just happen, it takes love and responsibilty, right now they hardly have the responsiblity part down, and the love part is nil, it’s a sinking ship…Kate is grasping at straws meanwhile William is waiting for the right girl.

      • yinyang says:

        Everyone comments on Sussex marriage in trouble. But the love and responsibilty is there. They also seem mature enough that if there was trouble they would be honest with eachother about it, instead of a long drawn out marriage, it’s not nice to watch for the kids to grow up in.

  18. Amy Too says:

    This goes directly against what I’ve been reading from Kate fans. They claim that she doesn’t like the video chats because she’s just so much more comfortable connecting with people in person, and that’s why she seems to look distracted, bored, or stressed out during these calls. Because even they admit that she looks quite distracted and even upset during these calls and isn’t doing the best job. The difference between them and us, is they seem to find it super relatable that she’s not very good at her job or comfortable with speaking in general, and video conferencing in particular, while we find it frustrating and infuriating that after 20 years of being in the spotlight she’s still so inept at making genuine connections with people or looking remotely competent at her job.

    So what now? This is actually her PREFERRED method of working. She PREFERS the video conferencing. So what’s the new twist for why she looks so bored and distracted and uncomfortable and can’t properly interact and connect with people?

  19. Jumpingthesnark says:

    So the RR is all but calling them out as lazy. Someone in the other thread about the Sussexes said that, now that the Sussexes are out, the RR will want their pound of flesh and the BRF married ins are next in line. Maybe this is what we are starting To see here.

    • Ruby_Woo says:

      Yeah, it seems like a bit of a dig. Seems to hark back to the ‘Lazy Katie’/ ‘Caribbean Queen’ stories of yore.

  20. Rapunzel says:

    Prince “I didn’t read the briefing materials” prefers one on one calls with depth? Lolz for days at that ridiculosity.

  21. Harper says:

    Willnot is speaking so earnestly and acting as if he really is a disciple of all the platitudes he’s reciting in a very urgent attempt to erase his joking in Dublin about the Coronavirus episode that just won’t go away. It’s his Restitution! tour sponsored by Zoom.

    Kate is secretly relishing seeing Wills dance for the press knowing he screwed it up big time. No sympathy for him! Anyway, their relationship is in tatters, obviously. I don’t know how two people that are really connected in life can be so unengaged and cold with each other while participating in this discussion. His lip-pursing and frozen, zoned-out pose reeks of tolerance for someone he has to share the stage with but whom is stealing the air time he wants to use to make himself look good.

    IMO, Kate is looking so depressed in this video because Tina from the BBC is absolutely beautiful and Kate knows that she pales in comparison. But, when Kate gets to talk about her kids, she lights up. You can tell the difference between her scripted words and the real things she cares about. Frontline workers–scripted frowny concerned voice. Zooming with the Middletons–animated, laughing, Louis pushes the red button! And I don’t think Will is actively engaged with his kids at all or he would have broken his frozen pursed lips pose when the subject came up — but he stayed unengaged.

    • yinyang says:

      Tina is gorgeous, I mean that face!! but Kate wins the skinny competition, and that’s the only competetion that matters to her.

  22. yinyang says:

    Of course they do. Are they really thinking people would be okay with this new way of laziness and keep paying for their never ending indulgences?! They really believe their own hype.

  23. Guest with Cat says:

    Yikes, the first time this site had this video I had to watch it with the sound off because my husband was still sleeping next to me. With just the earlier part of the interview and sound off, I was left with the impression I was looking at two people talking to a marriage counselor who is trying in vain to mediate a very divisive problem.

    Now, with the full video that includes the part where they talk about the kids and with sound on, I was able to see that when they talk about their family, they do still have a connection. He looks at her warmly and she also looks at him quickly and they loosen up a bit.

    I am starting to doubt these two are in all that much trouble with each other after all. I think they are introverted, lazy, disconnected, and incredibly socially awkward going about their duties. However they seem in some semblance of unity over their family.

    So I think even if he is cheating and she is looking the other way with some form of bitter dissatisfaction, they are on the same basic page and that’s probably why Kate has no problem glaring daggers at the Sussexes and doing pap strolls to set herself up as a contrast to her sister-in-law.

    Of course I could be wrong. These are just on the fly impressions of this one video. I was really taken by surprise that they loosened up and showed some form of rapport there. They still look like awkward people on a first date, though, and a blind date at that. But some couples are like that.

    As far as Kate’s looks go, I think she’s sometimes beautiful on a good day and can remind me a little bit of a young Diana Rigg at times. She looks less aged here somehow. Which tells me that whoever is sending her out in public looking like she’s my age needs a boot in the butt. But that’s all I can say about her that’s nice. She showed her true colors at the last engagement with the Sussexes and that pretty much killed any kind regard I could possibly have mustered for her.

    I really can not stand either one of them at this point. But I’ll try to be objective about different things I could discuss about them in current and future articles on this site.

    • BayTampaBay says:

      Kate is too thin. I saw pictures today on pinterest of Kate before she married and during her first year of marriage. She looked rather sexy in a sport way.

  24. Cath says:

    Jeez Kate, Charles got his letters to patronages out a month ago, and they were properly top and tailed. The wording is also even closer to the standard boilerplate, so zero points for effort.

    Sigh.

  25. Awkward symphony says:

    No suprise there as Dolittles like this cosy do nothing scenario. I mean they are shamelessly counting zoom calls in court circular so..

  26. Mrs.Krabapple says:

    That picture of Kate on the phone — straight out of a 1979 J.C. Penney’s catalogue!

  27. Sass says:

    In other news, water is wet 😂

  28. MangoAngel says:

    I love how, in the photo of Kate and William on the couch, she looks soooo uncomfortable sitting in trousers. I suppose she doesn’t know what to do with her legs when the Duchess Slant wouldn’t be “casual” enough.

    Funny, though, that Wills is allowed to cross his legs with no one raising a fuss.

  29. PrincessK says:

    It is just an opinion and educated guess, used, dressed up and manipulated by the Daily Mail headline to look like a fact. William and Kate beware they are very slowly gearing to come back and smear you, because they sense that their readers are getting weary of Saint Kate stories and not bothering to click on them.