The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived in Wales this morning for yet another stop on their Pandemic Train Tour. This whole tour is such a mess, you have no idea. If the tour wasn’t such a massive f–k up and an enormous public health catastrophe, it would be really funny. This morning in Wales, Kate the Theme Dresser wore red (red is for Wales). This coat is an Alexander McQueen piece, and I’m assuming it’s a repeat. Honestly, Kate pulling out all of these deep-cut repeats is just a reminder of how much money she’s spent on coats over the past decade.
Their first stop in Wales was at Cardiff Castle, where they visited a “Toast Your Own Marshmallow” stall. No one wore masks. REPREHENSIBLE. Even if, as the Keen-defenders argue, these events are outside, the f–king point is to do MORE than the current regulations, especially if you’re a public figure. Will and Kate have always had the responsibility to model good mask-wearing behavior. They’ve failed utterly since March. And we’re now in December and they’re disrupting everyone’s lives in the dead of winter, breaking existing lockdown regulations, all so they can wander around maskless on their Keen Superspreader Tour. Welsh government officials were none too pleased:
Prince William and Kate’s trip to Wales “is not an excuse” for people to claim they are confused about the rules around coronavirus, the country’s health minister has said. Vaughan Gething, the health minister in the nation’s devolved government, said he was “not particularly bothered or interested” in the couple’s trip, but insisted it wasn’t an excuse for people to break rules.
It comes after Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish First Minister, gave the couple a somewhat frosty reception when they crossed the Scottish border on Monday morning.
Asked about the trip, Gething told BBC Radio 4: “I’d rather that no-one was having unnecessary visits, and people always have divisive views about the monarchy, but their visit isn’t an excuse for people to say that they are confused about what they are being asked to do. I’m not particularly bothered or interested because I don’t think that is going to be an excuse for people to say: ‘I should go and behave in a different way and I should act as if the harm that is being seen in front of us in every part of our healthcare system is not taking place’.”
Again, everything about this stupid f–king keen tour was so poorly thought-through, I have to think that something else is going on. I said this before in the coverage of the Nicole Sturgeon comments, but it really feels like Tweedlebald and Tweedlewiglet are Boris Johnson’s useful idiots, being sent out to deflect and act like a–holes.
Photos courtesy of Getty, Kensington Palace’s IG.
Tweedlebald and Tweedlewiglet LOL Love it so much LOL
😂
This started my early day off with a laugh 😄. Thanks, Kaiser!
Hahahahahaha. The. Shade.
If only for public safety, there should be a tsunami-LOL warning for Tweedlebald and Tweedlewiglet. I got some chocolate protein drink up my nose.
I knew they were dumb. But never in a ,million years did I think they were THIS dumb. I keep saying that their handlers and PR people need sacking. How hopeless do you have to be to mis spell words you copied from a note twice!
Well, Harry and Megan ain’t around to be used for all the dumb crap, so now it falls on these two…..karma
Yep, perfect name for them. Useful idiots for Boris.
I agree. I do not think the idea of this tour originated with Tweedlebald and Tweedlewiglet.
PwBT and Keen do not like to be inconvenienced, let alone leave Anmer Hall. This tour seems like a very big inconvenience for everyone involved.
If there was every a time to remain at Anmer Hall and Zoom oneself to death, it seems like it would be now.
I actually do think it came from Billy because he is desperate to be kingly compared to his dad. The government would have defended them much sooner had it been their idea and they did not. It took a few cranky phone calls before Boris’s spokesperson pretended this tour was great.
I do think it was Willileak’s idea because it is a “landmark” tour, and that’s Will’s pompous ego showing. I’m calling it now, I wouldn’t put it past them to have George, Charlotte, and Louis waiting for them at the station at the end of the tour.
Kate and Will will hug the kids, ala Princess Diana, in one big photo op. It’s the end of the year and the Keens still don’t have a money shot to compete with Harry and Meghan’s iconic under the umbrella in the rain, and time’s running out.
Ok I confess to being a little shocked at just how far under the bus these two have been chucked by EVERYONE. Come on. These governments must have all more or less signed off on this. But not a one of them, not even England, sees the smallest price to pay for shit talking them and are all doing it gladly. Lol I almost feel bad for these two idiots.
Everything about this is so stupid I actually have trouble believing it’s happening
Also, William just looks like THE most unlikeable person, it’s baffling
I’m confused because it seems like Kate brought a new outfit for every hour or something lol and William brought one set of clothes for the entire trip.
literally, the only thing he’s changed is the scarf! it’s amazing.
Honestly it remains stupid that she changes clothes that much in one day. It’s also wasteful when they are doing outdoor events that are all the same. The one thing I won’t criticize Billy for is wearing clothes like a normal person.
They do that so that in the photos of their tour, the mini-events they did will be clearly separate and distinct. That way, it will look like they worked their asses off. Then we’ll understand why they’re gonna have to rest up and take some personal time.
@lahdidah- MTE when I saw that she was constantly changing clothes one the same day.
Every expression looks like something he tried on in front of the mirror: this is how concern looks, this is how empathy looks, this is how deep thinking looks. Bah. None of it looks genuine to me.
I agree. Even as a child, the foremost expression on William’s face was always petulance. Harry’s expression was always cheery.
You said my mind.
You’ve got to love how both the current Gov. and the Royal Familly’s behaviour seem to only achieve one thing: making sure they break the Union apart. Aren’t they supposed to be working towards the complete opposite goal?
The fact that Boris & Co, and now the Royals as well apparently, are strengthening the Scottish Independance with their bollocks statements/attitude isn’t that surprising. But if the Welsh join in as well, it’s a whole other level!
Fascinating what tone-deaf, shortsight people can achieve.
Interesting!
I do think that coat is a repeat – she started buying those big overcoats (like the one from yesterday) that are actually functional a year or two ago, we didn’t see her wear many coats like that before…..Meghan? I honestly cant remember but I do remember the switch.
Ah – just checked WKW – they don’t have a post yet for today but the Hobbs coat from yesterday was first seen in February 2020 in Wales. I do feel like this red coat is a repeat but cant remember from when (watch, I’ll be totally wrong and it’ll be from 2012 or something lol.)
Anyway I do like that scarf and one thing that is standing out to me from this trip is that her wardrobe actually looks functional. She doesn’t look like someone trying to cosplay her dead MIL or her 95 year old grandmother-in-law.
But the response from the Welsh health minister – ouch. He’s definitely more guarded than Sturgeon but saying that their visit isn’t an excuse for people to “forget” how they’re supposed to act – meaning that this visit isn’t how he wants people to act – yeah, ouch.
I don’t know how hard it is to wear a damn mask. The best way to thank healthcare workers is to not spread the virus.
Yes, I remember the switch too. Pre-Meghan it was always coat-dresses, but then Meghan wore actual coats and… well.
The tour is stupid. I think it is bizarre that the skirt and the scarf are exact matches. But that is a great coat.
Underneath she’s wearing that same plaid skirt that she wore at that KP Christmas party (when they had the fake snow); the scarf matches the skirt exactly. Dec 2018. She’s got different earrings, and a black turtle neck instead of a scoop neck. Wow…she did change *something* for a change.
https://observer.com/2018/12/prince-william-kate-middleton-christmas-party-military-families-kensington-palace/
I remember I actually liked that look! It was surprisingly fresh for Kate at the time. I didn’t pick up though that the scarf matches the skirt. I can see it now, but I just thought in the one picture that the scarf was covering her lap, LOL. That seems like a lot of plaid at once, but I guess the coat breaks it up?
The most compelling difference is the work she’s done to her face. Looking at what it looked like back in 2018 to these photos, the doctor she sees is earning their $$
I really, really liked that skirt.
The coat is a repeat! I’m pretty sure it’s the same one she wore when she and William did a few engagements to see the “Hold Still” pictures blown up and put on the side of public buildings. I remember thinking the coat was too long and too big on her and I think the same thing here. Not a fan of it, but the color looks great.
Nice to see her bring out the plaid skirt again, I actually love it and it’s one of the best looks she’s worn IMO when she wore it to the Kensington Palace Christmas party a few years ago.
The red coat is a repeat from a few weeks ago when they launched the installing of photos from the Hold still Photo competition on buildings across the country. They went to an installation in London.
Never mind. I said the same thing as amy bee
The red one is from when they went to visit the hold still posters before the second lockdown, and Will-not was eyeing up the chicken shop
Waiving “Hey! Hey! Look over here at the clown!” Doesn’t stop the train wreck that is about to happen with a no deal Brexit.
Ive said it before. Royals aren’t the brightest bulbs. They are pawns, and I’m not surprised if they are being sent out to deflect from the Brexit mess. And the fact that they don’t even wear masks isnt shocking being they are such dim people.
Once again, this tour is being overshadowed by controversy of “Should they have gone?” which is taking away from the goal of thanking workers publicly.
Did no-one planning this think that people wouldn’t complain?
Exactly. The train trip thanking workers would have been brilliant once the battle was over, as a kind of victory; doing it now is making the fight more difficult. It’s kind of breath-taking in its stupidity.
And, the very least they could have done is wear masks, but they can’t even do that. I’m glad they’re being called out by everyone. Jerks.
Really shows how insulated KP is and that they have no idea what regular Britons are dealing with in terms of the pandemic rules. Had they been aware this tour would never have happened.
But also. Where are the public health workers they’re meant to be thanking? Are they all at the roast your own marshmallow stall? Or were they dressed up as schoolchildren in reindeer ears? Maybe they were hiding in the brass band?
The NHS workers are actually working and don’t have time for this nonsense it seems.
I wonder if this “landmark” tour to honour healthcare workers was actually put together in a very short time frame, and they either couldn’t or didn’t bother to arrange any actual health worker visits?
Or maybe they added the “honouring healthcare” last minute to coincide with the new NHS patronage? Bizarre, but I’m not going to complain about them keeping essential workers safe by letting them do their jobs in peace.
Can you imagine being the social secretary tasked with lining up these events? “Yes, the Cambridges would like to bring lots of media into your emergency room while you are working to ask you some pointless questions. Yes, that’s right, they will be stopping at several Covid hotspots first…hello? Hello?”
That’s a great question, where are the health care and frontline workers?
So the rest of us aren’t supposed to travel or spend time with people outside of our families but these people can?
Just auction some coats online and give the money to the NHS!!
After the backlash from Scotland yesterday why are they still not wearing masks?!? They are the Jared and Ivanka of the UK. Selfish and entitled.
omg they are!!!!
There is also politics involved here that I have not seen mentioned in the American coverage. Sturgeon wants Scotland to achieve devolution (separate from the UK); opposing British royals is part of her expression of Scottish nationalism. Notice, too, that the article about Wales explicitly says that the health minister is for the Welsh “devolved” government. Just fyi about the political subtext in the reporting. It’s not entirely about covid.
Yes but if this tour hadn’t happened leaders/government figures wouldn’t be using it to push independence nor would they be talking about it in this context.
This tour is like rubbing salt on a wound and it’s not the government figures fault that it happened. And using an unsavoury situation to push an agenda is not an entirely new concept.
So much bizarre. Having a food activity is even weirder…did they sanitize their hands before messily eating toasted marshmallows or did the future king and queen eat right off the stick?
Kate definitely looks like she has new under-eye filler and fresh ‘tox happening.
I don’t know if it’s the angle or the hairstyle, but in the second picture where we see Kate’s face up close but from 3/4 profile, I didn’t recognize her. Something about her eyes—shape and even color?—looks very different. Maybe different eye makeup?
I think there is some heavy photoshop going on in some of these photos because she looks different than in the video clips.
as much as I dislike these two, I do think her eyes look great. Whatever she did to them suits her face. I think it’s a combo of surgery or fillers plus a new smokey eye makeup look.
What a flaming hot mess! Walking around with no mask in the middle of your super spreader tour. Look at me in my 15 coats and no mask. The selfishness is breathtaking.
The skirt and scarf are the same pattern, and very 1980s gender normative professional (teacher, secretary, etc.). Cringe.
Whoa, whoa! That close up of…is that Kate?? She doesn’t even look like herself anymore.
She does look different in the face, not sure if it was photoshop or work done. I am not knocking her if she had had it done, I would too if I were scared of needles and pain. BUT if she has had it done, I wish she cared as much about the work she is “involved ” in as much as her appearance.
Its both, esp if Chris from Getty is taking the photos – remember he is married to her budget stylist.
Thank you DU. Always good to be able to connect the dots.
Yeah, to misquote the Ting Tings: that’s not your face. That’s not your face.
Kate is boring. William is boring AND unlikeable. Neither of them has charisma. 100 years ago the monarchy didn’t need charisma because being shrouded in mystery was all that was necessary, but times have changed. They keep trying to make Will and Kate “a thing” but it’s not going to happen, EVER. Meanwhile, when the pandemic is over, Harry and Meghan, who DO have charm and charisma, will use their megawatt star power to do good things because they truly care. I can’t wait.
They were definitely “a thing” around when they first got married and still had potential, but they have proven over time that they are as boring as watching paint dry.
that’s an insult to paint drying. I can’t even look because I see entitlement and ignorance and I can’t wait until they absolve t his stupid family and these two are both living in a cardboard castle.
They were! It was fun! New, young(er) people! But instead of doing what every other working royal has done – get out there and be seen – they hid away trying to be “normal.” Sorry, kids, that’s boring. We’re all actually normal and we’re better at it than you.
They were never really fun. They were just the only option at the time and seemed fun compared to senior citizens like Charles and Camilla and the Queen. Harry always had massive charisma even when doing tours on his own. These two got some interest in the first few tours but then the media has to hype them to make people care. I would say the India / Bhutan tour is when things started to turn and the press got annoyed at all the private time and kicking them out so Kate could have her hair done for a mounting trail photo op.
They weren’t fun. But I think we wanted them to be. I looked forward to seeing what they would do, around the time of the engagement, not knowing anything about them previously. Lots of goodwill and hopefulness, I think. But, no.
I think red looks good on Kate. That’s the only polite thing I can say about this entire tour.
Ugh. Fade away into obscurity you useless twits.
These two probably think they are the exception rather than the rule. So no mask. Privileged, entitled, insensitive and inconsiderate.
I also realized that, in the recent past, Kate’s smile has changed noticeably. She now doesn’t smile with a big gaping mouth that you can almost see her tonsils. She obviously did some surgical techniques there. Cosmetic dentistry for a smile makeover.
The coat thing is just hilarious to me – she knows she going to be meeting people on a low income and thinks ‘I know I will rewear old designer coats to make them feel better’.
Her appearance is all she really has to show us doesn’t she.
She should have had a blue coat for Scotland yesterday and a red one for Wales today and that’s it. It is bizarrely wasteful to change this much in one day. No one cares if she has the same coat a few hours ago because most people have one or two good winter formal coats and wear them for years. Billy has been smarter in this regard.
She knows every change will trigger new pics, that’s her game.
Well the different coats help with determining how the engagement count will be listed to boost their paltry numbers.
It annoys me so much how she can wear like a $4K coat for a second time and there are gushing headlines about how “thrifty” that makes her 🙄
If the idea is to spread hope and encouragement rather than covid, this thing is just so tone deaf. Wear a mask, drop off a check for local relief efforts from your personal funds, wave, and get back on the dang train.
Her face is fuller, is she pregnant?
Pretty sure that’s just fillers.
Clueless “Clownbridges”
I thought this tour was to thank essential workers? Do I have it wrong? This all just look like a glorified weekend getaway minus the weekend part.
Seen some pics with masks, and unless they bought multiples of the same exact ones for this trip It looks as though the Dolittles have been wearing the same mask for all engagements. Gross 🤢
So they also did a walkabout(!!!l with a group of what looks like over a dozen kids and their parents who werent wearing masks today after visiting a care home for the elderly. I couldn’t tell from the video if W&K were wearing masks but public figures should NOT be encouraging citizens in such risky behavior right now.
Aren’t we told over and over that the royals are supposed to be an example of exemplary behavior? Yet they are out engaging in behavior that flies in the face of government health advice and keep doing so even when called out for it.
Btw- for a long stretch today the Tory government looked to be running away from this as well; saying that concerns should be sent to the palaxe ans refusing to endorse the trip. Now in the last half hour theyve changed their tune and no10 released a statement calling the tour valued. What a mess.
“Now in the last half hour theyve changed their tune and no10 released a statement calling the tour valued.” Wow that makes me so angry.
This tour was really poorly thought out but the mark guidelines in the UK are generally a total mess. You have to wear them inside and on transport but out and about most people don’t as long as you can social distance…sensible ? absolutely not but unfortunately reflective of the majority. The noise in the UK is more about the travel vs not covering their faces! 🙈
Gosh, she looks so much better with her hair pulled back. I wish she would wear it like that more often. The hair in her face ending in limp curls is not flattering.
She looks more like her old self with her hair pulled back.
Now I understand why the Keenbridges are on the COVID choo choo. The UK is the 1st country to vaccinate its citizens. A lot of coverage in the US press. BoJo must have told BP it needed the royals to help promote getting the shots. Still a bad idea. If William talked more about his COVID experience from a distance this messaging would go over better.
But…. have they said anything about getting shots? Have they said anything about anything? Have they raised any money? Have they even visited a charity or raised any awareness of one? So far, I know what an old lady’s house looks like if I wanted to visit her. And I know what the inside of a train station looks like. And I can go read Kate’s cue card message of support to transport workers. And I know that there are school children and a reindeer in one Scottish town and a I can roast a marshmallow in Wales. If anything, they seem to be advertising that the U.K. is open for trans-country leisure travel and that there are a lot of towns that I should go walk around in maskless.
I agree. We saw the backs of some health care workers the first day( while W&K were front and center) but not much else. There was no point to this.
Great comment Amy!
This whole tour is so perplexing and irresponsible. I said as much on What Kate Wore (where they really shy away from mask discussions and such because they want to stay away from “political” commentary) and they predictably haven’t published my comment.
This is something that drives me insane about What Kate Wore. I get that she wants to keep the site cheerful and the discussions positive and focused on the clothes, but the posts themselves often go on for a while about the content of the engagements before even getting to the clothing and accessories.
The discussion should allow for some comments that aren’t 100% positive and blowing sunshine up Kate’s ass about how fabulous every single thing she wears is because as it is now, I can’t even bear to read it anymore. The comments are all so fawning and sycophantic. It could obviously still be moderated to keep it civil, but at this point it’s devolved into a joke.
I quit reading GFY entirely because of their sugary, sycophantic takes on Kate and William. I know they’ve written a novel based on K&W, but I don’t understand how you can look objectively at these people and say they’re great.
Agreed. I thought this same thing while I was reading the WKW posts.
Claire I was going to say the same. I rarely read their blog but saw an article for today and wanted to see how they would cover it. They cooed over the coats and other nonsense and made no mention of exposing everyone to a virus and being a superspreader event. Since I highly doubt they were that surgary when covering ivanka and her fascism, the tone felt so off.
And their book based on W and K also has H having a thing for K. It’s really quite gross when you think about it. No wonder the commenters on that site hate Meghan, they had set it up for K to get all the men.
The video of William and Kate roasting Marshmallows at Cardiff Castle was hilarious. William gave up roasting halfway through because he didn’t seem to know how to do it as his marshmallow were not melting. Normal Bill is a myth.
Go Nicola Strugeon! Her face looks oily. So typical green yesterday, red today, gold later, stupid excuse in attempt to show off Kate’s new face and wardrobe and associate themselves with Christmas. How about having the spirit of Christmas and giving (not raising) but giving out of pocket? Go home!
That coat is way too long, looks more like a bathrobe. The scarf is pretty with it but the matching long skirt too 70s looking.
Thank you! Ppl are saying it’s a great coat (and I agree pretty color) but all I see is the length. Kate keeps dressing like it’s 1912 (particularly with her tall hats and long skirts) and I think it looks more ridiculous every year.
LMAO this tour is a such fiasco. This is what I call a PR disaster
They have struggled for almost a year now with the very basic idea if wearing a mask. Which is the biggest beneficial thing they could do is to role model to the public the importance of wearing one. The second most important would be STAYING HOME unless necessary. Especially considering William had it!!!
I agree that those idiots must be taking advice from somewhere. Imagine Charles glee that ni one is calling for him to abdicate anymore.
Tell me more about this marshmallow stall!
She had a matching tartan mask to go with the tartan scarf and the weird long tartan skirt. So extra! I can’t with this woman, I can’t!
That’s weird bc she bought the skirt a year or two ago. I wonder if she had some material taken from the scarf and made into a mask?
How is roasting marshmallows play into meeting up and lifting the spirits of frontline workers? Did they meet any frontline workers? The only pics I’ve seen of them is with kids. I’m sure they must have meet with some.
I know that she changes clothes in order to make it seem like multiple events spread throughout days – it’s what a lot of Instagram influencers do, lol – but how does environmentalist bill feel about it? It’s kinda wasteful no? And as we all know, the fashion industry is one of the biggest polluters in the world. What would earthshot think?
First, I love her coat and scarf combo.
Second — how hard is it to consistently wear a mask??? We’re in the middle of a pandemic. When visiting places, wear a mask, W&K. Not that hard. It confuses me how they switch between wearing them and not wearing them.
Isn’t it possible that this tour may be British government pushback because Wales and Scotland want out? After all, the Scots wishes and protocols were completely ignored. Will and Kate just pressed on into Edinburgh and completed their visit, masking or unmasking however it suited them. Then on to Wales, where they were better received. But still there were negative comments about the lack of masking.
The point is: the Cambridges disregarded border restrictions, went where they wished, and followed whichever infection control protocols they wished, regardless of the local regulations. This indicates, I believe, that the British government see Scotland and Wales de facto British territory, in subjection to it and not as those which are pushing for separation. This looks like a show of, ” you see, we aren’t so far away. We are a short train journey away. We can be in your territory overnight, if necessary. We are the mother hen, gathering you little chicks to the breast, protecting you. We are what you need.” And then the FFK and Q show up on the official train to demonstrate this. The BRF seem to control much of the press, therefore control much of the spin people hear that influences their decisions.
Look, I am not British, I just observe. I am reasonably inte!ligent, but I may have misinterpreted the things I’ve observed. It’s tricky interpreting stuff in another country.
And in the UK, even with the same language and dress and family structure, many things are still different in multiple ways.
I also know that here in the US, when we were complacent and looked away for what seemed like a mere second, the wheels came off the bus.
As I read over what I’ve written here I am not sure I should’ve written it. I’m not a trouble maker. I’m not a licensed therapist, or a person educated in public policy. I’m neutral about many earthly things. But I read the Bible and utilize the wisdom I find in its writings.
Everyone, watch and observe what is happening in your part of the world. Do what you can to help your family and friends, and those close by. And follow the “golden rule.”
If I didn’t hate Mel Gibson so much, I’d be having some Braveheart feelings right now….
That was very insightful, QS- thank you for posting.
I thought her scarf went all the way down to her shins in that seated first picture!
Her nose in the side profile looks different. A little “lifted”. She must have done threading with Botox.
UK tabloids are pushing every angle of the story this morning. Judi James has been trotted out again to interpret the new body language of the Cambridges. They are now imitating Harry and Meghan. Suddenly touching is good. So is looking at each other with affection. The protocol hawks are silent.
Dailymail comments are predominently pro-Cambridge but also largely defensive. Overall impressions of this tour are not good. It cannot be claimed as a success when so many are either criticising or defending the royals. What was meant to be a lightweight ‘morale-boosting’ exercise with a subtle message to the Scots and Welsh has become an open debate about travel restrictions, royal privilege and the Scottish referendum. It was meant to divert attention from current hardships and insecurities but it has served to highlight them. A private royal train passing through every Covid barrier to ferry a royal couple around the country when most people cannot travel to the next town is a PR disaster.