In April of last year, we learned that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge hired Harry and Meghan’s former social media guy, David Watkins, following the formalization of the Sussexit. By the end of March 2020, the Sussexes no longer had their office in Buckingham Palace, which they only needed because Kate and William were screwing them over constantly, in many different ways, when they were all together under the Kensington Palace banner. During Harry and Meghan’s brief time with their separate office, they made some interesting hires and David Watkins was largely credited – alongside Meghan herself – with the success of the SussexRoyal Instagram. The success of SussexRoyal also led to William and Kate buying bot-followers to “stay ahead” of the Sussexes’ IG follower-count. Then, in the end, Will and Kate just hired Watkins when they successfully exiled M&H.
I bring this up because since the Cambridges hired Watkins, I’ve noticed a difference in their social media, especially with the staging and editing of videos. While it’s generally been an improvement – Will and Kate were half-assing everything on social media before Meghan came around – it’s been also been really strange. Kate has largely been copying Meghan in style and staging for Zoom calls, and Kate’s whole launch of her “Five Big Insights” late last year was a lot of sound and fury, signifying nothing. The whole “launch” was just a series of Kensington Palace-produced videos designed to fluff up Kate and distract from the fact that her “five big insights” project was just dumb busy work. Still, Watkins has clearly told Kate that she needs to mix things up and show different sides to herself in different locations. Which is how we got a video of Kate talking about Children’s Mental Health Week on what looks like the middle of a morning jog:
Tomorrow is the start of Children's Mental Health Week – an opportunity to remind ourselves not just how important our own children's mental health is but also parental wellbeing too.
We look forward to sharing more about the year's theme of expressing yourself this week. pic.twitter.com/nQRmgkJWxM
— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) January 31, 2021
Okay, this is what I don’t understand, and I hope the KP team is reading this, because holy sh-t are they bad at their jobs: if you’re going to put your duchess outside, interrupting her morning run on her country estate and making her film this video, then surely you would want to connect that outdoor/exercise/fresh air energy into what she’s saying?? She lists the “creative ways” kids can share their thoughts and feelings: through art, photography, drama, music and poetry. Where is “take a walk with your parents”? Where is “play football in the back garden with your dad”? Connect the imagery with the text! Otherwise it’s too disconnected, and that’s what we come away with – yet another attempt by Kate and her team to make her look relatable, when really she looks like she half-assed this and just wanted to film the video for her patronage (Place2Be) before she took some “time for herself.” We all know she’s exhausted and overworked, the poor sausage.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, KP social media.
All the money that is thrown at Kate’s busy work… No one is helped by these videos. These are arts and crafts projects to keep a grown woman occupied and create content for the tabloids.
I for one will continue to remain thoroughly amused and highly tickled at the Cambridges’ attempts at turning Kate into some sort of social media royal influencer after they spent years barely tending to their online platforms until Meghan came along, and don’t get me started on the irony of them trying to ride the mental health justice warrior bandwagon after actively participating in and benefiting from a vicious bullying campaign to ostracise another mother and child. It’s like a guessing game. Which random-and-totally-unrelated-to-the-topic location will Kate pop up in next? How will they make themselves look like complete hypocrites by preaching against the very things they continue to do this week? I’m surprised the exhausted duchess even had the time to go outside with all that she has on her plate, what with homeschooling and singlehandedly carrying the monarchy out of crisis after all.
If this annoys you just wait until you read what Willy has been saying about racism….
These two are utterly useless and expensive. Get rid.
@SARAHCS
Oh William and his bride do seem quite determined to beg for criticism this week don’t they? Perhaps they miss the way their wigs used to get tugged by the press after their many PR blunders pre 2017, or maybe they feel so confident to be constantly dipping their unpedicured toes into the “you’re-the-last-person-who-should-be-talking-about-this” pool because they know they have the media ready to brew up stale mop bucket water masquerading as tea against Meghan to deflect from any backlash. Royals do something dumb, here comes a BS story about Meghan to divert attention. Wash, rinse and repeat. I thought William was bored of racism? Did it become interesting again now that his favourite biracial punching bag moved away across the pond?
They need to STOP having Kate push the idea of “self-care” for parents. Do parents need to take care of themselves? absolutely. But having the rich duchess with multiple nannies not to mention other household staff push the idea from her country mansion just rings false – and it would ring false if we weren’t in the middle of a pandemic, and now of course even more so. Like we said the other day – there is a way for her to acknowledge her privilege and empathize with parents, but she cant do it and I really think its because she does not have any empathy. Its why so often her work engagements seem flat. There’s no connection.
As for the actual video – lordy the praise she is getting for this because “no notes!” is hilarious. I think she is absolutely reading notes, even cue cards of some sort, because there are a few pauses that are too defined for it to be anything besides her reading a card that says “pause here.” Also as someone who used to run in the winter a lot – Kate does not look like she was out for a jog. She looks like they said to her, quick, put on your coat and a warm hat and we’ll film this.
Yes she did come off like she was reading her statement. It wasn’t natural.
I agree. Kate can’t do ANYTHING without notes. She even had notes to write a basic thank you message on their COVID tour.
Literally the only thing I can think while I watch this is damn I really wish I could get out and jog in the country side. Like that would make my week seriously. Just being free, listening to my headphones, smelling the fresh countryside air.
But I can’t because it’s a blizzard here and it’s just me with the kids for the past 11 months while my husband works 11 hour days. So I work in push-ups between efforts to prevent my 3 year old from clobbering my 1 year old. I suspect I’m not the only one who has this reaction.
Idk why I don’t have these reactions to Meghan’s videos because I’m sure she gets to jog all she likes. But she somehow does a much much better job of not flaunting her privilege. Like, she’s not gonna post a vid of a seaside hike the day after complaining how exhausted she is.
It made me jealous too – like wow, I would love to just go for a long walk in the countryside with no one around but me and my thoughts while kids are being taken care of by someone besides me.
I think Meghan’s videos dont get the same reaction because she’s not flaunting her privilege while also preaching, IDK. Like Meghan isnt going to tell us all to take care of ourselves while she’s lounging poolside. We know they obviously have staff and we know that Meghan isnt cleaning the house by herself or whatever, but they just come across as more authentic.
This would have come off as more relatable if the kids were running around in the background or we could at least hear them playing off camera
Omg it just dawned on me…is the connection supposed to be that she’s taking care of herself by jogging on her country estate just like…us parents are supposed to??? Is that really it? We’re supposed to emulate her lifestyle or something along those lines? ok I just wrote how much I would kill to go on a country side jog. I just cannot with this idiot
Yes, I think so! Kate is engaging in self-care and finding time for herself, its not so hard you see, if you just prioritize yourself so you can be the best parent you can be! Leave the kids with the nannies and tell the cook what you would like to eat when you return! Its just so simple, dont you see?
These are the kinds of video’s Ivanka made. Don’t like your job? Just get a different one.
Who jogs with their hair down, a toque and a puffer jacket? You would be sweating like a maniac with all that on.
She’s not jogging. They told us she was jogging, but in reality, they told Kate to walk far enough away from the estate until she finds a good background that doesn’t show the new tennis court or solarium-add on or swimming pool in the background. There were probably two assistants with her, one holding the camera up so that it looked like a selfie, and the other holding up the cue cards.
I would wear the light jacket under 32 degrees. But NO ONE jogs with their hair down. So she either left it down for the vid because she thinks it’s prettier or she isn’t going to jog. Idk I have no answers
She’s also in a full-face of makeup and has multiple filters on the video.
The bar is really low for her, so talking without notes is a big deal.
Myra, i think she still read it, her awkward pauses were there, no one speaks that way naturally lol
I think she finally figured out that reading from cue cards looks much more natural than reading from notes in your hand. Which is a HUGE accomplishment for her, actual visible improvement.
I agree the video of her supposedly jogging in the countryside made no connection with the topic but I guess they got their desired effect which was Emily Andrews was fawning over Kate in her report saying she looked glowing, casual and spoke without notes. Pity the Palace stepped all over her statement by leaking to the press about the changes to Archie’s birth certificate and William coming out against racism in football. Hopefully this won’t be the only thing she does for Children’s Mental Health week.
Ahh the praise about speaking without notes- think hype is because the rota couldn’t believe Meghan did her Together cookbook launch speech without notes. So anything Meghan can do, Kate can too!
Imagine being praised for being able to speak for less than a minute without notes (in a video statement you can rerecord as many times as you like).
I’m embarrassed for her.
I don’t think they realize that they are only turning people off with this sycophantic coverage. No average person is going to think Kate’s special because of this. You can’t tell me these reporters genuinely like this because it’s honestly pathetic and cringe. Imagine going to school and getting a job as a glorified PR reporter for scraps.
Praising Kate for saying such basic things without notes is at the same level of praising a toddler who is just learning their words. It is beyond infantile to praise her for this. She’s allegedly a university grad so the standard cannot be this low.
I agree she is praised like a toddler for the most basic things. I would be embarrassed for Kate, except for the fact she absolutely loves it. She doesn’t seem to get how much of an idiot she looks. I can picture her and Ma colluding with Tatler saying, “write that she’s a top CEO” in a deadly serious way.
I also find it interesting that she is praised being able to ‘speak” and not for what she’s actually said, cos the point wasn’t to actually help anyone, but to embiggen herself.
And this video was still overshadowed by a statement Meghan put out because the media is still obsessed with her and because they needed money in a desperate attempt to make a controversy that was shot down to hell. The day the BM starts to be honest and just say that Kate and William are dull and they’re only kissing their behinds for access to their children, is the day I might actually take them seriously.
But I thought she was just soooooo exhausted? If only any other actual working mother had the time to take a stroll in their private garden/forest without the children or any other work commitments distracting them? Dear god, Kate, you’re so out of touch!
The constant blinking and jaw swinging, wow.
I know what Kate finds hard to “priiheerrityise” (prioritise for those of us who can speak) – doing TANGIBLE work.
Plus those ends are split to hell but, pandemic, so whatever.
Yep, that’s what I thought as well – why is she talking out the side of her mouth??? Does she always do that? I’ve never really paid any attention before but she looked like she was a struggling to speak here!
Yep, she’s always talked like that. I noticed it in her engagement interview. Her lower jaw skews to the right.
Kate has what’s called a “canted occlusal plane”. It’s caused by uneven growth of the lower jaw. I have the same thing. Kate’s lower jaw goes to the right; mine goes to the left.
I think that was meant to distract from the fact that her eyebrows and forehead never move the entire time she’s speaking.
Do people normally wear treat much makeup on a run?
Just a statement in general: i know kate is doing an awful job behind the scenes because of the amount of pr that she needs.
I mean yes parents need to look after themselves and most of them know that but the issue is that they don’t have the time, money and resources because of the cuts made to the Early Years programmes which in turn put more pressures on them hence they can’t look after themselves
What would have been a hell of a lot more helpful is if Kate had detailed specific resources to help parents during the pandemic, e.g., respite care services or hotlines/online fora or other community programs. But researching concrete ways that may be of actual use to overstressed, overworked, underpaid parents would require some functional brain cells and real commitment to the topic. I do not think Kate has much of either, alas.
It’s one of the issues I have with her work in general. She gives all these ideas and suggestions yet she is not offering any tangible ways for parents to help themselves. She’s not even recommending websites or organizations that can help let alone creating resources for help.
Same with her Early Years work. She’s saying “we should do this to help kids” yet she’s not offering ideas or suggestions to help those kids.
Parents want/need practical solutions and help.
I agree Sofia. She offers very vague and dumb ways to help. “Take the kids outside.” “Don’t worry about cleaning the house or making dinner”. SHE can do that but most of us can’t. She is not relatable at all.
that’s one of her consistent failings in this work. she speaks of all the things parents *should* be doing, without any acknowledgment of why many simply cannot. i don’t know if her life experience prevents her from understanding the tradeoffs of her suggestions, or she’s being deliberately ignorant because it’s easier to ignore problems you don’t care to solve. either way, just raising awareness isn’t enough when you’re not telling the full story.
I think it’s both: she doesn’t care enough about issues unless they directly affect her. Her kids go to a top school, they will always have food on the table, they will always have childcare, they will always have a big garden to go play in, they will always have the time and resources to do whatever they want, she has nannies that can take over for a day if she wants a spa break etc etc.
But she also doesn’t want to give tangible help because it’s easier to do quick photo-ops and act like she’s doing so much when in reality, she’s doing so very little.
This is what she always does: she just reminds everyone of the problem but doesn’t actually work towards making the solution any easier or more accessible. “Raising kids is hard so take care of yourself!” “Mental health struggles are real so get help if you need it.” “The early years are super important for childhood development, so take extra care during that time.” Okay, how?
She couldn’t get through one statement without throwing in her filler word “hugely”. Every single time.
And if it’s not ‘hugely’, it’s ‘massively’.
Why is one of her eyebrows in her hairline?lol. And that accent makes her sound like she has a speech impediment. Good lord this woman is all talk and no damm action.
her delivery feels inauthentic and stilted. i want to give her credit for trying, because these things don’t come naturally for many and she likely feels forced to display this new persona. but i don’t, because she is everything to despise about how white mediocrity is celebrated.
She was roasted in the Fail comment section for this. The headline said she was wearing a 160 pound Barbour jacket and the masses went nuts over the cost. But it was not only that. She was roasted for her silly accent, for running in makeup, for being exhausted, for having security detail that was going to drive her back to Anmer. After the serious takedown she got two days in a row, it was utterly predictable that Meghan needed to be thrown under the bus again. It’s of note that Kate’s defender bots were not posting in her defense, and the comments were not moderated, which is different from in the past. That exhausted comment really turned off the commoners.
I think her hat is cute. That’s all i’ve got.
She really did miss the obvious connection: lots of people (like me) use exercise to not just stay physically fit, but to regulate emotions, as well. It’s kind of stupendous that they chose not to note that.
I completely agree with you Kaiser. There is a very obvious thing Kate should do building on her strengths that could tie all her “interests” together that she may actually enjoy. What amazes me is not only has she not thought of it BUT no one on her staff has either! I wonder what is occupying everyone’s attention? 🌹🥀
I can’t believe she’s 10 years into the role and we still can’t put our finger on what actually interests her. Yes, we know it’s online shopping, botox and working out, but nothing that actually holds a productive purpose. She’s like a maniacal kangaroo jumping from subject to subject to benefit her PR and it’s all becoming so painfully obvious. She dragged out the gardening ‘interest’ in 2019, then she dragged out the Hold Still photography ‘interest’ for 2020. Is she now reverting back to the mental health subject to drag out for 2021? It’s embarrassing.
In my opinion, Kate is having a severe identity crisis and it’s starting to show. She’s approaching 40 and she still hasn’t got a single defining project under her belt. The PR we’ve seen for her (over the past few months especially) is now going to a whole new level of infantilising and it’s frankly ridiculous that the taxpayers/spectators have to put up with this.
And what’s weird is that she doesn’t have to just have one big interest. Meghan had lots of interests. Charles has multiple projects and interests. So does Harry and Camilla and the Queen (to the extent that she has “interests.”) They’re all able to multi task because their main cause is “helping the public and supporting their patronages.” Then their Big, Specialized Interest is almost like something they do on the side in between their regular work. Harry’s Invictus was a side project he did between his royal patronage work and now it’s his big legacy project and veterans is his thing. Charles did a lot of work with organic gardening at his own home on his own time and then it became a thing he was known for.
So it’s fine to have multiple things, but it just seems like Kate doesn’t think it’s fine? It seems pretty obvious that she’s trying to find her one big thing and then everything she does will be in service to that. And that’s why it seems so weird when she picks a new thing each year because she seems to spend the whole year just doing things related to the one topic she’s chosen and then at the end of year she gives up and switched interests. So she never gets to the actual “big project, provide a solution” part of her interest. She’s always in the raising awareness, selling the cause to the public phase. By the time everyone is on board with her cause, she abandons it to do something else. And the fact that all she ever had is a bunch of “My Legacy Interest”s-in-progress really seems to showcase how little else she does.
That’s the result of dedicating her entire adulthood to chasing and catering to William. I don’t think it’s possible to overestimate just how much time and effort Kate has given to him since they first hooked up. It’s pretty pathetic to have a “job” that lets you be at your boyfriend’s beck and call. I also think the Middletons’ idealization of the aristocracy and what they perceive to be the aristocratic lifestyle plays a huge part too.
Carole and Kate clearly love and embrace the concept of the idle rich, but even the aristocrats have *something* to keep them occupied. While the nobility is snobby, bigoted trash, a lot of them do involve themselves in charities (for a variety of motives) and have their own interests/projects/whatever going on. Look at Rose for instance. She’s basically running Houghton Hall and she has involvement in charities (like EACH) too. David has his cinematic interests. Many of the people in W&K’s circle are similarly ‘busy’ with businesses, noble-appropriate gigs, and so forth.
Kate’s status as a royal doesn’t give her an excuse for her idleness in comparison to her aristocrat “friends” because her position already allows her to explore a range of ‘fun’ interests. She might not be able to own a cute little boutique but she can certainly indulge potential interests in ways that are suitable for her position. She supposedly loves sports, so why hasn’t she done more with that in the past decade? I never fully bought into the claim that she avoids working for William’s sake, because she’s made it clear that she truly isn’t interested in doing anything deeper than the occasional 15-30 minute appearance (longer if it’s a fun red carpet event or Wimbledon of course). She can’t dim her light for her husband’s ego if her “light” is nothing more than a flickering candle.
I agree that Kate is in the midst of an identity crisis. Thanks to her SIL showing up and actually doing work, she’s now caught between her own petty competitiveness and the increasing pressure to act like she’s not just an idle clotheshorse. This is probably the first time in her life that she HAS to venture out of her comfort zone on a more frequent basis. I know she’s still hardly doing much work, but it’s clearly too much for HER, judging by her increasingly strained appearance. Simply being William’s wife is no longer enough, no matter how many ~FFQ~ puff pieces she and Carole push out to the press. That realization is clearly unsettling her to a significant degree.
Maybe she could get behind Be Best UK.
Express yourself, look after yourself and share your thoughts/feelings – wow, such great advice! How should us peasants look after ourselves and make time for us with 1000 things to do?
Her hair looks so dry, I’m surprised she recorded this without it being done – trying to look relatable? Is it just the light or does she look very tired (under eye area – darker, bags)?
Average woman making obvious generalized statements. Pass.
Honestly I only ever listen to her video’s to see if I can understand her without subtitles.
That waggling eyebrow is getting into uncanny valley territory.
It just shows how much work she’s had done. Her forehead was NEVER like this pre-marriage or even during the wedding…
Kate and her PR team can straighten her hair, put out a forest-full of plants and produce as many “casual” videos as they want, Kate will never be Meghan. And that should be fine. Meghan has a natural ability to engage and connect with people. She has also spent years pursuing her passions of acting and volunteering and speaking for causes important to her. Kate spent a decade pursuing William (and Big Blue) and a decade avoiding work.
Children’s mental health? Archie is laughing at you Kate.
You can really notice her underbite when she speaks.