Princess Kate will launch a ‘substantial’ new Early Years initiative this month

This Telegraph story is what I was expecting ahead of the Princess of Wales’s 41st birthday, but they waited to publish it on the day of. Gordon Rayner’s piece is “Why Kate Will Rise Above Prince Harry’s Poison.” The “poison” being “Kate actually made Meghan cry over the bridesmaid’s dresses and then threw a tantrum about sitting with her husband at the wedding.” Thankfully, it’s not all “poor Kate has been poisoned by Harry’s memoir!” We have our first promise to be keen of 2023! They actually have a big plan to announce something “substantial” for Kate. Fingers crossed it’s another insane video where she compares the launch of her Keenwell Centre for Buttons, Wiglets and Early Years to JFK, Nelson Mandela and Malala. Some highlights from the Telegraph:

Kate will not be blown off course by ‘Spare’: Its pages drip with poison about the princess, and the way she responds to it will help to define a year in which she has big plans for her future. Palace staff refuse to discuss Prince Harry’s book, but it is clear that Kate has no intention of being blown off course. “Whatever might be happening behind closed doors, she has always had an ability to put the job first,” says someone who has worked with her. “Aside from all the things the public knows about, there have been plenty of times when things have cropped up in private, but what you see in public is always [Kate] behaving in the exact same way. So this won’t knock her off her stride.”

How she spent her birthday: As she celebrates her 41st birthday today (Monday January 9) quietly with her family at Adelaide Cottage, the five-bedroom property on the Windsor estate that is now their main home, the princess will be spending tomorrow getting her three children ready for their second term at Lambrook School in Berkshire.

Her first event of 2023: Later in the week, the couple will be in the north of England for a long-standing engagement supporting one of the country’s most hard-pressed communities, a theme that will run like “a golden thread throughout the year”, according to aides. It will be the Waleses’ first public engagement since the media first got its hands on copies of Spare, but anyone expecting to see signs of strain on the princess’s face is likely to be wide of the mark.

The importance of Carole: [Kate’s resilience] is thanks in no small part to the support she has around her, most importantly her mother Carole, to whom she speaks on an almost daily basis (her sister Pippa is a far more independent spirit, friends say) and who is never far away now that the Waleses live in Windsor, just 30 miles from the Middleton family home in Bucklebury. Carole Middleton is often to be seen getting a commuter train from Theale, her local station, to pop across Berkshire to visit her daughter and grandchildren, and locals in Bucklebury are used to the presence of police patrol cars signalling that a family visit is being made in the other direction. “You can’t underestimate how important the support of Kate’s mother, father and sister are to her,” says one ally. “They remain incredibly tight as a family.”

Curious aside about who they vent to: During school holidays, when the Waleses are staying at Anmer Hall in Norfolk, the princess can call on the company of the ‘Turnip toffs’ who include Lady Laura Meade, Sophie Carter and Hannah Carter, another Marlborough alumna. The Prince of Wales, in contrast, cannot turn to his mother when he needs to vent steam, nor his brother, leaving only his father, the King, who may not always be available.

Cold fish: Inwardly, the princess would not be human if she failed to be hurt by some of the brickbats thrown at her by Prince Harry. He portrays her as a cold fish, too aloof or uptight to engage in girl talk with Meghan and petty in the extreme.

The fallout from ‘Spare’: The biggest risk of damage from Spare is in America, where sympathy for Harry and Meghan – and suspicion of William and Kate – remains higher than it is here.

Her big new keen thing: Later this month she will launch what royal aides describe as a “substantial” new initiative in her flagship Early Years campaign. One source said she would be “straight out of the gates” with a “big moment” for her which she hopes will get the whole country talking about the importance of child development in the under-five age category.

No spring flop tour: Preparations for the King’s coronation mean the couple will not embark on a spring tour this year, meaning they will have more time to spend in Wales, deepening their bond with the principality whose name they bear.

The Waleses are not moving into Windsor Castle anytime soon: One big move they will not be making this year is to Windsor Castle. Despite speculation at the time of Queen Elizabeth II’s death that they would move into the big house, they are so happy at Adelaide Cottage that they may well stay there for years, friends say. “It gives them an opportunity to spend time as a family, and to have the privacy they craved,” said one source. “Kensington Palace was always a little bit of a fishbowl for them, and now they can just enjoy each other’s company.”

[From The Telegraph]

“He portrays her as a cold fish, too aloof or uptight to engage in girl talk with Meghan and petty in the extreme.” That’s literally who she is though? Notice the Telegraph doesn’t even dispute that. They’re like yeah, she’s petty and prissy but she keeps calm and carries on in public. But at what cost? It sounds like Kate only has two events booked for the whole month. What do you think her big reveal will be at the end of January? A second Keenwell center? Another survey, perhaps SIX Big Questions?

The bit about the Waleses not moving into Windsor Castle is interesting too. My interpretation is that Kate will not be moving into Windsor Castle, but William now has the run of multiple residences. William gets Kensington Palace, he’s probably carved out some space at Windsor Castle, he has access to many Duchy of Cornwall properties. We may never learn where William lives at this point. Also: no spring flop tour, LMAO!!!

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid and Cover Images.

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162 Responses to “Princess Kate will launch a ‘substantial’ new Early Years initiative this month”

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  1. K8erade says:

    I mean it’s going to be a stupid video that never goes anywhere. She’s become far too predictable at this point.

    The part that gets me is the Pippa part in parenthesis. Maybe I’m reading between the lines too much, it sounds to me like there’s been some tension between Pippa and Kate. They don’t seem as close as they once were. We know Kate needs to be the only woman in the room. Has she even turned on her own sister? Has Pippa distanced herself from her family? Did Mama Carol(e) kick Pippa to the side because she didn’t “marry up?” This article leaves me with more questions.

    • Ronaldinhio says:

      The difficulty for me is that everything she does takes years to ‘develop’ and then is of a similar quality to a high school project.
      Her Early Years Project was laughable. No professional took it seriously. We learned nothing from it and it was not decent research. A chance missed. I don’t understand why she doesn’t shut up shop and be a British ‘mummy’ she has little interest in anything else

    • Zazzoo says:

      The Pippa comment really stands out. For an article that’s building up Kate, the bit about Pippa being more independent seems like a huge dig. I get there’s a cultural difference. Americans admire independence so maybe the British audience doesn’t read that as a dig at Kate but then why even mention it?

      • Lara (the other) says:

        I read the comment in the voice of a upper-middle class mum who explains to her friends why the teenage daughter going through a gothic phase is not coming down for tea.
        Not a compliment at all, compred to the dutiful, boring daughter Kate.
        I think the family dynamics between kate and her mother never outgrow the dutiful teenager while Pippa grow up and became independent. And neither Carole nore Kate are happy, that they lost Pippa as the black sheep of the family, especially as they lost Harry as scapegoat as well.

    • CJ says:

      I prefer to think friends (assuming there is a friend who isn’t just Carole) say it with an eye roll and a tone that Kate hasn’t grown up like “oh yes,” (roll) “she’s very close to her mummy. Pippa is far more..” (pause for a beat so we know they aren’t about to compliment Kate) “independent.”

      But good luck to her on the early years. We’ll see if she can get the country talking about it more than they are now about how the PM didn’t mention them at all in his speech on how he’ll improve education. (Maybe Kate will be the hero Early Years needs, if not the one it deserves)

    • Lemons says:

      I saw the title of this post and thought, “Why is she SO predictable?!”
      I really can’t wait to see more pie charts.

    • Cate says:

      My take on that is that Pippa is happily married and is thus more involved with her husband and kids than with her parents and siblings. So she’s not so dependent on Carol for everything like Kate seems to be. Pretty sure that of the two sisters Pippa has gotten the better deal all around.

      • Zazzoo says:

        Oh yeah. Pippa has a husband and two (?) children. Plus a masters degree and who knows what activities. Like an adult. Most of us barely have time for phone calls with family even if we’re close.

      • Jaded says:

        @Zazzoo – Pippa had a third child last July. She’s clearly in a much happier marriage, has completed her masters degree, and has a large group of close friends. Small wonder she doesn’t appear to have a close relationship with her sister anymore — Khate has nothing to show for her life but jealousy, laziness and a horrible, philandering husband who clearly has no love for her.

    • Plums says:

      I’ve felt for years now that Kate and Pippa aren’t close and that there’s a lot of resentment and jealousy from Kate over how Pippa has the truly enviable life of the pair of them. Relative anonymity, loving husband, massively wealthy and unbeholden to anyone in terms of what she does and where she goes and how she spends money, a normal life for her kids, whose names I don’t know and wouldn’t recognize or look twice at if I saw them on the street, and capable of being substantive and productive with her time despite absolutely no need to. The fact that she got a PHD in some early childhood related research is just a *chef’s kiss*. An absolutely hilarious undercutting of Kate’s entire “early years” sham interest.

      • 809Matriarch says:

        It seems like Kate and William both are jealous of their younger siblings. Both Pippa and Harry have freedom and options in life, unavailable to the future King and his mumbling consort.

      • Becks1 says:

        I agree with this, and I also think that like William with Harry, because Kate IS jealous of Pippa, she holds over her head the one thing she has that Pippa doesnt – a title, tiaras, castles, etc. So it makes her that much more insufferable because she assumes Pippa must be jealous of those things (and maybe Pippa was 10, 15 years ago, but I don’t think she is at this point.) Meanwhile Pippa vacations when she wants, buys the house she wants, buys what clothes she wants, we have no clue what her kids look like, etc. Same with William – bc William is so jealous of Harry, he assumes that Harry must be jealous of the one thing William has that Harry doesnt – his place in succession.

    • PrincessK says:

      Pippa named her daughter Rose 😳

      • Peanut Butter says:

        For a long time, I wanted to give Kate the benefit of the doubt. I hoped she could find her way into being at ease with the public and private sides of her royal role, and develop a significant path into meaningful work. Ok, so I’ve let that one go. Kate is, of course, entirely responsible for her actions and choices. But I can’t help but feel that her parents didn’t raise her with much emotional intelligence to prepare her for a thriving, healthy adulthood. I do feel sorry for her, and also thankful I don’t have to deal with her or the BRF. What a miserable bunch.

    • Bettasprinkles says:

      I read in the Daily Mail once (lol) that the sisters were more competitive with each other than close. I also picked up on that tidbit!

    • Suusan says:

      I figured Kate hated Carole used her wedding to try and get Pippa a man. That whole “bum” story was obviously a pr push. Pippa probably isn’t really welcomed to events. Things seem different.

  2. RiaH says:

    Ok I missed the tantrum about where she sat at the wedding. What happened?

    • SAS says:

      Apparently her and William were horrified at the reception seating putting couples next to each other so switched the seating cards for their entire table so they weren’t sitting next to each other. A prissy outburst at outdated etiquette rules AND a self-burn that they can’t stand other!

      • K8erade says:

        Given Kate’s absolute hysteria with Charlotte’s dress and Meghan saying during the Oprah interview that she was “having a hard time,” I think she was dealing with the aftermath of William’s affair with Rose at this point, along with having just given birth to Louis.

      • C says:

        Nah. She’s always been spiteful.

        Edit: the other factors were involved, but this is who she is.

      • Yvette says:

        @K8erade … Hmm, that’s what I thought as well. It was the way Meghan said it, that got me. But I think they purposefully mentioned Kate’s ‘friends’ to show that she has girlfriends and knows how to be one. Never mind that her best friends have always been male and that she was the only girl in the house William shared with other mates when they were at university.

        Kate strikes me as someone who has never enjoyed sharing male attention with anyone else.

    • BW says:

      H&M used the American tradition of seating couples together for the reception. Willy and Kate moved their seating cards so they wouldn’t be seated together, citing that that’s how it’s done in England. (Either that, or because they absolutely hate each other and didn’t want to sit next to each other.)

      • Belli says:

        Amazing that the Queen and Prince Charles were at the same wedding and somehow were able to cope with the seating plan, isn’t it.

  3. Jessie Quinton says:

    OMG she looks like The Grinch in a wig in that header picture and you can’t tell me otherwise.

    • Tessa says:

      Keen will get that chart out again and maybe slide down a slide

      • Smart&Messy says:

        Maybe it’s a lovely new project about helping kids through the arts. She could name it the ArtSpace. No, scratch that, it should be ArtRoom. The kids would love it. /sarcasm.

        Of course, Carole is her support. She would fold completely if anything happened to her mother. I know I’m a broken record about this, but Carole if you read this, work on a Tom Cruise exit like now. It’s just another cult, and it would be so much easier on your daughter. Tom would eat up the attention it would give him. Scientos would love her, she is harmless with 0 ambition and 0 care for the wellbeing of others.

    • Jais says:

      The grinch is literally my first thought every time I see that picture.

      • First comment says:

        Good catch about William not being able to turn to his wife! I mean, this is why they are supposed to remain in AC so that they can spend time as a family!! The mental gymnastics!! They haven’t been seen working since the Christmas concert (mid December) and it’s 10/1… haven’t they spent time enough together for William to relax with the support of his wife? Lol…
        Edit: the comment I was referring is from rapunzel…I don’t know how it got here…

    • EPLFan says:

      I thought it was a bad DALL-E take. The proportions are so off.

  4. Layla says:

    Which Meg outfit is she going to copykeen for this one? At this point, what’s left in the FT royal-Meg wardrobe?

    Also, the shamelessness! Harry has literally spelled out the planting/leaking aspect of stories and the symbiotic relationship between palace offices and the presses and these a**holes continue to use that same process!

    • K8erade says:

      The word smart has never been associated with anyone in the BRF. Kate and rest of them live in a bubble.

    • SAS says:

      It’s soooo embarrassing!! I cringed at the “William is above it all” press, like obviously not hence this literal published article. It’s too much!!

      • Layla says:

        Is he f*cking joking?! He’s sending out pointers to the independent (recently taken over by Canilla’s stooge GG) and sending out his “friends” to hee haw about how he’s “burning with rage” (lololol omg H referenced W as incandescent too😂) and he wants us to believe he’s “AbOve iT aLl?! Not all of the U.K. are royal butt-lickers? You really thing we care about the “high and mighty Heir” whilst we’re struggling to pay for our energy bills and food and our government is refusing to pay us the pay we deserve?! Get 👏🏻 A 👏🏻 life 👏🏻. The. World. Does. Not. Revolve. Around YOU (despite your hee-hawing)

    • CrazyHeCallsMe says:

      You know, after all the talk about how Willy was a big Suits fan and may have harbored a secret crush on Meghan, I wonder if all the copy keening by Katie-Did is an effort to get Willy’s attention. See I can dress and look like Meghan.

      • C says:

        I think so. Kate has always copied the personal style of the women William admired.

      • Sunday says:

        Nah, I think it’s Kate’s passive aggressive response to Meghan politely declining her fashion contact hookup. I fully believe Kate is such a petty B that she said “OK Meghan, you think your fashion contacts are soooo much better than mine, I’m going to copy every single outfit you wear.”

      • C says:

        Mmm, I’m not sure. I remember back in the college/graduation years when she dressed in “safari” stuff like Jecca Craig and during the 2007 years wearing patterned dresses like Isabella Calthorpe.
        She has no personal identity and a lot of pettiness.
        I’m sure William DID find Meghan attractive, in a terrifying plantation master kind of way. I don’t think he did anything in that regard but Kate could probably pick up on it.

  5. Nev says:

    Hahahahahhahhahahahahh

  6. Janey says:

    “she has always had an ability to put the job first” – she still doesn’t know what the job is, lacks any ability in any arena whatsoever, and puts herself first – always.
    “expecting to see signs of strain on the princess’s face” – she’s been refreshed.
    “petty in the extreme” – no shit.
    “straight out of the gates” – like the prize filly she is.
    “they will have more time to spend in Wales” – which they will not do.
    “just enjoy each other’s company” – Kate and the kids????

    • DouchesOfCambridge says:

      They couldn’t even sit beside each other at Harry’s weddings. “Enjoy spending time together” lol

  7. Flower says:

    Don’t they say this every two years or so.

    There’s a huge announcement about how amazing some initiative will be and then it tanks – last time we got 5 questions which were promptly proven to be appropriated from the research of other hard working experts in the field.

    • PrincessK says:

      Exactly. How many times have we heard that Kate has a great big new exciting project, this has been going on for years. Her minders and private secretary must be fed up with trying to make her look good. Now it’s …‘substantial’ , ‘straight out of the gates’, ‘big moment’….why are they setting her up for failure? She just wants to be a stay at home Mum who dresses up now and again for a few events and smiles for the Daily Fail.

  8. Yup, Me says:

    What a sad, empty life. She’s got a prince with no charm, no motivation or successes in her own right, that dumbass fake accent she put on and she and the other royals are obsessed with making their fake tabloid characters the hero of a day’s passing story (rather than being useful, happy and healthy members of society).

  9. Becks1 says:

    Different year, same Keen spin.

    • Jais says:

      Groundhog’s Day vibes.

    • Eurydice says:

      She keeps launching things and nothing ever lands – it’s like space garbage.

      • DouchesOfCambridge says:

        Nobody understands her launches. Everytime, there is an idea that never goes anywhere, it’s random, it doesn’t stick to any plans… there’s no direction. it just disappears pouff! Wth were the big 5 questions for again? Her chelsea flower show was for…??? The kids center at KP, hmmmm???? She loves photography so, huh??? She plays the piano so let’s have her play on her xmas show, so that we never talk about it again? what?? Huh?

      • Eurydice says:

        @DouchesofCambridge (love the name) – the thing is that she doesn’t need to launch anything. There are thousands of patronages out there for her to visit while wearing a new outfit, and the press would applaud her for being so hard-working.

      • PrincessK says:

        @Eurydice Lol! 😆😆….launching things but nothing lands like space garbage.

      • Sigrid Maelstrom says:

        @ Eurydice – Underrated comment 😂

  10. Noki says:

    I haven’t read Spare I am curious if Harry touches on the farce on the Royals charity works and initiatives. And how padded their numbers are and the fact that these patronages really amount to very little real world results. One of the things that irked them about Meghan is her work ethic and that she learned very quickly not much work actually gets done.

    • Kel says:

      I doubt he would as that would mean speaking against something he believes in because they actually did the work and contributed to their organizations. He still wants to potentially help the commonwealth so from his perspective this can work

    • Tootsie says:

      I saw a screen cap of a page where Harry talks about the court circular and how that’s an issue within the family because they’re all competing to look good. He talks about people padding the numbers on the court circular too sooo …. Henry has spilled all the beans.

  11. girl_ninja says:

    I honestly don’t have anything to say other than this woman is useless and wastes money like tissue.

    • kelleybelle says:

      Yep, and no allies in the family apart from Camilla. No one else can stand her, including her own husband. Gee, and “Meghan is SO jealous of Kate.” I am still laughing at that one. I will never stop laughing at that one.

    • Saucy&Sassy says:

      girl_ninja, am I the only one who read the list of her “friends”, who were named in this article, and thought someone stomped her feet and screamed, “I have friends, too” after seeing the Netflix docuseries?

      H&M’s friends were in the docuseries talking for themselves. How many of these “friends” of Wails will ever go on the record. How many of the “friends” are really friends?

  12. Sue E Generis says:

    Oh, is it that time of year again?

  13. Rapunzel says:

    ‘”Kensington Palace was always a little bit of a fishbowl for them, and now they can just enjoy each other’s company.'”

    Fishbowl how? I am seriously curious here. Who was spying? What were they seeing? What are the Wails hiding? Given the physical violence shown in Harry’s book, Will wanting more family privacy sounds ominous.

    “The Prince of Wales, in contrast, cannot turn to his mother when he needs to vent steam, nor his brother, leaving only his father, the King, who may not always be available.”

    So… William cannot vent to his wife? Is that because his venting involves physical violence and he won’t hurt a woman? Because they aren’t living together? Because Kate doesn’t care? Because Kate does her own venting instead?

    “‘You can’t underestimate how important the support of Kate’s mother, father and sister are to her,” says one ally. “They remain incredibly tight as a family.'”

    Lolz…no James?

    “locals in Bucklebury are used to the presence of police patrol cars signalling that a family visit is being made in the other direction.”

    Bet this happens a lot. A lot.

    “her sister Pippa is a far more independent spirit, friends say”

    Lolz…. you mean Pippa can act like a grown a– adult?

    • Lemons says:

      That line about the venting too…like so the lynchpin and kingmaker is no longer available to hear her husband’s sob stories? The math is not mathing.

    • Eurydice says:

      Harry can’t turn to his mother or brother, either – so where is the contrast?

    • PrincessK says:

      When Kate got engaged people said that they were surprised because out of the two Wisteria sisters, Pippa was far more suited for royal public life. William knew this which explains why he tried and failed to find someone more suitable.
      Isabella Anstruther-Gough-Calthorpe could have been Princess of Wales if she had said yes, or if Sam Branson had stepped aside. People say Willy hates him.

      • Flower says:

        Good for Isabella living her best quietly rich Aristo life away from the crazy of the BRF and UK media.

        Apparently Sam Branson (one of the twins ?) Is a also a nice guy – so she chose well.

    • Bklne says:

      Did anyone else catch that “You can’t UNDERestimate how important the support …” is actually saying exactly the opposite of what they seem to be trying to say?

      It’s an easy mistake to make – unless it’s meant as shade?

  14. Bookie says:

    That the article made a point to notice that Pippa is a more independent spirit seems odd. I think Pippa hates her sister. Remember when Pippa got her Master’s in Early Childhood education? I’m convinced that was a huge troll move – and I love her for it.

    • Jais says:

      Well, I definitely think Pippa doesn’t like being around Kate much. Can’t say I blame her. It sounds like she doesn’t spend much time with Kate or with Carole. They can say it bc she’s independent, but more likely, she avoids them bc they’re petty Karen’s.

    • DouchesOfCambridge says:

      I think it might be the other way around now. Pippa was always the one interested in early years and KKKate not having a talent bone in her body but only baby brain, jacked the early years idea thinking that pippa could feed ideas and would somehow assist to do the job for her. Lame. There is a reason why she hides between excuses of being shy, girl is not shy, girl is an imposter living a lie and hiding behind cosplay because everything is empty.

      • PrincessK says:

        Good point!

      • Flower says:

        ‘Allegedly shy people’ who play dumb are the worst sociopaths I have ever met.

        They are dangerous is work and group settings bc no one ever suspects them. They are especially dangerous to people who have presence, personality or any kind of gravitas which they secretly crave.

    • Tootsie says:

      I think my confusion is in both the masters degree Pippa pursued AND the naming of her daughter as Rose. It’s a bit weird, no? I don’t know if she’s trying to help Kate by doing this (maybe help Kate get some tips about this whole early childhood thing and help Kate shut down the affairs rumors bc who in their right mind would name their kid after their BIL’a mistress?) OR is she a big petty troll?

      It’s one or the other so I guess we will see how it plays out.

  15. Miranda says:

    Oh, I see Carole has seen fit to send out her Christmas/New Year’s “family newsletter” to The Telegraph! (We all have THAT aunt, don’t we? The one who insists on spamming the rest of the family with updates on her useless, mostly decorative offspring?)

    And oh my God, why does Kate keep launching new initiatives when people fawn over the scant work she’s already doing? She can’t even do laziness properly!

  16. Kel says:

    It will probably be something that Harry and Meghan have already done lol.
    They always follow the archewell blueprint when doing their own projects..
    I’m guessing it might be something along the lines of grants to learn more about early years or giving donations or something like that/partnerships that the public can get involved in.

    I don’t expect it to be any different then what’s they’ve done before to be honest.

    • Lulu08 says:

      Maybe she will give out grants and spend double the grant amount on promotion since Earthsh*t did so well.

      I mean it is such a great idea for a charity to spend 7 million to give out 5 million.

      IMHO this family is worse than the Kardashians. At least the Kardashian’s actually produce something other than bad takes in trashy tabloid press.

    • Suusan says:

      William spent too much time with yes men and people who he thought was upper crust. Those weren’t real friends. They were people who hoped for a business connection. You can tell from pictures they aren’t compatible.

  17. Naomi says:

    Tinfoil hat maybe, but is anyone else thinking that the line about how Kate talks to Carole every day but Pippa is an “independent spirit” suggests maybe there is a rift between the two sisters? Or at least, they are not as close as they once were?

    • The Duchess says:

      I’m getting the vibe that Pippa is done with Keen’s shenanigans. Could you imagine your own mother’s attention being diverted from you to a sibling who refuses to grow up? The whole “independent spirit” line was shade personified. Everybody knows that Kate’s never lived independently. She’s had her mother shamelessly guiding her for years.

      • equality says:

        Pippa’s children likely get shunted to the side for the royal offspring. That is probably what annoys her most.

      • TigerMcQueen says:

        @equality, yup, and it likely mirrors how Pippa was shunted to the side for Khate. I’ve been in those dynamics and the parent’s attention toward the Golden Child definitely transfers to the Golden Child’s kids (and the scapegoat and forgotten children’s kids are not treated nearly as well as the GC’s kids are, even if they’re not scapegoated or forgotten).

      • PrincessK says:

        Yes, l can see Carole doing that. I mean how much time does she have running Kate’s life and running a business.

      • C says:

        Eh, she showed up for the Christmas burgundy lineup, so even if they’re not close she’ll show where her bread is buttered.

      • Flower says:

        Kate is Carole’s full time job, so much so that Pippa, James and Michael don’t get a look in.

        So I guess the ‘independent sprit’ reference is a way to PR away any suspicion as to why they’re no longer seen together.

        I doubt very much that Kate as her family know her exist anymore. Imagine having to curtsey to your own sister or even nephew.

        Yeah that’s enough thanks …..

  18. The Hench says:

    Wow – SO much shade in this supposedly supportive article.

    “Aside from all the things the public knows about, there have been plenty of times when things have cropped up in private, but what you see in public is always [Kate] behaving in the exact same way” – what, you mean like her husband’s extra-marital activities for one?

    her mother “to whom she speaks on an almost daily basis (her sister Pippa is a far more independent spirit, friends say)” – translation: she can’t do anything without mummy’s direction or approval. Also I simply do not believe that CarolE, mother of the future Queen, is catching a lowly commuter train regularly to visit her daughter. Please. Unless, of course, this was where Kate leaned to hang around train toilets ‘randomly’ meeting journalists’ children?

    “The biggest risk of damage from Spare is in America, where sympathy for Harry and Meghan – and suspicion of William and Kate – remains higher than it is here.” Along with not refuting the petty, cold fish accusation (what – no further attempts to portray Kate as a hugger?) this is a straight out warning.

    With this big, new initiative “she hopes will get the whole country talking about the importance of child development in the under-five age category.” Er, wasn’t this what she was supposed to have done already? Seriously, if the big, new initiative is to say – again – that the early years are important….

    And, getting the excuses in early for not doing any kind of tour in the first quarter. If they actually spend a load of time in Wales instead I will eat my hat.

    Same old same old from the BM.

    • Lizzie Bathory says:

      Frequent “commuter train” visits by Carole as well as Bucklebury residents being “used to the presence of police patrol cars signalling that a family visit is being made in the other direction.”

      Sounds like Carole is at Adelaide when Kate has the kids & Kate retreats to mom’s house when William has them. Being “close’ is not the same as being enmeshed.

      • Julia K says:

        Pippa and her wealthy husband have purchased a huge mansion in Buckleberry on 72 acres, and are evicting people who are renting buildings in the estate. They plan to keep it a “family” property, not open to rentals, (and for greater security?) Does this mean a new home for Kate and kiddies just a stone’s throw from Carole? Maybe Pippa is coming to the rescue.

      • Harper says:

        I saw Eden’s article about The Pippas evicting folks. Folks that had lived in their homes for forty years. There was even a school or some type of group home forced to vacate, but they’d been given notice a year earlier he explained so what’s the problem? My first reaction was that Kate was getting her own place on the grounds and The Pippas were getting rid of the peasants so Kate can have her privacy and no one would know she was there.

  19. Isabella says:

    The part where Carole uses public transportation is comic. Why wouldn’t she simply drive to Kate’s house?

    • Zazzoo says:

      It’s fiction for sure but what was the point of it? Was it intended to make their family relatable or was it a dig at the Middletons for being commoners?

    • tamsin says:

      Perhaps Carole does not drive? I also remembering reading in an article about Kate in the early days that she started each day with a phone call to her mother. Kate really seems to cling to her mother.

      • Zazzoo says:

        Even if that were the case, it seems more likely Kate would send a car for her. Carol didn’t scheme for decades to visit her royal grandchildren by mass transit.

    • ChattyCath says:

      Carole may have been disqualified for drunk driving don’t forget.

      • Lady D says:

        That or the drinking started before the driving. I wonder what Carole puts in her coffee and does she need to to fortify herself to help Kate or to endure Kate?

  20. Sugarhere says:

    Since when announcing ahead of time an event will be “substantial” is better press than letting the public notice by themselves the event that took place was indeed of great substance? Another gas bubble intended to deflect from the fact that the truth was finally restored when the Meghan-made-Katren-cry story backfired.

    Katren Middleton would have loved to have 2 more children but she has no nursing background, no pediatric expertise, no desire whatsoever to include actual experts in her tedious initiative. All she can claim is her breeding capacities, that have been thwarted by a brutal husband. April Fool’s Day is kind of early this year.

    • ChattyCath says:

      I’ve another theory given Karen’s history of copying. She’s trying to get Pippa to support her Early Years ‘project’ now that Pippa has an actual qualification. Pippa must be really fed up.

  21. Digital Unicorn says:

    The shade in this article. It confirms just how involved Ma is in everything Keen does and that yeah she ain’t as close to Pippa as they like to make out to be. I think this is interesting as they pushed the whole ‘Harry and William are sooooooooo close’ and they did the same with kHate and Pippa.

    Also no way Ma, Duchess in waiting, is taking a commuter train – the horror of it all.

    That top photo just sums kHate up – her face is so jacked from all the botox and fillers.

    This ‘big’ initiative will be the same old same old from her – a big fancy announcement with all the work being done by someone else so that Keen can take all the credit for it. I’m waiting for them to say that Keen has a ‘qualification’ in early years like Pippa does.

  22. C says:

    I assume it will have a study about how bridesmaid dresses that are “too big, too long, too baggy” are traumatizing to children in the Early Years.

  23. Caro says:

    I think this part “The Prince of Wales, in contrast, cannot turn to his mother when he needs to vent steam, nor his brother, leaving only his father, the King, who may not always be available” was a subtle hint that Willileaks vents his steam (and maybe more) on Kate. There’s not much the media can say but they can give hints. He’s probably abused her.

    • equality says:

      Interesting that it doesn’t spout how close he and Carole are though. That used to be the story, how she was his substitute mother.

      • PrincessK says:

        Yes, a change of tune….who is feeding this into to The Telegraph….l bet some form of renumeration is exchanging hands for this.

    • Saucy&Sassy says:

      Caro, what I thought is that isn’t it interesting that the article pretty much states that Fails has no friends, but Wails does (and lists them by name). Do we believe any of this?

  24. kelleybelle says:

    What, more pie charts and pictures of her in obscenely expensive clothes pretending to talk on the phone? Photos of her with Black children (as in the ones featured here)? She doesn’t even know that child is in the frame. Trying to look serious and thoughtful … all while having incredibly dead and empty eyes. Ugh. I loath this phony more and more and more every day. What a sham.

  25. Maxine Branch says:

    The best place for this woman to start with her “major early years” Initiative is in her home. The lack of respect shown to her by her youngest son was tragic for me to observe. You can not excuse this type of behavior with any of the narratives the gutter media tried to use.

  26. Belli says:

    “she has always had an ability to put the job first”

    There is one thing that Kate has never, ever put first and that is her job.

    “You can’t underestimate how important the support of Kate’s mother, father and sister are to her,”

    Has James been disowned?

    “straight out of the gates”

    She’s been dropping the words ‘Early Years’ for more than four years now and done nothing substantial whatsoever so far. Not so much straight out of the gates as struggling to find the gates.

  27. Tessa says:

    Instead of pretending to know anything about the topic she should actually get a degree in it

    • ChewieNYC says:

      Part of me thinks she’ll take an extended break from royal duties to “attend her own degree program in early childhood studies.” Straight to school right out of the gate.

  28. CC says:

    Her assistants will probably change the font and colors of the pie chart and re-release that.

  29. Athena says:

    The early years initiative is still at the awareness stage, how many years has it been, I think the whole world is aware by now of the importance of the early years, how about moving to the action stage.

    Whenever Kate’s pride is wounded her staff creates some early years activity to cheer her up.

    Kate and William need to stop linking their every thought and action to the Sussexes. This is the moment we’re they should stop mentioning Harry and Meghan, but they still are.

  30. PJ says:

    ” One source said she would be “straight out of the gates” with a “big moment” for her which she hopes will get the whole country talking about the importance of child development in the under-five age category.”

    OMFG. I cannot with these people. I get that there won’t ever be anything of substance accomplished with her projects but can’t they use a different phrase? A new adjective perhaps? I mean there’s incompetence and then there’s using the same sentence/phrase for a decade.

    They have comms people. They have PR people. They have a whole tabloid industry colluding with them. *tears out hair*

  31. Sindy says:

    They didn’t mention here brother at all when describing her close family I wonder if that’s an oversight or on purpose? I’d like to know what her relationship is like with his wife? (If she has any relationship at all with her)

  32. one of the marys says:

    i’m really shocked they put in writing that they crave privacy. this is so often used to attack and misunderstand Meghan and Harry. so now privacy is a good thing?

  33. JMoney says:

    The Middleton’s are def not the “close family” ppl perceive them to be. I find it interesting that Carole and only Carole “commutes” to Windsor often. I def think Carole and Mike are separated in all but name. Also how funny that James is always left out and clearly not a big part of Kate’s life.

    I think Pippa is raising her kids without relying on her mother. Which is fine something tells me Carole prioritizes Kate’s kids anyway. I do think Kate is jealous that Pippa got everything she wanted for herself including two daughters and one son which is what I think Kate wanted but got 2 sons and 1 daughter instead.

    • Lizzie says:

      Newest revelations about William’s violent temper have me rethinking Carole’s role. I think she tries, or has tried, to be the mediator. I think that is why she practically moved in during lockdown. To keep the peace, keep her daughter in line for a crown, keep the kids unaware of his temper? I think all three. I also think KCIII feels the same and that is why Keen has her own cottage and all the clothes and royal jewelry she wants.
      Pippa hopefully hasn’t married a violent man who is incandescent with rage – hence doesn’t need mummy to play referee.

  34. HeatherC says:

    So….another 5 big questions? Maybe this time about how having a black woman in the family can affect the under 5s who may have to wear a bridesmaid’s dress Mummy doesn’t like?

    What happened to Broken Britain? Wasn’t she supposed to fix that years ago?

  35. Emily_C says:

    I get pretty grouchy when I don’t eat. Not eating for years can’t be good for the disposition. Or work ethic. Or longevity.

    Kate’s not gonna do anything. If she were the type of person to do things, Willy would never have married her.

    • C says:

      Years ago like right before engagement she gave an interview for Party Pieces about her ideal party and she said her favorite special party time foods were, like, grapes and carrot sticks and fruit juice, which…..couldn’t be me, lol.

      • Emily_C says:

        Now you’ve got me thinking of my favorite party foods. I’ve got a frozen pizza I’m saving for when I’m not up to cooking and now I’m wanting it :P. But my actual favorite party foods would depend on the party. They might actually include grapes and carrot sticks, WITH DIPS, and that would only be an appetizer. A cheese board! I don’t drink alcohol, so I guess sparkling grape juice, but I’d rather have Coke or something.

        Nachos, kebabs, garlic knots, the aforementioned pizza, burgers, barbecue chicken… okay I think it’s time for me to have an early lunch. (Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich — which also would be a good lunch for “early years”, come to think of it.)

      • C says:

        LOL. Yes, as a side they’re totally fine! And as an everyday snack. But for those to be the only foods you eat at a party? Like not even a grilled chicken sandwich, or some guacamole?

      • dee(2) says:

        That sounds like something a five-year-old would say and ask for at a party. Nothing wrong with it, I enjoy all of those things but it’s not what I would seek out as an adult at a party.

  36. equality says:

    Obviously, Charles gave a big no to W&K living in Windsor Palace. Or does W actually live there?

    • Lizzie says:

      My guess is yes, he moved into the palace when keen and the kids moved into Addelaide.

      • Suusan says:

        I think either you or gabby are correct. It explains why they made such a fuss about the move. When Charles moves around you get his motive. With Meg & harry you get a benefits blip. When w&k move it goes on for months. A press release almost every two weeks.

    • Gabby says:

      I think Prince Rage still lives most of the time at KP. He probably stays at WC with the kids on his custody weekends so he can be near the nannies.

  37. LittlePenguin says:

    We all know that the big new initiative is just going to involve the sorting of buttons and how sorting is a very important skill to master. (Please see 5 slide powerpoint for more information with pie chart)

  38. Nic919 says:

    By generally acting as a blank slate over the last decade, kate has left herself open to be defined by others and while she thought the UK media spin was going to do it in a positive way, she didn’t account for social media, Harry’s book and then video evidence of her own actions showing someone not very nice, especially when Meghan was around.

    Had she done actual work in the last decade, then perhaps people would turn to the causes she supported, but she has focused more on shopping for clothes and attending Wimbledon. There is no “there” there no matter how they try to spin this project.

    And it’s pretty funny that she can’t handle talk of baby brains but pretends to be an early years expert.

  39. Amy Bee says:

    I’m looking forward to the launch of Kate’s lightweight project.

    • Lizzie Bathory says:

      I’m curious about how they’re going to “get the whole country talking.” It gives off survey vibes.

      1. Which is better for development: a) access to parks, b) no access to parks, or c) both?
      2. Should children eat too much food, not enough or just the right amount of food?
      3. Why are poor people?
      4. Which is most important for child development, pie charts or bar graphs?
      5. Does anyone know what Meghan is wearing right now? (This is for Early Years research.)

  40. Over it says:

    Won’t be blown off course, please, this heifer couldn’t find her way around handling children even if she had a road map and a how to guide book

  41. Lizzie says:

    Personally, I wish she would do a new portrait each year. They were such a hilarious vanity project. I am still shocked at how little they resembled Keen. Maybe they could just send portraits in her place. After all, they don’t cringe when a POC, or her husband, reaches out to her.

  42. QuiteContrary says:

    So the truth about Kate is now “poison,” eh?

    Also, this article makes it clear that William has no real friends (“The Prince of Wales, in contrast, cannot turn to his mother when he needs to vent steam, nor his brother, leaving only his father, the King, who may not always be available”).

    Also, his father “may not always be available” — the understatement of the millennium.

  43. Lady Digby says:

    My guess is that Ma Middleclass is pouring over Spare as we speak and very annoyed that it hasn’t got an index so she could look up all references to her Darling daughter!!

  44. tamsin says:

    Would she not be more productive as an early years advocate by getting involved in promoting and raising funds for early years children’s programs, specifically involving art and sports, say, and how important those activities are to early childhood development? She would be in areas she knows something about. However, it seems the area of early childhood was chosen for her because she had no imagination or passions of her own to figure out something useful or productive for herself.

    • Moxylady says:

      She can’t actually DO that because it would be work.
      But also because the government is continually cutting funding for children’s programs, social programs and initiatives so it would make them look badly if she said something like – food and financial security in a family lead to calmer happier homes which impact children positively. Art and participation in sports help children to think both as individuals and team players. But citizens don’t have the money for heating or food so they can’t have their children doing art currently.

  45. Elizabeth says:

    Correct me if I’m wrong but doesn’t their apartment at Kensington Palace have twenty rooms? How was it a fishbowl for them? It’s not like the public tramped through their bedrooms on a palace tour. And I don’t believe that Carole Middleton takes a commuter train to Windsor to see her daughter and grandchildren. I’m sure the Middletons have more than one car. I also found it interesting that they didn’t mention James. He seems to be the forgotten Middleton child.

    • Moxylady says:

      Seemed like James was the scapegoat and he got out. 🤔 Mayve he was inspired by Harry.

      • C says:

        Oh he’s around. And not really a scapegoat, all his stuff got hushed up with a phone call from KP.

    • Curmudgeon says:

      This is also the first article where Adelaide is now a 5-bedroom house instead of 4 like it used to be to show how “humble” they are (insert eyeroll GIF). What next? Are they going to to admit the house has GASP many, many other rooms that are not bedrooms?

      James and Pippa (in “ROYAL burgundy”) were both at the xmas Keen concert. No matter what goes on behind the scenes or wishful thinking, they’re never going to cut the apron strings or snub their extremely mommy-dependent older sister. The only thing I’ll say for Pippa is that letting it be known that she got her masters in early years and that she named her daughter Rose is the funniest sh-t all last year.

  46. I think Kate looks horrendous in that main photo. Whatever happened to her face? Her face looks waxy. Botox gone awry ?

    • sparrow says:

      You know, Marivic, your post prompted me to think that Kate could actually be using all this “spare” time to let her bad work settle and get new stuff done without being out and about in public. You’re right, that photo shows the result of really bad botox. All this dignified silence and shying away from events has probably allowed her some surgical ‘me time’.

  47. HeyKay says:

    Kate does not have a winning track record of great success on her projects.
    Best she keeps out of the public eye until after the Coronation.

  48. sparrow says:

    Someone posted this tactic yesterday. Think it was HeyKay and Becks1. That the BRF would come up with something to launch. Kate and her early years, what would she do without that crap.

  49. Sash says:

    Her sons hit other kids and sticks their tongue out a her . She’s raised her daughter to throw tantrums over a dress instead of gratitude and humbleness at being included . Also, accusing M of making her daughter cry? It’s giving giant loud racist dog whistle.Her kids are proof that she’s no early Years expert. And her actions prove time and again that she’s the meanest girl of all mean girls. At this point, keep her away from kids entirely.

  50. Emily says:

    Pretty telling that a headline about Kate’s work is still mostly about Harry.

  51. Iz_Q says:

    Gee, I wonder if this “initiative” will bear any resemblance (interpret that as be lifted directly from) anything Crown Princess Mary and The Mary Foundation has been doing already for years. The issue with Kate’s projects is that they are announced with great fanfare…but what they fail to see is that for these announcements to become anything “Substantial” there must actually be investment, attention and actual work put into them.

  52. Jay says:

    Haha, sure you will, Keen. These articles are like clockwork at this point.

    But methinks someone in Camp Middleton his been reading CB and our frequent comments that Kate has no friends. See, she has at least three who are posh enough to acknowledge! Maybe she’s very kind and friendly…just, er, not to Meghan. For some reason. Huh.

    • Suusan says:

      I immediately thought, “oh, they have caught wind we noticed she didn’t have any friends”. Look, I’ve gone a few years with friends but Kate has mean girled everyone away.

    • EllenOlenska says:

      When I saw the list of names I just figured it was the presses way of naming his current mistresses…basically daring Kate to react…

  53. Carolind says:

    No way is William living in Windsor Castle which is one of the monarch’s residences. It would be like your VP living in the White House. Carole Middleton does drive. I have seen photos of her driving into Kensington Palace. It could all be rubbish her commuting by train or it could be because train is easier than car or maybe she is making a “statement”. Remember that until recent years the Queen went to Sandringham by train every Christmas.

  54. Aj says:

    I think it’s counterintuitive for Kate to be the face of an early childhood initiative when her speech pattern is so inaudible and mumbly. The girl needs subtitles when speaking. My goodness!

  55. Saba says:

    It’s interesting that in stories about Will and Kate, the old “sources close to the palace” has been suddenly replaced with “friends close to the couple”.

    Make no mistake, it’s still Will and Kate complaining and explaining through their communications office.

  56. Suusan says:

    I don’t know why they are bringing up the usa. This whole new British invasion has been overkill. We have our fave British people and that’s it. People have been complaining about the u.k winning all of oyr awards for tears now. No one watches the academy awards anymore. If w&k want us to care they have to work. If they refuse to do that, then the only thing they can hope for is a few magazine covers.

  57. Andrea says:

    I bet it’s in combo with Pippa

  58. BeanieBean says:

    Don’t most adults vent to a spouse or partner or friend rather than a parent? What’s wrong with Willie & Kate, or their sycophantic reporters, that they think they need to go to mommy with their problems? Or, wait, Willie doesn’t have a mommy only a daddy & he’s king so he’s pretty busy. Do they seriously think this is a good look for anybody?

  59. jean says:

    Nothing to see here

  60. Purley Pot says:

    When Kate and William first got married I didn’t see Kate as someone who is passionate about any cause (unless it was William). I believe when they were talking about her needing a project someone came up with young children because she had just starting having kids and it fit.

    Same with William, he didn’t seem to have a passion for anything and just latched on to his father’s environmental cause.