Last week, the Princess of Wales “launched” her latest awareness-raising campaign Shaping Us, a vague yet expensive campaign aimed at spreading the word that the Early Years are important, and if you don’t get your children’s first five years correct, they’ll be terrible people. It also only applies to affluent two-parent households, of course. But I digress – I wanted to point out that Kate only really did limited “live” events for the launch campaign – the BAFTA thing, then a day of visiting Leeds, including trips to the Leeds Market and a local university. That was it – the rest of her Shaping Us launch involved pre-filmed and carefully edited videos so Kensington Palace could control just how little Kate does and how little she knows.
I bring this up because she used the same method of “unpublicized visit, video release by Kensington Palace” for her “event” on Monday. Kate went to St. John’s CE Primary School in Bethnal Green to launch Place2Be’s Children’s Mental Health Week. She’s been Place2Be’s patron for years and for awareness-weeks past, she’s usually done some kind of video. I have no idea why she doesn’t do a proper event with the royal rota in full force, but I guess the palace likes to exert a lot of control with Kate.
Kate loves a horizontal-striped top. She’s also trying to wear more hoop earrings lately.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red/Kensington Royal.
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- Catherine, Princess of Wales, joins children at St John’s CE Primary School in Bethnal Green as they take part in creative activities to help them think and talk about who they feel most connected to in their lives.,Image: 754368280, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Kensington Palace / Avalon
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- Catherine, Princess of Wales, joins children at St John’s CE Primary School in Bethnal Green as they take part in creative activities to help them think and talk about who they feel most connected to in their lives.,Image: 754368309, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Kensington Palace / Avalon
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- Catherine, Princess of Wales, joins children at St John’s CE Primary School in Bethnal Green as they take part in creative activities to help them think and talk about who they feel most connected to in their lives.,Image: 754368309, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Kensington Palace / Avalon
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- Catherine, Princess of Wales, joins children at St John’s CE Primary School in Bethnal Green as they take part in creative activities to help them think and talk about who they feel most connected to in their lives.,Image: 754368351, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Kensington Palace / Avalon
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- Catherine, Princess of Wales, joins children at St John’s CE Primary School in Bethnal Green as they take part in creative activities to help them think and talk about who they feel most connected to in their lives.,Image: 754368351, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Kensington Palace / Avalon
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- Catherine, Princess of Wales, joins children at St John’s CE Primary School in Bethnal Green as they take part in creative activities to help them think and talk about who they feel most connected to in their lives.,Image: 754368393, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Kensington Palace / Avalon
Oh she wore her famous boating stripes for the kiddies.
Kate’s Breton striped shirts + sweaters are up there with her massive blue coat collection. She has so many that look *exactly* the same, it’s virtually impossible to tell if the one she’s wearing at any given time is new or not.
What’s wrong with wearing stripes? I love stripes.
I love stripes too. My wardrobe is full of things like this. The woman knows this is a good look on her.
I think Kate is basically useless, but I won’t let that get in the way of acknowledging that it IS a great top. I love black and white stripes! Or if I’m going for something more subtle, black and gray stripes.
She really needs to stop using these babies as props. She has no real plan and this is getting more and more disgusting.
Wow kate is very good at crafting… Not!
This is so pathetic and embarrassing! I would be ashamed of myself as a stateswoman, if I just crafted around and acted like a child all the time!!
Why isn’t the whole of England ashamed of this woman
SAM, it was another case of pose, simper, simper, simper for the camera, tilt head to show hopped earings (a la Megan), point out a mistake or missed bit on the little girls picture, OK done for the day, now back to the Palace please, I have spent enough time with these oiks
That’s all she’s got. She fails when it comes to speaking to adults, so they put her with little children who barely understand anything.
She looks like she’s posing for those generic common use photos that people use for ads. She looks so bland and generic and the file looks so ‘glossy’ that it reads as fake.
Oh dear. The head tilting and simpering expression. Kate has no business lecturing those students that way. Her speech is so bad also.
She’s trying to hide her messed-up eyebrow. The hair swoop helps, but man, all those millions and she has a janky Botox job.
She looks very pretty here. I’ve always preferred her in darker hair and lipstick. That said this was another waste of time. I would have thought this was a charming if do-nothing activity but now when I see her at tables with kids all I can think of is her eyeroll and “WHAT ELSE?” Lol.
I don’t think her hair is actually darker ( much as I wish it were – so much better), I think it’s a combination of the lighting, the white walls, and the fact that someone has jacked up the contrast in the photos. But maybe she’ll take it as inspiration to go darker. And finally get a haircut? I just mentally covered the bottom 2/3 of sausage curls it’s worlds better.
Y’know, sue me, I love the sausage curls, LOL. I think it stems from my childhood love of Samantha Parkington who yes Kate has some dresses in the style of!
Her hair is really dragging her down. I have long hair myself so I’m by no means anti-long hair for women over 40, but this length does her no favors at all. Would love to see her modernize but I guess modern and Khate don’t mesh.
It looks like whatever was going on with her face in the videos from two weeks ago is fixed, right? I was just looking at the pics in the other Kate post from today and she looks 100% better here, so either she hasn’t been crying, she’s not hungover or tired, or she got something fixed. I don’t think there can be that much photoshop bc there was a video released from this as well, right?
I really have no idea what’s going on with her face. We all have asymmetrical faces that get more asymmetrical as we age but she looked so drawn and dehydrated before and the eyebrow is a bit much. I think she’s trying not to be as expressive here?
I think the fillers had more time to settle for this video. She filmed this earlier than Monday because the DM had an article about this on Sunday.
She likely takes on day to film a few things and then spreads it across several days to pretend she is working more than a few hours per week. Same old same old.
She looks meh as usual, and here she is cosplaying everyday regular mom with her black and white staple sweater. Anyway videos can easily be photoshopped too, music videos do it to make artists look better a lot of them look a lot worse in real life.
@C, I agree that she looks pretty here. However the sweater she’s wearing reminds me of the one she wore for the “launch” of Heads Together, which in turn reminded me that both W&K seem to have forgotten Heads Together exists.
Also, I get that they posed the kids in that photo based on height, but JFC it looks SO BAD for the Black boy to be cut out of the frame and left showing only his arm holding it up for the others.
I’ll never understand how the people organizing this sh*t don’t take one look at things like this and realize right away, “oh, no, yikes, need to fix this before sending it out into the world!” But somehow they do not.
ETA: She had to ask the kids what friends do because she doesn’t have any of her own to draw experience from 🤣
Stripes also remind me of when she and William were asked about the birth of their new nephew Archie. Think Kate was wearing stripes then as well.
These kids look like they’re older than five.
Is Keen there to assess which of them is irretrievably damaged by parents who didn’t realize the first five years are the most important?
Well it is Children’s Mental Health Awareness Week which isn’t limited to under 5s even if that’s her “niche.” I think it’s smart actually to have older kids here because if all she does is events connected with the under 5s, people are eventually going to criticize her for neglecting to pay any attention to older kids. She’s got to hang out with the 5+ crowd once in awhile.
I wonder if the parents know ahead of time that their children will be used for PR. Do they send home a release to be signed?
I think that any parent would have to give their consent to their kids featuring in a video that will be uploaded on a very public youtube/ instagram account
@Equality and @Chloe, I’d like to hope so, but KP isn’t exactly known for doing things properly and competently, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Our schools do a blanket photo release at the beginning of the school year. Some kids opt out or don’t turn it in for any number of reasons. Those kids wouldn’t have been selected to be on camera for this visit.
I don’t know if it’s true still because Brexit, but in Europe we have a strict law called GDPR! They have to ask written permission for photographing and using the photos, for adults and ESPECIALLY kids
There would need to be specific consent under the GDPR for this event. And there are likely specific rules for minors being filmed as well, especially at school.
I hope they are notified, I wouldn’t have allowed my child to be photographed and filmed for public use there are to many crazy people in the world and mine were young before social media took over. I didn’t even allow my children to wear clothing or hats with their names on it because kids get confused with who “strangers” really are and if someone knows their name they must be someone there parents know they don’t think about the name being visible on a baseball cap, coat or shirt.
@Cessily, I’m the same with my son. People always roll their eyes and act like I’m being overly sensitive, or paranoid, or whatever—but I don’t care, and do it for all of the reasons you listed.
They failed to seat the lone child (or two) of color next to KKKHate. 🤔
Of course, she lacks all credibility when it comes to anyone’s mental health, she’s a carrier: stress, hate, bullying. Yes, they tightly control all media access to her during these forays into the real world because she’s a cipher and can’t mumble her way out of a paper bag. See: round table with Dr. Jill Biden.
Not only failed to sit next to them, but had one of them stand “holding up” the frame so she could get a cute pic with the white kids! Now, maybe if we didn’t have years of experience of the royal family in general, and Kate in particular, treating people of colour as props and as if their purpose is to serve, we could just laugh this off as terrible optics, but it’s been far too long.
I think Kaiser hit on it in her article–these PR campaigns are carefully controlled so that no one can ask Kate a question, about anything. She does very poorly when questioned on even the most innocuous subject, let alone the one she’s supposedly an expert on.
I swear it’s because you can so easily filter/facetune videos now and she wants as few non-RR or camera phone pics floating about as possible. The controlled image is insaneee. These pics literally look like they’re from a stock image or a magazine, there is no attempt to hide how edited they are.
I continue to refuse to watch any clips that would subject me to The Accent.
I can’t even finish listening to it, it’s so phony and cringe.
My favorite part of these visits is that there’s always at least one child who is just completely f–king OVER this lady. And the proportion of “over it” and “someone just hissed ‘SMILE!’ in my ear” faces seems to grow each time.
Kate really walked in to this classroom like “Hey, can you make sure to hold this frame so that it focuses on just me and the three smiling white girls” like the other three kids are the help. Whew.
I love a good quality horizontally-striped top. But only the French know how to craft one. Never got as many compliments on a piece of clothing as I did the one I bought at some probably mass-market chain in France. It was so cute but, sadly, stretched out eventually. But I long for that shirt. Some day I’ll return to France and find its replacement. But, alas, the pain of that loss, after a decade, is still too raw.
Oooh, I know exactly what you mean. Years ago I had a Scandinavian holiday and I bought a striped top in Finland made out of pure cotton material called something like marimeko (sp?). It was my favourite T-shirt ever and lasted for years. I even wore it when it developed some holes. Don’t laugh, but when it “passed away”, I laid it out in a hole in the garden and buried it. RIP green striped T-shirt.
Lol.. Perfect clothing that bring that much joy deserve proper burials.
@Teagirl, I also adore Marimekko. And that’s such a cute story! (RIP to your shirt)
Photo ops.
Why are people still expecting her to do more??? At this point your are the sucker for punishment.
Filtered, tuned or not, this is the best I’ve seen her look in awhile. Darker hair, good makeup, casual but professional clothes, lack of jazz hands and huge grin.
Do the British people want this from Kate? It seems like she has cut off mingling with all the British over 6 years old because they are too threatening. The Queen and Princess Di embraced all of their kingdom but Kate is rejecting the olds, the infirmed, the working class, etc. in favor of this simpering talk about feelings with little kids. Really an odd approach to her role.
Given how infantilised kHate is young children are about her level – i used to be friends with someone like that. She actually saw herself as someone who was terribly naive, innocent and childlike – she was oblivious as to how that behaviour came across to other adults. Her behaviour was geared towards one thing – to be ‘looked after’ by a man like she was in some Jane Eyre novel.
HARPER, it’s because any adult at close quarters, would see her for the vacuous, simpering idiot she is. Intelligent adult conversation is beyond her limited capability
Kate can’t have a proper conversation with people over 5 years old. Even the middle and high school aged students were over her when she visited.
But here’s the thing: The Queen hardly made scintillating conversation in her meet and greets with the people, but that was not the point of her. She was just out there to connect with her subjects and it seemed to mean very much to the peasants to be graced with her presence.
Kate doesn’t want to do those meet and greets anymore and instead is usurping the school teachers trying to educate and inform young ones about their feelings in a classroom where I assume the parents paid tuition for trained educators.
As for Diana, she never came across as someone with an agenda who was going to show you how to feel or to try and impress with her talking points. Di purely came to connect, to hug, to make jokes and to brighten the day of those around her. Will and Kate have cut themselves off from meeting their subjects in favor of preaching about pet causes and I don’t think that isolation will serve them well in the long term.
Apart from the fact I think she is lazy, my main reason for being against her is because she does not mix with the whole kingdom. All that niche stuff is ok if you are on the outer fringes but not if you are in the direct line of succession. It is up to her to make ALL the people think that she cares about them. She should care for all of the people.
Oooo look, longer wiglet on today, 🤣🤣
I managed to watch the entire video of her cringy accent for once. Good for those children explaining to her how to handle her emotions when she is in the “red zone.” Maybe she will remember those pointers the next time that Meghan enrages her by just existing.
I still remember those pics from the Jubilee when Kate was seen at the Major General’s office through the window. Most of the focus was on Meghan and Harry because it was the first time they were seen mingling with so many of the extended royal family in a long time. But Kate and her 3 kids were there too standing at a window and while it seems most of those pics were scrubbed from the Internet, Kate looks like someone had stuck a stick up her behind. She was ramrod straight and very pointedly planted herself behind her kids at the window and as far as I know, didn’t interact with Meghan or Harry even though they were mere feet away from her. I think it was the first time she was near both since they left the UK and you could tell she was so tense and so rigid, she was definitely enraged and at a loss of what to do just being near them. She just kept her back to them the entire time it seems. It was very awkward to see but Meghan and Harry were seen talking to other members of the family and they seemed fine. She had seen Harry at Prince Philip’s funeral and did that whole stupid “reconciliation” act but wow, it was such a stark contrast to have Meghan near her. Meghan makes her lose all thought and control.
Basically any time Meghan has been physically in the same vicinity as Kate we have seen ridiculous behaviour from kate. If she doesn’t have a sour look, she’s being physically aggressive or scowling.
Kate has an actual problem and the fact that unlike her incandescent husband she can’t even put on a public face around Meghan suggests there is a large issue going on.
Didn’t know those pics had mostly been scrubbed. Just remember feeling really bad for the kids. Kate looked tense and they looked miserable. You know they just wanted to play with all their cousins and Kate wouldn’t let them near the Sussexes. Kate just cannot look gracious around Meghan, even if she’s in a church. It’s bad.
Since the Commonwealth Day Service 2020 , K has acted like an aggrieved martyr whenever she’s been “forced” to share the “stage” with M. I feel it’s a deliberate act meant to incite disapproval and hatred of M. Onlookers are being manipulated in to thinking that it’s M’s fault that K looks so strained and consequently K and the rest of the family would be more relaxed if M wasn’t there. K really is a mean girl through and through.
She should give those tips to her husband.
What a joke considering how she treated Meghan and Archie. What an empty, hollow, insincere, photo-op joke. Anything Bill or Bones have to do with mental health is laughable. And the tragedy is that they don’t get it. They don’t have a clue how ghastly they look championing anything to do with mental health.
I think they get it but they just don’t have any shame and so continue with the same shtick.
At least she’s appropriately dressed. And the whole scene would be charming if I didn’t know who she was.
“I’m a firm believer in giving children the tools they need.”
As opposed to what??? The rest of us who chortle heartily as we deny children education food and affection?
@Ang, LMFAOOOOO
She makes vague references to tools and community and awareness for the early years. If that’s the case, where was the community when Archie was at that polo event? She wouldn’t even acknowledge him or let Louis interact with him. Don’t babies need those types of interactions, Kate? Archie was under 5. Guess that awareness only extends to some but not all. If she loves babies so much she shoulda been cooing all over Archie. She couldn’t even do that for the cameras. Thought a face was a baby’s best toy.
It sounds like she advocating talk therapy, but that can’t be since she famously said it’s not for everyone.
She’s working on not bobbing up and down so much when she talks.
This is same school where she did the Shaping Us promo. I wonder if she this video on the same day and she just changed her top to speak to the older children for mental health awareness week.
I can pretty much guarantee that is what she did. The DM had photos of this video on the weekend and it’s unlikely she attended a school two separate days.
Wouldn’t surprise me in the least.
She doesn’t look at the camera while doing the intro and outro. No ums, no word salad. Maybe she’s looking at cue cards? Definitely a slicker presentation.
Everyday is kindergarten for kate
It does seem like Kate learns more from the kids than they do from her during conversations like this, and I’m not even kidding!
So the one little girl, asked by Kate what she does when she’s in the “red zone” — experiencing strong emotions — replies that she takes a deep breath and gets a glass of water.
This is what Harry did when William was ranting to him in Nott Cott. Harry offered William a glass of water, but William lunged at him and knocked him to the floor.
Maybe Kate should ask those kids to make her husband a construction paper feelings meter so William knows when he’s in the red zone. Because that little girl can control her emotions far better than William.
Maybe K’s been seeing a therapist – we can only hope.
Wow look at her seeking out the camera and posing…again.
I couldn’t even watch the whole video because her voice drives me crazy.
I lasted 26 seconds in that video with her nodding and smiling and patronizing those kids. She gets on my nerves so much with her strangled accent and performative empathy.
None of the children ever look relaxed or happy to be in her videos. Do they have to audition to participate to make sure that they do not outshine her in any way. It appears that only quietly spoken timid children are chosen to appear in any of her videos.
I think they would have to get permission from carers/parents. Before Christmas 2021 when they were at an environment thing in Glasgow, they visited children from a Scout Group and did crafts with them. My friend’s granddaughter was one of the children. They were written to beforehand to get the kid off school but they were not told who she would be seeing. The child, about 10, spoke to them both. Kate helped her with a craft thing. The child liked her and thought they were both quite “ordinary”!!!!!
So…I’m confused about her name. They now call her Princess Kate. What happened to Catherine? There are crazy people in online comment sections that go nuts if you call her Kate, because it is “disrespectful.” But the Royal Family Channel (in this video) referred to her as Princess Kate. Now that she’s a Princess, not merely a Duchess, Kate is acceptable?
So the red mist of rage and the calming glass of water return from Spare to KM’s video.
She is so fake and phony.
The top is fine but the pants ? Oh my! Those pants fits her terribly! Would have been better if she just kept the top/ sweater untucked. She has wore those sailor pants before and always looks bad on her.
Now to important things… this campaign is embarrassing 😳 completely lacks substance and a plan to really make a difference. It’s just her posing again and again with that manic smile, wonky eyebrows and crazy eyes. This campaign offers absolutely nothing to the public. Nothing.