A week after the coronation, the Prince and Princess of Wales started doing the most to make everything about them. One could argue that they did the same at the coronation too, especially when they showed up late and made King Charles wait in one of his gold carriages. Since then, William and Kate have released behind-the-scenes fancams of their Chubbly activities and then they released an actual substance-less “commercial” for their coronation activities. The commercial barely featured the king and queen. All of which led the Daily Mail’s Sarah Vine to wonder: “Wasn’t the coronation about Charles and Camilla? All we’ve seen are William and Kate, wafting through KP in Hollywood-style videos… all, dare I say it, a bit manipulative. I’d (almost) rather watch one of Harry’s worthy documentaries.” Yeah, Vine is a POS, but it’s always interesting when she turns her hatred onto Will and Kate. Some highlights:
Correct me if I’m mistaken, but wasn’t the Coronation about King Charles and Queen Camilla? This video featuring the Prince and Princess of Wales and their charming children, seems a teeny-tiny bit premature. Don’t get me wrong, we adore them. In particular, the Princess of Wales is, at every turn, the picture of perfection – impeccably turned-out, stunningly beautiful, stylish – as this short film reminds the world.
Prince William, meanwhile, is the very image of Royal duty. Striding manfully on to the stage at the Windsor Castle concert, pledging his allegiance to his father, putting a protective paw around his wife’s willowy waist, assisting his children. Showman, statesman, husband, dad. Hurrah!
It’s lovely, and they really are an idyllic family – but there’s something just a bit too slick about it, a bit too party political broadcast. A bit, dare I say it, manipulative.
Was the Hollywood-style video really necessary? We all know that William and Kate are the future. Nobody doubts that. Charles is an old king, coming to the throne in his twilight years.
Nevertheless, this was his and Queen Camilla’s moment, not theirs. By starring in a video produced by a man who boasts about having ‘a portfolio of world-leading clients’ and creating ‘story-led branded content’, it feels… well, a bit ‘look at me’.
There is an element of Netflix-style narcissism that makes me slightly uneasy. And though the footage shows us a lot, it actually tells us very little about the Waleses. It’s superficial, one-dimensional, like one of those adverts you see on TV in foreign hotels extolling the virtues of this or that tourist destination.
I hate to say it, but I’d almost rather watch one of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s worthy wildlife docs. But maybe I’m wrong. Maybe this is exactly what everyone wants to see – the Princess of Wales up close in slow motion, from as many different angles as possible.
There’s something vaguely “‘I never thought leopards would eat MY face,’ sobs woman who voted for the Leopards Eating People’s Faces Party” about this. For years, Kate and William have been relentlessly embiggened, praised and used as cudgels, all because they prioritized style over substance, all because they stayed small-c conservative and big-c Conservative. This is exactly what Sarah Vine and the Daily Mail said they wanted: two dull, lazy, charisma-free Tory stooges who expect to be praised for doing the bare minimum. Now that their lack of substance and their superficiality is being laid bare on a daily basis, suddenly it’s a problem? Suddenly, people are realizing that they’re stuck with two bored narcissistic 40-somethings who refuse to DO anything at all?
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
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- Britain’s Catherine, Princess of Wales and New Zealand’s Prime Minister Chris Hipkins attend a Realm Governors General and Prime Ministers Lunch, ahead of the coronation of Britain’s King Charles III, at Buckingham Palace in London, Britain, May 5, 2023.,Image: 774030557, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- Britain’s Catherine, Princess of Wales and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attend a Realm Governors General and Prime Ministers Lunch, ahead of the coronation of Britain’s King Charles III, at Buckingham Palace in London, Britain, May 5, 2023.,Image: 774030573, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- Britain’s Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales attend a Realm Governors General and Prime Ministers Lunch, ahead of the coronation of Britain’s King Charles III, at Buckingham Palace in London, Britain, May 5, 2023.,Image: 774030580, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- Britain’s Catherine, Princess of Wales attends a Realm Governors General and Prime Ministers Lunch, ahead of the coronation of Britain’s King Charles III, at Buckingham Palace in London, Britain, May 5, 2023.,Image: 774030597, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- Prince William, The Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales photographed as the Royal Family gather on the balcony following the Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Buckingham Palace in London, UK on 06 May 2023.,Image: 774232621, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Julie Edwards / Avalon
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- The Princess of Wales at The Coronation of King Charles III at London”s Westminster Abbey 06 May 2023,Image: 774252025, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: -, Model Release: no, Credit line: Mark Stewart / Avalon
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales during a visit to the Aberfan memorial garden, to pay their respects to those who lost their lives during the Aberfan disaster on October 21st 1966. Featuring: Prince William and Catherine Princess of Wales Where: Wales, United Kingdom When: 28 Apr 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales travel on London Underground’s Elizabeth Line in central London, on their way to visit the Dog & Duck pub in Soho to hear how it’s preparing for the coronation of King Charles III and the Queen Consort. Featuring: William, Prince of Wales and Catherine Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 04 May 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales arrive for a visit to the Dog & Duck pub in Soho to hear how it’s preparing for the coronation of King Charles III and the Queen Consort at the weekend. Featuring: William, Prince of Wales and Catherine Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 04 May 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales travel on London Underground’s Elizabeth Line in central London, on their way to visit the Dog & Duck pub in Soho to hear how it’s preparing for the coronation of King Charles III and the Queen Consort. Featuring: William, Prince of Wales and Catherine Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 04 May 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Catherine, Princess of Wales speaks (centre) talks with Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark, during a reception at Buckingham Palace, in London, for overseas guests attending the coronation of King Charles III. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark, Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark Where: London, United Kingdom When: 05 May 2023 Credit: Jacob King/PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Prince William of Wales and Catherine Princess of Wales during appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony to watch the flypast after the procession and the coronation of the new King and Queen at Westminster Abbey in London, UK. Featuring: William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 06 May 2023 Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE**
Hmm. I wonder what the DM is signaling here, and what it wants from the Waleses. Because this is clearly a signal for them to up their game in some way, or be taken down in every way.
This
There was a lot of anti-American, anti-Sussex dogwhistles in that article. And yet at the end she finally has to admit that Harry produces “worthy” documentaries WITH SUBSTANCE.
Almost like the ones who should have been playing ball all this time weren’t the Sussexes but the press. Sarah’s salty her meal ticket left for Montecito.
Also the dig about William being a family man, from the woman who walked into the Trump/QE2 state dinner alongside ROSE HANBURY, is fascinating. Does Sarah do a lot of yoga because this is a hell of a pretzel to twist herself into.
They’re saying “do real work” because it is bare minimum, superficial and lack of substance. Now imagine the video without the kids, i mean… nothing left but costumes and hair, everything else are people shots or royal shots behind bars.
And trees. Don’t forget the trees! 😉
I dont think so, @Ex-DouchesOfCambridge. I dont think the RotaRats and assorted other royal bootlickers want the Wails to “do real work.”
On the contrary, no brit really cares that the royals pretend to care about the less fortunate. Monarchists brits have never cared because they dont really care about the less fortunate in their society……..until H&M burst on to the scene, with their modern, charismatic and seemingly effortless competence, capability and sexiness.
Both H&M are excellent convenors and excellent at creating synergies that make real impact in the lives of real people in need.
The royals and their sycophants COVET that. The sycophants want their white mediocres to have what H&M have. And theyre mad at H&M for having it and mad at the Wails for being incapable of being like H&M.
So watch this space as they continue to escalate their increasing dissatisfaction, impatience and disgust at the Wails.
@kingston: scrap “real” in “real work”.
Exactly.
Oh dear, didn’t ms vile get a phone call from the Royal puppets telling her some juicy gossip? Does she feel she is OWED a story, but instead had to be like everyday Joe and watch this stomach churning, classless video. Yep Ms Vile seems you have been relegated, especially with the court cases going on. Billy and Katy are trying TOOOO hard to look regal and aloof, but instead look like pound shop raggedy Ann’s. Bit like your writing, trying for wordy something, but giving us a senseless nothing.
That’s perfect @mary pester! Comparing Vine’s writing to the wales overly slick video. Wordy, superficial, glossy but giving us a sense of nothing.
I felt all the gushing over this ‘idyllic’ family was very loaded. Sarah Vine knows they are not idyllic (no family is but especially not theirs). I get this is very common from the tabloids, and maybe she overdid it to make up for the very mild criticism of their PR…but…I sense a leash being yanked.
It’s funny after years of praising Kate for being seen and not heard, suddenly they’re not satisfied with her superficiality?? The comment of seeing her in slow mo from all angles was incredibly shady.
Expect the poor kids to be forced out even more.
Sara Vine walked side by side with Rose Hanbury at that one state visit so I’d imagine she knows it’s not idyllic. She’s a troll that writes like she’s a really bad romance novelist.
Her use of adjectives and adverbs made it feel like I was reading a classic harlequin romance. “Willowy waist” “manful striding” “protective paws”
Okay Jan. Make this love story happen.
Ellie Hall’s (formerly of Buzzfeed) Twitter from June 2019: https://twitter.com/ellievhall/status/1135875101390495744?lang=en
Shows how vile Vine can be. If you scroll down, there are pics with SV walking beside Rose Hanbury.
SV wrote for Tatler here, but she’s better known for her poisonous pen at the DF. Camzilla’s (and CRex’) comms person, Tobyn Andreae worked at the DF. Rose’s husband is now in a position of honor with KC, and their son was one of KC’s pages. Very interesting that SV has chosen to (sarcastically gently) write an article criticizing W&K.
The DM’s bread and butter is hate clicks. Right now they have no ammo left on H&M, so they turn the cannons on the next target. KC is hunkered down safely behind his rotweiler.
The hate clicks for the Peg & Wig of Wails were off the charts (10-1 against) for the Daily Fail story on the “proposed” Singapore trip for Earthshot.
I wonder if the Rota is annoyed W&K are producing and releasing their own video content which makes any press video footage less interesting and valuable? The tabloids don’t mind the superficial coverage at all but want to own it instead of reporting what anyone can see on Instagram? The Rota want to trade positive coverage for something and they can’t do that if the Royals are making their own propaganda.
I think this is a good point. the more the royals use their own social media, the less access the RRs seem to have, especially in terms of pictures, footage, etc. The RRs want to be in charge of the propaganda, they dont want the RF doing it.
Def a good point. Also though this vid was boring and superficial as Vine says. Now if they had made a glossy vid that was more revealing or interesting, then at least the papers could write about it and likely get more clicks and comments. The Wales’ need to portray themselves as the idyll perfect family is becoming a problem for the papers bc it’s boring. So either let the rota film the content or give the papers something juicier to work with if the wales are going to create it in-house seems to be the message.
@ Pinkosaurus, I do think that you have hit the nail on the head! It does seem that Vine is exceptionally angry as she has created these monsters, so she feels she OWNS what W&K put into the public domain. Simply cutting Vine, as well as the other rabid RR’s, from the narrative is stealing their hard earned money train and they simply won’t stand for it. This will not bode well for W&K no matter how much ass kissing Vine is conveying in her article. Sarah Vine should stick to romance novels instead of writing for the BaRF.
@pinkosaurus
I think you nailed it. KP producing their own content in house is cutting out the royal rota on a major revenue stream. It’s one of the things that Harry and Meghan do that infuriates them. The Sussex’s hire their own photographers and control the rights to those photos. Anyone that wants to use those photos have to pay for them.
I’m sure the Wales have glommed on to that fact and to profit off of their photos and content too. Vine and their ilk are trying to discourage it.
@Thatsnotokay 💯
I think the BM knew all along these two are very dull and superficial. They just had Harry and Meghan to use as scapegoats. Now they’re out of the game, the BM are now laying everything bare. Come to think about it, it’s the BM who have the power and control. The Royal Family just care about their image. So, why do we still have ‘em???
I still see the piece as a serious warning and I am sure C&C will not be taking the Waleses trying to be Insta King and Queen, and upstage them, lying down. I think a battle is coming. 🍿
Oh, I agree wholeheartedly! KFC is going to sick his Rottweiler of a Wife onto them. This will end very badly for them, very badly. C&C play chess whilst his arrogant and ignorant, selfish son and dimwitted wife are playing checkers.
Awww. Poor Sarah Vine.
My favorite part of that stupid video is the action music when they do things like shake hands, look left, or walk into a room. And you know they signed off on that. Lol! Such vapid dullards.
Lol, that music was practically the theme from Rocky.
The whole walking into the room thing was weird AF – like why?!?!? Do they want to show us that WandK can walk into rooms unaided and that they know their way around their house.
It was more than propaganda – it was more like a trailer for the keen version of Downton Abbey or a bad Jane Austin mini series.
“can walk into rooms unaided and that they know their way around their house” 😂
Like that story seeming to praise W&K for knowing Charlotte’s birth date.
I laughed at the rock music too, it was so out of place for everything.
Then the kids looking cute, W&K looking dour, and then a bunch of dreary looking, odd angle shots of the church…so much W&K, very little of the actual person being crowned, LOL.
Also I think they dug up every film clip they could find of them speaking with a non-white person and put them all in this one video.
William and Kate have the type of press protection trump will k**l to have. Even in her “critical” column she’s still praising them. I understand the UK is on treacherous grounds and needs to project stability but this really makes me mad especially the fact that they could have praised the wales and left the Sussexes alone instead of going after them
I was going to praise Vine for finally seeing how truly problematic the Waleses are. Then I read the excerpt. She heaps mountains of unwarranted praise on these two useless individuals then wonders why they think so highly of themselves. No insight at all.
Striding manfully on the stage and putting his paw on his wife’s willowy waist? Vine’s writing is something else. So after two paragraphs of blowing smoke about how amazing the wales are, she gets mad bc they’re now saying look at me me me. The tabloid writers helped create the me me me monster that is William and Kate by writing so much sycophantic drivel. And now the overhyped couple is making vids and they don’t like it? Y’all created this mess.
This was the best part. 😹 It’s like a trashy romance novel.
Right? It’s like a parody but not. It’s literally just cringey tabloid writing.
@JSID, Yep when I first scanned the headline, I thought “thank god I’m going to the hospital (AGAIN) this afternoon. I was going to ask them to check my meds as I thought I was hallucinating, but then I read it and thought,” no, same drivel with a slight twist of lemon “. Catch all my CB friends tomorrow x
Sending you hugs and strength! And yes there was a slight twist of lemon 🍋
Always appreciate your slant, @ Mary Pester. 😀 Rooting for you. May all be well.
Best of luck & wishes & all good things to you Mary Pester!
Sending you best wishes, Mary Pester!
Hope it goes well!
Sending you best wishes and hope you’re home quickly. Sending positive thoughts your way.
Mary Pester you have a friend in New Hampshire sending you her very best wishes for your hospital visit, also sending you some birdsongs and lilac & crabapple fragrance & Spring joy
Jesus, she lays on those compliments so f–king thick that it almost sounds like something one of us would say about the Wailses here, dripping with sarcasm.
But yeah, it’s a weird piece. You don’t get to complain about William and Kate being narcissistic when you’ve been showering them with that nauseating, completely unwarranted praise for the past 10+ years. You MADE this monster.
Honestly, there are just so many own goals in all this that seem so easily addressed by coordinating and discussing in advance (!) across palaces. All K&W had to do was 1) make sure to include some images focussed on/highlighting Charles and 2) have a fucking competent PR strategy that anticipates this kind of response and arrange for BP to retweet/whatever it’s called on Instagram. There are so many easy ways to signal ‘everyone is fine with this!’ but they seem to purposefully choose instead to act in a way intended to leave questions about their motivations, whether they mean to be disrespectful to Charles, and whether he is mad about whatever they’ve done.
I really don’t know what I believe. On the one hand, I can see Will and his staff being so self-absorbed that they just really don’t think through any of their failed PR attempts and then are constantly scrambling to spin when they get a bad reaction. On the other, it is so incompetent that I can’t help feel it is purposeful, which means either Will is blatantly disrespecting his dad (which seems like a super risky and unnecessary thing to do) but then also makes me wonder the degree to which this isn’t in fact a bit of on purpose creating storylines for the tabloids and perhaps Charles is fine with it and even aware…really don’t know…
I’ve found that whenever I ask “how could that person be so stupid?” it’s turns out the person has actually been that stupid. There’s nothing in William’s history (or Charles’, for that matter) that would indicate a brilliant tactical mind – his life has been a series of mediocrities and blunders.
Yeah, I think I agree with you! It’s astonishing to me how poor their staffs are at this though. Even accepting Will and Charles aren’t exactly good strategists, you’d think someone on their staff would notice this and intervene.
There’s not a lot of risk for William here. No matter what he says or does he will still be King.
We know that William disrespects his father and orders him around, so I could see this as in keeping. He’s using his PR as just another weapon to bully his dad.
That little glipse into their living quarters made me sneeze and almost feel bad for them. What a dusty, soulless, dark looking space.
Weird article .
Idyllic family my ar……
What a load of complete rubbish.
She is praising and criticizing in the one article.
It is joyous having S Vile call them out for flouncing around like an infocomercial for glossy hair (Kate) and aspirational twirling [both.] I suspect CC are “incandescent” about this pair of popinjays preening and purring on somebody elses’s Chubbly. H and M may have left the building but CC still have the PoWs grabbing the limelight ,cooing about how they will be tons better at kinging than the crumblies whilst refusing to be weighed down with bread and butter royal engagements. All crown and no graft, just grifting in stolen jewels: so much to look forward to !
I’m surprised they did not have Kate running in slow motion her hair billowing in one of the dresses she wore for those birthday photos
Like I’ve always said, William and Kate will never be allowed to completely become Meghan and Harry clones because the same right wing, conservative, nationalist, Anti Liberal image they’ve leaned into because they have, those supporters and people who like that image will never allow it. I also get the sense that they’re warning William and Kate.. “Don’t you get any ideas now of bypassing us and fighting back and start to act too much like the Sussexes. They got away, you didn’t and you owe us”.
ITA. The Sussexes refused to be “owned” by the media, and the media punished them for it. According to their plans, they would beat the Sussexes down until the Sussexes came begging for apporval, then dole out approval in teaspoonfuls while making sure everything the Sussexes did conformed to their demands (and part of the demand is accepting being scapegoated). The “good couple” are all that’s left to fulfill the BM’s aims. Had the Waleses been smart instead of jealous idiots, they would have banded together and refused to work with the media unless the media agreed to their demands. That would have meant jointly standing up to the rota (but that would require 2 couples working together, and the Wales being willing to take some knocks to protect the Sussexes. The 4 of them had the power, after all).
But that possibility is long past. So the Wales get to dance on the media strings. They will be the sole focus for the rota. Maybe the rota will be the ones who actually get some work out of them. Because we know they could never survive what Harry and Meghan endured. Neither Cain nor Unable has the fortitude. So dance, Waleses, dance! Gotta earn that good publicity! Hate gets more clicks than love, and the royals are going to be an increasingly easy target for hate.
Meghan and Harry refusing to be owned is such a huge part of this.
Omg!! The shade!!!! Or should I say the blatant truth? Nobody rests unscathed by her comments: the “old king”, “superficial footage” without any substance with”an element of Netflix-style narcissism”, like an advert..
Paw meaning dirty dog and willow meaning skinny, Sarah Vine is a friend of Roses Hanbury but this article.is bitchy and passive aggressive towards these two…..something is brewing.Ladies amd Gents , between Kate de Great articles in the past week.to Rose Hanbury looking beautiful pictured with her handsome dad in the front of the DM earlier this morning over something trivial advising Roses dad to contact de Winsdors if he has any problems in future ????
People have been saying something is brewing for years and we’re still here. Yes the hate towards Harry and Meghan from the daily fail and tabloids has died down massively especially in the last few weeks but guess what Sarah spent half the article kissing major ass!
Unitl she can outright call these two out without feeling like she has to kiss up to them AND other tabloids do the same…everything will stay the same. 1 or 2 semi critical article means nothings when measured against the violence the Sussexes had to walk through.
@kit I just looked at that DM article you mentioned. Weird non story about an out of date passport, but this made me laugh – Rose Hanbury “is used to Palace doors being opened for her” – the whole piece is an excuse to write about her and post flattering photos. Interesting 😉
Lordy, the coded words😂
It was comical!! My how awful it must be for Mr. Tim Hanbury to have been “refused” to leave for a lovely weekend to be simply treated as a commoner as the rest of the other Brits too! I can see it now, “Don’t you know WHO I am and WHO my daughter and SIL are????” Maybe he should find a tour bus around the airport to steal again to have an option for his lovely weekend!!!
Is there a Ken in the building perhaps??
Honestly, I feel sorry for all three of them: Vile, kkKate, and Incandescent. It can’t be easy when you spend thousands on clothing, makeup, and a glossy video to promote yourselves — and your brother and sister-in-law just about break the internet simply by going out for sushi in a brown romper and a t-shirt.
No Sarah not everyone adores them.
Did it feel a bit “look at me”? Uh, yeah. So did everything associated with the big Con. C&C, W&K, Andrew in robes, Anne cosplaying military. They all wanted to be noticed.
If they have to be seen to be believed, they’re putting themselves out there. Makes Vine’s criticism a bit hypocritical because her job depends on them doing just that.
Egg and buttons have toe the line as much as they want to compete with the Sussexes (they can’t) they won’t be allowed to. Their right wing backers don’t want them to be too much like Harry and Meghan because then they will think they have a real say in how thing are ran. Chuck and his side chick wife isn’t going to like them trying to get even more attention than they already get. Best believe they will hit back at this.
It’s brewing. Soon there will be more negativity about the wails in the media. I think if Kate pulls another look at me event there will be open criticism. C and c are with their advisers now.
I think the issue is what we have discussed on here for some time. W&K appeal to the royalists, the conservatives, the tories. They WANT to appeal to the younger generations, to the celebrities, they want people to think of them as cool and hip and “with the times” or whatever. They should just lean into the former and forget the latter because they really can’t do both at this point.
This video was about them trying to do……I don’t know what but it fell flat. It didn’t appeal to anyone.
And this line –
“And though the footage shows us a lot, it actually tells us very little about the Waleses. It’s superficial, one-dimensional, like one of those adverts you see on TV in foreign hotels extolling the virtues of this or that tourist destination.”
This is the problem with the Waleses. They have this carefully curated image that they want out there – the perfect family, the beautiful wife, the husband placing a “paw” on the wife to help her….walk, I guess. etc. But its very flat because no family is perfect. Even the celebs who have these super popular IG accounts usually are popular because they mix some imperfection in with the perfection. (not talking about straight influencers, talking about people like Reese W. Jen G. etc).
And at the end of the day, perfection is boring and so is superficiality. I said yesterday there was nothing new shared in that video. It wasn’t groundbreaking at all. Show a scene of Kate looking at designs for her Tinfoil Tiara, show a scene of rehearsals at the Abbey, show the kids laughing at the reception after the ceremony, etc.
Charlotte and Louis looking out of a window while Kate strides in angrily in her robes is just…..flat.
Those children should not be used that way. It reminds me of grown up child stars who talk about their parents pushing them into the limelight. I think there will be some resentment by the Wales children
Thanks for the tips. 😉
The line about how it actually tells us very little about the Wales is interesting. What does Sarah Vine think we need to know about the Wales? Like if you scratched just barely under the surface what would you find? You wouldn’t even have to scratch hard. Idk, Sarah Vine plays games.
And, what did we really see about the Queen that wasn’t superficial? Of course over the decades people knew things about her but part of her appeal was that she was kind of this blank slate I think and people could imagine her as they wanted – how many people have said “oh she reminds me of my grandmother” even though she may have been completely different from said grandmother.
I guess the difference is that the Queen did not try so hard with these kinds of videos etc. I mean obviously different time and all that. But the Waleses try to walk this line where they’re showing some things but what they’re showing is just……not interesting. IDK.
And yes you’re right Sarah Vine plays games, which is what makes this interesting. what would have made this video better for her? More Charles? better music? no video at all? But she makes it sound like showing more would have been better but also says this video was too “look at me” so……..who knows. I think she hated the video and thought it was stupid so wrote this article but threw in all the praise to make it seem like she’s actually a Wales supporter but I honestly don’t think she is.
Lol, more Charles? For all we know, Camilla and Vine are friendly acquaintances. But you’re asking a good question. What do these reporters want? I’m not sure they even know. For the Wales family to be a cypher like the queen or for the Wales to give them more interesting details and access?
@Becks1 – yeah, the praise was what got the real message past the censors!
They’re trying to look regal in a time when people no longer believe in divine monarchy. In earlier eras, these images would have been hanging in the Tate with the other royal portraits – Kate all tall and queenly, William all tall and manly, the kids trying to be tall while staring gravely out the window.
Nobody would have said, “but it’s so superficial.” It’s the royal family; you weren’t supposed to know anything about them. Except, now the public wants to know something, and they want to know that the family they’re cheering and revering are worth all that cheering and revering. The problem with W&K is that they’re not worth it.
The way their PR leans so hard into the image of “perfection” is such a MASSIVE sign of insecurity! Because we all know that perfection is always an illusion, and the only people who cling to/buy into the image of perfection are people who deny reality.
another danger of perfection is that people start looking for the cracks in the image. It’s impossible to sustain an image of perfection. It fails 100% of the time.
So true @arthistorian it is massive insecurity. Like those couples always posting their ‘perfect’ life on Instagram before quietly getting a divorce.
Ironically, Charles and Camilla have been through so much public scandal, no one doubts their commitment to each other. Maybe W and K need some of that to make their marriage more believable?!
The thing is William and Kate leaned into being regal and royal in their efforts to smear Harry and Meghan. And now what we see with these videos and social media poist is that they were just jealous of the Sussexes and wanted their popularity.
“Showman, statesman, husband, dad. Hurrah!”
Ouch. Showman first, dad last.
I wonder how Charles feels now about his whining that Diana upstaged him
He in effect has set up his son and daughter in law to wage an embarrassing campaign and will blatantly talking about coronation plans. Charles created his monster by letting will drive out Harry. Harry and Meghan are not lazy and would have been of great assistance to him. Diana also had a work ethic and was not like her lazy daughter in law kate.
These are the two that they all wanted and now they are not happy with what they are getting from them. Well you get what you pay for and the price for these two was too much and it sounds like they want their money back. Let’s see how they get that money back. Peg and Can’t better step carefully.
Could not Charles see this coming when he let will drive harry out. He may have been in denial or very egocentric.
Tessa, Fails didn’t drive Harry and Meghan out all by himself. Both KFC and the Escort did their part. Wails and her Ma did their part. There’s lots of blame to go around, and I find it interesting when the blame is directed at only one of them. I think they all worked together. Now they’re all left with the consequences of their actions.
I think there is mutual distrust between the wails and c.and c. They work together only when it suits them
Even uncle Gary is brought into it though he is a hypocrite. I blame Charles since he is supposedly in charge.
Whoever chose that music for the video should be fired.
Note to self: “Striding manfully” is now how you say “walking with your jaw clenched like you have a stick up your butt.” Also, a “willowy waist” is a “painfully thin food-deprived abdominal area.”
Not so fast, Sarah. I don’t want them to quit filming just yet, when there is a teensy chance they might be desperate enough to show us a glimpse of the interior of Adelaide next.
By the way, the Financial Times How To Spend It feature did a lovely spread on Rose, David, and Houghton Hall this weekend. You can link to it via their Instagram. Rose posted a link on her story if you follow the Houghton account.
Thanks for this info @Harper. The Houghton Hall article IS lovely — with lots of pictures.
Thx! I googled financial times and rose hanbury and found the article. Yeah, it’s v interesting and v worth the read. Kate Moss! Photos! And David and Rose taking about how private the place is😂…
I’m loving all the new Rose articles.
The article in the FT is great, ty Harper…Could it be David (and Rose’s) salvo on behalf of the aristocracy, eg if Charles wants to abandon them and not invite them to the Coronation, then we’ll fill in for the “real” aristocracy, complete with country pile and ancestor paintings available to the public? Maybe the alleged love triangle with Rose/William/Kate is downstage while a fight with Charles is upstage? I am so here for the tea and the drama!
It felt like a statement of support for the chumleys, like rose and David saying we’re a tight historical unit w the kate moss stamp of approval. I don’t want to say too much in case Kaiser covers.
Anyone else get the impression that the Marquess is a little unsure why he was made a Lord in Waiting to Charles? They were hinting at something there; I’m not sure what.
Sarah Vine is only pretending to be outraged. She criticised Harry and Meghan for being media savvy and good at social media. It’s embarrassing for her and royalists to see William and Kate trying to do same thing that they criticised Harry and Meghan for.
Hence the Netflix and Hollywood references.
A very restraint and muffled Sarah Vine “a liitle bit, dare I say it..”
Well we will say it out loud for her….
1.We expect our royals to be royal not Hollywood celebrity.
2. We have a niggling fear when we look at the very slick Netflix inspired self promotion video stealing the limelight from King Charles coronation
Camilla and her friends in the media are striking against W&K. Palaces wars!😲😂
Considering Vine is a friend of Rose, this is interesting. This article was clearly sanctioned by BP as a slap down and warning to the Wails for their post coronation press – their is clearly sh!t going down between KP and BP, Peggy and Pa and with Peggy and Catty. Somethings gotta give at some point and I think the Wails marriage will be offered up to the wolves.
Like Charles and Di, WandK will be made to divorce – she will get a nice pension and Adelaide Cottage until the kids are old enough. If she or her family attempt to sell their story to the press, it will all be pulled – Chuck will not want a repeat of his and Diana’s press war. The Middletons have just as much to hide as the Windsors.
IDK, I kinda think the Midds might not play ball. Carole has basically sold her daughter into this and will be mad if it doesn’t result in success. I can see her stupidly trying it on against the BRF. She will get her ass handed to her, but she’ll inflict some damage.
Possibly – she’s likely not to be around when George takes the throne so she’s desperate to see her daughter crowned like Cams but considering that the public were not happy with that I don’t see Catty being crowed Queen in her own right. She and Ma will expect it but it’s not happening.
Interesting times ahead.
When I first read this, I really thought Vine was shading the Wales’ because it sure read like shade.
Well, well, well. Have the chicken’s come home to roost already?
That didn’t take long.
I absolutely love this for the horrible family. They are about to get eaten by their own. And what makes it worse is that they have put their children in harm’s way now.
That is not okay.
I’d say Sarah Vine is butt-covering when, later in her article, she relapses and subsequently praises W&K. Who knows what orders from ‘on High’ are in place to protect W&K from exposure. She can’t be serious when she calls KM stunningly beautiful.
Stunningly beautiful? YES. Yes, it stuns me when people say she’s beautiful. 😆
The Wail’s chubbly video is manipulative political propaganda. Pegs is becoming a wee bit impatient to be king, IMO.
Yawn, the Wales will always be more popular than an ageing King and Queen, they will always have their fans, right winged, Tory and a particular race, nothing to see here! Next….
It feels like manipulative PR because it is!
It also does not work.
Oh well, it gives the PR folks a job I guess.
I LOL’d at this: “the Princess of Wales is, at every turn, the picture of perfection – impeccably turned-out, stunningly beautiful, stylish.”
She is not stunningly beautiful. She’s not stylish, either. The whole piece reads as deranged, but like everyone else, I’m here for the palace wars.
“Maybe this is exactly what everyone wants to see – the Princess of Wales up close in slow motion, from as many different angles as possible.”
LMFAO this is brutal. I love this for them.
Befuddled, I thought it was brutal, too. Clearly, everyone knows that Wails is simply there to be photographed.
So super interesting- but Camilla’s name is NEVER said in the video. She is referred once as the Queen Consort. Also any video of KC3 is edited to include as little of Queen Side-piece as possible.
Thank you, Kt, you reminded me that I saw a lot on twitter after the concert last week showing William turning his back to Camilla as she walked by. It was weird, as Camilla walked by, Kate curtseyed, Charlotte appeared to get distracted and turned away and William turned to face sideways, maybe toward KC, but he was angled so his back was to Camilla and definitely no bow or even head nod. Also, I think he never mentioned her in his speech. Camilla was preceded by KC and they all curtseyed/bowed as he went by.
Meanwhile, if the DM is this twisted over the Wales’ possibly stealing thunder with a behind-the-scenes film, just imagine the pearl-clutching and pitch forks if Meghan had just “shown up”….the BM has no idea where to place their rage. LOL
The establishment is rallying to protect Charles because the entire concept of the monarchy is to protect the monarch. William and Kate have been aggressive with their promotion and doing it on Charles’s coronation day is tacky and usurps the order of the monarchy.
If William continues there will be more of this because the monarchy has never been about popularity. It is about stability and expected order. William not waiting his turn is contrary to this. I mean FFS Charles waited 70 years and we did not see him try to outdo the Queen even when she was getting physically frail.
Sarah Vine’s article will be the first of many if KP continues on this path.
It’s weird to me that they cut it so that it looks like the huge screaming coronation crowds are there for Will and Kate instead of…you know..the coronation.
Charles has waited 7 decades for this . An average lifetime. And Will is trying to step into his spotlight and shove him out of the way.
Also the happy cherubic children gaily boarding the carriage without a care. If Camilla finds out they were late for her crowning ceremony because they were doing multiple takes for the edit reel she is going to chew through her leash.
Things are about to get interesting in the House of Windsor.
Netflix style narcissism. Haha.. DM and this Vine person can only wish and dream they have the relevance and influence like Netflix. Look what Netflix did with F1 for goodness sakes..lol… At the same time NASCAR which usually attracts the red neck MAGAs are losing their influence.
Behind closed doors the BRF probably also wishes they had Netflix’s influence in the world instead of showing a 2nd rate video that hardly anyone talks about except prob bored people in the UK. I didn’t even click on any of these videos as it doesn’t have anything of interest or one can relate to . Maybe they don’t care about popularity but I’m pretty sure they do care about their own relevance esp if tax payers are paying for them .
There was a Twitter video yesterday from a TS concert goer that showed Taylor’s dad and Matty Healy watching her concert – one of the first comments was from someone working at DM if they can use her video… lol . Talk about hypocrites not wanting to associate themselves to HW or Netflix but they write stories about Hollywood and Netflix as they know it gets them a lot of clicks and views 😆😆
What Coronation ?? it is only about Khate and William. A few empty words said about the King by William but no mention of Queen Camilla, afterwards it is back to me and then it all becomes about me and my narcissistic wife. Wonder if after hours, their main entertainment is watching and admiring videos of themselves all dressed up, some with no volume because of mumbles , and maybe they have a large gallery room displaying only photos of themselves too.
Poisonous toadstools don’t change their spots. Give it a few days and SV will find something horrible to write about and obsess over meghan and how her breathing is a direct affront to HER and she’ll go back to licking WanK’s boots 🙄