Prince William turned 43 years old on Saturday, June 21. Kensington Palace published this new photo of him, allegedly taken by the Princess of Wales. I actually prefer when they release candid “action” photos like this – while I can’t stand William, it’s cute to see the way Orla’s puppies are playing on him and around him. William will one day rule over a nation of animal lovers, especially dog-lovers. It was a smart call to give the people a debut photo of the puppies alongside William’s b-day photo, that’s all I’m saying. Incidentally, Orla supposedly had four puppies but I only count three in this pic. And we still don’t know what untitled mutt fathered these puppies! The message on the photo was “Happy birthday! Love C, G, C, L, Orla and the puppies!” Why are they doing initials now?
Anyway, William was obviously not seen at all on his birthday, mostly because it fell on a weekend and William hates doing anything in public on weekends. Reportedly, he spent the day “privately with his family in Windsor after his wife pulled out of attending Royal Ascot this week.” The Times reported that, and they spent the rest of the article talking about Kate and HER health. Happy birthday to William, let’s talk about Kate for three pages! Speaking of, this curious piece was published on William’s birthday – Tom Sykes at the Daily Beast got a big briefing, it sounds like.
Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton issued a new photo of William on Saturday, his 43rd birthday, but otherwise hid themselves away from public view as Kate “recalibrat[es] her entire life” after a bruising week in which she cancelled a high-profile public appearance. Kate’s team cited her need to find “balance” as she recovers from cancer when she failed to appear at the iconic carriage ride at Royal Ascot races on Wednesday alongside the king. By pulling out of such a high-profile event just over an hour before she was due to appear, Kate sowed panic and confusion among royal staff, although press reports in the United Kingdom have largely played down the drama.
Multiple sources told The Daily Beast they expected Kate to dramatically scale back her public appearances for the rest of the year and instead increase her online and digital footprint, remotely supporting causes close to her heart. The issuance of William’s birthday photo, which showed him playing with the family’s new puppies, while he was due to make no public appearance, seemed a textbook example of that.
One well-connected source, a former royal staffer, told The Daily Beast: “Kate is recalibrating her entire life, her entire work-life balance. Wednesday was a wake-up call, not a one-off. She has never found the public appearances, and the forensic attention and criticism that goes with them, at all easy to deal with, and it was just too much this week.”
“The last few years have been horrific; the disgusting things that Harry said about her and William and her family, the relentless speculation about her and William, the queen’s death, the king’s diagnosis which had them both thinking they were going to have to take over and then her own cancer diagnosis and treatment. It’s all taken its toll, and if she needs more time to recover, William will fight tooth and nail to see she is given it.”
Another royal insider said, “The important thing here is Kate’s recovery. It was too much, unfortunately, for her to have three appearances in under a week, and the lesson has been learned. Kate will take it much easier for the rest of the year. I’d be surprised if you see her more than three times in the next three months.”
“The last few years have been horrific; the disgusting things that Harry said about her and William and her family, the relentless speculation about her and William, the queen’s death, the king’s diagnosis which had them both thinking they were going to have to take over…” That’s quite a list. What did Harry say about the Middletons again? Nothing, right? Harry wrote disgusting things like… Kate was white-knuckling a chair because Meghan expressed sympathy for her baby brain. And the relentless speculation about Kate and William… well. Huh. I’m getting a real sense of what actually happened to make Kate pull out of Ascot at the last minute, but I’ll let everyone come up with their own theories. As for “I’d be surprised if you see her more than three times in the next three months” – that would have been true regardless of the Ascot withdrawal. She would have made one or two appearances at Wimbledon and then taken three or four months off for her summer holiday. And again, it’s really cracking me up that William can’t even have a birthday storyline to himself without everyone making it all about Kate!
Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Kensington Palace.
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- The Prince and Princess of Wales, known as the the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay when in Scotland, attend the naming ceremony for HMS Glasgow, at the BAE Systems shipyard in Scotstoun, Glasgow Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales, William, Prince of Wales Where: Glasgow, United Kingdom When: 22 May 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Princess of Wales, known as the Duchess of Rothesay when in Scotland, meet with apprentices and graduates during a visit to the BAE Systems’ Shipbuilding Academy to at the BAE Systems shipyard in Scotstoun, Glasgow Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Glasgow, United Kingdom When: 22 May 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Prince of Wales, known as the Duke of Cornwall while in Cornwall, during a visit to Tor Bog, an area of restored peatland on Dartmoor, as the Duchy of Cornwall launches a new landscape vision for the moor Featuring: William, Prince of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 12 Jun 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Members of the Royal Family during Trooping The Colour 2025 Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 14 Jun 2025 Credit: Cover Images
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- Trooping the Colour 2025 ceremony, marking the monarch’s official birthday Featuring: Prince William of Wales, Catherine Princess of Wales, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Prince Louis Where: London, United Kingdom When: 14 Jun 2025 Credit: Cover Images
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- The annual Order of the Garter Service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle Featuring: The Prince and Princess of Wales Where: Windsor, United Kingdom When: 16 Jun 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Service for the Most Noble Order of the Garter at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle Featuring: Catherine Princess of Wales Where: Windsor, United Kingdom When: 16 Jun 2025 Credit: Cover Images
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- Members of the British Royal Family at the annual Order of the Garter Service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle Featuring: Catherine Princess of Wales Where: Windsor, United Kingdom When: 16 Jun 2025 Credit: Cover Images
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- Members of the British Royal Family at the annual Order of the Garter Service at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle Featuring: William, Prince of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Windsor, United Kingdom When: 16 Jun 2025 Credit: Cover Images
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- King Charles III leads senior members of The Royal Family during Trooping the Colour 2025 Featuring: Catherine Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 17 Jun 2025 Credit: John Rainford/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE UK**
Whatever happened to “we pay, you pose”
Apparently that was just directed at the Sussexes. The heir and his wife have different rules.
A journalist job shouldn’t have to be this hard but when there’s no there there making that 3000 words is quite the reach.
You’ll notice they repeat themselves a lot, the DF is notorious for that. DB mentioned the ‘recalibration’ more than once, for example.
Kate did not have a bruising week. It is so ridiculous that she thinks going to dress up activities are bruising. I doubt she and William were together for his birthday. The keens did disgusting things to the sussexes. Kate never bothered to deny the crying story she put in the media about Meghan. And knauf authorized a fake report about Meghan. The keens act oh so precious. I hope William gets o r l a spayed so she does not have litter after litter. Kate cannot calibrate. Let alone recalibrate
She had to ride past the commoners booing too, don’t forget.
I think its this.
The look she gave those people was ice cold.
You can literally see the disgust she feels towards the general public in her eyes. So high and mighty this commoner believes she is.
Bruising week? Interesting phrasing. Anyways, 2 events per week is apparently the absolute limit.
‘Kate cannot calibrate. Let alone recalibrate.’ 🤭. Also think Orla should be spayed, but I betya this was brother James & his dog breeding’s doing. That’s his business & he seems to specialize in cocker spaniels.
“Princess Kate Middleton” lol.
Also, working-life balance? She’s been barely any “work”. And what do they mean with “too much this week”? Did she have any other appearance on the schedule?
There’s the school run! She had to go among *GASP* commoners! The HORROR.
I did not type that with a straight face, I promise.
She and Charles look ghastly. I think they are pumping them full of steroids for public appearances and maybe something went wrong with Kate. I’ve taken high doses of steroids and they can cause you to flip out for no reason. Maybe she just had a meltdown.
I’ve had to take steroids briefly for allergic reactions multiple times. Even in ten days, though, they showed in my face. I don’t think Kate’s getting pumped with steroids.
And three public events in one week was too much, but skiing twice in one winter–that we know of–wasn’t? Both of which followed and/or preceded jetting off to the Caribbean. Huh. Crazy how her body works.
I think she’s pumped full of something, but it’s not steroids. Her neck wouldn’t look so skeletal if it was steroids. She doesn’t seem as out of it as she was in ‘23, but I don’t doubt she’s got some perky time pills.
Kate never had a real job. She knows nothing about what a tough work week is
That’s why she thinks it’s normal to go on holidays every month, cancel an hour before you’re scheduled to appear and continue to be late to those higher up than you – Chuck, Margrethe etc.
What a nightmare to work with. I hope she’s so late for Willy’s coronation that people start walking out to go to the toilets.
Well let’s remember how hard she worked to bag her a prince. She put a lot of time in doing that. Maybe she considered that work lol.
Yes, 10 years waiting for that ring was such hard work 😏
As she likes to say, “And what else?”
No one’s such a fool than a person who waits for commitment, receives it, and totally ignores the strings attached to the commitment. Poor limpet.
Kate’s job is to be William’s nanny.
William is impactful now he and keen are re calibrating. Bring on another nature video
She reads the Celebitchy comments. The “forensic attention and criticism” is too much and she can’t handle it. Standing ovations , yes. Criticism no.
She was exposed to some booing and anti-monarchy flags at TTC, too.
Getting booked at Trooping was probably very traumatic for her.
I thought she was a steel marshmallow?
With what she has put her sister in law through for years now, she has alot of nerve to be crying about criticism.. Waity has been feeding Eden and his viscousness for far too long long to cry about anything.
👋 Lazy Kate, on holidays again are we?
“forensic attention and criticism”
Forensic, eh…
The BRF, KP at the helm but BP too, dismantled nearly every fluffy website about royal watching and fashion with their relentless Meghan bashing and made their perpetual antagonistic briefing against each other the Royal story. They insured a situation where the ‘slimmed down’ monarchy got all the spotlight. Congratulations, welcome to the spotlight.
Forensic attention sounds like they’re still salty about the frankenphoto and having their images analyzed and subsequently compared to North Korean propaganda.
And that was 100% avoidable, KP could have avoided ALL OF THAT by either not announcing the timeline she was meant to be at the London Clinic or done what every royal patient, including CIII that very day had done; waved to the press as she left that clinic. They could have had a press conference to explain her illness right at the start and that would have been that. She could have been out of the public eye and no one would have made a fuss. Even ordinary people could see that farm shop woman wasn’t Princess Catherine, that stunt took the story away from royal watchers and thrust ‘Where’s Kate?’ into the mainstream.
It’s amazing KP could foist that much fraud on the public, be surprised when it was called out and even keep doing it after all that. Many of the KP photos since are just as crooked, KP is still getting away with quite a lot in their photos but the general public has moved on what more could they expect or want?
The photo of her and Carole in the car weeks later strongly hints that Kate was not in a position to show her face when leaving the hospital.
Because yes, anyone else who has had an abdominal surgery would have been able to show their face from the car when leaving the hospital over two weeks after the surgery date provided.
The failure to do that started the conspiracies, especially when William was only seen visiting once, while driving a sports car. And the Middletons were not seen at all.
Pretty sure that Harry didn’t say anything ‘disgusting’ about Kate, her family, or even William, in his book. Even if Sykes’ anonymous source really did say that, the least he could do would be to have challenged and/or checked.
Harry didn’t say anything disgusting about any of them. He just told his story and if anyone found their behavior disgusting it’s because they WERE disgusting. Harry never said anything mean about Kate he just told us how she behaved.
Harry described disgusting behavior that took place. Pulled back the curtain to expose the disgusting already in progress (for centuries).
Kate provided a disgusting lie to Camilla tominey that remains at the core of the smear campaign against Meghan to this day.
At best Harry described scenarios where Kate was shown to be cold and distant.
Meghan said that story was a turning point. It was the start of turning her into a villain while creating a hero in Kate.
Which is why Meghan exposing that lie to a global audience during the oprah interview got Kate mad. It changed the narrative for those prepared to listen and the positive vide of Kate has diminished ever since.
Harry’s book also added cracks to the saint Kate image the uk media tries to put out.
Harry said he liked Williams new girlfriend Kate. She was fun and outgoing. That’s the opposite of what most people have ever said about her so it was actually a complimentary portrayal.
Harry said disgusting things about them like, his brother attacked him in his own home, threw a week-long tantrum because he was able to keep a beard? That is sister-in-law refused to even meet his new girlfriend, that they do things like demand Easter gifts and actually get angry that they didn’t receive them?
Wonder how they reconcile in their heads that they were right to feel this way in the first place, but are upset that Harry spoke about it and at the general public is aware of it. Because if you knew that your behavior was okay you wouldn’t be upset that people knew about it.
And poor William, Future King approaching his mid-40s and an article about his birthday is totally about his non-existent relationship with his more successful brother, whistling past the graveyard about his bizarre relationship with his wife, and briefings about what two of them will be doing. I didn’t click on the full article but I imagine there wasn’t much about the success of earthshot, how much luck he’s had with minimizing homelessness with his donations and pilot programs, or eliminating racism in football?
@Dee – and don’t forget his life’s mission, peace in Middle East
I thought it was something about solving the homeless problem, of course I could be wrong.
Isn’t a troop supposed to be getting a refrigerator?
I guess getting the troop a fridge was a suggestion, not a promise, lol.
“Princess Kate Middleton” and “ Kate “recalibrat[es] her entire life” sounds like a separation. Not a surprise but are they going to go public
I had the same thought, it’s prep for a separation announcement. I find this statement particularly telling in that regard :
“She has never found the public appearances, and the forensic attention and criticism that goes with them, at all easy to deal with, and it was just too much this week.”
I wonder if there’s going to be a statement about it’s too much for her so she’s decided to retire, agree to a divorce, and allow William to go forward perhaps with a new POW who can take the stress and strain.
That sure sounds like “cancer” was actually mental health issues.
She didn’t mind the forensic attention she got when she was pictured in all sorts of positions tumbling out of London’s nightclubs as Willy’s girlfriend/limpet/mattress with the weekender bag.
The problem with her – and her social climbing mother – is that she does NOT know how to relate to people. She spent all her life sucking up to the aristo set – especially sleeping with the boys – but the bread and butter events mean meeting with ordinary, working class, middle class, cosmopolitan people that she shunned as she climbed up the ladder. That’s her failure. And instead of getting to know them, she’s decided to retreat into her cave of white aristo Norfolk men.
She has major social anxiety. She doesn’t have the American to hide behind to cover up her lack of accomplishments. It’s going to get worse for her. So sucks to be the lazy, social climbing mattress – she got what she wished.
Didn’t the palace say her chemo therapy was “preventative only”? But now they’re leaning heavily into her battle with cancer, and isn’t she brave? So which is it, because at least one of those official statements is a lie.
And they could both be lies, if her medical issue was really (pick one because they’re all plausible) a mental breakdown, injury from William, eating disorder, plastic surgery, stroke.
@MrsKrabapple, that’s exactly it- none of us know what to believe because KP has lied so much that no one even considers what they say, and we all try to read between the lines in order to figure out what’s REALLY going on. Too bad for them they decimated any credibility they might have once had.
Ciotog, I agree that it sounds like mental health issues.
I found it interesting that they used the word “recalibrating”. An announced separation might be what this is about. I suppose she might fade into the background and not do public appearances without a separation announcement. It’ll be interesting to see what they do.
At St Andrews it was known that kate did not bother with anyone who couldn’t give her access to the aristos, especially William’s circle. Once she got the girlfriend job, she was even more imperious.
She has no idea how to relate to regular people and didn’t seem to realize that she would have to interact with them once she got the ring.
Now that william is openly rejecting her, she doesn’t know what to do. That’s where the anxiety is coming from. Not the actual work part.
So”Kate’s team” is different to “royal staff”? I wonder if W has the same team as K or whether he has royal staff? It’s giving competing teams just like during the Charles & Diana days. This article certainly sounds like it was briefed by W’s staff.
The first thing I noticed was that: Kate’s team!!! It’s an admission that William and Kate don’t share a communication office….perhaps they collaborate on the joint appearances but that’s it…some cb mentioned in the post about Ascot that William’s team probably ignored till the last minute that Kate wouldn’t show up…the whole incident screams more and more MH issues with Kate (a third appearance was too much for her? How could that be? ) and an unofficial separation of Wales
@First comment, see I don’t think William just forgot to tell people she wasn’t coming. I think the admission that W&K have separate teams is saying that Kate’s team kept William’s team in the dark. I don’t think he knew she wasn’t coming, it’s not like they haven’t arrived separately before. The carriage rides were set and ready to go, then they had to rearrange everything and bump some people off. If we believe Sykes is William’s guy, then this is William saying don’t blame me for this, this was Kate’s team.
@JT, yeah, this is definitely William’s friend telling the DB that it was Kate’s team who cancelled and that it was Kate who sowed panic and confusion with the royal staff, not him. They’re even saying that Kate and her team were the ones who
“cited her need to find “balance” as she recovers from cancer” as the reason for the last minute no-show, not him. Fascinating. Bc the needing to find “balance” phrasing after cancer has been widely mocked seeing as how she’s been seen skiing twice this year. But he will apparently fight tooth and nail to make sure she gets as much recovery as she needs from…the difficulties of work life after having had cancer.
What they are saying without being explicit is that William was not with Kate, because they don’t live together and weren’t getting ready at the same location and so he would not have known to warn staff any earlier about her pulling out.
Tom Sykes gets most of his info from KP staff for William and he is setting up a distance already because the reaction this time has been more negative against Kate than before.
William’s team sounds like they’re tired of getting the blame for Kate’s work life balance, cancer recovery, but can totally ski mess. I kind of think he wants people to see what’s really going on. I mean people are speculating that he’s abused her but what if whatever is going on is all on her? If people can believe that they’ve separated since the move to Adelaide and he doesn’t even know if she’ll show up to events, how can he be the reason for the strangeness that’s been going on? The mess with her disappearance and the Frankenphoto makes sense if William didn’t even know what was happening because she has a different team that doesn’t communicate.
So if they weren’t together while getting ready then that would mean there wasn’t an argument that they had that morning, at least not in person. I’m just kind of laughing at the idea that William had no idea until the last minute that she wouldn’t be there and then had to talk with Carole in front of the cameras. Did Carole have an idea that Kate was going to cancel or did it surprise her too? Was she with Kate getting ready and then went ahead after Kate decided not to go? Then later, she’s seen beaming up at William for the cameras and what are they saying? Poor Kate, couldn’t make it today and aren’t those puppies cute? Either way, yeah, he’s making it clear that it wasn’t him. Assuming we believe William’s friend anyways. But yeah, I can believe they were not together getting ready for Ascot.
I will once again repeat that none of these people could stand the amount of hate Meghan gets on a daily basis (that they helped generate anyways).
Especially her. She can’t stand the taste of her own medicine. Wait until she gets the full blast of it.
I might believe that Can’t took the pictures but I doubt it was on his birthday. I believe he celebrated his birthday privately and it didn’t include his beloved wife. Just what would the be recalibrating? Their separate lives?
Assuming anything they say is not true is step number one. Notice they didn’t credit the photo in social media but just have rota say she took it? That’s usually the first sign something isn’t true.
@Nic I basically operate on the premise that nothing KP says is true, and in fact that opposite is usually closer to the truth
Yeah, these photos are from his Father’s Day photos with the kids–where they all matched in green. You can tell Kate wasn’t part of that because then they would have been in blue! And Kate’s still plumb tuckered out from two public events, so I doubt she did anything for William on his birthday. And really, he’s 43, is it? He doesn’t need any big celebration. Then again, these are people who expect Easter presents, so…maybe a cake & a card? Good enough?
Predictable that Harry is blamed for Kate’s need to take it even easier? However, zoom is probably the way forward if Kate’s health requires careful management. So no Wimbledon then?
Harry and Meghan left years ago. Meghan correcting the fake crying story was her right. If keen did not like it she should not have let the lie stay in the media. And corrected it right away.
Oh no. I think Wimbledon will still happen. Regardless of how hot the weather may be.
She’s not about to give up the chance of another standing ovation at Wimbledon.
Perhaps the fear of not getting one now will keep her away.
Will she watch Wimbledon remotely then?!!!! Silly bint has got herself caught in a dilemma. If she does watch Wimbledon at home on the tv then it shows she’s been benched, but if she turns up in person then it’s obvious she is only doing the fun engagements and the public will get more and more annoyed. Dimbo.
That’s why this has definitely come from pro William staff. They don’t give a shit throwing out this remote stuff but then showing the hypocrisy when she sits in the sun for hours at Wimbledon.
No Wimbledon??? Surely, you jest?! 🎾👟 👗(Kate’ll be in a new dress, I bet.)
Kate only missed Wimbledon the year she was pregnant with George. She did not miss before and has not missed since. She will be there.
“She has never found the public appearances, and the forensic attention and criticism that goes with them, at all easy to deal with, and it was just too much this week.”
It’s obvious she is TERRIBLE at all aspect of her ‘job’ beyond producing the heir/spares so I’m never sure whether to accept things like this as a hint that she has legit issues and should be retired (with a suitable shift in funding), or if she really DNGAF and has noped out, or if things got so bad in an interaction with William to the point that she couldn’t come out.
That’s the thing, isn’t it? It’s not like Kate answered a classified ad one day and then was totally blindsided by the public duties and appearances! She had plenty of years to prepare for her role. And, as you say, if she really can’t handle being a senior royal? Then there should be a reduction in public funding that reflects that.
Nah, she never cared for the “job” duties, but she clearly loved the public appearances (and I believe she still does). Loved being the center of attention, could find the cameras wherever they were. Frequently dressed specifically to pull focus in any group settings (very possibly still doing that with her repeats).
But – much of that was when TQ was still alive, AK47 was in charge of the jewels, and Charles was footing the bill for clothing. With her gone, Will covers the bills via his duchy income, and Camilla oversees who gets what from the royal vault.
While it seems apparent something happened in late 2023 that had a huge impact on Kate, my sense is things were already going downhill for her with the fairly drastic change in her circumstances once Charles took the throne.
Also during the last few years it became crystal clear – to anyone paying real attention – that H&M absolutely won’t be coming back. With that, whatever cooperation between Will and Kate for the shared goal of getting rid of them fell apart. And after two or so years of being relatively quiet while they recovered from their time in the UK, H&M have built successful lives in the US, while the BRF looks more and more anemic and useless.
Which leads to the next point – Will’s not doing a whole lot more than Kate, and presumably he’s had twice as long to prepare himself for his role…
Even if William is not doing that much more, he will get the shield of the UK media before Kate.
Protect the monarch at all costs and the direct heir.
Kate is going to learn that being married in means nothing even if Princess of wales. She should have paid attention to media coverage of Diana in the 90s.
I just find the timing of such broad, sweeping statements like “recalibrating her entire life” to be so strange. I mean, she missed one event on a random Wednesday and now she’s reevaluating her whole life? It’s bizarre.
@Lorelei it is bizarre and it doesn’t make sense because there was just that People mag cover stating she’s the most popular royal, who’s holding it all together, and isn’t she so strong and amazing. Now she can’t deal with the scrutiny?
I telya, a member of the press mentioning the ‘forensic attention’ & how it’s all too much for Kate should take a long look in the mirror. The gall, the utter cluelessness of these people!
And @Lorelei: I agree. It’s really weird.
Once they permitted the media to endlessly scrutinize Meghan, and let it be known that the family was providing the leaks, they busted open the door for all of them to be criticized at any time.
Kate putting out that crying lie which threw gas on the smear campaign against Meghan is the author of her own misfortune because she in particular permitted someone to be endlessly scrutinized and now the boomerang is heading back her way.
This was predicted in the comments here for years. The slippery slope and throwing a family member to the wolves exposes them all.
JT, it’s funny because People just had a story throwing the staff under the bus for this, saying that the “carriage list” was released erroneously.
I’m sorry, but the word lazy doesn’t begin to describe Kate. I’ll let the Thesaurus help me out with some synonyms: dull, apathetic, careless, lackadaisical, inattentive, indifferent, lethargic, passive, dilatory, inert, procrastinating , slothful, shiftless, indolent, neglectful, tardy, torpid, unconcerned, unindustrious, unpersevering, unready. With an entire staff to help her she still can’t manage the slightest attention or energy for her position and job. She could be doing so much good, but nope…it’s just too hard, must recalibrate.
Hilary Mantel continues to be on-point about Kate. 🙄😉
Absolutely.
Mantel’s assessment of kate is for the ages and will ultimately be how Kate is remembered.
I disagreed with Hilary Mantel at the time but now I don’t.
After reading the post a second time I have come away with the impression that there is more to her health situation than recovering from cancer and chemo. Reading between the lines, she tires easily and needs rest and a permanently reduced schedule,( except for the fun stuff). Why don’t they just say she is taking mental health days off instead of always blaming the now resolved cancer . The public would understand that.
Do you remember the reaction when Meghan once told Tom Bradby that she was not okay? The reaction of the press was brutal for weeks. Now, do I think it would be a different set of standards for Kate. Yes. If that’s what’s happening. It’s interesting that it’s William’s friend now alluding to MH issues.
@Libra, ITA, I’m just surprised it happened now because IIRC, Ascot is one of the events that Kate actually loves going to and getting photographed at. She’s in the elite “Royal enclosure,” she usually has a new dress, gets to ride in a carriage— all of the aspects of her “job” that she actually enjoys.
I’d be less surprised if she canceled a visit to one of her charities.
Why is she still recovering when we had a cancer free video? Also, skiing for a week is OK, running is OK, daily gym and swimming are OK but an hour or so of standing around isn’t?
This just tells me willy screamed down the phone at someone after the negative stories came out about Ascot. And again let’s pretend she’s recovering, and while we’re at it blame Harry. Check. Willy will be pleased.
William should have known exactly how this would go over after his own last-minute cancellation for that memorial service last year; people freaked out and he got a ton of coverage, none of it good. He never seems to learn anything.
They sure are using a lot of words that suggest Kate is going to be put out to pasture.
I think even before the major abdominal surgery and cancer video, they were already scaling back on Kate’s “work”. She hardly did any engagements in 2023 and most of those were close to Adelaide Cottage. Hell, I’d say the moment that she moved to Windsor was when they’ve been setting her up to not be seen much. On CB most of the comments were saying she’s going to be phased out. Now all of a sudden the intense scrutiny is too much for the never put a foot wrong, born for royalty princess? 🤔
Moving to Adelaide cottage was the first step. It is very likely more would have been done but the queen died in September 2022 and that held off some of this. And yes signs were there in 2023 up until the mysterious disappearance.
This seems like they are moving back on track.
Separating would be the best thing for them. Nobody looks happy to be there. I don’t think the UK public would care all that much other than the lies they were being fed. Who was it that said the Summer’s Eve video would look bad in hindsight?
In theory separating as a couple when you’re miserable seems like a good idea. But I can understand why Kate wouldn’t want to, beyond just wanting to be queen consort or whatever. The Windsors will hang her out to dry. Security? Only with the kids. Money? The least amount they can get away with. Although maybe all of that is already happening.
“beyond just wanting to be queen consort or whatever. The Windsors will hang her out to dry.”
This! And what if William decides she’s ’Princess Consort’ instead? All this Future Queen™ she’s been clawing her way towards yanked for good, living at W’s side demoted in her role compared to Cam and still having to do the job of dancing for her and the Middleton’s supper.
Whatever all that was last year it seems the leverage it gave her and MaMids against William is depleted.
“Separating would be the best thing for them. Nobody looks happy to be there. I don’t think the UK public would care all that much”
It’s really strange that William seems so phobic about separation/divorce, the public would shrug and WanK could build different lives they might like better
They’ll only hang her out to dry if she doesn’t go along with the script, which she doesn’t really have any option not to. She has to stay in the UK, she has no friends, no skills, no money and her parent’s reputation depends on the royal family covering up their grifting. William has complete control of the media for the most part. They only print what William allows them to, like the photo of Kate in the car with her mom that William killed. That was another example of her team not communicating and William slapping them down.
@Interested Gawker, I felt like Will only leaned into creating a loving couple image after Harry got with Meghan. I think, he wouldn’t handle the divorce while Harry is still happily married. He is still competing with his brother at his big age.
And he’s going to be KING, it’s amazing he’s still fixated on competing with his brother in this way. William can and should have his own life but who can compel him to make William seize it?
@Interested Gawker, while reading Spare, I was honestly laughing at Harry being baffled about it. He was like you are married, have 3 kids, all the money and palaces, you are gonna be the king, you won, while Will was bitching about something Harry got. Will really never grew up from that phase when you get jealous of your younger sibling. He can have it all, but if his younger brother is happy and successful, he won’t be satisfied about any of it.
If they separate and Kate retires from public life, would she still be included in the polls. It would be weird if they didn’t and still included. Harry and Meghan. Even if they continue to include her they are basically polling a lot of people who no longer work for the institution. Deliciously messy and fun.
@Interested Gawker Kate may have some leverage but at the end of the day, the BM protects the heir at all costs. It doesn’t matter what leverage she has if the media won’t print it. Like I mentioned before, William killed that photo of her and Carole in the car. Whether they separate officially is anyone’s guess, but all William needs to do is spin the story right. Kate’s work-life balance excuse gives him the perfect out. If she won’t be seen, then she can’t to the job and needs to go.
“the end of the day, the BM protects the heir at all costs. It doesn’t matter what leverage she has if the media won’t print it.”
That’s true.
@JT, BM won’t, but TMZ will. They did it the last time with the car photo during #kategate. I am certain it was Carole & Kate taking charge, because Will was ruining everything. Unlike Diana times, Kate has access to the international media.
Diana had more pull with international media than Kate. Her covers actually sold. Kate does not have more power than Diana, she doesn’t even have a family like the Spencer’s to back her.
TMZ would kill a story if the UK establishment went after them. And if kate had some dirt, they would.
The puppies are cute. Are they going to keep them, give them away, sell them? The kids are probably loving having them around.
The puppies are cute, but supposedly Orla had them in May, or late in April, and this pic was taken some days ago?
These cuties look a lot older than pups that are max. eight weeks old.
These photos were taken when they had their last group photoshoot which was likely in May.
Maybe KC put his foot down and said enough is enough and DIL is confined to Zoom to make things easier for everyone including her.
Nobody on the planet has had more disgusting things said about her for no reason than Meghan, so let’s stop with the “poor maligned Kate.”
As for Kate “remotely supporting causes close to her heart,” very soon it will be “not even remotely.”
Oh, and William had a birthday.
The establishment has moved between ’Kate is a woman of steel’ to ‘Kate is a fragile glass’ to describe Kate for the past 5 years.
I find it interesting as watch the propaganda swing back and forth depending on how well they think the Sussexes are doing in the their lives and projects in the US. 🤷🏽♀️
I wonder how many people experience Whiplash when they follow the media propaganda for Kate and William. 🤔 Just this week, people were on this forum twisting themselves in knots trying to explain what illness she had/has (cancer, Crohn’s, something else) that caused her to not show up at Ascot when the reporting in the media was that she just wanted to ‘balance’ her life. 🤦🏽♀️ 🤷🏽♀️ The lying and obfuscation is working I guess. People in my circle from the Commonwealth don’t believe the majority of what the media now writes about the Windsors. We’re hip to the lies now but it’s interesting watching how they are perceived by others particularly the British. Harry’s book was the ultimate eye opener. Beyond their treatment of Meghan which the world largely witnessed in real time, we learned about how his father and his brother treated him as essentially a spare part, used him to cover their transgressions and why Africa became his place of refuge.
After excommunicating the Sussexes because they wanted half in/half out and aggressively maligning them in the media for 5 years since, denying them security protection while they have been the ones facing the highest safety risk, they are now pushing for Kate to not work full time. Yep, the biracial American woman entered the institution and all the rules are changed so that she is cast as the outsider who is not good enough and is pushed out. Painful but true. Many of us experience it daily for a lifetime in Western created systems. 😠
I’m so happy the Sussexes are financially independent and thriving where they are now. Meanwhile the Windsors can continue to figure out how to spin their own unhappy existence into a story that satisfies their diminishing supporters.
Yes, whatever happened to Kate’s steel in a velvet glove, the blessing to the monarchy, her sturdy middle class values, Charles’ daughter that he never had, the fashion icon, tough character and least unpopular royal?
Eh. We’ll see. Maybe it’ll cycle back around as they boomerang from one narrative to another. Right in time for the 4 season summer video. Should that not have dropped around the solstice? Or maybe just before they go on their 2 month summer holiday.
Yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised if she starts getting glowing reviews from the ROTA again once she drops her new “summer” video. Even though she’s directly causing them to lose money by skipping events, putting her own photos out on social media, and cutting the tabloids out of any profits, it’s like they STILL hope Kate will change at some point so they don’t want to criticize her *too* much.
@jais: judging from when/how we got the Four Seasons: Winter Edition video, we’ll see Summer Edition after they finish up one of their brief trips within the realm. My guess is sometime after the Braemer Games, maybe? Although neither William nor Kate go to those. Maybe after the annual Balmoral trip that W&K give a brief weekend to. We’ll probably see it about the time school starts up in the fall. These two are very last-minute. They’re the kind of people who did all their school work the night before it was due.
I think this is because there was criticism and claims that she was lazy after pulling out of ascot. This is going to their MO for the next 30 years – pivot to CANCER whenever there is a hint of criticism.
Three events in a week is too much but skiing is okay, mustique is okay, Wimbledon is okay, etc. The thing that needs to be recalibrated here is Kate’s PR bc it’s not working.
Again if she had pulled out of ascot even the morning of this would be a non story. But the last minute withdrawal makes people think that something else is going on.
These days, people just watch on like they do when being entertained by a soap opera.
The Windsor brand has devalued considerably since QEII death. The Wales soap opera is another round of the Windsor brand continued descent globally. The British may still somewhat fancy them but much of the rest of the world is not impressed anymore. 🤷🏽♀️
William sent this out to direct blame to Kate because it is clear that many do not buy the health excuses currently provided. Especially the last minute nature of the cancellation.
I strongly suspect Kate has done this for over a decade but the media had protected her and now for some reason that shield has been removed.
I think the shield is being removed because Kate is making everyone look like fools. Charles is going to die with cancer while still maintaining a full schedule, going overseas and doing state visits. Kate’s treatment stopped a year ago, she’s been in remission for six months but 2 events has her completely knackered? But she can totally ski? She’s making all of the palaces look like incompetent, lying idiots trying pull the wool over the peasants’ eyes.
I’ve felt that KP is throwing Kate under the bus on purpose for awhile now. The balance argument will look terrible when she appears in the hot sun at Wimbledon (after disappearing on another vacation in the meantime). Even some of her recent photos look way less photoshopped and that feels like a choice too.
I think if they hadn’t taken all of those vacations (and actively tried to hide the second ski trip from the public), she’d be getting a different, more sympathetic, reaction to this latest cancellation. But it’s like all of those holidays — after she’d just been missing for more than a year — were the straws that broke the camel’s back. With both the tabloids and the public.
Spare a thought for the cancer patients who have to go back to real work after treatment ends. Two carriage rides was just too much for Kate.
Or even during, as my boss did. The whole Kate skiing (twice! that we know of!) really irks, as my boss found out about his cancer because he went skiing & broke his arm. The X-ray showed something on his lung & with further investigation the diagnosis was lung cancer that had spread to his brain. And still he worked. He took time off for treatments, time here & there for recovery, but he worked throughout. It’s been two years on now & I don’t think he’s been skiing again just yet.
This is why even my 75 year old royalist mum has cooled significantly on Kate. She had 2 friends die of cancer last year and 2 more in a Charles “living with cancer” situation.
They thought “cancer” would be more sympathetic than certain other disorders but honestly, we all know so many people who have experienced many different forms of cancer and treatments at many different stages (inc. Charles!) that it’s clear that is *not* the reason for her lack of work.
Classic palace clean up job: nothing to see here, it’s not at all alarming that doing 2 events in a single week is too much for Kate! As if she ever had a robust work schedule – first it was years of “finding her footing”, then she had children, and we all know, you can’t possibly work when you have young children, and then cancer. The only time when we regularly saw her out and about was when a certain American Duchess was around.
Now let’s tackle the ridiculous claim that this is all part of some grand plan to scale back the public appearances Kate so dislikes and have her do more “digital”
work. Okay, so where is it? I have not seen an increase in the frequency of posts to the Wales’ social media or directing attention/ funds to causes, have you? Granted, Meghan being back on Insta (and being so much better at it) has meant that there’s less attention to go around, but still. You would think with the number of followers the Wales have there would be more engagement (*sips tea cattily*).
All this sounds like a classic palace talking point where they try to put a positive spin on the Wales and sound modern (Everything is gonna be digital!) but digital doesn’t mean invisible!
Remember when she supposedly ‘worked’ from her bed immediately after her surgery? I think somebody informed her of a study or something for her Early Years/Broken Britain/Shaping Us campaign & they constituted that as ‘work’. If she was looking at a computer in bed at that time, I bet she was researching flights to Mustique (as a cancer patient, you crave sun!) & Courcheval, and maybe REI’s website for some new ski gear.
“Huh. I’m getting a real sense of what actually happened to make Kate pull out of Ascot at the last minute, ”
I want hear your theories, Kaiser!!!
I’m predicting domestic violence, slashed clothing budgets and a formal separation
Her repeat white outfit sent a chill right through me. That’s terrifying–I’ve never seen anything like that. Kate needs to be careful. They’re trying to erase her.
A huge fight, she got benched, a wandering Willy, I think she’s been backed into a corner out of which she will never be allowed. The recalibration is likely discussing the terms of an official separation. They’ve made her redundant (on top of her making herself redundant bc she’s so lazy). The Wails have shown themselves to be the worst possible representation of the new generation of royals but all of the blame will be on her. The heir is untouchable. Her perfect world has come tumbling down and look at the state of her — she’s clearly suffering mental and health related issues due to the stress of losing the crown. Her marriage is dead in the water, even her own mother seems to have given up if the photos of her pandering and fawning over William at Ascot are any measure. She’s being put out to pasture.
Remember that time Kate was chewing out William through gritted teeth at Ascot? Right after she got out of the carriage, wearing that BROWN polka dot dress & hat (nothing says summer like BROWN!)? I can easily believe an argument took place, if she’s so willing to let her guard down like that in public, particularly with Ascot being the third event in a row & that third one is too many interactions for the both of them in such a short span of time.
Neither William or Kate seem like nice people. But the kids seem relaxed around William. They seem to trust him. The children around Kate seem unhappy, jittery and nervous. Kate is a not very bright aging beauty. She has no skills and no interests. She set a goal. She achieved it. She married a prince. She had his children. She thought wearing a ring would make her Diana. But she’s not Diana. And she’s extremely thin. What a sad person.
She and Carole actively ensured she was NOT Diana. She was the anti-Diana and was sold to the public that way.
1. Solid middle class stock with married parents.
2. Promise to never overshadow Willy.
3. Loyal like a limpet.
They just forgot to mention the public speaking, work ethic bit.
What an awful successor to Diana’s light, grace and common touch.
Kate was never a beauty. Average at best. She had an athletic body and certainly used that to her advantage, didn’t she?
Kate’s always picking at her kids. There’s constant brushing at the hair, straightening of the clothes, telling them to stand up straight!, etc. William just lets them be.
The way the media continues to infantilise this grown ass man is quite pathetic but what is tragic is how some people swallow the propaganda hook, line and sinker.
Whoever took this photo dislikes Willy. All I can see is Willy’s bald head. Should have done a close up.
And I really don’t need to see any of his chest hair. He’s become repulsive
How hard can it be to be coiffed, clothed, & groomed (even if I did my own makeup) & be transported & escorted by paid staff to events scheduled by others?
I wish I had a job that didn’t require me to arrange logistics & I just follow the plan someone else made, with much help from others. Show me a few clothing/shoe options, all of which are pressed & polished by others, let me pick some jewels, get mani’d, hair done, & helped out the door to a waiting vehicle to merely be seen at an event.
Just too tough for words!!!!
🙂 I know! My work trips always take the better part of the day to plan. Scrolling through the best flight options; hotel (how near where I need to be, how near where I want to be) options; how do I get from the airport to the hotel–shuttle, taxi, train?; what’s the weather going to be, what should I pack? etc. Then there’s the whole get this into the travel program, look up the appropriate funding code, make sure to get the travel dates & places right to receive the proper per diem, submit it & wait for confirmation of approval, follow-up to ensure the tickets were actually booked. Kate has other people do this for her & has not a care in the world how it gets paid.
And it’s not like Ascot is even that public. It’s all toffs.
I find myself with many thoughts about this article but am also not really interested in using any of my precious energy or effort to give a $hit about these people anymore. I’m going to take my thoughts about all this and turn them into thoughts about my garden, how I can’t wait to receive my order of Meghan’s apricot jam and what a beautiful day it is.
Am I being delusional in thinking this is setting up a narrative for Kate to officially withdraw from nearly all public appearances and the possibility of a separation announcement in the future? The “recalibrating” resulting in both of them deciding that they’re unhappy, life is too short blah, blah.
Perhaps it’s just wishful thinking on my part 🤷♀️
I read this as a setting stone for that path as well.
It could definitely be that, but KP’s narratives change wildly, so who knows? Next week, she could be the “lynchpin” of the monarchy again. This is all so stupid.
It’s not KP’s narratives, it’s obviously two camps within KP. Billy’s narrative, which is the official KP one, and the Middleton narrative, run as if it were KP by way of Bucklebury. There is no way that Billy is approving “Cathy is the lynchpin of the monarchy” briefs.
Didn’t we just get new first page articles about how Kate is preparing to be the Queen? I don’t think she is going anywhere. She said she is only gonna do things that makes her happy now. She didn’t want to do this engagement, the issue was, she changed her mind the last minute or her team forgot to take her name out of the list.
@sevenblue
You forget Carole Middleton. Who do you think all those articles came from, before Elizabeth’s death, that quote: “Charles should give up the throne because Kate would be the best queen”? They didn’t even mention William and wrote about Kate as if she was going to be monarch. These articles about Kate preparing to be queen are what convince me that this is a rescue operation by Middleton.
The closer to Kate’s abandonment nie, the more intrusive the stories about her reign.
In this way, Carole works on public opinion, which she counts on protesting if they split up, but judging by the way Kate was booed at Trooping (even the presence of the children didn’t help), she’s not doing so well.
Maybe Peg is the cause of Keen’s issues. Perhaps he has a mistress and & Keen is jealous. It isn’t her work schedule causing stress, lol.
I sometimes think William has mistresses, or a mistress, and then I think, “Who would sleep with this abomination of a human being?” I find him repulsive and Kate isn’t far behind. The sham and the lies presented to the public are unreal. They cannot stand each other (or at least HE can’t stand HER), but every time an event or milestone comes up they trot out the “love birds” BS and “their time together is everything” narrative. I find it nauseating.
I sometimes think Keen had a lover and was told to end the relationship. That’s why she’s being punished. She fell in love with someone else and the palace was afraid it would get out. We can’t have the public thinking Peg is a cuckold.
@Mslove, I honestly don’t think Kate is stupid enough to have an affair when she knows Diana’s affair was used against her even though Charles had multiple mistresses during their marriage. The BRF supporters are very misogynistic not-shockingly.
I think William’s transgressions go far beyond simply having a mistress. She knew he was unfaithful but married him anyway.
And he only married her because Liz and the Middletons, both of them, were breathing down his neck re: his “intentions regarding my daughter.”
I’m not sure that W and K will separate. The separations of Diana and C, Di Andrea and F. were “caused” by scandal articles that made the end of the marriages undeniable (Charles’ wiretaps etc – F’s sucked big toe). At the moment the press protects the 2, continues the sappy narrative of faithful love, Rose is no longer spoken of. Rose has even disappeared as if she no longer leaves the house and no longer appears at any social event.
In I don’t remember what comment, but he had hinted at Kate getting closer to Gabriella’s husband, the one who suddenly committed suicide.
But for now all is quiet, no one sees, no one takes photographs, but I believe that compromising photos and videos are kept in a safe
@Laura, ITA— even though those of us here can see how unhappy W&K are, they’ve managed to successfully sell the “happy family” image to a lot of people, and William in particular won’t want to give that up because he thinks it makes him look better than his father. It’s like he’s staying in a miserable marriage solely due to spite, lol. I wonder if his feelings will change once Charles is gone.
@Lorelei – I’ve always been on the fence about this idea that Will in particular has stayed with Kate because he wants that happy family image. It’s certainly possible, though being Will, it’s equally possible he’s too lazy to go through the hassle of a formal, public separation if he can get by quietly stowing Kate in Adelaide and interacting with her on a set timetable.
Things may be changing now though. After two years, Will is settled into his position as POW with his substantial income stream. The kids are older, with the likelihood of increasing independence, and family life will look different, especially if George, on the verge of his teen years, goes to boarding school.
Meanwhile, 5,000 miles away, Will is still focused on Harry. Harry, who’s had a number of recent high profile events – speaking on the first Veterans’ Day in Germany, the smashing success of IG Vancouver-Whistler. But the person who’s really been in the news lately, is Harry’s wife. Despite the best efforts of the palaces and BM working together, they’ve been unable to thwart Meghan’s success with WLM, COAFF, and now, As Ever. I’m wondering if this may be the tipping point for Will, where he’s finally ready to move on from Kate. Ready for someone new for a better personal situation, but someone too who can boost his overall image, the way Meghan does for Harry. Will doesn’t strike me as someone satisfied with waiting until Charles is gone to make changes, but we’ll see.
There’s of course sadness here, with children in the middle, and Kate obviously suffering some kind of MH issue, if nothing else. If W&K were better people, I’d feel more sympathetic for them personally, but mostly, I hope the children will be alright.
One thing I will say. IF they are separated and continue to be so then I do wonder if they’ll publicize it at some point. Simply bc it is awfully unfair to make the kids part of a lie as they get older. Diana and Charles were outed by that phone call and then Charles himself in the Dimbleby interview. Imagine that had never happened and they stayed married but separated. Would Harry and William realistically be able to keep up the farce forever, that their parents were married and happy? Maybe yes. Idk. I always wonder what Harry knows about Elizabeth and Phillip. But asking the Wales kids to pretend in public can’t be easy and while I can believe they are willing to throw the kids under the bus, I can see them maybe eventually being public for that reason. But maybe I’m being naive.
@windyriver and @jais I actually think if they ever do go public with a separation it will be because of the kids. When William and Harry were teens a lot was still able to be suppressed because you could just make a deal not to run photos, or to bury story so that they weren’t reported in gossip magazines.
Now you have social media, and it’s going to be a lot to expect three teenagers and their friends to never say or post something that would expose their living situation. Even if you scrub the post later or took it down there are plenty of posts that live in infamy now because of screen recordings and people saving the information.
I think by the time Elizabeth and Phillip had fully separated all of their kids were adults or were old enough to whereas it wasn’t a huge impact to pretend when all six of them were together for some event. And the timeframe they grew up in there was even more of an expectation and emphasis on protecting the monarch and that family. I’m sure Harry realizes that his grandparents had a genuine respect for each other and probably love but he’s also a married man himself he has to realize how he operates in his marriage and the way his grandfather did are not the same.
Keen keeps stealing from Meghan. First she stole the word joy and the seasonal themes from WLM, now she is stealing the word balance. Meghan just talked about having a work life balance in the latest podcast.
Also, that whole paragraph in the Sykes column explaining away the too muchness of Keen’s situation reads like a mental health problem. They are aware that Kate is being called lazy so her usual summer disappearance/vacation is being framed as her need to recalibrate. We all need to have compassion for Mrs Keen’s nerves.
The Wales soap opera is another round of the Windsor brand’s continued descent globally.
Now that Meghan has moved out of the royal space and into the entrepreneurship space, all eyes will be keenly focused on the Waleses in the royal space moving forward. I’m interested to see how the media propaganda continues to work on elevating the Waleses while trying to cover up the their evolving unusual family and work arrangement. How much more will the Windsor brand suffer as a result of the Wales’ shenanigans will be interesting to observe. 🙃 🤷🏽♀️
Should be amusing to watch the clown show evolve.
I read that a journalist not long ago wrote that if EVERYTHING was said about William “your eyes would bleed”. Then I also read that this statement had disappeared from the web. It struck me a lot, it insinuated “terrible and unspeakable” things. Do you know anything about it?
Recalibrate is a strange word to use in this circumstance. It means “to reexamine one’s thinking, a plan, a system of values, etc. and correct it in accord with a new understanding or purpose.” Maybe I’m reading too much into this but that says to me that they’re going to soft pedal a separation based on Kate’s wavering health issues. The strain of cancer and treatment is just too hard on her, she needs to be with her kids, she needs to be away from the constant media scrutiny, Harry and Meghan somethingsomething. I think mentally and emotionally, Kate has completely checked out and it’s time for her and the BaRF to go their seperate ways. Regardless of what illness she had/has, or what William may have done to her, she’s not coping. Sticking around to get the crown will not make things better.
@Laura, sorry this was meant as a standalone comment. But I agree, that comment has been wiped from the internet completely. But I think we all know what it refers to and what he’s into. Mere philandering is only part of it.
@Laura, I remember that quote too, and think about it every once in a while, because I wonder if we’ll ever find out what it was referring to!
@Laura – it was Piers Morgan who made the statement but, as you state, all mention of it seems to have been wiped from the internet.
There have been several postings on here alluding to what it meant, but it’s necessary to skirt around the facts or the post is removed.
My theory is mental health issues. Waity was booed during Trooping. This was days before Meghan’s 2nd As Ever drop and Kate couldn’t face the thought of the “Duchess of Success” scoring yet another home run. So Kate is hiding out at home (where – I’d bet the farm – she doesn’t share with William).
Meghan’s recent and continuing success (hell, so far 2025 has been HER year) has been too much for the fragile egos of the left-behinds. Psychologically she has gutted them. In truth, their own sense of increasing worthlessness and uselessness is eating them up from the inside. They are posers. Meghan and Harry are the royals’ true stars and they forced them out. The rota rats’ regret is obvious.
I’m beginning to believe that yes indeed, Meghan’s jam will bring down the Windsor’s House of Cards.
And I’m here for it.🍿
Sykes is also exposing how William and Kate don’t have the same office. He literally ends the article with “Kate’s office was not available for comment”.
The separate living arrangements are being revealed more and more.
Kate “recalibrated her entire life?” Wait, what gives? Last week she was out at an event in a teal blue 80s power suit with her kids and now she’s in hiding again. Maybe this writer is just being hyperbolic and this recalibration is nothing more than a decision to be an on-line Princess for the indefinite future. Which is weird but not earth-shattering. Or maybe it’s something more. Who knows with this crowd. I guess we will find out soon enough.
Adorable dogs though.
Sykes is being directed by William to lay out the blame on Kate. The former Royal staffer sounds suspiciously like Knauf. And it’s hard not to see that William and Kate were not in the same physical location with this cancellation went down. Kate’s staff and Kate’s office gets bandied about when officially they don’t have separate anything.
That’s right. Kate never did get another Private Secretary after that last one quit.
Fr, who is Kate’s team? Carole?
Perhaps Kate looked at the As ever site and saw that it was sold out again and had a fit.
Here’s hoping. At least this time we won’t be getting any horse-sh*t stories about how “Meghan owes all her success to Kate!” They wouldn’t dare.
They stated their real goal right here:
“Multiple sources told The Daily Beast they expected Kate to dramatically scale back her public appearances for the rest of the year and instead increase her online and digital footprint”
This is also a dire warning that we are about to get a lot more of her little films.
That’s what I was just thinking. More videos. The summer season video has yet to drop. Will it be inspired by a certain instagram out of Montecito? I hope it’s already been filmed bc otherwise it might be too hard to film and try to find the right balance at the same time. Will they all of the sudden seem more like candid home videos than summer’s eve commercials? And will the video count as one of the 3 more appearances before summer vacay? Sure, why not.
How can she “dramatically scale back” when you can count her “appearances” on one hand? How can they keep talking about Kate only doing things that give her “joy” and “balance” when you have a 76 year old who is actually living with cancer out and about, doing more than she is granted that he’s the sovereign. She, who has announced she’s cancer-free (easy if you’ve possibly not had cancer), can work in two ski trips and actually ski, is not as tough as a 76 year-old? This constant coddling and explaining of Kate’s lack of simple appearances is getting really tedious, unless her problem is mental health or some physical health condition that will explain and justify what she is doing or not doing. I will believe, though, that being booed during Trooping probably had a deleterious effect on what must surely be Kate’s fragile mental health and thin skin. I’m also convinced that Kate is lacking in empathy, and any ability to walk in someone else’s shoes. I see that she has been chewed up by the institution, but her actions have been not admirable at all.
@Tamsin, ITA to all of this. If she hadn’t gone on THREE vacations, the reaction might be different, but she really put a dent in her public image when news of those came out. And she definitely couldn’t handle being booed. I don’t understand how she’s not embarrassed to be consistently outworked by Charles, who is almost 80 years old ffs and who is CURRENTLY “battling” cancer. Does she not realize how bad this makes her look? Is she *that* dim?
I think that Kate probably does believe that she worked hard last week and deserved Wednesday off. But the fact that the two events she did consisted of getting dressed up to ride in carriages and waving to the peasants from a balcony, I think people’s patience with her is really waning.
@tamsin, I think, Charles has the highest number of engagements this year right now. Anne didn’t scale back largely after her accident too. It is so disrespectful Charles, who is the literal King, is still doing public engagements (not just his official job) while actively getting treatments and Kate is doing whatever in the woods, then going skiing. Apparently, she is always in good health when there is men tennis match or when she wants to take a vacation abroad. She is supposedly the most popular member of BRF, but she got the boos too at her last engagement, while BM is making up lies about H&M getting booed.
Blaming Sussex = William strayed. Again
Kate is recalibrating “her entire life”? That’s a pretty big claim.
Her “entire life” includes her marriage and her public duties. How will she recalibrate the latter, when she already does so little? How is she recalibrating her marriage? This seems to me as if Willy’s team is suggesting her problems are too significant for her to continue being the princess of Wales.
Kate, you’re in danger, girl.
It includes her kids, too. Is she done with them, now that they’re all safely past the important first five years? Get yourselves to school, kids, mom ain’t your chauffeur any more!
Kaiser, maybe “It was a smart call to give the people a debut photo of the puppies alongside William’s b-day photo, ..”, but the only thing I see in WK’s photos is that I’ve seen them somewhere before, because they’re always copies of Harry’s or Meghan’s photos. There have been a lot of HM photos with dogs on the grass, with children on the grass recently, so it’s obvious that such a photo had to be taken. Besides, it’s not just WK that’s obsessed with HM, but the entire RF. After Meghan’s video of Guy’s farewell, every member of RF posed with a dog, walked a dog, bought a dog, played with a dog. It was like that day after day, something like with those burgundy coats.
This is hilarious but so true lol.
Remember when a similar image of Harry went viral during the queens funeral? He was bending down kissing a dog amongst the crowd.
Meghan shows the dogs constantly and now all of a sudden the rest of them do too.
They really just can’t think of anything original can they?! lol
Poor Kate got engaged to a prince and found herself married to a toad.
Looking at the photos of William as a boy you can’t believe he’s the same person he is today, older than his age, with that fake, horsey smile
Bollocks, they didn’t even see each other on this day I’ll bet.
It’s obvious that he didn’t spend that day with Kate. After all, it’s supposed to be a nice day, so why does he need that hated ball and chain. It’s also certain that they don’t go on vacation together, William is so tanned that he can only wear a turban and pretend to be an Arab. 🙂 It looks like he’s traveling alone, without children, probably with some companion of either sex.
Cancelling with insufficient notice to prevent Ascot withdrawal going public sounds like the final straw: did she quit, get sacked or put on gardening leave pending divorce with a small settlement? This article suggests benching and phasing out and Will ‘s team get to write the story. She was ill and he was so understanding but eventually it was best for her to be released from public duties entirely.
William was okay with/understanding about it it last year because it also allowed HIM to disappear for months, to help “care for” her. Now, not so much. He’s over it.
Agreed Tina Brown had sources saying they BOTH froze with panic at KC’s cancer diagnosis. Her own health problems gave him an excuse to retreat from public view as well and then return half heartedly, unable to provide cover for King last year!
They are recalibrating Meghan’s Asever success and don’t know what to make of themselves.
Lambrook School Summer term ends 5 July and Wimbledon finals are the following weekend. Whether she attends Wimbledon final in person or just uses sm to wish them luck will be interesting!
Spanish “royal expert” Concha Calleja yesterday in Spanish tv Programme “Fiesta” said Kate needed urgent medical care in hospital, hence cancellation of Ascot an hour before scheduled appearance. And has in fact not been discharged yet. One wonders…
You’d think that IF Kate was in hospital for some urgent medical issue, her mother wouldn’t have been at Ascot making goo-goo eyes at William, nor would Pippa.
It wasn’t Pippa, it was Kate’s brother’s wife. I mixed them up too 😉 I also doubt that anything would stop Carole from climbing. The truth is that the crown, gold and palaces are her dream, but when she had no chance she maneuvered her daughters into it. Kate, whose whole life was programmed by her mother to achieve her mother’s dreams, was left on the battlefield. And this Ascot reminds us of that, after Kate was found, when Carole was allowed to attend a royal party for the first time in years and William was fawning on her, and then that embarrassing “erotic” film was made. She must have had strong receipts for William to agree to it. Maybe now the situation has repeated itself and William has lost control of himself again, only not to such a drastic extent. This Spanish journalist has sources in the palace, she has always been credible.
😳
Do you have any idea how physically demanding skiing is? Yet Kate took 2 ski vacations within a couple months of each other. She skied day after day for days but heaven forbid she should stand in a garden , drink and smile well that’s just too much. How are they going to pull this off when chuck goes off to the fire Pitt for good ? These 3 months summer vacations not to mention all the others every 6 weeks or less when their children are off school seriously can’t continue. It’s tithes two lazy as f welfare people were permanently removed from the tax payer money. Go and fund your own lazy lifestyle because all you do is for you and no one else so why should hard working people have to keep paying them not to work
She can never have work-life balance, bc she doesn’t work. And if she did, it still would be at most 20% work, so….
Wildly offensive to those who commute, work, cook, clean, grocery shop, raise kids, care for family members, etc etc etc.
I feel like the person who writes this secretly hates them, bc the resentment it creates, the scorn and mockery, does them no favors.
Will Willy ever shave off that horrible struggle beard? There’s not enough hair there to really classify as a “beard”. It just looks like he was drunk for three days and didn’t bother to shave.
The rota can no longer cover for the lazy ones. It’s more obvious that the heir chose the inferior wife. I think that now that Meghan is free to be herself and more people are telling the royal commentators to back off with their abuse towards her, Willy is distancing himself from SickNote and she doesn’t have the mental capacity to deal with it nor the public’s distaste for her laziness. SickNote has not accomplished anything in her life and it appears that she may not be queen consort if Willy has anything to do with it. Trotting SickNote out no longer benefits the family and the public will boo them even with the child present.
Nice pic of PW. It’s idiotic for them to complain about possibly becoming King and Queen sooner than expected. They are all old enough for that to happen. What balance? Princess does not work. PW doesn’t work. I believe Kate has undisclosed health issues. It would help their PR, in my opinion, for informing there has been a bit more than the cancer but not tell everything. Princess is feeling sorry herself for the attention, even though she has always demanded it herself. Non-stop pity party. Can’t they understand how people see them? I am always shaking my head for these two. More work, less talking and explaining. Maybe their popularity would improve.
Great point – Elizabeth had to take the reins when she was 25!!! Get it together William.
Look how they framed Charles’ cancer:
“the king’s diagnosis which had them both thinking they were going to have to take over” — even when doing pro-Will propaganda on his behalf, no one can be bothered to pretend they love or care about Charles as a person at all. Saying his diagnosis was stressful because it meant they might have to TAKE OVER is so breathtakingly callous. I can’t believe no one is calling it out.
Charles sucks and I’m not feeling bad for him reaping what he’s sown as a parent but it’s astonishing to me that W&K feel comfy talking about him this way.