Before I go ahead with my post, I would like to make a site-related comment. If I’ve done everything correctly, you should have already been redirected from my WordPress-hosted site, katemiddletonreview.wordpress.com, to my new self-hosted site, katemiddletonreview.com. This new self-hosted site has all the content from the WordPress site. Everything is the same, except it is self-hosted on its own domain. Oh, and I changed the theme. I got tired of the old one. I will leave the WordPress site up, and will continue to post on it, as I transition to the new self-hosted site. Anyone who followed my WordPress site, I would ask to follow this one now instead. There is a “follow” button in the bottom right corner. I hope this transition goes over well. I appreciate your understanding and apologize for any inconvenience.
The rest of this post will cover some random bits ahead of the start of the Cambridge’s tour of Australia and New Zealand. The Cambs arrive in New Zealand on April 7th around noon, but with the time difference it will be tonight (April 6th) for me. It has been a bit ridiculous with the pre-tour coverage. Anything to fill space and get clicks I suppose. It’s not like Will or Kate has done anything recently. I guess Will did attend a statue unveiling with the Queen and Philip (how great does the Queen look, by the way), but Kate hasn’t done anything except shop in a while.
First, there is an article from the Telegraph about the Maori dancers that will greet Will and Kate when they arrive. According to the article, the female dancers who are usually topless for special occasions such as this will cover up their breasts, and the male dancers who usually do not wear underwear will wear black underwear. According to the article, it is tradition for the women to go topless and the men not to wear anything under their flax skirts. The dancers have apparently been instructed to cover up so they don’t “embarrass” Will and Kate. While I can understand the decision, I think having the dancers cover up is dumb. If the topless dancers are a tradition in the Maori culture, then it’s rude to force them to change. I understand the “blushes” thing and not embarrassing guests, but it is also important to respect different cultures and their traditions. UPDATE It seems like the Telegraph article has been removed, I’m now getting a 404 error when I click on it. Here is an Express article about the same subject. /UPDATE
Here is a Katie Nicholl (via the Daily Mail) article about how Kate is totally the new Diana. This time it’s because Kate is taking an interest in helping sick children by being the patron of children’s hospices—even though Kate can’t say the word palliative correctly. They really need to stop with the Diana comparisons; all it does is make Kate look bad. I am kind of surprised that Kate seems to focus so much attention (it’s not that much, but compared to her other charities, it is a lot) to the children’s hospice thing. I never do get a sense that Kate really connects to the children or anything, and it’s not like she really lights up when doing the children’s hospice thing like she does when she’s doing something sports related. I kind of feel like the children’s hospice thing was something chosen for her—possibly in an attempt to make her seem more like Diana?—than something she chose for herself.
According to the Mirror, Will and Kate will be spending a night in a luxury tent at Ayers Rock (also known as Uluru) when they visit. Not going to lie, that actually sounds kind of cool. Add that to the list of things to do if I ever visit Oz. BTW, Charles and Diana also visited Ayers Rock during their 1983 tour—because Will and Kate must recreate that trip to gain public support, right, because Kate’s the new Diana.
That’s all for this post. New posts happening later today when the Cambs arrive in NZ.
UPDATE: I just saw this article about how William takes George for a walk every morning at 5:30 am around Kensington Gardens. Well, isn’t that some nice PR. It’s funny, William has gotten some heat from some for not seemingly being a present father–complaining about his child, leaving the child for a fake course at Cambridge, not seeing his child while the child goes on a week-long vacation with his mother, not seeing the child while Will goes on vacation with Jecca, not seeing his child while Will goes on another week-long holiday with Kate–and then suddenly we get a nice little PR story about how William loves taking George for a walk everyday. Funny. /UPDATE
I LOVE the new look! I’ve been meaning to revamp my page, I really need to get around to it. I just love what you’ve done with the page, it’s clean, elegant, yet playful.
In terms of the Maori people, the reason for the covering up is to avoid a repeat of what happened at Solomon Islands. UK’s future Queen consort lacks the maturity not to giggle when she sees bare breasts. Personally, I think they’ve offended the Maori culture enough with this visit without requiring them to change their very culture because uncovered breasts give Kate a fit of the giggles. Here’s a link to one of the articles on the Solomon Island giggling:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2204325/Kate-Middleton-Closer-photos-Duchess-Cambridge-giggles-greets-topless-women.html
Thanks, I’m glad you like the new look. I like it, too. It’s cleaner than the old one.
Re Kate’s giggles: I had forgotten about that. Yeah, I’m sure the Palace doesn’t want a repeat of that. It’s rude of Kate to react that way, but I think it’s ruder to force the Maori to change their traditions for her. Kate just needs to such it up.
Oh, PS, the look of your site is why I wanted a cleaner look for mine. I liked how sleek yours was.
That’s so sweet, thanks! I definitely have to change it up, though, I’m bored of looking at it. I think I’ll work on it next time I see my folks. It will give me something to do while they’re watching their six hours of daily news programs. They’re news junkies, I tried to turn The Big Bang Theory on once and I was almost disinherited.
Okay, I’m thinking I should just take the plunge and update my blog with WordPress Twenty Fourteen and figure it out from there. I currently use the Fisher Prince version of WordPress, the Twenty Ten which is incredibly limiting. What do you think? Should I dive in and then figure it out?
Take the plunge. You’ll be able to figure it out once you’ve done it. That’s what I did. And if all else fails you can go back.
Thanks! I appreciate the encouragement, especially from a blogger I respect so much!
You’re welcome. And thanks, I’m blushing now. And I was just at your site, I love the new look.
Love the new look and the new site!
Thank you 🙂
Just where did the Telegraph get the information about Maori women dancing topless! And the men naked under their piupui (flax skirt). I’m a New Zealander and I’ve never seen or heard of that! Foolish comments like that show no respect for Maori! I’m now glad that Will and Kate are NOT going to see the Maori King. This is the same thinking which lead to the meeting being cancelled as the KP people wanted a 120 minute formal ceremony squashed into 90 minutes.
I have no idea, but for what it’s worth, the article has been removed. I’m getting a 404 error when I click the link. Please excuse my ignorance when it comes to Maori tradition and not catching that, I’m not too familiar with their ceremonial traditions.
Hi, Cathy! It’s always nice to have someone more culturally knowledgable than the press weigh in. The story is all over the internet right now. I do recall seeing one Maori dance, it was a warrior greeting, the men did not wear any undergarments. I always assumed that was a more historically accurate form of the traditional greeting which has been modified over the years, with the men wearing garments that look like black bike shorts under the piupiu. Do you happen to know? I’ve always wondered as well about the role of the female I have seen in a few rituals who is perched high above on some kind of platform, I always assumed she represented one of the two wives of the sun king. I also am happy that the Maori King refused to meet with them because they would not allot him more than 90 minutes (they have 3 scheduled rest days and their schedule is not as packed as their PR people want the public to believe, they are doing the same level of activity I do while on vacation). It doesn’t make sense to me to alienate a King on a goodwill tour, it’s disrespectful to the Maori people. William and Kate don’t quite comprehend diplomacy.
why was waity giggling like a silly girl after seeing breasts, and shes the one who keeps flashing her butt and breasts to the whole world!
It was right after the photos of her topless were published and I can see why she might have thought it funny.
They’ve also declined a dinner invitation from the NZ PM – because they want to be close to little George.
They’re not close to him when they’re home, so why do they care about being away from him in Oz? I think the palace declined on theirbehalf because they didn’t want these two causing an international sh*tstorm with their gaffes.
Silly move to offend our PM as he is a Royalist. I’m all ready feeling even more put off by these two and they haven’t even landed yet.
Strange, they didn’t care about being “close to George” when they took their week-long vacay to Maldives.
William and Kate’s tour is being reported in the NZ press as costing the New Zealand people $1 million New Zealand Dollars. I’m picking that most of the budget is going on security? So then how much is spent every time Kate runs home to Mummy in Bucklebury. Do a police squad have to suddenly up and off out the door with no warning?
Damn. I wonder if it’s worth it. I mean, sure NZ gets some publicity from the tour, and hopefully that would translate to tourism and revenue, but… LOTR and the Hobbit do the same, if you ask me. I’m just wondering how much return on investment they are really going to get.
William, Kate and George have arrived in Wellington, New Zealand. First can I tell you about George? He is rather cute and such a wriggler! You can tell he wants to be off and moving! Hope the nanny has a set of roller blades or skates to keep up! As for Kate? Nice coat and for once a lower hem on her dress. This is a good thing as it was windy (Wellington is know as “Windy Wellington” for a reason here!). So that means the story about Kate putting weights in her skirt so it doesn’t blow up is just wishful thinking! 🙁
Willy and Waity potentially embarrassed by seeing naked body parts? That is really rich. LOL! Practically everyone in the world has seen Waity’s private parts. This is the best laugh I have had all week!
kate presence is not felt, just see how everyone abandoned her and george at the sydney airport, she is still a mess, her hair is a mess, her skirt is flying up, what is really wrong with this woman???