141 thoughts on “Royal Round Up: sailing, babies, and tiaras”

1. That is an aesthetically gorgeous photo of the little prince, Jigme, bathed in light. I wonder who took it.

   1. I’m betting that his father took it. It is a gorgeous photo, the color saturation is incredible.

      1. I just saw a photo of the King of Bhutan helping to cook lunch for schoolchildren. I think this little adorable baby has a good chance in this world. It helps to have parents of character.

         1. I saw the same photo G and I agree, this baby has an excellent chance of making real change in this world.

         2. I love that they take him out with them and introduce him to the people. He’s going to know about the people of his country from a very early age. And yes, that picture is gorgeous. He looks incredibly serene.

   2. Very true. He’s so princely looking. ?

   3. Oh dear. I love that little nugget! He has a look of both his Mama and Baba. Squee!!

      The Swedish Babies are super cute. Lenore looks like she could play with my kiddos. I get the sense she knows how to play. 🙂

      Kate took off big blue to sail! Whoa!!

      Max looked great in that ensemble!!

      Gosh that Bhutanese Baby is sooo stinking cute. I admit, I am biased my three kiddos are Asian. 🙂

   4. Agreed. And you can feel how full of love that photo is.

2. I’m loving the red colour dresses on Maxima and Matilde!

   And Madeleine’s kids are so cute!

   As for Kate sailing? She’s probably as good a sailor as she is a skiier, and she’s only an intermediate level skier.
   I do have to admit that I was wondering if we would see a photo of Amanda at Kate’s engagement ready to do Kate’s hair so it stayed perfect, after all Kate did take her hairdresser on that hike…

3. I love that Madeleine included “…and mother figures who are child protectors.” We all have to watch out for the children in this world.

   1. +1000

   2. +1,000 indeed. I don’t have kids but love them like my own, and it’s really nice to be included.

      1. +1 !!!! Agreed!!!

   3. Yes G. Well said.

4. Thanks for a great round up KMR!!!

   Wow, Maxima looks stunning in red!!! This dress is gorgeous and I want that tiara in the worst way possible! I just love seeing her and WH together, they always look so happy and he is clearly still very smitten with this wife.

   Awww, Lenore and Nicholas are such cuties!!! I think Maddie does such a great job releasing photos of them on Facebook at appropriate times, that one of Nicholas for Mother’s Day is so cute! I bet she has her hands full with her little monkey Lenore, who looks like she wants to climb anything and everything.

   Come on Abdullah, buy your wife a proper tiara!! While this bracelet tiara is pretty, it’s far too small for Rania and her hair. I agree with you KMR about Balmain, I guess if Kim Kardashian likes it it must be tacky.

   How lucky is Queen Silvia, to be escorted by her handsome son and son-in-law? I have to say this Moose Antler Tiara isn’t my favorite and I wonder how Victoria will wear it when her time comes? I don’t know if her sleek-backed hair styles will work well with this tiara, but I guess I’ll just have to wait and see.

   1. Moose antler tiara! I love it!

   2. I didn’t used to like that ruby tiara Max wore but the more I see it the more I love it. I love rubies in general, and the tiara plus all the gorgeous matching ruby jeweling is to die for.

      Rania does have access to other, larger tiaras which is why I’m so bummed she didn’t wear something bigger.

      I wonder how much Victoria will wear the Prong Tiara because supposedly it has a very rigid base and is uncomfortable to wear unless your head fits it. I guess Silvia’s head fits it perfectly since she wears it so much.

      1. I followed the discussion on Rania’s Boucheron Bracelet Tiara over at the Order of Splendour adn according to some of the more knowledgeable posters, Rania doesn’t really own other tiaras than the Bracelet and beautiful Arabic Scroll Tiara, which probably wan’t considered politic in wake of the recent Islamist terror attack in Belgium. The other tiaras associated with Jordan’s RF are the personal possessions of various royal women and are thus not directly accessible to Rania as a number of these women don’t live in Jordan.

         http://orderofsplendor.blogspot.dk/2016/05/tiara-thursday-with-bonus-state-visit.html

   3. I think it was earlier in the day when Max wore a black dress with a killer hat. I loved both the dress and the hat. She seems to have really found what works for her. Some things make me squint at the monitor, but she usually has such a big smile on her face that I can’t help but love the way she looks in them.

      I’m a sucker for rubies too, they are my birth stone and that ruby brooch is a jaw dropper.

5. You know Jecca Craig has a bastard? It might be royal.

   1. Can we not use the term “bastard”, please. There is no reason to demonize a baby for being born to unwed parents.

      1. I see why you don’t like the word bastard, I never have. But they are using the word correctly.

         Bastard: an illegitimate child (Webster’s dictionary)

         I don’t think that demonizes the baby at all since it is not a characteristic of the baby. Rather it is a fact-he was conceived out of wedlock. She wasn’t using it as insult, such as William is such a bastard. Which in that case bastard: an offensive or disagreeable person (Webster’s dictionary). That is offensive, but she used the word correctly. Just playing devil’s advocate

         1. Yes, I know what the term means. And actually, I do think it demonizes the child, because it implies that the child is “less than” because they happen to be born to unwed parents. I think the term “bastard” is very antiquated since there are so many children born out of wedlock nowadays. Who cares if a child is born to unwed parents? That doesn’t mean jack anymore and applying an antiquated term with a very negative connotation to it is offensive.

            1. Agree. Just because a word is correct does not mean it has not taken on very negative and insulting terms. A beautiful innocent baby deserves to be spoken of in positive way regardless of the timing of the parents.

            2. Thank you, KMR.
               I am ‘illegitimate’ and people still call me a bastard. It is used as a moralistic insult at worst to an unfunny joke at best.
               I’m about to turn 35 and have heard this word all my life. We all know what it ‘means’ and it’s not nice and not necessary.
               People, please don’t use such labels for an innocent child! And please remember that children ARE innocent. I’ve been told by religious people that no bastard is innocent of their parents’ sins and that we deserve to be labelled, and that regardless of the life I lead I will go directly to hell when I die because of being a bastard.
               :/

            3. Wow Lauren, I’m sorry you had to hear those things, that sounds really mean and awful :/ Unfortunately faith can bring out the worst in some people.

            4. Also, part of the wide appeal of this blog is because KMR has such balanced views and is never catty, petty or nasty. Her blog attracts readers from a wide variety of backgrounds who are united in their frustration at how out of touch the British Monarchy is. This is the kind of forum that could really make a difference. If, however, we stoop to name-calling, it will be easy for those who blindly adore the monarchy to brush the KMR blog off as a bitchy, jealous rant-fest. Let’s stay above that.

            5. I am so sorry Lauren that you have been labeled with this term and am doubly sorry that those who should be espousing the love that Christ had for all peoples have twisted his words in order to hurt you and I assume others as well.

            6. @moocow, I agree with you about the name calling and those who adore the BRF being able to brush off this site as jealous, etc. But that means no one should name call anyone. I actually get tired of the names people use on here to refer to Will and Kate. I don’t like name calling in general. It is one thing to get tired of how lazy Will and Kate is, but another all together to use names to refer to them. It drops the commenter to their level and no one should stoop to their level, we can make a point without name calling. Sadly, with any name calling on here it lessens what this site shows Kate to be, and William.

            7. Hi Lauren, I am sorry too that you have been called that. Backing up nasty word by bringing up religion just is not on in my books either.

            8. Lauren: That’s terrible. I’m pissed off on your behalf that people have treated you that way. I hate the idea that children inherit the sins of the parents – that’s just not right. Children have done absolutely nothing; they didn’t ask to be born. All children are born innocent, no matter what their parents did.

               Moocow and Overit: I completely agree with you guys about the name-calling. It’s why I don’t use those terms/nicknames when referring to William and Kate. I’ve gotten more and more uncomfortable with stuff like that. To the point that I can’t read certain blogs anymore because of the sarcasm and name-calling that goes on. It just really bothers me. And yes, the more name-calling that goes on, the more fans are willing to write us off as “jealous haters”.

   2. Is Jecca preggo???
      But a bastard? I thought she married in March – didn’t William fly to Africa for her wedding…?
      Could u please share a link to the article where you have it from? Thanks! 🙂

      1. There was an article in the DM a couple days ago which said that Jecca had a baby about six months ago, so before the wedding. Jecca’s new husband, Jonathan Baillie, was at a gala and, according to Sebastian Shakespeare, said: “I’m having to help host without Jecca because she’s at home looking after our new baby.”

         http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3601959/SEBASTIAN-SHAKESPEARE-Wills-pal-Jescca-happy-little-secret.html

         And again, please let’s not use the term “bastard”.

         1. Thanks for sharing and I apologize, I will not write this word again. (Even though I agree with overit that it is the correct definition and not meant mean in any way – it is just a child born to parents who are not married, nothing more and nothing less)

            Btw Wolf is a horrible name for a baby. Sounds like the short form of German name Wolfgang 😉

            1. Historically, the term “bastard” was always meant in a mean way. It meant the child was “less than” and couldn’t inherit anything from it’s parents. It is and always has been a negative term to apply to a child born to unwed parents.

            2. Lol, I so agree with you M! When I read what his name was all I could think was “poor baby will be teased so much in school for that name” 🙁

            3. Side note, Eddie Van Halen and his then wife actress Valerie Bertinelli named their son Wolfgang and call him Wolfie. It was odd then and it’s odd now.

            4. I agree. The baby doesn’t deserve that label. Wolfgang would be better.

            5. The word “bastard” as a denominator of a child born out of wedlock is an anachronism in our modern world – especially since the reason why bastardy was important in the past was that it was something that would prevent the child from inheriting his/her parents (unless a will was made specifically – there have been examples of illegetimate children inheriting).

               Bastardy is completely irrelevant in our part of the world today both in relation to inheritance laws as well as social mores. The only reason I can see for using this term in relation to Jecca’s son, is a malicious one.

            6. Gonna have to disagree on naming a kid Wolf since that’s my godson’s name. His parents are simply fond of the name, and in a world where names err on absurd, animals are cute.

               As for “bastard” terminology, it’s a less stigmatized word now, but still poor manners to use.

               And if Jecca really has a son, then wouldn’t that be the ultimate signal to William she’s moved on and he has no shot?

            7. I hope the three of them are happy and well. Wolf Baillie/ Wolf Craig-Baillie/ Wolf Baillie-Craig. No-one will forget this little lad’s name!

   3. Oh Lauren, what you say makes sense to me, because tese “religious” people are fanatics like the ones who say that if you have depression is because you don’t have faith in God. This is ridiculous, God is Love and the Bible was written by people, not by God. And reading your comments I see the wonderful person you are. A big hug to you.

6. I love Rania’s beautiful hair, more enviable than Kate’s curly blow out ever was in it’s prime ( I KNOW Kate is missing her long hair. I would. The only time my hair has ever been shorter than my bra strap was when my son was born, couldn’t do all that length with 2 under2!).

   Leonore and Nicolas, just adorable. Happy Madeleine shared those pictures. I’m really liking her personal style, as well, she’s a very pretty lady. In fact, her and her siblings are all extremely good looking, when you compare them to any other of the European royals. Actually, comparing them to anyone, not just royals. They are firmly in Jerry Seinfeld’s 4-6% haha

7. I don’t like this expression much but sometimes no other words will do. Kate Middleton is a real ‘prick tease’. I can see now how well she hooked ‘Nice but Dim Will’…..she’s one of those women who just knows how to play men. She doesn’t do sisterhood does she? Give me 100 people in a room and I will always gravitate to the girls and be deep in girlie banter over trying to collect men. I suspect our Kate was so badly scarred by her bullying trauma at Downe House (**coughs bullsh*t **) she always felt more comfortable with the men from an early age. Pippa’s not one for female company either is she? Ma Middleton groomed them early and she groomed them well. This family are more and more like the Boleyns the more they reveal of themselves…..of course Ma Middleton is Thomas Boleyn with all his dastardly, courtly plotting but it’s all there.

   1. I’m not a fan of Balmain either but Queen Rania of Jordan looks absolutely incredible.

   2. Please MrsBBV, don’t make fun of whether Kate was bullied at boarding school or not. We do not kbow, we will never know, and maybe even the bullies sometimes don’t think what they do is bullying. The point is that it is not nice to make fun of such things. Girls at that age can be mean and bitchy and it seems unlikely that Kate would have transferred to another school if she had felt comfortable there.

      We will never know, but *exactly this* “I suspect our Kate was so badly scarred by her bullying trauma at Downe House (**coughs bullsh*t **)” is why so many people are still not telling anyone or asking for help if they are bullied or have mental problems. Because people will not believe them, make fun of their experiences and act as if they had invented the story to get attention.
      (Btw, who shared this story? It was definitely not kate. An old classmate maybe?? I can’t remember)

      Thank you a lot.

      1. I see why this bothers you M from Germany. And you are right we will never know if Kate was or wasn’t bullied. However, there is stuff out there that makes it seem like Kate wasn’t. Some of the girls who went to school with Kate, not the “bullies”, have said they never saw Kate bullied. That Kate was very closed off and anti-social/snooty. Which, would make sense since she prefers boys. Due to this, Kate didn’t have any friends and wanted to transfer. Either way she wasn’t happy at her first boarding school. The bullying may actually have changed after her engagement in order to make the public sympathetic to her-her background was whitewashed once she became a royal. It was the Palace that shared to story, aka Kate’s people. And the Palace often tells lies.

         My question is, if Kate was so badly bullied at Downe House that her parents had to move her to a whole different school, why send Pippa there? It doesn’t make sense to send your youngest daughter to a school where supposedly your eldest was horrible bullied. I know I wouldn’t. That is why it seems the Palace rewrote history and it is suspicious.

         1. Because Downtown house was connected in whatever way to Eton, I believe. There were a lot of articles about it several years back. Probably all part of the big scheme to get Kate into Wills’ circle.

            1. *downe argh autocorrect

            2. The other thing about the English boarding school circle is that they are all interconnected via social, family or sport. Moving from DH to Marlborough makes no sense whatsoever. They are intrinsically the same but with different heritage and geographical location. I can name you 10/15 boarding schools single sex and coed that are the melting pot of the aristocracy, upper class. They are all pulled from this circle of schools. This is exactly why Carole chose to send her children to them…..to mix with the ‘right’ people. If she got bullied at DH which has been denied by old girls, the school etc it makes not an ounce of sense to then send her to Marlborough. I stand by this being spin.

      2. An old classmate said they had to be nice to Kate because she had been bullied at her previous school. I am starting to think Kate was a bully that is why she left. Either way flirting with Ben Ainslie when he is married and Kate is is a bad idea.
         I wonder if Kate has any girlfriends at all. Kate could control whom William was with at university but couldn’t control who he spoke to in the army. I think when Wills graduated wearing red then was a bit provocative towards any one thinking of taking William.

      3. As I have first hand knowledge of Downe House and the staff at DH denied the story of the bullying and stated there was no record of it I feel more than qualified to pass comment in what is generally accepted as a piece of Middleton propaganda.

         1. Thanks for sharing your personal knowledge of the bullying story.

            Spreading that bullying story has done a great disservice to Downe House as it’s a great school, I know someone who went there and she enjoyed her time at the school.

            1. It is a great school……I had personal contact with it right the way through my teenage years as I played lacrosse against them from age 11 – 18. Of course bullying happens in all schools I just don’t accept that this girl was bullied at this school as the weight of evidence even by her own family doesn’t weigh up. Do you know any parent who would sent their second daughter to a school that had allegedly allowed the first to be bullied? There are many stories as to why Kate never settled in this school but I don’t accept bullying was one of them and DH were extremely upset that their name was sullied by the accusation that came from nowhere after many years passed.

         2. Devil’s advocate: Maybe the staff didn’t know about the bullying? They would only know if Kate reported it to the staff, but maybe she didn’t. Maybe she just told her mom and her mom moved her to a different school without telling the old school why they were moving?

            1. Someone up-thread said that Pippa went to Downe House for a time too, after Kate. If so, wouldn’t Carole and Mike be a bit wary of the school? Pippa seems more emotionally resilient that Kate and genuinely liked, but still… I think Kate functioned better at Marlborough once Pippa enrolled there too. Maybe not a single sex/co-ed issue but comfort in having her sister around?

            2. You’re absolutely right KMR. A 14years old girl probably would not tell her teachers or anyone because if they just said anything to the bullies about her, it would have become worse. So I think only telling your mom sounds logical – I wouldn’t have done it differently if I had been in her situation.

               As for pips going to downe house: siblings can be totally different and maybe they thought that Pippa would be able to connect with people and find friends there better than Kate was able to? She seems a bit more extrovert than Kate which is often helpful.

               But I agree, they should not have released the name of the school as it was bad for their reputation.

            3. And then allowed her second daughter to be there? Would you allow that for your children? I might if one was unhappy and hadn’t settled but not if one was being bullied.

            4. Jen and MrsBBV: I could totally see Carole pulling Kate from Downe House and still allowing Pippa to go there. The two girls are a couple years apart, meaning they wouldn’t have been interacting with the same schoolmates. I was bullied when I was in school, but I don’t blame the school, I blame the kids who bullied me. And I wouldn’t rule out sending my own kids to those schools based on the fact that I was bullied. Just because one kid was bullied at a school doesn’t mean the other kid would also be bullied. One kid could have a great experience at the same school another kid could have a terrible experience at. It’s the kids fault, not the school. Unless there was actual evidence of the teachers doing something wrong, I could understand why Carole would send Pippa to the same school Kate was bullied at.

            5. M from Germany:

               I was badly bullied in elementary and middle school (and some in high school as well), but I never once told my teachers about it. I didn’t even tell my mom about it. So I could totally see Kate telling her mom but not her teachers about the bulling she experienced.

               I could also see Kate being bullied AND being a flasher. I spent so long trying to get people to like me so they would stop bullying me; maybe Kate thought being a flasher would make people like her so they would stop bullying her.

               Also, touching on the school and former classmates not thinking Kate was bullied, I can see why they would think that and why Kate would think she was bullied. I consider myself to have been bullied. But I doubt the kids who bullied me understand just how cruel they were being. They would probably say I was not bullied. And as I’ve said, none of my teachers knew what I went through because I never told them, so they would also say I was never bullied. That does not mean I was not bullied. It just means that the people in my school at the time do not know or understand the full extent of what I experienced.

               Just as I don’t think it’s right for us to judge Kate’s personality based on people’s opinions of her from 10 years ago, I also don’t think it’s right to judge whether or not she was bullied based on the accounts of her classmates and teachers from years ago. If you were to ask those kids who bullied me about my personality, they’d probably say some very negative stuff. But what they do not know or understand who I was or how I was when I was with my friends and people I actually liked.

               Honestly, the more I think about these subjects, the more I find myself taking Kate’s side here. I think it’s a bit wrong to not believe someone when they say they have been bullied. The fear of people not believing you is a big cause to why kids don’t tell teachers and parents that they are experiencing bullying.

            6. But at a school like Downe House if you are paying 20k a year for each to have both your daughters educated you would expect the school to be right on top of what is going on in their lives. My own boarding house sent monthly reports to my parents on my residential home life out of school but in the boarding house. Even details like my weight, my blood sugar, menstrual cycle were all noted and made known to my parents as well as Dr and Dentist visits once per term as standard. Now that might feel a bit invasive to you but when you are responsible for someome else’s children in and out of schooling there comes an even more massive responsibility. Problems like this just don’t go unnoticed IME. Every day the boarding houses recorded a full report of events that had to be signed off. Some of the stuff recorded was absolute trivia but it was essentially a back covering exercise. And not one of these house reports ever noticed Kate being a loner, being isolated, ostracised, bullied? Knowing the system as I do I find this absolutely stretching the bounds of credibility.

            7. We’ll have to agree to disagree on this then. I did not go to Downe House so I don’t know what they did there as far as how much they knew about each student. I am also not Kate so I cannot say whether she considered herself to have been bullied in school. I do know, though, that no one can truly understand what someone else experiences and how they perceive the world, and just because outsiders don’t see it doesn’t mean the person doesn’t experience it.

               PS. I find teachers tracking students’ weight, blood sugar, and especially menstrual cycles to be overly invasive and a complete invasion of privacy. That is medical information that should only be shared by the doctors to the parents. Teachers and staff of the school should not have access to that kind of information.

   3. I don’t think there is anything wrong with a woman being more comfortable around men than women. Some women are more comfortable around men; some men are more comfortable around women. That doesn’t make them bad people.

      1. There is nothing wrong with being more comfortable around men than women. I have always had more male friends than female. I prefer them since they are less drama. What is wrong, is preferring men and than treating women horrible. Which Kate did in the past with any woman that came close to William. It is when you are a b*tch (sorry its the best word to describe it) to women that there is a problem.

         1. Haven’t there been stories about her being rude in general? I think I read somewhere that she used to kick other girls out of the restroom at night clubs when she was freshening up.

            1. I mentioned this once before. Someone over at Love, Lola Blog mentioned she was on her honeymoon at the same place W&K stayed. She said Kate was rude, but did not elaborate.

            2. She’d give anyone a death glare who dared come near or speak to William, male or female, according to my uni professor who was at St Andrews at the same time. Especially women. She’d block them, with glares or with her body. Not kidding. Other stories have been said about this too so I believe what he told me.

         2. I think treating others horribly – whether it’s men treating women horribly, women treating men horribly, men treating men horribly, women treating women horribly – is bad. It’s the treating people horribly part that’s bad, not the which company they prefer part.

      2. No it doesn’t but of course it does continue to build a picture of Kate’s ‘hunting’ down a husband and of course there are many accounts in the public domain of Kate ‘protecting’ William from other predatory women. It just comes as no real surprise that she doesn’t appear to have a coterie of girlie mates which maybe something that is very lacking in her life. Her significant females appear to be staff and her family. I find that sad.

         1. It builds a picture of being competitive with women for men’s attention. And Kate is very competitive. I think this is the way she has been brought up: to hook the best husband aka richest, highest status. Part of that means neutralising other women in William’s line of sight.

            There have been intermittent snippets of rudeness over the years; one recently was from someone at Anmer who reported Kate to be a ‘moody shrew’. Regardless of the circumstances or time, the one consistent element in each story has been poor behaviour towards others.

            1. There is also a very interesting anecdote about Kate’s behaviour on her honeymoon to other people who tried to engage with them. A lot of this is reinforcing the opinion that Kate is not some shy little wallflower but actually a brittle, hard as nails madam. So sorry but I’ve just noticed that story has been referred to above.

            2. I’d be a moody shrew if I was surviving on one grape, a Ryvita and 20 Malboro Lights a day.

            3. LOL! I’d turn into a giant green rage monster anytime anyone talked to me if that’s all I had to eat.

            4. I’d be eyeing up anyone who came near me as a potential meal!

   4. She’s definitely not a girls girl. That is for sure. She is never photographed with any friends at all.

      1. I do believe that Kate sees other women as competition and we all know how competitive Kate is. She reminds me of the kind of girl who would choose as less attractive girl to be her friend so she can stand out by comparison. In public life and privately taken photos I have never seen photos of Kate engaging with her own peer group unless they are family or staff. The best I can come up with is when she was with Judy Murray at that children’s tennis workshop but Judy is the same age as her mother and playing a sport Kate adores. It really is a most strange state of affairs.

         1. ” She reminds me of the kind of girl who would choose as less attractive girl to be her friend so she can stand out by comparison.”

            It’s fine to prefer friends of one gender to another but totally not okay to diminish others by way of inviting comparison. Always with her it’s about the surface, the physical. What happens when that goes? Life isn’t too kind to women who prioritise their physicality/sexuality to the detriment of their mind, compassion etc.

            One other photo I recall was the engagement where she wore the bed ruffle Erdem dress to an evening with high-achieving professional women. A total mismatch of charity to royal. I can’t imagine what they made of her – a woman who worked for a few months in total, dropping all to be available to man, kept first by parents, then a husband’s family. Has that charity been passed to Sophie now? Not sure but it seems a better fit.

            1. That engagement was laughable…..I mean just what would she have to say to achieving women? Mind you she achieved her goal in life landing the future king as a husband but that’s stretching a very tenuous link to utter tautness. I think Sophie, Anne or even Camilla would be a better fit for that. But hey put her in a room with high-achieving professional men and she would simply flirt and simper her way around the room without a worry in her empty little head. What an utter waste.

            2. Sophie is attached to a different part of that organization (100 Women in Hedge Funds) than Kate was.

8. Wonderful post KMR. Madeleine and her children are fantastic, Maxima, amazing as always, and the baby Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck, MY GOD, he made my day. I’m delighted to now.

9. Kate was clearly flirting with that Sir Ben. Has the woman no shame?! She’s doing it in front of the media & she didn’t care about embarrassing herself, her husband or the royal family!! She should have been this enthusiastic with all her other engagements. Princess Maddie is a loving & thoughtful mother & all the other royal ladies looked beautiful & regal – even Rania with her dinky tiara. Thanks KMR for a wonderful round -up. I’m looking forward to W+K engagement at the Chelsea Flower show. Will kate have the same flirtish interaction with William as she had with Sir Ben…hmm

10. I think Maxima looks amazing.I like the rubies and dress is elegant and doesn’t distract from the tiara. I think red certainly makes Maxima more confident. Then I think Maxima could wear a bin bag and still be abe to pull it off.
    The photos of Leonore and Nicholas are adorable. I like how Leonore just turns around and Madeline takes the photo and the protective arm around Nicholas and his little smile. I hope they are both at the christening. I thought it strange that few Windsor children were at Charlotte’s christening.
    Queen Rania does look gorgeous and I like the tiara but just not the size of it.

11. I love Princess Madeleine’s photos. They are so natural and warm!

    Max looks killer in red! She looks like a Queen, so regal. The dress, tiara, shoes-everything is perfect. I love seeing how other royals do it.

    1. Agreed. I looked at those photos and thought “now that is a Queen”. She looks spectacular.

12. Oddly enough, I don’t find the pictures of Kate to be that terrible or manipulative. I think we’ve always seen Kate conforming to be whatever William wants, but this is where we get to see Kate more of *herself* without being pushed or prodded by Ma Middleton or William- she’s clearly enjoying someone who is more naturally her “type” than William, and where she is just being a gal who loves sport and sailing rather than awkwardly speaking at a mental health gig. These pictures show more of her at her happiest than standing next to William with a manic face ever will.

    1. She seems so maniacally desperate to please Will whenever she’s around him that she looks pure crazy and he looks annoyed and disgusted. Maybe around Ben she is just feeling relaxed and happy and at ease. I agree it sure looks like she’s flirting; I just know that sometimes when I’m having fun and totally relaxed, sometimes my gestures & postures might could be construed as flirting by someone who is more reserved than me or doesn’t know me.

       1. I wonder if Kate is afraid of William.

          1. I would think she’s more afraid of Carole and losing what she worked so hard to gain in a marriage with William. I think in a disagreement with William she gives as good as she gets. We do see flashes of passive aggressive in her (when she let it ‘slip’ that William basically wasn’t around for the first six months when George was born, death stares she gives William in public and what sometimes looks like bickering)

          2. I think she is. Definitely.

    2. She always looks more relaxed when she’s doing something sports-related. I don’t understand why she can’t get involved in charities that appeal to this side of her rather than mental health or art-related things.

       1. Someone (Jason??) must be forcing her against her will to do these children/hospice type charities where she looks so plain miserable. I wish he would let her play her strengths. If she could look this energetic and passionate at every engagement, maybe the negative tide would turn?

          1. I have no sympathy for Kate that she may have to, occasionally (and in her case, very occasionally), lend her support to causes that she may not be invested in. It’s her job to draw attention to them. Surely she can do that with at least a little grace and commitment? She sure does bugger all to help ‘her’ charities beyond a form letter and the cut-and-paste (literally, check them out) speeches made. Are we meant to feel sorry for her because she may not be interested in mental health, or trying to please William? No doubt he is sick of her too. I read recently that Kate was described as a ‘moody shrew’ a home by staff member; no surprise.

          2. I don’t know if Jason is forcing her, but maybe WK opted for charities that would look good in terms of image? Diana used to work a lot with children, maybe that goes into play as well.
             For the tide to turn I think consistency is more important than energy. I have my doubts if people actually realize she doesn’t look comfortable in almost every engagement she attends.

       2. I agree 100%. I do a lot of volunteering (and coordinating in that area), and you can always identify the volunteers (particularly teens, but adults too) who were forced to participate versus ones who are there because of an interest in that particular cause. Granted, sometimes people are won over and devote themselves fully to the cause, but that takes time, and Kate never spends enough time on any one cause to grow attached to it.

          So all that is to say that it just makes sense for her to be involved in causes that actually interest her. And there’s a way to marry multiple causes. For example, in many American inner cities or poorer neighborhoods there are charities that sponsor team sports and rec centers for kids at risk. I know the U.K. has the same. There are also marathons, boat races, etc. that are done to raise charity for sick children or cancer societies. How about starting a charity that helps encourage physical activity for those with mental health issues? Many studies have demonstrated that exercise is an important component in helping to promote better mental health. Those are just some examples of causes she could support and might also enjoy.

          But I suspect the bottom line is that she just does the charity stuff pro forma, so she and her staff aren’t going to put time and careful thought into picking ones that will engage her *and* do the most good.

          1. Your idea is a very good one, and well worth pursuing. I suspect, though, that any charity would need Ben Ainslie or some suitably attractive man attached to it for Kate to take an interest. And it really should NOT about her.

             The problem is that Kate demonstrates, as you say, only a ‘pro forma’ interest in allocated charities. It’s hardly fair to them, but I am incredulous that a woman with the status to help does not have the empathy to do her very best for people in need.

13. I have major hair envy from looking at photo of The Gyalsey!

14. Thank you for this post, KMR, I love your royal round ups!

    I’m not a fan of Balmain either but I really liked Queen Rania’s outfit. The fact that the skirt is black tones down the embroidery. I guess it’s different from the dresses we’re used to see.

    Love Maxima, always. That dress is something, she looks so powerful in red.

    The photo of prince Jigme is beautifully composed. Loved the lighting and the yellow robe.

15. I get migraines, so I have always wondered about how heavy some of these tiaras are and whether or not they give the women headaches. Maybe Rania gets headaches and the light bracelet tiara is easier for her?

    1. The Braganza Tiara is very heavy and difficult to secure according to Queen Silvia. I also suspect that it is head-ache inducing.

       The Devonshire Tiara is also head-ache inducing, according to a previous Duchess.

       Diana also said that the Cambridge Lover’s Knot is uncomfortable with the plearls dangling and clinking at the frame.

       I have also read that the Delhi Durbar Tiara is uncomfortable as well.

       Many of the big tiaras in the various RFs were made at a time when women had a LOT of hair. I guess a huge amount of hair could have cushioned the frame from the scalp. Another factor is weight.

       1. Camilla has a lot of thick hair so I imagine that’s one of the reasons she looks so good with a tiara on her head?

          1. I have to add that the fit of the frame is also important. If the frame is actually fitted to the wearer’s head, the I suspect that the discomfort lessens.

             1. Do you ever wish you could go into the ‘jewellery wardrobe’ in BP and just see what’s actually there? There must be an untold amount of stuff that’s not been seen during this Queen’s reign. I wonder if it’s like a panic room but is just shelves with boxes and boxes of jewels.

             2. I’d love to have to opportunity to document the BRF’s jewellery collection – almost as much as being the curator of the Cartier collection. 😉

    2. Diana supposedly had a massive migraine on her wedding day due to the Spencer Tiara. Apparently the Cambridge Lover’s Knot Tiara is also very heavy and hurt her head quite a bit.

16. Kate’s reactions to Ben Ainslie are the same ones she has every time she sees him. It’s a complete reversal from the hunched shouldered, whipped puppy look she gets when she has to make an appearance at any other of her patronages. The crotch clutching was even at a minimum. If she carried on naturally like this at other engagements it wouldn’t be so obvious, but sadly there are thousands of pictures out there that show the opposite.

    Yes, she is flirting with him. That’s way more than being friendly going on for her there. Even when William was there with her last year she flirted. I’d love to know what William’s reaction to the photos was.

    Also, she was back to whipped puppy when she got into the car for the trip home.

    1. Yeah, I’m not a prude by any means, but some of those photos seem over the line – especially the one of him fixing her helmet. Surely he could have instructed her how to do that; and, the issue of her being a married woman aside, it would have been more respectful for her status as a royal.

       But maybe I am sensitive because I don’t like being touched by people who aren’t close family or friends -even cute or famous ones- and I would be all, “Get your hands off, dude.”

       But it’s hard for me to judge Kate for being flirty when I think of those pics a while back of Prince William and Joss Stone at that gala . . .

    2. Kate likes being around attractive men. It makes her happy. Problem is that her behaviour – incredibly immature and inappropriate – took the focus away from this charity.

       Even if the flirting is reciprocated, it is better to be circumspect in front of cameras whose images will be transmitted globally. But Kate does like attention, like this, or flashing…

       Kate’s job is very clear in attending charity events; she needs to leave her ‘poor me’ attitude behind closed doors at Anmer. The focus should be on the charity.

       People say she knew what she was getting into when she married into the BFR, but apart from privilege, attention and some curtsy lessons, I doubt whether she really understood the depth and breadth of how much her life would be restrained. That she and William made poor choices in each other is clear to us here. In an ordinary relationship this would have been resolved somehow (counselling, divorce) but not so easy to uncouple with so much riding on their fiercely promoted happiness.

       1. I agree with you Jen that the focus should be on the charity, not on Kate, which it is now.

          I do think that she knew what she was getting into though and I think that is why the Middleton’s had that agreement drawn up. I think that since she has had the heir and the spare, that Kate thinks that she can do what she wants and this would be why she does not like doing the “non” fun duties, but lights up enough to power a small town when she is sailing or on “Fun” duties.

          I also think that HM and the other royals either did not know or do not care about this agreement and they are dragging her kicking and screaming back to work. She is showing her defiant side by giving very little time to the serious work and hours of time to the things that interest her.

          Carole would have known exactly what kind of life that Kate was going to have and either did not care about her daughter enough help her out, or she thought that she would be able to cope with it with Wills help. The trouble is that I think that Will has lost any love that he might have once had for Kate and is now putting up with her simply for the sake of the kids.

          It is like watching a repeat of his parents marriage, except Diana was a much harder worker.

          1. Tanya, I think you are right on the money. The BRF is interested in longevity of rule and the status and privilege accompanying it. Kate will fall into line, pure and simple. Being ‘dragged’ back to work is not exactly onerous though, is it? Very,very light duties so far. The rule in the sand for me is: does she give more than she takes? The answer resonating around the universe is a resounding ‘no’.

             Theirs wouldn’t be the first or last marriage to be unwise and I’m sure William and Kate realise the dance is over. But they have been promoted as the future of the monarchy (lots of eggs in that basket), plus they now have two small lives to care for.

             But again, they need to deal with their problems privately, and if pursuing other relationships, be discreet, should they decide to stay together. Both Charles and Diana were throwing all sorts of stuff at each other and it was not pretty to watch, and must have been distressing and very embarrassing for their children. Personally, I think it’s better to end something that’s not working and move on. I doubt whether people would be surprised or worried if they did call it a day. Well, except Carole. That woman has a lot to answer for.

             1. OH I agree Jen, Kate needs to grow up and get on with her work. They can duke it out in private, but in public, do your work that you are expected to do and help others out who are much less fortunate than they are.

                Carole certainly has a lot to answer for.

       2. I agree Jen, as I’ve said before it really pisses me off that Kate can’t be bothered to say anything public about her charities, what they do, what she admires about them, etc but instead it seems as though the charity heads and workers feel it necessary to build her up, to make sure everyone knows how kind, intelligent, caring, etc she is.

17. Do you think that she feel overwhelmed with people she can’t keep up with, intellectually or interns of power etc. so that when a good looking guy like Ainsley pays her attention she feels like an equal instead of inferior? She likes the attention so when she gets the attention she is missing that attention and support at home.

    I just watched the Queen At 90 and was struck how lots of what Kate saidwas about how things made her feel, it seemed quite self-centered. People with no confidence are that way I think. So is it because she just lacks confidence or something or someone is taking it away?

    1. Hi Kris, yes of course she is overwhelmed, she’s been coddled and protected her whole adult life and has never had to rely on anything other than her looks and body. Now she is a world that expects so much more from her than has ever been expected of her before and she’s floundering badly. Unfortunately, I don’t believe that she sees it this way, it seems that her and William believe that they are the best things since sliced bread so this belief prevents them from reaching out to those who are well equipped to advise and guide them. To this end, I place blame on both her family and his family. His family, because come on they were living together before the engagement so obviously they were intending marriage at some point but it doesn’t seem that anyone stepped forward to take her in hand and show her what was going to be expected of her. I’ve heard that she had “princess” lessons but seriously she needed so much more than etiquette lessons, imo her “training” should have started years before the engagement and in this I blame his family for being to hide-bound to do it.

       1. It’s really strange though that she had confidence and a spirit of tenacity. She must have had, imagine going to meet Prince Charles or the Queen for the first time. Must have been terrifying. Now she is overwhelmed going to a charity event where people are thrilled and cheering to have her there. It’s just so weird.

          1. I agree Kris meeting the Queen and Charles would be pretty scary, just thinking about all that they have accomplished would be intimidating but I believe she met them in social settings where looking pretty and demure would be about all that was required of her. As she stated in the engagement interview she was willing to “work hard and learn quickly”, which was probably the line she fed the family and little did they know she had no intention and/or ability of doing either.

       2. You’re right Lauri, they did live together so you would think she would have had more dealings with the family and how things run. However, I don’t think William encouraged her to mingle too much with his family. Harry said something about getting to know her after the engagement. You would think that at least his brother would have had some kind of contact with her.

          It would also let William hedge his bets on whether or not the relationship would last. When he dumped her in 2007 and did his little “I’m free” table dance it wouldn’t have gone over well if his family had gotten to know and like her. It’s enough that they questioned him about moving forward or letting her go, if they had liked her he would have been pressured in other ways. And we know William doesn’t like to be pressured or told what to do. (Unless Ma and Pa MIdds are involved)

          1. It seems like Will gets everything wrong.

          2. Yeah, I think you’re right Lisa, if his family had really gotten to know her, not just the persona, it would have been apparent that she is completely unsuited for this role.

             I do have to say though I find it bizarre that the Windsor men do seem to like their women to be at their beck and call without them having any other outside interests. Personally, I don’t think I could be with a man who didn’t encourage me to grow both as a woman but as a human being.

             1. I find it bizarre too Lauri C

                There is no way that I could be with a guy like that. I like my men the same you do.

             2. Didn’t Kate join Anne in the royal box at cheltenham? I am confused as to how Anne knew Kate?

       3. I think that Carole and Kate had their eye on the prize Ie Big Blue, and they were not thinking about the consequences afterwards. As soon as Kate started attracting criticism she had George and then when she was expected to get back to work again, she had Charlotte. It will be interesting to see if she has a third child as William has said that he does not want one.

          1. I agree with you Tanya, the prize was big blue and marriage to the most eligible man in the land.

             I also think it was Kate’s goal to marry William and it was partly “pay back” to all the girls she’s known who have ignored her as being slightly boring and nothing really to look at (which of course has lead to Kate’s huge weight loss).

             My feeling that it was Carole’s goal to marry one, or both, of her girls into the royal family so she would be (semi) royal herself. Did Dorothy (Carole’s mother – nicknamed “Duchess”) want Carole to marry royalty? Like all good stage mothers Carole managed to get one of her daughters to achieve something she didn’t?

             1. I have often thought Kate had those thoughts in mind as ‘payback’ to the wealthier girls, and those who thought she was too bland even to bully, so unmemorable was she. It’s revenge for all the slights and put downs.

                Carole’s motives were no doubt informed by her own mother’s pretensions. Such is the poison of a class-ridden society.

       4. IMO I don’t think William ever intended on marrying her. Him dumping her and cheating and going back and then pretty much given an ultimatum by her family–lose us or propose to her… He tried to find something better, but unsurprisingly, nobody wanted the boorish jerk. I mean, this is the guy who sent her to meet his grandmother the Queen ALONE at his cousin’s wedding he blew off to go to Jecca’s brother’s wedding.

          1. Did Kate meet the Queen at Peter’s wedding? I thought she did not meet the Queen until way later.

             1. She met the Queen for the first time at Peter’s wedding. I think that’s when she met Harry the first time, too.

          2. That action alone would have had me wearing Wills testicles as a lovely pair of earrings. If it had of been a “Normal” family I would have been furious.

             But to do that to her and with him being a member of the BRF is just insane and shows just how little he cares about her. It probably wasn’t just HM that Kate was probably meeting for the first time. It was probably Princess Anne as well, and Zara and Beatrice and Eugenie. It would have been terrifying for her and knowing that HE was at the wedding of the brother of a former girlfriend would have made it worse.

             He really is a self centred dick.

             I also felt sorry for Peter when Wills did this. Peter was very good to Wills after Diana died. I would have thought that that Peter’s wedding would have trumped Jecca’s brothers wedding.

             1. That’s incredibly insensitive of William to his cousin, and equally thoughtless to Kate. He really needs to come face to face with reality. But if Kate cultivated a constant and unquestioning availability to William, you can see (if not condone) why he behaved so boorishly. Plus he’s gotten away with it all his life with everyone, it seems, and still does. Has he ever faced criticism before this last year or so? Kate’s problem (one of them) was valuing herself far less than a used bad luck ring and a goldfish lifestyle. You know the old saying: when the gods wish to punish you, they give you what you want.

             2. They both need to be put in a room for a time out. About 20 years would do I think. George and Charlotte might have a chance if we lock Ma Mids in there with them.

             3. Having their parent and maternal grandmother removed would be the best thing for those kids. Imagine the damage Carole will do to Charlotte…

18. Did you see these new photos of Charlene of Monaco in what looks like my grandma’s nightgown? I can’t believe that *this* is what she chose to wear for a professional photoshoot!
    http://www.newmyroyals.com/2016/05/new-photos-of-princess-charlene-of.html?m=1

    1. I thought it looked like a hospital gown.

       1. Some odd sartorial choices to be sure but most of the time she rates with Letizia as my Royal Girl crush. I find them both awe inspiring in intellect, attitude, work ethic, compassion, style, deportment.

       2. That looks like the gown I wore when I was in the hospital on an IV drip.

    2. The photos are gorgeous but daaaamn that’s a lot of leg in that one image. I mean, it’s absolutely stunning, but for a future Queen to pose like that seems a bit odd to me…

       1. Charlene is not a future Queen. She is a Princess and will always be since Monaco is a principality and not a kingdom. Albert is the monarch of Monaco, and his title is Prince, so Charlene is already the monarch’s consort and her title is Princess.

          1. I should really take notes more closely lol. I just spent my morning coffee break reading their wiki pages and I still messed it up. thank you!

19. This was a great palate cleanser, KMR!

    Little Leonore is adorable. Those sad, puppy eyes and pouty mouth are so cute. She is the kind of kid who could get me to buy her anything and everything. She is a cute little monkey! Nicolas is a cutie pie too. My heart exploded when I saw little Prince Jigme. He is an adorable baby and I cannot wait to watch him grow. The picture was both intimate as well as beautiful.

    The picture of Maxima snapped me out of my funk. I think she radiates beauty and intelligence. I tend to forget what she wears because she just has “it”. It was also lovely to see Silvia with Dan and CP. There is something about her eyes that I love. You can tell that she loves her family and her country.

    Thanks to everyone for being so understanding. I truly love my KMR family. I love seeing what you all have to say and learn from you all. Regardless of what Kate does, she did help me find my little corner of community that I have come to love and enjoy.

    xoxo
    rhiannon

    1. Hi Rhiannon

       Nice to hear from you.

       I’m glad you are staying with us too!

       And I agree, this post is a great palate cleanser, hopefully we will get more photos from the Swedish royal family this coming summer too. I love the way you can get an idea of what Nicholas will look like as an adult from that photo Madde posted. Roll on the next Swedish baby christening so we can see more of Leonore wriggling and Estelle wrangling her cousins!

       1. I believe Oscar’s christening is coming up. For all things good and and ghmmy bears, please let Leonore be there! Estelle will be in her element! And little Alexander is next?

          1. Mmmmmm, gummy bears 🙂

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