The weird Daily Mail press war between Prince Charles and Carole Middleton picked back up after a long hiatus. This time Katie Nicholl at the DM is wondering where the Middletons have got to since they weren’t a part of the Queen’s 90th birthday celebrations. And of course there are more quotes from “sources close to Charles” about how Charles just wants to be a doting grandfather but Carole keeps getting in the way.
The article discusses all the times the Middletons were invited to royal events in years past – like hunting with Prince Philip, riding in a carriage at Ascot, and the Diamond Jubilee Flotilla – but have been absent from all the events surrounding HM’s 90th birthday and Ascot this year. Nicholl claims that the distancing of the Windsors from the Middletons is because of the on-going tug-of-war between Charles and Carole over Prince George and Princess Charlotte:
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Charles doesn’t get as much time with George and Charlotte as Carole does: “What is undoubtedly true is that Prince Charles believes he has been edged out by Carole in the battle for the affections of their two grandchildren – Prince George, three, and one-year-old Princess Charlotte. As a friend puts it: ‘Charles feels very much that the Middletons get more than their fair share of time with George and Charlotte. In comparison, he sees them very little and he bears a bit of a grudge about that.'”
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Charles doesn’t want the Middletons to come to Scotland when the Cambridges visit: “‘But at the moment, there’s no talk of them going,’ says a member of Charles’s circle. ‘He wants to see his son and daughter-in-law and spend time with his grandchildren alone. He has always wanted to mentor George, who is, after all, the heir to the throne, and sees it very much as his role. He will always insist the grandchildren come to Scotland so that they can learn to shoot, hunt and fish. That’s very important to Charles. He wishes the family would do more traditional things like holiday in Scotland.'”
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Charles is unhappy that Carole planned George’s 3rd birthday party: “Charles did attend Prince George’s third birthday tea party two weekends ago, but a source said it was very much on the Middletons’ terms. ‘Carole organised everything and Charles and Camilla were, of course, invited,’ said the friend. ‘He went, because he wasn’t prepared to miss out but Camilla didn’t go. Apparently she had other commitments.’ … ‘Charles didn’t want to miss his grandson’s birthday but the fact that the whole thing was essentially a Middleton event with Carole orchestrating the whole thing is exactly what upsets him,’ said the source.”
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Charles gets very little time with his grandchildren: “A family friend said: ‘Charles feels rather left out. He gets very little time with his grandchildren and I know he gets upset about it because he has said so. He certainly feels William spends more time with the Middletons than he does with his own family.’ Another Royal source added: ‘While Charles would never dream of saying anything to upset William, he might be making a point by keeping the Middletons at arm’s length.'”
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William is super close to the Middletons: “William, of course, has always been fond of the Middletons and their straightforward nuclear family, something that the death of his mother had left him very much without. And with the arrival of Prince George in July 2013, their influence, and that of Carole in particular, seemed to grow still further. Kate and William seemed to prefer spending time with the Middletons rather than Charles and decamped to their home in Bucklebury in the days after George’s birth. Then, when they moved to Anmer Hall on the Sandringham estate, Carole became a regular visitor. When their home at Kensington Palace was refurbished, William and Kate created a ‘granny annex’ so Carole would always have somewhere to stay. When the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are overseas or on engagements, Carole helps the family’s nanny Maria Borrallo care for Charlotte and George, and when the couple visited India and Bhutan earlier this year, it was Carole who took charge back at home.”
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Charles built places for George and Charlotte to play at Highgrove but they rarely visit: “There is no doubting that Charles would like to be a doting grandfather, given the chance. He has, for example, gone to the trouble of refurbishing the thatched tree house in the shady section of the Highgrove garden known as the Stumpery. It was there in the playhouse that Charles proudly staged a tea party for George when his grandson paid a visit. It was his first such visit, and Charles planted a tree in view of the house in honour of the occasion. Then, over in the wildflower meadow, Charles has installed a £20,000 shepherd’s hut – complete with a little bed, woodburner and French oak wooden floors, again for the benefit of his grandchildren. Yet the playhouse and the hut have been sadly empty – because the children’s visits to Highgrove and its gardens are few and far between. Of course, it could be argued that Charles is in part to blame.
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“The source continues: ‘Charles is his own worst enemy. When he is at Sandringham, he doesn’t want to bother William and Catherine, he waits for them to call rather than take the initiative himself. Occasionally, the couple come to Highgrove, but it’s never relaxed unless Charles is in the garden with the children. The visits are occasional. It’s a long way for the Cambridges to come from Anmer, and they’ve only been to Highgrove with the kids a couple of times.’”
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Charles would love to vacation with William but William isn’t interested: “A friend of Charles says while William and Kate enjoy holidays with the Middletons, it has been ‘years’ since William has been away with his father. ‘Charles would love to do something like a family skiing holiday, but William’s not interested. He wants to do his own thing these days and often his father doesn’t know where he is or what he’s doing. When William and the family nipped off to Courcheval for a few days’ skiing at the start of the year, Charles had no idea they were away. He was rather hurt. Neither of them pick up the phone to each other and weeks can pass without them having a proper catch-up.’”
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Carole was devastated that Charles claimed he doesn’t see George: “A friend of the Middletons says Carole, who joined the Cambridges on their skiing trip this year, was horrified to learn last year that Charles had privately complained to friends that he ‘almost never sees Prince George’. ‘She was devastated,’ said a friend. ‘All she has ever wanted is to be a good mother and grandmother, not upset anyone in the process. Perhaps, their low profile is their way of keeping a respectful distance.’”
I don’t have a ton of thoughts other than this whole thing is rather amusing. It amuses me that they are playing this out in the press. But I kind of think that blaming Carole for Charles not seeing as much of his grandchildren as he wants is wrong. Carole is not the problem here; William is. William is the one who is letting Carole be so involved in his kids’ lives and is not making an effort to have Charles also be involved in the kids’ lives. Carole wouldn’t be able to do anything if William told her no.
I think these two lines are very telling: “Charles would never dream of saying anything to upset William” and “Neither of them pick up the phone to each other and weeks can pass without them having a proper catch-up”. That’s why William and Kate are allowed to run amok and shirk their duties: Charles doesn’t want to upset William and they barely speak.
It’s not uncommon I think for the mother’s family of a SAHM like Kate to see more of the grandkids; Charles has, after all, other demands on his time. In this respect Kate has a lot of power to change this dynamic but e identify doesn’t. Willism needs to grow up( assuming any of this is true), he’s not a motherless teenager anymore and if George is to be King, he should learn from those who are destined for the Crown. Not sure William wants that. He’s far too old to be sulking because mommy and daddy had a bad divorce.
I feel so sad for Charles.
W&K shoving them out of the way with the kids at Trooping shows their disdain for his father who despite his flaws has been a great father and would be a wonderful grandfather, I’m sure.
It’s definitely William choosing the Middletons over his own family, but that’s been the story for ages. Keeping his father out of his life but siphoning his money–so classy, William!
I wish Charles would give him the boot and make him live on his own cash, but Charles is so afraid of upsetting him (this I believe!). God knows what William would do if he was angry. Probably try to destroy them all, and with how the media seems to always be on William’s side…
The comments of people who think Charles can just pop by to Anmer whenever he wants are idiots. The guy is busy every freaking day. Their schedules are arranged months in advance. This is not a normal family where you can drop by with your kids to see the grandparents on a weekday or weekend. He never wants to bother them, so says this source, but honestly, it’s W&K at fault here IMO. Not Charles. Charles has to step on eggshells whenever he deals with William. It must be anxiety inducing, seriously.
Given the differences in work schedules between Charles and William/Kate/the kids, it makes much more sense for William/Kate/the kids to come to Charles rather than Charles going to them.
Yup. They should make the effort, and they don’t. William considers himself a Middleton, I’m sure, and only cares about Dad ’cause Dad gives him the money.
It’s so messed up.
They refused the estate Charles bought and fixed up for them with Duchy money all those years ago. The one less than an hour from Highgrove.
There were rumors of W&K house hunting for a country estate after the wedding. That would have been a security nightmare just like the farmhouse in Wales and security Middleton Manor to the tune of $20,000 a day. Charles would have had to buy whatever they wanted out of his own money or be tarred and feathered.
I suspect behind-the-scenes whining from William about wanting an estate near to KM’s family. That meant kicking out the tenants at Anmer, because of course W&K wouldn’t take anything smaller than a 10 bedroom mansion with plenty of room for her family to move in for months.
The initial stories around their housekeeper quitting involved the Middletons having moved into Anmer for months. Perhaps HM made it clear after that that Anmer is not for the Middletons to live in. As a result, W&K spend even more time in Berkshire in exchange/revenge. Charles isn’t going to go to Carole’s house and feel like an outsider in order to be with the grand kids.
Yes, Harewood Park. Charles was going to build a house for them as he’s been renovating the property and saved the old buildings as he did with Dumfries House. Really a shame W&K want nothing to do with it, but… They’re Middletons, not Windsors.
Anmer isn’t anywhere near the Middleton family home, though. London, Highgrove, and Harewood Park are all *way* closer to Bucklebury than Anmer Hall is. So if W&K wanted to be closer to her parents, taking the house near Highgrove would have been the better option.
Actually, Bucklebury is closer to Sandringham by about 45 minutes. If that distance didn’t matter to them, or they weren’t all about stabbing Charles in the back, taking the Duchy estate would have been far more logical than throwing out paying tenants at Anmer.
Knowing William it may also have been his secrecy obsession. What portions of Sandringham are completely off-limits to the public vs. The Duchy?
According to Google Earth, straightlining it, Anmer Hall to Bucklebury is 120+ miles while Harewood Park to Bucklebury is 70+ miles.
https://scontent-mia1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13873043_1163751953677614_6783001977422835698_n.jpg?oh=cc86e60f570eb092b1141086f90a283d&oe=58205BAF
Hopefully you can see the photo at the link, I didn’t want to use my own server space so I used Facebook’s server space instead.
When I do a travel time search, I’m told the travel time (not as the crow flies), places Anmer 45 minutes closer to Bucklebury. They can make it there constantly but not an extra 45 minutes to Highgrove?
This is why I’m starting to suspect the helicopter changeup in the recent royal account. All of W&K’s travel “between residences” is now covered by taxpayers. Whether it is official business or not.
This may indicate that no record is going to be kept of all those trips, because taxpayers you’re just supposed to accept that they’re traveling between residences a lot. If that is now fudged to include Berkshire it would be very interesting.
Lends more credence to the story of staff leaving because of constant Middleton presence in Anmer. That the family basically moved in enmasse for several months around Christmas. Maybe they get away with the Middletons being at Sandringham often, a private estate where press cannot track movements as easily as in the more public Duchy?
Here here! I couldn’t agree more. William is a nightmare for Charles. It’s like the worst of Diana ALL the time with him. Worst of both Charles and Diana, really. The only one who could make an impression on Will-not is the queen, but she’s so notoriously reluctant to get involved until it’s an actual crisis. Hopefully she will save the monarchy while she still can.
Charles may not want to upset William, but I think it is time that he does. If he can’t, then Camilla can and probably will. I don’t see her allowing Carole to have much influence in the future and there will be problems. I think Camilla will have a way of letting Charles see that things must change, but she will actually be the driving force. She is smart enough to handle things firmly, wisely and without rocking Charles’ world too much. She is the only one, I think, who can make Charles see that it’s time to treat William more like an adult.
In the photo, btw, where Carole is looking toward the side, (she’s in off-white, is that Char’s christening?), I could see what Kate will like in a few more years. Now, Carole is in her sixties, yes? Kate will get that look far sooner than in her sixties, at the rate she is going.
I do feel sorry for Charles, but, as the future King, I wish he would act as such. William has gotten his way for much too long. It’s a disgrace, actually. Time for W to grow up and be a man.
And, Carole should not be getting off scott-free in this situation. Yes, she is the grandmother, but she is not innocent of doing all she can to control her own daughter and also her grandkids, What a mess.
Well there have been suggestions that Mike and Carole now live separate lives – if so that could account for them not being seen together any more than they have to – christening – unavoidable – and Pippa’s Wedding – but other than that – no. So no need to be minor players at a staged event for the Queen
The “Where have the Middletons gone?” is predicated on the idea that the Middletons should have shown up/been invited to the Queen’s 90th b-day events, but I think that’s more the media getting ideas into their heads rather than anything real.
Yes, exactly. Also the Middleton’s feeding those ideas to a press eager to lap up any royal gossip. Even the nature of Pippa’s engagement is played out in the press as a quasi-royal event and you can bet it will get similar press attention because the Middleton’s will feed the press accordingly.
+1
It’s also so meddlesome that since whiny bill has allowed carol the meddlesome to run his house so he can go about on his own doing whatever in exchange for carol use of “i am a prince” status grandeur and her climbing – suddenly entitled bill has disdain for his father (hatred and disdain that didnt exisit up to bill university). Still POW continue to support whiny bill and his family of four with Duchy and tax payers funds diverted to carol the meddlesome luxury lifestyle. He at least deserve to see spend time with his grandchildren when not working.
And why is it lazy km unable to plan organize for her child, with POW stafff and Nanny Maria. Carol knows no more of quality experience than Nanny Maria and the staff of royal household….this won’t end well, bill need to step away!
+2
It is an underlying theme in the W&K narrative. If only the BRF would fully embrace the entire Middleton family as members of the BRF. Invite them to Easter. Invite them to Christmas. Invite them to Balmoral. Then all these problems over access to the kids would go away. That theme has been going on from the W&K PR hacks years.
The Middletons aren’t part of the BRF, that is why they weren’t part of the Queen’s birthday plans. Diana’s family wasn’t invited to all the BRF events, neither was Sara’s or Sophie’s. Why are the Middletons considered different?
Because the media wants them to be for some reason. As I mentioned elsewhere, this whole article’s premise is predicated on the fact that the Middletons were thought to should have been invited to those events. But that’s more wishful thinking on the part of the media than anything else.
‘The media’ wants them because the Middleton’s (a) employ PR consultants and the former(?) Daily mail Sunday editor to promote their profiles and (b) independently leak ‘information’ (plant gossip). In effect they create their own demand. Journalists are mostly scratching around trying to find anything at all to write about the BRF and along come the Middleton’s who desperately want to become famous – and more. They’re not content with the fame that comes from their daughter marrying into the BRF. They want to BE in the BRF, hence this campaign. And that’s what it is. If the BRF wants to quash them then they need to expose them. I’m sure they have all the dirt.
Jen, so true., “They are not content with the fame of their daughter marrying into the BRF. They want to BE in the BRF.” Carole, Pippa and James surely do. I don’t know about Michael, but he is as responsible for his clingy daughter, Kate, as is Carole.
Charles is way too busy doing and taking over stuff that William could and should be doing to show up uninvited at Anmer Hall. Specially when he might not feel welcomed. William should be more around his father specially with George to prepare them both for their future role. Maybe William feels that that the queen and Charles are immortal, but he should keep in mind that his grandmother is 90 years old and his father already 67 years old, so he might become prince of wales sooner than he thinks.
I think most families know the struggle to find a date for all family members to meet if you don’t live all in same city and if you have different work schedules. And Charles and Camilla still have a busy work schedule and are not the grandparents sitting at home, taking care of the garden and stuff like that… but Kate and William are not that busy, they could find a lot of free days to get to Highgrove or London. They could make the afford of following Charles schedule and invite him over when close to their home (same for the rest of family).
And ofc if one doesn’t feel welcome or like the third wheel all the time one gives up to try, one doesn’t visit anymore, one calls less… and maybe it’s also a bit of jealousy as Middletons simply get more time with WK and the kids but also here, WK could have done smt. If it’s not holidays and at least speand some time together in summer or whenever time allows it…. Highgrove really doesn’t seem to be the worst place to spend some time at.
But maybe as usual, if WK aren’t interest, they are not interested and then they don’t even try to improve, to learn or change things… they simply live in their own world.
…Yet w&k and kids are not regular or most families..- where a lazy entitled whiny petulant wants the world to believe, while they the dutiless can jet off in borrowed £8 million jet (with undisclosed return), at anytime and taxpayers and POW cover all their grandeur and luxury entitled expense along with other countries they visit but can’t travel to for duty and sacrifice to give back.
KMR the DM is reporting that Bea and Dave Clark have split after 10 years. It’s on the front page of the Sunday paper. Very sad news .
Birdy, Yes it is sad news. However I cannot imagine staying in a relationship for 10 years without a natural progression. To be honest I think Dave was stringing Beatrice along. At least now Beatrice can focus on other things apart from guys.
I hope Beatrice finally meets her true soul mate in the way that Madeline did after her own break up.
I agree. I liked Beatrice with that friend Nicholas Von Bismark? They were at a polo match together and Beatrice wore a bright pink jacket. I think Eugenie will marry first as she is more independent than Beatrice and more goal orientated. I hope Eugenie has the tissues and ice cream on hand.
Or in a twist, Beatrice ends up married to former Pippa target George Percy, heir to Duke of Northumberland. Or Hugh Grosvenor, heir to Duke of Westminster.
Either would have been seen a good marriage partner for a royal princess in olden times. Or the billion dollar Thurn and Taxis heir. Fergie and Gloria TNT as in-laws. Now that would be interesting.
LOL!
Beatrice marrying George Percy! That would make me smile! And the Percy family seem nice and would make great in laws too 🙂
OMG, Gloria and Fergie in one family. A match made anywhere but in heaven.
+1
+1
+3
If Charles is worrying about upsetting William that is just sad. Is William a toddler? They have completely had the kids gloves on for William too long. He is a pampered brat. I do not think Charles was a great husband. No Yet he is a good father. William should make an effort if this is true. Not taking Charles side. Yet I do feel bad for him. He should be able to have a relationship with his grandchildren. Whatever hang ups William has is between him and his father. His children should not be alienated from one side of the family. Also George and Charlotte should be involved with the Royal Family. They are Royal after all. George should be over the years and Charlotte as well about being members of the Royal Family. One day they will be working royals. I think William and Kate want to give them a normal childhood. Yet the will be adults someday. They should slowly start getting them ready. I think if they just spring this on them someday. It will blow up in all their faces. We shall see.
The thing that irks me about this story is that the writer makes one think (I’m talking public here) that in-laws are routinely invited to celebrations with the BRF and from what I’ve seen that just is not true. Maybe there are more private moments where this may happen but how many family members of the married-ins did we see at HM’s birthday celebrations, Ascot, Trooping, etc.
The Midds were only there because of William’s insistence and the unbelievable hands off, give him what he wants attitude they have adopted with him. It really makes me think more and more that he has threatened to walk away from it all unless he gets what he wants and they are afraid of it all blowing up and ending. So they give the spoiled man child and his child bride wife what they want more than not.
It does appear as though someone has put their foot down with regards to appearances. This could be Charles finally asserting himself in some way, but it also could be that the Midds are separated and Mike may not be wanting to play the doting husband at all the events Carole wants to go to. He probably loves going to Wimbledon so that’s why we saw him there, but it would make tongues wag (mine included) if Carole started showing up endlessly without Mike and/or with James as her escort. And she can’t have that, she has a sterling reputation to maintain.
I realize that wives will go to their mothers for advice. That’s fine, but it’s not okay for William to shut out his father the way he has. In the end, it’s only going to hurt him and his family more than it will the BRF in the long run. If I were Charles the funds would have shriveled to match the amount of work they do to earn them. They are living the Life of Riley on someone elses dime and not giving two hoots about what anyone thinks as long as they are happy. Only I don’t think they really are all that happy as a unit. But that’s a different can of worms.
Also, I still don’t think William will sit on the throne. Even with this little spurt of work, which was mainly attending birthday celebrations and a vacation to India/Bhutan, they still haven’t gotten anywhere near the level they would be at as monarch and consort. There’s a train wreck coming for these two and I’ve got my popcorn ready.
“It really makes me think more and more that he has threatened to walk away from it all unless he gets what he wants and they are afraid of it all blowing up and ending. So they give the spoiled man child and his child bride wife what they want more than not.”
I believe that. I also think that William and Kate may not intend on George or Charlotte ever being King or Queen which is why they are raising them outside the family. George will never have any sense of duty or connection to the monarchy if he sees that his parents don’t. Parents have to lead by example. Charles really needs to consider making Harry the next Prince of Wales somehow. As long as Harry marries a woman with some work ethic he would make a far superior King.
+100
Arrangements may already be in the works….petulant walking;and part of the reason for the unhappy rapid decline of bill and km.
Past era spouses are on (after waity middleton wreck – Prince (King) Henry and now Princess Bea need to wed royals/aristo/dutiful partners.
Actually, I suspect William thinks he is doing enough now to be accepted as king later. He may strike us as only grudgingly putting in any effort, but he probably feels that all the angst he feels about every single appearance somehow works as a multiplier on the actual engagement total. He seems to think that his wife can only support him by a displaying a lesser, subservient role (and if so, he has certainly chosen wisely) and that any public grumblings will go away in the majesty of his own coronation.
And I think he is doing what he thinks is best for George as a future king. Taking George to the airshow, taking him to the secret base visit (no pictures, but it happened), and balcony appearances are all activities designed to get George accustomed to his role. We might not think it’s enough, but I’m sure William thinks it’s plenty, if not too much. I’m not entirely sure he’s wrong in this, either. Three is young for a public role. Best to master potty-training and Ps & Qs first.
William will never allow his brother to take precedence over himself or his children. He and his line will have to be removed by the government; William isn’t going to go willingly. He won’t do the work, but he is too jealous of his own brother to walk away with dignity.
William needs to learn the old adage “don’t bite the hand that feeds you”. Charles should start pulling tight those purse strings and then see how many visits they get. I live in Texas. My family and in-laws live all over this state. We drive over 6 hours to see people twice a year, and they come here. Anmer to Highgrove is 4 hours (according to Google). This is not difficult. W&K just don’t want to see C&C.
Oof, please don’t say “child bride wife”. I know that Kate acts childish, but “child bride” has serious implications that make me uneasy when the phrase is applied to an adult woman who made her own decision to marry. Thank you for understanding.
My bad, never again.
It’s okay. I don’t think you meant any harm with it at all; it just jarred me when I read it.
I kinda believe this story, cause it has been long said that Carole runs amner hall.I believe that Charles doesn’t see his grandchildren much but I think its cause of William.I think it’s sad that William takes his father money yet spends no time.I also think the Middleton’s want to be more involved cause their grandkids are Royal.I don’t see Carole keeping Pippa’s kids like she does Kate’s.
I do feel sorry for Charles but I also blame him for part of this. Every family has issues and every parent makes mistakes in their lives and raising their children but this does not make most of them bad people or unfit. They are human. As we get older most of us tend to realize this and soften a lot towards our parents and a friendship develops. Again, considering parent’s behavior I realize this isn’t everyone, I’m just talking generally here. Also, I’ve heard that when you have children you really start to understand how hard it was for your parents to parent. It is clear William has been indulged for far too long and I think it has affected every part of his life, mostly in a negative way.
I believe William is to blame for most of this but I also blame Kate and Carole. If he is as close to Carole and Kate as it is reported they could and should steer him in the direction of having more of a relationship with his father and his side of the family. It would definitely be the healthy thing to do and George and Charlotte would benefit. But I’ve also seen grandparents who want that #1 role as Grandma and Grandpa and will try and shut out the other side. I can see Carole as this type of person and it also doesn’t help that Kate doesn’t seem to be able to function well outside of her mother’s orbit. Complete dysfunction all around.
“Carole is not the problem here; William is. William is the one who is letting Carole be so involved in his kids’ lives and is not making an effort to have Charles also be involved in the kids’ lives. Carole wouldn’t be able to do anything if William told her no.”
I agree with that. I also think that Kate may need to grow up a bit, too. If all of the reports are true and Carole is the one running the show at Anmer Hall, even organizing George’s birthday party which would normally be the mom’s job (I would want to be the one in charge of that when I have kids) Kate seems to be really dependent upon her. There is something very childlike and frail about Kate, and at the same time I get the impression she could be a really catty mean girl.
Did the article mention anything about Camilla? I’d be surprised if it didn’t. Normally the tabloids always bring up that William doesn’t want his kids around her because of everything that happened with his mom.
I don’t think Kate is frail at all. But she does play it to perfection. She’s a helpless, fragile female who needs taking care of, don’t ya know? Meanwhile she stuck her nails into Willy and hung in there against all odds years ago and fended off any woman who might approach him- she’s not frail, she’s steely, cold, and manipulative.
I imagine that Willy has been indoctrinated by the Midds for years- that it’s their happy, comfy, undemanding family that truly loves him and watches out for him, and that Charles and the BRF are awful, just awful. ‘Look what they did to Diana, Willy? You have an awful, terrible father, Wills, who only wants you to do your duty and doesn’t care about what *you* want’. I am also certain that Kate also whispers in his ear about how awful Charles and the BRF are, how he deserves so much better and is entitled to way more respect than he gets.
I am convinced that these snakes have spent years distorting the truth and reality, and have probably lied to Willy when it’s useful. But the bottom line is, Willy has been happy to go along with it. He is happy to play victim and hard done by.
Poor Charles. He deserves so much better than this ingrate. It’s a shame that Harry is not ready to marry and then have kids; I imagine Charles would finally have the grandchildren and family he dreamed about, so he could dote on them and take joy in it all.
The Midds, and Willy and his geisha are cold-hearted, grasping and cruel. I hope one day Willy gets his comeuppance.
Thank you Maven! I don’t think KM is frail at all. She was single-minded in her pursuit of social climbing and bagging the prince.
The stories of their set paint her as firm, controlling, and ruthless in doing whatever it takes to get what she wants. Remember the guard who was fired because he told people on facebook how bitchy KM was to all the Palace staff?
Argh, these two piss me off! Sure, Charles isn’t good enough for a visit, but his money is welcome 24/7. Grrrrrrrr. Cut them off already. Let’s see how much they dislike C&C when Kate can’t afford another pair of citrine Kiki earrings, beige shoes, or get her hair colored with extensions. How can they expect to be head of state someday without learning the job from the actual head of state?
And, he (William) will be King thanks to his father’s Royal blood. If he and Kate are using Charles for his money, but not allowing him access to the children, that is overwhelmingly sad. Still Charles has let William behave terribly ever since Diana’s death. I am sure everyone in the family had some type of guilt issues surrounding the tragic loss of the boys’ Mum, but William has not grown emotionally and he is really acting quite hatefully, if this is true.
I also think Carole is playing her trump card and getting into the Cambridge’s marriage as much as she can. One day, William will wake up and find out how he was used. I’m sure it will be a shock, but so be it. He has children of his own, now. He should want to have some sort of decent relationship with his father, so that his children will know the man better. Sad, isn’t it?
The Middleton’s have only been included so often due to William’s insistence. They, of course, have brazenly leveraged this into opportunities for themselves. They are pretty addicted to the attention and play it up for all it’s worth. We have not really publicly seen family members of those who have married into the BRF. Is there really any need to? William’s unresolved issues with his family made him easy prey for the Middleton’s; sex on demand from the daughter and rounds of soothing cheesy toast from the mother who smothers.
If Kate was mature, she would help repair the father-son relationship quietly and amiably. She should be the lynch pin here but appears to be so needy herself that she can barely function without her mother. Carole and Pippa are the only females Kate is close to; I get the impression that Kate is too competitive and catty with other women, hence has few female friends. Since the Middleton’s seem to be a closed unit, I do not see them wanting William to be influenced by anyone but themselves. I think Carole is quite delusional; she loves the power she has over William. And no, I don’t see the Cambridge’s as a happy functioning unit either; both Kate and William exhibit too many signs of psychological distress. They bring out the worst in each other, with only hedonism in common. Both are children in adults’ bodies.
I don’t believe William will be king either. He just wants the dosh to live well. At some point in Charles’s reign the monarchy should be wound up and state assets transferred back to the state in order to benefit the UK and its people. William has been treated too leniently, and I agree that he has probably threatened many a time to walk away. However, they should call his bluff; he is addicted to the prestige, money and kowtowing that goes with his position and has been since a child. Take it all away and who would he be? No-one would defer to him, no PR picking up his messes and hiding his failures. And he’d have to live off his own funds.
What is most irksome is all their private crap being played out in the press, clearly through deliberate leaks by both parties. They should sort out their shit by seeing a phalanx of psychologists, and not burden the public with all their crap. Yep, dysfunction all round.
After the press war with Diana, you’d think Charles would have learned to keep his private life more private. The fact that they are feeding the papers themselves is a bit embarassing.
+1 Nicely Stated!
Charles should just cut off their funding- no more ugly and expensive clothes for Kate, William will have to keep wearing all his tight trousers, until the area around his royal jewels start to fray and are hanging in threads. That’ll surely make WK come around.
Also any future upgrades to Anmer that don’t relate to security would have to be footed by William. How much more of other people’s money should they get to spend on their frivolities?
And while we’re at it, put them in the back of the Range Rovers and drive them to the few engagements they do.
Yup Charles need to exercise control via the purse strings.
I picked up on the ‘granny annexe’ for Carole at KP. That the public has paid for. And good idea about the Range Rovers, since the BRF has obviously done a deal with this provider.
All upgrades to Anmer should have been paid for out of HM’s private money or Charles’s private money. Sandringham is “private” property. No taxpayer or Duchy money should be spent on it. The story about how over a million in taxpayer money WAS spent on it was quickly hushed up.
Even security costs at those residences (including Balmoral) should all be handled by HM’s private money. If the BRF aren’t going to stay in the taxpayer-funded homes, they should have to pay all staff and security costs at “private” residences out of their own pockets.
Remember the stories of Willliam hitting up Charles for money publicly at a church event? That was for the $100,000 tennis court. It didn’t come out of Duchy money, it was Charles’s private money they were going after. Why William with his millions in inheritance cannot pay for his own tennis court???
Nota, I truly think William is still blackmailing Charles emotionally. PC seems to be the kind of person who walks away from controversy, because fighting hurts him. William, if he is even a bit as manipulative and petulant as people say he is, will be a pro when it comes to make his old man as miserable as he can.
The important sentence in entire article is……’he is afraid of upsetting William’…….
That is the Cambridge family motto. Everyone is afraid of upsetting William. Whatever their various personalities, William is the Sun. The Sun King whose every need is catered to and not the other way round.
No one questions him, his decisions or his MO.
Truly sad because he could use someone checking his BS.
I shake my head in disbelief that William has been permitted to behave so intolerably for, if reports are true, most of his life. But who would check his BS? He listens to no-one.
I’ve long suspected that William inherited the disagreeable Spencer temperement. Johnnie Spencer ( grandfather), Charles Spencer (uncle) and to some extent Diana all had it. They could be and often were tricky in their personal lives and i think that is what we see in William.
Charles POW nor HM could deal with Diana’s Spencer temperement. It’s harder to deal with in their status entitled son/ grandson.
Johnnie, Charles and Diana couldn’t be checked and made life difficult for those around them unless those people learnt how to deal with them.
Diana showed this very early in the marriage when the royal household tried to help her transition and she wouldn’t take their advise, preferring to go her own way. That’s clearly where William gets it from. Sadly for him, Diana had fairly good instincts and or could PR her way out of any difficulties. He didn’t inherit that aspect.
Harry definitely didn’t inherit the Spencer temperement. He inherited both Charles and Diana’s good points and whether natural or nurture or being a spare, is sensible enough to self correct when he goes wrong, AND is self aware enough not to assume that his own way is the best way and therefore doesn’t need advise from anybody.
I think Harry has far more sense than his brother, and appears to be able to take advice, and to good effect. I’d agree with your assessment of them all. William seems to have been unpleasant for most of his life; probably part nature, part nurture. Pity the family didn’t nip what they could in the bud very early on. It would have done William a big favour.
I agree, Wm ended up with the Spencer temperament along with a strong dose of Edward VIII’s.
On entirely different note, i’m genuinely surprised by the byline. Kate Nicholls in a Middleton mouthpiece. Yet she’s written a less than flattering article about all the Middletons, Normal Bill included.
On the surface it’s about Charles whining and calling out Carol, but there is alot of information negative information in this article about the Middletons.
The article finishes as Middleton PR, with poor innocent Carole not being at fault at all. No, she isn’t obsessed with the grandchild that may one day be on the throne and deliberately keeping him away from Charles. (sarcasm).
Much of it reads as “poor Middletons”. Implying that if only the BRF would invite them to Balmoral for the summer, all of these troubles over the grandchildren would be solved.
I did find her book to be shot through with “read between my lines, wink wink” backhanded fawning. I think we can easily figure out what KN thinks of her subject matter, when she shuts the door and kicks off her shoes at the end of the day.
Hmm… these royal reporters occasionally mix it up a bit to muddy the waters. It does appear that Charles is having a whinge though the headline still claims that poor Carole is being ‘frozen out’ by Charles and that she would be ‘devastated’ to think she had been the cause of Charles not seeing his grandchildren. Not too much negativity about the Middleton’s; Carole is portrayed as ‘helping out’ but it’s been far more than that, hasn’t it? She seems to have her hooks well and truly into the Cambridge lifestyle, if reports are to be believed.
The reports that the Middleton’s were not here and there and at this and that are just nonsense. All puff and I’m sure Katie Nichol knows it, trying to drum up sympathy. The Middleton’s are seemingly after a change in image – first Pippa, now this.
Just to add: I think ‘whitewashing’ themselves is the name of the game going by the last few sentences of the DM article.
KN maybe trying to paint POW and BRF in a negative light for ‘the poor meddlesome in-law’ rightly excluded from the royal family but, she confirm the first article of the problems POW has with carol meddlesome in royal household and POW having no time with his grandkids. He pay their Enfield lives. Without King Prince Charles, there is NO throne for lazy, entitled petulant bill or george/charlotte
What a lovely DR/SRF style Photo call it would be with POW, Prince Henry and the kids to say nothing of vacationing together.
I think it’s give out alot of information that puts Carol/Kate/William in a poor light.
It’s not the same as Diana vs Charles. Several ideas rightly or wrongly posted against Carol, Kate, William
1. They make no time for Charles
2. Despite the fun stuff Charles has arranged, it’s not being used. YET one of the corner stones of Middleton family life is fun with the family, not to mention their mantra about the importance of family. As long as it’s Middleton family. This is punching a hole in that PR narrative.
3. When the Middletons organise stuff, they keep it strictly about themselves. The 2 words, ‘of course’ in the middle of saying Charles was invited give impression that it was a ladt minute tacked on invite rather than something put together that was inclusive.
4. Royal training…..what kind of King will G be? Curious that Charles feels *HE* should be the one to train him and not the boy’s own father.
5. The missed holidays. We have the poor WC relationship confirmed in print.
6. Not to mention the confirmation that WC barely communicate and therefore can’t improve relations.
7. The Middletons completely blocking Charles except where he (or HM) had out babbles like Ascot or prime seats at prime events.
And so much more in the article.
Charles *is* whinging, but the world is used to that. This is much more of a blow to the Middletons because if they can’t keep Charles onsite, what other doors will close to them? William may be the golden goose, but he won’t lay those golden eggs for a good 30yrs if Windsor longevity follows for Charles. William doesn’t necessarily know or cultivate good relations with people who will pave his way with gold beyond the Grovesnors, and those are Charles/HM connections.
And if William ever decided to divorce Kate, the entire establishment will close ranks even more. Neither Kate nor Carol gave made any efforts in putting together a supportive social network that might side with them.
Has it ever been mentioned with any gravity at all that Charles may step aside early, after becoming king? I can see him being very comfortable and happy living a life of wealthy retired aristocrat pursuits. Maybe he is counting on Willian taking over sooner than we think and that’s why the Cambs get so much “freedom” right now?
Or maybe William really is just an entitled jerk who has been raised to think his sh*t doesn’t stink and needs a personality transplant yesterday.
Speaking of personality, little Mia Tindall is extremely cute and busy. Estelle is still my gold standard royal kiddo, but she is right on her heels. It’s going to be fun watching her grow up!
Charles has waited to be King his whole life, and has also been incredibly active throughout his life. So no, I don’t see him giving that up to be idle, like his son. Maybe it has/was mooted to give William the crown while he was young enough but what’s the point? The man does nothing and has been an abject failure at everything. His wife is also next to useless.
Agreed! I hope Charles holds that crown on with both hands and lives at least as long as his mother.
It’s a game of chess, isn’t it? So far, Charles and co have acquiesced to William, no doubt thinking he’d settle down, ‘get over’ the Middleton’s as long as William’s demands were met. The Middleton’s have been underestimated in terms of their clinging power as well as their provision of affection of the kind that William craved.
Charles has more power than he thinks: money, and as you say, all levels of access to the establishment, including being able to know everything about the Middleton’s . Out of deference to his son, the dogs haven’t been unleashed… yet. Charles needs to start closing down W+K’s options. William can threaten but he stands to lose more. There’s a ‘spare’ for a reason.
The Middleton’s attitude would change to William should he walk, or threaten to; there goes their meal ticket to status and any number of things. Should William become besotted with another woman, it’s also game over for them. I think this is why they stick so close to him, in the name of ‘family closeness’ but really, this is no different to Kate acting as guard dog in the dating years.
Kate and carole are still clinging on to the fairytale of the commoner marrying her prince and that this lovely family has welcomed poor willy into their family. I sense an erosion of love for this story and carole and kate are trying to gain sympathy by blaming Charles for freezing the midds out and this leads to mental anguish for kate and will which then becomes justification for dodging their duties
I love the headline KMR!! It appears that the 2016 version is not all that different from the 2015 version really. Imo, the only true losers here are George and Charlotte with parents that aren’t making an effort to include both sets of grandparents and grandparents that air their complaints in public rather than handling them privately.
+1.
This article is absurd. Charles often comes across as entitled, with a deluded sense of his own importance (Black Spider memos are a great example of this), and this article is no exception. He’s upset that he doesn’t get his fair share of time with his grandchildren? What is a “fair share” of time? In many families one set of grandparents sees the grandkids more than the other– it’s not “unfair”, it’s just something that happens. In this case, Charles still works and undertakes many engagements, whereas Carole (and maybe Michael) appears to be retired. Of course she’d see more of them. The implication that he was upset that Carole planned the birthday party is also ridiculous. I highly doubt Charles wanted to plan the party! It comes across as petty jealousy, at best.
Charles has done things to poison his relationship with the boys- most notably, planting bad publicity about them when they were in their teens to improve his own popularity. I’m sure these incidents led to some of William’s paranoia of the press, which in turn is now leading to their isolation at Amner.
IF Charles is upset about his relationship with his grandchildren, he needs to look seriously at his relationship with his children. I also don’t agree that it is Kate’s responsibility to helpWilliam repair that relationship- William and Charles need to develop a relationship on their own, not via a third party.
Sometimes a 3rd party can help bridge the gap or helps the warring parties see sense.
Yes, that’s true. But sometimes a third party can just exacerbate the situation! It may also be that William is perfectly content with a distant relationship with his father and Kate doesn’t see any reason to intervene. Anecdotally, I’m not particularly close to my father, and I’m perfectly happy with our relationship- we talk on the phone once every month or so, we see each other once or twice a year. I would find it truly bizarre and, frankly, offensive if a partner tried to help us work on our relationship.
With regards third party intervention, isn’t that the point of a good therapist/mediator?
Of course William could be perfectly happy with current relationship, but everything we know about Kate’s relationship with Charles indicates that she wouldn’t necessarily facilitate any relationship.
At the end of the day, both Kate and Carole facilitate the idea that they are all about family, yet have done nothing except take Charles’s money and babbles rather than try to figure out a way to facilitate a relationship with him outside of that. To be fair, they are completely insular, so it’s not exclusive to Charles. Charles’s babbles seem to have drawn them out of the bubble, and are the bribe needed to keep them coming. It gets tiring to realise that you are being used and that the only reason someone is hanging out with you is for the money and events you provide.
Btw: i’m not saying it’s Kate and Carole’s responsibility to do anything about the Charles- William relationship. However, as they have William’s ear, and we see how they’ve managed him into the undutiful sloth that they have always been and he never was, it’s easier for them to manage him into having a cordial relationship with Charles or at the very least understanding that both sets of grandparents are important. It’s not as if they turn away Charles’s money nor are they so busy and unavailable that they can’t work with Charles.
I remember Kate once stepping in for Charles at an engagement last minute because Charles had to attend the funeral of a Saudi royal who’d died suddenly.
When Charles is pictured with Camilla’s grandkids, it’s quite clear how comfortable he is with them and interacts with them like someone who has spent time with them. If he can find time for his step-grandkids, he can certainly find the time for his own grandkids.
Ultimately, the problem is William above all. He has made it very clear, long before the kids arrived, that he had replaced his blood family with the Middletons.
That is the issue. And given the personalities involved, it won’t change any time soon, if at all.
I had heard that Camilla often goes to her kids’ homes to see the grandkids, that he likes them in small doses but has a hard time with all the noise and chaos that can come from little children. He does seem to be a bit of s sensitive soul and may be one of those people who struggles when they experience over stimulus. I can see something that was totally innocent being blown up by Kate, or more likely William, to say that Charles “doesn’t really like” their kids, and using that as a justification.
The “darling daughter-in-law” covered last minute when Charles was called away to a funeral in Saudi Arabia. That doesn’t indicate a lot of closeness to me, it means this one time W&K did what Charles asked.
There were rumors around the same time that Charles and KM were secretly attending the opera together frequently. Not a single photo, twitter sighting, or speck of proof. When HM and Prince Philip went to the theater with Peter and Autumn Phillips there were loads of pictures to prove it.
For me personally, I would expect my spouse to take my side. So if I had a terrible relationship with my mother and never wanted to speak to her again (which I do), I would expect my spouse to take my side and *not* push me toward a better relationship with my mother.
But would you keep demanding money from the family you hate, in order to live a life you haven’t earned?
They are all supported by the Windsor Family Firm. If William doesn’t want to be a Windsor, he needs to walk away and take the wife and kids with him.
But the Charles/William issue (if it even is one, who really knows) is kind of a special circumstance. I’m not comparing feelings, just what is at stake on paper, so to speak.
@nota:
No. Did I say I would or that William should? I made a comment saying that I agree with Colleen that I would be upset if my partner tried to convince me to make amends with my mother. I don’t think it’s Kate’s or Camilla’s place to interfere with William and Charles’ relationship. That doesn’t mean, and I never said, I think William should take money from Charles.
I’d have a difficult time, as someone’s partner, standing by and watching them be this self-destructive over all of it. William has hated his role in the family company since he was a toddler, it wasn’t something that developed after his mother’s death. But if the partner is in it for the money and position, of course she’ll let it ride.
If every penny I spent to feed my kids came from my partner’s family? And my partner hated and resented them so much, and played these constant games to hurt them? I’d be getting us off the gravy train.
It isn’t healthy, or ethical, to keep living off the family, especially when the other branch of the family (allegedly) is wealthy and my partner has millions in the bank. Walk away with some dignity and help your partner start to heal.
Great advice, nota.
Unfortunately, the partner’s family is on that gravy train and not only refuses to get off but wants to drive it.
Yes, it would be the ethical and healthy thing to do; William doesn’t want to leave because of the status and money either even though he has his own funds. No win for anyone.
I agree with most of that statement. As a grandma that lives in a different state than my children/grandchildren, it is impossible for me to be with them as much as the other side of the family. I don’t like it but that’s what it is right now. Charles should man up and do something if he’s unhappy. These DM articles are just fantasy. We don’t know what the real reason is behind anything.
And yet the boys certainly have no problem living off of Charles’ money.
Charles works, remember? He does over 500 engagements a year, plus putting huge amounts of energy into the Duchy, Duchy Originals, and Prince’s Trust. He recently took over the estate management of Balmoral and Sandringham from Prince Philip. And he’s been handed loads of HM’s work as well.
William refuses to work. Kate Middleton refuses to work. So Charles is doing the work of 3-5 people. Instead of going to Balmoral so the Windsor side of the family can see the grandkids, W&K have snuck off to France to act like B-list celebrities.
Charles calendar is scheduled a year in advance. He cannot cancel on doing his job. He cannot retire, and he cannot hand off duties because his feckless eldest son and DIL refuse to work.
W&K refused the estate near Highgrove, they just HAD to be near mummy Carole. So mummy Carole gets to see the grandkids every day, because she can make the drive over or her daughter goes to Berkshire.
What has been the continuing theme since their son arrived is that W&K do not make time for Charles to see the kids. Meaning, they do not pay attention to his requests and they do not make sure to visit Highgrove or anywhere when Charles is free. They are keeping the kids from Charles, while happily gouging the taxpayers and Charles for every penny they can get.
Yes, this +1000
+2
Totally spot on!
William fake works so he can shirk real duty. Well done Wills, really really admirable. And obvious.
Well said.
Whilst I agree with you in theory the reality is Anmer is further from Berkshire than the place near Highgrove, and involves the M25 so the argument doesn’t stack up.
I think they wanted to be in Norfolk where there few wealthy friends also live rather than in the Cotswolds.
And with reference to comments up post about the family dynamics, this is not a normal family, they can’t just drift off and not see each other. Many events require family, so anyone and everyone who can help build bridges should do that. Be it wives, brothers or professionals. I don’t disagree with KMR and others regarding spousal support in normal families, but this is not acceptable with the BRF. How does George learn about his future if not from HM and Charles? Will reportedly spent a lot of time with HM after his mother died learning from her. Very few people really understand the goldfish bowl so they need to work together.
Well that’s my personal opinion anyway.
I’d guess the choice of Anmer suits W+K due to its relative isolation as well as William’s friends living in the county. And since Sandringham is the Queen’s private property, any gift to W+K stays with them ie not returned to public ownership.
Whether George makes it to the throne is anyone’s guess. I hope the monarchy will be done and dusted well before then so that he and Charlotte do not have to live in a goldfish bowl. It would be good to think they can choose their life and career paths, with success due to their abilities and hard work. I am hoping they have nothing of their parents in them, of course. Nevertheless, both children do have a right to know their extended family and lineage, not just one side of it. The insular Middleton approach is worrying.
I am unimpressed with any family that withholds access to children to punish other members of the family (William) or tries to make them dependent by isolating them (Middleton way). It’s selfish and in my opinion such people should be kept well away from children. They should not be pawns in other people’s pathetic games.
Berkshire is closer by 45 minutes or so. KM gets photographed driving around Berkshire and shopping in the area. If they can made the effort to be at mummy Carole’s so often that a million in security upgrades were put into the Middleton private home? But cannot make it the extra 45-60 minutes to Highgrove?
Now that all of W&K’s travel “between residences” is now covered by taxpayers whether work related or not? I wonder if that includes helicopter trips from Norfolk to Berkshire? Now that it is all covered, will it not be tracked or allowed to be questioned? Was that change in royal funding another way of covering up how much time she and the kids are at mummy’s instead of Anmer?
Someone who isn’t mentioned is Camilla. As the daughter-in-law of a sweet but distant man and his second wife, I’ve got to think that she may be part of the equation. Bad relationship with Wills? More interested in her own children and grandchildren? Content to have Charles on uneasy terms with the Anmer crowd so that she doesn’t have to deal? I am willing to give Wills/Prince Charles the lion’s share. But pushing these two toward a closet relationship should ideally come from both their wives.
If you’re going to put some blame for Charles and William’s relationship on Camilla because she isn’t pushing them toward a closer relationship then you must also put equal blame on Kate seeing as she equally doesn’t push Charles and William toward a closer relationship.
Oh yeah, absolutely. It’s just that some comments have already put quite a bit of the responsibility on Kate. But an uninterested, disengaged mother-in-law can make things harder. Especially when Carole Middleton is too much the opposite.
If we’re looking at more than the father/son dynamic and responsibilty, I think Kate *and* Camilla might need to help move things along.
I think Camilla has her own commitments to her own grandchildren plus her work engagements. I would think Camilla would treat George and Charlotte the same. I have not seen Camilla with George and Charlotte though to get an accurate impression. I think it must be hard for Camilla not knowing what kind of role to play. My mum is harsh towards me sometimes and I don’t understand why. It gives me such anxiety that someone I love is treating me this way. I think my mum prefers grown ups and not children because she thinks they haven’t grown to love her. Which is sad in a way.
I think George needs his parental grandparents because how is he to know what to do, how to behave etc. Carole can not teach him what he needs to know to become king.
I’m a part time royal watcher from across the pond and have just stumbled across your blog. We don’t get as much info as you do about the RF (our RF is Brangelina 🙂 But I remember reading a series of articles after Prince George was born about Camilla drinking excessively, losing her temper, and lashing out at Kate during family holidays. I also remember William saying she was no longer welcome around George after Camilla made a number of drunken nuisance phone calls. As the child of an alcoholic, I had to do the same thing to protect my children. If those stories about Camilla were true then that could just be a very simple answer….Camilla isn’t invited so Charles won’t go either.
I’m honestly curious if those stories you read were at Celebrity Dirty Laundry. Because they have been running anti-Camilla stories for years and years. They really hate her over there. I’m the child of an alcoholic, too, and I would never make excuses for a known alcoholic. But I do question the source of those stories. Also, Camilla has a great relationship with her own grandchildren, and if she were that dangerous to have around kids I would think her own children wouldn’t allow her near their kids far before William took action since Camilla spends way more time with her own grandchildren than with William’s kids. Do you remember where you read those stories?
It was a few years ago so I don’t remember which websites I read the articles, but I do remember it was after George was born and before Charlotte. Camilla may not be physically dangerous to the kids, but if those stories were even partially true, William and Kate may not want their children in that environment. I take what I read about celebrities with a grain of salt and we don’t know what really happens behind closed doors. Apparently Charles has his schedule fixed six months in advance and the Middleton’s are far more flexible so they can spend more time with their daughter and grandchildren. It is also easier for one adult to travel than to travel with 2 small children. Once they are no longer in diapers, bottles, cribs, and set naptimes Charles will probably see more of them. And it will be quality time not quantity time like the Middleton’s have right now. At least let them start talking in full sentences before worrying about who will teach them to be Royal. And if I were Kate I’d take Charlotte to wherever they keep the crown jewels and take photos of her wearing every tiara belonging to the Royal fami!ly and tweet them with Honey Boo Boo captions…. Lol
A couple things:
I think Charles would make a fun grandparent! I find it sad when a child doesn’t nurture a grandparent/grandchild relationship. It’s such a special bond.
All this talk about wanting “a normal” upbringing just makes me shake my head. Regardless of what happens with the monarchy, this child will never be “normal” How about helping him realize that and letting him be a regular child within that parameter. i.e. Swedish royal family and their kiddos. Yes, three is hard to grasp some of that but I don’t thing relative isolation only to be brought out for certain engagements is working and normal either. It makes him look scared of the situation.
The poor William card makes me mad! my college roommate’s dad was an air force pilot and died in an accident. She was a fully functional adult who instead of using her grief as an escape goat got a Ph.d in psychology instead. WK may want the middletons at functions but they could politely decline…
One last thought. I actually like Daniel’s parents ( SRF) so I had to think about my double standards about seeing them at the christening. I don’t speak/read Swedish, so I’m not reading Swedish newspapers but they don’t appear to be in the news like the middleton’s are. Estelle seems to have a relationship with both sets of grandparents and maybe that’s it?
As stated before, Charles controls purse strings so cutting them off for awhile may make them see the light.
Sorry for stream of consciousness-I’m at the airport killing time
I feel sorry about Charles’ bad relationship with Wills. I agree that all signs point to Wills being the cause of the family cleft. I think Carole would love to be close to her in laws as it would increase her status as a royal insider. She already considers herself a de facto Diana. She wore an outfit designed by one of Diana’s favorite designers at W&K’s wedding. She’s been obsessed with Diana for decades. As a young woman she had a crush on Charles. But part of her Rasputin like hold on Wills is her practice of indulging his paranoid angry thoughts. That may include allowing Wills to disparage and humiliate his father every chance he gets.
I’m willing to bet that Wills disparages his father to anyone who will listen. He allows Waity to be disrespectful to Charles and elbow him off to the side as witnessed at the most recent balcony appearance. Charles is afraid of Wills because Wills is a thoroughly angry immature jerk. It would be wonderful to see Charles cut off Wills financially.
By the way, I’ve also read that at the time just before Diana’s death, Wills was not getting along with Diana and treated her badly. (Diana’s brother also refused to let Diana return to her family home after her divorce. Another example of the cruel Spencer temperament.) In a recent article, Ken Wharfe describes Wills as constantly belittling Harry. So Wills has not grown beyond his bullying, spiteful attitude towards the world and those close to him.
Can’t stand the delusional degenerate Carole and Waity, but they take their cues from Wills. And Wills will continue to hurt Charles by way of using his children and his weak idiot wife as weapons in inflicting his disdain and anger towards his father.
It’s so disingenuous of William to take his father’s money while preventing his father from seeing his children.
KM has no problem blaming Charles too. Remember, after one of the breakups she was overheard in public blaming Charles.
Oops, sorry! CloseR relationship. Darn autocorrect
I think that when Harry will have children, Will will want that his children are the most prefered grandchildren of Charles.
For what I read, William is easily jealous of his brother : he must really hate that his brother is more popular than him…
I think it will be very interesting when Harry has kids to see what kind of relationship his kids have with Charles, and how William reacts. I’ll be especially interested in how much access Harry gives the press/public to his kids.
It may depend on whether Charles is still POW or has become king. If Charles is still POW, I can see Harry moving to the Harewood estate and being close to Charles. If Charles’s new house on Harewood is done by then, Charles might move there and let Harry live in Highgrove. That arrangement will only last until Charles becomes king, at which point William can toss Harry and family out of Highgrove at any time.
If Charles is already king, it will depend on where Charles can settle Harry and his family and if that estate will be near Windsor.
I hope Charles makes some suitable arrangements for Harry that can’t be undone by William. If Harry marries a woman who possesses empathy, openness and a strong work ethic, the comparison between them and the Cambridge’s will be stark and no doubt William and Kate will not be happy. Expect shenanigans and leaks aplenty. Should children bless the union, I’d expect Charles to have as much access as is agreeable to all, which would present another problem. The BRF has a real problem in William and his leech-like in-laws.
It can only be “safe” from William the Petulant if Charles uses his private money to purchase an estate for Harry. Like Gatcombe Park for Anne, except not using any Duchy money (or Crown Estate money as they did for Anne). And the hue-and-cry that would go up over the purchase? See the criticism of the £13million Swiss chalet bought by Andrew and Sarah. Or Willem-Alexander and Maxima’s African, Greek, and Argentinian homes.
Many Harry fans want him to have Highgrove. He cannot have that unless Charles buys it away from the Duchy before he ascends. Once William is Duke of Cornwall, he could refuse to sell.
If Charles wants to make secure arrangements, it will have to be privately owned by Harry. It has to be an estate that produces enough that Harry can afford to pay the security costs himself. He’ll have to be self-supporting if his brother decides to throw him off the payroll, as Charles is rumored to be doing to Andrew.
If things ever got that bad between the brothers, I’d expect a full-time move to S.A. for Harry and family. He’d still support Invictus and UK military as much as he could, but doing it from a private life in a far-off country where he’d be running Sentebale.
Well, Charles will no doubt leave funds to Harry and Harry has his own money too so he can buy whatever he wants. But this money ultimately emanates from the public purse, so no wonder there is an outcry eg Gatcombe Park. It looks as if the BRF has been given more than they need and dipped into funds earmarked for other purposes eg building maintenance, squirreling it away for personal purposes. I hope Harry, though, is working through strategies because William is one nasty piece of work.
Harry may have a bit more than William, but £10 million is a generous guess. He inherited 10 million from Diana but paid 40 percent tax on it. He also likely received a few million from the Queen Mum, as did all the great grandkids. Securing his family and property out of his own funds would eliminate his money in a decade.
Royals do have private funds, as much as we question where they came from. Not every royal spouse was impoverished like Philip. Some bring private money into the family.
An example I gave before was Maria-Teresa of Luxembourg. Her family wealth was rumored at $1 billion when she and Henri wed. That was said to be the reason his racist mother relented and let them marry. It would eventually bring big money to the private coffers in the form of her inheritance from her parents.
HM owns private property (Balmoral, Sandringham, horse operation in Kentucky) and investments. That private money was used to purchase Gatcombe. The sneaky part was that taxpayer money (Crown Estate) was used to fix up Anne’s “private” property. Sneaky but it was done openly.
Taxpayer money was used for security upgrades to the Middleton’s family home. Over a million in taxpayer was used at Anmer until it was hushed out of the press. I don’t know if that was for security or things like the new roof and fireplaces.
The rented Welsh farmhouse had a $1 million security door, found out through public record searches. The rest was hushed up due to security concerns. Loads of taxpayer money was spent on securing a rented private property because W&K refused to live on base.
I suspect public money is used for all the security (and possibly some staff) at Balmoral and Sandringham, but I don’t think it has been investigated.
Thanks, nota, for the information. There have obviously been some misappropriation of public funds with some misdirection here and there. I am really surprised that over the years no-one had demanded accountability. Shame there isn’t a very ethical, non-corruptible overseer office who peruses every expense.
The Welsh door was, in retrospect, a sign of things to come! I agree with an early commenter who suggested that security etc of residences beyond what has been already provided should be borne by the RF eg Welsh farmhouses, Buckleberry. The BRF spends as if there is a tap of money that is never turned off and is theirs as of right. It’s incredibly arrogant.
It really all could be rectified if William and Kate didn’t Carole be a confidante and member of the staff. If she’d delegated planning George’s birthday to a staff person, Charles couldn’t feel left out of it. Instead, Carole does it all, and therefore is constantly there and totally ingratiated into their lives. And William thinks it’s fabulous.
Your comment reminds me of William’s criticism of working parents and his own parents specifically.
In the article sanctioned by him in this regard, one of the reasons he said he wanted to be a SAHD was because his own parents (plural) were always away working.
I can see how Carole being a helicopter parent would tap into his need to be the centre of a parent’s attention at all times.
Her being available to plan all the tiny details would be so appealing to him and in his ‘normal’ fetish, the thing to do. Ditto Kate being similarly available to him and the children to the exclusion of everything and everyone else.
On the otherhand, he also needs independence to do his own thing irrespective of how that affects everyone else in his self created family. During the courting years, he was simultaneously attracted and repelled by the smothering, helicoptering relationship he had with Kate and possibly Carole.
As Kate and Carole are *always* available to him, as is everybody else in his orbit, he has never learnt how to reach out to others to create a relationship or even to repair a damaged one. In this one aspect, he is mirroring Charles 100%, but Charles is possesses curiosity that has allowed him not to isolate himself like William.
Yep. And this way they get to claim they don’t relay on much staff. Who would have to when your MIL is playing the role of butler?
I don’t have much to add. Most of my views on the matter has been stated already, and I agree with the points put forward.
W&K are playing a dangerous game with Charles. He is their *source*, and only an idiot will slay the goose who lays the golden aggs. In other words, no one would want to offend the bearer of such gifts. If this article is all that’s allegedly happening with the relationship between Charles, William and Waity, then Charles should get W&K’s attention by withdrawing his monetary support and leave them to fend for themselves.How much worse can the relationship be if Charles were to take that line of action? Sometimes, it takes some tough love to make others aware of their actions. Charles needs to assert himself and ignore William’s tantrums. William is a grown man who’s approaching the second phase of his adulthood, and needs to grow up. What kind of example is he showing his children? They will eventually realize that it’s alright to disrespect William in the same way as he is doing to Charles. If, and when, that should happen how will William deal with the retribution that befalls him? Will he bully the kids into submission or sit around and mope like the kid who’s lost his lollipop? Payback is a bitch!
I’m very baffled that W&K are given a pass on their behavior and wild spending and no one in the BRF is telegraphing to them that their behavior is unacceptable. I suppose everyone in the BRF feels that it’s Charles’ responsibility to keep W&K in line and are hands off. Charles’ only hope is for the Queen to intervene and act accordingly. I truly am saddened when I see families torn apart due to one bad apple.
I can identify with Charles’s wanting to spend more time with his grandchildren and with his frustration and resentment at getting the short end of the stick. At the same time (as others have mentioned), it’s not that unusual for there to be a lack of balance in time spent with grandparents, especially if there happens to be a history of conflict or tension on one side. I’d advise Charles to be happy about being at the George’s party rather than being petulant about its planning, and to remember this quote from Alexandre Dumas, “…all human wisdom is contained in these two words, ‘Wait and Hope’,” as things can change. I was also struck that Charles seems to have set ideas about what George and Charlotte will like (he build a shepherd’s “hut”, so they should play in it; they should follow his outdoor pursuits in Scotland). I hope he’ll also be able to take a lead from George and Charlotte themselves…what if they’re not interested in shooting and killing animals?
Why should he be content with a handful of seconds in the middle of a birthday party, controlled by the other in-laws? Where every move he makes is watched and likely criticized?
The point is that the grandkids are deliberately being withheld from spending time with Charles. Time when he could get to know them as people. He cannot do that in a handful of minutes in the Middletons house, but those are the only crumbs that are being thrown his direction by his feckless son and DIL.
He cannot know if they like gardens or shepherd huts until they are allowed near his estate, but it seems odd to think he isn’t allowed to try to share his interests with them. He helped raise two kids, as much as Diana and the media would like people to think otherwise. He isn’t going to force them to like what he likes.
It is not asking too much to get to see the grandkids even once a month *not* under the watchful and controlling eyes of the other grandparents. The kids will never build a relationship with Charles if they are always being swept away by Carole. It is especially not asking too much, give how much W&K take and take and take and do not give back either to Charles or the nation.
I think Charles needs to be persistent and sort out regular visits. He will most likely be rebuffed, with excuses made etc. but he needs to make the effort even though his relationship with William is clearly fractious. I agree, visits should not be under the direction of the other set of grandparents, if indeed that is the case. I thought it charming that he had made the little hut and refurbished the other children’s playhouse. Most children would enjoy exploring both and feeding their imaginations. And I think most parents would understand that a metaphorical bridge was being built here and see that their problems should not necessarily be their children’s burden to shoulder. I can understand if the grandparent was abusive etc and access would be limited or denied, but is that the case here? Isn’t this about William’s anger with the world which seems to be increasing? About retribution? If so, he really needs to be removed from the line of succession; too damaged to have such responsibility.
It’s ironic that the Middletons keep taking the kids to pet farms to play with the animals, yet Highgrove and indeed Sandrigham Estate and other royal estates like Balmoral are working farms.
Kids who grow up on farms are more familiar with said working farms, yet these people take the kids from a working farm around them to the type of pet farm inner city groups put together so that inner city kids will get a rare chance to meet animals and perhaps pet them. Pet farms are as artificial an environment as Zoos.
It punches holes in Kate’s view of herself as a country woman. She’s a city woman who happens to live in the country. If she were truly a country woman, she would pursue country activities and be more in touch with the farm on Sandrigham and all her inlaws’ estates.
Ironic indeed…
But it does reinforce the notion of both families not in sync with each other for the good of the children. Surely it would be easy to ask if the Middleton grandparents could take G+C around the farm at Sandringham? Perhaps they want to keep their activities very separate from the BRF’s properties et al? At best, not to impose; at worst, trying to be the ‘favourite’ grandparents.
I’ve never bought the idea that Kate was a country woman. The Vogue fantasy shoot is just that, but yes, you are right, Kate is essentially a city girl who happens to live on a country estate, well, sometimes.
Didn’t Kate barely spend time in Wales when she and William lived there because she was shopping in London and spending time with her parents in Berkshire so much? May be William likes the idea of country living because it out of the prying eyes of the press and public and Kate just goes along with it but she’s more of a city girl at heart.
Yup.
I doubt that Carole’s reason for taking George to the public pet farms has anything to do with her not wanting to encroach on the BRF properties. Being seen by the paps with Kate’s kids at the public farms is exactly what Carole wants to transmit. The pictures and paps’ attention bolsters Carole’s image as the perfect grandmother. She wouldn’t get any press if she were on the BRF’s properties because those properties are secluded and away from public scrutiny. Carole is a schemer and has all these little tricks down pat. Oh, what a tangled web we weave …..
I think it’s so darling and sweet of Charles to make up a kiddie wonderland for his grandchildren. It struck me and is why I said I felt sad for him; having that here, and wanting them over to play with… IMO the Trooping this year shows hos W&K treat Charles: shove him out of the way. THEY are important. Nobody else is.
Also: re the comment about Kate living in Wales – Yes, someone recorded she was spotted in London often pre-and-post marriage when she was supposedly living in their lovely Anglesey love nest which was a really nice house on an estate, not some tiny farmhouse the media would paint. She’s a city girl; she wouldn’t want to rough it on Anglesey (which looks gorgeous!). At least she had a Waitrose in Holyhead nearby. Snerk. They lived apart before the wedding and still do, I’d imagine.
‘Shooting & killing animals’ maybe not but playing house in a tiny house for their size, which toddlers won’t want that?!
I understand how each grandparent wants equal time with the grandchildren. When my grandparents heard my siblings and I were with the other set they wanted to see us the next weekend, and all of my grandparents loved each other. I do with they should make an effort to have George and Charlotte spend time with their grandfather. I’ll be the first to admit I’m not the biggest fan of Prince Charles but he is their grandfather. I’m sure George and Charlotte would have a lot of fun with him. I hope they get to spend quality time with Prince Charles, grandparents can play such a valuable role in your life.