186 thoughts on “Prince William & Kate Middleton visit YoungMinds as part of Heads Together campaign”

1. I’m so pleased they are keeping up the momentum with Heads Together. Well done to them and I hope this continues. I also like that they opened up a bit more today, especially William. I think he is trying to change his image and he deserves credit for that. In regards to Kate’s outfit, she looked lovely but why did she feel the need to buy a NEW dress that looks almost identical to her red LK Bennett “Cayla” dress? Her shopping behavior is very odd and wasteful.

   1. Yeah, I’ve been commenting for a while that Kate hasn’t done anything for HT for months, so it’s good she did something with them.

   2. I agree about her shopping behavior being wasteful. I can understand someone in Kate’s position having a lot of clothes. However, she buys so many things that look so similar. I do like this red dress better than the one she wore to Wimbledon, but there’s no reason for her to have two almost identical dresses. I feel the same way about her navy and nude pumps and her green coats. So many green coats!! Not to mention all those lace dresses…. If she’s going to buy so many things, they should at least have variety.

   3. Open up….these two are so disrespectful, self indulgent and all about PR for their lazy entitled waste of status lives…. Why such short notice and rush to visit….

      An unplanned, unannounced (media blocked) trip does nothing for the Cause /Charity (they pretend to care, if not given Orders). Imagine the waste of energies for the professionals and staff to accommodate their meet greet, practiced insincere facial of care and interest for such a sensitive cause. The media and people should have this scheduled weeks ago and a media presence to discuss. King Henry would have done this!

      Bill middleton need to let his mom rest in peace and stop using her to garner support for part of her life that he choose to use to his benefit; but ignore how hard working, caring and sincere she was for royal duties, the people and causes.

      1. it was an unannounced visit, not unplanned…..

         1. Thank you.

            Even worse… announcing the visit/publicity is very much needed for the charitoes and causes -:what good is a royal visit ‘once a year trip’ if not for the publicity…( unless you are a POW, Princess Royal, Prince Harry with multiple roll up your sleave working trips), then secret meet greet is self serving .

            1. They did publicize the event, just after the fact instead of beforehand. I honestly think they didn’t announce this particular event in advance because they didn’t want people calling into the helpline just to talk to W&K because that would have taken time and resources from people who actually needed to use the helpline. But they did publicize the event. More than they usually do, too, since they actually made comments.

      2. It was not unplanned nor was it media blocked. It was unannounced and there was a press embargo until after they left, but there was media there and they reported the event – better than normal since William and Kate actually said things (how else would I have gotten that William quote?). This event was scheduled weeks ago and the press knew, they just didn’t announce it – most likely for security or privacy reasons (possibly because they didn’t want people calling in just to have William and Kate talk to them and take up resources from people who actually need the service).

         Harry has done unannounced visits plenty of times, and no press visits as well. So no, Harry wouldn’t have announced this visit if the same security or privacy reasons existed.

         1. KMR
            “Unplanned, block out” … seem that way for a quick secret trip. This maybe one in how many months…? and more trips were maybe ordered from the Firm, HM. Prince Harry is a regular supporter to his charities and visits may be quite to not outshine w&k.

            1. This trip was not secret. It just was not announced ahead of time. They released information as soon as it was over.

2. I wasn’t impressed by William’s comment about wanting an “easy” call. 1) I wouldn’t think any of those calls would be easy to hear if one is a compssionate human being. And 2) Why should he get to pick and choose which conversation he wants to hear or that will make him the least uncomfortable? I’m afraid my dislike of him is clouding my judgment on today’s event. He seemed a mouthful of bees in all the pictures I saw (admittedly I didn’t see many).

   Kate looked happier than I expected her to. Nice dress, although my only complaint is it looks nearly exactly like her other red LK Bennett skater dress she wore to Wimbledon… when was that, last year? I feel 2 dresses so nearly alike from the same designer is a bit extravagant. BUT otherwise she seemed to be smiling and engaged, so there’s a +1 for that 🙂

   1. I really disliked William’s comment about the calls. Like, it’s not about you, William!

      I thought this dress *was* that dress when I first saw it.

      1. “Can I have an easy one” is his life mantra. The rest of quote is just pitiful. This guy is not a leader in any sense. He continues to show he is nothing more than pampered, childish, and weak-minded.

         1. “Can I have an easy one” is his life mantra.

            So true!

            1. I believe that William is depressed. I think he can’t really talk about his feelings. I think it is in William’s actions that show up the most. William’s posture and attitude strike me as someone who is grieving and I do feel for him. Every year his mum’s anniversary is brought up in the press. A mother is so close to a son that they try and replicate that with a girl. Well that is my two cents.
               Is William looking up the blonde in front of everyone? Or is it just me?

      2. I found it odd and not right that William asked for an easy call. His ambulance job is taking a toll on him? Then, why do it? I never thought — as you said, KMR – that he may be thinking of checking out of it. I just thought it was a foolish thing for a professional with Air Ambulance to make such a comment. Aren’t each of the employees seeing trauma and dealing with it thanks to training and support of one another? Just odd and made the entire thing mostly about William, initially .

         On that note, I would like to add that both William and Kate looked compassionate during the phone sessions and thank goodness they are taking on more important roles with the cause they are so keen about. Sorry, had to use that word.

         I want to give credit for that. If more people are now going to make such helpful calls in the future because of the coverage their appearance received, that can only assist families in crisis. I am in awe of volunteers and professionals who work with the public in this way. Their support and help is so important and cannot be applauded enough.

         Thanks, KMR, this is important stuff!

         1. Laura,

            From most accounts, willnot was fine or seem that way throughout his teen, university days of fun, girls, parties etc. Playing on his mom passing now is rather odd at this pass in time and age.

            1. Dolittle, I dont think it is odd at this time, if you think about he is coming up to the same age his mother was when she died and probably realising just how young she actually was, as well as the fact that he is now a father to two young kids who will never know their grandmother and that probably hurts him deeply, as much as we would like to believe, time isn’t a healer, and with time moving on there is now so much his mother would have missed. Also just thought he and Harry have now spent more of their life without their mother than with her and that must be a horrible thought for them.

            2. As ever, i compare William and Harry to JFK jr and Caroline Kennedy, but especially John who was much more intensely adopted by the public than his sister. Coupled with resembling their mother just like William and Diana.

               All 4 famous from birth and equally haunted and taunted by the death of a parent in a very public, violent death.

               All 4 having to put up with hearing every conspiracy anout their dead parent and innuendo about the remaining parent.

               All 4 having to put up with endless books about dead parent and remaining parent.

               The media and public rabid about every tiny detail of their lives.

               Friends, colleagues, fans, haters all giving their opinions every single day in private and in public.

               Rabid papparazzi chasing them, making their private lives harder to negotiate. Public and media judging every woman who stands next to Harry and John. Etc

               Family, media and public expectation of public service from them.

               Of the 4, William is the most protected and the one who has proven to be most problematic and unable to make peace with all of it.

            3. Dolittle I totally agree with you, Will seems to recall his mum whenever it’ s more convenient for him

            4. HeraZeus that is a great comparison! And as you say, William has been the most coddled and protected of all four. And he is the one who has turned out to be the biggest problem.

               I think he hasn’t been held accountable for his actions since he was a young child. It has extended into the rest of his life, with him assuming the blanket press protection (and general ass kissing) during University years should extend to the rest of his life.

            5. Herazeus, excellent points.

            6. I don’t know, Dolittle. It is just an opinion. I think Kate stuck with William because she wanted his baby, I think William was and is hunching over as he is a tall man and from the girls I think was self medicating. I think this time of year must be hard for both boys. However William seems mentally wired to Diana’s presence.

   2. No, the ‘easy call’ statement was bad. Neither William nor Kate possess much in the way of empathy or resilience.

      Front-line workers working with people in need experience extreme stress in their jobs. They don’t just do the occasional shift and leg it back to the palace.

      1. I also wanted to thump him on the head for saying something so narrow minded!

         Essentially, he is a Flight for Life co-pilot and wile his job certainly can be stressful, he is not the one actually taking care of the patients. He is flying to and from, safely. As a medical professional myself, him saying “I’m carrying a lot of things at the moment…I can’t deal with any more stuff,” makes me think that he has poor boundaries in being affected by his work, the sad situations or not able to properly manage/compartmentalize his work stress. It is not professional to allow his EAAA work stress invade his Royal work.

         My other thought is that maybe Will working a real job (when he works) has been exactly what he needs to introduce him to the real world and real life stress. He probably needed it to learn new coping mechanisms.

         I’m someone who works at least 50 hours a week, so I can’t imagine a grown man not being able to handle working at least part time, but I’m starting to wonder if William is a profoundly broken man. I wonder if he honestly can’t handle more than the stress of a part time job or he starts to crumble. I’m not a fan of William and am not making excuses for his lack of work ethic, but I wonder if his handicaps are part of the reason why he simply can’t work full time?

         If he does have any personal struggles that are holding him back, he should make good use of every advantage he has at his disposal to help himself become a better person. He literally has the whole world at his fingertips.

         1. Lindsay, if you look at the patterns that we know about – trouble completing things even though he has expressed profound interest in them, such as uni, RAF, EAAA, tailored courses – then there is a problem in there somewhere.

            At the risk of sounding contradictory – and I am not a fan either – but to this casual observer William presents as someone in all kinds of pain. To be sure, his character has been corroded by too much privilege to develop resilience and empathy, but I wonder if you are right about being ‘broken’. That said, Harry has buckets of empathy and resilience, so it’s not entirely due to nurture. He may still harbor guilt about his mother’s death, and let’s remind ourselves that the 19th anniversary of her death is just five days away. I took his comments about ‘carrying a lot at the moment’ in that context. But I agree with you; some tough love from those he most trusts to get him into some ongoing, intensive therapy would be helpful.

            1. I think this special snowflake is no more ‘broken’ than other people are. What he is is a supercilious, lazy, entitled git who has never been challenged or grown up. And a crybaby. Everything is about him.

            2. Gosh Dianna has been gone nearly 19 years!!! I didn’t think of that. I totally forgot that anniversary was coming up, that’s a good point. Maybe that is the heavy load he is carrying. Regardless, if he is struggling with something, he should follow his own advise and get some help for what he is struggling with. I agree with you, he has definitely been corroded (perfect word) by too much privilege.

            3. Maven, I agree he is no more broken than many people. The difference is that he has no real “need” economic or otherwise to grieve and move on with life as others do. He doesn’t have to hold a real job and has help with the family. Normal people don’t have these luxuries and have to pull themselves up by their bootstraps to pay the bills or take care of the kids no matter how sad they are.

         2. LindseyWI, your comments were so on target, imo.
            And, a quick compliment to you for putting in 50 hours a week in a stressful job. You are to be thanked for all you do.

            I found William’s comments about wanting an easy call were totally out of line. Now, I am thinking, as you so eloquently wrote – that he does not have the boundaries needed to handle such stresses on his job.

            If he is a broken man, then, just by delving into the mental health field should be a way for him to get and receive help that he might need. Of course, I am looking at him from the outside and what do I really know?

            I do think that William and Kate were doing the best they could to participate in this worthy program for as short a time as they did. Their comments were appropriate and the coverage that their appearances made should help many people to reach out and call for help if they need to do so.

            All in all, except for William’s remark, which proved again just how self-centered he is, I congratulate them for stepping it up a bit.

            I think all the telephone operators and other professionals who are doing their part to help others need to be complimented and thanked for their compassion and caring ways. Where would people be if they didn’t have such supportive places where they could find help?

      2. +1

   3. As a health care provider who actually works regular shifts, unlike william’s, I’ll show up whenever-I’m highly offended by his statement. What does he think Drs, nurses and mental health care providers do all day? We can’t pick our pt’s?!? So many Drs and nurses are big drinkers and I think that’s part of dealing with what we see every day. I personally travel to renew my spirit when down but this is just another clueless and insensitive remark for me.

      1. William is clueless and just a silly man. He has no idea of what regular, ongoing work is, and as a co-pilot, his job is to get people safely from A to B. He’s not performing surgery, or acting as a paramedic in emergency situations. I found his remarks offensive as well. Kudos to you and your work; great idea to travel to re-calibrate!

3. Go Young Minds!

4. Good for them, good to show the work of the voluntaries…

   Interesting to see that we hear them talk ( I don’t understand when Kate speaks) : I wonder if this will going on, or if it is just temporary.

   Same observation for the same identical dress : she doesn’t care how she spends her money… And for William : I wonder if what he said about the easy call, it is not the way to prepare people that he leaves EAAA. I leave because emotionnaly it is too hard; when I think that he leaves because his role become more important because of the age of his grandparents.

   Maybe R. Palmer could hear the criticism : in this article, he speaks about P. Harry doesn’t talk about his own issues : what about Harry’s article about soldiers, the difficulty to return in UK with dead soldier in the same plane? What about his discussion during the Barbecue about his mother’s death? Ah, it’s true when Harry makes Invictus : it is the same stories so it is not interesting for him; or when Harry visits a sport charity which helps people, it is the same story that other engagement…..
   I agree with the reporters : they seem to be better, we will see if this goes on. But it’s interesting to see that for some journalist, their progress is miraculous and fantastic, when in reality it is the minimum. But when we say that K and W were not really good, for the journalists they were good…. I don’t think that the fact that the journalist are dependent of the volonty of royals to be here in engagement, it is good for their credibility.

   Interesting to see that when the engagement is unexpected, we are looking at them : “yeah! it is super that they are here”, when in reality this week they work just only 20 hours (and I’m generous”). It is good that they work, but I can’t stop myself to think that it is only temporary : they work much here and they have 2 or 3 weeks before the tour in Canada….

   About the campaign : I don’t understand much the role like I always say.

   1. You nailed a really important point Clem: how some BRF members are designated the media “heroes” and others the “wasters” “bad influence,” etc. I absolutely hate this type of schema-like two year old crap. Every BRF member is a person who has different qualities that should tell their story, but the media and now KP want to tell the story they’ve made up. So the York girls are “wasters” as is Harry. W&K are “heroes.” Charles will be a “kook” as soon as HM passes, because the media want to see W&K “young royals” as the leaders. Who knows why because HM is doing a pretty solid job and she’s 90! W&K will never EVER hold a candle to her dedication. This ageism thing is like a disease that needs to be eradicated from media pundits. They would never admit it, but they like the young because they are vulnerable, and vulnerable is needy, which means access and some to a lot of control. It’s a shell game for power.

      1. The narratives are ageist and yes, play into the need for good press in order to continue the overarching narrative that a monarchy is needed. It all about the continuation of power.

         1. I am really loving this thread. So many great insights from commenters.

5. I must be amazing – I actually go to work by myself – as does my husband. Are the work shy pair not capable of attending a charity event by themselves ? All that Uni education is meant to better equip one for adult life. I’m with you KMR re her dress – bland as bland can be – and the boring beige accessories. Kiki earrings etc.

6. Hello KMR, I’m an avid reader of your blog, but it’s the first time that I write a comment because I’m afraid of making grammar mistakes (I’m Italian :D)
   In my opinion William has been very brave in saying “that” comment: he’s supposed to be strong because of his future role, while in this case he has ammitted his fears and didn’t care of appear weak.
   Kate dress really suits her, even if it’s quite boring (especially accessories..). Maybe her bland sartorial choices are for highlight the charity instead of herself

   1. Welcome, Alessandra! I do hope the simple dress was worn to highlight the charity. It is a bit basic, but we know Kate always goes in that direction.

      1. Hi Rhiannon! I really like your comments, they’re always clever! (and funny, in case of Prince Harry:D)

         1. I just know that Harry will be besotted with me given the right setting.

            1. Rhiannon, I am certain that you’re correct. Harry is bright enough and perceptive enough to recognize your sterling qualities. The two of you would make a great team and could accomplish great things together…I hope you can figure out a way to make it happen! And we can all say we knew you when!

   2. Welcome, Alessandra! Your English is wonderful.

      1. thank you so much! you motivate me to write more comments 😀

   3. Hello, Alessandra and how nice to have you commenting.
      I send prayers to all those who suffered in the recent earthquake in your beautiful country.
      My heart goes out to all.

      1. Hello Jenny!
         Thank you for your prayers. That’s such a tragedy, hundreds of people died because they were asleep during the earthquake.. Luckily I live far away from the villages affected, but my cousin lives in Rome and she felt it very well.. shocking!
         Thank you so much

         1. Hi, Alessandra. I am glad that you live far from the earthquake site. All the aftershocks are so frightening, too.
            It’s sad to know that so many are suffering and so many lives were lost. As you said, people were sleeping. What a sad and frightening thing to happen. Your cousin, I hope, is doing well. Feeling the earthquake so far away is just scary.

            Looking forward to your postings in the future. Be well.

   4. Alessandra…..I look forward to many more of your contributions here. Xx

   5. Please, please, please do not worry about grammatical errors! As you can see from the stream following your comments everyone enjoys having different perspectives and an important part of that is people from all over the world. BTW I love Italy and have close relatives who are in Lucca! 🙂

   6. Benvenuta!!!!
      William brave??????????????????????

      Definitely not, even though I don’ t know him I’ m just speculate from what I’ ve been seeing so far.
      Non credo Will sia un uomo di coraggio, col beneficio del dubbio però, visto che non lo conosco.

      IMHO her bland outfit are bland because so she is, not because she wanted to focus her engagement on the charity itself.
      In my opinion red is her colour, even if I’ m not a fan of it because I find it too much look at me, however the outfit lacks accessories, as usually does. And that nude pump are too dull!!!
      Kate is rather into herself, whatever she does it must be about herself, many time she tried to outstage even the Queeen, yet the job she chose by marrying Will mustn’ t be always about herself.
      I’ m just sharing my point of view, I just don’ t want to offend anyone 🙂

7. I was a bit irked when Will requested for an easy call. I myself work at a helpline service, and I don’t go asking for easy calls. Despite all the stresses and emotional tolls that I have in my life, I still respond to all calls be it easy or hard, no matter what. Because that’s my job.

   1. Thank you for the important work that you do. People who staff these hotlines are in my opinion, heros. You provide the ear and the empathy that the caller needs. It’s a demanding job. I wish William had asked the employees how it impacts them. What kind kf training have they had, etc. Instead, it’s poor William.

      1. Thank you Rhiannon….it certainly is a demanding job, but sooo worth it, especially when you know you’ve helped another person at the other end of the line

8. “Can I have an easy one please?…” Seriously!?
   I totally understand that people working at helpine services, ambulances, hospitals and jobs like that get to see or hear a lot which is hard to deal with and especially for those having own problems to it can be a demanding and difficult sitiuation but Will saying this totally gets me the wrong way.

   Mental health is supposed to be their thing, they want people to talk about their problems but by demanding an easy call, it sends the wrong message imo. Is he not willing to help those with bigger problems? What’s an easy call to begin with? That’s not encouraging people to open up!
   And the whole situation, which seems rather awkward, could have been avoided if their team had done a better job. Or well, if you can’t deal with the people maybe you shouldn’t have picked mental health in first place…

   And same old problem, how often does he work actually? Does he demand easy cases there too as he can’t deal with too many bad things at once?

   1. +1
      I agree with you Kristin!!!
      He was there to help not to cry “woe is me ” again.
      If William needs for help (IF….) why doesn’ t he seek for help? Willand his brother are focusing on tackling and removing the stigma around mental health by urging npeople talking about their problems, so why doesn’ t Will talk about his isssues with a pshychologist?
      He’ s always a contraddiction.

      1. I hate ehen they make it abou themselves! Obviously nothing wrong with sharing theur own stories or experiences but the main focus should be on the organisation they visit! If the headlines afterwards are about Will, well then they did something wrong.

         And, like you said, they want to reduce the stigma so why not tell how he deals with his so stressful job? Who does he talk to? Is he offered help…

         But still, what is he even dealing with? Not saying there can’t be difficult situations but he does not work 40h a week, and he is not the one actually taking care of the people as the co-pilot…and they just returned from holidays actually.

9. Poor choice of words from William but I do understand where he’s coming from……I used to be a Samaritan and when I started I desperately wanted less challenging calls until I got my confidence. Of course it doesn’t work out that way but no one wants to let a caller down so the more straightforward calls the better at the start anyway. And in a way that is selfless because it’s about one’s own sense of inadequacy and nerves. I never lost that feeling on a shift because I could really be the difference between life & death. Much better than glib know-it-all William. I do wonder what debrief he’s getting? 20 hours of calls or a particularly harrowing case and we automatically had a ‘Mum’ to offload with in an upwards cascade debriefing structure. These weren’t voluntary either but mandatory for our own mental health & well being and indirectly for that of the callers who need to know that whoever is at the end of the phone can provide them with a safe environment. He really should be getting some support structure at EAAA to offload to.

   1. Mrs BBV , exactly my thoughts

   2. My first real 911 call after months of training was a screaming mother because her baby was having a seizure. 2nd one was a very rude guy on the highway because his girlfriend was having trouble breathing… only you could hear her screaming at him. Hardly having trouble breathing at all! I don’t know how his organization works, but around here, it’s been an ongoing issue. The support is offered, but it’s not mandatory. And one thing Will said yesterday was true. Men don’t really talk about their feelings. We’ve had a spike in first responder suicide in he last couple years because of PTSD and burning out. I wish he would take that and run with it. He has such an amazing opportunity for his mental health platform and I feel like he’s probably going to waste it.

      1. I agree about the phone call, I think many men are squeamish about such things (I know several women who enjoy hospital dramas like Casualty or ER but their husbands cannot bear to watch them). Perhaps he was worried about becoming emotional or affected in any way by what he hears, all before the cameras?

         With regard to the effect of his Air Ambulance work, my first impression is that he’s edging away from it, preparing the way for a departure in the near future.

         1. “With regard to the effect of his Air Ambulance work, my first impression is that he’s edging away from it, preparing the way for a departure in the near future.”

            That was my thought as well.

            1. Do you know when he last worked a shift with them? It seems like it’s been awhile

            2. That and in the meantime he’s probably trying to remind people that he works.

   3. I wrote a whole paragraph yelling at William for that comment but decided not to include it because while I think his comment is completely tone deaf and rather rude I also understand where he’s coming from and don’t want to dismiss the way he feels (since we are talking about mental health here). I think, like Herazeus said, he should have made that comment privately to the people beforehand so as not to come off so rude.

      1. I think Bill and Katie have a really hopeless team around them OR don’t listen to any advice. What a stupid comment for William to make: give me an easy one! Honestly, is he nervous or just stupid? Any request like that should be privately made beforehand and Williams comments should be about the great work by the charity and the officers answering the calls. THAT is where his public concern should be, NOT about the affect of their work on himself.

         1. I think he is very weak.. maybe he has suffered mental problems due to his well known family problems and now he wants to help guys with the same kind of problem.. Anyway hs’s not yet strong enough to go through this issues.
            I’m a doctor, and I can assure you that is not easy at all to manage pain and suffer; at the beginning of my carrer I was very scared! Maybe he’s not yet strong enough

            1. Oh, that’s a perfect descriptor! William is a weak man. Thanks!

            2. Alessandra, your understanding is a welcome site on this post.

      2. You guys! Can I point out here that William was just listening to calls, not answering them? Like, he doesn’t want to even *HEAR* about your pain, ok? On account of he’s a part time co pilot. And a father. AND a prince! You don’t even know what pain is! Do you even realize that he lost his mom nearly two decades ago? And have you gotten a load of his dimwit wife? Jesus. Poor Will. Its hard out there for a snowflake.

         1. I know I shouldn’t laugh but LOL! Thanks Red Snapper!

         2. Forgive my anger, but I don’t care if someone lost a parent a week ago, ten years ago, or two decades ago, the pain may lessen, but it’s always there.
            Why do people need to sharpen claws when it comes to William’s loss of his Mum? Again, forgive me, but this makes me angry. I can criticize him for many things, but the loss of his mother is not one thing I will ever be critical of. Pain is pain, whether you are an everyday person or a prince. We can be critical of many things and if he needs help, that is his business and we can only hope he is encouraged to seek it. I just really don’t like people criticizing someone for “still” having pain if someone they loved died many years ago.

            End of rant and forgive me. It’s a pet peeve. And, this is not being directed to one person. This subject comes up often and it bothers me greatly.

            1. Almost all of us on earth will know the pain of the loss of a parent, whether it is when we are too young, or when they are in their nineties, as it was for me. It is always painful, but William was right that time does help.

               I think some people tend to give William a pass because he lost his mother and we react to that. Perhaps because so many people felt her loss themselves. But such a universal loss is part of life. I don’t actually think William has used this loss as an excuse himself. I think we sometimes do too much armchair analysis.

            2. mary elizabeth: Can you imagine a world where, whenever your boss asks you to do something in your job description, you say “No, I can’t, my mum died 19 years ago, and I’m still too torn up about it to work right now.” Would your boss be ok with that, and still pay you and not fire your ass? Because “MUMMY!” is (one of) William’s go to excuses for everything he doesn’t like, doesn’t want, or generally thinks is unfair. Of course he’s sad his mom died, but that isn’t a life time get out jail free card for anything unpleasant.

            3. I have a unique perspective on this issue. My mother’s mother, sister, and brother were all killed by a drunk drive one night before I was born. She has used it as a crutch for absolutely everything in her life, including the different ways she treated me and my brother. I will not go in to detail but what I went through is way beyond what Will has gone through. We didn’t have the money to shield us from the world. For someone to believe that the entire world needs to stop because they went through a horrific event and that they should be coddled is ridiculous and they really need to get help. If William came to a facility I was working at and made that comment I would have immediately said “we have counselors that you can talk to about what is bothering you. Why don’t you sit over there and I will bring someone to you.” The choose to go to an event and then don’t want to be burdened by what they hear at the event.

               His mother died. We get it. My husband died and my children’s father died. We put on our big girl and boy pants and went on with life. I refused to allow my children to wallow in grief and sought help for them immediately. Of course I am a psychologist by training so I have my perspective on the issue.

               I do not understand why someone in his family is not trying to get through to him. Instead it appears that they have created a co-dependent situation and by not standing up and requiring him to learn the job that he is paid for makes me upset, if for no other reason than he never once mentions that he has been incredibly fortunate to have what he has and that he should acknowledge that he just came back from a wonderful expensive for other people vacation and that he should tell people that he is grateful for that and what can he now do to help people as much as possible.

               His family seems to allow him to wallow in self-pity and that is not healthy for anyone, not just William but all the people who are impacted by what he says and does because he is in a leadership role.

               Lastly, Kate we know that you have children. You do not need to bring that up continuously. Thank you.

            4. Springs Mom- thank you for sharing that.

            5. SpringsMom,

               My gosh, what a story. Much respect to you and yours for your strength and resilience. You are a true matriarch as well.. And thank you for such raw insight- it is much needed.

               I want to give you hugs, but instead, I will give you and yours a tip of the hat for enduring so much and still keepin’ on. That is true victory. It makes Willy look that much more of an ungrateful wretch and whinger to me (something I think he depends on ).

               Your most salient point, to me, and always will be, is his lack of gratitude for all that he’s been given. Wanker.

            6. REd Snapper, you picked the wrong person to be nasty with. I am my own boss and have run a successful business for several years. When I posted initially, I said the post was not directed at anyone specifically and that I was tired of this issue cropping up (many) times. I also used the word “Sorry” for my words. Apparently, such coments upset you. And, you sound like a bully and I won’t be bullied.

               You can have an opiniton on Will and I can, too. Everyone can. I don’t think I want to be nasty about him when it comes to the loss of his mother. Whether he has dealth with it in a healthy way, or not, it’s not my concern. What I will criticize him for are things that I don’t like him saying or doing. I think that is fair.

               SpringsMom, I am sorry for your losses and I think you handle yourself quite magnificently.

               What I do wish to say again is that In no way, do I wish to judge anyone’s pain and say, “Oh, get over it.” In no way, to I wish to look at one person’s healthy way of coping and demand that others need to behave the same way. I can admire such behavior and strength, but I won’t set myself up as an expert on grief, emotional issues and trauma and say to others, “You should follow suit.”

               As a vert wise life coach I once interviewed said to me, “We are all doing the best that we can with what we have at the moment.”

               If people find that wrong, so be it. As Ray, my neighbor to the North, has suggested, it’s good to ignore posts that disturb one. I could not ignore being called out by Red Snapper, but RS wants to respond in a nasty way again, I shall ignore it and be the more civil one. Bullying should not be tolerated anywhere.

               Thanks all.

         3. Bwahahaha! I needed a good laugh, Red Snapper. Thanks!

            1. +100
               Amen Red Snapper!

         4. BOOM!

            You said it all Red Snapper! William doesn’t own the market on pain.

            I wondered about his comment too. And I wondered, “what if he listened to a heartbreaking situation and didn’t bat an eyelash.” Haven’t we all seen that the only pain William ever feels is what he personally experiences if even that? Can you imagine all the people in that room listening to someone holding on by a thread, look over at Will and he’s picking at his fingernails? Or checking the clock?

            It would have been King Harry right there.

10. I’m irked by Kate’s inability to see herself separate from William. This repeated ‘William and I…’ as if they have one thought or one brain. In this instance, William is standing right there. It’s not as if she’s had timeout to discuss the situation with William and then come back to the lady to say what the collective verdict is. Nor was it a prepared speech ( i hope!)

    Someone needs to tell her that it’s perfectly fine to have and own feelings that do not include William.

    As for the dress. Hate it. She owns a similar longer dress from LKBennet, but hey, it’s not her money she’s spending why should she care.

    On a positive note, they worked this engagement well, were engaged, gave quotes that showed they learnt somethjng and it wasn’t a pap stroll, until William spoiled it with his demand for an easy call.

    That is something his people should have communicated privately if he can’t deal with hard calls.

    To publicly demand an easy call and to say his plate is full because of his job is completely tone deaf to the situation, undermines the purpose of their stance that people should discuss their issues. Easy or not, everyone finds it hard to talk about their issues and
    worry that other people will judge them, so for William to publicly demand an easy call is to stress out someone already stressed because now they have to worry about making life easier for the person they called who might not help them because their issues are judged to be hard.

    Numpty!!!

    1. Typical William with foot in mouth disease. I do wonder if he suffers from nerves as he has an uncanny ability to use poorly chosen remarks. I would be a hopeless Royal…..I have the tact of an advancing truck. I think today I’m giving him a bit of slack because crisis call handling is very, very hard work and exceptionally stressful. A four hour shift, IME is harder work than anything else I ever did. I would go home utterly drained.

       Not been around since you replied to my Tudor questions……so sorry, I did read with huge interest but I was struggling to find a way to reply without hijacking another thread. So rude of me not to have said something sooner…..thank you and yes Margaret Beaufort was an absolute horror. Xxx

       1. It’s easy to hijack a thread once we get started on history. I’m always interested in a detour down the history road.

          What gets me about Margaret is how she was absolute about the later PR push to make the Tudors appear legitimate. I suppose that’s were rest of the Tudors got the idea from.

          She insisted on having herself only painted in a nun’s habit in all her official portraits as the King’s mother thus advancing idea of harmless pious mother of the King. And it worked because history is taught emphasising Henry Tudor’s non existant role in the uprising that brought him to the throne and mostly ignore Margaret’s HUGE role or minimise it.

          She’s not even included in the gallery of royal ladies nicknamed She-Wolves of England and she has as interesting a story as they do.

    2. Kate constantly saying “William an I” and saying “William should press the button” the day before really bothers me because William never does that the way Kate does. It’s like, you’re an adult Kate, come on. It’s not like she’s making big life decisions where she needs to involve her husband, she’s just stating an opinion or pressing a button while on an engagement, she doesn’t need William for that.

       1. It just reinforces my thinking she has no idea of being an independent person. She was always William’s go-to fun time girl, and stuck around even after he cheated, danced on tables when she for once showed some gumption and was done, etcetera. I don’t think she knows who she is, as a person. It makes me feel a bit sad for her.

          That and William being a control freak where the world revolves around him, of course she’d be like that with him. They seem to have a passive aggressive relationship.

          1. I’m really conflicted about this behaviour from Kate because part of me thinks she does it strategically to reinforce in public that her and William are one unit. Quite calculating really as it emphasises her status as the future King’s wife. I wouldn’t mind betting that
             both Carole and Camila have made Kate realise that the only way to a happy heir to the throne is not to upstage him and let him thinks he’s in control. It’s too contrived to just be simpering, silly Kate who doesn’t have a mind of her own. She’s not totally stupid and snippets that do get out reinforce that she quite strong minded, I.e.Vogue photo shoot & cover. It’s power play I think.

             1. All very possibly true which begs the next question: what will BRF life be like once HM passes? I think Camilla will continue as is, but Kate is the enigma. Carole runs her family and Mike is a shadow. Not sure is Will can/will be reduced to same or if he will throw temper tantrums. He’s very bull-headed in his own way.

             2. I think you have it right, Mrs. BBV.

             3. I had the same line of thinking that you do Mrs BBV. I think she’s still into bragging that she and William are a unit. I see this with a lot of my more recently married friends. They are happy to finally be a “we” and use that pronoun or “John and I..” all the time as if to remind you that they are married, just in case you forgot.

             4. Has Kate been instructed that William should do the ‘action’ activities when they are out and about together? I wouldn’t be surprised that he needs to be seen as doing, while she watches on as the hero’s helper.

                I also thinks she has been channeling the act of being ‘demure’. That word has been sneaking its way into press reports more and more of late. Kate’s idea of being demure is behaving like a little girl, which is not a stretch for her. It is jarring on a 34-year old woman.

             5. She plays the snowflake because it gets her what she wants, sympathy from fans and press, and excuse after excuse for the pathetic workload.

                The 10 years of pursuit, violently cutting out all other women, and her wheeling-and-dealing for freebies and royal discounts? This is no delicate flower.

             6. I wouldn’t be pairing Carole with Camilla. There is no evidence to suggest that “Carole and Camila have made Kate realise that the only way to a happy heir to the throne is not to upstage him and let him thinks he’s in control”.

                For starters, Camilla is no simpering ninny. And maybe she has no desire for the spotlight. I get the feeling she really doesn’t care about the throne. All I see is a wife graciously supporting her husband.

                But I bet Carole did give that advice to her treasured daughter about subservience ( a way of manipulation). Both of them really *do* care about the throne.

          2. I actually think Kate is a bad role model for young girls. Instead of teaching girls to be strong, independent, go get a degree and you can do whatever you like. If you meet the right person great, if not you always have yourself type of women.
             She instead shows that you should just wait around, essentially do nothing and put up with whatever. Can’t do anything with out the man’s approval. It’s like she’s a 50s housewife. No offense to housewives.

             1. I share your point of view : yes monarchy are an ancient system, but with the position of princess you can inspire by real work like Maxima with her finance work or Letizia… They are inspiring, they make speech with quality in their content and in their delivery, in contrary Kate seems like a little girl

             2. Sarah & Clem, you two expressed my thoughts so well!

             3. I agree, Sarah. If I ever have daughters, I would not encourage them to be like Kate. Maxima, yes. Letizia, yes. Mary, yes. Kate, hell no.

             4. May I add Victoria and Madeleine as a yes? 😉

             5. The very opposite (insecurity, inspite of words…) and to the strong role models -:Queen Max/Leticia, Raina, CP Mary, Countess Sophie, Princess Sofia, etc.

             6. I’m surprised that you included Sofia in that list considering so many people think she’s a bad role model (not saying I agree with that but that had been the consensus for quite a while).

             7. Oh yes Kimothy! I can’t believe I forgot the Swedes 🙂

             8. I would agree with all those but the jury is still out on Sophia for me. She’s done some sketchy things with project playground and the new business.
                All the other women have an identity away from their spouse and most of them do great work with the UN. Kate’s whole identity is tied to William. I want to add, there is nothing wrong with wanting to get married, have kids and if finances afford to stay at home. My mother was a teacher up to the point she had me but my sister and I are a yr apart so at that point it was easier for her to stay home with us. She was also on the school board, on a foundation to help teachers get grants for their classrooms, Girl Scout leader and all the other stuff. She wasn’t tied to my father for her self worth or her identity. As all these other women prove that too. plus, they’re little worker bees

    3. She’s still a limpetwisteriabot isn’t she? I bet he finds her suffocating.

       1. I’d bet she finds him suffocating, too. He seems like a hard person to live with.

          1. I doubt this is new for her. After all, first there was Carole. She basically married her mother. LOL

             1. That doesn’t mean Kate doesn’t find William suffocating. I find my mother suffocating. If I married a man as suffocating as my mother, I would find him suffocating. The fact that I’ve lived with my mother being suffocating doesn’t mean I wouldn’t find other people suffocating.

             2. I wasn’t clear enough. The suffocation is there, but something she is familiar with- a continuation of her life. She automatically knows how to behave in those circumstances. I doubt that she is self aware like you.

             3. Well we know he finds her suffocating. Every single time they broke up, apart from the usual reasons given, his feeling suffocated always came up. To extent that he jumped on a bar in a nightclub to declare his freedom when they broke up in 2007.

                She touched upon this in the engagement interview when she hinted that one of the lessons learnt from the breakup (whichever one they were discussing as they provided answers to different break ups from the one specifically named by interviewer) was to let go and not be so consumed by the relationship.

                That particular comnent works both wsys, but we see the reality in the separate lives relationship since 2007 until present.

11. I must say I feel controversial about William and Kate listening to calls from parents (I may have misunderstood something as I haven’t read anything about this engagement). But what I think is that one expects confidentiality when calling a helpline (I have done volunteer work and dealt with very difficult issues people have brought to me, and I couldn’t bring anyone else over to listen. I could only talk to others in my team as we had to keep everything confidential). Did the parents know there were outsiders listening? How did they feel about it?

    1. With all due respect you cannot train to be a call handler without listening in to calls. The fact that it’s royalty listening shouldn’t really be an issue. Major charity telethons are broadcast on live TV with calls coming into call centres that are heard, crisis calls into emergency services are often played in public after court cases or in high profile news cases. I think as a caller you have the right not to be identified but by virtue of the fact that you made the call you are giving consent for it to be listened to whoever the charity sees fit. I think it’s a good thing if it removes any stigma or fear of the unknown about what these calls might entail.

       1. Usually when calling a phone-in service a recorded message says “calls may be monitored/recorded” or something similar and by staying on the line you are consenting to your call being monitored or recorded. So I’m hoping something similar happened here where the parents know their calls will be listened to by other people.

          1. I hope so, too. In the helpline where I worked people were given an alternative – they could choose the calls not to be recorded or monitored by pressing a certain key to indicate they’d chosen that alternative and wanted to remain anonymous in every respect.

             1. That’s a great option!

          2. Never in my life have I heard such a recording on a help line. I called a few times in college when I felt overwhelmed and there were no such “warnings.” Obviously, when one is training, one would have to listen in, I assume. It’s an interesting question. People who called in that day may now wonder if Will or Kate were on their calls.

             1. I’ve never called a helpline like this so I wouldn’t know about those, but when I’ve called 911 and any tech support lines I’ve always gotten those messages, so I thought it would be the same for the helplines. I guess I’m wrong.

    2. We weren’t allowed to listen to any calls for training purposes without the caller’s consent, and not even that without having some training and exercises first, because you were not allowed to become overcome by emotions or anything like that. So just that the callers were making a call did not mean they were giving their consent, and we call handlers had to sign a confidentiality agreement. You couldn’t just walk in and listen. This is why this feels odd to me that Kate and William, who are unlikely to have any training, could just walk in and listen. I don’t mean I’d think you could just handle the calls without just listening first, but I know how tough it can be even when you have had all the training, so sending two people in just like that feels odd to me. We had debriefing sessions etc. regularly, because you couldn’t deal with the job otherwise.

       1. To farther clarify my way of thinking, I worked with adoptive and foster families who could have extreme issues both regarding the children and their birth parents. It could be anything from health issues to violence, and those families could sometimes easily be identified as some of the stories were quite extreme and unique. Stuff for tabloid press, in other words :-(.

          1. I actually had the same thought. A friend of mine is a social worker who volunteers at a suicide hotline. She had to go through pretty extensive training before she was allowed to give advice or man the phones. And she’d already gotten her MSW, which allows her to offer counseling in the States. I loved that WK brought light to a very necessary service, but would hate to have William give advice, even to “an easy” call. No one is calling one of these helplines with a problem that is “easy” for them, everyone deserves the best advice a trained professional can offer. I hope I misunderstood what WK did, but even just the listening in, without prior warning to the caller, seems like a violation.

             1. Yes, eve, great points. How prepared are they for the nitty gritty of their cause? I would say, not at all, nor do they deeply care.

                I am so offended by that PR choice. These gilded losers are the last to ever understand this kind of suffering. Willy is glib, such a wiseacre, thinking he’s found the throbbing image of compassion.

                Meanwhile Kate thinks she and the Cambridge family are superior to the peons, possess superior mental health. She has risen above the great unwashed because she is that mentally healthy, and royalty confers the stamp of exceptional mental health upon you and yours.

                “Such condescension”!.

    3. That seemed odd to me, too. I’m hoping the parents were aware that they were being listened to by people other than the call handler, but I’m not sure about that.

12. she looks too juvenile, and that high school prom night hairstyle, why cant she do things alone, always trailing along with William, what is she 19 yrs????

    1. No, she is 5.

13. I’m glad they have something to say but it is all so vapid and doesn’t show much to me. I don’t expect intellectual curiosity from these two, but all the ‘I think’ and ‘William and I’ statements that just repeat the obviousness (that too is a word!) of the fact that these services are, sadly, vital to people… It rankles a bit.

    I wanted to smack William for his stupid, narcissistic comment, but I think everything IS about him in his own little world. So to him saying that is not unusual; to me it just shows his lack of empathy and awareness outside William’s universe where he is the sun and the rest orbits.

    It’s nice to see them following up on things and providing more than, well, Kate’s clothes. I hope it continues but I’m a cynic and believe this is a direct result of the recent criticism.

    1. +1 million. Nicely said!

14. I echo what everyone has stated here. It is good that they are following up in their charity, however the focus needs to be on others. It gets tiring to hear about them.

    William’s soundbites just reinforces my dim view of him. In my opinion, he’s setting himself up to leave the EEAA. Kate is still of one mind with her husband. And the clothes….if I see one more beige shoe….Please Kate, throw in a pin, a scarf, a blazer, a something!!! Put me on cloud nine and rock leopard!

    On another note, I want to thank you, KMR, for your thoughtful and informative reporting on mental health topics. It’s easy.to forget the why behind their visit. But you do remind us and provide resources. A heartfelt thank you!

    1. Oh yes Rhiannon, a leopard print pump or clutch would have worked great with this red dress!!

       1. Audrey Hepburn would have worn the hell out of that dress. She is no Audrey Hepburn.

       2. I would pass out 2x if she ever wore leopard!

    2. Rhiannon, you have a future as a style consultant. All of your ideas for Kate are great.

       1. Yes! Leopard print heels, please. And agree, Audrey Hepburn was the very definition of elegance.

    3. **Makes mental note to unpack leopard print heels for this Autumn / Winter. **

       I have a pair of Russell & Bromley leopard print heels that in British fashion terms are known as ‘f**k me’ shoes. About ten years old and I only wear them in Autumn Winter to preserve the life out of them as they are just the bees knees of shoes. Never found a pair that have even come close to how sexy these pumps are and make me feel when I put them on. Manolo Blahnik came very close one year but even I in my moments of leopard print madness couldn’t spend £750 on a pair of velvet / satin animal print pumps. Sighs. Oh I wish I had dared to do it but it would have been grounds for divorce. Honey I need to fill the car with petrol, pay the mortgage and do some food shopping but there’s no money it the account. Oh yeah I meant to tell you about that……I bought some leopard print Blahniks instead. If it was just me I wouldn’t have eaten for a month to have those babies on my trotters.

       This is why I just don’t get Kate…..all that at her disposal and she sticks to nude suede and LK Bennett Sledges like they are the only shoe available. My motto of life is so many shoes and handbags and so little time.

       1. I have a pair of leopard pumps from Coach and Ferragamo…I do have a certain amount of walk when I do wear them. I am the type to save every penny to buy shoes like that. But it’s worth it.

       2. Exactly! For her blah Kiki McDonald earrings that all look the same-spend that money on some great shoes!! I’d swoon!!
          There are these great blue velvet Gianni Rossi boots that I’m eyeing! I might have to forgo my sep trip to BC to stalk them and get those instead. All the spirit bear tours were all booked up so I’ll be super mad if these two get to just swoop in and see one!!???

          1. Oh definitely the boots. You’ll only live a life of regrets if you don’t. I speak from experience. I’m going to hit Tom Ford on Monday as hubby is working and it’s a public holiday here. My beloved Tom designs as it he knows me personally and I feel I owe it to him to go to every launch to see what he designed with me in mind. I can’t help it…..I am a moth to his flame and the rush I get as I unpack my new purchases must be akin to how Kate feels when she opens yet another box fresh pair of LK Bennett Sledge pumps.

             1. Ha, I love your relationship with Tom! You’re right, if it was Harry, I’d go regardless if I could’ve done my bear excursion. With these two I’d probably get more enjoyment out of the faboo boots.
                In case you want to add some fall pretty with your leopards here are pretty velvet boots we need.
                http://www.bergdorfgoodman.com/Gianvito-Rossi-Velvet-60mm-Block-Heel-Ankle-Boot/prod118020116/p.prod?eVar4=You%20May%20Also%20Like

                And for Rhiannon here are the pretty purple glitter to go with bedazzled cane=)
                http://www.neimanmarcus.com/Christian-Louboutin-Iriza-Degrade-Glitter-Red-Sole-Pump-Drage-Light-Gold-/prod182900137_cat39620738__/p.prod?icid=&searchType=EndecaDrivenCat&rte=%252Fcategory.service&eItemId=prod182900137&cmCat=product
                Enjoy the shoe eye candy

             2. Sarah….these are the most beautifu things I’ve laid eyes on all day. As soon as I clicked on the link, my shoe size (US9.5) appeared. I need to log off now, lol!

             3. I would miss a TF launch for a Harry visit. Ironic really because about 5 years ago William opened some swimming baths and a water polo team five minutes walk from the house and I couldn’t even be bothered to go and have a nosey. If it had been Harry you would have had to prise me off the building. I adore those velvet boots but I just love velvet full stop for Autumn / Winter eveningwear. Xxx

15. I’m trying to understand William here , as years ago I tried to help poor people in my country by raising money and going to their areas to donate the money or the things I have collected , of course some cases were so bad they would tear my heart thinking of them and how they are able to survive , the first few times I used to come back feeling content that I achieved something , then I started getting depressed every time I came back from my visit , then these visits became a burden I couldn’t handle , I know I was week and should have been stronger but each person has his circumstances , non the less I am an ordinary person in charge of my own life and those around me only , yet William will be in charge of a country , even if in name only , but he should show more guts in bearing responsibility , and saying “give me an easy one” is definitely wrong , even though I believe this line was said to prepare people that he will be leaving his current job , which brings me to this couple’s advisors , if they have any , where are they !! In their attempts to endear themselves to the people and look as if they are normal they say all the wrong things all the time , like showing low self esteem and talking negatively about their son . Out of yesterday and the day before’s events I now feel that Kate can’t take any responsibility for the tiniest thing in life , can’t see her leading the life of a normal happy woman working from 9 to 5 , how about the responsibility of a queen , also the way they keep talking about George as if he is a little hurricane , which is not healthy as we know that children will eventually grow up to be fine young men and women but people will keep on reminding them of the bad things their parents used to say about them , they’re painting an unfair picture of “in my opinion” a normal boistrous boy . I think they should stop this “entertaining people on the poor lad’s account” and instead show him up like the rest of the royal families in the world , or at least do more photo shoot .
    One last thing on a separate issue , having children “with all its ups and downs” used to be a joy , and I think it is really awful when this beautiful aspect in life becomes a burden , for trying to protect a child yet raising him to be a nice human being in today’s violent world is already a difficult equation , so how about when there is a pressure from the parents themselves as well , as William said , all because in my opinion people are more ready to judge and criticize an already hard working parent instead of helping .

16. Alia, your comment made me me think. Aren’t Will and Kate perpetuating the same thing they rail against? I have yet to see one positive comment about Georgie. Don’t they say that mental health starts at home? We know that’s not the case, but that’s their sound bite. I feel bad that when Georgie grows up, he will see that he is a terror as compared to his lady-like sister?

    1. Yep

    2. Yes, George takes the brunt of it often, doesn’t he? Poor little guy.
       I guess they think their remark are funny, but he’s just a little kid, acting the way little ones do. I hope that when he’s alone with his parents, he is treated with love and made to feel very special.

       1. For the rest of his youth the media is just going to play into the “naughty george” narrative. I feel bad that they’ve set him up in this way.

    3. rhiannon , both George and Charlotte are treated according to an image in their parents’ mind , which is wrong now and in the future , I will never forget how Charlotte’s discomfort on the balcony was treated by Kate , all she cared about was drawing her dress so that they would look the picture of the perfect family , I feel for Charlotte in case she doesn’t want to be the lady they want her to be . Now I’m sure that they love their children , but they are definitely using them to enhance their image and popularity .

       1. I agree, Alia, that the children serve a purpose of enhancing their parents’ tarnished image. I read somewhere that George was very curious. Kate had also said that Charlotte could be feisty. Let’s hope so. The fewer characteristics of their parents these children have, the better off they will be.
          When they go on about George, it is all for soundbites, nothing more. They play to what they think is stereotypical about a boy, and no doubt, a girl, in peoples’ minds. They don’t want to divulge too much about their children so resort to empty phrases and ‘information’ that is destined for the press. I doubt either sees their children as constantly as they claim.

17. I’m glad to see the 2 working more and giving more effort. But I wanna smack Will upside the head for his “give me an easy one” comment. You guys know I’m a medic who works the same shift as Will. What I don’t talk much about is that I also work dispatch. I’m the voice when you call 911. Some days are easier than others. Some days seem to be only stupid people. And generally speaking, you get more calls from people who don’t need 911 than from people who do. If anything, it’s usually the ones who really need it that don’t call. Different calls will be difficult for different people. It all depends on who you are. But you don’t get to choose. Seriously Will?!?! You should know that already since you’ve been in search and rescue and now air ambulance for years. You may be having a bad day, but these people are calling on a day when in their minds, it’s the worst day ever. No matter how bad your day is, you put that stuff away and give the patient/caller your 100%. He should be a seasoned pro by now. All I got outta his comment was that he doesn’t know what the job is and he’s an entitled brat who plays at work because he wants to fly and what he wants, he gets. Ugh!!!

    As for Kate, I thought the same as you guys… that this was the same dress she wore to Wimbledon and had it shortened. And her words, she’s really hard to understand. She looked reslly good yesterday. I liked the picture of her eating. And I thought Will did great yesterday. But overall, over the past 2 days, I’d say this is a win for her.

    1. I was so annoyed by that comment that i hadn’t thought about what you said vis a vis William demonstrating how little he is involved in either Ambulance/SAR or the Mental health field if he can’t set aside his personal stuff to listen to someone who is potentially at the end of their tether.

       IF he was as involved as the PR likes to tell us he has been involved all these years, his training should have kicked in such that he would pretend empathy even if he wasn’t feeling it that day.

       1. To be involved wouldn’t you have to actually show up more than a few times?

          Sounds like he’s been cossetted even on the job.

    2. I agree with you Miss K: Will was there to help people, no matter how he felt, he was there to answer phone calls.
       This is very telling about him. I’ m so fed up with his attitude of “woe is me”, it’ s not always about him, in this case it was supposed to be about his charity and the people.
       William’ s been through a terrible loss at such a young age, but nearly 20 years have gone by, it’ s time to move on!!
       Lady Diana will always be missed by everyone, she will be so much more missed by William and Harry, yet this mustn’ t be used as an excuse as it is usually by William.

       How many of us faced or are facing hard times, yet they go to work and work rpoperly? How many experienced losing a parent?

       Sorry to me it is a big no! William failed again, Kate is like a mannequin instead.

       1. Yes, it is a big NO. Well said, livia.

18. I have my reservations about the appropriateness of mental health as a center of royal concern. Now it is a vital topic, the stigma should be erased, it touches so many of us personally. But royal interest by definition is bland and superficial, especially with these two. (Harry’s interest is genuine. He has seen the trauma of war and its aftermath. So he does his homework, is empathetic, makes a difference.)

    As many have commented, W&K may have issues of their own that have drawn them to the topic. But I for one don’t look forward to another Diana confessional. It was fascinating, but very damaging for the monarchy. Issues are not meant to be played out on a public stage, unless it’s a soap opera set. And if you have very little personal privacy, and little wisdom and maturity, it will be a mistake to be honest and “normal” in public.

    1. +1
       I agree with you Fifi!!! That wasn’ t the right moment to be emotional

19. What a great post KMR, thanks!

    I too was a bit dumbfounded by William’s “give me an easy one” comment. But I was even more upset by his confession of feeling overwhelmed by the events he sees/hears about at work and being on the verge of tears. Why is he not seeking help? I mean, here these two are going on about erasing the stigma of mental health issues and making two brothers yesterday promise to continue talking to one another but he isn’t getting any help for himself?? As much as I like to bag on William, I do realize that he is human and has the same feelings, hopes and dreams as the rest of us and as such deserves some compassion when he admits to feeling overwhelmed. But I think he would have been better served by admitting these feelings and what he is doing to cope with them such as talking to someone, taking a long walk, meditation or whatever coping mechanism he uses. In fact, talking about his coping mechanism would have been perfect, showing that he has some understanding of mental health issues and is trying to deal with his issues in a constructive way, just like the rest of us.

    On to fashion, I do like Kate in red and this dress looks very nice on her but she already has a red dress that is almost an exact copy of this one only longer. So, I don’t understand why she constantly wastes money on items of clothing that are almost identical to pieces she already owns? I mean, I do that with tshirts but not dresses and shoes that cost hundreds of dollars, rather wasteful imo and not something that “normal” people usually do. And again, girl needs to learn how to accessorize!!! God, give me a fun print or contrasting color, even a funky piece of jewelry, something to make her outfits pop!!

20. I can only imagine what horrors air ambulance staff encounters on an almost daily basis. Therefore I cut William some slack. I call BS on the supposed embargo, however. The high quality pics of the two sitting alonside the call center staff tell a different story, imho. They need the publicity, badly.

    PS: I hope the fuller face of Kate means botox and fillers and a few square meals in France and not a spare to the spare.

    1. The event was embargoed until after it was over, then photos were allowed to be published, reporters could write up stories, and KP released their video. The reporters and photographers were not allowed to say anything until the event ended, but after it ended they could.

       1. Thanks KMR I hadn’t figured it out that way.

    2. His co-workers admitted that he is almost never there. He is the co-pilot, not the pilot. Not the paramedic. Not the doctor. Whatever he witnesses the few times he shows up? It is nowhere near what the other members of the team face.

21. Two solid-ish days from the cambs. Quotes for the press, who clearly lack any sense of credibility or impartiality when it comes to w&k.
    What’s the agenda here?
    Everything they do goes to benefit themselves in some capacity or another.

    1. Maybe they finally realized that if they give the press a little something, they will get better, more glowing coverage? I mean… I can hope, right? 🙂

       1. And there’s the problem: W+K’s focus is to get good press. The charities are merely the means to that end.

22. Like others, I too was disappointed at William’s “give me an easy one” comment and wanted to smack him upside the head but what really got me was that he then said “I’m carrying a lot at the moment…..I can’t deal with anymore stuff.” What the heck?! What are you carrying around and/or can’t deal with anymore?! If he can’t even handle overhearing a conversation, maybe he’sthe one who needs to get some help.

    I have to take customer service calls at work 3 times a week, for 2 hours at a time and sometimes, I *do* hear sad stories and try to listen. My life isn’t easy but at that moment, I try to remember that it’s not always about me. Someone needs to remind William that the world doesn’t revolve around him.

    Also, I was dumbstruck at how Kate acts like a child, as if she needs Williams permission to do anything and can’t have a thought or opinion of her own!

    P.S. I didn’t like the red dress (too blah) but I’m glad he kept his jewels tucked in (unlike the day before! Ewwwww!!!!).

    Sigh….

    1. “at that moment, I try to remember that it’s not always about me”

       This. I don’t want to dismiss whatever William may be going through right now, but at that moment it wasn’t about him.

       1. Exactly. With royalty it is never about them in their public duties. The Queen is so good at her job because we rarely know what is going on with her personally. That allows her to reflect the best of the people and events she attends.

          When the royal family shares their therapy sessions in public, it’s the end. That’s why William’s comment was so inappropriate and irritating.

23. This was a solid visit with only one caveat, with W&K listening in to calls. I think HT should have used taped messages for training purposes rather than live calls. That could potentially hurt the trust that underlies a call center like this. IMO I think some vulnerable people might question picking up the phone because they don’t want to be pouring out their situation to a group of people or a public forum. Trust is the hardest thing to develop.

    This is an important charity and initiative, so well done to both for showing up and supporting it. W&K both looked very stylish and I only counted two crotch clutches from DM, so improvement! I also liked that Kate had her hair back so we got to see her earrings. I thought this was the Wimbledon dress too until I looked again. Why buy two so similar? She could have just rewore it.

    Will’s request to be exempted from tough calls was irritating but not surprising. He hasn’t learned yet to think before he speaks because he hasn’t had to. Suddenly he has feet of clay and he’s stumbling around rather than being allowed to glide like he did before. I did like his second statement about parents not being perfect, and it’s ok to ask for help somewhere in the process. That was a solid response.

    Overall, better. Hopefully they’ll continue to hit more right notes than wrong.

24. Being self-deprecating is one thing, but it isn’t cute or endearing for a woman of 34 living in the 21st century to act like a damsel-in-distress who can’t even push a button without her husband’s assistance. What in the heck is up with that? That makes me feel uncomfortable.
    I will also echo other people’s comments in that when I read that William needed an ‘easy’ call on the Daily Mail it rubbed me the wrong way. I felt it was his way of saying “see how much work I do as a pilot? It’s exhausting and I can’t handle anymore.” Almost like he wanted sympathy for himself when this event was not about him, the focus should be on those who are making the calls. If he really feels that way his staff should have spoken privately in advance. Or, like KMR said, maybe this is Will’s way of trying to get out of his pilot contract early. It just came across as self-serving somehow.

    But I do feel like W and K are listening to criticism and taking it to heart more because they both seemed warmer and more open the past two days. Kate’s dress is fine, she isn’t the most fashionable woman of the year as magazines make her out to be and that’s ok. I care more about her doing work than about what she wears anyway. Let’s hope that this continues. But in the future, maybe Kate can prove that she is capable of pressing a button without her husband holding her hand through the process? Pretty please? I can’t help but roll my eyes at that.
    I’m curious about how you will cover the Canadian tour. Hopefully they learned from some of the mistakes they made in India.

25. I’m really torn on this visit. On one hand, I’m happy that W&K have done more events lately (although I have suspicions about why), and I’m happy that they are talking about mental health. But this topic and this event are deadly serious, and not something to be approached lightheartedly. While I understand William’s desire to get an “easy” call, it was a stupid thing to say. And it shows how poorly he prepared for this event, which brings me to the big issue. These two seem totally out of their depth. They do not prepare for events, they don’t seem to take them seriously, and events like this one, at a mental health call center, deserve better. It is ironic that W&K seem to want to do fewer ribbon cutting and photo-op events, when that seems to be what they are best at. Neither of them speaks well:with sincerity, conviction, or knowledge. All they do is take a good photo. It is good that mental health gets attention, but the topic deserves someone better, someone who has studied it extensively or someone who has experienced it personally. They have said they want to tackle bigger issues, but they aren’t prepared to do that. Maybe they will be someday, but I won’t hold my breath.

26. Here is how he could have done that better:
    1) don’t ask for an “easy” call (there are no easy calls!)
    2) If you tear up you tear up
    3) To open up and share your own struggles, maybe ask the staff there “how do you take care of your own mental health? Because I see very tough things at my job, and sometimes have trouble leaving it at work?”

    I think he was just trying to share more and be open but he gets it wrong when he tries to be jocular about everything. I guess no one tells a prince their jokes suck. I will though (you aren’t funny Will and probably never will be). But when he is earnest (e.g. Comments about mom yesterday) he can build goodwill. Treat serious topics with the gravity they deserve. Ok to joke with kids while playing video games. Very dicey to try to inject humor into a suicide hotline situation. Fight the urge to joke when uncomfortable, Will!

27. You summed up Kate’s fashion nicely, KMR: meh. Can I give a shout-out to the lady in gray, though? Comfortable, practical, stylish and chic. Age, weather, and situation appropriate. Kate could learn from her. This is how to do monochrome with delicate accessories.

28. Kate is one of the few people I know that can wear red and wear it well. Props to her for that. I just wish that she had more confidence to wear edgier things and be able to separate herself from William. She could be so great like Victoria from SRF if she wanted/was able to (I say it like that because who knows what goes on behind closed doors).

    Rebecca English in her tweets yesterday noted that William seems more engaged and open, “William has been very impressive the past few days (and I don’t say that lightly). Much more engaged and engaging than I’ve seen before”. Maybe it’s a PR ploy or just someone at KP reading our critique of Wills, but could we be witnessing a step in the right direction for him and them as a public couple? He does suffer from ‘foot & mouth disease’, but maybe this could be a small step in the right direction.

    I’m an optimist by nature.

    1. My husband calls foot in mouth disease “athlete’s tongue” :). But yes, overall this was a good couple of days for each of them (considering how low they’ve set the bar). Now they need to be consistent — every week like this week — and I’ll go back to only the occasional grumble about their fashion, which as has been noted, isn’t all that important.

       1. I think Prince Philip refers to his own gaffs as “dontopedalogy” (foot in mouth).

29. Does anyone have insight into Kate and Rebecca Deacon’s personal relationship? I was browsing through some photos of her after the discussion on KMR’s previous post and it seems as though they are quite chummy. I find it odd that Rebecca attends events that I would consider private family events, like polo matches on the weekend. Do you think the line between professional and personal is quite blurred here? I was a personal assistant for a while and I would’ve never attended my boss’s family events (like his kids soccer games)…It just seems so odd to me.

30. I just watched the video for the first time and saw Kate speak. Did anyone else notice how breathless she sounded? It gives me anxiety to listen to her. I felt that William looked almost irritated or annoyed at 55 seconds or so.

    1. I’m wondering if Will gives that look because he’s tired of watching her put on the “official” accent. as we’ve mentioned before, Kate’s public accent has changed since she married and I think she becomes self conscious so her words become halted, muffled, or breathless. Compare her interviews with her sister’s and you’ll see a vast difference in delivery. I usually think her comments to the press lack depth, but this time I thought she added to the conversation, so I do think she is improving.

31. W&K made the headlines today on Yahoo. There were approx. 250 comments, some of which were sympathetic and others who couldn’t care less about the BRF. It’s obvious that the KP media knows exactly how to distract the public from being critical of the duo whenever they sneak off to an expensive holiday retreat. In this instance, W&K are being complimented for their time spent on this mental health charity, and William has garnered a ton of sympathy for his grief on the loss of his mother. Ergo, all of their 10 days of doing nothing in the lap of luxury is now forgotten and they can go off to Canada with the knowledge that they are once again the people’s beloved Royal couple. Everything’s coming up roses!

    After reading the article on Yahoo, I thought of Harry who is once again being overshadowed by William. For Harry, this has got to be a very lonely and sad period in his life. He was only 12 when Diana died, yet it’s William the older of the two who’s the more needy one.

    I also thought of Charles’ and William’s relationship. Charles has been there for William in the capacity of both mother and father. Yet, it appears, that William has done his level best to ostracize Charles. Instead of William feeling sorry for himself, he should be giving thanks and praise that he still has one parent in his life, a very good father, who has provided for him and his family, and is only a phone call away. I sincerely hope that William will see the goodness in his father and cherish him for however long they both shall live.

32. Thank you KMR for another article!!!

    In my opinion Kate was so meh, as you said ( what a surprise :)) .
    William has been too rude and selfish asking for an easy call.
    William always need to play the victim, even though he’ s not at all, he lives a priviledge life he shouldn’ t complain at all. Sure, he lost his mum at such a young age, this loss no doubt will always affect his life, yet he’ s not the only one losing a parent . How many did face the same situation William did? How many did learn to cope? How many HAD TO COPE because ” normal “life is really hard and you just can’ t complain all life long because life goes on and you are demanded to move on. Plus I’ m sure William was given the best help available, the best phsycologists in UK which doesn’ t wipe away his pain at all but surely helps.

    I found terribly selfish and careless to ask for an easy call, he was there to help and he wasn’ t so willing, he was there for the others and not for himself.

    What Will and Kate should learn is that isn’ t always about themselves, they aren’ t always on the red carpet. Most of the times it must be about the others and that’ s their job.

    About Kate, I agree she’ s only William accessory, what a shame!!
    She should grow up and be more indipendent, but I don’ t think it will ever happen.
    Both William and Kate nedd to grow up, they should learn from Harry, whoshares his feeling, not to shun his duty but to add some concern to what he does

33. I, for one, was glad to see the Cambridge couple at such a serious event. Listening to the calls was, no doubt, difficult, but I am glad they took the time to do so. It lets others see that help is available.

    I also was a bit put out by William’s remark to give him an easy call. Was that his strange sense of humor, or was he being open about how difficult this was going to be for him? If that, the second, was the case, I am sorry that he said it. Rather insensitive!

    All his work (how many hours per week, actually?) with the Air Ambulance is something he wanted to pursue. IF it is too difficult in any way, then, he should leave. Such a shame, because it actually would be a wonderful way for him to earn more respect from the people.

    I don’t want to hammer the couple too much this time around. I do think this was one of their better, and more sincere, visits to the cause they claim to be so interesting in helping.

    As for comments above about William using his mother’s death, I am afraid I am appalled. I think it is fair to criticize William and Kate for many things, but I draw the line there. As was mentioned above, it doesn’t matter if you lost a beloved mother a week ago, or decades ago, it hurts. Especially, if the loss was when you were a child and was compounded by you being in the spotlight.

    This blog is a good place for people to express their feelings, but when venomous words come out, really, does that make the commenter feel better? Living with such anger is not a good thing. People may think they are getting their feelings out, but to continuously have such bitter words, just doesn’t do any help to anyone at all. I’m sorry, KMR, I feel the need to say that. For the most part, this is a very nice community. But, sometimes, there are nasty words that are impossible to understand.

    1. William frequently uses his mother and her death as an excuse. As an excuse to ban freedom of the press. An excuse to hide their children from the press in their home country. As an excuse not to do royal work, because now he’s even blaming her working for charity because he felt ignored. It goes hand in hand with him constantly alluding to the idea that he thinks working parents are bad parents.

       He is called out on this behavior because he is doing it. We aren’t imagining things, we are remarking on what he does.

       I prefer a blog where we are free to speak our minds respectfully, and hopefully comment about royals instead of each other.

       1. Perfectly and cogently said, notasugar. ITA.

       2. But, there was no respect aimed at one of the commenters above. To support such behavior proves that many don’t believe in civil discourse. I am not eager to participate like that. Sometimes thesee types of forums become a feeding frenzy of nastiness. I don’t usually see this on KMR, but I have in this particular post.

    2. I actually have a post planned for next week which deals with William using his mother or not & how we talk about it.

       1. Looking forward to it!

34. ““William and I found it absolutely fascinating, from hearing the case study and also taking the calls. What we’ve taken away is just how normal it is.”

    You find it fascinating? Fascination is for fascinators, not for suffering.

    “Normal? ” Yeah, because you and your PR haven’t been pushing normalcy for forever. It’s not normal. This is why there is a stigma.

35. ” I think that is a really good balance of getting the right support straight to these families who are clearly at their wits’ end at what to do, and reaching out. Thank goodness they do reach out to something like this. I think it is fantastic.”

    These are words that don’t even make sense. Balance has nothing to do with it.

    1. These kinds of comments show they know nothing about the issues they are supposed to be promoting. It is vague and meaningless gobbledegook.

       They shouldn’t be anywhere near serious issues like mental health until they take serious training like courses and do more than random drop ins. It’s actually offensive how superficial they are with this issues.

    2. The statements (and others) make clear that W+K come to these events unprepared, making statements on the hoof. Unacceptable.

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