The extended British Royal Family joined Queen Elizabeth for a pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace yesterday, December 20. Also yesterday, BP announced that HM will be stepping down as Patron from 25 organizations, and handing them out to various family members.
Prince William drove himself, Prince Harry in the front, and Kate Middleton, Prince George, and Princess Charlotte in the back to Buckingham Palace.
Kate wore purple with either a scarf or coat collar in black, and what appears to be her Kiki McDonough Morganite and Diamond Cushion Drop Earrings.
Buckingham Palace announced that HM will be stepping down from 25 organizations and handing them off to various family members. You can read the full list of organizations here.
Kate will be taking on All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (AELTC) Wimbledon and Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) for sure, but she may also take on Action for Children as well. Based on the patronages which we know have already been reassigned, it seems the list is in order of who is getting which patronage, which means Kate is most likely getting Action for Children as well. Kate previously visited Action for Children in February 2015.
Both AELTC and LTA released statements confirming Kate as their new Patron.
AELTC said: “We would like to welcome HRH The Duchess of Cambridge, who will take up The Queen’s former duties as our Patron, and also recognise with appreciation the ongoing contribution of HRH The Duke of Kent, who will continue his long-standing role as our President.”
LTA said: “We are excited to welcome HRH The Duchess of Cambridge as our Patron from 2017, and wish to thank HRH The Duchess of Gloucester for her continued and steadfast support as she remains in her role as Honorary President.”
UPDATE: Action for Children has officially confirmed that Kate will be their new patron starting in 2017. Their statement:
- “[W]e are delighted to confirm that the Duchess of Cambridge will be taking over from her, becoming our Royal Patron in the New Year. Having visited one of our children’s centres in Sandwell in 2015, she is already familiar with the work we do and no doubt will continue the Queen’s great patronage work.”
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, wearing blue, arrived together.
Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie arrived separately.
I have to admit that I think Kate will be a much better patron the the Queen for the AELTC. It is known, that her Majesty does not care about tennis and she only visited a handful of times (a 33 year gap is quite something).
The Duke and Duchess of Kent were wonderful in their roles. The Queen not visiting was probably unnoticed given their stellar and active support. And not just attending matches, but all the meetings too.
I doubt that Kate, who doesn’t care to work, will do any better than the Queen though she’ll show up for the men’s semi-finals/ finals and ignore all other matches as she has done every year.
Attending the women’s final last year was an outlier and the first time she has EVER attended a woman’s match even before marriage.
And i can’t see her being as sympathetic and empathetic to the losers like the Duchess of Kent was. Heck, she doesn’t congratulate the losers of the men’s games. Always the winners and then off she goes.
And then she tells them all about her and how much tennis she plays and tralalala off she goes.
Oh yes, the annual reminder about how much *she* or her family plays. To a world class champion of the game.
OR
How *she* enjoyed the game. As if they were there for her amusement.
Those are her 2 talking points at Wimbledon.every.single.year that the conversation has been recorded.
To be fair Wimbledon a tournament for a professional sport. Professional sports exist for entertainment. So in a way yes they are competing in that arena for everyone’s entertainment.
Yes, professional sports is for entertainment, but when congratulating the tournament winner you shouldn’t follow up with small talk about yourself. Most tennis fans would talk about how the winner played the game, how they served, how they adjusted to their opponent’s slice, how they overcame break-point pressure, their point construction, etc. None of that from Kate. None. What Kate talks about is how keen she herself is on the game, how Pippa loves to play, how out of practice she herself is since having children. Me, me, me. As Herazeus said, Kate doesn’t express any curiosity or interest past her own self.
A “much better patron”? Why? I’m not seeing the reasoning here. Kate is a notorious slacker and this is a bit of froth tossed at her to get her show up to something. If the Irish Guards were so taxing for her, I suppose the fact that she can sit most of the time is a step up for her.
Because she might actually go there? The work of the Duke and Duchess of Kent is not ending here. He will still be in his role as president. So yes. She is only filling the role of her Majesty and that will not be too hard.
I never said she is going to be the best patron the AELTC could have gotten. I only said she will likely be more present than the Queen and therefore being being a better patron.
I agree with Caroline here. HM has actually showed up to Wimbledon only a few times in the decades she’s been Patron. Kate goes every year, usually more than once. So Kate will actually be a better Patron than HM because Kate will show up more than once a decade.
Right, because an already lazy Duke and duchess need more charities to blow off.
Also, I have to state I’m disgusted by children in cars not in carseats.
George is in a car seat. 🙂 See the wings behind his head and the belt through the red thing on the side? Identical to my son’s carseat.
I agree about the patronages, though.
Kate + children = disaster. At least tennis she’ll show up…
I hope Harry gets Blind Veterans UK. That would be great considering his work with other charities and of course Invictus which works with Blind Veterans UK amongst other charities. Gets him out there more, I hope.
I agree.Kate shouldn’t take on more patronages at this moment she should focus on the ones she has then she should expand her patronage profile. She already pays so little attention to the one she has. I guess HM had to know she’d do better with sporty patronages, the fluffy/easy work so to speak
If the Queen had wanted to stick it to Kate, she should have given this Patronage to Sophie.
She also has a passion for the game, already Patrons ‘real tennis’ – the original version of the game.
….but i can see the Queen’s thinking along the same lines as us ie give Kate something she’s interested in and perhaps she’ll actually work for it.
Incidentally, we are often told that Kate is interested in hockey, yet beyond the 2012 olympics and the knockabout at her school in Pangbourne in 2012, she does nothing for the game or the various associations. Not even their recent gala that Sophie attended.
Why doesn’t Kate just declare sports and fitness as her cause? I’m sure a good publicity team could spin it as an interest in health initiatives, or something like that.
Because she’s not truly interested in health and sports.
She works out alot, but her hair and skin are awful which indicates poor diet.
She’s only interested in being thin. She’s not Pippa who has a genuine interest in sports and diet and it shows in her activities and the health of her skin and hair.
Yes, she looks engaged at sports related activities, but only because of how they benefit her, not how they benefit other people. At that tennis engagement she attended, she only asked questions about how she could teach her kids and nothing about how it could benefit others. Ditto sailing.
She’s admitted she hasn’t played hockey since she last played at school, so it’s bizarre that they keep pushing this narrative onto her.
She is patron of SportsAid since 2013 and iirc, she’s only done 3 visits for them including the initial visit which announced her patronages.
Pippa and James are truly sporty, Kate just uses the gym alot. There is a difference between those 2 things.
+1 – I’m suspicious about how much she even loves tennis. There’s an ’09 pap-op of her posing up a storm, hair down, bundled up, playing tennis without breaking a sweat, in Cornwall on Christmas Day. Other than that we’ve never even seen her play tennis. We’ve seen her play volleyball, cricket, and field hockey while wearing wedges, pumps, a dress, or skin-tight jeggings in the meantime… Have we any evidence of Kate being particularly knowledgeable about the sport and it’s history? When she stopped by Tennis On The Road earlier this year she demonstrated no knowledge about that grassroots organization. (She and William really are a fine pair, aren’t they?) She just asked rudimentary questions mostly concerning George and Charlotte. Which was another thing. Perhaps she was just making conversation, trying to show interest, or give Ms. Murray an opportunity to show her knowledge, and that was the best that Kate could do. (Though I doubt it. I mean, Kate’s not a great conversationalist. But she seems to struggle with true empathy. Like she’s at a loss when she can’t bring it all back to herself. And it just reminds me of her overstaying at an engagement after George was born to have the opportunity to learn more about childhood development. It’s not an interest in the organization. It’s an interest to HER. A benefit to HER.) BUT anyone who knows anything about tennis will quickly learn that the overwhelming majority of the top players began playing tennis between the ages of two and four! And there are countless opportunities for kids to play from the time that they can walk and hold a racket. It was a stupid question is what I’m saying. 😀
Kate was given a membership at the All England Club years ago. Yet she hasn’t associated with them at all outside of attending a few Wimbledon matches every year. Speaking of, has she ever attended any other tournaments besides the occasional Wimbledon match? And I do mean occasional. Perhaps that’s because she’s ever so slightly concerned about how it looks and doesn’t want to overdo it, with Wimbledon normally coming at a time when she’s doing nothing, and her numbers are low, and she’s using her maternity leave as her excuse to avoid “work” other than the Trooping and Ben Ainslie. But at the most, she stayed a day one time in 2015. What, did she go to two matches this year, and FINALLY went to a women’s match? She’s not keeping the seat in the royal box warm either. I bet next year she’ll come day one when the champ plays, and camp out five to seven hours. (And that’s what’s about isn’t it? Murray, Serena, Ainslie, etc.,) She’ll probably come one more day, maybe when multiple major stars are scheduled to play on center court. Then she’ll attend the finals. Her attendance will only decline from there in the years to come.
I think Kate’s a competitive gym rat. And the sporty aristo, getting tennis lessons, “keen” on tennis and other traditionally patrician sports, is just part of the shtick. I don’t think she’s any sportier than your average kid who played recreational sports in school. Especially in her circle with her family’s aspirations. The field hockey playing, sporty, well-to-do, society gal is just an expectation. (Like being artsy or outdoorsy.) I honestly wonder if she’s interested in ANYTHING. Everyone wants to believe that she’s keen on sports. But as you and others have mentioned, she has the opportunity and a patronage as an excuse to do all the sports related work she wants. She doesn’t do it. Does she love sailing or is just being around Ben Ainslie? I think of her relationship with sports as being similar to her relationship with clothing. She shops. We don’t know the reasons or the motives behind it. We just know that she spends lots of money and time on it, even though it’s clearly not about any passion or interest in fashion itself. (Which Kate’s PR has made very clear. They don’t want her to be seen as a clotheshorse. It doesn’t fit her image. And technically she isn’t. She sure as hell doesn’t show off clothes. Nor is she remotely trendy.) I don’t think she’s a curious or passionate person, capable of following through and being invested in anything.
“I think of her relationship with sports as being similar to her relationship with clothing. She shops.” This is spot on.
+1 all great points
Great observation. It is like she is a propped up, cardboard cutout.
Cutout Kate!
All things cultivated early in her life thanks to a willingness to be molded her socially ambitious mother. Well done Carole and how fortunate your daughter’s personality is as malleable as Play-Do and gave you absolute control in creating her façade. Lifelong project though, trick is in keeping it up and keeping things fresh for W. And that’s why she lives with them I guess. Takes a village…
Yes, I don’t think she’s interested in health either, I just think they can spin it that way. Even if she asks bad questions, at least she will show up more often than not. It’s really the only cause that I think the public could picture her in and actually believe she’s into at this point.
You know whats so funny? I feel like at the end of the day’; William and Kate won’t be King and Queen in the future.
Perhaps not. I hope Charles gets a chance for a while. I have a feeling he will have a hard time keeping the monarchy going though.
Thanks so much for reporting this, KMR! I am glad that W+K attended this lunch with the Queen, especially since Christmas plans seem so unclear.
LOL, when I first saw the last photo I thought, ‘What on earth did Eugenie write on her hand!?’ I think it is the car window decal, but for a second it looked like she scribbled a message on her palm for onlookers to read (or wrote a note to herself and forgot to wash it off)!
This christmas lunch is mandatory for entire Windsor family. It’s the compromise for those not going/invited to Sandrigham.
Hello hera! Is only the Queen’s line invited to Sandringham? If not, who from the extended family usually attends?
Not always. The Queen’s main line gets first priority, but on special occassions, she’s invited entire clan eg the year WK were married, entire clan was invited to Sandrigham which proved a very tight squeeze indeed and many of the cottages on the estate were used to house them all in addition to the main house.
Also, the numbers at Sandrigham have had to be reduced because it’s not that big a house, she tore down half of it in the 70s. Something like 90s rooms- mostly service rooms to make estate management more efficient, but it can’t hold the bigger Windsor clan anymore.
Prior to the Windsor fire, Christmas was at Windsor more often than not, and that allowed for entire clan to be invited because Windsor could accomodate them all.
What would happen if they didn’t attend the lunch? Would they be kicked out of the Royal family? (This is a serious question)
I am genuinely confused as to what “mandatory” means in relation to W&K — I don’t think anything is mandatory for them.
I had thought that certain rules are followed, especially if the Queen asks something of you, or expects something of you. They do not follow her wishes.
They did not follow protocol with regard to their engagement announcement, as discussed previously on this site. They do not adequately support the patronages that are their responsibility.
I think that even with “mandatory” events, it is not a given that W+K will be there.
I wonder how direct the Queen has been with William and Kate in the past regarding work? Years earlier, it seems William played the Diana card to get his own way for quite some time, and in guilt, his family gave in. I think it has now reached breaking point with his family. Of late both he and Kate seem to be doing a bit more beyond their patronages, no doubt unwillingly. If so, I’d imagine the screws to tighten further with no more excuses to step up – ‘still learning’, ‘full-time parenting’, ‘gap life’ – tolerated. Showering the pair with any amount of perks has not resulted in a sense of duty, so the Queen and Charles should try some tough love. I don’t think W+K would dare miss the lunch given they are not going to Sandringham.
It’s mandatory insofar as the entire clan shows up. Like with Trooping the colour.
It’s easy for William to let down his core family members, but not so easy with the wider family clan.
I don’t think they are as easy a mark as HM and Charles.
Me, too, about Eugenie’s hand. I thought it was a tattoo.
I thought she forgot to wash her hand too. Funny.
It looks like a stamp of a nightclub or an event. Depending on the ink they are sometimes very hard to wash of.
Not surprising about Wimbledon. Now Kate will actually have an excuse to go and it will count as work. Gosh, what a hard life!
William looks so pissy in that photo. He turned on the windshield wipers apparently to mess up the photos. He is such a sour puss.
@Overit, I bet even The Queen and Charles knows he is not up for the job as Prince of Wales and worse King.
I think it’s time the press stopped trying to accommodate William Wails and next year really stick it to him wiith every misdemeanour, every piss take, every super injunction, every attempt at cover up and every tantrum being widely reported. He’s an absolute disgrace behaving like that. He has no idea of regal behaviour. Can you imagine HM or the PoW behaving like that?
I totally agree about the press. What are they getting out of it but rudeness and scorn? What do they owe him now? It’s not like their access gets better. They’re idiots.
My guess is that Willy uses them as a scapegoat for all the perceived ills in his life. I think he hates his life, especially with that wife, and having kiddies underfoot. He hates that he has any obligations as husband and father. So, let’s take all that misery out on the media.
Perhaps needs the traditional married mistress to mellow him out. (sarcasm)
I agree. It’s time they realize they’re the ones that hold the cards. Look how it was when several started questioning William about his work shy ways? Of course they’ve let up and we see he’s back to his ways.
They had two big over seas tours that has helped their #s but when Jen did the #s they’ve only worked the equivalent of about 2 months. The Royal reporters at this stage are putting out more pro Royal propaganda and not doing any actual reporting.
William THe Dour! Oh, I agree, he is such a sour puss. Would it hurt to flash a smile?
He is just a very angry person, I think. It’s going to eat him alive, if he doesn’t watch out.
I wish HM and The Duke of Edinburgh better health. At their time in life, one needs to worry if they come down with any little thing. I know they are blessed and will persevere. I just wish that happiness will be with them at this part of their lives.
I am sure it was nice for them to have family members around them.
Happy Holidays to all the faithful followers of this site and to KMR, the founder and leader of us all.
Wimbledon aside (as I couldn’t care less about tennis) the Queen is stepping back from some very important patronages, including the NSPCC, the Royal Institution, Save the Children and Barnardos. It doesn’t seem like the royal reporters were expecting this step back from the queen, and it’ll be interesting to see where those more serious patronages end up. It looks like Camilla is getting Barnardos, but only the two sporting patronages have been announced for Kate and Harry.
If Kate and William are going to step up to the plate in 2017, I wonder if the announcement of some of the more serious causes might be going their way?
That said, the Queen stepping back from 25 charities, Kate getting Wimbledon, Kate not working, Harry looking like a sad sack, Harry not really working, K&W hanging out at Buckleham Palace for Christmas instead of Sandringham or Amner, no xmas pictures of the kids, no sense of royal unity at a point when it’s clearly required, etc… suggests more of the increasingly incompetent, head-in-the-sand, planless chaos I’m coming to expect from the Royal family
Does HM think if she just gives them stuff they’ll cooperate? Gives them houses and lets them do whatever they want, gives them patronages now and is like “Okay, time to help me out, kids”? Oh HM…
I wonder that, Ellie – I mean it didn’t happen when she gave them 1A, Amner, allowed the gap years, invited the Midds to Sandringham, didn’t insist on them starting full time duties just yet, but this time it will definitely work. Absolutely.
What’s next on K&W’s wish list before they might step up their work rate? Titles for the Midds? Pippa becoming Kate’s Lady in Waiting? The complete shut down of the British media so no-one takes photos of grumpy William?
Exactly what I was thinking. I like HM, I respect her in a lot of ways, but this sticking her head in the sand thing has really ruined the RF and it’s not new, as we all know.
Nothing will work, because William is spoiled, petulant, immature, and dislikes his life because duty is THE WORST. So he wants to live a life of his country aristocrat friends, forgetting most of them run estates and if not have their own jobs, some very high-stress with excellent educations. Instead, he runs to the Middletons who treats him like a god amongst them. Tells one all they need to know about William as a man doesn’t it? Ick.
I think she’ll just leave it be and give William everything to placate him and make it Charles’s problem. I think it’s telling when you see Charles with his sons, he’s warmer, affectionate, with Harry and sings his praises and clearly is proud of his achievements like Sentebale and Invictus.
You guys are right on the money.
Do you remember the excuses used give him another gap year after the RAF, the KP apartment and extravagant reno, the heli?
He was expected to take up royal duties imminently, at least that was the justification the Palace used.
Instead he took up a job at EAAA which i’m willing to bet was as much a surprise to them as it was to us.
Infact, if you read the first article calling him workshy, it was all deliberate.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/archives/news/187552/wills-is-throne-idle-prince-on-1st-job-of-the-year-and-its-a-disaster/
The Queen and Charles have a sense of duty. They understand the bargain of their privileges even where they are tone deaf or feel entitled to certain things.
William thinks it is his by right. End of. He is a Prince afterall.
How HM deals with her family, is the same with how she’s dealt with her public duties. Just shutting up, burying her head in the sand and stubbornly refusing to deal with a problem, until it has reached crisis point. QEII is a prime example of someone getting the top job that they aren’t qualified for and should in no way be getting.
It just goes to show that for her maj saving face, protecting the family and biz (aka, swindling) is paramount, rather than whipping said family into shape and leaving the people with a fine legacy in her descendants. She just keeps piling on the glitter.
In gratitude for all their obscene privilege and mountains of taxpayers’ loot, what she leaves behind is not treasure, not even fool’s gold, but a lump of coal. That’s how much she thinks of her people, even though she may love her country.
Red Tulip,
ITA about the queen having risen to her level of incompetence. Must be that old “pride goeth before the fall”, especially for figureheads.
@Ellie, I also agree that Charles has a better relationship with Harry than William. My thinking is once Harry gets married and has kids he is probably going to spoil them the most compared to William and Kate. I hope Harry gets Clarence House once Charles is King.
I’d read that her stepping down was expected – PP resigned from a bunch of his patronages when he turned 90 as well.
I feel that the BRF are in a lengthy transition period that won’t be settled until Charles takes the throne.
Great more patronages to not show up to. All the perks in life. Yet do less than the bear minimum. I’m so disgusted. A bunch of spoiled brats. And William with that puss. Someone really needs to give that child a foot up the ass. The Royal Family created this monster. No sense of duty over self. It’s all about William’s wants and needs. The Middleton Family doesn’t help either. They treat him like a God amongst them. So you have a thirty four old man child. You have let him have more and more time to flounder. It’s not doing him any good or the RF. William maybe the new Edward VIII.
I really think he is the Duke of Windsor reborn. And I think it started long ago. I think he does not want to be king.
All the perks. Without the responsibility. Edward VIII I do not think abdicated the throne a hundred percent for love of Wallis. He didn’t want to be King. It is actually work and a job. Didn’t George V state that his son would ruin himself within a year. It took eleven months.
Also the Nazi connection.
Hello KMR & others, been reading but not posting for a while.
I’m intrigued by patronage, do any of you fully know how it works? (How it’s meant to work!)
I’d HM is a patron of some organisation, did they ask her years ago or was it somehow given to her?
And if they asked and she now passes it onto someone else, aren’t they going to be a bit miffed, esp if they end up with one of the Workshys?
Do they get a say at all?
I believe charities can contact the Royal family and ask for a royal to be a patron. there’s often been behind the scenes discussions and visits first to ensure that there is a royal who is interested and that the charity is above board.
The queen’s tend to be charities of national and international reputation, and also patronages which are always held by the monarch.
What I don’t know, is how a charity which has always had a royal patron might respond to a lesser royal, or no royal at all. We keep hearing about Charles’s mini court. The Duke of Kent is patron to 140 charities, Princess Alexandra to 100+, the Gloucesters 200+ between them. Will those patronages be redistributed or will the royal connection come to an end if K, W and H focus on their mixed interests of mental health, Africa, homelessness, AIDs and, erm, glamorous international yachting competitions?
The numbers are staggering, is there a total somewhere, of HM’s, Prince Philip’s, the others you’ve mentioned plus the trio?
And if Kate’s involvement thus far with her patronages is indicative of the future, what’s the point of having a patron anyway?
Prince Philip would add another 800 patronages or presidencies, Prince Michael has about 100, the Queen 600. So that makes almost 2000 patronages or presidencies held by members of the RF over the age of 70!
How much those patronages actually help individual charities varies hugely, I imagine, as does the wider public benefit.
Early on, when Kate took almost a year to choose 4 charities she cared about, some fans said that this showed her focus and dedication, that she would give more time and attention to a handful of charities than a royal with 100 patronages could ever give theirs. I don’t think it’s panned out like that – I’ve seen no evidence Kate cares more about her causes than Sophie (70+) or Camilla (c. 100) do about theirs
I get the feeling that a patronage is often simply a royal rubber stamp. It really is all about royalty somehow elevating one just by the grace of their fragrant presence/stamp of approval. From common dross to Quality in one fell swoop. Heh.
I’ve always wondered about W, K and H’s explanation of having fewer patronages to have more time to dedicate to them. I’m assuming they are not volunteering, so how hands on are they allowed to be in a charity that wasn’t founded by them? In what consists the “behing the scenes work” they do? And how this actually benefits these patronages, if their role is to bring attention (= be seen)?
When I first saw the pics of W,K,H and G.( I am assuming Charlotte was there too, maybe they put her in a specially designed container to hide her from the public..LOL) I did not recognize at first that is was Willy at the wheel. I thought to myself who is the dorky sour puss driving and where is Willy.
You could see Charlotte’s head in some of the other photos.
Maybe it’s just the photo but it looks like Kate wears blush as styled in the 1980s.
Yes, the racing stripe look,….I remember it well.
I thought it was a bit much. Maybe she let Charlotte do her makeup! I always look like the bride of chuckie after my niece has gotten hold of me
Unfortunately Nic919, it’s not just this photo 🙁
I had to go back to the post of the Swedish royal family to get William’s ill-tempered face off my mind. Why should he mind if his photo is taken in the car? Most of the others were smiling and acknowledging the public there to watch.
Why doesn’t William wear his glasses (with more up-to-date frames) all the time? I think they improve his look.
I like him with glasses, too, but it may be the kind of lenses he has — when I was younger, I only needed glasses to see during driving (I had trouble reading road signs at a moderate distance), but the prescription was such that if I wore the glasses at any other time, things closer than 15 or 20 feet looked very wonky and it would cause headaches.
HM and Philip aren’t going to Sandringham today. They are both sick with heavy colds. Oh no. That’s not good at that age. 🙁 Hoping they feel well soon.
And the media is in full on spin, speculating on her health and how many years she’s got left to live. Understandable, but so annoying.
I think the queen looks great not just for a 90 yr old but in general. She seems to still have all her cognitive skills and pretty mobile. Philip on the other looks like a strong gust of wind could blow him over or a bad case of pneumonia =(
PP does look sort of…sickly, doesn’t he? And he had heart surgery not too long ago, so I think he’s almost as fragile as he looks. He still has such good posture, though! It’s kind of impressive.
And upsetting and unsettling. I know it’s going to happen but I will truly devastated when it does. Part of my upset will be that William is one step nearer to destroying it all. I do believe King Charles will be a marvellous King especially with Camilla by his side but after that, I dread to think.
I think Charles will be a good king, too. I do wonder if he might take the monarchy with him when he passes, though. Maybe there won’t be an “after that” for William.
I think it was Harry all along who is meant to be King not William.
Mean or hope Kitty? For a long time I wished it would be Harry but over the last month some of the things he’s done are as questionable as William but one does get the impression Harry genuinely cares about the people. To William, his people are just one big pain in the ass who get in the way of him doing what he wants to do.
@MrsBBV, I am not going to lie Harry has gone down in my estimation since he sent that letter. But I do think once he is out of this current relationship; his popularity will rise. But its obvious William does not want to be King.
Idk I think Harry’s behavior wrt to Meghan is somewhat reminiscent of his father’s behavior toward/about Camilla. And I do think Charles will be a fine king.
@Lobbit, that is why I think at the end of the day they won’t get married.
+1 And I wish Charles to live as long as his mother will (at the very least) in rude health! Hopefully put off the next chapter as long as possible. Charles is a worldly man with so many interesting ideas and points of view and I look forward to see the direction he takes when finally top dog of the Firm.
I think it may be security issues. My parents both lived into their nineties, and they never had colds, in spite of other health issues. The doctor said they had built up immunity to cold viruses through exposure. Also, if they had heavy colds, would they have gone to the luncheon?
They may have woken up with a terrible cold after spending several hours around a bunch of kids/people. That’s totally possible.
There is a 48 hour cold bug sweeping through U.K. at the moment. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t had it. Mine started with earache but the actual streaming cold bit was 48 max and I have a compromised immune system so I considered myself very lucky to get away with 48 hours although my right ear is still very sore. I expect if they wrap up warm, take lots of fluids onboard and rest they should be fine. Even allowing for their grand old ages. I do hope so as Royal Christmas’s are busy, energetic affairs.
Thanks for the UK info. I hope they get better and don’t have to spend Christmas in BP. I hope your ear mends quickly.
Thank you Fifi……it’s so uncomfortable but at least my cold has gone and I will be able to taste my Christmas lunch on Sunday. Xx
Now you can enjoy your squidgy pie? Can’t quite remember the funny name =)
Mrs BBV, I hope you and the other U.K. readers feel better soon. While I’m at it, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to KMR and all readers everywhere. It’s been a pleasure being a part of this little community.
May I ask what benefit a charity gets from having a royal patron? Some of the charities mentioned are so well-known and well-established they don’t really need a famous name attached to them. Or why not invite some celebrity who will give them the publicity?
Also, what are the obligations of a patron? Show up at the annual fundraiser? Visit twice a year?
Patronages are like a royal stamp of approval, and I thing having that royal connection is a boon for the fundraising efforts of some of these organizations. I’m not sure what obligations members of the BRF have to these organizations beyond attending an events, but these patronages – wrongly or rightly – are considered “work,” and without them, I’m not sure what the “working royals” (excepting Charles, who manages a massive estate) would do with themselves.
I found this article interesting. It was from 2012 but the last line has made me laugh, especially now. It questions whether Kate’s patronages have struck a chord!!! Hahahahaha
Why do charities want a royal patron?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16414839
In the spirit of the holidays, I don’
t want to vent my real feelings So, all I have to say is that George looked adorable in the photo.
He is one cute kid.
Honestly, if you look at the Queen’s involvement as patron of the AELTC, what has she done for them? All we’ve seen is her attendance at a very, very few matches during her entire reign. I’d love to know how passing this one patronage in particular is lessening her workload. What exactly were her “duties” and how exactly will they increase Kate’s “workload’? Meetings? Stamping her seal on documents? Tasting the strawberries and cream? I don’t see that it will require any changes or (heaven-forbid) any sacrifices on Kate’s part to take this on.
Could Kate become involved with the AELTC’s charity, the Wimbledon Foundation? Or would that form some sort of conflict with the Royal Foundation? Only set up in 2013, the Wimbledon Foundation sounds as though it would be a great fit for Kate. Their mission is: “to use the resources and heritage of the Club and The Championships to change people’s lives – especially the lives of the young and disadvantaged.” That, to me, is what a royal patron should be involved in–something outside the Centre Court royal box.
I used to chuckle at the comments about Kate flaunting the ring but this year has been more of a realization that it’s true!even in this pic, it’s made an appearance =) A lot of my newly angaged friends would overtly use their left hand but with time it stopped. I wonder if it’s consciously done with Kate at the this point
Haha I’m probably as bad as Kate. I’ve been wearing my engagement ring for four years now, but I’m still so very happy with it, and very proud and hyper-conscious of it. My only hang up about that ring is that, while it’s quite beautiful, it also has a rather painful legacy attached to it (divorce, war of the Wales and all of that), so I probably wouldn’t have chosen it for Kate if I were William – though I can certainly understand why he did.
It would be understandable if she were left handed, as we obviously use it for everything (!), but Kate doesn’t have that reason/excuse!
I would love to be a fly on the wall at this luncheon. I’d love to watch the dynamics around W&K. I wonder if Kate is as smug amongst a lot of them as she is when pushing Charles out of the way on the balcony so she and Willy and George can be front and centre beside the queen.
I wonder if the other family members really pay much attention to W&K at all? I mean, these two have basically done nothing but take, take, take and have given so little in return, that I can’t imagine the harder working members would have much use for them.
I read something about Sophie of Wessex not being particularly close to Kate, but who knows if that’s true.
I imagine that the other members of the BRF pay as much attention to W and K as protocol demands. I wonder if they actually spend time with them of their own accord.
I would so love to be a fly on the wall, not just for the main lot but also to see the dynamics of the more distant relatives, how much do they kowtow to HM et al?
Would it look the same as my extended family getting together, just in a fancier building, with staff? Or is it all incredibly formal?
And will Charles carry on any of these traditions?
I can’t imagine W&K doing the traditional Windsor Christmas in years to come, but Charles? Maybe.
Times change and part of me can’t wait to see how things develop (whilst not at all wishing away HM) when the inevitable happens.
@MadCatLady, I think Charles will continue to do the traditions but my goodness, William and Kate are going to be the worst Prince and Princess of Wales in history! Mark my words.
Off topic, but does anyone else think once Charles is King Harry will get Clarence House instead of William? I would love Harry to get the Duke of Clarence title.
I think it will go to William if he wants it – only because it’s been used as the official office of the POW for some time now.
@Lobbit, it has been said that KP well be the official residence of the Cambridge family in london until he is King. So Clarence House I assume will go to Harry.
It’s been rumored that Charles is hoping to stay in Clarence House once he becomes King but that does not mean that Harry can’t live at Clarence House as well.
AFAIK Kensington Place is William’s London base and there is no reason to believe that William needs or wants a different space.
@aaa, well seeing as Buckingham Palace is being renovated for 10 years I assume The Queen will live another 10 years so BP will be good for Charles. I’m hoping Harry gets Clarence House. it would be cool for him to have the title Duke of Clarence and living in Clarence House. I know its been rumored he will get Duke of Sussex but think of all of the naught jokes.
I think CH is too regal to be Harry’s taste or even inclination. I just can’t see him living in grand, huge London property. I really like the idea of PoW working in BP and living in CH and I think the renovations will be so long term due to spreading the costs that he might just get away with it too.
@MrsBBV, I personally think the public would not be too happy if Charles does not live in BP. Its the monarch official residence. Also once Harry has a wife and kids, I think Clarence House will be fine. Its apparently smaller than Apt. 1A where William and Kate lives.
ROFL Clarence House is a MASSIVE home. Attached to St James’s Palace. 5 floors. Basement. Attic. Also houses offices.
Apt 1A at KP is small potatoes but is the biggest apartment at KP, which W&K HAD to have so booted out a charity and made up a bunch of excuses as to why they couldn’t live there despite it being spiffed up for exhibitions thus the astronomical bill to taxpayers…
@Ellie that annoys me so. Why would WK waste so much of the taxpayers money on KP and barely live in it and hiding in Norfolk? Ugh it truly does annoy me. But we all know how spoiled William is. But I hope Harry gets Clarence House.
So I saw these posts about Heads Together on a tumblr and I thought were really interesting and wanted to share here.
http://duchessofostergotlands.tumblr.com/post/154181605164/katewithasideofroyal-someone-shared-these
http://duchessofostergotlands.tumblr.com/post/154252504759/could-you-explain-more-about-the-heads-together
The person who runs this tumblr works for a mental health charity in the UK (she’s never said which one for privacy reasons, which I think is a good idea), but because of her job she knows of behind the scenes stuff about the charities that are a part of Heads together, like when Kate will have an engagement weeks before it’s been announced. I’m guessing she works for one of the Heads Together charities, but I obviously can’t say for sure. Anyways, when that Instagram picture from the Royal Foundation dinner came out, she posted about it (link #1) and then answered another question about it (link #2) and basically said how Heads Together is bringing attention to the charities, but barely giving them any funding yet. That’s just a summary and there’s more detail in her posts and she also talks about other parts of Heads Together as well.
Wow just wow. I should be surprised, disappointed, horrified and disgusted but the reality is it is what I expected.. so I’m simply ashamed of all three of them W K and H .
How much money has been donated to the Royal Foundation/ Heads Together since its inception? Has any money gone to charities yet? Are they accumulating funds to invest, intending to use the interest to fund programs? Just checking their website, there is no mention of money given so far although there are links to the individual charities’ donation pages.
I can see that the charities are caught: they may get exposure when the trio visits, but won’t see any distribution of funds until the RF/HT decides its focus for grants. And even then, it might only be funneled to certain mental health conditions. Meanwhile, people needing help are alerted to contact these charities who are inadequately resourced to meet increased demand in services. Some basic logistical problems here…
Restricting access of charities to donors at the Foundation dinner was shabby and disrespectful. It must have been very frustrating to know that the donors were being steered only towards the Royal Foundation/ Heads Together people. I’d hope the various charities are also part of the decision-making process, advising which conditions need urgent help.
@Jen the royal trio are all marketing.
When the Royal Foundation releases its 2016 report we may find out what they’ve done with HT and the money raised.
Why am I not surprised? This lot couldn’t organise a piss up in a brewery. I’ve been saying for months now depression is just a very tiny part of mental health but probably the most fashionable as it’s relatively treatable by comparison and much cheaper to treat with psychiatry than the grittier aspects of Mental Health such as personality disorders which usually involve many years of sustained talking therapy and have limited results with pharmacology.
I know they had to start somewhere but depression always gets the main focus of Mental Health attention in the media. Other issues such as Schizophrenia only tend to get press as a result if an incident. It’s all very well taking on a campaign like this but why did they choose it and what qualifies them to lead from the front on an issue they’re ‘keen’ to explore further. They’ve touched the mere surface on mental health in children, cyber bullying, addiction and the impact of the internet on mental health but studiously avoided personality and behavioural mental health problems.
Whoever is running this campaign from inside KP seems to have thrown a cluster of sound bites and a few well chosen murmurings from Kate the Keen and William Wails and dragged Harrry in to give it a bit of gravitas. All the while having no clear aims and not even giving having any real depth beyond the fashionable causes of the day.
I tell you what would impress me is W & K going and working in Broadmoor / Rampton or any hospital wing of a prison or secure mental health facility for a month. Then they would at have some meat on the bones at what mental health really encompasses. Not this flim flam of a excuse to look interested in something that is a whole lot more.
I agree, the trio couldn’t run a bath. Checking the Royal Foundation site again, they have many projects under that overall umbrella: http://www.royalfoundation.com/our-work/
And this provides an overview of expenditure, dated July 2016: http://royal-fans.com/2016/07/15/money-has-continued-to-roll-in-to-the-royal-foundation-of-the-duke-and-duchess-of-cambridge-and-prince-harry-but-curiously-its-donations-to-good-causes-have-declined/
Yep, it will be interesting to see how the latest funds have been distributed. It is incredibly easy for the trio to rock up to events, talking with folk who have successfully come through treatment. They’ll never be exposed to the grit. But I do hope the Heads Together charities get a fair distribution of funds to areas they deem most in need.
All of the Royal Foundations accounts can be found in the About section at the end of the page.
Thanks KMR. I’ll have a look.
I read this awhile ago and thought something of it, but the more I sat and thought about it and read about this blogger the more I think what she says is total BS, though I’m sure there is a grain of truth in it. No direction or anything. I still think the mental health angle, especially the focus on depression, hints at something going on in Cambridgeland.
I think that’s why they chose depression. It’s also a very middle class mental health problem. I expect all three of them have been exposed to it in varying degrees by themselves but it’s not all Private Hospitals with swimming pools, gyms and libraries like The Priory Group. That’s the sanitised version of Mental Health. They need to see the other end of the spectrum too. And somehow I don’t think they’ll be so keen to get involved. Xx
Mental illness is awful, ugly, and messy, clinical depression included. The consequences are devastating with little to no/improper treatment. I imagine if they have had any exposure to it, it’s someone with the blues, or someone already stabilised. To them it’s all tidy and clean because that’s what they see on their rare and incurious visits.
At first I wanted them to address some of the darker sides of mental health but then I realized the lack of knowledge and only doing the bare minimum on their part could be more detrimental than good. I don’t even think they’re doing much on the depression front. They toss out a few key words and that seems about it.
When a went into nursing I knew the two fields I didn’t want to do right away: peds and mental health. Psychiatric nurses have one of the hardest and thankless jobs and my hats go off to them.
I mean, Harry does speak about other mental health issues, but those stemming from combat and such; PTSD, anxiety disorders, etcetera (some comments he has made about his own struggles when he returned home made me believe he has some mild form of PTSD, speaking of nightmares and how anxious he was, first-hand experience of how difficult trying to assimilate back into civilian life is).
Otherwise it’s all depression and ‘let’s start a conversation’ BS which means nothing. I mean, I don’t expect royals to get into the down and dirty of things excepting from a few–Charles and Camilla do this with certain issues and do not shy away from harsh realities–but the Cambridges and Harry, nah, sanitized is the way to go. It’s nice, clean, and not controversial and makes them all look good. Or more to the point makes W&K loko good, because Harry always seems like he was dragged into this not wanting to be involved.
This Heads Together crap is so far and away from real initiatives like The Prince’s Trust. A shame the boys won’t take over their father’s wonderful work but instead glide along on the ice thinking it won’t break out from under them.
This lack of real work by the Heads Together Initiatives really prove that Harry needs to break away from the Tiresome Threesome. When Harry does his own initiatives, he has shown that he can achieve actual tangible results, which better the lives of people, ie. Invictus.
@Red Tulip, they need Harry because he is more popular(IDK about that now) than they are.
Thanks for this, Liza.
Why am I shocked and appalled? I should know better. Just based on those comments, it seems HT and the Royal Foundation are manipulating charities for their own benefit. The fact that there is no meaningful dialogue with the charities, that they are kept away from donors, that NO money has gone to charities even though their profiles have been raised makes it all very suspect. And they all (including the Tiresome Threesome) are ignorant beyond belief about MH; it’s disgraceful.
Sounds like another PR stunt with Jason’s pawprints all over it, using the charities as a blind. And like Willy’s pittance of a salary (where be barely works), where is the money going? And more importantly, are they using these monies to throw big bashes to entertain the monied elite? It’s so shady, it’s unbelievable. The poster said the RF is ‘cutthroat’. Having read her explanation following, I see exactly what she means. Freaking supercilious and greedy snobs. Users.
I think its obvious the monarchy is going to be doomed once The Queen passes especially with Charles want to streamline the monarchy to his children and their spouses.
I think both Willy and Chuck are going to be in for the shock of their lives.
I don’t know if you have read about Prince Charles’s Christmas address talking about the rise of religious persecution and xenophobia, which is akin to the anti-Semitism of the 1930’s which gave us the genocide of Jews & WWII. Clearly, people forget their history and we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes.
It was a forceful and politically dicey speech, given the current rise of right-wing nationalism and populism in many parts of the world. I, for one, am glad that Charles came out and made this speech, because leaders need to stand up against this ugliness and not just hide behind the whole “monarchy should be completely dumb mute, apolitical, show ponies”- the way QEII has done throughout her reign:
http://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/prince-charles-rising-intolerance-risks-repeat-of-horrors-of-past/ar-BBxsfH9?li=AAggNb9
I really liked it when PoW talked about being a governor of all faiths as that was so inclusive and representative of the U.K. these days but of course the Church of England had an absolute sh*tfit. I really hope he’s able to be himself as King and speak out on things the matter to him. Some of his ideas are really way ahead of their time and he is a truly compassionate man. Of course he has his faults and has done some truly questionable things but I’d really rather give him the benefit of the doubt because essentially I think he tries hard and means well.
I remember when people used to scoff at his environmental ways and early proponent of organic farming. He can laugh now =)
What was MLK’s quote? For evil to succeed, all it needs is for good men to do nothing.
Quite fitting for these times
Thank you so much for this item. I agree it is a message that needed to be delivered. The monarchy should speak up for human rights, and shine a light in dark corners and offer an example. Was it the Danish king in WWII who put on a yellow star when the Nazis ordered the Jews to wear them? This speech is not political, it is humanitarian.
Christian X never put on the yellow star. The story is that he threatened to do it if the Danish jews were to be forced to wear it. Whether the story is true or not is hard to discern. He did, however, ride daily through Copenhagen and became very popular because of his high visibility to the people (and he had very very unpopular before that as he tried to depose the government in 1920).
The Danish jews were initially not subject to the persecution that they were subjected to in other occupied countries. One of the reasons was that the Germans were eager to collaborate with the Danish government in order to avoid major civil unrest – and the Danish government was not interested in persecuting the jews. It threatened to abdicate if the Occupying Forces were to implemement the Nazi jew politics. It was only in 1943 (the Occupation was from 1940-45) when the resistance movements as well as civil disobedience were getting real traction that the relationship between the occupying forces and the Danish government broke down. The goverment abdicated, the police force were arrested and sent to the camps and the Nazis prepared a major move against the Danish jews. There were about 7000 living in the DK, most in Copenhagen.
Most of the Danish jews were rescued to the neutral Sweden. This was made possible because of several reasons. The Norwegian jews had beeen deported in 1942 and the rumours of the camps had reached the DK. Furthermore, one of the German officials involved in the proposed action leaked the plans to a Danish socialdemocratic politician who warned the Jewish religious leaders. Almost all of the Danish jews were transported to Sweden – only about 300 out of 7000 were apprehended and deported. I grew up in a little fishing town were quite a number of people (jews and resistance people) were transported to Sweden. My father, who grew up during the occupation, told me that it was an unspoken truth that the German commandant at the local fort turned a blind eye to this. He was later “rewarded” with a one-way ticket to the Eastern Front.
What a fascinating story, thanks for sharing. I learn so much here at KMR.
Charles also has been in hot water discussing the slaughter of Christians in the Middle East and using charities to help these people. He was involved in inviting Coptic Christian Archbishiops for an event (I believe it was a church opening he went to recently?), and the Home Office barred them from coming to the UK. As a Christian it’s heartbreaking to hear these things but heartening Charles is trying to do something about it. Through Charles’s work, I’ve heard of some charities that my husband and I have donated money to. Kudos Charles.
I’m sure he’ll be slammed for being political because people hate him so much and expect William to take over, and indeed want that to happen. They think the monarchy should never say anything about anything. Charles knows this is wrong. It’s a fine line but I do not see how talking about these things is bad. He is careful and apolitical about it. The man is a devout Christian, and knows he will be monarch of all peoples, all faiths, as well as of no faith.