90 thoughts on “Kate Middleton sends letter of thanks to Telegraph Christmas appeal”

1. “Get your act together” is exactly right. I never heard about this at all. Not even a blip on the radar. I don’t believe that Kate actually wrote this herself. So maybe Rebecca wrote this? If so, it doesn’t look very professional. But I’m just tired of Kate sending letters instead of doing something more substantial like a recorded message or something. If Princess Anne sends a letter instead of visiting a charity herself or in place of giving a speech it means something because Anne has hundreds of patronages (like 400?). But Kate only has about 15, right?
   And if they are going to send a letter at least make it seem substantial and professional. They need an editor to work on these letters, not to mention proofreading what is released on social media because the writing can be so sloppy and amateur at times.

   Jason Knauf needs to be fired. Sorry. But he is incompetent.

   Thank you for writing about this, KMR. I think you put more time into writing about Kate’s causes than her own team does. Maybe Kensington Palace should hire you. 🙂

   1. She currently only has 13 patronages, but it will up to 16 in 2017 when she officially takes over three of HM’s patronages.

      KP should totally hire me. I’d be awesome for them.

      1. Unfortunately, they’d never hire you or anyone like you. They aren’t interested in a team that will critque their performance and challenge them to improve. They are interested in yes-men who will do whatever they say no questions asked.

      2. With all due respect Mickey Mouse would do a better job than what is currently being done for them. Get someone like you into the equation and they wouldn’t know what had hit them but my goodness they need taking in hand. The whole approach is ad hoc, uncordinated, sloppy and unprofessional with no cohesive strategy whatsoever. Bunch of amateurs but the question remains is Jason working with what he’s given within incredibly strict boundaries or is he totally incompetent? Did Catherine think ‘oh it’s Christmas I’ll just toss the proles a few crumbs to keep them going until next year? And what about her other patronages? Did they get an uplifting Christmas message from their keen leader too?

      3. KMR, they should. You would pull a 180 in that office.

         1. I’m not so sure. They perceive themselves as gods who do no wrong. They hire sycophants to promote that image. KMR would be too good for them. And too much of a better person to shill BS.

         2. Yes, a complete turnaround would happen with KMR on board.

            The letter is so short and lacked any sense of what the Heads Together campaign really does. Yes, yes, yes, we know. Stop the stigma surrounding mental health issues. Can you tell us how? What happens to the money that is raised? How is it used? “Thanks for being so keen in your support, donors. Gotta run.” Sincerely, Catherine.

      4. KMR, You would be superb at communicating for W, KM, and H but I don’t think they would deserve your talents.

   2. 1)Actually I totally believe that DOC wrote this.The wording is very her.
      2)KP staff’s work is sloppy.

      1. I tend to agree. It’s so short and disjointed that I think Kate probably wrote this one.

   3. Forget the letter. It is so generic it can be recycled for any season of the year.

      The Telegraph has done the work that Royal Foundations’s arm, Heads Together, should have done through an ad agency to support this initiative. The Telegraph article should have been the capstone to an ad campaign by the RFoundation. With so much at their fingertips, how can that organization be so ineffective at promoting the holiday charity appeal by the newspaper? A sad commentary on the effort by WK&H’s foundation employees for promoting HT.

      Pretending to meaningful, again.

   4. What other 34 year old still writes letters anyway? This is utterly lazy and I suspect she didn’t even write it and Rebecca pasted an electronic signature on it.

      They should be ashamed of themselves.

   5. The only letters she should be writing are thank-you letters, written after she has done some work for those organizations. And they should be heartfelt, mentioning the learning and experiences she had while working, mentioning names of people she met, etc…. but this requires that she actually prepare, work, pay attention, and care. Soooooo, I won’t hold my breath

      1. I agree 1000% Jet!

      2. My gosh, her life sounds so empty. No wonder she’s bored all the time.

      3. JET, so true!

   6. I’d say Jason wrote it because if the phrase merry Christmas. Don’t Brits say happy Christmas instead?

      1. +1 Sarah. I think the same thing happened with Harry’s Statementgate. People said that the statement used the word ‘co-worker’ and some other American terms that didn’t sound like it came from an Englishman.

2. The Heads Together campaign is so nebulous to me. They keep saying about how they want to change the conversation surrounding mental health. How? This campaign is 6 months old and I have no idea what their clear objectives are and how they want to accomplish them. KP and Jason should have made it very clear from the beginning what the concrete objectives of the campaign were and how the three of them hoped to accomplish them.

   Also this is a side note but I feel like their understanding of mental health is superficial, or at the very least what they wish to promote about mental health is very superficial. They keep saying that you shouldn’t be afraid to talk about your feelings. That’s great, but mental health is so much more than talking about your feelings. Also mental health is more than depression and anxiety. They aren’t even touching things like bipolar or schizophrenia, which arguably has the most stigma attached to it. Their hearts may be in the right place. Mental health is a worthy cause to champion. It just seems like this entire campaign was haphazardly put together as a PR exercise for all involved so they could say they are doing something without actually doing anything substantial.

   1. Exactly. Nicely recapped.

   2. Agree Carter.

   3. Well said. An approach that unpacks the explicit work of each of the eight charities making up HT would be useful rather than lumping them all together with vague goals of ‘changing the conversation’.

   4. If you never set goals, you can’t fail. I think that is the Cambridges’ motto.

   5. It is a case of them again making an umbrella organization (like William’s wildlife one) and claiming other people’s work as their own. That is why it continues to be so nebulous, because none of them are the experts and don’t put effort into learning more than a bad soundbite.

      1. I’m still stunned by The Telegraph’s assertion of ‘effectiveness’. Seriously? The cause has barely been born. Sycophants.

         1. These umbrella gigs annoy me so much. They create them, do nothing, and everyone else is supposed to kowtow and think they’re wonderful (Harry included because he’s letting himself be yanked around as one of the three musketeers).

            They already have a foundation, no need to create these umbrellas that are sub-parts of their foundation. Their foundation can work with existing organizations as a partner, not as an org that puts itself *above* their work and takes credit for the work of other organizations.

         2. To be fair to the Telegraph, they were talking about all three charities when they used that “effectiveness” line. While I agree HT has not proven itself to be effective yet, the other two have.

   6. I don’t quite understand Heads Together either, but I think the idea of the campaign may have come from a previous informal partnership of the Princes’ patronages. When the princes were in their 20s, their charities would meet monthly where it became an exchange of ideas and the charities benefited from the previous experience of others. As far as I know, it was very helpful to the charities involved.

      Unfortunately, this campaign is not so helpful I think. Regardless of how keen ‘William, Catherine and Harry’ are ‘to change the national conversation around mental health’, the campaign won’t go anywhere without direction and they can’t look to their charity partners to give unified direction since they each have their own sector.

      As for a being PR exercise, I think all three individuals have the idea that what Royals provide is publicity. This is the whole idea of a patronage. Not to imply that they don’t enjoy being hands on in their patronages and charities, but in accepting a patronage, they haven’t been requested to lead, only to publicise.

      And yes, their mental health understanding is rudimentary in many aspects, particularly regarding the origins of poor mental health. And particularly in their speeches. Sometimes I just wish they would let their charities write their speeches, rather than write their own.

3. Am I the only one who thought that when Kate got married she would take the world by storm and be like Diana who was charismatic, beautiful, magnetic charm, glamourous, and just simply having a royalty like charm?

   1. Yes,I did..
      And I,m bitterly dissapointed in her and William.

   2. This girl right here. And I’m disappointed and incredulous. She has a platform that is wasted.

   3. I did too…and now I feel foolish 🙁

   4. I did not. Her previous history did not lead me to believe she would be anything like Diana. It has been debated what she stated in the engagement interview, but I thought she hinted at working hard in the future. When this did not happen the first couple of years… Every year that passes makes her list of negatives grow longer.

      1. I did not because nothing in her history suggested she would.

         However, given the unique platform/bubble and the restrictions and constraints it puts on the royal family, i was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and believe that she wasn’t telling outright lies about waiting to join the family officially before unleashing her unseen work ethic/charitable side.

         Clearly, i was wrong, and i knew it when the Palace released the statement 3 days after the wedding saying she was going to be a housewife.

         That was such a boldfaced move given they had spent 6months, nevermind the previous 4 post college years, gaslighting everyone into believing that she would start working immediately, she would dazzle us with her awesome work ethic not to mention her intelligence, keenness blah blah.

         As soon as i read that statement, i knew we had been had. I think that’s when i started commenting on royalblogs because upto that point, though i could see the PR lies, i thought that she would turn over a new leaf, like every new royal has done.

         I remember saying this then and being told i was a jealous hater for saying it. 5yrs later and everyone sees what i saw.

         As for the charities, people often forget that she was actually pushed into starting work. People waited patiently all of 2011 and nothing. Then the media started sniping in late 2011 which provoked a response from the Palace saying something along the lines of ‘she was waiting to choose’/’she was researching all these charities before she chooses’.

         When Richard Palmer wrote an article about her shopaholic habit as opposed to working, the Palace announced her patronages, and you could see, metaphorically speaking, the courtiers on the other side of that statement pushing her out of the palace door to do something.

         It helped that William was away in the Falklands so that she couldn’t hide behind him for the period the engagements were arranged.

         For the duration of his absence she dutifully did those engagements, but when he came back, she immediately cancelled the 2 remaining of the announced programme with the Palace releasing a curious statement about how it had stressed her out so much that she had started to go grey.

         1. I also predicted that she would never pick up the pace, and would use her kids to hide rather than work.

            I stand by that prediction. Whether she has 2 or more kids, she will not work more until the last one is in boarding school at age 8.

            And by then, given William’s reluctance to work, the excuse will be that she is concentrating on being around for William, as she did pre-kids, to be eased into a life without the kids.

            And when that excuse doesn’t wash anymore, she’ll be in middle age/early old age and they shall both retire because they need to be around for their adult kids like Carole.

            Then they need to be around for their grand kids like Carole.

            And on and on it shall go with little to no actual work by Kate or William.

            1. I am 100% sure now they will NOT be King and Queen in the future.

            2. At least we haven’t gotten the trite stories of how She’s telling her aides to pack her diary for the new year! Who would believe it at this point?

         2. I didn’t pay attention enough pre wedding to really know the whole story and with the first tour in Canada there seemed to be a lot of positive hype. I think the worm turned for me when she needed a mat leave and never had a job. And then I started ready the blogs which pointed out just how little she did… and when I learned she never worked or did any charity work after university and before the engagement, I realized she would never change. No woman I know just sits around doing nothing for a man. And even the women who are ladies who lunch at least participate in charitable endeavours.

            Outside of a constitutional crisis where the monarchy itself is on the line, Will and Kate are never going to change. They don’t need to change and don’t care to change.

            I don’t like that Harry gets dragged into their group though. He may not be working like a regular person, but he still set up Sentebale and Invictus, which he does not have to do. And he doesn’t get near the same perks as the lazy duo.

            1. @Nic919, I think the reason why he does not get the same “perks” as them two is because its been proven William is petulant and a whingner and The Queen and Charles let them all the perks in exchange of doing work; which we all know has backfired on them completely. But I have a feeling once Harry marries and has kids The Queen and mostly Charles will spoil his whole family just because.

         3. “For the duration of his absence she dutifully did those engagements, but when he came back, she immediately cancelled the 2 remaining of the announced programme with the Palace releasing a curious statement about how it had stressed her out so much that she had started to go grey.”

            Really? Wow!

            1. Yes.

               I couldn’t believe it either.

               Article has since been scrubbed from the i ternet, but you can still find it in archives of royalblogs.

         4. Herazeus, I just want to thank you again for being here and sharing what you know. The whitewashing has been so constant, it is easy for people to forget what has gone on for so many years.

            1. +1

            2. +2

            3. +3

   5. No, I didn’t. She always seemed mousy and plain to me, but I did think she would have the sense and education to make up for it with hard-core royal duties. WRONG.

   6. I didnt think she would be like Diana. Diana was a singular phenomenon. But I thought she would do…something. I thought she would work quietly and pull her weight. So yes, I too am disappointed. She isn’t doing the minimum. She is a low performer, a failure.

   7. I did not. I had lost sight of the BRF after Diana’s death. Did come back with the POW’s marriage. Then stayed up to watch the wedding of WK because I love opulent BRF weddings. I knew nothing about her at all.

      When I saw the look on Waity’s face, the barely concealed smirking triumph at the altar, I became intrigued and suspicious. Since then, she has turned out to be everything I suspected her to be.

4. Yet more empty platitudes that mean absolutely nothing repeating the “end the stigma” garbage.

   Also I thought you Brits said ‘Happy Christmas’. Kate has said it at the Sandringham walk.

   Makes me think Jason wrote it.

5. KMR, you should do a review on the cost of William and Kate’s vacations since marriage. Would be fascinating to see how much the taxpayers foots the bill for their RPO’s. I’ve read they aren’t allowed to accept freebies that’s why they mooch off of rich friends.

6. Sorry to say that anything these days even slightly related to the Royal Foundation leads me to think all sort of uncharitable thoughts. But here goes:

   Why didn’t they use this opportunity to promote Heads Together? Perhaps because with the Telegraph they were one of three charities spotlighted and they didn’t want to call attention to the other charities. Unlike the London Marathon where they are THE Charity of the Year–they don’t have to share that spotlight.

   By now we know that the only real purpose of Heads Together (or insert the name of any other Royal Foundation initiative) is to promote the public profile of Kate, Will and Harry. That they are “bolstered by extra funding”, as the Telegraph says, means absolutely nothing since just barely over half of every pound/dollar donated goes to the charitable organizations’ programs. All that extra funding is going toward the royal trio’s galas, trips abroad, hiring new Foundation staff, etc. under the guise of “charitable work.” Forget actually reaching those who struggle with mental illness.

   And while Heads Together might have great potential, how on earth have they demonstrated effectiveness? Just have to shake my own head at that.

   Anyway, enough of that. Hope everyone finds joy and peace during this holiday season!

   1. It will be interesting to see how much of the Telegraph’s fund-raising is apportioned to Heads Together. The Telegraph has raised c. 23 million pounds over 26 years through this appeal. Maybe HT could garner a few hundred thousand pounds depending on how funds are divided up? It’s a shame, whether by design or incompetence, the trio did not lend their support to the Telegraph campaign when it was announced in early December (I think). The ‘letter’ is the usual generic stuff, weak and insubstantial.

      The eight charities under the Heads Together umbrella have yet to receive any funds from the Royal Foundation; hopefully it will be a substantial amount in addition to Telegraph donations.

      Like most readers here, I have no belief that William, Kate and Harry are engaged in mental health initiatives beyond their publicised appearances. If their support brings in money, well, they’re good for something even if their own profiles are raised as well. Bit of a trade-off.

      1. The appeal and the charities were announced in mid-November. Plenty of time to mentioned it, but KP didn’t bother.

         1. So professional and on the ball!

            This is what happens when you hire sycophantic yes-men.

            It’s pathetic.

         2. Ah, so right around the time of the Kensington Palace/MM statement fiasco? And shortly before the start of Harry’s Caribbean tour? So work at KP must have been overwhelming for even the “PR guru” Jason Knauf–he can’t manage just one situation skillfully, so imagine with that much on his plate!

            Wonder if Jason is even around atm–that short letter seemed more like a copy and paste job by a communications intern. Perhaps he is out job hunting or maybe just on holiday. He needs his rest; the New Year doesn’t look too bright for anyone at KP right now.

            (Also, KMR, in your tags at the end of the article, you didn’t list Jason. Personally, I think he should be tagged here so that when people Google him your criticism will pop up. =))

            1. @Lizzie that Harry statement really has backfired on him!!! I bet he regrets it and probably pissed that his gf is not popular with the majority of the public.

      2. The Telegraph is a newspaper, and newspapers are BAD. Newspapers ask mean questions like “What do you do all day, William?” and “Where’s your underwear, Kate?”.

         Strictly speaking it wouldn’t be fair to promote one papers charity appeal over the others, even though it’s their charity being helped. A thank you letter after the fact makes sense. Otherwise the other papers (with their own charities) would be peeved.

         Hey do you guys remember when Kate would stroke and play with her hair all through her engagements? She doesn’t do that anymore. Yay! Maybe five years from now someone will prise her purse away from her biscuit. Baby steps.

         1. Lol, you are too funny Red Snapper!!!

            I don’t think promoting one papers charity work would be wrong, look at the “work” day Kate put in at the Huffington Post as their guest editor. That move really pissed off the British media, working with the Telegraph might have earned them so goodwill but we all know they are not that forward thinking.

         2. I think the crotch clutch was the solution to the hair stroking.

            1. The blowback she got for her 45 min “guest editing” gig is precisely the reason she/they want to avoid favouring another paper, even for a charity appeal that benefits their charity.

               You could argue that they shouldn’t treat the media like crap. But it’s best they treat the media like crap *equally*.

         3. The thank you letter is telling in itself in its strategy and influence. People will get the impression that not only are they dynamic, but actually effective, especially coming from a royal. A win-win, IMO. The Telegraph lied about HT being effective. They haven’t been around long enough for that moniker. So, it’s just more sycophantic PR for the Tiresome Threesome.

            1. The individual charities may well be very effective in their specialist areas as they operate independently from each other and from the Royal Foundation. They presumably have their own funding sources to operate, and now are hanging out for Royal Foundation money to be allocated, which includes whatever the Telegraph raises. The ‘effectiveness’ tag rightly belongs to them, not to the Royal Foundation that simply scoops up any accolades. It will be interesting to see whether RF money is allocated to areas beyond depression, to the harder areas of mental health, as mentioned by other posters here. I hope the charities have a very vocal presence in what areas need most resourcing.

7. OMG, I don’t see this as a letter, this is a note. Ridiculous. Typical of Kate. And KP incompetence is legendary. I totally agree with you KMR, this should be an opportunity to promove Heads Together and Kate, but NO. Wasted time (again).

   By the way FELIZ NATAL (Merry Christmas) everybody.

8. I see KP goes out on a typically disappointing note. Firstly, why not tell people about the appeal in November. Do you not want people to give money? Then this half-hearted note. Then the ongoing vagueness about Heads Together actually uses its funds.

   Much like Kate’s works with hospices, I feel mental health is an area that is too serious, important and complex for the Cambridges’ typically superficial engagement. Changing the conversation is lovely and all that, but with suicide rates in the UK rising terribly and mental health services being cut to the bone, It sounds wooly.

   Anyway, a merry Christmas to everyone here and in the festive spirit, what would you get the royals for Christmas?

   1. Let’s see…I would get Kate 6 weeks at a Swiss finishing school so she could learn the art of small talk and walking upright. William would definitely get a lump of coal. Victoria deserves a spa day, Mary, Max and Leti too. I don’t know what I would get Harry, he seems pretty happy and contented now so maybe just a card.

      1. I’d get nanny Maria a raise, and Jason a copy of the Art of Saying No

         1. +1!

         2. I’d give him a book on better resumes. After this year he should be actively seeking another job

   2. I continue to be totally offended by their ignorant and reckless foray into mental health. It’s abominable.

      1. They have no credibility on this issue. Kate is not a fully functioning adult and neither is William. They both have mental health issues and unless they are prepared to be honest about those issues, they need to find another cause to endorse.
         Kate’s issues are more obvious than Will’s because they are manifested in a physical way, but he is still a child when it comes to dealing with reality.

9. As someone who has suffered greatly over the years with anxiety and depression I applaud their efforts in changing the conversation regarding mental health, particularly for young people. However, I would like to see concrete, measurable objectives, more time spent actually volunteering and a more cohesive media campaign to maximise the impact. I must admit until reading comments here this week I had not realised royal visits were so short! I envisaged a day spent interacting with the charity and people.

   I feel it is time for someone to intervene now with this lot, but who? HM and PP are too old and frail, Charles may have had a go but ended up estranged, oh where is someone like Robert Fellowes when you need him to tell it like it is and lay down the law.

   If something isn’t done soon the last vestiges of goodwill to this dreary, workshy couple will evaporate completely.

   1. Things really seemed to go sideways for the Cambridges once Jamie Lawther-Pinkerton (?spelling) left. He seemed to be the only one who could get through to William.

10. Hardly a ‘letter’ is it really? Have the Telegraph in front of me and the article is so fawning!
    All about how much wonderful WORK they’ve done. Really?
    Or is it sarcasm, I hope so!

    Merry Christmas KMR people!

11. Three sentences, and one is praising herself and the brothers.

    I hope everyone has a very happy holidays.

12. I am sorry to thread-jack KMR but I just heard this sad news…

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/12/24/queens-granddaughter-zara-tindall-husband-mike-have-sadly-lost/

    My sympathy and condolences go out to Mike, Zara and Mia.

    1. Oh god that’s awful. Poor Zara. I have experienced this and cannot possibly imagine it having been so public. What a sad Christmas for them 🙁

    2. Very sad news.

    3. I’m so sad for her. She looked so happy in the car heading to the Christmas lunch.

       1. Miley, I put the info about Victoria’s purse in the other thread in case you’re going shopping…

    4. Oh, how tragic. I hope they find comfort in their family and friends. My condolences.

    5. That is such heart-breaking news. Miscarriages and fetal losses are just so terrible. I hope being around family at this time will give them some comfort.

    6. So much love to Zara and Mike. So horrible. In a way it is good they are coming out about it publicly… Miscarriages are things women and indeed families often suffer about in silence.

    7. So sad. I wonder if they will stay home quiet, or seek the comfort of family at Sandringham. Sophie and Edward’s ectopic pregnancy was in December 2001. They would be two people in the family who really know what Zara and Mike are going through, and how it feels to experience this during this time of year.

13. Are you kidding me? She considers THAT a letter? I literally kept scrolling because I thought there must be more to it. Good grief.

    They just keep recycling the same exact words over and over and over again in every speech, written communication, etc. We get it. Now what are you going to DO about the stigma?

    Just when I think she cannot possibly be more disappointing, here we are.

14. I don’t mean to bring this thread down, but I just saw what happened to Zara on the news and I am so terribly sorry. I am heartbroken for Zara and Mike. I hope that they can find some comfort spending time with their family at Sandringham. This is such a horrible thing.

15. The loss of a child is always a terrible experience. I am praying for them, May they gain strength from each other and the wider family. I always went to my granny when I was,sad, so I’m sure being with her granny this weekend will be comforting for Zara.

16. Don’t have time to read all the responses right now – but I can see where KP would not promote a specific news outlet – even for a charity campaign. Will, Kate and Harry’s Heads Together appearances got covered in ALL media. The two sentence perfunctory Thank You that was probably written by a staff member is exactly how that should have been handled.

17. I can’t imagine what Zara and Mike are going through right now. I want to give them both big hugs and a hammer with things to smash.

    The phrase “changing the conversation on metal health” and any versions of the statement makes me stabby. It’s a buzzword phrase that means absolately nothing. I can’t take anyone who uses it seriously. Stop repeating these worn out phrases and DO SOMETHING. For the love of God.

18. Sending “Get Well” wishes to Queen Silvia.

    http://royalcentral.co.uk/europe/sweden/queen-silvia-to-spend-another-night-in-hospital-73984

19. Does anyone edit anything anymore?! KP needs new PR staff immediately. Their work is sloppy, which just won’t do because the people that they represent are equally as such.

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