Queen Elizabeth attends church joined by William and Kate

Queen Elizabeth attends church joined by William and Kate

Queen Elizabeth stepped out for the first time in almost a month today, January 8, when she attended church at St. Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham estate. The Queen was joined by Prince William and Kate Middleton and the Middleton family.

Squashing negative rumors, The Queen arrived for the 11 AM church service by car with Prince Philip. HM wore a blue coat and hat with Queen Victoria’s Diamond Bow Brooch.

William and Kate made the trip to church on foot. Kate wore her MaxMara Sportmax long green coat again, with her Emmy Shoes “Valerie” pumps in carbon, that ugly Alexander McQueen belt I hate, her Emerald and Diamond earrings, and a grey fur hat.

The Middleton family – including Carole Middleton, Michael Middleton, and James Middleton – attended church as well.

Pippa Middleton was a part of the Middleton clan, looking a bit Indiana Jones. I love this look on her. Pippa’s shoes are also the Emmy “Valerie” pumps but in Chocolate, and her clutch is the Emmy “Natasha” in Chocolate – I wonder if she borrowed the shoes and clutch from Kate or if she has her own.

Pippa’s fiance, James Matthews, was there as well although they didn’t walk together for some reason.

Here’s a couple more photos of William and Kate. I’ll update the post later if better photos come out. Also, today is a two post day since I did not expect William and Kate to attend church today – go check out my post on Prince Carl Philip and Princess Sofia.


241 thoughts on “Queen Elizabeth attends church joined by William and Kate

  1. I guess this is KPs way of doing damage control since the perception was the Cambridges were disrespectful by not spending the holidays with the Queen. As usual the Middleton’s weaseled their way in to today’s event and they sure love to look directly into the cameras.

    1. Damage control…. NOT!!! No one is fooled.

      Whiny using the kids to have HM around the useless climbing carole and the middleton. Why should themiddleton, who knows nothing of duties, service and helping others – pipa her man, given an audience access to the TQ, while other in laws don’t…this won’t end well!

      Whiny carol his middleton family, kids need to go away and live in Berkshire. Give us King Henry!!!

    2. I know it’s PR damage control but I am surprised HM let them use her to piggyback off her reputation to improve theirs. Especially with William’s ‘I’m working in January’ photos so tenderly published yesterday. I mean we all are given to understand HM doesn’t much care for the Middletons although I have heard she quite likes Papa Middleton. I think it’s hilarious that they’ve used really unflattering pictures of Boy Wonder. Piers Morgan says in one of his books it’s a normal childish tactic the press employ if they are pisssed off with someone. After this set piece today I’m even more convinced they are off to the Caribbean later this month but what William really needs now is a PR opportunity with Prince Charles and his grandchildren. Then we will have a full suit so to speak and we will know for sure this is a concerted effort to counter some of the ongoing criticism.

      1. I’m obsessed with Kate’s belt. It’s Alexander McQueen and it cost $1000. For a *belt*! A strip of leather with a buckle! I can hardly believe it when she, or anyone else, turns up in an unlined, insubstantial frock, and I learn the price tag on that is north of a grand. But at least a dress covers your body. That belt…. I have no words.

        1. It costs how much?! (sooo tempted to use caps for the last two words).

          Good Gravy!! **face palm and pretend vomits at the sheer cost for leather with a buckle**

        2. @Red Snapper,
          😆

          ETA:
          That is the lol emoticon, I am pointing that out because it looks like a grimace and that is not what I am trying to convey.

    3. I don’t think it is damage control because I don’t think that the overall reaction to William and Kate spending Christmas with Kate’s family was negative. Everyone has detractors and not every action is looked upon favorably so of course there were people who disapproved and voiced that disapproval, but the media for the most part reported the Cambridges actions, especially the photo op with the kiddies favorably, and thus far there have not been any leaks that William and Kate’s actions were a cause of strife within William’s family.

    4. Probably, but I’m going to look at this differently – between this appearance, the engagements on their January calendar, Will showing up at work, and the release of their holiday card, it seems they are at least trying to start the year on the right foot. I can’t bring myself to care about why or wonder if it will last. I say let them “fake it until they make it.”

      1. I’m choosing to be cautiously optimistic as well. Plus I don’t understand why people get mad that the Middletons are at Amner around this time of year. They were there this weekend last year. It’s her birthday weekend. I don’t think the Cambridges or the Middletons have ulterior motives by spending her birthday with her family.

        1. Because it’s a disrespect to the Queen to blow off Her traditional Christmas. I mean every time I read “pro-monarchy” comments it’s all about tradition and how much she brings in yada, yada, yada and then you have stragglers who receive all the perks, including a 1k belt and show up when the Queen is better.
          I have to believe this isn’t rocket science and just good ol’ fashion common sense, but perhaps it died in Britain?

    5. Plus the DM is starting to write some snippy articles about them. I caved and read the one yesterday. I thought they were calling Kate “broody” as in moody but they were actually referring to nesting/wanting more kids. The article had some not so subtle digs. Williams’s “friend” saying he’s entitled and petulant. Carole gets the kids all the time meanwhile Charles never sees them and relatively everything else we’ve mentioned =)

  2. I wonder if the Middletons will have a role in the monarchy (in the case where Will will be King).

    I think it is particuraly interesting that we don’t hear about Kate and William spending private moment only with Charles.

    For the looks, I love the blue of the Queen; hate the coat of Kate (because I hate green) and honestly I find it bad when I see people wearing fur even if it is false fur… I don’t want to make a debate about if it is right or not; but I just hate it.

    1. I agree, this is William and Kate’s way of positioning her parents to be given an earldom although I could not see this happening during Charle’s reign, it would have to come during William’s reign, unless Wills throws a major tantrum and gets his way sooner.

      1. In this case, do you think that if people doesn’t want that the Middletons have title, it is possible that this title will not be given?
        Does the Parliament have a role in the title’s donatio?

      2. Parliament has to agree to any titles. We’ve stopped handing out hereditary titles. The last one handed out was Denis Thatcher in 1990 and only a Baronetcy. Parliament only approves life peers now ie for the lifespan of the person gived the peerage and even then, titles are no higher than Baronetcy.

        If Carol really wants a title, she needs to suck up to govt people, not the royal family. William can’t give her a title.

        OR since Charles regularly sucks upto govt ministers, perhaps she should start sucking upto him to lobby on her behalf.

          1. When William is King he could give Carole the Royal Victorian Order (services to Monarch) for all of the cheese toast she has made him.

      3. Online comment about the Middletons took a huge negative turn when the story was floated (likely by their PR team), that the Middleton’s wanted a title. Until then, some people had fallen for the idea that they were culturally middle class (ie. not aristocracy), made a lot of money, but loved being “normal” and “middle class”.

        When the idea of them having titles came out? Huge turn. Out came the stories of Dorothy G and the top brick in the chimney, Carole cutting off ties with family, Carole calling aristocrat parents at Marlborough and asking them to make their daughters befriend Kate, the family crest with skis on it, the new signet rings.

        Some members of the general public, who had fallen for the PR image, turned soundly against the Middletons at that point. If they were granted titles in the future, expect even more criticism of them from the rank and file.

  3. I am glad the queen is feeling better.Why are the Middleton’s always front and center all the time?I know they are a close family but , I wouldnt want my mother around all the time.It really is weird considering they spent Christmas with them only to have them follow them to Sandringham.The Middleton’s can’t seem to live life without being around w&k.

    1. +100

      the kids are used for whiny and useless km carol pipa and her man self promotion. only the father seem a bit put off … While tax payers funding whiny and lazy waity carol and the middleton lot lifestyle.

      1. Exactly. I spend my birthday weekend with my parents and family every year. My birthday just so happens to not be around Christmas, but if it were I would be spending Christmas with my family and my birthday.

    2. I am also glad to see that HM was out and looking well.
      The Middletons? I just am not fans of the family. With Kate’s birthday on the weekend, I assume that is why they were there, but wow, they are really pushy,

      Kate really needs her family around most of the time, it seems. I guess Carole helps a great deal — even if Kate is a hands-on Mum. Poor PC rarely seeing those children. He must be hurt by that.

      1. Usually I lurk, but I have finally come out of lurkdom..if PC wants to see his grandchildren, why doesn’t he arrange to be at Sandringham instead of hiding in Scotland. He would know that Waitys b-day was this weekend. I’ve always felt there is some bad blood between Prince Petulant and PC. JMO

  4. What I found interesting when I saw the pictures on DM, was that all of a sudden W&K didn’t take center stage in this article, as usual. It’s all about the Queen (as it should always be). The pictures of W&K and the rest of the Middeltons scream “some other people were there, too”. It feels like a dig against the Cambridges. Just my opinion.

    1. Not before time. I’m sick of the Dolittles and Kate’s clothing getting top billing especially when we’ve all been so concerned about HM & PP over the last few weeks. PP looks a lot more tired than he did last weekend. Probably just bad lighting of the photos to get HM centre from but he does look quite frail today.

    2. I noticed this as well. There are two other DM articles, one on Kate’s clothes and the other focussed on the Middletons, but neither had equivalent views as the front page article. Maybe the journalistic tide has turned for the Cambridges?

      It is lovely to see HM with her grandchildren irrespective of intention. Now if Harry would reappear from where ever he is hiding at the moment, and all three schedule public engagements, this would be a better start to 2017 than 2016.

      Aside, is Kate recycling more? I hope this is an upward trend. She recycled a fair amount in 2016, perhaps more than 2015? A £200,000 clothes budget for 2016 was excessive and unnecessary regardless of tour engagements.

      1. She has no excuse not to recycle. She appears to be about the same size has she has been since the wedding (other than pregnancies) and even if she has changed a little bit, she *should* have a good tailor. (I say *should* because her clothes are regularly poorly tailored) There are so many outfits, mostly her insane amount of coats, that have only been worn once or twice. I think she shops because she’s so bored in the country. With a nanny and staff, I doubt she has much house work.

      2. There is no need for her to buy any new clothes for the next few years. If she can’t build a decent wardrobe with $200k then she is just wasteful.
        She should be wearing repeats for all of 2017.

        1. You don’t need $200k to build a decent wardrobe. You don’t need even 1/4 of that amount. It’s about buying stuff that’s timeless/classic and fits. Then there’s accessorizing. One of Kate’s biggest problems is she doesn’t know how to mix and match. Every outfit she has ever recycled, has been worn the exact same way. She has no imagination. She could have so many different looks using the same things.

          1. @Miss K, I agree with you points but Diana spent way more clothes on that. From 1990 to her divorce I think it was said in USD she would spend $1.2M on clothes every year. But Diana looked amazing so…

          2. Some re-wears have been fantastic, and IMO, better than the debut, such as her recycle of the Roland white dress at the Nelson Mandala premier, her third wear in NY of the petrol blue JP and her second wear of the Emilia Wichstead gold coat dress in Bhutan.

            Those times, she has changed her hair and accessories successfully.

            But she needs to work out how to mix and match her other outfits.
            If I see her wear that hideous military McQueen skirt and blouse with her hair down and blue shoes, one more time…

          3. She also doesn’t know how to accessorize. All her boring similar kiki pieces? Cartier has beautiful pieces yet she buys the most bland items possible and they get wasted behind her hair.
            One of her best looks was when she wore the chunky necklace I believe by Zara?

  5. Where is Donna Air? Why is she never at a Middleton gathering while Pippa’s boyfriends and a now fiancé are present? ‘Tis strange, very strange.

    1. She’s not trophy enough for them.

      If James hooked up with someone like Jemima Goldsmith, who is single at the moment, or Kate Rothschild also currently single, they would be paraded.

      I mention those 2 ladies specifically because they are very close family friends of Donna’s baby daddy and Jemima was very close to Diana.

      If Donna could open that door for the Middletons, she would be paraded more. Clearly she hasn’t.

      Greta: Nico was always front and centre at Middleton gatherings. Infact we were first introduced to him on holiday with them on Mustique.

      1. You are right. But don’t you think the Queen has the last say in who is allowed to join the RF for church? Just a question.

        1. That church is open to the public, security allowing. You could join the Queen if you passed the security checks. She doesn’t have a say on the congregation beyond the security required.

    2. My guess is that Donna prefers not to go to these types of events. If you want me to really get speculative it’s a “there can’t be two cocks in the hen house” with the two cocks being Donna and Carole.

  6. I think Pippa And her fiance didn’t walk together because it would have made it too obvious that Carole and Michael don’t walk together and it might have distracted attention away from the golden couple.

    The DM article certainly featured some very unflattering pictures of William. I wonder how Philip felt about the presence of the ersatz royal family.

    Nice to see the Queen out and about. What do you all think of the story of the Queen out for a walk at 3 am at BP? I think there may be drama going on behind the scenes.

    1. She nearly got shot by a trigger ready guard! He shouted a warning! Very odd time for a stroll if you’re 90

      1. Whiny bill middletonand his Middleton family, keeping her up….the decison for a King Henry instead ( ofingers crossed)

        whiny bill only appears with middleton family….the RF stayed away. whiny snowflake chutney, stop pretending to be with the rest of the BRF- unless its TQ who benefits the climbing carol, the middletons hanger ons, pipa and her man business.

      2. Bea, not all that odd. Often the elderly have trouble sleeping. If she couldn’t sleep, she might have decided to take a quiet walk in the middle of the night when she could be alone, not bothered or watched by staff. But she didn’t remember the guard!

        1. Yep, the Mirror article about the incident states that “the Queen is a fan of late night walks and, when she struggles to sleep, will walk around the palace grounds wearing a winter coat.”

          1. Do you think she just throws a coat on over her jammies? I just find this story odd, and you would think security would know and alert guards if the Queen left the building at 3 am.

          2. I don’t think that the Queen throws a coat over her jammies because she is not from the schlubby generation like me.

            I think that the story itself is not as sensational as the headlines it generated. If the Queen has been a late night rambler for a considerable amount of time without incident, then maybe no one ever saw the need to put out an alert when she leaves the building.

    2. I don’t think it’s that weird that Pippa didn’t walk with her fiance, especially if he has a good relationship with her parents. When I walk places with my partner’s family, I often walk with his sisters or mother while he talks with his dad. We all behave as a family and don’t see the need to “couple up”.

  7. Yay!! HM is back and looking lovely in blue!!

    Kate genuinely looks happy (where the smile reaches her eyes–we rarely get that kind of facial expression from her and as opposed to last year when she looked as if she were attending a funeral) but the fur hat is a great big no-no in my book. I’m ‘eh’ about the green coat. The color is fine but the high-waisted belt looks ridiculous. Like others, I too feel that this is a PR move but I’m not 100% if it’s to silence those who criticised William for not going to Sandringham or a power-play by William to get the Midds a title or what.

    Pippa really *does* look like a female Indiana Jones but looks good. Mama Carole? Meh. At least she doesn’t look like she did at Christmas (she looked terrible and it appears that she was wearing a sling/cast then? Hmmm….). Papa Michael and brother James look as if they don’t want to be there. No opinion on fiance James. Does anyone know who the woman in red was (the one walking with Pippa)?

    It’s unusually cold here (currently 28 degrees with a “feels like” temp between 19-21–yikes!) and I definitely put Missy’s coat on her this morning–she looked so cute and didn’t mind it at all. Let me share a picture of my furbaby!

    https://scontent-mia1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/15590002_10155469657549237_5920268407805320679_n.jpg?oh=96139a84b077ceca8abda64a5d029480&oe=58D61619

    https://scontent-mia1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/15578749_10155469158279237_5341497662731945491_n.jpg?oh=38190d7fb940e8f77e5bc81e4a4b4e50&oe=58DEB58C

    Okay, so I think I just shared two of her haha!

    I’ll check out the CP/Sofia article in a moment.

    Long live QEII!!! 🙂

    1. Hi I think the old lady is lady hussey one of the queens lady in waiting the younger woman with the blonde hair I think is Sophie carter who is an old school friend of Kate’s her father owns a huge construction company in norfolk self made much like the middletons

        1. I’ve been to Alaska and Iceland trying to see the the northern lights=( stupid weather didn’t cooperate
          Finland has clear igloos that you can stay in. That’s my next attempt. 3rd times the charm, right?

          1. I lived in Alaska for 3 years, my first official duty station with my husband, and they were the best part. You definitely have to get outside of the city, if Fairbanks could be considered one, and if you can hear the crackles it’s absolutely magical. Dead of winter is always best. 🙂

          2. I’m jealous Y’all have me jonesing for a trip! I’m thinking a quick jaunt up to Chena hot springs(?) the Finnish igloos are booked a yr in advanced!?Who knows what their doing that far out? Not this girl

        2. @Kimothy, this is what I read online I don’t know if this is true or not but here: “Let’s face the facts: 1) an airport clerk said he boarded alone in Norway 2) they are not following each other on social media anymore. Someone said he blocked her on instagram and I checked she is not following him back. Before anyone asks, not hard to find his pseudonym on his mates profiles. Take your conclusions”.

        3. We get them here as well. I guess I didn’t realize they weren’t visible everywhere in the world. We are blessed.

          As SpringsMom said, they are magical. They undulate across the black winter sky like a mystery and make you feel like a very tiny part of something so awesome and huge. But nature always gets me like that and I am thankful for it.

    1. As it is Kate’s birthday tomorrow, it makes sense for the whole Middleton clan to be together at Anmer, plus their tag-along friends whom Carole seems to include in all her holiday getaways for Kate and William. But this show of going to church together is so contrived and orchestrated and clearly for PR. All show, no substance

      Apparently Carole is wearing her hair a new way, and I think it makes her look considerably older. But she still managed to wear the shortest coat of all the women.

      And would someone please buy James M. a coat? I know the marshmellow business isn’t going so well, but surely even he has something he can “recycle.”

    2. Oh for God’s sake, why shouldn’t they be there? It’s a Church service, not a State Banquet. Tomorrow is Kate’s birthday so they are probably celebrating at Anmer today. It’s Sunday so they went to Church. No big deal here. It’s not that unusual for families of a young married couple to meet up occasionally. Maybe everyone is going back to Anmer Hall for Kate’s birthday party.

      1. Thing is, the Middletons have never shown themselves to be a church-going family. They didn’t used to attend church, KM wasn’t confirmed until just before the wedding. Odd it they were actually solid CoE goers, normal if they were a family that didn’t go to church. Easter always used to be a skiing trip, not Easter services.

        They only started being seen going to church at Christmas the year KM was expecting their son. The first competing pap stroll. This spring we got the pro-Middleton-anti-William PR story of their daughter’s first Easter service without daddy. We’re supposed to believe a 1 year old knew all the words to all the hymns and sang along as the PR story went.

        When a family that does not go to church except for photo ops post-royal wedding shows up at Church with HM on neither Christmas or Easter? Yes, it looks like a PR move.

        1. The Middletons go to church so rarely they don’t know that they are acting like the Pharisees.

          They are famewhores and this was gross. They can’t be bothered to be at Anmer for Christmas but suddenly they are all there for Kate’s birthday? Really? If it had only been Will and Kate who attended it wouldn’t be as bad, but this is desperate. And who is watching the kids if they are all out to church?

          1. What disturbs me about the Middletons being at church with HM is that they always turn on the gloss when in HM’s prescence. The inconsistency between their collective dress yesterday and at Christmas in Bucklebury is noticable. They looked like a family in Bucklebury, not like models on a photo shoot as they did at Sandringham. I understand dressing to the occasion but this is church, not a social event. If they couldn’t be bothered to turn on the gloss at Christmas which is a actual church holiday, they provbably should not turn on the gloss when at church with HM.

          2. Everyone does that, though, including the royals. They always dress better when with HM. I don’t see a problem with the Middletons doing it.

          3. KMR, I don’t know that ‘everyone does that’. The royals in public events are the show which is why they take particular care with appearances whether with HM or not, but the the royal in-laws? Not so much.

            For example, Camilla’s children’s clothing choices don’t seem to change whether they are in the royal box at Ascot or at the DOC osteoporosis engagements. Same thing with Christopher Rhys-Jones, Sophie’s father, his clothing choices don’t change whether at royal events with HM or just his daughter. I could give some examples of HM ladies in waitings, but the relationship is not the same.

            Unfortunately it’s not a blanket statement regardless of whether one has a problem with it or not.

        2. Kate married into a church-going family, and her husband and her son will both serve as head of the Church of England. Adjustments had to be made. Of course it’s PR – but then just about everything Royals do is PR.

          1. Kate’s parents and siblings and sibling fiance didn’t need to attend. She’s a big girl and can go to church with her husband on her own. They only wanted to show up for the PR.

            How many 35 year olds have their entire family over for days on end for their birthday anyway? Clearly people with no jobs. It’s not like they live that far apart and never see each other. It’s quite weird actually.

          2. @Lobbit,
            I agree. The Middletons were not church goers prior to Kate marrying William, now it seems like they are more akin to the folks who attend church on Christmas, Easter and other select occasions. That does not seem like that big of a change for them to go from non-church goers to special occasion church goers.

            With the Middletons being at Sandringham, I would not be surprised if their attendance at church is not at the expressed invitation of the Queen, followed by tea, or perhaps a gesture of respect to the Queen because they know she is a church goer and they plan to spend some time with her while they are in the area.

      2. What Nota forgot to mention is that this family do not ‘occasionally’ meet up.

        They practically live together en masse. Either in Bucklebury or in Norfolk. All.of.them. they celebrate together, holiday together – any new spouses or partners join the mass holidays and family togetherness.

        As they were together at christmas and boxing day, they were papped returning to Norfolk en masse, at church today plus some add ons, soon off to Mustique or St Barts en masse.

        It’s probably quicker to count the weeks they are not together than the weeks they are.

        It’s odd that they spin their family time as if they rarely see each other or if they do, it’s occasional visits when the reality is that they spent more time together than not. Twitter and paps document it all.

        1. What sad commentary. A family being criticized for being too close, spending too much time together, enjoying each other’s company, supporting each other and welcoming in-laws into their family. Isn’t that what family is supposed to do? The happiest people I know are those that not only love but like their family members. It doesn’t mean that it’s a PR stunt.

          1. When the family includes three adult children who appear to be in extended adolescence? Unable to support themselves or survive without constant parental intervention or fiscal rescue (AKA Uncle Gary funding James’s three failed businesses, Terribly Rich James Matthew’s puttting $100,000 into James’s business)? It raises questions of maturity and stability. Want to be together vs. lack the ability to function apart.

          2. I’m sure some psychologists would love to do a study on this family! I’m not and would.
            There’s a difference in being close. I am with mine. We take trips together and generally enjoy each other’s company. But we aren’t unhealthily/weirdly dependent on our mother and vice versa. We also have a life outside of each other. As a woman in my 30s, I’m no longer attached to the apron strings. My mother gave my sister and I the emotional and financial (in the means of paying for college) support for my sister and I to be independent women.
            Where as Kate and William seem Incapable of doing very little with out them.

          3. That is one sick close-knit family. Why? Because unless you are an in-law or royal they don’t invite anyone else in. They don’t seem to have any friends, and their relatives seem to be persona non grata during holidays/celebrations, including Uncle Gary who has funded their lifestyle. They invited strangers from the village to the royal wedding because they couldn’t come up with friends. Sad commentary, indeed.

        2. BethNY: You completely misunderstand what i’m getting at.

          There is nothing wrong with close familes or families wanting to spend time together.

          The Middletons on the otherhand practically live together. In one house or another. To the exclusion of other extended family members or outside friends.

          Infact, plenty of evidence to show that any extended family or external friends are of the purely useful to the Middletons kind as opposed to general family/ friends.

          If you still don’t understand my point, perhaps this example will help….when Kate got married, they struggled to fill her side of the aisle at the Abbey. They solved the problem by inviting her village/community to fill those seats. Many of the village community were thrilled of course, but also made clear that they didn’t really know the family beyond services rendered. The family couldn’t rustle up general family friends and their grown children nevermind any friends of Kate.

          The wedding list of friends was primarily all Willuam’s friends from various points in his life. It was as glaring as the fact that all the bride’s attendants, except Pippa, came from William’s side. Before you ask/conclude, there is no rule that says bride attendants should be friends of royals only.

          So when people say that Charles is either a crybaby or being unfair with regards spending time with William and his family, or William and Kate are breaking royal tradition by spending christmas with the Middletons , the often forgotten fact is that the middletons are so insular that they do not spend time with other people plus their spending time together isn’t a treat or special per PR because they spend all their time together and occassionally live together for months on end.

          And then having spent all that time together, they then go on holiday together several times a year for 10-14 days at a time. I wager they live together at minimum 10months of a year, holidays included.

          The apron strings are so tightly wound around the 4 grown children (including William) that they can’t function outside the unit and require extensive looking after. Pippa is alittle better than the other 3, but it’s not healthy to be that insular.

          That’s what i am getting at.

          1. I wonder how long Pippa’s fiancé is going to put up with this. Well adjusted adult men don’t want to be around their mother in law all the time. William loves being catered to, which is why he has no problems with it, but since terribly rich James is already second chair, I can’t see him wanting to parade around like this many more times. Maybe there is hope for Pippa.

          2. It make you wonder about him. I know you can’t be tarnished/blamed for the family you marry into but this by no means is your normal family and makes you wonder about anyone who would willingly enter into a relationship with them.

          3. @Nic919. Terribly Rich James looks a little uncomfortable. I wonder also how he tolerates all the servile attention paid to infantile, unaccomplished W when TR James works for a living and is successful. Pippa is on board with the program of acquiescing to W, although she secretly believes everyone is there to see her.

          4. +1

            I noticed the insularity in their social interactions, and the lack of contact with cousins and poorer relatives, in the wedding guest list as well.

            There were all those stories about distant relatives, but we never hear of Kate interacting with any of them including her maternal grandmother’s illegitimate older half sister Ruth who grew up with Dorothy etc. I suspect it was Dorothy’s and Carole’s choice to cut off contact over the years.

          5. The Middleton family remind me of my husband’s family… This is a difficult pattern to change. They think it is normal and they are *close*.

        1. Yes it’s perfectly normal for 30 year olds to remain unemployed and travel with their families months on end. Please nothing about this family is normal. Every normal person has since returned to work from the Christmas holidays and doesn’t travel around in packs wherever the paparazzi may be found.

          1. The family business isn’t Party Pieces; it’s full-time social climbing via infiltrating other families’ wealth and status.

            It will be interesting to see if Terribly Rich James succumbs to being a secondary player in the Middleton traveling cult show, Adoration of the Golden Prince. James has a real job, home, interests and a hopefully decent family of his own. Would he have time or the inclination to endure that amount of suffocation? Will Pippa peel off from her family somewhat once she has the security of the ring and the accompanying credit cards? Donna Air seems to have had the best idea of keeping her distance.

            They really are quite ludicrous.

  8. OMG, The best image of the day. The queen is back. I’m so happy that I don’t care the Middletons were there too. God Save The Queen.

  9. For Kate, William and all the Middleton clan, church-going is nothing more than as Herazeus said above–a parade. Have Kate and William, or any of the Middletons, actually ever stepped foot inside the lovely little St. Mary the Virgin church, just 100 yards from Anmer Hall? It definitely would be much easier to attend, but wouldn’t provide the same show that attending the church with the Queen closer to Sandringham does. The parade route would be much shorter.

    The Cambridges ruined the setting of that 14th-century church by re-routing their own driveway and putting up security fencing all around. I bet the parishioners can’t even attend services without being harassed by security. The Queen and Prince Charles exhibited some sensitivity by donating to the church’s 12k pound appeal to restore the bells once the Cambridges’ security plans at Anmer were released, and I hope those bells ring loudly and clearly bright and early on Sunday mornings.

  10. I have seen the future and it is ugly. The Queen caved. BP caved. The BRF caved. There is no hope left. How long before the Midd Mafia get titles? It’s coming.

    This is all for show with these non-church goers. Which makes queenie and the BRF as shallow as the rest of them. Happy snaps.

    1. I still have this uncertain feeling that William won’t be King. I don’t think the monarchy will be abolished either. But my gut is telling me constantly that something major will happen. I don’t have a clue what or when but those two won’t make it to the throne.

    2. It’s possible the Queen is still too sick to make a stand. And Charles isn’t there. I don’t think he will be thrilled.

    3. As Herazeus has said the Midds can’t get titles. Parliament must approve.

      I see it differently–HM hasn’t caved. It’s Kate’s birthday, they are all at Anmer for it, HM invited them to church because it makes HM look good, welcoming to a family we know HM is not very fond of. Nobody can criticize HM for being uncold and unwelcoming. It’s a smart strategy; and it also shuts William up, because I’m sure HM knows as much as we do William sees the Midds as his family and HM and the Windsors as his meal ticket but not his family, which is a shame as HM clearly loves her family.

  11. Thanks for putting this up so quickly, KMR! You always look after us ?

    It was great to see HM. I hope she stays in good health and spirits as long as possible.

    It would have been nice to not see the Middletons at the same time. This was HM’s moment. It was an opportunity for all to feel assured about her. But to the Middletons there put a bad taste in my mouth. I can’t even with them.

    1. “It would have been nice to not see the Middletons at the same time. This was HM’s moment. It was an opportunity for all to feel assured about her. But to the Middletons there put a bad taste in my mouth. I can’t even with them.”

      I totally agree. We already saw them all on Christmas.

      Since the Queen couldn’t be at church on Christmas or New Year, this was indeed her moment to show her subjects that she has recovered. It annoys me that the Middletons were there.

      Although, I do not believe they would be there if the Queen didn’t want them to be. So I don’t know what to make of this and I don’t know what is in the Queen’s head. Some people have said that Diana accused the royals of isolating her from her family. Maybe this is the Queen’s way of saying she is not doing that with Kate?

      1. Willy had a fit and the Queen is too sick to care. If he wants to diminish the monarchy he will be the one to deal with the public clamouring for the dismantling. Maybe the Queen can’t be bothered anymore.

          1. I don’t recall anyone trashing the hat. We mostly agreed it was not a high fashion look for a duchess on the 100th edition of Vogue. She should have been in a ball gown or something formal, not skinny jeans and a hat.

          2. A) Pippas hat has nothing in common with the hat from the Vogue cover. B) The Vogue cover was really really bad in general.

          3. As I think KMR said in an earlier post, the Vogue cover shot was better suited for Town & Country, and the hat from that shoot was pure Jecca Craig, not Kate at all.

            And I know I’m in the minority, but I really didn’t like Pippa’s hat or coat here on Sunday’s Middletons’ parade to church. To me, it looks like a sleuth costume minus the giant magnifying glass. “Pippa Middleton and the Case of the Crumbling Monarchy” perhaps?

      2. Agree that they wouldn’t be there if the Queen didn’t want them there. I do think that Kate and the Middletons are probably Will’s “non-negotiables,” a la Camila to Charles, so maybe the Queen is accommodating his wishes. But I also think it’s possible that, as Cookie mentioned, HM is trying to to change her approach to in-laws, in general – from isolationism to inclusivity. She’s been very welcoming of Prince Edward’s father-in-law, apparently.

        1. @Lobbit
          Great points.

          I don’t think that the Queen set out to isolate her in-laws from their natal families – Prince Philip’s mother lived at Buckingham Palace in her later years, but that may have been the outcome nonetheless. However maybe she started making more of an effort to make her blood relatives aware that their in-laws are welcome to be part of their lives including parts of their private lives where they are interacting with the royal side, e.g., the Wessexes are going to visit the Queen at Balmoral and Sophie’s father accompanies them.

          1. The Queen is quite close to Sophie, and especially since her mother died, often includes Sophie’s father on family occasions. I don’t have a clue what he looks like, or if he attends church with the Queen. He doesn’t seek the spotlight or indulge in pap strolls. Probably true of other in-laws, too. And I agree the Queen probably doesn’t care anymore.

        2. I suspect part of why HM has been so welcoming to Sophie’s father is because 1) Sophie is her favorite and 2) Sophie’s father has never sought the limelight or the photo op.

          1. You took the words out of my mouth. The other families who have married in have not been so fame hungry. I couldn’t pick them out of a line-up and I follow the royal family pretty closely. No other in-laws insert themselves into so many situations. It’s fine for them to be around, but they could be a bit more discreet like other royal in-laws have been.

      3. I think the Middletons are there not because the Queen enjoys their company or is concerned about isolating Kate from her family, but because six years of this marriage and HM still hasn’t figured out a way to handle a middle-aged adult who is totally emotionally reliant upon her mummy or to manage another adult who apparently throws hissy fits if his in-laws are not front-and-center with the UK head of state. The Queen has given up and had to give in to Kate’s dependency and William’s demands, and now is trying to convince the public that she approves of the current Middleton/Cambridge state of affairs. I don’t think it’s working: everything seems so forced, too contrived and thoroughly staged. PR spinning at its worst.

      4. Cookie, can you imagine the headlines if the queen made it clear that she didn’t want the Middletons at Church? Pretty sure she just tolerates them, and I agree with the ‘this was the queen’s moment’, but it is Church. Open to all, but those camera hungry, fame seeking, in my opinion weird family didn’t have to have their pictures taken, they could have simply gone to Church and left. No way is anything about the Midd’s ‘closeness’ normal and Waltonish in my opinion. Too many things out there that indicate otherwise and in a big time way as far as I’m concerned. Hope this is read as it is meant to be, just a thought as to the reasons the Midds can pull this off and the queen has to bite her tongue and take a deep breath or two.

    2. you’d think the Middleton’s would get a clue and not make themselves so front and center. Learn the art of discretion. Either they just don’t care or are clueless.
      If William and Kate can’t go to church without them, I don’t think it bodes well

    3. I could not agree more, rhiannon. This was a chance for people to see HM again. It was her moment and of course, the Midds come rushing in. I love my parents very much but I saw them at Christmas. If my birthday were early in January and I was the mother of two, I don’t know if I would want them with me for an entire weekend, or longer, so soon again. If that sounds mean, I am sorry. I just think that Kate has never cut those apron strings and Carole relishes that face.

      1. Ma hid the apron string cutting scissors long ago, that’s not going to happen. The sad thing is, she seems not to care about Kate the person, but Kate the title. Status symbol.

  12. First of all I was very happy to see her majesty today even though I have a feeling she was pushed to do so to stop the thriving rumors of her death , people wanted to see her because I don’t think anyone is ready to have another sovereign yet , if ever , long may she live , but it irks me that this lady who committed her life to the duty of her country cannot really take a resting holiday that she badly needs ,especially at her age , something other younger members of her family have been having for long periods of time even though they are half way into their forties .
    As for Kate and William , there is something repulsive about how clingy she is to her family or her family to her , something we’ve never seen in any other british royal family member or any royalty before , I mean we all love our families and enjoy being with them but know that getting married means giving up some of the times to be with them , and she waited ten years to become a royal family member , only to stay away from them as much as possible and constantly seeking the company of her family , weird , because again she ran after him for ten years knowing what becoming a royalty entitles , still she’s ready to enjoy the privileges but not the duty in anything . Also the strange way she was holding her hand for everyone to see the ring while she was walking ‘in one of the Daily Mail pictures’ is an indication of how she thinks !!!
    What drew my attention in another Daily Mail picture of W&K walking in front of people and how people were not so interested in looking at them but were looking at something beyond them , I think for the normal person and despite all the PR efforts the sparkle of these two is fading , and I don’t know what’s going to bring it back .

    1. “It would have been nice to not see the Middletons.” By Rhiannon in above comment.

      This phrase says it all.

      But Carole does not understand being generous in assuming a behind the scenes role. She wants all the credit because this is her life, making others now bow down to her, making sure she gets credit for managing W&KM. Carole reminds me so much of Lily, the con artist mother in the “Grifters.” The way she smiles at Wills as he interacts with the crowd is way beyond the look of mother in law who is enjoying the festive atmosphere. It’s a look of ownership bordering on creepy.

      The queen came to W’s rescue and by extension the Midds after reports of a rift. I suspect after the second rate rent-a-shoot on Boxing Day W understood that he had it pretty good at Balmoral.

      W&KM are constantly being propped up but always on their terms.

      1. True and I’m with Rihannon 100% , but somebody has to let them know , that what Carol think is building up is actually bringing down both W&K , her ego and that of her daughter and son in law is not what people need now , that of the typical rich , they need someone who sacrifice his time and cut his holiday to be there , like the queen , who as grand as ever , knows duty and works for it , even today after illness . people would have taken W&K today , but Carol and her family were like a ‘ bad taste in the mouth’ hope the expression was good enough , and daily Mail comments are proof enough .

        1. I don’t think anyone in the Royal family has the chutzpah to tell them. The Queen should’ve nipped their fame-mongering behavior in the bud about 15 years ago. Alas, here we are and she’s now let it get out of control.

          1. If the British Royal Family started screening out fame-mongerers, social climbers, status seekers and/or gold diggers, whether it be the married in or his/her family, then they’d never be able to marry off their heirs.

  13. Thank you for this, KMR! I am so happy to see the Queen. Long may she reign.

    I like Pippa’s hat and agree that it would look really good on Kate. I am not a fan of Kate’s fuzzy hat. It reminds me of one she wore in her pre-marriage days that she let Carole borrow. If it is real fur Kate and William are once again confusing the message of William’s work with conservation. One minute he tells us he wants to save animals, but he hunts for sport and even says big game hunting is ok as long as his rich friends do it and his wife wears fur. Harry is guilty of this, too. It just seems really hypocritical.

    Kate looked good on Christmas, but her fashion has reverted back again with the belt and hat. Too bad. I’d like to get a better look at whatever scarf Kate seems to be wearing.

    1. I hate Kate’s hat. It’s like she’s in Siberia. Is it that cold in England right now?
      I thought she had another similar one in. Town but becuase she got so much flak for wearing it, hasn’t been seen in public wearing it since. This one is just as hideous

    2. +1 agreed! Kate’s hat looked horrid and their confusion about right and wrong when it comes to hunting is palatable.

      Love Pippa’s whole look! I might now purchase her book since it’s on sale for $5.

    3. Kate’s hat was all I could pay attention to. It would look amazing in a colder weather, but here it is just over the top.

  14. I’m confused. Why are they all at church? There’s no holiday today, right? Does the Queen go to church every Sunday? I can believe that, I guess. But there’s no way Willy and Waity are regular churchgoers. And the whole Middleton mishpocha? Yeah, right. So why are they all at church together today? Just for good PR, as some here have said?

    1. The Queen goes to church most, if not all, sundays. She’s deeply religious.

      The funny thing is that there is a church right outside the Anmer gates. They re-routed their driveway away from it, so if they badly needed to go to church, they could have walked to the end of their driveway. Instead they go to the public church a mile away, where HM will be, which attracts the paps they claim to detest.

      1. As in a religious person as well I believe the reason why The Queen is the longest reigning monarch of all time is because of her faith in God. Another point is that I don’t see Charles and William as religious which could ruin the monarchy.

        1. Charles is spiritual, if not religious. By that I mean that he doesn’t necessarily believe that the trappings of faith (the rituals, the costumes, etc) necessarily bring one closer to God, but he does believe in the divine. He wrote a book some time ago in which he mentioned respecting, even emulating at times, holy traditions of searching for and affirming faith.

          I suspect Harry has a fairly simple, but honest, view of God. I think William thinks he’s too cool for it all. I have absolutely no evidence for this, of course.

          1. @graymatters I’m so confused by Charles. So is he a Christian or believe in God?
            I’ve also read that william and Kate are probably agnostic. I mean as a Christian we aren’t supposed to live of this world yet they seem to.

          2. @Kitty,
            These are Telegraph articles about Charles and his faith:

            This first article/link states that “Prince Charles’s religious beliefs are wide-ranging.”
            http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/prince-charles/10434069/Prince-Charles-and-religion-a-very-special-faith.html

            The second article/link has the following quote, “While emphasising the importance of his own personal Christian faith, he also signalled that he saw his role as to “defend” followers of other faiths including Islam.”
            http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/prince-charles/11207456/Prince-of-Waless-plea-to-Muslims-over-Christian-persecution.html

            Another quote from another article/link, ‘Speaking openly of his own Christian faith, he said he had become “deeply troubled” by the plight of those he described as his “brothers and sisters in Christ”.

            And the Prince, a long-standing advocate of dialogue between religions, voiced personal dismay at seeing his work over the last 20 years to “build bridges and dispel ignorance” being deliberately destroyed by those attempting to exploit the Arab Spring for their own ends.’
            http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/prince-charles/10524211/Christianity-beginning-to-disappear-in-its-birthplace-warns-Prince-of-Wales.html

            Regarding William and Kate, I don’t recall there being a credible claim about them being agnostic. I think if that was a claim of that sort, especially about William, that that would definitely be a big story.

            I think that it is an interesting situation because these days we don’t have a lot of tolerance for hypocrisy and the like but at the same time there have been other heirs and monarchs before William who certainly lived lives that were not consistent with Christian beliefs. William may be dinged for not being a regular church goer and not wearing his religion on his sleeve, but I don’t think that he can be dinged for living a life that is counter to Christian principles.

        2. I don’t recall Charles and Diana being regular church goers, and therefore I am not sure if William and Harry grew up with strong faith and/or ties to the Anglican Church despite the fact that it was expected for William to be the head of the CoE someday.

          When it comes to William’s parents, my recollection is that both dabbled different aspects of spiritualism, for lack of a better word. I don’t think them doing that was that out of character for people of their type in the 80s and 90s.

          These days when I think of Charles and religion, I don’t see him as deeply entrenched in the Anglican Church/CoE, rather the first thing that comes to mind is that he is a a promoter of religious tolerance, which is definitely a good thing.

          The coronation of the British monarch is mostly a religious ceremony and when Charles’ time comes there will probably be some interesting conversations. I don’t mean that in a negative or shady way but a lot has changed since the coronation of his mother and grandfather.

          1. @aaa, well I guess i’m a traditionalist especially with my faith like The Queen. Was Diana a Christian? or believed in God?

        3. I get that you are a religious person and want to claim such belief in the reason the queen has had a long such life but it really comes down to genetics and quality of life.
          I’ve known many releious people who’ve died too soon and some truly evil people that have seemed to live for ever.
          And I thought as a general rule no personal religious beliefs?

        4. Please table the discussion of religion. It is against the comment policy to discuss personal religious beliefs.

          Given that HM is head of the Church of England and this is a post about royals going to church, I understand the desire to discuss the royals’ religious beliefs, but it’s a fine line because very quickly it can turn into judging them for their religious beliefs and I want to keep that off the blog to avoid causing arguments.

          Thank you.

  15. Pippa looks smashing, I am in love with this outfit from top to toe on her. The Queen looks splendid in blue (as always- maybe that’s why Kate favours it so much in her wardrobe- copying grandmother in law) and not at all peaky, so big sigh of relief there.

    Everyone else looks like a big bland no, fashion wise. No kids today, so obviously that is a dictate of the Queen. And the newly transplanted hardy Middleton annuals – always blooming fragrantly for the church when the royal family is in attendance. Yes to team “this is a shameless photo op at the BRF’s expense”. These people wear signet rings…without irony. I have a soft spot for Pips, but the rest of them I’d rather not see or hear from ever.

    1. Ray, I’m genuinely curious. What is it about Pips that you find likeable in contrast to the rest of her family? She wore a signet ring before her engagement. 🙂

      1. She’s less robotic than the rest, I guess. There seems to be genuine personality in her…that cheeky grin and spark of fun in her eyes. She really walks the walk with her charities and she has tried to make something of herself. I get she is a fame junkie but she came by it honestly! There is just something about her that I can’t help liking….and I think she wore that ring WITH irony and a discreet eye roll haha. All my opinion of course, but it persists!

        1. Pippa is ‘honest’ in that she has never deviated in her ambition to attract money and power of eligible men, rather than earn it in her own right. At university Pippa would cultivate only those who could be useful. That’s what she’s about, first and foremost.

          I read somewhere that it was William who advised Pippa to up the charity work in order to erase the career failures and lower the guard of wealthy families with eligible sons. It seems that going down the charity work route is the way in.

          Like her sister, Pippa always knows when the camera is on her; she looks disingenuous, barely concealing a smirk. I agree that she has more personality than the others, and more intelligence, but at core, is just a gold digger looking for the best deal.

          1. I think you’re right, Maven. It’s easier for Harry to slip slide away with such a personable manner. Too much of everything except a work ethic. Is he looking for a job?

  16. How nice to check in here and see the Queen not only up and around but looking smashing in that gorgeous blue. I find I can’t get too worked up about the Middletons, perhaps out of my own ignorance and perhaps because my own family is so far flung that we hardly every get together and so I’m a little envious.

  17. Well, even though I am not a fan of the queen’s she looks great! How is this happening this going to Church or anywhere for that matter with the Middleton’s et al? Can someone please explain because I simply don’t get it. The pictures of William look downright sneering, in my opinion. And for sure marshmallow boy knows where the cameras are. I find this outing to be ‘look at us’, we’re so very close to the queen. There is simply, and this is just me, nothing dignified or respectable in ‘obvious wannabes’, and it’s almost pathetic in a way that the Middletons really do think they’re ‘in’ with the ‘firm’. Again, the queen looks great and guess that no matter the reason it’s good to be going to Church.

    1. I have to think that maybe the Queen doesn’t mind the Middletons and maybe even likes them? It is unprecedented that she is photographed publicly with the in-laws, particularly this set of in-laws.

      1. Sophie’s father has been shown in photos walking to church with the Queen for years, he just doesn’t make it a pap stroll. I lean more towards W&K refusing to go with HM unless the Middletons were allowed too.

  18. Yeah I really do not grasp how the monarchy will sustain once The Queen passes. Charles not as popular as he should be, William reluctant royal and king to be and the Middleton family in our faces. Makes me upset!

  19. Of course I’m glad that Queen Elizabeth is feeling better 🙂
    I’m always looking forward to seeing her in official photos.
    I also wonder why the Middletons are joining her and Philip, perhaps because they weren’t at Christmas church together?

  20. I am glad HM is feeling better.

    I figure she must extend an invitation to the Middletons due to them being at Anmer for Kate’s birthday. It is smart of her: it positions HM to look welcoming though we know she has little to do with Kate’s family, when people have complained HM is cold and not welcoming. It proves otherwise. (As do the stories of HM being lovely and warm and welcoming to Sophie’s widowed father. But we know HM adores Sophie and Sophie adores HM; I don’t see any warmth from HM to Kate or the Middletons, not like they have earned it.)

    The smugness on the faces of the Midds I could do without. I think it is smart and cunning of HM to include them this way, so nobody can whine they weren’t welcomed if things go down the tubes. Remember: HM said “it will all end in tears”.

    All I care about is HM is doing better! Yay!

      1. Here is the article/link, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/columnists/article-472572/Is-Queen-minds-Kate.html .

        Here is the headline, “Is Queen in two minds over Kate?”

        This is the quote, ‘a friend of the Queen’s tells me.

        “She takes a long view on such things and she can’t understand why having been assured that ending the relationship was the right thing to do, three months later it’s back on. In short, she thinks it’s all going to end in tears – although, of course, she hopes it doesn’t.”‘

    1. HM said that when they were dating. It was well-recorded. When William and Kate got back together after their most famous of the many break ups in 2007, HM said that when she heard about it.

      1. @Ellie, I remember that! Can you believe it has been almost 10 years since that big break up and William’s infamous, “I’m free!” moment? Wow….

        1. I know, right?

          How are you doing? Isn’t it freezing in Tally? We’ll be back in October, I’m glad it won’t be that cold, lol.

          1. I’m good! My folks are coming on Wednesday to help me move so please don’t be surprised if I’m a bit quiet for a few days.

            Yes! It’s unusually cold here in North Florida!! It’s currently 39 degrees out and it’s going to get to 24 by morning!! This cold yet no snow?! 😉

          2. I was so mad that we didn’t get any snow considering how darn cold it is.

          3. That is WAY too cold. It’s just rainy here in California, not too bad, and in the 40s-50s. I’d melt. Last time I was in Tally it was in the 80s and perfect, not even that humid! I’m thinking we should drive up to the snow this coming weekend, I haven’t been playing in the snow in ages and my son has NEVER seen snow.

            Good luck on the move! 🙂

          4. KMR: my cousin’s 4 year old was just as unhappy that they didn’t get snow (and they live in the Atlanta area). I’m currently helping my cousin’s friend who has a two year old, recently received a transplant and is interested in the transplant games–YAY!!

            Ellie: Yes, Tally weather is great in March and April but from May-October? Torture for me!! Way too hot!! Thank you for your kind words. Hugs!!

          1. Yes and no.

            Yes: because he knew he had to settle down and he simply settled with her.

            No: because he knows she’s the only one who wanted to be with him and was willing to put up with him.

            Anybody else want to comment?

          2. It was a transaction, as Kimothy said. And after ten years on/off together, they knew what they were getting in each other. The Middleton’s knew, too, where the bodies were buried, aka leverage.

            As has often been said, William would have needed to be a better man in order to attract a better woman. But he’s not, and neither is she. If William wants to a go a roamin’, he will. His grandfather did, as did his father, and all within marriage. Didn’t Kate say it was to be expected? It only becomes problematic if William wants to marry someone else, though Carole has him corralled, for now.

  21. Hello,
    As a new reader and an American who watched the whole Diana disaster unfold from her engagement to Prince Charles through her untimely death, as well as the divorces of Prince Andrew and Princess Anne, my opinion is that HM is willing to do anything to prevent another high-profile divorce in her family, especially one involving a future heir. I remember in the weeks following Diana’s death, there being questions raised regarding the future necessity of the monarchy. The RF has managed to come back from that but those were very dark days and I’m sure with her wisdom and experience, HM would rather “go along to get along” than have any more misfortune fall upon her family and the monarchy for which she has worked so hard and dedicated her entire life to. Whether or not she likes or approves of the Middleton family is probably less important than keeping the peace with Prince William and keeping his wife happy . Just MHO.

    1. Hello TC. Since the RF has manufactured William the Golden Prince to assure its own longevity and attractiveness to the people, it’s very much needing to keep the royal ship steady. The Middleton’s present a formidable foe, IMO. They know too much and have media on tap. Have any other in-laws had this level of leverage over a royal (and now, children)? I can see why they are being appeased, at least to a certain point but they are greedy so who knows what it will take to (a) satisfy them or (b) get rid of them.

      1. It’s ye old times, but you are forgetting the Woodvilles, the Bolyens.

        Both familles couldn’t wait to show off their royal connections, the royal bride served upto the King was thought to be unsuitable en extremis, all 3 were upstart social climbers hated by rest of the court and the country.

        Both had penicious influence on the King and brought out his worst side.

        And all ended badly.

        1. True. I’m sure the Middleton saga will end as badly, however a good game they play. That said, I think they have a lot of dirt to spill should the need arise.

    2. A divorce isn’t the biggest problem.
      The fact that william and kate, are clueless and dismissive in regards to their royal role has a giant abdication crisis 2.0 stamped in red on his forehead.

      Neither shows a genuine sense of duty and/or compassion to their country and people. The only interest they have in the commonwealth is checking holidays off their bucket list.
      They show no interest in anything, but themselves. Arrogant. Imperious. They are hyper controlled. He can’t even be trusted to read charity briefing papers and thinks it’s amusing to admit that.

      Getting w&k to toe the line or pushing them out will be the biggest challenge.
      It’s probably to everyone’s benefit that neither are beloved and make zero effort.

      Whatever happens, it’ll be big for sure… However, nothing will ever be on Diana’s level again. She was in her own stratosphere.

  22. Since W&K don’t live their lives in the service of people like Jesus Christ, going to church is all PR for them and it annoys me. I’m okay seeing W&K since they are royal but her family have got to stop tagging along in public with the Queen. Isn’t it enough that Kate – your daughter and sibling will be Queen? Its a form of gloating. I guess I’m okay with seeing her parents but her sister and brother?! Just strange.

    1. Kate’s whole family was there because it’s her birthday tomorrow. They had several friends there as well who all went to church with them.

        1. William and Kate either wanted to or were invited to attend church with the Queen. Their friends and family went with them. I don’t see the problem here.

    2. See I’m not the only one who thinks its hypocritical for her family to go to Church service even if they don’t follow Christ even WK.

    3. It leaves a nasty taste in the mouth because none live their lives in service to others – neither W+K nor the Middleton’s – so the rare parade to and from a church is an empty gesture. Why the pretense? Who believes their sincerity? Whether this is the result of Middleton of royal PR, why feign faith? Are they that desperate for approval, to be seen?

      If the Queen had not been attending church that day, would the Middleton’s and friends have rocked up? Don’t think so. Did they attend church because it was Kate’s birthday? Nope, they don’t do that. Or if there were no cameras? Not a hope. It’s just craven opportunism on everyone’s part and should be called as such.

      1. There were a few Sundays since Christmas. Did the Middletons attend any services between today and the last photo op? How about last weekend because actual church goers would have attended then as well.

  23. I cringe every time I see the Middletons in a photo op with the Royal Family. It’s clear they feel more royal than the Royals — the new Royal Family, if you will. I think no good will come of William’s total public ignoring of his Father.

  24. I love that shade of blue on HM. I understand that it’s Kate’s birthday weekend and it’s fine for her family to stay with her, was there the need for all of them to go to church together? Kate does look genuinely happy in these photos, I think having mummy a few feet away is comforting and gives her confidence…a little sad for a 35 year old. I don’t mind her fluffy hat thing, I’ve always wanted to wear one (my grandmother used to wear one when she was alive) but she was lucky to live in country with freezing winters. So many unflattering photos of Will, it almost feels like the press went out of their way to publish these photos, wonder why… 😉

  25. Now can someone explain to me why does Charles fund William and Kate’s lifestyle? I thought William is rich on his own? Also, how many staff do they have? Must be huge. I mean nannies, servants, chefs, cleaning people, butlers, ect….

    1. William is cheap, and Charles is far, far richer than William–though William will have as much and probably run through the Duchy of Cornwall cashl that Charles has built up. William is no entrepreneur like his father.

      AFAIK they have a valet, equerry, two nannies, a housekeeper, etc. And there are housekeepers and gardeners for Anmer as well. They had housekeepers, gardeners, etc at the house on Anglesey where Kate rarely was, also.

      1. @Ellie, I have a fear once William because POW he and Kate are going to run through the Duchy money like crazy to fund their ridiculously expensive lifestyle.
        Wow so no servants or butlers? Of course they have those who for for them like a private secretary ect…

        1. William and Kate’s lifestyle is nowhere near as lavish as Charles. Yes when there are stories about William touting his desire for normalcy, it can definitely be pointed out that his normal includes personal assistants, nannies, housekeepers and the like, but he is still considered as having a relatively modest lifestyle for a British heir.

          My prediction is that William will not go hog wild when he becomes the Duke of Cornwall, I sense that William would side-eye Kate over buying yet another blue coat before Charles would.

          I think that William will pocket as much as he can of the millions he will get as the Duke of Cornwall thus adding to his personal wealth. The question is will he be able to get away with it, namely will reporters write about William getting millions as the Duke of Cornwall and yet only carrying out a fraction of the public service that his father did, and then once written about will there be a sustained public outcry over it.

          My prediction is that if William were to make a big expenditure as the Duke of Cornwall, it would probably be to buy a wildlife reserve in southern Africa. If he is able to get away with socking his Duchy of Cornwall income into his personal account, then it will be a personal acquisition like Sandringham and Balmoral, if he is expected to use his Duchy income to fund extensive royal work then he will probably finagle it so that the Duchy purchases the land like Charles did for Highgrove, Charles also has property in Romania and I think that was purchased through the Duchy which actually means that the land is not Charles’ but the duchy’s.

          1. Re: William’s spending habits. At this point he can’t afford to. PC records reflect that he only has 2 million pounds to spend to support himself, DOC, W&K and H’s private spending. This is after all of the housing and employee expenses are paid of course, so this would be personal expenses (clothing, entertainment, private trips, etc). William could spend some of his inheritance from Diana and QM, but I think a lot of has already been spent on refurbishing Anmer Hall.

            I have no hard evidence of this, but I suspect that the Middletons pick up some of the current day to day expenses for W&K and the grandchildren, that there are deep discounts from some businessess, and there is a lot of ‘mooching’ (as my American colleagues say) from friends to support their current spending and travel habits because otherwise the spending doesn’t add up.

            This may or may not change once the Duchy of Cornwall changes hands and William has control of duchy money. Although I suspect lavishiness will increase.

          2. The number I most often see as Charles’ Duchy of Cornwall income is £19 million. From that income he has what are considered official expenditures and what is left over he pays taxes on. I think the £2 million you are referencing is what is leftover after official expenditures and taxes.

            When William becomes the Duke of Cornwall he will likely have an annual income of £20 million or more.

            I absolutely agree that William and Kate do a lot of mooching, and the same probably applies to Charles as well, and the mooching will continue even after he has his own money, i.e., he will continue to rely on the kindness of rich friends for private plane trips, stays at ski resorts, Caribbean hideaways, etc.

          3. The Duchy is not Charles’s personal property, nor does he get to pocket the money from the Duchy into a personal account. He is allowed to use a reasonable amount to support himself and the others who do the work of the Duchy. With getting himself exempt from FOI, it will be increasingly difficult to see where that money goes – but it won’t be going into personal accounts.

            The 19 million figure may come from Diana’s settlement — which came from Charles’s personal investments and inheritances. It wasn’t Duchy money, it was his entire personal fortune + money loaned to him by the Queen from her personal money (not Sovereign Grant funds).

            Or the 19 million figure may be the estimated annual income of the Duchy. Again, it isn’t Windsor personal property. It belongs to the Duchy and the people, with some being used to support the work of the Duke of Cornwall and those doing the work of the Duchy (and HM) under his auspices.

          4. The assets of the Duchy of Cornwall do not belong to the Duke of Cornwall/Prince of Wales. Capital gains from Duchy of Cornwall transactions do not go directly to the Duke of Cornwall/Prince of Wales, however the Duke of Cornwall/Prince of Wales gets a share of the profits that the Duchy generates and that is his personal income for public and charitable works, hookers, blow and other private activities.

            ETA:
            This is a quote from a 2013 article from the website independent.co.uk, “In the past financial year, the Duchy of Cornwall generated £28.8m and the Prince received an income of £19m, up 4 per cent on the year before. ” – http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/prince-charles-s-19m-a-year-duchy-of-cornwall-estate-should-face-tax-scrutiny-mps-say-8921598.html

          5. Income to cover expenses, but this isn’t going into his private accounts. Again, if that was allowable, Diana’s settlement would have come out of the Duchy instead of his entire personal investments from inheritances. And if he was allowed to raid the Duchy for this, he wouldn’t have needed to borrow personal money from the Queen to cover the rest of the settlement.

          6. Put it this way, I bet if Charles and Camilla got divorced, or even William and Kate, the Queen won’t have pony up the money for either of those settlements.

            Presumably at the time of his divorce Charles did not have enough accumulated wealth to cover Diana’s settlement. My recollection is the Queen LOANED Charles the money for his divorce settlement, so where was Charles going to get the money to pay back the LOAN?

            The Duke of Cornwall cannot dip into the Duchy of Cornwall’s assets for any reason but that is a different phenomenon than the Duke getting income from the Duchy over the years and pocketing the portion of his income that exceeds his expenses.

            The income received from the Duchy of Cornwall has been a builder of wealth for the BRF for generations, Sandringham, Birkhall (I think), horses and stamps are examples.

    2. For the same reason Charles pays for Harry’s lifestyle – he’s his son.

      1. And doesn’t Charles write off Kate’s insane clothing budget as work expenses? lol

        I really like Charles, but c’mon, dude.

        1. If Kate wears the clothes at her public engagements then they are work expenses. Which is why Carles am write the cost off.

          1. @KMR so you are saying Charles lets Kate buy many expensive clothes for her public role because its a tax write off for him?

          2. @kitty, I don’t think KMR is saying that at all.

            We don’t know what PC thinks of Kate’s spending habits; he’s never said anything that I know of.

            That said, we suspect that Kate’s clothing budget comes out of the ~3+ million pounds spent yearly on the official activities of the HRH Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. This is part of the ~21-22 million pounds that is given to Prince Charles by the Duchy of Cornwall, the Sovereign Grant and a few other sources, and contrary to repeated reports, the part spent on W,K & H is after tax income, so it is not a tax write off.

            PC and Camilla’s annual report for 2016, see page 26: https://issuu.com/clarence_house/docs/the_prince_of_wales_and_the_duchess/32?ff=true&e=25454402/36743065

          3. @kitty, When you say ‘written off as tax expense’ what specifically do you mean? That he reduces his taxable income by the amount Kate spends on her dresses? Or something else?

            PC may be claiming to be self employed, but Kate’s clothing wouldn’t count as a part of the clothing business expenses since it’s everyday clothing that she wears even when not on official engagements. It would have to be a uniform of a sort for it to count. PC counts a lot of his expenses as business expenses (since he only claims about ~11-12 million pounds of the 21 million he is given as taxable income), but Kate’s clothing expenses doesn’t appear to be one of them.

            Hope this helps.

          4. Television personalities get clothing allowances as they are seen in public, and I don’t think their employers give it to them out of the kindness of their hearts. I suspect it’s written off as a business expense. Business expenses are tax deductible, so I think the extrapolating makes sense.

          5. Kate has accepted freebies through Pippa, ie that necklace she wore with George’s initials. The company confirmed they sent it to Pippa who gave it to Kate.

  26. Phew! I’m happy to see The Queen out and about! Hope she is over that period of I’ll health.

    I am trying hard to ignore the Middletons though it’s not easy.

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