130 thoughts on “Kate Middleton starts 2017 visiting Anna Freud Centre”

1. According to @markcuthbert Kate was arrived at 10.47 and left at 12.36. I’m not hugely fussed about the coat one way or another. Although I did wonder what she had on underneath? The hemming looked a bit suspect and obvious in a few of the pictures. The bulldog clips are an odd choice…..I used to wear my hair like this at school! Rebecca looks better turned out than normal. Kate did look quite well rested and fresh faced today. Her makeup seems lighter than normal.

   The context of that quote will be interesting.

   1. I based my timing off of Rebecca English’s twitter posts (since she was the first to post about Kate’s arrival). Her post of Kate arriving was at 5:30 AM (my time) and her post of Kate leaving was at 7:16 AM (my time).

      Re the hair clips: Girls used to wear those in bright glitter neon colors when I was in middle school.

      Re the “parenting is tough” quote: I just updated my post. Apparently she said that after listening to mothers who had been through the EYPU treatment program.

      1. I thought of my elementary school days in the 90s wearing those hair clips when I saw them! Just the glittery ones! Haha. Then middle school, those and the chokers.. oh man…

         1. “I thought of my elementary school days in the 90s wearing those hair clips when I saw them! Just the glittery ones! Haha.”
            Same here.
            What the he** was her hair dresser thinking pinning those clips in 2017 on a 35 year old woman?! And in *that* style ?

         2. Remember butterfly clips?

            1. Those were the days, when we were young…. My Goodness! I can’t! I won’t.

               Who is she? A Duchess of charity? No! A Duchess of fashion? Never ever! A Duchess of of Privacy? Absolutely. But that’s not what she was hired for. In the World I live in she would’ve been fired within 6 months.

   2. I’d forgotten how high she sits the belts of her coats. This coatdress is practically empire!!!

      Rebecca looks better put together here. Perhaps someone had a word?

      1. I also thought Rebecca looked much more put together today. Hopefully the trend continues!

         Kate looks like she has a long torso, so that’s probably why she wears her belts so high, but I agree that it looks a bit odd.

      2. I agree. Rebecca looks more professional today.

      3. I was about to post the same thing. That coat is belted under her boobs! It looks rediculous. Throws her proportions waaaaay off. Visually she is saying she is about 2/3 legs.

      4. Except for the trailing belt, I thought a Rebecca looked fresher and more interesting than Kate.

         That shade of blue is always a great color choice for her but the coatdress itself was nothing to write home about. She has so many and she’ll probably never wear this again. The hair? Keep the clips for Charlotte and get the same effect with tonal bobby pins.

         The win for Miss Deacon (never thought I’d say that!)

         1. Did Kate really pay a hairdresser to put 2 butterfly clips in her hair. I think this pulling back of 2 pieces of hair on either side of her face needs to be retired. I wore my hair like this (but with barrettes) in 1974 in high school. Her hair looks awful today, messy, dull and stringy.

      5. I just looked at the DM article on this, and I noticed her sleeves are rather short, even with straight arms. I doubt a coat dress would have Capri-length sleeves, so her tailoring is off again.

         1. The dress she is wearing has 4 buttons above th belt, the model’s dress has 5 buttons, so the belt is shifted up deliberately.

            Ooops, just sqw the post below…sorry

            1. Great minds think alike.

      6. There are four buttons on the picture of the coatdress, but Kate has had one removed and the too high belt throws the whole coatdress awry. Too bad, because the coatdress is more interesting than usual with the block pleat skirt.

         Her hair is messier than usual.

         I do think Rebecca D looks nice, but now we know where all the nude pumps went.

      7. It’s so weird, I mentioned yesterday how we/I haven’t seen rebecca in pics for a while so. Ayes she was starting to look better! She does look more professional
         So thanks for including the pic of her KMR

         1. RD has been on. a verrry long vacation.

            Lazy entitled wear is the same ol’ same ol’ middleton high belted coats- nothing new, no consideration for the peoples’ funds with another same expensive coat. and middleton looks quite sour and puffy as if she was hauled out kicking and screaming so to speak.

            The working – caring for the less fortunate- Princess Henry in waiting is hot on snowflaky chutney heels, to shine a bright light on waity unearned, entitled, lazy middleton waste of position.

   3. Gosh, I thought Rebecca was still sloppy. The huge amount of belt hanging down the coat and those notes jammed into her tote. What a mess!

      1. Maybe it would be more accurate to say that Rebecca looked less scruffy than normal? I always say she looked like she’s climbed out of the tumble dryer before she goes out. Xx

         1. Oh, my goodness, Mrs. BBV, I love it. Rebecca “looking like she’s just climbed out of the tumble dryer….” And, Jenny and Sarah, I agree with you about her appearing less messy and those notes that were obviously shoved into that tote bag.

         2. Exactly Mrs BBV.

            Using the low bar template we apply to Kate’s effort, Rebecca looks good.

            For awhile there she looked awful. Not in looks, but self presentation. Case in point

            https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CSVLB93WcAASwDw.jpg:large

            http://whatkatewore.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Harry-Rebecca-Deacon-Heads-Together-Launch-May-16-2016-S-Lock-im-Pol-677-x-950.jpg

            Compare with CP Mary’s LIWs

            http://s196.photobucket.com/user/royalwatching/media/LIWs/Clipboard10.jpg.html

            http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cPa9EWmPt7Q/VC4zbCJUecI/AAAAAAAACpU/REEJcRXB1s8/s1600/Corbis-42-62738836%5B2%5D.jpg

            1. What a pair of beautifully turned out ladies they are. Xx

            2. Wow, Mary’s LIW are stunning and impeccably dressed!

            3. I just did a google images search on CP Mary’s ladies in waiting; they are indeed very elegant, very appropriate. Great role models.

            4. CP Mary’s LIWs are very professional looking!

      2. For me, it’s because she has a coat on so we can’t see her wrinkled outfit. Do agree about the paper hanging out of the bag

         1. Yes, and I just noticed the rather long expanse of leg exposed. Which means, whatever skirt/dress Rebecca was wearing was very short! Not so professional, if you ask me. But, maybe, like Kate, she does not take her coat off at these engagements?

            1. Agree.

               deacon also cannot be professional or well put together and outshine lazy km.

   4. I saw that little hair clip and thought it looked cheap and childish. This is like one I gave to my grand daughter and Kate’s hair is so thick. Petty on my part perhaps, but that’s the first thing I noticed.

      Kate is quite determined to show off her legs it appears. Maybe she thinks that this is the way a famous person should act, but the legs and the little clip are incongruous in my opinion. And neither are appropriate for a person on a **business** visit. And looking back at these pictures that dress covers her knees very well, so maybe I’m wrong about showing off her legs. I think I may have seen pictures elsewhere.

   5. I was shocked in JCrew the other day to see both those and also banana clips. Granted they were in a pearlescent pink but still!

2. Maybe she was at G’s nursery or they have friends with kids staying with them from the weekend (for 6 under 3’s).

   1. Either is totally possible. I just don’t know since the Express didn’t know.

   2. Yes, my guess is that it was her clumsy way of trying to make sure that *everyone* knew that she personally dropped George off at school this morning ?

      1. Agree. Although I wouldn’t have thought that the school would want any parent spending much time in the room for drop-offs (or pick-ups). So even if that was what she meant, it’s really not equivalent.

3. I’m a huge fan of Eponine London. I follow them on Instagram and she makes some amazing dresses with very fun patterns, IMO. (I also love patterns). I wish that Kate would branch out to some of her more fun, patterned dresses, especially for an event with children. Kate sticks to such a boring color palette.

   However, at the end of the day, she didn’t need to wear a new dress for this. She has so many others she should’ve reworn. I also stick by my previous comments that I think she should be wearing trousers (not her skin tight ones, but real ones) around small children. Especially when she knows she’s going to be sitting at small tables and playing with them. It seems less risky and more appropriate to me.

   I’m commenting on Kate’s clothing because I don’t think she brought any intellectual substance worth commenting on to this event. I would’ve loved to talk about a speech she gave, alas, another missed opportunity.

   1. Agreed.

      How smart would a pair of wide leg trousers with high heeled booties and a blouse look? I think that she’s dressing to the idea of ‘how a princess should dress’. So in her mind, the constant dresses make sense for the role that she is trying to fill.

      I liked her hair until I saw those clips. Come on girl. Put some bobby pins in there and an do a polished half up/half down.

      1. She needs a haircut. The sausage curl look is way too young for her and when she is using clips like that it’s time to bring the hair to a professional length because she does not know how to style it.

         Considering she spent 200k last year on clothing it is wasteful to wear something new. She should be wearing repeats for at least a year. It is a disgrace that she wastes so much taxpayer money while many barely survive.

         1. Well, she’s off to a flying start for 2017 judging by the price of her dress today!

         2. Nic919 I agree, she should be re-wearing some of her substantial wardrobe. Just going off track for a second I came across an article on Diana’s wardrobe by renowned royal biographer, Margaret Holder. It stated that in the first 10yrs of Diana’s royal life she had acquired almost £200,000 worth of evening gowns – the same amount that clothes horse Kate spent on her wardrobe last year!!! I know time has moved on but if Doolittle can spend that much in one year, a) how much has she spent since 2011, b) how much will she have spent in 10yrs?? One evening gown – the black velvet gown Diana wore to dance with John Travolta in 1985 was worn in public 7 times – Kate struggles to re-wear an item twice/three times! This years tally is off to a £1,650 start for a coatdress. She doesn’t care what anybody says about her – after all she’s a future Queen

            1. @Poppy, I also read that Diana spent 2,500 pounds a week and one of her tours to the Gulf she spent 80,000 pounds for a 16 day tour. I think Diana spent more than that.

            2. Kitty, sorry but I can’t believe the £80,000 figure – I can’t see how it would be physically possible. Taking into account inflation & the fact the first gulf tour was nearly 30yrs ago, Diana would have needed to spend £193,702.56p today! Even taking into account the religious customs needed to be observed having an impact on any outfit worn, I really can’t see how it could be done. Even Kate wearing brand new designer outfits every day of the 2016 tour of Canada only managed to total £62,000. I also tend to believe Margaret Holder’s articles, after all she was reportedly friendly with Diana’s senior dresser, Evelyn Dagley.

      2. Yes, those clips are so juvenile. I wore those in college. They were only stylish for a few years, like banana clips (were those ever stylish?). Kate is still trying to hold onto her youth. While I’m glad she’s mostly given up on those short and floaty full-skirts (also a little juvenile), I agree with other posters that her hair needs to grow up.

         1. I was just going to say if she starts wearing banana clips I’ll die laughing haha
            Hair was a total miss for me. Hope she didn’t pay her stylist for the “do”

         2. I’m quite confused about the look she’s going for: the hairstyle and clips are juvenile and yet her coatdress is matronly…

   2. Real Pants!

      LOL

      Not sure if Kate knows what they are!

4. I like the colour of the coat and the fabric but it doesn’t fit her properly, waist in wrong ace.
   The clips in the hair are infantile and I despair.

   The length of time spent is pitiful. Ok I know another engagement later with William but less than 2 hours!

   I’ve had it now, it’s just not enough. A new coat dress for a woman who has so many costing £1500 or thereabouts, to spend a small amount of time, patronising women who clearly have it rough parenting and with other issues.

   Just no. But I’m grumpy today as not well so forgive me.

   BTW what is the length of a standard royal visit? Are there any guidelines?

   Finally I think this early flurry is because a trip is in the offing which if its correct is not going to do them any favours PR wise.

   1. Almost two hours is way better than what she usually does. She usually spends at most 1 hour unless it’s Downton Abbey or Ben Ainslie, and sometimes she doesn’t even spend an entire hour at a place. So I’d say almost two hours at one of her patronages is good for her.

   2. An engagement like this would be circa 1 1/2 hours unless it was Princess Anne who would have an organisation questioned to it’s very last detail. HM would be considerably shorter as she is very conscious of the interruption her presence causes but to be fair I think Kate has it about right for today.

      1. Thank you for the clarification. I guess when for most of us work is at least 35 hours a week, the thought of a role that means popping in somewhere for an hour or so whenever you feel like it or can’t get out of it, it’s no wonder they get flak. I truly used to think they stayed there for hours!

         1. Well again I’m trying to be fair….it’s not quite the time they spend at the venue that counts. It used to be the pre work / discussing staff research & planning a Royal did before a visit as well. In the past I didn’t have a huge issue with that but of course we know that William doesn’t bother with reading his briefing notes and winging it is more their style. It really isn’t just a simple as turning up however I think it would not be unrealistic to be doing 3-4 of these a week. HM is right, their turning up does cause organisations to freeze up and take their eye off what they should be doing.

            The other issue I have in 2 hours in North London is hardly the same effort as 2 hours in Newscastle and apart from foreign tours the Cambridges don’t exactly spread them self across around the country unless it’s something they’re interested in. E.g Sailing on the south coast.

            1. Totally agree. I think two hours is more than enough time. Anything more would be terribly disruptive. And to be honest, I think that even an hour-long visit from the BRF upends operations at these agencies. I don’t imagine that KM cares or even considers the work that these people do to prepare for Royal visits, but I’m sure it’s a lot – all the more reason for her (and her royal cohorts) to show respect by being as prepared and engaged as possible for these events…

5. Does it look like Rebecca had her lips done? Just me?

   1. Her lips did look odd but I couldn’t put my finger on it. She clearly didn’t put any effort into looking alive, so it’s either cosmetic work or a complete lack of lip treatment. It seems she’s taking after Kate. Bad makeup, ugly neutral shoes, and throwing a coat on to call it a day.

6. Regarding that quote: It sounds like Kate just dropped George off at school; however, here in the States most three-year classrooms in preschool will have about 12 students so that number seems a little low. Although it looked like George’s school is a tiny one. I agree, KMR. Kate should work on being a bit more articulate so that we understand what she is talking about. For example, when reading her quotes I notice she says the word “things” a lot. I had a composition prof in college who told me that if we overused the word ‘things’ she would circle it in our papers or speeches and say “what things?” so that we could find a more specific, descriptive word. But I think Kate is like William, she doesn’t prepare for events before she goes and if you don’t do your research you will struggle more with what to say. I know some people have commented after they meet Kate that she asks a lot of questions and reads scientific papers about mental health but so far I haven’t seen the quotes to back up what they are saying.

   So this is a dress? Because I thought for sure it was one of the dozens of blue coats that Kate has that all look exactly alike. Kate looks good in this color, it’s like her engagement dress and the color photographs well. But if she is going to buy something new why can’t she find something a little bit different? Everything she wears looks exactly alike. I wonder if she does this deliberately they way she always dresses George and Charlotte the same every time we see them.

   But yeah, I am glad that she did something in January. There is no reason why the royals should talk all of January off like they normally do every year. Everyone else has to get back to work after the holidays so the royals should be no exception. I wonder if Kate will attend the Irish Guards thing in March this time?

   1. If Kate had just dropped George off at school, then she clearly took the helicopter in from Norfolk to London, because George’s school is in Norfolk and her event was in London.

      I thought it was a dress at first, but I’ve seen more people calling it a coat so I’m not wholly sure.

      1. If this is a coat, then she doesn’t seem to be wearing anything underneath it. I saw a picture of her getting out of the car and her naked knee peeped out so I didn’t see a dress.

         If Kate just finished her quote by saying “I just got back from a school run!” or “The kids have a play date with some friends!” then what she says would have made more sense. If this event is in London, maybe G and C are at Kensington palace playing with some kids there? I just wish Kate would articulate her thoughts more clearly so that we can follow what she means.

      2. The whole idea of coat dresses are baffling to me. Sometimes she appears to wear them as coats with clothing underneath and sometimes it appears to be a dress?

         1. Long ago when I wore coatdresses, they were dresses with coat styling, like doublebrested buttons. They were definitely dresses and another dress wouldn’t have fit beneath them. Kate’s often look like real coats to me. I used to love them because I like tailored.

7. Her hair would’ve looked so cute minus those horrible clips!! What was she/her hair stylist thinking? I love it when she adds some visual interest with twists etc. to pull her hair off her face (I’m guilty of always having my hair down and swinging around my face too), but this was so poorly executed. The dress is okay, but I don’t understand why she needed a new one? She has so many cute coat dresses that look quite similar… also would’ve preferred this in a darker blue. This shade always seem cheap to me, I don’t know why.

   Looking forward to the updates on the post as I hope she had a few more meaningful things to say than the one quote that’s been reported thus far.

   ETA: this program sounds really amazing. Part of my work involves families who are facing child protection issues and a risk of removal/have already had their kids removed. A collaborative plan that involves programming like what’s offered at Anna Freud is hugely important to keeping families together in a healthy and safe way.

   1. I remember those clips during the late 90s (when I was in high school). Just saying…..**whistles innocently** 😉

      Pros: the dress is a flattering color (I’ve said for the longest time that Kate looks her best in jewel-toned colors), knee-length (or longer), hair is off of her face, and she stayed nearly two hours. YAY!!

      Cons: those clips are too little-girl-like. I use bigger clips to hold my hair in a big bun or just off my face/neck, period. I swear, that really is the only con that I can think of.

      1. I remember I had so many glittery clips like that when I was like 7 or 8 (late 90’s ?) but I could not fathom wearing them now! Just use a hair pin or find something a little bit prettier. I wouldn’t even wear clips like that to work and I’m one of those “skinny pants are okay for work” people!

         Definitely pleased to hear that she stayed for nearly 2 hours. I think much more than that would probably be really disruptive for people accessing the centres programs. Every session is important so I think it makes sense to keep visits around the 2 hour mark for this type of event.

         Blue is really lovely on her, but I much prefer a dark and richer blue. She really does have such nice colouring.

8. Bravo to the Early Years Parenting Unit. Really important topic and service for mothers who themselves received poor mothering.

   1. I agree. I had to to a stint in L&D and I had some patients as young as 12 & 13 delivering babies and it broke my heart. They’re babies themselves so how can they be good parents?
      So a applaud the participants in seeking help and the organization too.

9. Her comment was rather inarticulate. Good advice, KMR. I hope someone in Kate’s circle reads it and offers it to her for practice.

   I am glad to see her out and about so early in the year. Of course, it’s easier to comment on her appearance because she appeared to do so little to garner much other feedback. Perhaps, if I viewed a video?

   The blue coat dress was another snooze alert. And, the belt? WHY? Her hair and those clips, seemed a bit like a teen-ager.

   I wish I could be more positive. I will say again, glad to see her making an appearance so early in the year. And, later, we get to witness William and Kate.

10. What a great start for this year! 🙂 I think Kate seems interested and friendly. And I like the black clip in her hair, really youthful.

11. Many coats, many coat dresses, too many in blue and too expensive.

12. I really appreciate the mission of the Freud Centre. Glad to see the BRF supporting them.

    RE: Kate’s remarks, they were fine but they sounded like nervous chatter – some of us are not good at extemporaneous speech (I’m awful at it). So, if I worked for Kate, I’d give her just two brief talking points for her to leverage for moments like this – something “fluffy” that would show empathy and something fact-based (a statistic about the Centre’s target demographic or their work). Fake it until you make it!

13. Nothing interesting out of her mouth, as usual, but I love that coat–I’d love it better if they hadn’t mucked with it! The belt’s position was different originally. You can see the poor tailoring. I do love the label’s clothes, though, so I hope Kate wearing it brings her more exposure. What is up with the hair clips? I wore those in the 90s. In elementary school. With hairstyle like this, actually.

    I wish Kate would do more, say more, for us to comment on instead of generic, immature platitudes that to me read as if a 12 year old is talking rather than a grown 35 year old mother of two. At least she was there almost two hours, so that’s good, and I do hope this gives the organization PR they need. I think the problem is she just shows up, swans on through, doesn’t much care about being prepared or saying anything intelligent or trying to connect with people she meets. She just can’t muster up the interest. It’s like expecting her to do it is pretty impossible, which is a shame.

    1. Kate displays an innate lack of empathy in general; perhaps that’s just her nature? Or maybe it’s because her family trait is filtering out anyone not personally useful and that carries through. Kate certainly exhibits difficulty with some social interactions and has a restricted range of interests. William’s poor attitude of ‘just show up, mouth a few empty platitudes’ is also an unfortunate influence.

       Another part of the problem is that ‘royals’ – to survive – have a massive PR machine reminding us daily that these people are special, something mystical above the rest of us. In short, making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.

       However, if their visits make a good difference to participants of programmes and see increased funding, then W+K will have done something good, even if they have been pressured to work more. I wish they could be genuinely inspired by the people they meet but I fear their lives are too cushioned to be able to relate.

14. Sad that I have to say this as most of us work every month but I applaud Kate (and William) for actually doing something in man. Maybe this means they’ve finally had a talking to or it’s to distract from the other stories but hey they are out and about.
    Not a fan of the dress or the hair do.
    I don’t know why she’s so adverse to wearing a nice pair of slacks. She wears painted on skinny jeans so we know it’s not pants in general.
    I know we’ve talked about Kate’s articulation issue over and over but learning small talk can be an art form. I read once where the queen Mum used to make Elizabeth practice, small talk, Kate needs the same advice. You know everything you say it’s going to recorded so I’d think you wouldn’t always want them scratching their heads with what you said.

    1. Yes, small talk is an art! And, Kate does need lessons.

       I think it is good that she was out and about so early in the year — especially going to the Anna Freud Center, which does work of which she supposedly is so keen. I hope it does the Center good PR-wise and drums up funding for them.

       Still, it leaves me wondering, after reading Kate’s comments, just how much thought goes into these visits? If she is nervous about speaking, then please, get help! And show that you know of what you speak. It’s been far too long that she has been at this. She and William should start reading their briefs and preparing for these visits. Preparing more than what horrible belt to go over a new coat dress, that is.

       I’m trying to be nicer, but the snark just shines through!

       1. She makes it hard not to be snarky =)
          If she was better prepared it would make her small talk easier.

15. Thank You for writing about the Anna Freud Center and the life-changing work that they do. If Kate’s nearly 2hr visit brings this worthy organization more publicity and in turn more funding for programming and donations, then Kate has done her job. I wish there was a way to measure if a Royal patronage has a direct or indirect impact on an organization’s increase and expansion?

    As for the fashion, its a beautiful blue and this kind of color suits Kate, but its the same old, boring, coat-dress style with no style, no gravitas or confidence, no elegance and little accessories. Also, Kate should explore having a shorter hair or tying her hair back in a bun- looks less girlish and more grown-up.

    As for her conversational and ability to relate- yup Zero! Non-existent.
    And while I’m glad that Kate stayed for nearly 2hrs, I am not going to applaud her just because she has gone back to work for a 1hr 45min shift in the 2nd week of January. And she needs a new blue coat dress too, to get her out the door.

    1. My thoughts exactly!

16. I agree that she should wear trousers more. Her lean frame would look fantastic in them. I love the colour of the coat and while the design lacks something, it looks good on her and looks properly sized.

    I’m not overly concerned about the belt worn high. Some women, like myself, have high natural waists and it’s either a low placed belt which looks odd on coats but excellent on trousers or almost an empire waist which looks odd on coats and worse on trousers. Anything in between tends to rise up on making the top of dress or coat balloon with it.

    Overall, I’m very pleased with this event, both that it’s early January and she spent more time at the event. Fantastic start to 2017. The ‘speech’ is fine, since I don’t think it was meant to be a speech, but an remark to a round table discussion of the EYPU. I wish she would thank people for sharing their stories though.

17. KMR, I see that you refer to the Duchess as Kate Middleton. You are not the only one who does this and I am curious as to why. She hasn’t been Kate Middleton since 2011. No one refers to the Countess of Wessex as Sophie Rhys-Jones or the Duchess of Cornwall as Camilla Parker-Bowles. Maybe Sophie Wessex or just Camilla but not usually by their names prior to marriage. As I said, I see this often and am wondering why things are different for Kate. Not a criticism at all, merely curiosity.

    1. Oh, I hadn’t even noticed that! I have to say, I have a hard time thinking of her as anything other than Kate Middleton. It’s almost like a brand name to me – like “band-aids” rather than “bandages.” Maybe it because she rose to prominence as “Kate Middleton” – we knew her by that name for so many years before she became Duchess of Cambridge.

       1. +1

    2. This has been brought up on those site before. The general consensus is that she was Kate Middleton for so long prior to marrying William (10 years in the public eye) that the name stuck. This is the digital age, so all the online publishers had “Kate Middleton” as their keyword lookup. They’ve since added “Duchess of Cambridge” but KM hasn’t gone away. It also helps that her name has “middle” in it, to remind us all of the juicy irony of a middle class girl trying so desperately to be more royal royals.

       1. Yes, JET Texas, I think you hit the nail on the head. Search Engine Optimization.

       2. Besides, William is really Bill Middleton disguised as a prince. 😉

    3. IMO, not speaking for anyone else here, I don’t think she presents herself as a Duchess, so I don’t think of her as one. She doesn’t show regalness, leadership, or confidence, all attributes I see from the other royal duchesses. I might be more inclined to refer to her with her title if she behaved in a manner deserving of it.

       1. 110% Agree!

       2. Agree with you Lindsey in DC!!

          Heck, even Fergie was quickly referred to as the Duchess of York when she married Prince Andrew (over 30 years ago?!) because, while she certainly had that fun side, she knew when and how to be serious plus she took her role as a royal wife seriously.

       3. Yes!!

       4. +100

    4. Great question, BethNY. I’ve actually been thinking about making a post on this topic, and I think I will go ahead and do so to fully explain why I still call Kate by her maiden name. But short answer is name recognition. Even though I started this blog after she became the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton was the name I knew her by for years going back to 2004, and it was still the name I associated her with when I started the blog. So that’s the one I used. Also, ‘Kate Middleton’ is searched for more on Google than ‘Duchess of Cambridge’, so there is that as well – although caring about search results only happened for me after I started the blog. There is a lot more I have to say on the subject, but I think I’ll save that for a full post on it since it would be way too long to put into a comment.

       1. Thank you, KMR. I look forward to that. Thanks also for a very well done blog.

18. It looks like the coat is too tight across her shoulders, as though she’s being constricted by the garment. Very odd. Somebody please but her some suit separates.

    1. Hi Georgia
       I sew and can tailor too. It looks to me like Kate has had the shoulder pads in the coat/ dress/ whatever changed for thicker ones. That’s why it looks like it’s pulling across the shoulder line.

19. Does anyone know why the crowds are small for her in each engagement?

    1. Probably because she’s boring, has nothing to say and doesn’t want to meet any ordinary people. Are her visits announced in advance if people did wish to see her? That reminds me that I was a teenager when ‘Charles and Di’ came to visit here, oh the glamour. She was gracious and patient on her walkabout & charles moaned slightly to my auntie about her popularity (compared to his) and how long we had been waiting.

20. I always think the reason she is referred to as “Kate Middleton” is because she does not comport herself in a confident way, which is what we would expect from someone in her position as a Duchess after almost 6 years. I think it is kind of the press’s way of showing disrespect as well, like she has not earned the title.

    1. I think name recognition is probably the more likely reason that news outlets use “Kate Middleton” over “Duchess,” actually.

       I was just (procrastinating) clicking through news items and found that most publications use her maiden name on first mention and then “Duchess…” or even “princess” for all subsequent references.

    2. I knew someone would say this. It’s not a matter of respect. It’s her married name, just a matter of fact. When she married she took her husband’s name and style. That doesn’t need to be earned.

       1. I see your point about it being her married name. However, I just don’t think of her firstly as the DofC in my mind, perhaps it’s because Kate Middleton is just so stuck in there, but I also think it’s because she still just hasn’t become associated with a Duchess title to me.

       2. I think there’s a bit of irony in treating titles that are conferred upon marriage or birth as though they’re merit-based. I mean, I get it, but…it’s like saying someone needs to earn the right to use “Mrs” as a prefix lol.

       3. I see it as an honorific. I’m not going to honour her with it because I don’t respect her, or Willy either. It is definitely not (nor akin to) her married name: that would be Mrs Cambridge which is what Kate calls herself when she’s out and about.

          “Kate Middleton” is also how most people perceive her. She never was a ‘Catherine’ either until Willy decided to get formal about it. Diana was called “Princess Di” even though she was Diana, Princess of Wales.

          Tomato- tomahto.

          1. Maven, it is not your title not your honor to confer. The Queen granted William the tile Duke of Cambridge when he married. A royal wife takes the title and style of her husband. Kate walked down the aisle Kate Middleton and then up the aisle as Duchess of Cambridge. Whether you like it or not, that is her name. Honestly, I don’t know why most of you choose to follow Kate. Is it just an opportunity to bash the Royals and have others try to out-bash you? I’m sure I will face an onslaught of negativity for this post but I just don’t get the point of turning a well researched and presented blog such as this into a contest to see who can be the most critical.

             1. Probably because this is one of the only places people can be critical without it descending into crazy talk and cruelty, and not get banned for being critical. People are sycophants when it comes to the royals; any criticism is, as William himself sees it, bullying. Sugary hyperbole does nothing.

                They can do so much with everything they are given, yet most choose not to. So it makes people comment. And a lot of people who post here directly fund W&K’s life through their taxes, or they will have William as their head of state one day. They have earned a right to criticize.

             2. @ Beth, this is a critical blog about Kate Middleton & the BRF…every comment on this post so far has been respectful and most have been really positive and complimentary. So I’m not sure what you’re getting at or the point of your criticism. Sometimes you need to agree to disagree and leave it at that.

             3. I understand your frustration with some of the commenters. It does seem odd to me to spend so much time on a blog dedicated a person/family/monarchy that you despise. That’s not how I choose to use my time, but to each her own. What I will say is that there are far more reasonable and fair people on KMR than anything else so just try your best to ignore what you feel is super unfair or mean spirited. But don’t ignore altogether! I’ve had my eyes opened to quite a bit by KMR and even by people who I wish would spend less time being so miserable toward KM. It is what it is.

             4. BethNY, Halfofone: thanks!

       4. Her husband acts more like a Middleton and since they are “modern” maybe he secretly took her last name??? Sorry I couldn’t help myself

21. I’m not sure what you would consider the “half-way” point of Jan., but didn’t she once attend an engagement with the Art Room as her first appearance of the year?

    1. January 15 is the half-way point of January. And as far as I remember, Kate has never had an engagement this early in the year. In 2015, she had an engagement to the Art Room on January 15, which is the half-way mark. But this is before the half-way mark.

       1. That’s why I wanted to clarify the half-way point thing.

22. Thanks KMR for explaining what the Anna Freud Centre is all about. I guess it is a plus that Kate spent close to 2 hours at one of her patronages as we start 2017. I cannot say the same for her outfit today…..same old, same old, there go my hopes for 2017:
    Coat-dress with a full skirt-check
    Blue-check
    Prissy collar-check
    Lack of accessories-check
    Matching suede pumps-check
    Belt right below her bust line-check
    Messy, stringy hair-check
    No lipstick or gloss-check

    1. +1
       Really. Kate is so dull and predictable. What happened to the flirty young woman who left the night clubs with William?

23. hi i’am roberta from italy,,,,i follow this blog from months now…and i love it…..
    i don t understand why she dresses like this for a low key event…it’s too much …

    1. That is completely true. In this day and age it is excessive and unnecessary.

24. KMR, anyway we could get a post on The Countess of Wessex’s visit with the guards regiment today? The photos are wonderful and she just glows. Such a wonderful royal colonel for them. She’s even visited them in Afghanistan. I can’t imagine Kate wearing camo or roughing it in Afghanistan…

    1. I can picture Kate in camo (I can see the ad now — get your CamoKate here!) but she’d probably tailor it to skin-tight sleekness. And no, no going to a battlefield.

       1. I don’t know if they make camo pants in the elastine fabric that she solely wears as “pants” 😛

    2. +1

25. I actually like this dress and think it looks good on her and is appropriate for a work engagement. Not too short, not flying about. But am i the only one who noticed that KM actually CROSSED HER LEGS at the knee like a normal person?!! I seriously think this is the first photo I have EVER seen of her sitting like this! Maybe change is possible! (The hair clips are ridiculous though. They are for a tween!)

26. That hair of hers is starting to resemble Buttercup from The Princess Bride. The problem is, Buttercup wears it better and with more style and flair.

27. Kate has obviously had a fresh botox job. One eyebrow is slightly higher than the other (some DM commenters noticed this, too) and her forehead is, contrary to other recent appearances, completely line-free. (and hi! I am new here. I got tired of the unthinking hagiography on the other Kate sites, especially since I consider her a very poor role model to young women for reasons I don’t want to thread-jack here).

    1. Welcome and many of us here think she’s a bad role model for girls and young women

    2. Welcome! ☺️

    3. She also fixed up the right eyebrow. For a while there it was obviously thicker and a different shape than the left. Small thing, but when you are photographed constantly these things become glaringly obvious.

28. I revisited yesterday’s post about the coats she wore in 2016, she seriously couldn’t wear one of those rather than spend more tax payer money on a coat the resembles at least another 20 in her closet? Makes me angry…

29. William, at the Child Bereavement UK engagement, told a girl named Aoife (I love that name!), “Do you know what happened to me? I lost my mummy when I was young.”

    It’s all about him. Not about empathizing with this child whose father died, but reminding people what happened to /him/ and how everyone ought to walk on eggshells around him because of his mother dying when he was 16. Yes, William, it is sad and I’m sure everyone carries this burden differently, but please stop showing how callous and selfish you are. He’s one-upping a child. It’s awful and makes me angry.

    Part of me thinks he’s trying to empathize, but he isn’t really capable because he is so self-centered. It comes off so badly, but people still leap to defend him because of Saint Diana. I wish I could say I thought he was doing it to be kind, and trying to talk to this little girl about her father, but the way he makes everything all about him and his loss, not to mention the character we have seen over the years that his behavior has shown, makes me not very charitable when he brings up his mother.

    1. I’ll have a separate post on that later.

       1. I was wondering if you’d do a post on it. Should I delete my comment?

    2. Sorry, I see this quite differently. I wish people might have more compassion toward William and the loss of his Mum. I don’t think he was one upping the child. He was letting the child know that he understood grief because he had experienced it too when he was young.

       Really, it’s time to have more sympathy for each other when it comes to our hurts. I don’t think William was being self-centered. And, I really resent — these are my feelings, so please let me express them — I really resent people calling Diana a Saint. She was a real woman who suffered many issues that caused her great pain. Even so, she took time to think about and work for others. To me, that is what life is all about. I am not pointing a finger at you, or anyone else, but am wondering if we can’t be a bit more understanding of hurts that we all endure.

30. Always so ‘dressy’. Would love to see Mrs Windsor looking more businesslike. No sausage curls or plastic clips and some well chosen separates. Saw a fab pic of Queen Letitia in trousers last week, going to a meeting.

31. I think Kate has a lot of room for improvement, but I’m willing to call it a win for her. She showed up on time (I think she was an hour late the last time she visited the Anna Freud centre), interacted with the people there, spoke, stayed for over an hour, and dressed appropriately. I don’t like the tailoring, high neckline, or coat dresses in general, but it was a good color for her with some interesting details, and didn’t show any undies.

    Faint praise, perhaps, but praise it is.

    Re the hair clips: could she be doing her own hair? Maybe it looks amateurish is because she’s the amateur in charge of it.

32. Another day, another silly comment, another dress/ coat/ whatever ruined.

    Watch, rinse, repeat?

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