William ditches Kate to go skiing with buddies (updated)

Kate Middleton Prince William

William ditches Kate to go skiing with buddies (updated)

by katemiddletonreview333 Comments on William ditches Kate to go skiing with buddies (updated)

Prince William left his wife and children at home to go on vacation with his friends in Verbier over the weekend. *Update at end of post*

William was spotted skiing on Saturday and partying on Sunday with Guy Pelly, Tom van Straubenzee, and James Meade. William was also spotted on Sunday drinking a beer with Sophie Taylor, a former Australian model who now works at one of the clubs William visited.

According to The Sun, one skier said of William:

    “If I were Kate I wouldn’t be very pleased to see my husband living it up with two stunning girls. William and his pals had skied to the restaurant, while the girls came up the mountain specially to meet them. The boys ate lunch and the girls joined them for a load of drinks. William seemed to be getting on very well with Sophie and they were giggling and laughing. Once they’d finished skiing for the day, they all met up with the girls again at another bar.”

The band playing the club William visited outed him on Twitter, tweeting on Sunday night: “Great gig tonight in #verbier- Prince William even made an appearance! #rockon ??#Prince #royalty”

Both William and Kate Middleton skipped the Commonwealth Day Service that was held yesterday. On that topic, a KP spokesperson said: “The duke and duchess have attended the event for the last two years and look forward to doing so often in the future.” And on William’s trip, they said: “His schedule was private and we would not comment on it.”

Interestingly enough, Prince Andrew was also in Verbier this weekend, separately, but still made it back to the UK in time for Commonwealth Day Service.

I actually wouldn’t care if William and Kate went on a vacation together since so many other royals (including Sophie and Harry) have gone on vacations in 2017, but William ditching Kate to go party with his friends? Nah. Come on, William, don’t be a douchebro. But this isn’t the first time William has ditched his wife and children to go on vacation and hang with other women: he took a solo vacation in February 2014 to go hunting (with Jecca Craig), and went solo to Jecca Craig’s wedding in Kenya in March 2016.

It would have been amazing if Kate had gone to the Commonwealth Day Service without William, but sadly Kate doesn’t have the stones for that.

Wasn’t Guy Pelly’s excuse for missing the Jamaica wedding two weekends ago that his wife was having a baby? Did Guy Pelly ditch his wife and new baby to go party with William? Gross.

There are photos of William skiing at the Daily Mail and The Sun.

Also, early on Monday Victoria Arbiter tweeted that ET was going to run never-before-seen photos of Harry and Meghan from their Jamaica vacation, but then later deleted the tweet after ET decided not to run the photos. Victoria then later tweeted about William’s ski photos: “Such a foggy line on which photos can and can’t be published! Prince William joins pals for a ski weekend…”

So… the Palace put pressure on ET not to run steamy photos of Harry and Meghan, but is totally okay with photos of William ditching his wife and duties to go ski and party with a model in Switzerland? I would think photos showing Harry and Meghan’s relationship in a good, sexy way would be less damning than photos showing William in a work-shy, possible-cheater way.

UPDATE: There is a video of William dancing in the club. It’s amazing. William’s terrible dance moves has made my day. You can view the video over at TMZ.


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333 thoughts on “William ditches Kate to go skiing with buddies (updated)”

  1. “Wasn’t Guy Pelly’s excuse for missing the Jamaica wedding two weekends ago that his wife was having a baby? Did Guy Pelly ditch his wife and new baby to go party with William? Gross.”

    So basically everyone in William’s circle is a jackass? Alrighty then.

    And I am copying and pasting what I wrote on another post because it is more relevant here:
    “As for Prince William’s vacation…..if he had been with Kate and the kids I wouldn’t be quite so turned off. But is it just me or does he look like a bachelor in those pictures? He spends Charlotte’s first Easter away in Africa at an ex-girlfriend’s wedding and now he goes off on a vacation with the lads along with some hot young girls knowing full well that if the media got wind of this it would hurt his reputation and look disrespectful to Kate.
    Do you guys think William is cheating on Kate? I don’t want to stir the pot, but if my boyfriend treated me with as much disregard and even contempt as William sometimes shows Kate I would be livid. Remember that floral Kate Spade dress Kate wore? I think it was back in November. She gave a speech for a Heads Together thing. Well I remember seeing a video of Kate, William, and Harry getting out of a car. William walked forward and shook the host’s hand without even acknowledging his wife but Harry waited for Kate to get out of the car and walked with her side by side. Kate looked happy and smiled at Harry. Almost like she was surprised to see someone treat her decently.
    Maybe I am over reacting, but over the past year that I have been following this blog I have felt and seen many red flags with the way William interacts with Kate. He is warm, affectionate, and loving with his children. Yet he treats his wife like a younger sister he barely tolerates. He constantly looks annoyed by her and she always seems to try to get his attention as if she were trying to please him. Something is not right.
    There is a part of me that feels bad for Kate. But there is another part that wanders why she puts up with this because he seems to have always treated her like this. For example, after the wedding when the Queen was celebrating her jubilee on a boat ride. It started to rain and William used an umbrella for himself and walked away from Kate. Harry had to yell at William and get his attention. When Will turned around, Harry pointed at Kate as if to say “are you forgetting something?” It was only then that William waited for Kate so that he could share his umbrella with her. This is only one example. William always seems inconsiderate and inattentive around Kate. Or is it just me?
    I don’t know you guys. There is something about William that really rubs me the wrong way. It’s his crappy, arrogant, smug attitude. And he keeps talking about how he can’t do royal duties because he is a “family man” but how many times has he left Kate with the kids alone? I think Kate probably spends a lot of time with her Mom and family while William just plays around with the lads. He said that he found adjusting to family life “difficult”. Something tells me that he really should have stayed a bachelor a bit longer. Maybe he wasn’t ready for marriage? People say that Harry is immature and a partier but I really think that the brothers are much more alike then people realize.”

    1. William has been a jackass with Kate for ages but she tolerates it to stay in the BRF. He was known to have cheated on her many times while they were dating. Guys like that never change, especially guys with money and power and access to groupies. Kate knew he was going to be like this and frankly her mother bizarrely enables him. That said, she has been shrinking before our eyes for a reason and his thoughtless behaviour is a big part of the reason.

      But I feel bad for the kids, because they obviously see this behaviour and are absorbing it. I was disgusted last year when he skipped Easter with his kids for a wedding of an ex. What kind of father goes on vacation without the kids, much less during Easter? Maybe George is reticent when we see him because he is picking up on this behaviour, and who knows how often he actually sees his father.

      What’s worse is that Andrew managed to fly back from the same location to get back on time. Why couldn’t Will? Going to give out shamrocks won’t make up for this disaster. I expect Kate will be wearing the rictus grin to cover the awkwardness of the situation.

      1. It was a shame he wasn’t at home at easter with his little children and wife. It seems William is lacking of something. And it’s true, he behaved in this way long way ago. It will be disturbing for the children, I hope George and Charlotte will not end up being cold-hearted and ignorant like many in tbe Windsor family. I’m deeply dissapointed in William, he became much more the negative site his father had in younger years.

        2. What the Easter trip told me is that they’re not very religious. It was more important to go to the wedding of his ex than spend the time with kids. i don’t know if Easter egg hunts are bug in the U.K. Like they are here but George would have been of the right age to start having fun with it.

          1. Considering he is going to be the head of the Church of England and cannot be bothered to show up to the most important Christian holiday of the year, it is actually disgraceful. Practicing Christians don’t schedule weddings on Easter weekend. So maybe it’s ok for his friends to not be practicing, but he has to pretend, or else give up the position.

          2. That’s a good point. I’m an American so I was thinking of children going on an egg hunt and taking pictures with the Easter Bunny at the mall or something and then getting Easter baskets and have dinner with family or playing with friends. I know Halloween is different in the UK so I am not sure about Easter.

            But I am assuming given how the Middleton’s love children’s parties so much that they might celebrate Easter more like American children do. People wrote articles about Kate having a baby shower before George was born even though that is an American custom. I am not sure if they did.

            But I still feel that it was very weird that William chose to spend Charlotte’s first Easter (and the first where George could really enjoy it) with an ex-friend. At the very least it doesn’t make sense PR wise because William is trying to project an image of being a ‘family man’.

            Nic919: When I first read about William I didn’t realize that Andrew was vacationing in the very same place and at the very same time yet he managed to come home in time for the ceremony. It really and truly boggles the mind.

            William has absolutely no sense of duty, responsibility, or work ethic. He is 4 years old with a wife and kids. Time to grow up and be a man. Sorry, not sorry.

        3. It is a disappointment that William missed Easter with George and Charlotte. It sends the message to the children that he doesn’t care enough to be around them. I think some of the royal family are cold and ignorant. I don’t think Edward,Anne or Sophie are. HM, was brought up with a set of rules which is not a disadvantage. I think there is inappropriate behaviour and there is acting with decorum. I would not call acting with decorum or with the moral highground imo as ‘cold’.

          1. I agaree with all these comments. He keeps touting that he is a family man, but can’t be bothered to be with his wife and children on Easter? What’s with that, PW?

            As for his going away and flirting, if noit more, with such beauties, what is he thinking? William feels he is entitled and so, he will continue such activities throughout his marriage.

            Kate puts up with it and that is sad. When is she going to come into her own and stop answering to her husband and her Mum? It will be a miracle, I think, if she finally stands up for herself. I guess the lure of being a Royal is just too much for her to give up in any way. Her children are getting the wrong messages from both of their parents, but apparently, many people choose to live this way. Such a sad thing, if you ask me.

    2. I meant to give you your +1 Cookie so here it is!

      It’s not just you: William is acting like he did in his 20s, before he was in a serious relationship with Kate. I’ve been having a vibe for a while that he resents the you-know-what out of her but knows he would’ve been raked over the coals if he didn’t eventually marry her so, to shut up the entire commonwealth, he did. Plus, he seems to have an unhealthy attachment to her family, especially Mama Carole.

      He’s mentally still 15 years old (or younger) and never grew up beyond that. It’s like he’s constantly pissed off at the world because of the deck of cards he’s had to deal with. Seriously? I know plenty of people who have been/go through/will go through a lot worse and he’s just asking for a reality smack from me.

      What’s interesting is that in these pictures, he’s not doing his fangs-baring-fake-grimace-slash-I-look-like-I-need-to-take-a-massive-shit smile. This is probably the most relaxed I’ve seen in him years! Very interesting if you ask me.

      Also, isn’t Guy Pelly’s wife due any minute?! I thought the babymoon was supposed to be for the mom-and-dad-to-be, not the dad-to-be with his bros! Silly me! 😉

      1. I think the most humiliating part for Kate is the fact that he looks so happy. He hasn’t been snapped looking that happy in a long time, and she is not there. That would upset me more than high-fiving a model.

        1. Yup, exactly. I would be so hurt and upset if my husband (heck, boyfriend) looked like this with other women.

          I can’t recall the last time he looked **this** happy and relaxed with Kate. Heck, not even when he announced their engagement was he this chill. Kate? High as a flipping kite that day. William? ‘yes yes…we’re engaged to be married and it’s lovely. Now, run along you pressy people’ with the smile pained on his face.

          1. Thank you for the +1, Kimothy! 🙂

            I totally agree with you regarding how happy he looked. The way he high fived that girl and drank with his buddies…it was like he was a University student again. When is he going to grow up? And why can’t he smile a bit when he is with his own wife? Furthermore, he often looks annoyed or fed up at engagements even when he is alone. He is so blatantly transparent. It is obvious he doesn’t care about the monarchy, his job, or duty and he doesn’t even try to hide it.

            William is a huge disappointment and I am glad that the media is taking him to task for this. Especially since those stories just came out about how Will and Kate want to add a two story extension to Kensington Palace. This is outrageous.

          2. Cookie love your comments. Yours, too, Kimothy,

            As to just when is William going to grow up? I don’t think he ever will –unless he is slapped in the face with some disaster that just cannot be ignored. He gets away with his antics and is an eternal boy. It is sad that he looked so darn happy with those women . While, he can’t even hold an umbrella over Kate’s head during a rainstorm . He’s disgusting. I hope George doesn’t take after him and I hope that Charlotte takes close looks at her mother’s enabling attitude and takes a different route in her relationships.

            There is nothing worse than a man in his thirties with a wife and two kids acting like such an jerk. Any age, quite frankly, but shouldn’t he be a decent man by this time in his life? He’s a child and not a very decent one, either.

    3. I don’t feel sorry for Kate. She pursued him for 10 years. She knew what she was getting into. I feel sorry for the kids, for now. But they have a high chance of growing into jerks just like their parents. In 20 years we’ll be making the same comments about George.

      1. I know what you mean. And I have lost respect for Kate and Kate’s parents. Kate allowed herself to be treated like a doormat for years and her parents (esp Carole) encouraged it. Kate doesn’t have self-respect if she is OK with this and her parents think a tiara is more important than their daughter’s happiness and well-being.

    4. There are videos of William being a jerk to Harry too. Kind of like Harry isn’t allowed to do anything that might outshine William and if he does, William needs to denigrate it with a jokey put down. I can’t remember the blogger’s name because she quit several years ago after Scotland voted to stay in the UK but she noticed it and had several videos on her site with commentary. She was good. I was sad to see her go. She picked up on William’s superior attitude and digs into Harry a lot earlier than most people and she took a lot of online flack for it.

    5. Kate reminds me of a merciless woman I roomed with in college. As long as a guy could give her babies and she could stay home and be a lady who lunches, she didn’t care what he did on the side or who she had to step on in order to get and keep him. That keeps me from feeling sorry for Kate. I think she knew and as long as William doesn’t embarrass her in public like he is now or the relationship doesn’t become a threat to her, Kate looks the other way. Years ago there was an internet rumor that Kate told Chelsy to start doing the same with Harry’s indiscretions.

          1. Actually, I think that Kate’s original comment to Chelsy was that C needed to get used to RUMORS of cheating, not necessarily cheating itself. I don’t think Harry was unfaithful, though there were rumors.

  2. Oh William? This is such a doofus move! It seems like he can’t process the consequences of his actions can he?

    I’m an avid skier so if the snow is good and I’m being offered a free ride to the mountain then I’d really want to go, but if there was an important event that same weekend? That would be my priority.

    After all if Prince Andrew could make it back then William should have caught the same plane?

    Now – I have a question. When we refer to a vacation here we are talking about a week or so off work. It seems to me that Americans phrase it differently and a weekend away is referred to as a vacation? Am I right here? So would that mean if I took a weekend away at my Mother’s house then it would be called a vacation?

    1. A vacation is any over night travel to a destination beyond the city you live in. A holiday, by contrast, is a paid day off: Veterans Day, Independence Day, New Years Day. A holiday doesn’t directly mean travel, it means a day off what would be a normal work day. Vacation is travel.

      Speaking as a dual citizen.

    2. “It seems like he can’t process the consequences of his actions can he?”

      Cathy, there are no consequences for William. He is a fool, and enabled by others to stay one his whole life.

      I’m sure he knows he is failure. Every suitable woman turned him down; barely turned up at university to which St.Andrews turned a blind eye and gave him a degree anyway; was almost kicked out of the RAF because he couldn’t stick to it/ wasn’t bright enough; couldn’t finish a tailored course at Cambridge; couldn’t sustain interest in EAAA. And now, can’t sustain being an adult, married, with children.

      For William, there is just PR to paper over the cracks of abject failure despite being showered with advantages others can only dream of.

      2. There will be no consequences for William this time either. Remember how he went skiing instead of attending the 10th anniversary service of the Queen Mother’s death? There were no consequences then, and there will be no consequences now.

        1. B&E were skiing at the same time and managed to make it back for that 10th anniversary event for Queen Mum and Margaret. Edward might have missed it, but he was working (a skiing event related to DoE).

    3. Cathy, yours is one of the more level-headed comments on this subject. Yes, it was a doofus move and yes, why can’t he process the consequences of his actions? I totally agree. The rest of these comments suggesting cheating, total disregard for his wife, and worse, are in my opinion schadenfreude.

      1. The guy, who has two children and a wife and barely works, buggered off for 4 days to have fun- to hang with his buds, booze it up and chat up chicks, and skipped his job. What does that suggest to you? Take away the royal tag and what does *that*suggest to you?

        Please don’t snidely diss other posters and their comments. No one does it to you.

      2. For what it’s worth, I don’t think you were dissing anyone with your observation, but I don’t think it’s entirely off base to suggest that William’s behaviour is that if someone who so disregards his wife’s feelings that he would also cheat on her. It’s not unheard of and this type of thing really only lends to the rumours. I would be pretty pissed if my husband ditched me to go skiing with his friends and a bunch of random women and left me at home with the kids. It’s just not okay, no matter how “cool” of a wife you’re trying to be.

        1. +1 It must be horrible for Kate. He really doesn’t seem to respect her enough. We will never know how she feels, she’s not known for her open talking (like Diana). I wonder what Carole would say to her if Kate was upset with William. “He doesn’t mean it, move on” lead to marriage.

      3. There aren’t really any consequences, though, are there? He’ll only be “fired” if the monarchy itself is voted out. There’s a slim chance that he’ll be pressured into an abdication, a la David, but as long as he turns up to work once in a while and refrains from criminal activities, that’s unlikely. He’s an adult. He’ll do his duty if he wants to. Just like any adult who can’t be shamed/bullied/cajoled into doing something unpleasant — like quitting smoking, going back to school, staying faithful in an unhappy marriage — Will simply doesn’t have to do what he doesn’t want to do.

      4. When the husband jets away with his ex for a hunting holiday, leaving the wife at home with a young infant, how can you not say that this action is total disregard for his wife? That was, what, three years ago? Followed by choosing to go to his ex’s wedding and skipping your daughter’s first Easter? And now this? And remember, he was “outed” for the Spanish hunting trip and this skiing holiday–who knows what William has done that the press didn’t find out about.

  3. Oh William, William William. I have no problem with him going on a weekend vacation with the boys. Although, i would be mad if my husband flirted like that with other women (but Kate was okay with Will cheating-not saying he did here). But gosh, use your head on timing! Don’t do it during the Commonwealth day which he should have attended. As an heir, he should be there every year unless there is an emergency or some other official thing planned, like a tour. But a boys skiing weekend is not a good excuse. He really doesn’t think things through. He is quitting his flying job to do more royal engagements, but then doesn’t do an important royal engagement because he is skiing.

    I do find it odd that a 35 year old with 2 kids is still going to night clubs and dancing/partying to the early hours. Most people hit a certain age where that kind of partying doesn’t sound fun anymore. I am younger than William and you couldn’t pay me to go to a crowded night club anymore. I loved them in my early 20’s when I was single but now I prefer a lounge, pub, wine bar, etc. Clubs are normally for single people who want to hook up.

      1. I don’t think Kate ever went clubbing out of enjoyment. She did it strategically to please William, or to win him back. Nothing about her ever said ‘party girl’.

        1. Yes, that’s the impression. Perhaps, it’s karma. They blindly took one man, because he was the biggest fish in the pond with ignoring his faults. Kate has to live with it. I would love if she once in her life would make her own decision, without thinking “what would please my mother?” That’s sth you learn when growing up and you still love your mother. She really needs to stop pleasing her mother or William.

          1. I agree. Kate needs to stop being a puppy. The relationship\marriage is clearly not equal. From what I know from reading in the comment section Andrew did at least back Fergie. Maybe his criticisms were just part of his nature. William seems ‘fake’. As if his real personality is hidden.

          2. I have to add though wasn’t Arabella or Annabella a party girl. Maybe that is what attracted William to her and Kate copied her to get his attention.

    2. William will now find it hard to wriggle out of work using the ‘hands-on father’ card. I think his development is most definitely arrested.

    3. I think that this is not just “a weekend with the boys”. For one thing, they’re all married and spent the weekend hanging out with attractive women. What self-respecting wife would tolerate that? And why couldn’t he bring the wife and kids?

  4. Well no one should be surprised by William’s recent vacation. But why did he go this weekend? Last weekend would have made so much more sense with the wedding and all the press attention on.Harry. No one would have cared. What an idiot. It’s so weird to me how bad he is at PR.

    As for the alleged pics of Harry and Meghan… There is no way KP has any pull with American press or would be able to suppress publication of those pictures in any press besides the British press. It’s one of the major points of contention between the British press and KP, that foreign media is able to publish pap pics that they can’t. Remember the American press is the one who originally published his naked pics from Vegas. Also privacy laws are more lax in America. If you are on private property you are still allowed to be photographed if the person is taking pictures from a public space. ET wouldn’t pay an exorbitant amount of money for pics then not use them. I don’t know if those pics exist or if they do what their content is or why she tweeted that, but it absolutely doesn’t make sense that KP would try to suppress their publication in the American press and win.

    1. I suspect that ET pulled the pics with the promise of an exclusive if / when there is an engagement. It wouldn’t be hard for Meghan or her people to contact someone from ET or ET Canada and make that deal.

      1. I doubt it. When the BRF give interviews to Americans it’s usually to one of the major networks like ABC and aired on one of the morning shows. Sometimes they’ll air an interview in a prime time slot. Never do they give an interview to an entertainment news show. That would be an ill advised deal. The day a member of the BRF gives an exclusive to Entertainment Tonight is the day the celebrification of the BRF would be complete.

        1. An exchange wouldn’t be Harry making a deal, but Meghan making a deal. Don’t forget her bestie is married to an ET canada reporter. A deal would be very easily made.

          ETA: i want to be clear that i don’t care about Harry and Meghan enough to comment on their relationship, BUT i wanted to point out the more obvious deal making scenerio in this particular exchange.

          KP would not have any pull on American media or ET, but Meghan has a very direct link to this particular media outlet even if her contacts are the canadian side of the outlet.

          1. Still though. Any deal Meghan would make regarding an exclusive about their engagement would need Harry’s cooperation and approval. I have a really hard time believing Harry would go along with an exclusive to ET.

          2. Herazeus, that angle would have the “Meghan is a famewh*re” crowd angry. She had pull so she made sure the photos weren’t published? They’d be livid at the idea.

          3. Nota: Famewhore or not, it’s the more obvious scenerio.

            Meghan making that deal isn’t a bad thing. Brad Pitt has made similar deals with media outlets to reduce the stories on his divorce for interviews further down the line.

            Meghan doesn’t have to promise them engagement exclusives since that information and exclusive interview is handed out by Buckingham Palace on the day of their choosing (exception WK, but they still had to let BP run the announcement and interview), so it could be a promise of information. Like the Middletons did to promote Kate without showing their hand.

          4. I could believe Meghan would make a deal in exchange for her feeding information about the relationship to them in the future. But it was all for naught because those pics got published anyway.

  5. Thank goodness the press is printing this, instead of covering up for him. Do you think he will try to claim invasion of privacy?

    If the BRF don’t realize they have a very big problem, then they are even more incompetent than I realized.

    And yes, it would have been great if Kate attended the service alone, though I doubt the Queen would have allowed such a public outing of her feckless grandson. I wonder if that long humiliating wait for the royal prize seems worth it now?

    1. I’d rather do a Pippa and marry an independently rich guy who loves me. I remember reading Kate was once adamant about being over William but her mother persuaded her otherwise. Not sure if it’s true but if it is, I kinda feel bad for her.

      1. + 1 – indeed – Pippa wanted a Title but settled for a very wealthy man who will give her the life she wants. She got the better deal.

        1. Double loss for Kate. Married to William and bad at your job as Duchess = the big sister got outplayed by little sis Pippa.

      2. I’d take Pippa’s life over Kate’s any day. James Matthews seems like a nicer guy than William too. (Though I admit her may be just as disagreeable, but no one cares about him so the wider public doesn’t know). Kate should have told her mother to shove it and went after a rich dude who would let her sit on her butt and do nothing all day.

        1. His expression reminds me of Mike Middleton’s. For whatever reasons, he wants Pippa (or he’s been landed by her), and he’ll suffer through it as part of the deal.

    2. This is the crux of the issue- this humiliates his wife. As I understand it the aristo code is discretion- he can do whatever he wants after the heir and the spare, discreetly. But this is blatant, making his wife, the mother of his children, look the cuckold. I wonder if she (or mummy) will retaliate.

  6. William just doesn’t care. He’s Prince William, he can do as he likes, and everybody had better never forget that HRH entitles him to in his eyes do whatever he pleases whenever he pleases. Work? Bah, time to go booze it up and hit on some girls (and probably more). Who cares about Commonwealth Day! He’ll do it only when forced to, ie when he’s finally the top spot and must show, though I could imagine him deputizing and forcing Harry to represent him at almost anything as he doesn’t ever feel like it/want to.

    Kate showing up would have been a glorious F-U to William in her passive aggressive style, but she knows where her bread’s buttered and I assume would put up with anything to keep the lifestyle she hung onto for so long to grab once she got that ring on her finger.

    The public reaction seems even worse than the outrage over the Irish Guards. I wonder if this means the claws are out. OF course, we’ve said this before and they went right back to being timid, but…

    If he worked I wouldn’t give a crap if he went out for a boys’ weekend. Sounds fun. But he does not work, and instead expects everyone to let him do whatever the hell he wants and avoid work.

    1. You’re right, William doesn’t give a sh*t. There have never been real consequences for him, ever, because he holds the trump card: heir + family = continuation of Windsor monarchy and a life of privilege funded by others. Unless of course, Brits grow tired of institutions that suck them dry, Scotland peels off followed by Wales, or world circumstances or things not yet in view disrupt William’s cosy view. They often do…

      Apart from the incidents mentioned, William also largely absented himself from George’s first six months of life; no doubt he couldn’t handle it. I think Kate accepts that William will take off to do whatever he wants with whomever he wants. That’s the price for the ring, attention and privilege.

      Of course, William and mates could have gone skiing at another time, or returned for the Commonwealth Service. Bit sad that they are still acting like a group of overgrown schoolboys. That’s what stands out for me: wanting to run out on responsibilities, huge lack of maturity, pretend he’s in his early, carefree twenties. Having the attractive girls around was a big mistake, innocent as it may have been. It humiliates Kate, doormat though she is.

      1. Even Andrew who is a tool and perhaps a pedophile showed up after a weekend skiing because he knows it’s his damn job to show up.

        William can’t make excuses.

        1. William always makes excuses. Better to be more discreet if taking off on a jaunt with mates, I would have thought, and lose the optics of attractive young women. And given his not exactly chocka schedule, there is plenty of time to organise leisure activities without missing state obligations, for which he is handsomely rewarded.

          1. Kimothy, Fergie fell down on the sidewalk outside of Anabels. Andrew looked back and kept walking, letting the POs help her to her feet. Fergie says that he constantly criticized her and belittled her in public when she got something wrong. William always seems to be looking out for Kate, hand on her back guiding her, etc.

          3. BethNY, is he helping her, or controlling her?

            As far as implying he is flirting/cheating, the royal family lives and dies by appearances. To most of the public it looked like he was shirking his duties and behaving in a way most wives would resent. Public perception matters here.

          4. +1 Fifi.

            William has often been dismissive of his wife in public: walking away with an umbrella over his head, leaving Kate until Harry called him back; walking away as if on his own when they exit buildings or a vehicle, even if it’s a private engagement. He’s not guiding her, more like moving her on, to leave quicker.

            Whether Fergie’s whinging was a moment of annoyance or something more, she and Andrew have lived together for years beyond the divorce and bought a chalet together so she clearly got over it.

          5. BethNY: i’m pretty surprised that Fergie would say that in public since she’s never, ever said a bad word about any of the royals even when they deserve it, even when they dump on her.

            To this day she praises Andrew even if he doesn’t deserve it.

            Btw: that Annabel photo that you describe was a date they were on and swarming with paps. It was a moment in time rather than a repeat of their relationship.

            For his part, he is brusque and rude and a given that he doesn’t always treat people well, BUT he took full responsibility for the marriage breakdown even though she cheated and didn’t understand royal life. He fought hard not to get divorced, and it’s the only time the Queen stood her ground and insisted on the divorce.

            He still thwarted her wishes by refusing to push Fergie out the door and continuing to co-habit with her after the divorce.

            As for William touching Kate’s back,have you ever loojed at video of him doing that? It’s not a loving gesture in this case. He is more often directing her to move along from spot A to B. A still photo makes it look loving, video shows that he is merely directing her and it’s a split second touch.

            He frequently walks ahead of her (protocol allowing), leaving her struggling to exit from cars, coaches and even on occasion a meet and greet line. Never looks back to see if she’s OK – like Charles does for Camilla despite the protocol distance between them.

            Even wedding day. Video of Harry rushing over from a different carriage to help Kate whilst William charged ahead unconcerned.

            There are many, many videos of William being discourteous to Kate which is sad for Kate because it’s very revealing of their relationship despite her many protestations that she is very well looked after.

          6. I am the last person to defend Andrew but as I recall, at the time of the incident when Fergie fell, he took a lot of heat for not helping his wife. Security experts said it was unfair because he did what members of the RF are trained to do. Andrew was trained to keep going so his protection officers can get him in the car which is safer than the street. If he had gone back to help her it would have created an additional security risk. Might seem odd to us, but the security mindset is different than what us “normal” folks have to think about.

  7. “The duke and duchess have attended the event for the last two years and look forward to doing so often in the future.”
    I would have thought after the backlash last year when Kate didn’t want to create expectations of a yearly visit to the Irish guards they would stay away from statements such as this.
    But this statement made me realise that William needs a break. He has been a prince for 34 years and all that protocol, expectations of duty and media intrusion have been wearing. He’s said so himself lots of times. The public should give him a break from living like a royal for a year or two and look forward to him resuming his duties after a period of rest in the real world.

    2. I would be on board with that. Maybe William needs to be in the real world for a little bit to fully appreciate the gig he has going. But, that means no tax payer funded anything. He and Kate would have to live solely on his inheritance. I have a feeling he’d be back at the tax payer teat pretty quickly.

      1. Yes. I would be up for this.

        Put him in a ‘Truman show’ scenerio minus cameras or paps, take away his trust fund, make him live off his ambulance salary with no emergency number to pull him out when he gets bored.

        One year.

  8. For ONCE it seems like he doesn’t care a whit about the paps. Brazenly flouting an important royal/national occasion. Making an ostentatious display with the ladies. Sticking it to his wife, family, and the entire nation. Is this the tipping point we’ve all been waiting for?

          2. Ever since I read The Long Winter (Little house books) I’ve wanted to see a blizzard. I imagine it’s scary and I’m a scaredy cat but I’d love to experience a blizzard for one day.

  9. Oh dear – thanks KMR – I was looking forward to your take on this 🙂 Wills the Workshy will never change. No Mummy means he has a lifetime of “poor me” that he expects everyone else to be “on-side” with. He and his equally vapid wife should get Granny to buy them an Estate somewhere that they can hide out in for good. Cut them off from public funds – ie security – and make them fund their own lives. My father died when I was too young – we had to get on with it – and did.

  10. Why be so obvious?

    Is this PW’s way of having his family tell him he isn’t suited for his future role and giving him the opportunity to opt out of his hereditary position? What would they offer him to leave?

    What would he do once he is out of the line of succession?
    Emulate his mother’s brother? (Go on to a series of wives?)

    In an environment of worldwide and instant social media posts, why does Mr Privacy choose to be less careful and let his whereabouts be known and publish with whom he was enjoying his holiday?

    ‘Tis a puzzlement!

  11. Good afternoon all,
    I admit I am old fashioned, but this is not appropriate behavior. Aside the fact of the Duke’s station in life. A father and husband with 2 little ones. Even a innocent meet up on his part, it is not proper. If this was my partner/husband I would not be happy!
    I wonder, does the Duke not listen to his advisors or he does what he wants anyway. Or is advise not given on private matters?
    A shift in attitude needs to happen sooner than later, but I wouldn’t hold my breath
    If he was seen to be making more of a effort and a real difference,.
    The Queen at a young age, yes she was already Queen but her devotion to duty and behavior has been faultless.

    1. I also think it’s not appropriate for a 35 y. old with two little children to do such a thing. It’s immature and sets the wrong priorities.
      The Queen’s work attitude is totally different.She also loved her father and he died quite young. She was Queen for a long time at William’s age and she never did go partying. She didn’t need it. It seems William doesn’t know what to do with himself.

      1. I think what stood out for me was the fact that he was clubbing until 3am.

        Obviously people go clubbing until they are 80 or dead, but for some reason, with William, it struck me as immature and a strange note to throw into the article instead of just saying he went to Apre-ski until 3am.

        1. For some reason, I just can’t imagine him clubbing at all. Harry? Yes, most definitely. He still has the swagger and confidence. William? I just see him as a dweeb.

          1. TMZ has released a video of him dancing in the club. Dweeb is definitely a word to describe his dancing. No rhythm at all.

        2. Long ago, before six kids, my husband was quite the ladies man and did quite a bit of clubbing. He finally stopped when he hit 29 and switched to pubs and wine bars with bands and conversation more the focus. We had met at this time and started a relationship…he was 29 at the time. I asked him at one point what made him stop and look for a life partner versus the habitual one-night-stands he had favored. He said, “well, one night I looked around and realized I was becoming that ‘Old man in the bar’…you know, the one that dresses like Dr. Johnny Fever and is dancing alone and everyone calls him “Gramps”. I realized it was time to grow up.

          Sadly, William seems to be Peter Pan and can’t or won’t grow up. No responsibility, no work ethic, no moral compass steering him to duty and honor. It’s all about fun, good times, and enjoying himself and being the old man at the disco.

          1. The problem is, William will become King of England someday. It’s a big problem. The common people endured those escapades of royals for many years in british history and I think it’s time for a right man/woman, a resonable one.And the Brits will not get it with William. I think this will cause many problems in the future.

  12. Dumb, dumber, Wills. He had the perfect opportunity to go skiing the weekend before when all eyes were on Harry and Meghan in Jamaica AND he wouldn’t have missed Commonwealth Day for partying. He acually looks happy to be papped for once, which is even more intriguing.

    1. He probably was skiing the previous weekend as well. He looked tanned on March 9, when he and Kate attended the Service of Dedication for Iraq and Afghanistan Memorial.

  13. Poor form indeed. Hanging around with celebrity groupies who are available for drinks & a fun time. Ugh. Being photographed doing so and missing an important event. Ghastly. Humiliates himself and his wife, and for what.

  15. What IS William thinking? He knows, Kate knows and his team knows he will get slated in the media for this boys weekend away and missing the Commonwealth ceremonies. Does he not care? How hard is it to plan your calendar around the big royal events? Not very Prince Bill. I think he is making a point that he is entitled to a private life and he is not going to be taken over by public duties like the Queen and the rest of the family. Mmmmmmm. Methinks it might be Cambridge crisis time.

  16. You don’t go to Verbier unless you want to be seen. Kate and Will went to SW France with the kids supposedly with no photos. Harry and Meghan went to Norway supposedly with no photos. William and his friends have enough experience with paps to know he would be seen in Verbier. So, why did he want this to be public? Is it a passive aggressive move (see, I’m not ready yet to be king, please let my father do it) or an aggressive one (see, I can do as I please and my family – even the Queen herself – can’t do anything about it)? With William deciding to do a very public Christmas walk separate from the BRF, I’m thinking it’s the latter. In any case, it puts Kate in a tough position.

  17. I agree it would be fabulous if Kate had gone by herself to the Commonwealth events. Unfortunately, I doubt the Queen would have approved. But, it would have put William in an impossible position. His wife showing up for duty, being loyal to the BRF (and her mother, after all, cares greatly about the prestige and title, so his in-laws would be on her side)…he would have had egg on his face, so to speak. This way, he can just say Kate and the family approved and don’t worry, they’ll be back next year (a deja vu of the St. Patrick’s Day duties). I don’t think Kate realizes how much power she has on her own yet to influence public opinion and encourage her husband’s attention to duty.

    2. As KMR said in previous post, Kate doesn’t have the balls.

      She uses the press in a different way. This exposure might be her move. She’s done it before.

      1. I wonder if they already had their family skiing trip this year, as KMR suggested might have happened around Harry and Meghan being in Jamaica. Maybe the deal was, if he did one trip with the family, then he could have his “secret” skiing trip with the boys. When it turned into drinking-and-partying with the boys and some attractive women, the Middletons went on the offensive.

        1. That would explain the Daily Mail story, but he was already outed on Twitter and social media before that story came out. And the paps would have had to already be there to get the photos of him skiing and on the slopes.

          I don’t put anything past Carole, but this seems to me like the press were waiting for a while to catch him at play.

          1. That’s why I wonder at the timeline. If the band’s tweet outed his presence, the paps had time to fly red eye to Verbier and catch him on the slopes the next day. The Kate home alone with the kids spin part could still be Middleton-driven.

      2. Herazeus I completely look forward to your wealth of knowledge and look forward to your insight on every post from KMR. I am curious about the whole going without William aspect. Because she had no problem going to Peter Phillips’ wedding without him as his proxy while he instead chose to head to Jecca’s brother’s wedding instead. I mean she had the balls then to go when it didn’t look good for him to be skipping Peter’s wedding for an ex’s family member’s. She must’ve known what people were inferring from that move. What exactly is the difference? To me it seems the same situation here. He is choosing his own jollies over family/duty. Wouldn’t it have been better to send Kate to the service so at she could rep for him again?
        Also, is it every person for themself as far as PR goes? I don’t quite understand the leaks. Kate gets upset by William’s actions so she calls Carole who gives an unflattering story to the press to bring him to heel? I can’t imagine that would contribute to marital harmony. William am is trying to send Kate a message by being papped where he was and who he was with… I don’t get it. Officially do they only have one PR agent?

  18. As others have mentioned, and what I find most interesting, is that beforehand William had to know that he would very likely get photographed because of the location (Verbier), and then when he got there and actually got photographed, he doesn’t look all that bothered about it – I can’t believe that he did not know he was being photographed when he was on the ski lift, and yet there he is looking in the direction of the camera with a smile on his face.

  20. Does it bother anyone else that he missed Commonwealth Day as a future King? It just shows that he does not want to be King in the future.

    1. It’s terrible and a slap in the face to all the people in the Commonwealth nations.
      William is above attending a celebration, apparently. He has little regard for the feelings of others.

      Of course, he’s William, the future King and in his mind, he can do just about anything he wants to do.

  21. I have no problem with my husband leaving for a weekend to go skiing with his friends. I have 2 kids as well. Everyone needs time away. HOWEVER, yes, the timing is not great.

    I’m wondering if Arbiter’s tweet means that the palace negotiated. William allowed himself to be put under the bus this time to save Harry and Megan’s pics. William doesn’t care what the media thinks of him. He knows tides turn once he smiles and works a few days in a row. Perhaps he sacrificed himself this time to take the heat off Harry? Just a thought.

      1. i know not many people agree with me but i think he is. i think he and harry have a solid relationship. maybe i’m projecting but i think they established long ago that no one is going to upset their balance. charles isn’t that close with his siblings – more sarah chatto i think. william and harry seem to have this us against them mentality that works for them.

    3. I doubt it. I think you are giving William much more credit than is deserved. I don’t think any more thinking went into this trip then I want to go skiing with my friends.

      The way the pics have been described it sounds like he kissed his girlfriend on the balcony of his villa and then went to the beach with her and his friends. Two consenting adults in their 30s in a relationship kissing and swimming is not scandalous. If KP is trying to suppress them I think it’s because Harry feels his privacy was invaded, not because there was something scandalous about the pics.

      If William were inclined to do something like that then he would have done it other times when Harry actually did something scandalous – dressing up like a Nazi or the Vegas incident.

      1. An Italian magazine has photos of H in a pool with M on his lap. If that’s as risque as they get, W threw himself on a grenade for nothing.

    4. Interesting thought except historically re opposite is true for William: he happily throws Harry under the bus to take heat off himself.

    5. Hi Jeanne, I don’t have a problem with W going off for a weekend with friends but as I said below it’s all about perception and if Andrew can make it back for the CW service then why couldn’t William?

      1. i totally agree queen lauri. but let’s face it. if the queen wanted him there, he would be there. but you are right. he is a bit tone deaf.

        but what i can’t wrap my head around is that he knew photogs were there. people would have told him if he didn’t notice. so why stay so visible. like someone else stated above. he and kate know how to stay undercover when skiing. so why so out and about? it just seems like something is up.

        1. Exactly, why did he pick such a high profile resort to stay at? He must have known that photographers would be there or at least a tourist with a cell phone. Is this his temper tantrum after being told that he and Kate would be attending the Irish Guard parade on Friday after all?

          1. Because he is an entitled prick. He doesn’t think beyond the moment and his wants. His friends wanted to go, he wanted to go, end of story.

        2. I don’t think that it’s true, that if HM wanted W somewhere, he’d show up. Not all the time, certainly. Not to the opening of Parliment, for instance, not to church last Christmas.

          That said, I’ve read elsewhere that Guy Pelly manages that club. If that’s true, I think it’s one of W better qualities that he helps out his friends with a public night out at their place of business. I’ve certainly bought my fair share of Tupperware and the like in the name of friendship. If that’s the case, the boy’s weekend is fine, the publicity is fine, the taking of a “sick day” is not fine.

          1. HM lets people make their own mistakes. It would be understood that she would prefer that he do his job instead of humiliating the family with his drunken antics. But it is his mistake to make. When he is ready to seek advice, she’s there.

    6. What is the timing on things? Did the band’s tweet out him in Verbier, so the paps headed to Switzerland pronto to catch him skiing the following day? Then it would have nothing to do with Harry.

        1. **has tantrum fit like William** why can’t I see the video from TMZ? I wanna see William dance like a dipsh!t!!

          Sigh…..dang phone won’t let me so I guess I’ll have to watch it when I get home this afternoon.

          1. Bless his heart,This is the most carefree William has been in a long time.I’m not much of dancer myself .I would have been sitting down watching everyone else dance.

    7. William sacrifice himself for someone else? I guess there is a first time for everything. William only ever cares about himself!
      I think William and Harry did have a close relationship once but don’t think it’s that close anymore. Whether that’s due to Kate, William isolating his family off from everyone or Harry realizing what a tool his brother his, I can’t tell.
      When you get just the two of them it seems like it’s there but Harry is pretty jovial with most peeps.

  22. You guys…you are being so hard on Normal Bill. Normal, regular folks absolutely go off to ski in a luxury resort (where a night’s stay is probably a month’s wage), leaving their wife and kids behind to party it up with their boys and a bunch of hot model/groupie types. While also not showing up for work. Normal people totally do this, so we should go easy on this man-child!

  23. This episode makes me think a lot of different things….first off, this only confirms for me that William is that lethal combination of being arrogant and stupid. Of all weekends why did he choose this one to go away with his friends and like everyone else here is saying why Verbier, it is a very high profile place. The only reason they may have chosen Verbier could have been a free stay at Fergie and Andy’s place, which also annoys me since I am sure this group of man-boys could well afford the most luxurious accommodations that Verbier could offer.
    I was willing to cut just a teeny bit of slack for William and his friends ‘running into’ those young women on the slopes and having lunch, but if they really did meet up later for drinks and dancing, then that is not right. Kind of makes the whole weekend look a bit too planned.
    What also stood out to me in these pictures was how relaxed William looked without Kate, which leads me to believe that there is trouble in paradise. Maybe Kate was glad to get rid of him for the weekend, because then she only had to deal with 2 toddlers instead of 3. Whatever the situation, I feel bad for Kate because I think this is humiliating since this was all so public, but since she waited 10 years for him then I am sure she will weather this as well, she is not going to give up the prize.

    William has turned out to be a major disappointment, he reminds me of those obnoxious trust fund children, who are arrogant, entitled, totally self-absorbed, allergic to any type of work and have no empathy for other people. I just cannot find anything likeable about him.

  24. The weirdest thing that stood out to me is that William actually looks happy in the pictures.He didn’t give he usual gritted teeth smile &didn’t seem press paranoid like usual when on vacation.I dont think kate will care about him chatting to some blondes.Kate has her precious sapphire, heir&spare.I don’t know why but this reminds me of William during 2007 when he didn’t care how the press perceived his and Kate relationship when he was partying with his friend and other girls .I’m quite shocked they didn’t publish the H&M photos cause normally they would throw harry under a bus to protect William.It could be that they wanna stick it to William to try to reel him in .

    2. Glad to know that I’m not the only one who thought William looked happy and relaxed in these photos, much happier than at any engagement I’ve seen him at.

      1. I thought so too and that says a lot about his relationship with kate. Also the few times she does things without him, she seems more relaxed too. Not really a great sign.

  25. I thought he quit his “job” to focus on his royal duties? He “attended the event for the last two years and look forward to doing so often in the future”?! Cool, I’ll just tell my boss – when I skip work tomorrow – “I attended work on Monday and Tuesday and look forward to doing so often in the future.” Cool beans, right?

    3. haha! And don’t even send that to your boss. Issue it as a general press release along with a tweet of you in a bikini, sipping a margarita. You know. Like Royalty 😉

  26. I obviously have no valid proof of anything I’m about to say but it seems like they are in a second stage of their marriage. There’s no more high of being married, new babies, etc. it just the daily grind of being married. I don’t expect them to get divorced unless the circumstances are extreme but I think the average is 8 years; they’ll be having their 6 year anniversary this April after dating for almost 10 years. That’s a long time; I expect a lot more weekend trips away from each other.

    1. I’ve already had my 32nd anniversary after dating for 6 years so I’ve been with my husband a pretty long time. The excitement of being newly weds, buying our first home (with our own earned money, not family money so quite unlike William and Kate), having the children – yes those wonderful years are in the past. But in a strong marriage the love endures. We love each other, we take care of each other, we are good partners and we enjoy being together. Yes we have on occasion traveled separately. But when doing so we don’t meet up with models of the opposite sex in bars to party until the wee hours! I know the very wealthy and the titled have different expectations and norms. But I find it sad to show public disrespect for your marriage vows and sadder if they don’t feel that love and partnership that happy couples feel even after decades of marriage.

  27. Rumour has it that Jason(or someone else at KP) wanted to pull a “busy co-pilot” story but were derailed by the publishing of these pics. Also, I think his timing is fabulous considering the econo-political situation in the UK. British eyes are trained on a different palace so less attention on him.

  28. I wonder if Kate even cares, she’s probably at home showing Mummy all the pretty clothes and jewelry Charles bought her for their Paris trip.

    On a side note, when was the last time we saw or heard of W&K doing something together that wasn’t work related? I get that they are used to spending time apart before they were married due to his military service and such but I can’t shake the feeling that they don’t often do fun stuff together, at least not without her family or his friends coming along. Now my husband works far away from home and when he is home he does have friends that he does things with but we do make it a priority to spend time alone together having fun but I don’t get the feeling that W&K do.

    Lastly, William, William, William you really must learn that royalty like politics is all about perception. And right now the perception that people have of you is that you can’t be counted on to attend to your duties and responsibilities, attending an event two years in a row does not give you a free pass to skip it in year three simply to go on a boozy ski trip with your buddies. And really how is this situation playing into Kate’s narrative that parents must be constantly present (no working allowed) in order for their children to grow up mentally well balanced?

  29. My goodness. The gloves are most assuredly OFF. Good for the press. About bloody time.

    That said, I wonder if Herazeus is on to something (as usual!): was this exposure the work of Kate and/or Carole? Perhaps they want to rein William in, or at least send a message.

    1. If Carole is exposing W’s trip, then I think she is over playing her hand. Her disrespectful treatment of Charles by publicising her complete control of the Cambs was shocking. But Charles doesn’t want to upset W. However, W will bristle at Carole’s control at some point and it will not end well for Carole, who is seriously deluded about her power in this whole monarchy thing.

      1. It’s a worm in my head TP76.

        It has all the hallmarks of previous Carole hallmarks.

        Espevially the insistence that Kate is at home alone with the kids repeated ad nauseum in the article.

        1. Carole wouldn’t be behind the band’s tweet though. Maybe she responded to the opportunity it provided, but even then I think social media gave the paps something to work with without her involvement.
          And she wouldn’t have any access to TMZ, which posted that video of him dancing.

          1. Maybe it was one of the girls there who video taped it and sold it to an American outlet/media site and TMZ jumped on it? **shrugs shoulders**

          2. The Kate home alone with the kids spin could still be coming from the Middletons though. Ditto Mustique, hunting with Jecca, stories of their daughter’s first Easter without daughter. The press may get the basic facts, but there’s room for the Middletons to put their spin on it.

    2. I wonder if they got a surprise of William looking chummy with the girls then? Did she think they were just exposing William off with his guy friends then backfired with the girls?

      1. Yeah, if Carole is involved it’s possible she didn’t know models were involved. Not good given that it begs comparing how pleased W is to be with the models vs KM.

      2. Yes.

        It’s similar to the first time Kate was pregnant and William was off with his guy friends. It was strongly rumoured around that time that he wasn’t much at home and or was sighted anywhere except home.

        Kate forced a public announcement of her condition – she drove for 2hrs, past 2 hospitals, walked herself into the London hospital, pap on hand to take the picture though it wadn’t published, and admitted herself.

        William rushed from wherever he was to join her at the hospital.

        The story that weekend kept shifting until it calcified into a PR friendly version ie she was taken ill at home, he drove her to hospital, but the other story was already out.

        The second time she did this was getting papped on a solo mustique holiday with their 6mths old baby meanwhile he was on holiday with his friends in spain. To add salt to his wound, the Middleton pap captioned the solo female in the group of Willuam’s friends as William’s Camilla.

        On their respective returns to Britain, they immediately booked a 10 day couples only – no George vacation in the Maldives.

        1. +1. I put her tagging along to NYC while pregnant (Wm off solo to DC for a Jecca charity meeting during the same visit) and the stories about their daughter’s first Easter vs. Jecca’s wedding on the list too.

        2. Herazeus, your insight into Kate’s first pregnancy and early announcement raises a question for me. I remember a reporter asking Harry about it, and he responded with something to the effect of “It’s really unfair that they had to reveal the news so early,” (paraphrasing). Essentially, blaming the media storm for the fact that William and Kate had to share their news with the world instead of keeping it private for a bit.

          But if Kate forced an early announcement by admitting herself to the hospital in order to get William’s attention and force him to be with her, wouldn’t Wiliam have interpreted this tactic as such? And then have told Harry how conniving his wife had been, to jolt him out of his happy bachelor pad.

          So, would this mean that Harry was covering for William and Kate – that he knew this was Kate’s doing to begin with, and was merely in keeping with the line from the Palace? Or is it possible that Harry is blissfully unaware of the tricks his brother and SIL play on one another?

          1. It may be that all he had to go on was William ranting about the press being aware that she was in hospital. He may not be smart enough to know the Middletons had Tanna at the ready.

        3. Herazeus, do you know why the photo of her going into the hospital was never published? Because of William or did Kate change her mind and later ask for it to be buried?

  30. To me, W’s skiing trip with pals isn’t really disappointing. He and KM are a couple who always does what each one wants over duty, country, and the RF. KM ditched the lie of being a military wife soon after the wedding and moved to London to shop with her new credit card courtesy of Charles. She and W ditched baby G to vacation in the Maldives. She overstayed her welcome at the 1851 Trust in undisguised ecstacy while getting much needed attention from Ben Ainslie. She seemed unconcerned that her enthusiasm looked unprofessional KM insists Carole lives at Anmer to manage the Camb’s marriage and children. She is unconcerned that the taxpayer is now supporting Carole.

    In turn, W disappears for months after G’s birth. W goes to weddings and hunting trips eschewing family and duty because his friends are more fun. W decides to spend Christmas with the Meddltons rather than honor tradition with the Queen. Viewing the Christmas videos of their church walk, W is irritated and barking orders at Carole while never trying to appear like a united couple with KM, who appears exasperated. This is a couple who finds it difficult to appear happy together even in their rare public appearances.

    I agree W looks uncharacteristically happy and relaxed on this ski trip. Probably imagines the models fancy him. Compare these photos with last year’s forced, cringe worthy photos of KM childishly dusting W with snow as a faux display of wifely teasing and fun.

    Like all W’s endeavors, he’s bored and ready to move on. I’m not saying he’s going to leave the marriage, but it’s all so tiresome. Being W, he’s entitled to do what ever he wants.

    1. That’s why I didn’t think KP was trying to suppress the images being used by ET. Trying to suppress images in the foreign press is like playing whack-a-mole.

      Also unless there are naked pics inside that magazine, they are hardly steamy or scandalous pics. They depict two adults on vacation acting pretty normally, which makes me further doubt publication of William’s pics had anything to do with Harry or these pics.

    1. OMG!!!! I love that they are dancing to ‘I got 5 on it’ but he desperately needs some new dance moves. Raise the roof is old as hell.

    3. He has no rhythm. This kind of makes me feel bad for him because I too am horrible at dancing and have no rhythm and shudder to think about a video of me dancing ending up on TMZ.

        2. There is something pitiful about the guy, isn’t there? He is so lacking in grace and coolness, as hard as he tries.

          Not that I really pity the fool.

    4. That is so embarrassing I couldn’t finish the video! I now feel a little better about rarely going to clubs in my life because that party looked totally lame. My kid’s 5th birthday party was more fun. We rented an ice rink and skated with her friends to her favorite music: Bruno Mars, Justin Timberlake and Maroon 5.

    6. This video may prove one thing. It is unlikely William cheated on Kate this weekend, because what woman would respond positively to those moves?

      3. His title and status make him the best dancer in that room.also the most handsome, the funniest, with the bedt personality.

        2. I get more of a “middle-aged-guy-who-still-think-he’s-the-sh!t-and-can-screw-any-girl-he-wants” vibe from him. Ugh and ewwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!!!! **inserts grossed out face emoji**

    7. I can’t tell if I should say props for the guy that has no rhythm getting out and dancing orrrrr
      Does his self aggrandizement extend to dancing? Does he think he’s a great dancer because no one has told him otherwise

          1. I know…..I feel bad but it’s going to be utterly fascinating with either acting of BAFTA proportions or Charles & Diana do South Korea. I’m not sure which will be worse but I’ll be tuning in.

          2. It’ll be a mess, I’m sure. Probably lots of grinning from Kate to prove nothing is wrong, look how in love I am! when William ignores her or shoves her to go as usual.

          6. As much as I criticise Kate, Kate does not deserve this. It is humiliating. William blatantly touching another woman. It reminds me of 2007 and having children in the mix as well hurts more than just Kate this time.

          7. Oh, she will defer to him, as always. Kate has no backbone and is just enduring what so many women in the past endured. Times change, Kate. Get a life!

  33. My college girlfriends and I get together once a yr sans husband and kids for those hat have them. So I wouldn’t have a problem if this was just an occasional guys weekend but it wasn’t.
    This seems to be a trend for him
    He missed an important work event to go skiing and hang with his buddies that he could do any of the other 300 days off he has.
    If it was just the skiing and the girls met them on the slopes would be one thing but then to meet up after the club? I believe most of those guys are married so that’s just a big no, it would be different if you were the only married one in the group and the wanted to go clubbing. And clearly enjoying himself
    We get that Kate has 0 friends to go have a girls weekend offer own but this just emphasizes it even more
    I think Kate tries to emulate her late MIL in some instances so I’m surprised she hasn’t done the equivalent of Diana and the Taj Mahal sans Charles and start the sympathy go her way.
    But neither have a work ethic so she probably thought of William isn’t there she doesn’t have to be there.
    I’m sure this means will get new pics of the kids or “candid shots” of the whole family out and about

      1. Yes…..use their children as a bait and switch device to take the heat off Peter-Pan.

        I also agree with those who think as future Queen Consort, Kate should have represented Prince Dinkweed at Commonwealth Day. Not only would it have been the right thing to do, but it would have sent the message that as a woman in this marriage she is an equal. Although that would have been a stretch for Kate and her PR team as they are as dumb as a bag of hammers.

        1. I think that assumes that the Queen would have been okay with the statement that would have made about Wills. I’m not sure if Kate a) wouldn’t have wanted to attend alone, b)didn’t have the nerve to, or c) wasn’t allowed to… but I tend to think it is either a or b (plus c either way)… I doubt the RF wants to start marital issues in the news again with that. I also have some sympathy for her here, even if she should have known what William was like, because now there are 2 kids involved. Even if she’s furious, a marriage with two young children is worth saving.

    2. Aww, The Wildrose was one of the commenters. I’ve missed her comments here. She has a flair for the dramatic. I recognized her prose immediately.

  35. He went clubbing when they broke up before. Is this a sign. This is Carol hand prints all over it. The video is toooo funny:)

    1. I almost wrote that William’s dancing video reminded me of photos of him parting during the 2007 breakup. Glad someone else thought that too.

  37. William’s dancing is just too funny, although I also can’t really dance for my life in clubs despite 10 years of ballet (but that was a whole different style though).

    But: SERIOUSLY, WILLIAM? You left your wife and your 2 little children at home to go partying with your silly guy friends and some models? If I were Kate, I’d be furious and also really disappointed, sad and embarrassed if photos of my husband partying with some blonde bombshell while I was probably staying at home or with my family, changing diapers and watching Sesame Street for the millionth time surfaced!
    I also think I once read somewhere that Guy Pelly was kinda pushing William into the breakup with Kate or at least Kate thought so and disliked him as guy pelly us a real womanizer and party animal. No idea how accurate this is but it seems fitting.
    Is von straubenzee the father of the little Flower girl at the wedding of William and Kate? Or is he the girl’s uncle?

    To be honest, I feel sorry for Kate. William seems to leave her alone quite often to party with his friends (and usually pretty girls are also involved). He went partying with his friends for a whole weekend only weeks after George was born and left Kate alone with the newborn. And he missed Charlotte ‘s first easter!!

    He has a beautiful loving wife who gifted him 2 children, what else does he want? The part about him and that blonde bikini model really bothers me…

    Sorry about my rant, but this is just too much. I so hope that William is faithful to Kate and the loving and caring husband and father she hoped for when she said yes. But the partying with his womanizer freinds and the … questionable Girls has to stop! Poor Kate.

    1. Of the two, i would take Guy Pelly over Von Strawberry any day. Von Strawberry is sleazy as hell. Guy had the middleton girls’ number from day one – Pippa briefly dated him and broke up with him because he wasn’t wealthy enough for her.

      Guy was actually nice to Kate during her media tour 2007 when he had no reason to be, and she was using him to get to William.

      The friend whose daughter was in the wedding is Hugh Van Cutsem. Not in these photos and not someone known to go clubbing with William.

      1. I would love to know the reasons behind von Strawbs quickie divorce, other than the fact his wife probably realized she married an infantile dweeb.

        2. “unreasonable behavior” on his part is on the paperwork, but then his people leaked the idea that he took the fall for HER “hedonistic” behavior

          1. I wonder if that was his posse just trying to make Missy look bad. For whatever reason, I wouldn’t put it past these guys.

      2. Just curious, why do you find him creepy? Aside from his wedding and subsequent divorce from Missy Percy I don’t know much else about him.

          1. Yup, that’s the guy. Sucks because she looked so happy on their wedding day, totally rocked that tiara, and looked absolutely love in her gown.

      3. Yup, I remember the stories of Guy being nice to Kate during the break up of 2007. He’s got that oddly eternal baby-face that I’m sure William is jealous of haha!

        I don’t know the background about Van Strawwhatever so if someone could fill me in, that would be awesome! 🙂

      4. Didn’t van Straubenzee tell William Kate was discreet and wouldn’t talk, when they started hooking up? So gross.

        1. So did van Straubenzee date Kate first?How would he know she would be discreet? I never knew that he said that to William until now.

          1. Rumor has it he slept with her first.

            I don’t know how true it is. He bought Kate as a slave at an auction at St Andrews, to do things for him, and rumor has it, to sleep with him. He was dating another girl at the time; I remember hearing about this elsewhere not just gossipy-stuff, but who knows, it’s all rumor.

            Knowing how William is none of it would surprise me. He does what he wants. And all the stories of him at university and after, treating Kate badly and mocking her…

      5. It’s humiliating for Kate, but I can’t help but think, “Oh, she enables him.” Just like how her dad stood by and let Carole take over and mold Kate’s future.

        I am disgusted by such behavior on William’s part, but what can one expect from a man who thinks he is owed everything in his life? Oh, he claims he is a modern Royal, but only in the ways that suit him. He’s just like centuries of Royal men –and others – before him, who believe they can cheat on their wives whenever they please. And, the women just turn a blind eye to the antics.

        It’s disgraceful that he missed such an important day in the UK. Even, Andrew went home! William just doesn’t think he has to do anything in life, except the things he wants. I doubt he will ever grow up. Such a loser!

        He is a poor example for his son and little Charlotte won’t be getting good messages from her dad — or her mum, either.

        It really is a waste that William has such a role in the Royal Family.

    2. The man in these photos is Tom Van Straubenzee. He is one of Charlotte’s godfathers. The father of the little girl in his wedding was a Van Custem. Different families.

  38. I finally saw the dancing video and O.M.G. WOW!! Dude can’t dance for sh!t! No rhythm AT ALL!! He’s not even dancing just swaying with the music. That’s considered dancing nowadays? Damn…..

    Even as an itty, bitty sickly little thing back in the day I had rhythm and knew how to keep to the beat of the music!

    1. Lol.

      I’m feeling charitable towards his dancing in this video because he has been shown worse. THIS is good showing by his standards.

  39. I honestly don’t think the dancing is that bad… I mean he is on the beat… 90’s beat and moves but he is on it… like your dad at a wedding kind of moves. I have seen worst from Harry … Since I am a dance, I have decided I am an expert of good and bad dancing lol

    1. You’re right, I’ve seen worse. But the video of two vapid women preening for the camera thinking they are the focus, while W is in the background flailing his arms above his head in a poser club is too ridiculous. It gives you a picture of the life W and KM lived pre-marriage. And apparently one that W still hankers for, even though he should be preparing for his soft diplomacy gig. It’s just another example of W running from his life.

      3. I don’t think the women are preening for the camera. I think they are being used as a decoy for the filming and are in on it. If the person had just filmed William outright his RPO’s might have come over and said something to him. They approach people all the time when they notice that photos/videos are being taken. Where as with the girls, it looks like he is filming them, but in reality he is filming William in the background. The filmmaker is trying to be sneaky is all.

  40. I honestly is anyone surprised by bill’s actions? I have no sympathy for Kate. she did not leave him years ago because she wanted to be a taken care of princess. Waity knew what kind of a person he was.

    1. We don’t know why Kate stayed with him? Maybe because she loved (and still loves) him? Because she loved him despite his flaws and naïvely thought she could change him? She seemed a bit blue eyed pre marriage…

      2. I think when you are dating in your 20’s it’s hard to decide what is youthful poor decision-making and what is core character. Now that William is 35 it’s clear this is who he is but now they already have 2 kids and have to muscle through it. A lot of people go through this; marrying someone in hopes that they’ll evolve. I think Prince Frederik of Denmark is a good example; I still think he has a lot to work on but he’s certainly improved since his marriage to Mary Donaldson. I just don’t feel like K & W aren’t bettering each other which is kind of sad.

        1. Totally agree with this. Sure you shouldn’t marry someone hoping he’ll change/mature/grow up…. but people do it all the time. Now with the kids, she can’t just change her mind.

          1. I disagree with the notion that because there are kids people should stay in a bad relationship. That should be more motivation to get out. It teaches the kids that sort of behavior is acceptable thus repeating the cycle.
            I don’t think divorce should be taken lightly but Kate wouldn’t have the financial hardships that keep many people staying together.
            Everyone has to make their own limits up of what they’re willing to put up/live with but staying together because they have kids shouldn’t be one of them

          2. With children it makes it more difficult to decide to move on or not. You’re now making decisions for 3 people, not 1. From the outside looking in I don’t think divorce with 2 kids 3 and under is worth the hassle right now. Again, for their predicament, divorce is for extreme circumstances. Catherine is in it for the long haul and definitely isn’t rocking the boat while QEII is still reigning.

          3. Staying in a bitter, unhappy marriage is not better than staying together for the kids. They’ll only end up resenting you for it in the end. Look at Joachim and Alex of Denmark, who divorced when their second son was very young. Their kids are well and thriving, because they co-parent well.

  41. I don’t see anything wrong with William clubbing or spending the weekend away from his family. What bothers me is how he’s always using his children as props for not working more, but clearly he has no problem in leaving them behind when it suits him. George and Charlotte are the only ones I pity here.

    1. I don’t envy George and Charlotte their parents, or extended family for that matter. Unless G+C are complete opposites in their intrinsic character makeup to their parents, they are destined to replicate their attitudes and habits. Hopefully there will some wonderful external influences on them.

      Both William and Kate use the children as PR props (eg dragging them to Canada for photo ops) and excuses not to work (too many to mention). It will come back to haunt them when the children are old enough to work it out and call both parents on their tactics.

      William and Kate are, fundamentally, idle for 10 months of the year. At least William could show a bit of judgement in choice of venue so as to avoid press as well as making sure he attends touchstone events. That he is allowed to do as he pleases says everything about the Queen’s poor judgement too.

  43. Funny enough Kate now has two more engagements scheduled, one on the 23rd and one on the 28th. Plus, William will be accompanying Charles and Harry to an engagement next month. Weird how that works 🙂

    1. I call this damage control.
      This incident is not going to fade away quickly, it did not look good for William to be partying in Switzerland with 2 women while his wife was home, but adding in the fact that it was Commonwealth Day really has blown the lid off on what kind of person he is. KP can make justifications that not every single senior royal attends this event regularly, but the damage is done.

      1. You would think the queen, Charles etc. would have been adamant that William had to be at the Commonwealth service since they want future monarchs to continue heading the Commonwealth organisation. Way to hand your opposition more ammunition.

        1. You would think he’d be expected to attend any Commonwealth Day celebration, but then, again, William gets away with everything . He’s the poor wounded son of the late Diana. Harry may have moved on and acted more adult in many ways, but William? Oh, please, he can’t be expected to do anything that he doesn’t want to do.

        1. You know I thought at the time surely this has to be a coincidence and not a knee jerk reaction. I mean just how stupid do they thing we are?

  44. The video shows William is having a good time but the party looks very boring. William looks like the only one on the dance floor, his friends to the side. The girls in the foreground look bored out of their minds. To me, this club looks like it was a place to get drinks and that’s about it. No one is having lively conversations, no one is smiling, no one is really interacting. Dancing with friends can be fun, even if you’re not a good dancer. But, it doesn’t look like a fun place.

    The skiing and lunch look like a far better holiday.

    I doubt many care if Will has outings with his friends. But, the timing was terrible. There are only a few events a year where duty is required – he could go somewhere to hang out with friends any other day of the year. And, as I mentioned in a post above, the location was begging for press attention.

  45. Having watched this story break last night 24 hours on I’m feeling rather sad about it all.

    I know William is an arse, I know Kate is anally retentive, control freak but they are my future King & Queen and both appear to be miserable. The only thing that gave me any pleasure out of this f*ck up was seeing William’s uninhibited Dad dancing because apart from the very occasional photo with his children it’s the only time I’ve seen him look even remotely happy in as long as I can remember.

    I don’t want them to be unhappy. I don’t want to live through another War of the Wales. I want them to love their country, their people and feel it’s an honour to serve. Sadly all the cynicism, resentment and arrogance that exudes out of William’s every pore demonstrates a deeply unhappy man and that pehaps explains so much of his behaviour.

    Not excusable but understandable. Something has got to change before his anger and bitterness eats away at him.

    1. Would you ever know who you are if everyone around you, from birth onward, only flatters you and in doing so, enables you to live in a fog of delusion? A degree not really earned, RAF wings ditto and so on? What are the things you really know about yourself for sure – abilities, resilience, what/whom you’d walk through hell for?

      I agree that William looked truly relaxed and happy on this holiday; he looked blissed-out while Dad dancing. No-one can see inside someone’s marriage but both William and Kate had a good decade to sort out whether each was right for the other. If they were swayed by other reasons (familiarity, other women said no – him; years of pursuit for status/wealth – her), then they must live with the consequences. Unfortunately, neither brings out the best in each other but rather confirms and enables regressive traits. These are, in turn, enabled by others to keep the Cambridge ship afloat.

      I’d wager that William checks out as a husband/father regularly whenever he can’t handle it. I’d bet Kate knows and accepts that. She’s not alone with kids – there’s ample help, plus parents. I too think William is a troubled soul, but also hopelessly arrogant. Whether he makes it to the top job looks doubtful if, at 34 and with things constantly smoothed over to make him happy, he is still miserable.

      1. Don’t get me wrong Jen……his behaviour is just awful for the most part and I don’t like him but just for a moment today I felt something for him I’d never really felt before…..sympathy.

          1. I don’t think William would find it easy to be the butt of everyone’s jokes. Self deprecation is not in his makeup. He takes himself far too seriously for that. Having half the world thinking he’s a dork, taking the piss out of his balding hairline, loss of looks etc… has got to hurt.

          2. How’s dancing at a club a private moment? Dancing in your house-yes club that is open to the public-fair game for ridicule/comment.
            I would put it up there’s with Elaine from Seinfeld’s “dancing” =)

          3. Though it’s okay for him to make everyone the butt of his jokes? I’m sorry but when you “make jabs” at your brother for having a learning disability and making the decision to forgo university to instead pursue a military career, that’s just being a dick, IMO. There is a line that shouldn’t be crossed among siblings, certain topics that are off-limits and would justify that sibling to kick the sh!t out of you!

            Example: I have two sisters and we tease and joke all the time. My first sister has struggled with her weight her entire life. Growing up, I was the polar opposite (the skinny one and, at one point, even teased in school over it) though that’s changed with transplant. Now, would it be considered “funny” if I poked fun at my 33 year old sister over her size? No! In fact, I’d look like an a-hole to her and the family! Or how about my youngest sister, who recently came out as gay? Now, that would make things awkward-as-*bleep* for her and our relationship/interactions!

            Let’s flip it: would it be cool if either sister made jokes about the crap deck of cards I’ve been given and my poor health? Not in a million years. They’d get the most severe tongue lashing ever!!

            I just can’t cut William any slack for being the butt of jokes when he has made cruel comments to/about members of his own family over the years.

        2. Oh, Mrs BBV, I understand your point of view completely. The empathy will pass when he goes back to normal.

          I’d say W+K are kept very cocooned from the reality of public opinion but made aware when there is real aggro eg Irish Guards 2016, BAFTAs… well, the list is growing. How critique is presented to them is another matter… probably draped in cotton wool with glitter and rainbows.

          1. I wish Jason would just drop a pile of the newspapers onto his desk and say how do you want me to manage this YRH? But you’re right they will be cocooned from it all and it does them no favours. And I know the next time he’s mean to someone in public or tries to act cool by boasting he’s not read his briefing notes I will be incandescent but for a brief glimmer today I just felt a little sad about the media onslaught and by how much hatred for him there actually is. And how these courtiers have done him a total disservice by keeping the weight of popular opinion from him.

            What a mess. Xx

          2. @Jen lol

            Sorry Mrs BBV, I understand your compassion even if I don’t feel especially kindly towards W. He does seem to be in a self destructive spiral, which in and of itself is sad.

      3. William knows who he is- a Prince. He said so himself. He just doesn’t understand why a Prince has to be accountable. Hence, he is miserable (a misery of his own making).

        Willy would walk through hell for one person- himself. He is already, in his perception, in Hell. It’s a bit like battling windmills. There’s something to be said for living a grand illusion, but even that he manages to botch. He has good role models but sees nothing.

    2. Are there any republican newspapers that cover the BRF a little more honestly, rather than just printing their PR statements? The few articles I’ve read are sooo subtly snarky that you can almost overlook it. Will the media ever call them out?

      1. Well The Sun has gone with ‘Throne Idle’ as it’s headline tomorrow so he’s getting a pretty good pasting from all quarters.

          2. It’s a brutal but fair piece. William simply has got to grow up and start taking advice from those paid to advise him. Surrounding himself with ‘Yes’ men is was exactly what PoW did before Bolland when his popularity was at an all time low. For all his faults Bolland sanitised PoW reputation.

          3. I don’t find that article brutal at all; it’s rather tepid with gentle admonishments. What I find curious is that William and his ‘scallywag’ ‘chums’ are written about as if they are young and in their early 20’s as opposed to approaching middle-age. By 35, surely the die is cast when it comes to character?

            I wish the republican papers would do some thorough investigation of the royals instead of treating them dismissively, as Herazeus has indicated, below. At the very least, they should actively dispel myths being spun by BRF PR about true ownership of state resources such as Duchies and call out the deliberate obfuscation of these facts on royal websites. That is, look at them through the lens of investigative journalism because there’s rich pickings there, not just gossipy fluff.

          4. Jen, the reason I find it rather brutal is that it’s the first time I can recall anyone questioning William’s ability to be King. Of course William believes it’s his God given right (even though his religious leanings seem a bit suspect. Easter 2016 anyone?) It’s one thing sneering at his work ethic but questioning his ability to do the one thing he’s been born to do, this is new territory. Long over due I might add but I do think this is a change in tone. The pussyfooting around his ego seems to have moved up a gear.

          5. What I found brutal about it is that it’s coming from the dm, which does passive aggressive but never really ever comes out and calls it like it is. This is actually a pretty honest article for them.
            I agree about the investigative journalism especially regarding royals and finances. One of the positive things that has co e out of the trump presidency is the rise in investigative journalism. I can’t wait for the next ny times/wash post article to come out! Yes, I’m a nerd =)

          6. Continuing with the theme of republican papers vs royalist papers reporting, it seems that the royalists have drafted in republican reporters or political public policy reporters to do their hit pieces on William.

            The usual cadre of royal reporters have written their articles on this in the usual way that admonishes William, but it feels like same old whingeying.

            The Political/ republican reporters have really gone in.

            Eg the DM has used Steven Glover. A politics and public policy reporter who is better known for going in hard on those issues and has never written an article about royals before. Ever.

            The sun drafted in Damian Thompson. A reporter from the Spectator who also usually covers politics and public policy and his article goes even further than anything we’ve read before.

            It covers so many points that take in rudeness to professionals trying to work with William on his initiatives, rudeness to his own staff, grandness and hauteur from William AND Kate, dimwitteness of William, apparently they left India unpopular with India than when they arrived, absolute insistence on deference from those around him, and general bad temper.

            In his view William has just turned into a horrible humanbeing.

            https://mobile.twitter.com/byEmilyAndrews/status/842356361442795520/photo/1

            The Times drafted in Penny Junor who is trying desperately to hold the syconphatic line and failing badly

            https://mobile.twitter.com/byEmilyAndrews/status/842356361442795520/photo/2

            ….but the paper also couldn’t resist mocking him

            https://mobile.twitter.com/byEmilyAndrews/status/842293676172840960/photo/4

            Meanwhile, the Middletons send out Katie Nicholls to do damage control by emphasising that Kate isn’t a doormat.

            http://www.vanityfair.com/style/2017/03/kate-middleton-prince-william-ski-trip

            Quotes from this article are duly making the rounds in all favourable publications in America, so the line going forward is that William is an idiot who allowed himself to be captured letting off steam.

          7. Herazeus, thanks for that overview.

            It is interesting and most welcome that two reporters not tied to a particular royal wrote more critical pieces. We can dismiss Penny Junor and Katie Nicholls as being mouthpieces for their royal sources. Junor isolates this latest incident as a young lad’s misjudgement as well as, disgustingly, playing the Diana card. Again. The thing is, William is no longer a young man, and Junor-type cotton-wall journalism contributes to enabling a spoiled man to continue behaving badly.

            Whereas, this incident, or royalty in general, can be viewed in a wider context which the political/ public policy reporters certainly provide. I still think they could go in harder. For example, tying in the latest funding increase of the Sovereign Grant that slipped through quietly in 13 minutes and asking searching questions about what the public has gotten for its money in the 13 days William has worked this year. And opening up wider questions still about transparency of funds administered by the Queen. I would think for a couple of investigative reporters it would be a consummate project, effectively opening up debate about the future of monarchy: whether the need exists, and if so, optimum cost and type/number of duties. Charles and other Windsor’s may have ideas about sing the monarchy, but where is the public voice, the one that pays for it, in that debate?

            Junor makes an argument that William has endured hideous scrutiny, that his life is not his own. So a solution would be to limit engagements linked to political structures only. Any charitable work could be personal and private, as it is for every other citizen. I think it might have been you, Hera, who mentioned that the charitable work was introduced relatively recently and in response to the need to demonstrate royalty’s relevance ie it was its own preservation. Downsizing payments considerably to a per diem or honorarium for a finite number of events per year could possibly provide the Windsor’s the freedom they crave as well as time to pursue real careers or whatever their personal circumstances dictate.

            However, I think the Windsor’s would scream bloody murder if the money dried up. They have become too dependent on the public purse, their invented status preventing their full participation in life. They are little more than extravagantly kept human pets on display, a cruelty in itself.

          8. Jen: The royal reporters retweeted the critical pieces and that’s as far as they are willing to go.

            It’s amazing that Emily Andrews is the only royal reporter willing to step out of the pack to write critical pieces on William however rare that might be, BUT she has the support of her proprietor, Murdoch, who is anti-establishment Establishment. An oxymoron in itself, but we’ll take it.

          9. Well, if history is a guide, whatever Murdoch wants, Murdoch gets. However, I still think there’s rich pickings for investigative reporters to work on finances, etc re. monarchy because it’s anything but transparent, meaning there’s muck if you look hard enough. Nothing to do with the royal beat of who turned up where and when, pure investigative work.

      2. Sadly no.

        The republican papers are always snarky about the royals and rarely cover them in a straightforward manner. Where they resist the snark, they will present the facts with little editorial comment, but that is a very rare occurrence.

        All the royalist papers play the games you see in the DM. Their default position is praise and sycophancy, but they are not above running negative stories about the royals. They balance those out with positive royal stories.

        Since the royalist papers have the highest circulation, it means nearly entire population is fed a nearly daily diet of royal stories.

        1. So true……James Whittaker used to boast that they’d run a few negative Diana stories to get her all wound up. She would then come to heel by co operating more with the press during an engagement. Then they would write a flattering piece. It’s just a big game really where only press and Royals know the unwritten rules.

    3. +1 Mrs BBV

      I felt the same way. Their lives just seem so sad/pathetic. Something needs to change and maybe it’s time for both of them to accept that maybe they’re happier not living off the public dime and being the private citizens they want to be.

      …..not like they’d ever step away from the money

  47. The BRF need to have a good look at themselves and their succession planning. I don’t think adding a couple of dates and events to the calendar every time they have some bad press is going to cut it much longer. The low crowds attest to that. William and Kate need to be authentic and sincere in their dealings with the public, not show up, look disinterested/insincerely insanely delighted for 30 minutes and scamper back to their real lives. This is their life.

    1. All I get from this is that William will do whatever he wants, like he has his whole life and he doesn’t care about public opinion, family opinion? He is Teflon to any opinion- good or bad. What is new here?

  48. All I’ll say is that William is an idiot. There’s no other explanation for his going on a “lad’s holiday” at a time when every other senior royal was front and center for Commonwealth Day.

  49. I wondered if Will did this because, in part, he’s not the center of attention right now back at the Fortress of Solitude with so much Middleton attention on Pippa’s upcoming wedding. He’s been catered to and petulantly dictated; suddenly he’s not the priority right now which wouldn’t sit well. Good way to make a play on Kate’s insecurities along with snapping Carole back by flashing drinking with models pics.

  51. Have you guys seen the new pics in DM of William putting his arm around the waist of some mystery lady and leaning in close to talk to her in the club? It is the topmost article right now. Wonder what else the newspapers know which they haven’t published yet? Now DM is trying to identify that mystery lady; but I feel sorry for her as her life will be splashed on the media, things will be said about her and etc. Especially as she looks like she is trying to move Will’s arm away from her waist. I’m a married woman and I would be furious if my hubby was talking to another woman this intimately.

    1. It’s horrible that he’s behaved like this. That new section underground at KP might be a dungeon for him. It’s deserved.

  52. I wonder how William and Kate talk with each other after this trip. She is clearly not neutral about this. I don’t know either if she confronts him. But if she doesn’t, he will not have any respect at all. Look at it, if William really is such a douche(I hope he is not) and is aware that his wife will do anything to stay in this marriage, he can do what he wants. It’s absolutley horrible.

    1. I’m sure W+K know each other very well after 15 years or so. From actions and statements, William appears to need time away from responsibilities or his life and just exits for days, or more. Everyone has a ‘hands off’ attitude to him and that would most definitely include Kate. I think he is a douche but also a very troubled douche. He’s not going to change, no matter how his family placates him and his demands. They worry that any disruption to the line will see the monarchy fall. And bang goes the good life.

      This latest incident exposes the fact that William takes off on his own without family (as he has before) and blows the ‘can’t leave my family to work because the children will suffer if I’m absent’ rhetoric out of the water. It also hints at separate lives being lived, at least to some extent, and wouldn’t surprise me in the least. The optics are not good when trying to spin their marriage as the greatest romance that ever was.

  53. Oh goodness, every time you look it just gets worse.
    He is a mature man at 35 yrs.’ old, he is not a teenager. It is certainly not acceptable behavior. Not a good look, I for one have lost a lot of respect for him.
    You would like to think he would know better than this, but reading a lot of the comments definitely , William thinks he has a right to do what he likes.
    The little ones and the Duchess, just disgraceful.

    1. Sophia, William does not display maturity, even at (nearly) 35. How could he with absolutely no boundaries provided his entire life simply because of a title? A role he renders useless due to doing nothing with his privilege except having a good time on other people’s money.

      What also irks me is the press consistently infantilising William by describing him as ‘young’, along with Kate and Harry for that matter. All three are closer to middle age than not. I feel this language is used to excuse the trio’s ineptness and refusal to take responsibility more in line with people in their late teens/ early twenties.

      They haven’t grown up because they have been enabled not to. So, no surprises with all this nonsense.

      1. Hi Jen,
        Gosh you know you are right. It dawned on me when you said William is not a mature man, even though he is the age he is. We would like to think that his experiences in life have prepared him for the future role he will undertake. He had to grow up quickly when his Mother passed away, a awful experience like that would surely make a man out of you sooner than later?. But as you say the pampering and privilege and not doing anything of real substance with that.
        Yes the description of “young”, they need to stop making excuses for him. The age group of all three of them is mature now, not young for heavens sake they are not 21 years old.
        Its time for him and the Duchess for that matter to start to re-evaluate there life, it is a empty shell.
        For me I want to have meaning to my life, not just be the full time carer to a mentally ill daughter.
        Don’t get me wrong, she comes first, always will but I joined the Red Cross, to give a little bit back and as I said to give my life some structure and a sense of achievement.
        It is no big deal ordinary people do this every day and some far greater voluntary roles, my point is how can the pair of them go on with barely making a difference or wanting to achieve. They are in a position to do greatness and create change for the better.
        Very disappointing, as I said earlier I have lost a lot respect for William.
        Gee Paris is going to be interesting don’t you think?

  54. Hi everyone. I came over to see what you guys thought of William missing the Commonwealth gathering.
    I have read most of the comments so I can only add that Kate possibly was not going to appear by herself as the palace would have learned from how Diana would deliberately turn up alone to make a point. I think Kate is slightly intimidated by William. Perhaps he let her know he would not tolerate that behaviour.

    I also think Charles and William are not on the same page these days. Kate is somehow caught in the middle between the next king and his heir. She has an awareness of what is expected now but William is determined to go his own way.

    As some said, if it were Kate having a girls weekend away all heck would break loose. I wonder if William would make an appearance with the Queen alone if the roles were reversed. Where is Carole these days. I don’t hear too much about her anymore.

  55. As much crap we throw Kate, and as much of a “mean girl” she can be, she truly doesn’t this public humiliation. On top of that, considering what William saw his own parents go through (both behind closed doors and via the media), I’m astounded he had the gall to not consider his children’s feelings this past weekend.

    Is it wrong that I kind of hope Kate pulls a Katie Holmes and gives William (and, in a way, Carole) the biggest shock ever and request a divorce out of the blue? I know that the you-know-what would hit the fan (especially between mother and daughter) but wow. I want Kate to grow a spine and stand up for herself and her children. Sigh.

    1. You know, I honestly think it’s their ‘normal’ aka William going off to do things he wants to do. He’s done it for years, before and after marriage. It’s just that everyday normal people don’t have the luxury of absenting themselves from parenting and being a partner, or working regularly.

      Is it humiliating for Kate? It starts to unravel the romance of the century BS, but my thoughts are that she knew what she was getting into with William, with the goodies associated with him worth more than her self-respect.

  56. I think Kate is having her Botox, plastic surgery and skin treatment before her short tour to Paris. William has taken the opportunity for skiing and Kate might be glad he is not around to see her with a swollen face. Nothing wrong so far with his skiing weekend. The only mistake he has made is missing the Commomwealth Service. Neither did he offend Kate nor leave his poor wife alone with the children. They have nannies and are used to stay with them without their parents.
    Perhaps Kate has also been sent to some lessons in appropriate behaviour and dressing for state visits by the Queen to avoid bad press in France

  57. I just hope that when visiting Paris tomorrow, Kate will wear a drop dead gorgeous gown for the reception at the embassy, look stunning and remind william of what he has been missing! 😉

    1. Holy Sh*t. Kiss and tell? Or will he manage to get a super injunction? How she behaves tomorrow is getting more and more interesting and telling. Come on Kate, grow a backbone, do it for the girls and when you have the press’s full attention whack him with a crotch clutch bag.

      I don’t know why I’m being so flippant because this is everything I feared had happened and the media have been literally desperate to get one on William Wails.

      1. Probably because we love that he’s finally get what’s been coming to him for many, many years and for once, he can’t toss Harry, Charles, Diana, HM, Andrew, Phillip, or even Kate under the bus. This is his own damn fault, plain and simple.

        And at the very least, don’t manically grin tomorrow!!! Give him the ultimate cold shoulder and then some!! Pretty please with a cherry on top?

        1. Nope. She will be maniacal grinning, but I’m hoping the is doing that to the soldiers, while not looking back at him in the least. It brings up an interesting idea of spousal abuse and I wouldn’t be surprised that this doesn’t happen frequently in that home.

  59. William cleared screwed up. Whether there is anything truly nefarious on his part or this is all much ado about nothing (no actually cheating, just poor drunken decisions) remains to be seen. I’ll be waiting anxiously with the rest of you to see this story continually unfold. However, here’s a small article from Vanity Fair – the astounding thing to me is that they say Kate wears the trousers in the marriage! Really? Since when?!? Lol!
    http://www.vanityfair.com/style/2017/03/kate-middleton-prince-william-ski-trip

  60. Its becoming a problem from what I have seen in the media. I haven’t seen this much outside opinion in a long while. One DM commenter suggested William did it to get the press off his brothers back as Harry is usually the problem. Its bringing out the worst in some people.
    I don’t like how this is shaping up. It feels as if the press have had information/ideas which they kept to themselves for some time and are now using this as an excuse to publish their information, be it true or not. They were sued on occasion by William, Harry and Kate but there are too many stories being published this week so its probable the media feel safe to drop hints and print whatever they can.
    William will have to cop it and soldier on but it cannot be pleasant for any of the family to read what people are saying.
    Anyone else feel a sense of history repeating itself?

  61. William is getting a round the clock bashing on Sky News this morning. If they aren’t showing the Dad dancing videos they are wheeling a Republican abolish the Monarchy spokesman into the programme. I’ve seen them at the Irish Guards this morning…..freshly dyed hair up, new Catherine Walker coat dress almost identical to the red one she flashed Australia in. The mood looks rather subdued.

      1. He was surprisingly sensible too. Normally I don’t even bother listening to Republicans. I’m amazed they keep showing the videos. Obviously the Press Office has had no clout or maybe they’re just riding the storm out?

    2. Ill Will had his clinched jaw as well, not the relaxed grinning while he was at Verbier. She looked serious too except for when she was smiles for the officers. I hope they keep talking and criticizing him and his trip.

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