113 thoughts on “Kate releases video message for Children’s Hospice Week 2017”

1. Kate made a sketch of the church were they married. James and Pippa had it printed on their order of service for their wedding. James thanked kate in his weddingspeech. Sweet.

   Story https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbi…er-of-service/

   Clear picture http://oi65.tinypic.com/ibmgxl.jpg

   Sweet story

   And about this video she is really good in this. Period.

   1. I should say ACCORDING to the sun considering the source. I would think they wouldn’t make that up. But they also made george’s so called tantrum up so you never know.

   2. I would say mispronouncing “palliative” 5 years into being patron of a palliative care charity disqualifies her from being “really good” in this video. She did better than previous videos, but she wasn’t “really good” because she still can’t pronounce “palliative” correctly.

      1. And apparently couldn’t take the time to shoot the message a second time, to correct the pronunciation of palliative.

   3. Sketching. My first thought was, so that’s what she has been doing. She’s morphing into a 19th century heiress. Pretty soon there will be the Grand Tour.

      1. That is a stupid comment, sorry i have to say that. Some people love art be it looking at it or trying different forms and doing it. Personally i don’t have that bug of art but i will like other things what people who like art don’t like. Each person is different. Kate has also studied art history so she has a interest in it. Why do you always have to be so negative.

         1. Actually, anon, you don’t “have to” say that Lisa’s comment is “stupid.” People are allowed to have negative feelings about Kate – but not attack other posters – as the commenting rules clearly indicate.

         2. Lisa’s comment was clearly a joke. It may not have been funny to you, but you don’t have to call her comment stupid just because you don’t like or get a joke. Just because you don’t like or get a joke doesn’t mean you have to be negative toward the person who made it. Each person’s humor is different.

         3. Kate studied art history because William did, like many girls. It was considered a sort of joke degree at St Andrews–like what we joke about a ‘Mrs’ degree here in the States. (A shame as St Andrews is a great university!)

            1. Art history is a great degree and tough discipline. Some girls use it to kill time before finding husbands but most people studying it love art and go on to careers in museums, galleries, publishing, auction houses and/or conservation. I did!

            2. Working in a museum sounds like a dream job! Or conservation!

               That’s just what I have heard about the degree in the UK for a lot of these upper class or upper middle class girls like Kate – use it as a stop-gap to go to university and find a rich husband there.

            3. Art history is about the history of art and not sketching, or painting or sculpting, which would be an entirely differently program. There is really no evidence that Kate has any talent in anything but colouring. And her art history degree taught her so much she didn’t know anything about Fabrege eggs.

      2. It was a joke. Perhaps lost in translation. I would love to be an heiress. Nevertheless you are right, my tone is negative because I think these videos are inexcusably inadequate.

         1. It wasn’t lost in translation, just some people choose to think everything Kate does is a miracle. She spent 10 years waiting to marry a prince. No other woman in the 21 st century would be so desperate to compromise her goals and ambitions just for that. Even Diana worked more and she was married at a very young age. Kate wants the material aspects of being a royal wife, but not the part that requires giving back to the people for the riches they have. Noblesse oblige is not a concept she understands.

         2. I can picture kate setting up outside like in Emma to do her sketches/paintings to twiddle away her time since she can’t be bothered with actual work =)

         3. Lisa don’t worry-it was obvious it was a joke. Just when it comes to Kate, the ones who think she is perfect can’t take a joke. They can only handle praise which is why they come over here because they can’t believe we don’t idolize her like them 😉

   4. Sorry, I don’t believe for one second that is her sketch. Do you remember the snail she painted when she and William were on an engagement once? It was a super basic swirl that looked like a target, with a head and tail. We’ve also never heard of her having any sketching or drawing talent, which I feel sure they would have blasted to high heaven if we’re true (kind of like they do with her photography…and she’s a terrible photographer, IMO).

      As far as the video goes, that’s really sad if she did that during an engagement…so she probably only spent like 10 minutes at the actual engagement? I mean I’m sure that video took multiple takes plus set up plus her reviewing the script, makeup, etc. I also don’t like that the outfit is so similar to the other video she made (black dress with baby doll collar). Wasn’t that also for EACH?

      1. Yes, the black dress with white peter pan collar was for the 2013 EACH CHW video.

         I, too, am skeptical of that drawing being Kate’s. Only because they tout her basic photography skills as amazing, but an actual drawing talent is kept private? Why not keep the photography private and tout the drawing skills?

         1. Kate’s photos come labeled [HRH The Duchess of Cambridge] and yet no copyright mark on this sketch? Interesting?

            1. I wonder how much she paid for it. Oh wait, I bet it was a gift. So now Dolittle has a ghost artist.

            2. “ghost artist”

               +1 Maven 🙂

         2. My church has a standard drawing of the church to use in just this way on covers. I’ll bet this is the same.

            1. +1

               The first time I saw it, without attribution, I did think it was just a stock sketch.

      2. I agree–if Kate had even a bit of an ability to sketch, I think it would have been broadcast far and wide to help refute the claim that she only chose to study history of art at St. Andrews because St James’ Palace had announced that was William’s plan. Although there was that DM story a year or two ago, I think, that she was spending the summer sketching portraits of her children.

         Also, if you look closely at the sketch there is a ghostly signature in the bottom right corner…doesn’t look like “Catherine” or “Cambridge” to me, but it’s very faint and hard to see.

         And btw, I thought lisa’s comment was hilarious!

         1. Lisa’s comment is hilarious. Goes with the Victorian / Georgian society lady image Kate has cultivated. Some painting, sketching and a grand tour of Europe to take in the art to regale and impress her friends back home.

            ….wait, didn’t she visit some paintings in the netherlands and in Luxemborg? A mini grand tour on the sly?!???

            1. Well Caroline Bingley would be unimpressed with her!
               She should also have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, dancing, and the modern languages. And she needs to work on having a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions.

            2. Caroline Bingley has impossible standards.

               All that effort is exhausting. Not enough time to cultivate a fragrant air. Something in the manner of Wisteria.

               ?

            3. EL, I’ve never met a lady so accomplished.

            4. EL don’t forget she must posses all that and to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her mind by extensive reading 🙂

      3. Me either. I don’t buy it.

         They filmed the engagement and she filmed the video there, which is probably the only reason she showed up. Sigh. I wish she’d be more involved, I understand these hospices can be difficult for people but they deserve a more engaged patron who can bring them much attention.

         Camilla visited Helen and Douglas House, a hospice in Oxford, and it wasn’t even an event anybody heard about til it was on the Court Circular. That and her lovely parties every year for the children. Apparently, she visits them often without fuss, fanfare and no press team, just to see how everyone is doing. Kate should take a leaf from Cam’s book.

      4. And the lies continue. After the PR mountain of willing mendacity surrounding the wedding, I no longer believe anything the rags put out. But this one is easy. Kate can’t even dress herself properly, has no sense of colour and absolutely no sense of proportion. She also can’t take a decent happy snap. If her dull sense of colour coordination is anything to go by, I doubt her colouring books are awash with marvel unless it’s colour by numbers. She is talentless and dull. So I don’t believe she sketched this which requires quite the aptitude and skill.

         What is more concerning is the need to lie about this. It’s superfluous, and yet they’re pushing it. Why?

         1. Maven: i’ve enjoyed watching a PR marvel at work. It’s not the tiny details that matter. It’s the different ways that she has created a media storm for Pippa such that ALL the sunday papers in Britain, and a good proportion of papers worldwide, had Pippa on the front cover. Publicist is worth their weight in gold.

            Now wonder at the near constant hysteria around the Beckhams. This is their publicist at work. She used similar methods on Pippa and it’s now laid bare because her job is done and she has stopped spinning, so everyone is waking up from it and realising how many lies were told to creste this media circus.

            Everything from the guestlist to vendors were pressed into service of the greater goal.

            All Pippa had to do was allow herself to be papped occassionally, Kate absolve dad-dancing William coz operation media circus was launched with intimate details of a girly hen party in France and dad-dancing spoiled that image.

            That was starting gun……..Airport pics at lax of the happy couple enroute to honeymoon is more PR. Perhaps this will be the end?

            Yet today there are details of inside the wedding. What alot of looselipped guests, Not. Looselips = publicist talking to the press. Just like this drawing.

            Celeb PR at work.

            None of it needs to be true. It’s about perception. PR creates an illusion. Jo Molloy has shown us how it’s done.

            1. You’ve summed it all up for me, Herazeus. Many thanks- you are the best! I finally get it, more than I need to, ha! This was a successful PR whirlwind and it’s still continuing. It’s the monumental lies I can’t bear, and how pathologically the Midds and Willy subscribe to them and embrace them. Soulless freaks. But that’s me.

               It just solidifies how grasping and venal the Midds are, and how easy it has been to co-opt Willy right down to details of Pips’ dress announced from *KP*. The Midds have this all sown up. Meanwhile, they will always be crass, empty vessels. I think we’re in Kardashian territory now. More so, it unwittingly exposes the craven myths surrounding the royal family and how depraved the reality truly is. We have the Midds to thank for this. I didn’t think I could get even more appalled.

            2. Definitely Kardashian territory.

               I firmly believe that William was told a lie to get him to comply.

               That doesn’t mean he isn’t venal, but he may have been told that the publicist was needed to ‘handle’ the media storm and he is too stupid to realise she is the one generating it. No need to say she’s a publicist, but present her as a media wrangler putting out fires.

               Just as the Middletons played him pre-wedding to Kate.

   5. Wow, this sketch looks really good (I have no eye or talent for art so I can only assume that, but in my eye the picture looks really pretty)! Well done Kate!

   6. Anon, this article from the Daily Mail shows Kate’s drawing of Anmer Hall. 

       http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3535961/Duchess-Cambridge-draws-picture-Anmer-Hall-children-India.html

      You decide if Kate really drew that church.

2. Her voice was stronger and easily understood. But she still came across as flat

3. I fail to see how a video messages brings tangible comfort to those suffering, I really don’t get it. Isn’t the point of EACH is to provide personal care, counselling and support to families under immense stress. Think how distracting and positive a personal royal visit would be – something to think about in their challenging days ahead. I hope Kate becomes more empathetic as she gets older.

   1. I don’t think it’s meant to bring comfort to those suffering. I think videos like this are meant to bring awareness and donations to the cause.

4. It’s really disappointing she has done so little with this patronage, especially considering how close EACH is to her home in Norfolk. This and mental health are the toughest of her patronages, requiring understanding, subtlety, a willingness to learn, compassion and commitment. Kate hasn’t demonstrated this, IMHO. The video is better than a statement and is better than previous efforts, but is a very poor showing from someone who still has a lot of empty time in their diary and could easily have done much, much more.

5. Isn’t she amazing? Spending an hour at an engagement were she also records a message to be used 4 months later, because she’s too busy to visit privately. She can’t even fake it anymore.

6. Her delivery is much better in this video. She is getting better at not chopping up the sentences with odd pauses. I’m glad she made this video at least. And is showing Improvement.

   Question KMR- does this count as a work engagement in the CC? Since she filmed it the same time she was visiting EACH I wouldn’t expect it to count as extra. But since it was released months later does this count as an extra engagement for her? Just curious 🙂

   1. I’ve never seen a video message show up in the CC. I have seen the visit to film the video show up. In 2015, a non-press visit to a school showed up in the CC, and about a week later the video was released and we all then knew what the school visit was for. In 2016, the school visit to film the video did not show up in the CC. So I would be very surprised if this video showed up in the CC since she filmed it at the same visit from earlier this year that was already recorded in the CC.

7. I hope this brings awareness and donations to the hospice’s Nook appeal. Ed Sheeran raised 300k for that, the gala Kate didn’t bother to show up to!

   I hope she visits hospices this week during CHW as it would raise their profile considerably during this special important week for them but I doubt it, it seems she only visits to film these things. They had to lure her with a gala near Anmer to get her to show up and she didn’t even speak. :/

   Better delivery, though. Her eyebrows looked weird.

8. By George, she’s got it! 🙂 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDSPwexlyTo

9. Since she recorded this in January, it doesn’t count toward her May event numbers, right?

10. Guess who’s hitting the beach for their honeymoon? Lies again. She’s so special.

    http://www.dailymail.co.u…-manager-husband-LAX.html

    1. Oops. Hope this works:

       http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4529482/Pippa-seen-hedge-fund-manager-husband-LAX.html

       1. Well she supposedly had that custom bikini made?=) why didn’t they take his private plane
          I want to be on that beach!

          1. He is only moderatly rich now and not terribly rich, hence the need to economize.

       2. I can’t believe they got escorted through security, they aren’t celebrities. I don’t think anyone at LAX would have even recognized them. She is being treated special just because her sister is famous.

          1. LOL, they probably weren’t recognized. They probably hired the “Pap” who shot them! Celebs do it all the time. They travel with their own photographers, even more so than when the Paps are in pursuit of them. Why else? Why else would they take a commercial flight if James is a Billionaire? Who takes a commercial flight to a private island? Now I understand fully why that absolute idiot Posh Spice is still in the headlines, when she is a nobody and her designs suck so bad they’ve obviously got to be a tax write off for Dave!

          2. The photo credited agency x17 is infamous for making deals with famous people to be ‘papped’ in seemingly random places. They are very good at what they do and tge famous person gets a cut of the sold images.

             I assume anyone ‘papped’ by X17 has made a deal especially if said ‘papping’ is in Los Angeles.

             X17 and Splash agencies.

11. I’ve written to the duke and duchess of Cambridge today to express my profound dismay at their lack of work ethic (less engagements than QE2 and PP). I have copied my letter to BP.
    To question the amount of money spent on Kate’s clothing at a time of austerity with nurses going to food banks.
    To question why the duchess has not yet after 6 years of marriage learned to speak in public coherently.
    To question why the children are hidden unlike other royal families, i.e. Sweden.
    To ask how much heads together raised and how the money has been allocAted.
    To ask how much it is going to cost in protection costs to get george across london every day to school and why he couldn’t have gone to a closer school.

    I really have had enough now. These people are milking the taxpayers for millions yearly while sitting on huge personal fortunes.
    The last straw for me was the hundreds of thousands spent on a family wedding this weekend just to appear faux royal. At a time when people are using food banks it was crass and unnecessary. That said I wish the happy couple well and I hope they live a happy private life. This seemingly unquenchable thirst for publicity by the middletons is wearing thin now.
    Sorry to be so negative but I have been out talking to people ‘re general election and people are struggling so much. If WK can’t do the job properly or want to then stand down stop treating the paying public like idiots.
    Mind you I think kate will get a shock when duchess sparkle comes on stream, she has already shown she can speak well in public and commit to a cause and do the work. Be interesting to see the inevitable comparisons in press similar to those of diana and Fergus.

    1. It’s too bad you can’t send a letter to editors; this is a very worthy project even though we are in the time of bread and circuses. Dissenting voices pointing out the reality are so important. You rock!

       1. I can do that. I’d love to do an open letter in national news about this. I really do feel very strongly we the taxpayers are being taken for fools, which is vile when so many people are struggling.
          I have not seen one photograph of William with kate or his kids at the wedding, why is that? What other father attends a wedding and goes nowhere near his kids?
          Did he even sit with them at the reception? I think William is not a very nice person and he looks at most of us with contempt.
          I dont think he is that nice to kate either he certainly hasn’t given her much confidence in her role over past 6 years.

          1. Yours is a voice in the wilderness, Debra. It’s a shame so few are aware. I wonder what that republican group is doing about this. Seems like good fodder. Perhaps Hera knows what the most effective approach is since she is the PR maven.

             “I have not seen one photograph of William with kate or his kids at the wedding, why is that? What other father attends a wedding and goes nowhere near his kids?”

             I was puzzled by that as well. Like, why did he not arrive in the same car as his kids and wife? Why did he not once hover over them after the service, doting dad and all. Should he not be a beaming, proud daddy scooping them up, giving them high fives, praising them for a good job (sigh, I can see Harry doing this)? Rumour has it he didn’t attend the evening reception. Curiouser and curiouser.

             I certainly don’t need to hear one more time that he didn’t want to take away from the happy couple. That’s just lame.

             1. I found it completely inexplicable he was nowhere to be seen. Even is he was an usher or something after the wedding he could have been with the children. If that was my husband I would have been livid and gone to get him to help particularly when George was tearful. Bizarre.

          2. Debra, perhaps write to The Times, I think that is the best bet. A serious paper not as sycophantic as the Telegraph. Good for you re your letters, I think I will do the same. The JAMs are the new thing here, Just About Managing, but I am also shocked and disgusted by how many homeless we have and how little help they get. We are a wealthy nation compared to most, we should not have people sleeping on the streets of all our cities. Then Kate buys another pair of £6-8k earrings. She could buy something similar from Sophie’s favourite place, Heavenly Necklaces for a few hundred quid.

             1. The royal jewellery collection is vast. She can borrow something for nothing and look a million times better. I think this is reverse snobbery, they think wearing real bling would not go down well with the plebs so let’s spend their money on rubbish overpriced stuff.
                If they thought it through they would see using free jewels is better. Although I think the kiki stuff is either free or discounted for publicity.

             2. Good for you, Debra. It is important that such words are expressed and seen.

                I am also in total agreement as to William’s not being available to help with his son and daughter and the other kids at the wedding.
                That was a special day in their young lives. Witnessing it over and over on video, just doesn’t resonate with you the way actually being with them in person, will.

                William seems to have an especially nice rapport with George. How nice if he had been there for the boy during what is obviously a day that can be confusing and scary and even boring to one so young.

          3. I know that my family would have posed for a few family photos with everyone dressed in wedding attire. It’s what normal families do. Will and Kate aren’t normal though despite their pretentions otherwise. What dad wouldn’t come over at least once to see his young kids dressed up in wedding finery? It’s not like he had any assigned role in this wedding. And we still don’t know if he ever bothered to go to the reception. And Kate was an anxious mess, probably in some part related to his odd behaviour.

             I suspect once the kids get older we will start to hear what really goes on, just as it happened when the Charles and Diana happy family myth was starting to unravel.

          4. I think WK have a volatile marriage: its very up and down. There are times when they have ignored each other or their body language is very cold and stiff (look at the pics in Canada when Kate was wearing that ridiculous red & white McQueen dress). Even looking at Kate’s pictures from when she first married and to today, you can see that the light has gone from her face.

    2. *clap**clap**clap* you deserve a standing ovation for your initiative!

    3. Debbie: Professional advice which you are free to ignore.

       Please don’t write to BP/KP/CH again. Whilst your letter will be acknowledged, one of 3 things will happen to it. Depending on content plus it’s tone, it will either be dumped, or put into ‘ potential crazy person’ file or sent to police under ‘ definitely crazy person’ file.

       Very few critical letters get through the system to any of the royals or their private secretaries.

       Your best bet is to write a letter to the editor of the Times. Establishment paper. Be respectful in tone and your letter has a huge chance of making it to the page. And if it is in the page, BP /KP /CH can’t ignore it nor can you be dismissed as ‘potential crazy person’.

       Failing that, or additionally, write to your MP and to the PM. Again keep the letter as polite and as respectful as possible. Your MP is elected to represent your concerns and is more likely to raise the issue in parliament. Keep writing to your MP, but only in reply to their responses to you.

       Also write to BBC radio programming. I forget if it’s 2 or 4 that is the talking radio shows that is popular with homecounties with a view to creating an on-air discussion.

       Goodluck.

    4. If you do write this as an open letter, would you please question how much influence the Middletons have over royal affairs. It is ridiculous that KP released Pippa’s dress details. They have previously quashed protocol by arriving to see George before Prince Charles. At the time, I thought it was just a case of excited grandparents and William being close to them. But twice now, they have managed to go against royal protocol making me wonder, what’s next? William begging an MBE from the Queen?

    5. Wonderful initiative Debra Green! Even though you’ll most likely get a PR-fed sanitized response, they need to see that more of the public will not stand for this profligacy in times of austerity.

       Only thing I disagree with you on: highly doubht Meghan Markle is going to be some saviour of the monarchy & will out-work WK. Either she will be prevented from working more & looking better than WK, the heirs, or she will consider her job as a “philanthropist” done once she would have secured the biggest career and economic jump of them all: securing a Prince of the UK & the lifetime of wealth, status & privilege that comes with Harry.

       1. Red Tulip – I feel the way about KM that you feel about MM. That as far as she is concerned, her work was done once she nabbed William. The ultimate prize for a social climber.

          If Harry & Meghan marry, I can see her wanting to carry on with her charity work. Not out of any sense of altruism, but she seems to love the spotlight. My belief is that the charity work she does now is all PR-driven. I call it the Angelina Jolie affect, and all starlets must comply. I am all for charity work, of course, but it seems disingenuous in her case.

12. The sketch could be Kate’s because she would have had time to work and refine it and have an art instructor guide her. With a good instructor, one can make a very nice drawing.

    But, she doesn’t have talent in terms of natural drawing ability – we’ve seen her do the Snail, a sketch of Anmer, and a drawing in India and they’ve all been very simple and childlike. So, that’s why KP doesn’t praise her art.

    1. “The sketch could be Kate’s because she would have had time to work and refine it and have an art instructor guide her. With a good instructor, one can make a very nice drawing.”

       With due respect, no. Just no. The only way this happened is if she copied a pic/photo and filled it in through artifice. It looks way too professional for the likes of her and it is laughable to believe that she would sit still for hours and hours of instruction. Her happy snaps are awful and suddenly she excels at something tougher than point and click? I don’t think so.

       1. If Kate had any real drawing ability it would show even in simple drawings. That house drawing is pretty pathetic and does not show any ability. And if you are good at drawing the talent shows even if you aren’t trying. I have an aunt who is very good that way and you can tell the difference.

          Next thing we will hear is that she composed a sonata for the occasion.

          1. A sonata? Surely an opera or a symphony!

             Portraying Kate as an artist is the PR woman Milloy chancing her arm one more time with a gullible public.

             An image of the church could have been scanned in, taken to line art and some digital shading added in Illustrator/Photoshop. Can’t see it well enough to work out if it’s a digital or hand drawn work.

    2. Do you really think Kate could sit in front of this church drawing several hours without being seen?
       I would say no.
       The only possibility for a famous person like her would be drawing after a photo.

       1. In high school we were given a drawing to “copy” – we made a grid over the original drawing, and then made a grid on our paper. We then worked on making each part look similar to the real drawing. We shaded it in, the teacher came around frequently and even would help with most difficult parts. You’d be surprised that we all looked pretty good. We could never draw it on our own, but the way we did it was a pretty convincing way to say “wow, look what I drew!” The picture on the program I saw wasn’t super clear, but I don’t think it looked unbelievable Museum-worthy professional nor did it look bad either. It looked like a decent sketch that an art teacher could help with. Of course, the media could be making up a story, but if it was really announced as a thank you at the wedding, I don’t think the Middletons would be so brazen to give Kate credit when she deserved none whatsoever.

          1. Or maybe she taped the original to the window and traced it ?

13. I spent the weekend preparing my ten year old for a graduation speech. Even with no prior experience, i can safely say that my ten year old did a better job at delivering than our 6 years a duchess. We did numerous reedits, underlined emphasis words, practiced in a mirror… if a child can do all that for a mere 48 hours and come out a strong speaker, I fail to see why a grownup woman cannot (willnot) show some improvement after several years? It reeks of disinterest and carelessness.

    1. Anushe, I’m with you. I would have made it a point of professional pride to hone my public speaking skills and absolutely do all I coukd to support my causes.
       This woman is a zero, she does the bare minimum she can get away with. If its a question of confidence or shyness, get professional help. Admit it and show others it is okay to need help.
       Just don’t keep turning up in overpriced clothes and horrid jewellery and take us for fools.

       1. “Just don’t keep turning up in overpriced clothes and horrid jewellery and take us for fools.”

          Why not? It seems to work for her. Kate is uniformly praised by idiot ‘journalism’ as ‘stunning’, ‘fashion icon’, ‘caring’ and any number of superlatives that deny the reality of her disinterest, lack of care and zero talents.

          Only, only only when people refuse to accept the BS emanating from the BRF’s PR organs will things have the remotest chance of changing. Difficult, if near nigh impossible, given the UK’s ingrained class system.

          1. +1 Jen
             The fawning over this woman in the media and on some blogs I have visited is ridiculous. It floors me that people think she is gorgeous (I realize this is subjective), talented, a good mother, hard working, a great leader, and in the most perfect fairytale marriage of them all.

    2. I will add William and Harry to that. It took my mum 2 days to teach me to look up when reading a written speech. I was 8 and fidgety. I have no clue how people whose role is to make so many speeches cannot deliver speeches well. There was a lot of slacking in preparing the young royals including Beatrice and Eugenie. William and Harry were coddled and Beatrice mostly holidays away her time. She does need to do more charity work or some other work because she is a PR nightmare.

       1. Beatrice is very good at her royal duties. Her speeches are good, she doesn’t mumble or fumble. She’s engaged at her Patronages and she can speak in the moment. Ditto Eugenie.

          The problem is that the media doesn’t spotlight their engagements and or prefers to present everything they do as a negative.

          Reporters describe them in a negative way eg the DM once started an article on one of joint engagements with the immortal phase, ‘ Here come the gruesome twosome……’ Rest of article was no better.

          As we have seen with Pippa’s wedding, and MM, the media can be very powerful in shaping opinions and these girls have been repeatedly presented as westrals since they were teens.

          Consequently, the public approaches them with negative opinion already formed.

          Yet, if you looked at a few of their engagements, without prejudice, you would see that even if they are sotting at home doing nothing, they are far better prepared than William or Harry.

          Eg here is Eugenie in video:
          https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Yvl92j8eJO4

          https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WXYpqOwPHdA

          https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VIa1cHi9yGY

          Here is Beatrice in video:
          https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-lxhcSVWFoE

          https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gc_UjQq7BiI

          https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=wNrz7ivpoQA

          https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2_iF0QDv4oA

          https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yy7D6UZ8LMo

          And many more videos of their engagements available on youtube

          http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2595262/Princess-Eugenie-revisits-hospital-underwent-major-spinal-surgery-child.html

          http://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2012121910545/princess-eugenie-hospital-visit/

          http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3835165/Princess-Eugenie-joins-Theresa-commemorate-abolitionist-William-Wilberforce-Westminster-Abbey-service-highlighting-Britain-s-fight-against-modern-slavery.html

          http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3815341/Princess-Beatrice-royal-complete-triathlon-does-raise-awareness-children-dyslexia-like-her.html

          And many more articles that don’t receive the type of media attention WHK receive.

          Those 2 girls would transition into royal duties without any problems. They don’t whine about the horrible media they get or sue people when their privacy is invaded or lies told about them.

          1. I agree, if you remove the York girls from the stigma created by their parents, they are known to be kind, polite, and engaging. Also unlike Kate and William, they perform their engagements because they want to, not because they have to. They both have full time jobs and could easily get away with not doing formal charity events like Zara and Peter. I find it incredibly sad that the Yorks have gotten such a hard time of it thanks to actions of their parents that they couldn’t control.

             1. I don’t know what other charities Zara Philips is involved with, I do know she is the International Patron for The CatWalk Trust. And she has regularly flown in to NZ for fundraising events, about once a year I think plus does more work behind the scenes. I’ve seen video of her at engagements where she is being shown the work the researchers are doing re spinal cord injuries. She is knowledgable and asks informed questions.

                https://www.catwalk.org.nz/project/zara-phillips-mbe/

          2. Actually Beatrice has sued. I believe from pics on one of her jaunts.
             Eugenie has seemed to find a balance between work and volunteering. Bea seems to have a problem flitting around from job to job.
             They can still volunteer and be good at it. Just not as working royals.

             1. Agree. No-one should be paid to do charity work. Just do it if it means so much. It’s the safety of royal privilege that Beatrice wants: status, attention, very part time and on one’s own terms.

             2. Sarah: Beatrice sued when the DM used bikini pictures of her to write a mocking article. That was a very rare thing for her to do.

                William and Kate sue or threaten to sue if any media outlet prints any pictures of them even ones that are as innocent as walking in the park innocently taken by the public.

                Frankly, if you read that article that B sued for, you would agree that she had to. It was straight up abusive. Not just mocking or snide. Abusive. Which the public colludes in because it’s the Yorkies and it’s ok to abuse them.

                Further, we weren’t saying that the Yorkies should go on the payroll, just comparing the levels of preparedness of the 2 groups.

       2. EL, Andrew has lobbied tirelessly to try to get the Yorks on the roster. Charles refuses. Hardly the York girls fault.

       3. I love Beatrice and Eugenie so I am aware of how much they do and the negative impact their parents’ unpopularity has on them. But I also think Beatrice wants to be a working royal very much and it stops her from getting serious in creating a different role for herself. Eugenie has managed to create a role for herself away from royal duties, but I think that was more down to her own efforts since Andrew is vocal about his kids being in the firm.
          Unfortunately until someone gets tough with Beatrice about her negative image, she will continue to be seen as a chip off her parent’s block and that will definitely close a working royal career for her. If she wants in, she needs positive PR and part of that is to get serious, get working and step away from attending so many frivolous events and holidays, at least publicly.

          1. +1. Eugenie has the better balance; Beatrice needs to settle in a paid job somewhere. It’s clear that she’s not required to be a working royal aka paid by the state. Therefore, she needs to adjust her thinking. There is nothing stopping any Windsor from participating in charity work in an unpaid capacity, as per the rest of the population doing similar work as good will and commitment.

             I doubt that Charles sees a slimmed-down monarchy taking slimmed-down state funding but that is what should happen. Confine paid events to state occasions, pay per diem.

             1. Charles who wants to take entire Crown Estates which he posits will solve the problem of royal funding is definitely not going to accept reduced overall funding for a slimmed down monarchy. Levels will remain the same which means that in real terms he will have more money since he won’t have to dish any of it out to more working relatives.

             2. I hope this issue of stealing the public’s estates is brought to open debate in the UK, be vigorously opposed by the public who will, in turn, place pressure on their MP’s to do likewise.

                A better plan is to minimise payment to a per diem arrangement and reign in the types of appearances funded eg limit to state and associated occasions. Anything else can be performed on a voluntary basis – as actors, celebrities and other people of note do eg Ed Sheeran helping raise £300,000 pounds for EACH. The charity’s patron, meanwhile, does the bare minimum, yet attracts enormous state funding via Charles. Of course, the royals would have a fit at the thought of dismantling unearned privilege provided by others, but their lifestyle is economically unsustainable and unnecessary, as well as corrosive to character.

14. Is there anything on Kate’s schedule for this week?
    I can actually understand what she’s saying in the video but I’m not going to give her props for taping a video at an event in Jan for this.
    if she actually does something then I’ll say yay

    1. She’s pointing at flowers at the Chelsea Flower Show in a long green dress as we speak!

       1. Yes, and why a choice of so dark a green dress with a white pattern. SHe looks washed out again. And, so much greenery around her.. If it were a brighter color — didn’t she wear a really bright green last year — I would have said, “ok,” but this is not the best look, either. Tomorrow, is the big day, though, yes? Will she be there for that, too?

          1. It is yet another, expensive, ill-fitting unnecessary dress.
             Another extravagance not merited. Enough already.

             1. I never realised how cursed we would become with the padding of her ‘work’ load. The same old same old, only more of it and with increasingly dearer outfits and bigger boring jewels! We are doomed.

             2. A nearly $3000 dress quite similar to other dresses she owns, and nude pumps. And earrings that don’t match. gahhhhh girl get a stylist

          2. She has so many green dresses now- this one isn’t even that nice?. What about the bank breaker she wore in BC with the gold buttons? We ever going to see that again? The green dress she wore for the family trio butterfly pics would have been just right for today. Or how about that white day dress with the floral print she wore on the tarmac the last day of their Asian tour, when they changed planes in Australia (do I have that right?) . I think she may have had a wind issue with that one actually, but still very pretty.

             PS- check out Sophie today, she looks great!

             1. But Kate’s hair today- huge huge *yes*. Love it. She needs to do this more often. Suits her. So much better than yesterday. Her wedding do was scary times when I zoomed in on it- what the heck was that? I hope she changed it for the reception because that was not well thought out imo- did she even look at the back of her head when it was done?

15. We don’t know if Kate is responsible for the sketch of the church.
    It is simply an unverified article in a newspaper.

    Kate looks elegant. Dark green suits her.
    The fabric in her dress swings beautifully as she walks.

    As much as I like the fabric I think it is a trifle ‘themed’ for the occasion.
    And again, the belt sits higher than the waist seam.

    1. The waist seam sits higher than the designer intended, the belt higher again. It distorts the line of the outfit, and looks odd – rather like a maternity outfit or a quasi-Empire line. The fabric may be themed but many other women, the Queen included, also chose floral as their very literal dress code for the occasion.

       1. Of the royal women present at Chelsea today, only Kate and the Queen wore florals.

          1. I referred to ‘other women’ wearing florals, not confining the observation to only ‘royal’ women.

             1. +1

          2. Your reference was unclear to me. Now that you have clarified it I understand the point you were trying to make.

16. I hope anyone who visits KMR and is from Manchester is safe and their family are all safe too?

    #manchesterattack

    #prayformanchester

    1. Prayers to everyone in Manchester. It’s terrible how much these lone wolf attacks are happening now.

    2. +1, you spoke for me.

    3. Prayers for Manchester. I do hope it is not a terror attack 🙁

       19 people dead. RIP.

    4. It’s heartbreaking. I went to Universtity in Manchester, lived and worked in Manchester until I met Mr BBV and have been to that concert arena many, many times. I just can’t get over the targeting of children, teenage girls were the main concert goers. I can’t sleep, just watching the rolling news and just stunned.

       1. My niece was there, thank God she wasn’t hurt and got home safely. I can’t sleep can’t even think what some families are going through. I have spent all night watching news and praying.
          Manchester people responded magnificently offering beds, travel, food and support to everyone. Proud of my city tonight but at a loss to see how anyone could do this to children.

          1. Thank God that your dear niece is safe Debra Green! Prayers for your city.

             1. Debra I am happy your niece is ok. I am sure she will never forget this horrible experience. You must be so stressed. I wish you and your family well.

                Mrs. BBV, I send my thoughts to you, as well. Such a sad time for so many.

Comments are closed.