Kate launches children’s mental health initiative for Anna Freud Centre

Kate Middleton

Kate launches children’s mental health initiative for Anna Freud Centre

by katemiddletonreview224 Comments on Kate launches children’s mental health initiative for Anna Freud Centre

Kate Middleton may be out of action due to pregnancy, but she’s keeping in the news thanks to the Anna Freud Centre, of which Kate is Patron, dropping a video yesterday of Kate giving an introduction to their latest project.

Kate Middleton Anna Freud Centre video introduction

Back on January 11 of this year, Kate dropped by the Anna Freud Centre Early Years Parenting Unit for a visit, at which time she also recorded the introduction to this video.

In the video, Kate says:

    “Hello. Mental health is how we feel and think. Things that can’t really be seen, but that affect us every day, and talking about them can feel difficult. A charity called the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families have made this animation with children just like you. It helps us all talk about our mental health. What to say and who to talk to when we have feelings that are too big to manage on our own. And how to listen and help if one of our friends is finding things difficult. Sometimes, it’s just a simple conversation that can make things better. I do hope you like the film.”

In addition to the video, Kate made a statement launching the AFC’s new initiative, You’re never too young to talk mental health, saying:

    “As parents, we all want our children to have the best possible start in life. Encouraging children to understand and be open about their feelings can give them the skills to cope with the ups and downs that life will throw at them as they grow up. It’s important that our children understand that emotions are normal, and that they have the confidence to ask for help if they are struggling. This is why I am proud to support the You’re never too young to talk mental health campaign by the Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, which is being rolled out across primary schools this autumn. The campaign’s resources are excellent tools to support parents. They demonstrate how we can help children express their feelings, respond appropriately, and prevent small problems from snowballing into bigger ones.”

Here is the “Talking Mental Health” video that AFC produced:


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224 thoughts on “Kate launches children’s mental health initiative for Anna Freud Centre”

  1. I don’t see it that much in pictures, and I usually don’t watch her videos. However, her facial expressions in this video sadly remind me of these elderly rich weman using too much botox, and I personally think this looks horrible. Not (yet) so much in Kate’s case, but it unfortunately clearly goes into this direction. It makes me feel sad and also a bit disappointed, maybe that is not new to anyone else, but I thought that she would be more natural. Anyway, I had to express my disappointment, hope noone is offended.

    1. I agree there’s something that just doesn’t look natural about her face.

      I do think we need to get beyond ‘starting a conversation’ , after all this time a bit more substance is required.

      Good to have you back KMR, and I hope everyone is recovering well from Irma, fires,earthquakes etc.

      Oh no I’ve just seen the news on Maria, and photos of Dominica. It seems to be tracking Irma. Stay safe everyone.

      1. I could not agree more. It’s time for much more than the “don’t be afraid to talk,” message and move on. How many more times and ways can the same old message be spit out? And, how many more accolades are the boring threesome going to keep receiving for all that they are doing for mental health?

        The facial expression of Kate’s shows how nervous she is, but also, there is a look of facial freeze, too. If she is using Botox, I’d worry about the build-up in my system and wonder how many more years it will take before her face can’t tolerate it anymore.

        I’m sorry to be so cranky. I just wish there was more of substance coming from Kate and William and Harry.

        1. What appears unnatural to me is the arch in her eyebrows. The arch makes it appear as though she’s continually raising her eyebrows, even though she doesn’t appear to be moving her facial muscles to raise them.

          Overall though, I think her delivery is improving over time.

          1. The raised arch of the eyebrows is a huge tell for people who use botox.

            Not sure why it happens, but many people who use botox along the upper eyebrow line end up with that lift of eyebrows.

            It makes them look awake or if one is being unkind, surprised.

            In Kate’s case, she has droopy eyelids just like Mike. Putting botox along that line lifts it up as a result of that migration.

      1. Funny how Kate doesn’t feel shy or blushes when her skirt blows up and reveals her underwear to the entire world…but she gets shy when it comes to recording a video clip…for her “work?

    3. I agree that in general, our troika needs to move past the “let’s start a conversation,” but this was particularly geared toward children and I think it is an appropriate place for children to start when it comes to managing their mental health.

    4. She looks heavily botoxed. Her speaking has improved a little. But after 6 years of being a royal, I’m afraid this is it. This is her best. So sad.

  2. I am glad you transcribed what she said KMR. I’m afraid that I’m not used to the British accents and in her case the upper-class/posh accent that she has is quite difficult for me to understand.

    I feel like they (K&W&H) have been talking about “let it go” and talk about our feelings for a while that I learn or expect nothing new from them. They could move onto something else regarding mental health as there are lots to do : advocacy for a better access of mental health doctors/institutions, mental health at the workplace or for specific groups of people.

    To end my comment on a superficial note : she looks tired and her make-up overall isn’t as strongly done as it used to be. It bothers me so much that one of her eyebrow is higher than the other. Don’t get me wrong, mine aren’t that symmetrical but they certainly aren’t as different as hers. Oh well, I like the hair.

    KMR readers that were affected by Irma, I hope that Maria doesn’t come to you and that you’ll be unaffected by it.

    1. I’ve not been affected by Irma (I live in the U.K.) but my parents flew out to Florida last week. I know! Dad is complaining they have shut the golf course and there’s no wifi. Can I please apologise to Florida? I do my best but they are stubborn pensioners who know their own minds (and a cheap flight) when they see it. So, I’m sorry America. You have enough issues already.

        1. So sweet to apologize, but come on. We have all heard countless stories of Ugly Americans traveling abroad. Were your parents there to experience the hurricane, or merely the aftermath? Tell them to come back and visit other areas of the States. This is quite a lovely country.

          1. I’m afraid it’s golf. I am a golf orphan. They go to one of these ‘Villages’ places where everyone is over 80 and rides golf buggies and in all the years (decades even?) they have visited they haven’t once ‘done’ Florida, or at least the parts that don’t consist of 18 holes. They go every year, sometimes twice and I keep telling them ‘Maine is lovely in Autumn’ or at least see Vegas or Graceland or the Rockie Mountains but no… They’ll muck in and help if needed however, everyone there is as obsessed as they are so as long as the course is open to hang with everything else!

          2. My grandfather used to go to the British Open each year. He was an avid golfer. Still, he and my grandmother loved visiting different towns and cities throughout Great Britain. We have some nice golf courses on Long Island and it’s close to New York City. Let them know!!!

  3. This would be so much better if she showed some emotion or compassion (she just never sounds like she cares at all, and I’m cynical and doubt she does), and dropped that faux accent. It is silly, makes her nigh on impossible to understand. There’s no emotion – so monotone and flat.

    Also no more Botox, Kate, please, the frozen face look is not good! I like her with a lighter touch to the makeup though.

    I wish she could visit these centers more often and not just release videos for occasions such as this. She does it a lot and it bothers me. Same with just releasing lame, bland statements and never visiting.

    1. Ellie, I was also thinking that this video doesn’t compare with an actual visit to the center. This could’ve been taken up a notch if it featured footage of her interacting with children.

  4. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, yes let’s ‘talk about things’ but talking is only one step. If they want people to seek help then something needs to be done about the woeful lack of services available, in my area the waiting list to see a Psychologist is TWO YEARS. No wonder people are frustrated, the message (while commendable) doesn’t reflect reality and people know this, they know their cry for help won’t be met and the platitudes are empty.

    And please stop with the Botox Kate, you look and sound robotic and empty.

    2. The royals message of lets talk confuses me because they seem to think normal everyday emotions are the same as a mental illness I think it does more harm than good by oversimplifying mental illness they also seem to be sticking with anxiety and depression although they are stigmatized they don’t scratch the surface faced by theses with schizophrenia borderline personality disorder psychosis they live in there own little world there video where they sat round a table was an absolute joke when she talked about being a mother was stressful despite the fact that was the only responsibility she had even though she had a full time Nanny was an insult to parents same with harry and his grieving he had access to any treatment he could want they try to make it seem like we are all in this together which is bullshit

      2. My grandmother had bipolar disorder and she went untreated for decades because of the stigma. That said, simply talking wouldn’t help her as she needed medical treatment, which is the point this video misses entirely.

        They are amateurs on the issue of mental health and really need to focus on more shallow pursuits.

        1. I agree with all this but let’s keep in mind the audience for this video and Kate’s introduction are children. It would be weird for her to bring up pharmaceuticals.

          2. I know where you’re coming from but which kids are going to watch this? I’m just not sure who will watch this other than those following royal blogs.

          3. The animation video is part of the resources provided by AFC’s initiative “You’re never too young to talk mental health” for schools, teachers and parents. KMR has provided the link above. I think it’s actually a brilliant initiative for a schools roll out.

            Kate’s statement sounds more substantial than her video. I have to point out that “Encouraging children to understand and be open about their feelings” is actually Emotional Intelligence 101 and one of the best skills a parent can teach to a child.

            As for the expressionless Kate in her video, I have to say it’s ironical that addressing to children and talking about showing emotions can have this effect on Kate’s face.

          5. What about the issue of kids dealing with parents who have mental illness? I know my mother could have used some help dealing with her mother who was constantly having nervous breakdowns. Talking about her own feelings wouldn’t have done much and kids need to be given tools as to how to deal with this. But again, that is too complex for the surface level they are at on this issue.

    4. Hey ABC – honest question here as I’m not familiar with the health system in the UK. Would it be appropriate for the Royal Family to talk about the lack of services? Or would that be considered criticizing the government, which I thought they aren’t allowed to do? I could be completely naive about this whole thing, but it seems like they somewhat have to tiptoe around the issue because health services are an extension of the government?

      I do agree that they need to dive deeper than “let’s talk about it”, though.

  5. Looks like this was filmed quite a while ago judging by the length of Kate’s hair or she had extensions put in. Her accent is just hilarious, it is so over the top, it is like a caricature of how we Americans think all British people sound. Also she is addressing children in the introduction and is as stiff as a stick of wood. Once again, Kate has met my low expectations of her by repeating the same old phrases about mental health.

      1. So how many times now has Kate or William filmed something on behalf of a charity while visiting that charity? They’re patrons of these organizations, and the fact that the charities have to snag them at one of their very rare appearances is sad indeed.

        It also says that despite what KP might claim, there’s not much if any work going on behind the scenes with their charities by these two, or there would be more opportunities for videos such as this to be made. It’s a twofer–they’ll do their quick engagement and record the video in one outing, then when it is released later they appear to be more active with the charity than they really are.

        1. On one hand I think it’s sad the charities have to grab them while they can to get them to do more work but on the other hand think it’s brilliant of them. They’ve figured out away to get them to appear more interested in their charity then they actually are

          1. +10000

            Praise for doing nothing.

            I mean, they had to throw on a gala near Anmer to get Kate to show up for fundraising for EACH…

          2. I agree that it’s sad, but smart. As someone who works in political PR, we’re always taking tons of pictures and videos at events in different settings so we can use them over and over. It’s smart to reuse events so you can look like you’re doing more than you actually are.

    2. I’m over making fun of her accent; I know so many people who changed their accent for their professional lives. I don’t have a problem with it. I just think she isn’t a good speaker and could use lessons to make herself more comfortable.

      1. Your point about her accent is well taken, Jessica, but there are centuries of class discrimination in this country and Kate, whether she wanted it or not and whether she likes it or not, is a public figure who could use her position to make a statement by not faking her upbringing. Her natural voice/accent was lovely enough and well-spoken enough (and, quite frankly, upper-middle class enough) to be professional. She does not need to perpetuate class-ism.

        For an analogous reason, I am also not “over” pointing out her botox/dieting/hair extensions: she should be more mindful of the messages she is sending to impressionable girls about what is important in life. And don’t even get me started on what message her lack of work ethic sends…

        Sorry to go on that rant, Jessica. I know you weren’t wishing to open a can of worms, and the rant wasn’t aimed at you. Just a general, atmospheric rant.

        1. “Your point about her accent is well taken, Jessica, but there are centuries of class discrimination in this country and Kate, whether she wanted it or not and whether she likes it or not, is a public figure who could use her position to make a statement by not faking her upbringing. Her natural voice/accent was lovely enough and well-spoken enough (and, quite frankly, upper-middle class enough) to be professional. She does not need to perpetuate class-ism.”

          Interesting point but from my perspective as a black woman we are encouraged to change our speaking habits to sound more upper-middle class Eurocentric even changing the tone of our voice. I could see why she feels like she needs to fake it to make it. I understand it and can’t get upset about it.

          Regarding the her looks… well that’s a whole different bag. I’m not anti-plastic surgery but I would always prefer woman to stay natural and even wear less make up but if it makes them feel better then so be it. I’m not crazy about her weight loss either but I’m just not going to comment on it anymore.

        2. I believe she is simply not strong enough to be a role model. She wants to please, to look as good as she can by today’s standards (young and lean). A real role model has to have a real voice. And frankly, Kate might change her attitude towards work etc over the next year’s to come, but I doubt that anyone honestly believes that she will ever have an own “voice”.
          That’s ok, not everyone can be a role model. However media should stop promotin that, it really sends the wrong message 🙁
          On a side note, as much as I think she could do many things better, I think she has a naturally slim body type and is just healthy in the last couple of years.

        3. How does ‘faking’ an accent equal ‘faking’ an upbringing exactly? I understand an accent can say a lot about where you’re from, but it doesn’t necessarily mean you fake an upbringing. If Kate fakes this at all, of which I’m skeptical. My accent has drastically changed over the years too. But of course, it must be fake with Kate, cause everything the woman ever does is seen through negatively tinted glasses. Who cares what she sounds like. I should think the British people are capable of understanding that the sound of someone’s voice matters all but nothing.

          1. No one else in her family has this accent, and they went to the same schools and hung out with the same set of aristocrats. That’s what makes the fake accent so obvious.

          2. Exactly! Pippa has given a TV interview at length (which gave many the opportunity to hear her voice for the first time) and something many people noticed was how different Kate and Pippa sounded in terms of accent, elocution, etc. Pippa was much easier to understand but with Kate, you sometimes need subtitles.

      2. Her changing her accent is part of the reason we can’t understand 85% of what she says. It’s not her natural way to say things so she focuses on how she says something instead of just speaking clearly.
        I also take issue with how she was touted as this great middle class modern day princess yet the first thing she does is not take elocution lessons to be better at public speaking but to take lessons to make her sound posher than the queen!!
        She went to some great schools and college, her accent wouldn’t be eliza Doolittle before makeover where she would be embarrassed about how she sounds.
        I love Adele’s accent and how she speaks and I wouldn’t say she has a posh accent at all, yet she embraces where she came from. Kate should to do the same because I would like to be able to understand what she actually says

        1. I blame her teeth. Can’t be easy reading, speaking, trying to not flick your hair, trying not to wonder what William is up to, think about jeggings etc etc with a mouthful of fake teeth. Not to mention those long unpronounceable words!

          She does well. There, I’m being kind.

          1. No it’s not that teeth; there are plenty of actors who have veneers. She just needs speech training; she could have her own little movie called The Duchess’ Speech.

          3. It’s pretty obvious she either has caps or veneers. Braces help with alignment and would maybe legthen some teeth that get pulled down. Her teeth have changed overall size.
            If you can get past the hat you can see how much her teeth have changed
            https://www.google.com/search?q=kate+middleton+fur+hat&client=safari&hl=en-us&prmd=sinv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjwgP_2_LbWAhUJr1QKHWpZD_4Q_AUIEigC&biw=1024&bih=672#imgdii=dIWM34mCmd3pBM:&imgrc=w_GEwc1iMKO78M:

          4. @Sarah

            If it was the caps or veneers that was originally causing her speech problems she would have adjusted to the size by now. Especially if she got them after her engagement. I just think she needs a speech therapist; I mumble naturally myself and have to concentrate really hard to be perfectly clear over 90% of the time. A professional could help her; or she could just work on it herself in the mirror but that takes serious dedication. Former US VP Joe Biden had an strong stutter in his childhood which led him to become a selective mute. He eventually just worked on it himself and now he can’t stop talking.

          5. I was replying to the comment that said all she’s had done is braces. It’s clear she’s had more than braces or whitening done.
            I actually think ABC was just being facetious about the comment about her teeth but that’s just how I read the blip

          6. Stuttering is different from the speech problems you’re implying. Stuttering is like this: you’re talking and suddenly you hit a brick wall when you get to a a specific sentence, word or syllable. It’s frustrating and you’re just pounding away until you get over that hurdle. As a long time stutterer, who has seen speech therapists (and learned various techniques), I’m not sure as to why people would think the size of her teeth can cause a speech impediment such as a stammer. Kate’s speech problems aren’t stutter-related at all. **scratches head**

            P.S. I’ve seen The King’s Speech and the title was referring to his stammer, not the speech he gave in the film.

  7. So, this video was filmed back in January, when Kate went to visit the Anna Freud Centre. I don’t care that Kensington Palace held onto this for close to 9 months. Anna Freud has the power over when their centre’s new campaign is to be released.

    A couple of things:

    1.) I can’t stand Kate’s faux-posh accent. I mean she gets more and more posh as the years go on. Just speak in your normal voice. People won’t judge you!!

    2.) I really like that her hair is pulled back. She can’t hide behind it.

    3.) Kate has gotten really good at doing the blank stare. Showing no emotion whatsoever. Just looking completely emotionless. It’s a talent really, something I actually wish I had a little bit of. I am not good at hiding my emotions, but maybe that is something that comes with age?

    That being said, I very much agree with what others have been saying. It is time for the three of them to move past the “we need to talk about it” portion of their mental health kick. By now, everyone knows that you need to talk about it. If they are going to continue with mental health, then they need to broaden their horizons.

    Mental health is more than just “talking about your feelings”. It is more than just depression. I mean it is getting extremely repetitive. I remember hearing from some royal correspondents that there just isn’t a story with them a lot of the times because their engagements, and the theme of their engagements, is repetitive.

    Also, with the royals, mainly The Cambridges, blocking media access to their engagements, they are more often-than-not going to be out of the headlines. It is almost like they want to be irrelevant. They really don’t understand the power and influence of the media. AND how that can be beneficial to them. They just seem to only see the negatives. Or at least choose to.

    Again, I know some people will say that the royals just have to stick to the “let’s talk about it” path because they can’t get political. However, EVERYTHING has become political these days!!! They can expand their keen interest in mental health, while not getting political. They just have to get creative. AND willing to WORK at it.

    1. “Also, with the royals, mainly The Cambridges, blocking media access to their engagements, they are more often-than-not going to be out of the headlines. It is almost like they want to be irrelevant. They really don’t understand the power and influence of the media. AND how that can be beneficial to them. They just seem to only see the negatives. Or at least choose to.”

      I totally get what you are saying but I also think they shouldn’t receive as much attention as they do. The Queen is still head and her heir is ripe and ready to go. Catherine, William, and George shouldn’t be getting more attention than Charles. I know he’s older but still…

      I’m waiting to see how they’ll behave when they are actually the Prince and Princess of Wales. Regarding media access, I wonder if the British media is like the American media and don’t do a good job focusing on important issues. For instance whenever Michelle Obama did something the focus was usually her clothes or her hair (not that they were outrageous) because the American media is so dumbed down. The Obamas starting using social media more instead of going through the regular media outlets.

      1. They shouldn’t be getting as much attention as Charles not only because he’s next in line, but also because he’s also done so much more meaningful charity work than they have. The Prince’s Trust is an amazing organization that’s made tangible differences in the lives of young people, their mental health campaign doesn’t hold a candle to what Charles has built. Regardless of his personal life, the guy has done excellent work.

      3. Sadly, with any First Lady, Princess, Duchess, etc. the first thing the media focuses on is what the woman wears. With, Kate, mostly, though, that’s all we ever really do have to discuss. She makes little impact at most of her appearanances. At least, she did seem to be more engaged at the more recent ones. Still, it’s the clothes, the hair, etc, that we seem to have to focus on Not much else is being offered up by Kate.

  8. I’ll just echo what many others have said: they really must move beyond the “start a conversation” stage. We need more substance, even if a few practical tips on *how* to start that conversation. What about a “list of signs someone might need to talk” or “good conversation openers” or “times when people are especially likely to need a friend”? I’d take a speech (or even a video) on that. And I really wish she would engage with her charities more.

    As for the video itself: ho-hum. Not much substance, and she was clearly very nervous as the delivery was stilted and unnatural. That was not helped by the fake accent and the over-botoxed face; she is almost unrecognisable from her university days and the uneven eyebrows are a dead giveaway of a botched job.

    1. I agree I’ve learned absolutely nothing about mental illness from them at least the others involved in heads together have more substance the archbishop of Canterbury daughter Katherine welby has been very honest with her battle with depression anxiety and chronic fatigue yet the royals get all the headlines yet are offering no solutions there campaign just seems like them Patti g themselves on the back and getting praise for it

    2. I agree. The suggestions you gave would be a good way to continue their work on mental health. The tips would be helpful to lots of people. That or their contribution to mental will have to stop. They have done the whole round of “we need to talk”, repeating it at every engagement related. People sill stop caring about it and move on onto the next cause du jour.

  9. As much of it is the same they finallly did a couple things right. Maybe becuase the center wrote what Kate had to say? Instead of saying we all mental health-which has been their go to phrase which I hate. kate actually broke it down. And I appreciated the film addressed what to do if someone talks to you but you don’t know what to do. Another one of my many issues with this campaign. You have to be talking to the right person and if the person you’re talking to doesn’t know how to deal/cope with what you’re saying it helps no one.
    At some point they’re going to have to address inadequate funding, not enough mental health care workers and some of the actual hurdles that might make it difficult for people to seek the treatment they need. But they seem content in their little puddle.

      1. That video was awesome!! Thank you so much for that link. The sad reality is though, that mental illness is in a person’s head and very few people can understand that person’s feelings/actions unless they have felt them before. I am much more sympathetic than my boyfriend with regards to mental illness or social issues because I’ve either experienced or witnessed first hand what happens when depression, low socioeconomic status, divorce, etc hits especially at a young age. Its really important to address any issues and find support during those formative years to ensure kids grow up into well adjusted adults. Its hard though when you have parent(s) or guardian(s) who still suffer with mental health and low socioeconomic statuses themselves attempt to raise these kids themselves. Its a self-fulfilling prophecy in many cases.

        Its a great start to advocate for parents and kids to be more open with their feelings. That’s really the first step. But what about steps 2 on – being able to afford medical/mental therapies or treatment, issues with lack of health insurance, willingness to comply with treatment therapies, finding the correct diagnosis or med dosages, dealing with side effects of those meds, concurrent issues of poverty/homelessness/abuse, etc. Why can’t royals really work on more follow through? Combine some of these causes to ensure those that need more services can get them? What about doing fundraisers for their charities? Kate supposedly likes art and photography? Why not have Kate do large scale art projects with kids and do an auction with proceeds going to a charity? It could even be one of those rubber chicken dinner benefits or simply do the auction on line. I bet many WhatKateWore fanatics would shell out lots of money to get original Kate Middleton art. Its certainly more worthwhile than spending a $%&# ton of money on repliKate outfits.

  10. Kate looks weird to me, I didn’t bother to listen to the video since to me it was a pr move, and something to keep her relevant while, in my opinion, faking hg. Same old, same old. As far as I’m concerned this woman/child has nothing of value to say about mental health issues, and she flat out doesn’t give a care. Pr, a solitary version of Dr. Seuss’s ‘We are here’, from “Horton’s Hears a Who”.

    1. It was the charity’s decision to release it nine months later to coincide with this new initiative. I can’t say it has anything to do with her trying to stay relevant while she’s out of work.

      1. Jessica and KMR, I have a tendency to not read carefully at time. I didn’t note the date, that this was in the works months ago. I’m still not impressed, and it makes Kate’s look even more off. I had thought that the pregnancy was the reason she looked strange. To me, she looks downright spooky. Oh well, seems that the charity is impressed by titles and assumes that the public will be too. I don’t think this is good or bad, just done. I am very sensitive regarding mental health issues, and it probably come across in my posts. This was about Kate, both on her part and the charity’s. So be it. It takes a long time for ‘royal fairy dust’ to clear up, and if it doesn’t? Meh. There are dedicated workers, people who genuinely care so let Kate do her marble mouthed psa, and the charity is doing what it believes to be helpful, but Kate launches? KMR doesn’t like caps so just a long o k.

    2. Kate’s participation in the video is absolutely PR… on the part of the Anna Freud Centre. They used Kate to promote their initiative. They were the ones who commissioned the video and chose when to release it.

    3. “Pr, a solitary version of Dr. Seuss’s ‘We are here’, from “Horton’s Hears a Who”.”

      Ha! royalsareajoke. Nailed it. I’m also thinking about the spin: Heads Together: HOW (Hamsters on Wheels).

      This is the first time I’ve listened to her. That accent is so patently pretentious- the boys don’t even sound that uppity; I felt irked throughout. I want to tell her, shame on her. Even though she does seem to have quite a nice speaking voice I just can’t tolerate the self-aggrandising fakeness- might as well be nails on a blackboard..

  11. Thank you for the transcript KMR. It must take your time but it shows your dedication and it really makes a difference to read it. The following points I gained from this video were:-
    1) Kate needs to talk in her real voice. I don’t mind what she sounds like. This accent is definitely inaudible. I speak in a posh accent according to past colleague but I make sure I speak in a measured tome. Or at least try too. I remember how a friend uses her voice when she speaks.
    2) Although Kate took time to record this video, her face is expressionless.
    3) I felt that Kate was just using soundbites. Not speaking in coherent sentences. It was just forced somehow
    4) I don’t agree that a conversation would help. It seems rather a simplistic solution and repeated before.
    5) The hair was tided back. I could see Kate’s face properly.

    I read a blog on Mumsnet and it described how a woman was talking about her son’s with autism. The tone was personal and it focused on the positive as well as the negative. It had balance.

  12. Do we know how much the AFNCCF received from this year’s Heads Together campaign? I hope they get a very good chunk, because according to the royal foundation website, the AFNCCF received zero…yes, zero…funds from the royals for 2016, the year in which Kate became their patron (Feb. 17, 2016).

    This new video, which Kate so proudly supports, was created by a £39,364 Wellcome Trust People Award. Nothing to do with the her or the royal foundation at all. Yet you’ll never hear the royals thanking the actual donating organization that makes such projects possible. They’re just eager to sit and read scripted lines before a camera and appear oh-so-charity-minded.

    And yes, I do realize that Kate’s tiny bit of participation gives the campaign some publicity, but this campaign would be in the schools and reaching children and their teachers and families regardless of Kate.

    1. So in looking at the AFNCCF site’s news section, I should criticize them as well. It does not mention the Wellcome Trust award at all, but focuses mainly on Kate. I hope they get what they’re expecting by playing up her role so, because she’s given so little of her time and effort (and perhaps funding) so far.

      But I am very impressed by the Wellcome Trust and the range and number of projects their generous grants make possible.

      1. In AFC’s initiative site, it is mentioned that Wellcome Trust and Jo Malone London are supporting this. Both very respected sponsors.

  13. “Hello. Mental health is how we feel and think….”

    My God, her speeches are terrible even when she isn’t delivering them live from a podium.

    And can I say that her face is looking a bit…. erm…. enhanced in this video? She has definitely had a facelift since her last outing.

          1. She didn’t have a facelift lmao. Have you ever seen someone who had a facelift? Doesn’t look like this. Guess she just had some botox. What a monstrous crime.

  14. But how do we know for sure that Kate is faking her accent? Do we have recording of her voice before? I know that some say she sounds very different From the rest of her family and that her accent is even posher than the redt of the royals… but how do we know for sure? Sincere question

    2. You can find interviews of Pippa and Carole online. Kate should sound like them, but she doesn’t. Not even close. So it is obvious she changed her speech.

      1. I disagree Kate ‘should sound like them’. Accents change, especially when there are so many of them. I come from up north, as a kid I used to sound like that, but when I moved to London it changed big time. Then, when I went to study abroad I noticed it changed again, I’ve started sounding almost a bit like an American! I’m not saying Kate doesn’t ‘fake’ it, I mean, it’s possible, I just don’t think that Pippa’s accent ‘proves’ anything. Kate might’ve smartened up when she went to uni, met her sloany friends, dated William etc.
        Don’t get me wrong, I’m not pleased with how she sounds, but she ‘should’ not sound like anything. That’s not how accents work.

        2. Her accent doesn’t even sound like anyone around her. The Queen sounds less posh than she does!

          Kate’s accent softens quite a lot if you watch her on engagements when she’s not trying to fake it. Also doesn’t make as many of those faces nor sound incoherent, or as if she’s got marbles in her mouth.

        3. Some people have an amazing ability to pick up the accents of others when they visit different locales. Others, can just mimic accents after hearing them once in the media. However, as others have pointed out Kate sounds far more posh than even the Queen does. The PR need to get ehir story straight. Is she a middle class girl who landed a prnce, or is she Eilza Dolittle, who studied hard to make her voice appear more Royal than it was? And, if she studied that so hard, why doesn’t she learn presentation skills? And, small talk that is relevant and makes those she meets feel as if she really is interested in them?

    3. Somebody posted here a while back a video of Kate visiting St Andrew’s university and giving a speech, I think shortly after her marriage. Forgive me for not being able to find it but I distinctly remember a confident Kate with a still posh accent but with a much better and more clear way of pronouncing. I’m not an English native speaker but I can certainly tell if an accent is clear and understandable.

        1. Oh I disagree. A strong Scots accent for example I’m sure our American friends wouldn’t understand at all. Same with a strong Geordie or Scouse accent.

          1. Or even a strong Southern (Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, South/North Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma, etc.) accent can be difficult to understand if the person doesn’t enunciates properly.

          2. I agree Birdy, and Kimothy. I used to work in a call center and we had access to interpreters since it was an international business. However, we didn’t have interpreters for those from the deep South who were speaking naturally and man was it hard to understand them. And Scottish? Not a chance, I tried to listen to some videos and had to give up. We sold a puppy to some really neat people and I could understand the lady, but the gentleman, not so much- and they were speaking English with a British accent, delightful but difficult to understand. Of course, I would never in a million years admit that I wasn’t understanding, oh no I just went into smile and nod mode, just as I do when I am greeted by name and I am clueless as to who they are. I guess I simply consider Kate’s accent phony because I consider **her** to be phony, acting like she thinks a ‘royal’ should, but in a very passive aggressive (think flashing) way sending a message that she’s all that and a white truffle. Very insecure in my opinion, and for good reason. Admit it to herself or not, she’s out of her league and a default wife to a totally charmless prince. I could be wrong, but that’s what I see.
            Logic tells me that if William and the rest of the ‘firm’ can speak in ways that the words can be understood? then Kate should be able to as well, if for no other reason than she’s been leeched onto them for years.

    4. I think Kate was much easier to understand during the “engagement” appearance years ago. Maybe it’s partly because the questions were so predictable that I could also easily anticipate her answers. But it seems to me most of her posher-than-the-queen accent has arisen since then. (I’m an American but can understand Queen Elizabeth, Sophie Wessex, Camilla and most males in the BRF without straining. I could also understand Diana’s speech. Kate is a different matter entirely) Although she’s improved a bit in the last year, overall Kate has also seemed much more “tongue-tied” and nervous when speaking publicly  in the years since the engagement interview where she seemed pretty comfortable. (Maybe things changed after the new teeth. Maybe after comments about judging a tea’s scent by uh, ah, um, hmm, ah…smelling? Maybe after other pretty dumb public comments that could have been avoided by some advance prep vs expecting automatic adoration for doing things like repeatedly murmuring “brilliant” regardless of the specific situation?)

      1. The engagement interview, too, was very preplanned. Kate was actually fed answers. They had to do many takes and retakes to get the interview. Tom Bradby commented on it more than once and commented how dull they both were, lol.

        1. Did he really say that? Do you have a link or a video because he was chosen because of his relationship with William. I can’t imagine he would ruin his access by making a negative comment publicly.

          1. I have to find it but he absolutely said something of the sort. I recall being SO horrified by it, I don’t remember when it was; something about how Kate needs to stil lose some weight post-George. I wonder if it’s been scrubbed. I’ll use some Google fu. I think other people here remember it too as it’s come up before.

            I mean, he’s said some appalling things in public before.

          2. I would like to see this too. I did a cursory search for this and only found Tom saying positive things about the couple and the interview. Nothing about multiple edits or providing answers to Kate.

          3. There was a video on YouTube where he talked about it. I wonder if it’s gone now. A lot of stuff about Kate during the waiting years and such that isn’t flattering is difficult to find as well. Royal whitewashing!

        3. Ellie: I feel very frustrated by the recent royal whitewashing of Kate’s girlfriend years, and early marriage years.

          Tom Bradby absolutely gave an interview about the difficulty of Kate’s answers, the multiple edits and the fact that ITV production assistants on the shoot had to feed Kate answers eg her answer to the Diana question.

          The interview is only a few minutes long, but in reality took longer than 5hrs to shoot due to the multiple takes required of each of Kate’s answers.

          And even then, you can tell something is out of sync because of different answers given by William and Kate to the same question eg when asked about their infamous 2007 breakup, they their individual responses show they are speaking about other breakups rather than 2007 or the one the other is discussing.

          I knew someone who used to bookmark any and all royal stories from that era as research for a book they were planning and most, if not all, her bookmarks are 404 error messages.

          1. It’s interesting, isn’t it, that the BRF feels it necessary to whitewash its members, all in the name of perpetuating some myth of superiority. Pity they can’t stand or fall on their own merit. Refusing to own their own actions and words is cowardly and dishonest.

          2. How does it happen? Does KP call a publication and ask for the article to be removed, and the publication just complies? This makes me upset. This makes me think these publications can’t be trusted.

          3. Jet Texas: i don’t know how the royals do it, but i know someone who employs a company that removes all mentions of him from the internet except for items he specifically allows to stay.

            It’s an industry in itself. I think the proper term for these types of companies is ‘online reputation management’ You can hire them for a fee to remove and repair your online reputation eg https://www.internetreputation.com

            In my friend’s case, there are only 3 items about him online. 2 are glowing magazine profiles about his success and genius and the 3rd is his company profile. He doesn’t use social media, and so far i can’t see that he has been tagged in anyone’s social media though it could be his reputation management company have untagged him.

            I presume that as well as pressuring the right bodies eg press regulatory bodies who in turn do their dirty work, the royals may also employ these online reputation companies.

          1. He wasn’t bashing her. His interview was given in the spirit of positivity that inadvertently made Kate look like an idiot.

            In the same way that her cousin told reporters that Kate struggles to be interested in people

            Or Uncle Gary saying Kate was a plodder who doesn’t easily grasp things

            Or her jigsaw boss telling the world Kate wasn’t a committed worker.

            These anecdotes were told in a spirit of kindness and trying to show Kate in a positive light.

            Unfortunately, their words unintentionally made her look bad.

            For the record, it’s highly unlikely that 3 unconnected people who live in different parts of the world would have the same memory. I don’t know Ellie or Maven, and only interact with them on this comment board. We have no reason to tell the same lie when we don’t know each other from Adam.

  15. In her biography of Princess Diana, Tina Brown said that the only power royalty still has, is the power to disappoint. I see Kate as a disappointment in her role as Duchess of Cambridge, and I like to imagine that she is using this time of illness to do some soul searching and thinking.
    Maybe she is drafting a letter to her new private secretary ( can’t remember the exact job title) – and how wonderful if it was a series of points similar to this:
    I realise that I have not really stepped up in my new role, so I want to implement some measurable, significant changes that will help or assist the people of the Uk.
    I have been spending too much money on clothes and jewellery. I will not buy any new items of clothing/jewellery for at least one year.
    I will cull the contents of my wardrobe and either give the excess to EACH charity shops to sell, or have a public sale of the items to raise money for EACH, whichever you think most appropriate. It is is a public sale I will cop any flak about copying my MIL because the money raised will help people.
    I will collaborate with the Art Room and EACH to design/draw either postcards/colouring books/posters or storybooks to raise ongoing funds for their work.
    I will do this annually for as long as it is a money raiser and effective for the charities.
    I will personally send a birthday card/greeting to every child in EACH hospice care.
    I will host a “princess” tea party for children from EACH who might particularly gain strength and enjoyment from it. I will not talk about George or Charlotte until the children do. I will host a tea party as often as practical in my schedule.
    I will attend as many fund raisers for Action on Addiction and the NHM as I can.
    I won’t do anything much for the 1851 trust because let’s be honest, it’s not that important. (These are my own personal thoughts, otherwise I have tried not project how I wish Kate felt about things, plus it’s not important how she feels, she has a job to do – and her public engagements are not about her – L)
    When I give speeches I will never again use the phrase ” in my work with mental health/hospices ) etc, as I do not do any work in these fields. The employees and volunteers and families do the work – I am here to shine a light on their work and raise the funds to make their work easier.
    I would like to begin my next speech at EACH with the words “thank you for allowing me to visit with you today. It is a privilege to try and assist you…. “, because it’s not actually about me! Why didn’t anyone tell me before?
    Lucia

    2. Oh, if Kate had that sense of compassion and care about her job and duties!

      Alas. She hasn’t changed since she was in her 20s and refused to work…

      1. +1

        I don’t know why I keep expecting Kate to change? She showed us all what she was like even in the “waity” years, but I live in hope?

        I’m not impressed by her visiting a charity and then using the time there to film a video. When I hear Kate has spent x amount of time at a charity or engagement I expect her to be getting to know more about the charity and meeting the people involved, not to be in a room filming a video to be released later. She has enough spare time to do this on a separate occasion? Right? I bet she she gets 2 engagements out of what to me is one? (the visit to the charity and then the video release later). Not impressed.

        1. “I’m not impressed by her visiting a charity and then using the time there to film a video. When I hear Kate has spent x amount of time at a charity or engagement I expect her to be getting to know more about the charity and meeting the people involved, not to be in a room filming a video to be released later. She has enough spare time to do this on a separate occasion? Right? I bet she she gets 2 engagements out of what to me is one? (the visit to the charity and then the video release later). Not impressed.”

          Either am I. Very disappointing.

        2. Cathy, are you near where the earthquake was in NZ? I hope all is ok where you live.

          THe world has so many disasters to deal with. I’m thinking and praying for those in Puerto Rico and their loved ones everywhere who are worried about them as another major hurricane is moving through the Caribbean. Likewise, for the people in Mexico after their terrible earthquake.

          So many horror stories to read of and try to make sense of lately.

          Here’s to some good news breaking out around the globe.

          1. Hi Jenny

            thanks for your concern. I’m at the other end of the North Island from the latest lot of earthquakes. So no worries here.

            And I missed the chance to say something about you and the kids taking some baking to your local fire station (firehouse?) on Sept 11. I’m sure it was appreciated. I still can’t quite believe what I saw happening that day. I woke up in the morning and turned on the tv to check the time only to see footage of the first plane hitting the tower. Nothing happened at work that day either as we were all in shock and just watching the clips play over and over again.

            My nephew is a fireman here in Auckland. When he joined the service I did panic and then talked to an old school friend who has been a fireman for years. He said that yes they are the ones running into a building when everyone else is running out but it’s all calculated risk. All those firemen who entered the towers that day would have know there was a huge amount of risk entering into those buildings but they still did it anyway as their mission was to save lifes. I also think of those entering Grenfell Towers not knowing what they would be faced with. I take my hat off to each and every one of them.

            I think you’ve picked a nice way to remember that day and to honour the job that firemen do, I think I will take a leaf out of your book and take some baking to my local fire station next year.

          2. Greetings to you, Cathy. So glad to know that things are well where you live. Thanks for your kind and thoughtful words. You always say the right things in all your comments on KMR.

            I agree that firefighters are doing the most amazing work. They are truly the ones who need to be heralded on a consistent basis. Here in the States, 9/11 is a time of remembrance, but is also becoming a day of service to honor all who perished and did what they could to help out. The firefighters we visited were very kind and really appreciated the baked goods, but seemed to be a tad embarrassed for any accolades that were given to them. They do what they know they need to do, I believe. They expect little, if anything in return. Their goal is to save lives and property. Lives, matter most.

            They were sweet enough to put my daughter behind the steering wheel of one of fire engines. She wouldn’t go, until one of her step brothers went with her. Then, she was all excited. All smiles!

            It’s nice to hear that you want to honor your firefighters, too. And, congrats to your nephew, who decided to take on such a noble job. I will wish him well always and do send him a huge thank you, too. For all his hard work and service!

          3. Hi Jenny

            It doesn’t surprise me that the firemen enjoyed the visit with your kids, my nephew says it’s the best part of the job when they get to take an engine to schools, especially when there are little ones there as they always love seeing the fire trucks!

            I think he’s being rather modest as I hear from my old school friend who is a fireman too that my nephew is getting a reputation at being very fast and very efficient using the “jaws of life”!

            It’s a lovely sunny day here so I’m wishing for a sunny day for you, Miss Maddie and the rest of your family tomorrow (Sunday)!

            🙂

  16. I could be wrong but I think Chopper is verbally abusing her, she looks incredibly strained, and I am thinking their is a nightmare relationship between her and her hubby, and it has got to be absolute Hell to walk, and put on this charade of see how happy we all are and poised and confident. Though some would say she made her bed now lay in it. And of course the little ones in the middle need to be shielded from all that. Personally she looks miserable like she doesn’t sleep well at all!!

    1. Considering some of the stuff he’s said in public about her and to her–such as the infamous how she needs to lose 20lbs remark in Australia I believe it was… I’m not surprised. He treats people badly. Look how he talks to his brother; that’s not brotherly banter, it’s mean. Or comments he’s made in public to other people trying to be funny but coming off cruel.

      So I wouldn’t be surprised if William was a less than decent husband. After all this is the guy who goes on hunting trips with ex-girlfriends and prioritizes her wedding over Easter with his wife and new baby…

      I just hope not. Kate, despite making her bed by stalking William and knowing how he is, doesn’t deserve that treatment. Nobody does. And the kids being caught in it too… Maybe that’s why Carole is so present, though from all I’ve read she always sides with William.

      1. If what you’re saying is true it’s very common in manipulative relationships. It reminds me of Nicole and OJ Simpson (please don’t attack me, I’m not saying he’s that bad); Nicole’s family always sided with OJ and told her to go back to him and try to keep her family together (mostly because he was giving them money and paying for her sister’s school tuition). I can definitely see her internalizing things and doing whatever her mother and husband tell her to.

        1. I could, too. I mean, we have proof in books and from sources that Kate’s mother pushed them back together when Kate had enough. Even giving them the master bedroom to kiss and make up, hosting a party at their house which they’d invited William to… (BLECH.)

          2. I think it was in the Katie Nicholl biography of Kate pre-marriage. The Middletons were essential in getting them back together, Carole inviting William to a party after they broke up due to William’s constant cheating (bringing gals to his barracks at Sandhurst, and it getting out). Kate for once had shown some backbone. They broke up far more than the official one time in 2007.

        2. Wow Jessica, I knew nothing of this about OJ and Nicole. That’s horrible. I remember the day of the white car on the freeway, I came home from work and my husband said, ‘look at what’s going on with OJ’, I couldn’t figure out why he was talking about orange juice:) I’m not sure why you would worry about an attack for saying something about this dude, but personally I don’t care. I think he’s a nut case.

          1. Royalsajoke: i was obsessed with the court case when it was televised. I lost respect for Nicole’s family and friends during the case because they knew what was going on, and looked the other way or encouraged her to stay or go back simply coz he was picking up their tab.

            Such hypocrite tears at the trial when she had asked for help so many times whilst she lived.

        1. I think William’s 20 pounds remark was actually at one of her first couple engagements after George was born. I definitely remember he said something about Kate still needing to lose weight at either the race in Wales or the gala they went to where she wore that sparkly Jenny Packham dress. But Ellie could also be talking about something else he said to her in Australia. I mean he said she looked like a banana when she wore that yellow dress, so it wouldn’t be that surprising if he also talked about her weight during that trip too.

          1. I remember she said that William said she looked like a banana in the yellow dress in Australia. I don’t remember hearing anything of William saying anything about Kate’s weight ever. Is there a source for this? I did a search and found nothing.
            It would be sad if it is true.

          2. Could have been then too, I just remember William saying that and being horrified. No wonder she’s obsessed with being so very thin.

          3. I remember that event in Wales after George was born .Where he mentioned kate said she had 20 pounds to lose.I dont think he said it to be mean but that kate was focusing on losing the baby weight herself.William says some crazy things but this time he didnt complain about her weight in a bad way.

          4. So it was late August after George was born, when she surprise showed up at the Wales event (I think it was a race or something)?

            I still dont remember it and I feel like the internet would have blown up if he did say it maliciously.

            Whether he did or not I still think he is a jerk and she could have done better.

      3. I believe you’re right. The way he talks publicly about and to Kate and others makes me think he can be much worse in private. I feel sorry for her. Some might argue that she knew him and still wanted the Prince and title, but I guess she hoped he would change after the wedding or after they had children.
        But on the other hand we don’t know what their relationship is really like. Hopefully they’re happier than we think.

        1. Kate has too. Carole has been coaching her there. William did used to live at Wood farm and he regularly goes off without her on holidays.

      5. They didn’t visit Australia until April 2014, and she had lost the baby weight long before then. The only place I have ever read this rumor is here on this site, not even on the extreme negative forums, only on this site.

        Would William use the phrase “20 pounds” (stone vs. pounds)? If William had said such a thing, I agree, it would have been all over the place. And it isn’t as far as I can tell.

        All I find is her being quoted by someone at the race in Wales about her wanting to “get back into shape”. Nothing at all of William making any comments regarding her weight, but her making comments about it.

        Will Stewart, park warden at Holyhead Breakwater Country Park where William rang a bell to start the Ring O’Fire Anglesey Coastal Ultra Marathon, said the Duchess told him she was “genuinely interested” in doing some more walking around the area – “especially after the baby’.

        He said: ‘She said she wants to get back into shape. I said, ‘You don’t need to worry about that.’ She looked great.’

        http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2406586/Kate-Middleton-makes-public-appearance-birth-baby-George-Anglesey-ultra-marathon.html

  17. About the accent, one former classmate said that when she arrived at Marlborough College she had a typical middle-class accent. Then she got in with the posh girls, adopted their accent, and ended school sounding more upper class than any of them.

    1. It must be hard to have these high expectations by your family.I think Carole is a woman trying so hard to.achieve always more.And her children try to please her.
      Kate should be more relaxed.It’s her life, not her mother’s. Let loose sometimes.They will never be satisfied with what they have.It’s their character.

      1. I agree with you. It takes time and character to say no and stand up for what you want, especially to someone that matters to you, aka your mother.
        I wonder that if this going to change, since Kate is now a mother.

        1. I wonder sometimes if she will someday explode.
          I feel sorry for her that she seems not able to show her true self.We got a glimpse at Pippa’s wedding that she can be really funny and relaxed when she is around her family. I wish she could be more herself, also in public.People would love her for it how they also loved Diana for her funny and charming nature when in public.

  18. Fake hair, facial surgery Botox, fake accent. Combine that with obsessive weight loss and I think this spells no sense of self for Kate. She was sold out by her parents (Yes, I include Michael, who enabled Carole), manipulated by her Mum, verbally put down by William, and thus, Kate is always trying to be and look (and sound) perfect. I honestly don’t think she has much of a sense of who she is and what she is worth as a person. I do believe that her children mean the world to her and at least, she knows that she has a maternal side and I think she should use that trait when going out to be with kids and with people who are suffering from anything of any kind. She has something to give. She is a unique woman. We all are unique. She needs an ego boost. She needs to step up to the plate and find out more about who she really is and how she can be a better Duchess! I know that many of her actions in the past have proven her to be shallow, stuck up, even unfeeling of others, but I truly think her main problem is lack of self worth. If she had a better idea of who she is and what she can do that is positive, maybe, she’d have an easier time doing it. Instead, it’s her clothing, her hair, her posh accent that she focuses on. Or, appears to be focusing on. Sad, but to me, that’s Kate at this point in time.

    1. She does lack motivation, I agree, Halia. Often the very depressed do lack it. And, I really believe that not knowing who she is may lead to her depression — even, if she is not aware of that yet.

    1. That’s the right way to pull off a monochrome look-varying shades! Not a fan of the tassels tho. Can’t tell if they’re part of the shirt or jacket.
      Doesn’t Victoria usually attend the General assembly? I haven’t seen any pics of her there yet. More fuel for the pregnancy fodder?

    2. I agree with you, Lauri. Max really does a remarkable job of doing things to hep others. The red suit looked awesome. If I have to be nitpicky, I will say the red tassled necklace was too much. Maybe in gold? I would have looked better?
      And, red hoes and purse? Come on, Max, you are far more fashion-wise than that. Still, she floors me with her self-confident air and the way she carries herself. Most of her clothing choices are great. This suit was. Just not the accessories. At least to me.

      There’s fairness. Calling someone else out a bit rather than Kate.

      1. The tassels are weirdly part of the shirt. If you look at the pics there are loops for them at the collar.
        I couldn’t tell before if they were part of shirt or jacket so I zoomed in. It’s the shirt. They remind me of Kate’s lampshade earrings. Not attractive on ears or shirts!! =) but agree that it’s a very maxima outfit. I wish she would ditch the turban like hats tho.

  21. I finally watched the video. Wow and not in a good way. A couple of points.

    1.) Her voice reminded me of Lady Mary from Downton Abbey; very clipped and posh-like but it was like she had marbles in her mouth!

    2.) Completely void of any expression of any emotions which is a tad ironic considering the fact that she’s talking about feelings, which coincide with emotions. What the heck?! It’s like someone just turned the key, pushed a few buttons for words to be spit out, and that’s that!

    Also, and I hope it’s okay that I post this: guess who’s on the cover of the latest People magazine? Nope, not Kate but William! UGH!! **face palm**

    http://people.com/royals/how-prince-william-trained-to-be-king-as-a-teen-amid-the-queens-at-times-prickly-relationship-with-charles/

    Of course, the magazine, has to mention the difficult relationship that, not William but HM, has with Charles. Sigh…..

    1. Of course, because HM wants William and his beautiful perfect bride (their university love story, oh, it is true love!) to be king and queen consort, not evil Charles and ‘Cowmilla’ or the other awful names people call Camilla. William will save the monarchy! (From what?)

      1. Right?? **rolls eyes**

        I know Charles isn’t perfect but guess what? A lot of people messed up during the 1980s & 1990s–not just the Prince of Wales!!

        I’m curious as to who was bribed to put William on the cover and what the bribe was.

        It’s just so random! I would’ve expected either Selena Gomez because of her sudden kidney transplant OR Lady Gaga because of her new Netflix documentary on her Fibromyalgia and how illness affects her to be on the cover–not William!!

        1. I swear, Jason must have People on speed dial or something. Ever since he has been at the helm they’ve been promoting stories about W&K. It is bizarre.

          2. Who knows. Positive PR for them in the States, but they don’t need it? Exposure here? I dunno! It’s weird!

            Charles is the devil and William has always been painted from boyhood as ‘the savior of the monarchy,’ which is a stupid burden to put on a child! There’s an old Time cover from the 90s…

          5. Yaaaaaaasssssss!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now I remember! Wasn’t that in 1995 or 1996? It had to have been 1996 because they’re mentioning the Olympics! Wow! 20+ years ago! No wonder he’s got ego he’s got; he’s been told forever that he’s a super duper special Superman who can save the monarchy and Daddy is a big mean ogre who doesn’t deserve to become king.

            Sigh…..

    2. People Mag is obsessed with Diana and her sons and Catherine and the kids; not surprising this random cover was put out. I can’t wait to see the review on this issue.

      From People:
      “Of course, William — who is currently expecting his third child with wife Princess Kate — will be a very different monarch from the record-setting Elizabeth. “He will be more accessible — he has to be for a modern age,” says Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chef of Majesty. “More of a movie star and less of the mystique.”

      1. **rolls eyes and face palms** not at you, Jessica, at People mag and Ingrid Stewart (who is so flip-flop in which royal she supports it’s ridiculous!).

        Sighs and shakes head…..

        1. I can’t believe it was 20 + years ago! William did a photoshoot for smash hits magazine around that time. I am surprised Kate didn’t have a copy or two. I didn’t.

        2. People Mag is the glossiest of celeb mags. Celebs love it; they are the go-to for new baby photoshoots, wedding photos, divorce interviews, recovering from scandals, etc. It’s not surprising that they feed to People Mag and even E News. Their American media presence is very strong and not nearly as criticized here in comparison to the British media.

          1. They put them cover and it doesn’t sell at all.Most people i know that follow the royals over here in the u.s. think they’re boring and workshy.

          2. @Erica

            Yes I don’t really know anyone who’s a big fan of Will and Catherine or the BRF at all. My mother liked Diana but that’s about it. But in general they aren’t criticized as much over here; the press they get is very fluffy.

        1. She’s Princess William or Duchess of Cambridge. Or maybe even, Princess William, Duchess of Cambridge. I wouldn’t mind that at all but no one ever calls her that.

          I believe Princess Catherine will always be wrong even when she’s Princess of Wales; it supposed to be Catherine, Princess of Wales when the time comes.

          1. She wouldn’t be “Catherine, Princess of Wales” unless she were divorced from William at the time. She would be “The Princess of Wales”.

          2. Only the child of a title or a divorcee has their first name ahead of their title.

            Every time people write her name as ‘Catherine +comma+duchess of Cambridge’ or to be clear ‘Catherine, duchess of Cambridge’ they are in effect saying that Kate is divorced.

            She is The Duchess of Cambridge, assumed to be the future Princess of Wales and eventually Queen Consort. No first name.

            Only when she is Queen Consort will her first name be returned to her title such that she will be HM Queen Catherine. That is assuming she is elevated to Queen Consort and not Princess Consort. As we’ve never had a princess consort, it’s impossible to know the correct form her princess consort title would take. Albert was a Prince Consort, but neither Philip nor George (Queen Anne’s husband) are prince consort) though they were both made royal dukes (Edinburgh and Cumberland respectively) whilst Albert was not made a duke.

            Until her elevation to Queen Consort, she has no first name in her title because she is only married to the title holder and not the daughter of the title holder.

            Just like Diana was Lady Diana because she was daughter of a title holder, but became The Princess of Wales during her marriage to a title holder, and became Diana, princess of Wales on her divorce of said titleholder.

          3. @KMR

            Thanks for the correction, I’m no expert. I definitely see Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge a lot so that’s definitely a common error.

            I kind of like the way Princess William sounds but they would not be looked at well in the 21st century.

          4. Herazeus, is there a website that has the styling information? You’ve shared so much on the subject, but I forget which post you commented in. I would love to learn about these rules. So fascinating! Thank you.

        2. I can never tell if People’s refusal to call her by correct title is 1. Their passive aggressive way of not being completely sycophantic 2. Trying to be cute 3. Dumbing down of America
          Or on some days a little of all 3
          I get the referring of kate Middleton. It’s what people search for but Princess Kate? Just lazy journalism

          1. @Sarah

            A large portion is definitely ignorance and America’s princess obsession. We are typically taught it’s King/Queen –> Prince/Princess –> Duke/Duchess. Calling her Duchess Kate/Catherine kind of seems like a downgrade even if it’s not.

  22. William has no movie star charisma. Neither does Kate. They will be drab and not inspirational in their roles if/when William becomes King. PEOPLE will just continue printing fluff just as the DM now does. The more one says that Kate is a fashion icon, the more some people believe it, etc!

    I’d like to take time out to focus on the disasters impacting so many people in the world. The terrible quake in Mexico, the way Hurricane Jose has wiped out power, homes and lives in Puerto Rico. Another quake in NZ, although I have hard nothing more. Hope our NZ commenters are ok. Cathy? Jen, do you live there, too? Or, Australia? Sorry, I don’t recall.

    Tragedies happen everyday around the world and often we hear little, if anything. But, lives are ruined and we need to remember that. I hope people will rally to offer support, financially and emotionally where it’s needed. Here in the States, Irma sufferers in Texas and Louisiana have been getting help. The people in Florida are receiving some, too. We should not ignore anyone. Give what you can. Every little bit counts.

    I can’t focus too much on the news of late. Too depressing and family situations are keeping me quite busy. But, did anything happen in Japan, too?

    Sending warm thoughts and prayers to all.

    3. Hi Jenny, thanks for your concern. I live in Oz where earthquakes are rare; however, I lived in NZ for many years. It might interest people to know that NZ has earthquakes pretty much daily – it’s located on the ‘Ring of Fire’ : http://news.sky.com/story/why-are-there-so-many-earthquakes-in-mexico-11044488

      New Zealanders are ever alert to ‘The Big One’, whenever and wherever it may strike. I agree, we need to offer whatever we can of ourselves to those who need support. I am always in awe of the generosity, the true citizenship of people who walk INTO disaster to help others. Walk into… And those who put their hands, hearts and minds to offer money, goods and kindness. God’s angels, all.

      1. Jen, glad you are ok. And, yes, like Los Angeles, I would imagine NZ gets a fair share of tremors consistently.

        I agree that those who jump in to help physically are amaaing. You are so right in calling them, “God’s angels.”

        1. As I mentioned to Laura, above, there are actually daily tremors in NZ, largely going unnoticed by people. The two biggest quakes were in 1931(in Napier, North Island where the whole town was destroyed and rebuilt) and most recently in Christchurch (South Island) in 2011. I imagine Angelinos are all too accustomed to tremors too!

      2. All the earthquakes and devastation they cause not to mention Hurricane Maria are so scary. Being near Los Angeles we always talk about ‘The Big One,’ and I realize, wow, we are not prepared at all for it if it happened!

        Makes me think of the horrendous earthquake in Christchurch in 2011… So awful

    1. Oh, Mrs BBV, that was an interesting article. I recall a person involved with one of the HT organisations saying much the same thing last year: they simply didn’t have the resources to handle the increase in demand for counselling services that came from ‘raising awareness.’ There was also considerable lag in RF funds being awarded to address the demand. Several UK commenters here have also said the NHS has been seriously under-funded at at breaking point, backing up the psychiatrist’s perspective.

      The trio has muddied the waters considerably with chanting their slogans. It was clear that the initiative was only temporary. They did not differentiate between the ebb and flow of everyday emotions from those diagnosed mental illnesses that needs professional, ongoing treatment. All of which has been said on this forum by many, many people.

  24. So Kate is scheduled to make her first appearance Oct. 10th since disappearing. That means she will only have had her “HG” for a little over a month. I have never heard of anyone with real HG only having it for a month and also knowing when it was going to end. The fact that KP scheduled her for the 10th means they are pretty confident at this point she will be fine. It is this kind of stuff that makes people think she doesn’t have HG. I think she had bad morning sickness, which is nothing to hide, but calling it HG when it’s not is becoming more and more clear. And saying that HG is a spectrum doesn’t really work here. HG lasts much longer than a month, even on the lighter side. To the women who have had HG on here-would you agree?

    1. Im pretty sure the event was scheduled and invitations out before her pregnancy announcement. And it doesnt imply her sickness is over for good and will resume her normal pace of working, or that she will definitely 100% be there.

      With Charlotte, HG was announced Sept 8 and Kate returned to work Oct 21 to meet the Chinese president and slowly picked up engagements from there.

      That being said I believe she has bad morning sickness but not HG.

      1. Considering they made the announcement about Kate working when the knew she was pregnant I wouldn’t put much past KP.

        If you have actual HG it doesn’t show up suddenly at 10-11 weeks (Kate’s due in March supposedly), and doesn’t disappear a few weeks later. ..

        I was not even diagnosed with HG but had something like it, I guess. I do not think I lost enough weight in the time period to be classified HG (15-20% of body weight–which is why KP claiming Kate has it is hilariously sad!). I know women far worse than I was. It lasted the whole of my pregnancy, I couldn’t function. I lost something like 10-15lbs in the first trimester alone. It sucked.

        1. @Ellie

          We do not know how far along she is. I know you think she’s 11/12 weeks because of an off-comment PW made but we simply do not know. She’s scheduled for an event but she could easily say she’s not feeling well when the day comes. I still don’t understand why people want to dismiss her severe morning sickness when she wasn’t even able to take her first born child, the future Monarch who she wanted to give birth to so badly, to school for his first day.

          1. Was it even confirmed by KP that Kate was not there due to HG or has everyone just assumed that?

            It could be that it was decided that William would just take George along to school? It did make for a lovely photo from Chris Jackson with just William and George, before leaving KP. It may have been decided to make George the focus that day and having Kate there would have put all the focus on her??

          2. We will know how far along she is once the month is given. And people go round and round with you on this Jessica, there is plenty of evidence that Kate doesn’t have HG. This is just another one that adds to it. No one is doubting she has morning sickness, just not HG. And she could still have bad morning sickness that prevented her from taking George to school. Even if she was not in danger of throwing up, the last thing Kate would want is to look bad for the cameras, which all women could agree on and not fault her for. It would be horrible to have camera’s on you when you feel miserable. But it is a whole other thing to claim she has HG when she just has bad morning sickness. You can blindly believe everything KP says, while other’s question the constant contradictions from KP and choose differently. As I tend to not agree with most of your comments, I will use your line for shutting down conversations and say I will not continue this discussion with you since there is no point. (I know you directed your comment to Ellie, but it was under my main comment)

            But I will end on this. I find it funny that you comment on others for acting like they know Kate’s personal life. So, how do you know she wanted ” to give birth so badly”? That is a rhetorical question, I am just pointing out you know no more than the rest of us. So Good Day.

          4. @Overit

            You may want to re-read and relax. I specifically didn’t say HG, I said severe morning sickness. But yes I will not continue this any further since you misrepresented my original comment and then took a large detour.

          5. I can see there being questions regarding whether or not Kate actually has HG/Hyperemesis gravidarum or just severe morning sickness, however I doubt if Kate and/or the KP spokespeople are deliberately misleading people, rather it is likely that her doctor diagnosed her with the condition and that is what is being communicated to the public.

          6. Any doctor worth their salt wouldn’t diagnose HG straightaway like that. It has to be sustained, loss of 15-20% body weight, etc. KP jumped on the HG bandwagon for Kate to be a special snowflake, get heaps of pity, and so nobody expects anything out of her; saying she’s just extremely ill as many women are doesn’t have that same punch IMO.

          7. Where did you get the 15-20% from? Most of what I have seen just references weight loss and when it is quantified, the figure is 5%. I can’t imagine that a doctor “worth [his or her] salt” is going to let the patient have a sustained weight loss of 15-20% before concluding that the patient has HG and then prescribing a course of treatment.

            There are multiple indicators, in fact the key indicators are excessive and constant vomiting, severe nausea and then everything else stems from there like weight loss, presence of ketones and other deficiencies and anomalies.

            ETA:
            OK I have found a resource that does cite a figure higher than 5%. Hyperemesis.org states a “loss of greater than 5% of pre-pregnancy body weight (usually over 10%)” but even that is not part of the diagnoses, rather the weight loss is a consequence of “severe and/or inadequately treated” HG. The definition is of HG is “hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) is a severe form of nausea and vomiting in pregnancy.”

          8. Even if you probably will choose to ignore it, the percentage of bodyweight that is being lost by (whichever of the 1000 different) HG definitions is when the condition is UNTREATED. With good treatment, ideally weight loss can be avoided. Not always, but often.
            Im not saying that Kate has HG, I just believe that repeating misleading facts will not help anyone. Same accounts for the constant repetitions of William having said that Kate is soon 12 weeks along. I guess we all know by now that this was out of context. But this is exactly how rumours and consequently wrong knowledge is being spread.

      2. You know Stephanie I was wondering the same thing-how early were the invites sent? I was thinking too maybe they were sent before her pregnancy was announced. But since someone just recently posted a photo of the invite this week, it makes me think they were just sent out. I could be wrong. But it would make sense to send them out a month in advance. KP confirmed her being there, but that can be taken with a grain of sand. It will be interesting to see if she is back to work already by then.

        And your right that it doesn’t mean she will resume her normal pace of working. But her normal pace is only about 3 engagements a month. I definitely don’t think she will up her work load like said and use the pregnancy as an excuse. I hope she proves me wrong though 🙂

  25. A person’s register changes depending on the context. Kate by her own admission suffers high levels of anxiety when she addresses gatherings. It is therefore not surprising that her register would change when making a video.

  26. Anyone else disappointed that there has barely been any lead up to the Invictus Games? I recall last year the Games were advertised everywhere

    1. I’m quite surprised how quiet it’s been from Harry on Invictus. He was seemingly everywhere ahead of the Orlando games, yet he’s seemingly nowhere now.

    2. Could be because Invictus last year was in the US and thus more attention? CBC will broadcast, and Harry has quite a few events outside Invictus he’s carrying out in Toronto. I figure he’s been busy the last few weeks but it’s disappointing KP isn’t promoting it as much as they should. That’s their JOB. All they are doing is Tweeting.

        1. Yeah, but they haven’t done much to promote it this year unless I’ve been living under a rock. 🙂 It was all over the place last year. Could be just because of the American media machine.

      2. Well, he’s the lead story on the DM today. Just got off the site. I still think he needs to put some weight back on. They say Meghan will make an appearance at one of the days of the Games.

        I repeat, I miss the good old days on KMR, when we had fun helping rhiannon plan her wedding to PH. I miss you, rhiannon. Are you doing well?

        I hope the Invictus Games are a great success. Such a wonderful idea and a great way to let the athletes get the recognition they deserve!

        1. I just hope that the media will focus on the athletes and what IG means and not on MM/PH. I hope that if she appears, that she appears at the ending ceremony but not before. Just to let the athletes get most of the coverage.

          I wonder where rhiannon has gone. She was such a Harry fan and I remember people planning the wedding. Good moments.

      3. It has been in the media in Toronto. In fact social media was talking about Harry being in downtown Toronto at Scotia Plaza for a meeting that started at 7:30 am. Have Will or Kate ever attended an event that early in the morning? They sure didn’t during their tours to Canada.

        1. Nope, I doubt they attend many meetings for their tours or charities in general. We know they do the few times they do–always at night usually according to the CC ‘this evening’–because it’s in the CC. Harry’s many meetings for IG or Sentebale usually go unmentioned…

    3. I think part of it was because it was in the US so both he And Michelle Obama did some interviews here in the states for it.
      I also think there are tons of other stuff right now between politics, natural disasters, escalating situations in Burma & North Korea that this is at the bottom of any US news feed chain.
      Maybe Harry did some interviews in Canada? Once it starts maybe there will be some blip of coverage

    4. The only articles I see are the “will they or won’t they” appear together articles. Which is sad, because I would like to hear about the games and the athletes themselves and nit just Meghan and Harry.

      3. +10000

        This is not about harry or Meghan, this is about he athletes. Meghan’s VF article was so ill timed to bring attention purposefully to herself, and her relationship with Harry, right before Invictus. Now tabloids speculating she’ll join him…

  27. Harry’s spoken about mental health again saying we can’t just throw pills at it so is he going to get more funding for therapy because for a lot of people those pills are all they’ve got in an ideal world there would be more choices but we can’t help the most mentally ill now those pills are the difference between life and death for a lot there campaign is really starting to annoy a lot of people due to the fact they won’t be political its becoming pr soundbites

    1. He’s royalty. He can’t do sh*t politically. What, do you want him to lobby the government? In the UK from what I understand the NHS is very understaffed especially for mental health. People can’t get the help they need. And a lot of people do need pills, but their focus is just again “let’s talk” or “smash the stigma,” both super ignorant, but as royals they probably cannot delve deeper.

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