288 thoughts on “Prince William & Kate Middleton’s Canada Tour Part Deux: Success or Failure?”

1. The only thing impressive about the tour was the reporting and prolific posts by KMR.

   I really dislike this couple. They were clearly bored and antsy to leave Canada. Their rudeness, indifference, and unpreparedness is typical for them. We keep watching them to see some semblance of maturity, generosity or intelligence. Once in while they raise a mask of jolly smiles and tepid engagement, but then they let the mask fall and we see them for who they are: shallow, self indulgent and supremely disdainful of everyone else. They are awful. Bravo to those in the press who call them out for their bad behavior and irrelevancy.

   I salute the people of Canada who welcomed them and showed them some of the best of this beautiful country.

   1. Ah, thank you.

      1. Ditto.

         1. Ditto

   2. Ditto for me, too. Indiana Joanna, you expressed it brilliantly.

      1. Ditto from me as well and the only thing I found to be substantial was the Chief’s refusal to play ‘the game’ and kow tow to the ‘royals’. I applaud him!! KMR, you put more work into this blog and create more interest than the nimrods who are the subject matter. The kids are cute and really did their ‘job’ as pure PR.

   3. +100
      Ditto!

      This was sightseeing vacay for the entiled lazy duo and the kids showcase PR again outside of their own country and media, and away from Anmer Forest. Hopefully, super nanny Maria saw a bit of Canada.

      This.

      1. Ditto.

         KMR you do such a wonderful job on this blog and on this tour.

         You were more informative and prepared than WK. And show them a level of tolerance that puts many of us to shame. And i am grateful for your tolerance because it helps me temper my less than charitable views of this couple.

2. For me, this tour was a complete failure. Five years in, on a second visit to a country, there should be more to focus on than the clothes Kate is wearing and the chemistry between William and Kate. They are representatives of the queen and have a duty to highlight causes of various charities and they have not managed to do this. I doubt any causal observer knows anything more about the First Nations because of this tour. It saddens and annoys me how much people praise them simply because he is Diana’s son and she is the woman he chose to marry. It reminds me of the “emperor’s new clothes”. Any other man and woman who act as they do would be considered juvenile, lazy and definitely not worth the praise or money lavished on them.

   1. +1000

   2. +1000!

      1. Ha! I didn’t see Cat’s comment before I posted. Great minds think alike!

   3. Well said.

   4. Perfect words EL.

   5. Nailed it.

   6. Right on!!

   7. I’m in total agreement with what the other commentators have said.

      Thank you KMR for your research and your well balanced posts. It’s only due to you reporting on more than just Kate’s clothing that I have learnt a bit about the places Kate and William visited as I certainly would have learnt nothing if I had relied on the media (I’m thinking about you DM!)
      I have been appalled by Kate’s bad manners, repeatedly turning her back on Sophie Trudeau for example. As for the boy and the flowers? I hope the kid isn’t put off by seeing such rudeness! And as for Kate waggling the flowers so that equerry had to rush in and take them! Just who does she think she is?
      Now, that hotel room. Hotel rooms have been revamped for visiting celebs for years; rooms in private houses have been done up at great expense for visiting royalty for centuries, it’s nothing new. It was probably the hotel’s choice but was there an expectation placed on the hotel to provide something more than what was there? If so then I don’t blame them to try and recoup the costs. What I don’t like was the feeling K&W gave of being above everyone else, eg their staff took the food to them. Compare that to Harry on Stewart Island (in NZ). He found out about the Quiz night at the local pub so he, and his people, went and joined in.
      I’m putting the failure of this trip more on Kate than William as, to me, she’s proved yet again that she is just not up to the job.

      1. Plus Harry took whatever was on offer when he stayed over in Bhutan, yes?

         All of us here have had someone look up to us for some reason, however small and however fleeting. Being able to understand that and act kindly, with sensitivity is important. It costs nothing to be courteous in thanking the hoteliers instead of striding through reception on their way out, in five seconds, talking to each other as they went by, or by having their photo taken with staff. Repugnant behaviour.

         The incident with the boy on the wharf was awful, but who will call Kate out? Where are you now, Daily Mail? This couple has real entitlement issues that need to be addressed pronto.

         I wonder what the Trudeau’s thought of them… probably still in shock and horror. The rest of us are.

         1. Hello and what good comments, Cathy and Jen.
            I’m still shaking my head over the rudeness of the couple. Kate’s dismissal of the young man and the flowers will continue to define her in my eyes, I am afraid. I cannot imagine the late Diana ever acting in such a callous and rude way.

            Harry heading to Quiz Night at a local pub sums up the differences between brothers. Some people have “it” and others never will.

      2. Hi Cathy you’re absolutely right about hotels sprucing up rooms for visiting dignitaries, etc. but I would not be surprised if they were accommodating requests by W&K. I watched a documentary on The Goring recently and they completely changed out the bathroom (put in a sauna tub) for a visiting recording star at that persons request and they absorbed the costs. They did even more elaborate change for a harem of women from some royal family that involved converting an entire floor and not letting any males onto the floor while they were there.

         Basically what I’m trying to say is that I would not be the least bit surprised to learn that these changes were at the request of W&K especially since they were bringing the kids. To have an attitude and not even meet with the staff, let alone pose for a couple of minutes to have a photo taken with the staff is just flat out wrong.

         1. Those two have got to be the most undignified unworthy ‘dignitaries’ to have ever set foot in that hotel.

      3. “And as for Kate waggling the flowers so that equerry had to rush in and take them! Just who does she think she is?”

         Only William’s mattress for 10 years. She *is* the proverbial mattress queen!

         1. LOL but also so sad that a woman would degrade herself to become someone’s (anyone’s) sexual play thing and nothing else.

            Segway: am I the only one who is a Gilmore Girls fan and looking forward to the revival next month on Netflix? I hope not!! #TeamLogan

            1. I’m a Gilmore Girls fan too! So looking forward to the round up of the whole story line.

               And yes, sad that a woman was so hungry for attention, fame, money that she’d sell herself short. But I doubt Kat sees it that way: she got what she wanted.

   8. And anyone paid to be representing (e.g., diplomat + spouse) who did as little and badly as they do would be in serious trouble with their employer! So why aren’t they? Makes me angry….

3. I compare this tour to a travelling art exhibit. And we’re all supposed to swoon at the beautiful, perfect, treasured works. You can look, but don’t touch! And then the exhibit is packed up and hidden away so that the pristine pieces won’t be destroyed by the public.

   1. Perfect metaphor.

   2. Perfectly articulated!

4. I got the distinct impression that they thought they were visiting the zoo. I wonder how the folks in Vancouver’s Downtown East Side felt, as Kate loped around in the McQueen confection? Or how about all the First Nations’ people who refused to partake in this charade? For those who did have to endure genuflecting in front of these grinning, vapid, airheads, did they feel like any of it had sunk in, or was it just another engagement for them? I don’t get offended by much, but this tour was totally insulting. If they want to make themselves relevant to us former colonies, they’d better study some history and attempt some redress. If they can’t connect the dots between the Crown (themselves) the dispossession of Native Canadians, and “mental health,” then there is no hope for them.

   1. Christine – well said. The First Peoples don’t need a thing from W&K. It would be nice if the government stopped spending money on the white foreign prince and princess and put it back into the community where it belongs.

      1. All the money spent on “hosting” them could have been spent on First Nation needs. Yes, they got the “donation” in their name but when you look at the overall cost it’s a pittance.
         We all stated this region doesn’t need help in promoting tourism and when the tourism board is forced to delete a tweet says it’s not really about tourism at all

      2. That’s what really gets me even after donations. How so much expense can be paid on one or just a few rich individuals and in reality how much further it would go in the hands of people that actually need it. Parading them around at this cost is a joke and complete insult to the communities they visit. Not to mention gross that they showcase Kate in thousands and thousands of dollars worth of jewelry and clothing.

   2. I agree. I felt WK were quite disrespectful of their First Nations hosts and ceremonies by their sullen behavior.

      1. Oh, yes they were, rhiannon. Christine and LadyBlueRibbon, your comments are on target.

         This is a journey that fell flat on its face — despite the few adorable appearances by the tots. I said this in another thread, but bear with me for repeating this:
         There may not have been a flashing, but the flick of Kate’s hair after dumping the beautiful bouquet she received when leaving, as well as airhead Will’s admission that he doesn’t read the briefs he’s given are what this “holiday” will be remembered for by so many.

         KMR, thank you for your hard work and I enjoyed being able to read the Sykes article here. You are ahead of the curve when it comes to the Cambridges. You were on to them before the main stream media, I believe.

         1. Hi, Jenny! What happened with the bouquet incident?

            1. Hi, rhiannon. How are you?

               Please see the post of William, Kate and the kids departing Canada. As they walked to the sea plane, a young man, handed a gorgeous bouquet of flowers to Kate, who was also holding Charlotte. Kate thanked him, allowed the tot to smell the flowers, then turned on her heel to leave the man flat. Right in front of him, she tried to secure help in getting rid of the bouquet. A serviceman approached, took the flowers, and Kate continued walking, giving a thoughtless and snooty flick of her hair, while doing so. All this in view of the youngster who was so happy to be given the honor of presenting the bouquet to her. If you scroll through the comments, you will find a link to the video of this. It’s better to see it than to read my words. It’s a “Let them eat cake,” moment, if you ask me.

               Have a healthy and happy day, mon amie! I’m supposed to be fact checking an article, so I need to run, or I would look for the link for you, myself.

            2. Here’s the link.
               https://twitter.com/RoyalReporter/status/782354167327326208

            3. I can’t believe Kate actually called an officer to hold those flowers for her. I thought she was calling someone from her entourage (not that it would make it any less rude). Like everyone around her is her servant. She really has special snowflake syndrome.

         2. Thank you for the link Jenny. That was ridiculous.

   3. YES. You nailed it. This tour was just airheads abroad. They have a name that could bring some much needed light to some very important situations. The only thing they were ‘keen’ to do on this tour was promote themselves and prop the kids up to do so.

   4. Thanks Christine for your good points. B.C’s Grand Chief Stewart Phillip refused to attend the “reconciliation” ceremony with Prince William. The CBC reported that First Nations leader Grand Chief Ed John spoke at the event calling for a change in how the Crown interacts with First Nations.

      He said to PW & Kate: Cultural genocide, by the British Empire “unilaterally took all Indigenous lands on behalf of the Crown, and called it Crown land. The land became known as British Columbia.”

      PW and KM are two dullards. Kate, who has never really worked, does not seem to grasp that more is required from her than wearing expensive dresses, having a hair/makeup person follow her around and appear in public with unnatural, forced grins and nervous/countless hair flicking/tossing. Now that they’ve put in their one week’s effort on tour, they can justify the next several luxury holidays and general slacking off for month’s to come.

      1. “B.C’s Grand Chief Stewart Phillip refused to attend the “reconciliation” ceremony with Prince William.”

         That was a reconciliation ceremony? A bit half hearted if you ask me! I don’t blame the Grand Chief for not attending! Something as important as reconciliation shouldn’t have been used as a photo op for W&K IMHO.

         1. @Cathy

            I was thinking the same thing Cathy. K&W shouldn’t have been anywhere near that ceremony, they are so lightweight & insignificant.

            Much respect for Grand Chief John for making it clear that he saw through the BS & wasn’t having any of it. He did a great service to his people.

            1. Agreed

   5. The fact that William didn’t even bother to read his briefing notes and admitted it in public is a clear demonstration of how little he cares or took this tour seriously. PW and KM think just showing up, shaking hands, some chit-chat and speeding off in a car is all that is required to justify their highly privileged existence.

      News bulletin for PW: Many of us who have real jobs and earn our way in life (unlike PW & lazy KM) have to read briefings, notes, updates etc if we hope to hold onto our jobs. We have to make an effort and its expected of us by those paying us. We do this week in, week out, months – for years!

      For a member of the Royal Family to not even bother to review notes for a tour (for maternity center in BC that was modeled after one that Diana opened in Scotland) – is totally unacceptable, embarrassing and an insult to the people who held the event.

      1. Despicable. I think it speaks numbers that they sent these two nimrods to the ceremony. Such a significant moment for these people turned into a hair flipping, fake grinning photo of.

5. The thing is, the royal court can’t really fault them for anything. It went smoothly. No gaffes, no controversy. W&K were polite, proper. Kids were cute. (Now they can hide them away again.) What are Charles and the Queen supposed to say? “Not enough dazzle. Step it up next time.” W&K probably feel like they did their bit competently. Now everyone can eff off and leave them alone. Again.

   It’s already Oct. And a most lackluster year. From the get-go. Starting with W’s laziness being exposed, to the secret French getaways, to both lame standoffish tours. Nothing accomplished. No discernible improvement in attitude, activity, or anything really. They’ll continue coasting along. At this rate the press can nitpick here and there. But there’s nothing (yet) to elicit a public thrashing.

   1. You’ve summed up my feelings more eloquently than I could. They did everything expected of them. Will did alright. Kate only flashed us her slip. They just dont have “it”. HM has it cos she’s the queen. Charles has his own brand of it. Harry gets it from Diana

      1. Thank you! I put thought into my snarky comments.

      2. She had plenty of fabric gathered in her lap to pull down over her knees

   2. How sad that this year has been lackluster even though they’ve done 2 international tours!!!

      1. Really, had Kate actually said anything this year?!? What a shame she didn’t give a speech (even one of her lackluster, posh voice speeches), especially at the matriarchal First Nations event. Is she aiming to be such a throwback to be a Neanderthal?!?

6. I feel this tour is an extra kick in the gut to people because Canada is such a friendly and generous place. In fact, it seems a lot of new royal couples first go there to “test” the reaction to the new couple. To do this to such a welcoming and LOYAL part of your people is disgusting.

   1. Yes, I thought it would be hard to “mess up” Canada. This should have been an easy win for them. But it wasn’t. If Canada was, at best, an indifferent tour, then I think future tours that require more substantive work than Canada are doomed.

7. Is it bad that I can’t think of a preferred tour :-/… Can I go with Harry’s most recent Aus/NZ? Where we ft sights of NZ unfamiliar to us. The hand paint on a royal photographer who’s been caputurihg him and his brother from birth. Touch on a whole lot of the social issues and praised the work of those putting themselves on the line for others. Honoured fallen soldiers. A couple of times. Received a beautiful gift from a granny that loved his mom.

   Or how about his 2012 tour to Jamaca were he was charmed Jamaca’s anti-monarchist PM and got a hug and genuine laughs. Gave great speeches, had a moment with Bolt (I’m not a fan but that was a great moment) spent time with injured servicemen, was meant to race one rock climbing but because of a world disaster that day removed the race element to be sensitive.

   Long story short I can’t think of any standout moments from W&K’s tours. I think it was great that they acknowledged and included First Nationals. I think it was funny that for once they were waiting for someone else and not being the cause of things running late, lol, a whole hour. I will say I’m impressed they showed interested in Canada’s continued contribution to bringing solution to the same I ssues the world faced after WW2 that are presenting again now, the programs they’ve been running for refugees and asylum seekers and how well it’s working out. Particularly after Kate’s response in Indian to children being trafficked and limbs cut off before being placed on street corners to beg having been “interested”.

   I like that you said preferred because I don’t have a favourite tour form them.

8. I found this tour not terrible, and I appreciated the glimpses of the kids here and there. Thank you KMR for providing such excellent and thorough coverage!

   I’m glad there was some highlighting of the First Nations, although the world seems too busy talking about Kate’s boring fashion sense. I’m so upset there wasn’t more Justin Trudeau! Alas, the man has a real job to be doing unlike the Cambs.

   This tour gets a ‘meh’ from me. I think I’m grading on a curve though because I found India to be an unmitigated disaster! Thanks again for the work KMR, and happy Monday everyone.

9. It was booooring and I just can’t get over the fact that they only worked about 4 hours per day. On a royal tour.
   I feel like many of the enagegements had huge potential, but they just didn’t deliver. They didn’t seem fascinated or even interested meeting First Nations.
   Their sailing and fishing trips although with mental health and youth charities were just a sailing and fishing trip- there was no mentioning of those causes by W/K from what has been reported in the press. And even though no reporters were allowed on boat with them, they did ask for comments later- we heard about them being fascinated by a beard!
   The café visit on the last day brought the exact same quotes and questions from them.
   The Cridge Centre visit was literally just them on a podium unveiling something. And so on…

   Oh and how could I forget their visit to the refugee centre in a freaking Alexander McQueen dress. They told them “good luck”, so I guess all is well.^^

   Grittiest and most inspirational tour EVA.

   1. That didn’t even occur to me. Alexander McQueen at a refugee center. Lord!

      1. +1

         1. +200000000000

      2. The blazer and skinny pants that she chose to wear on the last day would have been the wiser choice.

      3. Yikes, I missed that too. How awful!

   2. I am dying to know what Will and Kate did with the other 20 or so hours of every single day (ON A ROYAL TOUR!) that they weren’t “working.”

      1. I seem to recall hearing they wanted to spend time with their children. Someone should tell them that 1. they already have a nanny to ensure the children’s needs are met, 2. that level of helicopter parenting is unnecessary and unhealthy. Most children don’t have caretakers hovering over them because they have jobs and chores to do. And we turned out just fine. Better than them actually since we actually can hold down jobs and have learned to make mistakes and get over them.

         1. So, bringing the children on tour was just an excuse to do less work.

            I don’t believe for a second that Kate and William spend as much time as they claim with these children, or even want to. They are just lazy.

   3. Yeah, the same day she visited the Downtown East Side. This is literally the most horrible neighbourhood in Canada. It’s a wasteland of drug abuse, destitution, and degradation, and she was visiting an organization that helps addicted women get back on their feet, and most of them are dispossessed First Nations ladies. In McQueen. I can’t even.

      1. Clearly, she didn’t read her briefing papers…She seems several sandwiches shy of a picnic as far as understanding her role.

10. It’s a great pity that Kate doesn’t seem to be interested in work for other people but I suppose it’s how she was brought up to. As a normal citizen you feel a bit left out, not welcomed. And I say it again, It seems she just do it because she has to, not because she wants to.
    If I’m wrong and she really cares than I’m sorry. But as a citizen that’s how I feel. With no other royal I got this feeling, they all know their influence on people.

    1. Oh, I don’t know what I should think anymore, I’m lost. I always liked William and Kate and I knew what people said about them. But now since I read the discussions here I’m quite confused. Sometimes she seems just to care for her private life (like I wrote in my comment above), than I see her interacting with the people and honest smiles. And I’m afraid to be rude to criticize her 🙁
       I think I should just stop commenting them because I don’t know them personally and just see what they’re doing.

       1. That is *exactly* how I feel! Sometimes it seems like they really do care. But then I see videos like the one that Richard Palmer put up with the flower handoff and I just want to tell them off. I’m personally so Pollyanna that I’ll probably always err on assuming the good.

    2. Lovely Blossom, I am confused by your remark, “As a normal citizen you feel a bit left out, not welcomed.” Please, would you elaborate on what you meant by that? I can understand your feelings about seeing two sides to Kate. Sometimes, she seems not care and then she turns on the smiles. I also think it is hard to really know what is going on in Kate and William’s minds sometimes. Still, many of us criticize when we think it’s called for and often, we praise when we see that is deserved. I am just confused about your comment in the first of your two comments, if you don’t mind, my asking.

    3. Kate hung around PW for years, even when he was seeing other women. Why? Perhaps she wanted to marry a Prince desperately. Have an HRH before her name and lead an insanely privileged life. All the fame and fortune without earning it. Just waiting to marry him. Her code name by PW’s security was “The Mattress” – not too difficult to figure out what that means.

       Now that she is his wife, all the duties that come with being royal follow. She is not interested in that. She’s never been independent, although other women who married European princes, who eventually became king, did have careers. Kate’s parents covered her expenses for years so she can be “available” for PW anytime. Clung to him like glue. Kate does not measure up and is frankly not very interested in the “work” portion of her long sought after position.

       PW chose her for a public role knowing her work-shy/lazy nature. A good part of her existence is on taxpayers’ expense. If she really “cares” – its not so apparent.

11. The point of this tour was to highlight the activities of various charities. They did not even manage to do that. Here in Australia, the only thing that got coverage was her clothes and the two children. So all in all it was a very ineffective tour.
    Only highlight was seeing George and Charlotte

12. Okay to start with something positive, you did a fabulous job during this tour, KMR! I enjoyed to read your articles a lot and looking forward to more in the future.
    Also the organisations, charities, and people in Canada did a wonderful job with this tour. Everyone seemed so warm and welcoming. Perfect hosts.

    Now to WK, I just don’t get how they and the team around them don’t get that they have a serious communication and media problem! And that problem is not a tweet on GC visiting a zoo. They depend on media and in positive news but again and again they are just rude and not willing to do their part of the job. Sure, a boat and plane have little space but get some reporters in, give media something. I understand that media can be unfair too but if they were bit more intelligent they would understand how to use media to their advantage instead of shutting them out.

    Another thing, how can they think that to work only 4 hours during a Royal Tour is okay? Even more as the things they did often lacked substance and looked like the only purpose was to entertain WK! This wasn’t a holiday trip, this was work so they should have worked started the day early and finishing it late, their should have been meeting with more important people (nothing wrong with meeting “normal” people) like politicians, scientists, whatever… speeches, solo engagements to cover more. How can it be that they did everything together? Why didn’t Kate do smt related to causes close to her heart?

    I don’t think they even understand what work means. They praise the Queen for her hard work but don’t learn anything from the Royals around them. Not in amount of work nor how to work. They are just lazy, bored, not interested at all…

    Makes me want to wish media wouldn’t even show up anymore and use the time to write about Royals who do their job. Also wished that more people would understand that showing up pretty and bringing the kids isn’t enough instead of praising them… maybe wishful thinking.

    1. Wouldn’t it be the ultimate irony if Wm finally got his wish – for the media to leave him alone? How would he feel if no one showed up anymore? If no one gave a damn? Would he shake in his boots and wonder, “I still get paid, right?”

       1. I’ve wondered that too. I don’t think he realizes that the media hold the key to a successful future for him.

          1. And we speak of media here as in serious journalists, not paparazzi or people from gossip magazines! They want privacy, okay but not during a Royal Tour and not in public places… media is part of their job and they should realise that quickly!
             But I feel like they live and think in such a way that they wouldn’t even think less media would be a problem…

13. I said mostly a failure but with good moments. With the good moments being seeing the kids and, surprisingly, the Trudeaus. I wasn’t very familiar with them until this tour. But seeing the Trudeau’s youthful exuberance at the ages of 44 and 41 respectively in comparison to the dull and lackluster performance by Will and Kate who are ten years their junior only highlighted how uptight and stiff the Cambridges are. Princess Charlotte is adorable. I like that she seems to have an independent streak, wiggling out of her mom’s hands. But I did get the feeling that George may be a little jealous of her, and he seems more reserved now then he used to be for whatever reason. But the only times I really enjoyed this tour was when the Trudeas and George and Charlotte were around. Will and Kate have turned out to be such a boring couple. There is no sparkle.

14. It was boring and lacked excitement. That’s the sin.

15. The whole tour was boring as eff. The only highlight for me is that now we know that Charlotte is the little firecracker in the family and not poor George. They could have done a lot more and done waaaaaay more charity work, but let’s face it: if they don’t do it in the Uk they sure aren’t going to do it overseas.

16. George and Charlotte scored several front pages of British papers after the children’s party. Yes, and this is the biggest problem. This tour should call attention to William and Kate work in Canada, but what caught the most attention were the children. As I wrote before, this shows a lack of competence and influence of W & K. The reticence of the couple clearly shows that they don’t even care what the public and especially the press think of them. If W & K cared about their image they would not act like that, but their arrogance has no limits, they really consider themselves above good and evil. They use the theme “We Are Royals, if you like us, great; if you do not like, go to hell that we do not care.” They are nasty, and using two innocent children as pure PR is disgusting. About the Tweet being deleted, it “highlights just how serious William and Kate are about drawing a line between what they consider to be public and what they consider to be private.” No, it´s not about privacy, it’s paranoia. This tour didn’t make headlines. Here in Brazil I have not seen a single report on this tour, even in programs about celebrities. This show how “important” William and Kate are. Canada is beautiful but this tour was really boring and brought nothing new to the Cambridges. Yes, since George’s birthday it has all been downhill. George and Charlotte call attention now like any little child does, but they will grow up, and what will happen?

    Have a good day everyone.

    P.S. One more time, Thank You Very Much for your fantastic job KMR.

17. As others have said, you did a fabulous job reporting this tour. And you were active on Twitter too. I appreciate the effort and hard work that you put in.

    In the 80s/90s, Charles and Diana had busy tours. From start to finish, they were jammed with engagements. All day and into the evening. They even did separate engagements to get more bang for the buck. As a result: people respected them and knew what to expect on a tour.

    WK are a lost cause. They phoned it in. The lack of preparedness was appalling. KP’s tweets had misspellings, double words and were sloppy overall. If this is a preview of them as PoW, then it won’t end well. And that video….

    It is sad that they have to use their kids as props to deflect criticism. The kids were adorable and it was nice to see genuine warmth between Will and his kids. Kate played Barbie quite well. I just feel, at this point, they are a lost cause.

    1. Agreed Rhiannon. I remember the 80s, and how C&D seemed like they were everywhere when they were on tour. Because they did separate engagements, often giving speeches– and keeping in mind that Diana was ten years younger than Kate and very shy plus no college and she still got up there and spoke. Charles of course was knowledgeable and thorough. He reads his briefings.

       I have to put the blame for Will in some part on Charles. He’s been raising Will through his formative teen years and up to adulthood. He’s babied Will and encouraged his issues rather than taking his son on engagements to keep him strong on duty.

       Yes the public was difficult in early years after Diana died, but things quieted down. Charles should brought him forward but I strongly believe he loves his son but sees him as a threat to being crowned. He let Will become a man-child of Carole Middleton while he reestablished himself as the heir in the public mind. All this coddling has produced a whiny neurotic PW that expects constant genuflecting. No son of PC should ever be saying he doesn’t read briefings. That’s clear evidence that William was allowed to do whatever rather than growing up with a sense of duty. Will continues to do what he wants because he gets his allowance regardless.

       There is probably an effort by PC to put his foot down hence this tour in part to get W&K to start really pulling their weight but the rot is there.

       The tour had good moments but was largely a failure because it didn’t move the public to care about the Cambridges.

       1. Totally agree. The fact that Will doesn’t read his briefings really should be no surprise. From reports, he did the bare minimum of work to get through St. Andrew’s; in Wales his flying hours were so low he almost lost his license; that six-week agricultural management program–did he even complete the six weeks?–was a joke; now he barely puts in the minimum amount of hours as an air ambulance co-pilot and from his own words a minimum of effort to be a “working” royal. PR glamour boy Jason Knauf may try to spin this as William having a good work-family balance, but it really is nothing more than complete and total apathy, something he’s exhibited his entire life.

          1. Exactly. William has coasted his whole life. He’s still coasting as proven by groups of people STILL coming out twenty years later to see him because of residual feelings they had for Diana and/or for royalty. Take that away, and who really came out to see Kate and him? Not many people.

             The upshot is these two are not creating a new relationship with people built on previous and current positive feelings for HM and other royals.

             What is it going to take to change this? I really don’t know. I personally was hoping for them to have a solid tour, but Kate being William’s clutch at every event rather than her own person was a disappointment, and the singular event with the children didn’t make the press happy.

18. Highlights: the Trueadus and the kids, especially Charlotte’s spitfire personality. I hope they (WK) don’t squash their daughter’s spirit.

    Bonus points to Kate for not miraculously tripping and/or falling when departing the plane with Charlotte in one arm and George reaching out while wearing those sky high heels!

    Lowlights: everything else. From William not helping by carrying one of the kids off the plane to the atrocious attempt at speaking French to the obsene amounts of money being spent on new clothes for Kate (that didn’t fit well anyway) to being insane about “privacy”, this tour was an uber bust. I wish Charles had the balls to call them out and hold firm on a possible threat of cutting them off financially if they don’t step up and for good.

    Sigh. KMR? You deserve a gold medal for being able to cover this tour without going bonkers. Hugs!!

    1. The French was just embarrassing. If you’ve not practiced it or used it recently, just don’t bother. When they do things like that and botch it, then admit they weren’t prepared, it makes them look horrible, vs. just not doing it and giving no explanation.

19. I wonder if their attitude boils down to “No one can touch us.” Let’s face it. It’s highly unlikely that the monarchy will come to an end. It would take a near revolutionary uprising. And Britain is far from czarist Russia. Maybe they figure they can coast as long as they wish; that criticism usually subsides. Do they feel absolutely secure in their position? Maybe they don’t do much deep thinking at all. I’m a long-term thinker and I often make the mistake in assuming that most people are that way. Some people are just dumb-asses.

    1. “No one can touch us.” The magic words. The Windsor’s humor William and Kate because they believe disruption to the line gives the pubic reason to re-think its support of monarchy. The BRF wants to hang on for as long as possible, but even ardent monarchists know there is a time limit to the House of Windsor. Loyalty to the monarchy is admitted as being ‘soft’, inked almost exclusively to the Queen.

       I think the monarchy will struggle to continue beyond Elizabeth, with a line drawn under it somewhere in the time of Charles. Why?
       • The challenging of the status quo being played out politically across the world (eg Brexit);
       • The changing cultural makeup of Britain;
       • Calls for greater independence from England by Scotland, maybe others;
       • Inequities of ‘austerity’ for some but not others (UK66,000 pounds for one week’s wardrobe = 2-3 nurses salaries per annum);
       • Canada and Australia (possibly a few smaller ones too) waiting till QEII’s demise to transition to republics;
       • Overall questioning of the relevance/cost of monarchies to a modern society.

       The latter is already happening in Spain, Denmark and Sweden. Ultimately it’s up to the British people what to do with its royal family. The likes of William and Kate should know that their bubble of a world, paid for by others, can indeed be touched. Things can and do change, sometimes with breathtaking speed after a long, slow build-up.

       What does ‘success’ mean re. a royal tour? Kate did not expose herself as she has done publicly over a dozen times now; is that the measure of success? Perhaps we should rate the tour measured in terms of impact and relevance to the organisations/ country visited? What was the royal contribution in moving something forward in Canada?

       What did we learn this time?
       • We had confirmed what we long suspected: these two do not prepare for their engagements, short as they are, getting by through passive ‘learning’ and making the same useless statements that they do in the UK.
       • As per India, many engagements were light in substance and seemed designed to entertain William and Kate, rather than draw attention to the causes at hand. They were still bored, as they are by most things.
       • William and Kate’s children are not off-limits when it comes to manipulating the public in order to boost their parents’ woeful PR.
       • We had further examples of Kate’s very poor manners with rudeness to people whose sin was to offer kindness to her.
       • That ultimately, these tours are expensive fillers of time for royalty who have nothing much to do or offer.

       1. Now THAT is deep thinking! You get an A++.

          So many perceptive, thoughtful, clear-eyed commentators on this board. We’re from different countries, disparate backgrounds, various age ranges. Some of us got our “start” with Diana. Perhaps others barely remember her, if at all. We’re not taken in by fawning magazines and traditional media coverage (though, I admit, I certainly was in my youth). In this day and age with the internet and alternative media, people can plainly see the situation for what it is. W&K may think they’re experts at image control and media manipulation. But, if so, then they don’t realize that the public are way ahead of them. People who were there in person or got local coverage can immediately report to the whole world how much time the duo spent at each event, the size of the crowds, what they said, the attitude they projected. And ultimately we can deduce that in no way are they our “betters”. That’s going to leave the monarchy more vulnerable.

          1. An astute observation, Ines: traditional media is no longer the primary transmitter of information, no longer the account of record. Everyone with a phone mediates what happens as it happens.

             The KP team may see tour success in terms of no public nudity from Kate, 30+ engagements, people cooing over children. But others have visual reminders – the boy at the seaplane having his bouquet discarded by Kate asap – that linger longer in public memory. That boy becomes a symbol of public goodwill that is dismissed by a rude woman, no matter her title.

             1. Damn, Jen. U R on fire!

             2. Great observation Jen. You hit the nail on the head. The media has changed so drastically in the last decade. Now it’s none stop, twenty four hour coverage. It’s in real time. Kensington Palace can try to play off that the Lazy Duo do work. Yet they cannot fool people. These two senior royals do not work. The hide behind their children and the walls of Anmer Fortress. And when they do have “to work” they are unprepared,bored,and rude. So if I was her Majesty I would really be worried. William and Kate are not fit for the roles they have now. How will they fit to be the Prince of Wales and the Princess of Wales someday? And eventually ascending to the King of England and Queen Consort of England? I do not see them ever ascending to the throne. They will never put duty over self. So in my opinion, when the Queen passes, and the Commonwealth starts to break apart more and more. King Charles will have a smaller Commonwealth under his reign. Inevitably there will probably be dissolution of the monarchy.

             3. Her Maj should be worried. No-one can handle these two; maybe Carole, but that’s a whole worry in itself. However, QEII has preferred not to instill a work ethic/code of behaviour in her immediate family so the whole ‘reaping what you sow’ thing comes to mind. Unfortunately, the UK public has to pay through the nose to support these aspirants to mediocrity to snub them. Like you, I can’t see the Cambridge’s ascending to the throne. Nor should they.

                As countries peel off having a foreigner as HoS – Canada, Australia, Jamaica will probably be first out of the blocks – it would be delusional to think that the monarchy would not be re-assessed in the UK (should it also stay in its present form). Mind you, these countries may well elect to still be part of the Commonwealth for trade etc.

          2. A wonderful observation Ines. WK’s media strategy belongs in the 20th century!

             1. Exactly! You put it more succinctly than I did.

       2. Harry is tied or after the Queen in popularity, he is the only way the monarchy will continue, with Will/Kate the monarchy will end.

20. Canada is pretty:-)This tour was OK.Lackluster yet not a total bore.I felt that even though the crowds were substantial there was not much press.They need to negotiate with the press,so that both sides reaches a deal that satisfies them all.I can’t entirely blame William and Catherine for any ill feeling toward press because the press has crossed major lines in the past.Yet, these two need them, because they help their brand.By themselves they haven’t shown any potential to promote themselves.Some people have that ability in them,these both don’t showcase that.
    Another thing:Catherine should speak more.I voted for their tour down under as most successful for a couple of reasons,one of the reasons being that Catherine gave a speech.One of the most powerful tools a person has is communication.Even their first personal tweet was not personal,actually their staff had sent more personalized messages than that.Also,I hope the Duchess visits EACH hospices this year.Even with the 1851 trust she could say some sentences that do not include buzzwords.Something like “Many may perceive mathematics and physics as dull subjects,but if students who are into sailing are taught the mathematics and physics behind sailing they will view the subjects in a different light”.I talk about STEM because promoting it is one of the charity’s aims,right?
    Last but not least:Thanks for the coverage KMR

    1. I also voted for “Canada is pretty”. This was just a hum-drum tour. I’m glad we got to see and learn about the indigenous people, and we saw the kids, but that was it for me. And that is sad. It could have been (and should have been) much better.

21. I think the tour highlighted their lack of personality. What are they REALLY interested in? Do they love the great outdoors, art, culture? William is a pilot and ex-serviceman. Kate is…a mum? I don’t think they did anything that interested them so they look bored all the time. Canada is a big country – Wills could have visited the Canadian version of the rescue service he works for in Norfolk. Why don’t they put a modern spin on the commonwealth links and promote business and cultural links between the 2 countries? Visit British students at Canadian Unis. Meet with Flourishing British businesses and industries in Canada. Re-inforce the existing links And make them relevant to the 21st century instead of doing the now outdated “let’s look at the natives” sort of tour that the Queen did for decades. Make it more businesslike and leave the kids at home.

    1. Well said.

    2. I think you hit it Kaz, because they are very passive in their royal role.

       W&K treat it like they are show dogs– stand and face the crowd, trot around, then back for final judging.

       I love watching the dog show, and the dogs have more energy, personality and zest than these two.

       When they choose to treat their professional life with so much passivity, people can’t help but perceive it and not be interested. It’s bad for them because royal financial support isn’t a given anymore.

    3. +1

22. I’m counting this as mildly successful for Kate because she did not flash! I’m discounting the children’s party “flash” because her dress did not blow up. Now only thing she needs to work on is what not to wear when around kids especially if she’s going to make a habit of hovering over them and bending and kneeling endlessly. But I totally agree with the Sykes’ article. This may not have produced the same nastiness as the India-Bhutan tour from the press but it was totally boring. Like, I only looked at royal websites to see what she was wearing. At this point that’s about the only thing I care about them.

    1. It’s a bit sad that we are considering the tour successful for Kate because she didn’t flash?

23. First of all, I’ll add my thanks to KMR for the wonderful job you did covering the Bore Tour.

    I grew up respecting the BRF and especially the Queen, as my mother was Canadian. Whatever your personal feelings about Charles and his marriages, it cannot be denied that he works his butt off helping those in Britain and around the world. His Prince’s Trust, the Prince’s Charities in Canada (nice donation, Mr. Trudeau!), historic conservation (Dumfries House as an example) and his work with rural communities in Romania bring opportunities and hope to many thousands of people.

    These two aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on, as my mother used to say. Their “passions” of mental health and First Nations problems are shallow and short-sighted. The press made it sound as if William has this long-standing interest in the First Nations. Bah, Humbug, I say! “Bah” being an expression of disgust and disbelief; “Humbug” meaning something that is a fraud or fake. In one of my more churlish moods, I wondered if the mental health shtick was chosen as the perfect vehicle for these increasingly “private” engagements.

    The editors back in the UK must be gnashing their teeth at the amount of money spent to send the reporters and photographers covering this vacation with no real “stories” to come out of it except for clothing and a few shots of the kids. Only the inner circle flunkies like Chris Jackson have anything to be happy about. By the way, I noticed toward the end of the tour, Jackson’s photos were noticeably more photoshopped than other photographers.

    This rant is long enough, but to me, this tour was a failure with a few bits of interest, which were mostly the scenery because Canada is one beautiful country that I dearly love.

    1. William and Kate seem to think if the media stopped covering them, that’s great. That their appearances are only meant for the couple of a hundred people (on a good day) that see them. That’s not the case. It’s suppose to be spread to far more. Just very backwards thinking.

    2. KMR – great idea for a post: compare Chris Jackson’s Photoshopped pics with those of other photographers.

       1. That is why Chris Jackson gets”special” access, because he does photoshop!

    3. Yes, I agree about Charles. He is making an excellent Prince of Wales. I think he truly cares about the job and works hard. It’s too bad his private life has overshadowed his work, although I can’t say that isn’t at least partly his fault.

24. Another tidbit – apparently British Airways has stranded 10 or 12 members of the press pack in Calgary. This should be interesting… https://twitter.com/byEmilyAndrews

    1. Hmm… were W+K on that flight? If so, perhaps they got the royal pack bumped.

       1. No, W&K borrowed the Canadian Air Force Airbus VIP plane with the bedrooms, thanks Canadian taxpayers! Ugh.

          Even other royals fly commercial. Except HM for obvious security reasons. Not these two precious snowflakes!

          1. From the UK to Canada and back again?
             And that’s 4 flights in total as I doubt the Canadian Air Force have that plane in the UK all the time.
             What a waste!

             1. Yeah, they sent it to pick up W&K, bring them back to Canada. Then W&K did the sea plane to the airport because they wanted their little holitour to end on a lovely tour from the air, then the plane back to the UK. No joke.

25. That video to thank Canada was ghastly. The music so ominous, like some cataclysm is about to happen. In movies they use this kind of atmosphere, with dimmed colors, slow motion and ominous music, to elicit the feelings of dread – like everything is joyful now, but we all know something awful is about to go down. What were they thinking?

    1. Agree!

26. Fabulous reporting, KMR. I think the holiday was a complete failure but very successful in honing in on their behaviour and what true and indifferent incompetents they are as reps for the queen. The more they are exposed, the more shockingly loathsome they become.

    Speaking as a Canadian, finally having seen *my* country and people screwed over by these greedy, entitled freeloaders, I am mortified by the rank tugging of forelocks and genuflection to two nobodies. It also makes me dislike Trudeau, a trust fund baby himself- what the hell was he thinking? I thought we were better than this. Kudos to the First Nations members who stood their ground and didn’t show up.

    The monarchy has had its day and is squealing greedily as it dies. In its final throes, it rapaciously violates countries and taxpayers, sucking out of them everything it can get (next step, the Cornwall duchy, right Charles?) The Dolittles are the distillation and culmination of that degeneracy, finally exposed.

    When you’re tugging your forelock at gilded losers, it’s time to cut this ridiculous cord, Canada, and take back your dignity.

    1. Well said!

    2. A terrific broadside, Maven the First. Your vivd writing brightened my day, and your message really hit home.

    3. So much YES Maven!!!! You wrote exactly what I was thinking

    4. Bonus points for the use of “loathsome”, “rapaciously” and “degeneracy”.

    5. Fabulous, Maven!! And extra points for ‘squealing greedily’ (that’s you too Charles).

       Honest to God question: Are royal reporters ‘journalists’? Are they only permitted to tug the forelock? I ask because that’s all that is mostly on show. Occasionally, someone has some balls to call out monarchy, but there is nowhere near the criticality employed by journalists on political beats. And monarchy is a political issue. It should not be relegated to ‘entertainment’ which I think keeps it hidden from interrogation.

    6. Coming from a Canadian this is an absolutely astute and awesome comment. I think I’ve said before that I live close to the Canadian border, and when visiting my daughter a left turn about 50 miles from where she lives would put us on the road to your country. Sadly, now we need a passport but be that as it may I would visit there because it’s a beautiful country, and in no way would it be to walk in the steps of those ingrates who just left after making it clear that they would much rather be somewhere else. Canada doesn’t need them. I think that Jen is right on and that when the queen is gone the wheels toward becoming deroyalized will begin to turn and gather speed quickly. I’m not sure at all where people stand on Charles, that is to say will they accept Camilla and have they accepted her to the point of her becoming queen consort. I simply haven’t any idea. Personally, I agree with you, in the greed and draining of the taxpayer’s hard earned money and your way of putting it was succinct and as far as I’m concerned right on point.
       Kate didn’t flash, but her jeans were skin tight and totally unprofessional and that squat on the ground in a playground? Downright ridiculous. Dressed to the nines, in full waity regalia was so obviously a photo op that was about Bill and Cathy that to try to pass it off as anything else is insulting to the intelligence of an amoeba.
       Thanks again for giving us a Canadian’s point of view!!

    7. Maven – Can I ask about Christy Clark?
       What is she like? She seems very open and friendly from her photos?

       1. I am not from BC, but Christy Clark is not a well liked Premier. Her government was in trouble before the last election but the NDP screwed up and blew an early lead.
          It also doesn’t help that BC Liberals are more like conservatives than actual liberals.
          The pipeline issue is also divisive and she is pro pipeline.

          All said, she is still far more professional than Kate and her outfits, especially when Kate was on Safari, were remarkably more sane.

       2. Cathy,

          All I’ve heard and read about Christy Clark is that she’s corrupt, loathsome, a liar of the first order, deceitful, and reviled. I can’t believe she became premier again. I agree with Nic919 that BC Liberals are not true Liberals but more like neo-cons.

       3. Hi Nic919 and MavenTheFirst

          Thanks for your comments. It’s interesting to hear what you both have said.

          I suppose that may be a positive about the tour? That we are asking questions about Canada and some of the people we saw accompany W&K now?

27. In my opinion, this tour was a waste of time/taxpayers money. The only saving grace for this duo was their children. George and Charlotte were the real stars here. It’s pretty sad that their parents are so lazy and entitled. I really hope George and Charlotte do not inherit this behavior. William has always had the curiosity of the public. First being the son of Diana. A woman who had the IT factor. Who had empathy and a common touch with the public. With that being said I am not painting Diana into a saint. She had flaws and demons in her personal life. Yet she worked and she worked very hard. She brought the spotlight to her charities. Diana was a trendsetter. In fashion and her charity work. Fashion wasn’t the only thing that defined her though.

    William and Kate better get with the program quick. If the highlights of your trip are Waity’s fashion sense or lack there of, your bored faces, lack of preparation, and using your kids to boost your image. Then the trip is a failure. I really do think that George and Charlotte will eclipse these sad and pathetic excuse for senior royals.

28. A hearty round of applause to KMR for such hard work. You brought the tour to life for so many of us and your comments surely outweighed anything the Royals said or did! Thank you!

    This is a dismal couple. Poor representatives of a family that has given so much for decades. Sacrificing their own privacy was the norm for them and in most cases, an still is.

    It’s as if William and Kate made a pact with HM. Leave us alone. Give us our privacy now and we’ll work hard when the time is right for us. (Somewhere, decades from now, I assume). The trouble is, there won’t be a time for them to do that, if they keep on this same selfish, spoiled route. The people are getting more sick and tired of this lazy and clueless couple, imo.

    Was the trip a success or failure? I vote a big thumbs down. Yes, the kids were cute, but depending on them for the success of this trip is a big no-no! You supposedly are protecting the privacy of your wee ones with extreme vigor, W & K, yet when it comes down to making a splash, making a difference, it’s you who are using them! And, that is a shame.c

    So, Georgie got behind the controls once the plane landed and pretended he was in charge. Do you not think any other kid of his age, given the opportunity, would have done the exact same thing? Yes, the children are cute, but if William and Kate have their way, George will continue to be a mini-William when it comes to hating and fearing the media. And, Charlotte? I doubt, they will be able to dampen her spirits. Good for her! Still, after a while, people may not be waiting around for any news bulletins concerning her. After all, thanks to KMR, we have more thoughtful and wonderful mentions of the Swedish babies and kids to make us smile.

    What a waste of money — sending these two anywhere. They could care less about the people they visit, the problems they are trying to overcome, the beauty of the scenery. It’s all about them! And, I am sick and tired of them, frankly. William should study what his parents did on their trips. His grandparents, too! And, his brother! He’s too lazy and disinterested to do that, though. He’s a major disappointment to many. His wife is, too.

    1. It’s as if William and Kate made a pact with HM. Leave us alone. Give us our privacy now and we’ll work hard when the time is right for us.

       This is an astute observation, and in a way it makes me think of a child asking for an advance on his or her allowance. These two nimrods are in debt up to their neck with all the prepayments and bonuses given in advance of any contribution whatsoever.

29. What the tour did prove is how utterly psychotic and paranoid William is about the press, himself, and his children.

    Bringing the children out in public for more than 1 public engagement wouldn’t be an intrusion. And again with the “protection” and “fiercely protective” — I want to remind everyone that what we are talking about are journalists with cameras!!! And not the paparazzi hoards who followed Kate home from the club back in the day.

    They’re absurd. They clearly think they owe nothing back to the taxpayer, even the foreign taxpayer. They clearly don’t believe in any kind of quid pro quo. William truly believes he is the equivalent of a van Cutsem, not a public servant.

    1. But not bringing the kids for more than one engagement had also something positive, as we could just focus on WK the other days, it was obvious how boring and useless this tour was. When you take away the kids there isn’t much left to remember and to speak about…

       But I agree, bringing them, and same goes for events at home, out more wouldn’t have hurt. Bringing the kids it was obvious that people wanted to see them… at least instead of demanding to delete the tweet, they could have thanked the zoo for a wonderful time the kids had. Why not give at least a bit back. It’s hard to understand these two…

       1. Yes, you’re quite right. William and Kate on their own — forget it.

          But I think it’s very hypocritical to use them as tools — “on duty” — when their parents need the boost and expect no one else to use them as such, too. The Cambridges are fine being tools when it benefits them. But a little 3 star hotel in a remote part of Canada, to which you’ll likely never return, wants your picture for their wall and god forbid.

          1. I agree! They use the argument of privacy and protecting the children but they always use them for good publicity whenever they need it! They are WKs tool to stop negative comments…

             And even if we leave out the kids here, why couldn’t William and Kate pose for a pic with the staff? We knew they had been there so it’s just off… but did we expect anything else!?

          2. And the sugars defend the picture and their rudeness as, “HM would never!” Nope, check yourself before you wreck yourself. HM is for whatever her faults gracious and welcoming to people and understands people tie themselves up in knots to please her and freak out about meeting her or her staying at their place. She will talk, take photos, be welcoming and kind to her hosts knowing it is them who will remember this.

             Reminds me of an actor who in an interview I read awhile ago mentioned how he may be having a bad day, be depressed, be in a mood, but if a fan meets him it is all about them and absolutely not about him and he always tries to remember that and be kind and gracious no matter how he’s feeling because he knows it will make their day to have his attention and a photo even if for only a few minutes. I remember it because I thought of W&K and their rudeness! Charles has said similar things: he wants people to feel comfortable with him and know they have his attention 110% and it’s about them and not him and a moment for them and not about him.

             1. A bit off topic but Tom Hanks crashed a wedding photo shoot and absolutely made that couple’s special day even more memorable. I’m honestly beginning to believe that the Cambridges really do assume that what they have is their right and a given, and that they are, as has been said ‘untouchable’.

             2. I live near an actor who is on one of the biggest TV shows on the air now. I see him quite a bit. He is the same way. He knows me by sight and will always speak. I saw him at a local sporting event and he took every selfie, signed every autograph and spoke to every last person. Even witnessed him scarf down a hot dog just so someone can take a picture.

                I asked him why and he said that those are the people who keep him employed. He said that these people will buy merchandise, read every article and watch every second. He said that if he can give them a few seconds of happiness then it’s worth it.

                So I agree, the Cambs are too precious for their own good. We live in a world where people want interaction, to feel like we ‘know’ someone in a fleeting moment. And if they want to call themselves normal, then they need to be open to letting some light and contact in their dusty world.

30. Tom Sykes from The Daily Beast summed up this tour in his article when he wrote it is a royal tour that will “fast disappear into obscurity.”

31. Just wondering if there were any Jason Knauf sightings on this tour? I’ve scoured the photos and couldn’t spot him at all. Did see bits of Rebecca Deacon and Miguel Head, but that’s it, and they seemed to be staying as far back as possible. Was this to try to give the false impression that Will and Kate are working rather independently? Or has Jason begun to fear that he and his antics with the press are becoming more interesting than Will and Kate, so he’s hiding as much as possible? Have to admit that I am fascinated by how an American can choose to be a tool of the British monarchy, and it actually angers me that he is a willing participant in trying to shut out a free press. His appearance and actions give the impression of someone as vain, elitist and arrogant as William himself.

    1. Interesting comment, Lizzie. Perhaps, out of sight, out of mind, is the credo for Jason. Of course, Rebecca is always nearly front and center, looking crumpled and seeming inept and nervous, at times. I am sorry, but I don’t have much respect for the crew! P.S. I should not say looking crumpled here. I don’t recall photos of her looking that badly on this tour, but your comment has inspired me to go back and check later when I have the time to do so.

       You are correct in your feelings of anger in regard to an American being the tool of the British monarchy and his willingness to shut out a free press. Do you think he will be thrown overboard soon, or leave on his own accord?

       1. I actually thought that after the threatening letter to the press he issued just over a year ago and the hullabaloo it raised that he would choose to leave the Cambridges, that as an American–or supporter of any democratic society–he would see this as being forced to cross a moral line of sorts and he wouldn’t support it any further. But obviously he didn’t. Because he is reported as being rather a political junkie, and because he has worked for prominent politicians who actually were in positions of influence, I never have understood why he chose to go with the Cambridges in the first place. I think he may have liked the challenge of creating an image of substance out of nothing but fluff, and it also must feed his ego to be the key member of such a high-profile couple’s team. IMO, he’s put way too much emphasis on social media, on judging his strategy based on “likes” and the number of followers. Surely his reputation among the media and PR professionals must be plummeting. And that ghastly “thank you” video after such a lackluster tour pushes him closer to the cliff’s edge. If I were him, I’d exit on my own quickly. What happens to Jason is to me a much more interesting story line atm than the Cambridges lol.

    2. That’san interesting point. I’m so used to seeing sloppy Rebecca (and way too often Natasha and the hairdresser) front and center at WK’s appearances it almost seems as if she is the third wheel in that relationship. And I barely caught even glimpses of her on this tour! I’m going back through photos more closely tonight to see if I just overlooked her or if she really was keeping a lower profile this time.

32. Just did a quick google search and according to HELLO Magazine — not exactly the most reliable of sources –, Jason, was expected to travel with the Cambridge Couple to Canada. And, his education is listed as being undertaken in New Zealand? Is that where he is from? I was also under the impression that he’s a Yank.

    1. Jason is from Virginia, and his family is still there, but he did go to New Zealand for college and then to the London School of Economics. His hubby is a Brit, though.

       1. Thank you, Lizzie. And, I loved your comment above. He’s obviously enjoying his brush with Royalty. Doing a poor job and the Cambridges’ are too clueless to know that. I would think the higher ups would be noticing his incompetency, but everyone seems perfectly happy giving W and K a pass.

          1. Thanks, mary elizabeth! I bet the higher ups at BP do notice Jason’s incompetency but no one’s willing to challenge the royal will of William, afraid of the full-blown tantrum that would result. And, after insisting that he, Kate and Harry have their own press team, William might just be too proud to admit he’s made a mistake and needs some other guidance. Wouldn’t you just love to hear the whisperings in the BP hallways!

             1. Oh, my yes. It would be amazing to hear some of those whispers. If only, their little girl was older, then I could say, “Hush, hush, sweet Charlotte!” Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

33. That Sykes article is significantly weakened by the misrepresentations and outright incorrect facts in it, IMO. Just a few:

    Quote:
    Last year’s arrival of Princess Charlotte was a more subdued affair, hardly blockbuster stuff,
    Misrepresentation. Ignores the fact that the palace changed the way they organized things so that the press didn’t have to spend weeks waiting. And got credit from the press for doing a much better job at organizing things than at George’s birth.

    Quote:
    Their descent from the Canadian Air Force craft was the first time the public got to see both children together without one of them being pushed in a pram or wrapped in swaddling bands
    Well, no. That would be TtC last year. This false claim is also repeated later.

    Quote:
    even the 24-hour news channels in the U.K. did not carry a live feed.
    But the Mirror did, and so did CTV here in Canada

    Quote:
    There has been dutiful reporting of Kate’s dresses, including the most recent red Preen evening gown, but not gushing praise.
    Huh. Guess he missed the daily mail’s story today which was OTT even for those of us who like the couple.

    Quote:
    lifestyles are funded with incalculable taxpayer pounds
    Uh… we know they probably share about 2 million pounds with Harry. It’s pretty calculable, actually. The security is more opaque, it’s true, but the only figures available there are Republic’s and probably should be taken with a shaker of salt.

    Quote:
    scheduled to attend an event at a kids’ club Thursday
    Well, if by “kids club”, you mean “BC’s Government House”. Which, no. Or maybe you mean the Military Family Resource Centre, which is a gross misrepresentation of what that organization does.

    Quote:
    to salvage a royal tour that is fast disappearing into obscurity
    Really? Because the engagement was planned that way from the start , so it’s not like they’re pulling last minute hail mary pass.

    Quote:
    They probably aren’t reading the commentators saying how dull and wooden they are, advising them to loosen up and have a little impromptu moment now and again.
    To be fair, I’m not either. I wonder which “commentators” he means.

    I’m not saying all is well with the cambriges and the press. But if he has to misrepresent that much, I question how much his commentary is worth as a whole.

    He lives in rural ireland so he knows nothing and he also has neg. stories about harry on his site.

    1. Your argument falls apart in your last paragraph. ‘He lives in rural Ireland so he knows nothing’ . What an astonishing statement.

       1. Thank you, Birdy. My beloved maternal grandmother hails from rural Ireland! She knows more than most people I know!

       2. +1

          I would like to add

          @nob,

          There are a world full of media out there besides the DM and The Mirror, and CTV. This proves nothing.

          And yes, The Cambridges suck up much much more than 2 million pounds and I doubt that Harry sucks up all of the other 2 million. Let’s talk about KP renos, about Anmer, about the lack of financial transparency, about renovated security buildings, about Middleton Manor’s million pound upgrade, about the helicopters used for everything including personal time, and on and on.

          Finally, “He lives in rural Ireland so he knows nothing ”

          One could say the same about someone living in Canada.

          1. He also “lives in rural Ireland” because he’s from a famous family of aristocrats and they have land holdings there. But you know.

       3. Wow, score one (actually, more than one) for Birdy. As someone with a great deal of Irish in my family background (some of those came from rural Ireland), I was horrified by the initial comment. But, the ensuing remarks were awesome!
          Nob, do you have anything to say now? Your remarks were almost as hideous as Kate’s dismissal of the youngster and his flowers.

          1. For starters, don’t call yourself a Nob. Any time I’ve heard that used as a name, it’s used in a derogatory way. Way to go on calling yourself an idiot.

             As for the rest, don’t feed the troll!

             1. In Oz, it is slang for p*nis.

    2. @nobQuote #1 Charlotte’s birth was a more subdued affair because the Cambridge’s lied/misled about George’s due date, which led to the press waiting (in sweltering heat @ times) for a week or two unnecessarily. There was an outcry & lots of grumbling from the press @ the time & rightly so.
       In addition, by drawing things out in hopes of building suspense, the Cambridge’s totally miscalculated the public’s attention span. With the Internet, people stay interested for 2-3 days. After that they’re on to the next thing. So if there were changes made it wasn’t due to any kindness on Cambridge’s part – it was self preservation & PR.

       Quote #2 I took this as the first time we see them both walk around w/their parents in contrast to standing on a balcony or George walking next to C’s pram.

       Quote #3 The Mirror is a UK newspaper not a UK news channel which is what Sykes was addressing, not Canada’s CTV.

       Quote #4 The Daily Mail gushes one moment & tears down the next. ie: DM article about ‘Kate’s most expensive tour wardrobe yet’. The teardown article is prob in the same issue ? That’s the DM! Something for everyone.

       Quote #5 I agree he could’ve gotten description right.

       Quote #6 PR, my dear nob, it’s PR. The children’s event was scheduled @ that point in the tour specifically to a) give tour a boost if it was flagging or b) be the cherry on top of a successful tour.
       I choose (a

       Quote #7 Maybe they SHOULD read comments. They may learn what works & what doesnt. They def won’t learn a thing sitting @ home.
       Having said that, I understand that to a certain extent they cannot & willnot satisfy everyone. Having read the KMR site, the consensus seems to be: work more & consistently, I do not want to be your GYN & please join us in the 21st century (in attitude & dress).

       Re: the fact that Tom Sykes lives in Ireland (rural Ireland! There’s cows there & everything!) doesn’t negate the fact that he hails from a v old aristocratic English family & was a society page writer in London for years. He prob could write a v thick book on all he knows about the Windsors.

       By dismissing Sykes because of where he lives, you would have to dismiss every journalist who writes about any subject that isn’t in their immediate vicinity. That would include KMR, who worked hard & provided invaluable information about tour events.

       1. Forgot to address the amount of $$$ the Cambridge’s cost but it looks like Maven took care of that ?

       2. Excellent rebuttal!

          1. +1

          2. Thanks Jen – I’ve been enjoying your clear, concise & constructive criticism of the Cambridge’s in Canada.

34. Is it a success if it’s a complete snooze fest?! In some of the pics William and Kate looked just as bored as I felt watching them. They could’ve have least pretended some enthusiasm. I don’t know what they did in their many off hours but they should have put up pics of the beautiful locale on their Twitter feed.
    The two things I’ll remember from this tour is they don’t prepare so can’t even be bothered with pretending interest and that they are overall rude individuals.
    The peeps I’ve decided who should be fired after this tour: hairstylist (pronto)
    Tash as stylist. Hire a professional. Just because your friend likes fashion doesn’t mean she’s a stylist.
    Social media team (see above)
    Where was Rebecca deacon on this this tour? Usually we see her rumpled self but she didn’t seem to be there, to take the flowers etc from Kate.
    I said it another post that they should’ve used the hashtag missed opportunities. That sums it up for me.
    Thanks for all your hard work KMR!

    1. Deacon was with Kate at every engagement as was Miguel Head (William’s private secretary). They were in the background of several photos.

       1. I don’t know if she tried to stay in the background more this trip then because she seemed to be slacking on the flower pass off.

       2. Ok, I have a question. Re the boy being pulled back out of camera shot after the flowers. Who was the man who pulled him back? Was it Miguel Head, or someone who looked similar?

    2. I think you touched on one big problem. Kate uses her employees as friends, thus putting up with really terrible work from them. Since she never worked she doesn’t understand professional relationships.

       1. She doesn’t have any friends as far as we can tell. There’s a slight tiny morsel of me that feels bad for the staff. Like they have to be her friend. But then I see their “work” and don’t feel bad anymore. It’s just a bad working relationship all around.

35. Dailymail is reporting that her clothing costs were the most expensive tour to date. Is that true? I thought the trip to India/Bhutan was pricier. As for this tour, they looked bored and IDk if this was due to lack of prep or they just didn’t want to be there. At least it was nice to see George and Charlotte waving and playing with balloons/bubbles. The pictures of George with his lil nose pressed against the window of the seaplane were very cute. We probably will not see them until the Christmas photo comes out.

    1. Kate wore two very expensive jewelry pieces on this tour which were previously purchased and worn prior to this tour. The DM is adding in those numbers to her overall wardrobe cost for this tour. If you take out the previously purchased items, the number is much less (still pricey, but not to the extreme the DM is saying).

       1. If you take out the repeats and new jewelry, she’s still over $20,000 in new clothing for this trip alone.

          1. Yes, it’s still expensive, but it’s not the 80K the press has been saying it is.

             1. Not excusing the press exaggeration, just didn’t want people to think it was *all* press exaggeration.

36. this tour was quite underwhelming for me. Disappointed that their “work” days were so short, disappointed that they had no solo engagements so as to maximise the numbers of people they could meet and causes they could bring attention to. It was exciting to see the children but overall, this was a blah tour.

37. Unlike Harry, W+K simply do not know how to re-direct the intense spotlight that’s on them onto their host countries, important issues or causes, or other people. Rather than being beacons, they’re more like black-holes.

    I’m no expert on PR or charity work, but I bet it starts with actually reading your briefings and educating yourself about the cause at hand. Also, allowing reporters and photographers into these settings so they can capture you engaging with the cause, giving non-shallow quotes about it, and treating people as more than a backdrop for your photo-op.

    1. Very well said, Piper. Re-directing attention to others is the purpose. Kate sucks up the attention to the detriment of the cause.

       1. It could just be me feeling snarky, but was Kate hanging on to Charlotte as much as possible because she knew it would ensure she would be photographed?

          We’ve all assumed that it was William wanting to control the narrative re photos etc but I’m starting to wonder if it’s Kate would is the one doing it.

          Another example could be when they were leaving… William and George got out of the car, William had his back to everyone, he took Charlotte, Kate then got out and William passed Charlotte to Kate. So, no photos of Charlotte and William allowed? He has no problem with photos of him with his son so why would he not want photos of him and Charlotte?

          William did say in an interview at the time of the London Olympics that Kate had a temper, others had said she is a harridan and a nightmare to work for. So I’m thinking it’s Kate doing the controlling?

          1. On another blog–I think it was Love, Lola–she wrote that Kate clings to her children like a socially-inept person at a party zeroes in on the host’s cat. In other words, holding Charlotte gives Kate something to focus on so she doesn’t have to make eye contact, to make grown-up conversation, etc. I think that hits the nail on the head.

             That mother-daughter relationship is going to be very interesting to watch, if we get to see anything much of Charlotte in the coming years. I don’t see Kate as being as controlling as Carole, but as being more of a needy mother, manipulative in her own ways. Fortunately for Charlotte, in what little we’ve seen of her, she seems to have enough spunk to demand her independence.

          2. Considering Kate would bodily block any girls trying to get near William, I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s got a controlling side to her. But that being said, I agree that she clung to Charlotte because she was going to be the majority of the press interest when the kids were there. Same as on the balcony at trooping. Have to keep that image of doting mother up.

          3. I don’t think you are being snarky, Cathy, just questioning the tactics via the very obvious image control going on. My observations of Kate are of a classic attention seeker, very needy, and with a high level of narcissism; it’s been evident in the history we have of her. This has manifested itself in ways familiar – mooning at school, partying hard and very publicly in London, being the centre of attention at events, flashing for the past five years. Even the pursuit and capture of a prince at any cost indicates her competitive nature: I won. Making sure that damn ring is always prominent, the left hand is dominant, is an ongoing signal of ‘winning’.

             Since the children are rarely seen and people obsess with any sighting of them, holding the children guarantees Kate attention as well as spinning the ‘hands-on mother’ narrative as hard as possible. Fortunately for Kate, there is nanny Maria doing the real grunt work. I doubt William ‘gets it’; he’d defer to the stereotype of mother being principal caregiver but also, he didn’t have his own mother alerting him to this kind of woman. Kate would never have happened if Diana had been alive, of that I am sure. Double whammy for him: he has Carole as de facto mama, reinforcing the manipulation.

             I hope Charlotte doesn’t get the stuffing knocked out of her. George appears to be somewhat tamped down. Let’s hope Charlotte intuitively knows to keep her spirit alive, though I worry about her having a mother like Kate and a grandmother like Carole. Charlotte will need some really good female role models in her life, close by, to temper the influence of those two.

             I’d imagine Kate is quite the madam behind closed doors, unpleasant to work for, as has been indicated by a few people here and there. Vain, demanding women are always controlling. Staff would need to appear to be ‘less’ themselves (less ambitious, less attractive, less intelligent) so as not to threaten the dominant female. This is why she has weak staff, nanny Maria excepted.

             1. Thanks for your comments Jen, Lizzie and Lisa!

38. 5 years from now, the memories of this tour will be the children’s tea party and the little boy standing alone on the dock waiting to give Kate the flowers and her immediately looking for someone to get rid of the bouquet to and then flipping her hair. that was just hateful!

    1. What I thought was terrible about the young boy handing over the flowers, is that when he went to high five (no response) then shake PG’s hand..he was left hanging by not only PG but William as well. William could have at least had the decency to shake the young boy’s hand when he saw that George was too shy. Clearly these two do not know how to act/behave outside of the script!!

       1. Pllus, if William had taken the boy’s hand, then George most likely would have followed suit. Clueless father who teaches his child little.

       2. Seriously. I’d have told my son to shake his hand and say thank you. You prompt your children when they are too shy or maybe too little to know better. George at 3.5 should have better manners than that; my son is a bit older and always says please, thank you, shakes hands or whatever when people greet him because to me it’s important I instill politeness at a young age so it’s second nature. My parents did the same with me.

          We know William has no manners, though. Shocking considering his parents as well as how Harry is with people. I think it’s just William’s attitude and personality–it’s all about him, and always has been, from the day he was born. No matter what was attempted in his upbringing you can’t change that personality.

    2. @LadyJenn

       5 years from now? I think you’re being very generous ?

    3. It was the hair flipping that pushed me over the edge, from dislike to loathing this god awful woman

       1. Yes, Ines, me too. Also, the waving of the bouquet as a Royal Command, so to speak. “Get these and get them now!”
          She is really awful!

39. I have 2 questions:
    1) Do you think the monarchy will survive after the Queen passes away?
    2) Are William and Kate’s lack of work a sign that he will abdicate in the future, allowing Harry to be King?

    1. I think the monarchy will survive in the UK. For now. We have so much else to worry about and coming up with a better alternative is not straightforward.
       I can’t speak for the Commonwealth countries, but if I were an Aussie, Kiwi etc I would be looking for change. They are far away from the UK, and have countries full of very able people capable of being true HOS. One that is there all the time, was brought up there, understands first hand the local issues..etc etc I just don’t see the logic In the 21st century of having King Charles of Canada,Tuvalu and New Zealand. I really would hope that the Commonwealth stays in tact I think it is a source for good .

    2. (1) That’s up to UK citizens, though even monarchists admit that time is running out for the House of Windsor. Brits have a lot to contend with, with so many competing demands for public funding; will they continue to put such immense resources into one family whose role is getting harder to justify? https://www.opendemocracy.net/uk/jp-o-malley/british-monarchy

       (2) There is general consensus from both major political parties that Australia will move to a republic sometime after the Queen’s death, for the reasons Birdy mentions. The 1999 referendum regarding a republic involved ‘wedge politics’ of the worst kind, led by a monarchist Prime Minister. The lead-up was poorly designed, the public education campaign was dismal etc etc. Much has been learned from that experience. It won’t be the next referendum though – that is reserved for constitutional recognition of indigenous Australians. It will be better managed, for sure, as both major parties support the change. For non-Australian readers, changing the constitution, done via referendum, is a difficult needle to thread: it requires a majority in each state, plus an overall majority. Australians have passed just 8 from 44 referendum questions since Federation in 1901. The last referendum passed was in 1977. Also, voting is compulsory in Australia; turnout is around 98% in elections.

    3. I do not see how in the UK the monarchy can ever go away sans a revolution, honestly. It’s so intrinsic with the government and the culture of the nation and most people seem to see it as a benevolent, good thing. I can see some sense in that–I think Felipe is for example an excellent head of state and would be content with him as my monarch and I say this as an American!–but then you get dolts like William and the inequality of the whole thing…

       Harry can never be king unless William abdicates for George and Charlotte which is not legal AFAIK. Nicholas II did it in Russia and it wasn’t legal then, either (Aleksei was of course a sick child; there was talk long before that his oldest sister Olga who was a bright girl could have been Regent or before her brother was born change the Pauline laws, but this is so off topic I’ll shut up now).

       1. I think the British are more likely to revolt at the ballot box rather than in the streets en masse. Will the Tories be defeated next election? If Labour is led by Corbyn, who is anti-monarchy, what could that mean? The most logical thing to do is to start dismantling a number of things in the name of equity and transparency:
          • Separating maintenance money of public buildings (eg BP) from the Queen’s funds;
          • Having the above independently administered and transparently reported upon, as per any other public resource;
          • Silence and end Charles’ desire to have the the publicly owned Duchy of Cornwall transferred to the private ownership of the Windsors;
          • Review the reporting mechanisms of the Sovereign Grant, increasing legal obligations for full disclosure the spending of public funds;
          • Make mandatory the disclosure by all UK councils of public funds used for royal security;
          • Review the official functions of the BRF (legal/constitutional) vs all other functions;
          • With the above, look at limiting funding to the former, with the latter as the ‘noblesse oblige’ of the Windsors;
          • Maintenance of Balmoral and Sandringham to be the responsibility of the Windsors since it is private property.

          In other words, substantially paring funding down to the monarch and heir, as the Swedish MP is mooting. Limit the role to ceremonial-constitutional and paid for accordingly. Currently, there is too much corruption of public funding.

          1. All of those points I am in favor of. I really enjoy reading your posts, Jen, even if we don’t always 100% agree I find myself nodding along just like I did with everything you said.

             I don’t think they’ll ever get rid of the monarchy, at least not in my lifetime and I’m 30, but maybe someday. I do think all of this transparency must happen–and not just with the BRF but with the government as well, here and in the UK, but transparency is name of the game these days. Everyone will find a way to obfuscate.

             1. Thanks Ellie. It’s good to share differing insights; always helps to clarify. We are all held to account these days so why exclude the monarchy?

             2. The UK certainly has its share of forelock tuggers and genuflecters in government. In this day and age it is beyond anyone’s dignity to kowtow to these simple and very common people. Take away the opulence and status and who are they, really?

          2. Bravo Jen for putting it so succinctly! This is exactly what needs to happen if the UK still want to do keep their monarchy for tradition’s sake, while balancing it with a need for diverting public monies to causes that really need the cash infusion from taxpayer’s funds.

          3. I agree with all of these and might add, make them no longer exempt from FOI! The key is more transparency but we know how they feel about that.

             1. Makes one wonder what they have to hide.

       2. if Will goes, George & Charlotte go. It makes more sense then to rip G&C from W&K custody and give them to Charles.

    4. Oops, didn’t get round to Q2.

       William likes the deference as heir, plus the wealth accompanying it. His wife and in-laws want that Crown. He’ll do as he’s manipulated to do.

       If he had any gumption, he’d quit and live off his own substantial funds. But he’s too used to having it all his own way to accept anything less.

       1. If he weren’t royal he would be living on the dole in his parents’ basement spending his days playing video games. He lacks any basic life skills.

    5. Thanks for your answers everyone. Its really informative gathering everyone’s perspectives on the issues.

40. Comment

41. Just catching up on all the tour coverage as I have been away visiting family. I must say, KMR, you are always so on top of things. You work so hard and we are grateful to you.

    As for whether this trip was a good one? I feel sorry for those dear and wonderful Canadians who planned such wonderful things for the family to do. William and Kate just did not come across too solidly and for the most part, I thought they sleep-walked through a holiday I would have loved to take!

    Kate did seem happier in many of the photos, but her rude and thoughtless manner eventually shone through. Like many, I was deeply offended by her refusal to carry the lovely bouquet of brilliantly colored flowers to the plane with her. How horrible she behaved in front of that young boy. He will remember that and the hurt will always be there! Shame on her.

    William was so foolish when he admitted that he never reads the briefs that are prepared for him. Does he really want to shoot himself in the foot, or is he just ignorant?

    The children are adorable, but even they cannot save their parents. The Duke and Duchess are lazy and misguided people. It’s all show to them. No substance. Does anyone think the Queen could have been happy with this lackluster appearance by the golden boy and his Missus? She has to know. She has to worry. She has to care. If she doesn’t, then who will?

    Again, KMR, sincere thanks for all you do!

    1. I truly hope that young man who gave that bouquet of flowers to that ingrate realizes that his gesture was sweet and thoughtful, and that she’s the one with the lack of appreciation. So very rude and almost bordering on downright mean. I don’t think that we here and on other forums are the only ones thinking that Bill and Cathy are obnoxious ungrateful and very unpleasant people. As far as the queen goes, she’s had ample time to deal with the situation and appears to have modified Kate’s wardrobe to long dresses but at this point I don’t have a lot of sympathy for her. Billy should have been reigned in a long time ago, and taught that his life is one of privilege thru no effort on his part and that he has a moral obligation to give back. He’s an overgrown spoiled trust fund baby who thinks that the world owes him adulation simply because he exists and no one appears to be willing to advise him otherwise. I did see the queen poke him and make him stand up and that was a delightful moment, one of the very few ‘normal’ seeming actions from the ‘firm’. I know that didn’t come out quite right, but the bottom line is I thought it was downright funny, her poking him and the look on his face 🙂

    2. My guess is that he is ignorant and thought he was being humorous. Then again, he may very well (on a subconscious level) indeed be trying to get kicked out of the line of succession rather than just stepping aside. That would take the decision out of his hands and enable him to blame someone else yet again. Just a thought and I’m for sure no expert but he certainly isn’t looking like he wants the top job and is preparing for it. When Billy doesn’t know that mummy was involved we’re talking major disinterest in my opinion.
       I’m headed off to you tube to watch a video stating that Billy and Cathy are more in love than ever as shown by their body language on this pointless expensive tour. Personally, I saw affection between the Trudeaus, and it seems that if it has to be constantly pointed out how much in love W/K are then there may be something that the powers that be are trying to quell.

42. KMR…. Please please please cover Harry’s Well Child visit next. This will be a real treat for all of us after the Canada holitour. Rhianna will be in a puddle on the floor. That’s all I’m saying !!!!!

    1. I second this!!! There are some fantastic photos and footage of Harry greeting each child and giving a few hugs!!

       We *all* will be puddles on the floor!!!

       #HarryforKing

       #IamaHarrySugar

    2. Emily Andrews commented on Twitter, “See, William!?” about Harry knowing his stuff!

       1. I saw that beautiful burn and William is gonna need a ton of Aloe Vera to recover from it hahaha! 😉

       2. Sadly, that comment will only result in William directing his PR to throw Harry under a bus. Happens like clock work.

          1. I rather think that people are not so inclined to allow Harry to be thrown under the bus so easily anymore. Especially after this ghastly pointless tour which accomplished nothing. Nada. I agree that of course Billy will try but it seems to me that people are wising up and seeing the real deal. The way William and Kate behaved on this tour was rude, arrogant, dismissive, and I don’t know that it can be spun any other way. Shoving a little boy out of the way, all but ‘peel me a grape, peon’ with those flowers, the stupid dress up party supposedly for the kids. It may be that people are hanging on to what the ‘firm’ may have been in the past and can’t yet face the fact that Diana’s son is an obnoxious fool who wants control over the press and is alienating the very people who could help him. I don’t think he wants help, I think he’s happy or at least accepting of the status quo. With both that immature silly girl he’s married to and her persistent and clingon mother he really is trapped. Despite what we have seen in the pictures that show his manhood, I think that waity and Carole have emasculated him.
             This is just my opinion Jen, and your comments show a whole lot more knowledge than I have, and are very impressive!!

       3. Did she delete that comment? I don’t see it.

          1. It was Rebecca English (from the DM) who said it and it’s still there!!

       4. Sorry I got her confused with Rebecca English! I am not really up on Twitter, KMR friends, I apologize.

    3. Oh well that just got my all teary eyed. This is how you do royal. Actually, scratch that. This is how you do compassion and being human and down to earth. #imaharrysugar

       1. Thought I’d add this.. Maybe Harry’s getting his own jab at Will in?

          https://twitter.com/RE_DailyMail/status/782987241287192576

    4. The Cambridge’s announced a day full of joint engagements on 10/14 today. Can’t let Harry have all the attention, can we? Ugh!

       1. Sigh….

          So who do you think is gonna be tossed under the bus by the end of the week: Harry, Bea or Charles? You know, just to make sure every remembers WHO are the Special-Snowflakes-and-super-hard-working-royals?

          1. All of the above

       2. More like two engagements…

          1. It’s four engagements: Football Museum, Manchester Town Hall, University of Manchester (graphene), Francis House.

             1. Oh, goodie. More sports jerseys for the kiddies. To be set on fire once back home, I assume?

43. “a journey for pleasure in which several different places are visited”

    Well, if you go by the Webster definition of “tour”, then Will & Kate have been successful. And I get the feeling this definition is exactly what Will & Kate think a royal tour should be. Before this tour, I always held out hope that they’d step up at some point. I gave them the benefit of the doubt. Yeah, no more. These 2 are entitled brats who are good for nothing. Call me mean, but I can’t wait to see Kate fail at her Netherlands day trip. I’ll be fun to watch. What is she going to talk about? She’s a Barbue doll with zero substance to her. You google this tour and the only articles that come up are about what Kate wore. That is not the point of a tour. You know nothing about the charities they visited. I’m pretty peeved that they wasted my tax dollars by coming. KP, please don’t ever send them again.

44. Check out the rude hand-off at the 22:50 mark:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVXmViT_u1o

    Now, unlike Wm, at least she shakes the kid’s hand. But then turns around looking and looking and holding out the bouquet for some lackey to take it off her hands.

    Man, I wish this could go viral. That would be the comeuppance she deserves.

    1. After the Governor General’s wife kindly helped Kate out on the first day by helping her with her clutch bag and also taking the flowers (as discussed before – it’s what a Lady in Waiting would do) has Kate know decided she can pass off everything?

       Of course she wouldn’t pass off Charlotte as by holding her Kate’s guaranteed to be in the middle of the photos which are being taken?

       (Sorry for being snarky but that handoff of those flowers really annoyed me!)

       1. That seems quite rude but she was holding charlotte on one hand and quite naturally she has to pass that flowers .. i dont think its easy eniugh to walk like that along with that high heels as well…it shiuld be william counted as rude enough not to have handshake AND taking those flowers from the boy…he could have managed that so easily without any fuss…

          1. when they got out of the car charlotte wanted to be held by kate look at the pictures and do you expect kate to hold charlotte and the flowers the whole time?

             1. It wasn’t that far to the sea plane, plus Charlotte has legs and can walk, so she could’ve carried the flowers to the plane.

             2. nob I have a squirmy toddler too. I routinely hold my son in one arm on one side and hold something else, sometimes even something as heave as a stroller, on the other side. Most moms I know learn to multi-task very quickly as its an essential skill for the job of motherhood. Of course, if Kate raised her own kids, nob, she would have no trouble holding onto Charlotte and her a bouquet of flowers.

             3. Y’all make is sound like a mother can only handle one thing at a time. Of course, it’s clear that Kate is ‘special’.

                Kate was dismissive and arrogant, especially the way that she handed off the flowers to her “servant”. Loathsome woman. I bet she doesn’t care for flowers, either.

             4. @nob
                Yes, I do expect Kate to hold Charlotte and the flowers.

                Mothers who deal with a toddler every day are very good at holding more than one thing at one time.

          2. She could have passed them on to William. It was rude to leave them behind while the giver was still there.

             1. Pleasse stop the excuses for Kate. Yes, the sea plane was very close. And, yes, as Red Tulip said, the average mum is quite adept at handing a baby or todder in one arm and parcels in the other. How heavy was that bouquet, may I ask?

                Also, it was the commanding way she waved it letting anyone know she needed it disposed. And, that flick of her hair once it was done, made me feel ill.

                Charlotte was walking pretty well, I may add. She was off and running in my opinion. Kate could have called to William and asked him to hold those flowers. But, then again, God forbid she ask for help from that man. He didn’t even help her off the plane when they arrived in Canada. And, she was wearing very high heels and holding their daughter as she walked down the stairs. No help or concern from him. Really, I am tired of the excuses. What Kate did was nasty and just summed up her spoiled rotten demeanor. Wow, I cannot believe how angry that thoughtless gesture has made me. I am not prepared to let go of that emotion, either!

    2. https://youtu.be/RHWRx0Wnc4I?t=1m5s Check this out – she shoves George out of the way so she can be photographed with Charlotte. God, it infuriates me. At least William seems good with both of them.

       1. She really does shove him!

          I lost count of how many times she touched her hair.

          1. Their children were constantly asking for kate even the royal reporters commented on it and i don’t think you have children if you think she shoved him what a overreacting

             1. Quite the attitude for someone who can barely write. Learn some punctuation, nob-head.

             2. Oh good god, not the “parents v non-parents” argument again. Enough already with that one.

                BTW, even the press reported that Kate gave George a “shove”.

             3. Children usually do ask for their mothers. Especially at that age. My husband was watching our two when I was in the city one day and the little one scraped her knee. As adept as he was at cleaning the scrape and putting a band-aid on it and making her feel better, she kept asking him, “Where’s Mommy? I want Mommy!” He laughs about it now, but felt a bit hurt that day.

                So, I am not surprised that George and Charlotte ask for their Mum. And, the flip side of the coin could be that they are so much in the care of their wonderful Nanny that it is something they do because they really would like to see more of their mother than they usually do!

                As for the “shove.” That’s a strong word. I have looked at the video and I see her trying to move her child out of her way. I felt sorry for the little boy. He and his sister are not used to all the hoopla of appearing in public, so they must have been unsettled to begin with. Having Kate push her son was not a pretty sight to behold I hope that George isn’t snapped at by Kate in private. She appears to be a stickler for behavior and he’s just a tot, really.

       2. I would not necessarily use the word “Shove” to describe what Kate did to her son.
          She did want to move him along, though. And, so I would say “nudge.” What is apparent to me, is that she is uncomfortable in all her appearances, with our without kids. The children being with her, though, seemed to make her more nervous. And, she really wanted her son to move along! So, a little push, or a nudge, is what I saw. Sad, for the child.

          It’s also apparent that she was eager to get on that sea plane and end the trip! Seriously, she probably exhaled deeply once on board. And, why? What a wonderful trip that they had. Such amazing people to meet and such gorgeous scenery. Everything could have been enjoyed so much more, but alas, the couple did not seem willing to relax and really experience a lifetime of an opportunity. They let everyone know they were just doing their jobs. Although, not too well, I might add.

          When I think back on how Princess Diana was when appearing with her children, she really did seem much less tense. I doubt she ever “pushed” or “nudged her kids along, but perhaps, I don’t remember correctly.

          I felt sorry for PG. He was put in a difficult position. All the hoopla with so little preparation. He seemed nervous most of the time and who could blame him? He is offered so few opportunities back home to get out there and meet people and see the world! His sister seems to have a more relaxed approach to things, but that is something that could change. If the parents have their way. Still, she seems to have a real determination, that little girl. More power to her!

          1. My guess is that she and Willy were not getting along.

       3. Geez, I am gobsmacked. Really shocked. He’s so little. Just. Wow.

          1. I just watched the video with the interaction with the little boy. Oh my gosh. So disrespectful. William could have given him a hi five or a fist bump. Then had Georgie do the same. And Kate and that bouquet? Unbelievable. This is a perfect example that money, status and position does not buy you class.

          2. As I’ve said I have a son a bit older than George. I was shocked. I’ve pushed him along, I’m sure we all have with our kids, but never this blunt shove like, “get out of my way, I need to pose for pictures with your sister.”

             Poor little guy. It really puts a bad taste in my mouth. I like to say, Well, obviously they love their children, even if I don’t think from what I see they are great parents, but… I don’t know, man, to Kate it is all about the camera and image.

             1. He was also wildly waving and happy, unlike when he came down the steps initially or his hesitance at entering the garden party and I didn’t see either of his parents tell him good job.

       4. That was definitely a shove. He looked a bit startled about what happened and where to go until William caught up to him and took his hand. She’s a real piece of work.

       5. I am speechless. She literally shoved that little boy, her son out of the way seemingly to get the cameras on her and the baby. This wasn’t a gentle nudge, this was flat out shoving. A 3 year old boy being pushed aside by his mother, now that’s really just plain wrong. (If the monarchy does manage to survive that vile woman just shoved a future king.) He was waving with both of his little hands and she does this. I didn’t think I could loathe her any more than I already did, but she hit a new low.
          Such a little guy and he looked so bewildered.

          1. I’m curious. How do two people, known for their laziness and self-absorption become devoted, hands-on parents? How is that switch flicked? A literal 180?

          2. Just had a look at that shove, OMG that poor kid!

             Now this is something that confuses me about Kate. She wants to have great photos taken of her with Charlotte, she wants everyone to think she has this amazing hair so she takes her middle aged hairdresser on a hike up a mountain side, she has her clothing tailored to fit very very closely so we can see how slim she is. So, you would get the idea that she wants to display this amazing image. Then she lets herself down by wearing dirty shoes or boots (sorry but that really bugs me) and she shoves her own son out of the way? Umm, hello Kate, did you not think that the mass of reporters would not have got that on tape? We have all realized that Chris Jackson only releases the best photos of you but other reporters and photographers are not that kind.

       6. Oh…my…god…I finally watched it and it’s as worse as I thought it would be. My heart honestly weeps for George. He looks so subdued, so anxious at his age; imagine the pressure on him via Kate. It’s so freaking sad.

45. Sorry KMR

    1. What i said overreacting a shove hahaha GOODBYE

       1. @ nob:

          Question: do those blinders you wear give you a headache?

46. This tour was a complete waste of taxpayers money (feel sorry for British and Canadian taxpayers). William and Kate are really boring, lazy people .What the hell is this private time ??On an international tour atleast they are expected to work and show up some genuine concern …if at all they have .
    The Queen ,Prince Philip and Charles all through the years have really worked hard at the cost of all private moments very dutifully.W&K are not doing even half of it.
    Harry , Beatrice,Eugiene , The Wessex’s,Princess royal genuinely work hard but do not receive such media coverage as W&K .

47. This tour just made me like Charles even more and support him as King, which some say should ‘skip’ him. Whether that is actually possible or not is irrelevant, it’s a view that exists.

    The thing with Charles is that even if you don’t like some of his views or actions no one can doubt he is fully dedicated to his Royal role, enjoys it and gives it his all. He wants to be there, he’s prepared, he’s dutiful and gives and gives. Whatever you may think of anything in his personal life or views, he does his ‘job’ very well.

    Will and Kate just give off ‘I don’t want to do this’ vibes. So don’t. Don’t be there. No one is making you be royal. Royalty around the world had a long history of heirs giving it a pass.

    Charles didn’t ask to be born royal either. He had a difficult childhood too. He’s suffered rightly and wrongly in the press. Still gets out there and does his job.

    1. Absolutely agree Ribbons. Sometimes I feel sad for Charles that the Queen has lived for so long and he hasn’t had the opportunity to show his full potential. I feel he’d have made an excellent Monarch, sadly time is no longer on his side and I do worry we are going to be stuck with The House of Middleton sooner than any of us have stomachs for. As they say frequently in the DM comments: #RepublicNow 🙂

48. This trip was a success in showing to royal watchers for once and for all that WK are useless in their roles and require the kids to garner globally gushing headlines.

49. And Thank You KMR for your tireless work on this tour, your up to the minute updates and for keeping a community that is as diverse as it is respectful of each other. Thank You also as I’ve been going through some cold and flu lately and this blog and its commentators have been my delightful escape.

50. I’d have to catagorize this trip as a failure. It is pretty remarkable to me that I can remember their itinerary and a few iconic pieces of clothing that Kate wore from their first Canadian tour FIVE AND A HALF YEARS AGO (dragon boat race! cooking! the stampede! polo in santa barbara! her lavender dress!) and there is zero memorable about their trip from merely a week ago. Oh forgive me. Kate ate a phallic clam but I have no idea why or what is was associated with. Pretty sad. They had a great start and have been extremely foolish in continuing to make withdraws from that account of goodwill without making hardly any deposits into it.

51. KMR, just noticed the appearances link at the top of the page. Phenomenal job. I don’t know how you manage! It’s appreciated.

    So during the four weeks prior to leaving for Canada, she made only three appearances. And prior to that a whole month off. Not news to you guys. But as the Brits would say, I’m gobsmacked. Other than a golden uterus, I see almost no redeeming value in this woman. Guess I’m late to the party.

52. Commenting to thank KMR for the tour posts. Seriously, amazing work.

    1. William and Kate should work so hard!! I suspect that KMR has put more research and thought into this than they did the entire time they inflicted themselves on Canada. Stupid senseless complete waste of time, money, and work on the part of others to accommodate these ingrates.

       1. That’s exactly what I was thinking! The Duchess needs a KMR bitch slap to show her what real thought and effort looks like.

          1. Well, W+K have certainly been stepping up the number of engagements of late; obviously they have been told to get off their arses and do something. Same ‘all-smiles-couldn’t-give-a-rat’s’ attitude though. Passive-aggressive digs like William saying he did not read his briefings will get back, as well he knows. The couple give little energy to any occasion. Kind of reminds me of Johnny Depp and Amber Heard who illegally brought their dogs to Australia; as part of their ‘punishment’ they had to make a video regarding obeying overseas quarantine laws etc. It is so half-arsed, yet they complied: https://www.theguardian.com/film/video/2016/apr/18/johnny-depp-and-amber-heard-record-psa-to-apologise-for-bringing-dogs-to-australia-video

53. I guess successful, if the goal was to show the world Kate is a rude little madam.

    1. I doubt whether others will pick it up. Sure, Kate has been rude successive times over the years but unless you are a careful watcher of behaviour, it gets lost in the clothes, children etc For the life of me, I cannot picture Kate as a mother, let alone a hands-on, doting one. She’s just too selfish, too needy for the spotlight and all that comes with it to give herself over to others (except William, for obvious reasons).

54. I feel so bad for the kid who offered Kate flowers. I am incredulous.

55. Could some 1 please post a link, concerning KM pushing a P.G. a side? Poor kid!

    1. https://youtu.be/RHWRx0Wnc4I?t=1m5s

       @ 1:05

       Ellie posted it a couple of days ago.

       1. **jaw drops** holy crap she really did shove him! To the point where he could’ve tripped and fallen and hurt himself!! Who does that to their own kid?! A gentle ‘nudge’ I understand but that was a flat-out “get out of my way” push!!

          Where is the angry emoji when I need it?!

          1. Kate is a doting mother, Kimothy, ‘hands-on’ – even if that means pushing her son out of the way so that she can be ready for her close-up.

             1. You guys, of course Kate is “hands on”… She put her hands on George to shove him out of her way. I mean, you guys, totally hands on.

             2. Bahahahaha thanks Jen!

          2. I forgot to add: Kate is a role model for all mothers with brilliant parenting techniques. KP PR and its flunky newspapers says as much so it must be true. She’s a wonder! How did mothers look after children before her?

             1. Um…….with old fashioned values and morals? 😉 😉 😉

             2. Ah, the image of traditional 1950’s family values doesn’t quite fit the ugly truth of being a mattress and falling out of clubs drunk off her face for years on end, does it?? She certainly was ‘a goer’ (Oz slang – it’s not pretty). It’s amusing/infuriating to see histories re-written – a kind of retroactive continuity – that simply reinvents the truth. The Cambridge’s are essentially dishonest people. The construction of the ‘traditional family values’ trope is just another conjured from the Middleton storybook.

             3. I *hate* the “traditional family values” line. It’s always used by people who want to deny rights to others.

          3. No one is allowed to stand in waity’s way when there is a camera around. *No one* Not even her son. Waity got a lot of attention when George was born, but now that she has Charlotte, George has become William’s responsibility. I’m positive Waity will find a way to get pregnant, and when that happens, the HG will be played to the hilt. I think Kate is acutely aware that the photographers are now more interested in the children, and not her, and that’s a no no. If, and when, there is a new baby, Charlotte will be bounced from the lofty position she now holds = high up in Kate’s arms. There will be umpteen headlines featuring Kate’s pregnancy, which will keep her relevant in the public’s eyes for a while.

             I am not surprised by anything Kate does. She’s uncouth! After the scene on BP’s balcony where she elbowed everyone to get to the front, and her crude treatment of Charlotte re her teething/noise problems, Waity, is without a doubt, a most selfish, cruel and narcissistic woman. She is to be pitied!

             Waity needs to embrace the saying : “to whom much is given, much will be asked”,

             1. Agree Vonnie ,she is a pathetic needy insecure sad little person (as in small, petty), and I don’t think she’s happy at all. In my experience secure and happy people are able to let others shine. I’m not sure about the happy part because she’s in my opinion so shallow that she is maybe happy with shiny things and attention, but anyone who would push someone else out of the way is not secure, nor would they make everything about them and their status. She *is* pitiable and I am waiting for her to be metaphorically shoved off of her pedestal. She and her family. I just hope the children are protected from the fall out but in reality I don’t think there would be much, waity may consider herself God’s gift to the ‘firm’ and to the world, but she may very well be in for a shock down to her core if Billy decides to bolt. She is not Diana.
                Pitiable indeed. No sympathetic and there’s in my opinion a huge difference. Most people I know would not want to be pitied and I’m pretty certain that Kate thinks she enviable, superior and others are jealous. Not me. Not no way, not no how. As I said, pretty certain going by her behavior and demeanor towards others. She’s a joke, as are the Middletons et al. (I hope I’m not straying off topic KMR, if so my apologies).

56. Thanks Ines! Sorry Ellie I missed it!

57. It’s a shove in my books too.
    On the flowers: very dismissive! Is there a reporter who has sought out the little boy to ask his feelings about it?
    One thought on why she needed to not hold the flowers: one hand/arm for Charlotte, the other needed for shaking people’s hands. But it was THE WAY in which someone was called over to take them, as well as the immediacy of it: immediately after receiving them. That was poor behaviour! No, she has neither class nor breeding….
    If one has a monarchy, then do it properly – find a spouse who is up to the job. Otherwise you just have incapable people annoying or infuriating those around them. What is their job? To represent the country – in that sense they are servants of the country they represent. It should not be about THEM personally. Someone earlier said what they need to do is deflect the light directed at them to the work they do (causes represented) – they are clearly incapable of that. Because they are not clever enough? Or because they are too self-centered, and believe they are owed all they have?
    I am not sure they have even understood what they are there for. It may be that they are too shallow, or simply not intelligent enough. But if they can’t understand, then their support network must do that job for them! Clearly their team is none to clever/experienced either. Do they have an experienced civil servant on their staff? A while back I read they chose a ‘young court’ to surround themselves with. Well, it shows! And while a style advisor might seem a frivolous/trivial post, in this case it clearly is not: propriety needs to be assured (dresses that blow up need to be avoided!), local customs need to be taken into account, cost must be considered, a public image must be maintained, etc. I am sure it is not entirely simple to cover all bases, but that is why the job must go to someone who knows what they are doing…
    I am bored with them and wish I never have to hear of them again.
    And I am fed up with constantly hearing about the stupid M clan…..
    Don’t marry a social climber – it does not pay off in the end!

58. On the flowers handoff before boarding the plane: could be they were instructed not to bring anything on board when given at the last minute by the crowd, for security purposes. I case something was hidden in the gift. … although flowers may have already been “searched” before the boy gave them to Kate… Depends on whether the boy/flower gesture was part of the official ceremony or a spontaneous even originating from the crowd.

    1. I would imagine the flowers were deemed safe, otherwise they would not have been allowed anywhere near them — also the boy was in a sense ‘presented’ to Bill’nCathy, so he must have been part of the choreography. I am not sure much spontaneity is allowed – at least for someone allowed in front of the barrier, so to speak.

       1. Oh, those flowers were safe alright, presenting them to Kate was part of the official farewell. It’s on the same you tube video as Kate’s shoving (and I stand by that word) a 3 year old child out of the way to get herself front and center for the camera. Totally safe those flowers, and totally part of the ceremonious farewell. That little boy probably practiced and was very nervous at being given the honor of presenting them, and she blows it off as her right. She did thank him, so I’m of mixed emotions on this. From what I understand the flowers are all donated to a children’s hospital so maybe she had to hand them off but the way she did it was so incredibly snobbish and rude. That hair flick was beyond rude and so ‘I am so very important and beautiful you have been graced with my presence so be grateful’. Pretty sure the people were, grateful. That she and her entourage were leaving and life could go back to being normal. The Cambridges just disrupt things and cost money.

          1. Her hair extensions are growing by leaps. I don’t think she was ever taught that one should not be fidgeting with their hair in public. The woman is just a show-off.

          2. I guess I’m the only one not bothered by the hair flip. I have long hair that gets annoying and in my way so I flip my hair all the time; it doesn’t mean anything more than my hair is bothering me.

59. Hi Kimothy I agree 100%!

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