56 thoughts on “Post-tour updates for Will and Kate’s 3rd anniversary”

1. I feel as if Kate enjoys being the subject of attention, but doesn’t care about improving herself by listening to some criticism and making some changes. She could “try out” new looks, for example, less eye make-up and a blended blush, behind palace walls and ask for opinions from her friends, family, and even staff. Or forget about soliciting opinions and just “try out” something new until she’s comfortable enough to wear it in public.

   As far as appearances, I think Kate is going to do the bare minimum. She is all about herself. I honestly believe she is so shallow that she cares only for herself. Do the Middletons have any favorite charities? Or should I say, did they have any before they became “famous”? Most women Kate’s age from a family with money would have established a connection with charity by this point.

   The appearance on the lawn with George at Admiralty House was just an unsuccessful attempt to recreate the lawn scene with Diana, Charles, and Will 30 years ago.

   And finally, her favorite photo of George nuzzled up to her is probably the only photo they have of him appearing to be happy in her arms. Did anyone notice how he seems only to like to be carried facing out, away from the parent? When he’s pictured being carried facing the parent he seems to be squirming to get down, or at least to get turned around. This may be because he senses how uncomfortable his parents are when holding him. Look at how stiff and surprised Kate is in the photo.

   Good job covering the tour, but I agree with others that it was a ho-hum tour.

   1. I did notice that George seems to really like being held facing out and not any other way, he is always squirming when held not facing out. I attributed it to his personality and wanting to see the world and what’s in front of him rather than what’s behind him, but it could be he just doesn’t like being held by his parents. They really do seem odd when holding him, especially Will.

      I don’t think the Midds really do that much charity work. To be honest, and I know this is the unpopular opinion, I don’t care that the Midds don’t do charity. They can do whatever they want with their money, they are private citizens. Kate (and Will) is the one I have a problem with regarding lack of charity work. Pre-marriage, it doesn’t matter that the Midds don’t do charity, but Kate should have seeing as she was playing for the Ring and getting involved with a charity would have made her more appealing and given her something to do to stem the “Waity Katie” criticism from the public. Post-marriage, Kate should be doing far more charity work than she does. The only purpose the royals have is to promote charities, if she doesn’t do that, then she is pointless.

      1. I noticed how Kate held Prince Grumpy with that first pic of him coming off the plane with her in Mustique. I commented somewhere I didn’t think she knew how to hold a baby. Also, I think this is her way to keep him away from her long hair. That was at 6 months of age for PG. During NZ/Oz, he was 8/9 months, but was getting used to being held face forward, but I still think it looks terribly awkward and seems very unnatural. There are probably one or two benefits to holding him like this – the main one (aside from her hair) is to have him see what’s going on around him. Still, with him getting bigger, this just seems so odd.
         Someone mentioned during this trip, Kate actually told a 77 year old man who I think lost his house in the earthquake (I think) to rebuild. Do you have this link? Did she REALLY say that? If true, I have to criticize her intelligence and tact. This woman has been so completely spoiled – she stinks!

         1. When Will held Prince Grumpy (love that moniker), it seemed even more odd. Will held him out and away from the body, which was weird. He seemed like he was going to drop George at any moment.

            Re her comment: I’ve read people mentioning it, but I didn’t read the comment myself. But then again I skipped most of the crowd comments in the articles (because most of them were overly fawning) so it may have been there and I may have missed it–sorry.

2. Something I’ve always wondered about wardrobe cost: Does she (or any royal) actually pay retail value for clothes? Considering the amount of publicity that she gives the designers she wears and the so-called “Kate affect”, do they give her a significant discount, or even freebies? I can’t imagine that she (and by “she”, I mean Prince Charles) pays full retail price for all her items worn to public events. Especially since the only thing even marginally interesting about this woman is the clothes she wears and the only thing of interest there is to talk about when she makes a public appearance*, but she even manages to make that boring and low-classy. What an absolute train wreck this woman is.

   *Unless, of course, she’s flashing, saying something stupid, looking board, or being scowled at by her husband.

   1. I have read different things about how much she pays. Some say she will accept discounts (but never how much of one) and others say no. I think the royals do take discounts. I’ve read stories about having a deal with Audi (and Kate getting one with that discount).

      I also read that Australia and New Zealand cover the expenses of the tour, including Kate’s wardrobe. Does anyone know if that is true?

      1. Not sure about the wardrobe but they are covering travel and living cost.

      2. Where did you read that NZ and OZ were paying for her wardrobe? Do you have a link? I know they are paying for the travel and expenses and police protection and all that, but I haven’t heard about them paying for the wardrobe.

   2. I think they take huge discounts. The RF has a deal with Audi, and now I think Range Rover, where they get a 90% discount on cars. As for Kate’s clothes, I’ve read reports that say she isn’t allowed to take freebies, but can take discounts. they never say how much the discount is, but it’s probably pretty high.

3. waity is a waste of taxpayers money, william should have known better, shes made the uk monarchy look cheap and trashy!

4. So all this “hands-on” nonsense and “we’re just like everyone else nonsense is finally being dropped when they openly admit to having a nanny, separate private secretaries, at least one press secretary (how else would their names be kept in the news every day even though they do virtually NOTHING NEWSWORTHY most of the time?) a personal assistant, personal “administrator” and a full-time hairstylist. That’s four people just for Waity, not including the taxpayer-funded plain clothes police officers who guard them, Anmer Hall and their Bucklebury bolthole (ie Michael’s and Carole’s) around-the-clock. I wonder how many bodyguards Lupo got to have while they were away, since kidnapping Waity and Willy’s dog would be JUST what kidnappers look for! Meanwhile, the Princess Royal, Earl and Countess of Wessex and Duke of York, who between them did the bulk of the engagements the last two years and get little recognized and no bodyguards.

   1. I’m glad they’re dropping the pretense. I’d rather they be open and honest about that stuff.

      I think it’s stupid that the royals who spend the most time hiding away from the public get the bodyguards while the royals who go out in the public and do most of the work don’t have bodyguards, or have to pay for them themselves.

      1. I think so too. It’s unfair.

         1. Really – so Princess Anne, Countess Sophie, Prince Edward, etc don’t have their own bodyguards paid for?

5. Kate loves that picture at the bottom, how do you know? I don’t see it anywhere in the piece. She probably loves it because it’s the only picture where George appears to actually be smiling instead of looking like he’s trying to dominate something.

   1. Wasnt Cathy quoted as saying that photo was her favorite? Several news sources have her quoted as saying this.

   2. It’s this article. The photographer says that she told him it was her favorite photo and she had him print a black and white version for her to take home.

6. The one candid picture where Will and Kate are dressed up and playing with George are cute, but Kate is SQUATTING with her knees UP! Most women would squat with their knees down, but it seems that Kate really lacks essential self-awareness.
   I had noticed the slightly shorter hair too. Baby steps I guess.
   I think a sleek long bob slightly past the shoulders with a deep part and angled just a bit shorter in the back and longer in the front to tuck behind her ears would modernize her look a great deal and push her slightly out of her comfort zone but would still be “enough” hair to be able to wear down often and still be her security blanket.

   1. I strongly disagree that Kate “lacks essential self-awareness”. I think she’s an exhibitionist who knows exactly what she’s doing.

      1. Yep – I totally agree with Dag. Waity has been an exhibitionist LITERALLY from day one with her fashion show “dress” 13 years ago. She thoroughly enjoys those “oops!” moments.

         1. I have to wonder how much of her exhibitionism comes from genuinely liking being naked and how much it comes from liking the attention it gets her. Some people genuinely like and feel comfortable being naked, even in front of strangers, but I think Kate likes the attention. She only wore that see-through dress to get Will’s attention. I think she sun bathed naked in France to also get his attention (because he clearly doesn’t give much of a sh-t about her any other time). May be all her exhibitionism–even the skirt fly-ups–are some weird way to get Will’s attention?

            1. Probably both reasons.

   2. Why should she cut off all of her gorgeous hair? I love it long. It’s probably the one thing about her I like consistently, although I think her old hairstylist was much better. I’ve seen quite a few posts about granny apparently criticizing her long hair, if that’s true, it seems about jealousy more than anything. It doesn’t look messy or unkempt and she’s young, she shouldn’t chop her hair off like a 50 year old.

      1. I don’t think she needs to chop her hair off either. She can have her long hair as long as she’s willing to put it up when she needs to look professional–like when giving a speech.

7. After 3 years of marriage lazy is still lazy!
   The royals are fools to allow this kate farce
   to continue.

8. So what’s on the work agenda for May and June now that the ‘hugely wildly successful’ Australia/New Zealand tour is finally over?

   Did you notice how the press is printing their headlines with Kate and George first with William taking the rear. That won’t go over too well in the future. I guess this is the rebranding of Waity we’ve been reading about.

   1. As far as I know, Will has an appearance on May 12, and they will be at Trooping of the Color, but I don’t think anything else is scheduled for May or June yet, or at least they haven’t announced it.

      I did notice the press leads with Kate. I also noticed how much more confident she became, making jokes at his expense and throwing her win in his face in public. None of that will go over well long term. Will’s ego will get in the way.

      1. Not to mention in 20 years or so, he will be her King and Sovereign. She will absolutely not be able to exhibit that type of disrespect. Remember… Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary curtsied to King George VI, Queen Elizabeth insisted the Princess Elizabeth and the Princess Margaret curtsey to their father every night before bed and the Duke of Edinburgh has walked two steps behind his wife and called her “ma’am” in public for sixty-two years. When William is King, “Queen Catherine” (God I hate writing that) will still be No. 2, as she should be.

9. Thanks for identifying that blonde. I had wondered why Amanda Cooke Tucker would need an assistant as her hairdos can be done by the person wearing the hair! They are NOTHING to write about apart for the fact that Kate has looked terrible with some of Amanda’s work! I’m astonished by the amount Amanda charged on the trip to NZ and Oz. As for the media reports that Kate was not taking a dresser – well it looks like she did but if you call her a PA then does that mean Kate and William can hide the number of staff they have? So much for being promoted as being just like you and me?

   1. At least she doesn’t have a PA and a dresser. I’m surprised at how much Cook Tucker got for doing Kate’s hair also. I mean, 10K (US $) for 3 weeks of work, AND a free trip to NZ and OZ. Ridiculous.

      1. Don’t forget that Cook Tucker charged MORE because the tour was SOOO long! All 3 weeks of it!

         1. …and she worked soooo hard at styling long, straight hair – basically putting a brush through it while blow drying it. Oops – my bad – she also pulled the front/crown of Waity’s hair back into a modified ponytail sometimes. Major, major work. I’m exhausted just thinking about it!

            1. I’ve got long hair and have days when I could do with a hairdresser on call but then those are the days that I either tie it back or put it up. Diana apparently had an on call hairdresser but then DIANA’s hair always looked good. Even after Cooke Tucker has been to work Kate’s hair can STILL look a MESS!

   2. There was no way that the “we’re just an ordinary house couple” line could hold water for very long. Maybe 70 years ago when the press and public were deferential to the point of madness, but not today. No one can believe someone who drops $550,000 on clothes in three months is “ordinary”, whether she cooks Valentine’s Day dinner for her husband or not. No one can be an “ordinary” soldier when they take a Minstry of Defense helicopter on an unauthorized joyride to buzz Balmoral and the Middleton family home, and not be court-martialed and cashiered out of the service. No one is “ordinary” when they live in Keningston Palace and Anmer Hall and arrive at events in a Jaguar or Audi with a police escort. The problem as I’ve written here before, is that they want to have it both ways: Being “ordinary” in the idiotic hope that will win the public’s favor and give them privacy from the press, while using their royal status and celebrity to their advantage when it suits them. But anyone who would actually buy the line that they are “ordinary folks” is a fool.

10. I think Kate will make an excellent Queen. William as King is more of the concern. Her hair was beautiful on the tour especially when she pulled it back. I can see that she is really trying – Good for Kate!

    1. Kate will NOT make an excellent Queen. The sooner Prince W is able to work out an amicable divorce, the better. His second wife will be hopefully of more aristocratic stock who knows the ropes of Royal behaviour and standards to uphold.

       1. Doesn’t even need to be someone of aristocratic stock necessarily. At least someone very willing to learn, listen and has a good work ethic, a bit less vain than Waity, and someone not too scared/self-conscious that they need long hair worn down constantly (while playing with it), using it as a security blanket.

11. oh really shes trying because she pulled back her hair, so….,…….. Pulling back hair makes waity a good queen consort, …,. What has she done before marriage and after marriage NOTHING!!!!!!!!! Everybody can wear pretty clothes, smile and pick flowers from the crowd, waity has done NOTHING and is an empty vessel FOREVER!!!!!!!!

    1. Adam, i agree with you! CrazyAMC, i hope waity has no more wardrobe malfunctions & starts
       working! Kate has no choice but to grow up! If she does not she might get kick to the curb!
       The royals do not put with negative behavour forever! If she was kicked out, where would she
       go! The middletons would not support her unemployed status! Lazy lose lifestyle no big financial payment, because of lack of work! No child support, the royals keep custody of children! I have never met Kate Middleton, have you?

       1. It’s sad to say, but Carole would not stand for Kate to not be a royal. Carole would probably disown Kate should she there be a divorce.

          1. Both Carole and Kate act like there is this major “stage mom-kid performer” thing going on, and it hasn’t gotten any better with time. I think this is a big reason why Kate has not made any major missteps – save the twirling hair at Remembrance Day incident.

12. No I can’t say I have had the pleasure of meeting the future Queen consort. I just want to give her a chance. She’s going to make mistakes, but she will learn. I know one day she will make all of us very proud!!!There is just something special about Kate… PW just needs to support her more and stop being so self centered!!!I know that she is beloved by HM and that is enough for me to support her. HM would not approve of someone who would bring shame and embarrassment to the RF on purpose…

    1. Wow. Just WOW. I do not even know where to start with my reply. Speechless.

    2. No doubt the Queen and many others in the palace are aware that despite the media trying force the public to be in love with Cathy (like some type of Diana #2 clone), it is not happening. The chemistry is not there. But what is even more troubling is that Cathy Waity lacks the skills of being a Royal. Camilla, Sophie, and even Autumn picked up on how to behave appropriately, much more quickly than Cathy.

    3. “…future Queen Consort.” Let her get through being Duchess of Cambridge and Princess of Wales before she’s anointed and crowned Queen Consort (many, many years in the future).

    4. CrazyAMG – how do you know Kate “is beloved by HM”? I disagree. Do you remember their wedding declaration signed by the Queen? It granted marriage of “our beloved William” to “our trusty Katherine.” It’s William that is beloved, not Kate. At the wedding ceremony, when Kate forgot to curtsy to the Queen, HM looked away with a disapproving look. Through the years, when Kate and the Queen have been seen together, whether at Fortnum & Masons (where the famous “can you test the smell by smelling it?” comment came from), the Jubilee on the river, at the several Trooping of the Color Kate has attended – have you ever seen HM look or act like Kate was “beloved?” I mean, HM barely even looks in Kate’s direction! When she does, she usually has a look of “God Save ME!” or one of disappointment. You might say we really don’t know what is said behind closed doors – & that is true. However, actions speak louder than words, and even from HM, I just do not see any evidence that Kate is “beloved” by the Queen.

    5. CrazyAMG – it’s sweet that you support Kate but do you really think Kate has it in her to be a good Queen? Yes she is making mistakes but she doesn’t learn from them! For example – she is still going out in dresses which fly up in the wind, thankfully we only saw this once in New Zealand at the airport. She did hang on for the ring but without Carole pushing William would they be married? The press may say that Kate is beloved by the Queen but there are just as many reports that The Queen does NOT like Kate and keeps asking people “what do you think of Kate?” I do hope you are right and Kate can improve.

13. Ok I may have gotten ahead of myself with future Quern consort but it will happen one day. I think you got it wrong about how the public sees Kate. You may not like her but like I said there is something that draws people to her, both positive and negative. Without Kate I dare say the RF would be boring! In time she will win everyone over! She may not have picked up on being a Royal as others have, but she will. Once PW stops being a spoiled brat and embraces his role as a future King, Kate will shine.

    1. “In time she will win everyone over! She may not have picked up on being a Royal as others have, but she will.” Um – she is now in year 13 of her relationship with PW. She is a 32 year old university graduate – the first “future Queen Consort” to have completed college, so she has some smarts. She has been married for 3 years, a mother for 9 months. Given all these numbers, she has had the most opportunity to learn about being a royal as part (and now wife) of PW, 13 years in fact. How long do you think it will take for her to “pick up on being a Royal?” Thirteen years is a long time already.

14. I’m not sure you can count the first 10 years, she wasn’t a Royal and didn’t have the demands/pressure of living up to the very high expectations of the world! By the way no other member of the RF carries the same burden as Kate. The media isn’t waiting to pick apart everything that Sophie or Autumn (how could that comparison be made) does. I choose to believe that she is beloved by the Monarch. Granted she has made mistakes and probably has disappointed HM on several occasions but that doesn’t mean she isn’t held with high regard by HM. One more point, I think Kate did a great job representing HM in OZ/NZ. This is the first of many successes for Kate. My biggest advice to Kate would be to work on her public speaking and conduct more engagements on behalf of HM. She and PW may have had a agreement on her Royal duties, but the public is simply demanding more and they should relent. Again this goes back to PW he has more control of this situation but very few put the burden of responsibility on him. Kate is left to defend herself.

    1. Uh huh, just read this entry. Still sorta speechless. All I can get out is that you “choose to believe” a lot about Kate and the RF. Good luck with that.

    2. Kate has been in William’s circle for over 13 years, you would think that she would have paid attention to the way things are done. So, I personally feel, you CAN count the first 10 years.

15. Thanks for the great reporting of the tour. I liked the humour that went with some of the stories, especially when the UK press were so over the top!
    The tour of NZ did go well even though it did come off like a Contiki Tour (15 countries in 10 days type tour) and barely scratched the surface of what NZ is really like. It seems like Kate was flagging by the time they got to Oz.
    As for that photo of George and Kate – the photographer was on the news speaking about taking it and he did NOT sound like the person in the PEOPLE article. I’m sure he referred to Kate as the Duchess of Cambridge so maybe the reference to Princess Catherine was added by the US magazine? In New Zealand we are still close enough to the UK to know how titles work!

    1. I’m not familiar with a Contiki Tour, but in my American mind W&K’s tour reminded me of a whistle-stop tour–where they just do a few hours in each place and move on. I think the NZ leg went better than the OZ leg. I think everyone was so happy at the start, but by the time they got to OZ there was so much exhaustion from W&K, the reporters, the public, that it was kind of like going through the motions by the end of OZ.

       Re the photographer, that’s interesting. I don’t know if People changed the quote. It didn’t occur to me that the photographer was a New Zealander and would know about the titles situation, that’s true. I didn’t see his speak, all I read was the People article.

16. Friends the kate middleton criticism website has posted article called
    “Kate Middleteton: An unsuitable Duchess and future Queen Consorter.”
    It is very interesting and true! I think it is worth reading.

17. To our host Thank you for keeping your blog classy and dignified!

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