105 thoughts on “Pregnant Kate plays tennis with kids”

1. Catherine Quinn already seems to be making a bit of a difference. Kate was dressed appropriately and was engaged. Tiny itty bitty baby steps.

   Also I saw the Michelle Obama and Harry pics at the surprise School visit. I love those two together and that they seem to be friends.

   1. I love the relationship that Harry has fomented and maintained with the Obamas. Such a fantastic statesman (though parts of his Q&A were over congratulatory towards the work that he, William and Kate are “doing.” When he voluntarily brought up Heads Together, I had to physically stifle an eye roll) and it really shows that he’s passionate and concerned with things other than himself. If William is going to make his country proud, there are a few things he could stand to learn from Harry.

      If he could only present like this all of the time. But perhaps next time, he could take pains to button the top of his shirt; the casual sexy look did not fit the venue.

      All in all, a delight to see. Hopefully, KMR covers the event here!

      1. Are you going to cover Harry’s interview? There’s several things I’d like to talk about but can wait if you are.

         1. Yes, I will. Most likely on Friday.

            1. Then I’ll wait but I just want to say I feel sorry for Charles not getting the recognition for all his hard work for the Prince’s trust and what he did for Drumfries. mellody talked about how they (younger royals) are much more hands on (bwhahahah) than others and asked why that is, I wanted to scream Charles is actually very hands on (probably too much) and Harry totes agreed. ?
               I actually had issues with several things he said and didn’t say but I’ll wait =)

            2. Sarah, same.

      2. Without opining about the validity and effectiveness of public charities that people advocate for; I believe that opinions as to politicians and their causes is not an appropriate subject for discussion. Politics and royalty have completely different roles. The British Monarchy generally steers clear of political leanings and it is my opinion that comparisons don’t work.
         I would be curious to know if the royals comprehensively select the causes and charities they wish to champion. Different causes and charities may conflict with others or have inconsistencies in their goals. I understand that a royal may have an interest in a specific area but is that an adhoc decision they make or is there a sort of “royal clearing house” to avoid the appearance of hypocrisy,competing priorities or subjects that border on the political.

         1. My comment was in reference to Harry, and the statesman-like quality he’s been projecting lately. Given that he was attending a summit named after, and forming the legacy of a former Head of State, it would be impossible to reference Harry’s Q&A without mentioning his relationship with the man at the centre of the invitation?

            In any case, it was probably better to leave my comments on Harry for a post on Harry. I got ahead of myself, there. Apologies.

            Perhaps if Kate did things that were more interesting….. 😉

2. I think Kate is so brave and strong, managing to overcome her crippling HG to play tennis. If only we could all be so amazing. I hope other women who have HG don’t feel bad that they’re not able to be an incredible superwoman like Kate.

   For anyone here who had or has HG: I hope you can read my sarcasm … if not, I am being very facetious.

   1. I have never commented here before, but I have to after reading this. My best friend suffers from HG during her pregnancies. It begins around week 7 or 8, and she’s unable to get out of bed, wears a Zofran pump, and salivates so heavily from the constant nausea and vomiting that she has to have something to spit in at all times. She literally calls it her “spit mug.” At times, she requires home healthcare visits and IVs. However, by the end of her first trimester, she recovers. She goes from being unable to move without vomiting, to sort of a “touch and go, wait and see” phase, and then she’s up—ready to get back to her normal activities by week 15 or so. My point is this: I don’t know Kate’s exact experience with HG. None of us do. But I AM saying it’s completley plausible that she does in fact have HG, and IS in fact able to do this type of engagement following her struggle with it during the first trimester. And IF her HG is this similar to my friend’s, she knows how blessed she is that it eases up by the end of the first trimester, so that she can enjoy the rest of her pregnancy.

      1. +1000!!!

      2. Michelle +1

      3. Yes

      4. The problem with your argument, as it pertains to this pregnancy, is that Kate has appeared healthy and as if she’s been gaining weight appropriately (this is a good thing, please do not attack me, I’m not shaming a pregnant woman for gaining weight). HG is actually a diagnosis that includes pretty severe weight loss due to the fact that sufferers can not keep food down.

         Also, because of Kate’s prolific history of avoiding work, rightly or wrongly, a lot of people are less inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt if she cries health issues.

         1. I’m with you on this Eve. If she had had HG and is now feeling better she would I think look much thinner…HG thinness is a bad thinness as I know, it’s unhealthy and affects your skin and hair as well due to lack of nutrients getting anywhere other than the baby. This doesn’t fit with Kate in my opinion as one who has been there three times.

            1. +1 Michelle for empathy and understanding. Eve, I think it’s also possible she has an eating disorder and needs to be given fluids and brought back to health when she gets pregnant, and it’s possible they use HG as a reason because the public would be less likely to rip her to shreds over HG than an eating disorder. Either way, we all have struggles and the excessive concern that the public has regarding her weight probably isn’t helping her at all.

         2. +1

         3. Eve, you don’t have to worry about arguments or attacks from me. I don’t want any part of that. 🙂 Just making an observation based on my best friend’s experience with this.

            I do think it’s unfortunate that the work shy reputation plays into this and causes people to doubt the truthfulness of her HG diagnosis. I also understand people’s suspicions based on her lack of weight loss. I can only offer this response: My friend loses so much weight during that first trimester, it’s frightening to see her. It made me want to cry. In fact, she doesn’t let people see her (except those who have to, such as her husband, doctors, etc.) because she doesn’t want to frighten them. As soon as she feels like she MIGHT be able to eat, she begins to try. Some stays down, some doesn’t, but it’s a start toward regaining the weight. Once she’s regained enough that she’s not concerned about shocking people by the weight loss, she heads out to get her hair done… all in an effort to look and feel like herself again, and to avoid having friends and family being shocked the first time they see her out and about.

            Again, (and I promise I’m not arguing because you’re 100% entitled to your opinion) I don’t know the severity of Kate’s HG, how much weight she typically loses, how soon she’s able to begin putting it back on, etc. It seems I’m just a bit more willing to give her the benefit of the doubt (and you may think that’s very naive of me). Thank goodness there’s room in the world for all our opinions, right? 🙂

            1. Look forward to hearing more from you Michelle. I disagree with everything you say pretty much, but that is what makes this interesting. And you put things so calmly .

         4. In addition to what Eve said about her work-shy history, she and William also have a history of flat out lying to the public. From sneaking off to France instead of attending the paralympics, or claiming over and over how keen Kate was to “hit the ground running,” or being too sick with HG to work but not too sick to fly off for a skiing holiday or to Mustique, they don’t come across as particularly honest (IMO).

            So, in addition to her looking very healthy and well throughout all of her pregnancies (except for looking sickly when she was hospitalized when pregnant with George), she also has the work-shy history, and she also has a history of being dishonest about working. I no longer have any ‘benefit of the doubt’ left for Kate or William. They’ve used it all up…

      5. The thing is, Kate is not like this.

         She has gone on holidays when supposedly so ill she cannot work. But she can go to Mustique! And get scuba diving certification!

         She drives herself places, drove herself to hospital in London from Bucklebury instead of anywhere closer. William was off with Jecca and Co on a hunting trip, I believe.

         Women with HG cannot do those things. I sure couldn’t have and my doctor wouldn’t have even diagnosed it. I looked very, very sick. Kate never has, not once, but happy and healthy. Not like me; I looked like a ghost and had lost about 20lbs in the first trimester alone. It was not pretty and is one reason I have no photos of me while pregnant. Kate, good for her, has looked great.

         The lies are tiring.

         1. Michelle, thanks for the information. My understanding is luckily a bit further removed. I actually think Kate probably did have HG in her first pregnancy, or at least incredibly severe morning sickness. I agree that it’s a shame that her past behavior has led to people doubting her sickness.

            1. I also had HG and after the first trimester I was sinning and back to my ballet class. People are different and their bodies react differently.

      6. Thanks for that, Michelle. I was in the group thinking it may have been overstated; interesting to read that some people can recover quite well after a while.

         1. And yet KP keeps suggesting that the HG may come back at any moment… and that’s the issue. If it really just lasts the first trimester (and certainly only lasted that long the other two times) then KP must stop hedging that it is going to come back now that she has obviously recovered, just in case she wants to cancel something. They lack all credibility on this issue. Along with the overuse of the word keen, which has yet to be shown in any real way, except a keenness to spend excessive amounts of money on clothing.

   2. Well, her energy never seems to lag when it comes to shopping.

3. I am very much interested in Catherine Quinn. Why did she take this job, what’s her backstory etc. I like the looks of her so far, Bex was always a bit on the slovenly side, so this is such an improvement. As for the duchess, yawn. She showed up for tips on how best to get George involved in tennis- and she always takes part in these sorts of events so this is not new or surprising. Nice to see the ridiculously expensive sweatpants being given a second wear though. They must be really comfy…or something.

   1. “I am very much interested in Catherine Quinn. Why did she take this job?”
      So am I.

      1. Catherine Quinn is a true professional. Polished and poised. She looks like she may have been a major help to Kate with this appearance. Kate did seem far more involved than the usual. Goodbye messy Bex, and welcome Ms. Quinn!

         I have to admit, I wonder why she took the job, too. She must love a challenge. Getting Kate to rise to the occasion every single time e will be quite a feather in her fascinator.

         I do agree with the statement someone else made — sorry, I don’t remember who, as I wonder why after so many years we have to give accolades to Kate for showing up and being personable. Oh, well, if that is how it goes, so be it. Yesterday, I said I was bored with Will, Kate and Harry. I’m still bored. I am a bit more gracious today, though. I will admit that Kate did a decent job here.

         What’s with her veneers, if I may ask? It looks like they have a French manicure. That whiter than white trim at the bottom of her upper teeth makes me crazy. First, when I saw it in other photos, I thought it was I thought I was seeing things. I”m not! What gives? Anyone know?

         1. “That whiter than white trim at the bottom of her upper teeth…”

            Could be an unsharp masking filter was applied to the photo after the photo was taken. (The filter name is contrary to the actual result of the filter.) In digital images, the photo manipulation software specifies an amount of contrast to find in the photo’s pixels. Then the selected pixels are lightened or darkened. It may be 1 or 2 pixels wide when it is applied to the photo file. The result is the illusion of sharper focus than the original picture. Look up ‘unsharp masking’ in Wikipedia. It has several examples of unsharp masking results. There are some cameras that will do this as well.

            In the photo of Kate, the software finds a border between the color of her teeth and the rest of her mouth. The software changes a pixel or two at the border to a lighter color and it can look as if her teeth have a white edge that isn’t really there.

            You will see the effect most often in celeb photos when the people are wearing glittery gowns (makes the sparkle more noticeable) and in photos of intricate patterns such as tapestry or embroidery where it helps delineate the colors and patterns.

            1. Wow, Grace, you know a LOT about this. Thanks so much for the explaination!

            2. Another Wow, Grace. Thanks for the info. You sound like you work in the photo shop trade. I’m impressed.

            3. Yup. Prepress using Pshop, desktop pub, & other editing software. Use photo editing programs now for personal & occasional freelance projects. Because of work experience, I believe it’s rare for a published photo to be original and unaltered by photo editing software.

         2. The expectations are so lowered for Kate that basically we treat her like we do a toddler who is learning potty training and who gets congratulated for pooing in the toilet.

            1. sometimes l can’t believe she’s a 37 yr old married woman, she behaves like a 5 yr old and its not cute, for a royal woman in her position gosh!!

            2. she needs to stop behaving like a 12yr old, she’s s 37yr old royal wife, she needs some gravitas period!!

      2. I have a theory. The general consensus (yes, yes, grain of salt, etc.) seems to be that Kate would be mentored by Sophie before and after the wedding. Will said no, I’ll teach Kate myself. Indeed, the first months, including the Canada tour, Will seemed attentive and supportive. When asked, Kate said that William was ‘taking good care of her’. My theory is that Will expected Kate to, you know, *learn* stuff. Where to go, what to do, and how to do it. But she hasn’t. When she’s on her own, she seems ok, but when she’s with Will, she’s always looking to him to guide her, even now. He’s always putting his hand on her back pushing her along, often with his jaw clenched. She still wants, or needs him to look after her. Being looked after is quite important to Kate. In the interview about the Queen, when she wasn’t congratulating herself for giving birth, she talked about how the Queen looked after her on an engagement they did together. The DM (grain of salt!) has printed countless articles about how much Kate relies on Carole to help her manage her day to day life. These articles have so many details, and it’s no secret Kate visits Bucklebury quite a bit, and for extended stays. I think that Ms Quinn is there to do the mentoring that Kate should have had after the wedding. I’d be fascinated to learn of the decision process that went into hiring her. My guess is Kate herself wasn’t given much of a say.

         1. Someone who still needs to be cared for at 35 going on 36 doesn’t sound like someone who has the ability to properly be a parent to children. No fully developed adult should be this needy at this point and sadly any issues the parents have in this regard will affect the children.

   2. Totally agree Ray about Catherine Quinn. I also think her pants would suits better the blue blazer Kate wore at her last engagement. Much better than skinny jeans IMO. And OMG Kate STOP touching your fingers like you are cleaning your nails. She looks lost without her bags. She doesn’t know what to do with her hands. But in general she was fine at this engagement.

   3. She looks so professional and how refreshing after how sloppy and unprofessional Rebecca almost always appeared.
      I hope she’s able work miracles. I’m sure this is still considered a pretty prestigious position to have on your resume. So I’m sure that had something to do with it. I will say, I think Jason ruined his rep as wunderkind by working for them but maybe not all see it the way I do?

      1. Jason Knauf himself is responsible for his ruined reputation. He is too weak to stand up to William and Harry’s demands, and he doesn’t have the experience needed to navigate all the various channels of the BRF and the media. Time after time he has shown himself to be incompetent and untrustworthy. He’d be better off just being Kate’s “Girl Friday” and let Ms. Quinn take care of business at KP.

      2. I can’t, for the life of me, think that standing around collecting flowers, waiting on dullard Kate, and being little more than a gofer is an intelligent career move for an already accomplished woman. Similarly, Jason Knauf moving from high-powered politicians (Helen Clark) to basically cleaning up muck made by work-resistant ‘royals’. Where’s the challenge? Lying to the world through your PR teeth to make dull and lazy people look interesting and keen? These positions just keep the status quo, but choosing them over truly influential, challenging work is a genuine puzzle to me. Unless, of course, they are swept up in securing Establishment sinecures for themselves. The real world is a lot more interesting and worthwhile than propping up spoiled slackers.

4. I like Ms. Quinn’s style and I am glad to see Kate interacting with the kids. She should do more sporty type representation, she does so well at these. Also she looks good. Well put together and good hair. Excellent work Kate.

   1. Yes it is so unfair for her to be expected to meet poor people, or those suffering or in pain. Let’s just stick to sport cos she loves that.

      Copying Lauren’s sarcasm it must be something in the November air.

      1. One word: Grenfell.

         1. Maybe those kids would want a tennis lesson too?

   2. Patricia +1

5. Kate looked engaged and had fun with the kids and was really a lot warmer with them than she usually is, so kudos.

   The rest–same old, same old. She’s so, so sick she can’t work reliably but she can do a fun tennis thing, of course! And bring up what to do with George. He’s 4, Kate. He won’t be some prodigy.

   Catherine Quinn is probably over it already, lol.

   1. The last tennis visit saw Kate ask Judy Murray for tennis tips for her children; it seemed to be the thing she was most interested in. So, same old same old. I don’t think Catherine Quinn can change Kate’s life-long self-absorption.

6. So – the shorter hair of a few weeks ago has suddenly gone miles ahead in length from those photos . . . . . at least she showed up but I am calling “fake news” on HG – my sister had it up to the day the baby was born and a few days after that she was home – she was so wasted away that she had dropped 4 dress sizes and you would never have known she had had a baby. It took her many years to “recover”. I think KP spin whatever story suits their purpose – I accept that I may be way wrong on this. But to me it seems Will and Waity are being enabled to just do what they want. Fine if you live a private life on private finances, but there are a lot of taxpayer $$$ supporting them.

   1. I would love to see Kate in a ponytail that is sleeker, without the bump at the back of the head and without all the curls.

7. Catherine Quinn exhibited more poise, confidence, professionalism and dignity in this one brief outing than Kate has ever exhibited in her six official years as a royal. It will be hard to keep Kate from looking like the flustered intern when next to Quinn on engagements.

   What I’d love to know is what Carole thinks about this new appointment and the influence she will have on her daughter.

   1. + 1.

   2. I hope, Catherine Quinn will stay a long time with Kate. She seems professional.

   3. Carole must be green with envy. Can’t you just see her asking Quinn to tea in an attempt to set her straight?! I’d like to be a fly on any of those walls. Carole won’t know what hit her. Ms. Quinn strikes me as a woman who is in total control and won’t take guff from anyone! The plot thickens. I hope a tell-all is in the works– even as we speak. Someone must be ready to write something under an assumed name. Bex?

   4. I’m guessing Quinn will have little influence on Kate unless William wishes it so. We speculated that she was chosen by someone other than those happy slackers at KP.

      At best, Quinn adds a little class and cachet to Kate’s tone deaf image. After all, KP is all about optics.

      1. “After all, KP is all about optics.”

         Exactly. No substance at all. Why would an accomplished woman buy into that scenario? I agree that William rules Kate and Harry (and then MM when she comes on board) so unless CQ can soothe his toddler-like tantrums and general unpleasantness, nothing will change.

8. I think Kate looked lovely in the pictures and is clearly healthy and well. She was dressed appropriately and she was engaged in the activities, it was good to see. I hope that all her duties are like this from now on. A definite improvement.

   1. + 1 🙂

   2. I agree this was a good outing for Kate. The only thing out of place, is looks to me, like she wore her wiglet for sport. I may be wrong, but it looks off and tarnishes her overall head to toe appearance IMO.

      1. If the Duchess has/had HG, bad teeth/bones/skin/hair could result. Might that have influenced her decision to wear extensions/wig?

9. Quinn looks sharp and professional, and I am hopeful it shows a true positive turn in Kate’s engagements, today kate was dressed appropriately, hair back, sneakers, “recycling” mixed with a High Street new item. But, even better, she really got involved and seemed to have a good rapport with her hosts and the kids.
   And, this time, she was humble about George, who of course just wants to run around with a ball. I’m sure everyone asks about her kids, especially at kid events, so I think talking about him is appropriate.

10. I don’t have much to say about today’s engagement other than Kate looked engaged and dressed appropriately. My only quibble is who buys $345 track pants?? To me the cost of these workout pants is obscene. I have to admit that I’ve been on an internal rant about the cost of these pants since yesterday (kinda silly to spend so much time obsessing about something so trival I admit) but given how many people all over the world can’t afford the basic necessities I find the fact that $345 track pants even exist abhorrent. And the fact that the Duchess thought spending that much on a pair of workout pants is fine solidifies for me how out of touch with reality she really is.

    1. I don’t understand the point of spending a lot of money on workout gear. The entire point is to sweat in the clothes and make them gross. So why pay a lot of money on clothes that are meant to get gross? But that’s just me.

       1. And whenever she turns up in workout clothes she has new expensive trainers! It is yet more profligacy and a complete misunderstanding of the real world.

          1. I’m cheap af and hate buying clothes so Kate’s spending habits are so foreign to me. But I truly don’t understand why she needed these new trainers when she has several cute pairs (much cuter than these new ones) that she debuted this and last year.

             1. If she works out a lot she probably cycles thru them every 4-6 months. I work out and walk the 3 mi lake by my house and that’s how often I’m getting new ones.
                A new pair of nude/black heels I’d give her grief on but new sneakers if you’re active are important!

             2. True. I was going on the assumption that this stuff is just for show and Kate has separate actual workout gear she wears normally. But yes, if she’s wearing the stuff she wears to engagements as actually workout gear, then I can understand cycling through shoes.

             3. Probably because they can’t possibly expect her to work without having something new to wear. If she is going to be forced to work, she has to be rewarded somehow. I doubt she does it for any personal satisfaction.

             4. I’ve never seen her in trainers that look as if they’ve actually been worn for a workout. The suggestion that her other ones are worn out doesn’t fit … she never wants to be seen these days in anything that has been worn more than once or at a push twice. These trainers were unnecessary. For someone so sick she sure manages to shop. Will we see new dresses for all her next work days? Most women reuse maternity wear because it is used so little, why can’t she?

                Really fed up,of paying for this lazy woman who thinks playing tennis with kids is work, but ignores meeting people genuinely in need. Tennis in the UK is expensive to pursue to any level beyond fun…lessons, tournaments, travel costs all have to be funded by parents. Kate should concentrate on less elite sports open to all.

             5. I didn’t think along that avenue. How does their clothes rules work? If it’s purchased for work can they wear anytime after? Or does it remain separate?
                Maybe she has Charles pay for new ones for new event, worn out during personal time thus excuse to have Charles purchase a new pair for next event?

             6. I’m replying to Birdy’s comment. I also think tennis is an “elite” sport, with a high cost of entry that prevents a lot of people from playing. While I get that this association is trying to help get around those barriers, this is pretty lightweight fluff. So she gets no accolades from me for doing this event. This just seems like another example of Kate only acting engaged when she is interested in the topic.

             7. Come on guys all the kids at Grenfell Towers are sailing and playing tennis these days!

       2. I workout so I get spending a bit on workout clothes that wear and launder well and don’t fall apart quickly but I’m talking $50 workout pants that I expect to last forever and ever.

          1. I read somewhere that if Kate wears clothes to an engagement, she can charge it to her father in law as an expense. I always wonder if that is why she seems to buy so many trainers and identical striped shirts.

             1. Maybe. A co-worker always bought a particular brand of pens when working on new mock-ups for a client. Never used all the pens in the package. Nope. Those pens found their way into her purse. I asked why she took the pens and her answer was ”it’s an expense to the project and the client pays for it.” It’s an attitude of entitlement.

             2. That’s definitely a way of cheating the system and getting other people to pay for your personal use items.

             3. This is a comment for GraceH

                Your coworker helped herself to pens from work? That’s “Theft as a servant (aka employee theft)” and is a sackable offence here in most companies, especially if she’s taking them so often?

             4. Yes, it is. Unless you’re related to the boss. Then co-workers need to step lightly. 🙁

          2. Sale rack Lululemon with my sister’s employee discount stacked on top here. I don’t pay full price for anything except my animals’ food. They eat better than the humans in the house do.

             1. I love it Meghan. That is how it is in my household as well! The animals eat the best 🙂 (and I also only pay full price on their food)

             2. Oh me too my doggy with bottom problems ( aka anal gland issues) has the best food!!! But he is worth every penny for the unconditional love I get in return. #lovemydoggy

                And Lululemon at Bicester a big discount village , which is bizarrely on the must do list with Chinese visitors….they do London, Stratford (Shakespeare) and Bicester and every shop now has a Chinese speaking assistant. The Lululemon shop requires patience it is a bit of a scrum!

11. As a sufferer of HG myself, I can venture an opinion. I am not criticizing anyone’s opinion or experiences. In medical terms, a person is diagnosed with HG even if they are nauseous a little bit (like throwing up once in 24hrs- a level above regular morning sickness) and a person is diagnosed with HG when they are throwing up constantly with IVs hooked to them. So the condition represents both the extremes. I have touched both ends of the spectrum. But one thing is constant, weight loss. I didn’t look pregnant till I was close 30 weeks in both pregnancies which is almost 6-7 months. (thankfully I have healthy babies).

    Given her track record of work, I would definitely think twice before giving her the benefit of doubt. May be she has very mild HG but KP is milking the situation. Hey, why not use the sick card when get a chance to get out of work? I hear some folks saying “oh, she is so young. she needs to spend time with her children and raise them as the future monarchs”.

    I spend time with my kids. I work full time. I worked through HG in both pregnancies. Avoided taking medical leave as much as I could during pregnancy so that I can use it later to spend time with babies. I do not have family around. I go on vacations. I like to be dressed well and I do so BUT I do it with my hard owned money. Not trying to live off my husband’s inheritance. Not from the tax payers pocket.

    If she really wants to be a stay at home parent, she should be out of the lime light and not be using a penny from the tax payers. She has enough resources of her own than to depend on public to fund her vacations and designer clothes.

    Really love the new lady, Catherine Quinn. Dignified, poised and hopefully will keep them in the line. I wonder too why she took up the job. I mean, she has had a great career.

    Curious – why are the track pants so expensive? Are they better than the ones from GAP? If they are going to last for a life time, may be worth it but really?

    PS: Sat in traffic too long while commuting to work 😀

    1. Well maybe thats the difference? The reason she seems to recover quicker from “HG” is because she has the luxury of laying around with IVs at the ready, for two whole months.

       Whereas normal women with the condition come off looking and feeling worse because they have to work through it, either through their career or homemaking etc

       Maybe she has more tools to fight the condition? Im not convinced she has actual HG but her resources are something to consider.

       1. If she had HG though she’d be still probably attached to IVs and maybe even have a port, so…

12. Kate looked well (pace, HG, despite Michelle’s well-taken point above) and really engaged on this visit. Like other commenters, I wish she would show this level of engagement on all of her visits and tours. And increase the number of them, and go more often to places that are not “fun”.

    1. Agree Can’t she go to more serious engagements? I guess we are asking way too much.

13. It might just be me but I get a sense Ms Quinn has been brought in to kick some a**, and we are already seeing results. All three of them are already more visible and engaged.
    I’d love to know who actually employed her. She looks very smart and professional and I get the sense she is an iron hand in a velvet glove.
    I hope she sticks it out, I also hope she reads this site and makes them all aware of what is being said particularly around Kate’s,clothes spending which imo is out of control.

    1. There is something compelling about her, isn’t there? That intelligent gleam in her eye and looking so capable and cool as a cucumber and a bit mysterious at the same time. I hope she is there to kick butt or at least whip a few of them into proper shape ASAP. I would love to find out she is there by her Majesty’s appointment alone. Although we’ve seen how much Kate dislikes being shadowed by a lady in waiting, so maybe the Queen was smart and made it seem like this was the Cambridge’s very own excellent idea…

14. I agree that Kate looked very engaged and relaxed at this outing, but then again, she is more interested in sporty types of things that do not require much use of intellect, because she is certainly no intellectual as we know. I also think despite the time off early in this pregnancy a few things may have transpired to make her have a bit of an attitude shift toward her job within the BRF:
    1. She was spoken to by the Queen or someone else that she better start stepping up and appearing more interested.
    2. The threat of Meghan Markle overshadowing her if Harry and Meghan do end up getting married. Like or dislike Meghan, she does have more of a presence than Kate.
    3. Ms. Quinn, Kate’s new personal assistant has been coaching her to be more engaged during public outings
    Here is what I do not understand, which some have mentioned:
    How can a pair of athletic pants be $345.00 , a jacket be £129 and a pair of sneakers be $190? This is stuff that you are supposed to wear playing sports that is going to get sweaty and stinky, I guess when you have a lot of money maybe you perceive this as being a reasonable price?

    Ms. Quinn- a breath of professional and well groomed air. Unlike Rebecca, it looks like she showers daily. I know that sounds mean, but to me, Rebecca always looked dirty, like she just rolled out of bed.

    Some of you have mentioned in the previous post about Kate, William and Harry being boring and I agree.
    I am trying to figure out why I think that, especially when it comes to Harry, because he is more outgoing and engaging. I think it is because the 3 of them do not really project any true sincerity. Kate and William just do not have the personalities and to me Harry is always over-compensating and dialing up his “hey, I am a normal guy” button when he does not have to, so he comes across as insincere. All in all, the 3 of them (in my opinion) still come off as entitled and lazy (but being pushed to do a job none of them wants to do) and I do not have any expectation that will change. I also think if Harry and Meghan do get married she will eventually fall into this pattern as well.

    1. I liked your post BB and agaree with much of it. I don’t agree with the Harry-Meghan scenario you see, though . I think Meghan loves the spotlight too much and sees herself really making a difference in the Royal Family, so I think she will be out there in full force once, and if, they wed.

       Harry is not doing as much for me as he used to do, I will admit. I do get the impression that he wants to be anywhere else when he is at an event. Maybe, with Meghan? He really seems to be over the moon and when men fall like that, I often worry. It seems like they fall and if things don’t work out, they don’t bounce back the way women do. Of course, it takes time for anyone, but women seem to come around easier than men do — eventually, that is.

       A word of support to the friends and families of those hurt in the attack in lower Manhattan yesterday. Five Argentine men in NY to celebrate a big milestone anniversary of their school graduation and now four are deceased. A young woman from Belgium killed, too. And, so many others hurt. What a tragedy. Why hatred of the likes of the man behind the wheel of the truck continues to happen in so many places, makes one wonder about the future. I wish for better times, but I assume we all need to do our parts to ensure a better world.

       1. He looked more engaged when he was with Michelle Obama. It’s when he does the trio stuff that he really looks bored.

15. I hate the pants. Yes, they are appropriate, but that white stripe is so large! I can’t see paying that much for something that would make my legs look bigger!

    1. Boat,

       What’s driving me crazy about the pants are 1) the squiggly design on the front, upper left leg (what the bleep is that and WHY is it there?!) and 2) how much they cost. That price is so outrageous that she better wear them for future events AND turn them into hand-me-downs for either Pippa or Charlotte.

       Also, I like her new LIW (Ms. Quinn) but am curious as to what motivated her to accept the position.

       1. I am liking the look of Kate’s new LIW; *this* is how a professional woman dresses and comports herself. Kate has been needing someone better than Rebecca Deacon for some time now. Something about Rebecca always made her look unkempt, as if she’d just rolled in from a night of heavy binge drinking. She made Kate look quite the lady by comparison.

          But the visual dynamics are different with Catharine Quinn. I can’t quite put my finger on it, perhaps it’s her age or the sophisticated outfit, makeup and hair…. but to me she looked more like Kate’s adult chaperone than a member of her staff. Here’s to hoping that she is able to have an affect on Kate’s professional wardrobe going forward, and that we see Kate turning out to future engagements looking like her LIW did today.

          1. Technically, Quinn is not a LIW. LIWs do not get paid She is Kate’s private secretary. It does look like Quinn has an assistant. You can see her in the photo where Kate has left the car and is walking to meet two people. KMR’s photo just shows her arm but there are other photos of this engagement that show the two of them.

          2. ‘Something about Rebecca always made her look unkempt’
             +1
             Her hair used to bother me.
             She sometimes looked as if she had rushed out in the morning without washing it.

          3. All this smacks of Kate needing and wanting someone to take care of her. She really does not seem to be able to take care of herself. I think a mentor is important, but is Kate really responsible for doing anything on her own? She may be following directions better — acting more engaged at events, etc, but it’s been so long since she even tried and now, we all are are supposed to be thrilled beyond words for any motion in the right direction.

             How much hand holding is this Duchess going to continue to need? It’s insulting to the memory of her late mother-in-law, who married so young into the family, received little support, but threw herself into her work so amazingly and used her position to champion so many important issues that needed help. Kate is a college educated woman, but her lack of initiative, her work ethic and her constant need to be taken care of is getting old. I assume William likes that about her. Carole, too.

16. My gallbladder finally came out this morning so I’m keeping this short and sweet. Another tennis event to get tips for George. Surprise, surprise. Fake hair, overdone makeup for a sporting event, overpriced new clothes. Check marks all around. At least she looks healthy and engaged. The bar has been set so low for her that this is considered a successful outing. *eyeroll*

    1. Hope you will be feeling better soon Meghan!

       Here’s to a quick recovery!

       🙂

    2. Bye bye gallbladder! I hope you’re feeling well and on the mend soon!!

       1. Hey, Meghan, all the best. A speedy recovery to you. And, may work proceed in your neighborhood, too. So much to deal with. Hang in there and vent whenever you want!

    3. Hope you feel better very soon.

17. Just an fyi, the Bhutan Royal family Facebook page has some great photos of the King, Queen and Dragon Prince’s trip to India. The little Dragon Prince is such a cutie and appears to be so well behaved while meeting Ministers and other dignitaries.

    1. Forgot to add that the photos are on the Royal Families Facebook page

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