113 thoughts on “Will and Kate’s office issues dress code to American journalists: rude?”

1. Ouch! nope, I have no problem whatsoever with issuing a dress code….except that maybe it should be the other way around, i.e. no bare backsides,wedges of doom, tacky skin tight jeans, too short dresses and skirts and face pulling for any member of royalty displaying themselves for whatever reason………I am so serious about this – new PR person please note……

   1. I’m pretty sure that is part of the dress code, Kate just refuses to follow it and the Queen hasn’t put the switch to Kate’s bare backside yet.

      1. I could take this request a little more seriously if it were HM, but Willnot and Kannot, no. I’m sure they aren’t going to show up in jeans and t-shirts for crying out loud.

   2. The dress code for royal visits been the same for years, it’s not new so why make out it is?

2. Dear KMR,

   Thanks for the great post! I chuckled when I first read about this on DM in light of the fact that I’ve seen Kate’s bare backside more often then my own 🙂

   I watched a documentary about the Queen some time ago about her visit to the US and noticed that all the journalists and reports wore suits. Some of the ties were kind of undone and some of the reporters still looked pretty scruffy but it did have a tone of professionalism.

   Like you, I do wonder at the timing of this release though. There seems to be so little substance to Kate’s part of the trip that the press is probably trying to drum up some interest in this visit.

   Interesting that W&K&H hired a foreigner to handle their PR. I’ve seen a picture of this man and he looks pretty young so I hope he doesn’t become a “friend” and can actually stand up to Will and lay down the law a bit. I wonder how long he’ll last in “snow globe that is Williamville”? Anyone care to make bets?

   1. Lauri, I’m taking bets that he will become a yes man and therefore William’s friend in no time flat. He’s not going to stand up to William and if he does, bravo and keep your CV updated because you’re going to be looking for another gig. Do you think Harry had any say in hiring this guy?

      1. I wonder if Harry or Kate had any say in the hiring process, but especially Harry. Kate would of course just go along with Will, but this guy is going to be dealing with Harry too and the articles never even mention him as having any say in the process, just that William is controlling. It’s interesting that this guy was hired while Harry is out of the country.

         1. KMR good point. Wonder if Harry had any say. I’ve never gotten the sense that he worked closely with JLPinkerton. Harry will probably continue to rely on Edward L. Fox instead, and they’ll function as their own little two-man unit most of the time.

   2. yes, joking apart (in my previous post as well) I agree in that there is surely a sound reason for hiring this guy, probably especially because he is an american, to try and ensure the up and coming visit is ‘handled’….there is no substance whatsoever to Kate’s visit, other than Kate is visiting…I don’t know why they need to make out there is substance…mind you I bet the american press will see through lots of stuff..hence an american PR…(sigh) I just love the terminology of ‘snow globe that is Williamsville’…it’s so very, sadly depressingly true…..

      1. Hi Ferryman,

         I don’t think the new guy is starting until the first of the year. Much has been made about him being on board to handle the arrival of the baby.

         Just an fyi the terminology of “snow globe of Willamsville” isn’t mine. I saw it here on a prior post and just loved. So many kudos to who ever coined this term.

         1. Not to toot my own horn, but it was mine and it came to me because that’s what their world is like to me. Everything is fine until William blows his top then it’s snowstorm time in the globe.

            1. oops sorry Lisa! posted the same time ….I’m seeing the snow globe a lot…

            2. No problem Ferryman…lol It’s all good and so nice to have a place where people understand your frustrations about these two.

            3. Your are brilliant, I absolutely love that term! I hope you don’t mind me borrowing it from time to time?

            4. I don’t mind at all Lauri.

         2. Hi Lauri from Ca – thanks for that, but they probably need him earlier!!! – I wasn’t sure about the snow globe thing being yours…I took a chance…but it’s wonderful

      2. They said he won’t start until the New Year, so I don’t think he’ll be handling the NYC visit. But then again they’ve lied to us many times before.

   3. Not surprised at PR being a foreigner because if you read our idiot mags you’d think Kate has a billion fans here in the US. I think the Palace is trying to relaunch Kate. The “baby moon” in Scotland was far from that: K&W got their butts chewed for PR mistakes and lazy behavior. Q hasn’t forgotten she almost got ousted 17 years ago over not lowering the glad when Diana died. W has changed a lot since he met K. She’s pulled him into an inner circle that he pokes out of, shakes hands and then returns to. Diana’s loss has hurt him because he doesn’t have her example to follow. It’s hard to go into a place and connect with people. She showed him how at the most personal level. K the climber keeps him at a social level because that was always Ma Midds goal, climbing through marriage. You can’t climb when someone is a person of the world. It takes a special person to have position and yet relate and respect people from all walks of life. I’m sorry to see how W has lost something he doesn’t even know he once had.

      1. From what I understand, papers with Kate aren’t selling well in the UK. Richard Palmer said so on Twitter. And lately not as many journalists and photographers have been covering her appearances. So it seems like she doesn’t have as many fans as they thought she did. They probably hope to change that with the new PR guy.

         1. The only way the way Kate is perceived by the public is going to change is if she does a serious about face and works her backside off, start giving speeches that don’t sound like a second grader reciting something they had to memorize at the front of the class and actually start acting like she cares about being where she is. Since she’ll be dropping #2 in April, I don’t see that happening any time soon. Mr. K-nauf (you pronounce the K, blah, blah) has got his work cut out for him. If he doesn’t run screaming he’ll probably piss of William because he didn’t work the agreed upon miracles and get shown the door.

            1. For some reason Will still thinks it’s the press and public’s fault/problem and doesn’t realize that he’s the one who needs to change. They spend so much more energy trying to BS the press/public than they would if they simply got out and did the work, which would work the PR miracle they seek.

   4. I’m sure the “young and fun” Mr. Knauf will easily become “more friend than employee”.

      I’m going to say he’ll be there at least two years. One year is too soon to leave, but three years is a long time to deal with William and his BS and Mr. Knauf will probably find a better paying, less horrible job after about two years. That is, IF he doesn’t become William’s “friend”. If he becomes William’s “friend”, then all bets are off.

      I find it interesting that Mr. Knauf is an American and has only worked for UK or Commonwealth people/businesses.

      1. If I remember correctly from what I read, I think he attended school in New Zealand and that’s where he got his start workwise.

         1. Well that would make sense, then, for why he started out there.

      2. It’s interesting to me that very few people have picked up on William@s courting of the American public.

         Not necessarily in this instance, but he has given several interviews to the American media over the years, and never to the UK. The UK ones are ones Charles used to arrange for him eg his 21st birthday which was more a docu-interview. The interviews are generally sold to the UK media, but days and sometimes weeks after USA has aired/read them eg his interview immediately after PG was born which went to CNN. The Diana concert interviews which went to NBC [or whichever network airs GMA and the Today show]. The direct quotes to People Magazine – People works directly with publicists and always toe the line of said publicist no matter whether it’s true or not.

         Harry used to do the same as well, but since his first North Pole WWTW, he has changed all that and concentrates on UK media>

         William only threatens UK media.

         On a snarky note, perhaps William was irked by too many USA journalists interviewing him in shorts and sandals!!!!

         1. GMA is on ABC and Today is on NBC. I hadn’t noticed that before, but you’re right Will gives more interviews to the American press. Weird. And he’s always threatening the UK press while the American press prints the photos he’s trying to bury. And he didn’t seem to care that he was photographed a ton during his Memphis trip.

            1. One reason could be because we aren’t in his backyard, so to speak. Every time he turns around (according to him) there is a British photog or reporter lurking and waiting to bring him down. The US reporters probably seem more deferential and kinder, plus the US press loved his mother.

               What he doesn’t realize is that given an opportunity, the US reporters will ask him some questions he doesn’t necessarily want to hear if they think there is blood in the water (i.e., a separation or talk of divorce), royalty be damned. It’s all about the ratings.

3. I completely agree that, as a mark of respect, a dress code for both the journalists and the royals themselves should exist.

   But please note that I said it’s a mark of RESPECT. I think the real, significant issue here is that people are loosing respect for these two leaches. When you look at these two, it’s becoming nearly impossible to justify the deference paid to them. What of value do they provide to anyone exactly? We owe them respect why? I think Americans can be as sycophantic as anyone else, but we are probably quicker than most to call bulls*** when we feel its due.

   Also, how dare you demand standards in someone else’s dress when you show up in corked wedges (CORKED WEDGES!!!! A DUCHESS, the future QUEEN CONSORT of the United Kingdom in tacky-ass CORKED WEDGES!!! My mind just boggles…..), skin-tight jeggings (JEGGINGS!!!), massive brass button where your nips should be, clutching your own hoo-ha like it holds the secrets to the universe, yet simultaneously flashing your still-pert arse to the world – repeatedly and without shame. This woman is LOW RENT, and it should be embarrassing to the British people.

   And people are starting to push back.

   People don’t notice or say anything when the Queen or Prince Charles or Princess Anne demand standards, because they are largely seen as worthy of respect. These two, not so much….

   1. Hey Reba,

      I still haven’t stopped laughing “clutching your own hoo-ha like it holds the secrets to the universe”. LOLOLOL!!! Thanks for the day brightener!

      1. Yes, thank you so much for a good laugh, Reba. Plus, you are spot on. 🙂

   2. “clutching your own hoo-ha like it holds the secrets to the universe”

      BAHAHAHAHAHA that’s great!

4. Love all the comments and great post KMR! I think this is the Palace being $&@& about all the bad press her hineyness gets and blames the journalists rather than K&W. Kate is insecure, and seems to me that mom trained her from infancy to be schoolgirl innocent on the outside and use the virgin card to keep W with guilt for deflowering her. I don’t think the dress code is a problem either; will be watching for mini top-hats on journalists, maybe some tails just because we Americans can’t help dishing out some snark.

   1. lol I’d love for some American journalists to come in top hats and tails, that’s be hilarious.

      1. And I’d love for them to m’lord and m’lady them to death. Just go over the top with everything.

         1. that would be great!

            1. I think everyone should wear clutches.

   2. Nah. Kate was definitely not a virgin when they got to together.

5. As you know, I was offended by this. For the record, I’m a very conservative and formal dresser, and I’m all about doing the right thing. But the idea of these two demanding a dress code as a sign of respect for the monarchy chafes simply because they clearly have none. Why should a technician from the US who will never in his lifetime have the money or privileges these two blow in one year have more respect for the institution of the British monarchy than Kate the bum-flasher does? And I still maintain dictating a dress code when you’re going to someone else’s country is ridiculous.

   I work for the Federal Government and deal with WH staff all the time. There is an informal self-enforced dress code amongst the press, and an explicit one during formal functions. But the WH doesn’t have a code for foreign journalists when the POTUS and FLOTUS travel abroad.

   No yelling if you feel differently -just my 2c :).

   1. Nope, a lot of us are on the same page. To get respect you have to earn it. And she definitely hasn’t done anything to earn it. Except maybe respect from fellow gold diggers for getting the big brass ring on the merry go round.

      1. I wonder if she has a secret website, “How to snag a Prince in 10 short years”?

         1. If she does she’d better start working on the how to keep your man once you’ve bagged him course…and ultimately the how to move forward in your life once it all come crashing down.

         2. Sorry Lauri from Ca… it’s Ma Middleton with a book called “How to snag a Prince in 10 short years” and it was bedtime reading for Kate since she was born. Would Kate put the effort into a website?

   2. “But the WH doesn’t have a code for foreign journalists when the POTUS and FLOTUS travel abroad.” That tells us what we need to know. No one is required to follow the dress code *of another country* while in their own country. If the ruler of a conservative Muslim nation visited the US, would all of the female reporters (if they were allowed in the room) be required to wear burkas?

6. Yes, I think it’s rude. I often lament how casually people dress nowadays for many previously formal occasions like weddings, funerals, business, etc. However, these two are guests in another country and guests DO NOT dictate to the host. Then top all this off with the fact that Will and Kate do not show respect for their own positions within the British monarchy and I find it doubly offensive.

   1. So much YES to every single word of this.

   2. I totally agree. I find it very rude. Your comment about guests dictating to a Host how to dress is spot on. That is ridiculous.

      Here is my other problem- the Royal family already thinks they are better than everyone else. Just because you won the gene lottery and were born a Royal does not mean you are better. Especially when you are visiting a country that does not have Kings and Queens. We have different laws and we fought to make sure we were not under those same laws. Just because you are Royal, on foreign soil you can’t demand what people wear. And this is a demand, since it says you will not be admitted. It is not a request, so it has nothing to do with respect. Pretty much you have to dress this way or we will not let you in. I don’t like that they are dictating how American journalist should dress for them in America since they think they are so great. If they were in the UK, then so be it. But please, get off your pompous high horse and put your feet on the ground. Sorry, this really does upset me. You cannot demand journalist in another country dress how you want, you have no rights. They may dress a certain way if feel so, but you cannot demand it. Btw, maybe this is only coming to light now because NY journalist think it is ridiculous themselves? And I agree that Kate needs to look at the dress code first.

7. I think the opposite – my understanding is that a Dress Code is issued for all events, here and abroad. It’s standard courtesy advising people what to wear when with the BRF – it goes back years (hundreds of years even? I can’t imagine a time when it wouldn’t have been made clear the acceptable/expected attire).

   But I don’t think it’s done nowadays in a snooty way – I think it’s partly common practice and partly to let folk know no special effort is required. Normal workwear is all that is required.

   I say this because it also added that there was no requirement to walk backwards in their presence – i.e. in olden times, it was forbidden to turn your back on the BRF. Now, they are saying it’s fine to drop that (silly) rule. Just act and dress as you would expect to in normal, accepted work wear.

   I think it’s been twisted by a snarky press who know that ANYTHING with K&W gets clicks. And they were right – folk are riled up for no good reason.

8. That’s truly rich coming from them. You have to earn respect, not demand it, and I think the press corps would know better to come in the type of attire that Kate herself likes to flaunt. Maybe their PR office is trying to impress us with how “royal” they are.

9. Non – story!!Its a generic memo that goes out prior to every Royal Engagement. I’m sure there are a few other memos that go out that we know nothing about that would drive people crazy, i.e. I would love to see PW/Kate’s demand list prior to their visit to New York!. KMR I think you sent that list for the Australia Tour. Now that Kate’s pregnant, I am curious to know what she feels she needs to make her stay comfortable.

   1. Oh my gosh, I would love to know what their demands are. KMR did you have a previous list? I would be so interested to know the kind of things they demand since they say they are ‘normal’

      1. The only demand I remember from their AUS/NZ visit was organic food and no sweets or junk lying around or provided.

         I thought that was reasonable.

         1. So it begs the question why is the dress code being publicized for the trip to New York this time? I’m sure there’s always been a dress code in place for visiting dignitaries, but I don’t remember such a brouhaha when they went to California. Was there a dress code issued at that time?

   2. I went back through my archives and the only thing I found was a Katie Nicholl article that mentioned having “High-end organic fresh fruit and vegetables delivered every morning”, and that they “specified fresh organic fruit and granola for breakfast and a light lunch, usually a salad, in their efforts to avoid the heavy carbohydrates and excess calories of hospitality overload.” Also, “no cakes while staying at Admiralty House in Sydney where high tea is traditionally served for visiting VIPs.”

      http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2614064/CAMBRIDGE-CONFIDENTIAL-Willss-precious-maternity-gift-Kate-Her-6-000-hairdos-Georges-VERY-exclusive-baby-food-intimate-secrets-glorious-Royal-Tour.html

      It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Kate and Will have some sort of hospitality rider.

      1. Thank you!

      2. As someone with a sensitive tummy I don’t have a problem with requesting certain foods. I would imagine that sampling local cuisine and drinking the local waters could certainly have a undesired effect on a carefully planned trip. Also, most people suffer from some sort of tummy issues while traveling so it is probably better to avoid it if you can.

         1. Some riders can get ridiculous but some things I’ve read I would ask for myself, like clean bedding and towels and furniture, and bottles of water and stuff like that. As far as Will and Kate go, if the government houses’ chefs were basically acting as private chefs for W&K while they were their, I don’t think it’s wrong to ask for a specific diet – that’s what you ask for from a chef.

            1. Once upon a time I worked for a music management company that managed pop and rock artists. Riders cover everything to make sure it is what the artist requires at that stop as they can’t possibly carry everything with them. Dietary demands, rooming needs, etc. Sometimes completely silly things are thrown in just to make sure the riders are actually getting read. So the requests for certain foods, etc. isn’t that big of a deal.

10. Love the picture of PC and PG!

    1. So adorable!

11. I said in a previous post that they might hire a foreigner as their secretary as they have a foreign nanny and sure enough they have hired an American. How predictable can they be?

    1. You definitely called it. I wonder why they keep hiring foreigners. Maybe no one from the UK wants to work for them?

       1. I don’t think they trust anyone from the UK. Has PW gone completely paranoid? I really think he and the Palace (and Kate) blame the continual bad press and nude Kate shots on disrespectful vulture-paps and not W&K behavior. If you know there are cameras, don’t take your top off! If you refuse to put weights in your dress-hems, for Gods-sake, wear underwear! If you don’t want to go to a bunch of functions, don’t lie about HG, and figure out fast that people in the UK are paying millions for your life and expect you to earn it. Kate is acting like a dog that caught the car and doesn’t know what to do with it. There’s good advice for her and fam on this blog, hope they start reading it!

          1. “he and the Palace (and Kate) blame the continual bad press and nude Kate shots on disrespectful vulture-paps and not W&K behavior.”

             I agree 100%. They blame everyone else for their problems instead of looking inward and realizing they are the cause of most of their problems.

12. LOL! Love MatildaSoBlue!
    http://lookagiraffe.tumblr.com/post/103242922936/leroyalrealm-attire-for-journalists-covering

    1. That’s awesome!

       1. \(^o^)/ You should also check out this cool blog, Overit:
          http://lovelolaheart.com/?p=1884

          1. Bulls eye! Great article.

13. How about the dress code of showing bare bottoms or “accidents” happened to Kate Middleton exposing underwear in more than six different events? To me she is an exhibitionist. How about that dress code? Female journalists, maybe can have wardrobe accidents too!!!! That seems to be OK with the “royals”

14. The honest truth is that the royal family are treated like the Real Housewives of the Windsors in the US and they aren’t covered in serious journalism. Our entertainment magazines and TV shows, will be all over W&K’s visit and you’ll see a brief note of them at the end of national and local broadcast news with stock footage. There is a difference between American demand or interest in W&K vs the large competitive American media’s need to fill up time — and it is they that beat the drum for W&K – and not desperate people standing around wondering what, oh what, are William and Kate doing!

15. This is ridiculous. The only way that I would agree to this if I never see those horrid sneakers that Will wears. They ate just as bad as the wedges of doom.

16. I hear what all of you are saying, and I respect your opinions. I knew I would be in the vast minority when I took my stance.

    I want to ask, if this were [pick your favorite royal] issuing a dress code to foreign journalists, would it be a problem?

    Is the problem issuing a dress code to foreign journalists? Or is the problem Kate issuing a dress code to foreign journalists?

    Because what I’m seeing a lot of is “it is rude to dictate to hosts what they should wear”, but I’m also seeing “hypocrisy” and “Kate hasn’t earned respect” and “Kate doesn’t even follow the dress code”. So I’m curious.

    I took my “I don’t care about the memo” stance because the memo is for every journalist by every royal. If we want to say that issuing a dress code to ANY journalist in ANY country by ANY royal is a problem, then I can get on board with that. Then it’s the dress code memo that is the problem, and as long as the problem is equally criticized whenever anyone issues it, then I’m okay with that.

    1. I’ll repeat this here because I think it is relevant. “But the WH doesn’t have a code for foreign journalists when the POTUS and FLOTUS travel abroad.” That tells us what we need to know. No one is required to follow the dress code *of another country* while in their own country. If the ruler of a conservative Muslim nation visited the US, would all of the female reporters (if they were allowed in the room) be required to wear burkas?

       1. So you’re saying it’s not about Will and Kate specifically and you’d say the same thing about Sophie or Harry or President Obama, that it’s rude to issue a dress code to foreign journalists? Alrighty then, I can get behind that.

    2. Personally i share your view that this is a non story because a dress code and behavioural codes are issued whenever one is meeting royalty – and i am broadening that to ALL royal houses.

       I Have been paying close attention to WK’s press this year because i am convinced the gloves are off and that is why this story has gained traction.

       people expect HUGE c*ck ups to expose these people, but it’s usually small non stories like this that s=do the trickl!

       1. I wonder, because W&K were in the US in 2011 and there was not this kerfuffle about the dress code memo that was most likely sent to reporters then, too. I would say it may have something to do with them going to Washington, D.C. and the political reporters picking it up, but Harry went to Washington, D.C. in 2013 and there was not a kerfuffle then about the memo that was also most likely sent then, too. So I do think the gloves are off re W&K.

          1. KMR, I mentioned upthread that there wasn’t this brouhaha over a dress code when the couple visited LA. Perhaps one did exist for their visit, but it certainly wasn’t as publicized as this one. Perhaps because the world was still in love with the newlyweds. My tin-foil hat is telling me that the gloves are indeed off for them and time will only tell what’s going on.

             And, actually, I would have a problem with any royal (even my favorite, Maxima) coming to America dictating a dress code to journalists, especially if POTUS travels abroad and has none for foreign countries. I think, other than the paparazzi, they are professionals and know from experience the appropriate attire to wear for foreign and domestic occasions.

             1. Would you have a problem with any royal dictating to the Canadian press, or the Germany press, or any other country’s press? I’m sure you do, I’m just checking. Because there can be no favoritism if “rude” is the reason everyone is upset by this memo. Not saying there is favoritism, but I’m just clarifying.

                Most of the articles about this memo I read said the American press prided themselves on wearing whatever they wanted, including dirty clothes. Not sure if that’s true or not but that’s what the articles were saying.

                I tend to think not only are the gloves off by the press, but the press knows the gloves are off by the public, too. Like, the press knows a critical article would get more hits and shares than a nice one.

    3. I think this is probably standard operating procedure for any tour taken by a member of the royal family. I’m not sure why it was highlighted for this visit, which isn’t even a “royal tour”. IMO, if this memo was sent out before a trip made by the Queen or PC or PA most people wouldn’t have blinked an eye. However, since Kate has managed to flash the press on each tour it does seem present a double standard. I know it certainly made me chuckle!

       1. I understand where people are coming from when they say it’s rich of Kate to issue this memo when she’s flashed the public so much, but on the other hand I do think this is a standard memo sent to all reporters for all royals, both in the UK and abroad. It’s on the palace website under media guidelines which means is super generic.

          I can also understand how it could be considered rude when it’s foreign reporters in their own country, but I, personally, wouldn’t find it offensive if I were told of a dress code when covering certain people because I would crack it up to it just being part of the job. If they were trying to tell me what to wear when on my down time, then I would pitch a fit, but while working I would see it as any other employer requiring a dress code.

          1. I think the difference lays in the fact that it is UK Royals issuing the dress code to American Reporters. Yes it is their job and so it may just be looked at as their job requirement. However, had any Royal attended an event and the organization that is putting on the event given a dress code, I don’t think there would have been a problem. It is the fact that the Palace is telling foreign journalists what to wear, instead of trusting that the hosts of each event will give out a proper dress code. That is where the problem is. Each host of an event, especially formal, I am sure requires a dress code and they should since it is their event, but the guest should not be the ones issuing it. Does that make sense?

             I would be mad if any Royal dictated this. But I think it has gotten way more blown up this time considering how little respect Kate shows in her wardrobe choices:).

             1. So the problem is the history between the UK royals and the US? If it were UK royals and Germany press would no one care? What if it were the Swedish royals, would you still care or no? I’m genuinely asking. I’m keeping a tally of responses and want to be clear.

       2. @KMR – absolutely, yes, I would have a problem with any royal dictating a dress protocol to other countries. I said America, but I also tacitly meant other nations as well. For some reason, the method by which this dress code was publicized has managed to raise a lot of hackles and maybe for an ulterior reason. If it’s public information on the British Monarchy website where everyone has access, that’s one thing. But to have a dress code issued specifically for William’s and Kate’s U.S. visit, that’s something else altogether given the irony of some of Kate’s fashion disasters. I don’t know if it’s America in particular, but I would think that given Kate’s past sartorial faux pas the reaction would be the same if they were visiting another country and a dress code was issued for reporters as well.

    4. I see what you are asking, KMR, and I think it’s rude of any royal to issue a dress code to a foreign country. Again…GUEST. No royal is such a special snowflake that seeing someone in jeans or a t-shirt is going to kill him or her. Also, I think it was rude of W & K to stipulate “no cake” at the high tea when they were Down Under. If they don’t like to eat cake, they certainly do not have to eat any, but to dictate the menu to the host is obnoxious. Common courtesy should apply to everyone, equally. But, I guess this family has a thousand year history of entitlement. For the record, I have no problem with them making requests for their private meals. However, I do think having special organic fruits and veggies flown in daily is beyond ridiculous.

       1. Maybe cake is Kate’s binge food and having it in her presence would reduce her to shoveling it into her face as fast as possible making her gain weight and then not fitting into the nifty outfits she had made special for the tour. If Kate can’t have cake, no one can!

       2. Considering the high tea was served specifically for them, I don’t mind them asking for specific foods served or not served. I also don’t really mind them asking for organic food. It does seem GOOP-y, and I understand why people would nitpick things they do seeming GOOP-y since they’ve had so many screw ups, but I don’t think it’s that bad. Like, special food requests are pretty tame considering what they could have asked for (and may have but it hasn’t come out yet). Eh, differing opinions.

          1. KMR, three days on non-organic food isn’t going to kill them. They are guests. I was taught guests shouldn’t dictate. You eat what you are served by your hosts and be grateful that you always have more than enough to eat.

             1. I agree….these two nimrods are uninvited guests of our country…so much for being ‘just like us’….this is crap….they are intruding on a city with homeless and starving people…how about they go visit a soup kitchen and eat there…there gall and sense of entitlement simply because of who they THINK they are…their sense of being so terribly important….in a country who flat out got rid of them….I think they had NO right to ask for ANYTHING (and I doubt it was a request…more of an order or we won’t come? )….I can’t afford the food they get just because they want it….our President and First Lady would never be so arrogant..I saw a picture of the First Lady eating a school lunch….ok, so not everyone thinks that Obama is the greatest but he and his wife are classy, generous, polite, and both of them have worked their butts off to get where they are…

             2. Totally agree with this. Now, when I am asked by my church to take a meal into a family in need, I always ask if there are any dietary restrictions or allergies. This is for health reasons, they have never said anything like “It must be organic.” Same with dinner or luncheon parties. I try to be sensitive to my guests and if someone is on a restricted diet for whatever reason, I make sure there is something he or she can eat on the menu. I don’t plan the entire offering around her “inner fat girl.” Lol!

             3. The organic food thing was for the OZ/NZ tour last April, not the US one in Dec.

             4. The point still stands. They are welcome to respond to a request from their hosts, and respond with a “preference for” not a demand.

             5. I know, I’m just clarifying.

17. Additionally, Kate may not know of this memo. I find it difficult to blame her when this could just be apart of Royal protocol and she is completely oblivious to its existence. IMO Kate/PW don’t care how reporter dress.

    1. Kate’s not the one taking care of stuff like press dress code memos, it would be the press secretaries – probably Nick Loughran or someone.

       1. Naturally Kate doesn’t handle her own press releases, but I wonder who did release the dress code so publicly. Even the press seems to have a field day on Tumblr with their reaction which I don’t think wouldn’t be so extreme with other royal visits. And because it’s Kate with her many fashion faux pas, she does make an easy target of ridicule.

          1. Actually,the timing on this on a Friday leads me to believe this was intended to be slipped below the radar. If you’re afraid something will receive criticism, you send it out on a Friday when most are preoccupied with thoughts of the weekend and those that do become incensed get it out of their system by Monday. Had this gone out on a Monday, it would have snowballed into something bigger. I think the Palace was aware this would not go over well.

             1. The story was published on Politico on Thursday. I didn’t cover it until Friday.

             2. Oh, Lola, what say you, are you in the “it’s rude to dictate a dress code to hosts” camp or “Kate is a hypocrite/hasn’t earned the respect to issue a dress code” camp?

             3. Good to know, thanks. I didn’t see the freak-out until Friday, I just assumed they were trying to sneak it past on a Friday because that’s what I would have done. I’m of the belief you shouldn’t dictate codes to a host. When I travel abroad, I make sure to accommodate my wardrobe to my destination and I research for any cultural differences to be mindful of because I am a guest in that country and I conduct myself accordingly. Kate’s multitude of gaffes then just becomes comedic material.

          2. Well, the dress code is on the British Monarchy website (not W&K’s specific one) and has been for a while. There may have been an email sent to the reporters last week, but that generic memo was on the website for long before that.

             1. Lola, I think you’re right that the Palace knew this wouldn’t go over well. Naturally, a dress code has been in place for all visits by royals and dignitaries from way back and posted on the BM website. However, this particular situation begs the question: why is the dress code for these particular royals being made so public where it hit the newspapers and has caused such a furor from reporters to negative comments on blogs? I think there’s something afoot in BP’s hallowed halls that allowed this to happen and is sending a warning shot across the bow of Wiliam’s and Kate’s very shaky boat to shape up, that their image is no longer as unassailable as previously thought. This response may be just what the courtiers and the powers that be wanted. That’s my tin-foil hat theory. William’s new PR man certainly has his work cut out for him to convert the duo’s image.

    2. She is OBLIVIOUS period….she thinks that the entire world is absolutely wanting desperately keenly to lay eyes on her….she’s a vain conceited stupid vapid annoying clueless worthless wasteful arrogant call girl who got THE ring…a used ring…and she herself is used…very very used…what a delusional desperate fame**or*

       1. Come on, royalsareajoke…tell us how you really feel!

18. Ok so the press need to show respect to the Royals by following the dress code. What respect has Kate shown anyone during her Marilyn Moments? Her bare backside has certainly made headlines around the world. Good thing it will be cold in the States during the Royal visit. Hopefully, her coat and perhaps, her pencil maternity skirt, won’t fly up.
    Yes, one would like to see members of the press looking half-way decent during coverage of Will and Kate, but one would like to see “coverage” in regard to Kate’s wardrobe choices, too.

    1. So you’re in the “Kate is a hypocrite/hasn’t earned the respect” camp? I’m making a tally, so I want to be clear.

       1. I’m looking at both sides of the coin. This memo was probably just routine, but because it was in advance of a visit by the Do Nothing Duo and it appears that the press are getting as fed up with these two as a lot of the public are, it was not taken lightly.

          I wonder if it was part of a press packet about the pair or if it was sent out alone. As part of a press packet, fine, it’s just a courtesy reminder. But if sent alone, it’s almost as if it were done to get a negative response. I can understand the professional press being a bit pissy about it because they should have enough sense not to show up in their best couch potato wear when meeting these two.

          And it’s not as if a lot of the press are going to interview them. They aren’t going to sit for a day of interviews like actors do when releasing a movie. It’s mainly going to be the press seeing them as they cruise into and out of events and what they do while they are in there.

19. Edit: “would be extreme”

20. This ‘dress code’ requirement absolutely infuriates me….who the hell does these people think they are….we didn’t invite the fools to come to NY to start with…they haven’t any ‘official’ business…and the stripper invited herself to come along with him after he invited himself…and then to have the unmitigated gall/nerve/ca hones/audacity/….it just angered me….what say we take up a collection and present that dimwitted useless woman with lots of undies at the airport…and tell her that in this country we do wear panties….God the gall….our press doesn’t have to be told how to dress…they know how to dress…she, on the other hand ……I loathe them right now and am so angry that I am going to stop, take a breath, and get some air…how dare they be so condescending and arrogant….stay the hell home nimrods…..America neither needs you two nor does it want you….

    1. So you’re not in the “non story” camp, but are you in the “it’s rude to dictate a dress code to hosts” camp or “Kate is a hypocrite/hasn’t earned the respect to issue a dress code” camp? I’m making a tally, so I want to be clear.

       Also, my god how hilarious would it be if someone presented Kate with a six pack of undies when she arrives. The look on her face, and the faces of all her people, would be priceless!

       1. It is a non story, but Kate really shouldn’t be the pot calling the kettle black. I can also understand how some would consider it rude. Okay, I’m on the fence, but definitely leaning toward Kate not earning the respect they are demanding.

       2. Kate is a hypocrite and hasn’t any business dictating anything to anyone….let alone a bloody dress code…she has earned absolutely no respect…none….and she has no self respect either….(I also resent the hell out of anyone daring to suggest that our press has to be told what to wear…they are professionals who know their job and do it….unlike the spoiled arrogant worthless snots who invited themselves to NY)…..hope that’s what you needed for your tally:)

21. M2pence i agree with you! Going into another country & telling people how to hehave is rude!
    Royalareajoke i agree it it a rude to tell you host what you want eat, unless they are allergic to anything!

    1. I really believe this US visit is a PR reboot and the Palace dress decree is so that no sideline issues like W&K get mobbed by scruffy heathen journalist doppelgängers which we Yanks may be considered- useful to manipulate but never on the level of royals who live in Williamsville. I think Q has taken W&K in hand, ordered Ma Midds to get K some new clothes (obvious that Ma bought the long lace dress as people here on this blog pointed out similarity of K’s dress. Not the first time she’s dressed like Mommy- or Mommy dressed like her- :-\ ) This decree, while on the books, is being flexed with one purpose: because the Queen knows she only has a few years left until she may pass, and she’s determined that the monarchy won’t be put aside; I think she’s deathly afraid that what her whole life has stood for will be destroyed by the next generation. All I can say to her majesty is: Welcome to the party pal! You and I won’t be the first or last who’s kids come along, break your heart and destroy your legacy. But there’s the rub. It’s got to become their legacy. That’s what Queen Leti is doing so right in Spain. She owns who she is and what’s she’s doing.

22. I’m not overly irritated by the concept of a dress code when meeting with others in professional situations, but something about this one irks me. I think I’ve figured it out.

    The expectation that journalists will dress in a certain way when meeting with royals seems to be grounded in respect. One wears a particular type of clothing because one respects the office and the duties carried out by the person who fills that office. Even if you don’t agree with the particular politics or preferences of the individual occupying the office, you demonstrate respect for the office itself.

    But what office do William and Kate really fill? He’s second-in-line to the throne, but what does that mean? William has defined his office to be almost entirely meaningless. Kate’s office, wife of the second in line, seems to be emptier still when it comes to purpose and depth. Every time these two choose not to work, every time they throw a fit or Kate gleefully flashes the public, they erode what little meaning might be left in that office.

    So, why should journalists dress nicely for them? There’s nothing there to respect but two other human beings. If the media shows up looking their best, it should be because that’s the expectation for journalists in general, not because of W&K.

    I’m not sure how much sense this makes, but this is what I’ve been mulling over.

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