LOLZ! Finally Kate Middleton showed some personality, you guys! Apparently she was totally over some woman telling to her “keep wrapping” presents while on a visit to Northside Center in New York City earlier this week. It seems Kate was chatting to another volunteer when some woman in black came up to her and said, “Keep wrapping.” Kate then rolled her eyes as she went back to her present wrapping.
It sounds worse then it is when in print. It’s actually a funny exchange. Here’s the Vine:
I’ve watched this Vine so many times; I love it to bits. Kate was like a little kid getting scolded. And yes, I think her eye roll was the perfect reaction. It was a genuine reaction, and I would like to see more of it.
Photos: UK in New York Twitter/Clarence House Instagram
This made me laugh! I’ve seen it elsewhere and I giggled then too. This is a win-win situation. The lady in black who told her to “keep wrapping” obviously gives no sh*ts about royalty and Kate reacted. I think I like it because it would be my exact reaction, so that endears her to me just a tad.
My response would have been slightly different from Kate’s. I would not have limited it to turning away and widening/rolling my eyes. I would have looked directly at that lady and furrowed my brow; maybe even said something. I actually think that lady was kind of rude.
When I first saw this I thought Kate’s anger flared for just a moment but she covered it pretty well. I guess she might be human after all. lol
I think there is a flash of anger at first too, a “Really you dared to say that to me don’t you know who I am” which she then covered with her usual over-the-top behavior.
Really? I didn’t get anger from her response. It seemed to me more like, “What? Oh, okay, whatever lady.” I’d go so far as to say Kate probably thought the word bitch, because that lady was kind of rude. But that’s just me.
I love this! Her face says ‘Really lady?’. I think she handled it perfectly. I wish we could see more of this Kate.
I agree with you KMR. That lady was rude. It doesn’t matter if Kate is royalty or not. She’s a volunteer donating her time. There was no need to speak that way.
Let’s be careful what we ask for. Her new PR guy might see these comments and encourage her to act more like that and we could get epic, over the top reactions that are too cutesy/wry for words.
It’s almost like the the chip malfunctioned for a minute and she was human.
“The chip malfunctioned…” HA! That’s so funny!!
I hope not. Everything in moderation.
I appreciate the flash of personality she showed. It’s similar to when she wagged her finger at William while playing cricket. It’s loads better than the Nervous Nelly constantly twirling her hair.
Or when she shrugged at William when she beat him in the sailing. Little flashes of personality are nice. Over the top would not be good because then it would again fall into the non-genuine category. But nice, genuine flashes of personality are great.
Hi Lisa, I must say you really have a way with words. First the great “snow globe that is Williamsville” and now “the chip malfunctioned”. HAHAHA You really should write all these witty sayings down and publish them.
“the chip malfunctioned” That’s great!!
Thank you guys, she seems to bring out the best/worst in me…lol
I could see someone reminding a volunteer to keep wrapping presents if they got too distracted by something, but there is a way to be nice about it and gently remind people to keep working, you don’t have to be rude and loud about it like that lady was.
A more appropriate (who are we kidding) response would have been a quick&fun “Yes Ma’am!” along with a bright smile and a, “Let’s get to work double-time ladies. Everyone has been so generous we have lots of gifts to wrap” to the others at the table. Fun, polite, and without the teenager eye-roll.
I had a good laugh over this myself. Who cares that Kate’s royalty, the woman probably told her in New York style something along the lines of, “Hurry up, woman, you’re not here to chitchat!” lol Well, I guess Kate got caught off guard and finally showed some natural reaction.
New York Style? I’m a New Yorker and rude behavior is not appreciated by me or any of my friends.. Kate behaved with style by her human and charming response. The woman in black is just a nasty person. Keep wrapping, indeed. Put a sock in it, Lady.
If you read my post below, I did say that not all New Yorkers behave that way although we are known for a direct manner. And I’m a New Yorker as well and certainly don’t talk to people that way, and wouldn’t like to be spoken to in turn like that, but I think it’s funny that this woman didn’t stand on ceremony so as to get the job done. She may have been abrupt, but Kate took the high road and laughed it off.
And here’s a wonderful example of eye roll from none other than the late Diana herself:
http://royal-roaster.tumblr.com/
You have to scroll halfway down to see the GIF of Diana’s eye roll.
Like Freeshalori just posted, that’s New York style and I love the woman telling her to keep wrapping. She’s probably got thousands of presents to wrap and only a handful of volunteers and she probably doesn’t give a damn who is doing the wrapping as long as it gets done.
And I feel so much better about Kate after seeing her reaction…she could have made the woman feel bad by publicly chastising her, or even giving her a dirty look. I think Kate’s slight eye-roll and expression look just like a mischievous child. Way to go Kate!!
That’s New York City style. I’m from upstate New York and we actually have a sense of decency and respect for people.
Oh, let’s not tar and feather all New York City with the same brush. Many urban dwellers do have decency, respect and good manners toward others. This is just an example of someone who exhibits our typical brand of impatience and a cut-to-the-chase, direct manner. That doesn’t mean all New York urbanites behave this way, and I daresay this same behavior is not entirely unknown upstate and in other regions as well.
And I had read on another site that this person may have been part of Kate’s entourage, so this might change the scenario if this is true.
I agree. New Yorkers are too loud, too arrogant and too rude. Real New Yorkers (from upstate) have much better manners than that.
Again, don’t stereotype all New Yorkers with your perceptions. I can say that all upstaters are local yokels and hicks, but I happen to be a polite New Yorker who’s respectful of others.
And what makes upstate New York more “real” than city New York?
First of all, upstaters are not yokels and hicks. In fact, most of the people I know have advanced degrees and our orchestras, museums and historical attractions are as diverse and attractive as anything found in the city, with much fewer people and much lower prices. “Don’t stereotype”. Like I said, real New Yorkers (from upstate) have much better manners than that.
I agree with this completely. Kate handled it perfectly and was gracious by not making the woman feel bad. (After all it was a high profile publicity charity engagement.) The Queen Bee would have frozen the woman with one stare, but Kate took it in stride and “rolled” with the situation. Good for her!
Uh, excuse me, Seth, but who started with the name calling with the loud, arrogant and rude? Typical stereotyping. You’re no real than anyone else by living upstate, if that’s where you come from and you don’t have the monopoly on advanced degrees or cultural areas. Certainly no more than any other place. And I don’t think you have good manners at all.
KMR, apologies for getting off track since this kerfuffle is certainly not on topic. Who knew Kate’s eyeroll would unleash such a torrent of heated discussion! 😉
In terms of “realness”, I mean the real New York, which is more than Nathan’s Hot Dogs, Broadway shows and the Manhattan skyline. The Adirondacks, Niagara Falls, the NY State Fair in Syracuse, the World’s Greatest Cheeseburger of Bill Grays. We are earthy, salt-of-the-earth people. Every New Yorker (by which I mean NYC) I have ever met was arrogant, loudmouthed and rude.
Upstate New York is the 4th highest rated location in the US in terms of college degree holders and one of the strongest regional economies in the nation.
If Waity wanted to visit “New York”, she should have come to Buffalo and eaten beef-on-wick, rather than stay in the city and be bored to death by “celebrities.”
And I have excellent manners but not when my area of origin is portrayed as been rude, arrogant and dull. Like you wrote, the woman “exhibits our typical brand of impatience and cut-to-the-chase, direct manner”. Well in Upstate NY (where I come from) that is perceived by most people as being loudmouthed, arrogant and rude. VERY rude. We take time to get to know our neighbors, to help one another and to live the good life, instead of rushing about like N.Y.C.ers do all the time, barely stopping to see after the person they knocked over in their breathless effort to be first in Bloomingdale’s. If Katie had wanted to see the real New York, she really should have come to Buffalo. Oh and “loud”, “arrogant” and “rude” are adjectives, not names I’m calling you. And that is all I’m going to say on the matter.
Warmest personal regards,
SLN
Seth, I really don’t know why you’re giving basically a Chamber of Commerce description about your area. I never denigrated where you live or its characteristics, nor extolled the virtues of the city. But it seems some people here are knocking all the inhabitants of Manhattan for bad behavior based on one rude woman. I realize you weren’t calling me loud, arrogant or rude personally, but I do take exception to all New York City residents being classified by those adjectives when many of us are not. I don’t think name-calling, which it is, has any place on this blog. I’ve been to upstate New York and visited places for which the region is renowned, but I’ve also had my share of surly encounters with its residents so don’t say this only occurs in the city. It happens everywhere. And I’m a very polite, well-mannered person. But I don’t want to waste any more of my time or this space making comparisons or discussing the pros and cons of upstate versus the city. This is futile and way OT.
I guess there’s a reason why Kate and William didn’t want to go to upstate New York. Maybe you can send a suggestion to KP for them to tour your location if they ever come back to the area. But that doesn’t make your location or its people any more “real” than living in the Big Apple. It’s just a regional difference in the entire state of New York, and no one is any better than anyone else for living in these different areas. That’s what makes the cultural difference of New York so unique, as it is with any other state.
And we do agree on one thing: it’s time to put this matter to rest.
My regards to you as well.
LOL I would have given that woman a dirty look.
Oh, KMR, thanks for the laugh. I loved Kate’s reaction to the woman. Yes, it was endearing. So very wonderful. And, I agree, the woman was so terribly rude. You go, Kate. You go, Ma’am.
I think Kate handled that well. That woman was rude, and instead of saying something rude back – which would have been my response – Kate just rolled her eyes. So I think Kate handled it well, and showed some genuine personality for us to enjoy.
I wonder if there’s audio of that?
The Vine has audio, if you look in top right corner of the video there is usually a volume button
Thank you. The more I look at this GIF, the more I see a WTF? expression on her face. She looked really taken aback at first.
I love this. Like everyone else said, we finally get to see some of her genuine personality. I like it 🙂
So I can’t get the volume to work but it looks like she says “excuse me” to the lady before the eye roll. Such a good honest reaction. Royalty aside, the lady is rude to say that to any volunteer.
There is a sound button in the bottom right corner.
I was wondering what Kate said, so thanks for picking that up.
Oh I have to add. I kind of like that someone was rude to a Royal. I’m sure no one has ever spoken to Kate like that before and she is not used to it. Which is kind of fun since everyone always kisses her butt:). Like I said, it was horrible of the lady to be rude to any volunteer, but at the same time it is nice to see a royal treated the same as the rest of us.
Matthew 16:26 (KJ21) | In Context | Whole Chapter
26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
…but on the other side: do we now love Kate for eye-rolling?! I´m not occuppied by this reaction, I don´t see any extraordinary charme in in. The late Diana was showing her personality all the time. She wasn´t perfect at all, but she really was concerned about others- not as Kate. It´s a headline, surrounding herself- how great she is in her own reation.She was not praised showing personaliy towards another person. I think that´s all PR-Spin and the new PR man is already acting. Image boosting at it´s best.
For example here in Germany I read an online article in an actually reasonable, political and quite investigative Journal “Spiegel”, where she was praised for rolling eyes and showing some real self and warmth and blah! They really wrote ” …the otherwise perfect princess(!), who never gets muddled when she speaks (she has a real issue on holding a speech), with no scandals ( Bare bottom- bare top, wardrobe malfunctions..?) and otherwise always flawless, perfect shows her personality and even this in a perfect way.
Come on, don´t you all smile like that sometimes, or even sweeter? If there´s nothing to praise, than the PR spin goes on this level.
I´m rather concerned, that the “Spiegel” prints such stories, but there´s always a last side you have to fill. Here in Germany, Royalty is not important enough to waste realy worktime on it. They just publish, what they get from the Winsor PR-department.
Next headline from the new PR-Man could be: “Incredible, she walks a mile and carries her own few groceries, ALTHOUGH she is pregnant”
or
“Amazing, her husband is leaving her in the last trimester alone, because he HAS to travel to China – but Kate is a Power-Woman! She manages it all alone!”
or
“She is a worcaholic, but the doctors keep her saying to calm down, because of a possible Burn-Out-Breakdown- The Saviour of the Monarchy, who is working restless, night and day on this mission finally has to rest a bit. We all allow her to do so…!”
Let´s see what Spin next comes.
Have a nice third Advent though!
To answer your first question: no. This was a nice bit if humanity Kate showed, but it doesn’t erase all her f-ups and the fact that she’s usually a robot with no personality who has shown no depth whatsoever.
I have to go on record as saying I don’t think the woman who said, “keep wrapping” was rude. If she was part of Kate’s entourage, she had a job to do…keep Kate wrapping instead of talking to the lady next to her. Or at the very least, don’t stop wrapping while you talk…do both at the same time. If she was part of the wrapping project, a visit from the Duchess had the potential to shut down the whole operation. It was her job to have everyone keep wrapping.
I know this is irrelevant in the big picture, but I think the “keep wrapping” lady is getting a “bum rap”.
How funny. I agree with you KMR, it shows a glimpse of personality when she rolls her eyes and sort of smirks and it’s funny that someone snapped at her “Keep wrapping!” I do give her a point for just going along with it, b/c if I had H.R.H. in front of my name (from birth) and some ugly American had to nerve to take that tone with me, there would’ve been a Prince Philip-like row that would still be making headlines the world over.
Yesss 🙂 So funny
It made my cold, black heart towards her thaw a little. It was cute. As a native of Brooklyn married to someone from the Bronx, I will say that some people from NYC are direct. There are also some who are sweet, so you never know. It is obvious that this person had no sh*ts to give that it was the DoC, and had to have a number of gifts wrapped before the end of her shift.
New York City is a dynamic mix of personalities and you can meet the person who won’t give you the time of day or the person who will give you the shirt off his/her back. You can meet the sweet or the sassy. And as the lyric goes from the famous song, “If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.”
NY if definitely only for the thick-skinned.
I don’t think people are rude, they are just always in a hurry, busy, etc. and with technology nowadays always hooked to some device + headphones (but the latter is a worldwide thing, not limited to NYC). It is also EXTREMELY DIVERSE, so generalizations hardly apply.
I don’t think the lady was rude when telling her to KEEP WRAPPING. Wasn’t she supposedly there for that? Oh yeah, I forgot it was probably just to sit and look pretty and wave while picture were taken.
I have the utmost respect for the people who work FT at such non-profits (with the lowest salaries, huge workloads and heartbreaking circumstances) as well as for the DEVOTED VOLUNTEERS (who with all going on in their lives -work + family, etc) and with no salary still find it in their hearts to give up their time and work for a cause… all without having anyone praise them and publishing their pictures.
So to the boss lady in the black dress: good job and thank you 🙂
and it was all just funny 😀
Amen to your words, Beatrix. And as an aside about the quality of NYC residents, we barely survived Hurricane Sandy here on Staten Island two years ago, one of the worst areas to get hit and still recovering, and the droves of people coming to our borough to help out from the city was awe-inspiring. Neighbor helped neighbor here on Staten Island, and all pitched in to help those devastated by the storm with loss of property and life. It was awesome to see our fellow New Yorkers, whose heart is as big as the city, coming over to help us out. Their kindness, warmth and generosity are still so appreciated to this day.
Hurricane Sandy badly damaged many communities all over New York. Lake Ontario’s level rose and severely damaged dozens of homes on the waterfront in the Rochester area. It did a fair bit way up here, I can barely imagine what parts of the Shore and Staten Island must have been like. I’ve seen pictures of course but I doubt they do justice. Props to you all for sticking it out down there. Its a shame Kate didn’t visit Long Island or the Jersey Shore where Sandy hit.
How NOT to motivate volunteers? What… you are a volunteer?? Get to work! Keep wrapping! LOL