194 thoughts on “Kate Middleton to give first interview as a royal, may take on Queen’s patronage”

1. The documentary is airing in May & will be docu-lite as its hosted by Ant & Dec. David Frost they are not. Hugely popular here in Britain (I love them) but they’re light entertainment, not journalists.

   Kates chat will be frothy, overly rehearsed, written in advance & agreed by Jason – nothing to get excited about. All personality will have been edited out.

   I’m seriously fed up that I read since 2011 Kate had done less royal events than HM did just last year, at the age of 89.

   1. I watched some of William and Harry’s interviews about the Queen for her Diamond Jubilee where they basically just talked about how dedicated she is and whatnot, nothing super deep or special. I expect the interviews for this program will be similar.

      In terms of Kate doing less since she’s been a royal than HM did last year: In 3 years, William has not matched what HM did last year. In 5 years, Harry has not matched what HM did last year. So it’s not just Kate, both William and Harry are crap in the royal duty department, too.

      1. I can cut Harry a little rope because he was actually serving in the military for most of those years. William???? He was doing some kind of work, but still he could’ve done better.

         1. I think “some kind of work” is putting it nicely. 😉

      2. I’m equally cheesed off with William. The pair of them are dreadful royals.

         Harry was in the military and helps privately 40% working week, so he’s not feeling my wrath.

         1. +1 you summed up my feelings so well.

      3. well harry wasn t a full time royal, that s why harry returned last september to be full time royal, so it s quite different to him. william has the excuse ( yes, it is nothing but an excuse) to work. kate is the one doing the least, sorry but indeed she s doing nothing for what she chased for about 10 years

   2. JL, I believe the documentary you mentioned is different from the one KMR mentioned. The one with Ant & Dec. is about Charles. The interview Kate is going to do is for the queen and has not been filmed yet. The Ant & Dec one has. They are 2 different documentaries if I am remembering right.

      1. Oh, nevermind. 🙂 I stand corrected. They are the same thing. Sorry about that. I wonder why they decided to add Kate in now. I bet she will just say a sentence or something very brief.

         1. I think they actually are different – the documentary, and then another special where Ant & Dec host HM’s actual birthday ‘party’ for TV.

         2. Here’s her “interview”: “Happy Birthday Your Majesty! I wish you well on you’re 90th!”

            Probably done multiple times until her tongue and facial expressions cooperated and the words could be understood.

   3. I don’t think there is any personality to edit out…

      1. I didn’t see your comment before I posted mine. I so agree. And I doubt that even the overworked PR peeps can photo shop a personality in 🙂

   4. Not much editing (of personality) to do with Kate is there? I think the ‘speech’ will have all the buzz words, admire, dedicated, devoted, and I’m pretty sure that Kate will be warned to leave the word ‘keen’ out. She ‘looks up’ to the queen, she wants to follow the queen’s extraordinary example of representing the United Kingdom, she is proud and honored to be speaking of her, and other such rhetoric. I have very mixed feelings about the queen, personally, but that’s just me. Kate. No problem. She is a total and absolute waste of time, energy, fresh air, and organic veggies. I will be interested in how she contorts her face to maintain that contrived posh accent.

      1. To be fair, ALL of the royal interviews about the Queen will feature those words/phrases. That’s just how those types of interviews are.

         1. I agree KMR and I thought about it after I posted. There really are certain words that are used and the options are rather limited as far as that goes. I’ll content myself with the knowledge that Kate may **use** those words and that to her they are just that..words. Still rather looking forward to the facial contortions to posh up her accent. 🙂
            And to be honest and fair in another way, accents aside, we are being bombarded with politicians making promises to ‘our people,our country’ and I don’t believe a word they say. In fact without straying too far off subject I just assume they are not particularly interested in ‘the little people’ aside from getting their vote.

            1. Oh I have so many thoughts on politicians, but I won’t air them here (it’s just not the place and I don’t want to go against my own comment policy).

               I agree that to Kate, and probably to other royals as well (especially William), those words are just words that they think people want to hear so they say them. They don’t mean them. I mean, William can’t possibly mean things like “I am privileged to have The Queen as a model for a life of service to the public” when he doesn’t bother modelling his life and service to the public after her.

2. I’ve read on twitter that you can use hola to watch our shows that have a geo lock on them, if that helps.

   1. What is hola?

      1. Google Hola and it’s a program you can download to give you a “location” that is more compatible with what you’re trying to watch. I haven’t had much success with it and BBC, but I’m still trying.

         1. Oh cool, thanks.

            1. You’re welcome

         2. Try Browsec instead of Hola. It has a setting specifically for the UK. I love it and have been using it for about a year. Works great for BBC and Netflix UK.

            1. Thanks, AccentBeach, I’ll check that out, too.

            2. Thanks for the lead AccentBeach, I’m going to give it a try as well.

         3. That’s a great tip, Lisa.
            Thanks for posting it.

            I usually wait a few days after a program had aired & hope it’s on YouTube.

   2. Was about to say the same thing. This works great.

3. This first interview will be interesting! I wonder how many times she’ll giggle at the wrong time or spend the interview slouched in her seat. I hope her PR team makes her practice and practice.

   Well, now she can attend even more matches at Wimbledon and have them appear on her yearly numbers. Plus, what a great excuse to not attend anything serious during this time as she’ll be “working” so hard watching matches.

   I wonder if the Queen is trying to encourage her to take on more duties, first Phillip turns over one of his commands and now the Queen is turning over one of her patronages. Of course this patronage is right up the Duchess’ alley and won’t task her too much to attend, in fact it will probably be her most attended patronage next to the 1851 Trust and Sir Ben.

   1. Those Wimbledon matches will be her hardest jobs of the year. It takes a lot of effort to make those crazy faces!

      1. I see a new entry for next years poll, “how many matches will she attend at Wimbledon”?

         1. 1) All of them because it’s the easiest way to pad her numbers.

            1. Maybe a new poll question would be “how many engagements will she attend that aren’t at Wimbledon”? As I questioned in a prior post, I wonder if Kate has a set number of engagements she’ll attend in a year and if they are taken up with “royal” engagements then her charities fall by the wayside, somehow I bet she’ll make time for Wimbledon.

            2. Don’t worry, Lauri, no matter how busy and stressed Kate is with all her engagements AND taking care of her two kids, she’ll find a way to make all those Wimbledon matches. She’s a trooper, that one.

            3. All of them. Lol. And don’t forget her clapping.

   2. This seems like a pretty big patronage to hand over to someone who hasn’t really proved themselves. I’m honestly shocked.

      1. Well, as far as I know the Duke of Kent is still the President and will be the one to hand out the trophies and such. So I think Kate’s role will be rather limited to just watching matches.

         1. and pulling faces 🙂 and flipping her extensions as well!

   3. I’m appalled that Kate can add ‘watching tennis’ as a royal duty. How ridiculous. By giving her this patronage, there is an acknowledgement that they can’t get her to do anything with gravitas. I suspect the mental health work will be gradually jettisoned to the same black hole as the other charities that were her ‘main focus’ a few years ago.

      I doubt the interview will be anything but an over-rehearsed bit of prattle, spoken in a ridiculous accent.

   4. Love you, Lauri. “… how many times she’ll giggle at the wrong time or spend the time of the interview slouched in her seat.” So true.

      I read the other day that poor posture can be linked to how much time people spend huddled over their cell phones. Looking down, checking texts or texting someone. Do you think Kate is texting constantly? Just a thought.

      BTW, KMR, I love the photo and your take on it — the one with Kate at Wimbleton. Her smug face and crazy hair, indeed. Ah, she receives one of the Queen’s Royal sports patronages. Now she can cozy up to some handsome male tennis stars, too. Move over Ben. Kate’s gonna being meeting many hot tennis pros up and close and personal very soon.

      May I say that I am getting sick of Kate again. Sorry, but I am.

      1. Lol, Kate hasn’t even done anything this year yet and you’re already sick of her.

         PS. Poor Ben is going to feel so left out. I guess Kate will just have to make extra visits to see him to make him feel better. Oh the life of a duchess, one must work so hard to be around all these hot men.

         1. I know. It’s only February and I am sick of her. Sorry!

            I love what you said about Kate making more visits to Ben to make him feel better. Yes, the difficult life of a Duchess, indeed.

            1. So I bet all these sport patronages will require a huge amount of ‘private’ and secret visits on top of the official matches, as well. It makes my head spin just imagining Kate sprinting from one match to another secret visit!

         2. You said it KMR (already sick of Kate) for many of us.

      2. Personally, I think her poor posture is do to insecurity and laziness. She’s in over her head, the public is no longer enamored with her and it takes some work to develop good posture and we all know how much Kate likes to “work”.

         1. You’re totally right. There is absolutely no other reason for her poor posture since we know how fit she is and that she’s working out like crazy with her private trainer and swimming in her pool etc probably every single day.

            1. Fitness levels and posture are not the same.
               You can be fit and slouch.
               Kate never appears very “fit” imo. She’s always frail and lacks a healthy amount of muscle mass. What we see is bare minimum for a functioning adult. Her calves for example look defined only because she lacks fat. Put her next to a thin and fit woman of the same age and body type the difference is striking.

            2. @Runaway Snarker
               What do you mean by “bare minimum for a functioning adult?”

            3. I like to call her skinny fat. She might work out a lot, but my educated guess is she only does cardio and eats very little. So she isn’t actually building any muscle. Hence why she doesn’t look very fit. There’s no muscle tone. She may not have a lot of fat on her, but in the big picture, her body fat percentage is probably average. If she weighs what the internet says, then we weigh the same. And I can guarantee that I look a whole lot better than her because I have the muscle tone instead of her “fat hanging on her skeleton” look.

            4. Candice
               Miss K said it well, although I don’t care for the term “skinny fat” as a preference.
               She works out to burn fat. Not to maintain muscle by appearances.

               She’s stood next to fit women of similar body types and appeared more skeletal than healthy. What she has in muscle she might only have because it’s there from daily routines. Not because of healthy lifestyle.

               Miss K
               i’m skeptical on her BMI being in a normal range. I think it bounces frequently. And I doubt the internet holds truth to her current or even average weight. Too many factors and many can’t make allowances for muscle mass weight, density, etc… by eyes alone.

         2. Heck, her own sister is in better shape! Pippa does all of these things (ski, bike, run) to stay fit and strong, not to simply be skinny. IMO, Kate looked fine during her St. Andrews/early GF years but 2007 is when it all changed.

   5. Lauri you said exactly what I was thinking yesterday when I saw this! Now Kate actually has an excuse to watch all the games. And no on can get mad at her since it is ‘work’. Gosh, do I wish my work was watching tennis matches. Kate has such a rough life. I am surprised she doesn’t just make sports her emphasis. It is clearly all she cares about.

      1. I think she really should make sports her cause. I think about the children stuck in front of their televisions or glued to video games and since childhood obesity is on the rise, she could really make something out of a cause that she is clearly passionate about. Plus, she would be much more natural in that arena than visiting sick children, addicts or those suffering with mental health issues.

         1. Kate really should focus her attention on sports. And not yachting or Wimbledon. She could do a lot with charities focused on allowing poorer children with no access to sports to play sports, or encouraging kids to get in to sports as a way to exercise and stay healthy, or encouraging girls to get into sports as a way to boost self esteem and have a healthy body image, or anything like that. There is a lot Kate could do with sports which would allow her to relate to her cause and not feel uncomfortable and still make an impact with the public, rather than something elitist like yachting or Wimbledon.

            1. I so agree KMR, nothing elitist just getting kids out and involved in sports. The possibilities supporting this cause could truly be endless.

            2. What you suggest is fantastic, though requires considerable work and ongoing commitment. Therein lies the problem.

               Looking at patterns of behaviour, Kate’s interests in sport/fitness are driven by:
               1. A manic desire to be thin (personal vanity, keeping William interested), and,
               2. Enjoying herself/ getting attention in an elitist sport setting.

               The former is not a healthy approach as other commenters have observed. Worse, it sends a bad, bad message to young girls/women that your body is key to getting what you want. Not hard work, intelligence or achievement.

               The latter is all about herself, yet again, how boring (am with you Mary Elizabeth). For example, the picture with smug pose and hair is repugnant; she is looking directly at the camera, knowing she is the centre of attention. As it must be.

               I’m actually disgusted with the Queen’s decision in awarding Kate this patronage. I thought she had more sense. Whether the hideous William has been arcing up again, demanding goodies, we don’t know. All three – William, Kate, and Harry – need to get their sh*t together. The older royals need to say: “This is what you’re doing, end of story.”

            3. Those are great ideas, however, I have always got the feeling that Kate doesn’t like kids that much. She is just not a kid person, which is fine. But the media keeps trying to make her the kid’s princess and she is not. I think she would prefer things that sadly only deal with adults, like the Olympics 😉

            4. Very good points KMR. This would be a better fit for Kate. I wonder if she hasn’t done it because she couldn’t buy a dressy new coat for every visit. Plus, she would have to speak with children and teens. I don’t think she is very comfortable in this group and they don’t fall for inauthentic behavior.

            5. i agree. the point is, however that she doesn t want to do nothing, she just can t be bothered

      2. Well, I agree with the posters who say that Kate is really not fit and healthy. Way too thin and I wonder if she even has the energy to work out since it’s clear that she isn’t getting proper nutrition just from the looks of her. So, maybe watching tennis will strengthen her neck muscles with all that side to side movement. I’m quite surprised that Kate doesn’t appear to know (or is terrified of gaining an ounce) that if she eats a proper diet and allows herself to build up healthy muscle she will actually burn off more calories just sitting around because muscle creates that effect. I do wonder if she is genuinely interested in sports or just likes the high profile attention factor.

         1. i guess she only like the “posh side” of sports, the high profile attention factor is what she loves about sports ( and maybe that by doing sports she burn calories). Also i agree that she’ s really too thin and i wonder if Charlotte when she’ s growing will ever be affected by her seiously underweight figure ( I suffered from anorexia, now i’ m totally healed, but I have to say that in my case I was very influenced by media, fashion and so on)

   6. I have a feeling her “Interview” will be a 30-60 second snippet of her saying how “inspiring” she thinks The Queen is an how “keen” she is to learn the ropes from her. The end.

      1. I read somewhere this morning that she had already recorded her interview for the documentary. Maybe to give themselves plenty of time for editing? Or maybe it was the only free moment she had in the foreseeable future…always a busy bee, that one 😉

         1. Productions are usually filmed months in advance to give time to post-production like editing, visual effects, sound design and mixing, etc. The documentary is 2 hours long so it makes sense that they would film it months in advance.

            1. So, really not an interview, as we think of it. This should have been very easy for her then, and I’m sure the finished product will be really good. I hope she had a meaty bit, I just want to hear her speak at length. And I hope she had the kids with her. And I hope George put in his 2 cents. And I hope William didn’t interrupt or finish her thoughts. I know it’s a pretty ambitious wish list, but not totally out of the realm of possible!

      2. Wow, Stephanie you managed to find a way for Kate to work in the word ‘keen’. Impressive:)

4. First, the interview will be a few scripted words from her and the remainder will be doe eyes while William completes the sentence and then she’ll flash her ever growing teeth, giggle and toss her hair, confusing the interview about HM’s 90th birthday with an interview about her favorite hair care product.

   As for the tennis patronage, I bet she’s strutting around Anmer and pleased as punch that she can have her entire family there with her in the royal box at every match and believe that no one can object to it. She will be all over this patronage. She may even give her first interview about this patronage.

   I think there’s a reason they keep Kate clear of interviews, she can’t form two sentences and speak that overly posh voice before the cameraman runs out of tape/time or they are afraid of what will come out of her mouth.

   1. I hadn’t thought of her being interviewed along side William, I figured that she would be interviewed separately. Hmmm, this is a bit of a game changer, a bit like the engagement interview when William put words in Kate’s mouth and had to finish most of her answers.

   2. I just read on the DM site that Kate’s interview will be done solo. The Queen is known as “one take Windsor”, how many takes do you think Kate will need?

      1. Many, and it will be rigorously edited.

         1. That was exactly what I was thinking Jen!
            Better get started now to make that April deadline?

   3. Lisa, I have thought for quite some time that the palace is really keeping Kate as hidden away as possible since she is such a loose cannon. An embarrassment just waiting to happen. The public isn’t buying into the PR spin so perhaps this move on the queen’s part is to get her out there in a bit of a controlled situation, meaning that she can carry on like a silly overgrown teenager at the tennis matches w/o too much criticism and now she can get credit for attending. And I highly doubt that Kate will ever cancel an engagement at a tennis game.

5. Great… now we’ll see more of her cringe-worthy facial expressions plastered on the news, and the Middletons in full force not far behind in the royal box with their signet rings. Can’t Jason or her mother quietly inform her that some of her expressions are too risque to be seen in public? Some of those faces could have been pulled out of an adult movie.

   1. Hahaha, I know, some of her expressions when she’s stroking her hair make her look..well…um…satisfied.

      1. Ew.

         1. I’m sorry, I tried to find the most delicate word I could for how her expressions looked, imo.

            1. +1 million. She’s obviously self soothing.

            2. double ew LOL! 😉

            3. I will reluctantly recall these comments next time I see the, um, self-soothing.

      2. True!

      3. I feel nausea coming on…

      4. Good to know I’m not the only one who noticed that! Those “satisfied” expressions and action shots of her mouth open in a large O are really not suited for decent publication.

6. Wow. I am shocked. I feel like a patronage as high profile and fun as Wimbledon should be earned, and in my opinion, Kate certainly hasn’t earned it. It seems like giving someone a promotion when they have barely done their job. Maybe the Queen really is okay with Kate’s performance…

   1. I don’t think its that big a deal. She won’t be handing out the prizes,as the Duke of Kent will still be doing that.

      It’s a frippery title, suitable for her.

      1. I’m glad the Duke of Kent will still be President as he has supported Wimbledon for years.
         I just hate thought of a preening Kate and her family at centre court, quite puts me off watching! if Kate becomes Patron then I think she (and her family) will be very hard to take. But it’s not a done deal yet is it?

         1. Hi, Cathy: My comment has nothing to do with your Wimbleton comment here, but I thought you’d see it quicker than if I posted on the section where we talked about adrenal gland health.

            I took Adrenal Optimizer several years ago and believe the manufacturer was Jarrow. It works best when you eat a balanced diet and try to get as much sleep as possible. It does help you conquer insomnia, so that should not be an issue. I’m glad you plan to check with your doctor prior to taking this, or any supsplement. Wishing you the best!

            In response to your comment here, I dread Kate and the Midds at centre court, too. Ugh!

   2. +1. Such a high profile patronage should not be awarded to someone who has been nothing short of appalling. It will be hard to watch Wimbledon with the Middleton’s preening from the Royal Box.

      1. +1

   3. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Royal Family Order on Kate at the next State event she attends, since HM clearly thinks Kate is doing okay/well given that she let Kate wear the Lovers Knot tiara and is giving Kate this patronage.

      1. Maybe HM gave it to her in an effort to get her to actually work more. Or maybe a deal was struck “I’ll give you All England if you go to all of your charities this year” to which Kate rapidly agreed and immediately began to look for loopholes in the agreement. (For example, if she’s pregnant, if she has to take George to school, if she has to weed her garden, the list is endless)

         1. I don’t think Kate would take the RFO as a sign that she needs to work more, more like a sign that she’s doing all she needs to do to get respect from HM.

            1. I wonder if this day will count in her CC numbers: officially took over patronage of All England. I’m pretty sure she wrote about it in her Princess Diana diary with hearts and stars all around the name of the patronage.

            2. Ha ha, that’s hilarious, Lisa!

         2. I thought the same thing Lisa. The Queen is quite the horse woman and is probably working Kate the same way she would a stubborn horse, gentle encouragement and soft words. I imagine a Peter Jones credit card was thrown in for good measure.

         3. Rewarding sheer laziness doesn’t make one behave better. It tells Lazy One that to get the goodies you just hang firm, like limpets do.

      2. Oh Lord help us!

      3. I cannot imagine that someone as hard-working as the Queen thinks KM is doing well. HM famously said, “What does she do all day?” about William’s partygirl companion. That inspired the part-time 9 month stint at Jigsaw. Until then, she hadn’t had a job.

         I’m more in the camp of it being, “Well, at least she did something and letting her wear X means William whines at me less.” The horse analogy is a good one, for both W&K, but there are some horses who just don’t perform no matter how well they are treated.

         1. That was 9 months?!
            Maybe i’m remembering my figures incorrectly then. I may be thinking she worked a few weeks because that was the amount of hours billed.
            As a 2 to 8 hour work week if any at all.

            *Just looked up some bookmarked websites I had with this information. Links are dead now. Go figure.

            1. I miss FLORC.

               Yearningly yours,
               bluhare 😀

         2. so can t i. kate isn t doing well at all and i guess the queen knows it

   4. As I said earlier I have very mixed feelings about the queen but I think the woman is just plain tired which is more than understandable at her age. I don’t think she’s ok with Kate or William but has pretty much handed the problem over to Jason and this Wimbledon thing sounds like a big deal to the general public, especially since the queen handed it over, and the military thing as well coming from Prince Phillip. Few people are going to really think of what it actually entails so as I said before I think it’s fairy dust, smoke and mirrors to appease the masses and make Kate look relevant.

      1. Well Charles got a bag of fairy dust as a gift from a member of the public last year. So he’s got loads of fairy dust to go around.

7. These sports patronages are rather moot given that sports don’t really need the “help” of royalty in order to be successful. They are just excuses for royalty to participate and get “credit” for enjoying leisure activities.

   1. These sports, i.e. tennis, rugby and football are all huge in UK but I agree, as patronages are more like decorative titles for the royals. As KMR mentioned, HM has hardly attended any matches, ever, so I really doubt if this is the serious ‘reshuffle’ in BP that Daily Mail mentions. Surely, giving away these patronages to William, Kate & Harry can’t mean any serious shift in HM’s workload. Unless of course, she’s planning to give more away after her 90th anniversary. We’ll see how much she’s actually willing to give up.

   2. Lady Blue Ribbon and Elina, I think you’ve pretty much summed it up. Decorative titles and the sports need no help, just a DA hardly needed Kate hanging around the set. I love the term decorative titles 🙂 Sports are huge deals in the UK just as they are in the States (and probably elsewhere) and don’t need any help from anyone. I am not even a little bit sporty or sports minded but I have a family who is and the sports are where it’s at, the players, the calls, the game.

8. I care so little (more like not at all) for sports, I hope they do some interesting work this year aside from sports related things.

   1. I agree. I don’t care at all about sports (unless horses are involved). And in terms of the blog, sports visits are the most boring since all I have is clothes and photos. There is nothing interesting about sports visits to write about.

9. Oh my god that picture of Kate and her hair! I don’t know why but I think it’s proof that she wore extensions to enhance the volume of her hair. It just floats weirdly. But I’m not surprised about the Wimbledon patronage if that is true. There’s been some shilling going on for that one patronage especially on her fan blogs. I wonder if this will go the way of the family order though. Press wrote about it but in the end it turned out just that, rumors. As for the interview, this is a good time to see if she has practiced better or improved at all. Will she stumble or finally get a sentence out that is actually coherent or meaningful? I’m not hating on Kate but her speaking skills is just really subpar. I’m just really sad for her. Sometimes I wonder if she’s trying too hard to be witty and sound smart but end up failing because she’s so conscious about her posh accent.

10. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/04/gut-bacteria-mental-healt_n_6391014.html

    Just wanted to post this link to an article in the Huffington Post (U.S.) which talks about a study being done at Oxford University on how probiotics/prebiotics may help people who suffer from anxiety and possibly, depression. May I be Kate’s editorial assistant, please? Excuse the snarky remark. I actually think this article shows merit and could help many. So many people have such terrible responses to anti-depressants and anxiety meds. It makes sense if there is a direct correlation between the gut and the brain that helping the gut could help the brain.

    I saw a few more articles on the web that show that other studies are being done, too. Sorry for posting it here. I’m in a rush and could not take the time to look through the archives and find the post about Kate editing the Huff Post UK for a day. Note to Jason: Please pass this info on to Kate.

    1. Thank you for the link Mary Elizabeth. I think this article makes sense. It’s not the first time I hear of the strange connection between the gut and the brain.

11. Her hair looks glorious in that last photo.Btw I was wondering if she has become patron of Wimbledon,then why isn’t it listed as one of her patronages on the British Monarchy website?

    1. Nothing has been officially announced, the Times is reporting something a source said is going to happen in the future.

       1. What IS interesting is the bit about Sophie being given a more substantial role: well deserved. It will be interesting to see what is handed on: substance to those with substance, fluff to fluff.

    2. I just had an idea-what IF Kate plays a charity tennis match.You know kind of like how William plays charity polo matches

       1. I doubt this would happen.
          This isn’t a slam to Kate, but to those who surround her. She is not to be diminished. She is in a bubble of only praise outside of William’s free thoughts to her.
          For example the art gallery. She was told how talented she was with the camera so she displayed her work. To find it was basic at best crushed her and she never did it again. Outisde of “family portraits” that have teams behind them and still appear lacking in composition.

          So, for a display of tennis skill. We won’t see it. IMO.
          There is the world Kate lives in. The world we live in. And the buffer of the worlds in between.

       2. I too think that won’t happen. If anything we may actually see a side of Kate that we only get glimpses of – her reported winner take all attitude. William has made a couple of comments about that (when they were playing table tennis) and it’s been noted that she is very serious about the matches she plays.

          Besides, it would be really hard for her to keep her hair looking hair color commercial good while chasing after a tennis ball.

12. Hi, I discovered your site the other day and have been gorging myself on all its delicious content ever since! I love your posts about the British royals, and also enjoy learning about the other monarchies. Lovely work you do here! I especially love the discussions re. Kate not being as perfect as she seems- I’ve long thought something is not quite right about her. What you said here cracked me up:

    “If Kate gets this patronage, this will be her most visited patronage each year, I’m sure.”

    Oh yes, truer words were never spoken! Lol

    1. Welcome Corgi! 🙂

    2. Hi Corgi, welcome, and thank you!

       1. Yes, welcome to you, Corgi. And, KMR, yes, Wimbleton matches mean many events to attend for Kate. Ah, let the clapping begin, Rhiannon.

13. The “interview” could be as simple as a 2 minute statement. Hardly orrect to call it anything else.

    Regarding Camilla’s low interview count. It’s been said many times she takes a back seat publicly of her own choice. This is less from Charles and more for the same reasons she does not go by her Princess of Wales title. Years and years of decades and death threats to her and her family. Even grandchildren. She’s maybe too aware and very scarred over stepping up too much. I do appreciate the heavy work load she takes on day to day. Also, that it appears to be very little for attention on herself, but she’s not going to hide away afraid of the world.

    Something funny. I wonder what William will say. More about how he doesn’t even know what his grandmother does all day since no one knows what a full time working royal even means? He’s shameful.

    1. Hahaha, I hope someone has explained the meaning of “full time royal” to him by now. If I were him or Kate I would be so embarrassed that a man 60 years older worked circles around me.

    2. I think you are right. This won’t really be an ‘interview’ but more a brief comment on the Queen. The only real unplanned interview that she has had (the one for UNICEF), showed how poorly she does thinking on her feet. I think she really has to plan everything out.

       1. That UNICEF interview was horrible. And maybe the 1st moment to directly counter the hype she got from the engagement interview claims. That she was the most prepared and most educated to marry in etc etc…

          Even planned out she slips. And that would be fine if there was the appearance of effort imo.

14. Not to nitpick, but Kate gave an interview with William, Fredrick, and Mary when doing that Unicef Engagement.
    I’m really interested to see how much W&K&H are involved w/ the birthday stuff because, I know W&H are patrons of something related to the planning but whenever I’ve read the official noticies most events say only “The Queen and the Duke.” I have a feeling it won’t be as much “family” centered as her 80th and Jubilee which is a shame cause I love it when they’re ALL together.

    1. That’s true, Sydney. I meant solo interview. I should have been more clear.

       I hope there is some whole family stuff. I, too, like it when they’re all together.

    2. Yes, I too hope that Charles doesn’t push everyone else aside like he did a couple years ago.

       1. I get the feeling Charles doesn’t like to include his extended family in the work. This is strange to me because Charles cannot do everything. Was Charles really jealous of Diana? It seems he might become jealous of others who try to excel too much.

15. I’m a lurker here for quite some time. Thank you KMR for your refreshingly unstuffy stories about my guilty secret, the BRF. I love it.

    If I may share my impression of the good Kate, here goes. She is sadly lacking in the personality department. This is not a fault of hers, it is very common in people who have been forced into the role of surrogates for their parents’ ambitions. A mother/daughter constellation is probably the most toxic of unhealthy parent/child relations, because girls are less prone to open rebellion as boys are.

    Had KM been encouraged to make her own way in life instead of being groomed to marry into moneyed or real aristocracy, she’d probably be happier. She looks rather sad and overwhelmed in many pictures lately. Now that she’s produced the heir and the spare, she will be expected to do her part ( No, CM will not be invited to help ) and she is out of her depth. The fairytale is over, the princess has married her prince and “The Firm” expects her to pull her weight.

    Don’t expect too much of her. I can only imagine how insecure she may be inside having a mother who probably never saw and loved her as herself but only as a vessel for her own ambitions.

    About that interview. I have seen heaps of documentaries like that on ITV. They are pre-recorded and heavily edited before screening. Don’t expect any genuine interview from it. It won’t happen.

    1. Love your moniker! Keeping Up Appearances is a funny show but a bit painful for me to watch since my mother is frighteningly closed to Mrs. Bucket. 😉

       1. I cringe a little when I watch it, too. Her poor husband. 😀

          1. There’s def room for a lot of cringing on that show. That’s why I only watch it is small doses.

    2. Hi HyacinthBucket, welcome!

       Whenever I think of Kate and her unhealthy relationship with Carole, and several other things, I get really sad and feel badly for Kate. Then I remember other stuff and stop feeling sad. But there is a part there that feels so sad for Kate. I can’t imagine Kate’s life being a happy one.

       1. i think that since she married william when she was an adult ( she was nearly 30) she could have drop it all if she really wanted. maybe when she was young she was heavily influenced, even forced by carole, but when kate and william broke up they were 25, so she was old enough to make up her mind. however she didn t and i think that she wanted the posh life she s living currently but she doesn t want the duty.

    3. Great to have you comment! I wholeheartedly agreed that the interview won’t contain any genuine information. I’m sure that it will just be the young royals talking about how warm, funny, and dutiful the Queen is. Not that I necessarily disagree with them, it’s just not revolutionary information and I’m sure Kate has rehearsed these lines loads of times.

    4. Wecome HyacinthBucket! I think you are sadly very correct about our Kate. She really doesn’t have very much of a personality of her own. She seems to channel her mother or some idea of what she thinks she should be like. It’s not a good thing. It seems Pippa escaped that domination in some aspects or she just has a more forceful personality in her own right. For some reason I just get the feeling that something very wrong happened when Kate was a child (illness, or something) and Carole wrapped her apron strings around her and decided that she was going to get Kate a good marriage and why not kill two birds with one stone and have her very own dreams of being associated with the BRF thrown in there for good measure.

       It’s not a life I envy in any way, shape or form and either Kate is going to develop a bit of a spine or she’s going to be pining away one day because the one person who she literally lived a life for will be gone.

16. Another great and thought-provoking post, KMR. This might be slightly off topic, but I am surprised how lacking in skills both Kate (and her sister, Pippa) are despite their ‘first-class’ educations. I know their degrees are fairly generic (Art History and Literature) but they come from ‘stellar’ tertiary institutions – St Andrews and Edinburgh Universities respectively. These are generalist humanities degrees which should assist in these young women in, at the very least, being good communicators. Surely Kate would have had to do oral presentations as part of her assessment and Pippa would have had to write an essay or two to get her degree. How is it then, that the older sister cannot speak in public and the younger appears not be be able to construct a sentence (given her awful book)? I realise that academic qualifications aren’t everything – and that Diana and Harry – both of whom were not gifted in this area – quickly enrolled in university of life – and became very strong and gifted communicators. Why, with every resource available to her, can Kate not develop this skill?

    1. It really does shock me that Kate can’t give a speech even halfway decently. I also did a humanities degree (history) and had to make many speeches throughout university. Kate should have had to make a good number of speeches in university, so she shouldn’t be as terrible as she is.

    2. I think it come down to book smarts vs streets/life smart. She may have done well in school, but that doesn’t always translate to real life. Because she rode Carole’s coat tails all her life, she didn’t get the chance to develop her street smarts. She’s awkward and insecure. And for the general public, that may never be an issue and can be hidden. But unfortunately for her, she can’t hide it.

       1. Miss K
          It’s been said by reliable routes (Nichols/Whitaker) Kate needed tutoring in school as it did not come easily to her. She had to study much harder than the others.
          With that said to hold onto this knowledge she would have to keep it in practice to remember it. If not used that information can be easily forgotten.

          Toss in her cousins statement meant in Kate’s defense that when she speaks she has trouble showing interest if it’s not genuine. And you have someone that must practice until it’s perfect or it all shows.

          1. RunawaySnarker, I didn’t know that about her. In which case, I got nothing. I was trying to give her the benefit of the doubt. Maybe she really is dumb as a post. It seems really sad that Carole has made her into a person with no character or personality. And I don’t get it. My parents did the private school thing with my brother and me. And they always encouraged us to do extracurriculars and to find something that we’re passionate about. And they taught us to work hard. While we know our parents could and would support us if we needed, they also expect us to work hard. We joke that even if we won $50 million in the lottery, our parents would never let us quit our jobs.

             1. Miss K
                I gave her the benefit of doubt also. Until you just can’t.
                It’s my position Kate suffers from arrested development. And even regression from what progress she made prior to the extreme William pursuit.
                There’s personality in there. You see it pop up here and there. Little bit genuine joy at times and even some mean girl qualities.
                What she’s had to become to keep William though. Personality was cast aside.

                Where she had an outlet in sports was squashed. Example an early rowing competition. It was said officially Kate pulled out, but later said William pulled her out very close to the date of competition. She appeared a bit upset over it in a regretful way imo.

                Your parents sounds great! It’s important to have something to keep your mind sharp. Otherwise, you end up shopping all day and focusing on things like bodyimage. They occupy a day, but do they better you?

    3. ‘First class’ educational opportunities from stellar institutions do not necessarily translate to accomplished graduates. English public schools are dependent on their league tables to retain their status. Heavy pressure is put on staff to tutor students to excel in A levels. Once these students go to university, their results often diminish because university is structured as self-directed learning, as well as students’ lack of resilience due to being spoon-fed.

       I’d like to think top universities had fantastic standards, but these days, universities are a business first and foremost with further funding dependent on acquiring students and producing graduates. Academics are often compromised. You may recall one of Kate’s tutors at uni said she wrote one good paper, suspected plagiarism but could not prove it. There are ways to fudge a degree. It’s incredibly unfair to those who put in the hard yards.

       As for Kate having difficulty being engaged in anything but her own interests, this surely speaks to both a lack of character and of maturity rather than lack of personality. Incredibly bad parenting, but there is a point as an adult when you have to own your choices and behaviour.

       1. Thanks. Interesting – I am a working class ‘colonial’ girl who is (or would be the same age as Diana if she were still alive – albeit six months younger). I was always treated as a dumb second-class citizen because I left school early for the simple reason that I had to support myself – no one was cheering me on to clean for friends or be a kindergarten assistant – I had to cut it in the ‘real world’ and make a living to support myself. I spent 12 long years getting my high school equivalent and Bachelor’s degree. It wasn’t easy and there are other ways (i.e Diana and Harry) to get these skills, but I find it very hard to believe that in a generation that what are regarded as ‘top tier’ universities would be giving out honours degrees to dunces (that both Kate and Pippa appear to be) – what a real shame and a very poor reflection on these universities! If you are considering studying overseas don’t go to the UK come to Australia – you will get a better class of education.

          1. I wish I could say otherwise, but it happens where neo-liberal managerialism runs rife. In Australia funding is linked to student completion. Hence there is pressure to retain students, regardless of aptitude or interest. Depending on a number of variables, some get through who are undeserving – and I bet you were in classes with some who were drop kicks.

             Statistically, mature age students do better at university. They know what they want from a course and are prepared to work for it. They demand a lot of themselves and add a huge amount of value to a course, and therefore to others’ learning. Many congratulations on your very considerable achievement, not only for the degree itself but overcoming hardships to do so. It takes a huge amount of courage, talent and determination.

             There are many students for whom uni is just the expected thing to do, generally fueled by parental aspirations. Maybe Kate and Pippa fell into this category, I don’t know. It is curious that neither sister felt driven to forge a career nor to be financially self-sufficient, prince or no prince. To date, neither has harnessed their degrees for any discernible purpose. Both Art History and English can lead to diverse and interesting career paths.

             1. I know there is no defending Kate’s lack of work, however I must say that it’s fine to me that she didn’t do anything in her field of study since a liberal arts degree isn’t the best for finding a job. I have a degree in history and have never done anything in that field, and am now changing focus to programming.

             2. KMR
                True. Liberal Arts Degrees more often serve as proof that you are capable of learning. A friend got her degree in “african clay art” and now is an underwriter for a large insurance corp.

                That she’s done nothing and has never displayed any real intent on it says more.

             3. I agree with KMR and RunawaySnarker. A liberal arts degree can’t really help you find a specific job like a degree in programming or engineering will. It just shows that you can learn. I also find it shows that you had the opportunity/money to complete a degree. University is expensive!!! I have a psych degree. Unfortunately, I can’t do much with that unless I do a masters or a phd. I ended up going to college to get my paramedic diploma. Which is worth so much more to me than my degree. I spent half the time and half the money and wish I had done that to begin with. I refer to my psych degree as my “$25k piece of paper that shows I can read and write”.

             4. Miss K
                Paramedics are wonderful!
                I tip my hat to you!

                And yes. Degrees that many get just to go to college are papers worth the price of cars to say you can read, write, and learn. It’s terrible.
                BTW. I’d love to have my undergrad for 25k.

          2. I’ve studied in both Denmark and the UK, one country where a university degree is free and one where it isn’t. The systems are different, each with their strengths and weaknesses.

             In Denmark, it was very much geared towards independant study but I got a much firmer foundation in my field than my fellow students in England – and the essays and exams were much more comprehensive and demanding. However, in the UK the course work was much more intense and I loved that that we had long sessions with few students. I studied with a world-renowned professor and it was absolutely wonderful. I think I’ve gotten an excellent education both places.

             However, I did do more than what you had to do to pass your exams. I audited extra classes, went to symposiums and participated in extra-curricular seminars with ph.d.-students. If you put in the time and the work, you can get a great education, even if your university isn’t an elite one.

             If a student only does the bare minimum for passing their exams, if they have to whipped along, then the university isn’t for them – and that ought to be ok. I dislike the way a univeristy degree has become a status symbol.

             1. I agree wholeheartedly. Unfortunately, there are just too many students who need to be ‘whipped along’; they also consider themselves as consumers since they have ‘paid’ for their degree, which they regard as a commodity like any other. Sadly, the days of small classes are over; if a subject does not meet a decreed minimum enrolment, it won’t run.

                The real value of a degree is to develop critical thinking plus a range of literacies, no matter the field. From there you can transition to other things. It is commonly acknowledged that we will transition through several careers in our working lifetimes. I have done this myself, as indeed KMR is doing now. However, KMR, your history training does shine through on this blog!

                My point about Pippa and Kate is that they have not harnessed their education to any effect. Their efforts – the party book, column, photos, public speaking, general communication skills – are not commensurate with their educational credentials on paper.

             2. I think all the commenters have made interesting points on the matter. I would add that IMO Kate (& Pipa) belong to a generation of middle class spoon fed and mollycoddled children. Their parents’ newly acquired wealth has led them to believe that they are rightfully worthy of an elite university degree. They wouldn’t use it to build a career with it, no, they need it just to look more polished and sophisticated while socialising and living through their parents’ money.

                As for Kate’s inability in public speaking, it just may be pure anxiety, insecurity and lack of practice. After all, it’s different to present an essay in front of fellow students with making speeches under the scrutiny of the media and the whole world. King George VI had such an anxiety that resulted in his famous stuttering which he managed to control over time.

             3. ArtHistorian, that’s what I found out of my education. You get out of it what you put in. I went to a small private university. My professors all went to places like Stanford, St Andrews, Oxford. We had an excellent history department, and still do, but a lot of it came down to the ingenuity and work ethic of us, the students. We wrote papers for academic journals and had them accepted, we started a research competition that is a big deal now at my alma mater, that kind of thing. You don’t have to go to a top tier institution to get an excellent education. I was also raised in a family that valued a liberal arts education. “No one can ever take your education away from you. Being an educated, well rounded person who can think critically and communicate is the most important thing in the world,” was my dad’s mantra when I was growing up (he has multiple master’s degrees, and his dad had two doctorates). I don’t think the Middletons valued education at all. It was all about going to certain schools to meet the movers and shakers and marry into them. 😉

                I have a history and poli sci degree. I was into politics for a bit, but it was not my bag. I am a stay at home mom going to grad school. I’d love to do museum work or teaching but we’ll see.

                It puzzles me how these girls have excellent educations on paper yet show no evidence of it in their communication. They must have had to write, give presentations, and the like, so what is up with that?!

             4. Ellie,

                Your father sounds like an intelligent man! 🙂

                I do think proper support in the home is important as well. The universities in Denmark are free, based on the idea that getting more people longer education will create upward social mobility. That is true to a certain degree but studies have also show that the percentage of students coming from homes where the parents don’t have a longer education is rather small.

                I belong to that percentage. I’m the first in my family to get what correlates to a high school diploma and the first to go to university. My parents are very proud and was very supportive even though they couldn’t really help me intellectually. However, the rest of my family has been really negative about it because in their view people who don’t work with their hands are useless, especially when they work in the humanities. They never even congratulated me when I got my magisteral degree! I was just so hurtful and disheartening. My parents insist that my grandparents are proud of me but they have never told me themselves if that is indeed the case.

                I’m just lucky that I’m naturally inclined to academic work. I find it a lot of fun and very rewarding. However, if I hadn’t had my parents’ support as well as some very kind fellow students and professors, I guess it would have been easier to loose heart.

             5. How rude for your family to be negative to you about wanting more education. That’s great that you had your parents’ support and were able to accomplish your academic goals even though the rest of your family were rude about it.

             6. Well, my mother’s family is incredibly dysfunctional and when they aren’t rude, they are just… uninterested in anything that hasn’t to do with them. At family gatherings no one ever asks about my sister and I, what we do, like, etc. The conversation is always focused on them so I really don’t bother anymore. We don’t even get asked for Christmas gatherings anymore, as the only ones. I know my mother is diffuclt but her siblings took their conflicts with her out on me and my sister was so incredibly unfair. So it is just me, my sister and my dad against the world. 😉
                I’ve decided to try not to be sad or bitter about it anymore because I don’t want to hurt myself anymore than I already have, wanting acknowledgment from people who don’t care about me or my family.

                We do have some wonderful friends. You can’t help your blood relatives but you can gather a family of the mind and heart.

             7. ArtHistorian, your academic background really shines through your posts and I really enjoy them. For what is worth, you have my respect and acknowledgement. Just focus on the things that make you happy and forget about people who don’t care. Life’s too short. 🙂

             8. Thank you.

             9. AH
                It’s true. It’s not that you have a degree in Art History. It’s that you have a passion for the subject. You’re well studied. That shnes!

          3. Kate being a vessel for her Mather ambitions will explain my perception of Carol behaving in spotlight like she is the center of attention. Mike is more demure a least from outside. Also, regarding the fashion, she often dresses herself alike with Kate. You maybe here on something The Hipserette.

17. A thought just entered my mind, I hope Kate gets her fringe under control before this interview. I don’t know if could watch her again with her hair hanging in her face. I guess it’s possible that she’s growing the fringe out, but I hope she keeps the overall length shorter as I really liked that on her.

    1. Kate wouldn’t be constantly looking down at notes while giving an interview, so hopefully the bangs won’t get in the way. But Kate really needs to get her hair in order before she gives another speech (which hopefully she will do this year).

18. The Wimbeldon patronage leaves me speechless. The Queen must have given up on Kate doing any real work so to pad her numbers threw Kate a patronage she knew Kate would attend.

    As for the interview, I would like to see the interviewer ask Kate some questions like why did it take Kate so long to match the Queen’s yearly total of appearances, why so many of her appearances are fluff like Wimbledon and why it took Kate so long to weigh down her skirts so the public didn’t see the royal beaver and why does Kate have HG and can’t attend her charities but can be Twitter Papped shopping on High Street? Of course the interviewer won’t ask her such pressing questions so just like never getting that pet unicorn, I will have to remain unfulfilled. 😉

    1. I can’t imagine any reporter asking Kate these questions, the interview would be shut down so fast her skirt would fly up! I would bet that all interview questions are heavily vetted in advance and that all questions to Kate in particular will be very easy, softball type questions. I’m so sorry that you won’t get to pet the unicorn and remained unfulfilled. You might want to stroke your hair a few times, it seems to work for Kate 🙂

       1. “The interview would be shut down so fast her skirt would fly up”

          bahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!

       2. Yes, I know. That is why I ended with pet unicorns.

    2. *Waves hand and jumps up and down*

       I know, I know…because shopping is a miracle cure for HG that was discovered by Carole during her research online. Kate will be writing a scientific paper about it that will be published in a leading medical journal. That’s why she’s been keen on reading so many scientific papers herself so she could learn the formatting.

       P.S. My unicorn would like to meet yours one day, I’m sure they’d get along wonderfully.

    3. Lmao at “the royal beaver”!!!!

       What is HG?

       1. Hyperemesis gravidarum. It’s a very severe form of morning sickness in pregnant women.

          1. To add. HG leaves a terrible mark of those with it or having once suffered.
             There’s a larger inbalance of hormones and much is thrown off. Symptoms are far more severe than typical morning sickness and can last longer.

             In my professional opinion there are signs all who suffer with HG have that anyone can see.
             Loss of body weight and muscle mass while pregnant. Morning symptoms lasting longer than average 1st tri-2nd tri. Even more acute senses that trigger nausea and gag reflux.

             It’s also extremely rare. Many doctors have relaxed the criteria for diagnosis as to side step insurance for better care. As a result those who suffer from the more acute end of ms, but not enough boxes checked for hg will get it on their charts.

             And imo Kate has unremarkable pregnancies. In other words she gains weight normally and recovers from ms with average pace.

             Factor in her terrible PR at the time the DM diagnosed her, her recovery in time for sports awards, and her ease of shopping and game wathing without incident I think it’s shameful this story has been left to run instead of squashing it.

    4. The Wimbledon patronage is a low hanging fruit. Kate likes sports so this new endowment means she can stop playing pretend that she really cares. OTOH, you can also view it as HM piling on Kate to get her lazy ass to work. The downside is you will see more of her social climbing family and Carole swigging booze from the royal box.

       On the interview, let’s not delude ourselves. This will be Kate-fluff spouting canned responses from carefully vetted questions. And she doesn’t have to memorize her responses either because she can just ask for a huge teleprompter. No brain surgery involved here.

       1. + Yorkie

       2. I don’t know, you guys. Kate’s interview isn’t going to be some spectacular, informative thing, but I’m not expecting it to be. I’m willing to wait and see what she says and how she comes across before I make a judgement.

19. I often wondered if Diana was alive, would William still choose Kate as his wife? Would there be a showdown between Diana & Carol? Would William be a nicer & more hardworking prince? I shudder the day these 2 become the king & queen. But who knows, maybe by that time, since they’re so
    appalling in care & responsibilities, there may not be monarchy in UK.

    1. William would have had ongoing love and care from his mother, though whether her questionable romantic choices would have put pressure on her relationship with her sons no-one knows. Diana would have seen through the Middleton’s naked ambition in a minute. Had she lived, there would have been no room or need for Carole to provide the mothering William desperately needed, and Kate would have been just another girl to have sex with and eventually discarded. Mind you, accounts of William as a child show a difficult, unpleasant personality, needing a firm approach from both parents. I think it was more like, “you are special, a prince” but the rest of it – “and these are the responsibilities”– was omitted.

    2. IMO William always hated being royal and hated everything but the perks. I don’t think any of it has anything to do with his mother; she’s just a convenient excuse for him.

       1. True.
          This IMO has been long established. Even in Diana’s words of William he hated the press/paps and was sort of bratty when it came to work. Hary took to it like a fish in water. I remember it was said 1 of Diana’s motherly tricks was to tell William Harry will go instead and have all the fun. Then William would join, maybe.

          Now that she’s gone his behavior has not changed.

          I’m in the camp that thinks Kate and William may never have even met if Diana was alive. She wanted her boys to go to a States Uni. To travel. And she was keenly aware of titles, status, and climbers. She was the peoples princess, but in privacy you got her wrath if you assumed she was anywhere below the status/title or “Lady Diana”.

          1. In all seriousness, had it been announced that William was going to a uni in the US, Carole would have sent Kate there.

             1. Possible, but Diana would have tossed girls at William that Kate couldn’t handle.
                All that aside I have found William’s treatment of his gfs disgusting. Given his girlfriends more left him than him leaving them he got what he wanted in Kate. And that isn’t good.

    3. Diana was bery proud of her background. She would never have allowed William to marry Kate.

       In retrospect something happened to William when he started UNI. Before that he seemed like someone, who I for example held in high regard. Could it be that Kate has had a negative influende on him from the very beginning? Some couples just seem to get out the worst of each other.

       1. I think it was more of Carole’s mothering that he latched on to and she conveniently had a daughter his age. I think something in Kate might’ve contributed too but yes, Diana would’ve seen right through them in a nanosecond.

          1. I agree 100% with all your comments. You cannot choose which family you’re born into but you can choose the life that you want to lead. Diana was born into aristocracy but she chose to be a princess of wales, she chose to be a royal rebel & in the end she chose to be the voice for the victims of Aids, landmines & other charities. William has to step up & ‘drag’ Kate along to fulfill their destinies. Or give up everything & become Mr & Mrs Wiliiam Wales.LOL. I couldn’t imagine that happening!

    4. Would Diana evcen like William? She hated self important, spoiled, vindictive men who cheated on their girlfriends and wives. That description fits William perfectly.

       Frankly, it is sad that both Harry and William aren’t more faithful given how much pain infidelity caused in their father’s marriage. Instead, William found a woman who will look the other way. Harry, I’m not sure exactly what he wants. I don’t think it is to settle down into a monogamous marriage with kids.

       1. I think being unfaithful to the spouse is in the genes of the Windsors. But I could name 3 who were faithful till the very end: Prince Albert (Victoria’s consort), George V & George VI. Any woman with any brains would back out from any commitment, eg. Chelsy Davy, Harry’s ex.

          1. I’d say nurture over nature here. The men are raised in a world where cheating is acceptable.It’s been this way for generations and accepted by all.
             I’d say it’s close to as accepted as some view not cheating on their spouses.

             As far as Diana. She knew the world. She indulged in it. When she countered that world it was a power play for control.
             So, would she disapprove of William? I doubt it. Not because of how he treated women. Maybe more for other reasons, but not that.
             Now, Kate PR shaming William to return to her side? Yes. It’s 1 thing to do those things yourself. It’s another to watch a girl manipulate your son with the same games you played.

20. I truly have no interest in her interview. Each time she has spoken, it’s hard to follow. However, she can surprise us. She has time to practice and prepare. I just think that she’s ill suited for this job.

    As far as Wimbledon, I can’t. The thought of the Middleton March makes me cringe. Scarole is probably happy at the thought and has her outfit planned now. I have to give it to her. She’s given Rasputin a run.

    Thanks for the info, KMR.

    1. Outfits, plural. She’ll attend many, many times. Awful.

21. Thanks, KMR readers, a lively discussion about tertiary education! I just wanted to add that in the 1950s many young women of ‘breeding’ were sent to universities or ‘finishing schools’ to enhance their potential value as wives – the charming partners who sat on charity boards, strategically organised dinner parties to enhance their spouses career, added sparkle to cocktail parties, and made all the arrangements for a very comfortable life. And given all the throw-back fashions and nuances to this period (I am talking about Charlotte’s christening) I would have thought Pippa’s and Kate’s choice of majors were most appropriate. I don’t know them and my only cues are what I see and read in the media but they appear to be most common and ordinary, which is so very disappointing. C’mon girls lift your game!

    1. Very true. Women were more interested in a degree in MRS rather than getting an education and building a career.

       It’s still so odd to me that a woman who built a business and career for herself (with the help of her husband) would push her daughters to marry well instead of push her daughters to build lives and careers for themselves. The only redeeming quality that Carole can cling to is the fact that she built a successful business for herself, yet she didn’t want that for her daughters. So odd to me.

       1. I read somewhere that girls from the social set still go to university to find a husband, for the reasons that Hipsterette mentions. I wonder if the 50’s attitude still holds sway in that kind of group – have a look at ‘Country Life’ or ‘Tatler’ magazines to see it played out.

          I’m curious about ‘Party Pieces’, how it was built up and whether it is as successful as claimed. You’re right, it’s odd that a driven business woman would work so tirelessly for the exact opposite for her daughters.

       2. IMO Carole’s working class background pushed her into the social climbing dream. Sure she worked hard and became rich, mainly to protect and secure her children’s future. She wouldn’t raise her girls to go out there and strive for their living. They had to have the best education and be polished enough to get into the elite circles so they have the best chances for a good wedding and a life of fine enjoyment.

          I think Kate may seem like a stepford wife out of the 50s because her mother mollycoddled and smothered her in order to protect her from – God forbid- a struggling life, while projecting her ambitions mainly on her eldest daughter. Sadly this produced a spineless character for Kate since she has to live her mother’s dream.

          1. Oh my curiosity is so piqued! I’d love to be able to dig deep and find out the ‘real’ truth – i.e. whether “Party Pieces” is the success story it is touted to me. Some part of me just can’t believe that selling paper plates and party pirate hats can make such a fortune (but stranger things are known to have happened)! The psychology of this family dynamic is so interesting to me. It would make a nice piece of social analysis for future generations to ponder over to make sense of this millennium world.

             1. Well, there’s your mission! Yes, the family dynamic is fascinating in a morbid way. Yes,it would be interesting to know more about Party Pieces; difficult because it is a private company, but yes, it does not seem to be the kind of business that could realise profits in the multiple millions. I suspect a complex arrangement with investments, PP and tax exists.

                Elina’s assessment is absolutely right, such is the utter grindingly awful and ludicrous class system in the UK.

       3. According to one of my professors who went to St Andrews he’d joke about posh English girls going there to get their Mrs degree because they couldn’t get into an Oxbridge college. (My uni was the same. Mrs degrees everywhere! I was one of the only girls in the history and poli sci department!)

22. Ok, an interview. Sure she knows all questions like the engagement interview. I wanted to see her giving a real interview.

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