Prince William recorded a video message as part of the #StandUpToBullying campaign put on by The Diana Award. William recorded the video at Kensington Palace in May after hosting a round table discussion with Diana Award recipients and supporters.
If you can’t or don’t want to watch the video above, I’ve transcribed William’s message below:
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“Bullying is an issue which can affect any one of us regardless of age, background, gender, sexuality, race, disability, or religion. It can happen for many reasons and is often stupid and cruel and can take many forms, and the reach of technology means it can feel unrelenting, leaving the victim feeling attacked, powerless, and isolated.
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“For young people in particular, bullying can have a profoundly damaging and long-lasting effect. Each year, more than 16,000 young people in the UK are absent from school due to bullying, harming their education and their long-term prospects. To shatter their trust in relationships and faith in the world around them at such a young age can have a lasting impact on their mental health and state of mind.
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“But it is important that we recognize that bullying is not just confined to the playground or classroom, and it does not only affect children and young people, it exists all around us: in people’s homes, in their workplaces, and in their wider communities.
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“Research shows that victims of bullying can become more susceptible to depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts, and experience difficulties in maintaining healthy relationships.
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“This cannot be allowed to continue, and that’s why I am supporting the Diana Award Stand Up to Bullying campaign. It is our collective responsibility to be alert and to be ready to challenge the behavior we see around us. We all have a role to play to ensure that we do not stand by but instead stand up and put a stop to bullying.”
I think it’s great that William is taking part and joining the cause to stop bullying, but I can’t help but think he’s not the best messenger for this cause. Maybe if he came out and said, ‘You know what, I’ve bullied people in the past, but I now see the errors of my ways. Join me in ending bullying.’ Or something along those lines.
I actually think a person with the message of ‘I was once a bully, let me tell you why that’s wrong’ is just as good a spokesperson as a person with the message of ‘I was bullied, let me tell you how that affected me’. They are both saying how and why bullying is wrong and needs to stop, but they have two different perspectives on it which is interesting. I would actually really love to hear a person talk about why they stopped being a bully. Seriously, William/Jason should consider this.
Speaking of bullying, I want to comment on the kerfuffle that happened in the comments over the weekend.
I started this blog as a way to express my opinions on Kate and other royals without being attacked, and I know many of you have said you came here as a way to express your opinions on Kate and other royals without being attacked. Please, let’s keep this blog a place where we can all express our opinions on Kate and other royals without being attacked. All opinions should be welcome, not just the ones we agree with.
Some of us have opinions that are in the minority, and it’s up to us to make sure we express those opinions without attacking others for having opinions that are in the majority.
Some of us have opinions that are in the majority, and it’s up to us not to attack others who have opinions that are in the minority.
Some of us have an opinion on one topic that is in the majority, and an opinion on another topic that is in the minority.
All of these differing opinions are okay as long as we do not attack others while stating our opinions or responding to others’ opinions.
Please, help me keep this blog a fun and safe place to comment. Thank you.
He seems genuine. I hope his efforts do make a difference, despite his actions in the past. Maybe he will even learn from it and see the error of his ways.
His delivery is excellent.The Duchess of Cambridge could learn from him.
So agree
As someone who was bullied as a child (thankfully internet wasn’t a huge thing around then as everything would even been worse) I appreciate every afford and work against bullying and I really hope the campaign will make a difference!
And I like the idea of ‘You know what, I’ve bullied people in the past, but…” but maybe that’s too much to expect as it is to huge to admit? It takes a strong character to genuinely admit a mistake (and not to make yourself the victim in some way). Does he even see himself as a (past)bully? That he hurt people? Just some thoughts but I can’t really see him doing so. Well, will see but I hope he has learned and will use his position to help the cause.
“Does he even see himself as a (past)bully? That he hurt people?”
That’s kind of my point. If William is not able to realize that he himself has been a bully, his words are a bit meaningless to me. I was also bullied as a child and teen, and a bully telling people not to bully is meaningless to me if that bully is not able to admit their own mistakes. But a former bully admitting their mistakes and learning from them and talking to current bullies about how and why not to bully people? I’m totally on board for that.
I thought about it for a while, and you are right that his words would be meaningless but I fear that he and others might not even see the problem.
I mean it’s easy to ignore the problem if you listen to the people who praise you all the time, who laugh at your jokes and think it was funny what you said, those who say that the other person is just too sensitive and so on… as long as they don’t realise that they bullied someone, they cannot admit a mistake and learn. It just goes on…
KMR, so very true. That is an important component to such a campaign. “I bullied and hurt people in the past and I am sorry. It was wrong. I did it because….” What a difference that would make. When one acknowledges past mistakes and says “I am sorry,” it frees those who were bullied, if the words seem sincere. It also helps the bully, too, I would think.
Do you really think the future King of England is going to come out and say he was a bully? I doubt anyone in his camp, him included, would think that was a good move. I agree with what you’re saying though, just as powerful a message coming from a former bully as a victim of one. He’s just not going to be the one to do it.
No, actually I don’t see that happening at all. I rather imagine him not seeing himself as a bully or his team downplaying some of the things he has said. Especially as some things happened in the recent years and not just as he was a child/teenager who didn’t know any better or smt like that…
Ray, I don’t think that William has any clue as to how he impacts people. He’s Prince William don’t forget, and if the little people around him don’t appreciate the honor of being in his presence well it’s their loss. This is not a man who will ever admit to making a mistake, this is not a man at all. He’s a bully and has been ever since he could walk, or maybe he was clocking other babies. In any case the irony of this is mind boggling. I was bullied as a child and for that matter as an adult. William has zero credibility for me, not matter what he’s yapping about. William the basher lives.
Totally agree royalsareajoke.
The problem with this is that he is still a bully. He hasn’t stopped the behavior. He still bullies the press (especially Tanna) every chance he gets, and his comments about his brother verge into that territory too.
He thinks he is being bullied by the press, people who think he should work more, and online critics. He has no idea what bullying really is.
IMO he latched onto the Diana Award because it is the only thing that has her name on it. The cause itself wouldn’t matter as long as he had control of the one thing that bears her name. Add in the make-money-off-mummy-and-daughter clothing line that will be coming out soon? Dishonoring his mother but he’ll never see it.
+1
Recorded messages is the same insincere PR tactis from ‘i am a prince’, whiny, entitled, lazy will and cannot middleton, who continues trying to compete with King Henry’s sailing}.
Will and cannot middleton can’t be bothered with charities, the needy and less fortunate – to the point that HM POW ordered appearances, shows negatives stares directed at the media – waity bags her hair in aged nets instead of classy age appropriate flatering updos / travel in royal heli/ purchase the most expensive outfits to get back at HM, PoW and the taxpayers purse..
Yes, having people admit they were once bullies (or, still are) would be powerful. I doubt we would ever get them from William, though.
Off topic : there are news photos of Charlotte and George with their nanny. Link on royaldish : http://royaldish.com/index.php?topic=14688.msg1015142#new
They don’t look very happy. George often seems anxious.
Hi Jen, I noticed that but I also noticed a couple of geese too and geese can be pretty aggressive and mean and since they are almost as tall as George and Charlotte maybe the kids were a bit frightened, Char didn’t look happy at all 🙂
Interesting that the kids were dressed so alike, shorts, button up shirts and little cardies and of course George was in blue and Charlotte in red/pink…sigh
Agree, Lauri. The geese were probably unsettling to the kids.
Little Charlotte seemed to be having a tough time keeping up with Maria. How cute to see her walking, though. And, those teeny red shoes!
Is it me, or would it be nicer to see Kate in the role of caregiver during such an excursion? I’d enjoy seeing both William and Kate out and about with their kids doing “ordinary” things that most parents do with their kids. They are “average” folk, aren’t they? Modern royals, so to speak..
Kate was probably super busy attending one of her many “private” meetings. I’ve never seen a photo of William out and about with the kids, have you?
Ah, Lauri, that may well explain it then. I’m not familiar with geese.
And yes, Elizabeth, Charlotte was not a happy camper on that occasion.
Compare these pictures to Mia or Estelle or just about any other happy toddler. Phew.
I went to the link and it was just a comment site, No photos. May I ask for another link, if possible. I did google looking for a photo and came up empty.
A new link : it is a forum with comments, and photos are present in the discussion :
http://royaldish.com/index.php?topic=14688.msg1015180#new
I hope that you can see
Thanks, Clem I also found the photos on the other link when I went back.
People made nasty comments about little Charlotte. I am offended when “bullies” come out in form on the internet. She’s a baby! I wish people would have more sense and kindness.
This site is taken avec des pincettes like we said in French/ taken lightly : there are many bad comments on Sofia for example..
I read some of those comments and was shocked that they would judge a child on physical appearances!! They were talking about her eyes and nose!!
My mom is always trying to tell me that all babies are cute. I don’t think so until about after a month or so. Newborns always have the old man/turtle look but then after a month a think they’re all cuties!
It’s one thing to be critical of the parents work ethics and even style but to judge the child is wrong on so many levels
Some of those folks are straight up nasty regarding their comments about Charlotte ? It’s not right.
RD is like any other royal site or forum. People express their opinions and you are free to agree or disagree. Some parts of RD are positive towards some royals, negative about others. You have to pick and choose.
People commenting on kids looks bothers me, whether they are over-the-top positive or negative. Please note, unless they are saying these things directly to the child themselves it is not bullying. Bullying an individual (online or in person) and voicing an opinion about that person on a website are not the same thing.
Why must George always be in a navy pullover? Is it because that’s William’s favorite outfit?
They look cute. I would love to see little Georgie in a graphic shirt and messy hair. Charlotte is adorable. She looks like a teeny, tiny Pippa.
A agree, Rhiannon. The kids are adorable. Both of them. But considering that people always say that G and C are dressed ‘old fashioned’ only for official pictures I was kind of hoping that a pap picture of them with their nanny would show them in different, more casual clothing. But I guess when you are really rich you dress your kids up in designer clothes even to go to the park, huh?
Right? I personally need to nosh on Georgie’s cheeks. I would rather them be kids and get dirty and not look “on” all the time. Or maybe they were dressed like that in case they were going to be papped?
My gut says they were dressed that way because they wanted to be papped. They seem too calculating. I feel like these pictures happened so they could disappear to Anmer without being noticed or show up at Wimbledon. It’s weird that we haven’t seen them at tennis yet.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BHfJ2SUhXLW/
I saw that recently. It’s all of Kate’s coats/coat dresses minus the black ones. She’s got A LOT!
Omg!! Rhiannon, I thought I was the only one who thouggt Charlotte is a dead ringer for Pippa!!! 🙂
She’s adorable. I have always found Pippa to be quite pretty….when she’s not flashing.
I’ve always thought Pippa was the prettier one, her face has much more character than Kate’s!
Oh, I went back and scrolled through the comments and found the photos.
I agree that the geese were probably a troubling aspect of the day for George and Charlotte.
They are small and those geese, as Lauri said, are almost their size. Clem, thank you!
It makes me sad that it seems they are not allowed to be children. Can’t run around, be loud, be crazy, have fun. They always seem high strung or like they’re–this is more George, Charlotte’s too little–burdened with expectations of being little adults. It reminds me of Charles as a little boy, and how sad he said it was for him.
I agree.
Especially when most other royal children – Sweden, Danes, others are allowed.
“burdened with expectations of being little adults”
That hits the nail on the head. I agree. I’d love to see George in a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle T-shirt and Charlotte with her hair in lopsided pigtails. Just playing around and being kids. There are so many adorable, bright and colorful clothes and toys for kids nowadays. Have you ever seen a wubbanub? It’s a pacifier with a little stuffed animal attached. If I ever have a kid I’m getting her/him like ten of those. Any time I see a little toddler walking around with that in their mouth I just think it’s adorable. I have a feeling Kate would never let her kids use something like that because she wouldn’t like the way it looks in pictures. I bet their nurseries are beige, too. How sad.
KMR, your suggestions are very good: having ex-bullies (even if not William) stand up and say why they did it, why they stopped, how they would handle things again (that is, realise that they have the problem) etc would be a good signal to present-day bullies.
I looked up the Diana Award Stand Up to Bullying site; it is commendable. But here’s the thing: William’s video needs to have a call to action associated with it, or be the first in a series that unfolds the purpose of the Diana Award, what is being done, and by whom, and so on. These ‘awareness’ videos seem to be isolated affairs. I don’t know what precedes of follows them in terms of the strategy to engage people to act.
I, too, looked up the Stand up to bullying website and they also need a better “call to action” on their website. All they have now is “donate”, which isn’t great. What am I donating to and why? That whole campaign needs to be better at actually stating what their call to action is.
Yeah I wouldn’t hand over money to any organization unless I know EXACTLY how it will be used.
KMR, Jen – what wonderful suggestions!
One can only hope that this is in fact the first in a series of videos.
As for having both perspectives – I can think of several ways of recording a sincere message and still playing the PR game.
Perhaps, a follow-up video of William and/or Kate with him talking about realising the error of his ways after having children (PR goldmine) and her talking about how being bullied affected her and how she was able to move beyond it. If I remember correctly, it was reported that she changed schools as a tween to get away from bullies.
If KP is serious about trying to sell the royal trio, another video with Harry would be lovely. There are countless instances of him being bullied – even being referred to as “the spare” must be awful – as are there reports of him being a bully and even standing up to bullies on behalf of others. It would be interesting to hear his take on the matter as well as how he managed to grow into a confident, well liked young man in spite of it all.
Come on KP, have the trio show some emotion- it’ll likely be a hit!
What good ideas, Em. Harry certainly was bullied. That “Spare” title is awful. So were the speculations that he was not really the son of Charles. Talk about being hammered. And, yet, look how Harry shines.
Was Kate really bullied? Does anyone think? Or, was that a way to garner sympathy and approval for her? I wonder. If that makes me callous, sorry.
Whilst we can’t rule out different forms of bullying, the examples put forward of Kate being bullied at school were denied by the school and debunked because they were things that only boarders would experience whilst Kate was a day pupil.
Clearly she was unhappy at that school and switched to a different one, but it’s interesting that her reaction to quite rude behaviour at her new school was to sexualise herself in order to fit in rather than deal with the rude people.
When I was in middle school (early 90s), there were two instances of girls who were really, really mean to other kids (classic bullies) being moved by their parents to different schools because *they* claimed to be on the receiving end of the bullying. As a kid who got picked on a lot and never saw those girls do anything but dish out the meanness, that struck me as insane. When I read that Kate had to switch schools due to bullying, those girls immediately popped into my head.
Aristocrat girls refusing to be friends with Kate doesn’t make them bullies. They could see they were being used and decided not to participate.
The Middletons sent Pippa to the same school where Kate claimed to have been bullied. If the bullying really happened, they wouldn’t have sent Pippa there.
Agree. The bullying claim has never been substantiated. Not being taken up as a friend – Kate was not memorable among her classmates – is not bullying, it’s just exercising a choice. As a parent, why would you send your second daughter to the same school that was making your other daughter unhappy; that makes no sense. And since they wanted the sisters to be schooled together the best option would be to find another school packed with aristocrats’ children for them to befriend. That’s what it was about when all is said and done. Instruction from Carole for Kate to sexualise herself because she wasn’t rated as ‘hot’ by pimply, smelly adolescent boys is an extreme reaction; I can’t think of any mothers who would advocate that path. However, it determined Kate’s modis operandi for the future.
I doubt he ever sees himself as a bully. People laugh at his mean jokes, they tell him he’s fine when he’s being cruel–ie to Harry, or the nasty comment to Daisy Ridley, or the number of awful things we’ve all heard him say. He is perfect and shall not be questioned.
I never see sincerity in him. He plays a good game and can up the charm when he needs to, which is still boorish, but it never reaches his eyes. He’s not, as my dad would say, being real.
I wish these videos had more purpose and direction. All well and good to release one, but it doesn’t do very much, but I saw KMR pointed out the same thing so I’ll shut up. 🙂
It seems often to be a big problem that the bully doesn’t realise that he/she is actually a bully and no one around them does something or even pay attention.
Like with William people laugh at his jokes, they see the comments on Harry as a brotherly banter and so on and because of his position I don’t think many say what they actually think or maybe even if someone tried, well he doesn’t come across as someone who cares and rather lives in his own world.
Ellie what was the comment to Daisy Ridley? I don’t recall that? Xx
William and Harry were being given a tour of the Star Wars set by Daisy Ridley when they came upon the prop dept. William was shown a prop replica head of Daisy. He loudly told her that the replica head was an improvement on her looks.
I kid you not.
In the background of the video, you can see Harry freeze momentarily before quickly engaging Daisy in a conversation.
It was especially unnecessary because there were other people in the room, and Daisy was chatting to someone else across the room. So he beckoned/yelled across to her with his remark.
That’s shocking! In WilliamWorld that’s probably flirting. God he’s an arse. A boorish, petulant arse.
+100
Totally and immature.
Entitled, whiney, I am a prince believes his entitlement allows his insults outside middleton or this is reward for showing.
It was quite sad to see. You could see her face sink.
She’s a lovely looking girl. I don’t understand why William gets off on being so cruel. I’m going to start calling him Joffrey.
That type of ‘banter’ is fine if you are amongst friends, but not to someone you’ve just met who has no reference for your humour.
Couldn’t agree more. Of course no one ever told him his behaviour was unacceptable, he’s been enabled all his life.
Do you think maybe he is trying to tease people only he is all wrong in how he does it and comes off as a bully? I only say that because he always looks uncomfortable, almost like he is self conscious on what to say….. I really don’t know enough about him.
Eileen, I do think that maybe the case. It may be innocent banter, as Herazeus says, but just comes off poorly. You have to know people reasonably well to tease like that but even so, not the best idea to do so in that context. Trouble is, William has never been guided well enough to understand boundaries.
Haha, love it, he does have quite a lot of Lannister in him;)
Daisy is a lovely role model to young girls, I wish I had someone like her to look up to when I was younger. And she’s a gorgeous girl. My son is a little bit in love with her. He wanted to invite her to his Star Wars 4th birthday party. 🙂
Seeing her face at how cruel William was made me want to give her a hug!
So horrible. What a Royal Fool, he can be.
Eileen, I know men banter that way with each other. But, talking to a woman in such a manner is so distasteful. If that comes across sexist, so be it. But, I just think his words were awful to Daisy. How in goodness sake was she supposed to react?
It made me cringe. He had literally just met daisy about ten minutes before that comment. You don’t joke about someone’s looks like that when you don’t know them and they are not familiar with your sense of humor. I heard someone in a walkabout said that they asked William how Kate was doing after giving birth and William’s response was “she still needs to lose twenty pounds”. That may be the way he jokes with Kate and if that is so it may explain why she is so thin. She may laugh on the outside, but on the inside it has to hurt when your husband makes stupid comments like that.
Right after her giving birth! He said that? I wouldn’t let him touch me again, if I were Kate. What a stupid and cruel joke. Ugh.
On my lord…..given how ill and malnourished she looks most of the time that’s just appalling. No wonder she’s one stomach upset away from an eating disorder. How could he be so vile? Especially when he knows what his Mother went through with her eating problems. I feel one of those occasional waves of sympathy for Kate I get. No wonder she’s so looks obsessed and brittle if that’s what she has to put up with.
Yes, Mrs. BBV. William saw what his Mum went through with her eating disorder. How can he, or anyone who loves Kate, not know she is heading for trouble?. No matter what some think, Kate is not healthy looking. And, I am sure she has a big problem when it comes to her health. I feel sad for her and hope someone can reach her. If she is cooking for her family, isn’t she tempted to taste now and then. Gosh, it’s my downfall. I stir, I taste. I get another spoon, stir and sample again.
He is worse in private. Uncle G once told a publication that William told a dinner party at his home that he thought breasts bigger than a handful were a waste.
It was a family dinner that included Kate’s parents!!!
Then I guess he’d be completely disgusted with me because my girls are large and spectacular! 😉
Seriously, who the flip says sh!t like this?! And to someone they just randomly saw during a walkabout?! (Talking about Kate’s weight to a stranger soon after giving birth). There’s teasing and then there is being a straight-up dick! (Sorry KMR!)
This appears to be a man who has been made comfortable saying and doing whatever he pleases without being challenged. He probably said it with his mouth full of food, and licked his knife in between trips to the butter dish. Because he’s probably never been held to normal standards of social etiquette, either. He’s a VIP prince. He’ll just do as he shall. Brings to mind the Piers Morgan interview with Diana, when Wills was whining for wine with his lunch (very much underage). His mother said no at the time, but he was indulged anyway. Brat.
Oh, goodness. And, wasn’t it once said that Carole was offended by Harry? Yes, Carole, the Mum Extraordinaire, who taught such manners to her brood. Is flashing one’s panties in public something Carole approves of her daughter doing?
I remember a photo of event a few years ago. Carole is wearing a satin one-shoulder short dress, legs crossed, and flashing her spanx. Yes, Carole does think it is appropriate to flash your underthings in public.
Oh, notasugar, where’s that Carole photo? Like mother, like daughter(s). Pippa well on her way, too. Her little peek-a-boo show at Wimbledon was something Catherine and Carole must have applauded. And, we know how Kate claps!
I guess I am the only one who wasn’t bothered by what William said to Daisy. I agree he puts his foot in his mouth a lot and a lot of his ‘jokes’ miss their mark. But with Daisy, i watched the video the day they visited the set and it didn’t bother me. He was obviously joking since the mask was just awkward. And Daisy didn’t seem bothered by it at all. To me, that was one of his least offensive remarks. It was a lighthearted day.
KMG – interesting to read – I was bullied as a child and it happened as well as an adult – I think some people seem to be targets – for some reason the bullies see something they don’t like or are jealous of. So nice that Bill is calling out bad behaviour but does he live up to what he preaches ?
Considering bullying is a basic tenet of human nature, i generally don’t think simply telling people to stop bullying is helpful.
Children who can’t articulate rational thoughts are natural bullies until they are conditioned out of such behaviour. And even then, they are conditioned by the threat of real life consequences IF they show this abhorrent behaviour.
It takes very little for civilised people to descend into bullying behaviour and at worst Lord of the flies behaviour. Which demonstrates how basic this instinct is.
The internet repeatedly demonstrates how seemingly lovely, polite, considerate people let out their inner bully due to anonymity afforded by the internet.
What we need to do is take it seriously when someone reports bullying and punish it as severely as other behaviour that is counter to civilised society.
That won’t remove it, but it might help police that basic instinct in the same way our other abhorrent basic instincts have been policed.
I think older children/ teenagers know exactly what they are doing when they gang up on a classmate; they know it’s wrong, but still insist on taunting, as if the victim’s pain feeds the bullying. That seems to intensify when teenage bullies turn into adult bullies, misusing power for any number of reasons, but I’d say because they feel threatened or insecure. That’s no excuse of course.
I don’t know what the answer is, certainly public exposure if not firing, particularly for bullies in the workforce. However, sometimes these bullies have positions of power making it hard for them to be called out. At that point, the bullied has little option, difficult as it may be, to seek other employment.
Until bullying is exposed and seen as a personal flaw, it will take a long time and many attempts to correct.
That’s why i think it needs to be studied in the same way other aspects of human behaviour have been studied and hopefully that will provide a better understanding of dealing with it.
These campaigns are well-meaning, but they don’t acknowledge that we are all bullies who have been conditioned to behave differently.
As an example of anoyher destructive instinct, we acknowledge that anger is a basic tenet, and we know the myriad ways it can be triggered and conditioned and even channelled in a positive way. And for those who have control issues, we send to behavioral classes to better deal with it.
And we acknowledge that we are all capable of it and provide support to all sides, those who can’t control it, those who may give into it, and those who are victims of it.
I feel bullying needs to be treated in a similar way because it’s something that is almost instinctual and easily happens in a group/power setting, whether toddlers, teens or adults.
We need to figure out ways for people to not give into the urge in those situations whilst also supporting the victims.
I love that you talk about conditioning children through the threat of real life consequences for their behavior. I know one of the approaches that seems to be working a bit to combat bullying in schools is to focus, not on the bully or the victim, but on bystanders. By encouraging bystanders to engage the bully, or even to anonymously report the bully, the programs hope, and seem to suggest some small measure of success, in both lessening the isolation of the victim, and even stopping the bullying behavior. I wish William had addressed and advocated any concrete form of action, not merely highlighted what is already a very well acknowledged problem. To me, this message has the same problem that was mentioned with his, Kate’s and Harry’s mental health program, I can’t see what the goal is, other than the very vague “stop bullying”, and I don’t think he has a concrete idea or plan on how he can help achieve that goal.
I’m glad he’s trying to participate, but I don’t really see what he’s added to the conversation. I also wish he would share personal experiences, either as a bully or as being bullied, so that he could connect to victims or bullies in a way that either gives hope or explains why this is wrong. I would have been almost as glad if he had suggested any actions for example, he could have said something along the lines of “if you see someone being bullied, don’t turn and walk away, sometimes a kind word or a sympathetic ear is a lifeline”.
Even giving him the benefit of the doubt and saying he is sincere, this message doesn’t further his goal of lessening bullying or even bringing attention to a problem (we know it is a problem already).
Anyway, sorry for the soap box, I mostly wanted to thank you for bringing up the fact that bullies are not isolated from society, and that one of the only ways to effectively deal with unwanted behavior is to change the feedback loop.
You aren’t on a soapbox. That is a wonderful programme. Thank you for telling us about it. Especially if it is showing results.
Bystanders getting involved is a really good thing because often the bully or victim or both are strongly affected by the actions of bystanders in the sense that the victim may be doubly victimised by the none action of the bystanders and feel more isolated and helpless whilst the bully feels empowered by the same.
Or bystanders join in because they feel it makes them part of a cool gang or it’s a type of hazing ritual or they fear that if they do not participate they become victims.
These are all aspects we need to tackle.
?
‘Changing the feedback loop’ is the key, you are right, Eve.
There is a program here (Australia) that advocates such a stance: to not stand by and watch, to intervene, to not stay silent.
I think that many witnesses to bullying turn away, and for a few reasons:
• Fear of the bullying extending to themselves = if I say nothing, they may not go after me;
• Feeling powerful being part of a mob mentality = being part of a bully pack, people feel part of ‘something’ and can exert power where none exists in their own lives;
• Contempt for anyone wearing a victim label = there must be something wrong with the victim;
• Refusal/ discomfort to accept people as people – a fear of ‘difference’, however couched.
I agree that William’s message, as well as the mental health videos, do nothing to add to either the conversation or strategy (if there is one) to reel in bullying as (a) an unacceptable practice and (b) revealing a flawed personal makeup.
I doubt William would admit to being a bully or being bullied, if the latter existed. He was known as a child to use his status to bash other children, and threaten royal staff, if not getting his way. Sadly, his parents did not guide him to behave differently. I imagine as he grew older, others would automatically kow-tow to him so no need to be overt. As an adult, one very much in the public eye, and also having to uphold a particular set of values and behaviour that do not fit him well, William would find it difficult to function when harboring set ideas of entitlement. How his bullying nature of old is handled or contained, or if it has regressed, is anyone’s guess. If it still exists it may manifest itself in passive-aggressive snipes at his brother and wife, as we have seen.
What some studies are showing is that introducing a well-being curriculum decreases bullying more than an anti-bullying curriculum. Teaching a child to say “Yes” to something positive can have more impact than constantly telling a kid “No. Don’t do X”.
I’m so happy to learn about all these studies. There is hope yet!!!
I think that this is a good first start. I do agree that it is more impactful for a former bully to speak. We have heard from countless victims of bullying, but not the actual bully. I watched a movie a few years ago called Bully. It made me cry as there were actual bullies describing the “why” behind the “what” (actual bullying).
I do want to apologize if I started any issues over the weekend. It was not my intent to do so. I have the upmost respect for you and your blog, KMR. I also appreciate my virtual family here that is very supportive of each other outside of the Kate Middleton sphere. You all have truly touched my heart and hold you in high esteem. I do not want to lose that.
And, you have touched our hearts, Rhiannon. You always will. I wish you good luck with your medical appointments and your healing. I went away for the weekend and only read through so much I missed a while ago. What you said was nothing to be apologetic over. We all have our point of views and it’s hard to express oneself and not be jumped all over by others with opposing viewpoints. I did not want to keep the open would situation going, so I didn’t post on the other thread and won’t here. Just want to let you know that you are loved. Your apology is the sign of a true lady. I mean that. ( I did not feel it was necessary, but that’s just me). I don’t want to re-ignite anything, so I offer my kind thoughts to all involved in the issue from this weekend. Best to everyone.
Rhiannon, I too don’t feel your apology is necessary. In fact, I greatly appreciated your post. All the best to you.
+1
I also don’t think you needed to apologize. You asked a question to try to understand someone better. They were offended by a perceived wrong and played the victim. Things happen. Internet makes it hard to hear tone. But kudos to you for showing class.
That was a self aggrandizing bridge dweller. You are family. Be well!
Rhiannon I don’t think you need to apologize. I think she was probably more referring to the long comment thread above the one you commented on. You commented on the one where the girl talked about herself and while that one got long, there was one above that a commenter was a bit rude since we didn’t agree with her and as you can imagine, that did not go over well. So, you definitely have nothing to apologize for.
And for the record, i am glad you asked a question to her. I was confused too since the last time posting was about self promotion and this time felt the same way. She liked to talk about herself even though it didn’t have anything to do with Kate. And with how mean she was last time she was on here to this community, I was glad you said something. And you weren’t rude about it at all. You only asked a question. So, please know, that some of us really appreciated it!
Thank you all so much. I think that it is important to take responsibility. And sometimes it means to apologize. I like to think that I am mindful enough to consider others feelings.
I appreciate everyone’s gracious response. I adore each and every one of you.
As someone who was bullied at a very early age (I can recall having a not-so-nice babysitter when I was 3 or 4 years old and it continued through out my elementary and middle school years), I just couldn’t watch the video based on the fact that his words are just that–words and not from the heart or sincere.
Throughout his adult life, William made cheap shots at the expense of so many people; his own brother, wife, son, (inadvertently) his mother and even people he’s just met (I STILL cringe at the way he talked out of his butt to Daisy!). Unfortunately, no one has had the balls to stand up to him and I wish someone would. One day, it’s going to bite him and come from the last person he would expect. Who will be that person? I have no idea.
Believe me, I understand how some people can have a dry, sarcastic sense of humor, heck, my own sense of humor is biting but I at least know when it is appropriate to show that side of my personality and when it isn’t. William doesn’t have that “DON’T SAY THAT!” signal in his brain.
It’s one thing to say “stop bullying” and “tell an adult” but, truth be told, that might make things worse for the one being bullied. It has to be discovered what is going on behind the scenes with the one doing the bulling, what caused them to begin taunting the underdog and showcase how it’s hurting their victim(s).
Sorry for my ramblings but this is an uber sensitive subject for me.
I second all of this!
I was bullied very badly to the point of feeling suicidal as a /child/ because I felt nobody liked me and I must have just been horrible and /deserved/ that kind of treatment from the Mean Girls clique in elementary school. It is ridiculous isn’t it? And of course, nothing was done. Granted this was in the early nineties, but still.
I think with William, nobody ever taught him tact, manners, or quite honestly how to be a decent person. He’s always been indulged, never disciplined, just coddled and treated like the Second Coming because he is the heir and can never step away from that, thus the incessant giving to him of anything he may want when he acts like a child. I’m only a bit younger than William but man, the idea of acting like that is the mentality of a five year old, not a 34 year old man who has two children.
Hi KMR (and any commenters who can answer my question).
What are you referring to exactly when you say that William should come out and say that he used to be a bully? Is this something from his school days? I have only found your blog a couple of months ago so I may have missed something. I know that his sense of humor in the comments he makes to people can often come across as rude, and I also feel that the way he and his team throw Harry under the bus may be a passive aggressive form of bullying, AND I also agree that William is far too controlling of Kate and controlling someone’s every move can be a form of bullying. But I’m just wondering if he was known for being a bully at school.
I heard his ex bodyguard Ken Wharfe say that William was a ‘sly’ boy. And I read that William would tell his classmates that if they didn’t do what he wanted he would get his policeman to go after them. Is this what you mean? Thanks!
William earned the nickname ‘Billy the basher’ at school for hitting other kids. Charles and Diana were often called to school because of his behaviour.
He was known to be rude to everyone, guests and damily alike on top of being sly and secretive.
Sadly, Charles and Diana didn’t rein him in because they apparently found his behaviour charming. Only when the Queen stepped in and demanded yhey discipline him was anything done about it.
It’s an example of how Charles swung the pendulum too far in the opposite direction in his parenting style because he was badly bullied at school – we are talking physical beatings type of bullying, yet he found his own bully son charming and never stopped to tjink how he felt when he was bullied and therefore shouldn’t have encouraged such behaviour in his son.
The same approach when Diana died where the boys were coddled in extremis for their loss.
In terms of their personalities, William as a teen was mean and rude to his mother which could be explained away as teen hormonal behaviour, but given his adult behaviour and personality, all tjis was set in stone as a child and no one guided him away from it.
Imagine Charles – the victim of bullying, beatings – having a bully son. I can imagine the horror of that realisation, his guilt in bringing about the very behaviour in William that he endured at the hands of bullies himself. I can see, but don’t excuse, his paralysis. He’s probably frightened of William’s volatility.
I think Charles is precisely afraid of William and what he would do to him and to the family in general if Charles ever said no to him. It sounds ridiculous, but looking at how Charles was raised and bullied, along with the mentality still reeling after Edward VIII’s abdication–I sort of understand it. And add in the guilt about Diana, well, here you have William a monster.
The stuff Charles talked about at school and in his letters about how he was treated are really heartbreaking; I’ve read some of them in books and it made me so sad! It’s awful, cruel stuff for a lonely boy to deal with and told to just suck it up. William isn’t sensitive like his parents or his brother, he lacks empathy. I think they tried to not treat the boys as they had been treated, and shower them with love but that doesn’t mean you leave discipline at the door but they did for the most part until HM stepped in like Herazeus said.
Harry turning out a remarkable young man is odd when you look at him versus his brother, but he was made to step up and admit his mistakes.
Being the spare has always been helpful for them.
They are never coddled to the same extent as the heir.
Everyone treats the spare as a second class person in the shadow of the glorious heir.
It makes or breaks them.
In one of the recent docs about HM’s 90th birthday, when watching childhood film of herself, Charles and their nanny, Anne commented that the nanny treated them very differently. Her expression and phrasing made it very clear that nanny had treated her as a very poor second.
For the most part, spares have grown up fairly normal compared to their heir siblings.
I’ve read a couple of articles and studies that seem to suggest that most children who are bullies are also most likely to have been bullied. These bully-victims seem to have especially difficult time fitting in and with mental health issues. Here’s an interesting summary about issues with bully-victims for anyone that is interested. http://www.parentingscience.com/bully-victims.html
I’m not sure what is going on with William, whether he was ever bullied or not, he seems to have a very defensive attitude, so he probably perceived that he was bullied, which means that he WAS bullied.
Like Ellie said, above, I also doubt he sees himself as a bully. His jokes strike me as an awkward attempt to connect through humor, as opposed to intentionally cruel. When I’m nervous I have to be careful because my humor also has an edge. This doesn’t excuse his behavior, because he is an adult, and should be at least a little self-aware, and able to hold his tongue and think about how his statements can be perceived. The “joke” that stuck with me was the recent one about Kate’s cooking. She seems very proud of the fact that she cooks for her family (has mentioned it several times). She made a self-deprecating remark comparing herself unfavorably to Michelin star chefs (as would any home cook) and William took a jab. I assumed he was trying to join a funny conversation, but as someone who has both put my foot in my mouth during uncomfortable situations, and been made the butt of a joke I set myself up for, it made me want to crawl in a hole.
I feel sorry for him. I don’t think he is a natural people-person. The more I see of him, the more I think his laziness is just being overwhelmed and hating the social situations his royalty has forced on him. Again, not a justification, merely an explanation. If you hate what you have to do, you are less likely to go out of your way and do extra.
So, then why not have the convictions to step aside? I can understand your comments and your understanding way when it comes to William, but he’s always so nasty and can come across cruel. If he dislikes his “role” in the Royal Family so much, have the guts to step aside. It would be such a freeing thing to do. I guess I am not in his shoes, so it’s easy for me to say that. Let me rephrase that: I know I am not in his shoes.
I don’t disagree with you at all. Just because I feel sorry for him doesn’t mean I think he should keep his position. I have a feeling that he’s following the path of least resistance, which includes not stepping out of the line of succession. (On a side note, I’m not sure he can step out of the line of succession, merely abdicate once he is king).
Having a family has complicated his ability to step out of the line of succession because of the fate of his children, BUT he had lots of very easy chances to step away in ways that wouldn’t have caused constitutional crisis eg until March 2015, catholics were banned from the throne and anyone who married one was automatically barred from it.
He could have used that law to step out of the line by converting or marrying a catholic. There are several royals who did this and were removed from the line eg Prince Michael of Kent and The Earl of St Andrew who is heir to the Duke of Kent. With regards the Earl, all his kids bar one, Amelia, were confirmed as catholics and aren’t in the line.
Since he was such a clever clogs about springing an engagement on HM, he could have gone the whole hog and eloped without telling her.
Under the Royal marriages act 1772, recently amended to apply to the first 6 people in the line, marrying without permission would have seen him automatically removed from the line of succession.
That said, as we do not have a written constitution, there is no law that states that he can’t step away even now.
Every single time people have stepped away, abdicated or been usurped, new laws have been written to justify their actions even if there are valid objections to the change or the new change has no basis in rationality, judiciary or constitution.
If he truly wanted out, it can be facilitated.
Thanks. That’s very interesting, I didn’t realize about the constitution, or how previous issues with succession were handled. Do you know what would happen to George and Charlotte in the (extremely hypothetical) event that William stepped down?
Legally, the monarch is the legal guardian of all children and grandchildren.
A loophole exists because G and C are GREAT grand-children, but i suspect it was closed when the Princ(ess) loophole was closed.
I say that because as they remain Monarch’s legal wards until they come of age which is 18yrs old.
That means that should William step aside before they are 18, and assuming he isn’t King yet, he has no say in their future.
However, if the loophole wasn’t closed which means WK retain legal guardianship of their own children, then they can decide for them to stay or go with William.
There is a school of thought that says that irrespective of their guardianship, the children would have to go. This is based on the precendent set by Duke of Windsor’s abdication instrument in which a line was added that barred all his descendants.
The previous 2 abdications ie Matilda and Edward 2, the children were kept in the line.
Also, for situations where the parents were removed due to the catholic rule, the kids were raised as CoE thus keeping them in line and when they became of age, they had a choice to remain CoE and thus in the line or be confirmed as catholics like their parents and thus removed.
In this modern age, it would be callous to remove William and keep his kids in the line unless a good reason is given that would satisfy such a scenerio. Meaning, it would be difficult to sell a scenerio where he steps away because he hates the job, yet condemns his children to the same fate. Also, knowing that in doing so he would be abdicating legal responsibility for them, even in the scenerio where he has legal guardianship because that would be taken away.
There would be all sorts of issues of raising a royal child in a way that they understood their responsibility whilst the father is cut off and not allowed to know the responsibility.
He would forfeit the money. For himself and for his children beyond any family trusts already applied.
He would be allowed to participate in limited family functions, but history shows that anyone who stepped away, was usurped, abdicated is always kept as far away from public as possible so that the new regime can take root and no competing royal court springs up around the exile.
Fascinating, Herazeus. I can’t see William stepping aside because his sense of self is so tied to his royal status. If all the adulation connected to his position and all the excusing of boorish behaviour were removed, how would he function? Then there is access to public money, via Duchy funds, and even more largesse as PoW himself, with all Duchy profits at his disposal, should a monarchy continue. In William’s case, status and greed will trump conviction. He hasn’t the guts to remove himself.
Jen: considering he defines himself a prince above all other considerations, he won’t step aside or abdicate unless forced to do so.
And when forced, he would spend his exile resentful at not being a prince anymore.
He would be completely useless because as a prince he has been excused from learning any trade properly and he would resent being forced to apply himself as we see his reaction to EAAA.
Herazeus, the thing that I don’t understand is that William “chose” to work with EAAA. Or is this just something else that was suggested that he take on to fill his time? If he’s choosing to work as “normal” people why doesn’t he take his commitment seriously? To date it seems the only thing he has committed himself to was marrying Kate and that was after being backed into a corner by her family and his ego refusing to listen to advisors. It is incredibly hard to feel sorry for him.
I don’t know, I just find it amazingly hard to feel any sorrow for poor William and his wife who freely spend his father’s and the people’s money to maintain their lifestyle while running around pouting about work seemingly every chance they get. And I really feel for the children. Imagine the crossed signals they are getting.
They would never acknowledge that William was/is a bully. That would be admitting that he’s less than perfect. He still doesn’t think there is anything wrong with his work ethic even after being called out publicly on it.
They’ve always said that he donates is salary to charity but they’ve never said what that charity is(at least to my knowledge) what they should do IMO is say that he’s going to donate it to a place that fits in with their mental health bullying campaign. Either to fund a counselor or give a scholarship to someone who wants to work in the mental health field. It would be more beneficial than some of their lets just talk about mental health videos…
Wasn’t William touted as working as full-time in his EAAA role when first announced? Then it was part-time. Now, it seems casual. His hours have been… fuzzy, with the latest several months ago being ‘UP TO 20 hours per week’. Announcing the charity that will receive his salary would also reveal how many hours he works/ has worked, which may not be many at all.
I think this is proof that William has very competent PR staff. I didn’t even realize that he had yet to release the name of the charity he donates his salary. I’d always assumed he gave it to his own foundation, or returned it to EAAA. Now I’m curious as to why he hasn’t disclosed which charity he is sponsoring. I would think that that would be an amazingly easy way to drum up further support for a charity he believes in. Maybe Jen is right, and he doesn’t want anyone to know how much he is earning and be able to extrapolate his actual work hours?
It’s just a guess on my part, Eve, because it’s such an easy PR win to say that you are donating ‘x’ to ‘y’ charity. The press can easily divide an amount by an hourly rate.
Maybe KMR or another poster knows if they’ve ever acknowledged where his salary goes? It could very well go to EAAA.
I always assumed that he was salaried but it would make more sense that he was hourly. Even if he wanted to give the illusion that he’s working more than suspected they could give a flat 30-50000 (I don’t know how much co-pilots make)towards a mental health charity or scholarship. I don’t know if college is free in the UK so if scholarship is out of the scenario something along that line.
They’ve always come off as not being very altruistic in their giving-whether it’s time or money.
University education in the UK is definitely not free; I think the average fees are around 9,000 pounds per annum, though our UK posters will know for sure. Scholarships would be great idea.
When his employment was announced, his salary was said to be £40K annually. When people objected, his office then said he would donate the salary to charity.
We haven’t heard more about the charity though every article about his employment, including those PR pics of him ‘working’ always repeat the charity donation as a mantra.
Due to that repetition, the public has been convinced that the money is indeed going to charity, and no one has noticed that the recepient charity has never been announced nor has there ever been actual confirmation that any charity is indeed receiving money. It was announced ad an intention, but like all their intentions announced as plans, there was no follow up announcement of execution. Yet the repetition in media has everyone convinced that it happened/is happening.
Thanks Herazeus, all I could ever find was that blanket response of it goes to charity. Sadly, the fact I couldn’t find which one made me wonder if indeed it was. Why the secrecy other wise?
I don’t know about William sometimes. He seems very genuine when it comes to his children. Yet with everyone else he seems to me very passive aggressive personality. His jokes fall flat as well. They come off as extremely rude and insensitive.
Also why wasn’t William or Harry at the Diana Award ceremony yesterday? I know this was pre recorded for it. It would have been wonderful if they were both there. Or were they not there because of Earl Spencer? I really do not get the warm and fussy feeling with the three of them.
Earl Spencer mentioned something about William having “childcare issues,” which is nonsense, of course. It was in an article about the ceremony on people.com.
http://www.people.com/people/article/amp/0,,21016526,00.html
Thank you Liz. “Childcare issues” hum did Maria get a day off or something? Kate couldn’t step in since she such a hands on mum? This is an award that is named honor of his mother. Where was Harry?
I don’t know much about Diana Award, but it was often William who was associated with Diana Award with his work.
Harry’s charities interest in link with Diana is more AIDS;
I don’t know if I make sense…
Hi everybody,
thank you KMR for beeing so busy covering so much and giving us such a great platform to discuss and analyze, history, royals and different parts of society. I really appreciate this blog, which I find very open and respectful.
Regarding and trying to understand William´s behaviour and biography on bullying, I found an interesting article from the daily mail. It covers, how he overcome his trauma etc (it that really so?anyway, I wish everybody mental health- earth would be a better place :)). Very telling images and interesting details.
I like the image of the “His Royal Naughtiness”- too funny! ( the third or fourth image in the articel further down)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2139793/How-Prince-William-overcame-trauma-witnessing-parents-disintegrating-marriage.html
I always wonder how much of his parents’ marriage William truly witnessed as opposed to the fevered imaginations of writers based upon Diana’s lies and exaggarations. I can imagine other people also repeatedly telling William that he was a witness to events he might have been too young to witness or absent such that they become real for him.
The reason being that Charles and Diana separted in 1986 unofficially. Diana lived alone in their KP flat whilst Charles lived alone at Highgrove. William would have been 4yrs old when they separated.
Further, William was sent to boarding school at 8yrs old. Weekly boarding, but enough not to be at home with the allegedly warring parents.
That’s not to say that children aren’t sensitive to their divorcing parents’ situation remotely, just that alot of what is characterised as William’s trauma might be coming from other aspects of his upbringing and not the easy PR bait of his warring parents.
Eg
1. Diana was careful to cultivate a public image of being hands on available to her children, yet they were mostly at boarding school the entire time, and William has recently revealed that his reason for being a stay at home dad is because he barely saw his parents who were working all the time.
2. Diana admitted to using him as her therapist and told him all the details of her war with her Charles. Given how much she lied or exaggarated to the public, who is to say she didn’t do the same to William. He certainly seems to tjimk of her as a victim in every way yet she fought hard not to be seen that way except when it suited her agenda, and Harry, who she didn’t confide in, doesn’t see her as a victim.
Children should not be their parents’ therapists.
Yet, despite knowing his mother’s anguish especially in the area of infidelity, William has a roving eye. Every single GF he had broke up with him because of it, and he cheated repeatedly on Kate, so clearly that lesson wasn’t learnt.
Finally, this article was written in the halcyon days of Palace PR trying to convince the public that the WK was the love story of the century.
It’s especially funny because of the picture of him with Kate used to demonstrate this epic love.
That picture is a freeze frame taken from their Canadian tour. If you watch the video, William tries to hug Kate, but her hand as it’s placed in the freeze frame is actually pushing him away. She very clearly pushes him away in the video, and this ‘hug’ wasn’t a hug at all.
And actually reading that article, i’m struck anew at the boot William or the Palace PR are sticking in Charles AND Diana.
They were such awful parents that William ran away and found himself a new family!!! That’s the message i get from this article.
+1
If the his parents and family are so very awful he should have stepped aside before his marriage and become a dyed in the wool Middleton. But we all know Carole would have never let that happen.
There are dysfunctional families all over the world, but many, many people learn to grow beyond that dysfunction and not use it as an excuse for everything in their lives. And as far as I’m concerned he moved from one dysfunctional family to another.
Hi, Lisa:
I agree. Carole would never let William step aside. She worked far too hard and far too long to ensure Kate snag the Prince. Lately, she and her kids are bothering me more than ever. I was so upset by all the press Pippa and James received for their Wimbledon appearance. And, don’t they just relish the attention?
I don’t know why, but the Midds are really getting under my skin more lately than they ever have done. And, actually, they were way more out there in previous years. I guess I am late catching up to others in my feelings about them. Always disliked Ma, but the kids, I was not so upset by as I am now.
They are probably annoying you because we had a wonderful respite from Middleton sightings (with exception of a few Pippa) and seeing them now reminds us all why we dislike them so much.
+1
Yeah, exactly. I do dislike those Midds.
Hi all, l have been following your blog for a quite a while and really enjoy and appreciate your comments which l feel are respectful and honest. Regarding William, interesting Richard Kray spoke on a Channel 4 documentary just before he married Kate and he basically said that William was ‘sly’ and is using both Kate and the Middletons as a ‘cover for his other activities’ ! I’m not sure why he married Kate but l feel a lot of his issues now are of bitterness and l feel he blames Kateor or the Middletons for bullying him into a marriage which l don’t believe he wants to be in. I feel this will only escalate over time, poor Kate !
Welcome Cait! That is so interesting, i have never heard that a reporter mentioned that about William. I wonder what his ‘other activities’ are? Thanks for sharing that.
I would like to share with everyone interested in bullying, a story I came a cross with today. An example to demonstrate kids the horrible truth about bullying.
http://www.boredpanda.com/teacher-apple-bullying-lesson-relax-kids-tamworth/
KMR, thank you so much for creating a space where we can exchange not only opinions about royals and their work but also, our experiences and understanding of the causes they support. 😀
Did y’all see the new pap photos of george & charlotte feeding goose in a park in London with nanny maria? They are adorable! Charlotte is wearing a red sweater from george and the little prince was his usual serious self 🙂
https://mobile.twitter.com/HRHKateBlog/status/750381997885788160
Here are some of the photos
Charlotte seems to be crying in the second photo. They are sweet children.
Forget the new pics of the kids! KMR needs to do a post on the drool worthiness of this!
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/prince-harry-casts-net-only-8356179
This charity has several aims to do with social development, mental health and sport for young people. Something more in the combined wheelhouse of WK, yet we’ve never seen WK do something like this.
I think this shows how well Harry interacts with all people vs the way William and Kate do. The picture of Harry next to the gentleman in a wheelchair is a stark contrast to the event Kate did with Ben Ainsle. there was a gentleman in a wheelchair behind her and she paid no attention to him. At least I’m assuming she didn’t, because if she had there would have been several pics of it taken.
Not every one loves kids. I’m not a huge munchkin fan unless they’re my nieces but I Love the elderly! They need just as much spotlight on some of their causes so instead of trying to be the “it” princess for kids maybe she should try and switch it and see if she relates better to the older population.
Kate doesn’t give the vibe of being empathic; she is just not naturally warm.
Kate was allocated children because she was young(ish), it seemed a simple fit (who doesn’t like or get on with kids) and it went with the Disney princess persona. But Kate has been awkward with children, shying away from events with ill children. I can’t see her being any more interested in the elderly. Her radar isn’t attuned to seeing who needs to be spoken to, who’s in a wheelchair who might miss out. Harry has that empathy. It requires a deeper understanding of the role, and Kate rarely gets beyond the veneer: clothes and civil, if dispassionate, courtesy.
It comes down to the way one is brought up, and that has nothing to do with being royal: respecting others, being of service as a greater good and bigger than oneself. The Middleton’s have the veneer of ‘success’, having bought the accent, the schools, the lifestyle but it’s been for a particular purpose: elevating their opportunities by infiltrating the upper classes. There is no evidence of long-term community service, caring for others outside their family unit which does appear very closed. Pippa’s charity sports events are fine, though it has come about to keep her in the public eye as well as appear acceptable as a partner to an upper-class marriageable man.
Beatrice seems to have a natural affinity with the elderly, given her lovely interaction with an elderly man at the recent garden party, as well as her emotional tribute to her grandfather in the ‘Queen at 90’ documentary. I don’t think her empathy is because she is ‘royal’ but part personality, part being reared to respect the elderly, part close contact with elderly members of her family.
OMG Jen, fantastic words.
“But Kate has been awkward with children, shying away from events with ill children.”
Kate is narcissistic, and those who are wired that way, are devoid of empathy and have tunnel vision, vis-a-vis, The photos of Kate with a distressed Charlotte crying on the BP balcony, speaks volumes. It was obvious that her baby girl was in pain, but all Kate did was remove Charlotte’s hands from her mouth and ear. God forbid Kate would have to relinquish her coveted balcony spot (I saw a video on one of the news stations here, with Kate bolting through the balcony door as soon as it was opened, to take her position right up front) and photo session because the little one was being fussy. No way. In Kate’s mind Charlotte was being unreasonable and waity was not going to indulge her. Ergo, if Kate is not sensitive to her daughter’s distress, how can she be caring toward others? Charity begins at home.
I needed this after a long day of physical therapy. Mr. Rhiannon gets the job done.
“Our” guy did well!=) I know he’s only on loan so I better get a move on! I’m going to Norway and Sweden in a couple wks so maybe I should hop over to the UK and get my stalker girl on!! Errr, I mean, help perpetuate what they say about people coming to London to see the royals!
Lol?
Rumors about a tour in Canada next Autum for William, Kate and their children : Trudeau invites them but V Arbiter doesn’t seem to be convinced : not for the children (too much), not for the couple. There will other occasions…
Personnally I think if they will go on tour in Autumn in Canada, we will have already have informations in order to explain the lack of work just before… (like Kate doesn’t work during three weeks (not so sure about the time) before India) I don’t know if I make sense. Plus : Sophie and Edward went just like a week in Canada…
An article about that : http://www.macleans.ca/society/the-pmos-ill-advised-public-invitation-for-prince-william-and-kate/
Will they show up in September and steal Harry’s thunder for the Invictus Games?
For what I understand (but I am not so sure) it will be autumn 2016, Invictus Games will be in 2017. I think that now IG is pretty associated with Harry, people will see if K and W “steal” IG. Plus I can’t imagine William takes the place of Harry giving the speech to the veterans….
William has shown up at Invictus events to get photos ops with his popular brother. I can see him doing that again.
They are planning this for this year, just a few months away? Royal tours are usually 9-12 months planning in advance.
That’s why I don’t think that they will go.
I agree with you about William for the first year, but now it will difficult to him to give himself the merits of IG with the recognition Harry wins for it this year. I can imagine William being here to be in the pictures, but not here to make a speech, to be at ease with the veterans… And idem for Kate
Uptade : Emily Andrews says : “it’s much more advanced than just an invite. But firm itineraries not yet set”
Oh, Justin. Could anything be more pointless? And so out of left field. Does he think they’ll play happy young families on the world stage? UGH. The lack of gravitas is enough reason to forever consign these upper class twits to the dustbin. It’s time to rid ourselves of the monarchy once and for all.
Why don’t they just send Harry to the States again and be done with it? He could spend the entire summer here. Just meeting and greeting his loyal and loving U.S. contingency of fans from KMR. Of course, rhiannon gets dibs and I know she will feel much better once he hits the Southern Shores.
He is awesome.
KMR, I agree with what you said. I did watch the video clip earlier when it was posted on Twitter and while I’m glad he seems to be putting a good deal of effort into this topic, I couldn’t help but think he needs to be called out as a bully himself.
You’re absolutely right that if he acknowledges that he’s bullied people and seen the error of his ways it could add a tremendous authenticity to the project. But William probably feels he was the bullied and not the bully so that will never happen.
Oh well, he is working quite a bit lately so I guess that’s something. Also thank you for this site and your posts. You put a lot of time and effort into this blog and it has really become a great community.
There are many forms of bullying. It happens at school, at work, and even within families. It’s not a very pleasant situation to be in, especially when it happens at work. I had to leave a very good job because of a supervisor who dumped her work onto me, which entailed my having to work several hours extra per night without overtime. It became so bad that I would begin to shake as soon as I got on the elevator.
I don’t know much about William’s early years, but I doubt he is speaking from experience. Who in their right mind would want to offend and/or bully England’s future king? IMO, no one.
There was an article a few months ago which stated that many of the employees at KP were told that they would have to take a pay cut. And, soon thereafter, William, Kate and the kids went on a skiing vacation which cost around 25,000 pounds. To me, that’s a form of bullying from William. Hence, if William wants to lead a campaign on bullying, shouldn’t he ensure that his hands are clean? It’s OK to preach on this topic to come off as righteous, but he’s only fooling himself. He’s being incongruent, to wit: his actions do not match his words. It reminds me of the saying, “don’t do as I do, but do what I tell you to do.”
iirc it was the staff at Historic Royal Palaces who were going on strike. They’re the ones who oversee the public areas and tourism parts of Kensington Palace, not the ones who look after the royals directly in the private residences in KP.
HRP likely had trouble making enough money to meet costs. W&K kicked them out of their museum and office space when they demanded Apartment 1A. It wasn’t one of the three spaces at KP offered to them, but they demanded it anyway. W&K are not “clean” in this situation, but it wasn’t their direct household or office staff who were going on strike.
Charles was badly bullied at school. Physical beatings and all. Most of his classmates thought it was a point of honour to bully the future King of England.
The Queen and Philip’s response to his unhappiness and bullying was that he should suck it up.
Here are afew articles on Charles being bullied at school.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2272134/Prince-Charles-Gordonstoun-Punched-slept-friends-tortured-pliers-wonder-called-Colditz-kilts.html
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/prince-charles-nose-broken-rugby-7121624
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/theroyalfamily/9829829/Queen-Mother-pleaded-for-Charles-not-to-be-schooled-in-Scotland.html
So interesting, Herazeus, thank you.
Late to the party. I think it is positive that William is supporting Bullying. I was bullied badly when I was six years old. I still don’t know why. Later in Secondary school again and badly. I do think William cannot see that he bullies his brother and there is no empathy or hardly any. I think William can be a change for good and then he undoes it with his brother as I mentioned and Daisy Ridley. I think the girls not wanting to be friends with Kate comes down to personality. Kate viewed other girls as competition right up to university and even afterwards. How can you have a relationship if you can’t have friends whether boy or girl.