This is our now-daily royal update on how Duchess Kate still isn’t in labor!! First, let me clarify a point that some commenters were discussing/arguing over in yesterday’s royal post. There was some question as to whether Kate “confirmed” her due date, or if she and the royal handlers were “lying” about her due date. So, let’s discuss.
I think William and Kate and the royal team learned a lot from The Great Kate Wait in 2013. As in, they learned that making people “wait” for weeks on end to hear about a baby being born was a terrible thing to do to everyone involved. No one enjoyed the circus-like atmosphere of The Great Kate Wait of 2013. So this time around, Kate and the royal handlers decided to be more specific about her due date in an effort to limit the “wait” and diminish the circus. Kate herself told people quite openly that she was due “mid to late April” and yes, W&K’s people briefed the press with a specific timeline so there wouldn’t be a pack of angry royal correspondents waiting outside the Lindo Wing on April 20th. I don’t believe Kate “lied” about her due date. I think her due date was one week ago and she’s simply overdue. Further proof: I don’t think William would have taken off for paternity leave last week if he didn’t truly believe that the baby was coming a week ago.
As for the new info… word is, parking rules outside the Lindo Wing have been extended until May 5th, meaning the royals concede the wait could be longer. People Magazine (and other outlets) theorize that Kate will be induced when she’s 12 days overdue and many doctors believe that when a woman passes 14 days overdue, she should be induced.
Apparently, Will & Kate spent their fourth anniversary at Buckingham Palace with the Queen. Kate drove! And Prince George stayed at Kensington Palace with the nanny. The theory is that Kate has been using the BP pool to try to kickstart labor. Many OB/GYNs offer tips on how to start labor, ranging from eating spicy food, going for a long walk, swimming and… sex. William better step up to the plate and have sex with his wife.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I doubt it’s deception. Gestation estimates are hardly pinpoint accurate because they use a woman’s last pre-term period as the starting point. Quite often, they overestimate how far along a woman really is.
Why can’t the press realize that babies aren’t predictable?
I’m not saying I don’t think William likes to put the press off, because I think he does, not Kate though. I feel for her. (Having myself just watched a recent family member, go through a pregnancy and having my entire family of relatives, monitoring her,stressing her out) I can’t begin to imagine how Kate must feel with the constant press moaning.
Is Kate just a womb to these press people? What about her feelings? ..and I am not really a Kate fan, but the press has been ridiculous.
In Japan I believe full term is considered 41 weeks instead of 40 weeks…and its a lot more indicative of when the births happen LOL!
And can I add? As someone who just gave birth 5 days ago to a baby 10 days past her due date, making people wait for weeks is not a terrible mean thing to do to the public. It’s effing ten times more annoying as the one who’s carrying the comfy baby.
The mom doesn’t have an internal time countdown device. She doesn’t know. And jokes about that baby not being here yet?!? It’s the first time you said it that day, but she heard it ten times already that day from others. Ten times a day, since 38 weeks. That’s hearing that stupid joke over 200 times. Nothing’s funny after 200 times.
Nobody wants that baby here more than her. I totally sympathize. Having just done it, hands down Id be one day postpartum with stitches over being 41 1/2 weeks pregnant any day. So much more comfortable!!
Sorry. Apparently I’m still a bit passionate about this, lol. I totally sympathize with her.
Congratulations!!!
Thanks @florc 😁
Congratulations!!!
🙂 Congrats wiffie.
Ultrasound estimates in the first 12 weeks are fairly accurate at predicting due dates. With both pregnancies my estimated due date could only be calculated by ultrasound due to my wacky cycle. The first was right on, she was born that day. The second made herself comfortable and was a week past her edd.
Can someone answer a stupid question for me?
What would happen if a pregnant woman was overdue, they didn’t induce, and she didn’t go into labour?
How long could this go on for? What would happen? I presume she wouldn’t end up giving birth to an 8 year old… but I was just wondering what happened in Ye Olden Days before they could induce.
(Sorry for my ignorance. You can probably tell that I don’t have kids!)
It’s dangerous for the baby because the amniotic fluid will degrade or something.
John Hurt in Alien. That is all.
Lol!
Before pitocin they would have tried the things mentioned above and if that failed they had herbs like penny royal tea and raspberry leaf tea or castor oil.
@ Kath – From the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecology:
“After 42 weeks, the placenta may not work as well as it did earlier in pregnancy. Also, as the baby grows, the amount of amniotic fluid may begin to decrease. Less fluid may cause the umbilical cord to become pinched as the baby moves or as the uterus contracts. For these reasons your doctor may recommend delivery before 42 weeks of pregnancy.
If pregnancy goes past 42 weeks, a baby has an increased risk of certain problems, such as dysmaturity syndrome, macrosomia, or meconium aspiration. There also is an increased chance of cesarean birth.”
I’ve read of women that have gone up to 44 weeks (with no complications or risks to baby, but no longer than that.
That’s why in the olden days so many women died during labour. The baby’s head grows too large, placenta and the fluids start going bad, the baby may poop and contaminate the fluids, etc.
Yup, also there’s an increase risk of stillborn birth.
The placenta also eventually starts to calcify which degrades the ability to send oxygen and nutrients. If it goes too long, eventually the baby dies in the womb.
In the old days they probably tried natural ways to induce. Otherwise it wasn’t going to end well. My daughter was 2 weeks late and I was due for inducement a day after she was finally born. Doctors usually won’t let it go past 2 weeks. That’s in the ‘give or take’ zone but after that the baby starts to decline.
@kori
Induction, not inducement. Sorry. Hate being that person. But I hate hearing “inducement”. Not a word.
Or “induced”.
And anyone remember Selma Blair was 3 weeks past her due date?
My mother wasn’t capable of going into labor, and her doctor had been sued for unnecessary C-section (it was the 70s), and so when inducing failed, they just kept waiting and trying natural methods like walks and spicy food. She was due in August, and I was born in late October.
My mother carried me for approximately 50 weeks, until I had a BM in-utero, giving us both blood poisoning and nearly killing us. My mother had to be Lotus cut, destroying much of her abdominal wall control in later life. I was 2 feet long and nearly 12 pounds–small for a 3 month old, but huge for a newborn. After having the feces pumped from my lungs, I was healthy. My mother, however, suffered.
Oh. My. God.
Risia Skye
That must be some sort of record. Your poor mother!
Holy crap. That’s a horror story, right there.
Risiaskye, this is one of the most incredible birth stories I’ve ever heard. I wish I could read all the details. You’d better get your mom an awesome Mother’s Day present!!
Higher chances of meconium in water (baby poop) which can cause lung infection. The placenta isn’t as efficient. So higher chance of complications. It’s kind of a bell curve from averages. Too early, there are problems, too late there are problems. 40 weeks is just the peak of the bell curve.
She’d give birth eventually, bit higher chance of issues.
Never knew about this relationship, but I was 2 weeks overdue, and my son did breathe in meuconium (spelling?) and was in intensive care a week. And he was 10 lb. 5 oz., so none of my newborn clothes fit!!
The placenta degrades after 39-40 weeks or so. By 42 weeks, it degrades enough that the baby may not get all of t ghost e nutrients it needs.
My first child was born at the end of the 42nd week. She was more wrinkled and according to the doctor, she’d lost weight.
In 1970 my brother was 31 days late! Maybe Dr. Was a bit off on his math but he was over 9 lbs which was a big baby then. It fit his personality. He was never rushed or stressed about anything as a kid.
This is EXACTLY what I asked my doctor when, at 42 weeks of gestation, I showed zero signs of labor and the baby was measuring over 10 pounds.
“He can’t stay in there forever”, I said. “What if this were the olden days!?”To which my doctor calmly said “100 years ago, your fluid would dry up, your baby would die, and ypu would go septic and die. By 75 years ago, they had a hook thing they could use to take the baby out in chunks”. To which I replied “ok, what time is my C-Section!?”
It’s crazy, after a perfect, problem-free, dreamy pregnancy, the weirdest stuff could Still happen.
2 healthy babies, zero labor, and 2 C-sections later, I’m glad to have had options…
take the baby out in chunks??? omg that is going to give me nightmares for days!!!
i also had 2 c-sections…best birth plan ever lol
The baby might die. So, I don’t know how long they can safely wait. Probably no more than 19 days or something like that. If a baby dies before term, the woman can carry it for up to 36 months [that’s right-dead] and then it will be stillborn at its birth. This most often happens with an emotional trauma happening during the woman’s pregnancy.
ok, everyone needs to stop talking! LALALALALALALALALLALA I feel bad for the poor ladies who are about to deliver a baby soon!
I know there are legitimate complaints about her, but I feel for her now as I did when George was born. It would be so odd to have a huge portion of the world waiting and demanding you hurry up and have the baby, hurry up and name the baby, hurry up and show us the baby. She probably wants to give everybody the finger and I don’t blame her.
I know right, she probably cusses everybody behind closed doors, I can’t imagine the pressure she is facing, and god forbid the birth does not go smoothly and you have the world press outside your window.
They could easily agree to let people know when she’s actually in labor, so the diehards aren’t sitting there camped out, patients aren’t inconvenienced by the parking restrictions in front of the hospital and the media could get on with their jobs until it’s “go time.” But that wouldn’t give the big build-up in the press.
There should be a better way to handle this. People at hospitals are dealing with life and death. The last thing they need is two weeks of parking restrictions and security headaches because one woman will go into labor at some point.
I think they are trying their best not to have the same situation as they did with George. They can’t help it if the baby is late and they can’t control who sits and waits for them.
They have agreed to that – they have said that they will confirm when she is admitted to the hospital and have asked the media not to gather outside until that announcement comes. An attempt to prevent the media from having to sit outside for weeks and inconvenience everyone. That didn’t stop the diehards from gathering – I expect nothing would.
If security is supposed to be so tight, couldn’t the police stop the diehards from gathering?
I don’t mind the diehards. There will always be a few dedicated crazies, won’t there? I DO mind the BBC covering it as though we are all diehards and love looking at diehards and can’t think of anything other than how great the diehards are. Can’t the police stop the BBC camera crews? We’re in the middle of an election FFS.
I think the police could, but I don’t think its necessary. There are people who gather at every big royal event like this – they want to be there and they aren’t causing any harm or any real disruption. It’s having all the world’s media camped out in front of the building that causes a disruption.
I feel terrible for saying it, but I’ll be honest, for her sake, after this wait I really hope its a girl.
The press here and Charles himself have made no secret for their preference.
While some are low key demanding – ahem DM – “Why haven’t you had the baby yet?” with faux concern articles.
The wait is adding to it. But good luck to her
She is managing to look quite cheery despite being 9+ months pregnant. I was NOT HAPPY by the end – I guess the baby moves down in preparation for birth, and that little head pushes on all kinds of nerves etc. I ate a lobster and that worked.
Lol at you eating a lobster to go into labor.
I went to the doctor for a check-up the day before each of my children were born and was told both times that it would be at least another week because the babies had not “dropped” toward the birth canal. Knowing my children and their personalities, it wouldn’t have surprised me if they figured why drop and then wait a few more days – just drop on the way out since they were cozy in there. Both were considered to be past their due dates but this was in the days prior to UT scans. At least the second one allowed me to celebrate my birthday the day before he arrived. That chocolate cake was so yummy.
I said the same thing at the time….it’s like her uterus is the property if the U.K. Beyond creepy. And yeah maybe even during her extensive wait she didn’t truly fathom the creepiness of being a royal incubator. But my money is on her loving every minute of this.
I feel bad for her these past two weeks. She has the press speculating on her womb constantly.
If it’s a boy I hope her fans do go into meltdown. Lol
Kate knows what is coming next – and her discomfort is probably priority in her mind. Pregnancy sex is pretty yummy, so maybe she’s focusing on the joy of that.
I can’t see that she cares very much about the rest of us.
Wolfpup – I suspect she cares very much about public opinion, in the sense that she wants to be viewed as glamorous, ladylike, a good wife & mother, and a legitimate royal. The rest I suspect she’s fairly insulated from. She may truly not understand why her work ethic is called into question when she’s doing her job well: producing heirs and being a pleasant, non confrontational wife.
It has been said William and Kate don’t read the papers. But the PR guys do and I’m sure they act accordingly.
I just don’t find Kate glamorous! https://twitter.com/RoyallyKate/status/542305613401702402/photo/1
The DM said specifically that the Queen was in Windsor yesterday. And while they were pretty firm that Kate was at BP, “it is believed that William was there too and that they left together”. Why so cagey? Do they not know or they’re reluctant to say or what? I’m just pulling this out of my butt but I’ve got a feeling the end of this marriage is much closer than anyone realizes.
I agree with you.
You did pull that out of your butt. 😉
+1
Lol
If she had been there swimming every day, wouldn’t there be pictures of her driving in and out every day? There has only been one set of photos, William nowhere to be seen. If HM is at Windsor as stated then the anniversary dinner is another made up story.
There is a photo of Kate driving with William in the passenger seat. Not sure why it is important.
You are so right, notasugarhere! William is nowhere to be seen, there definitely wasn’t an anniversary dinner. Do they think we’re stupid? He takes every chance he can get to be far away from her. She has been building up this birth story in the press just to get attention and taking away resources from real patients with real needs. Thank god for this site that doesn’t pander to kate fans. They tell it like it is here!
Not sure how Kate is taking resources from other patients. Her children are essential to the future of the monarchy – attention from the media is going to happen regardless. Besides the rumor was Kate wanted a home birth but the palace said no.
IMO That was her bodyguard in the passenger seat next to her while she drove to The Palace, NOT William.
As several people have pointed out William has not been seen with her. The last time we saw him publicly he was out with the Queen on Aznac day celebrations or a military day honor,supporting the Queen.
Side note: P.S. Williams old pal Jecca is marrying. The guy is from a wealthy family, a Museum currator and Professor. He also is friends with William and works for William’s beloved charity , Jecca’s family’s Animal sanctuary and Charity ,Tusk Trust.
I think they have maybe five , six years left.
William usually looks miserable and Kate has been with her mom almost since the start of the marriage. Even the photos of her when out with George has photos eventually emerge where Carole is usually with her, not William. I think Carole has been more of a support system to her than William has. That’s just my opinion.
I dunno. I don’t get Happily Married Couple from them, but I also feel like Kate didn’t marry him for lurrrvvv and he’s too lazy to bother with a divorce. She’s already shown that she doesn’t give an F if he cheats. So, I could see them staying officially married for a long time, but only because she wants that title/lifestyle (and PMK-ish Carole does too) and he can’t be bothered with the inconvenience and knows he can cheat anyway.
Also, I’d bet the royals don’t want another divorce (scandal!), so if their marriage does detiorate to that point, I’m thinking the palace would be ok with allowing them “arrangements,” as long as they keep up appearances.
I think they have an agreement, and they both are happy in that. Unless William meets someone he’s truly in love with and she presses for marriage, then he will remain married to Kate. Kate will remain married to her family and will allow William to “play happy family” when he wants.
I don’t think it’s Kate who will ever push divorce. I think she would stay even if William moved another woman in and told the public the woman was a staff member. I think it’s William who will eventually want out.
I think marrying her came off more like a chore for him and pr move for press and reward for her time spent waiting on him.
I don’t see William being in this marriage past age 40. I just don’t.
I agree that they have some arrangement that allows them to spend a lot of time apart, but it doesn’t seem to be working. William is tense and stressed in Kate’s presence. His hands fist and his jaws clench just about every time he opens her mouth. And Kate…. Well the DM (I know, I know), says that she needs her mother to soothe and placate her, to manage her houses and raise her son. If they are both this miserable after only four years, what’s going to happen in the next four? The next two, even?
Yeah I have never seen them look affectionate, ever! Their wedding was like a business deal with those dry kisses. He looks like a trapped animal half the time. And we all know he was essentially tricked into marrying her. Women just DO stuff like that, trapping men in marriages. I for one can’t wait for the divorce.
Isn’t this the Great Kate Wait 3.0? 😉
LMAO.
Cookies for you!
Why would she lie lol? My own daughter was born nearly 2 weeks after my due date and i refused to be induced, it happens.
I was 10 days overdue as well. I think if they WERE lying, they’d say a later date, rather than an earlier, it’d make more sense. “Surprise, baby is here, wait is over” seems like a much better strategy than “let’s tell them I’m due 2 weeks before I’m really due”.
Uh, no. She’s lying because she’s a liar. It’s obvious to anyone who is paying attention. She wants more attention. And will probably plan another “candid” photo shoot soon. She’s like the best at begging for attention from the press while pretending like she’s trying to be a normal mum. All she does is shop!
TheAbbyG
This is all your speculation. Many here pay attention and your theory is way off base. Unless you have insider info.
My nephew was 10 days late it happens-even if the doctors get the due date right, babies come when they want to come.
The RF have some of the best doctors, with history of deliveries – the doctors know the date is later.
This early April end of .. Is PW*W PR team.
“W”? No one other than Prince William has a “W” name.
And it was the press. No one else. If anything all Royal connected sources have put late april always. Never early from a solid source. Just rags hoping for a guess to pay off.
Random question – if she’s taking George to go swimming at BP, why does the nanny need to come along? Granted I’ve never had a nanny, but I always figured they were necessary when the parents were busy and couldn’t watch the kids, not to tag along for mommy and me time……….
If I were 9 months pregnant with a toddler, I would use the hell out of a nanny.
I stopped taking my toddler swimming a few days before my due date (late August so I swam A LOT since it was the only way to stay cool and feel somewhat weightless). I was afraid my water would break and I wouldn’t notice.
Someone has to sit in the backseat. I know mothers that would drive with a baby in the back. Their stories of panic would be about hearing your child cough like they were choking. Car gets pulled over immediately and you race to them making sure they’re ok. Though, it can be argued why isn’t Kate in the back while the bodyguard drives. Or even the nanny. At least 1 of them is skilled in evasive driving should something happen.
From a safety perspective it doesn’t make sense.
I never thought about it like that, but as a mom, I spent a lot of time in the back with my kids to talk to them and tend to them while my husband drove. Seems like Kate would want to spend that quality time with George.
Wasn’t there a study released linking inducement of labor to autism? I haven’t heard any follow-up to the study so I’m not certain it’s been verified but that would make me nervous…
There are studies that link everything to everything else. People get induced every single day. It’s fine. And even if it were true, autism is a far better result than the mother or baby dying.
There’s only been one study so far from North Carolina in 2013, which was a large sample size of 625,000 births. The rate of autism was a third higher in boys when the mother needed drugs to induce or assist the pregnancy, with a more muted effect in girls.
However, the thing to stress is that correlation does not equal causation. Particularly as there’s only been one study on it so far (so its findings have not been independently corroborated), there are just too many factors at play to definitively say inducing labour causes autism.
It was one study that associated any intervention (use of pitocin, use of epidural-inducement and/or augmentation) with autism, particularly for males. However, correlation does not equal causation-the data definitely does not support that doing one thing causes the other. There would need to be far more research for doctors to start changing their practices.
There was, because it came out around when I was induced for medical reasons with my second and I worried a lot. But, my memory is that it didn’t account for the reasons why people are induced and when, so I, as a non-medical professional, wondered whether autism was linked with induction or rather some of the underlying medical conditions that require induction, or inducing a baby that is pre-term (prematurity is another risk factor for autism, and doctors are increasingly finding that even past 36 weeks pre-term but not premature babies do a lot of maturing).
In short, I was comforted that the results of the study was a caution against elective induction, not against induction for medical reasons. Being “post dates” to the point that they worry the placenta will degrade would be a medical reason, though many doctors disagree on where that line is drawn (41weeks v 42, 43). I am guessing she gets a lot of active monitoring and that at this point they would induce at any signs of trouble.
I fail to see how it could be lying. They said mid to late April. This is still late April. We get to the second week of May, and I am happy to participate in the “are they manipulating the media” story, but I think it’s going to have to wait a bit.
Agreed. And people treat due dates like they’re set in stone, when they’re just guesswork.
Any experts here able to confirm/deny if Kate had eggs extracted and fertilized pre-wedding in case she couldn’t conceive? Diana too?
If it’s a girl, does Diana get included in her name?
My gossip prediction, if it’s a girl, is that she gets crap either way. If D is included in the name, there will be “omg, she’s exploiting Diana!”. If it’s not, there will be “omg, they dissed the people’s princess!”
I’d imagine they’d use Frances instead of Diana (that was Diana’s middle name), and either use Diana (as a middle name) for another daughter or avoid it altogether.
Frances is unlikely, it was Diana’s mother’s name. A complicated history behind that woman and that name. I think Francis, if they have a son, is possible.
Honestly, I think Diana somewhere in the name is inevitable. Kate wears her ring and William invokes her as a protection against the press. Gifting a daughter with her name would fit with his concept of her as a guardian over his private life.
Kate could guarantee herself attention by putting both Diana and Camilla in the child’s name. Can you imagine the heads that would explode were she to do that?
If it’s a boy, the fans will go into meltdown
I guess William’s hunting trip….woops, paternity leave started too early. And will no doubt finish late after several months of lollygagging around everywhere except with Kate and baby X. They seem to have a long-distance marriage most of the time, and he strikes me as having some emotional problems he hasn’t dealt with so he takes it out on everyone else around him. Sad.
Women can go weeks after their due date – something that many doctors don’t understand, which causes many women to be induced before they would have naturally given birth. Doctors are not God and can’t predict the future, and a woman’s body will do what it needs to give the baby all the time he or she needs to be born. I highly doubt she was lying.
My cousin’s due date kept getting changed. It skipped all over the place from early May to mid April, back to mid May then late April. Her son was finally born May 21st and he was HUGE! Due dates are just best guesstimates, and babies will come when they’re ready to on their timeline, not ours. That being said, my youngest was induced three weeks before his due date because I had been dilated for a week already, and my OB was concerned about infection.
I’ll give Kate credit for her patience, it has always been a virtue of hers. Most overdue mothers get fed up and are ready for induction. But Kate is patient. Good for her.
Yeah, but this is nothing compared to ten long years snaring William.
If you say Kate delayed her life to wait for the spoiled prince I will agree all day long. But saying she snared him is a tired, sexist trope that should just go away.
Citreese I agree with you.
She waited him out.
There’s nothing wrong with saying snare, it’s your opinion. She’s called Waity Katey for good reason. William is referred to as the reluctant Prince for good reason too.
IMO He looked like he was completing a chore when he married her.
There’s a misconception that second pregnancies deliver faster, and Kate is suffering from the consequences of said misconception. My 2nd child was 2 weeks late and I had to be induced, otherwise I’d probably be gestating a freshman in high-school right now.
Lots of those thoughts are just coincidences. There’s only 1 I agree with. Snow/Thunder storms that have a lot to do with pressure are likely to increase baby drops.
And lately with rolling T-storms i’ve been seeing a lot of babies come into this world.
Victoria Murphy posted a really interesting article about due dates on twitter this morning: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/ampp3d/royal-baby-kates-late-yes-5607490
France’s practice of giving a “no later than” date is interesting – I think we should do that too. If i’m ever pregnant i’d give serious thought to telling people a “no later than” date so they’ll leave me alone!!
And no, I don’t think she is lying about the date. All other actions say they don’t want it to be the circus it was last time.
I like the French method. Thanks for posting that.
I agree they’re trying to minimize the media circus but that doesn’t also mean they didn’t fudge on her due date. Afaik, outside of France, doctors don’t calculate a due date within a two week range. So I believe Kate did lie when she told a fan she was due mid to late April. I am convinced that at that point her doctor had given her a specific due date. BP lies about all kinds of things. Spin and lie is the primary job of any PR office. I don’t like it but it’s not going away.
BTW I don’t believe Kate was obligated to answer the question about her due date. If it were me in her shoes I would have said “sooner than later I hope” or something like that.
Spin & lie should be on their family crest.
I think it’s kind of unfair to say that giving a range even though she had a specific date is “lying.” I’m due on September 15th. If strangers ask me when I’m due, I say early- to mid-September, simply because I don’t think they need to know anything more detailed than that. I’ll giver her the benefit of the doubt that she gave a range rather than a specific date to help minimize hoopla and to maintain what little bit of privacy she can get. While EDDs are calculated pretty specifically, anything between 38-42 weeks gestational age is considered perfectly normal. As early as 36 weeks, most OBs won’t try to stop labor even if it’s technically pre-term. I previously delivered at 38 and 39 weeks and even then people were like “haven’t you had that baby yet????” so I feel bad for her having to endure criticism for not giving birth when other people think she “should.”
No, I don’t think Kate lied about her due date but I’m kinda wondering why she’d say mid to late April when it was actually end of April.
I guess they figured the second one may arrive early and/or it was a way to draw attention (pr strategy) to the family firm.
Does this mean that William’s “paternity leave” will be extended as well? Honestly – why did he ever accept that position since he appears to have no real intention of WORKING (gasp). I mean, work interferes with all sorts of “other” activities – like vacations. He comes off as having grown into a huge snob.
It doesn’t look good. Just the huge gap of time between his last exam and weeks from now from now his expected start date.
I think it was stupid of him to start a new job in April and then stay there only two weeks when he knew beforehand that he’d be taking six weeks of paternity leave because Kate’s due date was supposed to be from mid- to late April. He should have just waited to start in the first place. Like maybe in June or July. What was the hurry to start the job right before the due date?
He’s reminding me of those scammers who pretend that they are too disabled to work, so they collect benefits or worker’s comp while they go around doing able-bodied activities at home.
He really should be playing it up in the media and be sure to be photographed with Kate whenever she goes out in public just to justify his six-weeks leave and show that he’s too busy with her and the kids to go back to work.
Otherwise, don’t call it a paternity leave. Just say that he purposely started in April, knowing that he’d be there only two weeks, but that he was hoping that the public would be stupid enough to get the idea that he’s that “keen” to work.
They announced August 7th that he’d be doing the EAAA thing.
“After completing a mandatory period of training this autumn and winter, The Duke will start work with the Air Ambulance, based at Cambridge and Norwich Airports and flying both day and night shifts, in spring 2015. The Duke will start as a co-pilot but, after a period of training, will be qualified to fly as a helicopter commander.”
Why has it taken this long for him to get to this point in his studying and training? The way I read that press release, he was supposed to have completed all of this by now and be actively working as co-pilot by “spring 2015.” It is still spring until June 21st, but I read this as him being months behind where they said he’d be.
As LAK explained he studied for and completed an extensive written examination then completed on-site maneuvers contained in the second part of the training. He took some time out to go to China but no he is not behind schedule, certainly not by months. His “paternity” leave will put him behind now I believe.
A combination of written exams and on-site maneuvers. He is not off schedule with his training. LAK broke it down in a previous post.
He’s had nothing but this to do for 9 months. He has been doing next to nothing. There was no prep for Malta, he wasn’t supposed to be going until the last minute. He obviously didn’t prepare for Japan and China; he couldn’t be bothered to learn the basics of how to bow respectfully to the emperor or act properly during the tea ceremony.
I find it difficult to believe that it has taken 9 months to get to this point. There is a strong possibility he went at this as half-arsed as he does everything else.
I think they lied. The last event they attended with the BRF, William gave two different answers to Harry & Pr. Edward & Andrew. They are so secretive about everything in their lives there’s no doubt in mine, that they would not be truthful about the due date. And that’s their right, but why? William is the heir. This one is a heir. Unless he opts out, people are going to want to know.
I just posted something similar above. I think they lied. I wonder what their specific reasons are for this. Are they hoping the confusion around her due date will help avoid pap photos of her entering the hospital? I suppose the security risk is always a consideration in publishing where a royal is expected.
I’m sure there is a security risk, but it’s not as if their security detail wouldn’t keep the masses at bay. Just seems silly to create false drama to protect their privacy. Wanna be private, step out of the line of succession and hide away in Norfolk.
Their security can keep the masses at bay no doubt. But I should have been more specific as I meant that certain terrorist groups and unstable individuals targeting the BRF I believe are the main reason royals (and heads of state) release as little info about their specific schedule as possible. Charles’ uncle was killed by IRA terrorists albeit he was not protected by Palace security. Princess Anne’s car was stopped and her RPO’s were not able to foil the attempt at kidnapping her. She was the one who talked the kidnapper out of letting her go. A man got past the massive security at BP and found his way to QE’s bedroom. Those are the types of incidents that required the perpetrators to study their target’s habits and then plan an attack that I believe RPO’s are most worried about.
I think William needs to give in, put his other personal activities on hold, and help himself out PR-wise.
The DM has photos of Kate driving herself in an SUV from BP or KP after she & George supposedly used the pool. Her bodyguard is in the passenger seat, the nanny and George are in the back seat.
Some people in the comment section were concerned that she’s driving when she’s about to go into labor any time now. They were wondering why the bodyguard or William wasn’t driving.
So yes, where is William? Shouldn’t he be with them any time there are paparazzi around? Acting like the hovering husband and father who left work just to keep an eye on his family at all times?
Yes, interesting Kate was at the wheel. I wonder why William wasn’t driving?
Going into labour isn’t like on TV where you suddenly loose all function. Most people have it come on gradually all day (or night) then when the contractions are close enough or too painfull go to the hospital. If she is not actively in labour at that moment she is perfectly fine to drive (or anything else).
@ Angel – Even so, where’s the work-shy husband who left his ‘work’ two weeks after he started in order to go on a six-week paternity leave?
If it was truly about staying at home to look after Kate and George, then shouldn’t he be smart enough to show up in the pap pics, including driving them back and forth to the BP pool? He lives at KP, so it’s not like it’s going to be a lengthy time-consuming commute for him that he can’t handle in his month-and-a-half down time.
I think it just adds to his image of being lazy and aloof and that he spends a lot of his days on ‘me-time.’
I think it’s lovely of them to send out pastry to the people on the street waiting for the arrival of the baby. That shows class and respect!
Maggie run before bread rolls are thrown at you!
Imo
Well aware of this poster. We don’t attack. Can’t be bothered to.
Never has so much good PR been bought for the price of 10 rolls and 10 cups of coffee.
It nay have been really good coffee.
Jason the new PR guy doing his job.
It was nice though.
I wonder who paid for it.