Since I don’t spend my time reading articles about which books are the best parenting handbooks, I really don’t have a frame of reference for this. According to Star Magazine, Duchess Kate is a fan of The Modern Mother’s Handbook – you can see the Amazon description here. I glanced through some of the comments, which were mostly positive. Apparently, a lot of people liked that the handbook is incredibly short and you can read all of the “advice” in one 30-minute sitting (it’s only 44 pages long). Most of the negative reviewers basically said that most of the advice can be found in many online articles for free, or better yet, just ask your mom and she’ll tell you. Still, Kate allegedly found the book useful and she wrote a note to the author:
When it comes to etiquette and child rearing, Duchess Kate sets a pretty good example. What’s her secret? Kate recently sent the author of The Modern Mother’s Handbook a thank-you note, saying she was “touched” and “extremely grateful.” The book is written by an anonymous mother, and the guide not only addresses how to integrate old-fashioned values in today’s society, but also how to make sure your kid doesn’t turn out to be a royal pain!
[From Star Magazine, print edition]
I don’t understand how Kate sent a note to the author if the author is “Anonymous.” I mean, I guess Kate could have tracked down the publisher and told them that she wanted to send a note to the author and maybe the publisher gave out the author’s name. Maybe? It seems like a lot of work to put into dropping a note to someone who wrote the Cliff Notes on Dr. Spock.
Meanwhile, the Cambridges have added another event to their October schedule. Gotta get those numbers up before their November holiday! William and Kate will “attend an event hosted by the charity Mind” on behalf of World Mental Health Day, which is October 10th (two Saturdays from now). The Cambridges will “meet young people who have overcome their own mental health problems and now volunteer with the charity. They will also learn about the campaign to eradicate the stigma surrounding mental health, Time to Change, which raises awareness among teenagers.”
While William and Kate have paid lip service to charities involving mental health issues before now, it feels like someone (#PoorJason) is really trying to rebrand these two as the new faces of mental health advocacy. If they stick to it, good for them. But it feels like an issue they’ll forget about in a few months and then Poor Jason will have to find some new issue that they can temporarily embrace to make themselves look better.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Another planted diversion story to paint Duchess Pikachu as super SAH mother of the year. What are these 2 doing that they are desperate to stop the press reporting on.
About time they started doing more for their ’causes’ – hope it lasts. But then they do have a few rugby matches coming up. The ‘whirl’ of it all must be exhausting for her – they really are working her to. the. bone. Wonder if the wiglet will get its own holiday villa in Mustique to recover from all the hard work of the past few weeks.
I think there’s a new wiglet for every engagement. Maybe each of the rooms of the villa will be decorated with Her Royal Wiglets.
That photo of her with bangs in the wind always makes me laugh.
I love that pic so much!!! Every time I see it I in my mind I hear helicopters… and now I will be singing “Bangs in the Wind” to the tune of “Dust in the Wind”
It’s ironic how their PR team said she’s going to go back to her hectic whirl of her pre-pregnancy schedule and then she shows up with helicopter hair now.
It’s not hard to tell your staff to send an author a note…anonymous or not.
To me, that suggests that the author or publisher sent Kate a copy, received a standard thank-you note, and is using it for freebie publicity.
This was my conclusion as well.
Yes, my understanding is that, as a policy, their office responds to every letter they receive. It’s very courteous and must take a lot of time. . . . Even schoolchildren who write to the Queen get a reply.
School children get a reply because sometimes it’s not school children, rather reporters looking to write ‘this is the most caring royal’ stories based upon receipt of a response.
WK’s office are actually very lazy in their responses because they use form letters and or postcards to respond to letters. Body of letter already printed, not always signed.
Other offices send a seemingly personalised letter and very often once that has actually been written by the royal themselves.
My daughter who would have been about 8 at the time, sent a letter to the Queen, I think it was for her Golden jubilee, and got a very nice personalised reply from one of the ladies in waiting.
The wording of that statement makes it sound like Kate sent a thank you note after being sent the book, and now they are using it for publicity.
That’s how I read it too
Add some highlights, and that first pic is Gemma’s hair from SoA. Which is sort of fitting, actually.
It is!!!
Well, Kate has to do something whilst the in-house trained child expert aka Noland trained nanny and Carole do the work.
Kate reads?
Lazy Katie believes 44 pages is preparation for the challenges of motherhood. Obviously, she works just as hard to inform herself about her charities.
I take it this book is the comprehensive guide to child development and how to raise children. How many of those 44 pages are pictures?
I bet she didn’t actually READ it herself. She’s sooooo busy!!! More likely she had somebody on the staff read it to her while she was on the treadmill and playing with her hair. Or maybe Nanny Maria actually read it and gave Kate a summary.
It’s puzzling to me that the author feels the need to be anonymous (ugh that pic on the back cover with a bag over her head is creepy.) I mean, we’re not talking about The Story of O here. It’s a book about raising kids!!
And….it still bugs me that Waity wrote a thank you to an anonymous author. Is that like letters to Santa? Did she address and envelope to “Anonymous” and drop it in the mailbox, hoping it would find its’ way?
I am really over-thinking this. I think I have to go take a nap.
“sets a pretty good example” *coughs violently* Jason…*cough*…you wi-*cough cough* be the end of me.
She went to the prison to learn about that charity. Now this charity To Learn. Are they going to do anything with this knowledge? Go to a UN initiative and make a plea? Many royals attend UN meetings on issues they’re involved in. Start a campaign to help these individuals and their families? Anything?
Or keep status quo? “Learn” about charities on visits that buy them good PR so they can go back to normal life/vacations?
Shouldn’t she learn about a charity before she goes? So she can see the charity in action and then help them meet long-range goals? Or launch a fundraiser? Or give a call to action? These “show and tell” visits for an uninterested royal have to be tedious for the charities.
Exactly. She should know all about the charity before she even sets foot at the doorstep. That’s the only way she can do or say anything meaningful. This just doesn’t seem to happen with her though, does it? She seems very unprepared, just there for a pap stroll…..UGH.
Karen, what I was thinking too after reading this post. Everything is superficial, show up to “learn” but DK in particular doesn’t seem to go deep in any way. Despite expressing an interest in supporting mental health for young people, what does she do other than show up for a charity a couple of times a year for a short visit. Is she hosting events, giving speeches, writing articles (hah), or even focusing on a specific area where she wants to make an impact of some sort. It seems much more like focusing on mental health for kids and teens sounds good, but with her it will always be just enough to barely get by.
If she thinks she wants to emulate Angelina, then she better dig in a lot deeper and take action, not just show up to “learn” a couple of times a year.
Well said. I’m all for information gathering, but you should then use the information that you have gathered. But in the past 4 years she hasn’t gotten that far.
When does the “hit the ground running” begin?
Wow she looks haggard on that first picture.
I’m not sure Kate is the right person to host an event on Mental Health.
Hahaha
Yet we have dream Harry, taking the lead, and actually doing something – as he joins veterans for a Walk of Britain, calling for ending the stigma of mental illness. This guy really cares. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/prince-harry/11902263/Prince-Harry-calls-for-better-approach-to-mental-health-as-he-joins-injured-veterans-for-Walk-of-Britain.html
Wolfie, yes! Just made a comment upstream about superficial Kate’s actions appear. Showing up a couple of times a year to “learn”. Please.
Harry is a great example of focusing, actually taking a leadership role, and wanting to make an impact in an important way.
Darn her! I just bought the book.
Dm is not being very nice to Waity. Today’s headline says, Monaco’s Beatrice has usurped Kate’s fashion crown; and the last words of the story reads, “Move over Kate!” The Telegraph is also featuring unflattering photo’s for their lead. The British press is calling her the prickly princess, and socially reclusive to her set. Jason certainly messed up with the letter he sent them, because the press is hitting back.
She read all of 44 pages…and sent a thank you note.
They’ve upped their game – first it was her family now her directly. They are def trying to wind Normal Bill up. They do like getting reactions from him and he always obliges.
the review on Amazon says one of the things covered in the book is
“What should Dad’s job be?”
LOL, indeed…..
Kate reads? Wow!!!
oh dear…..I didn’t see that hopscotchmama had posted the same question earlier…that whole great minds thinking alike thing 😉
“Meanwhile, the Cambridges have added another event to their October schedule.”
So that makes it a total of just two for October (including the Spectre movie premiere).
You can’t make yourself too tired right before you go on vacation or you’ll spend it sleeping instead of having fun.
There is also the Chinese state visit (20-23rd October) so am sure they will be showing face for that. Plus Queenie is hosting a Rugby World Cup reception in October for participating nations thou only Harry and Anne have been confirmed to attend but am sure these 2 will ‘pop along’.
Thanks Betti, I forgot about the state visit.
So it’s one charity-centric event, one movie premiere (I know it’s has a bit of charity-related something or other, but W&K aren’t involved in that aspect of it), one formal dinner party & meet-and-greet, and maybe one sport-centric party.
Short visits (appearances), short books. Now, Kate go for it and get a short haircut!
But in a few years she will be 40!! and Sofia Vergara said yesterday that women between 40 and 60 should have long hair (or something like that.) She must be so relieved!!
I’m sure Kate hasn’t given up on finding her look even though that hair flyaway photo looks like she tied it back with a couple of tongue depressors.
“Visits”, “appearances”, “attending an event”, when will she follow the example of royals like Harry and Sophie and actually work and do something meaningful. Everytime she appears (willingly) in public, it’s all about keeping her amused and entertained or in some cases, a “faux learning opportunity” where she goes to learn about mental health, prisoners, etc..