In the new issue of Vanity Fair – the one with the Queen and her corgis on the cover – Katie Nicholl has an exclusive new story on the Cambridges. Nicholl is long-believed to have sources deep within the Middleton family and within William and Kate’s group of friends. Nicholl often writes pro-royal propaganda, although she has, at times, written pieces critical of both William and Kate. Basically, I believe that she has legit sources close to Will and Kate but I often think she’s just using pro-Cambridge sources with an agenda. So, caveats in place, this story is a pretty good read. Good as in I eye-rolled throughout with the glowing, sycophantic prose and sympathetic quotes. You can read the full piece here, and here’s the new stuff.
William has the Queen & Charles’ blessings to live like a country squire. “It’s no secret that William doesn’t like the media intrusion into his life, and in the country he can escape,” says a family friend. “The Queen and the Prince of Wales have given their blessing for William to live this life, and William is very grateful. It’s enabling him and Kate to raise their family in a way that’s as close to ordinary as they can get.” Says another royal source, “William doesn’t want George and Charlotte going through some of the experiences he went through growing up. Everything he does regarding his family is very deliberate.”
Life at Anmer Hall. They have crazy security measures, a swimming pool, a tennis court, police cars patrolling the perimeter and more. Nicholl writes: “Kate runs the 10-bedroom house with just a handful of domestic staff, including full-time nanny Maria Borallo and a housekeeper. Aides insist there is no in-house chef—Kate loves to cook, and she has been spotted buying local produce at Back to the Garden. Occasionally, she sends the family’s bodyguards out to do the grocery shopping at the local shops. Mealtimes are hectic family occasions with pots of food served straight to the table. (Like most little boys, George prefers French fries to vegetables.) Kate and William take turns giving the children their baths and putting them to bed.”
Kate is happy at Anmer. Privately, Kate has told friends she is delighted to have left London. “They love the countryside and that’s where they are happiest,” says one family friend.
They want another baby. There are rumors among the Cambridges’ set of friends that the couple won’t wait too long before trying for another baby. Says a source, “They want at least three kids and for them to be close in age.”
The pressure to carry out more work. “William says there is no negotiation when it comes to his family,” says one royal source. It is this worry, say friends, which lies behind the Cambridges’ controversial decision to hide away from the public gaze in Norfolk. At Anmer, William says, they are “a family unit. We are a normal family… Right now it’s just a case of keeping a secure, stable environment.”
William’s job as a pilot. Friends say that he is determined not to be in the same waiting role his father has occupied for decades, and that he loves being a pilot. “Often he comes home physically and emotionally shattered and he just flops in front of the TV,” says one of the Duke’s closest friends. “But there’s no doubt he loves the job. It gives him a sense of purpose and normality.”
But they will have to work more, and soon. “I do think we are going to see things change this year,” says one well-placed source. “The Queen is 90 and there’s talk that more responsibility is going to be handed down to the younger royals, which is right. I expect this will come at a time when it’s necessary for William, Kate, and Harry to do more to support the Queen and Prince Charles.”
I’ve long believed that Kate is the one who wants a third child and William couldn’t care less, so we’ll see how that plays out. I suspect that if Kate is really going to have a third child, she will get pregnant this year so the kids will be close in age (like Kate and her siblings). There’s a lot of other stuff in Nicholl’s story, about how Will and Kate are all about their family and they’re very hands-on parents, etc. But after that quote about how William is so exhausted from working as a pilot a few days a week (with extensive, month-long holidays throughout the year), I’m not sure I even believe that Will and Kate are spending that much time being hands-on parents. Maybe Kate is, but William? I have literally no idea how he spends his days.
Oh, and I would LOVE to know how many household staffers Kate and William really employ. Because it is absolutely more than two. Plus her mother.
Photos courtesy of Pacific Coast News.
“Often he comes home physically and emotionally shattered and he just flops in front of the TV,” hahaha. Seriously, that’s so dumb. Who wrote this stuff !!??
It’s not only dumb, but INSULTING. Those “normal” people they often want to imitate are working FULL TIME and trying to support their families without hired help. I don’t begrudge W&K their positions, but to pick and choose which parts of normalcy they want, is actually an ironic/hypocritical exercise in privilege.
ETA: The issue that I have with Will and Kate is not them wanting to “ease” into Royal life, but avoid it. If they were truly easing into it, we’d see an steady, incremental increase in engagements and improvements on areas that are SORELY lacking, such as Kate’s public speaking. I don’t begrudge her taking her time to get it right, but that’s not what she’s doing. “Practice makes perfect” is not just some random saying; it’s time tested. They don’t need to be full time Royals, but my God, they are probably averaging just a few hours a week.
I agree! Don’ t forget it’ s been 5 years ( 5 not a couple!!!!) since Kate stepped into that world. Plus 8 years of engagement. How long does the easing into her role take? 5 long years and still no improvement. Nothing at all.
@lily she’s been playing princess as long as I’ve been married and it does not take 13 years to adjust to married life and a job. If that’s the case, there are deeper issues, which we all suspect anyway.
Maybe they honestly don’t like it, but they’re rich and well-known and somewhat in a conundrum. As a shy introvert, I’m not sure what I’d find myself doing in that position. I’m a homebody who loves nothing more than a day with my son gardening. Yes, I do need to work because I wasn’t born rich and privileged, but we don’t get much of a choice in that. I feel for William, because he didn’t get much of a choice either, and for Kate because, if she truly loves him, she fell into a role that perhaps she’s not suited to. I honestly like to think the best of people, and I think it’d be very easy for an introvert to come off as “lazy” in these circumstances. It’s not exactly like either one of them can take a job trucking or cashiering, so they’re playing the hands dealt them, and I can’t hate on them because their hands are better than mine. If I was a trust fund baby, I fully believe I’d garden and decorate and run around doing stuff with my kids and take vacations and read books, show up when absolutely required and carry on happily and authentically and feel blessed to do so.
Funny, they’re never introverted when it comes to hanging out with celebrities, doing fun sports and calling it work, or hanging with Ben Ainslie. It is only when the work is close to something that would really count as “work” that suddenly they’re introverts who cannot face doing one of the easiest jobs on the planet.
They are not “trust fund babies”. They are supported by the taxpayers, directly via things like their security or their $4 million a year allowance for personal expenses paid out of The Duchy (also belongs to the taxpayers). In exchange for living off the taxpayers, they are required to work and they refuse to.
They are not prisoners. If William does not want the job, he can step aside and take their children with him. Trouble is, they have to leave behind the wealthy lifestyle too. His 10 million inheritance wouldn’t support them for more that 3 years at their current rate of spending.
@Shannon – I definitely understand what you’re saying, and the BRF is not a job built for introverts. That being said, the “introvert” scenario doesn’t work when Kate first caught William’s eye by walking down a runway in a sheer, netted dress which clearly showed her bra and underwear. The “introvert” scenario doesn’t work when William specifically said in their engagement that they dated for so long because he wanted to make sure Kate could handle the position. My issues are 1) the introvert/shy scenario doesn’t work because this job CLEARLY requires one to anticipate and navigate that part of their personality; and, 2) the ever-changing excuses as to why they aren’t working. At first it was Kate easing into the position of a working royal. But her schedule has remained stagnant or remained the same since she became a royal. William has been dithering about and has made it no secret that he’s trying to put off the full-time royal position as long as possible. Given both of their lackluster attitudes pre- or post-marriage, I doubt that children are the “main” reasons for the light schedule. I’m sure they want to spend time with their kids, I’m sure they enjoy being parents; but, I’m also sure it wouldn’t look too much different without the children.
I absolutely agree with your point about how life would be different as a “trust fund baby.” I also would spend my time doing what I want, far less time working, and more time travelling. That being said, I don’t think anyone is expecting 40 hours a week from these two. And as NotA pointed out, they aren’t simply “trust fund babies.” They are part of the British Royal Family, who specifically seek to keep–and, let’s be honest–deflect from their positions/status by making themselves useful to their country in specific ways.
Ha ha ha! Reminder: he is a CO-pilot not an Emergency Room Surgeon…
So ridiculous! He sits in the cockpit while the medics go out and do all the actual difficult and emotionally draining work, and then he co-pilots the helicopter to whatever hospital or medical center they’re going to.
He’s not supposed to be interacting with patients, except for staged pap shots, of course. He wouldn’t even be needed in the cockpit if Granny hadn’t bought the EAAA that nice new chopper with two front seats!
Poor sausage, he gets so tired! I’m so happy they have body guards to go get some groceries. Can you imagine if poor William had to drive to the store after a full day of work?
It must be hard pining all day for a mannish looking homewrecker like Jecca Craig and having to come home to someone else’s brats.
I run my entire household with just the help of a small Maine coon.
I run my tiny house with the help of thirty imaginary friends. Shut up, Bogart, you’re always complaining.
I have an ironing fairy. It’s called Mr Sixer.
Called my ex, my dishwasher. Rule was I cook, you clean!
🙂
LOL! You win the comments today, @lilacflowers!
Do Maine coons come in small?
that’s a question.
She weighs 13 pounds. Small for the breed but average size for most other types of cat. Her incessant braying makes up for her lack of size.
aw, our Maine coon is small too, 12 lbs. But she had a hard start in life. But makes up for it by being extremely bossy, albeit dipped in sugar.
My helper just died on Wednesday. And let me tell you, cleaning might be a lot easier but it is not going to be nearly as much fun.
Thinking of you.
I’m sorry, Bluhare. Hope you’re doing okay.
So sorry to hear that, bluhare.
So sorry, Bluhare.
Love through the ether to you, bluhare.
awwww…..sorry for your loss, bluhare.
Thank you everyone. At least now I won’t have to shut the door to the room I’m cleaning so I don’t trip over someone or have him run down the hall with something I want!! I’d really like to still have to close the door, though. He is missed terribly.
So very sorry for your loss. The loss of the fur babies always hits harder than we expect.
So sorry for your loss, my heart hurts for you.
I’m sorry to hear that, bluhare.
Thanks again. It is not that we are totally animal-less. We still have the Grand Dame of the bluhare household; our 17 year old tuxedo kitty who would NEVER deign to interfere with house cleaning. Ever. That is for peons. Her job is to laze on the closest surface and criticise my work. 🙂
Sorry to hear about your loss, bluhare. {hugs}
Aw, so sorry for your loss.
Bluhare – so sorry to hear about your loss.
Oh, bluhare, I am so sorry about your loss. :-(. Thinking of you. Our little Maine coon helper is 14 and still bossy, but we’re so conscious of time now.
So sorry, bluhare. Hugs to you.
So many hugs, bluhare, and I’m adding another!
Thanks to all of you. Very much.
LOL……….I use my two large white Maine Coons! Their tails are dusters, but the rest of them………are shedders. Very loveable and adorable boys. They pretty much run the household, but they don’t cook or grocery shop.
@lilacflowers – LOL! My Maine Coon feels he runs the entire house and merely allows me to live here! Mainly for the food and his lack of thumbs to open his food….. >^..^<
My 22lb Maine Coon, my darling Vincent, had thumbs- he was a polydactyl. But he couldn’t open his food. He always would dip into the water bowl up to his elbow to swish the water out to drink on the floor. Not a helper. At. all. I love all the MC stories!
My condolences, bluhare. I have no words for your loss.
All Maine coons feel they run the entire house. Because they DO run the entire house. Mine rips the bags of cat food open with her teeth. And when we get groceries, we have to put the meat away first, before we even get the other bags out of the car. because she will find it and rip open the bag in order to rip open the package.
I just don’t bother to run my house. (Just kidding.)
My house is ruled by ferocious tabby. We obey her commands.
@Lilacflowers, ha, I do the same! She is always around, luckily, as god knows where my handful of staff have skittered off to.
I manage my household with the “help” of a retired greyhound. He’s constantly making messes really but he’s totally adorable so it works out.
Maine Coons are the best cats ever! I had my ‘little’ 22lb boy for 14 yrs and still miss him. He was so manly with his David Beckham high ‘ah’ instead of a proper meow and each summer, he would get a lion cut.. he thought he was hot stuff when he got home.. lol still makes me giggle. And his job was to be the hunter of mice and boy was he good at it!
Why is Georgie being fed french fries? Does Wasty personally cut up the fries for the chef to deep fry?
No wonder the little bruiser looks plump yet malnourshed.
I also doubt that they only have 2 staff people. But even if they only have a housekeeper plus the nanny …aren’t they essentially two stay at home parents? Not exactly living the simple life.
Oh, I agree. I think cleaning Anmer Hall from top to bottom (and KEEPING it clean) would be a full-time job for a few people alone. Never mind the gardening, laundering and so on that goes on.
Do you think Normal Bill does the gardening even though he has no idea what bushes they have? And after hisAgriculture course!!!
Do you think W has a riding mower?
Megan, that visual made me laugh. If there’s a riding mower at Anmer, George will be riding it!
ahahah do you think normal Bill cleans the whole Anmer Hall? Do you think Waity does housework? They don’ t lift a finger at home! They’ve got hosekeepers, nannies (I’m pretty sure not only Maria) and the bodyguards are paid by the taxpayers to protect them, not to do shopping! They’ re using taxpayer’ s money so bad!
Well you may be “pretty sure” but it’s been widely reported over and over again that they have just the one nanny. How are you so sure about it? And Kate has done the housework and cooking since they lived together before they were married. I think it’s admirable they want to raise their kids themselves.
They had four staff at the four bedroom house in Wales including a cook and housekeeper. There was photo evidence that they had William’s former nanny plus a younger nanny during the time they insisted they had no help. That there is a night nanny for their daughter. Published that they have the London housekeeper (Arabella, the Italian one?) and that they hired another one for Anmer (job advertisement was published).
Nota: everyone conveniently forgets the christmas lunch they hold that caters to 30+ staff. One year, the restauranter was so excited he told media. At that point they were insisting on no staff at all except for 4 office staff, and it turned out they were hosting 27 staffers.
Or how about the non-existant staffers who quit eg the gardener and housekeeper? They were still insisting they had no staffers at Anmer when that happened.
LAK, their fans will always conveniently ignore/forget the facts if they don’t fit the fiction they prefer.
I’m pretty sure it’s been reported they have two full time nannies and one part time.
They also had a house manager and grounds keeper both of which quit this past fall and moved back to the Queens residence. The press made hints that there was some sort of problem between them and Carole.
I agree whatabout, they have 2 full time nannies ( 1 for Charlotte, 1 for George) and another one. But they need us to believe they’ re normal and they have only one, Maria. And they nearly have no house stuff. But it is a lie. They have housekeepers, they don’ t have a normal life at all
What about the hairstylist? (Kate’s; not William’s, obviously) is she full time? She was part of Kate’s entourage during their recent trip to India
They had a different baby nurse when George was a baby, but it’s only been Maria since then.
I wonder if the children’s real parents ever visit them, or are they too busy enjoying the hush money for selling their children?
What now?
They had a maternity nurse and a nanny for the first 3months with George. Are forgetting William’s old nanny Jessie who was hired straight out of the gate? She and Kate were papped a couple of times in the first month before they admitted that she was part of the team.
Further, Kate and baby were at Middleton Towers with a staff of their own that included a cook and housekeeper on top of whatever arrangements Carole has for herself.
That was all before they decamped to Wales, taking everyone with them.
Maria was hired when George was 8mths-ish. She had to figure out his routine with Carole’s help because she started the same day the parents flew off to Maldives for a ten day break without baby.
And once again they lump the luscious Gingersnap in with these two for no good or even truthful reason.
If all this spin was true, then God bless. But like you mention, who has any clue as to how William spends his days? Out of all the things he could/should be doing, giving baths and reading stories are probably not even close to the reality.
I agree about that. Harry does a lot that isn’t counted in the royal calendar.
I don’t get why so much of Harry’s work doesn’t actually count as work. Does anyone know why that is?
If all of Harry’s work was counted properly then his numbers would be much, much larger than William’s. And that is unacceptable. To William. Therefore, anytime William sticks his head out of his estate it’s counted. And Harry gets screwed out the numbers he earns.
I do not know why, particularly (where’s LAK??), but any work with Sentebale or Invictus does not count. Is it that they are private endeavours? I think when they have meetings with their own fund (which I know has funded Invictus; can’t recall about Sentebale), I think those meetings get counted on the calendars.
It gets blurred, but the idea is that Sentebale and Invictus are things he does personally not as a representative of the monarch.
I wonder if the reason they are not ‘counted’ is because press aren’t allowed/invited? It seems like they have used ‘private’ in other instances, with no photos released, like when Jolie/Pitts visited W&K?
Press have been invited to Sentebale events in Africa, the charity polo matches, and obviously Invictus wasn’t hidden under a media bushel. It is that these projects are done by him as personal projects on personal time vs. doing them in the name of the monarch. I’m not sure about WWTW, whether those are considered “personal interest” or representing the monarch.
William is such a great family guy that he ditched his family during his daughter’s first Easter to go to an ex girlfriend’s wedding on another continent. Yes, dads who prioritize their families over everything else always do that.
The third child talk is interesting though. If this writer is close to them, then we can expect to hear something within a few months.
He also missed George’s first trip to Mustique to go hunting with Jecca.
Really, a milestone no parent should miss.
The first family vacation to a place the family goes every year as family tradition? Yes, that is a milestone he chose to miss.
Did he make it up to her when they dumped the 8-month-old on the brand new nanny a week later, so the two of them could spend 10 days in the Maldives alone?
Family unit first, right?
Really? A baby’s “first Easter”??? Is that a thing? Charlotte will be forever traumatised by this.
When the father is claiming he cannot work a 40 hour work week, because doing so would damage his poor children because he’s so hands on? Then he turns around and missed the son’s first family holiday, they both dump the kid for 10 days of kid free beach time, and he misses the new baby’s first Easter?
He doesn’t get to have it both ways, at least for those of us who are paying attention to his games. He uses the kids as an excuse not to work, when clearly he has no problem being away from them when it involves fun things instead of work. Just as she has no problem spending much of her time on self-care (hairdresser, shopping, personal trainer) instead of taking care of the kids. But being away from the kids to work? Oh, the horror.
You can’t pretend to be family first when you skip major holidays with your kids to go to an ex girlfriend’s wedding. Will is a hypocrite.
And using the logic about whether or not kids will remember, then why bother getting involved raiding kids till they are about 4, when they will start to remember.
Well, Jecca’s marriage to her baby daddy had to be celebrated – that is worth more than having a supposed future King and “royal”, Georgie Porgie, being taken to any church service. What is more important to William the Weak: pining over a homewrecker who looks like a dog’s unfinished breakfast or ensuring the future (lol) Head of the Church goes to service? hmm.
Why are you insisting on the derogatory “baby daddy” nickname? They were legally married in Sept/October, several months before the baby was born.
I have read that she does not have a cook and does most of the cooking herself. I would be willing to bet she has someone do the clean up though. I think it was Diana’s old chef who said something about how they should have more staff, and he said Kate does the cooking. He also said she has her mother to help her. But I have a very hard time believing she actually cleans the bathrooms, and that place is huge. So I bet they have some cleaners along with a housekeeper, and one of William’s staff acts as chauffeur, butler and valet as needed apparently.
I bet that’s Kate not wanting people around all the time. William grew up with it; she didn’t. Plus it probably makes William happy that there are fewer ears who can leak information.
What happened to the Italian cook who has been with the family since first pregnancy?
ETA: they have over 30 staff. That doesn’t make Kate cooking mutually exclusive from the bajilion staffers, but i generally don’t believe she does ALL the cooking given that she’s had a series of cooks as long ago as the farm in Wales.
That’s a good question, LAK. I was under the impression the Italian cook was at Kensington Palace, but nothing has really been said since they decamped to Norfolk, has it?
There was a job description for the Anmer housekeeper published in some ladies magazine. It was essentially a job for 5 people.
My guess is that by ‘staff’ they are only counting full time live in. I know a woman who provides domestic services (not to the Royals) and she will attend properties where she and other people providing similar services will never see the owners but only deal with the housekeeper. However, because she doesn’t live in, she isn’t staff.
This is weasel wording. They may well have limited ‘staff’ but also have a daily cleaning team, someone to provide laundry services, daily gardeners etc.
Also, if they do have bodyguards (who for Will and Kate are taxpayer funded police officers) doing their shopping, they shouldn’t be (I suspect the police are actually shopping for themselves but are being used in the ‘so normal’ narrative).
So their bodyguards are actually police officers? It must suck to go through all that training to become a police officer…just to end up grocery shopping.
D, while I agree with you, it might not be too bad if you’re near retirement.
I was actually very surprised she sends the RPO’s grocery shopping. I would have thought they should be bodyguarding not picking out the best looking lettuce!
RPOs are effectively the UK version of the Secret Service. It is a highly trained, very prestigious post. It is most definitely not a job for someone nearing retirement. I don’t particularly like Will and Kate but there is no doubt they are terrorist targets.
Princess Anne’s RPO was shot putting himself between her and an armed kidnapper and that was before the current threat level.
Tia: RPOs are highly trained, but they aren’t secret police or its equivalent. They are a branch within metropolitan police that specifically protects diplomats. It’s called Protection Command and is available to anyone the govt deems worthy of such specialist protection.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protection_Command
Good catch Tia, I think you’re right, that it simply means the other staff doesn’t live with them full-time.
LAK, the Secret Service don’t just protect the US president, they protect individuals on a similar basis to the RPOs so I think the comparison is valid (and I certainly wasn’t suggesting RPOs are any sort of secret police). While RPOs are a branch of the police, your average newly recruited PC wouldn’t be accepted as a member. They get extra training, and my understanding is that a police officer has to apply and be accepted, it’s not just a normal job rotation.
Tia: i misunderstood what you meant. I read secret service police as secret police, the cliche kind that routinely terrorise their own populations with state sanction. Apologies.
You are right that they aren’t average policemen nor are they the basic kind. However, despite their extra powers and training, they are still just policemen.
Their division known as Protection command comes out of the London Police force better known as the metropolitan Police. They specialise in protection or bodyguarding which is why they get extra training on top of their police training.
But William and Harry have always had a tense relationship with the paps/press, no? As far as the move to the country, I could see Kate wanting that and Will supporting the idea.
When they advertised for a housekeeper, the online posting required the housekeeper to cook as part of her duties. So it’s true that Kate doesn’t have a full-time “chef,” but it’s false that Kate doesn’t have staff whose duties are to cook for her.
I grew up surrounded by maids, gardeners, etc. and now that I live by myself I don’t miss having so many people around, listening to what we discuss and being privy to every aspect of our lives. If I ever live in a big house again, I’d definitely have the minimum people around me.
They had four staff at the four bedroom cottage in Wales, including cook and housekeeper. No, they are not doing the majority of the household tasks themselves in the 10 bedroom mansion.
I personally think they are just flat out fibbing about the help, because they have to justify be waited on hand and foot, when a whole lot of folks are on the dole or can’t turn the lights on, or buy food versus meds, it is just one lie after the other to justify not doing the job of showing up and pretending to care, it will hit the 2 like a mac truck when HM dies and the monarchy wipes out!!
My sympathies on the loss of your furbaby, bluhare : (((.
I agree on your very important point: Kate probably does cook a lot, particularly for someone in her position. But I don’t for a minute believe that she is doing all the shopping, prepping and cleaning up – let’s face it, many of us would cook more if the unpleasant bits were taken off our plates. And if housekeeping and making a living requirements were not factors.
However if someone offered me the services of a fabulous chef, I would be all over it like white on rice.
They need to drop the whole “we’re doing it all for normal family life” schtick. There is nothing normal about their lives, never has been (for Will) and never will be.
Suze! Nice to see you back and thank you for your nice words too.
I’m not a cook but I do enjoy baking. If I had someone coming along behind me cleaning up my mess and washing my dishes, I’d be baking all the time. Kate’s so lucky that way.
And I agree with everything you said.
If you have the help, just own up to it. Don’t act like you’re just like the peons. A housekeeper alone would make life so much easier. This sounds like a way to justify why they don’t do more royal work.
No kidding. Everything deserves to treat themselves to a pool boy
Guess William missed that class on what is considered “normal” and the fact that he was born into a royal family. Nothing normal there – and never will be. You can pretend all you want – doesn’t change reality one iota. I hate to think what kind of king he may be – fortunately I won’t be around to see what happens. Maybe someone will come out of the woodwork and over-throw him? haha. And, sad to say, Kate has lost that “fresh look” – these are some of the harshest photos of her I’ve ever seen. Bags developing under her eyes and her face is just starting to look awfully saggy and jowly. And she is still in her 30’s. Sad.
I guess by “normal” he means “more normal” than how he or his father were raised. Mostly by nannies, and always in the public eye.
When William was young, there was endless publicity about how hands on Diana was as a mother. Harry has publicly stated that she was always physically there for them. Even though it’s all been excised from the public memory, at the time Diana said that Charles couldnt get enough of being in the nursery.
Yes, they had nannies, but so do George and Charlotte. Nothing wrong with it. It is what is done in their set.
Photo ops of the princes pre-divorce were highly controlled by Chuck and Di and not that common. William had LOTS of privacy growing up. It’s only as an adult that his life has been more public.
I do not believe William was raised any differently from how his kids are being raised.
+1 Suze
I am so conflicted about my previously rock solid devotion to Vanity Fair and it’s fact checking dept.
Their royal stories as written by KN are always fanfiction and it makes me question the veracity of their reporting.
They were threatened with a lawsuit with their fanfiction of Kelly Rutherford’s custody battle, but who can get them to stop the WK fanfiction??
I believe Kelly’s ex filed a lawsuit against them for that terrible peice. But the law suit is based in Germany, I think.
I know he did. The point being that i never ever doubted VF’s reputation for fact checking until they started publishing royal stories written by Katie Nicholls.
That’s not to say i completely believed every single thing they wrote, but i was inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt based upon their vaunted reputation for fact checking.
These royal stories that are blatant fanfiction, the Kelly Rutherford story, that Monaco Billonaire whi died in a mysterious fire that was blamed on his nurse etc…..
At this point, only Michael Lewis’s articles on financial instututions’ skullduggery and shenanigans keeps me a subscriber.
I completely agree. When I read that Rutherford peice I started to really wonder what was going at Vanity Fair.
Things have been very quiet on the Rutherford front, haven’t they? I found a March interview with SwedenwithLove blog, in which she spun spun spun. Perhaps the big US media have learned their lesson and are staying away from her.
I agree LAK, Vanity Fair hasn’t done a deeply revealing royal story in years. To think they had that amazing one, “The Mouse that Roared,” when Diana was finding her voice and starting to let the world know she was not happy in her marriage. That was highly quoted, now, this is like you say, fanfiction – super light, breezy, blah, blah, blah…
Mealtimes are hectic? With pots served straight to the table? Gag me with this “so normal” act. Plus, William’s helicopter job gives him a,sense of normalcy? Is that why he barely shows up for it?
The only thing believable here is Normal Bill flopping in front of the TV. I can believe he does that… Without it having anything to do with a job. It’s probably why he hates doing his job: It takes him away from his lazing around watching the boob tube. Sigh.
I’ve said it before. I think Willy has his own man-cave away from anything domestic including wife and kiddies. He watches TV, keeps the alcohol flowing and hangs out playing games with his buds and plotting ways to avoid real work.
“Right now it’s just a case of keeping a secure, stable environment.”
Err, wut?! They make it sound like they are raising a family in war time or in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. The sycophantic tone doesn’t make them sound relatable but more privileged than ever. The republic can’t be here soon enough.
“Right now it’s just a case of keeping a secure, stable environment.” For whom? William or Kate?
Some narrative. I want to know *what* is so unstable about their environment. They expect us to accept that as a given.
I believe they’ll have a 3rd child and that is why they did not go to Mustique this year. They may not have been trying to get pregnant this winter but they didn’t want to risk getting Zika. I bet they won’t be back in Mustique until after child #3 is born.
I never thought of that! Good catch!
I read that is why she pulled out of going to the Olympics- fear of Zika.
Kate is so clearly off the Botox and fillers, I just assumed they were already trying.
Interesting! She does look more wrinkly – I thought it was just haggard mommy face. you’re right, she’s just laid off the botox! I’d love to afford botox; I have BRF now.
That will be great for Harry is they do!
Does the part about the bodyguards being sent to do the shopping annoy anyone else? That’s not their job, it’s to protect the Cambridges. If something happened while they were out doing the shopping there would be hell to pay. Reminds me of when they were ordered to park the Middleton’s cars at Pippa’s book launch.
Officers with highly specialised training reduced to lackeys. They must feel proud.
Lackeys protecting lazies. Even more proud. 🙁
^This
Plus:
” …he is determined not to be in the same waiting role his father has occupied for decades…”
His father does not just wait along, like his wife did for 10 years. He did fill this time with work.
But we all know, what Wilhelm thinks of royal work *rolleyes*
Exactly! Charles may be waiting to become monarch, but he started the Prince’s Trust when he was in his 20’s after serving in the Royal Navy. He does hundreds of engagements a year and started the Duchy Originals line. He has always worked and that will serve him well when the Queen is gone. What have either of the Cambridges done, other than spend money and produce two children?
True or not, it reminds me of a story that circulated when the Queen called a meeting with fleet street editors to get them to back off pursuing Diana so that she could try to have a normal life eg food shopping at a supermarket without being chased by their photographers.
Allegedly, one editor suggested a solution of Diana sending bodyguards to the supermarket for her. The Queen allegedly told the editor that was a pompously absurd suggestion or words along those lines.
Fastforward to Kate and no one blinks an eye when such a story is suggested about our normal, down to earth Kate.
The body guard would have to go to the store either way. It’s probably a lot easier to just go by himself.
I remember that story! Yes, she asked why Diana couldn’t go buy sweets for herself.
That bugged me, too. How dare she ask them to grocery shop? It’s like your boss asking you to bring him coffee when it’s not your job. Do you say yes and feel humiliated or no and risk getting fired?
Never mind that RPOs are very well compensated and that the taxpayers are paying them for basically being gofers for part of their workday and not protecting the Doolittles. That’s such an incredible waste of public money never mind probably ticking off the RPOs!
Why not just have the groceries delivered? I have a feeling the local market would accommodate such a request.
And what if something happened while the RPOs were out shopping WITHOUT W/K? If someone was watching for patterns of behaviors, and sees the RPOs going off, that means fewer RPOs are on the grounds doing what they’re actually paid to do: protect the family! Can you imagine what could happen/would happen?! It buggers the imagination that this would even be allowed!
That annoyed me too. I have no problem with them sending someone else out for groceries, but that is absolutely not in an RPO’s job description.
If I were put in that situation I’d be picking out the worst looking produce I could find.
Ugh. They keep the staff small and make them do double duty. Didnt some of their old staff defect back to the Queen a few years ago? A bodyguard should NOT be grocery shopping for them. Who is he protecting, the cheese on toast?
And what is a “normal family”? Someone please tell me. I’ve never met anyone who describes their family “normal” (crazy but I love them is the #1 answer).
And William puts family first? Really, his family? Is he putting them 1st when daddy leaving his family on holidays to go to Africa for a friends wedding? Staying out drinking after the horse show his wife/kids attended and left? Throwing his brother (his kids loved uncle) under the bus anytime he wants to look good? What a family man. How normal.
Small correction though i agree with every word you’ve written.
The horse show and Polo were in different locations – counties that are at least 3hrs apart if he were driving which has led people to speculate helicopter usage to manage to be in both places over the weekend.
Also, the Polo was in the afternoon on both days. He was seen at the Horse trials only once. Therefore he probably spent a morning with the family at the horse trials before heading off to the Polo where he spent the night according to eye witness accounts, and that photo of him partying in the night at the polo party.
The second day of the trials, Kate was alone ie without William, and dressed differently.
Reminds me of the last season of Downton Abbey, when all the rich folks wanted Thomas to be chauffeur, butler, valet, and… I can’t remember, bum wiper or something.
I would pay to see a TV series with Thomas as their butler. It would be hilarious.
I’m rolling my eyes so hard it’s like having a slot machine at my own kitchen table. Firstly, if anyone’s cooking, it’s a housekeeper or Carole (especially when William is around). I think Kate lives on smoothies and salads. Secondly, I doubt William is around much and we know he’s rarely at work, so what does he do with his time? Surely they have a gardener/ groundskeeper to take care of the lawns, gardens, pool and tennis court even their vehicles. And what about the staff at KP? Surely they have staff there in case they have to make a London appearance and I bet Kate propably dumps her shopping and maybe even sees her hairdresser at KP. The Doolittles are simply trying to appear normal with the claims of little staff.
“I’m rolling my eyes so hard it’s like having a slot machine at my own kitchen table.” >>>>> HAHAHAHAH! I’m dying! I’ll be using this. It’s too good.
Glad I made your day, HH. Happy Friday.
They (Carole and Kate) may pick out recipes once or twice a month and cook something. I doubt they are culinary artists or even cook frequently.
Next we’ll hear that William dons coveralls and grows the produce (thanks to that bespoke agricultural program he supposedly took).
“I’m rolling my eyes so hard it’s like having a slot machine at my own kitchen table.”
OMG I AM LAUGHING SO HARD AT THIS!!!! What a visual!! Lisa, you win the comment section award today! TOO good!
So Kate found managing “a handful” of staff so difficult that she has her mother helping her? What is she gonna do when she’s at Buck Palace and hundreds of people work for her?
PHaksi, the mama runs interference between Chutney and Chopper, probably not much else, she is there for the sole purpose of keeping the marriage in tact that is her job !!!!!
Well, I guess I don’t need sugar in my coffee this morning! The level of denial is strong in these two. The issue is not that they want to be “normal” or whether they have a staff of 1 or 1000: they are paid by the taxpayers to perform jobs that they refuse to do. The BRF has a social contract with their “subjects”: they exist as an embodiment of a shared tradition, history and ensure a sense of continuity and stability. In exchange for appearing to be concerned/interested in the UK and Commonweath (through patronages, tours, etc.) and continuing traditions (e.g., handing out shamrocks on St. Patrick’s Day), they receive money from the taxpayers. If one side refuses to perform under the social contract, why should the other side continue to support them?
Well said.
You can play at being normal all you want, just remember to keep your end of the agreement. Sadly that’s not happening here.
If only they spent the amount of energy they do trying to spin and control the media on work they would get so much done- what I waste these Dolittles.
I really like the way you think, paddyjr. I totally agree with you.
Well, sadly, The Cambridges have failed in fulfilling their duties. Either they step up to the plate, or the line is drawn in the sand by the public who pay for them. It’s not complex.
Great post Paddyjr!
Other than his parents’ slowly dissolving marriage, what was so horrible about Will’s growing up years? The article mentions he doesn’t want his children to experience some of what he did.
I watched Wills grow up, and other than occasional photos from his bratty toddler years until Diana’s death (when he was deemed off-limits), I don’t understand what affects him to this degree.
I’m sure it was difficult to see his parents’ every move, mistake, affair and tampon comment splashed across the front pages of every tabloid. I’m not a William defender, but that, coupled with his mother’s death at a young age would have been hard, I think.
It is a caged existence for Mr. normal pants, i feel sorry for him in that way. I don’t think he is a terrible human but he is an idiot. Totally out of touch and have no brains to seek intellectual fulfilment or to take up a cause which he is passionate about. 1 out of 3 children born in UK faces poverty even though it is a powerfully rich country. He is a hypocrite who should stop whining and serve the people who pay for him and his brood.
When i was young, we had a chapter on Diana, i don’t remember it much except that i was touched deeply. Something which happened in Africa?? when she held a sick baby girl in her arms soiled by her own excretion. Later the sick girl asked a volunteer who the woman was, she was told she is a princess come from far away, the little babe looked thoughtful but said no, she is a fairy come for me. It was three months before she died. I remember all the class looking thoughtful by a woman who was dead. We were very young, this made an impression on me.
William, sadly, is nothing like his mother:-( where did Seabiscuit go? bad egg, this one!
I agree with all of your comments. While I wouldn’t like to be in such a fishbowl, i and so many others would take such joy in the power to do good simply by showing up. His life could be so fulfilling and meaningful if he would only stop feeling sorry for himself.
He does seem to focus on the negative instead of a more balanced view.
The wasted opportunities are what bother me as well. Diana wasn’t perfect, but she did seem genuine in her causes. That is a beautiful story of the girl she held.
It seems like W is trying to build a life for his kids that is the exact opposite of his childhood. Rather than go in the extreme opposite direction, I think he needs to deal with his baggage and find a happy middle.
That story above about the sick little girl who ended up dying and Diana touched my heart. She was a remarkable woman. We an only hope for Harry.
“a family unit. We are a normal family… Right now it’s just a case of keeping a secure, stable environment.”
Remember working parents out there. According to W&K you are failing to provide a normal, secure, and stable environment for your kids.
They’re so insulting, aren’t they?
This makes me wonder if W resented his parents heavy workload when he was a child. If his perspective was that they didn’t have to work, then perhaps he felt abandoned. Or maybe he came to feel that way after Diana died becuase she hadn’t spent her every waking moment with him. Regardless, if he feels he absolutely needs to be at Amner, then he needs to figure out how to do royal from home because his free ride won’t be endless.
A “heavy work load” for a royal is still less than 40 hours per week.
Nota they have a hundred people lined up outside their gate at any given hour to get a snapshot of them coming or going. We don’t know if there have been death threats etc from some crazy person. They are under scrutiny 24/7 and if that were me I’d be worried about my safety and my children’s. I don’t begrudge them having security.
Nobody begrudges them for having security, only for having all the privileges without giving it back.
Joannie, If that were true, then we should see the occasional pap shots of Kate taking George to nursery school, going for walks, etc. They’ve been at Anmer for close to 2 years and there have only been at most a handful of pap shots.
It is not about security as their “front gate” is on a private estate. The paps cannot get anywhere near it. Their ongoing ‘bash working parents’ / they cannot work without abandoning their children meme is insulting.
Their ongoing refusal to work for their perks has F*ck all to do with their children’s security.
Joannie: unless you are telling us something about the gates outside Anmer Hall, it’s simply not true that there are people hanging out outside KP waiting to take WK’s photos.
It’s also not true that there are people hanging outside KP for a glimpse at the royals.
How do i know this? I live very close to the park and use it almost everday. Considering it’s both a busy public park and most of KP is a popular public Museum with an equally popular restaurant / tearooms in the Orangery, it is relatively private and people aren’t standing around gawking or hoping to see royals. They are there to take in the historical tour or enjoy the park and move on.
I’m sure @Amandapanda, who also lives close to the park, can back up what i’m saying.
I think the secure and stable environment also refers to the press and paps intrusion. Which is absolutely ridiculous – they should be slowly teaching their children how to deal with it instead of hiding, as they won’t be able to avoid the press forever.
Their children are a baby and a toddler. A little young I would say to be teaching them how to deal with paps. And they do give back. We see pics of them all of the time being supportive of various things. Plus they have a long road ahead. Most likely we will all be retired by then pounding away at our keyboards still bitching about them. They are trying to live as normal as possible given their circumstances. It’s such simple thinking to believe that when they go to functions it’s only about them. There are many factors to consider. Security being only one.
This comment is just me going off on a tangent but what I think this is about is William feeling that he has been shortchanged in life. He has had a life of scrutiny; there’s no questions about that. However, he’s also had a life of incredible privilege combined with a very hands off approach especially after his mother died. It was not until he turned 21 (I think??) that he was not protected as he had been prior. There was a gentleman’s agreement that the press would leave him and his brother alone while they were growing up. And by and large I think they did. It was his own uncle who violated it by bringing a crew into St Andrews when William went to college there.
The phone hacking did not help; his parents going to the press to air their dirty laundry did not help. His mother dying did not help. However, my sister in law lost BOTH her parents in a terrible traffic accident that was not their fault at the same age as Harry was when Diana was killed. She has had to make her way in life, and she’s done so. Does she have some scars and damage as a result? Yes, she does. But she’s got a happy life with a child, career and husband. She wishes her parents were still here but she’s OK. Although she’d be the first to admit she didn’t have to go through it in front of the world, she’d also say there are things she had to deal with that William never even had to think about.
I think Kate and her family allow William to live this fantasy that he’s a normal guy. And I suppose as homo sapien men go, he is a normal guy. But he is not in a normal position nor is his lifestyle normal. But he wants to have his cake and he wants to eat it too. And he really can’t. And in my opinion, he shouldn’t. I think a person can be relatable without being a schmo. And so far, William isn’t relatable. But he isn’t a schmo. Do I think that’s what Kate and her family want? Don’t know. I can see how having a houseful of staff would be a bit unnerving if you aren’t used to it. But I also think that Carole Middleton doesn’t put all the effort she appears to put in just to make William cheese on toast at night.
Joannie look at the Sweish royal family as an example of how to get your kids used to the press at a young age. You think it’s healthy to keep them sheltered until 10 or 12 and then they have to learn how to deal with it? I don’t.
And fine, let them live a normal life. But then they can’t sponge off of the public anymore with two mansions, helicopter rides, unlimited clothing funds for bespoke McQueen clothes, etc. You can’t have it both ways. And I just read that 1 out of 3 kids in England are now born into poverty, so my sympathy for George and Charlotte, who will never ever go hungry at the end of the month, or not be able to go to a great school, who probably will never have any wish unfulfilled in their lives, is very limited. William has the life of the 99.9999999% and he needs to have some gratitude and stop whining and complaining about it because the public’s patience for entitled do-nothing’s seems short. And is getting shorter.
I’m not going to disagree with you because a lot of what you say is true. I will say this, I would not want his life. How do we know he feels short changed? He likes his privacy. I like mine too. I appreciate that my screw ups aren’t splashed all over the papers and that I don’t have to deal with bs written about me either. I also like to have my cake and eat it too. I am guilty of dragging my bottom lip around when I don’t get both. Personally I find William to be a rather serious and reserved individual which can come across as unrelatable for lack of a better word. I’d like to have his wealth but I don’t begrudge him for it.
It’s sad to hear about adversity in another’s life. I’m glad your sister in law is doing well.
Cry me a river, rich people. Entitled, supercilious rich people living off the truly poor taxpayers and whining how mistreated they are wiole giving *nothing* back. What misery. Yeah, they’re victims and should be pitied Rolling my eyes. How special.
Working for their perks does not mean a loss of privacy, either for them or their children. It means getting up and going to work a few hours a day while the kids are (secured and private) at daycare or with the nannies.
B: regarding that TV camera crew at St Andrews, Charles’s office lied about that. That episode happened at a time Charles was throwing everybody under the bus to make himself and Camilla look better.
Edward’s team followed the rules like everyone else, and left except for the team’s producer who had apparently booked an outgoing ticket a day later than the rest of the team.
He woke up to find himself a headline and accused of stalking William when he had done no such thing and had simply decided to take his booked train as already planned.
That episode was during a time Charles was using PR to throw everyone, his own family included, under the bus to make himself and Camilla look better to the public. It was the era of Mark Bolland. A man who didn’t hesitate to lie about other members of the family, including the boys, to make Charles look good.
Joannie: Only recently have William’s screw ups been written about. He has lived, and continues to live a private life.
Where mefia scrutiny is concerned, Harry is the one you should pity. That media agreement yhat was supposed to protect the boys as they grew up only held up for William. Harry wasn’t protected and until he turned things around with WWTW, Help for Heroes, Sentebale ( the past 3yrs) and Invictus, he was written off as a screw up.
“Hey guys, we only have two full time servants in our 10 bedroom mansion!! We are sooooo normal can’t you tell?” EYE ROLL of the century.
I cannot picture Kate cooking for herself, let alone for the staff, unless the staff lives from TV dinners. Or maybe this is Bill’s comfort treatment when he hard a rough day: Hungry man dinner and a marathon of reality tv because they are so normal.
This article is a propaganda fest, more of the “let them eat sugar” dose.
The few times she was papped at the grocery in Wales, the cart was filled with frozen dinners and pizza. Not ingredients for making homemade meals.
It boggles the mind. With their money I’d have a chef/cook. Philistines.
They did. They had four staff at the cottage including a cook and a housekeeper.
The pap strolls to the market were just that, pap strolls to show she was “focusing on being a housewife” so she couldn’t possibly go to work. That she was also papped three days a week in London while said to be living in Wales being a full-time housewife? That didn’t fit the narrative they tried to spin.
The book by Katie Nicholl gave quite a few examples of Kate cooking throughout their college years (I think it was her book Kate: The Future Queen,) she cooked his eggs and toast every morning for breakfast, she cooked for the dinner parties William hosted (he would buy the booze and food.) I think she did all this to land him.
OMG, such drivel. Expected more from VF. Sure, they’re just an ordinary family, just like us
It would take such little effort on their part-that’s what so pathetic IMO. How difficult is it to go out and take tours, meet people with a smile and a kind word and cut ribbons? They’re not be asking to do something difficult. With all the perks come responsibilities-and I truly do not understand why they don’t realize this.
Kate is a helicopter mum (like her mum) so wouldI bet she desperately needs to be with the kids 24/7 – wouldn’t mind assuming that doing royal duties gets in the way of helicopter yummy mummy. Probably why she looks so drained of late and not fresh.
She’s frequently seen out shopping, working with her personal trainer, at the hairdresser. She’s not with the kids 24/7/365.
She helicoptered off to the Maldives after George was born for a couple of weeks, leaving a new nanny to fend for herself. Helicopter mom? ROFL!
🙂 ROFL with you!
She helicopters in and helicopters out. Making sure the nannies are doing a good job.
Kate is a helicopter mum (like her mum) so wouldI bet she desperately needs to be with the kids 24/7 – wouldn’t mind assuming that doing royal duties gets in the way of helicopter yummy mummy. Probably why she looks so drained of late and not fresh.
Ive lifted sleeping babies out of warm cots on winters mornings to get to work – these two are so self indulgent im so sick of this whole – “wer working so hard to be normal” bs.
I wish these two bozos would quit. You can’t have “normal” and “Royal,” and it’s an insult to suggest they’re normal. FFS, you get to live in a palace! Embrace your weird life, because for all the downsides (well articulated by Harry when he said every female acquaintance is a potential wife with the media interest being what it is), there are RIDICULOUS upsides.
she looks absolutely haggard in these pics!
Another load of sycophantic drivel. Some of the press seem to be putting their kid gloves on again when writing about the Dolittles. If they cant stand the heat they should get out of their two kitchens.
You mean two new kitchens.
It is more like 5-6. At KP there is the family kitchen, the nursery kitchen, and the staff/formal kitchen. At Anmer, there is the family kitchen plus the kitchen for staff in the staff/security quarters in an out building. Nanny Maria may have kitchenette in her quarters too.
You know it’s times like this when I wish Chuck and Di had five more children after Harry. I mean to all gang up against W&K ;-)…. because as it is, Harry seems to be fighting the good fight alone.
I think a very important point is being missed in the comments:
In their own clueless, misguided way, I think they leaked this “minimal staff” information to subtly put it out there to the public as an excuse as to why Will and Kate “can’t” work more or take on more responsibilities! They’re so normal, y’all! They can’t possibly help underprivileged children because Will is too busy taking out the trash and chipping away at his Honey-Do List! And Kate can’t either! She’s cooking and cleaning bathrooms! SO NORMAL! Charities can wait when there’s vacuuming and dusting to be done!
I’ve thought the same thing, Rachel. Which is why I think they need to give it up. 🙂
A handful? Didn’t Kate and William have a Christmas party for their thirty staff a few years ago. I believe spoiled William changed the movie the staff chose because he already had seen it.
But… Workshy has an exquisite taste in movies, Twilight. Yuck!
LMAO
I imagine the Royal Family would love to go back to the days of tightly controlled, sparse PR well before weekly magazines and definitely before social media/internet where they could do what they wanted far away from the prying eyes of everyone, without judgment.
This dissecting of their lives is getting boring. I find them all boring. When will Royal Family & celebrity PR teams realise Less is far More.
There is a constant insistence on how normal they are which is something a lot of celebrities try to push to the general public. I’m just like everyone else. I’m so relatable. Don’t hate me because I’m just like you. Will and Kate are not the first couple to try and push this agenda. However, the idea that a 10 bedroom mansion with a housekeeper and a nanny is anybodies idea of normal in the UK where 30% of children live in poverty which means they sometimes don’t eat is a joke. If Will and Kate could experience ‘normal’ for a week in this country they might have a better understanding of the definition.