As we learned yesterday, the Duchess of Cambridge is set to become a “potent force” in post-Brexit diplomacy. And if you believe that, I have some invisible knickers to sell you. I understand the idea behind this – Kate is one of the more “popular” royal figures in Britain, and people hope that she can become the face of Britain’s conciliatory moves towards creating a good working relationship with European countries following Great Britain’s exit from the EU. But I just don’t think it’s going to work out that way. Especially considering that today is Kate’s first-ever solo trip to another country and even just meeting the Netherlands’ King Willem-Alexander seemed to overwhelm her. Did she not read the briefing papers?
For Kate’s Big Solo Trip, she chose a nice, conservative suit by Catherine Walker. I have no issue with the suit or the silhouette at all – Kate’s been wearing more straight skirts/pencil skirts, and it’s so much better than her flouncy full skirts that fly up at a moment’s notice. The pale blue color is nice too. I guess she wore the suit on her flight, because it seems pretty wrinkled. And look, she wore her hair back! *pats Kate on the head*
Kate’s first duty was lunch with King Willem-Alexander at his official residence, Villa Eikenhorst. According to the Telegraph, Kate curtseyed to the king, which is how it should be. After lunch, she’s going to an art gallery, a mental health conference and then a community project in Rotterdam.
A personal tour of the @mauritshuis permanent collection – featuring The Dutch Masters. pic.twitter.com/EoYt3whgIR
— Kensington Palace (@KensingtonRoyal) October 11, 2016
Photos courtesy of Getty.
I JUST saw these photos on the DM and thought Kate nailed it. Yep, said it. Would there be some things that I’d wear differently, yeah. However, that’s my style. For Kate’s style, she looked great! What I thought was very interesting, was that even though Kate looked the part, her body language does not. She has a very diminutive posture and mannerisms, which could also be due to how she holds her clutch. I hope she does enough work (in terms of getting out, making speeches, etc) to grow out of that. It would go a long way.
ETA: What I wouldn’t do to get a personal tour on the work of Dutch Masters… So awesome! I hope she truly appreciates that. I only took one art history class (not even my major) and I remember being enchanted.
For her height (although I don’t think she’s 5′!0 but certainly taller than me), I do think she could be more commanding. She could use her height (with heels) as an advantage, but she doesn’t. I don’t really get it.
I do believe the reports that she is shy (although don’t if I believe she’s “terribly shy”), so this job must be intimidating. However, it doesn’t get easier with a minimal work.
I’m short 5’3 and were I in her position my own status would make me secure and commanding. She’s meeting a Head of State, so she should be polite, deferential and secure she’s within her own little circle.
Good point about her position and status itself being a confidence-builder.
I’m short and the word “cute” gets thrown around a lot as if I’m a puppy (not “cute” as in beautiful, but “cute” as being like a small animal, maybe even a hamster) , so I’ve always viewed tall people as having an easier time being taken seriously. But, yeah, if I had her royal status, I think people would take me seriously no matter what, and that would make it easier for me to be appear commanding and less diminutive.
@HH – agreed. I never liked oublci speaking but the more I do it with work, the more comfortable I get with it. I still don’t love it but I am able loom beyond my nerves and instead focus on my goals.
Also, I have actually met Willem once (I work in international development) and he is indeed pretty easy-going: he easily struck up an interesting conversation with me. I also saw him work the room with ease.
@Kissen, Willem-Alexander is actually never referred to as Willem. It’s either his full name or Alexander amongst family or Willy to fans of LuckyTV.
Psht, he’s not Bertha 38 (look it up)!
I agree with your comment on her body language. I thought she looked a little like a shy child in the photos with King Willem looking off to the side for her secretary-parent to usher her back into safety, or maybe just a way out of the conversation.
How our government thinks Kate will be a diplomatic influence of any kind is beyond me. Whilst I appreciate that this must be nerve-wracking – her first foreign visit alone – she’s also a 30-something woman in a job which broadly requires being able to talk to people without looking like you’re going to bolt at any second.
I don’t think our government thinks that. I think her PR people put that out there to hype her visit. Once again, they don’t realize that putting out a statement doesn’t make something true, actions do.
It just bothers me, particularly here, because there’s no need to be nervous. She’s not making speeches. She’s not even having to entertain a large group of people. It’s her and Willem. He’s very interesting and by all accounts, very easy going.
Listen, I have a soft spot for shy people as a few people in my family are, bordering to the point of social anxiety. I also know, that they have worked to overcome this in certain settings and know their limits. I would feel better if Kate did this; knew where strengths and weaknesses are. So, if she’s not a big public speaker, that’s fine. Do more work elsewhere. Push girls athletics more. Push children’s mental health more. Just do more.
I think Kate and William are both lazy and are going to push it as long as they can. I think they are modelling their behavior/work after Kate’s statement on the Irish Guards ceremony. As in, they don’t want to up their work schedule because then you will be expecting that in the following years. They literally aren’t going to be full time royals until they HAVE to. I think we all know the morbid meaning of “have to.”
Shy – she wasn’t shy falling out of those night clubs with Wills
@HH, I do not think Kate is meant to be a Royal. The reason why she is today because she was persistent and wanted the “Royal life”. She doesn’t want to be a humanitarian, do charitable work and Royal duties, the reason why she does it because she has to.
@Kitty – I don’t doubt that she isn’t “keen” on this part of the royal life, however, I wish she’d put more effort into it. I think Kate just does enough preparation and puts in enough effort to make sure she doesn’t completely mess up. But there is a difference between not wanting to fail and wanting to the job well. It’s the difference between mediocrity and greatness. I don’t think Kate wants to be great, I think she just wants to be “not awful.” Same goes for William. Despite all that, however, even William has a way that he carries himself, regardless of effort or wanting to be there. William got this through a title. Others get it through life experience.
HH- Kate doesnot think that much – MY opinion- but in her public behaviour pre and post ring & post marriage she has shown no ambition to be her own person. She always wanted to be looked after. SHe said at the time of her marriage that she wants to model her royal role after the Queen mother and I think that has been her most honest moment ever, because thats all who she is…QM loved luxury, jewels (Maybe kate does too but for now she has to make do with cheap looking, over prived KIKI Macdonogh (?) earrings) and QM was also all about class, poshness , luxury and very very little work…so bingo thats Kate.
WIlliam chose an awful partner to be a consort…and Middleton have raised appalling children.
Kate does not possess a scintilla of a modicum of a particle of a fraction of the intestinal fortitude that the Queen Mother possessed. That woman was the very definition of a Steel Magnolia! Anyone who has seen the film “The King’s Speech” would know that, implicitly. Kate only WISHES she could come within a thousand miles of showing ANY similarity to my favorite royal of all time! Had she still been alive when William brought Kate “home”, the Queen Mother would have chewed that trick up and spit her out, POST HASTE. On another note, my favorite Queen Mother quote: (her household staff was comprised primarily of older gay men) “Will one of you old queens bring this old queen a gin and tonic?” (I still want to be her when I grow up.)
Clearly KM doesn’t know much about the QM if she thinks she was merely ornamental.
Due to her long life, most people only remember her in her retirement years when she was pampered and spoilt.
The QM forged that family into it’s current edition and was suitably engaged in behind the scenes work for Hitler to call her the most dangerous Woman in Europe.
In her retirement she worked little, yet still carried out more engagements than Kate has ever carried out.
Oh my gosh, she looks like a grown-up! Will wonders never cease …
I’ll even forgive the peplum and her terrible posture.
I likey the look but the nude heels are just *sigh*. Plus Kate isn’t one the of more popular Royals, she seems to be viewed as a WAG if you talk to someone who has an opinion – most people don’t as they don’t care about the Cambridges. Harry is a different story.
What colour shoes would you wear instead?
I am not good with shoes. I have black, brown and that awesome red colour (maybe it’s burgundy?) and that’s it. Literally 3 colours. I never know hwo to buy shoes so I stick with those.
Socks elude me as well. What colour socks to wear with Red (burgundy?) shoes? My have Cobb Hill shoes in that red that I adore, but what socks? I have a pair of a brownish colour I wear at present.
Perplexing.
Nude works fine with the outfit, it’s just the style that’s throwing it off. They look suede whereas leather or patent would have worked better. Black shoes would notttt go. Maybe silver but that’s a bit granny.
The suit is a block colour so she should have worn shoes that complemented the colour instead of those barely there heels but i guess she wears them with the misguided thought that they make her legs look longer. She looks barefoot from a distance. She should have worn a pair of the L K Bennet beige things (to match her clutch), they would have at least contrasted the block blue.
The style of shoe she wears is maybe from LK Bennett. If theyre not actually from that shop then they sell almost identical styles and these styles come in various colours. With that suit I would most likely choose to wear a navy shoe and if i could get the right shade of green then maybe that. These might not be the most adventurous colours but at least theyre not neutral!
At least they are suede, not patent!!
I hate the way she has matched her shoes exactly to her skin, so you can’t see where the shoe starts and her skin stops. The effect is pointy-barbie foot. It’s unsettling. Black would have been miles better. She isn’t good at fashion.
Black is too strong a contrast for the pale suit, imo. Navy clutch & shoes or burgundy, & please no patent for fall.
When viewed side by side in the header photographs, Waity and Shailene Woodley look like sisters. Waity looks like the desiccated, stick-up-her-butt sister and Shailene looks like the groovy Amish-styled hipster version, but yes. They look related.
Eh, not really IMO….Shailene is quite a bit prettier, younger, softer jawline and smile, Kate has almost an androgynous look with harder edges, thin lips with her ever present trademark wide smile. And personality wise not sure you could find two more different women. I guess they are similar in that they are white, female and have brown hair….
It must be me, but I think Shailene borders on homely, not pretty at all. I think Kate’s hard look comes from being in a loveless marriage, she is attractive but way over-rated !!!
I think she looks lovely and I’m glad to see her actually doing some work
Wow. Actually dressing professionally for once. Amazing. Miracles can happen it seems! Don’t even care about the wrinkled skirt.
I am not going to quibble over wrinkles. Wrinkles mean she was doing stuff and not just standing and looking pretty.
I want that suit. The colour, the cut. I want it.
Kate looks fine but I love the curator’s dress! The clutch/crotch clutching hunches her shoulders so it always looks like she’s freaked out and uncomfortable around people.
Did she sleep in that suit? She’s all crumpled.
And she needs a better bra. The suit isn’t bad but it all looks so messy.
Apparently, she wore it on a commercial flight from the UK…so, I suppose its understandable. she went straight from the airport and did not change.
Wow, I need coffee STAT!!! I looked at the thumbnail and the light sconces behind Kate looked like Pippi Longstocking type braids! Haha!! Off to the Keurig for me! 😀
OMG me too!!! That’s what I was getting on here to say! We are in the same boat, Donna!
Came here to say the same thing! And it’s nearly 2:00 in the afternoon and I’ve had plenty of coffee. 😂😂
I don’t understand her love for peplum wasist – they feature so heavily in her wardrobe (when she isn’t wearing a coat ‘dress’). I think the combo of peplum and matron bun ages her. But hey, at least I’m not seeing her hoo ha!
She’s really long waisted-I think she feels like it gives her more of a shape with a peplum.
She doesn’t have curves and is long-waisted, so the peplum breaks up her torso and adds a little definition.
Can you feel the potent force of diplomacy through your screens?
King Willem Alexander seems like a good egg. Anyone who would snap up the awesome Maxima has to have something going on.
I can practically feel my Brexit woes being washed away (I’m still so stressed about it)
Agreed. Kate could learn a thing or two from Queen Maxima!
WA’s or rather the Dutch Royal family’s wealth probably helped convince Max. Have you seen the jewels the DRF women sport? And Queen Bea was very generous to Max and other daughter in laws. Also Queen Bea and Queen Elizabeth are very close so WA might have been a helpful friend to have Kate do her “first” (in 5 years lol) solo visit!
Every Royal House is walthy beyond our imagination. Implying his wealth was the deciding factor for Máxima is presumptuous, especially since “Alex” took his sweet time in telling her his real identity.
But I do agree Princess Beatrix was very welcoming to ALL of her daughters in law. She seems to be a very kind woman who takes her sons’ happiness very seriously. Máxima became a Princess in her own right, too.
Maxima comes from a very well-connected family and she met WA at a party fully knowing there was a dutch royal there. He also did not take his ‘sweet’ time telling her who he was ..they very happily tell their story.
All royal houses are not rich by the way…DRF is unique as they own most of their jewles (the british RF on the other hand do not own the state jewels) and then there are the SPanish royals, also not as rich as the Dutch. The DRF also has an undiscloed holding in Shell (Oil co) and have a personal fortune running in billions.
Not that it takes away from the exuberant Max but having a bottomless closet and insane jewels does help no. 😉 Queen Bea though raised a happy family. Commendable.
She does not come from a well connected family. She’s not aristocratic or rich, she was at best upper middle class (I know this because not only did we attend the same school, we have people in common). In fact, she was the only daughter educated at our elitist school.
Is it just me or does he look like he should be Donald Trump’s son?
She looks off in these pictures for whatever reason. Also, I understand she has limited options with pulling her hair back while wearing the extensions. I think she should take the extensions out and do something with her hair that isn’t a low bun. The low bun doesn’t suit her very well.
Most Europans don’t care about monarchies, especially the ones that are in countries that are not monarchies themselves. Why on Earth someone thinks that sending the human embodiment of class privilege would somehow help Brexit is beyond me.
The Dutch king looks a bit like Donald Trump.
very apt description of her indeed!! she IS someone who literally made herself a doormat while chasing down her title (and man, but I think he was just a necessary evil) despite having it all…wealthy self promoting family, good looks, great education…she certainly didn’t waity for 10 years so that she could be a royal workhorse or to use her position promoting charities and causes that could actually help anyone…
Sending Katie Bucket abroad is probably more effective than suggesting jam is the export to save us all in a post-Brexit Britain. As – and I am NOT joking – the new Minister for International Trade did last week.
We truly are in a pickle (sorry, jam).
I think she actually looks ok here. Let’s just hope there are no tapes of her saying anything because that’s bound to ruin it.
OMG. Right now, in Parliament, they are debating the need for a new Royal yacht to promote trade. An MP just said a Royal yacht is “very important to the dignity of our country”. I effing kid you not.
PLEASE DON’T LAUGH AT US, WORLD.
ETA: Is Ben Ainslie to skipper it, or what?
Jam? You’re going to save trade by pitting your orange marmalade up against French and German jam? Report I found in a quick search says France makes 25 percent of the jam in the EU, Germany 14 percent. They don’t need the UK’s 9.5 percent, as they already produce excess for export.
Royal yacht? I thought we’d seen the last of that idea when Britannia was retired. Will W&K sail it off to Mustique and never come back? Could be worth it.
Nota – we can’t even grow oranges here and the pound has crashed so importing them will cost double. I am not joking about any of this, btw. These are actual ideas and plans espoused by actual MPs and ministers.
Brexit is being managed by General Melchett from Blackadder Goes Forth, I am telling you.
Willem-Alexander is an educated, smart, friendly person with a great sense of self-depricating humor. Please don’t compare him to The Donald.
He seems that way to me. He found a real treasure in Maxima, who often outshines him, but he seems to be quietly doing a good job in his new role.
The thumbnail header photo is hilarious because the sconce behind her gives her the illusion of Pippi Longstocking- style braids!
I love this look. She has stepped up her game. If she worked out a little to build some muscle she would look so much better.
Do Royals work out? Lol
ugh I would love to have this job. Travel the world, meeting dignitaries, doing humanitarian work, meeting and helping local charities all while dressing appropriately. Its the dream, yet she seems to be so meh about it 🙁
That’s my problem with her. She doesn’t seem t want to do all of those things. If you look at the pictures in the DM, she looks so awkward and nervous and off. She is not good with being a Royal at all. I thought she would have been a great humanitarian but I was wrong. This is so upsetting. I truly think this is not her path in life and got here because she wanted it for all the wrong reasons. It will not be fulfilling to her. Just like William who doesn’t want to be King and doesn’t enjoy Royal duties, I think he and Katw won’t be King and Queen in the future.
I’ve always wonder if Wills will pull a fast one when the time comes and not take the job, giving it to Harry. Wouldn’t that be something?
@L84TEA, I just have a weird feeling that something will happen to the monarchy when The Queen passes and it ain’t going to be good.
@Kitty – i have to agree with you that something will go down when Chuck takes the throne. He can be ruthless and i think that if the Cambridges don’t step up he will force William to step aside (and taking the kids as well) in favour of Harry, either that or William is at the centre of a major scandal that forces him out of the succession. Charles needs to ensure the Monarchy survives after him and at the moment it doesn’t look like it will past William, maybe George at a push.
They are signs that there is a wedge between father and son that is getting bigger every year, while i don’t think its all the Middleton’s fault they have certainly taken advantage of it to position themselves to be close to 2 future Kings, while Charles seems to be kept at arms length. The Mids are a close knit family, so close to the point they have seem to have made sure that his family are excluded.
@DIGITAL UNICORN (AKA BETTI), yeah and I think a lot of the Commonwealth realms will leave the UK after The Queen passes which will not be so good for Charles. Also William destiny is probably not being King because he doesn’t want it. Maybe it’s Harry’s.
Makes me upset Kate doesn’t want to be a huge humanitarian.
L84Tea, he can’t “give it to Harry”. The way succession works is, if William *refuses*/abdicates, GEORGE is next in line, not Harry. There would be a Regency put in place for George, until he comes of age. Then either he takes the throne, or abdicates. If George abdicates (w/out having children first), then CHARLOTTE takes the throne/or a Regency until she is of age. If SHE abdicates (w/out having children), THEN it would go to Harry. The line of succession stays in William’s line until there aren’t any more children to ascend the throne or pass it up.
IMQURIOUS2, if Will feels like being monarch I doubt he would want his kid to bear that cross. And how could he raise a monarch if he gave up on it? They will find a way to get George out of line of succession, unless he’s old enough to decide for himself if he wants the job
William has railed against his role his entire life. William cannot walk away, whining about how awful his life was, and leave the kids in line for the horrendous life of a royal. He’ll likely co-raise who hate the monarchy as much as he does. They excluded Edward VII and all of his future heirs. If the country wants William out, they’ll remove his line as well. Anything else would be too complicated.
@imqrious2, leaders of the commonwealth countries in the realms they can decide if they want Harry instead that it forces parliament to make a decision.
It was pointed out in a post recently that she has huge hands (opposite of Trump) and now I can’t unsee that. The suit is fine, but her sleeves tend to cut off high on her arm and make her hands look large.
Again though there is no point to her or the monarchy really. She in particular has done nothing in the past five years but be an expensive clothes hangar with clothing paid for by the taxpayer.
Aww, clever girl. Who’s a good Waity? YOU are!
For full points the suit should be ironed and she should be powdered to avoid that greasy forehead look.
hah! sad but funny because you are so right—she does as she’s told and always with maximum cost for minimal gain. new designer ensemble-check! upcoming luxury holiday-check!
Someone on twitter pointed out it looks just like that red suit she’s worn a couple of times. It’s identical except different designer and colour. Preferred the red, she does better with stronger colours.
She also has many blue coatdresses/suits. But she had to copy Angelina’s look this time http://media1.s-nbcnews.com/j/streams/2014/October/141010/2D274906970063-today-angelina-jolie-queen-1-141010.blocks_desktop_large.jpg
One of the royal reporters tweeted that the Queen’s secretary is traveling with Kate. It’s interesting that Rebecca Deacon is not there.
TQ has 3 and considering it was the most senior one that went with her it must mean that she’s finally being groomed in diplomacy as per her future role as Queen Consort. There will be a time in the future when she will have to act in a diplomatic manner and who else to teach her than a very experienced diplomat himself, Sir Christopher Giedt. As least its not Willy teaching her how to be diplomatic and explains why she’s styled as she is where there is no danger of her flashing the royal biscuit or fiddling with her hair. She’s been put in a position where she has no choice to act and dress appropriately.
Rebecca was also consigned to the backroom during the canada trip. That’s why the Canadian govt ladies and William’s Equerries were helping Kate with her walkabouts.
LAK, do you think that means Rebecca might be on her out? Or demoted?
After that Balmoral visit, methinks HM forced some changes. Only time will tell if it sticks. The Cambridges are known to revert to type after initial pressure has eased.
Interesting that HM may finally be showing signs of doing something about the lazy, inept elephants in the room.
Not true, I’ve seen pictures of Rebecca at this trip and she was also in Canada
Love the suit!
Can someone explain why anyone cares about what she wears? Is she a fashion icon to people, really? I find her incredibly boring in all ways. Help me understand.
Because if we dont talk about her fashion then there is nothing else to talk about, least of all her “work”.
Gorgeous suit. Also, great hairstyle.
I find it creepy that the Middleton women are using a design house made famous by Princess Diana. There are many other designers out there, why use the one her late mother-in-law put on the map?
I thought the crowds would be bigger. It’s only school children and other people. Can some explain this to me?
It’s a regular workday and Dutch people don’t give a flying rat’s @ss about Kate Middleton.
Looks like she got highlights in her hair. That or the wiglets don’t match.
I thought Kate passed on the 100 women in hedge funds to prepare for her trip, you know, early night and all that but now I think she was having her hair coloured. You could see grey roots when she appeared at the London Eye.
Its not the first time she’s skipped an event to get her hair done – she skipped the Irish Guards last year to only turn up a few days later at the charity shop event with freshly coloured locks.
I thought the 100women Hedge fund thingy is one that the 3 alternate such that Kate did it solo last year, this year it’s William and next year it will be Harry. Rise and repeat.
The 100 WHF was a three year deal which is now over iirc. The royals did nothing, but their three hand-picked charities received the money the 100 WHF themselves raised during that three year period. The royals just showed up at the evening event to collect the check.
Sophie is a new partner with them, in a different program to encourage young women to go into business and investment.
Perhaps Kate didn’t have her hair coloured? You see, there’s a photo at DM where she’s looking down to speak with an art student and I see grey hair. Regardless- Kate looked great on this appearance!
The blue suit looked quite sharp and her hairstyle showcased the beautiful earrings. Excellent look!!!
I’m feeling the potency!
She looks so smart and professional – much better than the awful pink floral thing. Don’t like the wrinkled skirt – the designer should know better and so should Kate and her ‘dresser’. Have you ever seen the Queen look wrinkled?
I think she needs to lose the clutch, it looks like a comfort toy
I like the suit on her, nice shape, the color is good. Would it kill her to put the beige accessories aside, though? They look bad with this suit. Honestly I do not get her sometimes. I would have added a brooch to this jacket, worn pewter metallic shoes, and carried a real handbag for a change. These little minaudieres seem as if they are not appropriate for daytime events. They are an EVENING bag!
She’s not shy. If you’re shy you don’t flash the world like she has in the past. She’s just out of her league and she knows it.
Posture is horrid as usual.
Hair – looks as if she’s got one of those “bump it” things on the back of her head and she looks ridiculous.
Vava, I agree that Kate is not shy. She plays at being shy because she gets to be babied when she does. Like she’s hoping that if she looks uncomfortable she’ll have an excuse to cancel. I too think she knows that she is out of her league and that her laziness is now coming back to bite her in the butt. She has been a member of the BRF for over 5 years now and incredibly, this is her first solo overseas trip. That is pathetic IMO. She should have been forced to do these trips much earlier as well as maintain at least a part time schedule (I’d say a solid 2-3 days a week since she has small kids and 5 days a week before that). Her being coddled has done her no favours since her work-shy reputation is now set but it seems the Queen has finally had enough. Only experience and preparation can help to build her confidence and then she would have no excuse to look out of her depth.
Half a day in the Netherlands and not one single quote. The Katie doll can walk, smile and wave. Comes with designer dress. Does not speak. Batteries are included. Not safe for children under 18.
Lol. You have summed her up perfectly.
Okay. I can see the appeal in positing Kate as a positive diplomatic influence in order to forge better ties with the remaining EU nations. She is, in all of its essence, a completely neutral figure. She doesn’t incur any controversy that would hinder diplomacy, doesn’t seem to have any of those pesky political opinions (or at least doesn’t express them in public), and lbr, she has the capacity to cut a fairly decent figure when her clothes are on point. To the lay observer, the presence of a relatively pretty, considerably bland-yet-smiley individual who manages to look somewhat engaged at first glance is going to go a ways in softening up the image of Britain.
Will it work in the long run? Probably not, especially since anybody bothering to take a closer look would realize that Kate really isn’t interested/comfortable in being there. But I’m talking more about the folks who aren’t as interested in celebrity/RF gossip, who don’t exactly keep up with the minutiae of these things. For them, as far as their cursory impressions go, she’s alright. -shrug-
Of course, the frustrating thing about all of this is that there is an incredible amount of potential for Kate in this regard. Her position is eventually going to be one where she’s a figurehead that’s above politics. I can totally see her using that potential to actually be a uniting force in some way, or at least to give a small start in that direction. It might take some more thought and planning, and a much bigger effort on Kate’s part, but it can be done.
You and I know it won’t be done. Kate is not comfortable with all of this. People would take her seriously if she took her position seriously and was a great and influential humanitarian. After 5 years, I am still waiting for that to happen.
That’s an assertion I’d rather not make, honestly. I have zero investment in Kate, and less likely people have surprised me in the past. At any rate, I’m not entirely sold on the whole angle that royals make for “great and influential humanitarians” anyway. We’ll see is all I am gonna say for now.
Well Diana was an influential humanitarian.
Diana’s influence as a humanitarian is…kind of debatable to me. There is absolutely no doubt that she was a kind soul, and that she sincerely cared about those less fortunate than her. But in speaking to people who witnessed the entirety of her marriage and its subsequent meltdown and the War of the Wales’, her legacy is incredibly tenacious. She deserves a lot of sympathy, sure, but there was a lot of criticism of Diana at the time (and perhaps today even) that would pale in comparison to the criticisms made of Kate. In many peoples’ eyes, she’s largely known for her marital troubles as much as the humanitarian side. Don’t get me wrong, I like her and I wonder what she would be like if she were alive today. But other people have been far greater and more influential humanitarians than she has.
At any rate, if you honestly want to compare Diana to Kate, I’ll say this: Kate may be as boring as wallpaper paste with an exhibitionist streak and a lazybones to boot, but at least she keeps herself out of a lot of the more substantial trouble the RF has found itself in in the past generation or so. She’s no more or less terrible than some of the other folks who are in the RF. People have a way of airbrushing history such that they only remember the rosier bits. At least she and Willy haven’t wished for the other to be a tampon (Charles), openly lied about attempting suicide in a authorized biography of their life (Diana), been caught sucking on the toes of someone they’ve been having an affair with (Fergie Ferg), or been dogged by persistent rumours regarding their associations with a known child molester (Andrew).
Royalty is only ever dignified when taken at its face value. Dig deeper and you’ll find a lot of muck that’s been carefully and gregariously covered up to preserve a lot of reputations. All of that almost makes snatch scratcher Kate look angelic. As long as she stays far away from some of the more shadier scandals, I’ll reserve my harshest criticism. She’s boring and lazy and a waste of money, but at least she’s never genuinely hurt anybody or set out to do so using her privilege in the ways some others in the RF have. That’s a plus for her in my book. (WILLY on the other hand…)
Charles conversation was a private, stolen, and never meant for public hearing. Her shopping for bedroom toys, naughty costumes, and genital pasta is public record. Her being nicknamed Middlebum for her love of flashing her naked bum out the window at boys at school, so often that the staff had to order her to stop doing it. Her wearing playboy bunny ears to the premiere of a movie about her favorite bedroom toy. You’d think she’d know a bit about mail order shopping!
Reeling Tanna in then smacking him with lawsuits and yanking his chain didn’t hurt him? Getting a guard fired because he told how much of a b*tch she is to staff? Lying to paraolympians because getting a topless tan was more important than honoring them? Co-filing the report in France that cost people their jobs? Telling people that in essence, if kids came from loving homes they wouldn’t have mental health issues?
I see harm.
@A, Kate path was not to be a Royal at all.
@notasugarhere, I think it’s intriguing that you (correctly) classify Charles’ conversations as private, but somehow don’t extend that same definition to Kate’s “shopping records” which were by and large from her years prior to her marriage to Willy Will, when she was arguably very much a private citizen and not a public figure. 😛 I agree that it shows a remarkable lack of discretion on her part, but the point I was trying to make was that very, very few of the members of the RF seem to care very much about discretion when it comes down to it. Charles never needed a stolen conversation to show how much of a cad he was. They’ve been splashing their woes on the pages of tabloids and flashing the paparazzi for decades now, and I would still say that Kate squeaks by as someone who is comparatively tame, at least for now. Who knows whose toes she’ll suck on in the future though.
Also, can we please not discuss something like the “Middlebum” incident? She was 13 at the time. I’d rather not discuss a 13 year old’s proclivity for flashing, regardless of what they become as an adult. There’s plenty of fodder from Kate’s adult years to use to in this regard to sufficiently illustrate your point.
As for Kate hurting people–would you want to keep someone on your staff if they were calling you a bitch to everyone else you were employing? And you really don’t want to hear about the RF wrongfully firing or mistreating their employees. That’s a legacy that goes back as far as the Queen Mother. Dropping people like hotcakes for “wronging” them on tenuous evidence is one of the things they do best.
As for Tanna and the report in France, you can bet that Willy Willcakes has a bigger hand in going after the press than Kate does (she can’t be an exhibitionist who also hates seeing her name and picture in the tabloids). I will agree with you about the Paralympians and her comments regarding mental health, but if you want to hit at Kate, you gotta take Willy down for the Paralympians thing as well. And it’s not as if Harry hasn’t put the wrong foot forward when addressing mental health issues either (using the word “weakness” during a discussion about depression for instance).
None of this absolves Kate of blame, because lbr, she’s stupid as all out for a lot of the things she does, and it’s clear that she never has an equal voice in the discussions regarding her public image (likely because she doesn’t care and entrusts everything to Willy). But when I say she doesn’t hurt anyone, I mean that she never consciously goes through the effort to use the press in a malicious way to assassinate another individual’s character. And she doesn’t use her position and her privilege to shield herself from her financial woes, or as a cudgel to silence victims of sexual assault for her own protection. She’s not boorish. She’s not openly rude, and she’s never shouted at someone to just, “Take the f***ing picture!” She’s not an egregious snob in the way Princess Margaret was. She’s not an overbearing individual who gamed the system to maximize her own power and standing like Earl Mountbatten (speaking of social climbers) and the Queen Mother. She’s not a spoiled, coddled little brat like William and Andrew, who were given far too much leeway in their upbringing, and it shows.
She’s dumb. She doesn’t read briefs. She doesn’t have opinions. She doesn’t care. She’s thoughtless and childish and doesn’t understand consequences. But from what I can tell, it’s highly doubtful that she’s maliciously manipulative in a way that’s so common in the RF. I can’t predict the future, and for all I know, she might pick up a thing or two down the line, but for now, I’ll take her bland statements about art and her stuttering speeches and her flashing over literally anything any of the other members of the RF have done in their worst heyday. If she keeps herself out of some of the more serious trouble, I still think she has the opportunity to improve and become better adjusted in her position without some of the shadier scandals that still haunt the others.
Suit and hair lovely, very appropriate. Looks like wool crepe, that wrinkles. But otherwise, suitable and pretty.
Lengthen the skirt and this is the same outfit Angelia Jolie wore to meet Queen Elizabeth. Kate Middleton SWFing again.
Nota- I posted the link here and then read your post !
Kate is a copy-Kate 😉
But What is SWF??
Reference to the movie Single White Female, where one woman obsessively copies another.
Post disappeared. It refers to the movie Single White Female in which one female character copies everything the other one does.
She certainly looked the part today – nice suit, hair up, decently covered and no flashing. However there is always something lacking in Kate and I think it is due to her posture and body language. I don’t think she is shy but I do think she is out of her depth. It is good that someone from Buck House was with her today. If she had had that type of assistance from the start she might be more comfortable in her Royal role. That, of course,is the fault of Whiny and his insistence on doing things his own way. It’s a pity that Maxima wasn’t there today. It might have done Kate some good to talk to someone who seems comfortable in public and appears to balance family life and royal duties effectively.
This was announced a while back but after it was known that Max will not be in Holland.
Max would have outshone Kate so spectacularly without even trying. If she was there, Kate would not have done a solo visit for sure.
Maxima is at a UN microfinance event in Argentina.
I agree @cerys there is something lacking in Kate….there just doesn’t seem to be much of a “there” there as far as being a public persona. Even though KP tries to convince us she is so keen and studying up on mental health research, etc.
But even if she had it in her to be more of a formidable person, her relationship with Will probably nipped that in the bud long ago. He’s a notorious underachiever with a bad attitude. And she made her choice long ago to throw her lot in with him, and basically put her life in a holding pattern for years until he deigned to become betrothed to her.
Did she get a spray tan to be orange in honour of the Dutch national colour?
I dunno about the suit, but she looks like Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast in that homepage thumbnail photo!
Queen Máxima is in Buenos Aires in representation of the UN. This is her first official visit since becoming Queen Consort.
What I really, really want to know is what *does* she keep in those clutches she keeps perma-pressed to her crotch? A tiny hot water bottle for cramps? 20 Richmond Menthol? WHAT?
Here we go. There is NOTHING that makes me more angry than Chutney’s pathetic attempt to act like she cares about art. As an art curator who would die for the types of resources she has at her fingertips every single day, I simply cannot condone her absolute apathy and tepid disinterest in something she claims to be “passionate” about (see also: mental health). Yes, we all know her art history degree was so she could chase William around at university — but talk about missed opportunities (see also: only making time to visit the spectacular National Portrait Gallery, of which she is patron, when her own face is up on the wall). I have said this before, but a friend of mine was a curator for the Royal Collection for a number of years after William and Kate got married. Despite it being one of the most impressive collections of artwork in this country, she said Kate never ONCE stepped foot inside the Queen’s Gallery to look at a single painting. I cannot with this woman. She needs someone to inject her with a strong dose of serious purpose and passion in life, or else I think she should just step aside!
I am not an art curator but I like art and especially paintings.
Having access to superb art like Kate I would just stand in front of it and admire.
Then I would try to copy it.
Then comparing my smearings and the masterpiece I would notice that I am no good at painting.
And then I would understand that that painting I tried to copy is even better than I had thought at first.
But Kate? She doesn’t really seem to enjoy anything or be interested in anything except holidays and clothes/shoes.
BTW. does her face keep changeing?
I’m telling you her being a royal is not her path in life or her destiny.
I wonder how many palmists are scrutinising her open handed waves this week
Kitty, having money and fame are though!!
Well, it makes you wonder how much Kate must have tackled down her own desire and psyche to make it through history of art. From experience I know how hard it is to study some subject for years if you aren’t really interested.
And I can’t imagine William to be as interesting as history of art, actually.
@msthang, I can’t agree with you about the money part. The BRF isn’t exactly rolling in the dough, trust funds aside. If they had a referendum tomorrow and they became a republic, I’m fairly sure they’d find themselves in a similar position to a lot of the aristocratic families. Rich in estates perhaps, but poor in cash.
As for fame–perhaps what you’re getting at is notoriety. But even with that, someone who wanted fame and attention so badly would surely try a lot harder to be in the press? Even if it’s for a boring engagement or another round of flying skirt shots? Why stay locked up at home with two kids and throw a fit every time the paps take a photograph if fame is what she wants?
I think she wanted the position. Marrying into the RF puts a commoner family like the Middletons into an entirely different league to all the other aristocrats that have hung around for generations. It gives them legitimacy. I can’t imagine that the rest of the aristos ever really appreciated the new money Middletons. And what better way to get back at all those stodgy old ossifiers than to marry into the one family that outranks everyone else’s? It’s an automatic win.
Chutney only became an art history major because that was Chopper’s major, she probably never cared for it to begin with. She probably would have changed it to Geography which was what Chopper changed his to when he got bored with Art history, but it would have been a little too obvious !! The truth is she doesn’t give 2 cents about anything but expensive clothes and her own image !!!
I can’t agree with you about the art history major. That’s exactly the kind of soft major that all the girls descended from aristocratic or rich families take before primping themselves up for another decade of husband hunting. It gives them the opportunity to cultivate enough culture without having too many fanciful aspirations of actually making something of their lives. Other applicable careers in this department include journalism (usually by writing fluff pieces for lifestyle magazines), interior design, becoming a nutrition/fitness/wellness blogger (usually without any of the necessary qualifications required to give any sane human being dietary advice), photography (which Kate did and apparently still continues to do), or some other similar kind of “artsy” major that they usually wind up doing nothing with for the rest of their lives except to use as a talking point.
She looks very pretty and was a huge hit in Canada. So genuine and down to earth.
Kate curtseyed to Williem. Hidden by a bodyguard though.. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-37623094
That miniscule bob was supposed to be a curtsey?
That’s not the correct way to do it. CP Mary almost kissed the floor when receiving WA and Máxima on official visit to Denmark, and they’re very good friends.
Oh well…
Nice that Kate flew with the “common folk” on a BA flight.
Saw the video. Yep she is not shy just not used to interact with people out of her league, AND not interested at least for the others. In a second with the king she seemed lost there looking around for comfort. I do that when I want a way out. I usually sneak out of events as soon as I can but I duchess am not so nobody notices me and besides I have accomplices usually
Agreed.
Kate usually looks like she doesn’t know why she is there or what exactly the purpose of a visit is except for shaking hands and exchanging meaningless small talk. I really believe that the latter two are the only thing that Kate is sure about on a royal visit.
In contrast Diana made sure that people felt blessed when she visited them and Diana had something genuine. But if you can knuckle down studying history of art despite having no interest in the subject but only in the future king attending the same classes … then you can suspect that Waity Katie no longer knows what real interests are.
Maxima makes people feel welcome and people are happy to have her around. I am also glad that Maxima isn’t some starved stick-insect but she is real.
I think they should just get rid of the whole “handbag” pretense. It’s not like she needs her license or house keys, or that a retainer couldn’t carry extra powder and lipstick. For god sake, she’s a royal, not a businesswoman at a networking event. Get rid of the awkward clutch!!!
I’m American so I don’t bow to anyone. I have no respect for royalty and I don’t consider her to be royal, either + her fashion is horrendous.
The way the camera angle has her, standing in front of that light fixture, it looks like she has braided pig-tails that are curling upward like the Wendy’s logo. When I first saw the picture, I glanced too fast and thought, “what on earth has she done with her hair?”
The lead-in picture on the main page looks like she has Pippi Longstocking braids sticking up in the air. LOL I had to look twice.