As we discussed last week, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have never attended the BAFTAs together, which is weird because William has been president of the BAFTAs for years now. As it turns out, William doesn’t like attending the BAFTAs. I know this because he goes out of his way to avoid the awards show. He skipped out on it two years in a row, just like he skipped out on the pre-BAFTA reception HELD at Kensington Palace for two years in a row. Anyway, last week there was a story that William was beefing with BAFTA producers because our galant Normal Bill just wanted to bring his wife to this year’s BAFTAs, only producers were allegedly saying that Kate shouldn’t come because she’ll steal focus from the stars. Yeah. BAFTA producers shut that down and magically, Bill and Cathy will be attending this year, officially now.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton, will attend the 2017 BAFTAs next month. William, who has served as president of BAFTA since 2010, and Middleton will walk the red carpet at London’s Royal Albert Hall and attend the awards ceremony, according to a release issued by BAFTA on Friday. The duke will also present the BAFTA Fellowship, the academy’s lifetime achievement award.
“The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are fantastic supporters of BAFTA. We very much look forward to welcoming Their Royal Highnesses at the EE British Academy Film Awards,” said Amanda Berry OBE and Chief Executive of BAFTA. The ceremony is scheduled for Feb. 12.
The announcement followed a story published in the British tabloid The Sun this week that claimed drama behind the scenes. The story asserted that Middleton, who has not previously attended the glittering awards ceremony, was unwelcome by BAFTA because the academy feared she would “outshine A-list actresses.” BAFTA has called the claims in the article “nonsense.”
The ceremony will be hosted by perennial host Stephen Fry and will be broadcast on BBC One.
Hm… methinks that the whole “Kate will outshine the real stars” story was some kind of plant to deflect from whatever was really going on. I’m still not sure what that was. Like, William absolutely had to attend this year’s BAFTAs. He couldn’t skip out for a third year in a row. That much I know. But why all of the drama about whether Kate would attend? Was that some sort of fuss to deflect from whatever is really going on behind the scenes? Is BAFTA trying to push out William? God, I hope so. He’s totally useless.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Pacific Coast News.
She is thinner than ever.
And that won’t change until her maybe third pregnancy.
If she keeps going around that thin, she’s not going to *have* a third pregnancy. Her periods will just stop.
@GOSSIP PHD, I just was thinking the same thing. Not so much in the gown, but in that green suit – YIKES – rail thin.
I’m looking forward to hear Stephen Fry’s opening speech more than to see their shining lazy asses.
“shining lazy asses.” Hee! Poetry!
Well there is that story in the Fail yesterday about them building their own wall around KP – cause u know privacy in an already private area and all that.
The big question what is Big Willy REALLY desperate to hide? I think he’s desperate to hide how little time he spends with his family.
You know that Kate wants to go but he won’t let her as she get the press space and he doesn’t, which is just what the Middletons want and Kate loves the press attention – always has.
Yeah, I read the comments yesterday – the DM people are not amused that they have to pay for that.
I wonder if they published the Diana-statue article because of the negative commentaries on the Charles and Wills/Kate articles.
Wait, what? Wall? Tell me, Betti. I won’t click on the Fail.
From the photo’s it doesn’t look like a wall it looks like Leylandii, a fast growing monster that will screen them completely in an apparently already private garden uh?
Leylandii are banned in my village! We have loads of old native trees all with preservation orders and you’re not allowed to plant any tree not from an approved list!
Frisbee/Sixer: the leylandii hedge is actually co-opting a field outside KP that is not close to their apartment. They are building it along Kensington Palace Gardens road. A field across another road from the Gloucester apartment.
Sort of like putting up a fence at the far end of a field across the road from your neighbour’s end terrace house while you live in the middle of the terrace. How it affords privacy for you (WK) remains a mystery since you (WK) remain exposed to anyone who wishes to walk in the park directly infront of your house.
It’s bemusing that they are building a fence in their neighbour’s field to keep away the peasants and making the peasants pay for the wall…..now where have we heard that before?
Can we not just co-opt Tim Peake’s second journey into space and make them King and Queen of the International Space Station?
I suppose that would be unfair on the scientists.
Here is one of the photo’s thats in the article: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/01/28/11/3C96095700000578-4165886-image-a-3_1485602952730.jpg
And its been confirmed by KP that us peasants are paying the £20k+ for the pleasure of their not needed privacy. These tree’s can grow upto 60ft and I imagine that none of the other residents have been consulted about this – apparently its in line with security arrangements in other palaces. Hmm, i always thought KP was very secure, seems to be safe enough for other family members.
I used the term wall as its befitting these two and their obsession with keeping the nosey peasants and media away from their precious little family. I guess thats one thing they have in common with Emperor BF – their hatred of the press and the outright lies, sorry alternative facts, they have told.
Betti: once those trees grow, it will be a wall. Here is an example of how wall-like they are at full growth
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/ff/95/3e/ff953e7e842f11efa4f9bf2fc1bbf4bf.jpg
Constant vigilence is required to keep them in check.
The wall will block the Gloucester’s view completely. Ditto any residents at the front of the Palace facing it. Meanwhile, WK at the back of the Palace will not be affected at all unless they decide to build a similar wall along their own garden.
@LAK – Give it a year and thats exactly what that row of trees will be like. What next, a moat and a dragon (her name be Carole)!
All hail William, Lord Commander of the Bush!
Wait a minute. That hedge doesn’t even face their own apartment? What’s it there for?
Why not just throw down some kudzu? Instant wall of green. All over the whole country.
I think if she really wanted to go, she would have gone in the past. She’s only interested in athletes and yachtsmen.
I was always under the impression that she loves meeting all celebrities. Remember after their first Canadian tour, they insisted on flying to Los Angeles for some fake event and, I recall Cannot being photographed with J-Lo and others.
Chrissy: She always lights up around celebrities. A journalist writing about the Chinese state visit described her as ‘suddenly lighting up with girlish glee’ on meeting Jackie Chan. And we all see the difference in demeanor when she meets celebrities.
Chrissy & LAK, that’s always been my impression of her, as well, so why isn’t she uber involved with BAFTA? Is it really that Will despises the event and would hate it even more if she accompanied him and sparkled? (To the extent that she sparkles)
I would think almost everyone would react that way to meeting a celebrity, not just her.
I keep hearing people say that but I don’t see it. She not only hasn’t attended the BAFTA awards but she also doesn’t attend the gala dinner they usually have the night before.
As we all see, she barely attends events by herself. If William doesn’t attend these events, she doesn’t attend. She sparkles when she meets these people. Her demeanor and or expression is rarely the bored, polite expression she employs at her usual gigs. Not Ben Ainsley levels of glee, but getting there.
Well I guess by keeping them secluded he’s keeping them relevant. Who’d even care about bland Bill and frumpy Cathy if they were more accessible, their complete lack of personality and no interest whatsoever in the world around them other than shopping, hunting and skiing would soon become very apparent and the people would go all “meh” on them. And I’m sure William’s ego wouldn’t like that. But by going all hush-hush super secretive with their ‘private life’, he keeps the public guessing. As in, surely there must be more to these two than meets the eye? Yeah, right!
I wonder if it isn’t just privacy but fright re terrorism. I don’t think it is a secret that the BRF have always been a tempting target. And they were burned in France when she was caught sunbathing topless (and more, although the photo was fuzzy) and while I don’t support the pap who took the photos with telephoto lens, it is also true that by that time, she should have known better than to be anywhere outdoors topless (or wearing flimsy unweighted skirts in high winds). Sorry, Katie, but all that wealth and privilege does come with a few sacrifices . . ..
I would have more sympathy if terror concerns were a part of it if they just didn’t handle everything so badly – instead of looking like concerned parents, they look like beneficiaries of the public who despise the public. I wonder they don’t ever figure it out. Do you suppose they are really that stupid?
You guys know them better than I, but when I read about the wall I thought “abusive behavior,” specifically isolating the victim. I am not an Kate apologist but sometimes I feel he is trying to keep her away from everyone and everything.
I don’t think it says much of William that he chose a family that’s essentially beholden to him for their status and that he’s so comfortable with them arranging their lives around him and his needs.
TheOtherOne: interesting theory.
It would be the perfect setup for when he throws her under the bus to get out of this marriage. He is not the brightest crayon in the box, but with Charles as a father and Phillip as a grandfather, I am sure he learned a thing or two about being cold, underhanded and vicious. And what I have learned from this blog is he does not like being bored or outshined. It’s 2-0 now.
TheOtherOne:
Ugh, that’s a frightening theory, but it actually makes a lot of sense when you consider that she worked hard to be a “princess” and it doesn’t really add up that spends all her time avoiding “princess-y” events where she can where royal jewels and stepford-smile for the media.
But first step is usually isolating them from family and he has done the opposite, despite the fact that he could have justified a lot with protocol, traditions etc (like not spending the holidays with her family but with the queen). The royal life can be terrible isolating and difficult which would have benefited an abuser, but he went out on his way to keep her strangely close to her family- not an abuser move.
Lena:
I think there’s more than one profile of abuser, and these aren’t exactly normal people anyway. It’s not like her family is looking out for her best interests. They structured her entire adolescent life to land him as a husband. He’s definitely petulant and controlling. I don’t think anyone disputes that. What’s confusing is that Kate would probably relish begin arm candy at fancy soirees, and it wouldn’t take much for him to generate good press for the both of them with a few well timed appearances at charity events in designer apparel and fancy jewels. So clearly he is the one putting the kibosh on royal appearances, and Kate has no say in the matter but still takes the criticism for it. One could define that as abusive.
@lena – he hasn’t isolated her from her family, its the opposite. She and her family has isolated him from his – his pissy behaviour toward his father, brother, grandparents and the rest only started when the Middletons sunk their hooks into him. The strains with is family became very apparent when they got back together after the 2007b split – whatever issues William had with his father the Middletons exacerbated to further their own agenda.
I would have thought there would be some sort of preservation restrictions against building this ‘green wall’ where none existed in the past in association with this historic palace.
And I love how they still refer to Kate as Middleton. I find that interesting.
If your public life is photographed at all times you probably want toe keep your private life private nothing sinister and its not a wall its a large hedge
Outshine A-list actresses? Their PR team should have come up with something better.
The Cambridge PR team is quite clearly being run by Carole and Carole is all about the Middleton brand – she has always always been desperate to push Kate as some sort of Diana figure. Hence this whole ‘she will outshine everyone else and they are all jelly haters’, this has been going on since the GF years and its getting worse as the public turn against them.
Carole hitched her wagon to the wrong Prince.
Possibly. But, if you subscribe to the notion that William is in a perpetual ” the press killed my mum and the Brits can suck it” stage of rebellion, Carol pushing Kate to be a Diana 2.0 doesn’t work without William. And it certainly hasn’t worked in practice because Diana branched out on her own and never used her children as an excuse to stay in the country, constantly renovate and spend her free time sketching and working on the adult coloring book.
@racer – shrewd comment! Realistically, especially if Kate pulls off a really successful glam ensemble, she probably will suck some of the air out of the room, but that’s part of the point of royal patronage, isn’t it? You want some focus on them as their support ups your support. Demmed if you do demmed if you don’t.
+1,000
@Digital Unicorn:
Carole’s attempt to make Kate the new Diana has clearly failed. People are fed up with the Dolittles.
Yes, Mikasa, that is laughable. As if!
Are they really going to make a tax-payer funded statue of Diana? That’s overkill. I think it is time William gets some help. Working honestly and being grateful would be the best tribute.
William and Harry are millionaires, they should pay for it. You would think they wouldn’t have a problem with using their own money for their late mother.
I thought it was going to be a mix of tax payer funds and privately raised funds?
This is a desperate attempt by William to try and get some of the Diana public goodwill he had till he got married to the middle class mafia. If he dumps them and started working more to support his family he might get some of it back.
The DM says:
“William and Harry have appointed a committee to help choose a sculptor and raise funds for the statue, which is expected to be in place by the end of the year.”
The comment section is full of “they can pay for it” comments lol.
Other newspapers (Telegraph, Express) are reporting that the funds for the Diana statue will be entirely private.
I was just reading the Guardian and they say:
Diana’s sister, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, will be a member of the six-strong committee tasked with commissioning and privately raising funds for the creation of the statue, alongside Julia Samuel, who is a godparent of Prince George and was a close friend to the princess.
One other bit from the DM stories (the “20 Years On” article) that stood out to me was that Rosa Monckton said she nixed the idea of a statue 20 years ago “…because she spent her whole life being stared at. I didn’t think it was appropriate. But now, 20 years on, it is absolutely right.”
Really? So they put in that babbling brook because she didn’t want people looking at a statue of her back then? So her sons didn’t get the actual say at the time? She bugs me, she put out so much after Diana died that was personal.
Alot of quotes attributed to Mockton were in response to Fayed’s campaign to claim Diana. Everything from whether or not Diana was engaged to Dodi, pregnant etc
Btw, i find the Harrods memorial creepy as hell. It comes with what is purported to be her used wine glass complete with lipstick mark.
True LAK, Fayed was trying to say many things at the time. I felt the stuff about her time of the month was TMI, but guess she didn’t want him going on about her being pregnant. That Harrods memorial sounds over the line, I haven’t seen it.
Don’t worry, A-list actresses, Kate will wear something frumpy again. There’s no way she will outshine you.
Kate couldn’t outshine a damp whetstone, let alone the likes of Helen Mirren! Helen Mirren sans makeup even!
Anyone with decent posture would outshine Cannot! She’s a dud.
So will anyone who gives a speech/does a monologue make a dig at them? Maybe some dry, humorous quip about how they finally showed up?
That would be nice but I’d prefer not as it would give them attention they do not deserve and distract attention away from those whose night it is. BAFTA deserves so much better than the patronage of two such lazy, uncreative, ungrateful, apathetic people. I wish they were staying home.
She’s too dull to outshine anything.
Yes, but they will still fawn all over her when she gets there.
I don’t understand why they do so little. It’s not like they are being asked to dig ditches for hours a day. The job is literally going to parties, teas, ribbon cuttings, and being pleasant to the plebs. Is that really that difficult for them? Their job is to literally just show up and they can’t manage to do that.
I have a great feeling they won’t be future King and Queen or POW.
Carobell:
I’ve never really understood it either, since it seems like Kate likes wearing pretty clothes and being admired, even if she’s not much for public speaking, but comments in this thread are painting an uncomfortable picture of Will being a controlling, privacy freak that keeps Kate from ever developing an independent public persona.
I think he probably is a privacy freak – paps chasing his mother and her death, probably profoundly damaged him. If Ken Wharfe’s account is anything to go by, Wills was also a bit of a sneaky sly kid also. So it was in his nature to be shifty.
As for Kate being prevented from developing a public persona, she’d have to have a personality to start with…
These two really come off as a case of arrested development – Wills due to trauma, and Kate because she’s been stage managed by and enmeshed with a controlling, social-climbing mother her whole life. Kate wasn’t allowed to develop normally, I don’t think.
@Carobell: my response to a comment like this would usually be that being “on” and having to constantly make conversation and small talk with people you don’t know well – all while being photographed the entire time – is actually a nightmare scenario for some people (I’m one of them and would rather dig ditches!). Psychologically it can be very difficult to get out the door, or even out of bed, knowing an engagement like that is hanging over you.
HOWEVER. I don’t apply this to Kate because she knew exactly what she was getting into and had YEARS to observe the work that other royals did and to reconsider. But nope, she wanted it.
The only other *possible* argument is that she is one of the people I described above, but genuinely loved William so much that she wanted to be with him anyway. If that’s the case, fine – but at the very least, she should be trying harder. Give more speeches, even if they’re not great. I had to do it for a former job and I haaaated every moment of it, and I wasn’t fantastic at it, but people will cut you a lot of slack for truly making an effort. She could take public speaking lessons (in the privacy of one of her palaces, unlike the rest of us! 🙄). *Pretend* to give a damn, basically.
But she does none of this.
Lorelai, how do you love some one that much, that treats you so badly, that is what you call co-dependence and nothiing more!!!!
@MSTHANG, no Idea! I think her mother really warped her idea of what she deserves in life.
I know she “dated” other guys briefly in her earlier college years, but maybe she has no understanding of how a decent man should treat her?
The outshine the actresses thing is a dig at Markle.
She and the Firm must be aware of the publics opinion on Meghan compared to Kate.
Detritus- ohhhh- hadn’t thought of that! Good point!
Have you ever read the comments about Meghan on British websites? They are not really positive…
It’s mostly not British people posting though, it’s half Harry fangirls from Tumblr who’d despise any woman he was linked with, half Royal stans who are obsessed with conspiracy theories (apparently both George and Charlotte are fake and non-royal!) and think anyone not directly descended from William the Conqueror is common as muck and shouldn’t be allowed near the precious perfect royals.
Admittedly there are a lot of racists out there too and God knows the DM actively plays into their hands. Their original mission statement was to give people “their daily hate.” The kind of racist trolls who comment on the DM site don’t represent most Brits.
The average Brit doesn’t really care one way or the other about the RF. I’ve noticed that whenever the RF is debated online, it’s practically always foreigners getting really super invested in them and their private lives.
Agreed. There was an article on the Fail this weekend with all the gaudy details of Pippa’s wedding. The last paragraph called MM “the latest glamorous actress” and something to the effect of even though Harry is surely invited, he wouldn’t really bring MM to upstage the bride, or would he? I’m an American and new to the Middleton mafia but I read the article like wtf??!! Aren’t we too old to mean girl people? These people are in their 30s….
I was just going to say, I wonder if they were worried that Meaghan Markle would attend?
As if Carole would allow her to attend Pippa’s wedding. I don’t even think that Harry will be there.
I really cannot wait for the first public appearance that both Kate and Meghan are photographed together at 🙂
oooh, snap! You may be on to something there.
There is a DM article that says Kate might get a royal order.
For doing what? Breathing?
:spit-take:
Thanks for helping me get my beverage all over my computer screen!
I saw that and wondered how Jason could write that up, the Queen wants to honor her for her work in mental health? Why not honor William and Harry too, since they all attend these events together?
That is why I think its a lie.
Honor her “for her work in mental health?” Is that a joke?!!
The only ‘order’ she deserves is a marching order for her abject failure to understand, let alone embrace, the responsibilites of royalty in the 21st Century.
+1000
President since 2010? He has attended at least one Bafta, has he? Wahahaga… 2010!
I wonder why they dislike this event so much. Of all the things they do, this seems like one that ought to seem more like play than a job.
You would think but it seems anything they decide they don’t ‘like’ is considered to be work and let’s face it, these two really, really hate work and anything that smacks of obligation. They are beyond spoiled.
I think they dislike it because (a) they’ve demonstrated no real interest in the creative arts, (b) those who the BAFTAs celebrate as a whole are really not people who have much interest in or regard for royalty, and (c) for reason (b) they know that they’re never going to be the centre of attention at it.
They’re much more at home at events where they’re centre stage or where the event is something they personally enjoy (eg. sports).
Ah, maybe that’s where the disconnect is. Patronage of the creative arts would be something I’d enjoy, and most people I know at least like them enough to be interested in movies and TV. They seem like rather dull people.
lunchcoma, do you ever watch any awards show from beginning to end, they can be incredibly dull !!!
I think you are onto something here. I, as part of my job, have to attend a LOT of ceremonies. Like a lot. And during those there are maybe 3-4 minutes of intense emotions but mostly are boring as hell. When I can be seated somewhere in the back seats I am happy as I can navigate Internet. Once I even brought e book with me as I knew it would be looooong.
Now on to these two. They don’t have to attend every each and one of the Bafta ceremonies but once every two years they can interchange. This year Kate that year Will. They are a team and can manage this things. Or they can ask one of their many cousins to go In Lieu of them. I know I would. And when I say Bafta that counts for every special occasion (as the one that Kate missed as she didn’t want to raise expectations. Really????). Nop they are lazy and entitled and I for once am more than sure that the main problem there is Willy. She is lazy also but mostly she works towards keeping him and having what SHE wants the most which is not work.
I’m not sure they are there from start to finish. I’ve worked enough of these where I’ve seen big names swoop in, hand out an award or make an appearance and then slip out the back.
What is it about her? She’s slender, attractive, she should certainly be able to look stylish, but she just…doesn’t. IMO part of it is her hair, it just looks dowdy to me.
minx, she isn’t just slender, she is starved skinny !!!!
You’re right!
She gives off a granola vibe. That’s why casual looks better on her.
Can’t BAFTA remove William since he clearly isn’t interested in the organization and get themselves a new president? Why not get someone who will attend events and bring them attention?
First of all, Kate doesn’t outshine celebrities unless it’s a contest of anorexia (quite sad, actually)……..I recall a photo of thin Kate beside actress Nicole Kidman, you know, they were touring America shortly after the wedding. Kate doesn’t have the personality to outshine, though we get little glimpses such as the infamous side-eye from NYC.
And judging by the dresses worn by the actresses at SAG awards and how beautiful many of them looked- yea I doubt that Kate could outshine anyone with her immense beauty, charisma, posture, her personality…we have seen Kate’s best effort at formal dressing…the red Jenny Peckham dress at the Chinese State Dinner. Waity looked like she was playing dress up there in her older sister’s clothes.
Wow, that off-white dress is PRETTY.
They must have been told to get the numbers up. This is a nice little patronage for Whiny – appear once a year and keep everyone happy. He won’t want to lose it. If she tags along then the media will be fawning all over her and boost their popularity for a time. In reality, she couldn’t outshine a wet paper bag but the sycophantic press will say otherwise.
Re the Diana statue, if they want it then the Wales brothers should be paying for it themselves. Poor old Waity is now going to be confronted with a statue of her late, sainted mother-in-law every time she opens her curtains. Lol
Thats why Waity insisted upon tall bushes at KP? So she and everyone else can’t have a look at Diana’s statue outside her window.
Just send cardboard cut outs of the pair as they are as dull as dishwater and really disgraceful
I wonder if patrons at those charities can hear her stomach growling, or does she swallow a sliver of bread before she graces them with her presence !!!!