For years, it’s been known that the Duchess of Cambridge hates speaking in public. I’m not going to get into the nuances of whether it’s a “fear” of public speaking, or whether she’s just never bothered to take public speaking lessons and work to master a vital part of her role as a public figure. We don’t know which it is, we only know that Kate barely averages one speech a year, and her speeches are never very good. Meanwhile, the Duchess of Sussex is very comfortable on a stage with a microphone. Meghan gave three speeches during The Royal Sussex Tour, and she’s already shown herself to be legitimately keen on communicating. So, take it away “royal expert” Camilla Tominey:
Meghan Markle recently returned from a royal tour of Australia after marrying Prince Harry in May. Meanwhile, last month the Duchess of Cambridge marked her return from maternity leave after giving birth to son Louis in the spring. As she resumes her solo royal duties, eyes are on how she copes with the demands of public life. However, royal expert Camilla Tominey has expressed one concern.
Speaking on Yahoo’s The Royal Box, she stressed her “huge respect” for Kate Middleton but argued that she lacks confidence in public speaking. Meghan’s career as an actress, meanwhile, has put her in good stead for dealing with the spotlight.
“Meghan’s put herself out there,” Camilla says by comparison. “As modern women, we can’t have the Duchesses of Cambridge or Sussex as princesses who are seen and not heard,” she adds.
Camilla, who is Associate Editor of the Daily Telegraph and NBC’s royal expert, also reveals that she has spoken to members of the royal household several times about Kate. She added: “I’ve said on a number of occasions, get her confidence up!”
Host Kate Thornton sympathises with the Duchess’ fears, saying: “It must be terrifying.”
However, Camilla explains why it is crucial that Kate overcomes her nerves.
“It’s important for her as a future queen,” she argued. “We need her to be on a world stage. Kate’s got a great deal to offer on her own terms, not just as Prince William’s wife.”
What strikes me about Keen Kate: 2018 Version is that, as many of her most ardent defenders note, she seems happier than she ever has before. Kate’s defenders say that she’s simply more content now that she’s got three kids, and that she’s no longer “the new girl,” and that she’s gained confidence because she’s been showing Meghan the ropes. Some or all of that may be true, but I have another suggestion/theory: Kate seems happier and more confident because after seven years of trying to figure out how to duchess, Meghan came along and duchesses quite naturally, and so Kate has just been copying Meghan’s laidback, happy vibe. What I’m saying is that I bet you $10 that Kate will give a speech in the next few weeks and suddenly she’ll be a much better public speaker, because she saw Meghan do it. And yes, it’s something Kate could have been working on for years. But she didn’t. She waited until she had competition.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid, WENN.
Unpopular opinion here- but I actually dont like Meghan’s oratory skills. I like her but find her speech style overdramatic, too pronounced and a little actress-y. I think Charles, Her Majesty and William even, have a style that is sharp and to the point, without completely personalising the speech. Diana of course was in another league. So I don’t quite know what Kate is supposed to pick up from Meghan. Don’t crucify me please. It’s what I think. Maybe Kate should stay true to herself and develop her own method that she is comfortable with, unlike what this “royal expert” (lol) suggests.
I wasn’t sure whether that was just the difference between Brits and Americans when it comes to public speaking but I know what you mean. William, Harry & Charles all feel very concise, if a little emotionless. Meghan’s speeches feel full of emotion but disingenuous. Is it a cultural thing maybe?
Same unpopular opinion. I think they both need work on their oratory skills, to be honest.
Wow-according to you guys I guess Winston Churchill’s speeches would need work too. lol
Yeah I agree, Meghan is a very competent public speaker, but it comes off a bit fake to me. It maybe is an American style versus Irish/ British thing, I think this about loads of hollywood actor types when I see them picking up awards and making speeches thanking God etc.
Her speech style probably goes down well with the international audience though!
Megan is not perfect and I don’t expect her to be. However people tend to be really over the top when discussing these things. I love Kate, but her public speaking needs a lot of improvement, much of which comes with practice. Megan’s a newbie, but because she’s more relaxed she’s much easier to listen to. Can her public speaking use more work-of course. See-that wasn’t hard was it.
I think it’s unfortunate that so many people immediately feel the need to diminish Meghan’s ability instead of just talking about Kate’s competency at things or the other royals’ skills at public speaking. I do think that says more than just giving a personal opinion.
@Natalie
To be fair, the entire point of the article is how one should be more like the other so it tends to invite the critique from the get go.
I agree that Kate should do more public speaking. I think it’s a bit of fan fiction that her relaxed demeanor and general air of happiness is somehow copied from anyone .
But you do agree that Kate should follow Meghan’s example when it comes to doing more public speaking.
No one is saying Meghan is the greatest public speaker of all time (and that includes the article which is about Kate upping her confidence to put herself out there more) and I do think it’s notable that so many people are focused on making it very clear that they don’t think much of Meghan’s ability rather than talking about Kate’s record at interacting with the public.
And I agree that Kate is not copying Meghan’s demeanor. Kate has her own track record at overcoming her public nervousness going back to the girlfriend years. You could see it even in 2006 when it came to how she handled the photographers. I think she is reacting to Meghan entering the family but not in a mindlessly competitive way. I think it’s more that their differences have helped Kate better define her own niche in the public eye and that is part of what makes her more comfortable.
I agree, her speeches come off as still too actressey, a tad too dramatic for me. She was an actress/celebrity reliant on self-promotion so that works for a certain audience but it doesn’t come off the same way when you’re a Royal. People giving their opinion on Meghan’s speeches aren’t diminishing her. She is a good public speaker, no one is saying she isn’t.
None of the royal family are that good at giving speeches and are frankly mostly boring. But the key is that they all give speeches except for Kate.
But instead of acknowledging that very real criticism that has been clearly documented for almost eight years, a subjective and hypocritical assessment of Meghan’s speech skills are offered. It’s not a good look.
I think this like so much of our opinions are tainted by personal perceptions and biases.
I like Meghan so when she speaks it crosses into being genuine and empathetic.
Blah on the Kate copying Meg angle. Kate is a competitor. She really is. And now she’s back in form.
@HK9 tone down that “We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds”, Winston, we get it, we’re fighting! You sound practiced and rehearsed. 🙄🙄
I only saw her UN speech, so can’t speak for her more recent speeches, but I also thought it was a little dramatic and too pronounced.
Rula but what do you think about kate speeches? Oh wait she can not speak clearly. Fake aristocratic accent so nobody understands when she speaks. Meghan speaks clearly and most importantly write her own speeches.
I don’t think your opinion is as unpopular as you think, I also dislike that people have to worry about getting “crucified” for their opinions. Kate is coming into her own. I don’t believe she feels the need to compete with her sister-in-law. Even her appearance and demeanor has become more regal to me. Meghan is fine. She is cute, the press loves her, the people do as well. That doesn’t make her any better, just new. I agree the actress comes across in her speeches. She is used to memorization, so her words sometimes seem a bit rehearsed. I don’t envy either of these women who are constantly scrutinized for their every move. I do, however, believe both of them are lovely and doing the best they can. I hope Meghan doesn’t get an accent ala Madonna. Her children will, but she is born and bred in the USA and you pick up jargon, but certainly not an accent from another country.
The difference is Meghan does speeches so of course no one is going to think it’s perfect.
Kate has to step up plain and simple.
@Nancy My mum was born and raised in Yorkshire, England. She and my dad were 21 and 22 when they immigrated to Canada, where my sister and I were born. Mum always sounded very British . I always sounded very Cdn. As an adult, my staff tell me when I’m miffed, or when I’m concentrating very hard, my words sound ‘very British’. My mum divorced my dad, married another Brit, and moved to Texas. My mum spoke British with a Canadian slant to some words…and picked up the southern drawl whilst living in Texas!!! Imagine the Queen saying “y’all”. It was quite funny sometimes. We all tend to pick up the speech patterns and pronunciations of where we are living. It is natural and normal to do so. My step-mum is soft-spoken, with a regal sounding (to me…I have no idea if it really i s regal!) Cornwall accent, and I would LOVE to sound like her…I admire her as a woman, as a mum and as a wife. It’s how we make ourselves less ‘other’ and more ‘alike’ so we fit in better. It’s a survival strategy, and (mostly) very unconscious IMO.
I get what you’re saying. When I lived in Florida, I found myself using words and expressions that my Northern self never would have, but still without any new sound. I know lots of folks from other countries and they have all kept the accent of their country. That’s why I mentioned Madonna, lol. She’s from Michigan and all of a sudden started talking like she was born in London!!
Rehearsed means prepared, and that is a good thing. I want someone giving a speech to be prepared and not looking down the entire time. To me that shows sincerity but I guess to some it reads “ACTRES!!! FAKE!!” The comments on here are ridiculous
“Kate is coming into her own” Ten years as a royal girlfriend, seven+ years as a royal wife. Better (incredibly) late than never?
People pick up different accents and accents fade. My Jamaican dad who came to the US in the 70s do not sound the same as his family in Kingston. This doesn’t happen overnight, but it absolutely happens.
+1million
@Kittycat
Kate will get there …. Waity still coming into her own after 17+ years – waiting 10 – married seven more. Speeches and royal duties never seem to cross her mine during those clubbing – luxury vacay with siblings in addition to other royal perks/financial gains.
Prince The DoSussexs may be held from Royal Duties, so The dolittle Willnot can hurry to recover their Totals for the end of year List.
Nancy lol Megan was doing speeches before becoming actress in high school and university and some without notes. Its her personality to speak because she believes in the causes she is talking. It has nothing to do being an actress. Bored when people still think every thing meghan can do positively its because she was an actress. The same people who was saying she was a z list actress and could not act and have never heard of her before harry. But now she can speak and willing to, unlike kate who can spend a year without one speech, it is due to being an actress. Lol! Not only meghan was speaking before (google is your friend) being an actress but she wrote her own speeches and you can understand clearly what she is saying and i like her speeches because its very personnalised and you can relate. When you are an actor you speak with the crew not in front of thousands of people like meghan did in UN or during the invictus games. She is talented and people should recokgnise it even if you are a fanatic of kate. End of.
Btw many a listers actresses can not make speeches
As a future consort, kate needs to make more speeches and good ones and not shaking when she has to do just 2 min of speaking. It has been 7 years now and no improvement nada! She is happier now because she knows many female brits and american hate meghan and love her more much now since meghan comes on the stage. So she is feeling confident. Supposed her team read the daily mail and comment section and all the bashind meghan is submitted now by the uk press and her own family and i think its a feeling good time for her.
For now meghan is better than her when it comes to speeches like it or not and NO its not because she was an actor. Its because she was an activist, philantropist and passionate about the causes she likes: Women and girls empowerment, rescues dogs, clean water, racism, sexism, human rights, me too, education, politic participation… Dunno kate passions lol!
I don’t think I have actually watched any of her speeches, so I don’t know, but I frequently find that actors can be a little chewy when they’re speaking publically.
Kate just needs some beta blockers and she’d be much better.
You are absolutely right. Meghan is a good public speaker but it’s very over-acted and she’s speaking to camera, not the audience in front of her.
Kate seems very genuine with people one on one, especially children. They are two different skill sets and it’s not important to compare the two. Besides, I hardly think public speaking is a make it or break it thing for Kate anyway—it’s not like we see Camilla (or Philip) making big speeches. The focus should be on the heir, not their spouse.
This ^ I don’t recall Camilla ever making a big speech or Phillip and nobody complains!
Both Camilla and Philip regularly make speeches. From a Guardian article about Philip’s retirement.
“Philip, who famously describes himself as “the world’s most experienced plaque unveiler” has undertaken 22,191 solo engagements and given 5,493 speeches in almost seven decades as the Queen’s “strength and stay”.” He’s also written 14 books.
Muffy lol! You are delusionnal! Did you see the presentation of the cook book? She was speaking for the cameras? IG she was for the cameras? You kate fans are blind. Its why kate is not improving. As ingrid seward say she has just to dess up and smile.
LOL – no, I don’t agree that Kate should ‘follow Megan’s example’.
I think most of us would have liked her to do more public speaking long before anyone else entered the fold.
I just can’t with everything a woman does somehow must be caused by the actions of another.
I am going to check out the speeches though, I doubt I’ll find anything to criticize because I am a horrible speaker myself so kudos to anyone that can get through it!
People are always equating things Meghan does with her acting and fake. Meghan is a naturally talented orator, if you look at her speeches from high school, she had the same speaking style, and it had nothing to do with being an actor, since she wasn’t one at the time.
Meghan’s a fantastic public speaker. People just don’t like the (valid) criticism of Kate it implies. Did you see the homeless kitchen event? That’s new to Kate, it not just the speaking, Meg is setting the bar high in the way she connects. Could any royal consistently build a relationship with people affected by tragedy like Grenfeld, apart from maybe Diana? This is another level and People are gonna love and hate Meghan so much for it, as we already see.
She’s bad at it
“I like her but find her speech style overdramatic, too pronounced and a little actress-y… league.” Again people?
There wasn’t any comparison of the women from the expert. She’s just stating after 7 years in Kate should giving more speeches. Where is the lie? Jealousy is sickening.
Disagree. The royals (not newbie Mehgan) are terribly stiff and flat in their public speeches. They are so boring. Anything would be considered dramatic compared to the royals. Especially considering UK is famous for it’s oratory abilities and it’s command of the English language. I can think of hundreds of British actors and public speakers that I adore listening to. Yell even Teresa May is more interesting to listen to.
Not including Kate or Meghan, I rate the royals from worst to acceptable starting with the Queen and then in order of succession ending with Harry as most comfortable, relatable speaker.
So I don’t think this is just an American style vs. UK thing. For years royals have been criticized that their very formal, stuffy style of speaking does not endear people to them because nobody can relate to it. I understand the royals don’t want to sound affected at all and just want appear normal like everyone else. But their UN-affected public speech style also has the negative effect of being difficult to listen to because of it’s lack of any expressive afflictions and natural rhythms.
This is why they need Meghan in their ranks. In so many ways she helps break the old formal barriers that mar the rf. She has very good and different, more open style oratory skills. Since she doesn’t come from privileged like rf, any affectation can’t be held against her in the same way.
Kate needs to Work more IMO. It’s not all about speaking, I don’t believe she will ever be a good speaker.
Meghan gave a wonderful speech at the UN, the lady can definately speak. Megan is articulate and is is wonderful at it. It’s because she speaks from her life, her history, her experiences as a kid, as a working person, etc. The same with Sophie,The Countess of Wessex, The Queens daughter in law, Both she and Meghan are wonderful speakers. Kate is not.
Kate has never been a good speaker, but IMO it’s because Kate doesn’t speak from the heart and almost everything she ever says somehow always ends up being about William in the end of her comment.
Harry is a good speaker too, because he’s warm. Prince Charles has a wonderful voice. I love Prince Charles voice and he is a good speaker. IMO
William is so detached in his speeches, He’s not very good at it.
at least she is making speeches unlike kate who had 7 years to show up – kate has been given too much indulgence by not stepping up – always with an excuse but she will be queen eventually and whether she likes it or not she has to be comfortable
Not everything has to be a competition.
Kate was a terrible public speaker. She is now a moderately decent one. She has improved.
She will never be a natural as Meghan, whose training and profession also help with her excellent way of speaking in public.
But if you look at 2012 Kate and her speeches this year, she has gotten better.
I am very defensive when it comes to this because I am not good at speaking in public. My work requires it of me and I have received training, for years. I have gotten better. But I will never be a great one.
My thoughts exactly…why does everything need to be a competition between the two? Here’s a thought: Kate and Meghan like each other, Kate is appearing more relaxed because she’s happy with her life, and she wants to improve her public speaking because she knows it’ll be important in the future? Why does it have to be because she wants to one-up Meghan? (I like both of them, FWIW. They’re very different women, and I see no need to constantly have them at odds).
Oh LadyMTL (Lady of Montreal??) I like them both too, and am so glad you said this! And @Annie too, of course Thanks to both of you!!
YES. 100% agree with both comments.
I like this blog, but I sometimes try to step away from it b/c it bothers me how Meghan is continuously used to bring Kate down. Why do we have to do that, to either of them?
Yeah she has improved somewhat but its something she needs to keep at to get better and more confident. The more you do it the better you get at it – public speaking is a major part of her role and she needs to get used to it.
Same. I get defensive about this too, because eight years into my job, which also involves speaking to the public, I still struggle. I have gotten better and no longer feel the intense anxiety I used to, but that never truly goes away 100%. I’ve always thought Kate’s issues was that nerves trip her up badly, not just in getting up alone in front of people but the knowledge it would be picked apart and every one of her mistakes or mannerism read into. I do think Kate has gotten better, and will continue to do so, and wonder if it’s Catherine Quinn that’s made the most difference.
Being an actor or actress doesn’t make you a good public speaker. Many in the acting professions say they are strong introverts and dislike making speeches. Memorizing a script and delivering it as part of an ensemble cast isn’t the same as standing up and giving a speech.
@Notasugarhere as a person studying theatre and who works as a actor on the East coast, there are MANY actors who hate giving a speech. Who would never put themselves on the platform Meghan had (when she was an actor).
I’ve noticed that people use Meghan being an actress as a way to discredit her authenticity. It’s so lame. She’s better at Duchessing than many thought she’d be. Because she hasn’t made a true fool of herself, the media and certain fans have had to use her pervious profession, make-up skills and lack of wearing bright colors as a way to take her down. It’s comical.
Yes, l have said this before that there are loads of actors who are never going to be good at public speaking.
Same. I am terrified of public speaking, and have to occasionally as part of my job, and it is an awful experience every time, regardless of prep, regardless of the training I’ve received. I will never have Meghan’s comfort, for example, at speaking in spite of the efforts I’ve made. I imagine something similar for Kate.
Unpopular opinion: I’m far from the biggest Kate fan, but I don’t think she feels competition or anything when it comes to Meghan. I’ve always thought she follows Will’s lead on pretty much everything; she built her life around him when she was only 19 and never developed a sense of self outside of him. I think Wills is petulant and competitive and that Kate just kind of floats around following his lead.
As far as seeming happier—I wonder if it’s because she’s not the only outsider. Remember all those stories about how Will and Harry’s friends would make fun of her mom for being a flight attendant, etc.? Meghan has it worse, as there is a racist angle with the shit she had to deal with, but Kate probably is happy she has someone to commiserate with over the difficulties of living in a royal life while not being aristocratic.
I think she’s someone who reacts rather than acts. She’s spent her adult life reacting to William but left to her own devices, she hasn’t really done much on her own. I don’t think Kate is mindlessly competitive and will care at all about being a better public speaker than Meghan, but in terms of general public image, she will react to someone else being in the family by improving her own public image with more engagements, more rewears etc.
Interesting and insightful.
Yes! Whenever commenters try to pit Kate and Meghan against each other, it always rings hollow to me- they have so much more in common and reason to support each other. They are different people with different skill sets, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be supportive!
It’s fine guys. Kate will provide an example to Meghan when it comes to working out the tailoring of her outfits and Meghan will provide Kate with an example of how a modern duchess does public speaking.
They will learn from each other and encourage each other to be better. We don’t need to put either one down or diminish the abilities of either one because they’re not equally proficient at everything. And I know that in my life I have looked to the examples set by other people when trying to improve myself.
Also, being an actor does not equal being a great pubic speaker. There are a lot of actors who would be terrible at it.
Public speaker.
I don’t what a pubic speaker is but it sounds unpleasant.
Thank you for that good laugh!
😁😁
I know people are going to throw around that meghan is a actress that everything comes naturally to her but ever day people give speeches at their workplace with no acting training. I honestly think that making speech wasn’t kate thing for years no one in the firm push her because they follow her William lead. I think the firm saw the position impact meghan speeches were making in public realize that it’s important for the public to hear from the woman’s in the firm more .
Okay, more unpopular opinions but I really dont see the competition here. I dont think Kate is some green monster out to compete with Meghan, they seem happy with each other and with their spots. I think Kate seems more laid back because some eyes are off of her now, with M and H being so popular. I hate that everytime there are two women we pit them against each other.
Also? Neither of them are great public speakers. Let’s support women supporting women.
Amen..I knew it would become ‘Kate, be like Meghan’ and ‘Meghan, be like Kate’..I don’t get it.
+1
I like Meghan for the most part and think she clearly enjoys Duchessing but people get way overly impressed with things that sometimes aren’t all that impressive. Meghan is comfortable speaking in public and clearly works at her speeches but I wouldn’t say she is overly good at it. When you look at what she is actually saying during her speeches, it’s all rather mundane. I mean, if you are giving a speech about voting and education, saying that voting and education are important isn’t exactly groundbreaking. The content of her speeches aren’t all that different from the kind of milquetoast rhetoric we hear from other royals, it’s just that she is more engaging in her delivery.
‘When you look at what she is actually saying during her speeches, it’s all rather mundane.’ I’ve seen her past interviews and they are the same – a lot of big words without substance.
And how is that any different from any other royal speech ever? None of them are giving speeches with the content that Obama does. Again these constant attempts to diminish what Meghan is doing, which is to do what all the other senior royals do except for Kate, is tiresome and transparent. The point is Kate still barely gives any speeches, much less mundane ones without any substance.
Have loved all the other comments above; readers really seem to get that it doesn’t have to be a competition between women! Maybe Kate will give a speech, but perhaps it won’t be to compete, but rather seeing her new sister-in-law’s speeches, Kate may be inspired or encouraged to give it a go. Kate’s DEFINITELY happier these days, and I can easily imagine both former outsiders are encouraging and helping each other.
This kind of speculation and gossip is fun and all, but it only serves to remind me that we know diddly-squat about Kate. Catherine. Whatever. I mean, really. It’s *all* speculation and guessing. She reveals her real self, her personality, very very rarely. We get what old friends say about her. Family keeps mum. No jobs. No outside hobbies. Very subdued when out in public for the Firm.
Or, alternatively, she really is “what you see is what you get” and she’s just not that deep of a person. Whatever.
It would be good to see her doing more speeches. She needs to. She’s done the bare minimum since her marriage to William – except for having babies, she’s done well there. And honestly, I think the BRF prefers her this way. They didn’t want another Diana.
I think talk of competition between Kate and Meghan is misplaced a bit. From all signs, they seem to get along well. Maybe it’s just the natural order of things changing, adding another duchess into the mix, that has given Kate confidence. That would have happened no matter who Harry ended up marrying, in my opinion.
They didn’t want another Diana, but they certainly could have used another Sophie. What they didn’t need was the WAG they got in Kate. That’s all Kate had to do. Show up. Show up. Show up. Show the hell up and act like you care. She hasn’t bothered to do the bare minimum of that in the last seven years.
Exactly on point. Notsugarhere, so true.
The slack some cut Kate is laughable, she has been with William well over fifteen years at this point, she knew she wanted the role, she got it and yet basically spent years being a WAG.
“She’s done the bare minimum since her marriage to William ”
This is why what Meghan is doing in her role seems so impressive.
I think Kate is lazy. If she wasn’t, she would have worked at improving her ‘duchessing’ before now. I don’t expect much from her in the future other than parading around in jewels and fancy clothing…..like the Stepford Wife she is, and always will be.
I don’t think she lazy. I think public speaking terrifies her like it does the rest of the world. Unlike, the rest of the world, if she does it wrong the blowback will be epic. I think the problem is that you really do need to find people you trust, be it speech coaches/ or speech writers to help you learn the skill. I worked for a firm that taught courses in public speaking and the tips they gave people really worked. My boss was an engaging public speaker and I learned a lot from him. (Him & Winston Churchill 🙂 )
Toastmasters!! She could have a Toastmasters meeting at the Palace…I’d go, if I lived there!!
Let’s say it does terrify her. It terrifies me, but my job involves public speaking so I suck it up and get on with it and in my profession, it really matters if I get it wrong. She’s had seven years and the best resources to learn, train, practice, gain confidence, teach herself to fake it, but has barely done that, if at all, even though speeches are part of her job. Being scared and bad at it at the start and making an effort to improve would be one thing, but that’s not how she’s approached it. That’s what makes her look lazy.
Speech making has never bothered me. If I had her resources, I would be the best speech maker in the world. I’d hire myself out with those resources.
Kate previously seemed ill prepared on her subject matter and did not practice her speeches. There has been some improvement recently.
She is lazy. Not every engagement calls for a public speech, most of them don’t. She could have been doing hundreds of engagements a year that didn’t require any public speaking. And she chose not to.
Well before Meghan even started dating commenters here were noting how little Kate speaks and that only practice would make her better at speeches. We saw Harry improve a bit over the years and there is no reason she can’t improve either. She is just not motivated to do so. And while Camilla and Phillip have been doing speeches and not getting media coverage for it, it’s only when Meghan starts giving speeches and has her every move covered that it got more obvious that Kate doesn’t really speak much. There can’t be a silent consort. It’s the wrong century for that. From the Queen Mother on consorts have been involved in volunteerism and that includes speeches.
I think that the main problem is that Kate adopted a fake persona to win over the Palace and bag William. She has the most awful faux posh accent. Whenever she speaks l ask myself why is she speaking like that, William and Harry don’t, neither do her parents and siblings. She sounds as though she has had elocution lessons that have gone badly wrong. This is why it would be difficult for her to give a proper meaningful speech without people pointing out how unnatural she is. She sounds so stilted. Kate has to find her true self first, and forget about trying to act posh and being an antidote to Diana to gain acceptance.
Very true PrincessK However she really can’t go back now as everyone has heard her terrible fake accent. I really don’t know why she adopted this in the first place, the mind boggles. Attending the schools she did and where she grew up, she wouldn’t of had (sorry folks no offence) a ‘common accent’ but a upper middle one. I’m middle and people always say I sound like Kirsty Allsop, for our American friends here, she is a tv presenter, business woman, property expert and very upper here in the UK. I think this is why people dislike/ridicule the Middletons as they come off as too try hard. I really don’t know if she could tone down the accent now without people noticing. She tied her own noose I’m afraid.
Finally a comment I agree with. I have always thought Kate was fake – because she was told to chase this life and that is all she knows. Plus, she never developed a personality and figured out who she is.
No wonder she likes being a mother because it is the only thing she has really done for herself.
Totally agree PrincessK.
Everything you said is quite true. IMO
Here we go again with another episode of the Desperate Housewives of Windsor: Kate vs. Meghan. The Palace should have shut this crap down a long time ago.
I agree Missy….this is getting lame and tiresome
As someone who does public speaking for a living yet really struggles with nerves yes practice improves your skills but there are some situations that still make me very nervous. I think accepting that you will feel nervous and managing the feeling through preparation and breathing/relaxation is important. It amazes me that even after years of doing this regularly it’s still difficult at times.
I will also say that I admire Meghan for putting herself out there. Yes she has skills through her acting but I think taping scenes for a camera and giving a speech in front of a huge audience are quite different.
As for Kate she is not a self starter when it comes to her work and she has chosen to do the bare minimum over the years for whatever reason. Perhaps now that William is doing more so will she but I will be surprised if she does much public speaking.
I think the fundamental difference is Kate never had to work, seemingly never wanted to as she spent most her time with William. That’s fine, that’s a choice. I don’t know why anyone would expect different things from her now. She showed everyone who she was already, William was her job and he still is. It doesn’t entail public speaking, just being pretty and wearing clothes well and having babies. Check, check and check.
“being pretty, wearing clothes well, and having babies”
STEPFORD WIFE.
I wonder what old Stepford Wives do after they go into menopause.
Public speaking is part of the job. She’s not just William’s wife and mother to his kids. She’s a representative of the country and its future Queen Consort. She’s college educated. I don’t care if she’s shy (which I doubt). I’m shy. I hate public speaking, but my job forces me to speak to people every single day. I push through my fears to talk to my patients. Kate won’t put the effort into public speaking after nearly 8 years in the role she fought to have. It’s ridiculous.
William and Kate have to step up.
Their middle class dream world has to face reality.
The late Queen mother wasn’t too fond of public speaking but then it was a different time…and most of us are quite familiar with the fact her husband was deathly afraid of public speaking however both of them put more energy into that and other ways of connecting with their subjects than Waity has in seven years as HRH Duchess of Cambridge.
And I think most people are aware of refurb costs and other, especially the big job of BP restoration dumped on taxpayers. Are we getting value for money? No. The answer is No.
I want to see Waity and Bill numbers to at least 400 engagements in year 2019 and both giving speeches.
But think of the children ! They can’t work AND be parents at the same time !
sarcasm/
I think to help Kate with her nerves, she should bring her three children on stage for her next speech…think of it..Kate giving a speech while young George keeps the younger two in line on stage supporting mom. It would make world news….however controlling Bill would never allow it 🙁
@Citresse
George is definitely at an age to start learning the ropes. Look at Princess Estelle in Sweden. Let their own subjects see them, instead of only bringing out the kids for overseas trips.
Exactly – when comparing her speech’s against a man who spent his whole life dealing with the stigma of his stutter and STILL made every effort to speak to his subjects over the radio and at events, you can’t really compare. If she was really interested in the subject and engaging with others to promote the organisation/subject matter etc.. then she would make the effort but it tells us everything we need to know that she doesn’t make any real effort.
^This
We aren’t “subjects”. Plus you should be blaming the Queen for the BP refurb costs because she has been funnelling away money earmarked for BP repairs.
GUEST, was that the Panama Papers? My guess is Yes.
I agree with the article. Kate needs to step it up. Her speech giving is poor, by the way, have actually listened to a few of her speeches.
Well, Kate’s accent is fake, right? Open secret? That can’t help her confidence much.
To be fair she’s toned down the uber posh accent, its a bit more natural now.
Oh good, somebody’ must have had a word with her, because her fake posh accent is horrible, and won’t go down well for public speaking.
I just recently saw video of her speaking outside the Lindo Wing when they were taking George home. While she still sounded a bit posh, the difference between that and her engagement interview/public speeches was palpable.
I think for her own sake she should try to go back to her natural accent, but I empathize with her reluctance. The change will be remarked upon for a bit and that’s frankly embarrassing. Just like I empathize with her staunch denial she had a poster of Will on her wall as a kid. I’m not sure I could bring myself to admit the truth when you KNOW people across the world will mock you for it.
If she showed confidence, poise, and empathy in her speeches, nobody would give a damn what she sounded like. Her speeches show some results, but imagine the results great speeches from her would get. If she can get the audience behind her, they won’t care what she sounds like.
“She waited until she had competition.”
This actually makes a lot of sense if you think about it. It’s not something she highlights about herself but if you think about her life, Kate has shown herself to be a very competitive person. She had to be, to hang in there for 10 years dating William through several breakups, the constant media scrutiny, and fending off all the competition. She also a “sporty” person, the kind who usually thrive on competition.
So it’s not surprising I guess that she’s suddenly doing better on the job now that she has someone to compare and compete with.
Yeah, she does seem to thrive in a competition.
Women get taught to compete with each other for fairly ridicules things. However, in the grand scheme of things competition isn’t a bad thing, especially in a work setting. Being a duchess is a job for these women and if competition will help them to work harder for the Firm than it’s good.
+100 to Kate being enlivened by competition. The alternative narratives mentioned above are 1) Kate is just lazy; 2) Kate floats around waiting for others to tell her what to do; 3) William won’t let her shine on her own, etc. And it’s the suggestion that she’s competitive that’s insulting and anti-feminist lol? Kaiser is not setting the two women against each other arbitrarily but recognizing some plausible human dynamics at work here.
I suspect Kate has always been a bit self conscious and she’s in a good place right now. Maybe it’s that she has kids, maybe it’s the success of Heads Together that’s made her more a lot more confident in her role as a public figure. Perhaps it’s not Meghan herself that is the catalyst so much as it’s that she is no longer the only Wales duchess and feeling like the weight of that scrutiny is no longer solely on her.
Do self conscious people repeatedly flash the world?
Oh, I didn’t realise she held her skirt/dress right up in front of the cameras
so everyone could take a good look! It is called Weather….. ridic.
@lol………..no it’s called not dressing properly. One flash should be all it takes for anyone with a brain to figure out that wind may blow your skirt of coatdress up. She continues to not weight her hems even after all these years.
I think kate needs to step up she going to be queen one day I think kate fans baby her when too much everytime their stories about meghan doing something kate fans go well she married in younger. As if 29 is young diana married in young she was 19 years old the excuses made for kate is ridiculous I doubt the people making excuses for kate would giving the same leeway to meghan. Meghan has to work three time as hard and she still gets crap on by people now her speech are not that great as least she making a effort you may not connected with her speech but other does. Kate should have been stepping up a long time Ago if the role were reversed and this was meghan not doing anything for eight years being married to harry I doubt people would have been this quick to give meghan leeway or making excuses for her. There were people complaining on this site that meghan didn’t do anything yet like a month into her marriage people were saying she lied and saying that meghan was nothing more than trophy wife because she didn’t work one month into her marriage. It’s a double standard the only time kate fans want to compare her and meghan is when it comes to the spending or who looks more regal or who marriage will last that the only time the two woman are allowed to be compared because according to them kate is the winner in this department.
Thank you! Say it again for the people in the back seats.
The babying of Kate is the worse. It does her no favors. I appericate that this article does mention that she should try to overcome what ever is holding her back and start making more speeches.
And you’re totally right about Meghan having to work harder. Every black child learns this growing up “You have to work TWICE as hard to get HALF of what they get.”
It’s bother me the way people are trying their hardest to dismiss meghan speeches as if it’s no big deal well she a former actress so it comes easy to her as if her speech don’t have a impact or her words are hollow. ITS The same way they go about the abuse that meghan has been subjected to its well all the royal get hates it no deal you bring up that people are wishing meghan and her baby death threats because the color of meghan skin its well kate got threats too . They Refused to Acknowledge any of the good work Meghan has done since being a duchess they rather dragged her for mundane things make sure people know that no matter what Meghan she will never measure up to Kate in their eyes . Kate does literally the bare minimum and she praised to high heaven as the most perfect regal future queen ever Meghan helps and organized a cookbook for people who loss their homes it’s no big deal she nothing special.
Well said Vanessa and Joro.
As a future queen Kate should have stepped up her speech skills a long time ago. Meghan’s prescene should not have precipitated it. If a time of crisis happens during William’s reign the country would look to him and Kate. If she didn’t wAnt that kind of pressure Kate shouldn’t have married William.
I dunno about people being like “Meghan’s not that great of a public speaker” but she addressed an entire stadium of Invictus Games public like it was no big deal without breaking a sweat. Not a lot of people can do that. Kate has never addressed such a large crowd like that before (correct me if I’m wrong). Meghan did the same thing at the UN. Sure, her speeches might seem a little overacted and could use some work but she looks comfortable and totally in her element, she is a complete natural. That can’t be faked, no matter how good of an actress you are. Kate has never seemed comfortable addressing a crowd of any size. She doesn’t look like she wants to bolt but you can tell it’s not her favorite thing while Meghan just beams away at the attention. Same thing on her wedding day–Meghan looked cool as a cucumber and Harry was the nervous wreck. (Though I remember Kate looking pretty relaxed at her wedding too, she didn’t seem too fazed by it from what I remember).
And most of all, she is WILLING to do it. Some of these comments show people are caping hard to excuse Kate’s lack of effort, going so far as putting down another woman.
Kate is heading towards 40 years old and she’s been in the Royal world almost a decade, even longer unofficially , yet some are still making excuses for her laziness. I can only laugh at this point because otherwise it’s sad, at how many excuses some people keep making for Kate.
Some of you guys are just as bad as the DM with how Meghan gets thrown under the bus to uplift Kate. Kate does need to speak more. 7 years and I still have no idea of what her personality is like or her intelligence level. Call Megan’s skills what you will, but at least we can tell she’s relatively intelligent with a good head on her shoulders. Kate is an attractive lady, but I would like to see the woman behind all of that.
Yeah, you can tell some people here are very resentful of the praise Meghan gets. Kate’s had so many opportunities to do more with her platform (over 7 years no less), so of course people are going to start asking questions. I’m still waiting on how that alleged children of Broken Britain campaign of hers develops. It could be a good project…or it could be a dud.
Exactly what I said the other day Gigi, I found this site and was pleased to see there were people appreciating Meghan. I have previously read comments on the DM and was disgusted.
Here I found people gave legitimate criticism but now I find its not that much better than the DM, give it a little while and this site will be the same. I think I’m not going to come back here now as it has changed and nor for the better.
When being white and looking regal is enough.
As sad as this fact may be, it explains Kate’s newfound confidence. All she has to do is look the part.
“Regal”. I must say I’ve never seen Kate get so many “regal looking” compliments until this year. I honestly don’t see much different in her style for all the “regal” hysteria.
Regal is code for white.
And I’m just going to say this, Kate is not happy because of baby Louis, she is happy because of all the new positve appreciation she is getting because of Meghan. As someone stated on here yesterday, Meghan has been Kate’s best PR game and she didn’t even have to try. THIS is why Kate looks so happy, ‘regal’ and content.
And if anyone thinks differently, you need to remove the rose tinted Kate glasses you have on and see reality.
Kate knows this and Kate is using the crap Meghan gets to her own advantage. Simple!
And I’m not a ‘Meghan stan’ but I’m fed up to the back teeth of all the unnecessary abuse and snide remarks she gets. Its like Mean Girls mark 2 here at the moment.
There rant over, as you were.
Yeah, it’s been depressing to see. Not surprising, though.
Very astute observation.
+ 1000 It seems we haven’t made much progress at all in regards to racism.
Guess not when you make assumptions about Kate being more relaxed because she is “regal” and benefiting off Meghan ethnicity. Slippery slope.
Sadly I believe this to be very true. Accomplishment an character cannot trump that at the end of the day. 😔
@Gigi la Moore, Bingo! Truer words never spoken!
If you don’t have genuine interest in and passion for the cause you’re representing, then you’re never going to be able to speak ably and with conviction about it. This is what I think is at the root of Kate’s stilted and often apathetic delivery. So many of the causes she’s taken up have, imo, been found for her rather than her organically seeking out ones she’s genuinely interested in, so it’s a chore for her rather than something she can take pleasure in and bring enthusiasm to. That’s the key difference I see between her and Meghan.
Meghan brings the passion and the enthusiasm to the causes she takes on: she researches, she consults, she arms herself with the facts, and her confidence when speaking publicly reflects that homework, passion and enthusiasm.
spot on!
This! Kate has shown us from the beginning that she is interested in nothing outside of her little bubble, which consists of her family and William. She never showed any interest in anything other than shopping, vacationing, partying and generally being a lady who lunches while waiting for William to call.
The only thing that she seems to show some enthusiasm for is sports – she’s always been an athletic sporty person but given that just about every other member of the RF has a sports patronage its a very crowded area.
Spot on!
+100
Why the concentration on the who actually speaks (regardless of subjective opinion of her skills) instead of the one who rarely speaks at all? WM is alive and well.
I don’t think it’s fair to say she’s copying Meghan’s duchessing style. She was a commoner and so set a precedent that way … but who taught her about public life? Doubt it was William as he seems to resent it. So perhaps she was never given the tools to create her own style until Meghan and Harry cleared a path. Anyway, just happy she seems happy.
Stopping make excuse for kate lack of motivation when its comes to the royal works William didn’t stop kate or hindered anything I guarantee you if kate need help or want to do anything in the last seven years. The Palace would have help her in anyway they could she choose to to be lazy kate problem Is that William and Kate both said in their engagement interview is that kate was the most prepared wife ever she will hitting the ground running. Instead she did nothing yet people are still lavishly her with praised and making excuses for her saying that she needed those sevens years off to prepare so what is it kate wasn’t prepared for royal work or she was in fact more prepared than meghan she just choose to do nothing
William does hold back people around him in order to not be overshadowed by anybody.
See Harry. His pics with soldiers or in the arctic / antarctic (during William’s engagement to Kate) were brilliant. But not such brilliant things till then. There are also a few interviews with Harry or Harry and William in which you notice that Harry is holding back or even smoothing things when cracks appear.
She needs to speak more because it’s part of her “job” not because there’s some imaginary competition with Meghan. I hated public speaking but I had to do it a lot with my work-the more you do it, the easier it becomes. Also-no one is asking Kate to do 20 minutes speeches, or something off the cuff or even anything with real substance. It takes very little effort to read a 3 minute, pre-written speech-she absolutely could be doing that multiple times a month.
Kate has a pattern for her speeches and she just fills in the gaps:
Thank you for inviting me (and William) today for this special tour / exhibition / gala / party / meeting …
It is really special to me (and William) to be … patron / spokesperson / visiting / here …
This charity / place means a lot to a lot of children / people / pensioners /educational / medical / art professionals / mothers / fathers / families / …
It is a place to call home / save people / improve lives / bring people together …
I am so happy to see all the good work / art / children / …
Me (and William) will continue to support this charity … and are happy to see it grow / develop …
Thank you for inviting me (and William).
+1
Kate’s bar is LOW, rolling on the ground low. Best to continue to compare her to the actress and not her royal ranked contemporaries Maxima, Mary, Victoria, Letizia, Charlene.
The rest of your list is accurate, but sorry, not Charlene.
Charlene should definately be included in that list. She’s a former Olympian competitor who works very hard for Monaco as Princess. She started her Foundation just after marriage and did her first speech in her first year of marriage. She was never lazy.
“the actress”? And what exactly is wrong with acting as a profession? Nothing.
Charlene hasn’t done much, as there isn’t much to do in Monaco, but her anti-drowning charity has trained 300,000 kids in water safety.
Charlene was a professional athlete and competed in international swimming competitions. You don’t get there by being lazy.
As wife of the Prince of Monaco however …
Albert of Monaco did probably look at Charlene and thought that she was somewhat good looking or at least “surgically improv-able”. Would hand down good athletic genes to his children and he could probably stand her enough to be around her enough to have children with her. He did probably also consider that he could control her because neither she nor her family have any kind of serious money nor influence.
Additionally she was willing and there are probably not that many women who would be willing to marry playboy Prince Albert of Monaco.
I wonder if William had similar thoughts about Kate.
There will always be comparisons between Kate and Meghan because they are contemporaries and there hasn’t been a direct comparison before, just like there were comparisons with Diana and Fergie. In “fast-tracking” Meghan, the BRF has, intentionally or unintentionally, highlighted the perceived lack of “work” (i.e., speeches and appearances) Kate has done and seemingly exposed the problems with the easing-in (or “babying”) approach taken with the Cambridges. Time and research will show exactly how much Kate has done v. Meghan, but public perception is important. And, right now, the public perception seems to be that the “spare’s wife” is more committed to duty than the “heir’s wife”.
I do think Kate needs to be front and center more and cut down on the “private meetings”; he public wants to see a BRF which interacts with the people. As monarchs, the public will look to William and Kate for stability should there be a crisis. If they are constantly canceling plans, not showing interest in their own patronages, or generally not being visible, people will start to question their usefulness.
Even as the Yorks, Elizabeth and Prince Albert made speeches and appearances on behalf of the King as was expected of the modern BRF. In many ways, they acted more like the heirs than the actual heir before fate intervened. Then they had to steer the monarchy and the British people through the crisis of war and the abdication while Albert dealt with a debilitating stutter. But it was in part because they had been visible and known and didn’t run away or show fear (show “the stiff upper lip”) that gave people faith that things would be okay.
Of course Meghan was going to be a better public speaker she’s a f**king actress. This is what she did all day in her job and what she practiced doing for decades before she became a professional
You are free to not like someone but showing them Respect is not a choice.
Kate had 7+ years to learn about public speaking.
The 2 duchesses should be just as prepare for this then.
Stop giving excuse for what you should recognise as mediocrity.
Eh, what?
What does acting got to do with public speaking??
Acting helps a lot with public speaking because a public speech is delivered aka “acted without artsy intentions”.
Control nerves and delivery in front of a crowd. Enunciation and pronunciation and prosodie and breathing technique. Body language and poise. Mime. Timing.
That is usually why actors are often presenters or moderators at big movie galas. Remember Chris Rock? Patrick WhatHisname?
Very little. As stated by others on here, many actors are people who are strong introverts and who hate public speaking. Memorizing a script, playing a character on a set with a handful of crew? That is no where near the same as standing up at the podium and giving a speech.
I honestly don’t think she has competition from Meghan. She just looks happy. It might be that like a lot of people as she gets closer to 40, she is getting comfortable in her own skin. Happens to a lot of us, won’t shade her for that, and won’t repeat the nonsense of Kate and Meghan competing.
Kate is however extremely late in mastering public speaking. I couldn’t do it, day in and day out, but then again it’s not my job, but it’s hers. Unfortunately with someone else I’d cut them slack because speaking up in public can make add further strain to mental illnesses, but Kate has access to the best medical care possible, if that is the case.
After being Wills on and off GF for years, then his fiance, and now a duchess, someone should have sat her down and talked to her about this. It should have been Wills really, but he is also lazy, and unfortunately she probably takes her cues from him. Giving a 2 minute speech should be the bare minimum she should have been taught to do in 7 years. I put a lot of blame on Wills for some of her choices, but she also is a grown-ass woman and should be more than aware of what would be expected of her by now.
Kate is late in mastering or grasping a great many things – it took several years for her to master hem weights. Its only recently that she’s stopped flashing her bits to the world.
“flashing her bits”? You’re gross.
I don’t think she’s mastered it…..her dress flew up at Eugenie’s wedding.
Yes, WFH, she has flashed her bits repeatedly at work. That’s the gross thing, not people pointing out she needs to get her act together and stop it.
Exactly how long is it since Kate flashed her bits? Can’t we move on?
At Eugenie’s wedding, no? Easier to move on if she didn’t keep doing it.
Kate had a Marily moment just recently. Still no weight in hems.
Sophie put her hand down over Kates wind flying skirt to help stop it.
Honestly, who cares? She is a mother with 3 kids and appears to be hands on. Megan is an actress so naturally will be more comfortable with public speaking. Why can’t they each have their own style and interests in their roles?
Because Kate clearly has no interest in the role that provides her 50 room palace, 10 bedroom mansion, two housekeepers, three nannies, millions in taxpayer security at her parents house, etc.
Enough with this ‘hands on’ crap. All the royal women worked more than Kate while raising happy kids. Stop infantilising this lazy woman.
totally agree with you NOTA.
I think Meghan is a natural extrovert, she enjoys being the centre of attention. A good quality to have if you are planning any career in the public eye. I think this helped her career as an actress and then as an orator. Whether you like her style of speech making that’s another thing , but she oozes natural confidence therefore she isn’t uncomfortable to watch.
I have never heard anyone mention Kate’s lack of speech making before reading it here. The Royals are all a bit stiff when giving speeches but I actually find that endearing and easier to relate to than someone who has been obviously coached. That to me seems more false, but then I’m a natural introvert.
People have been commenting on Kate’s lack of public speaking ability for 7+ years, here and in pretty much every royal forum.
I remember the pda Kate showed William at Eugenie’s wedding and thinking that it was contrived (thigh rubbing!.). That, I believe, showed that Kate tries to manipulate public perception as there were ongoing media comparisons between their relationship with the Sussexes. It was like Kate was trying to convince us that they were a loving couple like H&M. What struck me was that the media paid a lot of attention to the pda and wrote favourably about it. It should be noted that the pda has since vanished (thank goodness because it’s not natural to them).
Since November I have noticed the “Kate’s back and she’s keen” articles popping up and probably that’s all that’s needed to sway public opinion in her favour. I will be very surprised if articles calling her to make more speeches will translate into Kate making more speeches. We might get an article talking about how she plans to make some and that will be that.
@Mego
Kate is it not the only one trying to manipulate public perception, they all do it, every single one of them Meghan, William , Harry included. Every public official and celebrity does this. I am a journalist and you will not believe the lengths people go to manipulate public perception.
W&K PDA generally appears forced because they haven’t been a publicly affectionate couple for 15 years.
She has successfully avoided public speaking for nearly a decade. She won’t start any time soon.
I wasn’t overly impressed with Meghan’s speeches either. Delivery was good but content was quite meh.
I thought Kate was more submissive and quiet because she didn’t want to end up reminding the Royals of Diana and what a thorn in their side she became with her ‘voice’ and ’causes’ and ‘personality’ that stood out from theirs..
All it said is Kate needs to do more speeches. Which she does, as public speaking is going to be a big part of the rest of her life. She needs to prepare for her visits, which she and William have admitted they don’t do. All of this is on Kate. She could change it but chooses not to. If she has bad nerves pop half a metoprolol or another beta blocker to bring that down a notch. The fact is she has unlimited resources and actively chooses not to utilize them. She could get a proper tailor but she doesn’t. She could get a proper stylist but she doesn’t. She simply chooses not to.
It’s really surprising to me how much people abhor enthusiasm in speeches about causes Meghan is passionate about. God forbid she shows that she’s knowledgable and invested in the subject of her speaking. The rest of the BRF is pretty much “I graced you with my presence, what more do you want?” in their boring af speeches. Kate always looks like she’s ready to get the hell out to go shopping. Meghan being passionate and educated on her topics isn’t a bad thing. But I guess the bar is set so low that people think she’s gotta be faking it.