Us Weekly has a new story about the split of the Royal Foundation, because I guess we haven’t beat that dead horse enough. As we’ve heard (repeatedly) the Sussexes are leaving the Royal Foundation which was initially set up by Prince Harry and Prince William. Kate was added to the charity when she married William, and Meghan was added last year. The Royal Foundation became their clearing-house for every individual charity work they started or supported, but it was always going to be separated at some point. The Sussexes and Cambridges just have different goals and different interests and William was the one who seemed to want to fast-track the split. But Us Weekly wants us to know that Kate and Meghan also disagreed about the foundation too:
Duchess Meghan is doing things her own way once again. After Kensington Palace formally announced on Thursday, June 20, that she and Prince Harry were breaking away from Prince William and Duchess Kate’s charity, the Royal Foundation, to start their own, a royal insider exclusively reveals in the new issue of Us Weekly that the Fab Four were experiencing creative differences ahead of the split.
“Kensington Palace is painting this as a natural progression,” says the insider, “but there were definitely issues with Meghan and Kate seeing eye to eye on how they wanted to run this charity.”
While the Duchess of Sussex, 37, wanted “to be more involved — create initiatives and be in the trenches,” the Duchess of Cambridge, also 37, wanted to be “more hands off.”
There isn’t, however, a “disagreement or rift” between the royal ladies — who have been plagued with feud rumors for the last year — says the insider, but the mom of 7-week-old Archie is “figuring out what she can do in terms of being active [and more] comfortable with her role.”
For all of her KEEN talk, I do think that Kate’s general charitable philosophy is more hands-off. She’s content to do what is expected, which is “show up, shake hands, pose for photos.” Kate has long been hard at work on her vague Keen Initiative on children’s mental health/Broken Britain/whatever, but even that doesn’t seem hands-on, mostly because no one understands WTF she’s even doing there. So yes, there probably were philosophical differences between the duchesses, but make no mistake: the real conflict/animosity is still between the brothers.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red and Backgrid.
Ha! You mean one wants to do and often and the other wants to smile, wave, and collect flowers from children as long as her children aren’t on school break.
Honestly I don’t think she even wants to do that but it’s the bare minimum of what she will so.
That’s exactly was I was thinking when I read the headline.
One wants to do it while the other doesn’t 🤷♀️
Exactly what I thought.
I’m shocked I tell you, shocked that Kate takes a “hands off” stance on charity work. *eye roll*
“Hands off” AKA do the absolute bare minimum,
If she showed up more often, I would say this the right approach. Kate isn’t an expert on any of the causes she supports or those the foundation incubates. Her job is to raise awareness and visibility of issues and charities so the experts can get their message out.
Also, Meghan’s job for the last several years has been largely about finding ways to raise profiles, increase visibility and draw attention to her projects and things she’s been working on (and how to be magnetizing and inviting while doing that). She’s just going to be better at coming up with the ideas for initiatives and then executing them than the person who has never had a full time job or had to hustle and work.
Right?? That story makes Kate sound so lazy lol.
Kate doesn’t need this story to do that.
Are they shading Kate? Because her hands off approach has meant rarely showing up to patronages to the point where Ed Sheeran has to be asked to help out. And sometimes “write letters” of support.
You’d think that she would want to show people she’s good at doing something other than bustin out her Sherwin Williams color wheel and ordering the same coat dress in different hues…smh
This doesn’t inspire excitement about the Cambridges going solo
Ha! Her Sherwin Williams colour wheel! Good one! I think that the KP apt that the Gloucesters are vacating this summer will become one giant closet for her coatdresses!
Did a spit take on Sherwin Williams color wheel. I’m also picturing a slot machine that dispenses buttons.
LOL!
This doesn’t make Kate look good.
Kate doesn’t make Kate look good.
US Weekly is owned by the Enquirer right? I mean I don’t believe it’s anything more than the brothers fighting. They weren’t breaking apart a charity because one person wanted to be more involved.
@Eliza – ITA. This was always about the boys, but their clothes aren’t as interesting so why not put the girls in front of them and let them take the heat, especially as everyone likes to see what they’re wearing and kill two birds with one stone? It’s kind of disgusting.
That whole statement about the women didn’t ring true. It seems to me that there would be plenty of room for each of the four to do his or her own thing and not have to match the others.
I agree with Kaiser. The animosity is between the brothers. And Kate is naturally a more reserved person, so she has a different style.
LMAO Well no shit! One wants to show up when things are in a nice little bow ready to presented while the other wants to be apart of the process.
You know, on one hand, it’s impossible to feel sorry for either of these women, but OTOH, the rate at which the magazine and tabloid industry are scraping barrels to keep stories – any story – about them going, most of which are utter b.s. and based on absolutely nothing anyone really knows, is beginning to irk me. I don’t believe any of them any longer. No matter which one you like or don’t like or if you dislike or adore both of them or neither of them, they’ve just become fodder for money for the press. It’s getting to the point that I don’t even open the stories anymore. I know exactly what I’m going to find – a desperate attempt to create something out of nothing for clicks and money.
US Weekly has long been held as trash with no sources ( especially in the Royal family ). UNLESS the slant is aimed at whoever isn’t the favorite depending on which camp.
How is it hard to feel sorry for Meghan? Have you been paying attention for the last year?
The pretend neutrals often claim there’s no reason to sympathize with Meghan.
With Meghan on maternity leave, they’re having to scrape the bottom of the barrel for website clicks.
Tell us something that we didn’t already know. Kate didn’t want to be outshone by the proactive new girl on the block – she didn’t want her laziness to be even more highlighted than it already is.
The difference between their approaches is that Meghan actually wants to do it and believes in it, Kate sees it as nothing more than a PR opportunity and something that she has to/is very much expected to do because of who she married.
Agreed. I do think Kate is very uneasy with the breath of fresh air Megs has brought in regards to work ethic. And no matter what public opinion matters and they know that.
Just as William doesn’t like being outshone by Harry and his successful projects.
This. Kate does not seem very interested in working in general(before her marriage and after), or show any interest in philanthropy. She seems disengaged from her charities.
The real beef is between the brothers but I think it is also true that they each married women who reflect their character and general level of engagement with the world. It is sad that the stories are so much about the wives to deflect from their husbands.
Yeah, US is so reputable 🙄
Kate may or may not be interested in her charities, but she def doesn’t want to piss off Willy by being more high profile with he charities and stealing focus. He hates that and he is her priority, not the charities. Meghan OTOH sees her role as a platform for philanthropy and is interested in getting into and developing that, a view that her husband shares. Not a surprise……
Every time I see that picture of Kate laughing at Meghan in the carriage my first thought is to wonder why Meghan has a chunk of antler bone in her hair. I realize it’s just the placement of the carriage part, but it looks like it’s part of her hairstyle at first.
I work for a charity or well I don’t like that word, I work for a humanitarian organization. And I really really prefer hands off approach. Nothing more annoying then someone who is not a professional in this field meddling with how we work and what we do. What we need is someone representing when necessary, supporting our fundraising and advocacy. I mean from all i can see so far, Meghan would also stick to that, just picking her causes more carefully maybe. But people like George Clooney or Sean Penn, so annoying, they think they know better than the humanitarians and they don‘t. A lot of people argue that George did a lot more harm than good with his work in Sudan. Oh well other stories. Angelina Jolie is best example how it can be done. Supporting advocacy and fundraising, drawing attention to topics and contexts, but saying what UNHCR needs her to say or listening to experts in her work on sexual violence.
Rosa, my thoughts are kind in line with yours on this. I think this article was definitely intended to shade Kate, but it ties into something I’ve been wondering this whole time. I suspect a big source of tension between Meghan and the courtiers and/or Cambridges stems from her entering into this world after a hot second and making immediate suggestions and trying to change things. It doesn’t mean Meghan’s suggestions were bad or without merit, but no one likes to feel like they’re being told how to do their job (especially by someone who is very new to that world), or that they’re being asked to do a lot of additional work without an increase in pay.
What suggestions or changes did Meghan make after a ‘hot second’? We keep hearing that Meghan wanted to disrupt the apparently well-run machine that was the Royal Foundation, but what exactly were they doing before Meghan showed up? And what changes did Meghan insist on making?
We DO know that William and Kate were as ‘hands-off’ as is humanly possible. Maybe Meghan suggested that everyone get off their asses and earn their keep. Or maybe Harry, feeling empowered by his new wife, decided to cut ties with the dead weight that had been dragging him down for years and strike out on his own.
But I guess it’s easier to just blame Meghan.
I can imagine Kate saying “I didn’t think charity work meant actual, like you know, work. How ick”.
On an infinitely more exciting note than the obvious (that Kate is now and has always been lazy), Harry and Meghan announced on Instagram that they’re doing a royal tour to several countries in Southern Africa and little Archie will be going as well (of course!)
Both women have different personalities a different approach to “duty”, it seems.
Meghan’s attitude from the start was that she exchanged a busy, demanding career for another busy, demanding career. Bonus: the new career happens to involve something she already did before her marriage around her actual job, and something she is passionate and serious about. So I imagine that Meghan genuinely LIKES this kind of charity work and actively WANTS to do it.
Kate, on the other hand, exchanged a carefree comfortable life for (from her perspective) the life of being a wealthy wife and mother, with royal duties and charity work as something she is expected to do every once in a while. While I’m sure she enjoys some parts of it and believes in the causes, and probably wants to be helpful, but it isn’t a vocation or anything. As Kate never had or needed a 9-5 job in her life, she probably doesn’t feel the need to be active all the time to find purpose or meaning in her life. She’d be perfectly happy to stay home with her kids/shopping/working out and whatever hobbies she may have. So when it comes to charity work, she could take it or leave it. Not that she doesn’t take it serious, she simply doesn’t seem to take it as serious as Meghan does.
Of course Meghan comes across better in this scenario. What charity wouldn’t prefer to have her involved?
Kate obviously wants to do as little “work” as possible. So does William, except he’s better at hiding it. But William will be king no matter how much or how little effort he puts into it. That’s just the price of having a monarchy, so I don’t see why anyone complains.
If William is a lazy King will the British be ok with that?
I said this when the announcement came. Meghan and Harry relish the charitable aspect of their work and enjoy cultivating unique and personal philanthropic endeavors. William and Kate do not. They’re happy to show up, cut a ribbon, give a speech, take some photos and then move on with their lives. That’s not WHY its being split up, but it makes me excited for the future of the Sussex’s charitable work.
Kaiser, you’re Brilliant! If anyone has followed Kate and Meghan for any length of time and can be completely honest will agree. Well stated!
This story is shady to both Kate and Meghan.
It paints Kate as lazy and uninterested and paints Meghan as overly keen and needing to be at the centre of attention. No one wins with this article, which makes me question the source of these fanfics.
Whilst Kate is often viewed as lazy so much so she was nicknamed ‘Kannot’, Brits are equally egregious about overly keen Americans wanting to do things their way i.e. big and brash. So again this is another stone in Meg’s garden, much like the 5 am texts.
I am guessing this is just another casual observation turned into filler Royal gossip.
So basically Meghan is more than keen because so far she only manages to think about what to do? No plans yet, right? Also so far she hasn’t done that much nor has she done that many engagements. Just look at her numbers.
And Don’t you think that Kate, too, is the same kind of keen as Meghan because she only manages to think about what to do?
The only successful, widely known activity that is known among people (not royalists, but actual, general people) is Harry’s thing -Invictus Games. I think that speaks volumes about Cambridges and their work ethic and approach.