I’m still catching up on some of the pre-funeral royal stuff. I have to say, I expected more embiggening of the new Queen Consort and the new Princess of Wales, but I think Camilla and Kate are biding their time. The embiggening will happen in the weeks and months to come. I also find it curious that there wasn’t a bigger emphasis on Queen Camilla-the-diplomat. I have no idea what Cam is like when she meets world leaders and such, but I bet she can do more than flap her jazz hands and gawp. So why did Kate get tasked with meeting the First Lady of Ukraine at Buckingham Palace on Sunday? The Palace released a photo of the two women speaking in the Palace drawing room. Olena Zelenska had come to London to pay her respects to QEII and (apparently) take some meetings. Why not Camilla? I should point out that William and Kate met President Zelenskyy and First Lady Olena a few years ago, so perhaps that’s why Kate was given this meeting. Still, some embiggening:
[This meeting] was the most outwardly political move Kate has ever made. It was also a solo engagement, made without her husband, Prince William – a choice made more poignant by the fact that Zelenska was attending without her own; President Zelensky having remained in Ukraine on account of the still ongoing conflict with Russia. The meeting is singular for myriad reasons. Not only does it place Kate on a political platform like never before, it is understood to be the only private audience a member of the royal family conducted, outside of the King’s individual meetings with the leaders of nations of which he is now head of state. The choice to send the Princess of Wales for this significant meeting, is notable.
Is it really that notable? I guess it’s notable that a pair of work-shy 40-year-olds are such diplomatic lightweights, to the point where the new king now has to try to teach both William and Kate some emergency skills like they’re two dumb interns. I also find it notable that after this meeting, Kate changed her clothes and then she was front-and-center at the diplomatic reception, giggling with Camilla and flashing QEII’s pearls and diamonds.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
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- The Princess of Wales (left) speaks with the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, as she welcomes her to Buckingham Palace in London, ahead of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.,Image: 723880564, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: Kirsty O’Connor / Avalon
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- The Princess of Wales during a lunch held for governors-general of the Commonwealth nations at Buckingham Palace in London. Picture date: Saturday September 17, 2022. Featuring: Catherine Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 17 Sep 2022 Credit: Stefan Rousseau/PA Images/INSTAR/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
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- The Princess of Wales chats with His Excellency Mr. Cyril Errol Melchiades Charles, Governor of St Lucia during a lunch held for governors-general of the Commonwealth nations at Buckingham Palace in London. Picture date: Saturday September 17, 2022. Featuring: Catherine Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge, His Excellency Mr. Cyril Errol Melchiades Charles Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 17 Sep 2022 Credit: Stefan Rousseau/PA Images/INSTAR/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
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- King Charles III and the Princess of Wales during a lunch held for governors-general of the Commonwealth nations at Buckingham Palace in London. Picture date: Saturday September 17, 2022. Featuring: Catherine Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge, King George III Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 17 Sep 2022 Credit: Stefan Rousseau/PA Images/INSTAR/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
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- The Queen Consort and the Princess of Wales during a lunch held for governors-general of the Commonwealth nations at Buckingham Palace in London. Picture date: Saturday September 17, 2022. Featuring: Catherine Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge, Camilla Queen Consort Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 17 Sep 2022 Credit: Stefan Rousseau/PA Images/INSTAR/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
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- State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II held at Westminster Abbey in London. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 19 Sep 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
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- State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II held at Westminster Abbey in London. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales, Camilla, Queen Consort Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 19 Sep 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
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- State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, held at Westminster Abbey, London. Featuring: Catherine Princess of Wales Where: London, England, United Kingdom When: 19 Sep 2022 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com/Cover Images **North America Rights Only**
Lol…Kate is so gross. That’s all.
Right?!? Zelenska’s country is at war and Putin is trying to kill her husband. Hasn’t she suffered enough this year? But no, she also has to sit through a jazz hands meeting with a vapid mean girl. Jeez US
The woman Zelensky dont speak English, but thru an interpreter, so what could they say that may have been meaningful.
Literally. I saw those strands of pearls and reflexively said “Gross!” outloud.
That was no meeting,it was a photo op and once again Kate cant interact with any woman of substance.
Will be interesting to see how long it takes for Kate to get a reputation within other royalty and world leaders for being nothing but fluff and whether that starts to leak at some point.
I think that’s already happened. Remember the fiasco with Dr. Jill Biden? Her trip the Netherlands where she was repeatedly late for meetings with Queen Maxima and Crown Princess Mary? Then she slid down a slide. “Are Fabergé eggs still made?” “Can you test the smell by smelling it?” She spelled country as “coutry” thanking UK’s transport workers in a whiteboard message. She shoved bugs in William’s face at a COP26 climate change summit. Top level fluff for sure.
Exactly right, just a photo op for Katie. Not entirely sure Ms. Zelenska want this, but more grudgingly went along with it as she had other things to get to that day.
But @Noki, she attended the meeting alone! At 40, Kate went to a meeting by herself like a big girl! Surely the Nobel Peace Prize is hers!
If this “meeting” lasted for more than 15 minutes I’ll eat the queen’s hat. Also, for a “meeting” that is 100% focused on visuals (because apparently Kate can’t speak 2 full sentences to another human) you’d think she’d try to blend her wiglet in a bit better instead of just plopping it on the back of her head like that.
Respect to Olena Zelenska and the people of Ukraine still defending their country.
Also, every time I see the word “embiggen”, I think of Ms. Marvel, as that’s her power in the comics. Though a fictional character, she has more substance and idealism than Kate.
The Zelenskeys have a media game that needs to be studied by future diplomats for years to come. For the leader of a small country who barely speaks English to dominate the world’s largest media market as he has and keep us all talking about the plight of his people, just absolutely brilliant media savvy.
The Ukraine is a bigger country than the UK. We talk about many British topics that are far more trivial than war, rape and murder, including one woman passing of old age.
The Ukrainian refugees I met all speak at least enough English to have a conversation. Being bilingual already makes them know more languages than many British people. Their education system also seems to be at a higher level when it comes to maths and science than many Western countries.
Just because English isn’t the native language, doesn’t mean a country is not worthy of attention.
Not sure what you try to accomplish with terms like “media savvy”? Just assuming you don’t mean to frame them trying to get support and help in a negative way 🙂
I’m stunned that anyone could take that as a negative. How often do you see leaders from Syria or Sierra Leone interviewed on CNN? Have there been no war crimes or rape? Compare that to how often you see Zelensky. Americans have short attention spans and would have tired of Ukraine news if Zelensky hadn’t been brilliant in his media approach, made even more impressive by his minimal fluency in English. Of course it helps that it’s a Western democracy with a population of predominantly European ancestry, but of you’re old enough to remember the horrors in Yugoslavia you’re old enough to recall they were largely ignored by American media.
Let’s not downplay how effective Zelensky’s diplomacy and media strategy have been in keeping the war in the forefront of the world’s largest media market. And I predict his strategy will be studied by future leaders, journalists, and diplomats.
PS before anyone points out that China is the world’s largest media market, I’m referring to the global penetration of American cable news, which is driven by corporate profits and programming based on what sells. And I have nothing but praise for a leader who knows how to work that to help his nation.
Yes Bettyrose! I thought no way this former actor was up to war with Putin and boy has he proven the opposite of my assumptions! His media game, the war strategy in general. All of it should be studied for decades to come!
Maybe she had to go since she’s the only one who didn’t personally take a sack of cash from Russia? Just a guess.
LOL, I think you are right. She’s the only one who doesn’t have a connection to Russia, but it’s because she’s terminally incurious and lazy.
Boom!
LOL
She wasn’t “placed on a political platform”. Honestly the lengths to which the rota will go to make Kate sound like the keenest political and diplomatic person in the world who can single-handedly solve the war with Russia. It was nothing more than a photo op.
@Jaded, spot on. Optics are everything. As the Queen used to say: you have to be seen to be believed. And if we see Kate with charts and important dignitaries, we will swallow the BS of her importance and intellect.
LOL, she was placed on a chair, had her picture taken.
What’s Catherine going to do for or about Ukraine? This is a useless meeting.
Ukraine is important news. For now, President Zelenskyy is the leader of the free world. Like it or not, today, global survival as we know it hinges on what happens in Ukraine.
Zelenska got extra coverage. Kate got some not good but passable pictures of her pretending to be on the level of Zelenska. Someone coached Kate to get that picture and she at least listened. Both people gained but not for the same reason
@Carrot – Your post gave me chills, but of course you’re right.
Excellent analysis. Now more than ever Ukraine needs continued western support, particularly cash and weapons and this is part of the PR strategy for them to keep public sentiment on their side. A win for everyone though I think it would be difficult to make small talk with Kate as she is dim.
Kate offered a few smiles.
What more do you ingrates want? (snark)
As long as she didn’t respond „how interesting!” to Olena’s stories about horroru of war.. I guess that’s all we can expect from Kate.
The meeting was not about a meaningful conversation but about PR. Kate is the one of the current royals to garner most clicks to publicly show support for Ukraine and remind the public that between all the Queens funeral and bashing Harry and Meghan, there is still a war going on in Europe and the Zelenskys are the leaders defending a free Europe against Putin.
Kate was only a prop to garner Media attention. And beeing an empty manequin for a picture might be her biggest strenght.
“[This meeting] was the most AWKWARDLY political move Kate has ever made.” FIFY
Also, never seen two people sitting so uncomfortably and awkwardly in my life. Why can’t they afford comfortable chairs or take sitting lessons in their spare (aka “all the time”) time?
I thought the same thing! They’re perched on the edges of the chairs as though they sat, briefly, for the cameras, then got up again & parted ways. That’s definitely not the body language of two women sitting down for a talk.
Look how much those chair seat cushions curl up around both women! They’re both slender, so for the cushions bend that much for such a slight amount of weight, the stuffing in them has to be, like, four dandelion puffs and a cotton ball. Super regal, BRF. Like, totally classy.
That was my thought, what is up with those chairs?!? Get those restuffed. I know royalty likes their shabby chic but this is ridiculous. Those can’t be even remotely comfortable to sit on!
When I saw this pic, I thought how ugly and dated BP must be.
Same! The chairs stole the show. They are both ugly (nothing against the checkered pattern, but that AND the fringe?) and supremely uncomfortable looking, terrible for looking dignified on photos. They certainly don’t look like antiques, can’t they afford better furniture?
This feels like a waste of the First Lady of Ukraine’s time, to meet with Kate. Why couldn’t she have met with someone who could/would actually do something for Ukraine? Instead, she got to meet Kate.
Totally agree.
When w&k met with President & Mrs. Zelenskyy (2018) repeatedly they rolled their eyes, outright sneered and made a show of talking down to the physically shorter and still much more important pair. It was gross
The smartest thing I’ve seen Kate do maybe ever was to be seated and dressed without bling for that pre-funeral photo op w Zelenska
The First Lady of Ukraine now understands where Charles ranks the war with Russia.
Why did she change before the reception? because she could? Poor Kate, she’s probably so confused now. Who to copy, who to copy? the late Queen? diana? her SIL?? HOW TO CHOOSE?!?!?!
Anyway I think Kate was sent to this meeting bc she didn’t have anything else to do, she’s met the First Lady before, and Charles is sending a signal that she’s gotta work now.
So that it would look like a separate event/engagement, not like she popped down the hall for a few minutes for a picture.
Maybe they were pacing Camilla due to her broken toe and the funeral on Monday? Possibly, KC does need to train Kate at diplomacy and due to GB’s help to Ukraine, this was an easy entrance for Kate? Plus, aside from the fact that I am not very supportive of the BM, this makes for a better “soft sell” picture than it would with Cam.
A head of state is born. Catherine Middleton IS command.😆
Hahahaha!!!!! Now Carole could run a state…her daughter nope!!!! 🤭🤣🤭 love this comment so much
I cannot even imagine how painful this meeting must have been Zelenska. Kate is so devoid of personality (and political knowledge/general knowledge) I can only imagine — Kate staring off into space, playing with her hair, the awkward silences, giggles, the small talk about nonsense. What a waste of Zelenska’s time.
No wonder Putin is ramping up the war. The First Lady of Ukraine met with the brain trust Kate Middleton. It all makes sense now.
That first pic is worth a thousand words.
The pretty princess worried about jewels, palaces, and dresses meets with a woman who is worried about her country’s sovereignty, her husband’s life, and literal Armageddon with Russia. FFS I am second-hand insulted. What did they talk about? The early years? Pearls?
We know they didn’t talk about the early years; Kate had that opportunity with Dr. Biden, and she contributed absolutely nothing.
Kate: I brought brownies
Zelenska: English princess go fuck yourself
Olena: My husband is waging a war.
Kate: Oh! My husband also is wearing a sword!
Olena: No I said WAR! He’s fighting a WAR!
Kate: Yes my husband is shagging a whore. Such a shame.
Olena: Nevermind tell me about your earrings.
🤣😆😂😁🤣😆😂😄🤣😆😁😂
Your comment about how their conversation went is hilarious. Esp the earrings at the end. Thank you.
The earrings lol yes! Hahahaha this is exactly how the conversation went omg
Kate is so clearly out her depth. You can see it every time they inflict her on the poor wives of world leaders (remember the Dr. Jill meeting?), or even just regular women who have actually done something with their lives (every teacher at every school that she’s inconvenienced with her dunderheaded early years make-work).
Also, I know it’d be like, the opposite of diplomacy, but part of me really wishes than Ms. Zelenska had casually brought up how other European royals offered their spare homes to refugees. They don’t really need Adelaide Cottage anymore, do they?
How awkward. Everyone knows Brexit Britain didn’t want to support Ukraine at all and was forced into it by international pressure.
Also, I guess Cam couldn’t meet with President Biden after she told everyone he farted last time. Family of diplomats, for sure.
That’s not true. Who knows what Truss is going to do (although she’s making the right noises so far) but the one single thing for which I am pro-Boris is his stance on Ukraine, at least post-invasion. We’ve sent USD4b in military aid. It’s nowhere near the USA’s USD25b, but it’s a lot more than Germany or France. (This is nothing to do with Kate or the royals though).
I didn’t say they didn’t end up sending help, I said they had to be pressured into it globally and they did.
Truss is actually expected to increase Britains support for Ukraine, which is odd given how far right she is. But whatever it takes, Ukraine must prevail.
Pressured by who? We’re not listening to the Americans (which we should be) and we’re certainly not listening to Europe.
I can’t help but think of Meghan being in this room at the same time. Educated on what the hell’s going on in the world. It must be painful for people to have a conversation with her. I have feeling Kate went home and cried. I also have a feeling she went home and started to look through her wardrobe, wondering how she can look more like a woman in her 80′ or 90’s. WTF is up with those pearls?
Right? My first thought was actually, “damn, if only there was a warm, compassionate, intelligent member of the RF who also just happened to have majored in international studies…”
OMG Yes talking to Kate must be a lot like talking to a blank wall. That meeting had to be excruciating for both women. One has the weight of her country on her shoulders…and one is the world’s biggest overhyped lightweight.
Poor Olena Zelenska! Her country is fighting for it’s very existence and she has to sit down with Kate? I’m sure it was a deep, substantive conversation. She probably first had to explain to Kate exactly where Ukraine is and who is attacking it. Not sure Camilla would have been an improvement but she might have feined interest better.
💯!!! This!
The royals are above politics, So how on earth can Kate ever make a political move outwardly or inwardly. Really careless reportings.
Kate is not praised for her diplomatic “skills”. She is getting dragged for wearing the queen’s jewels before she was buried.
Well, it’s notable, in that it happened – doesn’t mean it’s laudable. But Kate (and we) will have to get used to it. Charles will have her doing much more.
We should start a pool on when that will end, because you know that Kate Middleton has avoided work her entire life and is not about to start post-40.
Kate actually attended two events hence the different outfits. The one where she wore three strand pearl necklace actually took place the day before she meet the Ukrainian First Lady. Her meeting with the First Lady took place a few hours before the world leaders reception.
Is Khate wearing the triple strand pearls the Queen always wore?
Yes I believe so and I.Just.Can’t!
I can just hear it now. ‘People are dying for their country? Children are starving? Oh how interesting. Can we hurry this up? I have more taxpayer money to waste on ugly, expensive clothes’
I don’t think the meeting was a waste of time for the Ukraine first lady. Ukraine needs our governments here in the west to continue allotting huge amounts of money and resources for Ukraine’s defense. Part of that is winning war of public opinion. By being photographed with Kate, who, like it or not is still hugely popular with the general public, she keeps sympathy for Ukraine at the forefront.
I agree, it’s a win for Ukraine but you can see that Zelenska is barely containing her contempt, given how Britain had to be shamed into helping Ukraine and the Tory government is propped up with Russian money and in bed with Putin.
Nope. The Tories are scum and took Russian money for sure, but they’re not in bed with Putin any longer. Poor Olena is probably just contemptuous of Kate, as any of us would be.
@EBS did you see the recent report that Russia was behind pushing Brexit? As in, not just suspected anymore, but evidence.
While right wing politicians around the globe are trying to pivot right now given Russias actions, they were in bed with Putin and they are responsible for his war to a large extent.
None of that is incorrect. But it doesn’t mean that the Tories are still in bed with Putin. We’ve contributed 5x more to Ukraine military than the EU. I hate the Tories, and they’re not in bed with the Russians any longer. If Putin does drop a nuclear weapon, it will fall on us (RUS commentators suggested the Queen’s funeral), not you.
Do they have video with clear audio?
How much time do they spend together talking?
How much time does it take to say, “Say cheese!” in Ukrainian? And then to say,”Oh, crap, crap, crap, this is a somber photo shoot, don’t say cheese!”
Kate ‘hugely popular with the general public’ and keeping ‘sympathy for Ukraine at the forefront’? What have you been drinking, other than the KP Kool-Aid?
I live in red state America where people love Kate and William and think they’re awesome. Red America are the same people who don’t want the U.S. funneling money to Ukraine, so it’s good for Ukraine for those kind of people to see photos of the Ukrainian first lady sitting in a place like the palace meeting Kate. It will make them more open to the notion that we should support Ukraine.
LOL. Just like the rest of the GOP, racist MAGATs are pro-Putin and pro-Russia, not pro-Democracy or pro-Ukraine. As they are pro-Brexit like the racist Tories, because they are against a powerhouse DEMOCRATIC European Union with the power to stand up to autocrats like Putin and Drumpf. Katie Keen and her Breck Girl hair-flipping will not change that – nor would she want to.
Please, Macron and Scholz stand up to Putin? Don’t make me laugh.
We can but live in hope, but either of those men would be 1,000,000X more impactful than Keen’s posing.
I find that photo with Cam kind of chilling. What put that expression on Kate’s face? Nothing good, I’m guessing.
I too thought nothing good when looking at that face.
Even discounting Kate’s vapid, incurious personality, like just from a purely optics standpoint where I didn’t know anything about either of these women personally except the occasion of their meeting for this photo and what is currently happening in the countries they represent and how the countries they represent have been dealing with one a other for the past several months, this photo-op isn’t really working the way it should. Sitting opposite each other on those huge, awkward armchairs, and poor Zelenska is looking like she has no patience for this at all, and well she shouldn’t given what she’s been going through. If Kate were capable of expressing somber warmth or sympathy, what they should have done is take a picture of her offering an unmistakable gesture of welcome and sympathetic friendship. Hug, clasp hands, look like you’re receiving a dear friend who’s been having a terrible time lately, because that’s what the relationship between the UK and Ukraine has been. Put that out into the world, that’s the soft power diplomacy you want to express if you’re the UK.
They are so bad at this, it’s insane. And this is something the royals could consider an actual job that only they can do that has value for their country, and they still suck at it.
Plums, you nailed it. House of Windsor will always be on the back foot because they don’t have the inside lives to do better. it’s the same problem over and over. They don’t project sincerity or compassion because they don’t have any.
When Russia invaded Ukraine [again] Harry and Meghan responded within hours. They were among the earliest public figures in the world to pledge their reputations and money in support of Ukraine.
Two weeks later, William and Kate brought some brownies to the London Ukrainian cultural center. Then they released a video (staged, with wardrobe changes) of kate & children supposedly making the brownies.
Sorry, not sorry for the comparison.
Harry keeps up with Invictus participants. He’s not a figurehead. When Serhii Karaivan died fighting in March, H&M made a tribute. M&H support WCK, HIAS, the Halo trust. They invite everyone to do the same. They aren’t game playing or cosplaying. They really contribute. They care. They show up
Kate and Bill can’t be seen supporting Ukraine too much, their base is pro Russia. Same reason Kate makes sure to snub Meghan in public. They depend on the pro monarchy base and that base is pro Russian even if they don’t know it.
Look, there was Russian money that went into the Brexit campaign for sure, but the rank and file of ordinary British people, even pro-monarchists, are not pro Russia. People hate Putin here. They don’t know how the Brexit campaign was funded.
@EBS it’s a fact that support for helping Ukraine had to be pushed everywhere, not just UK. People didn’t understand what was at stake in the beginning. Brits were part of a trilateral security pact in early 2022 for sure, but internationally, there was a lot of pressure brought to all of the allies who didn’t want to anger Russia by helping Ukraine, an example of why is gas prices.
That took a lot of international pressure and resources to try to mitigate the damage.
Still, just like here in the US, people had to be convinced to send money and other resources. That’s why Zelenskyy made so many public appearances and appeals.
For anyone interested, London is seen globally as the reputation and money laundering center for the Russians.
This is one reason why the history re Ukraine was uncomfortable. When Russia invaded Donbas and annexed Ukraine in 2014, UK was weak on confronting Russia. The UK’s record on welcoming Ukrainian refugees lagged behind others.
UK made a big deal of showing support for Ukraine this time around, and Zelenskyy isn’t dumb enough to bring up the past.
What on earth are you talking about? We belong to NATO, and Five Eyes. There’s no “trilateral security pact.”
Are they sure this meeting involved speaking? Cause If I am being honest, the First Lady looks to be sad and Kate just appears to be sizing up the First Lady to see which one of them looked better, Kate absolutely doesn’t have the range and maturity to deal with world leaders or their spouses . She always looks uninterested and bored like she would rather be anywhere but there . Kate only interest is in the queens jewelry and her new unlimited shopping budget, she really hates to work period.
I zoomed in on the picture and I think Kate is wearing the dress she wore for Philip funeral, you know her it’s not about Philip, it’s about meeeeeeee.
Kate didn’t make this choice, the British Foreign Ministry made it for her. She was probably asked to meet with the First Lady of Ukraine, and promised a photo-op and an adequately embiggening article to go along with it, and Kate probably answered, “Who?”
Can’t imagine what these two talked about. I feel bad for the First Lady of Ukraine for having to go along with this. There needs to be a bigger discussion about how the monarchy gets trotted out to soften Britain’s image. More diplomats and foreign dignitaries around the world should start figuring out ways to politely decline such invitations with members of the royal family unless it’s with Charles himself, who is the head of state, and therefore a different story.
I get that she was probably asked by the Foreign Office, but shouldn’t they have handed her a briefing memo? If they didn’t give her one, she could have asked for one. She could have asked her private secretary to draw up some uncontroversial talking points. Anyone tasked with this would have done any one of the above. The Wails song of shoulda, coulda, woulda. Sitting on the edge of chair wasting time.
You know, the foreign office and her staffers probably did give her a briefing memo, but those only go so far, and they can only do so much. The rest of it has to come from the person itself, and Waity hardly seems like the type to read a newspaper, or even scroll through the News app on her phone while nodding off to sleep at night.
Compare that to a story I remember reading about the Queen. In 1982, during the process of repatriating Canada’s constitution, a delegation from the Canadian parliament (or it might have been the PM at the time, I don’t remember) went to Britain to discuss things. They had a private audience with the Queen, and someone mentioned how incredibly surprised they were about the fact that the Queen was so well-versed on the issue, and how much knowledge she had about the process up to then.
Granted, the topic at hand was the freaking constitution of Canada, and the Queen was the head of state, so it shouldn’t be surprising that she knew so much about the subject. But even then, can anyone imagine Waity doing anything like that? Can anyone even imagine her doing advance reading, seeking out her own knowledge on something, and walking into an audience like this with a good grasp on how to hold a conversation that isn’t awkward and stilted and painful?
it’s even more impressive if you remember that TQ didn’t even go to Uni. she got tutoring for herself, for that exact reason. so she’d be knowledgeable in those meetings. it truly is the end of an era. Charles is educated, but he’s also a pompous azz. William… well… he just seethes. neither of them has the least bit of diplomacy. too bad there’s not female primogeniture! Anne, for all her faults, would be so much better at it.
I know Camilla and Kate were probably being terrible gossips or beyo tches in that photo, but there is something about it that I find really cute. Like a real facial reaction or something. I dunno
They prolly whispered something horrid and racist about Meghan and were giggling about keeping it on the down low in full view of the cameras.
Anyone from Ukraine on here? Can someone explain the naming convention here for last make. FL is Zelenska, P is Zelenska, then in the comments as a couple I’ve seen two more spellings.
In Ukrainian, sometimes names and suffixes reflect gender (sometimes they don’t). I can’t speak for all but IMO, as long as you’re trying to get it right, which you obviously are, any spelling surrounded by good-intentioned things is going to be acceptable. In English, Zelenskyy (m) is nice, Zelenska (f) is nice.
@carrot, thanks for responding. I didn’t realize the autocorrect made my question practically unintelligible but you understood.
@Steph Autocorrect kicks me hard at least once a day. You made perfect sense!
As always with Kate (and her outfit changes and raiding the Queen’s jewellery box before she was even in the ground), she is all style ZERO substance. A photo op with the wife of Ukraine PM, sure. The content of their conversation? How long they even talked for? If they even talked? They’ll never tell. (Remember when Dr Jill Biden was surprised how short and surface level the early childhood conversations were?)
I wonder whether she did that thing that was so amazing last week when she….laid her hand on someone’s arm to show sympathy! Nice work if you can get it.
The fist lady of Ukraine does not look impress by Kate. Kate probably showed up without doing any background reading, she didn’t read any of the statements the First Lady has been making to the media so she Kate can know were to take the conversation. Kate probably had nothing more to say after, how are the kiddies? It may just be this picture but Kate face shows no warmth or empathy to this woman living in a war zone. There’s no announcement after the meeting of the royal foundation contributing to an on the ground charity in the Ukraine. Camilla would have been more knowledgeable and shown more warmth and understanding. To Kate this is just another woman she thinks she needs to outshine.
I think Kate and William together met with the Zelenskys before. Seems a very stilted pose- they are just looking at each other. There’s no energy at all. It looks very much like a posed photo. Not sure this sends a message that Ukraine is a high priority to Tory government.
Kate and Camilla are stuck with each other so they’re doing mean girl bonding, whatever that consists of–two Mafia wives after their husbands have been “made.”
Does anyone else notice the look in Zelenskas face at Kate while she grinned ear to ear for the photo op. As a previous commentator mentioned, doesn’t Zelenska have enough going on in her own country to have to suffer sitting through a photo op with “Kate’s jazz hands”. I don’t believe there was any meaningful conversation between these two women and Zelenska was not keen like Kate for the photo op at dead queens funeral, while her husband has a target on his back, and while her country is at ear. Nope, she wasn’t buying it. Matter fact, I would go so far to say that she was absolutely disgusted by it all.
Isn’t England about to cut aid to Ukraine? Mrs. Zelensky surely would have preferred a one on one with people who make that decision to plead Ukraine’s case, like say, Camilla, Charles, Will or Truss. Pawning her off onto a royal who has zero experience with foreign relations is blocking that without seeming too offensive.