This week, we will receive a very special gift: another PR blitz for the Princess of Wales and her “early years” busywork. It’s been five years of trying to make this sound substantive and important, and five years of Kate wandering around, mumbling word salads about children under the age of five. When she does speak about the Early Years, it’s actually clear that she has no f–king clue what she’s talking about whatsoever – it’s either Captain Obvious bullsh-t, or it’s offensively privileged statements about how children who grow up in wealthy, white, two-parent households have better “early years.” Thankfully, we’re not getting another new “campaign” this week. No, we’re getting a “symposium.” Bless her buttons.
The Princess of Wales has convened experts from 21 countries to consider how we “grow, think and behave throughout life” to build resilience in early childhood. The Princess, 41, will make a landmark speech, billed as the most important she has delivered, at a national symposium on early childhood in London on Wednesday.
The event will bring together, for the first time, global leaders from across the field, including child and adult specialists as well leading academics, who will outline the scientific, economic and human benefits for prioritising the early years.
The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood said it had conducted “a first of its kind global listening exercise” by bringing together international experts to combine their knowledge and expertise. The group drew up a set of key social and emotional skills that develop in childhood but which continue to be refined in adulthood. They are focused on self-awareness, managing emotions, focusing thoughts, communication, nurturing relationships and exploring the world.
The experts believe such skills lay the foundations for positive future mental health and resilience. Their findings will be shared at the symposium, which is considered a “key milestone” in the Princess’s Shaping Us campaign into early childhood, launched in January. The symposium will be hosted by the broadcaster Fearne Cotton, who is a Shaping Us celebrity champion.
It comes after the Princess commissioned her first NHS scientific study, designed to support the emotional development of babies. The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood funded the £50,000 trial, which was inspired by an official visit to Denmark and which evaluated a special tool used by health visitors at the regular six to eight-week check to identify babies at risk.
£50,000 for a STUDY, a study which will have findings that include “it’s important for parents to spend more time with their kids,” and “sometimes therapy doesn’t help” and “it’s important to be a Mean Girl sometimes.” Again, it’s not like no one has ever studied early childhood development – these things aren’t up for debate, and this symposium could have been an email, a flier or a press release. That £50K would have been better spent funding some Head Start program or baby bank, surely. Also: I think someone is setting Kate up to fail. “The Princess, 41, will make a landmark speech, billed as the most important she has delivered.” She will truly just mumble something about how keen she is about early years and deliver a word salad about babies’ mental health.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instar, Cover Images, Kensington Palace.
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- North America Rights Only – London, UK -20220616- Catherine Duchess of Cambridge and the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood host a roundtable at the Royal Institution in London, attended by representatives from the early years sector alongside the Health Secretary Sajid Javid, Minister for Families Will Quince and officials from the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Education. -PICTURED: Catherine Duchess of Cambridge -PHOTO by: PA Images/Chris Jackson/INSTARimages.com Disclaimer: This is an editorial, rights-managed image. Please contact INSTAR Images for licensing fee and rights information at sales@instarimages.com or call +1 212 414 0207. This image may not be published in any way that is, or might be deemed to be, defamatory, libelous, pornographic, or obscene. Please consult our sales department for any clarification needed prior to publication and use. INSTAR Images reserves the right to pursue unauthorized users of this material. If you are in violation of our intellectual property rights or copyright you may be liable for damages, loss of income, any profits you derive from the unauthorized use of this material and, where appropriate, the cost of collection and/or any statutory damages awarded For images containing underage children: Be advised that some Countries may have restricted privacy laws against publishing images of underage children. Inform yourself! Underage children may need to be removed or have their face pixelated before publishing
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- Britain’s Catherine, Princess of Wales talks with experts from across academia, science and the early years sector, at Windsor Castle in Windsor on January 25, 2023. – The Advisory Group has been created to offer strategic advice to The Princess of Wales and provide oversight of the work of her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood.,Image: 751680733, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Credit line: DANIEL LEAL / Avalon
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- Catherine, Princess of Wales, at the Remembrance Sunday Service at The Cenotaph in London, UK, 12 November 2023.,Image: 821564149, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Licenced to i-Images Picture Agency. All Rights Reserved. UK copyright law applies to all print & online publications. i-Images space rates apply to all images. Magazines contact agency for fees before use. Images Single use only then repro fees apply. Info@i-images.co Tel: 07860204379, *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Stephen Lock / Avalon
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- Image Licensed to i-Images Picture Agency. 12/11/2023. London, United Kingdom. Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales , at the Remembrance Sunday Service at The Cenotaph in London.,Image: 821567509, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Licenced to i-Images Picture Agency. All Rights Reserved. UK copyright law applies to all print & online publications. i-Images space rates apply to all images. Magazines contact agency for fees before use. Images Single use only then repro fees apply. Info@i-images.co Tel: 07860204379, *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Stephen Lock / i-Images / Avalon
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- Catherine, Princess of Wales, at the Remembrance Sunday service at The Cenotaph in London, UK, 12 November 2023.,Image: 821569642, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: Licenced to i-Images Picture Agency. All Rights Reserved. UK copyright law applies to all print & online publications. i-Images space rates apply to all images. Magazines contact agency for fees before use. Images Single use only then repro fees apply. Info@i-images.co Tel: 07860204379, *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Stephen Lock / Avalon
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- Catherine, Princess of Wales hosts the inaugural meeting of her new Business Taskforce for Early Childhood at NatWest’s headquarters in the City of London where they will discuss why Early Childhood is so critical for business. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 21 Mar 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Catherine, Princess of Wales hosts the inaugural meeting of her new Business Taskforce for Early Childhood at NatWest’s headquarters in the City of London where they will discuss why Early Childhood is so critical for business. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 21 Mar 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- Catherine, Princess of Wales hosts the inaugural meeting of her new Business Taskforce for Early Childhood at NatWest’s headquarters in the City of London where they will discuss why Early Childhood is so critical for business. Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 21 Mar 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Princess of Wales meets group members in the Arnos Arms during a visit to “Dadvengers”, a community for dads and their children, in Arnos Grove, north London, to highlight the important role that Dads play in their children’s earliest years as part of her Shaping Us campaign on early childhood. Featuring: Catherine, Princess Of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 01 Nov 2023 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
The top photo is now iconic and should be posted constantly on this site. And please, a “landmark” speech from Kate? Not bloody likely.
Anytime a Royal makes a speech it’s called a landmark yet people forget about it mid speech. I still have no clue what the early years project is supposed to do. What’s the endgame?
Wasn’t Kate trying to get private businesses involved in funding various initiatives that couldn’t be funded by government due to budget cuts?
@ML, I think you’re thinking about the one time she convened local business leaders to discuss the early years and visually show their concern. There was no obligation to participate in a program or fund anything…just a photo op.
There is an actual profession called “speech writer.” There is no excuse for her giving sloppy, incoherent speeches. Her staff is so bad it hasn’t occurred to any of them to hire a professional writer to make her look smart.
They say landmark, speech of a lifetime to specifically put pressure on her because they know she can’t take it. She a superficial lazy racist bully, but this is the type of bullying they probably do on her. Of course landmark speech will just means long and boring and we’ll snore halfway through
Her copying one of Meghan’s outfits is more likely.
She may be giving the keynote address, maybe the welcome to the symposium speech, but landmark? The RR are just blowing more smoke. They must be out of breath by now.
“The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood said it had conducted ‘a first of its kind global listening exercise.'”
🤦😵💫🙄🙉🥱😴
All WanK are good for is “listening, [not] learning, and giving a little smile here and there,” with wackadoodle jazz hands, dead eyes, sheepish smiles (W) and hyena grins (K).
KP honchos have been trying to cook this up for Khate ever since the recent Archewell Foundation Parents’ Summit: Mental Wellness in a Digital Age, got such excellent reviews. Moreover, H&M’s successful summit was well researched and pre-planned, with substantive, impactful content. Follow-up benchmarks with achievable goals are also the difference between every Archewell project vs WanK’s and the Royal Foundation’s empty p.r. piggybacking on other groups’ programs and research studies.
Clearly, broadcaster Fearne Cotton was brought aboard by KP handlers to try and replikate the moderator role that NBC’s Carson Daly seamlessly handled during the Archewell Summit. The difference is that Daly is deeply involved BTS with Archewell’s mental wellness project for grieving parents. Who will Khate and KP enlist from the British government to compete with the support Archewell received from U.S. surgeon general Vivek Murthy, and from U.S. second gentleman, Douglas Emhoff? 😏 🤷🏽♀️
@Aftershocks, what the heck is a “First of it’s Kind Global Listening Exercise?” Is it a program where everyone listens to Kate and they pay translators to
figure out, decipher & discuss her Mumblese? They always make up these projects for her that don’t mean anything! They work so hard at pretending to work, that if they actually did do some work, it would probably take less time and effort. They are going to have her dressed like Meghan, speaking like Meghan and trying to act like Meghan, but she will fail because she’s not trained in anything and most of all she’s not Meghan. Then they’ll tell the tabloids to put out 200 articles about how Meghan is so awful and Harry should come back. It’s the same dribble each and every time they do something. They always copy the Sussex’s, it’s never a new or fresh ideal. They are truly Pathetic!!
Have they hired a ventriloquist Ground breaking what ? After 20 plus years of learning, has K finally made it to pre school level ability. Does KP believe that parents everywhere are gullible and stupid enough to believe that looking at early childhood has never been done before. Extensive studies have been done for decades, with ever evolving programs designed by experts for helping children. This will be just another lot of pointless photos for K to add to her personal photo gallery.
Dead ringer for Cruella de Vil.
Oh Lordy, help us understand
“Bless her buttons” is sending me!”
Get rid of the monarchy leeches and invest the savings in kids. There, I made your landmark speech for you.
Yes! 👏👏👏
I mean….Ok sure, Kate.
I don’t think anyone is unclear that early childhood development is important.
Perhaps the UK could find the money to improve childhood care if there was some institution that costs hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars that they could, I don’t know, abolish, and put that money towards helpful programs?
Maybe that would help.
That’s my main comment.
“who will outline the scientific, economic and human benefits for prioritising the early years.”
So we’re still working on the basis that we need to persuade people this stuff matters. THEY KNOW. Whether they choose to fund it is another matter but this government won’t give money to anyone who isn’t already a crony.
That was my impression, they’re still figuring it out? Or is it because the people writing for the tabloids don’t really understand what such a symposium is about?
Completely agree. Kate’s privilege is also very visible in how she’s framing this issue, and what she chooses to leave out. It’s all about parents should be educated about why their kids’ early years matters. I see nothing here about how political choices – cutting in food stamp programmes, cutting public services, cutting free meals at school – will have a huge impact on kids. A study released in June showed that austerity measures driven by the Tories under Cameron resulted in stunted growth for kids in poorer households because they had to cut on their food budget. As in, that kid cohort is actually measurably shorter than their European peers. Wanna talk about that, Kate? How over a decade of austerity and bare-bone public services are affecting children in their early years ? Or should we continue pretending this is about parenting skills?
Symposium? Landmark? How long did it take her to look up those words. This landmark speech who will be writing it? They will have to dumb it down for her to read. Will there be landmark amounts of jazz hands and claw hands and both waving around. Has she saved enough of her budget to get a new outfit with new buttons and maybe just maybe a shaggy new wig? This is just another photo op with people who know what they’re doing and nothing else. Can’t wait for the pictures of these people being confused.
No jazz *pauses to flip notecard* or claw hands *flips card* because she’ll be *flips card* too busy flipping *flips card* her notecards.
Yep you’re right I forgot about that part were she has to read from cards because she can’t memorize anything other than “must stalk prince must bag prince.”
If Kate was really passionate about this she wouldn’t need notecards at all. She would just talk about how much this means to her and what can be done, etc. ( like Meghan does) but Kate doesn’t care at all about this project, it’s just busy work for her.
Sussexwatcher, yes, notecard, jazz hands and jerking her head to the side to see the notecard from behind the curtain wig. She *always* has her hair in her face when she reads her 20 word speeches.
My guess is a repeat pant suit with a white blouse. She used to carry a notebook with a big C embossed on it in gold, but she has fallen apart so badly in the last few weeks, I don’t think she will remember to bring it. The event, or her attendance, will last about 30 mins.
@Smart&Messy: you forgot her notebook that said ‘Notebook’ on it. Maybe she’ll have one that says ‘Speech’.
A+
To be fair to her (!) if her estranged husband can set up a vanity project and announce that it’s the nobel prize for the environment then why not I guess. They live in a fantasy land, surrounded by people who tell them they’re great.
If we weren’t funding it I’d just sit back and enjoy the show. As it is, #abolishthemonarchy
Nope I will not be fair to her sorry.😉
Her husband has started throughing the new word “statesman” around, so she needed a couple of new buzz words too. Also notice how they’ve both used global a lot lately. That’s got noooothing to do with Harry and Meghan of course. Nothing at alllll!
https://amzn.eu/d/1ZKgll9 I found the notebook, folks.
The more they set her up, the harder her fall is going to be. Spending £50,000 on a study that will result in facts that people already know about and will provide zero benefit to those who need it most is near-enough scandalous in itself. And then to top it all off, Keen is going to give some word salad speech that is being spun as ‘groundbreaking’ by her PR handlers? Give me a break! This woman is scammer personified.
I was thinking this too. Will any actual RL children ever benefit due to these meetings/summits/symposiums/speeches etc. Children who were in the early years demographic, needing support, when she started all this will now be well into their primary school education.
My sis and I were just talking about how Kitty has been silent on the Early Years/Button Foundation. She must be really pissed that she didn’t get the invite to Singapore.
I guess it’s that time of year again..🤷♀️
Yep, groundhog’s day vibes. Every fall, after a long summer break hibernation, Kate emerges to tell us the early years are important. And then she does it again the next year, and again and again, as if she hadn’t already told us before.
Isn’t it a little early this time? Doesn’t she usually do this kind of thing after the first of the calendar year? Maybe she’s got hold of something this time where the experts actually are working through the year; bless her heart, they’re going to get her to work in spite of herself!
Don’t worry. She’ll remind us again in January after the holiday break. Like clockwork.
So what are the results of that study? Or is that what her big important speech is about?
I got a sneak advanced copy. The results are: the early years are very, very, very important.
As Kaiser summarised, be born into a wealthy family where mummy can devote all her time to you and daddy provides the funds. Job done.
Massively important, I’m sure.
@SarahHcs: more like be born into a wealthy family where a very qualified nanny will devote all her time to you and daddy provides the funds. Job done. Mummy will “supervise”
LOL. Honestly, that’s all I’ve got for this fckery.
The “global listening session” has never been done before because it’s an incredibly stupid idea
^^ 🤣🤣😂😅😆😜🤪 🎯
True, but all WanK know how to pretend to do is to go around “listening [not] learning, and giving a little smile here and there.” 🤡💩 🤮
How can they put this out with a straight face? A global “listening” session? What do they think people will do afterwards? Why isn’t this a “what can we actually do for kids to help them and these are ways to do it”? This is like someone with too much money who wants to pat themselves on their back for doing something “good”.
Yes a global listening. Is she trying to outdo her sexy hunk global statesman? Is she going to be a global stateswoman? The mind boggles with this.
Replying to nottheone – exactly
For real? A “ global listening exercise”??!! F this.
The queen of listening and learning. Finished a listening tour, commissioned a study, convened a meeting.
So many words to say that Wiglet McButtons does absolutely nothing. She’s helped no one in FIVE years with this busywork project and, in fact, the kids in her early years category have now aged out!
I agree that she’s being set up to fail and she deserves it. She’ll get up there and mumble a bunch of jargony words and show some pie charts and will be praised to high heaven by the British press. Meanwhile she’ll offer no solutions, just plans for five more years of listening and learning. Pathetic.
Why don’t they just go ahead and rename it ChildShot? My stomach muscles are already tired from laughing at the press release; tomorrow will be even worse.
The only way her speech will be a landmark is if she slips in the fact that she and Burger King are planning to divorce, opening up another field of study. Also, she is adding outlining to listening and learning–what an advance in her studies!
I can’t believe I’m about to defend anything done by or involving Mumblelina, but it’s the Year of Our Lord Beyoncé 2023 and, well, here we are.
The study funded by the foundation “evaluated a special tool used by health visitors at the regular six to eight-week check to identify babies at risk.” This actually makes sense to me, because in order for a tool like this to be considered useful for widespread deployment and use in clinical practice, it needs to go through a study that validates it – proves that it works they way it’s supposed to and does what they say it does. So good for them, I guess, for coughing up 50K of other people’s hard-earned money? (Source: I have worked with multiple companies and institutions on validation studies of patient-reported outcomes tools.)
Other than that, oh yay, another incomprehensible speech about the “Ahrly Yars.”
I guess that depends on what the tool is and whether or not its similar to something already in use. And whether or not this tool even exists. Have there been any specifics put out about the tool or where the study is being conducted or by whom?
Wouldn’t there be a dozen such screening tools already available for use though? How is her tool going to be any different? (Rhetorical question.) I’ll bet it’s something stupid like the age for the other screening tools is 0-6 years and her is 0-5 years. I think we can all safely assume her study’s tool will add nothing new or valuable.
I think its a specific tool or whatever that was used in Denmark, so that’s why the royal foundation is funding the study after Kate’s Denmark visit.
honestly, that’s fine to me. It’s not like she’s funding another 5 big questions about whether the early years are important. This study should have a tangible result and won’t just be about looking at pie charts.
IZZY
You cut 📴 the facts. She went to Denmark cause they were actually doing the work which produced the tool in the first place.
William and Catherine always are taking other people ideas and trying but always failing to produce the same results even when someone shows them everything they’ve done to produce it in the first place
However since that visit it took this long to produce something and instead of saying at this PR stunt it was secretly put into practice here in Britain and this is the result.
Which were now presenting cause we’re expanding it. That’s how you do something after ten years of listening and learning. This is a nothing 🍔 like all of her so called projects.
Why does it take this long for her and will to do something important which produces results instead of always talking about what they will do as opposed to showing what they have done and here’s the results
Oh, I’m not saying it’s a good project overall. And they are just taking something that has already been done in another country, even though it still has to be validated in the UK there are probably already screening tools available. I’m just saying that at least there’s an actual effort to science instead of some ridiculous survey that took a decade and answers a question we already know the answer to. And all the work is ridiculously opaque, normally work like this gets written up and published in a peer reviewed journal. I doubt this study would produce anything worth publishing.
And we’ll still have to listen to her mumble about ahrly yars.
@Izzy, this is well said. And I agree.
My follow-up question (to Princess Mean Girl, not to you) is what does Denmark DO with these babies who have a higher risk based on the screening tool? Are they referred to other services? Do they go for more screening as they age? What do they do with this information once it is collected?
Any physician will tell you that screening tools are great, as long as you can DO something with them. So if a physician screens a baby at 6 weeks and finds out that they have an elevated risk for depression/anxiety/Mean Girl Prince Chasing, what happens then? Can a physician refer to the baby to a program in the UK for future testing and follow up? If they can’t, they won’t be keen (see what I did there?) on adapting the screening.
Perhaps they will start by collecting the data about how many babies need follow-up and use that to petition government to fund a service for this. If they do that, then that’s really great.
But let’s face it, that’s where she will drop the ball.
Really, I think most of this is basic. Who doesn’t already know the early years are crucial? But Kate’s out there pounding that point rather than actually doing something (anything!) to provide help and support to kids who may not be getting what they need. How many “landmark speeches” have we had now? It’s so obvious that all of this is performative.
This is like commissioning money to say that oxygen is important for breathing. What a waste. Anyone serious knows early years are important but they keep pretending this is something people need to learn. Maybe this is all to teach kate something, but had she bothered to stay in her undergrad psych courses she would have learned this 20 years ago.
The focus needs to be on providing actual help. She’s doing nothing here.
“The focus needs to be on providing actual help. She’s doing nothing here.”
This is the big issue of course and where her early years “work” falls so short. Okay, so the early years are important. Okay, so kids need help learning to manage their emotions.
What’s next? What’s the next step? how does this help children? how does this help parents?
the answer to those questions are just a black hole and that’s the ultimate issue here.
I hate to always compare bc H&M are very good at this and W&K are not, and sometimes that’s just how it is – but they present their solution or answer or help FIRST and then its the problem. Meaning, Meghan didn’t spend months talking about how sad it was for the families of Grenfell that they couldn’t cook in their own kitchens. She put out a cookbook that directly addressed that problem.
I think that actionable difference is exactly why even though the British media constantly wants to do comparisons between the Wales’ and Sussexes and their charitable impact and minimize what Harry and Meghan do, the Sussexes have zero problem getting people to sign on with them to do work. One set of people wants to meet for an entire year to talk about how sad it is that the people next door are hungry and what should we do, and the other group of people knocked on the door and said ,I heard you were hungry here’s some food from my pantry would you like some help cooking?
OMG, she’s still listening; just pathetic. All she had to do was read a book on “Human Growth & Develpment”.
All the evidence points to the fact that she can’t read. Not big important words anyway. And the British public pay for all this
She’s definitely not too bright. In all this time, since starting “The Eary Years” and since this is her primary focus, she could have gone back to school and received her credential in Early Childhood Education. They have certificates available for people online at both Cambridge and Oxford Universities, for specializations. The fact that she has no knowledge about this is ridiculous. Meghan put out that cookbook because that’s what she knows, she’s a great cook. She wrote a children’s book, because she is a writer & a poet. She did her podcast because she’s good at communicating. She focuses on what she’s good at and stays in her lane. William and Kate are all over the place with their nonwork work efforts. Its disheartening to see them doing nothing with such a large platform and audience. It would be better if they went back to ” A little Smile and a Wave” instead of wasting taxpayer pounds like this.
Oh, good, more listening and learning.🙄
There will be nothing new for these experts to learn – they, as well as the rest of us, know that early childhood is important. No need to spend money telling anyone. Let’s focus on actually feeding, housing and stimulating growth in children instead? But that’s too much like real work, eh Kate?
It’s been 5 years…how time flies! Nothing concrete, nothing groundbreaking has been issued from all this.. I guess the whole initiative keeps the illusion that Kate is occupied with something and justifies shady expenditures of the equal shady royal foundation.. I’m still waiting for the tangible results of the clay animation they created in January which costed the earth…in the meantime, children suffer from poverty and even starve but, let’s just listen some mumbles
Another photo op for Keen. As it was on her visit to Denmark in February 2022. From that time, I pulled this lede from ITV News:
“ The Duchess of Cambridge embraced her inner-child as she slid down a helter-skelter ride during a visit to Copenhagen to learn about Denmark’s world-leading approach to early childhood development.
“Laughing as she emerged from the slide, which she whizzed down after being told some staff use it instead of taking the stairs, Kate joked with the press saying: ‘You stood far enough away!’ Adding: ‘In the spirit of where I am, I had to do that.’”
Kind of like she’s wants the press to come closer for photos of her at play, her natural habitat.
https://www.itv.com/news/2022-02-22/kate-starts-visit-to-copenhagen-to-learn-about-denmarks-early-years-work
“Landmark speech”
Will there be subtitles?
I mean, there will be experts* from 21 countries present, who surely don’t all come from Commonwealth countries, and wouldn’t be able to understand her fake posh diction.
Or has she been taking elocution classes for her biggest, baddest, bestest ever speech? That might at least explain her long absences this past summer, and her appearing haggard (with nerves)?
*Oh, and sorry.
Not experts, but “global leaders”…
No one would ever be able to pay me to listen to Mumblina McButtons at a symposium in my field of research for even a minute.
Don’t these people have any residual self-worth, or a conscience, that they don’t mind taking away even a pound/dollar/euro from real initiatives worth supporting?
She is not capable of landmark speeches experts who really are experts and noted in the field should give speeches. This is an embarrassment and she has awful speech. She can be symposium Barbie.
I’m not British so I wouldn’t know, but does she really have a fake accent? I truly want to know because people say this all the time. 😄
Yes, they tout this will be her most important ever landmark speech- to me that sounds like an insult (what has she been doing all these years). She prob just depended on her Looks, well that didn’t last (after all that partying/drinking/smoking in her 20s to bag someone wealthy, it’s definitely showing. And she’s prob been stressed with her own marriage).
You can search out videos from several (~ 10?) years ago and listen to the way she spoke then and compare it to now. In one old video she went back to St Andrew’s and you can actually understand her. Now, not so much.
The hyperbole when referring to anything the rf do is laughable. I think a speech only becomes landmark in retrospect. Much like the crazy praising of all William does, prior to actually doing anything, leaves the rr looking like the paid palace pr that they are. Btw, somehow the Earthshot video came up in my feed, only had 4K views. They certainly are remaking the rf, over promise and under deliver is their new slogan.
I’m sorry but nothing she does will ever top the creepy claymation video
That animation was horrifically bad and actually quite disturbing. Someone on here pointed out the whole thing would have necessitated a budget of £100K or similar.
LOLz all day with this – someone is copy little sister who presented her masters at a similar event.
Desperation – thy name is Kate Middleton!!!
So this symposium is (for the first time ever!) bringing together early years leaders and academics from around the world. Is that true? Seems like these experts have been meeting at professional and academic conferences for decades? I feel a little sorry for her that she is tasked with delivering a ‘landmark speech.’ Yikes.
This is embarrassing for the UK. Captain Benjamin in her tights and army fatigues is going to issue a high schooler’s book report extolling the value of early childhood initiatives some 60 years after the Scandinavians and the LBJ war on poverty in the US already researched, published and implemented this stuff successfully and the entire world embraced it. IsBritain a third world country or something? Or is she so lacking that she doesn’t know the work has already been done?
If you bring in experts & global leaders from 21 countries does that mean Kate is going “global” too like Willy? They’re desperate to be on the world stage and making impact like the Sussexes but lack the brilliance and charisma to pull it off. Bless their desperate hearts.
Maybe she can talk about helping george with those tests.
My question is, Has anyone consulted Louis about any of this? Every time they roll her out as an “elle yes” expert, I’m reminded of that video of how her interaction with Louis proved she knows nothing about the issue. For all the excuses about her and Willy taking more time from work because of their kids, I was really surprised to see that she just didn’t seem to know Louis at all. And he just seemed to despise her. For all who tried to make excuses for her, imagine what they would still be saying had that been Meghan and her son?
IKR!!! I will never forget that interaction with Louis! I mean we should make allowances for all sorts of parenting styles but I was shocked at the disrespect he showed his Mom that day!
My Mom had a look that could freeze ice if I misbehaved and I became a concrete statue, fortunately I inherited that look ( and used to marvel at its effectiveness) That should be the 1st in the Mommy arsenal…but she’s equipped to school others?
I went to the website to see what this is all about. The implication in the article is that there will be attendees from 21 countries, but that’s not it. The study that will be discussed included 21 countries.
From what I can tell, this event looks like the ES summit in NY. There will be panel discussions by various experts from some of the places Kate has visited, like from Harvard and Denmark and the results of the study will be presented. Kate will be making the keynote speech – who knows if it will be a landmark. If it follows the example of Will’s keynote speech, then it will be instantly forgotten.
Oh, no, heavens no. I bet she’s terrified. Can you imagine speaking to a crowd, let alone a crowd of people who know what they’re doing, when you have bugger all speaking skills or depth of knowledge to draw on. She won’t sleep tonight. I can’t watch her speak, it’s so bad. Landmark!!! I kind of feel sorry for her. I know. Too soft.
Don’t feel sorry! She lacks the knowledge and self awareness to realize she is in over her head. She is expecting to be treated with royal deference. I doubt whether she has any idea of the extensive educational background of her symposium attendants.
The Sussexes held a parent “summit”, Kate has an Early Years “symposium”. If she does this wearing a cream colored, off the shoulders top, I’m gonna lose it.
Lordy if there end up being cream couches on the stage.
She’ll rewear that cream colored sweater dress: remember this one?
https://www.foxnews.com/lifestyle/catherine-duchess-of-cambridge-looks-gorgeous-in-off-the-shoulder-white-knitted-dress
She will definitely be wearing something from her Meghan knockoff Walmart Wardrobe. It may not be the cream colored off the shoulder piece because of the weather right now, but it will be something Meghan has worn before. Why can’t she copy someone else like a British Designer say Stella McCartney or Posh Spice? There must be tons of designers wanting to dress her. It baffles me that she copies Meghan down to the minute detail when (“supposedly” & I don’t believe in this Title stuff I’m American) Meghan is beneath her in the line if succession.
If she was actually making any difference or real impact with this initiative, you can bet William, Charles or Camilla would be trying to crush any impact it would have out of jealousy. Lucky for them, it’s all mumbly speeches and pie charts for photo ops. If she was actually raising money and showing that she was making a real time impact, that would be great, but for YEARS shes ‘still learning’ that caring for young kids is beneficial, with empty hands. What a puff project, that has achieved nothing. What child has actually benefited from her years of research, how much money has been raised to help them?
KentBrockman, the brf seem to be good at getting money for themselves, but haven’t the inclination, evidently, to raise money for others.
I agree w Kaiser- someone is trying to bring Kate down a peg or two. 🤭
BWWWAAAAAHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!!!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
This is just boring to me. I get it, KP is purposely being boring so that Kate won’t be attacked by the press but she may be better off cutting a ribbon for a new daycare centre rather than trying to be an advocate for children.
If she truly wants to do something with early years, she needs to lobby the government for policy changes that will have actual benefits for parents. Speeches about how important early years is or answering a questionnaire isn’t going to help parents with poverty, inflation, lack of money for essential, being able to afford the rent/mortgage, excellent nursery care etc etc. You know, the things that *actually* have an effect for those under 5 if those are lacking.
But she won’t do that because 1) she just wants to give the illusion she’s working and doing something useful and 2) the BRF are very cosy with the Tories and won’t do anything to undermine them since the Tories are the one who have gutted budgets for social welfare.
There is not point in having a “global listening exercise” with experts from around the world if parents are not supported in the early years through government policy and whatever support they do have in taken away.
Sorry for the mini rant, I’m just so annoyed at this point.
Carine Roitfeld got her wish with Kate wearing black and lots of eye liner 😆
Do you know what helps a babys and young children’s mental health ? Parents that are able to provide nutrition, health care, childcare. A warm safe place to grow up. Not living on the edge of homelessness, food bank hand outs. Choosing between warm clothing or the hydro bill. I wish these entitled folks would canvas for the real issues that affect mental health and hopelessness.
OMG, sorry but I have this image of keen on stage with her “notebook” that says on the front “notebook” so she doesn’t forget what it is, bursting into a chorus of “I’d like to teach the world to sing, I mean listen, I mean talk, I mean early yars, William what do I mean!?
Anyway thank you for coming from all over the world to” listen “, to me
I’m an expert as you know, because I have three children and they know who I am, I am Williams wife!
I belive that children are our future, treat them well and let them lead the way, show them all, mmmm OK thank you and goodnight.
Then steps back to stunned silence!
Or will it be a speech about the way Harry stole scotties little soldiers!
BUT, I think Kates symposium, will be like the ancient Greek ones, where they sit around talking as they get pssd
OMG, I can totally see this! Although I was thinking, since this is a ‘landmark’, her little notebook might actually say ‘Speech’ on it, instead of ‘Notebook’.
@BEANIEBEAN, your right, “my speech notebook” lol, and inside, “property of princess mumbles, WIFE OF PRINCE WILLIAM”, all in capital letters 🤔
@MP: Ha!!!!!🤣
The study apparently involves the Danish Milestone checklist. It is already being used in 21 countries, including the US and Canada. 5 countries (not including the UK) are piloting usage. This is just Kate jumping on something and trying to tweak it and claim credit.
Yes, that’s where the 21 countries comes from, not that they will be represented at Kate’s symposium. What’s interesting to me is that she’s now copykeening William – it’s like Copykeening Inception.
@equality, as she always does, maybe we should call her “, princess plager” lol
I think the most important question we should all be asking is who is going to do the translation for whatever buttons mumbles?
Maybe they’ll have closed-captioning for their English-speaking audiences. They should definitely have a ASL (is there a British version?) translator up there.
Also……its so obvious that the entire royal mafia institutional apparatus is laser-focused on their one-sided competition against H&M. Its a pathetic case of:
“Anything-H&M-do-we-must-do-it-too-and-we-will-do-it-even-better-with-all-our-razmataz-and-the-wealth-and-power-we-have-because-WanK-are-our-future-but-their-lazy-good-for-nothing-azz-cant-think-their-way-out-of-a-wet-paper-bag-and-we-cant-allow-H&M-to-make-us-look-bad-on-the-world-stage!!!!
Just another attempt by KP to copy and outdo the Sussexes. Only problem is, the Sussexes focus on very narrowly defined issues were they can make a measurable impact. With Kate, like Kaiser said, this is just an attempt to look busy. She doesn’t have the talent or work ethic to know the difference. I think if KP were serious about the issue they would have joined the school meals campaign, or use their influence with the Tories to prevent them from closing all those early years centers. Both of these are substantive and have already been studied, and proved as having huge positive impact on young children.
This whole thing is so ridiculous! To be fair, I haven’t studied child psychology or anything like that. I cannot understand honestly why she chose this issue out of everything she could have focused on. She doesn’t have the knowledge or the necessary skills (or the intellect to be honest) to offer anything to the discussion, just as I couldn’t offer anything to a discussion on quantum physics… Why not focus on what she studied, which is art history? There are so many things she could do with that…
I remember reading that when Kate applied and was accepted to Edinburgh her plan was to major in psychology. So she may have always had a budding interest in how the mind works. However, she majored in art history at St Andrews because that’s what Will majored in and that’s how stalking works. Early Years is Kate remembering that she did have an interest in something else a long long time ago before she decided to throw her real self and her real interests overboard in order to stay in physical proximity to a prince. The problem with the Early Years is that she never did the actual foundational work she would have done by pursuing a degree but she acts like the spokesperson for the field anyway.
Before she ran out of there in 2019 as soon as her two year contract was up, Kate’s former private secretary Catherine Quinn apparently came up with this early years project in order for Kate to compete with what Meghan was doing. Kate’s project (remember Broken Britain?) was announced just a couple of days before Meghan held the event launching the Together cookbook done with the Hubb kitchen. Of course, the announcement was all anybody saw for months. If I recall the timeline correctly, Quinn left in late 2019, and Kate’s amazing, informative (/s) Five Question Survey went live shortly after.
Don’t know why early years was chosen as the field, maybe Kate had a passing interest. Maybe because she had her own young children, so it sounded easy. It’s not clear how interested she really is in art history, apart from whatever connection it had to what Will was doing. Whether either of them actually earned those degrees (Will switched to geography) is another open question.
The irony is, Quinn reportedly left KP to return to “her charitable roots”. She was someone with serious credentials; believe there was talk here at the time that TQ (Charles?) encouraged her hiring to get Kate moving on something, anything resembling work.
I agree @Sophie, she could have created an art program for children and explained the reasons why art and art history are an important part of a child’s life. That would have been more impactful.
‘’Special Tool’ I was imagining something like a Swiss Army knife. No just questionnaires. Mumbles wouldn’t understand qualitative evidence or bias or sample selection anyway. It’s the ‘Middleton Family Values’ that count.
Hopefully there are plans in place to entertain the attendees. Can you imagine traveling in from over 21 countries only to hear Mumbles mangle a 2 paragraph speech then she exits the meeting 20 minutes later? I do hope good food and adult beverages will be served to compensate for the lack of substance.
Well this should be good. *sarcasm font
*Grabs popcorn
I could’ve used “regulate emotions” as a child. I have no problem with raising awareness.
I don’t have a problem with this symposium per se. It’s the manner and the why. This whole project could’ve been done in a month. And that includes flying in experts for a conference. The why, is to show up harry. But doesn’t achieve it because harry would be on part 3 by now. Lol.
Is there anyway that Kate is siphoning money for her family? Could they get away with that? This whole thing is just sad. I like to think there is something more going on. Is kate really dragging this out to be lazy.
Her debtor mother is sly, how do we find out if royal funds have ever been channelled to her officially or otherwise?
Invoices for styling work on KM? Invoices for advising on early years? We need the names of any organisations paid out from Duchy funds, it is after all public money
Kate, if you or your crack comms team are reading this, here’s the thing. You live in a country where many families are having trouble paying the rent/mortgage, food insecurity, not being able to afford gas or electricity, going to food banks that are woefully undersupplied. Parents are working 2 or 3 minimum wage jobs and little kids are being fobbed off on a neighbour or grandparent. How do you fix that? Not by mumbling some trite word salad about how important the “ahly yahs” are, you raise money for children’s charities. You fund school breakfasts and lunches. You donate truckloads of food to food banks. You create robust social service programs to work with families with children who are dealing with depression, anger, fear, insecurity and the resultant effects on their learning abilities. Why is it so hard for you to understand these simple things?? Nobody needs *landmark speeches*, your people need action. Put your money where your mouth is.
Exactly, Jaded! Use the money for the symposium on getting the government to make changes and/or businesses to make changes. We are all well aware of the problems. How to solve the problems will take changes in how we treat working parents. Most of us don’t need to work 40 hours a week anymore and we would like time to enjoy our children while they are young without being penalized for it.
I really do not like Kate’s take on Royal duties. These things come off as fake because she shows so little interest in it until she’s doing something like this. And even then, it’s scripted. Same with William. They take vacations at the drop of a hat. That’s what they are truly interested in. It’s time they stop pretending.
Everything you just said Jaded!
Well said, Jaded. Underappreciated comment.
The pie chart still gets me EVERY TIME!!! 😂
It’s definitely the working definition of simple…😂
So just long are Kate’s own “early years” going to last? Because she’s been in the early years — the listening stage — of this project for a really long time.
Perhaps she and her symposium of experts could comment on the harm being inflicted upon Gazan children by the Israeli occupying forces. I can’t think of a more relevant application of early years research than to what we are witnessing in Palestine at the moment.
So every year or so, about $100, 000 is spent to reinvent the wheel and features Kate at the unveiling? This “symposium” will probably be very expensive and no actual child will directly benefit. At least with William’s ES, projects are already in place and contributing to the health of the planet- not that any of the project creators get any exposure or international credit it seems.
Thank goodness I am not her. But if I were her, this would be my plan of action:
1) consume actual calories (real butter, real sugar) so that my face stops looking like the header pic;
2) I’d run no wait I would not run, I’d take a car, to my hairdresser and get a haircut – a blunt bob to my chin. I would debut this haircut tomorrow;
3) I’d apologize to my SIL and my BIL. Publicly AND privately, but privately first. A lot of tears would be shed as I ask for forgiveness, but I’d refrain from spreading Meghan made me cry AGAIN false stories;
4) I’d back off my mum – in fact, I’d point out how much damage my mum has caused with her pick me chick antics – I’d keep my distance;
5) I’d read books that will help me become less racist. This area is where I’d apply my listen and learn life philosophy;
6) I’d troll Camilla by announcing that, I am dropping The Early Years initiative, and will instead, focus on the importance of owning a horse – I’d inundate the media with a sea of pie charts showing how therapeutic horses can me. I’d give speeches on it. I’d memorize my speeches;
7) I’d leave William tomorrow – work out a quick settlement;
8) I’d “find” all of the missing jewelry and hawk it;
9) I’d auction off every ugly coat dress in my closet – donating half of the proceeds to food banks in the UK;
10) I’d take the aluminum foil tiara worn to the Coronation and burn it;
11) I’d learn how to be a friend and I’d try to make one woman friend I am not in competition with – old people love Kate, maybe I’d try starting a friendship with an elderly person.
If she did just half of these things – her life would improve dramatically.
Brilliant
Add to 1) ‘and cut out alcohol’
And smokes and running and obsession with zero body fat. Hold her down and force feed her lard.
Exactly Unblinkered. No more “crack babies” for her. And the truth is, once she puts Will in her rearview, she won’t need those drinks. Also, whenever Louis acts up in public, I’d loudly remind him to “quit horsing around!” It’s time for her to take control of her life. Find her own voice/style. The crown is not worth what it is doing to her.
This. This is exactly what she needs to do. I might add in using that college degree for a good purpose, like volunteering at an art therapy place. But yes, she needs to get out and find herself, because there’s no there there.
Spot on Dee. This is not worth it.
I have nothing to add regarding the symposium. I’m just here cracking up because I think we’re about to see that Remembrance day header photo A LOT and it’s hilarious every time haha
If the relevant research is from Denmark, isn’t that where she rode a slide? Did she actually attend a presentation?
https://people.com/royals/kate-middleton-rides-slide-lego-playlab-denmark-visit/
I would take a speech on this subject more seriously if it were coming from a mother who did not have nannies and maids. I’m sure Kate is a good mom and I’m sure she spends quality time with her children, but talking about how regular people should raise their kids without the help of servants and staff, falls on deaf ears.
Also, she looks so hard and aged in that photo. I had to look up her age to make sure I had her right at 41. She looks older than that.
That is the first thing I thought when I saw this picture, she is ageing very quickly.
Oh lord, here they go again with this. More wheel spinning for the landmark project that doesn’t actually do anything.
50K would buy a lot of nappies for little ones in need RIGHT NOW. You could help real people TODAY Kate.
I bet William presented her with the separation decree. And her and Ma are trying to make her indespensable. They haven’t figured out yet she has to be good at something before that can happen.
Okay I had to scroll allllllll the way down just to paste this:
“a first of its kind global listening exercise”
Girl what
“[A] first of its kind global listening exercise”
—HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
Can anyone explain the setting for that RIDICULOUS pie chart??
Murphy, Kate’s intention was never to help real people. Her only cause is herself. She’s so frigging BAD at her fake projects. That pie chart is so over-the-top ridiculous I can never NOT laugh whenever I see it. She is so bad at pretending to “make a difference” or “caring about other people.” People really can see whether someone is genuine, especially through the preparation before an event, follow-through after it and a positive impact. She fails at all 3. So why NOT cut ribbons and do the “bread and butter” engagements if she can’t do anything else? Will should do those too. Neither can accept that they are hopeless lightweights who really don’t give a damn despite their bogus “keenness” and “passion.” They are empty vessels. Cut the damn ribbons already. The queen didn’t look down on that and neither should they.
My sides hurt.
I was a real dumb bunny about our Kate for many years…blinded by how much I liked Diana, and wouldn’t it be great if she could see constipated Will married to this great Kate. It took me years to realize that I’d never even heard the woman talk. Why, exactly did I like her? What does she do again? And then H&M’s wedding happened and I will never get over how Kate smirked with Camilla, nor will I get over how that low-class hurtful behavior remains to this day wholesale ignored by the press. That was it for me. I was done.
This article and these hokey pictures drive home so clearly to me how vapid this woman is. It’s laughable. It’s make-believe. It looks like bad stock photography for “presentation” or “office meeting.”
And the black get up? It’s astounding how much she looks like her mother. I know it was a somber occasion and all but man does she ever look ragged out and empty. I guess life in the public eye in tandem with vapidity, lack of purpose, gamesmanship, meanness, entitlement, and bitchiness can really take a toll.
I will never get her behaviour at Harry and Meghan’s wedding either.Her and Camilla whispering behind their hands.Did they forget they were in a church? Also turning up dressed in white, which you should never do at someone else’s wedding.Of course the sycophantic press described her outfit as ”cream” or ”off white”
She just hates being knocked off her centre perch
That top photo of her is really unflattering, but it’s interesting too. You can see her mother’s face in her face!