It’s sort of going unnoticed because all of the royal stories are so bonkers lately, but People Magazine’s cover story this week is a pretty big swing. This is People Mag, the Windsors’ favorite American media outlet, the outlet specifically designed to parrot the palace’s talking points, actually criticizing the royal clownshow. People Mag got royal experts and royal skeptics on the record about how King Charles and the Princess of Wales have a duty to disclose much more about their dual illnesses. They also got William’s spokesperson on the record, arrogantly declaring that William’s “focus is on his work, not on social media.” All evidence to the contrary. Even the haphazard photo-op with Kate and Carole in an Audi on Monday didn’t sway People Magazine from running really pointed criticism of the chaotic messaging, the misinformation, the arrogance permeating through royal communications these days. Speaking of, People dropped another piece, specifically about Kate:
When Prince William abruptly pulled out of a planned outing to his godfather King Constantine of Greece’s memorial service on Feb. 27, concerns surrounding Kate Middleton’s health following abdominal surgery reached a fever pitch.
Despite the palace’s brief comment stating that the Princess of Wales, 42, “continues to be doing well” in her recovery, and her recent sighting during a car ride with her mother, Carole Middleton, this week, one palace insider describes the overall lack of information as complete “radio silence” regarding her condition.
Kensington Palace revealed on Jan. 17 that Princess Kate underwent a “planned” abdominal procedure the previous day without giving further information on the cause, noting the royal’s “wish that her personal medical information remains private.” They did note that the issue was non-cancerous and that Kate wasn’t expected to return to public royal duties until after Easter.
However, the lack of clarity about what led to the Princess of Wales’ abdominal surgery left a vacuum that has been filled with numerous conspiracy theories regarding her health and whereabouts. In response to this speculation, a spokesman reiterated on Feb. 29 that Kate would not be resuming public engagements until after Easter.
Still, Princess Kate’s presence is sorely missed, and Prince William has regularly received well wishes for his wife during his recent royal engagements.
“She is their MVP, without any doubt,” royal historian Amanda Foreman tells PEOPLE exclusively in this week’s cover story. “She is in so many ways the most like the late Queen.”
Adds royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith, “She’s so central to the monarchy and the future.”
Princess Kate’s absence is exacerbated by King Charles also being largely out of the public eye as he receives cancer treatment. Similar to his daughter-in-law’s health, there have been few updates about the King’s condition.
“Everybody feels unsettled by uncertainty, and there is too much uncertainty that is surrounding the monarchy right now,” Bedell Smith tells PEOPLE.
“Queen Elizabeth used to say, ‘I need to be seen to be believed.’ It is important for Charles and his reign for the public to know a little bit more,” she adds.
“Radio silence” is correct – Kensington Palace’s incompetent communications have made the situation so much worse. I don’t feel bad about all of the (crazy) conspiracies which have popped up in the past two months because they are the result of the amateurish, inept and downright clumsy Kensington Palace operation. None of this has inspired any confidence in William and Kate’s leadership in a crisis or any other time – they can’t problem-solve their way out of a wet paper bag. And even now, after global criticism for their two months of bungling, you know William refuses to change tack. It’s like the Caribbean Flop Tour all over again, only this time Kate was missing for 70 days and William is visibly drunk during daytime events.
Also: William’s not going to like that all of these people are talking about how Kate is the monarchy’s greatest asset.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images. Cover courtesy of People.
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- LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 06: Prince William, Prince of Wales departs from the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 06, 2023 in London, England. The Coronation of Charles III and his wife, Camilla, as King and Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the other Commonwealth realms takes place at Westminster Abbey today. Charles acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022, upon the death of his mother, Elizabeth II.,Image: 774214323, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: -, Model Release: no, Credit line: Richard Heathcote / Avalon
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- The Princess of Wales at The Coronation of King Charles III at London”s Westminster Abbey 06 May 2023,Image: 774252025, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: -, Model Release: no, Credit line: Mark Stewart / Avalon
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- The Princess of Wales at The Coronation of King Charles III at London”s Westminster Abbey 06 May 2023,Image: 774252171, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: -, Model Release: no, Credit line: Mark Stewart / Avalon
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- Catherine, Princess of Wales smiles and waves as she holds a bouquet of flowers during her visit to Vsi Razom Community Hub, in the Lexicon Shopping Centre, on October 04, 2023 in Bracknell, England. The Princess was there to hear about the work the organisation has been doing to support those who have arrived in the local area from Ukraine as a result of the ongoing conflict. NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS,Image: 810859575, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- Britain’s Kate, The Princess of Wales tries her hand at wheelchair rugby as she joins a training session facilitated by members of the world-cup winning England Wheelchair Rugby League squad, at Allam Sport Centre in Hull, England, Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023. The Princess of Wales, Patron of the Rugby Football League, is visiting Hull to take part in a Rugby League Inclusivity Day hosted by the Rugby Football League, Hull FC and the University of Hull.,Image: 811160428, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WPA SOLO POOL AFP GETTY PA IN and CPNA and IPA, *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Scott Heppell / Avalon
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- Britain’s Prince William, and Kate, the Princess of Wales, speak to young people as they participate in a series of workshops which focus on emotions, relationships and community action at Factory Works in Birmingham, England, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. The Prince and Princess host the forum for young people on World Mental Health Day.,Image: 812603143, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Kirsty Wigglesworth / Avalon
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- Britain’s Kate, the Princess of Wales, speaks to young people as she participates in a series of workshops which focus on emotions, relationships and community action at Factory Works in Birmingham, England, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. The Prince and Princess host the forum for young people on World Mental Health Day.,Image: 812603743, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Kirsty Wigglesworth / Avalon
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- The British Royal family make an appearence on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the Coronation Where: London, United Kingdom When: 06 May 2023 Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE**
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- Prince William of Wales and Catherine Princess of Wales during appearance on the Buckingham Palace balcony to watch the flypast after the procession and the coronation of the new King and Queen at Westminster Abbey in London, UK. Featuring: William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: London, United Kingdom When: 06 May 2023 Credit: Dutch Press Photo/Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN THE NETHERLANDS OR FRANCE**
KP mess up shows William and Kate are unfit to lead.
William is completely unfit to lead, and until now, Kate has been happy to be his accomplice in incompetence.
What I’m interested to see if William has KP push back on the “Kate is the keen lynchpin future of the monarchy” and “Only Kate is as popular as QEII”. I’m sure Camzilla won’t like it but will William actually be dumb enough to try to contest this and put Kate in her place? Charles went after Diana’s popularity, which did him no favors, but we know William never learns from the past.
Charles wont like it. Camilla wont like it. The 2 lazies absolutely are peanuts in the gallery, they are loud to make believe they are top ceo’s, they wear MI velvet shoes and put on big tiaras to show their hierarchy , but when it’s time to fckn work, nobody shows up, and when they do show up, they show up drunk or with useless over exaggerated smiles like fckn cracked up hyenas. In all this time they got nothing to show for, and empty legacy
My favorite part of this is “Kate is the one most like the late queen.” That rumbling sound you hear coming from Windsor is QEII spinning like mad in her tomb.
The biggest mystery is how Willy has been able to keep his wife quiet for this long. It’s absolutely unprecedented, which makes this situation so bizarre. The Middleton dam was always going to burst, though. It will be interesting to see what he does to stop it, but I don’t think he can now. The UK press is already on a knife edge and the international community just won’t stop talking.
If Keen is able to return to royal life as if nothing has happened, I will eat my hat. I don’t think we’re in divorce territory yet, but there is definitely a phasing out operation going on. It all depends on if Willy is ballsy enough to just do it. Carole & Co won’t stay silent forever, there’s money and deals to be made.
K is most like QE2 comes from someone who enjoys starting trouble.
We don’t appreciate K and her “work ethic “ that much here, but for someone who casually pays attention to the RF or who only reads the tabloid slant, K is the most interesting of the remainders. KC has better causes and W is the one they keep trying to sell as a sex god, but I’m willing to bet that she’s the one who makes the most money if only due to her wardrobe or inane stories.
On a different note, it disturbs me that Harry features prominently on People’s cover. Thankfully Meghan isn’t there.
William has never pushed back on any media that declares Kkkhate the greatest thing the royals have I do t see him starting now. Only because I think his anger for others is greater though. Priorities
I think Kate is playing some kind of hardball with the BRF to let them know she will not be dismissed.
Exactly. They are unfit for purpose. & With Baldy’s assertion that his “focus is on his work, not on social media” just substitute “himself” for “work” and “peasants” for “social media.” Though I’ve always been convinced that William is behind all of the more nasty anti-H&M troll accounts.
Yeah…if Waity Katie is their MVP then the RF is toast.
I think people are curious because a person whose only job is to trot out once in awhile with a new janky wig and lots of buttons has gone unseen for a bit.
But no one is missing a person whose only job is to be seen. She doesn’t do anything, doesn’t change anything, doesn’t help anything. She’s tabloid fodder but it’s hyperbole to suggest that the world is actually missing her.
IKR? Not even her so-called fans seem to miss her. All I see them doing is chastising people for wondering what’s going on with her. You think they would be the ones demanding answers.
It’s the fervent royalists like Sally Bedell Smith who are “unsettled” by this. The rest of us are doing fine.
Sally b Smith is one of the Diana bashers. If wiiiam wanted to marry someone else I think she’s quickly praise the new wife and trash Kate
But the thing is that a large part of “being seen” is that the public want to see you. And they would rather look at Kate and her outfits than any other working member of the RF right now. Kate may not be as naturally beautiful as some but she’s still an attractive woman – and she’s a hell of lot more attractive and better dressed than Camilla or Sophie or Charles or Edward or Anne or her own husband.
Kate’s face and body sell copy much better than anyone else. With her missing the RF and the media have a big problem.
Not hard to outshine those dullards 😀
Seriously though her appearance has been rather concerning of late. I don’t know that it’s a good thing to praise someone for standing out through being very thin as a result of stress or an eating disorder
If the whole institution of the monarchy now boils down to having a woman wearing pretty clothes appearing in public regularly, they’re done for. It’s the Kardashianization of the monarchy.
@Brassy Rebel – exactly. The problem is…it does. The Monarchy needs the Media to survive. Attractive women wearing pretty clothes sell copy. Sure – the media will dutifully trot out to cover the big events but bottom line is that Sophie et al don’t sell papers. When she recently went on tour it was barely covered. Camilla on the front page doesn’t shift copies or generate clicks like Kate would. When Kate coasted out to the Chelsea Flower Show last year she easily eclipsed Camilla and Charles’ visit the same day. Anne does the most engagements/work of any family member and they barely bother to cover anything she does. It’s the same reason the media cling to any story of Harry and Meghan despite the fact they left four years ago – they are attractive and interesting and sell.
And Kate wears her clothes so well. Tall and very slim, isn’t that what every woman wants to look like? A woman like that can wear the hell out of any outfit the designers can design. But our advantages are often our disadvantages as well, and maybe that extreme slimness has created a problem, as it sometimes does. I was struck by the difference between Pippa in her bikinis, and Kate. Pippa has muscles. Kate, haven’t seen her in a bathing suit in quite awhile, and usually her arms are hidden as well. It could be that urge to extreme slimness has hurt her health. But otoh, I am still not counting out Basher.
I don’t see issues on newsstands with Kate on the cover flying off the shelves.
During the dating years magazines with Kate on the cover would sell less copies. The media constantly tried to build her up to be the new Diana but it (like Kate) never worked.
She may be less unpopular now but that’s only because younger people aren’t familiar with the waity Katy days and older people have stopped caring (no longer are William fans who take an interest in who he’s with and get angry about him not being with a woman of substance).
She gets the most press attention because she’s the only relatively young female royal, who wears expensive clothes and jewels. There’s simply no competition left. Any other woman of her age would get the same press interest, and pretty much any other woman in the country would do a better job.
What I am interested in seeing is if Canada’s ‘Hello’ magazine criticizes them. Then you know it’s all over.
It doesn’t say much for the rf if their greatest asset is an insipid dullard with no real interest in others
IKR I saw that had to laugh. She is just a jazz hand smiling hyena with an unhinged jaw. She can’t even read the notes that she brings to events. They all lack charisma and they all see that Harry and Meg have lots charisma and it makes them all jealous. I’m surprised that people is writing such a negative article. Things are very wrong at the palaces.
Right, Susan Collins. If they’ve lost People mag, they’ve lost the plot. People is telling them they’re not going to carry their water anymore if they mess up this badly.
Kate has consistently phoned in her royal responsibilities. She does the very least and is inevitably unprepared other than hair/makeup/clothes. That’s it. It’s impossible to keep that kind of disinterest and avoidance of proper preparation under wraps, no matter what she’s wearing. If jazz hands and wide-mouthed grinning is all she can offer to appear *engaged*, no wonder even People is starting to change its usual sycophantic fawning. The fact that Willbur seems to be in charge of KP is the Achilles’ Heel, the wag-the-dog weak spot. You can only cover up that kind of ineptitude and deceit with fluffy PR embiggening for so long.
I still can’t believe Kate went outside with a DIY tiara. Anyway, when the bootlickers at People Mag publish some kind of criticism about BRF, you know BRF really messed up. They are still embiggening Kate while Will is claiming he is focusing on his “work”, instead of his wife / children. That is suspicious.
Peg is either in some deep trouble with substance abuse, mental health issues, or something else he wants to be hidden or the biggest entitled idiot ever. Even if KC doesn’t give him anything to do in subbing for him, he should still use this time to be more visible. Like charity appearances, school run pap pics, earthsh!t busywork, homelessness busywork. I do believe KC doesn’t want him to appear like he is a regent for the ill king, but Peg could still use the vacuum to his advantage.
Unfortunately given the vacuum between Will’s ears he is too dumb and selfish to do anything strategic here.
@Smart&Messy, I agree. KC wouldn’t certainly want Will to look like he is taking over the job. But, Will has his own money, budget now. KC can’t control him, so this is what Will is choosing to do with his free will. That is, doing nothing, mostly attending things if there are celebrities there, avoiding talking about his wife’s current state. Bizarre.
I think his ego is too large and fragile to do events that he considers “lesser” than the ones that the side chick is doing. That’s the man who get when you allow the boy to do anything he wants with no consequences and give him what he wants with no effort on his part required.
I also would not want to be second to a chain-smoking, evil side piece and it’s not like he’s going to be passed over when his turn comes. The royals brought this on themselves.
“Peg could still use the vacuum to his advantage.” I think he’s incapable of that right now. He’s going through something major and couldn’t steal the work limelight even if he realized that doing so would be PR gold. He’s exited the f* around stage and is fully in the find out stage.
Josephine – re: chain smoking, have you seen that hilarious Australian news show excerpt? “Charles, she won’t come to the car!” Hilarious. https://twitter.com/KayRoss96/status/1765011260746145946
Shawna, I did, and it was pure gold!
William is also too arrogant to do too much, imo— he said after that first statement about Kate’s surgery was announced that he was basically taking the entire recovery time off, too, and while he has done a *few* events here and there, he’s stubborn enough to not want to feel like the anger of the peasants have “forced” him to do more than he wanted to during this time.
So, I waded into the Daily Fail comments yesterday (I know, it was really gross and I feel gross for doing it) and there are a ton of comments about “that picture is Pippa”, “the royals aren’t telling the truth”, “we pay for the royals so they need to share more info”. Clearly these types of comments must align with the DM’s opinion and isn’t a violation of their agreement with KP.
HOWEVER, even as I was reading comments, one about how lazy and work-shy William is disappeared. I also think they are deleting comments about how this is all William’s fault, William needs to step up, Charles covered for the Queen when he was Prince of Wales so why doesn’t William, William is unprepared…
Anyway, it looks like the DM is protecting William by letting the “Where’s Kate” story flourish. I think they are trying to move the storyline away from why William isn’t working and does he have Kate locked in a closet to “Kate has to show herself”.
@Pinkosaurus, interesting. A few people here also made comments about the fact that Kate and conspiracies about her absence are being used to protect Will and hide his absence. It is like she turned into his new spare.
Also, the DM is going to want to foster that anger about “we deserve to know what’s going on” because the DM desperately wants to write about what’s going on and I think they’re hoping if there is enough public outcry, they can write it and say to KP sorry not sorry, public interest.
@sevenblue Yes, that’s the impression I have, too, she’s the new spare.
Whatever happened to her (divorce announcement, DV, surgery, coma, recovery time, mental health issues, etc), she’s in a bad place with no way out, or at least no way to hold on to the lifestyle she thought she was getting. I’m not her biggest fan, but boy did she put all her faith in the wrong person.
Yes @ Sevenblue, that tiara still makes me laugh. It’s like when Napoleon crowned himself
… if Napoleon’s crown came from Michael’s.
My tinfoil tiara theory is Kate being denied a tiara wearing moment at the coronation set off William in some ways. Explains them being tardy to the ceremony while filming their reels.
” … if Napoleon’s crown came from Michael’s.” Hahahahaha
Lainey Gossip also did a thorough piece on how amateurish KP have been handling “whatever is happening to Kate ?” BP have provided the template for them to copy because we know how much they like copying. LOL. However that would rely upon Will having the sense and discipline to keep calm and carry on and deal with enquiries about his ill wife like QC has done for KC.
Bottom line is poor communication strategy dictated by a stubborn and stupid Will who clearly believes “out of sight is out of mind” as regards his own wife!
Sorry meant to add link to lainey piece on Wheres Waldo Kate?
https://www.laineygossip.com/new-photos-princess-kate-reignite-conversation-about-her-health-had-been-starting-to-subside/77789
It’s a brutal piece and shows how disconnected is the institution from anything modern.
I agree with Kaiser. Plus, this also shows how much Harry and later Meghan were used by the Palace as distractions. The Palace no longer has their scapegoats to hide behind. I love this for the Royal Family.
Exactly this. It’s so clear that this is who they’ve always been – lazy, secretive and chaotic – but without Harry (and later, Harry and Meghan as a couple) as a scapegoat, the rota rats have absolutely nothing to talk about. Even though you know they ALL know exactly what is really going on and are DYING to talk. It’s a recipe for this exact situation and I wonder which of them will be the first to slip up and tell the truth. What have they got to lose at this point because any access they had has been completely stonewalled!
The pandemic and then the deaths of Prince Philip and the Queen allowed them to limp along for another few years.
I truly believe that in the absence of the pandemic they would have divorced a year or two earlier.
Without the UK media’s whipping boy and girl – the cracks are now ever so evident.
I’m no fan of Kate, but she is clearly the greatest asset the royal family has right now. If William wanted to divorce her, it seems like he should have been using this opportunity to show what kind of king/leader/global statesmen he’d be without the pressure to have Kate there with him.
Or if he wanted to go the other way and paper over this crap marriage, just to sort of preemptively write a new, not work-shy narrative for them both, be active, visible and occasionally cop to some distress or worrying about missing his beloved wife. Once Kate recovered most people would conveniently forget the past ten useless years…plus he could ditch her later and look like he had been a great husband.
All of what you said, yes. He could also cool the conspiracy theories by actually talking about her a bit more on engagements. Whenever he does those anyway. How she is doing better every day, the kids are always around her, she loves the flowers and cards she receives, etc.
It looks as if he is trying to erase her from the picture.
Exactly. It would take real minimum effort and work, and he would look so incredibly good in a PR sense. It would set him up for whatever future he wanted. He clearly didn’t inherit and of his father’s ability to scheme. Will better be drunk, because if this is his sober plan – dear god, so so dumb.
If he had any competent advisors he could still turn this to his favor. He could release a statement saying Keen has decided she is no longer up to the job and has asked for a divorce (even if that part is obviously a lie) and then say that he was so upset at losing the love of his life and the breakup of his family (also a lie) that he’s been struggling. But now he’s ready to lead and blah blah blah. Hell, he could even admit to using alcohol to cope but is getting help now etc.
We know this will never happen because he has no competent advisors and wouldn’t listen to them anyway. But he could easily spin this in his favor and the rota rats would go along with it as their job is to prop him – and not the ex-wife – up. Keen would be on her own and he could reinvent himself as single and ready to focus on his children and a new chapter as the PoW. But he’s as stupid as a box of nails, and not nearly as useful, so he’ll continue to obfuscate and stomp his feet and only show up to mingle with celebrities.
If he had any competent advisors that he actually listened to, this would be such an opportunity to set himself up for the future. It would be so f’ing easy. It’s annoying how incredibly dumb they are.
Kate is mediocre workshy not interested in being proactive is shallow and a mean girl.there does not necessarily need to be a star. They are all mediocre.
No arguments there, but she gets attention and sells papers. No one cares about any of the other left over royals.
Kate does not sell papers, nor does she get much attention unless she pulls stunts like this or they shoehorn meghan in there somehow to bait people.
Without a doubt, Princess Ann is the hardest working royal.
Princess Ann is the “hardest working”, and no one really cares. Kate can sell papers and get attention, and that’s all that seems to matter
If Willy the Unready thought he could get a quicky divorce before he inherits, the chances are slimmer and sliimmer. He has recieved a mere taste of the scorn he would accrue if he were to try to divorce her now. Even thick headed and stubborn as he is, he must have learned that recently. He missed his chance.
There are royalists who would back William if he wants to divorce Kate imo
I disagree, Underhill. The entire system is set up to protect the monarch and the heir. The married-ins – and even the “spare” as we’ve seen – will be sacrificed to protect the others.
Keen would be thrown to the wolves so fast her head would spin. All the dirt on her (royal racist, lying about Meghan made her cry, mean-girling “true” princesses Bea and Eug, being lazy, and on and on) and the dirt about her scheming family would be spilled to the public.
The narrative that Chuckles and his friends tried to spin about Diana being mentally unstable or having a personality disorder could easily be used as a blueprint for Keen. We already know that the aristos in their circle don’t like her and now she’s been disappeared for more than 2 months with no information. They could easily spin tales about her mental health or condition to try to preemptively counter whatever she and MaMidds might try to say about Pegs.
Someone in the other thread was saying they thought Keen was holding out for more in a divorce, but I just really don’t see her has having any power against the monarchy machine. She and MaMidds would be no match for a Pegs-wants-a-divorce shitstorm.
If the public can be conned into embracing his wicked stepmother…
I think it would be very easy. There doesn’t seem to anyone in Kate’s corner but the Middleton clan, and they would be easy to smear.
Rumors would leak of bad behavior behind closed doors. It would not even have to be true. God knows they have lied a lot in the past and nobody is keeping track.
Unflattering photos will be dusted off. Headlines will be sinister. Her patronages will be mocked. The tabs will let it be known they will be rooting for her to fail.
Then when things get darkest, they will call Kate into a summit and tell her that if she leaves gracefully they won’t pull her security like they did with Harry and Diana.
Once the papers are signed, William will be painted as utterly heartbroken. Shattered. Betrayed. A shadow of his former self.
Until a suitable period of cooling off before he trots out his fresh faced lass who taught him how to love again.
That’s what has been surprising me the most about this whole mess – the absence of William. For years, we heard stories about how “When William is king” he’ll do this or that differently, or that William’s so popular that Charles should just give up the throne to his heir in waiting right now ( as if!). But suddenly, a golden opportunity to demonstrate your leadership is handed to him on a silver platter and he just…bails. He’s neither stepped up to do the job nor been seen caring for his family. He’s mostly just been absent.
I’m thinking about any situation where the CEO of a family-owned company has to step down temporarily. The very first thing you would do is put out images of the next in line visiting headquarters and shaking hands, putting out statements in their name and being available for press, or getting on calls with investors/ shareholders. If you want people to still have confidence in the company, you must do these basic things. That’s why Prince Haakon of Norway has been regent in his father’s absence. William wouldn’t even need to do much – witness how the press have been falling all over themselves to describe Camilla as the pillar ” holding up” the royals. They would undoubtedly write nice things about William, too, if he ever came out of hiding. And if, after more than 20 years of preparation for the role he still can’t do the basics? Then people need to know that, too.
I don’t even know what to believe anymore. Maybe there is truly nothing to see here, and she is just recovering from something that takes time. On the other hand, the fact that someone arranged proof-of-life photos of Kate with Carole and not Peg makes it look like they are in completely separate camps. As Kaiser says, Peg still doesn’t know how to correct course, he digs in his heels in the face of criticism.
And I don’t know what to think of the fawning piece the Fail published about Carole a few days ago. How she is totally hands-on with Kate and her kids, has always been. Unlike last time on her Bday, they didn’t list the amounts she scammed out of creditors, only mentioned how she sold her lovely little business to this fantastic entrepreneur who thinks highly of her. What happened? Did Peg or Cam grant her some positive press in exchange for rolling out Kate for a picture??
Interesting. Didn’t see that article but sounds like a complete change of tone
They even included the old talking points about how much Peg used to enjoy the Middleton family life and Carole was like a second mother to him. I’m surprised it was not covered on this site.
Could the positive article mean they have come to some sort of divorce terms so the media dogs were pulled off and they will give Carole positive coverage?
Maybe after the pic the DM took her phone calls again, lol.
I still don’t understand why people think the tabloids are ignoring Carole. Even if they disbelieve her or don’t print what she asks them to, surely they will always take a call on the off-chance she will say something that earns them all a lot of money.
I’d assumed William had warned against going to the press, for whatever reason. It just depended on whether Carole would listen. It seemed she had but maybe not anymore?
@Shawna, I totally don’t get why people thing the rota was ignoring CarolE. She obviously can get clicks with the right story.
She’s naturally been laying really low since the financial implosion and failure to be bailed out by the RF. I was surprised she didn’t use Kate’s “abdominal surgery” to generate more favorable coverage the way Camilla has done with Charles’s illness..and I never once thought she tried to brief about it but the rota rats ignored her.
I think she didn’t try earlier on because Kate was in a bad way right after surgery and whatever the hell happened during/after (and I do think something happened, like induced coma and very possibly a stroke). I also think Kate’s parents were and are the ones who have been involved in taking care of their daughter during this time, that Will has hardly seen her (if at all). So now that Kate’s “improving” enough to sit upright in a car, CarolE had enough of Will’s incompetence and arranged the proof of life pic.
And now she’s briefed about how involved she is and wonderful she is. I mean, the Kate seen in that car is still going through some heavy medical stuff even if she’s doing “better.” If Will is indeed pushing her out on top of all of that, well, CarolE’s going to be taking care of Kate for a long time. Of course she’s going to push the “I’m so wonderful and involved mother and grandmother” narrative, she wants a good settlement and continued access to the grandkids. What’s really interesting is the ongoing lack of embiggening stories about Kate and how she’s bravely working to get better because she’s the Keenpin of the Monarchy and with the King being ill she is preparing for the day she will be the keenest queen ever, etc., etc., etc.
@Jais and @Tiger, putting that together, Carole had some good reason to stay shtum after years of leaking (getting the upper hand with divorce terms, shame at her business failure) but has now changed her tack. What’s changed? Is it just that Kate’s disappearance went viral?
Shawna and Tiger: I think Carole checked back into the arena because she could, Kate having made some sort of recovery, and because she needed to: It was looking like William was content if Kate was never mentioned again and was leaving her out of future events, changing his stationary etc. I think Ma Middleton felt she had to go to bat for her daughter when her daughter couldn’t go to bat for herself. And Tiger: if that really was Kate’s unphotoshopped face, she does look a bit like she had a stroke…certainly had to be blown up with steroids, but still there’s something more there.
I think the rumours Kate is in Switzerland might be true. It would explain why William hasn’t been visiting her for photo ops.
I just laugh at all this. I made more plans for my maternity leave in terms of work being covered etc than these clowns do. This is their job – how do you just leave or not show up without a plan to cover you. It boggles my mind how bad they are at this.
This suggests that 1. you care a lot more about your ‘work’ than they do and 2. that your work matters!
The staff is a reflection of their boss – chaotic, secretive, incompetent, racist, lazy, and obsessed with social media to the point of buying hordes of bots.
Of course they’re floundering and adding to the uncertainty, because you know that Pegs is drunk and raging around the palace changing his mind every few minutes. You know he’s on an incandescent rampage blaming everyone else for his problems, from Pa Chuckles to his missing soon-to-be ex-wife to Harry.
Pegs brought all of this on himself and I hope he’s enjoying the spotlight he so desperately craved.
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
If kate is the royal family’s greatest asset, they are in deep doo doo.
“William’s not going to like that all of these people are talking about how Kate is the monarchy’s greatest asset.”
—Pretty sure neither is Charles.
Maybe that’s why Cam did a runner. If she can’t be the “greatest asset” when she’s the one getting the most attention with work, why bother?
Possibly. Though, I can’t imagine she realistically demands it
All of this is really starting to look like the divorce negotiation theory is true. Regardless of what was going on with Kate, if she and Will were still a team under KP then the messaging around Kate wouldn’t have changed so drastically which would have kept this whole thing underwraps.
The fact that People ran this “radio silence” story instead of a planted “kate is doing well!” story tells me that KP got People in the ongoing negotations.
Even if Will was planning to divorce Kate, he can’t now. It will look like he is leaving his sick wife, like a lot of men do. For years, he was characterized as the family man, it will ruin his carefully crafted public persona.
Maybe he doesn’t care any more? Maybe that’s what’s behind a lot of this, linked to the apparent day drinking, last minute change of plans, etc. Is he blowing up his own life?
I think that’s what Kate and the firm believe, but I think Will disagrees and is hellbent on getting his way.
I don’t think it would be that hard – it’s SO easy to twist “leaving his sick wife when she needs him most,” into she’s changed, she’s just not the woman he thought she was. She’s not sick, she’s obsessed with plastic surgery and risked her life and leaving her children and country for a cosmetic procedure that was botched. She’s hiding due to vanity while Will is left to pick up the pieces. Did you see her abuser Uncle on reality tv? How tacky! And, she blamed it all on Meghan, but I heard she’s the real reason Will and Harry don’t talk! And what WAS the deal with her family’s shady business dealings?
No, they could roll out the royal smear machine very effectively if they wanted to. I just think the rest of the firm knows that, even though they COULD, they shouldn’t because then they’ll be left with Will alone which precisely nobody wants.
It would be a sham marriage if he stays with her. He would have mistresses or one mistress if he ends up not divorcing her
Yeah I too think that they are headed for a divorce. And I also think that the royal family sees how damaging that would be, and this is why there are so many clashes with Billy. I’m sure that’s why he didn’t go to the funeral.
Camila, and Anne and of course Charles, they are all well aware that Billy, as a public figure, has no chance to stand on his own, and even less now that his wife is so ill.
But he’s going through with it no matter what, I’m 100% sure of it. Remember when he was parading around in New York, pretending to be this somewhat hot single dad? He won’t let go of that fantasy, of conquering the US with his charm, and show his brother once again that he, Billy, is the better of the two. This is of course delusional but I’m sure it’s how it’s running in his head.
It will be really interesting to see what happens in the next few weeks, yet I can’t help but feel really sad about the children who are innocent yet find themselves in the middle of such a disaster, both personal and in terms of what the institution they were born into represents. And surrounded by adults who don’t believe in trauma informed therapy, or any therapy. I wish them the best, healthy adults outside of the family circle and love.
@ Sevenblue agreed and that is why Willy is acting like a headless chicken because all his plans for the future have been derailed by both his dad and wife becoming ill to foil his desire for 20 more years of la dolce vita on duchy cash sans Kate. Forget C and K and their serious operations and ongoing cancer treatment, Willy boy is reacting badly because of how their illness can impact on his selfish desires for the good life, being carried by everybody else’s hard work. He has thrown a tantrum for 4 long years over Harry leaving HIM and not staying to continue being his doormat, work horse and scapegoat. Can you imagine the rage from throne idle because he can’t have what he wants when he wants it? He can no longer divorce Kate this year and if they suddenly got elevated to K and Q then he can never divorce her and he will have to do more work as king. Life can be so unfair whaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
William obviously seems unhealthy unhappy and unpleasant. So does Kate. And I know I’m being naive about how aristo-marriages work and the fact that this is the RF but I’m like if someone wants a divorce let them get a divorce. If that’s what’s actually going on behind the scenes. I get that Charles and the firm would want Kate to stick around but at the end of the day, if someone wants a divorce then get one. William may crumble by himself but let the chips fall.
One theory on here that someone floated right when this all started is that William is still planning to divorce her and that’s why her condition is being kept under wraps – she is sick, but KP can’t let the public know how sick she is or else william really will look cold for divorcing her. And then there’s a power struggle between the Midds and KP going on as well because of the divorce negotiations.
Those two things – trying to hide how sick she is and the power struggle – could explain a lot of the weirdness over the past few months.
I dont know – but I do agree with @Sunday as that has always been my thought process – when William decides to divorce, the press against Kate will turn in a hurry.
So how does the photo play into this? She’s in the car with her mother, so obviously not so sick so he can divorce her? Or does she look so poorly in the car that it’s obvious that she’s still unwell after over two months, so he can’t divorce her?
The big question for me is how sick does she have to be for divorce to be off the table?
@Teagirl the photo exposes Will’s school run story as BS. I dont want to threadjack, but that clearly got to him as I’m sure we’ll read about on CB soon. I think Carole was muzzled by the rota but bc Will has been handling his end so poorly, team Kate was emboldened to emerge from hiding and start making moves of their own, like reaching out to any outlet that will work with them like Page 6 and TMZ and then the big move, the photo that exposes Will’s cover story. She was starting to catch too much heat herself and so she had to redirect the pressure back to Will to help her end of the negotiations. All she has is her English Rose rep. If he succeeds in destroying that, it’s over.
I think the ‘surgery’ was a Hail Mary to stop an immediate announcement. Her being sick doesn’t get her off the divorce hook forever, it just delays the inevitable imo so it’s a stall tactic. I think she would be perfectly happy with keeping up the facade in public while living separate lives behind palace doors. The problem is that, at some point, that arrangement stopped working for Will.
Sunday, I agree with you. I think Kitty is playing a game where she’s hoping Chuck dies before Willnot can turn the media train to divorce. It is really sick.
“She is in so many ways the most like the late Queen.”
Lol.
Notice that they never give examples because it would be so easily proven false…
Is that a compliment? The way I can see her being like QE is that she is willing to be pretty much a blank slate and let people make her into what they want instead of expressing/having her own opinions.
The queen was never bone idle like Kate.
@Tessa No, she got out and did the “job” and actually had outside interests and hobbies to keep her going and actually managed to convey fellow-feeling with people.
The Queen did more engagements in her 90’s
The queen had a miserable marriage but worked constantly and ran a steady ship. Kate is fundamentally unstable and doesn’t work.
Yes she did – QE2 knew what came with the crown (responsibility) and that this was the family business. Her grandparents knew they were damn lucky to have their crown and heads intact when they saw so many family members lose their monarchies. So much of what was instilled in her could never be instilled in Kate or William. And then there is QE2’s personality having grown up during the war and lived through that. hell, Chuck can’t fill her shoes and Wills can’t fill Charles’. A sad state of affairs – no pun intended.
The queen fell madly in love with philip and it was a love match. Her hearts desire was to marry him
Though they led separate lives later and supported each other. I would not say she was miserable with philip.
They could definitely pull off a convincing friendship, they looked like they enjoyed each other when they had to come together for engagements.
@seraphina so true. That history was fresh for her and so real for Phillip, and Phillip never let them forget it either.
@tessa you’re right, I know she loved him. But he had his affair partners later, seemed threatened by her power at times and she seemed so lonely in that way. I think she made it work and still loved him, but it certainly wasn’t an easy situation.
@christine agree! He was a good partner to her in terms of her job, too.
Well, let’s look at the similarities between Elizabeth and Kate. They’re both female, which leaves out all the males in the family. And they both have/had a thing for colorful outfits, big brooches, hats and matching handbags, which leaves out most of the females in the family. So yeah, Liz and Kate are totally alike.
Wills has worked 4 days in 2024. Not even four full days. He is horrible at this. His team is horrible at this. Watching them bungle this is something to behold. Is this your king Britain??
Good for People to join the slightly critical crowd after all those sycophantic stories we got all these years.
But…
“her recent sighting during a car *ride* with her mother”
The car definitely not moving was the biggest proof of the Meddlingtons arranging and setting up that amateur pap shot. The spokes on the rims were clearly visible, as were the tread patterns. Plus that “no smoking” sign. And that’s not even me starting to wander off into the realm of conspiracy theories.
That said, can they all please stop with all those fake privacy concerns, the Windsor-Wailses are all overpaid and underworld civil servants, and even their luxe suites in private hospitals and treatments by highly specialised docs are funded by those same taxpayers who have to wait months to be seen by GPs, and then again many more months for NHS procedures.
This is as we say at work, a complete shitshow. And when it just doesn’t get better but gets worse (optic wise) for the royals, there is something there they aren’t saying or want to say. The vagueness and ambiguity and leaving so much unsaid so people can read between the lines was a major mistake PR wise. I truly think Kate had enough, something went down and she isn’t playing the game right now and THAT is what has rocked Will so hard. She, as many had said, would and did ANYTHING for him and that crown that came attached to him and something big happened to the point she is no longer playing nor is Ma Middleton. Otherwise, that photo would have been Wills and Kate and not Ma and Kate.
It’s my hope that Kate is in a residual program for her eating disorder and that, while she’s there, who ever is in charge of her care is genuinely caring for her as a human being, not as a character in the royal soap opera.
It would explain a lot, including this radio silence, William’s guilty behavior, the absence of their kids or messages thanking people for the public’s concern. The family is embarrassed, well, Will and Kate are at least.
Is she their biggest asset? Does she have fans who truly care about her and not the monarchy/white supremacy? By now there should have been a great outpouring of concern over her well-being given the monarchy’s history with married-in women. Her fans should have a “free Kate” movement going instead of worrying about privacy for someone who hasn’t been given her OWN voice to ask for it.
No, there are only paid robotic bots and deranged people who will elevate Kate for the sake of sticking it to the Sussexes but not support ‘Catherine’ as a living breathing person in her own right. Even their whiny, sanctimonious complaints under every article insisting that she is Catherine/POW and ‘Stop calling her Kate Middleton!’ is a form of erasure of Kate as a person on behalf of William. This eco system serves William and they can’t step out of line on her behalf, only insist that Catherine has dictated her own terms of returning to the public as William continues his duties and the rest of us are godless meanies in the thrall of Harry and Meghan when this all has clearly jumped the fence into the mainstream.
The pro Sussex SM accounts kept the irregularities and hypocrisies of Kate’s disappearance front and centre because they care that Meghan receives vindication for the treatment she and her children were shown at the hands of the BM under the firm’s willing guidance. Kate doesn’t have and ride or die fans like that.
We chuckle over her buttons, wiglets and Kate’s limitations, I very much dislike her laziness and propensity for flashing/being inappropriate when she should behave, we all know she made Meghan’s life a misery but it also means that WE SEE KATE and can also see and understand the ways the BM and the palaces have controlled and manipulated information about the married ins. Sussex Squad gets to enjoy watching the palaces squirm now that the shoe is on the other foot, the general public gets a good laugh over BBL but we CBers know that Kate’s behaviour was increasingly erratic before she went missing and have seen Diana, Meghan, and even Princess Charlene as cautionary examples as we watch this train wreck.
Perfectly said. ITA.
Very well said indeed. I was also struck by something someone here said early on, that Kate got more true concern and sympathy (not from everyone mind you) here and from other Sussex supporters, than she did from anywhere else. People do see her as a real person, not just a mannikin, and there is some genuine concern for her welfare, not least because she is the mother of three young children who love her.
She may not be an asset as we understand it, but she’s only person in this family that generates some interest. The rest is so dull nobody cares.
Kate is no m v p and nothing like the queen. She has bad work ethic and has.disappeared for.weeks going on vacations.
That People Mag cover really rubs me the wrong way. Why the heck is Harry on there? What the heck does he have to do with their mess? And they have the problem child in the background, as if he has nothing to do with this. Trash!
They are probably afraid no one will buy a copy without a Sussex link. Plus Middleton PR will always be how close Harry and Kate were until “Meghan”. Harry’s words to the contrary in Spare not withstanding.
I agree with you Proud Mary, but on the other hand I think it’s HILARIOUS that Willy has been de-emphasized and his photo is smaller than the others’, and pushed over the side as if he’s irrelevant. He’s got to be mad about that!
Here let’s put this nobody, failure on the cover so it will sell better. 🙃
Lol, Kate’s disappearance has even made ARTnews. In an article about moving a piece of Banksy street art, they quote a tweet – not a single Banksy since Kate Middleton disappeared, coincidence?
😂😂😂
lolllllll
the fact that PEOPLE mag is, even in this relatively soft way, criticizing KP and Kate is very significant IMO. Calling out KP for the radio silence, but still cramming in the talking points about Kate being the future of the monarchy (so it seems the Middletons have found their PR footing again…..)…….
all is not well in the House of Windsor as we’ve been saying for some time now, but watching it play out so publicly and in such a disastrous way is fascinating.
@Lupa thank you! I’m no tarot expert but I did pull the tower for William recently- his life is a disaster.
I am still convinced that there will never be a divorce. They may live different lives but will stick it out for the crown. I think part of the reason why Kate was hellbent on getting rid of Maghan was, with a capable woman in the family, she was no longer needed. Maghan is beautiful, smart and has a proven record of success and she was a treat to Kate’s and her families existence, way of live.
It would have been so much easier to get a divorce prior to Sussexit. The divorce option was off the table after H&M left.
This dysfunction has always been there and unfortunately I don’t see the pro- right wing papers turning against W or K. As long as the establishment is on their side, they will be protected.
The only way he could be divorced from a sick wife is if she divorced him, saying that William deserves a healthy wife and queen . That is, if she is in sound mind to legally do so.
KP haven’t explicitly stated that she’s sick or unwell, just that she’s had an abdominal procedure and needs rest. Clearly she’s well enough to get in a car and do a pap run with her mother. So we know she’s in no physical danger (e.g. comatose or sectioned). That’s not to say she hasn’t been in either of those situations beforehand…
This could be a ploy, as stated upthread, by KP to go ahead with a divorce rollout. If they don’t announce she’s ill, then William isn’t divorcing a sick woman.
I Saïd it when she was riding high on her anti Meghan delusions, but again: she is going to blamed for the break between the brothers. She has already been outed as the royal racist and the “recollections may vary” stab.
She will be painted as the racist who came between Diana’s boys the minute William is done or wants the excuse for distance.
The same power she weaponized against MM is going to come back for her. Lesson: Never let yourself be used to do someone else’s dirty work.
I honestly wonder if they can still run with this while the public still has her surgery first and foremost in their minds. Before this, I was 100% on board with assuming William was going to throw her under the bus with this. But he would seem like the … kind of person he actually is … if he pawned it off on her too fast.
I pretty much despise Kate, as much as one can despise a person they’ve never actually met, but I still fully agree with the sentiment that she’s the royal family’s MVP right now. William has about as much charm and charisma as a chia pet, Charles and Camilla are boring as all hell, most people don’t even know that Edward exists, so that leaves Kate. She has about as much depth as a puddle of water, but at least we can look at the clothes and hair. It’s not like that family ever had a handsome, charismatic prince and a gorgeous, equally charming wife.. oh wait. I vaguely recall such a couple, but I’m pretty sure they were chased out of the country with pitchforks.
Yes, I’ve been saying the same thing. She’s like a colorful shirt on a clothesline of old gray laundry. The hair, the jazz hands, the gawping, the outfits, the jewelry – they all give an impression of energy.
I agree – and this means Willy Wonka can’t drop her as easily as he might think. Too bad he bullied and harrassed his brother and SIL out of the RF and country… now Kate can’t really be gone.
Yes this is it! No-one is saying Kate has charisma but she is attractive and wears pretty clothes and the public are more interested in that than in Princess Anne wearing a sensible coat to open a leisure centre.
The Royals really are the dumbest family in the world cos they never learn! Diana was exactly what they needed – warm, attractive, charismatic, loveable – and they treat her like crap. Lightning somehow strikes twice with Harry and Meghan and the same thing happens again.
I said this the other day but where are the stories about William being Kate’s rock? That he’s devoted to her care? That he’s doting on her as she recovers? It’s so odd to me that they’re not using that as one of their talking points. I am not one of those people who believe they’ll divorce. She let herself get treated like crap for years to get that ring-she’s not giving it up now as she is the Princess of Wales, and they have an image as a Happy Normal Family. I do think whatever her illness is has totally rocked his world, and he’s freaking out even more than usual. Someone the other day pointed out that he’s always been a loafer, just now it’s a bigger arena. He can’t hide his laziness.
I agree. This isn’t the prelude to a divorce. This is William freaking out because he can’t handle any of it. I think he’s still trying to pretend that he can though.
Oh, William, if only you hadn’t bullied and harrassed your brother and sister in law out of GB then perhaps the Monarchy would have 2 charismatic workers for people to focus on instead of your wife. Now you really can’t drop her, can you? She’s the most interesting out of the whole bunch.
I’m actually shocked Sarah Ferguson hasn’t sold them out yet “inadvertently”. She was all about cash for access to Andrew back in the day, was she not?
She saw what happened to Diana.
She wants to stay in Royal Lodge with Pedrew. She knows which side her scones are buttered on.
Is it at all possible that extended members of the family (like Williams aunts and uncles) don’t know what’s going on, or at least the full story? Heck I wouldn’t even be surprised if even the king doesn’t know the full story of what’s going on with William and Kate and Kate’s health issues. Maybe they’ve all been told vague things. The lack of leaks is insane.
There is zero chance that Fergie wants to get on William’s bad side. Charles will be gone soon enough-she needs the cover and financial support of the BRF.
Aren’t there rumours Fergie and Andrew are gonna remarry? It would be good PR for him to be with someone age-appropriate again.
No, none of these theories was crazy, given the available facts. Most of them still are not crazy. If it walks like a duck, and it talks like a duck…new (to me) theory: Harry came over at the invitation of Charles, who wanted to talk to him in person, partly because he could not trust not being hacked or spied upon, and partly because he wanted to appeal to Harry personally). Harry got the straight dope from Charles when he visited regarding current craziness, The personal plea was to return, with Meghan and children and be a steadying and calming influence upon the situation while William and Kate go through whatever it is they are going through. I suspect financial enticements and living arrangements were offered. Charles needs Harry right now, very much, to be the adult in the throne room, for the middle future, and He may well not give a fig what William says, anymore. If I were Charles, which I most decidedly am not, I would reach to harry for help in this mess. That involves getting Meghan on board. Once upon a time he was supposed to have liked her. I am sure it’s not that hard. Whether Harry and Meghan would do it would be another story entirely. But it’s nice to be needed.
Nope. The BRF, the rota rats, RAVEC, everybody in the blighted country already demonstrated how they do not need Harry & Meghan. They made that loud & clear, H&M are not wanted.
But how much has that rota rats/BM narrative been driven by what’s been handed down from on high? If they were ever told to lay off H&M, or indeed to start banking back to the right…… A lot could change quite quickly, I’d say.
Once again, these people sabotage themselves. By being absent so much, more of the public is realizing that this absence doesn’t make much of a difference because William and Kate did next to nothing before. Many of us are wondering what’s going on, but how many people actually “miss” them? I think the longer this goes on, the more the public will see how irrelevant they are.
As for Kate being the MVP, hoo boy, the bar is in the dungeon.
She’s a boring, lazy clothes hanger, and that’s it.
I think that whatever happened to Kate — surgery, illness, mental health issues, DV issues with Bulliam — their relationship now consists of a behind-the-scenes battleground. That rigged photo of Carole and Kate was a “throwing down the gauntlet” move. This is the Midds vs William, and whatever William did is so offensive that even his own family don’t want anything to do with him. He’s on his own and that’s why he’s making such a terrible hash of things. He’s a dangerous combination of stupid, arrogant and stubborn, and as such he’s allowing the war to escalate instead of listening to his advisors and giving Kate and the Midds what they want.
All that, so much. Stupid, Arrogant Stubborn; you forgot to add his tendency to push people around, literally. Prince William the Unready, Breaker of Dog Bowls.
Yeah we still don’t have any confirmation of William visiting KC do we?? I mean we know Harry has and he lives in another country! KC keeping his distance.
When Kneepads aka People magazine call you out . .
I miss Michael K.!
Agreed, I had to quit reading anything but the articles about Harry and Meghan. The cloying tone and overuse of exclamation points drives me batty.
I’m firmly in the camp that Will, in a drunken rage, harmed Kate in some horrible manner. I do think that was Kate in the photo, but face looks like her jaw is wired shut.
The fact that Will hasn’t been photographed with a single family member since Christmas despite so many potentially positive and reassuring photo opportunities is beyond bizarre. (Where’s the photo, or even a breathless report, of stalwart, dependable Will rushing to his father’s bedside in his moment of need? And how is there not even one single grainy photo of Will coming back from one of his famous school runs?) This all indicates to me that Will is not allowed around his children, and that the King is refusing to see him (Or Camilla isn’t allowing it). I am also highly skeptical that picture with Kate and Carole involved taking kids to school because I don’t think they are allowed around Kate either, hence the lack of a single photo or report of her children visiting her in the hospital or making her get-well cards or bringing her flowers. The children are sequestered elsewhere for their safety and someone else is doing those school runs.
But unlike most people here, my eyes are all on Camilla. I believe Harry when he called her the true villain of our story. She’s worked her entire life for this moment; crushing anyone that stood in her way. QEII told her she wasn’t good enough to be a Royal, and now she’s the only one left standing, off enjoying a spa in India while QEII’s family lies in tatters at her feet. But Camilla has a big problem. Her Meal Ticket is unwell, and she’s got to work fast to remain in power after he’s gone. She’s successfully played to Will’s weaknesses–primarily stroking his out-sized ego while feeding his seething jealously of his brother–and now Will is isolated and alone, probably with no one around me he trusts, and possibly trapped in the bottom of a bottle.
I keep wondering what the chances are that Camilla is named Regent over George if Will and Kate are incapacitated? Does anyone know if this is possible?
Camilla is definitely a super villain and I think that’s she’s Machiavellian. No way do I see her being named regent if George though. I think someone like Beatrice would be named before Camilla. Who gets to decide?
I think it would be Beatrice too. After William it’s Harry (probably not interested), Andrew (far too toxic) and then Beatrice who is pretty uncontroversial as far as I know.
I wonder could it be Harry is the regent and he assigns Beatrice as his proxy? Was that why he flew straight to UK to see his father and why she was also seen at about the same time?
No, it would be Harry as next adult male in line to the throne.
Anything is possible but regents are almost always the next adult in line for the throne. They’ve made exceptions for the parent of the heir (Prince Albert and Prince Philip) but Camilla isn’t that.
Reply to Here for the fall:- Totally agree with what you say. Camilla bears grudges against a lot of the royals for past perceived snubs etc.
I’m not sure her endgame would be becoming regent though – I think if anything happened to Charles she’d be happy to slope off with pots of money. Don’t forget she was once called the laziest woman in Britain herself.
She’s done her stirring and no doubt thoroughly enjoyed it. She hurt Diana and loved causing trouble with her sons.
She’s crafty and cares as much for Charles as he does for her. Separate homes and swanning of on hol when he’s ill.
I predict she will remarry APB within a year of Charles’ funeral.
I agree with that assessment, Waterdragon.
@here for the fall…. interesting theory. It makes me sad though if the kids don’t have access to either parent. Not trying to thread Jack but has anyone confirmed whether or not nanny Maria left? She would be a comfort to the kids I’d think.
@Here for the fall
I agree with everything you said.
I also don’t believe the kids are with either parent. I do believe it was Kate in that photo as well.
And I believe they are divorcing.
Also, Mumbles Mumbalina is not an asset to the monarchy, not even in the slightest. She could have been an asset if she had the slightest bit of empathy or even interest in other people (anyone besides herself) and some work ethic but she has neither. She is a fake, phoney, self centered, evil, & racist clothes horse. If she was such an asset, she wouldn’t have been so threatened by Meghan. She can be replaced and will be replaced.
Agree with @Julianna above.
Besides being a SM joke which generated tons of hilarious memes, did people really miss K in a way that people cared for Diana. Even when K was out of the picture the BM and the derangers still focused on HM. K isn’t as popular as Diana. I think if W divorces her and marries someone else, she would just be an after thought(except her fan club – who are only a loud minority- would go psycho). Yes she’s the mother of the future king of England. But if they were truly to officially separate, my bet would be the BM would focus on Ws new bride(if that was to happen), esp if that new bride is so much more charismatic than K.
The women who marry into this family are their greatest assets. They make this otherwise dull and bland family, more interesting. Yes Kate is safe and boring but she is still a girl who married a prince and that disney-esque story is what people love and want to see.
I think they have the chance to be terrific assets, do really good work and break new ground.
I wouldn’t say Kate ever did.
It’s interesting to note the comparisons between the coverage of the current situation and that of Princess Margaret and Peter Townsend in the 1950s .People were able to read between the lines even then, there were subtle allusions in the British press to the situation “is Princess Margaret sad?” and people could also find out much more concrete information via friends and family who lived overseas (this was also very true of Prince Philips ‘behaviour’ at the time, particularly from the Australian press). What doesn’t change is that people have a good sense generally of when things are ‘off’. But the current age is very different to the 1950s in that a lot more can be gleaned about what is really going on. The old playbook doesn’t work – it’s just that all the Royal Family press and communications haven’t caught up with how it really works now – especially online. This year is going to be continue to be wild because so much is out of the control of the official narrative (or even Camilla’s narrative or Billy’s, or anyone else’s), no matter how much the ‘invisible contract’ might be seen to work. Awaiting fireworks in April – it’s all going to go next level.
https://www.niemanlab.org/2024/03/this-is-just-weird-buzzfeed-news-former-royals-reporter-on-kate-middleton-palace-press-and-distrust-in-the-media/
Amazing article and timeline