The Princess of Wales did two events on Thursday, January 30. She took the helicopter to South Wales and visited the Ty Hafan children’s hospice, which is her new patronage. Then she visited a Welsh textiles manufacturer called Corgi. According to People Magazine’s excessive coverage, Kate “was relaxed, welcoming and stayed longer than expected” at the hospice. At Corgi, Kate basically played on some of the machines and acted like it was just a breezy field trip. I’ve been surprised to see that the photos are not everywhere, and there doesn’t seem to be some new palace briefing in which we are being told that Kate is obviously very brave and hard-working, but she will not continue to work herself to the bone like this. Then I happened upon this curious piece in the Spectator (written by Alexander Larman). The argument is that, obviously, Kate is incredibly popular and she’s the new Princess Diana, but that’s a bad thing! For real. An excerpt:
At a time of great difficulty for the Firm, Catherine remains their greatest reputational asset. The King, Queen and Princess Anne offer reliable dignity, and Prince William, when on form, can be relied upon for matey gravitas. But it is Kate Middleton who is the most straightforwardly likeable and relatable royal, someone who engages with ‘ordinary people’ on an immediate, non-patronising level.
Catherine is, of course, recovering from her own illness, and in an affecting recent trip to the Royal Marsden, spoke about the difficulties and privations that she had undergone in her treatment. While she is now in remission, this is not the same thing as being fully cured, and although she has talked about her hopes for a ‘fulfilling year ahead’, it is inevitable that her public schedule will be a lighter one, with events like the Ty Hafan visit taking place on set-piece occasions rather than with any kind of regularity.
In this, and in many other regards, those around the Princess of Wales could usefully learn from the example of the previous holder of that title, the late Princess Diana. Like Catherine, Diana had a natural rapport with the public that came from her genuine interest in people, and she especially excelled at her interactions with children and the sick. This was noted, and used to the full – some would say exploited – by those courtiers who were desperate for any favourable publicity for their employers. That is, until such time as Diana, tiring of her show pony status, went solo (or rogue) and became a freelance Queen of Hearts, showing up the more protocol-based Firm for the hidebound institution that it inevitably was back then.
The temptation, then, is to rebrand Catherine as the new Diana, a glamorous and photogenic woman who is naturally empathetic and who manages to bring harmony to potential discord through her charitable initiatives and public interactions. Yet as the 30th anniversary of Diana’s death approaches in 2027 – and as her younger son’s glowering estrangement from his family continues to remind us – it is hard to forget that the Firm’s eagerness to push the late princess into the limelight for favourable publicity ended up being catastrophic, both for her and for them. Those who are eagerly adding in future appointments to the Princess of Wales’s schedule should look back on history, and consider dialling it down accordingly.
So much to unpack, my God. What offends me the most is that the royalists’ approach Kate’s PR by flatly telling everyone that of course Kate is the new Diana, despite all evidence to the contrary. But even if you go along with that fantasy… Diana’s story is tragic because of the way her husband mistreated her and the way the Firm mistreated her, the way they punished her, maligned her, gaslighted her and then threw her away. Her story isn’t tragic because she left a legacy of good works, compassion and actual change in her wake. Diana dove into work because that was the only thing she found fulfilling and she genuinely wanted to make a difference and help people. Diana was absolutely exploited by the Firm, but it wasn’t as simplistic as “they forced her to work so that they could get good press!” That’s a total rewrite – the Windsors were incredibly jealous of Diana’s natural charisma, grace, likeability and ease around people. They couldn’t figure it out and they still haven’t figured it out. Which is why they think if they just tell Kate to dress up in Diana cosplay and flash Big Blue, it’s all the same.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
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- Catherine, Princess of Wales, visits Ty Hafan, a childrenís hospice based in Sully, near Cardiff, which supports families in Wales to ensure that children with life-shortening conditions live fulfilling lives.,Image: 958888579, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Richard Pohle/Avalon/Avalon
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- Catherine, Princess of Wales, visits Ty Hafan, a childrenís hospice based in Sully, near Cardiff, which supports families in Wales to ensure that children with life-shortening conditions live fulfilling lives.,Image: 958888628, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Richard Pohle/Avalon/Avalon
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- Catherine, Princess of Wales, visits Ty Hafan, a childrenís hospice based in Sully, near Cardiff, which supports families in Wales to ensure that children with life-shortening conditions live fulfilling lives.,Image: 958889461, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Richard Pohle/Avalon/Avalon
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- Catherine, Princess of Wales, visits Ty Hafan, a childrenís hospice based in Sully, near Cardiff, which supports families in Wales to ensure that children with life-shortening conditions live fulfilling lives.,Image: 958889839, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Richard Pohle/Avalon/Avalon
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- AMMANFORD, WALES – JANUARY 30: Catherine, Princess of Wales during a visit to Corgi, a family run textiles manufacturer focused on the production of socks and knitwear on January 30, 2025 in Ammanford, Wales. During her visit to South Wales, The Princess of Wales she highlighted the work of longstanding organisations that prioritise community at their core. The Princesses focus was on the wellbeing of children and families, as well as celebrating the excellence of Welsh textiles manufacturing.,Image: 958961908, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Rebecca Naden/Avalon/Avalon
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- AMMANFORD, WALES – JANUARY 30: Catherine, Princess of Wales arrives for a visit to Corgi, a family run textiles manufacturer focused on the production of socks and knitwear on January 30, 2025 in Ammanford, Wales. During her visit to South Wales, The Princess of Wales she highlighted the work of longstanding organisations that prioritise community at their core. The Princesses focus was on the wellbeing of children and families, as well as celebrating the excellence of Welsh textiles manufacturing.,Image: 958961915, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Rebecca Naden/Avalon/Avalon
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- AMMANFORD, WALES – JANUARY 30: Catherine, Princess of Wales meets with members of the production team during a visit to Corgi, a family run textiles manufacturer focused on the production of socks and knitwear on January 30, 2025 in Ammanford, Wales. During her visit to South Wales, The Princess of Wales she highlighted the work of longstanding organisations that prioritise community at their core. The Princesses focus was on the wellbeing of children and families, as well as celebrating the excellence of Welsh textiles manufacturing.,Image: 958961937, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Rebecca Naden/Avalon/Avalon
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- AMMANFORD, WALES – JANUARY 30: Catherine, Princess of Wales during a visit to Corgi, a family run textiles manufacturer focused on the production of socks and knitwear on January 30, 2025 in Ammanford, Wales. During her visit to South Wales, The Princess of Wales she highlighted the work of longstanding organisations that prioritise community at their core. The Princesses focus was on the wellbeing of children and families, as well as celebrating the excellence of Welsh textiles manufacturing.,Image: 958962096, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: Rebecca Naden/Avalon/Avalon
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- The Princess of Wales, Patron of Ty Hafan Children’s Hospice, has her hand painted by nine-year-old Lottie whose sibling is being treated at the hospice in Sully, near Cardiff, South Wales, which supports families in Wales to ensure that children with life-shortening conditions live fulfilling lives, are supported with the compassion and specialist care that they and their family need Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Cardiff, United Kingdom When: 30 Jan 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Princess of Wales, Patron of Ty Hafan Children’s Hospice, speaks to three-year-old Dani-Rae, during a visit to the hospice in Sully, near Cardiff, South Wales, which supports families in Wales to ensure that children with life-shortening conditions live fulfilling lives, are supported with the compassion and specialist care that they and their family need Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Cardiff, United Kingdom When: 30 Jan 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Princess of Wales, Patron of Ty Hafan Children’s Hospice, looks at a typical room for young patients, during a visit to the hospice in Sully, near Cardiff, South Wales, which supports families in Wales to ensure that children with life-shortening conditions live fulfilling lives, are supported with the compassion and specialist care that they and their family need Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Cardiff, United Kingdom When: 30 Jan 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
Diana was warm and kind, she really connected with people. And she was a Fashionista.
She has been abused while being in that family, and died too soon.
Kate doesn’t eveb play in the same league.
Kate is a mean girl, the way she treated Meghan was horrible. She does little work, and lacks Diana’s charisma.
They’re only bringing up Diana because her loyal son just got an apology for her from Murdoch😍 The Windsors are always playing catch up to the Montecito Royals 😍Diana never stood by and allow her husband to cheat
Exactly! Oliver Hoare’s wife can attest to how sweet and perfect Diana was.
What i got from the last paragraph is- they are trying to make her popular to give the family good headlines- but the end result of that will be them being jealous and attacking her through the press and eventually having her murdered.
So, the story is right in that- definitely not great for Kate.
Also, Kate is no Diana. Obviously.
Seeing that the only way Kate got some positive attention was through câncer and martydom… I dont doubt the try to bring some tragedy to her. But even If I dislike her she doesnt deserve to have that same fate. She should divorce William and live a quite life. And write a tell all one day.
“But Prince William, when on form…” meaning, when not a drunken hot mess or a rageoholic monster? This is quite a factoid tucked in there…
And Kate The Global Fashion Icon needs to burn that dress, it’s hideous and not just because of the pussy bow
@Lady Esther “when on form” and off the bottle is perhaps added silently? Kate ‘s dress reminds me of Formica and is fussily hideous.
Such a shady burn🔥😂. He can be relied upon for some matey gravitas. Matey gravitas! I’m dying 😂. But you only get that matey gravitas when William is on form. Which…
😂
This is my favorite part – both LOL and Ouch, Ouch, Ouch.
What the hell “matey gravitas”? Isn’t that an oxymoron? And LOL at the “when on form.”
Everyone knows he’s a bore and an idiot.
I was at school in the 1950s and it looks the same style of dress my very strait-laced headmistress wore.Cathy looks like she is not wearing a slip under it either, that’s why it is clinging to her legs when she walks. She and her advisors do not have a clue how to dress properly.
Carole is definitely old enough to have taught her to wear a slip with this type of dress. Even in the 80s women were wearing slips and half slips for dresses or thin skirts exactly for this reason.
I think her not wearing a slip there is deliberate. It’s her way of showing off her legs without flashing us in the process and she’s ensuring that she’s noticed while surrounded by others at an event. She’s such a non-entity it’s embarrassing.
Not sure why they need to keep pushing the lie that she’s great with kids. Kids always look nervous aroud her and her jazz hands. Kids know when someone is uncomfortable or afraid of them, and I think that describes kkkate to a tee.
I do wish she would modermize the wig and tone down the harsh make-up. She needs her own style for once.
There was a video on bbc yesterday after the factory visit: a little girl yelled hello at her from down the street when she was leaving and when her motorcade departed they stopped right in front of that little girl and Kate got out to say hi to her and chatted a bit. It was a nice moment, well played by Keen, no notes. Not exactly Diana moment, but it was nice. Maybe that is what sparked this stupid write up.
Given what we’ve seen them pull in the past (random hugs with someone there was some connection with after ‘not a hugger’, the guy with the crossword, etc.) I wouldn’t out it past them to have planned this. I haven’t watched it so it could be spontaneous but their past behaviour makes me immediately suspicious.
Either way its good optics.
I agree that the stopping for the little girl was staged. Like Kate’s video productions. I think Kate is very scripted in her appearances
Yeh, Harry and Meghan already did this, most notably in Australia, making an unscheduled stop to get out of their car and greet and chat with people who had been standing by the road and waving as they entered and left. Kate clearly wanted the comparison. First to WellChild and then to that moment. Everything is scripted with these people.
She is not a new Princess Diana and she will never be.
I agree!!! Diana was kind to all and she used her platform to help. She also knew how to dress. Can’t is none of these things.
Kate thought that becoming the Princess of Wales also came with the adulation that Diana got. The same way Charles thought that getting the crown would also get him the affection that his mother got. Both of them think it’s the title that matters. And not the way they act or what they do. And then there’s William.
And that’s why they were all so convinced that Harry, especially, would fail if he left the royal family. They thought his only appeal was being HRH Prince Harry. They didn’t realize (or allow themselves to realize) that people are drawn to him for who he is, not what he is.
@Becks1
I don’t think the BRF were actually convinced Harry would fail, at all.
In fact I think they were and are terrified of his success, because he & Meghan show — just as Diana began to before her life was cut so devastatingly short — that it’s the heart, the empathy, the willingness to meet people on their own ground and respect their humanity, that makes people want to see them, be with them, support them, respect them.
Diana gave up being Queen and earned the position of “The People’s Princess.”
Harry & Meghan are doing the same & making it work even better than Diana had the chance to, because they support each other.
These plain facts throw into stark relief just what a hollow, useless, wasteful, & exploitative an institution the Firm really is.
That’s why they threw H & M out. Because half-in, half-out for a pair as charismatic, driven, and effective as the Sussexes have proven to be would be nearly as bad, maybe even worse, than just gone & easily targeted.
That’s why they’ve done everything they can to make them miserable, to try to force them to return to the institution and be grateful for the dole they would be granted.
Thankfully, I think H & M have got their future plans well in hand, and they don’t include cosplaying the Firm’s version of royal serfdom.
Kate is also seven years older than Princess Diana was at her death..Kate isn’t the new anything and has accomplished nothing in comparison. Kate’s legacy is a kill notification and her racist hate campaign targeting her sister in law and her children.
Good Lord, how could she possibly dial it down any more? She does jacksh-t as it is.
“Those who are eagerly adding in future appointments to the Princess of Wales’s schedule should look back on history, and consider dialling it down accordingly” kind of implies that Kate may choose to leave at some point and take all that good energy for herself and against them.
There would be no point of saying this if they didn’t believe that K could leave W at any point. That would just continue to be a win for the family
Since when is having pre-cancerous cells “recovering from illness?” How many months into years are they going to milk this? It’s becoming nauseating. And Kate cannot even come close to even Diana’s little finger.
All the coat-dresses and wiglets in the world can’t give you charisma, which Diana had in spades.
The dress looks early 60s before Mary Quant and mini skirts, but I like the coat. Mind you that looks a slightly earlier time zone. The sort of thing my mother wore when I was a child.
More like 80s. When you’re thinking early 60s, think of Jackie Kennedy. Boxy suits, mid-knee length skirts, pillbox hats.
Also mini skirts, Jackie Kennedy was at the beginning of 60s. By the end of the sixties everything had changed the fashion industry even tried to introduce midi dresses in 1968, but it didn’t catch on until the 70s. We got fed up with not being able to bend over without showing our knickers.
Soooo I don’t think Kate doing royal events, like say maybe one a week, would cause her to flame out. That said, being outed as a mean girl and a racist may have caused her stress. It just feels like there is a tip-toeing around the fact that some in the press may know that Kate has been dealing with MH issues. But I don’t think it’s royal events that are causing her stress. I’d imagine it’s a whole bunch of other things that they can’t talk about. Either way, Kate has done 3 public events in January and I’m betting we don’t see her again until March or the BAFTAS or whatever. So why all these articles preemptively shaming people for expecting that she do a few events here and there. Bc the expectation is not any higher than that.
I agree @Jais, that being outed had more of an effect on Kate then KP is letting on. Also, Kate must realize that when she steps out in public, many people will be looking at her through glasses that see racism, jealousy and pure pettiness, not the rose colored glasses that the press wears.
Yeah, I’d guess that her tarnished image had an affect. But also just…dealing with William and however they navigate their relationship might cause stress. The writer is comparing Kate having a similar fate to Diana but Diana’s life really turned after the divorce. MH? Marriage problems? Idk but the way these writers talk around things is interesting. Like I said yesterday, Kate is in remission which should be a happy thing and if Kate is someone who genuinely is interested in people as the writer claims then a few events shouldn’t be asking too much? We’re talking 3-4/ month at most. But we’re getting these articles saying oh no don’t ask for too much. I’m sorry but something has to be seriously wrong for this to be the narrative. Remission isn’t a cure? Okay but it’s usually a good thing to be happy about?
There’s nothing wrong with her! Jazz hands, nervous children? Untrue! Please don’t say anything unkind about Catherine! And she’s not a “racist”!
So the purpose of this article is to excuse Kate from work despite the fact she barely works at all (and has barely ever worked)? Lucky cow!
I’m guessing so; it’s a little hard to tell as it lacks clarity. The article seems to imply that Kate’s handlers ought to scale back her schedule–or don’t think about increasing it, at least–because gosh, she might get too popular then chased down a public road & killed in a car wreck? I mean, that’s the endpoint, isn’t it?
“Like Catherine, Diana had a natural rapport with the public that came from her genuine interest in people, and she especially excelled at her interactions with children and the sick.”
Hang on a minute – “like Catherine” ???? Are they having a laugh??
There’s no doubt Diana had a very special rapport with people, especially children, but I’ve not seen anything like that with Kate. Harry, though …
Such fantasy talk? I can see her having a closeness with her own children but she’s so fake at her engagements with both kids and adults and can barely string two words together. Her engagement is barely skin deep and you can tell that she can’t wait to get out of there.
Fed up with reading it is a make or break year for Meg and Harry, what about this pair? After a brutal year in 2024 Will and Kate are now back in the saddle with FK especially having something to prove? Does he have the right stuff to be PoW yet alone FK ? Are they both back on track and capable of pulling their weight as senior royals by performing royal duties on regular basis? Future monarchs should be proven safe pairs of hands who are solid and reliable when carrying out a wide range of royal duties. Both have had a cushy deal for years of maximum privilege for minimum effort. Times they are a changing and as they get closer to the ultimate promotion both need to step up now and acclimatise themselves to doing a lot more.
My money is on they won’t.
Diana was remarkable. Beautiful, industrious, empathetic, and genuine.
All I see when I look at KKKhate is a mean, infantile, lazy racist with a bad wig and a wonky wardrobe who has low self esteem. She can’t string two thoughts together or recite a speech. Plus, she is a habitual lair, having lied about Meghan making her cry AND I’m convinced she lied about having cancer.
And Diana knew how to blend her blush/rouge … Kate doesn’t.
Every day there’s a new excuse for why Kate can’t work.
Once again, they can’t write a piece without talking about Harry and/or Meghan. But this entire piece is revisionist history. Anyway, the Royals don’t have worry about Kate stealing the limelight because she’s never going to work like Diana did.
Really great analysis, I enjoyed that.
The comments that these quick visits to hospice places won’t be common place, but rather “set pieces” is weird. For one it refers to her schedule like she’s an automaton that is wound up and then set free to wander at random places, for another it’s trying to make this sound like it was a huge ordeal and undertaking.
I don’t doubt that there’s more steps involved with her showing up someplace to volunteer than if I decide to, I’m sure helicopter coordinating takes a while. But if the bread and butter stuff is so impossible, they’re just trying to lower the bar again. I want just one old school royalist to go rogue and announce the Queen’s work by l numbers when she was dying of bone cancer, vs this might have been sick nonsense.
Calling visits to her charities as set pieces just underscores that they are utterly performative.
Good point. And yet they denigrate Meghan for being an actress.
There have been stories in the news this week about a report on the ‘school readiness’ of kids as they start here in the UK with issues like not being toilet trained, lacking motor skills to climb stairs, and one teacher saying two kids she has can”t sit upright on the carpet as they lack core strength. All linked to covid babies, cost of living crisis meaning parents are working instead of having time to be with their kids, etc. All these kids are under five.
She has a FOUNDATION that’s supposed to be all about this stuff and we have crickets from them.
Oh my goodness, that’s so sad. If only there were some organization devoted especially to the health & wellbeing of the under fives…hmmm. 🤔
I already knew Mrs.Wails was a lazy do-nothing, but her lack of any work or efforts on Early Years during the pandemic sealed it for me. With so many people worldwide quarantining at home with young children, it was an easy opportunity for her to put out one video a week with fun games or ways to keep the little ones engaged. She could have had a website with information and videos from experts. But she did nothing. Clownery.
@SarahCS: Speak of the devil – “Kate says emotional skills must be priority for healthier society”
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c05l883gp46o
From the above BBC News article: “‘At times, it can feel like the world is filled with mistrust and misunderstanding, leaving many people feeling isolated and vulnerable during difficult times,’ writes Catherine in a foreword to her charity’s report. ”
No sign of this report on the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood’s website, however.
https://royalfoundation.com/early-childhood/
I did appreciate this shade in the article: “… Prince William, when on form, can be relied upon for matey gravitas.”
That said, I imagine the palace is threatened by her popularity, as they were with Diana. Perhaps they want her to get out there, just a little, but not too much, and they may not exactly be shoving her out the door.
I wonder if this comparative onslaught of visits is Kate and Carol plotting away. Or it was planned ahead of time to compete with Meghan’s now-rescheduled show and Invictus, because they know she can draw attention away from H and M better than the others. Or it’s all a preemptive strike so she doesn’t get criticized for doing BAFTAs and little else.
Which should work out well for everyone though? The palace/Charles wants her out just a little bit but not too much. Which is what they’re telling us except that even the amount they want for her is apparently too much. Is the narrative just for the press and the public to not expect much? which I don’t think the public do expect much at this point. I don’t think the public is really clamoring for her to be seen more except for the press of course. So why keep hammering us with the fact that she’s in remission but shouldn’t be expected to do too much? Okay, jeez, we got it the first time in People mag. And then Us mag and now the spectator. Plus telling the DM and who else ever. Like we got it already.
William has no gravitas. None.imo. I don’t think Kate is a “threat” . I doubt she is that popular. Kate never liked working even pre marriage. She had years to work and/or get a degree in Early Childhood studies.
My takeaway is that, accurate or not, Kate is the only member of the firm that gets generally favorable press. And yes, she’s the most popular working royal but it’s a pretty meaningless superlative given the competition. This adds up to Kate having more clout than is publicly acknowledged and as long as the The Brutal Year narrative holds up, she can pick and choose when to “work”.
William is also pampered by the media. I would not agree that she is the most popular working royal. This is propaganda from the media, the more they say it the more it will be believed. Kate has no clout but she is trying to hang in if William is thinking of moving on.
Kate always dresses like a 1980s secretary. And not the secretary to the head of the company, either. Her outfits belong to someone from the secretarial pool who gets pulled out to take notes and fetch tea for lower middle management meetings.
Ugh, so right. Going to visit children, and THAT’S what she wears. Honestly, she couldn’t get more boring if she tried.
This dress in particularly reminds me of a Maggie London dress I had in the 80s when I had an office job.
Speaking as someone who remembers Diana—Katherine is no Diana. Diana did the work and was charming in the process. People loved her. Also, I don’t remember anyone complaining about “word salad” or mumbling or saying crazy things (like needing sunshine while going through chemo).
Diana knew how to speak to people on walkabouts and gatherings, Even when she was just married she did a walkabout in Wales and the public really took to her. Diana also went in for self improvement like taking public speaking lessons, something both William and Kate desperately need.
Okay, so another take here. Kate can’t work like Diana because something something popularity and charisma (which kate doesn’t have) are bad things.
But if we break it down a bit…Diana working and her popularity WERE bad things in the end because it solidified her as the most popular member of the royal family. It created an avalanche of sympathy for her when the affair with Camilla was exposed. her popularity made her death one of the worst crises the royal family had experienced since the abdication.
It seems to me this is a warning to the royal family to try to tamp down on Kate’s popularity before she gets ideas in her head like divorce because she thinks she’ll be received post divorce the way the Diana was.
There’s an undertone here that I find really interesting. It seems to be a warning shot, but to whom?
Diana’s popularity (as a result of her charisma and hard work, her ability to relate to the public) made her a formidable foe in the separation/divorce process.
Kate doesn’t have that popularity, which makes her less formidable in that regard. Sooo, if there is going to be a divorce, don’t let her get too popular.
But does the royal family believe Kate would ever ask for a divorce? She worked for 10 years to snag William so she could get that crown on her head. She loves the tiara moments, and once her kids are out of the house would she really be happy living in a (luxurious) KP apartment and actually working as much as Diana did?
I honestly dont know. My first reaction is no, she would never want a divorce. But, at the same time, many of us have speculated that there was some sort of negotiation last year that gave the Midds the upper hand (Ascot, Wimbledon etc.)
That kind of negotiation would have only happened IMO if there was a fear that Kate was going to walk. If it was about her trying to stay married and keep William from walking, I’m not sure how that would have benefited the Middletons.
I don’t know. I’m not sure how much a divorce is in the works. But “something” about this article felt very off to me – all the talk about Diana’s popularity and what a threat that was the monarchy. Kate doesn’t have that level of popularity so why the equivalency? This wasnt’ just about how Diana was wonderful and so is Kate and how lucky is the monarchy.
It’s a warning shot to Kate not to mistake her appeal with having little to do with her title. Should she and Will divorce, a former almost queen, ex- to the soon-to-be king, and mother of future king George, doesn’t mean much when the invites stop coming and the wardrobe allowance dries up. It’s also a warning to Will not to mess with Carole because she’ll yank Kate off that balcony and parade her in front of every tabloid as Diana 2.0. EXCLUSIVE: Diana had Camilla, I had cancer.
Haha, yes, I can see Carole and Kate doing Diana 2.0. Although I expect she’d be extremely popular with 40-something men of all marital statuses, and that would give the tabloids something to gush about for years. Still, I can’t get rid of the idea that Kate and Carole really want the crown, and that BP and KP know that she’ll stick with Willy no matter how badly he treats her, and there’s already evidence on that score.
Diana wanted out, towards the time of the separation she said “my life is torture.” Even if Kate is unhappy she will cling to becoming Queen. If Diana had lived, she would have been invited to events involving WIlliam and Harry but not invited to other royal events, perhaps. Carole is cagey and she’s not going to jeopardize Kate being Queen.
Spot on, Becks1! I, too, am sensing that undertone. And the only way Kate can be compared to Diana is by pointing out the precarious space she finds herself in as a separated, and potentially divorced, Princess of Wales. We all know how it all tragically and mysteriously it ended for Diana when some forces thought they could no longer control her or contain her popularity. In other words, best not get too popular or out from under the Royal Boot, Kate, for your own good.
This part is hilarious: “The temptation, then, is to rebrand Catherine as the new Diana, a glamorous and photogenic woman who is naturally empathetic and who manages to bring harmony to potential discord through her charitable initiatives and public interactions. Yet as the 30th anniversary of Diana’s death approaches in 2027 – and as her younger son’s glowering estrangement from his family continues to remind us – it is hard to forget that the Firm’s eagerness to push the late princess into the limelight for favourable publicity ended up being catastrophic, both for her and for them.”
Translation:
Diana worked so much and very hard and became so popular and more liked than the actual BRF. She made the rest of the BRF look bad (just like Meghan) and this was catastrophic to the monarchy. Then she realized she was more successful on her own and broke away from us and we couldn’t control her!
Kate becoming more popular than the rest of the BRF on her own though is never going to happen. It’s been over a decade since she married William and not much has changed. She doesn’t have the personality or the work ethic and apart from sharing a royal title with Diana, they have nothing in common. I’m not sure just how much control Kate has over her own schedule but her breaking away to show up the monarchy is just as laughable as trying to compare her to Diana.
Because Charles got jealous of Diana from the outset
One thing of note is how Waity is deliberately being kept back from any kind of events involving heads of state, diplomats, politicians, because she completely fumbles the ball when she does those kinds of occasions. She cannot talk intelligently with people other than children, seniors and support staff. She seems to be equal parts arrogance and self-aggrandizement mixed with low self-esteem and actual fear of interacting with a high level of international bigwigs because it inevitably reveals how stupid she really is (not all of us can be rocket scientists, but at least make an effort to study up on stuff Kate) and how little she cares about expanding her knowledge of the world and the responsibilities of her role. Slumlord Bill doesn’t seem to give a toss about anything other than footie and beer and living the life of a rich toff. So her handlers give her soft appearances with little snippets of her sounding addled, then praise her to the skies for working so hard while recovering from cancer. Cancer my ass, it’s all a stunt to cover up her laziness, her sham of a marriage and whatever MH/ED/DV problems that she’s experienced to put her in this gilded cage. I’d feel sorry for her if she wasn’t such a racist, deceitful mean girl.
I’d say that’s a pretty accurate summary of the situation.
You might add her entitled addiction to exotic holidays, this week being a case in point with Carol’s 70th ….. all the scrounger Middletons in the Caribbean? Paid for by the Duchy of Cornwall?
I don’t see any “dignity” from the senior royals. Diana had more warmth than Kate and was not lazy. Kate is not popular with all.
The color of the coat with that ugly dress bugs me.
They’re trippin if they think she’s anything like Diana, unless they mean she (occasionally) upstages Chuck.
No warmth, no presence, no sense of humor, no elegance, no introspection, no intelligence, no compassion, no fashion, no steeping outside her box= NOT Diana
And no charisma which Diana had in spades.
Harry and Meghan are the most popular despite the smear campaign started by the rest. Kate only made news when she was missing. No one outside of the UK even cares about what she does now. It is Meghan and Harry who get international attention. They will never understand that.
I have 2 (potentially) tinfoil theories about the RF
1. Kate got benched for a 16 + months so W could do solo events and *up* his deadbeat, boring public profile. I might not like it, but a joint appearance, K is going to be the one getting photographed. There was no illness
2. You are only deemed mature enough to do any kind of work in your mid 50’s (see Ed & Sophie)
I think the RF knows their support base is with the 60 plus age group. They’re not interested in younger (therefore threatening) royals hogging the spotlight from Chuck, Cam & the apparent heir
It’s a working theory
Has anyone else read Katie Nichols’s personal C diagnosis story this weekend? It sounds nearly identical to Kate’s.
I can’t help but wonder if Kate had a mental or other breakdown/issue, knew of Katie’s issue (hers has been ongoing since 2022 and she’s in remission), and commandeered it for her own?
Until today I’ve never been in the “they’re making it up” camp, but I couldn’t believe what I read and how eerily identical it all was.
Kate keeps putting her hand over her stomach, which I think was first noticed in late 2023 after the infamous Korean state visit.
I wonder what the reason is? Maybe she does have a colostomy bag?
Kate has been doing that for years because in earlier times people thought she might be pregnant. Kate is just awkward in public and doesn’t know what to do with her hands, which is why we get jazz hands when she talks in public.